Pink and blue balloons filled Lambton Quay on Saturday when the National March for Life took place in Wellington. The family-friendly event aimed to: Celebrate life Remember the more than 500,000 pre-born babies who have been aborted since 1974 Increase public awareness of abortion, and its impact on women, families and society while highlighting the Read more
A new Catholic bishop of Christchurch has been appointed nearly two years after the death of his predecessor bishop Barry Jones. Father Paul Martin will be 10th Catholic Bishop of Christchurch. His ordination is expected to be next year, possibly in February. One of the important issues he will need to address is the restoration of the Read more
Over 650 people from all over New Zealand attended the Aotearoa Catholic Youth Festival in Auckland last weekend. Participants danced, took part in discussions and presentations, browsed the many stalls, spent time with friends and new acquaintances and enjoyed all that was on offer at the festival. The opening ceremony included a powhiri (welcome) for Read more
For over 25 years the bishop of Palmerston North, Charles Drennan, has volunteered for a month at the Raphael Ryder Cheshire Centre in Dehra Dun, India where he works with tuberculosis patients, special needs adults and children whose parents had leprosy. Drennan left for his most recent visit at the beginning of November. “Sometimes I’m asked Read more
Sister of Mercy Dame Pauline Engel died on 15 November at North Shore Hospital in Auckland. A vigil of remembrance was held at Carmel College Hall in Milford on Sunday, November 19th. Her Requiem Mass was celebrated at St Joseph’s Church the next day. Engel was a teacher at Carmel College from 1965 to 1983. She Read more
A Kiwi Christmas movie is due for release at the end of November. Fed up with the materialism of Christmas, Santa runs away to New Zealand for a summer holiday. When two Kiwi kids figure out who he is, they have to find a way to get him back to the North Pole in time Read more
Brother Mark McKeon FSC has been appointed as the new pastoral director of the Holy Cross Seminary in Ponsonby, Auckland. Recently returned from Palestine, Br Mark has been a De La Salle Brother for 35 years. He has been engaged in teaching ministry in Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. NZCBC President, Bishop Patrick Dunn, Read more
“Too many people confuse a rightly-formed conscience with personal preferences dominated by selfishness” Pope Francis said in a video message to an Italian meeting on ‘Amoris Laetitia,’ his exhortation on the family. “Conscience,” he said, “always has God’s desire for the human person as its ultimate reference point. “The contemporary world risks confusing the primacy Read more
The Minister for Climate Change James Shaw and Pacific People’s Minister Aupito William Sio met with Pope Francis on Saturday. En route to United Nations COP-23 Climate Change Conference in Bonn, they took part in a Pacific Island Leaders Forum discussion with the Holy Father. The Pope received in audience the leaders of the “Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat” from the eleven island Read more
According to the last census, Catholics are now the largest Christian denomination in New Zealand. But they are not the fastest- growing. “Here’s the interesting thing,” writes Narelle Henson, “a group called simply “Protestants” by Statistics New Zealand grew by 26.4 percent from the previous census in 2006.” A group called “Evangelical, Born Again and Fundamental” Read more