Caritas was prepared for an emergency in Tonga and is already on the ground offering assistance. Confirmation of the Catholic agency’s involvement comes from Caritas Director Julianne Hickey, and follows Saturday’s eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano. “Together (with Caritas Tonga) we have completed the pre-positioning of emergency supplies at three locations in Tonga Read more
This week’s reflection comes from the parish of Holy Name Church, Dunedin. It is ironic that in these times of isolation when people replace cars around the streets, people are meeting more people than they used to. All the while keeping their social distance and remaining in their bubble. People seem to have slowed down. Read more
Mayor Phil Goff wants to pump an extra $5 million into the Auckland City Mission, to help with the construction costs of its new building on Hobson St. That building, to be called HomeGround, will contain accommodation, health services and community facilities. Demolition of the old City Mission buildings has already begun. Continue reading
I remember at a very young age the constant urging of my parents to always say “thank you” in response to any kindness or friendly words shared in my direction. For many years, I saw this advice from my parents as simply good manners and what people were supposed to do. In my mid-teen years, Read more
The Church cannot “hide” from the story of Fr Magnus Murray, one of Dunedin’s top Catholics says. But nor can all Catholics be tarnished by the actions of one man, Monsignor John Harrison, (pictured), of the Catholic Diocese of Dunedin, says. “It actually reflects on the rest of us and everyone gets tarred, and yet Read more
A Catholic priest who provides spiritual direction and counselling for people from all walks of life uses a unique way of distinguishing personality traits. Father Stephen Truscott SM PhD said the Enneagram is among the field of psychology that talks about personality profiles. In his role as Fullness of Life Counsellor and Spiritual Director, Fr Read more
The statistics about the number of people walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in 1986 point only to the sparseness of a forgotten trail. A low pilgrim population in the 80s turned an ancient path into more of a medieval legend. Rather than a well-known travel destination, the ancient ‘Way of St James’ was Read more
Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae was publicly released on Monday, July 29, 1968. It reiterated the condemnation of artificial contraception for spouses. Many in the Catholic world had been hoping for a change in the papal teaching based on the newer approaches of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and the call to change the Read more
The “prosperity gospel” that U.S. President Donald Trump and many of his advisers and followers seem to espouse does not promote solidarity for the common good, but sees God as giving his blessings to the rich and punishing the poor, said an influential Jesuit journal. The philosophy “is used as a theological justification for economic Read more
Responding to growing concern about the kinds of priests the Church of England is attracting, Anglican leaders are considering expanding its assessments of clergy candidates to include more rigorous psychological testing. Anxiety about the quality of those who aspire to become clergy is rooted in the series of child sex abuse scandals that have emerged from Anglicanism’s Read more