Cardinal John Dew was among a dozen senior Catholics from around the Wellington region who had their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday. New Zealand’s Catholic Church leaders are campaigning for people to line up for the Covid-19 vaccine programme. The leaders are particularly focusing on ethnic and religious communities fearful of getting Read more
A coroner’s report attributes above legal-limit drinking and a poorly fitting helmet as being the likely causes of a young priest’s death in 2018. Father Graeme Blackburn – a much-loved Christchurch priest – died after a crash on a Banks Peninsula road. His motorbike had collided head-on with an oncoming four-wheel-drive and his helmet came off. Read more
Homes with damp carpets and mouldy curtains and draughty windows, bedrooms below 10 degrees Celsius, and families sleeping in the lounge to stay warm are all too common, a healthy housing advocate says. Sustainability Options co-owner Nik Gregg said people Kiwis were a hardy people who had grown to accept that being a nation of Read more
After more than 17 years at St Kevin’s College, Paul Olsen might be leaving but he isn’t going far. After 11 years as principal of Oamaru’s Catholic secondary school, Mr Olsen announced yesterday he would be stepping down at the end of the year, to take up a role as manager of the Catholic Education Read more
The NZ Catholic Bishops’ Conference says the views of all New Zealand Catholics will be sought during an expanded Synod of Bishops’ process announced by the pope. “Pope Francis has frequently called for the bishops, priests and people to walk together in a common mission of the Church,” says Conference president Cardinal John Dew. “He Read more
New Zealand’s Catholic bishops have welcomed Pope Francis’ approval of changes to the Church’s Code of Canon Law which toughens and extends sanctions against sexual abuse. Bishop Stephen Lowe, secretary of the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference, says the new code makes it clear that bishops must take decisive action when abuse is reported to them. Read more
A new charity in Christchurch is building homes with a purpose – it is aiming to donate the profit from sales to local charities supporting disadvantaged youth. The initiative is the brainchild of Cole Askew who is a director of family-led house building company, Freedom Built. Wanting to raise funds to give back to the Read more
A new internship programme provides a pathway to being a director in the not-for-profit sector. The board of the Anglican Family Care centre has appointed Annabelle Cullinane as its first intern director, working alongside the board for a two-year term. She would not have voting rights but would gain insights and experience and could share Read more
Wairarapa parishioners in Greytown have announced a Sunday Morning prayer service to replace what was their regular Sunday Mass. The group establishing the service say while Sunday Mass is available in Masterton or Featherston, these options do not always work for everyone. “It also does not support the local community,” Gerard McGreevy of the Establishment Read more
Pope Francis, May 27, announced that British Archbishop, Arthur Roche (pictured) will be the new head of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. (Liturgy Office.) Roche replaces controversial conservative Cardinal, Robert Sarah, whose resignation Pope Francis accepted on 20 February. The Vatican liturgy office is charged with overseeing the Catholic Read more