The Catholic Church in New Zealand has not as yet prohibited sharing the chalice and sharing a handshake at the sign of peace at Mass. “Should there be a need for restrictions on receiving Communion or the exchange of the Sign of Peace, these will be immediately notified to parishes throughout the country,” said the Read more
Michael Gielen was ordained and installed as auxiliary bishop of Auckland on Saturday. More than 3,000 filled the Vodafone Events Centre. The events centre was needed because so many people wanted to attend, the cathedral was not big enough. Bishop Michael was ordained to be his long-needed assistant by Bishop Pat Dunn, Bishop of Auckland. Read more
After Christchurch mosque shootings, Bariz and Afrasyabi decided to help 51 people in honour of the 51 people who died. They returned to Christchurch this month after spending three months in Kabul and Jalalabad equipping 51 people with the means to earn a living through their own micro-enterprises. Read more
Moves are afoot to free up land at the former St Mary’s School site in Gisborne for at least 30 new houses. The board of Gisborne Holdings Ltd, which operates as Gisborne District Council’s commercial arm, have signed off a subdivision for the disused site. Read more
The doors of the chapel at the Carmelite Monastery in Auckland have been locked after the second theft of statues in just four months. On Friday a man entered the monastery and stole two small statues from the shop area – one a porcelain statue of Mary, and another of St Michael the Archangel. He Read more
The small town of Ōtaki, in New Zealand, is hosting the largest indigenous film festival in the southern hemisphere, The Māoriland Film Festival. The festival runs from 18 to 22 March. The theme is Me Reretau – Be in Balance. It offers stories that seek harmony in an increasingly discordant world. The seventh annual festival Read more
Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa, the apostolic nuncio to New Zealand, has self-isolated after a recent trip to Italy. His move is in line with guidance from New Zealand authorities to help prevent the spread of coronavirus COVID-19. On 2 March the New Zeland Government recommended that people who have been in northern Italy or the Republic Read more
More than 30 organisations have signed an open letter supporting abortion law reform. The Government’s bill to take abortion out of the Crimes Act passed its second reading in parliament. Read more
Ewen and Gillian Laurenson have fostered over 100 children and exported their expertise worldwide through the Open Home Foundation. On the 24th of January 2020, they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. At the time they wrote: “God’s call on us as a married couple was to open our hearts and home to vulnerable children, young Read more