Asbestos has been discovered in the land fenced off around Christ Church Cathedral, complicating a clean up of the area ahead of Anzac Day. Despite the contamination members of Christchurch’s Returned and Services Association were able to lay wreaths at the citizens’ war memorial on Wednesday. Continue reading
New Zealand
Restore Catholic Christchurch Basilica says USA writer
Monday, April 23rd, 2018
A writer living in the United States has made a plea for the Catholic Christchurch Basilica to be restored. Writing in First Things, Stephen Schmalhofer opines: “Let us hope that Macauley’s unknown traveler will arrive with plenty of practice sketching the restored cathedral domes in Christchurch. “To honor the blood and sweat of the missionary New Zealand Church and Read more
Michael Dooley to be ordained Bishop of Dunedin on Thursday
Monday, April 23rd, 2018
Later this week Michael Dooley will become the 7th bishop of Dunedin. His ordination will take place in the Dunedin town hall on Thursday. Over 1000 people are expected to attend including clergy, the Vatican’s diplomatic representative, the apostolic nuncio Archbishop Martin Krebs, civic leaders and other Church leaders. The ordination will be followed on Friday morning Read more
Satyanand suggests churches launch own historical abuse inquiry
Monday, April 23rd, 2018
The head of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into historical abuse in state care has suggested churches could launch their own internal investigation. In an interview with Mike Wesley-Smith on The Nation, Sir Anand Satyanand said he discussed the matter with the country’s senior Anglican and Catholic bishops meeting together recently in Wellington. “I raised Read more
Checkout operator pays for customer’s groceries
Monday, April 23rd, 2018Manuella Andersen was waiting in line at the Huntly Countdown when she noticed the woman in front of her was tentatively putting items through the checkout. “She was picking her groceries out of her trolley one by one at the same time as having them scanned to see what the total was and if she could afford Read more
Salvation Army: highest level of need since the recession in 2011.
Monday, April 23rd, 2018Poverty in the land of milk and honey is reaching critical levels as 336 new desperate families ask the Salvation Army for help each week. That is the highest level of need the Salvation Army has recorded since the recession in 2011. Continue reading
Maureen Laws: A pioneering nurse who set new standards
Monday, April 23rd, 2018In 1999, Mike Sexton’s adoptive parents had died, and he thought it was time to seek out his birth mother. He encountered in Maureen Laws an independent, well-educated, well-travelled woman with a great many threads to her life: a pioneering nurse, who broke new ground for many in her profession; a devoted Roman Catholic, who Read more
End of Life Choice Bill unethical, dangerous and unprogressive – NZ Bishops
Thursday, April 19th, 2018
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops have voiced strong opposition to the End of Life Choice Bill in their written submission to the Justice Select Committee. The Bishops say that while some popular polls claim that New Zealanders are in support of the Bill, many commentators note that in fact what they are expressing is a view on Read more
Welcomes and farewells for hospital chaplains
Thursday, April 19th, 2018
Last Friday at the Pompallier Centre in Auckland, Sister Jane O’Carroll (Bishop Dunn’s pastoral assistant) hosted a ceremony to commission three new hospital chaplains and farewell two long-serving ones. Fr Talipope Vaifale, Elaine Harvey and Marcelles Amiatu were commissioned by Monsignor Bernard Kiely, vicar general of the Catholic diocese of Auckland. The event was well Read more
Bishop Matthews – Wealthy and powerful tell us they know best
Thursday, April 19th, 2018
The outgoing Bishop of Christchurch, Victoria Matthews, has said goodbye to her diocese with an attack on civic authorities over their handling of the future of Christchurch Cathedral. She was speaking at a special Choral Eucharist in Christchurch’s Transitional Cathedral last Sunday. She said the Christchurch Cathedral restoration is being driven by “the wealthy and Read more