The founder of the G.I.F.T. Centre that ministers to children and adults with intellectual disabilities, Cenacle Sr Jean Sinclair, MNZM, has died in Auckland aged 93. “I learned so much from the G.I.F.T. groups”, said Lijana Anketell, a long time volunteer at G.I.F.T (Growth in Faith Together) and friend of Sr Jean’s. Continue reading in Read more
New Zealand
Invercargill conference celebrates the work of Dan Davin
Monday, September 4th, 2017
Writers and academics converged on Invercargill last weekend to celebrate the work of Southland author Dan Davin. “Dan Davin is quite important in the short story scene in New Zealand. He was quite unique, in that his stories were semi-autobiographical,” said Rebecca Amundsen the chairwoman of The Dan Davin Literary Foundation. “He mainly wrote about Read more
Crown to pardon unlawfully arrested Tuhoe prophet Rua Kēnana
Monday, September 4th, 2017
Next Saturday the Crown will officially issue a pardon for Tuhoe prophet and leader Rua Kēnana. Government representatives will sign an agreement at Maungapohatu Marae on September 9, and will also apologise to the descendants of Rua Kēnana and Nga Toenga o Nga Tamariki a Iharaira. After the agreement is signed the next step in the Read more
Religion is the enemy of education says history professor
Monday, September 4th, 2017
A history professor said “religion’s the enemy of education” in response to the stir following his comment on a Z Energy Facebook post about diversity in the workplace. He wrote, “Who needs employees if they stop work five times per day to talk to an imaginary being?” Richards was accused of confusing the Sikh in Read more
Brian Tamaki warns of ‘signs of the end of time’
Monday, September 4th, 2017Destiny Church co-founder Brian Tamaki has sounded a warning following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey which left 50 people dead. Bishop Tamaki took to social media to warn followers of signs of the end of time. “Earthquakes. Floods..Famines..Diseases..Wars and widespread deception are just few of the end time signs,” he tweeted on August 30. “The Read more
Pope’s visit to Colombia about not politics
Monday, September 4th, 2017The Vatican says the Pope’s upcoming visit to Colombia is about about renewing the Catholic faith of Colombians so violence may be fought at its root. It is not about making a political statement. Read more
Meticulous sand mandala in Christchurch scattered
Monday, September 4th, 2017About 200 people packed into Christchurch’s Te Hapua: Halswell Centre on Saturday to witness a sand mandala dissolution ceremony, performed by visiting Tibetan monks. Crushed marble-coloured sand was sprinkled to form a “cosmogram”, representing a world in perfect harmony. Continue reading
11-year old gives lunch to homeless man every day for 2 weeks
Monday, September 4th, 2017A South Auckland boy has plucked a homeless man from “the pits of despair” by giving him his lunch every day for two weeks. It was only when the rough sleeper walked to school with the 11-year-old and told the boy’s teachers that anyone found out what he was doing. Continue reading
Cans for Christmas on a roll
Thursday, August 31st, 2017
Cans for Christmas is a project that collects canned food through Catholic Schools and donates them to the St Vincent de Paul Society. Christ the King Primary School Owairaka assistant principal and Year 5 and 6 teacher Billy Hadnett came up with the idea for the initiative, which began in 2015. Hadnett established Cans for Read more
Ban on prolife club at university like banning books say Bishops
Thursday, August 31st, 2017
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops (NZCBC) have expressed concern at the decision of Auckland University’s student Association (AUSA) to ban a ProLife Club. “The Catholic Church has learned through dark periods in our own history that banning free-thinking and persecuting those with different views is a shameful and retrograde step for society,” said Bishop Patrick Read more