Four former students from Francis Douglas Memorial College in New Plymouth have been selected for the All Blacks tour squad. Along with the three Barrett brothers, Beauden, Scott and Jordie, Liam Coltman had been named as a hooker on the tour. Martin Chamberlain, the principal of Francis Douglas Memorial College, said they were not only Read more
The new bishop of Christchurch will have to decide what to do about the earthquake Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. He will be faced with a choice of spending $45 million to restore the nave or $100 million to carry out a complete restoration. A decision had previously been made to save and restore just the Read more
The head of A US lobby group on abortion, Catholics for Choice, is scheduled to speak at a conference in New Zealand in November. A spokesperson for the New Zealand’s Catholic Bishops Conference, Simone Olsen, said of Catholics for Choice: “Clearly this group’s message is inconsistent with the Church’s teaching on family which seeks to protect the vulnerable and the voiceless including the unborn Read more
Two women from high-profile fractured relationships say they have found solace with Destiny Church. The daughter of league legend Tawera Nikau has told how the church helped turn her life around and left her keen to repair her relationship with her father. And war hero Willie Apiata’s estranged wife, Sade Waikato, has posted a video Read more
Singing the sermon is one way of making sure people remember the point. Take last Sunday’s 9am Mass for Wellington’s St Mary of the Angels’ parish for example. The celebrant, Father Joe Savesi, is well known for including jokes in his sermons. They catch people’s attention and underline his main points. To recap -the sermon Read more
It’s often said Church is a place of solitude, reflection and silence. But that’s not the case at Joyful Ministries – a monthly church service and social group with activities for people with intellectual disabilities in Hamilton. Church goers are encouraged to express themselves by singing and being as loud as they please. Organiser Jeni Read more
“It’s time to revive the Tampa spirit and rescue the refugees our Australian neighbours have sent off to rot in hellish prison camps on remote islands like Nauru and Manus,” says columnist Brian Rudman. Amnesty International is calling on New Zealand to take a lead in exerting international pressure on Australia over its detention centre Read more
The Salvation Army says there is persistent unemployment in the 15- to 24-year-old age group and this is related to immigration. It says as a country we need to have a rational and open debate around the role of immigration in New Zealand’s future. In a report, What Next, released this week;the Salvation Army suggests Read more
A former church has been resurrected thanks to a little help from a group of local musicians. St Christopher’s church and Seatoun Village Hall have been transformed into a vibrant community hub by young musicians, dancers, craft and exercise groups. The Presbytery’s attempt to buy the buildings for their own use was met with much opposition from locals, Read more
Students have returned to St Patrick’s College, Kilbirnie, after the discovery of asbestos last week. “The worry is that asbestos will still come out of the roof,” Rector, Mr Neil Swindells said. “We’ve had the Ministry of Education, the medical officer of health and WorkSafe involved, everything we’ve done has been first rate, but we Read more