Over 30 young song writers from around New Zealand composed lyrics and performed songs on ways to help improve the lives of people struggling with poverty, oppression, injustice or hopelessness, for Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand’s SingOut4Justice competition. The annual competition invited students from all colleges and high schools across the country, to consider ways a Read more
New Zealand
Marist vocation weekends prove popular
Tuesday, May 27th, 2014Nine young men have taken part in vocation discernment weekends at Marist Seminary this year. The semianry is located in Auckland New Zealand. The opportunity to see Marist life up close proved more popular than expected, says Seminary rector, Fr Peter McAfee. The team, Frs Matt Crawford and Peter McAfee and seminarians, Phil Bennenbroek, Brendan Jenke Read more
Minority faiths face discrimination in workplace
Tuesday, May 27th, 2014
Some employees who belong to minority faiths face discrimination because of their beliefs. Employers find it okay to employ Buddhists and Hindus but are wary of hiring Muslims, an AUT study has found. Indian Christians in the research faced the least barriers, and acknowledged the benefits derived from having westernised names, a Western dress sense Read more
The right to die quickly becomes a duty to die
Tuesday, May 27th, 2014
“The right to die would very quickly become a duty to die,” says the director of the New Zealand Catholic Bioethics Centre, John Kleinsman. He was speaking to close to 140 people at a public meeting in New Plymouth last week. Kleinsman said his opposition to euthanasia was based on social concerns that its introduction, Read more
Sudanese women’s death sentence: Why no outcry from NZ?
Tuesday, May 27th, 2014
Right to Life New Zealand is asking why there is the outcry from The New Zealand government about the Sudanese woman who has been condemned to death unless she recants her Christian faith. It is calling on the government to petition the Sudanese government to immediately release Mariam Ibrahim from imprisonment. Ibrahim, a Sudanese mother, Read more
Compassion Creche on the move
Friday, May 23rd, 2014The historic Home of Compassion Creche on Buckle St took its first few tentative steps towards its new home yesterday as construction workers began slowly pulling the 100-year-old building off its foundations on Buckle St using hydraulic rams. The process, which will be carried out over the next couple of days, is the first in Read more
Our Lady of Pukekaraka and the big statue… an Aussie view
Friday, May 23rd, 2014A YouTube channel on Marian Shrines of the World recently featured an episode on Our Lady of Pukekaraka and the statue of Our Lady at Paraparaumu. Although the Australian narrator , understandably struggles a little with Maori pronunciation the video provides a concise and accurate account of the history and significance of the shrine of Read more
Auckland mosque closed amid tensions
Friday, May 23rd, 2014A mosque in Auckland has been shut down indefinitely following violent attacks and the declaration of jihad, or holy war, against private security staff hired to guard the premises. The mosque has been closed because of violence and tension between two groups that can’t agree over who should be in charge. It was closed after Read more
Anglicans divest shares in fossil fuels
Friday, May 23rd, 2014
On Thursday last week, the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia unanimously passed a resolution to take all reasonable steps to divest shares in fossil fuel companies by mid-2016. Rod Oram, who moved the proposal, told synod that it “gives us the opportunity to offer leadership on, and to make a practical response Read more
Plans afoot to merge three New Plymouth parishes
Friday, May 23rd, 2014
Plans are being made to merge three New Plymouth parishes; St Joseph’s in the central city, St Philomena’s Brooklands and Fitzroy’s Our Lady Help of Christians. About 200 people turned out last week to a series of presentations given by a steering group which has the task of explaining the move and organising consultation with Read more