The miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of St Januarius, bishop, martyr, and patron saint of Naples, Italy, was recently repeated in St Clare Basilica. The Archdiocese of Naples reported on its website that on May 4 at 6:38 pm local time, the miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of St Januarius occurred Read more
News Shorts
Overseas aid spent on children has a tenfold return, charity calculates
Thursday, May 9th, 2024
New research by the charity World Vision and the accountants Ernst & Young Australia suggests that every $1 of overseas-development funding that targets children has a measurable benefit of $10. The calculation is made in Putting Children First for Sustainable Development, published on Tuesday, which quantifies the social and economic benefits of Official Development Assistance Read more
Uganda’s Catholic Church runs out of altar wine
Thursday, May 9th, 2024The Catholic Church in Uganda has announced a critical shortage of mass wine. Wine is one of the important items at the altar for the holy Eucharist. The holy sacrifice of the Eucharist must be celebrated in bread and wine, to which a small quantity of water is added, as per the present Code of Read more
Turkey’s Erdogan opens former church to Muslim worshippers
Thursday, May 9th, 2024Turkey has reopened a mosque converted from an ancient Orthodox church in Istanbul for Muslim worship four years after the president ordered its transformation. The Kariye Mosque was formerly a Byzantine church, then a mosque, and then a museum. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared on May 6 that the Kariye Mosque was reopened for worship Read more
Bishops approve Mass of the Land of the Holy Spirit
Thursday, May 9th, 2024Australia’s Catholic bishops have approved a liturgy which incorporates elements of Aboriginal language and culture. A motion was passed at the plenary meeting of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference in Sydney on Tuesday approving the Mass of the Land of the Holy Spirit (Missa Terra Spiritus Sancti) for use in the Diocese of Broome in Read more
Pope: Religious formation must also be human
Monday, May 6th, 2024Pope Francis said seminarians and religious men and women need well-rounded formation throughout their lives, not only at the onset of their religious training. In his prayer intention for the month of May, released on April 30 by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, the pope described each vocation as a “diamond in the rough” needing Read more
Community garden faces setback after theft
Monday, May 6th, 2024The community garden near St Andrews church in Featherston has suffered a significant setback as thieves stole all gardening equipment from its shed. Hana Makin, a lead member of the garden’s management team, remains optimistic about the garden’s role in the community. “This hasn’t changed the fact that we have this beautiful space and great Read more
St John’s in Alexandra marks 100 years as parish
Monday, May 6th, 2024Connections among all people were celebrated in Alexandra earlier this month as a local church marked 100 years as a parish. About 130 people joined together for Mass at St John the Baptist Church on Sunday, April 21, to celebrate the centenary of the Alexandra parish. The congregation celebrated with a dinner on Saturday night, Read more
Father Marko Rupnik’s art cannot be separated from abuse claims
Monday, May 6th, 2024For the rector of the world’s second-largest church after St Peter’s Basilica, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil, May 11 will be a day of celebrating the inauguration of the southern facade’s mosaics, all created by Fr Marko Rupnik. But alleged victims of the disgraced former Jesuit and many faithful are not Read more