The Sisters of the Good Samaritan will be forging a new partnership early next year when educator and experienced lay missionary Brenda Keenan becomes the first person to take up a two-year placement with the Sisters in Kiribati. Brenda, who is currently serving as Director of Catholic Education in the Port Pirie Diocese, has a Read more
Retweeting anti-Muslim videos has landed United States President Donald Trump in trouble. The three anti-Muslim videos were posted by the deputy head of a British far-right group who has been convicted of a hate crime. Trump’s actions drew criticism from many quarters, including the British government at 10 Downing Street, which said Trump was “wrong” Read more
A member of the Samoa Fa’afafine Association,Tim Baice, said marriage equality is not a priority for his group or the Samoan community. last week Samoa’s Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi declared he was adamant there would be no same-sex marriage in Samoa after it was recently allowed in Australia. Continue reading
Mafia connections between the Catholic church in southern Italy and organised crime are over. When a Sicilian mobster known as the “boss of bosses” died in prison last month, a spokesman for the Italian conference of bishops said it would be “unthinkable” to give him a public funeral. Read more
Volunteering at the Salvation Army East City Corps helped Helen Yan find the meaning of life again. The Pakuranga resident came to New Zealand with her husband and young son in 2001 from China while pregnant with her daughter, and became a Christian not long afterwards. Continue reading
Vietnamese filled a stadium in Hanoi last week for a Christian evangelistic event. The Communist government, which controls religions, gave permission for the rally. Over 10,000 people went to it. U.S. evangelist preacher Reverend Franklin Graham said the government only gave permission for the event in the week leading up to it.
When an Auckland photographer was offered a rare glimpse into the secretive world of a silent monastery, he didn’t expect the silent nuns to be as chatty as they were. Canadian-born, Cam McLaren spent six months documenting the lives of the contemplative nuns based at Mt Albert’s Carmelite Monastery earlier this year. Continue reading
Adult baptisms are on the rise – but are causing a few headaches for Catholic leaders. Many catechumens are living in “complex” matrimonial situations, without having any idea of Church rules regarding marriage and living together. Read more
The eerie world inside one of Christchurch’s most famous earthquake-ravaged buildings is showcased in new video footage from the Christ Church Cathedral. As central and local government discuss altering legislation to allow the cathedral to be restored, an anonymous videographer has sneaked inside the wrecked central city building. Continue reading
Interfaith dialogue shows many similarities between the three major Abrahamic faiths. Jews, Christians and Muslims share a common belief in one God, share common characters, like prophets, angels and Satan and similar codes of morality, social responsibility and accountability. They also exclude women from religious and spiritual leadership. Read more