St Thomas More’s hair shirt is on display for the first time. He wore the shirt while he was waiting to be executed. He was martyred in 1535 for refusing to accept King Henry VIII of England’s Protestant reforms. The shirt has been enshrined for veneration above an altar at Buckfast Abbey, a Benedictine monastery Read more
A man named Jesus Christ has been sentenced to home detention after a burglary spree. Emmanuel Jesus Christ Prasad, 27, broke into 13 of his neighbours’ Massey homes and took food and things he could sell to pawn shops. He was yesterday sentenced to 10 months’ home detention at the Waitakere District Court for the Read more
A Christian heritage monastery in Mosul was ransacked during Islamic States’ two-year occupation. They were finally ousted last weekend. Much of the heritage artifcats, including books, were burnt. Read more
It’s that time of year – when parents are bracing themselves to take the kids to see Santa. And it seems plenty are willing to pay for the privilege of skipping long queues. Tickets to do just that at Auckland department store Smith & Caughey’s cost $30 and are selling fast. continue reading
Death is not frightening if you are faithful to God’s teachings. Don’t fear it. Think about the day you meet Jesus and put your faith in God, says Pope Francis. Read more
When people find their voice, it is incredibly powerful and healing for them, says Alyssa Poole “It’s the cheapest therapy you’ll ever get.” Being able to help someone re-discover their singing ability was what Poole loved most about her job. At the moment she has about 25 students on her books. “If you’re a teacher you Read more
Online interactive Advent calendar fun is one way to get the world involved in a project. Christians across the world are being invited to celebrate the season of Advent through an interactive, multi-lingual online calendar. The website adventword.org goes live on Advent Sunday (27 November) in nine languages including, for the first time, Arabic. It Read more
Mourners have filled an Auckland church to overflowing to say goodbye to four-year-old Aldrich Viju, who died in a playground accident at a child care centre. Hundreds of family, friends and fellow members of the Kerala community, in saris and suits and with tears in their eyes, filled the aisle as well as the pews of Ellerslie’s Read more
Syria is a “workshop for cruelty” says Pope Francis. Speaking to Caritas Internationalis, Francis said “I believe the greatest illness of today is cardiac sclerosis,”. He was implying a kind of hardening of the heart that renders a person unable to feel compassion or be moved by another’s suffering. He said Syria is an example Read more