A Polish priest has created a small chapel in the city of Poznan, which besides an altar, lectern, chairs and crucifix, offers an AI-powered programme allowing visitors to ask questions about Catholicism and faith. Priest Radek Rakowski’s parish initially planned to build a traditional church, before opting for a more modern chapel installed on the Read more
A public memorial service will be held for real estate agent Yanfei Bao in Christchurch next week. Organisers said people were invited to attend the service at Our Lady of Victories Church in Sockburn at 11am on Monday to remember the 44-year-old mother’s “beautiful life”, “celebrate all her incredible accomplishments” and share their favourite memories Read more
A jury awarded a Catholic Michigan woman US$12.7 million (NZ$21.6m) in a religious discrimination lawsuit after her former employer — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) — refused to give her a religious exemption from the company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate and fired her. The woman, Lisa Domski, submitted a religious exemption request to the Read more
Giving is more rewarding than receiving, and when it involves sifting and sorting through a mountain of toys, it’s a heap of fun too. Such has been the experience of students at St Peter’s College in Palmerston North who have amassed more than 1000 dolls, books, figures, teddy bears, Lego sets and Nerf guns for Read more
Speaking on November 14 to participants at a conference on martyrdom, Pope Francis said that the Church should recognise all those who die for Christ, including those who are not Catholic. The Pope pointed to the Orthodox martyrs of Libya: “They were martyrs, and the Church venerates them as her own martyrs,” he said. “With Read more
Sotheby’s auction house is auctioning off the oldest known stone tablet with the Ten Commandments. The auction house announced that the approximately 1,500-year-old tablet with the ancient Hebrew text is to be auctioned on 18 December. The tablet is dated to the period between 300 and 800. It is the only completely preserved example from Read more
For the first time in over a century, the historic Chair of St Peter, a wooden throne symbolising the pope’s magisterial authority, has been removed from its gilded bronze reliquary in St Peter’s Basilica to be displayed for public veneration. Pilgrims and visitors can now behold this storied relic directly in front of the basilica’s Read more
The Government Statistician has provided a definition for ‘persistent child poverty’ and confirmed the way Stats NZ will measure it, using a mix of survey and administrative data. Under the Child Poverty Reduction Act 2018 the Government Statistician is required to define persistent child poverty before 1 July 2025. Government Statistician and Stats NZ Chief Read more
As a Florida woman prepares to be sentenced next week for embezzling nearly $900,000 from the parish where she worked, a retired IRS investigator says the case shines a spotlight on the need for parishes to implement measures to help detect and prevent theft. In June, Heather Darrey pled guilty to embezzling hundreds of thousands Read more
Women whose newborn babies were forcibly taken for adoption want to be included in today’s national apology for abuse in care. The final report from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into abuse in care found forced adoptions were often organised by church institutions, state social workers, and medical professionals. Commissioners found many women were either Read more