Katikati Plant and Produce Market celebrates 15 years this week. The market was set up as St Pius X Catholic Church fundraising and in more recent years shared the running of the market with Abbeyfield Western Bay of Plenty fundraising team. Market proceeds are shared between the two. Co-ordinator Pauline van Rijen started the market Read more
News Shorts
Lightning strikes Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil
Thursday, February 16th, 2023
Christ the Redeemer statue has been regarded as a landmark of Brazil ever since it was completed in 1931. Located atop the Corcovado mountain, the sculpture is 98 feet high and presents itself as if Jesus Christ is overlooking Rio de Janeiro. Its monumentality, symbolism, as well as unbeatable views one can get from the Read more
Auckland builders still busy with 13,865 new homes completed in the region last year
Thursday, February 16th, 2023Auckland’s residential construction industry maintained its momentum at the end of last year, with the number of new homes completed up by a third compared to pre-Covid levels in 2019. Auckland Council issued 1226 Code Compliance Certificates (CCCs) for new dwellings in December, up 5% compared to December 2021. CCCs are issued when a building Read more
Child abuse found in Portugal Catholic Church is ‘tip of iceberg’, commission says
Thursday, February 16th, 2023At least 4,815 children were sexually abused by members of the Portuguese Catholic Church – mostly priests – over the past 70 years, the commission investigating the issue said in a report on Monday, adding the findings are the “tip of the iceberg”. “(We want) to pay a sincere tribute to those who were abuse Read more
Atlanta airport gets a 24/7 eucharistic chapel
Thursday, February 16th, 2023Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer of Atlanta dedicated and blessed his archdiocese’s newest chapel while on his way to catch a flight Monday. Airline workers and travellers flying through the busiest airport in the world can now spend time in the real presence of Christ thanks to the efforts of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s chaplains and Read more
Over 100 priests, nuns persecuted in 2022, says report
Monday, February 13th, 2023More than 100 priests and nuns were kidnapped, arrested, or killed worldwide in 2022, says a report referring to data from a papal foundation. Nigeria led the list as “one of the most dangerous countries in which to serve the Church” with the brutal murder of four priests last year, the Catholic Peace Broadcasting Corporation Read more
Buyer found for historic St Andrews Church in South Canterbury
Monday, February 13th, 2023The sold sign has gone up on the 120-year-old Catholic church in the St Andrews township south of Timaru. “We are very happy, the church is happy,” parish priest, Father Chris Friel said. “There will be a farewell liturgy, a gathering and mass to say goodbye in the near future. “No date has been arranged Read more
Catholic school cancelling teen for religious views not the answer
Monday, February 13th, 2023In what could be a watershed opportunity in Canadian history, a lawyer is trying to marshal compromise instead of cancellation with a view to getting 16-year-old Josh Alexander back in school. But so far, no luck. Alexander was suspended from St Joseph’s Catholic High School in Renfrew, Ontario. The teen asserted in class that there Read more
ACT’s David Seymour rejects racist rhetoric allegations
Monday, February 13th, 2023ACT leader David Seymour and Te Pāti Māori’s Rawiri Waititi have clashed in a tense debate about co-governance during what was supposed to be an interview about Labour’s policy dump. It comes after Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on Wednesday put several unpopular policies on the burn pile including the RNZ-TVNZ merger, hate speech reforms and Read more
‘We cannot defend ourselves without arms,’ Ukrainian archbishop
Monday, February 13th, 2023The head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church has defended President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s requests for long-range weapons, although a Vatican diplomat warned that arm supply is a complex topic. “I cannot morally endorse this request for arms because I don’t know all the details — but we cannot defend ourselves without arms,” said Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Read more