I will be 80 years old in June. As a young child in the Methodist Church, I was certain I was called to ordained ministry. At Duke University, I majored in religious studies and then served as pastoral assistant and director of religious education in a small church in upstate New York. Then, in the Read more
Catholic priest Fr David Palmer’s social media posts have seen the University of Nottingham decline to recognise him as a chaplain. “Our concern was not in relation to Fr. David’s views themselves, but the manner in which these views have been expressed in the context of our diverse community of people of many faiths,” the Read more
Otago university’s appointment of its first chaplaincy lecturer will help with the nationwide shortages of chaplains, says Monsignor John Harrison. Harrison, who is the Dunedin police chaplain, says there are many shortages across the diverse field of chaplaincy, including among Catholic chaplains. Chaplains play a crucial role, including being part of the overall response to Read more
Pastors have long hung out with workers. During the Industrial Revolution, they would preach from factory floors. Nineteenth-century Catholic teachings declared it the Church’s duty to support the working poor. And in the Great Depression, industry titans hired chaplains to visit workers on the Hoover Dam. But in recent years, a number of companies have Read more
Sometimes truth is so hard to stomach that even though it stares you in the face and shouts itself hoarse trying to be heard we remain oblivious to its presence. This may be because the emerging truth demands much of us. The truth I have to face is that the Christian religion I represent has Read more
A bunch of blokes were gathered in a holy huddle at the back of a cathedral, worried that no one seemed to be listening to their good news anymore. Par for the course now but this was Paris during the Second World War. A world in turmoil meant people were thinking for themselves, taking up Read more