A short text message and some creative thinking have opened the door to an entirely lay-led Zoom Liturgy of the Word. The move in the former Newtown and Island Bay parishes, now Wellington South parish, helps the community keep connected when parishioners are unable or anxious about coming to Mass. Essentially as a service of Read more
Nearly two-thirds of the people who have died in New Zealand’s Omicron outbreak are men, and experts say the science is inconclusive as to why. That is despite slightly more women having been infected overall, according to Ministry of Health data. Women also made up about 56 percent of those who have been hospitalised with Read more
There are “far too many” unvaccinated expectant mums in hospital with Covid. The comment comes from New Zealand researchers Leah Pointon, Anna Howe, Matthew Hobbs, Janine Paynter, Natalie Gauld, Nikki Turner and Esther Willing have been looking into vaccination coverage in pregnant New Zealand women. Pregnant women can still get vaxxed: it’s about saving your Read more
One morning in early March 2020 I got up, got ready and then walked down to the Lawrence Hill train station in Bristol. It was a Thursday and I was heading into London to work from my firm’s office for a couple of days while staying with my parents just to the north of the Read more
Catholics in southeast China have taken to the front line to battle a new Covid-19 outbreak that has been raging across various Chinese territories. In parishes of Jiangxi province, Catholics are involved in preventive measures including testing, contact tracing and other forms of medical assistance, says a report from the state-sanctioned Bishops’ Conference of the Read more
Across the United States, religious congregations have reopened, or reopened with some health restrictions still in place, after two long pandemic years, according to a new Pew Research survey. But there has been little or no rise in the number of people attending in-person religious services over the past six months, while the number of Read more
New Zealand’s Catholic bishops are delighted Covid restrictions are easing. The Government announced on Wednesday a 200-person limit for those with a vaccine pass at a religious gathering such as Mass, says a statement from the bishop’s conference. “It is really welcome that these restrictions are being eased in the middle of Lent and with Read more
The Covid-19 virus pushed 4.7 million Southeast Asian people into extreme poverty in 2021. According to the an Asian Development Bank (ADB) report presented at the Southeast Asia Development Symposium, 9.3 million jobs have disappeared. The ADB’s “Southeast Asia Rising from the Pandemic” report says the Omicron variant could make matters worse. It predicts the Read more
Members of the Wellington Archdiocese Ecology, Justice and Peace (EJP) Commission are advocating the present state of the Covid-19 pandemic requires a continuation of the restrictions outlined in their November 2021 pastoral letter. They have written an open letter to the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference. The Wellington EJP letter is a response to an Read more
Before the pandemic, the Potter’s House of Denver had plenty of use for its 3,500-seat sanctuary in the southeast corner of the Colorado capital. In early January, the megachurch announced it was selling its building and continuing to hold services online, as it had been doing for nearly two years. Pastor Toure Roberts said the Read more