Catholic penitents and priests alike are not used to hearing laughter while lined up for confession. The solemn setting of people seated or kneeling in a confession line waiting to confess their sins is typically marked by quiet reflection. Peering out of the confession booth one day, Fr Joseph Krupp saw that his broad-chested, 32 Read more
In a significant move, the NZ Catholic bishops are promoting open and informed life discussion through a modernised and broadened document, Te Kahu o te Ora – A Consistent Ethic of Life. The modernisation seeks to fill a twenty-six-year gap and reflect some of the modern challenges. Dr John Kleinsman, director of the NZ Catholic Read more
Wow! Wow! WOW! Wow! I am sure many people around the world have had a similar experience to me as they look at the amazing photos that NASA and its partners have been releasing in the last few days. I have only a secondary-school pupil’s grasp of physics, but one does not need to be Read more
Climate change is real; its death and destruction is upon us, and it is projected to get much worse if far more aggressive national and international efforts to reverse it are not soon enacted. Those who deny climate change and its accompanying global warming – from certain high government officials to countless ordinary users of Read more
It’s good, it’s wise and it sounds so nice: “Season of Creation” – a time for us to stop taking the wonderful God-given gift of creation for granted. A time to wake up and smell the flowers! The Season of Creation is an annual month long ecumenical celebration of prayer and action to protect creation. Read more
The story of creation presents us with a panoramic view of the world. Scripture reveals that, “in the beginning”, God intended humanity to cooperate in the preservation and protection of the natural environment. At first, as we read in Genesis, “no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the Read more
The Pope’s astronomer, who is also the director of the Vatican observatory, says a solar eclipse can teach us a lot about God and creation. It “reminds us of the immense beauty in the universe that occurs outside of our own petty set of concerns,” Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno says. “It pulls us out of Read more
In 1977, work began on the ceiling of the Sistine chapel ceiling to remove 500 years of incense and candle smoke from Michelangelo’s paintings. When the chapel was opened again in 1989, not everyone was happy with the result. The colours were so bright some people saw them as gaudy, and believed Michelangelo’s masterpiece had Read more
When we were children we thought of God as being somewhere “up there” looking down on us. As we grew in faith and life experience, God seemed closer, closer, until we recognised God within us. This was not something we were told. We could actually feel it and there were no words to describe it. Then Read more
A statement from a New Zealander on the goodness of sexual love in marriage is being considered for inclusion in the family synod’s final document. In a blog post on the New Zealand Catholic bishops’ website, Dr John Kleinsman wrote of how the synod’s working document made little mention of this goodness. He told a Read more