A cross the combined churches of Devonport on Auckland’s North Shore have been putting up Takarunga/Mt Victoria since 1992 was this year destroyed. They usually take the cross up the hill at 10 am on Good Friday, tie it into place, say prayers and sing hymns, and leave it there until 3 pm when some Read more
The Sign of the Cross is a gesture by which Christians signify the blessing of their person in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Other religions have similar practices, and it is difficult not to see in certain Jewish traditions the prefiguration of this particular Christian symbol, a physical, outward Read more
I became Catholic like St. Paul did: From the minute I encountered Christ, everything changed. I had a fiancé, four kids and three step children. I was sure that after getting married in the Catholic Church, everyone around me would see the differences in my life and I would be Catholic forever. I thought my Read more
The Church’s response to the crisis of marriage must surely be to find ways to help all Catholic spouses come to know and experience a deeper conversion to Christ. This means that the Church will need to ask great things of Catholic spouses in order that they become what they already are sacramentally; united with Read more
The Cross is the great paradox of Christianity. More than a few people have asked me over the years why the Catholic Church focuses so prominently and persistently on the Crucifix. One inquirer even suggested that the Crucifix hanging above the Altar is too intense a reminder of the sorrow in the world and that Read more
Pope Francis has presided over the marriages of 20 couples in St Peter’s Basilica, the first weddings he has officiated at as Pontiff. Several of the couples already had children and some had been living together before being married. It was a rare act for a Pope, with the last time a pontiff presided at Read more
Ryan Craig is walking with a purpose. The Oamaru man is trekking the length of New Zealand carrying a cross to spread a message of forgiveness and unity. The walk will coincide with the double centenary of the first message preached by missionary Samuel Marsden. “I have a heart for this nation and seeing unity Read more
If there is anyone out there who doesn’t have enough to be shocked about, you can bet your John Galliano that the fashion industry will find some way to offend them within the next five minutes. That’s what fashion thrives on: subversion and irreverence; an immaculately groomed, sneering Johnny Rotten worth millions, the world’s best-dressed troll. The Read more
Emphasising that everyone has the potential to do good, Pope Francis has said Christ’s saving act on the cross was for everyone, no matter their belief. “The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone. Even the atheists. Everyone,” he insisted. “We Read more
Catholics from China admit feeling embarrassed when they see a crucifix. Beyond the image of a tortured man suffering execution, the crucifixion depicts total humiliation, or “loss of face” as the Chinese say. To them, this seems harsher than the physical pain. The trouble with the crucifix is we no longer see it, but rather Read more