A missionary nun from Northern Ireland and five young postulants were among those killed in the earthquake that struck Equador on April 16. Sr Clare Maria Crockett, 33, from Derry, worked at a school in Playa Prieta, where she taught alongside other sisters of the Home of the Mother order. The missionary was teaching young Read more
Two men charged with burgling the quake-damaged Christ Church Cathedral last month have avoided prosecution. Philip Pavich, 55, and Gilbert Southworth, 46, apologised for their actions and gave money to the Anglican diocese. On March 21, motion-activated cameras detected their entry into the building. Police arrested the pair after they were caught leaving the cathedral Read more
Marian College in Christchurch will not be returning to its earthquake-damaged former site in North Parade in Shirley. A geotechnical assessment has confirmed that the former site will remain at risk of liquefaction, including subsidence and lateral spreading. Repair and rebuild estimates are comparatively expensive because of the nature of the land. Christchurch Bishop Barry Read more
I am pretty sure the Anglican Church doesn’t get out of bed in the morning looking to infuriate people, hence I tend to side with them when it comes to ChristChurch Cathedral. They got another court win late last week and are now basically allowed to get on with the demolition, as in deed they Read more
Since the 6.6 magnitude Grassmere quake on August 16, Catholics and Protestants in the Awatere have been worshipping in the same place. That’s because the Anglicans and Presbyterians had their St Andrew’s Awatere Christian Joint Venture Church, in Seddon, destroyed by the jolt. And, in the spirit of Christianity, the Catholic community opened their doors Read more
Gwenda Costello, who with her husband Terry, have a farm near Seddon has told NZ Catholic that she thought the Catholic Church at Ward — south of Seddon — was probably a write-off. The initial earthquake was a vicious, violent one, she said. Even though the statues and other items were tied down, “the statue Read more
The Anglican news service reports church buildings in Wellington and Nelson show no significant damage from the earthquakes that are continuing across the centre of the country. However, parishes are being asked to ensure buildings are safe and to check them again if there are further earthquakes. The Archbishop of the New Zealand dioceses, the Read more
Couples who helped each other through the stress of Canterbury’s earthquakes were brought closer together by the traumatic events, a new study says. Research into how couples were affected by the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes found that while some couples experienced increased marital distress, others would have felt their relationship grew stronger. University of Canterbury Read more
More than 6400 people on Santa Cruz Islands 500km east of Honiara are coming to terms with devastation caused by the double disaster of an earthquake and tsunami on February 6. An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 occurred 33km southwest of the Santa Cruz Islands at an ocean depth of 28.7km, generating tsunami waves Read more
Following the High Court (Justice Chisholm J) ruling that no further deconstruction of the Christchurch Cathedral should take place until further consideration and consultation between the Church Property Trustees (CPT), the Great Christchurch Buildings Trust (GCBT) and the Court, has taken place, the GCBT is endeavouring to work with the CPT and the Bishop, to Read more