On Christmas day, as most New Zealand families awoke to celebrate family and presents, as always many hundreds of families packed out our Catholic Churches across the New Zealand. In contrast to these joyous large Catholic gatherings of families at Christmas, a recent Post Opinion piece followed many other articles highlighting the well-publicised allegations of Read more
Sometimes the darkness of the world, not to mention of our personal lives, can overwhelm us. When we hear of children killed unrepentantly, for example, human rights routinely denied, the cooking of the world locked in, and nations entrusting power to wilful children. How do you deal with such a dark vision? After the ABC’s Read more
Khokon Rozario never misses the evening rosary with his wife and daughter, no matter how tired he might be after a long day working. “We thank God at the end of the day for all the blessings we receive,” the 52-year-old Catholic says with a smile. Rozario, a father of two, makes a living by Read more
God is not in the minority… This is an assertion I can make only through faith and Scripture. I believe that God’s presence is expressed in every heart and in every reality, beyond the signs and words (religious or otherwise) that express this presence. “The wind blows where it pleases; you can hear its sound, Read more
In my ministry with LGBTQ people, I sometimes meet people who feel profoundly, even paralysingly, discouraged by the lack of forward movement in the Church. Even when something positive happens in the Church, they will say, “Not enough!” or “Too little, too late.” In his opening address to the Second Vatican Council, Pope St. John Read more
Every fall, our family returns to church. We don’t intentionally walk away during the summer months, but between vacations and camp drop-offs and lazy mornings and opportunities to see family and friends, we tend to tie our church attendance to the school calendar. Come September, we have to remind ourselves why it’s worth it to Read more
Faith and mission are behind 15-year old William Henry’s international business selling rosaries. “My mission is to spread the power of the rosary and our faith to the world through my business,” Henry says. It all started a few years ago when a friend made Henry an Irish penal rosary made up of just one-decade, Read more
“Enough is enough! I’m writing the President!” After hitting the umpteenth brick wall, my wife had reached the end of her rope. As a Canadian citizen in America, married to an American, obtaining a green card for work should have been a walk in the park for her. But it wasn’t. After three years of Read more
I’ve seen this observation attributed to theologian Paul Tillich and to popular Christian writer Anne Lamott, but it’s been expressed in one way or another by mystics and preachers across the centuries. It says that the opposite of faith isn’t doubt. Tillich, I believe, said doubt is a necessary part of faith. Lamott has said Read more
When I retired from teaching, I decided to try to learn to draw. I bought Betty Edwards’ highly recommended “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.” One of the ways to free the right brain from left brain control, writes Edwards, is to practice drawing negative spaces — the spaces that surround the objects Read more