“Baby girl, no!” My 14-month-old daughter’s hand briefly paused in the air, dripping water back into the dog’s drinking bowl. Her hand went to her head, to her chest and completed a toddler’s awkward sign of the cross. My husband and I were horrified by the slobbery dog-water blessing. But we were also awestruck: We Read more
A Swedish Lutheran cathedral is about to host a Catholic Mass for the first time since the Reformation. The Lutheran Church of Sweden has offered the cathedral as a temporary place of worship to the Catholic parish of St Thomas. St Thomas’s will be closed for major renovation for several months. Read more Related Posts:Geneva Read more
Vainemoeroa Titaenua from Mangere died after being hit by a car last week. Titaenua was hit about 7 am on Idlewild Ave, Mangere, last Thursday. She died in hospital at 8.30pm on Friday. Titaenua went to her Catholic church every day. Read more “ Related Posts:How a Māngere church community banded together during Delta…Nearly 30 Read more
In the middle of the current wave of political unrest, hunger and death, Venezuelan people are finding forgiveness is possible and there is hope for a better future. Violent demonstrations and attacks since the end of March have seen 92 people killed and over 1,500 injured. The new change in Venezuelan people’s attitudes began with Read more
The greatest pastoral challenge facing New Zealand today is to keep the distinction between what is essential and what is secondary. We risk substituting God with good things… Faith continually evolves. How we understand aspects of our faith today is different from a year ago or five or ten. We grow in insight (cf. Dei Read more
Praying through the tedium at Mass can be a more authentic way of sharing the divine life. As citizens of late modern life, we seek to avoid boredom. We alleviate the stillness of a quiet moment by turning to our smartphones. We delight in the arrival of new emails, fresh stories and notifications from social Read more
A Mass for scientists will be celebrated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) chapel today. It is the first time such a Mass has been celebrated. The Society of Catholic Scientists is a recently formed group of American Catholic scientists as well as undergraduate, graduate or postdoctoral students pursuing research in a natural science. Read more
Recently I was asked to speak at a local Catholic women’s group. It had been awhile since I’d put on my speaking shoes, and I was genuinely excited. That is, until I was given my topic. Fellowship, they said. Fellowship? I couldn’t help but wince. Not suffering? Prayer? Family discord? Keeping the faith during crisis?? Nope, Read more
The Vatican’s liturgy chief has said Pope Francis has given the go ahead for a study into the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Mass. Cardinal Robert Sarah said this at the Sacra Liturgia conference in London recently. The cardinal said the Pope has asked him to “to study the question of a reform of Read more
The founder of a US religious order died during a Mass celebrating 75 years since she made her first vows. Mother Rosemae Pender, FSE, had a heart attack during the Mass in Connecticut. She was the Mother Foundress of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. Mother Rosemae had received the renewal of her vows during Read more