Franciscan Fr Benedict Groeshel, who was well known for his prolific writings and often controversial views, has died in the United States aged 81. A trained psychologist, he was a fixture on Mother Angelica’s Eternal Word Television Network, better known as EWTN. With other Capuchin priests, he formed the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, based Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Media’
Not a good time to be Catholic
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014
Now is not a good time to be a Christian – especially, if you are a Catholic. Read The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, listen to the ABC or read Irfan Yusuf’s recent piece and it’s obvious that the critics are on a roll. Wendy Squire’s op-ed in The Age provides a good illustration of Read more
If a media personality infuriates you pray for them
Friday, August 29th, 2014
What do you do whens someone on TV infuriates you? Pray for them says producer and journalist for Television New Zealand, Tim Wilson. Wilson says a mutual distrust exists between the churches and the media. He says prayer as the way forward. “I find that prayer connects me with God, but also connects me with Read more
If media focused on discussing poverty instead of celebrity
Tuesday, July 29th, 2014Move over, Kim Kardashian. Poverty is ready for its close-up. In a provocative campaign that pokes fun at our culture’s obsession with celebrities, WoodGreen Community Services in Canada places struggling single mothers on the covers of glossy magazine mock-ups. The standard tabloid teases are replaced with headlines such as “Tanya Tries To Avoid Eviction” and “25 Read more
Financial viability of church-run EFKS TV under scrutiny
Tuesday, May 27th, 2014
The financial viability of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa’s (C.C.C.S.) television Network, called EFKS TV, was brought under the microscope last week at the Church’s annual conference. EFKS TV was launched in May 2013 at a cost, which has been variously reported, to be between half a million and 1.1 tala. The money was Read more
Who’s the bully?
Tuesday, May 20th, 2014
It seems there has been a significant issue with bullying at a Wellington College. Dramatic headlines in the Dominion Post, such as, “Bullied teen’s broken neck fear” are almost a compulsory read; particularly when accompanied by an equally dramatic picture of a slight boy in hospital. Reading further, the article names the college and its Read more
Is the Internet bad for religion?
Tuesday, May 6th, 2014A professor in Massachusetts noticed recently that religion’s decline in America coincided with the rise of the Internet. He theorized that the two may be connected. Headline: “Is the Internet bad for religion?” It’s utter nonsense, of course. The decline of mainline churches began in 1965, not in the 1990s when the Internet became commercially Read more
The Pope tweets, the Internet freaks
Friday, May 2nd, 2014
The remarkable thing about Francis is not that he’s fundamentally changing the theology of the Church, nor that he’s carving out a space for the pope as a heavyweight in the economics public sphere. It’s that he’s consistently able to match the themes that animate his spirituality and faith with issues that people around the Read more
A Nun, “No One”, and the Voice
Tuesday, March 25th, 2014
It was a gift first thing in the morning. I noticed on my Facebook newsfeed a story about an Sr Cristina Scuccia, an Italian member of the Ursuline Sisters of the Holy Family, and her stunning performance of “No One” (originally by Alicia Keys) on the Italian version of the popular tv show, The Voice. Her Read more
Michael Laws development manager of Christian School
Friday, March 7th, 2014
Former Whanganui mayor and media personality Michael Laws is moving to Timaru for a new role at Craighead Diocesan School, and he is not ruling out a return to local government. The new position as development manager for the school will entail him fundraising for the school’s new buildings, board of proprietors chairwoman Phillipa Guerin Read more