At a recent dinner with the Vicar General of an Australian diocese, he quipped, “to the parish priest who has everything, give him another parish.” The five priests seated with him laughed at this. But, as the conversation turned to the realities of our failing diocesan infrastructures, the tone became more serious. Two priests were Read more
Evangelisation doesn’t depend on big parishes, says Hanoi’s Archbishop Joseph Vu Van Thien. Even tiny ones, like those with just 70-200 parishioners each, can still evangelise others. The way Catholics live out their faith is what’s important, he says. They should trust in God, who always loves and blesses them. They should also try to Read more
After many months of deliberation, the fate of five Wairarapa church buildings owned by the Catholic church has been decided. Three will be put up for sale. Cardinal John Dew announced in June that only Featherston’s St Teresa of Avila and Masterton’s St Patrick’s Church would be kept. The following properties will be up for Read more
A group of Christchurch Catholics who call themselves the Gatherings Group have requested an opportunity to further discuss Bishop Paul Martin’s 9th June proposal to close churches in the diocese. The group have asked that the current process be re-examined in two three-hours, or three two hour meetings – professionally facilitated and open to all – with the Read more
Well, I guess we have had just about everything here in Christchurch since September 4, 2010. Two years of death-defying earthquakes then the grief-stricken, the demolition, the dying, the rebuilding aftermath. Followed by March 15, 2019, with 51 people dying while at prayer in the mosques, and while we are prayerfully and painfully recovering ourselves, Read more
Land and buildings used by the Christchurch parishes of St Francis of Assisi parish in Mairehau, Christ the King in Burnside, St James in Aranui, the Sacred Heart in Addington, St Peter’s in Beckenham, Saint Peter and Paul’s in Halswell and the Holy Trinity in Bryndwyr may no longer be needed when the parishes are Read more
Bishop Paul Martin, the Catholic Bishop of Christchurch, is proposing to create five new parishes in Christchurch by merging 12 existing parishes. The proposed changes were announced at Sunday masses throughout the Diocese via a video message on Pentecost Sunday. Parishioners have been asked to provide feedback by August 30. The five new parishes would Read more
Cardinal John Dew, the Archbishop of Wellington, has directed every parish in the archdiocese to review its stock of churches and presbyteries. The review will identify how many churches the parish needs to cater for its Mass count, taking into account the availability of priests and lay pastoral leaders, and the ideal location of the Read more
The archbishop of Wellington, Cardinal John Dew, was the keynote speaker at the Proclaim 2018 conference in Brisbane. He spoke on the topic of Leadership in a Time of Change. The cardinal said New Zealand Catholics looking for answers to “renewal” took heart from Pope Francis. “The Pope is encouraging us to go out of our buildings Read more
Like many Catholics across the Northeast and Midwest, parishioners in Pittsburgh are adjusting to a difficult new reality. On April 28 Bishop David A. Zubik announced plans to reduce the diocese’s 188 parishes to 57 by 2023. The parish closings follow years of falling Mass attendance—the diocese reports it is down by more than 40 Read more