In the past two weeks, a former refugee family stepped into one of our churches. They were days away from the end of their short-term lease and had nowhere to go. The rental market in Wellington was so tough, they said, in this season. Did we have anywhere they could stay? Even if it just Read more
As a stir-crazy nation slowly emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, debates about what our “new normal” will be like are intensifying. Will the shock of the lockdown bring a transformative moment of social solidarity? Or tear us apart in tribal strife? Will there be a baby boom or baby bust? More marriages or more divorces? Read more
Catholic liturgy has had its greatest social shock in generations. No one had seen churches locked before, few had ever thought of “streamed” liturgies and, across the world, there have been liturgical experiments that were unthinkable just weeks ago. Now the churches are opening up – slowly – but the legacy of the virus experience Read more
Will people come back? That’s the question on the minds of parish leaders in the 17,000 American Catholic churches as the U.S. begins a return to a new normal post-pandemic life. There are no guarantees, say Marti Jewell and Mark Mogilka, authors of “Open Wide the Doors to Christ: A Study of Catholic Social Innovation Read more
Loneliness is the feeling of being disconnected, excluded and disengaged from others, an agonizing feeling of emptiness or desolation, a feeling that no one cares. At the same time there is the yearning to belong, a restlessness to make a satisfying relationship, to feel valued. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, loneliness had been identified as Read more
The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) is calling on the Government to not further divide the needy. The call comes in response to the Government’s Income Relief Payment making full-time workers who lost their job because of the economic impact of COVID-19 eligible for tax-free weekly payments of almost $500 a week for a period Read more
In a pastoral statement, the New Zealand Catholic bishops have written to Catholics saying they are pleased that Mass can resume, but warn the experience may not be as familiar as it once was. They say the new normal is means the Church’s liturgy remains restricted to protect the vulnerable and elderly. The statement, creatively Read more
Commuters are shunning public transport due to COVID restrictions and powering demand for used cars, say second-hand car sales dealers who are becoming cautiously optimistic as buyers return to showrooms. Used car sales are outstripping demand for new vehicles and dealers remain concerned that the rebound is a “bubble” caused by short-term stimulus measures. Anthony Read more
During two months of social isolation, the work of American business has migrated, ready or not, into the home. If pajamas have become the new workplace attire and the sofa has been transformed into the new desktop, where does that leave a U.S. Catholic Church yearning to stay connected with its parishioners through Zoom liturgies Read more
Catholics in Ireland, who deserted their churches in droves in recent years, seem ready to return in some numbers. Far be it from me to make the prediction, but I have a feeling that religion in Ireland is getting a boost from coronavirus. There could be a massive upsurge in attendance at Masses in church Read more