Posts Tagged ‘Religious Life’

Flying Nun celebrates 80th birthday on a Harley

Friday, October 23rd, 2015

Sister Cecilia celebrated her 80th birthday by taking a spin of a Harley. “It was lovely,” she said. “I was nervous before I got on, but once we got going it was great.” It started as a joke but before she knew it Cecilia was flying down the Parade in Island Bay, a Wellington Suburb, on Read more

Oprah doubted Sisters’ community would come on her show

Friday, October 16th, 2015

On Saturday, October 17 Dominican Sisters of Mary will be part of a “where are they now?” show on Oprah’s OWN Network. The appeared twice on the Oprah show in 2010. Then, when their participation first was suggested Oprah was hesitant. “Do you really think a community like that would be willing to be on Read more

Auckland SMSM training centre to close

Friday, October 16th, 2015

After more than six years, the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary ( SMSM ) has stopped using four adjacent homes in Gloucester Rd in Manurewa, as its training centre. The religious order has run training programmes in New Zealand for 80 years and in Auckland since 1995. The society’s Auckland administrator Sister Patricia Leamy Read more

Sisters and priests wowing the judges in Reality TV

Friday, October 9th, 2015

The Church is well represented on Reality TV in the last 12 months. Last year, Sister Cristina Scuccia won Italy’s version of The Voice talent show, and went on to release a cover of Madonna’s Like a Virgin as her debut single. Father Damian Maria Montes, 29, from Madrid, appeared  wearing  his clerical collar on Read more

Taking a leap of faith into religious life

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2015

Young men and women in New Zealand are devoting their lives to the Church. We hear from some of them about their path ahead. Jane Maisey spent her twenties exploring, both physically and spiritually, looking at different religions and ways of being. But it wasn’t until the Christchurch earthquakes that she came back to the Read more

New generation nuns

Friday, September 4th, 2015

Mechanical bulls, rock-climbing walls, bounce houses, go-karts: Before becoming a nun, Sister Virginia Joy helped insure them all. “I was a go-between between the underwriters and the customers,” said Sister Virginia Joy, a former high school soccer star from South Carolina now wearing a habit of white and navy blue. She was fighting Midtown Manhattan Read more

Out for a stroll – sharing the big questions

Tuesday, August 25th, 2015

Last Saturday the Young Church Ministries in the Wellington Archdiocese ran a programme called SEEK 2015. A group of young adults joined with Cardinal John Dew, Diocesan and Marist priests, seminarians, Sisters of Compassion, Marist Brothers, married couples and their families and consecrated singles from around the archdiocese of Wellington at the Home of Compassion, Island Read more

New Zealanders still choosing the religious life

Tuesday, August 25th, 2015

Radio New Zealand’s Morning Report  briefly profiled the New Zealanders who are in the process joining communities of religious. One woman and two men briefly spoke about their motivation and about their experience of living in a community. The report noted that while there are not lot of people opting for religious life these days, Read more

Inter-congregational ministry and formation for US sisters

Tuesday, August 18th, 2015

Inter-congregational ministries and formation were among the topics explored at the Leadership Conference of Women Religious 2015 assembly. Former executive director Sr Janet Mock emphasised the need for inter-congregational ministries. The St Joseph Sister said there could be no “superstars” in religious life. Sr Mock discussed the need for current leadership to ensure that younger Read more

Religious sisters aged either side of 100 have died

Tuesday, August 4th, 2015

Two religious sisters aged either side of 100 have died in recent days: Sister Mary Winefride RSM and Sister Mary Walburga DOLC. Mercy sister Mary Winefride Blake died on 30 July in Hutt Hospital. She was 101 years old. Winefride grew up in a musical house and spent much of her life teaching singing a Read more