The Catholic and Anglican Bishops of Wellington, New Zealand, Archbishop John Dew and Bishop Justin Duckworth, have organised Forum on Child Poverty. The aim of the forum is to highlight the issue of child poverty in New Zealand. An estimated 270,000 children (1 in 4 children) in New Zealand live in poverty. Click here to Read more
“Catholic social teaching has explosive power for changing not just individuals, but whole societies. And it’s the saints who light the fuse,” writes Brandon Vogt, author of Saints and Social Justice. In this newly released book, Vogt introduces us to saints both familiar and unfamiliar and demonstrates how their lives offer a living model to putting Read more
While growing up in the Dominican Republic, Ana Garcia-Ashley lived on a dirt road that always had plenty of traffic, making it too dangerous a place for neighborhood children to play. One morning, her grandmother got fed up with the situation and decided to take action. She went door to door, rounding up other concerned Read more
Archbishop Charles Balvo has called for an ethical economic reform. Balvo, who was recently the Pope’s representative [apostolic nuncio] in Wellington was addressing the United Nations Environmental Assembly. He said that while the desire to moderate the consumption of goods was commendable, it was necessary to abandon the model of “an uncontrolled consumerism, an immeasurable Read more
“Violence in Samoa is enormous and yet people don’t consider violence as such,” says the Director of Catholic Social Services in Samoa, Sale Mikaele Kolio. To address this issue the Catholic Church has established a society with a vision to revive family love and end violence in homes. Called the Gaualofa Society, its mission is Read more
Sister Mary Brigid Perez has been nominated by Archbishop of Agana in Guam, Anthony S. Apuron, for the Catholic Extension’s Lumen Award. Sister Brigid spent nearly 50 years as an educator in Catholic schools in the Archdiocese. After she left teaching, she became program manager of the Alee Family Violence Shelter. “Alee” is the nautical Read more
What are the signs of hope in the Church and the world? My initial reaction to that question was somewhat confronting. Besides the “Francis factor”, I saw very few signs of hope in the Church. This response was probably strongly influenced by the heart-rending stories of pain, suffering and broken trust that have been told Read more
The art room at Wellesley College, Days Bay Wellington was a hive of creative activity last Thursday. Children from two schools, St Michael’s and Holy Cross joined a group of students from Wellesley College for a day of art and friendship. This was to mark UNHCR World Refugee Day on June 20. The refugee background Read more
After more than 20 years working for community services Jeff Drane has been named a Wellington Community Champion. The work specialised in assisting under-resourced families, mental health consumers, refugees and migrants and delivered ongoing benefits to families.Fr Drane is perhaps best known for his work with the Newtown Budgeting and Advice Services. “It was just the relief Read more