That was before last week, when thieves stole the log-splitter used to make the firewood donations possible.

Dunedin City Baptist Church caretaker Malcolm Cowan says thieves cut through the chain link securing the log splitter, which had been stored in the church grounds.

"We were quite gutted when we came up here on Thursday," he says.

"The only remains were the wee linkages that had been cut; that has been locking and securing it."

He estimates it will cost around $4,000 to replace the machine.

Community effort

Until the theft, the church's firewood programme had been doing well. It was a tightly-run programme that had the community contributing everything to make it possible.

Cowan and co-worker Harold Thompson say firewood programme supporters donated the money that paid for the log-splitter.

City Forests donated the logs from wood that had been rejected for export at Port Chalmers.

The church contacted nearby schools to find out which families were struggling and offered them free wood.

Cowan and Thompson cut the wood up.

Cowan says they've given away about 130 cubic metres of firewood before the theft.

"We fill a trailer up and take them some free firewood which they really appreciate. [We give away] about 2.2 cubic metres at a time on our trailer."

Now what?

The theft means logs are being left on the ground, unable to be split. They'll stay that way unless a new splitter is found or someone gets busy on the end of an axe.

"We can keep ringing up the wood that we've got, but we can't split it unless we do it all by hand," Cowan says.

He says he's put a "pretty significant" sign outside the entrance to the church, appealing to the public for any help in locating the log-splitter.

The Dunedin Baptist Church in Concord asked anyone who had any knowledge of the stolen log-splitter to contact them or the police.

Source

• ODT

Scott Walters, the Rector at Calvary Episcopal Church, expressed his astonishment and gratitude, stating that they had almost given up hope. He said that even though they were people of faith, they had been on the verge of accepting their loss.

We are grateful beyond words," he shared. "We do not seek revenge, but rather, to move forward and heal." Read more

First to disappear was the paschal candle.

It had been used in a shrine halfway up the main aisle on the weekend of the mosque shootings in Christchurch.

But after moving it back to the sanctuary it was stolen a few days later.

The candle is worth about $100 and was due for replacement at Easter.

A few days later the Lectionary containing the scripture texts for the weekday Masses was also taken.

Parish priest Fr Kevin Conroy said he reported the theft to the police but on being asked whether he wanted it investigated he told them not to bother.

St Mary of the Angels is located in Wellington's CBD. The church is open from 6.30 am on weekdays and is locked and alarmed from 6.00 pm.

The Eucharist is celebrated each week-day day in the morning, at midday, and in the evening.

The sacrament of reconciliation is available at different times during the day.

It also provides a place of peace and reflection for Wellingtonians from many walks of life and visitors to the city to spend some time in silence and prayer.

One person on Trip Advisor describes it like this:

"This lovely old Catholic Cathedral is a visual feast with its stunning stain glass windows which are as good as any that can be found globally.

"Service times are clearly marked on the board outside so if you're simply going for a look or wish to find a calm, peaceful place, in the middle of the city to sit for a little bit you can confidently enter knowing you are not disturbing others."

When there are not public services taking place volunteer guardians are rostered to be a presence.

The parish looking for more volunteers to fill some gaps in the roster.

Sources

• Supplied
• tripadvisor.co.nz
• Image: tripadvisor.com

The statue, estimated to stand 1.2m tall and filled with concrete, was wrenched out of its stone-arched grotto at St Joseph's in Helensville, some time on Saturday night/Sunday morning. Continue reading

Father Craig Butler said while crime which targeted churches was rare, the impact was widely felt among parishioners.

In June, a thief made off with five microphones and other electronic equipment, valued at $2382, from St Joseph's Church in Waitara.

Butler said while vandalism and theft were issues he had encountered in other churches he had worked at, it was important the buildings kept their doors unlocked.

"It's a sacred place which needs to be open so people can go and sit and pray," he said.

Butler said while parishioners were "not naive" about the security risk presented by leaving the doors ajar, it was an important element of the catholic faith that churches were a place where anyone in the community felt they could visit.

In fact, he said the presence of people acted as a human-powered surveillance system along with the rest of the neighbourhood, who could report any suspicious behaviour.

He said much of the church's property was priceless because of its spiritual worth, while other items were of sentimental value as they had been donated by families.

However, he hoped if people were driven to crime due to their circumstances they would consider reaching out to the church first, before they thought about ripping anybody off.

He said the church was able to provide support for families in crisis and people only needed to ask for help.

"We'd much prefer to have it done that way, rather than for people to steal from us," he said.

"We'd do anything we can to support them," he said.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• Image: redbankgreen.com

One is nearly 30cm tall.

It came from the former Dunedin North Dominican Hall and dates back to 1949 according to an inscription on the chalice.

The letters IHS are engraved on the front of it.

It is thought to be worth about $500.00.

The second chalice is slightly smaller.

It has scrolling engraved around its base.

It is thought to be worth about $400.00.

Thieves are thought to have entered an unlocked side door some time between 3pm and 4pm last Wednesday, and removed the chalices just before they were due to be returned to a safe with two others.

Basilica sacristan Jordan Knight says he is pushing for the church to be kept locked when not in use.

Source

• Stuff.co.nz
• s1.eventfinder.co.nz

Mohammad Fouad has taken to court claims his Kiwi wife misused his sperm to get their maid pregnant.

Gulfnews.com reports Fouad is suing his wife for carrying out a surrogacy procedure without his knowledge.

The website says the couple, who married in Auckland in 2008 and live in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), were unable to conceive a baby naturally so decided to find another woman to carry their child.

Because surrogacy is illegal in UAE, they decided to find a woman from outside the country, preferably New Zealand.

However, Fouad says his wife, whose name has been suppressed, secretly arranged to use their young Filipino maid, Elvie Ibanez, as a surrogate, and used sperm she had taken from him for testing at the hospital she worked at. Continue reading

The technician, Claudio Sciarpelletti, was found guilty of aiding and abetting Pope Benedict XVI's personal assistant, Paolo Gabriele, in the theft of confidential papal documents which were then leaked to a journalist.

The Vatican court originally gave Sciarpelletti a four-month sentence, but the term was reduced due to extenuating circumstances.

Sciarpelletti, 48, was arrested after an anonymous tip led to a search of his desk. An envelope was found addressed to Gabriele containing copies of documents that had been leaked to the Italian media

Sciarpelletti's lawyer argued that his client was in an "emotional state" when he gave confused and contradictory testimony to investigators, leading to the charges levelled against him.

However Judge Giuseppe Dalla Torre said the court concluded Sciarpelletti helped Gabriele "elude the investigations of the authorities" at the Vatican.

In a separate trial in October, Gabriele was given an 18-month prison sentence, which he is serving in a Vatican police cell.

Meanwhile, sources close to Gabriele's family have indicated that the committee of cardinals the Pope charged with investigating the Vatileaks case have recommended a papal pardon for him.

Earlier, after Gabriele wrote a letter of apology to Benedict XVI, the Pope sent him an autographed book of psalms.

Sources:

ANSA

Catholic News Agency

Image: Ultimahora.com