Features Msgr John Carde3 December 2011 With the songs of Chris Skinner [sm] still ringing after attending one of his concerts, Mary Kane said to me in her understated way, ‘Mother’s not well’. Tony White, Florence’s brother, rang with the same message. ‘And if you go to see her in Mary Potter, ring first as […]
Features December 2011 Thank you Greg Byrne for your reflections on homosexuality in the 289 issue of Wel-com. I, too, have a homosexual son. I believe the attitude of the Church towards gay people to be very wrong. This attitude has undue influence on our Catholic population. Many adult Catholics impress their children with bias, […]
Features Brian Quin sm3 December 2011 In ‘Lives on a different course’ Australian Greg Byrne described the bitter experiences his family had gone through since finding that one of his sons was gay. He believes that the Churches bear much of the blame for the bigotry his family experiences and that the Catholic Church particularly […]
Features In May several staff members of Catholic Social Services attended Professor Sir Mason Durie’s seminar entitled ‘Māori Concepts of Wellbeing’. Mason Durie is from Rangitane, Ngati Kauwhata and Ngati Raukawa and holds the position of Professor of Māori Research and Development at Massey University. The participants were challenged to consider whether there is a […]
Features Christmas is a time for family and those of us lucky enough to have family to spend Christmas with look forward to this time and to exchanging gifts. Unfortunately there are always those who have neither family nor gifts. Many of Catholic Social Services clients fit into this category. During the year we work […]
Features Barbara Gilray15 February 2012 Church-based agencies like Catholic Social Services are increasingly expected to meet a wide range of social needs in the community. Our role is not to judge but rather to search for ways to help them. Catholic Social Services is a generic counselling and social work agency and is part of […]
Features Edwina Gateley15 February 2012 Recently I was asked to write an article on ‘The two halves of life’ which, I was given to understand, was all about how we move from youthfulness/adulthood into age and wisdom. As I pondered on this, it occurred to me that there weren’t two halves of life but, more […]
Features Cecily McNeill15 February 2012 Being able to say in complete honesty ‘This is who I am and this is my problem’ is a first step on the long road towards inner freedom. Ignatian spiritual writer Margaret Silf told a group of people during a two-day seminar in St Joseph’s, Mt Victoria, last November (2011) […]
Features Cecily McNeill15 February 2012 Today more than ever as global financial systems break down and climate change upsets the seasons, we need to be on a firm foundation in our spiritual life. UK spiritual writer Margaret Silf told a seminar in St Joseph’s church Mt Victoria last month that it was important to see […]
Features Mgr John Broadbent31 March 2012 The television screening late last year of the series The Borgias on the 15th century Pope Alexander VI prompted questions about the papacy in general and particularly about the series subject, portrayed as sensationally bad. Though the series won wide acclaim as a solid drama and was nominated for […]