Author: Jemma

Douglas Albert Blake: 100 Years on 28 October 2016

WelCom December 2016: Diocesan News Much-loved father, friend and parishioner, Douglas (Doug) Albert Blake, turned 100 on 28 October 2016. Fr Vince Onesi, Catholic Parish of Hastings parish priest, celebrated a thanksgiving Mass for Doug, joined by family members and parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic community. Doug’s daughter Cheryl Eccleton tells his lifetime story. […]

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Diaconate Ordination

WelCom December 2016: Diocesan News Eugene Crosby At Sacred Heart Church in Ponsonby on Friday 23 September, Cirilo Barlis was ordained to the Diaconate by Cardinal John Dew, Archbishop of Wellington. Cirilo came to Wellington from the Philippines in August 2014 and joined St Benedict’s Church community in Khandallah (now part of St Francis of Assisi […]

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Honorary doctorate recognises educational contribution to community

WelCom December 2016: Diocesan News On Saturday 30 September, the World Indigenous Nations University (WINU) conferred three honorary Doctorates at Te Wānanga o Raukawa, Ōtaki. Among the recipients was Ōtaki whānau member, Oriwia Raureti (Ngati Raukawa), who was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters. Oriwia is a long-serving and committed advocate for Māori Education and a […]

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Prestigious RSA Award

WelCom December 2016: Diocesan News Hunterville woman and Rangitikei parishioner Maureen Fenton has been awarded the New Zealand Returned Services Association (NZRSA) Merit certificate, one of the highest awards given within RSA. RSA members gathered for the special award ceremony in October to honour Maureen along with other Hunterville RSA stalwarts. David Moger, Chief Executive of […]

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A presence of people, in place

WelCom December 2016: Opinion David Mullin November’s devastating Kaikōura quakes have reawakened discussions on the ability of New Zealand society to maintain the buildings and infrastructure that we have. This concern, not necessarily new, has certainly grown since the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 and the quake sequence in Marlborough, 2013. In the dioceses of […]

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End Life Inquiry

WelCom December 2016: Features The following is a summary of the oral submission delivered in November by Dr John Kleinsman for the Nathaniel Centre – the NZ Catholic Bioethics Centre – to the Health Select Committee Inquiry into Ending One’s Life in New Zealand. It addresses four main points. Choices are shaped by the context in which […]

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Gospel Reflection: Sunday 4 December 2016

WelCom December 2016: Reflections Parishioner of The Immaculate Conception Parish Stratford, Tom Gibson, reflects on this Sunday’s Gospel. Gospel, Matthew 3:1-12 1 In due course John the Baptist appeared; he proclaimed this message in the desert of Judaea, 2 ‘Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.’ 3 This was the man spoken of […]

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‘Come gather round people’

WelCom December 2016: Reflections Following the announcement to award singer/songwriter Bob Dylan the 2016 Nobel Prize for literature, Fr James Lyons – writer, poet, former religious broadcaster, and parish priest at Wellington’s Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish – gave the following homily on Sunday 23 October, and drew from the Gospel Reading Luke 18:9-14 about the Pharisee […]

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Family Synod: One Year On

WelCom December 2016: Reflections Sharron Cole I was recently reminded it was a year to the day of the beginning of synod on the family when several of my fellow lay auditors emailed, recalling our weeks together and sharing what has been happening for them post synod and around Francis’ exhortation Amoris Laetitia – The Joy […]

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Catholic Parish of New Plymouth Community Meals

WelCom December 2016: Diocesan News Bob Goodyear The idea for providing parish Community Meals in New Plymouth came from a Caritas Social Justice meeting last year. We had an amazing response to our request for volunteers. People came from St Vincent de Paul Society, Catholic Women’s League, as well as other parishioners, and students from Sacred […]

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