Cemeteries used to be called churchyards, because that’s what they were – a place near the church for deceased parishioners. Like St Paul’s image of the body, the burial ground is an ‘earthenware vessel’ holding the treasured remains of people whose lives have been part of the life of the parish. It’s hallowed ground, a sacred space.
Jesus said to his disciples: 9 ‘As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.
The tradition of dedicating the month of May to Mary came about in the 13th century. The reason is that this month in the Northern Hemisphere is the time when spring is at the height of its beauty. Spring is also connected with nature renewing itself.
During the month of May 2024 Pope Francis’ intention is:
for the formation of religious and seminarians.
We pray that religious women and men, and seminarians, grow in their own vocations through their human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, leading them to be credible witnesses to the Gospel.
Running since 1946, the O’Shea Shield is one of New Zealand’s oldest intercollegiate competitions. Sacred Heart College Napier has the privilege of hosting the 2024 O’Shea Shield.
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference sponsor the biannual Delargey Awards for young people and are seeking nominations for 2024. The nominations’ closing date is 15 May 2024.
Students from six schools in the Wellington area visited Parliament on 10 April to urge the government not to make any cuts or changes to the free school lunches programme. It has been proposing to review the programme ahead of Budget 2024.
Sacred Heart College Napier and St John’s College Hastings celebrated a melting pot of culture through performance and food at Fiafia: A Night of Cultural Celebrations, on 22 March. More than 500 people attended the event held at St John’s College.
St Peter’s College student Bindi Rolton has been invited on a trip to Mexico for the ‘LatAm Biz: Globalista – Entrepreneurship in Mexico’ programme. LatAm Biz: Mexico is a joint programme between the Latin American Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence (LatAm CAPE) and Young Enterprise (YES). Bindi wrote this article before she left for Mexico last month.
History was made for Palmerston North’s St Peter’s College senior girls’ canoe polo team who won a gold medal at the New Zealand Secondary School Canoe Polo Championships. The three-day competition in March was held at Hokowhitu Lagoon (Centennial Lagoon), Palmerston North.