Author: Rose Miller

Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa, the Apostolic Nuncio to Aotearoa New Zealand, left New Zealand for Rome on 16 March, as he continues his recovery from a stroke. Archbishop Rugambwa arrived in Rome after a smooth journey. On Monday 18 March he entered a Catholic facility there to continue his rehabilitation.

Te Rōpū Tautoko is the group coordinating Catholic engagement with the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. Tautoko recently reported the commission is due to present its final report to the Governor-General by 28 March 2024. If that date is met, the report will likely be available to the public in early to mid-April. 

The countdown is on for the reopening of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart over the weekend of 7 to 9 June this year.  Parish volunteers are busy planning a schedule for the opening.

The St Vincent de Paul Society in New Zealand is in good heart with more than 100 active Conferences operating throughout the country.

According to its latest Annual Report, there are 22 Area Councils, 106 Conferences and 58 Vinnies Shops actively engaged in New Zealand.

The Napier branch of the St Vincent de Paul Society is committed to providing ongoing support for the people of Wairoa who are still suffering the devastating effects of Cyclone Gabrielle one year later.

Deacon Rebecca Packer (née Elvin) has been appointed as Tumu Whakarae | co-Chief Executive for the Sisters of Compassion Group, the religious order founded by Meri Hōhepa Suzanne Aubert. Rebecca joins Deacon Danny Karatea-Goddard, appointed in April 2022, as Māori Tumu Whakarae | co-Chief Executive of the group. 

What does Christianity look like to those who are not Christian?

For much of the last 500 hundred years the Church of Jesus Christ has looked and acted as very divided, with Christians fighting among themselves, their differences highlighted by large numbers of sects and denominations.

The findings from a New Zealand Church Life Survey (CLS), carried out in 2023, have been analysed and distributed to the Catholic community.

GCPS Consulting were appointed late last year to undertake an assessment of the ‘Implementation of Safeguarding Culture Standards of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand’. Their assessment began in November 2023 and it will conclude with a summary assessment report to be presented to Te Rōpū Tautoko, by June 2024.