Cardinal John Dew, the Catholic Archbishop of Wellington since 2005, has retired on reaching his 75th birthday.
Pope Francis accepted Cardinal John’s formal resignation as Archbishop of Wellington and made the announcement at noon in Rome on 5 May – 10pm in New Zealand – coinciding with Cardinal John’s 75th birthday.
Tēnā koutou. Greetings to you all.
It is my privilege to be writing this first piece for WelCom as the 8th ordinary of the Archdiocese of Wellington.
The Catholic bishops of Aotearoa New Zealand meeting in conference in Auckland last month agreed on their new leadership roles.
Bishop of Auckland Stephen Lowe is now President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, the national body for the bishops of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Dr Mary Eastham is an active member of the Catholic community in Palmerston North supporting interfaith activities. Through this work she helped establish the Palmerston North Interfaith Group (PNIG) in 2011, comprised of members of different faiths, aimed at representing the different religious traditions and faiths in the community and to work together.
Caritas has welcomed last month’s Budget initiatives to assist low-income households but is calling for more urgent action on reducing emissions.
On World Environment Day, 5 June, Pope Francis appealed for our shared responsibility to take action to protect the planet. He drew attention to increasing violent natural disasters devastating the globe, as he urged the international community, and people of good will, to do their part in safeguarding our Common Home
A deliberately lit fire in Palmerston North’s Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, 27 April, could have been much worse if not for the quick thinking and actions of three people present who were able to douse the fire before it took hold and spread further.
Damian Dempsey has been appointed the new Executive Director of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference. Damian, was a member of the Society of Mary for 25 years, working in formation, education, and community development in New Zealand and in Asia.
Bishop of Christchurch Michael Gielen has announced Fr Rick Loughnan, Christchurch North parish priest. has been honoured by Pope Francis with the title of Monsignor, which designates him as a Chaplain of the Holy Father.
The 2023 print edition of the comprehensive Catholic Directory of the people and organisations for the Catholic Church in New Zealand has been published and is being distributed through diocesan offices, parishes and to people who pre-ordered a copy.