WelCom November 2020 In his new encyclical, written during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis challenges humankind to reset priorities and unite communities riven by racism, inequality and climate change. Fratelli Tutti, signed in Assisi on October 3, 2020 urges people of good will to promote fraternity through dialogue, renewing society by […]
WelCom November 2020 Earlier this year the Archdiocese was on course to sponsor a conference entitled ‘Takirua 2020 – Shaping the Mission’. The conference was scheduled to take place over Anzac weekend in April with about 300 people from all over New Zealand registered to attend. ‘Shaping the Mission’ was to be the first time […]
WelCom October 2020 + John A Cardinal Dew Archbishop of Wellington ArchdioceseApostolic Administrator of Palmerston North Diocese Many of us know how precious, and also how difficult, are the hours we sit by the bedside of a loved one at the end of their lives. Many priests have done this countless times. As a priest I’ve […]
WelCom October 2020 Many of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most prominent religious leaders signed an open letter to voters on September 21, urging caution at the harm the End of Life Choice Act will cause. Their letter was published as an advertisement in The Herald on Sunday. The 37 signatories, including New Zealand Catholic Bishops, say […]
WelCom October 2020 Our journey of faith this month visits the rural parish of Pungarehu and Opunake, home for several farming settlements and marae at the foothills of Mt Taranaki, on Taranaki’s west coast. Pungarehu (ash) and neighbouring Rahotu (long for the sun) are on Surf Highway 45, about 40km south of New Plymouth and […]
WelCom October 2020 We must not squander this wake-up call. We must take action now to avert a climate catastrophe, write Dr Mike Joy and Dr Catherine Knight of the Better Futures Forum, Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, Victoria University of Wellington (bff.org.nz). Many New Zealanders will likely be feeling very uneasy about the […]
WelCom October 2020 The next time you visit Mission Estate in Greenmeadows, or savour a glass of Mission sauvignon blanc from your local supermarket, take a moment to ponder the rich church history that lies behind New Zealand’s oldest winery. Mike Fitzsimons Marist missionaries from France were the first Catholic missionaries in New Zealand, arriving […]
WelCom September 2020 “Forced like Jesus Christ to Flee” World Day of Migrants and Refugees: The last Sunday of September of every year is World Day of Migrants and Refugees. For Sunday 27 September 2020, Pope Francis has chosen the theme ‘Forced like Jesus to flee’, with a focus on the need for the pastoral […]
WelCom September 2020 + John A Cardinal Dew Archbishop of Wellington ArchdioceseApostolic Administrator of Palmerston North Diocese “In our sacred places we can go deep into our hearts and souls – we can experience God’s presence anywhere and everywhere.” In 1998, I was invited to be a chaplain to a tour group travelling to the Holy […]
WelCom September 2020 Antonio Spadaro SJ interviews acclaimed American film director, producer and screen writer Martin Scorsese about arts and Covid-19. Antonio Spadaro, is Editor-in-Chief for La Civiltà Cattolica, a Jesuit periodical based in Rome. This article has been re-published in WelCom with permission from La Civiltà Cattolica, laciviltacattolica.com ‘Life is not something that takes […]