WelCom April 2021 David McLoughlin New Zealand’s Catholic bishops will gather in Wellington on Sunday 15 August, 2021 for a Mass to renew Bishop Pompallier’s 1838 dedication of this country to Our Lady Assumed into Heaven. The Mass will be celebrated at the Wellington landmark St Mary of the Angels Church, which will be become […]
WelCom April 2021 Last month Pope Francis defied security fears and the Covid-19 pandemic to visit Iraq, one of the world’s oldest and most persecuted Christian communities. His trip was aimed at bringing hope to the country’s marginalised Christian minority, while boosting relations with the Shiite Muslim world. The Pope’s historic four-day visit (March 5–8) […]
WelCom April 2021 The Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand has made a formal apology to victims and survivors of abuse committed by priests and other Church figures. Cardinal John Dew, Archbishop of Wellington and President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, gave the apology during a hearing of the Royal Commission into Abuse […]
St Gerard’s Church is to be closed. The last Mass will be celebrated by Cardinal John Dew on Pentecost Sunday, 24 May 2021. St Gerard’s Church, which is part of Wellington’s most distinctive and iconic landmarks, is to be closed. The Church has been a missionary hub since it was built by the Redemptorists in […]
WelCom April 2021 Suzanne Aubert’s ‘Manuscript of Māori Conversation’ is one of five new collections of New Zealand’s legal, literature, photography, art and te reo treasures that have been added to the UNESCO Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Register. The new inscriptions on the prestigious register cover a range of topics and bring […]
WelCom April 2021 President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishop’s Conference (NZCBC) and Archbishop of Wellington, Cardinal John Dew has offered Catholic churches and Church facilities to the Government for Covid vaccination centres. Cardinal Dew made the offer at a meeting in Auckland last month between Church leaders of some of the country’s major Christian […]
WelCom April 2021 High Court support has been sought on new abortion laws that force health professionals to choose between their conscience and their work. The hearing, which began on Monday 8 March, went for three days. The case was brought to court by a group of health professionals, who sought the court’s help with […]
WelCom April 2021 Michael Fitzsimons Catholic charities are likely to be significantly affected by the phasing out of cheques, which is to happen between now and the middle of next year. The knock-on effect of the phasing out of cheques for the charity sector is enormous, says Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand director, Julianne Hickey. ‘Without […]
WelCom April 2021 The New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Interfaith Relations sent a letter of support last month to the country’s Muslim communities on the second anniversary of the Christchurch mosques’ atrocity. Fifty-one worshippers died and many more were wounded when a gunman opened fire in attacks on the Masjid Al-Noor and Linwood mosques […]
WelCom April 2021 Lisa Beech Human activity has taken the world’s climate into uncharted territory – but we still have the ability to make a difference. This was the message Professor James Renwick of Victoria University delivered to participants at the Caring for our Common Home – The Dimensions of Laudato Si’ day, at Cardinal […]