WelCom September 2020 The New Zealand film Jojo Rabbit and the US television series Madam Secretary have won the top prizes at this year’s SIGNIS North America film and television awards. The SIGNIS Awards are presented annually by SIGNIS, the Catholic lay movement for communication media professionals, to recognise excellence of professionals in the film […]
WelCom September 2020 On September 5, the Church celebrates the feast day of St Teresa of Kolkata, who devoted her life to caring for the homeless people on the streets of Kolkata. St Teresa was the founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, a Catholic congregation of women dedicated to helping the poor. […]
WelCom September 2020 In the latest sign of papal outreach to the transgender community, Pope Francis has written to an old friend in Argentina to say that he is praying for her and the women who will move into a new condo complex she built to help transgender women living in poverty. The complex has […]
WelCom September 2020 Speaking in a recent private General Audience, Pope Francis decried the possibility that the use of the pandemic vaccine might worsen existing injustices against the poor and vulnerable. ‘How sad it would be if, for example, access to a Covid-19 vaccine were made available only to the rich, and not to others […]
WelCom September 2020 A new Pew Research poll shows white and Hispanic Catholics split over who they will vote for in the 2020 US presidential elections. According to a survey of 11,001 American adults conducted in July and August, Pew found registered voters who identify as white Catholics planned to support President Donald Trump by […]
WelCom September 2020 Patron saint of slaves, Colombia, seafarers, race relations, and missionaries to Africa St Peter Claver, Spanish San Pedro Claver, was born 1581, Verdú, Spain, and died 1654, Cartagena, Colombia. A Jesuit missionary to South America, he dedicated his life to the aid of enslaved Africans. He was canonised 1888 and his feast […]
The Election Forum was held on Tuesday 2 September and is available on YouTube https://youtu.be/Dpog-Gva3_M if you missed the livestream. Young people of the Archdiocese questioned political party representatives about their environmental and climate change policies, with the discussion chaired by Dr Areti Metuamate of Te Kupenga – Catholic Leadership Institute and an opening address by […]
WelCom August 2020 Annette Scullion Hopes for a fully restored and strengthened Cathedral have soared with the Category 1 historic building qualifying for a Government grant, from its ‘shovel ready’ infrastructure fund. A ‘shovel ready’ construction project is where planning and engineering is advanced enough that with sufficient funding, construction can begin within a very short time. […]
WelCom August 2020 “We all still need to be conscious of hygiene measures such as hand washing, using hand sanitiser when distributing Communion, and keeping our churches and other premises in our communities clean. If people are unwell, they should not come to Mass or other parish activities.” Cardinal John Dew In a letter to priests and […]
WelCom August 2020 Michael Fitzsimons The global Covid-19 pandemic is greatly increasing the vulnerability of the world’s 1.6 million seafarers, says Fr Jeff Drane, National Director of Stella Maris, the Apostleship of the Sea. Jeff Drane says that ship crews are going many months without being able to set foot ashore, which is leading to a growing […]