Feature March 2014 Fr James Lyons reflects on the first year of Pope Francis’ papacy. From the moment he walked to the balcony above St Peter’s Basilica and, bowing low, asked the crowd of about 100,000 that had been waiting in the Square and the millions watching around the world to pray for him, I […]
Scripture March 2014 Kieran Fenn fms There are three major types of prayer to Mary: invocation, praise, a remembrance. Prayers of invocation call on her as a prominent member of the communion of saints for help. Those prayers that recall Mary’s memory or praise her plunge us into the mystery of the church and bring […]
Reflection March 2014 Veronica Lawson RSM Matthew 6:24-34 This Sunday’s gospel ends, ‘Today’s trouble is enough for today!’. We are ‘not to be anxious’. Rather, we are invited to be single-minded in our commitment. The challenge of this gospel is to live in the present, in right relationship and connection with the whole Earth community […]
News March 2014 Teresa Homan The Wellington Justice Peace and Development Commission is inviting everyone to come to a picnic in the grounds of parliament in front of the Beehive on Wednesday 19 March 5.30 – 7.30pm. The event is timed to coincide with politicians’ tea break so they have a special invitation from Archbishop […]
Schools March 2014 Martin Elms The Presentation Sisters who founded St Patrick’s school Paraparaumu are planning to have the statue of the school’s patron saint restored in time for the feast day on 17 March and painted by a professional mural artist from Ireland. The sisters announced the makeover of St Patrick who is beginning […]
Caritas Lent Appeal March 2014 How your Lenten donations help Providing healing and hope in the Pacific In Solomon Islands, diseases such as malaria and meningitis, coupled with poor health systems to treat ear infections, have resulted in a high rate of deafness. The situation is made worse by the unavailability of hearing aids and […]
Opinion March 2014 Michael Noonan Pope Francis’ short papacy has given us plenty of examples of how we can work together (visiting and embracing the sick, welcoming prisoners) in order to bring to those of us who need it mercy and encouragement rather than judgement and condemnation. He invites us to get out of our […]
News March 2014 Stephanie Kitching rsm One hundred years of happy living is being celebrated by Sister Mary Winefride Blake, a Mercy Sister at Villa Joseph Upper Hutt on her birthday, 8 March. A longtime Wellingtonian, Sister Winefride comes from a musical family who sang together regularly. She entered religious life in 1933 and is […]
News March 2014 Westport breeds resilient people who are willing to help the needy, none more than Mrs Margaret Todd, the eldest member of the local St Vincent de Paul Society who has just celebrated her 90th birthday. The society congratulates Margaret and thanks her for her many years of service to the Westport conference. […]
Feature March 2014 Bridget Taumoepeau Just about everyone, it seems, loves Pope Francis – Catholic and non-Catholic alike. To be fair there are a few curmudgeons who prophesy doom and gloom, but they don’t stand a chance. Celebrities, and a lot of ordinary folks, who previously rather sheepishly acknowledged that they were Catholic, are now […]