WelCom November 2018: The Blessed Sacrament Chapel, cathedral foyer and Connolly Hall are set for reopening this month. Though structurally sound, they are attached to the earthquake-prone Sacred Heart Cathedral, so required some attention. Temporary bracing between the cathedral and the attached buildings is making them safe to use. Connolly Hall has also been given a […]
WelCom November 2018: In the 1870s, under the leadership of Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi, the small village of Parihaka in western Taranaki became a place of non-violent resistance to unjust land confiscations and the loss of control over their lives. The people of Parihaka sent men to plough the land and erect fences. […]
WelCom November 2018: The Rātana movement is a church and pan-iwi political movement founded by the prophet Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana in the early 20th-century. About 25,000 people of all faiths are expected at Rātana near Whanganui on 7 November this year to celebrate the day 100 years ago when Tahupotiki Wiremu Rātana saw the vision that […]
WelCom November 2018: The story of the Sisters of Compassion during the influenza pandemic of the early 20th century will be told in a temporary exhibition opening mid-November at the Home of Compassion, Island Bay. The pandemic came at the end of the devastating WWI and struck Wellington between November and December 1918. Wellington had the […]
WelCom November 2018: Korty Wilson Members of Te Rūnanga o te Hāhi Katorika ki Aotearoa gathered from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 September at Te Rau Aroha, the Palmerston North Diocesan Centre, for their third meeting this year. Te Rūnanga was established to advise the late Bishop Tākuira Māriu (1952–2005) on Māori pastoral care. This advisory […]
WelCom November 2018: On Wednesday, 27 September 2018, Bishop Charles Gauci was welcomed at St Mary’s Star of the Sea Cathedral as the new Bishop of Darwin in a ceremony combining Catholic tradition and Aboriginal culture. Bishop Gauci succeeded retiring Bishop Eugene Hurley who had served Darwin for the past 11 years. Deacon Danny and Maru […]
WelCom November 2018: The Australian Catholic Church has welcomed Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s apology to survivors of institutional child sexual abuse and recommitted to working with the community to eliminate child sexual abuse. Leaders of Catholic Religious Australia and the Australian Catholic Bishops released a statement on 22 October 2018 after the prime minister’s address to […]
WelCom November 2018: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11 “You will have to suffer only for a little while: the God of all grace who called you to eternal glory […]
WelCom November 2018: It’s interesting that false gods often begin existence as gifts, blessings of one kind or another to help us on life’s journey. So what turns a gift into a false god? When does the blessing become inauthentic? I think the answer lies in the degree of possession. I know that I am given […]
WelCom November 2018: Pauline Scahill and Peter Gibbs John O’Donohue was an Irish poet and philosopher, and author of many books including Anam Cara, To Bless the Space Between Us and Divine Beauty. His writing has touched many people throughout the world. ‘At the heart of John’s awakened belief was the premise that ancient wisdom could […]