WelCom June 2017: In the wake of Budget 2017, Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand has expressed concern that ‘small town New Zealand’ and vulnerable communities like Kaikōura have been neglected. While the social justice agency welcomes the commitment to increased investment in the Budget, it calls on the Government to ensure that vulnerable groups are not left behind. […]
WelCom June 2017: During the last month the priests of the Archdiocese gathered together for a two-day Assembly. One of the things we looked at and reflected on was the number of Eucharistic Prayers we have to choose from. Many of us find the language difficult and awkward in the current translations; and there are some Eucharistic […]
WelCom June 2017: Recently I was in Auckland to celebrate ‘Founder’s Day’ at the seminary. Some claim anniversaries and jubilees are a kind of pre-Kardashian pre-Facebook outlet for self-absorption. ‘Look at what we’ve done and for how long.’ That’s a cynical interpretation. In fact, in our Christian understanding of time chronos – the sequential unfolding […]
WelCom June 2017: Analysis of 21,277 submissions to the Health Select Committee’s investigation into end of life issues shows that 16,411 opposed the legalisation of euthanasia, while 4142 supported legalisation. Releasing the analysis on 5 May 2017, Matthew Jansen, Secretary of the Care Alliance, said, ‘The submissions reflect the depth and breadth of public attitudes […]
WelCom June 2017: ‘Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.’ John 8:32 It is commonly said we live in a ‘post-truth’ culture. One would expect this to be rather startling. Apparent lack of concern over it seems to indicate how far we have been taken over by it. Thinking people […]
WelCom June 2017: The recently released findings into the contaminated water-supply at Havelock North are a wakeup call about clean water-management processes, responsibilities and accountabilities for all of us. The OECD and the Ministry for the Environment reports on New Zealand’s environment, released in April, include specific sections on water resources and fresh water management. In […]
WelCom June 2017: The rising of the star cluster Matariki (the Pleiades) signals the start of the Māori New Year. The cluster usually appears low on the north-eastern horizon in early June. This year, Matariki may be seen as early as 6 June. Traditionally Matariki signalled among other things, the end of the harvest when pātaka […]
He Rā Īnoinga mō Te Hunga Taurewa me Te Hunga Taurahere WelCom June 2017: A Day of Prayer for Refugees and Migrants is set aside each year by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference to fall as close as possible to World Refugee Day on 20 June. This year, the prayer day is on Sunday, […]
WelCom June 2017: Pope Sends Telegram for Terrorist Attack at Concert in Manchester Pope Francis has sent his condolences to the victims of the terrorist attack on 22 May 2017 in Manchester, UK, at the concert of young American singer, Ariana Grande. The explosion claimed the lives of at least 22 people and injured some […]
WelCom June 2017: In 1817 St Marcellin Champagnat founded the Marist Brothers in France in the wake of the devastation wreaked by the French Revolution, especially as it affected the education of children. From beginning with two young men, the Order is now found in 79 countries on five continents and numbers about 3500 Brothers, and […]