WelCom is the monthly newspaper of the Archdiocese of Wellington. Print copies of the eight-page newsletter are free and available in parishes, and sent to parishes and schools in PDF form. The archive contains WelCom stories published from 2007 to 2026 (May).
WelCom November 2019 On Friday 4 October, The New Zealand Catholic Bishops released a media statement about the resignation of Bishop Charles Drennan. It stated that Pope Francis had accepted the resignation of the Bishop of Palmerston North, Charles Drennan, after an allegation of ‘unacceptable behaviour’ of a sexual nature. Publication of the announcement was […]
WelCom November 2019 ‘Hope is the virtue of a heart that doesn’t lock itself into darkness, that doesn’t dwell on the past, does not simply get by on the present, but is able to see a tomorrow.’ – Pope Francis, TED Talk, April 2017 With the recent news of the resignation of Charles Drennan as […]
WelCom November 2019 During October, the New Zealand bishops met in Rome for their Ad Limina Apostolorum visit. On Wednesday, 23 October, they met Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, to discuss the process for Suzanne Aubert. The Congregation manages the process of saints’ causes, including beatifications and […]
WelCom November 2019 Pope Francis invites us on Sunday, 17 November to remember the 3rd World Day of the Poor, by taking the opportunity to reach out to meet people experiencing financial hardship, homelessness and isolation. His message for the World Day of the Poor encourages us to seek people’s true needs, ‘not to stop […]
WelCom November 2019 Emma Dodsworth On Saturday 21 September, Trung Nguyen of the Palmerston North Diocese was ordained as a deacon at Sacred Heart parish in Ponsonby, Auckland. Also ordained was Tang Phan from the Diocese of Christchurch. Approximately 300 people gathered to support the two seminarians, particularly friends and supporters from the two dioceses. […]
WelCom November 2019 Lisa Beech Befriending new people at Mass led members of the Catholic Filipino community in Kāpiti on a journey to support newly arrived Filipino workers practically, socially and legally. Around 120 people gathered at a Social Justice Week event at Connolly Hall on Wednesday 11 September to hear perspectives on fairness and […]
WelCom November 2019 The End of Life Choice Bill now awaits its third and final reading and vote, which will happen on Wednesday, 13 November. Should it pass by a majority, the law would then be subject to a binding citizens’ referendum as part of the election in 2020. A majority of voters would have […]
WelCom November 2019 According to the NZ Parliament website, the proposed Abortion Legislation Bill ‘seeks to have abortion services provided like other health services. It would do this by decriminalising abortion, modernising legislation related to abortion, and better aligning the regulation of abortion services with that of other health services. The bill would remove the […]
WelCom November 2019 Places of worship in Palmerston North opened their doors for people to pray for world peace during the 2019 international Interfaith Week of Prayer for World Peace, 14 to 21 October. The Week of Prayer for World Peace was started as a Christian initiative in 1974. It soon became an interfaith activity […]
WelCom November 2019 Caritas launched ‘Seeds of Hope’, its 2019 State of the Environment for Oceania Report, in Wellington on Friday 4 October – the Feast of St Francis, and coinciding with the conclusion of the Global Week of Action on migration. Caritas’ ‘share the journey’ campaign encourages a culture of encounter and sharing stories […]