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).
April 2016 News Annette Scullion, Story and photo His Holiness Pope Francis marked his third anniversary as pontiff of the Catholic Church, during his weekly Sunday blessing on 13 March 2016 by reinforcing his message of mercy telling the faithful about the Biblical story of the adulterous woman whom Jesus refused to condemn. To observe the […]
April 2016 News Annette Scullion After 22 years at the helm of the New Zealand Catholic Education Office retiring CEO Br Sir Pat Lynch KNZM says it’s time to pass the ball to someone else. He says it has been a privileged journey to have worked with the education sector over 22 years and to […]
April 2016 News Annette Scullion, Story and photos On a bright sunny afternoon, Friday 3 March, Sacred Heart College, Napier, students and staff were full of pride and excitement as they hosted guests at the blessing and official opening of their new Mission Centre building. After waiting a long time for a new spiritual centre and […]
Te Whetu o Te Moana, Star of the Sea Parish – Inaugural Mass Belinda Vavaso, parishioner It was a beautiful summer’s day with the cicadas noisy in the trees on Sunday 14 February 2016, as a large group of people gathered in the grounds of St Mary’s Catholic Church in Blenheim for the inaugural Mass […]
Nā Arama Pou. Greetings to you all. This year, we – the Church – are focusing on mercy and how we can lead merciful lives. Mercy is a broad term and a recurring theme in the Gospel readings this month and during this season of Lent. Through the readings, we come to know what mercy […]
March 2016 Reflection Fr Patrick Bridgman The Lenten season draws to a close; the reception of Ashes one Wednesday now seems long since, and our Lenten practices, which were a mix of going without and doing something positive for others have been of variable success. Palm Sunday dawns and we enter the week known as […]
March 2016 Report Annette Scullion The Blessing of the Boats takes place on the second Sunday of February every year at Island Bay on Wellington’s South Coast. Local clergy bless a fleet of fishing boats and other sea-craft in this traditional ceremony to grant them ‘safe carriage and plentiful bounties’. The Blessing of the Boats […]
March 2016 Education The Teachers’ Commissioning Mass for teachers and staff of Catholic Schools in the Lower North Island areas of the Wellington Archdiocese was celebrated at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart on 16 February 2016. Cardinal John Dew gave this homily. A reporter recently asked the question: ‘Why in your opinion, is humanity […]
March 2016 Obituary Simone Olsen, Communications Adviser for the New Zealand Catholic Bishops ‘It is with great sadness we heard today of the passing of Bishop Barry Jones,’ announced Cardinal John Dew, President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, on Saturday 13 February 2016. ‘My brother Bishops and I would like to extend our […]
March 2016 Report At a Parliament reception to commemorate United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 26 January 2016, the Attorney-General and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Hon Christopher Finlayson QC gave the following speech. Shalom and welcome to Parliament. We are here because today is United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorated each year […]