Church against cluster bombs
US Bishops’ International Justice and Peace Chairman, Bishop David Malloy, has expressed public concern regarding President Joe Biden’s decision to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs for use against Russian forces.
Welcom Archive 2007-2026
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).
Now a seminarian
The little boy who managed to get past the crowd control barrier at World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro in 2013 to hug Pope Francis is now a seminarian preparing for the priesthood.
Catholic universities urged to embrace AI
Catholic universities must not recoil from the daunting risks of artificial intelligence but become proactively involved in its ethical development, says the head of the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education.
Pope announces 21 new cardinals
In a surprise announcement, Pope Francis announced that he will hold a consistory on 30 September 2023 to create 21 new cardinals, 18 of them electors with the right to vote in the next conclave.
Synod role for Australian women
Renee Kohler-Ryan says that as a lay theologian and mother of five, she was struck by the significance of her inclusion in the upcoming Synod of Bishops.
New prior for Taizé
Br Alois Löser, prior of the Taizé Community for the past nearly two decades, has announced he is stepping down as leader of the world-renowned ecumenical monastery in France that was founded by the late Brother Roger Schutz.
St Gerard’s altar donated to Sacred Heart Cathedral
The altar from St Gerard’s Church in Wellington has been given a new home at the city’s Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral.
St Gerard’s – a distinctive, category one, heritage-listed church and monastery building – was sold in March this year.
Cathedral corner: More than skill needed for Cathedral
Running a project to strengthen and refurbish a Grade 1 listed heritage site, requires much more than technical skill.
To succeed, there has to be a personal commitment to the project, a willingness to perse-vere despite unforeseen obstacles and an appreciation of heritage for both the present and the future.
Papal award for ‘Lower Hutt son’
Bishop Steve Lowe, former Bishop of Hamilton, and now Bishop of the Auckland, recently presented Michael (Mike) Hanaray with a Papal Knighthood, in recognition of his dedicated and lifetime service to the Catholic Church at parish, diocesan and national levels.
On the lookout for pews
St Joseph’s historic church in Pāuatahanui is undergoing a facelift. A new St Joseph’s Church Stewardship Committee has been formed from within St Theresa’s parish Plimmerton, with the vision to preserve and resource this special place ensuring its future for generations.