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).
Retired Catholic Bishop of Dunedin Colin Campbell has been appointed Interim Rector of Holy Cross Seminary.
Bishop Emeritus Campbell has accepted the interim role until a permanent appointment is made to replace Fr Mathew Vadakkevettuvazhiyil, who has left.
The prestigious and exciting O’Shea Shield competition has rangatahi from the 17 Catholic secondary schools in the Wellington and Palmerston North dioceses compete in eight separate events in public speaking, drama, and debating. Running since 1946, O’Shea Shield is one of New Zealand’s oldest intercollegiate competitions, and it involves almost 300 students each year.
St Joseph’s Home of Compassion in Silverstream was formally handed over to private provider Heritage Lifecare in March.
About 30 sisters from the Island Bay congregation gathered to formalise the handover of the Upper Hutt rest home.
Ngā Whaea Atawhai o Aotearoa Sisters of Mercy New Zealand launched their new Whānau Mercy Ministries in March, at Auckland’s Cathedral of St Patrick and St Joseph.
The Catholic Enquiry Centre has a new website. Visit it to find out about faith, explore Catholicism, order booklets or to make a donation: catholicdiscovery.nz
The 125th anniversary of the arrival of Mary MacKillop, and her Sisters of Joseph in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, was celebrated on Sunday 19 March, St Joseph’s Day.
Pope Francis has called for an end to violence in Sudan and a return to the path of dialogue.
In remarks following the Regina Coeli, Sunday 23 April, Pope Francis invited everyone to pray ‘for our Sudanese brothers and sisters’.
Pope Francis began his three-day visit to Hungary last month, praising the country for its traditional values and making a forceful appeal for European unity, decrying the rise of nationalist populism he faulted for a breakdown in multilateralism.
The Synod of Bishops will include female voting members for the first time, Synod organisers revealed last month in a landmark development for the Church’s Synod process.
The Secretariat for the Synod announced that 70 ‘non-bishop members’ appointed directly by the Pope – half of whom will be women – will be able to vote at the Synod General Assembly in October.
In a rare gesture, Catholic and Protestant leaders in Papua have come together to appeal to Indonesian President Joko Widodo to stop military operations in the crisis-hit province following the latest move to implement a ‘combat alert operation’.