Sunday, May 20, 2001



Dear friends,

"A peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you" (John 14:27)

It seems a peace the world cannot give - a miracle of grace - is the
only thing that is going to bring peace to Jesus' Homeland, where two
communities live in fear and anger in the same house, so to speak.
Please keep the tormented people of the Holy Land in your daily prayers
and if possible have prayers for peace included in the Prayers of the
Faithful at Mass.

Over the next four days the College of Cardinals (including Cardinal Tom
Williams I assume) will be meeting in Rome. According to the Italian
press, they have a seven point agenda to discuss:
* how best to convey the message of Christ in a world of religious
pluralism;
* whether the Church is projecting holiness "in all its evangelical
radicality";
* how to defend the Church and the "originality of its sacraments" in
the face of New Age sects offering an alternative spirituality;
* how to tackle world poverty and globalisation;
* whether there is a discrepancy between the views of ordinary Catholics
on sexual and family matters and prevailing Catholic doctrine;
* how the world's mass media can be better used to convey Christian
values;
* and how church bodies such as the Curia (the Vatican bureaucracy) and
the Synod of Bishops could be "made to function better".

A tall order for a four-day meeting, and when the Cardinals return to
their own countries they are just one bishop among others. However
everyone present at the consistory will be aware that one of their
number will most likely be Pope John Paul's successor, so each of the
Cardinals will have an opportunity to "size up" their colleagues
intellectually and spiritually.

You can read daily reports about the cardinals' assembly via the links
to the Catholic and secular press on our bishops' News page:
http://catholic.org.nz/cathcom/news/frnews.html

God bless,
Mike Leon
'kiwicath' forum manager
********************************

EDUCATION

Around nine New Zealand Catholic schools have opened Websites recently.
You can see the names of the new sites on the bishops' What's New page
http://catholic.org.nz and click 'What's New' - and links to all the
Catholic school sites I've been able to track down, here:
http://catholic.org.nz/cathcom/education/schools.html

********************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

'Lee's Decision Not To Rate Churches Welcomed'
Press Release: United Future NZ Party Thursday, 17 May 2001
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0105/S00352.htm
United Future leader, Hon Peter Dunne, has welcomed the decision by
Local Government Minister Sandra Lee not to change the current rating
regime for churches.....

'Costs stun casino battlers '
Waikato Times 18 May 2001
http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/index/0,1008,797825a11,FF.html
The Casino Control Authority has dropped a bombshell by seeking costs of
$126,500 against a group which includes church leaders, pensioners,
Hamilton Mayor Russ Rimmington and city councillors...

'Dialogue: Politics irrelevant for this apostle ', by Garth George
NZ Herald Saturday, 19-May 2001
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyI\
D=189206&reportID=53510

I have a huge amount of respect, reverence even, for Pope John Paul II.
Whether, as the Catholic Church tells me, he is the Vicar of Christ on
Earth, I'll leave to the dogmatists, but he has shown time and time
again that he is chosen of God, for he has always had about him a
Christlikeness and the older he gets the more Christlike he
becomes........

****************************************

EVENTS

22-23 June
Mercy Health Care Conference 2001, Waipuna Conference Centre, Auckland
The focus of the conference will be how Catholic health and aged care
services can uphold the dignity of human life while setting realistic
limits to the care provided. Details in 'NZ Catholic' 8 April 2001 p.19
and from the Conference Organiser, Te Tairere Oranga, PO Box 109 025
Newmarket, Auckland. Website: http://www.mercy.co.nz/

'Art and Faith' Competition for paintings of a spiritual nature
sponsored by 'NZ Catholic' newspaper, Lillias McLean and Creative
Communities [Auckland City] Committee.
Details in 'NZ Catholic' May 20 2001 p.23 . Entry form from NZ Catholic,
PO Box 147-000, Ponsonby, Auckland 1034. Email: catholic@iconz.co.nz or
artel@xtra.co.nz. Fax: (09) 360 3065 or (09) 524 8322
Closing date: 31 August 2001

*****************************

EMPLOYMENT

(Vacancies in New Zealand Catholic schools are advertised in the
Education Gazette: http://www.edgazette.govt.nz/vacancies )

Tertiary Education Chaplain, Palmerston North Diocese. Details in 'NZ
Catholic' 22 April 2001 p.23 and from Bishop's Office, Private Bag 11012
Palmerston North, tel 06 357 1980.
Applications close 12 June 2001

Religious Education/Pastoral Assistant, St Mark's Parish, Pakuranga
Auckland.
Details in NZ Catholic May 6 p.23 and from the Parish Office tel 576
7959; fax: 576 7905. Applications close 1 June 2001

Weekend Nurses, Vincentian Home and Hospital, Berhampore, Wellington
Details in Wel-com May 2001 p.19 and form Alison Crowe, 2a Stanley
Street, Berhampore, Wellington Tel: 04 380 0294 or 04 380 0581

Tertiary Chaplain, Palmerston North Diocese.
Details in Wel-com May 2001 p.19 and form bishops' Office, Private Bag
11012 Palmerston North, Tel: 06 357 1980. Applications close 12 June
2001

Accounting Officer, Archdiocesan Development fund, Wellington.
Details in Wel-com May 2001 p.19 and from Chris King, Administration
Manager, PO Box 12-407, Wellington. E-mail: invest@adf.org.nz

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