Sunday, December 5, 2004

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

CIVIL UNION BILL

Bishops call on NZ Catholics to take MPs Civil Union vote into account at next General Election Catholic Communications NZ. Media Release 1 Dec 2004 http://www.cathcom.org.nz/media.php

NZ Catholic Bishops' Conference. Letter to the members of Parliament concerning the Civil Unions Bill (April 2004) http://www.catholic.org.nz/statements/0404civilunions.php

Catholics, Destiny staunch in their opposition to Bill Otago Daily Times Dec 3, 2004 http://tinyurl.com/5jnn8 New Zealand’s Roman Catholic bishops will not give up their fight against the Civil Union Bill, the Bishop of Dunedin, the Very Rev Colin Campbell, vowed last night...

Catholic threat to Civil Union Bill The Dominion Post 02 December 2004 http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3114981a10,00.html Catholic leaders have mounted a last-ditch challenge to MPs supporting the Civil Union Bill with a veiled warning that they will pay at the ballot box. In what the church concedes is an unprecedented move, an open letter will be read to congregations nationwide on Sunday, urging Catholics to note how MPs exercise their conscience vote today and vote accordingly...

Bishops turn up the heat on MPs NZ Herald 02.12.04 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=9001328 MPs say they have faced unparalleled lobbying on the Civil Union bill, which allows gay and heterosexual couples to form legally recognised "civil unions". The majority were from supporters of the bill, worried about the number of MPs indicating they might change their "yes" votes to "no"...

New Zealand family group opposes civil-union bill http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=33786 Auckland, Dec. 02 (CNA/CWNews.com) - Family Life International, New Zealand has released a statement warning that the Civil Union Bill, which would give legal recognition to same-sex unions, has been rushed toward an early vote in order to take advantage of public ignorance about the practical results of the legislation...

Civil union by 10 votes, but foes defiant Dominion Post 03 December 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3116071a10,00.html

How MPs voted on the Civil Union Bill: http://www.maxim.org.nz/letter/cu_letter.php

In-depth information about the Civil Union Bill and the Relationships (Statutory References) Bill: http://www.maxim.org.nz/civilunions/index.php

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

'NZ CATHOLIC'

http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz

From No. 201, November 28-December 11, 2004 ...

Killing of baby "tragic" but not euthanasia Wellington - The Catholic Church's bioethics centre, the Nathaniel Centre, says those who are disabled have the same right to life and protection as all others....

Waikato Catholics enraged by insult to Pope Hamilton - Catholics in the Waikato are enraged by a Waikato Times promotional banner picturing the Pope with the message "Go forth and fornicate"....

Capital stills to welcome warrior home Wellington - The capital stood silent on Armistice Day as the Unknown Warrior made his final journey through the streets; shops stopped trading and turned off their in-house music as a sign of respect, and there was an eerie quiet as the nation watched the return home, after 90 years on foreign soil, of this man who gave his life for his country....

Also in this issue:

NATIONAL New meeting place popular ... St Pius X 50th jubilee ... Team top at maths ... Good work rewarded ... ERO File

FEATURES Kiwi Catholic in Bhutan keeps a solitary faith ... Vatican Letter: No democracy in electing a pope ... Balfour church marks centenary ... Croats recall 100 years of mission ... Feilding parishioner dies close to 104th birthday ... Indian professor reports "healthy" flow of vocations ... Facilitators help clergy and laity to work together ... St Gerard's to mark saint's centenary

INTERNATIONAL Bethlehem TV channel covers all sides ... Iraqi bishop calls for support from Western Christians ... Bishops support rights of aliens ... Magazine discovers population implosion ... Mother speaks out ... Politicians and media accused ... The Pope: Scientific research must be detached ... Same-sex adoptions queried ... Bishop saved by statute ... No respect

OPINION Editorial: Seeing sex as God invented it ... Malcolm Evans' cartoon, ... Letters ... George Pell: The goal of Church management ... Ronald Rolheiser: Offering sanctuary for sadness ... Parish Diary: Power without accountability ... Others Say

REGULAR FEATURES Books, Monitor, Tape Deck, Clips, Net Scene, Think Page, The Doolans, God in the Garden, Cryptic Crossword, Caption Contest, Who Said?, 40 Years Ago, Dio. Diary, Holy Lives, That Word!, Kit's Corner, Photo Prayer, Scripture, Wit's End.

ADVERTISING FEATURE Accent Publications

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

ADVENT/CHRISTMAS 2004

Mary, Empress of China (painting). North Catholic Cathedral, Beijing. http://tinyurl.com/5rsku

St Nicholas Centre -www.stnicholascentre.org An interdenominational site, about the real saint whose identity was appropriated by the mythical Santa Claus. It includes details of St Nicholas celebrations around the world, including Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills tomorrow, and Sinterklaas at the Dutch Embassy in Canberra on Sunday.

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

FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Nativity gets a reprieve -- Lord Mayor gets a serve NZ Herald 03.12.04 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=3&ObjectID=9001590 In these hyper-sensitive politically correct times, many Sydney retailers are opting for less religious Christmas symbols lest they offend non-Christian communities. Charlie Saliba was first to cop it this year. He holds the franchise for Oporto, a fast food outlet specialising in chicken burgers, at a mall in Sydney's Hornsby suburb. Saliba, a Catholic, had installed a small nativity scene -- depicting baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the three wise men and a shepherd -- in his store, but was told last week by the Oporto chain to remove it...

Outcry keeps "Christmas" lit up Denver Post (Colorado) 4 December 2004 http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2573635,00.html After being inundated with complaints in recent days, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper reversed himself Thursday and said the words "Merry Christmas" would remain in lights above the City and County Building. He had pledged to remove the message next year in favor of the generic but inclusive "Happy Holidays."...

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

FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES

Christians, Muslims and Jews stand together in defence of the family. http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=2020 Doha (AsiaNews/Cwn) – [Around 150 representatives of Christianity, Islam and Judaism came together in Qatar over the last few days for an international conference in defence of the “natural family” and against the assimilation into this concept of other unions]

Between old fears and new hopes, celebrating Advent in Bethlehem http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=2013 Bethlehem (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Never like this year has the time of Advent been so charged with hope and expectations in the birthplace of Jesus. People are tired of war and look with hope to the emergence of a new Palestinian leadership that might bring peace to the Holy Land...

Pope and Bartholomew I: may the Saints help us towards unity http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=1992 Vatican City (AsiaNews) – In a solemn ecumenical ceremony John Paul II handed over the relics of Sts. Gregory Nazianzen and John Chrysostom to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. For the Pope, the gesture was a demonstration of ‘fraternity’ towards the Ecumenical Patriarch that shows that “there are no insurmountable problems in the Church of Christ”....

The Holy Grail: Fact or Fiction? Janice Bennett on the Legendary Cup of the Last Supper http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=62694 Littleton, Colorado, Nov. 28, 2004 (Zenit.Org).- The story of the Holy Grail has spawned numerous works of fiction and fantasy, including popular films. The truth about the actual whereabouts of the cup is less clear. One scholar, Janice Bennett, author of "St. Laurence and the Holy Grail" (Ignatius), believes that the cup's history can be traced from St. Peter's journey to Rome, to St. Laurence in the third century, and then to its final resting place in Spain...

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

CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

MEDIA RELEASES

http://www.cathcom.org.nz/media.php

Bishops call on NZ Catholics to take MPs Civil Union vote into account at next General Election (1 Dec 2004)

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

http://www.cathcom.org.nz

Pell weighs in on 'politically correct' baptisms Centacare warns low-income families on credit card trap Pope endorses world ban on landmines US organises conference to lobby Vatican on religious freedom Caritas expresses solidarity with Palestinian people Changed times in the business of religion

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

CATHOLICTV.NET

Video reports from the Media Office, Wellington Archdiocese

http://www.catholictv.net

The plight of AIDS sufferers. Sr Paula Brettkelly has worked with AIDS sufferers for over a decade. World Aids Day was on December 1. Since the disease came to light, millions throughout the world have suffered. Sr Paula talks with Louise Kelleher about their plight

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

SUMMER READING FROM THE PUBLIC LIBRARY

This book can be borrowed at many public libraries, or requested via interloan. Shelf number may differ.

********** (non-fiction) ********** 248.482 COL Between the rock and a hard place : being Catholic today, by Paul Collins. Sydney : ABC Books for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2004. Book review and commentary: http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/articles/0409hamilton2.html Publisher's note: "This is not an invective against the Church, but a deeply felt argument on behalf of the many Catholics who now feel disenfranchised. It encourages those holding on to a faith they love (often with gritted teeth) to keep going, and offers a concept of Catholicism through which they can still find deep meaning and stay connected to their Church..."

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

"THE WORD FROM ROME"

http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/

Summary of the column for December 3, 2004 (the final one for this year) ... Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor on ecumenism; Mega-trends in global Catholicism; Revising sex abuse norms; The Holy See and the Legionaries of Christ; Diplomacy in the cause of religious freedom

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

EMPLOYMENT

[Teaching vacancies in New Zealand Catholic schools are advertised in the Education Gazette: http://www.edgazette.govt.nz/vacancies ]

[Vacancies in Catholic Youth Ministry are advertised on the Job Bank page of the National Council for Young Catholics: http://ncyc.org.nz ]

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

Pastoral Care Coordinator, Te Korowai Atawhai, St Joseph's Mercy Hospice, Auckland. http://www.sistersofmercy.org.nz/auckland/offer_health.html Details in 'NZ Catholic' Nov. 28 - Dec. 11 2004 p.19, and from Jan Nichols, Executive Manager, St Joseph's Mercy Hospice, PO Box 9911, Auckland. Tel: (09) 623-9757; e-mail: jann@mercy.co.nz

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

Assistant Editor, 'NZ Catholic' newspaper

The national Catholic newspaper 'NZ Catholic' seeks a senior journalist for the position of assistant editor, with the prospect of taking over the managing editorship of this award-winning publication.

Besides a strong newspaper background, and writing and subbing strengths, the successful applicant will have a personal commitment to and knowledge of the Catholic Church, and an enthusiasm for the mission of the Catholic press.

The managing editor, who reports to a board of management, is responsible for NZ Catholic¹s editorial direction, strategic planning and business operations. Leadership and management skills are required.

A competitive salary, including superannuation, is provided for this Auckland-based position.

Inquiries and applications should be made to the managing editor, Pat McCarthy, PO Box 147-000, Ponsonby, Auckland; tel. (09) 360-3069; email catholic@iconz.co.nz Applications close December 6, 2004.

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

EVENTS

"Hearts Aflame" Catholic Summer School Sacred Heart Hostel, Hamilton, Friday 31st of December 2004 - Sunday January 9th 2005 http://heartsaflame.org.nz The Hearts Aflame Catholic Summer School offers young adults (18-35 years old) an opportunity to learn more about the teachings of the Church, through: A deepening of your spiritual life through personal, communal and liturgical prayer and celebration of the sacraments A discovery of the richness of Catholic spirituality and tradition. An experience of living a common life of prayer, service and recreation An introduction to theology and scripture An examination of some of the many issues facing the Church

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

Parachute Music Festival Mystery Creek, Hamilton January 28-31 2005

The annual Christian music festival, takes place on Auckland Anniversary weekend (last weekend of January) at Totara Springs Christian Camp, Matamata.

Parachute Festival Website: http://websites.parachutemusic.com/festival/2005/default_noflash.asp

Catholics@Parachute: The young Catholic presence at Australasia's biggest Christian music festival is growing by the year.. The National Council for Young Catholics coordinates the bulk purchase of tickets and the set-up of a Catholic village on site. Contact Jamie Cox: jamiec@cdh.org.nz

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