Sunday, September 2, 2012

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

NZ CATHOLIC BISHOPS' CONFERENCE

Catholic Bishops disappointed the Definition of Marriage Bill has been voted through by MPs (29 Aug 2012)
The Catholic Bishops have voiced their concerns over fundamentally changing the family structure on which our society is built and are disappointed that MPs have voted the Bill through this first stage...

Ecumenical Statement: Child Poverty discussion is crucial, say New Zealand's Church Leaders (28 Aug 2012)
Proposals to reduce New Zealand's unacceptably high child poverty rates need to be urgently debated and discussed, say the leaders of the Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Salvation Army and Assemblies of God Churches.

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

'NZ CATHOLIC' - August 26 - September 8 2012 - No. 398


In the current issue: Bishop targets Church admin spend ... Priest masters ABC of visiting ... Tauranga's Sir Peter honoured ... Euthanasia Bill full of 'black holes' says Catholic schools cannot rest on laurels ... Baubles bedazzle youth, says Jesuit ... The power of fatherhood ... Vatican Letter: Rome's media maestros battle on ... Mothers slammed for Down choice ... Advertising feature: Catholic holiday homes

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

FROM THE SECULAR MEDIA

***********************
Definition of Marriage Bill
***********************

Church Leaders Unite to Speak up on Marriage Amendment Bill
Seventy church leaders, including numerous national heads of major church denominations both Catholic and Protestant, are speaking up in a joint personal statement on the day of the first reading of the Marriage Amendment Bill, which would allow same-sex couples to marry ...

Richard Stanton: Marriage not a right (photo)
I oppose the proposal to change the definition of marriage to include same sex couples for religious and educational reasons.

Teacher suspended after supporting pro-gay protest (photo)

Protest over gay comments

Views divided on marriage equality bill ahead of vote
Wedding bells could be one step closer to ringing for gay couples from tomorrow, but church bells will not be chiming in unison.

Gay marriage 'unlikely' in the Catholic church
If it becomes legal for gay couples to marry, that's never likely happen in the Catholic church says Ashburton priest Father Geoff Gray.

Local priest rejects gay marriages
A prominent Timaru priest has said he could never marry a gay couple. Sacred Heart Basilica parish priest Father Peter Costello was reacting to the news that Louisa Wall's Marriage Amendment Bill had passed its first reading in Parliament.

In other news ...

Stolen Christ found in Taranaki (photo)
A church in Karori is celebrating a minor miracle. A statue of Jesus Christ which was stolen from Futuna Chapel has been found on an abandoned property in Taranaki, more than 10 years after it was taken.

Also:
Historic statue of Jesus recovered

Island Bay childcare centre may get reprieve
An Island Bay childcare centre facing closure because of asbestos and its failure to fit the divine mission of its religious landlords may yet be saved. Two potential sites are being considered to house Wellington's Aubert Childcare Centre, which is due to close at the end of the year.

Lament, Hope, Action: Christian Environmental Conference in October focuses on creation care
How does 'care for creation' become incorporated into the shared life of the Church, and into our everyday lives? How can our worship, our prayer, and our mission, demonstrate God's love for the whole of creation? How do we encourage and enable others to live sustainably?

Organist set to go solo (photo)
On February 22 last year Josh Anderson, now 20, was in the Durham St Methodist church helping his South Island Organ Co colleagues dismantle an organ. While standing on scaffolding inside the building, the 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit, bringing down the church and trapping Josh and his co-workers. Eighteen months on from the moment which he describes as the scariest of his life, Josh is preparing for his first solo organ concert in his home town, the first of three performances at the Sacred Heart Basilica in September.

Film-makers explore rural river community (photo)
Film-makers Christopher Pryor and Miriam Smith did not do things by halves for their feature documentary How Far is Heaven. Driving in and out each day from the isolated Jerusalem community on the Whanganui River for stints of filming wasn't an option. Instead, the two moved in and lived and breathed Jerusalem for a year.

Sisters on a Kiwi mission to learn English (photo)
When Vietnamese nuns Nguyen Le and Tran Binh moved to Ho Chi Minh City to join the Sisters of the Mission, they had no idea they would end up learning English in New Plymouth.

*******************
News of the Schools
*******************

Francis Douglas Memorial College / Sacred Heart Girls' College, New Plymouth: Family bag three championship wins in a week http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/sport/7575523/Family-bag-three-championship-wins-in-a-week

Sacred Heart Girls' College, New Plymouth: Young reporter takes youth angle (photo) http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/7567213/Young-reporter-takes-youth-angle

Sancta Maria Catholic College, Auckland: Mum: System soft on bullies http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/latest-edition/7595269/Mum-System-soft-on-bullies

St Joseph's, New Plymouth: Bright Buttons smooths the way (photo) http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/midweek/7564921/Bright-Buttons-smooths-the-way

St Joseph's, Picton: Digging in ahead of Daffodil Day (photo) http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/7559994/Digging-in-ahead-of-Daffodil-Day

St Joseph's, Picton: School on top of national standards (photo) The Marlborough Express http://tinyurl.com/8zssyca

St Joseph's, Timaru: Men in our classrooms (photo) http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/features/7589396/Men-in-our-classrooms

St Joseph's, Queenstown: Heartened by art (photo) The Southland Times http://tinyurl.com/9d4xae7

St Josephs's, Morrinsville: Star Trek show on course (photo) Piako Post http://tinyurl.com/8mnfqz9

St Peter's College, Gore: St Peter's College and Boarding House (advertisement) The Clutha Leader http://tinyurl.com/9tgneuw

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

INSPIRATIONAL TV


'Within'
Mark 7: 1 – 8, a reading and reflection with Rev Canon Jenny Wilkens and Very Rev Frank Nelson at St Paul's Cathedral, Wellington.

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

NEW ZEALAND CATHOLIC PODCASTS

*******************
LIGHT OF THE WORLD - Otago Catholic Access Radio
******************

August 26 – St Augustine; waiting for Faustus; And from Christchurch, part 2 of a Theology on Tap talk given by Sam Clear of Walk4One for Christian unity.

[Choose the "Click to download" link. The sound quality of the other one is terrible - ml]

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

'BEING FRANK' - New Zealand Catholic blogs


** Pastoral care of homosexuals and their families (an article from the Catholic Education Resource Center, USA/Canada)

** Teething on tithing (an article by Msgr. Charles Pope of the Archdiocese of Washington)

** A blessing ( ...is what deacons are)

** The Judas Solution? (the gospel and social justice)

** PM's comments on Euthanasia angers docs

** Disunity among Christians on the issue of Marriage

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

NEW ZEALAND CATHOLIC PERIODICALS & NEWSLETTERS

'NZ Catholic' is a national newspaper published by the Catholic Bishop of Auckland. http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz

Catholic Diocese of Hamilton. 'Kete Korero'. http://proudtobecatholic.org.nz/news-events/kete-korero/

Catholic Dioceses of Palmerston North and Wellington. 'Wel-com' http://www.welcom.org.nz

Catholic Diocese of Christchurch. 'Inform' http://www.chch.catholic.org.nz/?sid=25

Catholic Diocese of Dunedin. 'The Tablet' http://www.cdd.org.nz/the-tablet

The Nathaniel Centre. The New Zealand Catholic Bioethics Centre. 'The Nathaniel Report' http://www.nathaniel.org.nz/?sid=5


NZ Catholic Education Office. 'Good News and the News' http://www.nzceo.catholic.org.nz/pages/resources/resources_good_news.html

Society of Mary. 'Marist Messenger' http://www.maristmessenger.co.nz

St Columban's Mission Society. 'The Far East' http://www.columban.org.au/?MID=200510192652

'Tui Motu Interislands'. An independent Catholic magazine. http://www.tuimotu.org/articles

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

ALL THINGS CATHOLIC, by John L. Allen Jr


Super Mario and the pope, a quarterback controversy, and coming attractions

On Monday, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti met Benedict XVI at the pope's retreat in Castel Gandolfo, signifying the end of the summer doldrums. A brief Vatican statement said the exchange focused on the "European situation," understood to mean the Eurozone's massive debt crisis, high unemployment and generally dismal economic outlook. It was the fifth such encounter since Monti was tapped to lead a technocratic government in November 2011, underscoring the positive vibe between "Super Mario" and the pope...

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

NEW ZEALAND COMMENTARIES ON THE SUNDAY READINGS

Living the Word - Fr Frank Bird sm http://livingtheword.org.nz

Reflect - Veronica Lawson rsm http://www.welcom.org.nz/?sid=394

Daily Reflections (right-hand column) http://www.maristmessenger.co.nz

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

FACEBOOK

Pompallier's People: The Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand

Bishop Patrick Dunn

Catholic Discipleship College

SMNZ Marists - the Society of Mary in New Zealand

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

NEWS OF THE CHURCH IN NZ AND THE WORLD






http://www.youtube.com/vatican (video news of Pope Benedict)

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

EMPLOYMENT

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

[Catholic overseas volunteer vacancies are listed on the Vacancies page of http://www.mahitahi.org ]