***********************************************
'WEL-COM' April 2004
http://www.welcom.org.nz
Cardinal Williams' Column: The seeming defeat of Good Friday was actually a victory
Bishop John Dew's Reflection: Rewarding visits to our fifteen Pastoral Areas
Cause of Beatification and Canonization of Suzanne Aubert initiated Cardinal Williams announces the initiation of the cause for the beatification and canonisation of Suzanne Aubert ...
Resolving ownership of New Zealand’s foreshore and seabed The ownership of New Zealand’s foreshore and seabed has emerged as one of the defining political debates of our day. With legislation about to be introduced into Parliament, it is likely to have repercussions for some time yet....
Overwhelming support for notifying parents before an abortion can proceed AC Neilson survey shows strong opposition to aborting minors without their parents knowing...
Humbled by generosity of Auckland's Ngati Whatua Pat Snedden, Pakeha businessman and publisher delivered an address at St Benedict’s parish in Auckland a month ago including a compelling analysis of the significance of New Zealand establishing a process to address the wrongs of the past ...
Michael King — a master storyteller The tragic death of historian and author, Michael King, has silenced a voice that spoke with genuine insight and remarkable integrity, and with deep affection for the land of his birth ....
Teenagers are dying from abortions performed without their parents knowledge During 2002, 388 abortions were performed in New Zealand on girls aged from 11 to 15. Under the Care of Children Bill, due back in Parliament next month, doctors will be permitted to carry out abortions on girls of this age without their parents even knowing....
********************************************
CIVIL UNION BILL
Unique status of marriage at risk - bishops Dominion Post 17 April 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2877650a11,00.html The Civil Union Bill could lead to bisexuals being able to justify "marrying" two people, Catholic bishops say...
Catholic bishops defy same-sex bill NZ Herald 17.04.2004 http://tinyurl.com/ytg2p The Catholic Church warns that the Government's Civil Unions Bill will not deter it from preaching de facto and same-sex relationships are immoral, even if it faces penalties for doing so...
MP hopes to be part of first civil union NZPA 17 April 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2877410a6160,00.html Government minister Chris Carter and his gay partner of 31 years hope to be among the first to have their relationship recognised as a civil union once legislation is passed. The Civil Union Bill has been drafted and is expected to be introduced when Parliament resumes after a three-week recess....
Catholic church launches campaign against gay marriages NZ Herald 16.04.2004 http://tinyurl.com/33kye The Catholic church will oppose gay marriages even if penalised under new legislation, the Bishop of Palmerston North, Peter Cullinane, said today....
*********************************************
FROM THE CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES
Spiritual Retreat for Thousands This Weekend (press release) Thursday, 15 April 2004, 12:24 pm http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/AK0404/S00120.htm Speakers and entertainers from the US, Canada, Australia, West Indies and India - and local speakers including Bishop Patrick Dunn - will participate in a spiritual retreat for up to 3,000 Catholics at the Eucharistic Convention. The 11th annual Convention will be held 16-18 April in Auckland Showgrounds and will focus on the theme of "Forgiveness"....
“Together with the hostage situation there is the crisis of the entire population". An interview with Msgr. Fernando Filoni, Apostolic Nunzio in Baghdad http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=631
Papal nuncio gives grim report from Iraq http://www.cathnews.com/news/404/74.php Papal nuncio in Iraq, Archbishop Fernando Filoni, has said the Americans are "no longer in command of the situation", and he does not know whether they will regain control...
“It is time for the Arab world to condemn acts of terrorism like the brutal killing of one Italian hostage ” says Father Nizar http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0404/15_2132.html
“Why the international community united and resolute must stand up to extremist violence here in Iraq ” Father Nizar Semaan tells Fides http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0404/07_2118.html
Tower of London to exhibit Catholic relic http://www.indcatholicnews.com/tower.html A poignant reminder of the torture and execution of Catholic prisoners of conscience during the reign of Elizabeth I is going on show at an exhibition in the Tower of London later this month....
Solomon Islands mission flourishes thanks to work of young Italian volunteers: Youth Centre dream is coming true http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0404/07_2113.html
*********************************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS
Orthodox Patriarch formally accepts Catholic apology Globe and Mail (Toronto) http://tinyurl.com/3b7so Istanbul — Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, has accepted an apology from Pope John Paul II for Roman Catholic involvement in the sacking of Constantinople 800 years ago....
Furor Over Popular Religion Novels CBS News/AP April 15, 2004 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/15/print/main612106.shtml The lesson from this week's best-seller list is simple: God sells. But what worries some scholars is that the hottest religious books depart from traditional Christian teaching or distort the faith's origins. The latest pulse-pounder in the "Left Behind" series about the end of the world - "Glorious Appearing" - couldn't have appeared more gloriously, at No. 1 on the fiction list of Publishers Weekly. It edges out another religion-themed novel, "The Da Vinci Code," which has ranked among the top three for 54 straight weeks...
Christians are trying to analyse their responsibility for anti-Jewish prejudice, and to examine their own faith's Jewish roots The Economist (UK) http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=2571892
*************************************************
CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ
http://www.cathcom.org.nz
International News: Bush fatherhood guru to speak at Sydney gathering Papal nuncio gives grim report from Iraq Caritas Australia pledges assistance for Fiji Australian ecumenical leader says world body too bureaucratic Survey says US evangelicals prefer Pope to Robertson and Falwell Conference told teachers critical in preventing abuse
*************************************************
"THE WORD FROM ROME"
http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/
A weekly column in the National Catholic Reporter by the paper's full-time Vatican correspondent John L. Allen
Summary of the column for April 16, 2004: Ecumenism in Western Kansas; fuss over footwashing; US bishops' Ad Limina visits to Rome; bishops' pastoral directory; collegiality and Councils; Card. Ratzinger distrusts bureaucracies; more on US sex abuse norms
*************************************************
EVENTS
Auckland Catholic Eucharistic Convention, 16th to 18th April 2004 http://www.eucharistic-convention.com Logan Campbell Theatre, Auckland Showgrounds, Greenlane Road, Auckland. Two-page write-up in 'NZ Catholic' March 21-Apr 3 p.14-15 Full details on the Convention's Website.
***************************************************
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 ]
Diocesan General Manager, Hamilton Catholic Diocese http://www.hn.catholic.org.nz Details in 'Wel-com' April 2004, p.17 and from Greg Tims tel. 021 628 222; Naomi McGowan terl. 07 958 7466; fax: 07 839 1863; e-mail: naomim@mlc.co.nz Applications close 19 april 2004.
Director of Catholic Youth and Young Adult Groups, St Vincent de Paul society http://www.svdp.org.nz Details in 'Wel-com' April 2004 p.17, 'NZ Catholic' April 18-May 1 2004 p.19, and from District Council President, Society of St Vincent de Paul, PO Box 309, Whangarei. Applications close 26 April 2004
Parish Secretary, Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, Howick, Auckland. Details in 'NZ Catholic' April 18-May 1 2004 p.19, and from Parish Priest, PO Box 38276, Howick. Applications close 28 April 2004.
Bishop's assistant, Palmerston North Diocese http://www.pn.catholic.org.nz duties include providing "retreats in daily life", catechesis and adult formation. Details in 'NZ Catholic', April 18-May 1 2004 p.19, and from Wendy Silver, tel: (06) 358 8079; e-mail: wsilver@pndiocese.org.nz Applications close 28 April 2004
Office Manager, Catholic Communications NZ Details in 'NZ Catholic', April 18-May 1 2004 p.19, and from Catholic Communications, Pompallier Diocesan Centre, 30 New St., Private Bag 47-904, Ponsonby, Auckland. Tel: (09) 378 8017; Fax: (09) 360 3061; E-mail: communications@catholic.org.nz Applications close 30 April 2004.
Chaplain, Sacred Heart College for Girls, Napier http://www.sacredheartnapier.school.nz and St John's College for Boys, Hastings http://www.stjohns.school.nz Details in 'NZ Catholic', April 18-May 1 2004 p.19, and from The Principal, Sacred Heart College, Convent Road, Napier. Tel: (06) 8353 761; E-mail: pr.sec@sacredheartnapier.school.nz Applications close 28 May 2004
*************************************************
Sunday, April 18, 2004
Sunday, April 11, 2004
A very happy Easter to all our readers. ML
*********************************************
HOLY WEEK 2004
“Young people, do not be afraid to proclaim the Gospel of the Cross!” http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=580 Vatican City (AsiaNews) At 10.00 a.m. this morning in St. Peter’s Square representatives from youth across the globe, in addition to cardinals, bishops and priest, gathered together in front of Pope John Paul II while waving palm and olive tree branches in the air. The blessing of the palm and olive branches (from Puglia, Italy) kicked off Holy Week celebrations, the seven days that commemorate Christ’s passion, death and resurrection....
John Paul II's Homily on Palm Sunday (full text) http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=51783
Tighter Security as Pope Ushers in Palm Sunday http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=4744029
“A Holy Week of suffering for Iraqi Christians” reports Father Nizar Semaan from Mosul. Palm Sunday processions and Easter Night Vigil Mass cancelled for security reasons http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0404/05_2106.html
Tight security for Pope at Easter http://tinyurl.com/ypnxw
Pope: The Body of Christ Nourishes for Service to Humanity The Lord’s Supper Mass at the Basilica of St. Peter http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=608
At Last Supper Christ called all priests of all times by name John Paul II’s Letter to Priests – Holy Thursday 2004 http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=592
Pope begins Easter services amid tight security http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2870592a12,00.html
Pope presides at Good Friday amid high security Reuters 10 April 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2871686a10,00.html Rome: Amid exceptional security measures, Pope John Paul presided over a candle-lit Good Friday service at Rome's ancient Colosseum where thousands of pilgrims braved cold and rain to hear the frail, 83-year-old pontiff...
Thousands of Christian pilgrims retrace Jesus' footsteps through Jerusalem http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=world_home&articleID=1582852
Churches take ritual of Passion on to the streets With controversy raging over Mel Gibson's gory blockbuster movie, Christians hope for a revival of interest http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1188831,00.html
Orthodox Christians celebrate annual miracle in Jerusalem Saturday April 10, 2004 http://cbsnewyork.com/international/HolyLand-HolyFire-ai/resources_news_html Jerusalem (AP) - A sea of candles and torches illuminated Christianity's holiest shrine, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, as thousands of pilgrims participated in Saturday's holy fire ceremony, a key ritual of Easter Week. Only the Orthodox churches traditionally participate in the ceremony....
Pope, Sounding Tired, Starts Easter Eve Services http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=4796845
Seville's week of passion and penitence Reuters 07 April 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2869332a2180,00.html
Editorial: In the hope of an end to intolerance NZ Herald 10.04.2004 http://tinyurl.com/ywwoo
John Roughan: Imagine a world without religion NZ Herald 10.04.2004 http://tinyurl.com/3ap29
*******************************************
'NZ CATHOLIC'
No 184, April 4-17, 2004 http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz
Tauranga welcomes back returning Catholics Tauranga - "Catholics Returning Home" is a phrase that is becoming part of the vocabulary of St Mary Immaculate parishioners...
West Coast farewells Marist Brothers Greymouth - After 112 years in Greymouth, the Marist Brothers were farewelled on March 7 at Sunday Mass and later at a social evening organised by the parish and the Marist Brothers Old Boys...
West Papuan tells of oppression by Indonesian military Christchurch - A woman who escaped from her homeland as a 10-year-old was in Christchurch last month to speak to a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Women's International League...
Also in the print edition of 'NZ Catholic' ... Petition for referendum on prostitution law needs more support; Entering the murky world of foretelling the future; Contentious liturgy text is due soon; Academy calls for cure to sterility; Catholic judge kept abortion legal in US; False assertions in Da Vinci Code are debunked.
*********************************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS
Bad report for Samoan pre-school The Press (Chch) 05 April 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2866833a7694,00.html The education of Samoan pre-schoolers is being jeopardised by inadequate space and resources at Tafesilafai Pre-school in Christchurch, an Education Review Office (ERO) report says. The pre-school, which is run by a management committee and is responsible to the diocese of the Catholic church, has for two years been embroiled in negotiations with its neighbours over plans to expand its premises....
Spine-tingling moment as King and wife farewelled NZPA 07 April 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2868052a4501,00.html A spine-tingling moment occurred toward the end of the funeral of historian Michael King and his book editor wife Maria Jungowska yesterday. As singer Helen Medlyn soared through the hymn Ave Maria! beneath the wooden eaves of St Patrick's Cathedral, a woman in the Moriori contingent – a group whose cultural renaissance was fuelled by Dr King's writings – launched into a spontaneous waiata. The threads of song, one in Maori, one in Latin, floated together into the still air ...
Bic Runga back from Paris TV One Apr 07, 2004 http://onenews.nzoom.com/onenews_detail/0,1227,266237-1-455,00.html After eight months in Paris Bic Runga is back in New Zealand for a tour with a difference. The New Zealand singer-songwriter has shunned the usual nightclubs and stadium venues, instead opting for playing acoustically in churches....
Runga gives taste of her church tour NZ Herald 07.04.2004 http://tinyurl.com/373nd Cast in an eerie blue light and framed by a cavernous ceiling, Bic Runga cut an angelic figure on the stage of Grafton's Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Kiwi singer was home to perform a selection of songs from her upcoming 16-date, one-month Acoustic Church Tour, her first homeland gig since she moved to Paris eight months ago....
Cosmo offers sex, shopping and 'spirituality' Straits Times (Singapore) http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/world/story/0,4386,244441,00.html? London - The British edition of Cosmopolitan, the glossy bible of sex and shopping for single girls, has launched a new monthly column on 'spirituality'. 'I've come to the painful realisation that men and shoes are not enough to make me happy,' the magazine's new spirituality editor wrote in the March edition ...
Church officials say Israel is delaying granting of visas to 138 church workers http://cbsnewyork.com/international/Israel-CatholicClergy-ai/resources_news_html Jerusalem (AP) : Israel has delayed granting visas to dozens of Roman Catholic clergy, church officials said Wednesday, and Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah called it an issue of survival for the church in the Holy Land...
******************************************
'THE PASSION'
Film rating sets 'new benchmark' for violence NZPA 06 April 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2867823a11,00.html Chief censor Bill Hastings said today lowering the rating of Mel Gibson's film The Passion of The Christ would set a "new benchmark" for acceptable levels of violence in films. Fifteen-year-olds can now see the bloody Biblical blockbuster without supervision after film distributor Hoyts successfully appealed against its R16 rating in time for the Easter holidays....
Censor Uses Listener Column To Slur The Passion Press Release: Society For Promotion Of Community Standards Inc. Monday, 5 April 2004, 10:01 am http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0404/S00016.htm In an article in the Listener (27 Mar. – 2 Apr., 204 p. 12) entitled “What I’m Reading”, Bill Hastings, the Chief Censor of Film and Literature, made comments that raise serious questions about his suitability to hold this statutory appointment....
Tourists off on 'Passion' film pilgrimages http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=406292004 As Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ opened across Italy this week, where it is expected to break box office records, a small town in the country’s Basilicata region is whipping up plates of "fettuccine alla Mel", in preparation for the Easter weekend tourist onslaught. For two months last year, Gibson and his company set up shop in Matera, filming the graphic sequences of Christ’s last hours, the bloody scenes of his torture and his crucifixion....
"The Passion" takes Italy by storm Wed 7 April, 2004 http://tinyurl.com/23l3k
Doha: After seeing “The Passion” Muslims start searching for the Gospel In just 3 days more than a 1/10 of the population has seen the film. http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=600
Manila: ‘The Passion of the Christ’: “A milestone in the cinema history” http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=599
Seoul: “The Passion” welcomed by Protestants and Catholics http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=593
Malaysian Muslims offended by “The Passion” http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=584
*******************************************************
FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES
Pope says Eucharist and Priesthood tied together until the end of time http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=603 Vatican City (AsiaNews) – “Christians want to see us above all as men of prayer. Whoever comes into contact with us must be able to experience God’s mercy and faithful love in our words and behavior”, urged John Paul II in today’s Holy Thursday mass at St. Peter’s Basilica as a “veritable prelude to the Pascal Triduum”....
"The Knights as they were?", by Chris Welbourne. 'Aurora' (Diocese of Mailtalnd-Newcastle, NSW, Australia) Issue 45, April - May 2004 http://www.mn.catholic.org.au/newsroom/auroraissues/aurora45_p11story.htm It was in about 1960 that I became aware of the existence of the Knights of the Southern Cross or the Black Knights as they were sometimes called. Research led me to believe that the Black Knights were like Catholic Masons, an organisation formed to counter the anti-Catholic practices of the Masonic lodges....
Bishops' Conference statement on TV abortion documentary Independent Catholic News (UK) 6 April 2004 http://www.indcatholicnews.com/abortdoc.html Archbishop Peter Smith, chairman of the department of Christian Responsibility and Citizenship of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales has issued the following statement with regard to a forthcoming Channel Four documentary on abortion....
Catholic church backs channel 4 abortion documentary Ekklesia (UK) 5/4/04 http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_04045abortion.shtml The Catholic church in England and Wales has said that a controversial channel 4 documentary which will show footage of an abortion "could prove a powerful anti-abortion message, highlighting the full horror". My Foetus, to be screened this month, will show a "vacuum-pump" abortion. It will be the first abortion to be shown on television in Britain....
8th International Youth Forum comes to a close. Archbishop Rylko tells young participants: “ Not only at university but in life Christ relies on each one of us. “The success of this Forum - Archbishop Rylko concluded- depends on you: now, put out into the deep!” http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0404/05_2105.html
Ratzinger regrets church centralism at König funeral The Tablet (UK) http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/register.cgi/citw-past-00173 There have been times when the Vatican has intervened too often in the affairs of a local church, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has admitted. He made the surprise remarks to journalists following the Requiem Mass in Vienna of its former Archbishop, Cardinal Franz König. In a Tablet article in March 1999, König deplored what he described as the Vatican’s “inflated centralism” and accused the curial authorities of appropriating the tasks which properly belonged to bishops’ conferences....
***********************************
CATHOLICTV.NET
http://www.catholictv.net
Bishop John Dew: At the Beginning of a new Millenium - Pastoral Areas, Part Two
Fr. John Greally: Celebrating Lenten Liturgy, Part two
Peter Healey's Art Exhibition: "Celtic Knots and Hotspots" FR Peter Healy S.M, an artist for over 20 years, has launched an exhibition of his paintings at the Wellington City Council artist’s venue, “Thistle Hall“. Peter Roe S.M. explores the themes of Peter’s art with the artist...
***********************************
'LIGHTING NEW FIRES' (NZ Catholic Education Office)
February 2004 http://nzceo.catholic.org.nz/lightingnewfires.shtml
(in the main newsletter ... ) Responses to the Review of the Private Schools Conditional Integration Act ... Media Spotlight on Integrated Schools ... Furniture and Equipment Modernisation Update ... Boards of Trustees and Indemnity Insurance ... Amendments to the Law on Smoke-free Environments ... Changes to Health and Safety Legislation ... Planning for Better Student Outcomes ... ERO Reviews and International Students ... Living Heritage Awards ... Education for Sustainability ... Did You Know? – Tertiary Statistics ... Boards of Trustees Elections ... Wellington Schools are Sun Smart ... Principals’ Induction Programme Extended ... The Real Game – Career Education ... Improved Assessment for Years 9-10 ... Research to Lift Educational Achievement ... Congratulations: achievements of Catholic schools throughout New Zealand
(in the Catholic schools' Supplement ... ) Starting the School ... Year New Year’s Honours ... Mercy on the West Coast ... Congratulations to Principals New to Catholic Schools ... Caritas Research on Children at Work ... Children’s Prayer for World Peace ... Rosary Campaign ... 2004 Slavery Abolition Year ... College Summer School ... Mentoring Student Leaders ... Lenten Lesson Plans and Solidarity Day ... Schools Build Their Joint Ethos – Two Excellent Ideas... Special Character Messages in Newsletters ... Some Interesting Websites ... An Interesting Idea ... Music on CD and Live From Fr Chris Skinner SM
***********************************
CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ
http://www.cathcom.org.nz
International News: Pell says Gibson film will heighten Good Friday observance ... Vatican reports slight increase in priest numbers ... Martini says Church should be more democratic ... China arrests another Catholic bishop ... Preparation on schedule for family gathering ... Caritas director says Rwanda anniversary challenges all
*************************************************
"THE WORD FROM ROME"
http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/
A weekly column in the National Catholic Reporter by the paper's full-time Vatican correspondent John L. Allen
Summary of the column for April 9, 2004: The maestro of the pope's own Sistine Chapel Choir; The priest shortage; Altar servers or altar boys; Roman pilgrimage to 'Station Churches'; Human trafficking; Relations between the Holy See and Israel; The next big story coming out of Rome - liturgical abuses
*************************************************
EVENTS
Jesus 4 Real Ministries http://www.jesus4real.org.nz "A voluntary lay ministry committed to building up the faith in Catholic teenagers" Camp for Years 11-13: Wednesday 14 April to Sunday 18 April, Paraparaumu (near Wellington). Full details on the Website and from Anne and Andy Lovell, tel (06) 364 3141
Auckland Catholic Eucharistic Convention, 16th to 18th April 2004 http://www.eucharistic-convention.com Logan Campbell Theatre, Auckland Showgrounds, Greenlane Road, Auckland. Two-page write-up in 'NZ Catholic' March 21-Apr 3 p.14-15 Full details on the Convention's Website.
***************************************************
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 ]
Diocesan General Manager, Hamilton Catholic Diocese ( http://www.hn.catholic.org.nz ) Details in 'Wel-com' April 2004, p.17 and from Greg Tims tel. 021 628 222; Naomi McGowan terl. 07 958 7466; fax: 07 839 1863; e-mail: naomim@mlc.co.nz Applications close 19 april 2004.
Director of Catholic Youth and Young Adult Groups, St Vincent de Paul society ( http://www.svdp.org.nz ) Details in 'Wel-com' April 2004 p.17, and from District Council Presiddent, Society of St Vincent de Paul, PO Box 309, Whangarei.
*************************************************
*********************************************
HOLY WEEK 2004
“Young people, do not be afraid to proclaim the Gospel of the Cross!” http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=580 Vatican City (AsiaNews) At 10.00 a.m. this morning in St. Peter’s Square representatives from youth across the globe, in addition to cardinals, bishops and priest, gathered together in front of Pope John Paul II while waving palm and olive tree branches in the air. The blessing of the palm and olive branches (from Puglia, Italy) kicked off Holy Week celebrations, the seven days that commemorate Christ’s passion, death and resurrection....
John Paul II's Homily on Palm Sunday (full text) http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=51783
Tighter Security as Pope Ushers in Palm Sunday http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=4744029
“A Holy Week of suffering for Iraqi Christians” reports Father Nizar Semaan from Mosul. Palm Sunday processions and Easter Night Vigil Mass cancelled for security reasons http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0404/05_2106.html
Tight security for Pope at Easter http://tinyurl.com/ypnxw
Pope: The Body of Christ Nourishes for Service to Humanity The Lord’s Supper Mass at the Basilica of St. Peter http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=608
At Last Supper Christ called all priests of all times by name John Paul II’s Letter to Priests – Holy Thursday 2004 http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=592
Pope begins Easter services amid tight security http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2870592a12,00.html
Pope presides at Good Friday amid high security Reuters 10 April 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2871686a10,00.html Rome: Amid exceptional security measures, Pope John Paul presided over a candle-lit Good Friday service at Rome's ancient Colosseum where thousands of pilgrims braved cold and rain to hear the frail, 83-year-old pontiff...
Thousands of Christian pilgrims retrace Jesus' footsteps through Jerusalem http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=world_home&articleID=1582852
Churches take ritual of Passion on to the streets With controversy raging over Mel Gibson's gory blockbuster movie, Christians hope for a revival of interest http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1188831,00.html
Orthodox Christians celebrate annual miracle in Jerusalem Saturday April 10, 2004 http://cbsnewyork.com/international/HolyLand-HolyFire-ai/resources_news_html Jerusalem (AP) - A sea of candles and torches illuminated Christianity's holiest shrine, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, as thousands of pilgrims participated in Saturday's holy fire ceremony, a key ritual of Easter Week. Only the Orthodox churches traditionally participate in the ceremony....
Pope, Sounding Tired, Starts Easter Eve Services http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=4796845
Seville's week of passion and penitence Reuters 07 April 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2869332a2180,00.html
Editorial: In the hope of an end to intolerance NZ Herald 10.04.2004 http://tinyurl.com/ywwoo
John Roughan: Imagine a world without religion NZ Herald 10.04.2004 http://tinyurl.com/3ap29
*******************************************
'NZ CATHOLIC'
No 184, April 4-17, 2004 http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz
Tauranga welcomes back returning Catholics Tauranga - "Catholics Returning Home" is a phrase that is becoming part of the vocabulary of St Mary Immaculate parishioners...
West Coast farewells Marist Brothers Greymouth - After 112 years in Greymouth, the Marist Brothers were farewelled on March 7 at Sunday Mass and later at a social evening organised by the parish and the Marist Brothers Old Boys...
West Papuan tells of oppression by Indonesian military Christchurch - A woman who escaped from her homeland as a 10-year-old was in Christchurch last month to speak to a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Women's International League...
Also in the print edition of 'NZ Catholic' ... Petition for referendum on prostitution law needs more support; Entering the murky world of foretelling the future; Contentious liturgy text is due soon; Academy calls for cure to sterility; Catholic judge kept abortion legal in US; False assertions in Da Vinci Code are debunked.
*********************************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS
Bad report for Samoan pre-school The Press (Chch) 05 April 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2866833a7694,00.html The education of Samoan pre-schoolers is being jeopardised by inadequate space and resources at Tafesilafai Pre-school in Christchurch, an Education Review Office (ERO) report says. The pre-school, which is run by a management committee and is responsible to the diocese of the Catholic church, has for two years been embroiled in negotiations with its neighbours over plans to expand its premises....
Spine-tingling moment as King and wife farewelled NZPA 07 April 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2868052a4501,00.html A spine-tingling moment occurred toward the end of the funeral of historian Michael King and his book editor wife Maria Jungowska yesterday. As singer Helen Medlyn soared through the hymn Ave Maria! beneath the wooden eaves of St Patrick's Cathedral, a woman in the Moriori contingent – a group whose cultural renaissance was fuelled by Dr King's writings – launched into a spontaneous waiata. The threads of song, one in Maori, one in Latin, floated together into the still air ...
Bic Runga back from Paris TV One Apr 07, 2004 http://onenews.nzoom.com/onenews_detail/0,1227,266237-1-455,00.html After eight months in Paris Bic Runga is back in New Zealand for a tour with a difference. The New Zealand singer-songwriter has shunned the usual nightclubs and stadium venues, instead opting for playing acoustically in churches....
Runga gives taste of her church tour NZ Herald 07.04.2004 http://tinyurl.com/373nd Cast in an eerie blue light and framed by a cavernous ceiling, Bic Runga cut an angelic figure on the stage of Grafton's Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Kiwi singer was home to perform a selection of songs from her upcoming 16-date, one-month Acoustic Church Tour, her first homeland gig since she moved to Paris eight months ago....
Cosmo offers sex, shopping and 'spirituality' Straits Times (Singapore) http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/world/story/0,4386,244441,00.html? London - The British edition of Cosmopolitan, the glossy bible of sex and shopping for single girls, has launched a new monthly column on 'spirituality'. 'I've come to the painful realisation that men and shoes are not enough to make me happy,' the magazine's new spirituality editor wrote in the March edition ...
Church officials say Israel is delaying granting of visas to 138 church workers http://cbsnewyork.com/international/Israel-CatholicClergy-ai/resources_news_html Jerusalem (AP) : Israel has delayed granting visas to dozens of Roman Catholic clergy, church officials said Wednesday, and Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah called it an issue of survival for the church in the Holy Land...
******************************************
'THE PASSION'
Film rating sets 'new benchmark' for violence NZPA 06 April 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2867823a11,00.html Chief censor Bill Hastings said today lowering the rating of Mel Gibson's film The Passion of The Christ would set a "new benchmark" for acceptable levels of violence in films. Fifteen-year-olds can now see the bloody Biblical blockbuster without supervision after film distributor Hoyts successfully appealed against its R16 rating in time for the Easter holidays....
Censor Uses Listener Column To Slur The Passion Press Release: Society For Promotion Of Community Standards Inc. Monday, 5 April 2004, 10:01 am http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0404/S00016.htm In an article in the Listener (27 Mar. – 2 Apr., 204 p. 12) entitled “What I’m Reading”, Bill Hastings, the Chief Censor of Film and Literature, made comments that raise serious questions about his suitability to hold this statutory appointment....
Tourists off on 'Passion' film pilgrimages http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=406292004 As Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ opened across Italy this week, where it is expected to break box office records, a small town in the country’s Basilicata region is whipping up plates of "fettuccine alla Mel", in preparation for the Easter weekend tourist onslaught. For two months last year, Gibson and his company set up shop in Matera, filming the graphic sequences of Christ’s last hours, the bloody scenes of his torture and his crucifixion....
"The Passion" takes Italy by storm Wed 7 April, 2004 http://tinyurl.com/23l3k
Doha: After seeing “The Passion” Muslims start searching for the Gospel In just 3 days more than a 1/10 of the population has seen the film. http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=600
Manila: ‘The Passion of the Christ’: “A milestone in the cinema history” http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=599
Seoul: “The Passion” welcomed by Protestants and Catholics http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=593
Malaysian Muslims offended by “The Passion” http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=584
*******************************************************
FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES
Pope says Eucharist and Priesthood tied together until the end of time http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=603 Vatican City (AsiaNews) – “Christians want to see us above all as men of prayer. Whoever comes into contact with us must be able to experience God’s mercy and faithful love in our words and behavior”, urged John Paul II in today’s Holy Thursday mass at St. Peter’s Basilica as a “veritable prelude to the Pascal Triduum”....
"The Knights as they were?", by Chris Welbourne. 'Aurora' (Diocese of Mailtalnd-Newcastle, NSW, Australia) Issue 45, April - May 2004 http://www.mn.catholic.org.au/newsroom/auroraissues/aurora45_p11story.htm It was in about 1960 that I became aware of the existence of the Knights of the Southern Cross or the Black Knights as they were sometimes called. Research led me to believe that the Black Knights were like Catholic Masons, an organisation formed to counter the anti-Catholic practices of the Masonic lodges....
Bishops' Conference statement on TV abortion documentary Independent Catholic News (UK) 6 April 2004 http://www.indcatholicnews.com/abortdoc.html Archbishop Peter Smith, chairman of the department of Christian Responsibility and Citizenship of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales has issued the following statement with regard to a forthcoming Channel Four documentary on abortion....
Catholic church backs channel 4 abortion documentary Ekklesia (UK) 5/4/04 http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_04045abortion.shtml The Catholic church in England and Wales has said that a controversial channel 4 documentary which will show footage of an abortion "could prove a powerful anti-abortion message, highlighting the full horror". My Foetus, to be screened this month, will show a "vacuum-pump" abortion. It will be the first abortion to be shown on television in Britain....
8th International Youth Forum comes to a close. Archbishop Rylko tells young participants: “ Not only at university but in life Christ relies on each one of us. “The success of this Forum - Archbishop Rylko concluded- depends on you: now, put out into the deep!” http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0404/05_2105.html
Ratzinger regrets church centralism at König funeral The Tablet (UK) http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/register.cgi/citw-past-00173 There have been times when the Vatican has intervened too often in the affairs of a local church, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has admitted. He made the surprise remarks to journalists following the Requiem Mass in Vienna of its former Archbishop, Cardinal Franz König. In a Tablet article in March 1999, König deplored what he described as the Vatican’s “inflated centralism” and accused the curial authorities of appropriating the tasks which properly belonged to bishops’ conferences....
***********************************
CATHOLICTV.NET
http://www.catholictv.net
Bishop John Dew: At the Beginning of a new Millenium - Pastoral Areas, Part Two
Fr. John Greally: Celebrating Lenten Liturgy, Part two
Peter Healey's Art Exhibition: "Celtic Knots and Hotspots" FR Peter Healy S.M, an artist for over 20 years, has launched an exhibition of his paintings at the Wellington City Council artist’s venue, “Thistle Hall“. Peter Roe S.M. explores the themes of Peter’s art with the artist...
***********************************
'LIGHTING NEW FIRES' (NZ Catholic Education Office)
February 2004 http://nzceo.catholic.org.nz/lightingnewfires.shtml
(in the main newsletter ... ) Responses to the Review of the Private Schools Conditional Integration Act ... Media Spotlight on Integrated Schools ... Furniture and Equipment Modernisation Update ... Boards of Trustees and Indemnity Insurance ... Amendments to the Law on Smoke-free Environments ... Changes to Health and Safety Legislation ... Planning for Better Student Outcomes ... ERO Reviews and International Students ... Living Heritage Awards ... Education for Sustainability ... Did You Know? – Tertiary Statistics ... Boards of Trustees Elections ... Wellington Schools are Sun Smart ... Principals’ Induction Programme Extended ... The Real Game – Career Education ... Improved Assessment for Years 9-10 ... Research to Lift Educational Achievement ... Congratulations: achievements of Catholic schools throughout New Zealand
(in the Catholic schools' Supplement ... ) Starting the School ... Year New Year’s Honours ... Mercy on the West Coast ... Congratulations to Principals New to Catholic Schools ... Caritas Research on Children at Work ... Children’s Prayer for World Peace ... Rosary Campaign ... 2004 Slavery Abolition Year ... College Summer School ... Mentoring Student Leaders ... Lenten Lesson Plans and Solidarity Day ... Schools Build Their Joint Ethos – Two Excellent Ideas... Special Character Messages in Newsletters ... Some Interesting Websites ... An Interesting Idea ... Music on CD and Live From Fr Chris Skinner SM
***********************************
CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ
http://www.cathcom.org.nz
International News: Pell says Gibson film will heighten Good Friday observance ... Vatican reports slight increase in priest numbers ... Martini says Church should be more democratic ... China arrests another Catholic bishop ... Preparation on schedule for family gathering ... Caritas director says Rwanda anniversary challenges all
*************************************************
"THE WORD FROM ROME"
http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/
A weekly column in the National Catholic Reporter by the paper's full-time Vatican correspondent John L. Allen
Summary of the column for April 9, 2004: The maestro of the pope's own Sistine Chapel Choir; The priest shortage; Altar servers or altar boys; Roman pilgrimage to 'Station Churches'; Human trafficking; Relations between the Holy See and Israel; The next big story coming out of Rome - liturgical abuses
*************************************************
EVENTS
Jesus 4 Real Ministries http://www.jesus4real.org.nz "A voluntary lay ministry committed to building up the faith in Catholic teenagers" Camp for Years 11-13: Wednesday 14 April to Sunday 18 April, Paraparaumu (near Wellington). Full details on the Website and from Anne and Andy Lovell, tel (06) 364 3141
Auckland Catholic Eucharistic Convention, 16th to 18th April 2004 http://www.eucharistic-convention.com Logan Campbell Theatre, Auckland Showgrounds, Greenlane Road, Auckland. Two-page write-up in 'NZ Catholic' March 21-Apr 3 p.14-15 Full details on the Convention's Website.
***************************************************
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 ]
Diocesan General Manager, Hamilton Catholic Diocese ( http://www.hn.catholic.org.nz ) Details in 'Wel-com' April 2004, p.17 and from Greg Tims tel. 021 628 222; Naomi McGowan terl. 07 958 7466; fax: 07 839 1863; e-mail: naomim@mlc.co.nz Applications close 19 april 2004.
Director of Catholic Youth and Young Adult Groups, St Vincent de Paul society ( http://www.svdp.org.nz ) Details in 'Wel-com' April 2004 p.17, and from District Council Presiddent, Society of St Vincent de Paul, PO Box 309, Whangarei.
*************************************************
Sunday, April 4, 2004
************************************
LENT 2004
"Receive children, the future of humanity": Message of His Holiness John Paul II for Lent 2004 (full text) http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=311
The Pope recalls the tragedy of thousands of children: “The little brothers and sisters of ours who suffer from hunger, war and illness make an anguished appeal to the world. May their mute cry not go unanswered!” - appeal to build the civilisation of love in the “beloved region of the Great Lakes ”. http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0403/29_2037.html
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand http://www.caritas.org.nz/lent.asp The theme of Caritas' Lent appeal for 2004 is “The Spirit of Hope is at Work in the World” taken from Pope John Paul II’s World Day of Peace Message, 1998. The donations Caritas receives from this appeal help fund development projects around the world. Donations by credit card are most welcome and may be made by opening the Lent appeal link.
***********************************
CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ
http://www.cathcom.org.nz
** Media Releases **
** New Zealand Bishops' statement on proposed Civil Union legislation (02 Apr 2004) The New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference has written to Members of Parliament regarding the proposed Civil Union Bill. The full statement elaborates on the points summarised here, and critiques the Labour Party's policy on Rainbow Issues....
Michael King – RIP 30 March 2004 (01 Apr 2004)... In the 1990s Michael King accepted an invitation to write a history of Catholics in New Zealand. The book, "God’s Farthest Outpost", was published in 1997. His open-mindedness and the non-judgemental approach produced a work of lasting significance....
Euthanasia is Not the Answer (01 Apr 2004) “Calls to legalise euthanasia fail to recognise the real needs of the terminally ill and their caregivers,” said Father Michael McCabe, Director of the Nathaniel Centre, the Catholic Church’s Bioethics Centre....
** International News **
Vatican tells US bishops to get over sex abuse Imam tells Cathedral congregation about shared convictions Pell says Church growth requires firm grip on Gospel demands Cardinal says materialism threatens families NZ Catholics pay tribute to leading historian Survey finds Irish Caritas most fun place to work
************************************************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS
Obituary: Michael King, eminent historian NZPA 31 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2861891a11,00.html Michael King was born in Wellington on December 15, 1945. He grew up on the Pauatahanui arm of Porirua Harbour and was educated at Catholic schools in Plimmerton, Auckland and the Hutt Valley....
Obituary: Michael King NZ Herald 01.04.2004 http://tinyurl.com/2sx7s The death in a car fire of author and historian Michael King and his second wife, Maria Jungowska, was a dark end for a man who in most respects seemed at the zenith of his career as a writer and historian....
Holy site for business forum (photo) 0http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2864491a13,00.html The Dominion Post 3 April 2004 By visiting the Vatican last month, Public Trust chief executive Pat Waite fulfilled a long-held ambition and at the same time learnt lessons he is certain will add value to the New Zealand business environment. A practising Catholic, Mr Waite was a guest of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the International Christian Union of Business Executives at a conference held in the Vatican City on March 5 and 6....
Byzantium's icon painters were the Mel Gibsons of their day — and more The Economist (UK) http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=2535873 [Illustrated article on an exhibtion of the artistic and spiritual achievements of late Christian Byzantium at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York]
In recent days, scenes from the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ—all of them images designed to make people think harder about the relationship between spiritual authority and earthly power—have had an unaccustomed impact on New Yorkers. Thus far, at least, we might be speaking of Mel Gibson's blockbuster film, “The Passion of The Christ”—or of another, rather more rarefied event that will nonetheless make a deep impression on American consumers of high culture: the opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art of a wonderfully rich selection of the artistic and spiritual achievements of late Christian Byzantium, and its imitators in the Slavic world....
**********************************************
FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES
150,000 in U.S. to join Church on Holy Saturday, including 24,000 who will be baptized http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=51639 Washington, DC (Zenit.org).- More than 150,000 Americans will join the Catholic Church on Holy Saturday, through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, says the U.S. bishops' conference. About 24,000 of the group will be baptized, confirmed and receive Communion for the first time at the Easter Vigil, and 36,000, who already have been baptized, will embrace full membership in the Catholic Church....
The enduring fascination of sin Weekly confession has virtually disappeared, yet we still yearn for reconciliation says Fr Timothy Wright Catholic Herald (UK) http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/Main_Feature.htm
Pell lobbies for World Youth Day Sydney 2008 http://www.cathnews.com/news/403/170.php Sydney's Cardinal George Pell has confirmed that he has been talking with Vatican officials about the possibility of Sydney hosting World Youth Day in 2008....
***********************************************
MARIST MESSENGER
April 2004
http://www.maristmessenger.co.nz/index.php
Full text from April's Messenger ...
** The Focus for April 2004 concerns freedom from resentment, the number one spiritual disease
** Thy Kingdom come by Fr Michael Cruickshank sm. A wise spiritual guide gives excellent advice
** A different Rosary by Fr John Rea sm
** Death of a marist. Fr Paul Bergin sm was a marist missionary who died aged 51 on 15 February,2004
** Character formation by Fr Austin Woodbury sm, a noted philosopher
Also in the April's Marist Messenger: CaFE - a wonderful catechesis ... Being convinced that God love me ... Choice to let go ... God's forgiving love ... Thy Kindgom come ... My problem with God ... Happy the gentle ... A service of remembrance
*****************************************
"THE PASSION"
Catholic Bishops Blast Gibson's 'Passion' Reuters 01/04/2004 http://xtramsn.co.nz/entertainment/0,,3918-3224464,00.html French Roman Catholic bishops have officially denounced Mel Gibson's controversial film "The Passion of the Christ," which just opened in France, as potentially anti-Semitic and a distortion of Christian teaching. In an unusual statement on a commercial film, the bishops' conference said the traditionalist Catholic Gibson had made a film that might not be anti-Semitic but "could be used to support anti-Semitic opinions" ...
French Jews fail to get "Passion" film banned http://tinyurl.com/2ow9u Paris (Reuters) - A bid by three Jewish brothers to have Mel Gibson's controversial film "The Passion of The Christ" banned in France as anti-Semitic has failed after a Paris court found no reason to stop its premiere this week. "The film in question, which is a very realistic adaptation of the final hours of Christ's life, cannot be considered an incitement to hatred and violence against Jews or an affront to their dignity and security," the ruling on Monday read....
Archbishop Rosales: “Watch ‘The Passion!’” http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=553 Pastoral message corrects an Antisemitic approach to the film Manila (AsiaNews) – Mons. Guadencio Rosales, archbishop of Manila, has issued a four-page pastoral message, urging the Christians of his archdiocese to view Mel Gibson’s film “The Passion of the Christ”, calling it a “serious labour of love, painstakingly made, of genuine artistic and religious value.”...
Pirated copies of "The Passion" used to evangelize http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=558 Chinese Christians fear that Mel Gibson's film will not be shown due to government censorship. Meanwhille first private viewings of the film are accompanied by prayer gatherings and young agnostics want to know more about the faith...
‘The Passion of the Christ’ a hit in Beirut, Damascus http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=9408 Mel Gibson's controversial film "The Passion of the Christ," accused by some Jewish organizations of encouraging anti-Semitism, is drawing a sizeable if unexceptional audience [in Beirut] while apparently touching an emotional nerve in the Syrian capital, Damascus...
“The Passion of the Christ” resounding success as moviegoers search for traces of anti-Semitism AsiaNews 2 April, 2004 http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=571 Ramallah (AsiaNews) – Basciar is just seven years old, but has managed to obtain a pirated copy of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ”. Palestinians, Muslims and Christians are all drawn to the film – and not merely for religious reasons but also due to the media blitz the movie has received....
Catholics and non Catholics welcome “The Passion of the Christ” http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=557 Jakarta (AsiaNews/Ucan) – Catholic clergy and lay people in the Jakarta area who have viewed the by-now famous film directed by Mel Gibson, “The Passion of the Christ”, say that the film has been an asset to their Lenten reflections and has deepened their appreciation of Jesus’ sufferings....
Gibson's Passion works miracles at box office http://tinyurl.com/2fcw4 Frenzy And Fury As Jesus Film Hits South Africa Sunday Times (Johannesburg) March 28, 2004 http://allafrica.com/stories/200403291231.html
Propaganda or masterpiece? The Passion – the verdict The Tablet (UK) 27/3/04 http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/register.cgi/tablet-00866 As Mel Gibson’s film goes on general release around the world, we asked experts for their views ...
*************************************************
"THE WORD FROM ROME"
http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/
A weekly column in the National Catholic Reporter by the paper's full-time Vatican correspondent John L. Allen
Summary of the column for April 2, 2004: Reader response to report on U.S. bishops' norms for sexual abuse; Vatican and the White House 'kiss and make up'; Talking with young American Catholics; Archbishop George Carey's take on Islam; Anglican theologian on the ecumenical movement.
*************************************************
EVENTS
Jesus 4 Real Ministries http://www.jesus4real.org.nz "A voluntary lay ministry committed to building up the faith in Catholic teenagers" Camp for Years 11-13: Wednesday 14 April to Sunday 18 April, Paraparaumu (near Wellington). Full details on the Website and from Anne and Andy Lovell, tel (06) 364 3141
Auckland Catholic Eucharistic Convention, 16th to 18th April 2004 http://www.eucharistic-convention.com Logan Campbell Theatre, Auckland Showgrounds, Greenlane Road, Auckland. Two-page write-up in 'NZ Catholic' March 21-Apr 3 p.14-15; further details in 'NZC' April 4-17 p.14. Full details on the Convention's Website.
***************************************************
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 ]
Presenters, 'NZ Catholic' newspaper 'NZC' wishes to employ good communicators in Northland, Auclland, Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Nelson-Marlborough, West Coast, Otago and Southland. Details in 'NZ Catholic' April 4-17 p.23 and from Dennis Augustine, NZ Catholic, PO Box 147-000, Ponsonby, Auckland 1034
*************************************************
LENT 2004
"Receive children, the future of humanity": Message of His Holiness John Paul II for Lent 2004 (full text) http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=311
The Pope recalls the tragedy of thousands of children: “The little brothers and sisters of ours who suffer from hunger, war and illness make an anguished appeal to the world. May their mute cry not go unanswered!” - appeal to build the civilisation of love in the “beloved region of the Great Lakes ”. http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0403/29_2037.html
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand http://www.caritas.org.nz/lent.asp The theme of Caritas' Lent appeal for 2004 is “The Spirit of Hope is at Work in the World” taken from Pope John Paul II’s World Day of Peace Message, 1998. The donations Caritas receives from this appeal help fund development projects around the world. Donations by credit card are most welcome and may be made by opening the Lent appeal link.
***********************************
CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ
http://www.cathcom.org.nz
** Media Releases **
** New Zealand Bishops' statement on proposed Civil Union legislation (02 Apr 2004) The New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference has written to Members of Parliament regarding the proposed Civil Union Bill. The full statement elaborates on the points summarised here, and critiques the Labour Party's policy on Rainbow Issues....
Michael King – RIP 30 March 2004 (01 Apr 2004)... In the 1990s Michael King accepted an invitation to write a history of Catholics in New Zealand. The book, "God’s Farthest Outpost", was published in 1997. His open-mindedness and the non-judgemental approach produced a work of lasting significance....
Euthanasia is Not the Answer (01 Apr 2004) “Calls to legalise euthanasia fail to recognise the real needs of the terminally ill and their caregivers,” said Father Michael McCabe, Director of the Nathaniel Centre, the Catholic Church’s Bioethics Centre....
** International News **
Vatican tells US bishops to get over sex abuse Imam tells Cathedral congregation about shared convictions Pell says Church growth requires firm grip on Gospel demands Cardinal says materialism threatens families NZ Catholics pay tribute to leading historian Survey finds Irish Caritas most fun place to work
************************************************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS
Obituary: Michael King, eminent historian NZPA 31 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2861891a11,00.html Michael King was born in Wellington on December 15, 1945. He grew up on the Pauatahanui arm of Porirua Harbour and was educated at Catholic schools in Plimmerton, Auckland and the Hutt Valley....
Obituary: Michael King NZ Herald 01.04.2004 http://tinyurl.com/2sx7s The death in a car fire of author and historian Michael King and his second wife, Maria Jungowska, was a dark end for a man who in most respects seemed at the zenith of his career as a writer and historian....
Holy site for business forum (photo) 0http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2864491a13,00.html The Dominion Post 3 April 2004 By visiting the Vatican last month, Public Trust chief executive Pat Waite fulfilled a long-held ambition and at the same time learnt lessons he is certain will add value to the New Zealand business environment. A practising Catholic, Mr Waite was a guest of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the International Christian Union of Business Executives at a conference held in the Vatican City on March 5 and 6....
Byzantium's icon painters were the Mel Gibsons of their day — and more The Economist (UK) http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=2535873 [Illustrated article on an exhibtion of the artistic and spiritual achievements of late Christian Byzantium at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York]
In recent days, scenes from the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ—all of them images designed to make people think harder about the relationship between spiritual authority and earthly power—have had an unaccustomed impact on New Yorkers. Thus far, at least, we might be speaking of Mel Gibson's blockbuster film, “The Passion of The Christ”—or of another, rather more rarefied event that will nonetheless make a deep impression on American consumers of high culture: the opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art of a wonderfully rich selection of the artistic and spiritual achievements of late Christian Byzantium, and its imitators in the Slavic world....
**********************************************
FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES
150,000 in U.S. to join Church on Holy Saturday, including 24,000 who will be baptized http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=51639 Washington, DC (Zenit.org).- More than 150,000 Americans will join the Catholic Church on Holy Saturday, through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, says the U.S. bishops' conference. About 24,000 of the group will be baptized, confirmed and receive Communion for the first time at the Easter Vigil, and 36,000, who already have been baptized, will embrace full membership in the Catholic Church....
The enduring fascination of sin Weekly confession has virtually disappeared, yet we still yearn for reconciliation says Fr Timothy Wright Catholic Herald (UK) http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/Main_Feature.htm
Pell lobbies for World Youth Day Sydney 2008 http://www.cathnews.com/news/403/170.php Sydney's Cardinal George Pell has confirmed that he has been talking with Vatican officials about the possibility of Sydney hosting World Youth Day in 2008....
***********************************************
MARIST MESSENGER
April 2004
http://www.maristmessenger.co.nz/index.php
Full text from April's Messenger ...
** The Focus for April 2004 concerns freedom from resentment, the number one spiritual disease
** Thy Kingdom come by Fr Michael Cruickshank sm. A wise spiritual guide gives excellent advice
** A different Rosary by Fr John Rea sm
** Death of a marist. Fr Paul Bergin sm was a marist missionary who died aged 51 on 15 February,2004
** Character formation by Fr Austin Woodbury sm, a noted philosopher
Also in the April's Marist Messenger: CaFE - a wonderful catechesis ... Being convinced that God love me ... Choice to let go ... God's forgiving love ... Thy Kindgom come ... My problem with God ... Happy the gentle ... A service of remembrance
*****************************************
"THE PASSION"
Catholic Bishops Blast Gibson's 'Passion' Reuters 01/04/2004 http://xtramsn.co.nz/entertainment/0,,3918-3224464,00.html French Roman Catholic bishops have officially denounced Mel Gibson's controversial film "The Passion of the Christ," which just opened in France, as potentially anti-Semitic and a distortion of Christian teaching. In an unusual statement on a commercial film, the bishops' conference said the traditionalist Catholic Gibson had made a film that might not be anti-Semitic but "could be used to support anti-Semitic opinions" ...
French Jews fail to get "Passion" film banned http://tinyurl.com/2ow9u Paris (Reuters) - A bid by three Jewish brothers to have Mel Gibson's controversial film "The Passion of The Christ" banned in France as anti-Semitic has failed after a Paris court found no reason to stop its premiere this week. "The film in question, which is a very realistic adaptation of the final hours of Christ's life, cannot be considered an incitement to hatred and violence against Jews or an affront to their dignity and security," the ruling on Monday read....
Archbishop Rosales: “Watch ‘The Passion!’” http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=553 Pastoral message corrects an Antisemitic approach to the film Manila (AsiaNews) – Mons. Guadencio Rosales, archbishop of Manila, has issued a four-page pastoral message, urging the Christians of his archdiocese to view Mel Gibson’s film “The Passion of the Christ”, calling it a “serious labour of love, painstakingly made, of genuine artistic and religious value.”...
Pirated copies of "The Passion" used to evangelize http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=558 Chinese Christians fear that Mel Gibson's film will not be shown due to government censorship. Meanwhille first private viewings of the film are accompanied by prayer gatherings and young agnostics want to know more about the faith...
‘The Passion of the Christ’ a hit in Beirut, Damascus http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=9408 Mel Gibson's controversial film "The Passion of the Christ," accused by some Jewish organizations of encouraging anti-Semitism, is drawing a sizeable if unexceptional audience [in Beirut] while apparently touching an emotional nerve in the Syrian capital, Damascus...
“The Passion of the Christ” resounding success as moviegoers search for traces of anti-Semitism AsiaNews 2 April, 2004 http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=571 Ramallah (AsiaNews) – Basciar is just seven years old, but has managed to obtain a pirated copy of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ”. Palestinians, Muslims and Christians are all drawn to the film – and not merely for religious reasons but also due to the media blitz the movie has received....
Catholics and non Catholics welcome “The Passion of the Christ” http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=557 Jakarta (AsiaNews/Ucan) – Catholic clergy and lay people in the Jakarta area who have viewed the by-now famous film directed by Mel Gibson, “The Passion of the Christ”, say that the film has been an asset to their Lenten reflections and has deepened their appreciation of Jesus’ sufferings....
Gibson's Passion works miracles at box office http://tinyurl.com/2fcw4 Frenzy And Fury As Jesus Film Hits South Africa Sunday Times (Johannesburg) March 28, 2004 http://allafrica.com/stories/200403291231.html
Propaganda or masterpiece? The Passion – the verdict The Tablet (UK) 27/3/04 http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/register.cgi/tablet-00866 As Mel Gibson’s film goes on general release around the world, we asked experts for their views ...
*************************************************
"THE WORD FROM ROME"
http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/
A weekly column in the National Catholic Reporter by the paper's full-time Vatican correspondent John L. Allen
Summary of the column for April 2, 2004: Reader response to report on U.S. bishops' norms for sexual abuse; Vatican and the White House 'kiss and make up'; Talking with young American Catholics; Archbishop George Carey's take on Islam; Anglican theologian on the ecumenical movement.
*************************************************
EVENTS
Jesus 4 Real Ministries http://www.jesus4real.org.nz "A voluntary lay ministry committed to building up the faith in Catholic teenagers" Camp for Years 11-13: Wednesday 14 April to Sunday 18 April, Paraparaumu (near Wellington). Full details on the Website and from Anne and Andy Lovell, tel (06) 364 3141
Auckland Catholic Eucharistic Convention, 16th to 18th April 2004 http://www.eucharistic-convention.com Logan Campbell Theatre, Auckland Showgrounds, Greenlane Road, Auckland. Two-page write-up in 'NZ Catholic' March 21-Apr 3 p.14-15; further details in 'NZC' April 4-17 p.14. Full details on the Convention's Website.
***************************************************
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 ]
Presenters, 'NZ Catholic' newspaper 'NZC' wishes to employ good communicators in Northland, Auclland, Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Nelson-Marlborough, West Coast, Otago and Southland. Details in 'NZ Catholic' April 4-17 p.23 and from Dennis Augustine, NZ Catholic, PO Box 147-000, Ponsonby, Auckland 1034
*************************************************
Sunday, March 28, 2004
"Quit griping about your church: if it was perfect, you couldn't belong." (Marist Messenger February 2004)
************************************
LENT 2004
"Receive children, the future of humanity": Message of His Holiness John Paul II for Lent 2004 (full text) http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=311
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand http://www.caritas.org.nz/lent.asp The theme of Caritas' Lent appeal for 2004 is “The Spirit of Hope is at Work in the World” taken from Pope John Paul II’s World Day of Peace Message, 1998. The donations Caritas receives from this appeal help fund development projects around the world. Donations by credit card are most welcome and may be made by opening the Lent appeal link.
*****************************************************
CATHOLICTV.NET
http://www.catholictv.net
New videos from the Wellington Archdiocesan Media Centre ...
** Stations of the Cross, with Father Bernie Hehir, featuring the life-size bronze sculpture Stations of Lourdes: Part One - Stations I - VII
** Highlights from the St. Patrick’s Day Annual Irish Parade through Wellington.
Also on this site ...
International Videos (right-hand column): "The Face: Jesus in Art "
(This link opens the US Catholic bishops' video page. "The Face: Jesus in Art" is towards the bottom of the page. Two links are provided, one each for Real Player and Windows Media. People with dial-up connections (non-broadband) should select the Real Player option to see the pictures.)
*********************************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS
Ian Cross: "The God Boy" (book review) NZ Herald 23.03.2004 http://tinyurl.com/3e4gp Set in small-town New Zealand during the 1950s, The God Boy is New Zealand's equivalent of Catcher in the Rye or To Kill a Mockingbird. So it is appropriate that Penguin has chosen to launch its New Zealand Classics series by reissuing this haunting coming-of-age tale first published in 1957. The story is told from the view of a young Catholic schoolboy called Jimmy Sullivan, now aged 13, who lives in an orphanage run by nuns...
Dyson looks ahead The Press (Chch) 27 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2856967a6160,00.html [Cabinet Minister] Ruth Suzanne Dyson was born in Lower Hutt, 1957, and raised a Catholic. She left school at 15, and later gained qualifications through night school and correspondence. Her dad, Bill, represented New Zealand in waterpolo and was a champion swimmer and surf lifesaver....
'The politics of affairs', by Rosemary McLeod Sunday Star Times 21 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2851337a6220,00.html Adulterer: It's a word that thunders with Biblical overtones of sin and a giant hand pointing accusingly from the sky, even as marriages fall by the wayside and sexual morality - unless it involves coercion or children - is a dim collective memory. Are we really shocked by marital infidelity? Do we even think it matters? Did it even make National's leader Don Brash look perversely sexy last week?
Refugees plead for Tampa detainees The Dominion Post 27 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2857055a10,00.html Refugees stranded on the Pacific island of Nauru continue to live in desperation and despair, according to a group who arrived in Auckland after being accepted by New Zealand. "We were dead, though we were breathing," said one by way of introduction, through a 12-year-old translator....
*************************************************
CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ
http://www.cathcom.org.nz
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
ACU refuses to raise HECS fees
Church body urges $26.60 per week Minimum Wage increase
Pope's new book describes confrontations with communists
Study shows US bishops' increased consultation with laity
Australian bishops honour Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan
CathNews celebrates fifth birthday
**********************************************
FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES
Theologians, historian explore decline in confessions Catholic News Service http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/20040324a.htm WASHINGTON (CNS) -- "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It's been two weeks since my last confession. ..." With that ritual formula once familiar to all Catholics, Boston College historian James O'Toole opened a daylong symposium on how the sacrament of penance has changed and how its chief form, individual auricular confession, has almost disappeared from American Catholic consciousness in the last 40 years....
East Timor's Mother Teresa Sojourners http://tinyurl.com/2unta East Timor is now free from the tyranny of Indonesian occupation, but it is engaged in a new war - against poverty. In this battle are the same heroes of faith who struggled for the island nation's independence. One such person is Sister Lourdes - East Timor's Mother Teresa....
In new book, pope describes confrontations with communist authorities Catholic News Service http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/20040324.htm Rome (CNS) -- In "Get Up, Let Us Go," his soon-to-be-published book about his 20 years as a bishop in Poland, Pope John Paul II tells of almost daily confrontations with communist authorities and describes his efforts to adopt a new and more open style of pastoral ministry....
“Get up. Let us go!”: new book by pope http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=540 Rome (AsiaNews) – An “autobiographical reflection” of his last 50 years: this is how the pope’s new book, “Get up. Let us go!” was described. John Paul II’s latest work will surely become an international best seller....
New book charts history of Eastern Churches in 20th Century http://www.indcatholicnews.com/eastch.html A new book: 'Faith and Martyrdom: The Eastern Churches in Twentieth Century Europe; (Proceedings of the meeting on contemporary Church history, Vatican City, October 22-24, 1998), was launched in the Vatican yesterday....
35 Catholic Missionaries Killed in 2003 (full text) Vatican City, March 22, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Last year saw the lives of 35 Catholic missionaries -- bishops, priests, religious and lay people --ended violently. So says the news agency Fides of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples which published the names of the dead, on the occasion of the Day of Prayer and Fasting in Memory of Martyred Missionaries, to be observed on Wednesday. In 2003 the greatest number of victims was recorded in Africa, particularly in Sudan and Uganda, where rebels continue to combat the established government, and in war-torn Congo. Notable in Burundi was the killing of Archbishop Michael Courtney, apostolic nuncio. The list of missionaries killed, updated only in Italian, is published by Fides at: http://www.evangelizatio.org/portale/martirologio/martiri/2003.html.
Madrid Question: Where Was Christ on March 11? Cardinal Responds During State Funeral http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=51185 Madrid, Spain, March 24, 2004 (Zenit.org). Addressing the families of the deceased, the Spanish royal family, numerous presidents, and heads of state during the state funeral for the victims of the March 11 attacks, Cardinal Antonio Rouco Varela posed a pressing question: "Where was Jesus, the Son of the living God, brother and Savior of man, Lord of life and death, on that terrible Madrid morning ...
Cardinal Ruini on Christian Response to Muslim Terrorism President of Italian Episcopate Lays Out 3 Key Elements http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=51051 Rome, March 22, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The Christian response to Muslim terrorism involves the condemnation of all attacks against life, rejection of hatred, and the unity of the international community to address its causes, says Cardinal Camillo Ruini....
Hamas Chief's Assassination Condemned by Holy See Says the Killing "Cannot Be Justified in Any State of Law" http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=51042 Vatican City, March 22, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See condemned the assassination of Ahmed Yassin, the founder of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, who died during an Israeli airstrike...
***********************************************
'THE PASSION'
Passion ignites world audiences http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3560773.stm The Passion of the Christ, which has aroused controversy around the world, opens in UK cinemas on Friday....
Gibson’s “Passion” arrives in the Middle East http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=544 Doha (AsiaNews) – The “Passion of the Christ” has made its debut in the mostly-Muslim Gulf Arab States. “We submitted 'The Passion of the Christ' to the censorship committee, which has no objection to its screening” said Abdul Rahman Mohsen, the director general of a private Qatari cinema company. The censorship committee previews and may edit scenes or images depicting prophets from holy books. Although “The Passion” narrates the experience of "Prophet Issa" (Jesus), the film has been released [uncut] ...
Could cinema be the saviour of Christianity? The Telegraph (UK) http://tinyurl.com/yutld Is Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ anti-Semitic, as London's Curzon cinema group claimed yesterday? Too violent? Too literal in its adaptation of the biblical text? Did Pope John Paul II really say, "It is as it was", or was that just a piece of studio spin? ...
***********************************************
"THE WORD FROM ROME"
http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/
A weekly column in the National Catholic Reporter by the paper's full-time Vatican correspondent John L. Allen
Summary of the column for March 26, 2004: Canonist criticizes U.S. bishops sex abuse norms; Martyrs of the Eastern Catholic churches in 20th century Europe; A conversation with the former Archbishop of Canterbury; John Paul's latest book
*************************************************
EVENTS
Jesus 4 Real Ministries http://www.jesus4real.org.nz "A voluntary lay ministry committed to building up the faith in Catholic teenagers" Camp for Years 11-13: Wednesday 14 April to Sunday 18 April, Paraparaumu (near Wellington). Full details on the Website and from Anne and Andy Lovell, tel (06) 364 3141
Auckland Catholic Eucharistic Convention, 16th to 18th April 2004 http://www.eucharistic-convention.com Logan Campbell Theatre, Auckland Showgrounds, Greenlane Road, Auckland. Two-page write-up in 'NZ Catholic' March 21-Apr 3 p.14-15 Full details on the Convention's Website.
***************************************************
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 ]
Lecturer in Relgious Education, Catholic Institute of Theology, Auckland Details in 'NZ Catholic' March 7-20 2004 p.22 and from The Registrar, Catholic Institute of Theology, 16 Waterloo Quadrant, Auckland 1001. Tel: (09) 379 6424; fax (09) 379 6426; e-mail cit@auckland.ac.nz Applications close 31 March 2004
Presenters, 'NZ Catholic' newspaper 'NZC' wishes to employ good communicators in Northland, Auclland, Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Nelson-Marlborough, West Coast, Otago and Southland. Details in 'NZ Catholic' March 21-Apr 3 p.13 and from Dennis augustine, NZ Catholic, PO Box 147-000, Ponsonby, Auckland 1034
*************************************************
************************************
LENT 2004
"Receive children, the future of humanity": Message of His Holiness John Paul II for Lent 2004 (full text) http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=311
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand http://www.caritas.org.nz/lent.asp The theme of Caritas' Lent appeal for 2004 is “The Spirit of Hope is at Work in the World” taken from Pope John Paul II’s World Day of Peace Message, 1998. The donations Caritas receives from this appeal help fund development projects around the world. Donations by credit card are most welcome and may be made by opening the Lent appeal link.
*****************************************************
CATHOLICTV.NET
http://www.catholictv.net
New videos from the Wellington Archdiocesan Media Centre ...
** Stations of the Cross, with Father Bernie Hehir, featuring the life-size bronze sculpture Stations of Lourdes: Part One - Stations I - VII
** Highlights from the St. Patrick’s Day Annual Irish Parade through Wellington.
Also on this site ...
International Videos (right-hand column): "The Face: Jesus in Art "
(This link opens the US Catholic bishops' video page. "The Face: Jesus in Art" is towards the bottom of the page. Two links are provided, one each for Real Player and Windows Media. People with dial-up connections (non-broadband) should select the Real Player option to see the pictures.)
*********************************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS
Ian Cross: "The God Boy" (book review) NZ Herald 23.03.2004 http://tinyurl.com/3e4gp Set in small-town New Zealand during the 1950s, The God Boy is New Zealand's equivalent of Catcher in the Rye or To Kill a Mockingbird. So it is appropriate that Penguin has chosen to launch its New Zealand Classics series by reissuing this haunting coming-of-age tale first published in 1957. The story is told from the view of a young Catholic schoolboy called Jimmy Sullivan, now aged 13, who lives in an orphanage run by nuns...
Dyson looks ahead The Press (Chch) 27 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2856967a6160,00.html [Cabinet Minister] Ruth Suzanne Dyson was born in Lower Hutt, 1957, and raised a Catholic. She left school at 15, and later gained qualifications through night school and correspondence. Her dad, Bill, represented New Zealand in waterpolo and was a champion swimmer and surf lifesaver....
'The politics of affairs', by Rosemary McLeod Sunday Star Times 21 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2851337a6220,00.html Adulterer: It's a word that thunders with Biblical overtones of sin and a giant hand pointing accusingly from the sky, even as marriages fall by the wayside and sexual morality - unless it involves coercion or children - is a dim collective memory. Are we really shocked by marital infidelity? Do we even think it matters? Did it even make National's leader Don Brash look perversely sexy last week?
Refugees plead for Tampa detainees The Dominion Post 27 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2857055a10,00.html Refugees stranded on the Pacific island of Nauru continue to live in desperation and despair, according to a group who arrived in Auckland after being accepted by New Zealand. "We were dead, though we were breathing," said one by way of introduction, through a 12-year-old translator....
*************************************************
CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ
http://www.cathcom.org.nz
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
ACU refuses to raise HECS fees
Church body urges $26.60 per week Minimum Wage increase
Pope's new book describes confrontations with communists
Study shows US bishops' increased consultation with laity
Australian bishops honour Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan
CathNews celebrates fifth birthday
**********************************************
FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES
Theologians, historian explore decline in confessions Catholic News Service http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/20040324a.htm WASHINGTON (CNS) -- "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It's been two weeks since my last confession. ..." With that ritual formula once familiar to all Catholics, Boston College historian James O'Toole opened a daylong symposium on how the sacrament of penance has changed and how its chief form, individual auricular confession, has almost disappeared from American Catholic consciousness in the last 40 years....
East Timor's Mother Teresa Sojourners http://tinyurl.com/2unta East Timor is now free from the tyranny of Indonesian occupation, but it is engaged in a new war - against poverty. In this battle are the same heroes of faith who struggled for the island nation's independence. One such person is Sister Lourdes - East Timor's Mother Teresa....
In new book, pope describes confrontations with communist authorities Catholic News Service http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/20040324.htm Rome (CNS) -- In "Get Up, Let Us Go," his soon-to-be-published book about his 20 years as a bishop in Poland, Pope John Paul II tells of almost daily confrontations with communist authorities and describes his efforts to adopt a new and more open style of pastoral ministry....
“Get up. Let us go!”: new book by pope http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=540 Rome (AsiaNews) – An “autobiographical reflection” of his last 50 years: this is how the pope’s new book, “Get up. Let us go!” was described. John Paul II’s latest work will surely become an international best seller....
New book charts history of Eastern Churches in 20th Century http://www.indcatholicnews.com/eastch.html A new book: 'Faith and Martyrdom: The Eastern Churches in Twentieth Century Europe; (Proceedings of the meeting on contemporary Church history, Vatican City, October 22-24, 1998), was launched in the Vatican yesterday....
35 Catholic Missionaries Killed in 2003 (full text) Vatican City, March 22, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Last year saw the lives of 35 Catholic missionaries -- bishops, priests, religious and lay people --ended violently. So says the news agency Fides of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples which published the names of the dead, on the occasion of the Day of Prayer and Fasting in Memory of Martyred Missionaries, to be observed on Wednesday. In 2003 the greatest number of victims was recorded in Africa, particularly in Sudan and Uganda, where rebels continue to combat the established government, and in war-torn Congo. Notable in Burundi was the killing of Archbishop Michael Courtney, apostolic nuncio. The list of missionaries killed, updated only in Italian, is published by Fides at: http://www.evangelizatio.org/portale/martirologio/martiri/2003.html.
Madrid Question: Where Was Christ on March 11? Cardinal Responds During State Funeral http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=51185 Madrid, Spain, March 24, 2004 (Zenit.org). Addressing the families of the deceased, the Spanish royal family, numerous presidents, and heads of state during the state funeral for the victims of the March 11 attacks, Cardinal Antonio Rouco Varela posed a pressing question: "Where was Jesus, the Son of the living God, brother and Savior of man, Lord of life and death, on that terrible Madrid morning ...
Cardinal Ruini on Christian Response to Muslim Terrorism President of Italian Episcopate Lays Out 3 Key Elements http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=51051 Rome, March 22, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The Christian response to Muslim terrorism involves the condemnation of all attacks against life, rejection of hatred, and the unity of the international community to address its causes, says Cardinal Camillo Ruini....
Hamas Chief's Assassination Condemned by Holy See Says the Killing "Cannot Be Justified in Any State of Law" http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=51042 Vatican City, March 22, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See condemned the assassination of Ahmed Yassin, the founder of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, who died during an Israeli airstrike...
***********************************************
'THE PASSION'
Passion ignites world audiences http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3560773.stm The Passion of the Christ, which has aroused controversy around the world, opens in UK cinemas on Friday....
Gibson’s “Passion” arrives in the Middle East http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=544 Doha (AsiaNews) – The “Passion of the Christ” has made its debut in the mostly-Muslim Gulf Arab States. “We submitted 'The Passion of the Christ' to the censorship committee, which has no objection to its screening” said Abdul Rahman Mohsen, the director general of a private Qatari cinema company. The censorship committee previews and may edit scenes or images depicting prophets from holy books. Although “The Passion” narrates the experience of "Prophet Issa" (Jesus), the film has been released [uncut] ...
Could cinema be the saviour of Christianity? The Telegraph (UK) http://tinyurl.com/yutld Is Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ anti-Semitic, as London's Curzon cinema group claimed yesterday? Too violent? Too literal in its adaptation of the biblical text? Did Pope John Paul II really say, "It is as it was", or was that just a piece of studio spin? ...
***********************************************
"THE WORD FROM ROME"
http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/
A weekly column in the National Catholic Reporter by the paper's full-time Vatican correspondent John L. Allen
Summary of the column for March 26, 2004: Canonist criticizes U.S. bishops sex abuse norms; Martyrs of the Eastern Catholic churches in 20th century Europe; A conversation with the former Archbishop of Canterbury; John Paul's latest book
*************************************************
EVENTS
Jesus 4 Real Ministries http://www.jesus4real.org.nz "A voluntary lay ministry committed to building up the faith in Catholic teenagers" Camp for Years 11-13: Wednesday 14 April to Sunday 18 April, Paraparaumu (near Wellington). Full details on the Website and from Anne and Andy Lovell, tel (06) 364 3141
Auckland Catholic Eucharistic Convention, 16th to 18th April 2004 http://www.eucharistic-convention.com Logan Campbell Theatre, Auckland Showgrounds, Greenlane Road, Auckland. Two-page write-up in 'NZ Catholic' March 21-Apr 3 p.14-15 Full details on the Convention's Website.
***************************************************
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 ]
Lecturer in Relgious Education, Catholic Institute of Theology, Auckland Details in 'NZ Catholic' March 7-20 2004 p.22 and from The Registrar, Catholic Institute of Theology, 16 Waterloo Quadrant, Auckland 1001. Tel: (09) 379 6424; fax (09) 379 6426; e-mail cit@auckland.ac.nz Applications close 31 March 2004
Presenters, 'NZ Catholic' newspaper 'NZC' wishes to employ good communicators in Northland, Auclland, Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Nelson-Marlborough, West Coast, Otago and Southland. Details in 'NZ Catholic' March 21-Apr 3 p.13 and from Dennis augustine, NZ Catholic, PO Box 147-000, Ponsonby, Auckland 1034
*************************************************
Sunday, March 21, 2004
************************************
LENT 2004
"Receive children, the future of humanity": Message of His Holiness John Paul II for Lent 2004 (full text) http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=311
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand http://www.caritas.org.nz/lent.asp The theme of Caritas' Lent appeal for 2004 is “The Spirit of Hope is at Work in the World” taken from Pope John Paul II’s World Day of Peace Message, 1998. The donations Caritas receives from this appeal help fund development projects around the world. The Lenten envelopes distributed by Catholic parishes throughout the country, highlight five of these projects and provide information on how Caritas works with communities through sustainable development. Donations by credit card are most welcome and may be made by opening the Lent appeal link.
Missionary Stations of the Cross prayer recalls suffering of children in the world: a response to Pope John Paul II’s call for Lent 2004 http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0403/17_1964.html Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The general secretariat of the Pontifical Mission Society for Missionary Childhood has produced a special Missionary Stations of the Cross which unites the suffering of children with the suffering of Jesus on the Way of the Cross. Titled “Small Steps of Love and Pain”, the Stations remind adults and children that the path trodden by Jesus is the same path trodden by millions of children today....
*****************************************************
'NZ CATHOLIC'
http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz
No 183, March 21-April 3, 2004
Full text ...
Strong media interest shown in abuse office AUCKLAND - Strong media interest has been shown in an announcement of the Catholic Church's plans to establish this year an independent national office to evaluate its procedures for dealing with complaints of abuse...
Finalist in NZ Idol began singing at midnight Mass TAUPO - A Catholic teenager who first sang in public when he was a pre-schooler is in the finals of NZ Idol...
Over 300 soon to enter Church AUCKLAND - More than 300 New Zealanders will be received into the Catholic Church this Easter. Most will be received at the Easter Sunday vigil Mass...
Also in the print edition ... Bishop¹s call: "Let¹s be fair and informed on Maori-pakeha relations"; Awards will acknowledge youth ministry efforts; Concern caused by time taken to name Dunedin bishop; US Church "deeply wounded" by abuse; Women appointed to key Vatican positions; Bishop Cullinane answers questions on liturgy.
**************************************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS
(Postscript) Last week's News & Notes included a link to "Why are the churches failing?" from the Melbourne newspaper The Age. In it, Muriel Porter wrote ... "Just a week before the survey figures were released, a Melbourne funeral company announced this year's program for "services of reflection and remembrance for people suffering a loss".... The question all the churches should be asking is, why has it fallen to a funeral director to cater for the deep spiritual anguish obviously affecting so many Australians? Why do so many people feel they cannot any longer turn to the churches for solace and hope? ..." Coincidentally, an advertisement appears in the current 'NZ Catholic' newspaper (p.24), headed by a crucifix and the prayer for eternal rest, for a Christchurch firm of funeral directors trading as Canterbury Christian Funeral Services. Muriel Porter might have asked: Why are people prepared to pay a funeral director for a Christian funeral service, when they can have one for little or no cost in a church? ML
Australia pushes legal change to lure male teachers Reuters 12 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2842651a7694,00.html CANBERRA: Espousing the need for more male role models for Australian boys, the conservative government yesterday flagged changes to sex discrimination laws to allow scholarships for male teachers, but faced accusations of sexism. A bid by the Catholic schools system for an exemption from the Sex Discrimination Act to offer 12 teaching scholarships to men to boost the number of male teachers was rejected by the nation's equal opportunities watchdog....
Yes, I had an affair, Brash admits The Dominion Post 16 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2846571a10,00.html Just days after criticising Helen Clark's "indifference to the institution of marriage", Don Brash has confirmed he had an extramarital affair. The admission is the latest development in the increasingly bitter battle between the prime minister and the Opposition leader. Yesterday Miss Clark objected to Dr Brash describing her as an atheist....
Gloves are off as leaders do battle The Dominion Post 18 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2848642a6220,00.html It might be more than a year before the 2005 general election, but bare-knuckle fighting between Prime Minister Helen Clark and National leader Don Brash has already begun, The Dominion Post writes in an editorial. If the flurry of blows that started after the prime minister spoke at Christchurch Cathedral is to be sustained till polling day, however, the contestants for the welterweight crown need to pace themselves and beware dropping their guard....
Pride of the Irish (photo) Waikato Times 17 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2848207a10,00.html At Marian Catholic School in Hamilton, red Irish hair can be seen in abundance around the school grounds....
'Thou shalt not' The Bulletin (Sydney) http://tinyurl.com/2bnes The Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, the man widely described as the "bully bishop from central casting", now promises to be tougher on questions of morality. But he will try to do it with kindness. Jennifer Byrne reports....
Pope speaks up for coma patients http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9031974%255E1702,00.html Pope John Paul II called today for greater respect for patients in a coma, stressing that a failure to provide proper care for them could amount to "euthanasia by omission"....
Vatican condemns fertility treatments http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-03-17-vatican-fertility_x.htm VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican issued a broad condemnation Tuesday of fertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilization, calling the destruction of embryos in the process a "massacre of the innocents."...
'Sydney Carter' (obituary) The Telegraph (UK) http://tinyurl.com/2qv5e Sydney Carter, who has died aged 88, was the poet and songwriter whose Lord of the Dance became the most celebrated religious song of the 20th century....
Priest's star power fills church in Brazil Associated Press March 20, 2004 http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=57&u_sid=1040467 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (AP) - He has had a No. 1 record, won a Latin Grammy and now has a hit movie - all aimed at revitalizing the Roman Catholic Church in Brazil. He is the Rev. Marcelo Rossi, Brazil's pop-star priest, a leader of the Brazilian church's efforts to bolster its waning appeal in the world's largest Catholic country....
*****************************************************
CATHOLICTV.NET
http://www.catholictv.net
New videos from the Wellington Archdiocesan Media Centre ...
'At the Beginning of a new Millenium-Pastoral Areas' At Wellington, March 19, Bishop John Dew, quoting Pope John Paul II, told parishioners from Karori and Thorndon that they were at the beginning of a new ‘Millenium ‘and to ‘launch out into the deep’. He was also talking about the new concept of pastoral areas, and some of the theology underpinning areas. This in a series over the next few weeks.
'A brief history of St Patrick by Barry Doyle' Karori parishioner Barry Doyle and principal organiser of St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Wellington on St Patrick
Education report by Br Pat Lynch March 2004 Catholic Schools are a big part of Catholic life, Br. Pat Lynch is the Director of our national Catholic Schools office
Fr. John Greally outlines the joys and hopes of out Lenten liturgies
*********************************************
CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ
http://www.cathcom.org.nz
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Report shows ACU's prophetic role in paid maternity leave A new report documents the impact the Australian Catholic University's maternity leave provision has had on the public debate on parental leave as well as the broader debate on family-friendly workplace policies.
Pope praises Neocatechumenal Way's formation work Pope John Paul II has recognised the 'abundant good fruits' produced by the Neocatechumenal Way's work in seminary formation.
Adelaide school issues statement on child-sex claims Blackfriars Priory School principal Dr Paul Hine issued a statement yesterday stressing that the college is cooperating with a police investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving former students about 20 years ago.
Religious warned against Internet sex addiction A psychologist from the Combonian order has highlighted the relatively new phenomenon of religious priests, brothers and nuns isolating themselves from their communities to seek new friendships and stimuli in Internet chat rooms.
Archbishop Carroll signals 'interesting' election campaign Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President Archbishop Francis Carroll has suggested on Vatican Radio that this year's Federal Election campaign will be 'very interesting'.
Caritas fight for computer component workers' rights A campaign organised by CAFOD, the Caritas affiliate for England and Wales, has forced IBM to respond to demands for better conditions for electronics workers in Mexico, Thailand and China.
***********************************************
'THE PASSION '
Church in Scotland promoting "The Passion" in letter sent to all 472 parishes http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=50735 GLASGOW, Scotland, MARCH 16, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The Catholic Church in Scotland is launching a nationwide promotion of the film "The Passion of the Christ." The Catholic Media Office will this week send a mailing to Scotland's 472 Catholic parishes that includes a letter from Bishop Joseph Devine, president of the National Communications Commission, in which he describes the film as "the most powerful I have ever seen."...
***********************************************
FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES
What sort of assistance should be given to patients in a vegetative state? International Conference on “ Life-Sustaining Treatments and Vegetative State: Scientific Advances and Ethical Dilemmas” opens today in Rome http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0403/17_1972.html Vatican City (Fides Service) - Some 370 participants from 42 different countries are in Rome to attend an International Congress on “Life-Sustaining Treatments and Vegetative State: Scientific Advances and Ethical Dilemmas ...
“Persecuted but not Abandoned” (2Cor 4,9): 24 March 12th Day of Prayer, fasting and charitable works in memory of Missionary martyrs http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0403/16_1957.html Rome (Fides Service) - March 24, the anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero, Archbishop San Salvador in 1980, will be the 12th Day of Prayer and Fasting in Memory of Missionary Martyrs organised by the Missionary Youth Movement within the Pontifical Mission Societies, Italy, every year since 1993, an initiative which is gradually spreading to other countries and continents....
Proposals to Tackle Religious Indifference Conclusions From Pontifical Council's Plenary Assembly http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=50801 VATICAN CITY, MARCH 17, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Participants at an assembly that examined the phenomenon of religious indifference seemed to agree: "Only when our faith is strong can we share it with others."...
How to connect the Christian City with Worldly City which seems to ignore God? Atheism and religious indifference at the centre of the recent plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0403/16_1955.html Vatican City (Fides Service) - If we wanted to describe with an image the situation discussed by participants at the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture, held recently in the Vatican, we could give the image of the city of Rome, with St Peter’s, pulsing heart of the Church and a milestone of faith and culture on the one bank and on the other the earthly city, frenetic, indifferent to what is happening on the opposite bank....
Saving Baghdad’s revival from blind European pacifism by Fr Bernardo Cervellera http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=497 March 20 marks the first anniversary of the Second Gulf War, the military operation that led to the fall of the Saddam Hussein. What really grieves us missionaries working for Asia is to witness that what sparks debate over Iraq comes not from love for the Iraqi people, but arises simply from political interests which use the issue as a means to outvote their adversaries....
Celibacy formation a major part of seminary programs today Catholic News Service http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/20040312.htm WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In recent years there has been significant improvement in celibacy formation throughout U.S. Catholic seminaries, said Franciscan Sister Katarina Schuth, one of the country's leading experts in seminary research....
New rules on the Eucharist The Catholic Herald (UK) http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/HomeNews.htm The Vatican will publish strict new norms on the Eucharist next month, permanently changing the way Mass is celebrated throughout the world...
Pouring oil on troubled waters Catholic Diocese of Adelaide, March 2004 http://www.adelaide.catholic.org.au/sx/story.asp?storyNum=5 As SA director of the Apostolate of the Sea, Richard Lloyd is concerned with the welfare of up to 4000 seafarers who pass through the doors of the Seafarers' Centre every year....
George Weigel's Tour Guide for Young Catholics New Book Points Out a Direction for Deepening the Faith http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=50616 WASHINGTON, D.C., MARCH 14, 2004 (Zenit.org).- A myriad of places and people have shaped George Weigel's understanding of the Church, and he hopes to give direction to young Catholics by telling what he's learned along the way....
*********************************************
JOSHUA CATHOLIC MEN'S FELLOWSHIP
Newsletter March 2004
http://www.joshuamen.orcon.net.nz
Questions we should never ask — or maybe we should
The unbreakable link: How you live now, determines what will happen to after you die.
********************************************
MARIST MESSENGER
Published by the Society of Mary in New Zealand.
http://www.maristmessenger.co.nz/index.php
Online in March's Messenger ...
Focus for March 2004 centres on the question: Does Lent matter? Our Lent matters not just for us but for the whole world
Kopua - place of peace for 50 years by Abbot Brian Keogh ocso The Cistercian Abbot of our NZ monastery reflects on their future
Marist Spirituality by Jane Langham Jane, a member of the Marian Mothers reflects on what it is to be a marist
Lent- straight talk by Fr Jim Beban sm Fr Jim gives some honest reflections on the Temptations of Christ
Also in the March's Marist Messenger The monks of Thibirne Kipus - place of peace for 50 yeaers ... Marist Spirituality: Lent - straight talk a listening heart? ... Solemnity of the Annunciation ... Eucharistic Stations of the Cross for Lent ... Who killed Kayla ... God, children and the supermarket
*******************************************
MEDJUGORJE NEWS
Issue 33 March 2004
http://www.homebusinesslink.com/issue33.html
Introduction .... The Medjugorje Story ... Our Lady's Messages .... From the Editor ... Excerpts from Press Bulletins ... Excerpts from Children of Medjugorje ... The Pilgrimage 2003 ... Return to Medjugorje ... Preview of the Wellington Eucharistic Convention ... Only God Can Provide ... A Pilgrimage to Medjugorje ... Mass versus Meat ... The Locked Church ... Preview of the Auckland Eucharistic Convention ... The Heart ... The Spirit of Medjugorje ... Priest sees Miracle with Archangel ... Ivanka's Mother ... Interview with a Psychiatrist ... Doctor Hears Our Lady's Heart ... Oasis of Peace in Africa ... The Stolen Dollar Bill .... Appreciating our Blessings ... The Secret of the Rosary
***********************************************
"THE WORD FROM ROME"
http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/
A weekly column in the National Catholic Reporter by the paper's full-time Vatican correspondent John L. Allen
Summary of the column for March 19, 2004
Jim Caviezel on the Catholic faith (his and Mel Gibson's) and the making of 'The Passion'; Cardinal Pell and the Vox Clara Committee on liturgical translations; 40th anniversary of Vatican II document on social communications, Inter mirifica; remembering Cardinal Franz König; conference on Life Sustaining Treatments and Vegetative State; Conversations on ecumenism
*************************************************
EVENTS
Jesus 4 Real Ministries http://www.jesus4real.org.nz "A voluntary lay ministry committed to building up the faith in Catholic teenagers" Camp for Years 11-13: Wednesday 14 April to Sunday 18 April, Paraparaumu (near Wellington). Full details on the Website and from Anne and Andy Lovell, tel (06) 364 3141
Auckland Catholic Eucharistic Convention, 16th to 18th April 2004 http://www.eucharistic-convention.com Logan Campbell Theatre, Auckland Showgrounds, Greenlane Road, Auckland. Two-page write-up in 'NZ Catholic' March 21-Apr 3 p.14-15 Full details on the Convention's Website.
***************************************************
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 ]
Prison Chaplain, Mt Eden Prison Women's Division Details in 'NZ Catholic' Feb.22 p.22 and from Eric Allan, Director, Catholic and Family Community Services, tel. (09) 378 9650
Lecturer in Relgious Education, Catholic Institute of Theology, Auckland Details in 'NZ Catholic' March 7-20 2004 p.22 and from The Registrar, Catholic Institute of Theology, 16 Waterloo Quadrant, Auckland 1001. Tel: (09) 379 6424; fax (09) 379 6426; e-mail cit@auckland.ac.nz Applications close 31 March 2004
Presenters, 'NZ Catholic' newspaper 'NZC' wishes to employ good communicators in Northland, Auclland, Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Nelson-Marlborough, West Coast, Otago and Southland. Details in 'NZ Catholic' March 21-Apr 3 p.13 and from Dennis augustine, NZ Catholic, PO Box 147-000, Ponsonby, Auckland 1034
*************************************************
LENT 2004
"Receive children, the future of humanity": Message of His Holiness John Paul II for Lent 2004 (full text) http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=311
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand http://www.caritas.org.nz/lent.asp The theme of Caritas' Lent appeal for 2004 is “The Spirit of Hope is at Work in the World” taken from Pope John Paul II’s World Day of Peace Message, 1998. The donations Caritas receives from this appeal help fund development projects around the world. The Lenten envelopes distributed by Catholic parishes throughout the country, highlight five of these projects and provide information on how Caritas works with communities through sustainable development. Donations by credit card are most welcome and may be made by opening the Lent appeal link.
Missionary Stations of the Cross prayer recalls suffering of children in the world: a response to Pope John Paul II’s call for Lent 2004 http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0403/17_1964.html Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The general secretariat of the Pontifical Mission Society for Missionary Childhood has produced a special Missionary Stations of the Cross which unites the suffering of children with the suffering of Jesus on the Way of the Cross. Titled “Small Steps of Love and Pain”, the Stations remind adults and children that the path trodden by Jesus is the same path trodden by millions of children today....
*****************************************************
'NZ CATHOLIC'
http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz
No 183, March 21-April 3, 2004
Full text ...
Strong media interest shown in abuse office AUCKLAND - Strong media interest has been shown in an announcement of the Catholic Church's plans to establish this year an independent national office to evaluate its procedures for dealing with complaints of abuse...
Finalist in NZ Idol began singing at midnight Mass TAUPO - A Catholic teenager who first sang in public when he was a pre-schooler is in the finals of NZ Idol...
Over 300 soon to enter Church AUCKLAND - More than 300 New Zealanders will be received into the Catholic Church this Easter. Most will be received at the Easter Sunday vigil Mass...
Also in the print edition ... Bishop¹s call: "Let¹s be fair and informed on Maori-pakeha relations"; Awards will acknowledge youth ministry efforts; Concern caused by time taken to name Dunedin bishop; US Church "deeply wounded" by abuse; Women appointed to key Vatican positions; Bishop Cullinane answers questions on liturgy.
**************************************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS
(Postscript) Last week's News & Notes included a link to "Why are the churches failing?" from the Melbourne newspaper The Age. In it, Muriel Porter wrote ... "Just a week before the survey figures were released, a Melbourne funeral company announced this year's program for "services of reflection and remembrance for people suffering a loss".... The question all the churches should be asking is, why has it fallen to a funeral director to cater for the deep spiritual anguish obviously affecting so many Australians? Why do so many people feel they cannot any longer turn to the churches for solace and hope? ..." Coincidentally, an advertisement appears in the current 'NZ Catholic' newspaper (p.24), headed by a crucifix and the prayer for eternal rest, for a Christchurch firm of funeral directors trading as Canterbury Christian Funeral Services. Muriel Porter might have asked: Why are people prepared to pay a funeral director for a Christian funeral service, when they can have one for little or no cost in a church? ML
Australia pushes legal change to lure male teachers Reuters 12 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2842651a7694,00.html CANBERRA: Espousing the need for more male role models for Australian boys, the conservative government yesterday flagged changes to sex discrimination laws to allow scholarships for male teachers, but faced accusations of sexism. A bid by the Catholic schools system for an exemption from the Sex Discrimination Act to offer 12 teaching scholarships to men to boost the number of male teachers was rejected by the nation's equal opportunities watchdog....
Yes, I had an affair, Brash admits The Dominion Post 16 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2846571a10,00.html Just days after criticising Helen Clark's "indifference to the institution of marriage", Don Brash has confirmed he had an extramarital affair. The admission is the latest development in the increasingly bitter battle between the prime minister and the Opposition leader. Yesterday Miss Clark objected to Dr Brash describing her as an atheist....
Gloves are off as leaders do battle The Dominion Post 18 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2848642a6220,00.html It might be more than a year before the 2005 general election, but bare-knuckle fighting between Prime Minister Helen Clark and National leader Don Brash has already begun, The Dominion Post writes in an editorial. If the flurry of blows that started after the prime minister spoke at Christchurch Cathedral is to be sustained till polling day, however, the contestants for the welterweight crown need to pace themselves and beware dropping their guard....
Pride of the Irish (photo) Waikato Times 17 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2848207a10,00.html At Marian Catholic School in Hamilton, red Irish hair can be seen in abundance around the school grounds....
'Thou shalt not' The Bulletin (Sydney) http://tinyurl.com/2bnes The Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, the man widely described as the "bully bishop from central casting", now promises to be tougher on questions of morality. But he will try to do it with kindness. Jennifer Byrne reports....
Pope speaks up for coma patients http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9031974%255E1702,00.html Pope John Paul II called today for greater respect for patients in a coma, stressing that a failure to provide proper care for them could amount to "euthanasia by omission"....
Vatican condemns fertility treatments http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-03-17-vatican-fertility_x.htm VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican issued a broad condemnation Tuesday of fertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilization, calling the destruction of embryos in the process a "massacre of the innocents."...
'Sydney Carter' (obituary) The Telegraph (UK) http://tinyurl.com/2qv5e Sydney Carter, who has died aged 88, was the poet and songwriter whose Lord of the Dance became the most celebrated religious song of the 20th century....
Priest's star power fills church in Brazil Associated Press March 20, 2004 http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=57&u_sid=1040467 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (AP) - He has had a No. 1 record, won a Latin Grammy and now has a hit movie - all aimed at revitalizing the Roman Catholic Church in Brazil. He is the Rev. Marcelo Rossi, Brazil's pop-star priest, a leader of the Brazilian church's efforts to bolster its waning appeal in the world's largest Catholic country....
*****************************************************
CATHOLICTV.NET
http://www.catholictv.net
New videos from the Wellington Archdiocesan Media Centre ...
'At the Beginning of a new Millenium-Pastoral Areas' At Wellington, March 19, Bishop John Dew, quoting Pope John Paul II, told parishioners from Karori and Thorndon that they were at the beginning of a new ‘Millenium ‘and to ‘launch out into the deep’. He was also talking about the new concept of pastoral areas, and some of the theology underpinning areas. This in a series over the next few weeks.
'A brief history of St Patrick by Barry Doyle' Karori parishioner Barry Doyle and principal organiser of St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Wellington on St Patrick
Education report by Br Pat Lynch March 2004 Catholic Schools are a big part of Catholic life, Br. Pat Lynch is the Director of our national Catholic Schools office
Fr. John Greally outlines the joys and hopes of out Lenten liturgies
*********************************************
CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ
http://www.cathcom.org.nz
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Report shows ACU's prophetic role in paid maternity leave A new report documents the impact the Australian Catholic University's maternity leave provision has had on the public debate on parental leave as well as the broader debate on family-friendly workplace policies.
Pope praises Neocatechumenal Way's formation work Pope John Paul II has recognised the 'abundant good fruits' produced by the Neocatechumenal Way's work in seminary formation.
Adelaide school issues statement on child-sex claims Blackfriars Priory School principal Dr Paul Hine issued a statement yesterday stressing that the college is cooperating with a police investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving former students about 20 years ago.
Religious warned against Internet sex addiction A psychologist from the Combonian order has highlighted the relatively new phenomenon of religious priests, brothers and nuns isolating themselves from their communities to seek new friendships and stimuli in Internet chat rooms.
Archbishop Carroll signals 'interesting' election campaign Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President Archbishop Francis Carroll has suggested on Vatican Radio that this year's Federal Election campaign will be 'very interesting'.
Caritas fight for computer component workers' rights A campaign organised by CAFOD, the Caritas affiliate for England and Wales, has forced IBM to respond to demands for better conditions for electronics workers in Mexico, Thailand and China.
***********************************************
'THE PASSION '
Church in Scotland promoting "The Passion" in letter sent to all 472 parishes http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=50735 GLASGOW, Scotland, MARCH 16, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The Catholic Church in Scotland is launching a nationwide promotion of the film "The Passion of the Christ." The Catholic Media Office will this week send a mailing to Scotland's 472 Catholic parishes that includes a letter from Bishop Joseph Devine, president of the National Communications Commission, in which he describes the film as "the most powerful I have ever seen."...
***********************************************
FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES
What sort of assistance should be given to patients in a vegetative state? International Conference on “ Life-Sustaining Treatments and Vegetative State: Scientific Advances and Ethical Dilemmas” opens today in Rome http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0403/17_1972.html Vatican City (Fides Service) - Some 370 participants from 42 different countries are in Rome to attend an International Congress on “Life-Sustaining Treatments and Vegetative State: Scientific Advances and Ethical Dilemmas ...
“Persecuted but not Abandoned” (2Cor 4,9): 24 March 12th Day of Prayer, fasting and charitable works in memory of Missionary martyrs http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0403/16_1957.html Rome (Fides Service) - March 24, the anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero, Archbishop San Salvador in 1980, will be the 12th Day of Prayer and Fasting in Memory of Missionary Martyrs organised by the Missionary Youth Movement within the Pontifical Mission Societies, Italy, every year since 1993, an initiative which is gradually spreading to other countries and continents....
Proposals to Tackle Religious Indifference Conclusions From Pontifical Council's Plenary Assembly http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=50801 VATICAN CITY, MARCH 17, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Participants at an assembly that examined the phenomenon of religious indifference seemed to agree: "Only when our faith is strong can we share it with others."...
How to connect the Christian City with Worldly City which seems to ignore God? Atheism and religious indifference at the centre of the recent plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0403/16_1955.html Vatican City (Fides Service) - If we wanted to describe with an image the situation discussed by participants at the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture, held recently in the Vatican, we could give the image of the city of Rome, with St Peter’s, pulsing heart of the Church and a milestone of faith and culture on the one bank and on the other the earthly city, frenetic, indifferent to what is happening on the opposite bank....
Saving Baghdad’s revival from blind European pacifism by Fr Bernardo Cervellera http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=497 March 20 marks the first anniversary of the Second Gulf War, the military operation that led to the fall of the Saddam Hussein. What really grieves us missionaries working for Asia is to witness that what sparks debate over Iraq comes not from love for the Iraqi people, but arises simply from political interests which use the issue as a means to outvote their adversaries....
Celibacy formation a major part of seminary programs today Catholic News Service http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/20040312.htm WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In recent years there has been significant improvement in celibacy formation throughout U.S. Catholic seminaries, said Franciscan Sister Katarina Schuth, one of the country's leading experts in seminary research....
New rules on the Eucharist The Catholic Herald (UK) http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/HomeNews.htm The Vatican will publish strict new norms on the Eucharist next month, permanently changing the way Mass is celebrated throughout the world...
Pouring oil on troubled waters Catholic Diocese of Adelaide, March 2004 http://www.adelaide.catholic.org.au/sx/story.asp?storyNum=5 As SA director of the Apostolate of the Sea, Richard Lloyd is concerned with the welfare of up to 4000 seafarers who pass through the doors of the Seafarers' Centre every year....
George Weigel's Tour Guide for Young Catholics New Book Points Out a Direction for Deepening the Faith http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=50616 WASHINGTON, D.C., MARCH 14, 2004 (Zenit.org).- A myriad of places and people have shaped George Weigel's understanding of the Church, and he hopes to give direction to young Catholics by telling what he's learned along the way....
*********************************************
JOSHUA CATHOLIC MEN'S FELLOWSHIP
Newsletter March 2004
http://www.joshuamen.orcon.net.nz
Questions we should never ask — or maybe we should
The unbreakable link: How you live now, determines what will happen to after you die.
********************************************
MARIST MESSENGER
Published by the Society of Mary in New Zealand.
http://www.maristmessenger.co.nz/index.php
Online in March's Messenger ...
Focus for March 2004 centres on the question: Does Lent matter? Our Lent matters not just for us but for the whole world
Kopua - place of peace for 50 years by Abbot Brian Keogh ocso The Cistercian Abbot of our NZ monastery reflects on their future
Marist Spirituality by Jane Langham Jane, a member of the Marian Mothers reflects on what it is to be a marist
Lent- straight talk by Fr Jim Beban sm Fr Jim gives some honest reflections on the Temptations of Christ
Also in the March's Marist Messenger The monks of Thibirne Kipus - place of peace for 50 yeaers ... Marist Spirituality: Lent - straight talk a listening heart? ... Solemnity of the Annunciation ... Eucharistic Stations of the Cross for Lent ... Who killed Kayla ... God, children and the supermarket
*******************************************
MEDJUGORJE NEWS
Issue 33 March 2004
http://www.homebusinesslink.com/issue33.html
Introduction .... The Medjugorje Story ... Our Lady's Messages .... From the Editor ... Excerpts from Press Bulletins ... Excerpts from Children of Medjugorje ... The Pilgrimage 2003 ... Return to Medjugorje ... Preview of the Wellington Eucharistic Convention ... Only God Can Provide ... A Pilgrimage to Medjugorje ... Mass versus Meat ... The Locked Church ... Preview of the Auckland Eucharistic Convention ... The Heart ... The Spirit of Medjugorje ... Priest sees Miracle with Archangel ... Ivanka's Mother ... Interview with a Psychiatrist ... Doctor Hears Our Lady's Heart ... Oasis of Peace in Africa ... The Stolen Dollar Bill .... Appreciating our Blessings ... The Secret of the Rosary
***********************************************
"THE WORD FROM ROME"
http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/
A weekly column in the National Catholic Reporter by the paper's full-time Vatican correspondent John L. Allen
Summary of the column for March 19, 2004
Jim Caviezel on the Catholic faith (his and Mel Gibson's) and the making of 'The Passion'; Cardinal Pell and the Vox Clara Committee on liturgical translations; 40th anniversary of Vatican II document on social communications, Inter mirifica; remembering Cardinal Franz König; conference on Life Sustaining Treatments and Vegetative State; Conversations on ecumenism
*************************************************
EVENTS
Jesus 4 Real Ministries http://www.jesus4real.org.nz "A voluntary lay ministry committed to building up the faith in Catholic teenagers" Camp for Years 11-13: Wednesday 14 April to Sunday 18 April, Paraparaumu (near Wellington). Full details on the Website and from Anne and Andy Lovell, tel (06) 364 3141
Auckland Catholic Eucharistic Convention, 16th to 18th April 2004 http://www.eucharistic-convention.com Logan Campbell Theatre, Auckland Showgrounds, Greenlane Road, Auckland. Two-page write-up in 'NZ Catholic' March 21-Apr 3 p.14-15 Full details on the Convention's Website.
***************************************************
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 ]
Prison Chaplain, Mt Eden Prison Women's Division Details in 'NZ Catholic' Feb.22 p.22 and from Eric Allan, Director, Catholic and Family Community Services, tel. (09) 378 9650
Lecturer in Relgious Education, Catholic Institute of Theology, Auckland Details in 'NZ Catholic' March 7-20 2004 p.22 and from The Registrar, Catholic Institute of Theology, 16 Waterloo Quadrant, Auckland 1001. Tel: (09) 379 6424; fax (09) 379 6426; e-mail cit@auckland.ac.nz Applications close 31 March 2004
Presenters, 'NZ Catholic' newspaper 'NZC' wishes to employ good communicators in Northland, Auclland, Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Nelson-Marlborough, West Coast, Otago and Southland. Details in 'NZ Catholic' March 21-Apr 3 p.13 and from Dennis augustine, NZ Catholic, PO Box 147-000, Ponsonby, Auckland 1034
*************************************************
Sunday, March 14, 2004
************************************
LENT 2004
"Receive children, the future of humanity": Message of His Holiness John Paul II for Lent 2004 (full text) http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=311
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand http://www.caritas.org.nz/lent.asp The theme of Caritas' Lent appeal for 2004 is “The Spirit of Hope is at Work in the World” taken from Pope John Paul II’s World Day of Peace Message, 1998. The donations Caritas receives from this appeal help fund development projects around the world. The Lenten envelopes distributed by Catholic parishes throughout the country, highlight five of these projects and provide information on how Caritas works with communities through sustainable development. Donations by credit card are most welcome and may be made by opening
**********************************
CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ
http://www.cathcom.org.nz
MEDIA RELEASE Catholic Church to establish office to evaluate abuse complaints New Zealand’s Catholic bishops and leaders of religious orders confirmed at a meeting last week that an independent national office for professional standards will be established. The purpose of this office is to evaluate and oversee the Church’s procedures for dealing with complaints of abuse....
INTERNATIONAL NEWS CEO chief backs Minister's action on male teachers Sydney Catholic Education Office executive director Br Kelvin Canavan has welcomed Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson's efforts to overturn sex discrimination laws in order to open the way for gender-specific scholarships to encourage more men to become teachers.
Vatican plea at UN for greater role for women An increased role for women will benefit a society that is 'organised solely according to the criteria of efficiency and productivity or of brute force,' the Vatican said in a statement presented at United Nations headquarters in New York last week.
Pope orders top gear evangelisation to counter sects Pope John Paul II has said the Catholic Church must step up its efforts to match the 'spreading' evangelical force of the modern sects that are targeting 'those who find themselves in difficulties and loneliness'.
Vatican tells bishops how to do their job The Congregation for Bishops has issued a 258 page manual offering advice and setting forth norms regarding the use of episcopal authority and the proper responses to contemporary problems.
Most 'Patriotic' Chinese bishops approved by Rome About two-thirds of the bishops of China's state-sanctioned Catholic Church are recognised by the Holy See, according to an article in the Italian Jesuit journal Civilta Cattolica.
Haitian bishops voice fears as island spirals into chaos Haiti's Catholic bishops' have described the worsening situation in the country as a 'nightmare', according to a report received by the charity Aid to the Church in Need.
************************************************
'WEL-COM'
http://www.welcom.org.nz
From the March 2004 issue of the Wellington and Palmerston North diocesan newspaper...
Cardinal Williams' Column: Were you puzzled by last Sunday’s Gospel?
Bishop John Dew's Refelction: People of patience, kindness, tolerance and hope
Christ’s passion as we have never before experienced it It’s probable that Ash Wednesday 2004 was like no other, as Christians began preparing for Good Friday and Easter. In over 3,000 theatres, it was the opening day of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ which portrayed the 12 hours leading to the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Let us be fair and informed Bishop Peter Cullinane wrote this article in the wake of the race relations controversy sparked by Dr Don Brash when he delivered an address on this topic at Orewa on 27 January.
Orewa speech that sparked the controversy The address delivered at Orewa by Dr Don Brash which sparked the current controversy over race relation in New Zealand
Apology by Crown was part of 1995 settlement with Waikato As a part of that settlement when the Crown addressed the Tainui people of Waikato, Parliament passed into law this formal apology.
The cost of Treaty settlements How much have taxpayers actually paid to settle Treaty grievances
Forgiveness is a choice for us to let go Fr John Heijnen describes his response to the aftermath of a home invasion he experienced two days after Christmas
******************************************
'NZ CATHOLIC'
http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz
From the issue of March 7-20, 2004 of the national Cartholic newspaper ...
Huge floods close Maori boys college FEILDING - Massive flooding in Feilding temporarily closed Hato Paora Maori Boys College last month...
Support for Treaty given by bishops WELLINGTON - The Anglican and Catholic bishops have jointly expressed their support for the Treaty of Waitangi in a statement countering views expressed recently by National Party leader Dr Don Brash...
Prime Minister takes dim view of marriage AUCKLAND - The Prime Minister, Helen Clark, has expressed disapproval of marriage in an interview with the gay newspaper express...
Also in the print edition of 'NZ Catholic' ...
Cardinal heads Bible Society; Charities will register or pay tax; Caritas lifting its profile in dioceses; Bishop Meeking in role as pope; How "civil union" bills would harm society; US study highlights factors in abuse; How one parish prepared to lose its priest.
********************************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS
Cathedral mass for terror victims 13 March 2004 http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/articles/PA_NEWBLASTSpainfr22westmass?source= Hundreds of Spaniards filled Westminster Cathedral on Friday night for an emotional mass in memory of the Madrid victims...
Verily, verily The Press (Chch) 08 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/0,2106,2836856a6528,00.html The unusual release of a united pastoral letter from the leaders of the Anglican and Catholic denominations has provoked a remarkably mild reaction, writes The Press in an editorial...
Church angry after religious advertisements rejected (photo) The Age (Melbourne) 11/3/04 http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/11/1078594503631.html The Catholic Church has faced many obstacles to spreading the word in its 2000-year history, but advertising agencies in 21st century Melbourne was not one it anticipated. Slogans such as "Don't look down, look up" and "Talk to the Boss online every day" are too controversial, even illegal, Father Michael Kelly has been told...
'Truth' behind potboiler no Holy Grail of good TV NZ Herald March 14, 2004 http://tinyurl.com/2mv6d What a difference a week makes on TV3's new Thursday doco slot. Last week the network screened the best documentary to air so far this year, In the Line Of Fire... Tonight the slot holds The Da Vinci Code (8.30), an alleged investigation by America's ABC network into the bizarre but hardly new claims that Jesus married, produced offspring and that, after his death and resurrection, his descendants moved to the south of France ...
Maori Underclass Has Emerged (Press Release: NZ Council of Christian Social Services) Monday, 8 March 2004 http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0403/S00061.htm Monitoring of food banks nationally over a three year period has revealed the development and growth of a Maori underclass, according to a recent report of the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services....
NZ media accused of exploiting deported girl for commercial gain NZPA 10 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2839547a11,00.html Sri Lankan child protection authorities have hit back at "misleading and unethical" New Zealand media reports that a sexually abused girl is being forced into a prosecution...
Frail exterior belies pope's determination to shape Church Financial Times; Mar 13, 2004 http://tinyurl.com/yudm8 Physically weak but more determined than ever to shape the long-term future of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope John Paul will tomorrow become the third longest serving pontiff in 2,000 years of Christianity....
Teschemakers school reunion Otago Daily Times Monday, 8-March 2004 [Full text] Tales of midnight feasts and other girlish pranks abounded at a Teschemakers school reunion at the weekend. The Catholic girls boarding school closed in 1978, after being operated by the Dominican Sisters for 66 years. More than 200 former pupils, Dominican Sisters, teachers and friends of the college attended the reunion. A celebratory Mass was held in the Teschemakers Chapel yesterday, followed by lunch and afternoon tea at The Homestead in Oamaru. The organising committee was "overwhelmed" by the response to the reunion. Former pupils travelled from Ireland, Australia and from throughout New Zealand, one of the organisers, Edna Cogger, said.
Former NZ wicketkeeper dies NZPA 09 March 2004 [Full text] Former Wellington and New Zealand cricketer Frank Mooney has died aged 82. Mooney died yesterday and a funeral mass for the former wicketkeeper, who played 14 tests between 1949 and 1953, will be held at the St Anthony's Catholic Church at Seatoun, Wellington, on Thursday at 1pm. He played 91 first class matches in a career that ended in 1955 and made his test debut against England at Leeds in the first test of the 1949-50 tour. His last test was against South Africa at Port Elizabeth in the 1953-54 season.
Henry John O'Reilly: Sporting efforts and a smile hallmarks of Central identity ODT Saturday, 13-March 2004 http://tinyurl.com/3xt9y Harry O'Reilly was well known throughout the Clyde and Alexandra district because of his sporting efforts, his gentle nature and ability to get on with anyone. Mr O'Reilly died last month, aged 74...
*****************************************
'THE PASSION'
Gibson could make $200 mil off 'Passion' Filmmaker financed film himself, reaps profits CNN Thursday, March 11, 2004 http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/11/film.passion.reut/index.html
LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- Not only has "Passion" managed to turn around what was a decidedly lackluster year at the box office, it's also impacted on Hollywood in ways that are likely to alter how the film industry does business for years to come...
Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir says Gibson’s film is not anti-Semitic http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=483 Beirut (AsiaNews/Nahar) – Cardinal Butros Nasrallah Sfeir, Patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church, said Mel Gibson’s film “The Passion of the Christ” is “not anti-Semitic at all”. The prelate also said the film is “very tied to the facts, very moving and painful (to watch)”....
"The Passion" Isn't Anti-Semitic, Says Vatican Aide Rome's Jewish Community Wanted the Film Condemned http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=50473 Vatican City, March 11, 2004 (Zenit.org).- A Vatican spokesman says the film "The Passion of the Christ" cannot be considered anti-Semitic without also regarding the Gospel the same way. Joaquín Navarro-Valls made this statement in response to a request from Riccardo Di Segni, chief rabbi of Rome, who, after seeing the film Tuesday, asked that the Vatican condemn it officially....
Vatican sermon criticises Passion http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3506754.stm A Vatican sermon has made a veiled criticism of Mel Gibson's controversial film The Passion of the Christ. Father Raniero Cantalamessa said if the film spread the belief that all Jews were responsible for Christ's death, it should be criticised...
Bishops impressed by "The Passion": "Mel Gibson is like Mother Teresa" http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=480 Manila (AsiaNews) – Even before Bishop Teodoro Bacani of Manila saw the film, he learned from a Jesuit retreat master that the film has the impact of "four spiritual retreats" on its viewers. Hence, the bishop said, it really must be worth it...
Is 'The Passion' suitable for teens? Youth workers' opinions differ http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/20040305.htm Los Angeles (CNS) -- Given the brutal violence in "The Passion of the Christ" and its accompanying R rating, parents, youth ministers and high school teachers around the country are discerning whether or not to encourage teens to see the movie...
******************************************
FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
The Pope prays for victims of terrorist attacks in Madrid http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0403/11_1918.html Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - Pope John Paul II has voiced his deep grief and sympathy to the people of Spain after the string of bomb blasts in Madrid’s underground this morning in which 170 people were killed and at least 600 injured....
Why are the churches failing? The Age (Melbourne) March 10, 2004 http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/09/1078594360739.html The churches argue they are better attended than football. They are kidding themselves, writes Muriel Porter...
"No rise in the number of atheists in the world” http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0403/10_1907.html Vatican City (Fides Service) - To fulfil the mission entrusted to it by the Holy Father to be at the heart of profound changes at the beginning of this new millennium, the Pontifical Council for Culture felt the need to look again at two serious phenomena: non belief and religious indifference in the world, its actual importance, modalities and impact on believers and the frontier between religion and non belief consisting of so called “new religious movements” or “alternative religions”...
Mary Ann Glendon Named to Head Pontifical Academy Harvard Law Professor Chosen for Social Sciences Post http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=50338 Vatican City, March 9, 2004 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II has appointed Harvard Law School professor Mary Ann Glendon president of the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences...
Vatican posts for women http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1165025,00.html The Roman Catholic Church has quietly taken a step forward for women's equality, naming the first female theologians as Vatican consultants, and promptly denied the appointments had anything to do with their gender...
Wedged between Israel and Islam, Christians emigrate from Bethlehem http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=475 For 22 years Sister Ileana Benetello, of a Franciscan order of nuns from Padua, has helped run Bethlehem’s Baby Caritas Hospital, a pediatric medical center for poor Catholic children. She works together with 6 other nuns of the same order, 5 of whom are Italian. In an interview with AsiaNews she relates the daily problems and the lives of Christian faithful living in the region....
Sister Nirmala witnesses to Christianity in her Hindu home town http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=463 Ranchi (AsiaNews/Ucan) – “Jesus started chasing me when I was in Doranda and ultimately caught me in Patna.” Mother Teresa’s successor Sister Nirmala Joshi told the hundreds of mostly Hindus who gathered to greet the nun as she visited her birthplace for the first time in 57 years....
Directory Tells What a Bishop Should Be Vatican Publishes Pastoral Guidelines http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=50339 Vatican City, March 9, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Bishops of the 21st century should be men of prudence, humility and chastity, able to listen and to dialogue, with "a heart open to all," says the Holy See...
Arrest of Catholic Bishop Wei Jingyi; from China a call for prayers [Full text] Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On the basis of reliable information Fides confirms that the Catholic Bishop of the diocese of Qiqihar in mainland China, Bishop Wei Jingyi, was arrested on Friday 5 March. The grounds for the arrest are unknown. Bishop Wei Jingyi, aged 45, was ordained a priest in 1985 and appointed Bishop of Qiqihar in 1995. He has already been arrested twice and sent to labour camps: from 1987 to 1989 and more recently from 1990 to 1992. We ask people to pray for Bishop Wei Jingyi and to pray for conversion of the persecutors who continue to harass bishops, priests and lay members of the universal Church.
Review: New edition of the Douay-Rheims Bible, by Father John Buckley, Catholic Dean of Winchester, Diocese of Portsmouth http://www.indcatholicnews.com/dpuayyr.html
***********************************************
"THE WORD FROM ROME"
http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/
A weekly column in the National Catholic Reporter by the paper's full-time Vatican correspondent John L. Allen
Summary of the column for March 12, 2004: Discussing Karl Rahner; Archbishop Amato on 'The Passion'; appointments to International Theological Commission; Pontifical Council for Culture's survey of state of unbelief in the world; the Catholic Church in Scotland; memoirs of former US ambassador to the Holy See; manners and the shaping of the moral self
*************************************************
EVENTS
Jesus 4 Real Ministries http://www.jesus4real.org.nz "A voluntary lay ministry committed to building up the faith in Catholic teenagers"
Camp for Years 11-13: Wednesday 14 April to Sunday 18 April, Paraparaumu (near Wellington). Full details on the Website and from Anne and Andy Lovell, tel (06) 364 3141
***************************************************
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 ]
Prison Chaplain, Mt Eden Prison Women's Division Details in 'NZ Catholic' Feb.22 p.22 and from Eric Allan, Director, Catholic and Family Community Services, tel. (09) 378 9650
Lecturer in Relgious Education, Catholic Institute of Theology, Auckland Details in 'NZ Catholic' March 7-20 2004 p.22 and from The Registrar, Catholic Institute of Theology, 16 Waterloo Quadrant, Auckland 1001. Tel: (09) 379 6424; fax (09) 379 6426; e-mail cit@auckland.ac.nz Applications close 31 March 2004
*****************************************
LENT 2004
"Receive children, the future of humanity": Message of His Holiness John Paul II for Lent 2004 (full text) http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=311
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand http://www.caritas.org.nz/lent.asp The theme of Caritas' Lent appeal for 2004 is “The Spirit of Hope is at Work in the World” taken from Pope John Paul II’s World Day of Peace Message, 1998. The donations Caritas receives from this appeal help fund development projects around the world. The Lenten envelopes distributed by Catholic parishes throughout the country, highlight five of these projects and provide information on how Caritas works with communities through sustainable development. Donations by credit card are most welcome and may be made by opening
**********************************
CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ
http://www.cathcom.org.nz
MEDIA RELEASE Catholic Church to establish office to evaluate abuse complaints New Zealand’s Catholic bishops and leaders of religious orders confirmed at a meeting last week that an independent national office for professional standards will be established. The purpose of this office is to evaluate and oversee the Church’s procedures for dealing with complaints of abuse....
INTERNATIONAL NEWS CEO chief backs Minister's action on male teachers Sydney Catholic Education Office executive director Br Kelvin Canavan has welcomed Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson's efforts to overturn sex discrimination laws in order to open the way for gender-specific scholarships to encourage more men to become teachers.
Vatican plea at UN for greater role for women An increased role for women will benefit a society that is 'organised solely according to the criteria of efficiency and productivity or of brute force,' the Vatican said in a statement presented at United Nations headquarters in New York last week.
Pope orders top gear evangelisation to counter sects Pope John Paul II has said the Catholic Church must step up its efforts to match the 'spreading' evangelical force of the modern sects that are targeting 'those who find themselves in difficulties and loneliness'.
Vatican tells bishops how to do their job The Congregation for Bishops has issued a 258 page manual offering advice and setting forth norms regarding the use of episcopal authority and the proper responses to contemporary problems.
Most 'Patriotic' Chinese bishops approved by Rome About two-thirds of the bishops of China's state-sanctioned Catholic Church are recognised by the Holy See, according to an article in the Italian Jesuit journal Civilta Cattolica.
Haitian bishops voice fears as island spirals into chaos Haiti's Catholic bishops' have described the worsening situation in the country as a 'nightmare', according to a report received by the charity Aid to the Church in Need.
************************************************
'WEL-COM'
http://www.welcom.org.nz
From the March 2004 issue of the Wellington and Palmerston North diocesan newspaper...
Cardinal Williams' Column: Were you puzzled by last Sunday’s Gospel?
Bishop John Dew's Refelction: People of patience, kindness, tolerance and hope
Christ’s passion as we have never before experienced it It’s probable that Ash Wednesday 2004 was like no other, as Christians began preparing for Good Friday and Easter. In over 3,000 theatres, it was the opening day of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ which portrayed the 12 hours leading to the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Let us be fair and informed Bishop Peter Cullinane wrote this article in the wake of the race relations controversy sparked by Dr Don Brash when he delivered an address on this topic at Orewa on 27 January.
Orewa speech that sparked the controversy The address delivered at Orewa by Dr Don Brash which sparked the current controversy over race relation in New Zealand
Apology by Crown was part of 1995 settlement with Waikato As a part of that settlement when the Crown addressed the Tainui people of Waikato, Parliament passed into law this formal apology.
The cost of Treaty settlements How much have taxpayers actually paid to settle Treaty grievances
Forgiveness is a choice for us to let go Fr John Heijnen describes his response to the aftermath of a home invasion he experienced two days after Christmas
******************************************
'NZ CATHOLIC'
http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz
From the issue of March 7-20, 2004 of the national Cartholic newspaper ...
Huge floods close Maori boys college FEILDING - Massive flooding in Feilding temporarily closed Hato Paora Maori Boys College last month...
Support for Treaty given by bishops WELLINGTON - The Anglican and Catholic bishops have jointly expressed their support for the Treaty of Waitangi in a statement countering views expressed recently by National Party leader Dr Don Brash...
Prime Minister takes dim view of marriage AUCKLAND - The Prime Minister, Helen Clark, has expressed disapproval of marriage in an interview with the gay newspaper express...
Also in the print edition of 'NZ Catholic' ...
Cardinal heads Bible Society; Charities will register or pay tax; Caritas lifting its profile in dioceses; Bishop Meeking in role as pope; How "civil union" bills would harm society; US study highlights factors in abuse; How one parish prepared to lose its priest.
********************************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS
Cathedral mass for terror victims 13 March 2004 http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/articles/PA_NEWBLASTSpainfr22westmass?source= Hundreds of Spaniards filled Westminster Cathedral on Friday night for an emotional mass in memory of the Madrid victims...
Verily, verily The Press (Chch) 08 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/0,2106,2836856a6528,00.html The unusual release of a united pastoral letter from the leaders of the Anglican and Catholic denominations has provoked a remarkably mild reaction, writes The Press in an editorial...
Church angry after religious advertisements rejected (photo) The Age (Melbourne) 11/3/04 http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/11/1078594503631.html The Catholic Church has faced many obstacles to spreading the word in its 2000-year history, but advertising agencies in 21st century Melbourne was not one it anticipated. Slogans such as "Don't look down, look up" and "Talk to the Boss online every day" are too controversial, even illegal, Father Michael Kelly has been told...
'Truth' behind potboiler no Holy Grail of good TV NZ Herald March 14, 2004 http://tinyurl.com/2mv6d What a difference a week makes on TV3's new Thursday doco slot. Last week the network screened the best documentary to air so far this year, In the Line Of Fire... Tonight the slot holds The Da Vinci Code (8.30), an alleged investigation by America's ABC network into the bizarre but hardly new claims that Jesus married, produced offspring and that, after his death and resurrection, his descendants moved to the south of France ...
Maori Underclass Has Emerged (Press Release: NZ Council of Christian Social Services) Monday, 8 March 2004 http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0403/S00061.htm Monitoring of food banks nationally over a three year period has revealed the development and growth of a Maori underclass, according to a recent report of the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services....
NZ media accused of exploiting deported girl for commercial gain NZPA 10 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2839547a11,00.html Sri Lankan child protection authorities have hit back at "misleading and unethical" New Zealand media reports that a sexually abused girl is being forced into a prosecution...
Frail exterior belies pope's determination to shape Church Financial Times; Mar 13, 2004 http://tinyurl.com/yudm8 Physically weak but more determined than ever to shape the long-term future of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope John Paul will tomorrow become the third longest serving pontiff in 2,000 years of Christianity....
Teschemakers school reunion Otago Daily Times Monday, 8-March 2004 [Full text] Tales of midnight feasts and other girlish pranks abounded at a Teschemakers school reunion at the weekend. The Catholic girls boarding school closed in 1978, after being operated by the Dominican Sisters for 66 years. More than 200 former pupils, Dominican Sisters, teachers and friends of the college attended the reunion. A celebratory Mass was held in the Teschemakers Chapel yesterday, followed by lunch and afternoon tea at The Homestead in Oamaru. The organising committee was "overwhelmed" by the response to the reunion. Former pupils travelled from Ireland, Australia and from throughout New Zealand, one of the organisers, Edna Cogger, said.
Former NZ wicketkeeper dies NZPA 09 March 2004 [Full text] Former Wellington and New Zealand cricketer Frank Mooney has died aged 82. Mooney died yesterday and a funeral mass for the former wicketkeeper, who played 14 tests between 1949 and 1953, will be held at the St Anthony's Catholic Church at Seatoun, Wellington, on Thursday at 1pm. He played 91 first class matches in a career that ended in 1955 and made his test debut against England at Leeds in the first test of the 1949-50 tour. His last test was against South Africa at Port Elizabeth in the 1953-54 season.
Henry John O'Reilly: Sporting efforts and a smile hallmarks of Central identity ODT Saturday, 13-March 2004 http://tinyurl.com/3xt9y Harry O'Reilly was well known throughout the Clyde and Alexandra district because of his sporting efforts, his gentle nature and ability to get on with anyone. Mr O'Reilly died last month, aged 74...
*****************************************
'THE PASSION'
Gibson could make $200 mil off 'Passion' Filmmaker financed film himself, reaps profits CNN Thursday, March 11, 2004 http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/11/film.passion.reut/index.html
LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- Not only has "Passion" managed to turn around what was a decidedly lackluster year at the box office, it's also impacted on Hollywood in ways that are likely to alter how the film industry does business for years to come...
Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir says Gibson’s film is not anti-Semitic http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=483 Beirut (AsiaNews/Nahar) – Cardinal Butros Nasrallah Sfeir, Patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church, said Mel Gibson’s film “The Passion of the Christ” is “not anti-Semitic at all”. The prelate also said the film is “very tied to the facts, very moving and painful (to watch)”....
"The Passion" Isn't Anti-Semitic, Says Vatican Aide Rome's Jewish Community Wanted the Film Condemned http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=50473 Vatican City, March 11, 2004 (Zenit.org).- A Vatican spokesman says the film "The Passion of the Christ" cannot be considered anti-Semitic without also regarding the Gospel the same way. Joaquín Navarro-Valls made this statement in response to a request from Riccardo Di Segni, chief rabbi of Rome, who, after seeing the film Tuesday, asked that the Vatican condemn it officially....
Vatican sermon criticises Passion http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3506754.stm A Vatican sermon has made a veiled criticism of Mel Gibson's controversial film The Passion of the Christ. Father Raniero Cantalamessa said if the film spread the belief that all Jews were responsible for Christ's death, it should be criticised...
Bishops impressed by "The Passion": "Mel Gibson is like Mother Teresa" http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=480 Manila (AsiaNews) – Even before Bishop Teodoro Bacani of Manila saw the film, he learned from a Jesuit retreat master that the film has the impact of "four spiritual retreats" on its viewers. Hence, the bishop said, it really must be worth it...
Is 'The Passion' suitable for teens? Youth workers' opinions differ http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/20040305.htm Los Angeles (CNS) -- Given the brutal violence in "The Passion of the Christ" and its accompanying R rating, parents, youth ministers and high school teachers around the country are discerning whether or not to encourage teens to see the movie...
******************************************
FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
The Pope prays for victims of terrorist attacks in Madrid http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0403/11_1918.html Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - Pope John Paul II has voiced his deep grief and sympathy to the people of Spain after the string of bomb blasts in Madrid’s underground this morning in which 170 people were killed and at least 600 injured....
Why are the churches failing? The Age (Melbourne) March 10, 2004 http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/09/1078594360739.html The churches argue they are better attended than football. They are kidding themselves, writes Muriel Porter...
"No rise in the number of atheists in the world” http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0403/10_1907.html Vatican City (Fides Service) - To fulfil the mission entrusted to it by the Holy Father to be at the heart of profound changes at the beginning of this new millennium, the Pontifical Council for Culture felt the need to look again at two serious phenomena: non belief and religious indifference in the world, its actual importance, modalities and impact on believers and the frontier between religion and non belief consisting of so called “new religious movements” or “alternative religions”...
Mary Ann Glendon Named to Head Pontifical Academy Harvard Law Professor Chosen for Social Sciences Post http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=50338 Vatican City, March 9, 2004 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II has appointed Harvard Law School professor Mary Ann Glendon president of the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences...
Vatican posts for women http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1165025,00.html The Roman Catholic Church has quietly taken a step forward for women's equality, naming the first female theologians as Vatican consultants, and promptly denied the appointments had anything to do with their gender...
Wedged between Israel and Islam, Christians emigrate from Bethlehem http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=475 For 22 years Sister Ileana Benetello, of a Franciscan order of nuns from Padua, has helped run Bethlehem’s Baby Caritas Hospital, a pediatric medical center for poor Catholic children. She works together with 6 other nuns of the same order, 5 of whom are Italian. In an interview with AsiaNews she relates the daily problems and the lives of Christian faithful living in the region....
Sister Nirmala witnesses to Christianity in her Hindu home town http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=463 Ranchi (AsiaNews/Ucan) – “Jesus started chasing me when I was in Doranda and ultimately caught me in Patna.” Mother Teresa’s successor Sister Nirmala Joshi told the hundreds of mostly Hindus who gathered to greet the nun as she visited her birthplace for the first time in 57 years....
Directory Tells What a Bishop Should Be Vatican Publishes Pastoral Guidelines http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=50339 Vatican City, March 9, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Bishops of the 21st century should be men of prudence, humility and chastity, able to listen and to dialogue, with "a heart open to all," says the Holy See...
Arrest of Catholic Bishop Wei Jingyi; from China a call for prayers [Full text] Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On the basis of reliable information Fides confirms that the Catholic Bishop of the diocese of Qiqihar in mainland China, Bishop Wei Jingyi, was arrested on Friday 5 March. The grounds for the arrest are unknown. Bishop Wei Jingyi, aged 45, was ordained a priest in 1985 and appointed Bishop of Qiqihar in 1995. He has already been arrested twice and sent to labour camps: from 1987 to 1989 and more recently from 1990 to 1992. We ask people to pray for Bishop Wei Jingyi and to pray for conversion of the persecutors who continue to harass bishops, priests and lay members of the universal Church.
Review: New edition of the Douay-Rheims Bible, by Father John Buckley, Catholic Dean of Winchester, Diocese of Portsmouth http://www.indcatholicnews.com/dpuayyr.html
***********************************************
"THE WORD FROM ROME"
http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/
A weekly column in the National Catholic Reporter by the paper's full-time Vatican correspondent John L. Allen
Summary of the column for March 12, 2004: Discussing Karl Rahner; Archbishop Amato on 'The Passion'; appointments to International Theological Commission; Pontifical Council for Culture's survey of state of unbelief in the world; the Catholic Church in Scotland; memoirs of former US ambassador to the Holy See; manners and the shaping of the moral self
*************************************************
EVENTS
Jesus 4 Real Ministries http://www.jesus4real.org.nz "A voluntary lay ministry committed to building up the faith in Catholic teenagers"
Camp for Years 11-13: Wednesday 14 April to Sunday 18 April, Paraparaumu (near Wellington). Full details on the Website and from Anne and Andy Lovell, tel (06) 364 3141
***************************************************
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 ]
Prison Chaplain, Mt Eden Prison Women's Division Details in 'NZ Catholic' Feb.22 p.22 and from Eric Allan, Director, Catholic and Family Community Services, tel. (09) 378 9650
Lecturer in Relgious Education, Catholic Institute of Theology, Auckland Details in 'NZ Catholic' March 7-20 2004 p.22 and from The Registrar, Catholic Institute of Theology, 16 Waterloo Quadrant, Auckland 1001. Tel: (09) 379 6424; fax (09) 379 6426; e-mail cit@auckland.ac.nz Applications close 31 March 2004
*****************************************
Sunday, March 7, 2004
************************************
LENT 2004
Angelus prayer: Make Lent “a generous competition in showing solidarity” with children especially those in most danger and difficulty http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0403/01_1826.html
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand http://www.caritas.org.nz/lent.asp The theme of Caritas' Lent appeal for 2004 is “The Spirit of Hope is at Work in the World” taken from Pope John Paul II’s World Day of Peace Message, 1998. The donations Caritas receives from this appeal help fund development projects around the world. The Lenten envelopes distributed by Catholic parishes throughout the country, highlight five of these projects and provide information on how Caritas works with communities through sustainable development. Donations by credit card are most welcome and may be made by opening http://www.caritas.org.nz/lent.asp
Lent Reflection Programme 2004 Each year Caritas also prepares a programme for use by small groups in parishes during Lent. This year's programme of four small group sessions involves Scripture-based reflection, focusing on the Gospels of the Sundays of Lent and exploring the meaning of Lent. It includes prayers from the Psalms and other readings, and is an open and prayerful process.
Education Resources for Lent 2004 For schools there is an education section which brings pertinent global issues into the classroom. The primary school material focuses on Kenya. The secondary school teacher resource for year 9-11 looks at International debt and World Trade and the manner in which they affect developing nations. The Year 12-13 students have a unit written for unit standard 6035. The ethical issue focused on is World Trade and the ways it affects food security. (resources available via http://www.caritas.org.nz/lent.asp )
**************************************
CATHOLICTV.NET
http://www.catholictv.net
New videos from the Wellington Archdiocesan Media Centre:
** Archdiocesan liturgy advisor Fr John Greally on Lent: "It's the putting right that counts".
** Ash Wednesday service at the Cenotaph (War Memorial) in Wellington
**************************************
NEW ZEALAND CATHOLIC DIRECTORY 2004
The 195-page New Zealand Catholic Directory contains the names of personnel and full contact information for the six Catholic dioceses of our country, including every parish, school, religious order, agency and apostolate recognised by our bishops. It is an indispensable reference for anyone who regularly needs to contact Church workers in or outside their diocese. The price is NZ$25.00 per copy.
The Directory can be ordered from: Catholic Communications, Pomapllier Diocesan Centre Private Bag 47 904 Ponsonby Auckland 1034 Tel: (09) 378 8017; fax: (09) 360 3061; e-mail: communications@catholic.org.nz
************************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS
Don Brash takes aim at religious leaders NZ Herald 05.03.2004 http://tinyurl.com/2z7qt National's leader, Don Brash, has taken a swipe at religious leaders after they united to say ignoring the Treaty of Waitangi's importance could erode New Zealand's moral foundation....
Full text of Don Brash's speech: http://www.nbr.co.nz/home/column_article.asp?id=8427&cid=15&cname=
Bishops labelled 'pompous and out of touch' The Dominion Post 02 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2831140a11,00.html National Party deputy leader Gerry Brownlee is calling a group of bishops "pompous, pious and out of touch" after they condemned the party's race-based campaign...
'Bring it on' says Clark of debate over NZ's future NZ Herald 05.03.2004 http://tinyurl.com/293u6 Helen Clark last night backed the Anglican and Catholic bishops who have called for a "treaty debate" rather than a "race debate" in the wake of the Don Brash's Orewa speech, saying "Bring it on"....
Full text of Helen Clark's "Hikoi of Hope" speech http://www.nbr.co.nz/home/column_article.asp?id=8426&cid=15&cname=
Concern over delay in appointing bishop Otago Daily times Wednesday, 3-March 2004 http://tinyurl.com/2yr6e A delay in appointing a new Roman Catholic Bishop of Dunedin is not due to a lack of worthy candidates, Archbishop Patrick Coveney says. The present bishop, the Most Rev Leonard Boyle (73), announced his retirement to the Otago-Southland diocese in September 2002, for health reasons....
Bible survives trip down flooded river NZ Herald 04.03.2004 http://tinyurl.com/2cp92 "God works in mysterious ways" is the only way Bill Herlihy can explain how a family heirloom survived a 15km journey down the Oroua River. Mr Herlihy's Feilding home was washed away on February 16. Inside was his grandfather's 120-year-old leather-bound Bible....
New bid to get abuse girl back NZ Herald 04.03.2004 http://tinyurl.com/38v53 Lawyers are redoubling efforts to bring back the expelled Sri Lankan teenager after receiving a graphic account of an allegedly intrusive physical examination by male doctors. They examined the girl at a Colombo hospital on Saturday against her will, the grandmother claimed, after she was taken from a Catholic convent where the pair have been sheltering since their expulsion from New Zealand on February 12...
*************************************
***********************************************
"THE WORD FROM ROME"
http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/
A weekly column in the National Catholic Reporter by the paper's full-time Vatican correspondent John L. Allen
Summary of the column for March 5, 2004: Top ten "Papabile" - notes on five Italian cardinals and five Cardnals from the developing world who might succeed Pope John Paul.
********************************************
TREATY OF WAITANGI RESOURCES
Resources on Treaty issues for Christian groups Press Release: Ecumenical Coalition for Justice Wednesday, 3 March 2004, 2:30 pm
The Auckland-based Ecumenical Coalition for Justice has commissioned the preparation of resources on issues related to the Treaty of Waitangi. These resources will be designed especially for use by Christian church groups.
The study documents will give information, and encourage discussion on: - The promotion of the Treaty of Waitangi by early Christian missionaries - The role of the Christian churches in ensuring that Treaty promises are upheld - What Christian churches have done and can do to foster the relationships of care and respect sought by those who promoted the Treaty as a sacred covenant - Contemporary moral and ethical issues regarding the Treaty of Waitangi and race relations generally - The foreshore and seabed issue - The Implications of the Treaty for immigration policy
‘The decision to produce these resources is timely’, says Coalition spokesperson Rodger Smith. ‘When we initiated this project last year we had no idea that Treaty issues and race relations were to go so soon to the top of the national agenda.
‘Many Christian communities feel a particular responsibility towards the honouring of the Treaty because Christian missionaries were so involved in the events leading up to the signing of the Treaty and afterwards. Also, in recent years, a number of Churches have done significant work into the study and implementation of Treaty commitments.
‘The project is funded from grants from CWS (Christian World Service), CARITAS (The Catholic Agency for Justice Peace and Development), CASI (Church Agency for Social Issues), and CCANZ (Conference of Christian Churches of Aotearoa New Zealand). Their funding enables us to provide resources that will be of help to Christians who want to understand and respond to the issues.’
For further background on the Ecumenical Coalition for Justice and this project, contact: John Roberts mm-e@ clear.net.nz David Tutty davidt@ cda.org.nz
*************************************************
EVENTS
Jesus 4 Real Ministries http://www.jesus4real.org.nz "A voluntary lay ministry committed to building up the faith in Catholic teenagers"
Camp for Years 11-13: Wednesday 14 April to Sunday 18 April, Paraparaumu (near Wellington). Full details on the Website and from Anne and Andy Lovell, tel (06) 364 3141
***************************************************
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 ]
Prison Chaplain, Mt Eden Prison Women's Division Details in 'NZ Catholic' Feb.22 p.22 and from Eric Allan, Director, Catholic and Family Community Services, tel. (09) 378 9650
Lecturer in Relgious Education, Catholic Institute of Theology, Auckland Details in 'NZ Catholic' March 7-20 2004 p.22 and from The Registrar, Catholic Institute of Theology, 16 Waterloo Quadrant, Auckland 1001. Tel: (09) 379 6424; fax (09) 379 6426; e-mail cit@auckland.ac.nz Applications close 31 March 2004
LENT 2004
Angelus prayer: Make Lent “a generous competition in showing solidarity” with children especially those in most danger and difficulty http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0403/01_1826.html
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand http://www.caritas.org.nz/lent.asp The theme of Caritas' Lent appeal for 2004 is “The Spirit of Hope is at Work in the World” taken from Pope John Paul II’s World Day of Peace Message, 1998. The donations Caritas receives from this appeal help fund development projects around the world. The Lenten envelopes distributed by Catholic parishes throughout the country, highlight five of these projects and provide information on how Caritas works with communities through sustainable development. Donations by credit card are most welcome and may be made by opening http://www.caritas.org.nz/lent.asp
Lent Reflection Programme 2004 Each year Caritas also prepares a programme for use by small groups in parishes during Lent. This year's programme of four small group sessions involves Scripture-based reflection, focusing on the Gospels of the Sundays of Lent and exploring the meaning of Lent. It includes prayers from the Psalms and other readings, and is an open and prayerful process.
Education Resources for Lent 2004 For schools there is an education section which brings pertinent global issues into the classroom. The primary school material focuses on Kenya. The secondary school teacher resource for year 9-11 looks at International debt and World Trade and the manner in which they affect developing nations. The Year 12-13 students have a unit written for unit standard 6035. The ethical issue focused on is World Trade and the ways it affects food security. (resources available via http://www.caritas.org.nz/lent.asp )
**************************************
CATHOLICTV.NET
http://www.catholictv.net
New videos from the Wellington Archdiocesan Media Centre:
** Archdiocesan liturgy advisor Fr John Greally on Lent: "It's the putting right that counts".
** Ash Wednesday service at the Cenotaph (War Memorial) in Wellington
**************************************
NEW ZEALAND CATHOLIC DIRECTORY 2004
The 195-page New Zealand Catholic Directory contains the names of personnel and full contact information for the six Catholic dioceses of our country, including every parish, school, religious order, agency and apostolate recognised by our bishops. It is an indispensable reference for anyone who regularly needs to contact Church workers in or outside their diocese. The price is NZ$25.00 per copy.
The Directory can be ordered from: Catholic Communications, Pomapllier Diocesan Centre Private Bag 47 904 Ponsonby Auckland 1034 Tel: (09) 378 8017; fax: (09) 360 3061; e-mail: communications@catholic.org.nz
************************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS
Don Brash takes aim at religious leaders NZ Herald 05.03.2004 http://tinyurl.com/2z7qt National's leader, Don Brash, has taken a swipe at religious leaders after they united to say ignoring the Treaty of Waitangi's importance could erode New Zealand's moral foundation....
Full text of Don Brash's speech: http://www.nbr.co.nz/home/column_article.asp?id=8427&cid=15&cname=
Bishops labelled 'pompous and out of touch' The Dominion Post 02 March 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2831140a11,00.html National Party deputy leader Gerry Brownlee is calling a group of bishops "pompous, pious and out of touch" after they condemned the party's race-based campaign...
'Bring it on' says Clark of debate over NZ's future NZ Herald 05.03.2004 http://tinyurl.com/293u6 Helen Clark last night backed the Anglican and Catholic bishops who have called for a "treaty debate" rather than a "race debate" in the wake of the Don Brash's Orewa speech, saying "Bring it on"....
Full text of Helen Clark's "Hikoi of Hope" speech http://www.nbr.co.nz/home/column_article.asp?id=8426&cid=15&cname=
Concern over delay in appointing bishop Otago Daily times Wednesday, 3-March 2004 http://tinyurl.com/2yr6e A delay in appointing a new Roman Catholic Bishop of Dunedin is not due to a lack of worthy candidates, Archbishop Patrick Coveney says. The present bishop, the Most Rev Leonard Boyle (73), announced his retirement to the Otago-Southland diocese in September 2002, for health reasons....
Bible survives trip down flooded river NZ Herald 04.03.2004 http://tinyurl.com/2cp92 "God works in mysterious ways" is the only way Bill Herlihy can explain how a family heirloom survived a 15km journey down the Oroua River. Mr Herlihy's Feilding home was washed away on February 16. Inside was his grandfather's 120-year-old leather-bound Bible....
New bid to get abuse girl back NZ Herald 04.03.2004 http://tinyurl.com/38v53 Lawyers are redoubling efforts to bring back the expelled Sri Lankan teenager after receiving a graphic account of an allegedly intrusive physical examination by male doctors. They examined the girl at a Colombo hospital on Saturday against her will, the grandmother claimed, after she was taken from a Catholic convent where the pair have been sheltering since their expulsion from New Zealand on February 12...
*************************************
***********************************************
"THE WORD FROM ROME"
http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/
A weekly column in the National Catholic Reporter by the paper's full-time Vatican correspondent John L. Allen
Summary of the column for March 5, 2004: Top ten "Papabile" - notes on five Italian cardinals and five Cardnals from the developing world who might succeed Pope John Paul.
********************************************
TREATY OF WAITANGI RESOURCES
Resources on Treaty issues for Christian groups Press Release: Ecumenical Coalition for Justice Wednesday, 3 March 2004, 2:30 pm
The Auckland-based Ecumenical Coalition for Justice has commissioned the preparation of resources on issues related to the Treaty of Waitangi. These resources will be designed especially for use by Christian church groups.
The study documents will give information, and encourage discussion on: - The promotion of the Treaty of Waitangi by early Christian missionaries - The role of the Christian churches in ensuring that Treaty promises are upheld - What Christian churches have done and can do to foster the relationships of care and respect sought by those who promoted the Treaty as a sacred covenant - Contemporary moral and ethical issues regarding the Treaty of Waitangi and race relations generally - The foreshore and seabed issue - The Implications of the Treaty for immigration policy
‘The decision to produce these resources is timely’, says Coalition spokesperson Rodger Smith. ‘When we initiated this project last year we had no idea that Treaty issues and race relations were to go so soon to the top of the national agenda.
‘Many Christian communities feel a particular responsibility towards the honouring of the Treaty because Christian missionaries were so involved in the events leading up to the signing of the Treaty and afterwards. Also, in recent years, a number of Churches have done significant work into the study and implementation of Treaty commitments.
‘The project is funded from grants from CWS (Christian World Service), CARITAS (The Catholic Agency for Justice Peace and Development), CASI (Church Agency for Social Issues), and CCANZ (Conference of Christian Churches of Aotearoa New Zealand). Their funding enables us to provide resources that will be of help to Christians who want to understand and respond to the issues.’
For further background on the Ecumenical Coalition for Justice and this project, contact: John Roberts mm-e@ clear.net.nz David Tutty davidt@ cda.org.nz
*************************************************
EVENTS
Jesus 4 Real Ministries http://www.jesus4real.org.nz "A voluntary lay ministry committed to building up the faith in Catholic teenagers"
Camp for Years 11-13: Wednesday 14 April to Sunday 18 April, Paraparaumu (near Wellington). Full details on the Website and from Anne and Andy Lovell, tel (06) 364 3141
***************************************************
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 ]
Prison Chaplain, Mt Eden Prison Women's Division Details in 'NZ Catholic' Feb.22 p.22 and from Eric Allan, Director, Catholic and Family Community Services, tel. (09) 378 9650
Lecturer in Relgious Education, Catholic Institute of Theology, Auckland Details in 'NZ Catholic' March 7-20 2004 p.22 and from The Registrar, Catholic Institute of Theology, 16 Waterloo Quadrant, Auckland 1001. Tel: (09) 379 6424; fax (09) 379 6426; e-mail cit@auckland.ac.nz Applications close 31 March 2004
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)