Dear 'kiwicatholics',
Here we go: the first of the 'News and Notes' series of (more or less)
weekly posts, with summaries of stories in the New Zealand Catholic
Press online, plus news of the New Zealand Catholic Internet.
CATHOLIC PRESS
From this weekend's 'NZ Catholic' newspaper, at:
http://www.catholic.org/newzealand/cathcom/press/nzc/front.html
'ICEL bishops discuss attack from Vatican'
Bishop Cullinnane's report from the London meeting of the International
Committee on English in the Liturgy which has been in strife with the
Vatican Congregation for liturgical texts. Photo. Links to: Web site of
the U.S. Catholic Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy (includes a monthly
newsletter) ... Cardinal Medina Estivez' letter criticising the ICEL.
'SMSM vocations too numerous for novitiate'
The novitiate of the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary in
Avondale is up for sale because it hasn't got room for all the new
novices. It's moving to premises in Sydney. Photo. Link to the
international Web site of the Marist Missionary Sisters - SMSM
'Auckland priest takes on global roles'
Mt Wellington parish priest and Vietnamese community chaplain Fr Andrew
Nguyen Huu Le has accepted a role as special adviser to the United
States Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom. Photo.
Links to: "The Heart of a Priest", a talk by Fr Andrew ... a
biographical background on Robert A Seiple, the ambassador mentioned in
the story ... an interview with the Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City
(Saigon) .. and a link to the Asian Catholic news service UCAN.
NZ Catholic newspaper is sending me the text and pictures for its chosen
stories this year, whereas before I was scanning them from the printed
copy. If the new arrangement holds up, I will soon have time to include
a full table of contents for each issue of 'NZC' to draw to attention to
the rich variety of other articles and information in our national
newspaper.
And speaking of newspapers, for an insight into how the other half
lives, drop in on 'Challenge Weekly' http://challengeweekly.co.nz
It's New Zealand's only weekly Christian newspaper and many of the
issues raised in it come up in 'kiwicatholic' also. Actually, only a
fortnight ago the home page title at the top of the screen read: "New
Zealand's only *Christian* newspaper". I wrote to the editors pointing
out that they were being a bit rough on 'NZ Catholic' and 'Wel-com' and
behold: they changed the title.
NEW WEB PAGES
New sites on the New Zealand Catholic Internet include:
Geraldine Parish, South Canterbury (created by 'kiwicatholic' Elizabeth
O'Brien);
the Capuchin Franciscans (responsible for the Secular Franciscan Order
in NZ);
Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions RNDM.
The 'Media releases' page of our sponsor NZ Catholic Education Office
announces a new school: Mary McKillop in Mangere, south Auckland, and
some reflections on education and New Zealand society by the director of
NZCEO Br Pat Lynch, recently returned from a Unesco conference overseas.
Links to all of these are on the 'What's New' page of the bishops' site
at: http://www.catholic.org/newzealand
The RNDM and Capuchin* sites are good examples of how simple it can be
for our religious orders and larger apostolates to have a presence on
the Internet. In both cases a single page gives basic background
information on the Order's New Zealand activities with local contact
details. This won't need updating very often.
The page is linked to the international Web site maintained by the
parent religious order, where readers can find out all they need to know
about the historical background and specific apostolate of the Order,
which also hosts the New Zealand page on its server and quite possibly
composed the page. In other words, there's nothing to it, where a local
Catholic group has an international parent body with its own Web site.
Let's pray that there will soon be many more of these simple but useful
pages filling in the colourful mosaic of Catholic life in New Zealand on
the World Wide Web; and that through them, many of our fellow-Kiwis will
be drawn to "come and see" where and how we live our life of faith.
* "Cappuccino" in Italian. Brown habit, brown coffee see?
THE GREAT JUBILEE OF THE YEAR 2000
The bishops' home page now has a prominent link by this title to all our
resources and links on the Jubilee. The "News and Events" page carries
links to New Zealand and overseas press, audio and video reports on the
main events of the Jubilee Year.
I update the News and Events page at least twice a week so you might
want to bookmark it separately in your browser. Open this page:
http://www.catholic.org/newzealand/cathom/jubilee/news.html
then open the browser's 'Bookmarks' or 'Favorites' menu and click either
'Add to Favorites' or 'Add Bookmark' as the browser may be.
PARACHUTE FESTIVAL EXTREME ..
... is the major annual Christian music festival in New Zealand; home
page: http://www.parachute.co.nz
It takes place on Waitangi weekend 4-6 February at Totara Springs Camp,
Matamata. There'll also be a sports tournament and guest speakers. To
any 'kiwicatholic' who goes to the Festival: please consider sending a
short report to your e-mail forum.
Every best wish and all God's blessings,
Mike Leon
'kiwicatholic' list manager
