Sunday, May 21, 2000

Dear 'kiwicatholics',

A special word of thanks to Paul Malcolm Robertson for the fine first-hand report on Catholic Schools' Day at Eden Park.

Thank you also to Jonathan Godfrey who reminded me to remind you about anti-virus security. At the Xtra virus security page -http://www.xtrasite.co.nz/help/securityvirus.html - you can read helpful tips about computer security, and review the principal types of anti-virus software available in New Zealand.

This weekend's 'NZ Catholic' newspaper includes an annual advertising feature about our New Zealand Catholic schools. One aspect of it completely baffles me.

Of the 21 high schools which have advertisements this year, 14 have Web sites describing their school's curriculum and environment in text and pictures in far more detail than it's practical to do in an advertisement. Yet only one of the 14 (Catholic Cathedral College) has included their home page address with their other contact information. This happens year after year and I cannot understand it.

I can't believe it's because of embarrassment. Our secondary school Web sites are at least comparable in their look and content to the New Zealand average, and some have gone to considerable expense to have professional-looking pages made. It's one of those questions which are difficult to ask without causing offence, and yet it screams for an answer: why establish your school on the World Wide Web and then keep quiet about it? It doesn't make sense. What's more, Web site addresses are commonplace now in advertisements for schools and everything else, so that people have come to expect them. In omitting their home page addresses, our Catholic schools risk giving a false impression that they lag behind others in their use of modern media!

I have mentioned this point today in a post to Pat McCarthty, editor of 'NZ Catholic'. What the schools put in their advertisements is of course entirely up to them, but if their home pages are being omitted just because of an oversight (affecting all 13??) then perhaps Pat might give them a gentle nudge next year.

God bless,

Mike Leon
'kiwicatholic' list manager
***********************************

'NZ CATHOLIC' NEWSPAPER - 21 May 2000
http://www.catholic.org/newzealand/cathcom/press/nzc/front.html

'Married, gay and de facto all together in new law?'
The Catholic bishops have expressed their "very serious concern" to the Government at its apparent intention to have marriage, de facto relationships and same-sex relationships put into one piece of property legislation. The proposed amendments will see the Matrimonial Property Act renamed the Relationships Property Act. [Links to related stories in the Christchurch Press and the NZ Herald]

'Question over employment bill'
Legal advice sought by the Catholic Education Office says Catholic schools face little risk from restrictions in a draft bill on employing teachers on religious grounds. [Link to NZCEO's home page]

'Holy Cross seminary celebrates century'
Ten bishops and 70 priests took part in the Holy Cross Seminary centenary celebration Mass at Ponsonby Sacred Heart Church on May 3 -100 years to the day since it opened its doors. [Photo. Link to a related story and photo in the NZ Herald]

NZ CATHOLIC EDUCATION OFFICE - MEDIA RELEASES http://www.catholic.org/newzealand/nzceo/media/M1.html
From our forum's sponsor NZCEO there are two new press releases: once concerning the proposed decriminalisation of cannabis [links to Department of Health documents on the subject]; and the other on the rise and rehabilitation of ethics in the workplace [link to Auckland University of Technology which teaches ethics as part of business studies]

NATIONAL CATHOLIC DIRECTORY 2000
http://www.catholic.org/newzealand/cathcom/directory/frdirectory.html
The annual New Zealand Catholic Directory is published by Catholic Communications. It contains contact details - phone and fax numbers, street, e-mail and web site address, and principal personnel - for every parish, school, diocesan office and organisation recognised by our bishops. It is an extremely useful handbook for anyone who is active in services to the Church, and a bargain at $20 a copy plus postage. You can order copies from Catholic Communications, Pompallier Diocesan Centre, Private Bag, Ponsonby, Auckland. E-mail: cathcomm@xtra.co.nz ; fax: +64 9 360 3061 ; telephone: + 64 9 378 8017. You will receive an invoice with your order.

On the bishops' Web site we publish the 'national organisations' sections of the Directory - under the heading 'National Directory'. So far I have updated the 'Catholic Bishops of New Zealand' and 'Catholic Publishers' sections. Over the next month I'll be updating the sections for 'Seminaries and Formation Houses', 'Religious Orders', 'Chaplains' and the biggest section: 'National Offices and Organisations' (more than fifty entries).

GREAT JUBILEE - NEWS
http://www.catholic.org/newzealand/cathcom/jubilee/news.html
On Saturday I updated the bishops' Jubilee News page at : http://www.catholic.org/newzealand/cathcom/jubilee/news.html with fresh links to news reports (including audio and video) of Pope John Paul's 80th birthday celebrations and the concelebrated Mass for the Jubilee of Priests. Next update on Wednesday.