Dear friends,

Following the recent re-design of the NZ Catholic bishops' Website, its 'What's New' page no longer carries links to other newly-created New Zealand Catholic Web sites and new features on them.

Consequently this weekly 'News and Notes' post is now the only regular source for new developments on the New Zealand Catholic Internet (the NZ Websites occasionally mentioned in the 'Net Scene' column of 'NZ Catholic' newspaper are supplied by me; the column otherwise hardly mentions local sites). Please keep that in mind if you come across a New Zealand Catholic Website which appears to be new or to have a significant new feature, and drop me a line about it at leon@xtra.co.nz

God bless,

Mike Leon 'kiwicath' forum manager

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AFGHANISTAN CRISIS

Links to comments and interviews, and reports of Catholic refugee relief initiatives are updated several times a week on the bishops' 'What's New' page. at: http://www.catholic.org.nz/cathcom/whatsNew.html

Current links include: Catholic bishops ended their synod with a clear condemnation of terrorism but recognized that "endemic evils'' can produce despair in entire populations ... Greek Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius IV Haze of Antioch on ecumenism, Islam and the U.S. image abroad ... Pope John Paul to the bishops of Pakistan: "I implore the Father of all mercies to keep you and your communities safe" ... Year 10 students: "Some people say if there is a God why is he letting this happen?" ... Cardinal Bevilacqua: "The military action has been both measured and discriminate".

CATHOLIC WEB TV http://www.catholictv.net/

'Wel-com Living': Shona Kavanagh discusses the decisions she and her husband Jonathan have made about their education of their four children

FROM THE CATHOLIC PRESS

'NZ Catholic' No 124, October 21, 2001 http://catholic.org.nz/cathcom/press/nzc/front.html

"World gathering of bishops taking synod seriously", by Bishop Pat Dunn The 10th ordinary general assembly of the Synod of Bishops began with a solemn Mass in St Peter's Basilica on September 30. This great basilica, the length of at least three rugby fields, was filled with pilgrims from every continent...

"Church attendances rise after terrorism " Congregation numbers have remained slightly higher than usual at St Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland, after they almost doubled the Sunday following terrorist attacks in New York and Washington....

"Personal invitation best for vocations " Personal invitation is the best way to bring people into the priesthood, says Bishop Peter Cullinane of Palmerston North. He says that when people do not respond to thoughts about a priestly or religious vocation, it is because no one invites them....


>From The Think Page for young Catholic adults:

"Face the fear and go for it " Sometimes decision-making can be hard. The choice which seems to be perfect often isn't made because there is something holding us back, the voice in the back of our head that says, "What if it doesn't work out right?" That is the voice of fear.....

SPIRITUALITY

'The spirituality of Suzanne Aubert and its application to spiritual direction', by Sr Sheila McGrath http://www.hoc.org.nz/Suzanne_Aubert/Spirituality.htm [ Suzanne Aubert (1835-1926) was a Frenchwoman who was a contemporary of Frederick Ozanam, founder of the St Vincent de Paul Society. She came to New Zealand as a lay missionary in 1860 and founded the first religious order to originate in this country, the Daughters of Our Lady of Compassion (Sisters of Compassion) who established the Homes of Compassion for the incurably ill.]

FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

New Catholic College in Nelson has "Commitment to Excellence" New Zealand Government Press Release 23 October 2001 http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/1a/b4/200110231530.0b9137f3.html State-of-the-art buildings, high quality equipment, an internet café and an e-mail address for every student are among the attractions at New Zealand's newest secondary school, the Catholic co-educational school Garin College which opens in January in Richmond, Nelson...... [ http://www.garincollege.ac.nz ]

Interchurch Commission On Genetic Engineering. "Letter to the Prime Minister on how the Government should respond to the Royal Commission's report on Genetic Modification". 26 October 2001 http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/8f/3d/200110261004.059af5e2.html

'Proactive response to attacks needed ' Otago Daily Times 15 October 2001 http://www.odt.co.nz/cgi-bin/search-display-story-online-new?date=15Oct2001&obje\ ct=L1H33A1648GH&type=html&WORDS=catholic&DB=Editorial It is easy to fall back on stale answers to the world's problems when what we need is to find new solutions, not only to the challenges of terrorism, but also its causes, writes Pat Lynch, chief executive of the Catholic Education Office...

"From Patriotism to Peace: Christian Reflections on 11 September", by Richard Davis, former Executive Officer of the New Zealand Churches' Agency on Social Issues http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/d3/19/200110250901.a6888f54.html I believe that Christianity can offer humanity a meaningful response to the tragedy [of 11 September]. I share my reflections and thoughts here under the following headings, Understanding Terrorism, Waging War and Prompting Peace.......