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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....
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'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.
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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....
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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
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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.
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'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."...
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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....
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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.
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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
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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
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"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
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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.
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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
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