Sunday, June 20, 2004

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'WEL-COM'

Wellington & Palmerston North diocesan newspaper http://www.welcom.org.nz

From the June 2004 issue ...

Cardinal William's letter: Nuntio vobis gaudium magnum ("I bring you news of great joy" (Luke 2:10))

Bishop John Dew's reflection: Knowing the people I’m called to serve

We have a new Bishop and Archbishop Last month Rome announced that John Dew was to be Coadjutor Archbishop of Wellington and Colin Campbell would be Dunedin's new bishop. Here we provide a background on these two men...

Filmmaker’s passionate commitment to justice As a war correspondent, Max Stahl has filmed crises in Latin America, the Balkans, Chechnya and the Soviet Union. But the country where his work has had the greatest impact has been East Timor...

Offending by Alan Woodcock casts a black shadow over the Church Revelations that came to light last month over a former Marist priest have cast a black shadow over our local Church. On 17 May Alan Woodcock pleaded guilty to 21 charges relating to the sexual abuse of 11 teenage boys and young men between 1978 and 1987...

Hikoi proves to be one of Wellington‘s biggest ever marches It was on 22 April that the great Hikoi of 2004 set out from Cape Reinga in protest at the foreshore and seabed legislation. Many saw this as confiscation of Maori property. As the hikoi headed south it was joined by groups from all around the North Island and by 5 May had assembled in Wellington for an historic march to Parliament...

Saint Gianna Molla sacrificed her life to save her unborn daughter Among the six people who were canonized on 16 May was Gianna Beretta Molla, who accepted the risk of dying rather than undergo a medical treatment that would have caused the death of her unborn child...

Catholic Prison Chaplains Not far from the centre of Invercargill is the city’s prison which houses 172 inmates. Razor wire is visible from all points of this grey concrete building opened in 1910. Despite this Br Osmund McNamara who works there as a prison chaplain says he has a deep down conviction that this is the place Jesus would be found if he was in Invercargill today...

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FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Civil union - a question of choice NZPA 18 June 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2945593a1861,00.html The Civil Union and omnibus Recognition of Relationships bills will be tabled in Parliament on Monday. Associate Justice Minister David Benson-Pope is fronting the bills. He talks to Maggie Tait about the proposed legislation and what it means for society...

Civil Union Bill and Human Rights Demands Press Release: Society For Promotion Of Community Standards Inc. http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0406/S00197.htm Maxim Institute Director Bruce Logan presented the following lecture at the Society's AGM on Monday night 14 June entitled "Human Rights Demands, are they in the Public Good?" He made special reference to the Labour-led Government's anti-marriage and anti-family Civil Union and Omnibus Bills....

Right-to-Life campaigners slam latest abortion statistics NZPA 16 June 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2942284a11,00.html Anti-abortion campaigners have condemned the latest abortion figures, calling them "a major crisis". There were 18,510 abortions performed in 2003, a 6.5 per cent increase on the 17,380 in 2002, according to figures released yesterday by Statistics New Zealand...

Schools urged to teach religion The Dominion Post 19 June 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2945670a7694,00.html Young New Zealanders are not being taught to think critically about issues such as sexuality and genetic engineering, Peter Vardy, a visiting British lecturer says. He spoke to about 550 secondary students at a seminar hosted by Samuel Marsden Collegiate in Wellington this week. He said many teachers in this country are reluctant to tackle religion, but in Britain, religion and values education is a mandatory part of the school curriculum...

Catholics urged to fight off New Age religions NZ Herald 19.06.2004 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3573500&thesection=news&thesu\ bsection=world&thesecondsubsection=

Catholics from more than 25 countries have been in Rome this week to hammer out a strategy for combating the threat posed to Christianity by "New Age" religions and fads...

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FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES

New Zealand Catholic schools, appreciated for high quality education, teaching corps and structures, grow steadily in number and number of pupils http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0406/15_2616.html Wellington (Fides Service) - Confidence in Catholics school education is growing among the people of New Zealand. According to a report by the NZ Catholic Education Office, the 2004 school year is starting out with new enthusiasm...

Solomon Islands consolidates social peace and restarts engines of economy and tourism - local Church works to promote social reconciliation and offer psychological assistance to heal traumas caused by violence http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0406/16_2624.html

“The Church wished to ask forgiveness not in a disordered manner but with effective knowledge of that happened because from the truth there is nothing to fear ” Card. Georges Cottier said at the presentation of the Acts of a 1998 International Symposium on the Inquisition http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0406/15_2617.html

Balanced History of the Inquisition Is Possible, Says Expert http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=55411

Pope Explains Why He Convoked "Year of the Eucharist" Church's Program Is to Start Afresh From Christ, He Says http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=55218

Papal Message to 95th Katholikentag in Germany: “Let us take the opportunities offered by united Europe to spread further the Gospel of Christ so that no one is denied God’s gift of salvation!” http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0406/17_2627.html

The Pagan-Buster. How a brilliant monk laid the groundwork for Christian Europe. Christianity Today June 2004 http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/newsletter/2004/jun10.html

“Carry Christ to every environment of daily life” is the mission of Cursillos of Christianity Mons. Ubaldo Speranza of the Italian branch of the movement told Fides the day after the consignment of the Decree of Canonical Recognition. http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0406/12_2599.html

The Wall cuts in two parts some Jerusalem parishes http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=989 Jerusalem – (AsiaNews) – Sobhy Makhoul, a deacon of the Maronite church in a suburb of Jerusalem, comments on the consequences that will follow the construction of the Wall.

A reflection on the occasion of the Church’s World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests: Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 18 June 2004 http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0406/17_2626.html

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CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

http://www.cathcom.org.nz

INTERNATIONAL NEWS Good Friday football match unlikely but... Lost Catholic community found in China after 50 years Communion: What does Ratzinger really say? Suicide not only big problem in Western world CEO head praises Catholic teachers

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CARITAS AOTEAROA NZ: REFUGEE CRISIS IN SUDAN

The Darfur region in Western Sudan is facing what is currently the world's worst humanitarian disaster.

The forced depopulation of nearly a million people by Janjaweed militias has seen a flood of people cross the border into neighbouring Chad. The refugees tell of the burning of villages, execution of civilians and robbing of food supplies by the militias who are supported by the Sudanese government.

The situation for the refugees now living camps close to the border is extremely difficult. The climate is especially harsh with frequent sand and dust storms and temperatures ranging from 4 C at night to 45 C during the day. Food and water is scarce and many refugees are showing signs of malnourishment. There is also a lack of adequate sanitation and health care facilities. The conflict has destroyed the fabric of family and community life with husbands and sons killed or captured by the militias; leaving women, children and the elderly to find sanctuary across the border.

Caritas Chad has been in the region since 1981 and is working with the Chad government, other NGOs and UNHCR to alleviate the plight of the refugees. Due to their long involvement in the area Caritas Chad is the main partner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and has been responsible for the food distribution, water, sanitation and the maintenance of infrastructure in three camps, each in excess of 10,000 people.

In Sudan, Caritas is continues to work with its partners, SudanAid, the Sudan Council of Churches and the Action by Churches Together network to provide shelter, food, water and sanitation to thousands of people.

Caritas is now accepting donations to help assist the people of Darfur. Your donation will go directly towards helping those in greatest need. You can donate directly on-line via the link on: http://www.caritas.org.nz/world/appeal_sudan.asp or phone us on 0800 22 10 22, or post your donation to: Sudan Refugee Crisis Caritas Aoteoroa New Zealand Freepost 689 PO Box 12-193 Wellington NEW ZEALAND

Thank you for supporting the work of Caritas.

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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 June 18, 2004: Conservative critiques of the Vatican, the U.N. and international law; Episcopal appointments in Spain; Mea Culpa for the Inquisition; Debating Stem Cells; Not the Dean of Vatican Journalists

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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 ]

National Director, Office for Professional Standards A National Office for Professional Standards is to be established by the Catholic Church in New Zealand, charged with assisting dioceses, religious orders and complainants by offering an independent assessment of abuse complaints that have not had a satisfactory outcome, and by arranging, where necessary, an alternative procedure for dealing with such complaints. Further details: http://www.cathcom.org.nz/media.php and from Mike Hurdle or Catharina Vossen at MICAH Partners, tel. 04 499 4749, mobile: 021-552929, fax: 0-4-4997375 or e-mail: contact@micahpartners.co.nz Applications close 2 July 2004


Researcher, Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand http://www.caritas.org.nz 20 hours per week for a 6-month fixed term project to assist with NZ social justuice issues. Further details in 'Wel-com' June 2004 p.17, and from: claire@caritas.org.nz ; tel: (04) 496 1742. Applications close 1 July 2004


PA / Communications Assistant, Catholic Communications NZ The national office of Catholic Communications is the Media Office of the NZ Catholic Bishops' Conference. We are seeking the services of a personal assistant to the National Director. This position, based at Pompallier Centre, Ponsonby, Auckland, involves assisting the National Director in a variety of duties. Good organisational, secretarial and computer skills are required, as well as the ability to write and communicate effectively. A good knowledge of, and commitment to contemporary Catholic teaching and practice is essential, as well as an ability to work collaboratively and in a small team environment. Minimum of 30 hours per week required. For job description and application form, contact Catholic Communications, Pompallier Diocesan Centre, Private Bag 47 904, Ponsonby, Auckland. Telephone (09) 378 8017, Fax: (09) 360 3061 Email: communications@catholic.org.nz


Accountant, Clergy Trust Fund Board, Archdiocese of Wellington http://www.wn.catholic.org.nz/wellington/clergy/Further details in 'Wel-com' June 2004 p.17, and from: The Secretaty, Clergy Trust Fund Board, PO Box 15-256. Wellington 6030; e-mail: holyx@xtra.co.nz

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