****************************************************

'NZ CATHOLIC'

http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz

No. 230, December 25, 2005 - January 28, 2006

[This is the last issue of 'NZ Catholic' for 2005. The next one will be published on 29 January, a few days after the launch of the paper's new Website.]

Bishop Mariu farewelled Waihi Village - The breadth of Bishop Max Takuira Matthew Mariu's reach was evident as thousands of people converged on the southern shores of Lake Taupo to remember the Catholic Church's first Maori bishop....

Korean church opened Wellington - More than 1000 Korean Catholics attended the opening of their new $5 million church at Bishop Dunn Place in East Tamaki on December 18....

New managing editor for NZ Catholic Auckland - Gavin Abraham, who joined NZ Catholic as assistant editor in March, has been appointed managing editor....

Also in this issue ...

NATIONAL Mercy amalgamation complete ... Bishop announces Dunedin pastoral areas, clergy changes ... National calendar for 2006 ... One new priest ordained in 2005 ... Brothers look to the future ... Christmas crib for Croatians

FEATURES The Bible as history is astonishingly accurate ... A convent girl remembers school in Greymouth ... Did St Joseph the carpenter build this staircase?... The Carol of the Cradle-o ... Turning back the tsunami's damage ... Double celebration for Fairlie parish ... Papal awards to 14 people in Christchurch ... Cathedral will be venue for musical on Jesus ... "Safe-sex" message blamed for abortion rise ... What the Church has done for science is at last recognised

OPINION Josephine Kamsvaag: Big Wall threatens "Little Town" - but Kiwis can help... Ronald Rolheiser: The earthiness of Christmas ... Parish Diary: Reconciliation smorgasbord ... Editorial: Let's proclaim the feast of Christmas ... Malcolm Evans ... Letters

INTERNATIONAL Bad driving should be confessed ... Pope says true spirit of Christmas is being assaulted ... Pell warns gangs not to target Christians ... Human dignity and rights not the same ... Humanitarian law applies even in war ... Marriage law attacked ... Innocent Iraqis die ... Tiny Irish Anglican church equals Catholic vocations ... In Brief

REGULAR FEATURES Media Monitor, Clips, Books, Doolans, Young Adults, Kit's Corner, Scripture, Feasts, Photo Prayer, Holiday Crossword, Caption Contest, Who Said?, 40 Years Ago, That Word!, Wit's End.

************************************************************

CHRISTMAS 2005

Christmas message: Bishop Patrick Dunn, Catholic Bishop of Auckland http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10361330 Every Christmas is special. Whether we spend it with excited children, with old friends, or even alone, we can all enjoy the buzz in the streets, the carols in the malls and the sparkling lights at night...

Christmas message: John Craddock, National Spiritual Adviser, Society of St Vincent de Paul http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10361328 Christmas is the time when people remember and relive the birth in Bethlehem two millennia ago of the One who brings hope to our lives today. For us there is also a strange paradox that in that Palestinian town, focus of Christmas, there is less than concord among neighbours. The mission of the Jewish Jesus is still not complete: to bring peace to all people of good will...

Is religious instruction necessary?, by Nick Smith http://www.listener.co.nz/default,5235.sm Christmas will be celebrated in Australian schools, thundered Victorian premier Steve Bracks recently. His stand was triggered by his perception of the threat posed by atheist educators – the latter apparently a little like Narnia's White Witch, making it always winter but never Christmas. In this country, political correctness has not gone that mad, says Christian educator Hilary Baskerville. "[But] if someone has to say [Christmas] is okay, it says something about the degree to which political correctness has got in the way of our Judeo-Christian heritage..."

God, his wife and the hay barn http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/0,2106,3521381a6479,00.html You would think the word "Christ" in Christmas might give it away – but it seems that when it comes to the real meaning of Christmas, most children are clueless...

Heavenly feelings (photo) http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/0,2106,3518529a6527,00.html It's Christmas and angels are among us, defying the dictates of a secular age with an emphatic flutter of wings. Harking, heralding or descending from the realms of glory, 'tis the season for angels. They regard us sternly from stained-glass windows, simper from cheap Christmas cards or hover in fibreglassed splendour above crowded shopping malls...

When faith and fact collide http://www.stuff.co.nz/northland/0,2106,3518032a6015,00.html A Christian couple will not be taking their children to a Christmas church service this year as they feel unwelcome in their church because of their marital status. Suzi Crump and Charles (Chaz) Cramp are both separated from their respective spouses and are now living together in Tikipunga. They have wanted to be involved in worship but say their own church - St Andrews Presbyterian Church - has made them feel unwelcome...

Pilgrims Gather Before Papal Midnight Mass http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5502036,00.html Vatican City (AP) - Pilgrims, tourists and Romans flocked to St. Peter's Square on Saturday before Pope Benedict XVI's first Christmas service since becoming pontiff - a Midnight Mass that marked the official start of a busy few days of celebrations for the pope...

74 countries to see Pope's Christmas Mass televised http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=41424 Vatican, Dec. 23 (CWNews.com) - The midnight Mass of Christmas, celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Basilica, will be broadcast over 124 television networks reaching 74 different countries...

Pope: St Joseph’s silence counters “too noisy” world http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4905 Vatican City (AsiaNews) – In a world which is “too noisy, and does not encourage reflection and listening to the voice of God”, Christians should “allow themselves to be ‘infected’ by the silence of St Joseph”. In today’s Angelus, Benedict XVI turned once again to the truest way of preparing for Christmas...

The lights of Christmas, a reminder of the true Light http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4930 Benedict XVI urges parents to pass on to the next generation the true meaning of the festivity even though in our modern, consumer-oriented culture Christian symbols have tended to disappear from Christmas celebrations.

Most Christian expats in the Gulf can celebrate Christmas http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=25606 Dubai - Christian expatriates in the Gulf enjoy increasingly more freedom to worship and celebrate feasts, especially Christmas, except in Saudi Arabia, where non-Islamic practices still lead to jail and deportation...

Africa/Tunisia - “Christmas passes almost unnoticed in Tunis in the eyes of the world but not in the eyes of the faith: we are a tiny flock but we live this important Feast Day with deep devotion " says Fr. Eugenio Elías ... http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=6438&lan=eng

Christians and Muslims gather around crib in Antioch http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4917 In Italy the crib tends to be pushed aside out of “respect” for Muslims (or so it is said). In Turkey, schoolchildren flock to see what the Christmas of the prophet Jesus, the manger and the Mass, are all about...

Christmas in Pakistan: inter-faith dialogue and spiritual renewal http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4910 Lahore (AsiaNews) – The Christian community in Lahore has prepared a series of religious, cultural and sports activities in the lead-up to Christmas. The organizers of all activities have emphasized that the preparation of celebrations and events was purposely subdued in view of the recent earthquake and violence perpetrated against Christians in Sangla Hill...

Archbishop attacks 'PC' Christmas http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4540538.stm Christian leaders have condemned politically correct approaches to Christmas for stifling religious expression. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said "silly bureaucrats" wanted to wipe Christian symbols from Christmas...

Asia Celebrates Christmas With A Twist http://xtramsn.co.nz/travel/0,,12734-5163941,00.html Come December, Christmas lights brighten shopping streets in cities from Beijing to Colombo, while images of Santa Claus and Rudolph adorn office buildings, shops and restaurants...

Where's the spirit of Christmas? http://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/23/Worldandnation/Where_s_the_spirit_of.shtml If you think there's a "war" against Christmas, as some in the United States and other Western countries say, take heart: Christmas is alive and well in surprising places - among them several Muslim nations...

Little Christmas cheer in Cuba; Santa blacklisted http://xtramsn.co.nz/travel/0,,12734-5163883,00.html Eight years after Communist Cuba restored December 25 as a national holiday in a gesture to Pope John Paul II, there is not much Christmas spirit to show for it...

How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus: One Theory http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=81960 Bath, England, Dec. 20, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The modern persona of Santa Claus is a far cry from its origins: St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra. So how did he go from a charitable saint to an icon of Christmas consumerism? Travel writer Jeremy Seal embarked on an international search to answer that question and recorded his findings in "Nicholas: The Epic Journey from Saint to Santa Claus" ...

**************************************************************

OTHER NEWS FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Diminutive woman left mark in Hawea (photo) Otago Daily Times http://tinyurl.com/clfuf Margaret (Margie) Leonie Cotter, a parishioner of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Wanaka, died at home on December 9 aged 74. Mrs Cotter was a Lake Hawea identity who had a long association with the Lake Hawea Holiday Park, the Hawea Flat School and the Central Otago Diabetes Society...

Mass to mark amalgamation http://www.stuff.co.nz/otago/0,2106,3516515a3845,00.html A church service in Dunedin on Saturday heralded a new era for the city's 47 Sisters of Mercy. Independent Sisters of Mercy congregations in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin voted last year to amalgamate, and the new structure took effect last week...

Historic find halts work on church http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/auckland/0,2106,3513853a6497,00.htm\ l Heritage experts are annoyed an historic brick well at one of Auckland's oldest churches has been filled in for a carpark. Remnants of old bricks were discovered at the 1861 Catholic Church of St John the Baptist on Parnell Rd by a neighbour last week. Builders filled the site over the weekend but work stopped on Monday after complaints by the Historic Places Trust...

Jailed churchman was sexually abused as child http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10361156 A retired Catholic brother jailed yesterday for sexually abusing schoolboys in his care in the late 1970s was himself abused as a youngster, the Wellington District Court was told. John Louis Stevenson, 66, was jailed for 3 1/2 years for sexually assaulting four boys aged between 14 and 16 at the Hato Paora Maori Boys school in Feilding from 1976 to 1981...

Hospital chaplaincy service short of money http://www.stuff.co.nz/otago/0,2106,3516516a3845,00.html A Hospital Chaplaincy Otago council member says she can see no way around a pending chaplaincy service cash crisis other than to start an annual appeal. The Rev Susan Jones said the cash-strapped service was facing a funding shortfall of $70,000 next year after two years of declining contributions from traditional funders – the government and churches.

Hollywood is embracing Christianity, even if only in pursuit of a dollar, writes Garry Maddox (four pages) http://www.theage.com.au/news/film/the-new-lion-king/2005/12/21/1135032073046.ht\ ml

A Man On A Mission (3 pages) After eight months on the job, Pope Benedict XVI has created a charisma all his own 'Time' magazine Sunday, Dec. 18, 2005 http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/article/0,13005,901051226-1142185,00.ht\ ml

****************************************************************

FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES

Pope tells theologian he's coming to Australia http://www.cathnews.com/news/512/123.php When pressed earlier this month by Fr Tony Kelly of the Australian Catholic University, Pope Benedict XVI gave his assurance that he will be visiting Sydney for World Youth Day 2008, "God willing"...

Pope's first encyclical expected in January http://www.cathnews.com/news/512/130.php According to Italian press reports, Pope Benedict XVI plans to sign off on his first encyclical on Christmas Day, and the document will be made public after the feast of the Epiphany.

Chinese priests brutally beaten in Tianjin: like the nuns of Xian http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4906 Police chased away the “thugs” and questioned the injured for hours, making them wait for medical treatment and hospitalization. New case of illegal expropriation of Church property...

*****************************************************

CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

Global Catholic News, plus sound files from Vatican Radio

http://www.cathcom.org.nz

Pope's first encyclical expected in January Condom-covered Madonna embarrasses Catholic weekly Vatican Ratifies Protocol on "Explosive Remnants of War" Pell says there's an alternative to cloning Pope: Christ’s Christmas and 2005 “which is about to set” Holy See to WTO: trade should favor the poor Pope advises students to study their faith Catholics tackle religious radio boom

****************************************************

MARIST MESSENGER

http://www.maristmessenger.co.nz/index.php

From the December 2005 issue ...

Chaplain to the Police “So, you’re a police chaplain! That must be tough. They’re having a rough time at present, our police. Nothing seems to be going right for them. You’ll be busy! ...”

All the Lonely People The old man arrived in the hospital corridor late in the day. Because all the wards were full, there was nowhere else to put his bed. He had been sent up from A. & E. to recover from an attempted overdose...

The Relics in Retrospect The Pilgrimage of the Relics of St Thérèse through New Zealand seems to have been a great success for the organisers. It was a time of celebration, prayer and grace...

God in a Dog On 25 September last year, my wife passed away. I was living at home with my adult daughter, my late wife’s toy poodle and my geriatric Labrador (whose days did seem numbered due to her age). As you can imagine, it was a somewhat staid household and I was (and still am) very upset over my wife’s death...

Also in December's Marist Messenger

* The Cover Icon * The Fish - a Christmas story * Jacques Maurice Tresallet * Our Daily Bread * A Christmas Gift from God * Pope Benedict Speaks * December Saints * January Feasts * Can You Bear it * A Minute or Two * Children's Corner * Crossword by Appo * Remembering our Dead

********************************************************

CARITAS AOTEAROA NZ

http://www.caritas.org.nz

Life After the Tsunami: One year on (22 December 2005) It is a year since the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 destroyed communities along the coasts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and India. With thousands dead and millions homeless the response by international humanitarian agencies was one of the largest ever undertaken......more

Where to from here for Aceh? Will peace last? (23 November 2005) You are welcome to a public meeting by Imam Syuja MP and Hendra Budian a human rights lawyer. Both are from Aceh and are visiting to discuss post-tsunami reconstruction and the progress of the peace agreement signed on the 15 August. .....more

**************************************************************

"THE WORD FROM ROME"

http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/

A weekly column by the National Catholic Reporter's full-time correspondent in Rome, John L. Allen Jr.

This week ... A Nuncio for the USA; Church universities and the EU; New Ambassadors to the Holy See ; History of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity; On joint worship and intercommunion; Neocatechumenal Way told to regularize liturgical practices

"The Word from Rome" will resume on Friday, January 6.

*******************************************************************************

EVENTS

Parachute Music Festival, Mystery Creek, Hamilton, 28-31 January 2006

http://websites.parachutemusic.com/festival/2005/default_noflash.asp

********************************************************************************

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 ]

Adviser, Archdiocesan Office of Justice, Peace and Development, Wellington Website: http://wn.catholic.org.nz/justicepeacedevelopment.html Details in 'Wel-com' December 2005, p. 5 and from: Lorraine McArthur, Director, Archdiocesan Pastoral Services, Catholic Centre, P O Box 1937, Wellington 6015. E-mail: l.mcarthur@wn.catholic.org.nz; tel. (04) 496 1706; fax: (04) 496 1768 Applications close 23 January 2006.

Presenters, 'NZ Catholic' newspaper Details in 'NZ Catholic' Dec. 18-24 2005 p.15, and from Dennis Augustine, Promotions and Advertising Manager, 'NZ Catholic', PO Box 147-000, Ponsonby, Auckland 1034. Tel. (09) 360 3049; e-mail: advertising.nzcatholic@iconz.co.nz

********************************************************************************