**********************************************
Dear readers,
This week 'From the Secular Press' is expanded with brief notes of stories in the metropolitan daily newspapers likely to interest readers of our newsletter but which are **not available for free** on the papers' Websites.
The newspapers can be read in public libraries throughout the country in print form, and also through the "Newztext" Internet service which many libraries subscribe to so as to make the contents of the newspapers available free of charge to their borrowers via the libraries' own terminals and their Websites.
Mike Leon
****************************************************************
TSUNAMI AFTERMATH
Today, Sunday the 16th of January, New Zealanders are asked to observe one minute's silence at 1:59 pm in memory of the victims of the recent Tsunami. Interdenominational church services are also being held in many cities for the same purpose.
The Catholic Internet news service AsiaNews - http://www.asianews.it -carries daily reports on the impact of the South Asian tsunami from its local correspondents, many of them clergy and church workers living in the stricken areas.
***************************************************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS
Beach silence plea for tsunami victims The Southland Times 15 Jan 2005 http://tinyurl.com/6cmhg Southlanders are being invited to mark a day of remembrance for victims of the south Asian tsunami in a special way at Oreti Beach tomorrow.
Threats, corruptions threaten aid operation NZ City 12 January 2005 http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/default.asp?id=46640 Peter Zwart from the Catholic charity Caritas says agency reputations stand or fail on how well they can deliver the relief they have been given and how wisely the money is being used....
Christian parties not just valid, but also necessary by Ewen McQueen, leader of Christian Heritage NZ. Otago Daily Times Jan 12, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/5hzq7 The recent Australian and United States elections illustrated a growing Christian/family-values constituency in those nations. In the US, the Christian President George W. Bush was re-elected after campaigning strongly on a pro-marriage and pro-life platform. In Australia, not only was the morally conservative Howard administration re-elected, but a new Christian-based party was elected to the senate. In New Zealand, there is also an emerging Christian/family-values constituency....
Priest preyed on by drunk Otago Daily Times Jan 14, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/3ssdy Christchurch: Drunken antics on New Year's Eve ended in an assault on a priest at Christchurch's Catholic Cathedral, the Christchurch District Court was told yesterday...
Father Jacques Dupuis (obituary) The Times (London) January 12, 2005 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,60-1435781,00.html Father Jacques Dupuis' long experience of India and its non-Christian traditions helped to shape his religious thinking. His attempt to respond to a world in which Christians are increasingly aware of the reality of different religious paths led him into conflict with the Vatican....
[The following stories are not available on the papers' free Websites. They can be read in the print editions of the newspapers at public libraries, and via the libraries' free Newztext service]
Two days to remember tsunami victims The Manawatu Evening Standard, 12 Jan 2005, Edition 2, Page 3. Sunday has been designated a national memorial day to remember the victims of the tsunami -- but Palmerston North is way ahead, having already organised its own day for Friday.
Charms of the basilica The Press (Christchurch); Features; 15 Jan 2005 Christchurch's Catholic Cathedral, one of the city's architectural treasures, is marking its 100th anniversary. Mike Crean finds that its survival has, occasionally, been against the odds.
****************************************************************
FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS
Cardinal's Comment Catholic Weekly (Sydney) 14 January, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/473fc When the tectonic plates lifted near Sumatra, we had a major upheaval in every sense. News of the deaths came slowly but 150,000 have died and five million are displaced. Years of rebuilding lie ahead. If God is good, interested in us and all powerful, where does He fit into this suffering and its aftermath?...
More room to reflect Catholic Weekly (Sydney) 15 January, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/4zyzx The 10th anniversary of the beatification of Blessed Mary MacKillop, co-founder of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, will be marked on Wednesday, January 19, with the opening and blessing of the new extension to her shrine in the chapel at North Sydney. The order was founded in eastern South Australia in March 1866. Now there are 990 sisters throughout Australia and New Zealand...
Pope lists 4 great challenges for mankind http://cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=34520 Vatican, Jan. 10 (CWNews.com) - In his annual address to the Vatican diplomatic corps on January 10, Pope John Paul II set out four challenges facing the world's leaders: the defense of life, the conquest of hunger, the pursuit of world peace, and the advance of religious freedom....
Vatican courses on Satanism Washington Times January 11, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/43f3g [PLEASE NOTE: the article includes descriptions of gruesome killings] Paris, France, Jan. 11 (Upi) -- Satanism is growing so quickly worldwide that as of next month a papal university in Rome will offer courses on this frightening phenomenon. According to Vatican sources, divinity students at the pontifical Regina Apostolorum (Queen of the Apostles) University will learn about devil worship, witchcraft, demonology and exorcism....
Fr Courage; cardinal hero of Khartoum Catholic Weekly 14 January, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/5lh4q As Archbishop of Khartoum, Gabriel Zubeir Wako is no stranger to suffering. And yet, he and the Church he leads have not only survived but have a fervent faith in the future. Nor is this idle thinking; this is a man who holds on to his beliefs in the face of assassination attempts, threats of imprisonment, and countless attacks on his people and his Church....
Pope Invites Eastern Catholics to Reach Out to Orthodox http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=64532
Christians must rediscover baptism and mission, says the Pope AsiaNews 9 January, 2005 http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=2293
****************************************************************
CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
http://www.cathcom.org.nz
Australians to remember tsunami victims Catholics will join the rest of Australia on Sunday in observing a national day of mourning and reflection for the victims of the Boxing Day Asian earthquake and tsunami. Prime Minister John Howard has asked Australians to observe a minute's silence at 11.59am (Australian Eastern Daylight Time), marking the time at which the devastating earthquake which preceded the tsunamis struck.
Increase in numbers for seminaries Young men are returning to the Catholic priesthood, with leading Australian seminaries reversing a steady decline in numbers to record one of their best intakes for almost a decade.
Vatican conference studies 'folk' religions The Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue is organizing a forum in Rome this week on the contributions that folk religions make to the cause of peace. This is the first attempt at bringing together religions based on ethnic or tribal cultural traditions as opposed to world religions which cross cultural boundaries.
Catholics worried sex abuse costs curtail church work A USA survey of Catholics who regularly attend church shows a growing concern about the church's financial ability to fulfill its mission because of the costs related to the clergy sex abuse crisis. The crisis has also increased the desire for greater church accountability on financial issues.
Venezuelan Prelate calls for defense of human rights Troubled Venezuela needs to see a "defense and promotion of the dignity of the person and the totality of his human rights," says Archbishop Baltazar Porras in his opening address at the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference.
Brisbane young adult office closes After 10 years looking after the spiritual needs of young adult Catholics, the Brisbane Archdiocesan Young Adult Ministry office has closed. After the 2003 Synod, a decision has been made to bring all pastoral ministries for young people together to form a new Youth and Children's Ministry.
MEDIA RELEASES
http://www.cathcom.org.nz/media.php
New Zealanders give generously to Caritas Tsunami Appeal (11 Jan 2005)
*****************************************************
'THE FAR EAST'
Magazine of the Australian and New Zealand missionaries of St Columban's Missionary Society
http://www.columban.org.au/tfe/tfe_current.htm
From the Nov/Dec 2004 issue ......
Editorial : Sarah and Christmas Christmas is a wonderful time of year for gifts and that sends my thoughts back to an incident which took place about two months ago when I was celebrating Sunday Mass in a parish where the priest was away on holidays. I noticed a young girl standing at the side of the altar where no one had been before. As I turned towards her she held out her hand and wished me ‘peace.´....
From the Director : Talking of God in pubs and barns Last month I was in a country pub having lunch after a funeral when one of the women present said, “Oh, I don´t think missionaries should be interfering in other cultures.’ I replied that we don´t do that anymore. For me the conversation raised the question, “What is our motivation for mission?’...
Wanderings through Pakistan, by Fr Daniel O´Connor After ordination, I needed to obtain a missionary visa to enter Pakistan. As the number of visas was restricted, I acquired mine by replacing a Belgium Capuchin missionary who had died. From the plane I looked down on the towns, villages and fields of the Punjab as I flew to Lahore....
Love affair with Myanmar, by Fr Colm Murphy Many recent visitors to Myitkyina diocese in northeast Burma have been struck by the devotion of the Catholics to the Columbans who worked there from 1936-1979. Their fondness for those missionaries is extraordinary. As a returning dinosaur I have been delighted and embarrassed by this devotion. But also perplexed. The Columbans in Burma were not that good: nobody is. I tried to find a reason for this fervour....
Oriental Christmas, by Fr Patrick Clarke The worst Christmas Day I ever had was 1957. I am not sure about what I was expecting to see, but what I saw didn´t lift my spirits. The shops were open; people were on their way to work. Buses and trams were running. It may have been Christmas Day in the rest of the world but here it was just December 25, another day in another week....
*************************************************************
"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.
Summary of the column for January 14, 2005 : The pope on four great challenges facing the human family; Interview with departing U.S. ambassador to the Holy See; Buttiglione, Europe's anti-abortion politician; Pius XII, the Holocaust and the Jews; Remembering Cardinal Jan Schotte; Document on the admission of homosexuals to seminaries; Statement on papal visit to Poland
*********************************************************
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 ]
**************************************
Catholic Tertiary Chaplaincy vacancies, Diocese of Christchurch 2-3 postions for tertiary co-ordinator and tertiary team workers Details in 'NZ Catholic' December 12-18 p.22, and from Mike Stopforth, Catholic Youth Team, PO Box 4544, Christchurch. Tel: (03) 366-9869; fax: (03) 379-8724; e-mail: mstopforth@chch.catholic.org.nz. Or after 20 December, Fr Michael Doyle, Tertiary priest-chaplain; e-mail: mjdoyle@paradise.net.nz Applications close 17 January 2005
***********************************************************
EVENTS
Parachute Music Festival Mystery Creek, Hamilton January 28-31 2005
The annual Christian music festival, takes place on Auckland Anniversary weekend (last weekend of January) at Totara Springs Christian Camp, Matamata.
Parachute Festival Website: http://websites.parachutemusic.com/festival/2005/default_noflash.asp
Catholics@Parachute: The young Catholic presence at Australasia's biggest Christian music festival is growing by the year.. The National Council for Young Catholics coordinates the bulk purchase of tickets and the set-up of a Catholic village on site. Contact Jamie Cox: jamiec@cdh.org.nz
*******************************************
Sunday, January 16, 2005
**********************************************
Dear readers,
This week 'From the Secular Press' is expanded with brief notes of stories in the metropolitan daily newspapers likely to interest readers of our newsletter but which are **not available for free** on the papers' Websites.
The newspapers can be read in public libraries throughout the country in print form, and also through the "Newztext" Internet service which many libraries subscribe to so as to make the contents of the newspapers available free of charge to their borrowers via the libraries' own terminals and their Websites.
Mike Leon
****************************************************************
TSUNAMI AFTERMATH
Today, Sunday the 16th of January, New Zealanders are asked to observe one minute's silence at 1:59 pm in memory of the victims of the recent Tsunami. Interdenominational church services are also being held in many cities for the same purpose.
The Catholic Internet news service AsiaNews - http://www.asianews.it -carries daily reports on the impact of the South Asian tsunami from its local correspondents, many of them clergy and church workers living in the stricken areas.
***************************************************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS
Beach silence plea for tsunami victims The Southland Times 15 Jan 2005 http://tinyurl.com/6cmhg Southlanders are being invited to mark a day of remembrance for victims of the south Asian tsunami in a special way at Oreti Beach tomorrow.
Threats, corruptions threaten aid operation NZ City 12 January 2005 http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/default.asp?id=46640 Peter Zwart from the Catholic charity Caritas says agency reputations stand or fail on how well they can deliver the relief they have been given and how wisely the money is being used....
Christian parties not just valid, but also necessary by Ewen McQueen, leader of Christian Heritage NZ. Otago Daily Times Jan 12, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/5hzq7 The recent Australian and United States elections illustrated a growing Christian/family-values constituency in those nations. In the US, the Christian President George W. Bush was re-elected after campaigning strongly on a pro-marriage and pro-life platform. In Australia, not only was the morally conservative Howard administration re-elected, but a new Christian-based party was elected to the senate. In New Zealand, there is also an emerging Christian/family-values constituency....
Priest preyed on by drunk Otago Daily Times Jan 14, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/3ssdy Christchurch: Drunken antics on New Year's Eve ended in an assault on a priest at Christchurch's Catholic Cathedral, the Christchurch District Court was told yesterday...
Father Jacques Dupuis (obituary) The Times (London) January 12, 2005 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,60-1435781,00.html Father Jacques Dupuis' long experience of India and its non-Christian traditions helped to shape his religious thinking. His attempt to respond to a world in which Christians are increasingly aware of the reality of different religious paths led him into conflict with the Vatican....
[The following stories are not available on the papers' free Websites. They can be read in the print editions of the newspapers at public libraries, and via the libraries' free Newztext service]
Two days to remember tsunami victims The Manawatu Evening Standard, 12 Jan 2005, Edition 2, Page 3. Sunday has been designated a national memorial day to remember the victims of the tsunami -- but Palmerston North is way ahead, having already organised its own day for Friday.
Charms of the basilica The Press (Christchurch); Features; 15 Jan 2005 Christchurch's Catholic Cathedral, one of the city's architectural treasures, is marking its 100th anniversary. Mike Crean finds that its survival has, occasionally, been against the odds.
****************************************************************
FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS
Cardinal's Comment Catholic Weekly (Sydney) 14 January, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/473fc When the tectonic plates lifted near Sumatra, we had a major upheaval in every sense. News of the deaths came slowly but 150,000 have died and five million are displaced. Years of rebuilding lie ahead. If God is good, interested in us and all powerful, where does He fit into this suffering and its aftermath?...
More room to reflect Catholic Weekly (Sydney) 15 January, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/4zyzx The 10th anniversary of the beatification of Blessed Mary MacKillop, co-founder of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, will be marked on Wednesday, January 19, with the opening and blessing of the new extension to her shrine in the chapel at North Sydney. The order was founded in eastern South Australia in March 1866. Now there are 990 sisters throughout Australia and New Zealand...
Pope lists 4 great challenges for mankind http://cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=34520 Vatican, Jan. 10 (CWNews.com) - In his annual address to the Vatican diplomatic corps on January 10, Pope John Paul II set out four challenges facing the world's leaders: the defense of life, the conquest of hunger, the pursuit of world peace, and the advance of religious freedom....
Vatican courses on Satanism Washington Times January 11, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/43f3g [PLEASE NOTE: the article includes descriptions of gruesome killings] Paris, France, Jan. 11 (Upi) -- Satanism is growing so quickly worldwide that as of next month a papal university in Rome will offer courses on this frightening phenomenon. According to Vatican sources, divinity students at the pontifical Regina Apostolorum (Queen of the Apostles) University will learn about devil worship, witchcraft, demonology and exorcism....
Fr Courage; cardinal hero of Khartoum Catholic Weekly 14 January, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/5lh4q As Archbishop of Khartoum, Gabriel Zubeir Wako is no stranger to suffering. And yet, he and the Church he leads have not only survived but have a fervent faith in the future. Nor is this idle thinking; this is a man who holds on to his beliefs in the face of assassination attempts, threats of imprisonment, and countless attacks on his people and his Church....
Pope Invites Eastern Catholics to Reach Out to Orthodox http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=64532
Christians must rediscover baptism and mission, says the Pope AsiaNews 9 January, 2005 http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=2293
****************************************************************
CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
http://www.cathcom.org.nz
Australians to remember tsunami victims Catholics will join the rest of Australia on Sunday in observing a national day of mourning and reflection for the victims of the Boxing Day Asian earthquake and tsunami. Prime Minister John Howard has asked Australians to observe a minute's silence at 11.59am (Australian Eastern Daylight Time), marking the time at which the devastating earthquake which preceded the tsunamis struck.
Increase in numbers for seminaries Young men are returning to the Catholic priesthood, with leading Australian seminaries reversing a steady decline in numbers to record one of their best intakes for almost a decade.
Vatican conference studies 'folk' religions The Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue is organizing a forum in Rome this week on the contributions that folk religions make to the cause of peace. This is the first attempt at bringing together religions based on ethnic or tribal cultural traditions as opposed to world religions which cross cultural boundaries.
Catholics worried sex abuse costs curtail church work A USA survey of Catholics who regularly attend church shows a growing concern about the church's financial ability to fulfill its mission because of the costs related to the clergy sex abuse crisis. The crisis has also increased the desire for greater church accountability on financial issues.
Venezuelan Prelate calls for defense of human rights Troubled Venezuela needs to see a "defense and promotion of the dignity of the person and the totality of his human rights," says Archbishop Baltazar Porras in his opening address at the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference.
Brisbane young adult office closes After 10 years looking after the spiritual needs of young adult Catholics, the Brisbane Archdiocesan Young Adult Ministry office has closed. After the 2003 Synod, a decision has been made to bring all pastoral ministries for young people together to form a new Youth and Children's Ministry.
MEDIA RELEASES
http://www.cathcom.org.nz/media.php
New Zealanders give generously to Caritas Tsunami Appeal (11 Jan 2005)
*****************************************************
'THE FAR EAST'
Magazine of the Australian and New Zealand missionaries of St Columban's Missionary Society
http://www.columban.org.au/tfe/tfe_current.htm
From the Nov/Dec 2004 issue ......
Editorial : Sarah and Christmas Christmas is a wonderful time of year for gifts and that sends my thoughts back to an incident which took place about two months ago when I was celebrating Sunday Mass in a parish where the priest was away on holidays. I noticed a young girl standing at the side of the altar where no one had been before. As I turned towards her she held out her hand and wished me ‘peace.´....
From the Director : Talking of God in pubs and barns Last month I was in a country pub having lunch after a funeral when one of the women present said, “Oh, I don´t think missionaries should be interfering in other cultures.’ I replied that we don´t do that anymore. For me the conversation raised the question, “What is our motivation for mission?’...
Wanderings through Pakistan, by Fr Daniel O´Connor After ordination, I needed to obtain a missionary visa to enter Pakistan. As the number of visas was restricted, I acquired mine by replacing a Belgium Capuchin missionary who had died. From the plane I looked down on the towns, villages and fields of the Punjab as I flew to Lahore....
Love affair with Myanmar, by Fr Colm Murphy Many recent visitors to Myitkyina diocese in northeast Burma have been struck by the devotion of the Catholics to the Columbans who worked there from 1936-1979. Their fondness for those missionaries is extraordinary. As a returning dinosaur I have been delighted and embarrassed by this devotion. But also perplexed. The Columbans in Burma were not that good: nobody is. I tried to find a reason for this fervour....
Oriental Christmas, by Fr Patrick Clarke The worst Christmas Day I ever had was 1957. I am not sure about what I was expecting to see, but what I saw didn´t lift my spirits. The shops were open; people were on their way to work. Buses and trams were running. It may have been Christmas Day in the rest of the world but here it was just December 25, another day in another week....
*************************************************************
"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.
Summary of the column for January 14, 2005 : The pope on four great challenges facing the human family; Interview with departing U.S. ambassador to the Holy See; Buttiglione, Europe's anti-abortion politician; Pius XII, the Holocaust and the Jews; Remembering Cardinal Jan Schotte; Document on the admission of homosexuals to seminaries; Statement on papal visit to Poland
*********************************************************
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 ]
**************************************
Catholic Tertiary Chaplaincy vacancies, Diocese of Christchurch 2-3 postions for tertiary co-ordinator and tertiary team workers Details in 'NZ Catholic' December 12-18 p.22, and from Mike Stopforth, Catholic Youth Team, PO Box 4544, Christchurch. Tel: (03) 366-9869; fax: (03) 379-8724; e-mail: mstopforth@chch.catholic.org.nz. Or after 20 December, Fr Michael Doyle, Tertiary priest-chaplain; e-mail: mjdoyle@paradise.net.nz Applications close 17 January 2005
***********************************************************
EVENTS
Parachute Music Festival Mystery Creek, Hamilton January 28-31 2005
The annual Christian music festival, takes place on Auckland Anniversary weekend (last weekend of January) at Totara Springs Christian Camp, Matamata.
Parachute Festival Website: http://websites.parachutemusic.com/festival/2005/default_noflash.asp
Catholics@Parachute: The young Catholic presence at Australasia's biggest Christian music festival is growing by the year.. The National Council for Young Catholics coordinates the bulk purchase of tickets and the set-up of a Catholic village on site. Contact Jamie Cox: jamiec@cdh.org.nz
*******************************************
Dear readers,
This week 'From the Secular Press' is expanded with brief notes of stories in the metropolitan daily newspapers likely to interest readers of our newsletter but which are **not available for free** on the papers' Websites.
The newspapers can be read in public libraries throughout the country in print form, and also through the "Newztext" Internet service which many libraries subscribe to so as to make the contents of the newspapers available free of charge to their borrowers via the libraries' own terminals and their Websites.
Mike Leon
****************************************************************
TSUNAMI AFTERMATH
Today, Sunday the 16th of January, New Zealanders are asked to observe one minute's silence at 1:59 pm in memory of the victims of the recent Tsunami. Interdenominational church services are also being held in many cities for the same purpose.
The Catholic Internet news service AsiaNews - http://www.asianews.it -carries daily reports on the impact of the South Asian tsunami from its local correspondents, many of them clergy and church workers living in the stricken areas.
***************************************************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS
Beach silence plea for tsunami victims The Southland Times 15 Jan 2005 http://tinyurl.com/6cmhg Southlanders are being invited to mark a day of remembrance for victims of the south Asian tsunami in a special way at Oreti Beach tomorrow.
Threats, corruptions threaten aid operation NZ City 12 January 2005 http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/default.asp?id=46640 Peter Zwart from the Catholic charity Caritas says agency reputations stand or fail on how well they can deliver the relief they have been given and how wisely the money is being used....
Christian parties not just valid, but also necessary by Ewen McQueen, leader of Christian Heritage NZ. Otago Daily Times Jan 12, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/5hzq7 The recent Australian and United States elections illustrated a growing Christian/family-values constituency in those nations. In the US, the Christian President George W. Bush was re-elected after campaigning strongly on a pro-marriage and pro-life platform. In Australia, not only was the morally conservative Howard administration re-elected, but a new Christian-based party was elected to the senate. In New Zealand, there is also an emerging Christian/family-values constituency....
Priest preyed on by drunk Otago Daily Times Jan 14, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/3ssdy Christchurch: Drunken antics on New Year's Eve ended in an assault on a priest at Christchurch's Catholic Cathedral, the Christchurch District Court was told yesterday...
Father Jacques Dupuis (obituary) The Times (London) January 12, 2005 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,60-1435781,00.html Father Jacques Dupuis' long experience of India and its non-Christian traditions helped to shape his religious thinking. His attempt to respond to a world in which Christians are increasingly aware of the reality of different religious paths led him into conflict with the Vatican....
[The following stories are not available on the papers' free Websites. They can be read in the print editions of the newspapers at public libraries, and via the libraries' free Newztext service]
Two days to remember tsunami victims The Manawatu Evening Standard, 12 Jan 2005, Edition 2, Page 3. Sunday has been designated a national memorial day to remember the victims of the tsunami -- but Palmerston North is way ahead, having already organised its own day for Friday.
Charms of the basilica The Press (Christchurch); Features; 15 Jan 2005 Christchurch's Catholic Cathedral, one of the city's architectural treasures, is marking its 100th anniversary. Mike Crean finds that its survival has, occasionally, been against the odds.
****************************************************************
FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS
Cardinal's Comment Catholic Weekly (Sydney) 14 January, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/473fc When the tectonic plates lifted near Sumatra, we had a major upheaval in every sense. News of the deaths came slowly but 150,000 have died and five million are displaced. Years of rebuilding lie ahead. If God is good, interested in us and all powerful, where does He fit into this suffering and its aftermath?...
More room to reflect Catholic Weekly (Sydney) 15 January, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/4zyzx The 10th anniversary of the beatification of Blessed Mary MacKillop, co-founder of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, will be marked on Wednesday, January 19, with the opening and blessing of the new extension to her shrine in the chapel at North Sydney. The order was founded in eastern South Australia in March 1866. Now there are 990 sisters throughout Australia and New Zealand...
Pope lists 4 great challenges for mankind http://cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=34520 Vatican, Jan. 10 (CWNews.com) - In his annual address to the Vatican diplomatic corps on January 10, Pope John Paul II set out four challenges facing the world's leaders: the defense of life, the conquest of hunger, the pursuit of world peace, and the advance of religious freedom....
Vatican courses on Satanism Washington Times January 11, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/43f3g [PLEASE NOTE: the article includes descriptions of gruesome killings] Paris, France, Jan. 11 (Upi) -- Satanism is growing so quickly worldwide that as of next month a papal university in Rome will offer courses on this frightening phenomenon. According to Vatican sources, divinity students at the pontifical Regina Apostolorum (Queen of the Apostles) University will learn about devil worship, witchcraft, demonology and exorcism....
Fr Courage; cardinal hero of Khartoum Catholic Weekly 14 January, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/5lh4q As Archbishop of Khartoum, Gabriel Zubeir Wako is no stranger to suffering. And yet, he and the Church he leads have not only survived but have a fervent faith in the future. Nor is this idle thinking; this is a man who holds on to his beliefs in the face of assassination attempts, threats of imprisonment, and countless attacks on his people and his Church....
Pope Invites Eastern Catholics to Reach Out to Orthodox http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=64532
Christians must rediscover baptism and mission, says the Pope AsiaNews 9 January, 2005 http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=2293
****************************************************************
CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
http://www.cathcom.org.nz
Australians to remember tsunami victims Catholics will join the rest of Australia on Sunday in observing a national day of mourning and reflection for the victims of the Boxing Day Asian earthquake and tsunami. Prime Minister John Howard has asked Australians to observe a minute's silence at 11.59am (Australian Eastern Daylight Time), marking the time at which the devastating earthquake which preceded the tsunamis struck.
Increase in numbers for seminaries Young men are returning to the Catholic priesthood, with leading Australian seminaries reversing a steady decline in numbers to record one of their best intakes for almost a decade.
Vatican conference studies 'folk' religions The Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue is organizing a forum in Rome this week on the contributions that folk religions make to the cause of peace. This is the first attempt at bringing together religions based on ethnic or tribal cultural traditions as opposed to world religions which cross cultural boundaries.
Catholics worried sex abuse costs curtail church work A USA survey of Catholics who regularly attend church shows a growing concern about the church's financial ability to fulfill its mission because of the costs related to the clergy sex abuse crisis. The crisis has also increased the desire for greater church accountability on financial issues.
Venezuelan Prelate calls for defense of human rights Troubled Venezuela needs to see a "defense and promotion of the dignity of the person and the totality of his human rights," says Archbishop Baltazar Porras in his opening address at the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference.
Brisbane young adult office closes After 10 years looking after the spiritual needs of young adult Catholics, the Brisbane Archdiocesan Young Adult Ministry office has closed. After the 2003 Synod, a decision has been made to bring all pastoral ministries for young people together to form a new Youth and Children's Ministry.
MEDIA RELEASES
http://www.cathcom.org.nz/media.php
New Zealanders give generously to Caritas Tsunami Appeal (11 Jan 2005)
*****************************************************
'THE FAR EAST'
Magazine of the Australian and New Zealand missionaries of St Columban's Missionary Society
http://www.columban.org.au/tfe/tfe_current.htm
From the Nov/Dec 2004 issue ......
Editorial : Sarah and Christmas Christmas is a wonderful time of year for gifts and that sends my thoughts back to an incident which took place about two months ago when I was celebrating Sunday Mass in a parish where the priest was away on holidays. I noticed a young girl standing at the side of the altar where no one had been before. As I turned towards her she held out her hand and wished me ‘peace.´....
From the Director : Talking of God in pubs and barns Last month I was in a country pub having lunch after a funeral when one of the women present said, “Oh, I don´t think missionaries should be interfering in other cultures.’ I replied that we don´t do that anymore. For me the conversation raised the question, “What is our motivation for mission?’...
Wanderings through Pakistan, by Fr Daniel O´Connor After ordination, I needed to obtain a missionary visa to enter Pakistan. As the number of visas was restricted, I acquired mine by replacing a Belgium Capuchin missionary who had died. From the plane I looked down on the towns, villages and fields of the Punjab as I flew to Lahore....
Love affair with Myanmar, by Fr Colm Murphy Many recent visitors to Myitkyina diocese in northeast Burma have been struck by the devotion of the Catholics to the Columbans who worked there from 1936-1979. Their fondness for those missionaries is extraordinary. As a returning dinosaur I have been delighted and embarrassed by this devotion. But also perplexed. The Columbans in Burma were not that good: nobody is. I tried to find a reason for this fervour....
Oriental Christmas, by Fr Patrick Clarke The worst Christmas Day I ever had was 1957. I am not sure about what I was expecting to see, but what I saw didn´t lift my spirits. The shops were open; people were on their way to work. Buses and trams were running. It may have been Christmas Day in the rest of the world but here it was just December 25, another day in another week....
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"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.
Summary of the column for January 14, 2005 : The pope on four great challenges facing the human family; Interview with departing U.S. ambassador to the Holy See; Buttiglione, Europe's anti-abortion politician; Pius XII, the Holocaust and the Jews; Remembering Cardinal Jan Schotte; Document on the admission of homosexuals to seminaries; Statement on papal visit to Poland
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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 ]
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Catholic Tertiary Chaplaincy vacancies, Diocese of Christchurch 2-3 postions for tertiary co-ordinator and tertiary team workers Details in 'NZ Catholic' December 12-18 p.22, and from Mike Stopforth, Catholic Youth Team, PO Box 4544, Christchurch. Tel: (03) 366-9869; fax: (03) 379-8724; e-mail: mstopforth@chch.catholic.org.nz. Or after 20 December, Fr Michael Doyle, Tertiary priest-chaplain; e-mail: mjdoyle@paradise.net.nz Applications close 17 January 2005
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EVENTS
Parachute Music Festival Mystery Creek, Hamilton January 28-31 2005
The annual Christian music festival, takes place on Auckland Anniversary weekend (last weekend of January) at Totara Springs Christian Camp, Matamata.
Parachute Festival Website: http://websites.parachutemusic.com/festival/2005/default_noflash.asp
Catholics@Parachute: The young Catholic presence at Australasia's biggest Christian music festival is growing by the year.. The National Council for Young Catholics coordinates the bulk purchase of tickets and the set-up of a Catholic village on site. Contact Jamie Cox: jamiec@cdh.org.nz
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