Saturday, January 29, 2005

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'NZ CATHOLIC'

No. 204, January 30-February 12, 2005

http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz

From the current issue ...

$1 million for tsunami appeal Wellington - An overwhelming response from the Catholic community has given nearly $1 million to Caritas for relief work among people affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami....

Priest attends Mt Erebus service Wellington - As 2004 was coming to a close, Fr Ron Bennett from St Joseph's parish in Upper Hutt flew to Antarctica and joined in the 25th anniversary remembrance of the Mt Erebus disaster.....

Challenging set of stations for Christchurch cathedral Christchurch - Beauty, pathos and challenge spring forth from the Stations of the Cross completed by sculptor Llew Summers for the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in its centennial year....

Also in this issue ...

NATIONAL From the civil union debate ... ERO File

FEATURES "Every day an adventure" on ancient pilgrimage ... Little Sisters' century celebrated ... Jamaican parish was mission for Samoan group ... Shelter proves worth ... Church is lent new organ ... Poland's churches are not museums ... Challenging set of Stations for cathedral ... Lent comes early this year ... Location of Holy Grail confirmed by scholar

INTERNATIONAL Pope tells diplomats of priorities for world ... Evidence causes atheist philosopher to waver ... Pope escaped Hitler's kidnap plan ... The Pope: Immigrants' integration needs to be balanced ... Iraq gunmen release kidnapped archbishop ... Australia seminary numbers rising ... Dutch docs want to kill the "tired" ... Famine tax introduced ... Vatican calls meeting to help Asian fishermen ... School becomes homosexual-issue battleground ... "Vegetative" Terri alive, says lawyer ... Bishops say condoms still barred... "Jane Roe" seeks rehearing ... Hopes rise for peace in Sudan ... Prison failings demand new approach: Bishops ... Massgoing "a profound need" ... Late weekend Mass key?

OPINION Editorial: God, nature and the tsunami's toll ... Malcolm Evans, Letters ... Joy Cowley: Searching for the real mystery beyond Dan Brown's theories ... Ronald Rolheiser: Honouring Jacques Dupuis ... Parish Diary: A shock for our society ... Others Say

REGULAR FEATURES Books ... Monitor ... Clips ... Net Scene ... Young Adults ... The Doolans... Family Talk ... Caption Contest ... Who Said? ... Cryptic Crossword ... 40 Years Ago ... Holy Lives ... That Word! ... Photo Prayer ... Scripture... Wit's End.

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FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Parachute 05 set to rock out http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_national_story_skin/471061%3fformat=html The biggest Christian music festival in the Southern Hemisphere is now open for business. Thousands of musical pilgrims have been heading to Hamilton for Parachute 05 to watch and listen to Christian bands from around the globe....

Parachute Festival Attracts Thousands http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,11964-4061598,00.html More than 22,000 people have flocked to Mystery Creek for the Parachute Christian music festival. It is reported to be the hottest and sunniest day in Hamilton this year....

Sandra Paterson: Encounter with porn http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?ObjectID=10008513 Seeing this is my first column for the year, I was planning on writing something nice and light about my camping adventures on the East Cape. But then, a few days ago, I found a package in my letterbox containing an unlabelled video cassette...

Schools determined to deal with ERO's concerns http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/auckland/0,2106,3168997a6497,00.htm\ l Penrose High and St Pius X schools are confident 2005 will be a good year -despite critical reports from the Education Review Office. The schools were reviewed in November and have been told to make major changes before their next inspections at the end of this year....

Human Rights Commission. 'On the Bright Side' - January 2005 http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0501/S00200.htm Here are this month's acknowledgments from the Race Relations Commissioner for positive contributions to race relations in New Zealand ... Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand: For the Celebrating Cultural Diversity programme, 2005....

Priests marrying is conceivable http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_national_story_skin/470615%3fformat=html Representatives of the Catholic Church in New Zealand say the idea of allowing priests to break their celibacy is conceivable, but unlikely to happen in the near future...

No change to rule on celibacy http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/0,2106,3167905a6530,00.html Catholic priests are in short supply, but no approach is coming from Christchurch to relax the rule on celibacy. The Vicar-General of the Christchurch Catholic diocese, Monsignor Gerry O'Connor, said he was unaware of any talks among Canterbury priests on celibacy...

Church dweller leaves of own accord http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_national_story_skin/470617%3fformat=html Parishioners at St Annes Catholic Church in Harihari, in the South Island, have been told their confessions remain secret despite the fact that a squatter has been living in the roof for years. Police were going to remove the man, known locally as Mr Fritz, who was refusing to come down from his hiding place, but he has come down of his own accord....

Solo mums 'can't wait to return to work' http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3167736a10,00.html Most women on the domestic purposes benefit want to get off it and start working, a Hamilton solo mother says. ...

Teacher 'in sin' departs http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/0,2106,3165798a6530,00.html A Catholic teacher who was rejected for a full-time job, partly because he was "living in sin", no longer works for the school concerned. Sean Thomson spent the last three of a 20-year Catholic teaching career working part-time at St Joseph's School in Rangiora....

[The full text of the following news item is not available free of charge on the Radio NZ Website. It can be read in full via the 'Newztext' service provided by many public libraries to their borrowers] Catholic Church To Ban Civil Unis From Churches Radio New Zealand Newswire - 23/01/2005:10:42 The Catholic Church says civil unions ceremonies will be banned from their churches. Lyndsay Freer, the communications director for the Catholic Church, says neither heterosexual or homosexual civil unions will be held Catholic churches....

The tsunami questions man about his limits and the reasons for evil, says Card Sodano http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=2413

Film Highlights Slain Priest Who Stood Up to the Mafia http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=65132

Turin Shroud Older Than Thought http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20050124/shroud.html

Polish court fines satirist for mocking name of the Pope http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=604592

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FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES

Christians from every denomination meet where Jesus was baptised http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=2448 Amman (AsiaNews) - About 15,000 Christians from Jordan and the Holy Land came today to the shores of the Jordan River to the spot where, according to tradition, Jesus was baptised. Holy Mass was celebrated by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, with seven leaders of other Churches with a presence in the Holy Land. Protestant leaders from both sides of the Jordan were also present....

The gentle power of a saver of souls: 'Father Joe: the man who saved my soul ' by Tony Hendra (book review) http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/book_review.cgi/past-00219 From the outside this looks like a standard personal-growth potboiler. But 'Father Joe' turns the nostrums of the self-help manuals inside out. We find life not by searching for it, but by being so caught up in the lives of others that we forget our own needs completely. By being loved, and by being shown how to love....

Gentle into that good night http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/archive_db.cgi/tablet-00974 When I was 18, I went with my sister to see our uncle in a place that was then called St Joseph's Hospice for the Dying, in east London. It's an uncompromising name and we were nervous, not relishing the prospect of witnessing terrible terminal agonies at close quarters. But we were very fond of him and we braved it. It was astonishing....

What the Pope's Message Says About the Elderly http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=65462 Vatican City, Jan. 27, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Bishop André-Mutien Léonard of Namur, Belgium, was called to Rome to present this year's papal Lenten Message, which is an appeal to love the life of the elderly. In this interview with ZENIT, Bishop Léonard, 64, explains that the theme of the message -- "Loving the Lord ... means life to you, and length of days" -- is particularly forceful, as the one who writes is an elderly man who shows the world every day that all life is worth living...

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SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF AUSCHWITZ

Pope's Message for 60th Anniversary of Liberation of Auschwitz: "No One Is Permitted to Pass by the Tragedy of the Shoah" http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=65463

The Holocaust gives Europe a chance to think about its faults and future, says Father Jaeger http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=2444 Rome (AsiaNews) - David-Maria A. Jaeger is a Franciscan priest, the only Israeli-born Catholic priest raised by Jewish parents. He is well-placed to look at the past and talk about what in many European countries has already become an annual recurrence: Holocaust Remembrance Day....

New Zealand remembers Auschwitz http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_national_story_skin/470715%3fformat=html About 100 people have gathered at an Auckland synagogue to remember the deaths of more than a million Jews and others killed at Auschwitz. Other victims of Nazi atrocities totalled an estimated 5.5 million. Catholic and Protestant clergy also were sent to concentration camps as well as Jehovah's Witnesses...

Holocaust a "Stain on History," Says Vatican Address at U.N. Recalls Liberation of Nazi Camps by the Allies http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=65321

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CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

MEDIA RELEASES

http://www.cathcom.org.nz/media.php

Pope John Paul calls on media to promote peace and mobilise aid (26 Jan 2005) In his message to mark the Catholic Church's annual World Communications Day, Pope John Paul emphasised the enormous potential of the media for promoting peace and building bridges between peoples....

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

http://www.cathcom.org.nz

Alternative priests' council hits back on mandatory celibacy Sainthood prospect for mother who died refusing abortion Pope's Lenten message urges respect for elderly Iraqi bishop says voting is a moral duty Cardinal says 'faith in Christ' the focus of ecumenism Bishop stands up to Vatican on retirement requirement

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CARITAS AOTEAROA NZ

http://www.caritas.org.nz

NEWSROOM

Whatever happened to community responsibility? 26 January , 2005: Mr Brash's proposals for welfare reform would see greater responsibility for the needy and vulnerable in our society passed from the State to church and community agencies, as was the case in the 1990s, says Catholic social justice agency Caritas...

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CHRISTCHURCH CARMELITES' NEWSLETTER

Every year, the Sisters of the Christchurch Carmel publish a newsletter on their Website, illustrated with photographs and small watercolour drawings by a member of the community. In the Christmas 2004 Newsletter, at http://www.karmel.at/~chch/ccnews.htm , the Sisters write about the highlights of the community's year, and Sister Cushla contributes her personal account of the day of her Solemn Profession, with photographs of the event.

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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 28, 2005 : Week of Prayer for Christian Unity; 'One strike' abuse policy being looked at; Praise for Fr. Marcial Maciel and the Legionaries of Christ; Condom discussion takes nuance and clarity; A 'war between the generations'; The little Madonna of Civitavecchia and Medjugorge; More on the American sex abuse scandals

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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 ]

Pastoral Development Co-ordinator, Hibiscus Coast Catholic Parish (St Francis, Manly; St John the Evangelist, Orewa) http://www.hbcparish.org.nz Further details in 'NZ Catholic' Jan 30 - Feb 12 2005 p. 19, and from The Secretary, Staffing Committee, St John's Parish, 180 Centreway Road, Orewa. E-mail: Jamarell@xtra.co.nz

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Sunday, January 23, 2005

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FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Funeral frolics upset Catholics NZ Herald 20.01.05 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10007295 The Catholic Church will move quickly to introduce formal guidelines for funeral services in New Zealand if funeral-goers become as unruly as some of their Australian counterparts....

Last orders called on rowdy funerals By Johann Vannisselroy Otago Daily Times Jan 20, 2005 http://tinyurl.com/3le3g If you want to crank up Metallica, tell a dirty joke or scull a beer at the next funeral you attend, your chances are better if it's not being held at a Roman Catholic church....

The call to aid http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/0,2106,3163357a12816,00.html The Press (Chch) 22 Jan 2005 As thousands flee disaster zones, a group of skilled New Zealanders head the other way. Warren Gamble finds out what drives aid-agency workers...

NZ silent for victims of tsunami (photo) The Press (Chch) 17 January 2005 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3158805a10,00.html From the broken hearts of family and friends to a line of honour on a Christchurch beach, New Zealanders stood silent to remember victims of the Asian tsunami yesterday.

"Thank you Holy Father, my captors were moved your words" abducted Catholic archbishop Casmoussa said in an interview with Fides a few hours after his release http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2005/0501/19_3919.html Mosul (Fides Service) - Gratitude to Pope John Paul for his prompt intervention was the first thought voiced by abducted Iraqi Catholic Archbishop of Mosul an interview a few hours after his release....

"The pain of separation is ever more intensely felt in the face of the challenges of a world waiting for clear and unanimous witness of the Gospel from all believers in Christ" the Pope said at the general audience during this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ... http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2005/0501/19_3924.html

French cardinal carries out pope's mission at Auschwitz a place with painful personal meaning http://tinyurl.com/3zmrj Paris (AP) When the pope called with a delicate request, Paris Archbishop Jean-Marie Lustiger hesitated at first. Pope John Paul II wanted Lustiger to represent him at ceremonies to mark the liberation of Auschwitz. Lustiger, a Jewish convert to Catholicism, lost his mother at the concentration camp....

Catholic organization screening priests on cruise ships Associated Press 17/1/05 http://www.abcactionnews.com/stories/2005/01/050117priests.shtml The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has started screening those celebrating Mass on cruise ships, a plan geared toward preventing former, rental and even fraudulent priests from ministering to Catholic passengers...

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CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

MEDIA RELEASES

http://www.cathcom.org.nz/media.php

Historic gathering for Catholic Church in New Zealand (19 Jan 2005) For the first time since the arrival in New Zealand of the first Catholic orders of religious women and men some 170 years ago, a general assembly of those orders will take place later this week. It will be held at St Catherine's College in Kilbirnie, Wellington from 20 to 23 January...

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

http://www.cathcom.org.nz

Condom controversy continues The controversy unleashed yesterday by a spokesman for the Spanish Catholic Bishops' Conference has caused much confusion in headlines around the world. The Spanish Bishops have denied any change. Bishop Prowse in Melbourne defended the Roman position and said there would be no change in Australia.

Australian resources for Year of Eucharist released The Australian Catholic Bishops yesterday issued a program for the celebration of the Year of the Eucharist, focusing on the importance of celebrating Sunday Mass.

Total Catholic aid to Tsunami recovery effort now at $500m The Vatican Information Service indicated yesterday that Catholic aid agencies around the world have now contributed more than $500m to the Tsunamic relief effort. In Australia, Catholic Mission, has set up what it describes as an "unprecedented solidarity fund".

Goodall case causing more embarrassment to Church Fr Terence Norman Goodall, 64, from Penshurst, yesterday admitted two counts of indecent assault in the Sydney District Court. He will be sentenced next week.

Two guilty for murdering Colombian Archbishop The two murderers of Colombian Archbishop, Isaias Duarte, were sentenced to a combined total of 71 years gaol for the crime.

Posthumous marriage annulments on rise in Italy According to a report in The Independent (UK) Roman Catholic Italy is witnessing a boom in demand for posthumous marriage annulments with many unions hitting the rocks as soon as one of the partners is lowered into the ground.

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FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES

Candlelight vigil and mass for Zhao Ziyang http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=2393 Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - At least 20,000 people are expected at a candlelight vigil to honour the former Chinese Communist Party Secretary Zhao Ziyang. Catholics who remember him as the party reformer shall hold a requiem mass for him this Sunday, January 23....

Where Was God During the Disaster? Civiltà Cattolica Points to 3 Lessons of Tsunami http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=65065 Rome, Jan. 20, 2005 (Zenit.org).- There are at least three lessons to be learned from the tsunami, says the latest issue of the review Civiltà Cattolica: the precariousness of human beings, the need for solidarity and the need for conversion....

New Plenary Indulgence to Mark Year of the Eucharist http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=64735 Vatican City, Jan. 14, 2005 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II has approved a special plenary indulgence to mark the Year of the Eucharist....

On the Why of Indulgences http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=64859 Rome, Jan. 17, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Instead of a "mercenary" attitude toward the indulgences offered during the Year of the Eucharist, this period must be lived with an attitude of openness to God's mercy, says a theologian....

Is Rolling Stone Afraid of the Bible? Christianity Today, January 17 2005 http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/103/53.0.html The latest issue of Rolling Stone just arrived in my office. It's loaded with ads that promise us the world, but nary a word about a new Bible. Zondervan, the nation's largest Bible publisher, tried to buy an ad in RS for Today's New International Version (TNIV), but got turned away. There's no use of the word "God" or "Christ." But apparently Rolling Stone objected to the word "truth" in the ad's text. "It doesn't quite feel right in the magazine," the general manager of RS's parent company told USA Today....

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CARITAS AOTEAROA NZ

http://www.caritas.org.nz

Government Tsunami Funding Package Positively Received 18 January, 2005:"The additional $58 million pledged today, together with the $10 million already given, is a great boost for the relief and recovery efforts; but in order for aid packages to equate to success on the ground, many other issues need to be addressed," says Caritas Director Mike Smith....

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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 20, 2005 : Christians in Iraq; The pope and the rabbis; More on Pius XII and Catholic-Jewish dialogue; Spain stirs debate on condoms.

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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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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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