24 dec 2006

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Dear readers,

'News & Notes' is taking a break for two or three weeks. The next posting
will be in the first or second week of 2007, depending on how much news
there is to note.

A Happy Christmas to you all, every best wish and all God's blessings.

Mike Leon

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'NZ CATHOLIC'

http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/

No. 257 December 24 2006 - Jan 27 2007

NATIONAL
National Calendar for 2007 ... NZ Catholic scholarship to Aucklander ...
Midnight Mass to see in 2007 ... Appointments in Wellington ... "Laughable"
idea on family size ... National bid for Church growth ... Christmas Day's
TV hymns sung in PN cathedral ... Cloning decision not good ethics ... Otaki
celebrates marae jubilee ... Iranian will stay in jail ... "Silent Night is
my favourite" ... Ecumenical community celebrates 20 years ... Principal
earned vibrant send-off ... Graduates from Wellington centre ... Delighted
to have new block

FEATURES
Catholicism, Eastern religions see increases in latest census figures ...
Sing, choirs of angels! ... 2006 in review ... St Boniface is credited with
first Christmas tree ... Guadalupe gatherings

OPINION
Ronald Rolheiser: Keeping watch with the shepherds ... Tom Sheridan: It's
our job to keep Christmas ... Huda Al-Safwani: Christianity joined with
Islam in a happy Baghdad house ... Editorial: "Christmas" is making a
comeback ... Malcolm Evans ... Letters

INTERNATIONAL
"Dark chapter" for Bethlehem ... Wall replaced nativity scene ... Pope
raises concerns with PM ... The Pope: Narrow vision excludes religion ...
Holy See deplores Holocaust denial ... Nuncio: Change energy policy ...
Kidnapped priests released ... "Insufficient" action on Darfur tragedy ...
Study finds reasons for not going to Mass ... Vatican refuses to sign UN
disability convention ... Parish hunger strike secures building permit ...
Parents choose disabled children ... Adult stem cells more effective ...
Expelled nuns wanted "own rules" ... Fiji sanctions opposed ... In Brief ...
Promise on parchment

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

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FROM THE SECULAR MEDIA

Christmas messages from some of New Zealand's Christian leaders
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story.cfm?storyid=000968C8-71EF-158B-9FDA83027A\
F10017
Keep Faith, by Bishop Patrick Dunn, Catholic Bishop of Auckland
Several articles have appeared recently in the Herald and elsewhere about
attempts to dumb down Christmas. Not to dumb down the external trimmings but
to obscure, even erase, the "reason for the season"...

Enjoying cultural Christmas (photo)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/timaruherald/3907541a6571.html
Christmas is a time of traditions, especially for a number of different
cultural groups living in South Canterbury. Filipino, Chinese, and Italian
members of the community say they combine both their own and New Zealand
traditions during the festive season...

Bringing new cultures and traditions to New Zealand
http://www.stuff.co.nz/search/3907425a6565.html
The festive season is well and truly upon us, tills are ringing, ribbons are
curling and Southlanders are getting ready to celebrate Christmas in their
own, individual ways...

More Kiwis than ever in church at Christmas (photos)
http://www.spcm.org/Journal/spip.php?article4755
New Zealand (ANS) â€" Church leaders are surprised at a Reader's Digest survey
which suggests churchgoing is not high on the list of things people like to
do at Christmas, when their experience is exactly the opposite...

Tapu Misa: 'Winterval' yet another example of the war on Christmas
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=301&objectid=10416118
I don't want to cause unnecessary panic and alarm among the nation's
children, but as this has come from the Vatican, I feel duty-bound to pass
it on: Christmas is under attack, and it is high time defenders rallied to
the cause.

Christmas stamps defended
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411365/937338
New Zealand Post is defending this year's Christmas stamp issue following
accusations by the Vatican newspaper that some countries are waging a war
against Christmas...

Poor service for carol lovers as 'Pop Idol' rules in Oz
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2006/12/19/expatidol.xm\
l
[Charlotte Francis, an English immigrant living in Melbourne, vowed to find
a genuine Chrismas carol concert after the "carols" at the outdoor concerts
she went to turned out to be nothing but 'Santa Claus is coming to Town' and
'Jingle Bell Rock'. So she headed for St Patrick's cathedral. "They'll have
the genuine article" she told herself. Well, more or less ...

Opinion: Correct is not always right
http://www.stuff.co.nz/search/3904019a6566.html
A Catholic Church spokeswoman was bang-on at the weekend when she lamented
that removing a cross from the spiritual centre at Middlemore Hospital was
"political correctness gone bananas"...


PIZZA HELL

Boycott Hell Pizza, says Catholic paper
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=301&objectid=10415923

Gavin Abraham: Why Catholics believe Hell Pizza condom campaign was wrong
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=87&objectid=10416331

NZ Herald: 'Your Views: Catholic ban on Hell Pizza'
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/466/story.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10415926

Editorial: Pick your fights
http://www.stuff.co.nz/search/3904111a6573.html

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CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

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

Media release: See TV news from the Vatican on your computer screen (18 Dec
2006)
A television news agency called "Rome Reports", featuring world news and
documentaries from the Vatican, can now be downloaded by those who have a
broadband connection...

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NEW ISSUES OF NEW ZEALAND CATHOLIC PUBLICATIONS

'Marist Messenger' - November 2006
http://www.maristmessenger.co.nz/index.php

'Tui Motu InterIslands' - October 2006
http://www.tuimotu.org/

NZ Catholic Education Office. 'Lighting New Fires' - Christmas issue
http://www.nzceo.catholic.org.nz/pages/resourcesubpages/lighting-new-fires.html

Marist Brothers, NZ Province. Schools' 'Champagnat Newsletter' - September
2006
http://www.maristbrothers.org.nz/Champagnat%20News.htm

Catholic Diocese of Christchurch. 'Inform' newsletter - December 2006
http://www.chch.catholic.org.nz/?sid=25

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INSPIRATIONAL TV - NZ's own Catholic Web TV service

http://inspirationaltv.net/

New this week: A child is born
At Christmas time, Sister Stephanie takes a poignant look at how the birth
of a child can be seen as a gift for some, and a burden for others in New
Zeland ...

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WORLD NEWS OF THE CHURCH (Regularly updated)

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

http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/

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ALL THINGS CATHOLIC
Analysis and commentary by John R. Allen

http://ncrcafe.org/node/507

Weekly Analysis: Ten mega-trends shaping the Catholic Church
Christmas is a season of giving, and in a rather self-serving application of
that spirit, this week I'm asking readers to give me something.
Specifically, I'm asking for reactions to my list of the 10 most important
"mega-trends" in Catholicism today, which appears below...

Daily news and updates:
The Pentecostal phenomenon in Latin America ... Priest's conviction a
reminder that Rwanda's wounds are still open ... In Toronto, an emblematic
appointment from Benedict XVI

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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/ ]

Executive Assistant (part-time), Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary,
Mangere East.
http://www.maristmissionarysmsm.org/english/ProvinalSPac.html
Further details in 'NZ Catholic' December 24 2006 - January 27 2006 p.23,
and from Provincial Leader, 22 Roberston Road, Favona, Manukau 2024