15 February 2004
************************************

'WEL-COM' February 2004

Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Wellington and the Diocese of Palmerston North

http://www.welcom.org.nz

Cardinal Williams: So much achieved in the Archdiocese

Bishop Dew: Immersing ourselves in the essence of the sacred

Caritas workplace survey reveals child exploitation in N.Z. The recent survey by Caritas on the work experience of children still at school led the Minister of Labour, Margaret Wilson to issue a statement on the need for vigilance...

At last, a glimmer of hope for asylum seekers detained on Nauru After two years of being detained against their will on Nauru Island it seems that for some of those asylum seekers things may, at last, be starting to move...

What it is like for the people of the Holy Land? Last year Fr Alan Roberts was in Israel where he was studying at Tantur and had a chance to experience life in this country torn apart by strife and anguish. He tells us something of the things he learned as the country faces the prospect of being divided by the Israeli Security Barrier....

It’s time we stopped paying certifying consultants Marilyn Pryor calls for an end to the charade where New Zealand pays certifying consultants who authorise abortions on specious grounds masquerading as a serious danger to the mother's mental health...

Pastoral Areas are now established 1 February marked an historic day in the Wellington Archdiocese as the Pastoral Area model for its parishes came into existence...

Developing a spirituality of place for Wellingtonians Sr Elizabeth Julian reflects on the importance of place in bringing us into a profound encounter with God....

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

FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Expulsion puts girl's life at risk says lawyer NZ Herald 14.02.2004 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyI\ D=3549285&reportID=55514 The Auckland Catholic Communications Director, Lindsay Freer was surprised to be approached last week by an immigration official who appealed for the church's help in finding a haven for an expelled Sri Lankan teenager....

Integrated schools may not be safe from reviews Otago Daily Times Thursday, 12-February 2004 (part one) Integrated schools should have the same concerns as their state counterparts about facing a Ministry of Education review, University of Otago Associate Prof Howard Lee says. Integrated schools have contracts with the Government that preserve their "special character", while allowing them to access similar Government funding to state-run schools. The agreements also mean integrated schools cannot be closed or merged as part of a review....

part one: http://www.odt.co.nz/cgi-bin/search-display-story-online-new?date=12Feb2004&obje\ ct=GBJ34K2590EF&type=html&WORDS=catholic&DB=Editorial

part two: http://www.odt.co.nz/cgi-bin/search-display-story-online-new?date=12Feb2004&obje\ ct=GBM27E4697HD&type=html&WORDS=catholic&DB=Editorial

France is not as secular as it purports NZ Herald 11.02.2004 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyI\ D=3548489 The debate swirling around a school in Maisons-Laffitte, a smart Paris suburb by the river Seine, is an example of thinking across France. A majority of the public are comfortable with state funding of Catholic schools so long as there is adequate scrutiny. But they also reflect a tradition of suspicion about Islam....

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

FROM THE CATHOLIC PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

Iraq - “It is amazing to see that at the slightest signal of a return to normality, murderous hands are ready to strike causing death, destruction and terror” Father Nizar Semaan in Iraq tells Fides... http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0402/12_1699.html

Only a few donors to help for the food crisis North Korea: Only a few donors to help for the food crisis http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=367 Pyongyang (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The World Food Programme (WFP) warned that 4 million North Koreans (17% of the country’s population) are at risk of malnutrition because of a fall in international aid...

My kids on the block, by Kristina Cooper The Tablet (UK) http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/archive_db.cgi?tablet-00850 Most people turn away from violence or lock their door. But for one woman living on an inner city estate, her faith inspired her to try to make a difference by befriending young people rejected as troublemakers. It was the start of a new, sometimes frightening, way of life ...

Family fast and fast food, by Clare Watkins Priests and People (UK) http://www.priestsandpeople.co.uk/cgi-bin/archive_db.cgi?priestsppl-00094 Should Christian families follow society’s trend in solitary snacking, or make a point of eating together at table? Dr Clare Watkins, Vice Principal of the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology, Cambridge, reflects on the theological implications of the way we eat, or abstain from eating, in the world of fast food...

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

WORLD DAY OF THE SICK

Vatican City (Fides Service) - Pope John Paul II dedicated his teaching during the Wednesday Audience on 11 February to the mystery of the sick and the suffering. In fact it was the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and for the Church the World Day of the Sick.... http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0402/12_1693.html

Vatican - In St Peter’s the Pope meets and blesses the sick: “As we look at Mary our heart opens to hope…Immaculate Mary is the wonderful sign of the victory of life over death, love over sin, salvation over all sickness of body or soul ”. http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0402/12_1694.html

Numerous links to further articles and reports on the World Day of the Sick are at: http://www.cathnews.com/news/402/49.php


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

'THE PASSION'

Interview: 'You Want Me To Play Jesus?' http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4212740/He thought he was meeting for a surfing movie. Then Mel Gibson showed upNewsweekFeb. 16 issue - James Caviezel, the 35-year-old actor who first came to attention in Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line" and starred in "The Count of Monte Cristo," talks to NEWSWEEK's Sean Smith about the agony and the ecstasy of playing the Savior in the controversial "The Passion of the Christ."...

Will Mel Gibson's Passion of Christ help save Christianity?, by Daniel Johnson http://www.opinion.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2004/02/11/do\ 1101.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2004/02/11/ixopinion.html Christianity in the West is undeniably in crisis. Christians who are ashamed of the historical basis of their faith will not pass it on to the next generation - if, with our pathological failure to reproduce, there is a younger generation. For Christians, The Passion is at once a challenge to re-examine the most problematic aspects of their faith, and an opportunity to share its most sublime mystery with others. Its purpose is avowedly evangelical...

Join the clubbed: Catholics know pain of being bashed, by Richard Roeper http://www.suntimes.com/output/roeper/cst-nws-roep10.html I've seen the version of "The Passion of the Christ" that will play in theaters starting on Ash Wednesday -- and I'll soon share my views on the film. In the meantime, I've been pondering some other religious-themed movies I've seen in my four years on "Ebert & Roeper." Catholicism has been represented far more frequently than any other faith. Just from the last four years, I could easily put together a Catholic Film Festival -- but I don't think too many Catholics would be pleased with the entries....

Who Killed Jesus? (4-page article) http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4212741/Mel Gibson's powerful but troubling new movie, 'The Passion of the Christ,' is reviving one of the most explosive questions ever. What history tells us about Jesus' last hours, the world in which he lived, anti-Semitism, Scripture and the nature of faith itself

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

"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 Feb. 13 2004: Plenary assembly of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and revival of natural law; Pope meets Iranian foreign minister: situation of Iranian Christians; Former archbishop of Boston in Rome; Progress on English translation of the Mass; Human trafficking, modern slavery; Curial appointments from Eastern Europe

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

EVENTS

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

Catholic Festival: A Celebration of the Catholic Faith Auckland Town Hall, Friday 20 - Sunday 22 February 2004 Website: http://www.catholicfestival.org Full-page newspaper feature: 'NZ Catholic' Feb 8-21 p.12

"The Catholic Festival is a celebration of our faith that will be joyful, prayerful, reflective, informative and educational. We hope that it will be inspiring and life-changing for all who participate... We seek to provide the opportunity for anyone to display the gifts that God has given them... We also wish to celebrate our cultural diversity and to grow together in unity. From the centre of Auckland, we also have the opportunity to witness to our faith and help others to see its richness and beauty. Finally, there is the opportunity for the many groups and religious communities to promote their apostolates and seek members and vocations."

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

Courses sponsored by the Outreach and Evangelisation Commission, Hamilton Catholic Diocese Presented by Adrian & Anne Commadeur and Nan Deakin from the Melbourne Schools of Evangelisation

"New Life" : Saturday 28 February and Sunday 29 February 2004 Meet Jesus afresh and renew your commitment to Him

"Emmaus" : Saturday 6 March and Sunday 7 March 2004 Listen as Jesus walks with the disciples to Emmaus and unfolds the meaning of Scripture to you

Venue: Catholic Hall, St Joseph's, Te Aroha. Register by 16 February -see your Parish for brochures. Each course costs $40, or whatever the participants can afford. Some billets available with parishioners.

For further information contact Julia (07) 863 7575 Waihi Liz (07) 858 2954 Hamilton John (07) 846 2691 Hamilton jlewis@wave.co.nz

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

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 ]

Office Secretary, National Centre for Religious Studies, Wellington Details in 'Wel-com' February 2004 p.17, or from: The Director, NCRS, PO Box 1937, Wellington 6015; tel. 04 496 1761; e-mail: ncrsnz@clerar.net.nz. Applications close 27 February 2004.