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FROM THE SECULAR PRESS
Kiwi churches celebrate Christmas (video report)
Attendance at services 'fantastic'
The stifling heat didn't dash Christmas spirit in New Plymouth yesterday, with church leaders reporting hundreds turning up to celebrate - even a live donkey.
Hunterville's 'mayoress' a top volunteer
The woman nicknamed the "mayoress of Hunterville" has been awarded a Queen's Service Medal for her services to the town. Maureen Fenton, who has lived in Hunterville for more than 35 years, represented the town on the Rangitikei District Council from 1992 to 2001.
New Year's Honours: Miyoko Hammersley (photo)
After 15 years volunteering as a Catholic chaplain at the Rotorua Hospital, Miyoko Hammersley has been awarded a Queen's Service Medal.
Welcome mat at South's Vatican (photo)
The Press
You would be surprised to find Vatican City in Dunedin. But there it is, a Catholic precinct standing proudly on the hill above The Octagon, in the Presbyterian Capital of New Zealand.
Priest helps talk man down (photo)
Stunned onlookers gasped in horror as a man threatened to jump off Auckland's Sky Tower yesterday. But there were smiles and applause when he gave himself up to police after a near five-hour ordeal.
Priest vigorously defended religious ideals with letter writing (photo)
The Dominion Post
GH Duggan, SM, was a name that regularly appeared under numerous letters to the editor in columns defending the traditional position of the Catholic Church. The pages of the Listener and the Dominion in New Zealand were Father ''Chalky'' Duggan's preferred outlets in his numerous forays into letter-writing polemics over a 70-year period.
Gifted longtime racing editor (photo)
The Press
Jack Boyle, who died in Christchurch recently aged 88, was the racing editor of The Press for a record 40 years and earlier a talented sportsman in Southland, representing that province at both rugby and cricket. Two sons Justin, currently Rector of St Bede's College, and David, a successful businessman in Shanghai, were provincial cricket representatives for Wellington and Canterbury respectively while the third, Andrew, the general manager at The Press, also distinguished himself at the summer game – a reflection of their father's particular sporting passion.
Boy's family thankful
The father of a Nelson toddler who died after getting tangled in a blind cord before Christmas says the family have been overwhelmed by the support they have received. The funeral service for 14-month-old MacAuley Frederick Hicks, known as Mac, was held at St Mary's Catholic Church on Monday.
Accountant carried out Johnsonville community campaigns (photo)
The Dominion Post
Egan Ogier enjoyed the unofficial title of the Mayor of Johnsonville before moving to the Bay of Plenty to become a kiwifruit grower. The only child of Alby and Kay Ogier, he grew up in Whanganui and moved to Johnsonville with his wife, Sylvia, in 1951.
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NEW ZEALAND CATHOLIC PODCASTS
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LIGHT OF THE WORLD - Otago Catholic Access Radio
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29 December – Msgr Peter Fleetwood reflects on the importance of Christmas symbols; and women of the prolife campaign Silent No More discuss their work and ministry.
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'BEING FRANK' - New Zealand Catholic blogs
** Getting 'religion' back into the international public health development conversation…
** How important is the Bishop? (a film about Oscar Romero)
** What to say (...about heaven and hell)
** How important is the priest? (a conversation with a Pentecostal)
** Viderunt omnes ("All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God")
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ALL THINGS CATHOLIC - John L. Allen Jr
Top five under-covered Vatican stories of 2012
Now that the dust has settled on the New Year's holiday, it's time for my annual run-down of the most under-covered Vatican stories. By that, I mean those stories that fell through the cracks in the last year or that didn't quite generate the buzz they really deserved...
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NEW ZEALAND CATHOLIC PERIODICALS & NEWSLETTERS
'NZ Catholic' is a national newspaper published by the Catholic Bishop of Auckland.http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz
Catholic Diocese of Hamilton. 'Kete Korero'. http://proudtobecatholic.org.nz/news-events/kete-korero/
Catholic Dioceses of Palmerston North and Wellington. 'Wel-com' http://www.welcom.org.nz
Catholic Diocese of Christchurch. 'Inform' http://www.chch.catholic.org.nz/?sid=25
Catholic Diocese of Dunedin. 'The Tablet' http://www.cdd.org.nz/the-tablet
The Nathaniel Centre. The New Zealand Catholic Bioethics Centre. 'The Nathaniel Report'http://www.nathaniel.org.nz/?sid=5
NZ Catholic Education Office. 'Lighting New Fires' http://www.nzceo.catholic.org.nz/pages/resources/resources_lighting_new_fires.html
NZ Catholic Education Office. 'Good News and the News' http://www.nzceo.catholic.org.nz/pages/resources/resources_good_news.html
Society of Mary. 'Marist Messenger' http://www.maristmessenger.co.nz
St Columban's Mission Society. 'The Far East' http://www.columban.org.au/?MID=200510192652
'Tui Motu Interislands'. An independent Catholic magazine. http://www.tuimotu.org/articles
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NEW ZEALAND COMMENTARIES ON THE SUNDAY READINGS
Living the Word - Fr Frank Bird sm http://livingtheword.org.nz
Reflect - Veronica Lawson rsm http://www.welcom.org.nz/?sid=394
Daily Reflections (right-hand column) http://www.maristmessenger.co.nz
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FACEBOOK
Pompallier's People: The Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand
Bishop Patrick Dunn
Catholic Discipleship College
Diocesan Young Catholics, Palmerston North
Youth and Young Adults Ministries, Christchurch
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NEWS OF THE CHURCH IN NZ AND THE WORLD
http://www.romereports.com (video)
http://www.youtube.com/vatican (video news of Pope Benedict)
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EVENTS
Parachute Music Festival, Hamilton, 25-27 January 2013
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EMPLOYMENT
[Teaching vacancies in New Zealand Catholic schools are advertised on the Website of the Education Gazette:http://www.edgazette.govt.nz ]
[Job vacancies at the Archdiocese of Wellington are listed on http://www.wn.catholic.org.nz/jobs ]
[Catholic overseas volunteer vacancies are listed on the Vacancies page of http://www.mahitahi.org ]
Director, Pastoral Services, Archdiocese of Wellington
Details in Wel-com December 2012, p.2 and from info@wn.catholic.org.nz
Leader, The Logos Project
Details in 'NZ Catholic' December 16 - 26 January p.11, and at http://www.logos.org.nz/index.php/80-news/116-leader-wanted Applications close 21 January 2013
