Sunday, February 24, 2013

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LENT 2013

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand: Lent Resources Online: http://www.caritas.org.nz/resources/lent

Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving in preparation for Easter. In 2013 it began on Ash Wednesday 13 February and continues to Easter. 

The theme for the Bishops' Lent Appeal 2013, taken from a Papal letter to the Church in the Pacific, is: Follow faithfully the way, Tell courageously the truth, Live joyfully the life. Kia pono te whai atu i te huarahi, Kia maia te whakapuaki i te pono, Kia harikoa te manawa i te oranga

The Lent Appeal is run by Caritas on behalf of New Zealand's Catholic Bishops to support its work of charity and justice for the world's poorest – in New Zealand and overseas.

Resources - available at http://www.caritas.org.nz/resources/lent - have been prepared for parishes, schools, small groups and the wider community. Olivina Tu'iono from Caritas Tonga is also visiting schools and parishes throughout New Zealand from 9 February-10 March to share her experience working with poor and marginalised people in Tonga.

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'NZ CATHOLIC' - February 24 - March 9 2013, no. 409


Special edition: Papal history - Pope steps down ... Advertising features: Pilgrimages - Family First, Protect Marriage campaign - Josephite Retreat Centre

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FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

New pope could be elected by Easter (full text)
A new pope could be elected by Easter. Dame Lyndsay Freer, spokeswoman for the Catholic Church in Auckland, says there is speculation in news reports from the Vatican that says Pope Benedict will issue a decree to bring the papal conclave forward. Under current canon law the gathering of the world's cardinals must occur between 15 and 20 days after the death of a pope. Dame Lyndsay says as most of the world's cardinals will be in Rome well before Friday, and they already know when Pope Benedict will stand down, it could easily happen earlier. She says cardinals meet in their different language groups and then in a general meeting, so there will be a lot of discussion among them, even before they go into conclave.

Electing a new pope an absorbing process (photo)
Cardinal Tom Williams tells Joseph Romanos about the process to choose 'a pastor for the whole Catholic world'.

Caritas committed to Canterbury's earthquake recovery
Two years on from the February 2011 Canterbury earthquake, Catholic agency Caritas is maintaining a commitment to long-term recovery in the region.

Rescue missions (photos)
The Press
[The article describes restoration and repair plans for - among others - Catholic buildings damaged by the Christchurch earthquake] 

My life with the witch-burners (photo)
Philip Gibbs, a Catholic priest of Lower Hutt, was celebrating Sunday's second mass last week at Mount Hagen Holy Trinity Cathedral in Papua New Guinea. Around 1000 people were in the congregation. Days earlier, many of them had burnt a "witch" to death.

Family turn off crash victim's life support
The family of an Auckland grandmother who suffered critical injuries after being hit by a vehicle while waiting at a bus stop have turned off her life support. Otahuhu woman Sunipa Ofanoa, 66, was crushed by a Toyota Rav 4 which veered across a South Auckland road and hit her as she waited for a bus with her two grandchildren on Tuesday afternoon.

Feeding the souls (photos)
Waikato Times
Pages one and two:
Page three:
Going out with a regular night food run, Denise Irvine observes how communities are helped by St Vincent de Paul.

Thieves ransack charity donations (photo)
Thieves have been taking donated household items left at a Nelson charity, while others have been dumping their household trash. "I actually could have sat down and cried," St Vincent de Paul area president Lois Palmer said after the latest incident yesterday morning.

Blackie ruled airwaves with energy and gags (photo)
The Press
An iconic radio personality of the 1980s, Kevin Black was pivotal in changing the way commercial radio was presented in New Zealand. Kevin Joseph Black died suddenly from a suspected heart attack in his Victoria Ave, Remuera, home on Monday this week.

Slice of history up for sale (photo)
Manawatu Standard
A 101-year-old piece of Pahiatua history could be uprooted from the town. The former Brigidine Convent building in Pahiatua is for sale. Any buyer would have to move the building off the land, which will be redeveloped.

Tribute to victim (photo; full text)
The Press
A murder mystery that ''shook Nelson's foundations'' 50 years ago has been remembered, with children of a murdered taxi driver paying tribute to their father. About 50 people attended the service at St Mary's Catholic church for popular Nelson taxi driver Peter Carthew Banham. Banham was killed in Nelson on February 20, 1963, by Maurice Albert Davis for a meagre £27. His body was found the next morning in Hope.

Pioneer family gathers (photo)
Rodney Times
About 100 descendants of one of Puhoi's strongest surviving practising Catholic Bohemian families held a reunion in the village on February 17. Charles Straka and Theresia Remiger were married on January 18, 1898, by Father Mahoney. They were both children of the first wave of Bohemian settlers to pioneer Puhoi.

Mother grieves for Shayna, 18 (photo)
A Waikato teen spent Valentines Day baking surprise treats for a friend in Raglan - hours later she was fighting for her life in hospital. Shayna Kumitau, 18, died in Auckland Hospital early yesterday - four days after a head-on crash at Whatawhata.

Magic Wanden finds old touch
Taita's cricket development officer Nick Wanden did his credentials no harm by scoring 151 on Saturday. The Victoria University graduate came to Wellington from Auckland's Sacred Heart College and it isn't only in cricket where he's made an impression. His performances at halfback for Marist St Pat's haven't gone un-noticed either.

Church sale likely (photo; full text))
The former St Joseph's church and hall in Douglas St (Timaru) look likely to go on the market. The parish was still to formally apply for the bishop's approval to sell, Catholic Diocese financial administrator Paddy Beban said yesterday. Sunday mass has not been celebrated at the Douglas St church since mid-2009.

The fairytale bride: from ruins to altar (photos)
There is still a touch of fairytale to the marriage of earthquake survivor Emma Greenslade and her husband, Chris. The pair were wed amid a whirlwind of media attention only three days after the February 2011 earthquake. The bride had spent six hours trapped in the ruins of the deadly PGC building before she miraculously walked out unharmed, into the arms of her fiance.

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News of the Schools
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Sacrifice to help pupils (photo)
James McMullan said finding a principal's job at a small Catholic school in New Zealand was ''as rare as hen's teeth''. St Joseph's School [Picton]'s new principal is working unpaid hours so the junior school can afford an extra teacher to focus on core subjects.

Champs encourage young lifeguards (photo)
Piako Post
A student from St Joseph's School in Morrinsville is on his way to fulfilling a dream of becoming a lifeguard. Boston Haddon, 9, competed at the Eastern Region Junior Championships at the main beach in Mt Maunganui recently.

Dream comes true for new school principal (photo)
St Marcellin School [Wanaganui] 's new principal, Campbell Harrison, has been waiting for an opportunity to move to Wanganui for years. "I really like Wanganui. It's a lovely town and a good place to bring up a young family."

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INSPIRATIONAL TV


'Life anew': Luke 9:28-36, a reading and reflection by Canon Jenny Wilkins and Rev. Alison Camplin at St Paul's Cathedral, Wellington

Also: 'Holiday frame of mind' with Sister Mary Scanlon

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NEW ZEALAND CATHOLIC PODCASTS

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LIGHT OF THE WORLD - Otago Catholic Access Radio
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February 17 – A comment on Pope Benedict's resignation, an introduction to St Ignatius's guide for living a rich prayer life, a glimpse of the Catholic world in J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' and a further reading from 'The Joy of Knowing Christ'.

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STATION XV
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Station XV: Episode 65 — Did you hear the Pope resigned?

To cover possibly the biggest story in the history of The 15th Station, we had to think big. So we went even more international than normal, with Lucy in Asia and Gavin in Australia joining studio-bound James and Brendan to discuss the Pope's surprise announcement, start a bit of crystal-ball gazing and reflect a little on Benedict's papacy. The Los Angeles archbishop's decision to relieve his predecessor of his duties, a milestone Mass in New Zealand and an unusual Catholic school oath also fill a bumper episode — complete with technical difficulties.

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'BEING FRANK' - New Zealand Catholic blogs


** Food for thought from 1915… (on singing the hymn 'The Old Rugged Cross')

** Pope and manager? (a list of cardinals' qualifications)

** On abdication and conclaves (a few links)

** Flavours of Catholicism? (there is no Right or Left in Catholicism: a New Zealand example)

** Catch me if you can (Jeff Mirus on Cardinal Roger Mahony)

** Final thoughts from Kereopa of Wellington

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ALL THINGS CATHOLIC - John L. Allen Jr


Conclave 2.0:  Top 10 reasons why this version is different

At one level, it's possible to say that we've seen this show before, most recently eight years ago. In many ways, the 2013 conclave will seem identical to those that have gone before: the same procession into the Sistine Chapel, the same black and white smoke, the same "Habemus Papam" moment when the new pope has been chosen. Despite the echoes of the past, there are several unique features about this conclave that alter the politics and, perhaps, suggest a longer and more difficult process. Herewith, the top 10 differences about the 2013 edition of the papal election...

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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. '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.youtube.com/vatican (video news of Pope Benedict)

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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 ]