Sunday, December 19, 2021

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NZ CATHOLIC BISHOPS' CONFERENCE


Bishop Stephen Lowe appointed Catholic Bishop of Auckland (18 Dec. 2021)
Pope Francis has appointed Bishop of Hamilton Stephen Lowe as the new Catholic Bishop of Auckland. The appointment was announced in Rome at midnight New Zealand time. Bishop Lowe replaces Bishop Pat Dunn, who has served since 1994 and is retiring ...



** Bp Stephen Lowe appointed to Auckland

** Fr Merv Duffy SM of Good Shepherd College features in this Seven Sharp item on the "Michelangelo – A Different View" exhibition coming to the Aotea Centre in Auckland next month ...

** Today is the 85th birthday of Pope Francis

** The bishops and congregational leaders of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand will closely study the interim Redress report of the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care

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FROM THE SECULAR PRESS.  

Bishop Stephen Lowe Appointed Catholic Bishop Of Auckland
Pope Francis has appointed Bishop of Hamilton Stephen Lowe as the new Catholic Bishop of Auckland. The appointment was announced in Rome at midnight New Zealand time. Bishop Lowe replaces the retiring Bishop Pat Dunn, who has served since 1994.

Journey across Aotearoa in the steps of Jean-Baptiste Pompallier (full text with photos)
As the 150th anniversary of his death draws near, Peter Dragicevich explores sights in Northland and Auckland associated with Aotearoa's first Catholic bishop, Jean-Baptiste Pompallier.

Church reopens Christmas Eve
Te Puke Times, 16 November 2021, page 2
Almost three years ago parishioners at St Patrick's Catholic Church were shocked when, without warning, their church was closed. The closure was due to the building, on the corner of Beatty Ave and Queen St, being an earthquake risk. Without a home, worshippers were welcomed in to St John the Baptist Anglican Church by Rev Ruth Dewdney and her team who offered to share their building ...

Cloister open to possibilities
Dunedin's Catholic diocese wants to find new uses for the former St Dominic's Priory, which included a convent built in 1877 and an 1890 girls' school, partly clad in bluestone.

Book review: The Architect and the Artists by Bridget Hackshaw (Massey University Press, $65)
Between 1967 and 1979, Colin McCahon, the architect James Hackshaw and the sculptor Paul Dibble collaborated on the design of eight churches and chapels (including St Francis de Sales in Torbay, St Ignatius in Remuera, St Mary's in Papakura, and St Patrick's in Te Puke), as well as three private homes, and Liston College. An illustrated review.

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Royal Commission into Abuse in Care
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Catholic Church Leaders Welcome Royal Commission Redress Report
The bishops and congregational leaders of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand will closely study the interim Redress report of the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care and look at how they can implement the recommendations. The report — He Purapura Ora, he Mara Tipu; from Redress to Puretumu — was tabled in Parliament today and makes recommendations on how survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care should be heard and get redress for the harm suffered ...

New Zealand cardinal on accused prelate: 'I really don't know why he is still a bishop'
A New Zealand government-commissioned report on abuse in care settings is questioning how the Vatican has handled a Catholic bishop credibly accused of abuse. Bishop Charles Drennan, the former bishop of the Diocese of Palmerston North, resigned from his diocese on Oct. 4, 2019, after an investigation into a complaint by a young woman that the bishop committed an abuse against her of a sexual nature.

Abuse in care: Faith-based institutions 'acted to protect their own reputations'
When children suffered horrendous abuse from clergy, the abusers were often encouraged to resign rather than be disciplined, records were destroyed, survivors were disbelieved, and churches focused mostly on their reputation. These are some of the damning findings related to abuse in faith-based institutions, contained in a 443-page interim report released by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care on Wednesday. The voluminous report includes scrutiny of the redress processes of 14 faith-based institutions, with a specific focus on the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church and the Salvation Army ...

'Cover-ups, denials and lies': Abuse redress too late for some
Southern abuse survivors have described the "cover-ups, denials and lies" they have battled through to get redress for their suffering at the hands of the State.
The Government has committed to a new, independent redress system following the release of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care's damning report, He Purapura Ora, he Mara Tipu — From Redress to Puretumu. The large report featured 95 recommendations about improvements required to improve the way abuse claims were dealt with, describing the current system as "unquestionably failing" survivors. The report featured a raft of personal stories from survivors about their experiences, including multiple accounts of abuse in Otago and Southland.

Catholic cover up: Former Christchurch cop lifts lid on Marylands child sex abuse investigation
John Borlase grew up near Marylands. He knew the boys. He played sport with them. They were part of his childhood. He never could have imagined back in those days that as an adult - a cop - he would be tasked with investigating the allegations and prosecuting the offenders.

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NEWS OF THE SCHOOLS

Former John Paul College head girl Julia Florence dies in farm accident
Friends and family are mourning the loss of a "young woman with massive potential" who died after a tragic farm accident on Tuesday. Julia Florence, a former head girl at John Paul College and representative rugby player, died after the accident on a rural property in Cardiff - a settlement just west of Stratford.

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FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT (C)

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The Mass of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, celebrated by Fr Gerard Ainsley at Mercy parish, Dunedin South, is broadcast on Auckland Diocese's YouTube channel at: 
and on Shine TV (Freeview channel 25) at 2 pm  and live streamed at: https://www.shinetv.co.nz/videos/live  (only viewable in New Zealand).

Inspired Word: A video reading and commentary on the gospel of the day by Sister Stephanie Kitching.
Luke 1:39-44   Mary visits Elizabeth

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Other New Zealand Commentaries on the Sunday Readings:
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Fr Kevin Waldie SM. Sunday Reflection: 

Sunday homilies of Fr Anthony Trenwith (audio):

Marist Messenger. Daily Reflections: https://www.maristmessenger.co.nz/

Fr Frank Bird sm. Living the Word: Sundays of the Year: Discussion Guide - https://livingtheword.org.nz/

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STATION XV (podcast)


Station XV: Episode 169 — COVID, Communion, Canada, Christmas  (December 17, 2021)

It's a globe-trotting Christmas edition of The 15th Station, as the panel starts in New Zealand, assessing the country's liturgical restrictions under COVID-19, before heading to the United States and the long-awaited and much-discussed document on the Eucharist. In Switzerland, the Church has initiated research into the abuse crisis from the 1950s onwards, while in Canada the bishops have spoken out strongly against moves to legalise prostitution — citing the New Zealand experience in their letter. Just a warning that the discussion on the prostitution push is quite "adult", so might not be great for kids. Our final story on Santa Claus (and if he's real) might also be difficult for children, but for different reasons. We wish you all a happy and holy Christmas season.

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CRUX - Edited by John L. Allen Jr. and Inés San Martin


Pope at 85: No more Mr Nice Guy, as reform hits stride

Pope Francis celebrates his 85th birthday on Friday, a milestone made even more remarkable given the coronavirus pandemic, his summertime intestinal surgery and the weight of history: His predecessor retired at this age and the last pope to have lived any longer was Leo XIII over a century ago. Yet Francis is going strong ... He has set in motion an unprecedented two-year consultation of rank-and-file Catholics on making the church more attuned to the laity, and shows no sign of slowing down on his campaign to make the post-COVID world a more environmentally sustainable, economically just and fraternal place where the poor are prioritized ...

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EMPLOYMENT 
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Teaching vacancies in New Zealand Catholic schools are advertised on the Website of the Education Gazette: https://gazette.education.govt.nz/vacancies/?Keywords=catholic#results

Vacancies in the Catholic Volunteers Overseas programme: 

Job vacancies in the Catholic diocese of Auckland: https://www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz/staff-vacancies/

... and in the Archdiocese of Wellington:

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THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND


The six dioceses:

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New Zealand Catholic 
Periodicals & Newsletters
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'NZ Catholic' is a national newspaper published by the Catholic Bishop of Auckland. https://nzcatholic.org.nz/

Catholic Diocese of Hamilton. 'Kete Korero'. 

Catholic Dioceses of Palmerston North and Wellington. 'Wel-com'  http://www.wn.catholic.org.nz/welcom/

Catholic Diocese of Christchurch. 'Inform'  
https://chchcatholic.nz/?sid=25 (Latest news - Latest Inform)

Catholic Diocese of Dunedin. Pastoral Newsletter

The Nathaniel Centre. The New Zealand Catholic Bioethics Centre. 'The Nathaniel Report' http://www.nathaniel.org.nz/

NZ Catholic Education Office. 'Lighting New Fires' 

St Columban's Mission Society. 'The Far East' 

Society of Mary. 'Marist Messenger' 

Society of Saint Vincent de Paul NZ. News in Brief:  

'Tui Motu Interislands'. An independent Catholic magazine. 

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Facebook
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NZ Catholic Bishops' Conference

Catholic Discovery NZ (Catholic Enquiry Centre)

'NZ Catholic' newspaper

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand

Holy Cross Seminary

Marist Seminary, Auckland NZ

Society of St Vincent de Paul NZ

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News of the Church 
in NZ and the World
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