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

FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Catholic Church in both Samoas mourning the loss of Cardinal Pio Taofinuu
Radio New Zealand International
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=21709
The Catholic Church in both Samoas is mourning the loss of Cardinal Pio
Taofinuu. The cardinal died at the age of 82 after midnight last night in
Apia. Cardinal Pio was the first Pacific Islander to be ordained Cardinal...

Ban corpse exhibition, says Church
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story.cfm?storyid=00057621-447C-13CF-A73583027A\
F1010E
Critics want a controversial exhibition featuring skinned human corpses to
be banned before it reaches New Zealand. Michael McCabe, director of the
Catholic Church's Nathaniel Centre for bio-ethics, said the exhibition
crossed a moral and ethical line and should be banned.

$6000 raised for setting up new school (photo)
Otago Daily Times
http://tinyurl.com/c8k6t
Hundreds of vintage items and collectibles were snapped up by keen buyers at
yesterday’s vintage fair fund-raiser for Wanaka’s first Catholic school.

Volunteers needed for refugee families
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/manawatustandard/0,2106,3541084a6869,00.html
Volunteers are being sought to help welcome and work with Congolese refugee
families due to arrive in Palmerston North in March. The RMS Refugee
Resettlement group will help settle the newcomers.

Sensitive C4 nervous at screening church send-up
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story.cfm?storyid=0001543E-D435-13CC-81D583027A\
F1010E
C4 is weighing up whether to go head-to-head with the Catholic Church again
by screening an episode of South Park featuring the Virgin Mary...

[The following story is not available on the newspaper's free Website. It
can be read at the public library and via the libraires 'Newztext' service
for borrowers]
Popetown survives further criticism
The Dominion Post â€" News â€" 16 Jan 2006 â€" Page 8 (also in: The Timaru
erald â€" News â€" 16 Jan 2006 â€" Page 2)
Another complaint from upset viewers regarding the cartoon series Popetown
has been rejected by the Broadcasting Standards Authority. A Te Awamutu
couple complained the cartoon which screens on C4 and set in a fictional
Vatican city, was grossly offensive to members of the Catholic Church and
other Christians...

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

CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ - MEDIA RELEASE

Bishops from around English-speaking world meet in Auckland
http://www.cathcom.org.nz
A member from each of eleven Conferences of Catholic Bishops was in New
Zealand this week, for one of the twice-yearly meetings of the International
Commission for English in the Liturgy (ICEL) which was hosted in Auckland...

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

FROM 'ZENIT' NEWS AGENCY

Hospital in Nazareth: A Bastion of Healing and Hope
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=82871
Nazareth, Israel, Jan. 16, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Friar Serafino Acernozzi
thinks that the Holy Family Hospital in Nazareth is doing more than just
heal bodies. "We are a living proof that coexistence is possible," said the
prior of the hospital, a facility run by the Brothers of St. John of God and
by the nuns of the Child Mary congregation. "No one tends to love or hate
genetically. Man fears only what he doesn't know," Friar Acernozzi
affirmed...

In Nazareth, Handicapped Kids Are Right at Home
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=83087
Nazareth, Israel, JAN. 19, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Father Marco Riva, an Italian
priest of Don Guanella's Work for handicapped children, talks excitedly
about his venture in Israel. Every day, in the center of Nazareth, a town of
100,000, a special school opens its doors to Arab children of the Holy Land.

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

SUMMER READING AT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY

These books can be borrowed from many public libraries, or requested via
Interloan. Shelf numbers may vary.

The confession, by Sheldon Siegel.
Fiction: Mystery/Detective SIEG
Summary: Mike Daley doesn't go to confession much since he left the
priesthood twenty years ago and became a lawyer, but that doesn't stop his
old friend Father Ramon Aguirre from trying to get him there. "It wouldn't
kill you to go to church once in a while," he says. But it does kill
someone. For several months, a ruinous sexual harassment suit has been
building against the San Francisco Catholic archdiocese, and when the
plaintiff's lawyer is found dead, an apparent suicide, an almost audible
sigh of relief is heard in certain quarters. But that is before the police
find evidence of murder.

Shadowplay : the hidden beliefs and coded politics of William Shakespeare,
by Clare Asquith.
822.33 SHA ASQ
Summary: In sixteenth-century England many loyal subjects of the Crown were
asked to make a terrible choice: serve their monarch or their God. Clare
Asquith traces the common code used covertly by dissident writers in the
sixteenth century to discuss the tribulations of their time, and reveals
that the acknowledged master of this forgotten art form was William
Shakespeare.

Bloody Falls of the Coppermine : madness, murder, and the collision of
cultures in the Arctic, 1913, by McKay Jenkins.
364.1523 JEN
Summary: In the winter of 1913, high in the Canadian Arctic, two Catholic
priests set out on a dangerous mission to do what no white men had ever
attempted: reach a group of utterly isolated Eskimos and convert them.
Farther and farther north the priests trudged, through a frigid and bleak
country known as the Barren Lands, until they reached the place where the
Coppermine River dumps into the Arctic Ocean. Their fate, as well as the
fate of the people they hoped to teach about God, was about to take a tragic
turn.

Land and place : spiritualities from Aotearoa New Zealand = He whenua, he
wähi, edited by Helen Bergin and Susan Smith.
248 LAN
Note: Companion collection to "He kupu whakawairua :spirituality in Aotearoa
New Zealand :Catholic voices. "Our focus now moves from personal Catholic
stories to the land of Aotearoa, the place where we live"

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

"THE WORD FROM ROME"

http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/

A weekly column by the National Catholic Reporter's full-time correspondent
in Rome, John L. Allen Jr.

This week ...
First encyclical nearly ready; The hard work of ecumenism; Prospects for a
consistory ; Duties shift from State to other congregations; The annulment
process: New twist in evolution debate; Short takes on ecumenism and wealth

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

EVENTS

Parachute Music Festival, Mystery Creek, Hamilton, 28-31 January 2006

http://websites.parachutemusic.com/festival/2005/default_noflash.asp

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

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 ]

Adviser, Archdiocesan Office of Justice, Peace and Development, Wellington
Website: http://wn.catholic.org.nz/justicepeacedevelopment.html
Details in 'Wel-com' December 2005, p. 5 and from: Lorraine McArthur,
Director, Archdiocesan Pastoral Services, Catholic Centre, P O Box 1937,
Wellington 6015. E-mail: l.mcarthur@wn.catholic.org.nz; tel. (04) 496
1706 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (04) 496 1706
end_of_the_skype_highlighting;
fax: (04) 496 1768 Applications close 23 January 2006.

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

FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Hunger to help earns 2005 award
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/nelsonmail/0,2106,3536927a6007,00.html
Nelson's Luigina Del Favero has more hungry mouths to feed than most. For
the past decade she has fed thousands of people as a volunteer cook at
Loaves and Fishes and helped countless others as a St Vincent de Paul
member...

Jubilation as Brown Joeys celebrate life of loving service
The Australian http://tinyurl.com/cjnef
In Mount St, North Sydney, last Friday, at the headquarters of the Sisters
of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart - the order formed by Mary McKillop in 1866
and otherwise known from the colour of the sisters' habits as the Brown
Joeys - 42 nuns celebrated the 50th anniversary of taking their vows.
Imagine that: 42 women joining a single religious order in a single year and
adhering for half a century to undertakings to be poor, chaste and
obedient...

The Pope chooses theme for World Youth Day 2008
http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=6504&lan=eng
Sydney (Fides Service) - “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you; and you will be my witnesses� (Acts 1:8) is the theme the
Pope Benedict XVI has chosen for the 23rd World Youth Day to be held 15 - 20
July 2008 in Sydney, Australia. Welcoming the theme with full approval,
Australia’s Catholics are accelerating preparations for the great event
which will bring young Christians from all over the world to the ‘Newest’ of
the continents...

From Anglican to married Catholic priest, by Gregory Elder
http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/religion/ci_2896968
I am pleased and humbled to announce that my bishop, the Most Rev. Gerald R.
Barnes of the Diocese of San Bernardino, has received permission from Rome
to ordain me to the Catholic priesthood. I will be the first canonically
ordained and married Catholic priest in the history of this diocese, or
province, of the Catholic community. Perhaps a word of personal history is
in order here...

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

WORLD NEWS OF THE CHURCH

From 'The Tablet' (UK)

Rome offers reassurance to anxious Neo-Cats
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/citw.cgi/past-00264

Reject ‘culture of death’, says Pope
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/citw.cgi/past-00264#ROME

Archbishop upbraids Benedict over Zimbabwe
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/citw.cgi/past-00264#AFRICA

Priest granted trial after 20 years
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/citw.cgi/past-00264#AMERICAS

JPII’s would-be killer to go free
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/citw.cgi/past-00264#EUROPE

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

From Catholic Communications NZ

http://www.cathcom.org.nz

Catholic rebels see slow reconciliation with Rome ... Gay activists protest
outside Vatican ... US bishops call for ‘responsible transition’ in Iraq ...
Survey says Christians more generous if taught to give ... Life Office hails
ban on suicide messaging ... Civil authorities obliged to care for families,
elderly, sick, and unborn, says Pope ... Catholic doctors highlight
'dysfunctional' finding on pill ... Human Fragility Points Up God's
Grandeur, Says Pope

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

'INFORM' - THE NEWSLETTER OF THE DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH

http://www.chch.catholic.org.nz/?sid=25

In the December 2005 issue ...

Reliquary of St Therese of Lisieux ... Letter from Bishop John Cunneen ...
Deceased founders and benefactors of the cathedral ... Bill and Jan
Woffenden: a question of faithful service ... Little Company of Mary's new
initiative: Mary Potter Volunteers ... The Institute of Charity: A Rosminian
lay group ... Around the parishes ... Mercy Sisters - A new congregation ...
Divine Mercy ... Diocesan Youth Team news ... Catholic Women's League ...
Around the schools ... Report from World Youth Day ... Quote of the month
... "God works in strange ways": the story of a Sister of Nazareth

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

MARIST BROTHERS' NEWSLETTERS

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

Marist Family Newsletter, December 2005

http://www.maristbrothers.org.nz/Marist%20Family%20News.htm

Ideals Are Like Stars
The Wise Men came following a star to find the Infant. This reflection from
St Paul’s College magazine, also urges us to follow the ideal...

News of the Brothers: Lawrence Bennett (Auckland); Tainga Moanriba
(Kiribati); Tim Leen (Fiji); Gerard Mahony (Sacred Heart College,
Auckland); Sam Eathorne; Kevin Dobbyn; Chris Maney; Bryan Stanaway; Brian
Mackenzie

Layman Robin O'Neill affiliated to the Province ... Oceania survey for the
Marist International Mission Asembly ... The Grove Community: New residents

Moving: Brothers Tim Leen, Gerard Mahony, Sam Eathorne, Kevin Dobbyn, Chris
Maney, Bryan Stanaway, Mr Alan Parker (Co-ordinator of Lay Partnership),
Brother Brian Mackenzie

2005 Jubilees - New Zealand Province ... Transition. The end of the year
will see the Brothers leaving ministries in Tonga, Fiji, Kaitaia, Panguru
... Recent deaths ... Dignity of Difference - a reflection by Jonathon Sacks
... Christmas Blessings

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

Schools' Champagnat Newsletter, November 2005

http://www.maristbrothers.org.nz/Champagnat%20News.htm

Our Lady of the New Advent: icon and prayer ... The candles of the Advent
wreath. A prayer while lighting the candle.

For those who surf the internet………...
The New Zealand Marist Brothers’ website http://www.maristbrothers.org.nz
includes background material on our Founder, St Marcellin Champagnat, the
history of New Zealand Marist education throughout New Zealand and the
Pacific, links to Marist Young Adult and worldwide Marist sites, contact
persons and addresses of schools ...

A Prayer in Times of Need ... From here and there : news of Marist schools
... St Paul’s College Golden Jubilee

Memorare - Remember, O Most Loving Virgin Mary, by Br Tony Butler
There are several prayers to Mary which have long held a special place in
the hearts of the Catholic people. These prayers include the 'Memorare', the
'Hail Holy Queen' and the 'We Fly to Thy Patronage', and they are special to
those who follow Mary in the Champagnat way...

The Marist Pillars. Schools in their planning could be selecting a Marist
Pillar or Characteristic for 2006. There are five of these...

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

THE NATHANEL REPORT

The Nathaniel Centre. The NZ Catholic Bioethics Centre

http://www.nathaniel.org.nz/?sid=5

In Issue seventeen

Personhood and Human Dignity (full text)
Some are predicting that the traditional view of the sanctity of human life
will collapse because of scientific developments. Michael McCabe reflects on
the increasing tension between secular and traditional Judeo-Christian
morality...

Also in this issue ...

Editorial: Decisions, decisions …
We make many small decisions daily, often without a lot of thought.
Collectively they reveal a pattern. Wisdom calls us to take stock of the
collective effects of our decisions. The new Universal Declaration on
Bioethics and Human Rights is the result of global stocktaking of recent
biotechnological and medical advances.

Spirituality, Suffering and Dementia
The impact of dementia on patient and family presents significant challenges
for carers. How best can we respect the human dignity that remains in its
fullness even when particular predicates of personhood are clearly lacking?
Michael McCabe discusses the need for a holistic understanding of suffering
that embraces the spiritual.

End-of-Life Care
In Australia there are moves in public hospitals and in the Catholic
health-care system to encourage planning for one's future healthcare needs.
In this article Australian bioethicist Elizabeth Hepburn (IBVM) reflects on
a new document being prepared by a committee of the Australian Catholic
Bishops' Conference.

The Pursuit of Wisdom
We live in a knowledge based economy that values information but pays scant
attention to wisdom. Dr. Anna Holmes reflects on the differences between
knowledge and wisdom and the need to bring wisdom to the work we do.

From CD 2 MP3 4 Free? The Principle of Moral Cooperation
It is common for us to find ourselves in situations where doing “good�
simultaneously involves us in causing harm. At times we are called to make
compromises and at other times we are called to make a stand. The classical
principle of Moral Cooperation can assist us in resolving such dilemmas.

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

TUI MOTU INTERISLANDS

An independent Catholic magazine

http://www.tuimotu.org

In the December 2005 issue ...

Editorial: Christmas (full text)
"A child is born. No event in life surpasses a baby’s birth for sheer
wonderment, thankfulness and delight. It is no surprise, therefore, that
throughout the Christian world Christmas is the feast of feasts..."

About the cover: The Marian College Triptych (photos)
The triptych is in the chapel of Marian College, Christchurch. It was
painted by one of the teachers, Ken Frame. The three painted panels of this
portable altarpiece depict the three major events in the life of Mary...

Also in this issue ...

What yet might be â€" Mike Riddell ... Thoughts on Advent â€" Joy Cowley ...
Sexuality and a truly human civilisation â€" Neil Vaney ... De Paul House:
Haven for the homeless â€" Annie Gray ... Letter to the Holy See â€" Humphrey
O’Leary
... Book reviews: â€" Kathleen Doherty, Elspeth McLean, John Kleinsman

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

NEWS OF THE SOCIETY OF ST VINCENT DE PAUL

http://www.svdp.org.nz/?sid=3

Honorary Human Resources Advisor
We welcome Ruth Tansley to the Society as the Honorary Human Resources
Officer. Ruth feels in terms of employment, that the Society has to follow
the same procedure as a big organisations like Telecom ...

How you made a difference
Volunteer hours worked by Vincnetians last year equated to 50 full time
workers, each of whom would have helped seven people and vistied five others
each working day...

Youth Camp a HUGE success
2005 was a busy year for the National Youth Team, with 2 camps being held in
the North and South Island. In July we held the South Island Vinnies camp
with the North Island Youth Co-ordinators ...

PANASCO 6
The Vincentian Vocation is a Globalising World, will be theme for this
Panasco 6 held in Perth Western Australia, 20-24 January 2006. Invited
countries are: Australia (host), Bangladesh, Brunei ...

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

"THE WORD FROM ROME"

http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/

A weekly column by the National Catholic Reporter's full-time correspondent
in Rome, John L. Allen Jr.

This week ...

"Commitment to truth is the soul of justice", Benedict XVI says; Ali Agca
and the plot to kill a pope; Pope meets with the Neocatechumenal Way;
Ethical issues facing Benedict XVI

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

EVENTS

Parachute Music Festival, Mystery Creek, Hamilton, 28-31 January 2006

http://websites.parachutemusic.com/festival/2005/default_noflash.asp

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

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 ]

Adviser, Archdiocesan Office of Justice, Peace and Development, Wellington
Website: http://wn.catholic.org.nz/justicepeacedevelopment.html
Details in 'Wel-com' December 2005, p. 5 and from: Lorraine McArthur,
Director, Archdiocesan Pastoral Services, Catholic Centre, P O Box 1937,
Wellington 6015. E-mail: l.mcarthur@wn.catholic.org.nz; tel. (04) 496
1706 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (04) 496 1706
end_of_the_skype_highlighting;
fax: (04) 496 1768 Applications close 23 January 2006.

Presenters, 'NZ Catholic' newspaper
Details in 'NZ Catholic' Dec. 18-24 2005 p.15, and from Dennis Augustine,
Promotions and Advertising Manager, 'NZ Catholic', PO Box 147-000, Ponsonby,
Auckland 1034. Tel. (09) 360 3049 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
(09) 360 3049 end_of_the_skype_highlighting; e-mail:
advertising.nzcatholic@iconz.co.nz

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

'NZ CATHOLIC'

http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz

No. 230, December 25, 2005 - January 28, 2006

[This is the last issue of 'NZ Catholic' for 2005. The next one will be published on 29 January, a few days after the launch of the paper's new Website.]

Bishop Mariu farewelled Waihi Village - The breadth of Bishop Max Takuira Matthew Mariu's reach was evident as thousands of people converged on the southern shores of Lake Taupo to remember the Catholic Church's first Maori bishop....

Korean church opened Wellington - More than 1000 Korean Catholics attended the opening of their new $5 million church at Bishop Dunn Place in East Tamaki on December 18....

New managing editor for NZ Catholic Auckland - Gavin Abraham, who joined NZ Catholic as assistant editor in March, has been appointed managing editor....

Also in this issue ...

NATIONAL Mercy amalgamation complete ... Bishop announces Dunedin pastoral areas, clergy changes ... National calendar for 2006 ... One new priest ordained in 2005 ... Brothers look to the future ... Christmas crib for Croatians

FEATURES The Bible as history is astonishingly accurate ... A convent girl remembers school in Greymouth ... Did St Joseph the carpenter build this staircase?... The Carol of the Cradle-o ... Turning back the tsunami's damage ... Double celebration for Fairlie parish ... Papal awards to 14 people in Christchurch ... Cathedral will be venue for musical on Jesus ... "Safe-sex" message blamed for abortion rise ... What the Church has done for science is at last recognised

OPINION Josephine Kamsvaag: Big Wall threatens "Little Town" - but Kiwis can help... Ronald Rolheiser: The earthiness of Christmas ... Parish Diary: Reconciliation smorgasbord ... Editorial: Let's proclaim the feast of Christmas ... Malcolm Evans ... Letters

INTERNATIONAL Bad driving should be confessed ... Pope says true spirit of Christmas is being assaulted ... Pell warns gangs not to target Christians ... Human dignity and rights not the same ... Humanitarian law applies even in war ... Marriage law attacked ... Innocent Iraqis die ... Tiny Irish Anglican church equals Catholic vocations ... In Brief

REGULAR FEATURES Media Monitor, Clips, Books, Doolans, Young Adults, Kit's Corner, Scripture, Feasts, Photo Prayer, Holiday Crossword, Caption Contest, Who Said?, 40 Years Ago, That Word!, Wit's End.

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

CHRISTMAS 2005

Christmas message: Bishop Patrick Dunn, Catholic Bishop of Auckland http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10361330 Every Christmas is special. Whether we spend it with excited children, with old friends, or even alone, we can all enjoy the buzz in the streets, the carols in the malls and the sparkling lights at night...

Christmas message: John Craddock, National Spiritual Adviser, Society of St Vincent de Paul http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10361328 Christmas is the time when people remember and relive the birth in Bethlehem two millennia ago of the One who brings hope to our lives today. For us there is also a strange paradox that in that Palestinian town, focus of Christmas, there is less than concord among neighbours. The mission of the Jewish Jesus is still not complete: to bring peace to all people of good will...

Is religious instruction necessary?, by Nick Smith http://www.listener.co.nz/default,5235.sm Christmas will be celebrated in Australian schools, thundered Victorian premier Steve Bracks recently. His stand was triggered by his perception of the threat posed by atheist educators – the latter apparently a little like Narnia's White Witch, making it always winter but never Christmas. In this country, political correctness has not gone that mad, says Christian educator Hilary Baskerville. "[But] if someone has to say [Christmas] is okay, it says something about the degree to which political correctness has got in the way of our Judeo-Christian heritage..."

God, his wife and the hay barn http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/0,2106,3521381a6479,00.html You would think the word "Christ" in Christmas might give it away – but it seems that when it comes to the real meaning of Christmas, most children are clueless...

Heavenly feelings (photo) http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/0,2106,3518529a6527,00.html It's Christmas and angels are among us, defying the dictates of a secular age with an emphatic flutter of wings. Harking, heralding or descending from the realms of glory, 'tis the season for angels. They regard us sternly from stained-glass windows, simper from cheap Christmas cards or hover in fibreglassed splendour above crowded shopping malls...

When faith and fact collide http://www.stuff.co.nz/northland/0,2106,3518032a6015,00.html A Christian couple will not be taking their children to a Christmas church service this year as they feel unwelcome in their church because of their marital status. Suzi Crump and Charles (Chaz) Cramp are both separated from their respective spouses and are now living together in Tikipunga. They have wanted to be involved in worship but say their own church - St Andrews Presbyterian Church - has made them feel unwelcome...

Pilgrims Gather Before Papal Midnight Mass http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5502036,00.html Vatican City (AP) - Pilgrims, tourists and Romans flocked to St. Peter's Square on Saturday before Pope Benedict XVI's first Christmas service since becoming pontiff - a Midnight Mass that marked the official start of a busy few days of celebrations for the pope...

74 countries to see Pope's Christmas Mass televised http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=41424 Vatican, Dec. 23 (CWNews.com) - The midnight Mass of Christmas, celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Basilica, will be broadcast over 124 television networks reaching 74 different countries...

Pope: St Joseph’s silence counters “too noisy” world http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4905 Vatican City (AsiaNews) – In a world which is “too noisy, and does not encourage reflection and listening to the voice of God”, Christians should “allow themselves to be ‘infected’ by the silence of St Joseph”. In today’s Angelus, Benedict XVI turned once again to the truest way of preparing for Christmas...

The lights of Christmas, a reminder of the true Light http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4930 Benedict XVI urges parents to pass on to the next generation the true meaning of the festivity even though in our modern, consumer-oriented culture Christian symbols have tended to disappear from Christmas celebrations.

Most Christian expats in the Gulf can celebrate Christmas http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=25606 Dubai - Christian expatriates in the Gulf enjoy increasingly more freedom to worship and celebrate feasts, especially Christmas, except in Saudi Arabia, where non-Islamic practices still lead to jail and deportation...

Africa/Tunisia - “Christmas passes almost unnoticed in Tunis in the eyes of the world but not in the eyes of the faith: we are a tiny flock but we live this important Feast Day with deep devotion " says Fr. Eugenio Elías ... http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=6438&lan=eng

Christians and Muslims gather around crib in Antioch http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4917 In Italy the crib tends to be pushed aside out of “respect” for Muslims (or so it is said). In Turkey, schoolchildren flock to see what the Christmas of the prophet Jesus, the manger and the Mass, are all about...

Christmas in Pakistan: inter-faith dialogue and spiritual renewal http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4910 Lahore (AsiaNews) – The Christian community in Lahore has prepared a series of religious, cultural and sports activities in the lead-up to Christmas. The organizers of all activities have emphasized that the preparation of celebrations and events was purposely subdued in view of the recent earthquake and violence perpetrated against Christians in Sangla Hill...

Archbishop attacks 'PC' Christmas http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4540538.stm Christian leaders have condemned politically correct approaches to Christmas for stifling religious expression. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said "silly bureaucrats" wanted to wipe Christian symbols from Christmas...

Asia Celebrates Christmas With A Twist http://xtramsn.co.nz/travel/0,,12734-5163941,00.html Come December, Christmas lights brighten shopping streets in cities from Beijing to Colombo, while images of Santa Claus and Rudolph adorn office buildings, shops and restaurants...

Where's the spirit of Christmas? http://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/23/Worldandnation/Where_s_the_spirit_of.shtml If you think there's a "war" against Christmas, as some in the United States and other Western countries say, take heart: Christmas is alive and well in surprising places - among them several Muslim nations...

Little Christmas cheer in Cuba; Santa blacklisted http://xtramsn.co.nz/travel/0,,12734-5163883,00.html Eight years after Communist Cuba restored December 25 as a national holiday in a gesture to Pope John Paul II, there is not much Christmas spirit to show for it...

How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus: One Theory http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=81960 Bath, England, Dec. 20, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The modern persona of Santa Claus is a far cry from its origins: St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra. So how did he go from a charitable saint to an icon of Christmas consumerism? Travel writer Jeremy Seal embarked on an international search to answer that question and recorded his findings in "Nicholas: The Epic Journey from Saint to Santa Claus" ...

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

OTHER NEWS FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Diminutive woman left mark in Hawea (photo) Otago Daily Times http://tinyurl.com/clfuf Margaret (Margie) Leonie Cotter, a parishioner of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Wanaka, died at home on December 9 aged 74. Mrs Cotter was a Lake Hawea identity who had a long association with the Lake Hawea Holiday Park, the Hawea Flat School and the Central Otago Diabetes Society...

Mass to mark amalgamation http://www.stuff.co.nz/otago/0,2106,3516515a3845,00.html A church service in Dunedin on Saturday heralded a new era for the city's 47 Sisters of Mercy. Independent Sisters of Mercy congregations in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin voted last year to amalgamate, and the new structure took effect last week...

Historic find halts work on church http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/auckland/0,2106,3513853a6497,00.htm\ l Heritage experts are annoyed an historic brick well at one of Auckland's oldest churches has been filled in for a carpark. Remnants of old bricks were discovered at the 1861 Catholic Church of St John the Baptist on Parnell Rd by a neighbour last week. Builders filled the site over the weekend but work stopped on Monday after complaints by the Historic Places Trust...

Jailed churchman was sexually abused as child http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10361156 A retired Catholic brother jailed yesterday for sexually abusing schoolboys in his care in the late 1970s was himself abused as a youngster, the Wellington District Court was told. John Louis Stevenson, 66, was jailed for 3 1/2 years for sexually assaulting four boys aged between 14 and 16 at the Hato Paora Maori Boys school in Feilding from 1976 to 1981...

Hospital chaplaincy service short of money http://www.stuff.co.nz/otago/0,2106,3516516a3845,00.html A Hospital Chaplaincy Otago council member says she can see no way around a pending chaplaincy service cash crisis other than to start an annual appeal. The Rev Susan Jones said the cash-strapped service was facing a funding shortfall of $70,000 next year after two years of declining contributions from traditional funders – the government and churches.

Hollywood is embracing Christianity, even if only in pursuit of a dollar, writes Garry Maddox (four pages) http://www.theage.com.au/news/film/the-new-lion-king/2005/12/21/1135032073046.ht\ ml

A Man On A Mission (3 pages) After eight months on the job, Pope Benedict XVI has created a charisma all his own 'Time' magazine Sunday, Dec. 18, 2005 http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/article/0,13005,901051226-1142185,00.ht\ ml

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FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES

Pope tells theologian he's coming to Australia http://www.cathnews.com/news/512/123.php When pressed earlier this month by Fr Tony Kelly of the Australian Catholic University, Pope Benedict XVI gave his assurance that he will be visiting Sydney for World Youth Day 2008, "God willing"...

Pope's first encyclical expected in January http://www.cathnews.com/news/512/130.php According to Italian press reports, Pope Benedict XVI plans to sign off on his first encyclical on Christmas Day, and the document will be made public after the feast of the Epiphany.

Chinese priests brutally beaten in Tianjin: like the nuns of Xian http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4906 Police chased away the “thugs” and questioned the injured for hours, making them wait for medical treatment and hospitalization. New case of illegal expropriation of Church property...

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

CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

Global Catholic News, plus sound files from Vatican Radio

http://www.cathcom.org.nz

Pope's first encyclical expected in January Condom-covered Madonna embarrasses Catholic weekly Vatican Ratifies Protocol on "Explosive Remnants of War" Pell says there's an alternative to cloning Pope: Christ’s Christmas and 2005 “which is about to set” Holy See to WTO: trade should favor the poor Pope advises students to study their faith Catholics tackle religious radio boom

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

MARIST MESSENGER

http://www.maristmessenger.co.nz/index.php

From the December 2005 issue ...

Chaplain to the Police “So, you’re a police chaplain! That must be tough. They’re having a rough time at present, our police. Nothing seems to be going right for them. You’ll be busy! ...”

All the Lonely People The old man arrived in the hospital corridor late in the day. Because all the wards were full, there was nowhere else to put his bed. He had been sent up from A. & E. to recover from an attempted overdose...

The Relics in Retrospect The Pilgrimage of the Relics of St Thérèse through New Zealand seems to have been a great success for the organisers. It was a time of celebration, prayer and grace...

God in a Dog On 25 September last year, my wife passed away. I was living at home with my adult daughter, my late wife’s toy poodle and my geriatric Labrador (whose days did seem numbered due to her age). As you can imagine, it was a somewhat staid household and I was (and still am) very upset over my wife’s death...

Also in December's Marist Messenger

* The Cover Icon * The Fish - a Christmas story * Jacques Maurice Tresallet * Our Daily Bread * A Christmas Gift from God * Pope Benedict Speaks * December Saints * January Feasts * Can You Bear it * A Minute or Two * Children's Corner * Crossword by Appo * Remembering our Dead

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

CARITAS AOTEAROA NZ

http://www.caritas.org.nz

Life After the Tsunami: One year on (22 December 2005) It is a year since the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 destroyed communities along the coasts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and India. With thousands dead and millions homeless the response by international humanitarian agencies was one of the largest ever undertaken......more

Where to from here for Aceh? Will peace last? (23 November 2005) You are welcome to a public meeting by Imam Syuja MP and Hendra Budian a human rights lawyer. Both are from Aceh and are visiting to discuss post-tsunami reconstruction and the progress of the peace agreement signed on the 15 August. .....more

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

"THE WORD FROM ROME"

http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/

A weekly column by the National Catholic Reporter's full-time correspondent in Rome, John L. Allen Jr.

This week ... A Nuncio for the USA; Church universities and the EU; New Ambassadors to the Holy See ; History of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity; On joint worship and intercommunion; Neocatechumenal Way told to regularize liturgical practices

"The Word from Rome" will resume on Friday, January 6.

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

EVENTS

Parachute Music Festival, Mystery Creek, Hamilton, 28-31 January 2006

http://websites.parachutemusic.com/festival/2005/default_noflash.asp

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

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 ]

Adviser, Archdiocesan Office of Justice, Peace and Development, Wellington Website: http://wn.catholic.org.nz/justicepeacedevelopment.html Details in 'Wel-com' December 2005, p. 5 and from: Lorraine McArthur, Director, Archdiocesan Pastoral Services, Catholic Centre, P O Box 1937, Wellington 6015. E-mail: l.mcarthur@wn.catholic.org.nz; tel. (04) 496 1706; fax: (04) 496 1768 Applications close 23 January 2006.

Presenters, 'NZ Catholic' newspaper Details in 'NZ Catholic' Dec. 18-24 2005 p.15, and from Dennis Augustine, Promotions and Advertising Manager, 'NZ Catholic', PO Box 147-000, Ponsonby, Auckland 1034. Tel. (09) 360 3049; e-mail: advertising.nzcatholic@iconz.co.nz

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

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

'NZ CATHOLIC'

http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz

No. 229, December 18-24, 2005

Marriage bill lost as views conflict
Wellington - While United Future's Gordon Copeland lamented the defeat of
his Marriage Amendment (Gender Clarification) Bill at its first reading, a
fellow Catholic MP called the proposed legislation "ill-conceived"....

Four Sisters of Mercy congregations join together
Wellington - Sisters of Mercy throughout New Zealand -- and hundreds of
friends and associates -- have celebrated their coming together as one
single congregation with Masses from Auckland to Dunedin....

Catholics urged to speak on stem cells
Auckland - Catholics are being urged to exercise their right to speak out
against a proposal to allow embryonic stem cell research....

Also in this issue ...

NATIONAL
Dream began at school fair ... Catholic kidnapped with NZ student ...
Nothing "new" in document ... Ex-miners thank patron St Barbara ... Clergy
changes announced ... Grandmas and dad graduate from literacy course ... Fr
Blake aided implementation of Vatican II ... No open Popetown hearing ...
Apocalyptic letter a phoney ... Women respond to ads ... RE teachers see
hopeful future ... Students' trip to India is delayed ... Archbishop will
work with St John chaplains ... Young historian named ... Record for Angel
Tree ... ERO File

FEATURES
Catholic MP assigned major duties ... Our annulment experience was
surprisingly positive ... Capacity enrolment likely for Hearts Aflame ...
Chinese youths visit on mission journey ... Dignity explains campaign to
allow assisted suicide ... Author felt "almost hounded" by God

OPINION
Ronald Rolheiser: Jesus' dysfunctional family tree ... Brendan Malone:
Contraception is unfairly treated ... Joy Cowley: World religions show the
soul's yearning ... Editorial: Theologians looking past limbo theory ...
Malcolm Evans ... Letters

INTERNATIONAL
Pope says theology must flow from faith ... Pakistan seizes Christian homes
... Nuns on the march ... The Pope: Support given to HIV-Aids battle ...
Uphill battle on death penalty ... Cloning pioneer disgraced ... Even
non-believers can be saved ... New papal theologian ... Samoans visit Pope
... Activists help boost tourism in Bethlehem ... Pilgrims limited ...
Sacking of pregnant teacher prompts complaint ... De facto past not good for
marriage ... New instruction is refreshing ... Same-sex adoptions ordered
stopped ... Religions restricted ... Lecture called off ... In Brief

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

ADVERTISING FEATURE
Catholic Caring Foundation

[There will be a special Christmas issue of 'NZ Catholic' on sale next
Sunday, Christmas Day.]

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BISHOP MAX MARIU

Respected leader of his community (obituary. photo)
Otago Daily Times
http://tinyurl.com/8wuz5
Bishop Takuira Max Mariu, who died this week, aged 53, was the Auxiliary
Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Hamilton and a deeply respected leader of
the Catholic Maori community. Bishop Mariu was patron of Hui Aranga (Easter
Hui). He composed the well-known song Te Kokinga Mai for the exhibition to
mark the return of Te Taonga.

Anglican Maori Bishops pay tribute to Bishop Max Mariu
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0512/S00102.htm
The Anglican Church’s five Maori bishops are today travelling to little
Waihi Marae near Turangi to mourn Takuira Max Mariu, the first Maori Roman
Catholic bishop, and to acknowledge the warm and close relationship they’d
shared...

Tributes flow at farewell to Maori bishop
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/waikatotimes/0,2106,3512782a6579,00.html
Kotuku Tibble was a schoolboy in 1977 when Bishop Max Takuira Mariu was
ordained a priest at Little Waihi. Yesterday, Mr Tibble, along with other
schoolmates, friends, relatives and churchgoers, packed the Cathedral of the
Blessed Virgin Mary at Hamilton, in the diocese where New Zealand's first
Maori bishop served, to say goodbye to him...

He Aitua : Most Reverend Max Takuira Mariu
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00182.htm
The Maori Party today joined whanau all over Aotearoa in mourning the loss
of the Most Reverend Max Takuira Mariu SM DD...

Maori religious leader dies
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10359777

Tainui pay respects to late bishop at marae
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/waikatotimes/0,2106,3511689a6579,00.html

Respected Maori Bishop passes away
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411319/639257

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

FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

High honour for Monsignor Harrington
http://www.ashburtonguardian.co.nz/index.asp?articleid=6501
When a man becomes a priest and offers his life to God and the church, he
does not expect to receive international accolades. But sometimes, as
Ashburton’s Monsignor James Harrington discovered, those honours and
accolades find you anyway. On Sunday he became only the third New Zealander
who can currently lay claim to the title Prothonotary Apostolic ...

Catholic church sees dilemmas in embryo screening
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3509509a11,00.html
Embryo screening presents society with a number of dilemmas, including the
elimination of "unwanted" or "imperfect" embryos, a Catholic Church
spokesman said today. Couples at high risk of having children with serious
genetic disorders will be able to have government-funded embryo screening
within six months...

Chaplains hope to enrich prisoners' lives (photo)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/northland/0,2106,3511821a6015,00.html
Ngawha Prison is trail-blazing the country's penal institutions by
developing programmes to help prisoners find new ways of improving their
lives, a congregation heard last week. The Bishop of Auckland, the Reverend
Patrick Dunn DD, made the comment when he commissioned Molly Walters and
Isabelle Dalton, of Whirinaki, as Catholic chaplains at Ngawha Prison...

Pig cell diabetes treatment debated
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story.cfm?storyid=000DA53F-B654-139F-B22683027A\
F1010E
Two diabetes groups disagree over the risks of pig cell transplants to treat
one version of the disease. Debate over the experimental treatment was
renewed on Tuesday by the Bioethics Council...

Catholic Brother's Appeal Denied (full text)
NewstalkZB
A retired Catholic church brother convicted of sexually abusing pupils at
Feilding's Hato Paora Maori Boys College in the 1970s and 80s has lost his
appeal. Earlier this year Andrew Cody was jailed for two-and-a-half-years
after pleading guilty to charges including indecent assault relating to
three boys. Justice Young has denied the 67-year-old's appeal for his
sentence to be reduced by six-months. Later this month retired teacher, John
Lewis Stevenson - also known as Brother Bernard - will be sentenced after
admitting to abusing four boys around the same time.

School on the mat over weekly prayer
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3515057a11,00.html
An Auckland primary school faces a Human Rights Tribunal hearing over saying
the Lord's Prayer at weekly assembly. Victoria Avenue School in Remuera says
it has recited the prayer throughout its 52-year-history. But parent Nicki
Butt, who has brought the complaint, says a prayer from any religion is not
appropriate in a secular state school...

Spend up large ... and then repent
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10359829
Katowice - Poles are being given the chance to reconcile their devotion to
Mammon with their duties as Catholics after a confessional booth was
installed at a new shopping centre in the southern Polish city of
Katowice...

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

FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES

Christmas Tainted by Commercialism, Says Pope
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=81449
Vatican City, Dec. 11, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI encouraged the
faithful to overcome the "commercial contamination" of Christmas by
rediscovering the Child Jesus, the Son of God made man out of love. The
Pope, who led the recitation of the midday Angelus from the window of his
study, referred today to the tradition of setting up a Nativity crib in
homes as a way of presenting the Christian faith, especially to children...

Pope to work overtime at Christmas
http://www.cathnews.com/news/512/90.php
The Vatican has announced that 78 year old Pope Benedict XVI will rise to
the challenge of a gruelling schedule of public Masses and prayer services
at Christmas time...

Simple Gaudete of a complex believer
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/archive_db.cgi/tablet-01121
When the consummate artist of the consumer age let slip the mask of Pop-Art
imagery, he revealed the sincerity of his Catholic faith. The childlike
simplicity and joy of Andy Warhol’s Nativity is an inspiration for us to
reflect on what lies at the heart of the Christmas season ...

Christmas of solidarity in Pakistan
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4886
This year Christmas will not be a time of useless expenses, but one of
prayers and offerings to Kashmir quake survivors and to the Christians of
Sangla Hill, victims of religious intolerance...

Dawn masses set to start for Christmas
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4875
Manila (AsiaNews) â€" “Dawn massesâ€� â€" traditional liturgies which prepare
the
faithful during Advent and accompany them until the Epiphany â€" are set to
start in the Philippines with the pre-Christmas novena...

Church to ramp up use of media
http://www.cathnews.com/news/512/59.php
The Catholic Church in Australia plans to use the media to get its message
to a world increasingly reluctant to attend church, according to a report
published yesterday in the Sunday Age. Religion writer Barney Zwartz said
that the church's leadership, which has long been suspicious of the media
and on the back foot over such scandals as clerical sexual abuse, plans to
guide the church into "the media age"...

An enigma wrapped in a cowl
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/archive_db.cgi/tablet-01120
After nine years as Master of the Dominicans, Timothy Radcliffe spends his
time these days on the road as the very model of a modern member of the
Order of Preachers. Catherine Pepinster meets the man many rely on to spread
light on the Church’s more difficult corners ...

Smile, ‘hello’ may draw more to Mass. A conversation with Sr Carmel Pilcher,
liturgist and expert on the Eucharist
Catholic Weekly (Sydney)
http://tinyurl.com/cgejx
We all have a responsibility to change our attitudes, the quality of our
liturgy and put a smile on our face to attract more people, especially young
people, to Sunday Mass, says Sr Carmel Pilcher on the eve of the end of her
term as director of liturgy in the Sydney archdiocese. And we can learn from
other religions, including Islam, when it comes to connecting with each
other...

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

CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

Media Releases

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

Death of first Maori Catholic Bishop (13 Dec 2005 - photo)
Bishop Takuira Max Mariu died last night (12 December) at Auckland hospital
where he was flown by helicopter from Waikato Hospital for emergency
surgery. He was aged 53 ...

Global Catholic News, plus sound files from Vatican Radio

http://www.cathcom.org.nz

France seeks more respect for ashes of the dead
Prominent German theologian and critic announces he's no longer Catholic
Spain has eye on 2011 World Youth Day
Parent produces gun at Sydney school
Jesuits and companions begin Jubilee Year with assembly
Vatican official slams Iran over Holocaust remark
Vatican foundation appeals for donations for HIV/AIDS medicine
Gay clergy respond to Vatican policy on priests

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

"THE WORD FROM ROME"

http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/

A weekly column by the National Catholic Reporter's full-time correspondent
in Rome, John L. Allen Jr.

This week ...
Q & A on Opus Dei
"I've been traveling recently related to my book Opus Dei: An Objective Look
Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic
church (Doubleday). By now I've fielded questions from media outlets and
ordinary readers in various parts of the world, and I have a fairly good
sense of what's on people's minds. I thought I'd present some of this
material this week in Q & A format..."

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

EVENTS

Parachute Music Festival, Mystery Creek, Hamilton, 28-31 January 2006

http://websites.parachutemusic.com/festival/2005/default_noflash.asp

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

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 ]

Adviser, Archdiocesan Office of Justice, Peace and Development, Wellington
Website: http://wn.catholic.org.nz/justicepeacedevelopment.html
Details in 'Wel-com' December 2005, p. 5 and from: Lorraine McArthur,
Director, Archdiocesan Pastoral Services, Catholic Centre, P O Box 1937,
Wellington 6015. E-mail: l.mcarthur@wn.catholic.org.nz; tel. (04) 496
1706 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (04) 496 1706
end_of_the_skype_highlighting;
fax: (04) 496 1768
Applications close 23 January 2006.
General telephone enquiries 64 4 496 1777
begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 64 4 496 1777
end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Presenters, 'NZ Catholic' newspaper
Details in 'NZ Catholic' Dec. 18-24 2005 p.15, and from Dennis Augustine,
Promotions and Advertising Manager, 'NZ Catholic', PO Box 147-000, Ponsonby,
Auckland 1034. Tel. (09) 360 3049 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
(09) 360 3049 end_of_the_skype_highlighting; e-mail:
advertising.nzcatholic@iconz.co.nz

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

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

'WEL-COM'

http://www.welcom.org.nz

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

From the December issue ...

* Archbishop Dew's column: The hope of Christmas and images of God's reign
As the church and the world remembers the closing of the Second Vatican
Council in 1965, it could be helpful for us to reflect on the Pastoral
Constitution of the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes. I think
this is particularly helpful as we prepare for and celebrate Christmas.
Gaudium et Spes reminded us that while we live with the expectation and hope
of heaven, that anticipation must not lead to neglect of the commitment to
transform the earth...

* Child poverty group wins key case
The Child Poverty Action Group has won the right to take a case against the
government’s discriminatory practices.
The group claims that the In Work Payment which will replace the Child Tax
Credit next April as part of the Working for Families package disadvantages
300,000 children whose parents are on benefits or who can’t work enough
hours to qualify. ...

* Former Caritas staffer to work with refugees in Sudan
Helping to set up a school system in Sudan will be a first task for Caritas’
Elaine Jepsen who will next year go to work with refugees in Africa’s
biggest country. Elaine has spent the past four years working on schools’
resources for Caritas. Next year she joins the Jesuit Refugee Service, to
expand on her Caritas work by helping to equip a school system in a refugee
camp near El Fasher in the north of Sudan’s Darfur region....

* The face of moral judgment
Australians have responded with compassion to Mr Nguyen Tuong Van’s
impending execution. They have also rejected judicial execution as a
legitimate instrument of state policy. It is easy to understand why Mr
Nguyen and his plight have aroused such sympathy and outrage. We have seen
the face of a young man, have heard the story of a life, and know that on a
day fixed beforehand he will almost certainly die...

* Peacemakers honour Vatican II peoples' paper
The Wellington Catholic Peacemakers Group held three sessions last month to
commemorate the 40th anniversary of the release of the major document of
Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes. The three evening sessions, at the Compassion
Centre Soup Kitchen were led by speakers Fr Gerard Burns, who gave an
overview; Kay Smith, who spoke on peace; and John Maynard who talked about
work. Opening the series, Fr Burns told a group of around 25 people, that
the opening paragraph of Gaudium et Spes indicated a substantial change in
the way the church saw its relationship with the world...

* Gaudium et Spes - the signs of the times and the young
This is the final in our series featuring the 40-year-old document of
Vatican II which has arguably the most inpact on the laity. This month Chris
Duthie-Jung explores the document’s impact on young people. "I was born in
the year that Gaudium et Spes was promulgated and readily admit to taking a
certain comfort in the fact that it was this ground-breaking constitution
with which I share my year of birth. Indeed when those immortal opening
words first gained my full attention, I was immediately caught by them even
though they were by then more than two decades old. 'The joys and the hopes,
the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who
are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs
and anxieties of the followers of Christ'...."

* Awe, e Maria, e ki ana koe i te kereatia â€" Hail Mary, Full of Grace
And there we have it! This is exactly what the Immaculate Conception
celebrates. Mary was always full to the brim with grace. Grace is so much
more original, so much more powerful than sin. Yet our Catholic mentality at
times seems fixated on sin. As it stands, the very term ‘Immaculate
Conception’ is a negative expression. A far more positive rendition is ‘the
gracing of Mary’. Mary was so graced by God from the very moment of her
conception that there was no room for sin at all....

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

FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Catholic award to Mary
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/timaruherald/0,2106,3505623a6571,00.html
Fairlie's Mary MacDonald has received the Benemerenti Award for her
contribution to the Catholic community. The award was granted by Pope
Benedict XVI and is granted for exceptional service to the Catholic
Church...

Priest becomes a living legend
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/auckland/0,2106,3505484a6497,00.htm/
l
The title of living legend sits uneasily with Father Terry Dibble. The
Catholic priest is being honoured by Auckland mayor Dick Hubbard for more
than 35 years serving the Grey Lynn and Ponsonby community...

The Sallies are there to help those in need at Christmas
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/timaruherald/0,2106,3505622a6010,00.html
Christmas is different for every family, but for some it means accepting
help. South Canterbury charities will help around 100 households have some
Christmas festivity on tight budgets...

'Nine to Noon' with Linda Clark (Radio NZ sound file, 7m)
http://www.radionz.co.nz/nr/programmes/ninetonoon/20051209
Louise O'Brien reviews 'Christ the Lord' by Anne Rice. Published by Chatto
and Windus.

The Tudor Consort competes in Spain and sings at St Peter's in Rome
Friday, 9 December 2005, 2:59 pm
Press Release: Tudor Consort 9 December 2005
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0512/S00062.htm

Promising athlete in Pan Pacific medal haul
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/auckland/0,2106,3505483a6469,00.htm/
l
Trying his hand at goldmining was the highlight of Josh Cocker-Valu's trip
to Australia after representing New Zealand at the Pan Pacific Games in
Melbourne. The year 8 pupil at Herne Bay Marist also picked up silver in the
shot put relay and gold in the 100m relay...

United Future's bid to have marriage defined as a union between a man and a
woman has been thrown out of Parliament. The Marriage Gender Clarification
Amendment was presented by United Future's Gordon Copeland...
http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,11964-5111539,00.html

Nguyen mourners speak out against death penalty
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10358881
Melbourne - More than 1000 mourners packed a Melbourne Catholic cathedral
today for the funeral of hanged drug smuggler Nguyen Tuong Van...

If you didn't find Narnia in your own wardrobe ...
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/travel/story/0,6903,1657178,00.html
... you might just find it in Northern Ireland, the birthplace of CS Lewis
and beloved inspiration for the author's fictional land. In the week the
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is released, Fiona Campbell goes searching
for Aslan ...

Know your Narnia
http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,4120,1657048,00.html
As the CS Lewis classic finally comes to the big screen, Stephanie Merritt
offers an A-Z guide to the lion, the witch - and everything else ...

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

FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES

Mary the Immaculate Conception, protectress of the Council, light in a
self-destructive world
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4830
On the 40th anniversary of the ending of the Second Vatican Council,
Benedict XVI drew attention to the meaning of the feast of the Immaculate
Conception in the modern world, which tends not to trust in God, to see “God
[as] a competitor who limits our freedom and [to think] that we will be
fully human only when we have put him aside�...

The Subtle Magic of C.S. Lewis' Narnia
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=81284
Toronto, Dec. 7, 2005 (Zenit.org).- "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"
may provide an opportunity for adults to talk about the faith, but don't
expect children to notice the film's Christian themes. So says Michael
Coren, author, columnist and broadcaster who recently wrote "C.S. Lewis: The
Man Who Created Narnia" (Ignatius), a biography of Lewis written for teens.
Coren told ZENIT how mostly adults will understand Lewis' subtle Christian
allegory, and how "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" has the power to
plant seeds of faith in kids just the same...

Church of St Nicholas open to local mufti, but closed for mass on the Feast
Day of Saint Nicholas
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4829
Although the church belongs to the Orthodox Patriarchate, the authorities
have turned it into a museum where the Eucharist cannot be celebrated. The
local mufti can however use it for his Santa Claus association...

Christmas Making a Comeback
Annual Battle Starts With Victories
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=81054
Washington, D.C., Dec. 3, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Christmas, it seems, is no
longer a taboo word. This Tuesday, the Washington Times reported that U.S.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert told federal officials that the tree on the
West Lawn of the Capitol will be renamed the "Capitol Christmas Tree." In
recent years it has gone under the name of the "Holiday Tree." Calling a
Christmas tree a Christmas tree has become a hot issue in many communities,
the article noted...

We get no money from the Palestinian Authority and Israel boycotts us, says
Bethlehem mayor
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4835
Bethlehem (AsiaNews) â€" Bethlehem Mayor Victor Batarseh on Thursday accused
the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) of failing to provide financial
assistance to his town as it prepares to celebrate Christmas. He also
explained how new Israeli checkpoints have created an oppressive
atmosphere...

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

CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

Media Releases

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

Bogus Mail regarding Catholic Church (06 Dec 2005)
It has been brought to the notice of Catholic Communications that a number
of households in Auckland suburbs are receiving anonymous chain letters in
their mailbox claiming to reveal the “third secret of Fatima� among other
things, and suggesting that earthquake, nuclear war and other horrendous
cataclysms are about to be unleashed on the earth by a vengeful and angry
God...

Global Catholic News, plus sound files from Vatican Radio

http://www.cathcom.org.nz

Israel’s Vatican ambassador praises Pope
U.S. Catholic activists begin anti-torture march
Pope blesses Olympic flame as torch relay kicks off
Being good is not boring, says Pope
Magazine for Catholic girls aims for truer image of young femininity
Ceremony marks 40 years since end of Vatican Council ll
Vatican issues Pope euro coins
Former secretary says JP2's beatification needs critics

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

MARIST CHAMPAGNAT FAMILY NEWSLETTER October 2005

http://www.maristbrothers.org.nz/MFN1October2005.htm

'Psalm for the Road', by Joy Cowley ... News of the Brothers ... St
Bernard's College staff day ... St Paul's College Golden Jubilee ... Pacific
Assembly for Brothers and lay partners ... Working Party for the
International Assembly 2007: One Heart One Mission ... Vocation Year ...
Update on the Marist Response to the Asian Tsunami ... In Memoriam

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

"THE WORD FROM ROME"

http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/

A weekly column by the National Catholic Reporter's full-time correspondent
in Rome, John L. Allen Jr.

This week ...
When will this pope make some changes?; Forthcoming encyclical on divine
love; Sacred music; On priestly life and ministry; The "subsists in/is"
debate; Opposing John Paul II's sainthood fast track; Anniversary lunch at
the North American College; World Methodist Council in Rome

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

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 ]

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

4 DECEMBER 2005

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

'NZ CATHOLIC'

http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz

No. 228, December 4-17, 2005

Homosexual candidates "not singled out" by document
Wellington - A highly-anticipated Vatican document stating men who "practise
homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the
so-called 'gay culture' " are not fit to be ordained as priests is anything
but discriminatory, according to a New Zealand bishop....

National charity proposal deferred
Wellington - The future of a national Catholic charity remains uncertain
following the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference meeting in Wellington
last month....

"Events-based" ministry new trend for youth
Auckland - The youth ministry in Auckland diocese will soon become
events-based rather than full-time ministries once the zoning of parishes
takes place, says Auckland parish ministry co-ordinator Manuel Beazley....

Also In Issue 228:

NATIONAL
MPs get new prayer room ... Southlanders offer help after marae is burned
... Radio NZ charter to retain "spiritual" ... Scholarship awards for
principals ... Owairaka's church to be replaced ... Infections show sex
education is "not working" ... New scholar named ... Prison "blowout"
stretches scheme for buying toys ... Four camps planned by Dove Fellowship
... Nitschke considers moving to NZ ... Fewer use night shelter ... Three
priority areas chosen for Hamilton ... Agreement signed for school services
... New school hall blessed ... Coolock House to be hospice ... Bellringer
honoured ... ERO File

FEATURES
"Dream" visit to the Futuna of Peter Chanel ... Belfast priest had part in
end to violence ... Exorcism film worth seeing but will not appeal to all
... Dabbling with demonic powers is dangerous ... 11 professed as Secular
Franciscans ... Rangiora parish replaces original forgotten windows ...
Eminent conductor for summer school ... Colourful parade of national dress
... New leadership model adopted by Brigidines ... Procession and flowers
mark cathedral feast ... Troubadour says music appeals over doctrine

OPINION
Bev McDonald: Jesus came among us just as we are ... Ronald Rolheiser: Our
struggle for community ... Parish Diary ... Others Say ... Editorial:
Marriage bill will be a test for MPs ... Malcolm Evans ... Iva Verse ...
Letters ... God the Creator but not "designer"? ... Bible and evolution not
incompatible

INTERNATIONAL
Honorary doctorates for Drs Billings ... Pakistani crowd hits Christians ...
Pope sees positive steps with Jews ... Divine Worship head speaks on liturgy
... The Pope: New text of Mass hoped for soon ... Film on monastery a hit
... Document on lay ministry approved by US bishops ... French monk
beatified ... "Miraculous cure" at Lourdes officially recognised ...
Conflict predicted over use of water ... Pope takes control over Assisi
basilicas ... Digging for family ... Pope to visit Israel ... Disagreement
over new labour laws ... International loans slated

REGULAR FEATURES
Young Adults, Books, Monitor, Clips, Net Scene, Tape Deck, Scripture, Papal
Prayer, Feasts, The Doolans, God in the Garden, Caption Contest, Who Said?,
40 Years Ago, Dio. Diary, Cryptic Crossword, Photo Prayer, What We Believe,
Holy Lives, Kit's Corner, Wit's End.

ADVERTISING FEATURES
NZ Catholic Christmas gift donation appeal

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

FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Visa mystery wipes out trip of a lifetime
Otago Daily times
http://tinyurl.com/8tzp5
It was supposed to have been the trip of a lifetime. Pupils at Catholic
schools were invited to apply to go to Calcutta to tackle missionary work
with Mother Teresa’s order. But, as of yesterday, the Indian government had
not issued the group visas to enter India for the four-week visit...

Abortion rise linked to schools
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/0,2106,3499230a6530,00.html
Sex education in schools is to blame for a rocketing abortion rate among
teenagers, a Christchurch pro-life group says. Doctors this week voiced
alarm after the number of abortions performed at a Christchurch clinic on
under-16s tripled, attributing the increase to binge drinking, drug use and
peer pressure...

Catholic order feeling shame
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/manawatustandard/0,2106,3498691a6003,00.html
A Catholic order is saying a major mea culpa for the sexual abuse of
students in its care at the Feilding boarding school it founded. A spokesman
for the Society of Mary (Marist) Phil Cody said members "feel shame, sorrow
and sadness" after the conviction yesterday of a former teacher at Hato
Paora College for the sexual assault of five boys...

Former Catholic brother admits abuse (photo, and related video report)
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411365/634535
A retired Catholic brother has pleaded guilty to seven charges relating to
the molestation of four boys at a Feilding high school in the 1970s and
1980s. John Lewis Stevenson, 66, also known as Brother Bernard, was a
teacher at Hato Paora Maori Boys Catholic School at the time of the
assault...

'Dirty secret' sequel
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/0,2106,3497844a6479,00.html
He lived for more than two decades with a "dirty secret", but a Lower Hutt
victim says he can finally start rebuilding his life after a retired
Catholic brother admitted sexually abusing him as a boy...

Pope's restrictions on homosexual priests defended
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=85199
The Catholic Church in New Zealand is defending the Pope's controversial
restrictions on homosexual priests. Pope Benedict says homosexuals and those
who support gay culture should be barred from entering the priesthood.
Catholic Communications director Lyndsay Freer supports the ruling and says
the Pope's decision is more about reinforcing the importance of celibacy...

Ministry to allow imports of stem cells
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story.cfm?storyid=0002D555-4B3B-138D-AB4383027A\
F1011B
Stem cells from human embryos could be imported into New Zealand and used
for research for the first time under strict guidelines proposed by the
Ministry of Health...

Plimmerton priest coming to Blenheim
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/marlboroughexpress/0,2106,3494190a6563,00.html
The new priest for St Mary's Catholic parish in Blenheim was named at Sunday
services yesterday. Father Alan Roberts will take over the running of the
parish at the beginning of February. The handover will mark the end of an
era, as he will be replacing Marist priests who have worked in the Blenheim
parish for 141 years...

************************
The following two stories are not available on the newspapers' free
Websites. They can be read at the public library, and via the libraries'
free 'Newztext' service for borrowers.

Bishops to keep up Popetown fight
The Dominion Post â€" News â€" 3 Dec 2005 â€" Page 8
Catholic bishops will continue to fight cartoon series Popetown, despite the
Broadcasting Standards Authority rejecting its latest complaint. The
authority declined an application by the Catholic Bishops Conference for a
formal hearing into the show set in Popetown, a fictional Vatican City. A
further complaint about Popetown, which is no longer on air, would be sent
to the authority before Christmas, Catholic communications director Lyndsay
Freer said...

Pianist loves to shares musical gift
The Marlborough Express â€" Kaikoura â€" 30 Nov 2005
11-year-old St Joseph's School pupil Cameron Woodill has been playing the
piano for four and a half years. Cameron has done a number of public
performances, including playing the organ for special occasions at
Kaikoura's Sacred Heart Catholic Church, and for schools masses twice a
month...

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

Hanged Australian died 'courageous' death
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10358265
Australian Nguyen Tuong Van went to his death in Singapore's Changi Prison
unshackled but clutching the rosary beads of his Catholic faith...

John Paul, Two
Dueling networks race to tell the late Pope's life story (3 pages)
http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2005/11/27/john_paul_two/
TV is set to unroll two dramatizations of the pope's life, appearing within
days of each other on competing networks. Minoli and Parkin's ''Have No
Fear: The Life of Pope John Paul II," airs on ABC on Thursday. The Lux Vide
version, the miniseries ''Pope John Paul II," starts next Sunday on CBS and
continues the following Wednesday...

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

FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES

Advent a Time to Hope for Renewal, Says Pope
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=80679
Vatican City, Nov. 27, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Upon embarking on the liturgical
season of Advent, Benedict XVI invited Christians to renew their confidence
in the possibility of building a better world. Speaking from the window of
his study on the first Sunday of Advent, the Pope appealed for the building
of a "new earth," an appeal launched 40 years ago by the Second Vatican
Council...

Father Cantalamessa on Advent's Wake-up Call
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=80686
Rome, Nov. 27, 2005 (Zenit.org).- In his commentary on today's liturgical
readings, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher of the
Pontifical Household, talks about how Advent helps us to kick bad habits...

Adelaide Archbishop puts Christ back into Christmas
http://www.cathnews.com/news/511/157.php
As part of his personal mission to restore Jesus as the central figure in
Christmas celebrations, Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson yesterday blessed
replicas of the baby Jesus for children to place in their nativities.
Children from across Adelaide Catholic parishes and schools attended a
special ceremony aimed at re-discovering Jesus at Christmas celebrations at
St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral in Adelaide...

Ambiguous tendencies, by Robert Mickens
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/archive_db.cgi/tablet-01114
The much-anticipated Vatican guidelines for the admission of homosexuals to
seminaries were finally released this week. But they seem to have raised
more questions than answers as to their true meaning. Our Rome correspondent
explains the thinking behind the thinking ...

Vatican document on homosexuals and seminaries: full text
http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=62701

A conversation with Good Samaritan and ‘woman of hope’ Sr Patty Fawkner
(photo)
Catholic Weekly (Sydney)
http://tinyurl.com/8fpdo
If the theological virtue of hope is the opposite of fear, then Sr Patty
Fawkner’s instincts are on the money in her optimism about the future of
religious life and her concern about what she sees as a climate of fear
about our Muslim brothers and sisters. From talking with her it is clear
that she sees the impossibility of being both hopeful and fearful â€" she
speaks of her fellow Good Samaritan Sisters who remain vibrant, engaged
women despite their declining numbers, and of the nagging suspicion that
white Australians have “always had� about their new neighbours casting a
shadow on their natural generosity...

Fifty-seven new priests ordained in Hanoi, Pope appoints a new bishop
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4750

Sydney archdiocese launches World Youth Day 2008 web site
Sydney (Fides Service) - http://www.wyd2008.org is the address of web site
opened by the hosting Catholic Church in Australia for the 23rd World Youth
Day scheduled to take place in Sydney 15 - 20 July 2008...

Cardinal Kasper Clarifies Issues on the Divorced-and-Remarried. "There Is
Not, in Fact, an Easy Solution"
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=80762

Nuns beaten in Xian: the government asks the diocese to pay for the school
that it already owns
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4760

Vatican Message for World Day Against AIDS
"Certain Suggestions at the Level of Guidelines for Action"
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=80826

Nonbelievers Too Can Be Saved, Says Pope
Refers to St. Augustine's Commentary on Psalm 136(137)
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=80888

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

CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

Global Catholic News, plus sound files from Vatican Radio

http://www.cathcom.org.nz

Chinese Catholic web-sites “blacked-out� on the assault against nuns in Xian
UN urges 'exceptional response' to AIDS crisis
U.S. Catholic Church Responds to Vatican
Canadian Catholic peace activist is kidnapped by militants in Iraq
Pope Spurs World to Meet 0.7% of GDP Target
Pope chooses Polish Dominican as theologian of papal household
Speaker says AIDS struggle also helping to beat poverty
Pope avoids condom issue in AIDS message

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

"THE WORD FROM ROME"

http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/

A weekly column by the National Catholic Reporter's full-time correspondent
in Rome, John L. Allen Jr.

This week ...
Gays in the seminary: Interpreting and applying a tough-sounding document;
Theologian named for papal household; Remembering Fred McManus, ecumenist,
liturgist, canon lawyer; The latest on limbo

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

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 ]

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

27 NOVEMBER 2005

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

'NZ CATHOLIC' SPECIAL ISSUE: ' THE LEGACY & HOPE OF VATICAN II '

The 'NZ Catholic' newspaper has published a special issue, on sale today,
commemorating the fortieth anniversary of the end of the Second Vatican
Council (1962-1965). In it, New Zealanders recall their personal experiences
of Vatican II and its aftermath, and overseas writers reflect on the changes
the Council brought about. The issue is illustrated with many photographs
from the era.

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

FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Catholic Church appeals to Singapore for clemency for Nguyen
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/bulletins/radionz/200511261607/2f87d106
The Catholic Church in Australia has appealed to the Singapore government to
grant clemency to convicted drug trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van. New Zealand's
Prime Minister says she will make an informal protest to Singapore's Prime
Minister about the planned execution...

Confusion over gay priests document
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411365/631685
The Catholic Church in New Zealand is reserving judgement on the exact
meaning of a directive from the Vatican on the admission of gays to the
priesthood...

Sister vows to rebuild devastated marae Fire damages treasured carvings
(photo)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/southlandtimes/0,2106,3487848a6011,00.html
"We will start again -- we've got nothing but we will start again,"
Dominican Sister Judith Robinson said yesterday after seeing the Te
Tomairangi Marae and Kohanga Reo, in Eye St, which was razed by fire early
yesterday morning. Sister Judith said the marae, which was opened in 1992,
was used initially as a Kohanga Reo for Maori children during the week, and
at the weekends doubled as a church for mihoi, Catholic mass...

Doctor gave long service
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/marlboroughexpress/0,2106,3486438a6563,00.html
Blenheim doctor Paul Fogarty, 99, passed away last Tuesday at Bethsaida
Retirement Village in Blenheim after outliving his wife, siblings and many
of his friends. Dr Fogarty's funeral was held today at St Mary's Catholic
Church...

Rice gets her teeth into the story of Jesus (photo)
Otago Daily Times
http://tinyurl.com/7sb5z
After stupendous sales for her tales of vampires, witches and lust, novelist
Anne Rice has turned to Jesus â€" personally and literarily. Her innovative
new novel Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt (Knopf) depicts Jesus as a
7-year-old lad, speaking in his own words as the holy family moves from
Egyptian exile to Nazareth...

First principal appointed
Otago Daily Times
http://tinyurl.com/duuvt
The first principal for Wanaka’s new Catholic school has been appointed.
Barbara Perry, of Dunedin, will take up the position for term one next year,
when the Holy Family School opens, board of trustees chairwoman Yeverley
McCarthy said on Thursday...

Nun awarded medal (photo)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/timaruherald/0,2106,3485350a6571,00.html
Although Sister Elizabeth has been a Sister of Mercy for more than half a
century, yesterday's 10am mass at Timaru's Sacred Heart Basilica wouldn't
have been what she was expecting. Sister Elizabeth left the service with a
papal medal.

Conservation orders urged for churches, walls
NZ Herald
http://tinyurl.com/cyurv
[Summary: Churches and Depression-era stone walls are on a list of Auckland
sites tagged for stricter protection. From a count of historic places
ordered by Auckland City Council last year, nine sites have been identified
for Category B heritage, among them St Joseph's Catholic Church, Grey Lynn]

Holy Moly, by Noel O'Hare
NZ Listener November 26-December 2 2005
http://www.listener.co.nz/default,5065.sm
Catholics' obsession with saintly body parts and personal effects is leading
to Internet relic trafficking.
In the flurry of excitement over the general election, you may have missed
the arrival of St Thérèse of Lisieux â€" or, more precisely, what's left of
her. The relics tour brought a touch of the medieval to 21st-century New
Zealand, and raises questions about how out of touch Catholicism has become
in the modern world...

Charities use Internet to raise money
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/13256392.htm
Lexington, Ky. - Charities across Kentucky have started using the Internet
to raise money - and they've been very successful. The Catholic Action
Center in Lexington earns more than $1,000 each week by selling books, CDs
and videos on Amazon.com. In Madison County, Parents for a Catholic
Education collects hundreds of dollars every week by running an Internet
thrift store...

Schools told 'don't ban Christmas'
http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17310563%5E421,00.htm/
l
Every school and kindergarten [in the Australian state of Victoria] has been
officially told: don't ban Christmas celebrations. Premier Steve Bracks
yesterday gave his official encouragement for nativity scenes, carols and
other Christian traditions. Jingle Bells can ring in classrooms around the
state again after several schools banned nativity scenes and carol singing
last year for fear of offending non-Christian children...

Why have Catholics stopped lining up at the confessional?
http://www.slate.com/id/2130589/?nav=tap3
A Catholic friend of mine recently went to confession at her parish church
for the first time in years. She had personal reasons for wanting to seek
absolution, but there was this, too: She said she'd long felt a little sorry
for the priests sitting alone in their confessional boxes, waiting for
sinners to arrive...

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

FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES

Christ the King at the centre of history and civilisation, says the Pope
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4669
Vatican City (AsiaNews) â€" The Church’s mission “yesterday as todayâ€� is
to
affirm the “centrality of Christ� in the “family, culture, economy,
politics, and international community�. Benedict XVI reiterated the
significance of [last Sunday's] Solemnity â€" Christ the King of the
universe â€" the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year...

Archbishop Vincent Nicols: 'The experiment of secular society has failed'
(homily for the Solemnity of Christ the King)
http://www.indcatholicnews.com/secsoc.html
"Many recognise that the experiment of modern secular society has failed,"
Archbishop Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Birmingham, said in his homily
yesterday, at the annual Civic Mass, on the Feast of Christ The King, in St
Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham...

Rome group set to mobilise world against death penalty
http://www.cathnews.com/news/511/145.php
As Australia's Van Nguyen prepares to go to the gallows in Singapore one
week from today, the Rome-based Community of Sant'Egidio is planning a
worldwide effort to abolish the death penalty...

Beijing: Chinese media practically silent on Bush’s church visit and human
rights
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4679
Beijing (AsiaNews) - “China is still afraid of religious freedom,� a bishop
of the underground Church told AsiaNews commenting on the fact that, as of
this morning, Chinese media have yet to mention Bush’s participation in
yesterday’s liturgical services at the Protestant church in Gangwashi...

A Milestone for Liturgy in Hebrew
Catholic Community in Jerusalem Marks an Anniversary
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=80560
Jerusalem (Zenit.org).- It is now a half-century since the Hebrew-speaking
Catholic community in Jerusalem was granted approval to use its language in
the liturgy. Over the past few days, the small Catholic community in
Jerusalem that prays in Hebrew, has been celebrating the event, reported the
Italian newspaper Avvenire...

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

CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

Global Catholic News, plus sound files from Vatican Radio

http://www.cathcom.org.nz

Vatican assures Taiwan over ties ... US backs Vatican effort to improve
relations with China ... U.S. Vatican ambassador says new document on
homosexuality will make Church stronger ... Pope Benedict lauds religious
harmony in Bangladesh ... Vatican gay document prompts storm of criticism
... Pope signs off on 'anti-gay' document ... Vatican document on
homosexuals in the priesthood leaked by Italian news agency ... Pope Creates
New Diocese in Vietnam

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

'THE FAR EAST'

Magazine of St Columban's Mission Society of Australia and New Zealand

http://www.columban.org.au/?MID=200510192652

Full articles from the October 2005 issue ...

Editorial: There is much more
A woman told me recently how her daughter had suffered severe brain damage
after an asthma attack that caused her to stop breathing for several
minutes. During our conversation she added, ‘When you think you have given
all your love, you find that there is more’ ...

From the Director: That there are many cultures is important
Recently, I went to a meeting of Christian Brothers in Melbourne. One of
them has been working in a school in Africa for ten years. He is delighted
to be working with African young people in schools and university. I often
ask myself why missionaries who are working in some difficult circumstances
seem to be so happy? ...

Celebrating a service
On October 29, 1933, ten Columbans missionaries disembarked from a boat in
Pusan, the port city in southeast Korea. They were the first group to set
foot on the Korean peninsula. Seventy years later the event was commemorated
at the headquarters of our Society in Seoul...

Our transportation
Poor farmers get a boost from the Columban Partnership Programme.

Also in this issue ...

A student’s lot 2-3 At this seminary in Myitkyina a student grows roses to
sell in the market ... The joy of belief 4-5 In Hong Kong, newly baptised
Catholics celebrate their faith publicly ... Why return? 6 Fr Leo Donnelly
explains why he returns to Peru even though he is retired ... Reflection -
Being human, being divine 7 A final reflection on the Eucharist ...
Questions within the heart 8-9 A Korean Columban sister in Peru reflects on
her vocation ... Highlights from a missionary life 10-11 Fr Jim Norris
selects some of the high points from over 50 years as a missionary in Japan
... Celebrating a service 12-13 Columbans celebrate 70 years of missionary
activity.
Mission World & Director 14-15 ... The power of the quoted word 16 Fr
Nicholas Murray learns lessons while teaching English in China ... Calendar
Ad 17 Ad for Columban Calendar 2006 ... A shining example 18-19 A Korean lay
missionary forgives the Japanese and finds romance ... The changing role of
mission 20 In 70 years, Korean society has changed dramatically and so has
Columban Mission.

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

'TUI MOTU INTERISLANDS'

http://www.tuimotu.org

Lead article: Remembering the dead (full text)

Also in this issue ...

• The Spiritual Imperative 2 â€" Satish Kumar
• Why do young men kill themselves? â€" Kevin Dobbyn
• So many troubled hearts â€" Daniel O’Leary
• Creed and Credibility in a Critical age â€" Jacqui Lambert
• Are we driving our children crazy? â€" Robin Kearns
• Crosscurrents â€" John Honoré

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

"THE WORD FROM ROME"

http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/

A weekly column by the National Catholic Reporter's full-time correspondent
in Rome, John L. Allen Jr.

This week ...

China, Taiwan and the Vatican; Media obtain text of gay seminarian document;
Sex abuse scandal in Brazil; Assisi and a curial shake up; Israel and taxes;
Press conference by the Society of St. Pius X; Thanksgiving; 500th
anniversary of the Swiss Guard

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

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 ]

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