Praying for a sporting result is one of the oddest and most widespread religious behaviours in the world. The Welsh do it, the Irish pray to St Jude, Henry says we should do it. “Is it appropriate to pray for a win?” In May Wellington’s Marist-St Pats survived an almighty scare and fended off relegation. The win Read more
Mother Teresa died in 1997, and burst again onto the world stage 10 years later with publication of her letters and writings in Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta. The book caught the world’s spotlight as writers seized on newly revealed secrets about her spiritual struggles and deep interior Read more
Vulnerable children from the most deprived communities have become “silent victims” of the recession, often having to go without healthy food, healthcare and clothing, a new report has found. The yearly Children’s Social Health Monitor, released on Monday, examines the effects of the economic downturn on children. Researchers say children with preventable illnesses are being left untreated Read more
Forty years ago modern contraception was sold to women as part of a liberation package: at last they would be in control of their fertility and their lives. The pill was their passport to fewer children, economic independence and, as it soon appeared, the kind of sexual freedom that previously only men had enjoyed. Already, Read more
Thursday September 1 has been declared Random Acts of Kindness Day. This year marks its 7th anniversary. RAK Day is all about people doing kind things for others – for no reason at all. To lift the kindness temperature in our country, step out of our comfort zone and do something randomly kind for a Read more
The American house Minority Leader calls herself an “ardent, practicing Catholic,” and in a visit to Rome in 2008 was photographed kissing the papal ring of Pope Benedict XVI. California’s governor attended Jesuit seminary, where he studied to become a Catholic priest, and in 2005 was married in the Catholic Church. The governor of New Read more
The 2011 New Zealand Diversity Forum was held last Sunday and Monday. It was preceded by community events on Saturday. The theme of the conference, People in Harmony. Keynote speakers included Tainui Chief Executive Parekawhia McLean, Gisborne Mayor Meng Foon and Porirua City Councillor and community youth worker Fa’amatuainu Wayne Poutoa. A national youth diversity Read more
Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Madrid for what is officially the 26th edition of World Youth Day, a total which includes off-year events organized, at least in theory, at the diocesan level. Counting just the massive international gatherings headlined by the pope, Madrid is the 12th World Youth Day since John Paul II launched the Read more
It is illegal to pay for one in New Zealand so some couples are seeking a surrogate mother overseas. Child, Youth and Family had never heard of an international surrogacy case before last year, but since then the agency has had 63 inquiries from people looking overseas as a last resort for a family. International case Read more
At first glance, studies such as Pew’s 2010 report “Religion Among the Millennials” seem to indicate that young Catholics (age 18-29) exemplify their generation’s tendency toward religious indifference. They are less likely to attend Mass weekly, pray daily, consider religion “very important” than Catholics 30 and older. Yet the millennial Catholics who do practice and Read more