They came with a message of peace and left enriched by the same. A group of international peace runners traversed roads from Coromandel to Whangamata over a week that was memorable for everyone. The Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run is a global relay seeking to inspire the creation of a more peaceful world. Eleven runners Read more
New Zealand
Mike Moore, Yvonne Moore; two for the price of one
Monday, February 17th, 2020
Mike and Yvonne Moore’s supportive 45-year marriage was highlighted by several speakers at the former Prime Minister’s funeral on Friday, in Auckland. “No tribute to Mike Moore can exist without a tribute to Yvonne who has been next to him since 1975, through all the great cycles of life,” said former Minister of Labour and Read more
St Kevin’s College ownership changes hands
Monday, February 17th, 2020
St Kevin’s College in Oamaru has had a change of ownership. It was transferred to the Catholic Diocese of Dunedin at a special ceremony at the school’s chapel in late 2019. The change of ownership of the secondary school, which the Christian Brothers have run since 1927, was signed off by the Ministry of Education. Read more
Demand for Catholic education high
Monday, February 17th, 2020
Catholic education is in demand – but going to a Catholic school and attending Sunday Mass are not necessarily a package deal to many Catholic families. Taranaki priest Simon Story says many Catholic families approach him for the religious endorsement required to get their children into a Catholic school. This endorsement attests to the children Read more
Select committee recommends allowing medical practitioners to refuse contraception
Monday, February 17th, 2020The select committee tasked with examining New Zealand’s abortion laws has recommended enshrining the right of medical practitioners to refuse emergency contraception in cases of sexual violence. This has angered campaigners who say it obstructs access to effective contraception, and sidelines the rights of sexual assault survivors. The proposed changes would require medical practitioners to Read more
Church apologises after schools learned of priest’s conviction through media
Monday, February 17th, 2020The Catholic Church has been forced to apologise to outraged parents who only learned their parish priest had been convicted of sex offences through a story on Stuff. Sosefo Sateki Raass quit the priesthood after pleading guilty to indecent communication with a person under 16 in March 2019. He was sentenced to 100 hours community Read more
Village gives youths second chance
Monday, February 17th, 2020Six Carterton cabins for six young people in need are ready for them to move into. As soon as Carterton Baptist Church leaders hold their meeting with neighbours to sign off the young people’s names, they can take up residence and begin a better and safer journey to adulthood. During the young people’s time at Read more
Christchurch super-parishes sorted
Thursday, February 13th, 2020
Super-parishes are the way to go in Christchurch, with major changes planned for later this year. A plan to merge 12 of Christchurch’s Catholic parishes into five super-parishes has been given the go ahead by Bishop Paul Martin, who announced his final decision last month. The decision was six months in the making, based on Read more
Domestic abuse victims say no to ‘no-fault’ divorce settlements
Thursday, February 13th, 2020
Domestic abuse victims are speaking out about no-fault divorce settlements that see their abusers entitled to 50 percent of the marital property. Sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars change hands. Some say they paid for the property while their spouse abused them and paid for little or nothing. One woman said her ex-husband was laughing Read more
Catholic Church should apologise for land confiscations
Thursday, February 13th, 2020
The Catholic Church should apologise for its role in the confiscation of Māori land and colonisation, says the New Zealand Māori Council . A pivotal part of this involves the “Doctrine of Discovery”. This doctrine (which is enshrined in Catholic law) was used internationally as justification for Christians to claim land belonging to non-Christians. Māori Read more