Odd Spot

What if Jesus played basketball… or rugby?

Monday, March 27th, 2017

Would Jesus have been the world’s all-time best Basketball player? Or, come to that would he have been the greatest ever All Black? Did he have to learn his craft of carpentry? Did he have to learn table manners? There are all kinds of questions one can ask about the way Jesus’ divine and human Read more

Modern evangelisation: Sisters plan 80km walk in full habit

Friday, March 24th, 2017

On Aug. 3-6 this year, The Dominican Sisters of St Joseph will make is a 50-mile pilgrimage on foot. They will begin in the ruined abbey at Bury St. Edmunds  and finishing at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Dominican Sisters of St Joseph wear a full Dominican habits as a way of Read more

Is safe to mix your beer with your Bible?

Monday, March 20th, 2017

It’s a scene you can imagine happening at any backyard barbecue in Australia: three mates having a friendly discussion about same-sex marriage over a beer. Not much to get wound up about, right? Bible Society Australia has teamed up with Coopers Premium Light to  produce a video an openly gay agnostic, and a Christian conservative, debate Read more

Stray dog becomes a furry friar

Thursday, March 16th, 2017

A stray dog stray has found a home in a Franciscan monastery. Carmelo, the schnauzer, is enjoying life now following his adoption by the brothers of the monastery of San Francisco, Cochabamba, Bolivia. Continue reading

The father of hypertext was a Jesuit

Monday, March 13th, 2017

Father Roberto Busa was born on November 28, 1913, in Vicenza, Italy, and died in August 2011. He is the father of hypertext. Stefano Lorenzetto, a journalist from L’Osservatore Romano, summarises Busa’s work stating that “if you browse the internet, you owe it to him; if you go from one site to another by clicking Read more

A sturdy rosary for Catholic men

Thursday, March 9th, 2017

Fr. Richard Heilman, a priest of the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin and the Wisconsin State Chaplain for the Knights of Columbus, wrote an article about a rosary entitled “1916 Military Rosary Inspires New Combat Rosary.” This decidedly masculine rosary apparently was commissioned by the U.S. government and distributed upon request to soldiers, sailors and Marines Read more

Where do Hollywood Stars go to church?

Monday, March 6th, 2017

The list of Catholic actors is seriously impressive. With Oscar season upon us, here’s a look at some famous Hollywood Catholic churches, where stars and their fans pray side by side. Continue reading

Bishop Drennan wants contributions from young Kiwis for 2018 Synod

Monday, March 6th, 2017

As the Vatican released the preparatory document for the 2018 synod of bishops on “Young people, faith and vocational discernment”, Palmerston North Bishop Charles Drennan said the value of knowing the thoughts and aspirations of young people in the Church can never be overestimated. The preparatory document included a series of questions to be answered by national conferences of bishops and other Church bodies. Responses, along with input from Read more

Ash Wednesday: Would you like a little glitter with your Ashes?

Thursday, March 2nd, 2017

The Glitter Ash project, created by New York nonprofit Parity, encouraged clergy to mix glitter into the ashes this year, to represent the inclusion of LGBT people in Christian life. Glitter in the ashes, Rev. Marian Edmonds-Allen wrote on a whiteboard, is “a symbol of the gritty, glittery, scandalous hope that exists within all of Read more

Guess how many St Catherines there are

Monday, February 27th, 2017

How many St Catherines do you think there are?  Guess: 2, 9, 12, 16, 22? While while they all share the same name and love for God, each of the each of the Catherine’s (or Katharine’s) path to holiness is unique. Check out their stories