Newly- appointed rector Fr David Dowling expressed hope that these young men will approach their formation with humility.

“My hope is that these young men will open themselves to be conformed to Jesus, who ‘did not come to be served, but to serve.’,” Fr Dowling said.

“I hope that they will humbly approach their formation, like clay to be moulded, so that the Holy Spirit, with the collaboration of seminary formators can shape them to be good pastors in the image of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.”

Auckland

Zecharia Mathew, 24, said  he considers his vocation story as a “conversion” and a “love story between myself and God”.

He said he fell in love with the Lord when he was eight years old when he received his first Holy Communion.

“When I received Jesus for the first time, I was like, ‘oh, snap!’ I want to do that. I want to be able to give Jesus to others,” he said.

As he grew up, he had thought of becoming a doctor as well as a professional football player but the call to priesthood got stronger during his student years at Liston Catholic College.

“I had a massive conversion experience there,” he said.

Straight out of high school, Mr Mathew joined the religious order of the Capuchin Franciscans. He went to the Philippines and stayed there for three years for his initial formation. Then, he went back to New Zealand, took his first vows and a little bit of ministry here.

“I get assigned to India and then, in my prayer and my discernment in India, I realised… that I didn’t want to serve anywhere else in the world, except here in New Zealand,” he said.

Mr Mathew said a religious priest would not have any say in where he will be assigned.

“New Zealand is my home. New Zealand is the country that I love, and this is the people that I want to serve. So, after much prayer and discernment, I discerned to come back home and join the diocese of Auckland,” he said.

Although he had years of training already, he came in as a first-year seminarian because of the differences between the formation of a religious and diocesan seminarian.

As for going straight from high school to the seminary, he said he does not feel that he has missed out on anything.

“It only fulfilled me all the more. My vocation has enabled me to live life to the fullest and to give myself completely to the Lord and to his Church,” he said.

Mr Mathew said he hopes to be a priest to the youth, one who is joyful, orthodox and holy.

Joshua Brodie, 24, was born and raised in West Auckland in a loving and practicing Catholic family.

“My childhood and teenage years were filled with really good, positive memories all around with friends and family and Church. I also had positive experiences just filled with love with school, college, university and work,” he said.

He said his vocation journey started four years ago on Divine Mercy Sunday after Confession and receiving the Holy Eucharist.

“I went and prayed really deeply in adoration,” he said. “It was this one time. I really felt called to the priesthood. [Priesthood] was not something I’ve seriously taken before that even though I did have inclinations or feeling wanting to join.”

“He said it suddenly made sense to him that “everything the Catholic Church teaches in its deposit [of faith] is fully true and I received enormous grace that day.”

Mr Brodie finished his university degree in Commerce at the University of Auckland and did some research work there as well. He also worked in the corporate world before going to the seminary.

Mr Brodie who was also consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary according to St Louis de Monfort said he had “a lot of miracles of Jesus and Mary making it obvious that I should consider priesthood”.

Mr Brodie said a year after his Divine Mercy experience, he deep and meaningful conversations with priests, especially those in Auckland. After tests, evaluations and discussions, they told him he would be a good fit for the seminary.

He said everyone should do God’s will because it is what is best for them. He added that he will “leave it to God” as to what kind of priest he may become.

“I also want to mention that we also really need prayers. Because without Jesus and Mary, we won’t get there. We won’t be holy men and holy priests,” he said.

Christchurch

 Matthew Clark, 27, said teen angst had him confused and frustrated about life.

“I really didn’t understand what was going on. I was searching but I never really came to an answer definitively,” he said.

He went to Catholic schools in Wellington. When he was in college, he said a good friend  persuaded him to attend a camp called “Jesus for Real”.

“I went because I didn’t really have any expectations. I just thought that going to a camp would be cool. I walked in and everyone was happy. That didn’t make sense to me,” he said.

Mr Clark said he met “a really amazing priest, Fr Kevin Connors, the chaplain of the group, who made a profound impact on him (Mr Clark).

“He (Fr Connors) was always happy. And that really struck me because, for me, a priest is someone who sacrificed a lot and didn’t have a lot. But he was still happy,” Mr Clark said.

He said near the end of the camp, he had a personal encounter with God during the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

“I felt so overwhelmed with love in my heart for the first time that I reasoned that that was God. And that was really Jesus for me, an interaction with me and just for me, to know the love of God for me,” he said.

He did some youth work in Wellington and later moved to the Christchurch diocese to join the Mission Team. “That really set my heart of fire for the mission in Christchurch,” he said.  He, then, was invited to do youth ministry in America.

When he went back to New Zealand, he fulfilled his grandfather’s dying wish for him (Mr Clark) to become a teacher. He taught at a primary school.

Mr Clark said teaching gave him a foresight of how life would be as a priest.

“I still struggled with the idea of sacrificing a lot to enter the priesthood and being a gift of ourselves as well,” he said. “But working with some really incredible mothers, I saw the sacrifice and the gift of their life that they had for their kids and that really inspired me to say yes to the Lord.”

He said, like St Therese of Liseux, he will be faithful to what kind of priest God calls him to be.

Tuong Duong, 27, was born to and raised in a devout Catholic family in Vietnam, however, he did not really consider the priesthood until he was in high school.

“My parents introduced me to a priest. They wanted me to stay in the presbytery with the priest. At that time, I didn’t think about becoming a priest, but I obeyed them,” he said.

He helped the priest with whatever work was needed in the parish. During this time, he grew to love the work he was doing for the people in the parish.

“I think that is when I fell in love with priesthood,” he said. “I prayed and discerned, and I was advised by a priest so that I decided to follow the vocation in Vietnam.”

While he was helping out at the parish, Mr Duong was studying IT at a university. He also joined a group of people discerning their call.

After graduating from university in 2021, he took the entrance exam to the seminary of the Vinh diocese but failed the examination.

This didn’t discourage him, however. “I think I still had a chance to become a priest, that’s why I kept waiting for the next exam. I still studied more and more to get more knowledge [so I can] be confident in the next exam. But suddenly, I received a call from New Zealand,” he said.

It was Christchurch vocations director Fr Tien Cao, also the nephew of Vinh Auxiliary Bishop Pierre Nguyên Văn Viên. It was Bishop Viên who recommended Mr Duong to Fr Cao.

“It took me half a year thinking about this call. And by Christmas 2021, I said yes. I came here in October 2022,” he said.

Mr Duong said his parents were not exactly happy that he was leaving Vietnam but he was able to convince that that this was what he was called to do.

He said is open to be moulded to the kind of priest God wants him to be.

Hamilton

Nhat Cao, 23, was born and raised in Vietnam. He said he did not really want to become a priest when he was in high school.

“I wanted to be a famous person,” he said. “I wanted to be a manager of famous singers. This is a way to become famous [in Vietnam].”

He said because a number of talent managers went to the same university he got into, he was able to talk to these managers to find out how he can get into show business.

“I feel that my life is not going to be peaceful if I step into showbiz,” he said. “That environment is not good for me to be a good person. Because my personality would be changed. Because I have to adapt to that toxic environment. When I heard that, I changed my mind.”

His path to the priesthood became clearer when his godfather asked him to come to his (godfather’s) parish to teach people to play the piano so that these people can serve in the church.

“I felt that it was very peaceful, and my life is better than [if I were to] spend all of the time doing toxic things in a bad environment. And after that, I always prayed constantly to realise my vocation,” he said.

In his second year in university, he received a call from Bishop Viên. Mr Cao said he did give his answer right away.

“It took me one week to think about that, to reflect about that. After nearly one week, I decided to go to New Zealand,” he said.

Mr Cao said when he started his university studies, he decided to take up English. He said this was unusual because he found studying the English grammar “boring”.

However, after Bishop Viên’s call, he linked the two together and thought that he must have been directed by God towards studying English so that he can be prepared for priesthood in New Zealand.

He said he would simply like to be a priest who can bring people to the Church.

Wellington

 Max Copley, 34, said for him, the call to priesthood “wasn’t a one moment flash of light”.

“I just know that, at a certain point, after ignoring the call to priesthood for many years…I became convinced that Christ was actually saying to me, ‘Come follow me!’,” he said.

“There was a clear sense that what I heard in my heart was no human voice, nor was it just an idea of my own. Christ was calling me to serve him as priest. It was a desire in my heart that I couldn’t keep a secret anymore so I decided to take action and apply for seminary,” he said.

Mr Copley graduated in 2017 from the Victoria University with a Bachelor of Software Engineering decree. He, then, worked in the areas of Information Technology, Transportation as well as for the New Zealand Defence Force.

“As a young child, I do remember having a particular devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus because of a family painting we used to hang over the kitchen table,” he said.

Mr Copley said his vocational discernment lasted many years during which he developed his prayer life with the following devotions: The Flame of Love Rosary by Elizabeth Kindelmann and the Divine Mercy Devotion by Sr Faustine. He said praying and being a part of Opus Dei New Zealand helped his discern his path.

Mr Copley said former Apostolic Nuncio to New Zealand Archbishop Patrick Coveney inspired him to become a priest. He remembered attending the Mass at the Apostolic Nunciature in Wellington at a young age.

He said he used to ask, “Lord, why me?”

He attended many vocations meetings hosted by the Wellington Archdiocese since 2022 and finally made the decision to follow Christ.

Mr Copley said he wants to be a priest “that shares the mercy and love of Jesus Christ”.

The post Introducing first year seminarians, 2024 appeared first on NZ Catholic Newspaper.

CSS manager Luis Arevalo announced the decision on a post on the diocese’s Facebook page.

“We’ve been running the foodbank here are Catholic Social Services since its inception. Unfortunately, due to the rising costs of food because we have to purchase all our food, we’ve had to shut it down,” he said in a video message.

He said clients who need food will be put in touch with the St Vincent de Paul (Christchurch) team. The CSS’s last boxes of food had already been sent over to them (St Vincent de Paul).

Mr Arevalo said CSS will continue to serve the community through  free counselling,

free child and family psychology as well as free learning assessments into our schools.

They will also continue with their free group courses, particularly their new Community Connector Pilot Programme and soup kitchens and other initiatives in the coming 12 months which reach out to the most vulnerable.

“We’re not going anywhere. We’re looking forward to seeing you,” Mr Arevalo said.

The post Christchurch CSS Foodbank closed appeared first on NZ Catholic Newspaper.

This was an initiative of the Roman Catholic/Lutheran Dialogue, who in a statement stressed, “we have all been baptised in Christ and, realising this provides a starting point for the seeds of unity to take root”.

RC/Lutheran dialogue member Fr James Lyons told NZ Catholic that the NZCBC agreed to the initiative last year, but the Lutheran dialogue group only complete their arrangements last month.

The other members of the dialogue are Sr Kathleen Rushton rsm, Fr Tom Rouse ssc, Rev Mark Whitfield, Mr Petrus Simons and Mr Jim McAloon.

In the statement, the dialogue said the first disciples were urged by Jesus to remain in his love, commanding them to “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15). This is also the Gospel reading on May 5.

“No Christian community has consistently lived that commandment, but in our own time, we are witnessing hearts changing, prejudices disappearing and good will coming to the fore.

“By designating the Sixth Sunday of Easter as a Festival of New Life, our bishops signal both hope and confidence in the movement towards Christian unity,” the group said.

The dialogue’s statement invited parishes to “appreciate the gift of faith through baptism”.

“Baptism is the sacrament that unites Christians in the Body of Christ, the People of God,” the dialogue said in their statement.

“Whether or not there is a parish celebration, we can each make the Sixth Sunday a personal ‘Festival’, giving thanks for the amazing gift of faith and sincerely praying for all who share faith with us,” they added.

This is the first time a Catholic/Lutheran initiative is offered to all New Zealand parishes according to the statement.

The dialogue explained in its statement that for the last 500 years, the Church of Jesus “looked and acted as very divided” with many sects and denomination.

However, over the last century, there was a desire among the different Christian churches to restore unity.

“Just as every new life signals a new beginning, may this Festival of New Life become a sure stepping stone on our journey to unity,” they said.

The post Festival of New Life date announced appeared first on NZ Catholic Newspaper.

Wellington Archbishop Paul Martin SM released this information in a letter to all the people in the Church following media reports on the abuse allegations. The letter was dated March 7, 2024.

In the letter, Archbishop Martin clarified an ongoing Church inquiry will continue.

“Inquiries by the Church are not run concurrently to those being undertaken by the Police. Now that the Police investigation has concluded, Cardinal John continues to stand aside while Church inquiries proceed,” Archbishop Martin said.

The archbishop said Cardinal Dew stood aside from all public church activities when the allegations were brought to the Church’s attention.

In a separate statement, Cardinal Dew said the allegation was brought against him a day after he retired.

“I stated immediately, and I state again now, that there have never been any instances of improper or abusive behaviour in my 48 years of priesthood,” the cardinal stressed.

Cardinal Dew said police investigation had shown these allegations could not have happened.

“The police have informed me that this investigation had now been concluded, their file has been closed and no charges will be laid against me,” Cardinal Dew said.

He said he didn’t know and have not met the person who made the allegations.

“The allegations against me is false, it may come from a well of anguish and grief arising from other reasons.

“ I am acutely aware of how distressing this is for many: survivors who have put their trust in me, our church community, and my family and friends. I state once again that all incidents of abuse are wrong. I  hope and pray that all abuse victims will find peace and healing,” he said.

The post No police charges vs Cardinal Dew appeared first on NZ Catholic Newspaper.

Ms English, daughter of former Prime Minister Sir William English, spoke at a November 27 dinner at the Northern Club organised by the Auckland Catholic Caring Foundation.

Ms English said her organisation, ImpactLab, measures the outcomes of different charities or non-governmental organisations using a framework called “social return on investment”.

“We think about the pathway in somebody’s life. They have a past. There’s a story of how they got to where they got to. At some point, they come into contact with an organisation . . . charities or front-line teams who, at that moment in time, had the opportunity to shift in a positive direction the future pathway of that person or that family’s life.

“Unfortunately, from the data, we often know all too well what the pathway would look like without support. But that charity or NGO has the opportunity to shift that in a more positive direction. And the difference between the pathway with support and without support is what we call social value,” she explained.

She said that the pathway without support could mean continued abuse, violence,  police call-outs, and stress on the court and prison systems.

Data

She said the data gathered by her organisation is important for four reasons.

“The first is, data can help shift the focus away from administrative overhead and shift the conversation from one about cost to one about value,” Ms English said.

She said that charities are frequently under pressure from donors not to put funds towards support for the staff or for adequate technology systems.

“In my experience, that kind of incremental improvement is radically undervalued, but I think it holds the secret to supporting our frontline teams and organisations to be adaptive, and best meet the needs of the families who really need their effective support,” she said.

She said that data also “helps to counteract potential biases towards charities that have flash marketing”.

She said some charities are better at telling their stories than others, but data can tell another story.

Ms English said that data can also “make inequity specific enough to be addressed”.

She talked about a team of Catholic doctors in Rotorua who were trying to engage whanau who were totally disengaged from primary health care. Some families took five visits, others 20 visits and others 35 visits, in order to get engaged.

“The point here is that our investment needs to look different based on who it is that we’re working with. And data can give us a picture of that,” she said.

Lastly, she said, data helps to shift thinking from “outputs to outcomes”.

“This is a catchphrase you might have heard before: an output being the thing that gets done, the outcome being the change that happens in someone’s life as a result of it,” she said.

She cited a government-funded disability organisation that helps look for jobs for the disabled.

“The programme funds them on outputs: how many people did you get into jobs? But what they were interested in was outcomes: are these jobs that our people actually want to do, and are they able to stay in those jobs for the long-term,” she said.

Effective investment

To those wanting to effectively invest in organisations which help people in hardship, Ms English said that there are four characteristics to look out for: trusting relationships, autonomy, holistic focus with flexibility, and attentiveness to family context.

She said that, without trusting relationships, there can be no engagement.

Second, organisations should enable their clients to have autonomy. She cited the Wellington City Mission’s social supermarkets scheme that “respects people’s autonomy, even in a situation of need to exercise choice and dignity”.

She said that highly effective programmes are also less about the models that they are implementing, and are more “about being flexible and responsive to the priorities of the family”.

Finally, she said attentiveness to family context is really important.

“Consistently, we see, in most effective programmes, people exist in an ecosystem of relationships, and they work to strengthen that rather than to detract from it,” she said.

Ms English said that, at the end of any programme of support, there needs to be enough relationships and support around the person or family to continue on their journey.

Ms English related the story of a youth worker she once met who was looking for a job for a person he [youth worker] was supporting. After looking for a job for several months, they finally found one.

The youth worker was so relieved, but also thought, “what if I had given up yesterday?”

This is what funding should be all about, Ms English said.

“It is about funding that extra day. It’s about funding the next family. It’s about funding the next piece of the puzzle of the training of the staff so they can work a bit more effectively with the person that they are serving.”

The post The social return on investment for charities appeared first on NZ Catholic Newspaper.

Blessed can’t even begin to describe the experience of getting to know Christ more through learning about and experiencing a new culture. Getting the opportunity to visit South Korea, the home of Skincare, Kpop, kimchi, our favourite Korean dramas and so much more, was itself a great privilege. However, for the opportunity to grow in faith, love and intimacy with Christ through our explorations and journey through South Korea, was an honour. Travelling and experiencing new places and cultures, always helps one to grow and gain perspective. You come to realise just how big the world is and how many, different ways of speaking, eating, and doing things there are. Through the exciting parts and the more challenging parts of our journey, we come to grow as individuals and learn just how much there is that we do not know.

So what did our pilgrimage entail? In a nutshell, it involved 18 pilgrims from New Zealand visiting Catholic and other sites in South Korea from November 2-13. The pilgrims were accompanied by three priests – Fr Thomas Park (Auckland diocese), Fr Isaac Fransen (Hamilton diocese) and Fr Patrick McMullan, a Kiwi Columban missionary who has lived and served in South Korea for the past 35 years. Fr McMullan was our translator and is very knowledgeable about Korean culture and the Church in Korea. He was our main guide, through the pilgrimage. Among the places we visited were Chong Jin Am (the birthplace of the Catholic Church in Korea), Mirinae (the site of the grave of St Andrew Kim Taegon, Korea’s first saint), Jeju Island (part of the UNESCO Global Geopark Network and the site of the first Mass on our pilgrimage), as well as Myeondong Cathedral in Seoul.

So what makes a pilgrimage different from other visits, you may ask? I came to learn that a pilgrimage is taking time out of the normal. To be able to reflect on life. Being challenged by the journey we experience together. What is God teaching me throughout this experience? We absolutely had the opportunity to explore Korea’s tourist sites and attractions before and after our pilgrimage. We got to shop and do what every other foreigner visiting Korea desires to do (like buying too much Skincare from Olive Young). However, to go off the beaten path and visit places that are out of the touristy norm, allowed for a new experience and journey.

Getting to learn about the Catholic Church’s beginnings in Korea and its impact on Korean society, and understanding the sacrifice and hardships that many of the first Korean Catholics faced, was truly inspiring. Getting to know the many martyrs and saints of Korea and how fervent they were in their faith, and being able to walk the very paths so many persecuted Korean Catholics walked, was an honourable and influential experience. It allowed us the opportunity to slow down and be present, to realise just how blessed we are. To come to know just how big God is, and encourage us in our journey of faith. The lay people of Korea have a large role in the Church as, for many years before priests were sent to Korea, and before the first Korean priest (Saint Andrew Kim Taegon) was ordained, the Church was run and led by lay people.

We had the blessed opportunity of visiting many beautiful churches throughout South Korea, both in the cities and in the countryside, where the Catholic Church started in that land and grew. We met wonderful people along the way, who helped and encouraged us. We got to recognise the deep reverence that the South Korean people have for God, and we experienced their great hospitality. This allowed us to reflect on our respect and devotion to God in the Church here in New Zealand, and how we may welcome others. We had the blessing of getting to know our own St Mark’s (Pakuranga) Parish family and our other Catholic brothers and sisters from other parts of New Zealand, more deeply and grow in friendship with one another. Having the great honour of attending the Holy Eucharist each day, and praying as a pilgrim family each morning and throughout our journey, was a great joy. Our relationships deepened, and we were able to grow in wisdom as individuals and as a community. The beautiful meal culture of South Korea was reflective of our Eucharist celebrations. Sharing delicious food together each mealtime gave us the opportunity to converse with one another about our joys and trials and reflect on who we are as a Church.

No matter where you go in the world, the Catholic Church is Home. We learnt so much from the Korean Catholic Church and have come home to New Zealand with grateful hearts and a new zeal to continue in faith and grow in vibrancy as a community. May we invite others to realise the blessings that we are given as a Church and join us on the great journey to life.

There is so much the Church can learn from its people, God is present in us all! I can’t wait for our young people to experience it all and continue to grow, as they prepare for the next World Youth Day in Seoul, South Korea, in 2027!

The post South Korean pilgrimage was a real blessing appeared first on NZ Catholic Newspaper.

ACN is a pontifical foundation that supports persecuted Christians. On November 30, they held a “Witness of Faith” night at the St Joseph and St Patrick Cathedral in Auckland.

ACN national director for Australia and New Zealand Bernard Toutounji said that the organisation’s purpose is to do “anything that assists to keep the faith alive in those places where it is [at] grave risk”.

“This [witness of faith] is really part of the sharing process, and letting people realise that the Church is bigger than just what we know in New Zealand and Australia. That experience of suffering is not one that we will be aware of here to any great degree,” he said.

Auckland Bishop Stephen Lowe, Archbishop of Beirut of the Greek Melkite Catholic Church of Beirut and Byblos Georges Bacouni, Melkite Catholic Bishop for Oceania Bishop Robert Rabbat were at the event. Mr Toutounji presented the speakers.

Living life in war and poverty

Archbishop Bacouni said that he has lived most of his life in a time of war, being only 13 years old  when the civil war in his country started in 1975. His father passed away the following year.

“We went into Mass for my father, and they bombed the surroundings of the church. My brother, my cousin and I were wounded. And I still keep a shrapnel [piece[ in my back until today,” he said.

Before the war ended in 1990, he discerned God’s call and discovered God’s love. “When I discovered this, it was still war at that time, I decided to love him,” he said.

There was a brief period of peace from the time he became a priest in 1995 to the time he was elected Bishop of Tyre in South Lebanon in 2006. A few months later, the Israel-Hezbollah war began.

“Half of my diocese’s churches and halls and presbyteries were destroyed . . . [and] I had to deal with victims’ families. As a result of this war, [there was much ] building and restoring,” he said.

In 2011, when he was appointed administrator of the Diocese of Homs, the war between Syria and Lebanon broke out, and he had to leave after a few months. He became the Bishop of Galilee in 2014 and then, at the end of 2018, the Bishop of Beirut.

“I arrived and, after a few months, the economic system collapsed. The Lebanese currency collapsed, almost bankrupt, and the social security system collapsed,” he said.

“Perhaps, I have some virus,” he joked, as he noted how bad things seemed to follow him. Adding to the pressure of an already bankrupt economy was the Beirut blast in 2020, the biggest non-nuclear explosion in history.

“It was in my diocese also. In my place, there were 12 people wounded. Not only churches were damaged but many, many houses, apartments, offices . . .  [it was a] disaster,” he said.

But through it all, he said, he knew the Lord loved him.

“What pushed me to continue to keep on [is] I am sure the Lord loves me even though I am experiencing all these. And the divine providence, you feel it, you see it, you experience it every day on a daily basis,” he said.

State of distress

ACN Middle East coordinator Xavier Bisits, who also shared his story,  said that the main message is “there are some parts of the world where the Church is really in a state of distress”.

“It’s tremendously difficult to run a congregation or a diocese now in the Middle East,” he said.

Mr Bisits stressed that “all the Christians in the Middle East are original Christians”.

“They are not new converts. They’ve been Christians for centuries, and they are the ones who spread Christianity to the world,” he added.

However, Mr Bisits said, “there is a real threat to the Christian presence” which is “very much exacerbated by the Islamic extremism which exists in many parts of the Middle East”.

He said that, in a small town called Idlib in Syria, only 600 Christians are left after thousands fled the militias who have been confiscating Christian homes. Idlib is not too far from Antioch where the word “Christian” was first used.

Two Franciscan priests, whose predecessor had been killed earlier, are ministering in this area under extremely difficult circumstances.

“There is very much a real risk of violence, and the monastery has regularly been threatened,” said Mr Bisits.

A particularly strong earthquake in February, 2023, has made an already dire situation worse.

Mr Bisits said that, because of the wars, as well as economic crises both in Syria and Lebanon, the Church is impeded in carrying out its pastoral as well as humanitarian mission.

He said that, in Lebanon, financial help can support priests going through difficult times, allow Catholic schools and universities to remain open, fund pastoral work such as camps for children, as well as buy solar power equipment, which is a great need.

Mr Bisits said that Christians in the Middle East live their faith “with an intensity not seen in the West”.

“We nee to pray for them and support the Catholic Church there,” he said.

Vibrancy of faith

Due to passport problems, Sr Majella from Nigeria couldn’t share her experiences in person. However, her story of faith was equally worthwhile to hear.

She told of a young seminarian, Michael Nnadi, who was kidnapped, and was subsequently killed by his captors because he (Michael) wouldn’t stop preaching the Christian faith.

Sr Majella said that God has a mission for each of us, though some people’s tasks are more dangerous than others.

At the end of the programme, Bishop Lowe thanked the speakers ,and asked for support for the suffering Church.

“I think for us, we can take for granted just how easy it is to live our lives in New Zealand, and yet, where’s the vibrancy. Tonight, we heard about the people persecuted for their faith and they are vibrant for their faith, and they stand for us as true witnesses of the faith. Let’s continue to pray for them,” he said.

The post Don’t forget suffering Church throughout the world appeared first on NZ Catholic Newspaper.

NZ Catholic caught up with Fr Wu at the “Gaudete, Advent and Christmas Carols”, a music ministry event to raise funds for the Auckland diocese Catholic Caring Foundation on November 30.

In his bright red jumper, Fr Wu stood beside his food stall at the side of the entrance to the event centre, serving out sloppy joes (an American beef sandwich) and hotdogs in exchange for koha that will go to the foundation.

“Since today is for Catholic Caring Foundation, the mandate of the foundation is to help the lost, the least and the last, we’ll just share food and people can pay whatever they want,” he said.

Fr Wu said that he’s been quietly doing this for a few months already.

He said the project was inspired by Jesus, in Matthew’s Gospel, saying “when I was hungry, you gave me food” (Matthew 25:35).

“I think that’s how we’ve got do it. There are people who may not be able to afford meals. What we should do is we should just go out and feed people,” he said.

He said that this could also be a response to Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’.

“Part of this is rescuing food that would normally go to waste. So, we are upcycling the stuff,” he said. “I’ve got this dumpling machine, and you know all these vegetables that don’t make grade one and would actually go to waste, you can actually use them to make dumplings. It’s perfectly fine because inside people can’t see the filling,” he said.

Fr Wu said he hopes to ramp this project up in the coming year.

The post Fr Wu upcycles Kai by Koha appeared first on NZ Catholic Newspaper.

Bishop Stephen Lowe, NZC publisher

Some 2000 years ago, angels sang of peace to shepherds, as they announced the birth of the Prince of Peace. Yet this time was also complex – the land was under Roman occupation, the local king wanted to kill the child, and shepherds and “foreign” wise men were seen to be unacceptable. And then there was problem with all our fallen humanity. In the midst of all this complexity, the eternal Son of God took our human flesh, was born in a cave with an animal feeding trough for his bed. It is a picture of simplicity and pure love.

In our land, we are increasingly living with complexity and a growing war of words that divides, points the finger, alienates and ultimately destroys. In the midst of this, we often justify our positions, assured that we are the true people of good will as we label others for their sins. In these days, we are reminded that the Saviour born for us came not to condemn the world, but rather that all might be saved.

This Christmas, may the simplicity, welcome, pure love and peace that surrounded Christ’s birth be ours here in Aotearoa New Zealand, in the Holy Land and around the world. For, as we will hear at the Midnight Mass of Christmas…

The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light;

on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone.

 For there is a child born for us, a son given to us

and dominion is laid on his shoulders;

and this is the name they give him:

Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.

Wide is his dominion in a peace that has no end.

May you and those you love know his light, may he be your Wonder-Counsellor, and may his love and peace reign in your hearts and homes.

• Bishop Stephen Lowe

The post May His Love and Peace Reign appeared first on NZ Catholic Newspaper.

The establishment of the group means that there is an opportunity to meet with other professionals across a spread of health disciplines in the industry, and to discuss and support each other in both faith and vocation. All health professionals are most welcome to join by emailing christchurchcma@gmail.com.

The initial gathering of the group was at the Sprig and Fern in early November. This was an informal meet up over drinks and nibbles, and it is planned to have more events in the New Year, starting with Mass for World Day of the Sick on Sunday February 11, 2024, at St Mary’s Pro Cathedral. There will be more information to come.

The Christchurch health professionals’ group was instigated following a contingent of Christchurch-based professionals attending a weekend retreat of the New Zealand Catholic Medical Association (NZCMA) in Wellington earlier this year.

During the Wellington retreat, participants heard from The Sisters of Compassion on the Venerable Suzanne Aubert, and Saint Teresa of Kolkata, about their time in New Zealand. The story of Mother Aubert’s cause for sainthood was shared, with the inspirational New Zealand healing story related to her.

Fr Chris Denham, national chaplain, offered the opportunity for confession, adoration and Mass, and also led participants in prayer. He gave encouragement for work in healthcare, and delivered a reminder that those listening were not alone.  He stressed seeing the face of Jesus in those with whom health professionals come into contact during their work. Their call remains to attend to patients (and all others) as carefully and compassionately as would Christ. Fr Denham encouraged the health professionals to read C.S. Lewis’ essay “The Weight of Glory”.

Dr John Kleinsman from The Nathaniel Centre for Bioethics gave a talk on “Beginning and end-of-life healthcare in the face of differing narratives on suffering and compassion”. The presentation can be found on the NZCMA website  www.newzealandcatholicmedical.co.nz. In this presentation Dr Kleinsman challenged the popular opinion around suffering and compassion.

Dr Cathy Black and Alicia Reeve, RN, from Billings Life, introduced the group to the Billings Ovulation Method. Not only did they give a practical overview of Billings, but they spoke about the research behind it as well. This information was well received by various professionals for their practice. Dr Black and Ms Reeves have given those health professionals wanting training in this method the opportunity to do this.

The NZCMA is a group supported by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference. The association aims to support those working in health to join others in the Church living their vocation in health care. The organisation looks to provide a community that gives support and chaplaincy. This includes monthly national prayer zooms. Those who would like to join can please email newzealandcatholicmedical@gmail.com

Future Christchurch event details are available by contacting christchurchcma@gmail.com

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