This month Cardinal Tom Williams marks 30 years since his ordination as bishop and 50 years since being ordained a priest. He cites as a major challenge the meeting of the NZ bishops on the day of more»

A new conservation plan for the Mount Street Roman Catholic Cemetery in Kelburn, where Wellington's first priests and nuns are buried, has been unveiled. more»

New Zealand's Catholic bishops are urging government ministers to oppose and express their concern about the possible granting of a licence to dispense Mifepristone (Mifegyne® RU 486) with Misoprostol to cause early medical abortions. more»

Next month Timor-Leste celebrates 10 years of independence as a proud but fragile nation. more»

But the forests have been decimated by foreign logging companies, particularly P T Intimpura which exports logs to countries like New Zealand. The Merbau tree in the Papuan forest is sold in New Zealand as Kwila for decking. The West Papuans want the government to limit the companies' licences to slow down the rate of logging. more»

As a supporter of West Papuan independence from Indonesia, Fr Neles Tebay is on a black list and everywhere he goes in his homeland, West Papua, he is under constant surveillance by the Indonesian authorities who rule the western half of the island of New Guinea and at risk of imprisonment, torture and even death more»

Haiti's 1804 slave rebellion transformed the population into a people able to organise themselves and defeat the most powerful European nations of their day ... more»

Last month we learned that one in five children grows up in a household for which the only income is a benefit. more»

An ancient art, practised at one time by all Christians, is the technique known as lectio divina – a slow, contemplative praying of the scriptures as a means of union with God. more»

Children dressing up as their favourite fictional character and visits from popular local authors were features of a week of writing in September to focus attention on the narrative style at Ss Peter and Paul School, Lower Hutt. more»

The show was devised using a basic script outline. Local points of interest were then woven into the show's fabric. more»

On Shrove Tuesday, the new Mercy Crew at St Catherine's College ran an exchange of pancakes for Refuge toiletries. more»

The Jerusalem apostles had to choose between waiting on tables and preaching the word of God (Acts 6:2). Yet Paul's example reminds us that ordinary work is within the scope of the sacred ministry, though not, perhaps, as a primary occupation. more»

Pope Benedict's new encyclical Caritas in Veritate adds to the rich Catholic social teaching tradition on the morality of the economy, development and life issues. more»

The new testament picture of the 'disciple' (one who follows and learns) is influential in shaping the spirituality of priesthood as conforming to the lifestyle of the model of Christ. Yet it is the role of the apostle that has shaped so much Christian understanding of the priest's ministry to others. more»

Convent Old Girls Netball Club the oldest club still in existence in the Hutt Valley recently celebrated its 75th Jubilee at the Angus Inn in Lower Hutt with more than 100 past and present players and friends. more»

Former spiritual directors at Frederic Wallis House will be back in the Hutt to launch the restored former retreat house's labyrinth pathway into a new era when it is officially reopened on its new Hutt Hospital site on Sunday March 1. more»

The first Newtown People's Market and Boot Sale was such a success last year that organisers have decided to run it each month on the last Saturday, 11am to 3pm at St Anne's Church Hall, Emmett Street, Newtown. more»

here was more to the speeches than a simple goodbye. For example, the Brothers are picking up the challenge of the new church in Africa. more»

What a day! More than 300 young people gathered on Saturday September 5 for the Big Day Out 'Real Life! Real Power! Generation 1' to discover and celebrate what it means to be young and radically Catholic in today's world. more»

The experience opened his eyes to the everyday difficulties people in South America face and left him resentful of the excesses of the Western world. more»

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, the gospel reading invites us into the strange imagery of Jewish apocalyptic. As always, it is important to read the text within its literary context, more»