By MARILYN RODRIGUES SYDNEY (OSV News) – The joy of Eastertide has turned to shock and bewilderment across Sydney’s Catholic community in the wake of a deadly knife attack at Bondi Junction Westfield shopping centre on April 13, in which seven people were killed and a dozen injured, including a nine-month-old baby. Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney joined fellow Australians in mourning the victims, in remarks made at Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral on April 14, the day after the attack, which was by coincidence the Day of the Unborn Child, one of Sydney’s biggest pro-life commemorations. “A ..read more

Six young men entered the Holy Cross seminary this year, double the number of first year seminarians in the past few years. 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 ..read more

After 16 years, Christchurch diocese’s Catholic Social Services made the hard decision of closing its foodbank due to rising costs. 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 ..read more

Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa, the Apostolic Nuncio to Aotearoa New Zealand, left for Rome on March 17 to continue his recovery from a stroke.                     Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa Auckland Bishop Stephen Lowe, president of the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference asked Catholics to keep Archbishop Rugambwa in their prayers. “It is with much sadness that we farewell Archbishop Novatus,” says Bishop Lowe. “The bishops acknowledge our deep gratitude for his services to the Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific. We pray for his safe t ..read more

The sixth Sunday of Easter, which falls on May 5 this year, has been designated by the New Zealand Bishops Conference and the Lutheran Dialogue group as the “Festival of New Life”, an occasion meant to signal hope and confidence in the move towards Christian unity. 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 L ..read more

Anglican Deacon Rebecca Packer was appointed as Tumu Whakarae / Co-Chief Executive for the Sisters of Compassion Group, the religious order founded by Meri Hōhepa Suzanne Aubert. She joins Deacon Danny Karatea-Goddard, appointed in April 2022, as Māori Tumu Whakarae / Co-Chief Executive of the group. Deacon Packer previously worked at Crown Law, specialising in public law. She is very familiar with the sisters’ mission, having served on the Mother Aubert Home of Compassion Trust Board and the Sisters of Compassion Group Board for several years. She and her husband, Matthew, were recently ordai ..read more

By MINA AMSO The leaders of the Vinnies (Society of St Vincent de Paul) in Auckland are gearing up for 2024, which they anticipate will be a momentous year for them. The general manager for the Vinnies Tamaki Makaurau hub in Onehunga, Delphina Soti, said that the Young Vinnies Programme typically attracts between 500 and 1600 secondary students annually. This year’s participation is expected to hit north of 1600. “Over the past three years, nearly 4000 secondary students from approximately 17 different schools, mainly Catholic, have engaged in the programme,” said Ms Soti. According to Ms Soti ..read more

By MINA AMSO A survey looking into church culture in New Zealand has found that the majority of Catholics are not involved in their parishes and are not tithing, prompting questions around engagement levels and their sense of belonging within their church. The 2023 Church Life Survey NZ had feedback from nearly 25,000 Christians in Aotearoa New Zealand last year. Respondents came from some 500 churches, including Catholics, Anglicans, Presbyterians and Baptists. People were asked questions around demographics, church life, community engagement, spiritual health and leadership. Details of findi ..read more

By MINA AMSO Christchurch Bishop Michael Gielen has met with dozens of women from throughout the diocese, at an event aiming at connecting, inspiring and also sharing some laughs and banter. Women often times feel as if they’re alone, isolated, or that they are the only ones feeling challenged, said Jacinta Stopforth, organiser of the event, which took place at the Lamb of God Centre in Mairehau on February 9. “When you go to something and you go home thinking ‘I am not the only one in the diocese of faith. I’ve got other sisters around me. I’ve got other people who are passionate’, it is re-e ..read more

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Arriving in a wheelchair instead of walking with his cane, Pope Francis began his weekly general audience by telling visitors and pilgrims, “I’m still a bit sick”, so an aide would read his prepared text. The pope had cancelled his appointments on February 24 and February 26 because of what the Vatican press office described as “mild flu-symptoms”, but Pope Francis led the recitation of the Angelus prayer on February 25 without obvious difficulty. At his general audience on February 28, his voice was hoarser and softer. Besides briefly telling the crowd he would not be rea ..read more