a new bishop

Nov 23, 2014

This morning Pope Francis has appointed Fr. Steve Lowe, priest of the diocese of Christchurch, as the next bishop of the diocese of Hamilton, New Zealand.  This immense loss for the diocese of Christchurch is a great grace for the diocese of Hamilton

Only three weeks ago Steve returned to the diocese of Christchurch after seven years serving as formation director at Holy Cross Seminary. I was personally delighted at his return since he is one of my close friends. You will appreciate therefore that my feelings are mixed as he prepares to move north, but I have no doubt that his appointment to Hamilton is proof that the Holy Spirit is working powerfully in choosing good bishops for the Church of New Zealand.

It is customary for a priest at the time of his ordination to the priesthood to issue a prayer card with an inspirational quote encouraging people to pray for him. When Steve was ordained in his hometown of Hokitika in 1996, the text he chose was from the hymn When I survey the Wondrous Cross:

Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.

I have no doubt that Steve, a man of great love of God and prayer, is this morning especially aware of the demands of discipleship.  I encourage all Food For Faith readers to join me in praying for him as he begins this new mission, that he may be overwhelmed anew with God’s love so amazing, so divine.

This morning’s formal announcement of the appointment of Bishop Stephen Lowe can be found online at the Vatican Radio website: www.radiovaticana.va.

2 Comments

  1. Excellent news.

    Reply
    • Yes Anne, excellent for Hamilton and the NZ Church, but a great loss of a good priest from Christchurch.

      Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Posts

Annunciation

Annunciation

A couple of thousand years ago, a young Jewish woman was going about her normal morning routines, perhaps with a mixture of house and garden work, chatting with parents and neighbours, aware of the local drought, the sickness of a neighbour and annoyed by the neighbourhood’s lack of sleep caused by the Romans’ noisy party the night before, when God broke into her routine and entered her life in a new and powerful way.

the real centre

the real centre

Over the last month I have had the opportunity to work with many people across Aotearoa and further afield. In every retreat and seminar I have been with committed and faith-filled people who often feel as though they are on the periphery of the Church

the adventure

the adventure

It’s easy to make the mistake of seeing life as a treadmill, day after day ups and downs, a movement through time from youth to old age, then death and beyond.
Too often if feels as if we are helplessly captive carried along by the momentum of all that is expected of us and demanded from us, and we risk falling into an existence mode, a daily rhythm of survival, enduring, coping and so the treadmill rolls on.

the bigger picture

the bigger picture

Over the years, and even in recent months, weeks and days, I’ve prayed many prayers which have not been answered as I had hoped.
You’ve probably had the same experience: praying and wondering if and when or how your prayer will be answered.

moving waters

moving waters

Bible questions still pop up regularly in quiz shows and they often cost otherwise sharp players much needed points.
I’m ready for a question asking for the two names for the last book of the Bible. The book often known as Apocalypse is perhaps more often referred to as the Book of Revelation.
It’s common (thanks to movies) to think of an apocalypse as a devastating and unwelcome time of destruction.