In the parish of the Good Shepherd, Hurunui, a significant number of our parishioners have arrived here in recent years from the Philippines. Their presence is a great...
john oconnor
treaty & culture
Today we mark 176 years since the first signatures were put to the Treaty of Waitangi on Thursday 6 February 1840. Rightly this day is a public holiday in New Zealand,...
into the depths
You might have noticed that Food For Faith is once again producing regular 3-6 minute video clips. This reflection on Sunday's "into the deep" readings was sparked by a...
building a church
Five years on from the devastating Canterbury earthquakes, a number of parishes around the diocese are looking to build new churches to replace destroyed and damaged...
back to the books
Here in New Zealand thousands of school students are in the last week of their summer vacation. In a few weeks University students will return to their studies. No...
snow Mass
One of the many inspiring stories to come out of last week's snow storms on the US East coast is from a group of young people with priest chaplain returning home to...
God’s “I.D.”
"Mercy is God's identity card." A few hours ago in Rome Pope Francis new book was launched. It is entitled: "The Name of God is Mercy." Thanks be to God, and to the...
in God’s love
Today in a funeral homily I mentioned the death of David Bowie. Death always wakes us up to a greater reality. Earlier today Cardinal Gianfranco Ravisi, the Vatican's...
restoring beauty
New Zealand has many very beautiful churches, however most of those which remain are very small and found in rural communities rather than in cities. I think of the six...
it’s raining
It is early Sunday morning here at Hawarden in the heart of the drought-stricken Hurunui district. Apart from a few hours of periodic drizzle throughout 2014 there has...
Latest Posts
our default setting
So much that is taught and written about prayer serves only to convince us that prayer is a complex project to be mastered.
the river of life
While some rivers are deep and fast-flowing in an unwavering channel through valleys and across countryside, the braided Canterbury rivers are changeable
the unexpected
Many of life’s greatest blessings come to us in unexpected ways, at unexpected times and through unexpected people and events.
Christ the King
The fact of our limited time on earth brings a clarity to our vision helping us to keep the struggles of earthly existence in a broader, deeper, eternal and loving divine perspective.
prophetic hope
We feel bound to disagree with these prophets of misfortune who are forever forecasting calamity