We all know the story well. Two thousand years ago, Mary encountered God when the angel Gabriel, God’s messenger, asked her to be the mother of the savior. Mary said...
john oconnor
World Youth Days
Follow the Christchurch Youth Team World Youth Day Site at:http://www.chch.catholic.org.nz/?sid=1963and theOfficial International website at: ...
Dolomite VACATION
It is a remarkable thing to be on vacation with a group of almost 300 people. I met many of the group last year at the Rimini Meeting. They invited me to return for...
vacation continues
Computer access remains very limited here in the Dolomites. Perhaps that freedom from technology is one of the contributing factors to successful vacation?Again today...
resting
I hear this morning that Christchurch is resting under snow. I am resting in the Dolomotes of North Italy. This week I am resting with 250 people on their annual...
Assumption homilies
It would be difficult to do better in seeking to appreciate the significance of this feast, than to look back over the six homilies Pope Benedict has given for the...
more on monasticism
Some of you have asked about the life of monks in a monastery. You might find the youtube clip below interesting. There is some good history here as well as a thorough...
from cave to monastery
Across the river from Gombaud's cave is the Abbey. This was founded later in the 11th century (1091). Over the history this monastery has a history of rising and...
Gaudi – God’s architect II
Today an article appeared on RomeReports.com which is especially timely. Last week I blogged on Antoni Gaudi as "God's architect" - the man responsible for the Sagrada...
pipe organ: king of instruments
It was Mozart who called the pipe organ 'the king of instruments. It is not difficult to see why when you hear the organ played well. Earlier in the week I was at the...
Latest Posts
new ChCh website
It was twenty years ago that the Catholic Diocese of Christchurch launched its first website. At the time I was working for a few hours each week at the diocesan Catholic Education Office and was beginning to discover the potential of the internet for communication...
Vocations Sunday
When did you last suggest to someone that God might be calling them to serve as a priest? This Sunday (“Good Shepherd Sunday”, Fourth Sunday of Easter) is celebrated throughout the Church as Vocations Sunday. In a real sense, every Sunday of the year is a day of focus...
in whose eye ?
A question: Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? In recent days I have watched a couple of videos from Brian Holdsworth who is passionate about getting the message of faith into the public square. This brief four minute clip is especially helpful for our...
Francis & TED
TED introduces Pope Francis: "A single individual is enough for hope to exist, and that individual can be you, says His Holiness Pope Francis in this searing TED Talk delivered directly from Vatican City. In a hopeful message to people of all faiths, to those who have...
a week later
It has been over a week since we finished our Food For Faith for Lent pilgrimage. The last post was on the morning of Easter Monday when I invited your comments and feedback. Your response was overwhelming, both in numbers and depth of your comments, suggestions and...