Have you ever heard a well-intentioned speaker talking of the life of faith as a journey of 'letting go'. Were their examples motivated by fear, or by the attraction of...
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thirty years
Image above: sunrise over the Sea of Galilee Thirty years ago today I was ordained priest by Bishop Denis Hanrahan in the church of St. Thomas the Apostle in Timaru. I...
ordinations
It was a day of great celebration for our Catholic Diocese of Christchurch today with the ordination of three young men as priests of the diocese. Fathers Do Nguyen,...
NZ to Palestine
Earlier this week New Zealand born de la Salle brother Peter Bray, Vice-chancellor and President of Bethlehem University, was speaking to Pope Francis and others...
freedom
Hopefully you find the time in the next day or two to savour this inspiring talk on freedom given last weekend by Fr. Julian Carron at the University of Notre Dame. The...
how to respond
It has been a week when violence and sadness has saturated media headlines. The Paris attacks have shaken us all deeply. It is significant that as the majority of...
with this presence
Let us ask the Lord to be able to face this terrible challenge with the same sentiments of Christ, who did not allow fear to overcome him...With this presence in our...
beautiful churches
Today's feast of the Dedication of the Roman basilica of St. John Lateran might seem like a strange focus for feast. It is however a timely feast for a...
All Blacks
By chance I was at Christchurch airport an hour ago as the All Blacks arrived in the city for their Canterbury celebratory parade after their stunning win in the World...
Halloween
People have always had a need for annual moments in a year that are highly ritualised around social gatherings with food and drink. Halloween has relatively recently...
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