I'm not a great fan of supermarket shopping. I do it because I like to eat. But my aim with each visit is to get in and to get out as quickly as possible. If I took a...
Blog
St. Joe’s Papanui
It is almost four years since the most destructive of the Christchurch earthquakes. Recovery continues to be slow with some people still having to use portable bathroom...
we are found
It's Sunday night and after giving the homily four times at Masses around the Hurunui (this weekend Hanmer Springs, Amberley, Hawarden & Waiau) I think I have...
fear OR love?
I suspect there are few people for whom a Godmother has been as significant as my Godmother has been for me. When my parents died (2009 & 2010) I reminded Kay that...
found not seeking
While the feast of the Epiphany was celebrated in many parts of the world last Sunday, the traditional date for the solemnity is today January 6, the date that began...
the colour red
The news that Archbishop John Dew of Wellington has been appointed a cardinal by Pope Francis, while a most welcome appointment for the Catholics of New Zealand,...
Epiphany light
These have been days of festival as we have celebrated the feasts of Christmas, the Holy Family, Mary the Mother of God, now we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany....
gratitude
A few hours ago Pope Francis concluded the celebration of the last Vespers (Evening Prayer of the Church) for 2014, and the first Vespers for today's New Year feast of...
2015
A few seconds ago the calendar in New Zealand turned to a new year. Some of us greeted this new beginning with friends and fireworks. Crowds in city centres counted out...
resolutions
It's the last day of the year that was itself a year ago new, and tomorrow begins another. These hours are traditionally a time of making resolutions, and most often...
Latest Posts
turning tables
We loved the informality and simplicity of that weekly meal, often cheese on toast (for some reason called “mousetraps”) – in the lounge in the winter and often outdoors in the summer.
guided meditation
Here is the first of the prayer podcasts – 15 minutes of gentle reflection with a lot of silence, beginning with the sound of church bells, a traditional call to prayer.
prayer & reality
In this reflection I share some of the most helpful advice ever given to me about prayer. I hope you find it as encouraging as I have.
a room alone
“All of humanity’s problems stem from our inability to sit quietly in a room alone”
the beginning
We reduce Christian faith to a pretty gentle existence in a comfortable church, a few minutes every day to pray,… It’s not much like the adventure that Abram embraced.