The purpose of this day is to fulfil Jesus' instruction to “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:38).
Waikato Christian Supplies Trust :A GENEROUS GIFT RECEIVED
The Common Good Foundation has been chosen as the Registered Charity nominated by
The Waikato Christian Supplies Trust to receive one half of its Trust Fund upon the Termination of the Trust.
Commissioning Masses - Know.Love.Follow.
Our three Commissioning Masses were held in February around the diocese. Bishop Richard spoke in his homily about not being able to love what we don’t know. The purpose of education is the pursuit of wisdom, from applying our knowledge we will grow in wisdom and find the truth in the love of Christ.
chanel centre day
In the bustling modern workplaces, where deadlines loom large and projects demand precision, the significance of fostering strong team dynamics cannot be overstated. While professional competence undoubtedly forms the backbone of any successful team, it is the intangible threads of trust, communication, and camaraderie that truly elevate a group from mere colleagues to a cohesive unit. Enter the quintessential team building day – a dedicated occasion for teams to step away from the rigors of everyday tasks and delve into a faith guided day, designed to fortify these essential bonds.
Māra Kai at St Peter Chanel, Whakatāne
At the front of the church five olive trees are growing healthily and cropping, while at the back of the building grapevines and lemon, peach, and plum trees grow, looking like they’ll provide decent crops this summer.
Bishop Richard Laurenson
BIshop Richard Laurenson is the fourth bishop of the Hamilton diocese. He was ordained on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 8th December 2023.
From Vietnam to the Waikato
Nhat and Hung might be from two separate dioceses in Vietnam, but both gave me a similar detailed account, which proved to be quite the learning curve, into the life of a Catholic in Vietnam.
Faith meets History
A day spent immersed in the richness of our oldest church.
Annual Report for 2021
Thank you to all those that have contributed to the Diocese, Parishes and Catholic Church in so many wonderful ways, including the volunteers, parishioners, priests, religious and staff.
Fr Adam's Ordination
With thanksgiving to God, Bishop Steve Lowe and the Catholic Diocese of Hamilton celebrated Adam Kirkeby’s Ordination to the Order of Priests on August 6, 2022.
PRAYER IS CONVERSATION WITH GOD
“Prayer is conversation with God”: this is my favourite description of prayer. Why? Because it is simple, both as a sentence and as a concept. Yet how difficult it can be – the difficulty not so much in finding particular words and formulas that suit us, but more so in the effort of making time for regular prayer.
FACILITATING AN ENCOUNTER WITH CHRIST
“Now it must be acknowledged that if in Jesus’ Resurrection we were dealing simply with the miracle of a resuscitated corpse, it would ultimately be of no concern to us,” says Pope Benedict XVI in Jesus of Nazareth, Book II. For even today, it seems more than likely that, right this minute, somewhere in the world someone is being resuscitated. But Jesus’ resurrection is different. Jesus’ resurrection changed the course of the world.
KEEP THE SILENCE
A “silent directed retreat” is our response to Christ’s many invitations to accept his companionship: “Then he said to them, ‘You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while’” (Mark 6:31)
WHO PICKS BISHOPS?
In these past couple of months, I’ve been asked several times, “Who picks bishops?” The short answer is the pope, but I think there’s another question really being asked: “What’s the process that’s followed for someone to become a bishop?
Presentation of the Benemerenti Medal to Frances Baumann of St Mary's Star of the Sea, Gisborne
Frances Baumann’s contribution and commitment for over fifty years to the parish of St Mary's Star of the Sea, Gisborne, was recognised recently by the award of a Benemerenti Medal, which was presented to her by Bishop Steve Lowe at a recent Mass…
Gospel Commentary in Stories
Discovering the wonders of Catholic literature.
Years ago when in Form 1 I somehow came across a copy of Ulysses by James Joyce. It is a long and large book and I merely read the first lines:
Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. A yellow dressing gown…
Humour as a door to enchantment and then to the sacred.
Comic jewels in the stories of P. G. Wodehouse.
Bishop Robert Barron’s comment in one of his recent videos that humour is "a route of access to sacred things" got me thinking about the writer P.G. Wodehouse. God has endowed us with a capacity for enchantment but we often lose this when the vicissitudes of life, such as pandemic and lockdown, overwhelm us. Hence God has also provided us with…
Pancake Tuesday
A deliciously delightful way to prepare for the season of Lent.
The Church is a family. Like all families, the Church has a number of customs or traditions, that although they are not official “must dos” are nevertheless great ways to bring greater meaning to celebrations, to create memories and to foster a greater sense of belonging…
2022 Hamilton NET Team - coming to Tauranga!
Four very generous young Kiwis have said “Yes” to serve as NET missionaries in 2022. Eric, Anna, Christyna, and Caleb will soon arrive in the Hamilton Diocese as the 2022 Hamilton NET Team. After six weeks of initial training on the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane, the team will return to NZ and will begin their ministry…
How the Church examines a Marriage.
The work of the Marriage Tribunal of the Catholic Church for New Zealand.
With marriage failure and divorce a sad common fact of our present age, what are we to do? We can't ignore our Lord and master, we can't contradict him, and at the same time we cannot simply look the other way…