A Catholic Monthly Magazine

From Small Beginnings (0)

The Story of St Marcellin Champagnat

The teacher sat at his place in front of the class and looked around for a boy to read to him. His eye lit on a newcomer and he beckoned him to come up. Timidly, the child approached, but just as he arrived, another pupil pushed in front of him.… More

Death of a Marist (0)

Bishop Henk Kronenberg SM

Born in Enschede, Netherlands, 29 Sept 1934
Professed, 12 Sepember 1958
Ordained, 18 October 1961
Bishop of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, 1999 -- 2009
Died in Enschede, Netherlands, 25 March 2020

After ordination, Fr Henk Kronenberg worked as a teacher in Hulst until 1964.… More

Fr John Lopdell Mori SM (Comments Off)

Born in Napier, 5 May 1943
Professed at Highden, 7 January 1963
Ordained, 1 July 1967
Died in Napier, 24 July 2019

Although John was born in Napier, his family later moved to Wellington. He was educated at the Petone Convent School and St Patrick’s College town.… More

Fr (Patrick) John O’Neill SM (1)

Born in Fairlie, 19 September 1926
Professed, 4 February 1944
Ordained, 17 December 1950
Died in Wellington, 28 August 2019

John O’Neill was small of stature but large of intellect, a high achiever who led a humble and simple life; one who confidently engaged with political and educational leaders, but gave his life to teaching young people at school; an intellectual with two Masters degrees, one from Victoria University (NZ) and one from Cambridge University (UK), who happily lived a quiet religious life.… More

Sunday 7 June – The Most Blessed Trinity (0)

Evagrius of Pontus was a 4th-century Greek monk. He said, “The mind cannot grasp God. If God could be grasped, God would not be God”. It is well worth bearing this idea in mind when we try to get to grips with the central doctrine of Christian faith, the Most Blessed Trinity, the inner life of God.… More

Francis Speaks (0)

The Most Holy Trinity

From the Pope’s homily on Trinity Sunday 2019. He was visiting the town of Camerino, Italy, which had been wrecked in an earthquake in 2016:

Today we celebrate the Holy Trinity. The Trinity is not a theological puzzle, but the splendid mystery of God’s closeness.… More

Growing Hope on the Thailand Myanmar Border (0)

“When you have your health you have everything …”

Marist Asia Foundation began HIV Health work in the Migrant Town of Ranong in 2007. Migrants living with HIV AIDS are among the most abandoned in the community. Often abandoned by family, discriminated against at work and in the community, they tend to live in very difficult conditions.… More

MM 50 Years Ago (0)

Sound Training for Island Brothers

From Fr M Bransfield SM, Marist Training Centre, Tutu, Taveuni, Fiji:

With the Brothers and aspirants now in class, things are at last taking shape here. We are aiming at a basic standard of education for our Brother trainees.… More

Discerning Together (0)

Paths for Marists to Walk Confidently into the Future

Part 2 of 3

The commitment

Once a person believes that he or she is called to live the lay vocation as a Marist, there comes the challenge of how to commit to this vocation.… More

An Appeal for Help (Comments Off)

The Sisters of the Child Jesus, based in Kasama, Zambia, are a local order founded almost a hundred years ago. The Sisters run a day-care centre for 103 destitute children, a project started by volunteers from Jersey, U.K., who could not keep it going.… More

MM 50 Years Ago (Comments Off)

Mission Sisters return to Samoa

The Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of the Missions have just returned to work in Samoa at the invitation of Bishop Pio SM.

They will begin a new co-educational school in Savai’i next year.… More

Our Merciful God (0)

Sometimes, when you go to another place, you listen to the Mass with different ears – the familiarity is gone. The voice of a different priest and the slight variations in liturgy make you take more notice. That happened for me recently and it suddenly struck me about how often in the Mass we ask for mercy, or are reminded of God’s mercy for us.… More

‘Forced like Jesus Christ to Flee’ (0)

World Day of Prayer for Migrants and Refugees in New Zealand, 21 June

As the title for his annual message for the World Day of Prayer for Migrants and Refugess, Pope Francis has chosen ‘Forced like Jesus Christ to Flee’.… More

Euthanasia – A Radical Shift (Comments Off)

Euthanasia is not an incremental change to current end-of-life practices, but a radical and massive shift in our society’s and civilisation’s foundational values, says internationally renowned Australian ethicist, Margaret Somerville.

Dr Somerville, who is a Professor of Law, Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, and Founding Director of the Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, was speaking at the University of Notre Dame (Sydney), as part of a series of public lectures on ethical issues surrounding euthanasia and assisted suicide during her recent visit to Australia.… More

I believe … (0)

For me, one of the most moving moments at Mass is hearing my neighbour in the pews recite the Creed. Whether or not this is someone that I know personally, it is always a very emotional moment. We are all publicly proclaiming our faith – something that we do not often do in other circumstances.… More

Walking the Ignatian Camino (Comments Off)

Part 2 of 2

Marian Shrines on the Camino

In May-June 2019 I walked the Ignatian Camino -- camino ignaciano -- in northern Spain. This walk is different from the caminos that go to Santiago de Compostela in the north-west of Spain, because the camino ignaciano goes east towards Barcelona.… More

June Saints (0)

Blessed Anne of St Bartholomew Garcia
1550-1626

Anne was born in Castile, Spain. She was of humble origin and spent her youth in solitude and prayer tending the flocks. She entered the convent as a Carmelite lay sister and made her vows on 15 August 1572, taking the name of Sister Anne of St Bartholomew.… More