It’s been said of Gerry’s book, that “only a master could write a book like this” and that the book could “bring efforts of inculturation to a new level”.

Gerry is of the view that inculturation is an indispensable task of the church, and as a consequence maintains that inculturation demands all who enter into the dialogue understand what culture means and dialogue entails.

In Culture, Inculturation and Theologians, Gerry,

• traces the history of the development of the concept of culture and the too-often negative, rarely positive effects of encounters between church and culture,
• explores how Jesus Christ approached the cultures of his time, and outlines the current treatment of culture and inculturation in church documents and in Catholic theology, and
• shows that modest progress in understanding has recently stalled, and there are even forces working to turn that progress into regress.

Gerry concludes with a description of inculturation as it needs to happen and a sharp critique of those who resist.

The book is available from Amazon.com and all good bookstores.

Newtown budget and advocacy service coordinator Jeff Drane and advisor Mary Inglis. The service, is located 26 Riddiford St, Newtown (opposite Wellington Public Hospital), and is open five days a week from 9:30am - 3:30pm. For an appointment, phone: 04 3898121

Advisor Mary Inglis says the team sees a wide range of people, including young ones with jobs, who overspend their money on Friday nights and are in debt.

“People have troubles managing their money, money in, money out, so what we do is go through all their expenses and give them a photo of the real facts.”

The team finds out if they have a deficit or a surplus, and helps them work out how to save money for the power and the annual expenses.

Sometimes the team finds that some families are not getting all their full entitlements, says Mary.

In some big families, the benefit just covers the essentials.

“They find it very hard not to buy extras. They buy the wrong things and have a big food bill, giving sweets and fizzy drinks to the children:”

Budgeting issues come from the global economics, and also from private troubles, says Mary.

“We learn how to handle money from our parents. If your family wasn’t managing, then you haven’t learnt. With more consumerism and more choice, and not good budgeting skills, that is when the troubles start.”

People usually leave their debt growing for too long before doing something about it, says Mary.

Yet it takes a long time to make the changes.

“You’ve got to have motivation and often it is the crisis that helps getting things back on the right track.”

Financial literacy programmes are run with the bridge programme at Salvation Army, and with the Wellington youth service Evolve.

“We are just starting with Probation,” says Mary.

The team would also like to do little group courses on managing money.

Service coordinator, Marist priest Jeff Drane, who is also on call at St Mary of the Angels Parish in Wellington, says the budgeting service was started in 1988,and there have been changes throughout time.

“At first it was very localised, but with time there was an increase in refugees and migrants. Lately, there has been a movement from the lower socioeconomic up until the middle class because of the global collapse of the credit system.”

And the situation is not improving, says Jeff.

“There will be a problem in October with the increase in GST by 2.5 percent.

The increase in benefit is only 2 percent.”

The Newtown Budget and Advocacy Service, 26 Riddiford St, Newtown (opposite Wellington Public Hospital), and is open five days a week from 9:30am – 3:30pm. For an appointment, phone: 04 3898121.

Source: Cook Strait News.
Used with permission.

Chris Skinner, David Kennerley, Arthur Toothill and John Craddock standing before the newly renovated buildings which St Marcellin Champagnat and our first Brothers built in the mid-1820s. Behind the windows of the second floor is a large room which was the centre for the first General Chapter of the Little Brothers of Mary in 1839, at which Fr Jean Claude Colin presided, and at which Brother Francois Rivat was elected Director General.

The story goes like this.

While in Sainte Foy-Les-Lyon Arthur went by train to see John at Saint Chamond. When Arthur arrived, he found Chris, and David there as part of the Marist renewal programme.

It was however a short-lived meeting as the following day they went their own ways again to various Marist Places. Chris and Dave went with their group to to La Neyliere and John took Arthur by car to La Valla.

John Craddock is working, for three years, as a chaplain for an international community of eight Brothers and four Marist Laity.

A glorious winter's day. Brian Cummings and John Hannan on top of Mt Victoria, Wellington.

Events in recent days have included a meeting with the Provincial, Brian Cummings to report back on the Visitation, the Wellington Regional Meeting on Tuesday evening, verbal feedback to the Provincial Council on Wednesday, a wrap-up of individual visitation and a meeting with Archbishop John Dew on Friday.

John flew to Auckland on Saturday afternoon, went to Eden Park to see the might of the All Blacks defeat South Africa and flew out Rome (via a stop-over in Hong Kong) on Sunday morning.

John has been a great blessing to the Province in his time with us and we wish him a safe and relaxing trip back to Monteverde.

A DVD is due out soon which will prove helpful.

The 3rd translation of the missal will be introduced in all New Zealand dioceses on the first Sunday of Advent.

Related links:
www.revisedromanmissal.org
www.uscbc.org/romanmissal
Further delays in English Missal
Criticism of new Missal not helpful

On the eve of Fr George Duggan's 98th birthday, Marist Superior General John Hannan meets the oldest Marist in the world,

During the week he covered in excess 1,200kms, visiting Marists in Wellington, Palmerston North, Hawkes Bay, Wairoa and Otaki, a Maori mission station since 1844.

Commenting on his visitation of the New Zealand province, Fr Hannan said, “It’s truly is an extraordinary experience to be in a conversation with men who have given their lives so generously. I feel very privileged”.

This week Fr Hannan meets with Brian Cummings, the Provincial and later with the Provincial Council to give an initial report on his visitation.

Towards the end of the week he will meet with Archbishop John Dew, Bishop of Wellington and Metropolitan of New Zealand.

Michael Mahoney

In the course of the interview, Michael spoke enthusiastically about all aspects of his vocation, including his involvement with the poor in Brazil, in particular by creating a natural pharmacy staffed by local people and the formation of a co-op to begin an apiary. Both are still operating today, the apiary producing 50 tons of honey last year.

He also spoke about his experience of returning from mission to a very different New Zealand.

Michael Mahoney was interviewed by Radio New Zealand’s Kim Hill on Saturday morning.

Download and listen: Father Michael Mahoney: mountainous priest or press play below to listen here. (Flash required.)

Areti Metuamate

Picked as one of Australia’s top 100 brightest young minds, Areti will join with others to discuss “current issues”. Included in the wider discussion group will also be Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd and leading business and community leaders.

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia has praised Areti describing hims as “A beautiful mind”.

“There are more than three million young people in Australia, thousands of whom applied to be selected and along comes this young man from Aotearoa.” Mrs Turia said.

Areti told Waatea News that his selection shows that Maori can do anything with focus and hard work.

“For so long we have been seen as second class citizens and not as achievers,” he said.

“Actually that is complete rubbish and we have to change that, not only in our home country but also show we’re competitive everywhere.”

Areti, of Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Kauwhata and Waikato-Tainui, is on a Freyberg Scholarship to the National University in Canberra. He’s studying for a masters degree in international politics, defense and strategic studies.

Sources

• Radio New Zealand News
• Pacific Scoop

On Tuesday Pa Maria launched Pray the News, an Internet-based service that provides an opportunity to see the news with fresh eyes.

More-so than ever before, the world is awash with news from different media. Television, radio, Web pages, Twitter, Facebook, magazines and even the traditional daily newspaper, we live in almost constant exposure to streams of news.

Seeing the world with different eyes is key to Praying the News.

To participate in Pray the News, people can either

• visit the website www.praythenews.org.nz,
• follow @praythenews on Twitter or
• sign up on Pray the News and receive one email a week

Each Monday, Pray the News highlights a single news item, topical in the main-stream media. In addition it adds two reflections and a scripture passage, and invites the reader to mull over them.

Pray the news is a spring-board for prayer and a chance to dialogue between the world we live in and our private world.