Station XV: Episode 91 — Easter joy, Easter sorrow and translation madness
The Station 15 crew is basking in the post-Easter glow, but the Pope’s Easter message and its plea for peace around the world highlights the great challenges that are being faced by many, including Christians in various parts of the globe. Despite those challenges, the Church continues to grow, but some experts are predicting quite a change in the religious adherence of people over the next several decades. Maybe that will help us better understand people of other religions or none, but it’s too late for a New Zealander who’s been jailed in Myanmar for causing religious offence. Meanwhile, some people hope it’s not too late to have another attempt at an English translation of the Mass. All this and more with Helen, Gabriel, James, Don and Gavin in a busy episode of The 15th Station.
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Station XV: Episode 85 — Synod, Saints and Sunday Surprises
The Synod on the Family — and the various reports coming out of Rome — dominate the first half of this month’s episode, with New Zealanders’ views on family life, Archbishop John Dew’s opinion and the thoughts of an Australian couple making headlines. In other news, Don, James and Gavin discuss the effect of migration on the Church in New Zealand, efforts to advance the cause of the woman who could become New Zealand’s first saint and an initiative in the United States to inject life into parishes with dwindling numbers.
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Station XV: Episode 78 — Alarms, anniversaries and alcohol
It’s March 15 — so we’re in the week marking the anniversary of the election of Pope Francis. The interview the Holy Father conducted recently is a topic for discussion, along with the latest statistics on Catholics in New Zealand — nominal and practising — and the promotion of Cardinal George Pell to head the Vatican’s new economic secretariat. James, Helen and Gavin also talk about a small New Zealand town fighting the departure of a group of religious sisters, as well as the drinking habits of those who live at the Vatican. Thanks for listening; tell your friends.
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Station XV: Episode 68 — Church expands, and so does definition of marriage
In the May 2013 episode of The 15th Station, James, Helen, Don and Gavin talk about the latest statistics that show the Catholic Church is growing faster than the rate of population growth, and the number of seminarians, priests and bishops is growing with it. Another thing that’s growing is the number of relationships New Zealanders can consider marriage, with the passage of legislation allowing same-sex marriage. Some of the arguments against such moves are outlined in this piece, What is Marriage?, which Don mentions in the show. The panel also discusses Pope Francis’s upcoming trip to South America, the Church’s view on economic matters and the story that’s gone viral — a three-year-old Colombian boy who celebrates Mass.
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15 Minutes with the Bishop: Holy Days
Last week, Catholics in New Zealand celebrated the Feast of the Assumption, and last week’s episode of 15 Minutes with the Bishop was on that topic. This week, Bishop Patrick talks about holy days of obligation, of which the Assumption is one in New Zealand and in some other countries around the world. How has the number of holy days changed? Is Sunday a holy day of obligation? And what about the idea in the UK of re-instating holy days of obligation?
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15 Minutes with the Bishop: New Mass translation
Last month, some parishes in Australia started to introduce the new English translation of the Mass. New Zealand was several months ahead, introducing the people’s parts of the new translation last November. Bishop Patrick Dunn talks about the implementation of the new translation, how it’s been received and when we should expect to hear some of the other parts of the translation. He also talks with Gavin about the decision to return to the use of the “old” Our Father for Masses in New Zealand.
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Station XV – Episode 30 – Around the world
A great show that takes us all over the world this month! We talk about the debate around adopting the upcoming changes to the Mass missal, the NZ Medical Council losing the plot and forcing Catholic doctors to refer for abortions, how Christian are the Christian Democrats in Germany, atheists failing to get on the bus with their ad campaign copied from the UK, and a French project for dialling in for Confession. Turns out, that’s not allowed. Check it out, and follow us on facebook.com/station15 or twitter.com/station15.
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The Ultimate Form of Prayer
After hearing from Fr Merv Duffy last month — last year even — on the various forms of prayer, this month’s episode of Catechiwi looks at the Holy Mass, generally considered to be the ultimate form of prayer. When was the first Mass? What are the various parts of the Mass? How does the Mass prepare us for the world? Fr Merv is back to answer those questions and others.
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