WAIHOPAI - 2008

Why are we not shocked that there is a  terrorist base in New Zealand, fully controlled by the United States of America though nominally under our Government Communications Security Bureau? This base at Waihopai near Blenheim, is one of six in the world-wide Echelon spying network.

But terrorist ?  Yes, it can be truly called this, for it gathers immense quantities of finformation that may be put to many uses, but tometimes leads to people being imprisioned without charge or fair trial in prisons like Guantanamo Bay or 'renditioned' to be tortured abroad. To name only those close to us, several Austsralian residents have been so treated recently, but there are hundreds of other examples. These abuses of people's rights are nothing less than government-sponsored terrorism.

Do we Christians have any obligation about this situation ? If we heed Jesus' warning that whatever we do to the least human beings we do to Him, can we shut  our eyes to the presence in our country of this essential link in the huge network that perpetrates such horrors ?  Why do we host on our soil this base which continues to feed the corruption of an Empire that is doing great damage to the world ?

Peter Murnane  in Tui Motu   May 2008

 

A Message to the Members of the Dominican Family

from Fanjeaux

We, members of the international commissions of the Dominican Order, meeting with the Master of the Order in Fanjeaux to celebrate the 800th anniversary of St Dominic’s founding of Prouilhe, wish to share with the worldwide Dominican family our reflections, ideas and commitments to enrich the holy preaching at this momentous time in the Order’s history.

1.  We commit ourselves to renewing Dominic’s vision of a family together in mission.

2.  We commit ourselves to knowing all branches of the family better and to working together in harmony, mutual respect and truth.

3.  We commit ourselves to finding spaces to preach together as Dominic’s family.

4.  We commit ourselves to finding new, innovative ways of preaching that will especially touch the poor, the young and the aged.

5.  We commit ourselves to finding ways to link and nourish our prayer and mission.

6.  We commit ourselves to be more welcoming to all the other branches of the Order.

7.  We commit ourselves to a more attentive listening to the world as a fundamental Dominican value.

8.  We commit ourselves to working for justice together as a family.

9.  We commit ourselves to being in solidarity with those at the margins of society.

From these general commitments, kindled by the fire of Dominic’s vision by being present in these holy places, we urge all branches of the Dominican family in this period of jubilee, to:-

10.  Be involved in mission by adopting local projects developed and implemented by all branches of the

Order together

11.  Deepen our prayer life by praying the jubilee prayer prepared for us by the nuns of the Order and joining their liturgies in their monasteries wherever possible

12. Work for justice by joining the rest of the Church in realizing the Millennium Development Goals, signed by all governments in 2000, to relieve our world of dehumanizing poverty and to promote integral human development.

These are some of the fruits of our contemplation over these days in Fanjeaux where Dominic first had his vision of establishing what became the first foundation of the Order and where he dreamed of how to set the world on  evangelical fire by praising, blessing and preaching. We encourage you all to take up these challenges, to give them flesh and to implement them, following in the footsteps of St Dominic, as ways of witnessing to the Gospel in our time.

nformation depends on each one of us

Detail of windows designed by Sister Mary Dominic