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If I was given a wish for 2017, it would be for that elusive thing called “peace”, which has been conspicuously absent in the past year, both at home and abroad.

In the Middle East and in parts of Eastern Europe, oppression, civil war, religious and cultural intolerance have predominated. There have been the  political uncertainties of Brexit and the results of the USA election, and at home the surprising resignation of our own Prime Minister.

Recent days have seen the UN Security Council passing a resolution condemning Israel’s settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and our own Government’s principled support of this resolution.

Ronald Reagan once said that peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to resolve conflict by peaceful means.

While recognising Israel’s right to live peacefully in its own country, especially when surrounded by hostile nations, this cannot be at the expense of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

Peace cannot prevail here at home with increasing inequality between rich and poor. I would wish for greater resources from Government to resolve the growing poverty and despair of homeless and struggling families, and to offer hospitality to refugees whose plight is even greater.

There is much that we can all do to bring peace and hope into the lives of those around us.

So often the first greeting that Jesus gave to those he met was “peace be with you”. And Pope St John Paul II once said that “peace of heart is the heart of peace”.

I pray that we may all be encouraged to do our part in the year ahead to be at peace with ourselves and help bring that peace into the lives of our families, friends and colleagues.

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Without such a newspaper most Catholics would hear Church news either through snippets on mainstream media, or via the Internet, or through their local parish newsletter.

These and other sources are helpful, but a newspaper provides the opportunity to give fuller coverage for local and international stories.

In a secularised culture like our own, it is imperative that committed Catholics strive week by week to keep abreast with issues that Pope Francis and others in our Church see as critical if we are truly to bear witness to Christ at this moment in history.

The world is always in a state of flux and no one believes that our learning ends the day we leave school, yet many Catholics still rely on an understanding of our Faith which we may have acquired only as children.

A product like NZ Catholic can help to inform our Faith at every step of life’s journey. What could be more important that this?

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The occasion was the introduction of Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand’s Social Justice Week 2016, which has a theme of “We all have a migration story: Fostering a culture of encounter”.

St Anne’s pupils led a prayer liturgy in their parish church on the theme of “Welcoming others”.

Bishop Dunn shared that he had been born in England, at a time when his father was doing studies related to his profession as a doctor.

The future bishop came to New Zealand when he was a baby, before he could speak.

Bishop Dunn had previously asked the children to guess where he was born.

The first answer was “Australia” and the second was “France”. The third suggestion was the correct one – “England”.

While engaging with the St Anne’s pupils, the bishop asked if anyone knew the name of the ancestral home of the Maori people.

One young voice piped up: “Waiheke Island”. Bishop Dunn smiled and replied, “Good guess – no, sounds like Waiheke”. Another student came up with the right answer – Hawaiki.

Later, in one of the St Anne’s learning hubs, Bishop Dunn showed year 5 and 6 pupils the countries from which his ancestors had come to New Zealand. These included Australia, England, Ireland and the Cook Islands.

Three students also shared where their migration stories – Bianca Velasco (from the Philippines), Leonel Dinkha (from Iraq) and Talon Shelford, who related how his ancestors came to Aotearoa in the great Maori migration from the Pacific, and then how his family came to Manurewa.

Speaking about the Social Justice Week theme, Bishop Dunn said in a statement that people are being encouraged “to think about how we can all be more open to one another by listening to how we came to live in Aotearoa New Zealand”.

“These might be very recent journeys or over generations.

“It helps us to know the story of our nation.”

Caritas has produced resources for Catholic schools and parishes, with the aim of raising awareness about issues facing migrants and encouraging people to consider their own migration story, as well as how we can help welcome new arrivals to New Zealand.

Social Justice Week ran from September 11-17.

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