Photographs to Share

Status
Not open for further replies.
Well, I hope you come one day.

We are unashamedly different from Australia. But we have a very similar heritage, an almost identical flag etc. We’re even allowed to become a state of Australia (but why would we want to).

New Zealand also places a lot more emphasis on our indigenous Maori culture. Acknowledging Maori culture is a big part of what it means to be a New Zealander. The introductory rites at Mass (and sometimes other parts) are often in Maori. In this respect we are very different to Australia.

We may not be as large as Australia - but we still have a great deal to offer.
 
Last edited:
They probably can be stroked and petted, but they are protected and can only be found in special wildlife sanctuaries, and sometimes in the wild.

They are, however, very special creatures.
 
Last edited:
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

The cats often like to come for a walk too .
My avatar cat 🙂
 
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.) The crown jewel of my favorite place in the world.
 
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
My birthday gift from DH…2 or 3 foot tall lady of grace
The flash put a line in it. I placed a reparation rosary on it. In the back ground are 2 foot statues of St Anthony. And Sacred Heart
And smaller statues of Mary nino Jesus.
My crucifix is 3 feet on top of home altar…I have a dish with prayer intentions.

Boy that was humble (sarcasm)…lol
 
Last edited:
That looks pleasant.

I know precious little about New Zealand, and have no particular image that pops into mind when I think of the country. I noticed you started a thread on the subject recently, but unfortunately I’ve missed it.

I did read a short story in middle school English class about a family of settlers purchasing a farm in New Zealand and then discovering an old Maori burial place on their land. I believe the author is from New Zealand, but I can’t recall his name.

I imagine it must be a fairly modern place. It is a very recent country. Unfortunately I know next to nothing about it. What is your cuisine like? What is traditional Maori cuisine like? Do you use Maori words colloquially?

Thanks.
 
Last edited:
Salibi said:
That looks pleasant.

I know precious little about New Zealand, and have no particular image that pops into mind when I think of the country. I noticed you started a thread on the subject recently, but unfortunately I’ve missed it.

I did read a short story in middle school English class about a family of settlers purchasing a farm in New Zealand and then discovering an old Maori burial place on their land. I believe the author is from New Zealand, but I can’t recall his name.

I imagine it must be a fairly modern place. It is a very recent country. Unfortunately I know next to nothing about it. What is your cuisine like? What is traditional Maori cuisine like? Do you use Maori words colloquially?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
@Salibi

Yes, I very much like my country.

It is a very modern country, one of the most developed in the world.

Jacinda Ardern is our Prime Minister and Queen Elizabeth II is our Head of State.

Most New Zealanders (around 70%), are European in origin, mostly British and Irish. I am one of them. My grandparents were immigrants from England. Other immigrants came here from Europe such as Croatians, Italians, Greeks (hence we have a prominent Greek Orthodox cathedral here), and others.

As a matter of fact, some New Zealanders are ethnically Lebanese, and have been here since the 19th Century. They are often Maronite or Orthodox.

Around 15% of New Zealanders are Maori. They are the indigenous population, and we value Maori traditions.

I do not use Maori words colloquially. Many Maori do, and many other New Zealanders do as well. For example ‘Kia ora’ means hello, and ‘kai’ means food.

There is a Maori cuisine, but I do not recall having Maori food. Most restaurant cuisine is a mix of European/Asian food.

Our Catholic Church here has benefited from many immigrants arriving from the Philippines.

Due to secularism, the new statistics show that only 6% of New Zealanders are Catholic, compared to 12% in 2013.

We are almost entirely Latin rite, but the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church has a presence here. The Melkite Greek Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church also have parishes, as well as the Chaldean Catholic Church.

Of interest to you, I have recently been researching various Eastern Catholic groups, including the Syriac Maronite Church of Antioch, of which you are a member (if I remember correctly).

I admire many Eastern Catholic leaders. I especially admire His Beatitude Moran Mor Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi. I wonder, have you ever seen His Beatitude in real life?

The people that I most admire are our priests, bishops, cardinals, and our Holy Father. I always like to find out more about them!

I gather that His Beatitude’s title, ‘Moran Mor’, means something like ‘My Lord’. Is that correct?

Have a blessed day.
 
Last edited:
catholic03 said:
New Zealanders are ethnically Lebanese,
Click to expand...
I smiled a little. Lebanese is not an ethnicity, it’s a nationality. In fact, there are around 17 ethnic and religious groups comprising modern Lebanese people. They include Maronites, Armenians, Greeks, Franco and Italo-Levantines, Copts, Jews, Druze, Sunnis, and Shi’ites. Only in the diaspora is Lebanese considered to be an ethnic rather than political identity.
catholic03 said:
wonder, have you ever seen His Beatitude in real life?
Click to expand...
No. My parents have met the previous Patriarch, Nasrallah Boutrous Sfeir, who was a vocal critic of Islamism and Islamist groups in Lebanon. Patriarch Ra’i has, er, less of a backbone and is not as vocal in his condemnation, an issue that sometimes makes me feel quite annoyed with him.

The late Patriarch Sfeir is somewhat of a legend. He was one of the main organizers of the Cedar Revolution, a massive protest movement against the Syrian occupation of Lebanon that occurred in 2005 and which culminated in a demonstration of around a million people to Beirut’s Martyrs’ Square. I was 4 years old at the time. My parents carried me in the demonstration on their shoulders, or so they say.
catholic03 said:
Moran Mo
Click to expand...
In Lebanese we call him Mar, which is an Aramaic word for “lord” or “saint”…like Mar Charbel. Moran is a more formal variant of Mor that is typically used for Jesus.

Mor or Mar: lord or male saint

Mort or Mart: lady or female saint

Moran: title for Jesus (Moran Yeshu’)

Martan: title for Mary (Martan Maryam).
 
Last edited:
Salibi said:
I smiled a little. Lebanese is not an ethnicity, it’s a nationality. In fact, there are around 17 ethnic and religious groups comprising modern Lebanese people. They include Maronites, Armenians, Greeks, Franco and Italo-Levantines, Copts, Jews, Druze, Sunnis, and Shi’ites. Only in the diaspora is Lebanese considered to be an ethnic rather than political identity.
Click to expand...
My mistake. I suspect most would have been Maronites or Greeks in New Zealand.

The previous Patriarch I gather died last year at the age of 98. A pious man.

New Zealand is politically very stable and has not had problems with politics.

We obviously don’t have a Patriarch in New Zealand, but my Archbishop is a Cardinal. I was confirmed by him and as an altar server have served at the celebration of Holy Mass with him. He’s a holy man and a great leader of the Church in New Zealand.

I wonder, in Lebanon do you have reasonable relations between Christians and Muslims? Or are they relatively separate groups in society?

By the way, this is the liturgy celebrated by His Beatitude that I have been watching. The Maronite Church seems relatively similar to the Roman rite in its vestments and liturgy. Is that because of Latinisation?

 
Last edited:
Some statues in a very cluttered room! 😊

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top