As Covid restrictions eased and the hiatus ended, we celebrated by gathering again. Enjoy this snapshot of the year's activities.

In October 2022, Golden Catholics were delighted to come together for Mass and to hear of Bishop Michael Gielen’s recent time in Rome at the ‘Seminar for New Bishops.’

At its Annual General Meeting in June 2022, board trustees accepted the resignation of Michael Schimanski as CDF Board Chair after a successful three-year term. They confidently elected fellow board member Graeme Wilson as the new Chair of the CDF.

In July the CDF published their Summary Annual Report, sharing the good news that during the 2021-22 financial year, the fund made a healthy distribution of $900,000 to Bishop Michael.

Established in 1967 as The Catholic Education Fund to raise capital to build Catholic schools, 55 years later, the role of the CDF in education is as relevant today as it ever was.

The CDF is overseen by trustees and staff, guided by an investment policy based on Catholic teaching and by expert investment advice acquired from the financial sector.

Working in our hospitals is a privilege for hospital chaplains, where every day is different. The CDF caught up with Angela McCormick, Pastoral Chaplain at Christchurch Hospital, recently to learn about the services offered within our diocese.

By starting a savings plan early, even at baptism, you can reduce the burden of taking on attendance dues and school expenses as the financial pressures of family life set in.

It is a privilege to have money set aside for more than just day-to-day expenses. It is also true that accumulating money in its various forms has been indispensable to the progress of civilisation and doing good.