CATHOLIC INQUIRY CENTRE

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29378, 3 December 1960, Page 15

CATHOLIC INQUIRY CENTRE

Inauguration Next Year A Catholic Inquiry Centre to cover the whole of New Zealand will be established early next year in Wellington. The hierarchy have appointed Father D. B. Ashby, D.D., of Christchurch, and Father M. J. Ryan, of Auckland, to take charge. Both these priests were sent to England for six months to study the inquiry centre system there and the New Zealand centre will be closely modelled on these lines. Basically the centre will offer a course of 21 weekly leaflets and other material on the Catholic faith to anyone interested. In England 90.000 have taken the course in seven years and between 6000 and 7000 of them have joined the church as a result. Personal correspondence will be entered into if necessary; but generally those seeking additional guidance will be put in touch with church leaders in their own district. No personal interviews will be conducted at the Wellington centre. Its services will all be by correspondence. Dr. Ashby said that the scheme was aimed chiefly at the "floating population” with no church affiliation although people of other denominations were welcome to take the course for a better understanding of Catholic beliefs. A similar centre in Australia had been functioning for 12 months and there were others in America and Holland. The New Zealand centre is expected to begin its operations from a property at 140 Austin street. Wellington, about March.