Family Life International NZ

09/10/2026

During the recent pro-life mission trip with the theme "Hope for the World", Family Life International's staff and volunteers took some time out for fellowship, prayer, and formation. The formation was led by the team from Human Life International - Father Shenan Boquet, Dr. Brian Clowes, and Dr. Ligaya Acosta. We were inspired by incredible testimonies and interesting facts and background information to help us in our pro-life and pro-family mission.

09/10/2026

Please pray for Isabel as she navigates a fresh set of unjust charges. Isabel just spoke at our conference on life, faith and family with the them “Hope for the World.” 🙏

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce has pleaded "not guilty" to fresh charges for standing and silently praying inside a "buffer zone".

The new charges were presented at an ongoing hearing, in which Isabel's legal team is arguing that her prosecution amounts to an "abuse of process" and breaches her human rights to freedom of thought and religion.

The judge has also commented that “standing is not a crime" and "Courts are not here to pass judgment on people's views.”

UK censorship and thought policing must end.

07/10/2026

Catechism of the Catholic Church on Freedom
1731 Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility. By free will one shapes one's own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude.

1732 As long as freedom has not bound itself definitively to its ultimate good which is God, there is the possibility of choosing between good and evil, and thus of growing in perfection or of failing and sinning. This freedom characterizes properly human acts. It is the basis of praise or blame, merit or reproach.

1733 The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. the choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to "the slavery of sin."28

05/10/2026

Day 3 of the Hope for the World Conference began with the Holy Rosary and then an incredible line up of speakers.

Dr. Ligaya Acosta shared her testimony, Dr Brian Clowes spoke about the Gender Agenda and Catherine Gillies spoke on the trauma women and families experience post abortion as well as the healing that can be found.

Dame Colleen Bayer our Founder shared the importance of reaching abortion vulnerable women and she introduced to us Giselle who bravely shared her personal testimony.

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce concluded the talks for the conference by focusing on what is at the heart of a pro-life culture - spiritual motherhood and fatherhood.

The closing Mass photos to come.

Photo credit: Forevapix Photography & Videography

01/10/2026

Part two of Day 2 at the Hope for the World Conference:

We welcomed Fr. Robert Steele, who spoke on Pornography’s Impact on the Family, followed by a Q&A panel, and then Dr Ligaya Acosta’s talk on Grandparents and the Elderly.

The day concluded with our special conference dinner, where we heard Isabel Vaughan-Spruce's courageous personal testimony.

We also honored Susanna Fiu from the Mother of Divine Mercy with our St Gianna & Pietro Molla Award (For Service to Life and Family) and Dr Andrew and Mary Seong were given the Dr. H.P. Dunn Award (For Pro-Life Witness in the Medical Profession).

It was a true blessing to celebrate all that we have experienced so far at the conference, share a delicious meal, and enjoy one another’s company.

Photo credit: Forevapix Photography & Videography

01/10/2026

Another beautiful event held during our Hope for the World mission was the Day of Prayer for Life and Family at St Michael’s in Remuera.

The day offered an opportunity to step away from the busyness of the world and to pray, reflect and be formed more deeply in the faith.

Father Shenan Boquet chose the Beatitudes as his theme, presenting them as a pathway to true Christian happiness and holiness. Taking each Beatitude in turn, Father unpacked its meaning and showed how it can be lived out practically in the circumstances of everyday life.

It was a grace-filled day of prayer, formation and reflection. A reminder that the call to holiness is not something abstract, but something we are each invited to live, right where God has placed us.

01/10/2026

The first week of our "Hope for the World" mission took us to the parish of St Thomas More in Mount Maunganui for an evening on the important topic of “Demystifying Death with Dignity.”

The evening began with Holy Mass, followed by a presentation from FLI National Director Michelle Kaufman, who outlined the New Zealand context — including current euthanasia statistics, end-of-life care planning, and concerns surrounding advance directives.

Father Shenan Boquet then spoke about what true death with dignity means from a Catholic perspective, and how we are called to accompany and care for every person through the final stages of life.

The presentations sparked a lively Q&A and plenty of thoughtful conversation about practical scenarios which continued over coffee well into the evening.

It was a wonderful beginning to our mission — an evening of faith, important discussion, great questions and fellowship.

A very special thank you to Fr Eamon Kennedy for his warm and generous hospitality!

01/10/2026

In this month of October, let us pray that all voters may have the wisdom to elect leaders whose policies uphold the dignity of every human person and promote the true flourishing of all. We pray especially that the most vulnerable among us - preborn children, people with disabilities, the elderly, and the terminally ill - may always be protected, respected, and cared for.

29/09/2026

Day 2 of the Hope for the World Conference on Life, Faith and Family began with Holy Mass celebrated by Monsignor Tomasz Gdula, Deputy Head of Mission at the Apostolic Nunciature.

He was joined at the altar by Father Shenan Boquet, Father David Dowling, Rector of Holy Cross Seminary, and Father Sean Byrnes from New South Wales, Australia.

Immediately following Mass, Monsignor Gdula shared a warm message of greeting with conference attendees from the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Gábor Pintér.

The morning sessions then turned to some of the most important issues facing life and family today — the vital role of the family, declining birth rates, Catholic care at the end of life, and the far-reaching impact of abortion on families.

Before lunch, we paused together for the Angelus, and the break that followed brought plenty of conversation, laughter and joy — a welcome balance after the weight of the morning’s talks.

It was a morning rich in faith, truth, reflection and fellowship, with so much to take in, discuss and carry forward.

Here are a few moments from the first half of Day 2.

Photo credit: Forevapix Photography & Videography

28/09/2026

What an extraordinary start to the Hope for the World Conference on Life, Faith and Family!

It has been a full and incredibly inspiring weekend of prayer, powerful talks, wonderful conversations and fellowship — bringing together speakers and attendees from near and far.

Our speakers travelled from the USA, UK, the Philippines and New Zealand, while attendees came from Australia, Christchurch, Wellington, Hawke’s Bay, Waikato, Northland and, of course, Auckland.

The conference began on Friday evening with the Opening Mass celebrated by Bishop Stephen Lowe, who exhorted those gathered to uphold the dignity of every human person and, drawing from Evangelium Vitae, to enter into a “great prayer for life.”

Following Mass, Family Life International’s National Director, Michelle Kaufman, welcomed everyone and shared the vision at the heart of the conference: that families rooted in Christ truly are hope for the world.

Here are just a few photos from the beginning of what has been a very special weekend. There is much more to come!

Credit: Forevapix Photography & Videography