Media Release
March 1, 2012
The Catholic Women’s Fellowship will re-launch in 2012 with a new structure, allowing young women to complete a program of theology, spiritual formation, personal development and interfaith dialogue.
The Fellowship is the result of a partnership between the Bishops’ Office for the Participation of Women (OPW), The Broken Bay Institute (BBI), and the Sisters of the Good Samaritan. Continue reading
Media Release
20 February, 2012
President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Archbishop Philip Wilson has expressed his delight at the appointment by the Holy Father of Bishop Timothy Costelloe as Archbishop of Perth.
Bishop Timothy replaces Archbishop Barry Hickey who has led the faithful of the Diocese since 1991.
Archbishop Philip Wilson said today that this was good news not only for the people of Perth, but for the Church in Australia.
“Bishop Timothy Costelloe is a gifted, highly intelligent pastor who has shown consistent leadership in Melbourne where he has been an Auxiliary Bishop over the past five years”, he said
Media Release, 20 February, 2012
Commenting at the release today of the much anticipated Gonski Report on Funding for Schooling, the Chair of the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC), Mrs Therese Temby, said that this was just the start of the process, and much work remains to be done.
“This is a major piece of work and a roadmap for a way forward,” Mrs Temby said.
PROJECT COMPASSION 2012 – BRISBANE LAUNCH
AN AUSTRALIAN Sister of Mercy based in Peru, a Brisbane schoolgirl hit by floods and Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd make up the three faces of Australia’s fight against poverty at this morning’s launch of Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion one of Australia’s largest humanitarian fundraisers. Continue reading
Pic: Kym Smith Source: The Daily Telegraph
The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (ACMRO) supports the Government’s efforts to reduce the human cost of prolonged and indefinite detention.
Media reports which criticise the Government for providing asylum seekers released into community detention with up to $10,000 of home furnishings, electrical goods and other financial support has been called misleading and provocative by the ACMRO. Continue reading
Media Release
16 February, 2012
The Australian Catholic Office for Film (ACOFB) and Broadcasting has cautiously welcomed the introduction of legislation which looks to create an R18+ classification for computer games.
Director of the ACOFB, Jesuit priest Fr Richard Leonard said that the submission from the Bishops was very clear that they do not condone the material contained in such games, and that their support would be qualified. Continue reading
Media Release
9 February, 2012
To download the Valentine’s Day Kit 2012, click here!St Valentine Resource 2012
In 2010, the Bishops’ Commission for Pastoral Life through the Australian Catholic Marriage and Family Council developed a kit devoted to the celebration of St Valentine’s Day for use in parishes.
The third edition of the St Valentine’s Day kit for 2012 is now available for download as a PDF from the Bishops’ Conference website by clicking on the button on the front page. Continue reading
Media Release
8 February, 2012
In preparation for Australia’s pilgrimage to World Youth Day (WYD) in Rio de Janeiro in July 2013, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) has named Harvest Pilgrimages as their official Tour Operator for the Conference’s National Pilgrimage of Australian groups attending this universal event.
“I am happy to see Harvest Pilgrimages partner with us again for WYD Rio de Janeiro” said Bishop Christopher Prowse, Bishops Commission for Pastoral Life (BCPL) Delegate for Youth. Continue reading
The Chair of the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC), Mrs Therese Temby, today welcomed the Coalition’s announcement of its ten principles for funding school students.
“The ten principles announced by Mr Pyne constitute a charter to which I think most schools in Australia would subscribe”, said Mrs Temby. Continue reading
Media Release, 2 February, 2012
The school funding data in this week’s ROGS Report (Productivity Commission, Report on Government Services 2012, pages 4.33 and 4.34) provides a very interesting statistic.
• Government funding for government schools has increased each year in the period 2005-06 to 2009-10 by an average of 2.7%.
• Government funding for non-government schools has increased over the same period by an annual average of just 0.7%.
NCEC calls on the Commonwealth Government to reduce the operating resources gap in Catholic schools. Continue reading
Media Release, 3 February, Archdiocese of Melbourne
Photo from the Bendigo Advertiser
The Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst includes central Victoria and the Goulburn Valley and north-eastern Victoria to the Murray River in the north.
Bishop Tomlinson said he was humbled by the confidence that the Pope has shown in him and that he was delighted to accept the appointment. Bishop Tomlinson was born and raised in Mildura and is no stranger to country life. Continue reading
Media Release
24 January, 2012
To mark Australia Day, the Catholic Bishops Commission for Justice, Ecology and Development calls upon political parties to work towards a common approach to asylum seekers, so that human beings do not become pawns in a political argument. Further, and more immediately, to honour the Australian sense of justice and compassion, there must be a defined limit to incarceration in detention centres for people who are not criminals. The Bishops are calling on the Government to limit detention to three months.
Four of the Bishops who signed this statement minister directly to asylum seekers in immigration detention centres located in their dioceses. Bishop Julian Porteous, Auxiliary Bishop in Sydney, supported the opinions of the other Bishops who have direct involvement in the pastoral care of asylum seekers in detention. “Prolonged and indefinite detention in these facilities can only produce psychological damage”, he said. Continue reading