Author Archives: ACBC Communications

Bishop Satterthwaite RIP

Bishop John Satterthwaite

Bishop John Satterthwaite

On Saturday 23 April, Bishop of Lismore, Geoffrey Jarrett, announced with sadness the news of the death of his immediate predecessor, the Emeritus Bishop of Lismore, John Steven Satterthwaite. The bishop died in Port Macquarie, NSW, in the south of the Diocese. He was 87 years of age.

Bishop Satterthwaite’s remains will be received into St Carthage’s Cathedral for a Vigil of Prayer on Sunday, 1 May 2016 at 6.30pm, prior to the Mass of Christian Burial on the following morning, Monday 2 May, 2016, at 10.30am.

Bishop Satterthwaite was born at Randwick in Sydney, on 11 August 1928. His primary education was at Ashford State School, and his secondary education was entrusted to the Marist Brothers at St Joseph’s College, Hunter’s Hill.

Having gained entrance to university, he enrolled in the faculty of Engineering, Civil Division, and took up residence at St John’s College, Sydney, in 1946. Academically brilliant he graduated in 1949 with a degree of Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Division), and thereafter was employed as a junior engineer with Australian Iron and Steel, Port Kembla. Continue reading

National count of Mass attendance commences this month

Parishioners_200pixelversion

Parishioners attending Mass

The national count of Mass attendance across Australia will commence at the end of this month, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Pastoral Research Office announced today.

The first weekend in May, Saturday 30 April and Sunday 1 May 2016, will see the commencement of the national count of attendance. The count was first held in 2001. This will be the fourth time that the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) has conducted the count at a national level.

The Count consists of a simple headcount of all attenders of all ages in all parishes and other Mass centres throughout Australia over the first four weekends in May. The count will only be conducted at the Sunday mass or the Saturday evening equivalent. Continue reading

Nepal Earthquake – Shelter still the priority one year later

Man Bahadur Garti Chetri

Man Bahadur Garti Chetri

As Nepal marks the first anniversary of two devastating earthquakes this week, the Caritas international network continues to invest millions of dollars to assist survivors.

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake on 25 April last followed by another on 12 May, 2015 left almost 9,000 people dead, caused numerous casualties and destroyed tens of thousands of homes and buildings.

A major focus of the global Caritas network has been to provide good quality housing. As the Caritas member agency chosen by Caritas Nepal to play a lead coordination role among 18 Caritas agencies from around the world, Caritas Australia has been very active in this response. Continue reading

Liturgical resources to celebrate Mother’s Day

Australians celebrate Mother’s Day on 8 May 2016. Mother’s Day is a special day to appreciate mothers or mother figures, including stepmothers, relatives, guardians, close family friends and those who would be mothers. The Council for Australian Catholic Women encourages you to recognise the contribution of women within and beyond families on this occasion.

To help celebrate Mother’s Day across the Catholic community, the Council for Australian Catholic Women (CACW) recently prepared Liturgical resources for use on Sunday 8 May 2016. The resources include; a suggested parish bulletin notice, sample general intercessions and a blessing for use by parishes, schools and diocesan agencies.

The Mother’s Day resources can be printed from the Office for the Participation of Women website. Continue reading

Growing euthanasia statistics should be a warning

Bishop Comensoli

Bishop Comensoli

There’s nothing compassionate or safe about killing our fellow travellers along the journey of life.

Accepting euthanasia means agreeing some people are beyond any help, for whom taking their life is the only option. I reject that pessimism. I reject the idea that euthanising someone is any sort of solution to the deeply human reality of facing our own mortality.  That is a most callous and irresponsible choice. Doctors should instead help people to live their lives well as they make their final journey towards death.

Rather than buying into the dangerous and dishonest euphemism of “dying with dignity”, we would do better – and be more human – by dignifying the lives of the dying. Palliative care is one key way we can dignify the dying. We should not accept the chronic under-funding of palliative care in this country and offer lethal injections instead.

Euthanasia is not turning off a life support machine where there is no prospect of recovery. It is not ending treatment that is overly burdensome. It is not giving someone pain relief as they are dying. Rather, euthanasia is giving someone a drug with the intention of ending their life. Continue reading

Mass for the Fallen on ANZAC Day

ACBA_Mass-for-the-Fallen-logoMass for the Fallen will be incorporated into the National ANZAC Day Mass at St Christopher’s Cathedral, Canberra, on Monday 25 April 2016 at 8am.

Mass for the Fallen was commissioned by Allan and Maria Myers for use in celebrations of the Eucharist on Anzac Day, particularly the 100th Anniversary in 2015 but also over the centenary period from 2014 to 2018.

Parishes throughout Australia are invited to incorporate the Mass, or parts thereof, in the Anzac Day liturgy this year.

The mass setting was composed by Christopher Willcock SJ and it comprises a setting of the Kyrie eleison, the Acclamations during the Eucharistic Prayer, and the Agnus Dei.

The bishops conference website includes a list of all cathedrals and parishes where Mass for the Fallen will be sung during the ANZAC day weekend. You are welcome to add your parish to this list on our website.

Attitude of accompaniment in Amoris Laetitia

Joy of the Family banner detail

Joy of the Family banner detail

It is with great joy that we receive Amoris Laetitia “The Joy of Love: On Love in the Family”, the Exhortation written by Pope Francis after the two Synods of Bishops on that topic in October 2014 and October 2015.

Pope Francis, who has often been embraced for his warmth, personal touch and authentic leadership style, calls for a pastoral and compassionate response to some of the most important questions being faced by families today.

The exhortation addresses several complex topics, including Holy Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried and marriage as a sacrament between one man and woman.

Continue reading

Lesbos and Australia: one pope, one people

Pope FrancisSince the end of the Second World War, global migration has become increasingly constrained through tougher immigration policies. This has seen long queues of applicants waiting for visas whilst fundamental human rights are increasingly disregarded, giving rise to increasing numbers of irregular and undocumented immigrants.

On Saturday 16 April, Pope Francis flew to the Greek island of Lesbos. In recent weeks, this island has become a place of confinement for thousands of people seeking refugee from what has now escalated into genocide in Syria and in other parts of the Middle East. For the international media, Lesbos and the island of Lampedusa off the coast of Sicily, represent how Europe deals with forced migration.

Pope Francis is no doubt a strategist of images and symbols. A visit of the Pope, though pastoral in nature and purpose, always carries a political impact, in the sense that it draws the attention of the whole world, and challenges it. Continue reading

Elders and bishops gather for a retreat in Alice Springs

Candle and liturgy notes

You are my sister!

It’s interesting how things happen in life. Who would think that the parish I belong to in Canberra would have a strong link with Aboriginal Catholics in Alice Springs.

This week I’m in Alice Springs participating in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) retreat in partnership with the Bishops Commission for Relations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People (BCRATSIP).

The theme of the retreat is Reconciliation – with God, with others and with the land. Our retreat opened with a welcome to country from two Arrernte Elders followed by Bishop of Darwin Eugene Hurley’s warm welcome to his diocese.

To prepare us for the day, NATSICC members Shirley and Dolly, led us through the open hand prayer. This prayer encouraged us to give, not only this present time to him but to invite God deeply into our hearts and to let God take and give to us what He sees fit. Continue reading

Australian religious leaders join global call for ambitious climate action

Interfaith Climate Change Statement presentation. Photo credit: Paul Hunt: WCC

Interfaith Climate Change Statement presentation. Photo credit: Paul Hunt: WCC

The world’s religious leaders have united to call on governments to take urgent action on climate change. At a colourful multifaith ceremony, Ambassador Mogens Lykketoft, President of the UN General Assembly took delivery of the Interfaith Climate Change Statement to World Leaders signed by 270 high-level religious leaders, 4970 individuals and 176 religious groups from around the world.

Australian signatories – including the presidents of the Australian Hindu and Imams councils, the Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils and the National Council of Churches in Australia – joined Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo – Chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences of the Holy See, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Pakistani grand imam Maulana Khabir Azad, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit – General Secretary of the World Council of Churches and more than 250 of their international counterparts to sign the Interfaith Climate Change Statement. Continue reading