Category Archives: ACBC agency news

Minister and the Opposition Leader address Catholic Educators

Minister for Education and Training Senator Simon Birmingham.

Minister for Education and Training Senator Simon Birmingham.

The joint hosts of the National Catholic Education Commission 2016 Conference have said the presence of Minister for Education and Training Senator Simon Birmingham and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten at the gathering of 1,400 Catholic educators shows the value the politicians place on the role of Catholic schools in Australian society.

“With just 12 days until the federal election, Minister Birmingham and Mr Shorten have prioritised this event to explain their parties’ vision for Australian education and the important role that the 1,731 Catholic schools across Australia play in that educational enterprise,” NCEC executive director Ross Fox said.

Tim McDonald, executive director of Catholic Education Western Australia, said the visit “strengthens the already close bond that the 163 Catholic schools in Western Australia have with local and national political leaders in supporting the education of 78,000 students in all parts of the state”. Continue reading →

CathNews on YouTube

youtube-squareInterested in following what’s happening across the Catholic Church in Australia and beyond?

Subscribe to the CathNews YouTube channel featuring daily uploads from the Vatican, addresses by Pope Francis and Catholic news of the day.

The CathNews YouTube channel also features Easter and Christmas video messages from the bishops of Australia.

The video channel also offers daily Mass from Sydney and a variety of videos from Church leaders and agencies, including reflections, documentaries and lectures for the interest and information of our subscribers and the wider public. Continue reading →

Women as Witnesses to the Joy of the Gospel

2016-PSU-CACW-colloquium_poster_thumbHow do we make more space for women in decision-making, leadership and lay pastoral ministry in our Church?

If this is a question that interests you, why not consider attending the Council for Australian Catholic Women’s Colloquium from 17 to 18 September at Mary Mackillop Place, North Sydney.

The Colloquium theme, Women as Witnesses to the Joy of the Gospel will set the scene for theological and pastoral reflection on Pope Francis’ call to “create still broader opportunities for a more incisive female presence in the Church” (Evangelii Gaudium 103).

The keynote addresses and workshops will examine this theme, Dr Maria Harries, Adjunct Professor at Curtin University will lead a keynote address considering the issues facing ‘Women in the Family’. Dr Michele Connolly, RSJ, Lecturer of New Testament Studies at the Catholic Institute of Sydney, will explore the issues facing ‘Women in the Church’. Dr Megan Brock RSJ, member of Catholic Religious Australia and a psychologist working in private practice, will deliver the final keynote address on ‘Women in Society’.  Continue reading →

Redress for abuse victims will stay in the bottom drawer this election

With less than four weeks until polling day the heavy slumber of the electorate is showing signs of lifting.

Opinion polls continue to signal a close result. Nothing new there really. The polls always tighten as election dates close in.

Hip pocket issues begin to surface and politicians expend enormous emotional energy attempting to convince us that they are engaged, down to earth and responsive. Again, nothing new there.

And that’s the point. Disengagement is the problem. People stop listening because they are not listened to. The current craft of narrative manipulation that besets political strategists has become self-defeating. Continue reading →

Setting the Record Straight on School Funding

A report from the Centre for Policy Development released today contains analysis of the Australian education system. National Catholic Education Commission executive director Ross Fox says the report contains flawed analysis and unsubstantiated claims.

Projections on school funding

The report’s authors claim that by 2020, Catholic schools will be receiving higher levels of funding from government sources than government schools. The methodology used to create those so-called projections is seriously flawed and not credible, Mr Fox said.

“The funding projections have been done using historical funding data, a ruler and a pencil,” Mr Fox said.

“When looking at future trends in school funding, it makes no sense to assume that future trends will be identical to past trends. The ‘projections’ in the report ignore the major changes to Commonwealth funding of schools that arose out of the Gonski Review of Funding for Schooling and began in 2014. These arrangements have bipartisan support until 2017.” Continue reading →

Detention and the Human Person

Refugee men and fence. Refugee concept

I would like to begin by expressing my sincere condolences to the friends and family of Omid Masoumali, in particular his wife, after his tragic death on Friday 29 April, writes Fr Maurizio Pettenà, Director of the Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office.

It is of particular concern that, only days later a second person, a young Somali woman by the name of Hodan Yasin, set herself alight on Monday 2 May after being returned from Australia to Nauru. She is now in a critical condition in a Brisbane Hospital.

This is the second occurrence of self-immolation in as many days. We have been exposed to the extreme end to which the hopelessness of detention can lead to. It is becoming more and more clear that the mental health of those left in limbo as a result of ongoing detention and a lack of resolution as to their immigration status is deteriorating at an alarming rate.

It is my concern that the dignity of the human person is increasingly lowered among the priorities when discussing policy around refugees and asylum seekers. At a time where mental health is more and more at the forefront of the psyche of our communities, it is alarming that people placed in the ‘care’ of Australia in places of detention are left to spiral into hopelessness. Continue reading →

50th World Communications Day opportunity for parishes to speak out

ACBA_Mercy Banner 200 x 200 px
The ACBC World Communications Day initiative to gather ‘grassroots’ stories of compassion and mercy from around Australia is an opportunity for ordinary Catholics and child abuse survivors to speak directly to the Church leadership.

As part of the 50th World Communications Day, the Australian Catholic Media Council is inviting each diocese to share local stories about ‘Communication and Mercy’.

The CEO of the Catholic Church’s Truth Justice and Healing Council, Mr Francis Sullivan, said the initiative could be of huge benefit to the church leadership as it hears directly from the people in the pews about their reactions to the Royal Commission and what they have seen and heard about the way the church leadership is responding.

‘One of the big challenges for us now is to find the language and the way in which we can communicate the very significant changes that have taken place within the Church over the past years to protect children and help survivors. Continue reading →

Aid cuts signal shift to an insular Australia

Caritas Australia (CA) has expressed deep disappointment in this year’s federal budget, specifically the decision to cut even deeper into an already diminished Australian official aid program. 

The cut of an additional $224m is the third successive cut by this government and has reduced Australia to its least generous role among OECD countries in 40 years.

Caritas Australia CEO, Paul O’Callaghan said that Australia has had a prominent and bipartisan record of strong support for economic improvement and poverty alleviation, both in our immediate region and beyond.

“Together with Australia’s outstanding contribution through peace-keeping missions, this aid and development role over many decades led to Australia being regarded as a significant leader and middle power,” Mr O’Callaghan said. Continue reading →

PROCLAIM 2016 Early bird registrations now open!

Proclaim 2016 logo

With 120 days to go, Registrations for PROCLAIM 2016 have now opened with great Early Bird rates available.

This exciting conference on the New Evangelisation is expected to draw more than 500 participants from across Australia to discuss, exchange and learn fresh ways in which parishes can become evangelising communities of the twenty-first century.

Running across three days from 1-3 September 2016, PROCLAIM 2016 draws upon the inspiration of this Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy and the ongoing missionary challenge of Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium.

Participants will gain invaluable support, ideas and pastoral initiatives for their parish communities from keynote speakers Cardinal Donald Wuerl of the Archdiocese of Washington, Bishop Nicholas Hudson of the Archdiocese of Westminster; Dr Susan Timoney * (Washington) and Mr Daniel Ang Director, Office for Evangelisation, Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay. Continue reading →