Category Archives: Special interest

Pope asks young people, do you want empty thrills or the power of grace in life?

Sequence 010_200Do you want a complete life? Pope Francis asked thousands of young people gathered from all over the world to celebrate World Youth Day 2016 in Krakow.

‘So I ask you: Are you looking for empty thrills in life, or do you want to feel a power that can give you a lasting sense of life and fulfilment?  Empty thrills or the power of grace?  To find fulfilment, to gain new strength, there is a way.  It is not a thing or an object, but a person, and he is alive. His name is Jesus Christ.’ 

‘Jesus can give you true passion for life.  Jesus can inspire us not to settle for less, but to give the very best of ourselves.  Jesus challenges us, spurs us on and helps us keep trying whenever we are tempted to give up.  Jesus pushes us to keep our sights high and to dream of great things.’

Gathered at Blonia Park, Krakow for the papal welcome on Thursday 28 July, young people listened attentively as Pope Francis said, ‘It pains me to meet young people who seem to have opted for “early retirement”. Continue reading →

Highlights from the Australian Gathering at World Youth Day 2016

IMG_8987_OpMore than 3,000 young people from across the Australian dioceses and half of the Australian Catholic bishops gathered at Tauron arena on Tuesday 26 July 2016 to celebrate their faith, national identity and the beginning of World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland.

The two-hour gathering was filled with prayer, testimonies from young people, music and catechesis. Bishop Patrick O’Regan preached the homily and Bishop Peter Comensoli delivered a ‘call to action’ to young young. Two young people, Chris Lee from Parramatta diocese and Sr Elizabeth from Port Pirie diocese, gave witness to how they have received God’s mercy in their lives. Their authentic accounts described how we can discover God’s mercy when we show mercy to others, it is through our acts of mercy that God reveals his merciful heart to us. Sr Elizabeth said, ‘I thought by being committed to God, I would simply receive his mercy’.

Bishop Mark Edwards, Australian Bishops Delegate for Youth; Kelly Paget, Diocese of Broken Bay and Sunil Mohanaraj, Archdiocese of Adelaide were the MC’s.

Genevieve Bryant, Fr Rob Galea and the Salvatorians Soul band provided the festival music that had the entire gathering on their feet within seconds. Malcolm Hart, Director of the ACBC Office for Youth, unveiled an invitation to all of the young people to get involved in the the ‘Year of Youth’ 2018.

There was a beautiful period of reflection as the musicians sang a decade of the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

Watch highlights from the Australian gathering below.

https://youtu.be/Ne-CaI2nz08

The Australian gathering can be viewed online via a web cast from Xt3.

Closing date for PROCLAIM 2016 approaches

2016 Proclaim eNewsbuttonDelegates have one more week to register for the PROCLAIM 2016 conference.

Registrations for PROCLAIM 2016 will close on 1 August. The event will features three international keynote speakers, 30 exhibitors supporting parish life and 35 practical workshops focused on one evangelising mission.

Hundreds of parish leaders from Australia and abroad  will gather together for the event hosted by the Diocese of Broken Bay in partnership with the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

The full conference program is available online.

Some of the workshop topics include: connecting parish and school, renewing sacramental preparation, family-friendly liturgies and evangelisation strategies.

Fr John Pearce CP & Paige Bullen will lead the workshop on ‘Connecting the Parish and School for Christ-Centred Mission. The relationship between the parish and school represents one of the greatest opportunities for evangelisation in the Australian context. Growing relationships and connections at various levels of parish and school life has been the key ingredient in the story of St Brigid’s, Marrickville. Continue reading →

The Web connecting us all to Mercy

Mercy: A Way of Being in the World. Photo from BBI.

Mercy: A Way of Being in the World. Photo from BBI.

With Pope Francis drawing crowds all over the world under his vision of Mercy, there is little wonder this year’s eConference hosted by BBI, in partnership with the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, is drawing interest across the Asia-Pacific region.

Titled Mercy: A Way of Being in the World, this year BBI is calling on people from within the Catholic community to share, via a video submission, a time when they have experienced Mercy, with a number of these videos to be played during the eConference.

BBI’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Gerard Goldman, said creating a segment named Mercy Moments and inviting the public to submit videos was a natural progression of the eConference which is now in its twelfth series.

“We see the eConference as an extension of faith formation in contemporary times and in a contemporary setting.”

“As an educator in faith, theology and spirituality, we believe it is a part of our corporate social responsibility to provide a free resource for Catholics and all faith based communities,” Dr Goldman said. Continue reading →

National conference heralds a renaissance of marriage

rom-thin-banner[1]_200In a world witnessing changing trends in marriage, the true depth and breadth of Catholic marriage has become cutting-edge.

Thus Pope Francis in Amoris Laetitia, with the world’s bishops, appealed for a renewed and revitalised approach to equipping young people for Catholic marriage and supporting married couples.

Marriage, he makes clear, is “more than a fleeting fashion; it is of enduring importance”.

The Church in Australia has heeded the Pope’s call, responding with a landmark initiative to bring together the best minds and hearts working in the area of marriage and family today.

More than 20 Australian and international speakers will share their expertise in the field of marriage and unpack the Pope’s exhortation with talks, workshops, and inspiring testimonials. Continue reading →

Dealing with abuse, theological and spiritual reflections

Fr Hans Zollner SJ

Fr Hans Zollner SJ. Photo credit news.va

On 28 July, Fr Hans Zollner SJ will lead a day of reflection for bishops and leaders of religious institutes across Australia about dealing with abuse.

Fr Hans is President of the Centre for Child Protection at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

The National Committee for Professional Standards will host the day of reflection in Sydney entitled: Dealing with abuse: Theological and Spiritual Reflection with an international perspective.

Fr Hans lectures at the Gregorian Institute in Rome and is also a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. He is visiting Australia for a short time in late July 2016.

The day will focus on exploring the personal and communal impact of child sexual abuse. There will be an opportunity to reflect on how we live spiritually and theologically in this time and to ask where God is calling us through this challenge. There may be an opportunity to share the experiences and lessons learnt from those in similar circumstances in other parts of the world.

The National Committee for Professional Standards is seeking to provide an important opportunity for our bishops and religious leaders to share and explore their own experience of dealing with abuse during this challenging time for the Church internationally.

Further details are available from:  timmsc@ncps.org.au or (02) 9669 6218.

 

New publication to help enlighten a diverse Catholic health and aged care workforce

Jack de Groot

Jack de Groot

Many of my colleagues in leadership and governance roles in Catholic health and aged care come from a variety of religious traditions or none. Even among the Catholics, only some are active participants in faith practice these days, and certainly many have profound questions.

So put yourself into these shoes: Imagine having only the most general understanding of Catholicism and being tasked with providing leadership consistent with the mission and values of a Catholic health or aged care provider, leading in ways that extend the healing ministry of Jesus. And it’s also been made clear to you that as a leader you cannot just defer to the Mission Leader to communicate and nurture the organisation’s mission. For many people that’s a big ask, and resources to help answer the challenge won’t readily spring to mind.

So imagine this new role you’ve taken is in a local aged care home run by a Catholic organisation. You notice something about the facility that feels warm and welcoming; you like the values they talk about, but you don’t necessarily understand where the “religious” aspect fits in. Continue reading →

Parishes called to acknowledge the vital role of Seafarers in the Year of Mercy

On Sea Sunday 10 July, Catholic parishes throughout Australia will acknowledge the vital role of over 130,000 Seafarers who transit through Australia’s 25 ports while working at sea and the associated, dedicated port chaplains and volunteers. The parish support will be generated through a collection based on the annual, national Sea Sunday appeal.

Last year approximately 20,000 vessels visited Australia. Many of these received support from 15 Apostleship of the Sea Port Chaplains and over 164 Apostleship of the Sea volunteers. In the past twelve months, support was provided to 276 Seafarers who were hospitalised in Australia as a result of a medical emergency or an injury from a vessel at sea. These seafarers are isolated when admitted to hospital and remote from family. The Apostleship of the Sea (AOS) reconnects these sick or injured seafarers with family and continues to support them until discharged, ensuring personal needs are met where possible. Continue reading →

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples live the name of mercy in their lives

ATSI_Sunday_2016 210 x 210Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples so often live the name of mercy in their lives, Bishop Christopher Saunders stated as he launched the annual statement to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday on 3 July.

‘The peoples of Australia’s First Nations are famously resilient and in their own words they are survivors. Notwithstanding the vagaries of government policy or the faulty efforts at work to close the gap, or the dreadful prejudices evident in racist attitudes so notoriously on display even in the public forum in recent times, Aboriginal and Islander Peoples so often live the name of mercy in their lives.’

Representing the Australian Catholic Bishops Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (BCATSIP), Bishop Saunders also launched a new brochure ‘Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners 2016’ as a guide for parishes and Catholic organisations to use when hosting an event or service.

The theme of this year’s statement is how We Need Mercy. ‘Pope Francis tells us that humanity is deeply wounded and for this reason is in need of mercy, a mercy proclaimed by God and tenderly shared among people.’ Continue reading →