Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli has delivered the homily at the closing commissioning mass for the Australian Catholic Youth Festival at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
This is the full text:
Cardinal Mykola Bychok addressed the opening plenary of the Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Melbourne on November 30.
This is the text of his address:
A new study has found Catholic clergy have a strong sense of wellbeing and recommended further work on ways to support them.
The Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry has appointed Bishop of Bunbury George Kolodziej SDS as bishop delegate for youth.
Renowned Australian Biblical scholar Fr Francis Moloney SDB has died in his home city of Melbourne aged 85.
Deputy General Secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Jeremy Stuparich will retire at the end of this year after 14 years of service.
A contingent of 24 Australians is in Rome to celebrate the Church’s commitment to walking together in hope and mission.
More than 250 delegates from every state and territory, and a delegation from Aotearoa New Zealand, gathered on Wonnarua Country in the Hunter Valley last week for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) national assembly.
Representing well over 50 language groups, Clergy, religious and non-Indigenous lay Catholics, participants celebrated the deep connection between faith, culture, and community that First Nations Catholics bring to the life of the Australian church under the theme “Pilgrims of Hope”.
The week-long gathering explored the theme of pilgrimage and the transformative power of hope in families, communities and ministries.
Keynote speakers included acclaimed journalist Stan Grant, ACU Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) Kelly Humphrey and Torres Strait Islander knowledge holder Toby Whaleboat.
National Centre for Pastoral Research director Dr Trudy Dantis and Diocese of Broken Bay chancellor Kelly Paget reflected on the Synod on Synodality and its call to listen deeply to all voices.
Presentations were punctuated by Yarning Circles – a traditional practice used for thousands of years by Aboriginal peoples to share stories and discern wisdom. Delegates described these sessions as sacred spaces of truth-telling and renewal.
A highlight of the assembly was the series of “on country” experiences at Baiame Cave, Nobbys Head and the Murrook Cultural Centre, where traditional custodians welcomed delegates to walk, reflect and pray on sacred ground.
Delegates were also blessed with the rare opportunity to participate in and celebrate the Mass of the Land of the Holy Spirit – a liturgy developed in the Kimberley region nearly 50 years ago.
Endorsed by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference for approval by the Vatican, the Mass integrates Aboriginal symbols, language, and ritual in a profound expression of Catholic faith grounded in Country.
Many described it as a deeply moving experience that embodied the unity of faith and culture.
Bishop Tim Norton SVD, chair of the Bishops Commission for Relations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, delivered the closing keynote, urging participants to find hope in unexpected places and to continue their journey as pilgrims of faith and reconciliation.
The assembly embodied a church alive with culture, spirit, and hope, renewing the call to walk together as one people of God.
(Article and image from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council)
Australians have been urged to reflect on the values of compassion, justice and hope as Catholic communities mark the World Day of Migrants and Refugees on October 5.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference daily e-newsletter CathNews has taken out the main award at the Australasian Catholic Press Association annual conference in Canberra.