Music was one of the features of the Australian gathering in Panama. (Photo: Diocese of Parramatta)

Australian pilgrims had a busy first official day at World Youth Day Panama, with 700 gathering for an Australian event before joining tens of thousands of others for the opening Mass.

Australian pilgrims have descended on Panama after spending time visiting holy sites in nearby countries, including Mexico and the United States. Continue reading →

Members of the Council for Australian Catholic Women at a recent meeting

Women from across Australia will meet in Adelaide next month to be part of shaping the Church of the future.

Council for Australian Catholic Women chair Dr Trish Madigan OP said she was delighted with the early response to the Stirring the Waters: Catholic Women Responding to the Spirit
colloquium, with registrations very strong and spaces limited. Continue reading →

Fr Matthias Ogwo with members of the Rockhampton Catholic community

Priests in the Diocese of Rockhampton are sharing the joy of Christ’s birth, providing hope for communities devastated by prolonged drought and catastrophic bushfires.

Fr Matthias Ogwo, Fr Raj Kodavatikanti HGN and Fr Ronaldo Rodriguez have already begun celebrating Christmas Masses and will collectively clock up several thousand kilometres driving between isolated mining towns and farming communities. Continue reading →

Fr Brian Mathews has a huge parish that takes in Uluru.

From isolated outback mining towns to Queensland’s surf beach holiday spots, Australia’s parish communities are listening to the Spirit and preparing for Christmas.

As the Inland Mission’s parish priest for the past four years, Fr Brian Mathews is looking forward to celebrating the last ever Christmas Mass in the local pub of the soon-to-be-closed mining town of Mintabie, more than 1100km northwest of Adelaide. Continue reading →

The results of a survey about the 2011 changes to the liturgy has again opened up debate around the suitability of some parts of the English translation spoken at Mass.

At a meeting in September, the National Liturgical Council discussed the results of the National Centre for Pastoral Research document Mass Attender’s Attitudes to the English Translation of the Mass. Continue reading →

Roslyn Rajasingam, national director of the Apostleship of the Sea

Seafarers on three ships docked at Port Botany received some early Christmas cheer as part of a planned visit from the Apostleship of the Sea ministry.

Roslyn Rajasingam, Apostleship of the Sea Australia’s national director, visited the ships along with Barry Cleary, a retired ship engineer and a volunteer ship visitor for AoS for the past five years in the Archdiocese of Sydney. Continue reading →

Bishop Michael McCarthy

Queensland’s devastating bushfires have seen Catholic communities throughout the Rockhampton Diocese scramble to assist one another during the ongoing emergency.

Rockhampton Bishop Michael McCarthy yesterday praised the heroic acts of fire and emergency service workers and volunteers, who have worked tirelessly to save lives and property. Continue reading →

St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne on Red Wednesday

Two of Australia’s major cathedrals were splashed with the colour of martyrs on Wednesday night as a sign of solidarity with those who suffer religious persecution around the world.

Joining other faiths and landmark public and government buildings worldwide, St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne and St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney were floodlit red. Continue reading →

Fr Peter Malone MSC

The Australian Catholic bishops yesterday recognised a Melbourne priest’s 50-year dedication to reviewing films for the Church that began with the iconic film To Sir with Love.

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president Archbishop Mark Coleridge and Fr Richard Leonard SJ, the director of the Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting (ACOFB), honoured Fr Peter Malone MSC at the bishops’ plenary meeting, in the presence of other Catholic film reviewers. Continue reading →

Fr Ken Barker MGL

With more than 30 priests and perpetually vowed brothers and almost 30 young men in formation, the Missionaries of God’s Love priests and brothers have re-elected their founder to guide them for another four years.

Fr Ken Barker, together with three young men, founded the MGL in Canberra in 1986. Continue reading →