Get on board and book your ticket to Krakow by Friday 15 April 2016 to experience World Youth Day (WYD) in the ‘City of Mercy’ this year.

The Bishops Conference, Office for Youth, are calling all young people to get in touch with their local diocesan youth office this week.

Australian registrations for WYD2016 will close at the end of this week, 15 April. Full registration details are available on the Office for Youth website: https://wyd2016.com.au/

Pope Francis will join millions of pilgrims including 3,000 young Australians in Poland from 25 – 31 July 2016. The theme of the 31st World Youth Day is ‘Blessed are the merciful: For they shall receive mercy‘ (Mt 5:7). Continue reading →

Archbishop Mark Coleridge

This op-ed was first published in The Weekend Australian today, Saturday 9 April 2016.

From the moment of his election Francis has been a Pope of surprises. One of the surprises of this old man has been his energy. It has been astonishing, and part of the energy has been literary — as we see in his latest production, published yesterday, The Joy of Love: On Love in the Family.

In it, the Pope wants to gather up and move forward the work of the Synod of Bishops held in Rome in 2014 and last year. The decision to hold the two synods on the theme of marriage and the family was a surprise. But it was shrewd strategy from a Pope who is nothing if not a strategist.

What Francis was saying to the Catholic Church was that a synod wasn’t just a one-off event; it’s an ongoing journey, which is what the word synod means. In The Joy of Love Francis doesn’t claim to be the final word settling every controversial question. Nor does he claim to offer a comprehensive pastoral plan to be implemented around the planet. His claims are more modest, and for that reason more compelling. He wants this text to be another step on the way; not a final product but another part of the process. Continue reading →

The late Bishop Mulkearns

On Monday 11 April, the funeral of Bishop Ronald Mulkearns, retired Bishop of Ballarat, took place at a local nursing home in Ballarat.

During this time, members of the Catholic community gathered for prayer and reflection in different parts of the Ballarat Diocese.

The death of Bishop Mulkearns from cancer has given rise to different responses from those who remember him as their bishop and to those who remember him for his failings in dealing with perpetrators of child sexual abuse.

As with all Catholic funerals, the funeral of Bishop Mulkearns was a time of prayer for the deceased, asking for God’s mercy, remembering his life. The chief celebrant was Archbishop Francis Carroll. Continue reading →

(L-R) Joe Zabar, Jeremy Stuparich, Prof John Haldane, Suzanne Greenwood, Alison Burt and Fr Stephen Hackett MSC.

Wisdom comes at the end of the day and we tend to only truly understand things in retrospect, Professor John Haldane told Church leaders gathered for a talk at the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) Secretariat recently.

University of St Andrews philosopher, Professor Haldane was appointed a Visiting Professor at The University of Notre Dame Australia within the School of Philosophy and Theology for 2016.

Professor Haldane visited the ACBC Secretariat in Canberra for a luncheon with senior Catholic agency and Archdiocesan staff on Thursday 31 March 2016.

Drawing attention to the ‘Philosophy of Right’, Prof Haldane began the lunch gathering by quoting Georg Hegel, a German philosopher who examined the role of philosophy in prescribing principles on how the world ought to be. Continue reading →

Amoris Laetitia could be viewed in one sense as a deeply traditional document and in another sense as a document full of surprises, Archbishop Mark Coleridge told Journalist John Cleary during a live discussion on ABC Radio, Sunday Nights program on 10 April.

The Archbishop was also joined by ABC Religion Producer Noel Debien to discuss ‘The Joy of Love’ Exhortation and to unpack its meaning.

Archbishop Coleridge said the document moves between the ideal and the reality of family life. ‘It does so in a very down to earth, deeply spun way. One of the things that’s struck me is that it both affirms much of what we have received, what we have to pass on, but it also opens new doors. It calls for a pastoral conversion. Continue reading →

Choir from St Patrick’s Parish, Mentone

JOYFUL singing in praise and worship to God was heard resounding from the Catholic Leadership Centre in East Melbourne on the evening of Friday 8 April, for the national launch of the Catholic Worship Book II (CWBII).

The launch was presented by the National Liturgical Music Board and was webcast live into parish and church centres around Australia.

The evening was punctuated with rousing hymns and songs from CWBII performed by cantors and the choir from St Patrick’s Parish in Mentone.

CWBII, which is published by Morning Star Publishing, contains 650 musical items including hymns, songs and psalms. Clare Johnson from the National Liturgical Music Board said CWBII is designed to underpin the Church’s liturgical year and the sacraments. Continue reading →

News Reporter Gillian Bowen covered the release of Pope Francis’ new document, Amoris Laetitia, for Channel Ten’s eyewitness news on Saturday evening 9 April 2016.

Bowen reported that ‘Pope Francis wants the Church to be less strict and more compassionate towards ‘imperfect’ Catholics after releasing a new set of guidelines on marriage and love’. Watch the news clip below which features Archbishop Mark Coleridge.

Continue reading →

Media Statement from Bishop Paul Bird 

Bishop Ronald Mulkearns died this morning (Monday, April 4) in Nazareth House Nursing Home, Ballarat, aged 85.

Bishop Mulkearns was the bishop of Ballarat from 1971 till 1997. Those who knew him personally will remember a man who was dedicated in his service over those years and, indeed, over the sixty years he served as a priest. At the same time, Bishop Mulkearns himself acknowledged that he had made some tragic mistakes during his time as bishop. He expressed his sorrow for these mistakes in the evidence he gave to the Royal Commission in February.

The Royal Commission had foreshadowed a further hearing of evidence from Bishop Mulkearns. His death means that the Royal Commission and survivors will not be able to hear any further evidence that he might have given and this will be a disappointment to them.

Domestic Violence

If the commitment of the Victorian community and political leaders stays strong, we may just see a Victoria free of family violence…..

Today the Victorian Royal Commission into family violence released its report and recommendations, after a 13-month inquiry.  The Commission thanked the more than 200 people and organisations who gave evidence, made submissions, and attended discussions.  In a statement prior to the release of the report, the Commissioner, Marcia Neave thanked all those who gave evidence, noting that “Many of those who contributed to our work have been directly or indirectly affected by family violence and we thank them for their courage and insight.”

Catholic Social Services Victoria welcomed the Royal Commission, the first in Australia to consider this important issue.   The Terms of Reference asked the Commission to make recommendations on how Victoria, through its community and government services, should prevent and respond to family violence.   This complex issue called for the mix of credibility, deep consideration, research and public consultation a Royal Commission could give. Continue reading →

Dramatic Easter Morning Sunrise

President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Hart, celebrated Mass on Easter Sunday, 27 March 2016, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne.

“We are an Easter people; Alleluia is our song,” the Archbishop said.

Read the Archbishop’s homily below including the homily that he preached during the Holy Saturday vigil and at the Passion on Good Friday.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

“When Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.” (Colossians 3:4)

As we go with Peter and John to find the empty tomb today’s Gospel give us a great contrast between the darkness and searching of Mary Magdalene and Peter and the intuition of John, which spread to them all, upon realising that Jesus rose from the dead. Continue reading →