The St Vincent de Paul Society National Council has marked Anti-Poverty Week 2015 with the launch of the ‘Sick with worry…’ report containing stories from the front-line of inequality and 14 recommendations for urgent action by the Federal Government to help enable people to achieve their dreams of a life without poverty.

The report is being launched by Vinnies CEO Dr John Falzon in conjunction with the Social Determinants of Health Alliance Anti-Poverty Week Oration in Canberra today.

The report comprises more than 20 stories from people located around Australia who are assisted by the St Vincent de Paul Society. The stigma faced by those living in poverty, the inherent insecurity that homelessness and housing stress entails and the disproportionate impact of poverty on women emerged as key themes.

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The Catholic Diocese of Wollongong is taking orders for BELOVED – Daily Advent and Christmas Reflections 2015 book as well as CRY OUT – Psalms for Advent and Lent CD.

Click here to order your copies online today:
www.advent.dow.org.au

Click here to view a sample of the book:
http://dow.sh/beloved_reflections

Click here to listen to samples of the music:
http://dow.sh/cry_out_samples

BELOVED is a beautifully presented full-colour 72-page pocket size resource containing short daily reflections for Advent and Christmas 2015. BELOVED is primarily for personal use, but it is also appropriate for group use such as parish, Church agency, religious community and school staff/class prayer.

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Catholic Women’s League Conference Logo. Photos by Karen Cassar.

Over 250 women from all over Australia gathered in Parramatta to attend the 47^th Biennial Conference of the Catholic Women’s League Australia from 22-24 September.

The theme for the conference was “Listen with the Heart” and evoked the values of understanding, forgiveness, compassion, empathy, mercy, justice and love.

Beginning with an Opening Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral Parramatta on Tuesday 22 September, the conference focus was very much on the social justice issues concerning women in Australia today. Continue reading →

Fr Brian Lucas, General Secretary, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

Addressing delegates gathered at the twenty second annual International Law and Religion symposium in the United States, Fr Brian Lucas presented examples of interfaith opportunities that impact social stability.

Gathered at the International Center for Law and Religious Studies, Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah from 4-6 October 2015, Fr Lucas, General Secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, discussed two examples relevant within an Australian and global context; Islam extremism and same sex marriage.

‘Challenges include the difficulty of identifying authorities to negotiate with in dialogue,’ Fr Lucas told delegates that included 90 leading scholars, jurists, and political and civil society leaders from 40 countries.  Continue reading →

Today more than 50 Leaders representing diverse faith groups met with Members and Senators at Parliament House, Canberra, calling on them to restore Australia’s standing as a compassionate nation by winding back policies negatively impacting on people escaping violence, persecution and death.

As a positive step, the faith leaders asked all political parties and independents to join with them in establishing a task force to work together to change the political and public narrative regarding asylum seekers and refugees. Continue reading →

People living with mental health challenges, are no less members of the Body of Christ than anyone else, Bishop Terry Brady said during Mental Health Awareness Week.

‘People with mental illness and their families can often feel isolated from their faith community and thus isolated from God. Isolation is often caused by social stigma: the idea that mental illness is a question of character or a punishment from God,’ Bishop Brady, Chair of the Bishops Commission for Pastoral Life and the Australian Catholic Disability Council said.

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Prayer card for World Mental Health Day, 10 October 2015.

World Mental Health Day is observed annually on 10 October. This year, the Church has sought to celebrate this day as an opportunity to encourage a truly pastoral view that embraces our total community as the living Body of Christ.

To be authentic, this view must include every member of the community acknowledging their call, their gift and their presence.

Recently, people with mental illness were consulted on their experience in the church in Australia. One respondent said, ‘I have a mental illness, my illness is usually episodic. I am me all the time, and would like parishes to have some knowledge about mental illness in regard to stigma’.

Another stated, ‘For many people with a mental illness, it can be impossible to have full and active participation in parish life. They are so tired all the time (from a combination of medication and illness) that they just don’t have an opportunity to venture out much at all. We can’t afford to feel alone and not part of the church, even though it, at times it seems we are!’ Continue reading →

International Day of the Girl Child

More than one million children are being trafficked annually and forced into prostitution, according to the United Nations.

The UN is highlighting the various forms of discrimination and abuse suffered by girls around the world to mark the International Day of the Girl Child on 11 October 2015.

Marking this significant day, the Council for Australian Catholic Women prepared a parish resource that includes a parish bulletin notice, a suggested petition for the general intercessions and links to online resources.

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Left to right: Bishop Terry Brady, Fr Peter Carroll msc, Dr Ruth Webber, James Koulouris; Assistant Commissioner, Governance & Continuous Improvement, NSW Government, Dr Ann Marie Martin; Assistant Commissioner, Offender Management & Policy, NSW Government, Patrick Aboud; Governor Long Bay Correctional Centre.

The role of the prison chaplain goes far beyond just looking after the religious and spiritual needs of prisoners, Dr Ruth Webber told delegates gathered for the inaugural Catholic Prison Chaplains National Gathering this weekend.

Dr Webber is a Professor (Honorary) at the Australian Catholic University. In her keynote address on Thursday 24 September, she said, ‘Prison chaplains provide much-needed emotional, practical and social support to prisoners’. Continue reading →

Yili and Salome Li, Ron Pirola, Bishop Kennedy, Bradley and Natalie Wilkinson with their children Hannah, Joel, Jemima and Eve.

Bishop Michael Kennedy departs with representatives from many Australian dioceses today to join with 150 other nations at the World Meeting of Families in America later this month.

The World Meeting of Families will take place at Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia from 22-25 September 2015.

Pope Francis will attend the gathering that centres on the theme, ‘Love is our mission: The family fully alive’.

Twenty one adults and 23 children, aged between three years and 14 years, will travel on the official Australian pilgrimage led by the Bishop Delegate for Marriage and Family, Michael Kennedy, along with Dr Ron and Mrs Mavis Pirola, Co-Chair Couple of the The Australian Catholic Marriage & Family Council (ACMFC). Continue reading →