Families bearing the burden

Women using calculatorSocial Services Minister Christian Porter, should dump plans to cut the income of most single breadwinner families by more than $54 a week.

The Chief Executives of the Australian Catholic Council for Employment Relations, Brian Lawrence, and Catholic Social Services Australia, Marcelle Mogg, said the Coalition Government should not be taking Family Tax Benefit Part B (FTB B) from low and middle income families with school age children.

“The proposal discriminates against couple parent families and would leave them and their children at a lower standard of living,” said Mr Lawrence. Continue reading →

Sick with worry report: People’s desire to participate shines through

Cover of "Sick with worry ..."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.

Continue reading →

Prepare for Advent with daily reflections book

Cover of Beloved CDThe 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.

Continue reading →

To listen with the heart Australian Catholic Women's League, 47th Biennial Conference

Catholic Women's League Conference Logo

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

Over 250 women from all over Australia gathered in Parramatta to attend the 47th 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 →

Religion, Law and Social Stability

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

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 →

Faith leaders hold urgent meeting to call on politicians to restore the human dignity of refugees and asylum seekers

Refugees in a boat at seaToday 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 →

On the Road Together – The Search for Focus

In the chapel at the Augustinian house, beautifully renovated with wonderful Rupnik mosaics. The silhouetted figure is Fr Tony Banks OSA, Vicar of the Order. I'd always thought he was Aussie, but it turns out he's Kiwi born and bred!

In the chapel at the Augustinian house, beautifully renovated with wonderful Rupnik mosaics. The silhouetted figure is Fr Tony Banks OSA, Vicar of the Order. I’d always thought he was Aussie, but it turns out he’s Kiwi born and bred!

By Archbishop Coleridge

Today we had the first full day of small group work.  We hacked our way through the first two chapters of Part I of the Instrumentum Laboris: the challenges of the family.  The method being used in this Synod is, as one bishop said,  “cumbersome”.  That’s putting it mildly.  

We moved through the working document paragraph by paragraph, asking what we should emend, delete or add.  In other words, we re-wrote the document, trying wherever possible to abbreviate rather than lengthen a document that’s already too long and repetitive.  When we’ve finished our reworking of Part I, I have to report to the plenary assembly on our work; and when we’ve finished the three Parts, we hand it all over to the group of 10 whom the Pope has asked to compose the final document of the Synod.  I wish them luck.   Continue reading →

On the Road Together – The power of words

Saint Peter's Square. Vatican CityBy Archbishop Coleridge

This afternoon we finally moved into the small groups, which was a bit messy but refreshing.  I say messy because the first challenge was to find the room where your group was to meet.  That may sound easy, but (with 4 English groups, 3 French, 3 Italian, 2 Spanish-Portuguese and 1 German) it wasn’t.  

Having found the room, the challenge was then to find enough space in the room to accommodate the 20+ people in the “small” group.  As well as the Synod bishops, there were experts, auditors and ecumenical reps.  It was definitely economy rather than business class.  Keep the elbows down. Continue reading →

On the Road Together – Widen the Horizon

By Archbishop Coleridge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLKRoTFukhA&feature=youtu.be

The video accompanying this post gives you a sense of the Synod Hall just before we began work this morning.  It’s time to meet and mingle – and you can see Pope Francis up the front shaking a few hands.  I was too busy videoing to head his way: later.  You can hear the PA at the end telling us all to take our seats in the Hall: stop the chatter and start praying before working.

Continue reading →

World Mental Health Day reminds us we are all members of the Body of Christ

Screen Shot 2015-10-07 at 11.16.44 am (2)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.

Continue reading →