The local consultation phase for the 2023 Synod of Bishops has been extended in Australia by more than two months, following the Vatican’s decision to allow more time for dioceses to hear from their people.
The Holy See announced in late October that the original request for national syntheses of diocesan consultations to be sent to Rome by April 2022 had been changed, with them now due by August 15, 2022.
Adelaide’s Madeline Forde has been appointed to the international youth advisory body established by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.
Ms Forde has experience in a variety of settings, including Marist and Lasallian youth ministries, school and young adults ministry, and walking alongside First Nations people. She is currently the pastoral associate (students) at Australian Catholic University’s Blacktown campus.
Celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the National Centre for Pastoral Research continue this week with Bathurst Bishop Michael McKenna to deliver a free online lecture on Wednesday evening.
The National Centre for Pastoral Research (NCPR), established in 1996 when Bishop McKenna was a priest serving as general secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, is believed to be the only such office in the world.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has launched the enrolment phase of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, inviting Catholic groups to commit to a sustainable future.
The Laudato Si’ Action Platform is a Vatican-led initiative, in collaboration with several partners. It empowers the universal Church to pursue and achieve total sustainability in the holistic spirit of integral ecology.
Pope Francis has this evening announced that Society of the Divine Word priest Fr Tim Norton will become an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Brisbane.
Fr Norton, who is currently in ministry in Italy, will early next year join Auxiliary Bishop Ken Howell in supporting Archbishop Mark Coleridge in serving the Catholics of Brisbane Archdiocese.
Archbishop Mark Coleridge, Br Peter Carroll FMS and Joan Fitzpatrick (photos supplied)
A capital injection from Catholic dioceses and religious orders has strengthened Catholic Church Insurance’s and the Church’s ability to make financial reparations for abuse carried out by priests, religious and lay people.
Catholic Church Insurance (CCI), which has been supporting Catholic parishes, schools, community services and other ministries for more than 100 years, last year reported that recent and projected compensation claims for historical abuse had necessitated an increase in the company’s capital levels.
Representatives of Australian dioceses have gathered online to consider how to support local engagement with the global process leading to the 2023 Synod of Bishops in Rome.
On October 17, dioceses across the world hosted celebrations to launch the journey towards the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
As the Church in Australia prepares for Prison Sunday, Bishop Don Sproxton has thanked prison chaplains for their ongoing pastoral care of prisoners, especially in a time when ministry has been hindered by the pandemic.
Bishop Sproxton, the Bishop Delegate for Prisoners’ Pastoral Care, cited the words of Pope Francis in underlining the importance of the work and presence of chaplains.
Bishop Columba Macbeth-Green, seen at the 2019 Australian Catholic Youth Festival, is inviting youth ministry leaders to attend a national consultation next month
Representatives of Australian Catholic youth and young adult ministries are invited to take part in a consultation to explore the establishment of a new national network.
Hosted by the Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry, in partnership with the Australian network of diocesan youth ministry coordinators (ANDYMC), the online event will take place on Thursday November 25 from 7pm to 9pm AEDT.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has published its inaugural annual report, outlining the key activities undertaken by the various parts of the Bishops Conference.
The idea of publishing an annual report emerged from a desire to inform the Catholic community and wider society about how the Bishops Conference supports the mission of the Church in Australia. It also responds to the call for greater transparency within Catholic organisations.