Australia’s Catholic parishes and dioceses are being invited to undertake the five-yearly National Count of Attendance next month, albeit with some changes to reflect the COVID-19 pandemic.
Held every five years since 2001, the project is a simple head count of all attenders at all parishes and other Mass centres across Australia over the four weekends of May. The count takes in Masses as well as Sunday assemblies in the absence of a priest.
Catholics in Australia are being encouraged to receive a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available to them, with the relevant Bishops Commission saying it is morally permissible to accept any vaccine.
In a document published today, the Bishops Commission for Life, Family and Public Engagement acknowledges that there are ethical concerns about the way some of the vaccines have been developed or tested. That includes the use of cell lines derived from an abortion in the 1970s.
An example of the damage that Cyclone Seroja unleashed on buildings in Geraldton Diocese (photos supplied)
The people of the Diocese of Geraldton are remaining positive and supportive as they deal with the aftermath of Cyclone Seroja, which caused extensive damage to church buildings last week.
Geraldton Bishop Michael Morrissey said he was thankful the strongest part of the Category 3 cyclone missed the city of Geraldton by about 25 kilometres.
Cardinal Cassidy, in a 1998 file photo (Catholic News Service photo)
The Catholic Church – in Australia and globally – is mourning the death of Cardinal Edward Cassidy, who died earlier today in Newcastle at the age of 96.
After being ordained to the priesthood, Cardinal Cassidy served in parish ministry in Wagga Wagga Diocese before heading to Rome for ongoing study. Once he completed his additional training, he spent nearly 30 years serving as a Vatican diplomat in Asia, Europe, Latin America and Africa.
Almost 200 Catholic women from around the country gathered online on March 27 for a national consultation organised by the Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry.
Twenty-six Australian dioceses were represented at the event, with Archbishop Christopher Prowse, the chair of the Bishops Commission, and Bishop Michael Morrissey, the Bishop Delegate for Women, also taking part.
Participants in the 2021 Leadership for Mission program participated in their first module last week
Twelve young women from across Australia gathered last week for a four-day intensive session as part of the acclaimed Leadership for Mission program, a postgraduate course for women aged 25 to 35.
The latest cohort for the program, which is a joint initiative of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference’s National Centre for Evangelisation and Australian Catholic University, with the support of Catholic Mission, was set to commence last year but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chris Richardson and Bernard Salt were keynote speakers at the ACU/Bishops Conference event
Leaders of Catholic agencies and a number of external experts gathered online on Monday to consider the challenges of the pandemic for Australians and what the Catholic community can contribute to public policy ideas to bolster the country’s COVID-19 recovery.
The roundtable discussion, “A Catholic contribution to public policy on COVID”, was co-hosted by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and the Australian Catholic University’s public policy think tank, the PM Glynn Institute.
Catholic women are being invited to participate in a national consultation with two bishops later this month and to mark their diaries for a national gathering in September.
The national consultation, which will take place on March 27 via Zoom, invites women to articulate and celebrate their contribution to and vision for the mission of the Catholic Church in Australia.
A years-long project to produce a book that contains the prayers the celebrant prays from the presider’s chair has been completed, with the new book now on sale in Australia.
Excerpts from the Roman Missal, known informally as the “Book of the Chair”, is significantly smaller and lighter than the Roman Missal.
The working document for the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia provides a catalyst for the Church to renew the journey of prayer and discernment toward the first assembly in October, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB says.
The document, known as an instrumentum laboris, draws heavily on the voices heard during the Listening and Dialogue and Listening and Discernment phases of the Plenary Council, but also from other key sources. It is entitled Continuing the Journey.