The Web connecting us all to Mercy

Mercy: A Way of Being in the World. Photo from BBI.

With Pope Francis drawing crowds all over the world under his vision of Mercy, there is little wonder this year’s eConference hosted by BBI, in partnership with the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, is drawing interest across the Asia-Pacific region.

Titled Mercy: A Way of Being in the World, this year BBI is calling on people from within the Catholic community to share, via a video submission, a time when they have experienced Mercy, with a number of these videos to be played during the eConference.

BBI’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Gerard Goldman, said creating a segment named Mercy Moments and inviting the public to submit videos was a natural progression of the eConference which is now in its twelfth series.

“We see the eConference as an extension of faith formation in contemporary times and in a contemporary setting.”

“As an educator in faith, theology and spirituality, we believe it is a part of our corporate social responsibility to provide a free resource for Catholics and all faith based communities,” Dr Goldman said. Continue reading →

National conference heralds a renaissance of marriage

rom-thin-banner[1]_200 In a world witnessing changing trends in marriage, the true depth and breadth of Catholic marriage has become cutting-edge.

Thus Pope Francis in Amoris Laetitia, with the world’s bishops, appealed for a renewed and revitalised approach to equipping young people for Catholic marriage and supporting married couples.

Marriage, he makes clear, is “more than a fleeting fashion; it is of enduring importance”.

The Church in Australia has heeded the Pope’s call, responding with a landmark initiative to bring together the best minds and hearts working in the area of marriage and family today.

More than 20 Australian and international speakers will share their expertise in the field of marriage and unpack the Pope’s exhortation with talks, workshops, and inspiring testimonials. Continue reading →

Victorian students among 3000 Australian youth attending World Youth Day in Poland

Bishop Mark Edwards

First published in the Herald Sun on 20 July 2016.

More than 3000 Australian youth are brimming with excitement at the prospect of attending a Papal mass with 2.5 million devoted Catholics in Poland.

Among Victorians heading to World Youth Day in Krakow are five students from Catholic Regional College Sydenham.

Andrew Owen, 16, said he had travelled overseas before but this would be different: He had a spiritual purpose.

“It’s not a holiday. It’s not a time for us to relax. It’s time for us to build connections, to think, reflect and be spiritual with other people. It’s about understanding our faith better,” Andrew said.

The students agreed seeing Pope Francis and celebrating the open air mass would be the highlight.

Geraldine Vytilingam, 16, said: “It’s literally a dream come true. I’m really excited to meet Pope Francis. I think he is an incredible example of mercy.” Continue reading →

World Youth Day: Modern faith gives young Catholics wings

Justin Faehrmann, 24, Asheligh Green, 24, and Laura McAlister, 27. Picture: Hollie Adams

First published in The Australian on 19 July 2016.

In the Middle Ages, Catholic pilgrims donned leather sandals and headed to the Holy Land, Santiago de Compostela and other sacred sites in a rite of passage bringing them closer to their faith.

Centuries on, they’re continuing the tradition with a contemporary twist, clutching Havaianas, iPhones and international air tickets as they head to Cracow, Poland, for World Youth Day, which kicks off next week.

More than 2.5 million young Catholics will attend the event — the largest in the Catholic Church’s international calendar — including a contingent of more than 3000 from Australia.

“It feels like no one’s left in town,” Ashleigh Green, 24, said as she prepared to head to Europe.

Ms Green, who studies social work in Ray Haven on the NSW central coast, will meet six members of her church for a week-long tour of Germany before joining more than 230 parishioners from the Broken Bay diocese.

Other Sydneysiders Laura McAlister of East Killara and Justin Faehrmann of North Strathfield also left at the weekend for the pilgrimage, which culminates in an all-night vigil and morning mass hosted by Pope Francis, attended by more than 2.5 million. Continue reading →

World Youth Day 2016 pilgrimage experiences

Parramatta pilgrims carry out mission projects across Bohol, Philippines. Photo from Diocese of Parramatta.

Over the past few days, Australian pilgrims, group leaders, bishops and chaplains have commenced their pilgrimage to World Youth Day.

There are more than 30 different Cosmos pilgrimages currently taking place with some groups visiting holy places while others complete a mission project in a place of need.

The ACBC Office for Youth provides a snapshot below of just some of the wonderful pilgrimage experiences taking place.

One of the Diocese of Parramatta’s pilgrimages to World Youth Day 2016 has begun on the island of Bohol, Philippines.

The Bishop of Tagbilaran, Most Rev Leonardo Y Medroso DD, formally welcomed pilgrims to the Diocese of Tagbilaran and spoke about the experience of mercy. Continue reading →

Aussie Pilgrims Journey to the City of Mercy

Thousands of Aussie pilgrims are departing from Australia over the coming days to join with millions of youth from around the world as they meet with Pope Francis in Krakow, Poland for the 2016 World Youth Day (WYD).

Of the 3,000 Australian pilgrims participating at WYD, 2350 are travelling with Cosmos, the official Australian Tour Operator designated by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference for WYD 2016.

Cosmos are providing 37 different pilgrimage itineraries across Europe with 63 coaches, each with a dedicated tour guide.

Cosmos National Marketing Manager for Australia Chris Fundell said it was a huge honour to be chosen as the official tour operator for this task.

“This is an extraordinary event to be involved in and one of the largest group operations Cosmos has ever arranged,” said Mr Fundell. Continue reading →

Travel Safety, World Youth Day

media-statement-200x200 In advance of World Youth Day 2016, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference is closely following the recent violent events in France and Turkey.

Over the past 48 hours, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has monitored the situation by checking the safety of Australian pilgrimage groups travelling throughout Europe prior to World Youth Day.

Communication is ongoing between the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade regarding the latest travel advice updates. A high degree of caution must be exercised if travelling to France, Israel and Turkey. Continue reading →

Dealing with abuse, theological and spiritual reflections

Fr Hans Zollner SJ. Photo credit news.va

On 28 July, Fr Hans Zollner SJ will lead a day of reflection for bishops and leaders of religious institutes across Australia about dealing with abuse.

Fr Hans is President of the Centre for Child Protection at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

The National Committee for Professional Standards will host the day of reflection in Sydney entitled: Dealing with abuse: Theological and Spiritual Reflection with an international perspective.

Fr Hans lectures at the Gregorian Institute in Rome and is also a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. He is visiting Australia for a short time in late July 2016.

The day will focus on exploring the personal and communal impact of child sexual abuse. There will be an opportunity to reflect on how we live spiritually and theologically in this time and to ask where God is calling us through this challenge. There may be an opportunity to share the experiences and lessons learnt from those in similar circumstances in other parts of the world.

The National Committee for Professional Standards is seeking to provide an important opportunity for our bishops and religious leaders to share and explore their own experience of dealing with abuse during this challenging time for the Church internationally.

Further details are available from: timmsc@ncps.org.au or (02) 9669 6218.

New publication to help enlighten a diverse Catholic health and aged care workforce

Jack de Groot

Many of my colleagues in leadership and governance roles in Catholic health and aged care come from a variety of religious traditions or none. Even among the Catholics, only some are active participants in faith practice these days, and certainly many have profound questions.

So put yourself into these shoes: Imagine having only the most general understanding of Catholicism and being tasked with providing leadership consistent with the mission and values of a Catholic health or aged care provider, leading in ways that extend the healing ministry of Jesus. And it’s also been made clear to you that as a leader you cannot just defer to the Mission Leader to communicate and nurture the organisation’s mission. For many people that’s a big ask, and resources to help answer the challenge won’t readily spring to mind.

So imagine this new role you’ve taken is in a local aged care home run by a Catholic organisation. You notice something about the facility that feels warm and welcoming; you like the values they talk about, but you don’t necessarily understand where the “religious” aspect fits in. Continue reading →

Follow the Australian Journey to World Youth Day with Live Web cast on Xt3.com

XT3_WYD16WebcastAd_JPG_Blog Many friends, family and parishioners will have the opportunity to follow Australia’s journey to the city of mercy as 2,500 World Youth Day pilgrims travelling to Poland with the live web cast of events from Krakow through the digital platform Xt3.com.

From 26-31 July, main events from Krakow will be broadcast live at: www.xt3.com/live.

Xt3, meaning Christ in the Third Millennium, is a website and digital resource that began in 2008 during World Youth Day, Sydney, as a way to connect pilgrims. It has since developed into a hub of Catholic online resources.

Hosted by the Archdiocese of Sydney, Xt3 is a digital resource where Catholic events can be viewed live from the comfort of your own home, such as the meeting of Pope Francis with the youth of the world in Krakow during World Youth Day this month.

Given the international time difference, the World Youth Day events will be available to watch at any time after the live web cast has been broadcast.

A unique feature of the Xt3 live web cast is the ability for viewers to comment online and join in solidarity with those present and others watching from around the world. Social media posts using the hash tag #AussiePilgrims will be published on screen during the live web cast. Continue reading →

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