PROCLAIM 2016 Get in Quick for Early Bird Prices!

2016 Proclaim eNewsbuttonEarly Bird Registrations for the exciting national PROCLAIM 2016 Conference on the new evangelisation will be closing Monday 27 June.

Registrations are coming in fast, with groups booked from dioceses across NSW, QLD and Victoria.

“We are delighted to see such an enthusiastic take-up,” said Conference Co-ordinator, Natalie Moutia.

“The strong response is a sign that people are looking for ways to really engage their communities in evangelisation. We believe the range of exceptional international speakers and variety of practical workshops will deliver wonderful opportunities for all involved.” Continue reading →

Final preparations for World Youth Day 2016

wyd logoFinal preparations are underway to support more than 2500 Australian pilgrims, chaplains, bishops and leaders during World Youth Day (WYD) next month from 25-31 July in Krakow, Poland.

Pilgrimage coordinators from across the country gathered in Sydney last week for a national briefing to share pastoral preparation, pre-WYD pilgrimages, logistics, evangelisation strategies and post-WYD retreats. Those who could not make it to Sydney joined the meeting through an Xt3 webcast, organised by the Archdiocese of Sydney. Continue reading →

Minister and the Opposition Leader address Catholic Educators

Minister for Education and Training Senator Simon Birmingham.

Minister for Education and Training Senator Simon Birmingham.

The joint hosts of the National Catholic Education Commission 2016 Conference have said the presence of Minister for Education and Training Senator Simon Birmingham and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten at the gathering of 1,400 Catholic educators shows the value the politicians place on the role of Catholic schools in Australian society.

“With just 12 days until the federal election, Minister Birmingham and Mr Shorten have prioritised this event to explain their parties’ vision for Australian education and the important role that the 1,731 Catholic schools across Australia play in that educational enterprise,” NCEC executive director Ross Fox said.

Tim McDonald, executive director of Catholic Education Western Australia, said the visit “strengthens the already close bond that the 163 Catholic schools in Western Australia have with local and national political leaders in supporting the education of 78,000 students in all parts of the state”. Continue reading →

Bishop Long’s homily during Mass of Installation

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Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM ConV and Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP.

Dear friends,

The clergy and Catholic people of Parramatta have been waiting for long and here I am, only five feet and a half though. After 19 months without a bishop, you have been given one in the person of a Vietnamese Australian and a former boat person. Perhaps, you can add my appointment to the list of surprises that Pope Francis has done.

I am very honoured and humbled by this appointment and grateful for the opportunity to serve the Church in Parramatta during this time. As guided by my motto “go further into the deep” (Lk 5:40), I have taken many leaps of faith before, including the one that launched me literally onto the Pacific Ocean. Now I am about to be cast into the deep interior of Western Sydney, all the way to the beautiful Blue Mountains and the fertile plains of the Hawkesbury River. I cannot help but feel daunted by what lies ahead. Nevertheless, I make bold to move forward, trusting in the sustaining power of God and the support of many people and fellow ministers of the Gospel. Continue reading →

Bishop Vincent Long Installed as Fourth Bishop of Parramatta

The new Bishop received formal recognition from a family in the Diocese, two pilgrims who will be participating in World Youth Day 2016, two members of Religious communities from the Diocese and two priests of the Diocese. Photo: Alphonsus Fok

The new Bishop receives formal recognition from a local priest. Photo: Alphonsus Fok

A Liturgical Reception and Solemn Mass of Installation celebrated the appointment of former Vietnamese boat person, Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM ConV, as the fourth Bishop of Parramatta at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Parramatta tonight.

The Mass was concelebrated by Most Reverend Anthony Fisher OP, Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Reverend Adolfo Tito Yllana, Apostolic Nuncio to Australia, the archbishops and bishops of Australia, clergy of the Diocese of Parramatta and visiting clergy.

Prayers of the faithful were read in Malayalam, Arabic, Auslan, Cantonese, Spanish and Polish representing the ethnic diversity across the diocese. Continue reading →

CathNews on YouTube

youtube-squareInterested in following what’s happening across the Catholic Church in Australia and beyond?

Subscribe to the CathNews YouTube channel featuring daily uploads from the Vatican, addresses by Pope Francis and Catholic news of the day.

The CathNews YouTube channel also features Easter and Christmas video messages from the bishops of Australia.

The video channel also offers daily Mass from Sydney and a variety of videos from Church leaders and agencies, including reflections, documentaries and lectures for the interest and information of our subscribers and the wider public. Continue reading →

Treat suicide as the human tragedy it is

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AS chaplain to a big Melbourne hospital, I often provide comfort and support to those dying and their families. Another part of my ministry in the parish is visiting families in the aftermath of suicide.

The death of a loved one leaves those close to them with a sense of pain and loss, but the agony caused by suicide is different.

“What more could I have done?” and the unanswerable “Why?” haunt those left after such a tragedy. While suicide may seem to a person taking their own life as a way to end their suffering, it does not remove the pain. It just shifts the distress on to others.

The Victorian Government’s Inquiry into End of Life Choices addressed many important questions. Recommendations such as improving education for health professionals and improving access to palliative care, if legislated, will definitely improve outcomes for Victorians approaching the end of life. But recommendation 49 to introduce assisted suicide and euthanasia will transfer the distress to health professionals and to family, as anyone who has experienced a loved one’s suicide knows only too well. It does not remove the suffering. Continue reading →

Australian Bishops head to World Youth Day

Nineteen Australian bishops will pack their bags for World Youth Day next month, proving age is no barrier to participation in the World’s largest youth event.

The faith filled festival will take place in Krakow, Poland from 25 – 31 July, with more than 2,500 Aussie pilgrims attending including teachers, chaplains, youth leaders and those who may be unsure about their faith.

Half of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference will participate in World Youth Day celebrating St John Paul’s vision for young people, renewed again with the presence of Pope Francis.

President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Denis Hart, said, ‘World Youth Day is a unique opportunity for young people to deepen their faith and unity with the Pope and with each other. It is often a life-changing experience’.

‘During the five World Youth Days that I have attended, I have found my faith encouraged by the joy and deepening faith of beautiful young people,’ Archbishop Hart added. Continue reading →

Women as Witnesses to the Joy of the Gospel

2016-PSU-CACW-colloquium_poster_thumbHow do we make more space for women in decision-making, leadership and lay pastoral ministry in our Church?

If this is a question that interests you, why not consider attending the Council for Australian Catholic Women’s Colloquium from 17 to 18 September at Mary Mackillop Place, North Sydney.

The Colloquium theme, Women as Witnesses to the Joy of the Gospel will set the scene for theological and pastoral reflection on Pope Francis’ call to “create still broader opportunities for a more incisive female presence in the Church” (Evangelii Gaudium 103).

The keynote addresses and workshops will examine this theme, Dr Maria Harries, Adjunct Professor at Curtin University will lead a keynote address considering the issues facing ‘Women in the Family’. Dr Michele Connolly, RSJ, Lecturer of New Testament Studies at the Catholic Institute of Sydney, will explore the issues facing ‘Women in the Church’. Dr Megan Brock RSJ, member of Catholic Religious Australia and a psychologist working in private practice, will deliver the final keynote address on ‘Women in Society’.  Continue reading →

Tree of Life resource celebrates Laudato Si’ anniversary

Tree of Life image for a Laudato Si' ResourceCatholic Earthcare Australia’s 2016 resource has been launched on World Environment Day to encourage the community to celebrate the first Anniversary of the papal encyclical Laudato Si’ by coming together to experience dialogue and stimulate action on caring for our common home.

Catholics are being invited to write down their actions about caring for creation and bring them together in the form of a new ‘Tree of Life’ resource. “The ‘Tree of Life’ is a wonderful opportunity to share the message of the Pope’s encyclical, Laudato Si’ and to enable dialogue and action within local Catholic communities,” says Jacqui Remond, Director of Catholic Earthcare Australia, the ecological agency of the Catholic Church in Australia. Continue reading →