Tag Archives: Jesus Christ

A Word for Today – Archbishop Hickey launches new weekly YouTube series

By Bridget Anna-Maria Spinks


Children’s welfare, family interests and the rampant drug culture in Perth will be a few of the topics discussed by Perth Catholic Archbishop Barry Hickey in a new video series he launched on 20 January online.
In an attempt to speak to the broader public, the weekly video series “A Word for Today’s World with Archbishop Barry Hickey” will appear online every Friday from now on via The Faith Centre website, signed in Auslan and complete with subtitles and a transcript.
The Faith Centre for Evangelisation and Catholic Culture, the newest centre in the Perth Archdiocese, will produce the videos and host these on their website www.thefaith.org.au. Continue reading →

Bishops’ Australia Day call for time limit on detention

Media Release
24 January, 2012

To mark Australia Day, the Catholic Bishops Commission for Justice, Ecology and Development calls upon political parties to work towards a common approach to asylum seekers, so that human beings do not become pawns in a political argument. Further, and more immediately, to honour the Australian sense of justice and compassion, there must be a defined limit to incarceration in detention centres for people who are not criminals. The Bishops are calling on the Government to limit detention to three months.

Four of the Bishops who signed this statement minister directly to asylum seekers in immigration detention centres located in their dioceses. Bishop Julian Porteous, Auxiliary Bishop in Sydney, supported the opinions of the other Bishops who have direct involvement in the pastoral care of asylum seekers in detention. “Prolonged and indefinite detention in these facilities can only produce psychological damage”, he said. Continue reading →

Catholic Migrant office calls for reflection on asylum policy during the Christmas season.

Media Release,
23 December 2011
The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office today urged both political parties to show moral leadership over the Christmas period with regard to policy debates on asylum seekers and refugees.
Director of the ACMRO Fr Maurizio Pettenà CS expressed the view that people seeking asylum need to be processed in countries who are signatories to the UN Refugee Convention and who can assure them of the opportunity to rebuild their lives in dignity.
“Richer countries like Australia have a moral duty to do more to help the world’s refugees who are mostly hosted by poorer nations” he said.
“Christmas reminds us that it is in giving that we receive. This applies even more so to how much we give to those who seek asylum. Increasing the humanitarian program is an appropriate outcome that both political parties can agree on.” Continue reading →

Trust in God, and take one day at a time – A reflection on the life of Bishop Joe

Bishop Joe Grech and Fr Maurizio Pettena concelebrating Mass with Bishops and Priests in Sydney, May, 2010.

By Fr Maurizio Pettena CS

Bishop Joe is still very much a holy presence in my life. I remember very vividly last year on the 23rd of December when he called me at about 10pm at night and asked me what I was doing.

He said he wasn’t feeling too well. He kept feeling worse, and the doctor recommended that he be hospitalised. On Christmas Eve, he was.

He rang me as he was being admitted to the hospital and asked me if I could come and be with him. A few hours later, I was there in Melbourne at St Vincent’s private hospital where I found him in his usual joking mood.

The doctor came in, amused by the jovial character and positive in his outlook. Continue reading →

Homily of Archbishop Philip Wilson at the Foundation Eucharist of the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and PNG

Archbishop Wilson preaches the Homily at the Foundation Eucharist of the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea

The Foundation Eucharist of the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea
St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney
December 18, 2011

It is of great interest to me in reading about the history of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy to discover that it was never the intention of Venerable Catherine McAuley to become a sister. She didn’t want to be a religious. But luckily she met a nice bishop who helped her and this is a good turn of events I can tell you. Given the history that I belong to it’s really something.

But Dr Murray was of great help to her because he understood exactly what she wanted to do and he knew why she had the opinion that she had and he helped her to create a new way of being religious so that the Sisters of Mercy known as the walking sisters, the walking nuns, able to do their work about bringing the mercy of God to the people of Ireland and very quickly then to England and to the rest of the world. Continue reading →

The Sisters of Mercy of Australia and PNG, Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral

On the 12th of December, 2011, the Sisters of Mercy Australia and Papua New Guinea formed one joined Congregation, which will be known as the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea. The following clip is of highlights of the Mass which was celebrated at St Mary’s Cathedral by Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop Guiseppe Lazzarotto and Archbishop Philip Wilson, as well as Bishops and Priests from Australia and Papua New Guinea.

The Christmas story of asylum seekers

By Fr Maurizio Pettena CS

Yesterday, I stood in front of the Nativity scene that is displayed in front of St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney and considered it for a moment. The Christmas story, as always during December, is much on my mind and in my prayer this week. Even David Jones just down the road has a beautiful display in its windows of puppets re-enacting the Christmas story, complete with baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the three kings and the angels. A huge group of tourists had gathered to watch the mechanical puppets, taking photos and in some way, celebrating what Christmas is about. Continue reading →

“Increase humanitarian intake to prevent future asylum tragedies” says Catholic Migrant office

Media Release
19 December, 2011

The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (ACMRO) today expressed sorrow over the tragedy which has resulted in the deaths of a possible 160 people, mostly thought to be asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Iran.

This time last year, a similar tragedy occurred when just short of safety, a boat carrying 50 Middle Eastern asylum seekers crashed off the rocks of Christmas Island. Continue reading →

A vandal at Christmas

By Bishop Greg O’Kelly

This article was first published in “The Witness” of Port Pirie and is used with permission

At Christmas five years ago, people entering St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral in Adelaide were shocked to discover that the nativity crib had been vandalised. Someone had urinated over the statues of Mary and Joseph, and the statue of the baby Jesus in the crib had been smashed into pieces. Continue reading →

Bishops’ Commission for Church Ministry founds new Pastoral Council for Lay Catholics

Media Release
8 December, 2011

The Bishops Commission for Church Ministry (BCCM) has founded a new Lay Pastoral Council to develop policies for the education, formation, pastoral care and support of Lay Pastoral Ministers.

The members of the newly-formed Council are: Sr Philomena Burrell (Perth); Mrs Heather Carey (Adelaide); Sr Kathy Hatherall (Brisbane); Mr Richard McMahon (Sydney); Mrs Kathleen Lillis (Melbourne); Fr Brian Moloney (Australian Catholic Council for Clergy Life and Ministry Representative) and Bishops’ delegate Bp Peter Comensoli (Sydney). Continue reading →

Wagga Wagga priest Fr Michael Kennedy appointed Bishop of Armidale

Media Release: Embargoed until 10:00pm EST,
7 December, 2011.

Wagga Wagga priest Fr Michael Kennedy has been appointed Bishop of Armidale today following the resignation of Bishop Luc Matthys having reached the age limit.

Fr Michael Kennedy was ordained for the Diocese of Wagga in the late 1990s and is currently the Vicar Forane (Dean) of the Murrumbidgee Deanery. He is also currently the Parish Priest of Leeton in New South Wales.

Bishop Gerard Hanna of Wagga Wagga expressed his support for the news that one of his senior priests had been appointed and wished him every success in his new ministry.

“We congratulate him on his appointment. He has over the last 13 years shown a very balanced approach to his pastoral ministry in the Diocese and I believe that he is well suited in his new role of leadership as the Bishop of the Diocese of Armidale”, said Bishop Hanna.

In the course of his ministry in Wagga Wagga, Fr Michael Kennedy was the Rector of St Francis’ Residential College at Charles Sturt University. He has also served as assistant priest in Albury.

Fr Michael expressed both surprise and joy when receiving the appointment and hopes that he will be a true shepherd to the people of Armidale.

“I am both honoured and humbled to have been chosen to be a successor of the Apostles as the bishop of Armidale. It is my hope to be a true shepherd and teacher for the people of Armidale so that, together, we may grow in faith and build up the Body of Christ. I begin by asking the faithful of the Armidale Diocese to pray for me, and by assuring them of my heartfelt prayers for them”, said Fr. Michael.

Fr Michael Kennedy began his priestly formation at Vianney College in Wagga Wagga and completed his studies in Rome at Propaganda Fide, obtaining a Licentiate in Sacred Theology.

In addition to working as a Parish Priest in the Diocese, he has worked as a lecturer at Vianney College, covering moral theology as a major course.

For media enquiries or to arrange an interview with Bishop-Elect Michael Kennedy, please contact Beth Doherty on 0407 081 256