It began over a month ago with a two- to three-line invitation in the bulletin to attend a “non-partisan” meeting on the presidential election and its significance for the Catholic vote. Then, in last week’s Sunday bulletin, a full one-page flyer inserted in the bulletin entitled “The Catholic Vote” urged all Catholics to consider the Read more
Last week we celebrated the Feast of All Saints. To which many non-believers, and believers, may say: Big deal. Who would want to be anything like those gloomy, morose, unsmiling people that we see portrayed in Christian art? But here’s a surprise: even the briefest glance at their biographies reveals joyful and energetic men and Read more
President of the Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania, New Zealand Archbishop John Dew’s call to train lay evangelisers is one of the highlighted outcomes of the Synod of Bishops held in Rome. Among three of the highlighted recommendations, members of the Synod of Bishops recommended the Vatican develop guidelines for training evangelisers. Early Read more
When I first started reporting for my story “Resurrection,” I was hoping to understand what seemed like a straightforward question: Who wants to become a priest in 2012? After all, a man who decides to become a priest is choosing a profession at a time when its public reputation has never been lower. Fifty years Read more
It’s hard to imagine any scenario in which shooting a 14-year-old child is justified. And yet, the Taliban attempts just this by insisting its attack on Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai (pictured) is ordained by Islam. Yousafzai first attracted the group’s ire for her insistence on the right of girls to be educated. At the age Read more
A lonely man whose heart ached for a wife and a home of his own while remaining true to his calling is the tragic portrait which Fr Brian D’Arcy reveals of himself in a powerful new documentary. The controversial Catholic cleric has laid bare his soul in what is a deeply personal and at times Read more
The documentation on Vatican Council II was enriched a few days ago with a new text never published before. And of noteworthy value. It is made up of certain portions of the diary of Cardinal Roberto Tucci (in the photo), at the time the director of “La Civilta Cattolica.” And it was precisely this magazine Read more
As the world’s oldest full-time teacher, Sydney priest Geoffrey Schneider knows a thing or two about how to bring the best out of students. The secret, according to the 99-year-old, is “a mountain of patience”. “If things are going wrong, don’t start shouting. Just proceed quietly and things will settle down eventually,” said Father Schneider, Read more
At the sound of a bell from the altar, relayed over loud-speakers, about 50,000 people at an open-air mass last month in the Polish capital dropped down to kneel in the street. It was a powerful symbol of Poland’s deeply felt Roman Catholicism, a reminder of the scenes in the 1980s when, inspired by Polish Read more
Today we are celebrating the official birth of Essential Mums, our brand new website for mothers, mums-to-be or any woman thinking about becoming a mother. Essential Mums is full of daily news, features, fun stories and lots of helpful advice. It has everything you need to navigate the amazing journey of motherhood. “Why Essential Mums, and not Essential Mums Read more