The 30-second clip of The Men's Rosary Crusade on the forecourt of St Mary's Cathedral in the heart of Sydney's CBD is now taking social media by storm … literally.

Filmed on a phone in atrocious weather conditions, around 100 men prayed the Rosary on their knees for around an hour while torrential rain bucketed down around them.

Daniel Ang, the Director of the Archdiocese of Sydney's Centre for Evangelisation, said the huge response proves "God really is present in our lives and in our city".

"Some might baulk at such a scene, but the response it has elicited speaks to the power of Christian witness," he said. Continue reading

Cummings, whose horses won the Melbourne Cup 12 times, died in the early hours of August 30, aged 87.

Last Friday marked the 61st wedding anniversary of Cummings and his wife Valmae, whom he met at a church social in 1953.

Apart from his staggering Melbourne Cup record, Cummings trained 256 Group One winners - second only to the late TJ Smith.

Cummings and the late CS Hayes were inaugural inductees to the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2001.

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The 72-year-old man had climbed more than 110 stairs to be at evening bell-ringing practice.

But he had a heart attack and collapsed.

After CPR from fellow bell-ringers, he was revived by paramedics.

Emergency workers then had to devise a way to lower him about 60 metres to the ground.

They loaded the man on to a rescue stretcher, then opened the central tower's trapdoor, which had not been opened in about 30 years, and paramedics abseiled from the roof with the man.

The man was in a stable condition in St James's Hospital the following day.

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Only on rare occasions, since the graveyard at St Mary's was closed in 1861, has permission been granted for a burial there. The last was in 1935 although the spreading of ashes of relatives of those interred pre-1861 has been permitted.

Permission was sought for Carrie because "the cathedral had captured her heart" and her "love and cheeky smile" meant the Allens shared her with many, her father said.

Carrie was diagnosed with a rare soft tissue cancer shortly before the family moved to New Plymouth in 2009.

Carrie was a year 8 student at Devon Intermediate and as part of her honours programme organised a concert last month to raise funds for Child Cancer and CanTeen.

After meeting New Zealand singer Dave Dobbyn while receiving treatment at Starship children's hospital this year she put in a call to her "friend" asking him to sing at the concert.

Dobbyn and Carrie performed together to a crowd of more than 500 and raised $8000 for charity at "Carrie's Concert".

Yesterday, Dobbyn sent a message of support from Auckland.

"It's a pure delight to know Carrie," he said. "Her light shines bright and my heart is with the family in grief at her passing."

Mr Allen said his daughter was exhausted, on heavy pain relief and yet completely focused on completing her honours project five weeks ago.

"Her only reservation was over the naming of the concert."

Source

• TaranakiCathedral.org
• Image: Stuff.co.nz