Starting afresh from Christ

Starting afresh from Christ

A reflection on the 'Year of Grace' The decision of the Bishops of Australia to have a “Year of Grace”, with its subtitle “starting afresh from Christ”, was to me at least a surprising outcome to an extended period of reflection by the bishops at their meetings over a...

Body, heart and mind

Body, heart and mind

The crisis in catechesis It is now widely acknowledged that the religious education of children in the Catholic tradition has posed challenges for nearly many years. Some may be tempted to believe that the solution might lie in a return to the strategy of the Penny...

Tale of a university chaplain

Tale of a university chaplain

Catholic chaplaincy at the University of Sydney and UTS It has been my privilege to be chaplain to the University of Sydney and UTS since January 2011. Once the Dominican Province accepted the Cardinal's invitation, I was presented to and recognised by both...

All is grey, yet all is grace

All is grey, yet all is grace

The anthropological focus of the modern dilemma The Swiss-English philosopher Alain de Botton, in his book Religion for Atheists, says that we can have the music, architecture, illuminated manuscripts, pilgrimages and fellowship, and even the good works of religion,...

From grace to glory

From grace to glory

A Year of Grace event In years past, Perth Catholics gathered in great numbers to celebrate the feast of Christ the King with an annual procession, homily and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.  This popular event was always held on the beautiful grounds of Aquinas...

Faith and understanding

Faith and understanding

How University Students (don’t) think Cardinal Pell is a man of great foresight. In 2003 he invited the University of Notre Dame (Perth) to open a campus in Sydney with a view to setting up Catholic schools of Law and Medicine alongside Teacher training, Nursing, etc....

The parish website

The parish website

Evangelising the Digital Continent Social networking has passed from youthful fad to cultural force. ‘Social media’ like Facebook, Twitter and the blogosphere were once poor cousins to websites and e-mail, but they now dominate the Internet, and they are integral to...