Feast of the Triumph of the Cross
September 1, 2023
For the feast of the Triumph of the Cross celebrated on 14 September, Sr Katrina Brill shares a Personal Reflection.
Most days in cosmopolitan Auckland, I would see in my daily outings the symbol of the cross – hanging from a car mirror, around a girl’s neck, as a marker for death on a road, occasionally on a t-shirt, in churches, in cemeteries and of course in the emblem around my neck. What does the cross mean to people today? I am not sure I know!
Mary MacKillop Today Community Grants Program 2024
Applications for the Mary MacKillop Today Community Grants Program 2024 are now open until 5pm on Friday 22 September 2023 (AEST).
Eligible organisations may apply for grants of up to $10,000 AUD to deliver small, life-changing projects that promote life-long learning for Australians at the margins.
We believe that through participating in these projects, individuals enhance their skills and gain knowledge to actively engage with the broader community and take advantage of life opportunities.
The Community Grants Program began as a response to on-the-ground work done by the Sisters of Saint Joseph with vulnerable communities.
National Child Protection Week 2023
August 29, 2023
Australia observes National Child Protection Week each September as part of a nationwide initiative to protect children from abuse and neglect. National Child Protection Week seeks to engage and empower all Australians to understand they have a part to play in keeping our children and young people safe.
The National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) aims to raise the Australian community’s awareness of child abuse and neglect and to have a greater understanding and awareness of the complexity of such. No longer is it accepted to be ignorant of the issues, rather, we all must collectively take responsibility for how we can help ensure children are safe and protected.
In 2023, the message that ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go’ will be complemented with the theme ‘Where we start matters’.
Season of Creation 2023: We Can Do Something
August 21, 2023
This text states a truth that is as appropriate today as it was in ancient times: justice precedes peace. Without justice, there can be no peace. However, the image of the never-failing stream does not ring true in our century.
Streams and rivers struggle to flow as often their course is blocked by waste from our throwaway society or is completely dried up because of extreme heat, drought and deforestation. Instead of being waters bringing life, their reduced flow leaves communities struggling for survival.
The choice is ours, and so are its outcomes
Annually in the Australian Catholic Church on the last Sunday of August (this year on 27 August), we commemorate Social Justice Sunday. For this day, Sr Susan shares a reflection focussing on the Voice.
Australians will be required to vote in the referendum on the Voice in a matter of weeks. Each of us will be asked whether we approve an addition to the Constitution that would recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
Making an honest choice requires us to consider what good or ill may arise from that choice.
Social Justice Sunday: Listen, Learn, Love
In launching the Australian Bishops’ Social Justice Statement for this year’s Social Justice Sunday (27 August), Listen, Learn, Love, Bishop Vincent Long reminded us of the words of Pope John Paul II when he visited Australia in 1986:
This year, in an epic moment for all of us in this country, each of us will have the opportunity to make our contribution to realising that vision. As Bishop Long pointed out, the referendum on the Voice to Parliament is a moral and social issue. It has been made political by those who seek to portray it as a threat to our democracy and who are using both misinformation and disinformation to further their own ends. These people ignore the modest and basic request which has been supported by the vast majority of First Nations peoples, the Australian churches, and community groups right across this country.
World Youth Day 2023
World Youth Day (WYD) is an international event for young Catholics. This year, WYD took place in Lisbon, Portugal from 1-6 August.
I was blessed to be one of the estimated 1.5 million pilgrims who gathered for the event. I travelled to WYD with the Sydney Archdiocese, and then completed most of the pilgrimage with the Maronite Catholic Youth.
The Wonders of Nature in Australia
Father Julian Tenison Woods experienced financial insecurity at first-hand. To supplement his meagre income he submitted articles, letters and essays to Australian newspapers. His topics were based on his travels and observations.
The Wonders of Nature in Australia is a series of 10 such letters published in the Saturday editions of Sydney Mail and the New South Wales Advertiser during 1879. As a skilled raconteur and journalist, Fr Julian wrote with the intention of providing his dear readers with accurate descriptions supported by instructive and interesting explanations.