Eight aspiring leaders gathered in Sydney recently for the first in-person sessions of the 2024-25 Young Catholic Women’s Fellowship, a unique program that equips female Catholics for missionary leadership. Participants travelled from various locations including Perth, Adelaide, Townsville, Brisbane, Canberra and regional New South Wales for the March 7-10 gathering at Mary MacKillop Place and ..read more

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, has paid tribute to Archbishop Francis Carroll, who died in Wagga Wagga on March 14, 2024, aged 93. “Not just a man of God, but a man for God” was how Archbishop Francis Carroll was described at a civic dinner in 2006. Labor leader Kim Beazley was ..read more

Highlighting the dignity of women is the focus of two new resources being released to mark International Women’s Day (Friday, March 8). The first resource is a prayer of gratitude for women of our past, present and future, which can be used in a variety of settings. Parishes and dioceses are invited to share it ..read more

    A new report into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing must be the starting point for renewed action. Australian Catholics are being encouraged to reflect upon the implications of last week’s Productivity Commission Report on the Closing the Gap agreement. In 2020, all Australian governments committed to 16 targets to tackle Aboriginal disadvantage, by improving outcomes for First Nations peoples. The previous Closing the Gap scheme had largely failed in its aims across successive years. The latest report has found that improvement will continue to fail without fundam ..read more

World Day of the Sick this Sunday will pay tribute to the invaluable work that Catholic health institutions undertake not just in Australia, but around the world. In his message to mark the 32nd World Day of the Sick on February 11, Pope Francis reflected on the way serious illness could cause vulnerability, uncertainty and insecurity. This year’s theme is “It is not good that man should be alone”, taken from the Old Testament book of Genesis. “The first form of care needed in any illness is compassionate and loving closeness,” Pope Francis said in his statement ..read more

Pope Francis has issued the Lenten statement for 2024, entitled “Through the desert, God leads us to freedom”   Dear brothers and sisters! When our God reveals himself, his message is always one of freedom: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Ex 20:2). These are the first words of the Decalogue given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Those who heard them were quite familiar with the exodus of which God spoke: the experience of their bondage still weighed heavily upon them ..read more

  Catholics around Australia are being asked to contribute to a global discussion on the future of the Church. At a local (diocesan) level, consultation contributing to the next session of the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will start on February 1. Groups of Catholics will gather and reflect on the question of “enhancing the differentiated co-responsibility in the mission of all members” and provide feedback. The discussion will focus on identifying the paths to follow and the tools that could be adopted in different contexts and circumstances to enhance the unique contributio ..read more

Discussion around a visit by Pope Francis to Papua New Guinea is at an early stage, the Vatican has clarified. A media statement this week from the Papua New Guinea government regarding a proposed visit by the Holy Father in August has attracted much public attention. However, Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, told reporters: “It’s at a very preliminary phase, with no precise indication of the countries to be visited ..read more

PROFILES of 1230 Catholic parishes across Australia have been published, offering a wealth of insight they can use to better serve the needs of their local communities. The parish “social profiles” draw on data captured in the 2021 Australian Census and examine the Catholic and local population within parish boundaries. “It will be a valuable tool to help parishes understand their local communities,” said Professor Gabrielle McMullen, chair of the Australian Catholic Council for Pastoral Research. “It is important that parish leaders have the latest information, so they can assess the pastora ..read more

Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop of Perth Timothy Costelloe as a consultor of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. The appointment is in conjunction with Archbishop Costelloe’s concurrent appointments as a Member of the Preparatory Commission, and as one of the nine President Delegates to the Synod. The next phase of the Synod – an assembly of clergy and lay people from around the world – is set to be hosted by the Vatican in October. The General Secretariat’s main role is implementing the work of the preceding assembly and preparing for the next. In the lead-up to October, i ..read more