As you well know, the Pope's "Jubilee Year of St Paul" (28 June 2008 - 29 June 2009) commemorates the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of this great missionary Apostle who has enlightened the Church's leaders and its people, from almost the beginning of Christianity.

For this reason,...

When appointed here seven years ago, I came from outside the area. Since then I have tried to assimilate and become part of the Church and wider community scene.

I have experienced a great welcome to this beautiful part of Australia. How many people regard themselves as...

The current economic crisis has shaken the faith of those who have put all their hope in the financial market. Apathy about spiritual matters can run deep in the lives of many Australians who find it hard to imagine how faith in God could be relevant to their lives today.

Religious...

Bishop Peter Ingham - address to Bishops' Synod on the Word of God in the Life of the Church

Competent Well-Prepared Readers of the Word (Instrumentum Laboris 37)

"In the Liturgy of the Word, maximum attention should be given to a clear...

Living Justly or Just Living?

The recent Beijing Olympics and Paralympics saw contestants from around the globe striving for glory. Many of them had to overcome great adversity because a true competitor does not count the cost on the road to claim gold.

You and...

25, 40, 50, 60 Years Married

One of the many inspiring annual events at St Francis Xavier's Cathedral is our Mass to celebrate significant wedding anniversaries occurring that year. Well in advance, parishes are asked to insert the following notice in their Sunday...

Have you ever been in a car when the battery has died? Or been at home when a fuse has blown? What about when a whole neighbourhood experiences power failure? We can feel shut off, disconnected, literally powerless.

World Youth Day is like a bolt of lightning. There was the energy of the...

“Young people today love leisure too much. They have bad manners. They flaunt authority and they have no respect for their elders.”

Who said that? A news commentator? A bishop? Some angry citizens who forget they were once young themselves? Would you believe...

Jesus says to us in today’s Gospel, “Anyone who hears my words and puts them...

When individuals both survive and thrive for a quarter of a century – either in marriage or in the priesthood or in the same profession, such as teaching – people talk about milestones. By the time you are 50 years a priest or half a century married or in the same profession, such as...

I usually enjoy Danny Katz, who whimsically answers readers’ questions about 21st Century ethics, etiquette and dilemmas in “The Good Weekend” supplement of the Saturday Sydney Morning Herald under the heading of “Modern Guru.” A recent question (3 May 2008) asked, “Should...

To mark World Communications Sunday on 27 April 2008 the Catholic Bishops of Australia have issued a Pastoral Letter.

Together with the mobile phone, the Internet has transformed the way that conversations are held, friendships are maintained, entertainment is sought and information...

Lions Feeding Christians
Reflections on the Journey of the World Youth Day Cross, Icon and Message stick through the Diocese of Wollongong, 24 March - 6 April 2008

When the WYD Cross, the Icon of the Virgin Mary and the Aboriginal Message...

The Roman Missal allows the Local Ordinary to permit or decree the addition of a special intention in the General Intercessions of the Good Friday “Celebration of the Lord’s Passion” in case of serious public need.

In view of the impending Journey of the WYD Cross, the Icon of our...

The Cross is the ultimate symbol that touches the depth of our spirit. The Cross speaks to us of service, of sacrifice, of hope, of love, of fidelity and of faith. While these deeper realities cannot be mathematically demonstrated, they are values whose unfathomable depths always leave room...

Via Crucis - Via Lucis

Any Catholic worth his or her salt knows about the Via Crucis - the Way of the Cross.   We Catholics follow Jesus on his journey to Calvary, not only during Lent, and especially on Good Friday, but also at other times when our personal...

• It is my hope and prayer that formally saying 'sorry' in our national Parliament to our Aboriginal and Torres Stait Islander peoples will unlock a great healing for our nation.
• Prior to reconciliation has to come recognition of our historical reality. Our inability to do this...

Bishop Peter in his 2008 Lenten Pastoral Message invites us not only to welcome but imitate the World Youth Day pilgrims.

+ Listen to the audio of the message [6M, MP3]

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We live in a media world

In 1963 the Second Vatican Council set out to guide the Church pastorally on the phenomenon of the modern media and how to respond to it.  The Council spoke of the four main sources of media:  public broadcast (radio), television, the printed...

Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion, Dr Watson, once went on a camping trip. On arrival, they set up their tent and, after cooking a meal over the campfire, they eventually retired for the night in their sleeping bags. They woke up about 2am. Holmes said: "Watson, look up. What do you...