We are now taking orders for Comfort—Lenten Program 2021. Comfort is a 76-page full colour book (240x170mm) containing short daily reflections (from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday) and longer-form Sunday reflections, questions and prayer—perfect for Lenten groups and individual devotional reading. Comfort is accompanied by a Triple CD Resource that includes six beautiful responsorial psalms and audio narrations of the Scripture and Sunday reflections. Get in early for Lent before they all sell out. Bulk pricing starts from only $5 per copy!
Buy now
We will be broadcasting a special Mass online with Bishop Brian on Christmas Day: 9am AEST Friday 25 December 2020 accessible above.
We will also be broadcasting our final Mass online on Sunday 27 December at 9am AEST for the The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Following this, we will be taking an indefinite break from filming our online broadcast Masses. However, you are invited to join Bishop Brian and his clergy each Sunday for the 10:30am Mass livestreamed from St Francis Xavier Cathedral in Wollongong.
Thank you to the thousands of people who have reached out to us to let us know how much these online Masses have given you comfort during this difficult time. We are also thankful to those who have acknowledged the resources required to produce these online Masses and have donated in support of the ministry.
Finally, a big thank you to Bishop Brian and the production crew for all their hard work over the past eight months in bringing a virtual experience to you that we hope was truly worthy of the source and summit of the Christian life—the Eucharist.
On 8 December 2020, Pope Francis published an Apostolic Letter Patris corde (With a Father’s Heart), commemorating the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To mark the occasion, the Holy Father has proclaimed a “Year of St Joseph”, running from December 8, 2020 to December 8, 2021. A number of resources are being developed by the diocese to encourage and support the celebration of the Year of St Joseph.
Read more
During these times of uncertainty and isolation, nourishing our faith becomes even more important. Through spending time with God and with one another we find the hope, comfort, guidance and certainty that our loving God and Father wants to share with us. Jesus wants to be with us and care for us during these days.
On this page you will find resources for:
The daily readings are taken from the lectionary which divides much of the Bible into three years worth of readings.
Weekly radio program and podcast developed by the diocese all about faith, hope, love and life.
Award winning magazine celebrating the good things happening in Catholic culture and life in the diocese.
Opportunity to explore life and the Christian faith in a friendly, open and informal environment. Alpha is an experience!
Free weekly faith-sharing small group resource to help to build and develop community and faith.
Popular pocket-sized book with beautiful artwork and daily reflections for Advent and Christmas.
Popular book and music resource for Lenten groups and individuals. Includes beautiful artwork and daily reflections.
Provides music recommendations for Mass as well as tonnes of liturgical resources and information.
Account means the account held at your financial institution from which we are authorised to arrange for funds to be debited.
Agreement means this Direct Debit Request Service Agreement between you and us, including the direct debit request.
Business day means a day other than a Saturday or a Sunday or a listed public holiday.
Debit day means the day that payment is due.
Debit payment means a particular transaction where a debit is made, according to your direct debit request.
Direct debit request means the Direct Debit Request between us and you.
Us and we and our means the Catholic Development Fund.
You means the customer(s) who signed the direct debit request. Your financial institution is the financial institution where you hold the account that you have authorised us to arrange to debit.
By submitting a direct debit request, you have authorised us to arrange for funds to be debited from your account according to the agreement we have with you.
We will only arrange for funds to be debited from your account:
If you wish to stop or defer a debit payment you must write to us at least 5 business days before the next debit day.
This notice should be given to us in the first instance.
It is your responsibility to ensure that there are sufficient clear funds available in your account to allow a debit payment to be made.
If there are insufficient clear funds available in your account to meet a debit payment:
Please check your account statement to verify that the amounts debited from your account are correct.
If you believe that there has been an error in debiting your account you should call us on 1800 047 703 and confirm the details in writing with us as soon as possible so that we can resolve your query quickly.
You should check:
Warning: if the account number you have quoted is incorrect, you may be charged a fee to reimburse our costs in correcting any deductions from:
We will keep any information (including your account details) in your direct debit request confidential.
We will make reasonable efforts to keep any such information that we have about you secure and to ensure that any of our employees or agents who have access to information about you, do not make any unauthorised use, modification, reproduction or disclosure of that information.
However, we may use your contact details to provide information about the fund. Should you wish this not to be the case, please advise the fund in writing.
Our diocesan logo is theologically rich and very succinct. As a hand, it depicts our mission as a diocese and as individuals within the diocese, of bearing (bringing, carrying) Christ’s love to one another and to the world around us. In this, we are the hand of Jesus Christ, and we are offering ourselves to him so that he might work through us.
We can be the bearers of his love only as a response to his call and in the strength of his grace. We are reminded of this in two ways—through the symbol of the dove (the Holy Spirit) also present in the logo, and by the incorporation of the cross that segments the logo. The presence of the cross is a reminder that bearing the love of Christ will inevitably cost us if we live it authentically. However, in the way that the Cross is the portent of redemption and life—an echo of the tree of life in the book of Genesis—so becoming bearers of the love of Christ will also bring us to life.
The four fingers of the hand also represent the four regions of our diocese. The first is blue representing the beautiful water of the Shoalhaven. The second is a blue and green combination representing the waters and escarpment of the Illawarra. The third is green depicting the hills and plains of the Macarthur. The fourth is dark green illustrating the forests of the Southern Highlands.
