News - National
-
15-Oct-2010
Thousands of Australian pilgrims celebrating Mary MacKillop's canonisation are making their presence felt in the Eternal City, sometimes to the bemusement of the locals.
» more
-
14-Oct-2010
While sceptics question the veracity of miracles as Mary MacKillop's canonisation celebrations nears climax, the faithful are uncomfortable with the amount of commercialism surrounding the event.
» more
-
13-Oct-2010
The national president of United Retail Federation (URF) has written to Pope Benedict, appealing him to petition the Australian government against restricting the corporate use of the name Mary MacKillop.
» more
-
13-Oct-2010
The Jesuit Sevenhill Cellars winery in South Australia has negotiated a deal to supply sacramental wines across Vietnam.
» more
-
12-Oct-2010
The popular acceptance of Mary MacKillop's miracle cancer cure was part of a wider problem of people not understanding scientific and mathematical methods, said an expert in evidence-based medicine.
» more
-
11-Oct-2010
Child abuse is the greatest health crisis Australia has to face, but there is lack of "courage or will to do anything about it", says Youth Off The Streets' Father Chris Riley.
» more
-
11-Oct-2010
Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd will lead a bipartisan delegation representing the Australia government at the canonisation of Mary MacKillop in Rome.
» more
-
11-Oct-2010
The Australian government will protect the Mary MacKillop name by legislative measures to outlaw commercial or other exploitation, raising her to the same exclusive status as Sir Donald Bradman.
» more
-
11-Oct-2010
A documentary broadcast on ABC TV last night claims that Mary MacKillop was excommunicated by a bishop who was manipulated into it by a malicious priest.
» more
-
08-Oct-2010
As the Indonesian Supreme Court delibrates on Scott Rush's appeal against his death sentence for acting a drug courier, his family's former parish priest is calling for prayers.
» more
-
15-Oct-2010
The NSW government has no intention of changing its abortion laws, after a young Queensland couple was acquitted on charges of procuring an abortion and supplying drugs for the abortion.
» more
-
15-Oct-2010
Cast members of the musical MacKillop helped raise awareness about the production by joining unsuspecting passengers on a morning cruise around Sydney Harbour aboard the ferry Mary MacKillop.
» more
-
14-Oct-2010
Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he used to drop in for tea at the Josephites' convent - Kirribilli House being just a 10-minute walk away - and learnt more about Mary MacKillop.
» more
-
14-Oct-2010
Parents of three Year 8 boys are preparing to sue the Sydney Catholic school that expelled their sons for the alleged assault of a 13-year-old female classmate.
» more
-
13-Oct-2010
Sydney's Anglican Church is in grave financial trouble, battered by the global financial crisis and planning further savage spending cuts.
» more
-
12-Oct-2010
A larger-than-life bronze sculpture of Mary MacKillop and two young children by an internationally-acclaimed Melbourne sculptor has been installed on the exterior of St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney.
» more
-
12-Oct-2010
Sudanese in the small town of Aweil will benefit from a fundraising project by the charity Southern Sudan Educates Girls (SSEG) at both scheduled performances of the massive Ben Hur production, set to take stage in Sydney's ANZ Stadium next week.
» more
-
08-Oct-2010
Sophie Delezio, the little girl whose burn injuries moved the nation, has joined thousands of pilgrims heading to Rome for Mary MacKillop's canonisation.
» more
-
13-Oct-2010
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast hail for Penola on Friday, and rain throughout the biggest weekend in the town's history, raising the prospect of a wet open-air Mass celebrating Mary MacKillop's canonisation on Sunday.
» more
-
12-Oct-2010
The University of Notre Dame Australia's Fremantle Campus expects to host up to 5000 people at a planned Mary MacKillop Festival on the date of her canonisation.
» more
News - International
-
15-Oct-2010
Pope John Paul II's beatification is speeding up and could possibly happen within a year, with doctors telling the Vatican that they have no scientific explanation for the cure of a French nun from Parkinson's Disease.
» more
-
14-Oct-2010
Pope Benedict XVI has given thanks for the successful efforts to free the first of 33 trapped Chilean copper miners. The Pope said that "with hope" he continues to commend the miners to the "divine goodness" of Christ.
» more
-
13-Oct-2010
Pope Benedict has formally created a new Vatican office to promote "new evangelisation" and combat a "de-Christianisation" in traditionally Christian countries.
» more
-
11-Oct-2010
Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu has begun his announced retirement, pledging to keep out of the spotlight and honouring only future appointments that had already been scheduled.
» more
-
08-Oct-2010
The media's increasing reliance on images, thanks to the endless development of new technologies, risks confusing real life with "a virtual world" and fuelling indifference, said Pope Benedict.
» more
-
15-Oct-2010
Tonight one of the key formal events in the canonisation lead-up will take place in Rome. Australian Night (Una Notte Australiana), will feature a two-hour program of performances in celebration of Mary MacKillop, plus a conference on Indigenous Culture and Artefacts held at the Vatican.
» more
-
14-Oct-2010
A small industry of MacKillop souvenirs has sprung up in Rome, with some unfortunate results.
» more
-
14-Oct-2010
Sophie Delezio and her mother, Carolyn Martin, were seated in the front row in St Peter's Square this week at Pope Benedict's weekly general audience and meeting with pilgrims.
» more
-
13-Oct-2010
Middle Eastern Christians who migrate to the West carry with them prejudices against Jews and Muslims, and must be willing to forgive, said a leading US cardinal.
» more
-
12-Oct-2010
Growing political Islam and fundamentalism in the Middle East poses a threat to Arab Christians, said a patriarch speaking at a synod of Catholic bishops in the region.
» more
-
12-Oct-2010
Hebrew-speaking Catholics numbered only several hundred until a few years ago, but the numbers have swelled thanks to migrant Catholics in Israel building communities in at least seven areas, according to a Vatican expert.
» more
-
11-Oct-2010
Hong Kong's Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) and other human rights groups are calling for the release of Chinese democracy activist and Nobel Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo.
» more
Regulars
-
15-Oct-2010
For the past eight years, American conductor Murry Sidlin has been determined to pay homage to the men and women of the Terezinstadt prison camp by focusing on the interminable spirit of its choir of 150 prisoners.
» more
-
14-Oct-2010
The Australian Bishops’ Commission for Pastoral Life has established a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Committee. This is a step forward but problems abound as to the practicality of catering for the hearing-impaired.
» more
-
13-Oct-2010
What does being a saint mean? ''I think it's someone who has done something good, and they have become like God.'' The Sunday Age explores the enduring relevance of saints.
» more
-
12-Oct-2010
Christianity and all the major religious faiths have devalued and abused the natural world. That's the message of a new book, Judgement Day, by the former Catholic priest and broadcaster Paul Collins.
» more
-
11-Oct-2010
As he approaches retirement, Michael Malone reflects on his years as Bishop of the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. He admits that his efforts to be a forward-thinking leader have been hindered by allegations of sexual abuse by some clergy.
» more
-
15-Oct-2010
The Renaissance of Marriage Conference held in Sydney this month saw the largest gathering of Catholic couples, singles and clergy dedicated to marriage preparation and enrichment across Australia. More details about the conference, and the subject itself, are available on the website.
» more
-
14-Oct-2010
This Sunday sees the canonisation of Mary MacKillop but Sunday week is World Mission Day, and Catholic Mission Australia sees a close link between the mission work of our new saint and the spirit of generosity within ordinary Australians.
Catholic Mission's site has details about its planned activities for World Mission Day, and the canonisation.
» more
-
13-Oct-2010
The Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC) is a multi-faith network committed to taking the action on this most pressing issue of our time. This site has extensive details of its mission, links and programs.
» more
-
12-Oct-2010
Compass is a Review of Topical Theology published quarterly by the Australian Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. The latest edition carries contributions from Bishop Anthony Fisher, Andrew Hamilton, Rosemary Canavan and Archpriest Lawrence Cross.
» more
-
11-Oct-2010
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has launched a competition called "Pope Culture Week" on its Facebook page, with the prize of a signed book for the winner.
» more
-
13-Oct-2010
This film is advertised as "from the producers of Happy Feet".Yes, birds are involved, owls instead of penguins, but, while Legend may be a literal hoot, it is not a cheery, funny hoot as was Happy Feet.
» more
-
12-Oct-2010
The opening credits take us into deeper and deeper ground. Buried is an exact title.A warning should be offered that the setting is solely the interior of the coffin where a US truck driver in Iraq finds himself.
» more
-
11-Oct-2010
This movie is a film version of the writings of American author, Elizabeth Gilbert, and is based on her best-selling memoir from 2006. Bringing the book to the screen requires a degree of sensitivity and respect for the integrity of another medium. The film is only partially successful in fulfilling these aims.
» more
-
14-Oct-2010
Geraldine Doogue presents a Compass special on the canonisation of Mary MacKillop from the Vatican in Rome. She will be joined by expert commentators from the Catholic Church to analyse the ceremony’s significance and impact.
» more
-
16-Oct-2010
For Catholic theologian Paul Collins, "climate change" is a shorthand reference to a whole complex of problems arising from mankind's belief, evident across cultures and through time, that the world exists purely for us, writes John Birmingham.
» more
-
15-Oct-2010
There’s nothing like the realistic possibility of extinction to push people beyond euphemisms, writes John Allen in NCR Online. That was the spirit of several presentations during the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East, as Catholic leaders described a future that might be paraphrased as “democracy or death.”
» more
-
14-Oct-2010
Who needs saints? We all do, but only the true believers will admit it, writes Rachael Kohn on the ABC's Religion portal.They know that it is good to look up to someone who presents a worthy ideal to emulate and brings comfort when the chips are down.
» more
-
13-Oct-2010
The Catholic blogosphere has been described as a Wild West, where anything goes, debate is rowdy and prone to ranting. But it can revitalise the Church, writes Anna Arco in the Catholic Herald.
» more
-
12-Oct-2010
Recent attempts to rekindle sectarianism miss the point of Mary MacKillop's elevation. The canonisation signifies her triumph over adversity on behalf of all Australians, and not a victory for Catholics over non-Catholics, writes Michael Mullins in Eureka Street.
» more
-
11-Oct-2010
October 4 was the Feast of Francis of Assisi,the poor one, who warned of the greed and corruption that would come when the world was run on profit. And he was right, says Joan Chittister.
» more