February 13-17 2012

13-Feb-2012

    News - National

  1. Bishops, film office cautiously welcome R18+ classification  

    16-Feb-2012

    The Australian Catholic Office for Film (ACOFB) and Broadcasting has cautiously welcomed the introduction of legislation which looks to create an R18+ classification for computer games, it said in a media release.


    » more

  2. Independent Education Union rejoins ACTU  

    15-Feb-2012

    The national union representing 70,000 non-government teachers has rejoined the ACTU, after receiving assurances from the peak body that it would not favour government-run schools, reports The Australian.


    » more

  3. Vinnies joins group in call for housing help in Budget  

    15-Feb-2012

    The St Vincent de Paul Society is part of a coalition of welfare and community groups that has called on the Federal Government to commit to a $2.5 billion stimulus package for the housing sector in the next Budget, reports The Catholic Weekly.


    » more

  4. CHA submission featured in NFP draft bill  

    14-Feb-2012

    The work of Catholic Health Australia features strongly in the submission from Aged and Community Services Australia as part of the plan to establish the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, reports the Australian Ageing Agenda.


    » more

  5. Third same-sex marriage bill introduced into parliament  

    13-Feb-2012

    Greens MP Adam Bandt and independent Andrew Wilkie introduced a private member's bill yesterday to amend the Marriage Act, with a strong caveat that religious ministers would not be obliged to perform same-sex ceremonies, reports The Australian. It is one of three on the subject now before the parliament.


    » more

  6. Parents urged to gain more awareness about school funding  

    13-Feb-2012

    Catholic school parents must stay vigilant about school funding policy, ahead of the release of the Gonski report next Monday, said a letter jointly-signed by Queensland Catholic Education Commission Executive Director Mike Byrne and Parents and Friends Federation Executive Director Carmel Nash.


    » more

  7. Gonski review to urge funding boost for struggling schools  

    12-Feb-2012

    The long-awaited Gonski report, to be released next Monday,sugges ts the Government boosts funding for struggling public and private schools, The Sunday Mail reports.


    » more

  8. Liberal backbenchers free to support gay marriage  

    12-Feb-2012

    Liberal backbenchers will be free to support same-sex marriage legislation when it comes before the parliament later in the year, reports The Australian.


    » more

  9. Priest claims he was sacked over aged-care sale protest  

    16-Feb-2012

    A priest who was critical of the church's handling of the sale of its aged-care homes says he has been sacked and told to leave his parish in Muswellbrook, NSW, according to The Newcastle Herald.


    » more

  10. Qld to lift alcohol ban for Good Friday match  

    14-Feb-2012

    The Queensland Government will lift alcohol restrictions on Good Friday to cater for a Queensland Reds rugby match, reports The Courier-Mail.


    » more

  11. Rudd to return to his old Catholic school  

    12-Feb-2012

    Kevin Rudd will officially reconcile with his former Catholic boarding school this week, 40 years after he begged his mother to remove him from the school, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.


    » more

  12. Evidence found for site of first Mary MacKillop school   

    15-Feb-2012

    Archaeologists believe they have found the precise site where Saint Mary MacKillop established her school at Penola in South Australia in 1866, reports The ABC.


    » more

  13. Dig resumes for original Mary MacKillop school site  

    13-Feb-2012

    Ten staff and students from Flinders University in Adelaide are now resuming their search for the original site of a school established by Saint Mary MacKillop, reports the ABC.


    » more

  14. Theft from elderly, praying woman was 'despicable'  

    14-Feb-2012

    Police in Kiara, WA, have described the theft of a 78-year-old woman's purse while she was praying in a church as absolutely despicable, reports inmycommunity.com.au.


    » more

  15. News - International

  16. Leader of women in Legionaries of Christ resigns  

    16-Feb-2012

    The female branch of the Legionaries of Christ religious order is in turmoil following the resignation of its leader and the decision of some 30 members to split from the movement, said an AP report in The Washington Post.


    » more

  17. Pope urges support for large families  

    15-Feb-2012

    Pope Benedict has called on governments and communities to help large families, saying there is "no future" without children, reports the Catholic News Service.


    » more

  18. US bishops refute govt claim over healthcare reform  

    16-Feb-2012

    The US bishops have refuted the White House's claim that they never supported health care reform in America, reports the Catholic News Agency.


    » more

  19. Singer's Catholic parody performance at Grammys ridiculed   

    14-Feb-2012

    American singer Nicki Minaj drew ridicule from viewers of Monday's Grammy Awards, with a performance that parodied the Catholic rites of confession and exorcism, reports the Catholic News Agency.


    » more

  20. Dean resigns in solidarity with priest sacked over liturgy change  

    13-Feb-2012

    A senior priest in the US state of Illinois has resigned from his role as head of the local deanery, in protest at the removal of one of his fellow priests for making small changes to prayers in the Mass, reports the Independent Catholic News.


    » more

  21. Obama revision still violates religious liberty, say bishops  

    13-Feb-2012

    A revision in an American health care mandate that would shift the payment of contraception and sterilisation coverage from religious employers to health insurance companies still infringes upon religious liberty, according to US bishops, said a Catholic News Service report.


    » more

  22. Landmark abuse lawsuit against Vatican withdrawn  

    12-Feb-2012

    A high-profile federal lawsuit in the US accusing Pope Benedict of covering up sexual abuse has been withdrawn, said a Religion News Service report on the Catholic News Service.


    » more

  23. Priest asked to resign over changing words in liturgy  

    12-Feb-2012

    An American parish priest, who had been pastor at the same church for 17 years, has been asked to resign because he made minor changes in the Eucharistic prayer of the Mass, said a report on the Independent Catholic News.


    » more

  24. US bishops reserve judgment on Obama health compromise  

    12-Feb-2012

    US President Barack Obama has outlined a plan that would allow religious employers not to offer health insurance plans that include contraception and sterilisation, but would compel insurance companies to do so - but it is unlikely to end controversy over the issue, reports Catholic News Service.


    » more

  25. UK students to defy union motion on pro-choice speakers  

    16-Feb-2012

    Students at University College London will defy a student union motion which forces student groups to invite pro-abortion advocates to pro-life talks, reports The Catholic Herald.


    » more

  26. Italian govt to end Church properties' tax breaks  

    16-Feb-2012

    The government of Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti, has issued a statement saying it had informed the European Commission that it would pass a law ending the Church's exemption from local property taxes on its properties used for commercial purposes, reports Reuters on Yahoo 7 News.


    » more

  27. Vatican experiencing its version of WikiLeaks: Lombardi  

    14-Feb-2012

    The Vatican is having its own version of WikiLeaks, spokesman Father Federico Lombardi has said following a recent rash of leaks to the Italian press, said an AFP report on Yahoo 7 News.


    » more

  28. UK Muslim baroness leads delegation to Vatican  

    14-Feb-2012

    Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, a UK Muslim cabinet minister who led a ministerial delegation to the Vatican, said Europe must "become more confident and more comfortable in its Christianity", in an article published in The Telegraph.


    » more

  29. Female vocations overtake males in UK Anglican priesthood  

    13-Feb-2012

    For the first time ever in the United Kingdom, female priests' vocations exceed those of their male colleagues in the Church of England, said a report in the Vatican Insider.


    » more

  30. Indians mourn missionary surgeon religious sister  

    15-Feb-2012

    Thousands of people are mourning the death of a Spanish nun, popularly known as the "Mother Teresa" of Meghalaya, in India, who revolutionised healthcare in the rural northeastern state, reports ucanews.com.


    » more

  31. Two Colombian priests hired hitmen to kill them  

    15-Feb-2012

    Two Colombian priests paid hitmen to kill them after one of the priests discovered he had AIDS, the case's prosecutor alleges, according to an AP report in The Herald Sun.


    » more

  32. Regulars

  33. Feature - Contraception debate exposes divide   

    16-Feb-2012

    The recent debate in America over contraception coverage has exposed a deep divide between the US Bishops Conference's 271 active bishops and the rank-and-file Catholics who are supposed to follow their moral authority, reports Reuters.


    » more

  34. Feature - Diplomat in Israel, faith from Adelaide  

    15-Feb-2012

    It’s a long way from Plympton to Tel Aviv but Andrea Faulkner is grateful for her Catholic upbringing in Adelaide as she continues her impressive career as a foreign diplomat, reports The Southern Cross.


    » more

  35. Feature - church heritage for sale  

    14-Feb-2012

    Moves by two English Catholic cash-strapped religious communities to sell off valuable collections of  ancient artefacts, some of them unique, in their care have led to growing concern among conservationists about the protection of the Church’s sacred history, reports The Tablet.


    » more

  36. Feature - Love in a Catholic climate  

    13-Feb-2012

    If there is one saint’s feast day the rest of the world knows, it is St Valentine’s. But for the members of a Church that has a patron saint of love, it is not always easy to find the perfect partner. Could internet dating be the solution for young Catholics, asks Liz Dodd in The Tablet.


    » more

  37. Feature-Straight-talking priest helps AIDS sufferers   

    12-Feb-2012

    The Catholic Herald talks to Fr Michael Shea, a straight-talking American priest caring for the children of Aids sufferers in Thailand


    » more

  38. Featured website - Flower of Carmel  

    16-Feb-2012

    The Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Goonellabah are an enclosed community of nuns, living near Lismore in northern NSW. They live according to the Rule of Carmel, which was first used by hermits living on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land. The community was founded in 1966.


    » more

  39. Featured website - John Paul II Facebook page   

    15-Feb-2012

    John Paul II's Facebook page continues to be popular with people around the world.

     


    » more

  40. Featured website - Edmund Rice Centre  

    14-Feb-2012

    The Edmund Rice Centre has video of a breakfast with journalist and broadcaster Mike Carlton, where he reflects on ethics in the media, from the purpose of the media in a democratic society, through phenomena like the Murdoch Press and the shock-jocks on to what the future might hold.


    » more

  41. Featured website - Sisters of the Good Samaritan  

    13-Feb-2012

    The Sisters of the Good Samaritan, affectionately known as the Good Sams, have a website which offers a window in the rich spirituality, life and mission of Australia's first home-grown religious congregation.


    » more

  42. Featured website - Solar alternatives  

    12-Feb-2012

    Solar Alternatives and Associated Programmes (SAAP) is an Indian NGO venture launched by local Jesuits and operating in the fields of solar and solar thermal energy in Patna in the state of Bihar.


    » more

  43. TV review - Australian Story  

    16-Feb-2012

    Kathleen Evans, the cancer survivor from Newcastle who came to prominence a few years ago as the recipient of a miracle by Saint Mary MacKillop, will be on Australian Story this coming Monday.


    » more

  44. Film review -Chronicle  

    12-Feb-2012

    Chronicle is another hand-held camera story, allegedly using footage taken by Andrew (Dane de Haan), the central character, with his new camera. So we are in the Blair Witch tradition, though the story takes us in quite a different direction.


    » more

  45. Book review - Catholics and Catholicism in Contemporary Australia  

    14-Feb-2012

    This book brings together scholarly perspectives from around the country and internationally to show ways in which the Church and others are engaged in efforts to restructure institutions, beliefs and practices to effect social change.


    » more

  46. Book review - Catholic Social Conscience  

    13-Feb-2012

    Catholic Social Conscience is a vitalising workbook, a collection of some sixteen essays by scholars and practitioners which assess the actual, contemporary impact of Catholic Social Teaching and propose an extension of its reach into the depths of 21st-century challenges, writes John Battle in Thinking Faith.


    » more

  47. Opinion - Cheap talk doesn't pay bills for poor  

    16-Feb-2012

    Could you live on less than $170.40 a week? If you were a single adult on Newstart Allowance getting the maximum amount of Rent Assistance, that's what you'd have left after paying for accommodation. That's less than $25 a day. Of course, if you can find a way of living rent-free, you'll have $35 a day, writes Paul O'Callaghan, Executive Director of Catholic Social Services Australia, on ABC Online.


    » more

  48. Opinion - Treasury proposal for charities commission misguided   

    15-Feb-2012

    The Treasury proposal in its draft legislation for the new Charities Commission will not improve the contribution made by not-for-profit organisations to our society. It actually proposes giving the commissioner powers that simply cannot be justified, writes Martin Laverty, CEO of Catholic Health Australia.


    » more

  49. Opinion - Will Gonski address inequity in country schools?  

    14-Feb-2012

    The talk surrounding schooling is most often about equity. The Prime Minister had a good phrase: "demography is not destiny" - where you live should not have an untoward effect on your schooling outcomes. I wonder what the Gonski Report will say about funding to country schools - and, in particular, Catholic country schools? writes Bishop Greg O'Kelly in ABC Online.


    » more

  50. Opinion - US bishops will never be satisfied over Obama revision  

    13-Feb-2012

    When Archbishop Timothy Dolan's initial reaction to President Barack Obama's compromise on the contraception mandate was "It's a step in the right direction," I knew it was too good to be true, writes Jamie Manson (pictured) in NCR Online.


    » more

  51. Opinion - The sadness of surrogacy  

    12-Feb-2012

    I heard a program on the BBC World Service last week on surrogacy. It made sad listening. An Irish woman, Carolina, who had had ovarian cancer some years previously and who had subsequently married, had travelled to India to find a surrogate to carry “her” baby, writes Francis Phillips in The Catholic Herald.


    » more

  52. What's On - St Thomas More Forum on charitable health care  

    15-Feb-2012

    The St Thomas More Forum in Canberra will hold a discussion next Wednesday titled What is the future of charitable health care in Australia?" The forum features Andrew Podger (pictured), former National President of the Institute of Public Administration, and Lynne Pezzzullo, economist with Deloittee Access Economics.


    » more

Church Resources provides a range of services for the Church and not-for-profit sector, including aggregating buying power for a wide range of products and services used by health, welfare, aged care, education and parish organisations. More »

Mass streamed live daily

From Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, Waitara, in the Broken Bay Diocese.
Weekdays live at 9.30am
Saturdays live 9.30am (followed by Adoration and Benediction)
Sundays live 9.30am
Click on this link at the appropriate time to connect.

Subscribe

To receive headlines from our faith-based news services, please subscribe below.

Email address

Newsletter


 

News Feed

Subscribe to the CathNews RSS feed to get the daily edition automatically delivered to you.
Subscribe to Faith Project RSS.