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The number of tourists to Australia in World Youth Day month, July 2008, jumped by 47,000 compared with the same month last year, figures show.
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NSW parents lobby to keep free student travel
The New South Wales Catholic Education Commission has confirmed that it has called on parents of children in Catholic schools to lobby for the scrapping of a new travel levy for students.
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Qld, Vic school teachers in new abuse cases
A former Catholic College Bendigo staff member has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two young boys twenty years ago while a Darling Downs Catholic school teacher has been charged with seven counts of rape.
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Catholic Healthcare pilots squalor phone hotline
Catholic Healthcare is to launch a Sydney telephone hotline to coordinate responses to people living in domestic squalor.
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Poland's Wyszynski proposed Wojtyla
Cardinal Stefan Wyszinski declined to be nominated as pope during a 1978 conclave, proposing instead his compatriot Karol Wojtyla, the late Polish primate's journal reveals.
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Vatican denounces Congo "massacre of the poor"
Describing recents events in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a "massacre of the poor", Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi called for world support to end the violence and assist refugees.
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Feature - A positive legacy comes from grief
David and Samantha Meyn of East Maitland have gained wisdom beyond their years after losing their son Harrison, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of 6, in July 2006. Oscar, now 7 and Campbell, 3, speak often of their older brother and love to draw attention to the photos displayed at home. - Tracey Edstein, Aurora
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Featured Website - Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education
The western Sydney based Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education is the organisation behind the documentary on Australia's treatment of asylum seekers, A Well Founded Fear, which airs on SBS TV tonight. The Centre is a ministry of the Christian Brothers and has a history of advocacy and campaigning on social justice issues.
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Radio - The Rhythm Divine: The Rapping Priest
Fr Stan Fortuna is a Catholic priest and a founding member of the Community of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, an order established in the heart of the South Bronx in 1987. But he is also a musician known worldwide as "the rapping priest". Even after 20 years it's not a title he's totally comfortable with.
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Opinion - A moment in history for Anglicans and Catholics
2008 has been a year of potentially historic breakthroughs between Anglican Christians and the Chair of Peter. Many Catholics have noted with great interest the growing number of Anglicans who have approached the possibility of coming into full communion with the Catholic Church. - Deacon Keith Fournier, Catholic Online
[More]
OPINION
Beyond knowledge to wisdomI believe this is one of the crisis points for contemporary Christianity. Put bluntly, its representatives do not seem wise. Yes, those representatives can give you any amount of information, some of them can even speak knowledgeably of Christian teachings. Wisdom is another thing altogether. - Fr Michael Whelan [More] - Aquinas Academy
FEATURE
Connected across bordersIt is time for leaders of nations to see their national interests as connected with the interests of people on the other side of the globe. We have reached the point where human existence is at stake and our destiny is inextricably linked. If we are to overcome this crisis of climate change we need to think beyond the confines of national states. - Just Comment [More] - Edmund Rice Centre
FEATURED CATHOLIC WEBSITE
Catholic Education Diocese of ParramattaReturning to our education theme, we shine the spotlight on arguably the most innovative Catholic education website in the country. In addition to all the standard features of any CEO site, Parramatta's includes some interactive opinion polls and a competition for students to attempt to ''Become the Executive Director for the day''. The site is also well regarded for its RE and curriculum resources.
- www.parra.catholic.edu.au
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Catholic agencies welcome PM's leadership on mental health
St Vincent de Paul Society and BoysTown's Kids Help Line have welcomed the Prime Minister's $1.8 billion commitment to mental health, saying it is good news for people with mental illness.
The new Federal Government commitment, announced yesterday, includes an increase in clinical and health services, non-clinical programs such as respite services for carers, an increase in the mental health workforce and funding for educational campaigns.
"The Federal Government's funding package is a welcome response to community concerns about the plight of people living with mental illness," said Margaret Morton (pictured), CEO of the St Vincent de Paul Society.
"People with mental illness, their families and carers are in desperate need of the respite services that this package will provide. We are also pleased to see vital funding for community awareness and living skills programs."
The St Vincent de Paul Society encourage all State Governments to cooperate with the spirit of this initiative by matching the Federal Government's commitment.
"Today's announcement is a first step towards ending years of shameful neglect by successive State and Federal governments. We call on State Governments to fund a variety of needs-based accommodation services for the treatment and rehabilitation of people living with and recovering from mental illness."
Meanwhile BoysTown's Kids Help Line has also welcomed the Government's mental health funding announcement which acknowledges the importance of telephone counselling services.
This announcement coincides with BoysTown's release of the Kids Help Line National Report. The report highlights that the proportion of mental health calls from young people has more than doubled over the past three years.
BoysTown Chief Executive Officer Jack Firman said mental health is the number one issue for children and young people accessing online counselling.
"Our children are dealing with depression, anxiety, psychosis, personality disorders and ADHD on a daily basis," he said. "Providing them with appropriate counselling and support is critical.
"We are also seeing a disturbing increase in calls from young people who are deliberately injuring themselves - we are now responding to more than 150 contacts per week in relation to this issue."
SOURCE
Vinnies welcome PM's leadership on mental health (St Vincent de Paul Society 5/4/06)
Mental health funding applauded (Boystown 5/4/06)
LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
Better mental health services for Australia (Prime Minister 5/4/06)
St Vincent de Paul Society
BoysTown Kids Help Line
ARCHIVE
Catholic agencies see way forward in mental health report (CathNews 3/4/06)
Adelaide service focuses on global mental health problems (CathNews 13/2/06)
Cardinal calls mentally ill 'faithful images of God' (CathNews 10/2/06)
MORE STORIES
Home should be where help is for mentally ill (Sydney Morning Herald 6/4/06)
Mentally ill homeless left to states (The Australian 6/4/06)
Mentally ill 'miss out on housing' (The Australian 6/4/06)
6 Apr 2006
