News
A History of Sexual Abuse at St John's Abbey Collegeville
St. John’s Abbey, one of the largest Benedictine monasteries in the U.S., released more than 15,000 pages of documents Tuesday related to 18 priests it said “likely offended” sexually against minors dating back to the 1960s. Read more.
Holy Listening - A Spiritual Direction Course
The monastic tradition understands faith as a journey we make in companionship with others. Accompaniment is an important way in which we help each other find our way forwards in faith, hope and love. It can include spiritual direction and counselling, it can take place formally in one-to-one dialogue, in informal but regular meetings, on an individual basis or in groups, in the context of retreats and conferences. It is about sharing insights, listening to questions, seeking wisdom for the journey. Read more
Secret Catacombs Pact Emerges After Fifty Years
On the evening of Nov. 16, 1965, quietly alerted to the event by word-of-mouth, some 40 Roman Catholic bishops made their way to celebrate Mass in an ancient, underground basilica in the Catacombs of Domitilla on the outskirts of the Eternal City. Read more
Join the Climate March in Sydney
Sunday Novcember 29 at 1pm - the Domain. For further details copntact Simon Habel: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Synod's Final Document Gives Questions Rather than Answers
One of the ten prelates responsible for drafting the final document from the ongoing Synod of Bishops on family has said that while it may not give solutions to all the questions discussed by the gathering, it will give good direction to Pope Francis for future decisions. Read more
Information on Australian Bishops' Social Justice Statement on Refugees
September 27 is Social Justic Sunday. The Australian Catholic Bishops have published a very challenging document. To see an introductory video and find out more about that document, click here. To see Andy Hamilton's comments in Eureka Street, click here.
Realising the Contemplative in You: Online Course with Joan Chittister
Contemporary spirituality includes multiple forms of devotion and meditation. In this e-course, Joan Chittister looks at the most fundamental of them all -- reading and writing -- and their relationship to the development of the spiritual life. Read more
Hammer and Sickle Crucifix
We do not know what President Barack Obama will give Pope Francis when he visits the White House next September. But we can be sure that it will not be a hammer and sickle crucifix like the one that Bolivian President Evo Morales gave the pope during his recent trip to Latin America. Read more.
Call From African Bishops to Synod: Be Less Euro-centric
October's synod of bishops on the family should take on a global perspective, rather than sticking to isolated issues found primarily in western society, African Church leaders have said. Read more.
Muslims Give $100K to Rebuild Black Churches in US
Three Muslim organizations have raised over $100,000 to rebuild black churches in the South. Read more.
Global Pulse - A Fine New EJournal
Find out more about this excellent initiative.
Catholics in the US and Climate Change
When Pope Francis releases his much-anticipated encyclical on the environment this week, he will find a largely receptive audience among American Catholics. Very few will have ever heard their own religious leaders speak about climate change before. Read more.
Synod: Rome Has Spoken but the Case is not Closed
The interview by the Jesuit Antonio Spadaro with the Dominican theologian Jean-Miguel Garrigues, in the latest issue of "La Civiltà Cattolica," continues to raise discussion. Read more.
Both Ends of the Gun
Aboriginal Australians at War
A conference by Marist Family Peace and Justice Group. Keynote speakers: Professor Henry Reynoldsand Uncle Dave Williams. Chair: Jeff McMullen At Santa Sabina College, 90 The Boulevarde, Strathfield NSW 2135. Saturday 29 August 2015, 9.30am-3pm. Register by 7 August at http://maristfamily.com.au/ Information: Fr Jim Carty SM on 0447 691 223 and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Adults $30, Concession card holders $20 and Students $10.
French Priests Lives Among the Brahmins in India
"I'm an ordinary priest," Fr. Yann Vagneux tells all those who invariably asks him why he is living in Varanasi, India, "the Rome of Hinduism." Read more
Catholic Academy Helping Iraqis Arise from the Ashes
Chaldean Archbishop Yousif Thomas Mirkis of Kirkuk launched a project in 2007 for an open university in Bagdad. The idea was to create a space of freedom, dialogue and research to pass on knowledge and facilitate individual reflection. Read more
'In Iraq Christianity is a Dark Tunnel'
"Since the invasion of the Islamic State last June, our life has changed radically. Even today, the Christian refugees in Ankawa, the Christian suburb of Erbil, have no money: they cannot withdraw money from Kurdistan banks, as their assets are frozen in Mosul or Qaraqosh. Many families have not received their salaries for several months, and when they did, it was only a partial payment. Read moreUS Denies Visa to Expert on Persecution of Christians in Iraq
Unless the US State Department changes its mind, Dominican Sister Diana Momeka, who has worked among the internally displaced persons in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil since tens of thousands of Christians were forced to take refuge there last summer, will be sitting out the mid-May trip. Read more.Scorsese Film on Shusaku Endo's 'Silence'
The film is based on a novel by Shusaku Endo and tells the story of Portuguese Jesuits in the 17th Century who suffered persecution while working in isolated parts of Japan. It stars Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson, and Adam Driver and will be released in cinemas in 2016. Read more.
The Atheist Blogger Who Bumped into God
Catholic media around the world reported that die-hard atheists were in shock, back in 2012, when celebrated atheist blogger Leah Libresco announced she was leaving the fold to convert to Catholicism. Read more