THREE leading Catholic schools in Brisbane have started 2019 with a new two-year religious course to coincide with the implementation of the ATAR system. The new course is named “3:16”, with reference to the scripture of John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not ... Read More »
Author Archives: Mark Bowling
Fire, floods and disaster – the call to be good stewards needed more than ever
IN the wake of Townsville’s “once in a century” monsoonal deluge, a leading ecologist warns extreme weather linked to climate change has the potential to dramatically shift the way Australians live and work, and force governments to ramp up resources to combat emergencies. “We’re seeing things we haven’t experienced before,” Macquarie University distinguished professor of biology Lesley Hughes said. Prof ... Read More »
Safe delivery – city sanctuary offers endangered mothers a place to raise their bundles of joy
MOST expecting mothers plan for a rushed trip to the hospital to give birth, but Jane Arnott* knew her baby was already on its way. The young mother, a resident at Brisbane’s Pregnancy Crisis safe house could feel the final contractions coming and cool-headed house supervisor, stepped in as an emergency midwife to make the delivery “Yes, well it wasn’t ... Read More »
Religious freedom championed by Church delegation to lawmakers, urging holistic re-examination
BRISBANE Archbishop Mark Coleridge has urged lawmakers to support a broad, holistic re-examination of religious freedom. Archbishop Coleridge, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, raised the hot-button issue as he led a five-member Church delegation presenting evidence to a parliamentary committee examining Labor Senator Penny Wong’s private member’s bill dealing with religious schools and their capacity to “discriminate” against ... Read More »
Escaping conflict and encampment, African refugees rise to leadership and strive to put God first
ONE of Brisbane’s oldest schools has for the first time named two African refugees as college captains, identifying the pair as leaders strongly committed to their faith and to Catholic social justice. The new captains at Brisbane’s inner-city St James College are Mariam Ajang, born in a refugee camp in Kenya after her family fled war-torn Sudan, and Paul Paul, ... Read More »
Apology Day anniversary stirs heartbreak for Brisbane indigenous elder Theresa Nunn
IT is 11 years since former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised on behalf of a nation to Australia’s indigenous people for the Stolen Generation – and it is an anniversary that still brings deep, heartfelt tears to Brisbane indigenous elder Theresa Nunn. “I am from the Stolen Generation, I was taken when I was seven years old with my older ... Read More »
Words from a seminarian – how World Youth Day brought him to say “yes” to Christ
“Life’s all about learning from new experiences,” says Gerard Lai, third-year seminarian at Holy Spirit Seminary, Banyo, who grew up in Logan, and was among those pilgrims making the trek to WYD Panama 2019. He spoke to Mark Bowling. Was this your first experience with WYD? My first WYD was Poland 2016 and I went with the St Vincent de ... Read More »
Pilgrims encouraged by Pontiff’s words and humble faith to uphold their Catholic identity
IN the heart of Panama City the beautiful Nuestra Senora del Carmen church was packed with young Australians celebrating morning prayer. Just by chance Bishop Michael McKenna of Bathurst, one of several Australian bishops in Panama for World Youth Day, passed the church and agreed to introduce prayers to about 250 visiting youth from Australia. Bishop McKenna’s message was strong ... Read More »
Panama Canal shows what can be achieved when nations work together for common good
DEACON Liam Ryan reckons the Panama Canal is an impressive engineering feat, just as God’s creation of man is a feat of love. “It is just an amazing piece of ingenuity really,” 31-year-old Deacon Ryan said, surveying passenger vessels and giant container ships passing through the canal locks. He visited the canal during last week’s World Youth Day in Panama, ... Read More »