THIRTY years ago a group of 28 young adults embarked on a unique and adventurous mission – to provide safe activities for Schoolies flocking to Surfers Paradise. Little did they know that their faith, determination and sense of purpose that created Rosies Gold Coast would be alive and strong today, with final preparations for Schoolies 2017. Schoolies was very different ... Read More »
FORMER kickboxing champion Masoud Abdollah Pouri marked his 37th birthday recently – inside an aged-care nursing home in Brisbane’s northern suburbs. The one-time member of Iran’s elite Thai kickboxing team has a hypoxic brain injury. He cannot speak, is unable to move most of his body, and is in the constant care of his mother Fatemeh and younger brother Edris. ... Read More »
SEMINARIANS Thomas Zaranski and Damien Everitt have made it to the final step before the priesthood after being ordained deacons today. Archbishop Mark Coleridge ordained Deacon Zaranski, 31, and Deacon Everitt, 43, to the transitional diaconate in a Mass at Holy Spirit Chapel, at Banyo’s Australian Catholic University. The ordination marks the final step before the two can be ordained ... Read More »
TRADITIONAL Latin Mass could be set for a mini revival in rural churches around Brisbane. Dozens of worshippers braved heavy rain and flooding to attend Mass in the extraordinary form at St Patrick’s Church in the historic gold-mining town of Mt Perry, west of Bundaberg, last month. There was high praise for the Latin Mass from Oratory in Formation moderator ... Read More »
CHRISTIANS rebuilding their homes in devastated Qaraqosh could soon receive financial support from Australians concerned about the diminishing presence of Christianity in Iraq. Benjamin Blanchard, the founder of a non-government organisation helping persecuted Christians living in the Middle East, SOS Chretiens d’Orient, will visit Australia later this month with the hope of raising $150,000 to help rebuild Qaraqosh. Mr Blanchard ... Read More »
AMID public protests, vigils and picketing of politician’s offices, the Catholic Church and United Nations are spearheading criticism of the Australian Government over its handling of asylum seekers on Manus Island. The future of about 600 men left on Manus remains in limbo after their refusal to leave the processing centre amid fears for their safety. The PNG Supreme Court ... Read More »
THERE aren’t too many religious sisters who can claim to be water engineers. However, Good Samaritan Sister Marella Rebgetz has always had a practical, scientific bent of mind and has put her talents to use. Last month she was elected to the congregation’s new leadership team until 2023, and she is committed to the Good Sams’ Statement of Directions, which ... Read More »
COURAGEOUS taxi driver Aguek Nyok who kicked down the door of a burning bus and unstoppable teenager with Down Syndrome Olivia Hargroder are among the list of nominees for the Australian of the Year awards. The South Sudanese refugee and Brisbane hero has been nominated as one of four Queensland finalists for Australia’s Local Hero, while Southern Cross Catholic College ... Read More »
BRISBANE’S two parishes run by the Divine Word Missionaries hold the key to attaining world peace, the congregation’s superior general Fr Heinz Kuluke says. The leader for six years of the Society of the Divine Word, the world’s largest missionary congregation, said the intercultural make-up of the Inala and Kingston-Marsden parishes where his missionaries worked “would change the world”. “I ... Read More »
The Catholic Leader Keeping Faith with You
