PREPARING the next generation for the workforce will require a huge shift in education and culture, according to a leading social researcher. “Our world is changing, our work is changing, and therefore our approach needs changing,” Ashley Fell has told Queensland’s Catholic secondary school principals meeting in Townsville. Young Australians – Gen Z’s, aged between 10 and 24 – and ... Read More »
ONE of the three judges in Cardinal George Pell’s appeal has compared the cardinal’s conviction “beyond reasonable doubt” to that of Lindy Chamberlain. Lindy Chamberlain was accused, convicted by a jury and jailed for the murder of her baby, Azaria, who had been taken by a dingo at Uluru in central Australia in 1980. Mrs Chamberlain was eventually exonerated, her ... Read More »
AUSTRALIAN Catholic Bishops Conference president Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge, doesn’t believe proposed Queensland laws to break the seal of confession would make children any safer. The state’s Labor Government has proposed legislation that would force priests to report admissions of child sexual abuse to police. “We understand why the Royal Commission made its recommendation on the seal and why the ... Read More »
CATHOLIC filmmaker Kevin Dunn has a clear, passionate message when it comes to euthanasia and assisted suicide. “I love life. It’s a gift, and we need to protect it, at all costs,” he said. The Canadian father-of-six has spent much of the past five years investigating the impacts and expansion of euthanasia and assisted-suicide laws throughout the world. Now he ... Read More »
HE was simply known as “the Man with the Hat” and “the Boy from Boree Creek”. A down-to-earth bloke, Tim Fischer (pictured) was instantly recognisable in his Akubra, whether as deputy prime minister in Canberra, on an overseas mission as trade minister, or treading the cobblestones of Rome as Ambassador to the Holy See. The affable and much admired politician, ... Read More »
TAKE 10 everyday folk, most of them from parishes across south-east Queensland and send them on a short mission to an Indonesian island. They will spend 10 days sharing their joy, engaging in simple moments and having their eyes opened to the Gospel in action. This is the scenario for parishioners who visit the Missionaries of the Poor monastery on ... Read More »
AMID the bullets and terror surrounding East Timor’s vote for independence, an Australian priest witnessed the depth of humanity, but he also saw courage, spirit and glimmers of hope. “The faith of the Timorese was completely powerful,” Jesuit Father Peter Hosking, who headed the Jesuit Refugee Service in East Timor at the time of the independence vote 20 years ago ... Read More »
THERE is a saying among veterans that “some gave all, all gave some, and some are still giving”. Sunday, August 18, was celebrated as Vietnam Veterans’ Day around Australia. It coincides with the 63rd anniversary of the battle of Long Tan where 105 soldiers of D company 6RAR held out valiantly and prayerfully against more than 2000 North ... Read More »
IT is 20 years since East Timor, Australia’s neighbour, voted for independence, ending 24 years of often-brutal struggle against ruling Indonesia. East Timor, with its vast Catholic majority, has long been a focus for Australian parishes supporting human rights and justice. Thousands of Australian Catholics have worked, volunteered and donated their energies to support East Timor, where faith, hope and community ... Read More »
The Catholic Leader Keeping Faith with You
