RELIGION is one topic that should never be discussed at the dinner table, so the old maxim goes. And, for years, atheists and Christians have been considered poles apart on this topic. According to Australian Catholic University’s Professor David Newheiser, this caricature is based on a false premise. Prof Newheiser is part of an international collaborative project called Atheism and ... Read More »
THERE’S a lot of death around these days – I guess there always is. We’ve had abortion and now euthanasia in Queensland, and right around the world the shadow of death seems long. In such a moment, it can seem forlorn to celebrate life as we do at Christmas. But it’s all the more necessary as the ... Read More »
SPONSORS from Bunnings, Ray White and other organisations donned their Santa hats last week at Aspleycare when they packed 100 Christmas hampers for the homeless. “Our volunteers do all of the pre-work and then the sponsors come in and pack the hampers,” Aspleycare volunteer Clive Smith said. “They’ve supported us, so we want to get them to be involved, and ... Read More »
TOPICS including migration, prayer and the elderly were at the forefront of recent discussions between Pope Francis and New Farm parish priest Scalabrinian Father Martin Ignacio Gutierrez. Fr Gutierrez was in Rocca Di Papa, Italy, at the time for the general chapter of the Scalabrinian Fathers, to elect a new superior general. The Scalabrinians are an international community of religious ... Read More »
CHRISTMAS Eve will mark the 200th birthday of the classic hymn Silent Night. The origins of the Christmas carol can be traced back to Austria where the song was first performed on December 24, 1818, at St Nicholas’ Church in the quaint town of Oberndorf in Salzburg. A young Fr Joseph Mohr had come to Oberndorf the year before, and ... Read More »
CLAIMS of male privilege should fall on deaf ears after recent data demonstrates a heartbreaking trend among Australian men. In 2017, the number of deaths from suicide in Australia was more than 3000. Of those deaths, three-quarters were men, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The rate of suicide deaths per 100,000 people was 12.7 in 2017, compared to ... Read More »
In May 2018, Father Francesco Mary Gavazzi was ordained a priest with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal at St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. The ordination marked a 12-year journey for the Australian native that began in 2006 at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. Fr Gavazzi spoke with The Catholic Leader from his new home at St Fidelis ... Read More »
IN February 2017, 13-year-old Tamlin Hall split her leg open on a flight of timber stairs at her family home in Brisbane. She was taken to the emergency room for what she thought would be routine surgery. Days later, she was fighting for her life. “I remember looking down and seeing blood and white fragments. I started screaming,” Tamlin said. ... Read More »
A NEW group of pastoral carers has been commissioned for service in Brisbane archdiocese. They were commissioned at Mass recently in St Stephen’s Chapel after having completed a new course being offered by Centacare. Pastoral ministries director Judy Norris said Centacare introduced the course this year after the closure of the Multifaith Academy for Community Ministries which had trained hospital ... Read More »
The Catholic Leader Keeping Faith with You
