ETHIOPIAN adoptee Mehret Lumb is planning a surprise gift for a group of religious sisters who stepped in to keep her alive when she was just three weeks old. Mehret, who is in Year 8 at Lourdes Hill College, Hawthorne, is hoping to give a religious order in charge of an orphanage in Ethiopia, the Franciscan Sisters of the Heart of ... Read More »
Category Archives: Local
Passionist living in Brisbane who survived a machete attack and met the Queen talks life as a devoted missionary priest
FR Paul Mercieca has experienced many challenges and adventures during 50 years as a Passionist missionary priest. Quietly spoken and with an infectious sense of humour, Fr Mercieca has survived a machete attack, suffered three bouts of malaria, and has travelled to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen. Now working in Brisbane as an aged-care priest, he is beloved by ... Read More »
There’s no ‘I’ in Teams: The international lay movement building stronger marriages
PRESSURE in a fast-paced world is one of the biggest challenges to building a strong marriage, one of the Brisbane organisers of an Oceania conference on marriage says. “Even just having time together – we can easily be robbed of that,” Susie Jones, who together with husband Tim will be hosting the Teams Oceania 2017 conference entitled Marriage beyond the ... Read More »
Priest’s dream to see Chinese religious sisters open a nursing home in Brisbane came true 25 years ago
THREE Chinese religious sisters who came to Australia to build their first nursing home say it was God’s will for their community to care for the elderly. St Paul de Chartres Residential Aged Care in Boronia Heights opened in 1990 to just seven residents, and was operated by the three sisters from Hong Kong. The man responsible for their move ... Read More »
Gold Coast Centacare receives over $1m to help women escaping domestic violence
CENTACARE has received more than a million dollars to operate a mobile support service for women fleeing domestic violence on the Gold Coast, amidst claims that there is an accommodation crisis for survivors. At least 280 Gold Coast women fleeing domestic violence are being forced to stay in motels, which Queensland Opposition domestic violence spokesperson Ros Bates has described as ... Read More »
Praying for little Sara: Family of 11-year-old involved in tragic clothesline accident are leaving everything in God’s hands
SARA’S eyes flutter with excitement as another hymn reaches her ears. Her sister Zina is singing the melody, and watches as Sara follows with her eyes to the familiar sounds. The blanket laid over Sara’s body rises with her breath, causing the wooden Rosary beads placed on top to wriggle back and forth. There are other signs of the Catholic ... Read More »
Frightening ‘exodus’ out of Vietnam leads former Buddhist and father of two into the Catholic Church
TAN Le, 42, was robbed by pirates at sea, resettled as a refugee, and has built a successful career on his journey to becoming a Catholic. Mr Le, a Buddhist for most of his life, and his six-month-old son Eli Vinh were baptised together at the Easter vigil celebrated in St Mary’s Church, Upper Coomera. “It was a very special ... Read More »
Astonishing 40 Koreans baptised and received into the Catholic Church on Easter Sunday
NEWLY baptised Korean Catholic Charles Park believes he was destined to become a son of God. Born Chul-soo Park in Korea, Mr Park took on the English name Charles when he moved to Australia nearly eight months ago. When he was preparing to be received into the Church on Easter Sunday with 40 Korean adults and children, he picked Carlo ... Read More »
Community leaders propose continuous care model to improve maternity care in Logan
PREGNANCY is supposed to be a precious time for new mums but, for Logan woman Emma Nelson, it means avoiding hospitals and doctors’ appointments. The 24-year-old mother of two is expecting a third child in August, but a negative experience during her second pregnancy has left her tending to avoid the health system. Diagnosed with gestational diabetes while pregnant with ... Read More »