DEBRA Vermeer knew by the second date that she had found the man of her dreams, the man she could promise in marriage to love for the rest of her life. There was just one revelation the journalist wasn’t expecting that morning over breakfast in Sydney 16 years ago. “I had a vasectomy 14 years ago,” her date, Tony Vermeer, ... Read More »
AS Brisbane Catholics take stock of the small blessings in their life, a trend has emerged showing people were recognising the way COVID-19 had reminded them of the importance of family and helped them to re-think their priorities. At time of publication, almost 100 people had contributed to the Archdiocese of Brisbane’s Small Blessings campaign and family was central to ... Read More »
“SO glad you are stepping up and helping us when others are telling us to stay away” is a comment from the heart of COVID-19 isolation in Brisbane. It was one of many grateful responses Catholic Psychiatric Pastoral Care has received from members of its community since it began offering pastoral care by phone to members in their homes. Since ... Read More »
AMID COVID-19 restrictions being eased across the community, Queensland’s 307 Catholic schools won’t take up a federal government “incentive” to fast-track school funding to restart face-to-face teaching by the end of the month. “We want to focus on supporting the students, supporting our families and ensuring the pandemic has the minimal impact on the wellbeing of students and their learning,” ... Read More »
ISIS’ brutal persecution in Syria was the backdrop when Murhaf Obeid wrote a special icon now taking pride of place in a Brisbane church. Mr Obeid recently presented his icon of The Last Supper to Bracken Ridge parish priest Fr Gerry Hefferan as a gesture of gratitude for the way Fr Hefferan and the parish had welcomed him, his wife ... Read More »
AUSTRALIAN Catholic leaders have written to the Prime Minister pleading for help on behalf of the ones they see as being abandoned during the COVID-19 pandemic. Four bishops and a long list of religious leaders were among the 50 signatories to the letter, along with heads of groups like the St Vincent de Paul Society, Jesuit Refugee Service, Catholic Mission, ... Read More »
THE Vinnies CEO Sleepout is going virtual and hi-tech so the popular fundraising event for the homeless can go ahead on June 18 despite any COVID-19 restrictions. Business and community leaders who usually come together for the annual event will instead curl up in cars, in their backyards and on couches right across Australia, with each participant joining an interactive, ... Read More »
The plight of international students is in the spotlight as the government and universities try to prop up an international educational industry that injects about $39 billion into the economy DESPITE a new injection of government funding, advocates for foreign students in Australia say many are isolated and desperate, and have already turned to emergency food and support services to ... Read More »
UPDATE CARDINAL George Pell says he is “surprised” by critical findings of the child abuse royal commission, claiming they are “not supported by evidence”. He was surprised by the statements in the report about the earlier transfers of Gerald Ridsdale discussed by the Ballarat Diocesan consultors in 1977 and 1982. “The Consultors who gave evidence on the meetings in 1977 ... Read More »
The Catholic Leader Keeping Faith with You
