DAY after day, little Jean-Thierry made ice from 20 litres of lemon juice to sell on the street. He never even took a tiny taste of it himself, no matter how dry his throat became from the heat and the dust. He was doing this to help his parents earn their livelihood, because the family was poor. But in his ... Read More »
RALPH Hickey knelt in the kitchen and sent a desperate plea to heaven as the Japanese advanced towards Australia. It was 1942 and Ralph was 12 years old. Japanese forces had bombed Pearl Harbour and an invasion fleet was heading for Papua New Guinea. With American bombers flying overhead and the Allied fleet gathering in the Coral Sea, Ralph and ... Read More »
“Study enables the brothers to ponder in their hearts the manifold wisdom of God, and equips them for the doctrinal service of the Church and of all people.” WITHIN the Constitutions of the Order of Preachers there is an entire chapter devoted to “study”. It stands alongside the chapter on religious consecration (obedience, poverty, chastity) and the chapter on the ... Read More »
DOROTHY Nugent was a child when she decided that people didn’t live to 100. A cheeky, blue-eyed resident at Holy Spirit Carseldine, Dot found out how wrong her young self was when on February 23 this year she had her 100th birthday. “Years ago when I was a kid I used to think, nobody lives to one-hundred,” Dot said. “Well, ... Read More »
Pope Francis would be pleased with Jesse Smith. Encouraging pilgrims in St Peter’s Square, Rome, and audiences worldwide to consider the importance placed on messages from the Word of God, our Holy Father would be pleased that Jesse’s Bible is almost falling apart. “What would happen if we turned around … if you forget your cellphone (mobile phone)?” Pope Francis ... Read More »
“CHOOSE Life”. Those were the words, which the readings at Mass addressed to us the day after Ash Wednesday, taken as they were from Moses’ lengthy exhortation to the people of Israel from the Book of Deuteronomy. And all the chocolate eggs that will be consumed on Easter Sunday are a delicious and eloquent witness to the New Life that ... Read More »
Servant leaders: “Authentic leaders have high levels of awareness and high values as well as confidence, hope, optimism, and resilience.” Servant leadership is moving outside of religious institutions into mainstream business; at least that’s what some business gurus are saying. Since the Global Financial Crisis organisations have been facing legitimacy issues as employees fail to see their leaders live the ... Read More »
COLOMBIAN migrants Alex and Yenny Malaver might be the only parents in Australia who say renting a house saved their son’s life. The young parents, who are originally from Colombia but met in Brisbane through the Catholic Latin American community, are the first migrants to benefit from the Jubilee parish’s Head Start Program, which turns weekly rental payments into a ... Read More »
“LET’S start at the very beginning, a very good place to start,” sang Julie Andrews as Maria in the ever-popular Sound of Music. Australia has our very own “Maria” although Lorraine McCarthy’s “beginning” is well beyond the melodic, “Do, re, mi”. The Melbournian has sung “Alpha’s” tune for almost 20 years, leading groups and individuals to know Jesus Christ across ... Read More »
The Catholic Leader Keeping Faith with You
