IF you are feeling lonely during the pandemic restrictions – you are not alone. Half of all Australians report feeling increasing loneliness at this time. But isolation, social distancing and even wearing a mask in public need not produce negative emotions. A new collection of resources launched by Australian Catholic University explores how thinkers throughout history have dealt with isolation, ... Read More »
“PLEASE, we are human … So please, please, consider and treat us as human beings,” is the plea of a Sri Lankan refugee languishing in detention in Brisbane on hearing the news that the Australian Government could take away his mobile phone. Raj is a Tamil refugee, a businessman from Sri Lanka who Australia has held in immigration detention for ... Read More »
POPE Francis will travel to Assisi on October 3 to sign an encyclical on the social, political and economic obligations that flow from a belief that all people are children of God and therefore brothers and sisters to one another. The Holy See press office, confirming the Pope’s trip, said the document will be titled Fratelli Tutti in Italian. In ... Read More »
QUEENSLAND’S Catholic Bishops have taken an unprecedented step into the political arena ahead of the Queensland election, demanding action on key social and economic issues and delivering a community call to arms to work with “common purpose” to find a way out of the COVID-19 crisis. “As Catholic citizens, we have the opportunity, like all citizens, to participate in the ... Read More »
FRIENDS of a young Catholic woman on mission at a hospital in Malawi that can’t regularly afford to purchase new face masks for its staff are preparing to send over a gift of 100 fabric face masks. Catholic mum and Ignite Youth staff member Nattasha Mierendorf saw a Facebook post written by her friend Danielle Mourits, who is living with ... Read More »
SUNNYBANK parishioner Protais Muhirwa welcomed the Federal Government’s pledge for a billion dollar splash into English language teaching programs but he has warned cash would not solve low success rates for many. Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge flagged the changes to the Adult Migrant English Program at the National Press Club on August 28. Mr Tudge said the program already ... Read More »
HOMELESSNESS in Australia has risen sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, spurring community groups to demand investment in a multibillion-dollar social housing program that could stimulate the economy. In a submission to the government ahead of the federal budget in October, peak body Homelessness Australia says the COVID-19 crisis has caused a surge in people seeking assistance and losing their homes ... Read More »
While several Australian state’s debate whether to legalise euthanasia, the state of Victoria, where voluntary assisted dying (VAD) was legalised a year ago has reported more than ten times the anticipated number of deaths. Victoria’s Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board reported 124 deaths by assisted suicide and euthanasia during its first year, a result Victoria’s bishops said was “not a ... Read More »
AUSTRALIA’S 623,400 or so Catholics who normally attended Sunday Mass before the COVID-19 lockdown are being studied as part of a research project exploring the psychological impact of church closures. Philippa Martyr, a Perth Catholic undergoing a graduate diploma in Psychology at Monash University in Western Australia, is studying the effect that the nationwide dispensation of Sunday obligation and ongoing ... Read More »
The Catholic Leader Keeping Faith with You
