QUEENSLAND’S 300 Catholic school communities have taken up the challenge to find new ways of opening doors for students, parents, staff and the broader community throughout the Year of Mercy. Queensland Catholic Education Commission executive director Lee-Anne Perry said the jubilee year had been an opportunity for schools to reflect on the many aspects of mercy. “Throughout the year students ... Read More »
Category Archives: Spirituality
Finding silence in the secular setting
SATURDAY-morning breakfast writing club was the closest encounter I have had to a “religious experience” at university. What made this so special was not what people said, rather, what they did not say – four hours spent with people respecting each others’ silence. The purpose of the silence was for each individual to contribute, albeit in a small, possibly miniscule ... Read More »
Memories of a beloved teacher
OUR memories are selective. We know so very little about how the computer that is our brain functions. Why does one memory get stored and not others? Why does it surface just at specific moments of our lives from somewhere deep inside? My school days were happy days. I remember Year 3 in particular. Our teacher was Miss Arthur. In ... Read More »
Timor Leste veteran returns to confront his past
VETERAN Nick Hodge admitted feeling trepidation as he prepared to return to Timor Leste. “(It’s) going back to places that weren’t that nice. I’ve been up and down, gone off the rails, but it’s something I want to do,” he said. Mr Hodge, a veteran of multiple deployments with both the army and the Australian Federal Police, is one of ... Read More »
Sisters of Mercy make mobile app for Jubilee year
JUST three months ago the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy launched their Mercy-ing app, supporting action and contemplation in daily life, and it has had more than 2000 downloads. An institute spokesman said the path of Mercy invited people to attain balance of their lives through prayer and the app was assisting people towards this goal in Australia, New ... Read More »
Refugees hang ten on Aussie beach
MORE than 100 migrant and refugees from southern Brisbane suburbs were greeted with blue skies, sunshine and warm smiles for the annual Infant Saviour St Vincent de Paul Society conference beach picnic. Conference president Dot Farley said the day, in its 14th year, was a huge success. Burleigh Heads Vincentian Hans Van Mosseveld said the picnic was a collaborative effort ... Read More »
Aged care residents receive visits for Year of Mercy
RESIDENTS at Regis Aged Care, Salisbury, are experiencing the spirit of the Year of Mercy thanks to visits from Year 5 and 6 students from St Pius X Catholic Primary School. Assistant principal for religious education Kelly Short said the students were developing a hands-on understanding of how to provide Christian service for their local community. “By putting social justice ... Read More »
Archbishop Coleridge names seven Brisbane parishes pilgrimage sites for Year of Mercy
PILGRIMAGE hotspots during the Year of Mercy have increased in the Brisbane archdiocese with seven new sites opening Holy Doors to the public. The Catholic Churches in Red Hill, Clear Island Waters, Annerley, Ipswich and Nambour have been nominated as pilgrimage sites of Mercy for the jubilee year, which Pope Francis launched on December 8. The Pauline Fathers, who run ... Read More »
Locking in love for the Year of Mercy
MARRIAGE is on the horizon for Adam Burns and there’s a third person he’d like to publicly thank before tying the knot. Mr Burns will place a heart-shaped padlock on Brisbane’s newest love-lock sculpture situated outside St Stephen’s Cathedral with fiancé Jade Henkes as a sign of their love for each other and the third person in their relationship – ... Read More »