NATHAN and Jennifer Costin have always believed that God answers every prayer, so when they asked to grow in the virtue of patience last year, they were preparing for a tough life lesson. What they didn’t expect was being stuck in limbo between Brisbane and Melbourne for 17 days due to a state border closure. “God doesn’t just give you ... Read More »

THE Church is mourning the death of the former Archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson, aged 70. Even though he suffered a series of health issues in recent years, including cancer, his death on Sunday, January 17 was unexpected, according to the Archdiocese of Adelaide. Close friend, Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference tweeted: “Philip Wilson, ... Read More »

AUSTRALIANS raised more than $1 million for the people of Lebanon in 2020, including more than half a million dollars to an appeal established by the Maronite diocese to support people severely impacted by last year’s deadly explosion in Beirut. Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, who is the head of the Maronite Catholic Diocese of Australia, launched the Beirut Disaster Relief Appeal ... Read More »

FR Graham Gatehouse has been “part of the family” in Nambour parish for 20 years and now he’s moving on as he retires in his 50th year of priesthood. Fr Gatehouse celebrated his final Masses as parish priest at St Joseph’s on the weekend of January 2 and 3. John McGowan, thanking Fr Gatehouse on behalf of parishioners, said he ... Read More »

DAVID Armour knows about life and death on the pandemic frontline. The Brisbane Catholic paramedic working in London has revealed the daily anxiety and pressure of working in the middle of a COVID-19 crisis, as Britain along with the United States and Germany are engulfed by record daily death tolls. “The country and our NHS (National Health Service) is at ... Read More »

FOR groom Daniel Kearney and bride Bella Straw nothing was going to spoil their wedding day – not even last weekend’s Brisbane COVID-19 lockdown that required masks and a frenzied last-minute downsizing of the ceremony. The young couple was married in St John Vianney Church in Manly, with only 10 attendees, including priest Fr Rodrigo Tomala – in accordance with ... Read More »

POPE Francis has ordered a change to canon law, allowing women to be formally installed as lectors and acolytes. It’s a move that has been welcomed as “very significant” by Brisbane Ursuline Sister Kari Hatherell, who served for nine years as chair of the Australian Catholic Council for Lay Pastoral Ministry. “As an ecclesial community all roles are needed, and ... Read More »

GREATER Brisbane will come out of lockdown from 6pm tonight and transition to a rigorous set of restrictions over the next 10 days, including widespread use of masks particularly in shops, workplaces, public transport and churches. The restrictions remain in place for Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton and Redlands until January 22. These restrictions are supposed to last until the typical ... Read More »

HEALING from an abusive relationship can include years of therapy or, in Michaela Daphne’s case, lead to publishing two fiction novels. The 31-year-old from Brisbane is the author of Purlieu and the recently launched Verja, the first two books from her Hidden Grove Series. The series follows Evelyn, a young woman who is manipulated by a young man into leaving ... Read More »