ALMOST 2000 students at Brisbane’s St Laurence’s College gathered for the national launch of Socktober, Catholic Mission’s schools engagement program. St Laurence’s is one of more than 100 schools to register for Socktober 2020, that uses the world game of soccer to encourage students to learn about mission and social justice, core parts of the Catholic curriculum. As part of ... Read More »

A FRIEND of the Biloela Tamil family at the centre of a high-profile legal battle to stay in Australia says the mental health of the family’s two young children is deteriorating as wait on Christmas Island for a ruling. Nadesalingam Murugappan, known as Nades, and Kokilapathmapriya Nadesalingam, known as Priya, and their two Australian born daughters Kopika, 4, and Tharunicaa, ... Read More »

HARD lockdowns imposed across metropolitan Melbourne have prompted Brisbane Catholics to prayer as the number of active COVID-19 cases surpassed 1800 people in Victoria. Bracken Ridge parish priest Fr Gerry Hefferen wrote and shared a prayer to Jesus on Facebook on July 10. “We pray to you, Jesus for each of the parish communities and the gifts of hope, patience ... Read More »

CARDINAL George Pell has written of his 13 months in jail in Victoria, isolated from other prisoners for his own protection, bearing witness to the toughness of daily life behind bars, but sustained by his Catholic faith. Writing on the American website First Things, a journal of religion and public life, Cardinal Pell, now 79, said he was despised by ... Read More »

SEA Sunday, celebrated on July 12, takes on an extraordinary significance this year because of the isolation experienced by seafarers unable to come ashore due to the worldwide pandemic. In Brisbane, as in ports everywhere, ships coming in to dock, carrying most of the world’s trade, have been restricted in allowing crews to step down the gang way and come ... Read More »

AUSTRALIANS have been dealt a relatively good hand when it comes to government financial aid through the pandemic, with the likes of employment benefits and tax-return incentives. A new Deloitte Access Economics report released last week predicted Australia’s downturn would be significantly less than experienced by the rest of the world. “It says our downturn is going to be rather ... Read More »

FORMER Brisbane archdiocese priest and now Broken Bay Bishop Anthony Randazzo has outlined a strong vision for Catholic education. Launching Towards 2025, an education strategy for the Diocese of Broken Bay, Queenslander Bishop Randazzo said he supported “a strong, vibrant and authentic Catholic education system… one that promotes learning for life, and the flourishing of human and faith development.” Bishop ... Read More »

MELBOURNE Archbishop Peter Comensoli has directed churches to shut their doors again and has suspended the public celebration of Mass, which had only just recommenced, following COVID-19 outbreaks across parts of Victoria. The directives were for parishes within metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, which were placed back under stage three restrictions for the next six weeks from July 8. Livestreamed ... Read More »

SR Margaret Cleary, a Brisbane girl who’s wandered far, is the latest in a long list of Catholic religious to be honoured by the Queen, but she’s so mindful of being “ordinary”.   Sr Margaret was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours recently “for service to the Catholic Church of Australia”.   It’s not an accolade she ... Read More »