TWO solid blocks of stone stood between Mercy House and St Stephen’s Cathedral, foundation stones laid nearly a century ago for a cathedral never built, and Dr Barbara Reynolds-Hutchinson, a cathedral guide with 13 years’ experience, had a story to tell about them. Brisbane Archbishop James Duhig was such a staunch Irishman, she said, that he had soil from Ireland ... Read More »
AN anti-terror boss is to head a new Queensland youth crime taskforce – as the state government vows to toughen laws and put more young criminals behind bars. There’s been an outpouring of community grief and growing calls for action in the wake of the horrific hit-and-run deaths of young Brisbane couple and their unborn baby, and after a woman ... Read More »
BRISBANE Catholic and retired educator Don Barrett, 92, has taught Latin for more than half a century and said the best part about learning the ancient language of the Romans was how it improved your English. “English is heavily indebted to Latin,” Mr Barrett said. “You get much greater insight into how English works, how words are derived from Latin; ... Read More »
QUEENSLANDERS Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett, former Young Australians of the Year who were behind mobile homeless hygiene service Orange Sky Laundry, were among the many Catholics announced in the Australia Day honours list this year. Both Mr Marchesi and Mr Patchett, who first featured in The Catholic Leader in 2014, were named as recipients of the Medal of the ... Read More »
CATHOLIC parishes across Australia are preparing to dig deep with special bushfire collections at Masses over the Australia Day weekend. The national Church action is in support of the Vinnies Bushfire Appeal, and to aid efforts connecting people in need with people who can help. Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president Archbishop Mark Coleridge announced the collection on January 7, saying: ... Read More »
STUDENTS and staff at St John College, Woodlawn, are busy settling into the new school year but someone special is missing. Eighty-seven-year-old Fr Paul Pidcock is not among them this time, for the first time in about 60 years. He’s in Sydney, having retired from the college late last year. As he adjusted to the idea of not returning to ... Read More »
DOZENS of Catholics received Australia Day awards last week for outstanding contributions to their fields of excellence. The awards honour Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service. Among the many recognised for their dedication to community were Catholic teachers, priests, women religious, health care workers and social service workers. Bishop Emeritus Eugene Hurley, who led the ... Read More »
ON January 26, 1788 the British flag was erected on Australian soil. The First Fleet had reached its final destination. One year earlier, more than one thousand convicts, civil officers, crew members and marines had departed England, destined for a new land. It was the land Captain James Cook discovered a decade earlier. There was no flag, no monarchy, and ... Read More »
THERE was an old lady who swallowed a fly, and then there’s Margie Miller. Unlike the dame in the popular nursery rhyme, it wasn’t a fly or a spider or even a bird that slipped down Margie’s throat. “I used to sing in the parish choir before I swallowed a bone,” Margie explains. “I was eating a stew and I ... Read More »
The Catholic Leader Keeping Faith with You
