AFTER a massive fire triggered a deadly explosion in Beirut, Pope Francis called for prayers and a united effort to help Lebanon overcome “this serious crisis”.” “Let us pray for the victims and their family members, and let us pray for Lebanon so that with the effort of everyone in society – political and religious – it may face this ... Read More »
Tag Archives: covid-19
St Mary of the Cross, who was banished and excommunicated for a time, can teach us courage
THERE was the time she was forced to leave Queensland, then banished from Adelaide, not to mention the unbearable five-months of excommunication by her own bishop – if anyone knows about isolation, it’s St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. And now, in the middle of a possible second wave of coronavirus, Australia’s first saint is facing isolation once more. Hundreds ... Read More »
In pictures – Explosion in Beirut adding suffering to Lebanon’s dire situation
HOSPITALS in the Lebanese capital are overwhelmed with those suffering injuries from a massive explosion in Beirut’s port, causing widespread damage to the city and rocking the tiny Mediterranean nation already devastated by the coronavirus and its worst financial crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. “People won’t be able to rebuild their homes, businesses, livelihoods. There are reports of hospitals ... Read More »
Australian bishops put mental health first as lockdowns magnify unseen battle faced by millions
WITH Australia still gripped by pandemic, “understanding and support” for mental health has been identified as a nationwide priority in the 2020 Australian Catholic Bishops Conference social justice statement. COVID-19 is not only causing physical, social and economic strains, it is also heaping pressure on the mental health of many people in ways that are hard to see. “People experiencing ... Read More »
Nation’s first face-to-face program for veterans in isolation launched in Brisbane
COVID-19 travel restrictions have forced Brisbane archdiocese’s Veteran Care Association to put on hold its successful rehabilitation program, Timor Awakening, in the former conflict zone of East Timor. But rather than drop a program helping to improve the health and wellbeing of hundreds of veteran and their families from across Australia, the association’s leaders have set out on a new ... Read More »
National Vocations Week: Young seminarian twins find common ground in call to priesthood
BJ Perrett and Thomas Popovic, both twins, have formed a strong friendship among the brotherhood of Holy Spirit Provincial Seminary, Banyo. Thomas, whose twin Matthew’s also in priestly formation, first met rural BJ, a twin to Eve, at the Quo Vadis (Where are you going?) discernment weekend in 2017. A recent mid-semester trip in BJ’s home parish of Stanthorpe, in ... Read More »
Brisbane Christian Brother launches new book on Christian meditation
CHRISTIAN Brother Brian Grenier is rare as far as writers go. That’s because he was more interested in his readers’ answers than his own. Having just released his new book, Listen to Him!, Br Grenier was reminded of a theologian who said “it is the question rather than the answer that educates”. “And you could say that in the book ... Read More »
Nearly one in 10 police assigned to coronavirus pandemic response
QUEENSLAND police and frontline authorities are boosting their COVID-19 response, with a warning that the pandemic is far from over. As well as strict border checks, police are out and about ensuring churches, sports clubs and pubs adhere to the latest social distancing restrictions, and more specialist domestic violence workers are being deployed. One in nearly every 10 police will ... Read More »
One million Australians expected to be unemployed by December, government warns
CHRISTMAS stockings are going to be bare for a lot of families this year as more than a million Australians were expected to be unemployed by December. The Australian Government warned unemployment was expected to peak at 9.25 per cent – that’s another 240,000 people out of work. With a deepening economic crisis came a worsening participation rate, which meant ... Read More »