- Boxing Day 2010 26 Dec 2010
The Australian cricket team gave us an unexpected Christmas present when they thrashed their English opponents in Perth as comprehensively as we were beaten in Adelaide. We are hoping for a couple more such presents. ...
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- Almost Christmas 19 Dec 2010
We are now six days away from Christmas, so we still have time to prepare, to do what we should. ...
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- Hanrahan 12 Dec 2010
What part does God play in the droughts and flooding rains, which are such a regular occurrence in our "sunburnt country"? ...
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- Advent 5 Dec 2010
On last Sunday the Christian Churches began the season of Advent, which derives from the Latin word "advenire" meaning to come, and prepares for the feast of Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. ...
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- Hell 28 Nov 2010
Does Hell exist after death? How many might be there, why would they be there and what would be their punishment? ...
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- Jacarandas 21 Nov 2010
The Jacaranda tree is blooming once again in the quadrangle at Sydney University to remind students that it is examination time. ...
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- Ethics Classes 14 Nov 2010
Public school education in New South Wales has been free, compulsory and secular since 1880. ...
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- November 7 Nov 2010
November is the month when Catholics remember their dead as the month begins with the feast of All Saints (those in heaven) and then the feast of All Souls (those on their way to heaven). ...
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- Aboriginal Rome 31 Oct 2010
The illuminated dome of St. Peter's Basilica provided a stunning background as a couple of hundred Australians gathered on the roof of the Vatican Museum on the Saturday night before the canonization of St. Mary MacKillop. ...
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- Aussies in Rome 24 Oct 2010
Last weekend it was heart warming to see the huge banner with St. Mary MacKillop's image hanging from the front of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the world's largest and most famous church. ...
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- St. Mary MacKillop 17 Oct 2010
Mary MacKillop's canonization today in Rome as Saint Mary of the Cross (the name she used in her religious life) is obviously important for Australian Catholics. ...
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- Rights of the Child 10 Oct 2010
Human rights are not something we make up. They belong to us because we are human. While the law might limit rights in certain circumstances, it cannot give them or take them away. ...
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- Mercy Killing 3 Oct 2010
Brown death has again infected the Federal Parliament with renewed talk about euthanasia. ...
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- Benedict In Britain 26 Sep 2010
Pope Benedict's visit to Britain last weekend to beatify Cardinal John Newman was a great success, against the expectations of his anti-religious opponents. ...
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- Ramadan 19 Sep 2010
Our Muslim brothers and sisters here in Australia have recently finished celebrating their holy month of Ramadan. ...
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- Gambling 12 Sep 2010
It is an ill wind that blows no one any good. I suspect the Independents have enjoyed their long period in the limelight, although most of the rest of us yearned for it to end. ...
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- Father's Day 5 Sep 2010
It was sad that the week before Fathers Day was used by the NSW Legislative Assembly to pass 45 to 43 the Same Sex Couples Adoption Amendment, which eliminates mothers and fathers. ...
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- The Election 29 Aug 2010
Democracy is alive and well in Australia. Democratic processes are robust and generally followed with good humour. ...
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- Family Issues 22 Aug 2010
Last Sunday we celebrated our third annual Mass for pregnant women. 100 mothers-to-be attended and came up for a personal blessing. It is a beautiful tradition, borrowed from the church in Seoul, South Korea. ...
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- A Pretty Good System 15 Aug 2010
Someone recently claimed that most Australians believed their country was the best in the world, while they often criticised it as though it was one of the worst. ...
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- Elections 8 Aug 2010
Recently while on parish visitation I met the young adults group for an evening's discussion. ...
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- Ukrainian Pressures 1 Aug 2010
The Catholic University of Ukraine is the only Catholic University in what used to be the U.S.S.R. the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. ...
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- Prayer 26 Jul 2010
Prayer is not someone talking to himself, or herself more probably, because women are usually more religious than men. ...
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- Vanishing Challenge 18 Jul 2010
Humanly induced climate change was once "the greatest moral challenge of our age". No longer. The hullaballoo is much less. ...
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- Blessed are the Peace-Makers 11 Jul 2010
John Lennon was the best known of the Beatles, who once claimed they were better known than Jesus Christ. ...
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- Parental Leave Scheme 4 Jul 2010
Before the recent political turbulence, an important piece of legislation passed quietly through both Houses of Federal Parliament. ...
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- Christian Churches 27 Jun 2010
A week is a long time in politics. Last Monday the leaders of the Christian Churches met in Canberra with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. ...
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- Macquarie Vision 20 Jun 2010
Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of New South Wales from 1810-1821, was our first great champion. On his tomb in Scotland he is justly described as "The Father of Australia". ...
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- Girls and Violence 13 Jun 2010
We used to talk about children learning from their elders and betters. ...
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- Godly Evolution 6 Jun 2010
On June 26th, 2000 President Clinton of the United States announced that the human genome had been mapped. ...
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- Archibald Prize 30 May 2010
This year it was not the Archibald Prize but the Wynne Prize for landscape painting which generated controversy. ...
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- Godly Evolution 23 May 2010
Every Pentecost Sunday I publish a statement for the parishes and senior students. ...
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- Mercy 16 May 2010
Fifty years ago when I was in secondary school we studied one of Shakespeare's plays each year from year nine. It was hard going sometimes but it was more worthwhile than studying advertisements. ...
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- Mother's Day 2010 9 May 2010
Eating and talking go together as one of life's greatest pleasures. ...
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- ANZAC DAY in Rome 2 May 2010
The spring weather in Rome can be perfect. And last Sunday was perfect for the celebration of Anzac Day, although the days before and afterwards were overcast. ...
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- Pornography 25 Apr 2010
Pornography was once only available under the counter. It has now become a major force shaping the culture. It is one of the most dramatic transformations of our time. ...
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- Attacking the Pope 18 Apr 2010
Pope Benedict XVI has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks over his handling of sexual abuse by priests. ...
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- Alcohol and Violence 11 Apr 2010
Most Australians do not want to be dubbed as wowsers. But I also suspect that this same huge majority cannot understand why hotel bars need to open through the early hours of the morning. ...
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- Easter 2010 4 Apr 2010
A priest friend of mine commented that Easter means more than the Easter Show. ...
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- Gender Selection 28 Mar 2010
It was good news that Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon announced that her government was not considering law changes so that parents could abort a baby simply because they wanted a child of the other sex. ...
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- Barker Debate 14 Mar 2010
Last Thursday I debated American atheist Dan Barker at Macquarie University. ...
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- Blessed are the Gentle 7 Mar 2010
It is now old news that Mary MacKillop will be canonized by Pope Benedict on next October 17th. ...
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- Justice & Righteousness 28 Feb 2010
A university student once wrote a brilliant essay to prove that justice did not exist. ...
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- Lent 21 Feb 2010
Lent crept up on us quietly last week, the period when Christians around the world prepare to celebrate at Easter the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. ...
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- St Valentine's Day 14 Feb 2010
St Valentine's Day has changed a lot since I was young. Catholics knew it then as the feast day of saint. ...
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- European Australians 8 Feb 2010
Why do so many Australians believe in humanly induced global warming? ...
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- Human Activity and Climate Change 31 Jan 2010
In 2007 the Vatican sponsored a meeting in Rome on climate change and opinion was divided between believers and sceptics. ...
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- Australia Day 24 Jan 2010
Often we take our blessings for granted until we lose them. An outsider is sometimes needed to recognize what is basic. ...
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- Avatar 10 Jan 2010
It was a considerable anti-climax. I was looking forward to enjoying Avatar, which is allegedly the most expensive film in history costing US$300 million. It wasn't terrible, but it was boring; preachy but probably harmless. ...
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- King Canute 3 Jan 2010
King Canute once took his fawning courtiers with him, set his throne down on the coast and commanded the tide to halt. ...
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