Richie Leilua with his wife Mary and their daughter Photo: Supplied. When Richard ‘Richie’ Leilua sits down with his wife Mary, for what he now calls their “family board meeting,” he thinks about the parents he no longer has. His mother died 11 years ago. His father, 13 years ago. Raising a family without them and their lived wisdom passed across […]
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, as seen from Baabda April 8, 2026. As the ceasefire between the United States and Iran risked collapsing due to disagreements, Israel pressed on with its attack on alleged Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, killing at least 254 people and wounding hundreds more. (OSV […]
A young altar server raises a palm frond during Palm Sunday Mass at Gaza City’s Holy Family Church March 29, 2026. (OSV News photo/Dawoud Abu Alkas, Reuters) This is the edited text of the Homily for the Solemn Mass of Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Year A on 29 March, 2026 at […]
Berala procession for the launch of Eucharist28. Images by Giovanni Portelli Photography 2025 There is something unmistakable about a Catholic procession moving through the streets. Neighbours stop. Questions get asked. Something stirs. That peaceful, prayerful, public witness is exactly what Tania Rimac wants more Sydney parishes to experience, and a new online workshop from the Sydney Centre for […]
Reg and Cynthia. Photo: Supplied. There was a clear, profound moment when Reg Argana realised his 10-year marriage needed an overhaul. “I noticed that each time we go out as a family, I tend to hold my children’s hands 100 per cent of the time, without holding Cynthia’s hand. We were becoming more functional, rather than […]
Lenten pilgrimage from St Fiacre’s Church in Leichhardt to the tomb of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop in North Sydney on 21 March. Photo: Supplied. By Tony Bozicevic OFS Members of the Secular Franciscan Order marked the Jubilee Year of St Francis with a Lenten pilgrimage from St Fiacre’s Church in Leichhardt to the tomb […]
Chrism Mass. Images by Giovanni Portelli Photography © 2026 A solemn yet uplifting Holy Week concluded with news of Christ’s empty tomb and the promise of new life renewing the hearts of the faithful across Sydney and the world. This year, the Archdiocese of Sydney welcomed a record number of nearly 460 candidates and catechumens in the church – a 20 per cent increase […]
Altar of repose St Brigid’s Marrickville. Photo: Supplied. Hundreds of faithful across Sydney once again took part in the ever-growing Seven Churches Visitation pilgrimage following the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. Pilgrims set out into the night – by bus, by car, or in organised groups – visiting seven out of 55 participating churches to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, kept at each altar of repose. […]
Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP breathing on the oils. This gesture is a symbolic act, representing the invocation of the Holy Spirit to sanctify the oil, just as God breathed life into Adam and Jesus breathed on his apostles to give them the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). Images by Giovanni Portelli Photography © 2026 The Chrism […]
Statue of St Faustina. Photo: Supplied. Six months after receiving a first-class relic of St Faustina Kowalska and installing her statue, St Luke’s Parish in Revesby is preparing for Divine Mercy Sunday. The relic has become a source of inspiration for parishioners, friends and visitors seeking a deeper connection to God’s mercy. The journey to […]
Curious Grace setup. Photo: Tara Kennedy. On the final Sunday of the month, the community of St Brendan’s parish in Annandale in Sydney’s inner west come together after Mass to chat, learn new crafts, and enjoy sweet treats. In an increasingly atomised and fragmented society, they’re fighting the good fight against the loneliness epidemic. This is Curious Grace, a group set up in early […]
Chrism Mass 2026 1 of 29 Images by Giovanni Portelli Photography © 2026 Images by Giovanni Portelli Photography © 2026 Images by Giovanni Portelli Photography © 2026 Images by Giovanni Portelli Photography © 2026 Images by Giovanni Portelli Photography © 2026 Images by Giovanni Portelli Photography © 2026 Images by Giovanni Portelli Photography © 2026 […]
Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP blesses the congregation with holy water at during the Easter vigil at St Mary’s Cathedral on 4 April 2026. Photo: Giovanni Portelli Hundreds of worshippers gathered at St Mary’s Cathedral on 4 April for the Easter Vigil, led by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP, in a liturgy that moved from darkness to […]
St Mary’s Basilica, Sydney, 4 April 2026 In 1969 an American lawyer, Edward Packard, was telling bedtime stories to his two young daughters. But when the hero of the story reached a crossroads, each girl wanted the story to take a different direction. Unable to decide which, Packard played out both possibilities. From this simple […]
St Mary’s Cathedral filled to capacity for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on 2 April 2026. Photo: The Catholic Weekly/Giovanni Portelli Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP reflected on the often-overlooked presence and contribution of women in the events of the first Holy Thursday, in his homily for the Solemn Mass of the Lord’s Supper at […]
