22 Mar 2019
Why do we fast during Lent?

Why do we fast during Lent?

Why do we fast and give something up for 40 days? Chocolate, games, social media, coffee – what’s the point of giving any of these things up? REFLECT 1. How am I going with the penance I’ve chosen for Lent – things I’ve given up or taken up? 2. Have I chosen something challenging enough […]

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21 Mar 2019
Love Them Both

Love Them Both

We are all called to care for every member of our society regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity or any other external characteristic. Unborn babies are the most vulnerable of us all. They don’t have a voice and all too often their lives are cut drastically short through abortion. One in four of our generation […]

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20 Mar 2019
Project Compassion: Tati’s Story

Project Compassion: Tati’s Story

Tati lives in the remote forest of West Kalimantan. She is a mother of three who was earning an income working in a local rubber plantation. Since taking part in eco-tourism training with Caritas Australia and its partners, Tati can now afford to send her children to school. With new hope and commitment Tati aspires […]

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19 Mar 2019
Saint Joseph: A model for work

Saint Joseph: A model for work

On the Feast Day of Saint Joseph, we reflect upon the life of this great Saint, the foster father of Jesus. Saint Joseph is a quiet example. He shows how we work is a way we to love God. In the midst of our different work situations, we can grow in maturity and love more […]

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18 Mar 2019
St Patrick’s Breastplate: A Prayer of Protection

St Patrick’s Breastplate: A Prayer of Protection

According to tradition, St. Patrick wrote this prayer in 433 A.D. for Divine Protection before successfully converting the Irish King Leoghaire and his subjects from paganism to Christianity (the term breastplate refers to a piece of armour worn in battle) . Listen to the prayer with this video and reflect on each section. Christ with […]

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17 Mar 2019
HOMILY FOR THE MASS OF CONSECRATION OF THE CHURCH

HOMILY FOR THE MASS OF CONSECRATION OF THE CHURCH

The prehistoric peoples of Australia and the Pacific, Africa and the Americas, the ancient Greeks, Romans and others in Europe, the tribes of the Middle East, and the great religions of Asia, all had their sacred sites where they felt particularly close to God.

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17 Mar 2019
The Transfiguration

The Transfiguration

The transfiguration of Jesus reminds us, during Lent, that through prayer we allow Christ to transfigure us in His likeness, preparing us to accept the Cross just as He did. REFLECTRead today’s Gospel ( Luke 9:28-36) and reflect with these questions 1. What were the disciples’ reaction to seeing Jesus with “his face .. changed […]

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16 Mar 2019
Extraordinary Women: Sisters in Kazakhstan

Extraordinary Women: Sisters in Kazakhstan

This is Sister Rita Kurochkina. She works at a children’s shelter in the parish of Kapshagay in Kazakhstan. In this country, communism brought huge devastation. Many people stopped believing in God. Sister Rita takes care of many children who have experienced incredibly traumatic events. They witnessed their parents battle with alcohol abuse, and sometimes were […]

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15 Mar 2019
HOMILY FOR MASS FOR THE FEAST OF ST. PATRICK

HOMILY FOR MASS FOR THE FEAST OF ST. PATRICK

The Sydney Church I grew up in still a rather Irish one. Already by then my parents and schoolmates, like many Sydney Catholics, were not: they represented the much more culturally diverse Australia which was emerging by the 1960s and is now so obvious here in Sydney.

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