ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL, SYDNEY, 1 MARCH 2026 A few weeks ago, a 15 second video clip went viral showing Hollywood action stars Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise locked in an elaborate fight on a crumbling rooftop. There were sweeping camera angles, stunt choreography, crisp sound effects, everything we’d expect of a multi-million-dollar blockbuster. Except that […]
ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL, SYDNEY, 22 FEBRUARY 2026 “Always check the terms and conditions.” It’s sage advice that hardly anyone follows. Our world is riddled with fine print, endless scrolls of legalese that, if you are anything like me, get accepted without a second glance every time we download an app, sign up for a streaming […]
ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL, SYDNEY, 21 FEBRUARY 2026 WYan foo, cup jee, cup sing sun jee ming (In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit) Juk lay ping mon (Peace be with you) [Cantonese] Chan-oy dik hing-dai jeh-mooy moon, foon-ying daai-gah loy chahm-gah gum-mahn hing-jook noong-lik sun-neen dik may-saht. […]
CHAPEL OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY, DOMUS AUSTRALIA, 26 JANUARY 2026 The Australian national anthem, Advance Australia Fair, was written by Scotsman Peter Dodds McCormick under the pen name Amicus. First performed by the Highland Society on St Andrew’s Day 1878, it was instantly a hit. 23 years later it was sung by a […]
ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL, SYDNEY, 28 DECEMBER 2025 In Rembrandt’s painting of the Holy Family with Angels (1645), now in the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, we witness a thoroughly domestic scene.[1] The context is not in the Bethlehem stable but Joseph’s workshop, where the carpenter is bent over his bench, surrounded by his tools, and […]
St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, 25 December 2025 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” We all know the biblical story of creation (Gen chs 1 & 2), in which God made this magnificent universe for us, and made us in His own image, free, intelligent and loving, so we might flourish according […]
ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL, SYDNEY, 7 DECEMBER 2025 During the week before Christmas, as we celebrate with the Christmas at the Cathedral each night in Sydney, the Church sings a series of ancient Advent acclamations known as “The O antiphons.” At Vespers each night the Church prays to Christ to come, hailing Him with a different […]
ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL, SYDNEY, 6 DECEMBER 2025 (MOST REV.) ANTHONY FISHER OP, CHIEF CHAPLAIN OF THE ORDER OF MALTA IN AUSTRALIA A recent McCrindle report offers a fascinating snapshot of trends in naming our bubs. For over a decade now, Oliver has reigned supreme for the Aussie boys, while Charlotte and Isla have been jostling […]
ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL, SYDNEY, 5 DECEMBER 2025 Coffee: humanity’s love affair with it is remarkable. It’s estimated we consume over two and a quarter billion cups every day or 26,000 cups per second![1] After water, it’s the most consumed beverage on earth by a long shot. Coffee is, in fact, humanity’s principal addiction. Many of […]
ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL, SYDNEY, 4 DECEMBER 2025 The slang name for diamonds is ‘rocks’ as when someone remarks on ‘the size of the rock’ on someone’s finger. It’s an ironic name, given that rocks are cheap and ordinary, and that, strictly speaking, diamonds are not rocks at all: rocks are composites of several minerals while […]
