Australians should not take their religious liberty for granted, Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP warned during a lecture he gave on religious freedom in Sydney last night. “Independent reports on religious liberty worldwide suggest that Christians have never before been persecuted as they are right now,” the Archbishop told those gathered at Warrane College UNSW for […]
Twenty-seven year-old Sophie is grateful she has been able to indulge her love of swimming since she arrived in Australia as a refugee from war-torn Syria in January this year. Thanks to the swimming classes provided through the Refugee Welcome Centre in Lilyfield, Sophie has been honing her aquatic skills. A strong swimmer, she now […]
The transgender movement is not based on “a shred of scientific evidence,” a US pediatric endocrinologist has said during a recent visit to Sydney. While emphasisng the need to extend compassion and respect for those struggling with their sexual identity, Dr Quentin Van Meter—who has treated numerous children and young people confused about their sexual […]
While the rest of the world is becoming more religious, the West is descending into an “eccentric” cul-de-sac of unbelief, says Greg Sheridan, Foreign Editor of The Australian. This is a dangerous road for the West to be going down, the 61 year-old journalist says, since a culture devoid of God will produce “radically different […]
Two hundred years ago in the penal colony of Sydney, a school teacher from Dublin—Catherine Fitzpatrick—formed a group of choristers to sing during Vespers before the Blessed Sacrament. Today, the legacy of that group of singers is St Mary’s Cathedral Choir, considered Australia’s finest choir and its oldest musical institution. During Sunday’s 10.30am Mass, St […]
It might have been a paradoxical situation: some of Australia’s highest profile Catholics in public life, including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, a convert, gathered in Sydney this morning for the launch of a book on nothing less than the decline of their faith – Christianity – throughout the western world. Written by Foreign Editor of […]
As Theologian to the Papal Household, Fr Wojciech Giertych OP casts the last “theological eye” over all papal documents before they are placed in the hands of the Pope for his final sign-off. Fr Giertych offers advice on each document—which the Pope may or may not choose to take—and he also reads over the Pope’s […]
To date Tony Mattar has handed out 148,000 Miraculous Medals. Not your average, standard-sized Miraculous Medals, but the large, super-sized ones that many Maronite Catholics like to wear around their necks. What would compel a young Catholic man to import and distribute free-of-charge thousands of these Medals that have been cherished by Catholics for generations? […]
The widespread use of contraception has led to increased violence and aggression against women, Papal theologian, Fr Wojciech Giertych OP said, during his recent visit to Sydney. The Polish Dominican priest, who was appointed Theologian to the Papal Household by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, told The Catholic Weekly that the contraceptive mentality has distorted […]
Exactly ten years to the day—18 July 2018—Ricky Peterson of Kansas City knelt once more at the tomb of Mary MacKillop, this time with a prayer of thanksgiving for the seemingly miraculous event that had changed his life a decade earlier. The first time the now-57 year-old knelt at the tomb was as a pilgrim […]
“Amazing, staggering, phenomenal, overwhelming.” These were some of the words pilgrims used to describe their experience of World Youth Day in Sydney in 2008, Archbishop Fisher OP said, as he welcomed those gathered for the WYD08 10th Anniversary Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral on 20 July. More than 1000 people filled the cathedral to celebrate […]
Charmian Frize gets goose-bumps when she talks about that moment when a bride takes her father’s arm at the door of the Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel in Manly and prepares to walk down the aisle. She says the emotion of that moment always affects her. As Chapel Manager for 11 years, she has seen many […]
