A case of conscience
Last month in this column, I concluded that Catholics could make up their own minds as citizens on what they thought the law of the land could define as marriage. Not everyone agrees on that, of course.
Our schools are cooking up a healthy eating future
With rising obesity and school children regularly missing breakfast, it’s more and more vital to equip young people with the skills and knowledge to make healthy food choices.
Fraught with promise: the interreligious blame game
The greatest objection to religious belief in our time is possibly the perceived connection between religion and violence. All the religions have messages of peace; all are historically complicit in violence.
Mother and son share enthusiasm for ACYF
Newcastle mother and son, Ellen Hazelton and Jarrod Moore, attended the Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) in Melbourne 2013 and Adelaide 2015. Last year they attended World Youth Day (WYD) in Krakow, Poland. What draws them to these global church experiences?
Dual citizenship’s not always a liability!
Not many people can say that they have a family in two different continents but CatholicCare’s Virginia Tsang is very used to having a Mum and Dad in Australia and a 媽媽 and 爸爸 in Hong Kong. She shares her story.
There’s a bear in there
The parents of retired diocesan priest, Fr John McEnearney, have 111 direct descendants, including Fr John and his nine siblings, ranging in age from 86 to 69 years. Fr John is the eldest.
Fr John’s journey to priesthood is an unusual one.
Transition to school…a process of continuity and change
Starting school is one of the major transitions of life. It can be a time of excitement and expectation and it can also be a time of anxiety and fear.
Voluntary Assisted Dying – what will it mean?
A private Members’ Bill will shortly be debated in the NSW Parliament. The effect of this law would be to permit euthanasia or voluntary assisted dying for people experiencing severe pain, suffering or physical incapacity to an extent unacceptable to themselves – provided they are over 25 with a terminal illness likely to result in death within a year.
Adventists desire to see our broken world restored
In the early nineteenth century, Seventh-day Adventism arose from a renewed interest in the return of Jesus Christ. The “Second Great Awakening” in America formed part of a larger religious movement that stirred Europe at the same time, when people became very agitated about the end of the world and Christ’s second coming. It led some to calculate a date for Christ’s return.
The gift of Salome – child of peace
Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day is observed on 15 October. Newcastle’s Matthew Lamont shares his story of loss – and gain.
Come to the living waters, you who are thirsty
‘Living Waters’ is a meditation program which has now been in existence in Newcastle for twenty years. What a wonderful, limitlessly evocative name! It’s a reminder that this program’s first home was in premises by the sea in Merewether. ‘Living Waters’: a source, a beginning, an endless flowing…
It’s ‘Mission in 360’ as innovation adds colour to World Mission Month
Catholic schools in Maitland-Newcastle are a little more colourful this month, with students donning their wackiest socks to raise funds and awareness for Catholic Mission’s Socktober celebration. This year, the focus is on Uganda, and walking in the shoes − or socks − of another has a whole new meaning.
It all seems new. And it is.
“I love your new boss” was said to me numerous times after Pope Francis’ election to the papacy in March 2013. Often the remark was made by someone who did not share my Catholic faith; often, too, by someone under thirty. To this day, there’s a freshness and vibrancy in Francis’ leadership of the church.
John Jacob Smith, our dedicated WWI soldier
This year marks the centenary of the Battle of Passchendaele, Belgium. On Saturday 14 October at 10.30am for 11am a march and memorial service will be held at the Cenotaph at Maitland Park, to remember the 34th Battalion, “Maitland’s Own”, along with 35th and 36th Battalions from “Newcastle” and all soldiers and nurses who fought in World War I.
