Listen to what the Spirit is saying
The second session of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia should be remembered as an event featuring many blessed defining moments. The session, which concluded on 9 July 2022, was a success, however, there is a risk that the silent protest regarding the statement, ‘Witnessing to the Equal Dignity of Women and Men’, will be remembered as having overshadowed the final outcomes of the Council. The protest was a defining moment creating a shift in thinking and a more synodal opportunity for the Church in Plenary.
Childcare subsidies welcomed, but at what cost?
Early childhood education and care is currently a hot topic in Australia. Governments at all levels are throwing money at childcare consumers.
A world of love, learning and laughter
Discover how foster care has changed Lisa and Geoff's lives for the better.
A lesson in friendship
Lucy Harvey and Maree Jones can be heard giggling like schoolgirls as they make their way through the wrought iron gates that decorate the entrance to St Joseph’s College in Lochinvar.
From surviving to inspiring
“A lot of the time you’re living through the bad days to hope for one good day, and you can’t keep doing that to yourself because it’s physically and mentally destroying.”
A new chapter for St Dom’s
Nestled in the heart of Mayfield is an innovative and growing school.
The St Dominic’s Centre or ‘St Dom’s’, as it is often fondly referred to, is rich in history.
A bright forecast predicted
It’s Monday morning on a cold winter’s day in August. The prevailing westerly wind cuts through the youth as they approach the gates at St Laurence Flexible Learning Centre at Broadmeadow.
Plans progress for the future of our Church
“The Church is not the presence in our society it once was. We need to take a measure of that and make decisions accordingly. The culture in which we have to proclaim the Gospel is very different to what it was even 20 or 30 years ago.”
Archbishop of Brisbane, Mark Coleridge, made these powerful remarks in 2016 after he was elected to chair a special bishops’ commission to plan and run the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia. At that time, it had been 79 years since Australia’s last plenary council was held.
Memories of the Mater
Calvary Mater Newcastle has a proud history of being at the heart of our community, and this year celebrates 100 years of service.
Nowadays, as well as serving the local community through its critical care, medical and surgical services Calvary Mater Newcastle is recognised as a leading research centre. The hospital also provides specialist medical care in a range of cancer services, palliative care, and toxicology.
To celebrate Calvary Mater Newcastle’s centenary Aurora asked one of its longest serving employees, Ludmilla (Milly) Sneesby, to share a reflection of her time at the hospital. As we go to print, Milly is preparing for retirement, but as you will read, she has created memories at the Mater that will last a lifetime.
Inequity has young advocates seeing red
Period poverty – the lack of access to sanitary products due to cost – is widely recognised as a major barrier to learning in schools and now a group of Year 12 students from St Paul's Catholic College, Booragul, have said enough is enough.
Perpetual Day of Remembrance
Each September, the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle pauses to acknowledge the devastation caused to victims and survivors of child sexual abuse by clergy and other Church personnel, as well as the impact to their families, and the whole community. Although historical, survivors and their families live with the impact every day.
St Mary’s Catholic College, Gateshead officially unveils new works
The St Mary’s Catholic College community came together in Gateshead earlier today, as the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle’s Administrator, Fr Greg Barker, celebrated the blessing of its newest buildings.
Colourful event celebrates Hamilton South
On Wednesday, the grey skies cleared to make way for a truly colourful celebration in Hamilton South as hundreds of residents and service providers gathered for the 42nd anniversary of its community hall.
Moving art exhibition opens this week
An exhibition that explores the hopeful and creative capacity of the arts in providing a compassionate space for self-expression and healing opens this Thursday in Wallsend.
2022 – the year in review
As each year draws to a close, it has become customary to include a reflection on the contributions of the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle to our community, during the 12 months prior. Thankfully, 2022 has provided a little more stability than recent years. This in turn has enabled the Diocese, through its agencies, pastoral groups and parishes, to grow its services as we live our Mission to serve all in the community so that they may experience life to the fullest.
Going green secures gold
What initially began as a humble effort to reduce waste at St Brigid’s Primary School in Raymond Terrace quickly developed into a whole school environmental action plan that secured them as the victors of the NSW Minister’s Young Climate Champions Award.
