I first met Pope John Paul II in late June 1979. A friend and I had hitchhiked from Dublin to Rome, where we stayed at the Convent of San Clemente near the Colosseum for two weeks. We had both commenced studies for the priesthood the previous year, writes Fr
Youth off the streets and creating works of art
30-Apr-2011
A shortened week generated an eclectic range of news. Fr Chris Riley celebrated 20 years of his Youth off the Streets project, the winners of the Clancy religious art prize were on show, and a Catholic doctor was told to divorce his sick wife if he wanted to
Of past and present Popes
30-Apr-2011
The beatification of John Paul II dominated the agenda, with stories on virtually every aspect of his life and this weekend's ceremony. Items range from a 3D broadcast from Rome, miracles posted on the Vatican website, a meeting with Fidel
Geraldine Ferraro, the US bishops and abortion
30-Apr-2011
Shortly before the 1984 US elections, someone handed the new archbishop of New York an old letter. It was signed by the vice-presidential candidate, who was a woman. The letter reflected the views of the pro-abortion group Catholics for a Free
Nuns behaving badly
30-Apr-2011
Nuns Behaving Badly: Tales of music, magic, art, and arson in the convents of Italy University of Chicago Press 2010 Witchcraft. Arson. Going AWOL. Some nuns in Italy in the 16th and 17th centuries strayed far from the paradigms of monastic
Why is grace so hard to write about?
30-Apr-2011
Many readers and writers find grace nebulous. This is particularly true in the case of amateur writers. There are two reasons. The first is that grace is categorised philosophically within the realm of beauty. We all agree that beauty exists, but we
Logging on to help refugees in Kenya
23-Apr-2011
Establishing a computer lab with all the latest equipment in the desert hundreds of kilometres from anywhere is no easy task, as Australian Jesuit Chris Jenkins knows all too well, reports Province Express. Fr Jenkins is overseeing a distance learning
In God, hope is real - not imagined
23-Apr-2011
The season of Lent has finished with the beginning of Holy Week, the story of which contains the entire range of human feelings – joy, celebration, suffering, doubt, betrayal, conviction, anger, despair, confusion and hope, but it is love which triumphs
Sacred Triduum
23-Apr-2011
The Great Three Days: The Easter Triduum. Franciscan Father Tom Richstatter asks what exactly we celebrate in the liturgies during the Easter Triduum.
In the sleepy town of Wadowice in southern Poland, officials are sprucing up the main square and renovating the house where its most famous son, the late Pope John Paul II was born 91 years ago, reports Reuters in the West Australian. Wadowice, its
Father Bob Maguire takes a seat with InterAction multi-faith group co-founder Ali Majokah (The Age) --- A mixed bag on the eve of Easter: Fr Bob Maguire calls for interfaith education at schools, priests bless roads before holidays, plus Palm Sunday
Diplomacy and international affairs held centre stage, with the Vatican trying to strengthen relations in both Vietnam and China, a Scottish cardinal attacking nuclear weapons and a new report about the Irish Church (Archbishop Diarmuid Martin is
Shop floor priest who mixed it with workers
23-Apr-2011
Father Ian Dillon, who has died in Richmond in Melbourne, aged 85, lived an unobtrusive Jesuit life. But his story is of wider interest because it reflects some of the central changes in society, church and the Society of Jesus during his lifetime,
New middle ground between creation and evolution
23-Apr-2011
In his recently published book on evolution Vs creationism, Conor Cunningham surveys the vast expanse of research in the field and skillfully argues against the reductive logics of evolutionists Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and their
Bishops take up debate with theologians
23-Apr-2011
In a 13-page letter, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, chairman of the US Catholic Bishops' Committee on Doctrine, explains his committee's rationale for criticising theologian Elizabeth Johnson's book Quest for the Living God. The wide-ranging letter, while
CathNews wishes readers a happy Easter
23-Apr-2011
CathNews is taking a short break over the holiday period. We will return on Wednesday, April 27. We wish all our readers a happy and rejuvenating Easter.
When I started teaching in 1996, I was hired by Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, to teach a course on science and religion. With degrees in both areas, I felt well prepared; but I soon learned that the amount of literature on the relationship between
Then Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests
16-Apr-2011
Matthew 26:14 - 27:66 Then one of the 12, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15and said, “What will you give me if I betray him to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16And from that moment he began to look for an
Today’s gospel is not only about Jesus, it is also about you and me, writes Michael McKenna, the Bishop of Bathurst. Our knowledge of the arrest, interrogation, torture and execution of Jesus of Nazareth comes primarily from the accounts of the four
Stations of the Forests
16-Apr-2011
Following the format of The Stations of the Cross, this prayerful resource from the St Columbans Mission Society laments the stages in the death of part of God’s Creation. It incorporates issues related to rainforest destruction: extractive industries,
From Parish of Our Lady of The Way, North Sydney & Lavender Bay. The first Mass of the day on YouTube. 
All your daily readings, reflections and prayers can be found here...
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