Bishop Ray Benjamin attended many functions throughout July to celebrate 60 years of priesthood and 25 years as bishop. Our heartiest congratulations Bishop Ray!

In order to approach this question realistically, we must face the fact that the world that our young people inhabit is very different from that of our younger days, writes Fr Frank Moloney, leading scripture scholar, currently Provincial of the Australian Salesians.

Caritas in veritate is the most considered new papal statement on the great issues of our day, hinging around globalisation, hunger and poverty, climate change and social equity among nations. The issues are most urgent, with possibly millions of lives at risk.

The spirituality that flows from “taking God seriously”, being “famished for truth” and “living in generous simplicity…” will no doubt find expression in our ministry, our relationships with people, and our commitment to personal prayer, I would like to reflect on these inter-connected aspects of a lived spirituality.

Josephine Laffin has written a very personal story of Archbishop Matthew Beovich. Many biographies of bishops here in Australia have been written by priests or by male professional historians. A young woman professional historian who meticulously researched her sources and interviewed hundreds of people from all walks of life has written this biography of Matthew Beovich. Josephine Laffin also had access to Matthew Beovich’s personal diary, which he kept from the time he left home to study for the priesthood at Propaganda College Rome, until his death in 1981. What a treasure for a biographer! It has resulted in a warm personal story.

Sexual abuse can elicit many feelings and reactions: confusion, disbelief, fear and anxiety, powerlessness, betrayal, divided loyalties, grief, disillusionment, anger, resentment. Whenever discussion about this issue occurs some individuals may revisit past instances of trauma in their own lives.

Catholic Chaplain Paddy Sykes may hail from the small town of Humula, 70 kilometres south east of Wagga Wagga, but in his role of Senior Australian Defence Force (ADF) Chaplain in the Middle East he is responsible for the pastoral welfare of about 2300 military personnel.

In our quest for more vocations to the priesthood we firstly need to understand what the contemporary seminary candidate is looking for in his pursuit of the priesthood. This in turn can help us, as priests, to respond effectively and sympathetically to those men.
If we know where they are coming from it might also give [...]

Claims to civic rights as individuals and as groups often conflict. Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne addresses religious freedom in the Melbourne Sunday Age.
Religious organisations must have the right to act in ways consistent with their beliefs.
Freedom of religion is a fundamental human right. Its existence and importance is acknowledged in international covenants as well [...]

The editors of The Swag invited me to write an article for the magazine reflecting on some issues facing priests today. Because I am a priest of the Toowoomba Diocese, my heart has been almost completely absorbed by one issue for some time – the situation of our bishop, Bill Morris.