Virtual connection doesn't need to be high-tech

Daniel Giles writes about using the humble telephone to pray with a prayer partner and explores ways to foster supportive intergenerational relationships in our church.

A pilgrimage from Seville to Santiago 

Leave the confines of COVID-19 restrictions behind and travel vicariously with Eaglehawk Parishioner, Leo Overberg, as he shares his experience cycling the ‘Via de Plata’ one of the ‘Camino de Santiago’ pilgrimages to the Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of St James the Apostle are said to lie in rest. A sacred site, second only to Rome for Christian pilgrims.

To Live Life to the Full: Mental health In Australia Today 

In a decades-long tradition, the Catholic Bishops of Australia speak out together on a major social issue to mark Social Justice Sunday. Their statement is aimed at inspiring reflection and action for the following twelve months. This year’s statement, To Live Life to the Full: Mental health in Australia today, aims to encourage faith communities, governments and each one of us, to make mental health a priority. It is a timely message in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Social Justice Sunday will be celebrated on 30 August.

Social Justice Sunday will be celebrated on 30 August.

Carmine Miranda, State Chairman of the Knights of the Southern Cross is disappointed the Annual Archbishop’s Dinner scheduled for 21 August 2020 did not proceed due to coronavirus. Nevertheless, fundraising for the training of seminarians and priests continues.

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The Catholic Earthcare community invites you to join them to welcome the Season of Creation at Convocation. Online throughout September, Convocation is a significant event with an amazing range of themes and speakers. It’s a unique source of information and inspiration about ‘Care for Creation’ from a Catholic perspective. All sessions are online and all are free.

The National Council of the St Vincent de Paul Society has launched a strategic plan which lays out a blueprint for the next three years and sets the foundations for the next decade. "It will bring about a stronger, more intergrated Society that, as we enter what might well be the most difficult period in Australia's redent history, positions us to mee the new and unceratin challenges that lie ahead," said National Preseident, Ms Claire Victory. "

AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ SOCIAL JUSTICE STATEMENT 2021/22 CRY OF THE EARTH, CRY OF THE POOR
The Catholic Bishops Social Justice Statement 2021-22 provides theological foundations to ground and inspire efforts to care for creation while responding to the needs of the disadvantaged and excluded. In it, the Bishops’ Conference leads by example, inviting us all to work towards the seven Laudato Si’ Goals.

This Saturday, Fr Andrew Fewings celebrates forty years of priesthood.  Ordained on 15 August in 1980 at Sacred Heart Cathedral,  Fr Andrew is one of the few priests to have received all of his sacraments in the Diocese of Sandhurst and most of them in the one Parish.  Born and raised in Bendigo, he studied at Corpus Christi College and later at The Catholic University of America in Washington DC. He was Director of Religious Education at the Sandhurst Catholic Education Office for ten years and served as parish priest in various parishes across the Diocese.  Now Parish Priest of Kennington Parish, where he was baptised, Fr Andrew writes about his forty years as a diocesan priest and how staying in place has taken him far.

 8 August was the Feast Day of Saint Mary of the Cross. Well-planned festivities to celebrate her Feast Day in the tenth year since her canonisation on 17 October 2010, have been put on hold due to COVID-19 restrictions. Nevertheless, there were Masses across the country to celebrate her legacy, many of which can be viewed online. Sr Geraldine Larkins RSJ was the Lector at the St Kilians 10:00am Mass on Sunday 9 August, representing the Sisters of St Joseph in the Diocese of Sandhurst.   

As COVID-19 continues to impact parts of Australia, millions of people around the world are also dealing with the impacts of the virus. Many of these communities were already facing poor sanitation, overcrowding and limited access to healthcare. How can you combat COVID-19 without access to adequate sanitation and healthcare?

Caritas Australia has joined churches and aid agencies for #EndCOVIDForAll, a pledge of support that will be taken to government to show our support for vulnerable communities, because it’s not over until it’s over for everyone.