Caritas Australia welcomes the new aid commitments at a time when there is greater global need than ever, but expresses concern that these increases are not enough to meet growing needs.

Schools and parishes across the country are getting a unique insight into how development work happens through the innovative Caritas Conversations program, which provides the opportunity to connect directly with Caritas Australia’s program staff, partners and program participants.

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Nagambie may be considered small by many standards. However, there was nothing small about the way the community came together recently to celebrate their 100th anniversary. Big displays of history and memorabilia; big celebrations which extended into the Labour Day weekend and an even bigger community spirit!

The celebrations marked 100 years since the foundation stone for a new Catholic school was laid in Nagambie by the Most Reverend Archbishop Mannix. The Parish of St Malachy had expressed their desire for a new school soon 5 March 1922, amid much excitement, building commenced.

A list of the main Diocesan events for 2022 can be downloaded form the Diocesan website. 

The Calendar is designed to be printed as an A3 poster to assist you with planning events in your parish. There is a landscape and portrait version of this calendar and there is  enough space for to pencil in your own events. 

An enormous, largely Church-based, volunteer network is responding to the mounting humanitarian need in Ukraine, which is causing devastating consequences for civilians.

“People gather at six in the morning outside the Caritas office for support. We ask them to come at ten o'clock, but they are here queuing from early in the morning to be able to get some help. So, we must work from six in the morning to avoid crowds,” said Iryna Boyko, Caritas Kyiv humanitarian aid coordinator.

On Sunday 20 March, Fr Vijay Bandanadam was installed as Parish Priest of St Joseph's, Benalla. Fr Vijay had been the Administrator of St Joseph's since January 2019 and was appointed as Parish Priest of Benalla by Bishop Shane ten days after his permanent residency visa was granted. The congregation was excited to see Fr Vijay installed and thrilled that he will remain their Parish Priest for six more years.

Fr Vijay reflects on his installation.

Almost one hundred years of life in the service of God and others was eulogised at Fr Owen Doyle’s Funeral Mass last week. Eulogies were delivered by Fr Owen’s son Jack (John), his “old typist” Glen Avard, and fellow priest and friend, Fr Mick Morley.

In his Homily Fr Rom Hayes described Fr Doyle as “a wonderful man, husband, father, who became an amazing priest in our Diocese; a man who accepted the call to a new way of life and approached it in his own unique way.”

Low income and disadvantaged families are being left behind as cost of living surges

Despite Australia’s jobless rate falling to a new 13-year low last month, cost-of-living increases
continue to place enormous pressure on low-income and disadvantaged families.

Local historian, Mal Nolan, has written a detailed article on the history of the Axedale Catholic Cemetery, one of only a few Catholic cemeteries in Victoria. In booklet form, the article includes a list of approximately 800 names of people thought to be buried in the cemetery, which was prepared by Ian and Pat Belmont.

A farmer, a pre-school teacher and a secondary school teacher are sought to live and work for a year or two in the Meru District, Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania in East Africa. Tanzanian priest, Father Andrew Mutubusi, has been visiting Griffith to learn about local irrigation methods with a plan to return to his home community and better support peasant farmers. Fr Mutubusi also hopes to attract a farmer or agricultural engineer to work in Tanzania exchanging knowledge with Tanzanian farmers. He also is hoping to attract school teachers to mentor teachers in his community, as there are no formally trained teachers in the schools he is responsible for.