News in Activities

(Re)Thinking Europe – a Christian Contribution to the Future of the European Project

We are called to build a Europe in which we can meet and engage at every level, much as in the ancient agorá, the main square of the polis.  The latter was not just a marketplace but also the nerve centre of political life, where laws were passed for the common good.  The presence of a temple dominating the square was a reminder that the horizontal dimension of daily life ought never to overlook the transcendent, which invites us to see beyond the ephemeral, the transitory and the provisional.

Spanish nuns face fine for restoring church organ

A convent of Spanish nuns is facing a steep bill for having a priceless church organ repaired without the state's permission. The sisters of Santa Ines in Seville, southern Spain, decided that the instrument in their convent church needed to be fixed, and accepted an offer from a local charity to have it restored it for free.

First World Day of the Poor - 19 November 2017

This Day is meant, above all, to encourage believers to react against a culture of discard and waste, and to embrace the culture of encounter.  God created the heavens and the earth for all; yet sadly some have erected barriers, walls and fences, betraying the original gift meant for all humanity, with none excluded.

The Tablet 100 (Cont.): Catholics bringing a distinctive slant to politics, society, business, arts and culture

 The Tablet 100 is a portrait of a relatively small religious community that gives a distinctive slant to our society and culture. This is more than just a list of interesting people doing interesting things. Some are well known for their faith commitment; some wear it more lightly and tentatively. But there are important values held in common, a shared sensibility: a protectiveness towards the dreams of others, and perhaps the understanding that how the cards fall in this life is not all that matters.

The Tablet 100: Catholics bringing a distinctive slant to politics, society, business, arts and culture

The Tablet 100 is a portrait of a relatively small religious community that gives a distinctive slant to our society and culture. This is more than just a list of interesting people doing interesting things. Some are well known for their faith commitment; some wear it more lightly and tentatively. But there are important values held in common, a shared sensibility: a protectiveness towards the dreams of others, and perhaps the understanding that how the cards fall in this life is not all that matters.

Commentary to the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A –

When the wind of test blows “the lamp of the godless is extinguished, the light of the virtuous is bright” (Pro13:9).  “Grant, O Lord, that on the last day, I can repeat, like Paul, ‘I have finished my course, I have kept myself faithful."

Catholics encouraged by Cursillo Movement in Vietnam

“The Cursillo Movement is a spiritual way that helps laypeople live out their ministry like yeast, salt and light for the world,” said Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Tran Van Toan of Long Xuyen. He called on participants to love and serve people in need in their daily life.

Pope Francis confesses he sometimes falls asleep while praying

Pope Francis has disclosed that he sometimes falls asleep when he is praying, but that he doesn't consider it a problem. He believes God is happy when he nods off "like a child in the arms of his father."

Before pope's visit, Suu Kyi govt holds prayers for peace

Catalan has always meant Spaniard

The seeds of the problem that ecloded this Friday, the pseudo-independence of the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia, were all present in that Statut, whose most radical ideas would end up being declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court.

German bishops abandon controversial Missal translation

The German bishops appear to have abandoned a controversial new German translation of the Missal that was based on Liturgiam authenticam, the Congregation for Divine Worship’s 2001 document that insisted on greater fidelity to the Latin original in liturgy translations. 

Ars Moriendi Charismática - Facing Current Challenges

This experience of accompanying different Congregations of Religious Life in times like this is beautiful for me; a time, in which many people wonder if this way of life has a future, and if religious consecration makes sense.  

'Party girls' sent to rural Norfolk convent in new reality TV series

A convent in rural Norfolk will feature in a new reality TV documentary following five 'party girls' who spend two weeks living with the Daughters of Divine Charity in Swaffham. 'Bad Habits, Holy Orders', aired by Channel 5 in four parts, follows the girls - amongst them a lingerie model, nightclub hostess and self-proclaimed party girl - as they swap social media, alcohol and make up for prayers and helping the sisters with community outreach.

Commentary to the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A –

God created man in his image, in the image of God he created him” (Gen 1:26-27).  
If the coin had to be “returned” to Caesar because on it was stamped the face of his master, man must be “returned” to God. Man is the only creature on whom the face of God is imprinted. He is sacred and no one can take him as his own. Those who make them their own (enslave, oppress, exploit, dominate, use the, as an object...) should immediately return him to his Lord.

Happiness has become an industry that is selling all of us.

Australians are encouraged to contact someone they know who might be going through a difficult patch and ask: “Are you OK?” The simplicity of the challenge combined with the complexity of our contemporary mental-health culture has struck a chord. R U OK? has taken off, and not just on one day of the year.

Church Summit to tackle online abuse of chidren

A Church-sponsored summit on how to protect children from online sexual exploitation will take place in Rome next week, culminating in a meeting between Pope Francis and participants from across the world. The conference, organised by the Pontifical Gregorian University’s Centre for Child Protection, is happening just weeks after the Vatican recalled one of its priest diplomats from Washington for allegedly accessing child pornography.

St Francis of Assisi

Francis' conversion did not happen over night. God had waited for him for twenty-five years and now it was Francis' turn to wait. Francis started to spend more time in prayer. He went off to a cave and wept for his sins. Sometimes God's graceoverwhelmed him with joy. But life couldn't just stop for God. There was a business to run, customers to wait on.

Rohingya crisis top of pope's agenda during upcoming visit

Pope Francis is to visit Myanmar and Bangladesh Nov. 27-Dec. 2 and already Myanmar bishops have issued warnings that he should not use the term Rohingya as it is sensitive in their country. Bishop Gervas Rozario of Rajshahi, chairman of the Bangladeshi Catholic bishops' Justice and Peace Commission, told ucanews.com that the Rohingya crisis would surely be discussed with government leaders in private, more than it being made a public issue.

Pope issues decree of major significance in Asia

The decree, or motu proprio as it is called in church parlance, enables local churches across the world to take a more direct hand in developing and approving the texts used in the celebration of sacraments. The control of liturgical texts and sacramental formulas has been a matter of considerable controversy to many throughout the church, including bishops' conferences in Asia such as in Japan. 

Police arrest lawmaker over school arson attacks

A lawmaker in Indonesia’s Central Kalimantan province has been arrested for allegedly orchestrating a string of arson attacks on elementary schools..Yansen Alison Binti, 60, a Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerinda) politician and member of the Central Kalimantan Provincial Legislative Council, was arrested on Sept. 10.