Marist Messenger

My Russian friend had worked in the automotive industry in Moscow, and here he was at a job-seeking coaching session wearing a baseball cap with BMW on the front. On my asking “Did you sell BMWs?” he replied “no, I owned one, for eight years.” he added,”I was even able to bring it with me.” Out of his pocket came a picture of the gleaming machine. “It was like a member of the family” he explained with evident delight. I enquired “How did you bear to part with it?” Read more »

Readers of the December/January and February editions may notice that we have made some minor changes in the layout, by tweaking our basic format to use more colour, and larger photographs in some cases. Read more »

Messenger Crossworders will be interested to know that our original compiler who goes by the name ‘Appo’ will be back in the New Year. Read more »

“The pastoral care of sick elderly people, is a fundamental aspect of health-care ministry. Those who accompany such people,” he added, “may ask themselves: does the existence of a human being, when in a very precarious state because of age or infirmity, still have meaning? Why, when the challenge of sickness becomes so dramatic, should we not accept euthanasia as a form of liberation? Is it possible to live with illness as a human experience to be accepted with patience and courage?” Read more »

To the Bishops of Kenya on their ‘ad limina’ visit

“A key focus of unity in a community is the institution of marriage and family life, which the people of Africa hold in particular esteem… This precious treasure must be guarded at all costs. All too often, the ills besetting some parts of African society, such as promiscuity, polygamy and the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases, can be directly related to disordered notions of marriage and family life.

“For this reason,” he added, “it is important to assist parents in teaching their children how to live out a Christian vision of marriage, conceived as an indissoluble union between one man and one woman, essentially equal in their humanity and open to the generation of new life.

“While this understanding of Christian family life finds a deep resonance in Africa, it is a matter of great concern that the globalized secular culture is exerting an increasing influence on local communities as a result of campaigns by agencies promoting abortion.

“This direct destruction of an innocent human life can never be justified, however difficult the circumstances that may lead some to consider taking such a grave step. When you preach the Gospel of Life, remind your people that the right to life of every innocent human being, born or unborn, is absolute and applies equally to all people with no exception whatsoever”

“The Catholic community must offer support to those women who may find it difficult to accept a child, above all when they are isolated from their family and friends. Likewise, the community should be open to welcome back all who repent of having participated in the grave sin of abortion, and should guide them with pastoral charity to accept the grace of forgiveness, the need for penance, and the joy of entering once more into the new life of Christ.”

by Stephen Sparrow

Just over four years ago I wrote an Internet essay Evolution: Part Of God’s Grandeur arguing that evolution is part of God’s grand scheme of creation. On reflection, I think now is the time to explain why I wrote the essay, and also to take the opportunity to expand on its topic. Read more »

Next year marks the bicentenary of the birth of Caroline Chisholm on May 30, 1808. There is no doubt that Caroline Chisholm is one of Australia’s most significant pioneers; what is less well-known is the explicitly Christian motivation for her work. She felt that she had been chosen and gifted by God for the purpose of caring for immigrants. Read more »

By Tricia O’Donnell

In the Lower Garden District of New Orleans is a small park with a statue as its centre piece. A little the worse for wear after 120 years of being exposed to the elements, it is only the second statue of a woman to be erected in the United States. However, to the people of this colourful city, Margaret Haughery was no ordinary woman, and though not New Orleanian by birth, she was – and still is – ‘our Margaret’. Read more »

Jeanne was born in Bordeaux into a religiously divided family, and, in her youth, resisted some maternal pressure to become a Calvinist. She married in 1573 and the marriage was a happy one, the couple becoming the parents of four children. In 1597 Jeanne’s husband died and six years later, despite family opposition, she became a Cistercian nun. The austere regime was too much for her health, however, and she had to leave. Read more »

I have read that no-one becomes a saint by reason of their activity, but always because of what they are. This is true, but often the person and the activity are closely interwoven. This is certainly true of our next two saints, both of whom were men of genius as well as of holiness. Read more »

Caedmon was a genius with words, Fra Angelico was a genius in another sphere. Read more »

Jesus said more things than the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. On Ash Wednesday when we gather to have ashes placed on our foreheads, we hear some other important lines from that sermon. Jesus put before us three practices which were precious in the history of the Old Testament, have been hallowed by Christian tradition ever since, and should occupy us especially during Lent: Almsgiving, Prayer and Fasting. Read more »

The prospect of my first trip further than Australia was daunting, to say the least, but my position as Senior Catholic Prison Chaplain required my presence at the ICCPPC (International Congress of Catholic Prison Pastoral Care) conference from 5-12 September. So needs must. Read more »

by John Jolliffe sm

A married couple were lying in bed discussing who should make the coffee. She said: “You’re always up first – you make it.” He said “The kitchen is your space – you make it”. She answered “No, the bible says that you should make it.” He said, “What Bible – where does it say that in the Bible?” She said, “Here it is – the 19th book in the New Testament: HEBREWS!” Read more »

Cover and line drawings Jo O’Hara

95 pages

Review: Peb Simmons