A Catholic Monthly Magazine

The Spiritual Works of Mercy (0)

Let us be renewed by God’s mercy, let us be loved by Jesus,
let us enable the power of his love to transform our lives too;
and let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which
God can water the earth,
protect all creation
and make justice and peace flourish.… More

Glorious Mysteries in Stained Glass (0)

Last month I wrote about the history of the beautiful stained glass in St Mary of the Angels church in Wellington, and in particular the sets featuring the Mysteries of the Rosary. 

I was interested to read in one of the church handouts that “It was left to the parish priest, Fr Stanislaus Mahony SM, to organise and complete, even to literally giving a hand himself to save costs.… More

Fr Sydney Nugent SM (0)

19 February 1928 ~ August 8 2020

Sydney John Nugent was born in Junee, rural New South Wales, on 19 February 1928 to John Brendan and Mary Amelia Nugent. Syd’s father was Shire Clerk and Engineer as well as being a farmer/grazier near Junee.… More

Mission Sunday 2020 – A Reason to Give Thanks (0)

Recently, I met a person who openly declares that he is an atheist. My only question to him was, “Do you believe in goodness?” And without hesitation he answered in the positive, to which I promptly replied, “That goodness comes from someone!”… More

October Events (0)

Day of Celebration for Venerable Suzanne Aubert

Sunday 4 October

The first Sunday in October is the closest to the anniversary of Suzanne Aubert’s death on 1 October 1926. Nationally observed, this celebration promotes and rejoices in the spirituality and good works of Venerable Suzanne Aubert.… More

Caring for one another in order to heal the world (0)

The pandemic has highlighted how vulnerable and interconnected everyone is. If we do not take care of one another, starting with the least, with those who are most impacted, including creation, we cannot heal the world.

Coronavirus not the only disease

The effort of so many people who have been offering evidence of human and Christian love for neighbour, dedicating themselves to the sick even at the risk of their own health, is commendable.… More

Can You Bear It? (0)

A man was amazed to see a dog playing poker in a bar. “Bartender, is that a real dog playing poker”? he asked. “Yes. He’s a real dog”. “Is he any good”? “No. Whenever he has a good hand, he wags his tail”!… More

Fr Colin’s Cause — The Postulators and the Process (0)

The Postulator General

The Postulator General of the Cause for Beatification of Jean-Claude Colin is Italian Marist, Fr Carlo Maria Schianchi.

After serving in a variety of ministries -- parish, missionary work in Latin-America, the formation of young Marists -- Fr Carlo Maria was appointed general archivist of the Fathers and Brothers of the Society of Mary in 1998.… More

Mission Snippets from Oceania (0)

Rotuma

After 174 years, the Society of Mary mission in Rotuma ended on Sunday 26 July this year. Representing the Oceania Province, the Vicar-Provincial, Fr Milikiade Rayalu SM, handed over the key to Our Lady of Victory Church, Rotuma, to the Vicar-General of the Archdiocese of Suva, Fr Sulio Turagakacivi, who represented the Archdiocese at the ceremony.… More

The jet-age Pope (0)

Pope Paul comes to the South West Pacific in late November and will stay in Sydney for three or four days.

He comes not as a tourist to see a part of the world new to him, nor even to be the centre of a display of triumphalism in mass demonstrations of Catholicism.… More

Lectio Divina (0)

This traditional way of praying scripture has become popular in a number of Christian churches. I think it began in monasteries, where monks sat at their evening meal, listening to the reading of the day. When a verse or phrase had meaning for a monk, he would leave the table and take the words to his cell for evening prayer.… More

Forgiveness (0)

God gives us lessons from nature about our spiritual lives.

An irritating grain of sand made its way into the shell of the marine oyster and on to its protective mantle where it firmly attached itself.

The oyster was disturbed and resented the enemy’s threat to its wellbeing and life.… More

The Toe and The Tooth (Comments Off)

A Week in the Life of a Senior Citizen

My age doesn’t bother me.
It’s the side effects.
- Anon.

It was mid-January, 2020, when I started to feel a slight ache in my left middle toe. I ignored it, because as the golden years continue, it’s not advisable to pay too much attention to the small aches and pains.… More

October Saints (0)

Saint Peter of Alcantara
(1499-1562)

Peter was born in Alcantara, Spain in 1499. The son of a provincial governor, he was privately tutored and attended the University of Salamanca, after which he was accepted as a Franciscan Friar of the Stricter Observance 1515.… More

Empowering Young Farmers and Families (0)

Tutu Rural Training Centre, on the island of Taveuni in Fiji, is a Prioritised Ministry in the Oceania Marist Province. It has been developing for more than forty-five years.

The aim of our Training Centre is to provide a Place and a Presence where the local People are empowered to become more autonomous, and take charge of their own lives in a rapidly changing world.… More

St Teresa of Ávila and The Way of Perfection (0)

Its teaching on prayer -- Part 2 of 2

The second major teaching in this spiritual classic, The Way of Perfection, is found in St Teresa’s commentary on the Lord’s Prayer, the Our Father, in Chapters 27-42.

Imagine the honour and privilege of being able to address God as our Father.… More