A Catholic Monthly Magazine

St Patrick’s Church, Sydney (5) (0)

Sisters of Mercy

Catherine McAuley was born into a middle-class family in Ireland in 1778 but by the time she reached adulthood she had witnessed the death of both parents and experienced considerable personal poverty. The sad plight of the young, unemployed and homeless girls at risk in Dublin haunted Catherine and when she inherited a substantial sum of money on the death of her 'adopted' parents, she decided to use it to build what we could call today a refuge for women and children.… More

September Crossword (0)

Solution for August

Across: 1 Breadth, 5 Adept,
8 Blasphemy, 9 Imp,
10 Ebony, 12 Insects, 13 Hit the jackpot, 15 Soutane,
17 Ogles, 19 Orb, 20 Spiritual, 22 Kyrie, 23 Syringe. 

Down: 1 Bible, 2 Era,
3 Diptych, 4 Heebie-jeebies,
5 Abyss, 6 Episcopal,
7 Typeset, 11 Outnumber,
13 Hassock, 14 Crosier,
16 Aisle, 18 Salve, 21 Ur

The winner of the Marist Messenger prize for the July Crossword was  Sid McCann of Napier… More

Fr Brian Conaghan SM (0)

Born in Rozelle, Sydney,
12 November 1931
Professed 2 February1951
Died 2 July 2018

Brian Conaghan (“Connie”), was one of five children born to Patrick and Delma. The eldest child died of whooping cough at the age of five. A younger sister of Brian’s joined the Parramatta Sisters of Mercy and was matron of the Stella Maris nursing home at Cronulla for 25 years. … More

Pilgrimage (Comments Off)

Motif and dynamic of the Christian Life

The Solemnity of the Transfiguration of the Lord is the occasion when God’s life gloriously shone forth in the body of Jesus. In a sense, that’s our goal as the baptised. And to make that challenge a more realistic goal for us, the Church punctuates her calendar with the saints.… More

On the Missionary Endeavour of the Church (0)

On the Missionary Endeavour of the Church

Today’s Gospel (Cf. Mark 6:7-13) recounts the moment in which Jesus sent the Twelve on mission. After having called them one by one by name, “to be with Him” (Mark 3:14), listening to His words and observing His healing gestures, now He calls them again “to send them out two by two” (6:7), to the villages where He was about to go.… More

Can You Bear It? (0)

They had been up in the attic together doing some cleaning. The kids uncovered an old manual typewriter and asked her, “Hey Mom...what’s this?”

“Oh...that’s an old typewriter,” she answered, thinking that would satisfy their curiosity. 

“Well what does it do?” they asked. … More

Fr Jean- Claude Colin in Rome (3) (0)

The Third Visit: July-August 1846

In June 1846, Fr Colin heard that Propaganda Fide had added Wallis, Futuna and Tonga to Bishop Pompallier’s responsibilities. Taken aback by this turn of events, Fr Colin wanted to speak directly with authorities in Rome about what was going on, and about other issues to do with the mission in Oceania.… More

I, Daniel Blake (0)

Directed by Ken Loach

A Marist Perspective

At first sight there may not appear to be a great deal in common between director Ken Loach’s powerful latest movie, set in Newcastle in England, and the early Marist missions in the Bugey region of France. … More

A School for Prayer (14) (0)

By Fr Craig  Larkin sm, 1943 - 2015

The Desert Experience

Sinai -

John Climacus and prayer of the heart

From Egypt to Sinai

The great flourishing of the Desert period in Egypt was to last only about 100 years.

Though remnants of this period in Egypt would remain through the centuries (and still remain to this day), nevertheless, by the end of the 5th century many monks had moved from Egypt.… More

Soul-Making (0)

“Some say the world is a ‘vale of tears’, I say it is a place of soul-making.” John Keats

When we are young, much of life experience seems unplanned and random. Our dear little hearts are torn by both love and disappointment, one as painful as the other, and without warning, days open up under our feet, hurtling us into some new happening.… More

September Saints (0)

Saint Eulogius of Alexandria
(d. 607)

Eulogius was a Syrian by birth and, while young, he entered the monastery. The Eutychian heresy had thrown the Churches of Syria and Egypt into much confusion, and many monks failed in matters of morality and doctrine.… More

Indulgences (0)

A much-debated question in theology is how much a person can work towards their own salvation. Are they merely the passive recipient of God’s grace – is it all God at work? Do they earn their place in heaven – is it all them at work?… More