A Catholic Monthly Magazine

Matilda Mary Powick — Loved from Head to Little Toe (0)

This article is re-printed from
The Catholic Leader, Brisbane,
with the kind permission of the editor and the author.

Christmas presents come in all shapes and sizes but, for Therese and Damian Powick, their precious gift comes with an underdeveloped foot and missing fingers on her right hand.… More

St Anne and Her Daughter Mary (0)

By Frances Mazur
Photos: Fr Kerry Prendeville SM

This small art-piece was made in Edinburgh, Scotland, in about 1678. It was displayed in a roadside shrine on the Inverness road.

After the Battle of Culloden in August 1745, orders were given to destroy churches and shrines in and around Inverness and the Scottish Highlands.… More

On Holy Saturday (0)

On Holy Saturday

In the seminary, we students were encouraged to draw the curtains in our rooms on Holy Saturday. This was to remind us that Christ was in his dark grave, in the underworld, to give us a sense of solidarity with him and to indicate, in some small way, the significance and solemnity of the day.… More

On praying with the Scriptures (0)

On praying with the Scriptures

The words of Sacred Scripture were not written to remain imprisoned on papyrus, parchment or paper, but to be received by a person who prays, making them blossom in his or her heart. The Word of God goes to the heart.… More

Can You Bear It? (0)

Upon receiving her manuscript with a rejection letter from the MM, the author sent a letter to the editor. "Sir," she began, "you sent back a story of mine. I know that you did not read the story. As a test I pasted some pages together.… More

Marie Françoise Perroton (0)

Part 2 of 2

175 years ago, at the age of 49, Marie Françoise Perroton set out from Lyon to follow a missionary call to the Pacific. After a voyage of eleven months the ship finally arrived in Wallis.

Reception in Wallis

They were two days on board at Wallis before a suitable wind enabled the Arche d’Alliance to pass through the narrow reef opening to the lagoon.… More

The Cause of Fr Jean-Claude Colin Founder of the Society of Mary (0)

The Icon
Part 1 of 2

The Icon: a Space for Presence

The icon is a link between the human and the divine. It provides a space for the mystical encounter between the person before it and God. It becomes a place for an appearance of Christ, the Theotokos (the ‘God-bearer,’ Mary) or the Saints -- provided one stands before the icon with right disposition of heart and mind.… More

MM 50 Years Ago (0)

St Peter Chanel

He was the first martyr of Oceania. He shed his blood for the cause of Christ close to our shores and his remains rested for seven years at Russell in the Bay of Islands.

St Peter Chanel was martyred on Futuna Island to the north of New Zealand on 28 April 1841.… More

Kicking the Gossip Habit (0)

Recently, four employees of the town of Hooksett, New Hampshire, were fired for gossip. The four municipal workers, who had 46 years of combined service with the town, were discussing rumours of an improper relationship between the town administrator and another employee.… More

Planning for My Future (0)

Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

Matthew 25:13

The writing group I attend at The Cenacle Retreat House every other week started about ten years ago with a group of about eight women.… More

A Thank You Letter (0)

Dear Mary and Joseph,

I just wanted to write to you to thank you for setting such a good example for us when we are frightened and unsure of the future. When reading about how you had to flee to Egypt to keep Jesus safe from King Herod, it struck me that you would know all about what we have gone through recently with the pandemic.… More

The God Nobody Seemed To Want (Comments Off)

The Messiah was predicted and longed for among the Jewish people but when God actually came among us, the light was so different from what was expected, that in our shallow human perceptions it appeared that Christ was the God that nobody seemed to want.… More

Broken Relationships –
What Do You Say? (Comments Off)

A good friend recently lost her adult son very suddenly. Even though he had been ill and was receiving treatment, the illness was not terminal. He was not expected to die, so his death was a total shock to the family.… More

April Saints (0)

Saint Rafael Arnáiz Barón
(1911-1938)

Rafael Arnáiz Barón was born, the eldest of four, into a well-to-do Christian family of Burgos, Spain. He attended several schools run by Jesuits and his sensitivity to spiritual topics and to art was apparent from boyhood.… More

Something Old – Something New [1] (0)

Part 3 of 7

A Possible Marist Integral Ecology - Part 2

[The second of three Circles: ‘to love tenderly’]

Circle 2: ‘Loving tenderly’ - The Ecological Community

In our last article we reflected on ‘walking humbly with God’ [Micah 6:8] -- personal holiness -- the first of three inter-related, and inter-connected circles, for a possible Marist Integral Ecology.… More

The Interior Castle of St Teresa of Jesus of Ávila (0)

Part 5 of 7

The Fifth Mansions mark the growth and development of the new gift of contemplation given in the Fourth Mansions. This section shows St Teresa’s obedience and love for the Lord in writing this book as well as a deep desire to share with others, especially her daughters in Carmel, how deeper prayer is apostolic and effective for the Church.… More