Community of Prayer - March, April, May

The Pope's prayer intentions, calendar of saints and reflections on the liturgical readings for each day of the month. Click here to visit the website

Forgiveness through God's grace

The Apostleship of Prayer is Pope Francis’ worldwide prayer network. It receives monthly prayer intentions from the Pope and urges Christians throughout the world to unite in prayer for those intentions. Thus we all become part of an international Community of Prayer

Centres of Ignatian Spirituality

The ointment and the vinegar

Countless times, since artists have tried to represent the passion and death of the Lord, they have found in the gospel text what we might call eloquent items.

A cloud of witnesses

Having first sent prayerbooks, Fr John Joseph Therry soon followed with a visit to the newly-founded colony of Sydney.

A golden and fragrant glow

Every year at this time, a case of clingstone peaches would arrive at the back door of my grandma’s house. She would set up a table and a couple of wooden kitchen chairs in the shade of the willow tree, furnished with bowls and paring knives, and rows of the tall cylindrical glass preserving jars that she used in her Fowler’s Vacola Preserving outfit, her pride and joy

Joseph - man of the family

St Joseph is a model for all fathers and families.

Are you religious?

Iconographer Michael Galovic explains his approach to creating a religious artwork.

Take up your cross

If you want to become a follower of mine, you need to deny yourself and take us your cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24)

Changing habits

M sister Philomene Tiernan entered the convent in February 1957. We said goodbye to Phil in the parlour of Rose Bay Convent in Sydney. We stood silent as the Mistress of Novices escorted Phil from the room carrying her single suitcase. It held a prescribed contents of modest skirts, blouses and flat shoes. Mum, Dad, my two brothers and I made our way through the heavy front doors back to our car. How we missed our sister as we drove through the starless night to Brisbane.

Taken down

The worst thing that can happen to any Christian is for their experience of the cross to become bland. It’s understandable that this might happen when there are crosses everywhere. You find them on churches, schools, badges, uniforms, flags and even on hot buns. The cross is so familiar that we could pass by without recalling what it represents

Women and the war

During this special anniversary year of ANZAC, our thoughts turn to those events of 100 years ago. In the May 1915 edition of Madonna, regular writer Constance M. Le Plastrier wrote a long reflection on the role that Australian women were playing in that great conflict. Here is an extract from her article.