022 :
31 Dec 2011

A theology for the new millennium: Chapter Nine (Part 3) "God, Our Universe & Ourselves" Fr Peter Dresser tackles two of the big questions in today's excerpt from his book: can we find a new image of God that has more relevant appeal to the educated people of the world today, and an exploration of the big question of life after death? He suggests, in relation to both questions, that perhaps we might learn something from Jewish perspectives. [more]

041 :
30 Dec 2011

Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God! For all of you readers of Catholica, and more especially those who have been bruised in your life journeys, I commend the sentiments encapsulated in this short poem by Minnie Louise Harkin originally written in 1908 and included in today's editorial. Life for many people is a bastard of an experience – look at all the people who have suffered abuse at the hands of priests and bishops in the institution you thought they might have trusted most – yet somewhere in the darkest moments of any life there is a Divine Spirit who gives us hope when there are few certitudes. None of us can own this Spirit exclusively but she helps light our way forward in times of both gloom and joy. [more]

084 :
29 Dec 2011

Why is this convoluted translation only foisted on English-speaking Catholics? Fr John McSweeney is now in his nineties and Pastor Emeritus at Kingsgrove Parish in suburban Sydney. Originally ordained in Ireland he's been working in Australia since 1945 save for a brief stint in Japan to help with the reconstruction after the Second World War. One of the priests who was an enthusiastic supporter of the forward looking hermeneutic of Vatican II which saw Catholicism reaching out to embrace the world, today he expresses disillusion at this latest attempt to undo that forward looking perspective in this new translation of the English Liturgy. He argues that pastors ought not burn or bury their old missals just yet as they may become relevant again when Rome discerns the mistake it has made. He argues there is a good precedent for Rome changing her mind. [more]

203 :
28 Dec 2011

The question that confronts us all at some stage? Tom McMahon spent a couple of days iced in at his chalet at Soda Springs in the High Sierra Mountains. It led to him pondering how the family traditions centred around Christmas will be celebrated by future generations and also that big question we'll all face at some stage of our lives: "Have you used your life well?" [more]

008 :
26 Dec 2011

Christ? What Happened to Jesus? In this thought-provoking essay Michael Morwood raises questions that will be challenging to both traditionalist theologians and progressive theologians who have been searching for a better interpretation of the meaning of Jesus since the time of Teilhard de Chardin when the insights of modern science began to pose serious challenges to our theologies. This is a thought-provoking essay likely to be dismissed outright by the traditionalists and the fundamentalists but has the potential to encourage much reflection amongst those, following the likes of Teilhard de Chardin, who have been attempting to reinterpret Jesus as the "Cosmic Christ" as a way of enabling our traditional understandings of Christ to better fit with what we're learning about our universe from the sciences and modern scholarship. [more]

061 :
25 Dec 2011

Ponderings of a fellow traveler on Life's Journey 2: A Self-Transcending Child of a Self-Giving God: For the Christmas-New Year period John Chuchman has prepared for us a series of seven connected, short reflections. Essentially, they are exploring the ultimate meaning and objective of our lives with a spiritual or divine context. Life is a love story — a quest for the ultimate in love! [more]

021 :
24 Dec 2011

A theology for the new millennium: Chapter Nine (Part 2) "God, Our Universe & Ourselves" Does a relatively recent scientific and technological discovery, the hologram, give us insight into the mind, and design, of the Divine Creator? That's essentially the question Fr Peter Dresser addresses today in this second extract from Chapter Nine of his book exploring "A Theology for the Third Millennium". [more]

1965 :
23 Dec 2011

Christmas Blessings from all of us at Catholica... A special animated Christmas Blessing to all of you from the Catholica community. Thank you for your support during what has been another very successful year for Catholica. [friday's email] | [View our Christmas Blessing animation]

008 :
22 Dec 2011

Ottaviani, the organ grinder's monkey: a fable Our mate Pewter is back with a whimsical little fable about Ottaviani, the organ grinder's monkey. May you all be blessed with the presents of a pair of red shoes for Christmas, and beautiful presents galore trimmed in gold and ermine and the finest lace the grate nuns in habits can produce for their Lord. [more]

202 :
21 Dec 2011

The Liberation of the Laity... A lot has changed in our human perspectives since Tom McMahon was ordained as a priest in 1954. In today's commentary he reflects on some of those changes — changes in the perception of the role of the priesthood and the role of the laity. He argues the rise of a more questioning and assertive laity continues to be a slow and patient endeavour. [more]

105 :
20 Dec 2011

A tribute to Aileen, Lawrence, John and other departed members of our cyber community... I received a belated email yesterday advising me of the death of one of our long time contributors to the discussions on Catholica. She wrote under the name Gaspode, a name she'd borrowed from a character – a talking dog by that name – in the novels of Terry Pratchett. Today's commentary is a tribute to Gaspode – she was actually famous in her own right as a poet under her real name Aileen Kelly – and also to some other members of our community who have passed away almost without our noticing in recent years. ...BMC, Editor [more]

083 :
19 Dec 2011

Two priests critique the George Weigel panegyric to Cardinal George Pell... Today we present two contrasting albeit critical responses to the panegyric by George Weigel in praise of Cardinal George Pell we drew to your attention last Friday that was published in the conservative American journal, First Things. Both have been submitted to Catholica by priests: Fr Eugene Ahern is based in Melbourne and Fr Daniel Donovan is located in Sydney. [more]

060 :
18 Dec 2011

Ponderings of a fellow traveler on Life's Journey 1: My True Self (and my Creator) Revealed in Action: For the Christmas-New Year period John Chuchman has prepared for us a series of seven connected, short reflections. Essentially, they are exploring the ultimate meaning and objective of our lives with a spiritual or divine context. Life is a love story — a quest for the ultimate in love! [more]

020 :
17 Dec 2011

A theology for the new millennium: Chapter Nine (Part 1) "God, Our Universe & Ourselves" Fr Peter Dresser subtitled his book "A Theology for the Third Millennium" and he meant it as we explore in today's excerpt. He suggests "contemporary theologians are suggesting a return to the biblical Wisdom Christology as opposed to two thousand years of Fall and Redemption theology", and begins his presentation of what that might look like. [more]

1958 :
16 Dec 2011

The Cardinal from Down Under... It's not often that you're going to find Catholica giving a free kick to First Things. However George Weigel in the latest edition of First Things has written an over-the-top panegyric in praise of Australia's most senior-ranked cleric, His Eminence, George Cardinal Pell. The quote in the headline above gives the tenor of the article. This panegyric though is priceless. [friday's email] | [George Weigel's panegyric to George Pell]

1957 :
15 Dec 2011

A television documentary and an essay on the games being played by Rupert Murdoch... What I do especially want to draw your attention to is an RTE television documentary Desi brought to our attention about the state of the Church in Ireland. I've watched the first half of it myself and endorse Desi's recommendation. In the meantime Milly and myself are busy trying to respond personally to all the donations and gestures of support we have received in recent days. We are literally overwhelmed both in terms of the unexpected volume in the responses but more so in that it seems to us Catholica has reached some sort of important milestone in terms of the value you place on it. I cannot adequately describe to you how much this has all boosted our confidence. Later today on the forum I also want to comment on Robert Manne's essay on the misdeeds of the Murdoch empire in Australia. ...BMC Editor [thursday's email] | [Join the discussion on our forum]

201 :
14 Dec 2011

Priestliness: what does it mean today? What do we mean by the term "priest" today? That's the question at the heart of what Tom McMahon explores in this commentary today. Has the meaning of priesthood changed down through time? When we use the term "priest" does it conjure up different images in the minds of different people? [more]

104 :
13 Dec 2011

A second look at a valuable insight into where Catholicism is heading... Over the last few weeks Catholica editor, Brian Coyne, has been having a more leisurely read of Tom Roberts' recently published book, The Emerging Catholic Church. We reviewed it on Catholica with some haste when it was first published [LINK] but on a second, more detailed reading Brian Coyne concludes " this is a 'tour de force' analysis of the challenges facing institutional Roman Catholicism". In this review Brian attempts to give an overview of what is in the book, how Roberts presents his case, what conclusions he comes to, and why we should treat this study Tom Roberts has undertaken seriously. [more]

059 :
12 Dec 2011

The Impact of Vatican II... Two commentators in one today: John Chuchman's reflection today is based on a talk Robert Blair Kaiser has given recently on the impact of Vatican II. As they conclude: The hierarchy is busy trying to convince everyone that Vatican II really did not change anything. Those of us who lived before Vatican II know otherwise. [more]

1953 :
11 Dec 2011

Blame the bishops not us for this being on the agenda! We interrupt the normal schedule of commentaries today (John Churchman's reflection will be published tomorrow) to bring you an agenda item from the recent plenary meeting of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference. Sex was on their agenda — the problem online pornography sites are beginning to pose for men trying to live a celibate life. It is already sparking a lively discussion on our forum — not only about the particular challenge faced by celibate priests and bishops but on the larger question as to how things have come to this? [sunday's email] | [Join the discussion on our forum]

019 :
10 Dec 2011

A theology for the new millennium: Chapter Eight (Part 2) "The God of Our Universe" A large part of the disgruntlement many who have become disenchanted with the fundamentalist theologies that have taken over the institutional agenda is that present a view of God, or the Divine, that is too limited and small. Fr Peter Dresser is exploring how our picture of God, our theologies, need to be vastly expanded to encompass what we are learning from that other bible, God's writing in nature itself. Today's essay, and the ones to follow in the next chapter really do challenge us to expand our minds as we endeavour to conceive of a Theology for the Third Millennium. [more]

003 :
09 Dec 2011

The meaning of the Nativity today... A poignant, though-provoking reflection today from Dr Gabe Lomas which examines the possible origins of the Christmas stories related in the Christian Scriptures and seeking to draw out the meaning of the stories, and the meaning of Jesus Christ, for us today. This reflection sits well with the discussion on our forum at the moment that has flowed out of yesterday's commentary by Dr Brian Gleeson exploring the contemporary meaning of the Resurrection [LINK]. [more]

016 :
08 Dec 2011

The Resurrection: an examination of the evidence today : Part 5 In this final part of his series examining the meaning of the Resurrection through modern theological and scriptural scholarship Fr Brian Gleeson CP today draws the threads together to his conclusion. Is the Resurrection so much important today in knowing accurately what happened two millennia ago or "by the experience of his power in our lives ... which alone can convince us that Jesus lives and reigns"? [more]

200 :
07 Dec 2011

Finding the Divine in the splendor of God's Creation... All life is mythological is the statement Tom McMahon uses today to grab our attention. The world seems increasingly divided into fundamentalists who want to take the mystery out of the mythological and replace it with dogmatic and liturgical certitudes and those who are increasingly attracted to the excitement of immersing themselves in the Mystery. Tom's reflection today is essentially an investigation of this dichotomy and why society is in this fix. This is Tom McMahon's 200th commentary for Catholica. Congratulations and thanks from all of us to you, Tom! [more]

006 :
06 Dec 2011

A new group in the annexe to the official Catholic tent... Is this another St Mary's in Exile community starting up in another Australian capital city? Emmy Silvius attended the inaugural Eucharist celebrated by former incardinated priest, Greg Reynolds in Melbourne for a group that has labelled themselves "Inclusive Catholics". This commentary sits comfortably with our series of "Exit Stories" we've been running on Tuesdays and also fits with recent discussion on our forum of people seeking to establish new communities in physical space. [more]

058 :
04 Dec 2011

Transforming My Anger... Life throws up so much that can make us all angry. Perhaps one of the great lessons from the Jesus story is that not even the Son of God escaped circumstances and injustice that would make any person very angry? It is also perhaps an irony today that the institution he gave his name to has become a cause for much anger in the hearts of many people today — think of those reading the newly released reports in Ireland, those protesting in Melbourne today and calling for a government enquiry into the Australian institution's handling of clerical abuse,, and all those whose petitions and needs are ignored by the hierarchy. John Chuchman's reflection today is a self-reflection on how he endeavours to transform his anger through the Spirit. [more]

018 :
03 Dec 2011

A theology for the new millennium: Chapter Eight (Part 1) "The God of Our Universe" If you have been enjoying this series of essays by Fr Peter Dresser today's excerpt from his book will more than probably have special appeal. He sub-titled his book A Theology for the Third Millennium and in this new chapter we start today he really begins to explore how this theology might look in comparison with any old theologies we might have been brought up on. In many ways what Peter Dresser writes might also be reflected on in the light of the lengthy series we ran from Tom McMahon on Catholica looking at the meaning of Sacrament in an Age of Technology [LINK]. What Peter Dresser explores is the meaning of Theology in an Age of Science and Technology. [more]

047 :
02 Dec 2011

Who sets the policy agenda for Catholic Higher Education across Australia? Not just Catholic Higher Education but all of Higher Education in Australia at present is awaiting the outcome of a review being undertaken by the Federal Government which provides a large part of the funding and sets the policy direction for education in this country. We'll know more of the implications of this governmental review next year. Catholic Higher Education also seems to have been a particular focus of attention of Cardinal George Pell who was reputedly charged by the late John Paul II with "cleaning up the Church in Australia". While the strength of the Aussie dollar is posing something of a problem for most universities as the number of full-fee-paying overseas students shrinks quite dramatically, there is much speculation about in what is left of the thinking Catholic Church in Australia that the strength of the Australian economy has proved a boon for Australia's cardinal. In today's essay, Fr Daniel Donovan examines some of the evidence of what is going on and speculates, perhaps not quite as grandly as the speculation His Eminence seems to be engaged in, on some of the possibilities that seem to be emerging. Do the other bishops of Australia have much input into the policy direction for Catholic Education? Do they care? Do they have the power to do anything? [more]

015 :
01 Dec 2011

The Resurrection: an examination of the evidence today : Part 4 Fr Brian Gleeson CP today presents part 4 of his lengthy and comprehensive analysis of some of the best contemporary analysis of the meaning of the Resurrection by today's theologians. Today the focus is on the testimony of St Paul to the Resurrection. [more]

199 :
30 Nov 2011

The awesomeness of God's Creation... Today's reflection from Tom McMahon might be seen at first as a giant promotion for National Geographic magazine. That was not the direct intention of Tom's reflection. It is really a giant promotion for the awesomeness of God's Creation! Enjoy! [more]

005 :
29 Nov 2011

Where is the modelling provided by Jesus Christ? Fr Eric Hodgens questions the nobility of character exhibited by the Australian bishops in their recent doings in Rome. This short essay, which has been submitted for simultaneous publication in The Swag, the journal of the National Council of Priests of Australia and Catholica, raises serious questions at a number of levels of the Christ-like behaviour being presently exhibited by our episcopal leaders. Extravagent real estate deals on the one hand in contrast to the sacrificial slaughter of one of their own without any regard to fairness and natural justice. There is not even any transparency and accountability in the real estate deals. We seem to have moved a long, long way from the sandal-clad humility, material poverty and wealth of Spirit modelled for us by Jesus of Nazareth. [more]

020 :
28 Nov 2011

Questioning the understanding of Papal Primacy Part 11... Reading Vynette Holliday's commentaries as she builds her case to question the Primacy Question one might wonder if the blokes who wrote down the scripture all those millennia ago ever wondered about the confusion it might be causing two thsouand years down the track, or if they might have ever wondered if it would even be still talked about two thousand years down the track? Perhaps you might also wonder if any women played a part in writing any of the New Testament and, if not, why not? Today's essay continues the exploration of the First Epistle of Peter and includes an interesting discussion on what are called the "General Epistles" and how they tend to get downplayed against the "Epistles of St Paul". [more]

057 :
27 Nov 2011

The Roman Missal — A Crisis? In place of his usual reflection John Chuchman sent through this plea today on behalf of the Church reform organisation, Call to Action. He also sent through an article by William Slavick entitled "Erasure of Vatican II extends to new Missal—affecting 400 Million!" which we have posted on the Catholica forum HERE. What are your views on the new translation; does it enhance your worship; do you believe it will help bring your children or the lapsi back in the door; or is it another endeavour to appease the vocal remnant minority in our pews? [more]

017 :
26 Nov 2011

A theology for the new millennium: Chapter Seven (Part 2) "Our Universe" Peter Dresser got into a bit of trouble when one of our conservative journalistic friends tried to use in for nefarious purposes in one of our national newspapers a couple of years ago. In The Tablet this week there is a review of a new book by now emeritus Professor of Theology, Jack Mahoney SJ, that might suggest Peter Dresser is not that far off the money in all these difficult questions he's been putting before us. Unfortunately the review isn't available online but Jerome reprinted some lines from it on our forum HERE and I've added the book to our marketplace HERE. As Peter suggests God is Big .... Real BIG! and we all need to start re-thinking all our theologies in the light of what we're discovering about life and our universe. [more]

103 :
25 Nov 2011

Who controls the Catholic church's agenda? A Case Study from Australia... Today's lead commentary deals with a sensitive political issue causing some concern in a number of places in the Catholic Church in Australia. It concerns the encouragement, or lack or encouragement, given to contemporary Christian music which has been widely used in parishes across this country since the Second Vatican Council. In some conservative quarters "contemporary music" is preceived as "the problem" that has caused Mass attendances to drop. We do not share that view here at Catholica. We believe this retreat back to the liturgical and musical styles of the 1950s is simply more of the same agenda that we have been fed for the last forty years since that Council that has been a major factor in causing nearly 90% of the adult baptized to cease listening or participating across the face of the Western world. [more]

014 :
24 Nov 2011

The Resurrection: an examination of the evidence today : Part 3 Fr Brian Gleeson CP today presents part 3 of his lengthy and comprehensive analysis of some of the best contemporary analysis of the meaning of the Resurrection by today's theologians. Because of the length of his analysis we have split into five parts. Today we really enter into the meat of his analysis with a commentary within a commentary on the meaning of the Easter stories. [more]

198 :
23 Nov 2011

A follow-up to Enda's essay: "John Vianney was plain wrong!" The feedback we have been receiving might indicate that one of the most popular pieces we have ever published on Catholica was Enda's contribution on our forum last Saturday, John Vianney was plain wrong! It, and the attendant discussion it generated, caused Tom McMahon to scrap the commentary he'd been planning and replace it with this... [more]

036 :
22 Nov 2011

The morality and justice issues connected with copyright... The editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, presents this second report on a series of concerns that emerged at a Conference on Copyright and Church Music held last Saturday at the Parramatta Diocesan Centre. The focus today is an educational one on explaining the copyright procedures that need to be understood at the local parish or school level by those who have responsibility in those places for reporting copyright usage. [more]

035 :
21 Nov 2011

The morality and justice issues connected with copyright... >The editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, presents this report on a series of concerns that emerged at a Conference on Copyright and Church Music held last Saturday at the Parramatta Diocesan Centre. [more]

1932 :
20 Nov 2011

The best commentary you're likely to read on what is wrong with sex (or more correctly the official Catholic take on sex)... In lieu of the normal reflection from John Chuchman today could we draw your attention to a lengthy commentary, and now string, Enda has placed on our forum titled "John Vianney was plain wrong!" It is one of the best commentaries you're likely to read anywhere both about what is so screwed about the official line the institution tries to feed us about sex and human sexuality and why so many across the Western world have simply "lost faith" in our ecclesial leaders. Part of the reason for having to drop today's commentary is the editor is under pressure editing a big story on money and music copyright we will bring you tomorrow. More details about that in today's email. [thursday's email] | [Join the discussion on our forum]

016 :
19 Nov 2011

A theology for the new millennium: Chapter Seven (Part 1) "Our Universe" The advances in our knowledge of the Universe are expanding at an accelerating rates. In the news in the last 24 hours has come the results of a second experiment carried out at the Large Hadron Collider in Cern that are suggesting the speed of light might not be the upper limit of speed in the world [LINK]. The implications of this new piece of information are incalculable at the moment. It might yet overturn many of the scientific certitudes that have emerged since the great breakthroughs by Albert Einstein and other theoretical physicists early last century. These advances in our knowledge of the universe, and of science, also have huge implications for our theology — our understanding of this mystery we endeavour to compress into the term "God". These are the raw issues Peter Dresser puts before us today in the first part of Chapter Seven of his book, God is Big .... Real BIG! [more]

013 :
18 Nov 2011

The Resurrection: an examination of the evidence today : Part 2 Fr Brian Gleeson CP today presents part 2 of his lengthy and comprehensive analysis of some of the best contemporary analysis of the meaning of the Resurrection by today's theologians. Because of the length of his analysis we have split into five parts. Today Fr Brian focuses on the scriptural evidence and how we ought interpret that. [more]

1912 :
17 Nov 2011

Do you remember this man? In lieu of the text commentary today I'm bringing you two short video tributes to Pope John XXIII. Kay, a member of our forum community, drew our attention to the first of them in a response on the forum. The video is in Italian but has subtitles and only runs for 10 minutes. It might be appreciated as a nostalgia trip by some and for others it gives some insight into why this man earned the accolade "Good Pope John". [thursday's email] | [Watch the videos on our forum]

197 :
16 Nov 2011

Is the elevation of sport to a religion a good thing? "Is the elevation of sport into a religion a healthy thing for society?" That's the essential question Tom McMahon paces before us today. His thoughts have been triggered by the Penn State Football sexual abuse scandal. Tom suggests society's changing attitudes towards religion, and God, are linked into this shift. This commentary from Tom is likely to be uncomfortable for many different reasons. [more]

008 :
15 Nov 2011

Contribution VII: The gradual disillusion of a Catholic lad from Sydney... We learned overnight of the passing of the brother of Tom Lee, Roderick Vickers, whom Tom has been caring for for some years as he became increasingly frail and needed full-time care. We've had a long relationship with Tom here at Catholica and his disillusion with the Church of his birth led to him embarking on a 30-year study of the origins of Christianity which we subsequently serialised here on Catholica. Many in that nearly 90% congregation who have left today just seem to leave the church without much soul-searching. Many others though go through a long self-examination and the parting only takes place after much deep soul-searching. Today we bring you Tom Lee's story in it's unexpurgated form as he submitted it to Milly back in February this year (2011). [more]

046 :
14 Nov 2011

The pastoral care of priests, and their communities... It's more than simply an essay about the "pastoral care of priests". This essay by Fr Daniel Donovan is an essay about the pastoral care of communities as well. It follows on from his last commentary about the problem of clerical alcoholism which generated much positive feedback from active priests. When a priest resigns, or has to leave because of stress or other causes, Fr Donovan argues the institution, and the bishops in particular, are faced with responsibilities to the individuals directly concerned, the priests — the one leaving as well as any replacement — and also to the community served by the priest in question. [more]

056 :
13 Nov 2011

God Is... Advent will be upon us in a few weeks. In today's reflection John Chuchman suggests an alternative Advent Ritual to let our light shine... [more]

015 :
12 Nov 2011

A theology for the new millennium: Chapter Six (Part 6) "Religion and Literalism" Many on reading what Peter Dresser writes in this commentary might wish if it were only Pope Benedict saying something like this our world, and Church, might be in a heck of a lot better condition. Sadly it is unlikely to happen given the fear that grips the institutional church of today. The subject of this commentary is the meaning of angels and the devil. What is the place of angels, the devil and evil in religion and theology. Are we meant to take them literally? This is the final segment of Chapter Six and Peter's discussion of the problem of literalism in religious belief. [more]

012 :
10 Nov 2011

The Resurrection: an examination of the evidence today : Part 1 A constantly reverberating topic on Catholica, as in wider society, is the precise meaning of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ — the event that is considered the central defining event of Christianity that sets it apart from all the other systems of religious belief. Theologian, Fr Brian Gleeson CP thought it might be useful for our reflections here on Catholica to re-publish a paper that he originally had published in the Australasian Catholic Record in 2009. It is lengthy and comprehensive analysis of some of the best contemporary analysis of the meaning of the Resurrection by today's theologians. Because of the length of his analysis we are splitting it into five parts and will publish it over the coming five Thursdays. Today Fr Brian introduces what he will be covering in the analysis. [more]

196 :
09 Nov 2011

A Creator intimately in all creation... It's a bit of a pot-pourri from Tom McMahon today. The unifying theme might be considered to be this quest we all share to find "the real Jesus", or "the ultimate understanding of God" despite the games being played by the gentlemen who are supposed to be leading the search in the Roman hierarchy. He ends with a video which links in with what he is writing. [more]

082 :
08 Nov 2011

Lifting the general quality of music used in the Church... Music plays a critical role in the liturgical life of the Church but there is often an expectation with people engaged in creative work that they render their services for nothing. We don't expect the stone masons and those repairing the roof of a church to work for free, nor the lawyers and accountants who undertake work for the Church, so why does a different standard apply to those who render work that might be considered equally vital to the life of a church community? The Australian Pastoral Musicians' Network has recently been formed to give greater support for those engaged professionally in any way with the production of liturgical and other music used in the pastoral mission of the Church and to enable greater sharing of skills and professional support to those engaged at the local level in voluntary and unpaid capacities through workshops, networking and the production and sharing of various resources. Today's lead commentary comes from the Australian Pastoral Musicians' Network and is designed to provide greater general knowledge about the matter of music copyright. New technologies are having a significant impact on copyright law and practise. The APMN is also organising workshops to better educate those involved with music ministry at the local level about copyright and to highlight the justice issues involved. The first of these, for the Sydney region, will be held next Saturday week. A major aim of the APMN is to lift the levels of excellence in music used in worship, retreats and catechetical and education settings through a better sharing of skills throughout the institution. [more]

055 :
06 Nov 2011

God Is... Trying to explain who or what God is continues to be the question that baffles humankind. We've been searching for answers ever since the first human being began to think. John Chuchman tackles that huge question and provides food for our own contemplation in his reflection today. It is a short reflection taken from his book "Spirituality &Spiritual Growth beyond Hierarchical Church". [more]

014 :
05 Nov 2011

A theology for the new millennium: Chapter Six (Part 5) "Religion and Literalism" If we don't take the concept of the Resurrection literally — as some kind of bodily rescussitaiton — how are to to interpret it? That is the key question Peter Dresser attempts to explore in this fifth extract from Chapter Six of his book. All of us tend to "tip toe through the tulips" on this one for fear of getting into trouble with the fundamentalistis who elevate some kind of literal interpretation of the Resurrection as a "litmus test of orthodoxy". How do you understand the Resurrection? What do you think of Peter Dresser's treatment of the subject? [more]

016 :
04 Nov 2011

Catholicism's search for itself… National Catholic Reporter, Editor-at-Large, Tom Roberts, has just had a new book published looking at the future of the Catholic Church. Catholica's co-publisher, Amanda (Milly) McKenna, has read the book and wonders whether Tom is too optimistic, or if time has caught up with him and morale has suddenly dramatically declined since he wrote the book in 2009, or perhaps Americans generally are more optimistic than Catholics elsewhere in the world? [more]

012 :
03 Nov 2011

Catholica identity today... Dr Graham English was one of the panelists last Saturday at a discussion sponsored by Australian Reforming Catholics. The broad topic for the discussion was "What are the possibilities today for identifying as Catholic?" His talk is nostalgic and pointedly critical of how Catholicism seems to have lost focus and direction. [more]

195 :
02 Nov 2011

A Halloween Commentary... Tom McMahon wrote today's commentary when Halloween was being celebrated in his neighbourhood. He was in an upbeat mood from a whole series of news articles and commentaries during the week. This is an optimistic commentary about a lot of good things happening in the world if not in the Catholic Church. [more]

007 :
01 Nov 2011

Contribution VI: Two perspectives from different sides of the Pacific Two contrasting exit stories today written by women from different sides of the Pacific Ocean. One woman is still "hanging by a thread" and still active in parish ministry. The other found the Catholic parish scene cold and unwelcoming and after a period not connected with any church found acceptance within the Methodist Church. As explained in the introduction to this series we will be publishing all the selected stories we have received anonymously. The series has been prepared by Amanda McKenna, co-publisher of Catholica. [more]