111 :
18 May 2012

A valuable book that helps us better understand the pickle Catholicism is in today... A few week's ago, Catholica editor, Brian Coyne, published a preview of this newly published book by Kevin Peoples, Santamaria's Salesman: Working for the National Catholic Rural Movement, 1959-61. Having now read the full book Brian returns today with a review including some direct words from Kevin Peoples in a telephone conversation they had earlier today. [more]

110 :
23 Apr 2012

A book about two conflicting views of lay action in the world... Serendipitously arriving in my mail box last Friday was a new book book from Garratt Publishing recounting another side of the influence of prominent layman, Bartholomew Augustine Santamaria, on the Catholic landscape of Australia. This time the rural landscape of this nation and his attempts through the National Catholic Rural Movement (NCRM) to build some kind of agrarian, small plot utopia in this land. In his essay commentary last week Dr Graham English mentioned, almost in passing, Santamaria's attempts to give life to a vision of almost peasant agriculture. It was one of Bob Santamaria's significant defeats and in this new book, Kevin Peoples, who was for a brief time enamoured of the vision, has gone to primary sources to document the history. As indicated in our recent concentration on the book of Dr Anne O'Brien, which also has a significant focus on the endeavours of Mr Santamaria and his various organisations, this is not just ancient history. Some of the bishops who were infatuated with the Santamaria vision and style now control the Catholic institutional agenda in this country and many are asking today to what sort of final destination they are leading the Church: to some resurgence or to a denouement like the almost now forgotten Democratic Labor Party, or initiatives like the NCRM? [more]

109 :
14 Apr 2012

Are you a believer or a doubter? Today's commentary is prompted by tomorrow's Gospel reading — the story of Doubting Thomas. Catholica Editor, Brian Coyne, chose Thomas as his confirmation name at the age of 11 or 12 because the story of Doubting Thomas had some impact on him. Today he still wonders if he is more doubter or believer and tries to fathom through his position today via this commentary. Where do you sit on the spectrum between doubt and belief? [more]

108 :
03 Mar 2012

Does Catholicism have a political agenda? Or should it? Today's commentary is prompted by two articles I read overnight about religions' relationship with secular politics or, more specifically, Catholicism's relationship with secular politics. The first article, this week's editorial in The Tablet, is commenting on the present Republican Presidential contest in the United States. The second is a debate Sandro Magister has drawn attention to in the more esoteric realms of specialist theological magazines. [more]

107 :
28 Feb 2012

The history of Synods in Australia... On Catholica today we're going to take you away from our own website to bring to your attention some information that we think is valuable and provides considerable food for reflection. The subject is Synods — those meetings at the grass roots level of the Church that are supposed help with the guidance and governance of the Church. We draw your attention to a detailed study that has recently been published by Peter J Wilkinson into the history of Synods in Australia; and we also direct your attention to the Synod presently underway in the Diocese of Broken Bay here in New South Wales. [more]

106 :
04 Feb 2012

A quintessentially "Catholic" homily... In the Members' Forum of Catholica yesterday I broke a piece of Good News for the benefit of our forum members and I'd like to share that a little more widely today with you, our loyal subscibers. ...BMC, Editor [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]

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]

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]

102 :
14 Oct 2011

The new confidence in the voice of mainstream Catholic priests... Catholica Editor, Brian Coyne, has been noticing a new assertiveness on the part of mainstream priests to speak out about the crisis institutional Catholicism is in today. In this commentary he directs your attention to a number of places where this new, more assertive voice might be found. Will it be enough to save the institution from sinking below the waves under the assault perpetrated on it by this small remnant minority who seem capable of only dealing with their insecurities in one way — a craving need for certitude and authority figures? [more]

101 :
29 Sep 2011

Addressing the problem of too many prisoners... Last Sunday the Australian Catholic Bishops released their 2011-12 Social Justice Statement: "Building Bridges, Not Walls" It is a superbly written and produced document placing the spotlight on a public issue that has become an acute embarrassment in a civilised society like Australia — the rapidly escalating number of people in our prisons and the harm this is doing to the individuals incarcerated not to mention to wider society. Catholica Editor, Brian Coyne, has been reading the document and offers this overview of its contents. [more]