030 :
24 Apr 2013

"How do you know if you are a Catholic?" Dr Graham English raises some questions on Catholic identity. To introduce the commentary he writes: "This piece asks more questions than it answers because I don't know many of the answers. It is meant as a discussion starter." Today, as revealed by a comparison of government census figures with participation statistics many people think of themselves as "Catholic" even if they rarely or never participate in the sacramental and pastoral life of the Church. "How do you know if you are a Catholic? And how does anyone else know?" [more]

029 :
11 Apr 2013

Why the division between spirituality and religion in society today? Part 2 In Part 2 of this extended exploration of the differences between religion and spirituality, Dr Graham English explores the meaning of the two terms and the changing attitudes in society towards religion and spirituality. In the end he concludes: "But the religion I am part of, Catholicism, needs to change radically. ... In the meantime, while we are waiting for radical change, if you are spiritual but not religious keep up the struggle. I am religious and trying to be spiritual. We are all in this together!" [more]

028 :
21 Mar 2013

Why the division between spirituality and religion in society today? Part 1 Twenty or thirty years ago people didn't make a distinction between spirituality and religion. They do so today. It's an intriguing question as to what has brought about the change. In this extended exploration of the question Dr Graham English explores the meaning of the two terms and the changing attitudes in society that have led to people placing a distinction between religion and spirituality. [more]

026-7 :
05 Mar 2013

The long history of cartooning & irreverence. Parts 1 & 2 Another talent Graham English has is as a cartoonist. In recent days we've had a bit of mild controversy in our forum over a satirical video the editor posted [LINK]. Graham sent in this article, original written in 2004 and published in OnLine Catholics which explores some of the history of cartooning and satire, particularly within a religious context. As you'll learn, taking the mickey out of sacred things is nothing new. It's been around a long time. [more]

024-5 :
11 Feb 2013

Reflections on the rise and fall in religious vocations, Parts 1 & 2... This two-part commentary by former Christian Brother, Dr Graham English has been prompted by a review published in the Journal of the Australian Catholic Historical Society by Professor James Franklin, Memoirs by Australian Priests, Religious and Ex-Religious [LINK see page 142]. Taken together, both the original article and Dr English's critique, offer much for reflection on what drove the spectacular attraction to religious life in the earlier part of the 20th Century, what contributed to the collapse, and society's changing attitudes to religious belief and practice. [more]

023 :
01 Feb 2013

Some positive things about growing up Catholic... Here's a wonderful reflection by Graham English to commence our new publishing year. Catholica deliberately seeks to attract a readership who have either given up on the Catholic Church, or have deep misgivings of where it is heading today. Many seem reluctant though to cease thinking of themselves as "Catholic" in some way. There's no great stampede to join other religions or start new alternative churches. This reflection from Graham has a focus on some of the positive things about thinking of oneself as "Catholic". [more]

022 :
08 Nov 2012

Some further reflection on the matter of Spiritual Direction... The recent discussion on Spiritual Direction started by Jane in our forum [LINK] is probably the trigger for this reflection by Graham English. We all seek direction in our lives. Whom should be listen to in seeking guidance? [more]

021 :
15 Oct 2012

Some reflections on the vocations of religious brothers... Tom McMahon posed the question in his commentary last Friday: "What is a Brother?" Graham English and the editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, have both had long associations with the Christian Brothers initially being educated by them. Graham subsequently became a brother and spent a long period in the Congregation before leaving and getting married. Brian Coyne worked closely with the Brothers and the Edmund Rice Network earlier last decade — in fact producing for them an online newsletter that was invaluable in developing Catholica much later. Graham English has penned this reflective essay about the Brothers which we publish today as our lead commentary. Brian Coyne published his reflection in the forum and you'll find the link to that at the end of Graham's essay. Both report largely favourable memories of their experiences. [more]

020 :
04 Sep 2012

Why did Catholic culture collapse so spectacularly in the 20th Century? Those who control the institutional agenda today seem to believe it was all because of the liberalism introduced at the time of the Second Vatican Council. In this commentary Dr Graham English argues otherwise. He argues that the changes in outlook that caused the collapse had all been underway in the 1940s and 50s, long before the Council. He writes this essay from the perspective of his long involvement in Catholic education. [more]

019 :
28 Aug 2012

Travel Light Back at the end of January this year Graham English brought us a delightful commentary about his Santiago de Compastella Pilgrimage across the top of Spain in 2011 [LINK]. In our forum a few days ago Desi drew our attention to an article by Peter Berger entitled, "Can you be a Catholic and have a questioning mind?" [LINK]. It led Graham back to reflecting upon what he'd learned from his pilgrimage – the necessity of ditching what is excess baggage. Enjoy this further delightful reflection which is a play between things pretty mundane in our lives and things pretty substantial – like ditching excess mental baggage! [more]

018 :
21 Apr 2012

Catholic Education in Australia: its history & its future Part III In the conclusion to this essay we've been publishing over the last three days, Dr Graham English takes us to the crux of Dr Anne O'Brien's thesis in her study of the development of the modern Catholic Education system in Australia. He names the heroes who helped build the system and the villains who nearly prevented its emergence. Ironically those who nearly wrecked the system have today gained the ascendancy and control of the institutional agenda in this nation and the future is still unclear. Dr English ponders if the present leaders are continuing to blaze a trail or marching into folly? [more]

017 :
20 Apr 2012

Catholic Education in Australia: its history & its future Part II In his commentary today Dr Graham English shares some of his perspectives seen from North of the Murray River that divides New South Wales from Victoria. He explores some of the differences in outlook between the culture of Catholicism in NSW and Victoria and the different approaches taken by Bishops in the two States. It is perhaps ironic, given all the circumstances, that it was the partnership of a NSW Archbishop, in James Carroll, and a Victoria priest, in Frank Martin, that was largely responsible for the structure that eventually emerged firmly rooted in the forward-thinking, outwardly-oriented, spirit of the Second Vatican Council that was still ascendant at that time albeit even then under challenge by minority elements within the lay Church and the Bishops. [more]

016 :
19 Apr 2012

Catholic Education in Australia: its history & its future Part I INTRODUCTION: I was invited by the editor of Catholica to review Anne O'Brien's Blazing a Trail: Catholic education in Victoria 1963-1980. It is a relatively old book having been published by David Lovell in 1999 but I agreed because it is a fine piece of work that anyone seriously interested in the history of Catholic education in Australia especially since World War II needs to have read. Anyone doing research in the area will also need to take seriously what O'Brien recounts and what she thinks it all means. It is about Victoria but what happened there affected what happened everywhere else in Australia. Much of the history of the Church in Australia since the 1960s had its beginnings in the splits, the politics, the power plays and the machinations of the people who were managing, encouraging or resisting change in the immediate post Vatican II Church in Victoria. So I am writing a review essay rather than just a review. The years since it came out mean that I can comment with a wider perspective and I can ask if time has thrown a different light on some of her conclusions. I can also see it as part of a wider theme, something she hints at all through the book but which was not her thesis at the time and so remains a sub-text. …Dr Graham English [more]

015 :
23 Mar 2012

Religion and Meaning Part 2... The daily visitor stats to Catholica in recent days have been bumping up around the highest they have ever been since we began publishing. The current conversation triggered by the series of articles in the New Scientist magazine and Grahame English's commentary yesterday can no doubt take some credit for that. In today's commentary Dr English offers some thoughts as to why Catholicism has begun to lose traction in retaining the loyalty of its core constituency in more recent decades. [more]

014 :
22 Mar 2012

Religion and Meaning Part 1... Again with an enormous amount of serendipity or God-incidence we bring you part 1 of a fascinating commentary by Dr Graham English that blends like good harmony in music with other discussions and news breaking elsewhere on Catholica. This commentary is an exploration of the search for religious meaning and sits beautifully with a series in the latest issue of New Scientist magazine we've been discussing on Catholica in the last 24 hours on the origins and future of religion. Neither Grahame English nor ourselves knew the content of the New Scientist articles which have already generated much discussion and thought amongst the readers of our website. This beautifully crafted commentary, along with the articles in New Scientist, provides a wealth of material for long reflection. [more]

013 :
31 Jan 2012

Advice for Pilgrims on El Camino de Santiago... During April last year Dr Graham English undertook the famous Santiago de Compastella Pilgrimage across the top of Spain. This pilgrimage is today possibly the most famous of all pilgrimages in the world. In English it is called The Way of St James. The numbers undertaking the pilgrimage have been ballooning in recent decades and it is estimated that nearly 300,000 individuals undertook the pilgrimage last year. In this commentary Graham shares something of his experience and also provides practical advice for others who might be thinking of making the trek. [more]

012 :
03 Nov 2011

Catholic 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]

011 :
16 Aug 2011

Are you infected with any of the madness in contemporary Catholicism? Here's part 2 of the cure... Dr Graham English concludes his whimsical and insightful reflection on the problems besetting Catholicism in the modern world. What do you believe? What do you think the bishops want you to believe? How do you preserve your spiritual and temporal sanity in the madhouse where nearly 90% of the baptized across the educated world have simply turned their back on it all? [more]

010 :
15 Aug 2011

Are you infected with any of the madness in contemporary Catholicism? Here's the cure... Are you ready for this: it's a whimsical reflection from Dr Graham English taking a look at the madness that seems to be infecting contemporary Catholicism. Are you infected with any of this or have you managed to escape? Part 1 today and the conclusion will follow tomorrow. [more]

009 :
09 Jul 2011

Lessons for the Australian Catholic Church from an unlikely source: Karl Marx! Now here is something that is really thought-provoking. It's a commentary by Dr Graham English that has been sparked by his reading of a new book by Terry Eagleton titled "Why Marx was Right". Graham English applies a few lessons to the curious situation the Catholic Church finds itself in in Australia — an institution that held out so much hope, still has to some extent, but one where the leaders have figuratively shot themselves in the foot and squandered the hope and potential. Commentaries don't get much better than this one! [more]

008 :
14 Aug 2010

Searching for a mature set of beliefs... It is something of an irony that one of the greatest achievements of the Church has been in the realm of education. The irony being that as we've been educated we've also begun to question many of the old certitudes upon which the edifice of the institution was built. Dr Graham English is a recently retired member of that important cohort in Australia who helped build the modern Catholic Education system. In today's commentary he reflects back on the maturation of his own faith discarding many of the shibboleths but also disinguishing those things he still believes have enduring truth or insight. [more]

007 :
04 Sep 2009

Catholic Schools and the Poor In August last year we published a commentary by Dr Michael Furtado commenting on the legacy of Dr Peter Tannock to Catholic Education in Australia. (See "The Legacy of Dr Tannock" Catholica commentary 14Aug2008 LINK.) Today's commentary by Dr Graham English is partly a response to that and other comments Dr Furtado has made about Catholic Education in this country. Dr English's commentary is an attempt to provide an honest view of the good and bad in what Catholic Education has achieved and is achieving. [more]

006 :
21 Nov 2008

Communicating with Young People Part 2 of 2: Dr Graham English concludes his two-part commentary exploring the challenges the institution needs to make if it is going to retain the attention of future generations of young people. This commentary is from an address Dr English gave recently to members of the St Vincent de Paul Society. [more]

005 :
20 Nov 2008

Communicating with Young People Part 1 of 2: In a sense this two-part commentary from Dr Graham English follows on from the last commentary he wrote for Catholica exploring the challenges that young people face today in having a sense of "belonging" to the Catholic Church. Today and tomorrow though the focus is back the other way in exploring the ways in which the institutional Church may have to adapt if it is to have a hope of maintaining relevance to the young people of tomorrow. This commentary is from an address Dr English gave recently to members of the St Vincent de Paul Society. [more]

004 :
07 Aug 2008

A reflection on the challenges of belonging to Church today… Dr Graham English has been a Catholic teacher for 45 years. Now lecturing RE teachers at the Australian Catholic University he reflects on the challenges that young people face today in having a sense of "belonging" to the Catholic Church. [more]

003 :
17 Jul 2008

The Church in Australia – far from static… Dr Andrew Kania's overview of Catholicism in Australia published in The Tablet last week has generated much comment in response. There have been other articles in the media, written for audiences in other countries, seeking to give a brief over view of the Church in Australia. Dr Graham English felt that Dr Kania offered too static view of the Church in this country and seeks in this commentary to offer an alternative view to the one presented by Dr Kania. [more]

002 :
04 Jul 2008

"Freedom, ideology and the Catholic Church" Amidst the gathering frenzy by some leaders, and some lay groups, within the Catholic Church to turn back the clock and re-establish a pre-Vatican II mindset on the institution, here is a timely and rigorously argued commentary by Dr Graham English. The issue he puts under the microscope is our changing understanding of the meaning of "religious freedom". He argues that the Second Vatican Council brought about far reaching changes in how we ought to understand and interpret this term. His commentary is effectively a strong argument as to why we need to collectively defend this advance in thinking that the Council introduced. [more]

001 :
04 Jun 2007

Catholic Religious Education in Australia — why and how it has changed... Catholic Education in Australia faced a major crisis in the 1960s to the point where the bishops of the time seriously considered having to close the entire system down because they simply did not have the resources to sustain it any longer. The new system that was established in the 1970s, thanks largely to government funding, is fundamentally different to the system of religious education that had existed in the past. In today's commentary, Dr Graham English, Senior Lecturer in Religious Education at ACU National, explores some of the other social and cultural factors that make Catholic Religious Education today so much different to what it was in the past. [more]