Mad Men Having heard so much about the wonderfulness of the TV series Mad Men, we settled down eagerly and watched the first few episodes, waiting to have our socks knocked off.  Well, they are still well and truly on. A disclaimer at this point: I only watched the first three or four episodes of the first series so I don’t know where it goes from there, but judging ...

A reflection on the struggles of those forgotten in society and Church. I remember Chris when he first came to Emmanuel. It was dusk and, as I looked out into the parking area, I saw this very big man striding across the parking area. Up and down. Up and down with head bent. My first reaction was, “I’m here alone”. My mind went through various scenarios: the window wil...

The feast of Mary, Mother of God Q: I notice that the feast of Mary, Mother of God, has been moved from 11 October to 1 January when we used to celebrate the feast of the Circumcision of Jesus. When was this done and why? A: The feast has a long history, going back many centuries. It commemorates, of course, Mary’s divine motherhood. That is, since Jesus is true God and tru...

Sister of Mercy Joan Smith RSM is one of a number of Sisters and associates who are preparing the 1871 Sisters of Mercy convent for a public viewing over the City of Perth heritage weekend 13-14 November. Sister of Mercy Joan Smith RSM in the common room in the 1871 Convent of Mercy. To her left is a statue of Our Lady of Lujan from Argentina. Some Sisters of Mercy came from Ireland ...

VATICAN CITY (CNS) - A US Vatican official said voting for a political candidate who favours legal abortion can never be morally justified. Cardinal-designate Raymond L. Burke, who heads the Vatican’s highest tribunal, pictured arriving for a session of the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East at the Vatican on 19 October. Photo: CNS/Paul Haring Cardinal-designate Raymon...

NEW YORK (CNS) - Religiously mixed marriages are becoming more common among those who practise Reform Judaism but have shown a significant decline among American Catholics in the past 20 years, speakers said at a recent meeting of a Catholic-Jewish dialogue group. Forty-six percent of married Reform Jews have spouses who identify themselves as having another faith, while 26 percent of Catholi...

VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Science is never to be feared, yet its discoveries will never be enough to answer all of the world’s questions, Pope Benedict XVI told scientists and researchers meeting at the Vatican. “Scientists do not create the world; they learn about it and attempt to imitate it, following the laws and intelligibility that nature manifests to us,” he said in an add...

VATICAN CITY (CNS) - A deadly militant siege of a Catholic cathedral in Baghdad, Iraq, was a “savage” act of “absurd violence,” Pope Benedict XVI said. A policeman outside the Syrian Catholic cathedral in Baghdad, Iraq, 1 November. Dozens of hostages and police were killed the day before when security forces raided the cathedral to free worshippers being held...

New Mass Compare old and new translations As people everywhere in the English speaking world eagerly await the introduction of the now approved and corrected translation of the English text of the Mass, there are a number of initiatives underway to educate the people and enable us to participate in the corrected versions of the Mass as it begins to be used. Whilst the title of the app is...

During 2010, several seminarians from St Charles’ Seminary have visited the Emmanuel Centre in Windsor Street, Perth. These pastoral visits helped the future priests to understand, support and learn from people with disability. Seminarians met staff of the Emmanuel Centre on several occasions this year, learning more in the process about the problems faced by those with disabilitie...