By Courtney Mares For the first time in eight centuries, the mortal remains of St Francis of Assisi are being exposed for an extended period of public veneration, drawing hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from around the world to pray before "the Little Poor Man of Assisi." The bones of the beloved saint were unveiled for public display on 22 February in the Lower Church of the Basilica ...

By John Mulderig The validity of faith is a major theme in the sensitive marital drama Midwinter Break (Focus). As adapted from co-writer Bernard MacLaverty’s 2017 novel by director Polly Findlay, the film is an exploration of how contrasting personalities and outlooks can serve either as a source of nuptial balance or of corrosive discord. Ciarán Hinds and Lesley Manville star in a scen...

Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi star in a scene from the movie “Wuthering Heights." Photo: OSV/Warner Bros. Pictures. By Joseph McAleer “Barbie” meets “Bridgerton” in "Wuthering Heights," the latest screen version of the beloved 1847 novel by Emily Bronte. Writer-director Emerald Fennell has placed those quotation marks around the film’s title to indicate that this is not a faithful ad...

By Casandra Sarjit  The Welcome Mass, held on Sunday 15 February, marked the start of Orientation Week and formally welcomed new residents and their families into the St Thomas More College community. As a Catholic residential college, the Mass also marked the beginning of the academic year, giving everyone a moment to pause, come together, and begin the year with reflection and pur...

By Courtney Mares, OSV News The ancient practice of fasting from food during Lent can free us from complacency and lead us to "hunger" for God, Pope Leo XIV said in his 2026 Lenten message. Ahead of Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of the 40-day liturgical season of Lent, the Holy Father encouraged people to embrace the "ancient ascetic practice" of abstaining from food, as well as "...

By John Mulderig With apologies to pulp fiction crime writer Mickey Spillane, the dystopian thriller "Mercy" (Amazon MGM) might more aptly be called AI the Jury. That’s because, in the film’s near-future setting, artificial intelligence is empowered to fight crime by generating a rough sort of justice. As explained in the opening scenes, societal breakdown has led to the establishment of...

By Michael Cook, The Catholic Weekly, OSV News Excitement and anticipation is building across the local Catholic community with the news that Pope Leo XIV is expected to visit Australia in 2028 to preside over the International Eucharistic Congress. According to Bishop Richard Umbers, Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney and CEO of the Eucharistic congress organising committee, during a recent vis...

As the new school year gets underway, sixty-four Year 12 graduates from WA’s Catholic schools have been recognised as Catholic Education WA’s high achievers for 2025. Graduates and their families joined senior leaders from Catholic Education WA at an annual Academic Excellence Award ceremony held in Leederville recently. The ceremony celebrates the achievements of those students who rece...

Jamie Cameron, with wife Carmel, on the occasion of Jamie’s 60th birthday. Photo: Supplied. The Perth Archdiocesan Catholic community has this week lost beloved staff member James (Jamie) Cameron. Maintenance Officer Jamie Cameron tragically passed away at Royal Perth Hospital on Tuesday evening, 3 February, following a game of tennis, just shy of his 65th birthday. One of five siblin...

By Josephine Peterson, Catholic News Service When scripture loses touch with reality, with human hopes and sufferings, or is proclaimed in language that is incomprehensible, uncommunicative or anachronistic, it becomes ineffective. That was the message delivered by Pope Leo XIV during his weekly general audience. Emphasising that the Bible is the word of God expressed through human autho...