The latest WA census results confirm the enduring appeal of Catholic schools to families as enrolments grew for the sixth consecutive year. In the year to February 2026, enrolments increased by 1.5 percent with more than 84,500 students now enrolled. The growth was recorded in both metro and country schools, across primary and secondary year levels. First Nations students account for ...

Outstanding support for the Archbishop’s 2025 LifeLink Day Initiative was recognised recently with the Archbishop’s 2025 Spirit Award presented to John XXIII College in Mount Claremont (secondary schools award) and Mercy College in Koondoola (primary schools award). LifeLink Chair and Perth Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton, said, while the Award structure formally recognises a secondary and pr...

By Jamie O'Brien and Phil Bayne It's almost impossible to fully grasp the extent of the good which our priests and indeed all our ordained ministers have done and continue to do for God's people, Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has said. “As ministers of God's grace, we've been drawn into the very ministry of Christ himself,” he continued, speaking to the nearly 200 clergy who gat...

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...

Sisilia refilling her cup from newly installed water taps at her school in rural Tanzania. Photo: Caritas Australia. Thirteen‑year‑old Sisilia, from remote Tanzania, spent much of her childhood walking long distances to collect water each day, time that kept her from school and placed her dreams further out of reach. Today, thanks to Project Compassion and the support of the Diocese of M...

Dear friends, I thank you for your commitment: it is a very great and generous service that you give to your parish, and I encourage you to persevere faithfully. (Pope Leo XIV audience with French altar servers, 25.08.2025). Fifty years after he was first approached by Fr Pat Ahern to consider becoming an acolyte, John Foss, a parishioner at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Bruce Rock, is still...

Catholic Health Australia has welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to ensure personal care minutes delivered by religious sisters in aged care homes are formally recognised and count towards mandated targets. The Department of Health, Ageing and Disability has updated the definition of a Personal Care Worker to include a person who is a member of a religious order, such as a nun or re...

A welcoming home with support that is tailored to individual needs, can change a life. That belief is central to Identitywa’s commitment to creating purpose-built homes across the Perth metropolitan area for people with disabilities. Working closely with families, investors and the WA Government, Identitywa is developing modern homes that offer access to family networks, local amenities...

The Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart have commissioned a new Congregational Leadership Team at a Mass for Handing on Leadership celebrated earlier this month at the Mary MacKillop Memorial Chapel in North Sydney. The new Congregational Leadership Team comprises Sister Josephine Dubiel as Congregational Leader, supported by Sisters Brigette Sipa, Mary Ellen O’Donoghue, Catherine M...