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...

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...

A large congregation gathered for the midday Ash Wednesday Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral. Photo: Phil Bayne. “We are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ's name is: be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5: 20) The first day of the liturgical season of Lent has been commemorated across the Archdiocese with the faithful ...

Bateman Parish St Thomas More Church has recently celebrated the official blessing and opening of a new Columbarium. A significant milestone in the pastoral life of the parish, the columbarium provides a sacred resting place for the ashes of the deceased. Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB led the celebration that included the blessing, opening and a community Mass. Archbishop Co...

Applecross Parish Priest Fr Nelson Po has been appointed as an Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Perth. Photo: Jamie O'Brien/Archdiocese of Perth. Pope Leo XIV has appointed Perth priest Fr Nelson Po as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Perth. Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, has welcomed the appointment. “The Holy Fath...

Pope Leo XIV has commenced the new year with an extraordinary consistory of cardinals in Rome, signalling an active start to his pontificate as the Jubilee Year concludes. Held from January 7-8, the extraordinary consistory involved cardinals from around the world, some of whom described the roundtable discussions as “historic, fraternal, and refreshingly synodal.” Pope Leo XIV celebrate...

Australian Catholics have been encouraged to study the first Apostolic Exhortation released by Pope Leo XIV at the end of 2025 that sets poverty as a priority for the Church. Described as a powerful reflection on love for the poor and a call to bring compassion back to public life, the document is entitled Dilexi te (‘I have loved you’ - Revelations 3:9). Pope Francis had begun writing t...

Directors through time - Bernard Toutounji, Anne Collignon and Phillip Collignon. Photo: Supplied/Aid to the Church in Need Australia. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Australia and New Zealand has this month marked a significant milestone, celebrating 60 years of service to persecuted and suffering Christians around the world. What began at a kitchen table in Sydney in 1965 has grown int...

Perth Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton with youth from the Archdiocese of Perth. Photo: ACYF/Archdiocese of Melbourne. In a concluding Mass for the 2025 Australian Catholic Youth Festival that saw the Melbourne Youth Orchestra and the Choir of Trinity College Melbourne accompany the liturgy with a glorious and specially composed fanfare and musical setting, courtesy of local composer Mary Fins...

Negotiations are underway between St John of God Health Care and the Western Australian Government to purchase St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital. Pending negotiations, the transition of the private hospital into the public health system is expected to be complete in 2026. In the meantime, it will continue to provide both private and public healthcare services under contract. The hosp...