By Lisa Martella Students, educators and Church leaders gathered at John XXIII College recently to mark the launch of Pope Francis: The Disruptive Pilgrim's Guide – an event as much about the future of the Church as the book being celebrated. Written by Frank Brennan SJ AO, the book offers a clear and accessible guide to Pope Francis' vision and its ongoing significance for the life and ...

By Junno Arocho Esteves , OSV News Pope Leo XIV has called for an end to the war in Iran and warned that the conflict could drag more countries in the Middle East into instability. Speaking to pilgrims after praying the Angelus prayer on March 8, Pope Leo said developing news from Iran and from across the Middle East has caused “deep dismay.” “Amid episodes of violence and devastation...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...