National Briefs
Men from across Sydney rose to the physical and mental challenge of a pilgrimage from Menai to Brighton. PHOTO: Abel Gaspi
FORTY-FIVE men from across Sydney braved the cold to honour the patron saint of fathers and complete the inaugural Camino of St Joseph overnight pilgrimage. The men aged 18 to 75 walked 25km kilometres in 12 hours visiting parishes before arriving at Brighton-Le-Sands at 5.30am for Adoration, Mass and a piping hot breakfast. “We thought we would do something manly with a physical and mental challenge to it,” team leader Steven Buhagiar said.
The Catholic Weekly
A WEBSITE has been launched to deepen people’s appreciation of sacred art by featuring Australian artists and liturgical art. A work of the National Liturgical Architecture and Art Council, it offers currently about 30 articles that examine items as diverse as stained-glass windows and liturgical vessels, as well as sculptures and churches. All the content is written by Australians and each article has an Australian link, featuring artists, architects and works in Australia. Go to https://art.catholic.org.au/
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
Roby Curtis… “people with eloquence.”
TUCKED under roller doors on an industrial block, through a COVID-19 hygiene checkpoint, is a Catholic Mass centre that doubles as a sanctuary for Brisbane’s homeless and vulnerable people. For Roby Curtis, it was a vision for what churches could look like. Volunteers carry meals back and forth across the nave, showers and amenities for transepts, cushioned pews where people sleep. The site has transformed from a “trendy homeless shelter” to an active Mass centre, where the Emmanuel Community gathers for Sunday Mass. “I see what I’m told are criminals at the front door who are very violent and dangerous and walk in here as people with eloquence and behaving with the highest levels of respect,” Mr Curtis said.
The Catholic Leader
MORE than 100 Catholic schools in the Brisbane Archdiocese, covering south east Queensland, will soon be fully powered by renewable energy. A three-year power purchase agreement has been signed between Brisbane Catholic Education and ENGIE Australia and New Zealand. The company will aggregate about 26,000 MWh/y of the key energy loads of Brisbane archdiocese buildings.
The Catholic Leader
THE newly elected Anglican Archbishop of Sydney is a convert to Christianity from Buddhism and the first person from a non-European background to hold the position. Kanishka Raffel is the 13th leader of the Anglican Church in Sydney since 1836. Catholic Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP welcomed him, saying that as cathedral dean Mr Raffel had provided important outreach to the homeless and new migrants to the city over the past six years.
The Catholic Weekly