Australia Day 2025 – Reflect, Respect and Celebrate
As dawn emerges on Australia Day 2025, citizens are called to reflect on all that this day holds within the diverse realities that shape this day in our national story. Australia Day celebrations in Sydney will begin with a traditional Dawn Reflection – a time to reflect on Australia’s history and its future as the […]
Honouring St Mary of the Cross MacKillop: A Legacy of Mission and Compassion
As we approach the feast day of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, we are reminded of the profound impact of her mission to serve. Mary’s life and work continue to inspire us to accompany the marginalised, echoing her commitment to see the face of Christ in every person. On the occasion of Mary’s feast […]
ANZAC Day Reflection
ANZAC Day (25 April) is a day of remembrance in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. In these times when church attendance is waning, the public liturgies of remembrance are becoming popular. Crowds gather for the dawn service, services at cenotaphs, the parade of returned service men and women and the laying of wreaths. Many more […]
Australia Day 2024
Celebrating Australia Day evokes many emotions as people come together to acknowledge our story as Australians. This year, the National Australia Day Council invites us to Reflect. Respect. Celebrate – We’re all part of the story. On their website for Australia Day 2024, they have a short video that captures this reality. It is a day to […]
The Wonders of Nature in Australia
Father Julian Tenison Woods experienced financial insecurity at first-hand. To supplement his meagre income he submitted articles, letters and essays to Australian newspapers. His topics were based on his travels and observations. The Wonders of Nature in Australia is a series of 10 such letters published in the Saturday editions of Sydney Mail and the […]
Australia Day 2023
As we celebrate Australia Day, we reflect on all those Australians who have dedicated their lives in service of their sisters and brothers, our everyday heroes and heroines. Many will be recognised in Australia Day citizen awards and others will formally become Australian citizens. Australia Day provides us with the opportunity to reflect upon what […]
Australia Day 2022
Australia Day is a time for all Australians to reflect deeply on what it means to be Australian. It is a time to Reflect, Respect and Celebrate the best of what being it means to live in this unique land that many have come to call home. As we ponder all that this day holds […]
St Mary MacKillop – Our Australian Saint
As a child, Saints were an important part of my world. As a community we celebrated our patrons and gazed with mysterious wonder at the beautiful statues that adorned our parish churches. We valued the holy pictures given for achievement or for special occasions, attended the weekly novena for Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and […]
What Did Julian Tenison Woods Say About Indigenous Australians?
When the ordained ministry of Julian Tenison Woods began in Penola in 1855 he soon saw the conditions under which the local Aboriginal people lived. What he observed raised concerns that remained with him for the rest of his life. Several times, on his various journeys, he wrote about the Aboriginal people he encountered.
Celebrating Australia Day 2021
Theme: Reflect, Respect, Celebrate In 2020, the National Australia Day Council launched a new campaign that calls upon all Australians to reflect, respect and celebrate on Australia Day. According to the National Australia Day Council: Australia Day, 26 January, is the day to reflect on what it means to be Australian, to celebrate contemporary Australia […]