On the Feast of St Francis of Assisi, Bishop Shane Mackinlay has said the saint that so loved creation and those living in poverty can inspire the work of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia.

Bishop Mackinlay, celebrated Mass for the first day of the Council’s program, a day after the historic event was opened by Council president Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB on Sunday.

As Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB opened the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia, he said Catholics “must become, even more than we are already, a community of true disciples”.

The Plenary Council, the first such gathering in Australia since 1937, is being celebrated across nine months, bookended by assemblies from October 3-10 and in July 2022.

Next week, the Chancery will become a Hub for the five Sandhurst Plenary Members (formerly known as delegates) and three locally based Assembly facilitators. This will provide the infrastructure and support for members to attend sessions securely online, as well as the opportunity to gather for prayer, fellowship, and discussion. 

A Federal Government commitment made to boost funding for domestic violence more than four months ago is still yet to make its way to service providers.  Organisations focused on providing domestic and family violence services are coming under increased pressure as a result. 

The time has come!  Momentum is gathering as preparations are well underway for the First General Assembly of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia, which will take place in hubs and homes across the country from 3-10 October. 279 Members will tackle 16 questions in an endeavour to create a more missionary, Christ-centred Church in Australia.

On Monday 4 October at 9:30 a.m, the Feast of Francis of Assissi, Mass celebrated by  Bishop Shane Mackinlay at St Kilian's will be streamed across the country as part of the National Plenary Council programme.  Please join Bishop Shane and our Plenary Members online.  

The Diocese of Sandhurst welcomes Dr Chris Cotter, a Wodonga parishioner for twenty years, back to Central Victoria and our diocese. After working in Perth as Director of Religious Education at Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA); Chris returns to Victoria to be part of the senior leadership of our diocese in the newly created role of Director of Mission and Pastoral Life.

"There is a reason why I wrote a book of poems entitled Rex. Many years ago, as a young priest, I was given a drawing.  This drawing was signed by Rex, I never met him, but I knew that life had been difficult for him.  Rex happened to be a Latin word meaning 'King'. This drawing reminded me of Christ the King lying on the Cross ..." 

How have Christians in antiquity understood flourishing, and what can these ancient accounts offer to modern understandings of creating a good life for individuals and societies?  Australian Catholic University is partnering with Harvard University for this exciting new research project. 

Catholic Mission has launched an Australian-led global awareness campaign to mark the beginning of World Mission Month. The #WeAreStillHere campaign features the faces and voices of missionaries from over 50 countries.