Posts by CathFamily
The Field Hospital
James’s conversion to the Catholic faith and the shedding of his old ways was a gradual journey, aided by the Catholics who befriended and welcomed him. It took me a number of years to move from coming out as gay in my late teens, through a season of promiscuity, before settling into a committed gay…
Read MoreWaiting for an annulment
When I met my husband, Bob, we had to wait for his Catholic Church annulment to go through before we could even consider or plan a marriage. We went a year or so spending time as ‘brother and sister’. We could have moved in like so many do and started living as husband and wife…
Read MoreTips to Celebrate Halloween
Many families have their doubts about celebrating Halloween. For some, the practice of trick-or-treating is seen as yet another invasion by American culture. For others, the association with pagan ritual is viewed as inappropriate and even dangerous for children. In fact, Halloween has deep Christian roots, dating back to the eighth century, when Pope Gregory…
Read MoreMy annulment Journey
The journey towards the annulment of my first marriage and full reconciliation with the Church began in early 2012. However, I had been struggling with the psychological, physical and mental stresses of a failed marriage since 2007. The end of the civil proceedings in 2011 allowed me to proceed with the petition for annulment in…
Read MoreMyth-busting: annulment and divorce
Back in 1997, and after about two years of waiting, I received a decree of nullity, which is more commonly known as an ‘annulment’. This was not a ‘jump for joy’ moment for me because I never wanted to divorce in the first place. Despite all the betrayal and pain that had occurred, I would…
Read MoreSharing Faith through words & song
Two artists explain the ways in which they feel called to evangelise beyond their own parish or family. Fr Rob Galea Fr Rob Galea is an assistant parish priest at St Kilian’s parish in the Sandhurst diocese. He’s also a sucessful recording artist who has placed his music career at the service of God through…
Read MoreHow my children teach me about God
At the breakfast table last week our four-year-old says to me, “Mum, I had a dream last night, that Jesus smashed into the earth and it shook and wobbled”. “Oh, that’s interesting,” I responded. Then I asked her, “So what happened to our house, darling?” “Our house was fine Mum, because Jesus can come in…
Read MoreParents: ‘first heralds’ of the faith
When it comes to passing on the faith to our children, parents are the first educators and heralds. When we think of education, we usually associate it with paid educators teaching from textbooks. Religious education, too, takes place at school or in catechism sessions at our local parish. In other words, we believe education is…
Read MoreA Modern Miracle
Kathleen Evan’s miraculous cure from cancer was declared to be the second miracle required for the canonisation to the status of a saint in 2010. Here she tells here story: My name is Kathleen Evans. I’m married to Barry. I’m a mother of five and a grandmother of 20 including two great grandchildren. I come…
Read MoreMeeting needs today
Probably the most well-known saying of St Mary MacKillop is, “Never see a need without doing something about it”. – MM. (1871). The ongoing legacy of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart still focusses primarily on education, even though a variety of ministries throughout Australia and beyond occupy the Sisters and their…
Read MoreA life of Service: St Mary Mack for kids
When Alexander and Flora MacKillop welcomed their first baby, Mary Helen, into the world in the bedroom of their little house in Melbourne they must have thought she was very special.They could not have guessed in a million years how many people would agree – all over the country and around the whole world! We…
Read MoreHealing our Children’s Nature Deficit
The shift in our relationship to the natural world is startling, even in settings that one would assume are devoted to nature. Not that long ago, summer camp was a place where you camped, hiked in the woods, learned about plants and animals, or told firelight stories about ghosts or mountain lions. As likely as…
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