Is St Mary's Maitland part of your story?
In August 1945, the historic World War II victory in the Pacific was well celebrated at St Mary’s Dominican Convent, Maitland.
AURORA EXTRA: Maree's story
Enjoy this story written by Hunter L’Arche and come along to Maree's birthday party at midday on 3 September at St Philip’s Catholic Church Hall, 31 Vista Parade Kotara South. Come along and make some new friends. All welcome!
From the art of the circus to the art of mercy
Along the paths of a privileged and colourful life journey, I have been called by God's mercy to join a group of consecrated women in the Catholic Church.
Christian fundamentals
I have an old grievance about the way a relatively small group has appropriated to itself, in Australia at least, both the designation and the popular image of ‘Christians’.
Award honours saint with identity crisis!
The Council for Australian Catholic Women (CACW) in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle is pleased to announce the inaugural Magdalene Award. The Award was launched at the Day of Reflection at Broadmeadow in July.
Domestic violence can and must be prevented
In Australia, one woman is murdered each week by her current or former partner. This statistic can be changed by confronting the factors that predict high levels of violence against women.
Teachers Helping Teachers - a different kind of outreach program
Of all the solutions put forward to address poverty in the world, education constantly ranks as most important.
Learning the truth about lying
Q My five-year-old daughter began kindergarten this year and I have noticed that she has been telling a few lies lately. Some are little white lies and she seems to think these are funny. But she also becomes angry if we question her about the truth; particularly when we find out she has been throwing her lunch in the bin at school. How do I address this behaviour without making her feel that she is a naughty girl for lying?
Two on the road to an ecological conversion
John and Rosie Hayes are passionate about living a sustainable lifestyle. Rosie believes that their childhoods in country NSW instilled a sustainable outlook in each of them. Rosie grew up on a property at Gulargambone and John in the small town of Millthorpe.
SIL clients learn to be more than they are
Designed by CatholicCare Social Services for its Supported Independent Living Program (SIL) participants, the recent Personal Growth Series focused on teaching important life skills to young people. Indeed, such life skills were readily imparted in presentations with some of Australia’s most sought after leaders, including Paralympian Kurt Fearnley, “Biggest Loser” trainer Shannan Ponton and finance guru, Peter Thornhill.
Foster carer weekend reinforces family-based approach
Becoming a foster carer is a big step, but CatholicCare believes it’s not one you should have to take alone. Recently it invited carers involved in its Out Of Home Care program to take part in the inaugural Foster Carer Focus Group Discussions, held in the picturesque Hunter Valley. The discussions were run by an independent facilitator, enabling carers to provide honest and anonymous feedback on their experiences.
We're talking 'wellbeing' but do we know what it means?
The wellbeing of children and young people is now central to policy and practice in a range of education, health and human service settings. But do we know what ‘wellbeing’ is? And are we clear on how it might best be addressed in places like schools?
Seeing God through the looking glass
“You look like a pig!”
The story goes that a young, strapping soldier blurted this out when he was passing through a village and saw Buddha sitting under a tree.
It's all too easy to hijack conscience
In an episode of The Simpsons, Bart confesses to Lisa that he has caused grave distress to his classroom teacher and has a “hot feeling in the back of his head”. Lisa says this is his conscience, making him feel guilty (in fact it’s a spider biting Bart’s head) (Baezer, 1993).
Retirement is mercy-flavoured
Time to retire. Retirement time. Time of retirement. These phrases, while seeming to say the same thing, are actually saying quite different things, things which retirees have to discern so as to decide which is the best fit.
Restoration or restorative opportunity?
According to The Australian Oxford Dictionary, restoration can describe “the act or process of bringing something back to its original condition” which implies an age factor, a deterioration from the original condition and perhaps loss of functionality.
At sea, plastic's far from fantastic
Did you know that so much plastic is consumed by marine organisms that no seafood can be classified as organic? Read on and learn more.
A call for peace on Hiroshima Day
I was 20 when I first saw the Hiroshima Panels at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in the late 1950s. The searing images drawn by Maruki Iri and Maruki Toshi show men, women and children dying in the terror that followed the dropping of the first atomic bombs on the civilian populations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.
Putting on the habit of love and compassion
‘Lucie’. That’s the name embossed on the smart uniform she wears to work at St Nicholas Early Education, Newcastle West.
