Palliative Care – Putting Patients Back in the Driver’s Seat
National Palliative Care Week runs from 24 – 30 May. Debra Vermeer speaks to two women who know how important it is to talk about dying.
Commemorating a Saintly Visitor
Celebrating Mass or attending school in a humble timber building in Cooranbong seems difficult to imagine today, especially if it meant being accompanied by the woman who famously lived by the motto, “Never see a need without doing something about it”.
Students Consider Going Off To War
Primary and secondary students in Catholic schools responded enthusiastically to a diocesan-wide invitation to reflect on what it means to go ‘Off to War’.
CARE TALK: Family Conflict
CARE TALK is a monthly advice column in Aurora Magazine where a registered psychologist offers answers to common questions around mental health and counselling.
ONE BY ONE: A Window Into A Paramedic’s World
Paramedics regularly feature high on lists of most trusted professions. Paul Alexander, currently a paramedic at Dungog, shares some of his career’s rewards and challenges.
War, Racism and the Power of Community
Anzac Day always makes me recall the story of my great-grandfather’s wartime experience. Not his service in battle, but his experience of racism due to his German heritage.
Words Do Help
A national writing competition with local origins addresses issues of loss and grief.
In The Midst Of It
As Mother's Day approaches, Joanne Isaac issues a challenge to modern parents.
Getting Their Religious Education Right
Could you imagine a school in Australia that did not have regularly scheduled sport for young students? A multitude of sporting competitions and activities abound in the wider community, and it appears that learning about and engaging in sport is highly valued in the education system.
The CATHOLIC THING: Is Catholic Social Teaching Our Best Kept Secret?
I’m sure that most people have a pretty good idea what the Catholic Church teaches about sex before marriage, and about abortion – but what about the death penalty, or a just wage, or the tax-transfer system? The Catholic Church has teachings on issues of justice in society, peace, and the environment. That whole area of Catholic teaching is known as Catholic Social Teaching.
A Journey In The Heart
Novocastrian Suzanne Romani shares a recent experience which brought together a difficult past and a more understanding present.
Not On The Outer: Be, Grow, Show
20 March, 2015, end of Week 8, Term 1. Any teacher will tell you that the end of term one leaves you emotionally drained and physically exhausted. I was approached by my school executive and asked if I would like to attend the retreat “Be, Grow, Show”, hosted by the Diocesan Council for Ministry with Young People.
“Our Work Is To Pray, And So We Pray For The World”
Pope Francis announced that 2015 will be a year dedicated to the promotion of consecrated life, and is asking the church's religious sisters, brothers and priests to "wake up the world" with their testimony of faith, holiness and hope.
A Monster in Heaven?
Regular contributor Michael O’Connor presents an intriguing, and ultimately reassuring, scenario.
BISHOP BILL WRIGHT: Wake Up The World
Way back in about 1990, I was asked to write a piece on ‘The Australian Church in the New Millennium’. As I recall, I was fairly upbeat.
