World Communications Day

Pope urges priests to use the internet astutely.
The Pope had told priests that they should write blogs and use the internet more, saying they must learn to use new forms of communication to spread the gospel message.
In his message for World Day of Communications, the Pope, who is 82 and known not to love computers or the internet, acknowledged priests must make the most of the "rich menu of options" offered by new technology.
"Priests are thus challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audio-visual resources – images, videos, animated features, blogs, websites – which, alongside traditional means, can open up broad new vistas for dialogue, evangelisation and catechesis," he said.
Priests, he said, had to respond to the challenge of "today's cultural shifts" if they wanted to reach young people.
But Benedict warned priests not to strive to become stars of new media. "Priests present in the world of digital communications should be less notable for their media savvy than for their priestly heart," he said.
Last year, a new Vatican website, http://www.pope2you.net, went live, offering one application where you can meet the Pope on Facebook, and another allowing the faithful to see the pope's speeches and messages on their iPhones or iPods. The Vatican has long had a website, now in eight languages, and a year ago it created a news channel on the YouTube video sharing site.
Website: http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/vatican?gl=GB&hl=en-GB

Australia Day

AUSTRALIA DAY PRAYER
This Land Australia
Dear God, Thousands of years ago,
you created this land Australia.
Thank you for such a special gift.

Keep this land Australia safe and peaceful,
help us all to care for this land Australia,
to be kind to all who live in this land Australia,
and to welcome those who come
from other countries to make their
home in this land Australia.

Please, God, keep this land Australia
a good and beautiful land
for all to love and to enjoy. AMEN

From Catholic Weekly 23-01-2005












Australia painted by Mexican-born Federico Medina

The Verandah

Australians often sit on the verandah and wait.
We wait, some of us, for the sun to rise; others for the sun to set.
We wait for the storm to blow over the hills and water the parched paddocks.
We wait there for a spouse to return or to watch over our children at play.
Upon its boards we wait for the passing neighbour and the grace of their greeting.

On the verandah, too, we wonder about so much…
In the quieter moments we drift into gratefulness and the prayer it sparks within us.
We feel our sorrows, our pain, and our doubts.
We shed our tears and relish our joys.

On the verandah, we’ve often held the hand of another who also knows the mystery of waiting – spouse, friend, child, parent, and yes – God.

Creation Calls

Take a look at the wonder and majesty of God's creation. Set to the song, "Creation Calls" by Brian Doerksen.
Using footage from the BBC Planet Earth Series


"Creation Calls" by Brian Doerksen

I have felt the wind blow,
Whispering your name
I have seen your tears fall,
When I watch the rain.
(Refrain)
How could I say there is no God?
When all around creation calls!!
A singing bird, a mighty tree,
The vast expanse of open sea
(Musical interlude)
Gazing at a bird in flight,
Soaring through the air.
Lying down beneath the stars,
I feel your presence there.
I love to stand at ocean shore
And feel the thundering breakers roar,
To walk through golden fields of grain
With endless bloom horizons fray.
Listening to a river run,
Watering the Earth.
Fragrance of a rose in bloom,
A newborns cry at birth.
(Refrain)
I love to stand at ocean shore
And feel the thundering breakers roar,
To walk through golden fields of grain
With endless bloom horizons fray
I believe
I believe
I believe
(Interlude)
I believe
I believe
I believe just like a child
(Choir I believe..)
I believe

Remembering Rev. Edward Schillebeeckx

Edward Schillebeeckx died on Dec. 23 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He was 95.
Those of us who remember the Second Vatican Council will know him as a prominent member of a wave of Catholic theologians who helped reshape Catholicism during the Second Vatican Council.
Later he was questioned about his views by the Vatican.

He was the first Catholic scholar to take seriously all the historical research on Jesus that had been done in the 19th and 20th centuries and present it in an intelligible way.

He was a member of the Dominican order that in 2007 published a booklet for Dutch parishes.
The booklet stated that, with the scarcity of priests today, Catholic parishes should begin selecting members who would preside over the Eucharist, as was the approved method in the early church.
This view was based on some of Schillebeeckx's writings.
The following links provide more information about his life.

New York Times
National Catholic Reporter