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Originally Published by www.catholicweekly.com.au By Francine and Byron Pirola While couple saints inspire us to emulate them in our homes, it’s the martyrs for marriage who embolden us in the public square. Marriage – as God planned it – is foundational to revelation. Beginning in the creation of stories in Genesis (Chapters 1 and 2), marriage is central to how humankind images God. This spousal theme echoes throughout Scripture, culminating in the Marriage of the Lamb in Re …

By Michael Cook Originally Published by www.catholicweekly.com.au Papua New Guinea’s first saint, Peter To Rot, was canonised on 19 October in Rome by Pope Leo XIV. According to the Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, the new saint is “deeply loved as a model of faith, family life, marriage and courage in witnessing to Christ, especially among the laity. The canonisation will be a moment of immense grace and renewal for the Catholic Church in PN …

Originally Published by www.catholicweekly.com.au QUESTION: My daughter Ava asked me the other day whether there is a St Ava and, if so, to tell her something about the saint. I didn’t know the answer. If there is a St Ava, can you tell me something about her? In fact, there are two St Avas. The earlier and lesser known St Ava was a Christian martyr who lived in the early sixth century. She was born in a small village in the Roman Empire and was raised in a Christian family. Her parents i …

By Michael Cook Originally published by catholicweekly.com.au It’s not the eyes that draw you in when you first look at the official portrait of Papua New Guinea’s first saint, Peter To Rot. It’s his right hand. Palm up, slightly inclined, dusky and muscular, he is handing you two overlapping wedding bands.   In his left hand he is holding Buk Baibel, the Holy Bible in Tok Pisin; from his neck hangs a catechist’s cross; on his blue shorts is stitched a large wh …

By Fr John Flader | Originally Published by www.catholicweekly.com.au A couple sitting through therapy, thinking of getting divorced. Photo: Pexels.com. Divorce always has serious consequences for the children, no matter how old they are. Even when the children are married themselves, they suffer with the divorce of their parents, whose marriage gave them confidence that they too could stay together “until death do us part.” There have been numerous studies on the effects of divorc …

Originally published by catholicweekly.com.au Fr Ben Saliba, master of ceremonies for Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP, was stunned when his boss invited him to accompany him to the Vatican to meet Pope Leo XVI during the recent Jubilee of Youth. Archbishop Fisher was in Rome with group of pilgrims attending the festival from the Archdiocese of Sydney, and asked if Fr Saliba would come along to his scheduled 28 July meeting with the pope in the Apostolic Palace. On the day, the Australian …

Originally published by Catholicweekly.com.auThe Catholic world has finally caught up with The Catholic Weekly in publicising the latest research showing the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, with social media running red-hot over a 2022 study by Italian researchers at the Institute of Crystallography in Italy showing that the Shroud of Turin is indeed 2000 years old, as believed by Christian tradition.Last year The Catholic Weekly published new findings from Australian journalist William Wes …

written by Cath GaleAfter caring for my Dad full time for 14 months, while he lived with a brain tumour, when people say how wonderful a job I did caring for him, my only reply is that it is a drop in the ocean compared to what my Dad did for me. My Dad, the 9th out of 13 children, was born in 1940, a twin. He attempted to enter the monastery in his early twenties however after being told by the third attempt to go somewhere else, Dad decided he was “being given the run around” and began praying …

Originally published by The Catholic Weekly  When pre-production began on a docu-fiction film chronicling the life of St Mary MacKillop, Catholic media company Shalom World never expected that the highly-anticipated Aussie project would be shelved.Significant financial challenges threatened to end the production before it could begin and consequently the script was set aside.Seeking intercession from St Mary Mackillop herself, the team experienced a “miracle” as a series of p …

This article first appeared at: catholic.com. The doctrine of the Assumption of Mary began with a historical event to which Scripture alludes and that been believed in the Church for 2,000 years. It was passed down in the oral tradition of the Church and developed over the centuries, but it was always believed by the Catholic faithful. Let us examine the facts:1. Archaeology has revealed two tombs of Mary, one in Jerusalem and one in Ephesus. The fact that Mary lived in both places explains …