I have often wondered what the angels in heaven were thinking when they heard Jesus tell the apostles that He would share His divine authority with them: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.; whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be considered loosed in heaven. 

It was an emotional moment for Fr Prakash Menezes SVD when, after weeks of celebrating Mass in front of a phone camera at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart church in Alice Springs, he was finally able to look out and see his parishioners again.

The Northern Territory government relaxed its COVID-19 restrictions on Friday, May 15, and that very same day Fr Prakash celebrated Mass for the people.

Due to government regulations concerning the coronavirus, there will be no public Masses or other gatherings at St Arnold Janssen Chapel in Marsfield until further notice. Our office is also closed to visitors.

Our priests are continuing to say Mass privately and will be praying for you and your intentions. Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for regular updates and information.

The Liturgy of the Word today focuses on the power of the proclamation of the Gospel. The proclaimed word of God is pregnant with salvation; we must be willing to welcome it and to listen to it.

Is religious life dying or is it simply changing? I pondered this question again recently as I presided at the final vows of two of our young missionaries who are giving themselves freely and joyfully to a life which, let’s face it, is slightly out of vogue.

I believe it’s changing, rather than dying, and while change is always uncomfortable and challenging, it usually leads us to new growth and, in this case, I believe, to greater authenticity.

As the headlines continue to swirl around the Catholic Church in Australia it is a distressing time for both victims of abuse and also for regular Catholics who have been rocked by one scandal after another for years.

We often hear the phrase that these years of crisis and shame have led to a “humbler” Church and lately I’ve been wondering what that humbler Church might look like in practice.