As the situation in Ukraine continues to escalate, we speak with Vasyl Mykhaylyk, a parishioner of the Ukrainian-Greek Catholic Church in North Melbourne whose family has suffered bombardment in the central Cherkasy region. Fr Marius Talos of Jesuit Mission also provides a glimpse into some of the work happening on the ground with the millions of refugees now seeking shelter.
We also hear from another of the Archdiocese's vocations promotors, Fr Daryl Montecillo, Parish Priest of St Francis Xavier in Corio and St Anthony of Padua in Lara. Fr Daryl shares how he planned on becoming a paramedic before the call of God gently but persistently led him to a different life of service.
Earlier this week, clergy from across the Archdiocese met for an opportunity to pray and reflect on the Archdiocese’s initiative of missionary renewal, Take the Way of the Gospel, and how to approach the realities of a post-COVID world and church.
This year marks the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante. In commemoration of the great Florentine poet and his medieval masterpiece, The Divine Comedy, we spoke with Professor John Kinder of UWA, an expert in Italian studies who describes Dante's epic poem as a true ‘exploration of the human heart’. Fast forward then to the twenty-first century and Fr Nathan Rawlins reflects on a different kind of cultural phenomenon: video games. The Assistant Priest of St Peter's Parish in Epping explores how the moral dilemmas of the digital frontier provide another yet avenue for evangelisation.
This week we also launch the first in a series of pieces celebrating 175 years since the erection of the Diocese of Melbourne. To lead off, we take a look at the Australian gold rush and how it helped put the foundations in place for Catholic Melbourne.
