On Sunday 22 May, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli celebrated a Memorial Mass for all those who have died during the COVID-19 pandemic. Similar Masses were held in parishes around the Archdiocese and more than 1,100 names were inscribed in the Book of Remembrance, with more likely to be added in the coming weeks.

And as the community continues to emerge from the pandemic, we are hearing so many stories of loss, including that of Miray Wehbe, who thought her father-in-law had died from septiscaemia but later discovered it was from COVID.

Among the many events happening in the life of the Church is the Synod on Synodality, a global and collective discernment of how the Church can become more synodal in character. Over 500 people were represented in the Melbourne submission, which will now form part of the national submission. Along with the report, we’ve provided three key takeaways to guide you through it.

As we approach the 175th anniversary of the Diocese of Melbourne, we continue our exploration of the many migrant communities who have made Melbourne their home. This time we look at the life and history of the Mandarin-speaking Chinese Catholic community of Melbourne.

Kevin Donnelly AM recently joined Melbourne Catholic for a discussion of his new book, Christianity Matters: In These Troubled Times, and shared the impetus behind it, and what signs of hope Australia has for the future of Christianity.

Since it remains the month of May, we continue our look at Marian devotions, shrines and apparitions around the world. Last week we explored Vietnam, China and the Philippines. This week we take a look at some popular devotions across Malta, Egypt, and Sri Lanka. This week was also the Solemnity of Our Lady Help of Christians, patroness of Australia. We take a brief look at some of the Jewish origins of Marian devotions with the help of Brant Pitre's book Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary (2018).