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Habemus Papam!

Many of us rose on Friday morning to the joyful news that the Church has a new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost.

Marking this important moment in the life of the Church, we hear from historian Prof Darius von Güttner Sporzynski on how Pope Leo might embody a living dialogue between tradition and modernity; from Melbourne-based Augustinian Fr Brian Buckley on the new pope’s Augustinian roots, as well as his links to Australia; and from Pope Leo himself, in his first speech to the College of Cardinals, as he begins to set out a vision for our shared mission as bridge-builders, peacemakers and heralds of God’s hope.

For more than 30 years, Sr Mary O’Shannassy SGS has exemplified this mission through her quietly transformative work in prison chaplaincy. Last night, friends and colleagues gathered from across Melbourne to mark her well-earned retirement and to celebrate the news that she has been awarded the Papal Cross of Honour—the highest honour the Pope can confer on an individual for their distinguished service to the Catholic Church.

And on Sunday, as the Church observed World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Good Shepherd Parish in Gladstone Park also celebrated its 50th anniversary. We chat to parish priest and Archdiocesan vocations director Fr Dishan Candappa about the vital work of the Vocations Office and the beauty of a life lived for God.

This Sunday, 18 May, Pope Leo XIV will officially inaugurate his papacy with Mass in St Peter’s Square. The Mass will be livestreamed on the Vatican News YouTube channel at 6pm Melbourne time.

‘Habemus Papam’: Australian Catholics welcome Pope Leo XIV

The bells of St Peter’s Basilica rang out across Rome on the evening of 8 May, signalling to the world that the Catholic Church has a new shepherd. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, the Chicago-born prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and a longtime missionary in Peru, emerged onto the central balcony of St Peter’s as Pope Leo XIV, the 267th successor of St Peter.

Continue reading: ‘Habemus Papam’: Australian Catholics welcome Pope Leo XIV

Sr Mary O’Shannassy SGS receives highest papal honour

After more than 30 years of unwavering service, Sr Mary O’Shannassy SGS has officially retired from her role as senior chaplain of the CatholicCare prison ministry team in Victoria. Sr Mary is the longest serving prison chaplain and the only female to have held that leadership role in Victoria. On Tuesday 13 May, in recognition of her outstanding service, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli presented Sr Mary with the Papal Cross of Honour—the highest honour the Pope can confer on an individual for their distinguished service to the Catholic Church.

Continue reading: Sr Mary O’Shannassy SGS receives highest papal honour

‘Peace be with all of you’: how Pope Leo XIV embodies a living dialogue between tradition and modernity

‘Leo XIV embodies a living dialogue between tradition and modernity,’ writes historian Prof Darius von Güttner Sporzynski. ‘His formation, intellect and record of bridge-building suggest he understands the Church’s credibility now rests where it did in 1891 under Leo XIII: in that social charity and theological clarity are not rivals, but partners on the road to God.’

Continue reading: ‘Peace be with all of you’: how Pope Leo XIV embodies a living dialogue between tradition and modernity

Spotlighting vocations and the beauty of a life lived for God

Good Shepherd Sunday, which we celebrated last weekend, is an important opportunity each year to pray for vocations. We speak to Fr Dishan Candappa about the vital work he and his team at the Vocations Office do all year round to help young men discern a vocation to the priesthood.

Continue reading: Spotlighting vocations and the beauty of a life lived for God

The spirit of St Augustine shows itself in ‘calm, measured’ Pope Leo XIV

The prior of St Joseph's, an Augustinian parish in South Yarra, says Pope Leo XIV is a conscientious, meticulous person, with a ‘very calm, a very reassuring presence and style of leadership’. Fr Brian Buckley has met the new pope several times, when the pontiff was prior major, or head of the Augustinian order globally. He believes the Church is in good hands.

Continue reading: The spirit of St Augustine shows itself in ‘calm, measured’ Pope Leo XIV

Bishops welcome Youth Festival as opportunity for growth in faith

At a presentation given to the plenary meeting of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference on 6 May, the 2025 Australian Catholic Youth Festival has been hailed as an opportunity to encounter Jesus and grow the next generation of leaders. Festival director Teresa Rhynehart described the chance for young people from across Australia to gather together in Melbourne as a ‘really powerful experience’ and a chance for them ‘to see that they are not alone’.

Continue reading: Bishops welcome Youth Festival as opportunity for growth in faith

Nothing more than a humble servant: Pope Leo XIV’s first speech to College of Cardinals

The Catholic community is alive, beautiful and strong, and it is up to its pastors to protect and nourish the faithful and to help bring God’s hope to the whole world, Pope Leo XIV said on Saturday 10 May in his first formal speech to the College of Cardinals, which we publish here in full.

Continue reading: Nothing more than a humble servant: Pope Leo XIV’s first speech to College of Cardinals

A living tradition: hundreds gather at Our Lady of La Vang Shrine

The Vietnamese refugee community in Australia has not only survived but thrived, said Bishop Thinh Nguyen at a recent celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Vietnamese parishes have become ‘spiritual centres’ across Australia, said the bishop, ‘preserving our culture, language and most importantly, our faith.’ But as the community looks to the future, new challenges emerge.

Continue reading: A living tradition: hundreds gather at Our Lady of La Vang Shrine

New pope calls for ‘joyful’ Christian witness to a world that finds faith ‘absurd’

Where Christians are ‘mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied’ is where the Catholic Church’s ‘missionary outreach is most desperately needed’, Pope Leo XIV said in his first homily as leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. He encouraged the cardinals ‘to move aside so that Christ may remain, to make oneself small so that he may be known and glorified, to spend oneself to the utmost so that all may have the opportunity to know and love him’.

Continue reading: New pope calls for ‘joyful’ Christian witness to a world that finds faith ‘absurd’

The Francis papacy and the dignity of mothers

The late Pope Francis spoke of motherhood in a different way from his predecessors, highlighting his devotion to Mary the mother of Jesus and his view of the inherent dignity of women, according to Oxford University bioethicist Dr Michael Wee, who was among the presenters at a recent webinar on bioethics and moral philosophy in the Francis pontificate.

Continue reading: The Francis papacy and the dignity of mothers

The power of music in palliative care

The nineteenth-century Danish author Hans Christian Andersen observed that ‘Where words fail, music speaks.’ For music therapist Jessica McCarthy, this isn’t just a pithy quote; it’s something she’s privileged to witness through her work each day, journeying with people through to the end of life. This week (11–17 May) is National Palliative Care Week, an opportunity to highlight the many benefits of palliative care, which can include music therapy.

Continue reading: The power of music in palliative care

Former chemist who helped establish ACU awarded honorary doctorate

Emeritus Prof Gabrielle McMullen AM has been awarded an honorary doctorate from Australian Catholic University (ACU) for her contributions to Catholic education and Church institutions. Having held numerous positions in governance and leadership at the university since it's earliest days, Prof McMullen is particularly excited about the way ACU is ‘out in the public square making a difference in people’s lives’ and ‘addressing disadvantage and real-world problems’.

Continue reading: Former chemist who helped establish ACU awarded honorary doctorate

‘We must seek together how to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges, dialogue, always open to receive, like this square, with open arms.’

Pope Leo XIV

in his first words to those gathered in St Peter’s Square after he was elected pope on 8 May

Come work with us

Applications are currently open for the following positions:

Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne

Parish Administration Assistant—St Ignatius/St James Parish, Richmond
Stewardship Coordinator / Finance Officer—Brunswick Moreland Catholic Community, Brunswick
Administrative Officer—St Bernard’s Parish, Belmont, Geelong
Cleaner and Housekeeper, Moonee Ponds
Archives Administration Assistant, East Melbourne

Other

Youth Ministry Officer, The Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst, Bendigo
Housekeeping Attendant and Handyperson (two roles)—Newman College, Parkville

If you are interested in applying for any of the above positions, further details can be found here.

Director of Pastoral Life and Mission, Diocese of Darwin. (Find out more here.)

Upcoming events

Mary Glowrey Museum Open Day

Wednesday 14 May 2025
10.00am–3.00pm

Visit the Mary Glowrey Museum in Fitzroy to learn more about the life and legacy of Australian-born medical missionary in India and Servant of God Dr Sr Mary Glowrey JMJ. Mary Glowrey is one of two Australians currently being officially considered for sainthood. She was the first president of the ...