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Light in darkness

This Holy Week, as we walk the way of the cross, Pope Francis reminds us that we do not travel this difficult path alone. By reaching out—like Simon of Cyrene—to those who struggle, helping to shoulder their burdens, we participate in Jesus’ redemptive love, his passion inspiring our compassion.

Today, at this year’s Chrism Mass, more than 200 priests came together to renew their priestly vows and to reflect on their mission of healing and forgiveness.

Sr Brigid Arthur CSB AO has devoted her life to caring for those weighed down by burdens too heavy to bear. Reflecting on her work accompanying asylum seekers, she points to some ways we can bring hope to those who need it most.

Tenebrae—an ancient Holy Week ritual—is having a resurgence in popularity. This evocative liturgy combines powerful symbolism and sublime music to help us enter the darkness of Christ’s passion, ultimately giving us a deeper appreciation of the light and hope he brings to the world.

A healing and forgiving mission: more than 200 priests gather for Chrism Mass

Earlier today, at this year's Chrism Mass, more than 200 priests—a record number—came together to renew their promises. In his homily, Archbishop Peter A Comensoili reflected on that electrifying moment when Jesus stood in the synagogue at Nazareth and claimed the prophet Isaiah’s words for himself, revealing that he was the promised one, the Christ, the Anointed.

Continue reading: A healing and forgiving mission: more than 200 priests gather for Chrism Mass

Tenebrae: a liturgy of shadows before the light

During Holy Week, an ancient and very moving service, Tenebrae, is held in a few churches across Melbourne, including at St Patrick's Cathedral. As liturgist Prof Clare Johnson explains, ‘It's a chance to go really deep into why Christ died for our sins, and to understand what the world would be like without him.' In this way, we discover 'hope in God, that God is with us in that moment and leading us to the light.’

Continue reading: Tenebrae: a liturgy of shadows before the light

Hope does not disappoint

Maintain hope: Sr Brigid’s enduring call to support asylum seekers

In a world grappling with unprecedented levels of displacement, Sr Brigid Arthur CSB AO stands as a beacon of hope and a guide for action. The long-time advocate for those seeking asylum and refuge in Australia offers a compelling message: there are concrete ways to extend support and solidarity to our neighbours in need.

Continue reading: Maintain hope: Sr Brigid’s enduring call to support asylum seekers

Christians to celebrate Easter 2025 together, in rare alignment of calendars

Easter this year will be celebrated at the same time by both western and eastern Christians. This relatively rare synchronisation of dates—and the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea—has renewed calls for the permanent alignment of Easter.

Continue reading: Christians to celebrate Easter 2025 together, in rare alignment of calendars

Carry the cross with compassion, says Pope Francis on Palm Sunday

Carrying the cross means more than bearing personal suffering; it means stepping into the pain of others and walking beside them, Pope Francis wrote at the start of Holy Week. ‘To carry the cross of Christ is never in vain,’ he wrote in his homily for Palm Sunday Mass in St Peter’s Square on 13 April. ‘It is the most tangible way for us to share in his redemptive love.’

Continue reading: Carry the cross with compassion, says Pope Francis on Palm Sunday

Living and ancient stones: why the Good Friday Collection matters more than ever

As Christians around the world prepare for Good Friday, the Australian Church is once again being called upon to show solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the Holy Lands—those who live in the regions of Jesus’ birth, ministry, death and resurrection, and who today face immense hardship. The Pontifical Good Friday Collection, taken up each year in parishes around the world, provides critical support for the sacred sites of Christianity and the small but vital Christian communities in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and beyond.

Continue reading: Living and ancient stones: why the Good Friday Collection matters more than ever

Make sweet choices that matter this Easter

Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH) are urging Australians to look a little deeper into their shopping baskets this Easter with their ‘ACRATH approved’ Easter campaign. The campaign—including the ‘Be Slavery Free Chocolate Scorecard’—helps chocolate lovers make choices that matter by supporting companies committed to eliminating slavery from their supply chains.

Continue reading: Make sweet choices that matter this Easter

Caritas Australia echoes Pope Francis’ call for peace in Sudan as crisis enters third year

In Sudan, where a brutal civil war has raged for two years, the humanitarian situation remains dire. Recalling the ‘suffering of children, women and vulnerable people that cries out to heaven and begs us to act’, Pope Francis renewed his appeal to the parties involved, ‘that they may end the violence and embark on paths of dialogue, and to the international community, so that the help needed may be provided to the populations.’

Continue reading: Caritas Australia echoes Pope Francis’ call for peace in Sudan as crisis enters third year

‘Let us decide how we are meant to carry our own cross during this Holy Week: if not on our shoulders, in our hearts. And not only our cross but also the cross of those who suffer all around us. Let us prepare for the Lord’s paschal mystery by becoming, each of us, for one another, a Simon of Cyrene.’

Pope Francis

reflecting at the beginning of Holy Week on what it means to take up our crosses

Come work with us

Applications are currently open for the following positions:

Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne

Aboriginal Catholic Ministry of Victoria (ACMV) Coordinator, Thornbury
HR Officer, East Melbourne

Parish positions

Parish Secretary, St Martin of Tours Parish, Macleod/Rosanna

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

Upcoming events

Mary Glowrey Museum Open Day

Wednesday 16 April 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 ...