Sunday 18 February --- The air of excitement was unmistakable yesterday at St Patrick's Cathedral, as over a thousand people gathered for the annual Rite of Election, where those seeking to receive the sacraments of initiation at Easter are presented and recognised by the Archbishop and the wider community. View photos from the day >

Saturday 10 February --- The Sparks of Beauty series kicked off at the National Gallery of Victoria, with David Menzies noting that for some, art galleries are 'the cathedrals of the modern world'... These spaces provide a portal into the spiritual world too, as they offer an entry point to pondering the great mysteries of life. 

Lay Ecclesial Ministers, just like the ordained, need and deserve formation of high standards that will provide them with the necessary skills and resources to adequately minister to the community they serve within. These professional development days and retreats cover a range of topics including responding to family violence, praying with the psalms, developing a spirituality of encounter and accompanying those on a journey of grief and loss.

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) has proclaimed the days from Ash Wednesday until the Saturday after Ash Wednesday 2018 as days of fasting and reparation in sorrow for child sexual abuse and for the healing of victims. To support parishes, the following resources have been prepared and may be adapted according to the needs of the local community. They include sample penitential liturgies, prayers, litanies and prayer sheets.

Parishes are invited to make use of the following resources during Lent 2018: Day-by-day reflections (40-day calendar), Weekly reflections on the psalms and gospels, a weekly podcast series exploring the Sunday readings, Stations of the Cross (based on the Gospel of Mark), Liturgical planning materials (including a ‘Triduum checklist’), Holy Week/Easter real estate board templates and more.

Saturday 24 February --- Come and join us for an Easter Season planning day, commencing with a keynote presentation by Associate Professor Dr Mary Coloe pbvm exploring the readings for the Season, followed by a range of workshops to assist parishes in planning for this significant time in the Liturgical year. This is an opportunity to gather your local parish and/or school liturgy teams for some inspiration and best practices.

Wednesday 7 February @ ACU Chapel --- All pastoral associates, pastoral workers and lay chaplains are invited to join us at the annual commissioning mass for Lay Ecclesial Ministers, to be celebrated by Archbishop Denis Hart. Following the mass, we invite you to stay for an afternoon tea.