THE timeless Gospel for midnight Mass from Luke is a favourite of mine. Here the angel proclaims "news of great joy" and heaven opens to announce peace to all people. Into our world marked by hardship, uncertainty and division, God chooses to come not...

WHEN we watch the television news on Christmas Day or Easter Sunday, a bishop or minister will often report that "today is all about hope". It's the simplest answer that can be given in a "news grab" on a central day to the Christian faith. We are nearing...

By Archbishop Shane Mackinlay THIS will be my first Christmas in Brisbane. Not only has the weather here been warm, but so has the welcome I've received, for which I am grateful. This year is also the 1700th anniversary of the first ecumenical council,...

POPE Leo XIV has renewed his call for a global pause in violence at Christmas, urging people of goodwill to observe at least one day of peace to mark the Nativity of the Lord. "I once again make this appeal to all people of good will: that, at least on...

By Selina Venier THE Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Melbourne from November 30 to December 2 was an early Christmas gift for a healthy contingent of young people and supporters from Toowoomba diocese. Toowoomba Bishop Ken Howell joined Warwick...

BEING part of the Church makes motherhood all the sweeter for Jessie Brennan and Ramona Villanueva as they prepare their bubs for Christmas. Mrs Brennan with her daughter Chryssa, seven months old, and Mrs Villanueva with her son Israel, 18 months old,...

A PROUD row of children stood at the front of Bill Bergin's Year One classroom at St Ambrose primary school, Kelvin Grove. "I said to the pupil next to me, 'What are those children doing out the front?' And they said, 'They're making their First Holy...

By Ashley Prisk THERE is something about Christmas that feels electric, especially when you are around young children. The excitement and careful execution of traditions all seem to glow a little brighter through their eyes. In our home, Christmas...

A LINE of people stretched around King George Square last night, waiting to enter Brisbane City Hall, to stand in solidarity with Jewish Australians and mourn the 15 lives lost in the Bondi massacre on December 14. About 1500 people were estimated to...

MELISSA Haworth, a mum-of-three on Brisbane's southside, says her children are bursting with excitement as they wait for Jesus' coming on Christmas Day. "That's what you want," she said with a laugh, "Advent is all about preparation,...