On 11 April, the Knights of the Southern Cross Victoria gathered on the banks of the Murray River for their annual 'Barney's Picnic' to continue their long-standing tradition of celebrating Mass and sharing a meal together on Divine Mercy Sunday.

On 24 March 2021, FCJ College Benalla opened its new state-of-the-art multi-purpose hall made possible by a generous donation from the FCJ Sisters to mark the bicentenary of the Faithful Companions of Jesus Society founded by Marie Madeleine d’Houet in 1820; as well as 120 years of the FCJ sisters being involved in education in Benalla (1900 - 2020).

Over 110 deaths and thousands left homeless after flooding and landslides in Timor-Leste and Indonesia

Since April 4, the small nation of Timor-Leste and southern islands of Indonesia have been inundated by extreme weather from Tropical Cyclone Seroja, one of the most destructive storms to hit the region in years.
In Timor-Leste, 27 people have lost their lives, with another 86 deaths reported in Indonesia.

For we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard, Acts 4:20.

Catholic Mission has launched its major appeal for the year, supporting the essential work of the Mother and Babies Home run by the Good Shepherd Sisters in Bangkok, as they reach out to vulnerable women in their time of need.

The Catholic Dioceses of Victoria have announced the opening of a public consultation period for a new process of response to complaints and redress relating to abuse in the Catholic Church. It is important that voices of those who have experienced abuse are heard, and that their feedback helps to shape this new model.

As we pray during Sundays of the Easter season, Lyn Breen suggests we may like to focus our attention on the last few words of the ancient creeds.

Did you have a Project Compassion box at home, school or church growing up? It’s a little box with a big history, and an even bigger impact. A lot has changed in 50 years! Find out more about the rich history of Project Compassion.

The work to ‘Care for Creation’ is continuing on the world stage and through the small individual efforts of each of us.
To share these things both big and small, you are all invited to join our Sandhurst Network gathering for our first 2021 conversation on Wednesday 21 April at 5.00 p.m. via Zoom.

On 28 March, Bishop Shane Mackinlay led a prayer service for 52 deceased members of the St Aidan’s community at their final resting place in the Bendigo Cemetery located in Quarry Hill.. “We pray that God may welcome them among all the saints of heaven,” prayed Bishop Shane before blessing their newly restored ‘family grave’, which features inscriptions of the names of each of the women and children buried at the site between 1907 and 1977.

The Diocese of Sandhurst has welcomed the report on the Diocese’s implementation of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards, conducted by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL). ‘The results of the audit show not only very high levels of compliance with the safeguarding standards, but also a sustained commitment to fostering a culture of safety and care for children, and adults at risk,’ said Bishop Shane.

Australian Cardinal Edward Cassidy passed away earlier today at the age of 96. After ordination to the priesthood and two years in parish ministry in regional New South Wales, Cardinal Cassidy went to Rome for additional training, leading to a 30-year career as a Vatican diplomat across four continents. In 1989, he was appointed President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity – making him one of Australia’s most high-ranking Vatican officials. He was named a cardinal two years later.

Oceania Webinar
11.00 a.m. Tuesday 20 April 2021

How can we revitalise, renew and grow mutual relationships between our parish and school communities? Together let us explore how a worshipping community can reach out to our school communities and how we can enable school communities to recognise that they are an important part of the parish —and that we are all part of the one community in Christ.

By Diane Grant.

Mother, grandmother and great grandmother, Eileen McDonald recently celebrated her 90th birthday recently.  A Nagambie parishioner for most of her life, she's seen a lot of change in the region over the years.

Catholic health and aged-care operators are calling on government to create clear lines of communication to avoid the confusion that beset the sectors at the height of the COVID pandemic, a review into operations has found.  Multiple data requests, junior staff in the bureaucracy as contacts and a surge workforce that was untrained and unprepared to work with COVID-affected patients were also some of the challenges facing the operators, according to the report, Lessons Learnt from COVID-19.

The Gianna Centre is a caring family support, education, and referral service for men, women and young people dealing predominantly with pregnancy, parenting, relationships, fertility, loss and grief, and related issues. The Gianna Centre provides a welcoming, friendly and confidential environment, writes Catherine Holmes.

On 17 March The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and Australian Catholic University’s public policy think tank, the PM Glynn Institute, hosted an online roundtable to consider the Catholic policy response to COVID-19. Leaders from a range of ministries and fields, from within and beyond the Church attended the event. A discussion paper will be published after Easter summarising the key topics and themes addressed during the roundtable.

On Holy Tuesday, Bishop Shane Mackinlay gathered with Bishop Tomlinson emeritus and priests and people of the Sandhurst Diocese to celebrate the Mass of the Holy Oils or ‘Chrism Mass’;a celebration of our entire Sandhurst Christian community and a manifestation of our unity through baptism. Bishop Shane blessed the oil of catechumens, the oil of the sick, and consecrated the chrism, since these oils are used in every parish of our diocese, the Bishop is linked to the sacramental ministry of the priests in every parish.

If you would like to learn more about different aspects of Holy Week, including its history and significance, or would like to delve more deeply into prayer and reflection, you will find something to suit you in the very long list of resources provided by Lyn Breen.

Project Compassion Week 1 and Week 5 stories have featured Jamila and Halima, refugee women who fled from violence in Myanmar to the protection of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. You may have seen media coverage of the extensive fires which swept through an area of the camp on 22 March.

By Kerry Stone

Last Friday, St Mary’s Parish Echuca provided an amazing example of a community ‘BEING MORE’ with their all-day Caritas Ks event in the centre of town. The Parish community, as well as St Mary’s Primary School and St Joseph’s Secondary College, all put their compassion into action by walking in solidarity with those who have to travel many kilometres each day for water, firewood, to get to school/market/clinic. Fr Pompeyo, shown here, led by example!

7.00 p.m. – 8.00 p.m. 
Tuesday 30 March 2021

"John presents a completely different interpretation of the death of Jesus on the Cross."  Dr Mary Coloe pbvm, an academic an author with a particular focus on the Gospel of John,  This is a very special free online event during Holy Week. 


“What will you do with your one wild and precious life?” 


These words, from the poem ‘The Summer Day’ by Mary Oliver, provided the focus for the 2021 Rite of Christian Initiation (RCIA) Reflection Day, held at St Augustine’s Church Kyabram on Sunday 21 February, 2021.

The Way of the Cross, Bendigo’s own Passion Play, has been postponed for yet another year. The ecumenical, live, open-air, theatrical re-telling of the trial, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ was to take place in View Street on Good Friday this year as part of the 2021 Bendigo Easter Festival.

The Way of the Cross Committee members reiterate that the production is only postponed and that they will press on to produce this important witness of Christian faith in 2022.

On 24 March a special Mass was celebrated by the Bishops of Victoria to bless CatholicCare Victoria, and entrust staff and partners with the new organisation’s mission to strengthen families and communities.   

CatholicCare Victoria is the result of a merger of CatholicCare Melbourne/Gippsland, CatholicCare Sandhurst and Centacare Ballarat.  The new organisation is poised to be a leading provider of a broad range of social services throughout the state.  

The momentous stories of Holy Week and Easter are so familiar, that we may sometimes miss important details -- aspects with potential significance for our own life journeys.  Lyn Breen suggests we choose one or two people from the Easter story, read about them and imagine the 'story behind the stories’.  What could happen if you walk beside them or in their shoes, or see with their eyes?