Madonna - Current Issue

November / December 2009

Our cover
Blessed be his name forever, enduring as long as the sun (Ps 72:17, from the psalm of response for Epiphany). The Epiphany celebrates the glory and presence of God to and among humanity. One striking way that God can be revealed is through the works of the great artists. The wonderful ‘Francis’ tapestries of Arthur Boyd certainly do this. We are privileged that a selection of them has been displayed for the public.

In this issue ...

Joyous colour and light. The exhibition of Atrhur Boyd’s ‘Francis of Assisi tapestries at Newman College bring to the world a maginificent artistic achievement.

Soul Matters - Chris Gleeson SJ
Touched by Thérèse. The new Santa Teresa retreat centre in Brisbane honours Thérèse of Lisieux.

Tête à Tête — Mary Manning
The woman who said ‘no’ to the Pope. Angela Merici had the foresight to see the need for dedicated women who were not enclosed by a monastic lifestyle and the courage to implement her dream.

Saint of the lepers. Damien of Molokai was among the recent group to be officially canonised by the church.

A gathering for prayer. The national event, Pray 2010, 7-10 July 2010, will explore numerous aspects of the prayer experience.

Pilgrims on the way — Rosie Hoban
A messenger of hope. A Good Samaritan sister goes to the places where sex-trafficking begins, so as to understand the complexities that rule the lives of both victims and perpetrators.

Mary – model for our prayer. Brian Stoney, who we remembered in our last issue, spoke in the 1980s of how Mary shows us the way to live for and with the poor.

Family Matters – Teresa Pirola
A year for priests. Celebrating a special ‘Year for Priests’ should not mean we overlook that a priest is firstly a man, a person who needs the respect and consideration we show to all human beings.

Your Daily Prayer — January & February. A prayerful reflection on the scripture readings for every day of the month.

The power of story — Elizabeth Pike
We are stardust … Astrophysicists speak of human s being made from stardust. The Abotriginal story of the Seven Sisters, the Pleaides, evokes the same belief.

A Cloud of Witnesses - Edmund Campion
A talent for friendship. Jesuit Father William Hackett, founder of the Central Catholic Library, was a creative force in Melbourne Catholicism for thirty years.

Bread for the Journey — Peter Steele SJ
The Presentation of the Lord. The Presentation was an offering of the Christ-Child to Go, an offering that was accepted on behalf of the whole of humanity.

Giving all your life. A tribute from a reader to a dedicated and hard-working family man and community member.

The Teahouse. A poem that remembers the events 12 months ago in Victoria of Black Saturday.