I’ve seen a few things in my time but if I was asked to give one piece of advice it would be this: our identity as humans is in who we are, not what we are. Who we are is only possible through our spoken languages and our lived cultures.

It is a message that is relevant today, as it was when I was born in Gundagai, NSW, the youngest of four children of Mollie and William Gardiner. We were a happy farming family.

All I want is to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and to share his sufferings by reproducing the pattern of his death. That is the way I can hope to take my place in the resurrection of the dead. Not that I have become perfect yet: I have not yet won, but I am still running, trying to capture the prize for which Christ captured me. (Phil .3: 10-13)

The Pastoral Framework for the Sacramental Catechesis of Children is helping to bring families, schools and parishes closer together, according to those who oversee work in this area.

Carmen Balales and Sr Jenny Seal, who coordinate family and parish- based catechesis on behalf of the Archdiocese, say the response to the new framework has been “fantastic” and those involved are appreciative that the preparation process is more accommodating of the realities of families today.

Africa is a continent full of life, with a great cultural and religious patrimony. We cannot abandon it. Let us join our voices to the voice of the African peoples.

“When we look at Africa, we see much more than its great natural richness.

Sister Anne Gardiner has been living on Bathurst island north of Darwin since 1953. She is a community champion for the Tiwi islanders she knows and loves so well. As the 2017 Senior Australian of the year her message is about the absolute necessity to connect cultures and celebrate indigenous heritage. Sister Anne is speaking with Fiona Sewell.

Often when we see something terrible happen we don’t know what to do.  We think everything is too hard, too big and beyond us.  There’s an old saying:  “Where there’s a will there’s a way” and this is definitely true.  We don’t always know the way and often we get too caught up going through the things we can’t do, rather than focusing on the things we can.  I guess it is all about perspective.

You are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life 
as from the beginning he had meant you to live it. (Eph 2:10)

Singing is the sign of the heart’s joy (cf. Acts 2:46).
Thus St Augustine says rightly, “Singing is for one who loves”,
and there is also an ancient proverb: “Whoever sings well prays twice over.”

On Sunday, March 12, friends of PNG living in Sydney gathered at the Sacred Heart Monastery, Kensington, to welcome Cardinal Sir John Ribat msc and to celebrate the appointment by Pope Francis of the first Cardinal in Papua New Guinea and the first MSC to be granted such an honour.

A prayer resource is available for liturgy, personal and group reflection in high schools and parishes to mark this year's International Women's Day or for any other occasion with a theme focused on women.

The ten International Women's Day values are: Justice, Dignity, Hope, Equality, Collaboration, Tenacity, Appreciation, Respect, Empathy and Forgiveness

Let us pray for all women around the world!