Former Lourdes Hill pupil earns ACU’s highest honour

Respected Indigenous elder and former pupil of Brisbane’s Lourdes Hill College, Aunty Joan Hendriks, has been awarded the Australian Catholic University’s highest honour, Doctor of the University.

High profile women support Good Sams Foundation

A number of high profile women from different walks of life are among many the generous people demonstrating their support for the Good Sams Foundation this year.

Schols students embrace faith mentoring role

When Year 10 students from St Scholastica’s College, Glebe were asked earlier this year to assist a group of catechists at a nearby State primary school, college staff thought a few students might volunteer. Much to their surprise, about 40 girls expressed interest.

School-based programs vital in reducing violence

In the last 12 months, staff at The Good Samaritan Inn in Melbourne have been working on a new initiative with schools that they hope will reduce the need for safe havens like theirs.

GG visits Kiribati, Tibwau renews vows

Good Samaritan Sisters were among many locals who gathered to welcome Australia’s Governor-General, Quentin Bryce, during her visit to the remote Pacific island nation of Kiribati last month.

First assembly for Good Samaritan Education

Members of Good Samaritan Education gathered in Sydney recently for their first formal assembly since the new Church entity was launched in November last year.

GG to address Good Sams Foundation breakfast

More than 150 people have already booked their seats for the Good Sams Foundation’s annual breakfast in Brisbane next month (April 20) with the Governor-General, Her Excellency, Quentin Bryce AC CVO.

Japanese sister’s outback experience

Good Samaritan Sister, Hiro Kageyama will return to Japan on March 24 after a 10-month sabbatical which has taken her to some of Australia’s remote destinations.

Who says young people aren’t interested in faith?

It’s often said that young people these days aren’t interested in their faith or religious issues. But a group of senior students from seven Good Samaritan Colleges have challenged that stereotype.

Overwhelming peace and joy for Grace

Having completed two years’ preparation as a novice, Grace Marcelo was professed as a Sister of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St Benedict earlier this month.

We should never be afraid of the truth

Can the rest of the world learn any lessons from the tragedy of Fukushima? Surely there are some lessons for Australia, writes Clare Condon SGS.

Reflecting on Dawkins vs Pell

There are many theologians within the Catholic tradition who provide us with both the language and understanding to bring together the scientific understanding of the universe and the spiritual dimensions of our lives, writes Clare Condon SGS.

Heeding Polding’s call about our first peoples

In 2010, the Commonwealth Government promised to hold a referendum on Indigenous constitutional recognition at or before the next election. Surely now is the time to act, says Clare Condon SGS.

Lent and the quest for beauty

Fasting in the Christian tradition is a means of seeking spiritual growth. It is a means of coming to inner beauty, writes Clare Condon SGS.

Seeing Christmas in its proper context

The Christmas story is a reflection of our own story where we all strive in some way or another to be born into the fullness of life, writes Clare Condon SGS.

Crises and opportunities

“We are witnesses of a new global world emerging and one which is being confronted by a number of ongoing events which can generally be identified as ‘crises’,” writes Clare Condon SGS.

The value of humilitas

Is it not time for the resurgence of true humilitas in our broader world of business, sport, politics and the Church, asks Clare Condon SGS.

Pursuit of peace is a task for all of us

Why is peace so elusive both at a global level and in our personal, one-on-one relationships, asks Clare Condon SGS.

Time to rethink our approach to asylum seekers

Sending asylum seekers to be processed in another country is politically sanctioned people-trafficking, says Clare Condon SGS. It is a failure in the moral credibility of a wealthy nation.

The value of quiet listening

July 11, the Feast of St Benedict, is a special day for Good Samaritan Sisters. Benedict’s ancient rule and spirituality is foundational in their lives. At the heart of this spirituality is the virtue of silence, writes Clare Condon SGS.

To live is to change: Vatican II and the pilgrim Church

Vatican II was not just a ground-breaking achievement, but an ongoing summons to mission at the heart of the world in which we live, writes Sonia Wagner SGS.

Realising the vision: 150 years of liturgical renewal

Good Samaritan Sister, Margaret Smith, participated in a month-long liturgical study tour to Europe last November. A constant message throughout the tour was “we can’t go back”.

Surrender is not weakness, nor resignation

The notion of surrender has little appeal to a post-modern sensibility, perhaps suggesting capitulation and weakness. Yet the word held real strength and potency, writes Patty Fawkner SGS.

A time to be ‘desert people’

Nothing worthwhile comes easily, writes Monica Dutton. If we are not tested, we never know our potential. It is the sacrifice that gives us strength, the struggle that makes us resilient.

Good summer reads for the mind and spirit

In this our last edition for 2011, “The Good Oil” invited ten people – some of our readers and some who have written for us this year – to nominate a book they particularly enjoyed and would recommend to others over the summer period.

Japanese sisters recount the road of conversion

The “National Catholic Reporter’s” Joshua McElwee recently spoke to two Japanese Good Samaritan Sisters about their journeys from Buddhism to Catholicism.

Reflecting on a chapter in the life of the Good Sams

Chapters are significant events in the life of a religious congregation. Good Samaritan Sister, Pam Grey, captures some of the spirit of her congregation’s recent chapter.

Spirit of Good Sam past key to the future

Benedictine Sister, Joan Chittister, offers some words of wisdom and encouragement to the Sisters of the Good Samaritan as they prepare for their twenty-fifth chapter.

East Timor immersion a life-altering experience

Fourteen teachers from Good Samaritan Colleges throughout Australia participated in an immersion experience to East Timor during their July holidays. For Jocelyn Christensen of Stella Maris College Manly in Sydney, it was a life-altering experience.

Kiribati foundation a transformative experience

This year marks the twentieth anniversary since the Sisters of the Good Samaritan first arrived in Kiribati. What began as a ministry placement for one sister has grown into something much more.

Does ecumenism matter?

As the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (May 20-27) approaches, Good Samaritan Sister, Bernardina Sontrop, asks “Does ecumenism matter”?

Vatican II and liturgical renewal: unfinished business

The decision to reform the liturgy at Vatican II was closely allied to the purpose of the Council itself: renewal of the people of God, adaptation to the times, ecumenism and evangelisation, writes Ursula O’Rourke SGS.

Vatican II: how it affected the Good Sams

Historian and Good Samaritan Sister, Marilyn Kelleher outlines how the Second Vatican Council affected the life of her congregation.

Vatican II: does it still matter?

It is time for all us to reconsider the call of John XXIII for “Christian charity”, to work for unity, to engage with the people of our times, says Catherine McCahill SGS.

Reflecting on Quentin Dempster’s “The Right to Die”

In November 2011 the ABC’s “7.30 NSW” program produced a story entitled “The Right to Die”. It was compelling television, including an interview with a well-educated MS sufferer, Loredana Alessio-Mulhall who pleaded for the right to die, writes Frank Brennan SJ.

Is your Catholic identity being stolen?

“Identity theft is a major crime around the world. In a strangely analogous way, there is concern growing that forces mysterious may even be stealing our Catholic identity. If we had to report such a theft, how would we describe our loss,” asks Garry Everett.

Keep the promise: make poverty history

Just as we were the power behind the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals, we must be the power that ensures the world achieves them, writes Marella Rebgetz SGS.

A bit more empathy and a lot less sympathy

The narrative of my disability begins with a single moment. The moment, when my mother realised her weaker and sicker baby was turning over, while her bigger, fatter and seemingly healthier baby was not, writes Georgia Cranko.

Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The devastation of Nagasaki and Hiroshima points beyond the parameters of history to the limitless dimensions of the human heart, writes Diana Law SGS.

Dialogue: a way of being authentic

As we continue to aspire to the call of the Gospels, to participate in the mission of God, then all the faithful, all those at the table will need to find ways of staying in dialogue, writes Catherine McCahill SGS.

A keen interest in all things Aboriginal

For as long as she can remember, Good Samaritan Sister, Val Deakin, has had a keen interest in Aboriginal people and culture.

A committed and passionate advocate

“I’m not very good at being sweet and compassionate and kind, tending individual people’s wounds,” says Good Samaritan Sister, Catherine Norman. “I’m not bad at that, but I think I’m better at seeing how can change systems”.

A ministry of pastoral loitering

It’s nearly a year since Good Samaritan Sister, Lal Smith began her new ministry among the Aboriginal people of Palm Island. As Lal looks back over the last 10 months, a memory that stands out is her first ferry trip to the Island from Townsville.

Celebrating a golden milestone

This year marks a significant milestone for Good Samaritan Sister, Margaret Keane. It’s the fiftieth anniversary of her profession as a religious sister.

A passionate believer in the power of education

For Kay Herse, education enables people to engage with the mysteries of life, to ask the questions that need asking about the way things are and, as a result, to contribute to the building of a more just, compassionate and peaceful world.

A heart for the poor

Despite the presence of many long-established religious orders in the Philippines, it’s interesting that Germia Tocama chose to join the Australian-founded Good Samaritan Sisters.

A woman grounded in the Word

News of the death of Good Samaritan Sister, Verna Holyhead came as a hefty blow for the Good Samaritan Sisters. But as the news reverberated throughout Australia and around the world, it was also felt deeply by many people who knew her in some way.

An extraordinary woman

Ordinary. That’s the word Good Samaritan Sister, Mary Ronayne, chooses to describe herself. Those who know Mary are amused though not surprised to hear this and are quick to describe her as far from ordinary.

A commitment to sharing the story

Good Samaritan Sister, Marilyn Kelleher has an enduring love of history and believes that, far from being irrelevant to people and life today, history has the capacity to animate and refresh us.

Mater Dei: a privileged place to work

“It’s a privileged place to work; it’s as simple as that,” says Tony Fitzgerald, the Principal and CEO of Mater Dei School in Camden, New South Wales.

Carrying the pain of others: reviving an ancient journey

To what extent are we willing to carry the pain of others? In a Church which claims to be a supporting community of believers, how do we give hope, in some genuine fashion, to someone whose life is fast unravelling, asks Tony Doherty.

The timelessness of Benedictine spirituality

What is it about Benedictine spirituality and history that enables it to be so formative of people’s humanity across time, ecumenical boundaries and cultural divides, asks Carmel Posa SGS.

From the Helidon quarry to Lourdes Hill

For Queensland sculptor, Mardi Kearney, art is a bridge to the spirit.

Forgiveness: the healing of relationships

Like all human formation, forgiveness comes, in the end, not as conquest but as gift, writes Michael Whelan SM.

Christmas down under

Perhaps as a nation come of age, and as a people whose many citizens originate from climes other than northern Europe, it is time for us to claim new images in our celebration of the seasons of Advent and Christmas, writes Patty Fawkner SGS.

Discovering again a language that is accessible

“In over 20 years of working with young people on retreats, I have discovered several things that both lift me up with great joy and other things that leave me somewhat dismayed,” writes Paul O’Shea.

A pilgrim reflects on the Camino Salvado

Good Samaritan Sister, Margaret Malone, reflects on the experience of walking the Camino Salvado, a seven-day pilgrimage from Perth to New Norcia in Western Australia.

On food and faith

There has been a plethora of television programs on food and cooking in recent months and I believe it is possible, if we take the time, to mull on some of this in a faith perspective, says Annette Giltrow SGS.

Holy and unholy thoughts in a hot climate

How do I have holy thoughts when all I can think of is how uncomfortable I am and where I might find a refreshing breeze, asks Patty Fawkner SGS.

Where there is no beauty there will be poverty

Are we at a special moment in history that is witnessing the slow awakening of new spiritual sensibilities? Can we consider the part places of beauty and light and peace might play in awakening spiritual sensibilities in our own time, asks Jill O’Brien SGS.

Coffee and chocolate: a good starting place

If you grabbed a handful of people off the street and asked them what they knew about fair trade, coffee and chocolate would feature prominently in their answers. This is a good starting place, says Evan Ellis.

Timor’s hard-fought independence: 10 years on

It would be a mistake to help the Timorese and expect gratitude, says Rita Mary Hayes SGS. They deserve our assistance because of what we have done to them and not done for them.

Multiculturalism: complex but incredibly worthwhile

Working with migrants and refugees helps you to see your country anew through their eyes. That is one of the great gifts of multiculturalism, writes Evan Ellis.

Being ‘neighbour’ to the earth

The abused traveller by the wayside in the parable of the Good Samaritan is the face of forest degradation, toxic spills, species extinction and human deprivation, writes Kevin Treston.

“Schoolies week” takes a new direction

“Schoolies Week” is rarely seen in a positive light by those looking on. But some “schoolies”, including 12 students from Good Samaritan Schools in NSW, have chosen an alternate way to celebrate their end of school life.

What am I doing about poverty?

Anti-Poverty Week (October 16-22) gives us a chance to stop and think about poverty at home, in our street and in the wider world; really wherever we find our neighbour, writes Graham West.

Can we be hospitable post September 11?

How can we live the Gospel imperative of being a hospitable people when we have become so wary of the stranger in our midst, asks Veronica McDougall SGS.

Going out of your way to find your neighbour

For John Muskovits, a recent summer school in the United States with world-renowned theologian and Dominican priest, Gustavo Gutierrez, provided new insights into the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Seeing our neighbours with humanity

SBS TV recently invited viewers to see asylum seekers through the eyes of six Australians. Over half-a-million did each night. In retrospect, can we also look at this series through the prism of the parable of the Good Samaritan, asks Verna Holyhead SGS.

Faith delegation rallies pollies on climate change

Two Sisters of the Good Samaritan were among a multi-faith delegation that converged on Canberra in early June to lobby federal politicians on behalf of the many people of faith who believe urgent action is needed to curb climate change.

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