Catholic and Aboriginal ‘listening revolutions’
In times of flux, which can be soil for new growth, Benedict reminds us that the first step is to listen, writes Evan Ellis.
A new daybreak in mission
In the evening of John XXIII’s life he bequeathed to us a new dawn: a Church of hope and renewal, a youthful Church about to embark creatively on a new...
A disquieting dualism
We should not leave the affairs of the Church to the clergy, nor the affairs of the world to the laity. We need to work together for the common good,...
Vatican II: a view from the outside
The desire for unity expressed in Vatican II and strongly present in contemporary religious communities reflects a more widespread awakening within the global human community, writes Garth Read.
A letter to mother Church from a Gen X-er
Sydney-based religious educator Alice Priest writes a letter to her Church to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council.
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 Good Samaritan Sister Sonia Wagner.
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 Good Samaritan Sister Patty Fawkner.
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...
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...
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.