Media Release, 13.9.11

The Office of the Foreign Minister, Federal Parliament.

Australia will be at the forefront of global efforts to promote the role of women and girls with the creation of an Ambassador to advocate on their behalf.

This article was published on zenit.org

ROME, SEPT. 13, 2011 (Zenit.org).- As Benedict XVI closed Italy's 25th National Eucharistic Congress on Sunday, and Dublin is in the thick of preparations for the 50th International Congress next June, the Church is as focused as ever on the fruits of these events.

By Dan McAloon

We Aussies know The Daughters as "The Olsh Sisters" (OLSH). Their Australia story began in 1885 with the arrival in Sydney of five young Sisters from Issoudun, France.

A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN TODAY’S SOCIETY AND CHURCH

The Ballarat Diocesan Women’s Reference Group was given the opportunity recently to host two sessions with Sr Carroll Juliano S.H.C.J.  with the women of the Ballarat diocese.  These sessions were held at St Mary’s Colac gathering space on Monday 1st August, and the following evening at St Joseph’s gathering space Warrnambool.

It was a typical Canberra winter morning when fourteen people gathered at the Secretariat offices of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference for a two day meeting, a little unsure of what lay ahead.  We – Natural Fertility Australia - need not have been concerned.  Having come together to discuss the way forward following the successful tender submitted to the Australian Government by the ACBC, we knew we were facing some challenges as a result of new funding levels.  But the day proved to be subsidiarity at its best – decisions were shaped by those that were affected by them.

The West Australian government is in the process of preparing a bill to legalise prostitution in this state. For a number of reasons a group of us oppose such legislation.  A position paper outlining these reasons can be found here.  The Coalition against the WA prostitution bill encourages residents of West Australian to write to their local MP’s voicing concern for the implications of this bill.  A sample letter can be found here.  The Coalition hopes you will support this action in opposing the legalisation of prostitution.

Vocation, from the Latin word, vocare to call: Jesus' call to follow him - or more truly, to walk with Him. As we know this comes to us first in baptism. For most of us it's our parents who respond on our behalf. Looking back I'm aware that it was mainly Mum who talked about and helped me to get to know Jesus as a friend. So when it came to that moment in my teenage life when I felt he was calling me to follow a different path from the one I'd imagined for myself, I was able, though somewhat hesitantly at first, to answer that next call.

Vocation ..... I think the first time I really thought about this word and what it meant was when I was around 22 years of age. Until this point, I had been constantly worrying about what it was that I was meant to do in life, what career path I was meant to choose, but I had never thought about it in terms of what God's calling was for me.

Losing my mother at the age of 19 has had a profound impact on my life, especially how I have matured and developed as a young woman. It was my mother's death that led me to question the Catholic faith and as a 22 year old I was finally confirmed into the Catholic Church and received first Eucharist.