Our great Lenten journey has begun! It’s a journey which begins in ash and ends in water. Fire is a profound part of our national experience. We know its power to destroy, blacken and reduce to ash. We know that evil can do the same - destroy our wholeness of spirit, blacken our lives and reduce the beauty of human life to so much ash.

You can download and save the scripture texts, reflections and prayers for Lectio Divina for each day of this month. Lectio Divina is a traditional way of praying the Scriptures. Visit our Lectio Divina page for more information about how to pray using Lectio Divina.

default Lectio Divina March 2020 Kindle (479 KB)

default Lectio Divina March 2020 iPhone iPad (293 KB)

pdf Lectio Divina March 2020 PDF (1.09 MB)

When the grief, sadness and anger about where we are today on this earth becomes overwhelming, there is often a felt need to turn to poetry and prayer to remind us of what was, and what could be. To remind us of how we can be - in community - together, with love, justice, and compassion.  In our JPIC March newsletter Peter Thomas of the JPIC team reflects on the many concerns we all are feeling at this time, using poetry and Laudato Si.

  pdf Read this issue (1.11 MB)

“Ecological Conversion” is a small book of 37 brief reflections written by Carmelite, Eduardo Agosta Scarel, and published by the Carmelite NGO at the UN. It offers some reflections to encourage us to take an active care for the environment, the earth, our common home.

The reflections start from the contribution of science, some key texts of the Bible, and the “ecological” theology present in the teachings of the recent popes of the Church, from Paul VI to Francis.

Download free from the Apple Store | Download pdf PDF version (3.88 MB)

Recently Fr Carlito Da Costa Araújo spent a day exploring Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Sí with a group of young people in Timor-Leste.

About 50 young people gathered hear Fr Carlito outline the encyclical and to work on positive strategies for implementing Laudato Sí. The course was held in the open air, in ‘nature’s classroom’ as Fr Carlito called it. More photos

The Whitefriars College community gathered at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne, recently to begin the new school year with Mass and to welcome new College Principal, Mr Mark Murphy. Students, parents and staff formed the congregation of over 1,400.

Mass was celebrated by Carmelites, Paul Sireh (College Chaplain), Paul Cahill (Prior Provincial) and Maurice Barry together with Fr Michael Gallacher (former College Student). More photos.