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Not in God’s Name By Bruce Duncan CSsR It was like a dream come true. Who could have foretold 50 years ago that the leaders of the world religions would gather at Assisi at the invitation of the pope to show their reverence for other religious traditions and as one denounce violence committed in the name of religion? But in

Remembering Gallipoli 105 Years On By David Ahern Earlier this year we marked the 105th anniversary of the first landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula by the allies, including British, French, Indian, Australian and New Zealand soldiers, who tried unsuccessfully to overrun Turkish positions. Australians and New Zealanders were quick to sign up to defend the British Empire, oblivious to the

Dealing With Male Shame By Suvi Mahonen On a mild mid-January day in Los Angeles, over 50 years ago, ten-year-old Joseph Burgo was drawing in his bedroom when he heard his father’s car pull up in the driveway, an hour earlier than usual. Excited, he put his pencil down and went out to greet him.   “Get your shorts on,”

A view on Halloween By David Ahern Halloween has long been the creepy domain of goblins, witches, ghosts, zombies, skeletons and other ghastly creatures. When I was growing up in the 1960s and 70s, Halloween costumes and ‘trick-or-treating’ belonged in a Hollywood movie. It wasn’t an Antipodean thing to celebrate Halloween. October 31 would come and go much like any

Letter to my Granddaughter By Jan Richards To my dearest granddaughter and your husband I am over-joyed. I have just heard the wonderful news that you are having a baby. How exciting! You both must be so happy and be looking forward to welcoming this new life into your family unit. Babies are a gift from God, and I thank

Hungry For Change By Bruce Duncan CsSr Our generation is one of the most fortunate in human history in terms of being well fed and nourished. Generations of people who have worked resolutely to increase food production and yields can be thanked. But the battle is far from over. Many millions still suffer and die from hunger each year. Despite