When asked recently at what point human beings should be given human rights, U.S. Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama said that to answer that question with any specificity was “beyond his pay grade”. What those who did not watch the debate perhaps don’t know is that he followed with an almost 5-minute explanation – quite ...read more

Well… World Youth Day is over… the bags are packed, Randwick is being cleaned up, the Media Centre is almost empty, hotels are being emptied, Sydney is returning to its usual stage – but this city will not be the same after this last week. Before coming, we heard about how the local Australian media ...read more

Last night, my dear friend Chris Valka (soon to be Fr. Chris Valka) asked me what had been the highlight of my World Youth day so far. I had no answer. I guess not much had really happened yet and in truth, we’d spent most of our time working and not really had time to ...read more

Being at the Papal Welcome Ceremony earlier today, certainly brought back memories. You see, for WYD2002, I was in charge of the Papal Welcome Ceremony. I loved planning that event. I loved working with the Liturgy team, the operations team, the International Liturgy coordinator, the Vatican Master of Ceremonies, the Papal Protocol people, the Vatican ...read more

Do you know that Australia was first named the “Southern Land of the Holy Spirit”? In fact, that’s what Australia means: “Southern Land” – Austral is southern. Boreal is northern. Learn something new everyday. Is it any coincidence that the theme for this year’s international World Youth Day, hosted in Sydney, Australia is from Acts ...read more

Sorry to have missed updating you the last two days. There is so much I want to write – this Congress has far exceeded my expectations – there will be more in the days to come. For now I want to tell you about last night`s event: The Eucharistic Procession. I don`t know if this ...read more

  This morning’s session began with a Catechesis by Cardinal Phllippe Barbarin, Archbishop of Lyon, France. He said that the Eucharist makes us contemporaries of the Thursday supper, the Friday Passion and the Sunday Resurrection. He also referred to the Hebrew word, “zikkaron”, which is the word Jesus would’ve used when he said, “do this ...read more

Recently I was back at York University (it’s been a long time) for an event and I heard the University being referred to as a “liberal arts school”. I had never thought of York as a liberal arts school. Of course, I was there studying theatre and was very much immersed in their conservatory program. ...read more

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test ...read more

Had you asked me when I was a little boy, what Mary, the Mother of God, looked like, I would’ve said that she’s dark skinned, pregnant, wears a rose coloured dress with blue-green cape and has the sun’s rays shining out of her (or from behind her). On her cloak there are the constellations, she ...read more