Ballarat Thomas More Centre Winter School report

Contents - Sep 2001 - Buy a copy now Editorial: A letter from the Publisher - Peter Westmore Archbishop Hart's reception at St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne - Homily - Archbishop Denis Hart News: The Church Around the World The John Paul II Cultural Centre opens in Washington DC - Alex Sidhu Successful Thomas More Centre Winter School in Brisbane - Sidney Rofe Ballarat Thomas More Centre Winter School report Feminism's broad agenda within the Catholic Church - Donna Steichen Commission for Australian Catholic Women: Executive members' feminist views - Richard Egan Why today's secular culture is anti-Catholic - James Hitchcock Kenneth Bruce Dowding, Australian Catholic hero: his brother's tribute - Rev Keith Dowding Letters: Celibacy (letter) - Mrs A.M. Tilburg Letters: More on Marins (letter) - Peter Finlayson Letters: BECs (letter) - Marie Kennedy Letters: Charter (letter) - Rev A.T. Fitzpatrick Letters: Adelaide protest (letter) - Pauline Pascoe Letters: Feminists (letter) - Margaret Jones Letters: Formidable mind (letter) - Mrs V. Mulligan Letters: Aquinas (letter) - Michael Casanova Letters: Fatima Family Apostolate (letter) - Margaret Grace Letters: Church teachings (letter) - Gerry Keane Letters: Mind of the Church (letter) - Mrs Carol V. Phillips Letters: God's word (letter) - Vic Hall Books: 'The Book of Marriage', edited by Dana Mack and David Blankenhorn - Bill Muehlenberg (reviewer) Books: 'The Holocaust, Never To Be Forgotten', Avery Dulles SJ, Rabbi Leon Klenicki - Anthony Cappello (reviewer) Books: 'Padre Pio: In My Own Words', ed. Anthony F. Chiffolo - Mary-Jane Donnellan (reviewer) Books: 'Teens and Relationships', 'Teen Life and Christ', by Jerry Shepherd - Mary-Jane Donnellan (reviewer) Books: 'Lamentations Of The Father', by Ian Frazier - Mary-Jane Donnellan (reviewer) Reflection: Saint Catherine of Siena: how to receive the Eucharist more worthily - Sr Mary Jeremiah OP

The Ballarat Thomas More Centre Winter School (3-5 August 2001) attracted about 60 young people from Melbourne, Ballarat and surrounding rural areas to hear talks on the theme of "Bringing Christ to the land, and the land to Christ".

The Anglican Bishop of Ballarat, Dr David Silk, spoke on the evidence for the Resurrection, while Bishop Joe Grech of Sandhurst focused on the "blazing fire" of God's love. Fr Michael Shadbolt handled the topic of "Faith and Commitment", followed by Anna Krohn, who spoke on the "Theology of the Body".

Workshop topics included "Fatherhood", "Single Life to Motherhood", "Consecrated and Single Life" and "Preparing the mind for God".

After a solid day of listening and learning, a social evening was enjoyed by all who attended.

On Sunday morning Fr Dominic Murphy OP spoke on "The Church and Evangelisation", challenging the gathering to look for ways of bringing the Good News to others. Further workshop topics included "Christian Environmentalism", "Bioethics", "New Approaches to Respecting Life" and "Thomas More Social Action Groups". The Winter School's theme was addressed in the afternoon, with a vision of faith action in the history of the Catholic Rural Movement.

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 14 No 8 (September 2001), p. 7