Church Documents

The Permanent Committee of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has approved the revised books on “The Order of Celebrating Matrimony” and “The Order of Confirmation”. The English translation is according to the Typical Edition, and approved by the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship. This revised edition is in keeping with the norms of the decrees of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy...

Pope Francis’ post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation, “Amoris Laetitia” (The Joy of Love) on love in the family has been released. This much-awaited Apostolic Exhortation is the conclusion of a two-year synod process discussing both the beauty and challenges of family life today. The 2015 Synod’s theme was “the vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the modern world.”..

This encyclical, drawing its name from St. Francis' Canticle of the Creatures, reminds us that earth is our common home and that we must care for it. Pope Francis calls the entire world to take action to embrace what he called ecological conversion. The document is some 40,000 words and 184 pages long, but it comes alive and is more accessible in this unique, in-plain-English reading guide. This guide offers a summary of every article in Pope Francis groundbreaking document and a small group reflection process to help everyone read it and understand it. The article numbers in the original are retained for ease in moving between the guide and the actual encyclical. The six small group sessions outlined here include group reading, discussion, prayer, and action suggestions (for communal or personal use) making it ideal for youth ministry, confirmation programs, parish leaders, small communities, clergy groups, adult formation, the RCIA, or families...

This offering for the Year of Consecrated Life explores the place of the Religious Brother within the Church-Communion. Following the three dimensions within which the Church-Communion presents itself, this latest document from the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life develops the identity of the Brother as a mystery of communion for mission. At the centre of this triple perspective lies the heart of the identity of the Religious Brother – namely ‘fraternity’, which is a gift that is received (mystery), a gift that is shared (communion) and a gift that is given away (mission). The text concludes with some guidelines so that in every part of the world and in every community, each Religious Brother may respond to the question: How can we be Brothers today? As well as Religious Brothers, this document is also directed to the laity, religious priests, diocesan priests, bishops and all those who want to know about, appreciate and promote the voc..

In his latest address to consecrated people, Pope Francis expresses his appreciation for "contemplative sisters", emphasising that the church needs them "to bring today's men and women to the good news of the Gospel"..

The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy has come to and end, but mercy must continue to be lived out and celebrated in our communities. In this Apostolic letter, issued at the Jubilee's conclusion, Pope Francis proposes various initiatives and points of reference to ensure that we continue to build our lives on mercy. Mercy can never be a mere parenthesis in the life of the Church; it constitutes her very existence, through which the profound truths of the Gospel are made manifest and tangible. Everything is revealed in mercy; everything is resolved in the merciful love of the Father.   Pope Francis, Misericordia et Misera...

Fifty years after the Vatican Council’s Decree on the Renewal of Religious Life (Perfectae Caritatis, 1965), the Church reflects on the great force for evangelisation that lies with today’s consecrated men and women. Such witness - love for God and neighbour, love of the cross and the hope of future glory - speaks to the far corners of today’s world and is to be greatly valued. Proclaim continues the reflection which began in the Letters Rejoice, Keep Watch and Contemplate so that the insights of the Year of Consecrated Life may continue to bear fruit...

In this latest letter to consecrated men and women,we are called to direct our gaze into the dephts of our life; to seek the reasons underlying our pilgrimage in search of God and to examine the contemplative dimension of our lives so we may recognise the mystery of grace that sustains us exhilarate us and transfigures us...

In 1986 John Paul II completed his Trinitarian encyclicals, begun with Redemptor Hominis (on Jesus Christ) in 1979, and then Dives in Misericordia (on God the Father) in 1980. Already setting the Church’s sights on the great Jubilee of the year 2000, marking ‘the passage from the second to the third Christian Millennium’, Pope John Paul reflects on the Holy Spirit, as the one who is at the centre of the Christian faith and is the source and dynamic power of the Church’s renewal. This encyclical has been drawn from the heart and heritage of the Second Vatican Council, and its rich teaching on the Church in herself and the Church in the world. The text explores the spirit of the Father and Son given to the Church, the spirit who convinces the world of sin, and the spirit who above all else gives life, leading to the realization that the way of the Church passes through the heart of man, because here is the hidden place of the salvific encounter with the Holy Spirit. ..

I entrust YOUCAT for Kids to you. Never tire of asking questions and talking about your faith. Do not remain silent when your children come to you with questions, but be strong sharers of the true faith you have received from your parents. Be a living chain which makes it possible for the Good News of the Gospel to always be present in our families, communities and in the Church. Pope Francis..

CHRISTUS VIVIT: CHRIST LIVES Christus Vivit: Christ Lives Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation to Young People By Francis, Pope (Author) $13.50 Pope Francis has written a very personal letter to young people, and to the entire People of God, following the 2018 Synod on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment. In his engaging and easy to read style, the Pope draws from young saints and biblical figures, and even the young Jesus, to remind today’s young people that their voice must be listened to. The Pope offers some guidance to young people, exploring vocation discernment and encouraging friendship with Jesus. He also addresses the Church as a whole, reminding us of the youthfulness the Church should embody, while also considering how to renew youth ministry and emphasising the importance of attracting young people to the Church. This is an important document to be read by anyone – young people, those involved in youth ministry, and all those who wish to help pave the wa..

EVANGELII GAUDIUM (CTS) The Joy of the Gospel By Pope Francis (Author) $16.99 Pope Francis encourages every Christian to rediscover the joy of a personal encounter with Jesus and then to engage with renewed vigour in the mission of spreading that joy of the Gospel and becoming spirit-filled evangelizers. “I have chosen to present some guidelines which can encourage and guide the whole Church in a new phase of evangelization, one marked by enthusiasm and vitality... I have decided, among other themes, to discuss at length the following questions: · the reform of the Church in her missionary outreach; · the temptations faced by pastoral workers; · the Church, understood as the entire People of God which evangelizes; · the homily and its preparation; · the inclusion of the poor in society; · peace and dialogue within society; · the spiritual motivations for mission.”..

APERUIT ILLIS Aperuit Illis APOSTOLIC LETTER INSTITUTING THE SUNDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD By Francis, Pope (Author) With this Apostolic Letter, Pope Francis establishes that “the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time is to be devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the Word of God”. He invites local communities to find ways to “mark this Sunday with a certain solemnity”. As Pope Francis writes: “The relationship between the risen Lord, the community of believers and sacred Scripture is essential to our identity as Christians. Without the Lord who opens our minds to them [as he did for the disciples on the road to Emmaus], it is impossible to understand the Scriptures. Yet the contrary is equally true: without the Scriptures the events of the mission of Jesus and his Church would remain incomprehensible.” Hence, St Jerome could rightly claim: ‘ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ’.”..

Study this Catechism! This is my heartfelt desire. Study this Catechism with passion and perseverance, Study it in the quiet of your room; read it with a friend; form study groups and networks; share with each other on the internet.... You needs to be more deeply rooted in the faith than the generation of your parents. Pope Benedict XV1..

YOUCAT Reconciliation Accept the risen Jesus into your life, Even if you have been far away, take one small step towards Him. He awaits you with open arms. Pope Francis..

Completed during the Coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis’s prophetic new encyclical is addressed to “all people of good will, regardless of their religious convictions”. He expresses the hope that the pandemic, terrible as it is, may help us discover a renewed sense of our common humanity. This greatly welcomed encyclical is a beautiful reflection on humanity’s path forward to a deeply desired and sought-after peace. Pope Francis begins by analysing those trends which militate against fraternity and friendship today. He proposes the Good Samaritan as a model of someone who cares for others regardless of where they are from. Amid the human conflicts, tensions and divisions present in today’s world, Pope Francis suggests respectful dialogue and proposes that we answer with “a new vision of fraternity and social friendship.” He rebukes “fundamentalist intolerance” and other forms of “shameless aggression” that get in the way of fraternal peace. Pope Francis asks, instead, that we re..

This new Directory for Catechesis represents the work of over 80 experts over 5 years, reflecting a dynamic renewal in catechesis since its predecessor, and incorporating the magisterial wisdom of the most recent episcopal Synods and Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium. The Directory places catechetical instruction and formation of catechetical teachers clearly within the realm of evangelisation. It offers guidelines to assist in the creation of local directories and catechisms and clarifies the importance of catechetical renewal in Christian communities. The Directory will be indispensable for bishops and all those responsible for formal religious instruction, including priests, deacons, lay and religious catechists, and religious education teachers in dioceses, parishes, and schools. The Directory will also aid directors of formation who train the faithful in the forms and means of catechesis, including seminary rectors, directors of formation for the permanent ..

This new instruction from the Congregation for the Clergy tackles many of the issues surrounding the renewal or “conversion” of parish and diocesan structures into more missionary entities, including ways of assigning pastoral ministry within the parish, the role of the pastoral council, the provision of the sacraments, and the suppression or merging of parishes...

Published to mark the 150th anniversary of the Proclamation of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, Pope Francis offers a rich and personal reflection on the fatherhood of St Joseph. In his pastoral and readable style, he writes about St Joseph as. * A beloved father * A tender and loving father * An obedient father * A creatively courageous father * A working father * A father in the shadows Announcing a year dedicated to St Joseph, the Holy Father presents St Joseph as an example of the type of father so sorely needed in the world and in the church today. In St Joseph we find a sure intercessor in the most difficult moments and impossible situations...

New Apostolic Letter of Pope Francis Pope Francis highlights the indispensable role catechists fulfil in teaching the Good News of Jesus Christ. Already in the New Testament we find men and women helping the Apostle Paul to communicate the Good News. It is truly an ”˜ancient ministry' and one that has continued throughout the centuries to our present day. Recognising the work of catechists around the world, in this Apostolic Letter Pope Francis formally establishes the ”˜Ministry of the Catechist'...