Well here we are at the beginning of a new Church year in the wonderful season of Advent – those precious few weeks of reflection and preparation of heart and mind, before the great feast of Christmas.

I love it that, at this time of year, when the world is telling us to hurry up and get through the list of things to be done before Christmas – shopping, food preparation, social events – the Church is telling us to slow down, reflect, wait, repent. What a breath of fresh air that counter-cultural message is.

The SVD AUS Province is gearing up to celebrate World Mission Sunday on October 16 by sharing resources and planning activities across the Province to mark this special day in the Church’s calendar.

Mission Secretary, Fr Truc Quoc Phan SVD says that on World Mission Sunday, Catholics all over the world are called to reflect on and recommit to the Church’s missionary activity, through prayer, sacrifice and personal involvement.

The liturgy of this Sunday invites us to look at the mercy of God and experience God’s abundant generosity towards each one of us.

Last weekend I was with our Darwin Diocesan youth for the Breakaway retreat in Noonamah, NT. I drove up with two young men from Alice Springs for this retreat.

‘I gave his mother the money for his abortion, now look at him and see what I got.’ These were the words of Ae’s father when we drove to our Mother Mary Home for teenagers in Northeastern Thailand.