500 miles north

At the beginning of the week I was in Brisbane, Queensland, for the annual conference of the Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy (www.australianccc.org). This was a top quality clergy conference whose speakers addressed immediately useful topics superbly - for instance, Cathechesis in the era of B16, Priestly ministry to the mentally handicapped, the status of science and debate concerning embryo research, Liturgical development in the era of B16, and many others. I was warmly welcomed as a non-Australian and invited to join - which I did. There is a real level of priestly fraternity here in Oz which I have experienced since my first week; I am making some very good priest friends here. And it was very refreshing to find some of the Australian hierarchy taking part in the Conference and mixing naturally with the priests. I have been in Oz for only three months and have already met and spoken with seven Australian Bishops who express their priesthood with ease and grace.