Secondary schools will soon be receiving copies of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic church for their students. Check out our new unit on the Compendium and its artworks. The art, which was chosen by Pope Benedict, provides a visual summary of Catholic faith and is a great way to begin to explore it. 

Sunday 5 October 2008 World Youth Day pilgrims, volunteers and all interested people are invited to gather together to recapture the experience of Days in the Diocese and World Youth Day. St Patrick's Cathedral 3.30 More details

Rev Joel Edwards, Canon of St Paul's London from Micah Challenge, an international campaign to lift millions out of hunger and poverty. YTU Box Hill at 3pm on 16th October. Email for details.

Retreat Day on 7th November at Campion. All RECs and FDCs are invited to recharge their inner batteries. Contact  Chris Morris for enquiries and to register.

rejesus is an English site with lots of articles that are useful for RE and is very much worth a regular look.

October 4 is the feast of St Francis of Assisi, patron of animals and of the ecological movement. These are four thought provoking poems about Francis while a Franciscan site provides an introduction to this immensely popular and lovable saint.

Speaking of ecological issues, have you seen this article in the UK Guardian. While it's a little dated (2007) it reports a new direction in attitudes to the issue of climate change within the Catholic Church? 

The Catholic Social Teaching page with its summaries of major themes, notable quotes and Teacher's Toolbox is a great site. Another good Australian page is Principles of Catholic Social Teaching. 

The new Dialogue Australasia Network page contains lots of reading for thoughtful RE teachers.

The debate over the proposal to change Abortion laws in Victoria continues to rage. Read Frank Brennan's insightful comment and some of the arguments raised.  

The controversy in Camden NSW about the rejection of an application to build an Islamic school there indicates that multicultural issues are still very much in focus in Australia.  

While sex is often 'in the news' you don't often find an article that is helpful in starting a discussion about sex, sorting out values and attitudes which help people make good decisions. One such is Just Sex: Giving young adults what they truly want. 

The harrowing story of the death of a young woman from digestive tract cancer has revived the debate about euthanasia