Schools are naturally excited and making enquiries about the approaching canonisation of Bl. Mary MacKillop. Don't forget to explore and use this wonderful Mary MacKillop site with your classes. It is full of information and beautifully presented.

In the English speaking world the beatification of John Henry Newman, the great English theologian, in September this year is attracting attention.  This prayer could serve as an introduction to his spirituality.

Some schools offer a catechumenal process to prepare young people for reception of the sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation or Eucharist. This site could be very helpful.

For classes looking at Church History, Sheffield University has prepared a fine site on the famous Cistercian foundations in Yorkshire, England. It includes an introduction to Cistercian life as well as multimedia explorations of five famous sites.

The Santa Clara University Ethics Centre site contains a good introduction to ethical decision making and is well worth a look.

If you are looking for some art to introduce or illustrate scripture studies, Textweek's Art Index could help, or try Biblical Art on the WWW which is also indexed by subject and artist.

The footy finals are in sight here in Melbourne but what is sport all about? Who does it include/exclude?

Friends of the Earth have a provocative set of figures on their website which seems to show that some workers are tempted to cry poor when that is not necessarily the case. Meanwhile the Mining industry 'roars back to life'.

The Greens are urging a ban on logging in East Gippsland but others are urging sustainable harvesting of timber.

In France, the wearing of the full burqa by Islamic women has been banned. What are some of the issues surrounding such a move?