Fr Chris Townsend: ‘I am trying to be a better preacher’
In response to Sr Sue Rakoczy’s cri de coeur about preaching in The Southern Cross in April, and the variety...
Chris Townsend
Let’s Look at the New Missal Translation – Again
After a few years of using the new edition of the Roman Missal in English and the Revised Standard Version...
The Funny Side of Being a Priest
My life as a priest is often very humorous, ranging from delicious irony to pure slapstick and everything in between.
The Next Church Scandal: Money
The powerful movie Spotlight showcased the failure of Church leadership to initially respond to the scandal of the abuse of...
This is the Real Life of a Parish Priest
Recently at Mass, at the General Intercessions, there was a prayer that went something like “May the priests of the...
Why I Don’t do ‘Bling’ Weddings or Funerals
Recently, at a funeral service, a bling, boutique undertaker asked me to step aside from my customary place at the...
What? No Midnight Mass?
One of the seasonal irritations of any parish office happens around this time. “Father, what time is midnight Mass?” In...
Open up the Church Doors
In a jubilee year, the pope opens the Holy Doors in Rome – a powerful symbol of admitting all the...
To Meet the Angel of Death
One of my favourite semi-liturgical times of the year is the month of November, the month of the Holy Souls.
