Dear Friends,
By Virginia Ryan

Welcome to our June edition of Mission and Spirituality News. In this edition our regular contributors are reflecting on the darkness of winter and the winter of our faith.

Fear of the Dark
By Dr Carmel Davis

Australia averages about ten and a half hours of daylight in winter and about fourteen and a half hours in summer.

Worship in the spiritual winter
By Gerard Moore

The Australian winter days can be full of light, but the coming of night signals darkness and cold. 

Light of Torah (June)
By Teresa Pirola

Our Torah reflection this month focuses on the complicated character of Balam: prophet or sorcerer? It is a colourful story, full of intriguing questions and complete with a talking donkey.

Reflection - Strangers in our own place
By Fr Patrick O'Shea

This is the Catholic Church and society's reality.

Invited to Table
By Dr Margaret Ghosn MSHF

'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God' (Mt 4:4).

Resource Kit for The Study of Saint Paul: Session Five
By Brendan Byrne sj

This 'kit' is provided as a follow-up to the interactive e-conference on Paul sponsored by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference to mark the close of the Year of Paul on 30 June, 2009.

Sunday Eucharist and the Witness of Charity

VATICAN CITY, 16 JUN 2010 (VIS) - At 7.30 p.m. yesterday in the basilica of St. John Lateran the Pope inaugurated the diocesan congress of Rome, which has as its theme this year: "'Their eyes were opened, they recognised Him and announced Him'. The Sunday Eucharist and the witness of charity".

AACAFE Conference
Passion for Adult Faith Formation

Sunday 22nd August 2010
Mary MacKillop Place, Mount Street, North Sydney

Facing Death Together: Parish Funerals

Dr Margaret Smith sgs, Sr Elizabeth Murray SGS
13-16 July 2010

The Spirituality and Practice of Nonviolent Leadership

A new eight-day, residential program for Church leaders, clergy and lay, in Australia.

Interreligious Dialogue
MS542

Wednesday, 6.00pm - 9.00pm
Semester 2, 2010 (2 August - 12 November)

Practical Introduction to Canon Law
Rev Peter Slack

9am-4pm, 5-8 October 2010
Rev Peter Slack is an authority on issues relating to Canon Law.

Wollongong Diocesan Council for Catholic Women Forum

9:00am to 3:30pm, Saturday, 19 June 2010
Holy Spirit College , Cawley Road, Bellambi

Study Online in 2010 with The Broken Bay Institute

Online Courses are offered for Semester 2, 2010.

Spirituality of the Heart

20th - 22nd August 2010
Chevalier Resource Centre, Kensington NSW

Autobiography of Transformative Learning
Dr Alex Nelson

9am - 4pm, Monday 16 August, 6 & 27 September, 25 October 2010
Caroline Chisholm Centre, Pennant Hills, Sydney

Falling in Love with God: Recognising the call of Christian love.
Review by Gerard Moore

At a meeting today that I was a party to a NSW trade unionist was coming to grips with the fact that Christianity had played a part in the life of unionism.