The Catholic Weekly 24 July 2022

catholicweekly.com.au 2 NEWS 24, July, 2022 Call 02 9649 6423 or visit www.catholiccemeteries.com.au Consecrated lawns and chapels Sydney’s only Catholic crematorium Monthly mass for the Repose of Souls Funeral directors available for a Catholic service Bereavement pastoral care Serving the Catholic community for over 150 years CONTINUED FROM P1 “I am certain that the new evangelisation is not only pos- sible but achievable. “I ask all of you to join me so that together we can work to renew our parishes and our communities for Jesus and the world.” Other high-profile speak- ers include Archbishop Julian Porteous of Hobart, one of the most prominent advocates of the new evangelisation among Australia’s bishops. Dr Hahn’s exclusive address to the conference participants in livestream will be a high- light; several decades ago he was regarded as one of the most promising anti-Catholic thinkers among evangelical Protestants in the US, many of whom regard the Catholic faith as heresy and an abomination of everything they believe their biblical faith to be. Trained at one of the leading evangelical Protestant univer- sities in the US, Grove College in Pennsylvania, he graduated magna cum laude in 1979 with a triple major in theology, phi- losophy and economics. As an ordained Presby- terian minister, he set out to prove conclusively that Scrip- ture demonstrated the falsity of the Catholic faith and its hierarchical structure. How- ever the more he studied the bible the more his doubts in- creased. Concerned at what he was discovering both from testing Catholic claims against the bible and his reading of the Church Fathers - the early spiritual and intellectual giants of the Church - he turned to his former lecturers for guidance. Their inability to answer key questions failed to quell his doubts and – if anything - in- creased them. The process led to a crisis of faith for Dr Hahn, which he subsequently set out in his au- tobiographical account, co-au- thoredwith his wife Kimberley, August event set to equip Catholics in parishes with the tools Conference to entitled Rome Sweet Home . It went on to become a global best-seller. His decision to enter the Catholic Church after hav- ing become convinced that it was, in actual fact, the Church personally willed and found- ed by Jesus, sent a shockwave through the estimated 62-mil- lion-strong evangelical Chris- tian community in the US. It deeply shook the couple’s mar- riage as well. Kimberley Hahn met her husband when they were students and it was precisely his strong stance against the Catholic faith that had been a factor which impressed her as they began dating. The shock of her husband’s conversion after several years of marriage almost proved too much as she underwent her own personal crisis. One of the key factors in the couple’s decision to enter the Catholic Church was their conclusion that contraception – which is either unaddressed or regarded as unproblematic by Protestant denominations – was contrary to the ancient Christian faith. Furthermore, the Catholic Church was the only Christian church tradition I n this edition News Movies, books Archbishop’s homily Editorial & Letters 1-11 8-9 33 36-37 Our story begins in 1839 with the Australasian Chronicle, continuing with the Freeman’s Journal in 1850. Level 13, Polding Centre, 133 Liverpool Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. Phone (02) 9390 5400 | Vol 73, No 5244 The Catholic Weekly is published by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney ABN 60 471 267 587 and is printed by Spotpress Pty Ltd, 24-26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204. Professor Bridges, . . . you’ve used a phrase; I want to make sure I understand what you mean by it. You’ve referred to “people with a capacity for preg- nancy.” Would that be women?” - US Senator Josh Hawley questioning University of California law professor Khiara Bridges, at a Judiciary Committee hearing on 12 July. QUOTABLE DOWNLOAD THE OUR FAITH OUR WORKS APP Your one-stop location for Mass and Confession times, spiritual reflections and meditations, podcasts, local Catholic news, the Go Make Disciples mission plan, and much more. To download the app visit ourfaithourworks.org/app or scan the QR Code. I ask all of you to join me at the Parish Renewal Conference so that together we can begin the work of renewing our parishes and our communities ...” Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP EDITOR Peter Rosengren (02) 9390 5400 REPORTERS Marilyn Rodrigues (02) 9390 5410 Debbie Cramsie (02) 9390 5396 Adam Wesselinoff (02) 9390 5400 SUBSCRIPTIONS Rita Ng (02) 9390 5411 ADVERTISING AND MARKETING Steve Richards (02) 9390 5404 Katie Clarke (02) 9390 5402 DESIGNERS Renate Cassis Mathew De Sousa CatholicWeekly The