Serving Faithfully - Our News

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Local News
Ordination of FR Ray Le Fakhry 22 August 2026 View
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Community Celebrates Ordination of Father Ray El Fakhry

Fellow Chaplains of the CMOA attended the ceremony to support their future military colleague.

deacon gary stone former ADF Chaplain View
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The Role of Confidentiality and Trust in Chaplaincy Services

Workplace chaplaincy in frontline organisations, such as the police and military, relies on strict confidentiality to provide a safe space for staff to seek help. 

 

CMOA Army Chaplain Rev Dcn Peter Devenish-Meares View
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Honouring Ultimate Sacrifice and Ongoing Service: The 2026 Op. Rimau & Commando Day Commemorative Service

On 12 July, the Op. Rimau & Commando Day service honoured the fallen of 1944 and pledged ongoing care for serving personnel and their families.

Mary offers this prayer to God during her visit to her cousin Elizabeth, following the Annunciation View
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How the Magnificat Builds Lasting Hope

Operationalizing the Magnificat (Mary’s Song) as a strategic framework for pastoral care, ethical command advisory, and member resilience within military life.

Fr Bob Crawford View
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Vale Fr Bob Crawford

The Military Ordinariate of Australia marks with sadness the passing of Fr Robert Crawford, a dedicated priest and former army chaplain.

Warrant Officer Class Two Lachlan Muddle killed while on Training Exercise View
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Warrant Officer Class Two Lachlan Muddle killed during Training Exercise

Defence can confirm an Australian Army soldier has died during a parachuting training course at the Jervis Bay Airfield on the evening of 11 May 2026. 

Mother leading head against hand reading through bills after groceries shopping at the table inside her home View
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Cost of Living Crisis

Bishops want to address the crisis of rising living expenses.

a lit hite candle standing next to a bunch of red poppies laying down on a stone smooth dark and wet wall View
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Chaplains sustain faith on the frontline as Anzac legacy endures

ANZAC Day commemorates bravery, sacrifice, and the "Anzac spirit" through dawn services, marches, and rituals like the Last Post, reflecting on the nation’s military heritage and costs of war.

National News
Bishop Elect Stuart Hall View
national
Defence Force Names New Catholic Bishop

Former Navy Chaplaincy Director-General Monsignor Stuart Hall has been appointed Catholic Bishop of the Australian Defence Force, bringing decades of military pastoral experience to the role.

Each year since 1940, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has issued a statement for reflection and discussion in the lead-up to Social Justice Sunday (August 30) on a key issue in society. View
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Catholic Church Call to Action: Heal Social Divides

Australian Catholic Bishops Call for "Culture of Encounter" to Heal Deepening Social Divisions.

Saint Mary McKillop View
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Mary McKillop Feast Day

Saint Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first saint, is remembered each year on 8 August.

St Vinnies worker supporting a veteran on the streets in Australia View
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Action needed now as homelessness crisis deepens across Australia

This National Homelessness Week, 3-9 August, the St Vincent de Paul Society is urging the Australian Government to act on this year's theme, Homelessness Action Now.

Fr Joe Phillips WW@ and Korean War Service painting View
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Monastery to the Timor Sea

Australian Catholic chaplains—affectionately called padres—volunteered to accompany troops during the Korean War (1950–1953).

Monsignor Stuart Hall - Bishop -Elect CMOA View
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Welcome Bishop Elect Monsignor Stuart Hall

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Monsignor Stuart Hall as Bishop to the Military Ordinariate of Australia.

RAN Sailor being baptised at sea View
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Bring hope to the ‘invisible’ on Sea Sunday

Australian Catholics have been encouraged to reflect on the lives and experiences of mariners on Sea Sunday (July 12).

World War two aboriginal military veteran black and white image View
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Serving in Faith: Honouring Indigenous Veterans and the Legacy of Military Chaplains

This article highlights the 2026 Indigenous Veterans’ commemorations held during National Reconciliation Week.

World News
Pope Leo XIV at the mass of the Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary View
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Why Mary’s Assumption Matters for Our Future, According to the Pope

Pope Leo XIV reflected on Mary’s Assumption as a sign of humanity’s destiny of eternal life.

Russia and Ukraine exchanged strikes overnight that killed civilians and injured many others on both sides View
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Pope Leo XIV Pleads for Peace: "Stop the Spiral of Violence"

Pope Leo XIV expresses his concern over the ongoing violence in Sudan, Ukraine, and Russia.

Samuel Michael Pedrazzini View
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At the Alley of Heroes, Cardinal Bychok Salutes Aussie Volunteer Killed in Action

Cardinal Mykola Bychok has paid a powerful wartime tribute to fallen Australian hero Samuel Michael Pedrazzini, praying over his grave at Ukraine’s prestigious "Alley of Heroes" cemetery.

Pope Leo XIV View
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Pope Leo XIV Invites Aussies to Combat City Loneliness in August Prayer Intention

Pope Leo XIV is challenging Aussies to combat the growing epidemic of city loneliness this August by bringing a sense of community and mateship to our sprawling suburban neighbourhoods.

World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly View
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Seeing the World Anew: The Sacred Gift of Intergenerational Connections in Defence Families

Celebrating World Day for Grandparents on 26 July, we honor the vital anchor elders provide distant Defence families through a beautiful, two-way exchange of wisdom and youthful curiosity.

Staff College Visits the Philippines in 2026 features Rev Fr Giles Atherton View
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MILITARY TIES GROW

An Australian military delegation visited the Philippines' 3rd Marine Brigade to strengthen defence partnerships and exchange leadership insights.

Nobel laureates View
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From Rome to the Home: How the Vatican's Vision for AI Protects Our Defence Communities

Explore how the Vatican’s Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on AI and Nuclear War provides crucial ethical guidance and pastoral support.

Pope Leo XIV waving View
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Leo in Rome

"Leo in Rome" is expected to air across official Vatican media channels and digital platforms.

Military Chaplains in Rome for 2025 Jubilee
Palm Sunday in Broome Diocese will people standing outside the church with palm leaves held upright on a Sunny morning
Palm Sunday Mass at Lone Pine Chapel in Darwin
Archbishop Christopher Prowse visiting Military Bases in Townsville 2024
Chaplain Martin Monaghan stand over the altar while saying mass on exercise out at sea
CHAP Martin MOnaghan and CHAP Thomas Zaranksi saying mass in the Philippines while on exercise in 2025
DCN McGoldrick with 7 of the PNG Cadets after mass at Duntroon outside RMC Chapel
European Tour in September 2025
COL Say with Fr Zaranski at ANZAC Mass 2026
ADFA cadets with Archbishop Prowse at ANZAC Day Mass
Archbishop Prowse with Bugler 2026
VIP in front pew of St Christophers Cathedral
catafalque party 2026 outside St Christophers Cathedral
Serving Faithfully Our News - digital image of earth with Australia in the front during the evening with lights

Serving Faithfully Newsletters  

From 2018 to the end of 2023 Serving Faithfully was the newsletter of the Catholic Diocese of the Australian Military Services published quarterly.  

From 2024 onwards Serving Faithfully has morphed into news items published regularly on this website to be a more contemporary means of sharing events and experiences from across the whole Diocese.

As the Catholic Military Diocese is comprised of members of the Australian Defence Force and their families scattered widely across Australia and overseas, wherever they are serving. 

Please contact the Military Ordinariate if you wish to read past published newsletters of Serving Faithfully.

Sacramental News

Cards Title
Baptism
Sacramental News
Isidor Guevarra Baptism at Holy Spirit Chapel RAAF Richmond NSW
Isidor Guevara
Date
03 May 2026
Location
Place: Holy Spirit Chapel, RAAF Base Richmond NSW
With Blessing on you Baptism.
REV DCN Graham Swan RAN taking a family photo after a baptism
Easton Parker Nykolaychuk & Charlotte Courtney Nykolaychuk
Date
05 July 2026
Location
Place: HMAS Watson, Sydney, NSW
On this blessed occasion of your Baptism
Pastoral Photos
Event in Philippine church
Group Photo of four
Group Photo
Group Photo of 12
Big Group Photo
Selfie: Group Photo of 5
Philippine Terraces
Philippine Island
Philippine Terraces_Green
Philippine Street
Philippine Street
Philippine Statue
Performer in costumes
Philippine Building
Philippine Food
Two kids swimming in river
Philippine Hills
Philippine Beach
Philippine Bancas
Philippine Party Bus
Related topics
Peter Devenish Meares blessing a parade of serving members in Army

Events

Details of upcoming events as well as articles and images from previously held events.

 

IMP Lourdes 2010

Synodality

Synodality denotes the particular style that qualifies the life and mission of the Church.