Two-Minute Homily by Fr Gerard Lai for the Second Sunday of Advent 2025, Year A. "As we make Advent a time of active preparation, rather than just passive waiting, may we turn back to God with open hearts."

As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Cathedral of St Stephen Schola lift their voices in reverent song, honouring Our Lady with Alma Redemptoris Mater by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525–1594). This timeless work invites us to pause and enter into the gentle mystery of Mary’s motherhood. May this feast day inspire us to lift our hearts to Mary in prayer and praise, trusting in her intercession and love.

Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti surgere qui curat populo: Tu quae genuisti, natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem: Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.

Loving Mother of the Redeemer, who remains the gate by which we mortals enter heaven, and star of the sea, help your fallen people who strive to rise: You who gave birth, amazing nature, to your sacred Creator: Virgin prior and following, taking from the mouth of Gabriel that Hail! have mercy on our sins.

We invite you back on the journey this Advent with seminarians Dylan and Gabriel as they help us get our hearts ready for the joy of Jesus’ birth. This week, they build and decorate a gingerbread house and chat about the fun family traditions that made their homes feel like Christmas growing up. We would love to hear about your favourite Christmas traditions and how you prepare your home for Jesus.

This month, Fr Fadi prays for our Holy Father’s intentions, for Christians in areas of conflict. We pray for the protection of our brothers and sisters who are in places of danger, that they may hold onto the peace of Christ during troubling times. Fr Fadi reminds us that true peace begins in each of our hearts. May we be a light in the darkness, a refuge for the weary and a voice for justice and reconciliation in our troubled world.

Two-Minute Homily by Fr Louie Jimenez for the First Sunday of Advent 2025, Year A. "Christ could return at any moment. Our lives could shift without warning. So how do we stay ready?"

Have you prayed the Christmas novena before? The novena begins each year on the Feast of St Andrew, November 30. Traditionally, this prayer is recited fifteen times daily until Christmas Eve, offering a beautiful way to fix our minds and hearts on the mystery of the Incarnation. You are warmly invited to pray the novena below.

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.

This Advent, we invite you to journey with seminarians Dylan and Gabriel as they help prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus. This week, they decorate a Christmas tree and share their reflections on the meaning of Christmas and the family traditions that shape their celebration. As we enter into the spirit of this holy season, may these joyful preparations for the Nativity draw us closer to Christ. What’s your favourite way to decorate for Christmas?

Two-Minute Homily by Fr William Aupito Iuliano for the Feast of Christ the King 2025, Year C. "If we truly wish to be raised to new heights within our faith lives, then dive deep into the soul and there give true homage to the King of the universe, Jesus Christ our Lord."

On 22 November, the Church celebrates the Feast of St Cecilia, the beloved patron saint of music and musicians. To mark this joyful occasion, the Brisbane Catholic Filipino Choir offer a beautiful hymn in her honour, "Let the Deep Organ Swell the Lay," composed by Roman Catholic priest Charles Constantine Pise. We invite you to join in this hymn of praise as we give thanks for St Cecilia’s witness of faith and the gift of sacred music that lifts our hearts to God. Do you have a special devotion to St Cecilia?