I started my holidays on Monday, so The Age very nearly passed me by. Fortunately, someone else bought a copy and showed it to me — in Sydney no less!

For those who missed it, several Corpus Christi seminarians graced the front page, above the fold. The picture accompanied an article by Barney Zwartz, relating the transformation of the Church in Australia. The Vietnamese are the new Irish, and all that.

The trend is not quite so prolific in Hamilton, where the congregation – and indeed the population – is still predominantly white. But it’s certainly not a trend which can be missed in seminary life. All of which, as Zwartz notes, is:

. . a timely reminder that Christianity is not a Western religion. Born in the Middle East, its growth areas are Asia, Africa and South America.

Two thirds of Catholics live in the global south. Something to remember.