1. Cardinal Pell: Educator and friend to the young
There was the excitement of a “gala” event in the moments leading up to the Sydney book launch of Professor Tracey Rowland’s most recent book, Remembering George Cardinal Pell: Recollections of a Great Man of the Church, by San Francisco publishing house Ignatius Press.
The launch was very generously hosted by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP and his staff and was facilitated by me with the Thomas More Centre, assisted by some young members of the Democratic Club in Sydney who did a sterling job greeting guests and selling the book, which was printed for us with the excellent support of Parousia Media.
The Sydney launch event highlighted the way in which Cardinal George Pell, who was the first patron of the Thomas More Centre, was also a great friend of the young, of students, of seminarians and many others finding their way in the world.
The speakers at the event all noted it: the editor Professor Rowland, former Prime Minister the Hon Tony Abbott, and in a vivid vote of thanks Archbishop Fisher himself.
It had been Professor Rowland’s aim to focus the event upon the many young guests who were especially invited to the event so that they could hear more about Cardinal Pell’s legacy and importance.
Historian and professor Carl Olsen captures the unique quality of this book in the Catholic World Report.
Archbishop Fisher reflected during the evening:
“In typical fashion, Tracey has managed to put together an excellent volume that allows us to gain deeper insight into the life and personality of the Cardinal.
“He was a champion of youth and education, marriage and family, faith and reason – a public intellectual who gave lectures and interviews, wrote books and columns, and was unafraid to enter the arena of debate, defending Christianity, Catholic teaching, and the great patrimony of Western civilisation, often against hostile opposition.”
Archbishop Fisher continued:
“Others have shared similar experiences – of his capacity to draw people in, to surround himself with good advisers, to delegate, to trust, to encourage. These stories reveal the George Pell not known through headlines but through friendship and genuine love for the other …
Thanks to all of you, and to our wonderful editor, this volume, Remembering George Cardinal Pell, helps ensure that George will be remembered for all that he was: big-minded, big-hearted, and above all, big-souled, animated by a profound love of Christ and his Church.”
The evening was a delightful one – old friends met up and shared stories and young people heard more about the Cardinal that many of them had never met, but who nonetheless benefited from his initiatives.
2. Mark the date: The Nicholas Tonti-Filippini Oration and Dinner, October 17, 2025
On the evening of the 17th of October, the Thomas More Centre in Melbourne is delighted to collaborate with the Australian Catholic Medical Association, the Tonti-Filippini family and other sponsors to host the second event in honour of the late great Australian Catholic bioethicist, Professor Tonti-Filippini.
This year’s oration will honour Pope St John Paul II’s great encyclical Evangelium Vitae published 30 years ago, and will be delivered by Archbishop Anthony Fisher. The evening will begin with the celebration of the “White Mass” celebrated by the Archbishop of Melbourne, Peter Comensoli, followed by the oration during which a special two-course dinner will take place. The booking page and payment methods can be accessed here.
3. Sharing a friendship of ideas
Over at the Thomas More Centre YouTube, our host Mark Makowiecki unpacks some new and fascinating discussions with interesting guests. Make sure you either watch or listen to the YouTube videos or the TMC podcast.
The latest posts with these guests are:
a) Most recently a very interesting conversation with the UK-based Iranian dissident, reporter and stand-up pro-life comedian, Nicholas de Santo.
b) The Irish podcaster and commentor Robert Nugent, who considers the secularisation of Ireland via a loss of the original spiritual and mystical nature of Irish Christianity, the failure of evangelisation and the hope of the re-enchantment of the symbolic and mystagogical in Catholic life.
Wishing everyone some thawing of a cold winter.
Anna Krohn
Executive Director
Thomas More Centre
