New Springtime is the bi-monthly online journal of the Australian Catholic Students Association. The intention behind its launch is to give students and young adults an opportunity to write and read articles about that which is good, true and beautiful.

“New springtime” is a phrase used by several recent popes to express what they have anticipated for the Church. Pope John Paul II employed the phrase frequently – “a new springtime of the Church”; “a new springtime of Christian life”; “a new springtime of faith and civil advancement"; “a new springtime of holiness”; “a new springtime of the Gospel.” On 2 September 2007, in Loreto, Italy, Pope Benedict XVI told pilgrims:

“I cannot fail to invite you to look ahead already to the great event of World Youth Day that will be held in July next year in Sydney. I ask you to prepare yourselves for this important manifestation of youthful faith by meditating on the Message which examines in depth the theme of the Holy Spirit, to live together a new springtime of the Spirit.”

Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, the Archbishop of Vienna, observed in an interview in 2002 that the Church “has always known all the four seasons at the same time. There are always elements of fall and winter, and elements of springtime and summertime in the Church.”

It is certainly true that, in using the phrase, the popes have always expressed a hope for the future – we are not yet in the new springtime. Pope Benedict made this clear in remarks in 2005, where he observed that the Church in Australia appeared to be dying. It is the hope of all with a desire for the growth of the Church in Australia, for the salvation of souls, and for the peace that comes from a life lived in union with Jesus Christ our Lord, that next year’s World Youth Day will go some of the way to bringing us out of the winter.

New Springtime is ACSA’s humble contribution towards that goal. We are uninspired by much that finds its way into print and that we must read in our studies. Our aim is to counter that by bringing you articles that express the truth and joy of the Christian message, wherever it is to be found.

We ask for your prayers for its ongoing success.