Meet the people who bring you Australian Catholics magazine.
Michele Frankeni joined the editorial team in 2018. She has a background in journalism and has sub-edited numerous magazine titles, ranging from desktop publishing to marketing, law to motoring. She spent time as a parish associate and completed an undergraduate degree in criminology in 2019. Michele is also associate editor of Madonna Magazine and also compiles and edits the weekly Catholic Teacher and Parish Life e-newsletters.
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Laura is an experienced teacher, with a background in English, Media Studies and Religious Education. She has a keen interest in creating quality teacher resources and engaging students. She is also an experienced journalist who has worked in radio and print.
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The editor of Australian Catholics for more than 15 years, Michael was appointed director of publishing in 2021. He has worked across digital and print publications Eureka Street, Madonna and Pray.com.au. He is a former president of the Australasian Catholic Press Association and member of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Media Council
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Andrew is the editorial consultant for Australian Catholics, as well as the other publications published by Jesuit Communications. He writes extensively for these publications, and is also involved in mentoring writers, particularly through the internship program.
Andrew taught theology in Melbourne for many years at the United Faculty of Theology. He has also been involved with refugees, particularly after the Indochinese war, and has written much on refugee policy in Australia. He also works as part of the communications team at Jesuit Social Services.
Ann writes the regular ‘Unguarded moments’ column in Australian Catholics magazine. She is a teacher at Genazzano FCJ College in Melbourne, and has written a number of books bringing together faith and spirituality. Her writing captures the movements of God in people's daily lives, and draws connections between the experiences of Catholics today and those of some of the wisdom figures in our faith.
A former editor of Australian Catholics, Michael is an accomplished author, with an ability to highlight both the joyful and the serious sides of faith, often at the same time. His books include Bypass, The Lost Art of Sleep, The Things You Get for Free and Books that Saved My Life. He is also the author of Finding God's Traces, a daily reflection book sold exclusively to schools through Jesuit Communications.
Kate has been writing the Home Truths column for Australian Catholics for nine years. Her humorous style explores the profound within the domestic and looks to find ‘God in the mess.’ Writing as Kate Solly, she is the author of Tuesday Evenings with the Copeton Craft Resistance, a ‘feelgood fiction’ novel, published with Affirm Press in 2023.
Peter Fleming is the author of the musicals Frank Christie Frank Clarke!, Noli Me Tangere, and Laura, among others; and of the Awgie award-winning play A Brief History of Love, about Stephen Hawking and his wife. He wrote the novels Falling to Destiny and Falling into History about 'space ethicist' Kim Hawthorne, and the non-fiction works Would I Like Jesus? and The Unexpected Light. He doesn’t own a mobile phone and thinks ‘Facebook’ is something you should do after taking one off the shelf to read.
Peter Sheehan is ex-Vice Chancellor of Australian Catholic University and holds a doctorate in the discipline of Psychology from The University of Sydney. He has served as a Member of the Ecumenical jury for Signis at International Film Festivals in Portugal, Berlin, Montreal, the Czech Republic, and most recently (2023) in Venice. He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1995 for services to Psychology, and Education, and has chaired the Australian Commonwealth Films Board of Review.
Peter Malone is a longtime film reviewer and author of a number of books, especially on themes of religion and spirituality in films.He is a Missionary of the Sacred Heart and has lectured in theology and Scripture at the Yarra Theological Union and the Heart of Life Centre and was head of the international Catholic organisations for Film and for Communications, currently SIGNIS.
Fiona writes a regular column on music for Australian Catholics. She is a musician, educator and liturgist based in Melbourne and is currently undertaking a PhD in music and theology. Fiona works across parish, school, tertiary and community settings and is a member of the National Executive of the Australian Pastoral Musician’s Network. Her work on prayer, liturgy and liturgical music is published in books, journals and magazines, and her music published by Liturgical Song.