8 January 2015
Your news from across the Archdiocese of Perth
Edition #13
Trustee of SJOG awarded Medal By Tracey Roberts OUTGOING Trustee of St John of God Health Care, Mr Don Good, was recently bestowed with the Benemerenti Medal by his Holiness Pope Francis for his service to the health care ministry in Australia over four decades. The Benemerenti Medal is a highly regarded honour awarded to clergy and laity by the Pope, in recognition of service to the Catholic Church. The medal was last month presented to Mr Good by Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Perth and Chairman of Members of St John of God Australia Ltd, Rev Fr Don Sproxton, in the presence of special guests, including Sisters of St John of God - Srs Isobel Moran, Eugenia Brennan, Pat Doyle, Assumption Neary and Pauline O’Connor. Regional Leader of the Congregation of the Sisters of St John of God, Sr Isobel
Outgoing Trustee of St John of God Health Care, Mr Don Good, who was recently bestowed with the Benemerenti Medal, with Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton. PHOTO: SJOG
Moran said Mr Good is a man of integrity, trust and generosity. “He has been willing to share his wisdom and knowledge across the health care sector, as Governor and Director at Notre Dame, and in his roles at HESTA, where he served as a Director for 20 years, and as a highly respected Chairperson from
2005-2006,” Sr Moran said. “The Sisters regard him as an honourable ‘John of God’.” Former Apostolic Nuncio in Australia, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, extended his congratulations to Mr Good for the honour bestowed in recognition of long and faithful service to the Church and to society. A celebratory din-
ner at the UWA Club was attended by Mr Good’s wife Sue and their family. Other guests celebrating a lifetime of service among the guests were St John of God Health Care Chairman of Trustees Eva Skira, Board Chairman Tony Howarth and Group Chief Executive Officer Dr Michael Stanford.
10,000 babies born at St John of God Health Care in 2014 By Tracey Roberts ST JOHN OF GOD Health Care last month surpassed the 10,000 mark – with more than 10,000 babies born during 2014 at its hospitals for the first time. The statistics mirrored the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s findings EDITION #13 | 8 JANUARY 2015
- which were released at the end of December 2014 - that the birth rate in Australia is increasing. The Western Australianbased, private hospital operator has nine maternity units nationally, delivering an average of 30 babies a day. The final delivery rates for 2014 meant that more than
10,300 babies were born across the group of hospitals before the end of the year. 2012 figures showed that some 9,461 babies were delivered in St John of God Health Care hospitals - which means 2014 figures delivered an increase of around 10 per cent. To acknowledge the occasion,
all babies born at a St John of God Health Care hospital on Thursday, 8 December – the day the 10,000 milestone was achieved – were presented with a gift, in conjunction with celebrations in maternity wards around the country. In Western Australia, St John of God Health Care Continued on page 2
WA MercyCare CEO named in inaugural Impact 25 honour roll WESTERN Australianbased MercyCare CEO Chris Hall has recently been named one of Australia’s most influential figures in the nation’s not-for-profit sector. Mr Hall is one of just two West Australians who made it into Pro Bono Australia’s first Impact 25 – an honour roll of the country’s key influencers working in the social economy, including major charities and advocacy organisations. Voted by readers of Pro Bono Australia, the award formally acknowledges his role as a leader in the WA social services sector for several decades. Mr Hall has headed up MercyCare since 2010, steering it through one of the most challenging, complex and volatile periods for the not-for-profit sector. During this time, MercyCare itself has been radically transformed with the sale of its hospital, allowing it to expand its mission to break cycles of significant disadvantage for those people and communities marginalised in WA. Their recently released Strategic Plan is focused heavily on investing in its existing aged care, health and social services with the addition of innovative programs in affordable housing and in-home and in-community support. “The inaugural Impact 25 list comes at what has been one of the most challenging 12 months for many not-forprofit organisations, including a tough economic climate, growing competition from multinationals and private equity firms, as well EDITION #13 | 8 JANUARY 2015
Chris Hall, WA based MercyCare CEO, has recently been named one of Australia’s most influential figures in the nation’s not-for-profit sector.
as pressure from governments and the move towards consumer-directed care,” Mr Hall said.
The award formally acknowledges his roles as a leader in the WA social services sector for several decades “At the same time, there is also a huge increase in the volume and complexity of community need and this acknowledgement is a welcome spotlight on the need for government, business and the broader community
PHOTO: SUPPLIED
to support the sector, so we can continue to bridge an ever widening gap.” Mr Hall champions social justice advocacy and is committed to MercyCare’s vision to transform local communities to be places where every individual and family is connected, supported and helped by each other. In addition, Mr Hall is CoChair of Community Employers WA and a member of the State Training Board of WA, WA Partnership Forum and the WA Advisory Council for the Centre for Social Impact. MercyCare is a leading Catholic provider of aged care, family, health and community services.
10,000 born at St John of God Health Care in 2013 Continued from Page 1 operates the State’s largest, and one of the oldest, private maternity units at the 116-year-old Subiaco hospital. In 2014, St John of God Murdoch Hospital expanded its maternity services to meet the ongoing demand and added an extra birthing suite. The number of births is the highest ever with 2,200 deliveries recorded. The health care group also acquired the former Mercy Hospital in Mt Lawley in 201, now named St John of God Hospital Mt Lawley, which is also wellrenowned for its maternity care across generations. The Mt Lawley Hospital is also looking to surpass delivery rates on the previous year and reach more than 1,500 babies born. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare last month released its report Australia’s mothers and babies 2012, which found that for the first time in five years, there has been an increase in the rate of births in Australia. The report found that a total of 307,474 women gave birth to 312,153 babies in 2012, a 3.4 per cent increase from 2011 and a 21.5 per cent increase since 2003.
Keep up to date with all the latest news at therecord.com.au
Notre Dame confers Honorary Doctor of Laws By Leigh Dawson THE UNIVERSITY of Notre Dame Australia has conferred the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa on Dr Carolyn Woo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Relief Services, USA, and University Governor, at a graduation ceremony on Wednesday, 17 December 2014. Dr Woo received her Honorary Doctorate alongside more than 900 undergraduate, postgraduate and higher-degree students at the December graduation ceremonies on the Sydney Campus in the historic St Benedict’s Church. John Phillips AO KGSCG was also posthumously conferred an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa on Friday, 19 December 2014. Born in Hong Kong, Dr Woo migrated to the United States to study a Bachelor of Science at Purdue University. After her first year, she won a scholarship to complete her undergraduate studies – a momentous occasion which gave her the opportunity to pursue her academic interests. During this time at Purdue, she also completed a Master of Science in Industrial Administration and her PhD focused on strategic management - an emerging field of study at that time. Following her studies and two years working in the private sector, Dr Woo joined the Purdue University faculty as Associate Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. From 1997 to 2011, Dr Woo served as Dean of the
Dr Carolyn Woo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Relief Services, USA, was conferred with the Honorary Degree on Wednesday 17 December 2014. PHOTO: UNDA
University of Notre Dame, Indiana, Mendoza College of Business. During her tenure, the Mendoza College was regularly recognised as America’s leading business school in ethics education and research, and achieved a top ranking in 2010 and 2011 for its undergradu-
more than 130 million people in nearly 100 countries spanning five continents. In her message to the Sydney graduating cohort, Dr Woo asked three questions of the graduates about their future: How will they choose? What role will fear play in their choice? How
“She draws from her Catholic faith a strong commitment to being of service to the disadvantaged in our community...” ate business program from Bloomberg BusinessWeek magazine. In 2012, Dr Woo accepted the position of CEO and President of Catholic Relief Services where she now oversees around 5,000 employees worldwide, providing emergency response, health, education and peace-building programs to
real is God to them? She said all adults had to ask themselves these questions as they went about their professional and personal life journey. Vice Chancellor, Professor Celia Hammond, congratulated Dr Woo on her achievements. “Dr Woo is a dedicated Catholic whose commit-
ment to ethics, justice and service is evident in both her private and professional life. Her development perspectives are shaped by her Catholic faith, her understanding of what it takes to make organisations succeed, and the responsibility she feels to further the formation of faith for the next generation. She draws from her Catholic faith a strong commitment to being of service to the disadvantaged in our community,” Professor Hammond said in her citation. “Her lifelong commitment to the mission of the Church and to utilising the moral energy of business as a force for good is evident in her many achievements and her continuing passion for service. “She is an amazing and inspirational woman.” EDITION #13 | 8 JANUARY 2015
WAAPA graduates re-launch musical, Les Misérables, in Perth By Marco Ceccarelli THERE COULD not have been a better selection of stars making up the team performing the musical of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables currently showing at The Crown Theatre in Perth than 16 graduates from Perth’s very own WA Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). Almost half of the 33 performers of Les Misérables were trained at WAAPA – returning to Perth as internationally renowned artists, offering a show that entirely merits Time Out’s and The Times’ five-star ratings. One such performer, Simon Gleeson, plays star of the show Jean Valjean – the ex-convict turned petty thief who is given a new lease on life through the kind act of a benevolent Catholic bishop. Intent on imitating the kindness shown to him, Valjean becomes an upright man, filling the shoes of a factory owner and mayor of a town. This, however, comes at the cost of breaking his parole and changing his name in order to evade his relentless adversary, the police inspector Javert, masterfully played by Hayden Tee. What follows is Valjean’s struggle to combat the injustice and misery suffered by the poverty-stricken lower class of early 19thcentury France. Valjean shows particular interest in Cosette (Emily Langridge), the abused child of an ex-employee, whom he takes under his
A scene from the musical showing the student insurgents manning the barricades and facing death in post-revolutionary France. PHOTO: AKA ENTERTAINMENT AGENCY
wing after the death of her ill-fated mother. Gleeson’s performance in the role of Valjean is as commanding as it is moving. His hair-raising top notes and sombre lower register do exceptional justice to songs such as What Have I
particular, puts on a performance to be remembered. Les Misérables is renowned as the melodramatic musical that weaves passion with drama, humour with desperation and music with dialogue. The inspiring and rous-
Gleeson’s performance in the role of Valjean is commanding... His talent is matched by Patrice Tipoki’s soul-stirring performance. Done? Who Am I? and the poignant Bring Him Home. His talent is matched by Patrice Tipoki’s soulstirring performance of I Dreamed a Dream in her role as Fantine and Kerrie Anne Greenland’s prodigious On My Own as she impersonates a chagrinfilled Éponine – the latter, in
ing rebel chorus of Do You Hear The People Sing? in the second act of the show is a clear example of these elements coming together, as student insurgents man the barricades and face death in a post-revolutionary France still caught in the grip of political upheaval. The emotions of the audi-
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ence are further tested every time the grotesque innkeepers, Thénardier and his wife (Lara Mulcahy and Trevor Ashley), come on stage to fill the atmosphere with a significant dose of black humour and grim witticism. As the title suggests, Les Misérables is a story of poverty, pain, isolation, frustration and suffering, but also of love, atonement, selfsacrifice, redemption and forgiveness. This performance delves into these themes superbly and encapsulates them within such realistic onstage elements and re-imagined scenery as to make one want to reach out to the stage and feel what 19thcentury France may have been like. Full Text available at
www.therecord.com.au
PANORAMA
What’s happening around the Archdiocese SUNDAY, 11 JANUARY Croatian Community Thanksgiving Mass St Anne’s Croatian Community in Perth will hold their annual Thanksgiving Mass on Sunday, 11 January at 2pm in St Mary’s Cathedral. Further info: Fr Nikola Cabraja 08 9335 4485. MONDAY, 12 THURSDAY, 15 JANUARY Marist Youth Festival Sydney is getting ready to host an exciting national gathering of young Catholics on 12-15 January 2015. The main events of the Marist Youth Festival will take place at the Australian Technology Park, Sydney, around the theme, JUST living: Hearts without Borders. #MYF15 features inspiring guest speakers, challenging and meaningful workshops, and vibrant prayer and worship. It brings together Marist Year 12 students and Catholic young adults (18-25). Further info and registration: www. maristyouthfestival.com. SUNDAY, 18 JANUARY Support of St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Geraldton A fundraising afternoon tea party in support of Geraldton’s renovation and conservation of the Monsignor Hawes-designed and heritage-listed cathedral will be held on Sunday, 18 January at 6 Lilian Rd, Maida Vale from 2.30-4.30pm. A donation of $50 per person is requested to participate in this enjoyable afternoon. Bishop Justin Bianchini will be in attendance to welcome all guests to this special event. Please do consider supporting this worthy cause. Further info: Ben Bianchini 08 9367 9204 to secure your invitation. Numbers are limited. WEDNESDAY, 21 JANUARY Marist Ex-Students Reunion The Annual Marist Ex-Students Reunion will be held on Wednesday, 21 January with Mass at 4.30pm in the college chapel at Newman College, Empire Ave, Churchlands followed at 6.00pm with a barbecue in the college grounds. All Marist ex-students are welcome to attend. (In 2015 Newman College will celebrate 50 years of Catholic education in the Marist Tradition on the Churchlands site.) BYO everything. No RSVP necessary. Further info: Ambrose Depiazzi 0419 912187, Kevin Wringe 0407 511104. SATURDAY, 24 – MONDAY, 26 JANUARY Inner Healing Retreat (Live-In) 8.30am at Epiphany Retreat Centre, 50 Fifth Ave, Rossmoyne. Come and experience His merciful love and forgiveness through His Word and Sacraments. Be healed, anointed, renewed and transformed. The retreat EDITION #13 | 8 JANUARY 2015
is led by the Vincentian Fathers. Enq and registration: Lin 0419 041 188/08 9286 1238 or vincentiansperth@ yahoo.com or website: vpcp.org.au. WEDNESDAY, 2 FEBRUARY Year of Consecrated Life Archbishop Costelloe SDB MarieTherese Ryder 7.00pm in St Mary’s Cathedral. Further info: Sr MarieTherese Ryder 9443 9298, 0439 397 797. SATURDAY, 21 FEBRUARY With Burning Hearts The 2015 Liturgy Conference of the Archdiocese of Perth takes place on Saturday, 21 February from 9am-4.15pm at John XXIII College, Mooro Dr, Mt Claremont. Cost is $15 per person. BYO lunch, with morning and afternoon tea/coffee provided. Keynote Addresses will be given by Sr Margaret Scharf OP (Full, Conscious and Active: the Church Participates in the Sacred Liturgy) and Dr Angela McCarthy (Liturgy and the Arts). Further info and to register: Centre for Liturgy registrations.cfl@ perthcatholic.org.au. Children’s Liturgy of the Word Workshop This workshop on Saturday, 21 February from 9.30-11.30am at the Centre for Liturgy, 28 Marda Way, Nollamara prepares and supports those involved in presenting the Good News to children in a way that they can best get to know Jesus. Cost is $10 per person. Registrations are essential. Further info and to register: Centre for Liturgy registrations.cfl@ perthcatholic.org.au. THURSDAY, 5 MARCH Catholic Man Breakfast Series The Hon Tim Fischer AC will be the keynote speaker at the first Catholic Man Breakfast Series event for 2015 on Thursday, 5 March between 7-9am at the Duxton Hotel, Perth. Tim was Deputy Prime Minister in the Howard Government from 1996–99, and served as the first Rome-resident Australian Ambassador to the Holy See from 2009–12, an experience he describes in his book Holy See, Unholy me: 1000 Days in Rome released in 2013. TUESDAY, 10 MARCH Parish Altar Server Co-ordinator Training This training on Tuesday, 10 March from 9.30-11.30am at the Sacred Heart Parish Centre, 50 Ovens Rd, Thornlie prepares and supports those involved in presenting the Good News to children in a way that they can best get to know Jesus. Cost is $10 per person. Registrations are essential. Further info and to register: Centre for Liturgy registrations.cfl@
perthcatholic.org.au. MONDAY, 23 THURSDAY, 26 MARCH 2015 Catholic Earthcare Catholic Earthcare Australia’s sustainability initiative ASSISI (A Strategic Systems-based Integrated Sustainability Initiative) will host an intensive formation program to deepen understanding and experience of ‘ecological conversion’ through creative engagement with contemporary social technologies and processes for transformation. The purpose is to help leaders within organisations to attain the understanding and resources to form learning communities for sustainability in their own context. The program is from 3pm on 23 March until 2pm on 26 March at the Maryknoll Centre, Blackmans Bay (Hobart), Tasmania. Cost is $880 (or $792 GST exempt when sponsored by a Catholic organisation), which includes accommodation, catering, participation in all workshops and support materials. Further info and registration: admin@ catholicearthcare.org.au before 5 February. FRIDAY, 1 - TUESDAY, 5 MAY 2015 Teresa 2015: A woman for our times A conference to celebrate the 500th birthday of St Teresa of Avila and to seek her spiritual wisdom for today. 1-3 May 2015 at Infant Jesus Parish, Morley. Keynote speakers Bishop David Walker and Fr Greg Burke OCD. Further info: Infant Jesus Parish: 08 9276 8500, ijparish@carmelite. com or Maranatha Centre for Adult Faith Formation: 08 9241 5221, maranatha@ceo.wa.edu.au. MONDAY, 18 MAY – WEDNESDAY, 20 MAY 2015 2nd National Catholic Mission Conference Mission: one heart many voices 2015 is the theme of the second national conference run and sponsored by Catholic Mission and Catholic Religious of Australia with the full endorsement of the ACBC. Keynote speaker will be Fr Stephen Bevans SVD from Chicago. It will be held at the SMC Conference Centre, 66 Goulbourn St, Sydney from 18-20 May 2015. Its purpose is to empower, affirm, enable, encourage and inspire agencies, parishes, congregations and all aspects of the Church with a scriptural and theological vision of mission while offering a platform to hear the many and varied voices that exist among us. Further info: www. mohmv.com.au/2015conference. THIRD SUNDAY OF THE MONTH
Auslan Cafe 9.30am at the Emmanuel Centre, 25 Windsor St, Perth. Mass next door at St Francis Xavier Parish with PowerPoint and Auslan Interpreter. Followed by classes at 10.30am; classes and lunch are free. You will learn the language to help communicate with profoundly deaf people. Enq: Barbara 08 9328 8113 or emmanuelcentre@westnet. com.au.
GENERAL PRIESTS’ CENACLE All priests are welcome to join this gathering of priests with a special devotion to Mary who meet for a time of sharing, concelebrated Mass and more every first Thursday of the month at 36 Windsor St, East Perth. The gathering begins with Morning Tea at 10.30am. Lunch is provided. Further info: Fr Paul 0427 085093. TRUTH, JUSTICE AND HEALING COUNCIL Members of the Truth Justice and Healing Council will meet next week with parishioners and the broader community in Griffith to talk about the Royal Commission into child sexual abuse and the Catholic Church’s reform agenda. “Everyone in the Catholic Church has some responsibility for ensuring the Church leadership takes a very different approach to dealing with child sexual abuse than it has in the past,” said CEO Frank Sullivan. POSITIONS VACANT Research Assistant: urgently needed for short term project (mid-January to late February 2015, paid or voluntary) by the Pastoral Research Office, located in Fitzroy, Melbourne, to help complete a project to compile a list of all the priests, diocesan and religious, who held appointments in Australia during the period from 1950 to 2010. One full-time (or perhaps two part-time) people required to work for six or seven weeks from midJanuary to the end of February. The work requires a thorough knowledge of the Catholic Church in Australia, an ability to use Excel spreadsheets, meticulous accuracy and a great deal of patience. The timing means that the position could be good for a suitably qualified university student looking for vacation employment. It might also suit a retired person. Further info: Dr Bob Dixon r.dixon@ pro.catholic.org.au or 0408 219335. ADULT FAITH ENRICHMENT Want to enrich your understanding of your faith? Enrolments are now open for Term One 2015 courses at the Maranatha Centre for Adult Faith Formation, the Archdiocesan agency for adult faith education. Courses
range in length from two to eight sessions, and are offered at a variety of venues during the day, during evenings and on weekends. And, for the first time ever, an ONLINE course is on offer! Further info: 08 9241 5221 or visit www.maranathacentre.org. au. BIBLICAL NOURISHMENT The Biblical Foundation is an initiative of the Archdiocese of Perth. For daily Gospel reflections, a weekly biblical Questions & Answers and a monthly Bible guide, visit www. thebiblicalfoundation.org.au. MARIAN MOVEMENT OF PRIESTS The Adult Cenacle meets with the specific intention of praying for priests on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Tuesdays of the month at St Bernadette’s Church, Jugan St, Glendalough and on the 4th Tuesday at All Saints Church, Greenwood. 10.30am Rosary followed by Mass and then a time of fellowship. The Youth Cenacle for those aged 18 to 40s meets at St Bernadette’s on Jugan St, Glendalough on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month with the Rosary at 8pm followed by catechesis by various priests as guest speakers (confessions available during Rosary meditations). Various social activities follow. All are welcome. Further info: Adele Coyne M) 0434 08 4184, E) adelecoyne@gmail.com or E) Vivianna.Boyle@cpfs.wa.gov.au. CREATION AND ANZAC ONLINE RESOURCES The Columban Centre for Peace, Ecology and Justice has two things that Catholics in Perth might find of interest: A Catholic Season of Creation – Sundays of September (or any other month) with a specific focus for each Sunday: # 1 – Forest; # 2 – Land; # 3 – Wilderness; and # 4 – Rivers; and The Way of Peace – ANZAC Centenary Edition 1915–2015, launched on 4 October 2014, Feast of St Francis of Assisi. Resource can be downloaded at www.columban.org.au after launch date. Further info: Ash Prasad 02 9352 8021 or pej.cmi@columban. org.au. INTRODUCING THE JUSTICE, ECOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE (JEDO) The Justice, Ecology and Development Office (JEDO) replaced the Catholic Social Justice Council (CSJC) in January 2014, with new Director Carol Mitchell taking on the role from the end of February. The Office moved from the Catholic Pastoral Centre in Highgate to the Newman Siena Centre in Doubleview in midMarch. JEDO Director Carol Mitchell said: “We welcome your inclusion and participation in our ‘call to action’. As Pope Francis stated: ‘Let us try a little harder to take the first step and to become involved’”. People or agencies can be added to the JEDO mailing list by contacting: admin.jedo@ perthcatholic.org.au. Further info: go EDITION #13 | 8 JANUARY 2015
to www.jedo.perthcatholic.org.au. SPECIAL PILGRIMAGE Departing Perth on Emirates Airlines, 4 May 2015, returning Perth 27 May (early hours). Visiting Lourdes, Fatima (for 13) May. San Sebastian de Garabandal. Santiago de Capostela. Rome. (Optional Castelpetroso) Medjugorje and Split. Spiritual Director Rev Fr T. Bogoni. Cost $6,999 which includes all flights, Air France, Air Portugal and Croatian Airlines. All airport taxes which may be subject to change). Transfers, luxury coach travel, excellent accommodation, all with ensuite facilities. Bed/breakfast/ evening meals. Guide 24/7. Visiting five countries for this unbelievable price of $6,999. Bookings now open. Enq: Eileen 0407 471 256 or medjugorje1947@gmail.com. ACCESSING MASS VIRTUALLY For those unable to access the Mass in person, there are presently five different ways to daily access the Mass online. These are via: • Mass-on-Demand https://www. youtube.com/user/cathnews – from St Mary’s, North Sydney: morning Mass daily, anytime during the day • Mass Online www.dbb.org. au/parishes/dsp-default. cfm?loadref=354 – from Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, Waitara, every day at 9.30am (AEST) • Mass for You at Home Channel 10, Sunday, 6am (AEST) • Mass for You at Home Channel 11, Sunday, 5.30am (AEST) • Mass for You at Home Aurora Community Channel (Channel 183 on many digital networks), 7 days a week, 10am (AEST).
CATHOLIC LIBRARY’S BOOK OF THE WEEK Shrines and Pilgrimage in the Modern World: New Itineraries into the Sacred (Margry, Peter Jan). The modern pilgrimage - to sites ranging from Elvis’ Graceland to the Vietnam veterans’ annual Ride to the Wall to Jim Morrison’s Paris grave - is intertwined with our existential uncertainties in the face of a rapidly changing world. The e-book is available for access by members of the Catholic Library of Western Australia at the following link: www.ceowa.eblib.com.au/patron/ FullRecord.aspx?p=419856. (Joining the Catholic Library in Leederville is free. To join as a member, please complete and submit the online membership form at http://form. jotform.com/form/13185144644.)
REFLECTIONS ARCHBISHOP COSTELLOE: SPEAK WITH THE WORDS, RESPOND WITH THE SENSITIVITY AND COMPASSION The real miracle of Christmas is this, if we are open to it: that we begin to see
the world around us, and especially the people around us, with the eyes of Christ. And of course, once that happens, we will find that we also begin to speak with the words of Jesus, respond with the sensitivity and compassion of Jesus, love with the heart of Jesus. We will then find our hearts prompting us to say, when people hurt us, “I forgive you”, or when those we love go off the rails, “I don’t condemn you”, or when people are frightened or alone, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you”. Of all the gifts we can give during Christmastide, this is the most precious of all: the gift of our presence in the lives of others, especially our families and friends, but also those who are, in all kinds of different ways, the “lepers” of our own time. Of course, like the presence of God to us in the infant Jesus, it must be a presence which brings love, forgiveness, hope and understanding, not hatred, hard-heartedness or rejection. And this is the other miracle of Christmas: if we really do welcome the birth of this baby in Bethlehem, and allow Him to come into our lives as surely as He came into the lives of Mary and Joseph, then His presence to us will enable us to be present to others in ways that really will be lifegiving for them. (St Mary’s Cathedral – 25 December 2014)
POPE FRANCIS: PEACE IS A DAILY GIFT FROM THE LORD Rekindle in your hearts an impulse of hope resulting in works of peace at home, in the community, at work. The heart of man can refuse light and prefer the shadows, because the light lays bare his wicked works. He who does evil hates the light; he who does evil, hates peace. A few days ago we began the new year honouring Mary as the Mother of God, and celebrating World Day of Peace with the theme: No longer slaves, but brothers and sisters. My hope is that the exploitation by one person of another might be overcome. This exploitation is a social evil that extinguishes social relationships and impedes a life of communion characterised by respect, justice and charity. Each person and every people hungers and thirsts for peace; therefore it is necessary and urgent to build peace. Peace is not just the absence of war, but a general condition in which the human person is in harmony with himself, with nature and with others.
PANORAMA Deadline: Friday, 5pm