ARCHBISHOP COSTELLOE SPEAKS ON VACCINES
By Amanda Murthy
Two weeks after hosting a vaccination clinic at St Mary’s Cathedral, Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB visited the 6PR studio on 20 January to have a chat with Liam Bartlett on how the pandemic has affected the way places of worship operate, the Catholic Church’s stance on vaccination and his personal thoughts on the WA border opening, originally set for 5 February.
Archbishop Costelloe began by noting that while the COVID experience has brought out the best in people, there are many still struggling to cope with all the challenges and changes that have taken part in the past two years.
“My experiences, certainly in the Catholic scene, and certainly the way we're operating in the Archdiocese of Perth, we're very committed to being fully cooperative with the government in terms of what's required to keep people safe,”
Archbishop Costelloe said.
“We're have been insistent on making sure we get the latest updates from
the government including addressing conditions and restrictions and those sorts of things.
“But yes, it is a tough time for everybody…We've all got stories of our own families who are struggling, not only in Perth, but in other parts of the country, and many of our people who come from overseas,” he added.
Archbishop Costelloe said he remains sensitive to the fact that many of the elderly and vulnerable in the community, have been nervous to attend Mass especially with the presence of the newer strains of the virus – which led to him to temporarily suspend the obligation of attending Mass for those who are unable.
“At the start of the pandemic, numbers of people attending Mass were reasonably low. At some points, we were unable to open the churches, and that had an impact on people,” Archbishop Costelloe explained.
“Generally, the numbers have risen again, but keeping in mind the elderly and vulnerable who are nervous,
and reasonably so.”
Archbishop Costelloe reiterated the message of Pope Francis citing that “being vaccinated with vaccines authorised by the competent authorities is an act of love (and contributing to ensure most people are vaccinated is an act of love - love for oneself, love for one’s family and friends, love for all people).”
Archbishop Costelloe added that he is aware that several ministers of religion and parishioners are unvaccinated and that the Archdiocese of Perth will continue to do its part and encourage the faithful to vaccinate, in the interest of protecting oneself and the community.
Later that evening, WA Premier Mark McGowan announced a delay to the state’s hard border opening, due to the escalating health risks posed by the Omicron variant. Along with this decision, the premier outlined exemptions for several groups of travellers, under the conditions that they be triple dose vaccinated against COVID-19 (if eligible).
• Returning Western Australians, with strong recent connections or direct legitimate family connections with WA;
• Compassionate grounds including funeral, palliative care or terminally ill visitation;
• Member of the family of an approved traveller;
• People entering for urgent and essential medical treatment;
• Reasons of national and state security;
• Commonwealth and State officials, Members of Parliament, Diplomats;
Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB speaks with Liam Bartlett on some of the ways the Catholic Church has been dealing with pandemic and offers some updates on issues which affect the Archdiocese of Perth on 20 January. PHOTO: KARALEE KATSAMBANIS.
ST NORBERT SCHOOL COMMUNITY SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH RESIDENTS DURING CHRISTMAS SEASON
Just days after school was declared “out for summer’’ staff and a group of students at St Norbert College returned to spread some Christmas cheer to the nearby Emmaus community residence for people living with mental illness. Having achieved a record number of donations in its annual Christmas appeal this year, the staff and students wrapped and delivered 72 hampers for families and individuals in need.
The College has long supplied the Emmaus community in Queens Park, and members of its own school community, with food and gifts at Christmas but this year received so many donations from families at the school community it was able to donate extra items to St Vincent De Paul too.
“Our Christmas Appeal is one of my favourite times on the College calendar and it brings a tear to my eye to see the effort that our families put into helping those around us during the Christmas season,’’ said St Norbert’s Student Ministry Appeal
Co-ordinator Margaret Kyd.
“The generosity of our whole community during our Christmas appeal this year was outstanding. We had by far the largest number of donations in memory - enabling us to create 72 hampers for families and individuals in the community who are in need. We were also able to donate several non-perishable items to the Queens Park St Vincent de Paul Society.
“The best thing about the appeal is showing the students all of our donations and it is fair to say that they just get so excited by the amount of donations collected.’’
On Tuesday, 14 December, staff also cooked a curry meal for all the Emmaus residents before delivering the tailored hampers addressed to each resident and some of their children.
“One of the highlights in the last week of school for staff is when we pack and deliver hampers for the Emmaus community. It is such a wonderful positive experience that really helps to prepare our
hearts and minds for Christmas,’’ Ms Kyd said.
Meanwhile, Seton Catholic College practised their annual tradition with each student from Years 7 to 11 contributing the St Vinnies Christmas Hampers. Our students are very generous and it’s wonderful to see so many over 60 flowing baskets once again this year.
Staff also contribute money to go specifically towards purchasing Christmas Hams to accompany the hampers.
“The St Vinnies Christmas Hampers initiative helps our students to truly understand the meaning of Christmas, to think about other people in our community and the importance of serving others,” said Campus Leader Kate Raphael.
“This initiative is run by our students, with our Year 11 Ministry leaders taking time out of their holiday break to come back to school and pack each hamper with care. It is wonderful to see our students putting their faith into action through this act of service.”
St Norbert College has long supplied the Emmaus community in Queens Park, and members of its own school community, with food and gifts at Christmas but this year received so many donations from families at the school community and in December 2021, it was able to donate extra items to St Vincent De Paul. . PHOTO: JAMIE O'BRIEN.
WOMEN REFUGEE AND ASYLUM SEEKERS GAIN JOB
OPPORTUNITY, NEW SKILLS AND GO
GREEN
Upcycling old workwear provides job opportunities for refugee and asylum seeker women For the past two months, a group of refugee and asylum seeker women have come together at MercyCare’s Mirrabooka office to upcycle used workwear into reusable bags and other items.
“For women from refugee backgrounds, there are many barriers to entering the traditional workforce, including language barriers and training, but for many, sewing is a skill they already have,” MercyCare Employment Liaison Officer Jacqui Whelan said.
The upcycle project is run by local social enterprise group LOOP, which partners with large companies like Water Corp and Clough to repurpose used corporate uniforms by engaging people from disadvantaged backgrounds and providing them with the opportunity to gain employment and skills training.
For each item sewn from the workwear that would have otherwise been disposed of, the women receive
$10 to $14 from LOOP depending on the complexity of the product. But the women aren’t the only ones to benefit from the project, with the environment also better off - so far LOOP has helped divert around 3.4 tonnes of redundant workwear from landfill.
“It’s great to see the women become so enthusiastic for this project, which is helping both themselves and the environment,” Jacqui said.
“Many of the women are highly skilled seamstresses, so it’s about building confidence in the women while also utilising their skills. The project gives the women a sense of purpose and fulfilment, while also upskilling them with business skills like invoicing, in addition to earning an income.”
So far, the project has drawn a diverse group of MercyCare clients who have come to Australia as refugees or asylum seekers from countries like Iraq, Syria, Ethiopia, Burma/ Myanmar, Iran and Afghanistan. The women have sought support
through MercyCare’s Multicultural Services via the Step by Step, SETS Innovation and Employment programs, which are designed to provide refugee and new migrants resettling in WA with opportunities to enter the workforce through skills development, training, and work placements, or even starting an enterprise.
“It’s a really important project, because it not only fosters social inclusion it also gives the women the opportunity to contribute financially to their families – for many this is their first income since arriving in Australia.” Jacqui said.
As the project progresses, the women will learn how to make new products such as toys and duffle bags, with plans to set up a production line that includes women who can’t sew in the cutting process and offering sewing lessons so they can eventually sew their own products from home.
For the past two months, a group of refugee and asylum seeker women have come together at MercyCare’s Mirrabooka office to upcycle used workwear into reusable bags and other items. PHOTO: MERCYCARE.
SIMBANG GABI: A NIGHTLY NOVENA
The multicultural strength of Perth parishes was on full display recently at Lockridge Parish in the nine days leading up to Christmas, where the Filipino community came together for Simbang Gabi, the traditional Advent celebration of the Philippines.
Simbang Gabi (Filipino for ‘Night Masses’) dates back centuries to the arrival of Spanish/Mexican missionaries in the Philippines in 1668 and is a time when families and friends join to honor and exalt the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Catholic Church.
As the community has grown and flourished here in WA, they have brought along the richness of their cultural heritage and on Thursday, 16 December, the parishioners of Lockridge Good Shepherd Church were joined by Archbishop Costelloe SDB to celebrate the first weeknight mass of the novena.
“What Mary teaches us, as Jesus
did, is that the most deeply and truly human response to confusion and doubt and to worry and uncertainty, is simply to entrust ourselves to God, with even more passion and even more commitment,” Archbishop Costelloe shared in his homily.
“Tonight, in this special Mass, at this moment, let us open our hearts as Mary did, to receive these gifts of grace that the Lord really wants to give us, so that like Mary, we too can then become bearers, carriers of God’s grace and peace to all those we love and to all those we meet.
“What a wonderful gift, a wonderful Christmas gift this would be for us to offer those we love and all those we encounter in our daily lives,” he said.
Just like other cultures, Filipino’s share gifts in honor of Jesus’ birth, and the Aguinaldo (Christmas gift) of toys, candy and money are
given to children by their relatives or godparents during Simbang Gabi, along with their blessing: the tradition of ‘Mano’, where once the children have shown their respect, the back of the elder’s hand is brought up to touch the child’s head in blessing.
One modern change to Simbang Gabi that makes it much more compatible with Australian life is the fact that it is celebrated in the evening, rather than at dawn: during the original celebration, also known as Misa de Gallo (Mass of the Rooster), Church bells across the Philippines started ringing as early as 3.00AM, waking parishioners for Mass at four, and in some rural areas, a brass band would play during that hour while the priests went door to door.
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Families were thrilled to be able to pose for a photograph with Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB after Mass. PHOTO: FEBY PLANDO.