LIVED FAITH IN THE FAMILY GUIDES PERTH BOY TOWARDS PRIESTHOOD
By Jamie O'Brien
We should be in awe of the overwhelming power of God’s grace, Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has proclaimed, as he ordained Nicholas Diedler to the Diaconate last Saturday 12 March.
Perth born 27-year-old Nicholas has trained at St Charles Seminary and will spend the next 12 months as a Deacon before being ordained to the Priesthood.
Joining Archbishop Costelloe for the celebration, which took place outside on the grounds of St John Paul II Primary, Banksia Grove, due to COVID restrictions, were Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton, St Charles Seminary Rector, Fr Phillip Fleay, Banksia Grove Parish Priest Fr Vinh Dong, Fr Michael Quynh Do as MC, Deacon Grzegorz Rapcewicz assisting and together with several other clergy from across Perth.
Growing up in Kingsley with parents and siblings, and attending the Cathedral Parish, Nicholas says his vocation towards the priesthood has stemmed from having a lived faith experience transmitted through his family.
“I give thanks to my parents and their efforts to live the faith at home,” Nicholas said.
“Starting from being an altar boy, I grew to love serving God in the liturgy which has progressed to me starting this journey at the age of 19 with an openness to discern whether it was from me or a genuine vocation,” he explained.
Following his completion of highschool in 2012, Nicholas worked from a year to start an electrical trade, in addition to undertaking some hobby woodwork. He joined St Charles Seminary in 2014.
Now as a transitional Deacon, Nicholas says he is looking forward to meeting people personally in their
day-to-day
life.
“To encourage them where I can, listen to their experiences and speak to them, with humility, about the good news of the Gospel in a personal way that is relatable.
In his homily for the Ordination, Archbishop Costelloe highlighted that it is within this sacramental Church – the Lord’s Church – that Nicholas receives the sacrament of ordination as a deacon.
“The Sacrament of Orders, which itself has three concrete expressions in the life of the Church – deacons, priests and bishops – shares in the sacramental identity of the whole Church as the great sign and instrument of communion with God and of unity among all people.
“And for this very reason it is important to say immediately that ordination as a deacon does not set a man apart from the community of disciples.
“On the contrary, it inserts the man much more deeply into the community of disciples because it bestows on the man the grace, and the responsibility, of making his whole life, in every dimension, a total gift to God for the sake of God’s people.
“He is, in a sense, a living sacrament in the Holy People of God which is also a living sacrament.
Archbishop Costelloe continued by saying that it is not easy to commit oneself publicly, totally and unreservedly to God in this way and we should be in awe of the courage Nicholas is showing in offering himself to the Lord and his people.
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe places his hands on Nicholas Diedler, who was ordained to the Diaconate, Saturday 12 March at Banksia Grove Parish. PHOTO: JOSHUA LOW.
COURAGE OF CANDIDATES, A REMINDER OF THE GIFT OF FAITH, SAYS PERTH ARCHBISHOP
By Amanda Murthy
The courage of candidates who receive the Rite of Election is a reminder of the wonderful gift of faith which we as Catholics can often take for granted, said Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB at a Rite of Election celebration held on Thursday, 10 March at St Mary’s Cathedral Perth.
“Your presence here tonight, and your ongoing presence in the local Catholic community of which you will become a part, will be a powerful reminder to us of just how important faith is,” Archbishop Costelloe said to the catechumens and candidates present.
“Your faith will strengthen ours and this can’t help but make our witness to the world in which we all live so much more powerful and credible.”
This year, 21 parishes across the Archdiocese welcomed 48 catechumens (those who are not baptised) and 39 candidates (those already baptised in a Christian denomination) who have been journeying for several months praying and discerning through prayer whether they can commit themselves to a new way of life within the Catholic Church.
Rite of Election celebrations were split to two groups because of COVID-19 restrictions, with the second service scheduled for the evening of Thursday, 17 March.
Concelebrants for the celebration include Vicar General and Vicar for Effective Communications and Archdiocesan Growth and Development Father Peter Whitely, Vicar for Education and Adult Faith Formation Fr Vincent Glynn and St Mary’s Cathedral Dean, Rev Dr Sean Fernandez.
In his homily, Archbishop Costelloe spoke about seeking God and the journey of faith, inspired by the words written by Saint Augustine of Hippo in his autobiography titled ‘Confessions of St Augustine.’
The book, written in the form of a prayer, speaks about the idea of seeking God is at the very centre of the journey of life and faith.
“….In many ways the whole journey of faith which unfolds in Saint Augustine’s Confessions is summed up in these words which we find within the body of the text: “You have made us for yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
“Tonight, through this Rite of Election, you take a very significant step in your own journey of life and faithentering full communion with all your brothers and sisters in the Catholic Church will not automatically resolve all your challenges or answer all your questions.
“You will discover and, I hope, will not be too surprised to discover, that Catholics are as much a mixed bag as any other group of people. But you
will also discover, and should expect and hope to discover, that in this community of faith you will also find companions on your journey, fellow pilgrims who like you are seeking to still their restless hearts and find their peace in God,” Archbishop Costelloe added.
“In the end, in and through belonging to this community of faith, you will find Jesus, who says to you tonight, as surely as he said to his first disciples, “Come to me all you who labour and overburdened, and I will give you rest.”
Director for the Office of Christian Initiation Dr Carmel Suart told The Record that the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) process does not happen in parishes without the love, dedication, and pastoral care of the RCIA Teams and the support from the Parish Priest.
“Pope Francis claims this ministry “is a vocation; it’s a mission… It’s an entire way of being.” He said the Church needs “good catechists who are both companions and teachers…. summoned to announce the Word of God,” that they might “be its witnesses, with courage and creativity, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, with joy and much peace.”
This event, Dr Suart added, marks the acceptance by the Church that “these people who have been elected by God, to progress towards receiving the Sacraments of initiation at Easter.
Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB was the celebrant at the Rite of Election celebration held on Thursday, 10 March at St Mary’s Cathedral Perth. There will be a second celebration held on Thursday, 17 March due to COVID-19 restrictions. PHOTO: RON TAN.
CRISES IN UKRAINE: THIS WAR IS NOT A PURELY HUMAN INVENTION, THERE IS SOMETHING DEMONIC ABOUT IT, SAYS APOSTOLIC NUNCIO
What is the situation like at the moment in Kiev?
Since 24 February, every day and every night there have been missile attacks on several points of the city. We at the nunciature are not in a central area, so for now we have not seen any of the bombings from up close. We have witnessed some street fighting quite nearby, not so much these days, but in the previous days. But it is very likely that things will get worse in the coming hours. In other cities like Kharkiv, the residential areas have been badly affected… Nowadays nobody in Ukraine can feel safe. What will the next few hours, or the next few days be like? Nobody knows.
Nonetheless, Kiev is relatively calm, in some respects, when compared to other cities: Irpin, which is a suburb of Kiev, or Kharkiv, Chernihiv or Mariupol… Kiev is still connected to the outside world. However, the humanitarian crisis is very severe here, and in some other cities in Ukraine. And then there is something that weighs on us, it is not always possible to help. Sometimes not even agencies like Caritas or the Red Cross, not even Government
agencies are able to do anything. Has anything changed in Kiev since the beginning of the war?
When the war began, we were less organised. I’m not only speaking for myself, but also for these other agencies. Now we are better prepared. It seems that the Russian military is drawing closer to the city, so these past few days the humanitarian organisations have been more active. Caritas, Red Cross, parish organisations – Catholic, but also Orthodox and the Muslims as well – see who is in greater need and distribute food, they try to evacuate those who are in more difficult situations, such as those who don’t have electricity or heating.
How about supplies? Is there food and water? Are there supply problems everywhere, or only in some places?
Here at the Nunciature, we stocked up on provisions before the war started, because it was becoming more likely. I personally know of some families that didn’t believe it, they were caught by surprise, with provisions for no more than two or three days. Thank God, over the
past few days some aid reached Kiev. Furthermore, organisations such as Caritas or volunteer groups bring food in from neighbouring cities, since they know that Kiev is exposed to a more severe military attack. This help is always free. There is total solidarity. It is hard to know how each family is doing, or how long they can last out. But for sure, the humanitarian crisis is very severe.
Have you been able to get out and move in the streets?
During this period I have not been out because we are advised against it. However, it is mostly because I don’t have time. I am contacted by many people, we get requests and offers of humanitarian aid which at a time like this is very difficult to organise. We have many requests, and no shortage of offers of help, but in places like the centre of Kiev, the logistics are very difficult. This means we are forced to be on the phone most of the time, to manage requests and support.
A scene from the war in Ukraine. Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas about the situation in Kiev, the humanitarian crisis, solidarity among the population and the drama of war. PHOTO: ACN.
103 CANDLES FOR MERCY HEALTH’S IVY BALLENTINE
By The Record
Subiaco-born Ivy Ballantine has this week celebrated her 103rd birthday on Wednesday 16 March, a monumental milestone that she puts down to eating healthily throughout her life and enjoying her favourite food most days –salad.
A born and bred West Australian, Mrs Ballantine entered the world in Perth on 16 March 1919, where she spent most of her life in various outer suburbs, including Subiaco, North Perth and Carlisle
She joined the army during World War II, after she received news that her childhood sweetheart had been killed on HMAS Sydney. The warship was sunk in battle on 19 November 1941 off the coast of West Australia, in what remains the most terrible loss ever suffered by the Royal Australian Navy. Ivy undertook her training at
Northam Army Camp in 1942. She then went on to work at Monument Hill in Fremantle on anti-aircraft assignments, plotting where enemy planes were flying, and passing on the coordinates to gunners for targeting.
In her early 20s, Ivy met her future husband, George, at the ANZAC Club on St George’s Terrace.
The couple married soon after, however, heartbreak struck again when George was posted overseas and became a prisoner of war. She did not see him again for almost five years.
However, George survived his POW years and returned to Perth, where the couple went on to have two children in the mid-1940s, John who was born in 1946, and Margaret who arrived in 1948.
The family lived for most of their lives in Carlisle, after George became eligible for a war-service home, where they lived until he passed away in 1980.
As the years progressed, Ivy continued to contribute to her community, working in a repatriation hospital for veterans, and volunteering for the Red Cross for more than 40 years. She was also awarded a Citizen of the Year award for her voluntary work by the Belmont Rotary Club.
Ivy now lives at not-for-profit aged care home, Mercy Place Lathlain, where staff ensured she had all of her favourite food on her birthday, including a green salad and a fruit salad for dessert.
Mercy Place Lathlain Service Manager, Amanda Page, says Mercy Health staff were aware that she had volunteered at the home herself when she was in her 70s and 80s, visiting residents to chat and hear about their lives.
A born and bred West Australian, Mrs Ballantine entered the world in Perth on 16 March 1919. She turned 103 this week. PHOTO: SUPPLIED.