EASTER 2022: PERTH CATHOLICS CALLED TO BE BEARERS OF CHRIST’S LIGHT TO ALL
By Jamie O'Brien
Today we can, and we should, be beside ourselves with joy because we know that we can now, because of the resurrection of Jesus, entrust ourselves and everything and everyone that matters to us, to God, said Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, in marking the resurrection of Jesus.
Speaking at St Mary’s Cathedral for both the Easter Vigil at 7.30pm and then the Easter Sunday Mass at 11am, Archbishop Costelloe was speaking about the experience of the women and disciples who were the first to witness the resurrection of Jesus.
“They had listened to him preach and teach, they had seen him bring healing and hope to the broken and
the suffering, they had come to know him as a true and faithful friend,”
Archbishop Costelloe explained.
“They had come to believe, or at least to hope, that the God about whom he had spoken so passionately, the God of tender compassion and generous, open-hearted forgiveness, was indeed the true and only God – a God to believe in, a God to trust, a God to hope in, a God to love,” he said.
Concelebrating with Archbishop Costelloe for the 11am Mass was Cathedral Dean, Fr Sean Fernandez, Assistant Priest Fr Israel Quirit and guest priest Fr Richard Smith.
Archbishop Costelloe was joined by Cathedral Dean Fr Sean Fernandez, Assistant Priest Fr Richard Rutkauskas and assisted by Deacon Paul Russell for the Vigil Mass.
“And then Jesus died, in a brutal
and cruel and agonising way, and with him so, too must have died this newly-born faith of the disciples,”
Archbishop Costelloe said, continuing his homily.
“But for those first disciples the story was not ended, as they had thought.
“The women who had gone to the tomb to anoint the dead body of Jesus had found the tomb empty, and they came rushing in to tell the disciples that Jesus was alive. What this meant for those first disciples, emphasised Archbishop Costelloe, was that their faith, so shattered by the horror of the death of Jesus, was not just reborn but “exploded into something new and completely life-changing”.
Archbishop Costelloe blesses the fire during the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday 16 April at St Mary’s Cathedral. PHOTO: RON TAN.
HOLY THURSDAY & GOOD FRIDAY 2022: REMEMBER
THE IMAGE OF MARY AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS, SAYS ARCHBISHOP COSTELLOE
By Jamie O'Brien
Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper - https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=4rlF6WQHoqU
Our faith is a precious gift, given to us, not for ourselves alone, but so that we might be signs and bearers of the love of Christ to and for others, said Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB in celebrating the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Thursday 14 April.
Marking the beginning of the Easter Triddum, Archbishop Costelloe continued by saying that the desire for communion with the Lord, which brings us before the Blessed Sacrament in prayer and which impels us to come forward to receive him into our lives in Holy Communion, will always, if it is genuine, give rise to a desire for life-giving communion with others.
“It will always impel us to break our bodies and spill our blood - to give ourselves away - for the good of
others, so that others may know the joy of having Christ in their lives, as we know this joy in our own,”
Archbishop Costelloe said.
Archbishop Costelloe was joined for the celebration by Assistant Parish Priest Fr Richard Rutkauskas and Fr Richard Smith, with Deacon Paul Russell assisting.
Good Friday The Passion Livestream - https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=a1LHP0rdI1g
In celebrating Good Friday, The Passion, Archbishop Costelloe continued by saying one of the most precious gifts which the Lord has given us is the gift of freedom.
Speaking during the 3pm celebration, Archbishop Costelloe highlighted that freedom is the gift which makes us human.
“We are not simply driven by instinct: we are able to choose,” he said.
Archbishop Costelloe was joined for the celebration by Deacon Paul Russell, who proclaimed the Gospel. Continuing his homily, Archbishop Costelloe said our own story and the wider story of our society, and
indeed the long story of humanity, reveals the simple and dreadful truth that we often misuse our freedom and in doing so bring great suffering and distress to ourselves, to those who are dear to us, and to the wider communities of which we are apart.
“We see this so starkly and so tragically in the war unfolding in Ukraine.
“But we see it too, in different ways, in the violence which explodes in our streets and suburbs from time to time, in the coward punch which destroys an innocent person’s life, in the horror of the sexual abuse of the young, in the reality of domestic violence which poisons the lives of so many innocent people, especially women and children, and in countless other ways,” he said.
Archbishop Costelloe also invited the congregation to remember the image of Mary at the foot of the cross.
Archbishop Costelloe kneels during the proclamation of the Passion of Christ, Friday 15 April at St Mary’s Cathedral. PHOTO: RON TAN.
PALM SUNDAY & CHRISM MASS: IN JESUS WE SEE WHAT
A
LIFE
LIVED WITH REAL INTEGRITY, FAITHFULNESS AND CONSTANCY LOOKS LIKE, SAYS ARCHBISHOP COSTELLOE
By Jamie O'Brien
As Christians we believe that in Jesus we see what a life lived with real integrity, faithfulness and constancy looks like, said Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe in celebrating Palm Sunday.
More than 350 people gathered for the occasion, marking the start of Holy Week.
“We see, in other words, realised in one concrete life, the full living out of God’s dream for us all,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
“And we come to understand that God’s dream for us is that we live in such a way that all the good that lies within us rises to the surface and brings deep joy not only to us but to all those people who in one way or another are a part of our life. Joining Archbishop Costelloe for
the Mass was Vicar General, Fr Peter Whitely VG, Cathedral Dean Fr Sean Fernandez, Assistant Priest Fr Richard Rutkauskas, and Deacon Paul Russell assisting.
The Mass was also livestreamed to YouTube and Facebook supported by captions and AUSLAN interpretation, with more than 500 viewers tuning in.
Tuesday 12 April also marked the celebration of the Chrism Mass, with more than 120 parish priests and their representatives attending.
Speaking about the priesthood, Archbishop Costelloe explained that the essence of the priesthood of Jesus is found in his humility, in his obedience, and in his readiness to give everything, including his life, for others.
“The essence of the priesthood of God’s priestly people is found in exactly the same realities - our humility before God, our obedience
to the will of God for us as individuals and together, and our readiness to put ourselves at the service of others, no matter the cost,” he said.
Archbishop Costelloe continued by inviting the congregation to pray for our clergy.
“Tonight, as your priests renew the commitments they made at the time of their ordination, please pray for them - pray for us - for we need you to help us be the priests God has called us to be.
“Remind us that we are called to live, in imitation of Christ, in humility, in obedience, and in generous selfsacrifice for your sake.
“Remind us that we are called to be living images of the one who is the face of the Father’s mercy.
“But remember, too, that we, like you, are in need of compassion, of forgiveness, of understanding and of patience.”
Archbishop Costelloe pours the Oil into Catechumen during the Chrism Mass, Tuesday 12 April at St Mary’s Cathedral. PHOTO: RON TAN.
WELCOMING INCOMING UKRAINIAN REFUGEES
REQUIRES COMMUNITY SUPPORT
By Amanda Murthy
The Archdiocese of Perth West Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (WACMRO) have set up a Ukrainian Refugee Local Appeal to aid war affected families upon their arrival in Australia during the coming months. The appeal will be used to supplement the efforts of the Red Cross Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP) – an Australian Government supported program (In New South Wales, Western Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory) that assists refugees to establish themselves in their first 12 months in the country.
According to an ABC News report published on 28 March, more than 3.5 million Ukrainian refugees have left the country, with Australia preparing to welcome hundreds of refugees in the coming weeks.
WACMRO Director Deacon Greg Lowe said he is confident that the Archdiocese of Perth has the
social capital to reach out to newly arrived persons from Ukraine.
“The reason is because so many of its members were once new arrivals themselves. They know what it is like to be ‘a stranger in a foreign land’ (Ex 2: 22),” Dcn Greg said.
“The HSP will go a long way to settling those newly arrived on 600 visas, but assistance will be needed in the coming months around simple things that can often be overlooked initially. For example, funding for student multi-riders, school uniform and stationery, and transport to health appointments.”
Through the HSP, the newly arrived will be assisted with setting up their new homes, learn
About their new communities, connect to local services like Medicare, schools and other community networks, improve their English, learn new skills, and be linked with job and volunteering opportunities. Collaborating with other Catholic groups, WACMRO will work with
St Vincent de Paul to set up an emergency food and clothes process, Centacare to conduct possible conversational English classes and Fr Ihor Holovko from the Ukrainian Catholic community in Maylands.
WACMRO is seeking financial donations to be used for purchase of vehicles, payment of overseas driver licenses into English, school uniforms, school stationery and textbooks, and personal electronic devices.
“With the help of the community, offering concrete, practical support at the local level is doable – it just needs a bit of coordination and goodwill. And that is what the church is good at.
WACMRO have consistently worked to promote the acceptance and settlement of migrants and refugees into Australia. They support migrants and refugees in a manner that upholds their dignity to enable them to feel a sense of welcome and belonging in the parish and broader community. This includes, the Welcoming Parish Initiative, launched in 2020A parish improvement and faith-inaction plan designed to be adapted to welcome the newcomer and serve the vulnerable person from any marginalised, minority group and seven sessions discussing the topic of Cultural Competency are currently being held online (between 23 March and 15 June). For more information contact Grace Kurniawan at wacmro@ perthcatholic.org.au or 08 9220 5950.
For more information on WACMRO’S initiatives go to http://www.wacmro. perthcatholic.org.au/
A couple poses on a bench outside destroyed apartments in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, April 18, 2022, during the Russian war. PHOTO: CNS/ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO, REUTERS.