PERTH VOLUNTEERS GIVE FLESH TO THE COMMANDMENT ‘LOVE AS I HAVE LOVED YOU’
Volunteers share in the very Spirit of God, reaching out to others to impart – and at the same time discover –that in the love of God, we are never truly alone.
The message was part of a homily delivered by Bishop Don Sproxton at St Mary’s Cathedral on Sunday at a special Mass to mark National Volunteer Week (16 – 22 May) – a Mass attended by volunteers from parishes and Catholic organisations throughout Perth.
The Church in Australia, Bishop Sproxton noted in his homily, employed 220,000 people, making it one of the largest employers in the country, but its true reach could only be measured by including the many people who gave of their time voluntarily to help their fellow humans in need.
“You can see what a mighty impact our people have on the life of this country,” Bishop Sproxton told the congregation.
“Today, in this Eucharist … we are honouring those who among us
give of their time, and give in many, many ways to those in our society who are in need.
“And the need might not just be material – the need, many times, is that need of friendship.”
Bishop Sproxton recounted meeting a volunteer several years ago named Maria from Personal Advocacy Service (PAS), an archdiocesan agency that has been working with – and advocating for – people with intellectual disabilities since 1989.
In its groups throughout Perth, PAS pairs people with intellectual disabilities with their own special volunteer, leading to mutual sharing and lasting friendships.
Maria’s friend, someone Maria had been working with for over 30 years, had recently passed away.
“So, I asked her, ‘What will you do now?’ And she said because this person had become so much a part of her life, she was wanting to go through the service (again) to find somebody else to support for however
many years she had left,” Bishop Sproxton recounted.
The Gospel of the day was drawn from the same section of John in which Jesus gave himself both in the Eucharist and in the washing of his disciples’ feet.
“In the context of that gift of the Eucharist, he did this extraordinary sign – he gave this extraordinary sign to us,” Bishop Sproxton said.
“This, I think, is a reminder to each of us, as we now come very close to the end of this season of Easter, that we, as disciples of the Lord, are called, in our own way with our own gifts, to make ourselves available for others …
“When he was lifted up on the cross, in St John's mind this was the moment when Jesus was glorified by the Father, when he gave everything; he gave everything as a sign of love to us.
Volunteers from Catholic parishes and agencies throughout the Archdiocese of Perth. PHOTO: MICHELLE TAN.
2022 MARIAN LECTURE: HUMAN DIGNITY – AN AUSSIE VALUE?
By Simon Martino
The Marist Association of St Marcellin Champagnat hosted the 2022 Marian Lecture at Newman College, a Catholic school educating in the Marist Tradition in Churchlands. The theme for the lecture was Human Dignity – An Aussie Value? and Fr Frank Brennan SJ OA took up the challenge to reflect on this question via Zoom, with an audience gathered in different parts of the country. The theme takes its premise from the theme for Marist Schools Australia in 2022, Known and Loved – Dignity for All, which reminds us that we are “God’s work of art” (Eph 2:10). It was with this idea that Fr Frank began the lecture, recognising the shift from a time in Australian culture when people would have assumed human dignity was an Aussie value to now when we ask the question, is human dignity an Aussie value? Fr Frank began his reflections focusing on the words of Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudate Si, identifying four areas we must address if we
are to identify human dignity as an Aussie value. We must accept personal responsibility, have an eye for those on the margins, always consider the common good for all and pay attention to our own sense of interior wellbeing. Fr Frank challenged his listeners to consider these four areas in reflecting on several challenges, being the issue of refugees, the situation of our First Nations people, the question of religious freedom and ensuring we do not discriminate on the basis of gender or sexual orientation. The lecture gave us an opportunity to better understand our responsibilities as Christians to live out human dignity as a value that is the heartbeat of the Gospel story. It challenged us to reflect on important issues that face each of us in our Australian context and our duty to stand up for and speak out against anything that fails to recognise dignity for all. Fr Frank concluded the lecture quoting Laudate Si #193, “that is why the time has come to accept decreased growth in some parts of the world, in order to provide resources for other places to experience healthy
growth”, challenging and suggesting we must be prepared to sacrifice growth for the prosperity of others if we are serious about recognising dignity for all.
Those who attended the lecture concluded with fellowship and praying that we can be an example of Christ’s faithful in the way we love one another and pray that everyone, especially the most vulnerable, are known and loved as we strive to uphold, restore and defend dignity for all.
The Marist Association of St Marcellin Champagnat has over 30 local members in Western Australia and 1000 across the country. It is an expression of the Marist project which, this year, celebrates 150 years of education in Australia. Members are those who respond to the Marist charism, either as student, teacher or family member. We focus on spiritual accompaniment, prayer, building community and advocacy. The group meets at Newman College and St Joseph’s Subiaco on a regular basis. All enquiries are welcome by contacting simon.martino@newman. wa.edu.au.
Fr Frank Brennan SJ OA speaks to the attendees of the 2022 Marian Lecture over Zoom. PHOTO: SUPPLIED.
BELOVED PORTRAIT OF LATE MERCYCARE
RETURNED TO FAMILY AFTER NEARLY THREE DECADES
A Western Australian family have revealed their close family ties to MercyCare’s rich history after they were reunited with a painted portrait of their late loved one close to three decades after her passing.
The pieces of the art puzzle fell into place last month when a portrait of Kathleen Carpenter, former resident at MercyCare’s historic Wembley Residential Aged Care Home, was returned to her family.
MercyCare was contacted by Kathleen’s granddaughter, Louise Johnston, who had hoped to gift the 27-year-old painting to her mother, Janice Plaisted, who was Kathleen’s daughter, for Mother’s Day.
Upon being reunited with the painting, Louise revealed her family’s special connection with MercyCare — her grandmother was, in fact, the aunt of the late Sister Martin Kelly who left an indelible legacy in MercyCare’s rich history, having made a significant contribution to the development and expansion of services at the Wembley site.
During the 1970s, Sister Martin Kelly
pioneered the transition away from institutionalised care to the residential care model that continues today, with her efforts honoured at the historic Wembley site with one of MercyCare’s buildings, the Sister Martin Kelly Centre, officially named after her in 2018.
Known by the family as ‘Peggy’, Louise has childhood memories of Sister Martin Kelly, who would often join the family when they holidayed down in Denmark.
The beloved portrait of Kathleen was painted back in 1996 by renowned artist Glen Hughes as part of an exhibition titled The Beauty of Ageing, which also featured five other residents from MercyCare’s Wembley home.
Sister Eileen, who was among the Sisters of Mercy who worked at the Wembley site up until 1997, also has memories of the paintings and even remembered meeting the late Kathleen.
“I do remember her being a very strong-willed lady,” Sister Eileen said. Luckily for Louise, the painting was located in a storeroom by MercyCare
Catering and Hospitality Services manager, Jacqueline Parry, where it has been safely kept for the past five years having previously been on display before refurbishments at the Home.
“I love that Jacqueline didn’t think twice about going above and beyond to find this portrait for Louise and gift it to the family. It’s always a beautiful moment when we can provide these sorts of memories and connections for our MercyCare clients,” MercyCare Aged Care Executive, Phil Martin, said. Kathleen passed away in 1998 and was a resident at MercyCare Wembley Residential Aged Care Home for seven years.
“This year was my gran’s 24th anniversary so it prompted me again about the painting. From there, I reached out to MercyCare and we’re so thankful when they found the painting,” Louise said.
“I hope that by sharing our story, the families of the residents in the other portraits can be reunited with their paintings.”
Louise Johnston and Janice Plaisted, pictured with Sister Eileen (right), are reunited with a portrait of the late Kathleen Carpenter close to three decades later. PHOTO: SUPPLIED.
2022 CATHEDRAL CONCERT SEASON LAUNCHES WITH SUCCESS
By Grace Feltoe
St Mary’s Cathedral in the heart of Perth is known for its on-going music program that marks every Sunday Mass and important liturgy and assists in highlighting every season of the Church for the people of the diocese. But not only is the Cathedral’s music program known for its sheer volume of music for liturgies, but also for its concerts of sacred music, hosted in the great acoustics of this sacred space.
Artists and institutes have returned year after year to perform within St Mary’s since the Cathedral’s re-opening in 2009, and Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) is among them, having performed at the Cathedral each year since 2013. Following the
somber and austere season of Lent and the busy period over Easter, the Cathedral’s concert season launched with great success, commencing with WAAPA’s annual oratorio performance on Thursday, 5 May performed by the University’s classical voice students, alongside WAAPA’s String Camerata, assisted by WAAPA staff member Stewart Smith on organ, and directed by Cambridge University graduate, Christophe Karas. The concert program was a superb selection of well-loved sacred music, commencing with Mozart’s popular and beautiful Coronation Mass in C Major, K 317, the Magnificat and Nunc Dimitus by the English composer Herbert Howells, and the moving instrumental composition by Karl Jenkins, his Benedictus from The Armed Man: a Mass for Peace. Well
received, the audience, students and staff were also very happy to have returned to St Mary’s with things ‘getting back to normal’ after the difficulty performers have had navigating COVID restrictions these past few months. Continuing on with a busy schedule, the Cathedral hosted the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) Chorus on 15 May for a performance of the lesser known but nonetheless beautiful Requiem in C Minor by Luigi Cherubini the following week. It had been specially transcribed for chorus and organ by Andrew Foote, director for the performance, and who holds the position as WASO Chorus Director as well as Chair of Voice Studies at the University of Western Australia.
Jacinta Jakovcevic, Director of Music at St Mary’s Cathedral, accompanies the WASO Chorus for the performance of Cherubini’s Requiem on Sunday, 15 May. PHOTO: MICHELLE TAN.