APOSTOLIC NUNCIO VISITS PERTH FOR THE FIRST TIME AND ENCOURAGES ITS FAITHFUL TO STAY COMMITTED TO GOD FOR A HOPEFUL FUTURE
By Michelle Tan
Apostolic Nuncio to Australia Archbishop Charles Balvo has visited the Archdiocese of Perth and Western Australia for the first time since his appointment earlier this year.
Archbishop Balvo is traveling around Australia to meet with Catholics from all the different walks of life. He was welcomed by Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB who said, “we are very grateful that you are able to come and spend some time with us and we hope you feel at home here.”
Speaking to a packed Cathedral on Sunday 26 June for the 11am Mass, His Excellency Archbishop Balvo commented that St Mary’s Cathedral was beautiful and luminous with so much natural light and that he was fascinated by the electronic pulpit.
“I have never seen before that you can raise the whole [lecturn], up and down, I could play with it, you know, like a little child,” he chuckled, drawing warm laughter from the congregation.
Archbishop Balvo shared that during the 35 years in which he has worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, he has spent three years in Amman, as well as having had the opportunity to go to Jerusalem on a number of occasions.
Those trips to Jerusalem, he highlighted, reminded him of Psalm 122.
“I rejoiced when they said to me, let us go up to the House of the Lord. And now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.”
“Jerusalem was the city of the Holy of Holies, the place of encounter with God. It was a unique place and still is a unique place. Jewish families like that of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, as recounted in the Gospel of Luke, they regularly went up to Jerusalem on pilgrimage.”
“In today’s Gospel, Jesus was determined to journey to Jerusalem and this was a decisive moment in His life. It is where He begins His last journey to Jerusalem, the city of the prophets, the holy city, the place in which the great and redemptive event would take place of His suffering, His death, and then His resurrection, which is that saving event for us.”
“It is in Jerusalem where the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin received the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is also from Jerusalem, that the Gospel goes
out to all of the world, to all of the corners of the earth. This teaches us that we should focus attention on the commitment that has to be made” – a commitment to be a disciple of Jesus and to embark on the mission of preaching the Gospel.
Archbishop Balvo shared that there were two points that stood out.
“The first is the fact that the Word of God will not always be favourably received. The second point is that the difficulties experienced in the mission of preaching the Gospel can be discouraging and can tempt one to look back toward the past rather than forward to the future.”
“We know from our experience that people are often inclined to stay with what is familiar even if it's difficult and negative, rather than to take a risk for the future.
Archbishop Balvo chuckles as he talks about his fascination with the electric pulpit in St Mary’s Cathedral. to Perth. PHOTO: RON TAN.
DISPLACED UKRAINIANS WELCOMED AT MORNING TEA AND INFORMATION SESSION
As part of the local response to Refugee Week, some 45 Ukrainian nationals attended a morning tea at St Mary’s Cathedral Parish Centre on Saturday 18 June, thanks to the generosity of the Cathedral Parish and Fr Sean.
Most of the new arrivals are seeking asylum in Australia and hope to receive legal status as refugees in the next few months.
The event was organised by the WA Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (WACMRO), with Director, Deacon Greg Lowe praising the Federal Government for creating a simple process to enable displaced persons from Ukraine to receive legal status as refugees.
“While they wait for asylum to be
granted, numerous supports have also been made available,” Deacon Greg explained.
“This will reduce the stress levels, enabling them to process and come to terms with what has happened to them,” he said.
As part of the morning tea, WACMRO partnered with Red Cross to present information to the newly arrived displaced persons regarding the options available to them while their refugee status is being decided.
Members of the Ukrainian Catholic community acted as interpreters for the event including, St John the Baptist Maylands Parish Priest, Fr Ihor Holovko and the Community Liaison Officer, Lynette Paraszczyn. Deacon Greg explained that the
Displaced Persons Rapid Response Support and gave information on work rights for visa-holders.
Liza Beinart, who is the Red Cross Lead for Migration, led an Acknowledgement of Country, a new experience for the participants, before giving information about the settlement process and the benefits of the Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP).
Asylum seeker and interpreter Ilina highlighted that the morning tea provided useful and important information.
“This makes us feel welcomed,” Ilina said.
The morning finished with a request from the group for further information sessions.
WA Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office Director Deacon Greg Lowe speaks to newly arrived displaced persons from Ukraine during a morning tea and information session at St Mary’s Cathedral on Saturday 18 June. PHOTO: RON TAN.
REFUGEE WEEK 2022: PERTH REFUGEE SPEAKS OF SUCCESS AND NEW LIFE IN AUSTRALIA
Our Lady of Lourdes Nollamara Parish was the place to be to mark the end of National Refugee Week. A well-attended 9am Mass, which included a rousing multi-lingual choir and a homily that grounded present-day reality in the Gospels – all contributed to a fitting end to the week.
At a morning tea to mark the occasion, parishioner Philip Lako spoke of his experiences in South Sudan and his life changing journey which brought him to Australia – the country, he says, that gave him a second chance.
Mr Lako’s heart-rending and eyeopening story told of a young boy “given away” by his family, leading to his challenging experiences of battling hunger, fear and the cold, while at the same time learning the art of survival in a world of prolonged suffering.
Mr Lako also spoke of his experiences in praying to fall sick so that he could end up in hospital, so that he could earn money by selling the food he would have been given.
Mr Lako is now living a successful life here in Perth where he arrived as a refugee in 2004.
The mentor, migrant, advocate and
author is also a member of Perth Rotary and Artists 4A Cause.
In addition to his many successes, Mr Lako spoke with warmth about his work as a volunteer with organisations including St Vincent de Paul and MercyCare.
It was this work at MercyCare that drew the attention of the media, with Mr Lako highlighting as one of his biggest achievements in having the opportunity to speak with Federal Minister Alannah McTiernan about employing refugees in the mining towns of WA.
AUSUDAN member James Wani continued by going on to speak about the assistance the South Sudanese community in Perth is providing to the people of the Sindiru village in South Sudan.
The group has been successful in having two boreholes for water installed as well as a maize grinding machine.
The next project they are supporting includes the building of a new school, with the project nearing completion. It is hoped the school will employ approximately five teachers while being financially self-sufficient within in three years.
Nollamara parishioners, with Parish Priest Fr Stan Bendowski, came together for 2022 Refugee Week. PHOTO: SUPPLIED.
James Wani gets ready to tell the story of a school in Sindiru village. PHOTO: SUPPLIED.
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS PROVIDE THE GIFT OF KNOWING JESUS, OUR HERO, SAYS ARCHBISHOP COSTELLOE
“One of the greatest gifts of going to a Catholic school, is the opportunity to learn more about what a wonderful hero Jesus is and how important and exciting it is to follow Him.”
Those were the words of Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB to primary Catholic school students, at the official launch of the 2022 LifeLink Day launch for Primary Schools.
The launch, held virtually on Wednesday, 8 June, was also attended by LifeLink Chair and Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton and Catholic Education WA Director of Religious Education, Deacon Mark Powell.
The panel shared their LifeLink experiences and answered questions posed by students through the portal. Archbishop Costelloe began his address by defining the word ‘hero’ as “someone who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.”
“The great hero, of course, for us as Christians, is Jesus. He fits the dictionary definition perfectly. He certainly had great courage. He achieved remarkable things. Jesus had many noble qualities. The more we get to know Him the more, I think, we come to admire Him,” he said. “Unless Jesus does become one of our heroes, and I think our greatest hero, then although we might think of ourselves as Christians, we might be missing out on the very best thing about being a Christian which is to know Jesus so well, and to be inspired so much by Him, that we say, I want to be like Him.”
Archbishop Costelloe said CEWA schools were huge contributors to charitable causes, including LifeLink agencies, providing food for people who are hungry; warm clothes and blankets for those who are cold. They help people with a disability and offer friendship and understanding for people who are isolated and lonely.
“LifeLink agencies (supported by your schools) do all these things because
Jesus lived His life for others rather than just for Himself. And they do all these things because Jesus once said, “Whenever you do any of these things for those who are in need you actually do them for me.”
“One of the greatest gifts of going to a Catholic school, is the opportunity to learn more about what a wonderful hero Jesus is and how important and exciting it is to follow Him.”
This year, LifeLink aims to raise at least $120,000 to help nine charities. Each year, Catholic schools hold multiple fundraising events and volunteer their services to support LifeLink agencies, including Catholic Ministry for People who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Centacare Employment and Training, Centrecare Incorporated, Djooraminda, Emmanuel Centre, Emmaus Community, Identitywa, Daydawn Advocacy Centre, The Shopfront and Catholic Outreach.
Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, with Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton and CEWA Director of Religious Education Deacon Mark Powell at the 2022 LifeLink Day launch for Primary Schools. PHOTO: RON TAN.
By Amanda Murthy, CEWA