CALLING SINGLE MEN OF PERTH: WHAT DO YOU HEAR JESUS SAYING TO YOU?
Single men of Perth are being encouraged to recognise the voice of Jesus and attend the St Charles Seminary Day of reflection.
Speaking in support of Vocations Day retreat, St Charles Seminary Rector Fr Francis Nguyen echoed the words of Archbishop Costelloe, who spoke about the importance of a vocation to the priesthood in his homily of Good Shepherd Sunday 2018.
“This is a day when we can reflect on the beautiful gift of vocation that the Lord is giving to us,” Fr Francis explained.
“In thinking about your vocation, we should also remember how important the ordained ministry is
in the life of our Church,” he said. Fr Francis continued by highlighting that priests and bishops, with the deacons to assist them, are the ones whom the Lord gives to us as living gifts.
“As Archbishop Costelloe explained, they are signs that he is still with us precisely as our Good Shepherd,” Fr Francis highlighted.
“It is through their ministry that we are invited into this deep communion with the Lord, without which there is no life, for as Jesus himself said: no-one can come to the Father except through me.
“Without the servant ministry of our deacons, and the priestly ministry of our priests and bishops, we
simply cannot be the people, and the Church, the Lord is calling us to be,” Fr Francis re-iterated.
Fr Francis continued by saying he wants to encourage single men from the Archdiocese to ask themselves,
“What do you hear Jesus saying to you?
“I encourage you take time to pray and listen to what Jesus’ is saying to you.
“If you think God is calling you to a vocation to the priesthood, come along on Sunday, 30 April, 9.30am – 3.00m and join us for the day,”
Fr Francis concluded.
For more information contact 08 9279 1310 or email stcharlesseminary@ perthcatholic.org.au
Students from St Charles Seminary Class of 2023 gather at the statue of St Charles Borromeo on the grounds of the Seminary. PHOTO: JAMIE O'BRIEN.
CELEBRATING 125 YEARS OF HOSPITALITY, HOPE AND HEALING
This week, St John of God Subiaco Hospital is celebrating its 125th year of delivering hospitality, hope and healing to the community.
St John of God Subiaco Hospital was established on 19 April 1898 by the Sisters of St John of God - a congregation of Sisters from Wexford, Ireland. It was the first Catholic hospital to open in Western Australia. St John of God Subiaco Hospital
Chief Executive Officer Tina Chinery said that the anniversary is an incredible milestone and one that very few private hospitals in Australia have achieved.
“This anniversary is not only about recognising the enduring contribution our hospital has made in caring for generations of Western Australians. It is also about thanking our current caregivers for everything they do and for continuing the legacy of the Sisters of St John of God,” she said.
“St John of God Subiaco Hospital is an iconic Western Australian organisation and one that many residents have a connection with. There are those who were born here or gave birth here, those who have been healed here, and those whose loved ones have been comforted here in their final hours.
A TINY TOWN LIKE NO OTHER: NEW NORCIA IN FINAL RUN FOR TOP TOURISM TOWN AWARD
Western Australia’s iconic monastery town has made it to the last stage of the prestigious tourism award this month.
As one of six finalists for the Tiny Tourism Town award, the vote is now put to the public to determine the winner.
“This is the second time we’ve been nominated for the award”, said New Norcia’s Director of Visitor Services,
Carmel Murray, “but the first time we’ve made it to the finals. We’re confident we can win because our visitors overwhelmingly express their appreciation for this unique town”.
The 177-year-old monastery is an impressive burst of colour and culture as you drive up the Great Northern Highway, an hour and a half north of Perth. Founded by Spanish monks in the mid-19th century, the site was
originally a mission to the Australian First Nations people.
At the turn of the century, the focus turned towards education, with the creation of two colleges, the Byzantine-style St Ildephonsus’ for boys, and the Gothic St Gertrude’s for the girls.
These iconic buildings, along with the Spanish mission architecture of the Abbey Church, make for a striking contrast to the sweep of canola and wheat fields across the shire of Victoria Plains.
Bewildered travellers may think they’ve landed upon an ancient Mediterranean village.
Today, the marvel of New Norcia is enjoyed through a visit to the expansive Museum and Art Gallery, which offers twice daily guided tours across the town and inside the buildings, including the resplendent college chapels.
Deacon Paul Russell proclaims the first part of the Gospel outside at the commencement of the 2023 Palm Sunday Mass, Sunday 2 April at St Mary’s Cathedral. PHOTO: RON TAN/ARCHDIOCESE OF PERTH.
The New Norcia Abbey Church. The 177-year-old monastery is an impressive burst of colour and culture as you drive up the Great Northern Highway, an hour and a half north of Perth. PHOTO: SUPPLIED.
PARENTS CALLED TO MAXIMISE BENEFITS AND MINIMISE RISKS IN CYBER SAFETY WORKSHOP
“As the trusted adults in our children’s lives we can support them to maximise the benefits and minimise the risks,” Perth Archdiocese Director of Safeguarding Barbara Blayney has said, ahead of a workshop for Cyber Safety and Digital Wellness.
IMAGE:SUPPLIED.
Parenting in the digital age can be complex and challenging, Perth Director of Safeguarding Barbara Blayney has said.
Speaking in promotion of the upcoming online workshop for Cyber Safety and Digital Wellness, Ms Blayney said while there are many benefits for our children being online, there are also risks.
“As the trusted adults in our children’s lives we can support them to maximise the benefits and minimise the risks,” Ms Blayney said, a former Police Officer.
“You will leave this workshop with conversation starters, practical strategies and resource recommendations to support you,” she said.
The online workshop will be delivered by leading cyber-safety expert Kaylene Kerr from eSafeKids.
Some of the topics that will be discussed in the workshop include how technology effects developing bodies, brains and behaviour, screen time and healthy boundaries, social media and gaming, explicit content and pornography, online grooming and catfishing, interpersonal conflict,
managing emotions and digital reputation and parental controls for safer devices and homes.
The online workshop takes place Tuesday 2 May from 7pm to 9pm and is a FREE event. Bookings are essential. For more information go to https://us02web. zoom.us/webinar/register/ N_0VMwmCgoSMawfeGxP1reUA Internet has led to exploitation, says Pope Francis
Speaking 14 November 2019 at the Promoting Digital Child Dignity -- From Concept to Action, Pope Francis highlighted that while digital technologies have led to advancements in communication and education, they also have led to the exploitation of children on the internet.
The "spread of images of abuse or the exploitation of minors is increasing exponentially, involving ever more serious and violent forms of abuse and ever younger children," the Holy Father told participants at the two-day conference sponsored by the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences.
"The challenge before us," he told them, "is to ensure that minors have safe access to these technologies, while at the same time ensuring their healthy and serene development and
protecting them from unacceptable criminal violence or grave harm to the integrity of their body and spirit. The conference brought together religious leaders, academics, policymakers and tech industry leaders from around the world to discuss ways to combat the exploitation of children online.
In his address, the pope said the church "senses the duty to approach these issues with a long-term vision," especially as the church continues to confront the clerical sexual abuse crisis.
"In recent decades, from painful and tragic experience, the Catholic Church has become profoundly aware of the gravity and effects of the sexual abuse of minors, the suffering it causes and the urgent need to heal wounds, combat such crimes and establish effective means of prevention," Pope Francis said. Child exploitation on the web, he continued, is due in part to "the dramatic growth of pornography," which is "the fruit of a general loss of the sense of human dignity; frequently it is linked to human trafficking."
Pope Francis addresses leaders from the tech industry at the Vatican, 27 March 2023. He called for an "ethical and responsible" development of artificial intelligence. PHOTO: CNS/VATICAN MEDIA.
SYNOD 2023: COMMITTEE BEGINS WRITING SYNOD ON SYNODALITY WORKING DOCUMENT BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
By Courtney Mares, Catholic News Agency
A committee of 22 people – including Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB - have last week kicked off the writing process for the Synod on Synodality’s working document that will be the blueprint for discussions during the meeting of bishops in October.
According to a statement from the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, a “group of experts from five continents” have been meeting at the Vatican “with the aim of starting the reflection that will lead at a later stage to the drafting of the Instrumentum Laboris, the working document for the first session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of
the Synod of Bishops.”
The Instrumentum Laboris, Latin for “working document,” frames the discussions of the Synod of Bishops. During a synod, bishops make comments and observations on the working document and meet in small discussion groups to propose changes to the text or to suggest new texts and additional areas for consideration.
To begin drafting the working document, the group of experts have been meeting behind closed doors to discuss the continental stage of the Synod on Synodality as a whole and analyse the seven final documents submitted by each of the regional assemblies.
The committee’s analysis will “highlight tensions and priorities
to be studied in depth during the October assembly.”
Who is working on the working document?
The Vatican published the names of the 22 people who will contribute to the first stage of the writing process of this document.
Only four of the listed participants are the same experts who helped to write the working document to guide the continental stage of the synod earlier this year: Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB; Italian Monsignor Piero Coda; Australian Professor Susan Pascoe; and Mauricio Lopez, head of pastoral action for the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM).
Pope Francis meets with members of the preparatory commission for the general assembly of the Synod of Bishops in the library of the Apostolic Palace, 16 March 2023, the day after the synod office announced their appointments. The seven members include: Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas; Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe of Perth, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference; and Mercedarian Sister Shizue Filo Hirota from Tokyo. PHOTO: CNS/VATICAN MEDIA.