MARY MACKILLOP INSPIRES STUDENTS IN LIFELINK DAY INITIATIVE
By Jamie O'Brien
Students from several Perth Catholic schools have last month joined Archbishop Costelloe in launching a creative project on the grounds of St Mary’s Cathedral.
As part of Archbishop Costelloe’s 2023 LifeLink Day for Primary Schools initiative, students were invited to create a collage that visually expressed their learning and educational experience resulting from LifeLink Day.
Students were encouraged to identify the issues people in need face here in the Archdiocese of Perth which the LifeLink agencies support and then search newspapers and magazines, thinking about the role newspapers and magazines play in creating or stopping the
issues people in need face in our society today.
The creative, informative and inspiring artworks were then collected and incorporated into a significant art installation in the shape of a giant cross at St Mary’s Cathedral.
The project took inspiration from St Mary McKillop, with the installation taking place Saturday 28 July in advance of the feast day of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Tuesday 8 August 2023.
The giant cross was then installed on the front grass of St Mary’s Cathedral.
LifeLink Manager, Brett Mendez explained to The Record the Cross symbolises three main points.
• Life, it points to overcoming of suffering through the resurrection of Christ.
• Hope, it is a calling for us to
decide to live as Christians and to trust in the promise that we will be given the strength to do so. It is a commitment to remain strong in our faith no matter how difficult life become.
• Identity, a reminder of our religion and a representation to the world of who we are, It marks us as followers of Christ, the body of the Church.
Speaking about the important role of St Mary MacKillop, Archbishop Costelloe said she devoted her life to ensuring a holistic Catholic education for children from rural, poor families.
“What an amazing woman Mary was, guided by an unshakeable love of God and called to the service of the poor and the marginalised across Australia,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
Archbishop Costelloe, students and their teachers from Newman College, St John’s Primary Scarborough, St Paul’s Primary Mt Lawley celebrate the installation of the cross on the grass area of St Mary’s Cathedral. PHOTO: RON TAN/ARCHDIOCESE OF PERTH.
BATEMAN PARISHIONERS LEAD THE WAY WITH CARE PROGRAM
By Andre Sequeira
A few years ago, a number of Bateman parishioners attended a Mental Health First Aid Course organised by the Emmanuel Centre which resulted in the formation of a Mental Health First Aiders support group in the parish.
One of the early initiatives was to reach out to carers of persons with special needs.
This small support group soon became part of the Parish Pastoral Council’s larger outreach to those in need.
Most recently with the support of the Parish Pastoral Council and the Parish Priest Fr Phong Nguyen, a three-part workshop series was delivered entitled, “Good Self Care”. The program was planned, organised and managed by the Deputy Chair of the Parish Pastoral Council, Mario Sequeira along with support from Emmanuel Centre Director, Joe O’Brien.
Each workshop was led by persons who had significant lived or professional experience in their respective areas.
The first workshop focussing on
‘Good Mental Health’ and was led by Joe O’Brien, who is also a former prison chaplain, and parishioner and practising psychiatrist, Dr Abish Antony.
The session focussed on everyday strategies to enhance good mental health along with considering underlying issues affecting persons today.
The feedback from attendees clearly demonstrated an overwhelming appreciation of Dr Antony’s simple but highly effective ways of understanding how we can maintain good mental health.
The second session, focussed on ‘Good Physical Health’ with parishioner and fitness advocate Will Schaefer offered several practical ways to get moving and enjoying the benefits of exercise. The highlight for most was how meaningfully Will linked the spirituality of our bodies being the temple of the Holy Spirit and how we should therefore nurture our physical self.
The final session was delivered by Joe O’Brien with guest presenter Sr Catherine Warner PBVM from the Nano Nagle Centre entitled, “Feeding the Soul”.
Joe led the group through a guided mediation and the Lectio Divina so that we could experience how to nurture our soul through times of quiet reflection of scripture and meditation.
The session explored ways of getting in touch with who we are and understanding our relationship with God is shaped by many factors.
The sessions were certainly well received with an average of 50 persons attending each monthly workshop from across the Archdiocese.
The attendees repeatedly appreciated the organisers for creating a safe place where people could gather in a non-threatening environment and share on matters that were truly important to them.
Another special touch was the home-made morning tea freshly prepared by parishioners Carol Ann, Rini and Gail.
These workshops certainly lived up to their goal, “to be interactive, educational, inspiring and a great opportunity to grow together as a caring, sharing, content and healthy Christian community”. Well done to St Thomas More Parish Pastoral Council for supporting this initiative.
Bateman Parish recently led a well-being workshop, supported by Emmanuel Centre Director, Joe O’Brien, first from right, with psychiatrist Dr Abish Antony, pictured with Parish Pastoral Council members Mario Sequeira and Rini Margawini. PHOTO:SUPPLIED/BATEMAN PARISH.
NEW HEAD TO HEALTH COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTRES OPEN IN PERTH METRO
St John of God Health Care has opened two new Head to Health adult mental health services in Gosnells and Mirrabooka to provide free advice, support and, if needed, assessment and treatment for people in these communities experiencing stress, anxiety and other mental health and wellbeing concerns.
St John of God Social Outreach, part of St John of God Health Care, has been operating WA’s first Head to Health Centre in Midland since March last year and will open another in Armadale later this year.
Head to Health in WA is funded by the Australian Government under the Primary Health Network Program and aims to provide caring and inclusive mental health support in a calm, safe, and welcoming community setting.
St John of God Social Outreach CEO Susan Cantwell said the decision to co-locate the new Gosnells and
Mirrabooka services within medical practices was important for ease of access and for ensuring they become an integral part of the local communities.
“There is currently high demand for mental health support in the broader Gosnells and Mirrabooka areas, so we welcome the opportunity to establish and operate these new Head to Head services in places where they will really make a difference,” she said. Ms Cantwell said services were provided at no cost, with no referral, appointment or Medicare card needed, and were established with the input of people experiencing mental health concerns, local service providers and community members. Mirrabooka Head to Health is open 9am-5pm Monday to Friday and is located in the MedOne Medical Centre (in the MYVISTA building) at Unit 5/3 Doncaster Rd, Mirrabooka. Gosnells Head to Health is open
9am-5pm Monday to Friday and is located at Corfield Medical Centre at 288 Corfield St, Gosnells. Both services have ample free parking and are easily accessible by public transport.
Phone 1800 595 212 or go to Head to Health to find out more.
St John of God Social Outreach is part of St John of God Health Care, which operates a number of private hospitals and a public hospital, as well as no-cost, community-based mental health and homelessness services in WA, NSW, and Victoria. Operating Head to Health adult mental health centres contributes to the organisation’s mental health strategy, which seeks to expand their services in response to community need and design services with a strong person-centred philosophy to provide a better experience for mental health consumers.
ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY COLLEGE BELFAST AND THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME AUSTRALIA FORGE NEW PARTNERSHIP
St Mary's University College Belfast and The University of Notre Dame Australia are delighted to launch a new phase of cooperation between the two institutions, with the recent signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aiming to foster collaboration and scholarly exchange.
Grounded in the rich heritage of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, the two institutions share a commitment to integral human development through education of the whole person; the academic, social, physical, and spiritual dimensions – and are
deeply committed to the formation of students who endeavour to make a rich contribution to their professions and the common good. Shared between them also is a striving to innovate and to drive excellence across teaching and research in a broad range of fields.
In bridging the geographical distance between them, this MOU now promises to further strengthen that mutual commitment, providing students and staff alike, a global experience and bringing them even closer in Mission and culture. Areas of collaboration will include
academic faculty and student exchange programmes and immersions, joint research projects, teacher education and professional development, advancement of Catholic education and the spiritual formation of students and staff.
Following the signing of the MOU, Professor Peter Finn KSG, Principal of St Mary's University College Belfast, stated, "The mission of St Mary’s is to make a distinctive contribution of service and excellence, in the Catholic tradition, to higher education in Northern Ireland. To further our mission, we work with a wide range of partners and seek to build fruitful and enduring relationships. This new bilateral partnership is unique in that it is purposively grounded in the rich heritage of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition which informs and inspires our respective institutions in Ireland and Australia. At St Mary’s we look forward to a new phase of collaboration."
Speaking also about the partnership, Vice Chancellor of The University of Notre Dame Australia, Professor Francis Campbell, added, "Our ambition is to serve society through educating and forming our students so they can in turn serve the societies in which they live. Two of our key strategic pillars, Integral Human Development and Universality, are designed to encourage our students and staff to flourish, using our connections, networks, and relationships to provide every possible opportunity the world has to offer them. With this MOU in place, our students and colleagues will play an active part in the realisation of this vision."
Professor Peter Finn KSG (Left), Principal of St Mary's University College and Professor Francis Campbell(Right), Vice Chancellor of The University of Notre Dame Australia, at the recent signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). PHOTO: SUPPLIED/UNDA.
JAMIE
BIBIANA