LIFE TOO PRECIOUS TO BE DESTROYED THIS WAY: WA BECOMES THE LATEST STATE TO AMEND ABORTION LEGISLATION
“Abortion is a choice filled with sorrow and consequences, often driven by external pressures that women may not recognise at the time,” said Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, speaking in a statement, 20 June. PHOTO: ADOBE..
Western Australia has become the latest state to expand its abortion laws, following the passing of the Acts Amendment (Abortion) Bill 1998 on 20 September.
The revised laws have removed clinical barriers for women accessing an abortion, in addition to reducing the number of health practitioners required to be involved in an abortion from two to one, abolished the Ministerial Panel requirement for later-term abortions, the mandatory counselling provision, and the requirement for Ministerial approval for a health service to perform a late-term abortion.
While the revised laws allow health practitioners to conscientiously object, they are required to transfer the patient's request or provide information on where to access an abortion.
The gestational limit at which additional requirements apply has been increased from 20 to 23 weeks and abortion has been removed
from the Criminal Code, however, it will still remain an offence for an 'unqualified person' to perform or assist with an abortion.
Speaking in a statement published 20 June, Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB said that life is simply too precious to be destroyed in this way.
https://www.perthcatholic.org. au/Our_Archdiocese-ArchbishopMedia_Releases-2023-Response_to_ Western_Australian_Governments_ intention_to_introduce_legislation_ to_make_access_to_abortion_easier. htm
“This is certainly the position of the Catholic Church: it is one which is shared by many who belong to other religious traditions and by people who hold no religious beliefs,”
Archbishop Costelloe said.
“The right of doctors and other health professionals to be free of coercion in relation to the provision of abortions, when such coercion violates their conscientious beliefs,
is also precious.
“To force a doctor, by law, to refer a patient to a medical practitioner whom the doctor knows will agree to perform the abortion, is to force the doctor to be complicit in a procedure which she or he believes to be immoral,” he continued.
“Secular societies which truly believe in fundamental human rights do not seek to force people to act in violation of their ethical or religious beliefs,” he said.
Acknowledging the complexities surrounding unplanned pregnancies, Life Services Program Manager from the Centre for Life Marriage and Family, Bronia Karniewicz also stressed the importance of supporting women, their partners, and families during these challenging times.
"We know these laws are very sad and abortion is just wrong. We should never harm the defenceless,”
Ms Karniewicz said.
“At our centre, our focus, too, is on women, their partners, and families. It can be a really scary and lonely time," she said.
"Women in vulnerable situations that are perhaps feeling pressured to abort or can't have the child should know there are services available provided by the Catholic Church and other organisations to support them.
"Pregnancy Assistance and Pregnancy Problem House are such services, offering practical, emotional, and financial assistance to women facing difficult choices.
PERTH CATHOLICS INVITED TO DEEPEN KNOWLEDGE CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA
Overhoff
The University of Notre Dame Fremantle is hosting a free public lecture by Dr Jürgen Overhoff entitled “The Catholic Enlightenment in Britain and Ireland and the beginnings of the Roman Catholic Church in Australia.”
The event, on Thursday, October 26 in the Michael Keating room of the Fremantle Hotel building (ND42 – on the corner of High and Cliff Street) will commence at 5pm. The evening will begin with an
introduction by philosophy lecturer Dr Shaun Blanchard and will be followed a short Q and A. Dr Overhoff is the former President of the German Society for EighteenthCentury Studies, and currently professor of the history of education at the University of Münster. Author of a biography of the American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, and co-editor of the volume Catholic Enlightenment in Europe and North America (Wallstein, 2019), Dr Overhoff is an expert on early modern intellectual and religious life.
Speaking to The Record ahead of the lecture, Dr Blanchard explained the term Katholische Aufklärung (Catholic Enlightenment) was coined by German scholars in the early twentieth century, and for many years remained marginal and controversial. Recent decades, however, have seen widespread scholarly acceptance of the term.
“Enlightenment is increasingly seen as a pluriform process that had religious motivations and actors as well as secular ones,” Dr Blanchard highlighted.
“Consequently, many scholars recognize that Catholics from Spanish America to England to Rome participated in the Enlightenment process in a number of ways,” he said. Intellectual orientations and values shared by enlightened Catholics included an openness to the new science and philosophy (Locke, Descartes, and Newton), a vision for the holistic reform of society (eg from ‘enlightened despotism’ to republicanism and democracy), and a concern with ‘reasonable’ theology or ‘rational’ devotion which often took shape in efforts to rid the Catholic faith of bigotry and superstition.
“Dr Overhoff’s lecture will place Australian Catholics within this global story, focusing on how Catholics from Brazil to Tuscany to Sydney balanced their loyalty to the church with their citizenship in the state, be that a Catholic nation or empire (Spanish, Portuguese, Habsburg) or as a minority in a Protestant empire (e. g. the Irish, English, and Australians),” Dr Blanchard continued.
OBITUARY: FATHER THOMAS HENRY BYRNE
Father (Thomas) Henry Byrne, Priest of the Archdiocese of Perth, was laid to rest after a Pontifical Requiem Mass held at Our Lady of Grace Parish, North Beach on Friday 25 August. He passed away 14 August 2023.
The service was led by Principal Celebrant Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB.
Concelebrants for the Mass included
Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton VG, Vicar General, the Very Rev Fr Peter Whitely VG, North Beach Parish Priest Fr Hyginus Ebede, Emeritus Archbishop Barry James Hickey in addition to several other priests from across the Archdiocese of Perth.
Thomas Henry Bryne, known as Henry, was born at Hallyhale, Kilkenny Ireland on 29 November 1931. His parents were Michael and Josephine Byrne and his elder brother Michael was also ordained for the Archdiocese of Perth.
Father Henry, as he was known, was educated at Ballyhale Primary School and St Kieran’s High School in Kilkenny.
He studied for the priestly ministry at nearby St Kieran’s Seminary Kilkenny and was ordained at St
Mary’s Cathedral for his ministry in Perth in Kilkenny on 3 June 1956.n
As with many new residents of Perth in the 1950’s, Father Henry arrived by boat in Perth on 5 December 1956 onboard the Otranto. He became an Australian citizen nine years later in 1974.
Fr Henry served in the Parishes of Maylands, Kalgoorlie, Shenton Park, South Perth, Claremont, Beverley, Lynwood, and Scarborough and retired from full-time parish life in March 2001.
A few months after his retirement, Father Henry became a helper to Father Ken Keating at Our Lady of Grace North Beach and celebrated his 50th Anniversary of priesthood at this parish in June 2006.
The University of Notre Dame Fremantle is hosting a free public lecture by Dr Jürgen
entitled The Catholic Enlightenment in Britain and Ireland and the beginnings of the Roman Catholic Church in Australia. IMAGE: SOURCED.
Fr Henry Byrne at the anniversary of the Lynwood Langford Parish in 2018. PHOTO: SUPPLIED.
REVITALISING CATHOLIC YOUTH MINISTRY IN PERTH: A FIVE-YEAR MANDATE FOR CHANGE
By Joseph Younes
Shortly after he was elected to the See of Peter in March 2013, Pope Francis Tweeted: “Dear young people, do not bury your talents, the gifts that God has given you! Do not be afraid to dream of great things!”
In that spirit and in a bid to increase the involvement of Catholic youth in the life of the Church, the Archdiocese of Perth with Catholic Youth Ministry Perth embarked on a review process to look at the key challenges facing Catholic youth in Perth.
This review, which concluded in April 2023, also shone a light on the limited participation in the Church of young people. The outcome of that review was a mandate from Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, Archbishop of Perth that came into effect in May 2023 and is set to shape the ministry's efforts for the next five years.
The review process identified five primary areas for improvement in
Catholic youth engagement: Faith Formation Programme: This initiative aims to grow and develop the faith of Catholic youth, providing them with the tools and knowledge they need to strengthen their relationship with God.
Online Platform for Faith Formation: Recognising the importance of technology in today's world, the ministry plans to launch an online platform that hosts faith formation programs. This digital approach will make resources more accessible to young people.
Awards Scheme: To recognise the dedication and exceptional efforts of volunteers, the ministry will introduce an awards scheme. This will encourage more young individuals to actively participate in the Church's activities.
Catholic Youth Council: The establishment of a Catholic Youth Council will provide a platform for young people to guide the mission and work of Catholic Youth Ministry. This inclusion ensures that their voices are heard and valued. Youth Hubs: The creation of 'youth
hubs' that will provide a place for young people to belong, connecting parishes, schools, tertiary institutions, and our church agencies together, to foster a sense of community and collaboration among young Catholics across the parishes. These hubs will serve as centres of activity and support for the youth.
Catholic Youth Ministry Director Adam Phillips expressed his enthusiasm for the new mandate.
"We have an exciting new mandate of where we want to go and what we want to achieve in the next five years. It's not an easy thing to do and it's a big undertaking," Mr Phillips said.
One of the key factors highlighted during the review was the need to provide a place for young people to belong in our Church.
"Working with our Church culture is key to ensuring the success of this mandate. Ensuring that we all have the same vision, which is to bring people closer to Christ."
In the spirit of Pope Francis and in a bid to increase the involvement of Catholic youth in the life of the Church, the Archdiocese of Perth with Catholic Youth Ministry Perth embarked on a review process to look at the key challenges facing Catholic youth in Perth. PHOTO: ARCHDIOCESE OF PERTH/MICHELLE TAN.
HUNDREDS HONOUR ST JOHN BOSCO DURING RELICS TOUR
By Jamie O'Brien
The centenary of the arrival of the Salesians in Australia was celebrated by hundreds of Perth Catholics venerating the relics of St John Bosco. Touring the parishes of Kelmscott, St Mary’s Cathedral, Fremantle and Banksia Grove from 15 to 20 September, the relics were encased within an intricately designed glass casket as a wax replica of the saint's body.
Speaking during his homily for the 11am Mass Sunday 17 September, Archbishop Costelloe explained the Salesians first came here to Western Australia in response to a request from the Holy See to establish a mission for young people in the Kimberley.
“They landed in Fremantle, were
welcomed by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and very soon after made their way to the North-west.
“Expecting to find large numbers of indigenous young people with no one to care for them, these first Salesians was surprised to discover that the Pallotine Fathers were already there and doing a very fine job.
“After a few rather tense years, the Salesians decided to withdraw, and were ready to return to their home countries in Europe when Archbishop Mannix, the Archbishop of Melbourne at that time, invited them to establish a presence in his Archdiocese,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
Joining Archbishop Costelloe for the 11am Mass, Sunday 17 September, was Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton, Cathedral Dean, Rev Dr Sean Fernandez, St Charles
Seminary Rector, Fr Francis Nguyen, Msgr Michael Keating and Salesian Provincial for Australia and Oceania, Fr William Matthews SBD, who hails from Perth, but is now based in Melbourne.
It is very characteristic of our Catholic tradition that we honour the saints, look to their lives and witness for inspiration and example, and rely on their prayers in times of need and distress, Archbishop Costelloe highlighted.
“Each canonised saint brings something special to the Church. Their lives shed light on a particular dimension of the great mystery of Christ and remind us of some aspect of our faith which we might otherwise neglect,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
It is very characteristic of our Catholic tradition that we honour the saints, look to their lives and witness for inspiration and example, and rely on their prayers in times of need and distress, Archbishop Costelloe highlighted. PHOTO: MICHELLE TAN/ARCHDIOCESE OF PERTH.
Thursday 5 October, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As I write this letter to you, the members of the Synod on Synodality are coming to the end of our three-day retreat. We are staying in a beautiful Retreat Centre about an hour out of Rome. This evening we will all return to Rome in preparation for the formal opening of the Synodal Assembly on 4 October, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, which will take place at a Mass in Saint Peter’s Square, presided over by Pope Francis.
Before departing from Rome for the retreat, the members of the Synod joined many thousands of people in Saint Peter’s Square for an Ecumenical Prayer Vigil on Saturday evening. This prayer vigil was coordinated by the brothers and sisters of Taizé in collaboration with Sister Nathalie Becquart XMCJ, who is one of the undersecretaries of the Secretariat for the Synod. A number of leaders of other Christian Churches and communities, including Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, joined Pope Francis in a genuine and moving expression of the unity we share through our common baptism.
In many ways the central focus of the vigil was the role and importance of young people in the Church. Through music, drama, prayer and preaching, and through times of precious silence, the voice of the young was heard by everyone present. In this way, their hopes and dreams for their lives, and for the Church they love, will be carried in the hearts of the Synod members as the Synod unfolds over the coming weeks.
On the Friday evening, the day before the Prayer Vigil, I was privileged to be able to take part in a meeting of young people from all around the world who had gathered to pray together, to listen to each other, and especially to give voice to their own yearnings for the Church to become, more and more, a true reflection of the face of Christ in their own lives, and in the life of the world, or worlds, they inhabit. It is important that
all of us as the Church, the community of the disciples of Christ, listen carefully, and with open hearts and minds, to these voices, for it is they who in God’s providence are receiving the gift of the Church, and the gift of faith, from the rest of us.
The journey of the retreat for the members of the Synod has been guided in a very particular way by Father Timothy Radcliffe OP. He has spoken with characteristic English gentleness, but also with the boldness of a son of St Dominic. He has helped us to understand how important this Synod is for the universal Church as it seeks to renew itself in the light of the gospel. He has reminded us of the words of Jesus - do not be afraid - and invited us to remember the promise of Jesus that He would send His Spirit upon the Church, the Spirit who will lead us all together into the fullness of the truth.
In a sense, we in Australia have a head start in terms of what the Synod is trying to achieve. From a practical point of view, the Australian members of the Synod are already familiar with the structures and processes which we will engage in over the coming weeks, for they are very similar to those of our own Plenary Council. We are familiar, too, with most of the issues and themes for discernment for they, too, have been part of our Plenary Council journey. We have much to offer the worldwide Church because of this experience but, of course, we also have so much to learn. At our Plenary Council we spoke out of our Australian experience. At the Synod we are being invited to open ourselves to the ways in which the Spirit is at work in other cultures and societies. They are different to ours, but no less capable of hearing the voice of God, calling to them in the reality of their own time and place.
This time of retreat has been a moment of grace for us all because it has reminded us that we are engaged in an adventure which can only succeed if it is grounded in deep prayer, careful reflection, open listening and discussion, and deep respect for each other, including those whose experience and whose hopes for the Church may be different to ours.
Please continue to pray for all the members of the Synod that we may all learn how to step aside in order to make room for the Spirit who must be at the heart of everything we do. To paraphrase the famous words of St John the Baptist in speaking of Christ, we might also say, in speaking of his Spirit, “He must grow greater and we must grow smaller”.
I promise I will remember you all in prayer at the tomb of Saint Peter.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
+Archbishop Tim Costelloe SDB DD Archbishop of Perth