In Sydney met up and coming movie director whose movie Bella won top prize at the Toronto Flm Festival.
EDUARDO done it all. He’s experienced the highs of being in a successful boy band, Kairos star in his homeland of Mexico, where he was born in a small vil lage.
He had it all – fame, fortune, money, women – yet at 28 he felt empty. Some deep, probing questions from someone close to him forced him to look deep inside himself to answer the ultimate question: Do you love God?
Today, Eduardo is a changed man. In only his second visit to Australia for his first World Youth Day, Eduardo spoke to The Record after watching his close friend Christopher West address over 3000 youth from around the globe on Pope Benedict XVI and Theology of the Body.
West spoke about the lies that society bombards young people with, lies about what they’re worth and what they need to do to attain true happiness.
He told The Record his own conversion story:
“I was like any typical Catholic, baptised early, thinking that I was doing enough by just being a good person. I don’t kill anybody, I don’t steal. I’m doing my best.
“My father wanted me to be a lawyer so I went to law school for two years but wasn’t passionate about it, so I pursued my dreams by joining a Mexican boy band –Kairos – and went on soap operas.
“If you want to be an actor in Mexico you don’t have so many options, you only do soap operasor soap operas. So after two years of that I moved to Miami, the ‘capital of Latin America’ – and released my first album in Spanish aged 27.
“I soon moved to Los Angeles and met the vice president of 20th Century Fox on a plane who wanted me to do an audition, but I didn’t know English beyond words like ‘chicken’…
“But it’s what Christopher West was talking about – the lies. I was chasing lies that society teaches, that if you’re not successful and make money you’re a failure.
EDITOR
Peter Rosengren cathrec@iinet.net.au
JOURNALISTS
Anthony Barich abarich@therecord.com.au
Mark Reidy reidyrec@iinet.net.au
Sylvia Defendi cathrec@iinet.net.au
You’re compromising your values as you want to be successful.
“I was like the greyhound that chases a rabbit - once it catches it, the dog bleeds, it hurts and it suffers, and realises he was chasing a lie, so he doesn’t chase the rabbit anymore.
“After years of chasing lies I realised I was empty and unhappy; I realised that the reasons why I wanted to be an actor and singer were superficial – everything was success, fame, money, women, pleasure – all these lies.
“My English teacher in Los Angeles, Jasmine, was a devout Catholic. She asked me ‘how are you using your talents? What kind of projects do you want to do; why do you want to be an actor? Who’s guiding your life? Do you realise your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?’
“It was six months of teaching me English and questions; and one day she said ‘do you really love God? Why are you offending Him? If you believe in the 10 Commandments then you believe that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and you love Him and you believe in the Church and the Bible then why are you offending God?’
“And that was it. She left, and I realised I was poisoning society with the projects I was doing as an actor. It hurt me that I was hurting other people, my family and myself. But what broke my heart was when I realised that I was offending God with the talent that He gave me.
“So I started crying like a little baby. I went on my knees and asked God to forgive me. He not only forgave me but He changed my heart and made me a new man. I made a promise to Him that I would
ADMINISTRATION
never work again in any project that would offend my faith, my family or my Latino culture.
“I saw a priest, gave my confession, went to Mass every day and prayed the Rosary every day. At the time I was completely lost, I was using women as objects. I realised that I had three younger sisters and I have to be a role model to them, and somebody asked me if I ever wanted to be a father, and what kind of person would I like my daughter to marry?
“I described a saint – a man that would sacrifice for her, give his life for her, treat her with respect, be faithful to her, and once I finished these descriptions of who I’d want to marry my daughter, I was asked, ‘are you that man?’
“I said ‘no’, and it touched me because it’s following the golden rule – don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want done to you. I made a promise to God that I would never touch a girl again until I marry her.
“That’s why I started my own production company, and when I made that decision my agents called me and said ‘you’re never going to work again’. But I made a promise to God, and if that means it ends my career, so be it.
“We’re not called to be successful, we’re called to be faithful to God. If, by the grace of God, success comes, praise be to God, but we can never compromise our faith to attain what the world considers success.
“I realised then that I wasn’t born to be a movie star or a businessman, I was born to know, to love and to serve Jesus Christ. We are called to be saints, the rest doesn’t matter.
“So I was free for the first time in
Bibiana Kwaramba administration@therecord.com.au
ACCOUNTS
Cathy Baguley recaccounts@iinet.net.au
PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING
Justine Stevens production@therecord.com.au
587 Newcastle St, Leederville PO Box 75, Leederville, WA 6902
Tel: (08) 9227 7080Fax: (08) 9227 7087
my life. It was no longer about my career, not about what I want but what God wants me to do.
“Sometimes our own personal dreams can be our own worst enemies.
“So I opened the production company with my friends, called Metanoia (the Greek word for ‘conversion’) Films because as an actor I can’t control the message. This way I can make films not only for entertainment but elevating human dig nity, to have the potential to convert hearts and heal and respect their dignity and elevate their intellect towards what is beautiful, good and true.
Bella when they’d previously considered having an abortion. More than 20 babies have been saved –and that’s the ones we know about. Only God knows how many more.
“So it’s amazing, when you say ‘yes’ to God and trust Him, what He can do to you.
“As for World Youth Day, we’re always on a journey, we’re called to know and love God, and every day is new wisdom that comes from God.
“I’ve met Pope Benedict XVI a couple of times, and I’m a big fan. It’s been great so far and I’m looking forward to keep receiving the graces that we’re getting here in Sydney with this wonderful, historic event.
“I was just thinking the other day, that only the Catholic Church can do this, to draw hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world to come and see the Vicar of Christ, the successor of Peter. I’m so overwhelmed, I don’t even have words to describe it.
“Everybody has made a sacrifice to be here with the Holy Father. “What a journey.”
“The first fruit of that commitment and my promise was Bella, which by the grace of God, won an award at the Toronto Film Festival. I’ve never worked with something so special, unique and beautiful that has changed the lives of many people.
“I receive emails and letters from people that shared with me how it changed their lives, but decided to keep their babies after watching
����������
ACTS 2 COLLEGE OF MISSION & EVANGELISATION
Presents Fr Ken Barker, mgl. 8-10 August
Fr. Ken Barker is the Moderator of the Missionaries of God’s Love, and the author of the books Becoming Fire, A Radical Way of Love, and Young Men Rise Up.
Fri 8 Aug: Women’s reflection. 10 am-2.30pm, St Bernadette’s, Glendalough. Creche available.
Sat 9 Aug: Men’s reflection afternoon. 1-4.30pm, 67 Howe St, Osborne Park
Sun 10 Aug: 11-30 am Meeting of MGL Spiritual Association
3pm Charismatic Mass
5pm WA Launch of Fr Ken’s book Young Men Rise Up ALL WELCOME TO ALL EVENTS
Semester 2 at Acts 2 College commences Monday 4 August. Sixteen week courses in scripture, church history, youth ministry, pastoral care, leadership and evangelisation skills. Day/night available
WWW acts2come.wa.edu.au
67 Howe Street, Osborne Park
Enquiries Jane: 9202 6859/0401692690
ALFIO Stuto knows he can’t take away the sins of the world as Christ did on the cross, but he was able to at least offer up his own suffering for those who are going through worse.
As the actor who portrayed Jesus in the reverent re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross through the streets of Sydney as part of World Youth Day on July 18, Alfio revealed to The Record that it wasn’t all fake. Due to the distances between some of the Stations played out at key locations around Sydney, pilgrims couldn’t watch all of it, yet the actors who played the Roman guards dragged “Jesus” through the streets of Sydney, forcing him to carry a massive cross all the way.
Alfio admitted the next day that as he was strung upside down by his feet from steel columns for the Scourging at the Pillar, he was genuinely scared. The actors weren’t aggressive, but it was real enough for the actor to at least get an inkling of the suffering Jesus endured 2000 years ago.
“Physically, the dragging and the scourging bit, I felt pretty vulnerable being strung upside down,” said Alfio, who works in the advertising industry as his day job. “The actors created that sense of vulnerability.
“It became real. It seemed like they really wanted to hurt me and I became scared, for real.”
Though he ended up with a few scratches and bruises on his legs and arms, he took it all in his stride, and offered it up for those suffering in the world.
In this way, the whole performance was a prayer.
Did it hurt? “A little,” he said, “but it’s not even a speck on what Jesus went through, so…(God), if you think it’s right, give me more pain.”
Both Alfio and Sydney beauty therapist Marina Dixon, who played Mary, prepared for the role with prayer and sacrifice, knowing that the performance would be a “sacred” act – the ultimate acting. Alfio said he prepared by quieting himself, which helped keep him focused.
“I tried to think of the world and where it’s at today, get a deep understanding of the suffering and poverty going on and use that as the drive and feel the pain of what’s happening,” Alfio said.
“Physically I tried to keep fit, running a lot, as there are internal benefits; it keeps you mentally alert.”
He also prepared by listening to Gospel and religious music, which assisted reflection and meditation.
Both actors stayed away from popular portrayals of Christ and Mary, such as those by Jim Caviezel and Maia Morgenstern’s in The
Passion of the Christ. Marina also meditated on the Gospel in her preparation.
“I lost myself in it. I tried not to watch any movies as I didn’t want to mimic them, I wanted it to be pure and honest,” she said.
“I wanted my performance to show how much I love God. We are showing the embodiment of our faith.”
As the Passion is a love story between Jesus and His mother, Alfio drew on those things that affected him personally, reflecting on his own mother.
“I had to dig deep – everyone suffers in life, so I thought about what suffering I had gone through and used that as a drive and I tried to offer it all up to the Lord.”
The experience brought them both closer to God, as the whole performance was, for them, a prayer.
“I’ve found another dimension to my faith,” Alfio said, “and hopefully through this role, we can become messengers and share something in the ‘post-production’, of our emotions and faith.”
Marina said the experience has taught her to “rest in God, and to surrender – that’s a big thing; and to just trust that the Spirit of the Lord will have His way, no matter how weak we are”.
“I’ve found a real intimacy; I’ve definitely come closer to God. My emotions have been so intense, my voice has changed, the intensity of the last few months has affected me physically.”
Marina said the casting agents first considered the depth of their faith then their acting skills, and the result has been the overwhelming feeling of knowing they have personally touched people, as many who witnessed their performance were in tears.
“It doesn’t get better than this,” Alfio said, “to serve God and to touch so many people’s hearts. That’s why I’m on such a high: watching so many people be affected.”
Marina spoke of her awareness at WYD08 of a deep hunger of young people to know and love God more, “and that’s so beautiful to see”.
“Seek intimacy with God through prayer; see the bigger picture, the body of Christ as a whole. And live the faith, don’t let it just be a Sunday event. Live it daily in everything you are to glorify God.”
She sensed at WYD “a real joy – everyone’s just been connecting and happy. There could be divisions (between Catholics), but there hasn’t been”.
Marina says she will never be the same after World Youth Day, and especially after being a part of the Stations of the Cross so intimately. “Even today I feel a bit melancholy.”
■ By Sylvia Defendi, who was also there
NOT everyone can draw a crowd of 5000 and leave another 200 outside begging security to be let in.
Yet for Christopher West who wooed youth at the forum on July 17 at Sydney’s Entertainment Centre this was just standard operating procedure.
West spoke to WYD pilgrims on Pope Benedict’s teachings on Erotic and Divine Love, following a muchanticipated forum on Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body the previous day.
In his own words, West just scratched the surface of some of the major themes expressed in the Pontiff’s first Encyclical – God is Love – and left crowds spellbound.
West began his speech to pilgrims by defining Agape – God’s love for the Church and Eros – sexual love between husband and wife.
“Our religion is all about the body,” West continued, “the word
made flesh: ‘eat my flesh, drink my blood’ – Our God took on a human body to redeem our bodies,” he said.
Contrary to contemporary world views West challenged youth to stop viewing human beings as merely a spirit trapped in a body.
“The counterfeit world wants you to think the person is something other than the body. But we don’t have a body – we are a body,” he said, adding that it is when the body is viewed as something other than part of the human being that it becomes easy to use, abuse and distort the body.
Returning to Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical, West demonstrated to youth that it is in the erotic union of husband and wife that a married couple mirror Agape, or God’s love for the Church.
“This Pope is telling us that God’s love for us is not only Agape but also Eros. We are told to keep God out of the bedroom, but God’s Agape love comes to us in a bodily way, in a human way,” West explained, adding that only the body is capable of revealing our spiritual self.
Back again: Christopher West’s talks on the Theology of the Body at WYD attracted enormous crowds - as many as 5000. The development in Church teaching is still news to many, including some priests who see it as only an ‘obsession’ and complain if Catholic publications report it ‘too much.’ PHOTO: ANTHONY BARICH
audience. Much like Truman, West said that the search for truth was painful and that instead of giving in to ‘numbing agents’ such as sex and alcohol, the youth of today had to learn that pain was instructive.
“Have the courage to take the numbing agents out of your life and that pain will let you find the truth,” he said adding that one of the biggest numbing agents in contemporary culture was noise.
“When it is quiet we can hear God speak to us. We need the courage and openness to let God in and the silence to hear what he is telling
While West’s speech to youth primarily focused on the vocation to married life, he also explained to youth the similarity between married life and the vows taken as a consecrated religious.
Concluding his speech West told the story of a Carmelite nun who, after speaking at a conference on the Eros and Agape of God’s love for humanity, was confronted by an agnostic.
West challenged youth to question everything and used the popular 90s film The Truman Show to illustrate the difficulties faced in contemporary society.
“Truman is a ‘true man’ searching
for the truth in a counterfeit world like many of us. Yet when the creator of the ‘Truman Show,’ is asked why it is taking Truman so long to discover his world is completely fake, Christoff answers: ‘We accept
Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver urged youth not to be afraid to live the faith publicly.■ By Anthony Barich
LIVING a double life as a Catholic who goes to Mass but does not witness one’s faith publicly is doomed to fail, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, Colorado told over 1000 young people in an Irish
Pub in Parramatta on July 16. The Archbishop said that going to Mass on Sundays but then being unwilling to share one’s faith in public with friends and family or others is contrary to living as a true disciple of Christ, and likened it to “living in a vegetative state”.
“Jesus wants all of us, and not just on Sundays,” he said.
“We need to take Christ at His word. We need to love Him like our lives depend on it. Right now. And without excuses.”
The Archbishop was addressing Theology on Tap at PJ Gallagher’s
the reality of the world which we are given, it’s a simple as that,” he said.
“If we question everything with a sincere heart we are on the path to the Eucharist, but first we need to face our fears,” West told the
“He told her she was sick, and said ‘what you really want is sex but you disguise it with all this love of God.’
She refused and replied ‘what the world really wants is union with God but it keeps disguising it with all this sex.”
Irish Pub in inner Sydney as part of World Youth Day, and was greet ed with enthusiastic war cries like “Viva Il Papa” and “Benedetto” from the youth who filled the pub that is a half-hour train ride from the central business district.
He said loving and believing in Christ and trusting His Church is every Christian’s mission in life.
“We can’t live a half-way Christianity,” he said.
“Every double life will inevitably self-destruct. Being a Christian is who you are - period. And being a Christian means your life has a mission. It means striving every day to become more like Jesus in your thoughts and actions.”
Archbishop Chaput first inspired 20-year-old University of Notre Dame Australia law and theol ogy student Patrick Langrell to start Theology on Tap in August last year when he heard the prelate address a similar forum in a pub on Denver’s diocesan website.
Speaking on the theme “Mission Possible: this double-life will selfdestruct”, the prelate said that knowing what the Church teaches and what Christ wants everyone to know for the salvation of all will equip young people with the means to share its teachings.
The Archbishop said that Jesus’s message to the man who told him he wants to be a disciple but first wanted to bury his father, “leave the dead to bury the dead; follow me and proclaim the kingdom of God” is a stark and disturbing reminder.
“There can be no more urgent priority in our lives than following Christ and proclaiming His kingdom,” Archbishop Chaput said.
He called on youth to discover how God wants them to follow
Christ by talking to God “humbly in prayer” and by getting to know Christ better through daily reading and praying over the Gospels. He also told the youth to open themselves to the graces Christ gives in the Sacraments.
“It’s not about choosing what you want to do with your life,” he said. “It’s about discovering how God wants to use your life to spread the good news of His love and His kingdom.”
The Archbishop called on the youth to preach the Gospel with their lives “no matter where you are or whatever you find yourself doing – going to school, working, making a home”.
Quoting St John of the Cross, the Archbishop said: “Where there is
no love, put love and you will draw love”, in order to bring about a kingdom of love.
He told the young people not to get angry at human weakness and sin in the Church; but to love the Church as their mother and teacher.
“Help build her up, to purify her life and work,” he said.
Theology on Tap has previously been addressed by Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, three Dominican Sisters from Nashville, Tennessee assisting with WYD08 preparations and UNDA Sydney vice-chancellor Hayden Ramsay.
Held once a month at PJ Gallagher’s Irish Pub, Theology on Tap regularly draws over 600 young people.
Increasingly sophisticated resources are available for teachers and principals to address Schoolies Week.
■ By Anthony BarichCATHOLIC teachers around Australia whose graduating Year 12 students are being bombarded by state government magazines telling them that compromising is the name of the game when it comes to sex can take heart.
Australian Catholic educators Choicez Media, based in Canberra, are trumping the mediocrity of morality-by-bureacracy with their own resource for Year 12s, The Road Ahead.
Fifteen thousand copies have already been ordered by concerned Catholic schools and principals.
Recognising that ‘Schoolies Week’ is a major issue for young people, Choicez wants young Catholics to know that it doesn’t have to all end in tears.
In The Road Ahead, Choicez communicates a Catholic approach to relationships and sexual decision-making based on the theology of the body and which allows schools to engage with and discuss core issues in advance of the endof-year frivolities.
The Road Ahead was first launched in 2007, but this year Choicez has expanded it to include a new section on drugs and alcohol from a Catholic viewpoint – and it’s not what many may think.
The recent success of World Youth Day was in the fact that 400,000 flocked to see an 81-yearold pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI, tell young people the truth about God and humanity, without compromise - but told with love.
Using testimonies from young people, Choicez uses the approach of Benedict XVI’s predecessor John
It’s the last place you would expect to find competition in education, but Sweden seems to be leading the richer countries in a new type of school choice. In the early 1990s, Sweden, a byword for cradle-to-grave welfare, had a monolithic public school system. Then in 1992 a centre-right government that briefly replaced the Social Democrats began offering public funding to private enterprise groups with the freedom to choose their own teaching methods and staff, and manage their own buildings. By running schools more efficiently the private companies make
Paul II, who spoke and wrote at length on the dignity of the human person.
The 2008 edition of The Road Ahead features a major design overhaul and includes key content designed to help young people reflect in advance upon the key issues they will navigate at the end of the year.
It explodes crucial myths that lead young people to believe they only have one choice when it comes to sex, including the one that says most young people have ‘done it’ by the time they reach Year 12.
a profit from the bulk funding they receive. They are not allowed to charge tuition fees.
Despite misgivings and criticism the new schools have flourished, accounting now for 17 per cent of high school students and nine per cent of primary schoolchildren. They remain completely government financed, but some, at least, are managing to increase their profits. At the Vittra chain of 27 schools owned by Bure Equity (listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange) children of different ages share classrooms and have individual curriculums designed for their needs and skills.
Andrew Coulson, an education expert at the Cato Institute in the US, says the system needs to be more flexible about how money
It addresses head-on the contentious idea of saving sex for marriage, the myth that “the Church is against sex”, and introduces John Paul II’s Theology of the Body in a ‘non-queasy’ way – basically that that making love is the fulfillment of marriage vows.
It all starts, Choicez says, with the truth of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which says: “Love is the fundamental and natural vocation of every human being.”
Once this is understood, teachings on love and sex are no longer ‘restrictive’ but actually liberating.
can be spent, students recruited and curriculums chosen. “It’s not a very market-like program. But since it’s the best thing around in the rich world, it’s definitely worth watching,” he said. Britain’s Conservative party is among those keeping an eye on it.
Some Swedes say the private system drains funds from public education, but officials say independent schools have forced public schools to raise their own standards and improve efficiency. One public school has increased its roll fivefold as a result. Importantly, parents have a greater say in all schools now. Even the Swedish Teachers’ Union has accepted private ownership of schools and officially has no opinion about which is better.
- Washington Post, July 26
“The final weeks of Year 12 may well be the last significant opportunity for a Catholic ethos of human sexuality and relationships to be offered to our young people at a time when they may most need to hear it,” Choicez co-founder Jonathan Doyle said in a letter to Australian Catholic Education Office directors.
“We were created to love others and use things. But in our society today, we’ve turned that around… we love things and use people.”
Catholic schools and parents can order The Road Ahead by contacting info@choicez.com.au or 02 6273 4608.
The stand out super fund for all Australian Catholics and those who share our values
When you think about it, most top-performing super funds look the same.
Until, of course, you raise the issue of trust. Ask yourself this important and very telling question. How many support and uphold the same values as you?
That’s where one super fund stands alone.
A dedicated fund for Catholics with over 25 years’ experience, CSRF manages $3.5 billion in retirement savings, is a not for profit super fund with low fees and has a no Commissions paid policy.
Find out how good management and good people can make a great deal of difference to your quality of life in retirement.
Visit www.catholicsuper.com.au or call 1300 658 776 today.
Stick with other Catholics to change the world, Pope tells pilgrims.
By Anthony Barich,
who was there
A SEA of candles covered Randwick Racecourse on July 19 as over 235,000 World Youth Day pil grims listened to Pope Benedict XVI’s message on the importance of unity.
Pilgrims began arriving before noon at Randwick on Saturday in Sydney. After only a few hours, barely a blade of grass could be seen as pilgrims stood, knelt, sat and lay on their sleeping bags, blankets and pillows.
As the pilgrims waited for the Pope’s scheduled 7pm arrival they contemplated, among other things, his daily World Youth Day text message.
The Holy Father arrived at the venue a little ahead of the appointed hour and the vigil began with the racecourse in darkness, gradually illuminated by torches borne by dancers on the podium.
The World Youth Day cross and flag were positioned on the stage in anticipation of the arrival of Benedict XVI, who entered accompanied by 12 pilgrims while the assembly sang the hymn “Our Lady of the Southern Cross.”
An indigenous woman lit the candles carried by the 12 pilgrims, who in their turn lit those of the
assembly and of the bishops. Seven young people then invoked the Holy Spirit through the intercession of the patrons of World Youth Day.
Pilgrims too far from the stage viewed proceedings on the 35 video screens around the Southern Cross Precinct that includes Randwick Racecourse and Centennial Park. The latter was not used for the vigil, but was filled for Sunday’s closing Mass.
Benedict XVI spoke to the youth on how to become witnesses, and spoke of the importance of such a task as “you are already well aware that our Christian witness is offered to a world which in many ways is fragile.”
Unity, the Pope said, is the key to changing the world.
“Unity and reconciliation cannot be achieved through our efforts alone,” he said.
“God has made us for one another and only in God and his Church can we find the unity we seek.”
The Pontiff, who has previously spoken at length about the “dictatorship of relativism,” warned the pilgrims that relativism could hinder their capacity for good, achieved through unity.
“By its nature, relativism fails to see the whole picture. It ignores the very principles which enable us to live and flourish in unity, order and harmony,” he said. “Unity is the essence of the Church; it is a gift we must recognise and cherish.”
Benedict encouraged the young to nurture unity and “resist any temptation to walk away, for it is precisely the comprehensiveness, the vast vision of our faith - solid yet open, consistent yet dynamic, true yet constantly growing in insight – that we can offer our world.”
He asked: “Is it not because of your faith that friends in difficulty or seeking meaning in their lives have turned to you?”
Having concluded his remarks, 24 catechumens were presented to the Holy Father, who were to receive the sacrament of confirmation from the Pope at the closing Mass the following day on Sunday.
Once the Pope departed, the pilgrims recited an international Rosary.
Adoration tents were constantly full all night as youth continued to keep the vigil for the closing Mass with the Holy Father.
Four tents were set up around Randwick, run by the Missionaries of Charity, the Emmanuel Community, the Schoenstatt movement, which has a Shrine at Armadale in WA, and the apostolic movement Youth 2000. Those not
praying or going to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation huddled in their blankets and foldout tents before sleeping out in anticipation of the final event the next morning. Despite temperatures dipping to 10 degrees, the pilgrims weren’t complaining.
Rellie Irung, 20, from Papua New Guinea said she was so eager to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit that the cold didn’t bother her.
“We don’t mind being cold, because we’re happy to receive the Holy Spirit,” Irung said. “It’s very special for us to come together with so many from around the world to share our faith; but most importantly, we are here to meet the Pope and receive his message, so we can be witnesses when we go back home to our own country.”
Sydneysiders Audrey Echevarria, Ellen McFarlane and Daniel Little, all 23, said they spent their time listening to stories of struggle from young Catholics from around the globe. “The fact that so many people have sacrificed so much and travelled so far has really amazed us,” McFarlane said.
“It’s important for young Australians that we have a sense of unity in our faith.”
“We’ve been taught it all our lives, but now we have a clearer idea of what the universal nature of the Catholic faith is, and now it has solidified our own faith,” said Little.
“There is a fair amount of hostility to Christianity in Australia, especially in Sydney, but knowing that not everyone dislikes Catholicism gives us courage to be able to speak about our faith in public,” Echevarria said.
“Being a Catholic takes a lot of courage,” she added, “it means you need to make a choice yourself about how you want to live your life, and this event helps us do that.”
Sacred Heart Primary School, Thornlie, is a co-educational doublestream school with a current enrolment of 563 students from PreKindergarten to Year 7 with an established and inclusive Special Education Centre. The school was founded by the Loreto Sisters in 1965.
The school and its staff have a strong focus on school improvement using the IDEAS framework and work hard to meet the needs of the school community. Sacred Heart is licensed and operates a purposebuilt Child Care Centre for before, during and after school, as well as vacation care. The school is a thriving, multicultural community with specialist teachers in Information Communication Technology, Art, Music and Movement, Physical Education, LOTE (Japanese), Educational Support and Library. There is an extensive network of K-7 education assistants, a school psychologist and nurse, all working to meet the diverse needs of the school community.
The School Board and Parents and Friends’ Association work closely with the Principal to continue building a strong community spirit. The parish and school enjoy a close, harmonious and effective relationship.
The successful applicant will be expected to take up this position at the commencement of 2009.
Applicants need to be practising Catholics and experienced educators committed to the objectives and ethos of Catholic education. They will have the requisite theological, educational, pastoral and administrative competencies, together with an appropriate four-year minimum tertiary qualification, and will have completed Accreditation for Leadership of the Religious Education Area or its equivalent. A current WACOT registration number must also be included.
The official application form, referee assessment forms and instructions can be accessed on the Catholic Education Office website www.ceo.wa.edu.au. Enquiries regarding the position should be directed to Helen Brennan, Consultant, Workforce Relations & Development Team on (08) 6380 5237 or email wrd@ceo.wa.edu.au. All applications, on the official form, should reach The Director, Catholic Education, Catholic Education Office of WA, PO Box 198, Leederville 6903 no later than 13 August 2008.
Pope prays closing Mass will be new Pentecost; urges youth to open hearts to Spirit’s power.
Pope Benedict XVI prayed that the final Mass of World Youth Day would be like the experience of the Upper Room, and that the young people present would go forth from it to proclaim the Risen Christ.
With this prayer, the Pope concluded his homily at the Mass that drew to a close the 23rd World Youth Day.
The Pontiff got a sense of the size of the crowd when he flew over Randwick Racecourse in a helicopter earlier in the day - some 225,000 of the congregation slept under the stars on Saturday night after a vigil with the Holy Father.
Before the Mass, Benedict XVI greeted a part of the crowd from the popemobile.
Under the bright Sydney sun, Benedict XVI told the youth: “May the fire of God’s love descend to fill your hearts, unite you ever more fully to the Lord and his Church, and send you forth, a new generation of apostles, to bring the world to Christ!”
The Holy Father explained to the youth what the power of the Holy Spirit is: “It is the power of God’s life! It is the power of the same Spirit who hovered over the waters at the dawn of creation and who, in the fullness of time, raised Jesus from the dead. It is the power which points us, and our world, towards the coming of the Kingdom of God.”
Benedict XVI referred to the Gospel of Luke read at the Mass, where Jesus proclaims that a new age has begun, in which the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all humanity.
“Here in Australia, ... all of us have had an unforgettable experience of the Spirit’s presence and power in the beauty of nature,” the Pope said.
“Here too, in this great assembly of young Christians from all over the world, we have had a vivid experience of the Spirit’s presence and power in the life of the Church.
“We have seen the Church for what she truly is: the Body of Christ, a living community of love, embracing people of every race, nation and tongue, of every time and place, in the unity born of our faith in the Risen Lord. The power of the Spirit never ceases to fill the Church with life!”
“Yet this power,” the Holy Father continued, “the grace of the Spirit, is not something we can merit or
achieve, but only receive as pure gift. God’s love can only unleash its power when it is allowed to change us from within. We have to let it break through the hard crust of our indifference, our spiritual weariness, our blind conformity to the spirit of this age.
“Only then can we let it ignite our imagination and shape our deepest desires. That is why prayer is so important: daily prayer, private prayer in the quiet of our hearts and before the Blessed Sacrament, and liturgical prayer in the heart of the Church.
“Prayer is pure receptivity to God’s grace, love in action, communion with the Spirit who dwells within us, leading us, through Jesus, in the Church, to our heavenly Father.”
With solemnity, the Pontiff then said to the youth, “Let me now ask you a question.”
He asked: “What will you leave to the next generation? Are you building your lives on firm foundations, building something that will endure?
“Are you living your lives in a way that opens up space for the Spirit in the midst of a world that wants to forget God, or even rejects him in the name of a falsely-conceived freedom? How are you using the gifts you have been given, the ‘power’ which the Holy Spirit is even now prepared to release within you?
“What legacy will you leave to young people yet to come? What difference will you make?”
“Empowered by the Spirit, and drawing upon faith’s rich vision, a new generation of Christians is being called to help build a world in which God’s gift of life is welcomed, respected and cherished - not rejected, feared as a threat and destroyed,” the Bishop of Rome affirmed.
“A new age in which love is not greedy or self-seeking, but pure, faithful and genuinely free, open to others, respectful of their dignity, seeking their good, radiating joy and beauty.
“A new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness, apathy and self-absorption which deaden our souls and poison our relationships.”
“Dear young friends,” he urged, “the Lord is asking you to be prophets of this new age, messengers of his love, drawing people to the Father and building a future of hope for all humanity.”
The world and the Church need this renewal, Benedict XVI affirmed.
“The Church especially needs the gifts of young people, all young peo ple,” he said. “She needs to grow in the power of the Spirit who even now gives joy to your youth and inspires you to serve the Lord with gladness.
“Open your hearts to that power! I address this plea in a special way to those of you whom the Lord is calling to the priesthood and the consecrated life.
“Do not be afraid to say ‘yes’ to Jesus, to find your joy in doing his will, giving yourself completely to the pursuit of holiness, and using all your talents in the service of others!”
The Pope concluded asking for Mary’s prayer: “Through the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, may this 23rd World Youth Day be experienced as a new Upper Room, from which all of us, burning with the fire and love of the Holy Spirit, go forth to proclaim the Risen Christ and to draw every heart to him! Amen.”
Analysis - Pages 8&9
“Are you living your lives in a way that opens up space for the Spirit in the midst of a world that wants to forget God, or even rejects him in the name of a falselyconceived freedom? How are you using the gifts you have been given, the “power” which the Holy Spirit is even now prepared to release within you? What legacy will you leave to young people yet to come? What difference will you make?”
- Homily at closing Mass, Randwick
WORLD Youth Day 2008 in Sydney was a triumph for the Catholic Church and its 81-year-old head, Pope Benedict XVI. About 400,000 people attended a final Mass on Sunday July 20, briefly making the pilgrims’ destination bigger than the nation’s capital, Canberra.
By some baffled journalists it was described as a ‘Catholic Woodstock’ – the 1969 orgy of drugs and sex and rock ‘n roll which became an iconic moment for baby-boomers.
But 40 years later, the world has moved in an unexpected direction. WYD, the biggest youth event in history, is an anti-Woodstock, a repudiation of the materialism and secularism of the baby-boomers.
After years of being booed off-
stage, the curtains have again opened and God is being greeted with tumultuous applause.
As a young woman commentating the event on TV said, with unabashed confidence, it usen’t to be “trendy” to be a Catholic in Sydney, but now “it’s become cool again”. No wonder the news that Madrid will host WYD 2011 was greeted with such jubilation.
The response of young people was stunning. About 125,000 pilgrims made their way from across the world, despite increased air fares and the immense distance which isolates Europe and the Americas from Australia.
After months of scrimping and saving many from overseas would have spent 20 to 30 hours in the air to reach Sydney.
And despite negative reports in the media and lukewarm support from many Catholic schools, they
were joined by another 100,000 Australian pilgrims.
On the last day, when Benedict celebrated a Mass at Randwick Race Course, thousands more joined them.
The Vatican and Sydney’s Cardinal George Pell had planned this event as a catechesis, a teachable moment, a festival of Catholic culture, teaching and prayer.
For pilgrims who came early, dioceses around the country organised talks on controversial topics like Catholic views on sexuality, bioethics, faith and reason.
During the week immediately before there were addresses from Catholic bishops from around the globe.
In fact, one of the striking features of Sydney’s World Youth Day was how naturally Gen Y slotted into traditional aspects of Catholic devotion and doctrine which the
Woodstock generation spurned as fossilised relics of the pre-Vatican II era. Not so.
“...Some carried huge banners saying, “We love our German Shepherd.”
During the days leading up to the climactic Mass, young people were queuing up for the Catholic sacrament of Reconciliation, or Confession, and to spend time in prayer in churches before the Eucharist.
Thousands walked 9 kilometres to Randwick across Sydney’s Harbour Bridge – closed to traffic for only the third time in its history – often singing hymns or praying the Rosary if they were not kicking a football or skylarking.
Some carried huge banners saying,
“We love our German Shepherd”.
A Saturday evening vigil was followed by a vast slumber party on the site where Mass was to be celebrated the next day. Confessions continued throughout the night and even at three in the morning, a tent with the Blessed Sacrament exposed was full of young people praying.
And even the most churlish journalists had to admit that the pilgrims were cheerful, high-spirited and ordinary, not the scowling killjoy zealots some had expected.
A group calling itself the No to Pope Coalition – a collection of drag queens, homosexuals, atheists and (believe it or not) lesbian Raelians – showered passing pilgrims with condoms as they streamed over the Harbour Bridge. But the stunt provoked only laughter and pained perplexity.
“They’ve all got their own opinions,” remarked an 18-year-old New
Zealand girl. “We’ve got our own beliefs and we’re not going to change it because of them.”
Pope Benedict clearly enjoyed the celebration. Nowadays he responds more spontaneously to the enthusiasm and affection of crowds. But although he received a pop star’s welcome, he had come as Pope “to the end of the world” determined to reenergise the Church in Australia and to urge young people to commit themselves to God.
The intriguing thing about Benedict is that a man of his age, shy, modest and uncharismatic, convinces by virtue of his perceptiveness and rigour and clarity.
His addresses at World Youth Day were pitched at a high level.
They were intellectual, without rhetorical flourishes, and went straight to the heart of the conflict between religion and secular culture.
Four messages stood out. Speaking
to all Australians, the Pope lamented that “In so many of our societies, side by side with material prosperity, a spiritual desert is spreading: an interior emptiness, an unnamed fear, a quiet sense of despair” (homily at final Mass).
He constantly attributed this to the scourge of relativism, the belief that there is no truth.
“Freedom and tolerance are so often separated from truth,” he said.
“This is fuelled by the notion, widely held today, that there are no absolute truths to guide our lives. Relativism, by indiscriminately giving value to practically everything, has made ‘experience’ all-important. Yet, experiences, detached from any consideration of what is good or true, can lead, not to genuine freedom, but to moral or intellectual confusion, to a lowering of standards, to a loss of self-respect, and
even to despair” (Address at the Festival of Welcome by the Youth at Barangaroo in Sydney).
To all believers, the Pope brought encouragement to continue to fight to keep religion in the public square.
In one of his most interesting addresses, to representatives of the non-Christian religions, he countered the assertion that religion and violence are inextricably mixed.
A yearning for the transcendent leads people to realise that fulfilment does not consist in selfishness.
“Rather, it leads us to meet the needs of others and to search for concrete ways to contribute to the common good. Religions have a special role in this regard, for they teach people that authentic service requires sacrifice and self-discipline, which in turn must be cultivated through self-denial, temperance and
a moderate use of the world’s goods. In this way, men and women are led to regard the environment as a marvel to be pondered and respected rather than a commodity for mere consumption. It is incumbent upon religious people to demonstrate that it is possible to find joy in living simply and modestly, generously sharing one’s surplus with those suffering from want.”
To Catholics, the Pope emphasised unity. His address to the evening vigil was a stunning overview of the theology of unity.
Although it may have gone over the head of many of the sleepy pilgrims waving candles in the darkness, he gave a masterful sketch of Augustine’s struggle to grasp the meaning of the Trinity, the central doctrine of Christianity. And he used this to make a pointed appeal for unity within the Church itself.
A KEY objective of the Nursing students in Broome is to provide strong support for the process of reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. The campus provides a supportive environment and offers an opportunity for non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal people to live together and to learn about Aboriginal health, history and culture. Nursing students on the Broome campus represented Notre Dame when they visited the Yungngora Community, 60km south west of the remote town of Fitzroy Crossing on Nookanbah Station to participate in a Careers Awareness Festival.
The Broome Campus VET courses currently have students enrolled from communities across the Kimberley. Many of the students recognised family members in the graduation photographs on display and it is hoped some of the students who participated in the festival will one day follow in their relatives’ footsteps and study at Notre Dame.
The cornerstone of the Bachelor of Nursing degree at Notre Dame is a commitment to equip students with the skills and confidence to work in a variety of health care settings upon graduation.
This is facilitated by intensive practicum experiences totaling 39 weeks throughout the degree, which is substantially more than other nursing courses.
The practical component provides students with valuable industry experience and an opportunity to build networks that can
Young get thrill of their lives to meet the man himselfand be inspired
lead to employment in the future. For more information on our Nursing course either in Fremantle or on the Broome campus please come along to our Open Day on August 17 (see full schedule on back page) and learn more about Notre Dame.
The University of Notre Dame’s Sydney Campus became a vast centre of activity for World Youth Day 2008.
A LARGE group of Sisters of Life and Knights of Columbus from the USA hosted ‘The Love and Life’ event at the Broadway site at the University of Notre Dame in Sydney.
The Sisters of Life are a religious community based in New York City. Their mission is the protection and enhancement of human life. They are internationally admired for their work on life, family and marriage.
During WYD week thousands of pilgrims from all over the world were visiting Notre Dame. The University became a catechetical, spiritual and Youth Fest centre. The Sisters of Life organised workshops, a street party concert and an outdoor Festival of Life. On the first morning hundreds of international
visitors joined the Sisters and the Knights of Columbus for a big ‘Aussie BBQ’. Pilgrims were joined by WYD08 ambassadors Jared Crouch of the Sydney Swans and the Delezio family for the big cook-up.
In the afternoon a huge concert was held, with the popular American Christian rock group, the Matt Maher Band. Sister Mary Elizabeth from the Sisters of Life said all of the Sisters were extremely happy to be collaborating with the University.
“We are so happy that Notre Dame provided the ideal venue to welcome pilgrims from around the world to the WYD Love and Life Site. “Large numbers of youth are joining us on campus each day for numerous events.
“There was catechesis in the morning, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, talks by internationally acclaimed speakers on God’s plan for life and love, and a festival of life in the courtyard including concerts, talks, food
Pope urges youth to be ambassadors to troubled peers.
BENEDICT XVI urged a group of youth in a rehabilitation centre to be ambassadors of hope and to help other troubled youth to choose the path of life.
The Pope met a group of disadvantaged youth in Sydney on July 18. The young people are members of the rehabilitation community of the University of Notre Dame.
The meeting took place directly following the re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross, an event of the World Youth Day celebrations in the city.
The Holy Father was greeted by the chancellor of the university, who accompanied him to the Sacred Heart chapel. There the Pontiff met young people with histories of drug addiction and other problems, who are following the “Alive” rehabilitation program.
The name of the rehabilitation program was the central focus of Benedict XVI’s remarks. He recalled Moses’ words in the Old Testament: “I set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live in the love of the Lord your God, [...] for in this your life consists.”
“It was clear what they had to do,” the Pope explained, “they had to turn away from other gods and worship the true God who had revealed himself to Moses - and they had to obey his commandments. You might think that in today’s world, people are unlikely to start worshipping other gods.
“But sometimes people worship ‘other gods’ without realising it. False ‘gods’ [...] are nearly always associated with the worship of three things: material possessions, possessive love, or power.”
“Material possessions, in themselves, are good,” continued the Holy Father. “We would not survive for long without money, clothing and shelter. [...] Yet if we are greedy, if we refuse to share what we have with the hungry and the poor, then we make our possessions into a false god.
“How many voices in our materialist society tell us that happiness is to be found by acquiring as many possessions and luxuries as we can! But this is to make possessions into a false god. Instead of bringing life, they bring death.”
“Authentic love is obviously something good,” he said. “When we love, we become most fully ourselves, most fully human. But [...] people often think they are being loving when actually they are being possessive or manipulative.
“People sometimes treat others as objects to satisfy their own needs. [...] How easy it is to be deceived by the many voices in our society that advocate a permissive approach to sexuality, without regard for modesty, self-respect or the moral values that bring quality to human relationships!” Benedict XVI continued: “The power God has given us to shape the world around us is obviously something good. Used properly and responsibly, it enables us to transform people’s lives.
“Yet how tempting it can be to grasp at power for its own sake, to seek to dominate others or to exploit the natural environment for selfish purposes.
“The cult of material possessions, the cult of possessive love and the cult of power often lead people to attempt to ‘play God’: To try to seize total control, with no regard for the wisdom or the commandments that God has made known to us. This is the path that leads towards death.
“By contrast, worship of the one true God means recognising in him the source of all goodness, [...] that is the way to choose life.”
The Pope then referred to the personal life stories of many members of the community, who made “choices that led you down a path which, however attractive it appeared at the time, only led you deeper into misery and abandonment.”
And he acknowledged their “courage in choosing to turn back onto the path of life.”
“Dear friends,” the Pontiff said, “I see you as ambassadors of hope to others in similar situations. You can convince them of the need to choose the path of life and shun the path of death, because you speak from experience.
“All through the Gospels, it was those who had taken wrong turnings who were particularly loved by Jesus, because once they recognised their mistake, they were all the more open to his healing message.”
“It was those who were willing to rebuild their lives who were most ready to listen to Jesus and become his disciples,” he said.
“You can follow in their footsteps, you too can grow particularly close to Jesus because you have chosen to turn back toward Him.”
At World Youth Day in Sydney Pope Benedict and bishop after bishop made it clear that pilgrims must make time in their life for prayer; if not, the fruits of their amazing experience would be wasted. In this edition of discovery the CFL explores the concept of family prayer by looking at the experiences of a number of Perth families.
Workshops for parents help reestablish priorities for sake of all in the family.
Dr Carmel Suart with her husband and three children has spent a large part of her life facilitating parish workshops for families to help bridge the gap between “life in the world” and “life in
With a background in teaching, Carmel became a Religious Education Coordinator in a Catholic School and then joined the Catechist Service Team moving onto a focus in Family Catechesis.
Recognising parents as the first educators, Carmel’s workshops enable parents to see how everyday life of the family can be opportunities for faith-filled experiences.
Dr Suart can be contacted at the Catholic Education Office on 6380 5338. ■
Andrea Marinucci, a parent of two children at St Denis’ School in Joondanna, attended one of Dr Carmel Suart’s ‘Teachable Faith Moments’ workshops.
Andrea said: “Dr Stuart gave examples of ways to use everyday events to teach our children that faith and Jesus are integral to our lives.
“What I personally enjoyed was that not
Too often as Christians we separate our lives into “our life in the world” and “going to church”. So family life gets included “in the world” or maybe is seen as “disconnected from our life in Christ”.
Indigenous Australians can provide us with some insights to challenge this demarcation.
Spirituality for Indigenous Australians takes many forms.
Theresa Walley, mother of seven children, grandmother of 20 and great grandmother of twelve was born in Kellerberrin. She shares her story. “For most indigenous people, religious beliefs come from a sense
only did Dr Stuart affirm that, as parents and teachers, we were already applying many of these practices, but that I also got ideas to assist me in supporting my son in developing his faith in preparation for receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation later this year.
“Through the sharing of our stories, parents and teachers also took away many ideas for finding God in our daily lives.
“For example, my family now shares a prayer of thanksgiving at the end of each day as a bedtime prayer ritual, which my two young boys enthusiastically look forward to, and they always remind my husband and I that we need to say these prayers each night.
At the end of the session we all came away
of belonging - to the land, to the sea, to other people and to our culture.
“Our people, before the white man came, were already a very spiritual people. We are connected to land and creation through the Great Spirit. There is a Good Great and a great evil spirit... And Satan is the great evil one. We know we are born from Mother Earth and return to Mother Earth.
“It is like we read in the Bible, we come from dust and return to dust. Father Ocean brings the rain to water the earth and make things grow.
“The spirits of those who have passed over go to the ocean and are all around us waiting to welcome us when it comes our turn”.
She said, “That helps to explain why the first white people received no opposition because we thought that they were our loved
feeling confident that we were on the right track, and now have many ideas for developing more faith moments into our family’s lives”.
ones returning to us from Father Ocean.
Theresa said “For indigenous people, our lives are spiritual. It is natural for indigenous people to pray as a family in times of need and crisis and I have seen many miracles.
“When my grandson was very sick in hospital all the family came and we prayed for six days. “On the seventh day, the doctor came and said that my grandson would live. People brought food and we went to Kings Park to celebrate”.
Theresa sees her role as mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, daughter, sister and auntie, to look after and care about all the family. That is her expression of prayer.
She wants all family members to be welcomed into the next life. If a person does not choose the good, they will have no one to welcome them. Theresa attends St Vincent Church in Parmelia. ■
The Christian family IS a church. Within the family we have our unique rituals and patterns of behaviour. To the untrained eye, it can look rather “hectic” but in this raw material of eating, dressing, going to bed, preparing meals, homework, cleaning, the gap between everyday life and our spiritual life can become one and be lived out in its humanness and ordinariness and become transformed. This is a reality, this is the daily “stuff” of Christian Marriage and Family life. Four families share how their family expresses their church life
John and Francoise Cummins have seven children, but apart from being generous to life they have also remained focused on family prayer.
Francoise said “I come from a big family of 11 children and I can always recall us kneeling down at night for family prayer.
“It is a memory that has stayed with me and has a deep impact on me. I remember that we used to giggle sometimes but I can say our family has been blessed.
“It has helped me in the way we have brought up our own family of seven children.
“John and I have been married
for 28 years. We love praying and believe in the power of prayer.
“In our lounge we have an altar
with images of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart, a crucifix and other holy pictures that lead
us easily to turn to prayer when we need to. “We have the sayings that a “fam-
ily that prays together stays together” and also “a world at prayer is a world at peace”.
In the morning, I always light two candles; one to Jesus and one to Mary.
It was easier to say prayers together when the children were younger, but we still say prayers, especially those who can, Dominic and Stephen, who are still at school.
When we say the Rosary even the dog comes and joins us.
We thank God for the new day and all the good things He has in store for us, we unite ourselves to Him.
As a mother I place each one of my children under Mary’s mantle of protection.
All of us wear a Miraculous Medal as a token of love and need for protection. Our home has been blessed by a priest more than once and St Anthony is one of our dear friends.
When I look for something I have lost I have learnt not to stress (to the best of my ability) but to light a candle to St Anthony and there in no time I can remember finding whatever I was looking for.
Last month we heading off as a family to World Youth Day.
I consider it such a privilege and prayed that WYD would be truly an enriching experience binding us together more and making us true evangelists.
We, Tony and Anna Pullella and our six children, are members of the Disciples of Jesus Covenant Community.
The prayer life in our family is constantly changing depending on our activities and states of mind.
However, we always strive to make God the centre of our family and the best way to achieve this is through family prayer.
Every morning at 8am we pray a rosary, which takes us 15-20 minutes.
We give thanks to the Lord before every meal.
In the evenings we reflect on our day, thank God for everything, and ask for the Lord’s guidance and blessing for the following day.
Individually we all attend one hour a week
of Eucharistic adoration, go to confession regularly and have personal prayer time.
The blessings we have received through our endeavour to pray as a family are bountiful, but the most precious is our faith has grown immensely and the love we share for each other as a family has grown because we not only pray with each other but we also pray for each other.
My name is Stephen Burns. I am married to my beau tiful wife Catherine, and we have five awesome children aged 4 to 12.
The eldest is a boy, then we have three girls; the youngest is a boy.
Finding prayer time can be dif ficult so we found the best way we can successfully have a good prayer time as a family is to try and have routine in some way.
I feel quite convinced that as the head of the household I need to lead by example.
Fortunately at the Holy Spirit Church in City Beach they have Mass at 6.45am daily so I attend each day.
I have many intentions but my main purpose is to represent my whole family asking for God’s Blessings on each one of us.
Each day my wife or myself will pray with the kids in the car on the way to school depending on who is driving on a given day.
At dinner time we hold hands and pray “The Bless us Oh Lord Prayer”, a “Hail Mary” and as there
If it’s important, schedule it into your life.
We (Mark and Jacqui) have five chil dren. Two girls Amanda, aged 10 and Sarah, 7 and three boys: Luke, 6, John, 4 and Peter, 15 months.
We also home school. Family prayer time is sometimes smooth; sometimes not so smooth. This is how we pray currently:
Firstly I have found unless we schedule family prayer into our day, it will just not happen.
For this reason we have a set time at 9am each morning and a time in the evening before bed (which is not a set time – it’s just one of those things we do after pyjamas and before bed).
At 9am on Mondays and Thursdays we go to Mass.
On Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday’s we settle in front of the altar in the lounge room to say a simple morning offering and our version of the Rosary.
I say “our version” because it includes 3 Hail Mary’s for each decade instead of 10.
My aim is to gradually build up to 10 but the ages of the little ones make only three possible at this stage.
Mass on Mondays and Thursdays again really requires humility from me.
The three eldest are excellent as far as behaviour goes, but my four year old and 15 month old keep me on my toes.
A wise priest said to me once, after I had to confess inappropriate anger toward my fouryear-old and total inattention in Mass: “If it’s out of your control perhaps it is something you can offer for the Holy Souls.”
We aim to teach our children to sit still and be attentive when needed at home and hopefully this will eventually move into the same behaviour in Mass.
Either way, I am certain of the Mass being the best possible prayer.
Mark leads the evening prayer when Peter,
Priority: Apart from the weekend, the Rataczaks above, go to Mass as a family on Mondays and Thursdays. What
the youngest, is in bed and everyone else is ready for bed.
If time is short (which it usually is) it con sists of one Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, a short time of thanksgiving and then each child in turn asks two Saints to “pray for us”. They particularly enjoy this part.
Dad also reads a short bible story from our children’s bible.
The eldest at this time takes herself off to read her own book, my aim is to have her read for a time from her own bible but this has not happened yet.
I have set my mobile phone alarm to go off at 12noon and 3pm at which times we stop what we’re doing and say together the Angelus and a short prayer from the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
This does not happen every day and if we are shopping I say a quiet prayer in my head.
I say this with the children who are around at the time – usually at least three out of the five. I have found that my devotion to my personal, quiet prayer affects how/if/when we pray as a family.
In my experience the more devoted and consistent I am with my own prayer, the more ‘successful’ family prayer seems to be.
I am sure all this will change as the children get older, but for now, this seems to work (some days better than others) for our
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
and sing a few songs, which the children love.
We usually pray one “Our Father”, one “Hail Mary”, one “Glory Be”, one “Oh My Jesus”, a “Saint Joseph”, and then we all get a chance to individually verbalise our own intentions.
After we all have said some individual prayers we pray the “Saint Philomena prayer for the Holy Souls”, “The Angel of God” prayer, and the “Saint Michael” prayer.
If we don’t get a chance to do this as a family because there is so much going on at night, my wife or I will go down to the children’s room and pray the above prayers with them whilst they are lying in bed and we always make a point to place our hands on the children and pray the “Holy Spirit” into their lives.
This is the goal that we strive for, but not always fill perfectly, but we always make a point of every day spending some time with the children praying to God.
The children are all keen for prayer time, and all of us would feel the day was not complete without a prayer time.
The National Child Development Study has tracked around 17,000 people born in Britain during one week in 1958 over the course of their lives. As those people approach their 50th birthdays, researchers have compared their lives with those of other sample groups born in earlier and later years.
The study has confirmed that children born in 1958 were much less likely to experience parental divorce than children today. But it also showed that people born in 1970 were just as affected by divorce as those in the earlier group, who would be more affected by social stigma.
The children of divorced parents in both groups were equally likely to lack qualifications, be receiving a welfare benefit and suffer from depression.
“The estimates across cohorts are surprisingly similar in magnitude and not significantly different from one another,” say the researchers, adding that divorce “has repercussions that reverberate throughout childhood and into adulthood.”
Their report says: “Children from disrupted families tend to do less well in school and subsequent careers than their peers. They are also more likely to experience the break-up of their own partnerships.”
- Telegraph (UK), July 9
Medically and scientifically accurate
As effective as the oral contraceptive pill
For more information call 9223 1396
e-mail: admin.nfs@aanet.com.au or visit www.acnfp.com.au
breastfeeding, menopause, coming off the pill
An initiative from parents in one parish is a blast for children.
Ahuge BLAST rocked the parish of Willetton recently.
Young people in the parish have been creating their own ‘shock waves’ - singing, dancing and praising God.
The ‘BLAST’ that hit them is a new parish program - Believe, Love And Share Christ - which gives “tweens”, young people aged 10-15 a chance to worship and discover their faith in a fun and exciting way, and among friends who share the same Christian values and beliefs.
BLAST, an initiative of the newlyformed group, Families in Christ, was launched at the first Parish Ministry Fair of John Paul Church, Willetton, in June.
The group is spearheaded by three parent couples concerned about the negative influences and
“treacherous” social environment in which our impressionable young live. Through BLAST, the group hopes to impart Catholic-
Christian values to young people, provide them with a social network of friends who share these values and viewpoints and support them
in making Christ-centred choices and decisions. Families in Christ’s mission “”to bring CatholicChristian values back to the Catholic family” has obviously struck a chord with young people and parents alike as its first two BLAST sessions have really taken off - attracting more than 50 youngsters from the parish and beyond.
The high-energy sessions feature games, interactive talks and discussions and Praise and Worship during which the youngsters, sing and dance up a storm.
This is what some of the youngsters have to say about BLAST:
Joshua said, “It’s a very fun program. I can’t wait for the next one.”
Matthew, 15: “It’s fun and interactive. And I also get the opportunity to make new friends from the church.”
Cassandra, 13: There are funny songs, food and good friends so there isn’t too much pressure on us to be perfect.”
The enthusiasm of the youngsters has even inspired their Youth Facilitator, Tiff, who leads some of the activities.
“It’s very encouraging to see so many kids praising God,” she said. One parent, Basil, has nothing but praise for BLAST.
“I like the idea. Bringing the kids together to have fun, share their faith and discover other kids who share the same faith, beliefs and values is great.”
Families in Christ plans to build up an “extended family” network in the larger parish community.
Family Day and a Family in Service project will encourage participation by families of young people.
In the longer term, it hopes to launch a full Family Ministry with projects that include faith renewal programs for parents and family Praise and Worship.
Interested in BLAST?
Contact the Willetton Parish on (08) 9332 5992 for further information.
Continued from Pages 8 & 9
“Unfortunately the temptation to ‘go it alone’ persists. Some today portray their local community as somehow separate from the so-called institutional Church, by speaking of the former as flexible and open to the Spirit and the latter as rigid and devoid of the Spirit.
“Unity is of the essence of the Church; it is a gift we must recognise and cherish. Tonight, let us pray for the resolve to nurture unity: contribute to it! resist any temptation to walk away! For it is precisely the comprehensiveness, the vast vision, of our faith – solid yet open, consistent yet dynamic, true yet constantly growing in insight – that we can offer our world.”
And to young people, over and
over again, he emphasised their responsibility to pass on their faith to others.
“What will you leave to the next generation?” he asked in his homily in the closing Mass.
“Are you building your lives on firm foundations, building something that will endure? Are you living your lives in a way that opens up space for the Spirit in the midst of a world that wants to forget God, or even rejects him in the name of a falsely-conceived freedom? How are you using the gifts you have been given, the “power” which the Holy Spirit is even now prepared to release within you? What legacy will you leave to young people yet to come? What difference will you make?”
He called upon them to be
prophets of a new society: “a new age in which love is not greedy or self-seeking, but pure, faithful and genuinely free, open to others, respectful of their dignity, seeking their good, radiating joy and beauty.
A new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness, apathy and self-absorption which deaden our souls and poison our relationships.”
The task of rebuilding the Catholic Church, in Australia as elsewhere, is an enormous challenge.
Almost overshadowing the exuberant welcome given to the Pope in the local media were protests by victims of clergy sex abuse.
It is claimed that more than 100 Catholic clergy have been jailed for
this in recent years.
There were insistent calls for an apology – and the Pope apologised (Mass with the Bishops, Seminarians and Young Religious of Australia, Sydney): “These misdeeds, which constitute so grave a betrayal of trust, deserve unequivocal condemnation.
“They have caused great pain and have damaged the Church’s witness... Victims should receive compassion and care, and those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice”.
Before leaving Australia he also met with four victims and celebrated Mass with them.
Despite the shadows, Benedict’s rapturous reception in Sydney shows that Christianity is far from dead, or even dormant.
Flags from dozens of countries were waving in the stiff breeze which blew up as World Youth Day drew to a close. Amongst them was the red star of the People’s Republic of China.
Even there, in an officially Communist regime, the Pope has enthusiasts.
Over the past five years a bitter secularism has sought to push religion into a closet. Books by proselytising atheists have captured the imagination of the media.
Now, after a week of joyful, unashamed religious sentiment Down Under, everyone knows that there is a viable alternative. God is back in the game.
Michael Cook writes from Melbourne and is the editor of Mercatornet.com, an online magazine focusing on human dignity.
By Shaunti Feldhahn and Lisa A Rice
■ Reviewed by Mark Reidy
THIS is not just another parenting book, but more of a fascinating journey into the mind of your child, or more specifically, your teenager. The authors, both mothers of adolescents, collected and delved into the insights of over 1200 young people in an attempt to discover the differences between what parents think is happening in their children’s minds and what is actually going on.
This compact easy to read book is for any parent who has ever scratched their head in wonderment at why their child can suddenly be transformed from a well behaved individual into a surly and abusive teenager who questions their values and is too embarrassed to be seen with them.
It is also for those who may not witness such observable rebellion, but are still confused by aspects of their child’s behaviours or attitudes. As one reviewer stated, it is for any parent who wants to get a unique peek into
the hopes, fears, desires and challenges that face the next generation.
Feldhahn and Rice claim that the reason behind their endeavour lies in an ancient Hebrew Proverb; “Happy the generation where the great listen to the small, for it follows that in such a generation the small will listen to the great”. They believe that once parents’ eyes are opened to how their children are wired, they will become better equipped to understand them and subsequently to enjoy time with them.
With an abundance of information and personal experience provided by teenagers, combined with the observations of numerous professionals, the authors take the reader on a tour of, “the strange and wonderful world of ‘teendom’”.
We discover why the pursuit of freedom and independence is like cocaine to teenagers and how it is usually more influential than parents, peers and media.
They explain why it is important for parents to understand that this pursuit is neces-
sary and healthy, rather than personal rejection. They illustrate why statements such as, “That punishment is unfair” in actual fact means, “I wish I understood the reasons for those rules”, and “You don’t understand me” can be interpreted as, “I’m changing and don’t understand myself – and it’s scary!”
Both Feldhahn and Rice expressed amazement at the realisation that so much parent/ child conflict could be avoided or handled more constructively if parents only knew how their child was thinking.
With their new-found wisdom they provide the reader with numerous ways on how to understand and embrace their role as a parent and come out the other end with their sanity intact and a well adjusted responsible young adult by their side.
Parents will learn how to listen, respond, or more often, not respond, and how to build trust during these volatile years. This book may well be the key that will open the door a teenager has just slammed in your face.
Available from The Record
In its mother’s womb, a tiny baby grows, explores the waters and talks with the angel who is there. These gentle illustrations and wise words tell the story of that baby and the angel in the waters... a story that’s sure to delight all young children, because the journey from conception to birth is their story, too.
$11.95+postage
Breakthrough! was created by young Catholics for young people like you, leaving childhood and entering adolescence. Its ten special features were created to help make the Bible easier to read and understand. You will learn about the great people of the Bible. You will see how God has been breaking through in human history and connecting with humanity for thousands of years. Most important, you will discover in the Bible God’s message for your life today.
$35.95 + postage
Understanding and Living the Feminie Genius
By Christopher West“What is the nature of woman? What is the “feminine genius” that Pope John Paul II spoke about in his revolutionary Theology of the Body? In an inspirational talk, Christopher West, a leading expert in delivering the Pope’s message to the world, answers these profound questions and many more.
2 CD SET $13.95 + postage
Sweetly written and solidly argued, this book brings clarity to the challenges faced by some Christian couples. The Torodes are a modern-day couple who have found a way out of the challenges into the real delight and integrity marriage can offer. Their story is worth the read.
This book asks the thought-provoking and challenging questions, “What kind of husband will your son grow up to be?” and “Can you raise him to one day love, lead and protect a wife and family in today’s world?”
The author is adamant that the answer is “Yes”. The heartbeat of this book is to give readers the tools to help their boys become godly husbands who will faithfully love their wives, and leaders who will be men of their word.
$25.95 + postage
– a spirtual and practical approach
By Anna MelchiorMothering is an awesome, taxing and incredibly rewarding job. In this book, Anna Melchior seeks to help mothers in their hugely important role by providing spiritual insight drawn from her Christian faith, and practical advice. The reader will find here a radical role of mothering. The authors show how mothers can imbue their everyday tasks with meaning and purpose, demonstrates that mothering supports society, and urges society to support mothers in their mothering.
Says well-known author on raising boys Steve Biddulph: “Anna Melchior’s solid and profound book rewards the... reader with a depth and wisdom that gives mothering its real place.”
$24.95 + postage
The Sacrament of Reconciliation
By Jeannine Timko LeichnerThrough fun activities such as, fill the missing words, colouring, puzzles, codes and more, children will learn profound truths about God’s infinite mercy and love, the effects of sin, what it means to say sorry, forgiveness and the joy of Reconciliation. It includes a Parent/Catechist Guide, which is consistent with the Catechism of the Catholic Church and provides an overview of each section. It is the top choice of religious educators in the USA.
$12.95 + postage
The admission process at Notre Dame is personal. Every application is considered on an individual basis. Prospective students apply directly to the University for admission. Notre Dame’s goal is to ensure that every student who gains admission graduate with a degree or diploma. Entry at Notre Dame is based upon:
•Personal qualities and motivation to study
•Academic record
•Contribution to church, school and community life
•Interview
• Be part of the Notre Dame community
•Personalised education environment
•Staff believe in the capacity of each student
•Core units in Ethics, Philosophy and Theology
•Engage with the community through service to those in need
•Practical opportunity to participate in the Christian life
Applications must be made directly to Notre Dame using the Admissions Guide, available from the Admissions Office or Prospective Students Office.
Completed applications can be delivered by mail or in person to:
The Admissions Office
19 Mouat Street (PO Box 1225)
Fremantle, Western Australia 6959
For more information on Admissions please come along to our information evening...
Admissions Information and Courses Expo
Tuesday 2 September 2008, 6.15pm start, Foley Hall.
& Media - Everything is Green (You can go anywhere in Communications)
- Science in Action 1.15pmTour 1.30pm
Session
1.30pm Business Course Information Session
1.30pm Admissions,TEP and Study Abroad Information Session
1.30pm Health & PE,Exercise & Sport Science, Preventive Health,Outdoor Recreation Course Information Session
1.30pmEducation - Using Storytelling to Develop Language
1.30pm Medicine Course Information Session
1.45pmTour
2.00pmNursing - An Art and a Science
2.15pmTour
2.30pm Physiotherapy Course Information Session
2.30pm Education Course Information Session
2.30pmSocial Justice - Could You be a Human Rights Judge?
2.30pm Law Course Information Session
2.45pmTour
4.00pmOPEN DAY concludes
...when selecting a University it was important for me that I found an institution with a friendly environment, where the class sizes were ideal for learning and where I could get hands on experience in my field of study.”
Fremantle Academic Scholarship Student
Bachelor of Arts (Politics and Journalism),Major in Italian
