How it all began and... is the real Santa Claus from Turkey? Pages 8 & 9
Is The Golden Compass the latest attempt to make money out of abusing belief?
● Page 15
Can you design the art for The Record’s front cover for Christmas?
● Page 3
Christians around the world are looking forward to celebrating the feast of Christmas. They do so because they believe that the birth of this child at Bethlehem two thousand years ago marked the beginning of a New Age.
With Him a light came into the world which would never be extinguished. This light would penetrate the darkness of a world of violence and futility and bring it hope, meaning and joy.
This Christmas let us spend some time reflecting on the person of Jesus, who he was, what he did and why millions love him and want to follow Him.
When Jesus was born - no - when he was formed in the womb of his
mother Mary, the divine and the human came together in an entirely new and unrepeatable way. United in the person of Jesus were his divine nature and his human nature, beautifully expressed in the
biblical name “Emmanuel”, or Godwith-us.
This is not the only reason that drew people to him. During his life on earth he gave people hope, he turned their lives around, rescued
■ By Anthony BarichHigh school students who have a passion for making the world a better place but don’t necessarily connect that idea with the Catholic
faith have a unique opportunity to make that link, thanks to the Young Christian Students.
The Perth branch of YCS is hosting two camps that will not only provide students with the chance to make new friends but to grow in
Catholic magazine for families
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Administration Caroline Radelic administration@therecord.com.au
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At Christmas let us remember wth gratitude the coming of Jesus among us and his healing presence in our lives. His presence and his action within us effect mighty changes.
He gives us the power to rise above the daily problems that weigh us down and he restores our hope in the future.
He helps us forgive those who have harmed us and restores our inner peace. Christmas is a time when family hurts can be healed. It is a time for the restoration of love, peace and joy.
There are huge problems today that face young people.
They have to live in the destructive and toxic culture of drugs and a sexual wilderness of impermanent relationships without love.
They face health risks of depression, hopelessness and even suicide as relationships break down and inner loneliness increases.
This is a challenge, not just for our legislators, but for all of us who need to care for one another.
The coming of Christ at Christmas gives us hope that we can
them from the brutal forces that were crushing them and gave them new life. He led them to see that God, his Father, the Living God, was already working in their lives, lifting their burdens and drawing them away from the burden of sin to a life of love. The final gift of Jesus, priceless above all else, was the gift of eternal life, won by his own death and resurrection.
solidarity with other Catholics and learn more about applying their faith their everyday lives. The YCS, run by high school students for students, is hosting a Life Long Leaders Summer Camp that will help students become leaders in
all areas of their life – even if they don’t have the “badge”.
The Lifelong Camp, to be held from January 22-24, 2008 at Eagles Nest in Gidgegannup, started as a Summer camp last year primarily for actual YCS leaders. But Vicky
CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF PERTH PERSONAL ADVOCACY SERVICE
Committedtotheinclusionofpeople with intellectual disabilities GROUP PROGRAM COORDINATOR (0 8)
Personal Advocacy Service provides support for people with intellectual disabilities to enable them to live fully as active members of their local community. The support is enhanced through personal development programs conducted by staff and volunteer advocates.
PAS is seeking a person to coordinate the delivery of the Personal Advocacy program in parishes throughout the archdiocese. Specifically, this person will support the development of volunteer advocates as they respond to the emotional, spiritual and social needs of people with intellectual disabilities.
Responsibilities include:
♦ induction and training of group leaders and voluneer advocates
♦ coordinating the work of group leaders in various parishes
♦ overseeing the implementation of the faith development program
♦ liaising with families, carers and community organisations in the ongoing provision of services to people with intellectual disabilities
The successful applicant will ideally possess:
♦ tertiary qualifications and experience
♦ commitment to the Catholic faith
♦ sound interpersonal and organisational skills
♦ the ability to both take initiative and work in a team
Experience in the areas of primary or secondary teaching, disability support or pastoral ministry would be considered an advantage. This position offers fulfilment and flexibility of hours.
To obtain the full selection criteria and position description, please phone 9275 5388 or email admin@paswa.org.au
Written applications, including a curriculum vitae and names and contact numbers of three referees, should be addressed to: Executive Director, Personal Advocacy Service, PO Box 1261, Morley WA 6943.
Applications close: Wednesday 12 December 2007
Burrows, the 20-year-old coordinator of YCS, says that as Christians we are called to be leaders in every aspect of our lives, “whether we’ve got the badge or title or not”. “We want to bring high school students together to share their faith and learn how they can be leaders in their communities, schools, sporting clubs, whereever they are,” Vicky said. The camp will also focus on various issues that students are often passionate about, like Make Poverty History, and educate them on exactly why these causes are worth fighting for –because they are intricately linked to the mission of the Church.
As the YCS has international reach – like the Church – the camp will awaken in students a sense of solidarity and exactly what it means to be a part of the universal Church. The students will experience all this, while gaining new friendships and return to school knowing they have peers in their own school and elsewhere who can strengthen them in the faith.
From January 21-22, YCS is running a Transition to High School Camp, again to awaken in students a sense of a peer community in which to ask questions about expectations or difficulties that moving into high school involves. This will keep them in contact with a group linked to the Church at a time when it is all too easy to fall away from one’s faith.
For info contact Vicky on 9422 7911 or perth@aycs.org.au.
THE LUCKY WINNERS OF THE ADVENT CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY BOOK WITH THE FIRST FIVE CORRECT ENTRIES ARE:
Deuma Desilva
St Augustine’s Primary School RIVERVALE
Daniel Defendi GLEN FORREST
Analise Arto TUART HILL
Jonathan Salt SCARBOROUGH
Eugene Filatriau WILSON
Perth’s Auxiliary Bishop
Donald Sproxton reflects on the meaning of the season
The signs that Christmas is approaching are increasing each day. City street and shop decorations have been displayed for some weeks now, giving rise to some criticism that the commercialisation of the Christmas Festival means advertising is beginning as early as October.
More and more, I hear people and families saying that they want to recapture the Christian nature of Christmas. Some will even travel away from the cities to smaller quieter centres so that they can celebrate together the Birth of Christ without too many distractions. This indicates to me that the thirst for the spiritual in life cannot be quenched.
This week I received a little publication about a movie to be released in Australia soon. The movie is The Golden Compass based on a children’s book of that name written by Phillip Pullman.
The pamphlet is produced by the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights (USA) and it uncovers some concerning information about the movie as a piece of propaganda
for Pullman’s thought contained in his books.
Phillip Pullman is an avowed atheist who has set himself the mission to destroy the credibility of the Catholic Church and to propagate the “God is dead” rhetoric of the 1960s.
His ideas expressed in The Golden Compass and the other books are the antithesis of those found in
CS Lewis’ Tales of Narnia. In fact, Pullman despises Lewis and wants to destroy Lewis’ “corruption of young minds”.
The Catholic League warns Catholic families about the probable influence of the movie which tones down the strident ideas in the book
The Golden Compass
Having viewed the movie, families will be led to believe the works produced by Pullman are innocent and a new kind of “Harry Potter” phenomenon will be the result.
Vigilance is needed by our parents especially at this time when books may be considered good gifts for children at Christmas.
But let me return to my thought at the beginning. The yearly celebration of Christmas releases within most of us that desire to celebrate our Christian spirituality and faith.
The “God is Dead” doctrine cannot destroy that deep realisation that we are spiritual beings, unique among the created physical beings in our likeness to our Creator.
May the blessings of Christmas be received by you and the members of your families as we celebrate all that is good and true in the love of our Father revealed in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Comment: The Golden CompassPage 15
Book Review - Page 15
Japanese women don’t need a telephone box to aid quick changes - they can disguise themselves as vending machines at the first sign of trouble on the street, thanks to fashion designer Aya Tsukioka. The Tokyo genius demonstrated for the New York Times how a large sheet of cloth printed like a Coca Cola vending machine could be rolled out of a flap in her skirt and held up in front, providing a creative, if rather flimsy, disguise.
Tsukioka says the idea was inspired by Japanese ninja assassins who cloaked themselves in black blankets so they couldn’t be seen at night.
Christmas should only be celebrated in Britain if other religious festivals are marked as well, says one of Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s favourite think tanks - the Institute of Public Policy Research.
An anti-PC campaigner responded: “If they are suggesting that we will be getting more community cohesion if you stop celebrating Christmas in this country then they must be off their politically correct heads.”
London Telegraph
There are many important symbols during Advent. Take a minute to unscramble the words above and match the picture with the correct word.
Without Jesus, we would not have Christmas. Take a minute to write a prayer or letter to Jesus. It can be about anything you choose.
As Christmas approaches, why not try this great recipe for traditional Christmas Cake. Just make sure you get mum or dad to help too.
Ingredients:
285g butter or margarine
285g soft brown sugar
Three tablespoons of black treacle
Grated rind and juice of one lemon and one orange
Five eggs
340g self-raising flour
Half a teaspoon each of cinnamon, grated nutmeg and mixed spice
340g each of sultanas, raisins, chopped dates and currants
115g chopped almonds
145g glace cherries
Method:
You will need a 25cm cake tin. Line the bottom and sides with foil or with grease proof paper and grease it very thoroughly with melted butter.
Beat the butter, sugar, treacle and the lemon and orange juice and peel together until soft and creamy. Beat the eggs and add them. Sieve the flour and the various spices together and add them.
Mix the fruit together and add. Stir very thoroughly. Put into the prepared tin and bake in moderate heat for about 1 and a half hours.
Then take the cake out, cover the top with grease proof paper, and put it back into the oven on a lower heat for a further hour.
Test it with a knife: if the knife comes out more of less clean, the cake is ready. When it is cool, wrap it in foil until it is ready to be iced.
Home-made icing can be made by melting a small amount of butter or margarine and blending it together well with icing sugar and a dash of water for a smooth consistency. With the icing still soft, decorate the cake however you wish (nuts and cherries are a good start), then enjoy on Christmas day!
With Christmas around the corner, there are many events to help young and old get into the spirit of the festive season. See if you can get along to one of these great family events throughout the holidays.
Christmas Carols at Scarborough Beach
Bring a picnic, rug and singing voices to Scarborough for the annual carols. A visit by Father Christmas and fireworks display featured. December 16 beginning at 7pm.
City of Perth Christmas Concerts
The City of Perth is presenting two free Friday night Christmas concerts this year in Forrest Place, city centre, beginning at 6.30pm on December 7 and 14.
RAC Annual Christmas Pageant
Led by the City Of Perth Band, the event will feature approximately 14 bands, 40 floats and wheel sets, multi-cultural groups, clowns, camels, dogs, fairies, dancing
groups and a cast of 2,500. The floats feature over 100,000 lights. Begins at 8.30pm on December 8.
4th Annual Twilight Christmas in the Park
The evening will begin at Victoria Gardens, Royal St, East Perth at 6.30pm on December 13, with some spirited Christmas music courtesy of the Perth Concert Band. Also featuring seasonal jazz standards and special appearances from Santa and the angel of light.
The City of Perth Christmas Live Nativity
Witness a production featuring more than 100 performers faithfully telling the biblical Christmas story.
The 2007 Christmas Nativity combines a wide range of theatrical elements; dance, song, drama, costumes and staging, right down to the use of real sheep, camels and other animals!
Staged over three nights, from December 19 to 21 at Forrest Place, city centre, beginning at 7.30pm.
For more information contact the City of Perth.
Ignatius RSV Holy Bible
This is the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, revised according to the Liturgiam Authenticam 2002. Excellently presented softcover which comes with colour maps of the Biblical world.
$39.95+postage
NRSV Holy Bible
This is the Catholic NRSV (New Revised Standard Edition) translation of the Holy Bible, which features anglicised text, hardback cover and bookmark.
$29.95+postage
RSV Catholic Bible Compact Edition
A beautiful Bible, made of bonded leather, with gold edged pages, and bookmark. Comes with presentation page and gift box. Available in black, burgundy, acorn or timber.
$49.95+postage
Breakthrough! The Bible for Young Catholics
Breakthrough! was created for young Catholics aged 10 to 14 years old, leaving childhood and entering adolescence. Ten special features help make the Bible easier to read and understand. You will learn about the great people of the Bible, see how God broke through into human history and connected with humanity, and, most importantly, discover how God breaks through into your life today!
$34.95+postage
Children’s Illustrated Bible
Usborne Children’s Bible
This highly popular Bible for children aged 8-12 years old, features detailed illustrations and information panels on life and customs in Biblical times, to help young readers understand each book of Scripture in greater detail.
$24.95+postage
Usborne has produced a great Bible for little hands to hold and little eyes to see. With superb colour illustrations and page design and simple, yet eloquent retellings of classic Bible stories, this Bible will captivate little Christians. Features a durable padded hardcover.
$14.95+postage
Contac t Natalie at the Bookshop Contact Natalie at the on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays on (08) 9227 7080 on and on (08) 9227 7080 or via bookshop@therecord.com.au or via
Ignatius RSV Holy Bible
This is the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, revised according to the Liturgiam Authenticam 2002. Excellently presented softcover which comes with colour maps of the Biblical world.
$39.95+postage
NRSV Holy Bible
This is the Catholic NRSV (New Revised Standard Edition) translation of the Holy Bible, which features anglicised text, hardback cover and bookmark.
$29.95+postage
RSV Catholic Bible Compact Edition
A beautiful Bible, made of bonded leather, with gold edged pages, and bookmark. Comes with presentation page and gift box. Available in black, burgundy, acorn or timber.
$49.95+postage
Breakthrough! The Bible for Young Catholics
Breakthrough! was created for young Catholics aged 10 to 14 years old, leaving childhood and entering adolescence. Ten special features help make the Bible easier to read and understand. You will learn about the great people of the Bible, see how God broke through into human history and connected with humanity, and, most importantly, discover how God breaks through into your life today!
$34.95+postage
Children’s Illustrated Bible
Usborne Children’s Bible
This highly popular Bible for children aged 8-12 years old, features detailed illustrations and information panels on life and customs in Biblical times, to help young readers understand each book of Scripture in greater detail.
$24.95+postage
Usborne has produced a great Bible for little hands to hold and little eyes to see. With superb colour illustrations and page design and simple, yet eloquent retellings of classic Bible stories, this Bible will captivate little Christians. Features a durable padded hardcover.
$14.95+postage
Contac t Natalie at the Bookshop Contact Natalie at the on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays on (08) 9227 7080 on and on (08) 9227 7080 or via bookshop@therecord.com.au or via
“Crossing his arms in front of him and looking at this completed manger scene the child began to repeat the story very seriously.”
For such a young boy who had heard the Christmas story only once, he related the happenings accuratelyuntil he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger. Then Misha made up his own ending to the story as he said: “And when Maria had laid the baby in the manger Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no mama and I have no papa, so I don’t have any place to stay. Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn’t because I didn’t have a gift to give him like everybody else did. But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much. I thought about what I could use for a gift. I thought maybe if I kept him warm, that would be a good gift. So I asked Jesus: “If I keep you warm, will that be a good gift?”
This story, which fi rst appeared in The Marist Messenger in 2002, was printed at the time in The Record We think it’s so good that we wanted to put it in discovery.
Christmas began... and how the celebration took shape
“And Jesus told me, “If you keep me warm that will be the best gift anybody gave me.” So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with himfor always.” As little Misha finished his story, his eyes brimmed full of tears that’s splashed down his little cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and sobbed. At last, the little orphan had found someone who would never abandon him nor abuse him, someone who would stay with himfor always.
Around Christmas time, 1994, two young American missionaries found themselves teaching religion to a group of boys and girls who had been abandoned, abused and left in an orphanage in Moscow. Many of the children had never heard of the story of Christmas. So these two young missionaries told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem, and how, finding no room at the inn, they went to a stable where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger. Throughout the story the children and staff sat and listened in amazement. To complete the story, the missionaries gave the children three small pieces of cardboard to make a crude manger. Each child was given a small paper square, cut from yellow napkins. No coloured paper was available in the city. Following instructions, the children tore the paper and carefully laid strips in the manger for straw. Small sqares of flannel, cut from a worn-out nightgown, were used for the baby’s blanket. A doll-like baby was cut from tan-coloured felt which they had brought with them from the US.
the real Santa Claus please stand up?
“All went well until I got to one table where little Misha sathe looked to be about six years old and had finished his project. As I looked at the little boy’s manger I was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger.”
The orphans were busy assembling their mangers as the missionaries walked among them to see if they needed any help. Here, one missionary continues:
“All went well until I got to one table where little Misha sathe looked to be about six years old and had finished his project.
“As I looked at the little boy’s manger I was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger.
“Quickly I called for the translator to ask the boy why there were two bablies int the manger.
WIto Bari in Italy, where his relics remain today. As devotion to him spread the tradition of giving gifts
n that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them. ‘Do not be afraid; for see –I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’ When the angel had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told to them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.
e all know the Christmas story, but how deeply? These short accounts from St Luke’s Gospel are breathtaking in their simplicity and in their grandeur. The first of them, usually called the Annunciation and celebrated on March 25, foretells the birth of Jesus. It shows us just how closely God is involved in the world… and how complete was Mary’s surrender of her life to God. We can all share in the closeness... and follow Mary’s example. The birth of Jesus Foretold I n the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the most high will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her. The second is the actual birth of Jesus, true God and true man. The new-born baby was laid in a manger –a feeding trough –a symbol that Jesus is the food of the world in the Eucharist. When we receive Holy Communion, we receive the same living Jesus born at Bethlehem. It’s hard to ignore, isn’t it! The shepherds were the first to be told about these wonders… and they went out and told everyone who would listen to them. The Church is still doing that job. The Birth of Jesus I n those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was enagaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. The shepherds and the angels
to children on his feast day of December 6, the day it’s believed he died, also spread, particularly in European countries like Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Many miracles are reported to have been performed by him both during his life and after his death, including the raising to life again of murdered children. In his most famous exploit, however, a poor man had three daughters but could not afford a proper dowry for them. This meant that they would remain unmarried and probably, in the absence of any other possible employment, would have to become prostitutes. Hearing of the poor man’s plight, Nicholas decided to help him but being too modest (or too shy) to help the man in public, (or knowing the man was too proud to accept charity), he went to his house under the cover of night and threw three purses filled with gold coins through the window opening onto the man’s floor. One version has him throwing one purse for three consecutive nights. Another has him throw the purses over a period of three years, each time the night before one of the daughters comes “of age”. Invariably the third time the father lies in wait, trying to discover their benefactor. In one version the father confronts the saint, only to have Saint Nicholas say it is not him he should thank, but God alone. In another version, Nicholas learns of the poor man’s plan and drops the third bag down the chimney instead; a variant holds that the daughter had washed her stockings that evening and hung them over the embers to dry, and that the bag of gold fell into the stocking. For his help to the poor, Nicholas is the patron saint of pawnbrokers; the three gold balls traditionally hung outside a pawnshop symbolize the three sacks of gold. People then began to suspect that he was behind a large number of other anonymous gifts to the poor, using the inheritance from his wealthy parents. After he died, people in the region continued to give to the poor anonymously, and such gifts were still often attributed to St Nicholas. One of the mysterious phenomena associated with his relics is called “The Oil of St Nicholas of Myra”, which emanates from the relics. This oily substance –not an entirely unusual phenomenon for saints –is said to have also flowed from his relics even while they were still in Myra, and is highly valued for its medicinal powers. He is revered in the Greek Church and is also hugely popular in Russia. In the sixth century, Emperor Justinian I built a church
sand years from the time of St Nicholas and are still practised today. When he returned he was named the Bishop of Myra. As a Bishop St Nicholas was renowned for his charity and giving to the poor. He is believed to have been imprisoned but not executed when Roman Emperor Diocletian was persecuting the early Church. He is said to have secretly given gold to poor girls for their dowries, which means that they were able to marry. This gave rise to his association with children and the practice of giving gifts in his name at Christmas. In ancient times, dowry was money or property that a bride brings to her husband at marriage to help the newlyweds set up their new home. If a woman came from a poor family it often meant that she could not marry. However, miracles associated with his life and, after his death, prayers seeking his help were so spectacular that he came to be known as ‘St Nicholas the Wonderworker.’ Even after he died, he still didn’t get any rest. In 1087 –some 700 years later –Italian merchants stole his body from Myra and brought him
World Youth Day 2008 is looking for Jesus so we can broadcast him to the world! Oh, and they need a Mary, and a Pontius Pilate....
Acasting call to find Australia’s Jim Caviezel is taking place on the weekend of December 1-3, 2007.
World Youth Day organisers are holding a Casting Call to find actors who can play pivotal roles in the Stations of the Cross performance, an integral component of the World Youth Day week of activities.
Roles include Jesus, Mary, Pontius Pilate, Simon of Cyrene, the Twelve Apostles, Roman Soldiers, religious authorities as well as a crew of extras.
World Youth Day will be the largest event that Australia has hosted, attracting up to 500,000 people to its major events.
The week of activities takes place from July15-20 2008.
The Stations of the Cross will be telecast live to the world on Friday 18 July 2008 from major Sydney CBD locations.
At the 2002 World Youth Day in Toronto, Stations of the Cross was watched by one billion viewers worldwide.
The casting call is open to males and females of all backgrounds, and is available to those with and without acting experience.
Registrations are essential at wyd. reception@wyd2008.org or call 02 9390 5955.
The Stations of the Cross will be directed by Fr Franco Cavarra, who has directed operas internationally and in Australia, including productions at the Sydney Opera House. He is a founding member of the longstanding Melbourne International Festival. Sydney will host the XXIII World Youth Day next
year with up to 500,000 people, including 125,000 international visitors.
The event will also mark the first visit to Australia of Pope Benedict XVI.
● A group of five creative young pilgrims in the UK have come up with a novel way of raising money to help finance their trip to World Youth Day – Holy Socks.
The tasteful toe warmers depict Bible characters, stories, poems and meditations, Independent Catholic News reported.
Jonah’s Whale, Noah’s Ark, Moses in the Bullrushes, goats, lambs, sheep and doves are some of the designs on the cotton socks.
The youths have already raised almost $7000 in two months, and are well on their way financially to reaching their Sydney pilgrimage goal.
● Organisers of WYD08 are working with Aboriginal artist Richard Campbell, using a selection of his artwork on official WYD08 merchandise. Campbell is originally from the Gumbaingirr/Dhungutti people. He has created a series of indigenous artworks that reinterpret major Catholic themes and stories. Recently, he was chosen as one of the finalists in the prestigious Blake Prize.
His Fourteen Stations of the Cross, The Madonna, The Crucifixion and The Resurrection will be used on merchandise for pilgrims for World Youth Day. The actual artworks will also be on display in a city venue during the week. The art will be available for purchase on WYD08’s website, wyd2008.org.
● To resolve a long-lasting stand-off, the federal and NSW Governments have appeased
Randwick trainers and to ensure WYD takes place as planned.
The $41 million government handout will help trainers with the mammoth costs of relocating 700 horses, trainers and auxiliary services from Randwick during the planned 10-week shutdown of Sydney’s premier racetrack.
On top of that, $10 million - split between the two governments - will be set aside in case of track damage, to ensure it is returned in a pristine state to the Australian Jockey Club for its spring carnival.
WYD organisers have been in tense negotiations with trainers for months over plans to use Randwick racecourse to host an overnight vigil and a Papal Mass.
In June this year, University of Notre Dame Australia Politics and History student Patricia Green travelled to Cambodia to conduct research for her Honours thesis. Here, she tells her story exclusively to Discovery.
Battling Cambodia’s monsoonal rains and wrapping my Australian tongue around a foreign language is just a taste of my year as an honours student at the University of Notre Dame Australia.
I first travelled to Cambodia as part of a joint Notre Dame and Caritas study tour called Think Globally, Act Locally.
During this two week trip in 2006, I developed a personal interest in Cambodian history and culture.
This year I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to explore Cambodia further as part of the Arts and Sciences honours program at Notre Dame.
The opportunity to write my thesis while living with Cambodian people was extremely motivating and humbling. I worked with the non-government organisation, Street Families Centre, in a volunteer position.
The organisation is aimed at the most vulnerable people in the community, providing a year long program of training in vocational and life skills to the homeless families and young women living in the Centre.
After a year they are provided with the capital and emotional support to reintegrate into the society, and the majority of families
are provided with a house and small plot of land. I was so fortunate to live in the Centre with the families and women, and share friendship and laughter. Officially I was to teach English and work as an administrative assistant, but
The Early Offer Program at The University of Notre Dame Australia has proved a great success.
The program is a unique opportunity for secondary schools across Western Australia to nominate academically strong students who have made an outstanding contribution to school and community life in a well-rounded approach to education.
These students are tracking to achieve a TER of 90 or above.
This year, Notre Dame received 147 applicants from 60 schools, including 20 Catholic schools.
The schools are from across Western Australia including country schools such us St Luke’s College, Karratha and Manjimup Senior High School.
Rommie Masarei, Manager of Notre Dame’s Admissions Office commented, “We are delighted to see the number of applications increase.
“This is a great opportunity for outstanding students to be acknowledged for their contribution to school and community life and their strong academic results.”
Eighty-one successful nominees have been granted a place at Notre Dame. They were addressed and congratulated by the University’s Vice Chancellor, Dr Peter Tannock at an award ceremony in September.
as one of the only foreigners in the Centre the sound of laughter followed me everywhere and I became convinced I was the local clown as well!
This experience has enriched my university and life experience immensely, and I feel so
fortunate and thankful I took the plunge and stretched the boundaries of what a traditional university degree entails.
I encourage everyone to follow their dreams while they are at university, and get involved with new experiences whenever possible.
Guests were given the red carpet treatment recently at the inaugural Shorties film festival, hosted by Communication students at The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle.
The evening showcased the University’s budding film makers’ best work and gave them a chance to have their films viewed by a wider audience.
After an entrance on the red carpet and a few glasses of champagne, guests enjoyed a night of documentaries and short films, featuring this year’s main drama project, a film-noir, Booze, Broads and Bullets directed by Cowan Lovell.
Film student and organiser, Fayann D’Souza, “The night was great. We were overwhelmed by the wonderful and positive responses everybody gave us.”
This was the first Shorties film festival, produced by the final year communication students. One of these students, Zara Grigor said her class would like to see it become an annual tradition.
“We hope Shorties will grow to become a big annual event and encourage new film making talent, taking the quality of Notre Dame films to new heights,” said Ms Grigor.
Some of the films shown by 3rd year students are also circulating in the wider community, serving not-for-profit organisations. Beyond Home, by Fayann D’Souza and Dorian Gray, is a documentary about the Leeuwin tall ship experience. Learning to Listen directed by Zara Grigor raises awareness about the work
of the Telethon Speech and Hearing Centre for Children.
Other
■ By Mark Reidy
The Fathering Project was born from research which has consistently revealed that children whose fathers are absent from their lives are more likely to, amongst other things, become involved in crime, drug use, cigarette smoking, bullying, truancy, have negative attitudes to school and suffer from depression.
The cost of the problem to the Australian community has been estimated at over $12 billion per year.
The Project is a University-based Perth initiative that is made up of professionals whose aim is to help fathers realise how important they are in a child’s life and to give them information on how to fulfil their potential. Due to the increasing number of children who do not have contact with their natural fathers their work is also
aimed at father figures such as grandfathers, step fathers, uncles, mentors, youth leaders, teachers, pastors and coaches.
The team is co-led by senior academic physician and author of “Fathering in the Fast Lane”, Professor Bruce Robinson and the head of the Child Promotion Research Centre at Edith Cowan University, Professor Donna Cross. They have conducted significant research into prevention and intervention programs throughout the US, as well
as Canada, Russia, Estonia, Japan and Israel and have now produced material in WA designed to improve children’s wellbeing. Their material includes the DVD, “What Kids Really Need from their Dads’ ” and the booklet, “The Blue Book of Tips for Fathers and Father Figures”. Both these resources are available from the Record Bookshop and are reviewed below.
For more information on this project see www.thefatheringproject.org.
In his experience as a lung specialist, Professor Bruce Robinson began to recognise two common interrelated regrets with men who were terminally ill: 1 - that if they could live their lives again, they would spend more time with their children and 2 - that their work had seemed a lot more important than it was in reality.
The regrets of these men became the inspiration for Robinson to produce the DVD, “What kids really need from their dads”. In this concise, inspiring production the viewer is introduced to numerous fathers and children who share their experiences in an endeavour to emphasise the vital role of fatherhood in the development of a child.
Dealing with issues such as communication, time, personal involvement in all aspects of their lives, making them feel special and loving them without necessarily having to love what they choose to do, fathers and father-figures are reminded of some obvious, but oft-forgotten, aspects of raising emotionally healthy and well adjusted children.
Interviews with both well-known and ordinary fathers, including separated dads, range from older men sharing the wisdom of their mistakes to the enthusiasm of a new generation who are more aware of the benefits of personal involvement in all areas of their kids’ lives. The wide array of famous, unknown, young and old, indicate that the challenges of fatherhood are universal and require sacrificial choices and commitment.
The presentation generates a positive outlook and is intended to inspire discussion, further reading and most importantly an understanding of just how essential fathers and father-figures are in forming the future generations of men.
By Bruce Robinson Cost:■ Reviewed by Mark
ReidyJudging by his compact, fit-in-your-wallet sized booklet, author and father of three Bruce Robinson is clearly aware of the time restraints facing parents today.
In this excellent package of tips and ideas for Dads, Robinson has managed to summarise in 31 pages (one for every day of the month) a wide array of suggestions that every father or father-figure can use to enhance their relationship with their children or the children in their lives.
Compiled from over a thousand hours of interviews with over 400 people from across the globe, the author offers practical and thought-provoking information designed to assist Dads in understanding and fulfilling their unique purpose.
The booklet addresses vital issues of parenting such as expressing love, encouraging without over-praising, listening and not lecturing, nurturing children’s unique gifts and fostering an interest in their friends and school.
He also incorporates tangible suggestions
such as leaving notes in lunch boxes, taking children on a visit to your work and “Dad Dates”.
Robinson acknowledges that the limited size of his booklet does not allow issues to be tackled in depth and has consequently included a list of websites and books for those who wish to explore specific areas more comprehensively.
While this text is not specifically Christian in content and is addressed to the ‘secular world’, this little gem addresses the everyday realities of time-constrained Dads and will hopefully inspire readers to analyse and, if necessary, reprioritise the many hats that they wear.
Making your way after your parents’ divorce can be done
Withwisdom and compassion borne from her own experience, Lyn Cassella’s, Making Your Way after your Parents’ Divorce is essential reading for Catholic children who find themselves caught in the emotive web of marital breakdown. Driven by her own struggle to emerge from the aftermath of her parents’ separation at age 11 and the lack of guidance and direction she had in the ensuing years, Cassella has produced a book designed to help the children of divorced parents navigate the quagmire of emotions that they inevitably confront. She writes from the perspective of an adult who has struggled through her teenage years and into her 20s before finding wholeness of self. She addresses her journey to those falling into this age range. Older people who carry unresolved issues in this area plus professionals and divorced parents themselves will gain insight into the inner struggles of affected children.
Cassella acknowledges that the journey of healing cannot be timetabled, insisting that it is unique to the individual. So she intersperses each of her concise chapters with a series of questions, enabling readers to analyse their own circumstances and determine a personalised pace of recovery. Her initial chapters, which deal with specific feelings of denial, shame, guilt, grief, anger and rejection, are clear in assisting the wounded person in distinguishing real and necessary emotions from false and destructive ones. Cassella then openly explores the effect of divorce on relationships with God, family and the opposite sex. Having made no secret of the crucial role of faith in her journey from bitterness to peace, the author then focuses attention on the walls of self protection that are instinctively erected in times of trauma and points out how these, although understandable, serve to keep God from entering into one’s pain and allowing
the healing process to begin. As she shares her own internal struggles and the external masquerade that she adopted for many years to hide them from her family and friends, Cassella is adamant that a time must come when a person must choose to either remain engulfed in pain or to forgive.
She is both genuine and passionate in her desire to assist others and bares the private and vulnerable side of her own family in her attempt to do so. Her book is a story of triumph that should give hope to those who may believe that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. She deals delicately and always positively with what is a sensitive and painful reality for an increasing number of people.
“The wounds of our parents’ divorce will always remain a part of us…” she writes, “but if we learn to surrender those wounds to God, our negative experiences will be transformed into positive growth-filled ones.” Cassella is a living example of this truth.
“Bee Movie” (DreamWorks) may just do for bees what “Ratatouille” did for rats.
The film, the brainchild of Jerry Seinfeld, is a generally delightful animated feature concerning a scrappy bee, Barry (voice of Seinfeld), who, after graduation, learns he will spend his entire life as a worker bee in the same dull job in the Honex Corp. hive.
To the consternation of his dutiful workerbee parents, Janet (Kathy Bates) and Martin (Barry Levinson), he declares he wants more out of life.
When the so-called Pollen Jocks, the macho bees who do the lion’s share of pollinating, see him and his pal Adam (Matthew Broderick) sweet-talking a couple of female bees and challenge the diminutive Barry to join them on their next expedition outside the hive, he accepts with alacrity.
A whirlwind aerial tour of Manhattan leads to him nearly being pummelled by a tennis ball and later by its macho, tennisplaying owner, Ken (Patrick Warburton).
Rescued by Ken’s florist would-be girlfriend Vanessa (Renee Zellweger), Barry returns to thank her for the good deed. Astonished at first that a bee can talk she becomes pals with him. Accompanying her to the supermarket one day, he is amazed to see the jars of honey, and gets it into his head that humans are exploiting all the work done by his hard-working bee brethren.
With Vanessa’s support, he brings the case to court, where he fights the honey indus-
“Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium” (Walden/Mandate/ Fox) is a wholesome, well-meaning but ultimately only moderately charming tale about a magical toy store run by 243-year-old eccentric Mr Magorium (Dustin Hoffman) and his young apprentice, Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman), with a frequent unofficial assist from 9-year-old Eric Applebaum (Zach Mills).
Mahoney, as she’s mostly called, regrets her unfulfilled promise as a concert pianist, but shows easygoing skill as the store’s manager.
Eric is a solitary but brilliant child whose mother urges him to overcome his diffidence in approaching other people. He takes her advice to deal not with someone his own age, but rather with buttoned-up accountant Henry Weston (Jason Bateman), nicknamed “Mutant” by Magorium, who needs to assess the store’s value before his demise.
Almost from the start, Magorium has dropped large hints about “leaving” the shop, in the sense that he’s going to die. He plans to bequeath it to Mahoney, who feels she’s scarcely qualified.
try’s corrupt Southern lawyer, Layton T. Montgomery (John Goodman).
Among the highlights of the trial are the testimony by actor Ray Liotta and Sting- who has the audacity, in Barry’s opinion, to name himself for the bee’s trademark accoutrement.
The film has an often very funny script (by Seinfeld), with more bee puns than you would think possible; features voice work from a cast including Chris Rock as Mooseblood the Mosquito, Oprah Winfrey as the judge, Rip Torn as the lead Pollen Jock, and many more; and, ultimately, delivers a
The shop itself has already gone into premature mourning, and the magical elements of the toys have begun to fade, the shop’s walls are corroding and the colours are gradually fading.
Mahoney adamantly resists the notion of
succeeding him. Will she or won’t she? Will the uptight Henry finally loosen up? Can the store be brought back to magical life?
Despite Therese DePerz’s colourful production design, and appealing touches here and there, there are too many holes in writerdirector Zach Helm’s basic premise even for this sort of fantasy.
Why does Mr Magorium need to die? “Because it’s his time” seems a forced conceit. What’s the point of Mahoney’s frustrated career as a concert pianist coming to naught, even as she proves herself a capable store manager?
Doesn’t young Eric ever go to school? And why does a pivotal scene near the end turn out to be a mere dream, when the person involved wasn’t even sleeping?
Alexandre Desplat’s music is a plus; the lively opening credits and production design are appropriately colourful, even if the magical effects within the store are not as remarkable as they should be.
Hoffman’s wild-haired toymaker seems to be channelling Ed Wynn, the beloved veteran comedian of yore. Portman, sporting a boyish cut, has an appealing demeanour, but her character’s fairly passive.
Magorium’s eventual death (lightly handled) and the shop’s subsequent total transformation into funereal black may be too downbeat for very young viewers even as it seems to demystify death. Still, for all its deficiencies - the themes of “believing in yourself” and “finding the magic within” have been done better elsewhere - this is admirably clean, recommendable family entertainment.
valuable ecological lesson (the pollinating bees are far more essential to our existence than we stop to consider).
A “B-movie” (in the old sense of the term) this most certainly isn’t. CNS Bee Movie opens in cinemas on December 6.
University professor Perry Glanzer, based at Baylor University in the US, noted that while social critics have blasted JK Rowling’s tales of Harry Potter and his seven years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, they have uttered hardly a word about British writer Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, which Glanzer and others say is an overtly antiChristian trilogy of fantasy novels for young adults.
The trilogy includes The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.
“I think that as long as people are agitated about whether Harry Potter makes you into a satanist, they’re not going to be very bothered with me,” Pullman said in an interview with Amazon.com.
“So, I’m happy to (take) shelter under the great umbrella of Harry Potter.”
A film adaptation of The Golden Compass, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, is set to debut in theatres in Australia on December 26.
The August 24 issue of Entertainment Weekly reported that the film will make no direct references to the Catholic Church.
The article also quoted Kidman, who recently reconnected with her Catholic faith, as saying, “The Catholic Church is part of my essence. I wouldn’t be able to do this film if I thought it were at all anti-Catholic.”
The Academy Award-winning actress also said that the material “has been watered down a little” in the transition from page to screen.
Critics of Pullman in the US include the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, which said its position is not “that the movie will strike Christian parents as troubling,” noting that it is based “on the least offensive of the three books.”
But the league said viewers of the film “may very well find it engaging and then buy Pullman’s books for Christmas. That’s the problem.”
Glanzer also pointed out that Pullman told The Washington Post that through his work, “I’m trying to undermine the basis of Christian
belief.” But those who praise his work say he is not attacking Christianity itself, but criticising dogmatism and how religion is used to oppress people.
His Dark Materials recounts the adventures of Lyra Belacqua, a 12-year-old girl in an alternate universe that resembles our own. With the assistance of several other characters, she sets out to overthrow the Authority. The novels depict him as a weak, false god and, in the final book in the trilogy, he actually dies.
Also, an angel informs one of
the main characters that “God, the Creator, the Lord, Yahweh, El, Adonai, the King, the Father, the Almighty” are really all just names the first angel gave himself in an attempt to set himself up as a divine being.
The novels also take a harsh view of the Church, which is called the Magisterium and is depicted as an oppressive institution that appears to have fallen for the Authority’s ruse.
The Church’s minions are the books’ principal villains, who are obsessed with a substance called
Dust, which is connected to original sin.
They are not above kidnapping and performing experiments on innocent children.
One character states that, since its beginning, the church has “tried to suppress and control every natural impulse,” and that all churches share the same fundamental goals: to “control, destroy, obliterate every good feeling.”
His Dark Materials has amassed a collection of prestigious awards, including the 1995 Carnegie Medal for children’s literature in the United Kingdom, which he earned for Northern Lights (published in the United States as The Golden Compass), and the 2001 Whitbread Book of the Year award for The Amber Spyglass. British columnist Peter Hitchens has dubbed him “the most dangerous author in Britain.”
“In his worlds, the church is wicked, cruel and child-hating; priests are sinister, murderous or drunk,” Hitchens wrote for the Daily Mail newspaper in January 2002.
“Political correctness creeps in leadenly. There is a brave African king and a pair of apparently homosexual angels. The one religious character who turns out to be benevolent is that liberal favorite, an ex-nun who has renounced her vows and lost her faith.”
In an interview with Third Way Magazine, a Christian publication, Pullman said he agreed with his character Mary Malone, who states in The Amber Spyglass that Christianity is “a very powerful and convincing mistake,” and he rejected the “ugly vision” presented by CS Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, a popular Christian fantasy series.
In the coming weeks, you’ll hear a lot about Hollywood’s next big offering, The Golden Compass, starring bankable stars Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.
Here it is, straight off the bat: The Golden Compass was written by an atheist to counter what he saw as the Christian evangelism evident in CS Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, where God saves his people.
It goes like this: 12-year-old girl Lyra Belacqua travels the universe to battle the forces of evil and rescue her best friend from the dastardly but glamorous Mrs Coulter, played by Kidman.
It’s being promoted as a lovely fantasy tale, a cross between Harry Potter and Narnia. But Narnia this aint.
Sure, kids today are intellectually capable of processing reading material with heavy themes. In this case, the “evil” presented in the book is an oppressive regime called The Magisterium, which is the Catholic Church. Kidman has been quoted as saying that she holds her Catholicism dear, and that she would not have undertaken this role if it was
anti-Catholic. The thing is, Nicole, that if this gets kids hooked into the books, then Houston, we have a problem. Kidman’s film is the movie adaptation of the first book in the fantasy trilogy called His Dark Materials by atheist Philip Pullman.
The Golden Compass is the mildest of the three books in the series, and the atheism has been watered down for cinemas.
Now, there has been much controversy over any movie that addresses religion – from Dogma, which had a female God and an ancestor of Jesus working in an abortion clinic, to The Matrix, which draws much of its theology from biblical themes, to Harry Potter, which many Christians feared would draw kids to the occult.
Kids today are, to varying degrees, capable of intellectually processing reading material with heavy themes.
Trouble is, the Church and “god” are the bad guys. This was not the case in The Matrix, Dogma or even Harry Potter
At the end of the His Dark Materials trilogy, the hero – a young boy – finds this evil “god” character who captures the dead in a “prison camp” afterlife, and kills him.
According to the books, God is not God but a fallen angel, “formed of dust as we are, and dust is only a name for what happens when
matter begins to understand itself”. This kind of reasoning wouldn’t get past a first-year philosophy class at any secular university. Last time we checked, Satan – the fallen angel – wasn’t formed of dust. Humans are. And we’re also made in God’s image. But let’s not get into a theology debate here.
Truth be told, presenting the idea that there is a god, but that he’s decrepit and perverse, all in an attempt to tell kids that there is no God is slightly hypocritical.
Children in the Golden Compass ultimately discover that true wisdom is doing what is right in their own eyes, becoming their own gods. “Whatever I do, I will choose it, no one else,” says one child in the book.
“Then you have already taken the first steps towards wisdom”, says Xaphania, an angel in the series. Try telling your child what to do after they read these books…
Never mind that the Catholic Church has always taught that
humankind has free will, nor that the present Pope Benedict XVI, who has championed the link between faith and reason, has said that the role of the Church is to inform and consult, not to dictate to or oppress people.
The parallel universe of His Dark Materials ends in dust, where the highest meaning is found simply in pleasuring each other and ourselves and God is just a sniveling old man who knows nothing of the real world.
Imagination is a wonderful thing. So long as we can distinguish it from reality. Jesus was no sniveling old man. Instead he stopped an adulteress from getting stoned to death and made the blind see.
Which God do you prefer?
Attracting high quality doctors is one of the most pressing issues facing communities in Australia today and is now seen as a national priority. In response to this The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle Campus introduces the Pre-Medicine Certificate. This Certificate provides an enabling program for the graduate medicine degree. Specifically, it aims to enhance the preparation of students for entry into the graduate medical degree, and provides an opportunity to confirm that medicine is the right choice of vocation for them.
Up to 50 students will take four pre-medicine units in addition to their primary degree at the University. These units will be taken from a menu of options suited to developing future health professionals. Pre-medicine students will be counselled by their Medical School Mentor on their choice of units for the certificate. It is intended that units chosen will enhance student prospects of success in the Graduate Australian Medical School Admission Test (GAMSAT).
Postgraduate applications for Semester One 2008 are due Friday 30 November 2007
For an application pack or more information please contact the Prospective Students Office by phone: 9433 0533 or email: future@nd.edu.au
Postgraduate course areas:
• Business
• Counselling
• Education - Pre-service & Qualified Teachers
• Religious Education
• Environmental Management
• Exercise Science
• Law
• Nursing
• Outdoor Education
• Theology & Pastoral Studies
An information evening for those looking for a unique study experience in the tropical campus of Broome. Monday 3 December 2007 • 6:15pm start • 19 Mouat Street, Fremantle (Follow the signs on Mouat St)
Pre University • Certificate III in Teachers Assistant (Indigenous) • Diploma of Enrolled Nursing
• Tertiary Enabling Program (Free!) • Certificate and Diplomas in Aboriginal Studies
Undergraduate • Bachelor of Arts (Major in Aboriginal Studies)
• Bachelor of Education (Kindergarten - Year 7) • Bachelor of Nursing
Postgraduate • Graduate Certificate in Aboriginal Studies • Bachelor of Education (Conversion)
• Master of Teaching ( Kindergarten - Year 7) • Master of Teaching Conversion ( Kindergarten - Year 7)
• Graduate Certificate in Education (Aboriginal Studies) • Master of Education (Aboriginal Studies)
My decision to study at Notre Dame, Broome was based on the University’s reputation for being such a caring and supportive campus. As a student here, my lecturers and fellow classmates have made my studies as productive and rewarding as possible.
I was also influenced by Broome’s multicultural population. I believe living and studying in such a multicultural community allows for an experience different to anywhere else in Australia. The diverse mix of people has not only opened my eyes to issues I otherwise would not have considered in the city, but it also has made me more flexible and accepting of differences, whether they be in race, religion, appearance or opinion.
I strongly believe that studying at the Notre Dame Broome Campus is a unique experience and prospective students should seriously consider it as an option. I am thoroughly enjoying my time studying in this amazing, and not to mention, beautiful tropical environment.
”…living and studying in such a multicultural community allows for an experience different to anywhere else in Australia.
”
