The Record Newspaper 04 August 2005

ROSARY BOUQUET: How you can participate in Mary’s birthday Page 7

Is it Sydney 2008?

Report claims Sydney is winner of World Youth Day ‘08

Archdiocese plays down claim, makes no official comment

One of the top journalists in the world covering the Vatican has claimed that Sydney has already won the World Youth Day following Cologne to be held in 2008.

This would make a visit to Australia by Pope Benedict XVI almost certain in 2008.

John Allen, who writes a weekly column for the National Catholic Reporter newspaper in the US, says Cardinal George Pell’s “efforts have paid off - the next World Youth Day will indeed be held “down under” in Sydney,” Allen wrote in his weekly ‘Word From Rome’ column on Friday 29 July.

However, when a report of Allen’s story appeared on the Australian CathNews website the Archdiocese of Sydney issued a press release the following day pointing out that there would be no official announcement made until Pope Benedict announces in Cologne where the next WYD will be.

“Not until August 21 will we know whether WYD 2008 will be held in Sydney and Pope Benedict XVI will be coming to Australia to meet with the youth of the world,” said a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Sydney.

And while the Archdiocese of Sydney was making no official comment other than its ‘wait-and-see’ line, Australian organisers estimated that approximately 2000-2500 young Australians will be travelling to Cologne later this month to

Continued on Page 2

Cologne city braces itself for a youth invasion

■ By Michael Lawton

The city of Cologne is preparing for an invasion of hundreds of thousands of young people scheduled to attend World Youth Day and activities surrounding Pope Benedict XVI’s visit.

Stefan Neuhoff, head of the Cologne fire department, described the Pope’s August 18-21 visit as “the biggest planning challenge since the end of World War II.”

By late July, just weeks before the start of the August 16-21 World Youth Day celebrations, organisers had received registrations from 370,000 young people from 160 countries, nearly 700 bishops, 8,000 priests and 5,100 journalists.

During the international celebration, those people and more will have to be housed, fed, moved around, entertained and inspired. Before August. 16, about 120,000 of them will stay in German dioceses for a few days, sharing the life of Catholics throughout the country.

Once they arrive in Cologne, many of the pilgrims will be housed in school halls and sports facilities, but people throughout the region have offered places in their homes to more than 89,000 of the young

Continued on Vista 4

Voc tions Awareness

THAT BOY WIZARD

Bookshops around the world went crazy for 24 hours recently as JK Rowling produced another instalment in the Harry Potter saga. Hal Colebatch looks at Potter No.6.

The week of August 7-14 is National Vocations Awareness Week. But while every vocation comes from God it also needs a response - from each one of us. And there is only one way to truly discern what your special calling is. Find out how to carry out the most important step in finding your own vocation...

Vista 1-3

EMERGENCY: JUST DO IT

A policeman examines a manhole in front of the cathedral in Cologne, Germany. Police, fire and municipal workers are preparing to host hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and Pope Benedict XVI during World Youth Day in August. Photo: CNS

Sydney reported as winner of WYD ‘08

Continued from Page1

spend WYD with Pope Benedict

The Record reported last week that the Archdiocese of Sydney was so confident of getting the next WYD after sending a delegation to Rome headed by Cardinal Pell and winning the backing of Australian Prime Minister John Howard and the-then NSW Premier Bob Carr and others that it had already begun advertising two full time positions in the Catholic media to coordinate WYD and related events.

Allen wrote that Cardinal “Pell pushed hard to host the event, despite knowing that it doesn’t come cheap. German organisers recently estimated the costs for the 2005 production at roughly 100 million euro ($120.7 million). Even in prosperous Canada, the last World Youth Day in 2002 left behind a debt of $23.8 million.

“Sources said the tentative plan is to hold the event in June 2008, but this date is not finalised. If it happens this way, it would suggest a shift from holding World Youth Days every two years to every three; Cologne comes three years after the last World Youth Day, in Toronto in 2002.

“World Youth Day is the closest thing in Roman Catholicism to the Olympic Games,” Allen wrote.

“This year’s version is set for August 15-21 in Cologne, Germany, and is expected to draw between 800,000 and one million young people from all corners of the globe.

“No prelate has been more ardent in expressing his desire to host a World Youth Day than Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, Australia.

“Competition to host World Youth Day is not quite as fierce as the Olympics, in part because it’s an expensive production that requires a staggering amount of work. Still,

there’s no shortage of bishops who would like to see a World Youth Day on their home turf.

“Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne, for example, took a strong personal interest in this year’s event. When John Paul II underwent a tracheotomy on February 24 and then experienced great difficulty in speaking, Meisner visited him to urge him to come to World Youth Day anyway.

“You don’t have to say anything,” he told the Pope. “Your presence will be the most eloquent homily of all,” Allen wrote.

He said that John Paul was determined to be there and told Meisner: “I won’t let you down.”

However after John Paul died and Benedict XVI was elected, Meisner was quick to implore the new Pope to confirm his attendance at World Youth Day, Allen wrote.

“Meisner and Ratzinger are old friends; during the years Ratzinger was at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, it was their custom to speak on the phone usually once a week. Benedict immediately announced that he would be coming.”

Allen said in his report that among the possible aims of Cardinal Pell and the Church in Australia in winning WYD were “to break through the fog of apathy and disinterest that often surrounds institutional religion in the West.

“World Youth Day is a jolt to the story that secularised society likes to tell itself, which is that religion is a quiet, private thing with little impact on the broader culture and little appeal for the young.

“Up against powerful social currents that press youth towards secular conceptions of identity and satisfaction, many bishops, including Pell, regard $120 million as a relatively small price to pay to balance the scales,” he wrote.

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Meanwhile, our 2,100 young Australians will leave for Germany this week to celebrate their Catholic faith with Pope Benedict XVI, in what is believed to be the biggest religious pilgrimage ever to leave Australian shores.

The 2,200 young Catholics from right across the nation will embark on various pilgrimages which ultimately take them to Cologne.

The highlight of the week-long festival in Cologne will be the final Mass, presided over by Pope Benedict.

During that Mass, the Pope will announce whether Sydney has been successful in its bid to host the next World Youth Day in 2008.

Selina Hasham, of Harvest

Pilgrimages, said the young people travelling to Cologne come from every state and territory in Australia and represent every Catholic Diocese in the country.

“They also represent many church movements, groups and orders,” she said.

“And for the first time, a group of indigenous pilgrims from the Top End will travel as an independent group led by Bishop Christopher Saunders of Broome.”

Cardinal George Pell will lead a group from Sydney, joining three Archbishops, 19 Bishops, about 90 priests, 15 religious and numerous lay leaders who will accompany the Australian contingent.

Supporting the WYD event in

the lead-up to Cologne has been Australian Test Cricketer and World Youth Day Ambassador, Matthew Hayden who wrote an open letter to young people urging them to make the trip to Germany.

“For thousands of young people, World Youth Day has been a life changing experience,” he wrote. “It is not just a religious event, but the World Youth Day is an opportunity for youth to grow and be challenged on every level, morally, spiritually and culturally.

“I have great optimism that the Cologne World Youth Day experience will have a positive bearing on many young Australians, our future leaders.”

- CNS

Paulina Mosqueda, from St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in Chicago, listens during a question-and-answer session at St Michael Catholic Parish in Orland Park July 18 for those preparing to travel to World Youth Day. Photo: CNS

What God wants...

Q: And what does God really want from us?

A: That we become loving persons, for then we are his images. For he is, as Saint John tells us, love itself, and he wants there to be creatures who are similar to him and who thus, out of the freedom of their own loving, become like him and belong in his company

and thus, as it were, spread the radiance that is his.

From Salt of the Earth – an interview with Peter Seewold, Ignatius Press, 1997

Salt of the Earth is a series of extended interviews by author Seewold with the-then Cardinal Joseph Ratzingernow Pope Benedict XVI.

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Mothers Prayers visit to Perth

One of the founders of the Mothers Prayers movement will visit Perth in September.

Mothers Prayers began in England in 1995 when its founders Veronica Williams and Sandra Williams felt a growing need to pray in a committed way for the

problems facing our children in today’s’ world, especially in teenage and adult life.

Veronica Williams will speak at several parishes and the LJ Goody Bioethics Centre in Glendalough.

Since its foundation Mothers Prayers has spread to many countries throughout the world, including

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Pastoral Care Support Worker [Part-time position]

We seek an experienced Pastoral Care Support Worker to join our small team at “The Living Centre” [formerly HIV/AIDS Pastoral Care] situated in Burswood Perth.

The Centre is an agency of the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth and the Sister’s of St John of God Inc. and is committed to provide ecumenical pastoral support to men, women and children, both infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

The main work of the Centre is to provide a daily “drop-in” facility with some outreach services via home and hospital visits. A close liaison with other professionals and agencies [both Govt and non-Govt] working in the same areas is an important aspect of our work.

The successful applicant will be able to demonstrate:

■ Some formal qualifications in Clinical Pastoral Education [preferably a minimum of 1 unit of CPE] OR equivalent discipline.

■ The ability to be “pastorally present” to individuals and families.

■ Excellent communication skills.

■ An acceptance and understanding of the Christian ethos of the Centre.

Salary is based on the SACS Award depending on qualifications and salary packaging is available. Hours of work are 9am to 3pm, 4 days per week; however some flexibility may be required from time to time. There is a possibility of “job sharing” if deemed appropriate.

Selection criteria, job description and application form is available by writing to:

The Director, The Living Centre, PO Box 73, BURSWOOD, WA 6100.

Closing date for applications: Monday 29 August 2005.

Russia, Ukraine, Spain, Germany, Holland, Ireland and Australia, to name a few. Interestingly, the movement has spread with little publicity, while groups have usually been established through local initiative by inviting representatives from other established groups to speak.

Mothers Prayers groups have been meeting in Perth since 1998. Groups are small, usually meet once a week and celebrate Mass once a school term, where everyone is invited, including fathers and grandfathers. Interested persons can contact Veronica Peake on 9447 0671.

Mazenod art exhibition will feature Pro Hart

W

orks by renowned Australian artist Pro Hart will be among those featuring in Mazenod College’s 12th annual Fine Art Exhibition and sale in late August.

This year’s Exhibition will also feature works by Harold Thomas - the classically trained Aboriginal artist, writer and poet who designed the Aboriginal flag in 1971.

The Exhibition and Sale will be held at the College in Lesmurdie over the weekend of August 26 – 28.

The Exhibition will open on Friday August 26 at 7.30pm and will include a champagne supper. Tickets will be available at the door or from the College office for $20 per person.

Interstate artist Peter Coad will also feature with Western Australian artists Ingrid Windram, Greg Tothill, Alex Wisniewski, Christine Hingston, Greg Baker and Beverley Skurulis.

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“A Caring Alternative”

As lived out by St John of God five centuries ago, our vocation is to give of ourselves completely and freely; to be a Brotherly presence; a symbol of hope for our world; proclaiming God’s Hospitable love.

We are called to a charism of Hospitality and love that promotes healing, advocacy and reconciliation for those suffering in our society.

Sculpture is by Greg James and Peter Graham with jewellery by Elizabeth Mavrick and Heather Jones.

A raffle will take place over the weekend with prizes of artworks by Ross Shardlow and Zofia Paluszak and a framed photograph by Adam Monk.

The Mazenod College Exhibition has gained a reputation for excellence in high quality art work and presentation accompanied by legendary hospitality. This year there will be 450 paintings on display as well as sculpture, pottery, jewellery, glass work, and photography.

In addition to the Friday Opening night, the Exhibition will continue on Saturday August 27 from 10am to 5pm, and on the Sunday from10am to 3pm Weekend entry is $2 per adult and refreshments will be available on both days.

We are Brothers of St. John of God caring for those in need, especially people with:

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“...The suffering of my neighbour breaks my heart...” (St. John of God. 1540) Will you accept God’s invitation to a life dedicated to Hospitality?

Contact

John Clegg. OH.

Vocations Director

P.O. Box BN1055, Burwood North, NSW, 2134

Telephone: (02) 9747 1699

Fax: (02) 9744 3262

Email: johnclegg@pacific.net.au

Website: www.vocationsstjohnofgod.com/index.htm

Caritas Australia is now accepting donations for the people of Niger in Western Africa who are suffering from severe food shortages.

More than three million people in Niger are experiencing starvation as a result of failed crops caused by a severe drought and locust plagues.

Caritas Australia’s local partner on the ground in Niger, Caritas Niger, has been responding to this present crisis since November, 2004 and is now working tirelessly to distribute food aid to those most in need.

Caritas Niger is currently providing 1,500 tonnes of food to more than 28,000 people in seven regions of Niger: Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Tahoua, Tillaberry-Niamey and Zinderand. 75 tonnes of seed are also being provided to plant crops.

Caritas Niger has established a food for work program in which those able to work can earn food for their families and distribute food to the most vulnerable. It is also providing seeds for planting and fodder for animals.

Most people do not have any savings to see them through a severe food shortage. The cost of food has increased dramatically and selling cattle for money is no longer an option as most animals are emaciated and worth very little. The situation is desperate.

Caritas Niger has a long history of working with local communities in Niger implementing both development and humanitarian programs. Caritas will be there before, during and after the headlines.

Caritas Australia Director Jack de Groot said; “Once again lives will be lost needlessly to hunger. It is completely unacceptable that people in the 21st century cannot afford to eat every day and it is a moral outrage that people should die of starvation due to the lack of a few million dollars.”

“This waste of precious life is exactly what the Make Poverty History campaign is working to end forever.”

To make a donation call 1800 024 413 or donate on-line at www.caritas.org.au

The current situation in East Timor, Australia’s water shortage, and working with AIDS sufferers in Africa will be among the topics to be covered at a national Catholic womens’ conference in September.

‘Light tomorrow with today’ is the theme of the Catholic Womens’ League of Australia upcoming national biennial conference to be held in Canberra from September 14-16.

The Conference will be opened by the Pope’s personal representative in Australia, Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Ambrose de Paoli.

Professor Hilary Charlesworth, Professor of Law at the Research School of Social Sciences, ANU will discuss the ways the CWL can work with and for the Church as a volunteer group.

Bishop Eugene Hurley of Port Pirie will speak about “The Eucharist” and Sister Miriam Duggan MD will talk about her role as the Congregational Leader and the work done by Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Africa treating and working with AIDS victims.

Colin Creighton from the CSIRO will give a national perspective on the pressing issue of ‘Water and the Environment’ and Sister Josephine Mitchell, Director of the Mary Mackillop Institute for East Timorese Studies will present an international perspective on the current situation in East Timor.

Panel discussions will cover topics

People should tremble, the world should quake, and all Heaven should be deeply moved when the Son of God appears on the altar in the hands of the priest!

– St Francis of Assisi

such as the Rural Ministry; Micro credit and Lifelong Learning. The incoming CWLA National Executive for 20062007 will also be introduced.

CWLA President Thora Regan said she hopes to see as many CWLA mem-

bers as possible to make the conference a memorable and meaningful experience. All enquiries regarding the conference should be directed to the National Secretary, Joyce Cremer on 02

– St Augustine

When Jesus gave us His Body and Blood under forms of bread and wine, He intended for us to remain in Him and to have Him remaining in us, just as the Eucharistic food and drink become one with our own bodies.

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A malnourished child receives treatment at an emergency feeding centre in Maradi, Niger, on July 1. The United Nations says 2.5 million people, including 800,000 children, are at risk of severe malnutrition in Niger.

Photo: CNS

Join Pope Benedict XVI in prayer - August

“For World Youth Day: may this occasion draw young people everywhere to meet Christ and to welcome Him as Lord of their life.”

Mission intention: “For students from mission Churches in Rome: may their studies in the Eternal City be a time of spiritual enrichment.”

Perspectives Around t he tabl e dnuorA t

Are you being called to be a Passionist ?

“The Passion of Jesus is the Greatest Sign of God’s Love.”

Saint Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)

Who are Passionists ?

Passionist men and women are ever mindful of God’s love. They:

- preach the Passion of Jesus - reach out to all in times good and bad - are a t the forefront of the world’s suffering – today’s crucified - minister passionately the power of love.

Pope John Paul II said in 2000: “The death of Christ is the source from which you Passionists must draw your own spirituality in a very particular way: to love where it is most difficult to love.”

Since Saint Paul of the Cross founded the Passionists in the 18th century, they have grown into a family of priests, brothers, sisters and companions, serving in 55 countries throughout the world.

Link to Australia at www.passionists.com or Internationally at www.passionistworld.org

Passionist Vocations: PO Box 12, Marrickville NSW 1475.

Email: hcc@passionist.org.au

letters to the editor

Why wait for money?

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Don’t attack

We watched with amazement a segment from the 60 Minutes programme that went to air on Sunday July 24.

The most astonishing part of the segment, about Muslims in Australia, was the graphic images from the Dutch movie about Muslim women and domestic violence. We found this clip to be a manifestation of the ill-intention of 60 Minutes’ reporting.

The biggest single health risk factor for Australian women aged 15 to 44 is domestic violence; a serious issue that is costing Australia more than $8 billion a year. Domestic violence is infinitely smaller in Islamic societies.

Again, we have huge problems in Australia, with substance abuse eating up the lives of our youth and our future. We also have an aging population problem, which is threatening our standard of living; medicine, dental treatment and surgery are becoming unaffordable options for most of the hardworking tax payers; complementary medicine and sometimes general health care are becoming a luxury - not to mention the estimated 4344,000 people who make nonfatal suicide attempts each year and the over-40,000 who actually committed suicide from 1979 to 1999. Yet some media outlets continue to marginalise core threats to our country, shy away from reality, and would rather participate in stereotyping and promoting prejudice, hate and possibly even inciting violence.

It remains a very sad issue, that although the media has

Permit me to use the columns of your paper to thank all the people who are contributing to our “Buy a Brick” campaign. Down here at St Bernadette’s we are hoping to build a new church. Our fundraising committee is working very hard to raise finances. Apart from many stalls after Mass on weekends, over the years members have gone out to shopping centres to sell their craft goods. Our Finance Committee is hard working appealing to mainly young parents to give by way of the weekly envelopes or direct debit.

We are planning a modest Church. We need a house for God, which will be both a strong symbol and have practical use. A Churchless parish is hard for newcomers to recognise. We hope for a simple but beautiful Church, the kind of building people will see as central to faith in the community.

It has been suggested that we delay our plans until we have more finances available. As a pastor, I find this approach hard to live with. Apart from escalating costs, there are a variety of pastoral reasons to build now.

Our Parish was established by the Archdiocese in 1994. For eleven years, I’ve seen hundreds of children pass through our excellent primary school without the benefits of a Church. They are packed into a hall for school Masses with little room for parents. Our celebrations of First Holy Communion and Confirmation are difficult to organise because of a lack of space. The children have missed out on much that was part or our Catholic traditions and devotions. They wouldn’t for example know what a tabernacle looked like.

Hence I am very grateful to the Priests and people who are helping us by buying a brick. Apart from this, our community is looking for Parishes or individuals who may be in a position of giving us an interest free loan. Members of our Finance Committee are only too willing to negotiate the details.

With the development of our area going ahead a fast rate, we believe we have a sure future. We will be around for a long time to repay loans. We are grateful for the assistance we have received. But we now need more to help us build a house for God.

the power to educate and shed positive light on issues, and perhaps even calm troubled waters, 60 Minutes chooses the ignoble path of prejudice, ignorance and harmful reporting. We believe that the free media has a very important role within society, but unfortunately there are very few brave journalists who are prepared to thoroughly investigate and report the truth.

The present wave of targeting and harassing of Muslims, for their belief, is both immoral and dangerous. It is also sad that hard-working citizens should feel harassed and targeted, through irresponsible coverage that is clearly based

Archbishop to talk on TV

Archbishop Barry Hickey will speak on Channel 9 during the 6pm news each Sunday in August, beginning this weekend.

It is an innovative way of speaking to the whole community and is thought to be a first for a Catholic bishop in Australia.

If this month’s talks attract financial supporters, they could become a regular feature throughout the year.

The talk will be available on the Church’s website, www. perthcatholic.org.au, immediately after it is televised on Channel 9.

on bias and misinformation. We are thankful, though, that our fellow Australians are good decent people and are generally showing more and more interest in Islam; they are no longer buying the lies that are being peddled to them.

May we please request that journalists do the research, report the facts and stop following mindlessly like sheep, the Muslim-bashing misinformation that is being disseminated by the media propaganda machine.

In closing, please accept these comments with the spirit in which they are intended.

Name and address supplied

Discerning God’s will

“There is only one thing necessary and Mary has chosen the better part.”

- Jesus (Luke 10:38-42)

“All the misfortunes of men derive from one single thing, which is their inability to be at ease alone in a room.”

This is National Vocations Awareness Week. Fine. But no vocation can be discovered without prayer, the conversation with the one who made us and who has a plan for each of our lives - or being knocked off a horse. And being knocked off a horse is unlikely. Planning our ‘vocations’ edition, The Record decided to take a slightly different approach this week to the annual attempt to raise awareness of vocation. We decided to focus instead on the most important issue: if we want to find our vocation, we have to start with prayer.

- Pascal, Pensees (sect, no. 134)

■

by Father John McCloskey

Learning to pray, to grow in the interior life (the spiritual life within our soul), is more important than food or sleep, and certainly more important than worldly pleasures and ambitions. This is not a question of “either/or.”

It’s fully possible for the ordinary layperson to have an intense life of prayer, indeed even being a mystic, while at the same faithfully fulfilling their obligations in the world. This life of prayer is essential so they

can make holy their everyday occupations thus giving glory to God and spreading the Gospel to their neighbours.

Prayer is our primary means of service to others, our family, friends, and fellow workers. In addition, it is indispensable in the great challenge that we and our descendants have before us: the “new evangelisation” and the building of “civilisation of love and truth.”

Satan’s greatest work on earth as he seeks to devour souls that are called to heaven is to keep us from praying and getting them to stop that journey. This article is intended to help the reader to learn to pray and particularly to learn how to pray in silence. Silent prayer is the science of the saints and it is accessible without exception to everyone who is willing to collaborate with their will to God’s grace. We are called to be contemplatives, whether in the midst of the world (like the overwhelming majority of us) or in the monastery where those rela-

tively few are called to follow a religious vocation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, after its extensive exposition of the Creed, The Ten Commandments, and the Sacraments, presents to us an equally large section on prayer. Quoting St John Damascene, a Father of the Church, the Catechism states: “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to or the requesting of good things from God” (CCC 2590). And after recounting the salvation history of prayer throughout the Old Testament and citing the example of the patriarchs and prophets, it says, “Jesus’ filial prayer is the perfect model of prayer in the New Testament. Often done in solitude and in secret, the prayer of Jesus involves a loving adherence to the will of the Father even to the Cross and an absolute confidence in being heard... In his teaching, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray with a purified heart, with lively and persevering faith, with filial boldness. He calls them to vigilance and

invites them to present their petitions to God in his name. Jesus Christ himself answers prayers addressed to him” (CCC 2620-1).

To begin to acquire the good habit of silent prayer (or what we call mental prayer) is not easy for a variety of reasons. To sit alone in your room or in a church before the Blessed Sacrament and talk to God requires fortitude, patience, and a variety of other virtues, the most important of which are faith, hope, and charity. Faith that He is really here and everywhere, Hope that you will receive what you ask for and that prayer really is of benefit for your soul, and Charity - you pray because you love God above all things and you want to share yourself with Him and you want Him to envelop you with His love. This is no easy task, but well worth the effort.

To sit alone in your room or in a church before the Blessed Sacrament and talk to God requires fortitude, patience, and a variety of other virtues, the most important of which are faith, hope, and charity.

In the developed countries, many of us lead a frenetic life full of noise that does not lead us to contemplation, but rather to exhaustion. We are surrounded by noise in our daily setting (unless you live in the wilderness): planes, trains, automobiles, radios, television, videos, air conditioning, appliances, cell-phones, and so much more. We find all of this normal, but it is not. So to pray silently, we ideally should choose the most silent place we can, either a church (hopefully there is no piped in music!) or another quiet place of our choosing, perhaps a room in our residence where we can block out noise and exterior distraction, or even our office, if we can make it clear we are not to be disturbed. So to begin and continue our daily habit of mental prayer, we must have a customary place.

I want to make it clear that it is possible and indeed recommendable to pray silently everywhere as we are always in God’s presence. But we must have a specific time and place for our silent prayer. And there has to be flexibility.

You travel, your schedule changes, you fall ill - all of those things happen to us in the world.

That means, however, that you have to adjust accordingly, but never give up. The two most important practices of piety for us are the Eucharist and daily mental prayer. The real test of how deeply these habits are ingrained in us is when they are put to the test in less than ideal circumstances, such as a business trip, vacation, or a family crisis.

Our goal is to begin with 15 minutes or so of mental prayer each day in a fixed place. So we must think about the right time of day. We can start by simply saying that we should give the best part of the day to God. How could we give Him anything less? We should be awake, alert as we can be, and ready to direct ourselves to the Holy Trinity and/or to the angels and the saints surrounding God in heaven.

Remember, prayer can be exhilarating, and at times joyful and easy, but normally it is a form of work. Many of you know – and writers can certainly testify - that often mental exertion is much more tiring than physical labour. Therefore you must know yourself. Is your best time of the day early in the morning, at midday, or after dinner or following family time? Don’t decide the best time for your mental prayer is between halves of a football game or when you slip under the bed sheets at night. You must be honest with yourself and see that your relationship with God is paramount each day. So we should not think in terms of “squeezing in” our time of prayer or daily Eucharist, but rather see how we can schedule in our family and work responsibilities around our life of piety.

Remember, our prayer life is the best form of service. We live to serve and cannot defraud those around us. I am sure

Blessed Mother Teresa, St Pio, and St Josemaria would agree with me. We can and should pray while we work, but we must have substantial “face time” with Our Lord and His friends. After all, we spend this life “seeking His face...seeing through glass darkly” until He calls us to the definitive and permanent encounter with Him. I have never met any person who was faithful to his daily time of mental prayer who complained that he had lost time or was wasting energy. On the contrary, a person who takes the time, whether it is 15 minutes or an hour, to spend time with Our Lord, always comes back saying that his time has been multiplied, as Our Lord did with those fishes and loaves of bread.

What do we pray about? We know to Whom we pray. We address Him as we will, or are moved, to the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit, although normally we will pray to Jesus as the Way to the Father, moved by the Holy Spirit. Remember, the Lord does converse with us. He is listening and will respond when and how he wants, although not necessarily during the time of prayer itself. We should try always to prepare material for our time of prayer. We may choose to dedicate our time to one theme or to several. As children of God, we should pray as we like.

Prayer can be exhilarating, and at times joyful and easy, but normally it is a form of work. Many of you knowand writers can certainly testify - that often mental exertion is much more tiring than physical labour. Therefore you must know yourself.

A relationship with God is paramount

From time to time, even though we have prepared for our time of prayer, we may find that we put that plan aside and simply contemplate our Lord. Or perhaps the Holy Spirit will suggest other paths to follow. We may unburden ourselves of a current problem or difficulty, or share a great joy that has come into our life. In any case, some of the four aspects of prayer - Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (ACTS)-will likely come into play. As St Josemaria Escriva, a great man of prayer and teacher of prayer put it in The Way, “You wrote to me: ‘to

(no. 91). St Teresa of Avila tells us that she never went to her time of silent prayer without carrying a book along with her. We should try to imitate her even though we may have no need of it on any given day. Some days we may find our prayer dry or full of distractions, internal or external, that threaten to overwhelm us. That is when we reach for that book for some written words of inspiration to help us to return to our conversation with God. There are thousands of books that may help us, but I would recommend having a few favourites

that you can count on. The New Testament, the sacred liturgy, and the readings of the day are appropriate. I am sure you will discover many others that may fit your needs or spirituality. What is important here is that books are a help to prayer and do not become our prayer. In prayer we talk and listen, and read briefly only for inspiration. Spiritual reading should be an important part of our day at another time, but it is not a substitute for our time of mental prayer. Also, don’t forget another

er rich or poor, simple or smart, people of deep interior life and received spiritual direction. You may follow their example by searching for a priest, religious, or layperson who has experience in the practice of mental prayer. He or she will guide you along the steps of the “interior castle.” Your director may introduce you to various spiritualities: Franciscan, Benedictine, Ignatian, or Teresian. Or perhaps you will embrace one of the newer ones, flowing from the newer ecclesial institutions that are energising the Church today. In one of these spiritualities you may find not only direction, but also a home and specific vocation.

I would also recommend that from time to time you use books on prayer and the interior life for your spiritual reading. These can be of great help as you advance over time, with God’s grace, through the purgative, illuminative, and unitive ways.

To sum up, at the heart of the Christian vocation is the call to holiness that comes to each of us through baptism. In turn this call is confirmed and fed by the other sacraments of initiation: confirmation and the Holy Eucharist. The remaining sacraments help us to grow in God’s grace as we ascertain our state in life, regain our state of grace if we have lost it, and prepare us for the moment when we face God’s judgment. We take advantage of them in gratitude as means of growing in and staying in friendship with Christ.

Prayer, however, is necessary for salvation. We are called to become a personal friend of Jesus - and we all know that it is impossible to establish a lasting friendship with someone unless we spend a considerable amount of time with him.

For a Christian this means dedicating time each day for conversation with Our Lord and, if at all possible, doing so before the Blessed

Sacrament where Our Lord Himself awaits us. We must remember that Holy Communion and silent prayer are the greatest preparations for heaven, for heaven is nothing other than the possession and union with Our Lord. That is why the Cure of Ars said, “Our one great happiness on earth is prayer.” Because, as St Teresa of Avila said, “We are dealing alone with Him whom we know loves us.”

Prayer is necessary for salvation.

We are called to become a personal friend of Jesus - and we all know that it is impossible to establish a lasting friendship with someone unless we spend a considerable amount of time with him.

This happiness may not be evident to us in the beginning. But if we persevere, over time, and grow in the contemplative life, we will find that many things and activities that we used to find alluringly attractive now bore us. We will find them repugnant in comparison with the simple joys of the Christian life and the delight in bringing persons to Christ and his Church. Indeed, our appreciation of those many good things in nature, and for that matter in music, art, history, and literature, will be heightened as we see the divine in them. This, in turn may help us to be an evangeliser of culture, to help build “the civilisation of love and truth.”

Finally, remember to invoke the intercession of Mary, conceived without sin and full of grace, who from childhood was perfect in her prayer. And don’t forget St Joseph, “the master of the interior life.” They will help to make you small so you can approach Jesus, talk to Him, listen to him, and then “do whatever He tells you.”

“Pray constantly” (1 Thess 5:17). It is always possible to pray. It is even a vital necessity. Prayer and Christian life are inseparable.

- CCC

Searching for a life that includes God

Those searching for an answer, as our lead article adequately points out, should start with prayer.

But God also expects us to make use of resources that he has already given us – including other people. Here are a few resources and tips to help improve your search:

www.vocations.com

This excellent site is run by the Legionaries of Christ, one of the newest religious congregations of priests in the Church, and offers online advice for the serious seeker of vocation. Not biased towards any particular vocation, its aim is to answer questions, dispel myths and help point people towards their life’s true meaning.

www.catholicozvocations.org.au

Is an Australian site which offers a handy short description of every path to God through the Church – lay, single, married, religious, deacon, priest.

The new movements in the Church

The new movements in the Church are growing rapidly and are a fascinating panorama in themselves of the enormous diversity in the community of the Catholic Church. Even the commonly used name ‘movements’ indicates a new phenomenon, like a tide, rather than formal organisations. Many movements would prefer to describe themselves as a particular ‘way’ of finding God and God’s will for each and every person rather than as an ‘organisation’ or even a ‘movement.’ Millions of faithful around the world are finding their path to holiness through, and with the help of, the new movements.

And they are all very different from one another. If you were to put one person from each of the new movements in the same room it is very likely that they would not hit it off instantly with each other – their charisms and interests are so different from each other. And yet they all share a belief in the same things: Jesus, the Church, the Sacraments, prayer – holiness.

Meanwhile, a Church facing the global and frightening challenge of affluent societies largely indifferent or hostile to God and faith is increasingly looking to the new movements with great hope. It is the new movements, some in the Church think, which may already contain many of the seeds of the new evangelisation and a new civilisation of love. Perhaps one of these movements is for you.

The Focolare, the Neocatechumenal Way, Opus Dei, and Communion and Liberation are some of the bigger and more well-

known ecclesial movements which have been around for decades and are all solidly based on the vision of the Church espoused by the Second Vatican Council.

In addition there is the Charismatic Movement, which is really thousands of smaller charismatic groups around the globe, including here in Australia and Perth, each with an intense focus on allowing the Holy Spirit into every person’s life, often accompanied by a strong focus on the Spirit’s healing of past sins, traumas or illnesses.

Many millions of people have found their way to God in and through the charismatic movements.

One thing all the movements share is what might be called ‘the Nike philosophy’ – in other words, it’s time to get serious

about your relationship with God and finding God’s will or vocation for you so: just do it. They are also full of emphasis on serious commitment about what it means to be a Christian – being a daughter or son of God, what it really means to pray, meeting God in the Eucharist and through the other Sacraments.

Finding out about the new movements is only a mouse-click away on the internet or keeping an eye on a paper like The Record.

Your parish priest

Don’t forget, your parish priest was once in the same boat as you. He wondered whether God really was calling him to something like the priesthood – or whether it was just a figment of his imagination. He’s been through the whole process. Your par-

German city braces itself for youth invasion

Continued from Page1

visitors. Some pilgrims will stay in a brewery, some in a castle, others in a cowshed. Ten young people will sleep in a couple of rooms in the studios of Germany’s popular comedian and TV show host, Harald Schmidt. The offer by individual local Muslims and, in one case, a whole Muslim community to take in pilgrims caused some problems for the organisers, who eventually accepted the offers.

Mgr Heiner Koch, World Youth Day general secretary, told the German Catholic news agency KNA: “The places which offer hospitality are not, for us, simply random locations. They should, after all, lead to Catholic encounters.” The Muslim community in the nearby town of Niederkassel has offered 60 young people a place in the communal hall

beneath the mosque. The community’s chairman, Niyazi Ileli, said, “Pilgrimage is central for us as Muslims, and if young Christians want to do that, we support it happily.”

However, he added Muslim leaders turned down organisers’ request to allow young people to hold Christian morning prayers in the mosque. World Youth Day registration includes a public transportation pass, and providers are running rush-hour services all day and into the nights.

To help the many foreign visitors, travel information will be offered in several languages, including Latin. The German railways are adding more than 140 extra trains. On August 21, 1,200 extra buses will shuttle pilgrims from 12 stations and parking lots to the closing Mass with Pope Benedict, which will take

place 15 miles outside the city and is expected to attract more than 800,000 people.

For that Mass on the Marienfeld, a recultivated opencast mine, construction workers have laid out more than 30 miles of new roads and tipped 80,000 cubic yards of gravel to create the 30-foot high “Pope’s Hill,” on which the altar will stand.

Cell phone operators are building an entire network of transmitters to cope with the increased population at the Marienfeld, but they are issuing no guarantees that the network will not break down when the Pope drives by and people try to use their phones to take pictures and send them to family and friends. German Telekom is also offering special “sacred” ring tones, including church bells or the tune, “Go Tell It on the

ish priest is therefore in an excellent position to offer advice or to point you towards someone else who may be of help. How many of us think to stop and ask someone who found his own vocation for help, advice and prayer for our own?

Someone you trust

All vocations advice never fails to mention the importance of speaking to someone you trust deeply, someone who knows you. God put such people into your life for a reason. Don’t ignore the resource – make use of it.

Marriage

You could do a lot worse than finding out about the Theology of the Body, John Paul II’s gift to the Church, a startling development of the Church’s understanding of sexuality and marriage that has some theologians venturing to say that possibly many other theologies in the Church will come to be viewed through this prism in the future. It will undoubtedly re-energise our commitment to and understanding of the importance of marriage and family life and is, once you start to investigate it, definitely exciting, inspiring and beautiful.

Religious congregations and institutes

For men and women. Each has someone assigned to help those who approach with questions about their vocation. Remember, each of these people will have found their vocation and is ideally situated and ready, willing and able to help you find yours. Perhaps it is in a community with others like you who share the same vision and hopes for the future.

Single life

Often forgotten in the literature to be found in parish bookstalls but may be the vocation God is calling you to so that you can achieve something that nobody else can – as a contemplative, as a lay missionary, as someone who loves the poor and addicted. The possibilities are enormous.

Priesthood

Last – but definitely not least! Here in Perth there are two seminaries for those studying to become priests. If you think you might have a vocation to the priesthood speak to a priest you know who you feel could help you find out if priesthood is for you. There are also several priests who have specifically been asked to help guide men thinking about the possibility of priesthood in Perth. Ring Fr Corran Pike on (08) 9271 5253 and he can point you to the one nearest to you.

Mountain.” Police chief Klaus Steffenhagen said the London subway bombings had made security a central concern, and the Pope’s arrival on June 18 will turn Cologne into a high security zone. Police say they have called in all the crowd barricades they could find in Germany.

Meanwhile, the pilgrims will have to be fed, and, as Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne said, they will need more than five loaves and two fishes.

Sodexho, the company that catered for World Youth Days in Paris in 1997 and in Rome in 2000, will make 6.3 million meals throughout the celebration - 100 tons of food a day. The menu will be international; organisers said German specialties like pork knuckle and sauerkraut might not appeal to international visitors.

Young people carry the World Youth Day cross near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin during a service in preparation for WYD. Photo: CNS

A Legion of silence and power

■ By Fr Joachim O’Brien OFM

On the eve of the feast of Our Lady’s Nativity at 8pm on 7 September, 1921 Frank Duff, the founder of the Legion of Mary sat down with Fr Toher and 15 ladies. They prayed to the Holy Spirit, said the Rosary, and asked our Lady to “lead us.”

From that providential but inauspicious meeting rose the Legion of Mary. In this year of 2005 it operates in 178 countries of the world, always with the same simple form of meeting, under the protection of the Blessed Mother and with the formal approval of the Church.

Fr Aedan McGrath, a Columban priest in China in the 1940’s was asked by the then Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Riberi, to extend the Legion in China. He did so with remarkable success. Later, after his release from prison under the communists, Fr McGrath continued over many years his Legion work especially in the Pacific region from the Philippines. On several occasions he visited the Legion Senatus in Melbourne and Sydney. He surveyed the extraordinary work that had been done from there, but was saddened that their story was unknown by the bishops, clergy

Perpetual Rosary Bouquet on again

The 48 Hour Perpetual Rosary Bouquet for Our Lady’s Birthday commences Monday 5 September at 6pm and concludes Wednesday 7 September at 6pm.

Being the Year of the Eucharist, we give this Birthday gift to Our Lady under the title of Our Lady of the Blessed Eucharist, Mother of the Church and Patroness of Australia.

The gift that the people of WA have given so lovingly for many years is free of intentions. It is for Our Lady to use as she desires.

All are once again invited to take part in this birthday bouquetpraying the Rosary privately or in groups and wherever convenient. For 48 hours parishes and people are linked across this vast state of ours with Her favourite prayer - the Rosary.

A scroll has been prepared, dividing the 48 hours into halfhourly segments. Please forward your committed time slots to the addresses below so that they can be recorded on the Scroll. Individual names are not essential when a Parish is involved - name of parish and hours covered is sufficient.

The Rosary Bouquet will be presented with the Offertory gifts at Our Lady’s Birthday Mass in St Mary’s Cathedral on Thursday 8 September at 12.10pm, preceded by an hour of Eucharistic Adoration and Meditative Rosary commencing 11am.

Bishops throughout WA have been asked for their support and blessing. All Catholic schools in WA have been invited to take part in this Rosary Bouquet, acknowledging the power of children’s prayer.

Attached is a roster covering the 48 hours, broken up into 48 hour slots. Please forward committed parish or individual times to: Margaret Bowen, 2 Suso St, Woodlands 6018 Ph: 9446 1935,Fax: 9446 1933 Email: bowen@iinet.net.au Janis Mackin, Ph: 9255 1382, Fax: 9255 4182

and laity. He wrote: “You have a beautiful story to be told, and IT SHOULD BE TOLD.”

This book is the history of that ‘extraordinary work’ covering now over 70 years. It began from a visit of Fr Bakker and Mrs Gavan Duffy to the Eucharistic Congress in Dublin 1932. Enthusiastic with what they had seen of the Legion, then only 11 years old, they were determined to bring it to Melbourne. It began there in some of the worst days of the Great Depression; this was followed shortly after by the Second World War. Yet in spite of grave difficulties the Legion spread with remarkable rapidity to most of the Australian dioceses within 12 years.

In 1950, Agnes Orlebar, then living in Melbourne, was asked by the leadership in Dublin to go to Japan. She spent nine years extending the Legion in Japan and Taiwan. In 1954, Charles Kenney, twenty four years old, went from Sydney as an extension worker to New Guinea, New Britain, the Solomon Islands and New Britain. He was joined two years later by Sylvester Carley who extended the Legion further into Fiji, the Gilbert Islands and Nauru. He died at the age of 79 years after 22 years of Legion expansion among the island

peoples. New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna Islands also joined the Legion family.

In the 1950’s the Legion became the leading Australian organisation for the apostolate towards nonCatholics.

The Legion still plays a large part in parish life throughout Australia.

When properly used it still remains a quiet but powerful force throughout the world.

Frank Duff was invited as an auditor to the sessions of the Vatican Council on the ‘Apostolate of the Laity’. When he was introduced, the 2500 bishops gave him loud and sustained applause, knowing as they did, the immense work the legionaries had done in their dioceses, particularly the missionary ones. Speaking to the Legion in 1982 Pope John Paul II said:

“You are a movement of lay people who propose to make faith the aspiration of your life up to the achievement of personal sanctity. Your proper vocation as lay people, the vocation to be a leaven in the People of God, a Christian inspiration in the modern world to bring the priest to the people, is eminently ecclesiastical. Yours is an eminently Marian spirituality, not only that the Legion glories in carrying Mary’s name on its unfurled ban-

ner, but above all because it bases its method of spirituality on the dynamic principal of union with Mary, on the intimate participation of the Virgin Mary in the plan of salvation.” (Legion Handbook ch.2) After the Special Synod of Bishops of Oceania, Pope John Paul wrote his Apostolic Exhortation “The Church in Oceania” (Nov. 21, 2001). It has added much to the Legion’s contemplation and planning. So the Legion in Oceania faces the new evangelisation with confidence. The mandate of Jesus is to “Go out to the whole world and

preach the Gospel to all creatures.” Our own special area given us by divine Providence is “The Church in Oceania.”

This “Beautiful Story” is an endeavour to narrate some part of the history of the Church and Legion from 1932 to 2005.

When Moses saw the burning bush and approached to see this wonderful sight, God spoke to him: “Take off your sandals. The ground on which you tread is holy.” So too is this legionary ground covering over 70 years of the history of Church and Legion in Oceania.

The World

Pope’s visit may help Catholic-Jewish ties

Cologne’s Jewish leaders believe the Pope’s visit will allow both sides to show mutual respect

■ By Michael Lawton

Jewish leaders said they hope Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to a Cologne synagogue will help improve Catholic-Jewish relations.

“We hope that the visit will be a sign for the future,” said Michael Rado, a member of the board of the Cologne synagogue, which the Pope is scheduled to visit on August 19.

“In spite of the efforts of the Church in recent years, there is still anti-Semitism based on religious grounds in the minds of some people. If the Pope takes the step of visiting a synagogue, it will make once more clear that the movement in the Church is away from such anti-Semitism,” he said.

Synagogue board member Ebi Lehrer said the fact that it is a German Pope who is visiting is not a major issue.

“We see him as the Pope, as the head of the Catholic Church, and not so much as a German,” he said. “Perhaps it even makes it easier for him to visit a community in his home country.”

“We’re here not just as the Cologne community, but as the Jewish people,” said Rabbi Natanael Teitelbaum. He said although there will be speeches and some liturgical texts with not much time for con-

versation, the two sides will be able to demonstrate mutual respect.

“We can all learn from each other, not necessarily about religious issues, but about other issues, like how to live together, or the moral issues which we must all hold to, or the issue of peace. We have to work together, not just with speeches, but actions,” he said.

Shortly after Pope Benedict was elected, the Cologne Jewish com-

munity wrote a message of congratulations and said its members would be happy to greet him when he visited the city for World Youth Day. The Pope is due to be in Cologne from August 18-21.

“We are very happy that he accepted the invitation,” Lehrer said.

The Cologne community is the oldest recorded Jewish community north of the Alps, with documents

confirming its existence in A.D. 321. It suffered severely from antiSemitic persecution during the Middle Ages, and for many years Jews were not allowed to live in the city. Religious anti-Semitism was one of the sources for the racist anti-Semitism of the Nazis, who destroyed the Cologne community as well as much of the rest of European Jewry. During the

Holocaust, 11,000 Cologne Jews were killed. After the war, the community was rebuilt and now numbers 5,000 members, of whom nearly 4,000 have come from the former Soviet Union over the last 15 years.

Hans Hermann Henrix, director of the Catholic Academy in Aachen and consultant to the German bishops and the Vatican on CatholicJewish issues, said he does see a certain significance in the fact that a German pontiff, Pope Benedict, will visit the synagogue.

“It’s an expression of the significance of Jewish existence in German history, and this is especially meaningful after the horrible experience that we have had in the last century,” he said. “The fact that the German Pope Benedict will visit the synagogue of Cologne has its own force, but the path was already trodden by John Paul II, and this Pope will confirm that commitment from his own perspective and with his own personality.”

Pope John Paul was the first Pope in nearly 2,000 years to visit a synagogue when he visited the Jewish community in Rome in 1986.

Henrix said he believes Pope Benedict’s visit will help transmit Pope John Paul’s message that relations are based on “solidarity, respect and even love.”

“We have good structures for dialogue, especially here in Germany,” he said, “but the reception needs deepening in the communities. Normal Catholics should realise it’s not the private agenda of some people in our Church, it’s a characteristic attitude of the Church itself.”

Pressure for new Chinese Bishop War of words heats up

Vatican, Israeli spokesmen heat up war of words over terrorism

Spokesmen for the Vatican and for Israel’s Foreign Ministry heated up their war of words over papal condemnations of terrorist attacks.

Nimrod Barkan, the Foreign Ministry official in charge of Jewish affairs, told The Jerusalem Post on July 26 the Vatican had a habit of not condemning terrorism against Israel and “now that there is a new Pope, we have decided to deal with it.”

“Since they never paid a price for the lack of a condemnation, they continued to do it,” he said. “But if they understand we won’t let this pass quietly, I assume they will change their ways.”

Hours later, Joaquin NavarroValls, the Vatican spokesman, responded by saying that since Barkan knew the Foreign Ministry’s “presumptuous accusation” against Pope Benedict XVI on July 25 was unfounded he turned his attention to the “asserted silences of John Paul II.” Navarro-Valls said that in The Jerusalem Post article Barkan went as far as “inventing” a claim that “the government of Israel in the past had intervened repeatedly,”

asking the Holy See to condemn terrorist attacks against Israel as it does with terrorist attacks against other countries.

The exchange began after Pope Benedict XVI, in his July 24 Angelus address, decried a wave of “abominable terrorist attacks” in Egypt, Turkey, Iraq and Britain and called on God to convert the hearts of those responsible for the bloodshed.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement July 25 expressing its disappointment that the Pope had not mentioned a July 12 terrorist attack in Netanya, Israel.

Navarro-Valls said the same day that the Pope was not ignoring terrorism against Israel, but was speaking specifically about attacks that had taken place in the week prior to his July 24 address. Barkan told The Jerusalem Post that even at the risk of harming relations with the Vatican it was important that Israel make its concerns known.

“What could be worse than implying that it is OK to kill Jews? What else am I supposed to do?” Barkan asked.

Navarro-Valls, however, said on July 28 that the Vatican did not have a policy against condemning terrorist attacks against Israel as could be seen by Pope John Paul’s “numerous and public” statements.

New Chinese auxiliary says he had no time to prepare mentally for job

The new auxiliary bishop of Xi’an Diocese said he feels pressure because he had no time to prepare mentally for the job and is serving with a “high-calibre bishop.”

Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Dang Mingyan was consecrated by Xi’an Bishop Anthony Li Du’an at St Francis Cathedral on July 26, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. About 2,000 people - including local government officials - and more than 100 priests attended the ceremony. UCA News reported that the ordination had the approval of Chinese authorities and the Vatican.

Vatican officials would not comment on Bishop Dang’s status.

Bishop Dang told UCA News on July 26 he feels pressure because he had no “psychological preparation” to be a bishop after priests, nuns and lay representatives elected him June 14.

“I am just a very ordinary priest without much achievement. I’m not even aware what strengths I have. But my fellow priests, nuns and lay Catholics give me their

support and trust, so I will try my very best,” Bishop Dang said.

“One of my greater pressures is to be the assistant of Bishop Li, who is very outstanding and wise,” the 38-year-old auxiliary said. He said he believes Bishop Li will guide him well.

Bishop Li, 78, vice president of the government-recognised Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China, was once rumoured to be one of Pope John Paul II’s secret cardinals, but no one could confirm or deny the appointment. Although the government-approved church offi-

cially spurns ties with the Vatican, church sources say up to 85 percent of the government-approved bishops have reconciled secretly with the Vatican.

An underground church continues to exist, and in many sections of China there is some mingling of the two churches.

Describing Bishop Dang as “serious, conscientious and loyal to his work,” Father Stephen Chen Ruixue, diocesan chancellor, said he hopes the new auxiliary will follow Bishop Li in leading the diocese to greater development.

Under Bishop Li, Xi’an seminary in 1997 became China’s first regional seminary to open a formation section for nuns. The diocese also opened one of the country’s church-run social service centres in Xi’an in 2002.

Early last year, Bishop Li was diagnosed with liver cancer.

Since Bishop Li has been in and out of the hospital recently, Bishop Dang’s ordination date was not fixed until mid-July, local church sources told UCA News. According to Bishop Dang, Bishop Li left the hospital just two days before the ordination; sources said the elderly bishop seemed to be fine throughout the ordination and at the subsequent luncheon banquet. CNS

The German flag and a 2005 World Youth Day flag appear in the crowd during the installation Mass of Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican April 24. Pope Benedict will attend World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany.

PHOTO: CNS

China’s persecution of Christians continues to put it in the spotlight.

The World

Priest recalls atomic conversion

Priest recalls horrors of atomic bombing, conversion to Catholicism

Mobilisation out of Hiroshima 60 years ago to work in a weapons-manufacturing zone probably saved the life of Hayazoe Jo, then a 19-year-old student.

Sixty years after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city August 6, 1945, Father Hayazoe, now 79 and a Hiroshima diocesan priest, recalled the horror and the events that led to his conversion to Catholicism and, eventually, his priesthood.

“The explosion took place at 8.15, just when the tram I usually rode was crossing the bridge right below the blast,” Father Hayazoe said, referring to his daily journey to school in Hiroshima.

An estimated 80,000 people out of a population of 250,000 were killed outright by the explosion. By the end of 1945, an additional 60,000 people were reported to have died from radiation poisoning.

On August 9, 1945, another nuclear bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, claiming more than 70,000 lives.

From Otake, Father Hayazoe saw the “mushroom cloud” that spread over Hiroshima the day before he was told to return to his school to help identify bodies.

“The smell of burning bodies, the smell of rotting bodies, I couldn’t stand it,” he recalled. “Tears poured from my eyes. The city had been flattened, reduced to smoldering ruins. There were screaming mothers all over the place,” he said.

The war ended less than a week after the Nagasaki blast, when the Japanese government surrendered to the Allied Forces on August 15, 1945.

With the end of the war, according to Father Hayazoe, “the struggle for a new life began.” His younger brother, who had been a student at the naval academy, also returned to

Hiroshima. Describing the sense of hopelessness that afflicted them both, Father Hayazoe said, “He, too, felt that everything was ruined, totally ruined.”

Then one day, his brother came home with “an uncannily quiet expression on his face,” the priest said. “He told me that he was in Nagatsuka,” near Hiroshima, “and talked with a Spanish priest there for about 30 minutes.”

Father Hayazoe said the thought, “If anyone can change my ultranationalist brother in only 30 minutes, I want to meet that man, too.”

The priest was Jesuit Father Pedro Arrupe, who later became superior general of the Jesuits. He had opened the Jesuit residence to victims of the bombing and, along with other priests, was attempting to provide medical

care. Father Arrupe, who served in Japan from 1939 to 1965, converted his novitiate into a hospital and, because of his earlier training as a medical student, was able to treat the injured. The shock of the bombing helped convince him of the need for a “pedagogy of love.” “When I met him, I was surprised to see that there were such people in the world,” Father Hayazoe said. But his surprise became a decision: “Okay, I’ll try to become like that.”

Father Hayazoe was baptised in 1947. Fourteen years later, on March 21, 1961, he was ordained a priest at World Peace Memorial Cathedral, built to replace the damaged cathedral in Hiroshima and in remembrance of the nuclear attack.

China to become a nation of bachelors

China might soon become the most populous country of bachelors, reported a missionary of the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions.

Father Giancarlo Politi, speaking on Vatican Radio, said that the one-child policy, instituted to “maintain control over the population, so that it wouldn’t grow enormously,” favours the birth of boys among Chinese families.

“There is still a need to seek by all means to have at least a male child,” said the priest.

As a result of the policy, instituted in 1979, an estimated 25 million young men in China might remain single for life.

“The family without heirs leaves the couple in a relationship of virtual sterility, also from the human and not just the procreative point of view,” he said.

This policy is “truly inhuman,” stated the missionary, in that it stipulates “compulsory abortion for those without permission to have a second child,” said Father Politi.

The policy has also “given origin to a practice of having children outside the law.”

Many children are not registered in China. “It will not be possible to indicate the number because it will be speculation,” said the priest.

Although families with money might be able to obtain the registration, “it is true that all those born without permission do not exist” legally, and are the target of blackmail “at many levels,” he said.

He said the law was instituted to redress the effects of an earlier policy based on the motto: “’The more we are the better,’ as this way we can face the enemy and win.

Trust and reconciliation must follow end of Irish army’s campaign

Pope Benedict calls IRA announcement ‘wonderful news’

Pope Benedict XVI said the Irish Republican Army’s announcement that it had ended its armed campaign was “wonderful news” that must be followed by efforts to promote trust and reconciliation.

“To the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Patrick and all the

the world in brief

Prisoners get creative

saints of Ireland we entrust our common prayer for this intention,” he said July 31 after reciting the Angelus at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.

With several thousand people gathered in the courtyard of the residence on a sweltering hot day, the pope praised the IRA’s decision to end its armed struggle and rely solely on peaceful negotiations.

“This is wonderful news, which contrasts with the painful events we are witnessing daily in many parts

Creative Options, a correspondence course for prisoners, gives inmates a rare opportunity to make the most of their time while they are incarcerated, according to Billie Walter, who runs the program.

Through a variety of courses, it gives prisoners a chance to change the behaviours that landed them in prison and an alternative to just “sitting there, wasting time,” she told The Southern Cross, newspaper of the San Diego Diocese. Based in Jacumba, the program was begun in 2003.

It is the nation’s first - and apparently only - such correspondence course for inmates.

of the world,” he said. The IRA decision, announced July 28, “rightly has given rise to satisfaction and hope on the island and to the entire international community.”

Pope Benedict XVI asked Catholics and Protestants, Irish and British to “continue to follow courageously the path marked out and to take further steps to reinforce mutual trust, to promote reconciliation and to consolidate the negotiations for a just and lasting peace.”

At his first Sunday Angelus

It was born out of a facility Walter used to run for San Diego’s unloved and overburdened population - everyone from the homeless, drug-addicted and mentally ill to alcoholics, battered women and recently released prison inmates.

New code for priests

A new code of conduct for the priests of the Santa Fe Archdiocese encourages them to use “fraternal correction” to help fellow priests overcome personal problems hindering their ministry.

The code also encourages newly ordained priests to seek a mentor in an older priest who can help them develop the personal and pastoral skills needed to deal with people.

gathering at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Benedict thanked the people of the small town south of Rome for their welcome, and he thanked the visitors from around the world who crowded into the courtyard to pray with him.

“World Youth Day, which will take place in Cologne (Germany), is coming up and, God willing, I also will participate even though I am no longer young, but my heart is young,” he said, improvising on his prepared remarks that had made no

The code, dated August 1, was drafted by the archdiocesan priests’ council and approved by Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan of Santa Fe.

This document is in addition to the archdiocese’s written policy on sexual misconduct and harassment by clergy and church employees.

The archdiocesan headquarters is in Albuquerque.

Bill a treaty violation

The Spanish bishops’ conference said a bill that would lessen the importance of religion in the curriculum of Spanish schools violates a 1979 Vatican-Spain treaty.

The bishops said the government did not seek or use the Church’s input in draft-

reference to his 78 years. The pope asked Catholics around the world to pray for the young people who would be setting off to join him Aug. 18-21 in Cologne.

In addition, he said, “I want to invite young people from throughout the world, including those who cannot participate in this extraordinary church event, to unite in a spiritual pilgrimage to the source of our faith,” Jesus Christ.

- CNS

ing a bill that would make religion classes optional and ungraded.

“There has been no dialogue or negotiation,” the bishops’ executive committee said in a July 22 statement. The committee was reacting to the government’s July 22 submission of legislation to the Spanish Cortes, or parliament.

The bishops’ committee said government negotiators had not mentioned plans to introduce the “unacceptable bill” at the June 23 meeting of a joint church-state commission.

Under a 1979 agreement between the Vatican and Spain, at the request of their parents students attending public schools can take approved, graded religious education courses that would be factored into their grade point averages.

Father Hayazoe Jo, a Hiroshima diocesan priest, says the horror of the atomic bombing 60 years ago led to his conversion to Catholicism. He is pictured in an undated photo taken in Hiroshima, Japan PHOTO: CNS

Reviews

Wizard book builds on tradition

Book

Harry Potter and the HalfBlood Prince

■ By Hal Colebatch

The latest instalment of Harry Potter’s adventures is a good deal more adult and a good deal darker than those that went before, though the darkness had begun to gather in the preceding book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

A major character dies and while the previous stories have ended with good rewarded and evil punished, there is no such resolution here. Like Sirius Black in the preceding volume, it looks as if the character who dies really is dead, and the loss of this character is major enough to change the whole texture of events to come.

Harry, about to turn 17 and come of age as a wizard, is left griefstricken and vengeful, the innocence of childhood behind him. Volume 7, planned to be the final book in the series, looks like being a snorter of a climax.

Despite this increasing darkness, the story remains highly readable and expertly-written. The Harry Potter books, along with The Lord of the Rings, must have done more than billions of dollars spent in education budgets around the world to introduce children to the wonders and delights of reading. They are proof that children - and specifically the TV and computer game-reared children of the 21st Century - have no difficulty absorbing complex literary plots, characterisations and vocabularies if their imaginations

can be appealed to, and if the good old tried-and-true techniques of story-telling are properly applied.

The Harry Potter stories have been criticised by some people for glamorising witchcraft. I don’t, however, think this is a real problem. Children know the difference between fiction and reality in this context. Much more dangerous is the occultism which pretends to be true - the spread of astrology columns and advertisements by spiritualists and mediums in popular magazines is genuinely alarming.

The Harry Potter books seem to present their - fictional - magic

as a body of technique which does not transcend Good and Evil, any more than, say, electrical engineering transcends Good and Evil. In Harry Potter’s world there are good and evil, and wise and foolish, people with magical abilities as there are in the non-magical world and magic is not a replacement for religion or values.

As in The Lord of The Rings, there are only bare hints of specific or organised religion in Harry Potter’ world. The good Sirius Black was Harry’s “godfather”, evidently charged with his spiritual education. Christmas and Easter are celebrated

as holidays, and at Christmas the suits of armour at Hogwarts School sing “Oh, Come all Ye Faithful.” That is about all. There is no mention of a chapel at Hogwarts, or of any religious figures. This need not be taken as implying anything about religion one way or another: in a fictional, “sub-created” world some things have to be left out, as in The Lord of The Rings Tolkien, himself an extremely devout Catholic, did not touch upon the problem of how the Diabolus Morgoth was apparently able to destroy free will in his slaves. Such things are plainly of (literally) the greatest importance

in real life, but to deal with them all in fiction can make matters too complicated.

It is significant that the supreme Enemy, the Dark Lord Voldemort, like the great Enemies in The Lord of the Rings and Darth Vader in Star Wars, fears death above all else. The good people accept death bravely and see Earthly life as a preparation for something beyond. The champions of Evil in all three epics both fear death as the End, and - from a certain point of view - are death.

While none of these epics are overtly Christian, they show evil as smaller and weaker than good and utterly separate from it (good and evil are not, as in some New Age philosophies, seen as a yingyang whole or two sides of the same coin). They also show the redeeming power of love, and the value of tradition: in each of these stories a wise old guide - Obi-Wan, Gandalf, Dumbledore - is both the young hero’s initiator into the perilous Quest and the bulwark of wisdom and goodness. The values the Harry Potter stories hold up before children are good ones. The attractive, and even noble, light in which good manners are presented might also be a particularly valuable object-lesson for some today.

Basically, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is another highly readable story maintaining and building upon the traditions and values of the series. There is fun, adventure and mystery along with tragedy. It should encourage children not only to tackle reading books of formidable length, complex plot and demanding vocabulary, but also to think upon moral issues. One can pick a few holes - I have always thought Harry’s nonmagical uncle and aunt were too much caricatures - but I for one certainly do not begrudge the Harry Potter stories their success and wish Harry Potter well.

PANORAMA a roundup of events in the archdiocese

Sunday August 7

ETERNAL WORD TELEVISION NETWORK

1  2 PM ON ACCESS 31

Love is Truth / Abp Fulton Sheen, Servant of God, from his famous award-winning series Life is Worth Living; followed by G.K. Chesterton’s philosophical perspective of the Sacraments / with Dale Ahlquist (The Apostle of Common Sense series) Be part of the New Springtime of Evangelisation, by helping us keep these wonderful programs on Access 31. Please send donations and comments to The Rosary Christian Tutorial Association, PO Box 1270, and Booragoon 6954. Enquiries: 9330-1170.

Sunday August 7

RIGHT TO LIFE ASSOCIATION WA

Annual Dinner will be held at the Novotel Langley Perth commencing 12.30pm. Guest speaker Philip Pendal. Bookings 92217117.

Sunday August 7

DIVINE MERCY

An afternoon with Jesus and Mary at St Mary’s Cathedral, Victoria Square, Perth at 1.30pm. Proceedings are as follows: Holy Rosary and Reconciliation, Sermon with Fr Tiziano Bogomi on St John Vianney followed by Divine Mercy Prayers and Benediction. Enq John 9457 7771, Linda 9275 6608.

Sunday August 7

OPEN AFTERNOON

The formators and seminarians of the Archdiocesan

Missionary Seminary Redemptoris Mater warmly invite you to an open afternoon from 3pm. You will be able to meet the Seminarians, view the Seminary and are welcome to join us for Solemn Vespers and Benediction at 5pm in the newly dedicated Chapel.

Sunday August 7

BLESSED MARY MACKIILOP’S FEAST DAY

At 6pm, you are invited to come and join the Sisters of St Joseph to celebrate Mary MacKillop’s life and the10th Anniversary of her Beatification in the Chapel, 16 York Street, South Perth. For more information contact Sister Maree Riddler 9334 0933, 9457 3371.

Tuesday August 11-12

THE DREAMER, A PLAY BY TOM PAVEY

“An imaginative story that illustrates the universal love and mercy of God.” - Most Rev. Donald Sproxton, Auxiliary Bishop of Perth. Full $20 Concession $15 Religious and Clergy Free. Nexus Theatre, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch at 8pm. Tickets through: ticketmaster7 www.ticketmaster7.com or Phone: 1300 558 878.

Thursday August 11

HEALING MASS

In honour of St Peregrine, patron of cancer sufferers and helper of all in need, will be held at the Church of St John and Paul, Pinetree Gully Rd, off South St in Willetton at 7pm.There will be Veneration of the Relic and Anointing of the Sick. Enq Noreen 9498 7727.

Friday August 12

THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

A Pioneer Holy Mass to The Sacred Heart of Jesus will be offered at St Bernadette’s Church, Cnr Leeder and Jugan Sts, Glendalough at 7pm. The main Celebrant will be Fr Douglas Harris and all Priests are invited to attend and concelebrate the occasion and all Pioneers are invited to come along for this special evening. Please bring a plate to share afterward. Enq John 9457 7771.

Saturday August 13-14

WORKSHOP

“Peace Be Still” use Prayer, stress management, Faith in God etc to overcome some of life’s obstacles. I did. Noreen P 9397 0348 / 0409 680 313.

Sunday August 14

THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Will be celebrated at the Shrine of the Virgin of Revelation, 36 Chittering Rd, Bullsbrook at 2pm, with Marian Procession, Holy Mass, and Benediction of The Blessed Sacrament. The Sacrament of the sick will be administered during Mass. All are most welcome Enq SACRI 9447 3292.

Sunday August 14

PILGRIMAGE TO YORK IN HONOUR OF ST PHILOMENA

Bus to York, Holy Mass in the Historic Parish Church of St Patrick at 12pm with Benediction, Litanies, Rosaries and other devotions in honour of St Philomena. Bus leaving Mercedes College staff car park off Goderich St, Perth opposite Jewel House.

Cars may be parked in the car park, which will be locked on departure at 10.15am and opened upon return at 6.30pm. BYO lunch. All welcome Enq Fr Michael Rowe for bookings 9444 9604

Sunday August 14

FATIMA HOLY HOUR

The World Apostolate of Fatima will hold a Holy Hour in Our Lady of Lourdes, Flinders St, Nollamara at 3pm. In this special year of the Eucharist, let us spend an hour in the company of Mary, to make Eucharistic reparation to her Divine Son. All welcome Enq 9339 2614.

Monday August 15-21

BILLINGS WA

Natural Family Planning Week. Manage your fertility naturally. Accredited teachers in all areas. Confidential Appointments. Contact Perth (08) 9399 4394, Bunbury (08) 9791 3696. Free call State Wide 1800 819 841.

Friday August 19-21

HOW DO I KNOW THAT GOD IS CALLING ME TOO

Join a group of other young people for a weekend of prayer, listening to other people’s stories and learning tools to help you determine where God is leading you in terms of your state of life, career or any other part of your journey which may be unclear. Run by the WA vocations network, the Retreat will be held at the St Joseph’s retreat house. Please contact Bronia for more information on 0407 430 478 or 9478 1263 or bkarnie@hotmail.com.

Actors from the Harry Potter film, (2nd from left) Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley. Photo: CNS

BOOK KEEPING

■ SMALL BUSINESS BOOKKEEPING MYOB

rates

Ph: Margaret 9459 5866/0403 778 426

BUILDING TRADES

■ BRICK REPOINTING

Phone Nigel 9242 2952

■ GUTTERS/DOWNPIPES

Need renewing, best work and cheapest prices. Free quote. Ph: Ad 9447 7475 or 0408 955 991 5008.

■ PERROTT PAINTING PTY LTD

For all your residential, commercial painting requirements. Phone Tom Perrott 9444 1200.

■ PICASSO PAINTING

Top service. Phone 9345 0557, fax 9345 0505.

CATHOLICS CORNER

■ RETAILER OF CATHOLIC PRODUCTS

Specialising in gifts, cards and apparel for baptism, communion and confirmation. Ph: 9456 1777. Shop 12, 64-66 Bannister Road, Canning Vale. Open Mon-Sat.

CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER

■ WORK FROM HOME

Around your children & family commitments. My business is expanding and I need people to open new areas all over Australia. Training given. Highly lucrative. www.cyber-success-4u.org

FOR SALE

■ LUMEN CHRISTI HOMES, AUGUSTA

Lifetime lease (Unit 6). Enquiries: Phone Catholic Diocese of Bunbury 9721 0500

■ ORGAN, YAMAHA ELECTONE

Double keyboard excellent condition $1250. Ph 9291 9035

FURNITURE REMOVAL

■ AAA SLIPSTREAM

Piano removal, sales and hire. Special discount for schools. Contact Tony 0418 923 414

■ ALL AREAS

Mike Murphy 0416 226 434.

HEALTH

■ GLYCONUTRIENTS

Now here is a product that could change your life, a dietary supplement that surpasses all others. Glyconutrients are a technological breakthrough and a new area of science. Learn more about optimal health and Glyconutrients by calling: Mary Anne 9284 1662. Find out Glyconutrients can provide you with a healthy business and a healthier life.

HEALTH

■ NEURO PSYCHOLOGICAL IMMUNITY

For women who are suffering from cancer or are in remission. Hennie is a qualified practioner and uses a combination of relaxation, medication, visualisation, and pain control techniques to improve health and can speed up the healing process by re-activating the immune system. These techniques are to be used in conjunction with your physician or specialist. Gold coin donation is appreciated. Light refreshments are provided. Hennie has a Diploma in the Science of Neuro-Psychological Immunity. tel: 95250292.

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

■ BUSSELTON

Geog Bay, Park Home sleeps UP TO 6 winter rates apply. Ph Elizabeth 0408 959 671.

■ DENMARK

Holiday House 3bdr x 2bth, sleeps up to 8. BOOK NOW. Ph: Maria 0412 083 377

OFFICIAL DIARY

HOUSESITTER

■ AVAILABLE 2006

Currently taking bookings to care for your home and pets. Metro area. Natalie Tel. 0417 976 028

MUMS ON A MISSION

■ SUCCEED FROM HOME

Call Christine on Tel: 9256 2895.

PRINTING

■ USFOROZ LYNWOOD

Resume services, memoriam cards and booklets call after hours 0410 651 900.

RELIGIOUS PRODUCTS

■ CLASSIC ROMAN/GOTHIC VESTMENTS

Entire Sacristy spectrum. Catholic banners, Copes, Dalmatics, Antipendiums, linen Altar Cloths, Altar Covers, Mass Linens, Albs, surplices, Processional Canopies, Cassocks, etc. 20 years experience in the field. www.susanmaria.com Email: susan@susanmaria.

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7

8

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Sunday August 21

FESTA BRUNSWICK JUNCTION

You are invited to the Our Lady’s Assumption Parish, Brunswick Junction Festa, Sunday 21 August 2005. Mass 10.30am in the Brunswick Town Hall. Rosary Procession starts at 2pm and concludes with Benediction. BYO Lunch, Tea & coffee will be provided Enquiries : Ross Princi 9726 1077, Domenic Frisina 9726 1283.

CROSS ROADS COMMUNITY TERM 3

JULY 19  SEPTEMBER 23

Family & Friends Support Groups of Substance Abusers are on Wednesdays 7-9pm, Substance Abusers Support Groups are on Tuesdays 5.307.30pm & Fridays All day Group for Substance Abusers is from 9.30am to 2pm including Healing Mass on Fridays at 12.30pm during term. Rosary is from Tuesday to Thursday at 12.30-1pm.

Every Sunday BULLSBROOK SHRINE MASS PROGRAM

Shrine of Virgin of the Revelation 36 Chittering Rd. Bullsbrook 2.00 PM Holy Mass, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Holy Rosary. Reconciliation is available in Italian and English before every celebration. A Monthly Pilgrimage is held on the last Sunday of the month in honour of the Virgin of the Revelation. Anointing of the sick is administered for spiritual and physical healing during Holy Mass every second Sunday of the month. The side entrance to the Church is open daily between 9am and 5pm for private prayer. For all enq SACRI 9447

3292

ALL SAINTS CHAPEL

CONFESSIONS: 10.30 to 11.45am and two lunchtime MASSES: 12.10 and 1.10pm Monday through Friday. Easy to find in the heart of Perth , 77 ALLENDALE SQUARE, St. George’s Terrace, Perth, WA. Let the peace of the Chapel surround you; let the hurry and worry of your many cares be left with the Lord. Visit with Him. Talk with Him. Give your-

self time for Him! Exposition: 8am - 4pm. Morning Prayer: 8am(Liturgical hours). The Holy Rosary daily: 12.40pm. Divine Mercy Prayers and Benediction: Mondays and Fridays 1.35pm. St. Pio of Pietrelcina Novena to the Sacred Heart and Benediction: Wednesdays 1.35pm. To help you know and appreciate your Faith, a Lending Library of a thousand books, videos, cassettes at your service. Tel: 9325 2009. The Chapel is closed weekends and public holidays. www.allsaintschapel.com

PERPETUAL ADORATION

Of the Blessed Sacrament Christ the King, Lefroy Rd, Beaconsfield. Enq Joe Migro 9430 7937 A/H 0419 403 100. Adoration also at Sacred Heart, 64 Mary St Highgate, St Anne’s, 77 Hehir St Belmont. Bassendean 19 Hamilton St and Mirrabooka 37 Changton Wy. “Jesus is there for you 24/7.”

40 DAYS OF PURPOSE

An August-September all-Christian Evangelisation course being conducted in many Perth churches and communities. More info: Harry (9444 4626) and Website: www.purposedriven.com.au.

ASSISTANCE REQUIRED

The Catholic Parish of St Anne’s, Bindoon require help to assist tradesmen to complete work on the Parish centre. Ph John 9457 7771.

BLESSED SACRAMENT ADORATION

Holy Family Church, Alcock Street, Maddington. Every Friday 8.30 am Holy Mass followed by Blessed Sacrament Adoration till 12 noon. Every first Friday of the month, anointing of the sick during Mass. Enq. 9398 6350.

REFLECTION AFTERNOONS

Challenge of Living as a Eucharistic Community in the Modern World. For everyone involved in Eucharistic Ministries or Service. Speakers include Archbishop Hickey. Topics: Evangelisation, 7 August; Challenge of Change, 21 August, Redemptorist Monastery, 2-4 pm. Phone 9422 7902.

SUNDAY CHINESE MASS

The Perth Chinese Catholic Community invite you to join in at St Brigid’s Church, 211 Aberdeen St (Cnr of Aberdeen and Fitzgerald) Northbridge. Celebrant Rev Fr Dominic Su SDS. Mass starts 4.30pm every Sunday. Enq Augustine 9310 4532, Mr Lee 9310 9197, Peter 9310 1789.

LITURGY OFFICE OFFERING EXCELLENT WORKSHOPS

Leadership for Music Ministry, 25 August. Cantors for the Country: To give people confidence and practical skills to lead the singing in country parishes 13 August and 22 October. Phone: 9422 7902.

CONFRATERNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Confraternity of the Holy Spirit has been sanctioned in the Perth Archdiocese, our aim is to make the Holy Spirit known and loved, and to develop awareness of His presence in our lives. If you would like more information please call WA Coordinator Frank Pimm on 9304 5190.

CATHOLICS EXPERIENCING THE BIBLE

PARTTIME COURSES

An exciting opportunity to learn more about your faith. Enrolments are now open for study at Acts 2 College of Mission and Evangelisation in term 3. Short Course: Mary in the Mystery of the Church - Fr Leo M Spicer, OSM on Mon 15th and Mon 22nd August commencing 9am. Registration and enquiries to Jane on 9202 6859 or 0401 692 690.

CATHOLICS EXPERIENCING THE BIBLE

PUBLIC LECTURES

An exciting opportunity to learn more about your faith. Public lectures Tues 4 - 5pm. August 2-30: The Catechism (Fr Hugh Thomas); Sept 6: Praying with Mary (Fr Chris M Ross, OSM); Sept 13: Praying with Scripture (Fr Anthony Van Dyke, OP); and Sept 20: Praying through the heart of Jesus (Fr Jim Shelton). Cost $5 per lecture. Enquiries to Jane on 9202 6859 or 0401 692 690.

■

house. This is not a full-time carer’s position. Ph: 9490 0271

WANTED

■ CLEANER

Looking for a trutsworthy,committed cleaner to do two houses in the Stirling + Duncraig areas. Day-Saturday, but can be negotiated. Please call Joan between 12.30 - 1pm Mon-Fri 9444 9366 or after 7pm 9344 3380.

First Sunday of each month

DEVOTIONS IN HONOUR OF THE DIVINE MERCY

Fr Douglas Hoare and the Santa Clara Parish Community welcome anyone from surrounding Parishes and beyond to the Santa Clara Church cnr of Coolgardie and Pollock Streets, Bentley. The afternoon commences with the 3 o’clock prayer, followed by the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Reflection, and concludes with Benediction.

THE DIVINE MERCY APOSTOLATE

St Mary’s Cathedral, Victoria Square, Perth – each first Sunday of the month from 1.30pm to 3.15pm with a different priest each month. All Saints Chapel, Allendale Square, 77 St George’s Tce, Perth - each Monday and Friday at 1.35pm. Main Celebrant Fr James Shelton. St Francis Xavier Church, 25 Windsor Street, East Perth - each Saturday from 2.30pm to 3.30pm, main celebrant Fr Marcellinus Meilak, OFM. Saints John and Paul Church, Pinetree Gully Drive, Willeton - each Wednesday from 4pm to 5pm. All Enq John 9457 7771.

Catholic Church TV Australia

Program guide: 7 - 31 August

Aurora Community Television is available on Foxtel Digital and Austar Digital. Channel 183

Sunday 7 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am

Monday 8 August

Mass for You At Home Octava Dies 5am & 10am 8.00am MacKillop’s Melbourne

Tuesday 9 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am 1.30pm MacKillop’s Melbourne

Wednesday 10 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am

Thursday 11 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am

Friday 12 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am

Saturday 13 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am 2.00pm MacKillop’s Melbourne

Sunday 14 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am

Monday 15 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am 2.30pm This Generation

Tuesday 16 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am 8.30am This Generation

Wednesday 17 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am

Thursday 18 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am

Friday 19 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am

Saturday 20 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am 2.30pm This Generation

Sunday 21 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am

Monday 22 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am 8.00am The Novel is Today’s

Stain Glass Window

Tuesday 23 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies

Program Notes

Priests 24/7

This week we celebrate the memory of St John Vianney, who is the patron saint of priests. Priest 24/7 looks at the life of the overwhelming majority of priests who faithfully and generously work hard for God’s people all day, every day.

MacKillop’s Melbourne

This is Vocations Week. This film looks at the early life of one woman whose vocation went on to change our country for the better - Blessed Mary MacKillop.

This Generation

This week Pope Benedict XVI will make his first foreign trip to Cologne in Germany for International World Youth Day. This film from Albert Street

5am & 10am

1.30am The Novel is Today’s Stain Glass Window

Wednesday 24 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am

Thursday 25 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am

Friday 26 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am

Saturday 27 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies

5am & 10am 2.00pm The Novel is Today’s Stain Glass Window

Sunday 28 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am

Monday 29 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies

5am & 10am 8.00am All God’s Beggars

Tuesday 30 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies 5am & 10am 1.30pm All God’s Beggars

Wednesday 31 August

Mass for You At Home

Octava Dies

5am & 10am

Productions explores the joys and fears, hopes and spiritualities of this generation.

The Novel is the Stain Glass Window

This week in Australia we observe National Book Week. Over the last twenty years we have had the phenomenon of Fr Andrew Greely. Fr Greely, a priest of Chicago who is a distinguished social scientist. He is also a popular novelist with 50 bestsellers and 20 million books sold. This film looks at why he believes that novels are today’s stain glass windows.

All God’s Beggars

This week we focus on migrants and refugees. This documentary reflects on the effects of government policy on asylum seekers, and what the Church is doing about it.

Pizzeria an example of love

Apizzeria in Rome employing waiters with Down syndrome struggled against prejudice for years but, with help from the local council, it is now a runaway success.

Sergio Paladini, 53, and his wife Agostina formed a co-operative to run the 100-seat restaurant to give their Down’s son Valerio “a purpose in life”. After four years, in which they also worked at daytime jobs, they were about to give

up when the council came to the rescue. It found new investors and staff in the form of committed cooperatives to ease the strain on the parents.

A regular clientele has finally been established and, although many customers are attracted by the glowing reports of the food, the main draw is the staff, who are also trained to work in the kitchen and “turn out a cracking pizza”, says Mr Paladini. “But they pre-

fer the human contact that comes with waiting on tables.

“When some regulars arrive, the kids greet them with a huge embrace - something typical of people with Down syndrome. Not everyone can take this kind of thing, of course. But these days we have very few problems with people reacting badly to being served by a disabled person. Things in Italy are finally changing.”

~ The Telegraph.

All times are WA time.

5. Why Marriage Matters...

Reason Five

Divorced and unmarried child bearing increase poverty for both children and mothers.

Research has consistently shown that both divorce and unmarried child bearing increase the economic vulnerability of both children and mothers. The effects of family structure on poverty remain powerful, even after controlling for race and family background. Changes in family structure are an important cause of new entries into poverty (although a decline in the earnings of the household head is the single most important cause). Child poverty rates are very high primarily because of the growth of single-parent families. When parents fail to marry and stay married, children are more likely to experience deep and persistent poverty, even after controlling for race and family background. The majority of children who grow up outside of intact married families experience at least one year of dire poverty (family incomes less than half the official poverty threshold). Divorce as well as unmarried child bearing plays a role: Between one-fifth and one-third of divorcing women end up in poverty following the divorce.

In Australia, a study of 500 divorcees with children five to eight years after the separation found that four in five divorced mothers were dependent on social security after their marriages dissolved. Also, mothers still suffer income losses of up to 26 per cent five to eight years after divorce. Moreover, figures from Monash University’s Centre for Population and Urban Research show that family break-up rather than unemployment, is the main cause of the rise in poverty levels in Australia.”

Research from the Centre for Population and Urban Research at Monash University has further demonstrated this strong link between poverty and single-parent families. As of September 1996, lone parents headed 43.3 per cent of poor families. Recent research by the Australian Bureau of Statistics has found that half of single parents are on welfare. The study showed that 52 percent of one-parent families are living in a household where the parent is not working.

The Record is publishing all 21 reasons. However, if you can’t wait Twenty-One Reasons Why Marriage Matters by the National Marriage Coalition is available from us for just $5 plus postage and

handling.

Contact Eugene on (08) 9227 7080 or e-mail administration@therecord.com.au