available from The
LOST AND FOUND: New exhibition of New Norcia’s once-stolen art Page 3
The Parish. The Nation. The World.
Western Australia’s Award-winning Catholic newspaper
BRUNSWICK FESTA: North West Catholics honour Mary Page 5
Thursday September ,
Perth, Western Australia ● $2
THE BELOVED II: Benedict continues his talks on the apostles Page 13
opening and dedication - VISTA 1-3
Prelate rejects view that interfaith dialogue violates church teaching
■ By Paul Gray
“The Muslim community should speak out against the persecution of Christians inside Muslim countries,” English Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor said earlier this
PHOTOS: PETER ROSENGREN, MODIFICATION: TERRENCE BOYLEN
By
Mark Reidy
Cardinal O’Connor
week in Melbourne. Cardinal MurphyO’Connor argued that interfaith dialogue must become a two-way street during a public lecture to mark the opening of Australian Catholic University’s Asia-Pacific Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue, while in Melbourne.
Continued on Page 4
The Church in the Northern Territory has just celebrated the life of a missionary bishop who saved Aboriginal girls from marriage to elderly men, reports PAUL GRAY.
During their 25 years of marriage Stephen and Carmen Court had often contemplated taking time out together to enrich their relationship, but it wasn’t until May this year that they fulfilled this desire.
They attended a Celebrate Love weekend in Koondoola, along with 20 other married couples and the results exceeded all their expectations. In fact they were
so inspired by the experience that they volunteered to host the next weekend, which will be held at Aquinas College in Salter Point on September 16 and 17.
At a recent promotional talk, Stephen shared that the course had “enriched our marriage through better communication, responding better to one another and in strengthening our relationship.”
Celebrate Love, which made its international debut when it
Continued on Page 7
■ By Sylvia Defendi
The Portuguese Community of Hamilton Hill will be celebrating the feast of Our Lady’s Nativity on September 10, with a bilingual high Mass, Benediction and procession around the Holy Cross Church parish grounds.
The 11.30am high Mass will be celebrated in both Portuguese
Continued on Page 12
Ihave been here in Jerusalem now for some weeks. It is very hot. On the other hand there is no sign of conflict.
The events in Lebanon and in the north of Israel are politically very sensitive but there is a strong belief that Jerusalem was never in danger.
After all it is a Holy City for the Jews, the Muslims and for the Christians.
The Prime Minister is under attack for not delivering a knockout blow on the Hezbollah but both sides are trying to claim some sort of victory.
Unfortunately the deep antipathy between Israel and the militant Palestinians and sympathisers still exists and will no doubt manifest itself again in a violent manner.
One can only hope that the international community of nations can end the fighting for a long time until some resolution of a lasting nature is found.
Mother Maria Anna whom many will recall as the Superior of the Convent of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate in Toodyay and
Perth until two years ago, told me of her experience of the rockets from Lebanon. She was Superior of the Convent in Cana of Galilee (in Israel) when the fighting broke out.
She could hear the rockets as they exploded nearby and see the destruction they caused. Thankfully no one was killed in Cana. Nazareth was not so lucky as we know.
I feel the privilege of being in Jerusalem, the biblical city that goes back to the time of Abraham. Memories of Jesus abound.
Just a few metres from where I am staying is the Crusader Church of Bethpage. It was from there that Jesus began his triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
Each year on Palm Sunday the Latin Patriarch leads the procession of palms down the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley and into the Old City to recall Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and the beginning of Holy Week.
It also reminds me of the little gem of a poem written by G K Chesterton, from the donkey’s point of view (see below). When I visited the Holy Land some years
The Parish. The Nation. The World. EDITOR
Peter Rosengren
Letters to: cathrec@iinet.net.au
JOURNALISTS
MarkReidy reidyrec@iinet.net.au
Sylvia Defendi (Parish/State) sdefendi@iinet.net.au
Paul Gray (National) cathrec@iinet.net.au
Bronwen Clune (International) clune@therecord.com.au
OFFICE MANAGERS inc. sales/subscriptions
Linda Jolliffe - Accounts recaccounts@iinet.net.au
Kathi Horobin - Administration administration@therecord.com.au
PRODUCTION MANAGER
(Also contact for advertising)
Terence Boylen production@therecord.com.au
587 Newcastle Street, Leederville Post: PO Box 75, Leederville, WA 6902 Tel: (08) 9227 7080
Fax: (08) 9227 7087
The Record is a weekly publication distributed through the parishes of the dioceses of Western Australia.
ago we had to keep moving as every pilgrimage does.
On this occasion I have time to come and go when I like, time to pray and contemplate the momentous events in Jesus’ life, time to read the Scriptures, study the words of the Scripture scholars and find some peace and tranquillity away from the daily affairs of the Archdiocese.
I am grateful to Bishop Sproxton for shouldering the burden in my
absence as I know the Diocese is in safe hands.
At this moment I am staying with the Franciscan Friars in Ain Karim.
Ain Karim is a beautiful leafy area not far from Jerusalem. It is famous for being the town of Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin, and the birthplace of Elizabeth and Zachary’s son, John the Baptist. Shortly I will join an Australian pilgrimage in Cairo. We had hoped to visit the Holy Land but the war in the north made it
all too risky so plans had to be changed. We will go to other Holy Lands, though, Mt Sinai in Egypt, and Ephesus and other bible towns in Turkey.
We conclude the pilgrimage in Rome with a Papal Audience. Most of the people on the pilgrimage are from Perth. I look forward to what I am sure will be a prayerful and moving experience.
Be assured that our Archdiocese is in my daily prayers.
When forests walked and fishes flew And figs grew upon thorn, Some moment when the moon was blood. Then, surely, I was born.
With monstrous head and sickening bray And ears like errant wingsThe devil’s walking parody Of all four-footed things:
The battered outlaw of the earth Of ancient, crooked will; Scourge, beat, deride me - I am dumbI keep my secret still.
Fools! For I also had my hourOne far fierce hour and sweet: There was a shout around my head And palms about my feet.
- GK Chesterton
Two decades after thieves attacked New Norcia’s extensive collection of European religious art, the Benedictine community is celebrating the exhibition of 26 stolen and restored artworks, at the New Norcia Museum and Art Gallery.
The Robbed and Restored Exhibition has been on display since August 13, will continue until December 31 and features the intricate restoration of one of the largest collections of post-renaissance religious art in Australia.
The stolen paintings were crudely cut from their frames, and many more where damaged during the 1986 daylight robbery, with all but one subsequently being recovered and returned to the Gallery.
Artworks included Old Master works by mainly Italian artists of the 17th and 18th centuries, English
paintings of the 19th century from the National Gallery of Victoria and early 20th century works by New Norcia’s own monk artist, Fr Lesmes Lopez. Officially opened by Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan the brilliantly renewed paintings also provide an insight into the meticulous world of painting restoration and a rare experience of European religion in the grand style.
“The restoration of such a large body of works has been a slow and expensive process and has involved art restorers in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth,” said Belinda Hill, Marketing Manager for the Benedictine Community of New Norcia.
The exhibition is open daily from 9am to 4.30pm and includes guided tours at 9am, 11am and 1.30 pm.
For more information or group packages please contact Belinda Hill on 9654 8107 or email marketing@newnorcia.wa.edu.au.
1560-1640
feast – September 13
Born in Spain, Maria Lopez de Rivas was brought up by her paternal grandparents. She had a Jesuit spiritual director, and at 17 entered the Discalced Carmelites. Despite concerns about her health, she professed vows in 1578 after being championed by St. Teresa of Avila. In her long, productive life as a Carmelite, she served more than once as mistress of novices, subprioress and prioress. St. Teresa recognized the inner strength of Sister Mary of Jesus, who had special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She was beatified in 1976.
Do I guarantee that when people come to do business with me, they will be treated with courtesy, sincerity, professionalism and ef ciency?
I say “I want your business and I m prepared to pay for it” and “I stand behind every car I sell”. Is that really true?
Is it true that I have over 40 technicians who are
to getting my used cars in rst class condition before sale?
Is it true that every year for the last 17 consecutive years I ve been Australia s top selling Hyundai dealer?
Is it true that if somebody buys a used car from me, I will pay for a pre-purchase RAC or similar inspection?
I have a warehouse selling
under
Is it true that I offer a full money back guarantee within one
Continued from Page 1
“Dialogue assumes the freedom to witness,” he said.
“It is essential that Muslims can freely worship in Melbourne and Sydney, just as it is essential that Christians can freely worship in Riyadh or Kabul.”
The English Cardinal said that members of both faiths must be outspoken about this issue, saying that freedom to worship is “a vital principle of sacred hospitality.”
“Where Christians are being denied their rights, or are subject to sharia law, that is not a matter on which Muslims in Britain or Australia should remain silent.”
The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales also said that sacred hospitality means that Muslims and Christians should speak up for each other.
“And it impels our communities to take common action together, especially in response to social issues or in response to disasters and emergencies.”
Before the centre’s opening, The Record asked Cardinal MurphyO’Connor what he would say to critics within the Catholic community who claim that interfaith dialogue, by putting other religions on an equal footing with the Catholic faith, is in fact a violation of Catholic belief.
“I think there are two things to say,” the Cardinal answered.
“One is that interfaith dialogue has been ratified in the Second Vatican Council, as part of the mission of the Church, to have respect for dialogue and for people of other faiths.
“That does not mean that one does not hold, very fully and very firmly, to the truths and the significance and the uniqueness of one’s
own faith. So the two go together, as part of our understanding of what Catholic faith is. Certainly, yes (Catholic faith) has the unique revelation and the unique truth, but also it has an openness to all people, and in particular to those of other faiths.”
The opening ceremony at the new interfaith dialogue centre was jointly conducted by the Cardinal and by Mr Mehmet Ali Sengul, a Turkish Muslim scholar and honorary President of the Australian Intercultural Society.
Speaking with journalists before the opening, Cardinal MurphyO’Connor said part of the “long
road” that Muslims in Britain had to travel towards integration into British society was understanding civic virtues. Some aspects of sharia law would not be acceptable in Britain, he said.
“Part of the dialogue would be to discuss some of those issues which could be divisive within a multicultural state.”
The Record asked Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor if God is now being removed from Western democracies altogether, through pressures against people like Australian Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott, who has been vilified for holding anti-abortion views,
and the recent successful attempt to remove all reference to God from the draft European community Constitution.
“That’s a very interesting question because it does seem to me that many elements in our society want to have a clear space, a ‘neutral space’, so there’s freedom for everybody,” the Cardinal replied.
“In fact, part of that agenda is to neutralise religion. That, in fact, in my view, does not happen and will not happen because I don’t think you can divorce religion and life.
“Any attempts to do that I think will fail not just because of the truths of religion, but because people’s understanding and search for the transcendent finds a response when religious values and religious truths are put before them. So I think that the idea of ‘let’s compose a religion-less state’ and putting it totally on the edge of society is a non-starter.”
The Record also asked the Cardinal whether he thought a Catholic politician had the right to seek to outlaw abortion in a contemporary Western democratic society.
He answered: “I think a Catholic politician must form his own conscience about the Church’s teaching about abortion, which he would know, and then within the political sphere he does what he can. Politics is the art of the possible. Therefore one would expect Catholic politicians to do what they can within this multicultural society, to promote Catholic values and Catholic truths. Sometimes that can’t happen all at once.”
Asked if he supported the moves by some bishops in the last US Presidential campaign to deny communion to some politicians who
weren’t strong enough on the abortion question, Cardinal MurphyO’Connor replied: “I leave decisions about that to the American bishops.”
Questioned further about politicians who come into Westminster, he added: “I’ve had no problem with that. I think the American scene, while the principles are the same, there’s a very diverse culture there.”
In his Australian Catholic University lecture Cardinal MurphyO’Connor acknowledged there are fewer young people now going to Sunday Mass and that many have “a certain sense of disillusionment with the Church.”
This is part of a wider distrust of all institutions including the law, royalty and parliamentary democracy, the Cardinal said.
The Cardinal said the Church can enrich young people by offering them faith, a sense of community and ways of helping out the poor and needy in society.
Asked earlier by The Record whether anything positive has emerged for the Church from priest pedophilia scandals in Britain in recent years, Cardinal MurphyO’Connor said it was a time of great trial and shame.
“What we have now are measures for child protection which I think are second to none, in our own country, and also a greater awareness of the damage done, particularly to the victims.
“I suppose in a way that as the Catholic Church, the Catholic community has had to suffer and to learn, so indeed the whole wider community is having to do this, because this phenomenon of child abuse lies within the society as a whole.”
Rockingham and North Beach parishes will have week-long missions with visiting Franciscan priest Fr Justin Belitz this month, and others will have follow-up sessions after missions conducted last year.
Fr Justin has been visiting Perth for more than 20 years to present seminars, retreats and missions in a variety of forms.
The Rockingham parish mission has been in progress this week, with sessions at 9.30 after morning Mass and at 7pm from Sunday to Thursday. The mission has been based on Fr Justin’s book “Success: Full Living”. The program has included visits to local Catholic schools.
A similar program will be held at Our Lady of Grace, North Beach, from September 17 to 21.
Fr Justin will also conduct follow-up sessions in Bunbury and Morley, where he conducted missions last year, and will also re-visit the Catholic Education Office and the St John of God community.
Fr Justin’s visit this year coincides with the release of his latest book “Success: Full Thinking”, which is being published in Australia by Wendy Gellard of Peace Be Still,
In brief
Britain’s Labour government is planning a “workplace revolution” aimed at women, which includes the legal right to work parttime and choose employment hours as well as the right to paid sick leave if children are ill. Compulsory pay audits would force companies to reveal if they are paying women less than men for doing the same job. The minimum wage would also be raised to help millions of women, including cleaners
Chittering Valley, and printed by Success Print in Bayswater. The book is based on more than 30 years of teaching meditation and the practical applications of the power of the mind to all aspects of daily life and relationships. It combines this experience with modern science to provide clear explanations of the links between body, brain and mind.
The book includes interesting experiences from his training and life as a Franciscan when he experienced the benefits of meditation, but had not yet come to an understanding of it.
He emphasises throughout the book that the ultimate benefit of meditation is that the peace of mind and body it generates makes it easier for people to receive and follow the quiet messages God sends to each person not only in prayer and scripture, but also in nature and in often unexpected encounters with other people.
Fr Justin will present a weekend seminar on “Success: Full Thinking” at Peace Be Still on September 29-October 1, and will wind up his visit with a one-day seminar, also at Peace Be Still, on the theme “May we all be One”. (Contact Wendy Gellard 9571 8108).
and care workers, on low pay. The plan is designed to draw the battle lines with the Conservative Party, which has raised the stakes with its own family policy. Labour’s plan includes measures to raise child benefits for second and third children. It has been drawn up by Constitutional Affairs Minister Harriet Harman who says: “The question of what happens in the home can’t be separated from the function of the economy.”
The Catholic clergyman known as “the bishop with 150 wives” has been honoured in a series of ceremonies commemorating the founding of the Catholic Church in the Northern Territory.
Bishop Frances Xavier Gsell, a priest of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart order, arrived in Darwin in 1906 as Apostolic Administrator of the Church in the Northern Territory.
He subsequently spent 27 years living on Bathurst Island, where he saved over 150 young girls of the Tiwi people from being married off to older men, a practice which accorded with local custom at the time.
On Bathurst Island the then Fr Gsell bartered for the girls’ freedom and through the mission’s school was then able to provide them with education.
Many of the girls later made more appropriate marriages of their own choosing. Also called
“the Apostle to the Tiwi,” Gsell was made bishop of Darwin in 1938.
He later received the Legion of Honour from France and died in 1960. Fr Mark McDonald MSC said the work of MSC missionaries like Bishop Gsell conformed to the instructions of the order’s founder, Frenchman Fr Jules Chevalier, who said that ministry to poor people did not just involve sending them money.
Fr Chevalier instructed his flock to take a good look at the face of a poor man dressed in rags and then say: “My God, it is you! This is your face! I recognise you.”
This, said Fr McDonald, has been “the privileged experience” of the Church on its missionary journey in the Northern Territory which has now lasted 100 years.
Darwin bishop Ted Collins, also a member of the MSC order, last month received a message stick at St Mary’s Cathedral in Darwin as part of the Gsell centenary celebrations.
The message stick, which had travelled through all the parishes, schools and communitites of the Darwin diocese, was made in the shape of the Cross of Lorraine, the region of Europe where Bishop Gsell was born.
Eastern-rite Catholic bishops are set to discuss the ministry of married clergy as part of a newly formed association.
■ By
Paul GrayThe ordination and ministry of married clergy will be among the first issues addressed by a newly formed association of eastern Catholic bishops, when it meets for the first time early next year.
The eastern-rite Catholic bishops of Australia and New Zealand
formed a new association during the recent meeting of Catholic bishops’ conferences of Oceania, held in Suva, Fiji. Maronite Bishop Ad Abikaram, Melkite Bishop Issam Darwish and Ukrainian Catholic Bishop Peter Stasiuk attended the Suva meeting, where they decided to form a new group which would meet once a year.
The move is designed to provide a regular forum for discussing issues of common concern to the eastern rite churches in Australia and New Zealand.
The new eastern bishops’ group will meet for the first time in Sydney next February, where it will discuss World Youth Day, vocations
to religious life and the formation of an eastern Catholic radio station, as well as married clergy and the diaconate. Representatives of Eastern churches that do not have a bishop in Australia will also be invited to attend.
While small eastern churches have been present in Australia for almost a century, their number has increased with immigration in recent times.
The eastern bishops say they hope the new association will be of benefit to the entire Catholic Church in Australia, and advance the cause of sharing the riches of the eastern church tradition with “all the faithful.”
“One in four people live with a mental illness”, Amanda Olsen of High Wycombe said.
Amanda will be one of the guest presenters at the Eastern Suburbs and Hills Catholic Mental Health Group’s next meeting at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Hall, 207 Lesmurdie Road, Lesmurdie on Wednesday September 20.
Amanda, who has suffered from panic attacks and depression herself, knows first-hand that often just sitting in silence with an understanding friend can go a long way towards bringing some peace back into a very chaotic life.
Understanding and learning more about an illness can give you ideas on how to deal with it better.
Meeting people who are going through similar experiences can make you feel less alone.
Amanda, pictured with her 7 children, is aware that sharing with
others can highlight strategies and systems that can help make living with a mental illness just that little bit easier. Giuliette Ferrari, a clinical psychologist at Swan Mental Health Clinic, will team up with Amanda
to share experiences and insights at the coming meeting.
This meeting is free. For more information contact Amanda Olsen on 9454 2241 or Barbara Harris at the Emmanuel Centre 9328 8113.
Do you know anything about scrap booking? Emmanuel Centre will be celebrating 25 years at the end of this year.
We have accumulated 25 years of photos and other material and so little time to do something with it all.
We are looking for a volunteer or volunteers to help us to organise all this into a scrapbook (or more likely scrap books).
We have set aside Tuesdays
from now until December to get this job done.
We are not necessarily looking for an expert scrapbooker (although, an expert in the field would be most welcome).
We are looking for someone who can guide us along and help people with disabilities to do the work.
Can you help? Please contact Barbara Harris on 9328 8113.
Brunswick Town Hall was packed full of devoted participants for the 50th time on August 13, in celebration of Our Lady of the Assumption.
The annual Brunswick Junction Catholic Festa began when a group of Italian immigrants joined in an effort to maintain a tradition from their hometown of Delianuova.
“Parish priest of Our Lady of the Assumption in Brunswick, in 1956, Fr Philip Magni had been approached by Maria Princi, Angelina Frisina and Eugenia Mafrici about obtaining a statue of Our Lady of the Assumption, so that the festa tradition of their homeland could be continued,” said Margaret Dimasi Carbone, one of the festa coordinators.
Fr Magni was subsequently not only able to arrange a statue to be brought over from Delinuova, but was also a great supporter of the community’s wishes to celebrate the festa.
The first festa Mass was then celebrated by Bishop Goody and was held in the Brunswick Church, until it was suggested that the Town Hall be used to accommodate the large crowd.
The festa grew to an all-day celebration of worship with plenty of food and festivity, which has continued annually.
Four bus loads of people arrived at Brunswick for this year’s celebration, and were welcomed by Vicar General Fr Tony Chiera and current parish priest Fr Joseph Angelo.
Students from the nearby St Michael’s Primary School led hymns by the Brunswick Catholic Church choir, during the Mass, which was celebrated in both English and
Italian, as well as during the annual procession through the streets of Brunswick. The congregation participated in benediction following the procession and then convened for a sumptuous afternoon tea.
“It was a wonderful day, blessed by fine weather. We all look forward to next year’s celebration, which will be held, as always, on the Sunday nearest August 15 – the Church’s official feast day of Our Lady of the Assumption,” Mrs Dimasi Carbone said.
Western Australia’s Catholic schools will be showcasing their creative talents at Forrest Place in Perth on September 12 from 9.45am to 3pm for this year’s Carnevale.
The event, supported by the Catholic Arts Office, will involve visually stimulating interactive displays and dynamic stage performances.
“Carnevale is certainly one of the highlights of Catholic Education Week. Each day of each school year, our Catholic schools do amazing things. This is an opportunity for us to celebrate the wonderful diversity and talents of our students and teachers,” said Chairman for the Catholic Arts Office, Wayne Bull.
Pipes and drums will be played as part of the event’s opening cere-
mony, at noon, and will be followed by a procession of national flags.
Stage acts will include dance items, jazz and rock bands, fashion parades, masked parades, music ensembles, bell ringers, choirs and the coordinated talents of various jump rope groups.
A number of interactive displays will also be on show, which will include short films, farm animals, art displays, street theatre, environmental projects, printmaking, living statues and clowns.
“Our annual Carnevale is a very public vehicle for Catholic schools to share with the wider community the gifts of our students and showcase the excellence which characterises Catholic education in Western Australia,” Mr Bull said. For further information contact the Catholic Arts office on 9272 7655 or visit the website: www.catholicarts.wa.edu.au.
Artists with an intellectual disability have been invited to share their unique talents with the community through a statewide exhibition. The 2006
As We Are Art Exhibition is free and accessible to all at the Art Gallery of Western Australia and will be on display from September 15 to October 8.
The event will exhibit over 100 artworks, celebrate the achievement of the artists and allows them to sell artwork during the event.
“It’s a means of self expression, individualism and communica-
tion,” said Robyn DeJong, event coordinator from CATA Group, a daycare centre for those with disabilities.
All unique artworks will be judged and visitors are encouraged to vote for the Rosalind Lewis People’s Choice Award, dedicated to the exhibition founder.
An initiative of CATA Group and the Nulsen Haven Association, the exhibition will feature works from over 15 organisations for the intellectually disabled as well as many individuals.
For further information contact Robyn DeJong on, 9448 8804
A gold mosaic of Jesus that resides in the Sacred Heart church in Darlinghurst, Sydney was moved as part of a restoration process by the University of Notre Dame Western Australia.
The church is being restored by the university which has leased the Darlinghurst premises from the Catholic Church for a private medical school.
At a cost of $2 million, part of the 1960’s church is being removed to build a five storey medical school and carpark. The adjacent 1912 church will also be restored. Part of the restoration involves the mosaic which had to be raised and moved 12 metres to the new construction.
Marcus Collins, one of the University architects, said, “the weight of the mosaic is around 95 tonnes. Two mobile cranes, which were amongst the heaviest capacity available in Australia were used to move it. This type of lift is seen more in civil engineering projects rather than architectural projects.”
Many parishioners at Sacred Heart Church have fought against the redevelopment and the displacement of the parish. A spokesman for Notre Dame said the local parish would have “unfettered private access to the church”, and a spokesman for the City of Sydney Council said, “the university has done a sensational job of readapting the church.”
Most Australians would be horrified by some of the practices which will be made legal if proposed amendments to Federal Government anti-cloning laws are enacted, prominent NSW bishop Anthony Fisher has said.
However, Bishop Fisher said most Australians may not understand the practices in question, which include creating cloned human beings, animal-human crosses, human embryos with one or multiple human parents and IVF embryos created specifically for destruction during experimentation.
Bishop Fisher, who is Episcopal Vicar for Life and Health in the Sydney archdiocese, said that pressure to allow these practices is coming from within Liberal Party ranks and from some scientists with vested interests in changing the law.
Prime Minister John Howard has recently chosen to allow a conscience vote in parliament on the changes.
Bishop Fisher described the Prime Minister’s decision as “very disappointing to the Catholic community and indeed to many other people of good will.”
The Bishop described the new scientific practices which would be allowed as morally abhorrent, and said they are “of no proven value scientifically.”
They are also contrary to “the unanimous view of the Australian parliament as recently as 2002” and to the view of the international community as expressed in a March 2005 United Nations resolution.
“Nothing has changed either ethically or scientifically to justify human cloning or the creation by other means of human beings destined for destruction,” Bishop Fisher said.
A 12- week course for people whose lives are negatively influenced by addictions, fear and anger or who feel they have no control over their life will commence in Belmont on September 16. The course, “Freedom in Christ”, is free and will be run by the Holy Spirit of Freedom Community.
It is based on the program, “Breaking Out - A Journey to Personal Freedom”, designed by US Pastor Bob Mumford. Co-ordinator of the HSOF program, Julie Williams, believes
that the Christ-centred course is an excellent vessel for those wanting to regain control over their lives.
“There are areas of weakness in all of our lives”, Ms Williams said, “This course empowers participants to make choices that will lead them to true freedom in Christ.” The course will run each Saturday commencing on September 16 from 10.30am – 12.30pm at the St Anne’s Church Hall, 11 Hehir St, Belmont.
For further details contact 9475 0155.
Only 2 per cent of New Zealanders surveyed about work issues approved of mothers working full-time when they have children under school age. Approval is higher (30 per cent) for mothers of young children working parttime and increases to 14 per cent for women working full-time after their youngest child starts school. A substantial number - 40 per cent - believe a pre-school child is likely to suffer if the mother works and the same number believe family life suffers when a mother has a parttime job.
The survey, by the Department of Marketing at Massey University
(NZ), is part of the International Social Survey program.
Despite that, 50 per cent of respondents still believed that a working mother can establish just as warm and secure a relationship with her children as a mother who does not, and 46 per cent believe working is the best way for a woman to be an independent person. “Interestingly, a significant portion (37 per cent) agrees that being a housewife is just as fulfilling as working for pay,” says the study leader Professor Phil Gendall. “This suggests many do not consider paid work to be the defining characteristic of a woman’s role in the family.”
Continued from page 1 was held in England earlier this year, was designed by Sydney-based Catholic couple Byron and Francine Pirola.
The course, which has inspired over 600 Australian couples of all ages, experience and denomination since its inception in 1992, is designed to lead couples to a deeper level of intimacy in all areas of their marriage. The program attempts to remind couples of their mission to continuously seek to grow in love and the weekend equips them with the tools to do this.
Included in the topics covered are: communication, attitudes and expectations, barriers to intimacy, sexuality and spirituality and how to apply them to relevant, everyday
circumstances. Stephen said that there is often a misconception with marriage programs that they are only for those who are experiencing difficulties in their relationships, but this is not the case. “We invest time in our families, running the kids to various activities… organise our homes, pay the bills, socialise, etc,” Stephen said, “But when did you last invest time in your relationship?”
He said that the weekend consisted of a series of informative and inspirational sessions presented by trained married couples, who then share their own real life experiences in that particular area. Each couple is then able to spend time privately reflecting on the topic and discussing the relevance in their own situation. There are no group
discussions and couples are able to share and relate at levels that they are both comfortable with.
The Courts are excited about the September edition of Celebrate Love and are encouraging as many couples as possible to participate. “The strength of your marriage affects you as a person, your children, your whole family and your community”, Carmen says, “The Celebrate Love program has taught us better life and love skills… Married love is a reflection of God’s love for us and therefore improving these skills enables us to be a better reflection of, or better still – to be Christ – to others.”
For further details or to register for the September 16&17 weekend contact Stephen and Carmen Court on (08) 9316 4434. For more information on Celebrate Love see: www.celebratelove.com.au
Behind all the sadness in the world is the unmistakeable wisdom of this statement attributed to an anonymous beggar woman: “The only sadness is the sadness of not being saints.”
It is a startling claim, but the longer you sit with it, the more obvious it becomes. But before it becomes really obvious, we have to be able to see properly, and that means seeing the way the Church sees, because the Church sees with the eyes of God. In his book “Theology and Sanity”, Australian author and publisher Frank Sheed wrote that loving what is good is sanctity, or the health of the will, and seeing what is there is sanity, or the health of the intellect.
Seeing what is there means seeing God - the creator who sustains everything in being and loves all of his creation, and especially us. To see the world around us - the universe, one of Steve Irwin’s crocodiles, or another person - and not to see God sustaining them in existence is not to see the world as it is. It is to see a fantasy that would lead us into all sorts of errors. Frank Sheed compared it to seeing a coat hanging on the wall but not seeing the hook holding it in place - a ‘seeing’ that would lead us into all sorts of fantasies about the ability of coats to defy the laws of gravity and to hold themselves in whatever positions they wanted to at any time.
Eventually, of course, the two become one: seeing the world sanely leads to the right direction of our energy, and the right direction of human energy is in harmony with the will of God, and that is sanctity. Anything else, ultimately, leads to the great sadness of the unholy and the insane. (Rescued, fortunately, by the great love and forgiveness of God.)
PO Box 75, Leederville, WA 6902
Tel: (08) 9227 7080, Fax: (08) 9227 7087 cathrec@iinet.net.au
Frank Sheed’s neatly expressed illustration is, however, neither original nor unique. It is to be found in a myriad forms in all of God’s revelation of Himself .A good example of how to see the world aright comes in Psalm 19: 8-9.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul;
“The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple.
“The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye.”
When we read the Psalm we see the wondrous truth and beauty of what it says, but when we put the book aside to go about our business, do we hold the truth in our intellect so that our will may use it as the foundation for all its choices, the foundation of sanctity? Or do we, as the beggar woman said, revert to the great sadness of not being saints, the great sadness of not knowing or living in the love of God, the great sadness of having nothing to refresh the soul, to rejoice the heart, to enlighten the eye, or to lead us in wisdom?
Jesus said all this and more, firstly by becoming man, then in his teaching - “All this I tell you that my joy may be yours and your joy may be complete” (Jn15:11) - again in his suffering, death and resurrection, and finally in the gift of himself in the Church for all time.
We only have to look around our state, our nation and our world to see how little we understand this or live by it, but the place to start looking is not outside, but inside ourselves. St Paul gave us a good guide when he told us that the fruits of the spirit (the True Self the image and likeness of God) are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness and self-control.
In contrast the desires of the False Self (the self that wants to deny God or at least be independent of Him) are impurity, idolatry, hostilities, bickering, jealousy, rage, selfish rivalries, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness etc.
If you are reading this editorial, it is probably not difficult for you to read the lists and see clearly which list is preferable, which would be a happier state to be in - happier for us, happier for those we encounter, and happier for the world we live in.
The real test, however, is to be able to see, acknowledge and do something about the amount of time and energy we devote to the sadness of the false self system. Only by seriously looking at this and truthfully seeing what is going on in our own personal attempts to disentangle ourselves from the blindness of the false self can we reduce the sadness in the world.
That is the first step to recognising that there are many of our fellow human beings who cannot read these lists and choose the true self. They have been so damaged by the world around them that they cannot trust love or joy or peace or kindness because they have not had the opportunity to experience them. God is offering them recovery, but we are his messengers. We must not be messengers of sadness.
The Record certainly gave a great coverage of St Mary’s Cathedral in Thursday’s August 17 issue.
Also, a lovely acknowledgement to Jacinta Jakovcevic as the Cathedral’s organist, but no mention about the Cathedral bells which the people of Perth will no longer hear again whilst work is being done on the Cathedral.
An acknowledgement, as far as I’m concerned as a parishioner of St Mary’s, should have made mention of a fine young man who taught himself to play the bells for many years, Seamus Mahady. Seamus Mahady is the caretaker of the Cathedral but also gives pleasure to anyone who hears the bells tolling out beautiful hymns.
Lorraine Duffy WoodvaleLike Fr Frank Brennan SJ, I also believe that politicians like John Kerry should not be denied communion.
Abortion and other immoral practices must be overcome with God’s love and grace not with condemnation. If you show love you shall bring repentance and faith.
Steven Blundson Duncraig
Your last thoughts at night influence how you think next morning. That’s how the brain works. Focusing your mind on God at bedtime helps you pray well next morning. To get that focus, try a few lines from the Bible or a devotional book.
A nighttime head-full of TV, rock music or gossip has the opposite effect. Each morning, set aside 15 minutes, uninterrupted, in a quiet place. Recall last night’s reading and thoughts. Speak quietly to God about them. Make practical resolutions about how to put your meditations into practice. During the day, pause often to recall the issues you meditated about.
This is the best way to pray. It’s the best way to start the day.
Dr Arnold Jago MilduraThe recent passing of Fr John Chauncy marks the end of the era of the “three amigos” - the classical vintage mimics among the Perth clergy of the 60’s and 70s. It was the era before much television, high
The official announcement of the Scalabrinians leaving Perth which appeared in The Record a few weeks ago has raised several concerns which we would like to share with you and the readers of the Catholic newspaper in WA.
The undersigned belong to groups which gather every Sunday at either St Mary’s in Leederville, the Infant Jesus Church in Morley or at St Brigid’s Northbridge for the celebration of Sunday Mass. Most of us are elderly and frail, with limited knowledge of the English language.
However, we are glad to make every possible (and physical) effort to be present and to mix with known friends for the celebration of Mass or of fiestas. The Sunday gathering affords us the opportunity to get together, to exchange pleasantries, to keep in touch with and support one another in our family and Church traditions and to participate in the celebration of Mass.
We must add that, over the years, some of our Italian-speaking friends have abandoned the Church altogether; many of them have died. To our dismay, some of our former friends have even resorted to ridicule the Church to which they have belonged in the past; our children, even the ones who have attended Catholic schools have all, with very few exceptions, abandoned any practice of religion. Sometimes our hearts pain in realizing that so much has been lost in our family traditions.
We have remained faithful to our Church. We have derived immense benefits, spiritual moral and material, from practising our faith in Church or praying at home. And we would like to see that every possible effort is being made to continue our Sunday Eucharist. Now, more than ever, we realize how essential a priest is in all this. Even if we are very grateful for the ministry they have exercised among us, we cannot hide our disappointment at knowing that the Scalabrinians will be leaving Perth. We are concerned about the future.
Fr Anthony Paganoni, a Scalabrinian, our Sunday Eucharist Celebrant, has told us so often that the Sunday Mass is not just the Mass! That’s very true. Without the Sunday Mass, serious dislocation will occur in the core group of helpers (organists, and musicians and singers, ministers of the word of God and of the Eucharist).
The Sunday is the wellspring of community oriented activities, like outings, the care of the sick and of other elderlies. And a chat or a meal with a priest who speaks our language. We appeal to Church and Congregational authorities to help us. We know that priests are hard to come by. But is the situation as bleak as desperate as we are often reminded? We all dread the thought of disbanding because of a lack of priests sensitive to our language and culture.
Vincenzo & Grazia Carbone, Michele & Gabriella Bongiovanni, Vienna Pizzino and Cesare and Linda Ferolla for the Italian worshippers at Morley; Lucia Di Vincenzo and Giulio Nicoli for the worshippers at St Mary’s Leederville; Cartnela & Antonio Feffone at St Brigid’s, Northbridge.
tech communication, even radio reception in some of the country areas. Fathers Eddie Power, P G J O’Reilly and John Chauncy made up this memorable group. They used their skills of mimicry to comment on, entertain and make measured statements on the Church life going on around them. Their subjects included parishioners, politicians, parish priests, bishops, even archbishops. Each of the three had their fans and some say that at times the mimics were even better than the subjects themselves!
There are those who would confirm that on a couple of special occasions the “three amigos” had the real Archbishop Prendiville on a phone line as a “four way hookup’ with none of the four willing to reveal their true identity. Fr John Chauncy was a special personality in the Archdiocese. Even though he was in poor health for nearly two decades he has left us a legacy of memories and example. He was unclone-able in every way and like many of the local clergy he certainly had a heyday of activity and what seemed like occassional ‘tri-location’ in the diocese. Fr. John might drop in any time, night or day.
The musical skills of John Chauncy are best described as memorable. His mother was the organist at the North Perth Monastery for 50 years and I have been in the choir loft with them on several occasions to witness their “performance”.
With a full Monastery Church it wasn’t so much a duet as a duel between Mrs Chauncv and her son. John conducted the choir with one hand, played the organ with the other hand while Mrs Chauncy tried
to maintain playing and fight off her son. They made Victor Borge look like an a flop. Music perfection for Fr John was all organ-stops out.
The Chaucerian skills were really Chauncyerian skills when it came to literary expertise. In his heyday Fr John had a way with words and sentences unmatched in the Diocese. He could be serious or humourous. Who will ever forget his rendition of Angelus scit res spirituales!
Fr John was a man of faith - he played it traditional and simplehe had a great love of the priesthood and was especially at home in the company of priests. He was a Vicar without appointment. A special rapport was with Army and Navy personnel. On one occasion he talked a US Navy Admiral on the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier into taking him to Sydney. They both anticipated approval from the Pentagon as they sailed out through the heads at Fremantle. Permission was refused as they sailed passed Rottnest!
The Archdiocese used to have the custom of asking the junior priest of the current years’ ordinations to give the homily at the Ordination Mass the following year. I gave the homily in 1963.
I thought I did reasonably well. After the ceremonies, as I was standing outside the Cathedral, a lady came up to me, squeezed my elbow and said “My word, didn’t that Fr Chauncy speak well in there today”.
Thank you Fr John for the memories. May you rest in peace.
FrTim Foster South Perth
Officially declared a parish in 1994, parishioners in the Clarkson vicinity have been using surrounding churches, community halls and more recently the undercover area at St Andrew’s Primary School to celebrate their weekly Mass. However Sunday, August 27 saw the nomadic parish finally settling in to a very newly built Church.
In fact, when asked, on the Friday before the dedication,
when the construction was finished, parish priest Fr Philip Perreau chuckled “We are still waiting for the last remaining jobs to be done – Hopefully it will be ready for Sunday.”
Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton, who concelebrated the dedication Mass, said he was pleased Archbishop Barry Hickey had been absent on sabbatical on this occasion.
For all the people: Clergy concelebrate the Eucharist with Bishop Sproxton; approximately 25 priests were present on the day.
as Bishop Sproxton blesses the
with Holy Water.
Continued form Vista 1
“An auxiliary bishop doesn’t get to dedicate a Church very often – usually that is done by the archbishop,” he said. However, he told the packed congregation, Archbishop Hickey had rung him to say he would be praying in Jerusalem especially for St Andrew’s on this occasion and was with everyone in spirit for the
dedication and blessing of their new parish Church.
Bishop Sproxton congratulated the parish, including founding parish priest Fr Lim and current Parish Priest Fr Perreau, on their efforts and sacrifices.
Theirs had been a special struggle, he said, because, the building boom in Perth had significantly increased the costs of erecting a
Church after the planning had been concluded.
However, the unexpected increase in costs had not deterred them.
It was heartening to see how other parishes had supported the people of Clarkson as they struggled to build their Church, he said.
Bateman Parish Priest Monsignor
Michael Keating confirmed to The Record that his parish had given
financial support to their Clarkson peers over the last two years, and that the proceeds from an international food fair to be held at Bateman shortly will also be donated.
Fr Perreau, who was previously stationed at Bateman parish as an assistant priest said St Andrew was chosen as the patron saint of the new Church for a variety of reasons.
“Our neighboring parish is St Simon Peter, who was St Andrew’s brother. As the patron saint of fishermen, St Andrew was also chosen because of the coastal area in which the Church is now located,” he said.
Construction on St Andrew’s Church began a year ago, in August 2005, and now has the capacity to accommodate over 400 parishioners from the surrounding areas.
St Andrew the Apostle is regarded as the brother of Simon Peter, the first Pope (The icon at left depicts Peter, left, and Andrew). Speaking of St Andrew recently, Pope Benedict pointed out that St Andrew was originally a disciple of John the Baptist. When John described Jesus as “the Lamb of God’ Andrew followed Jesus. St Andrew was also called ‘Protoklitos’ (first-called) by the Greek Church, referring to the fact that he was the first apostle called by Jesus.
What an extraordinary gift we received, alongside the Apostle Jesus Loved, at the foot of the Cross. Catholics know this gift, Mary, as both Virgin Godbearer (Theotokos) and suffering Mother (Mater Dolorosa).
A priest friend recently went on a pilgrimage to Fatima. He wrote to me:
“Anyone who thinks that the Catholic faith is dying should go to Fatima; it was so reassuring to see so many young people and couples interested in and energised by their faith.
“I [found] the statue of our Blessed Mother in the Sanctuary Square, a most serene and inspiring image, so beautiful; instilling peace in a chaotic world.”
In a climactic scene in Shekar Kapur’s 2000 film Elizabeth: The
i say, i say
Virgin Queen, a Machiavellian Geoffrey Rush, playing an adviser to the Protestant queen of England, tells Cate Blanchett’s Elizabeth that she must replace the exiled Virgin Mother of God and encourages her to create a remarkable mythology to replace the Catholic truth – a virgin queen, married to the people, singularly focussed on their well-being – a foundation myth for her newly powerful kingdom.
When the shepherd girl, Bernadette Soubirous, visionary of Lourdes, encountered Mary in various apparitions the latter said:
“I am the Immaculate Conception”.
Which is very like saying, indeed almost a paraphrase of the description, Virgin God-Bearer.
In each example, except in the Protestant confusion, the Virgin is not some cold, white-pasted freak.
Mary is not a prude or frigid or any of the other things contemporary society, sex-saturated and reasonably vulgar would have us believe virgins represent.
She is, rather, shelter in the storm of life, the calm one whom the English missed, the Queen the shepherd children loved and the consolation and inspiration of contemporary priests and millions upon millions of pilgrims.
Not simply a Virgin, however subtle and approachable, Mary is also the Mother of Jesus.
In this fact there is richness to the
womanhood of Mary, a complexity to the theology and dogma that surround and define her life that makes Catholicism the pre-eminent woman-loving faith.
How could it be otherwise?
The truth sees difference and notes it; it doesn’t, like some contemporary errors, look upon difference with blind eyes and dull ears, pretending women are exactly the same as men.
Try getting your husband pregnant before telling me that men and women are equal in all things.
Women exceed men in some domains and men outdo women in others.
As Mother, Mary fulfils her destiny as woman par excellence.
She listened serenely to God’s terrifying proposal and assented to His penetration of her being. She bore His Son, our salvation.
Without losing her innocence the Spirit ‘came upon her’, she moved around heavy with child, gave birth in a dirty shed and fled a jealous King Herod who wanted, like so many modern abortionists, to destroy her tiny child.
She was obedient, resourceful, clever and fierce. And still she lost Him.
No one dimensional character, certainly not representative of the capricious or stereotyped women found in ancient Greek religion or modern pantheisms, Mary accompanies us her children – as she
accompanied Christ – throughout life.
From innocence and trust to unimaginable horror and a sorrow unlike any other.
Mary as Mother is still calm, a refuge, but now she is blood-spattered, tear-stained and her Immaculate Heart is pierced with swords.
She is mother of the abortion victim (mother and child), consolation of the raped, refuge of sinners.
I cannot tell you what consolation so many others and I have drawn from Mary under the titles Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.
The Virgin God-bearer, untouched by sin and therefore set apart, who gives our hearts rest as Virgin, also throws her Motherly mantle over us and calls us home to Christ.
Under yet another title Star of the Sea (Stella Maris) she is invoked by sailors in peril:
“O gentle, chaste and spotless Maid, we sinners make our prayers through thee, Remind thy Son, That He has paid, The price of our iniquity, Virgin most pure, Star of the Sea, Pray for the sinner, pray for me”. Even sailors, ‘thrown on life’s surge’ indeed, at least if the stereotype is to be believed, find in Mary something to respect and hold.
I have no doubt that whenever our contemporary society, flooded as it is with the flotsam and jetsam
of ‘sexual liberation’, finds some sort of cultural maturity the same sex attracted too will call upon Mary publicly and plaintively. Some of us do so already.
Is Mary, then, a goddess? Certainly not. Ancient sources equated Mary with the Moon because, like the Moon mirrors the Sun, she has no light of her own except that which she reflects from God.
She is, however, singularly worthy of our love as the Virgin Godbearer, by virtue of her lack of sin, shines brighter than any other human being.
Virgin, Mother, Bearer of God: Mary is the answer to doubters’ claims that Catholicism is antiwoman.
She is the answer to human weakness, greed, lust and despair because she is one of us, nothing more, who – through her extraordinary obedience – won herself extraordinary graces.
We do not worship her, but we revere her and we love her. Christ, our Lord and God, thought she was important enough to bother Himself with her well-being and future living arrangements even as He hung on the Cross.
Throughout human history she has provided consolation, calm and hope, nurturing kindness and motherly love to those who call on her. Let us call on her every day and God-willing, at the hour of our death.
Guy Crouchback
In J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings Gollum, originally called Smeagol, murders his only friend, Deagol, to obtain his heart’s desire - the beautiful golden Ring of Power.
Driven away by his people, “weeping a little for the hardness of the world,” he follows a stream underground into a cave, and gradually becomes a complete monster, alone on an island rock, desperately clinging to the Ring, living a kind of half-life in the “empty night,” filled with self-pity.
He and the Ring finally destroy one another.
In William Golding’s book Pincher Martin, Martin, a World War II temporary Naval officer, sets out to murder his only friend, Nathaniel, who has become engaged to the woman Martin desires obsessively. Martin is officer of the watch when his destroyer, an Atlantic convoy escort, heads north to send off a radio signal without betraying the convoy’s position.
Nathaniel, like Martin, has joined
the Navy and is in the same ship.
Unlike Martin, he has remained an ordinary seaman. A mystic, he escapes from the crowding of the fo’c’sle by taking himself to the destroyer’s stern rail, where he prays or meditates.
It is night, and the moon rises in the East, silhouetting the destroyer to port.
Martin sends the port lookout off on an errand, telling him he will take over the sector it is his duty
to watch. He plans to pretend to see a torpedo track and order the ship to turn violently to starboard so Nathaniel will be thrown overboard.
But as he gives the order, the ship - which he has blinded on its most vulnerable side - is hit by a real torpedo, and Martin is blown overboard.
All this is gradually revealed in flashbacks.
The story begins with him strug-
gling in the water. Martin swims to an island rock, based loosely on the desolate mid-Atlantic pinnacle of Rockall.
“Where in Hell am I?” he asks himself as he comes to his senses.
At first, the story seems a straightout tale of courage, ingenuity and survival against impossible odds. Martin eats limpets and mussels, catches rain-water in an oil-skin and clings to life.
Gradually through flashbacks the
reader realises Martin is very far from an admirable hero, however. He is utterly selfish and has “eaten” and destroyed everyone of use to him.
The murder of Nathaniel was the last act cutting him off from humanity.
He has brought his fate upon himself in more ways than one. However gifted he is at manipulating other people, he cannot relate to them and seems so lacking in fellow feeling as to be unable to understand even that they might resent him.
When he was called up for the Navy, none of his “contacts” lifted a finger to help him get out.
Filled with self-pity, he cries: “I’m so alone!”
He sees a red lobster swimming in the sea, then remembers that only cooked lobsters are red.
He tries to convince himself that he is mad, rather than admit what is growing obvious - he is dead, and, furiously rejecting any sort of supernatural grace, this is the best effort he can make at creating a Heaven.
At length the rock, sea and his own body disappear in an Uncreation, leaving nothing but a will, and lobster claws, the last vestige of his personality.
The atheist Jean-Paul Sartre famously said: “Hell is other people.”
The answer from these two writers within the Christian literary tradition is: “Hell is the self alone.”
New beginnings: Italian cardinal to take over as secretary of state
■ By John ThavisPope Benedict XVI’s papacy opens a new chapter on September 15, when Italian Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone takes over as secretary of state.
It’s arguably the Pope’s biggest appointment to date, and it reunites him with a man who for many years was his No. 2 at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Does that mean the Vatican is about to turn into one great big doctrinal congregation?
An Italian journalist dared to pose that question to Cardinal Bertone in August.
The cardinal didn’t really answer, but he suggested the doctrinal experience wouldn’t hurt in the great task of announcing the Gospel “in its entirety” in every country of the world. Cardinal Bertone, 71, is at the centre of what might be the longest and most scrutinised transition in Vatican history.
The Pope offered him the position last December, he mulled it over and accepted earlier this year, and the Pope announced the appointment in June - three months before it took effect.
Since then, the cardinal has given multiple interviews to Italian media,
detailing his path to the priesthood, his career at the Vatican, his more recent role as archbishop of Genoa, Italy, and his opinions on everything from “The Da Vinci Code” to the situation in Lebanon.
Much has been made of the fact that Cardinal Bertone has no diplo-
Cardinal Bertone a man of action, but wonder if he will have enough patience to occupy himself with the nuances of international affairs.
“Diplomacy is complicated. We’re not sure what we’re getting,” said one Vatican official.
The secretary of state heads two
Cardinal Bertone has long been a favorite of the Italian press. He is tall, quotable and gregarious, describing himself as a “friend-maker.”
matic training, unlike most previous secretaries of state.
The cardinal admitted this could be a handicap, but he pointed out that the job is more than international relations.
“I hope to be able to help highlight the spiritual mission of the Church, which transcends politics and diplomacy,” he told the Italian newspaper Il Giornale.
That doesn’t mean he will ignore international relations, the cardinal said, because the Church must use every means possible in its mission. But he said he sees himself more as “secretary of the Church” than “secretary of state.”
To some observers, that kind of talk signals a potential shift in Vatican priorities.
They think Pope Benedict’s papacy may make less use of the diplomatic machinery that has worked closely with the international community for several decades.
Some Vatican insiders see in
main sections, a larger division devoted to internal church affairs and a smaller one that tracks international affairs and coordinates with apostolic nuncios all over the world.
A special secretary who coordinates the work of the international section is also being replaced, but the Pope hasn’t named the new appointee yet. Italian Archbishop Fortunato Baldelli, currently the nuncio in France, has been rumoured as a candidate for the job.
Cardinal Bertone has long been a favourite of the Italian press. He is tall, quotable and gregarious, describing himself as a “friendmaker.”
He prides himself on good relations with the media and even considers it part of his Salesian vocation.
While he has never worked in the Vatican’s diplomatic sector, he has been employed as a type of roving
troubleshooter: He flew to Havana in 2005 for talks with Cuban President Fidel Castro; in 2002, he convinced Zambian Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo to give up the idea of marriage and reconcile with the Pope; and he met with a Fatima visionary, Carmelite Sister Lucia dos Santos, when he coordinated the publication of the third secret of Fatima in 2000, another delicate task.
The archbishop also has travelled extensively, including one visit to China, so he is no stranger to foreign affairs of state or the universal affairs of the Church.
Cardinal Bertone has made clear that he is not coming into the job with his own agenda.
As he put it in one interview, the secretary of state should above
all be “a man loyal to the Pope,” someone who executes the Pope’s projects and not his own.
One criticism of the Secretariat of State sometimes heard in Rome - and strongly denied by those who work there - is that in recent decades the office has become too autonomous.
Especially in Pope John Paul II’s later years, there were murmurings that the outgoing secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, was running his own diplomatic enterprise.
In his comments to date, Cardinal Bertone has not indicated any major shifts in Vatican foreign policy.
He commented that the dramatic situation in Iraq, for example, had demonstrated that the Vatican’s warnings against the war were prophetic.
On Lebanon, Cardinal Bertone said Vatican officials were right to press for an immediate cease-fire and that the delay in reaching it cost many lives and much suffering.
He has supported the Vatican’s varied efforts to promote peace and justice in the world, emphasising that the Church’s social and political work is part of its main mission: announcing Christ as saviour to the world. The cardinal’s acknowledged “weak point” is that he doesn’t speak English.
He said he told the Pope immediately about this shortcoming, and the Pope told him not to worrythat a lot of important people don’t know English, including former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
And in any case, the Pope added, the Vatican has an excellent team of translators. CNS
Documentation of two alleged miracles attributed to the intercession of the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen were sent to Rome this summer as part of the promotion of his sainthood cause.
The cases claiming the archbishop’s intercession involve a woman from Champaign and a baby in Pittsburgh. The cases were investigated and documented and, following ceremonies in Peoria and Pittsburgh, documentation was sealed and prepared for delivery to the Vatican Congregation for Saints’ Causes for further study.
The ceremony in Peoria was witnessed by several members of the Sheen family and officials promoting the sainthood cause. During the ceremony, folders containing more than 500 pages of witness testimony and medical data regarding the Champaign case were packaged and sealed.
The documents tell the story of the recovery of Therese Kearney, a member of Holy Cross Parish in Champaign, who suffered a tear in her main pulmonary artery during surgery in December 1999. When her husband, Frank, was told there was little chance for his wife’s
survival, he prayed to Archbishop Sheen, whom he had long admired.
Kearney, then in her early 70s, survived, but died just five days before the Peoria ceremony. Her husband, who first shared his wife’s story with those promoting Archbishop Sheen’s cause, died in February.
Archbishop Sheen, a native of El Paso in the Diocese of Peoria, gained worldwide fame as a radio and television host and author. He died on October 3, 1979. The Diocese of
The Church’s prohibition against women priests is not culturally conditioned by the “patriarchal society” in which Jesus lived and taught, said Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali.
“Jesus treated women in a manner highly unusual for his culture,” he said, noting that Christ “forgave the woman caught in adultery.”
The cardinal described as an “unfortunate incident” the July 31 riverboat ceremony near Pittsburgh at which eight women said they were ordained to the Catholic priesthood.
But the event provides an opportunity to discuss Catholic teaching, he said.
Some critics of the all-male priesthood “have attempted to dismiss this teaching by stating that Jesus lived in a patriarchal society and that, because he was limited by the culture of his time, he chose only men to be priests,” the cardinal said in his weekly column appearing in the August 17 archdiocesan newspaper, The Catholic Standard & Times.
Christ “could hardly be limited by culture,” he said.
“Furthermore, in the days of
the early church, priestesses were common in the polytheistic religions and cultures of pagan Rome and Greece,” the cardinal said.
Although Christianity “displaced pagan worship, the church, assisted by the Holy Spirit, remained faithful to the intention of Jesus and did not ordain women to the priesthood,” he said.
Church exclusion of women priests is not based on “a demeaning view of women.”
Cardinal Rigali cited a 1976 Vatican document by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
It said that an all-male priesthood “does not stem from a personal superiority” of men “but only from a difference in fact on the level of functions and service.”
Church exclusion of women priests is not based on “a demeaning view of women,” he said.
Women are “actively engaged in the church’s mission of evangelization,” he said.
“All Catholic education and the health care apostolate are particularly indebted to women,” he said.
Peoria officially launched his cause for canonisation in September 2003.
Andrea Ambrosi, postulator for the archbishop’s sainthood cause, travelled to Peoria to oversee the ceremonies and planned to handdeliver the files to the Vatican congregation. Those who prepared the documents pledged the accuracy and authenticity compiled in the three thick folders; two of them were to be sent to Rome while a third was to remain in the diocesan
chancery. “The diocese cannot presuppose that anything miraculous happened: That judgment is made in Rome,” said Mgr. Soseman.
The Peoria ceremony closed months of fact-gathering facilitated by the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation and carried out by Mgr. Soseman, a medical expert and an ecclesiastical notary.
Since last September, testimony had been gathered from doctors, a nurse, family members and a priest.
Ambrosi attended a similar ceremony in Pittsburgh with diocesan officials and documents surrounding the claim of a miraculous healing of a gravely ill Pittsburgh infant who recovered after his parents prayed for Archbishop Sheen’s intercession.
Ambrosi said the child’s disease and recovery were supported by the main physicians involved in his case and all of them “recognised that a force superior to their medical science intervened for his recovery.”
The signed documents about the case, amounting to more than 1,000 pages of records and testimony from witnesses, were wrapped and sealed. The original copy of the documents remains with the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
The infant’s family are Ukrainian Catholics and belong to the Ukrainian Diocese of St Josaphat in Parma, Ohio, whose territory includes western Pennsylvania. Because the diocese’s resources and personnel were too limited to undertake the extensive investigation of the alleged miracle, the Pittsburgh Diocese agreed to do the legwork.
“It is a fascinating process,” said Father Brian Welding, diocesan vice chancellor, judicial vicar and assistant director of the Department for Canon and Civil Law Services. “We are assisting in one of the most ancient processes of the Church, one that despite all the revisions is still extremely complex and timeconsuming. CNS
Father Thomas Coughlin’s lifelong dream to start a religious community where sign language is the primary means of expression at both the eucharistic table and the dinner table is finally becoming a reality.
Deaf since birth, Father Coughlin has founded the new order, the Dominican Missionaries for the Deaf Apostolate.
The priest of the Diocese of Honolulu was one of five men who made their first profession of vows as Dominican Missionaries for the Deaf Apostolate on August 27 at St Albert’s Priory in Oakland, California.
“Necessity is the mother of invention,” he told the Hawaii Catholic Herald, newspaper of the Honolulu Diocese, in an interview by e-mail. “I saw how badly we need a religious community of deaf priests and brothers dedicated to a deeper spiritual life and the deaf apostolate in the language of signs and the deaf culture milieu.”
The five men pronounced their vows before Oakland’s Bishop Allen H. Vigneron, who formally recognised the new community in 2004. Father Coughlin will remain a diocesan priest until he makes
his final vows in a few years. The other four men are in various stages of preparation for the priesthood, and the religious community also has two novices.
Creating this order has been a challenge for the determined priest, who has been making his case before bishops and cardinals for nearly three decades. Father Coughlin was ordained in the Trinitarian order in 1977 and he came to Honolulu 10 years later at the invitation of then-Bishop Joseph A. Ferrario of Honolulu, who was perhaps the only bishop in the United States at the time skilled in American Sign Language. The bishop, who died in 2003, welcomed Father Coughlin into the diocese and assigned him to Sts Peter and Paul Parish in Honolulu where he celebrated the Mass in sign language and created a ministry to the deaf. An interpreted Mass for the deaf continues there today. In a 1987 interview with the Hawaii Catholic Herald, the priest expressed his determination to start an order of priests who are deaf for the deaf. At the time, few if any seminaries and religious orders welcomed deaf candidates.
He left Hawaii in the early 1990s to follow his dream. In 1993 in Denver he joined the Dominicans. Although he remained a Dominican for only a year, he was encouraged by the head of the
Dominican order to form a new branch in the Dominican order designed specifically for the deaf candidates and apostolate. Father Coughlin approached the bishops and vicars general of several different dioceses seeking authorisation to form a religious community, but they all turned him away. The reaction, he said, was typical. Many viewed priests who are deaf as a people who need special accommodations and treatment - in other words, a “problem.”
But to Father Coughlin, deaf priests are a solution, particularly since only a small fraction of deaf Catholics go to Masses that aren’t translated for them. “I have accepted this challenge along with its pain and sorrow because I have come to realise that this is the kind of road that God has placed me on,” the priest said.
In 2002, then Archbishop William J. Levada of San Francisco heard Father Coughlin’s story and invited him to his archdiocese to minister at St Benedict Parish. There, Father Coughlin established the Dominican Missionaries for the Deaf Apostolate, an offshoot of Oakland’s Dominican community, to “preach the Gospel to deaf people in sign language and to give opportunities for deaf men to study for the priesthood in their native language, which is sign language.”
The neighbour who cares for Pope Benedict XVI’s home in Pentling has planned the pontiff’s September 13 homecoming in great detail.
“Waiting for him on the dining table in his house will be a very special surprise from me,” said the neighbour, Rupert Hofbauer. “There will be several jars of honey from his own bees, from his own garden, and I am sure he is going to love this.”
For many years Hofbauer, a parttime beekeeper, has been keeping his bees in Pope Benedict’s garden - with the approval of the Pope.
“I know he misses his house dearly, and he told me so when I visited him in Rome” last year, Hofbauer told CNS on August 31. “He asked after his garden, the flowers, even the bees, and after our two animals: Chico, the cat, and Igor, the golden retriever.”
Chico, Hofbauer said, has become somewhat bigheaded since the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope. “Whenever he sees a camera, he is there, putting himself into position,” he said, laughing.
“Chico is a cat with lots of character who loves being the centre of attention. He adores having a camera directed at him. We had countless
journalists visiting here in the past two weeks, and whenever Chico sees someone is getting a camera out, he comes rushing forward.”
Chico has become known as the “Pope’s cat” because, when Pope Benedict was a cardinal, he used to play with the ginger cat whenever it wandered into his garden.
“He always asks after our animals,” said Hofbauer, “so I know he really looks forward to seeing them again.”
Hofbauer said when he visited Pope Benedict he took a collection of photographs of the Pope’s house and garden.
“The pontiff was deeply touched,” he said, “because, throughout the year, we had photographed the garden with the various stages of flowers in bloom or budding. When I watched him looking at these photos and noticed his joy, I really saw how much he missed his home. He took great interest in every single
photograph, delighted at the sight of different colours of the various flowers, and seemed to be very much interested in everything that was happening in his garden back in Bavaria. His heart still is there to a large extent, if you ask me. It is not easy being Pope, because in accepting this position he has also lost his home, and I am sure this, at times, pains him.” Hofbauer said the house has been spruced up for the Pope’s visit. CNS
After a 13-year run, the annual Christmas concert at the Vatican will not be continued. The Vatican did not say who made the decision, which was reported by Italian media on August 31. In recent years some church officials have viewed the concert as a distraction because of minor controversies involving performers. Last year, church officials dropped Brazilian pop singer Daniela Mercury because they feared she would use the concert to promote the use of condoms as an anti-AIDS measure. Those who did perform were disappointed that Pope Benedict XVI did not make time for the traditional papal audience with the artists.
The annual event was taped in the Vatican audience hall in early December and rebroadcast on Christmas Eve. It always drew a sellout crowd of about 6,000 people, including many cardinals, bishops and Vatican officials. The concert was an initiative of the Diocese of Rome, which used proceeds to help build new churches in the city. Pope John Paul II made it a point to greet the artists, lending publicity to the event. Over the years, Pope John Paul chatted with artists like Jose Feliciano, Whitney Houston, Dionne Warwick, Gloria Gaynor and the late John Denver. B.B. King, who performed “Merry Christmas Baby,” gave the pontiff one of his electric guitars.
A German banker who used to chauffeur Pope Benedict XVI said he has been invited to spend the night in the Regensburg seminary with the pontiff during his September 9-14 trip to Germany.
“I was very surprised and honoured when I received a letter stating that I am to stay overnight at Regensburg,” Thaddaeus Kuehnel, director of the Hauck and Aufhauser private bank in Munich, told Catholic News Service. “The request came from the Regensburg seminary, by
letter.” Kuehnel said he did not know why he received an invitation when so many of the Pope’s other friends remain uncertain if they will have a chance to meet with him.
“It may have something to do with the fact that our friendship goes back some 30-odd years,” Kuehnel said. “Long before he became Pope, when he faced controversy at home and abroad, I always spoke out for him, and I think he never forgot this. When he took a lot of flak here in Germany because of his conserva-
The “African roots” of the “Jewish seed” produce “American fruits” for faith and worship, according to Msgr. Raymond East, head of the Archdiocese of Washington’s Office of Black Catholics. Msgr. East made the declaration at a Sept. 2 workshop on inculturation as part of the African National Eucharistic Congress held in Washington. Most of the participants were clergy and religious from Africa, and most exercise their ministry in the United States. Msgr. East recalled once having to field a call from an angry parent whose child was being taught at the par-
tive stance, I was the one who always stood by him,” he added. “I think this bonds us, that we have been together through the good as well as the bad times.” Kuehnel said he never tried to profit from his close relationship with the pontiff. “The car in which I drove the Pope more than 50,000 kilometres (31,000 miles), which was my own, has recently been sold in Russia,” Kuehnel said. “I sold it at a normal price, and the people who bought it never knew its history. Had I publicized it, I could have
ish grade school that Jesus had grown up Jewish. “Why are you teaching falsehood?” he recalled the parent saying. “Jesus wasn’t Jewish. He was Catholic!” He said at the workshop that Jesus was an “Afro-Asiatic Jew,” which prompted a couple of whoops from workshop participants. He noted the location of Jesus’ birth would be considered Asia, and that the Holy Family fled to Egypt - in Africa - to escape Herod. “They didn’t fly there. They didn’t take a boat there. They didn’t need a passport. They walked to Africa,” he said.
Pope Benedict XVI said parish priests discouraged by a decline in religious practice should take heart in the fact that the Church has survived centuries of persecutions and trials.
made a lot more money from this car, but that is not my style at all.” Kuehnel said he looks forward to a warm reunion with the Pope and is not nervous.
“He may be Pope now,” he said, “but he is still a friend of mine with whom my relationship goes back many years.” For more than 20 years, Kuehnel has driven Bavarian specialities to the former Cardinal Ratzinger in Rome, and this tradition continues. “I still drive Advent wreaths to him, and then, at Christmastime,
Not even the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler could destroy Catholicism, although he wanted to, the Pope said. The Pope made the comments in a question-and-answer session on August 31 with priests of the Diocese of Albano. The encounter took place at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, which is part of the Albano Diocese.
Most of the questions touched on pastoral problems common across Italy, including the challenge of getting Catholics to Mass on Sunday and attracting young people to church activities. The Pope said it was important for pastors to draw encouragement from the Church’s long history.
The Church’s early flowering in North Africa and Asia Minor, for example, has long disappeared, but Catholicism has gained new strength and vigour in the rest of Africa and other parts of the world, he said.
“The faith is stronger than all the currents that come and go,” he said.
also Bavarian Christmas trees. This is my annual Christmas gift to him,” he said. “Also, I take him the Christmas packages of the Zentis company, which makes jams and sweets.” Kuehnel said he will discuss private matters with the Pope when they meet at the seminary.
“One of the things that I have never spoken to him about,” Kuehnel said, “but may take the opportunity of doing so now, when we see each other at Regensburg, is about Sister Iphigenia of Bad Adelholzen. CNS
Muslims knelt on prayer rugs in the Assisi town hall, Shintoists performed rituals in the garden of a Franciscan convent, and Buddhists meditated in a room full of Renaissance frescoes.
Christians filled the town’s cathedral to pray until the tolling of the church bells called members of all faiths to an evening procession for peace through the streets of the medieval city. The 70 minutes of prayer marked the central moment of the 20th annual Interreligious Prayer Meeting for Peace Sept. 4-5, attended by more than 150 religious leaders from around the world. Like the original encounter in 1986, this one took place in Assisi, the Italian hill town where St. Francis lived and preached.
Mercedes College students in the Education Support Unit have been making chaplets as part of an education enterprise. The chaplets raise money towards the Sisters of Mercy soup kitchen through Catholic retailer Gatto’s.
Students involved in making the chaplets, which are small sets of beads and prayers to say, all have disabilities. The students make
three chaplets; St Therese, Infant of Prague, and the Miraculous Medal. Gatto’s sell the chaplets and take no profit for themselves, with all the money from the sales going towards the Sisters of Mercy soup kitchen.
Gatto’s also give two students from the unit work experience for one day each week. Paul Stinson, Manager of Gatto’s says, “ I actively encourage other Catholic businesses to give these students an opportunity to gain the life experience they need”. Sister Vidette Lendich of the
education support unit comments that “without Gatto’s and people like Paul our students would not be given work placements.”
The students have so far raised $300 towards the soup kitchen through the sale of their handmade chaplets and want to continue supporting them financially through the rest of the year with the help of Gatto’s. The soup kitchen itself provides food to those in need and many people benefit from their services.
Good years: Fr Greg, centre, and friends cut the anniversary cake.
The parish of Saints John and Paul at Willetton hosted the Silver Jubilee of Parish Priest Fr Greg Donovan on Friday August 25.
Bishop Donald Sproxton along with 13 other priests from around the archdiocese attended, with the function beginning with ‘what we do best as a faith community’ a Eucharist celebrated by Fr Donovan. During his homily Fr Donovan referred to recent teachings by Pope Benedict that the Catholic faith was not just a set of do’s and don’ts but a call to experience the love of God
and share this love with our brothers and sisters.
A Power Point presentation put together by the children of Orana Catholic Primary School displayed various glimpses of Fr Donovan’s life.
Parishioner’s from Fr Donovan’s previous parishes attended, ranging from Whitfords, Perth, Bencubbin, Northam, Yangebup and Mt Lawley.
Fr Donovan humoured those present with anecdotes and vignettes of his life as a priest and said he was extremely grateful to God for all the blessings he has received.
A celebratory finger food supper was enjoyed by all who attended.
A former writer for The Record, reviewing music and opera on a regular basis, HSG (Tom) Gollop’s knowledge of music—though he did not play an instrument—was remarkable and his understanding of opera exceptional.
He provided a great deal of pleasure to readers of The Record with his regular column and he entertained many visitors to his home with opera and music over dinner.
Born in England, serving as an optical engineer during WWII in the Middle East, Tom was married to Irene, nee England, a gifted linguist.
Her wartime responsibilities
A British woman in her mid-30s has gone public with the story of how contracting chlamydia in her teens ruined her hopes of motherhood and her marriage.
Kim Bresnehan told the Daily Mail that from the age of 16 she had a series of “serious relationships” lasting six months to two years, while receiving prescriptions for the Pill from a family planning clinic.
Kim considered herself “monogamous” and her boyfriends clean.
At 20 she met John, the love of
her life, and within a year they had moved in together.
They were both running successful businesses and building their dream home.
At 23 they married and began immediately to try for children. It was then she discovered that she had extensive damage to her fallopian tubes because of a chlamydia infection she had been unaware of.
She had never heard of the sexually transmitted disease.
Repeated attempts at IVF failed
and eventually her marriage broke up and her life fell apart.
Thanks to the support of her parents she has recovered, and now accepts that she may never have a family.
She has spoken up in the hope that other young women might avoid the suffering she has endured.
Chlamydia is the most commonly diagnosed STD in Britain, particularly in the 16-24 age group. Last year 110,000 new cases were recorded. - FamilyEdge
entailed censoring the mail for high ranking Axis officers, including German Generals who were POWs in Britain.
With their son Chris they emigrated to Australia and settled in Applecross where they became well-known members of the parish, contributing greatly to charities and fostering many young boys from Castledare, Clontarf and Tardun over the years.
All, including Chris, benefited greatly from their generosity, love, and from the unseen gifts they bestowed, a love of music, art, literature and conversation, especially Michael who remained with them and was educated and nurtured by them from around age 8 through University.
Oblates of New Norcia, they were well-known amongst the community there, and were regular visitors.
He was also a well-known figure further north, regularly visiting the Pilbara and Kimberley as part of his optometrical practice for the firm of Dannell & Gollop, one of the most-respected of Western Australian firms in that trade.
After retirement, Tom and Irene continued their charitable work, she visiting regularly to assist at Heathcote Mental hospital and he as a leading light in TAPPS, a support scheme for the elderly.
After moving to Cottesloe Tom and Irene eventually shifted into Wearne Hostel and from there they continued their charitable works.
Pre-deceased by his beloved Irene, retaining his exceptional mental faculties, Tom continued with his music, opera and charities and as his final act bequeathed his opera collection of nearly 200 tapes to the people of Wearne.
Continued from Page 1 and English by Fr Julian Carrasco, providing for a culturally enriching experience.
Parish priest at Holy Cross Church on Ommanney Street, Fr Carrasco, said he was overjoyed to have the Salvation Army Band playing melodic hymns as the congregation
prayed the rosary during the procession.
All are invited to attend the event, which will include a modest lunch after the celebration.
For further information contact Joao and Gabriela da Luz, from the Association of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on 93359170.
We continue with Pope Benedict’s reflections on the apostles. The talk below continues the Holy Father’s reflections on the Apostle John, whom he presented on this occasion as “the seer of Patmos.”
Dear Brothers and Sisters, In the last catechesis we meditated on the figure of the Apostle John. At first we tried to see how much can be known of his life. Then, in a second catechesis, we meditated on the central content of his Gospel, of his Letters: charity, love. And today we are again concerned with the figure of John, this time to consider the seer of Revelation.
We must immediately make an observation: Whereas his name never appears in the Fourth Gospel or the letters attributed to the apostle, [the Book of] Revelation makes reference to John’s name four times (1:1, 4, 9; 22:8).
On one hand, it is evident that the author had no reason to silence his name and, on the other, he knew that his first readers could identify him with precision.
We know moreover that, already in the third century, the scholars argued over the true identity of the John of Revelation.
For this reason we can also call him “the seer of Patmos,” because his figure is linked to the name of this island of the Aegean Sea, where, according to his own autobiographical testimony, he found himself deported “because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 1:19). Precisely on Patmos, “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day,” John had grandiose visions and heard extraordinary messages, which would have no little influence on the history of the Church and on the whole of Christian culture.
For example, from the title of his book, “Apocalypse” [Revelation], were introduced in our language the words “apocalypse, apocalyptic,” which evoke, though inappropriately, the idea of an impending catastrophe.
The book must be understood in the context of the dramatic experience of the seven Churches of Asia (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Tiatira, Sardi, Philadelphia and Laodicea), which toward the end of the first century had to face great difficulties - persecutions and even internal difficulties - in their witnessing of Christ. John addresses them, showing profound pastoral sensitivity for persecuted Christians, whom he exhorts to remain steadfast in the faith and not identify with the very strong pagan world.
His objective, in short, is to unveil, from the death and resurrection of Christ, the meaning of human history.
The first and essential vision of John, in fact, concerns the figure of the Lamb, which, despite being
slain, is standing (Revelation 5:6), placed before the throne where God himself is seated.
With this, John wants to tell us two things above all: The first is that Jesus, though he was killed with an act of violence, instead of lying fallen on the ground remains paradoxically standing firmly on his feet, because with the resurrection he has vanquished death definitively.
Tso absurd. He alone can draw pointers and teachings for the life of Christians, to whom his victory over death brings the announcement and guarantee of the victory that they also, without a doubt, will attain. All the language John uses, charged with strong images, tends to offer this consolation.
At the centre of the vision that Revelation presents is the extremely significant image of the Woman, who gives birth to a male Child, and the complementary vision of the Dragon, which has fallen from the heavens, but is still very powerful. This Woman represents Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer, but she represents at the same time the whole Church, the People of God of all times, the Church that at all times, with great pain, again gives birth to Christ. And she is always threatened by the power of the Dragon. She seems defenceless, weak.
But, while she is threatened, pursued by the Dragon, she is also protected by God’s consolation. And this Woman, at the end, is victorious. The Dragon does not conquer.
This is the great prophecy of this book, which gives us confidence! The Woman who suffers in history, the Church which is persecuted, at the end is presented as the splendid Bride, image of the new Jerusalem, in which there is no more tears or weeping, image of the world transformed, of the new world whose light is God himself, whose lamp is the Lamb.
For this reason, John’s Revelation, though full of constant references to sufferings, tribulations and weeping - the dark face of history - at the same time presents frequent songs of praise, which represent, so to speak, the luminous face of history.
his book with a final aspiration, in which an ardent hope palpitates. He invokes the Lord’s final coming: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).
It is one of the central prayers of nascent Christianity, translated also by St Paul in Aramaic: “Marana tha.” And this prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (1 Corinthians 16:22) has several dimensions.
Above all it implies, of course, the awaiting of the Lord’s definitive victory, of the new Jerusalem, of the Lord who comes and transforms the world.
But, at the same time, it is also a Eucharistic prayer: “Come, Jesus, now!” And Jesus comes, he anticipates his definitive coming. In this way, with joy, let us say at the same time: “Come now and come definitively!”
This prayer also has a third meaning: “You have already come, Lord! We are certain of your presence among us. For us it is a joyful experience. But, come definitively!”
Thus, with St Paul, with the seer of Patmos, with nascent Christianity, we also pray: “Come, Jesus! Come and transform the world! Come now, today, and may peace conquer!” Amen - translation by Zenit
The first and essential vision of John, in fact, concerns the figure of the Lamb, which, despite being slain, is standing (Revelation 5:6), placed before the throne where God himself is seated.
The second is that Jesus himself, precisely because he died and resurrected, now participates fully in the royal and salvific power of the Father. This is the fundamental vision. Jesus, the Son of God, is, on this earth, a defenceless, wounded and dead Lamb.
And yet, he is standing, firm, before the throne of God and participates in the divine power. He has in his hands the history of the world.
In this way, the visionary wishes to tell us: Have confidence in Jesus, do not be afraid of opposing powers, of persecution! The wounded and dead Lamb conquers! Follow
he object of one of the principal visions of Revelation is this Lamb at the moment he opens a book, which before was sealed with seven seals, which no one was able to open. John is even presented weeping, as no one could be found able to open the book and read it (Revelation 5:4). History appears as undecipherable, incomprehensible. No one can read it.
Perhaps this weeping of John before the very dark mystery of history expresses the disconcertment of the Asian Churches because of God’s silence in the face of the persecutions to which they were exposed at that time.
It is a disconcertment which might well reflect our surprise in the face of the grave difficulties, misunderstandings and hostilities that the Church also suffers today in several parts of the world.
They are sufferings which the Church certainly does not deserve, as Jesus did not deserve punishment either. However, they reveal both man’s maliciousness, when he allows himself to be led by the snares of evil, as well as the higher governance of events by God. So, only the immolated Lamb is capable of opening the sealed book and of revealing its content, to give meaning to this history which, apparently, often seems
For example, it speaks of an immense crowd that sings almost shouting: “Alleluia! The Lord has established his reign, (our) God, the almighty. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory. For the wedding day of the Lamb has come, his bride has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:6-7).
We are before the typical Christian paradox, according to which, suffering is never perceived as the last word; rather it is seen as a passing moment to happiness and, what is more, the latter is already mysteriously permeated with the joy that springs from hope. Therefore, John, the seer of Patmos, can end
Join Pope Benedict XVI in prayer
September
Permanent formation: That in mission territories the entire People of God may recognise permanent formation as a personal priority.
Mass media: That those who use the means of social communication may always do so conscientiously and responsibly.
“There is no doubt that the primacy of holiness and prayer is inconceivable without a renewed listening to the word of God. Ever since the Second Vatican Council underlined the pre-eminent role of the word of God in the life of the Church, great progress has certainly been made in devout listening to Sacred Scripture and attentive study of it... But it is above all the work of evangelisation and catechesis which is drawing new life from attentiveness to the word of God.” (No.39)
These words from the late Pope John Paul’s “At the Beginning of the new Millennium” are an important reminder of the centrality of the Bible for every form of catechesis.
Study of the Bible, moreover, has probably the most important potential for a constructive and continuing ecumenical dialogue among the presently-divided Christian churches.
St Mary’s Press, in Winona, Minnesota, was established for the production of catechetical and religious material to support the catechetical work of the De La Salle Brothers in the United States, and has responded to this need for better access to the riches of the Bible by producing two outstanding publications, The Catholic Youth Bible for use in the traditional 9-12 US High School and Break Through, subtitled as ‘The Bible for Young Catholics,’ intended for use in grade or primary schools.
The Catholic Youth Bible makes use of the Revised Standard Version Catholic text of 1993. Each Book of the Bible has its own special
introduction to situate the text in the overall history of salvation but the layout of the edition is such that the reader is constantly helped by questions, contemporary observations about related material, remarks about different literary forms to guide the understanding of the reader. In working with adults, I have often found these guidelines very important for the participants precisely because they help to give the text a contemporary relevance. The creativity and pedagogical insights of the producers make this my favourite Bible in my work with retreats, presentations and conferences at every level.
Now Break Through offers the same possibilities for work with younger children. For this edition, the translation used is that of the Good News Catholic Edition and the research team bring their creativity to their presentations to a younger audience. The basic activities in both the High School and the Primary versions bring the readers back to three activities: Study it! Pray it! Live it! Throughout both books these invitations are offered in real life situations that continue to highlight the contemporary relevance of what is being presented.
I am sure that catechists would like to be able to have their students work with their individual copies of these texts. If the cost of imported material like this presents a problem I would at least make a plea for sets being available for class use. I certainly have not seen anything better.
Friday September 8 and Sunday September 10
EPISCOPAL VISITAT AND 80TH ANNIVERSARY MERREDIN
St Mary’s Parish invites past and present parishioners to the celebrations of the 80th Anniversary of the Parish. There will be a historical presentation and social gathering in the Parish Hall at 7.30pm and Special Anniversary Mass on Sunday September 10 8.30 am.
Friday September 8
BLESSED MARY MACKILLOP MASS
Monthly at 6pm in honour of Blessed Mary MacKillop. Come and join in the Eucharist and place your petitions at Blessed Mary MacKillop’s shrine in the chapel. Sisters of St Joseph’s Chapel, 16 York Street, South Perth. Enquiries: 9457 3371.
September 10 - 17
FEAST OF OUR LADY MARIA SS ADDOLORATA
Our Lady’s Assumption Church, Grand Promenade, Dianella. Commencing with a “Settenario” which will be celebrated by Fr Antonio Paganoni CS, September 10-16 at 7.30pm. The procession will commence from the Church, Sunday September 17, 2.30pm, followed by sung Mass with celebrants Bishop Peter Quinn & Fr Antonio Paganoni. Enquiries: Lina Giancola 9455 5619.
Sunday September 10
HOLY HOUR
Holy Hour. The World Apostolate of Fatima Aust Inc invites you to attend St Paul’s, Rookwood Street, Mt Lawley at 3pm. The National Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which belongs to the Aposolate, will be present in the church for this hour of Eucharistic reparation. All welcome. Enquiries: 9339 2614.
Sunday September 10
HEALING MASS AND RECONCILIATION
Bullsbrook Shrine. 2 pm. The Sacrament of the sick
is administered for the spiritual and physical healing of pilgrims during Holy Mass every 2nd Sunday at the Shrine of Virgin of the Revelation, 36 Chittering Rd, Bullsbrook. Reconciliation in Italian or English at 1.30pm. All welcome to the Pilgrim Mass and devotions celebrated at the Shrine every Sunday at 2pm. Enquiries SACRI Assoc. 9447 3292.
Sunday, September 10
ETERNAL WORD TELEVISION NETWORK ON ACCESS 31
10-11 am: The New Testament: Gospels, Pt 1 / Scott Hahn & Jeff Cavins [Our Father’s Plan; 10] 1-2 pm: Genuine Catholic Education for the New Millennium / Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, with Fr Mitch Pacwa [EWTN Live]. For forthcoming programs visit our website: http:// www.bonamedia.iinet.net.au/ewtn.html. To help keep EWTN on Access 31, please send donations to The Rosary Christian Tutorial Association, P.O. Box 1270, Booragoon 6954. Videotapes available on request. Enquiries: 9330-1170
Sunday September 10
ST ISIDOR E’S PARISH OF JENNACUBBINE ANNUAL PICNIC Mass and picnic to be held on the banks of the Mortlock River, Jennacubbine. 11am Mass followed by BYO picnic & chair or rug. BBQs available – lots of extras provided. Everyone is welcome. Contact Cathie Bowen 9623 2264 or Fr Geoff Aldous at Northam 9622 5411.
Wednesday September 13
RELATIONSHIPS: “GETTING THE LOVE YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED”.
General public and John XXIII College parents are invited to attend. Presenter: Ean James (Clinical Psychologist). The MacKillop Room, John XXIII College, 7.30pm to 9.30pm. Cost: $10 (Donation Unwaged). Includes - How to join rather than be right. How to rekindle the passion. Learning to love
the other, in the way the other needs to be loved. Enquiries: Murray Graham 9383 0444
Thursday September 14
FEAST OF EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS
Sung Latin Mass, 6.30pm in St Francis Xavier Church. Low Mass at 1.10pm. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament to take place 2 – 6pm St Francis Xavier Church, Cnr Windsor St & West Parade, East Perth. All welcome. Enquiries: Fr Michael Rowe 9444 9604
Thursday September 14
MOTHERS’ PRAYERS MASS
10am at Our Lady Queen of Apostles, Tribute Street East, Riverton. For all mothers and grandmothers coming together to pray for their children. Fathers, grandfathers welcome. A wonderful and necessary opportunity for God to hear and act upon the hearts and minds of mothers. Fellowship to follow Mass. Enquiries: Veronica Peake on 9447 0671.
Friday September 15
FEAST OF THE SEVEN SORROWS OF OUR LADY
Sung Latin Mass, 6.30pm in St John’s Pro-Cathedral. Holy Hour and Benediction 5.30pm with Seven Sorrows Rosary. St John’s Pro-Cathedral, Victoria Avenue, Perth. All welcome. Enquiries: Fr Michael Rowe 9444 9604.
September 15 - 17
A WEEKEND WITH ST FRANCIS
All welcome. All those interested in learning more of St Francis and the spirituality of his followers are welcome to attend. The retreat will be held at the Redemptorist Retreat House. The retreat will be given by Fr Michael Brown OFM. For information and bookings please contact Mary on 9377 7925 by 31st August.
Saturday September 16
GROWING IN LOVE RETREAT
The general public and John XXIII College parents are invited to Attend a morning retreat. Presenter: Murray Graham (Inigo Centre Director). The MacKillop Room, John XXIII College. 9am – 12 Noon. Cost: Donation for Inigo Centre. This Retreat dwells on what we often hear but perhaps do not let ‘sink in’. Enquiries: Murray Graham 9383 0444
Saturday September 16
FEAST OF THE STIGMATA OF ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI
The Secular Franciscan Order in WA will be celebrating the Feast with the readings of the Stigmata of St Francis. All welcome. The celebrations will be held at the chapel of the Redemptorist Retreat House, North Perth at 3pm and will conclude with afternoon tea. Enquiries contact Mary on 9377 7925.
Sunday September 17
KOORDA CHURCH 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Our Lady of the Assumption Church Koorda’s Golden Anniversary this year. Past Priests and parishioners are invited to join celebrations. Those with photos to include in a display are welcome to send them to Kath Gosper, PO Box 68, Koorda 6475. Send copies or we’ll copy then return. Commences with Mass, 10.30am, and lunch at Recreation hall.
Sunday September 17
TAIZE MEDITATIVE PRAYER
St Joseph’s Chapel, 16 York Street, South Perth. Everyone welcome to come and be still in a candle lit chapel. Time for silent prayer, scripture and song. Every third Sunday of the month. Enquiries: Sr Maree 9457 3371.
September 11 to 25
VILLAGE SPACE
Dramatic Story Telling to Promote Social Justice Action. Performances SCHOOLS: Monday Sept 11,
■ BRICK REPOINTING
Phone Nigel 9242 2952.
■ PERROTT PAINTING PTY LTD
For all your residential, commercial painting requirements. Phone Tom Perrott 9444 1200.
■ PICASSO PAINTING
Top service. Phone 0419 915 836, fax 9345 0505.
■ ALL AREAS
Mike Murphy 0416 226 434.
HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION
■ DENMARK
Holiday House 3bdr x 2bath, sleeps up to 8. BOOK
NOW.
Ph: Maria 0412 083 377.
■ 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.
SEPTEMBER
8-10 Canonical Visitation, Merredin - Bishop Sproxton
11 Deanery Meeting, Northam - Bishop Sproxton
■ RICH HARVEST YOUR CHRISTIAN SHOP
Looking for Bibles, CDs, books, cards, gifts, statues, baptism/communion apparel, religious vestments, etc? Visit us at 39 Hulme Court (off McCoy St), Myaree, 9329 9889 (after 10.30am, Mon-Sat) We are here to serve.
■ MEMORIAL CARDS AND BOOKLETS
Urgent jobs in 24hrs. W/E and A/H 0410 651 900
■ NEW NORCIA PILGRIMAGE
St Pio of Pietrelcina Feast Day- Saturday 23 September- New Norcia Pilgrimage. Departure 7:30am from St Joseph’s Church. 20 Hamilton Street, Bassendean, WA. Return 5:00pm. Cost: $12. BYO Lunch. Invoke God’s blessings on WA honouring a great saint of our times. Reservations/ Information: 62781540 and 93782684
■ MAKE POVERTY HISTORY
Wednesday September 20. Join Caritas and other like-minded organisations in the make poverty history breakfast, 7:15-8:45am, Mercure Hotel, Perth.
12 Official Opening RSL National Congress, Government House - Bishop Sproxton
14/15 Episcopal Ordination, Adelaide - Bishop Sproxton
$12 pp. Guest speaker-Tim Costello, CEO World Vision.RSVP Sept.13 on: 9325 7680.
■ WORLD APOSTOLATE OF FATIMA HOLY HOUR
Sunday Sept 9, 3pm at St Paul’s Church. 106 Rookwood St, Mt Lawley. The national Pilgrim Virgin Statue will be present.
■ CONSTANCE LILLIAN GUEST NEE BEACHELL
Beloved and loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, and mother-in-law. Gone to eternal life on 30th August 2006. Miss you very much. Rest in peace.
■ MA CONNIE AND AUNTY NEE BEACHELL
Our very loving and caring Ma Connie and Aunty (nee Beachell). Miss you and love you, your sisters Winnie, Dolly and Marjoire. Your niece Ma Ei, Yin Yin Htun and nephew Mg Kyaw Hlaing. May you rest in peace.
■ HSG TOM GOLLOP, AT WEARNE HOSTEL.
Devoted husband to the late Irene, loving father of Christopher, beloved of Michael, Debbie, Joy, David, Kim, Katie, Ellen and Phillip, friend to many. Benedictine Oblate, active in the Church, a giver to many charities; former music and opera critic for
SEPTEMBER
The Record. Fondly remembered by all.
■ PRAYER FOR HELP
Prayers to Our Blessed Lady requested for the shrinking of an inoperable tumour for which Daphne is having medication at present. Thanking you all in anticipation.
■ NOVENA TO ST CLAIRE
Say 9 Hail Marys and the following prayer for 9 days in front of a lighted candle. God of mercy you inspired St Claire with the love of poverty by the help of her prayers. May we follow Christ in poverty of spirit and come to the joyful vision of your glory in the kingdom of Heaven. We ask this thru our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son who lives and reigns with the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever.
Amen. O.R.B.
■ NEVER FAIL NOVENA.
Pray the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised, adored and glorified throughout the world now and forever. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on me. St Theresa of the child Jesus, pray for me. St Jude. Patron of hopeless cases, pray for me and grant this favour I ask (say for 9 days). O.R.B.
17 50th Anniversary of Our Lady of Assumption Church, Koorda - Bishop Sproxton Mass and Blessing of Italian Aged Care Special Care Wing, Marangaroo - Bishop Quinn Procession and Mass, Assn Maria SS Addolorata, Dianella - Bishop Quinn
19 Mass, Sisters of Mercy West Perth - Bishop Sproxton
9-11am - St Jerome’s, Munster. Monday Sept 18, 9-11.30 am - Liwarra Primary School, Greenwood.
Monday Sept 25, 1.30-3.30 pm - St Brigid’s, Lesmurdie
PARISHES: Sunday Sept 25 4-7 pm - Blessed Mary McKillop, Ballajura. Further information call 9422 7933 or email: catholicmissionperth@bigpond.com
Friday September 22 to 24
DANCING THE PSALMS
Weekend Retreat, Josephine Retreat Centre, Penola, Safety Bay. For more information, contact Sr Shelley Barlow 9271 3873.
Sunday September 24 to 30
FIVE DAY DIRECTED RETREAT
At the Redemptorist Monastery Retreat House, 190 Vincent Street North Perth. Director: Fr Joe Carroll
CSSR. For more information contact Jan Broderick.
Sunday October 1
DIVINE MERCY.
An afternoon with Jesus and Mary will be held at St Joachim’s Church, on the corner of Shepperton Road and Harper Street, Victoria Park at 1.30pm.
Programme: Holy Rosary and Reconciliation, Sermon: with Fr John Joseph Mary F.F.I. on the Holy Rosary followed by Divine Mercy prayers and Benediction. Enquiries: John 9457 7771 or Linda 9275 6608.
Wednesday October 4
SFO SILVER JUBILEE
Our Lady’s Assumption Fraternity Balcatta will commemorate its Silver Jubilee at St. Lawrence’s Church, Balcatta. An invitation is extended to all to join with them in celebrating this auspicious occasion. Mass will commence at 6.30 pm, followed by supper in the Alverna Centre. RSVP on 9276 9415 by Sept 27.
Friday October 6
PILGRIMAGE TO NEW NORCIA
The Legion of Mary are undertaking a pilgrimage to New Norcia to celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Rosary. A bus will be departing from St Jerome’s in Munster picking up passengers at St Maria Goretti’s in Redcliffe. Enquiries: Rosemary Bennett 94547831 after 6pm. A bus will also be leaving Our Lady of Grace North Beach. Enquiries: Veronica Zeh 9448 9557.
October 6 to 8
BROTHER ANDREW’S SIXTH
Father Douglas Rowe SFP of All Saints Chapel, will give his own retreat “Awakening” at God’s Farm,
40kms South of Busselton. To honour Brother Andrew special permission has been granted for Sister Elizer and Missionaries of Charity Sisters to share with us on Saturday 7th. Further details: Betty Peaker 9755 6213.
Sunday October 8
YARLOOP MASS
Con-celebrated with Bishop Holohan Yarloop Town Hall. Picnic lunch in the Hall. Sausage sizzle available. No alcohol. Contact the Coordinator at 10 Anderson St Yarloop 6218. Ph 08 9733 5501 or stjylp@yahoo.com.au.
October 9 to 13
FAMILY MISSION
Jesus Heart of all Families. 7pm to 9pm Redemptorist Monastery, 190 Vincent Street, North Perth. “The Lord is the centre and heart of the family” (Pope Benedict XVI July 2006). Mission director Fr Hugh Thomas. Contact Veronica Peake 9447 0671 (Mothers Prayers).
Sunday October 15
HEALING MASS
“Oh taste and see the Lord is good. He will satisfy the soul.” Catholic Charismatic Renewal invites you to experience the healing love of God. The celebration will be held at St Joseph’s Church, 1 Salvado Road, Subiaco, commencing with Prayer and Praise at 5.30pm, Mass at 6pm followed by praying over and supper. All are welcome to join us. Enq. Celine 9446 2147.
Wednesday September 20
JOIN CARITAS AND MAKE POVERTY HISTORY
Cartitas Australia is working with like agencies to promote the Millenium Development Goals. We invite you to hear from another agency’s perspective: Mercure Hotel, 10 Irwin St, Perth. 7.158.45pm Public Meeting - “the tsunami and beyond.” Guest Speaker Tim Costello, CEO World Vision. RSVP Sept.18 on: 9325 7680.
Saturday October 21
Hopetoun Church. Maria Regina Catholic Parish, Lake Grace invites past and present parishioners, local community organisations and church groups who have been part of St Peter the Fisherman Church Hopetoun to a Holy Mass commemorating its 30th Anniversary. Mass starts at 11am with Bishop Holohan presiding. Please contact the Parish Office on (08) 9865 1248 for any inquiry including accommodation needs.
Sunday October 29
WORLD CENTENARY OF CATHOLIC WOME N’S LEAGUE
Catholic Women’s League of WA will be celebrating the Women’s League Centenary, founded in England by Margaret Fletcher in 1906. Mass celebrated at the Redemptorist Monastery, 190 Vincent Street, North Perth at 10.30am followed by a lunch at the Royal Park Hall at noon. Members, ex-members and families are most welcome. For more information contact Margaret Ph: 9328 8978 or Fay Ph: 9284 3084.
Saturday November 18
CHRISTIAN MEDITATION COMMUNITY WA INC
Community Day at Holy Rosary Parish Centre, Elizabeth Street, Nedlands. 10am to 4pm. Guest speaker: Trish Panton, the International Coordinator of the World Community for Christian Meditation Benedictine Oblates. Enquiries: Vesta 9309 4094 or Marian 9387 4716.
Friday November 24
HEALING FIRE BURNING LOVE. ‘HEALING OF THE FAMILY TREE’
Mass with Fr Michael Brown OFM. If you would like to participate more fully in this service we have ‘Family Tree booklets’ which are available only at our healing services for $2 on the last Friday of each month. Please contact Jenni Young on 0404 389 679 or 9445 1028
Wednesday November 29
DAUGHTERS OF CHARITY ANNIVERSARY
The Community are celebrating 50 years in Western Australia. We invite anyone who has been associated with us to join in the celebration. For further information and if you have photos or historical items please contact: Sr Maria Comito (08) 9207 3100.
ATTENTION COUPLES
Have you or your spouse been diagnosed with a mental illness? Depression? Anxiety/Panic Attacks? etc. Could you do with some help understanding your/their illness? Do you know how to get help when you need it? We can help you to help each other through the Unconditional Love Program. For more information contact Amanda Olsen: 0407 192 641, or email: mandyfolsen@bigpond.com.au.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Is alcohol costing you more than just money? Alcoholics Anonymous can help. Ring 9325 3566.
CROSS ROADS COMMUNITY
Term 3 until Friday 29th September. Tuesday’s 5.30-
7.30pm Substance Abusers Support Group & 7pm Lectio Divina at Immaculate Conception Church. Wednesdays 7-9pm Family & Friends Support Groups. Fridays 9.30am-2pm Substance Abusers All Day Support Group including Healing Mass at 12.30pm.
BOYUP BROOK 50TH ANNIVERSARY
In May 2007 St Mary’s Parish & School will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. Past Parish Priests, parishioners, teachers, students and friends are invited to our day of celebrations. Photos, anecdotes, information and memorabilia wanted for display. Contact: Elinor Doust, PO Box 189, Boyup Brook 6244, Tel: 9765 1333, Fax: 9765 1038 or email mailbox@stmarysbbk.wa.edu.au. Further information and date will be published at a later time.
ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT.
Every Wednesday from 8.30am to 12.30pm at Good Shepherd , 42 Streich Avenue, Kelmscott.
HOLY SPIRIT OF FREEDOM COMMUNITY
Saturday Prayer Meeting is offering a free course at the Church Hall, 11 Hehir Street, Belmont. Freedom in Christ is a 12 week course, for anyone wanting change in their lives and searching for real answers. Starting Saturday 16 September, from 10.30 am— 12.30 pm. If you have been affected by addiction, anger, fear, or felt your life is out of control you will benefit from this course. For more details contact HSoF on 9475 0155.
Panorama
Entries must be in by 5pm Monday. Contributions may be faxed to 9227 7087, emailied to administration@therecord. com.au or mailed to PO box 75, Leederville, WA 6902.
Submissions over 55 words will be excluded.
Inclusion is limited to 4 weeks.
Events charging over $10 constitute a classified event, and will be charged accordingly. The Record reserves the right to decline or modify any advertisment.
Perth evangelists take the word of God to the world, even to US jails
■ By Mark ReidyWitnessing over 200 hardened prison inmates erupting in song, dance and joyous shouting was one of the highlights of a seven-week international campaign conducted by Perth Catholic evangelists, Eddie Russell and David Harp.
Mr Russell, Senior Founding Director of Flame Ministries International, said that the spontaneous reaction, in a high security facility in Miami, USA, occurred after he had shared God’s Word and love with inmates and Mr Harp had given testimony of his recovery from AIDS.
Mr Russell said that the tears of healing that occurred during the ministry were in sharp contrast to the tattooed tears on the faces of gang leaders that represented the number of men they had killed.
Many prisoners, including some of the gang leaders, gave their lives to Christ on the day, Mr Russell said.
The prison visit was the first stop in the US after successful campaigns in Portugal, England and Scotland, in which many participants received the anointing of the
Holy Spirit and many healings occurred, according to Mr Russell.
The final few weeks of the campaign in the US included preaching and praying over people at churches in Miami (where over 800 attended each of the five sessions), Colorado Springs and three nights in a Ukrainian Rite Church in Pittsburgh.
Mr Russell said that sessions often continued until after midnight with participants sharing how God had touched their lives through emotional and physical healings.
He shared testimonies of people walking in with crutches and leaving unaided, chronic pain being instantly healed, wounds disappearing overnight, people being graced by the desire to forgive, a woman being freed from the trauma of childhood ritualistic satanic abuse, a young heroin addict who did not use for five days and experienced no withdrawal symptoms and of others sharing their experiences of the anointing and gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as praying in tongues.
Mr Russell said that many of the places they visited were ready for revival and that most had invited FMI to return next year. With campaigns already planned for Uganda and possibly Korea and Brazil, FMI will be looking at how Portugal, the UK and the US can again be included in their future schedule.
