KNEEL WITH POPE JOHN PAUL
General: That old people may be considered an asset to the spiritual and human growth of society.
Missionary: That in Africa authentic brotherly cooperation may develop among all those who work for the growth and development of ecclesial Communities.
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Portrayed in the government-controlled Zimbabwean press as gay, a rapist and HIV-infected, Archbishop Ncube, trained by Jesuits in the former Rhodesia, is undeterred.
He has received numerous death threats, had his phones tapped and his sermons monitored by government agents, but Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, refuses to back away from his criticisms of the country's president, Robert Mugabe.
"I refuse to be silent," Archbishop Ncube, 58, told ambassadors, high commissioners, members of Parliament and interfaith leaders on Parliament Hill on Sept. 28.
"My heart bleeds -- I suffer a lot -- when I see the lot of the common man in Zimbabwe," he said.
Archbishop Ncube was in Canada as part of an international tour to speak out against the regime of Mugabe, 80, who has held power in Zimbabwe since 1979.
"I'm annoyed and upset when someone uses their power to trample on the disadvantaged, on the poor," Archbishop Ncube said.
Portrayed in the governmentcontrolled Zimbabwean press as homosexual, a rapist and HIVinfected, Archbishop Ncube, trained by Jesuits in the former Rhodesia, is undeterred.
"I'm not one that's given to fighting and controversy," he said. "I love peace."
committee
Canadian
Mugabe, who has held power in Zimbabwe since 1979.
Until this year, Mugabe had portrayed the archbishop as mad and as a prelate who did not have
the support of his fellow clerics.
But after Archbishop Ncube went abroad in May to complain about
Archbishop Hickey recently had afternoon tea with a group of West Australian pilgrims who will accompany him to the World Eucharistic
Congress in Guadalajara Mexico. The group will fly out of Perth on October 9 and meet with pilgrims from NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania in Sydney.
A total of 40 pilgrims are expected to accompany the Archbishop. The Archbishop will address the Congress on behalf of the people of Oceania on October 11.
problems in Zimbabwe -- including an unemployment rate of 70 percent, an inflation rate of 400
percent and the AIDS epidemic- Mugabe called him an "unholy Continued page 10
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The Year of the Eucharist begins on 10 October 2004 with the opening of the Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico. It concludes in October 2005 with the Synod of Bishops on the theme: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church.
The Holy Father has asked us to reflect deeply throughout this year on the wonderful gift we have received in the Blessed Eucharist.
The Eucharist has been at the heart of the Church since Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples the night before he died. It remains at the heart of the Church today and is treasured with love by millions of people around the world, as it is the very presence of Jesus under the appearances of bread and wine, drawing us closer to himself, purifying and nourishing us, leading us to the Father and to eternal life.
Two important papal documents have appeared in recent times, "Ecclesia de Eucharistia" and "Redemptionis Sacramentum".
The first is from the Holy Father himself. In it he shows how the Church is formed and built up by the Eucharist. This means that at the very local level of the Church, the parish where most of us live and grow as a Christian community, the Eucharist is the
centre which holds us together and forms us in faith and holiness.
"Redemptionis Sacramentum" calls us to appreciate the sacred
action of the Mass, its origins from Christ himself at the Last Supper and its inseparable connection with the redemptive
self-offering of Christ on Calvary.
The Instruction reminds us how important the Mass is in our lives and how it must be celebrated with dignity and love. We are reminded too that the ritual of the Mass, entrusted to us by the Church, cannot be changed at will, because it has its origins in the action of Christ himself at the Last Supper.
The Bishops of Australia will issue discussion booklets in four parts to help each Diocese with its own programme.
Here in the Archdiocese of Perth each parish, Religious House and Catholic organisation will be encouraged to participate fully in the Year of the Eucharist. There will be discussion groups, retreats, a series of homilies on the Eucharist, public celebrations and processions, theological conferences and particularly on the Eucharistic Feasts such as Corpus Christi.
As you may know, I am leading a Pilgrimage of 40 people from around Australia to the Eucharistic Congress in Mexico. We take with us the faith of our Catholic people as our special contribution to the Congress, and pray that in Australia our gratitude for this great Gift will grow in our hearts.
Most Rev B J Hickey
Archbishop of Perth
5 October 2004
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Pope beatifies five, including German nun who inspired Gibson film
By John ThavisAdvancing the sainthood causes of five Europeans, Pope John Paul II beatified the last Hapsburg emperor and the nun whose visions inspired Mel Gibson's film, "The Passion of the Christ."
The Pope said Blessed Charles I of Austria, who died in exile in 1922, was "a friend of peace, in whose eyes war was something terrible." The emperor's commitment to Christian values should be a model for European politicians today, he added.
Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, the Pope said, showed heroic patience and firm faith in dealing with years of ill health. The Pope did not mention the German mystic's controversial book of visions on Christ's final days, for which she is best known.
The Pontiff, seated on an altar platform decorated with flowers, listened as biographies of the newly beatified were read aloud at the start of the October 3 Mass in St. Peter's Square. Some 20,000 people, including several hundred European royalty, applauded when tapestry portraits of the five "blesseds" were unveiled on the face of St. Peter's Basilica.
The Pope presided over the Liturgy of the Word, but the eucharistic liturgy was celebrated by Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, head of the Congregation for Saints' Causes.
The 84-year-old pontiff sounded short of breath as he read only the introductory lines and the last few sentences of his sermon. Aides read most of the text.
The Pope praised Blessed Emmerich's identification with the suffering of Christ, noting that she bore the stigmata, the wounds of the crucifixion. The daughter of a German peasant couple, she worked as a seamstress and servant before entering an Augustinian convent in 1802, where she was bedridden for years. She soon became known for her visions of the supernatural and "conversations" with Jesus.
Gibson said he was inspired to make his movie after reading Sister Emmerich's book of visions, "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." A few of the details in the book made it into his film -- as when Mary and Mary Magdalene use towels furnished by Pontius Pilate's wife to wipe up the blood of the scourged Christ.
Jewish leaders have said the negative portrayal of Jews in her writings was picked up and popularised by the Gibson film.
Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement on September 27 that while Jewish leaders understand that Blessed Emmerich was being recognized by the church for her virtuous life and deep faith "it cannot be contested that in addition to the aid she offered many of her co-religionists, hatred and anti-
Semitism were fomented in her name."
The written biography in the beatification Mass booklet said Blessed Emmerich's words have reached innumerable people and represent "an outstanding proclamation of the Gospel." But her mystic writings received only a passing reference during the Mass, and the Pope did not mention them at all in his sermon.
Before the liturgy, Vatican experts said the writings had been discarded as evidence during the sainthood review process because it was uncertain whether she actually wrote the book.
"We simply cannot say for certain that she ever wrote this," Jesuit Father Peter Gumpel told Catholic News Service on October 1. Father Gumpel helped study the issue for the Vatican's sainthood congregation.
Sister Emmerich was practically illiterate, and her visions were transcribed and elaborated by a popular romantic poet, Clemens Brentano, who published them after Sister Emmerich's death at age 49 in 1824.
Father Gumpel said it is today impossible to distinguish what came from Blessed Emmerich and what was added by the poet Brentano. Therefore, the writings were disregarded by the Vatican, he said.
The beatification of Blessed Charles I, who also ruled Hungary as King Charles IV, stirred controversy among Austrians who consider him an ambivalent historical figure.
The Vatican liturgy highlighted his support of Pope Benedict XV's peace efforts during World War I - a point recognized by many historians. But others have said he ordered the use of poison gas during the war, lied about seeking a secret peace deal with France and made strategic mistakes that led to the capture of hundreds of thousands of Austrian troops.
The three others beatified were:
■ French Father Joseph-Marie Cassant, a Cistercian monk who was best known for his prayer life and his devotion to the Eucharist. He died of tuberculosis in 1903 at the age of 25.
■ Italian Sister Ludovica de Angelis, a member of the Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy, who gained fame for her work
at a church-run children's hospital in Buenos Aires. She died in 1962.
■ French Father Pierre Vigne, an "itinerant missionary" of the 17th and 18th centuries, who would sometimes carry his confessional on his back as he walked through rural France. His devotion to the Eucharist led him to found the
Congregation of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. He died at the age of 70 in 1740.
After the Mass, the Pope struggled to pronounce greetings in four languages, inviting Catholics around the world to pray the rosary during the month of October.
- CNS
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has a vibrant new Internet presence, with the launch of its revamped web site.
The new ACBC site is an initiative of the Bishops’ Committee for the Media.
It was designed by Catholic Communications, Sydney, and remains at the old address of www.acbc.catholic.org.au.
Bishops’ Committee for the Media Chairman, Archbishop Barry Hickey, said he was
delighted with the new site, which was more modern in design, easy to navigate and simple to use.
“The new Bishops’ Conference website has been many months in design and the fruits of that work are clearly visible to the user,” he said.
“It conveys a fresh, contemporary view of the work that bishops do and the different ways in which they are involved with the pastoral care of their people.
“In addition the new site provides an easy to navigate way around the many documents and
other items of interest issued by the Bishops’ Conference.”
One feature of the new site, which will be welcomed by many organisations, is the updated membership database of the Catholic GST Religious Group. The new improved database can be searched by ABN, legal name, trading name or postcode.
It also has a facility to filter search results by state or territory. “I commend those who designed it and look forward to this new site serving the ACBC well into the future,” Archbishop Hickey said
On the last weekend of August
over 100 people gathered at Pemberton for a retreat conducted by members of The Holy Spirit of Freedom Community. Many came from the Bunbury diocese, about 30 from Perth and others from as far away as Broome, Darwin and Melbourne.
Some of those travelling from Perth were participants in an eight-week “New Life in God’s Spirit” seminar facilitated by the Perth branch of the HSOF community. The seminar, attended by 40 to 50 people each Saturday, concluded recently with a thanksgiving Mass at St Anne’s Church at Belmont.
The retreat sessions at Pemberton were held at Sacred Heart Church and retreatants joined with local parishioners to fill the church to capacity for Mass on Sunday morning. The theme for the retreat was ‘Springtime growth in the Holy Spirit.’ HSOF founder Deacon Frank Feain urged retreatants to develop and grow in a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. Following charismatic praise and worship, members of the HSOF retreat team prayed with retreatants. At the conclusion of the retreat a number of people shared their experiences of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in their lives over the course of the retreat.
The Perth branch of the Community conducts a prayer meeting each Saturday beginning at 10.30am at St Anne’s Church hall, Hehir St, Belmont.
Praying specially for those caught up in addiction and those living on the streets, members of the Community and others gather at St Anne’s Church for an hour of prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament each Wednesday from 7pm, followed by Mass at 8pm. All are welcome to join in the Saturday prayer meeting and the Wednesday night prayer and Mass. For further information contact Peter or Bridget on (08) 9228 1800.
On the weekend of 15-17 October the HSOF will present a conference sponsored by the Apostles for Christ Prayer Community from the Sts John & Paul parish in Willetton. The conference, titled “Lord, change me” begins at 7pm on Friday evening with a healing rally at Sts John & Paul Church, Pinetree
The HSOF is a Catholic Charismatic Community which reaches out to the poor , especially “street kids”, those caught up in prostitution or drugs, those afflicted with mental illness, their families and any others in need of support.
Some members actively go out onto the streets or visit those in jails or hospitals, whilst others commit themselves to pray for the poor.
Some members of HSOF (both married and singles) live a daily community life together. Others remain in their own homes and meet together regularly for prayer and to minister to those in need.
The Community is also involved in organizing a number of Retreats and Conferences throughout the year.
HSOF has Communities in Perth, Pemberton, Melbourne and the Philippines and is recognized as a “Private Association of Christ’s Faithful”.
Anyone interested in further information please contact either Bridget or Peter on 92281800.
Gully Rd, Willetton and continues on Saturday and Sunday from 10am at Orana Catholic Primary School Hall, Querrin Ave, Willetton.
Concluding with Mass at 4pm on Sunday, the conference provides an opportunity to grow in the love of God and to experience the healing and transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
The Apostles for Christ Prayer Community within the Willetton parish is a multi-cultural charismatic community that holds seminars, retreats, conferences and healing Masses.
For more information contact Michelle Ricketts of the Apostles for Christ Prayer Community on (08) 9414 1260 or Peter or Bridget of the Holy Spirit of Freedom Community on (08) 9228 1800.
An ongoing outreach to those in need has won acclaim for the students, staff, parents and parish priests of Sacred Heart Primary School in Thornlie – the recipient of the 2004 LifeLink Spirit Award.
On a day when the students wore ‘free dress’ in order to raise money for the St Vincent de Paul Society, Archbishop Barry Hickey visited Sacred Heart Primary School to present the community with its award.
Addressing the large crowd that was present, Archbishop Hickey thanked the community for its generosity that he said helped so many people in need.
“It’s wonderful to be here today and to learn about the many different groups and projects that you are supporting,” he said. “It is because of this great generosity that you have been selected as the school to receive this special Spirit award. I am full of admiration for this school community and I would ask that you continue to keep in your hearts your love for people, especially those who are suffering and in need,” he added.
In accepting the award, Principal Shane Baker said the school was honoured to have been selected as the 2004 recipient.
The Catholic community of Perth was shocked last week to hear that two Perth Catholic school teachers were among those arrested by police around Australia over involvement with Internet child pornography.
Operation Auxin has been a massive investigation by federal and state police that has seen 200 individuals charged across Australia. As many as 300 more arrests were predicted for coming months.
Allan John Vella, a Year 5 teacher at St Brigid’s Primary School in Middle Swan, and Martin Ernest Goodall, a teacher from Iona Presentation College, were charged by police in
relation to internet child pornography. Speaking to The Record on Tuesday, Archbishop Hickey said that “grossly disordered sexuality is an unfortunate fact of life.”
“And the increase in the breakdown of the family will generally only increase its likelihood, unfortunately.”
Asked if Catholics must be prepared to forgive, he said that while “God’s forgiveness is total… it requires a complete turning away from sinful actions.”
“We must be prepared to forgive while making sure that treatment is offered and that future employment does not involve close association with young children.”
However while the Church is
about justice and forgiveness, if people are proved to be guilty of possession of child pornography then the law must take its course, he said.
“That is the only way justice will be done.”
Archbishop Hickey said that parents, teachers and students affected by the event can learn to forgive by understanding how a person might turn out this way.
“While never condoning the actions we can offer the chance for the person to make a real change of heart, with sincere repentance and by turning back to God for the strength to keep these tendencies under control.”
Catholic Education Director Ron Dullard last week issued a
statement saying that police had informed the Catholic Education Office that the pornography was allegedly downloaded at the homes of Mr Vella and Mr Goodall and not at the schools.
Both men were stood down without pay following their arrests. “The Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia is committed to the importance and implementation of strong child protection strategies and procedures,” Mr Dullard said.
“All children have the right to a thorough and systematic education in a protected environment free from the risk of harm.”
Mr Dullard told media last week that WA Catholic schools followed State school screening
procedures that require all applicants to have a police clearance.
Deputy Director of Catholic Education Mary Retel said the Church Community would work very hard at separating the doer from the deed.
“The doer, the person, is treated with dignity and respect,” Ms Retel said.
“However forgiveness does not mean that one turns one’s mind away from the deed.”
“There is a lot of anger at the moment and that is fair and reasonable,” Ms Retel said.
“The safety of children is paramount in any school, not just Catholic schools.” Since last week’s arrests four of the men interviewed by police have died.
Nearly 250 people attended Christ the King Church Beaconsfield last Friday October 1 for a concelebrated Mass to offer thanks for the first anniversary of perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at the Church.
Five priests concelebrated including Fr Doug Harris, the priest responsible for promoting Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in Perth.
In his homily, Fr Michael Evans thanked all the surrounding Parishes who had supported Adoration at Beaconsfield, as the Parish could not have achieved this on its own.
Over the previous year more than 18,000 hours of adoration had been offered by volunteers.
People’s willingness to attend 24 hours a day was because they received so much grace and happiness by being with
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Jesus even if the temperature was only 1.7 degrees on the coldest mornings, he said.
And every time a vacancy appeared in the roster, Jesus always sent someone to respond to the call for help.
Before the Mass, adorers had been asked to fill out commitment forms with a view to achieving over 500 hours Adoration for the 52nd week of the first year.
Parish Priest Father Liam Keating
read out a congratulatory letter from Archbishop Barry Hickey which also encouraged continuation of the practice. A special surprise was the unveiling and blessing of a beautiful new monstrance which was anonymously donated a few days earlier. Father Raj from Spearwood Parish, which supplies over 25 per cent of adorers, was given an ovation from the congregation as was Father Hugh Thomas,
a Redemptorist priest who this year conducted a Mission at the Parish.
An appeal was also made for more to join the roster as it always needs extras to cover holidays, illness and emergencies.
Immediately after Mass two individuals, both in their late 80’s, offered to help put in extra hours. Anyone willing to assist can contact organisers on 9430 7937 or 0419 403 100.
“They’re not ‘clients.’ They’re visitors. They’re our guests and they come to our house as visitors,” Shopfront coordinator Julie Williams told The Record after the new premises were blessed and officially opened by Archbishop
by June this year. However while the new building was being readied the old Shopfront was run up until June.
The new premises have 6 rooms and a kitchen as well as toilet and storage facilities.
Who comes to the Shopfront? “Lots of people. They’re from
Barry Hickey in Maylands last Friday October 1. Ms Williams was emphasising the difference in the approach taken by those who volunteer and man the Shopfront, a new concept in offering assistance to the homeless and the needy which began operating just a few doors down Whatley Crescent in 2001.
Then, Ms Williams had approached Archbishop Hickey
My outlook on life suddenly changed on what had been a quiet night at home with my wife and two year old son, Joseph. A desperate banging on the door shattered the domestic bliss as we opened it to reveal a battered young woman crying hysterically.
“Jane”, whom we had known for many years, was bleeding profusely from the nose and mouth and her eye had already swollen shut.” Please help me”, she sobbed.
the local community, they can be homeless, have mental health problems, just be simply isolated, living on the street or just out of prison,” Ms Williams said.
“However they are mainly lonely, disadvantaged people in need of emergency help, looking for food or accommodation or just someone to talk to.”
She instanced one man, an Aboriginal, who had turned up at
with her concern for Perth’s street people and those living on the margins in July of that year.
She was particularly concerned for those that weren’t – or couldn’t be – helped by other agencies.
“He suggested a shopfront, a place where people could drop in. And he suggested we keep it simple; something homely and welcoming,” she told The Record after the conclusion of Friday’s ceremony.
Built on the work and effort of volunteers and supported by the archdiocese the first Shopfront opened close to the Maylands train station in November that year.
“It all just came together,” said Ms Williams.
Needing better premises, the current building, at 170 Whatley Crescent, was purchased at Christmas 2003 and renovated
the new premises only recently.
When he first came to the Shopfront he was inebriated and behaving in a way that, at first, alarmed the volunteers on duty that evening.
“He was saying he wanted to kill someone,” Ms Williams said. It transpired that that night’s visitor had spent most of his life in prison.
“He celebrated his birthday with us on Wednesday night,” she told The Record.
While the Shopfront is supported by the archdiocese’s Lifelink fundraising effort, which meets the basic operating costs of the service, it remains totally run by volunteers.
Key among those is Sr Claude McNamara, a Mercy Sister who has been involved with the outreach from the beginning.
“She is the field officer and
works every afternoon Monday to Friday, tirelessly ,” said Ms Williams.
“She is a wonderful influence and example for all the volunteers to follow.”
The Mercy Sisters have also donated furniture for the new premises so that those who visit have a relaxed and comfortable setting in which to just sit and talk and – temporarily – find refuge from the harshness of life.
And, she noted, over time faces change. “Some come regularly, for one to two years, then others come and go and soon you have a new lot of regular visitors, people in crisis and needing help,” she said.
Volunteers, of whom there are 40, try to meet whatever the immediate need might be; food, a blanket, clothing, and then refer the person on to an agency that can help them further.
“We talk to people, assess their need, and then contact organizations that can help,” she said.
And the approach taken by volunteers to those who come seeking help is always the same.
“We try to treat them as if they were our neighbours,” she said.
Meanwhile, much of what is needed to operate the Shopfront is donated.
A new freezer for storing food had been donated to the new building just hours before the blessing and opening by the Archbishop.
Archbishop Hickey said that one of the things making the outreach unique is that it is not set up like an office. Instead, the front door of the “Shop” opens into a comfortable room with easy chairs where people can be welcomed.
Those who come find “friends rather than professional helpers, friends who show them respect and work with them to find the resources in the community that will address their needs.”
The Archbishop said that the Shopfront was a street-level sign of the Church’s care for people with needs.
“It is also a sign that help can be given without an expensive superstructure to maintain the service.”
“It gives Catholics and other people of goodwill the opportunity to show love and compassion in a very practical way,” he said.
Having worked for many years in the lives of struggling people such a scene was not totally unexpected. However what did shake the foundations of my world was that the ugliness of the “outside” had invaded the life of my child.
This was even further underlined when Jane’s husband, “John”, screeched his car onto our front lawn. I went outside to meet him and locked the door behind me. I noticed with horror as he stormed toward me, that he was dragging behind him their three terrified young boys (ages 2-5).
“In his seething and alcohol induced rage he demanded to know where “she” was.”
In his seething and alcohol induced rage he demanded to know where “she” was.
Realizing that the children would have already been severely traumatized I tried explaining to John that it would be damaging for them to see her in the condition she was.
“Let them see her!” he screamed, “They need to see what real life is like! You can’t protect them forever, you know!” Fortunately, the situation eventually calmed and the boys left without having to see their mother, but his words had embedded themselves deep within me.
Whilst I knew that such a scenario was extreme, the horror in the eyes of those young boys and the words, “You cant protect them forever”, began to haunt me.
In a Paul-like revelation it was as though scales fell from my eyes.
My responsibility as a father was hammered home in a devastating and powerful way…. how will I protect the innocence of my child? My mind then ventured further and I began to ponder on how we as a society endeavour to protect the innocence of our most vulnerable ones.
For two years I had been able to maintain an oasis for Joseph, but now the encroaching enemy had virtually kicked our door down.
Now as I looked outside that door I was horrified by what
with Mark ReidyI saw. It seemed that society had long accepted that the extinction of innocence was inevitable.
Now as I push Joseph through the shopping centre suddenly I notice that every second poster, it seems, has some nuance of sexual undertone, while the pornographic sections of the local video shop and news agency suddenly leap out at me.
Each upgrade of Playstation “games” seems to be more graphically violent than the last and there seem to be no limits on what is acceptable in word and video clip within the music industry. I once thought that I was controlling what I allowed to come into the house via the television but now I have become attuned to the violent and sexual overtones of advertisements and channel promotions.
Joseph's eyes, like a sponge, are absorbing everything before them.
It was as though I was living in a darkroom and someone had switched on the light. As my eyes adjusted it became vividly clear what had actually been there the whole time.
I look at Joseph. His curious and learning eyes, like a sponge, are absorbing everything before them. I can see how easy it can become for the light of innocence to become dimmed.
It seems that everywhere that he looks there is a shadow of darkness waiting to overcome it.
You don’t have to be modest in your dress or discerning with your eyes… you don’t need to be married to be sexually active…you don’t have to be polite in word or manner ... you simply express how you feel…. and the list goes on. And whilst my control over what Joseph sees or hears is limited now, it will be even more so as he becomes more independent and chooses his own peers.
So now I am faced with a choice…. do I allow the chilling words of John, ”You can’t protect them forever”, to enforce a parental paralysis, or do I cling more desperately to my faith, pray more fervently each day with and for my family, be more passionate in teaching Joseph the foundations of Scriptural Truth and trust in a Heavenly Father who loves him even more than I do?
Perhaps while I decide, I should ponder on the words of St. Paul, “...be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights to the world, holding fast the Word of life...” (Phil. 2:15)
Whatever the outcome of the actual election, this last Federal election campaign may well be described by historians as the one that marked the end of the relevance of Australia’s federal constitution and her federal system of government. This campaign did not start the corruption of our federal system, but it has certainly accelerated it to the point where the constitution is probably past recovery.
The Australian federation was founded on the principle of clear demarcation of the rights and responsibilities of the Commonwealth and the States. In a nutshell, the Commonwealth would look after affairs with an international component such as defence, foreign affairs, tariffs, currency, posts and telegraphs and international law. The States would look after all remaining domestic matters such as health, education, police, transport, water supplies, fisheries, forestry, agriculture etc, etc.
The simplicity of the system suffered considerably from the vicissitudes of war, depression and war, and the rank legal adventurism of the High Court, but it survived, more or less. Politically, the Commonwealth regularly tried to expand its role and the States to defend theirs, and the people frequently acted as the authority that told the Commonwealth to pull its head in whenever it proposed inappropriate referendum questions.
Thank you for your Record article; New line in search for spouse. You may be interested to know that my daughter and her husband met on a Catholic Internet Site, StRaphael net Singles.
I subscribed my daughter, to both Ave Maria Single Catholics On Line and StRaphael.net. I was not very popular for doing this. She was not impressed, to say the least! But I felt she was working too hard and too long with her career and not giving any thought to meeting other young Catholics for friendship or a long term relationship. It was the last thing on her mind. But God works in mysterious ways, even through mothers and angels like St Raphael, resulting in a marriage at the Vatican, no less!
My daughter’s husband is from the US and is one of nine children. They have settled here in Perth and attend their local parish.
Thank you once again for the interesting article. I pray that some day soon we can have our own Australian version of Catholic Singles on the internet.
God bless,
Name and address supplied Ed: We are hoping to have the couple’s stories in next week’s edition of The Record.
Generally I find little empathy with the views of social researcher Hugh Mackay, but he made a very interesting point on a recent ABC 7.30 Report. Commenting on the two parties’ respective education policies he identified something that will have far reaching ramifications,
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Tel: (08) 9227 7080, Fax: (08) 9227 7087 cathrec@iinet.net.au
However, when you hear federal political leaders arguing about how much money they are going to contribute to State schools – as we have heard in this campaign – you can be sure that even the pretence of federalism has been dropped in Canberra.
And when no State Premier tells them to mind their own business, you can be sure the States have given up responsibility for their rightful duties.
And when, for the first time in history, a State Premier returns home from a Heads of Government meeting in a huff because the Prime Minister hasn’t offered him any help with Perth’s water supply, you can be sure the constitution has been forgotten. The piece of paper still exists, but it occupies no space in people’s hearts or minds.
Strangely, this is happening only shortly after Australia went through a great deal of political and social turmoil to try to correct its financial structure so that this
not just for education but for Australia as a whole.
He concluded his remarks with the observation that because of the country’s declining fertility rate the issue of school funding was impacting on a decreasing number of people. The politicians haven’t woken up to it yet but give it another one or two elections and don’t be surprised if it is one of the prime topics. It’s another example of the veracity of the saying ‘moral failure has practical consequences’, or to put it more colloquially ‘what goes round comes round’. Like rising steam pressure in a boiler it is one of those things that can be ignored for a while but is ignored at our peril. Something that more perceptive commentators have been warning of for decades is fast becoming impossible to ignore.
Barry Morgan SamsonFor some time now we have run a successful religious bookshop at the Abbey. The long term aim has been to develop this into an "on-line shop". It is with great pleasure that we can now invite you to visit this shop on-line at www.AbbeyCraftsandBooks.com.
au
sort of thing would not happen. That turmoil was called the GST.
The financial imbalance in the federation began very early, but it gained unstoppable momentum at the beginning of World War II when the States ceded to the Commonwealth the power to raise income tax, something previously done by the States. It was supposed to be a wartime measure, but for various reasons, including a lack of political will by many State leaders, the situation was never rectified.
From that point on, the States lacked that essential ingredient of government, a growth tax, one that was inherently tied to growth in population and prosperity. The great tax on income (personal and company) was the exclusive preserve of the Commonwealth, as were the consumption taxes such as retail sales tax and excises on petrol, alcohol and tobacco.
If the Commonwealth wouldn’t surrender income tax (and it wouldn’t) it had to create a consumption tax that would
This site is a secure site and has shopping cart facilities, which are straightforward for first-time users to operate. We emphasise books encouraging spiritual growth and to that end we offer a good range of Bibles and Scripture commentaries and reflections, books about prayer, spiritual classics, and even children's books - just to name a few categories. You may, at this time of the year, be particularly interested in greetings cards. We offer a wide choice of Christmas cards, which are now available. You will notice that we also have music and media CDs and cassettes, crucifixes, a selection of religious gifts suitable for sacramental occasions and a full range of sacramental certificates.
Our hope has been to make a selection of books and religious gifts available to people who might not be able to visit the Abbey or other substantial religious bookshops themselves so as to acquire worthwhile spiritual reading. We hope that distributing our bookmark widely will serve as a quiet reminder of the place of holy reading in Christian life.
As a Benedictine monastic contemplative community we feel that this venture, together with our candle-making is a positive way for our community to support ourselves and our ministry of prayer, whilst continuing to enable our retreat hospitality.
Sister Janice Abbey Crafts & Books Jamberoo NSWIn his article 'Life Issues and the Ballot Box' (The Record 9 Sept), Richard Egan has very capably commented on a number of moral issues to consider in deciding how to vote in the forthcoming federal election. We need
ensure the States’ income would grow in proportion to their responsibilities so that they could function properly as independent democratic States with the federation. We could have had it in the mid-eighties, but Bob Hawke lost his nerve. We could have had it in the early nineties, but in the last week of the 1993 campaign John Hewson showed a flash of demagoguery that frightened the horses in NSW.
Although it was ‘never ever’ going to be attempted again, we finally got it through John Howard and the States were on their way to financial independence and responsibility. It was going to take a little time for the whole system to adjust, but it was clear that it would, and it is clear from the latest figures that this process is ahead of schedule.
Sadly, it has not worked at the political level. There is almost no respect for the principles of federation. Federal politicians can’t resist the temptation to big note themselves in domestic affairs (one even promised in a TV ad to ensure that a suburban police station was properly manned).
State politicians appear to have lost the will to be responsible for raising and spending their own finances in their own spheres. And people listen to whoever offers the most money.
It is a looming tragedy because when integrity is lost in relation to constitutional boundaries, it will be lost in legislation and administration.
also to consider something which was not covered in the articlethe moral issues involved in an unjust war and the resultant loss of thousands of innocent lives. The right to life of the living is no less sacred than that of the unborn.
Osmund Perera LangfordThe article by Paul Gray (The Record - 16 September)was breathtaking.
During an election campaign
Mr Gray makes a party political statement. In particular, without substantiating his conclusion, Mr Gray lauds the Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer.
The evident bias of the article is apparent from Mr Gray's failure to recite that Mr Downer was and is, a strong supporter of the Iraq War, the Iraq War was opposed by the Holy Father, the War breaches international Law and the War has brought neither peace nor a reduction in terrorism.
The Record could be a valuable forum for serious debate about the issues of our time, such as terrorism, but I suggest it will never be such while it persists in printing fatuous party political propaganda.
Michael Cole Bibra LakeThanks for the free discovery with some excellent reading.
It is such a shame to see huge piles left after the weekend in most churches, often just ending up in the rubbish bin. This is such a wonderful opportunity to reach the wider community. Would all your good readers who still
have feet, consider letter dropping just 5 Discovery newspapers in their neighbourhood on their daily walk, especially to homes of lapsed Catholics? This will truly be spirituality in action and might just plant that mustard seed.
Deirdre Lyra ForrestfieldThese will never be able to vote
With Australian and US elections coming up it would be well to consider the following.
Jesus told his followers that whatever they did to the least of His people, they did unto Him.
If, therefore, someone betrays the trust of a little child, particularly the unborn, they betray Jesus. Now let us see what Jesus did in relation to His betrayerJudas Iscariot.
At the last supper, Jesus announced that one of them would betray Him, and when asked, he said that it would be the one to whom He gave the next piece of bread. He then dipped a piece of bread in the sauce, gave it to Judas, and sent him on his way. He then pronounced the words of the consecration over the bread and wine, and gave the Apostles their first communion.
If it was good enough for Jesus to omit Judas from communion, then it is appropriate that our church leaders should follow suit with regard to politicians who purport to be Catholics in good standing, yet betray our little ones to the executioners by voting for abortion and other pro-death policies. The catch-phrase "What would Jesus do?" is appropriate to this matter.
Eric G Miller, Hills Pro-life Group, LesmurdiePaul Gray’s well-informed and balanced writing is well-known to readers of the Record. His new book, Nightmare of the Prophet, is an important and valuable work, though I have one or two arguments with it.
Gray says radical Islamicism is a totalitarian ideology like Communism and Nazism, and the struggle against Islamicist fanaticism and extremism is not a struggle between religions, but between ideology and sanity. And, he continues:
“This is an encouraging thought, for the West. It means, among other things, that the Cold War was not “fought” in vain. The struggle against Communism and earlier terrorism left us a legacy of rational insight with which to resist the ideological threats of a new era.”
Gray argues that the West has not done enough to encourage and work with moderate Islam to defeat Islamicist terrorism, and that Islamicist terrorists have hi-jacked Islam and defy or ignore its many messages of peace and compassion. “God has forbidden the killing of women and children” says one important Islamic text.
Islamicist suicide bombers, by their own religion’s teachings, are committing a hideous crime for which terrifying and eternal punishments are prescribed. However, I do not think Islamicist extremists and terrorists have invented teachings to justify their actions, so much as selectively picked passages from Islamic scriptures which give a false impression of the whole, as could also be done with Christianity to make its injunctions seem intolerant and bloodthirsty. Islam is nothing like and is incompatible with the perverted death-cult of Islamicism, a fact that it is vitally important both Moslem’s and non-Moslems know, but Islam’s teachings - as its history makes obvious are not universally peaceful or tolerant.
Gray sums what he believes the West must do as follows:
Encourage propaganda (in the religious sense) in favour of moderate Islam; Give economic support to Moslems in Moslem countries to help them build a middle class; Forge stronger political alliances between the West and those Moslem governments which demonstrate awareness of the threat of Islamicist totalitarianism; and Use force as appropriate. His arguments are well set out and they are good and valid. Gray sees some hope in Alexander Downer as one Australian politician who appears to understand the issue.
Many Western politicians, however, seem
curiously paralysed. The present British government, for example, has a record of ignoring the pleas of moderate Moslem leaders and teachers for help and giving the extremists open slather, one area being proselytising and distributing literature in prisons. Nothing is being done by way of setting up or supporting a television station to compete with the extremist Islamicist television programs being broadcast to British Moslems from some Islamic countries. Following the massacres of Jewish worshippers at a synagogue in Turkey, British Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said: “radicals are preaching hate and nobody is protesting.” Indeed the BBC has been establishing links with the pro-terrorist Islamicist TV network Al-Jazeera and recently recruited an instructor from it. Sharia law, with stoning, amputation and other Dark Ages’ punishments, seems to be tightening its grip on Moslem states, except possibly Turkey, which has always had a western aspect and in which Islamic fundamentalism is being held back with difficulty. Pakistan, which was a secular state when it was established in 1947, was proclaimed an Islamic State in 1956. In the 1970’s Sharia courts were established, and in 1984 (what would Orwell have said?) blasphemy against Islam was declared a capital offence. In Indonesia, which under the previous Suharto regime has been advancing quite rapidly as a modern State, a 27-year-old follower of the Indonesian Laskar Jihad confessed to adultery and then voluntarily submitted to death by stoning. He was widely hailed as a martyr to the cause of spreading Sharia law and in 2001 the magazine Suara Hidayatullah presented his family with a 10 million rupiah reward in recognition of his example. The editor told a group of Moslem leaders that the stoning represented a milestone in Indonesian Moslems’ struggle to have Sharia implemented throughout the nation and, presumably, the world.
Around the Moslem world Christians and other non-Moslems are being persecuted and massacred with extraordinarily little protest and action from Western media and governments, while the US, the world’s sole effective policeman, is vilified by Western liberals - the very people who would be the first to go under a Sharia regime. Western feminist demonstrators bare their breasts and strip naked in support of regimes that would stone them to death for showing their ankles.
Gray claims: “A big part of the problem of anger is the lack of economic and educational opportunity for Moslem families. This, again is closely linked to the problem of the lack of a middle-class in many Arab and Moslem countries.” He says part of the West’s help for moderate Islam should be
to help these nations to develop economically.
But the core of Islamicist terrorism seems to be Saudi Arabia, one of the wealthiest places on Earth. Osama bin Laden is or was a billionaire. Most Islamicist terrorists, like most terrorists throughout modern history, are middle-class - university students and so forth. A large number trained in London and other affluent Western cities and lived the good life there. The outstanding Moslem peace-maker of the modern world, by contrast, Egypt’s President Sadat, was in origin a simple Nubian peasant.
I am not suggesting that such a program should not be a major part of the ideological counter-offensive, but that such matters are complex.
Certainly Gray has no truck with what I heard in a church recently to the effect that “We must dialogue” with terrorism. How can one “dialogue” with creatures like the one who, while beheading a hostage on video recently, claimed: “Now, you have people who love death just like you love life. Killing for the sake of God is their best wish, getting to your soldiers and allies are their happiest moments, and cutting the heads of the criminal infidels is implementing the orders of our Lord.”? Hussein Massawi, the Hezbollah leader behind the Beirut barracks bombings 20 years ago, remarked: “We are not fighting so that you will offer us something. We are fighting to eliminate you.”
However it seems to me Islamicist extremism, and even terrorism, is not really the greatest problem. Terrorism, for all its horror and wickedness, cannot usually overthrow a modern state. And once really roused, the West is unbeatable in war.
For Europe’s survival, demography poses a greater threat than terrorism. There are already about 20 million Muslims in Europe, though in some countries there are no records of the numbers and even the keeping of such records may be prohibited by law.
The overwhelming majority have migrated there in search of a better economic life and have had no thought of terrorism. They are, I think, the people Gray is counselling that we should reach. They are, however, forming voting coalitions, more numerous and powerful every day, which challenge the values and assumptions, the laws and foreign and domestic policies, and the religion, of the West. Demands that western countries implement Sharia Law are beginning to be heard. Large Moslem communities may, in Maoist terms, provide the “sea” in which the extremist, and even the terrorist, “fish” swim, but even that is not the
"Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: The Last Hour will not come until the Muslims fight against the Jews and the Muslims will kill them until the Jews will hide themselves behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say: Muslim, the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him; but the Gharqad tree will not say this, for it is the tree of the Jews.”
Hadith number in Sahih Muslim [Arabic only]: 5203
essential point. Not long ago, Hungary was an oddity the only European Country, Eastern or Western, whose population was not replacing itself. Now many European birth-rates are far below replacement level. Moslems will become a majority in some Western European countries in the foreseeable future. In 2002 the publication Islam For All reported approvingly that, at present demographic rates a majority of children and teenagers in Holland would be Moslem in 20 years’ time, making it the first Islamic country in Europe since the loss of Spain. In a very significant develop-
ment recently Norwegian women were told, following a spate of rapes in Norway by Moslem men, that they would have to abandon their previous culture and dress more modestly (their Viking ancestors, I think, would have solved the problem differently). Some might see this incident as the beginning of the end for Europe.
Let me give another example. It may seem trivial to some but seems significant to me and a harbinger of things to come. An historic statue of a boar-pig stood for more than 100 years in England’s oldest
public park in Derby. It was copied from a classic model and set up by a local philanthropist as part of a project to bring art and culture to the people. It was damaged, apparently by a Nazi bomb, in World War II. In 2004 it was branded “offensive” during a meeting of Derby Council’s ethnic communities advisory committee and therefore not restored. Thus a piece - the first but certainly not the last - of England’s history and culture was destroyed not by people who could sensibly be called terrorists, but by the fact that Moslems had colonised the society and their cultural norms, tastes and values were being imposed upon the original inhabitants.
Various Christian symbols have been declared offensive and ordered removed by local authorities in various parts of England despite the fact that some Moslems when interviewed have said they are not offended by them and respect them. In Canada, authorities even more deeply crazed with political correctness seem to be introducing Sharia law by the back door, despite the pleas of moderate Moslems to retain Western law. With many Western nations legalising same-sex marriage and thus destroying the traditional concept of and rationale for marriage, what is to stop large and growing coalitions of Moslem voters successfully demanding polygamy?
Moderate Moslems, like non-Nazis in Nazi Germany, may disagree with, and may even hate and fear the fanatics and psychopaths. But by simply being there, more or less passively, they may end up providing them with an environment and support-base. Most Afghans may have hated and feared the Taliban, but that did not stop the Taliban taking over most of the country. World-wide, Moslem nations have increased from about 15% to about 30% of the world’s population in 35 years.
The West seems to have no praxis for resisting or surviving this long-term challenge and in a number of countries it is becoming illegal to criticise it. French Moslem spokesman Mohammed Saboui was reported in the Catholic media, December 1998-January 1999 as saying:
“Our well-functioning, “peaceful” invasion of Europe has not been completed yet. We want to act simultaneously in all host countries. Since you keep on making more and more room available for us, we would be stupid not to fully profit by it ... You have framed laws that penalise those who utter any racist expressions against us. And you can’t see how blinded you are ... “
Indeed, while Christianity can be insulted and blasphemed against in Europe with apparent impunity, prosecutions have been launched in Britain and other parts of
Europe for criticism of Islam. One French author risked imprisonment for describing it as a “stupid religion.” Brigitte Bardot was also reported in 2003 to be facing civil and criminal courts in France - and the possibility of a prison sentence - for “inciting racism” by having published a book “Un cri dans le silence”, deploring the decadence of present-day France, which she blamed on factors including illegal immigrants, modern art, contemporary literature and Islamisation. In Britain an electronics engineer, Alistair Scott, was arrested and ordered to do 200 hours community service and to pay $100 compensation to a Moslem neighbour when he was held to have told the neighbour he hated all Arabs and Moslems after the neighbour had called him a “Zionist pig-****er”, spat at him, threatened him with a stick and pair of shears, and said that: “11 September was a great day. Osama bin Laden is a great man.” Scott, who was prosecuted under the new Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act, and who admitted the newlyinvented crime of “religiously aggravated threatening behaviour” was, as the press report put it, “spared jail.” The neighbour was not prosecuted.
Mark Steyn wrote in the Spectator of 11 September, 2004: “A senior Dutch cabinet minister talked me through some very interesting findings ... The grandchildren of Moslems who arrived in Holland are often more militantly Islamicist and unassimilated than their grandparents.” Further,
as Paul Gray indicates, the West’s threeto-five-year Parliamentary electoral cycles pose some problems for the development of what will have to be long-term policies.
In Britain one Anglican bishop has banned the hymn “I vow to thee, my country” as being too patriotic. Another churchman has attempted to lure matureage people back into church by offering them bars of chocolate. I cannot feel that these doubtless laudable measures are really an adequate response to the challenge of Islamicism.
Evelyn Waugh wrote to George Orwell on the publication of 1984, criticising him for not suggesting Christianity would offer resistance to totalitarianism: “See how much your book has excited me!” I feel something the same about Nightmare of the Prophet. Gray’s theses are so important and stimulating that I feel they are worth a whole book of essays. He is himself worthy of his words to the sincerely religious men and women of the great faiths: “You encourage humanity in the direction of civilized values.”
I would like to see Gray’s work read and discussed by everyone with an interest in the future of our civilization. It can be criticised on points but I congratulate both the author and the publisher, Freeedom Publishing, for this fine, refreshing and ethically-sound contribution of light to issues often clouded by emotion, bad faith and ignorance.
In Nightmare of the Prophet, Paul Gray projects 100 years forward in time to see a world divided in two, between a free democratic West and an Islamic world crushed and dominated by a new totalitarian tyranny, similar to Communism in the 20th century.
Hanging over this nightmare scenario is the permanent threat of worldwide war and global nuclear destruction.
Gray proposes a four-point strategy to solve the terrorist problem, based on insights and analysis from a group of the world’s leading experts on totalitarian ideology.
Launching the book, Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said: “If you read both the book Nightmare of the Prophet and our White Paper on terrorism, it tells you a lot about what really drives Al Qaeda and international terrorism today.”
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Continued from page 1 man" and accused him of the "satanic" betrayal of his own country.
The Archbishop's current international campaign to muster opposition to the Mugabe regime has included briefings with US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Britain's Prince Charles.
In Ottawa, as he has elsewhere, Archbishop Ncube criticized Zimbabwean Catholic bishops and other church leaders who support the Mugabe regime amid "mounting evidence of human rights abuses."
The Archbishop said some Catholic bishops in Zimbabwe have received gifts from the government, such as Mercedes-Benz cars, and that he was offered a farm. The gifts are expected to bring silence from the clerics, he said.
"When you're being fed, you're not expected to talk," the Archbishop said.
During a July visit to London, Archbishop Ncube said church leaders inside and outside Zimbabwe were "betraying Jesus Christ" by failing to denounce the political violence, starvation and oppression perpetrated by
the Mugabe regime. "By keeping quiet they are playing into the hands of Mugabe. There is suffering in Zimbabwe, so much so I estimate personally that if it were not for the World Food Program, a good half-million Zimbabweans would have perished from hunger," Archbishop Ncube told a London press conference.
In New York last October, Archbishop Ncube, who was being honoured by the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, called Mugabe and his associates "totally corrupt."
He said the president started "quite well" with "sort of socialistic views." But the president "got a shock" a few years ago when a new constitution he drafted to give himself more power was rejected in a referendum, and he began taking drastic measures to shore up his rule, Archbishop Ncube said.
One was the black takeover of white farms that led to the loss of agricultural production and the loss of jobs by 300,000 black Zimbabweans who were farmworkers, he said.
Mugabe claimed he wanted to help impoverished blacks by giving them land, but that was "never
Zimbabwe's seven Catholic bishops have strongly criticised state media control, while ecumenical Christian groups called for outright defiance of planned laws curbing charity work.
Independent Catholic News reports that the bishops sent a pastoral letter to churches on Sunday demanding a "credible electoral process" and peaceful campaigning ahead of March elections.
They warned against propaganda, favouritism and discrimination against dissenters, including the main opposition party. In a separate move also seen as a crackdown on dissent, the government proposed criminalising charity work done without a government permit,
the intention," the Archbishop said. Instead, he said, the land was
and banning charities and private groups focusing on "issues of human rights and good governance" from receiving foreign funding. The bill came before parliament yesterday.
"It is important that all political parties have access to media coverage so that they can inform citizens about how they intend to govern if they are elected," said the bishops.
Meanwhile the South African Council of Churches (SACC), in partnership with a number of organisations including the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC), yesterday concluded a twoday conference on 'Minimum Standards for Elections in Zimbabwe.
A Conference statement regretted the Zimbabwean Government's refusal to participate in the conference, but expressed hope that the
given to Mugabe associates, who now hold it as speculators and in some cases sell off irrigation
Government will "introduce and implement comprehensive electoral reforms in strict conformity with the SADC Guidelines and Principles Governing Democratic Elections and the AU Electoral Standards".
In other news, Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo has accused Mugabe of planning to use food to buy votes.
The Christian groups urged Zimbabweans to reject the proposed bill, calling it a "vain attempt by the ruling party to usurp the place of God."
"If what we do in obedience to our Christian calling makes us criminals in Zimbabwe, so be it," said a joint statement signed by the Bulawayo diocesan branch of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace and two inter-church bodies - Christians Together for Justice and Peace, and Solidarity Peace Trust.
equipment. "They are not growing anything." - CNS
Catholic radio is finding its niche in an American archdiocese
By Steve McMahonA voice of Catholic faith, evangelization and education is now audible in two communities within an archdiocese in the US.
The relatively new Catholic presence comes in the form of low-power FM radio, which is approaching its one-year anniversary in both Charles City and Marshalltown in Wisconsin.
The Charles City low-power station, KQOP (Queen of Peace), first went on the air on November 8, 2003. It is an affiliate of the Wisconsin-based Starboard Network, which operates Relevant Radio and provides programming for 26 stations.
The Marshalltown low-power station, KCRM (Catholic Radio of Marshalltown), is an affiliate of EWTN Radio, a division of the Eternal Word Television Network. It has been on the air since December 23, 2003.
The stations are self-automated, with a computer operating programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Among their offerings are programs that are both interactive and faith-and-values based, including call-in talk shows, music and "Catholic Radio Weekly," which is a halfhour news program produced by the Catholic Communication Campaign.
Over the past year, board members of both stations have learned more about the communications business and ironed out the unexpected details that arise with any new operation. Stephen Earney,
a dentist in Charles City and one of KQOP's board members, said that his station's signal travels some 10 to 15 miles from the transmitter, located in the parish centre at Immaculate Conception Church.
Bob Dick, a pharmacist in Marshalltown and a member of the board of KCRM, views radio as an important way of reaching out to people and bringing them
the good news of the Gospel message.
"Unless people go to Bible study, take classes or do spiritual reading on their own, they're not going to build on their Catholic education," Dick told The Witness, newspaper of the Dubuque Archdiocese.
"We think that Catholic radio programming is a good way for people to build on the Catholic
education they're receiving each week at church."
Both Earney and Dick are pleased with the verbal feedback they have received.
"Our listeners are very excited to have Catholic radio programming available to them all day," Earney said.
"While we at KQOP (low power) have been extremely pleased with the initial response in this
our first year of programming, we realize that there are still many Catholics who, for whatever reason, have yet to use this tool to aid themselves in growing in their faith life," he added.
"It is our goal to get more Catholics in our area to see the benefit of this valuable resource."
Dick said that people have told him that religious programming is a good alternative to country music, rock and other types of programming on secular radio.
"I even run into non-Catholics who say they enjoy listening," he said.
"Everybody has a radio," he added. "There are fees for cable TV, satellite or however you receive your TV signal. Radio is free. Whether you're in your car, house, yard or tractor, you can listen to the radio."
KCRM also offers Spanish-language programming as a way of reaching the Hispanics who make up 20 percent to 25 percent of Marshalltown's population.
Earney, who estimated the startup costs to be in the $20,000 range, would like to see similar stations spring up across the archdiocese.
He and Dick agreed that it takes a lot of work to get started, but now that they are on the air they have no regrets.
"We're not radio guys," Earney said. "We're just guys who live and work in our community and who have now learned something about radio.
It doesn't take a great deal of sophistication to start up one of these things. It just takes a lot of hard work."
Men aren't immune to marriage, finds a new study from the US. It's the stereotype that's part of the prpoblem.
Men are marrying later, but most still want to form a family. This is the conclusion of a recent study by the National Marriage Project, based at Rutgers State University of New Jersey. This year’sreport on “The State of Our Unions” bears the subtitle “The Marrying Kind: Which Men Marry and Why.”
The report argues that most men are still “the marrying kind.” Their survey of young heterosexual males showed that those from traditional, religiously observant family backgrounds are more likely to be married, to seek marriage and to have positive views of marriage, women and children. The report’s authors, Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and David Popenoe, observed that when it comes to dealing with young men, most popular novels, movies and television shows “are obsessed with the thirtysomething single man and his romantic pursuits.” In fact, “the young husband has virtually disappeared as a cultural figure or a social type.”
“marital norms of masculinity call for accountability, sacrifice and commitment rather than sensation-seeking, risk-taking and unfettered freedom.”
In spite of this media stereotype, young married men are an important part of the population, the report insisted. In 2002, there were 9.5 million married men aged 25 to 34.
“And contrary to the popular stereotype, the typical thirty-something guy is a married guy,” the report notes.
The report observes that marriage is a hot topic. The Bush administration’s plans for welfare reform seeks to provide $1.5 billion for access to marriage education, skills training and counseling resources for lowincome couples who choose to marry. Congress has also enacted tax reforms to help married couples.
At the state level, programs to help married couples are already being tried out. And there are a multitude of community and grass-roots initiatives seeking to promote and defend marriage. Researchers are also paying attention to marriage, after what Whitehead and Popenoe term “several decades of neglect of the subject.”
Better off wed Whitehead and Popenoe argue that marriage has an even greater lifestyle impact on men that it does for women. Studies show that married men “work harder and do better financially than men who are not married.”
Moreover, they are less likely to abuse alcohol or drugs, and more likely to be involved in religious and community events.
A key factor in these changes is the emotional and physical care wives provide for their husbands.
However, it is not just a question of sharing a home with a female partner.
Married men are, in fact, better off in a number of social indicators than men who cohabit. This is to do with the nature of marriage itself, the report contends. “Once married, men are supposed to work and care for others. They are expected to voluntarily donate their time and money to their wives and chil-
dren and also, to a lesser degree, to kin who may need their help.”
And, even if less so than in the past, marriage is still expected to last for a long time, leading men to take a longer-term view, instead of living day to day looking for immediate gratification. Marriage also sets limits on men’s behaviour, requiring men to be faithful. Overall, “marital norms of masculinity call for accountability, sacrifice and commitment rather than sensation-seeking, risk-taking and unfettered freedom.”
The data from the survey conducted for the report showed that 63% of married men were living with both parents at age 15, compared with 55% of men who were unmarried. Having parents who regularly went to religious services, and a father who was involved in their lives, were also factors more common among young married men. The young married men themselves are
child. Nevertheless, the study did show that, compared to earlier generations of men, they are not so likely to regard marriage as closely connected to “building a family.” The majority of those surveyed, including those married, declared that children are not an important reason for marriage.
“Thus, though marriage remains an important transitional event in men’s lives, it is increasingly disconnected from traditional notions of male adulthood or aspirations to fatherhood,” concludes the report.
Why the delay?
In spite of the advantages of marriage, there is a general trend to putting off the decision until an older age, the report notes. In the United States, as recently as 1970, the median age of first marriage for men was 23; today it is approaching 27. And for college educated men, the median age of first marriage is likely to be a year or two older.
Whitehead and Popenoe note that researchers often cite two causes of this trend: more time spent in higher education and difficulties in finding secure employment. They also point to additional factors such as a later transition to adulthood, with fewer social or family pressures to marry young as part of the process of becoming independent.
As well, young men today face little pressure to marry if they father a child while still single.
Allied with this is that young men today can live in a “singles culture” that allows them to exploit some of the sexual and domestic benefits of marriage, without making the long-term commitment.
also more religious, with nearly half saying they go to religious services several times a month, compared with less than a quarter of the unmarrieds.
The vast majority, 85%, of the married men denied that they had married due to pressure from their future wives. “Most married young men see their decision to wed as a choice and commitment they make freely and for their own reasons,” affirmed the report. Another important factor is finding a woman they think will be a good mother, something that 75% of the men declared was a factor in choosing a wife.
And almost all, 94%, of the married men say they are happier being married than when they were single. With 70% of the married men living in a household with children they are also more likely to declare that “watching children grow up is life’s greatest joy.” They are also more likely to want more than one
In fact, the survey carried out by the National Marriage Project showed that 22% declared that marriage was not for them. This group is more likely to mistrust women, be worried about the risk of divorce, more likely to not want children, and to be concerned about losing their personal freedom. Another factor that allows men to delay marriage is that, unlike women, they “do not have to worry about a ticking biological clock” that would prevent them from fathering children at an older age.
Additionally, the survey showed that the vast majority of young men are looking for a “soul mate who will fulfill their emotional, sexual and spiritual desires and who will also share bread-winning responsibilities.”
The search for this ideal companion plays a part in putting off marriage until a later date.
While noting there are indeed many factors leading to delayed marriages, the report concludes that the media stereotype of men being allergic to making a commitment does not accurately reflect reality. “Most young men,” the reports insists, “are still ‘the marrying kind.’” -ZENIT
BOGOTA, Colombia (CNS) -- Many democracies in Latin America are weakened by corruption and partisan politics, said the Latin American bishops' council. These are main factors in the region's growing poverty and in the lack of government emphasis on national development programs, said the Bogota-based council. "We are experiencing forms of democracy and opportunities for freedom which in no way are the democracy we want nor the freedom we aspire to," said the document. "Corruption and partisan interests have led us to a loss of leadership and a progressive deterioration of the confidence people have in their political institutions," it said. The five-page document was issued after a on Sept. 13-17 church-sponsored symposium on ethics, politics and economics in the countries of the Andean region of South America. It was posted on the bishops' council Web site Sept. 29. The symposium was held in Quito, Ecuador, and gathered bishops and lay experts from Latin America, Germany and Spain. It was organized by the bishops' council, known by its Spanish acronym as CELAM; Adveniat, a German church aid agency; and the Ecuadorean bishops' conference.
ROME (CNS) -- A 97-year-old Vatican diplomat was awarded a Swedish prize for helping to save thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Nazis during World War II. Archbishop Gennaro Verolino, who served as a diplomat in Hungary during the war, received the first "Per Anger Prize" during a ceremony on October 1 in Rome. In bestowing the prize, which includes a cash award of about $27,500, the Swedish government called the archbishop "one of the unsung heroes of Budapest in 1944." Archbishop Verolino, who lives in Rome, retired from the Vatican diplomatic service in 1963. He later was head of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archeology for many years. A statement by the Living History Forum, which administers the prize, said that as a 38-year-old secretary in the apostolic nunciature in Budapest, then-Father Verolino went to great efforts to provide Jews with protective papers.
Catholics need to vote but should do so in accordance with the moral teachings of the Church, Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis said in a pastoral letter published on October 1.
In "On Our Civic Responsibility for the Common Good," Archbishop Burke outlined what he said were the Church's teachings on an individual's civic responsibility to choose government leaders. The text was published in the St. Louis Review archdiocesan newspaper.
Archbishop Burke said the pastoral letter affirmed and further clarified what he said earlier this summer about the sinfulness of a Catholic voting deliberately for a politician who advocates abortion, as well as euthanasia, embryonic stem-cell research, cloning and same-sex marriage.
"These elements are so fundamental to the common good that they cannot be subordinated to any other cause, no matter how good," the Archbishop wrote.
In his pastoral letter, the Archbishop outlined the responsibilities of citizenship, noting:
"As citizens of both heaven and earth, we are bound by the moral law to act with respect for the rights of others and to promote the common good." That includes choosing "leaders ... who will best serve the common good."
The church teaches that "we have an obligation, in justice, to vote, because the welfare of the community depends upon the persons elected," the Archbishop wrote.
The letter acknowledged that voters may have to choose from among candidates who support "immoral practices."
But, in the letter's next para-
graph, the Archbishop said "there is no element of the common good, no morally good practice, that a candidate may promote and to which a voter may be dedicated, which could justify voting for a candidate who also endorses and supports the deliberate killing of the innocent, abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, euthanasia, human cloning or the recognition of a same-sex relationship as legal marriage."
Archbishop Burke said he recognised the fact that often no candidate upholds the moral law in its entirety. He said that, according to C hurch teaching,
in such a case the Catholic voter must choose the candidate who will most limit "the evil of abortion or other intrinsically evil practices." He said he understood how voters could be discouraged by the "failure of public leaders to promote the common good." But a person refraining from voting for that reason "fails to fulfill his or her moral duty, at least, in the limitation of a grave evil in society," he wrote.
"If all Catholics in our nation, both Catholic voters and Catholic government leaders, had joined those Catholics and others who upheld and con-
tinue to uphold the moral law, the grave evils which plague our society would be lessened and eventually eliminated," he noted.
In an interview with the Review, Archbishop Burke said he wrote the letter because of requests from local Catholics.
"There was a great desire among Catholics to have some help in wrestling with certain serious moral questions," the archbishop said. "There's a lot of confusion out there."
In the pastoral letter, he wrote that he considered giving such help to be one of his duties as spiritual shepherd. - CNS
The Legionaries of Christ have announced the opening next year of a Rome University aimed at renewing the Christian content of European education.
The European University of Rome will open to students in October 2005, Legionary Father Paolo Scarafoni said at a press conference in Rome on September 30.
The recently constructed complex on the outskirts of Rome will host up to 7,000 students, offering
degree courses in philosophy, historical sciences, psychology and juridical sciences. The program will include specialised courses in bioethics.
Father Scarafoni said the university program is designed to emphasize classical humanism
and the contributions of Christianity. It will prepare students to deal with ethical and other questions arising in modern Europe "in the face of fears of cultural decadence on the continent," he said.
The ultramodern cam-
pus will include facilities for major international conferences and teleconferences, as well as ample computer facilities for students.
The new institution is one of 12 universities administered by the Legionaries of Christ, a religious order
that originated in Mexico. The order also runs 10 other university-level formation institutions and 158 schools. The Rome university will be staterecognized, which means it will become eligible for state funding after a period of review. -CNS
Vatican official tells U.N war in Iraq did not make world safer
By John ThavisAddressing the United Nations, a leading Vatican official said the war in Iraq did not make the world safer and that defeating terrorism will require multilateral cooperation that goes beyond short-term military operations.
Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, the Vatican's top foreign affairs official, made the remarks on Sept. 29 in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly. The text was released at the Vatican on Sept. 30.
Archbishop Lajolo offered a far-ranging review of Vatican positions on peace and justice issues, saying global poverty must be the number one priority for the United Nations and for all international agencies.
"The urgency of the situation cannot tolerate delay," he said. He
noted that hundreds of millions of people are living below the threshold of what is necessary, and tens of millions of children are undernourished.
Turning to Iraq, Archbishop Lajolo said the Vatican's opposition to military action in Iraq in 2002-2003 was well known.
"Everyone can see that it did not lead to a safer world either inside or outside Iraq," he said.
Under the present circumstance, he added, the Vatican believes it is imperative to support the provisional Iraqi government as it tries to bring the country to normality and establish a political system that is "substantially democratic and in harmony with the values of its historic traditions."
He called terrorism an "aberrant phenomenon, utterly unworthy of man" that today threatens all countries.
While every nation has the right to protect its citizens, he said, "it seems obvious that terrorism can only be effectively challenged
through a concerted multilateral approach ... and not through the politics of unilateralism."
"No one is in any doubt that the fight against terrorism means, first and foremost, neutralizing its active breeding grounds. But the underlying causes are many and complex: political, social, cultural, religious," he said.
For that reason, he said, even more important is long-term action directed at terrorism's roots and designed to stop it from spreading.
Archbishop Lajolo addressed several other major international issues:
-- On disarmament, he called for severe and effective international controls on the production and sales of conventional weapons. He praised U.N efforts to date, but said "huge economic interests" remain as obstacles.
Weapons of mass destruction and their possible use represent a separate problem, the archbishop said. But he reminded
Austrian bishop plagued by porn scandal says he has resigned
An Austrian bishop plagued by a porn scandal at a diocesan seminary told a German newspaper that he has resigned.
Bishop Kurt Krenn of Sankt Polten told the Austrian Der Standard newspaper that he had resigned. The interview was published on September 30.
Bishop Krenn, 68, said he stepped down voluntarily, not under pressure from the Vatican.
"The Pope does not force anybody to resign. He asks at the most that someone go," the Bishop told Der Standard.
No official announcement was made by the Vatican on September 30.
The scandal came to light in mid-July after an Austrian magazine published pictures of priests and students kissing and fondling each other. Austrian authorities said the images had been found along with more than 40,000 photos and videos -- including child pornography -- on seminary computers.
Shortly after, Pope John Paul II named Austrian Bishop Klaus Kung of Feldkirch to conduct an apostolic visitation of the Diocese of Sankt Polten, particularly the seminary. In August, Bishop Kung announced the closing of the seminary for "serious erroneous trends" among seminarians, citing in particular the practice of viewing and downloading pornography from the Internet and the development of "active homosexual relations" among members of the seminary community.
Without directly criticizing Bishop Krenn, Bishop Kung said,
rector and vice rector resigned. Bishop Krenn initially downplayed the seriousness of the photos, saying they were part of a boyish prank during a Christmas party.
Bishop Egon Kapellari of GrazSeckau said he would withhold comment until the Vatican formally announced Bishop Krenn's resignation.
"Bishop Krenn told the newspaper he had expected to be asked by the Holy Father to place his diocese in other hands," said Bishop Kapellari.
"This is not, however, legally valid, since Rome has not formally confirmed its acceptance. In these circumstances, it would be correct under the Church's order for other bishops to show restraint," Bishop Kapellari told Austria's ORF-Steiermark TV news on September 30.
Dolores Bauer, co-chair of Austria's Council of Lay Catholics, said she hoped the church would "learn a lesson" from the crisis.
"People are fed up with the way the church is damaged by figures like this -- we are chasing them out," she told Catholic News Service.
the assembly that conventional weapons are being used in "numerous armed conflicts that stain the world in blood" and in terrorism.
-- The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, he said, will require not only justice but also mutual forgiveness, which requires greater courage than the use of weapons. He called on a return to the "road map" peace plan, which has been formally accepted by both parties.
-- African conflicts in Sudan, Somalia, the Great Lakes region, Ivory Coast and elsewhere call for greater international attention and authoritative intervention by the African Union, he said.
-- The right to life has special application in the human cloning issue, Archbishop Lajolo said. The United Nations is scheduled to debate it this fall. The Archbishop reiterated the Vatican's call for a comprehensive ban on human cloning; he said the Vatican supports procurement of adult stem
cells as opposed to cells taken from human embryos.
Archbishop Lajolo also raised the question of U.N internal reform aimed at increasing its peacekeeping effectiveness around the world. In general, he said, the United Nations needs more room to operate before conflicts begin.
He suggested that the United Nations be given "special prerogatives to facilitate action to prevent conflicts at times of international crisis, and also, when absolutely necessary, 'humanitarian intervention,' that is, action aimed at disarming the aggressor."
Quoting Pope John Paul II, the archbishop said U.N effectiveness will also depend on whether it can rise from "the cold status of an administrative institution" to the status of "a moral centre" where all the nations of the world feel at home.
- CNSAfter a three-year "war on terrorism," the world is facing an expanded terrorist threat by groups that seem to have lost all sense of humanity, a leading Jesuit magazine said.
Although Islamic terrorists have been unable to reach major objectives, they have kept up a steady stream of vicious attacks ranging from Spain to Saudi Arabia to southern Russia, said the magazine, La Civilta Cattolica, in an editorial published in its Oct. 2 edition.
The journal's commentaries are considered reflective of Vatican thinking because they are approved before publication by officials at the Vatican Secretariat of State.
the middle or lower level have been killed or captured, probably a greater number have taken their place," it said.
The threat has worsened despite the United States' expenditure of more than $140 billion to combat terrorism, it said.
"The United States has not succeeded in defeating terrorism; on the contrary, with the war on Iraq, the United States stimulated its birth and growth in a country -- Iraq -- where before the war it did not exist," it said.
One of the biggest changes in terrorist strategy has been the multiplication of smaller groups or cells, many operating under local control, the editorial said.
"Over the past years, too little attention was paid to the necessary criteria" for accepting candidates for the priesthood.
On August 13, a student at the seminary pleaded guilty to downloading child pornography from the Internet and was given a sixmonth suspended sentence.
In July, after the photos were initially published, the seminary
"Although we can be satisfied that this crisis is now over, the only real chance of changing things in Sankt Polten is to think how to rebuild the confidence of local Catholics," Bauer said.
The Austrian We Are Church group, which seeks changes in the Catholic Church, said in a statement that it was "relieved" by Bishop Krenn's decision to resign and that his resignation was "an important and inevitable first step for renewal in the diocese."
The editorial said a "tragic line ... the line of Islamic terrorism" runs from the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States through subsequent attacks in Indonesia, Tunisia, Spain, Turkey, Morocco and Moscow. It said the most recent addition was Beslan, Russia, where pro-Chechen rebels killed more than 400 people in a school.
That does not count the innumerable attacks in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places of open conflict, the editorial said.
"This means that three years of fighting Islamic terrorism have produced few results. The heads of al-Qaida have not been captured ... and if many terrorists of
Another worrisome development is the growing link between Islamic terrorism and nationalist causes -- causes that have lent an apparent legitimacy to terrorist suicide actions in the eyes of some, it said.
"The more serious change in terrorism has been the loss of even a minimal sense of humanity," it said.
But despite the increase in terrorist actions, Islamic terrorists have not reached any major goals over the last three years, the magazine said. Terrorism has caused serious economic damage to the United States, but without diminishing U.S. global influence, it said.
"Above all, (terrorism) has not been able to mobilize the Muslim masses and take power in any state with an Islamic majority.” it said.
The relationship between C.S.Lewis and JRR. Tolkien is the topic for discussion by Karl Schmude, the vice president of Campion College Australia. The influence these two men had on the direction of 20th century literature is unfathomable, but Schmude will tackle this in the second of the festival’s art lectures.
By Liam HoulihanYou never know what might flow from a late night philosophical chat among friends. In the case of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis it was their legacy.
The authors of literature’s best known fantasy quest serials, The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia respectively first met in 1926 during a gathering of the English faculty at Merton College. Both had fought in World War One and shared a love for quest stories, myths and legends. Both were aspiring writers relatively pessimistic about their chances of making
Published by: Stratford Caldecott, Darton Longman & Todd
Reviewed by Kevin Mark - Kairos
RRP: $31.95, 151 pages
S ince its publication in the 1950s, The Lord of the Rings has gained vast numbers of devoted readers, and it has often been voted the beloved novel of the modern age. Its impact was further enhanced by the appearance of the monumental and award-winning series of movies by New Zealand director Peter Jackson.
Yet relatively few fans of The Lord of the Rings are aware of the profound Christian vision of its author, J. R. R. Tolkien, who was a devout Catholic.
Tolkien’s friend and fellow writer, C. S. Lewis, also created a
an imprint on either posterity or world literature.
Tolkien, a fan of Norse sagas and Anglo-Saxon poetry, doubted his ability to ever complete a major literary project without distraction. Lewis, who was influenced by medieval travel literature, Milton, and 19th-century fantasy and fairy tales, had published very scant collections of verse.
When they came to fraternise together in a fireside reading group called the Coalbiters it was with another writer Henry Victor Dyson who had been eminently more successful than them. But their meeting would spark a friendship which was a mixture of rivalry, competition and spirit of mutual purpose, and bring them recognition beyond anything Dyson would eventually achieve.
The Coalbiters morphed into the Inklings – a more casual group that lasted for 30 years with Tolkien and Lewis at the helm.
Five years after the two first met they took a stroll with Dyson along a picturesque river walkway on the grounds of Oxford University and became engaged in a theosophical debate. Tolkien and Dyson were arguing from the positions of their respective faiths Catholicism and High Anglicanism. Lewis, who was born in Belfast, was raised a Protestant but had been through
greatly influential series of fantasy novels, The Chronicles of Narnia (including The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). Whereas one can treat the Narnia stories as Christian allegories (the lion Aslan is a figure of Christ, etc), Tolkien adopted a more sophisticated approach in his epic. In a 1953 letter to a Jesuit friend, Tolkien wrote that:
“The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out, practically all reference to anything like ‘religion’, to cults or practices, in the imaginary world. For the religious element is absorbed into the story and symbolism.”
Secret Fire is a concise but deeply considered book by the Director of the Chesterton Institute for Faith and Culture, Oxford. It unpacks the spiritual and theological meanings in Tolkien’s work, drawing on the full range of this writing, including correspondence and texts unpublished during his lifetime.
It is also a celebration of a modern Catholic writer whose religious vision shaped a masterwork of art that has had a wide and profound impact on our culture, in an age in which art and Christianity are often estranged.
periods of agnosticism followed by a vague non-Christian theism. Lewis’s sticking point
among the two ardent believers was his view of the Gospels as myths and accordingly, like all
- By Rex McCann
Published by: Finch Publishing, Sydney
Reviewed by Committee for Family and For Life RRP: $???
Imyths basically untrue regardless of worth. Before retiring for the night Tolkien made a point which seems to have swayed Lewis’s future philosophical path. He said myths are not lies. He said the Resurrection was the ultimate true story with God in place as author.
Tolkien asked Lewis why he could regard Icelandic folklore as a vehicle for the truth but ask that the Gospels meet a higher standard. After Tolkien retired Dyson continued making the case for Christianity. Within the fortnight Lewis had made a passionate return to his Christian roots.
The reconversion sparked an onslaught of written and radio work from the freshly-minted Christian apologist. Some of it was heavyhanded, but other creations, such as The Screwtape Letters and The Chronicles of Narnia were among his most memorable works. Tolkien also owed his success to his friend. Lewis had encouraged him all through the tediously detailed writing process of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Without the friendship of Lewis and Tolkien, and without that late night philosophical discussion, two worlds populated by millions of readers – Narnia and Middle-Earth – may never have been discovered.
f you don't want to be challenged McCann's book is not for you. Unlike many books the language in the book is easily read and understood. McCann takes the reader on a journey through life without a father.
The book is unsettling as it challenges the way we father children. Using the story of his life after this father died when he was nine to when the book was written, he shows the reader the impact being fatherless has on a boy. McCann was a Catholic and clearly has a faith structure but is no longer Catholic.
The book demonstrates a loss of faith in the God that McCann touches on occasionally. His way of looking at faith could be unsettling to those whose faith is not strong or are in a period of questioning their faith. He does not attack the Church. At times he is very positive towards the Church, especially as he relates the expe-
rience of the relationship he built up with a Marist Brother in New Zealand and the positive impact the relationship had on him in his teens.
As he relates his story and experience dealing with men as a counsellor and therapist he challenges the idea that men are unnecessary in a child’s life and discuss the impact divorce has on boys.
He looks at what beging fatheless means and how that impact can be felt on a lifelong basis.
Comments from members of groups he has run reinforce his ideas on the importance of fathers and positive male role models in a boy’s life.
Although his faith structure is different his ideas clearly show how important the presence of a boy’s father is even as that boy becomes a parent.
He argues boys need the encouragement and love a father provides. Boys also need fathers to be present in mind and body, to show them how to form relationships. Boys need the love only a father can give them. The book is compelling, challenging and a good read as long as you are willing to think about the role a father plays in a boy’s life.
BRICK re-pointing. Phone Nigel 9242 2952
ELECTRICIAN, Power/ light points from $50 each. Rewiring our speciality. 0418 941 286, 9279 5008.
PERROTT PAINTING Pty
Ltd for all your residential, commercial painting requirements. Phone Tom Perrott 9444 1200.
PICASSO Painting. Top service. Phone 9345 0557, fax 9345 0505.
WORK from Home around your children & family commitments. My business is expanding and I need people to open new areas all over Australia. Training given. Highly lucrative. www.cyber-success-4u.org
DENMARK beautiful 3brm, 2bth, cott, fully equip, special rates. Ph: 0412 083377
DUNSBOROUGH - New 4 x 2, great location, sleeps 9. Ph: 0407 409 787.
FEMALE COMPANIONEuro gent 33, seeking mature female 26-33 for friendship first with view to permanent relationship/ marriage. Genuine replies only. Ph 0403 878 805
THE HUMBLE MESSENGER 9225 7199. Shop 16/80 Barrack St (inside Bon Marche arcade), Perth.
Sunday October 10
ETERNAL WORD TELEVISION
NETWORK
1 - 2 pm on Access 31: The Sacred Liturgy: Cardinal Arinze interviewed by Raymond Arroyo (The World Over) preceded by clips of Cardinal Christoph Schonborg, one of the authors of the Catechism, speaking in Iran on The Catechism: Ten years on, with focus on the Liturgy. Would you like to promote EWTN by helping set up a free video library in your locality? If so, or if you would like to volunteer help with preparing tapes for libraries, please email Leigh Marvin on leigh@geegle.com Phone: 9330 1170. Suggestions and donations to keep EWTN on air may be sent to The Rosary Christian Tutorial Association, PO Box 1270, Booragoon 6954.
Sunday October 10
GATE OF HEAVEN
ALL areas. Mike Murphy 0416 226 434.
BIBLES , Books, CD’s, Cards, gifts, Statues, Baptism & Communion Apparel, Albs, Vestments and much more. RICH HARVEST, 39 Hulme Court, Myaree, 9329 9889 after 10.30am.
In conjunction with the ANGLICAN SYNOD
At Gloucester Park, Nelson Cr, East Perth OCTOBER 16-17
Hours: Sat 9-5, Sun 11-3 enquiries: 9727 3555 or visit our website www.iconsbymarice.com.au
Email: administration@therecord.com.au or phone: KYLIE 9227 7080.
Five Christian communities in Qatar were set to lay the cornerstones of their new churches on Oct. 7, providing the physical foundation of the first Christian churches in the Persian Gulf country since the seventh century. Vatican Radio reported that
Please join us this Sunday at 7:30pm on 107.9 FM, Radio Fremantle, for more Global Catholic Radio. This week we will feature:
1. Mysteries of the Rosary: the Annunciation with Fr Jaques Daley.
2. The Teachings of Jesus Christ: The Sixth Commandment with Fr John Corapi. Donations toward the program may be sent to Gate of Heaven, PO Box 845, Claremont, WA 6910. Programs subject to change without notice.
Sunday October 10
FATIMA HOLY HOUR
The World Apostolate of Fatima will hold a Holy Hour at the Immaculate Conception Church, Canning Highway East Fremantle at 3pm. Come and make Eucharistic reparation to Our Lord Jesus Christ. All welcome.
Monday October 11
MENTAL ILLNESS MEETING
Do you or someone you know suffer with a Mental Illness? A meeting to share experiences and support needs will be held at 7.30pm Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Centre, 28 Marda Way, Nollamara. It is hoped to extend the present Parish level support offered by the Nollamara Mental Health Support Group to
the new churches include the Catholic parish of Our Lady of the Rosary; the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is October 7. The Catholic, Orthodox, Coptic, Anglican and Protestant churches will be built on the outskirts of Doha, the capital, on adjacent pieces of property donated by the government. Prior to April 2003, when a new constitution was adopted, the nation's
a Regional Network for Northern Suburbs Parishes. Come and hear about other groups in the Perth Archdiocese and share information.
Enq: Barbara Harris at Emmanuel 9328 8113.
Thursday October 14
HEALING MASS
A healing Mass in honour of St Peregrine, patron of cancer sufferers and helper of all in need will be held at the church of SS John and Paul, Pinetree Gully Rd (off South St) Willetton at 7pm. There will be veneration of the relic and anointing of the sick. Enq: Noreen Monaghan 9498 7727.
Friday October 15
HEALING RALLY
7pm at Sts John & Paul Catholic Church, Pinteree Gully Road, Willetton. Presented by Holy Spirit Freedom Community.
Friday October 15
CELEBRATION OF ST TERESA OF AVILA
Virgin and Doctor: The Carmelite and Parish communities invite you to join them at Infant Jesus Parish, 47 Wellington Rd, Morley. Mass at 7.30pm followed by a talk by Fr John Follent, OCD. Tea and coffee will be served after the talks. All welcome.
Saturday October 16 & 17 LORD CHANGE ME CONFERENCE
10am at Orana Catholic Primary School Hall, cnr Vahland & Querring Ave Willetton. All welcome. To register phone Michelle 9414 1260 or Belinda 9414 1882.
Sunday October 17 DOCTORS/NURSES ANNUAL MASS
Doctors, nurses, health professionals & students are welcome to join us for Mass at 10am at Mercy Hospital Mt Lawley, followed by refreshments. RSVP by 8/9/04 on 9242 4066. Peace.
Wednesday October 20
NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL
Christian communities were illegal, although tolerated by the Islamic government. The new constitution guaranteed freedom of expression, religion, assembly and association.
Interviewed in Doha in late May, Indian Capuchin Father Lester Mendonsa, pastor to the Catholic community, said there were an estimated 48,000 Catholics in Qa tar. - CNS
St Luke’s Church, cnr Duffy Tce and Parkside Ramble, Woodvale. Nine Wednesdays from October 20, commencing 5.30pm for approx 30 minutes. Primary intention: World Peace.
Friday October 22
RIGHT TO LIFE FAMILY QUIZ NIGHT
7.30pm at the Perth Soccer Club, Lawley St West Perth. Tickets and Bookings 9221 7117.
Sunday October 24
TRINITY COLLEGE FAMILY FAIR
Located next to the WACA 10am – 4pm, plenty of parking. A huge family day out. See you there.
Sunday October 24 WHO WANTS TO GO TO THE MOVIES?
Come and see the movie: A Touch of Spice, and help give Thai children the gift of education. Cinema Paradiso in Northbridge is the venue with wine and cheese being provided from 4pm with the film at 4.30pm. For ticket reservations and enquiries call Carissa or John on 9336 6682 or 0403 959 940.
Wednesday October 27 CAFÉ - CATHOLICS MAKING A DIFFERENCE
The above module of the Café programme will be run at the Fr John Luemmen Hall, Queen of Apostles Parish, Tudor Avenue, Riverton, every Wednesday until 8th December. Each session will commence at 8pm and end at 9.30pm. All welcome. Phone 9457 2424 to register your interest.
Thursday October 28
MAJELLAN REUNION
Morning tea get together at 10am House Schoenstatt, 55 Tudor Ave, Riverton. Enq: Margaret 9457 8193 or Adele 9457 1620. All welcome to join us and reminisce.
Thursday October 28
ADULT FAITH EDUCATION
Home Based Study: Beginning Theology. An information session on this course will be held at Maranatha Institute, at 1.30pm2.30pm. Enq: 9212 9220.
In a pastoral letter marking Ireland's Day of Life, the Irish bishops prayed for the healing of those considering suicide and those who have lost a friend or loved one to suicide. The bishops said that they were concerned by a rising rate of suicide in Ireland, in particular, the number of young people who choose to end
Friday November 5 – 7 LIFE IN GOD'S SPIRIT WEEKEND Hosea House of Prayer at Dardanup. Please call Kaye if you are interested in attending or have any queries. 9586 4134
Sunday November 14 CBC FREMANTLE: BACK TO FREO REUNION.
All Old Boys and their families are invited back to Freo for the 2004 College Reunion, 12-3pm at the College. BBQ and drinks will be available. Mass 11am. Contact: George Ayres 9384 9441, or oldboys@cbcfremantle.wa.edu.au
MARANATHA INSTITUTE FOURTH TERM COURSES 2004 – 7 Weeks. Catholic Moral Teaching presented by Fr Joe Parkinson, Pastoral Ministry presented by Sr Margaret-Anne Beech SJA. For further information, costs involved and registration please contact Maranatha Institute 9212 9311 email: maranatha@ceo. wa.edu.au
CROSS ROADS COMMUNITY
Healing Masses: 1st Monday of month 7pm Church of East Fremantle, 2nd Monday of month 10am St Jerome’s Munster except in October, where there will be NO healing Masses. Term 4: 18th October to 17th December for: Family & Friends Support Groups of Substance Abusers on Wednesdays 7pm – 9pm, Substance Abusers Support Groups on Tuesdays 5.30pm – 7.30pm & Fridays All day Group for Substance Abusers on Fridays 9.30am – 2pm, Bible Night: Tuesdays 7pm – 9pm except in October & Healing Mass: Fridays 12.15pm.
DIVINE MERCY HOLY HOURS
The Divine Mercy Apostolate invites you all to come and join us. St Mary’s Cathedral first Sunday of the month 1.30pm – 3.15pm with a different priest each month. There are now 17 parishes conducting Divine Mercy.To find out where and when, please contact John Murphy on 9457 7771.
their lives. They said they were addressing the topic of suicide in order to share "our concerns and our support in the hope that those who may think of suicide would reconsider their situation and those who have been bereaved through self-inflicted deaths may eventually, with God's help, begin to understand what has happened and find peace."
- CNS
An
Catholic woman honoured for caring for more than 120 foster children over the past two decades doesn’t feel she needs an award
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CNS) -- At its annual meeting in Denver, Catholic Charities USA honored a Colorado Springs woman who has been foster mother to 121 infants.
For 22 years Barbara O'Connell has been a foster mother of newly born and very young babies for the Catholic Charities adoption program in the Colorado Springs Diocese.
In ceremonies on September 25, the national organisation gave her the Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan Award, citing her for excellence, creativity and leadership in her service to children in need.
"I just like what I'm doing, and I was very surprised to learn of this award. I don't feel like I need special recognition," she told The Catholic Herald, Colorado Springs diocesan newspaper.
O'Connell said she started being a cradle-care foster mother after the second of her two children became a toddler.
She takes the infants in for any time from a few hours to several weeks. She will care for babies while their birth mothers, who are considering placing them for adoption through Catholic Charities, receive counseling and weigh all the considerations. If adoption is chosen, then she cares for the children for a longer period while the
necessary adoption procedures are completed.
She said it is her love for children that motivates her to drop whatever she has planned to accommodate the needs of a new baby coming into her home.
"They're little miracles, and I appreciate the chance to care for them and nurture them for a little while," O'Connell said. "Plus, the birth mothers need to know there's a safe place for their babies while they make the hardest decision of their life."
Each of the 121 children O'Connell has cared for is different, but the means she uses are the same: love, patience, rocking chairs, a sky-blue nursery filled with fluffy clouds and angels, and a closet stuffed with clothes to fit babies from birth to one year.
An understanding spouse and two daughters also have helped, she said, particularly when the midnight and 3 a.m. feedings come around.
"It changes our lives to have babies with us because they take priority over everything else," O'Connell said.
Adding to the challenge, many of the newborns have had special needs such as Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, or complications from premature delivery or substance abuse by the mother.
She remains in contact with several adoptees she cared for when they were too young to remember.
"I'll never get over being fascinated with how precious babies are," O'Connell said, "and it's great to see them go to good homes and grow up to be great people."
Tucked in a corner of Mexico City's Metropolitan Cathedral, the stack of photos left before a statue keeps growing -- one face after another.
The carved wooden figure, known as the "Santo Nino Cautivo,"
or Holy Captive Child, has been housed in the cathedral for centuries. The Captive Child is known locally -- and unofficially -- as the patron saint of kidnapping victims, but only recently has its cubby become a common place of prayer for the relatives of Mexico's many kidnapping victims.
Church officials estimate a dozen people visit the Captive Child every week to ask for assistance in freeing a kidnapped loved one.
Many leave photos of the victims stacked at the feet of the statue.
One of the many notes addressed to the Captive Child reads, "Please help my son return home."
"We really only noticed people coming to ask for help in kidnapping cases in the last three or four years," said Father Ruben Avila Enriquez, who has served at the Cathedral for 19 years.
Father Avila said the Captive Child, which arrived at the Cathedral in 1622, traditionally has attracted worshipers seeking help for family members in jail or afflicted by drug or alcohol addiction.
The figure was en route to Mexico from Spain when its carrier, Juan Martinez Montanez, was captured by pirates and imprisoned -- along with the statue -- for seven years.
After arriving in Mexico, the statue became known as the Captive Child, and worshippers prayed to it for physical or spiritual liberation.
But with Mexico in the grip of a decade-long crime wave and kidnappings affecting rich and poor alike, Father Avila said that for many, the statue has taken on new significance.
Crime in Mexico skyrocketed following the country's 1994-1995
economic crisis, and in May a private security firm claimed that Mexico's kidnapping problem is the world's second-worst, trailing only Colombia.
And while the traditional kidnapping targets have been the nation's wealthy, less-than-affluent Mexicans have increasingly fallen victim in recent years.
Stories of working-class people being kidnapped for a few thousand -- or hundred -- dollars are now common in the local media.
"I'm here to ask the Captive Child for help," said one man who asked not to be named because his cousin's kidnappers warned the family not to go public with their story. Nervous and clearly anguished, the man did not want to discuss his family's situation.
The Cathedral's former sexton,
Jose de Jesus Aguilar, recently told local media that some 12 families have said the Captive Child aided them in winning the release of abducted loved ones.
Authorities have been careful to show concern over the nation's crime problems, though they maintain they are making progress in the matter.
While the Kroll security firm said 3,000 kidnappings took place in 2003, the justice department says 2,165 occurred between 2000 and 2003.
The security firm's report, however, said government statistics are off because most people never report kidnappings to authorities for fear the police will bungle the case.