The Record Newspaper 09 March 2011

Ordinations to priesthood see packed Cathedral, atmosphere of joy, elation Pages 9, 10, 11

THE R ECORD

De-cluttering the fast way

How Kelmscott parish’s Tucci family have dealt with losing everythingminus one gnome and a pizza oven - to February’s devastating bushfires

By Bridget Spinks

“Is the house on fire?

Unless the house is on fire, don’t growl at each other,” Angela Tucci said she used to say to her family. That was before the fire swept through their home in Bromfield Drive, Kelmscott on 6 February; the fire that took theirs and more than 60 other houses in Kelmscott and Roleystone.

Angela, her husband Sergio and their two children, Talia, 16, and Michael, 12, have to agree on everything now.

Nineteen days after the fire, The Record visited them in their temporary accommodation at Angela’s mother’s house in Brookdale, where around the kitchen table they unfolded what they’ve been through.

6 February

The morning the fire came to visit, Talia was studying for her TEE maths while Angela was having a lie down on the couch.

When they realised what was happening, mother and daughter had 15 minutes at best to scramble out of the house.

There wasn’t time to evacuate, Angela said.

Angela’s husband Sergio was around the corner in Clifton Hills.

“Put your tools down and get here now,” she told him over the phone.

Michael was on a ferry coming Please turn to Page 6

Against the Tide

Archbishop Hickey’s Pastoral letter urges Christians to be counter-cultural.

Bishop Brady excavation blog

From Tuesday, 8 March, the blog ‘The search for Bishop Brady’ will be live. The focus will be the archaeological excavation in which Bishop Brady’s remains will be exhumed from his grave in AmelieLes-Bains from 17-19 March. During the excavation, the blog will be updated daily. However, the blog will also include periodical updates of the team’s preparation leading up to their departure on 12 March and subsequent efforts to ensure Brady’s safe return to Perth.

The blog can be found at: www.bishopbrady.com.

Miss Margaret’s Morning Tea Party... might not seem that exciting. But what if her

her

That

Coming to grips: Michael Tucci, left, talks about the experience of losing the Tucci family home to the Kelmscott bushfires in early February as sister, Talia, father Sergio and mother Angela look on. The family has found strength in each other as they focus on rebuilding their family home together.

PETER ROSENGREN

Lent calls Catholics to be counter-cultural in this secularist age

A Pastoral Letter from Archbishop Barry Hickey

The Parish. The Nation. The World. Find it in The Record.

With Ash Wednesday, we began the Season of Lent. We have entered a period of 40 days of prayer and penance in order to prepare ourselves well for the celebration of Easter.

Let us make the most of this time to reflect deeply on our lives as Catholics, especially on how faithfully we have been following Jesus as His disciples.

Lent is also a period of intense and final preparation for catechumens and those coming into full communion with the Church on the Easter Vigil.

Please remember them in your prayers. May they experience the joy of meeting Christ through Baptism and Holy Communion, and may they be lovingly welcomed by the people of the Church.

As our society becomes more secular and moves away from religious values, all the more necessary is it for us to remember that Jesus has called us to a way of life that may be in stark contrast to the accepted ways of others.

ple of this than in the matter of human relationships and marriage.

The Word of God clearly calls us to live chastely until marriage.

So many young people today do not accept this, or live by it.

Chastity is set aside in favour of living together, not just before marriage but often instead of marriage, to the detriment of lifelong fidelity, marriage stability and the security to which children have a natural right.

Reflect on your own lives for chastity and love. Always give good example to others by your fidelity to the ways of the Gospel in your deep relationships with others. This is Good News that the world needs from us.

The ideas of a Christian life are demanding but necessary if we are to live happily, with a clear conscience, and reach the goal of eternal life with God.

There is perhaps no greater exam-

The Church calls us to prayer and penance at this time. Jesus asked us to fast, to pray and to be generous, not to win the praise of others but to purify our hearts and open them up to His grace and love. Take time to read again the Gospel for Ash Wednesday, Matthew 6, 1-6 and 16-18. It sets out our penitential path for Lent, a path that leads to inner peace and harmony. The ashes on our foreheads help us remember our mortality and remind us of the journey we began at our Baptism.

Most Rev B J Hickey Archbishop of Perth

Atheist Bus Campaign creator Ariane Sherine poses in front of a bus bearing an atheist message during the launch of the campaign in London in 2009. The atheist advertisements were to appear on 800 buses and 1,000 subway trains in Britain. Archbishop Barry Hickey said in his Pastoral Letter for 2011 that the need for Catholics to pray and live as true disciples of Christ is particularly great in today’s age where secularism, pushed by an individualistic, relativistic and atheistic mantra, is threatening to marginalise Christian values.

PHOTO: CNS/ANDRE WINNING, REUTERS

Archbishop Barry Hickey

Marriage, fertility services merge

BY BRIDGET SPINKS

Archdiocesan agencies Catholic Marriage Education Services (CMES) and Natural Fertility Services (NFS) have merged and relocated to new offices in the Newman Siena Centre in Doubleview.

Archbishop Barry Hickey blessed and dedicated the new Catholic Marriage and Fertility Services premises on 23 February, saying he was pleased the agency was so active in the Archdiocese.

“It is a boast of the Archdiocese and I value it because it is so relevant to now,” the Archbishop said.

In contemporary society, “we’re seeing a massive breakdown in family living” and the “spreading of a cynicism of marriage” as to whether it can last; young people are cautious about committing to marriage, the Archbishop said.

“We have a particular vision of marriage; one that fits all the criteria of Humanae Vitae. This encyclical was also about the value of Christian marriage. Those who live by that are nourished; those who reject it also show that in their lives,” he said, and acknowledged the presence of the members from the government department of Families and Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) and said he has sympathy for the work they do but added that “we have to do the preventative work too”.

“We have a job to do: to be a light in a world of darkness,” he said.

CMES, formerly on Hay Street, has been providing pre-marriage education, marriage enrichment and counselling services since 1946.

NFS, formerly in Victoria Square, has been working in the schools providing fertility and relationship education to school students and teaching couples the

modern, sympto-thermal, multiindicator method of Natural Family Planning since it was established after the release of Humane Vitae, Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical ‘On Human Life’.

Derek Boylen, who directed both the CMES and NFS prior to the merge, will also direct the new agency, CMFS. “It’s always been the Archbishop’s wish that they would be amalgamated; since about 2006 when he decided that’s the direction he’d like to take things,” he said.

The Archdiocese has been planning the new premises for 18 months in collaboration with CMFS to design the new facilities.

The premises include consultation rooms, a kitchenette and meeting area, administration areas, the ‘Bishop’s lecture room’ which will be officially called the Clune Lecture Theatre, and other offices.

Mr Boylen said the renovations on the Newman Siena centre for the new office space are part of a bigger renovation project. Several other Catholic agencies are based in the Newman Siena Centre including Maranatha, Marriage Encounter, Celebrate Love, Billings WA, Loving for Life and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

He hopes the new facilities will become a hub for much marriage, family and fertility related activities in the Archdiocese.

This year, CMFS expect to provide services to up to 30 primary schools and 17 secondary schools, running programmes for more than 6,000 students in Years 5-12.

It is also anticipated that more than 1,000 couples will participate in a number of different premarriage programmes designed to cater to different couples’ needs.

The agency will also provide services to newly-weds in the CMFS’ Together in Harmony follow-up programme.

Former Protestant’s Great Bible Adventure at Monastery

In brief...

THE Redemptorist Monastery in North Perth will host The Great Adventure, a 24-week DVD presentation of the Bible timeline that helps people understand the plan of salvation history.

Jeff Cavins developed The Great Adventure in 1984 as a Protestant minister when he realised that many Christians did not grasp “the big picture” of the Bible.

The resource teaches the Bible

story in a way that is easy to remember and helps people to continue reading Scripture on their own.

It is already used as a catechetical resources in parishes across North America and its popularity is spreading in Australia.

The Great Adventure will be shown at 7.30pm from 15 March.

Contact Redemptorist Fr Hugh Thomas CSsR on 9328 6600, Gertrude on 0411 262 221 or Keith on 0411 108 525.

Jeff Cavins

Students drop comfort zone for Tanzania

now pregnant and will soon provide Devota and her family with milk as a source of income and food. The calf will go to support another family.

For the 2 March Parliamentary launch of Project Compassion 2011, the annual Lenten appeal of Project Compassion, Notre Dame Dean of School of Arts and Sciences Associate Professor Dylan Korczynskyj spoke about his time in the latest of the courses and immersion experiences which Caritas Australia facilitates through UNDA. The course was given in 2010 and followed up by an immersion experience in Tanzania in December.

For six years the University of Notre Dame Australia in Fremantle and Caritas Australia have worked together to raise awareness of global issues of social justice among our students and the broader community.

A key component of this collaboration is a two-step educative

programme that harnesses the students’ enthusiasm to help achieve this goal. Their first step takes them on a learning journey about sustainable development and the work of Caritas. This is closely followed by an immersion experience that aims to empower the participants to act as proponents of the development work in which Caritas engages to address social injustice. Traditional approaches to university education are well placed to tackle the first step, which encourages students to explore the critical issues and surrounding ‘landscape’ central to the programme. Participants consider questions such as:

● what social injustices do communities of developing countries experience?

● how are these issues interconnected?

● how do charity and aid differ?

● what is Caritas?

Administrative and Events Officer

Campus Ministry (Full-Time)

The University of Notre Dame Australia is a Catholic university with campuses in Fremantle, Broome and Sydney.

The Objects of the University are the provision of university education within a context of Catholic faith and values and the provision of an excellent standard of teaching, scholarship and research, training for the professions and

The Campus Ministry Office seeks a well organised and community focussed applicant for the position of Administrative and Events Officer. This position will be responsible for providing administrative support to the Office including the co-ordination of events, diary management, and the maintenance of the Campus Ministry website, notice boards, and promotional publications.

The Application Package for the position is available on our website http://www.nd.edu.au/jobs/fremantle.shtml or email staffing@nd.edu.au or phone (08) 9433 0805.

For further job-related enquiries please contact Rommie Masarei on (08) 9433 0532 or email rommie.masarei@nd.edu.au

Applications close 4pm Friday 25 February 2011

The

● what intrinsic principles guide the way Caritas operates?

● what does good and bad development look like?

Students quickly develop awareness of problems and issues such as violence, poverty, gender inequity, human trafficking, HIV/ AIDS, resource management and disaster preparedness. They learn about Caritas’ community-driven style of grassroots development and its emphasis on working directly with the people most affected by the above issues, especially the poorest of the poor, ie widows, the disabled, the sick and the elderly in developing regions in which Caritas operates.

Students recognise that, in this context, maintenance of human dignity is fundamental to development which can be sustained by poor communities. The strength of an approach that assists people to progress to a position where they are able to help themselves suddenly stands out in stark contrast to the alternative of merely giving water, food or clothing. While the latter is an instinctive and generous gesture, it creates an unwanted power differential between the privileged, and the dependent.

Students also realise the concepts of solidarity and a common humanity. They internalise the fact that arbitrary boundaries enforced by geography, privilege, gender or ethnicity should not reduce our view of “the other” to “us and them”.

Instead, they learn to appreciate the view of taking responsibility for the welfare of the global “us” in its entirety. The students discuss, argue, share stories and experiences, and nurture a healthy multiview perspective in this realm.

This step is relatively straightforward, ‘the easy bit’, quite achievable in the comfort of the University. But, how do you take the next step?

Constrained by time, how do you get people to take ownership of the issues and empower them to act?

At this point, the immersion section of the programme becomes relevant. In this section the programme turns to the international partners of Caritas Australia for help. Through this collaboration the students move away from the comfort of thier regular lives to spend time with the agencies and communities with whom Caritas is in partnership. At the very least, such immersion changes the way the programme’s participants view life and social problems. In turn, problems and inequities explored in a formal learning situation suddenly come to life as the students mingle with and speak with those affected by social injustice. In my experience as an educator, there is

no substitute for experiential learning to solidify knowledge or skills, as well as to motivate and inspire. For me, this has never been better exemplified than through the immersion experience of this programme.

As one of the participants in the immersion visit to Tanzania, I discovered that, while such immersion is confronting, the real difficulty comes when one returns to Australia. The desire to share your experience is natural, but is not always easy. Expressing the richness of the immersion can be hard and, if you try, you quickly realise that you can never elicit the same emotion in others which you yourself encountered when you spoke to the proud owner of a milk-bearing cow, or the farmer who has adopted new farming techniques and is now reaping the rewards, or the member of an HIV support group glowing with hope.

This can be frustrating and somewhat isolating. Typically, these stories, like the other stories related in the Project Compassion materials, are so far removed from our reality in Australia that people back home find them difficult to relate to. Instead they see them as unreal, as a sort of fiction, and consequently unmoving. To engage our community in the reality therefore becomes the challenge embraced by the travelling group. Consider this scenario: Busselton, within the bio-diverse southwest of WA, has a population around 25,000 people. This large town does not have the infrastructure to deliver water to the residents of Busselton. Women and children travel 4-7km a day to fetch water from a river or stream for drinking, cooking, washing, watering crops and cattle. The region’s economy is also struggling and people cannot generate an income by traditional means unless they live directly adjacent to a natural water supply.

Growing fruit and vegetables, grazing goats and cattle, tree farming and brick-making are just not viable. Many people have tried to supplement their income, or just provide for their own needs, by harvesting natural timber. This has had a devastating effect on the quality of the local environment, leading to issues such as erosion. Sanitation and hygiene are poor.

To wash clothes and crockery, bathe regularly, and install flushing toilets, again hinges on the availability of water. The incidence of disease and malnutrition is high and many people are unable to afford the time or money to send their children to school. Medical assistance and medication for even the simplest ailment are not affordable.

This is, of course, not Busselton and the thought is so farfetched in our minds that it is easily dismissed as ludicrous.

However, this was Karatu in the northwest of Tanzania a decade ago. This large African town is nestled between the internationally renowned national parks of Ngorongoro and Manyara which teem with the “big five” game and tourists year-round.

Rainfall is seasonal. In early December when our group visited, the ground was hard and dusty, consistent with the scrubby vegetation dominated by thorny acacia and cactus. However, this is not a story of sadness and despair with the intention to generate sympathy, but one of hope, solidarity, dignity and perseverance.

In 2000, the Diocese of Mbulu Development Department (DMDD) embarked on an ambitious project with the local community of Karatu. The key aim of the Gyewasu Project, (Gye is the name of the hill which holds the water source, wa for “water”, and su for “supply”), was to unite the community in their common future and deliver water to each household in the Karatu district.

The project received support from the Tanzanian Government and two international aid organisations, including Caritas Australia. Since it started, US$215,000 from Australian donors has made its way to Karatu to buy pipes and hardware, to provide motorbikes for maintaining the water system and to install metered water points, the largest investment by Caritas Australia to Tanzania.

Four villages have been integral to this project and have worked to build the range of skills and knowledge to drive, manage, oversee and work to install the system.

The success of Gyewasu firmly rests in the sturdy hands of the local community. A network of 132km of pipe now delivers water to within 400m of every school, nursery, dispensary, health care centre, religious institution and private household in the district and further work is underway to reduce this distance to within 50m.

The people of Karatu have harnessed this momentum to bring further benefits to the district by providing education on connected issues, including those focused on sanitation, environmental protection, HIV, credit schemes, and gender equity. While people have travelled from across Tanzania and surrounding countries to learn from the experience of those in Karatu, the success of the project was never more evident than on the faces of the people we met.

Devota, a widow with three sons living in the Mahenge diocese adjacent to the Udzungwa Mountain National Park in the southeast of Tanzania, received a cow named Checka through a Caritas Australia-supported programme. The cow is

PHOTO: UNDA

Locals collecting water from one of the 404 metered water points throughout the Karatu District which have been installed as part of the Gyewasu Project.

PHOTO: UNDA

The Caritas/University of Notre Dame Australia group and representatives from the Gyewasu Project at the distribution box that diverts piped water from the source to the surrounding district of Karatu. PHOTO: UNDA

Bunbury, Geraldton students go without

IN the lead up to Project Compassion 2011, Caritas Perth’s global educator Janeen Murphy has conducted Just Leadership programmes for 175 Year 6 and 7 school leaders from schools in the Bunbury, Peel and Geraldton regions.

Just Leadership workshops aim to provide students with a working knowledge of Caritas Australia, discuss the social mission of the Catholic Church and empower students with training and formation in how to engage the rest of their school community to work for social justice.

Student leaders from St Mary’s, South Bunbury are focusing on an awareness programme at their school to highlight the importance of the UN Millennium Development Goals, run in the lead up to and during Lent.

Already a successful “rice day” has been held. Leaders, with the support of staff and the help of some parents, organised the day where the school community was briefed about the focus and meaning of the day, which meant that each student participating went without their classroom ‘crunch’, their recess snack and for lunch had a bowl of rice (one scoop).

As a follow up, leaders interviewed students to gauge their reaction and received comments saying: “I am still hungry but very grateful to know I have food and now know how little some people have.”

Further practical activities are being planned to help the school community understand what it is like to be poor and be more aware about the Millennium Development Goals.

Students get stuck into their rice as part of a programme to help them appreciate what children in poor countries must do on a daily basis.

PHOTOS: CARITAS

Fraternity of Priests rebuilds in Perth

BY ANTHONY BARICH

THE Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy has re-booted in Perth, with Archbishop Barry Hickey showing his support for the organisation by attending their meeting on 17 February.

The ACCC, formed in 1987, was formerly headed in WA by Fr Steve Casey, but as he now serves in the diocese of Geraldton, it was hard for him to convene meetings in a central location.

City Beach parish priest Fr Don Kettle was appointed as the WA delegate to liaise with national chairman Fr John Walshe of Mentone, Melbourne after an inaugural conference of Confraternity of Catholic Clergy in Rome with the Pope for the Year for Priests in January last

year. Though 21 clergy are registered members in WA, up to 12 priests attend monthly meetings on the third Thursday, where they pray, bounce ideas off each other and share a meal. ACCC membership is open to all priests and deacons who are members of Religious or secular institutes.

All WA Bishops receive the ACCC’s bi-annual magazine The Priest, which includes articles to help the formation of priests and in which common matters are discussed. The organisation also hosts a retreat and conference annually.

Fr Kettle said it is critical for priests to support each other, spiritually and socially, to resist secular culture. He said that the international conference, which will be held every five years, edified

him in ways that he envisions the ACCC will do for priests around the Archdiocese on a regular basis.

“It was amazing. I felt like I was in the seminary again, with the fraternity and comradeship. It revived the old spirit, with those who have a common vision and identity of the priesthood, which is difficult facing the secularism of the culture we find ourselves living in,” he said.

Fr Kettle, who attended the Pontifical Irish College in Rome during his seminary formation, was ordained a priest in 2002 at St Mary’s Cathedral. His vision is to make the ACCC known to priests within the diocese “to say this is a fraternal group that is important to support each other in our priesthood”, he said. “Priests need priests - to keep an eye on each other, as it

creates an environment where we can speak openly about things we deal with,” he said.

“It’s an opportunity to discuss how to implement things and how to get advice from each other, what works and doesn’t work, but there’s also very much a social aspect to it.”

There are also 44 lay affiliate members in Perth who support and live out the ethos of the ACCC and subscribe to The Priest. In return, its priests run retreats and seminars for the laity. The ACCC’s objectives are:

● Give glory and honour to the Most Blessed Trinity

● Assist the eternal salvation and holiness of members

● Foster unity among Catholic priests and deacons with the Bishops in loyalty to the Magisterium

● Encourage faithfulness to priestly life and ministry

● Assist Bishops, priests, and deacons in the fulfilment of their ministry of teaching, sanctifying and ruling.

At the 17 February meeting Archbishop Hickey brought up an example of the fraternity which the ACCC offers, saying that the Holy Hour at St Thomas More College chapel attended by up to 80 priests followed by a meal was a huge success. The majority of priests said this should happen on a regular basis. The ACCC is a chance for this fraternity to grow. The ACCC will host its next annual retreat for its priests at St Joseph’s retreat centre in Kincumber, NSW.

- Email FrDonKettle@perthcatholic.org.au or call 9185 1443

In wake of fire loss family finds strength in each other

Continued from Page 1 back to Fremantle when he found out about the fire. He had been allowed to sleep over at a friend’s house in Mandurah the night before.

Five hundred metres from the harbour he could see the black smoke where the hills were.

A friend’s mum told him what happened. At first he thought it was a joke.

But when he found out that his house was ‘gone,’ he just went and lay down on the bed.

Meanwhile, back in Bromfield Drive, his mother was saving his pet lizard of four years, a dwarfed western bearded dragon, while his sister was saving his moneybox.

Talia also grabbed the computer hard drive, and Angela grabbed a set of Rosary beads that Talia had bought for her.

Sergio said they stayed until the house caught on fire but when he looks back he can see that there was never anything they could have done to save their home; it was in the fire’s path.

“The fire had a mind of its own,” Talia said.

“We keep saying thank goodness we’re alive,” Angela said.

Starting over A few weeks before the fire, Angela’s father had passed away.

They prayed a lot together when her father was in hospital, Angela said, but since losing her home she has taken to praying the Rosary daily.

“I thank God every morning,” she said. “We shouldn’t take this for granted any more. It’s a miracle that nobody was hurt by this fire,” she said.

“And that’s a credit to the firies and everyone who was involved,”

built and a tyre swing that he and Luke had made.

A gnome that the Tucci’s painted when Michael was a one-year-old is still sitting in the front garden of their old home while a pizza oven Sergio built by hand is left standing out the back.

Angela said that seeing Sergio’s pizza oven was a sign that the family had to stay. Sergio, who’s a bricklayer by trade, built the oven with fire kiln bricks and Angela said that a lot of love and history went into it.

“We can still cook with that pizza oven,” Sergio said.

Michael said he was surprised by what was left behind.

“Whatever Dad built, stayed,” he said.

Looking ahead

Sergio isn’t dwelling on the past. He said that he and Angela have to be positive.

“Now it’s history as it always is. We’ll rebuild,” Sergio said.

“People are generous, people rally round and support you.”

Sergio added. The experience of seeing their house burn down has strengthened them as a family and given them perspective on what is important in life, they said. Angela said they were close

before but are now yet closer still.

“I thank God that none of my children were hurt because at any moment, both Talia and I could have been stuck in the house.”

“There could have been many different scenarios,” Sergio said.

Talia has realised that people are “way too materialistic” while Angela is definitely not going to store up any more towels and tupperware for her children’s glory boxes.

“Think of it as a good way to declutter,” Sergio said, addressing his wife.

Looking back

Armadale Reptile & Wildlife Centre is looking after Michael’s pet lizard and feeding it well on a diet of pink mice, rice, broccoli and rats. Michael visits his pet on the weekend.

Talia, who’s in year 12 at St Brigid’s, Lesmurdie, is grateful that the fire came at the beginning of the year as she doesn’t have as many TEE notes to catch up on.

The teachers are helping her get back on track and happy to help her catch up at recess and lunch.

The boarders at the school have given her an open invitation to stay whenever she likes, she said.

Epilogue

When Michael, who’s in Year 7 at Mazenod College in Lesmurdie, went back to assess the damage, he was hopeful that there might be something left. He went to where his bedroom used to be, he said, but there was only half a bedroom left and he thought, ‘I used to be able to sleep there. I had stuff there.’

He saw the chilies and tomatoes in the vegetable patch that he and his mum were going to dry out. He realised they didn’t need to do that any more.

“It kills you sometimes when you think like that,” Sergio said.

He saw two of his old bikes. The handlebars had melted off the one he liked while the one that he never wanted anyway only suffered minor damage.

A tree that they wished was taken in the fire happened to remain behind as did the cubby they had

On 1 March this year, the Tucci family would have spent six years living in their 1987 ‘pole frame house;’ a split-level timber and brick home.

“I had my dream home for five years,” Angela said.

“Yes, and now you can get another one, Mum,” Talia said.

A melted steel frame still stands on the property.

Talia is hoping that demolition happens soon.

Even though they are planning to rebuild, Michael knows it won’t happen overnight.

“You have to wait till you get the money, then you have to level it out before you can start building,” he said.

“It’ll take six months to clean up and a couple of years to rebuild,” Sergio said.

“We have our moments but you’ve got to look forward. The plan is to take our time. For the first six months, we’re planning,” he said.

Regrouping: Sergio and Angela Tucci (above) and their daughter Talia reveal how they fled the fire that took their house in early February. Their son, Michael (right), explains how surprised he is at what remained. The Tucci family is staying strong, united and looking forward to rebuilding their home in Kelmscott.

PHOTOS: PETER ROSENGREN

Sisters rejoice in 400 years of service

Mercy Sisters have gathered to honour a remarkable legacy across WA

OVER four centuries of commitment to Religious life were celebrated on 6 February as Archbishop Barry Hickey offered a special Thanksgiving Mass with Franciscan Fr Michael Brown for six Diamond Jubilarians and a Golden Jubilarian at Our Lady of Mercy Chapel in Wembley.

The milestones of Diamond Jubilarian Sisters M Casimir Keating, Marie Walker, Marcella Blake, M Laboure Hasson, M Miriam Kearney and Ellen O’Neill and Golden Jubilarian Sr Pauline Masters were remembered on the day that also celebrated the 165th anniversary of the Mercy Sisters’ arrival to Australian shores at Fremantle in 1846.

Sr M Casimir, born in Kalgoorlie, attended the Convent school at Victoria Square and was transferred to Santa Maria Boarding School and became Head Girl after the college opened in 1936 when the upper school teachers from Victoria Square were transferred there.

She graduated as a teacher from Claremont Teachers’ College and took up positions in the Government school system until transferring to St Joseph’s at Victoria Square where she studied and became a Maths and Science secondary school teacher, which was when her long held idea of becoming a Sister of Mercy became a firm conviction.

“In the end, I knew that the Lord wanted me,” she said. “I have great gratitude to God for the great grace of my vocation. It is only by the grace of God that I am here. I take each day as it comes and I believe if I live each day properly, all will be well.”

Sr Marie Walker, born in Albany, won a scholarship to the State high school there, before working in a clerical position until joining the Royal Australian Air Force during the War and being stationed in Townsville for two and a half years where they just missed a major cyclone.

From her childhood, Marie had the desire to become a nun. She first thought of joining the Carmelites but, on the advice of Monsignor Moss, entered the Sisters of Mercy at Victoria Square.

She was trained as a teacher and for many years taught in primary schools in country and metropolitan schools. Marie also spent many years in Motor Mission ministry in the south west and in the Bunbury Diocese.

Sr Miriam Kearney was born in Derry, Ireland and attended the Bwatragh village school, employed in house duties before working at an aircraft factory during the war.

As a teenager, she thought about becoming a Sister and, in 1948, joined the group setting off for Australia.

One of her travelling companions remarked that Miriam ‘had been in a very good position with good earnings and was a very stylish young woman’.

Miriam’s tasty cooking has been a welcome ministry in many Convents including Norseman. She likes the WA climate and

loves spending time in the Mercy Chapel.

Sr Ellen O’Neill was born in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Ireland. Since she was a small child she knew about the Sisters of Mercy and says she always had the inkling to become a Sister. When she saw the advertisement in the local newspaper seeking postulants to go to Australia, she met Mother Brigid McDonald and responded. Together with Mother Brigid, Sr Eugenius and several companions wanting to join the Convent, they left Tilbury Docks on SS Strathaird in 1948.

Sr Ellen trained as a teacher at Victoria Square before attending the Secondary Teachers’ College and University of WA. She taught mostly in secondary schools throughout WA including Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie, Bunbury, Santa Maria and Mercedes.

Sr M Laboure Hasson was born in County Derry, Northern Ireland. After attending the village school, she worked in the office of the IOF (Ireland’s Own Football) for about three years.

During Mother Brigid’s visit to Derry her cousin, Betty, took her along to meet the visiting Sisters from Australia. She feels “the Lord

ps we are not u friends” (Jn

Christ of

“Friends of Christ – with St Mary MacKillop” explores this theme in the Gospels of Lent, drawing on the life and writings of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. In addition to incorporating St Mary’s example and message into each Reflection, the program features a new section entitled “Words from Mary”, which provides a selection of her writings. In the “Words of Life” section, five people who have become friends of Christ share their conversion stories. They come from a variety of religious backgrounds: Zoroastrian, Taoist, Christian, Buddhist and Muslim.

ent, drawing ng St Mary’s “Words from e people who y of religious ek to pray, to e Gospel, the acKillop. The ga reading of ymn.

was intervening” as she talked about joining the Order with her friends. All decided to go to Australia and set sail on the SS Strathaird with the excited group of adventurous girls and young women. She enjoyed the trip and tells about some of the activities they enjoyed, especially after their chaperones had retired for the night: walking around the decks, enjoying the sea breeze, watching the stars and meeting Irish and English people coming out to live in Australia.

After her novitiate, Mary Laboure worked at St Anne’s Hospital in the wards and the office. She still lives near the hospital, which is now known as Mercy Hospital in Mt Lawley.

Sr Marcella Blake was born in Killard, County Clare. After primary school, she attended St Brigid’s Missionary School. Two older sisters, M Regina and M Thecla, from this very mission-minded family had already entered the Sisters of Mercy in Australia so she was very happy to join the group travelling to Australia and be with them again.

Sr Marcella has taught both primary and secondary students at Harvey, Bunbury, metropolitan schools, Santa Maria College and Lumen Christi College.

She has a love for history and writes poetry based on her spirituality. Marcella sees her call to become a Sister has been a very positive and challenging one.

“I have come to enjoy and reverence the differences in people. I admire the quality of goodness and mercy of so many people in my life,” she says.

Sr Pauline Masters was born in Perth and attended school at St Columba’s, South Perth.

The family moved to Redcliffe and, when the Marist Fathers came to the parish, she helped set up a network with the youth in the area. She worked with a legal firm until she entered the Convent at Victoria Square.

After many years teaching in primary schools in the south west, the Goldfields and metropolitan area, she worked in Papua New Guinea in Teacher Training Colleges in

Mt Hagen and Wewak. On return to Perth, she became an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher at Mercy College, followed by Chaplaincy at Curtin and Edith Cowan Universities.

After a period as a pastoral worker in Donnybrook, Pauline returned to Papua New Guinea for one year. Her missionary leanings took her to Kenya in 2006 and East Timor in 2008.

Sr Elizabeth Devine, one of the group professed in 1951 but not present on 6 February, taught in many schools throughout WA, served as a missionary in Papua New Guinea, was Congregation Leader for six years and facilitated Religious and Spirituality programmes before returning to her native land in 2001 and is now part of the Northern Province of Ireland.

Sr Cabrini Fontana, who died on 28 June 2010, was also remembered for her great work among the Italian Community in Bunbury and Harvey. Born in Cannington, WA, she won a scholarship to Our Lady’s College, Victoria Square, and ended up a teacher and a great researcher, producing many articles of historical importance and a booklet chronicling the story of Mercy in the South West.

Sr M Bosco Costello, who died on 17 October 2010, was also part of the group from Ireland.

She became a nurse at St Anne’s Hospital for most of her life and was dearly loved by those with whom she lived and worked for almost every one of those 60 years.

One of the original group, Betty Grant, who became Sr M Roch, was a much-loved companion full of life who became very ill and died aged 20. She was professed on her death-bed at St Anne’s Hospital in January 1950.

Every part of the 6 February Mass reflected the importance of Religious life.

The Opening Hym, Be Thou My Vision, recalled to mind our total reliance on God’s mercy and love. The Vision Statement from the Sisters of Mercy Chapter was remembered at the Mass’ Penitential Rite when they were invited to reflect on being a credible sign of God’s love, having courage to face the unknown and hidden and bringing hope and joy to our world.

The Readings incorporated gratitude for the treasures of wisdom and friendship over the years and the Gospel was Mary’s Magnificat.

After renewing the vows each Sister made at her Profession 50 and 60 years ago, the Suscipe (Prayer of self-giving) of Catherine McAuley was sung.

In his homily, Archbishop Hickey spoke about those early days 165 years ago and Bishop John Brady.

He recalled that, as very young women, each of the Jubilarians had made the decision to dedicate her life to God and to God’s people; and for this, the Church is grateful for over 400 years of service, he said.

Prayer of the Faithful was presented by Loretta Gallagher, Philippa Casey and Elaine Purser, relatives of the Jubilarians. After Communion, the original hymn, Mercy Lives, composed by Sr Pauline and Sisters she lived with in Papua New Guinea, was sung.

Sisters Marie and Miriam in the Chapel before the Eucharistic celebration on 6 February for their Diamond Jubilee.

PHOTOS: COURTESY SISTERS OF MERCY.

Diamond Jubilarian Srs M Casimir Keating, Marie Walker, Marcella Blake, M Laboure Hasson, M Miriam Kearney and Ellen O’Neill with Golden Gubilarian Sr Pauline Masters.

End Times Blues

Those listening to radio one morning last week might have picked up a conversation on local Christian radio station Sonshine FM in Perth about signs of the end. Sort of. Fires, floods, cyclones and earthquakes have all been prominent in the news lately in Australia and it appears that the rapid succession of natural disasters in Australia’s backyard and close to us has some wondering whether there might not be something more to the natural phenomena which have grabbed our collective attention in the last eight weeks. Given the number and size of nature’s demonstrations, and the fact that they have affected thousands here in Australia and New Zealand (often tragically), it is in a certain way understandable that some people begin to add two and two, only to conclude that these potentially equal Signs of The End.

The conversation was not only quite interesting, it was exactly the kind of discussion you might hear on any normal mainstream morning drive-time radio broadcast anywhere in the world at this time in history. It was also interesting insofar as it discussed what some people, especially some Christians, may be wondering in the community.

Although Australia is, on the surface, a rapidly secularising postChristian society, numerous Australians of no particular faith still vaguely remember somewhere deep in their consciences that Christianity is a religion that also talks about something called the End Times. Many people are still vaguely conscious that Christianity is something to do with a time that will come involving some kind of Judgement, a lot of suffering and the return of Christ to the Earth. Somewhere in there, they also recall, there is mention of fires, floods, earthquakes and famines. One suspects that the rush of recent natural disasters has even got some in society looking slightly more nervously over their shoulders than they normally might when it comes to the issue of God’s existence.

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It was, in the opinion of this editorial, also a good on-air interview. Neither interviewer nor subject showed any inclination to favour or take advantage of the interpretation of naturalphenomena-as-signs-that-Godis-around-the-corner; the conclusion of the interview was that the really important thing for people to understand is that God is always in control. Worrying about the end of the world serves no purpose at all. Some Christians and pseudo-Christians, however, have certainly been tempted by the idea that the end of the world is nigh. There really is a tendency among some to look nervously at natural disaster and see the hand of God. Numerous sects have confidently predicted The End of Life as We Know It on the basis of their own particular interpretations of various scriptural passages and have even given times and dates for when this would occur. But, as this editorial was being written, none of these had, as yet, come true.

Some Catholics have also, at times, been just as susceptible as their non-Catholic Christian brothers and sisters to this outlook but those who have worried about the end of the world have tended to do it in a typically Catholic way, introducing the Blessed Virgin Mary, the antichrist, the Rosary, blessed medals, holy water, statues, guardian angels and a constellation of other Catholic devotional practices into their attempts at End Times calculus. Catholics are good at being distinctive. But what this general picture points to is a real potential weakness among some who try to follow Christ, which is to ignore what He said so that they can begin worrying solidly about things such as the end of the world.

Patient readers are requested to forgive the following paraphrase. “Don’t worry about tomorrow,” Jesus told His listeners once. “Tomorrow has enough problems for itself. Instead, concern yourself with the problems of today - these are enough for you.”

The words of the Son of God indicate that Christianity is a faith, above all other things, of the present moment. What has happened in the past must, for the Catholic and for the Christian, ultimately be given to the mercy and forgiveness of God. What will happen in the future is always to be confided to our Father’s will for each of us in a spirit of faith, hope, love and (admittedly often difficult but so, so important), trust. What matters for now is who and what we are called to be and the things we are meant to address in our daily lives. There are a thousand details awaiting our attention there and the process of addressing these is the real path to sanctity. Living in the ‘now,’ one might say, is really all that matters.

The end of the world, of course, is certainly coming for each of us. It is the moment when we die. That moment, Jesus said quite explicitly, we cannot predict but it will be unexpected, coming like a thief in the night. Preparing ourselves for our own personal end of the world is the goal of our life. It’s nothing to worry about and we should think of it more as the great Nobel laureate Alexander Solzhenitsyn suggested, a process of becoming lighter with each passing day, rising closer and closer to God.

Those who worry about the end of the world (with or without Holy Water) are really wasting their time and, to the extent that they worry about such matters, they become a burden in the lives of those around them. Fixation on end times may also be an indicator of a lack of mental stability and character but, hopefully, one that can be jettisoned. Floods, earthquakes, cyclones and bushfires may or may not be signs of the imminent end of the world but they should not distract us from the daily process of finding intimacy and friendship with God, especially an outlook of hope and complete trust in Christ.

This process will transform our own personal ends of the world into occasions of peaceful, joyful meetings with the One our hearts have always yearned for - and all those who have gone before us marked with the sign of Faith. Peter, writing to the early Christians, succinctly summed up the true Christian attitude to daily life, reminding his listeners that God is a Father. “Place all your worries on Him,” he wrote. “He cares about you.” Are natural disasters in quick succession signs of the imminent end? They could be but, actually, it doesn’t matter all that much. Floods and other natural phenomena are certainly signs, but ones that call us to love and help the other rather than frittering our

Front and centre

How hard it is to bear seeing, as H. Miller reports seeing in Churches, (The Record, 2 March 2011) “the Lord relegated to second place, with the tabernacle in any of several places, but generally not in the centre and elevated position”.

The seriousness of this devaluing of the Real Presence of Jesus in His eucharistic form in the Tabernacle cannot be measured.

To sideline the King of Kings to a corner, or to place Him anywhere but at the centre of the sanctuary, serves to diminish His absolute supremacy in our midst. It is effectively to give a higher importance to some other aspects of the Faith, giving it priority over His presiding personal eucharistic presence.

In reality, and very subtly, His sovereignty is demeaned wherever this occurs. Could such diminishing of His sacred presence ever be considered to be at the promptings of the Holy Spirit? Jesus has warned us never to place Him second to anyone, or anything, in Matthew 10:37. And St Paul warns very clearly in Galatians 1:10 of the

dangers of allowing ourselves to be governed by human respect.

St John gives record of the Saviour’s true position in the Apocalypse 1:12-18.

Imagine the message to children, and to every person who enters a church, were they to be immediately taken up with the vision of the Tabernacle in its true central position with figurines of adoring angels on either side and crucifix above …

Alan Mitter LANGFORD

Natural law and public policy

Many people today think that religion should be only a private affair. They think we should tolerate each other’s ideas of right and wrong and not impose any public morality (relativism). But this restriction of religious liberty has serious consequences. The separation of Church and State only means the State should not favour a particular Church.

Our Judeo-Christian, GrecoRoman heritage provides the solid foundation for the dignity of every human person (womb to tomb naturally) for our rights and freedoms, for the rule of law, for representative government, for the balance of powers and for all our liberal institutions (Cicero to Solzhenitsyn).

By allowing relativism to be our civil religion and public morality, we do not have the necessary common core of fixed moral principles to guide us. The time-tested and universally accepted certainties of natural law are not imposed and they enable us to avoid theological contradictions of trying to toler-

ate the intolerables of relativism. It is the commonsense of Faith and reason that some ideas and behaviours are wrong and dehumanise us – like the claim of a ‘right’ to kill the innocent by contraception, abortion, embryo experiments, suicide, euthanasia, etc – or by the claim of the ‘right’ to enjoy sex as a recreation outside marriage at any time, with either sex, in any numbers or arrangements – and with no concern for private or public responsibilities – for diseases, earlier deaths, broken homes, lives, hearts or proper care of any conceptions.

People of all times and places have known by better instinct and reason that only the natural law should govern morality for the health and happiness of mankind. Morality cannot be decided by a majority or by an ideologicallydominant group (eg Nazism, Communism, feminism, or market forces). Morality is a serious challenge with life and death consequences.

Those agitating for relativism present their claims as only a matter of mere tolerance for their harmless, plausible ‘rights’ to free choices. But then they vehemently reject any opposition as discrimination and hate speech.

However, I think many are becoming more aware of the implications of such behaviour. However, those agitating for depravity are the real perpetrators of discrimination and hate speech in their intimidation and attempts to use the law to deny free speech to the defenders of our heritage. They are culture terrorists.

All good men must reject the evil culture of greed, lust and death and promote the true culture of life and love for our survival.

Fr Bernard McGrath BENDIGO

Correction

In the article published 2 March, ‘Como Ordinariate Festival attracts strong interest’, Peter Hannon was quoted as hoping that the Apostolic Constitution would enrich the Novus Ordo liturgy ‘in its vernacular form of the Mass introduced in 1969/79 by Pope Paul VI’. Mr Hannon said only that he hoped

the Apostolic Constitution would enrich the Novus Ordo liturgy.

Secondly, the article quoted Peter as suggesting that the Book of Common Prayer would become a Book of Common Prayer between Catholics and Anglicans through the Apostolic Constitution. He did not say this.

The Record apologises for the error.

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Ordinations amid festive atmosphere continue Perth’s remarkable story of vocations to the priesthood

A packed Cathedral on a hot summer’s night

Archbishop ordains five more labourers for the vineyard but warns ‘be prepared for the temptations and be obedient’

By Bridget SpinkS

Satan is about to get busy, Perth Archbishop Barry Hickey said at the priestly ordination of Deacons Anibal Leite da Cunha, Emmanuel Dimobi, Cyprian Shikokoti, Daniel Boyd and Quynh Huy Nhat Do on 4 March at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Instead of preaching on the readings prepared for the occasion, Archbishop Hickey, hoping it was the work of the Holy Spirit, preached on the Lenten Gospel of the temptations of Christ in the desert.

Christ was tempted three times in the desert by Satan and he rejected all three temptations which were designed to change His mission from a spiritual mission - doing the will of His Father - to a temporal one, the Archbishop said.

This Gospel speaks of obedience to God’s will, he said.

“It also tells me that straight after this Ordination, Satan will get busy,” he said.

Satan will tempt the newly ordained with worldly things, he said, so that they will be bedazzled by perhaps money they have never seen before; the things that

PHOTOS: PETER ROSENGREN

people give them or comforts of modern Australian society. Other temptations that will come their way include that of being praised by people; of being on a pedestal; of having their newly ordained priestly hands kissed, he said.

Deflecting the attention away from Jesus onto the priest is a serious temptation that may come their way, he said.

The temptation to treat the priesthood like a ‘nine to five’ job and temptations against the promise of celibacy will also come.

“Obedience is what Jesus showed, when He was tempted, obedience to His father,” he said.

“Remember: be obedient to your promises all the days of your life,” he said.

“And you will find that your priesthood would be fulfilling, would be effective,” he said.

“People will receive the great blessings and graces that will come from your sacramental ministry, from your celebration of the Holy Eucharist. The grace of Jesus will come through your preaching.”

The reality of temptations come in the life of every priest; be prepared, he said.

The Archbishop also reminded the Ordinands that their mission is to preach the Word of God beyond the parish.

He encouraged them to live in the presence of God so that they would hear God call them just as he called Samuel.

“You are to be people of prayer because in prayer, there is no noise; you’ll hear God saying ‘Samuel,’” he said. “Your response is to say ‘Speak Lord, your servant is listening.’”

After the homily, each Ordinand knelt one-by-one before Archbishop Hickey and promised obedience to him and his successors.

Then the congregation kneeled while the Ordinands prostrated themselves on the sanctuary and the Litany of Saints was chanted.

Following this, Archbishop Hickey conferred the Sacrament of Holy Orders on each of the five candidates with the laying on of hands. As the Archbishop took to his chair, the clergy rose from theirs and proceeded one by one to lay hands on their new brother priests.

A few close family and friends then rose to help the newly ordained remove the stole of their diaconate and invest them with their priestly robes.

Cheering and loud applause broke out around the Cathedral to celebrate and welcome the five new priests to the Perth Archdiocese.

The ‘whole world’ was present to witness Perth Archbishop Barry Hickey ordain Frs Anibal Leite da Cunha, Emmanuel Dimobi,

10

Cyprian Shikokoti, Daniel Boyd and Quynh Huy Nhat Do to the Perth Archdiocese as family members had come from Kenya, Nigeria,

Vietnam, Portugal and Australia for the occasion, to join Perth Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton Please turn to Page

Deacons Emmanuel Dimobi, top left, Daniel Boyd, Quynh Huy Nhat Do, Anibal Leite da Cunha and Cyprian Shikokoti stand at the beginning of last Friday evening’s ordination ceremony in St Mary’s Cathedral. Shortly after, the five men were formally presented to Archbishop Barry Hickey as having being found worthy of ordination to the priesthood of the Catholic Church.

Heat fazed no-one

Continued from Page 9 and Mgr Brian O’Loughlin; more than 95 priests of the Archdiocese; seminarians and hundreds of Perth parishioners for the occasion, making it standing room only for any latecomers.

These ordinations bring the number of priests ordained by Archbishop Hickey to 95, according to records supplied by the Archdiocese.

Archbishop Hickey commented that the number of ordinations he has presided over was ‘something extraordinary these days when we are told that vocations are few and difficult to find’.

“God has blessed this Archdiocese in a special way and I am very grateful to God,” he said.

A night of real happiness

BY PETER ROSENGREN

It was a sweltering hot evening inside St Mary’s Cathedral last Friday as Archbishop Barry Hickey ordained five more men to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Perth, but the excitement was palpable.

No-one cared a bit about the heat.

The fact that five Perth parishes, each of which had been home to one of the five deacons about to be ordained that evening, turned out in an impressive display of communion and solidarity meant that a Cathedral which normally holds about 1,000 people at capacity was packed to standing-room only, inside and out.

From the very young to the very old, probably more than 1,300 people were present. From one end of the Cathedral to the other, ladies’ fans fluttered continuously throughout the evening in a seemingly futile effort to dispel the heat as hundreds lined the walls and spilled outside while people

craned their necks trying to catch a glimpse and hear the proceedings.

The heat made it difficult for everyone but the fact that the airconditioning didn’t seem to be working, or perhaps was simply overwhelmed, didn’t really matter in the end. By the time it was all over late into the evening, there was a clear feeling everywhere that it had been an unusually good night for the Church.

Last Friday’s ordinations were also an unexpected reminder of the diversity of the Church; of the five new priests, one was ‘Australian,’ Daniel Boyd who grew up in Bassendean parish, while the others, as is so often the case in recent years, hailed from overseas.

As a Deacon, Quynh Huy Nhat Do from Vietnam was incardinated for the Perth Archdiocese in January this year. Meanwhile, Anibal Leite da Cunha moved to Perth to continue his formation and journey to the priesthood after seven years’ study in the

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Nearly 100 clergy turned out to welcome their new brothers to the priesthood by praying over with them, beginning their lives as priests of the Catholic Church. After being vested, at right, the

Packed house: Archbishop Barry Hickey welcomes a capacity crowd to last Friday evening’s ordinations of five priests, above. Later in the evening, below, he kissed the newly-consecrated hands of the priests in a traditional sign of reverence for the priesthood. After being formally presented to the Archbishop, above at right, the deacons prostrated themselves as the Litany of Saints was chanted by all present.

for all, but a very good night for the Church

ry in East Timor. Cyprian oti came from Kenya to Perth in study at St Charles’ Seminary nvitation of Archbishop Hickey Emmanuel Valentine Dimobi igeria came first to Geraldton but later to Perth in August continue his formation as well. national diversity of deaamilies, relatives and friends, mention the parishes, primed hop Hickey’s humorous obserthat the evening’s ceremony a little like being at the United e the Vietnamese women wore nal, elegant attire, it was the ladies who stood out in their ul and graceful traditional cosbrightly coloured, often weard-dresses that looked like giant ns.

sense of celebration spilled uring Mass after the sign of newly ordained Fathers Cyprian mmanuel embraced their fel-

low priests starting with the growing number of Africans, jubilant that their long preparations for priesthood had ended as a new life had begun.

African members of the congregation also gave voice to their happiness at seeing their brothers ordained as the women spontaneously lifted their ululating voices in a traditional form of celebration. Throughout the evening the Director of the Liturgy, Sr Kerry Willison, was kept busy shepherding and moving from one point to the other inside the Cathedral, coordinating actions via radio headset and looking occasionally more like an air traffic controller in the process. She had a big job on her hands. At one point she was forced to come forward and pointedly shoo photographers away from beside the sanctuary as over-enthusiastic relatives, all videoing the event on mobile phones or ultra-small video cameras, blocked the procession of other relatives and friends bearing the vest-

ments of priesthood for the waiting new priests.

It was a great night for the priesthood as well; while 96 priests turned up at the beginning of the evening to welcome their new brothers, 101 processed out of St Mary’s which, under Archbishop Hickey’s tenure, has turned into something of a factory for producing priests in Australia.

The ordinations brought the number carried out by the Archbishop during his tenure in Perth to 95, a number unequalled by any Archdiocese or Bishop in Australia.

In fact, it is likely that the total number of ordinations in Perth since the Archbishop took up his position has equalled or surpassed the total for the rest of Australia.

Add to that the fact that while many Archdioceses and dioceses across the country struggle to ordain more than one priest every several – or moreyears, Perth has two fully functioning seminaries and it becomes clear that

Perth is the success story of the priesthood and seminary life in Australia.

Religious also turned out in force to welcome the new priests and pray for them; everywhere in the Cathedral the distinctive habits of men and women members of Religious Orders or institutes could be seen sitting alongside a remarkable variety of age and ethnic origin of the congregation.

One difference on the night was the traditional kissing of hands of the newly ordained. In ceremonies of past years, Archbishop Hickey has kissed the hands of the newly ordained in the Cathedral sacristy after the ceremonies and out of sight of the congregation.

In a departure from his normal practice, he knelt in front of the altar as each new priest came forward to give the Archbishop his blessing, after which the Archbishop kissed the hands newly consecrated for celebrating the Eucharist and dispensing the Sacraments as a sign of reverence for the priesthood’s unique character. It

looked as though he wasn’t expecting it but each new priest grasped the Archbishop’s hands and returned the gesture in a clear expression of gratitude for his support and acceptance of their own vocations. Friday night was full of unscripted moments like that; such as the hi-fives that Deacon Emmanuel gave to his brother priests or the emotional hug that Fr Cyprian gave to each of his beloved family present in the front row.

Afterwards, the Africans gathered to sing and dance outside the Cathedral. Those who have not seen the traditional African-style celebrations before might have wondered for a second or two what was going on but everyone loved and supported the clear joy on display.

This was part of what made Friday pretty good goods for all who were present. It was a great night for the priesthood, a great night for the people and a very good night for the Catholic Church in Perth.

them after their ordinations. After ordaining each priest, Archbishop Hickey, above, concelebrated Mass e new priests embraced friends and family in happiness.

PHOTOS: PETER ROSENGREN

Franciscans say yes to a Marian life

BY ANTHONY BARICH

THREE Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculata made their final Solemn Profession on 22 February to live a life of sacrifice in poverty, chastity and obedience, with a unique extra vow of unlimited consecration to Mary, who is ‘The Immaculate’.

Srs Maria Regina, 41, Maria Jacinta, 30 (Philippines) and Nigerian Maria Teresina, 34, made their final Solemn Profession before Perth Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton and their Order’s cofounder Fr Gabriel Pellettieri on the feast of the Chair of St Peter.

Sr Marie Antoniette, 33, also Filipino, renewed her vows the same day.

Despite having a deep relationship with Jesus since childhood –“when I was alone, I was not lonely” – Sr Maria Regina never imagined she would be a nun. It all changed when the calling she had resisted for so long became so strong she could no longer concentrate on her work in human resources at the Daily News, Cebu’s major daily newspaper in the Philippines.

When she was 33 – “the same age Jesus died that I might live, the birth of my Religious life” – she entered the Immaculata.

“I resisted as I was very attached to a job I loved, I had a loving family I didn’t want to leave, but it was like a force within me. I felt restless with a deep longing and only if I responded to it would I be at peace,” she told The Record last week.

At the time she had no idea what Religious life was like, she just knew it was serving God. A year of aspirancy and postulancy in Manila followed, then a one-year novitiate before she made her temporary Profession, when she was sent to Italy to complete her studies, before arriving at the Sisters’ St Joseph Convent in Marangaroo last year, located adjacent to an aged care centre.

“I’m very happy I’ve found my home. It really is my calling – what God wants of me. It’s like a treasure I’ve found. It keeps the peace in your heart when you just trust God,” she said.

“In the Religious life, we are privileged, because through the mouth of our Superior comes the will of God. They are God’s representatives. For us Franciscans of the Immaculata, we know this is also the will of Mary, as her will is so conformed to God’s will.”

The Sisters rise at 4.45am for prayer until breakfast at 8am, then they prepare for 9.30am Mass and bring the people from the nursing home to Mass as well.

The Sisters are then on a rotation between chores in their convent and their apostolate of pastoral care in the nursing home before and after lunch at 12.45pm.

Their daily siesta from 2-3pm is preceded by adoration before the Blessed Sacrament twice a week, followed by Vespers; some pray the Rosary while others simultaneously do their apostolate.

The nuns aim to pray at least the four Mysteries of the Rosary daily – Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious – but Sr Maria Regina said they pray as many as they possibly can, even during chores, as “the more Rosaries you pray, the more souls you get into Heaven”.

While she says Religious life is “beautiful”, it is “not the absence of crosses”. They become easier when they carry their cross with Jesus and Mary.

“Religious life is a life of sacrifice, a life of reparation – we follow in the footsteps of St Francis who loved poverty and followed in the steps of Jesus in His poverty and humility,” she said.

It is a life of mortification and penance, but “when you do it for the love of God, knowing you can save many souls, not only your own but others’, and for the conversion of sinners, then it’s worth doing”, she said.

This way of bearing daily crosses for the sake of the Kingdom is not unique to Religious life, she said – it applies to married life too, so long as Jesus is put at the centre of one’s life, “with Mary as queen of the home”.

“The frame of mind (in Religious life) is obedience. When you’re in the world, you do what you want to do, but in Religious life you follow the will of Another; you give up your will for the love of God –which is probably the hardest thing for many,” she said.

Living by Providence, she said, is accepting what you’re given, including food – unless there’s a serious medial reason not to. The point is, they own nothing; everything, including their habits, are given for their use.

There are at least three Australian-born nuns with the Immaculata, plus one aspirant from Sydney. “Hopefully there will be more,” Sr Maria Regina said.

Srs Maria Regina and Maria Teresina stand after being crowned with Christ’s crown of thorns during their Profession Mass, symbolising being the eternal spouse of Christ. Their Order’s founder Fr Gabriel Pellettieri also placed on their finger a ring symbolising their mystical marriage with Christ, keeping themselves faithful to Him. PHOTOS: MONICA DEFENDI

Left, the Sisters embrace each other for the Sign of Peace during their Profession Mass. Right, Sr Maria Jacinta signs her vows and renunciation of all temporal goods as part of the vow of poverty.

The Sisters prostrate themselves before Bishop Donald Sproxton covered with the mantle of Our Lady that marks her special protection, and signifies their death to the world.

Sr Maria Regina makes her vow of unlimited consecration of her life to the Immaculate, who is Mary.

A life of love lived to the fullest

Photography graduate

Monica Defendi

(above) documented a day in the life of Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculata to shatter popular preconceptions about Religious life and to show the beauty of a life of love and prayer in poverty, chastity and obedience

BY ANTHONY BARICH

MONICA Defendi is a busy young woman. Between working four part-time jobs, she’s just completed a Bachelor of Design at Curtin University, majoring in Photography for which, as a major project, she documented the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculata.

Having attended Divine Mercy College in the Swan Valley where she was taught by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculata, she was not unfamiliar with their habits –pardon the pun.

She wanted to show the world that a life devoted to God in prayer is fulfilling and joyful.

“I wanted show people in my class (at university) the daily life of (the Sisters); that it’s not completely foreign – they live quite a productive life,” Monica, 22, said. “Many people presume they know what goes on but they have no idea as they’ve had no exposure to it.”

While she admits the Sisters’ life of prayer is “not normal” in today’s society, she wanted to show that Religious life is not just for the more mature, as evidenced by the youth of the Sisters.

Two of the three Sisters who made their final Profession on 22 February are in their early 30s; the other is 41. Another who renewed her vows that day is 33.

“They’re not old nuns who maybe people think their parents were taught by, and have scary sto-

ries of strict, authoritarian rule. It’s not like that at all. They’re young, easy going and they love to laugh,” said Monica, who is off to Europe later this month to pursue a photography career and reconnect with her Italian heritage.

The Sisters’ life, she said, is “not like a cold, boring, living-by-rules thing. They do everything out of love for God.

“That’s not to say other Orders aren’t like that, but I did this project to bust people’s preconceived notions of what it might be like to live in a convent.”

She also did it to show lives totally devoted to God through Our Lady; from the Sisters’ blue habits to their professed first names all being Maria to statues and paintings of Mary that adorn every room and hallway. Even when they work in the garden or laminate cards with Miraculous Medals and a prayer of reparation written by Auchwitz martyr St Maximilian Kolbe whose Marian apostolate they strive to imitate, they pray the Rosary.

When she was 10, Monica visited the Sisters with her own sister and former Record journalist, Sylvia Defendi, spending almost a week with them and was struck by how they covered all their mirrors with paper – an act of humility so that, like the Virgin Mary herself, they never get to see their reflection.

Monica described this as being in total opposition to the outside world where image is everything, reflecting how deeply the Sisters live their lives in imitation of Mary. It continued to inspire her when she visited the Sisters again for her project in September last year.

“Even when they have time out or free time, they’re always in the presence of Mary. There’s never time out from religion, as it’s part of everything they do,” Monica said.

But the Franciscans are not a cloistered Order. They attend many religious events around the Archdiocese and spend their days praying, crafting cloths for priests’ vestments for their Friars and for priests overseas, and for cloths used in churches. “They’re all so lovely, friendly, quiet and humble,” she said.

The continuity that marks Religious life is held together by prayer, which is done “before and after everything they do.”

“They have a schedule for the day and it all flows smoothly. There’s never any arguments or yelling,” she added.

“It’s relaxing to get away from a stressful day. I’m always running around worried about how I’m going to get everything done in my day, yet they get so much done with total calm.”

The fact that the Immaculata are only in WA made Monica feel lucky, or more appropriately, “blessed”, to have met them.

Left, the Sisters work in the garden. Above, they regularly crown Our Lady and refresh the flowers at her shrine.

Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculata walk the corridors of their house in this photograph by Monica Defendi. All photos here are from her photo-documentary on them she did as a project for Curtin University.

Above, the Miraculous Medals from which the Sisters make prayer cards by laminating them together with a prayer by St Maximilian Kolbe. Monica also photographed them working on this below.

Pope won’t waive miracle needed for Mother Teresa’s sainthood

POPE Benedict XVI will not hasten the process of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta’s canonisation by waiving the required miracle, according to her successor, Sr Nirmala.

Mother Teresa (1905-97), founder of the Missionaries of Charity, was beatified by Pope John Paul in 2003; Sr Nirmala, now 77, served as the institute’s superior general from 1997 to 2009.

Israeli PM thanks Pontiff for letting Jews off the hook

ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has written to Pope Benedict XVI, thanking the Pontiff for teaching that the Jewish people do not bear collective guilt for the death of Jesus.

“I commend you for forcefully rejecting, in your recent book, a false charge that has been a foundation for the hatred of the Jewish people for many centuries,” the Israeli leader said. He added that he hopes to meet with the Pope soon, to convey his appreciation in person. “My fervent hope is that your clarity and courage will strengthen the relations between Jews and Christians throughout the world and help promote peace and reconciliation for generations to come,” the Jerusalem Post reported on 3 March.

Western idea of mercy killing ‘inapplicable to India culture’

THE Indian government has categorically rejected a Federal commission’s recommendation that terminally ill patients should be allowed to choose death in order to end their suffering.

The government took its stand during a 3 March hearing on a euthanasia plea before the Federal Supreme Court. Opposing the plea that has been entered on behalf of Aruna Shanbaug, who has been in an unresponsive state for 37 years, the nation’s attorney general GE Vahanvati said that Western ideas about “mercy killing” cannot be applied to Indian culture. “We do not lead our terminally ill parents or kids to death. Who decides if one should live or die? Who knows: tomorrow there might be a cure to a medical state perceived as incurable today. And won’t leading the terminally ill impede pro-life medical research?” argued the chief legal officer of the Federal government. The lawyer for the KEM hospital, where Shanbaug has lived in a comatose condition for 37 years, also opposed the euthanasia plea. The Supreme Court has withheld its decision on the case; it will be announced at some future date.

Chile leader affirms right to life from conception to natural death

POPE Benedict XVI met on 3 March with Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera Echenique for a 30 minute discussion that touched on Chilean policies and on the situation in Latin America generally. In an article that appeared in L’Osservatore Romano at the time of the meeting, the Chilean leader called attention to his country’s pro-life stand, saying “that our democracy protects human rights, especially the right to life from conception to natural death.” On 25 February, Chile received the International Protect Life Award as the country with the lowest maternal mortality rate in Latin America. The honour was a clear indication that abortion, contrary to the claims of its supporters, does nothing to diminish maternal deaths, as abortion is illegal in Chile. “During the cordial discussions, attention focused on questions of mutual interest, such as the protection of human life and the family, aid for integral development, the fight against poverty, respect for human rights, social justice and peace,” the Vatican announced following the meeting. “In this context, the positive role played by Catholic institutions in Chilean society was reiterated, especially in human promotion and education.”

Pope approves new Syrian Bishops

POPE Benedict XVI has approved the elections of Bishops for the Syrian Catholic Church in Baghdad and Mosul in Iraq after increasing violence against Catholic personnel and institutions in Iraq. Last fall, a bomb attack on a Syrian Catholic Church in Baghdad left more than 50 people dead. Named as Syrian-rite Archbishop of Baghdad was Fr Yousif Mansoor, 59, an Iraqi-born priest currently serving at the St Joseph Syrian Catholic Church in Mississauga, Ontario. Since 1997, he has been in charge of pastoral care for Syrian-rite Catholics in the United States and Canada. He speaks Syrian, Arabic, French and English. Iraqi Fr Boutros Moshe, 67, who has worked in seminary formation in Baghdad and Mosul, was appointed Syrian-rite Archbishop of Mosul. Archbishop-elect Moshe succeeds Archbishop Georges Casmoussa, 72, who said after last year’s church bombing that the United Nations should step in and protect the Catholic community in Iraq and was kidnapped by gunmen in 2005 and threatened with death, but eventually was released unharmed. Archbishop Casmoussa was transferred to the Syrian Catholic patriarchal curia. The Pope also approved the election of Fr Jihad Battah, 54 - who has worked in Lebanon and Syria - as a Bishop of the Syrian Catholic patriarchal curia.

Pope exonerates Jews in his ‘Passion of Christ’

ANALYSIS

BY JOHN T HAVIS Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY - In his latest volume of Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict XVI says the condemnation of Christ had complex political and religious causes and cannot be blamed on the Jewish people as a whole.

The Pope also said it was a mistake to interpret the words reported in the Gospel, “His blood be on us and on our children,” as a blood curse against the Jews.

Those words, spoken by the mob that demanded Jesus’ death, need to be read in the light of faith, the Pope wrote. They do not cry out for vengeance, but for reconciliation, he said.

“It means that we all stand in need of the purifying power of love which is His blood. These words are not a curse, but rather redemption, salvation,” he said.

The Pope’s treatment of the events of the Passion form the core of his new book, Jesus of Nazareth. Holy Week: From the Entrance Into Jerusalem to the Resurrection. It was to be officially presented at the Vatican on 10 March, but excerpts from three chapters were released on 2 March.

The work is an extensive reflection on the Gospel texts and on the arguments of Scripture scholars, in effect offering Pope Benedict’s version of The Passion of the Christ

In Chapter 7, the Pope examines the trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor in Judea. The Pope said Pilate is presented realistically in the Gospels as a man who knew that Jesus posed no real threat to the Roman order, but who had to deal with political realities - including pressure from Jesus’ accusers.

“Now we must ask: Who exactly were Jesus’ accusers? Who insisted that He be condemned to death?”

the Pope wrote. He noted that the Gospel of St John says simply it was “the Jews.”

“But John’s use of this expression does not in any way indicate - as the modern reader might suppose - the people of Israel in general, even less is it ‘racist’ in character. After all, John himself was ethnically a Jew, as were Jesus and all His followers,” he said.

What St John was referring to with the term “the Jews,” the Pope said, was the “temple aristocracy,” the dominant priestly circle that had instigated Jesus’ death.

In St Mark’s Gospel, the Pope said, this circle of accusers is broadened to include the masses or mob of people. But he said it also would be a mistake to see this, too, as referring to the Jewish people as a whole; more specifically, they were the followers of the imprisoned rebel, Barabbas, who were mobilised when Pilate asked the crowd to choose amnesty for one of the accused: Jesus or Barabbas.

The Pope said the trial and condemnation of Jesus was a classic conflict of truth versus power, posing questions that still reverberate in modern politics.

When Jesus said that His kingship consisted of bearing witness to the truth, Pilate - the representative of worldly power - did not know how to react, and asked pragmatically: “What is truth?”

“It is the question that is also asked by modern political theory: Can politics accept truth as a structural category? Or must truth, as something unattainable, be rel-

egated to the subjective sphere?”

the Pope said. He said that when “truth counts for nothing,” justice is held hostage to the arbitrariness of “changing opinions and powerful lobbies.” The history of great dictatorships fed by ideological lies demonstrates that only truth can bring freedom, he said. In essence, he said, bearing witness to truth means giving priority to God.

The Pope drew a parallel between the condemnation of Jesus and the modern “failure to understand the meaning of creation ... the failure to recognise truth.”

“As a result, the rule of pragmatism is imposed, by which the strong arm of the powerful becomes the god of this world,” he said.

The Pope also examined the figure of Barabbas, saying Gospel accounts depict him as a “terrorist or freedom fighter” against Roman rule. In effect, the Pope said, Pilate was looking at two criminals accused of rebelling against the Roman Empire.

It is clear, the Pope said, that Pilate prefers the nonviolent “fanatic” that he saw in Jesus. But the crowd supports the rebel Barabbas because “they would like to see a different solution to the problem.”

“Again and again, humanity will be faced with this same choice: to say yes to God who works only through the power of truth and love, or to build on something tangible and concrete - on violence,” he said.

The Pope said the Barabbas scene and its many recurrences throughout history represent a challenge to Christians and should “tear open our hearts and change our lives.”

He went on to describe the physical cruelty of the Passion, including the “barbaric” practice of scourging, which left Jesus near death, and the crowning with thorns, which

aimed to humiliate Jesus and His claims to be a king.

The Pope said the soldiers involved in these acts of brutality were scapegoating Jesus. “Whatever may be afflicting the people is offloaded onto Him: In this way it is to be driven out of the world,” he said.

When the beaten Jesus is presented to the crowd with his crown of thorns and reed scepter, He manifests his fully human nature, the Pope said.

“In Him is displayed the suffering of all who are subjected to violence, all the downtrodden. His suffering mirrors the inhumanity of worldly power, which so ruthlessly crushes the powerless,” he said.

In the end, the Pope wrote, Pilate may have convinced himself that he had defended Roman law and civil peace.

But at a later date, he said, it would become clear that “peace, in the final analysis, cannot be established at the expense of truth.”

In the book’s third chapter, Pope Benedict looks at the figure of Judas. He noted that the other disciples believed that in betraying Christ, Judas had come under the grip of Satan.

Judas did take a step toward conversion when he later acknowledged his sin and gave back the money he was paid for his betrayal, the Pope said. But Judas’ “second tragedy” was that he could no longer believe in forgiveness.

“He shows us the wrong type of remorse: the type that is unable to hope, that only sees its own darkness, the type that is destructive and in no way authentic,” the Pope said.

“Genuine remorse is marked by the certainty of hope born of faith.”

The second volume of the Pope’s book Jesus of Nazareth will be available from The Record Bookshop.

Fasting for Lent has health benefits

Fasting has spiritual, physical benefits but also points to good works

BY MARYLYNN G HEWITT Catholic News Service

DETROIT - That empty stomach rumble, a reminder of fasting during Lent, is beneficial spiritually and physically. It also is a way to draw attention to the work of the Church and to help charitable organisations.

Catholics are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, which means eating only one full meal during the course of a day, and to abstain from meat on Fridays.

“The greater portion of fasting is the honouring of the suffering death of our Lord Jesus Christ,” said Franciscan Fr James Goode, president of the National Black Catholic Apostolate for Life.

“I tell people when they are in the midst of a crisis in their life, try fasting and prayer, and then pray and fast and have that assurance that God will hear our prayer.”

The 70 year old priest says he would fast before being given a new assignment.

“It was the experience of saying, ‘Not my will, but God’s will, be done.’ God was able to help me to understand where He was leading me. Prayer and fasting brought me peace. It brought me comfort. It brought me that assurance that Jesus is still mine. And that there is nothing in life that He won’t be with me through.”

Members of the New York-based apostolate are encouraging others to join in using Tuesdays during Lent as additional days of fasting and prayer “for the end of abortion and all acts of violence that are destroying our community.”

Pax Christi USA also is recommending fasting beyond the Friday requirement during Lent.

John Zokovitch, director of national field operations for the organisation that is moving its headquarters from Erie, Pennsylvania, to Washington, says it “goes along with Catholic understanding of fasting being about personal atonement, but also about certain self-purification, a certain

Eric Tice, a second-grade student at Immacolata Parish School in St Louis, prays during Ash Wednesday service at the parish on 17 February 2010. The Catholic Church observes Ash Wednesday by marking baptised Christians with a public and communal sign of penance at the start of Lent.

PHOTO: CNS/LISA A JOHNSTON

amount of resituating ourselves to the important things in our life.

“Within the context of Pax Christi, it’s with the Gospel call to be peacemakers and justice seekers,” said the 42 year old member of Holy Faith Catholic Church in Gainesville, Florida.

While there is no specific priority cited for this year’s Lent fast, Zokovitch says in the past year the hallmarks of Pax Christi - prayer, study and action - have emphasised the war in Afghanistan, immigration and nuclear disarmament.

Fasting and abstinence should go back to being a communal practice for families and parishes to skip a meal, spend the time in prayer and donate the money to charity, says Mgr Charles Murphy, 75, director of the diaconate programme for the diocese of Portland, Maine.

“When I was growing up, you could look around a restaurant and know who was a Catholic by who was not eating meat.”

He also remembers the total fast of food and water from midnight until receiving Communion, a fast

Dutch Bishop removed from ministry on sex abuse charges

A DUTCH Bishop who had served in Kenya was removed from ministry in 2009 after a Vatican investigation confirmed charges of sexual abuse, Radio Netherlands reports.

Bishop Cornelius Schilder, a Mill Hill missionary, was appointed Bishop of Ngong in Kenya. He stepped down in August 2009 at the age of 67, giving health concerns as the reason for his resignation.

The Dutch Bishop had been charged with molesting a teenage boy earlier in his stay in Africa. A Mill Hill superior has now confirmed that the retired Bishop has been barred from ministry: an indication that the Vatican found evidence to support the charges against him. Bishop Schilder was reportedly removed from ministry by the Vatican’s Congregation for Evangelisation in August 2009, the time of his retirement.

Russian Patriarch: modernisation will fail if moral norms rejected

LAMENTING the problems that afflict Russian society - “corruption, disrespect for the law, alcoholism, drug addiction, criminality, the crisis of the family”- the head of the Russian Orthodox Church said that efforts at “modernisation” will fail unless they take moral norms into account.

“Modernisation without a moral dimension turns to [the] unrestrained pursuit of temporary goods and pleasures, heartless technocracy, [and] results in perverted relations between people,” said Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

with “the actual feeling of hunger so that you create a space that only God can fill.”

He equates it with the “Christian rhythm of life of fasting and feasting.”

Mgr Murphy points to Pope Paul VI’s apostolic constitution on penance in 1966, which recommended all Catholics voluntarily fast and abstain throughout the year. Outside Lent, those practices could be substituted with prayer and works of charity. Mgr Murphy says the changes were prompted because prior to 1966, “it was so laden with the language of sin that people were approaching it without the spiritual basis for this practice.”

Fasting fell out of favour. In February 1980, a few months after visiting the United States, Pope John Paul II had dinner at the Pontifical North American College in Rome where Mgr Murphy was the rector. The Pope asked the rector about the lack of fasting in the United States.

“I didn’t have an answer for him then,” recalled Mgr Murphy, who said his answer became his book The Spirituality of Fasting: Rediscovering a Christian Practice, published by Ave Maria Press in 2010.

He also promotes the partial fast observed during Lent as a way to “heal our bodies, minds and spirits of bad habits. They say it takes 40 days for the body to reset itself biologically and that’s what Lent is.” America’s appetite could stand to benefit physically by fasting, said Dr Raymond Casciari, chief medical officer at St Joseph Hospital in Orange, California. Fasting “tends to make you more alert and tends to make you less depressed.”

Most people begin to metabolise fat after 12 hours of fasting. “We need to access that fat, otherwise it just continues to build. That’s a huge problem in this country right now,” said the physician, a member of St Norbert Parish in Orange.

“The more fat we build, the more likely that we will get all sorts of diseases related to fat: diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, strokes.”

A weekly fasting day, staying hydrated with water, would be a good thing for most people, he said. Just as important is breaking that fast with a small meal, rather than trying to make up for the meals missed.

State authorities, the patriarch added, need to recognise the indispensable role that civil associations play in renewing society. While the “actions of state authorities are absolutely necessary, these problems can’t be solved only from above, without participation of people, without creative activity of an ordinary person, without people’s capability to self-organisation, to creating what we call institutes of civil society,” he said.

Catholic agency barred from Darfur

SUDANESE government forces continue interfering with NGOs operating in Darfur. Last in line is the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) organisation, which has been denied the right to operate in Western Darfur, accused of having distributed Bibles. News of the decision was confirmed by the Sudanese government’s Mohamed Awad, according to whom CRS have been found to distribute Bibles in refugee camps and schools.

German Bishops offer financial support for all abuse victims

THE German Catholic Bishops have announced a plan to offer €5,000 ($6,895) payments to victims of clerical abuse.

The Bishops’ proposal would also provide for therapy for victims, and extra financial support would be available for “particularly grave” cases. These payments will be available to any victims who cannot file lawsuits because their cases go beyond the time limits specified by statutes of limitations.

Bishops slam pregnancy help centre disclosure rules

NEW YORK Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio said a requirement that crisis pregnancy centres must display disclaimers about the services they provide “is designed to prevent pro-life advocates from speaking freely.” Pro-life speech is “considered unwelcome by some powerful interest groups that favour abortion,” they said as the Pregnancy Service Centre Bill, first proposed last fall, was pending before the New York City Council. A day later, the council passed it and Mayor Michael Bloomberg was expected to sign it. Under the ordinance, crisis pregnancy centres are required to post notices on their doors and waiting-room walls and in advertisements that they do not perform abortions or provide referrals, distribute FDA-approved contraceptives or provide referrals. They also must post a notice when a physician is not in house.

Penalties for failure to comply include being shut down for five days after three violations. Centres can receive stiff fines and personnel can be jailed for up to six months if they fail to comply with the shut-down order. A similar law in Baltimore was recently struck down as unconstitutional by a Federal judge because it violated the First Amendment rights of pregnancy centres. The Bishops noted that the “some of the more draconian measures” in the bill had been removed after they had raised concern about the measure earlier, but they still urged the City Council to reject it.

Archbishop Dolan

A Palestinian girl in an angel costume runs during carnival festivities at Holy Family Church in the West Bank town of Ramallah on 4 March. Hundreds of Catholic children from parishes in the West Bank gathered for the carnival, which precedes the penitential season of Lent.

PHOTO: CNS/DEBBIE HILL

Bunbury Cathedral opening takes shape Majella Primary turns 40

BY BRIDGET SPINKS

The invitation-only official dedication and Mass of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Bunbury is set to take place at 5pm on St Patrick’s feast day, 17 March.

Manila Archbishop Guadencio Cardinal Rosales and 25 Australian Bishops are expected to attend.

“It’s a once in 300 year event,” Bunbury Bishop Gerard Holohan said at a media briefing on 4 March, adding that the ceremony follows the structure of the dedication of the Temple of Solomon.”

Passionate about the internal participation of attendants in the liturgy, Bishop Holohan has arranged for explanations to be included in the booklet attendees will use to follow the dedication ceremony.

“It follows a New Evangelisation pedagogy,” he said.

“The dedication is about God taking possession of the temple; it’s about Jesus taking possession of the Cathedral,” he said.

The relics of St Irenaeus, St Thomas A Beckett, St Mary of the Cross (MacKillop) and St Monica, the mother of St Augustine, will be interred in the altar during the ceremony.

The artwork featured in the 14 windows of the new Cathedral is the work of contemporary Australian artist Robert Juniper.

Several special event Masses have been planned to take place the week after the opening (see separate story)

“The idea is that the church is for everyone, so people will come in and take their ownership, as it

Events across the Archdiocese

At a glance

St Mary’s Cathedral

St Patrick’s Day Mass

The Irish Community of WA and the Archdiocese of Perth will host a special Mass with Rottnest Island chaplain Monsignor Sean O’Shea as principal celebrant. There is parking for 90 cars under the Cathedral. Other parking is available at PCC parking stations in the vicinity. The

The lone Prophet

By Tony Evans

In Defence of Pessimism

Pessimists have never been popular, even when telling the truth – in fact, especially when telling the truth.

The ancients first drew our attention to this phenomenon by showing that those who foretold disasters or defeats were either done to death, like Laocoon who distrusted the Greeks when bearing gifts and was swallowed by serpents; or Cassandra, who foretold disasters but was condemned never to be believed.

were,” Bishop Holohan said. Since the 2005 tornado tore down the former St Patrick’s Cathedral first opened in 1921 by Archbishop Clune, Bunbury parishioners have been attending Mass at St Thomas’ and St Mary’s Mass centres in Bunbury while the new Cathedral was being built.

Cathedral diary

19 March

Cardinal Rosales will celebrate Mass for the Filipino community at 11am

Free Organ Recital by newly appointed organist Thomas Wilson for St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney at 4pm

20 March

Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto will celebrate the Opening Mass and Handover of St Patrick’s Cathedral to the Bunbury parishioners at 10am Youth Mass at 6pm

22 March

Annual Teachers’ Commissioning Mass for Bunbury Diocese at 12pm

23 March

Mass for the Sick (time TBC)

30 March

Bishop Gerard Holohan will ordain Deacons Francis Constantino and Roshan Fernando for the diocese of Bunbury

“Red Cat” free bus service runs past the Cathedral regularly. It stops at many convenient locations from West Perth, particularly Perth Central Railway Station, stopping at the door of the Cathedral.

When: 10.30am, 17 March

Enq: 9446 3784. Email: pltanham@ tpg.com.au

Infant Jesus Parish, Morley

Men’s Breakfast “Is there really a God?”. Talk given by Fr Tim Deeter. Includes 8.30am Mass. Attendance $20 – proceeds to St VdP. Registrations/payments to

MAJELLA Catholic Primary School in Balga celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, with “great opportunities ahead”.

Speaking at the school Mass to kick off 2011, Nigerian priest Fr Martin Kenny said that “building on the foundations of the past, great opportunities now lie ahead for us”.

The school opened in 1971 using the facilities of the local Anglican hall until the original building was completed for the Sisters of Mercy West Perth.

Fr Eamon McKenna and Fr Barry Whitley were the two parish priests involved with the school during these early years. Sr Jilyan Dingle was the foundation principal followed by Sr Carmel Wringe. The Sisters of Mercy withdrew from the school in 1983 and Sue Groves became the first lay principal.

In 1974, when Mgr Michael Keating arrived, it was still a small school with students from Years 1-4. Mgr Keating wrote of his time at Majella: ‘It was always a lovely school and the Sunday Mass was celebrated in the classrooms.”

Eventually, a demountable was procured and used as a place of worship. This same building is in use today for Sunday Mass, school liturgies and of an evening, for groups within the parish community.

By 1989, the school had expanded to five classes including a new Pre-Primary. Further extensions were completed in 1996 to allow for the addition of classes to Year Seven and Kindergarten was offered in 1997.

parish office by Sunday 13 March. Advise on dietary requirements

Enq: Brendan 9276 8336

When: 9am, 19 March, Infant Jesus Parish Hall, Cnr Wellington Rd and Smith St, Morley

Redemptorist Monastery, N Perth

Peace Vigil

Prayer for peace in families and the world – 20 mins sessions followed by 10 mins silence and lighting of votive candles. Supper provided. Everyone welcome

Enq: Fran – franell@iprimus.com.

au

Over the years the school has become multicultural in its makeup and English Speaking Language facilities have become an important resource. With the increased number of refugees from Africa to the area, in 2006 the Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia funded a

When: 6–9pm, 19 March, 190

Vincent St, North Perth

St Joseph’s Convent, South Perth

Oblates of St Benedict Oblates are affiliated with the Benedictine Abbey of New Norcia. All welcome to study the rule of St Benedict and its relevance to the everyday life of today for lay people. Vespers and tea after.

Enq: Secretary 9457 5758

When: 2pm, 3rd Sunday of the

demountable classroom and an English as a Second Language teacher to meet the changing needs of our school.

Today, Majella offers information and communication technology classes for all students, due to the creation of a state of the art computer laboratory and the renovation of the library through funds received from the BER Programme. Also, a large and multifunctional new hall has been built which will assist our growing school population and enable us to cater for these increasing community needs.

We started our Fortieth Anniversary celebrations with a Mass to bless our school community followed by a barbeque and bush dancing with the Mucky Duck Bush Band. Further events to mark the anniversary are planned in the second, third and fourth terms.

Month, St Joseph’s Convent, York St, South Perth

St Joseph’s Parish

Kellerberrin

Centenary of Kellerberrin Parish

All present and past parishioners are invited. Mass celebrated by Archbishop Barry Hickey, followed by catered luncheon at Kellerberrin Shire Hall. RSVP by 2 April for catering purposes to Christine Laird 9045 4235 or fax 9045 4602 or Audrey Tiller 9045 4021 or email stmary@westnet.com.au

When: 11am, 1 May, St Joseph’s Parish, Kellerberrin

More ways to kill the messenger

Mindful of the Greeks’ experiences, we have wisely agreed never to ‘kill the messenger’ – advice more honoured now in theory than in practice because there are more ways of killing the messenger than by drawing blood.

Because we shrink from bloody murder, we turn to murdering a reputation instead.

This is achieved by either denying the pessimist a public voice or, if too prominent and talented to be ignored, then dubbing him or her a reactionary, a fascist, a has been, or worst of all, a conservative.

There has always been amongst Catholics and other Christians, an inherent dislike of pessimism because it seems to run contrary to the doctrine of Hope, and the assurance that we have the promise of God that He himself will be with us even until the end of time.

This engenders great confidence that adverse circumstances will turn out all right in the end.

Hope enables us to withstand the slings and arrows and the buffetings, and the insults, that we suffer notably in the media and in public life. It follows that Christians by nature are optimists.

But a reliance on spiritual hope – being optimists – should not breed in us a complacency and a blindness in the face of a deteriorating situation, or an attack on our freedoms, and the decline of

Christian civilisation such as we face today. On these occasions, the pessimist has his function.

A pessimist alerts us to the dangers ahead and reminds us of Burke’s words, ‘all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’.

There is nothing quite so wearing and so destructive of action as the optimists’ clichés, ‘always look on the bright side’ and ‘things are not as bad as they seem’, or simply, ‘don’t listen to him, he’s a pessimist.’ Surely a pessimist would have been useful on the bridge of the Titanic on the night of 14 April 1912? But, like Cassandra, he most likely would not have been listened to.

The Greeks knew so well how human nature works, how we cannot bear the truth if it is unpleasant and how we must kill the messenger, if not by one means then another will do as well.

The difference between an opti-

mist and a pessimist, according to one amusing definition, is that an optimist believes that this is the best of all possible worlds, and the pessimist fears that this may well be true. The Oxford Dictionary limits its definition of a pessimist to one who takes the worst view of a situation, leaving open the question of whether the worst view is the accurate one or not.

There are many instances in history of optimists who have frustrated or denied action to avert disaster, believing that their opponents were merely pessimistic – the appeasement faction in the British Parliament opposing Churchill in 1938-9 is a famous example, as was the rhapsodic approval shown by many intellectuals of conditions in Stalin’s Russia during the Cold War. Pessimists – those with a contrary message – were ridiculed and not generally believed. The truth was too unpleasant. The great novelist, Thomas Hardy, known

Photos from Majella Catholic Primary School’s archives of its early days.

Technology a blessing and curse for disabilities

Bee in my bonnet

A reflection on the struggles of those forgotten in society and Church

By Barbara Harris

Technology: is it a friend or foe, asks Barbara Harris. The key is to allow it to help one serve others in life

Looking at some of the gifts people receive makes me reflect on the whole technology scene and people with disabilities.

I would never have imagined when I was four years old that I could take a picture of someone on my mobile phone and not only view the picture almost instantly but also be able to ‘morph’ the photo into something entirely unrecognisable.

At that age I would not have even known the word “morph”. Have we progressed?

Today, we seem to have more ways of getting in touch. Today we have ipods, ipads, vodcasts, podcasts, facebook, twitter, blogs, tweets, and the list goes on. How did we get here? Does the technology widen the gap between “the haves” and “the have nots”?

Does technology work against or for people with disabilities?

As a starting point, without going as far back as the drums of the jungle, we can perhaps think of Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of the telephone to help his deafened mother to communicate.

It didn’t help his mother but it did help people with hearing.

Years ago, the CB Radio was a breakthrough. This device enabled people to be in touch with others and form a kind of electronic community. It probably kept many truck drivers awake as they com-

municated with other road users. It was primitive by today’s technology standards.

It worked, though, and brought people together.

Think of the internet’s online discussion forums. The subjects are varied. It is difficult sometimes to follow the thread of the “conversation” because the discussion can quickly break up into many different issues. People seem to rarely follow the thread as a whole.

Responses seem to be directed at a previous response rather than the substance of the original message. Does that help people to come together? Maybe these discussion forums promote individualism rather than community.

A young friend of mine was sharing how a friend of hers had made arrangements with her to get together with some other friends. At the ‘meeting’ however, each one was busy individually texting other ‘friends’ with a bare minimum of acknowledgement of the physical presence of the others.

That was ‘normal’ behaviour I was told.

Many people, myself included, have shied away from embracing modern technology. I remember back to 1982 when a friend suggested that Emmanuel Centre maybe could get into computers, I responded with, “No. And don’t mention it again.”

Not long after, though, I realised the potential and even did a computer programming course. The computer made it possible for the people of Emmanuel Centre to achieve goals that would have been impossible previously.

For example, one young man whose maths skills were nearly zilch, with the aid of the computer could accurately administer the financial books of the Centre.

The computer has had some very positive effects for individuals and society. Does anyone remember FreeTel? It was a computer programme that allowed voice calls over the Internet.

It was rudimentary and didn’t always work well. Maybe like the CB Radio the simplicity and technical breakdowns made everyone grateful for any communication.

Today’s Skype is more reliable and also includes the ability to add

video so that both parties can hear and see each other. For people who cannot hear, the video component allows communication through sign language or text.

For many years, Emmanuel Centre has had an Email Ministry where emails are regularly exchanged with people who cannot get out for face-to-face encounters or are living remotely. Adding video to this ministry will be even more personal.

The question for me is what would Jesus make of all this? How did Jesus spread the Good News? He used the images and realities of his own time to make a point or to illustrate a teaching. The image of the sower planting seeds would have been a common one. The importance of the “lost coin” would be readily apparent to Jesus’ hearers. Maybe developments in technology are the message medium.

People with disabilities are also involved with modern technology and not immune to cyber scams.

People with disabilities, like any people, are seeking relationships.

How many countless people have “fallen in love” with a cyber predator who is a close “friend” until he/she has cleaned out their bank account? It can be difficult to resist the temptation to respond to a message that says, “You have won $1 million.” Or “your true love is as close as a mouse click”.

The key to how I use technology and the computer in particular is to allow it to help me serve the people in my life. At the moment, I have restricted myself to emails, web page of Emmanuel Centre, producing captioned videos of Catholic devotions such as the Rosary, not to mention PowerPoint presentations with lots of graphics for simplicity and clarity. No doubt, as we move through 2011, it will be a challenge to expand ways technology can help serve people with disabilities and their families.

If you have some skills in the area or are interested in this area and want to know more, please contact Barbara Harris 9328 8113 or email emmanuelcentre@westnet.com.au. The Emmanuel Centre hopes to hold a Workshop on this topic after Easter.

than drawing blood

widely for his rather gloomy view of the human condition, argued that ‘Pessimism is really only a reasoned view deduced from facts unflinchingly observed’.

He said he was always sceptical of professional optimists: ‘they wear too much the strained look of the smile on a skull.’

He admitted that he often got depressed at the sight of so much pain in the world – constant pain.

In temperament and character, Hardy was the opposite of Chesterton but it is seldom acknowledged by Chesterton’s admirers – those who see him merely as a jolly, laughing, beerdrinking joker – that towards the end of his life he admitted (like Hardy) to feelings of depression.

Who can listen to recordings of Chesterton’s last broadcasts without recognising the great sadness in his voice and his fears for the future? When discussing optimism and pessimism, he wrote of the

‘cheap cheerfulness’ of the optimist and how we must judge any case of alleged degeneracy on its own merits.

“We are not judging them [the pessimists] but the situation they judge, or misjudge.” In other words, listen to the argument put forward by the pessimist and judge it, rather than dismiss it because it is not a pleasantly optimistic view.

We do not need to rely solely on writers of the past to see how dangerous it is to ignore the pessimists.

The contemporary French economist and presidential advisor, Jacques Attali, in his blog L’Express, condemns the widespread tendency to think well of optimism. He writes that it would be dangerous to discredit pessimism and then goes on to argue that in the blackest periods of our history the pessimists have always been right.

In every age, and particularly so in ours, there are voices raised

Priest call came at Our Lady of Bengal

Fr Dominic Savio CSsR

It was a long journey towards the priesthood.

There was a lot of searching.

One of the influences of choosing that vocation was reading my late mother’s journal when I was 18.

I lost her during a bombing raid in the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war in India.

I was just a baby at the time. My mother was a Hindu. She was one woman who I loved and cared about but never knew. My faith is linked to her.

My parents married in a civil ceremony.

My father was a Catholic.

My vocation

with Debbie Warrier

which warn of disasters ahead, wrongful policies, or unpleasant consequences of popular human actions and decisions. They are the pessimists, the Cassandras and the Laocoons of today, whose opinions are minority ones, not generally found on the front pages of newspapers or on television.

We have to seek them out, be alert to the publications where their views can be found. If we take Chesterton’s advice, we should judge what they have to say, weigh the evidence, and not ridicule them or dismiss them merely because they take an unduly pessimistic view of the world and religious affairs.

Defend the pessimists of the world. They too have their role to play, and who knows, if listened to, and their arguments fairly judged, they may yet save our ship of state – indeed our civilisation – from the hazards so plainly in view ahead of us.

My mother was pregnant at the time and disowned by her family.

The loss was huge.

Then the war broke out very suddenly.

In her journal she wrote, “If I die, I am a child of God. My only wish is my son becomes a man.”

That stayed with me.

I think that speaks a lot about the type of woman she was if she could still say that in spite of everything that she had gone through.

I think she would have accepted Jesus.

Although brought up Catholic, I became an agnostic. I dabbled with existentialism.

My interests were primarily in psychology because I was dealing with my issues and those of others.

I started working with Mother Teresa in the slums of Calcutta doing remedial education and taught maths.

Eventually, I was drawn back to my faith.

Most people thought my vocation was to marriage as I was engaged.

During a pilgrimage with my former fiancée, I visited a Marian shrine called Our Lady of Bengal just outside of Calcutta.

There, I felt a call to the priesthood.

I could have dealt with the break up in a more humane way. I do feel bad about it because someone else’s life was affected.

I did my seminary studies in Bangalore and Harare, Zimbabwe. I was ordained in 2000.

I worked in Africa for seven years as a missionary working with HIV orphans and in youth ministry.

So I have seen more death and suffering than the average person. I have learnt that every day is about living out my mortality as best I can.

It gives me hope and strength that I am walking towards Jesus.

I had confirmation that I was meant to be a priest during a 30 day Jesuit retreat.

It was a mystical experience. I believe I was transported with Mary and the beloved disciple to an ordinary Palestinian home in Galilee.

I saw the Lord emerge from the sun.

The figure was indistinct until it reached me. He stood in front of His mother, knelt and embraced her.

Then He walked silently away. It is a phenomenon of w hich I normally would be sceptical. I shared it with the retreat director who thought it was confirmation too.

Having lived post Vatican II, I never feared God. I have an abiding sense of the presence of God and can relate to Him very intimately. I really believe that you have to allow yourself to love God and be loved by Him.

To love is to be obedient to God and follow His ways. As it says in 1 John 4:18, “… perfect love casteth out fear…”

I have learnt to celebrate life and I deliberately make that part of my priesthood. The Lord celebrated love and (in the most precious way) the Eucharist. It summarises everything about Him and our faith.

Got a vocations story? Email dwarrier75@gmail.com

THURSDAY, 10 MARCH

Testimony at Cathedral Praise Meeting

7.45pm St. Joseph’s Church, Upper Room, Salvado Rd, Subiaco. Flame Ministries International, “The saving love of Christ” by Perth youth, Sharne Clamp. A tragic suicide and a word of knowledge that brought her to conversion and evangelised her family. Enq: Eddie 9382 3668, fmi@ flameministries.org

FRIDAY, 11 MARCH

Alan Ames Healing Service

7pm at St Bernadette’s Catholic Church, Jugan St, Glendalough. Mass followed by talk and Healing Service. Enq: Katherine carver1@iinet.net.au.

SATURDAY, 12 MARCH

St Padre Pio Day of Prayer

8.30am at St Joachim parish, Shepperton Rd, Victoria Park. Programme includes 11am Holy Mass, Adoration, Divine Mercy and Rosary. Bring a plate to share for lunch. Enq: Des 6278 1540.

Divine Mercy Healing Mass

2.30pm at St Francis Xavier Church, Windsor St, East Perth. Main celebrant will be Fr Dennis O’Brien. Divine Mercy prayers followed by veneration of First class Relic of St Faustina Kowalska. Prayers for vocations and an end to abortion throughout the world. Reconciliation offered in English. Refreshments available. Enq: John 9457 7771.

SATURDAY, 12 TO FRIDAY, 18 MARCH

Healing Seminar

6pm at St. Lawrence parish, 392 Albert St, Balcatta. “Deepen your relationship with God and heal the spirit, body, emotions and memories” presented by International Speaker Sr Eileen Jones. Begins with introductory talk and Saturday Vigil Mass. For information on following days: www.stlawrence.org.au or Fr Irek 9344 7066 (Tue-Thur).

SUNDAY, 13 MARCH

Triennial WA Regional Elections of the Secular Franciscan Order

10am at Edel Quinn Centre, 36 Windsor St, East Perth. Includes Mass at 2.30pm. Please bring a plate for shared lunch. Enq: Michael 9275 5658.

TUESDAY, 15 MARCH

The Great Adventure by Jeff Cavins

7.30pm at the Redemptorist Monastery. A 24-week DVD series on the Bible timeline. Enq: Fr Hugh Thomas 9328 6600 or Gertrude 0411 262 221 or Keith 0411 108 525.

Lenten Preparation

7-8pm at St Benedict’s School Hall, Alness St, Applecross. “Spirituality & The Sunday Gospels” presented by Norma Woodcock. Grow in your faith and prepare for the graces of Easter. Cost: collection Enq: 9487 1772 or www.normawoodcock.com.

THURSDAY, 17 MARCH

Morning Tea at Caritas Australia

10-11.30am at the Catholic Pastoral Centre Seminar Room, 40A Mary St, Highgate. Presenter: Ms Nguyet Thi Dinh, on her work on the rights of children with disabilities in Vietnam. All welcome. RSVP by 15 March. Enq: 9422 7925 or perth@caritas.org.au.

The Apocalypse - Film at Cathedral Praise Meeting

7.45pm at St. Joseph’s parish upper room, Salvado Rd, Subiaco. A Film about St John “Unless we act to counter unbelief, extreme liberalism, the Church will continue to suffer from ‘Apostate Cancer’ Enq: Eddie 9382 3668.

SATURDAY, 19 MARCH

Men’s Breakfast

9am at Infant Jesus Parish Hall, corner Wellington Rd and Smith St, Morley. “Is there really a God?” by Fr Deeter. Includes 8.30am Mass. Attendance $20 - proceeds to SVdP. Registrations/payment to the parish office by Sunday, 13 March. Advise on dietary requirements.

Enq: Brendan 9276 8336.

Peace Vigil

6-9pm at Redemptorist Monastery, 190 Vincent St, North Perth. Prayer for peace in families and world - 20 min sessions followed by 10 min silence and lighting of votive candles. Supper provided. Everyone welcome. Enq: Fran franell@iprimus.com.au.

Reunion for St Joseph’s Girls Orphanage 11am outside The West Australian Museum at the memorial for Forgotten Australians site. Please bring any photos and memorabilia you might have. BYO lunch. Family

PANORAMA

members welcome. Enq: Ann 9349 3424, Rita 9242 7766, Lynette 9453 2211.

A Morning Retreat

9-12pm at Gonzaga Barry Lecture Theatre, John XXIII College. Cost: Donations. Inner Peace - Part 1 presented by Murray Graham. Enq: Murray 9383 0444 or graham. murray@johnxxiii.edu.au.

WEDNESDAY, 23 MARCH

Freedom in Christ Course

7.30-9.30pm at City Church of Christ, 111 Stirling St, Perth (cnr Aberdeen St). Course will benefit anyone whose life may at times seem out of control, affected by fear or anger. All welcome. Enq: HSoF 0449 65 1697 or hsofperth@gmail.com.

FRIDAY, 25 MARCH

Medjugorje Evening Prayer

7-9pm at All Saints Chapel, 77 St George’s Tce, Perth (Allendale Sq). Adoration, Rosary and Benediction followed by Mass. DVD available of alleged visionary Ivan. All welcome.

Enq: 9402 2480 or 0407 471 256, medjugorj@y7mail. com.

FRIDAY, 25 TO SUNDAY, 27 MARCH

Lenten Retreat

7pm at ‘God’s Farm’ 94 Woodlands Rd, Wilyabup. Concludes on Sunday at 2pm. “Celebrating EucharistSource and Nourishment for our Christian life” Retreat Master: Fr Tony Chiera. Retreat includes daily Mass, Reconciliation, Adoration and prayers. Bus booking and Enq: Betty 9755 6212, PO Box 24 Cowaramup 6284.

SATURDAY, 26 MARCH

The Voice of the Voiceless

12pm at St Brigid’s Parish, 69 Fitzgerald St, Northbridge. Mass followed by fellowship. Please bring a plate to share. All Welcome. Enq: John Sutton, 0437 286 301 cjsutton@bigpond.net.au.

SUNDAY, 29 MARCH

Taizé Prayer

7-8pm at Sisters of St Joseph Chapel, 16 York St, South Perth. God speaks and the heart hears beautiful, contemplative prayer in a cool, candlelit chapel. Bring your friends and a small torch. Enq: Sr Maree 0414 683 926.

FRIDAY, 1 APRIL

The Shroud of Turin at Catholic Faith Renewal Evening

7pm at St John and Paul’s parish, Pinetree Gully Road, Willetton. Exhibition and talk by Fr Ted. Followed by Stations of the Cross, Holy Mass, Exhibition and light refreshment. Enq: Kathy 9295 0913 or Ann 0412 16 6164.

SATURDAY, 2 APRIL

Day with Mary

9-5pm at St Bernadette Parish, Cnr Leeder and Jugan Sts, Glendalough. Day of prayer and instruction based on the Fatima message. Begins with video, followed by Holy Mass, Reconciliation, Procession of the Blessed Sacrament, Eucharistic Adoration, Sermons on Eucharist and Our Lady, Rosaries and Stations of the Cross. BYO lunch. Enq: Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate 9250 8286.

SUNDAY, 3 APRIL

Taizé Prayer Evening

7-8pm at St. Lawrence Parish, 392 Albert St, Balcatta. An hour of beautiful canon music, short readings and intercession prayers with quiet reflection. Enq: Fr Irek 9344 7066 (Tue-Thur, 9am-2.30pm) or www.stlawrence. org.au

SUNDAY, 1 MAY

Centenary of Kellerberrin Parish 11am at St Joseph’s parish, Kellerberrin. All present and past parishioners are invited to the parish Centenary celebrations. Mass celebrated by His Grace, Archbishop Barry Hickey, followed by a catered luncheon at the Kellerberrin Shire Hall. RSVP by Saturday, 2 April for catering purposes to Christine Laird 9045 4235 or fax 9045 4602, or Audrey Tiller 9045 4021, or stmary@westnet.com.au.

2011 Busselton Rosary Celebration

12.30pm at Queen of the Holy Rosary Shrine, ‘Bove’s Farm’, Roy Rd, Jindong, Busselton. Celebrant: Bishop Gerard Holohan. Mass followed by Rosary Procession and Benediction. Tea provided. All welcome. Bus booking and Enq: Francis 0404 893 877 or 9459 3873.

FRIDAY, 8 TO WEDNESDAY, 21 SEPTEMBER

Cruise on the River Nile 14-Day package. Includes Tour/Sightseeing of Jordan and Egypt. Cost: $4,900 per person twin share (22 people). Accompanying priest: Fr Joe Carroll. Itinerary and Enq: Fadua 9459 3873 or 0404 893 877.

EVERY SUNDAY

Gate of Heaven Catholic Radio

Join the Franciscans of the Immaculate every Sunday from 7.30-9pm on Radio Fremantle 107.9FM for Catholic radio broadcast of EWTN and our own live shows. Enq: radio@ausmaria.com.

Pilgrim Mass - Shrine of the Virgin of the Revelation

2pm at Shrine, 36 Chittering Rd, Bullsbrook. Commencing with Rosary followed by Benediction. Reconciliation is available before every celebration. Anointing of the Sick administered during Mass every second Sunday of the month. Pilgrimage in honour of the Virgin of the Revelation, last Sunday of the month. Side entrance to the church and shrine open daily between 9am-5pm. Enq Sacri 9447 3292.

EVERY FIRST SUNDAY

Divine Mercy Chaplet and Healing Prayer

3pm at Santa Clara Church, 72 Palmerston St, Bentley. Includes Adoration and individual prayer for healing. Spiritual leader: Fr Francisco. All welcome. Enq: Fr Francisco 9458 2944.

EVERY SECOND SUNDAY

Healing Hour for the sick

6pm at St. Lawrence parish, 392 Albert St, Balcatta. Begins with Mass, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and prayers. Enq: Fr Irek 9344 7066 or ww.stlawrence. org.au.

EVERY THIRD SUNDAY OF THE MONTH

Oblates of St Benedict

2pm at St Joseph’s Convent, York St, South Perth. Oblates are affiliated with the Benedictine Abbey of New Norcia. All welcome to study the rule of St Benedict and its relevance to the everyday life of today for lay people. Vespers and tea later. Enq: Secretary 9457 5758.

EVERY FOURTH SUNDAY OF THE MONTH

Holy Hour for Vocations to the Priesthood, Religious Life

2-3pm at Infant Jesus Parish, Wellington St, Morley. The hour includes Exposition of the Blessed Eucharist, silent prayer, Scripture and prayers of intercession. Come and pray that those discerning vocations to the priesthood or Religious life hear clearly God’s loving call to them.

EVERY MONDAY

Evening Adoration and Mass

7pm at St Thomas Claremont Parish, Cnr Melville St and College Rd. Begins with Adoration, Reconciliation, Evening Prayer and Benediction. Followed by Mass and Night Prayer at 8pm. Enq: Kim 9384 0598, claremont@ perthcatholic.org.au.

LAST MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH

Christian Spirituality Presentation

7.30-9.15pm at the church hall behind St Swithan’s Anglican Church, 195 Lesmurdie Rd, Lesmurdie. Stephanie Woods presents The Desert Period of Christianity, 260 to 600AD. From this time period came the understanding of the monastic lifestyle and contemplative prayer. No cost. Enq Lynne 9293 3848.

EVERY TUESDAY

Novena and Benediction to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

6pm at the Pater Noster Church, Marmion and Evershed Sts, Myaree. Mass at 5.30pm. Enq: John 0408 952 194.

Spirituality and The Sunday Gospels

7-8pm at St Benedict’s school hall, Alness St, Applecross. The power of the Gospel message; How can we live meaningful and hope-filled lives? Presented by Norma Woodcock. Donation for The Centre for Catholic Spiritual Development & Prayer. Enq: 9487 1772 or www.normawoodcock.com.

EVERY WEDNESDAY

Holy Spirit of Freedom Community

7.30pm at The Church of Christ, 111 Stirling St, Perth. We are delighted to welcome everyone to attend our Holy Spirit of Freedom Praise Meeting. Enq: 0423 907 869 or hsofperth@gmail.com.

Holy Hour at Catholic Youth Ministry

5.30pm Mass and 6.30pm Holy Hour (Adoration) at the Catholic Pastoral Centre, 40A Mary St, Highgate. $5 supper and fellowship after Holy Hour. Enq: www.cym.com. au or call 9422 7912.

EVERY FIRST WEDNESDAY

Holy Hour prayer for Priests

7-8pm at Holy Spirit Parish, 2 Keaney Pl, City Beach. All welcome. Enq: Linda 9341 3079.

SECOND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH

Chaplets of the Divine Mercy

7.30pm at St Thomas More Church, Dean Rd, Bateman. Chaplet will be accompanied by Exposition followed by Benediction. Monthly event. All welcome. Enq: George 9310 9493 or 9325 2010 (w).

EVERY THURSDAY

Divine Mercy

11am at Sts John and Paul Church, Pinetree Gully Rd, Willetton. Pray the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and for the consecrated life especially here in John Paul parish, conclude with veneration of the First Class Relic of St Faustina. Please do come and join us in prayer. Enq: John 9457 7771.

Father Corapi’s Catechism of the Catholic Church

7.30pm at St Joseph Church, 20 Hamilton St, Bassendean - Parish Library. Enq: Catherine 9329 2691.

EVERY FIRST THURSDAY OF THE MONTH

Taize Prayer and Meditation

7.30-8.30pm at Our Lady of Grace Church, 3 Kitchener St, North Beach. Prayer and meditation using songs from the Taize phenomenon. In peace and candlelight we make our pilgrimage. All are invited. Enq: Joan 9448 4457 or Office 9448 4888.

FIRST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH

Holy Hour for Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life

7pm at Little Sisters of the Poor Chapel, 2 Rawlins St, Glendalough. Mass, followed by Adoration with Fr Doug Harris. All welcome. Refreshments provided.

Catholic Faith Renewal Evening

7.30pm at Sts John and Paul’s parish, Pinetree Gully Rd, Willetton. Songs of Praise, sharing by a priest followed by Thanksgiving Mass and light refreshments after Mass. All welcome to attend and bring your family and friends. Enq: Kathy 9295 0913, Ann: 0412 166 164 or catholicfaithrenewal@gmail.com.

Communion of Reparation All Night Vigils

7pm-1.30am at Corpus Christi Church, Lochee St, Mosman Park. Enq: Vicky 0400 282 357 and at St Gerard Majella Church, Ravenswood Dr and Majella Rd, Mirrabooka, Enq: Fr Giosue 9349 2315, John or Joy 9344 2609. The Vigils consist of two Masses, Adoration, Benediction, Prayers and Confession in reparation for the outrages committed against the United Hearts of Jesus and Mary. All welcome.

Healing Mass

7pm at St Peter’s parish, Wood St, Inglewood. Reconciliation, praise and worship, Exposition of Blessed Sacrament, Benediction, Anointing of the Sick, and special blessing. Celebrants Fr Sam and other clergy. All welcome. Enq: Priscilla 0433 457 352, Catherine 0433 923 083 or Mary-Ann 0409 672 304.

Healing and Anointing Mass

8.45am at Pater Noster, Myaree. Reconciliation, followed by Mass including Anointing of the Sick, Praise and Worship to St Peregrine and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. All welcome. Enq: Joy 9337 7189.

EVERY FIRST SATURDAY

Healing Mass

12.35pm at St Thomas, Claremont parish, cnr Melville St and College Rd. Spiritual leader: Fr Waddell. Enq: Kim 9384 0598, claremont@perthcatholic.org.au.

ACROSS

3 An Eastern rite

9 Father of Cain

10 “___ in a manger…”

11 “No one has greater love than this, to lay don oneʼs life for oneʼs ___” (Jn 15:13)

12 OT prophetic bk

14 “___ my yoke upon you” (Mt 11:29)

16 “Regina ___”

17 Catholic physicist, Marie ___

18 Parish priest

20 Articles of clothing or bones of saints

22 Vessel for perfuming the altar

24 ___ in excelsis Deo

26 A fallen angel

27 Catholic horror actor

30 “Te ___”

32 Holy ___ Society

34 Native language of Jesus

35 The righteous are as bold as this animal, according to Prv 28:1

36 Paradise Lost?

37 A creed

DOWN

1 First Catholic United States Chief Justice

2 Catholic actress Dunaway

4 8 hours of prayer

5 Judah, for example

6 Prayer-song

7 Parish leader

8 “Though I ___ through the valley

WALK WITH HIM

13 S 1st SUNDAY OF LENT (Vio)

Gen 2:7-9, 3:1-7 A living being

Ps 50:3-6, 12-14, 17 Grant us your mercy

Rom 5:12-19 Grace abounded

Mt 4:1-11 Jesus in the desert

14 M Lev 19:1-2, 11-18 be Holy (Vio)

Ps 18:8-10, 15 God gives wisdom

Mt 25:31-46 Sheep and goats

15 Tu Isa 55:10-11 bread for the eating (Vio)

Ps 33:4-7, 16-19 Glorify the Lord

Mt 6:7-15 Pray like this

16 W Jon 3;1-10 Forty days more (Vio)

Ps 50:3-4, 12-13, 18-19 Blot out offence

Lk 11:29-32 Wicked generation

Continued from Page 18

PILGRIMAGE TO PRAGUE, POLAND AND AUSTRIA

St Jude’s parish, Langford is organising a 13-day pilgrimage departing 1 October. Pilgrimage will include visits to the Shrines of Divine Mercy, Infant Jesus, the Black Madonna, St Faustina, the birthplace of Pope John Paul II and the Museum at Auschwitz. Total cost per person $5,800. The Spiritual Director, Fr Terry Raj. Enq: Co-ordinator John Murphy 9457 7771, Matt 6460 6877 mattpicc1@gmail.com.

of the shadow of death (Ps 23:4)

13 John Paul IIʼs given name

15 Mother of Abel

17 Saint who gave his name to an alphabet

19 Shroud city

21 Priest for the military

23 Peterʼs name, originally

24 “I believe in ___…”

25 First epistle

26 He may be permanent

28 Brother of Ishmael

29 Church sounders

31 Opposite or absence of good

33 Cry from the congregation

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

17 Th ST PATRICK, BISHOP (Solemnity) (Wh)

Jer 1:3-9 Appointed prophet

Ps 116 praise the Lord!

Acts 13:46-49 Pagans happy

Lk 10:1-12, 17-20 Seventy-two others

18 F St Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop, doctor of the Church (O) (Vio)

Ezek 18:21-28 Is what I do unjust?

Ps 129 Be attentive to pleas

Mt 5:20-26 Come to terms

19 S ST JOSEPH, HUSBAND OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (Solemnity) (Wh)

2 Sam 7:4-5, 12-14, 16 A father to Him

Ps 88:2-5, 27, 29 Dynasty for ever

Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22 faith is crucial

Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24 name Him Jesus [Alt. Lk 2:41-51 See our concern]

The Record

The Parish. The Nation. The World

LAWN MOWING

WRR LAWN MOWING & WEED

SPRAYING Garden clean ups and rubbish removal. Get rid of bindii, jojo and other unsightly weeds. Based in Tuart Hill. Enq 9443 9243 or 0402 326 637.

OPPORTUNITIES

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Work from Home - P/T or F/T, 02 8230 0290 or visit www.dreamlife1.com.

A NEW CHURCH CHOIR

Varied repertoire – old and new. Rehearsals every other Wednesday, 7-8.30pm. Singing Saturday 6pm Mass once a month. Auditions Wed, 2 or 16 March, 7–8.30pm. Ability to read music preferred. St Paul’s Catholic Church 106 Rookwood St Mt Lawley

Contact: Chloë – 0417 712 027, chloe.piper@gmail.com.

COOK WANTED

Nursing home in North Perth is seeking a mature person to provide home-style cooking two mornings per week. Experience cooking for the elderly is desirable. For further information, please ring 0431 08 2364.

COOK PART TME REQUIRED FOR A CATHOLIC MONASTERY

25 hours per week (Monday to Friday). Enquiries to Fr J Carroll or Bernadette on 9328 6600.

TRADE SERVICES

BRENDON HANDYMAN

SERVICES Home, building maintenance, repairs and renovations. NOR. Ph 0427 539 588.

BRICK RE-POINTING

Ph Nigel 9242 2952.

PERROTT PAINTING Pty Ltd

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

PICASSO PAINTING Top service. Ph 0419 915 836, fax 9345 0505.

Deadline: 11am Monday

ACCOMMODATION

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

ESPERANCE 3 bedroom house

f/furnished Ph 09 9076 5083.

MATURE AGE single gentleman looking for a room. Non-smoker, and works fulltime at Royal Perth Hospital. Has been a house friend for two elderly people over the past 20 years, carrying out light house-duties and gardening when required. If you can help, please call Greg O’Brien on mob: 0413 701 489.

BOOK BINDING

NEW BOOK BINDING, General Book Repairs; Rebinding; New Ribbons; Old Leather Bindings Restored.

Tydewi Bindery 0422 968 572.

RELIGIOUS PRODUCTS

CATHOLICS CORNER Retailer of Catholic products specialising in gifts, cards and apparel for Baptism, Communion and Confirmation. Ph 9456 1777. Shop 12, 64-66 Bannister Rd, Canning Vale. Open Mon-Sat.

RICH HARVEST YOUR CHRISTIAN SHOP Looking for Bibles, CDs, books, cards, gifts, statues, Baptism/Communion apparel, religious vestments, etc? Visit us at 39 Hulme Ct (off McCoy St), Myaree, Ph 9329 9889 (after 10.30am Mon to Sat). We are here to serve.

KINLAR VESTMENTS

Overseas till March 15, sourceing new fabrics. Phoen Viki on 9402 1318 or 0409 114 093. Kinlarvestments@gmail.com

OTTIMO

Convenient location for Bibles, books, cards CD/DVDs, candles, medals, statues and gifts at Shop 41, Station St Market, Subiaco. Fri-Sun 9-5pm.

WANTED

CARPENTER TO MAKE PEWS for church. Tel 0427 08 5093.

THANKSGIVING

MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS may Your Name be praised and glorified throughout the world now and forever. Amen. Mrs J Lawson

PILGRIMAGES/TOURS

1 Visit to Vietnam and Cambodia (17 days)

A$3,800.00 per person twin share Mon, 9 - Wed, 25 May 2011

2 World Youth Day August 2011 (10 days)

Sun, 14 - Tue, 23 August 2011 (18 people)

3 Prague/Poland/Vienna (13 days)

A$5,800:00 per person twin share Sat, 1 - Thu, 13 October 2011 (30 people)

4 Jordan/Holy Land/Egypt (12 days)

Fri, 11 - Tue, 22 November 2011 (special for senior card holders) 40 people

For cost/itinerary and more information please contact: Francis Williams (Coordinator)

T: 9459 3873 (after 4.00pm)

M: 0404 893 877 (all-day)

E: francis@perthfamily.com

Skype ID: perthfamily88

CRUISE ON THE RIVER NILEFri, 8 - Wed, 21 September 2011

Tour/Sightseeing of Jordan and Egypt

14 Day Package. Cost: AU$4,900 per person twin share Accompanying Priest: Fr Joe Carroll from the Redemptorist Monastery, Perth

For more information/Itinerary, contact Fadua (T: 9459 3873 M: 0404 893 877).

FURNITURE REMOVAL

ALL AREAS. Competitive Rates. Mike Murphy Ph 0416 226 434.

SETTLEMENTS

ARE YOU BUYING OR SELLING

real estate or a business? Why not ask Excel Settlements for a quote for your settlement. We offer reasonable fees, excellent service and no hidden costs. Ring Excel on 9481 4499 for a quote. Check our web site on

The Record Bookshop Books that will help you answer those big questions...

Catholic Replies

Over 800 questions answered about...

James J Drummey

RRP $29.95

The best comprehensive Q and A book on the faith in print today. Here are the answers to more than 800 of the most difficult religious and moral questions of the dayfrom abortion to homosexuality to Marian apparitions to women priests. Contains hundreds of quotations from official Church sources. This book should be in every Catholic home and in the hands of everyone writing, teaching, or speaking about the truths of the Catholic faith. Makes it easy to find answers to the common and unusual questions that intrigue and perplex us.

The Catholic Church and the Bible

Peter M J Stravinskas

RRP $19.95

Are Catholics biblical illiterates? So goes the frequent question, proving that myths die hard. But Catholics ought to be able to answer the charge made by many non-Catholics in this regard. This book is a response to Fundamentalist critics and an explanation of the Catholic biblical tradition. The Catholic Church and the Bible is a significant scriptural study guide, published from a Catholic perspective and particularly keyed to the new Catechism of the Catholic Church. The well-planned, straightforward text is clearly outlined to make information easy to find and understand.

Two MUST HAVE Books on Theresian Spirituality

Spiritual Childhood

By Vernon Johnson

Mgr Vernon Johnson, a famous convert and apostle of St Thérèse, presents in this book the most clear, practical and yet profound explanation of this “little way”, a way to perfection that changed his life and the lives of countless others. Johnson summarises the spiritual approach of St Thérèse in these three words: Love, Humility, Confidence.

Why Me?

When Bad Things Happen

Mike Aquilina

RRP $10.95

This new book is part of the “30 Minute Read” series. Why me? Why anyone? Suffering is everywhere. Why does God let this happen? It’s because He loves us. He has a plan. Don’t you want to find out what it is? Noted Catholic author Mike Aquilina helps us to see our woes as blessings - things that lead us toward God instead of away from Him. Worship services throughout the Lenten journey.

A Will to Live:

Clear Answers on End of Life Isses

Most Reverend Jose H Gomez, STD

RRP $9.95

Archbishop Jose Gomes, renowned expert on death and dying issues, explains what every Catholic needs to know in order to effectively and morally prepare for the inevitable death of our loved ones and even ourselves. With changing values and modern medical technologies to deal with, this booklet explains how to approach end-oflife issues and prepare for death in a way consistent with our Catholic faith. You will learn the answers to these important issues and more: What dignified death means to a Catholic. Why euthanasia, even if well intended, is murder. And much more ...

Celine

Sister Genevieve of the Holy Face

By Stephani Joseph Plat, OFM

This biography of Céline Martin will be most welcomed by the innumerable devotees of St Thérèse because Céline was her closest sister and friend who had a great influence on Thérèse and who also became a very holy woman herself.