The Record Newspaper 13 July 2011

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THE R ECORD

Catholic groups organise for work-free

Sundays in EU

Reconciliation of professional and family life a goal for new coalition of unions/Church groups opposed to Sunday work

BY JONATHON LUXMORE

OXFORD, England (CNS) - Catholic church groups have joined trade unions in the European Sunday Alliance which will campaign to protect Sundays and ensure fairer conditions for family life.

“Some people say there can never be a return to work-free Sundays - but the many working together in this alliance don’t share this view,” said Anna Echterhoff, legal adviser for institutional and social affairs at the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community, one of the organisations supporting the alliance.

“That so many stakeholders from different backgrounds are involved is something new and unique.”

The alliance was launched on 20 June in Brussels by 65 Church organisations, unions and civil associations. Among them are Europe’s Catholic Youth

Network, the Central Committee of German Catholics, representatives of the German Bishops and the European Jesuits, Poland’s Solidarity union, France’s Force Ouvriere and the Danish food workers union. It also includes family organisations from a dozen countries.

In a 4 July interview with CNS, Echterhoff said Sundays were protected under EU law as a rest day for children and adolescents. She said she hoped work-free Sundays would be reinstated under an EU directive now being prepared.

“The European Sunday Alliance is only at the beginning - we count on other groups and organisations joining the campaign as well,” she said. “It’s clear there’s growing support for the kind of steps the alliance is recommending.”

In a founding declaration, the alliance said decent working hours were of “paramount importance” to citizens of the European Union, which should uphold “the social contract of a modern European society” by encouraging “reconciliation of professional and family life.”

“Only a well-protected, common, work-free day enables citizens to enjoy full participation in cultural, sports, social and religious life, to seek culPlease turn to Page 8

I DO AGAIN

18 Willetton couples to renew vows at special Mass

BY BRIDGET SPINKS

EIGHTEEN couples in the parish of Sts John and Paul in Willetton will renew their vows in a Special Wedding Anniversary Mass to be held on 21 August this year.

Every year since 2007, couples celebrating their Silver (25th), Pearl (30th), Coral (35th), Ruby (40th), Sapphire (45th) or Golden (50th) Wedding anniversary during the year are invited to be part of the parish’s special ‘Wedding Anniversary Mass’.

But any couple celebrating a wedding anniversary of more than 50 years is also invited, as each year after 50 is considered ‘significant’, one of the organisers, Su Goh, said.

Since 2008, at least one couple celebrating their first wedding anniversary has participated in the occasion. Two newly married couples will join in this year.

Su said she places great value

on the Catholic Sacrament of Marriage. “It’s very much a part of being Catholic or Christian because marriage is a sacrament in our faith; it is sanctified by God,” she said. Plus it was what God intended; that man should have a companion and that would be his wife, she said Su said she was inspired to organise the event at Sts John and Paul Parish in Willetton when she attended a special Wedding Anniversary Mass at St Thomas More parish in Bateman with her husband in 2004.

Su and David Goh, who were married in 1991 in Singapore and now have two grown up sons, celebrated

their Pearl Anniversary that year. This experience inspired her to approach her parish priest in 2007 and ask if he would be prepared to celebrate a special Mass at Willetton too.

Su, who also works as a project officer at the Committee for Family and for Life, is organising the event with fellow parishioners Christine Fernandez and Bowani Anne Lee.

Su, Christine and Anne have all been part of a parishrun marriage preparation ministry for the last eight years which Willetton parish has been offering for the last 20 years. Willetton offers its own marriage preparation programme using a resource

ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL MARRIAGE MASS

Archbishop Barry Hickey will celebrate Mass in honour of National Marriage Day at St Mary’s Cathedral on 9 August at 6.30pm with light supper to follow. Everyone welcome. To RSVP, contact wa@family.org.au or call 9277 1644. The Mass is supported by the Knights of the Southern Cross.

Longest ... and shortest: Noreen and Don Dickinson, left, are the longestmarried of the couples who will renew their vows at Willetton Parish on 21 August. The couple married on 30 November 1957 and are celebrating 54 years of marriage this year. Meanwhile, Deanne and Stephen Maughan, above, will be the most recent of those renewing their vows; they married on 18 December last year.

from the United States called “Today and all the days of your life”.

Married couples, called “sponsor couples,” take engaged couples one-on-one through the programme’s eight sessions which cover a range of topics “essential to building a strong and harmonious Christian marriage,” Su said.

“So that’s how committed we are to the importance of marriage,” Su told The Record

“This Wedding Anniversary celebration is an extension of that belief that marriage is important to our faith,” she said.

Athens Prelate concerned at looming debt crisis effects

OXFORD, England (CNS)

- Greece’s Catholic Church faces disaster because the current economic crisis is forcing it to end vital social and charitable projects, said Archbishop Nikolaos Foskolos of Athens. “This crisis could be the worst in our history,” Archbishop Foskolos told CNS on 6 July. “There’s corruption

everywhere, especially among our politicians. We get no help from the state or other Western Churches, and our faithful can’t give any more. Our parishes and dioceses are in deep trouble, and in a few months we won’t be able to support our staffers and employees.” The Archbishop voiced the concerns as European Union finance ministers released

emergency funding to rescue the faltering Greek economy.

Amid violent street protests, the Greek legislature approved tough austerity measures and tax increases on 29 June, paving the way for the EU action.

The Archbishop said the higher taxes would have more impact on the Catholic Church than on the country’s predominantly state-

supported Orthodox Church. But the Orthodox Church still faced “serious problems” after being told its clergy’s state-paid salaries would be cut by half, he said.

“We’re only a small minority, with few properties and resources, and we’ve been burdened in recent years by many Catholics coming here from Please turn to Page 8

A new coalition of Catholic and trade union groups hopes to win a day of rest for families across the EU.

PHOTOS: COURTESY WILLETTON PARISH

BY ROBERT HIINI

Catholics who travelled to Norseman Parish for Mass on 26 June got to meet a traveller of a different kind at their afterMass barbeque.

Richard Xu Tan, 27, was in town as part of the Australian leg of his worldwide cycling tour, having just completed a nation-wide trek across China.

Parishioners from Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Coolgardie and Kambalda ran into Mr Tan by sheer chance, having travelled south to show their support for Norseman Parish.

Dubbed a journey for ‘peace and mother earth,’ Mr Tan is riding with his boss and Taoist monk, FA Hutchison, 71.

The pair departed China for Australia on 2 April. Landing in Perth, they cycled to Norseman before heading across the Nullarbor to Adelaide.

“Australia is certainly different from China,” Mr Tan said.

“What I notice is how ‘long’ things are. If China is famous for ‘big,’ Australia must be famous for ‘long,’” Mr Tan said, making reference to the length of iron ore trains and haulage trucks, as well as the long distances between locations.

Mr Tan thanked Robert Hicks, Chairman of the Goldfields Parish Pastoral Council and fellow locals for their hospitality, saying they were some of the nicest people

he had met in his two years of travelling. Prior to his current journey, Richard Tan had never cycled outside China.

Mr Tan’s previous riding exploits include tackling the Tibetan plateaus and crossing north from Xinjian to Shanghai.

Messrs Tan and Hutchison will spend six months in Australia before heading across the Tasman, to New Zealand, and then on to Chile.

the Mass Workshop

These evenings will offer an opportunity to reflect on the spiritual and theological understanding of the Mass using the “Become One Body, One Spirit in Christ” DVD resource. 2 Hour workshops from 7.30PM—9.30PM

Thursday 14th July

St Mary’s Parish, Leederville

Tuesday 19th July

All Saint Parish, Greenwood

Tuesday 2nd August

Our Lady of Lourdes, Rockingham

Tuesday 16th August

Holy Name Parish, Carlisle

Tuesday 13 September

Our Lady Mt Carmel Parish, Hilton

Tuesday 11 October

Good Shepherd Parish, Lockridge

Goldfields Catholics make a new friend in world-touring cyclist Richard Xu Tan. From left: Kate Russell, Barry Gibbs, Fr Daniel Boyd, Richard Xu Tan, Ruth Gibbs, Rosy Leech.

‘Lord of the Harvest’ Catholic Parish

Blessing of the Stations of the Cross and the Feast of the Sacred Heart celebrations

BY DONNA COOPER

Parishioners of the central wheatbelt parish of ‘Lord of the Harvest’ attended the blessing of the Stations of the Cross in the grounds between the Bencubbin church and the presbytery last Friday evening, 1 July 2011. The parish comprises the towns of Beacon, Bencubbin, Koorda, Mukinbudin and Trayning and a crowd of some 60 people attended the event. The blessing was followed by Mass, in celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart, after which the Bencubbin church is named.

At 5pm, in the clear and cold evening air, parishioners from all centres, visitors from Brunswick, guests from other Christian faiths and people from overseas gathered at the 1st Station for the Blessing Prayers and processed behind Fr Chien around the Way of the Cross as he sprinkled each Station with Holy Water.

The Stations are a ‘work-inprogress’ created by parish priest, Fr Chien Quyet Nguyen. The pillars on which each Station stands are formed from stones donated by local farmers. Each Station

is made of concrete, the basis of which is a slab onto which Fr has sculpted the cement pictures. He has spent many hours praying and meditating while sitting outside in his garage-come-workshop creating the pictures. In preparation for the Feast of the Sacred Heart, there has been a frenzy of activity to get some of the Stations finished. Fr Chien was very keen to have a blessing on this feast day. Consequently, those Stations that were ready have been painted and now look like bronze sculptures. Started over two years ago, and with the help of many people, this beautiful artwork is not only an asset to the continued nurturing of the Christian faith in the parish, but an attraction for the town as well. People from other towns, from other faiths or no faith, overseas, men, women and children have played a part in helping Father with his artwork. Within the garden space, Father has planted five olive trees, representing the five centres that make up ‘Lord of the Harvest’ parish. In the next few weeks, there will be signs erected explaining each Station. These have been very kindly donated by John Pauley of Wheatbelt Signs. Pea gravel has been laid along the path and Father

has also added his touch to the aesthetics by beautifying the area with plants etc.

After the blessing, Mass was celebrated in a near-full church. During his homily, Fr Chien explained some of his thoughts behind his creative work. When he arrived in the parish in February 2006, he came to see that farming, and the relationship it has with nature and the weather, is very much part of this parish’s life. Consequently, he initially built a grotto at the front of the Bencubbin church dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians. It is a reminder to all who visit the grotto or drive past the church to ask for her intercession on their behalf. With the past droughts, Father could see the hardship and suffering of his parishioners, and decided to build the Stations of the Cross to help the people realise that Jesus too understands these trials of life - and is with them all the way.

Congratulations to Fr Chien and all who have helped him to build this place into what it is today. Father still has further plans for the area, so it isn’t complete. What we see is the work of a humble man who has great love for, and faith in, God and who very much loves and serves his parish just as Jesus, the Good Shepherd does.

Bencubbin’s Way of the Cross: Parish priest Fr Chien, stationed in the north-eastern Wheatbelt town of Bencubbin, has been preparing from scratch and sculpting cement into images of the Stations of the Cross, above, all the while praying and meditating. With the help of townsfolk, neighbouring townsfolk and many others, he has been working on them for the last two years and is still working on completing the images and set up.

Fr Chien Quyet Nguyen, parish priest of Lord of the Harvest, Bencubbin, with the 14th Station of the Cross newly blessed on 1 July.

St Peter the Apostle celebrate feast with food fete to fundraise for Vinnies

St Peter the Apostle parish of Bedford and Inglewood celebrated its patron saints’ feast day of Sts Peter and Paul on Sunday 3 July with an International Food Fair to fundraise for the St Vincent de Paul Society.

The parish hall catered for many cuisines such as from Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy and Vietnam. The food fair began at 9am with a crowd of people lining up to buy containers of food. Morning tea was served and the balloons added colour and atmosphere for the hungry crowd.

Many people ate and enjoyed mingling with one another while the children ran and played. Others used this opportunity to stock up meals for the week.

To make the day more exciting and enjoyable, raffle tickets were available for sale to win four big food hampers. A Guessing Cake competition was a fundraising favourite, while a band volunteered live music entertainment. The highlight of the day was when parish priest Fr Dat Vuong showed his culinary skill of putting together the famous Vietnamese-French pork bread roll.

On behalf of the parish, Fr Dat Vuong would like to acknowledge the numerous volunteers involved, including the chefs, ticket and food

sellers, musicians, entertainers, tea and coffee servers, hall decorators, and especially those who did the heavy work. The joy and generosity of the volunteers were the essential ingredients of making the day successful and enjoyable for all, and most importantly, helped raise $2,803.35 for the St Vincent de Paul Society, assisting those who are in need of warmth and comfort during this cold winter. May God bless the Vinnies.

the parish. An active and supportive Parents and Friends’ Association supports the school through community building and fundraising. The proactive and forward thinking School Board plans for the present and future operation of the school. The school has close and collaborative relationships with the parish and the Parish Priest.

NGALANGANGPUM SCHOOL, WARMUN

Ngalangangpum is a Catholic K-10 school with a current enrolment of 138 students and is part of the Warmun Aboriginal Community, which is located halfway between Halls Creek and Kununurra in the remote East Kimberley region. With a fluctuating population of over 400 people, this is one of the largest Aboriginal communities in the state and the majority of residents are members of the Kija language group.

was established in 1979 in answer to a direct request from the Warmun Community whose members wanted

of their children. The community decided upon a Two-Way school based on Catholic beliefs and a community school board was formed which continues to be responsible for school policy. Traditional

and given status equal to that of other curriculum subjects and

Brady to join Bishops in crypt

BY BRIDGET SPINKS

The remains of the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Perth, Bishop John Brady, will finally be laid to rest in the crypt of St Mary’s Cathedral on 2 August 2011.

Once consecrated Bishop of Perth in 1845, Bishop Brady recruited 27 missionaries for Western Australia including the Irish Sisters of Mercy who started one of the first Catholic schools in Perth (now Mercedes College) and the Spanish Benedictines who established the monastery at New Norcia.

He also built St John’s ProCathedral, the first Catholic church in Perth.

As part of the Archdiocese of Perth’s official reinterment celebrations, a vigil prayer ceremony will take place in St John’s Pro-Cathedral on 1 August at 6pm.

A reinterment ceremony beginning with Mass celebrated by Archbishop Barry Hickey will take place at St Mary’s Cathedral on 2 August at 6.30pm to be followed by reinterment in the crypt.

Senior clergy and priests of the Perth Archdiocese, invited guests, including Anglican Archbishop of Perth Roger Herft and Lord

Mayor of Perth Lisa Scaffidi, along with Catholic school students and parishioners of Perth Archdiocese are invited to attend the event.

Bishop Brady’s relatives, including Paddy and Lorna Lavelle from Ireland and the Farrelly family relatives from Perth, will be present to see their relative’s remains finally laid to rest in the diocese he established.

Bishop Brady’s remains were exhumed earlier this year from his grave in Amélie-les-Bains in southern France by a small team led by

archeologist and priest of the Perth Archdiocese, Fr Robert Cross. The Vigil Prayer ceremony on 1 August and the Reinterment Mass of Bishop John Brady on 2 August are public events. All welcome but due to limited seating, RSVPs are essential.

RSVP to Odhran on o.obrien@perthcatholic.org.au.

For more information visit www.bishopbrady.com.

A little one enjoys the fundraiser for the St Vincent de Paul Society on the feast of Sts Peter and Paul on 3 July.

Masterchef: Parish priest Fr Dat Vuong, above, combines the famous Vietnamese-French pork bread roll in front of parishioners at the Feast day fundraiser on 3 July; Fr Dat Vuong, below, with parishioners enjoying the day.

It was an international affair: Bedford and Inglewood parishioners delight in Hungarian, Indian, Indonesian, Italian and Vietnamese cuisine on 3 July.

Lumen Christi supporting children in India

BY ROBERT HIINI

A SCHOOL for handicapped children in Kuzhithurai, India, was on the brink of collapse seven years ago when Lumen Christi College stepped into the breach to help out.

The college’s commitment to the Matrix Community and its work has been ongoing ever since. Twenty five packing cases the College sent before last Christmas have now arrived at the Mission in Attoor, India.

The College’s material and financial support helps the mission care for orphans, widows and children with disabilities.

Part of Lumen Christi’s contribution goes to support the “Matrix boys”: 26 young boys, many of them orphaned and in the care of Matrix priest Fr Maria Arputham at the community’s Matrix House.

Lumen Christi have agreed to a Matrix proposal to support the boys’ education past Year 12; something the Matrix Community is unable to do.

“It will be a wonderful thing and will increase the motivation of the Matrix boys,” Fr Maria Arputham told the College in a recent letter.

He is confident he can get one of the boys a place at a local polytechnic, studying civil engineering.

As there is a dearth of suitable

students this year, Fr Arputham has asked the College if he can reapply the funds, in the short term, to rebuilding a badly damaged kitchen at a local school. He said the government might stop providing meals at the site if the kitchen is not fixed.

Fr Arputham also proposed that some money be spent on helping a widow’s daughter to continue her diploma.

The Matrix Community also looks after girls with mental disabilities, many of whom would have been deliberately undernourished or abandoned without the mission’s assistance.

It also helps widows to generate their own income through a range of co-operative and self-help projects.

Every two years, Lumen Christi sends a delegation of students to visit the mission; putting a human face to both sides of the relationship.

The last such delegation visited in December last year.

“Seeing the school and meeting the boys we’ve heard so much about in recent years was just like catching up with old friends,” the delegation of four students and six staff reported.

“It has certainly given us a new perspective on what is important in

Train the Trainer

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW TRANSLATION OF THE MASS

2 Hour workshops from 7.30PM—9.30PM

These evenings are designed for those who wish to work with the new resource “Become, One Body, One Spirit in Christ” DVD for the purpose of workshopping groups in parishes or church organisations.

Tuesday 5th July

Infant Jesus Parish, Morley

Wednesday 20th July

St Thomas More Parish, Bateman

Thursday 4th August

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Rockingham

Wednesday 17th August

Our Lady of the Mission Parish, Whitfords

Wednesday 14th September

St Brigid Parish, Midland

Wednesday 12th October

Infant Jesus Parish, Morley

life.” Lumen Christi raises funds for the mission throughout the year; including market days and community bingo sessions as well as encouraging students and teachers to donate good-condition clothes, toys and stationery.

A human moment: A Lumen Christi student, above, with a little one in India. The College has supported the Matrix Community and its work for the last seven years. Some of the boys, below, many of whom are orphaned, in the care of the Matrix Community and Fr Maria Arputham.

WYD Cross and Icon

JOURNEY IN 2010

Canarias, Tenerife, Calahorra y La CalzadaLogroño, Barcelona, Tarragona, Terrassa, Girona, La Seu d’Urgell, Lleida, Cartagena-Murcia, Solsona, Vic, Sant Feliú de Llobregat, Orense, Lug, Mondoñedo-Ferrol, Tui-Vigo, Santiago de Compostela, Fátima, Pamplona-Tudela, Oviedo, Santander, Vitoria, San Sebastián, Bilbao, BurgosOsma-Soria, Ávila, Astorga, Valladolid, Segovia, Salamanca, Ciudad Rodrigo, Palencia, León, Zamora, Cuenca, SigüenzaGuadalajara, Ciudad Real, Toledo, Albacete, Zaragoza

JOURNEY IN 2011

Galicia, Mérida-Badajoz, Coria-Cáceres, Plasencia, Segorbe-Castellón, Valencia, MallorcaIbiza, Menorca, Orihuela-Alicante, Sevilla, Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz y Ceuta, Gibraltar, Bilbao, Huelva, Cáceres, Tortosa, Málaga, Granada, Almería, Guadix, Jaén, Córdoba, Barbastro-Monzón, Huesca, Jaca, Teruel y Albarracín, Tarazona

travels the Iberian Peninsula

It is known as the “Holy Year Cross”, the “Jubilee Cross”, the “WYD Cross”, the “Pilgrim Cross”; many call it the “Young People’s Cross” because it has been given to young people to take across the world, to all places at all times .

This is its history:

It was the year 1984, the Holy Year of the Redemption, when Pope John Paul II decided that a Cross, symbol of the faith, had to

be near the main altar of St Peter´s Basilica, where everyone could see it. So a great wooden Cross was installed, 3.8 metres high, exactly as he wished.

At the end of the Holy Year, after closing the Holy Door, the Pope handed this Cross to the young people of the world, represented by youngsters from the St Lawrence International Youth Centre in Rome. His words on that occasion were: “Dear young people, on closing the Holy Year, I entrust to you the sign of this Jubilee Year: the Cross of Christ! Take it around the world as sign of the love of the Lord Jesus for humanity

and proclaim to all that only in Christ dead and risen is there salvation and redemption” (Rome, 22 April 1984).

The young people made the Holy Father’s wish their own. They took the Cross to the St Lawrence Centre which became its permanent home during the periods it was not on pilgrimage in the world.

In 2003, at the end of Palm Sunday Mass, John Paul II gave young people a copy of the icon Maria Salus Populi Romani: “To the delegation that has come from Germany, I also give today the icon of Mary. Henceforth, together with the

Cross, this icon will accompany World Youth Days. It will be the sign of the maternal presence of Mary close to young people, called - as the Apostle St John - to receive her in their life” (Angelus, 18th World Youth Day, 13 April 2003). The original version of the icon is kept in the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome.

SEGORBE-CASTELLON

VALLADOLID

BURGOS

Here are two guest editorials: the first appeared in the 28 June online edition of The Catholic Transcript in Hartford, Connecticut.

Waters of humanism

“Even a traditionally Catholic people can feel negatively or assimilate almost unconsciously the repercussions of a culture that ends by insinuating a mentality in which the Gospel message is openly rejected or subtly hindered.” Words such as these could only be voiced by a person of great intellect, faith and courage, such as Pope Benedict XVI, as he soldiers onward in the footsteps of his predecessor, Blessed Pope John Paul II - the Great. Like Pope John Paul, Pope Benedict lived in a country whose profound, centuries-old culture, veritably linked with late antiquity, had been savagely trampled by the forces of evil.

That the citizens of any country could allow it to drift nonchalantly into a toxic stream leading to nowhere defies reason. Yet history records that it has happened.

“Stream” is an especially suitable metaphor here, since Pope Benedict voiced his warning in the magnificent Tri-Venetian region, that “blessed land’’ distinguished by the banks of the Lagoon, the Canal of Cannaregio and the fabled Grand Canal, leading to the “River of Light,” and, of course, the incomparable St Mark’s Basilica. The ultimate “River of Light,” we know, in faith, illumines the way to Christ, who must always be our final goal. Any idea or movement that deviates from or constitutes a barrier to His embrace cannot be labelled “progress.” On the contrary, it can only amount to retardation and, when all else has been tried, self-destruction. We are all made for God, as St Augustine wrote on the first page of his immortal Confessions, and we shall never rest until we rest in Him. Thus, argued Pope Benedict during his pilgrimage to the Diocese of Trivento (the “Three Venices”), for man today to surrender his soul to hedonistic, materialistic and/or relativistic goals is self-defeating, because it is dehumanising. The meaning of each and every human being is reflected in Christ, the Son of God incarnate. There is no “humanism” worthy of the name without reference to God. Was it not Dostoevski who, in typical philosophical fashion, stated that to assess the human being without reference to God is like sitting on a tree limb while sawing it off? Isn’t it bound to crash? The great Jewish existentialist Martin Buber convincingly argued that since God is the indispensable basis for every authentic “I-Thou” relationship, as contradistinguished from an “I-It” relationship, every “Thou” offers a glimpse through to the eternal “Thou,” namely, God. Moreover, God is the absolute guarantor of every true interpersonal meeting.

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Seeing no borders

In late May, Pope Benedict XVI spent some time chatting with astronauts on the International Space Station, including the crew of the US space shuttle Endeavour. His first question was to Endeavour’s Capt Mark Kelly. It focused on the absurdity of violence on earth, including the assassination attempt in January on Kelly’s wife, Arizona Rep Gabrielle Giffords.

“From the space station, you have a very different view of the earth,” the Pontiff said. “You fly over different continents and nations several times a day. I think it must be obvious to you how we all live together on one earth and how absurd it is that we fight and kill each other. ... When you are contemplating the earth from up there, do you ever wonder about the way nations and people live together down here?”

“It’s a very good question,” Kelly replied. “We fly over most of the world and you don’t see borders, but at the same time we realise that people fight with each other and there is a lot of violence in this world.”

Though the two were talking about warfare and violence (and how science can help alleviate some of the regional tensions over energy resources) that perspective of earth from space - “you don’t see borders” - is an equally useful context for the ever-controversial debate over immigration in this country, even among well-intentioned, intelligent and informed Catholics.

To be clear: We’re not envisioning some sort of imposed, borderless, global world order or the renunciation of cultural traditions, national differences or culinary or linguistic uniqueness of expression - none of which can be seen from space, either.

But especially in America, where even our poetic tradition teaches us that good fences make good neighbours, Christians have to fight the temptation to wall up their souls against the outsider, the foreigner.

From God’s perspective - one we, too, are called to develop through prayer and the sacraments - every single human being on the globe and throughout time is son and daughter, brother and sister. Loving service to the “least of these” is the only requirement Christ demands for entrance into eternal life. That’s the base line for Catholics - and our political leadership - as they grapple with the very real challenges of illegal immigration. Equally strong, however, ought also to be the recognition that our immigration policies are flawed and unsustainable. Not only is there a certain hypocrisy in simultaneously holding up “border closed” and “help wanted” signs, there’s often too little recognition that our policies have caused undeserved and real human pain.

Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez, chairman of the US Bishops’ Committee on Migration, had this to say: “Our current policies are breaking up families in the name of enforcing our laws,” he said. “That should not be. We should be reuniting and strengthening families - not separating wives from husbands and children from their parents.”

The issues are complex and the solutions won’t be easy. But the only proper perspective to move forward is recognition of the universal brotherhood of humanity. Like the view of earth from space.

This editorial appeared in the 8 June edition of Our Sunday Visitor.

Letters to the editor

But would you defend an atheist’s talk?

The Record’s stirring defence of Notre Dame University (Resisting the climate of fear, 6 July 2011)  congratulated it wholeheartedly for providing Lord Monckton with a forum to present his views on climate change. It praised the university for going ahead with the controversial Lord’s lecture and for “refusing to bow to a pseudo-intellectual lynch mob masquerading as the acceptable face of public opinion.”

No doubt Voltaire applauded from the grave Lord Monckton’s right to be heard. I suppose we can expect further celebrations of UNDA’s intellectual independence when Richard Dawkins pops up at the Fremantle campus to preach on atheism, followed by other speakers providing positive insights into gay marriage and abortion. Or maybe not.

Noel Bourke Heathridge

Thank you, Notre Dame

Congratulations and grateful thanks to Notre Dame University for resisting intimidating pressure in refusing to cancel Lord Monckton’s address.  This is a victory for freedom of speech. Thanks also to The Record for defending the decision.

It is worth noting that the term

“academic freedom” has been abused in some cases, whereby universities claiming to be Catholic have damaged their Catholic identity by supporting agendas at variance with Church teaching, such as abortion and homosexual “marriage”.

Not so in this case. A global warming theory is not an article of faith, and is irrelevant to Christian morality. Wise stewardship of God’s creation is an authentic moral good, insofar as it protects the environment from real pollution, such as the dumping of toxic waste, which is, in fact, hazardous to human life and health.

Carbon dioxide, however, is not a pollutant, but a vital natural substance, used by plants to produce food through photosynthesis. Global warming is an unproven hypothesis. Among its militant proponents, the majority are not qualified scientists. Many genuine scientists reject the theory.

Even if, however, global warming were a matter for concern, a carbon tax would do nothing to halt its progress.

Environmental extremists have for long indoctrinated schoolchildren with fallacious information, and are at present terrifying them with what is, in fact, political propaganda.

Protests against the Monckton lecture derive from a numerically small group which makes the loudest noise. This is reminiscent of the strategy of activist proponents of homosexual “marriage”. Such attempted reversal of an undisputed understanding of marriage throughout human history can easily be refuted on the grounds of biological science and human reason, without reference to religion.

However, we do have authentic conscience rights, of which it is a violation to be forced to act contrary to one’s conscience, as has so often happened in places where this legislation has been imposed.

One tactic of the SSM lobbyists is to claim that the outcome is inevitable. Yet in all places where the people have been given a say by means of a referendum, the outcome has always been for authentic marriage. It is destructive of democracy for activist judges, or a handful of votes in the legislature, to force an issue of such a momentous decision.

Likewise, the carbon lobbyists impose a supposition

Greek crisis sparks concern

Continued from Page 1 poor countries in search of a better life, using Greece as Europe’s eastern gateway,” Archbishop Foskolos said.

“Since we joined the EU in 1981, we haven’t received any help from other Western Churches, since we’re considered a rich country ourselves and they can only aid the Third World,” he added.

“But we have parts of the Third World here in Greece, and it’s creat-

of inevitability to exclude all opinion contrary to their own. Across a range of issues, it has become very clear that none are more intolerant than those who claim to support tolerance. Authentic tolerance is a two way street. It can only be attained by mutual respect.

Anne M Kirkwood Attadale

Where’s objectivity when you need it?

It is as well to be aware that the mainstream media in general, and the two major WA newspapers in particular, are not noted for their unbiased reporting. Allow me to illustrate, with reference to four major social issues –antithetical to Christian morality - which are still championed vigorously by them.

Embryonic stemcell (ESC) research – in which human embryos are experimented upon and destroyed; ostensibly to find cures for a range of illnesses. The success rate to date for such experiments throughout the world stands at zero.

Cloning – the creation of human embryos for ESC research. Given the lack of success in ESC research, the procedure is now effectively redundant.

This redundancy has been made doubly so with the discovery of induced pluripotent stemcells (iPS) by Prof Shinya Yamanaka in Japan. These cells, developed from skin cells, behave like ESCs and can legitimately be used for experimentation. The use of iPS does not involve the destruction of human embryos.

Euthanasia – the killing of sick people under the guise of ‘mercy’ killing. Many countries, as well as every State in Australia and the AMA, have outlawed the practice. A Bill was defeated in WA (24-11) only about a year ago. Same-sex ‘Marriage’ – currently being promoted, despite a defeat (45-5) in the Senate as recently as 18 months ago.

The role of the media in undermining society by these attacks on morality is undeniable.

Dunstan Hartley DIANELLA

EU Sundays coalition forms

Continued from Page 1 -tural enrichment and spiritual well-being,” said the declaration.

ing great pastoral and social hardships.” The EU and International Monetary Fund agreed to provide $156 billion in emergency loans to help Greece pay off some of its $485 billion debt by the end of 2014. In addition to spending cuts, the economic plan passed by the Greek Parliament calls for tax increases, a “solidarity levy” on households, sweeping privatisation, school closures and sharp state sector staff and wage reductions.

Calls for the preservation of workfree Sundays have increased in the EU, where shops and businesses now routinely require staff to turn up on weekends without extra pay.

In its declaration, the European Sunday Alliance said irregular hours were creating “unsustainable working time patterns” and having a “serious negative effect” on health and safety by fuelling stress, illness and absenteeism.

It added that they were also the main source of “working poor” in Europe and said the EU should “ensure its legislation and internal market rules better guarantee the work and life balance.”

“People usually work on Sundays or at irregular hours out of financial necessity rather than choice,” it said.

A man stands between discount advertisements at the entrance of his shop in Athens, Greece, 6 July. The economic crisis in Greece is taking its toll on Catholic churches and Church programmes in the predominantly Orthodox nation.

PHOTO: CNS/YIORGOS KARAHALIS, REUTERS

Give me the new Translation

A liturgical deviant scrutinises the New Missal

BY FR LAURIE BISSET

Iwas born and ordained a son of the Tridentine Mass and lived 45 years a struggling presider of the New Ordo. Now with our New Translation, in the soon to be 47th year of my priestly life, I feel I have been born again.

The blood of love, devotion, reverence, God orientation and humility is once again flowing in my veins.

Thank God I did not die, run home to mother – now in heaven – or marry the five women I fell madly in love with. I praise God I have stuck with it long enough to see a possibility of rebirth, not only for myself but for our whole Church.

And I owe all this and more to the New Translation.

Up until not too long ago I thought the Mass was about me (may God please forgive me).

What did it was that tempting, neon lit, wine-to-an-alcoholic,

direction for the adventurous: ‘or in similar words’. It took a while for me to be daring enough to believe I could deviate from the safe and newly ordained printed word.

I was young and struggling enough to keep my head above water in my to-the-death classroom, teaching subjects I knew nothing about to students who did not want to know the little I did manage to remember from my schooldays. My only release was my weekly excursion to parishes in the ‘bush’, or in my case the ‘Downs’ (those living in Toowoomba might guess).

Here I could escape and BE ME. The real Laurie Bissett, set free from the classroom, and finding for the first time real people whom I thought actually liked me; I am told I was good looking and had great hair!!

So at first it was a liberation and a platform to launch out into five sermons per Mass, to make a quip here, a ramble

there, to keep the congregation guessing and on their toes: ‘What is he going to say next to make us laugh’.

Yes, I was one of ‘those’ priests who thought I had to do it all, be spontaneous, inventive, smart, funny, daring and all the time dreading I would not be loved, understood, admired and thought of as innovative and creative.

But the effort nearly killed me, as did the need to be loved and admired and needed. I was coming dangerously close to believing people needed me more than God. I was almost imagining myself to be God in human form … TRUST me!!!

When I first heard about the ‘New Translation’, I was concerned and worried.

Without reading it, I heard frightening tales and read scary articles on outdated and unintelligible words like ‘consubstantial’ (although ‘substantial’ plays quite a substantial role in our everyday language and I

was almost ‘conned into believing all the hoo-ha), and ‘grievous fault’ (which amazed me, having gone into prisons and facilitated groups of ‘druggies’ who were often hung up on GBH (‘Grievous Bodily Harm’).

There was ‘And with your spirit’ (amazing once again as the modern world is often absorbed in the Spirit world), and lack of consultation especially from us priests who (or is it just me!!! Horror, it might be!!) do many things for the good of the parish without real consultation, and I am sure most businesses run that way; you can consult forever and never get anything done.

Now I like the words, am glad I was not asked as I could not have come up with the beauty and solemnity and wonder and awe of what we have. I am wrapped in the New Translation. I feel my spirit soar and I hear the congregation answering with fervour and gusto. THEY like it (I have five Church communities of mixed Aussie, Aboriginal,

Torres Strait, Filipino, Chinese, English, Irish, Polish).

I feel our Masses have taken on a new life. Whereas before I could roll off every Eucharistic Prayer and other parts of the Mass by heart and everyone answered by heart, it became rote and my heart was not in it.

It lacked something.

And now I know what it is; the Masses lacked God, reverence, awe, beauty, mystery, and humility. At last I feel humble as I pray. At last it is not about me but about God. At last I am praying the Mass, not ‘saying’ it; at last I have been reborn!!

Thank you God and that Cardinal or Archbishop or petty Curia official who got it all going and gave it to us who did not know what we wanted but, speaking for myself, know what it is when I have it!!

Fr

Laurie Bissett

MSC is the parish priest of Thursday Island.

NATIONAL ABORIGINAL AND ISLANDERS DAY OBSERVANCE COMMITTEE

Schools mark NAIDOC with celebration at St Mary’s

BY ROBERT HIINI

STUDENTS, teachers and Archbishop Hickey refused to let a vocal disruption dampen their celebration of Indigenous peoples and culture at a special NAIDOC week liturgy convened at St Mary’s Cathedral on Wednesday, 6 July.

A local, homeless woman, known to Archbishop Hickey, entered the Cathedral shortly after the liturgy commenced, shouting obscenities while walking down the middle aisle towards the altar.

The Archbishop had just begun his opening address but stopped midway, leaving the sanctuary to speak with the woman before she left the Cathedral of her own volition.

The celebration resumed calmly with the Archbishop reminding several hundred students from Chisholm, Clontarf, La Salle, Trinity, Santa Clara and St

Munchin’s of the reason for their gathering.

“Today we join with others across Australia who this week celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

“This will be a celebration of the work being done by Indigenous people across Australia who are taking responsibility for their own future and shaping the changes they want to see in their communities,” Archbishop Hickey said, speaking to this year’s NAIDOC theme ‘Change: the next step is ours.’

The event kicked off with a procession in which Archbishop Hickey and the Dean of the Cathedral, Mgr Michael Keating, were led to the altar by Indigenous Elder, Richard Walley and his young dancers.

From a sanctuary adorned with students sitting around figurative campfires, Mr Walley officially welcomed those gathered to Nyoongar

country.

The ensuing ceremony featured Scripture readings and personal accounts from Indigenous students of their own ancestral histories.

Wayne Bull, from the Catholic Education Office (CEOWA), thanked the committee who organised the event, including Archdiocesan Directory of Liturgy Sr Kerry Willison RSM and the CEO’s Robyn Collard and Diana Alteri.

Mr Bull noted that NAIDOC week (this year, 3-10 July) usually falls during the school holidays, precluding schools from marking the occasion.

The NAIDOC week liturgy was the first time such an event could be held during term.

NAIDOC stands for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee,’ the body that used to organise celebrations which are now organised locally.

In Nyoongar country: School students gather in St Mary’s Cathedral with Archbishop Barry Hickey to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and sit around figurative campfires as they listen to the Word of God, left. Above, an Indigenous student gives a personal account of his ancestral history.

NAIDOC: Indigenous Elder, Richard Walley, above officially welcomed the congregation to Nyoongar country. Top and middle, students participate in the commemorative occasion.

Celebration of Indigenous peoples and culture: Students participate in the ceremony in St Mary’s Cathedral on 6 July recognising the ancestry and future of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia. PHOTOS: FR ROBERT CROSS

NATIONAL ABORIGINAL AND ISLANDERS DAY OBSERVANCE COMMITTEE

Social inequality needs to end: Gooda

CONSTITUTIONAL recognition of Indigenous peoples could be the vehicle to improving their social independence and relationship with Australian governments and the wider community, according to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda.

The man who has pioneered social, health and legal reforms for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for the past 25 years called on Prime Minister Julia Gillard to uphold her promise of holding a referendum to recognise the first Australians in the Constitution within the next two years.

Mr Gooda delivered a keynote lecture during NAIDOC Week celebrations at The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Fremantle Campus on Monday, 4 July. The title of his speech was Working towards Social Justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples Mr Gooda is pushing for the history of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their country to be formally recognised in the Australian Constitution. He said it would give Australia and its people a more complete national identity.

I

Hailing from the Ghangulu

peoples of the Dawson Valley in Central Queensland, Mr Gooda said Indigenous people continued to battle physical, spiritual and emotional odds in their communities.

He said it was “unacceptable” that the Australian Indigenous population had the same life expectancy rates as people living in developing nations.

Mr Gooda questioned whether reconciliation would become a reality if Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continued to live in such disadvantage compared with the rest of the Australian community.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, signed by the Commonwealth Government in 2009, provides a platform to challenge poverty, incarceration rates and other human rights issues in Indigenous communities, according to Mr Gooda.

Mr Gooda believed Australia was ready for “new, stronger and deeper relationships with the first peoples” after the Commonwealth’s National Apology in 2008.

But he said meaningful understanding and respect of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures was also required to achieve recon-

ciliation.

“For my tenure as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, I decided to focus on issues that are foundational to an agenda of hope,” Mr Gooda said during his speech.

“An agenda which aims to unleash the potential of Indigenous Australians, maximise the capabilities of each and every Indigenous Australian and tackle the root causes of Indigenous health and social inequality.

“Human rights are useful because they provide governments and the people with a set of minimum legal standards which, if applied to all people, would establish a framework for a society to foster dignity and equality whilst celebrating difference.

“I firmly believe this is the right time, right here and now, for the Australian people to formally recognise in our Constitution the special and unique place Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples hold in our nation.”

The 1967 Referendum, which ensured that Aboriginal people would be included in the Census and allowed the Commonwealth Government to make laws for Aboriginal people, was supported by more than 90 per cent of voters.

am, you are, we are, one people

ABORIGINAL and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda was the special guest at the 2011 NAIDOC Week celebrations at The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Fremantle Campus on Monday, 4 July.

During his talk on the 2011 NAIDOC theme, Change: the next step is ours, Mr Gooda recited a poem that illustrated a time when Indigenous and non-Indigenous people might become unified.

The poem, titled Son of Mine, and written by late Aboriginal leader Oodgeroo Nunukul (Kath Walker), acknowledged Australia’s

past and its hope for reconciliation in the future, according to Mr Gooda.

Notre Dame staff, students and community members gathered in Malloy Courtyard to recognise and celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

In her Welcome to Country, Nyoongar Elder, Marie Taylor, called on the Australian people to create a society void of prejudice and disunity, saying “I am, you are, we are, one people”.

Ms Taylor and Torres Strait Islands representative Naomi Pitt presented the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands flags to the

North Perth hosts Nyoongar elder during NAIDOC

BY ROBERT HIINI

NAIDOC week is about taking stock of Indigenous successes and working towards a brighter future, an Aboriginal elder told Mass-goers at the Redemptorist Monastery on Sunday, 3 July.

Nyoongar elder and Order of Australia recipient Robert Isaacs said that, in contrast to mostly negative media attention, Indigenous peoples have notched up many success stories in the past 10 years. He noted the existence of around 130 Indigenous doctors, surgeons and medical academics; more than 100 lawyers, barristers and

magistrates; and the presence of Indigenous people in senior positions in the public service.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia are making positive changes for a better future for themselves and their families,” Mr Isaacs said.

“We want to go forward with NAIDOC being a major culture festival in Perth that is celebrated by everyone and which showcases Aboriginal and Torres Striat Islander people.”

NAIDOC, standing for National Aboriginal and Islander Day of Observance Committee, was first formed in 1957, Mr Isaacs said.

Vice Chancellor, Professor Celia Hammond, and student representative Peter Dawson.

The flags were escorted from Malloy Courtyard to Mouat Street and raised alongside the Australian flag as Derek Nannup played the didgeridoo.

The flag raising ceremony was concluded with a speech from Mr Gooda who spoke of the need to develop stronger and deeper relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians to assist reconciliation efforts.

The NAIDOC celebrations at The University of wNotre Dame continued with a keynote lecture by

Mr Gooda and a special screening of the award winning Indigenous film Mad Bastards

In her opening address, the Vice Chancellor said it was up to all Australians to uphold the NAIDOC message and take a step forward in its relationship with the country’s first peoples.

“As a Catholic university, we seek to encourage all within our community to act for the promotion of the common good,” Professor Hammond said.

“We also seek to ensure that our community and the individuals in it provide a visible witness to all that is good, proper and just.”

Head of Indigenous Health

Curriculum at the Fremantle Campus’ School of Medicine, Associate Professor Clive Walley, says NAIDOC Week highlights the diversity and uniqueness of the Australian culture.

“The important thing for me is having a university that is very supportive and shows strong leadership in providing ways of learning about Indigenous culture here in Fremantle,” Associate Professor Walley said.

NAIDOC is the acronym for ‘National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee’ and is now the title of week-long activities to celebrate Australia’s Indigenous culture.

the treatment of Aboriginal

The Redemptorist

Its roots can be traced back to Aboriginal activism in the 1920s and protest on Australia Day over

people.

Monastery

Social Justice Group were pleased that Mr Isaacs was able to address Mass-goers. “This is the third successive year that Mr Isaacs has honoured us with his presence, sharing

with us his knowledge and wisdom of Aboriginal history and culture, and his passion for reconciliation amongst all Australians,” the group said.

There is some good news: Indigenous peoples have notched up many success stories in the past 10 years, says Robert Isaacs, above with the Redemptorist Monastery Social Justice Group on 3 July. PHOTO: COURTESY REDEMPTORIST MONASTERY

Pioneer: Mick Gooda, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, gives keynote lecture during NAIDOC Week celebrations at the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle on 4 July.

PHOTO: COURTESY UNDA

Experts discuss Church’s best-kept secret: peace

Changing individuals through peacebuilding

BY JOHN T HAVIS

ROME (CNS) - When Sudanese Bishop Paride Taban of Torit wanted to help stop traditional cattle raiding by rival groups of young men, he turned to Catholic peace-building organisation IKV Pax Christi from the Netherlands. The raiding had become extremely dangerous and violent, and Pax Christi helped develop a programme that would bring together youth warriors from different rural communities to discuss the problem and come up with alternative ways of relating.

After two conferences, participants were able to launch a peace and sports programme called Playing for Peace which engages the young people in a platform for debate and involves them in building a sports infrastructure.

The Sudanese programme was described by Marie Dennis, co-president of Pax Christi International, at a conference in Rome on 1 July on Catholic peacebuilding. Sponsored by the US-based Catholic Peacebuilding Network, it brought together leading Catholic academics, Vatican officials and diplomats to examine the Church’s role in preventing and resolving conflicts and reconciling societies.

Gerard Powers of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, who helped organise the conference, said Catholic peacebuilding may be the “best kept secret” of Church social teaching.

“From South Sudan and Central America to Congo and Colombia, the Catholic Church is a powerful force for peace, freedom, justice and reconciliation. But that impressive and courageous peacebuilding work of the Catholic community is often unknown, unheralded

and underanalysed,” Powers said. He cited an off-the-record session sponsored in Colombia a few years ago by the Catholic Peacebuilding Network, when the Church’s experts heard 20 Colombian Bishops tell remarkable stories of successfully mediating among narco-traffickers, Marxist guerrillas and right-wing paramilitaries - and caring for the victims of all three groups.

A better-known programme is the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute, developed in the Philippines with the assistance of Catholic Relief Services and the Kroc Institute, which provides intensive training in religious peacebuilding, conflict

transformation and communitybased conflict resolution. The training has been so successful it’s been expanded recently to include the Philippine military.

Spiritan Fr William Headley, dean of the Joan B Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego, said the Church has a number of natural strengths in peacebuilding, beginning with the large body of Catholic social teaching and its capillary presence in local communities. Reconciliation efforts often involve international Catholic organisations working closely with local Church leaders.

In Burundi last fall, for example,

Church officials from several countries in Africa’s Great Lakes region met with Catholic aid agencies representatives and the US Bishops’ conference to map out a strategic plan for regional peace and reconciliation. Elsewhere, Catholic organisations like the Community of Sant’Egidio and Caritas have been on the front lines of peacemaking initiatives for many years, in some cases helping to broker peace agreements. Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said that for the Church, the core of peacebuilding is changing individuals.

“Violence manifests itself through people,” he said. “So peacebuilding starts with changing the heart. We have the tools and systems to develop peace on the ground. As Christians, we have faith and grace to change hearts.”

At the same time, the Church has to make its voice heard on the factors that contribute to conflict, speakers said. Michel Roy, new general secretary of Caritas Internationalis, noted the proliferation of small arms in places like eastern Congo, and said international action was needed to stop arms trafficking and trade.

Maryann Cusimano Love, associate professor of international relations at The Catholic University of America, told the conference that the Church’s wide view of peacebuilding contrasts with the shortterm approach of many international agencies, often limited to cessation of hostilities.

The Church focuses on participation, reconciliation and longterm sustainability of peace agreements, which includes the healing of individuals and communities traumatised by conflict, Cusimano Love said. The United Nations aims at demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration of armed groups - often with impunity and payment for those groups, and almost always in a process of negotiation that excludes women, she said.

“This has led to the critique of many UN-brokered peace accords as being men with guns excusing and paying off other men with guns for the violence they have done against women,” she said.

Spiritan Fr Robert Schreiter, a professor at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, said one challenge facing the Church is to translate its peacebuilding theology, ethics and practices into language that is intelligible to others engaged in peacemaking, including those of other faiths and those who work out of secular perspectives.

Baptism accord agreed Zimbabweans fear targeting of priests

BY NANCY FRAZIER O’BRIEN

WASHINGTON (CNS) - With a 4 July vote by the General Synod of the United Church of Christ, a common agreement on Baptism by the US Catholic Church and four Protestant Church communities cleared its final hurdle.

The “Common Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Baptism,” approved by the US Catholic Bishops last November, was ratified by the governing bodies of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in June 2009 and the Reformed Church in America and Christian Reformed Church in North America this June. With the agreement, drawn up by Catholic and Reformed scholars during the seventh round of the CatholicReformed Dialogue in the USA, Baptisms performed in any of the five churches will be recognised by the others as long as flowing water and the proper formula of “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” is used and documented.

Calling Baptism “the sacramental gateway into the Christian life,” the agreement says Baptism “is to be conferred only once, because those who are baptised are decisively incorporated into the body of Christ.”

While other Bishops’ conferences around the world have entered into similar agreements with Protestant communities in their regions, the document is unprecedented for the US Catholic Church. When the agreement was approved by the US Conference of

Catholic Bishops on 16 November in Baltimore by a 204-11 vote, Archbishop Wilton D Gregory of Atlanta called it “a milestone on the ecumenical journey” and said it would “allow Catholic ministers to presume that Baptisms performed in these communities are ‘true Baptism’ as understood in Catholic doctrine and law.”

“The presentation of a baptismal certificate by Reformed Christians who wish to come into full communion with the Catholic Church or to marry a Catholic assures Catholic ministers that the Baptism performed by a Reformed minister involved the use of flowing water and the biblical invocation of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” added the Archbishop, who chairs the USCCB Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. During debate on the agreement at the United Church of Christ General Synod in Tampa, Fla, Karen Georgia Thompson, minister of ecumenical and interfaith relations, called it “another place of new beginning in our ecumenical work.” The agreement drew the support of 92.8 percent of the delegates voting on it, although some noted during the debate that local pastors and parents will still have the option of choosing words other than “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” to be used during Baptism, according to a news report from the United Church of Christ.

Some expressed concern that the wording was not “inclusive language that welcomes all and includes all,” the news report said.

BY BRONWEN DACHS

CAPE TOWN, South Africa

(CNS) - The national director of Zimbabwe’s Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace said he fears that priests could be victimised after a recent commission statement urging political leaders to intervene to stop politically motivated skirmishes in the capital, Harare.

Bishops and priests were targeted after the country’s Bishops spoke out against political intolerance early this year “and the same could easily happen now,” Alouis Chaumba said in a 5 July telephone interview with Catholic News Service from Harare.

A surge in violence in Harare’s Mbare township has forced some men to visit their families secretly at night to “avoid being caught by politically dogmatic groups” opposed to democratic rights, the commission said on 3 July.

“In extreme cases, some Mbare families have lost their houses to people who belong to other political parties,” it said. Most perpetrators of the violence are “shipped” into Mbare, traditionally a stronghold of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change, it said. It is “very disturbing for priests” when they are threatened, as “sometimes happens when people demand to see a priest after Mass and accuse him of preaching in a party-political way,” Chaumba

streets around a medical clinic have become “so unapproachable and inhospitable” that the clinic has become a no-go zone, the justice and peace commission said. Assault victims and patients in need of HIV treatment are afraid to seek care or collect their medication at the clinic, it said.

said. The commission will try to document cases of intimidation after its 3 July statement, he said.

A priest at St Peter’s Church in Mbare, Jesuit Fr Oskar Wermter, said he and other priests in the area “are always aware that what we say is being noted” by President Mugabe’s loyalists. “This is nothing new,” he said in a 4 July phone interview, noting that “they have been listening in to our telephone conversations for at least 10 years.”

In June, Fr Wermter told CNS that incidences of violence are “increasing dangerously” in Zimbabwe. Rights groups in Zimbabwe report an increase in mob attacks, threats, assaults and questionable arrests by police in 2011 and say that militants and security forces loyal to Mugabe have previously led political violence. Mbare market stalls have been seized, household goods and personal belongings confiscated and

Noting that the Mbare violence “is imported” and that “most people behind the violence are not permanent residents in the area,” the commission quoted victims saying that they were being punished for “participating in political associations of their choice.” It urged political leaders to realize that votes are won by maintaining justice and human rights.

“How, for example, can a person who dislocated his jaw in political violence vote for the political party responsible for dislocating it?” the commission asked.

Mugabe’s party, which blames the Movement for Democratic Change for starting the violence, is campaigning for as-yetunscheduled elections. Regional mediators have cautioned against early polls and propose a longer-term “roadmap” that would include electoral changes and revisions of the voters’ lists.

Research has shown that as many as 27 percent of Zimbabwe’s 5.5 million listed voters have died and many others are under voting age or are registered in more than one voting district.

Women carrying crosses in the country of Sudan where peacebuilding organisation IKV Pax Christi has helped end dangerous cattle raiding practices and organised Playing for Peace. CNS PHOTO

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe attends the World Food Security Summit in Rome on 3 June. CNS PHOTO

Vatican asks retired Bishop to visit diocese, assess leadership

CLEVELAND (CNS) - The Vatican has asked a retired New Jersey Bishop to visit the Diocese of Cleveland and assess the leadership of Bishop Richard Lennon (pictured) at the Ohio Bishop’s own request. “While I am confident that I am faithfully handling the responsibilities entrusted to me, I personally made this request earlier this year because a number of persons have written to Rome expressing their concerns about my leadership of the diocese,” Bishop Lennon said.

He made the comments in an 11 July statement announcing that Bishop John M Smith, who headed the Diocese of Trenton from 1997 until his retirement last December, was to spend a week in Cleveland beginning the day the announcement was made.

“This visit will be an opportunity to gather extensive information on all aspects of the activities of the diocese and allow for an objective assessment of my leadership,” Bishop Lennon said. “I ask for prayers that this process will support the vibrancy and vitality of our diocese going forward.”

At the conclusion of his visit, the diocese said Bishop Smith was to submit a report to the Vatican; no timetable was announced as to when the Vatican would issue a response.

Pope meets piracy victims

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) - Marking World Maritime Day, Pope Benedict XVI met with a dozen people who have family members being held captive by pirates. At the end of his recitation of the Angelus prayer on 10 July, the Pope offered prayers for seafarers, “who unfortunately have been kidnapped during acts of piracy.”

He told thousands of people gathered in the courtyard of his summer villa at Castel Gandolfo: “I hope they are being treated with respect and humanity, and I pray for their families so that they will be strong in their faith and not lose the hope of being reunited soon with their dear ones.”

As the crowds were leaving the papal villa, the Pope met privately with an international group of family members of piracy victims, “giving them serenity” and assuring them of his prayers, said Father Giacomo Martino, director of the Apostolate of the Sea for the Italian Bishops’ conference.

Fr Martino accompanied the family delegation to Castel Gandolfo for the encounter which, he said, brought them “heart to heart with the heart of the Church through the Holy Father.” In late May, the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travellers issued an appeal to governments, shipbuilders and owners to do more to help the families of piracy victims in addition to stepping up efforts to prevent piracy in the first place.

In moving ceremony, Sudan hands over independence

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) - The flag of South Sudan was raised as the Sudanese flag was lowered at the 9 July ceremony in Juba to mark the new Republic of South Sudan’s independence. “It was a graceful assertion of independence, without demeaning Sudan and its president,” said Dan Griffin, adviser on Sudan to the US Bishops’ Catholic Relief Services.

He spoke with Catholic News Service by phone on 10 July from Juba, South Sudan’s capital. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was guest of honor at the ceremony that marked the culmination of a January independence vote in which nearly 99 percent of the residents voted to secede.

The nine-hour ceremony took place at the mausoleum of late rebel leader John Garang who died six months after signing the 2005 peace deal that ended Africa’s longest-running conflict. “It was a very moving ceremony,” said Steve Hilbert, Africa policy adviser to the US Bishops’ Office of International Justice and Peace, noting that “people were crying - for joy and probably also in sorrow for those who didn’t live to see this day happen.” At least two million people were killed in Sudan’s last civil war, fought from 1983 to 2005. Soldiers and traditional dance troupes paraded, then the southern parliament speaker read the independence proclamation, and South Sudan President Salva Kiir took the oath of office.

Executing the will of the voters: cost v justice

Catholic ex-warden works to end penalty she calls costly, ineffective

BY NANCY FRAZIER O’BRIEN

WASHINGTON (CNS) - Jeanne Woodford looks forward to the day when no one will have to do what she did four times: plan and carry out an execution.

“They all weigh on me, as they do on everyone involved,” said Woodford, a former warden of San Quentin State Prison and now executive director of the national organisation Death Penalty Focus, in a 28 June telephone interview with Catholic News Service from her San Francisco office.

Lightning,” Richard C Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Centre, said, “Many factors determine who is ultimately executed in the US; often, the severity of the crime and the culpability of the defendant fade from consideration as other arbitrary factors determine who lives and who dies.”

The major factors “in who receives the ultimate punishment” are race, geography “and the size of a county’s budget,” Dieter said. “Many cases thought to embody the worst crimes and defendants are overturned on appeal and then assessed very differently the second time around at retrial. In such a haphazard process, the rationales of deterrence and retribution make little sense.”

The report compares the stories of several notorious murderers who

the executed were mentally ill, intellectually disabled or later exonerated of the crime for which they were killed.

“Thirty-five years of experience have taught the futility of trying to fix this system,” he wrote.

“Many of those who favoured the death penalty in the abstract have come to view its practice very differently. They have reached the conclusion that if society’s ultimate punishment cannot be applied fairly, it should not be applied at all.”

Advocates like Dieter and Woodford know they have their work cut out for them. Although four states have abolished the death penalty in the past four years, public opinion polls still show a great deal of support.

In a Rasmussen Reports national survey released on 29 June, 63 percent of American adults said they favour use of capital punishment, while 25 percent opposed it and 12 percent were undecided.

Less than half (47 percent) the respondents believe the US system of justice is fair to most Americans, 34 percent believe it is not fair and 19 percent are undecided. But by a margin of 64 percent to 19 percent, Americans believe the bigger problem for US law enforcement is that too many criminals are set free rather than that too many innocent people are arrested. The remaining 17 percent were undecided.

The margin of error for the survey of 1,000 adults, conducted 25-26 June, was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

In these tough economic times, however, death penalty opponents believe that Americans have good fiscal reasons to join their cause.

Although her upbringing as a Catholic prompted her moral opposition to capital punishment, she is working to bring it to an end for several “more practical” reasons, she said. “It’s ineffective, it’s costly and it does so much harm to everyone involved.”

The 35th anniversary of the reinstatement of the death penalty by the US Supreme Court, which said in Gregg v Georgia that capital punishment is not inherently “cruel and unusual punishment” in violation of the Eighth Amendment to the US Constitution, as long as certain sentencing procedures are followed, occurred on 2 July.

Since that 1976 decision, 1,258 people have been executed, according to the Washington-based Death Penalty Information Centre. More than 3,200 remain on death row, including 713 people in California.

But according to a new report, the system in the United States remains just as arbitrary today as it was when the death penalty was put on hold in 1972, when Justice Potter Stewart said capital punishment was “cruel and unusual in the same way that being struck by lightning is cruel and unusual.”

In the report titled “Struck by

Hindus storm school, demand enrolment

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -

About 50 Hindu extremists burst into a Catholic school in southern India, demanding enrolment for two children, the Vatican missionary news agency Fides reported.

did not receive the death penalty with the stories of some people who were executed.

For example, “Green River Killer” Gary Ridgway, who pleaded guilty to 48 murders in 2003 in Washington State, was spared the death penalty because of information he provided about the women he had killed. Oscar Veal, convicted of seven counts of murder and eight counts of racketeering as part of a large drug and murder-for-hire organisation, received only a 25-year sentence because of his cooperation with authorities in the District of Columbia. Serial killer and sex offender Jeffrey Dahmer received 15 consecutive life sentences for 15 murders in Wisconsin, which does not have the death penalty. (In 1994 Dahmer was beaten to death by a fellow inmate.)

On the other hand, among those executed over the past 35 years was Manny Babbitt, a Vietnam veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress symptoms who beat an elderly woman who died of a heart attack.

Babbitt was executed in 1999 in California, shortly after receiving the Purple Heart in prison.

Dieter also cites cases in which

The episode underscored the “schizophrenia” of Hindu radicals in India, who attack Christians yet recognise the excellent education provided by Church-run schools, a local source told Fides on 7 July.

The incident occurred in Belgaum in southwestern India, at St Joseph’s Convent School run by Canossian Sisters. The extremists forcibly entered the school premises and threatened and mistreated the Sisters and some

A new study by US 9th Circuit Judge Arthur L Alarcon and Loyola Law School Professor Paula M Mitchell found that taxpayers have spent more than $4 billion on capital punishment in California since 1976 - or about $308 million for each of the 13 people executed in the state since that time.

Their report, titled “Executing the Will of the Voters: A Roadmap to Mend or End the California Legislature’s Multi-Billion Dollar Death Penalty Debacle,” measured State, Federal and local expenditures for capital cases - including enhanced security on death row, legal representation for the condemned and additional costs of capital trials - and concluded that capital punishment adds $184 million to the budget each year.

Woodford’s 28 years at San Quentin and a brief stint as head of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation have convinced her that although some prisoners may need to be kept away from society for the rest of their lives, killing them is not the answer.

“We have a system that isn’t functioning for anyone and that is wasting resources we could be using to put more teachers in the classroom,” she said.

of the teachers, Fides said. The Sisters called the police who were able to calm the situation.

Guiding the group was a man claiming to be a leading member of a nationalist Hindu party, the Bharatiya Janata Party. He demanded the enrolment of a friend’s two children.

After the incident, the school requested police protection to guarantee the safety of students and staff in coming weeks.

A man waves South Sudan’s national flag as he attends the Independence Day celebrations in Juba on 9 July. PHOTO: CNS/THOMAS MUKOYA, REUTERS

Walls come tumbling down on US popular TV preacher

It’s one of the most remarkable stories in the US Catholic Church: a strongtalking, high-profile priest popular with hundreds of thousands of viewers has walked out of the priesthood in apparent disgrace

BY DENNIS SADOWSKI

WASHINGTON (CNS) - Father John Corapi said he will not follow the order of his Religious Superior to leave his home in Montana to live in community with fellow priests.

In a posting on his website on 7 July, Fr Corapi also said he was told to support himself and his ministry financially by Fr James Flanagan, the founder of his congregation, the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity.

Fr Corapi, who lives near Kalispell, Mont, also denied committing sexual improprieties with a female former employee whose allegations in letters to Church leaders nationwide prompted officials of his Religious community to place him on administrative leave in March.

The statement from the widely popular speaker on Catholic catechetical and contemporary issues came in response to a 5 July press release from the society outlining transgressions related to Fr Corapi’s lifestyle that it said were uncovered during an investigation by a three-member fact-finding panel appointed by the Religious Order.

Information about Fr Corapi learned during the inquiry, the release said, included “years of cohabitation” with a woman, repeated abuse of alcohol and drugs and “serious violation” of his promise of poverty based on his ownership of more than $1 million in real estate, numerous luxury vehicles,

St Louis in this 2010 photo. Fr Corapi, a popular author and preacher, has been accused by his Order of sexual and financial wrongdoing and of misleading followers with false statements. The regional priest servant for Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity released the statement dated 5 July. It called on Fr Corapi to return to the Order’s regional office in Robstown, Texas.

motorcycles, an ATV, a boat dock and several motor boats. Fr Corapi said he would not return to the Order because he resigned from the priesthood on 17 June, two days short of the 20th anniversary of his ordination.

“I resigned because the process used by the Church is grossly unjust, and, hence, immoral,” he wrote in the posting at www.theblacksheepdog.us. “I resigned because I had no chance from the beginning of a fair and just hearing. As I have indicated from the beginning of all this, I am not extinguished!

“If I were to commit to the suggestion of the society, then I would essentially crawl under a rock and wait to die,” the priest said.

Fr Gerard Sheehan, regional priest servant of the congregation, also known as SOLT, said in its press release that Fr Corapi

was ordered to live at the society’s regional headquarters in Robstown, Texas, and to dismiss a civil suit he filed against the former employee for breach of contract.

Several calls from Catholic News Service to Frs Sheehan and Corapi and his attorneys were not returned.

The lawsuit, filed 4 April in the 11th District Court in Flathead County, Mont, accuses Tamra Sexton, a former employee of the priest’s company, Santa Cruz Media Inc, of writing a letter that contained “numerous false, malicious and unprivileged statements.”

The suit denied allegations that Fr Corapi had sex with Sexton and other women, punched Sexton in the face, bought and used drugs and had a “new mistress.” Based in Kalispell, Santa Cruz Media is the for-profit company that sells Fr Corapi’s books, DVDs and other

PHOTO: CNS/PATRICK NOVECOSKY

video and audio recordings. Fr Corapi also said in the suit that Sexton was fired from her job at Santa Cruz Media on 30 September 2009. wThe suit said both parties signed a separation agreement that required Sexton not to “interfere with, disparage or otherwise cast a negative light on Santa Cruz or John Corapi or their activities.”

The release said the lawsuit was filed in the midst of the Order’s investigation and that the three investigators learned that Father Corapi offered $100,000 to Sexton for her silence.

Other key witnesses from Santa Cruz Media who “may have negotiated contracts ... that precluded them from speaking” with the congregation’s investigative team declined to answer its questions or provide documents, the release said.

Fr Corapi did not address the lawsuit in his posting, but denied offering to pay “anybody off to remain silent.” He said having employees and independent contractors sign separation agreements was standard practice in business. CNS also made several calls to Sexton but none were returned.

He also said he declined to participate in the SOLT investigation on the advice of his attorneys “until I was able to determine that the commission’s process was fair and I had adequate rights to defend myself.”

Fr Corapi charged that the Order’s fact-finding team failed to answer questions he posed “that certainly qualify the validity of any legal case.”

The blog posting also said that when Fr Corapi established his preaching ministry, Fr Flanagan, SOLT’s founder, cited the “unique nature” of his preaching mission which involved widespread travel to address audiences around the country, as the reason the congregation could not support him financially.

“As Fr Flanagan encouraged, I have supported SOLT and myself from day one,” Fr Corapi wrote. “I have never relied on the society for shelter, clothing, transportation, medical care or legal counsel and instead, using my history of success in business, set up my mission as any savvy businessman would, meanwhile continuing to support the society and many other Catholic charities.”

Fr Corapi’s posting did not address his real estate holdings or vehicle ownership. Meanwhile, Bishop George Leo Thomas of Helena, Mont, the diocese in which Fr Corapi lives, told CNS on 5 July that he met with the priest only once, about five years ago, to discuss his work.

“I told him I do not allow freelancing,” Bishop Thomas said. “I want any ministry to go through my office. He never did that.”

“He had a very low profile (in the diocese),” the bishop added. “To this day very little is known about him.”

Faith one inspiration for fashion latest US Bishop sizes up Crystal Cathedral options

BY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

ORANGE, Calif (CNS) - Bishop

Tod Brown of Orange asked a group of diocesan advisers on 6 July to “explore possibilities” regarding the Crystal Cathedral, once the home church of the Rev Robert Schuller, a noted television preacher.

The Cathedral will be familiar to Australian night-owl viewers who have seen Rev Schuller’s early hours broadcasts over many years.

The Cathedral complex in Garden Grove was put up for auction earlier this year as part of the Cathedral ministry’s bankruptcy proceedings.

The organisation, founded by Rev Schuller, now retired, filed for bankruptcy last October. It was facing debt of more than US$50 million. Opening in 1970, the 3,000-seat Cathedral was one of the nation’s first megachurches.

According to the diocese, Bishop Brown “is concerned for the future of the landmark church remaining a functional part of the liturgical landscape for the region.”

The Orange Diocese does not currently have a Cathedral to serve its 1.2 million Catholics. Based on the size of its Catholic population, Orange is the 11th largest diocese in the nation, covering Orange County which has a total population of 3 million people.

“While we continue to develop

plans for a Cathedral in Santa Ana, it is prudent to evaluate the opportunity to engage in the pending auction of this property and to mitigate the chance that it cease to function as a place of worship, if acquired by others,” Bishop Brown said in a statement.

The Bishop said he authorized the Busch Law Firm and other diocesan lay advisers “to contact

the appropriate parties in the proceedings to determine a possible course of action.”

“If the Diocese of Orange can prevent the loss of this important Christian ministry and what the Crystal Cathedral has represented to so many for so long - and meet its own priorities for a new Cathedral, we have a duty to at least review the options,” he said.

Father John Corapi gives a talk at the the Chaifetz Arena at Saint Louis University in

The Crystal Cathedral in Orange, California. Opened in 1970, and containing 3,000 seats, this was the first of the nation’s megachurches but now stands empty due to bankruptcy proceedings filed early in 2011.

PHOTO: CNS/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO VIA REUTERS

A religious image of Mary is part of a creation by Colombian fashion designer Diego Bohorquez during a fashion show in Bucaramanga, Colombia on 7 July. PHOTO: CNS/FREDY BUILES, REUTERS

Love, not Hate Saying yes to Marriage

Foolish Wisdom

“a foolishness wiser than human wisdom” (1 Cor 1:25)

By Bernard Toutounji

It seems that everywhere I look there are people who are going out of their way to annoy me!

People who insist on driving at 70km even though the limit is 90km. People who have personal phone conversations on the train. People who chew with their mouths open. The list could take up this entire column!

There are situations, however, that are beyond ‘annoying’, situations that can affect us in serious ways.

I was recently speaking to some friends who run a franchise business and the franchise director is really making life very difficult for them, to an extent that it is affecting their ability to run their business. The director tells lies, is obnoxious and rude. More than just affecting business, though, when we encounter people like this it can adversely affect our happiness.

We begin to boil on the inside, it consumes us at work and at home, we begin to hate the person and are led into personal sadness and depression.

These sorts of situations will play out for all of us in different ways through our lives but how can we respond?

It seems to me that there really are only two answers: we can burn with hate for the person or we can burn with love for the person. Love?! What?!

The person who is causing us harm and grief in whatever way, is most often acting out of their own pain. They might be having family problems; perhaps they are insecure or lonely. Mother Teresa often spoke of loneliness as the greatest poverty especially in the modern Western world, and even a person who appears to have it all (family, career, assets etc) can be deeply lonely. Whatever it is, there is probably a pain in their heart.

Our encounter then with the person who is causing us so much grief should before anything else be seen as an opportunity to show love.

One of my all time favourite movie scenes is in the film Karol which tells the story of the life of Karol Wojtyla prior to him being elected as Pope John Paul II. Karol lived as a Bishop in Poland, which suffered at the hands of the Nazis and, once they had moved out, the communists moved in. Both movements were ones of hate. Seeing the

Church as their largest threat, the communist leaders planted spies all around Bishop Wojtyla. One particular spy was sent as a student into Wojtyla’s university lectures.

The spy also bugged the confessional to find anything he could which would accuse Wojtyla of encouraging a violent uprise against the regime. Day in and day out, this spy listened to the pain in the hearts of those who came to Confession and he heard the love of Christ that was offered to them by Wojtyla.

In a very moving scene, the man, who could no longer live with himself, approaches Wojtyla to confess to being a spy. “Even though I hated you, your words slipped inside of me like water through a crack. You speak of love. Such a sick word”. And with that he broke down in the forgiving arms of the future Pope.

“The spy also bugged the confessional to find anything he could which would accuse Wojtyla of encouraging a violent uprise against the regime.”

The point is that we all know the typical response to those who cause us pain. It is to cause them pain back. But there is another way and, amazingly, there is no weapon against it.

Love will break down any barrier because every hardened heart, every cruel boss, every offensive individual we meet desires love.

But it’s not enough just to smile at the person when we see them and avoid them like the plague the rest of the time. We need to love them, actively.

In the autobiography of St Therese of Liseux, she tells the story of a particular nun who irritated her to no end and made her life miserable.

Therese reaches a point where she writes “I reminded myself that sentiments of charity were not enough; they must find expression, and I set myself to treat her as if I loved her best of all.”

Therese loved this fellow nun, not just in words but with actions. She looked past what displeased her to see the person with all their pain, and their hurt but also their gifts and talents.

Whoever is causing you trouble is not going to be any worse than the communist spy but, even if they are, the key is to love them, love them actively, love them like you would love the most important person in your life.

You will turn your difficult situation around but most important you will genuinely help someone and become a better person yourself.

b_toutounji@optusnet.com.au

BY ARCHBISHOP TIMOTHY DOLAN Archbishop of New York

Almost two weeks ago — hauntingly, on the Feast of the Birth of John the Baptist whom King Herod would behead because the saint dared to defend the God-given truth about marriage - our State sadly attempted a re-definition of marriage. Is there anything left to say?

Yes.

For one, thanks to those courageous millions who valiantly fought this unfortunate project of social engineering. You can hold your heads high. Sanely, civilly, thoughtfully, vigorously ... you did not cave in. The forces on the other side were a Goliath indeed - with tons of money, “glitterati” from entertainment circles, political powerbrokers, and the media - but you proved a worthy David.

You will understand my special word of gratitude to people of faith - evangelicals, Mennonites, Jews, Moslem, Catholics, Amish, and so many more, led often by African-American and Latino believers - who simply believe that marriage is a given, at the very foundation of civilisation, which the State has the duty to defend and protect, not to mutate.

My brother Bishops of New York were particularly prophetic. When I arrived here a little over two years ago, they told me realistically that we faced a looming battle over the defence of marriage.

They advised me that the odds were not in our favour, and that some experts were even suggesting that we give in and not put up a fight.

But they were also resolute in their conviction that such would have been a dereliction of duty. As Blessed John Paul II often commented, the Church is “countercultural,” like Jesus, often at odds with what passes as chic, enlightened, and progressive. In their writings, sermons, personal lobbying, interviews, and our com-

mon statements - backed up by indefatigable efforts by our New York State Catholic Conference, bolstered by ecumenical and interreligious cooperation and, especially, supported by countless thousands of our faithful Catholic people (one legislator told me he received 47,000 emails against the measure from the Catholic Advocacy Network), the Bishops were on the frontiers. We have been bloodied and bruised and, yes, for the moment, we have been defeated. But, we’re used to that. So was the Founder of our Church.

Two, the Church neither has nor wants political “clout.” As Cardinal John O’Connor commented, “The only ‘clout’ the Church really has is God’s Truth, the assurance of His grace, and the simple yet sincere conviction of our people.”

Blessed John Paul II again reminds us that “The Church never imposes, she only proposes.” And, as our current Holy Father has often observed, all the Church wants is its freedom to serve humanity by bringing the light of the Gospel to the world.

But, three, we do worry indeed about this freedom of religion.

Editorials already call for the removal of guarantees of religious liberty, with crusaders calling for people of faith to be coerced to acceptance of this redefinition.

If the experience of those few other States and countries where this is already law is any indication, the Churches, and believers, will soon be harassed, threatened and hauled into court for their conviction that marriage is between one man, one woman, forever, bringing children into the world.

Four, the real forces of “intolerance” were unmasked here. The caricature, of course, is that those defending traditional marriage were the right-wing bigots and bullies. However, as one outof-state journalist, who was following the debate closely, commented to me, “From my read of

the columns, blogs and rhetoric, it’s not your side that’s lobbing the grenades.”

A Catholic who wrote to criticise me for my defence of marriage still conceded, “But I must confess that I am sickened by the amount of anti-Catholic venom that has surfaced in this debate.” As one respected columnist has observed, the problem is not homophobia but theophobia - a hatred by some of God, faith, religion and the Church.

Five, though, if we did hurt anybody in our defence of marriage, I apologise. We tried our best to insist from the start that our goal was pro-marriage, never anti-gay. But, I’m afraid some within the gay community were offended.

As I replied recently to a reporter who asked if I had any message to the gay community, “Yes: I love you. Each morning, I pray with and for you and your true happiness and well-being.

“I am honoured that so many of you are at home within our Catholic family where, like the rest of us, we try, with the help of God’s grace and mercy, to conform our lives to Jesus and His message.

“If I have offended any of you in my strenuous defence of marriage, I apologise, and assure you it was unintentional.”

Point six, the Church has always stood up for marriage - one man and one woman, united in lifelong and faithful love, leading to new life in children – whenever and wherever it was in danger.

Veterans my age and over can remember 60 years ago when we fought widespread, no-fault divorce, convinced it would lead to a cheapening of the marriage bond and harm our kids (as, of course, scholarly studies now report has, indeed, happened).

Recall how the Church resisted the “contraceptive mentality,” fearing it would rupture the sacred bond between love and the procreation of children. Then, remember how the Church sounded the alarm over rising

My Carmelite faith is a

How I Pray

with Debbie Warrier

Deb Warrier

My faith is a love relationship with the One whom I know loves me. I try to live out His beatitudes – the attitudes

to life that are revealed in the Gospels. My prayers are: Liturgical eg Eucharist and The Divine Office in regard to Morning, Evening and Night Prayer; and Meditation on Sacred Scripture using Lectio Divina. I am mindful of my Lord’s Presence, resting in His love.

I attend Mass at my parish church in North Rocks, NSW and the Liturgy of Hours at home unless with my Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites Community. Many years ago, my husband Peter and I spent a Contemplative Meditation Weekend with the Discalced Carmelites. We knew

we had found our spiritual base. My favourite spots to pray are in my rocking chair at home or out in nature. I pray whilst waiting for a bus or train. I find quietly fingering prayer beads in my pocket useful at these times. Mentally breathing a mantra helps too.

I could never have coped in life without the knowledge that the power of the Spirit is at work. I believe that “wherever two or three are gathered” in Jesus’ name, He is there through His Spirit to guide and enable. I know that it isn’t my strength but His.

When one of our daugh-

Lorraine Murphy ocds as told to

Propinquity more dangerous than beauty and no to non-monogamy

rates of promiscuity, adultery, pre-marital sex, and cohabitation prior to or instead of marriage.

And now we ring the steeple bell again at this latest dilution of the authentic understanding of marriage, worried that the next step will be another redefinition to justify multiple partners and infidelity.

If you think I’m exaggerating, within days of the passage of this bill, one major newspaper ran a flattering profile of a proponent of what was called “non-monogamy.” Apparently, “non-monogamy” is the idea that society is unrealistic to think that one man and one woman should remain faithful in marriage, and that openness to some infidelity should be the norm!

Let me say it again. None of this is anti-anybody, but simply pro-marriage. (By the way, as Professor Robert George at Princeton University eloquently points out, in warning about promiscuity, divorce, cohabitation instead of marriage, adultery, and “same-sex marriage,” the Church

is hardly some shrill, bitter, reactionary, naysaying prude, but actually prophetically right-ontarget.

“... within days of the passage of this bill, one major newspaper ran a flattering profile of a proponent of what was called ‘non-monogamy’.”

Recent studies by people such as Myron Magnet and Kay Hymowitz show that the weakening of stable marriage and families is the cause of most social and cultural woes, especially burdensome on poor women and children.)

Finally, last point, for us in the Church, not much changes. We continue to hold fast to the Godgiven definition of marriage, and acknowledge that no unfortunate legislative attempt can alter reality and morality.

Yes, we have a big catechetical challenge, in that we have to admit that quite a few people no longer hold to this timeless moral truth.

Love relationship

ters introduced us to her future husband (who is Muslim), I was concerned that he was not Catholic. Then we met Sister Trish Madigan OP who was the Catholic Chaplain at Macquarie University. She asked after our daughter and we explained what had occurred. Trish was the Ecumenical & Interfaith Officer for the Sydney Catholic Diocese. She introduced us to Sr Pauline Rae SMSM (Marist Missionary Sister) who worked for the Columbans Centre re Christian Muslim Dialogue in Strathfield. Peter, our daughter and I proceeded to participate in a course aimed at improving relations between the two faiths at the Gallipoli Mosque, Auburn. Being Secular Carmelites was of great assistance.

Consequently, I was invited to be involved in the Home Encounters Network [HENS] where Christians and Muslims meet in their homes to discuss the tenets of our faith eg scriptures, fasting, almsgiving, pilgrimage etc.

In 2006, I was invited onto the Parramatta Catholic Diocese’s Ecumenical & Interfaith Dialogue

Commission and, in 2007, I was appointed Chairperson of that same Commission by Bishop Kevin Manning. Bishop Manning proceeded to nominate me to the Executive of the NSW Ecumenical Council Inc, recently renamed Churches Together NSW ACT.

I am a member of our local Hills Interfaith Dialogue Group plus the core group of WIN [Women’s Interfaith Network.] that meets monthly in the NSW State Parliament House. I have found listening to and expressing our beliefs an enriching experience. We have friendships built on respect, understanding and trust. I believe this is one way of living the mandate of the Gospels.

A scripture scholar once prayed: “Forgive me, Lord, for I have made of your book a study and missed You in the turning of the pages.”

This reminds me that the purpose of study is to have a living relationship with one’s Lord and the need to spend time with Him – to ponder and converse. I have been blessed with a great hunger for wanting to know more. Knowledge and reflection leads me to a loving response.

Q&A

By Fr John Flader

Question: My cousin, in her twenties, is sharing a flat with a young man. She says they are just friends and there is nothing intimate between them. Nonetheless, their living together somehow doesn’t seem right to me. Is it?

(Although I still believe most people do; thus the fear of a referendum on the issue by those who still claim this is a “grassroots movement” sweeping the nation.)

Yes, we do have our work cut out for us, as even some Catholics, and, scandalously, even political leaders who claim to be Catholic, tell us the Church is “out of it,” and has no claim on truth.

So, we try our best to witness to the truth, encouraging our married couples and their kids to be loving, radiant, “lights to the world.” We acknowledge that, as St Augustine taught, if something is wrong, even if everybody else is doing it, it’s still wrong; and, if something is right, even if nobody else is doing it anymore, it’s still right.

Like St Thomas More, we’re willing to take the heat and even lose our head from following a conscience properly formed by God’s revelation and the teaching of His Church, even if it is politically incorrect, and clashes with the King’s demands to re-define marriage.

The situation you describe is becoming more and more common. Forty or fifty years ago, people frowned upon such a living arrangement, and few people would have adopted it, but these days it is becoming socially acceptable. What are we to make of it?

There can be different reasons why people might choose to embrace that lifestyle.

For example, someone may have rented a two-bedroom flat and now rents out the other room to someone of the opposite sex. Or two friends, workmates or classmates of the opposite sex decide to share a house or flat together.

Or a young man and woman who are engaged to marry decide to live in the same flat in order to avoid paying rent on two flats and thus save money. Or a man and a woman are in a de facto relationship with no intention of marrying, at least for the time being.

The moral life of the people involved may thus range from those in the first cases, where there is no sexual intimacy, to the last case, where there clearly is.

Obviously, any use of sexuality outside of marriage is gravely sinful (cf CCC 2353). But is it morally acceptable to live together even when there is no sexual activity? Here there are two important considerations.

The first is the danger that, even though for the time being the man and woman have no attraction for one another and no intention of indulging in sexual activity, their very living together may give rise to the temptation to do so.

Years ago, I remember hearing of an elderly priest who had warned a younger priest about the danger

of living in the same house with his housekeeper without proper separation of their living areas. He had given the wise advice that “propinquity is more dangerous than beauty”. That is, the mere fact of living in close proximity to the housekeeper, even if she was much older than he was, was more dangerous to his chastity than being in occasional contact with someone who was very beautiful.

I recall, too, the response of a wise Dominican priest who was the Master of a residential college for university students where the rule was that women were not to visit the men in their bedrooms. When some innocent students asked him, “Don’t you trust us?” he replied, ”If I were in your situation, I wouldn’t trust myself!”

Thus, an unmarried man and woman sharing a flat would ordinarily be putting themselves voluntarily without good reason into what is called an “occasion of sin”. There would be, increasingly, the likelihood that one day they might give in to the temptation to sleep together.

And there is no proportionate reason for them to be in that situation. Saving money is never a sufficient reason to put oneself in an occasion of committing a serious sin. If a couple who are engaged wish to save money, they can each share a flat with someone of the same sex, or they might choose to live at home or in some other arrangement.

What is more, living selfdiscipline in the area of chastity is the best preparation for the selfcontrol needed in marriage.

The other consideration to bear in mind is scandal. That is, others knowing that a good Catholic girl is living together with a man without being married to him might be led to think that it is a perfectly acceptable arrangement and to try it themselves.

They might then be led into sin, whereas the first couple might not be committing any sin. By living together, they would thus be giving bad example and ultimately they would be held accountable before God for the sins committed by others who naively decided to imitate them.

For these reasons, it is wrong for unmarried persons to live together, even if they do not intend to engage in sexual intimacy.

Lorraine Murphy lives a secular Carmelite spirituality.

SATURDAY, 16 JULY

Solemnity of Our Lady of Mt Carmel

11am at Carmelite Monastery, 100 Adelma Rd, Nedlands. A solemn concelebrated Mass. Principal Celebrant: Archbishop Hickey. Refreshments afterwards. Enq: Sr Marie carmelned@multiline.com.au.

WEDNESDAY, 20 TO FRIDAY, 22 JULY

I Stand Anchored Youth Camp

6pm at Advent Park campgrounds. Young people, high school years 9-11. Fun times, great food, games, music, talks, and friendships. Enq: Marty 0417 637 040 or perth@ymt.com.au.

THURSDAY, 21 TO SUNDAY, 24 JULY

Encounter Youth Convention

6pm at Advent Park campgrounds. For young people ages 17-30. Each day is packed full of fun, friendship, music, learning and exploration of a life lived to fullness. Enq: Mario 9202 6868 or mario.borg@disciplesofjesus.org.

FRIDAY, 22 TO SUNDAY, 24 JULY

“Finding the Rhythm” - A Reflective Weekend for women in the health profession

4pm at St John of God Retreat Centre, 47 Gloucester Cr, Shoalwater. How can one manage the endless changes in life and keep a balance? Assists women in finding the rhythm of good discernment in life and ministry. Concludes Sunday at 1pm. Enq: Sr Ann 0409 602 927, ann_cull@y7mail.com or Sr Kathy 0418 926 590, kkettle@mercy.org.au.

THURSDAY, 28 JULY

Taize at St Mary’s Cathedral

7.30pm at St Mary’s Cathedral, Victoria Sq, Perth. Encounter God’s voice in silence. Join us for time in gentle prayer and reflection. Enq: Geraldine 9207 3350.

FRIDAY, 29 JULY

‘An Evening of Prayer with Our Lady Queen of Peace’ - Medjugorje prayer group

7-9pm at St Vincent’s Parish, 114 Parmelia Ave, Kwinana. Includes Eucharistic Adoration, Rosary, Benediction, Holy Mass. Free DVD of Don Calloway’s testimony and conversion from drugs, alcohol and crime to priesthood and DVD of Ivan’s talk at St Mary’s Cathedral. Enq. Eileen 9402 2480, 0407 471 256 or medjugorje@y7mail.com.

TUESDAY, 2 AUGUST

‘Being Church in the 21st century in the light of Vatican II’ Course - Mater Christi Community

7.30-9.30pm at Mater Christi Parish Centre, Yangebup Rd, Yangebup. Follows for 8 consecutive Tuesday evenings. Learn about Faith communities in the past and present and envision new way to be a faith community. Enq: 9241 5221 or www.maranathacentre.org.au.

SATURDAY, 6 AUGUST

Day With Mary

9-5pm at Sacred Heart Parish, cnr Ovens Rd and Discovery Dr, Thornlie. Day of prayer and instruction based on Fatima message. 9am video; 10.10am Holy Mass; Reconciliation, Procession of Blessed Sacrament, Eucharistic Adoration, Sermons on Eucharist and our Lady, Rosaries and Stations of the Cross. BYO lunch. Enq: Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate 9250 8286.

SATURDAY, 13 AUGUST

Divine Mercy –Healing Mass

2.30pm at St Francis Xavier Parish, 25 Windsor St, East Perth. Main celebrant: Fr Marcellinus.

Reconciliation in English, Maltese and Italian. Divine Mercy prayers followed by Veneration of First Class Relic of Sr Faustina Kowalska. Refreshments afterwards. Enq: John 9457 7771.

SATURDAY, 20 AUGUST

“Youths and Peer Pressure” 2 Hour Youth Workshop

3.30-5.30pm at Lesmurdie Parish Centre, cnr Lesmurdie & and Glyde Rds, Lesmurdie. Young people aged 13-17. Concludes with Rock Mass at 6pm. Speaker: Fr James Fanning. Coffee and tea available. Enq and RSPV: Gina Price on lesmurdieyouthgroup@hotmail.com or to the Parish Office on lesmurdie@perthcatholic.org.au.

PILGRIMAGE TO PRAGUE, POLAND AND AUSTRIA

St Jude’s Parish, Langford is organising a 13-day pilgrimage departing 1 October. It 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. Spiritual Director, Fr Terry Raj. Enq: Co-ordinator John Murphy 9457 7771, Matt 6460 6877, mattpicc1@ gmail.com.

WEDNESDAY, 5 TO THURSDAY, 20 OCTOBER

Pilgrimage to Rome, San Giovanni Rotondo and Medjugorje

Includes 3 nights in Rome, 2 nights in San Giovanni Rotondo (Padre Pio); visit to Monte Gargano and Lanciano (Eucharistic Miracle); 7 nights in Medjugorje (alleged daily appearance of Our Lady). Spiritual leader: Fr Ronan Murphy. Cost: $3,990, includes Emirates flight, bed, breakfast and evening meals, transfers, guide, taxes and tipping. Enq: Eileen 9402 2480 or 0407 471 256 or medjugorje@y7mail.com.

FRIDAY, 11 TO TUESDAY, 22 NOVEMBER

Pilgrim Tour To The Holy Land

Jordan, Israel and Egypt. Spiritual Director: Fr Sebastian Kalapurackal VC from St Aloysius Church, Shenton Park. Enq: Francis – Coordinator, 9459 3873 or 0404 893 877 or Skype ID: perthfamily.

SATURDAY, 25 FEBRUARY 2012

A reunion for Holy Cross Primary School Kensington

Any ex-students or family members please contact Julie Bowles (nee O’Hara) on 9397 0638 or email jules7@iinet. net.au.

EVERY SUNDAY

Gate of Heaven Catholic Radio

Join the Franciscans of the Immaculate 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.

St Mary’s Cathedral Youth group – fellowship with supper

5pm at Mary’s Cathedral, 17 Victoria Sq, Perth. Begins with Youth Mass, followed by fellowship downstairs in parish centre. Bring a plate to share. Enq: Bradley 0430 653 857 or smc@gmail.com.

Divine Mercy

1.30pm at St Francis Xavier Parish, 25 Windsor St, East Perth. Main celebrant: Fr Alphonsus. Homily on St Maximilian Kolbe. Includes: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Reconciliation, Holy Rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy and Divine Mercy prayers. Followed by Benediction and Veneration of First Class Relics of St Faustina Kowalska. Upcoming date: 7 August. Refreshments afterwards. Enq: John 9457 7771.

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 Meet

2pm at St Joseph’s Convent, York St, South Perth. Study the rule of St Benedict and its relevance to the everyday life for lay people. Followed by Vespers and afternoon tea. 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 Parish, Claremont, 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.

EVERY TUESDAY

Bible Teaching with a difference

7.30pm at St Joachim’s parish hall, Shepparton Rd, Victoria Park. Exciting revelations with meaningful applications that will change your life. Novena to God the Father, followed by refreshments. Bring Bible, a notebook and a friend. Enq: Jan 9284 1662.

Novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

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

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

6pm at 40A Mary St, Highgate, Catholic Pastoral Centre. 5.30pm Mass followed by $5 fellowship supper. Enq: Stefania 9422 7912 or www.cym.com.au.

Bible Study at Cathedral

6.15pm at Mary’s Cathedral, 17 Victoria Sq, Perth. Deepen your Faith through reading and reflecting on Holy Scripture by Fr Jean-Noel. Meeting room beneath Cathedral. Enq: Marie 9223 1372.

EVERY FIRST WEDNESDAY

Holy Hour prayer for Priests

7.30-8.30pm 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 Catholic Parish, Dean Rd, Bateman. A beautiful, prayerful, sung devotion accompanied by Exposition and followed by Benediction. 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.

St Mary’s Cathedral Praise Meeting

Due to renovations at 450 Hay St Perth, CPM now meets at 7.45pm every Thursday at the Legion of Mary’s Edel Quinn Centre, 36 Windsor Street, East Perth. Includes Praise song and healing ministry. Enq: Kay 9382 3668 or fmi@flameministries.org.

FIRST THURSDAY OF THE MONTH

Taize Prayer and Meditation

7.30-8.30pm at Our Lady of Grace Parish, 3 Kitchener St, North Beach. Prayer, song and silence in candlelight –symbol of Christ light of the world. Taize info: www.taize. fr. Enq: Beth 9448 4457 or 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 Street, Inglewood. Reconciliation, praise and worship, Eucharistic Adoration, Benediction, Anointing of the Sick, special blessings and fellowship after the Mass. Celebrants, Fr Dat (parish priest) and specially invited priests. All welcome. Enq: Priscilla 0433 457 352, Catherine 0433 923 083 and Mary-Ann 0409 672 304.

Healing and Anointing Mass

8.45am Pater Noster Church, Evershed St, Myaree. Begins with Reconciliation followed by 9am Mass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Anointing of the Sick and Prayers to St Peregrine. Enq: Joy 9337 7189.

EVERY FIRST SATURDAY

Healing Mass

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

EVERY THIRD SATURDAY

Voice of the Voiceless Healing Mass.

12pm at St Bridgid’s Parish, 211 Aberdeen St, Northbridge. Upcoming date: Saturday 23 July. Bring a plate to share after Mass. Enq: Frank 9296 7591 or 0408 183 325.

FREE DIVINE MERCY IMAGE FOR PARISHES

High quality oil painting and glossy print – Divine Mercy promotions

The images are of very high quality. For any parish that is willing to accept and place inside the Church. Oil paintings - 160 x 90 cm and glossy print -100 x 60cm. Enq: Irene 922 11247 or 9417 3267 (w).

www.dibbleysdesigns.com

Water Cooler

ACROSS

1 Pertaining to the non-ordained members of the Church

3 Brother

6 We should enter by the narrow one

8 Symbol of Confirmation

9 ___ of the Cross

11 “…the ___ of the air and the fish of the sea…”

12 Hosea, formerly

13 First woman, and namesakes

14 “I am the ___, you are the branches” (Jn 15:5)

15 Say the Rosary

17 Papal symbol

19 Destroyed, biblically

22 “Take and ___; this is my body” (Mt 26:26)

23 ___ of Man

24 She saved Joshuaʼs spies

27 NT epistle

29 “…___ of wonder”

30 “For our ___, He was crucified…”

33 “Te ___”

34 Sub ___, as the appointment of a Cardinal

35 Godʼs life in us

36 Merton, for one

37 OT prophetic book

38 Sacred song

39 NT epistle

40 Jazz musician Brubeck who converted to Catholicism

Walk With Him

7 College of Cardinals ___ the Pope

10 Book of the Pentateuch

15 Abbr for two NT epistles

16 Tribe of Israel

17 John Paul IIʼs given name

18 “And also ___ you”

20 Paul and Silasʼ prison doors after the earthquake (Acts 16:25–27)

21 The Hebrews fled from here

23 OT wisdom book

25 Taken body and soul into heaven

26 Commandment that requires us to honour our parents

28 Minor Prophet of the 6th century

29 Paul said he would travel here after leaving Rome (Rom 15:28)

31 ___, amas, amat

32 What Jesus told the blind man to do at the pool of Siloam

33 God, in ancient Rome

17 S 16TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Gr Wis 12:13, 16-19 God judges justly

Ps 85:5-6, 9-10, 15-16 God is forgiving

Rom 8:26-27 God understands

Mt 13:24-43 Sower of good seeds

18 M Ex 14:5-18 what have we done?

Gr Ex 15:1-6 Glorious triumph

Mt 12:38-42 Like to see a sign

19 Tu Ex 14:21-15:1 The waters parted

Gr Ex15:8-10, 12, 17 Earth engulfed them

Mt 12:46-50 Who is my mother?

20 W St Apllinaris, Bishop, martyr (O)

Gr Ex 16:1-5, 9-15 Complaints heard

Ps 77:18-19, 23-28 Abundance of God

Mt 13:1-9 Widespread sowing

21 Th St Laurence of Brindisi, priest, doctor of the Church (O)

Gr Ex 19:2-1, 9-11, 16-20 People to meet God

Dan 3:52-56 Glory and praise

Mt 13:10-17 Why parables?

22 F St Mary Magdalene (M)

Wh Song 3:1-4 I did not find Him [Alt. 2 Cor 5:14-17 A new creation]

Ps 62:2-6, 8-9 For you I long

Jn 20:1-2, 11-18 Mary!...Rabbuni!

23 S St Bridget, Religious (O)

Gr Ex 24:3-8 Book of the Covenant

Ps 49:1-2, 5-6, 14-15 Sacrifice of praise

Mt 13:24-30 Let both grow

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.

FURNITURE REMOVAL

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

EDUCATION SERVICES

ENGLISH TUTOR Using whole word, word in context and phonics programme. Teacher with Masters degree, 7 years’ experience. Police cleared. Ph Tom 0449 979 637.

ACCOMMODATION

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

ESPERANCE 3 bedroom house f/furnished Ph 08 9076 5083.

FOR SALE

BUSINESS FOR SALE

DONGARA PIZZA BAR

Ph 08 9927 1389 after 3.30pm or MOB 0400 579 117.

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 www.excelsettlements.com.au.

Deadline: 11am Monday

BOOK BINDING

NEW BOOK BINDING, General Book Repairs; Rebinding; New Ribbons; Old Leather Bindings Restored.Tydewi Bindery 0422 968 572.

TRADE SERVICES

BRENDAN HANDYMAN

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

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE. Your handyperson. No job too small. SOR. Jim 0413 309 821.

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.

PARISH CONCERTS

THE LIFE AND STORY OF ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI will be put to music by Peter Kearney and Catherine Mahony in a presentation titled “Good Morning Good People” at Infant Jesus Church, Morley on Sunday, 31 July commencing at 2pm. Admission $10 per person, plus an afternoon Devonshire Tea will be available during intermission for $5.

Expected to finish by 4.30pm.

Described as “a prayerful and moving journey”. Enquiries: Infant Jesus Parish Office 9276 8500.

POSITIONS AVAILABLE

PART TIME GARDENING

POSITION AVAILABLE, suit young student or someone with an interest in outdoor work. Must be able to work alone at times and have a licence. For further info contact Steve on 0402 216 182.

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

Quality hand-made and decorated vestments: Albs, Stoles, Chasubles, Altar linen, banners, etc. 12 Favenc Way, Padbury. By appointment only. Ph Vickii on 9402 1318, 0409 114 093 or kinlar.vestments@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.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

FRANCIS JOHN AZAR: To my precious darling son, FrancisWishing you Almighty God’s love, peace and every blessing on your 25th birthday – 15 July 2011. I am here for YOU and I wait with open arms to greet you. I am thinking of you today and always. I Love You and Michael with all my heart. Holy Mass will be offered for you both on your special day, Francis darling. Your Loving Mother, Janet. “Jesus, I trust in You”

FRANCIS JOHN AZAR: Wishing you a very happy 25th birthday, Francis - My darling grandson. Thinking of you and Michael TODAY and EVERYDAY. ‘Take care and God bless you’ Love you heaps, Your loving Nanna

Stories you must read from Rwandan Survivor Immaculée

Left to Tell

Immaculée Ilibagiza

RRP $29.95

Immaculée Ilibagiza grew up in a country she loved but, in 1994, her idyllic world was ripped apart as Rwanda descended into a bloody genocide. Immaculée’s family was brutally murdered during a killing spree that lasted three months and claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans. Incredibly, Immaculée survived the slaughter. For 91 days, she and seven other women huddled silently together in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor while hundreds of machete-wielding killers hunted for them. It was during those endless hours of unspeakable terror that Immaculée discovered the power of prayer, eventually shedding her fear of death and forging a profound and lasting relationship with God. She emerged from her bathroom hideout having discovered the meaning of truly unconditional love—a love so strong she was able seek out and forgive her family’s killers. The triumphant story of this remarkable young woman’s journey through the darkness of genocide will inspire anyone whose life has been touched by fear, suffering, and loss.

Our Lady of Kibeho

Immaculée Ilibagiza

RRP $25.00

Thirteen years before the bloody 1994 genocide that swept across Rwanda and left nearly a million people dead, the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ appeared to eight young people in the remote village of Kibeho. Through these visionaries, Mary and Jesus warned of the looming holocaust which they assured could be averted if Rwandans opened their hearts to God and embraced His love. Mary also sent messages to government and Church leaders to instruct them how to end the ethnic hatred simmering in their country. After the genocide, and two decades of rigorous investigation, Our Lady of Kibeho became the first and only Vatican-approved Marian site in all of Africa. Immaculée Ilibagiza made many pilgrimages to Kibeho both before and after the holocaust, personally witnessed true miracles, and spoke with a number of the visionaries themselves. What she’s discovered will deeply touch your heart.

Rwandan Peace Baskets

These Rwanda Peace baskets are part of the Path to Peace project that - after the genocide in 1994employs thousands of weavers and impacts tens of thousands of lives from the income generated by the project. Focused on trade, not aid, the Rwanda Path to Peace project puts the power of opportunity into the hands of the women of Rwanda, providing not only income but the chance to take an active role in the shaping of their future.

Seven Sorrows Rosary

RRP $31.00

Seven Sorrows Rosary with Peace Basket

RRP $38.00

A Visit from Heaven

The Last Apparition to Alphonsine

Immaculée Ilibagiza

RRP $23.00

Approved by the Catholic Church, like Lourdes and Fatima, Our Lady of Kibeho is seen by the Church as a Marian apparition site in which the messages are deemed worthy of closer reflection. The fruits of Our Lady’s apparitions have overflowed from within the boundaries of Rwanda and into the entire world. These heavenly encounters were extraordinary blessings in which a conversation of mutual love took place between the most tender, loving Mother to her child. By reading this book, you will feel like Our Lady is speaking directly to you as her messages are intended for each one of us, but more than anything, you will feel closer to Our Lady and you will never be the same!

Led by Faith

Immaculée Ilibagiza

RRP $29.95

In Led By Faith, Immaculée takes us with her as her remarkable journey continues. Through her simple and eloquent voice, we experience her hardships and heartache as she struggles to survive and to find meaning and purpose in the aftermath of the holocaust. It is the story of a naïve and vulnerable young woman, orphaned and alone, navigating through a bleak and dangerously hostile world with only an abiding faith in God to guide and protect her. Fearing again for her safety as Rwanda’s war-crime trials begin, Immaculée flees to America to begin a new chapter of her life as a refugee and immigrant—a stranger in a strange land. With the same courage and faith in God that led her through the darkness of genocide, Immaculée discovers a new life where she can finally look back at all that has happened to her and truly understand why God spared her ... so she would tell her story to the world.

Pray the Seven Sorrows Rosary with Immaculée Ilibagiza

RRP $24.00