The Record Newspaper 15 December 2010

I WANT WANT YOU ‘Tell your MPs the Truth about marriage’

BY ANTHONY BARICH AUSTRALIA’S

Catholic Bishops are planning to take up petitions for Federal parliamentarians in support of marriage in every parish around the country.

The petitions will be a direct response to a resolution in Federal Parliament asking all MPs “to gauge their constituents’ views on ways to achieve equal treatment for same sex couples including marriage”. The motion to ask MPs to do this was sponsored by Greens member for Melbourne Adam Brandt.

Though the current Bill before the Senate was comprehensively defeated 44-5 in February, the Bishops are urging people to contact their Federal Members of Parliament at their local electorate office by Monday, 20 December.

Parliament returns on 8 February.

Archbishop Barry Hickey, who helped to frame the wording of the petition in reply, said that petition forms would be sent to all parishes in the Perth Archdiocese at the end of January.

The forms will read: “As a parishioner of (parish name and location) within your electorate, please consider my position on the meaning

of marriage. Given the variety of domestic arrangements available in Australia, I request that you protect the unique institution of marriage as traditionally understood and actually lived as the complementary love between a man and a woman.”

The completed petitions would be forwarded by the parishes to their local Federal Member of the House of Representatives.

“This will be an opportunity for all Catholics to make a personal contribution to the fight to preserve the unique nature of marriage,” Archbishop Hickey told The Record

“Taking up the petitions in late January will ensure as far as possible that people are at home in their own parishes and their signatures can therefore be sent directly to their MP.”

Archbishops Philip Wilson of Adelaide, Mark Coleridge of Canberra-Goulburn, Adrian Doyle of Hobart and John Bathersby of Brisbane are also encouraging their priests to promote the petition in their Archdioceses, along with Darwin Bishop Eugene Hurley.

Archbishop Wilson, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president, told The

Record that the petition, approved at its 22-26 November Plenary Meeting in North Sydney, was also in response to the initiative taken by parliamentarians who “asked for our views in this debate”.

“We have used language which clearly enunciates where we are coming from.

“The wording is very important, and we want the petitions to be activated in every parish, so that parishioners will be able to take up what was recommended by parliamentarians, to contribute to discussion about this,” he said.

Sydney’s Archdiocesan Life, Marriage and Family Centre cosigned a letter with the Catholic Women’s League and the Knights of the Southern Cross urging priests to help mobilise the Catholic community to oppose any moves by the Greens to change the Marriage Act.

The letter was sent with eight suggested discussion points for meeting with MPs and a document called Marriage: myths and realities, which equips Catholics how to respond “in truth and love” to the most common arguments raised in favour of same-sex marriage.

The letter recommended parishes ask one or two trusted parishion-

ers to take responsibility for organising the signing of the petitions at Sunday Masses and dispatching them to MPs afterwards. The Knights of the Southern Cross and the Catholic Women’s League have asked their members to be ready to assist with the petitions in their local parishes.

It also strongly encouraged parishioners to make an appointment to speak with their Federal MP about the issue in the remaining weeks prior to Christmas. “You may also wish to consider visiting your Member as part of a parish delegation,” the letter told priests.

The Australian Family Association is also urging people to target Labor MPs – in WA, Member for Perth Stephen Smith and Member for Rockingham Gary Gray and Member for Fremantle Melissa Parke – as “they are the ones under particular pressure by the Greens”, the AFA told The Record. WA Liberal Senator Mal Washer also supports same-sex marriage. There are 10 other Liberals and one Nationals MP in the Senate from WA. Same-sex marriage threatens to split the ALP. The South Australia branch only passed a motion sup-

porting it 90-88 on 27 November, the powerful shop assistants’ union (SDA) strongly opposes it, as do some ALP power brokers who deposed Kevin Rudd to put Julia Gillard in power.

While Gillard has maintained that ALP policy decided at the Party’s last national conference in August was to oppose any change to the Marriage Act, she has agreed to bring the next conference forward to the end of 2011. This will enable another vote on the floor well before she has to fight another election, setting the scene for parliament to possibly debate legislative reform in 2012.

Mr Gray told The Record: “I support the definition of marriage in the Marriage Act - that marriage is between a man and a woman. I also believe that there should be a means by which same-sex couples can have their relationships recognised if they so choose.

“The Government supports a nationally consistent framework for relationship recognition as has been introduced in Victoria, ACT, NSW and Tasmania.”

Points to discuss with MPs; Myths and realities of marriage, Pages 10-11

Archbishop Barry Hickey, pictured, will join Australia’s prelates in calling on all Catholics to contact their Federal MPs urging them to protect marriage. PHOTO COURTESY OF FLAME MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL

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Kelly, gave a talk that challenged and inspired the young folk to defend their faith. There was plenty of time to forge friendships in between talks, learn about their group’s holy role model, whether it was Venerable John Paul II or St Josephine Bakhita, dress down for the mini-Olympics sporting challenge and dress up for the Saturday night dance. EMBRACE THE

BY BRIDGET SPINKS

MOUNT Lawley parish priest Fr Tim Deeter has organised several events this Advent to help parishioners prepare spiritually for Christmas.

“We’re trying to keep the Christmas season spiritual. Each weekend we’re having something to take a break from the shopping and the parties,” Fr Deeter said.

On the eve of St Nicholas, which fell on the second weekend of Advent, the parish had a showing of Nicholas: the boy who became Santa, an animated film about the life of the saint.

An audience of 45 children and up to 80 parents attended the movie night which was followed by an opportunity for the children to make Christmas cards for Fr Tim to pass on to elderly parishioners.

The evening was a time for singing Christmas carols and included a visit from St Nicholas (pictured left)

Fr Tim first hosted such an evening last year.

and carols, Prayer of the Faithful, the Lord’s Prayer, a Blessing and Dismissal.

The nine scripture passages or ‘Lessons’ range from the prophesies of the Old Testament (Gen 3:8-15, 17-19; Gen 22:15-18; Isaiah 9:1-6 and Isaiah 11:1-10) to the events surrounding Christ’s birth which are their fulfillment in the New Testament (Luke 1:26-38; Luke 2: 1-7; Luke 2: 8-16; Matthew 2:1-12 and John 1: 1-14).

Members of the local media, political, sport and Religious communities, such as chef Vince Garreffa and Channel Nine sports reader Mark Readings, read a Scripture passage, which was followed by one of nine traditional Christmas Carols.

Seven singers and a violinist from the Western Australian Academy of the Performing Arts (WAAPA) joined Alessio Loiacono, parish organist, to lead the congregation, beginning with Once in Royal David’s City as a processional and concluding with Hark! the Herald Angels Sing

On the third Sunday of Advent, 12 December, Fr Tim hosted a traditional advent service called Lessons and Carols at the parish, which drew a crowd of 175.

The Festival of Lessons and Carols service included a Greeting and Opening Prayer, the reading of nine scriptures

On the fourth Sunday of Advent, Fr Tim is asking children of the parish to bring in the Baby Jesus from the Nativity scenes in their homes to be blessed.

“These are just simple ways to keep Christ in Christmas,” he said.

More than

young people (pictured above) from the Perth Archdiocese and surrounds withdrew from the world 8-12 December to a safe haven on the Benedictine grounds of New Norcia to learn and reflect on the themes of life, truth and freedom. The Embrace the Grace conference was organised by Hanna Lyra and Bronia Karnewicz from the Respect Life Office. Perth Archbishop Barry Hickey celebrated final Mass for the third Sunday of Advent while Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton gave a talk on the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Friday night before a time of Adoration. Other top speakers included Missionaries of the Gospel Sr Bernadette Pike who spoke about freedom and how to become truly free; John Paul II Institute postgraduate student and Record contributor Anna Krohn spoke about truth as well as Theology of the Body while Aquinas College’s head of religious education and father of four, Paul

East Vic Park a ‘beacon of

BY ANTHONY BARICH ARCHBISHOP Barry Hickey

has described East Victoria Park Parish as a “beacon of hope” for the Church, as a Bishop, two priests, one Religious Brother and 10 Religious Sisters have emerged from it.

The parish celebrated its 75th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the current Our Lady Help of Christians Church with a Mass and lunch on 12 December.

Bunbury Bishop Gerard Holohan - principal celebrant of the Mass with current parish priest Fr MC Arulraj, his predecessor Fr Brian Harris, Fr Peter Bianchini whose father built the church and Fr Paul Carey SSC who has supplied for the parish – told The Record that it all started with Mgr Francis O’Connor.

Bishop Holohan, who grew up in the parish, remembers Mass being celebrated in the parish hall, the excitement at the arrival of Christian Brothers and the tireless pastoral work of Mgr O’Connor.

“I knew what a priest was because of Mgr O’Connor. Many of the vocations to come from this parish stemmed from the time under his care,” Bishop Holohan told The Record

“Mgr O’Connor was always there for everyone. If you were stranded after Mass he offered to give you a lift home.”

The relationship with the parish priest is critical to religious vocations, both to the diocesan priesthood and for male and female Religious, he said. The parish starting in “tough times” may have also drawn people closer to God, he added.

Also crucial to the promotion of vocations to religious life in parishes is the level of conversion of the priest, Bishop Holohan said.

“If I visit people in my parish as a priest out of love, I am acting in the Person of Christ,” Bishop Holohan said. “If I’m doing it by considering the people merely as numbers, I’m not acting in the Person of Christ.”

Fr Bianchini, now Highgate parish priest, who grew up barely two streets away from the church, said four priests at East Victoria Park influenced his life and were “proably why I offered myself for the priesthood. The (Mercy) Sisters and the Christian Brothers also had an enormous influence on my Christian life and vocation”.

Fr Bianchini recalled Mgr O’Connor was “a man of prayer” who was very dedicated to the sick. “I do try to pray as he taught,” Fr Bianchini said.

Fr Pat Ahearn taught Fr Bianchini to altar serve and of the value of continued study after ordination.

Fr Cyril Stinson was the first priest to invite Fr Bianchini into the presbytery and was “a brave priest” who showed great compassion.

Fr Phil Farrelly was “an interesting and colourful priest” who gave Fr Bianchini the opportunity as a newly ordained deacon to celebrate weddings and funerals. “If anything in my priesthood, I have learned a love of these celebrations from him and to make myself available for these ceremonies,” Fr Bianchini said.

“East Victoria Park Parish has been important in my developing years and has had a place in my priesthood,” he said, adding that he felt privileged to bury his parents from the parish church. “The joy of having so many parishioners at these celebrations was a great comfort to our family,” he said.

The element of personal conversion was a central theme of Bishop Holohan’s homily: “People often think of faith as an individual idea, but the Apostles and the early Christians soon learned they could only come to know Jesus better by gathering as a community and realising the depth of His power in their lives.”

Catholics’ power to experience God’s healing depends largely on their own conversion, including preparation for Mass and recognis-

ing their faults, he said. “We won’t experience that healing unless we open ourselves to His power,” the prelate said.

“Christ will guide us to conversion as we gather in community, which is what people do in parishes. Harmony with God leads to harmony within. This is the peace that God offers.”

The key for Catholics, then, leading up to Christmas, he said, is being open to drawing closer to God in community; being open to God’s healing and freeing power of His resurrection, especially when they are struggling with temptations.

The fact that Christ conquered death means he can also conquer any struggle or temptation in our lives, Bishop Holohan said.

In his message to the parish for the anniversary, Archbishop Hickey said the parish church’s name clearly focuses on Mary, Mother of God, helper to all Christians. “Her model of faith, commitment and sincere desire to serve our loving Father when she said ‘yes’ to be mother of our Saviour Jesus Christ should continually remind us of our vocation to service to God,” he said.

“The parish has supported Catholic parents in their principal role as faith educators, both pastorally and sacramentally. Over the years, the impact of societal values that are countercultural to the message of our Saviour requires strong faith and support. Our Lady Help of Christians’ Parish has no doubt provided our Catholic families the pastoral leadership and guidance in encountering these challenges.”

Clockwise from top: Frs Paul Carey SSC, MC Arulraj, Brian Harris and Peter Bianchini process into church for the anniversary Mass. The Australian flag is displayed as Our Lady Help of Christians is the Patroness of Australia; Bishop Holohan is presented with the parish’s Baptism registry, symbolising the parish’s community of faith initiated through the Sacrament; Fr Bianchini proclaims the Gospel during the Mass; Bishop Gerard Holohan addresses the congregation during the Mass; an Ursula Frayne Catholic College student plays an instrument during the Mass. PHOTOS: ANTHONY BARICH

Breathe in the sanctity of Fiesole

After you have seen the holy artist’s work, visit the Convent and Church of St Dominic (San Domenico) by taking Bus No 7 bus to Fiesole from outside the Convent of San Marco. Blessed Fra Angelico lived in the Convent of San Domenico for many years and was Vicar in 1431, 1432, 1436 and 1450 and in 1986, Pope John Paul II visited it. Next door to the convent is the Church of St Dominic which houses Bl Angelico’s Madonna and Saints.

Fiesole is a little town 20 minutes away from Florence and this church and convent of St Dominic is on the way to the town centre. If you take the bus to the end of the line, you will end up in Fiesole itself. Here, you will see the mediaeval Cathedral of San Romulo which houses the remains of St Romulus, Fiesole’s patron, under the altar.

From the Cathedral, continue up the steep and tiring Via Francesco as Pope John Paul II did in 1986. You will be rewarded by a a magnificent panorama of Florence (pictured right) and as well as that, you’ll get a profound sense of peace and holiness in the breeze. Go up the hill behind you to see the chapel and monastery of St Francis and even see cells where Blesseds once prayed.

St Bernardine of Siena would have lived in one of these cells as, above the doorway of one cell here (below), are the words Vera Cella di S Bernadino di Siena - true cell of St Bernadine of Siena.

In S eptember, In September, The R ecord Record ’ s ’s Br idget Spink s t ravel led to Ita ly Bridget Spinks travelled to Italy cou r tes y of Ha r vest Pi lg r images courtesy of Harvest Pilgrimages. T h is week , she su r veys t he This week, she surveys the beaut y a nd wonders of t he cit y beauty and wonders of the city whose na me is s y nony mous w it h whose name is synonymous with a rebi r t h of Wester n civ i l isat ion. a rebirth Western civilisation.

Angelico Country Country

Florence is a beautiful city renowned for its history, beautiful buildings, art, and most of all for its remarkable saints, chiefly Carmelites and Dominicans.

Known in Italian as Firenze, Florence has on display the incorrupt bodies of three famous women saints.

Blessed Mary Bagnesi (15141577) was a Dominican Tertiary of extraordinary suffering and sanctity who, amongst many other miracles, is said to have cured the 18-year-old Carmelite Sr Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi (1566-1607) who went on to become one of the greatest saints in Carmelite history. These two incorrupt bodies are displayed together in the Carmelo di S Maria Maddelana d’ Pazzi

St Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart (1747-1770) is another incorrupt Carmelite whose body is housed in the convent named after her in Florence.

Also among the incorrupt is the patron saint of Florence, St Antoninus (1389-1459), who became a Dominican in 1406 and was ordained in 1413. He was made Prior of many Dominican establishments, including one of the most admired churches in Rome, Santa Maria sopra Minerva. He was responsible for displaying the incorrupt remains of St Catherine of Siena in that church.

Later, he established the Dominican Convent of San Marco, one of the artistic glories of Florence. As a tribute to him,

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Pope Eugene IV and the entire College of Cardinals assisted at the consecration of the building. The ground floor cloister of the convent is named after him.

Among these remarkable saints, one who holds a unique place is Guido di Piero because, as Blessed Angelico, he is revered both for his sanctity and his art. When he entered the Dominicans in 1420, he took the name Fra Giovanni (Br John) but soon became known to his brothers as Beato Angelico (Blessed Angelic One) because of the holiness of his life and his art.

Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1982 as Fra Angelico and proclaimed him patron saint of artists.

Anyone interested in his holy art must visit the Museum of St Mark (Museo de San Marco).

Over 100 works of Fra Angelico’s art can be seen in this museum, many of them frescoed in the cells of friars, novices and lay brothers.

Five Dominicans, including Fr Fausto Sbaffoni OP, reside in the priory around the corner from the entrance to the museum and church.

Fr Fausto said that Fra Angelico is “an important figure for many

Dominicans” because he reminds them through his art to live an authentic Dominican life, observant of the Rule.

Fra Angelico, who was already a painter, joined the Dominicans at the convent in Fiesole where he continued to paint while religiously adhering to the Dominican Rule of life, Fr Fausto said.

“We could say he was a mystic of painting,” Fr Fausto said, because “his art is an art that unified the technical skills of a master with a deep spiritual experience.

“What you can identify is light and colour that creates a particular atmosphere that appears to be supernatural,” he said.

“When you look at a Beato Angelico painting, there is a balance and harmony to the work even when he depicts ‘evil’ or ‘sorrow’ such as a crucifixion scene,” Fr Fausto said.

“Jesus Christ is serene, calm with a peaceful expression. Why? Generally speaking, Beato Angelico was neither naive nor simple. He knew evil but he saw everything with the eyes of faith. Even in the darkest moments, he could see the light of the resurrection of Jesus,”

Fr Fausto said.

Fr Fausto, originally from Rome, entered the novitiate in 1979 when he was 27 and served two threeyear terms as Prior from 2002-09.

He said he was attracted to the Dominicans by the combination of study, community life and prayer.

Being part of the Order of Preachers, Fra Angelico used his painting as an instrument to preach the truth of the Gospel, Fr Fausto said.

“Beato Angelico was a religious man who would contemplate the divine truth and transmit this to others through his art ... all his paintings breathe some sort of spirituality,” he said.

In the Museum of St Mark, the familiar scene of the Annunciation painted by the holy Florentine artist and Dominican friar in the 1430s greets you as you reach the top of the stairs to the upper floor. The Latin inscription under the picture translates as, ‘Hail, O Mother of piety and noble domicile of the Holy Trinity’.

Fr Fausto explained that in this scene, Our Lady’s posture and gestures indicate that she receives the will of God “with humil-

This holy hilltop city is just 20 minutes from Florence

Although the most famous view of the city’s skyline is glimpsed by looking over the River Arno from Piazzale Michelangelo, to get this view of Florence in its countryside context, one must go to holy Fiesole, and then walk up Via Frencesco and look out. It’s a steep walk, but worth it.

PHOTOS: BRIDGET SPINKS

ity”; she says, ‘Fiat voluntas tua,’ which means, ‘Thy will be done’.

The tilt of her face shows that she is listening to God and the Angel genuflects because she will become the Mother of God. The garden and the green in the window are signs: reminders of paradise and the Garden of Eden that was closed.

“When Mary says ‘Yes,’ it reopens the possibility of a return to Eden,” Fr Fausto said.

“In that moment of the Annunciation, when Mary says ‘Yes’, the Incarnation of Christ occurs and the doors of that garden open again,” he said.

This depiction of the

Annunciation is on a corridor wall in the museum, which friars would have walked past on the way to their cells when it was a convent.

A second depiction of the Annunciation can be seen in Cell No 3 on the same floor, a third depiction is in the church of San Domenico in Cortona and a fourth is in the Prado museum in Madrid.

This ex-convent that is now a museum publicly displays the holy frescoes, painted by Fra Angelico and a team of assistants, which depict scenes from the life of Christ such as the Institution of the Eucharist and the Crucifixion.

They are in what were once cells

of the elderly friars, novices, and lay brothers where they once prayed, meditated and slept and although not intended for the public, visitors can now walk in the footsteps of the friars and thereby meditate on the life of Christ.

“Beato Angelico preaches for the people but many paintings, above all in these rooms in San Marco, are made for the friars to teach and remind them of the fundamental points of faith, of the principle of faith and the commitment to religious life,” Fr Fausto said.

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Above, local Italians pass the time in the Piazza della Republica, a city square in the centre of the old part of Florence. Above right, a crucifix in Fiesole, just outside the Fransiscan monastery, points to the Cross as the summit of faith. Inset: Fr Fausto Sbaffoni OP from the Convent of San Marco preaching through art. Below, the original Annunciation by Fra Angelico can be seen in the Convent of San Marco.

Family, Vietnamese community lead Carmelite to radical commitment

BY ANTHONY BARICH

SISTER Thanh Catherine of Divine Mercy made her final, Solemn Profession at the Carmelite monastery in Nedlands on 11 December, having escaped Vietnam where her family was persecuted for their Catholic faith.

The Solemn Profession represented a boom in Religious life generated in countries where Catholics are persecuted for their faith, yet benefit the life of the Church in Australia.

The Carmelite monastery in Nedlands has 13 fully professed Sisters, one postulant and another Vietnamese woman who has taken her first vows.

Present for the Solemn Profession were many Religious Sisters, including young Vietnamese Sisters from other Orders – one of whom took her final vows last year in Vietnam in a group of 15.

Sr Thanh, 30, born in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), is the second-youngest of 10 children still living. One, the oldest brother, disappeared after trying to escape the atheist Communist country years ago.

Archbishop Barry Hickey, the principal celebrant of the Mass with Carmelite and Vietnamese priests to celebrate the Solemn Profession, said her family was persecuted back in Vietnam.

But, for Sr Thanh, “it’s a painful experience that I don’t want to talk about”, she told The Record

Archbishop Hickey said the Vietnamese priests concelebrating the Mass – including Fr Hong Pham who was imprisoned for 10 years as a De La Salle Brother in Vietnam for refusing to renounce his faith – are evidence that God’s will is always done, even through “a long journey through persecution and unforeseen circumstances”.

Sr Thanh’s family left for Finland when she was 14 before some of them migrated to Australia. Others went to England and Canada. After studying accounting at TAFE and working in two fruit and vegetable stores run by her family and friends in Maddington and in Subiaco respectively, she entered the Carmel of the Most Holy Trinity in Nedlands, aged 24.

“My parents, especially my mum, would’ve liked me to become a Religious, but as a young woman at that time, I didn’t like to listen to her – (I’d think) ‘rubbish, I’m going to enjoy my life’,” Sr Thanh recalled to The Record

“I said to myself if ‘I follow her advice, when there is a stage in my life that if I didn’t go well and get

out of the vocation I’d blame her as she wanted me to be in here’. I don’t like to be pushed into a particular vocation.”

She would only enter a convent on her own terms, she said. That way, “in the future if I have a problem or difficulty I can say ‘I made the decision, so I’ll stay as someone didn’t make the decision for me’.”

Sr Thanh said she felt “a stirring deep down” in her heart while living in the world “as a normal woman”, during which time she realised that everything in the world has an end, and she realised she was searching for something “everlasting”.

“The answer for the everlasting is God,” she said. That, and the fact that “I’m not a very active person, so I could do (a life of prayer)”, she joked.

The Archbishop thanked the Vietnamese Catholic community for nurturing the faith of its youth so they can hear and respond to God’s call. Sr Thanh said that, as a teenager, it integrated family and community effectively.

Her life has been rooted in the faith because of her family environment that nurtured prayer.

“When I was born, (family) teaching is rooted in that faith: you know there is God, who you lean on to make personal decisions and are able to listen on a deeper level,” she said. Her whole neighbourhood were Catholics, so faith was learned in a community, just as it is nurtured in the Vietnamese Catholic Community in Perth.

This upbringing also kept her grounded as a teen living in Finland,

which “is not a Catholic country”; and the family had to travel far just to attend Mass once a month.

Archbishop Hickey said the Vietnamese Catholic Community’s role in nurturing the faith was all the more important as “we live in a time where society rejects God and people make strong arguments against His very existence.

Yet there are those, he said, who give an admirable defence of God, and espouse the fact that humans are not mere accidents of evolution but of a process started by God.

“We’re not about proving the existence of God, but experiencing God in our lives, discovering how He speaks to our hearts; realising

Helpline back in the trenches

A WILLINGNESS to get down into the trenches is the key to helping people through the Christmas period, Christmas Helpline founder Fr Michael Gatt has told The Record

Now in its 19th year, Fr Gatt and his team of volunteers will again open their ears and hearts to callers from 19 December till the end of the month.

“When you are speaking to people with emotion and empathy you are able to reach them much better. You would have to be a man of iron not to feel for people,” Fr Gatt said.

“As in previous years, people

need to know there is always someone to turn to in a time of difficulty, crisis or despair.” Loneliness, depression and financial pressures make up the bulk of challenges faced by callers, Fr Gatt said, with the festivity of the Christmas period only adding to many people’s emotional and financial woes.

Paradoxically, Fr Gatt said, as a priest, it is his favourite time of year.

“I would love to be doing this all the time. It’s good to be there for people. They’re sent by God and we are people in between who can help.”

Over the years, Fr Gatt and his volunteers have made lifelong friendships with callers, often making follow-up visits or delivering emergency food parcels to people’s houses. Fr Gatt said that readers of The Record have, and continue, to play an important role in letting people-in-need know about the phone line. “Even if you don’t need to call the line yourself, maybe your neighbour or someone in your family does.”

The Christmas Helpline will be open from 19 December – 31 December on 9444 1334 and 9444 8650.

how the presence of God in our lives is as real as this chapel,” he said.

Sr Thanh’s Solemn Profession “touches the very centre of the faith, as it’s about a special intimacy to which God has called us – a special commitment characterised by prayer, commitment and selfsacrifice”.

This vocation is given to few, but has a long history in the Church, and even existed before the Church’s foundation in the Old Testament, the prelate said, as presented in the First Reading from the prophet Hosea where the Lord said:

“I am going to lure her and lead her out into the wilderness and

speak to her heart. I will betroth you to myself forever, betroth you with integrity and justice, with tenderness and love.

“I will betroth you to myself with faithfulness, and you will come to know the Lord.”

This prayer, silence and intimacy of God is possible because God became Man in Jesus Christ, Archbishop Hickey said.

It is because of this intimate relationship, and this reality of God in our lives, that “we are here” celebrating the Mass for the Sister’s Solemn Profession,” Archbishop Hickey added.

Sr Thanh Catherine of Divine Mercy joyfully makes her final Solemn Profession.

Nedlands Carmelite Prioress Sr Margaret Mary congratulates Sr Thanh.

Sr Miriam Rose, ‘an extern’ Sister, embraces Sr Thanh at the Sign of Peace during the Mass where the young nun made her Solemn Profession with the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt Carmel.

Archbishop Barry Hickey clothes Sr Thanh with her Carmelite veil.

Fr Michael Gatt, pictured outside St Mary’s Cathedral, appeals for help for his annual Christmas Helpline.

Third Order a ‘path to sanctity’

BY ANTHONY BARICH

THIRTY nine year old Anthony Porrins became the youngest person currently to be professed into the Third Order of St Francis at the Redemptorist Monastery Retreat House Chapel on 17 September. His profession represents a new wave of renewed interest to a committed spiritual life among a younger generation, with several people in their 40s now professed in the Order, compared with most members who are over 50.

The Secular Franciscan Order has produced many saints, including St John Vianney, whose life and teachings Pope Benedict XVI held up as a model for the recent Year for Priests. This shows it is “a proven path to sanctity”, Anthony said.

Anthony told The Record that the Order’s spirituality, which “blew him away” during his formation stage, is attractive to young people as it brings them to a closer relationship with Christ, with St Francis as a model. St Francis founded the Third Order in 1221 as the Brothers and Sisters of Penance, known as tertiaries, as a middle-state for those who, due to

marriage or other ties, are barred from entering the first two Orders for professed Religious.

“Francis saw both Christ’s divinity and humanity, as a person he could relate to. When Francis saw a leper, Bishop or the Pope, he saw Christ in them,” Anthony said.

“Francis was truly Catholic as he was able to take the connection between seeing Our Lord in the Body and Blood of Christ and ‘enflesh’ this belief through actual charity and relating to others.”

Like Francis, Secular Franciscans live a life of simplicity and must have an ‘apostolate’ – working somehow for the Church – which Anthony is still discerning. Some do prison visitations, others are involved lobbying for the rights of the family, among other pursuits. They also pledge loyalty to the Pope. This is reflected in one of the Third Order’s mottos, which is to go from the Gospel to life and vice versa, by bringing Christ into the workplace and family situations by

Archbishop launches new history of St Mary’s

Story also spans 168 years of WA history

ARCHBISHOP Barry Hickey

launched the first book written about the 168-year endeavour to give Perth a thoroughly appropriate Cathedral on the first anniversary of the completion of St Mary’s Cathedral, 8 December.

Called simply Our Cathedral, the book was written by historian, parishioner and Cathedral tour guide John A Winship.

It covers the history of the Cathedral from the turning of the first sod for the first Catholic Church, dedicated to St John the Evangelist, in Perth on 27 December 1843. It became a Cathedral in 1845 when Fr John Brady became Perth’s first Bishop and had its name changed to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 17 June 1855. The old building still stands in Victoria Avenue and is known as the Pro-Cathedral of St John the Evangelist.

When launching the book, Archbishop Hickey briefly summarised the history in five parts:

● The story of St John’s.

● The new building on the current site, which was granted by the Governor on 23 December 1859. The foundation stone was laid on 8 February 1963 and the Cathedral opened on 29 January 1865.

● The 1930 Cathedral built by

Archbishop Clune from Michael Cavanagh’s design, only half of which was built and connected to half of the 1865 Cathedral – ‘the rest of the work to be left to a future generation’.

● The Mgr John Hawes design for a new Cathedral which had been requested and supported by Archbishop Clune, but which was never built because of opposition from the clergy.

● The restoration and completion of the Cathedral in 2009, preserving part of the 1865 building, all of the 1930, and inserting a new section combining them, according to the plans of architect Peter Quinn.

“This brought the Cathedral together in a very elegant and surprising way,” Archbishop Hickey said.

“Most people speak of it in glowing terms.

“It is prayerful, peaceful and full of light.”

He commended the book for its history of the Cathedral and the Archdiocese which in its early days was full of drama and some conflict.

Tracing the Cathedral’s history through the Bishops and Archbishops who were responsible for it also gave clear insights into the circumstances and difficulties faced by the Church and the community in the various stages of the development of Western Australia.

The book also examines the architects, artisans and artists who contributed at the various stages.

“It is well researched, well written and very readable,” he said.

“The extensive use of names will add to its appeal to Western Australians whose families – historically and in the present – have contributed so much to the life of the Cathedral.”

Mr Winship said that in writing the book he had particularly enjoyed trying to define what a Cathedral is and how it fulfils its many practical and inspirational functions in the life of the Church.

He also enjoyed being able to do “reasonable and respectable” research into Bishop Brady who had been much maligned.

being a witness to others; not by preaching but by touching others in everyday life. This model of life was a radical calling for people in the Church during St Francis’ time, Anthony said. Prior to the 1200s, the Benedictine model of establishing monasteries which drew people in was the dominant method of evangelisation. Francis turned it around and instead went out into the streets to bring the Gospel to the people, Anthony said.

Though he was attracted to Francis from a young age, why Anthony joined the Franciscan family is a mystery to him.

“I’ve always been aware of Francis from a young age; people often associated me with Francis growing up; people often spoke to me about him and introduced me to Franciscan Friars, but becoming a Franciscan was something I was drawn to in a mysterious way,” he said. “When I saw Francis and his relationship with Christ, and how intensely he lived it, I wanted a bit of that in my life.” His profession has sparked a renewed urgency in him to promote vocations awareness – not just to the priesthood, but to all ways of

life. The Secular Franciscan Order is also open to diocesan priests.

“As Catholics, we have all made a baptisimal vow to become holy. The Secular Franciscan vocation helps you live that more intensely day to day,” he said.

The Secular Franciscan life for the professed entails morning and afternoon praying of the Divine Office, monthly meetings with fraternity groups that consist of up to 15 people, and an annual retreat.

Anthony’s profession during a Mass celebrated by Brisbane Franciscan Capuchin Fr John Spiteri, was held during the annual retreat.

Anthony, a marketing officer for a Kelmscott roof restoration company, was professed after three years of formation with the Perth fraternity.

There are also fraternities in Midland, Dardanup and Balcatta.

He spent months with the Perth fraternity as an “enquirer” before working with a formator and was received into the Order’s novitiate for a year studying a formation manual under guidance before the fraternity council deemed him ready for final profession.

VACANCY - CARETAKER

Anthony PorrinsSt Francis of Assisi

A scan of a badly deteriorated negative, top, shows Pope John Paul II meeting his would-be assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca, in a Rome prison on 27 December 1983 while another scan from a damaged negative shows Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, left, with other Cardinals as they arrive on 21 February 1939 for a conclave at the Vatican after the death of Pope Pius XI. Cardinal Pacelli was elected the new Pope and chose the name Pius XII. The Vatican is embarking on a project to restore and digitise its archive of more than eight million photographic images.

PHOTOS: CNS/PAUL HARING

St Emilie’s youth fire up ‘Madrid style’ for WYD 2011

BY DANAE MURPHY St Emilie’s Youth Coodinator

Parishioners from Canning Vale and friends spent a “Night in Madrid” on 3 December.

The Youth Committee of St Emilie’s, under the guidance of Fr Dennis Sudla, hosted a dinner dance at Amherst Community Centre to raise funds to assist a group of young people from the

The Madrid theme of the evening was seen in the red and yellow décor, while the guests dressed in costumes beginning with the letter “M”.

Band It Takes Two had guests dancing the night away after a delicious meal.

The event proved to be a promising start for the Youth Ministry at

St Emilie’s parish. At the moment there are around 15 young people who have expressed their interest in participating in the World Youth Day in Madrid.

The Youth Committee expressed its gratitude to parish priest Fr Robert Carillo and assistant priest Fr Dennis Sudla.

Representatives were delighted by the willingness of people who generously donated prizes.

Voices set to soar in Cathedral for Christmas congregations

Cathedral Choristers and musicians prepare for busy Christmas celebrations

The Cathedral Choristers are busily preparing for the upcoming services as the Cathedral’s Music Programme goes into full swing with Christmas music.

The Cathedral’s traditional ‘Lessons and Carols’ takes place on Christmas Eve at 10.30pm.

This has been a Christmas Eve tradition for many decades in the Cathedral.

This year’s ‘Lessons and Carols’ promises to be a feast of music featuring sparkling Christmas motets sung by the Choir including Durufle’s Tota pulchra es Maria and a very special arrangement of Silent Night

As per tradition, there are many congregational carols sung during this Service.

Midnight Mass follows featuring Mozart’s Credo Mass sung with a chamber orchestra comprising some of Perth’s leading musicians.

During this Mass the congregation will have an opportunity to sing some carols with the chamber orchestra.

The emphasis is also on newlycomposed music with Malcolm

Archer’s stunningly beautiful and atmospheric O Magnum Mysterium

The Midnight Mass concludes with the decades-old tradition of the singing of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus celebrating the new-born King. The Cathedral’s Dodd organ (in her centenary year) is featured prominently during the Christmas celebrations.

Two highlights are the Midnight Mass postlude (Widor’s famous Toccata from Symphony No 5) and the Christmas Day 11am Mass postlude (Messiaen’s Dieu Parmi

Seton students collect hampers for Vinnies

Nous).

A special children’s Mass on Christmas Eve at 6.30pm will feature music of a contemporary nature presented by young school students and junior Cathedral Choristers.

This service will also include prelude music beginning at 6.15pm, including a new Christmas piece especially composed for this occasion by the Cathedral’s Principal Cantor, Daniel Mullaney.

The Cathedral’s five cantors will also be kept busy as they lead the singing at other Christmas Masses.

SETON College students prepared 46 hampers to be distributed to clients of the Hilton Conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society.

The Society distributes hampers to people in need to make their Christmas more enjoyable, and some hampers weigh up to 30kg, containing food, sweets and toys for children.

“It is a very heartening experience to distribute the hampers and to see the pleasure it gives to the recipients,” a Society member told The Record. Seton College’s hampers were organised by teacher Gary Burgess.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Primary School in Hilton also prepared eight hampers and the St Vincent de Paul Society Conference supplied the addresses of people in need to the school.

St Vincent de Paul Society Fremantle regional president, Ian Digney, left, and Gary Burgess with the completed hampers.

Cathedral music director Jacinta Jakovcevic and choristers at the official dedication of St Mary’s last December.

PHOTO: JUSTINE STEVENS

Fr Dennis Sudla, assistant priest of St Emilie’s Parish in Canning Vale, with members of the St Emilie’s Youth organising committee. Young people took to heart the Spanish flavour and theme for their fundraiser on 3 December with at least 15 expressing interest in going to Madrid in 2011. The chances are that they’ll be there with a million or more youth from around the world.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ST EMILIE’S

parish to attend the World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain in 2011.

On the 25th anniversary of the Pontifical Council for Health Care, Bishop Donald Sproxton reflects on the Catholic Church’s long and esteemed record in the ancient art of...

CARING FOR THE SICK

MOST REV DONALD SPROXTON

Auxiliary Bishop of Perth

Iwas fortunate, indeed, to have had a wonderful guide when I last visited Rome. He took me to the site of the Imperial Senate building, the epicentre of the Roman Empire. He was more interested to show me the remains of an ancient Christian hospice, on one side of the hill.

This hospice is believed to have operated in the fifth and sixth centuries. An early Christian community gathered at the site and gave the sick a place of refuge, healing and comfort. Most who came had very serious diseases that caused physical, mental and even social suffering. This effort to provide a place and the best care for the sick belongs to a great Christian tradition that continues today.

Pope Benedict has given a message to the Church for the World Day of the Sick. He states that the Church intends to carry out a farreaching operation, namely, to continue to be there as a servant to those who suffer from any disease. The ever-present need for the Christian to stand by and serve the sick is to make up what is lacking in the ministry of Christ himself. We are co-workers in the saving mission of Christ.

The Gospel of St Luke, the physician, contains an outstanding statement that reveals the mind of Christ regarding the mission and ministry to the sick. It is the parable of the Good Samaritan.

The Holy Father described the response made by the Samaritan. “He saw the man who was robbed, beaten and left for dead, and had compassion. He went to him, bound up his wounds, pouring on the medicine of oil and wine, and took him to the Inn and made sure he was cared for by providing for his care and keep”.

Jesus addresses us at the end of the parable, “Go and do the same”.

Pope Benedict uses a beautiful image that expresses the care and compassion of the Samaritan and all health care givers ever since. He emphasised that health care givers

and, particularly, Catholic health care givers are called to ‘bend over’ the physical and mental wounds of those who suffer, as we offer care and support and companionship to the sick.

Here, in the Archdiocese of Perth, we are fortunate to have two excellent health care systems, St John of God and Mercycare, that are prepared to ‘bend over’, that is, take the trouble and give practical care and support to those suffering from all manner of illnesses.

All who are working in health care – the medical and nursing professionals, the clinic personnel,

the receptionists at the front counter – are called to serve the sick, to bend over and offer love and understanding.

Our service is enhanced by our own experience. Whenever we seek to serve the sick we must draw on our own effort, with the help of God’s grace, to accept and live out the experience of sickness and suffering. Pope Benedict calls this experience as being ‘schooled in hope’.

“It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it and finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love” (Spe salvi 37).

Twenty five years ago, the Catholic Church established the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers. The Council is an additional sign of the Church’s commitment and involvement in the world of health care.

Whether it has been the fifth century, the ninth century, 15th or 21st century, the consistent taking up of the challenge to “do the same yourself” can be observed in Christ’s disciples.

In our moment of history and culture, there is even greater need for Christians to be attentive and to stand beside the sick. We need to be even more conspicuous in society so that we can pass on the Gospel values that honour and protect human life in all its phases, from conception to its natural end (Message, World Day of

Sick 2010). Following the Mass, we will celebrate the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Gratefully, we accept this wonderful Sacrament of Christ the Healer.

Jesus foresaw the need for His continual healing presence in the world, and the Sacrament has been confided to the Church so that it may offer the strength the sick need.

Sickness, and death itself, pose great threats to the faith and hope of any person.

Through the Anointing of the Sick, the strength and power of the Risen Christ is made available to the sick person.

May our celebration of the Mass today and the Anointing bring the special comfort, peace and courage to the sick who gathered with us.

May they feel that Christ stands besides them, and that the Church is standing with them in prayer and solidarity.

Representatives from the various fields of health care attended the Mass for the Second Sunday of Advent at St Mary’s Cathedral to pray for their work and for the sick.

Dr Michael Shanahan had suggested that the Archdiocese might join in the celebrations this year for the 25th Anniversary of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers. Bishop Donald Sproxton presided at the Mass.

The special feature of the occasion was the celebration of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Immediately following the Mass, the many people present who were seriously ill were invited to receive the anointing and the prayers of the congregation to support and strengthen them.

Amy redefines Catholic student body

BY ANTHONY BARICH

FREMANTLE’S University of Notre Dame Australia Student Association president Amy Rosario has redefined the body’s role in the context of what it means to be a Catholic university.

Amy, who coordinated the large-scale Mary MacKillop Festival in Fremantle on 17 October, the day of the saint’s canonisation in Rome, told The Record there has in the past been a “significant gap” to be filled, and the festival proved the perfect foil to have the staff and students work together to promote the Catholic ethos of education.

“I don’t know if we specifically set out to do it, but it’s certianly what we achieved,” Amy told The Record. “Being such a young university, we’ve been trying to find more of an identity, and the festival created more of a sense of where we should be heading.

“The relationship between staff and students is so unique compared to other universities, that they are able to work together as equals, as we are all

passionate about a common goal that we’re all working to achieve, which is education. So the Mary MacKillop Festival tied that in well. It doesn’t have to be the staff versus the students.”

Law student Hannah Milligan, who was initiated as the Student Association’s new president on 25 November, plans to build on this success.

Amy, one of over 900 students from all nine schools at the Fremantle campus who graduated on 11 December, graduated from Nursing and completed a PreMedicine Certificate in 2010.

The Mary MacKillop Festival she organised attracted over 5,000 visitors to the west end of Fremantle. She said the spirit of the Mary MacKillop Festival “embodied the community nature of this special campus”.

”The way that one event brought together staff and students and the community was completely unique to any other event held so far and to be a part of this will remain a highlight of my time at Notre Dame,” said Amy, who ultimately wants to

study Medicine

Notre

congratulate her for all of her achievements whilst a student at Notre Dame and wish her well for what will be no doubt be an exciting and successful future”.

For

at

Dame. UNDA Vice Chancellor Celia Hammond said the Student Association president “truly is an inspirational young woman whose quiet determination to do her best is to be admired. I

the first time in the University’s history, gradua-

tion ceremonies have been held over three days of celebrations commencing with a Mass on 11 December.

Photos courtesy of University of Notre Dame Australia

Physiotherapy students celebrate after their graduation.

Amy Rosario at graduation.

Washington Auxiliary Bishop Martin Holley blesses a sleeping child at Our Lady of Apostles Hospital in Akwanga, Nigeria in September. PHOTO: CNS/NANCY WIECHEC

BISHOPS’ CA

As the Greens continue their assault on the culture of life, Australia’s prelates have called every Catholic to le

UN backs marriage throughout its Covenants and Charters

As the same-sex marriage issue surfaces again in the Australian Parliament, seasoned human rights advocate and expert on United Nations texts, Rita Joseph, reminds politicians that they have international obligations relevant to this debate

1 Our Federal Government has a solemn obligation, under international human rights law, to ensure that all domestic marriage laws comply with universal obligations in the International Bill of Rights to protect marriage and the family. Under Article 50 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Federal Government has primary responsibility for ensuring that all State and Territory laws comply with universal human rights obligations to protect marriage and the family.

2 Article 23 of the ICCPR guarantees, first, protection by society and the state for the family as “the natural and fundamental group unit of society” and second, “the right of men and women of marriageable age to marry and to found a family”.

3 In the event of the introduction of State or Territory laws that tamper with these protections, the Federal parliament has a constitutional external powers authority (and duty) to enact a general overriding law restoring marriage and family obligations originally promised in Article 23.

4 This article, according to the UN Human Rights Committee (General Comment 19), “implies, in principle, the possibility to procreate”. (A General Comment is the most authoritative of all

the prescriptions that may be issued by the UN human rights monitoring bodies.)

5 With specific regard to “the right to marry and to found a family”, there is, of course, no requirement to procreate but rather a more exacting requirement for the two rights holders of this right to have “in principle, the possibility to procreate” through their marriage. This term, “in principle, the possibility to procreate”, rules out definitively any genuine legal right of two persons of the same sex to marry.

6 The “in principle, the possibility to procreate” requirement relates back to the original protective concept of “special care and assistance” for motherhood, childhood and the family in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 25.

7 This obligation to protect motherhood, childhood and the family is codified in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 7, where our Australian government has promised to ensure and protect “as far as possible, a child’s right to know and be cared for by his or her parents”.

8 There are no credible grounds for claiming that current Australian laws protecting marriage are discriminatory. International human rights instruments have long recognised the concept of a “special protection” that “shall not be considered discriminatory” (eg Convention on the Elimination of All Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Article 4). The significant legal distinction that acquits any Covenant law from the charge of being discriminatory is that it “aims to protect”—the child, the mother, the family.

9 Having ratified CEDAW, Australia is obliged under human rights legal principles codified in this Convention to promote full recognition of “the social significance of maternity and the role of both parents in the family and in the upbringing of children” and to enact laws that acknowledge “that the upbringing

of children requires a sharing of responsibility between men and women”. The formal human rights language of Article 16 of the Women’s Convention links the term “parents” definitively to “men and women” and to “husband and wife”.

10 Promoting same-sex “marriage” contravenes international human rights obligations for governments to provide “the widest possible protection and assistance” for the family, “particularly for its establishment” as “the natural and fundamental group unit of society” (International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Article 10).

11 Domestic opinion polls cannot legitimise contravention of the legal protection promised for marriage and children in the foundation human rights instruments. When public opinion is at odds with universal human rights law protecting marriage and children, it is public opinion that must change, not universal human rights law. Public opinion must return to respect for marriage and for every child’s right to know and be cared for by his or her parents, in as far as possible.

12 Finally, public opinion, grievously deceived by relentless propaganda, is no basis for changing universal human rights protections for marriage and children solemnly agreed in the Conventions to which Australia is a party. Creative attempts, however popular, to tamper with those protections, are invalid because they contravene the “ordinary meaning” test required by Article 31 (1), General rule of interpretation of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969): A treaty shall be interpreted in good faith in accordance with the ordinary meaning to be given to the terms of the treaty in their context and in the light of its object and purpose.

Canberra-based Rita Joseph, lecturer and human rights advocate, specialises in philosophy of the language of human rights. As an adviser to various delegations, she has extensive experience in negotiating the texts of numerous United Nations human rights documents.

Marriage: s

Marriage is becoming one of the mos issues of our time. Many people insti or understand that marriage is a faith and life-giving union between a man but are unsure how to reconcile this t growing push for same-sex marriage.

of the most common arguments that favour of homosexual ‘marriage’ - an respond to these arguments in truth a

Myth: Marriage is whatever two people who care deeply about one another want it to mean.

Reality: Marriage is a natural institution whereby a man and a woman give themselves to each other for life in a sexual relationship that is open to procreation – a union which is publicly recognised, honoured and supported because of its unique capacity to generate new human life and to meet children’s deepest needs for the love and attachment of both their father and their mother.

Myth: Children are an ‘optional extra’ for marriage and marriage is not connected with having children.

Reality: When a married couple cannot have children, for reasons of age or infertility, they are still truly married because their lovemaking is designed to give life, even if it cannot give life at a particular point in time, or ever. Their sexual union is procreative by its nature, because husband and wife unite in an act that is naturally designed for the creation of a new human being – giving it a special reverence and significance.

Myth: Married sex is about any sort of sexual intimacy. It does not have to involve ‘marital’ acts and procreative type sex.

Reality: Sexual intercourse that is

open to life because mar relationship a union of lo man and a w other for life and raise any Sadly, throug casual sex, co acts, condom culture has d the life-givi and sexual this however know that th – that it bon together in of the child t still sense the of the sexual of life-long lo will be here this is why th heartache w break down violated by ad

Myth: M human rig two people marry whom

Reality: “T found a fam Universal D Rights (1948 rights law ha affirmed the

ALL TO ARMS

et Federal legislators know that marriage and family, the cornerstone of society, must be protected at all costs.

eparating myths from realities

st hotly-debated inctively sense hful, loving n and a woman, truth with the . Here are some are raised in d how we might and love.

is essential for marriage riage is not just a caring between two people, but ove and life. In marriage a woman pledge to love each and to lovingly welcome y children of their union. gh the normalisation of ontraception, homosexual ms, abortion and IVF, our denigrated and obscured ing aspect of marriage intercourse. In spite of r, people still, deep down, he sexual act is about life nds a man and a woman a profound way because they may conceive. People e immensity and grandeur act, its implicit promise ove and commitment – “I for you for always” – and here is so much pain and when sexual relationships or when a marriage is dultery.

Marriage is a basic ght and therefore any should be allowed to mever they want The right to marry and mily” is written in the Declaration of Human 8). International human as always understood and enduring and unchang-

ing truth that marriage is a life-giving union of a man and a woman. The United Nations Human Rights Committee, which monitors international human rights treaties, has stated that the right to marry “implies, in principle, the possibility to procreate”. The right to marry and found a family is a basic human right, but this right has an objective meaning and content – forming an open-to-life union with a person of the opposite sex.

Myth: If we don’t allow same sex attracted persons to marry then we do not respect their inherent human dignity.

Reality: Each and every human being, whatever their sexual orientation, is infinitely loved by God and worthy of love. We are made for deep, authentic, chaste love. Sexual love, as the Catholic Church teaches, demands a “total and definitive gift” of persons to one another. To love someone sexually means being able to accept them completely, including their fertility. Sexual acts that are closed to life, including masturbation, anal sex and contracepted heterosexual intercourse, cannot be truly loving. They reject the deepest part of a person’s sexuality –their capacity to give life, to be a father or a mother. True sexual intimacy requires the union of two different, but complementary, persons – a man and a woman – with an inherent orientation to life.

Myth: If homosexual persons are sexually attracted to one another then allowing them to marry is simply showing respect for their natural inclinations.

Reality: No one can deny that many homosexual people sincerely care about their same-sex partners. But, as hard and painful as it is for those who suffer from same-sex attraction, real love demands chastity – the integration of sexual desires into unselfish love for the other person. This means abstaining from sex that is not marital and open to life. Unfulfilled sexual

desires can be a painful cross to carry. But a chaste life brings us true inner peace and joy, because we are living in harmony with the way our bodies have been designed and we are treating the person we love as a gift – loving him or her for their own sake, and not just for the sexual pleasure they can give us.

Myth: Sexual intimacy is the cornerstone of real friendship.

Reality: The human drive for sexual intimacy is strong, but we have an even deeper need to be loved for who we truly are. Sadly, the world is constantly telling us that sexual intimacy is the only kind of intimacy worth having – that you must be in a sexual relationship to be happy or you will be doomed to a miserable life with nobody to love you. The real life experience of unmarried people around the world can testify that this is simply false! Millions of unmarried people around the world live happy, satisfying lives – loving others and being deeply loved in return – without having sex. Our need for love is much greater than our need for sex.

Myth: Allowing homosexual marriage won’t weaken the institution of marriage as a whole. Two men getting married won’t threaten me or my marriage.

Reality: “Expanding the meaning of marriage in this way constitutes a rejection of what is unique and beautiful about the gift of a woman and the gift of a man. Men and women are created with a purpose and a specific and loving design, and we are called to strive towards fulfilling this as much as we can. Allowing two men or two women to ‘marry’ would involve a fundamental change in our understanding of marriage, from a life-giving and sexually complementary union to a personal, romantic relationship with no true communion or connection to procreation. It will entrench, in a public way, the separation of sex from babies and marriage from children. It will move marriage from a children-

centred institution to an adult-centred one. It will trivialise the meaning and dignity of motherhood and fatherhood and declare that having both a father and a mother is an unnecessary duplication.

This will deeply affect children and young people’s aspirations for their own marriage. Their understanding of marriage would also shift to being about one’s self-fulfillment, rather than about self-giving. Legal attempts to change the definition of marriage may confuse people’s understanding of marriage. But the natural law informs us that marriage can only be between a man and a woman. Society has no power to alter this reality. “Marriages” of a man and a man or a woman and a woman can never be marital unions.

Myth: Marriage has not always been defined as the union of one man and one woman. How do you explain polygamy?

Reality: At different times and in different cultures, the practice of polygamy (one man having several wives) has been allowed, but not all of the individuals involved became spouses of each other. A man always married a woman. A man might have several wives, but his wives would not be married to each other. The two people getting married would always be a man and a woman – always forming a union that was open to life. At no point have two men or two women ever been considered able to marry each other. With the coming of Christianity, our understanding of marriage as a lifelong union of love between one man and one woman, to the exclusion of all others, has grown and deepened. Christ did not replace the natural understanding of marriage as a procreative union, but he raised it to its fullness as a sacramental union of life and love, restoring marriage to what it was “from the beginning” (Matthew 19:4-9).

- All info on this page courtesy of the Archdiocese of Sydney’s Life, Marriage and Family Centre

What marriage is:

Some suggested discussion points for meeting with politicians

● Marriage between a man and a woman is not a religious construct, but a natural institution found across all cultures and religions. Marriage is a unique kind of sexually complementary union with a natural orientation to life.

● Marriage attaches men and women to each other in a faithful, life-long partnership and enables the children who will be conceived and born through their union to know the secure, stable love and attachment of both their father and their mother. Marriage enables children to receive the distinctive benefits of fathering and mothering to the fullest extent possible.

● Marriage between a man and a woman links generations together and provides biological connectivity that is essential for children to know who they are and where they have come from – to know, experience and preserve their biological and cultural heritage.

● Married couples who are unable to have children, for reasons of age or infertility, are still truly married because their sexual relationship is naturally designed to create life. The essential behavioural conditions of conjugal union are fulfilled, even if they cannot produce children at a particular point in time.

● Marriage is the outward recognition of the reality that children produced in sexual intercourse need to be cared for. Just as their creation properly requires the cooperation of a man and a woman, marriage ensures the continued support and commitment necessary for raising their children and the mutual benefits of life-long fidelity for the couple themselves.

● Keeping marriage between a man and a woman is not a matter of unjust discrimination against same-sex couples, as the welfare of persons in these relationships is already recognised and provided for by existing laws on domestic partnerships.

● It is not unjust to recognise that marriage is different from all other kinds of sexual and romantic relationships. Justice, in fact, requires us to recognise the unique nature of marriage, being a permanent, faithful and exclusive relationship of a man and a woman with a natural orientation to life.

● If marriage is separated from its public purpose of the having and nurturing of children, the essential meaning of marriage will be changed for everyone. Marriage will no longer retain a connection to its public purpose, but will be instrumentalised to its private purposes of expressing sentimentality.

The Record Bookshop’s Christmas Catalogue

CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY BOOKS

The Record has a wide range of entertaining activity books designed to entertain and educate children in their Christian journey. From easy to make Nativity scenes, to stickers and activities, colouring and creating, there is something for children of all ages.

Titles include:

I can make Angel things for Christmas - $14.95

Let’s go to Christmas - $9.95

The Very First Christmas - sticker book for toddlers - $7.95

I can make things for Christmas$14.95

Jesus’ Christmas Party - $19.95

Easy-to-Make Nativity Scene - $16.95

Easy Nativity Scene Sticker Picture Puzzle - $2.95

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey

By Susan Wojciechowski

Illustrated by P.J. Lynch

With Free CD

RRP: $19.95

This powerful and deeply mov- ing story, which beautifully cap- tures the joy, hope and mystery of Christ’s birth, could well become a Christmas classic. Set in times more simple and innocent than our own, it is the short story of a grieving woodcarver who has become imprisoned by his inner darkness.

With superbly detailed illustra- tions that reflect the tale’s heartwrenching sadness and its uplift- ing joy, readers will be taken on an emotional journey that will stay with them long after they finish. It is a tale of love conquering all and will captivate children as well as adults: destined to become a seasonal family favourite.

The Spirit of Christmas

12 track CD of some of the most popular Christmas songs.

RRP $8.95

The Very First Christmas

Moving Windows

RRP $16.95

The First Christmas

By Tim Dowling Illustrations

RRP $10.95

This beautifully illustrated retelling of the Christmas story is faithful to Scripture and a splendid and lasting gift for any child.

Anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe

Observatory urges international action

VIENNA, Austria (Zenit.org) - A report released on 10 December has documented several instances of anti-Christian hate crimes throughout Europe and evidence of intolerance and discrimination.

The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe released the five year report which calls for international action on behalf of Christians and was publicised to coincide with the two-day Human Dimension Implementation Meeting on Freedom of Religion of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Vienna.

The Observatory’s director, Gudrun Kugler, noted that “intolerance and discrimination against Christians includes the denial of rights of Christians, such as in the area of freedom of expression and freedom of conscience.

“Religious freedom is endangered especially with regard to its public and its institutional dimension,” she said.

“We also receive many reports on the removal of Christian symbols, misrepresentation and negative stereotyping of Christians in the media and social disadvantages for Christians, such as being ridiculed or overlooked for promotion in the workplace.

“We work toward greater awareness of a growing problem in Europe as the first step of a remedy. Our goal is equal rights for all, including Christians.”

The Observatory has a website, www.IntoleranceAgainstChristians. eu, through which it has been monitoring and cataloging instances of anti-Christian discrimination.

In the report’s section on hate crimes involving violent attacks on Christian individuals, several instances were documented.

Among these, it listed attacks on pro-life activists in Vienna last September, the beating of a Catholic priest as well as an Orthodox priest in Germany, a violent attack on four Franciscan monks in their monastery in Italy and many other examples.

It also noted that in November 2009 the US Federal Bureau of Investigation released statistics showing a nine per cent increase in crimes against religious groups the previous year, and a 25 per cent increase in hate crimes against

Catholics. The report noted: “While Christianity holds a majority in Europe at least in numbers, it faces acts of intolerance, partly inflicted by small radical groups.

“Discriminatory laws are created when intolerance is paired with legislative power.

“It is the duty of the political community to be aware of and tackle the phenomenon of intolerance and discrimination against Christians as a call for equal rights and freedoms for everyone.”

The Observatory published several recommendations to address these problems, urging the governments of individual European nations to “refrain from interferences and to modify legislation that discriminates against Christians.”

It called on the authorities to “recognise and condemn intolerance and discrimination against

Christians and ensure the right of Christians to participate fully in public life.”

The Observatory encouraged the European Union “to respect, without prejudice, the protection of the autonomy of Churches in accordance with Article 17 (1) of the Lisbon Treaty and to promote more dialogue with Church leaders on the issue of intolerance and discrimination in accordance with Article 17 (2).”

Addressing the Fundamental Rights Agency, it appealed to them to “make freedom of religion, speech and conscience a priority of their work.”

The report recommended to the OSCE members to “use all their means to work against intolerance against Christians” and to collaborate “more closely with representatives of Christian churches.”

Faiths unite in defence of marriage

As Prop 8 appeal begins, religious leaders commit to protect marriage

BY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON - New York Archbishop Timothy M Dolan joined 25 other religious leaders in renewing their commitment to protect traditional marriage as oral arguments were to begin in an appeal of a California judge’s ruling that a voter-approved initiative to define marriage as between one man and one woman was unconstitutional.

The commitment came on 6 December in a three-paragraph letter signed by Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, Evangelical, Lutheran, Mormon, Orthodox and Sikh leaders.

Arguments were to begin the same day in the case involving California’s Proposition 8, which Judge Vaughn Walker, chief judge of the US District Court for the Northern District of California,

ruled to be unconstitutional on 4 August. The judge based his decision in part on the claim by opponents of the initiative that defining marriage as between a man and a woman lacked any rational basis and reflected only religion-based hostility to homosexual people.

Walker then ruled on 12 August that same-sex marriages in California could resume unless a higher court were to issue a stay within six days.

On 16 August, a three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals issued the stay to prevent the state from conducting samesex marriages while the appeal of Walker’s ruling was under way.

Proposition 8 was approved by voters by a margin of 52 per cent to 48 per cent in the November 2008 election. In overriding a May 2008 California Supreme Court ruling that enlarged the definition of statesanctioned marriage to include all couples, the initiative defined statesanctioned marriage as limited to a man and a woman.

“Today is the moment to stand for marriage and its unchangeable meaning,” Archbishop Dolan, president of the US Conference of

Catholic Bishops, said in a statement.

“The broad consensus reflected in this letter ... is clear: The law of marriage is not about imposing the religion of anyone, but about protecting the common good of everyone,” he said.

“People of any faith or no faith at all can recognise that when the law defines marriage as between one man and one woman, it legally binds a mother and father to each other and their children, reinforcing the foundational cell of human society.”

Among those signing the letter were Bishop H David Burton, presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Archbishop Robert Duncan of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh; Leith Anderson, president, National Association of Evangelicals; Dr Richard Land, president, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention; Rev Samuel Rodriguez, president, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and Manmohan Singh, secretary general, World Sikh Council - American Region.

Church doctrine, sanctity of life under ‘unheard of’ attack

Vatican official calls for ‘appropriate response’

ROME (Zenit.org) - Threats to life, especially abortion, euthanasia and the destruction of embryos, have “introduced unheard of challenges for Christian social doctrine and call for adequate answers,” the president of the Vatican’s health care council said.

Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski told an international conference in Rome themed Respect of Life and Development of Peoples that the ethical emergency caused by these threats to life is slowly being transformed into a political emergency.

The lack of respect for human life has “dramatic implications, in certain aspects, because they

directly affect the dignity of the life of individuals and peoples,” he said.

According to Archbishop Zimowski, the social doctrine of the Church must respond to the “social phenomena” generated in the wake of the legalisation of abortion and some forms of euthanasia, and the common practice of artificial insemination and the freezing of human embryos.

The Archbishop illustrated the breadth of the issue with a few key statistics: 46 million legal abortions are carried out every year in the world; 50,000 children are born every year in the United States through assisted fertilisation techniques.

Archbishop Zimowski went on to single out three points for analysis. In the first place, he explained that public opinion is influenced by ideological campaigns that lead to

perceiving attacks on life as “rights of individual liberty.”

The Vatican official further observed how medical practice socially legitimises these evils.

“The scientific context and the moral authority of the health organisations are largely sufficient, in the eyes of many, to make them acceptable,” he lamented.

In the third place, the Archbishop indicated that “the juridical norm of the state confers on these practices the accrediting of a law approved by the majority, which, hence, dispenses from subsequent scruples of conscience.”

In this context, Archbishop Zimowski affirmed that facing society is a genuine cultural crisis, at whose root is the phenomenon of the tendency to disassociate private conscience and the socio-civil systems.

DNA womb test

A HONG Kong scientist has discovered a technique for analysing the entire DNA profile of an unborn child by testing the mother’s blood. Dennis Lo, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said that it will be possible to test for all kinds of diseases and disorders.

“Uncovering the foetal genome amongst floating DNA is technologically akin to finding a needle in a haystack,” researchers from his team told the London Telegraph. “The noninvasive nature of our approach makes it safer than conventional procedures that require invasive sampling. However the new approach also raises a number of ethical, legal and social issues that require active discussion among clinicians, scientists, ethicists and the community.”

Dr David King, of Human Genetics Alert, a UK lobby group, commented: “The danger

of this new method is that it will encourage parental choosiness about minor imperfections, or even cosmetic features.”

Dr Lo and his team tested successfully for betathalassemia, a genetic disease which causes anaemia. But they also hope that the test can be used to detect Down syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome and Patau’s syndrome, which can result in severe impairment. Eventually it could be possible to screen for disorders like muscular dystrophy and haemophilia.

At the moment, application in a clinical setting is remote because the results are complex and hard to interpret. “We’re about a factor of 100 away from commercial capability, but that will change,” said Charles Cantor, co-author of the study and chief scientific advisor at the genetic testing firm Sequenom based in San Diego.

A man opposed to same-sex marriage and in favour of California’s Proposition

8 holds signs outside City Hall in San Francisco in this 12 August photo. California’s legal battle over the voter-approved initiative in which the state would only recognise marriage between a man and woman may head to the Supreme Court.

PHOTO: CNS/ROBERT GALBRAITH, REUTERS

Marian apparition approved in US

Green Bay Bishop becomes first in US to approve Marian apparitions

CHAMPION, Wisconsin (CNS)

- Bishop David L Ricken of Green Bay has approved the Marian apparitions seen by Adele Brise in 1859, making the apparitions of Mary that occurred some 18 miles northeast of Green Bay the first in the United States to receive approval of a diocesan Bishop.

Bishop Ricken made the announcement during Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help on 8 December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. More than 250 invited guests filled the shrine chapel to hear Bishop Ricken read the official decree on the authenticity of the apparitions. He also issued a second decree, formally approving the shrine as a diocesan shrine.

On 9 January 2009, Bishop Ricken appointed three theologians to study the history of the apparitions.

“They are all theologians with a particular concentration and expertise in the theology of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” said Fr John Doerfler, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese. Fr Doerfler said two of the three are internationally recognised and they have “general experience in examining apparitions.”

Brise, a Belgian immigrant, was 28 when Mary appeared to her three times in October 1859. The first appearance took place while Brise was carrying a sack of wheat to a grist mill about four miles

from Robinsonville, now known as Champion.

A few days later, on 9 October, as Brise walked to Sunday Mass in Bay Settlement, about 11 miles from her home, Mary appeared to her again. On the way home from Mass, Mary appeared to her a third time. When Brise asked who the woman was, Mary responded, “I am the Queen of Heaven, who prays for the conversion of sinners and I wish you to do the same.”

She told Brise to “gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation. Teach them their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the cross and how to approach the sacraments. Go, and fear nothing. I will help you.”

Brise devoted the rest of her life to teaching children, travelling all over the frontier State, mainly on foot.

She began a community of Third Order Franciscan Sisters and built a chapel and school. The current chapel was dedicated in 1942 under the title of Our Lady of Good Help. Today, the shrine, which sits on six acres of farmland, receives thousands of visitors each year.

Brise died on 5 July 1896 and was buried in a small cemetery just east of the chapel.

Bishop Ricken said that Adele Brise’s own life was among the most convincing testimony to validity of the apparitions. Rather than calling attention to herself or the apparitions, she had humbly devoted the rest of her life to fulfilling the instructions she had received.

“She went all over this area and visited the homes that were scattered far and wide. She walked

most of time, and she’d spend several days with the children teaching them the catechism and talking with the parents about their faith.

“She really had an evangelistic spirit and lived that out, not just immediately after the message, but her whole life long.”

Bishop Ricken said he had heard “story after story” about cures and conversions, and understands the events of 9 October 1859 were still having life-changing effects among the faithful. Like the famous French apparition site at Lourdes, the shrine at Champion has a collection of crutches that pilgrims have discarded as unnecessary after receiving healing there.

For Doerfler, rector of the shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, said there could be an even more profound connection with Lourdes.

“In Lourdes, Mary identifies herself as the Immaculate Conception, here she identifies herself as the Queen of Heaven. These two encompass all the Marian mysteries, from the beginning of her life to its culmination.

Fr Doerfler said official recognition of the apparitions affirms “the mystery of God’s providence.”

“He has had the Blessed Virgin Mary appear here. I do not know the reasons why,” he told The Compass, Green Bay diocesan newspaper. “All of this ... has to do with God’s plan to bring people to salvation through His son Jesus Christ.”

Apparitions have taken place throughout history “as a sign of God’s providence, to remind us of what God has already revealed,” Fr Doerfler said.

- Additional reporting by CNA

Dutch Bishops pledge firm action on abuse

OXFORD, England (CNS)The Dutch Bishops’ conference has pledged action after nearly 2,000 people complained of sexual abuse by Catholic priests during an inquiry by an independent commission.

The complaints, dating to 1945, were received by a Churchappointed commission established by the Bishops to investigate abuse cases.

“We’re grateful to this commission for its prompt and professional recommendations, and we reiterate our condemnation of all forms of sexual abuse,” said Pieter Kohnnen, spokesman for the Utrecht-based Bishops’ conference.

“When the Bishops asked for this investigation, they stressed that helping victims should have absolute priority, and that the research should be transparent and independent. This is very important if the Church is to avoid future abuse,” he said of the findings by the commission headed by former education minister Wim Deetman, a Protestant.

In a 10 December interview with CNS, Kohnnen said the Catholic Church believed “excuses and apologies are not enough,” and that “firm action” was needed.

“The Church has to take responsibility for what has happened. If the government or Parliament say this isn’t enough, they have a right to take further action,” Kohnnen said.

“It’s understandable that there’s a lack of trust in the Church, and it won’t be easy to rebuild this at a fundamental level.”

Addressing a 9 December news conference in The Hague, Deetman said 1,975 people had filed claims of abuse - 100 times the usual annual number - since March when a wave of allegations broke against Catholic clergy.

He said he was “very satisfied” with cooperation by Church officials. Several cases already have been referred to Dutch prosecutors, he added.

“Victims got in touch and told us their story. We’re grateful for that,” Deetman said.

“I understand these victims. Some of them, many, have faced one disappointment after another for 39, 40 or 50 years and feel they’ve been banging their heads against the wall,” he added.

Claims of abuse by Dutch clergy surfaced in March when Salesian Fr Herman Spronck, the most senior member of his order in the Netherlands, agreed to investigate allegations relating to a Catholic monastery in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Deetman commission, established in August, collected testimonies in collaboration with the Church’s Hulp en Recht (Help and Law) organisation, which was established in 1995 by the Dutch Bishops to help abuse victims.

In the commission’s findings, Deetman said some abuse victims wanted financial compensation,

Mary shows God’s grace defeats sin

while others favoured self-help groups to “ease the suffering.” He also said that Hulp en Recht had failed to work properly with abuse victims and explained that the aim now should be to “regain trust and do justice to the victims” as well as make compensation available.

In his CNS interview, Kohnnen said the Bishops’ conference had seen the commission findings just before the press conference and would meet to consider its consequences with leaders of Religious Orders and the executive board of Hulp en Recht

Plans for implementing commission recommendations are scheduled for publication by the Church in mid-December and would include either a “drastic reorganisation” of Hulp en Recht or the creation of a “completely new Church organisation” for helping victims, he said.

In a 9 December statement, the Bishops’ conference said there “can and should be no room for sexual abuse within the Church,” adding that abuse was “contrary to the Gospel, dignity of the human being and inviolability of the child.”

In November, the Dutch Church established a separate commission, headed by Siewert Lindenbergh, a Civil Law Professor at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, to examine the legal and canonical position of Catholic dioceses and Religious Orders in abuse cases and determine their responsibility under the liability, insurance and injury laws.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) - In keeping Mary free from sin, God showed how His grace and mercy are greater and more powerful than sin and evil, Pope Benedict XVI said.

“Every day we experience evil that manifests itself in many ways in interactions and events, but it has its roots in the human heart - a wounded, sick heart that is incapable of healing by itself,” he said before praying the Angelus on 8 December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

The mystery of the Immaculate Conception is a source of “hope and comfort,” the Pope told pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square for the feast, a major public holiday in Italy.

“Amid life’s trials and especially its contradictions, which people experience both inside themselves and all around them, Mary, the mother of Christ, tells us that grace is greater than sin, that God’s mercy is more powerful than evil and that God knows how to transform it into good,” he said.

He prayed that through Mary, “our hearts and minds might be kept free from sin, so that like Mary we would be spiritually prepared to welcome Christ.”

“Let us turn to her, the immaculate one, who brought Christ to us, and ask her now to bring us to Him,” he said.

Later that afternoon, Pope

Benedict blessed a large basket of white roses grown in the Vatican gardens, which were then set at the foot of a column topped by a statue of Mary.

The statue commemorates Pope Pius IX’s proclamation in 1854 that Mary, by special divine favour, was without sin from the moment she was conceived.

He told the crowds gathered for the event that Mary tells everyone that “we are called to open ourselves to the action of the Holy Spirit so as to be able to reach our final destination, to be immaculate, fully and definitively free from evil.”

Mary looks upon everyone with love and is an advocate on everyone’s behalf, he said.

“Even if everyone spoke badly of us, she, the mother, would speak well, because her immaculate heart is in harmony with God’s mercy,” he said.

Mary looks upon everybody just as God looked upon her: as “chosen and precious” in the eyes of God even though as a young girl, she seemed insignificant to the rest of the world, he said.

The Pope thanked Mary for watching over everyone and prayed she would give people the strength to “reject every form of evil and to choose the good, even when it comes at a high price and means going against the current.”

Adele Brise is pictured in a habit in an undated photo. In 1859, when she was 28 she saw apparitions of Mary near her home in what is today Champion, Wisconsin. Brise taught the Catholic faith to children and began a community of Third Order Franciscans. PHOTO: CNS/COURTESY OF THE SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF GOOD HELP

Bishop missing in China crackdown

Chinese officials monitor Cathedral in effort to find Catholic Bishop

BY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

BEIJING - Government officials continued ongoing surveillance of the Cangzhou Cathedral because Bishop Joseph Li Liangui did not show up for the Eighth National Congress of Catholic Representatives in Beijing.

The Asian Church news agency UCA News reported on 8 December that police cars were patrolling the vicinity of the Cathedral and diocesan compound in Xianxian. Movements of all personnel in the Cathedral compound were restricted, and even nuns were forced to show identity cards when leaving the compound, UCA News reported.

The 7-9 December Congress was expected to elect new leaders for the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China, amend the constitutions of the two bodies and listen to Church reports and speeches by government officials.

Pope Benedict XVI has said the patriotic association and the Bishops’ conference, whose statutes promote “the principles of independence and autonomy, self-management and democratic administration of the Church,” are not in line with Church doctrine.

However, in a 2007 letter to Chinese Catholics, he also recognised the difficult situation of Bishops and priests under pressure from the government and said the Holy See “leaves the decision to the individual Bishop,” having consulted his priests, “to weigh ... and to evaluate the possible consequences” of dealing with government pressures in each given situation.

UCA News reported that in the days before the Congress, clergy in Hebei province - which surrounds Beijing and has been a stronghold of Catholic communities that have not registered with the government - reported increased pressure to attend the congress.

Bishop Li has been missing since

his appearance at an illicit episcopal ordination in Chengde on 20 November.

Some diocesan priests believed he was detained or unwilling to face priests and faithful.

However, on 6 December, dozens of religious officials and police officers went to the Cathedral in Cangzhou and gave local priests an “ultimatum” to hand over the Bishop, UCA News reported.

The diocesan Vicar General, Chancellor and two other priests who work at the Bishop’s house were taken away and questioned for information on Bishop Li’s whereabouts. They were warned that if the Bishop could not be found, his family and the diocese would face trouble.

The following day, officials even entered the Bishop’s house to question everybody, including the doorkeepers and kitchen staff.

Also on 6 December, government officials forcibly removed Bishop Peter Feng Xinmao of Hengshui from his house to escort him to Beijing. UCA News reported that when police officers and government officials tried to break into the Bishop’s house, there were physical conflicts with the nuns and laypeople guarding the building.

“The very crackdown and reinstigation of repressive tactics against the Church and the Bishops in China testifies to the enduring fidelity of the China Church - especially the so-called ‘official’ (registered) Catholic communities,” said Maryknoll Sr Janet Carroll, who founded and led the US Catholic China Bureau for 20 years and continues to work with Chinese priests and nuns who travel to the United States to study.

“They truly need our prayer and understanding - not a rush to judgement and condemnation. They also need our prayer for their safety and well-being - as there is also the anxiety that something terrible can happen, just due to human negligence,” she told CNS, giving the example of a “security guard thinking he can score points for himself by a violent attack on a person in his custody.”

UCA News reported that a Chinese Catholic website on the mainland indicated 314 Catholic representatives attended the congress, including 45 Bishops.

Beijing wants to prove it’s ‘master of the Church’

BY ALAN HOLDREN Catholic News Agency

ROME, Italy - Father

Bernardo Cervellera, a longtime observer of Sino-Vatican affairs, is deeply troubled by recent moves made by China’s communist authorities.

“We are back in the 1950s,” said Fr Cervellera, a missionary of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions and editor of institute’s influential Asia News website. “Honestly, I would say that with these elections we are taken back to the time of Mao Zedong and the foundation of the Patriotic Association,” the state-authorised Catholic Church established by the Communist ruler.

Fr Bernardo Cervellera

Church sources confirmed to UCA News that Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Xing Wenzhi of Shanghai was among those who attended.

Before the meeting, some people speculated that Bishop Xing, who is known for his strict adherence to Church principles, would not attend.

The Beijing congress follows controversy surrounding the November illicit ordination of Fr Joseph Guo Jincai - the first Bishop ordained without papal approval in four years. The Vatican called government pressure on other Bishops to participate in the ceremony a “grave violation of freedom of religion and conscience.”

Belgian Missionhurst Fr Jeroom Heyndrickx, who directs the Verbiest Institute at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium and is one of the most authoritative experts on Catholicism in China, said in a recent newsletter that many people thought the government needed Fr Guo as a Bishop so he could be elected to an important position during the congress of Catholic delegates. “I am his former teacher,” Fr Heyndrickx wrote. “I trust him and I know that he has tried hard to avoid this.”

Speaking of the pressure on Chinese Church leaders, Fr Heyndrickx said: “Eight Bishops, all appointed by Rome, were picked up from their homes against their will. They were isolated, their mobile phones were taken away, they were put in a car and brought to the old mission of Pingquan. There they were ordered to preside at the illegitimate Bishop’s ordination in front of communist leaders and a small local community of faithful. These are the facts and what is worse, China undertook this action precisely on the day when Pope Benedict XVI was meeting in Rome with about 120 Cardinals. The whole Catholic world was shocked and upset.”

He referred to Bishops as “the prophets of the Church in China today” because they “are carrying on with great patience and suffering. We admire them. Their goal is to have only one Church in China; no more the ‘unofficial’ (underground) Church community, nor the ‘official’ (patriotic) church community, but simply the Catholic Church in China.”

Fr Cervellera has for many years been a sharp critic of the regime in Beijing and a cautionary voice on the Church’s relations with the regime. He told CNA recent developments do not offer much cause for optimism. The troubles began on 20 November when Communist authorities appointed Fr Guo Jincai a Bishop, in express defiance of Vatican wishes and without the Pope’s approval. In a gesture that sparked further outrage from the Vatican, authorities forced at least eight Bishops loyal to Rome to participate in the rogue ordination.

This week, Communist officials again forced Bishops loyal to Rome to take part in elections for the government-run Catholic Patriotic Association and Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church. Neither institution is recognised by the Vatican. While others see recent developments reflecting a more delicate political balancing act by the two sides, Fr Cervellera believes many in the Church are being overly optimistic about the intentions of the communist government in Beijing.

Fr Cervellera said Chinese officials are sending a clear message that the Communist party - and not the Vatican - is in charge of the Chinese Church. He said the recent elections to the Patriotic Association and the so-called Bishops’ Conference were meant “to wound the Vatican” and set up obstacles to unity in the Church.

The elections installed a Bishop ordained without papal approval to head the Bishops’ conference. A Bishop loyal to Rome was elected to head the Patriotic Association. Both Bishops were the only candidates nominated to run for the posts. Installing a legitimately ordained Bishop to the presidency of an organisation not approved by the Vatican is another show of force by Communist officials. The move is intended to signal that Beijing, not Rome, is “master of the Church,” he said.

Fr Cervellera, who worked for a time as university professor in Beijing and is former head of the Vatican’s missionary news agency, Fides, serves as an unofficial counsellor to the Vatican

on Chinese affairs. He believes that Vatican officials have been “perhaps too optimistic” in thinking that Pope Benedict XVI’s outreach to Chinese Catholics and government authorities would lead to new respect for the Church. In fact, he says, little has changed since the Pope’s historic 2007 open letter to Chinese Catholics.

In part, Fr Cervellera believes, the government’s provocative actions were motivated by the Chinese Patriotic Association, which feels threatened by any moves to strengthen ties with Rome. He said association members are keenly concerned to preserve power and thus their jobs and control of Church finances.

“The more the Vatican tries to have a dialogue with the government, the more the Patriotic Association thinks that it’s coming to its end,” he said.

He also believes the government sees control of the Church as a way to maintain power over a population dissatisfied with rising inflation and a growing disparity between rich and poor.

Then, there is the issue of Communist ideology. “I think they really cannot understand what freedom of religion means, that there is something in the conscience, in the awareness of the person which doesn’t belong to the party or the State, but belongs only to God,” Fr Cevellera said.

Catholics in China, he explained, have “freedom of worship, but not freedom of religion.” True freedom of religion would mean that the Church would have the power to govern itself without interference from government officials.

The situation now, he said, is “terrible.” Chinese officials have created “a problem with our communion from the sacramental point of view.”

Chinese Catholics loyal to Rome have been put in a difficult position. They fear that the Bishops not approved by Rome will from now on preside over or be present at all ordinations of new Bishops. That would render these ordinations illegitimate from the Catholic point of view. The result would be a Church led by Bishops who are Bishops in name only.

Both the state-sanctioned Church and that which remains “underground,” unwilling to subject itself to communist authority, continue to be united and, paradoxically, “strengthened” by their persecution. There is no freedom for either.

Chinese Catholics pray during Mass in 2007 at St Francis Cathedral in Xi’an, China. A Vatican commission called for greater unity among Chinese Catholics and asked Bishops there not to engage in acts that “contradict communion with the Pope.”

PHOTO: CNS/NANCY WIECHEC

Christmas habits reflect a sick society

Living rules

By Mariette Ulrich

Sorry, I cannot divulge the cost or any statistics behind this headline, because I just made it up. But someone ought to write that story. After all, reports about the (insert fearmongering adverb of choice here) high cost of parenthood are so numerous, frequent and ubiquitous, that they would be boring if they didn’t make me so irate.

Well, here is one more: “Beyond the scary Christmas list: the full parenting price tag”. I stumbled across this story on Yahoo news the other day, and when I re-Googled it a day or two later to work on this post, there were so many corresponding hits, I didn’t know which site to link to. This version will do:

In the equation of life, few parents ever really do the math on the actual dollars-and-cents cost of a child. […] few parents would guess that the average American child costs more than US$200,000, and that’s before college even starts. “Cost of a child”? Are we talking about acquiring a fashion accessory, or the welcoming into our family of a unique individual with inherent human dignity?

As a mother of seven, stuff like this makes me crazy, and for numerous reasons. For starters, I find these cost-estimates, for all their pretended scientific ‘accuracy’, extremely misleading. For middle and upper class earners, life is as expensive as you want to make it, whether you have children or not. My husband and I are raising our family on his very average income, and have never suffered. We live a satisfied and comfortable life, though it might seem frugal and deprived to some (books and music lessons, yes; designer clothing and trips to Disneyland, no). To those less fortunate, especially in developing nations, our lifestyle might seem luxurious. It’s all relative.

Most families in the United States

spend about US$450 per child for Christmas, according to market research firm NPD. Mrs Gianulis is budgeting about $400 for each of hers - for one big gift and several smaller ones.

Oh my. Am I a bad parent to admit that my husband and I probably don’t spend that much on all seven of our children put together? And yet they always seem to be happy with their gifts.

When it comes to money, I find, as a general rule (cases of utter destitution aside), most people, even the working poor (and non-working poor) seem to be able to afford their priorities. I know low-income families who manage to keep their families fed and clothed, and still find the resources to be able to enjoy art, culture, music, sport and so forth. I know low-income families who can afford alcohol, tobacco, gambling, iPods and satellite television, but not groceries.

“We think travel is hugely valuable for our kids,” says Ms Steck, a real estate agent. […] “We want [our kids] to grow up interested in the world and not ethnocentric.”

The cost for that? About US$10,000 a year.

Oh my, oh my. I am clearly not in the same tax bracket as these folks, but as I said before, it’s all relative.

Secondly, I abhor the general anti-child bias that underpins these kinds of studies.

They itemise and enumerate the costs of raising children: food, housing, clothing, education, medical, dental, lessons, sports, hobbies, toys, vacations, yadda yadda yadda.

Don’t single people and childless couples have many of these expenses too? And many of them live extravagantly at that, even those who can’t really afford itlook at any stats on rising personal debt, bankruptcy and so forth. Why doesn’t anyone write a shocking article about the appalling cost of a materialistic, self-centred, childless lifestyle?

Because for some strange reason, in western culture, there’s nothing scandalous, horrible or scary about spending great gobs of money on yourself, only on your dependents.

Am I the only one to find this

odd? When it comes to pampering yourself, “I’m worth it,” as the L’Oreal ads opine, but when it comes to raising children, we need to be forewarned, if not terrified into, thinking twice before attempting.

Prophets of doom from Paul Ehrlich (with his “population bomb” theory—rather well-named, that) to current day Eco-crusaders who cling to the overpopulation myth have been telling us that the only hope for the future of humanity is to stop having children. (No, Virginia, they don’t teach logic in school any more.)

Given how expensive it is to raise a child, it would make sense for families to be having fewer, especially during a recession. […] And a Pew Research Centre survey last year found that 14 per cent of 18 to 34 year olds said they postponed having a child because of the recession.

A Guttmacher Institute study in 2009 found that 44 per cent of women wanted to either reduce or delay childbearing because of the economy.

Now here we are, more than half a century after the post-war Baby Boom: populations ageing, schools closing, small towns dying, tax bases shrinking, welfare states going bankrupt, western economies imploding right and left. And the answer is to stop having children. Go figure.

In short, children aren’t expensive; obsessive-compulsive consumerism is. Children are not a financial liability; they are (if you must speak of them in monetary terms) an investment (perhaps the only one truly worth making) in the future.

Former head of America’s Focus on the Family organisation Dr James Dobson famously maintained that “parenting isn’t for cowards”. Nor is it for those whose sole concern is the bottom line.

Yes, raising children costs money. But selfishness and focusing entirely on material concerns, especially in terms of what it does to your soul and/or humanity, costs far more.

This is a blog post that first appeared on Mercatornet.com. Printed with permission.

“I am here to tell you that I am close to you and I love you, and that your experiences are not far from my thoughts,” the Pope said - a far cry from what Mariette Ulrich describes as the Western world’s fixation with the ‘financial viability’ of children. Outside the centre, the Pope stopped to personally greet many of the residents who packed the adjacent street. Despite a Christmas Eve incident at the Vatican when a mentally unbalanced woman rushed the 82 year old Pontiff and knocked him to the marble floor of St Peter’s Basilica, no attempt was made to keep people at a distance from the Pontiff. CNS

St Nicholas - a special saint for brigands, even

History bites

By Michael Cook

Everyone knows that the portly, apple-cheeked, white-bearded, crimson and ermine-garbed gentleman who spreads gifts under the Christmas tree is really St Nicholas in mufti. The Dutch in colonial New York called him Sint Nikolaas or Sinterklaas, which became Santa Claus amongst 19th century English speakers.

But who was St Nicholas? The sad truth is that his life is so shrouded in legend that the real man has nearly vanished.

We know the bare bones of his life, but little more for certain. The bones are in fact the most certain. They rest in a magnificent Cathedral in Bari, an Adriatic port on the heel of the Italian boot.

In Italy, however, St Nicholas is only an honoured guest. He was born in Patara, a town in the ancient region

of Lycia, now the southern coast of Turkey, around the year 270.

He entered a monastery and eventually became an Abbot and later Archbishop of the Lycian city of Myra.

According to records compiled in the time of Pope Gregory the Great about 250 years later, he had suffered and been imprisoned under the persecution of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, but without being martyred.

He was also said to have participated in the great Council of Nicaea in 325, although contemporary records do not mention him. He died on a sixth of December between 345 and 352.

Nicholas’ relics were preserved with great veneration in Myra until 1087, when the citizens of the distant city of Bari decided that they could take better care of him.

They also may have wanted to boost local tourism by adding a new saint to the local highlights.

Not many pilgrims were making their way to Myra at the time. It had become a political no-man’s-land, a nearly deserted city contested by the Byzantine emperor and the Seljuk Turks. The Barians dispatched an expedition. Their sailors forced their way

into the Cathedral, hacked their way through protesting monks, smashed the vault, stole the saint’s bones and brought them home.

This turned out to be the 11th century equivalent of winning the right to host the Olympics. Bari instantly became a place of pilgrimage and Myra declined even further and is now known as Demre. A local archaeologist, Professor Nevzat Çevik, has called upon the Turkish government to demand the return of the bone of St Nicholas – even though no Christians today reside in Demre.

The saint, he says, once declared: “I was born here, raised here and I will be buried here.” His wishes should be respected, says Professor Çevik.

In any case, thoroughly Muslim Demre hosts a St Nicholas festival every year attended by thousands of foreigners who visit a church restored by Russian Czar Alexander I in the 19th century. No doubt the festival would be even more attractive if his casket were full of bones.

A forensic investigation of those bones, by the way, suggests that Nicholas was barely five feet tall and had a broken nose.

Pope Benedict XVI waves after presenting gifts to children during his visit to the Sant’Egidio Community soup kitchen in Rome on 27 December 2009. The white-robed Pontiff came with a carload of gifts that he presented to more than 30 children served by the centre. He listened during the meal to personal stories of persecution, arduous immigration routes and homelessness.

Family prayer boosts family love

How I Pray

with Debbie Warrier

Simon Anthony

Ipray every day. I pray the Rosary each morning at 5am. If my lovely wife Jacqueline is awake she will pray it with me and sometimes our kids join in.

If I tell someone that I will pray for them I do so that day.

Every night we pray as a family. At dinner time we hold hands and say Grace. Before the children’s bedtime we pray the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be

We also thank Jesus for special blessings we receive each day.

We believe that a family that prays together stays together. I try to work hard and offer up everything I do to God. I find that things work out better that way.

We were married in January 2000. We have six kids: Madeleine (9), Josephine (8), Augustine (7), Caroline (5), Benjamin (2) and Gwendoline (1). Over the last five years that Jacqueline and I have been involved with Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) we have prayed even more as a couple and as a family. WWME has brought Jacqueline and me closer together which has had a positive influence on our children.

WWME is a movement within the Catholic Church for the enrichment and renewal of the Sacrament of Marriage and the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

Through the WWME movement, we have come to realise and appreciate that priests and Religious are human. They need our prayers. Our kids love and respect them. Through having priests and Religious over at our house, it may

encourage our children to consider those vocations for themselves.

WWME weekends are presented by a team of three couples and a priest. The presentations focus on bringing closeness, intimacy, love and romance back into our everyday lives. For example, making time for each other, dealing with difficult topics without bitterness or stress, the benefits of listening, etc. We’re not counsellors.

We believe that it is important to support, strengthen and renew these two Sacraments for the benefit of the Church and society. Mass is celebrated during the weekend and Reconciliation is available.

The Vision and mission statement of WWME is: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

WWME’s mission of renewal in the Church and change in the world is to assist couples and priests to live fully intimate and responsible relationships by providing them with a Catholic experience and ongoing community support to enrich such

a lifestyle. WWME weekends are currently held in over 82 countries.

I believe if you pray for something you will get it. After the first scan of Josephine, our doctor wanted to us to abort our baby because he thought she was going to have T18 (Trisomy 18 or Edwards Syndrome).

It is usually fatal, with most of the babies dying before birth and those who do make it to birth having a limited survival rate). We told the doctor we don’t believe in abortion because we are practising Catholics.

Jacqueline and I went to Mass every day. A nun loaned us a first class relic of St Mary MacKillop (now known as St Mary of the Cross). I prayed for her intercession. The last scan we had showed that there was nothing wrong with our baby. My faith is the most precious thing in my life.

For further enquiries on Worldwide Marriage Encounter, contact Simon and Jacqueline Anthony on (08) 6142 4619 or 0414 285 884.

those who stole his body

The details of the saint’s life are no foggier than those of many other saints of the early years of the Christian Church. Oral traditions were often handed on for hundreds of years before being written down. Threadbare fact was embroidered with entertaining and edifying anecdotes by pious imaginations.

The oldest life of St Nicholas now in existence, for example, dates from the ninth century, about 500 years after his death.

If his miracles and prodigies seem far-fetched, they are not arguments against his existence or his holiness, but testimonies to the fervent devotion of centuries of Christians across Europe.

And his miracles are definitely numerous and colourful.

The legends relate that as a babe he refused his mother’s milk on Wednesdays and Fridays as a penance. Miracle followed miracle from his very infancy.

For one of the most famous, he was once regarded as the patron of unmarriageable girls. A nobleman in the town of Patara had three

daughters. He had been reduced to such poverty that he could not provide them with dowries for their weddings and decided to sell them into prostitution to keep them from starvation. Nicholas heard of their plight and threw purses filled with gold into the house as each girl came of age. From this incident arose the custom of giving children presents on his feastday, 6 December, which is widespread in Europe. He is often depicted bearing three purses or three gold balls. The pawnbroker’s emblem can also be traced to this act of charity.

Another miracle has made him the patron of children. Two (in some versions three) young lads were sent from Asia to Athens to be schooled. Their father told them to pass through Myra to obtain the blessing of Nicholas. The boys chose their lodgings badly, however, for the landlord murdered them for their baggage.

Being a thrifty fellow, he also dismembered them and placed their remains in a pickling tub, hoping to pass them off as salt pork in his

Mass is not a concert, so clapping is out

Q&A

By Fr John Flader

Q:I have occasionally heard applause during Mass, for example after the homily or after a musical item, and have found it somehow strange and out of place. What should be my attitude to this?

Let me begin by saying that the Mass, or any other liturgical ceremony for that matter, is primarily directed to the worship of God. It is a time when we raise our hearts and minds to God in praise, thanksgiving and petition, and at the same time God showers His blessings and graces upon us.

Also, if the congregation have the custom of applauding from time to time, they can feel pressured to applaud in order not to offend the homilist, or they can judge the homily by whether others applaud or not and compare priests by the amount of applause they receive.

The homilist should seek to build up the people of God, and the congregation should listen to the homily with a view to taking away something helpful for their spiritual and human life.

For this reason the liturgical norms recommend a period of silence after the homily so that the people can reflect on what they have heard and assimilate it. Applause would disrupt this spirit of prayerful reflection

meat pies. The crime was miraculously revealed to the saint. He hurried to the inn and confronted the murderer.

The man confessed his guilt and Nicholas implored the forgiveness of Heaven for his crime. Then, being led to the tub, he blessed it. The mangled limbs reunited and the boys returned to life.

Although it looks distinctly odd today, the saint is often depicted in full episcopal regalia getting his act together next to a tub with three naked boys. Perhaps as a result, he is the patron of travellers, children - and bakers.

Nicholas is also said to have calmed a tempest on his way to the Holy Land and is thus the patron of sailors. Curiously, he was also regarded as the patron of thieves, from an incident in which he persuaded some robbers to restore their booty.

Considering the circumstances under which he reached his resting place, he may well feel a special interest in both groups.

Michael Cook is editor of MercatorNet.

The liturgy is thus a time for prayer and recollected silence and, yes, for singing out lustily in praise of God. But it is not a performance for the entertainment of those present. It is centred on God, not on the congregation. When, on the other hand, we attend a concert, a play, a sporting event or any other form of entertainment we naturally applaud from time to time, by way of showing our appreciation for the performance. This attitude and way of showing appreciation are not appropriate in the liturgy, which has an entirely different aim.

In his book The Spirit of the Liturgy, the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger summed up this criterion: “Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment” (p198).

While it is good that the congregation should be inspired by a homily, showing their appreciation habitually by applause has a number of dangers.

One is that the priest or deacon may unconsciously or consciously prepare the homily with a view to pleasing the people and eliciting applause, rather than seeking to build up the congregation in their knowledge and love of God. These two ends are very different and it would be sad if the homilist sought primarily recognition for himself.

The same can be said about music. The purpose of music in the liturgy is to contribute to the beauty of the ceremony, and thus to enhance the glory given to God. When the music is particularly beautiful the people can naturally feel moved to applaud, as they would in a concert.

But then they should hold themselves back and remember that this is not a concert but an act of worship. They can thank God in prayer for music which truly lifts up their minds to Him and gives Him greater glory.

Naturally, there can be exceptions. In larger Masses celebrated by the Pope, people often show their love for the Holy Father by applauding when he comes in, and they sometimes interrupt the homily with enthusiastic applause. And in some cultures, applause is far more common in general than in the Western world, and so it may appear in the liturgy as well.

Moreover, there are some ceremonies in which applause is actually suggested by the liturgical norms. This happens, for example, in the rite of ordination of a priest or deacon, after the ordaining Bishop acknowledges that the person has been found worthy and is now chosen for ordination.

Spontaneous applause may also come and be appropriate when a newly ordained Bishop makes his way through the congregation blessing the people, or during the procession out of the church or Cathedral at the conclusion of an ordination ceremony. But in general, the liturgy should be quiet, prayerful and uplifting. Applause should not be a normal part of it.

Several US Bishops clap as Bishop John Barres sits in the cathedra, or Bishop’s chair, at the Cathedral of St Catherine of Siena in Allentown, Pennsylvania during his ordination and installation. CNS

PANORAMA

Panorama entries must be in by 12pm Monday.

Contributions may be emailed to office@therecord.com.au, faxed to 9325 4580, or mailed to PO Box 3075, Adelaide Terrace, Perth WA 6832.

THURSDAY, 16 DECEMBER  FRIDAY, 24 DECEMBER

Preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ

5.30am at St Jerome’s parish, Spearwood. There is a Portuguese tradition of having Mass every morning for nine days ending on Christmas Eve. Mass will be in English and the choir will sing songs dedicated to the birth of Christ in Portuguese.

THURSDAY, 16 DECEMBER

Christmas Concert

7pm at the WA Italian Club, 217-225 Fitzgerald St, Perth. Featuring Collegium Musicum Choir. Admittance free. Light refreshments will be served. Enq: WA Italian Club 9328 4104.

FRIDAY, 17 DECEMBER

Medjugorje Evening of Prayer

7-9pm at All Saint’s Chapel, 77 St George’s Tce, Allendale Sq, Perth. An Evening of Prayer with Our Lady Queen of Peace. Eucharistic Adoration, Rosary, Holy Mass. Celebrant Fr Bogoni. Ivan, alleged Visionary from Medjugorje, coming to St Mary’s Cathedral 22 February 2011, 6-9pm. Enq: 9402 2480 or email medjugorje@y7mail.com.

SATURDAY, 18 DECEMBER

Novena

5pm at Holy Trinity Church, Embleton. Devotions in honour of Our Lady of Good Health, Vailankanni, followed by Vigil Mass. Enq: Church Office 9271 5528 or George 9272 1379.

MONDAY, 20 DECEMBER

80th Birthday Celebrations

At Holy Cross Church, Hamilton Hill. Concelebrated Mass presided over by His Grace the Archbishop to commemorate the birthday of Fr Julian Carrasco. Please come and pray for him. Thank you.

SUNDAY, 2 JANUARY

An Afternoon with Jesus and Mary

1.30pm at St Francis Xavier’s Church, 25 Windsor St, East Perth. The main celebrant for the afternoon will be Fr Dennis O’Brien - homily will be on the three wise men. Rosary, Divine Mercy prayers and Benediction. Refreshments afterwards. Enq: John 9457 7771.

FRIDAY, 7 JANUARY

The Alliance, Triumph and Reign of the United Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary

9pm at St Bernadette’s Church, Glendalough. Commences with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, reflections, Rosaries, hymns etc alternating with healing sessions. Vigil concludes with midnight Mass. Participate in building the Lord’s mighty work. Enq: Fr Doug 9444 6131 or Dorothy 9342 5845.

Pro-Life Witness

9.30am at St Brigid’s, Midland. Commencing with Mass, followed by Rosary procession and prayer vigil at nearby abortion clinic led by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. All are invited to come and pray for the conversion of hearts and an end to abortion. Enq: Helen 9402 0349.

SATURDAY, 8 JANUARY

Witness for Life

8.30am at St Augustine’s, Gladstone Rd, Rivervale. Commencing with Mass celebrated by Fr Paul Carey, followed by Rosary procession and prayer vigil at nearby abortion clinic. All are invited to come and pray for the conversion of hearts and an end to abortion. Enq: Helen 9402 0349.

SATURDAY, 8 JANUARY

Divine Mercy Healing Mass

2.30pm at St Francis Xavier’s Church Windsor St, East Perth. The main celebrant will be Fr Marcellinus Meilak , OFM. Reconciliation in English and Italian. Divine Mercy prayers followed by veneration of relic of St Faustina

Kowalska. Refreshments afterwards. Enq: John 9457 7771.

St Padre Pio Day of Prayer

8.30am at St Joseph’s, 22 Hamilton St, Bassendean. Programme as follows – St Padre Pio DVD in parish centre. 10am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Rosary, Divine Mercy, Silent Adoration and Benediction.11am Holy Mass, St Padre Pio Liturgy, Confessions available. 12pm Bring a shared plate for lunch. Tea and coffee supplied. Enq: Des6278 1540.

MONDAY, 10 JANUARY  FRIDAY, 14 JANUARY

The Young Salesian Summer Camps

Nanga Bush Camp on the Murray River at Dwellingup. Fun filled camp for 12-15 year olds with a Christian background. Lots of activities such as rafting, lantern stalk, disco, Pictionary, camp Masses and more. Cost - $230 including all meals and transport. This is a well organised and supervised camp. Enq: Erin 0412 672 256 or Graham 0418 979 600.

WEDNESDAY, 12 JANUARY

Charismatic Healing Mass by Fr Hugh Thomas

7pm at St Bernadette’s Catholic Church, Grand Ocean Blvd, Port Kennedy

For those of you who are suffering from physical, emotional, mental, psychological, or even from spiritual afflictions, never despair. Jesus is the Healer and He will deliver you. Join us at our church. Enq: Grace 0895 935 430 or Chris at 0895 373 056 or gedavid@iinet.net.au.

EVERY SUNDAY

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.

Extraordinary Form of Latin Holy Mass

11am Sunday and 7.30pm Monday except 3rd Monday of the month, at St Joseph’s Parish, 20 Hamilton St, Bassendean.

THIRD SUNDAY OF THE MONTH

Oblates of St Benedict

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

EVERY FOURTH SUNDAY OF THE MONTH

Holy Hour for Vocations to the Priesthood, Religious Life

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

LAST MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH

Christian Spirituality Presentation

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

EVERY TUESDAY

Novena and Benediction to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal 6pm at the Pater Noster Church, Marmion and Evershed Sts, Myaree. Mass at 5.30pm. Enq: John 0408 952 194.

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 9475 0155 or hsofperth@gmail.com.

SECOND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH

Chaplets of the Divine Mercy

7.30pm at St Thomas More Catholic Church, Dean Rd, Bateman. A beautiful, prayerful, and sung devotion will be accompanied by Exposition and followed by Benediction. All are welcome. Enq: George Lopez on 9310 9493(h) or 9325 2010(w).

EVERY THURSDAY

Catholic Questions and Answers

7-7.30pm at St Joseph’s Parish Centre, 20 Hamilton St, Bassendean. Catechesis learned easily with questions and answers. The Catechism of the Catholic Church. Adult learning and deepening of the Catholic Faith, with Fr John Corapi DVD series, 7.30-9pm.

Divine Mercy

11am at St John and Paul Church, Pine Tree 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.

Taize Prayer and Meditation

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

The Cathedral Praise Meeting

7.45pm at Faith Centre, 450 Hay St, Perth. When the Spirit Comes – A Holy Spirit Seminar. Each evening –worship, teaching, small group sharing, refreshments. All welcome. Enq: Flame Ministries International 9382 3668.

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.

Communion of Reparation All Night Vigil

7pm-1am at Corpus Christi Church, Lochee St, Mosman Park. Vigil consists of Mass, Rosary, Confession and Adoration. Celebrant Fr T Bogoni. All warmly welcomed. Enq: Vicky 0400 282 357.

Catholic Faith Renewal Evening

7.30pm at St 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.

The Alliance, Triumph and Reign of the United Hearts of Jesus and Mary

9pm at St Bernadette’s Church, Glendalough. Commences with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament followed by Reflections, Rosary and alternating with healing sessions. Vigil concludes with the Holy Mass at midnight. Come, be healed and be part of the Lord’s Mighty Work. Enq: Fr Doug 9444 6131 or Dorothy 9342 5845.

Healing Mass

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

AA ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

Is alcohol costing you more than just money? Enq: AA 9325 3566.

OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE

Emmanuel Self-Help Centre for People with Disabilities is looking for volunteers to transport newspapers and other recyclable paper from its Perth office to a Canning Vale paper mill about every six weeks. Manual car driver’s licence required. Physical fitness is advantageous as heavy lifting is involved; Centre staff will assist. Enq: Fr Paul 9328 8113 or emmanuelcentre@westnet.com.au.

AL  ANON FAMILY GROUPS

If your home is unhappy because somebody drinks too much, we can help with understanding and supporting families and friends of problem drinkers. Enq: 9325 7528.

ST MARY MACKILLOP COMMEMEMORATIVE MERCHANDISE

Available from the Mary MacKillop Centre, 16 York St, South Perth. Commemorative mugs and plates, collector’s items etc. Enq: Sr Maree 0414 683 296.

PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND.

St Peters’ parish in Inglewood is organising a visit to Jordan, Israel and Egypt from 13-26 March 2011. The pilgrimage will cost A$3,990, everything included. Fr SAM will be the Spiritual Director. Eng Jim 0411615239, zawnaing@optusnet.com.au.

SPANISH LESSONS OFFERED AT WHITFORDS PARISH FOR WORLD YOUTH DAY, MADRID 2011

Beginner’s classes commence 9 February on Wednesday evenings 6.45pm to 7.30pm and Saturday mornings 10.15am to 11am. Cost- $5 per class or $40 for 10 classes if paid in full at the beginning of the term. All classes will take place in venues at Our Lady of the Mission Catholic Church, Camberwarra Drive, Craigie. Enq: Noeme 9307 4038 or Shirley-Ann 9407 8156.

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ACCOMMODATION

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

ESPERANCE 3 bedroom house f/furnished Ph 09 9076 5083.

FEMALE HOUSE MATE WANTED Opportunity to live with young Catholic women in the style of the Emmanuel community. A room will be available at the end of the year to join a household of four. Where: 29 Jugan St, Mount Hawthorn, close to St Bernadette’s, Glendalough, shopping and cafes. Enq: Rebecca aura157@yahoo.com.au or call 0433 244 973.

HOUSE MOTHER ROLE FOR FREE RENT IN FURNISHED

TOWNHOUSE We require a live in housemother for our two daughters aged 14 and 16 who attend Iona Presentation College. We wish them to become day scholars and feel their experience as boarders has prepared them for this change.

We are offering free rent for two years in exchange for living with our girls. Costs include a third of the electricity and gas bills. Bond negotiable.

This opportunity would suit a mature woman who is a nonsmoker and appreciates our efforts to instil Catholic values in our daughters’ lives. Our girls are responsible students who’d return home with us during school holidays although our eldest daughter may stay and find summer employment after completing Year 12 and before starting University.

The three bedroom townhouse is on Canning Highway in Melville with city views. The applicant’s room upstairs has an en suite beside the lounge whilst the girls have their bedrooms downstairs. If this opportunity appeals, please call Michael and Celia Carmody at our Kulin farm on 9880 4042 or Michael’s mobile on 0427 186 357. Our email is jilakin@bigpond.com.

BOOK BINDING

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

Walk With Him

Deadline: 11am Monday

TRADE SERVICES

BRENDON HANDYMAN

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

BRICK RE-POINTING

Ph Nigel 9242 2952.

PERROTT PAINTING Pty Ltd

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

PICASSO PAINTING Top service.

Ph 0419 915 836, fax 9345 0505.

FURNITURE REMOVAL

ALL AREAS. Competitive Rates.

Mike Murphy Ph 0416 226 434.

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.

DAYBREAK HEALING

Each session offers computerised health scan.

ACUPUNCTURE Aroma-oil Cupping Massage. Clinic: Guildford / Morley Ph: 0438-979036.

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.

FOR SALE

ART FOR THE CATHEDRAL www.margaretfane.com.au.

OPPORTUNITIES

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

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

MUST SEE CONCERT

Collegium Symphonic Chorus

Collegium Baroque Orchestra

Conductor: Margaret Pride

HANDEL’S MESSIAH

Soloists: Sara MacIver, SallyAnne Russell, Jason Wasley and James Clayton

Sat, 18 December at 8 pm

PERTH CONCERT HALL BOCS 9484 1133 or www.bocsticketing.com.au

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.

CONVENIENT LOCATIONS FOR BIBLES, BOOKS CARDS, CDs/DVDs, candles, medals, statues and gifts at Ottimo. Shop 108, Trinity Arcade, 671 Hay Street, Perth. Ph 9322 4520. Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 10am2pm and at Station Street Market Subiaco on Fri-Sun 9am-5pm.

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 Vicki on 9402 1318 or 0409 114 093.

HEALTH

ACHES, PAIN, STRESS?

Indian Masseur jai-0438 520 993.

MUSIC

Wanted Piano and Bass musicians. Play at retirement villages. John 9225 5747 pm.

24 F 2 Sam 7:1-5.8-12.14.16 Sovereignty secure

Vio Ps 88:2-5.27.29 A dynasty for ever

Lk 1:67-79 Blessed be the Lord

25 S THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD (Solemnity)

Wh Vigil Mass

Isa 62:1-5 God will rejoice

Ps 88:4-5.16-17.27.29 Covenant decreed Acts 13:16-17.22-25 Jesus, our saviour

Mt 1:1-25 How Jesus came to be born

20

21

[Alt. Zeph 3:14-18 He will renew you]

Ps 32:2-3.11-12.20-21 A song that is new Lk 1:39-45 Mary greets Elizabeth

22 W 1 Sam 1:24-28 This is the child

Vio 1 Sam 2:1.4-8 The childless wife Lk 1:46-56 Great things for me

23 Th St John of Kanty, priest (O)

Vio Mal 3:1-4.23-24 The refiner’s fire

Ps 24:4-5.8-9.10.14 The Lord’s friendship Lk 1:57-66 His name is John

Midnight Mass

Isa 9:1-7 Child born for us

Ps 95:1-3.11-13 The Lord’s coming

Titus 2:11-14 God’s grace revealed Lk 2:1-14 Mary gives birth

Dawn Mass

Isa 62:11-12 Your Saviour comes

Ps 96:1.6.11-12 Joy for the upright

Titus 3:4-7 God’s compassion

Lk 2:15-20 They saw the child

Mass during the day

Isa 52:7-10 Herald of peace

Ps 97:1-6 Acclaim the Lord!

Heb 1:1-6 Light of God’s glory

Jn 1:1-18 We saw His glory

The Record Bookshop’s Christmas Catalogue

Silent Night

A Christmas Story

By L.E. McCullough Illustrated

by Cassandre Maxwell

RRP $17.95

A wonderful story that inspires and captures the spirit of Christmas.

My First Christmas

By Maggie Swanson

RRP $18.00

A simple colourful book designed for the very young.

Baby’s First Christmas

By Kathy Fincher

RRP

$18.00

Christmas is the time of year when memories are born!

A Teddy Prayers Christmas

A story about the greatest gift ever given!

By Matt and Karin Wiltshire

RRP $9.95

In this beautiful book, Faith Teddy tells the story of the first Christmas. Along the way, children are encouraged to pray and learn the importance of prayer.

The Nativity Story

By Geraldine McCaughrean Illustrated

by Sophy Williams

RRP $21.95

This is a story to remind you of the miracle at the heart of Christmas: that, in Jesus’ birth, love and hope are born anew on earth.

God’s word for Each Day

Daily Reflections

RRP $21.95

This best-selling Bible Diary helps keep the Word of God close to your heart in daily life.

- Liturgical readings and information of the day

- Inspiring reflections on the Gospel

- Space to note important events and reflections

- Planner for the whole year, and much more ...

Lion Christmas Favourites

Stories and Prayers for the Festive Season

RRP $19.95

Stories from around the world, both old and new, that explore the Christmas message of love and kindness, of joy and peace.