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THE LAW OF THE CHURCH
Meet the American religious Sister whose canon law cases are setting some surprising precedents for lay rights - Page 9
The priest who sees Richard Dawkins’ good side The prominent atheist biologist would be amazed to hear what this UNDA philosopher thinks of him. By Robert Hiini ‘GULLIBLE’, ‘credulous’, ‘enemy of moral progress’: mindless adherents to a tragicomic ‘zombie Christ’ - a garble of outdated social mores and dangerous superstition. This is how some champions of ‘evangelical’ or ‘new’ atheism have depicted Christianity and its adherents, spreading their message on talk shows, radio programs and digital media throughout the world. Some Christians have responded in kind, wielding their own sectarian brand of self-righteousness. But Sydney-based philosopher and priest, Father Bernard Purcell is not one of those. His latest book, From Big Bang to Big Mystery: Human Origins in the Light of Creation and Evolution, was printed for a second time last year. Its treatment of some of the latest developments in science and philosophy suggests Fr Purcell has little time for “take down, drag ‘em out” debates between avowed scientists and religious apologists.
University of Notre Dame Australia philosopher Fr Brendan Purcell, whose book, From Big Bang to Big Mystery, looks at human origins in the light of creation and evolution. Fr Purcell teaches philosophy at UNDA’s Sydney campus. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
The University of Notre Dame academic says he does have a fair amount of time for the likes of Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett, if not for their firm conclusions. At least, Fr Purcell says, they are interested in asking the right questions.
“I have a respect for them simply because, as human beings, they are not satisfied to stay within the confines of the natural sciences,” Fr Purcell told The Record in a telephone interview from Sydney. “At times, we could say they are trespassing, going beyond
the boundaries of their science, as though their science allows them to speak about all sorts of other questions that their science doesn’t deal with. “But scientists are human beings. Even those who have an agenda which looks quite atheistic
are not satisfied with just simply ‘doing science’. “They want to know who they are and where they came from, just the same as everyone else.” The new atheists’ biggest problem, Fr Purcell says, is that Please turn to Page 7
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March 20, 2013
Alannah flies out to bring title home
Parish Round-up
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JUANITA SHEPHERD
Office of Tenebrae at Belmont THE ceremonies of the ancient office of Tenebrae will be sung by the Lumina Choir at St Anne’s Church in Belmont on Good Friday, March 29, at 7pm. Tenebrae, which is the Latin word for ‘darkness’, is the sung recital of the offices of Matins and Lauds. It is virtually a funeral service commemorating the death of Jesus Christ. During the ceremony, candles are gradually extinguished after each psalm, until there is darkness. The conclusion of Tenebrae is marked by loud clattering, symbolically representing the earthquake which followed the death of Jesus.
New Norcia gets grant to restore heritage THE Benedictine community of New Norcia has received a grant from the Copland Foundation for the conservation of a cope and mitre. The cope, a long mantle, open at the front and fastened with a clasp just below the neck, is a liturgical vestment which may be worn by any rank of the clergy. The cope and mitre came to New Norica in the 19th century. They are now signature pieces of the monastery’s antique European textile collection. The conservation grant will allow the Benedictine community to restore the cope and mitre to their former glory and both vestments are expected to feature at the New Norcia Museum and Art Gallery in 2014 to mark the bicentenary of the
Current designation: Assistant Priest – St Mary’s Cathedral, Perth; Marriage Tribunal Place of birth: Nakuru, Kenya Anniversary of ordination: August 19, 2006 Patron Saint: St Francis Xavier Siblings: Four brothers, one sister St Norbert student Alannah Bayliss, Perth finalist for the Miss Teen Galaxy Australia competition, will fly to Sydney to compete at the final pageant on March 24. She hit the airwaves recently, speaking to 6PR’s Howard Sattler. SUPPLIED
birth of Bishop Rosendo Salvado (1814-1900).
Unparalleled pasties to fund Ukrainian ministry SAINT John the Baptist Parish in Maylands, home to the Ukrainian Catholic community in Perth, has asked its parishioners to save their icecream containers for their Varenyky Drive in June. “Varenyky is Ukrainian for pasty,” parish priest Father Wolodymyr Kalinecki said when speaking to The Record last week. “You can build a church on varenyky.”
Parishioners at St John the Baptist make the varenyky filled with a variety of vegetables, such as potatoes and cabbage. The varenyky are also filled with cheese and bacon and can be made to taste sweet as well as savoury. The varenyky will be placed in the icecream containers and sold; a delicious fundraising project for parish activities throughout the year.
Places going fast to see new Pope at WYD Rio EVERY World Youth Day is special but this year’s packs something extra: a new Pope who will meet
SAINT OF THE WEEK
died c. 1195 March 29
Peter Rosengren
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Not much is known about this hermit who is considered by some historians to be the founder of the order of Carmelite friars. Various legends had him born in Limoges, France, educated at the University of Paris, and participating in the Crusades in Turkey. What is known is that he directed a group of Frankish hermits living on Mount Carmel in Palestine in the second half of the 12th century. The existence on Mount Carmel of a church and hermitage in the spiritual tradition of the prophet Elijah is documented from 1163 on. After Berthold’s death, the hermits were led by another Frenchman, St. Brocard; Carmelite houses became well-established throughout Europe by 1300.
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Favourite Bible verse: John 15:16 - “Go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last.” Best preacher heard: Joel Osteen Favourite sporting team: Manchester United (soccer) – English Premier League Favourite hobby: Soccer Favourite movie or book: The Confessions of St Augustine Best place you’ve visited: Rome, Italy
READINGS OF THE WEEK
Berthold Editor
with the young people of the world en masse for the first time. Holy Rosary Parish, Nedlands has announced that places in its World Youth Day 2013 pilgrimage to Rio, Brazil are limited and filling up fast. Those interested can log onto www.wydtours.com for more information on the Perth packages. WYD is open to all individuals and groups aged 18-35 years. Final payments are due by March 31 and the next WYD meeting will be held on Monday, March 18 at 7pm at 40A Mary Street, Highgate. For more information, contact Perth Catholic Youth Ministry, 9422 7912 or email admin@cym.com.au.
Favourite Bible figure: St Stephen
Michael Deering 9322 2914
Sunday 24th - Red PASSION SUNDAY (PALM SUNDAY) 1st Reading: Isa 50:4-7 A disciple’s tongue Responsorial Ps 21:8-9, 17-24 Psalm: Let God save him 2nd Reading: Phil 2:6-11 Death on a cross Gospel Reading: Lk 22:14-23:56 The hour has come Monday 25th - Violet MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK 1st Reading: Isa 42:1-7 My chosen one Responsorial Ps 26:1-3, 13-14 Psalm: Hope in the Lord Gospel Reading: Jn 12:1-11 Burial anointing Tuesday 26th - Violet TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK 1st Reading: Isa 49:1-6 Light of the nations Responsorial Ps 70:1-6,13-14 Psalm: Hope in the Lord Gospel Reading: Jn 13:21-33,36-38 Who is it, Lord? Chrism Mass (St Mary’s Cathedral) 1st Reading: Isa 61:1-3,6,8-9 The Lord’s annointed Responsorial Ps 88:21-22,27 Psalm: David annointed 2nd Reading: Rev 1:5-8 Sins washed away Gospel Reading: Lk 4:16-21 Jesus anointed Wednesday 27th - Violet WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK 1st Reading: Isa 50:4-9 A disciple’s tongue Responsorial Ps 68:8-10,21-22 Psalm: I suffer taunts Gospel Reading: Mt 26:14-25 Not I, Lord surely
EASTER TRIDIUM Thursday 28th - White HOLY THURSDAY Mass of the Lord’s Supper 1st Reading: Ex 12:1-8,11-14 Day of remembrance Responsorial 115:12-13,15-18 Psalm: Sacrifice of thanks 2nd Reading: 1 Cor 11:23-26 A memorial of me Gospel Reading: Lk 13:1-15 Perfect love Friday 29th - Red GOOD FRIDAY (the Passion of Christ) 1st Reading: Isa 52:13-53:12 Suffering borne Responsorial Ps 30:2,6,13-13,15Psalm: 17,25 I commend my spirit 2nd Reading: Heb 4:14-16;5:7-9 Source of Salvation Gospel Reading: Jn 18:1-19:42 Jesus’ Passion Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st - White EASTER SUNDAY Easter Vigil Gen 1:1-2:2 God’s spirit hovered Gen 22:1-18 God will provide Ex 14:15-15:1 God rescues Israel Isa 54:5-14 God’s love endures Isa 55:1-11 God’s ways not ours Bar 3:9-15 He who is our God Ezk 36:16-28 God’s holy name Rom 6:3-11 Life with God Mass during the day Acts 10:34,37-43 Col 3:1-4 [Alt, 1 Cor 5:6-8 Jn 20:1-9 [Alt, Lk 24:1-12 Lk 24:13-25
God anointed Jesus At God’s right hand Let us celebrate] Lack of understanding He is not there] Breaking of bread
Catholic clarity for complex times CATHOLIC families and those searching for truth need resources to help them negotiate the complexities of modern life. At The Record’s bookshop you can find great books for the family at good prices. Turn to Page 20 for some brilliant deals NOW!!
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House shirts Kolbe’s new hair shirts
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Parish Briefs
Gosnells celebrates its global melting pot Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament Parish in Gosnells continues to enjoy success with its Discovering Culture Night. The parish has hosted a number of nights, themed to various different countries, including India, Malaysia and Ireland, with the aim of bringing its community together and in the process learn about other traditions and cultures. The next country, which the parish will visit in the comfort of its parish hall, is Italy. All Italian parishioners and all those who would like to help out are invited to the planning meeting on March 18. For more information, call 9398 2331.
Day of remembrance for children in heaven
THIS Lent, Kolbe Catholic College, Rockingham has proved once again the wisdom in that old adage, that there is nothing like a good cause to unite a community. Through various fundraising initiatives led by the school’s Year 9 students, Kolbe staff and students have raised thousands of dollars for Caritas’ Project Compassion. On Tuesday, March 5 alone, students raised $921 at their House Shirt Day via gold coin donations. Students held their Bake Sale for Project Compassion the following day. Stacks of cakes, cupcakes, cookies and other baked goodies decorated the tables during recess and lunch. Students and staff crowded around to donate to this worthy cause, while enjoying the sweet treats that Student Leaders had cooked up. The Bake Sale was, as always, a huge hit, raising $353.95. “The money raised for Project
s ent r m l o fo Enr lable d ai ite l Lim till av 14. s hoo 0 e c 2 r s a e t th ails. c a t t Con for de
Compassion is a clear testimony to the benevolent nature of our Kolbe community, and we can be sure that it will have a significant impact on those who are less fortunate than us,” one Kolbe staff member told The Record. Through the hard work and generosity of the students and staff at Kolbe Catholic College, we can work together to create a just and peaceful world for all people. Project Compassion 2013 is international aid agency Caritas’ annual Lenten fundraising drive, to support developing communities in the region and further afield. This year’s campaign, Open Doors into the Future, is targeted at raising money for projects that benefit some of the poorest children in the world. More information on Project Compassion is available at http:// www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion or 9422 7900.
The eighth annual Day of Prayer and Remembrance will be held at St Mary’s Cathedral, Perth on Saturday, March 23. The event invites all those who have been hurt by after effects of abortion and for those who would like to offer prayers in honour of the lives that have been lost. The Day of Prayer and Remembrance starts with Holy Hour at 10am followed by Mass at 11am, with Archbishop Emeritus Barry Hickey as principal celebrant. Following Mass there will be a procession with flowers and prayers for the men and women hurt by abortion in the hope that they may begin to heal. For more information, contact Pregnancy Assistance on 9328 2926.
Notre Dame hosts Lenten Stations
Top, Kolbe students raising $921 at their House Shirt Day on March 5. A bake sale, above, was enjoyed by students and teachers alike. PHOTOS: LEANNE JOYCE
Up to $3500 could be waiting for your child in the Principal’s Office
2014 Scholarships
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Staff and students of the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle will join members of the community when it hosts a special Stations of the Cross service. The unique bronze Stations displayed in the courtyards of the Fremantle campus were a gift from the late Diane Wansbrough, a Governor of the university, and created by one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists, Peter Schipperheyn. The Stations of the Cross begins at 10am on Good Friday, March 29, at the Holy Spirit Chapel on the corner of Mouat and Croke Streets, Fremantle. Additional reporting by Matthew Biddle Parish round-up: Send your parish event to parishes@therecord.com.au.
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March 20, 2013
Cameron’s on par to represent WA in golf
In Brief
Perth priest ministered in Taiwan’s hinterland
SPENDING your holidays improving your golf handicap from three to one exhibits a mature attitude and thirst for success that has seen St Norbert College, Year 10 student, Cameron Jones gain selection to the Western Australian State Junior Team. No stranger to success, Cameron was runner-up in the under-10 age group at the 2008 Junior World Golf Tournament, held in Jakarta, and placed third for under-12 in the 2010 tournament. “Cameron has worked extremely hard on his golf and deserves the opportunity to represent the State,” St Norbert College Principal Annette Morey said. Cameron has played golf since he was eight. As part of his commitment to the State Junior Team, he is also required to compete in six local tournaments in the next two months. “His parents and the college community are extremely proud of his selection and will be closely following his progress.” The State Junior Team competes in the 2013 Australian Boys Amateur Championships and the Australian Interstate Teams Matches in April.
A Mass for Fr Kevin Bartlett will be celebrated in Crawley on March 21.
Parish Roundup! Parish fetes, anniversaries, picnics, social occasions, get-togethers ... Does YOUR PARISH have an event you would like promoted? Send the details in to The Record’s Parish Roundup team at: m.reidy@therecord.com.au St Norbert’s Cameron Jones is ready to represent WA in the State Junior Golf Team.
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A MEMORIAL Mass for Perth-born priest, Father Kevin Bartlett, who spent the last 22 years of his life ministering to aboriginal people in the remote mountains of Taiwan, will be celebrated in Crawley on March 21. Fr Kevin, who was the eldest son of Margaret and Leslie Bartlett, one of six children, died on February 26. As a younger man he was an outstanding athlete and prolific academic, attaining degrees in law, arts, economics and theology. He arrived in Taiwan in his mid-50s and was ordained for the Diocese of Taichung in 1992. One of his two surviving siblings, Mary Grant, attended the funeral at the Taichung Cathedral on March 2, along with three bishops and 65 priests. Thousands of locals, including those who travelled over four hours from the mountains in Li Shan, a community Fr Kevin had faithfully served over the past two decades, were also able to pay their respects during a five-day mourning process. In a letter to Mary and her sister, Betty Foster, the current Bishop of Taichung, Martin YaoWen Su, thanked his family for their generosity in supporting Fr Kevin throughout his Taiwanese mission. “Fr Kevin was a man who was very much joyful in the midst of pain and difficulty,” he wrote. “He was a man who saw Jesus in others and joyously served him.” At the time of printing, Father Kevin’s Memorial Mass was scheduled to be held at St Thomas Moore Chapel, Crawley on March 21 at 11am. Enquiries: 9386 3735.
Papal blessing for St Joseph fraternity
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Members of the Confraternity of St Joseph Catholic Men’s Group are presented with a Papal Blessing by Fr Donald Kettle. PHOTO: HOLY SPIRIT, CITY BEACH
A GROUP formed five years ago to attract retired Catholic men to come together to meet in prayer and fellowship has been recognised with a Papal Blessing from Pope (now Emeritus) Benedict XVI. The Confraternity of St Joseph Catholic Men’s Group began in Holy Spirit Parish, City Beach in 2007 and has since gathered on a monthly basis. Chairman of the Confraternity, Mr John Cochran and Secretary, Mr John Lambe were officially presented with the framed certificate honouring the five year anniversary by City Beach parish priest, Father Donald Kettle on November 22 last year.
Mr Lambe told The Record that the group gathers together for 90 minutes every fourth Thursday of the month using an informal format incorporating religious readings and brief discussions on their mentor, St Joseph. “He has become the spiritual inspiration at the meetings,” Mr Lambe said, “and gives the members a greater understanding of their Catholic faith.” Each 1.30pm meeting concludes with fellowship. Mr Lambe hopes that the ideals of the Confraternity will encourage Catholic men from other parishes to join them and perhaps to eventually form their own. For more information, phone 9341 2828.
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Breakfast touches lives in unseen ways
Justice body urges State to prioritise
By Matthew Biddle MORE than 100 people gathered in Burswood on March 9 for the tenth annual ‘Breakfast in the Park’ event held by the Mary MacKillop Foundation. The picturesque Charles Patterson Park was the perfect venue for the event which raised almost $1,500 for the foundation. The event was originally a social gathering for past pupils of St Gertrude’s College in New Norcia, when it began in 2003. Over the past ten years, brothers Charlie and Domenic Fa z ar i in Tuart Hill have generously donated sausages for the breakfast, cooked on a barbecue donated by George Manook from Arcla Barbecues in Malaga. However, organiser Laurie Mayne announced the event would be held in the Sisters of St Joseph’s convent gardens in South Perth from next year. Mr Mayne also thanked several students from Notre Dame University in Fremantle who assisted at the breakfast as part of their community assistance program. Money raised from the event will be sent to Sydney, where the foundation is based; from there it will be used to fund a variety of projects around the country. The Mary MacKillop Foundation aims to help relieve suffering and
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The Mary MacKillop Foundation aims to help relieve suffering.
Some of the winners of one of the door prizes offered at the breakfast in the park event.
bring hope to others through supporting small, life-changing projects. In WA, such projects have included providing resources to
build a sensory garden for disabled school children; and financially supporting volunteers who travel to the Kimberley to assist remote Aboriginal communities.
PHOTO: SR MARIE MORIARTY
Each year, the foundation allocates grants of up to $10,000 to projects throughout Australia. It has supported more than 460 projects since 1995.
PERTH’S Catholic Social Justice Council (CSJC) has renewed its call for the WA government to address a number of urgent family issues in the wake of its re-election. Executive officer of the CSJC, Jim Smith, said the government needed to take a more pro-active approach in its second term. With the median rental price in Perth now more than $470 per week, Mr Smith said housing is an urgent issue that needs attention. “We believe the government needs to be taking some initiatives to make more low-cost rental housing and affordable housing for purchase available,” he said. “That, in turn, will take the pressure off a lot of families who are on the minimum low wage or welfare.” Travel within the metropolitan region, either via road or public transport, is another problem that the government must examine, according to Mr Smith. “Planning for the future of this city is already getting out of control, so we’d like to see serious consideration of ways to improve public transport and de-clutter the roads,” he said. The high rate of juvenile Aboriginal imprisonment and the treatment of asylum seekers in WA are also on CSJC’s agenda. “There are some simple solutions, it’s just a matter of the willpower to do it, and that’s what we’re urging. We want governments to really take on board some of these issues,” Mr Smith said.
Kolbe do their bit to make wildlife area clean again Seminarians studying in Nigeria
THE determined students of Kolbe Catholic College created a rubbishfree area along the coasts and surrounding regions of Point Peron, Rockingham on Sunday, March 3. A new high of over 90 students and five staff contributed to the worthy cause of Clean Up Australia Day. Despite the early wake up call on a Sunday morning, students were still willing to face the heat and give up their time, putting their all into efforts to make sure Point Peron was left litter free. Students took advantage of the exercise as an opportunity to complete their Christian Service hours as part of the KolbeCare program offered by the college. The Kolbe students, who never wasted any time in reaching their goal of a spotless Point Peron, filled many reusable rubbish bags to bursting point.
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Kolbe Catholic college students help out on Clean Up Australia Day on March 3. PHOTOS: LEANNE JOYCE
“Kolbe’s contribution to this day has definitely made an impact on the surroundings of Point Peron and the students are to be commended on their hard work,” one Kolbe staff member reported.
The Year of the Faith rosary designed by the Vatican rosary makers will be sent out to all those who assist this cause and tick this box.
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Specialist to head Sydney UNDA Law PROFESSOR Michael Quinlan has been appointed Dean of Law at The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Sydney Campus. The new Dean has a distinguished legal background over 23 years at leading commercial law firm Allens, where he was Senior Partner of the Corporate Insolvency and Restructuring Practice Group from 1998 to 2012. The newly-appointed Dean’s areas of expertise include corporate insolvency and restructuring, insurance and commercial litigation in the areas of revenue and property disputes. Professor Quinlan has undertaken a myriad of pro bono work for refugee and migration appeals, charities and individuals in need. He is a member of the Insolvency Practitioners Association of Australia, the Australian Insurance Law Association and the Australian Professional Indemnity Group. He is also the current Junior Vice President of the St Thomas More Society. Vice Chancellor Professor Celia Hammond said she took great pleasure in announcing Michael Quinlan as Dean of Law, Sydney. “The University is very pleased to welcome Professor Quinlan to the position of Dean as the Sydney School of Law enters its eighth year of operation. “His legal experience will be a great asset to Notre Dame’s Law students and his outstanding record
Insolvency specialist Michael Quinlan is the new Dean of Law at Notre Dame’s Sydney campus.
of professional leadership will see him continue the university’s tradition of graduating lawyers who have a sound understanding of the academic application of the law, but who are also well-rounded individuals with a deep understanding
of the nature of justice,” Professor Hammond said. Cardinal George Pell recently blessed and opened the newlyrestored School of Law and School of Business building on Shepherd Street, Chippendale, in inner
PHOTO: UNDA
Sydney. The building will house a state-of-the-art electronic moot court to be named after Australian barrister and former politician Thomas Eyre Forrest Hughes AO QC who was Federal Attorney General from 1969-71.
Our Sunday Visitor gets new editor GRETCHEN Crowe has been named the new editor of OSV Newsweekly, the US’ largest national Catholic weekly newspaper. Greg Erlandson, president and publisher of Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, announced the appointment. He called Crowe “a bright light in Catholic journalism” who is perfectly suited to the challenges of Catholic publishing in the 21st century. “Gretchen has the kind of background we value so much,” Erlandson said in a February 28 statement. “She has been trained in the craft of journalism at one of the top journalism schools in the country. She has grassroots experience in evangelisation and ministry, has worked at one of the best diocesan newspapers in the country, and has a passion for social media and the web. She appreciates the big picture and the local details,” he added. Crowe was most recently senior staff writer and photographer at the Arlington Catholic Herald, newspaper of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, where she served for almost nine years. She has won numerous awards for writing and photography, including a first-place award from the US Catholic Press Association last year for her reporting on World Youth Day.
Prodigal son parable ‘could be sexist’ By Robert Hiini ‘OUR FATHER’ might not be the best way to think of God, according to a document released last week by the Office for the Participation of Women (OPW), an official body of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC). The suggestion is contained in the OPW’s Parish Resource 2013, a document that was designed to help parishes celebrate International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 10. The document also suggests the role of ‘mother’ may have been deliberately excluded from the parable pf the Prodigal Son, found in the Gospel of Luke (15: 1-3, 11-32). “Today, it is timely to ask, ‘Where was the mother of the two sons?’,” the document states. “Was the father widowed? Or was the mother still part of the family but simply written out of the story, in the way that many women’s roles and contributions were not included in Scripture?” The Gospel writer Luke had been praised for his inclusion of women in the past, the document states, but
Parish Resource 2013 Prayer
Suggested prayers of general intercession For the family of the Church; that we listen attentively and act upon the Word of God proclaimed We pray to the Lord. For our self-concerns and fears; free us Gracious God, that we might have a generous heart to give hope and love to all Your children We pray to the Lord. For the courage to respond to your call; Loving God, help us to hear Your voice within and around us We pray to the Lord. For the oppressed and suffering; that we may be strong in upholding all those whose rights and dignity are limited by prejudice and ignorance We pray to the Lord. For all women celebrating International Women’s Day this week; that we may support and encourage those women who have been more than hearers of the Word and have acted upon the call to justice in our world We pray to the Lord.
Additional Prayers of Intercession specific to International Women’s Day For women, young and not so young; may their gifts of wisdom and energy be encouraged and supported in taking up leadership roles within the Church We pray to the Lord. For women who are wounded and disconnected from the Church; may they be strengthened by the dignity, honour and respect Jesus gave to women We pray to the Lord. For women in caring professions; may they be renewed and refreshed in their care and commitment to people in need We pray to the Lord.
We hold deep within us the gift of your fullness, O God of Abundance, and our spirits grow ever stronger in the hope of your promise, because you have filled our hearts with the source of life itself. Each day of our lives, our awareness grows deeper, because you have done great things within our hearts. Holy is this moment in our lives, for you honour all those who will reverence the touch of your love. You have transformed our weakness into strength; in spite of all our fears and doubts. You have melted all our rigid ideas and inflexible goals, and set out for us your vision of fragile simplicity. Our desire to bring healing and reconciliation among us springs from the generous love which you lavish upon us. Our illusions of self-sufficiency are mercifully revealed in the light of your grace. All year you have come to our help, with your loving kindness, true to the promise you made at the beginning of time. We remember your vow to lift up our lives so that your fullness may be known now, in our time. Amen
For those whose lives are afflicted by loneliness, sickness and suffering; may God’s healing touch be upon them We pray to the Lord.
Inspired by the ‘Magnificat of Waiting’ by Ann Johnson in Miryam of Nazareth - Woman of Strength and Wisdom Ave Maria Press: Notre Dame Indiana, 1984 (pp.79-80)
For those who have died recently especially ……………. and members of all our families whose anniversaries occur now; may they be blessed forever in the loving presence of God We pray to the Lord.
This parish resource has been produced by the Bishops Commission for Church Ministry and the Council for Australian Catholic Women. Please address all enquiries to: Director Office for the Participation of Women GPO Box 368 CANBERRA ACT 2601 T 02 62019867 F 02 6247 6083 E director.opw@catholic.org.au Digital copies of this resource can be downloaded at the National Office for the Participation of Women web-site www.opw.catholic.org.au
Assisting parishes to celebrate International Women’s Day Sunday 10 March , 2013
Introduction A letter from Natalie Lindner L’Huillier, Chair, Council for Australian Catholic Women WelCoMe to the 2013 InternAtIonAl WoMen’s DAY Parish resource. It is our hope that the material contained in these pages will assist your community to participate in this annual celebration of women’s gifts and achievements. For over a hundred years International Women’s Day has called our attention to the remarkable political, social and economic accomplishments of women, and encouraged us to work with all people of good will so that the dignity of women may be more fully realised. the Australian theme for International Women’s Day in 2013 is ‘the Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum’. It is a theme anchored in hope, both realised and for the future, for the wellbeing of the human family. While it’s true that women and girls continue to encounter startling levels of injustice and violence on the basis of their gender, individuals, communities and nations are working together for change and we are succeeding! When we think of advancing the wellbeing of women, our minds are often drawn to the experience of women in developing nations. Gender equality is a fundamental building block for the achievement of the United nations’ Millennium Development Goals such as eradicating hunger, reducing child mortality and improving maternal health. Without gender equality we deprive women and their communities of the capabilities and gifts of women who remain less able to reach their full potential, live a life of dignity, and be productive citizens. solidarity with our sisters around the world, particularly in our region of the Asia Pacific, is an important reason to participate in International Women’s Day. here in Australia the growing momentum of the ‘gender agenda’ can be seen in the unprecedented levels of cooperation across the Australian community with our national plan to address domestic violence.1 this safety net of relationships and laws to protect and support
The OPW’s Parish Resource for 2013, issued to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Scripture scholars were now saying he had trivialised their tasks and roles, the document states. “On International Women’s Day, when we encounter a story where the only women mentioned [in the parable of the prodigal son] is a ref-
erence to prostitutes (Luke 15:30), it is timely to stop and think about the many roles that women have in our world, and how many of those roles are a result of personal choice or sociocultural circumstances.” “What would our world look
women is to be celebrated, and yet the need for these laws to exist must spur us onward in our quest for the just treatment of women. It is a tragic reality that more than 1.2 million Australian women have experienced violence at the hands of a current or former partner. Ailing social attitudes towards women are also reflected in the statistic that one third of Australian women have experienced unwanted comments about their bodies, and one in five women will experience sexual harassment in their workplace.2 In this Year of Grace, International Women’s Day is a great opportunity to publicly affirm the many ways that women exercise gifts of leadership, service, compassion and competence that bring life to our church and our world. As we do, we affirm women’s human dignity, and celebrate that, with the help of our Gracious God, a future is possible where women and girls are full participants in setting the direction of their lives and that of their communities and societies. We invite you to consider how you might enhance the liturgies and celebrations of your parish by making use of the reflections and prayer suggestions within this resource. May our prayerful affirmation of the dignity of all people bring encouragement and hope to our communities and the whole human family. With every good wish,
Natalie Lindner L’Huillier Chair, Council for Australian Catholic Women 1 http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/our-responsibilities/women/programs-services/reducingviolence/the-national-plan-to-reduce-violence-against-women-and-their-children/ national-plan-to-reduce-violence-against-women-and-their-children 2 Australian Institute of Criminology, ‘International Violence Against Women Survey: Australian Component’ (2004) http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/5/8/D/%7B58D8592ECEF7-4005-AB11-B7A8B4842399%7DRPP56.pdf Australian Human Rights Commission, ‘Sexual Harassment: Serious Business’ (2008) http://humanrights.gov.au/sexualharassment/serious_business/index.html
PHOTO: OPW WEBSITE
like if women everywhere did have personal choice over how they used their gifts and talents?” the document asks. Using the parable to depict God’s fatherhood might preclude people who did not having loving relationships with their own earthly fathers from relating to God. “Let us keep in mind that the Catechism of the Catholic Church (#370) states: “In no way is God in man’s image. He is neither man nor woman. God is pure spirit in which there is no place for the difference between the sexes.” “In his Angelus address on September 10, 1978, Pope John Paul II said, ‘God is our father; even more, he is our mother.’ A letter written by the Chair of the Council for Australian Catholic Women, Natalie L’Hullier is contained in the document: “The growing momentum of the ‘gender agenda’, [this year’s theme] can be seen in the ‘unprecedented levels of cooperation across the Australian community’ around a national plan to address domestic violence. “It is a tragic reality that more than 1.2 million Australian women have experienced violence at the hands of a current or former part-
ner,” Ms L’Hullier wrote, citing statistics from the Australian Institute of Criminology. “Ailing social attitudes towards women are also reflected in the statistic that one third of Australian women have experienced unwanted comments about their bodies, and one in five women will experience sexual harassment in their workplace.” The OPW’s Parish Resource 2013 was heralded to the wider Church in an ACBC media release on March 7. Women made up 61 per cent of parishioners and 90 per cent of pastoral associates, the media release stated, with religious sisters making up around half of those associates. OPW Director Donella Johnston said it was important the contribution of women within the Catholic Church was acknowledged and celebrated. “It is imperative that the voices of women are heard and that their gifts are given the opportunity to flourish in all aspects of Church life,” Ms Johnston said, “including involvement in decision-making processes and leadership”. The OPW was established by the ACBC in 2000 and works closely with the Council for Australian Catholic Women - an advisory body to the ACBC made up of women and men; lay, clerical and religious. The OPW’s mandate and activities are listed on their website www.opw.catholic.org.au. The website regularly features stories on ‘Inspirational Women’, including recently-featured Spanish artist Yolanda Dominquez, whose 2011 ‘Poses’ installation received national and international media attention. Her other ‘livings’ include Virgins to be returned conducted in 2009, in which nativity statues of the Virgin Mary were collected and sent ‘back’ to the Vatican, symbolising, according to the artist’s website, the ‘returning’ of concepts which had been ‘imposed on women’. Other ‘Inspirational Women’ profiles may be viewed at: www.opw.catholic.org.au.
NATION
therecord.com.au March 20, 2013
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Setting new atheism straight Continued from Page 1 they cannot justify their own science. Instead, they attribute their knowledge to methods they depict as obvious and matter-of-fact and not the stuff of social construction and prevalent assumptions. “Their activity denies what they are saying because their activity cannot be explained by neural movements around the brain,” Fr Purcell says. “Where does their science come from? Science isn’t a matter of [simple sensory inputs]; of feeling; of touching; of all the stuff animals do better than us. “Effectively, [new atheists] want to say we are only higher versions of animals, and yet, when you meet these guys, the thing that strikes you is they are not like animals at all, trying to win a battle like rutting stags. They are people interested in the truth. “That desire for truth is not an animal quality. It has nothing to do with survival – reproduction, feeding et cetera.” Fr Purcell debated Richard Dawkins on an Irish radio show in 2009. He quizzed Dawkins on his infamous ‘letter to his ten-year-old daughter’.
Big Bang to Big Mystery illustrate this conviction best: ‘What science is and how it can complement rather than replace or invalidate philosophy and revelation’; ‘How we belong and yet – because of the ‘human revolution’ – don’t fully belong to the hominid sequence’; and ‘Darwin and the evolution of evolution’, as examples. Integration of different types of knowing is
That helps to explain, he says, why science didn’t exist in any substantive sense in ancient Greece, where ‘god’ and ‘the world’ were not separated clearly enough, or in ancient China, or in any comprehensive sense, in the pre-modern world of Islam. Whereas science might have emerged strongest in the Christian West, the tumult of the Reformation,
explicable to themselves, arguing for a literal reading of Genesis, even going so far as to suggest that fossils had been deviously placed in the earth to fool us. “The writers of Genesis knew very well that that wasn’t the case. They fitted creation into the Jewish understanding of the liturgical week. They wanted you to understand that the whole notion of
said. Furthermore, the Catholic Church’s intellectual heritage is not just a thing of the past. “We’ve just had two of the greatest popes we’re ever going to get. I think they’ll be canonised together at some stage,” Fr Purcell said. One of those popes, when he was Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger of Munich, provided the correct way to understand Genesis in a series
In a radio debate, Dawkins admitted the love he had for his daughter was not scientifically provable. In that letter, Dawkins exhorts his daughter to only believe the ‘evidence’ before her, to the exclusion of ‘false’ claims to truth, such as ‘tradition’ and ‘revelation’ (Dawkins never ended up sending the letter but released it to the public some years later). Fr Purcell asked him why he wrote it. “You wrote that because you loved your daughter,” he asked during the debate. Dawkins agreed. “Would you accept, then, that that love for your daughter, which is really something very important, is not something that you could ever prove with the methods of the natural sciences?” “He admitted that,” Fr Purcell told The Record. “[New atheists] themselves admit that their science doesn’t get them everywhere. Aristotle said the same in 350BC, saying it was the mark of an educated human being not to look for more proof than the subject allows,” Fr Purcell said. He also points to the ethical concerns of scientists engaged in the ‘Manhattan Project’ from 19421947 – the project to construct the Allies’ first atom bomb. “They knew the answers to ethical questions, whatever you think about it – its use or development – isn’t to be found in physics or chemistry. The answer is to be found at least in moral philosophy or ethics,” Fr Purcell said. From Big Bang to Big Mystery: Human Origins in the Light of Creation and Evolution is principally concerned with questions as ever new as they are ancient; questions such as: ‘What do we mean by ‘human’?’, and ‘What does it mean to be human?’ Such questions invite more ideas and information than any one area of knowledge could hope to supply on its own. However, while not being sufficient in themselves, the discoveries of natural science are invaluable in helping to answer those questions, Fr Purcell says. The chapter headings in From
Chromosones: the building blocks of life. Atheist scientists, especially aggressive ones like Richard Dawkins, who make assumptions about what observable nature is saying about the existence of God are not actually logical, says UNDA philosopher Fr Brendan Purcell. PHOTO: PUBLIC SOURCE
something with which Catholics have long been comfortable, despite the popular misconception to the contrary, Fr Purcell says. Meanwhile, contrary to popular belief, the Catholic Church has had “a great record” in the pursuit of scientific truths, even accounting for the case of Galileo Galilei, he said. “I’m not explaining it away. John Paul II apologised for it, but it is not, in itself, a clear example of the Church being against science.” Half the craters on the moon were named after Jesuits and the Order still maintains observato-
The Church is not antiscience. The Jesuits, for example, maintain observatories around the world. ries around the world; Jesuits are regarded as the fathers of the science of seismology (other Christian denominations, too, have made marked contributions to science, notable amongst their number, several prominent Anglican priests in the 19th century). “The story of modern science emerging against a repressive faith mechanism that was terrified of the truth is exactly the opposite of what happened,” Fr Purcell says. “Natural science developed within a Christian matrix … science grew out of the Middle Ages, out of a [civilisation] in which you knew the world wasn’t God.”
the rise of rationalism and the rise of its religious corollary, biblical literalism, did immense damage, Fr Purcell says. He cites John Henry Newman, (“along with Darwin … the other important intellectual of the 19th century”) in saying that Catholicism and the theory of evolution have never been inherently incompatible. Opponents of the theory of evolution, Creationists and Intelligent Design enthusiasts, make many of the same mistakes as the new atheists, Fr Purcell says, referring to the observations of the English philosopher of science, Michael Ruse. “He has been critical of people like Richard Dawkins, saying they are smuggling their atheism into their biology, that is, they are reading into their biology an understanding of ‘no god’, which isn’t in any biological theory. “I would say that Intelligent Design people, on the other hand, smuggle theism into their, as-itwere, ‘science’.” Modern Creationism, Intelligent Design’s predecessor, arose out the polemics that followed the publishing of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life in 1859. Followers of Darwin, not Darwin himself, spoke and wrote “as if the theory of evolution explained absolutely everything”, Fr Purcell said. “That naturally provoked religious people to say it didn’t.” Many Christians embarked on a project to make the Bible perfectly
Fr Purcell’s book. He has been asked to write a simpler version for students as well. PHOTO: CNS
seven days, and of the rest, was to show that the universe was rooted in something like a cosmic liturgy to the worship of God. “If you are doing biology, biology is religion-neutral. It doesn’t deal with questions like the existence of God either way. It neither proves, nor disproves the existence of God. “Cardinal Newman knew [this]. Providing you didn’t have a limited reading of Genesis, it was no threat to your faith whatsoever. “We’ve always had the advantage in a way. It is a disadvantage if you have a Church tradition which is in fact very anti-intellectual. I’m not saying that of many churches now but you certainly find it in some American churches,” Fr Purcell
of lectures he gave in 1981. “He is showing you the genius of the writers of Genesis … [what they wrote] is a very clear polemic against the gods of their own time. “They are showing you that the sun and the moon and the stars are not God. Light, for example, is created before any of those. They are already being demoted. “[Those authors] were already working through profound issues and then they come to what a human being is; the image of God; the notion that we are responsible for evil; that the devil is there but that we are co-responsible at least,” he said. “It is a really profound anthropology and theology; far more profound than the fundamentalists think it is.” Response to From Big Bang to Big Mystery in his native Ireland and the US has been very encouraging, he said - so much so, that he has been asked to write a simpler version for high school students. It is a field of inquiry more Christians should be involved in and one in which Christians ought to have more confidence. He is reminded, he said, of being present for Pope Paul VI’s speech at the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council in which the pontiff said, after the theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, that faith and reason could never be in contradiction. It is a statement that rings true in his own work. “Belief and science never contradict each other,” Fr Purcell said. “They never will.” rthiini@therecord.com.au
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LOCAL
therecord.com.au
March 20, 2013
Parishes unite to make things right OVER 500 people from four local parishes attended a Celebration of The Year of Grace - a Liturgy of Healing and Reconciliation last Thursday night. The evening was both a spiritual and an historical one. It was a moment when, through the Grace of God, the four parishes united in faith and solidarity; the first time that the Parishes of Rockingham, Baldivis, Kwinana and Port Kennedy have come together to pray as one body. Eight priests where in attendance, including Fr Peter Black (homilist), Fr Geoffrey Aldous, Fr Phong Thanh Nguyen, Fr Michael Separovich, Fr Gavin Gomez, and Fr George James. They processed in, ‘sackcloth’ and daubed their foreheads with ‘ashes’. In Biblical times, fasting, wearing sackcloth and sprinkling oneself with ashes were ways of demonstrating grief or deep repentance and of showing humility before God. Sackcloth was most often made of coarse, black goat hair, which would have been extremely uncomfortable to wear. The ashes expressed unworthiness and mortification, but today, also serve as a reminder that we are dust and unto dust we shall return. The homily was given by Fr Peter Black, a Lecturer in Theology at Notre Dame University. Students from Kolbe Catholic College processed to the Sanctuary carrying a cross, which was then available for private reflection and prayer. At the end of the service, the priests were available for individual Reconciliation and to administer the Sacrament of Anointing of the sick. ‘Prayer for Healing of Body, Mind and Soul’ cards were available to take home. At the end of the liturgy the people prayed together: “Jesus, as you are one with us in your humanity, we ask you to bring your blessing upon all our friends, and us as we journey towards you in faith. May our lives always continue to be a reflection of your love, and may we forever sing your praise and blessing. We ask this of You, Jesus, Son of God. Amen.”
Clockwise from top, parishioners from four South-West parishes in the Rockingham area take time to pray before the cross; students from Kolbe pray in the congregation; and Prof Peter Black (centre). PHOTOS: L JOYCE
Seniors get great advice for long lives By Matthew Biddle SOUTHERN Cross Care held its first ‘Seniors Expo’ on March 7 at Success Village Community Centre. Seniors from around Perth enjoyed a vast number of information stalls, as well as tours of the housing estate throughout the day. The village consists of 137 two and three bedroom units, which are located on streets named after well-known Perth bishops, such as Gibney, Clune, Brady and Prendiville. Numerous presentations were given on topics such as maintaining musculoskeletal health, benefits of the Seniors Card, and wills and deceased estate administration. Southern Cross Care marketing and communications manager Inga Norgrove said the event was a great success. “We were very pleased with the feedback and support the event received, especially considering this was the first seniors expo held by Southern Cross Care,” she said. “It was a great opportunity for Perth seniors to find out about the many options and services that are available to them to help to enrich their lives.” Resident of Success village for the past eight years, Barbara Price, said it was a great place to live. “It’s quite nice, and there’s nice people here,” she said. “It’ll never be 100 per cent, but
The only way to get around: Seniors explore Success Village Community Centre on March 7.
it’s better than a lot of the others. The units here are quite roomy … I’ve been to some others and they’re little dog boxes, they’re very tiny.” Southern Cross Care was estab-
lished in 1966 under the name of Southern Cross Homes, and provides care, support and accommodation to more than 3,000 Western Australians.
PHOTO: MATTHEW BIDDLE
In addition to the eight retirement villages and six care facilities it operates in metropolitan Perth, it also operates in regional areas such as Collie and Broome.
Chrism Mass announced for March 26 ARCHBISHOP Timothy Costelloe SDB will celebrate the annual Chrism Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral on Tuesday, March 26 at 7pm. During the Mass, which will be concelebrated with priests of the Archdiocese, three Holy Oils will be blessed - the oil of catechumens, the oil of the infirm or sick, and the holy chrism oil. These oils will be used in the administration of the sacraments in the Archdiocese of Perth throughout the coming year. The priests of Perth will also renew their ordination commitment, and the Catholic laity are invited to renew their commitment to holiness of life and to the service of the Church and society. Chrism oil is used in the S a c r am e nt s of B apt i s m , Confirmation and Holy Orders, in the consecration of churches, chalices, patens, altars, and altar-stones, and in the solemn blessing of bells and baptismal water. The Chrism Mass is traditionally held before the Easter ceremonies each year, in preparation for the baptism and confirmation of those entering the Church at Easter. It has been celebrated since the days of the early Church and is a favourite in the Archdiocese.
LOCAL
therecord.com.au March 20, 2013
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Choir bring light of St Patrick to Belmont Mass By Matthew Biddle A STRONG crowd attended a sacred music concert in honour of St Patrick on March 16 at St Anne’s Church in Belmont. The Lumina Choir sang a variety of motets during the one-hour concert, which was organised by Fr Michael Rowe. Some of the music performed included Aspice Domine de Sede by William Byrd, Factus est Dominus Firmamentum by Orlando Lasso, and Laudate Dominum by Giovanni da Palestrina. The concert, which was held in the parish hall, concluded with Benediction before the crowd joined the choir for afternoon tea, which was prepared by Fr Brian Limbourn. Choir director Cameron Van Reyk said he thoroughly enjoyed the concert. “It was great to be able to sing some motets that we can’t really sing in Mass,” he said. “We also got to sing in English, which was nice, performing William Byrd’s Sing Joyfully Unto God.” Mr Van Reyk said the choir prepared and practised for the concert the same way they would for singing at Mass. “We want to perform at our best every time. Whether it be a Mass, concert or even if it was just background music.” Fr Rowe said the event was a great success and was enjoyed by
We want to perform at our best every time. Whether it’s a Mass, concert or incidental.
Lumina Choir was lauded by Belmont parish priest Fr Michael Rowe for their ability and grasp of heritage.
all. “We hope to have more concerts in the future, perhaps three per year with afternoon tea,” he said. “Lumina choir is a talented choir of people with a musical background and much ability in the
singing of Church polyphony and music from the Church’s musical heritage.” The Lumina Choir sings regularly at the 9.30am sung Mass at Belmont, as well as at other parish-
es occasionally, including St Mary’s Cathedral. The event raised funds for the St Anne’s music fund, recently established to cover the costs of musical instruments and to eventually
PHOTO: NIGEL CORNELIUS
facilitate the construction of a choir loft. The Lumina Choir will sing at St Anne’s on Palm Sunday and at the Office of Tenebrae on Good Friday.
Canon lawyer charts new course for lay rights By Dennis Sadowski SISTER Kate Kuenstler, a canon lawyer, had finished her talk about the rights of laypeople under Church canons when a man in the audience posed a question: How could he stop the bulldozers from tearing down his beloved church? The question during the 2005 presentation in Ohio shocked Sr Kate, a member of the Poor Handmaids of Christ in Donaldson, Indiana. “I don’t know,” she hesitated. Months later, Sr Kate was confronted with a similar plea, this time from a woman in New York. That’s when she began to connect the premise of her presentations with parishioner desires to keep their churches open. A former marriage tribunal judge, catechist and schoolteacher, Sr Kate, 63, delved deeply into canon law. The more she read, the more she understood the steps required to suppress, or close, a parish. She began to see that bishops did not always follow canon law or were unaware of canons governing closures. She made sure to cite the canons at issue in parishioner appeals to Vatican officials. Sr Kate’s work quickly gained international attention, especially as Vatican officials upheld appeals based on her judiciously crafted arguments. Her efforts on behalf of Cleveland parishioners in particular have been studied by canon lawyers and laypeople concerned about closings. Last March, the Congregation for Clergy ruled that Cleveland Bishop Lennon did not follow proper procedures in suppressing 11 parishes and instructed him to
reopen them. All the parishes are now open. Sr Kate practises canon law in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. What’s your background? I’m a farm girl from Wendelin, Illinois. I became an aspirant at 13. I’m now in my 44th year of religious life. Love every minute of it! In 1989, while director of a diocesan Catholic education office, my community leadership asked me to study canon law to the doctoral level. The community wanted to place sisters in areas of influence. I was the first person they asked to consider study to the doctoral level and they asked me to study canon law. I finished my studies in Rome in 1995, and then worked as a tribunal judge for 11 years. In the meantime, I was invited to speak around the US on the rights of the laity found in canon law “Book 2: People of God”. People responded to that because no one had ever explained those rights to them. How does canon law empower laypeople? If you look at Canon 212, it says not only is it a right, it’s a duty for the laity to tell their bishops, their sacred pastors, what their needs are, especially their spiritual needs, what their desires are, and to give their opinion on matters for the good of the Church. Why become an advocate for laypeople’s rights? I caught on fire reading canon law. As I worked with the laity, I was meeting fabulous people. There are thousands of committed laypeople who have faith beyond belief, who are the foundation of the Church. They are the Church, not an institution.
So a bishop must consult with the presbyteral council when a closing is first considered? That’s right. When things are done for the good of the people, when there is a rationale that people understand, closing’s OK. But when you do things that challenge the soul of the people, it’s problematic.
Sister Kate Kuenstler, pictured in Cleveland in 2012, is a member of Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ and a canon lawyer who has assisted parishioners around the US in appealing parish closings. Her work has resulted in the Vatican’s reversal of parish suppressions in Cleveland, and elsewhere. PHOTO: DENIS SADOWSKI
How did you come to work on parish closings? In 2006, I resigned as a tribunal judge. I was trying to figure out what else I could do as a canon lawyer. A month later I got a phone call from a lady who asked me if I could help her save her church (St Mary Church, Jamesville, NY). I had no idea how to do that, but I told her I would help in any way I could. The process took a long time. We presented documents to the Vatican. We lost at the Congregation for Clergy. But this parish wanted to appeal to the Apostolic Signature. That case was the first case presented by laypeople to save their church that got a full hearing. For a long time, we didn’t know where it was in the system. In 2011, parishioners won the case. On August 15, they
had the first Mass in their church since 2007. So this area of canon law is evolving? Yes. Why would canon law not be followed when closing a parish? They didn’t know. Closing churches was new for them. Canon law explains that a parish is intended for the salvation of souls and while there are people in the parish, it’s assumed the parish will continue. A grave reason is required to relegate a church building to secular use. They (bishops) ran it (the closing) by their presbyteral council (as canon law requires), but only after the fact. That’s not the intent of canon law.
Some dioceses are considering another round of downsizing. The consequence of their initial decisions is not being talked about. When the bishop closes parishes, funnels people into one church building with one priest and provides no other assistance, the pastor now has more Masses, funerals, weddings. The priest has more hospitals and homebound people to visit. The school can be at another site, so children have no access to Mass at the parish church or to the priest. These priests are having physical breakdowns. Why is it important for laypeople to have a voice? It is their right. It’s as simple as that. The Church gives them this right as a part of the understanding of who and what Church is. The laity are the bedrock of the Church. They are the ones who live within the structure bishops make. They have the right to their opinion and their opinion is an educated one because they live it. What is sad is for the most part the laity don’t know this. But people are telling each other. There are more people watching the Cleveland situation than Cleveland ever dreamed. People see it is possible to reopen their church. - CNS
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VISTA
therecord.com.au
March 20, 2013
VISTA
therecord.com.au March 20, 2013
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It's not about the numbers
Just 100 students strong, Sydney's Campion College is unique on the Australian Catholic tertiary education scene in its focus on offering a liberal arts education, writes Matthew Biddle. But despite its size, Australia's littlest university has a big vision.
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XFORD. Cambridge. Harvard. Yale. Campion. It’s a bold, ambitious goal, but Campion College in Sydney believes it can, and will, become Australia’s equivalent of some of the world’s greatest universities. And how exactly does it plan to achieve this? By focusing on an education in the liberal arts, a time-honoured discipline of studies that has as its ideal the education of the whole person. Courses of studies in the liberal arts have existed for hundreds of years, primarily in Europe and in the United States. The latter still has more than 250 liberal arts colleges and universities. Some of the world’s greatest thinkers, such as St Thomas Aquinas, Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton, studied liberal arts. Even the recently elected Pope Francis completed a liberal arts degree in Chile before entering the seminary. The only college or university that offers a liberal arts degree in Australia, Campion College was established in 2006 in the suburb of Old Toongabbie in Sydney’s West. Despite still being in its infancy as an institution, there’s already a growing shift in Australia towards the type of education offered at Campion. In 2008, one of Australia’s premier tertiary institutions, Melbourne University, made world headlines when it decided to implement a more thorough educational model now known as the ‘Melbourne Curriculum’. Breaking with its own 155-year tradition, the university radically altered its academic offerings in an attempt to provide a broader education. Prior to 2008, the university offered 96 undergraduate degrees. There are now just six core disciplines for Melbourne students to choose from, before specialising in their chosen field in postgraduate courses. By making the change, Melbourne University acknowledged the necessity for the sort of education provided by Campion, according to College president Ryan Messmore. “Here’s one of the most renowned, well-respected universities in Australia saying, ‘Look, we need to change the way that we’re educating people because we’re not grounding them in the core tools of thinking and learning,’” he said. “It’s acknowledging that students today, in order to get a true education, need to be trained in these foundational subjects.” Dr Messmore says Campion is unique as a higher education provider. “We don’t narrow the field of study as other institutions do,” he asserts. “We rather approach our curriculum in terms of teaching students how to think, how to write well, how to communicate well and how to problem solve. We view those as the core pillars of an education. A lot of other Catholic universities are offering degrees, but Campion is really offering true education.” Dr Messmore believes most Australian universities mistakenly view education’s purpose as mere job training. “Campion is revolutionising education in Australia,” he said. “Too many students look upon a tertiary degree just as a passport to personal privilege, but that kind of approach is far too narrow and unfulfilling.” The Bishop of the Parramatta diocese in which Campion College is situated, Anthony Fisher OP, agrees. “The tradition of the liberal arts is apt to help students be 'educated for eternity' and is something far more important than a career,” he said. “Catholics believe in the unity of truth … Campion’s offering of an integrated tertiary degree that exposes students to theology, philosophy, literature, history and other disciplines – and their interconnectedness – enables students to appreciate this unity of truth.”
Perth's Silvana Scarfe, left, graduated from Campion in 2012 and found the experience richly rewarding. The boutique university which focuses on liberal arts in order to educate the whole person opened for business in 2006 and offers its small student body an intense focus in areas such as theology, philosophy, literature and history. Its vision is to increase to approximately 400 students, turning out highly skilled, well-grounded graduates who can make a difference to society. Among the unique experiences on offer to students is the occasional dinner at home with Campion President Ryan Messmore, his wife Karin and their family. The campus, below, was previously a Marist seminary. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED
The new president He’s the tall, young, charismatic American who has brought a new-found energy to Campion College. Dr Ryan Messmore may have only been in charge for a few months, but his vision for the college has impressed many. A convert from Protestantism, Dr Messmore took over as president at the end of 2012, replacing the renowned Latin-scholar, Dr David Daintree. The 38-year-old has a rich intellectual background. He received Master’s degrees from Duke Divinity School in theological studies and from Cambridge University in philosophy, before completing his doctorate in political philosophy at Oxford. Along with his wife, Karin, Dr Messmore set up the Trinity Forum Academy in Maryland, where he served as director between 2000 and 2006. Before moving to Australia in August 2012, Dr Messmore was part of the Heritage Foundation – an influential think tank based in Washington. His first contact with Campion came in 2011 when he visited Brisbane, where he met James Power Jnr, the son of the College’s co-founder. “He told us about the vision of Campion and we told him about our experience at the Trinity Forum Academy and it became apparent that those visions of a small, Christ-centred learning community were overlapping a
lot,” Dr Messmore recalled. This shared vision eventually led to Dr Messmore’s application and subsequent appointment as College president. He says it’s exciting to be in charge of the College. “It’s a blessing to be involved with an organisation that really has an opportunity to change the culture,” he said. “Campion really has the chance to do something big, to change the way that Australians think about education.” From little things, big things grow In its first year in 2006, Campion College had 14 enrolments. Over the past two years, it has had almost 80 new students enrol, pushing the student body close to 100. It’s been a slow but steady growth, yet Dr Messmore says the size of the College is one of its advantages. “We are intentionally small, because we believe that true education takes place through personal relationships,” he said. “Our size allows our staff, our professors, and even the president, to know every student by name.” The student-staff relationship at Campion is also unique. Many staff members join students at daily Mass, in sporting competitions, and at social functions. Staff and students often eat together during the week, and Dr Messmore says he’s looking forward to having students visit his home to have dinner with his
family. “There’s a unique opportunity undertake further studies, while others here at Campion to have those relation- have gone straight into the workforce. ships,” Dr Messmore said. 2011 graduate Siobhan Reeves began “The students have been very welcom- a Master’s in international relations in ing to me and to my family, and they give 2012, and is currently in Timor Leste us a lot of energy and excitement about (East Timor) assisting with research Campion.” and program analysis at an international One such student is 19-yearold Robert van Gend from “Our students will Toowoomba in Queensland, who be able to exercise a has just started second-year studreflective, responsible ies at Campion. He says the leadership in positions of influence, College has far surpassed his and within a generation we will expectations. “Campion see real cultural change as a met everything I expected, as well result of that.” as adding me to a big new family - Dr Ryan Messmore of the best young President of Campion College people in the country,” he said. “I wanted to learn to think critically and also to learn healthcare NGO. about the roots of the western world. I Miss Reeves said Campion College studied mostly maths and science sub- provided her with the opportunities to jects at high school, so I wanted to delve develop a variety of skills. into the humanities at an institution that “Three years at Campion does change is grounded in the truth.” the way you view the world, and the role Life after a liberal arts degree for that you can play in it,” she said. Campion’s 83 graduates has seen many “It made me eager to seek out ways
in which I could make a positive impact upon the world, no matter how small that impact might be.” 2010 Campion graduate and now strategic relations manager at the College, Michael Mendieta, said the degree in the liberal arts he received has set the stage for a successful career. “Campion provided me with a broad education in history, literature, philosophy, theology and science, giving me the skills to think logically, write persuasively, and research effectively,” he said. Putting faith front and centre Campion College prides itself not only on offering a true education, but also on keeping Christ at the centre of its endeavours. With daily Mass on campus, a chapel that residential students can always access, and numerous devotions such as the Stations of the Cross and the Rosary taking place regularly, Campion has a strong spiritual life. Dr Messmore said being an authentically Catholic institution was a vital part of Campion’s mission.
“Our identity, mission, goals, the decisions we make are all anchored in our Catholic faith,” he said. “Christian truth will guide the way we teach, and the decisions we make, and the goals we set, and it will dictate the rhythm of life here on campus.” As part of the Parramatta diocese, many of Campion’s students are involved in diocesan activities, and several members of the college schola assist the Parramatta Cathedral choir on Sundays. Bishop Fisher said Campion is a valuable part of the diocese. “Campion College has quietly but assuredly created a Catholic intellectual and cultural environment in the heart of my diocese in Western Sydney,” he said. “The presence of an institution in my diocese that aims to prepare students from all across the country – and sometimes overseas – to live life well enough to earn eternal life in Christ contributes to the life of the Church in Western Sydney in intangible but valuable ways.” Dr Messmore said the College staff had an important role to play in the faith formation of the students. “The first day after I took office, I gathered the staff and the faculty together and I told them that we need to model among ourselves what we want our students to do and what we want them to become,” he said. “If we want them to take their faith seriously, they need to see us taking our faith seriously.”
Bishop Fisher said he admires Campion's strong Catholic foundation. “Because of its Catholic ethos, it immerses its students with the long and glorious Catholic liturgical, spiritual and intellectual traditions. This is something for which I am most grateful,” he said. The College community acts virtually like a parish, and several students have embraced religious vocations after their time at Campion. Campion chaplain and theology lecturer, Fr Luke Holohan, says their vocation discernment reflects the College’s desire to see all its students fulfil their God-given purpose in life. “The fact that two students have entered the convent and that another has been accepted into an order for priestly formation says a great deal about the strong spiritual life of the College,” he said. “They found Campion to be the kind of environment that actively fosters such vocations and assists them in their discernment. “It is also obvious that the students here cherish their Catholic faith and want to share it with others.” ‘We can change the culture’ The future may bring many changes to Campion College, but it intends to remain committed to providing an education in the liberal arts. “We may offer postgraduate and Master’s courses in the future … but we will always remain dedicated to the bach-
elor of the liberal arts, which is the bread and butter of why Campion exists,” Dr Messmore said. “We will always safeguard and focus on the core degree that separates us from all other universities in Australia.” The College’s goal to build and then maintain a student body of between 350 and 400 students will be achieved in the near future, Dr Messmore says. “In ten years' time, Campion will have hit the mark of 400 students. We will have new residential facilities, a new library, a new chapel, and an Oxford or Cambridge type of quad constructed on campus,” he said boldly. “We will be producing between 100 and 150 alumni each year who will go out and serve in influential positions in every career field – law, medicine, business, journalism, media, and international relations.” It is this ability to produce future leaders who can be influential in society that excites Campion’s president the most. “Our students will be able to exercise a reflective, responsible leadership in positions of influence, and within a generation we will see real cultural change as a result of that,” he said. It’s a bold dream, but Campion College itself was a bold dream when it began. Time will tell, but if Campion achieves its goals, there is no doubt that Australian culture and society will be far better off for it. m.biddle@therecord.com.au
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March 20, 2013
Mary’s
The contribution of the Marist Brothers to building Catholic culture – especially education – in Western This week’s article is the second in a series looking back over the WA Marist Brothers’ century. BROTHER Sebastian Hayden, who had helped Br Stanislaus to establish SIC in 1913-1916, returned as principal in 1929-31. NZ-born, he was trained in Sydney and spent the rest of his life in Australia. He was a prefect at St Joseph’s and not long afterwards he returned to spend ten years as a tower of strength as a teacher and Master of Discipline. He was in charge of rowing and GPS rugby and St Joseph’s were premiers 1904-07. He taught at St Mary’s 1909-10 and then went to Mittagong where he supervised the construction of the Senior Brothers’ house before going to New Norcia in 1913. His last long appointment after his second period at SIC was to Assumption College, Kilmore where he managed the accounts, the farm, the servants and the material needs of the Brothers and boys. A man of commanding presence and a gifted speaker, he was an adviser to several Provincials. He died at Assumption College at the age of 75 on the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1948. Br Brendan Hill had a distinguished career as principal in various colleges in New Zealand, Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales before he was appointed Provincial in 1925. During his term as Provincial, he opened the Brothers’ first two schools in Queensland and seven others in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. At the end of his term as Provincial he was appointed Principal at SIC from 1932-34. He died in 1962 at the age of 92 after 77 years as a Marist Brother, and was the first Brother buried at Macedon, just 10 miles from his birthplace at Woodend, and later reinterred at Kilmore. Br Placid Gilchrist succeeded Br Brendan from 1935-39. Born in Sydney in 1874, he received the religious habit in 1892. As a young man, he was deeply influenced by Br Stanislaus Healy, the founder of SIC. From 1904 to 1942, this gifted teacher and dedicated Brother was principal of numerous schools in various Australian States. At St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill he worked hard to improve the facilities and to plan for a new chapel. He was known for his kindness, his wisdom and his faith. After his five years at New Norcia, he was put in charge of the Juniorate and the Scholasticate at Mittagong. His final appointment was as Maths teacher at the new Bondi Beach school where he died at the age of 75 at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney. Br Bernard McGann was principal at SIC in 1940 and ’41. Born at Bendigo in 1902, he attended the Juniorate at Hunters Hill from 1916 and received the habit in 1922. He was an exemplary Religious and a skilled teacher. He was among the 1931 group of Brothers allowed to attend Sydney University at night and graduated in Arts in 1934, majoring in English and Latin. As well as New Norcia, he was principal of many schools including Mosman, Kyneton and Shepparton. He was a member of the Melbourne
An icon of the founder of the Marist Brothers, St Marcellin Champagnat, depicting scenes from the French saint’s life.
Provincial Council from 1948-75 and was Province Bursar, in addition to his other duties, for the same period. It was in the area of formation that Br Bernard exercised his greatest influence. He was Director of the Novitiate at Mittagong for 11 years and spent 16 years at Macedon, six as Director and three as Novice Master. He also spent three years at the Scholasticate at Clayton, one as Director. His love of his vocation was a feature of his work in formation. His final two years were spent at Templestowe and Bendigo where
he died in 1987 aged 84. Br Ethelred Ferguson, 1942-47, had a distinguished home and international career with the Marist Brothers and it was said by the Brothers who knew him that if any of them were to be canonised it would probably be Ethelred. Born at Lismore in 1912, he was educated primarily by his mother. He chose to enter the Marist Brothers’ Juniorate at Mittagong in 1925 and was professed in 1930. His teaching appointments took him to Sale 1931, the Juniorate at Mittagong 1933, Darlinghurst 1937,
and Kogarah in 1938 as headmaster at age 26. Another year at the Juniorate preceded his 1942 arrival as principal at SIC at age 30. His generosity, good humour and ability to rise above difficulties (of which there were many in the war years) created a lasting reputation among the students and Old Boys. After New Norcia, his appointment to the Minor Seminary at Springwood (1948-50) allowed him to influence the formation of a number of future priests. After his own Second Novitiate in France in
PHOTO: PUBLIC SOURCE
1953, he became Master of Novices at Mittagong from 1954 to ’62, an appointment which enhanced the honour and affection with which he was regarded in the Sydney Province. After another three years at Kogarah (1963-65), he was sent to Corpus Christi College, London, and then to Fribourg, Switzerland as Master of Second Novices from 1967-74 where he had a big influence on many experienced Brothers on an international scale. From 1975 to 1981 he joined the administrative team at the General
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Men
Other endeavours
Australia over the last 100 years has been extensive, writes Hugh Ryan. House in Rome and the Provincial House in Drummoyne. He moved into the Senior Brothers’ quarters at St Joseph’s in 1981 and died on December 9, 1993, aged 81. Br Lucian Gerber, who succeeded Br Ethelred from 1948-53, was another product of the Brothers’ Bendigo school, after which he went to the Mittagong Juniorate in 1933. After a long stay at Hamilton where he showed remarkable ability in teaching, coaching and organisation, he was appointed principal of North Sydney in 1947. Reorganisation of the Brothers into Sydney and Melbourne Provinces saw Br Lucian assigned to Melbourne and appointed to SIC. After six years there, he became the founding principal of St Joseph’s in Subiaco in 1954. Later, after periods at Camberwell, Sale, Shepparton and Thebarton, he became principal at St John’s, Hawthorn where he took ill. He returned to Bendigo where he died aged 55 in 1972. History was made in 1954 when Br Oliver Clarke became the first SIC Old Boy to be made principal at New Norcia. Denis Austin Clarke was born in Moora in 1914 and lived at Dandaragan where first his mother Mary (for four years) and then his father John (for 10 years) were the teachers in the one-teacher school. Records show that Dandaragan pupils won more State scholarships than any other country school. The family of six boys lived in a small cottage behind the school. In 1928, he went to SIC where he completed his Leaving Certificate and distinguished himself as a fine athlete, captain of the First XVIII, President of the Sodality of Mary, and winner of the Br Stanislaus medal for conduct, study and sport. He was also universally popular. After a year in the Juniorate at Mittagong, he entered the Novitiate, was professed in 1936 and had his post-Novitiate teacher training in 1937. He then spent six years as teacher of the juniors at Mittagong. A long series of appointments as principal began with Rosalie in Queensland in 1943, followed by Ashgrove 1945, Hawthorn ‘47, Griffith ’50, Northam ’53, New Norcia ’54 and Wangaratta ’61. These war and post-war years were hard times for Catholic school principals with the arrival of waves of European migrants and baby boomers crowding the schools affected by a huge backlog of maintenance and no government assistance. Br Oliver showed his own brand of organisation and dedication, bringing leadership, coherence, quality and good humour to the schools and his communities. In 1962, he was appointed to the Provincial Council for 14 years, 12 of them as Vice Provincial. In 1969, he began the Marist Newsletter and stepped down in 1989. In a time when many were coping with changes in religious life, the newsletter was a valued source of information and inspiration. In 1975, he moved to Templestowe where he became the first Province Archivist and set about protecting the Marist story by compiling a treasure trove of wellorganised material for future historians. He also took on gardening
peak of 170 in 1962 in classes up to Junior Certificate, the school doing well in these public examinations and in various sporting competitions. In 1971, the Marist Brothers and the Sisters of St Joseph of the Apparition agreed with the Parish Council to combine their efforts in one fully co-educational school on their two sites under the name St Joseph’s. The Sisters had arrived in WA in 1855 and began teaching at Northam in 1886. At the end of 1982, the Brothers withdrew from Northam. The final community consisted of two SIC Old Boys, Br Denis Tankard (principal) and Br Redmond Casey, with Br Ronald Campbell.
The French town of La Valla, where St Marcellin Champagnat began his first community of religious brother-teachers. PHOTO: PAUL MAUGHAN
and is responsible for the famous rose gardens that adorn the front of the Templestowe Province Centre. In 1995, Br Oliver took an exploratory trip to Darwin. His request to join the Karama community there was granted and he contentedly spent the last 16 years of his long life there. At his funeral on August 9, 2011, his Provincial, Br Julian Casey, recorded that from the age of 60 onwards Br Oliver suffered a number of health conditions – two heart attacks, deafness, diabetes, dermatitis, shingles, inflammatory polyarthritis, stomach haemorrhage and ulcer. “The man who triumphantly overcame all these challenges was of the same clay as the rest of us, but he was of a different mould,” Br Julian said.
The Brothers’ move into the metropolitan area began in 1954 at St Joseph’s in Subiaco. The story of Br Oliver would not be complete without recording that when he went to France for his second novitiate in 1955-56, the man who became acting principal was another famous Old Boy, Br Albertus Sellenger. The son of a WA Police Commissioner, Br Albertus was one of the first students to arrive at the college before classes started in 1913. He joined the Brothers on leaving school and made his first return to SIC under Br Guibertus in mid-1925, remaining through 1926-27. He returned in 1945 and remained continuously until the end of 1961, turning up at Assumption College in 1962. During his long stint at SIC he studied externally with UWA and completed a BA. His extraordinary teaching capacity is revealed by his 1956 program when he taught English, Physics, Maths A, Maths B, Geography and Art to Leaving and 4th Year. Br Albertus died in Mercy Hospital, Melbourne, aged 77, on July 7, 1978, and was buried at Kilmore. The last principal at SIC was Br Oswald Maher who arrived
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in 1956. He took over from Br Oliver in 1960 and saw the college through to its closure and transfer back to the Benedictines in 1964, while some of the community and senior boarders transferred to the new Marist College Churchlands under Br Cletus Read as principal in 1965. Br Oswald’s teaching career with the Brothers began in Forbes in 1947, followed by Kilmore, Bunbury, New Norcia, Hawthorn, Bendigo, Kilmore, North Fitzroy (principal), Glenelg and Mt Gambier (1980) when he was released from the classroom because of ill health. For the next 10 years he was groundsman at Macedon and Templestowe and a keen member of the St Vincent de Paul Society while living in community at Bulleen. In 1998, he went to Milikapti on Melville Island to form a community of two and run the recreation hall. After two years he went to Karama in Darwin, transferred to Bendigo in 2001 and now lives in community in Brisbane. Northam The Marist Brothers began their expansion in WA on February 3, 1948 with the opening of St Paul’s College at Northam. Brothers Bertinus Feehan, principal, and Godric Horgan actually began the school in the parish hall, but on May 17 the school moved to ‘Fermoy’ which was built in 1900 for the Throssell family and later served as a hospital before being renovated to become the Brothers’ residence and school. The 1948 enrolment included Terry Orrel who joined the Marist Brothers and was appointed principal of Newman College from 1985 to 1992. When the Brothers arrived they could not afford a housekeeper, so breakfast was at Fitzmaurice’s over the road; Mrs Tankard made the sandwiches for lunch; and dinner was at Tattersall’s Hotel, hosted by Vin McMullen and his wife. It was a unique expression of a long tradition of people supporting the Marist Brothers in all sorts of ways, beginning back in 1913. Two post-war migrant camps were built in Northam by 1949 and, at the start of 1950, 22 per cent of the enrolments at St Paul’s were migrant children. School numbers continued to grow to a
Bunbury The second expansion was to Bunbury where Br Valentine Flynn and Br Martin Monro opened St Francis Xavier’s College in three classrooms in January 1954. Br David Facci joined them in May. Br Valentine, from Dalwallinu, was a former student of SIC, had taught there from 1941-45 and been foundation principal at Parkes, NSW. Under his inspirational guidance, enrolment at Bunbury had reached 200 in 1958, and there were six Bothers in the expanded community. During 1958 his health declined alarmingly and he died on September 6, 1958. His funeral procession was headed by a police escort and was reputedly the largest in Bunbury’s history. In 1973, St Francis Xavier’s and St Joseph’s, founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1883, amalgamated to form Bunbury Catholic College. At the end of 1985, the Brothers withdrew from Bunbury. Perth The Marist Brothers’ move into the metropolitan area began in 1954 with the opening of St Joseph’s College, Subiaco. Br Lucian Gerber was foundation principal, following six years as principal at New Norcia. The senior students were in First Year and the college grew each year as they progressed to Leaving in 1958. In 1965, the Junior, Fourth Year and Leaving classes moved from Subiaco to the new Marist College built at Churchlands. It was a watershed year because they were joined there by Marist Brothers from New Norcia and about 70 senior boarders who were to complete their education at Churchlands. The Brothers handed St Ildephonsus College back to the Benedictine Community who re-opened it as Salvado College. By 1968 all Marist primary classes were held at Subiaco and secondary at Churchlands. From that point on, the Marist Brothers, the Dominican Sisters at Siena in Doubleview, and the Brigidine Sisters at Floreat and Wembley began a long and careful process of rationalising their educational endeavours, finally arriving at today’s combined coeducational Newman College on three campuses and predominantly under lay administration. Currently, the three campuses are the Marian campus at Floreat for pre-kindergarten to Year 3, Lavalla campus at Churchlands for Years 3-6, and Marcellin campus at Churchlands for Years 7-12.
From 1991-98, Marist Brothers worked at St Cecilia’s College in Port Hedland and with Cambodian refugees in the Port Hedland detention centre. Between 1992 and 2005, four Brothers spent a combined 28 years lecturing in religious education and related matters at Notre Dame University and Edith Cowan University. Br Tony Clark spent 19851988 with the Catholic Education Office developing guidelines for primary religious education and conducting teacher inservice training. From 1991 to 2000, Br Des Crowe was Director of the Maranatha Centre for Adult Faith Formation in Faith and Ministry for the Archdiocese. He was Headmaster of Marist College 1970-71 and Provincial of the Marist Brothers 1983-89. Br Desmond died in Adelaide in November 2009.
Legacy Heading the religious and spiritual legacy of the 100 years of Marist education in WA are one Cardinal, the Most Reverend James Knox, and one Bishop, the Most Reverend Bryan Gallagher. There were 20 men ordained as secular (or diocesan) priests and 11 Religious Order priests, and 47 exstudents became Marist Brothers. The numbers who have made significant contributions to the general community are too numerous to count, but they are to be found in Commonwealth, State and Local Governments, law, medicine, education, industry, commerce, mining, agriculture, fisheries, and the Armed Services, both in war and the intervening periods of peace. The link between the Brothers and their ex-students from all Marist schools is celebrated each year on the Wednesday before Australia Day with 4pm Mass and a barbeque at Newman College, Churchlands.
Stained glass depicts scenes in St Champagnat’s life in a chapel in La Valla. PHOTO: PAUL MAUGHAN
Celebrations The major centenary celebration will be Mass to be concelebrated by Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, fellow bishops and Marist Old Boy priests in St Mary’s Cathedral, Perth at 11am on Saturday, May 25, followed by light refreshments and fellowship in the Cathedral grounds. Past and present staff, students, families, friends and all who have been associated with the Brothers are invited to join this celebration to acknowledge and give thanks for their great contribution to Catholic education in WA. No RSVP is needed. Enq: Kevin Wringe (08 9316 3469). Other functions will be held in Perth, Northam and Bunbury, and a New Norcia residential weekend is planned for October 18-20. n
FUN FAITH With
MARCH 24, 2013 • LUKE 22:14-23:56 • PASSION SUNDAY (PALM SUNDAY)
CROSSWORD
TODAY’S GOSPEL Luke 22:14-23:56
Palm Sunday is the start of Holy Week. On this day, we hear about Jesus and his disciples travelling to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. Jesus rode on a donkey and was welcomed by a big crowd, all waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is the king of Israel!” The leaders in Jerusalem did not like Jesus. They saw how many people were following him and were angry and jealous. During Holy Week, we will celebrate The Last Supper on Holy Thursday and the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday.
DISCIPLES JESUS HOLY ANGRY SUPPER DONKEY Across
____ and jealous.
3. Palm Sunday is the start of ____ Week.
2. Jesus rode on a ____ and was welcomed by a big crowd, all waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is the king of Israel!”
4. The leaders in Jerusalem did not like ____. 6. On this day, we hear about Jesus and his ____ travelling to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. Down 1. They saw how many people were following him and were
WORD SEARCH HOW MANY WORDS FROM THE CROSSWORD CAN YOU FIND?
5. During Holy Week, we will celebrate The Last ____ on Holy Thursday and the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday.
WINNER
SHAKEIRA FERDINAND, AGED 6 SEND YOUR COLOURED IN PICTURE TO THE RECORD AT PO BOX 3075, ADELAIDE TERRACE, PERTH WA 6832 TO BE IN THE RUNNNG TO WIN THIS WEEK’S PRIZE.
“Jesus rode on a donkey and was welcomed by a big crowd, all waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is the king of Israel!”
therecord.com.au March 20, 2013
PROJECT COMPASSION 2013
Rollen, pictured above with her mother, grew up in a small village called Kerenga in the Bena district of the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea.
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PHOTO: FR PHILIP GIBBS
Mercy works by giving hope
Rollen, 24, lives in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Village life is often demanding and, for many years, she desperately wanted to study. At age 17 she was finally able to, and since then, she believes anything is possible.
M
ERCY Wor k s Goroka/Mt Hagen (PNG) is a program of the Sisters of Mercy and supported by Caritas Australia and Mercy Works (Australia). It offers support to all who are vulnerable, with a special focus on young people aged 15 to 25. Sister Maryanne Kolkia RSM, Director of Mercy Works, met Rollen in 2008. “Mercy Works is a place for people to come and share their life journey in different circumstances, and if one person can see the goodness in herself or himself why not others?” asks Sr Maryanne. “I encourage young women and men to see themselves as they are – special and unique. “We all have the freedom and power within ourselves to make a difference in our lives. And while Rollen’s life journey has been filled with challenges, she now believes in herself. All she needed was someone to empower her so she could make good decisions.” Rollen grew up in Kerenga, a small village in the Bena district, Eastern Highlands Province. Her father left to remarry, so Rollen, her mother and two brothers moved in with her mum’s family. Every day, Rollen would look after the goats, care for the vegetable garden and do the housework. But she felt “useless and hopeless”, and desperately wanted more from life. “In 2005, one Tuesday morning, my mother and I were removing pitpit roots [a type of wild cane used to build houses] from the garden. My hands were covered in painful blisters, so I went home,” said Rollen. On her way back to the village, while looking down at her swollen hands, Rollen felt there had to be more to life. Then and there, at the age of 17, she made a life-changing
The Mercy Works program provides awareness and skills training to help families earn an income. Mercy Works helps people like Rollen to microfinance, so her family could assist her with further schooling and studies. PHOTO: MERCY WORKS LT
decision – tomorrow she was going students. After completing Years 7 day, she sat down with the Sisters. to start school. The next morn- and 8, Rollen then completed Year Together, they spoke about probing, she headed to Siokiei Primary 9 at Rintebe Lutheran High School. lems affecting PNG youth such School (for children aged 10 to The following year, on World as poverty, unemployment, HIV/ 17). Shaking AIDS, addiction, high off her nerves, child and maternal Rollen visited “What can I do ... that for them too the star of mortality rates, law the headmaster and order issues, and and told him hope may rise?” - Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi 48 low rates of children that learning was accessing education. one of her greatThey also discussed est desires and she really wanted Environment Day, she volunteered Rollen’s life and what she wanted to start school. The headmaster to plant trees for Mercy Works. for the future. “It was through told her to join Year 7 where she This was Rollen’s first contact with Mercy Works that I’ve become a took a seat alongside the younger the organisation and the following mature woman and able to make
good decisions. When they asked about my future, I told them that my greatest desire was to complete Year 10. They told me about the Flexible Open and Distance Education (FODE) Centre run by the Holy Spirit Sisters. I sat the entry test and was accepted to continue my studies – which I completed.” Mercy Works also identified opportunities for Rollen to learn budget skills so her family could earn an income. This training provided the confidence to sell their home-grown pineapples at the local market. Her mother has since expanded the vegetable garden and cares for poultry too – providing income and food for the family. After graduating from Year 10, Rollen attended St Ann’s Vocational Centre in Simbu and completed a tourism and hospitality course. She also studied subjects such as computing, agriculture, HIV/AIDS and health, and after completing work experience now works in a hotel in Port Moresby. “With a humble heart I would like to acknowledge Mercy Works for their support, encouragement and advice. Thank you to the Australian people for supporting Caritas Australia and Mercy Works.” Your donation to Project Compassion allows Caritas Australia to continue aid and development work reflective of the life of Jesus Christ, and shaped by the tradition of Catholic Social Teaching principles, in over 30 countries around the world.
To donate, support or fundraise for Project Compassion 2013, please visit our website at www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion or phone 1800 024 413.
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OPINION
EDITORIAL
A month when Catholicism shone
T
he events of the last month following Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s shock resignation and then the cardinals meeting in stately conclave to elect the next successor to St Peter unexpectedly shone a spotlight on the Church around the globe, breaking through a narrative about the Catholic Church that has, for the last decade and a half, been often negative. There will always be a negative narrative associated with the Catholic Church given that the Church, as the mystical body of Christ, is the foremost sign of contradiction to the values of the world, but the last decade and a half have often been, in many ways, torrid for Catholics everywhere. As we also know, there is good reason for this. Nevertheless, in an era when the Church is often portrayed as discredited or irrelevant, the events of the last fortnight with the election and then installation of Pope Francis have, in a very real sense, illuminated something which even the most cynical would find difficult to accept or to explain: that despite the scandals, for millions of people around the globe being a member of the Catholic Church is what they want, what they enjoy and what they believe in to the deepest extent of their lives. It is, in other words, the most relevant thing to their lives. In the last week Pope Francis seems to have unwittingly played a large part in this. Or perhaps it is simply a case of good old fashioned divine providence playing its usual largely unsuspected role. Nevertheless, Pope Francis’ natural and informal style, including his departures from established protocol in giving speeches or homilies, his concern for the poor, his ducking out of the Vatican to pay his hotel bill and his obvious desire to connect with ordinary men, women and children wherever he is, have clearly endeared him to large numbers around the globe almost instantly. First impressions do matter. The global coverage of this phenomenon has also been heartening - and not only for Catholics. While the world’s journalists were immersed in the business of covering every aspect of events in Rome - from the circumstances of Pope Emeritus Benedict’s resignation to the speculations about who would be his successor - they have also provided the Church and its members with their own impressive witness to the world. That coverage of the event periodically eclipsed almost everything else over PO Box 3075 the last couple of weeks indiAdelaide Terrace cates that, despite the disPERTH WA 6832 missal of many, the Catholic Church and its spiritual leadership are regarded by almost office@therecord.com.au everyone as the most serious Tel: (08) 9220 5900 and weighty representatives Fax: (08) 9325 4580 of faith in God, both by virtue of sheer numbers and by the astonishing unbroken intellectual, artistic and civilisational tradition stretching over two millennia. Whatever many who are not Catholic or who are dismissive of religion may think, it is impossible to dismiss the Catholic history, contribution and presence in the world. For those around the world who have no particular faith the coverage of the last month conveyed the reality of an institution made up of millions and millions of an extraordinary variety of members and backgrounds for whom faith is the most important basic fact of their daily lives. As the world waited to see who the next Pope would be, the fact that the Catholic Church is truly universal was reflected in the interviews with ordinary Catholics - lay, religious, clergy and hierarchy - conveyed across television screens and the internet on a daily basis. And here was one of the truly remarkable things: over the last month it was often less Pope Emeritus Benedict and the cardinals who were communicating what Catholicism is than the ‘ordinary’ lay Catholics who spoke of their interest in who the next Pope would be and what he would be like - in the process witnessing to those of little or no faith that for people just like themselves believing in Jesus Christ and being part of the Catholic Church are a completely normal and natural thing. In a very real sense the events of the last month have shown how remarkable a thing is the Catholic Church. To faithful Catholics following events over this period there has been another lesson: that Jesus Christ never abandons his flock. In a certain way the astonishing events of 2005 when Pope John Paul II died were brought to mind again, including, as in recent weeks, the remarkable crowds who gathered in Rome to farewell Benedict and to welcome Francis. It is not being obtuse to reflect that the remarkable events of recent weeks, including the now-silent witness of a former Pope who has entered permanent retreat to pray for the Church and the world, are already contributing to the new evangelisation that has been called for and urged by every pontiff of the last half a century. It has been a month when ordinary Catholics showed the world they are proud to be Catholic, that Jesus Christ is always with His Church, that Catholic and Christian faith in the Lord are relevant to the lives of modern men and women everywhere and that members of the Christian faith stand ever-ready to offer a suffering world an answer for the question which is at the heart of every person’s life.
The reality could not be denied by anyone: Elation in Christ and his newly appointed vicar.
THE RECORD
Editorial note: It has been pointed out by a number of people that last week’s Record carried several uses of the title ‘Francis I’ in relation to Pope Francis. From now on, The Record will refer to him simply as ‘Pope Francis.’
therecord.com.au
March 20, 2013
LETTERS
Breath of fresh air has entered our Church A FEW days prior to the election of Pope Francis, an English Loreto Sister wrote a very thoughtful and prescient article on the advantages of a Religious to succeed Pope Benedict. She described the attributes of superiors of religious orders, the advice given them to listen, discern, consult and serve. Then, of course, we got a Jesuit as our new Pope. Her article can be viewed on the British Jesuit webpage. I forwarded the piece to a friend of mine who, in reply, warned me that there were not a few traditionalists who were upset at Pope Francis’ election and referred me to one of their (Latinnamed) websites. There I read a crude and scurrilous complaint of the modus operandi of the former cardinal of Argentina. But then, this tends to happen when a group of people feel more Catholic and correct than the Church. They fear creativity, new methods and policies, and seem to forget that Christ promised to be with his Church always. It was a disgraceful blog, appearing within 12 hours of Pope Francis accepting his election. The site showed a picture taken in Argentina of the Archbishop kneeling to receive blessings from nonCatholics. This evidently causes scandal among some Catholics who describe themselves as traditionalists. We have a Pope, the legitimate and worthy successor of St Peter, the Vicar of Christ, and we need to pray for him for he will have enemies, not only outside the Church but from groups such as the one to which I have referred. A breath of fresh air has entered our Church. And I think we should not be surprised to hear that Pope Francis, if he needs a new shirt or toothbrush, has slipped out the back door and gone downtown to do his own shopping, giving his security people a few headaches. Rosemary Chandler SHELLEY, WA
Let us pray for Pope Francis, for strength I WELCOME the decision of the Cardinals to elect Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new Pope. I confess that I was hoping for a younger successor to Pope Benedict XVI, namely the Patriarch of Venice, Cardinal Francesco Moraglia (current age: 59 years old). I have been concerned about the ability of Pope Francis to carry the awesome burden of the Petrine Ministry, given the fact that the Argentinian Pope is 76 years old. We, the Catholics of Western Australia, must pray for him, asking the Holy Spirit to give him the mental and physical strength to persevere in his vocation as the Vicar of Jesus Christ. I wish His Holiness Pope Francis good health, happiness, peace, and prosperity. Holy and sinless Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and Mother of the Church, pray to God for the Holy Father. Amen. Nigel D’ Cruz BURSWOOD WA
High praise for latenight paper I CONGRATULATE the editor and his staff for the excellent coverage of the election of Pope Francis on Wednesday, March 13. Tuesday is usually the latest deadline day for The Record. To produce an additional nine pages on Pope Francis, with all the essential information, complemented with a very good photographic display and delivered to the parishes so quickly after the event, was a feat worthy of the highest praise. Brian Peachey WOODLANDS WA
Change to family-based taxation system is vital THE WORD ‘economy’ taken from the Greek, means ‘household management’ because the home has
been, and still is for many throughout the world, the centre of life and production in a spirit of sharing and solidarity. It is not simply a commodity, nor an activity of the market. Work is the necessary condition for establishing and maintaining a family, for the learning of the meaning of work, for personal development and in the seeking and keeping of suitable employment. The important connection between the family and work should be promoted by governments by means of a generous taxation system, prividing sufficient income for families to maintain decent living conditions to provide for dependant family members and to allow for savings in order to acquire property as a guarantee of independence, relaxation and unforseen developments of life. Care must be taken to facilitate family life in the free decisions of parents about numbers of children they choose to have and for the mother’s nurturing role. Domestic work done in the family by parents, especially the mother, should be compensated in keeping with work in the paid workplace. Family-based taxation is currently applied in many OECD countries becauswe they all agree that the household and not the individual is the basic unit of society and should be treated as a single unit for taxation purposes. Dr Stephen Smith, lecturer in Accounting at Monash University, recently called for a radical simplification in Australia’s complicated system of family payments and the replacement of our current individual-based tax with and optional family-based system. We should support such policy suggestions as this. Brendan Keogh President, Australian Family Association Bendigo Branch BENDIGO, VIC
Something to say? LETTERS TO THE EDITOR office@therecord.com.au
Another American state drops the ultimate penalty Maryland is now the 18th state in the US to end executions of criminals ... THE US State of Maryland’s House of Delegates passed legislation on March 15 to repeal the state’s death penalty, an act the Maryland Catholic Conference called “a historic moment.” The conference advocates for public policy measures on behalf of the state’s Catholic bishops, who are longtime supporters of repealing the death penalty. The House of Delegates is the equivalent to a lower house in an Australian state parliament such as the Legislative Assembly in WA. The House passed the bill with a vote of 82 to 56. The Senate passed the bill in February. The bill now goes to Governor Martin O’Malley, who has promised to sign it into law. “I applaud the Maryland General Assembly for choosing to meet evil not with evil, but with a justice worthy of our best nature as human beings,” said Baltimore Archbishop William Lori in a statement. Mary Ellen Russell, the conference’s executive director, said in a statement that her organisation is “grateful to the many members of the General Assembly who considered this issue with great delibera-
tion over the last two weeks, and who followed their conscience in supporting repeal and the value of all human life.” Maryland is the 18th state to repeal the death penalty. During floor discussion before the vote, Delegate William Frank told lawmakers that he had been a longtime supporter of the death penalty but changed his mind because of the influence of the Catholic Church.
Delegate Frank told lawmakers he had been a longtime supporter of the death penalty but changed his mind. Also a Catholic, Frank was a member of the Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment, which recommended death penalty repeal in 2009 to the Legislature. He stood with the minority vote. Also on the commission was Baltimore Auxiliary Bishop Denis Madden, a repeal advocate whom
Frank said influenced his decision to change his mind. His newfound position on the death penalty is part of his pro-life view, he said. “The most important and compelling issue for me is to view the issue from a consistently pro-life perspective,” he said. “Those five men on death row, the worst of the worst, are, believe it or not, created in the image and likeness of God.” Bishop Madden praised Frank’s change of thinking, and said he was pleased with the vote outcome. The state’s bishops have worked for repeal for 25 years, he said. “It’s very much needed, and I think it will lift the state,” he said of the passed legislation. “I would hope that more states would undertake this.” After the vote, O’Malley was joined at a news conference by Benjamin Jealous, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and Jane Henderson, executive director of Maryland Citizens Against State Executions. They applauded the Catholic Church for its role in death penalty repeal. - CNS
OPINION
therecord.com.au March 20, 2013
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In our Gethsemane days He’s there
True, there can be moments in our lives when we feel utterly alone and burdened. But Jesus is always there, interceding for us.
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here I sat in my doctor’s office, having just completed my annual physical check-up. At his invitation, I was viewing the screen of his computer monitor, upon which was displayed various vital statistics: blood pressure, height, weight, cholesterol levels, and so forth. For the most part, the report was positive, but in relation to body mass, two words stood out: “Status: Overweight.” Oh, it’s one thing to know it (as if I didn’t); it’s another to see it stated, in black and white, on your medical file. Alas, not unlike many people in the overfed and under-exercised west, I need to lose about 10kg before, medically speaking, I can resume the ever-shrinking (no pun intended) ranks of the ‘normal’. Let us not here delve into a detailed discussion of Deadly Sins (gluttony, sloth) or, for that matter, nutrition, self-discipline and the need for a healthy lifestyle; that can wait for another day. But having pondered the notion
@ Home MARIETTE ULRICH
of “overweight” a bit more deeply, I find that it rings true for many areas of my life. For some weeks now, I have felt burdened and oppressed. I seem to be dealing with too much stress, possibly from too many commitments, and too much “stuff ” - clutter and material possessions, which make it more difficult to keep life organised and home tidy. Despite being “home-based” (where I tutor my children and do my freelance writing), we are very often on the move: meetings, medical appointments, optometrist, dentist, choir practice (two different children’s choirs), music lessons, car repair, grocery shopping, swimming lessons. I have recently bought books on house-cleaning and time/ stress management, but I haven’t
found time to read either one. In other areas of my life, there is Not Enough: not enough prayer, quiet time, gratitude to God for the many gifts and blessings he has bestowed upon me. Not enough time with the kids (fun time, I mean; school time is “business” as it were). Too many days are to be got through and survived, not celebrated with the people I love, and offered to God as an “acceptable sacrifice”. I wonder if it’s just a severe case of Seasonal Affective Disorder (do you have that in Australia? Somehow, I doubt it). You can search it online but basically it means being cranky and depressed because you are living in the dark. My little corner of North America is lurching and skidding its way to the end of one of the longest, coldest, darkest winters on record (global warming? Not in my hemisphere). Spring is scheduled to begin here on March 20; how I hope that Mother Nature and her Lord are in a mood to comply (we’ve
experienced heavy snow in late May, I kid you not). Thank goodness the liturgical calendar is not dependant upon the vagaries of the atmosphere. Easter will come, permission from the weatherman notwithstanding. One of my favourite devotional aids is the series of meditation books titled In Conversation with God by Fr Francis Fernandez. In Volume Two: Lent and Eastertide,
Is it a coincidence that exactly when we need to hear something specific, it somehow seems to appear? he writes: “In our lives there will be moments of spiritual peace and others of more intense struggle, some moments perhaps of darkness and others of profound sorrow, with temptations to discouragement. The sight of Jesus in the Garden
[of Gethsemane] always points to the way we have to proceed—with a persevering and confident prayer.” It’s nothing we haven’t heard before—but isn’t it an odd coincidence that at the very moment one needs to hear something very specific, it somehow appears? Sometimes we feel so burdened by our Gethsemane moments, we forget that we are not there alone (indeed, we have often been asleep, whilst Jesus intercedes on our behalf). Alas, the situation may worsen, as crucifixion inevitably followed for our Lord, but there is nothing for it but to persevere, knowing that he will never leave our side. “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Easter will come and I will sing my Alleluias—rain, shine, or (heaven forbid) heavy snow.
Truth and love get new advocate Who is Jorge Bergoglio? Few in the English speaking world know. Excerpts from a recent book give a glimpse of the man ...
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The future of religion HERE have been worse times for religions than the present. Nonetheless they pulled through. Perhaps nowadays there is a scarcity of religious people, but there were times in the past when there was a scarcity of virtue. There have been corrupt times in the Church … There were very difficult times and nonetheless religion revived. Suddenly there appear people like Teresa of Calcutta who revolutionise the notion of personal dignity, who spend their time … helping people to die. These deeds create mysticism and renew the religious sense. In the history of the Catholic Church, the true renovators are the saints. They are the true reformers, the ones who change, transform, lead and revive spiritual paths. Another example: Francis of Assisi, who introduced a new attitude towards poverty in Christianity when faced with the luxury, pride and vanity of the civil and ecclesiastical powers of the time. He introduced a mysticism of poverty, of detachment, and he changed history. Poverty WHEN you pick up a volume of the social teaching of the Church you are amazed at what it condemns. For example, it condemns economic liberalism. Everyone thinks that the Church is against Communism, but it is as opposed to that system as it is to the savage economic liberalism which exists today. That is not Christian either and we cannot accept it. We have to search for equality of opportunities and rights, to fight for social benefits, a dignified retirement, holidays, rest, freedom for trade unions. All of these issues create social justice. There should be no have-nots and I want to emphasise that the worst wretchedness is not to be able to earn your bread, not to have the dignity of work. Globalisation IF WE think of globalisation as a billiard ball, the rich virtues of each culture will be destroyed. The true globalisation which we have to defend is like a polyhedron, in
medicine for terminal cases is not fundamentally in making someone live three days longer or two months longer, but in ensuring that the organism suffers as little as possible. One is not obliged to preserve life with extraordinary means. That can go against the dignity of the person. Euthanasia is something different; it is killing. I believe that nowadays there is a hidden euthanasia: the health services pay up to a certain level of treatment and then they say “may God look after you”. An elderly person is not cared for as he or she ought to be and ends up on a scrap heap. Sometimes the patient is deprived of medicine and ordinary care and that kills them ... In Catholic moral teaching, no one is obliged to use extraordinary means to get better. We are talking about hanging onto a life which one knows is no longer a life. As long as recovery is possible, we do all that we can. But it is proper to use extraordinary means only if there is some hope of recovery.
which everyone fits, but each one keeps their particular characteristics, which, at the same time, enrich the others. Same-sex marriage THERE have always been homosexuals. The island of Lesbos is known as a place where homosexual women lived. But never in history has anyone sought to give it the same status as marriage. Whether it was tolerated or not, whether it was admired or not, no one regarded it as equivalent. We know that in moments of great change, the phenomenon of homosexuality increased. But this is the first time that anyone posed the legal possibility of equating it with
marriage. I regard it as a retrograde step, anthropologically speaking. I am saying this because it transcends the religious question; it is an anthropological one. If a union is private, no third parties or society are affected. But now that it has been given the status of marriage and given facilities for adoption, children will be affected. Everyone needs a masculine father and a feminine mother to help them shape their identity. Euthanasia CATHOLIC morality says that one must do what is needed, the ordinary things, for someone whose life is drawing to a close. Quality of life should be assured. The power of
The elderly IN OUR society we used to speak of the oppressors and the oppressed. As time passed, we realised that this framework was inadequate and we had to add another, those who are included and those who are excluded. Today, things have become much worse and we need to add another framework: those who are needed and those who aren’t. In a culture driven by consumerism, hedonism and narcissism, we have become used to looking upon people as useless ... God must love old age a lot because someone who treats his parents respectfully is heaped with blessings. At 74, I am about to enter old age and I’m not reluctant. I am getting ready for it and I want to be vintage wine, not sour wine. The bitterness of an old man is the worst of all, because it is beyond the point of no return. An old man is called to peace, to tranquillity. I ask this grace for myself. Abortion THE MORAL problem of abortion is of a pre-religious nature because the genetic code is written
in a person at the moment of conception. A human being is there. I separate the topic of abortion from any specifically religious notions. It is a scientific problem. Not to allow the further development of a being which already has all the genetic code of a human being is not ethical. The right to life is the first among human rights. To abort a child is to kill someone who cannot defend himself. Hope YOU CANNOT acquire the virtue of hope by yourself; the Lord must give it to you. But another thing is how we use it, administer it, accept it ... The way we look at it, hope is one of the three theological virtues, along with faith and charity. We normally give more importance to faith and charity. However, hope is what structures our path in life. One danger is that we fall in love with the path and lose sight of the goal; another danger is quietism: to be looking at the goal and doing nothing on the path. Christianity has experienced times when there were powerful quietist movements. These go against the commandment of God which says that we have to transform the world, to work. Science SCIENCE has its own autonomy and it must be respected and encouraged. We should not meddle with scientists’ autonomy. Unless, that is, they step outside the boundaries of their own fields and step into the transcendent. Science is fundamentally a tool for the commandment received from God which says, increase, multiply and dominate the earth. Within its autonomy, science transforms a world without culture into a world with culture. But we must take care. When the autonomy of science is unaware of its own limits and steps out of bounds, its own creation can slip from its hands. This is the story of Frankenstein. - Translation by MercatorNet.
Sobre el Cielo y La Tierra (On Heaven and Earth), a wide-ranging dialogue with Argentinian Rabbi Abraham Skorka on religious and social issue, was published in 2011.
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PANORAMA
SATURDAY, MARCH 23 Lenten Retreat Morning: Dancing into Passover 9.30am-12.30pm at St Catherine’s House of Hospitality, 113 Tyler St, Tuart Hill. With St Mary Magdalene as our guide, contemplation flows into dance. Jesus’ Passover inspires our own. Led by Sr Shelley Barlow RNDM. Enq: 9271 3873. Day of the Unborn Child – 8th Annual Day of Prayer and Remembrance 10am at St Mary’s Cathedral, Perth. Holy Hour followed by holy Mass with Emiterus Archbishop BJ Hickey as principal celebrant. Enq: Pregnancy Assistance 9328 2926.
UPCOMING SUNDAY, MARCH 24 Latin Mass 2pm at Good Shepherd Church, Streich Ave, Kelmscott. Enq: John 9390 6646. TUESDAY, MARCH 26 Lenten Sessions: Spirituality and The Sunday Gospels 7-8pm at St Benedict’s school hall, Alness St, Applecross. Presenter Norma Woodcock. Accreditation recognition by the CEO. Everyone is welcome. Cost: collection. Enq: 9487 1772 or www.normawoodcock.com. THURSDAY, MARCH 28 TO MONDAY, APRIL1 Holy Week Triduum in the Traditional Latin Rite 7pm at St Anne’s Church, 11 Hehir St, Belmont. Mass then Adoration. Good Friday:1.30pmStations of the Cross; 3pm- Our Lord’s Solemn Passion; Holy Saturday Vigil: 7.30pm Vigil of the reading of the 12 prophecies of Easter; 10pm Vigil Ceremonies and First Latin Mass of Easter. Easter Sunday: 7.30, 9.30 and 11.30am – Holy Mass. Easter Monday:10am – Holy Mass. Enq: Fr.Rowe 9444 9604. GOOD FRIDAY, MARCH 29 Desolata Service – Keeping Vigil with Our Blessed Mother 7.30pm at St Denis Parish, cnr Roberts Rd and Osborne St, Joondanna. Bring a photo of any loved ones you may wish to pray for, or a flower to place on the altar at the foot of the Cross of Our Lord. Enq: Fr Peter 9242 2812 or admin@stdenis. com.au. Stations of the Cross - Mount Schoenstatt Grounds 10am at 9 Talus Dr, Mt Richon. Walk an outdoor Way of the Cross with Jesus at a place of grace led by St Francis Xavier Parish. Booklets provided; please come with enclosed shoes and sun protection. Enq: Sr M Rebecca 9399 2349. Good Friday Ceremonies, Bindoon 11am at Catholic Agricultural College, Bindoon. 11am - Stations of the Cross. 2.30pm - Solemn ceremony of the Lord’s Passion. Confessions from 10am-1pm. All welcome.Enq: 9571 8068. Ancient Ceremonies of Tenebrae in Holy Week 7pm at St Anne’s Church, 11 Hehir St, Belmont. Sung Lamentations by Tomas Luis de Victoria (d.1611) at the close of day. Candles are extinguished gradually, commemorating the death of Jesus signifying the setting of the Sun of Justice and the darkness of those who knew not Our Lord. The “Christus Factus Est” was composed by Matteo Asola. Enq: Fr Michael Rowe 9444 9604. GOOD FRIDAY, MARCH 29 TO SATURDAY, APRIL 6 Divine Mercy Chaplet and Novena 3pm at Holy Family Parish, Lot 375 Alcock St, Maddington. Divine Mercy and Novena followed by Good Friday service. March 30 from 2.30-3pm, confessions, followed by Chaplet and Novena with preaching on Divine Mercy and prayers for healing. Enq: 9493 1703. SATURDAY, APRIL 6 Day with Mary 9am at Our Lady of Lourdes, cnr Lesmurdie and Glyde Rds, Lesmurdie. A day of prayer and instructions based on the Fatima messages. 9am video; 10.10am holy Mass; Reconciliation, Procession of the Blessed Sacrament, Eucharistic Adoration, sermons on Eucharist and on Our Lady, Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet and Stations of the Cross. Finish approx 5pm. BYO lunch. Enq – Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate 9250 8286. SUNDAY, APRIL 7 Feast of Divine Mercy Celebrating 21 years of Devotions in the Archdiocese of Perth 1.30pm at St Mary’s Cathedral, Perth. Reconciliation 1.30pm followed by holy Mass at 2.30pm. Main celebrant His Grace Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB and other priests are welcome to concelebrate. 3.30pm Benediction. Concludes with veneration of two first class relics of St Faustina Kowalska. Parking for clergy will be available outside St Mary’s Presbytery. Enq: John 9457 7771. 5th Annual Celebration of the Feast of Divine Mercy 2-6pm at Holy Family Parish, Lot 375 Alcock St, Maddington. 2-3pm Confession followed by procession with Divine Mercy icon, Eucharistic Adoration, Divine Mercy Chaplet and healing prayers. Solemn Feast Mass starts at 5pm. Enq: 9493 1703.
therecord.com.au
March 20, 2013
Feast of Divine Mercy 2pm at All Saints Catholic Church, Greenwood. Begins with prayers, devotions, confessions and novena to St Faustina Kowalska. 3pm - Novena, with Holy Mass to follow. Enq: Charles 0416 226 943.
2pm at St Joseph’s Convent, York St, South Perth. We welcome all who are interested in studying the Rule of St Benedict and its relevance to the everyday life of today for laypeople. Vespers and afternoon tea conclude our meetings. Enq: Secretary 9457 5758.
SATURDAY, APRIL 13 St Padre Pio Prayer Day 8.30am at Infant Jesus Church, Wellington St, Morley. Begins 8.30am with DVD on St Padre Pio in parish centre. 10am – Exposition of Blessed Sacrament, Rosary, Divine Mercy, Silent Adoration and Benediction. 11am - Holy Mass, St Padre Pio Liturgy. Confessions available. 12pm - bring a plate for shared lunch, tea and coffee supplied. Enq: Des 6278 1540.
EVERY FOURTH SUNDAY Shrine Time for Young Adults 18-35 Years 7.30-8.30pm at Schoenstatt Shrine, 9 Talus Dr, Mt Richon; holy hour with prayer, reflection, meditation, praise and worship; followed by a social gathering. Come and pray at a place of grace. Enq: Schoenstatt Sisters 9399 2349.
EVERY THIRD THURSDAY Auslan Café – Sign Language Workshop 12.30pm at St Francis Xavier Emmanuel Centre, 25 Windsor St, Perth. Its Australian Sign Language - Auslan Café is a social setting for anybody who would like to learn or practise Auslan in a relaxing and fun atmosphere. Light lunch provided. Enq: Emma at emmanuelcentre@westnet.com.au.
Holy Hour for Vocations to the Priesthood, Religious Life 2-3pm at Infant Jesus Parish, Wellington St, Morley. Includes Exposition of Blessed Sacrament, silent prayer, scripture, prayers of intercession. Come and pray that those discerning vocations can hear clearly God’s call.
EVERY FRIDAY Eucharistic Adoration at Schoenstatt Shrine 10am at Schoenstatt Shrine, 9 Talus Dr, Mt Richon. Includes holy Mass, Exposition of Blessed Sacrament, silent adoration till 8.15pm. In this Year of Grace, join us in prayer at a place of grace. Enq: Sisters of Schoenstatt 9399 2349.
The Alliance of the Family International Day of Recollection 11am at LJ Goody Bioethics Centre, Jugan St, Glendalough. With Fr Jorge de Chavez, day ends with holy Mass at 3pm. Please bring a plate to share. Enq: Vicky 0400 282 357, Nick 0428 953 471 and John/Joy 9344 2609. SUNDAY, APRIL 14 South African Gospel Choir Fundraising Concert for St Patrick’s York 1.30pm at St Patrick’s Church, South St, York. Tickets $20. Target to raise $12,000 to complete the task as enough has been raised for work to begin soon. Afternoon tea in parish hall. Bookings essential. Enq: Josie 9641 1477 or 0488 064 044 or stpatsyork@westnet.com.au. FRIDAY, APRIL 19 Priestly Ordination of First Malaysian Premonstratensian Canon 7.30pm at the Priory Church of St Joseph, 135 Treasure Rd, Queens Park. Archbishop Costelloe is the main presider. As a sign of ordination of Br Christopher Jacob Lim OPraem, the bestowal of the white biretta will take place at Vespers on Saturday, April 20 at 5.30pm followed by Rev Christopher Lim’s first Thanksgiving Mass at the same church. RSVP 9458 2729 or 9451 5586. St Jerome’s Divine Mercy Prayer Group 5th Anniversary Celebration Mass 2pm to 4pm at St Jerome’s Church, 36 Troode St., Munster. St Jerome’s Divine Mercy Prayer Group invites all Divine Mercy Prayer Groups and everyone to our celebration. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Praise and Worship, followed by Mass, by Fr Varghese Parackal VC and talk on Divine Mercy and Healing. Enq: Connie 0437 803 322. SUNDAY, MAY 5 The 2013 Busselton May Rosary Celebration in honour of Our Lady 12.30pm at Queen of the Holy Rosary Shrine, Bove’s Farm, Roy Rd (off Bussell Hwy), Jindong, Busselton. 12.30pm - hymn singing; 1pm – holy concelebrated Mass led by Fr Tony Chiera. Rosary procession and Benediction following Mass. Afternoon tea provided. Enq: for bus bookings from Perth phone Francis Williams 0404 893 877 or 9459 3873.
REGULAR EVENTS EVERY SUNDAY Gate of Heaven Catholic Radio Join the Franciscans of the Immaculate from 7.309pm on Radio Fremantle 107.9FM for Catholic radio broadcast of EWTN and our own live shows. Enq: radio@ausmaria.com.
Cathedral Cafe Cathedral Cafe is now open every Sunday 9.30am1pm at St Mary’s Cathedral parish centre, downstairs after Mass. Coffee, tea, cakes, sweets, friendship with Cathedral parishioners. Further info: Tammy on smcperthwyd@yahoo.com.au or 0415 370 357. Pilgrim Mass - Shrine of the Virgin of the Revelation 2pm at Shrine, 36 Chittering Rd, Bullsbrook. Commencing with Rosary followed by Benediction. Reconciliation 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 church and shrine open daily between 9am-5pm. Enq Sacri 9447 3292. Praise and Worship 5.30pm at St Denis Parish, cnr Osborne St and Roberts Rd, Joondanna. Followed by 6pm Mass. Enq: Admin admin@stdenis.com.au. EVERY FIRST SUNDAY Singles Prayer and Social Group 7pm at All Saints Chapel, Allendale Sq, 77 St Georges Tce, Perth. Begins with holy hour (Eucharistic Adoration, Rosary and teaching) followed by dinner at local restaurant. Meet new people, pray and socialise with other single men and women. Enq: Veronica 0403 841 202. EVERY SECOND SUNDAY Healing Hour 7-8pm at St Lawrence Parish, Balcatta. Songs of praise and worship, Exposition of Blessed Sacrament and prayers for sick. Enq: Fr Irek Czech SDS or office Tue-Thu, 9am-2.30pm 9344 7066. THIRD SUNDAY OF THE MONTH Oblates of St Benedict’s
EVERY LAST SUNDAY Filipino Mass 3pm at Notre Dame Church, cnr Daley and Wright Sts, Cloverdale. Please bring a plate to share for socialisation after Mass. Enq: Fr Nelson Po 0410 843 412, Elsa 0404 038 483.
LAST MONDAY Be Still in His Presence – Ecumenical Christian Program 7.30-8.45pm at St Swithun Anglican Church, 195 Lesmurdie St, Lesmurdie (hall behind church). Begins with songs of praise and worship, silent time, lectio divina, small group sharing and cuppa. Enq: Lynne 9293 3848 or 0435 252 941.
at a local restaurant, followed at 8pm by a Rosary Cenacle, short talk and refreshments at the church. Great way to meet new people, pray and socialise! Enq: 9444 6131 or st.bernadettesyouth@ gmail.com.
Healing Mass 6pm at Holy Family Parish, Lot 375, Alcock St, Maddington. Begins with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Rosary, Stations of the Cross, Healing Mass followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Enq: admin 9493 1703 or www.vpcp. org.au. EVERY FIRST FRIDAY Mass and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 11am-4pm at Little Sisters of the Poor Chapel, 2 Rawlins St, Glendalough. Exposition of Blessed Sacrament after Mass until 4pm, finishing with Rosary. Enq: Sr Marie MS.Perth@lsp.org.au.
EVERY TUESDAY Novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal 6pm at Pater Noster Church, Marmion and Evershed Sts, Myaree. Mass at 5.30pm followed by Benediction. Enq: John 0408 952 194.
Healing and Anointing Mass 8.45am Pater Noster Church, Evershed St, Myaree. Begins with Reconciliation, then 9am Mass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, anointing of the sick and prayers to St Peregrine. Enq: Joy 9337 7189.
Novena to God the Father 7.30pm at St Joachim’s parish hall, Vic Park. Novena followed by reflection and discussions on forthcoming Sunday Gospel. Enq: Jan 9284 1662.
Catholic Faith Renewal Evening 7.30pm at Sts John and Paul Parish, Pinetree Gully Rd, Willetton. Songs of Praise and Prayer, sharing by a priest, then thanksgiving Mass and light refreshments. Enq: Kathy 9295 0913 or Ann 0412 166 164 or catholicfaithrenewal@gmail.com.
EVERY FIRST TUESDAY Short MMP Cenacle for Priests 2pm at Edel Quinn Centre, 36 Windsor St, East Perth. Enq: Fr Watt 9376 1734. EVERY WEDNESDAY Holy Spirit of Freedom Community 7.30pm at Church of Christ, 111 Stirling St, Perth. We welcome everyone to attend our praise meeting. Enq: 0423 907 869 or hsofperth@gmail.com. Bible Study at Cathedral 6.15pm at St Mary’s Cathedral, Victoria Sq, Perth. Deepen your faith through reading and reflecting on holy Scripture by Fr Jean-Noel Marie. Meeting room beneath Cathedral. Enq: 9223 1372. Holy Hour - Catholic Youth Ministry Mass at 5.30pm and Holy Hour (Adoration) at 6.30pm at Catholic Pastoral Centre, 40A Mary St, Highgate. Enq: www.cym.com or 9422 7912. EVERY FIRST WEDNESDAY Novena to St Mary of the Cross MacKillop 7-7.45pm at Blessed Mary MacKillop Parish, cnr Cassowary Dr and Pelican Pde, Ballajura. Begins with Mass, novena prayers and Benediction. Followed by healing prayers and anointing of the sick. Enq: Madi 9249 9093 or Gerry 0417 187 240. EVERY SECOND WEDNESDAY Chaplets of Divine Mercy 7.30pm at St Thomas More Parish, Dean Rd, Bateman. Accompanied by Exposition, then Benediction. Enq: George 9310 9493 or 6242 0702 (w). EVERY THURSDAY Divine Mercy 11am at Sts John and Paul Church, Pinetree Gully Rd, Willetton. Pray the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy and for consecrated life, especially in our parish. Concludes with veneration of the first class relic of St Faustina. Enq: John 9457 7771. St Mary’s Cathedral Praise Meeting 7.45pm every Thursday at the Legion of Mary’s Edel Quinn Centre, 36 Windsor St, East Perth. Includes praise, song and healing ministry. Enq: Kay 9382 3668 or fmi@flameministries.org. Group Fifty - Charismatic Renewal Group 7.30pm at Redemptorist Monastery, 150 Vincent St, North Perth. Includes prayer, praise and Mass. Enq: Elaine 9440 3661. EVERY FIRST THURSDAY Prayer in Style of Taizé 7.30-8.30pm at Our Lady of Grace Parish, 3 Kitchener St, North Beach. Includes prayer, song and silence in candlelight – symbol of Christ the light of the world. Taizé info: www.taize.fr. Enq: secretary 9448 4888 or 9448 4457. Holy Hour Prayer for Priests 7-8pm at Holy Spirit Parish, 2 Keaney Pl, City Beach. All welcome. Enq: Linda 9341 3079. FIRST AND THIRD THURSDAY Social Dinner (young adults aged up to 35) and Rosary Cenacle 6.30pm at St Bernadette’s Church, 49 Jugan St, Mount Hawthorn. Begins at 6.30pm with dinner
Communion of Reparation All Night Vigils 7pm-1.30am at Corpus Christi Church, Lochee St, Mosman Park or St Gerard Majella Church, cnr Ravenswood Dr/Majella Rd, Westminster (Mirrabooka). Vigils are two Masses, Adoration, Benediction, prayers, Confession in reparation for outrages committed against the United Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Enq: Vicky 0400 282 357; Fr Giosue 9349 2315; John/Joy 9344 2609. Pro-life Witness – Mass and Procession 9.30am at St Brigid’s Parish, cnr Great Northern Hwy and Morrison Rd, Midland. Begins with Mass followed by Rosary procession and prayer vigil at nearby abortion clinic, led by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. Please join us to pray for an end to abortion and the conversion of hearts. Enq: Helen 9402 0349. EVERY SECOND FRIDAY Discover Spirituality of St Francis of Assisi 12pm at St Brigid’s parish centre. The Secular Franciscans of Midland Fraternity have lunch, then 1-3pm meeting. Enq: Antoinette 9297 2314. EVERY FIRST SATURDAY Healing Mass 12.35pm at St Thomas Parish, cnr Melville St and College Rd, Claremont. Spiritual leader Fr Waddell. Enq: Kim 9384 0598, claremont@perthcatholic.org. Vigil for Life – Mass and Procession 8.30am at St Augustine Parish, Gladstone St, Rivervale. Begins with Mass celebrated by Fr Carey, followed by Rosary procession and prayer vigil at nearby abortion clinic. Please join us to pray for the conversion of hearts and an end to abortion. Enq. Helen 9402 0349. EVERY FOURTH SATURDAY Voice of the Voiceless Healing Mass 11.30am at Holy Cross Church, Hamilton Hill. Begins with Songs of Praise, followed by Mass. Please bring a plate to share after Mass. Enq: Frank 9296 7591 or 0408 183 325. EVERY LAST SATURDAY Novena Devotions – Our Lady Vailankanni of Good Health 5pm at Holy Trinity Parish, 8 Burnett St, Embleton. Followed by Mass at 6pm. Enq: George 9272 1379.
GENERAL Free Divine Mercy Image for Parishes High quality oil painting and glossy print – Divine Mercy Promotions. Images of very high quality. For any parish willing to accept and place inside the church. Oil paintings: 160 x 90cm; glossy print - 100 x 60cm. Enq: Irene 9417 3267 (w). Sacred Heart Pioneers Would anyone like to know about the Sacred Heart pioneers? If so, please contact Spiritual Director Fr Doug Harris 9444 6131 or John 9457 7771. St Philomena’s Chapel 3/24 Juna Dr, Malaga. Mass of the day: Mon 6.45am. Vigil Masses: Mon-Fri 4.45pm. Enq: Fr David 9376 1734.
Mary MacKillop Merchandise Available for sale from Mary MacKillop Centre. Enq: Sr Maree 041 4683 926 or 08 9334 0933. Financially Disadvantaged People Requiring Low Care Aged Care Placement The Little Sisters of the Poor community is set in beautiful gardens in the suburb of Glendalough. “Making the elderly happy, that is everything!” St Jeanne Jugan (foundress). Registration and enq: Sr Marie 9443 3155. Is your son or daughter unsure of what to do this year? Suggest a Cert IV course to discern God’s purpose. They will also learn more about the Catholic faith and develop skills in communication and leadership. Acts 2 College of Mission and Evangelisation (National Code 51452).Enq: Jane 9202 6859. AA Alcoholics Anonymous Is alcohol costing you more than just money? Enq: AA 9325 3566. Saints and Sacred Relics Apostolate Invite SSRA Perth invites interested parties, parish priests, leaders of religious communities, lay associations to organise relic visitations to parishes, communities, etc. We have available authenticated relics, mostly first-class, of Catholic saints and blesseds including Sts Mary MacKillop, Padre Pio, Anthony of Padua, Therese of Lisieux, Maximilian Kolbe, Simon Stock and Blessed Pope John Paul II. Free of charge and all welcome. Enq: Giovanny 0478 201 092 or ssra-perth@catholic.org. Enrolments, Year 7, 2014 La Salle College now accepting enrolments for Year 7, 2014. For prospectus and enrolment please contact college reception 9274 6266 or email lasalle@lasalle.wa.edu.au. Acts 2 College, Perth’s Catholic Bible College Is now pleased to be able to offer tax deductibility for donations to the college. If you are looking for an opportunity to help grow the faith of young people and evangelise the next generation of apostles, please contact Jane Borg, Principal at Acts 2 College on 0401 692 690 or principal@ acts2come.wa.edu.au. Divine Mercy Church Pews Would you like to assist, at the same time becoming part of the history of the new Divine Mercy Church in Lower Chittering, by donating a beautifully handcrafted jarrah pew currently under construction, costing only $1,000 each. A beautiful brass plaque with your inscription will be placed at the end of the pew. Please make cheques payable to Divine Mercy Church Building fund and send with inscription to PO Box 8, Bullsbrook WA 6084. Enq: Fr Paul 0427 085 093. Abortion Grief Association Inc A not-for-profit association is looking for premises to establish a Trauma Recovery Centre (pref SOR) in response to increasing demand for our services (ref.www.abortiongrief.asn.au). Enq: Julie (08) 9313 1784. RESOURCE CENTRE FOR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT - 2013 COURSES Resource Centre for Personal Development Holistic Health Seminar The Instinct to Heal Tue 3-4.30pm; RCPD2 Internalise Principles of Successful Relationships and Use Emotional Intelligence and Communication Skills Tue 4.30-6.30pm, 197 High St, Fremantle - Tuesdays 3-4.30pm. Enq: Eva 0409 405 585. Bookings essential. 1) RCPD6 ‘The Cost of Discipleship’ This course combines theology with relationship education and personal/spiritual awareness by teaching self-analysis. 2) ‘The Wounded Heart’ Healing for emotional and sexual abuse promotes healing and understanding for the victim and the offender. Holistic counselling available - http:// members.dodo.com.au/~evalenz/. Religious item donations for Thailand Church Fr Ferdinando Ronconi is the parish priest at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Phuket, Thailand. He is in need of religious items such as Rosaries and holy medals for his local congregation and visitors. If you are able to help, please post items to: PO Box 35, Phuket 83000, Thailand or, if you are on holiday in Phuket, bring your donated items with you to church and stay Continued from Page 18 for Mass! Fr Ferdinando can be contacted on tel: 076 212 266 or 089 912 899 or ronconi.css@ gmail.com. Would You Not Watch One Hour With Me? Perpetual Adoration From Ash Wednesday, 24 hours a day, seven days a week (outside Mass times) at St Jerome’s, Munster. Jesus will be adored in the Blessed Sacrament and this will be the only church in the southern suburbs where there is Perpetual Adoration.We hope we will be able to continue allowing Jesus to be adored day and night as he desires. Enq: Mary 0402 289 418. Art Exhibition and Sale at St Mary’s Cathedral by Margaret Fane After all Easter Masses and the Masses on the weekend of April 14. All proceeds to the Cathedral. Enq: 0432 834 743.
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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, no hidden costs. Ring 9481 4499 for a quote. Check our website on www. excelsettlements.com.au.
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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 www.kinlarvestments.com.au Quality handmade and decorated vestments: albs, stoles, chasubles, altar linen, banners. Ph Vickii on 9402 1318, 0409 114 093 or kinlar.vestments@ gmail.com. MEMENTO CANDLES Personalised candles for Baptism, Wedding, Year 12 Graduations and Absence. Photo and design embedded into candle, creating a great keepsake! Please call Anna: 0402 961 901 or anna77luca@hotmail.com to order a candle or Facebook: Memento Candles.
BOOKBINDING RESTORATION BOOKBINDING and Conservation; General Book Repairs, Bibles, Breviaries and Liturgical. Tel: 0401 941 577. Now servicing the South-West @ Myalup.
SERVICES RURI STUDIO FOR HAIR Vincent and Miki welcome you to their newly opened, international, award-winning salon. Shop 2, 401 Oxford St, Leederville. 9444 3113. Ruri-studio-for-hair@ hotmail.com. BRENDAN HANDYMAN SERVICES Home, building maintenance, repairs and renovations. NOR. Ph 0427 539 588. WRR WEEDS AND PESTS CONTROL Based in Tuart Hill. All aspects of Weeds and Pests control. Fully licensed, insured and guaranteed. Please call Billy 0402 326 637 or 6161 3264 or william.rao@optusnet.com.au BRICK RE-POINTING Ph Nigel 9242 2952. PERROTT PAINTING Pty Ltd For all your residential, commercial painting requirements. Ph Tom Perrott 9444 1200.
FURNITURE REMOVAL ALL AREAS. Competitive rates. Mike Murphy Ph 0416 226 434.
ACCOMMODATION HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION Esperance holiday accommodation, 3-bedroom house, fully furnished. Phone 08 9076 5083. ACCOMMODATION WANTED Mature Age Gentleman, works fulltime at RPH. Surrounding areas near the city. Greg 0413 701 489.
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PILGRIMAGES PILGRIMAGE OF MERCY - Departs May 11, 2013. Fatima/Poland/Czestochowa/ Auschwitz/Divine Mercy/Vilnius Lithuania/Rome/Gennazzano. Fra Elia (Stigmatist) Civitavecchia (miraculous Madonna shrine) Subiaco/Medjugorje five countries. Exceptional value all inclusive $6,890. Fr Bogoni (Spiritual Director), Yolanda 0413 707 707 / Harvest toll free 1800 819 156 - 23 days.
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ACROSS 1 The soldiers put a scarlet one on Jesus (Mt 27:28) 4 He established Notre Dame, Fr Edward ___, CSC 7 Feast in the Diocese of Honolulu 9 Catholic actress Haver 10 NT book 12 ___ of reason 13 Second word of a Latin hymn 14 Enemies of ancient Israel 17 Peter cut this off the soldier of the high priest 18 “…___ lema sabachthani?” (Mk 15:34) 21 Fish part for Jonah 23 She saved Joshua’s spies 24 St Catherine’s town 26 Liturgy 29 “Son of” in Hebrew 30 Bless 33 NT epistle 35 Catechism question: ___ made me? 37 Birds of the air don’t do this (Mt 6:26) 38 Book containing calendar of Masses 40 Catholic dancer and movie star Kelly 41 Forty ___ 42 “Give us ___ day our daily bread” DOWN 2 Ursuline order letters 3 One of the prophets 5 Alpha and ___ 6 Bk of the Pentateuch 7 St ___ de Marillac 8 Bishop saint whose feast day is October 20
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Meeting St. Mark Today opens the theological treasure chest of this Gospel, enabling us to see how Jesus’ suffering and the mystery of the cross can reshape our faith and our lives.
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9 “___ to the World” 10 3D scattered this to the wind 11 “… at the name of Jesus every knee should ___…” (Phil 2:10) 15 “This is the ___ that the Lord has made” 16 It was empty Easter morning 19 Eternal ___ 20 The Archdiocese of Dubuque is here 21 “There is a ___ in Gilead” 22 Breaks the eighth commandment 23 Genesis weather 24 The Dead or the Red 25 At Mass, the entrance prayers or song 27 Biblical occupation 28 The Chosen People 29 “By the sweat of your ___…” (Gen 3:19) 31 Church singers 32 “Gloria in excelsis ___” 34 Long cloak-like vestment 36 OT prophetic book 39 “Agnus ___”
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Catholic Bible DICTIONARY By Scott Hahn RRP: $84.00 More than a generation has passed since the appearance of the last major Catholic Bible dictionary. It has been a fertile generation for biblical scholarship, an eventful time for biblical archaeology, and a fruitful time for the Church’s interpretation of the Bible. It is time for a new resource.
The Rosary Chain of Hope By Fr Benedict J Groeschel, CFR RRP: $31.00 Responding to the Pope’s Apostolic Letter on the Rosary, his five new “Luminous Mysteries”, and declaration of 2003 as “The Year of the Rosary”, Fr Groeschel presents this book of meditations on all 20 mysteries of the Rosary. Drawing on his vast personal experiences as well as the grand traditions of the Church, he
New in stock at The Record bookshop are these beautiful crucifixes made from the wood of St Mary’s Cathedral which is hundreds of years old and filled with history from the conception of St Mary’s Cathedral back in the 19th century. These amazing crucifixes are adorned with the crucified Christ, made of brass. Large: $140 Medium: $90 Small: $75
takes us on a spiritual journey that will inspire us to greater depths of prayer.
Saint Paul
CALLED TO CONVERSION
By Ronald D Witherup RRP: $26.95 “Saint Paul is the most prominent personality of the New Testament, apart from Jesus himself. Thirteen of the twentyseven books of the New Testament bear his name … Around the year AD 35 he had a remarkable experience on the road to Damascus …” — From the Introduction. His tireless preaching and writing, extensive travels and personal sacrifice offer a lasting testament and guide to the Church.
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Special Commemorative foldout for the formal commencement of the papacy of Pope Francis - St Peter's Square, the Vatican, Tuesday, March 19, 2013.
A new beginning Continued from inside pages the whole of creation, to protect each person, especially the poorest, to protect ourselves: this is a service that the Bishop of Rome is called to carry out, yet one to which all of us are called, so that the star of hope will shine brightly.
Let us protect with love all that God has given us! I implore the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul, and Saint Francis, that the Holy Spirit may accompany my ministry, and I ask all of you to pray for me! Amen. SOURCE: VIS
Front and back cover photo: Pope Francis celebrates Mass, above, with cardinal electors in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican on March 14, the day after his election. PHOTO: L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO, CNS
More spectacular photos online For a bird’s eye view of the installation of Pope Francis and his first week as pontiff please visit:
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Inaugural homily
Coat of arms
First glimpses
Caring for creation, for every man and every woman, brings hope to the world. Inside foldout
Pope Francis' coat of arms stretch back to the Gospel and a homily by an English ecclesiastic. Inside foldout
Translations of some of Pope Francis' writings from a 2011 book give a glimpse of the man. Page 17
To protect creation, to protect every man and woman, to look upon them with tenderness ...
and love, opening up a horizon of hope. It is a hope that is built on the rock that is God.
Top: Pope Francis greets a boy after celebrating Mass at St Anne’s Parish on March 17 within the Vatican. Top Centre: Sisters carry an Argentine national flag; a priest wears a sombrero as newly elected Pope Francis leads his first Angelus on March 17 at the Vatican. Right: Pope Francis greets people after celebrating Mass at St Anne’s Parish.
Above: A crowd gathers outside of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 19 as they watch the televised broadcast of the inaugural Mass of Pope Francis. Centre: Pope Francis waves to people in St Peter’s Square as he arrives for his inaugural Mass. Left: A family watches the televised inaugural Mass outside of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
PHOTO: PAUL HARING/ MAX ROSSI, REUTERS/ PAUL HANNA, REUTERS
PHOTOS: ENRIQUE MARCARIAN, REUTERS/ MAX ROSSI, REUTERS/ MARCOS
The coat of arms of Pope Francis borrows much from his former episcopal emblem. On the blue shield is the symbol of the Society of Jesus. Below it is a five-pointed star and the buds of a spikenard flower, which represent respectively Mary and St Joseph. The papal motto is the Latin phrase “Miserando atque eligendo,” which means “because he saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him” or more simply, “having mercy, he called him.” The phrase is based on the Gospel account of “The Call of St Matthew,” the tax collector, in a homily given by St Bede the Venerable. PHOTO: CNS
Here is the edited text of the homily given by Pope Francis at his formal installation in St Peter’s Square on March 19.
D
EAR Brothers and Sisters, I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the patron of the universal Church. It is a significant coincidence, and it is also the name-day of my venerable predecessor: we are close to him with our prayers, full of affection and gratitude ... In the Gospel we heard that ‘Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife’ (Mt 1:24). These words already point to the mission
that God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be the ‘custos’, the protector. The protector of whom? Of Mary and Jesus; but this protection is then extended to the Church, as Blessed John Paul II
“Joseph is a ‘protector’ because he hears God’s voice and follows his will. pointed out: ‘Just as Saint Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model’ (Redemptoris Custos, 1).” How does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly, and
silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand. From the time of his betrothal to Mary until the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment with loving care. As the spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and bad, on the journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful hours when she gave birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt and during the frantic search for their child in the Temple; and later in the day-to-day life of the home of Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught his trade to Jesus. How does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church? By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans and not simply to his own. This is what God asked of David, as we heard in the first reading. God does not want a house built by humans, but faithfulness to his word, to his plan.
It is God himself who builds the house, but from living stones sealed by his Spirit. Joseph is a “protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the heart of the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation! “The vocation of being a ‘protector’,
however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about. It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their children, and children
themselves, in time, protect their parents. It means building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect, and goodness. In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts! “Whenever human beings fail to live up to this responsibility, whenever we fail to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and our hearts are hardened. Tragically, in every period of history there are ‘Herods’ who plot death, wreak havoc, and mar the countenance of men and women. Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political, and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be ‘protectors’ of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany our world’s journey! But to be ‘protectors’, we also have to keep
BRINDICCI, REUTERS
watch over ourselves! Let us not forget that hatred, envy, and pride defile our lives! Being protectors, then, also means keeping watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they are the seat of good and evil intentions: intentions that build up or tear down! We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!” Here I would add one more thing: caring, protecting, demands goodness; it calls for a certain tenderness. In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness! Today, together with the feast of Saint Joseph, we are celebrating the beginning of the ministry of the new Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter, which also involves a certain power. Certainly, Jesus Christ conferred power upon Peter, but what sort of power
was it? Jesus’ three questions to Peter about love are followed by three commands: feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when
“We need to be men and women who bring hope to others, to protect creation ... exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete, and faithful service which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the
weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judgement on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Only those who serve with love are able to protect! In the second reading, Saint Paul speaks of Abraham, who, ‘hoping against hope, believed’ (Rom 4:18). Hoping against hope! Today too, amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others. To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope! For believers, for us Christians, like Abraham, like Saint Joseph, the hope that we bring is set against the horizon of God that has opened up before us in Christ. It is a hope built on the rock that is God. To protect Jesus with Mary, to protect Continued overleaf