General: That the Christians of the
of the
and liturgical traditions of the Oriental Churches.
Missionary: That the Church in America,celebrating the Second American Missionary Congress in Guatemala,may be inspired to more generous evangelising activity even beyond her own frontiers.
"I wish to enlighten my community," says Cardinal Darmaatmadja
Noting the increase of corruption in Indonesia, the Catholic bishops' conference plans to publish a series of guidelines to help Catholics in their electoral choices next year.
At the conclusion of the bishops' assembly last Friday, Cardinal Julius Riyadi Darmaatmadja, president of the episcopate, said that Catholics in the country have a great responsibility in the election of a "clean" government.
"Our country has very serious problems caused by greed and corruption," he said, according to AsiaNews.it. Thus, it is necessary "to stop this behaviour and fight against ambition," the cardinal said.
Cardinal Darmaatmadja, Archbishop of Jakarta, said the Church in Indonesia will soon publish a guide that will recommend the election of candidates known for their integrity and support of social justice.
"I do not wish to meddle in the political freedom of Catholics but as someone with responsibility, I wish to promote a unitary view," the cardinal said.
The "Guide for the Elections" will include an analysis of the fundamental problems of the country in areas such as politics, the economy, external debt and deforestation.
The primary reason for the guide, however, is the increase in corruption, nepotism and perversion of justice.
"The people who hold power also have the money in their hands, while the poor
people die on the streets," Cardinal Darmaatmadja said. "I wish to enlighten my community on the way to exercise their right to vote."
Long listed among the most corrupt countries, Indonesia is preparing for parliamentary elections on April 5, and presidential elections next June or September.
Corruption is also a concern of the Muslims. One month ago, two major Muslim organisations -- the Nahdlatul Ulama and the Muhammadiyah -launched a national campaign against this phenomenon. Cardinal Darmaatmadja praised the initiative and appealed to Catholics to support it.
The University of Notre Dame Australia has announced a restructure of its College of Law with two new appointments and the creation of a new school. The University’s current College of Law Assistant Dean, Associate Professor Mary McComish has been appointed Dean, while Professor Gabriel Moens, Garrick Professor of Law at the University of Queensland will become Assistant Dean and Head of Notre Dame’s new School of International and Postgraduate Legal Education.
“From 2004 our Law College will be
divided into two with the School of Law and the new School of International and Postgraduate Legal Education,” the ViceChancellor, Dr Peter Tannock said.
“The new school, headed by Professor Moens, will aim to attract local and international students in trade and business law and comparative law. It will run the University’s Juris Doctor program and will develop and operate new international and postgraduate law programs, including a Masters of Laws and international exchange programs.”
Dr Tannock said the new school would
provide students with a law education beyond purely domestic law. “We live in a global economy and this new school will train lawyers who will be prepared for this environment,” he said. Associate Professor McComish’s appointment as Dean of the College of Law acknowledged her outstanding work and her association with the University’s College of Law since its inception and her six years as an Assistant Dean. Prior to working at Notre Dame, she was a Lecturer in Commercial Law at the Small Claims Tribunal. She is currently a Commissioner of the
WA Gaming Commission and member of the Burswood Park Board. Professor Moens is currently a Visiting Professor of Law at Loyola University New Orleans School of Law and has an international reputation in such fields as constitutional law, legal philosophy, international trade law and arbitration law. Dr Tannock paid tribute to the University’s former Dean of Law, Professor Greg Craven.
“We were fortunate to have Greg as our Foundation Dean of Law and our Law school enjoyed considerable success under his leadership.” he said.
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Archbishop Barry Hickey, Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton, Bishop Emeritus Peter Quinn, Vicar General Fr Brian O’Loughlin, the Dean of the Cathedral Mgr Thomas McDonald and 26 priests turned out to concelebrate Mass in the Cathedral to mark the first anniversary of the death of Bishop Robert Healy on Tuesday.
Relatives and friends of the late Bishop swelled the usual lunch time congregation. A portrait of Bishop Healy by Fr Patrick Lim, Parish Priest of Thornlie, served as a reminder of the kindly Irishman who gave more than 50 years’ service to the people of Western Australia. The opening words of the first reading, from the Book of Sirach, summed him up: “Behold a great priest who pleased God in his lifetime…”
Archbishop Hickey said the reading from St Matthew’s Gospel in which Jesus warned the Apostles not to be like the Pharisees, hypocritically project-
Colourful pictures have improved The Record. The children enjoy using old copies for classroom activities. I would like some regular suggestions on integrating The Record with topics included in the Religious Education programs used in Catholic Schools.
Philip Haydon, WOODLANDS
ing their own message, not God’s message was appropriate.
“Jesus asked for the complete self-giving which characterised Bishop Healy’s time as Auxiliary Bishop of Perth,” he said. “He lived a life of service, dedication and complete self-giving, working for God and his Church without any trace of hypocrisy or self-seeking.
“He worked under three
I have been a Catholic for about 25 years and I enjoy the articles The Record presents giving accounts of people’s faith journeys. Many of these stories have been very inspiring and have helped to encourage me (and no doubt others) in my faith development. Keep up your good works.
Robyn Brennan BALCATTAArchbishops and all of them commended him for his fidelity, loyalty and hard work.”
While he would be remembered for many things, the three that stood out most were his concern for his fellow priests and the value of the priesthood, his commitment to Catholic education, and his administrative capacity, particularly as chairman of the finance committee.
The Record informs, challenges and entertains readers of all ages. It inspires evangelisation and keeps us up to date with global and local events. I particularly like the movie and book reviews and promotion of adult and youth initiatives. Regular case studies on political party policies affecting our beliefs, would be helpful.
Teresa Millar, NORTH BEACH
■ Fr Wayne Davis, currently Parish Priest of Willetton/Brentwood, has been appointed Parish Priest of Holy Rosary Parish, Nedlands from 26 January 2004. The present parish priest, Mgr James Nestor, will stand down on 25 January 2004.
■ Fr Thomas Pandaraparambil, currently Parish Priest of Maddington, has been appointed Parish Priest of St Pius X Parish, Manning from 26 January 2004. The present parish priest, Fr James Corcoran, will stand down on 25 January 2004.
■ Fr Ossie Lewis, currently Parish Priest of Dianella, has been appointed Parish Priest of St Mary's Parish, Leederville, from 26 January 2004. The present parish priest, Fr Jim Petry, will stand down on 25 January 2004 for other priestly duties.
■ Mgr Peter McCrann will conclude his appointment as Parish Priest of Cottesloe/Swanbourne on 25 January 2004 to take up other administrative and pastoral duties.
■ Fr Don Kettle, currently assistant priest at Rockingham, has been appointed full-time Director of Catholic Youth Ministry from 1 January 2004.
■ Fr Brian Tiernan SAC will conclude his term of appointment as chaplain to the Catholic Aboriginal community on 30 November. Fr Michael McMahon SAC has been appointed to take Fr Tiernan’s place as chaplain from that date. The Catholic Aboriginal Community will be sad to see Fr Tiernan go because of the many wonderful years of service he has given to them. Fr Michael McMahon will be a worthy successor.
The Archbishop joins with the priests and people in thanking these priests for their strong and faithful commitment to their parishes and is sure that they will bring the same pastoral spirit to their new responsibilities.
E x p r e s s i o n s o f i n t e r e s t a r e n o w c a l l e d f o r t h e p a r i s h e s o f
Saints John and Paul, Willetton/Brentwood Holy Family, Maddington
Our Lady's Assumption, Dianella St Mary Star of the Sea, Cottesloe/Swanbourne
Author, Jesuit lawyer and human rights advocate Father Frank Brennan launched his new book “Tampering with Asylum” at Notre Dame University last Thursday night.
Professor Mary McComish who will be taking over from Professor Greg Craven as Dean of Notre Dame’s next year, said the book launch was also intended as a welcome to Fr Brennan who has accepted a teaching post at the University, in 2004.
Close to a hundred people filled Notre Dame’s College of Law main lecture theatre. All available copies of the book sold out on the night, but more are available by order.
Master of Ceremonies
Professor Greg Craven handed the floor to Dr Carmen Lawrence, who opened the launch.
The Federal Member for Fremantle Dr Lawrence said she would be happy if the Labor and Liberal parties could come to an agreement on the issue of asylum seekers, different to the current agreement.
She said the Catholic Church has played a critical role in the treatment of asylum seekers in terms of standards set and providing support to those who have been victims of government policy.
Dr Lawrence spoke of the refugees who were fleeing cir-
cumstances all of us would find intolerable, including poverty and famine. She recounted asking cynical constituents what they would do if their politics or religion put them and their families at risk. Many admitted they would behave in the same way as those seeking asylum.
“Australia is Australia as defined on the day. We have movable borders,” said Dr Lawrence.
She told those assembled she believed the fear of invasion stemmed from our history. It was a fear of being treated in the same way the pioneers’ treated the Aboriginals.
“We need to be a grown up nation,” she said.
Dr Lawrence described Fr Brennan’s book as “…. an intelligent, careful piece of work written with compassion and sensitivity.”
Fr Brennan eloquently recounted recent and past events in the treatment of asylum seekers in Australia. He regularly visits Woomera, Baxter and Port Hedland detention centres. He spoke of the Easter riot at Woomera Detention Centre. After the event, he discovered that the wind had blown tear gas in the direction of children at the centre. A mother showed Fr Brennan her son’s legs after he had been beaten by a guard’s baton. He was covered in bruises.
“I asked myself: How can this happen in Australia?”
He told those assembled “We as a nation have simply got to get past the point of ‘It’s a matter of regret that children are held in detention.”
He denounced the fear that asylum seekers could be terrorists. “We’ve only had one in this
country - Mr Willie Virgile Brigitte, the Al Qaeda operative. Such terrorists always have a visa and fly business class. No terrorist has come in a boat with wife and children and without a visa.
“Now is the time to scrutinise the government’s rationale for treating boat people in such a discriminatory way in the name of national security,” Fr Brennan said.
Fr Brennan has just returned from a study tour. In Geneva, he attended the Executive Meeting of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and met with international NGO refugee officials in Europe and North America. “We should treat refugees as humanely as the US, UK and Europe. “I think it is time to stop tampering with asylum,” Fr Brennan concluded.
Fr Brennan’s book launch began in Canberra on November 5. The tour was scheduled for Melbourne November 19, Adelaide November 20, Brisbane November 25 and Sydney November 26.
To order a copy of the book Tampering with Asylum $30 or another of Fr Brennan’s books Refugee Morality and Public Policy $16.95 (not including postage and handling), contact:
Uniya Jesuit Social Justice Centre PO Box 522 Kings Cross NSW 1340 Australia Tel: 02 9356 3888 Email: info@uniya.org
The patroness of the Archdiocese of Perth – Our Lady, under her title of the Immaculate Conception – will again be honoured this year with the celebration of the annual Solemn Novena at St Mary’s Cathedral.
The novena services will be held each evening from Sunday, 30th November to Monday, 8th December. The time is 7:30 to 8:00 pm each evening, except on Saturday, 6th December, when the service is from 5:30 to 6:00 pm. The last evening’s service on Monday, 8th December (the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception) will be incorporated into a solemn Pontifical Mass celebrated by Archbishop Barry
J Hickey.
Services on the other days will include hymns, prayers, scripture reading, homily, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, following the timehonoured rite of the Novena in honour of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
The Medal depicts the Virgin Mary surrounded by the words, ‘O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.’
Fr Timothy E Deeter, director of liturgy and music at the Cathedral and also a well-known speaker at Marian events, will be the Novena preacher this year. He recently returned from a Marian conference in Los
The Diocese of Broome, Western Australia has immediate vacancies for volunteers to serve on remote Missions and Communities in the Kimberley as:catechists, house parents, farm labourers, handymen, housekeepers, nurses, domestic staff, mechanics, plumbers, carpenters, administrators, bookkeepers, secretaries, general hands, electricians, tutors.
Placements are for a period of twelve months to two years
For further details and an application form please contact:
Bishop Christopher Saunders
Ph:(08) 9192 1060 Fax (08) 9192 2136
email:secretary@broomediocese.org
PO Box 76 Broome WA 6725
Angeles where he addressed 10,000 people. Fr Deeter will focus on themes taken from Pope John Paul II’s recent apostolic letter on the Rosary: (Nov 30) Why the Rosary?; (Dec 1)
The Joyful Mysteries; (Dec 2-6)
The Luminous Mysteries; (Dec 7)
The Sorrowful & Glorious
Mysteries; (Dec 8) Mary, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary. All are invited to join in this annual expression of the Archdiocese’s love for Mary, the Immaculate Mother of God and Patroness of the Church in Perth. For more information, contact St Mary’s Cathedral, 9223 1350.
Chairman of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Migrants and Refugees, Bishop Joseph Grech, said the figures, contained in the department’s annual report, tabled in parliament recently, showed that most boat people coming to Australia were in genuine need of protection.
Immigration Department figures showing that nine out of 10 boat people who made it to Australia’s migration zone were granted temporary protection visas, confirmed the integrity of their claims for asylum, the Catholic Church said.
“These figures confirm that Australia has afforded protection to some of the most desperate people in the world, including women and children, many of whom who have fled the terror of Iraq and Afghanistan,” Bishop Grech said.
“However, the figures do raise questions over the fact that most of these people who are determined to be genuine refugees are only receiving Temporary Protection Visas.”
Bishop Grech said Temporary Protection Visas forced most refugees who arrived by boat to justify their status every three years or face deportation and denied them certain forms of assistance given to other refugees.
“Surely, if a person is determined by due process to have a valid claim as a refugee under the United Nations convention then they deserve full and complete protection. A refugee is a refugee,” he said.
“The high number of genuine refugees arriving by boat also highlights the need for prompt processing of claims, limiting the amount of time these people, who are often already traumatised, are forced to spend in detention.”
Clinical depression is a serious illness that requires medical treatment, but religious assistance can play a key role in recovery, said speakers at a Vatican conference.
Pope John Paul II told participants at the November 13-15 conference that depression is a spiritual trial, and those suffering from the illness should receive special support from their priests and parish communities. “The illness frequently is accompanied by an existential and spiritual crisis that causes one to no longer see the value of living,” he told the gathering sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers.
Dr. Bengt J. Safsten of Sweden’s Uppsala University Hospital said the World Health Organisation estimates that 1 million people will commit suicide this year and that the rate is 60 percent higher than it was 45 years ago.
The Pope told the conference that growing rates of depression around the world are a cause for alarm and indicate that “human, psychological and spiritual fragility” are increased by societal factors, including consumerism and the idea that every desire could and should be satisfied immediately. In caring for people with depression, the important role of family members, ministers and parish communities “consists above all in helping (the patient) recover self-esteem, faith in his own abilities, interest in the future and the desire to live,” the Pope said.
“It is important to extend a hand to the sick, help them perceive the tenderness of God, integrate them in a community of faith and life where they can feel listened to, understood, supported and worthy — in other words, able to love and be loved,” the pope said.
Pope John Paul said reading the Book of Psalms, “in which the sacred author expresses in prayer his joys and anguishes, can be of great help.”
Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, head of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, illustrated expressions of depression and of an even stronger faith found in the psalms.The text of several psalms could be read as “expressions of a depressive state,” with symptoms of sadness, lack of interest, diminished capacity for work, sleep disturbances, loss of weight, sense of guilt, desire to cry and suicidal thoughts, he said.
The cardinal quoted several examples, including Psalm 55: “My heart pounds within me; death’s terrors fall upon me. Fear and trembling overwhelm me; shuddering sweeps over me.” He cited the distressed author of Psalm 102, who wrote: “I am withered, dried up like grass, too wasted to eat my food.”
“It is important to extend a hand to the sick, help them perceive the tenderness of God, integrate them in a community of faith and life where they can feel listened to, understood, supported and worthy — in other words, able to love and be loved,”
At the same time, he said, many psalms exalt the goodness of God and the created world and, in that way, offer a response and a remedy: the conviction that “man is always loved and appreciated by God,” that the world is not hostile but good, and that is it normal to express one’s emotions.
Dr. S. Cervera Enguix, a physi-
cian and professor at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, told the conference that clinical depression is not simply an emotional state of unhappiness or sadness in reaction to difficult situations and events in life.
Unlike normal sadness, clinical depression is not transitory; the patient feels paralysed and loses hope of ever feeling any better, he said. It is not simply an emotional or spiritual imbalance, but often includes biological or chemical imbalances, he said.
While medical treatment is essential, he said, spiritual assistance and family support also are necessary because depression creates a feeling of absolute hopelessness and complete abandonment.
Retired Chilean Cardinal Jorge Medina Estevez told the conference that a spiritual guide could complement the work of therapists by helping the patient
regain a sense of God’s goodness and wisdom, God’s desire for each person to be happy, God’s merciful love demonstrated by the sacrificing of his son for the salvation of all, God’s knowledge of every human limitation and sin and his desire to forgive.
“One who is living the harsh experience of depression needs, from a spiritual point of view, to recover a profound sense of trust in the God who saves and whose grace is powerful enough to overcome the most rending trials,” the cardinal said.
During the three-day conference, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist leaders also emphasised the important role of religious practice and the virtue of hope in helping clinically depressed patients recover.
Dr. Kamel Ajlouni, a Muslim physician in Jordan, told the conference that worship and an attitude of total reliance on God provide protection from depression, as does belief in the hereafter.
Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, told reporters November 12 that the Vatican was discussing the treatment and pastoral care of clinically depressed patients because the illness is striking an increasing number of people around the world.
“They say depression is the principal killer of our age, and I don’t think one should be surprised,” the cardinal said. “Unfortunately, the post-modern culture is a culture empty of values, founded on well-being and pleasure, in which economic profit counts as the supreme goal.”
For all its progress, he said, modern culture has not been able to do away with death. The fact that the Christian faith faces the meaning of life and death and offers transcendent answers means that it also has much to offer about the topic of depression, he said.
The Society of Catholic Teachers Australia invites everyone to participate in their 40 Hour Famine for troubled youth and families, starting on Friday December 12 at 8pm.
The fast finishes on Sunday December 14 at noon.
Participants are asked to pray, fast or do both.
There are three fasting options: bread and water; barley sugar, juices and water; two small snacks with water on Friday and Sunday evening, plus a full meal on Saturday.
Alternatively, people can fast from TV, video games or any other form of entertainment.
Prayers options are: offering a prayer of your choice, attending Mass on December 12-14, praying the rosary, praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet
on each of the three days, one hour Eucharistic Adoration during the Fast or all of the prayer options.
Participants are asked to offer up their fast and or prayers for the needs of troubled youth and their families. The hope is to bring Christ’s healing to the families of the world.
Optional events that are being offered in Perth are: 40 hour Eucharistic Adoration in Belmont Parish, 40 hour Fast Opening Sung Mass in St Bernadette’s Parish, Glendalough and a Fast Breaking Lunch in Hyde Park, Highgate. Both Mass and Adoration begin at 8pm Friday December 12, at their respective parishes.
For further enquiries, contact the WA Communicator on 9328 5043.
Arecent wedding liturgy was followed by a reception at the new Maritime Centre in Fremantle.
Before dinner, everyone was invited to step outside onto the veranda to watch the fiery sun setting into the Indian Ocean. It was better than fireworks!
Someone else who has seen plenty of sunsets in his lifetime –Pope John Paul II – began his address at the General Audience of 8th October this year with this reflection:
The rising of the sun and its setting are special moments of the day. They have an unmistakable character: the joyful beauty of dawn and the triumphal splendour of sunset mark the rhythm of the universe . . . Moreover, the mystery of salvation, which unfolds in history, has moments linked to different phases of time. Therefore, together with the cele-
bration of Lauds (morning prayer) at the beginning of the day, the Church began to celebrate Vespers (evening prayer) as evening fell...
With the coming of darkness, Christians know that God illuminates even the dark night with the splendour of his presence and with the light of his teachings. . . Drawing inspiration from the symbolism of light, the prayer of Vespers developed as an evening sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for the gifts of physical and spiritual light and for the other gifts of creation and redemption .
Continuing the Jewish tradition of lighting lamps and singing hymns and psalms to welcome the evening, Christians have always celebrated the liturgy of Vespers.
In most great cathedrals as well as in monasteries and even many parish churches, this evening sac-
rifice of praise is offered to God. The liturgy consists of a hymn, three psalms, a short scripture reading and response, the Magnificat, prayers of petition, and a concluding Marian antiphon. St Mary’s Cathedral in Perth celebrates Vespers at 4:30 pm on the Sundays of Advent and Lent, as well as some major feasts. St Mary’s is the only Australian cathedral to celebrate Vespers with such frequency. Members of the Cathedral Choir lead the singing, with the congregation provided with a leaflet for their participation. On Gaudete Sunday (the Third Sunday of Advent), the entire Choir will celebrate Solemn Vespers with special music.
All are invited to come to Vespers, which immediately precedes the 5:00 pm Mass in the Cathedral.
— Fr Timothy E DeeterIRVING, Texas (CNS) — An ancient Holy Land burial box with the controversial inscription “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus” may be authentic, Jesuit Father Joseph Fitzmyer, a noted Scripture scholar, said in a lecture at the University of Dallas.
Father Fitzmyer questioned a finding by the Israel Antiquities Authority, a government agency, that the inscription was fake.
The Israeli agency known as the IAA has not to settled the issue, he said on November 8 to nearly 300 people at the university located in Irving.
Father Fitzmyer sided with Andre Lemaire, a Scripture scholar at the Sorbonne University in Paris, in disputing a conclusion by the antiquities authority that the inscription on the burial box, called an ossuary, is a fake.
On June 18, the Israel Antiquities Authority said two archeological committees that it set up concluded that the ossuary was ancient but the inscription fake. The committees’ researchers, through chemical and microscopic analyses, said the inscription cut through the patina, a thin coating acquired with age.
This finding contradicted an earlier conclusion by the Israel Geological Survey that the inscription was authentic.
Father Fitzmyer is an expert in the Aramaic language spoken by Christ and by many first-century Jews and Christians. He is a retired theology professor at The Catholic University of America in Washington.
Lemaire, in an article published in the November/December issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, points out the weakness of the committees that the Israel Antiquities Authority appointed and the way they reached their conclusions, said Father Fitzmyer.
The Jesuit noted that the Israel authority excluded non-Jewish scholars, ignored the finding of the Israel Geological
Survey and did not ask experts gathered in Toronto, where the ossuary was examined recently.
He called for a new, expanded group of scholars to examine the ossuary and the inscription. Father Fitzmyer said that “there is no question that the ossuary is authentic, only whether the writing dates to 60 A.D. or it is wholly or partly faked, and whether the names on it reflect Christian-Jewish history.”
“My area of expertise questions how to interpret the Aramaic,” he said.
Father Fitzmyer said he concludes that the Aramaic word for “brother” used in the inscription does not conclusively prove that Jesus is being referred to as the full brother of James.
He cited differing Eastern and Western traditions in Christianity. Orthodox Christians believe James was the stepbrother of Jesus, Catholics in the West traditionally have believed that James was a cousin of Jesus, and Protestants
today tend to identify James as a full brother of Jesus, he said.
The ossuary’s owner, Oded Golan, was arrested on suspicion of fraud and then released by Israeli authorities in late July.
Golan has not been charged and the jury is still out on whether the ossuary inscription is a forgery, said Father Fitzmyer. Father Fitzmyer was first introduced to the ossuary by Hershel Shanks, editor of the Biblical Archaeology Review. Prior to Golan’s arrest, Father Fitzmyer met him and studied the Aramaic inscription when the ossuary was on display in Toronto.
Father Fitzmyer is a former member of the Vatican’s Pontifical Biblical Commission and assisted in the revision of the Catholic-Lutheran joint declaration on justification that was signed in October 1999.
He also was one of the first Americans to have direct access to the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1957-58.
A stone waterfall in the garden of The Living Centre, in Burswood, bears memorial name plaques and prayers for those who have passed away from HIV/AIDS.
The The Living Centre is an Archdiocesan agency that provides pastoral care to people with the illness and their families. The centre hosted a morning tea for the services that lent their support to its success. Fund for FAITH (Families Affected Infected Through HIV) Chairperson Judge Antoinette Kennedy handed The Living Centre’s Director Mr Chris Conrad a cheque for $1200. All donations mean the centre can continue to do its work. Mr Mervyn Bond is a member of the Knights of the Southern Cross and was a past Committee member of the centre’s management. He said The Living Centre was set up with the support of the Sisters of St John of God. Archbishop Barry Hickey appointed the Committee members.
In 1998, Committee members decided that a separate fund raising body was required for the centre and the Fund for FAITH was set up. Over the last 13 years, $1.5 million has been raised through the fund and donated to the centre. “Some people refer to people with HIV/ AIDS as the ‘lepers of the modern age.’ The Church is doing something about it through this service,” he said.
He said the centre offered non-judgmental support to the 60 to 80 annual clients it assists. Mr Chris Conrad took over the Directorship of the centre this year. As the first non- religious Director of the centre, he said the experience has been a huge learning
curve. One of the challenges has been moving with the advances in the treatment of HIV/AIDS.
“People are not dying of the illness anymore, as Australia is on the cutting edge medically. So we have to ask ourselves, is a centre like this needed, when primarily we provide grief and bereavement support?”
In Mr Conrad’s view, the centre is needed even more so than before. He believes HIV/AIDS has been around so long, people have become desensitised to the seriousness of the illness, and the centre will evolve into an advocacy role. He believes the side effects of the drugs used for treating the illness, are serious enough to warrant support in themselves.
Mr Conrad said the 2004 goals and strategies of the centre would be to be more relevant to the needs of each client. That is, to continue to find ways to treat the individual holistically. He is keen to reach out to young people.
Mr Conrad said “HIV/AIDS is not a homosexual disease.” He is keen to dispel any misconceptions that persist about the illness, as part of the Centre’s ongoing commitment to their client’s sense of worth.
“The Church has a mandate to help others, we’re part of a world community. HIV/AIDS is not delineated by religious boundaries or creeds. So we work across the board,” he said. There are 30 volunteers at the centre. They provide complimentary therapies, computer programs and fellowship. The service depends on the generosity of others.
Judge Kennedy is extending an invitation to a Morning Tea at the Government House Gardens in the presence of Mrs Lorrainne Sanderson, on Wednesday Dec 3, at 10am. Tickets are $30 pp and proceeds go to the centre. Tickets must be paid for by Nov 28, by mail: Secretary FFF, 5 Hayward St, MYRAEE WA 6154 or by credit card tel: 9330 3310.
Fr Peter O’Sullivan died at 7.50am on November 10 in the Catholic Seibo hospital in Tokyo. He had been ailing since July last when he was taken to Asohi hospital in Chiba after contracting pneumonia. During his stay in that hospital the muscles in his throat gradually constricted and he was unable to take any food or drink. In August he was transferred to the Seibo hospital and despite efforts to get him eating again, he was only able to take nourishment intravenously. He gradually grew thin and weaker. He died of cardiac insufficiency.
Pete O’Sullivan was born in Killarney on June 6, 1916, studied at St Peter’s College in Wexford and was ordained there for Perth diocese on June 9, 1940. He first arrived in Japan from Australia in June 1948, along with John McSweeney, Dick Daly and Leo Mohan, all volunteers from Australia. Cardinal Gilroy of Sydney went to Japan after the end of World War Two and met Cardinal Doi of Tokyo, who requested that he send priests to work in Japan. An appeal for volunteers was subsequently made among Australian clergy. Fr O’Sullivan was then a military chaplain in Perth, just finishing his first term and due to go home to Ireland on vacation. He agreed to go to Japan for five years. He arrived in Japan with the Australian military, landed in Kyushu and travelled with them on to Tokyo. He studied Japanese language in Nagano while serving as chaplain there to the Madames of the Sacred Heart. After three months of language study (August –November 1948) he was appointed pastor of Yamanashi and along with Rev John McSweeney, he looked after churches in Kofu and Yamashiro from 1948 until 1953. After vacation in 1953, he returned to Perth and was administrator of Kalgoorlie district from 1954 –1957. He then joined the Society of St Columban in Melbourne and did his Spiritual Year there in 1957-58. In 1959 he returned to Japan as a Columban missionary and spent a short time as curate to Fr Jim Norris in Chigasaki. Later in 1959 he was appointed to Mobara and continued to work in Chiba prefecture until retiring in April 2002.
He was pastor of Mobara from 1959 until 1966 when he was appointed to Togane. He was the first pastor of Togane. The house in Togane was built during his time there (1969-72). He became Area Superior of Chiba and held office from 1969 until 1973. In November of that year he went to Goi and was there until 1985 when he was appointed to Chosi. He worked in Chosi until retiring last year. While in Goi Fr O’Sullivan was instrumental in having a new church and house built and while in Chosi he also had the church and priest’s house rebuilt. During his final years in Chosi, he made the Sunday Mass multi-lingual in an attempt to build one community among foreigners and Japanese Christians. On retiring last year he moved to the Kaijoryo, a centre for mentally handicapped people in Asohi city, near Chosi, and he said Mass for the Catholics there until going to hospital last July. Fr O’Sullivan’s ashes will be interred in the church mausoleum, just outside the city.Pete is survived by nieces and nephews in Kerry and Cork. May he rest in peace.
Sunday on
by Norma Woodcock CHRIST THE KINGAs I read the scriptures for this Sunday, my thoughts go to the rugby World cup and the hype that has accompanied it through the media. We were bombarded with advertisements saying, ‘They are coming, they are coming from all over the world for this spectacular event.’
Then ads about the players and their super hero status, symbols of greatness.
The presale of tickets and the threat of missing out if one didn’t buy, buy, buy now.
We then saw pictures on TV of hordes of people lining up for endless hours to buy what tickets were left. All geared to make one feel that to miss out on this chance of a lifetime would be regretted forever. Then TV coverage of the fans packing the stadium, the excitement and passion captured on their faces.
Don’t misunderstand me, I am a fan of Rugby, my husband played for W.A. and I watched these games when I could.
The point I want to make is this: Are we more exited by world events than we are about the coming of our Lord and his kingdom? Are we apathetic?
On this great feast day of Christ the King, let us look at the readings and ask God to increase our faith so that with passion we can look forward to the day of his coming.
1st reading. Daniel 7: 13-14. ‘And I saw coming on the clouds of heaven one like a son of man …… on him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him.’
We respond in the Responsorial Psalm, Ps 92:12, 5. ‘The Lord is King he is robed in majesty.’
2nd reading. Revelations 1: 5-8. ‘……. It is he who is coming on the clouds; everyone will see him …… ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, ‘says the Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’
The Alpha and the Omega, these express God’s place as the starting – point and the end – point of history, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
The Gospel, John 18: 33-37. Pilate is interrogating Jesus. ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Jesus replies ‘…… Mine is not a kingdom of this world …… yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.’
St. Augustine, Bishop and Doctor says on this scripture. ‘He was King of Israel that he might rule minds, that he might keep us in peace forever, that he might lead those who believe in Him who hope in him, who love him into the kingdom of heaven.That the Son of God therefore, equal to the Father, the Word by whom all things were made, wished to become King of Israel was a favour to us, not an honour to Him; a sign of his mercy, not an increase of His power, for He Who on earth is called the King of the Jews, in heaven is Lord of the Angels.’
At the end of this homily, St. Augustine says, ‘Christ therefore is King of the Jews, but King of those that are Jews by that circumcision which is of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from man, but from God.’
Yes Christ’s kingdom and our kingdom in him is not of this world. It has begun, it is becoming and one day it will come in its fullness.
Let us get excited, for he is coming and unlike the Rugby World Cup that will fade from our memories, here today and gone tomorrow, Christ will come again and his kingdom will last forever. Amen
Norma Woodcock is the Director of The Centre for Catholic Spiritual Development and Prayer. Website: www.normawoodcock.com
One of the foundational thinkers of Western civilisation, St Thomas Aquinas, said some things are always superior to others.
Among the "practical sciences" – like statesmanship, and war -- we judge which stands higher by what its purpose is, St Thomas said.
"Statesmanship commands military art because the efficiency of the fighting services subserves the good of the Commonwealth," he wrote.
A superior activity like statesmanship makes use of armies, as an architect employs tradesman, Aquinas argued.
But though a statesman uses the skills of soldiers, he or she "does not rely on them as though they were in control."
Funny how a writer who lived nearly 800 years ago should so precisely put his finger on exactly what's wrong today.
In Iraq, we've witnessed the stunning application of military power by US and allied forces, removing a powerful regime like Saddam Hussein's in weeks.
Yet the prospect of the defeat of that entire enterprise now looms large. At least, it looms large if the assessment contained in a high-level CIA report leaked in Washington a few days
ago is correct. How could such a reversal be even possible? The answer to that question lies buried in St Thomas's words. Statesmanship is supposed to command military policy. But statesmanship has been virtually non-existent in the declaration and pursuit of this war.
It grows increasingly clear that neither the Australian nor US Governments gave any careful thought beforehand to how they would transform post-Saddam Iraq into a stable democracy.
This represents the kind of failed statesmanship that can, and should make Governments fall. All along, my greatest fear with the Iraq war has been that no-one at the top was doing any serious thinking about this issue – an issue that is today so obviously and compellingly important.
In the months before the war, the machinery of Government in Australia, the United States and Britain was almost entirely absorbed in selling the notion that war was necessary. I have limited contact with that machinery of Government, but the contact I did have in the weeks before the war was initiated was revealing.
As a journalist, I made contact with the media officers of
both Prime Minister Howard and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. I was very concerned that the planned Iraq invasion had not been thought through, as an act of statesmanship.
Neither leader would speak with me, but I managed to fax two questions about the war to the PM, and received a reply.
My questions were: "How confident are you that if Saddam Hussein is removed, the cause of democracy in Iraq will be advanced? What can you say to allay fears that the removal of Saddam may in fact open doors to a more radical and worse regime, perhaps one even more sympathetic to radical Islamists like Osama bin Laden?
Mr Howard replied: "It is premature to speculate about the possible form or complexion of any future government in Iraq. But it is hard to conceive that the people of Iraq could ever have a more despotic ruler than they have now. Saddam’s atrocious human rights record has been condemned by Australia, many other countries, and the UN."
"The Iraqi people will have a better life without the tyranny of Saddam Hussein’s regime. A people more satisfied with their leadership and the quality of their lives
The Commission for Australian Catholic Women has announced it will share the leadership position of Deputy Chairperson among three commissioners.
CACW Chairperson, Mrs Geraldine Hawkes, said the shared leadership model would see Mrs Teresa Lynch take on the role of Deputy Chairperson in 2004, Mrs Joan Hendriks in 2005 and Dr Tracey Rowland in 2006.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the full Commission in the Diocese of Ballarat last week, following the retirement from the Commission of Sr Sonia Wagner sgs.
“To honour the nominations of the three Commissioners who were prepared to take on the commitment, and to enable their gifts to be shared more broadly, all three nominees were invited to share this leadership role over the course of the next three years,” Mrs Hawkes said.
The Commission is an initiative of the Catholic Bishops of Australia in response to the “Woman and Man – One in Christ Jesus” Report on the participation of women in the Church.
Dr Tracey Rowland
“A key focus of the Commission is to establish links with every diocese in the country in order that the work promoting the fuller participation of women may flow across all layers of the life of the Church,” Mrs Hawkes said.
For more information contact CACW Executive Officer Therese Vassarotti on 02 6201 9864 or 0410 409 413.
with Paul Grayare less likely to spawn radical movements.
‘Iraq has a stronger secular tradition than many other Arab countries therefore the likelihood of radical Islamists taking over is less likely.
"Regime change is not the primary goal of Australian policies but, if it is necessary to forcibly disarm Iraq, it is axiomatic that the regime will go."
I have no doubt that the majority of Iraqi people do not support the terrorism that is unfolding in their country today. But I have no doubt, either, that the question of what to do once Saddam Hussein's regime was destroyed was never intelligently thought through by Prime Minister John Howard, President George W. Bush or their respective governments.
It is only in the past few days, for example, that a schedule for holding elections and writing a constitution has been pieced together. And this, only in the crisis atmosphere of a shuttle journey between Baghdad and the White House by US administrator Paul Bremer, a journey undertaken after repeated tragic deaths of US soldiers.
This represents a failure of statesmanship. In the larger scheme of things, that’s even worse than military defeat.
With only 6 weeks to go the States largest charity the St Vincent de Paul Society is concerned that it will not meet its target of $500,000.
To date only a handful of gifts have been received. Last year St Vinnies helped over 36,000 children and this Christmas requires 20,000 gifts and 7,000 hampers to distribute to those in need.
“Every spare dollar that is donated to the Christmas Appeal makes a real difference,” explained Mr Brian Bull, State President.
“I would ask all West Australians to get behind us and help the poor, the lonely, the frail, the vulnerable, those seeking refuge and especially children. Help us through your generous donations make a difference and bring some Christmas cheer into their lives.”
“All the money received through the Christmas Appeal goes directly to those less fortunate, and all donations $2 and over are tax deductible,” he added. Donations can be made by calling 9475 5416
The old joke about television being called a medium because it is neither rare nor well done is not really a joke at all. It is a fair description of the inane assumptions underlying most program production.
Unfortunately, those assumptions are made about the viewing audience – that is, the rest of the population. That leaves us with the serious problem of whether the TV world is really stupid or the rest of us are. Leaving aside the appalling rubbish that is served up as soapies, dramas, sitcoms, and other ‘entertainment’, there could be no better illustration of the emptiness of TV’s view of its audience than last Tuesday night’s national IQ test on Channel 9. The IQ test itself was professionally done and there is little doubt that Swinburne University will make good use of the information it gathers so easily en masse.
The problem is that the producers do not believe we (as audience) could possibly be interested in a national IQ test unless we had a bunch of “celebrities” on hand to take up about a third of the program with inane twittering that contributed absolutely nothing to the program except to make it about an hour longer than it should have been.
The question is: Do the producers have so little faith in the real program that they thought it had to be propped up? Or do
Iagree with your comments on the most recent program of Foreign Correspondent titled Sex and the Holy City. One would expect the ‘holy city’ to be a reference to Jerusalem.
But surprise, surprise, the ABC was once again sniping at the Catholic Church and Rome and our Pope in particular.
The blatant attacks levelled at Catholicism by ‘everybody’s’ ABC seem to be based mainly on unsubstantiated hearsay.
The message being that ‘the church’ has an agenda to spread AIDS throughout Africa. We were not shown the many hospices and hospitals, staffed by Catholic Nuns, where those suffering with AIDS are cared for with love, kindness and dignity until the day they die.
I urge Catholics to write a letter of protest to the ABC.
K Brosnan GeraldtonCongratulations on your comments on the front page and editorial of November 13, I whole heartedly agree that Foreign Correspondent’s report on ’Sex & the Holy City’ was biased against the Catholic Church.
Now I’m just an every day Catholic, but I could see flaws in the documentary from the outset. I wonder why the question wasn’t asked of the Nigerian man how did he contract AIDS in the first place? Was he unfaithful, or perhaps he used a faulty condom.
How honourable of him to now abstain from sexual relations with his wife. What saddened me about the report was that many viewers will not see the flaws and be sucked in to believing the reporter’s angle and condemn the Catholic Church’s teachings.
Joy Stoddart Canning ValeIhesitate to become embroiled in this but after three days of looking at the comment by Peter Rosengren and some of the letters published in the November 13 issue I am compelled to speak out.
POBox 75, Leederville, WA 6902
Tel:(08) 9227 7080, Fax: (08) 9227 7087 cathrec@iinet.net.au
they have so little faith in the rest of the population that they believe we have to be sedated with the gibberish of basically unimportant people we are to be brainwashed into admiring as “celebrities”? Or do they do it to us to keep us drugged on “celebrities” so that we will watch any other rubbish they appear in on the same Channel?
The belief that audiences have to be put into sensory overload because they are not capable or enjoying anything without excessive noise and distraction has prevailed in television for a long time. Apart from the “celebrities” on the IQ show we had the absurdity of a large group of scientists shouting and waving their arms in the air on cue, presumably to feed our addiction to noise and banality.
This same inability to trust ordinary human communication shows up in all sorts of programs, but is particularly conspicuous in science and nature programs, history, art, religion and other moderately serious material. They consistently show meaningless pictures (such as people
driving from A to B) while presenting serious information and simultaneously playing background music or other sounds at greater volume than the information being relayed. This overloads the senses because no one can absorb unrelated pictures and two sources of sound simultaneously, much less process them internally, which is what we need to do to properly enjoy something and learn from it. This is elementary knowledge about human communication. Sensory overload is a simple technique that can be used for hypnosis and for effective psychotherapy even without hypnosis.
It explains why so many people so easily fall asleep in front of television: they go into sensory overload and simply shut down. Alternatively, if the show is really boring, people start thinking about something else and create their own sensory overload and fall asleep. But none of this explains why film makers do these weird things.
There are possible and darker explanations. One of them is that film makers and TV program managers alike do not want people to be taking information seriously or analysing it rationally. They simply want to create impressions, which require only the skills of the craft rather than the rigor of intellect. Film makers thus avoid serious examination, and program managers keep their audience in an uncritical
student groups in Universities, then, were unable to translate that message into reality.
These were the livewires in the parishes and universities, whether in prayer groups, workshops, or what we called Catholic action. Many left their homes and careers to put themselves at the service of the Church, like the African third world.
These young people took the cause of justice and peace to their hearts. They were a new breed of laity, the hope of the Church. And still they had their critics. But, where have they all gone?
state so that the subtle and not-so-subtle deceits of advertising are allowed to pass straight into the subconscious levels of the mind where they have the greatest effect.
It has been said that socialists and capitalists both want to keep the population in an unthinking state: the socialists because they don’t want the people criticising the government, and the capitalists because they don’t want the population to reject the belief that happiness lies in the consumption of a never-ending supply of new goods.
A population that is kept constantly distracted by ever more bizarre entertainment promoting ever more false notions of happiness and achievement will never be able to recognise the source of its personal and social misery. The recent idolatry of Australian Idol suggests that the formula works. The fact that the morning newspaper attached itself to the coat tails of this program and conducted its own meaningless phone polls, which have nothing to do with the outcome, suggests that there is little resistance left in the community.
The man who said that having a TV set in the house is the moral equivalent of having a sewer running through the lounge room was probably right. But how many of us could throw them out? Or turn them off? Or even recognise their excesses?
from young Jing Ping Wong that pornography and degradation of the human body in advertising must not be allowed to subjugate truth in the name of democracy.
Let us move forward hand in hand with the words of wisdom and advice of our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II saying. “Be not afraid.”
The claim that condoms may allow the passage of the HI virus is as much an argument for better condoms and training in their use as it is for faithfulness and abstinence.
The Church’s teaching on this issue is, so far as I am aware, derived from the concept of the value of human life and being open to it at all times.
This surely is the heart of the teaching and needs to be fully explained if it is to be appreciated.
Trying to sustain a moral position on the basis of what is essentially a scientific question demeans the fundamental teachinghowever hard it may be to communicate. Trying to scare people into compliance with Church rules is not the way to go and is in danger of a total loss of credibility.
Joe Goerke LesmurdieRegarding the Cardinal in Rome and the ABC & BBC `Disgrace’ programs; they no longer worry me over much.
What does worry me, as I go hurriedly towards the end of my life, belongs to the vision bequeathed by the Second Vatican Council, and the swiftly changing world in which we live.
I find myself haunted not by ghosts, but by absent friends who believed in, and hoped for, the message of the Council to become living reality.
Many of them became priests in order to see that it did. But also I feel that many young lay men and women in parishes, and
I was around and young when Pope John sent out his clarion call to throw open the windows and let in the fresh air. I can remember that some of the old school - the policy makers in Rome - felt differently: in fact, quite the reverse from Pope John and the Council. And suddenly all the youthful enthusiasm vanished - well, not all, but my goodness, an awful lot!
It seems to me that life at the top is not always right: that there is some clash between the policy-makers and the disappointed enthusiasts of my youth.
The media may not have us all wrong. Perhaps, some priests and bishops of the Church do show an ugly face to the world; that there are such things as clerical indifference, inertia and legalism.
There is much to be disheartened about, especially when bureaucratic power is rated above sensitive service to the poor.
Nevertheless, we should not give up or become disillusioned.
The vision of the bureaucrats differs from that of the enthusiasts: it has always been that way. We live with imperfection, tension and conflict.
These are part of the drama of our lives as they are the life of the Church.
But, could it be otherwise? Were we ever meant to have a perfect Church, when we are far from perfect ourselves?
I don’t think so. But, we are the people of God, however weak and imperfect - and therein lies the answer.
George Russo IlukaIt is shocking when the likes of Live Clothing company can give such a wretched reply to young men and women concerned about abhorrent standards Wake up youths of Australia to the call
Democracy has to be replaced by truth whatever the circumstances in the world and time we live in. In historical terms, there is sufficient evidence in 2003, that led to naked aggression of a nation through democratic blunders.
Tony DeSouza (Aged 70)
Ballajura
Iagree with Noel Bourke (Around the Table, Nov 6) that “Seek Justice” is an appropriate school motto, particularly if taught with Catholic values in mind.
The Columban Centre for Peace, Ecology and Justice makes the distinction between retributive justice and restorative justice in its publication “The Way of Peace” (Issue 7). Retributive justice takes the form of ‘an eye for an eye’, while restorative justice asks what it will take to restore peace.
The pamphlet states that restorative justice is now used in many Australian schools as a model for resolving conflict. Mercy is obviously an important part of restorative justice, but it is not the full picture.
I would suggest to Guy Crouchback that the sacrament of penance is a form of restorative justice where we ask not only for mercy, but seek reconciliation through further thought, word and action.
Ruth SpeldewindeAlbany
I was very disappointed to see the recent very limited coverage that The Record gave Raymond de Souza on the occasion of his receiving the pro-life Michael Bell award from Archbishop Hickey. Indeed, given the pro-life focus of that issue of The Record (13 November 03), it is ironic that the coverage of this award was so brief.
Perhaps you would care to explain your rationale.
G e o f f S t o r e y Hillarys
Virtuous behaviour means more than simply considering “What would Jesus do?” Amore critical question is “What does the Church teach?”By James Toner
In speaking about ethics at schools, churches and colleges, I have learned that we Catholics have a great advantage over secularists in character building-we have a perfect model.
As St. Paul tells us, “have the mind of Christ.” Having the mind of Christ is the essence of Catholic character building: namely, having His attitude in all we think and in all we do.
Jesus condensed ethics into one sentence: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. . . [and] your neighbour as yourself” (Mt 22:37-39).
As we build Catholic character, we do so by taking up our cross and following Christ’s example and commands-the perfect path. But what does all this mean in practice? How do we go about building Catholic character? - The first lesson of virtue is that we become what we do. Aristotle taught that what we do habitually builds us into the kind of person we will be. No one wants to be thought of as a liar or a thief.
But by lying and stealing, we are gradually becoming what we do.
Frank Sinatra had it exactly right: do- bedo-be-do! That is, when we do something, we become that thing, making it easier to do such things again and thus confirming what we are. You shouldn’t lie, not just because it’s wrong, but also because you do not want to become a liar.
I don’t agree that we can condense ethics into the simplistic question what would Jesus do?” It’s not too surprising that people who pose that question often find that Jesus would do exactly what they want to do! For us Catholics, there is a sharper question: “What does the Church teach?”
In all that we do, we are to act “Catholically” (pardon the unusual adverb) because “Faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).
I did it my way
But it’s not easy to act Catholically because all of us are subjected to negative influences and-tempted by sin to prefer
[our] own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings,” as the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches (no. 1783; also see no. 407).
In other words, we tend always to want to do whatever we want to do. Actually, Sinatra had a song about that too: “My Way.” But we are supposed to do things God’s way. For us Catholics, character is faith in action. Character is about doing the right thing for the right reason at the right time. It means doing the right thing when no one is looking and, sometimes more difficult, doing the right thing when everybody is looking.
Some of us, after all, desire human praise more than we want to follow Christ. The very core of sin, we know, is pride and selfindulgence.
The second lesson of virtue is that, to form our Catholic character and conscience, what we do must be based squarely upon what the Church teaches (see Catechism, no. 892), for we are to “think of what is above, not of what is on earth” (Col 3:2).
But how are we to think that way? There is a computer expression: GIGO (“garbage in, garbage out”). If our mental fuel is polluted, our actions will be corrupt. So, good reading, good listening and good watching
(as in TV and movies) is very important. We accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour not just once, but daily.
Conversion commands every day of our lives.
There can, of course, be no closer union with Christ than that of our receiving Himbody, blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist, for “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” (Jn 6:56).
It is by abiding in Christ keeping his commandments that we bear fruit (Jn 1 5:45).
To help us to bear fruit, we have the power of Scripture, the authority of tradition (the doctrine, life and prayer of the Church) and the inspiration of Church teaching (the magisterium).
20/20 religious vision
Imagine a pair of glasses.
The Bible is one lens, tradition is the other, connected by the bridge of Church doctrine.
Through these “glasses” we have corrected vision; we can see 20/20. Virtue is “an habitual and firm disposition to do the good” (Catechism, nc 1803).
We recognise the good through the “glasses” of Church teaching. If we lack virtue, we are, as St. Peter says, “blind and
short sighted” (2 Pt 1:9). When two of the apostles were walking to Emmaus after the Resurrection, Jesus joined them, but they did no “see” Him until He took bread, blessed it, broke it an gave it to them (Lk 24:13-35).
When Christ is our life we have the light we need to see things as they really are.
When we look at a crucifix, do we see there the sacred call to act Catholically? We should for St. Paul tells us that Christ “gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as His own, eager to do what is good’ (Ti 2:1-3).
We know what God has done for us we love God above all else, and we serve Him and our neighbour. Right thinking leads to true belief, which leads to good action, which reinforces our faith, which leads to noble works a virtuous circle.
What we think and how we act should be governed by our Catholic faith, which ought to inform and transform all we say and all we do.
Ac ting Catholically means living a eucharistic life consistent with Christ’s declaration that “whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24). That’s the crux of Catholic character.
Catholic Character is about knowing, loving and serving God and neighbour. The order is important.
If we understand God is love (knowing), then we respond (loving) and begin to act in love (serving).
Knowing God leads us to become fully the people of God, looking out for the true good of others, not just for ourselves.
As Catholic Christians, we believe that we must practise what we preach (Jas 2:17), but we also need to preach what we practise (Acts 4:20).
C a t h o l i c c h a r a c t e r , a t i t s c o r e , i s r e a l l y a b o u t e v a n g e l i s a t i o n , w h i c h m e a n s l i v i n g t h e G o s p e l a n d s e r v i n g a s w i t n e s s e s f o r C h r i s t . T h e b u i l d i n g b l o c k s o f c h a r a c t e r a r e c e n t r e d i n t h e f a m i l y , f o r i t i s t h e r e t h a t e v a n g e l i s a t i o n i s b o r n a n d n u r t u r e d .
As Pope John Paul II put it in his 1990 encyclical Redemptoris Missio (on the permanent validity of the Church’s missionary mandate), the Church’s mission derives not only from the Lord’s mandate but also from the profound demands of God’s life within us – meaning we should be so grateful for what we have received as Catholics that we want to respond by bearing witness to the faith and to the Christian life both to serve our brothers and sisters and because it is the fitting response to God.
The encyclical says lay people should be ever mindful that “they owe their distinguished status not to their own merits but to Christ’s special grace; and if they fail to respond to this grace in thought, word and deed, not only will they not be saved, they will be judged more severely” (no. 11).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us plainly that lay people have a “prophetic mission” to evangelise (no. 905).
Catholic character, at its core, is really
about evangelisation, which means living the Gospel and serving as witnesses for Christ. The building blocks of character are centred in the family, for it is there that evangelisation is born and nurtured.
Jesus himself, after all, was obedient to His holy mother Mary and to His earthly father, Joseph, growing in wisdom and “gaining favour with God and men” (Lk 2:51-52).
In an age of relativism, materialism, occultism and hedonism, being witnesses for Christ requires true moral courage – in word and deed.
“Always preach the Gospel,” said St Francis of Assisi, “using words when necessary.” That is the kind of character to which we aspire.
What we say; what we do; what we love these are the elements of our character. These are the way we follow or fail to follow Christ, who came to give us a life of meaning and a destiny of eternal salvation.
Swirling around us, there are many versions of how we are to live and there are many views of what life itself is all about. St Paul, however, gave us the timeless answer –the one which we gratefully accept as Catholic Christians while struggling in this valley of tears to do the right thing at the right time for the right reason.
St Paul asked himself, “What is life?” His five-word answer captures the essence of what character must always be about for all of us who have the privilege and responsibility of prophetic Catholic witness: “To me, it is Christ” (Phil 1:21).
For in Him is our joy when we’re sad, our direction when we’re confused, our light when we’re in shadow and the source of eternal love among the vagaries of life. In Christ, we find the meaning of our life and the substance of our character.
“Our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.” (1 Jn 3:18).
Here are 10 blocks in the building of Catholic character offered by Robert Bellah in Msgr. David Bohr’s “Catholic Moral Tradition” (Our Sunday Visitor, out of print).
n Loving Parents who provide personal witness to the truths of the faith, recognising that the greatest gift they can give to their children is a happy marriage and “constant courting.” (See the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1656).
n Regular reception of the sacraments, especially including the Sacrament of Penance, which teaches the value of the examined life.
n A family education emphasising both spontaneous and memorised prayer, sacred scripture, sacred tradition and sacred teaching.
n A family emphasis upon service to God and Church, community and neighbour.
n Competent and compassionate priests, teachers and coaches; involvement of the parents in their children’s academic education, including knowing what is being read and taught – and by whom.
n A primary and secondary school education complementing the moral and academic instruction the child receives at home.
n A sustained program of spiritual and moral reading, emphasising classic books of the faith and de-emphasising the secular media.
n An emphasis in the family and in school (especially if a Catholic school) on heroes of the faith, including Mary the Mother of God, the saints, martyrs of the faith and angels.
n A school program of character development, including a code of honour and a code of conduct. If that is impracticable, then a family statement about expectations and standards.
n Education about salvation history, Church history, Australian history and family history. “Finding oneself means finding the story or narrative in terms of which one’s life makes sense.” J.T.
James Toner is Coors Distinguished Chair of Character Development at the US Air Force Academy and author of the forthcoming book “Worthy of Promises: Building Catholic Character”. This article was originally printed in Our Sunday Visitor.
Parents who think their children may have samesex attractions can look for specific signs and seek effective psychological and spiritual treatment for their kids, says an expert in the field.
Father John Harvey, an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales, is founder of Courage, a Catholic apostolate for adults with same-sex attractions, and is co-editor of “Same-Sex Attraction: A Parent’s Guide” Ignatius).
He shared with ZENIT what are the main factors that may contribute to same-sex attractions in children and what parents can do to help their child.
Q : C o u l d y o u b r i e f l y e x p l a i n w h a t a r e t h e r o o t s o f s a m e - s e x a t t r a c t i o n s ?
F a t h e r H a r v e y : There are many roots of same-sex attractions.
From many years of research and pastoral practice I believe that there are four principal factors, which, individually or collectively, contribute to same-sex attractions.
One is the inability of the child to identify with the gender of the same-sex parent. This occurs when the same-sex parent does not make himself or herself psychologically accessible to the child, and in this context child includes adolescents.
In her book “Psychogenesis and the Early Development of Gender Identity,” Elizabeth Moberly explains the need of the child to identify with the same-sex parent. By identifying with his father, a little boy begins the process of achieving masculinity; by identifying with her mother, a little girl begins a similar process toward femininity.
The second factor is an overweening relationship with the opposite-sex parent. For example, a mother of a large family, whose husband was working several jobs, formed an excessively close relationship with her youngest son and confided in him her own dissatisfaction with her husband. She really blocked her son’s access to his father. It must be kept in mind that parents are usually unaware of the harm that
they do to the child.
The third aspect is a failure to identify with members of one’s own sex during childhood and adolescence. A son who has not identified with his father, or even older brothers, will lack confidence in his relationships with other boys in their games. He will tend to spend time with girls as his companions. He tends to avoid team sports games. During adolescence he finds himself yearning to touch other youth, about whom he has erotic fantasies.
Another example is a girl who perceives her mother as weak, because she always gave into her domineering father. The girl tells herself that she is not going to be weak like her mother — she’ll be like her father. She becomes aggressive like him and later feels physically attracted to women.
The fourth contributing factor is emotional and sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence. An example of emotional abuse would be a father who gives special attention to several older sons who excel in team sports, while neglecting the youngest son who does not engage in sports. An example of sexual abuse would be sexual seduction of an adolescent by an adult.
Girls can be emotionally abused in many ways. Some girls are treated as a boy, spending little time with girls and much time with boys in sporting events; other girls are emotionally neg-
Tomboys often grow up very feminine. Perhaps during adolescence the parents may notice that their daughter does not show interest in being with young men, but, on the contrary, spends her time with a few other girls who also are not dating boys. Sometimes she is a loner who spends many hours on the Internet.
In cases of divorce, particularly when the mother makes her daughter her confidante, the young lady will feel no physical attraction to male youth because of her bitter memories toward her father. Sometimes the young woman is frightened by the way her father treated her mother and herself.
Much of this develops at first on the unconscious level. Sometimes youth say that they cannot understand why they have same-sex attractions. I suggest that they see a psychoanalyst to explore their unconscious motivation.
Q : W h a t c a n p a r e n t s d o o n t h e i r o w n t o h e l p t h e i r c h i l d w i t h s a m e - s e x a t t r a c t i o n s ?
F a t h e r H a r v e y : Presupposing that parents notice something wrong in the mood and behaviour of their child, they can encourage their child to spend more time with other children of the same sex.
therapist to help the person both psychologically and spiritually. There are also forms of family therapy in which the therapist will engage the parents as well as the person.
Q : H o w a r e s a m e - s e x a t t r a ct i o n s t r e a t e d a n d o v e r c o m e ? F a t h e r H a r v e y : There are many treatments for same-sex attractions developed over the years. The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality [NARTH] reaches out to the thousands who desire not only to be chaste, but also to recover their natural and Godgiven inclinations as far as possible.
One can choose to develop a life of interior chastity and to use the known means of reducing samesex attractions to the point where they are not obstacles to progress toward union with Jesus Christ. The pioneering work of Leanne Payne and Elizabeth Moberly has influenced hundreds of therapists in the United States in their efforts to help people with samesex attractions.
lected by the father — who is often alcoholic — and witness the father mistreating the mother.
Many girls, in grade school or high school, have suffered sexual abuse, and the trauma turns them away from the male sex. Physical sexual abuse can lead to samesex attractions in youth.
Q
recognise signs in a child indicating future same-sex attractions. I shall give some signs for each sex.
Signs for a boy include a little boy who likes to dress up in girls’ clothes — sometimes this began with the mother dressing him like a little girl.
Other signs are if one son in a family is different from his brothers; if a boy is not involved in sports; if he is a loner who spends endless hours on the Internet; if, as an adolescent, he spends much time with one or two other boys who are also loners; if most of his close friends are girls; if he has feminine mannerisms; if he has a distant relationship with his father; and if he tends to prefer his sisters to his brothers. Very often a child with same-sex attractions is the youngest in a family. It is more difficult to recognise signs of same-sex attractions in girls because the signs are not really visible during childhood.
It is prudent to bring the child to a reliable clinical psychologist, especially if parents see a sudden change of behaviour — school grades dropping, child withdrawn and moody, and so on. Often, the child has been traumatised and is afraid to tell parents, because he is afraid that his mother will not believe him.
For example, a 17-year-old boy became depressed after suffering abuse from a friend of the family. His grades in school dropped. Finally he told his mother. Again, parents should be alert to the dangers of the Internet, particularly when a youngster spends many hours by himself.
Q : W h a t r e s o u r c e s o u t s i d e o f t h e f a m i l y d o y o u r e c o m m e n d f o r t r e a t m e n t o f s a m e - s e x a t t r a c t i o n s ?
F a t h e r H a r v e y : I recommend clinical psychologists and psychiatrists who agree with Catholic teaching that homogenital acts are always seriously immoral in the objective order.
I realise that in many instances, the person with same-sex attractions may be ignorant of Church teachings or may be addicted to sexual behaviour, and consequently not incur the guilt of mortal sin.
I advise the person with presumable same-sex attractions who is under 18 years of age to visit a therapist to see if he really has same-sex attractions. With regard to those over 18 years, I recommend that they find the Courage group located nearest to them.
I also see the necessity for anyone with same-sex attractions to find a spiritual director who can work with a reliable
There is no infallible method that brings people with same-sex attractions out of this condition, but NARTH reports in a recent study that one-third fully recover their natural, heterosexual inclinations; one-third significantly improve; and one-third do not improve at all.
Q : T e e n - a g e r s a r e i n c r e a s i n g l y c o n f r o n t e d i n t h e m e d i a w i t h t h e m e s s a g e t h a t s a m e - s e x r e l at i o n s a r e p e r f e c t l y n o r m a l H o w c a n p a r e n t s d e a l w i t h t h i s p r o bl e m ?
F a t h e r H a r v e y : Not only are teen-agers confronted with this message, but adults and parents as well. Unfortunately, many teenagers and adults — including parents — accept the messages that same-sex attractions are perfectly normal.
It becomes, then, very difficult for parents who believe in the Church’s teaching concerning homosexual behaviour to persuade their teen-age son or daughter — perhaps already brainwashed by the Gay-Straight Alliance — to accept the teaching of the Church.
Perhaps the long-term approach of teaching one’s children over the years the full teaching of the Church on human sexuality is the best way of educating children and preparing them for the battle between the culture and the Church.
One of the institutions most criticised for its role in globalisation, the International Monetary Fund, looks as if it has taken notice of the protests.
In July, Indian-born Raghuram Rajan was appointed as economic counsellor and director of the IMF’s research department. Previously, Rajan was a professor of finance at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.
Earlier this year Rajan published, with colleague Luigi Zingales, a book entitled “Saving Capitalism From the Capitalists.” The book very much favours the free market system but recognises that the growing protests against some of its failings are well founded.
At an October. 24 conference on the legacy of Milton Friedman, Rajan told the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas that the backlash against the free market caused by the continuing anti-globalisation movement has been fortified by a combination of the current economic downturn and recent corporate scandals.
“Many of the people protesting in the streets against globalisation are protesting against capitalism, which they accuse of oppressing workers, exploiting the poor, and making only the rich richer,” he warned. One of the consequences of a growing opposition to free markets was the recent failure of the Cancun meeting of the World Trade Organisation.
In their book, Rajan and Zingales affirmed that the open borders of a globalized world have improved the well-being of many people. Yet, markets also create losers, they added. And “the costs of competition and technological change fall disproportionately on some.”
They argue that it is a mistake to ignore the concerns of the losers.
But they also contend that it would be wrong to forsake the benefits of the free market by only taking into consideration the costs and not to see the future benefits for many of an open economic system.
the open borders of a globalized world have improved the well-being of many people.
Yet, markets also create losers,
The central thesis of the book is that neither the left nor the right has the answer to coping with tensions caused by free markets. The left tends to argue exclusively for greater government intervention, and the right favours free enterprise over what it sees as the inefficiency and corruption of the public sector. Both arguments have elements of truth, state Rajan and Zingales. Yet, “the political stability of markets cannot rest on one-sided ideological prescriptions,” they say. Instead, they favour a “sophisticated system of checks and balances.”
The book focuses primarily on financial markets, a sector long reviled for its alleged immorality. Financiers, they acknowledge, are often held to be leeches or overly powerful, and many works of literature “have financiers occupying a moral space considerably below that of prostitutes.”
Some inherent factors in the financial sector make it insecure: uncertainty over how much an investment will return; bad luck; and dishonesty on the part of some.
In underdeveloped countries the situation is complicated by a lack of competition, which means there are fewer lenders to choose from, and a lack of property rights that often works against the poor who
cannot establish a clear title to their house or land that would in other circumstances serve as collateral for loans.
When structures are underdeveloped, finance tends to benefit the rich, the book observes. The financier will naturally tend to concede loans to people or firms who already have connections and assets, making it difficult for others to get a first step on the ladder of prosperity. But while preferential treatment to those who already are well off is economically rational, note Rajan and Zingales, it is also something to be concerned about. “As a result, the poor are doubly damned, not only because they lose an option but also because their bargaining power when they work for those who have resources is weakened.” As well, when a few control resources they tend to restrict access to economic information and collude to make profits at the expense of the general economy. In fact, the authors observe, many of the evils of capitalism — oppression of workers, cartels, unequal distribution of income — come about when the financial system is underdeveloped and the wealthy are able to successfully bar entry to newcomers.
What is to be done?
The 20th century showed that the solution to these defects does not lie in extending government ownership in the economy. “The socialist economy eventually fails to increase the size of the societal pie or even to redistribute the shrunken remains equitably,” argue Rajan and Zingales. A better answer is to disperse economic power. One of the ways to do this is by expanding access to finance. Risk management, stock markets, derivatives and other instruments are all helpful in reducing risks to investors, thus enabling greater financial flows that benefit an economy. Developed and competitive financial markets also normally oblige companies to divulge more financial information to the public, thus benefiting outsiders who wish to invest.
An important part of improving markets, they continue, lies in ensuring that managers will work to benefit public shareholders, and not loot the companies for their own benefit.
For this to happen governments need to ensure there is a comprehensive body of laws, courts need to be fair and efficient and tax enforcement, which requires disclosure of profits, needs to be effective.
The book also defends the importance of permitting corporate takeovers. Some portray takeovers as part of a culture of greed where financiers act as vultures, picking over companies for their assets. Instead of vultures, the authors pre-
fer to think of takeover merchants as having a role “similar to that of undertakers.” Weeding out underperformers who are wasting shareholder funds enables a process of elimination that in the end will ensure a more productive economy.
Creative destruction
Enabling takeovers does not mean that Rajan and Zingales are in favour of huge, vertically integrated companies. Instead they point out the advantage of competition and promoting smaller, more flexible enterprises. In a telling example, they explain that in the late 1980s
General Motors employed 750,000 workers to make 8 million cars, while Toyota employed only 65,000 to make 4.5 million. Toyota could manage this by relying on independent suppliers.
General Motors had to change its methods, and in 2001 it had only 362,000 employees producing 8.5 million cars.
The upside of this is that the increased pace of technological change, the growth in new firms based on innovation, and the rise in cross-border competition has made the modern economy more dynamic and efficient. The downside is that the concept of a lifetime job is over.
Overall, Rajan and Zingales judge the new entrepreneurial style to be beneficial for workers, as leaner and less hierarchical firms value more highly their human resources. Moreover, skilled workers in the modern economy command better remuneration.
A critical observer could add, however, that they pay insufficient attention to the fate of unskilled workers or to the difficulties of employees (especially older ones) who face frequent job changes.
Regarding open financial markets, the book does note some drawbacks. Increased financial volatility leads to more frequent and more disastrous collapses. Free financial markets have the power to do both great good and great evil, they observe. Moreover, developing countries with weak institutions face substantial risks in opening up their economies.
The book finishes with a number of recommendations ranging from keeping economic power from getting overly concentrated and ensuring it is used efficiently, to improving corporate governance.
They also recommend assistance for workers who lose their jobs through restructuring and improving education and health care in developing countries.
A large gap still exists between the views expressed in this book and the position of many critics of a globalized economic system. But a positive sign is that the IMF is giving an important role to someone who favours the free market even as he recognises its limitations.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- A South African bishop urged governments and businesses to listen to church groups who, in their work with AIDS orphans, "are constantly exposed to the cries of innocent and helpless children." "The toll exacted by sickness and death associated with AIDS could, if not dealt with comprehensively, cause the disintegration of South African society," said Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg. "Global structures are a hindrance to the life of the African child," he said. Bishop Dowling made his remarks November 12 during a conference on caring for orphans and vulnerable children. The conference, organised by the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference AIDS office and the British organisation HopeHIV, was held in Bronkhortspruit, east of Pretoria.
MEXICO CITY (CNS) -The Mexican government has made it easier for public officials to attend religious ceremonies, easing the nation's strict regulations separating church and state. Under an amendment to the Law of Religious Associations, public officials are allowed to attend Sunday Mass and other church services in a private capacity. The amendment stresses that any public servant going to church in an official capacity will be punished accordingly.
If anyone feared a post-25th anniversary slowdown at the Vatican this fall, they should have been around in mid-November.
A month after Pope John Paul II celebrated his silver jubilee, the Vatican was humming with symposiums, study seminars and conferences on such varied topics as genetically modified food and the causes of depression.
The Pope played a marginal role at these gatherings, addressing participants briefly, if at all. But the fact that the Vatican has become an important crossroads of ideas -- scientific, theological and cultural -is a big part of this Pope's legacy.
For example, it was Pope John Paul who established the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers in 1985 and encouraged it to focus on the "emerging illnesses" of modern society.
That led council officials to explore what they saw as an "epidemic" of depression in today's world and to invite more than 600 experts on the illness to a November 13-15 conference at the Vatican.
It was the Pope who, at the beginning of his papacy, beefed up the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and used it to open a deeper dialogue between the church and science.
This November, at the academy's elegant headquarters in the middle of the Vatican Gardens, more than 100 specialists and academy members were discussing two cuttingedge issues: the relationship between mind and brain, and the most recent research on stem-cell therapies.
When Pope John Paul became Pope, the Council for Migrants and Travelers was a small com-
mission linked to another Vatican agency. The Pope made it independent and broadened its activities, aware that global migration was bringing with it a multitude of new problems.
In November, the migrants' council was hosting dozens of experts at a world congress to examine the state of the migrant crisis in the world, the advancement of migrants' rights and the specific pastoral steps the church can take.
Over at the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Vatican officials sponsored an unprecedented study seminar on one of the hottest and most controversial of modern bioethics topics: the advantages and risks of genetically modified foods.
Although the council was accused by some of stacking the list of participants in favour of such foods, the council's president, Cardinal Renato Martino, insisted that the Vatican had not passed judgment on the moral questions involved.
Instead of acting like "mater et magistra" -- the "mother and teacher" of Pope John XXIII's famous phrase -- the church in the case of genetically modified foods was "a student, attentive and diligent in listening and learning from you," Cardinal Martino told the guest experts. But in all these encounters, the Vatican also has points to make. Often, the church's arguments challenge the prevailing wisdom of scientists and the world at large. Almost always, they caution against blind acceptance of the latest scientific developments.
The Pope and his aides are convinced the church has a unique, Christian perspective to offer on these issues.
In the discussion on depression, for example, they carefully laid out the case that spiritual and religious conviction are powerful antidotes to the anguish and fear that prompt depressive reactions.
On migration and refugee
Israel's construction of a wall to separate its territory from Palestinian lands would institute a "geography of apartheid" and foment more violence, a leading cardinal said.
French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, a frequent papal envoy and former head of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, made the comments in a statement released November 9 in Jerusalem and printed in the November 11 issue of L'Osservatore Romano, the
Vatican newspaper.
The cardinal said he had visited Palestinian sites that would be affected by Israel's effort to install a permanent security barrier that
would stretch deep into the West Bank, in what Israel says is an effort to prevent militants and ordinary Palestinians from illegally entering its country.
issues, the Vatican said the church's activities may be seen as political or social, but its primary motivation is the Gospel and its main model is Christ, who welcomed the poor and homeless.
To scientists researching the breakthrough of using human stem cells to combat disease, the Pope and others reiterated the church's position that such cells may not be taken from human embryos that are discarded.
And on the mind-brain debate, the church offered this perspective: As scientists increasingly recognise that the activity of the human mind transcends biological activity, are they not indirec tly acknowledging the human being's "spiritual dimension" and his relationship with God?
It wasn't just science and technology month at the Vatican, either. One little-noticed press conference gave a clue to the church's strategies in lands where Christians are a minority.
In recent years, the church has established scores of Catholic cultural centres that offer programs linked to art, history, religion and current events. They are attracting everyone from the merely curious to local intellectual leaders, and some of the most popular centres are found in Asia and Africa.
Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, said these centres avoid proselytism but do present Catholic thought and ideas in a positive light, as a basis for dialogue. He said that in places like North Africa some of these institutions draw a 99 percent Muslim audience, including Islamic scholars who see the centres as a space for the free exchange of ideas.
The centres could be seen as a key part of the church's answer to the feared "clash of cultures" in the modern world.
"I share in the protestations of numerous leaders of various churches against such an intolerable project," Cardinal Etchegaray said.
"Throughout the entire country, a barrier of separation that is already 150 kilometres long inevitably marks out a geography of apartheid," he said.
Cardinal Etchegaray said the wall "incites rather than curbs violence and tears apart a human fabric with serious social, economic, educational and health consequences." Church leaders have noted that the wall effectively would trap many Palestinians, separating them from other Palestinian territories to the east and from Israel to the west.
Cardinal Etchegaray said the fight against terrorism requires a
different and more positive approach, one that involves a cooperative effort by Israelis and Palestinians to examine the root causes of such violence.
He expressed the Vatican's view that an end to the violence in the Holy Land is all the more important because, as the land of Christ's birth and a land of three monotheistic religions, it has a special vocation for justice and peace.
A report by the United Nations on November 11 sharply criticized the Israeli security barrier, saying that if completed it would enclose more than 270,000 Palestinians in enclaves and prevent some 400,000 others from going to jobs, agricultural fields, schools and medical appointments. - CNS
The increasing exploitation and abuse of migrant populations require new human rights steps by states and new pastoral strategies by Catholic communities worldwide, Vatican officials said.
The church will take a closer look at its own programs during the Fifth World Congress for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees, to be held in Rome from November 17-22.
The goal of the congress will be to "examine the church's vision of human mobility" in all its dimensions -- including humanitarian and spiritual needs, as well as ecumenical and interreligious aspects, said Cardinal Stephen F. Hamao, president of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers.
At a Vatican press conference on November 11, Cardinal Hamao and other council officials traced the dimensions of the migrant and refugee situation today and said the church needs to take a fresh look at some of its policies.
The theme of the congress is "Starting Afresh from Christ: Toward a Renewed Pastoral Care for Migrants and Refugees." Participants will examine questions of material assistance, liturgy, social justice and on-the-ground experiences on every continent.
Dozens of church experts as well as representatives of other Christian churches will attend the congress.
Cardinal Hamao said the congress will focus on the church's specific pastoral contributions to a population that is growing daily. The world's estimated 175 million immigrants are driven to leave their countries by practices of economic globalisation, as well as by situations of violence, war and human rights abuse, he said.
Cardinal Hamao expressed disappointment that efforts to protect the rights of migrants and refugees have been largely ignored. For example, he noted, the U.N.'s "Convention on
the Protection of Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families" went into effect this year, but until now has been ratified almost exclusively by countries of emigration. Richer countries that receive the most immigrants -- like the United States -- have yet to ratify the convention.
"I think this convention requires a fundamental conversion regarding the values held by many rich countries: to consider immigrants as people with rights and not as objects in the free exchange of the market," said U.S. Father Michael Blume, undersecretary of the pontifical council. The U.N. convention requires states to make social commitments to regular and irregular immigrants, and "this is a very tough medicine to swallow,"
Father Blume said. Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, secretary of the council, also expressed disappointment at lack of international support for the immigrant workers' convention. He said the question of human rights protection was paramount for refugee and migrant populations around the world.
"The violation (of human rights) has become a recurrent fact and migrants are increasingly subject to abuse and exploitation because of their particular condition of vulnerability," Archbishop Marchetto said.
"In addition, they are often scapegoats for a series of social problems and ... are victims of xenophobia and discrimination," he said.
The archbishop said the church's pastoral efforts should go hand in hand with humanitarian programs and apply even to non-Christians.
He said the church sees its involvement with all migrants as an evangelising moment, first of all through the witnessing of Christian charity. But the church should not exclude in principle the possibility of announcing Christ to those who receive church aid, he said.
Father Blume said it is sometimes hard to draw the line between pastoral action and social or political advocacy. Often, he said, Catholic pastoral workers become advocates for the legal rights of migrants and can rightly use their moral authority to help convince civil authorities to make improvements.
The pontifical council said the estimate of 175 million immigrants in the world means that one in every 35 people is a migrant, almost 3 percent of the population. That number has more than doubled over the last 35 years.
The United States has 35 million immigrants on its soil, by far the largest number in any country.
Pope John Paul II urged leaders of the Solidarity labour union to protect workers' rights against unfair practices in Poland's free-market economy.
The Pope met with some 4,000 of the movement's directors and members, including former Solidarity leader Lech Walesa, at the Vatican on November 11.
His compatriots gave him a rousing reception as he was wheeled on a chair into the Vatican's audience hall.
In a speech that he pronounced only in part before letting an aide finish, the Pope relived the historic moments of Solidarity's role that led to the demise of Polish communism in 1989.
Then the pontiff turned a critical eye to the situation of workers in Poland's capitalist economy, saying that the dignity and value of human labour was in danger.
"Together with the market economy, new problems are appearing that painfully affect workers," he said in his prepared text. He said unemployment, for example, has reached "dangerous dimensions" in many regions of Poland.
An increasing number of workers are being hired temporarily, and layoffs occur without any consideration for workers or their families, he said.
Benefits such as vacation, health care and maternity leave are often refused, he said.
While the Solidarity union has maintained strength in larger industries, the Pope suggested it should take a greater interest in the plight of employees of smaller businesses, in schools, in supermarkets, in hospitals and in other areas.
"Your union needs to openly defend workers whose employers have denied them the right to a voice, and the right to oppose practices that violate fundamental workers' rights," he said.
The Pope denounced in particular the withholding of salary payments to some workers by unscrupulous employers.
He called it a "sin that cries to heaven for vengeance," and quoted from the Old Testament Book of Sirach: "He slays his neighbour who deprives him of his living; he sheds blood who denies the labourer his wages" (Sir 34:22).
The Pope said the painful chapters in the peaceful dismantling of Poland's communist regime, so vivid in the memories of those who took part in the struggle, risk being forgotten in their homeland.
"The youngest generations no longer have direct experience of these events.
So one could ask if they fully appreciate the freedom they possess, and if they realise the price that was paid to attain it," he said.
He said the lessons learned in regaining freedom must be constantly recalled if the country wants to make sure that "freedom does not degenerate into anarchy."
- CNSAfghanistan's draft constitution would declare the country an Islamic state and curtail freedoms of other religions, a Vatican agency said.
The constitution, unveiled in early November, does not provide much more religious freedom than the policies of the previous Taliban government, said a November 10 article published by Fides, the Vatican's missionary news service. "The hope is that in
this discussion phase of the constitution, Western diplomats can exert pressure and ask that
authentic freedom of religion be recognised in the new Afghanistan," the agency said.
The constitution, which will be debated in the Afghan Parliament December 10, establishes Islam as the state religion but says that other religions would have freedom of worship.
Father Giuseppe Moretti, who heads the church's missionary jurisdiction in Afghanistan, told Fides that "it remains to be seen what is meant by freedom of worship -- whether the interpretation will be restrictive or whether, for example, authorities would allow the construction of a church outside an embassy compound."
"In the draft of the constitution, freedom of worship is conceived
in terms foreseen by Shariah (Islamic law), and therefore does not admit the possibility of evangelising or making conversions," Father Moretti said.
The draft constitution has a "decidedly Islamic tone" throughout its 160 articles, Fides said.
The date on the cover is 1382, following the Islamic calendar.
It states that it is the duty of the government to institute and organise mosques and Islamic religious centres.
It says Afghan citizens are free to organise political parties and social organisations -- which must, however, conform to the principles of Islam.
"These instructions are in contrast with other sections of the
constitution that affirm the state must respect and protect the freedom and dignity of every person" and ensure democratic policies for all, Fides said.
Father Moretti said that aside from the constitution he is hopeful about the future of interreligious relations in Afghanistan. Some Muslim leaders there have already shown a positive interest in the Catholic Church's activities.
He said Fazul Shinwari, an Islamic mullah who heads the Afghan Supreme Court and the Department of Justice, attended the opening of the Vatican's mission in Kabul and expressed his desire to meet some day with Pope John Paul II. - CNS
The Vicar of Migrants Fr Anthony Paganoni has writtena book titled Valiant struggles and benign neglect – Italians, Church and Religious Societies in Diaspora. It records the struggles of Italian migrants to Australia in having their spiritual needs met from 1950 to 2000.
UWA Senior Professor Reginald Appleyard officially launched the book at the Italian-Australian Cultural Centre in Perth.
He described the book as “well researched.” Professor Appleyard added Fr Paganoni uses the historical treatment of migrants in other parts of the world by the Church, to trace the rationale for how migrants were treated here.
Professor Appleyard said both he and Fr Paganoni agreed with Australian scholar Allan Patience who argued the nation’s migration plan which began in 1947 will be more significant than Australia’s foundation date in 1788.
Mr Patiencereasoned Australia became increasingly multicultural from 1947 onwards. He viewed this as the most revolutionary transformation of our society.
Professor Appleyard said the book was
NEW YORK (CNS) -- A slick divorce lawyer and a foxy gold digger discover that all's fair in love and palimony in the darkly funny, albeit unorthodox, romantic comedy "Intolerable Cruelty" (Universal).
Full of whip-smart repartee and eccentric characters, Joel and Ethan Coen's zany take on the litigiousness of modern romance uses the paddle of satire to navigate cynical thematic waters in order to arrive at its conclusion that love is nonnegotiable.
George Clooney plays Miles Massey, a suave, high-priced Beverly Hills attorney with a perfect track record and flawless teeth to match. The marital infidelities of his well-heeled clients and his own knack for "massaging" the kinks out of testimonies have made Massey a rich man- rich enough to have a running tab at the Mercedes dealership. Yet underneath Massey's well-
not just about the role the Italian migrantsplayed in this transformation, but also the role of the Catholic Church.
It is a role the Catholic Church continues to play throughout the generations, he added.
In the book¸ Fr Paganoni surveys 14 Religious Congregations in Australia regarding the care and support they were able to provide the migrant community.
From the anecdotal evidence, Fr Paganoni observed members of the religious societies took on “the humble role of shock absorbers” for the migrants.
Professor Appleyard noted a Franciscan respondent’s answer to the survey quoted in the book. “The thought was ‘once they are here we will make them become more like us’…what has happened in later years was more the result of circumstances and growing ethnic consciousness rather than of better planning on the part of the Church.”
In Father Paganoni’sbook he claims Italian migrants to Australia faced a “hostile religious environment” and believes the Church in Italy did little to help them. However, it is the very influx of migrants into Australian Catholic life that forced the Church to review its priorities and pastoral strategies, he adds.
In conclusion,Fr Paganoni writes “The deliberate or unintentional obliteration of minority cultures may carry the seeds of suffering and deprivation for individual persons and institutions alike. And the Churches are not exempted.”
Fr Paganoni was born in Lenna, Province of Bergamo in Italy. The Missionaries of St Charles Scalabrinians ordained him in 1965. He was first posted to Australia in 1968.
He went to the Philippines in 1982, where he was Executive Director of the Migration and Tourism office of the Conference of the Catholic Bishops and founder and Executive Director of the Scalabrini Mission Centre in Manila.
Fr Paganoni has worked with the Centro Studi Emigrazione in Rome. Since returning to Australia in 1996, he has continued to work with migrants.
manicured charm and laserwhitened incisors is the gnawing realisation that he is miserably unfulfilled. Of course, these pangs of conscience fade like crow's feet at a Bel Air Botox clinic when Massey is retained by Rex Rexroth (Edward Herrmann), a philandering shopping mall magnate with a train fetish, caught with his hands on the caboose of a floozy half his age. Massey gets Rexroth off without a settlement, leaving his conniv-
ing wife Marylin (Catherine Zeta-Jones) -- who only married him for his money -- hanging out to dry.
But hell hath no scorn like a woman cut off from her tycoon husband's millions.
Using her feminine wiles, Marylin sets in motion a revenge scheme aimed at exacting a pound of well-tanned flesh from Massey.
Massey is only too willing to be brought to the cleaners since he has been after Marylin's, er,
assets from the get-go. The only problem is neither figured on falling in love.
What appears at first to be an irreverent lampooning of marriage ends up being an affirmation of the marital union as a bond built on love and trust rather than as an opportunity for financial gain. The Coens' playful use of double-speak legalese -- with its inherent cynicism -only serves to expose it as nonsense.
Using the wrecking ball of comedy, the filmmakers demolish the wall of prenup poppycock that has been erected around matrimony and that acts to shackle vows in contractual claptrap.
And though the offbeat road chosen by the Coens is paved with pitch-black wit, the film makes a strong case that marriage is not a legal agreement but an act of love -- one ordained by the laws o f the heart, not the laws of Los Angeles County.
This bright view of marriage is contrasted not only by the superficiality of Marylin's fellow diva divorcees, but by the money-grubbing petulance of Herb Myerson (Tom Aldredge), the cadaverous senior partner of
Massey's firm. On a less light hearted note, the film contains one scene that pushes the envelope of comical good taste in which a dull-witted asthmatic hit man named Wheezy Joe (Irwin Keyes) whacks himself when he mistakes his gun for his inhaler-pump.
The impossibly good-looking Clooney and Zeta-Jones are form-fitted to the roles, lighting up the screen with a capricious chemistry reminiscent of Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. And while Clooney mugs his way through many of the scenes, his quirky performance seems in tune with the kooky tenor of the film.
Given Catholic teaching concerning the indissolubility of marriage, the Coens' farcical treatment of divorce -- as well as their off-colour brand of humour -- may prove off-putting to some viewers. Still, this "Cruelty" is anything but intolerable.
Due to a comedic view of divorce, some sexual humour, brief violence, and an instance of rough language, as well as sporadic crude language and profanity, the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-IV -- adults, with reservations.
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Please pray for the repose of the soul of Joseph, beloved husband of Gwen, loved father of Seph. Also for my mother Rita Smith (North) and sister Marge Negri.All anniversaries occurring on the 25th.R.I.P.
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Thank you St Martha for your intercession and favourable answer to my prayer request.RAB
Saturday November 22
HOLY HOUR
The Franciscan Companions of F.M.M. wish to send to the newly formed Parish of Lero in Guinea, West Africa, a set of Stations of the Cross for their recently self-built church.Any parish or individual who could help please contact Dorothy on 9291 6248, Co-ordinator or Jan on 9 381 4317, Mission Co-ordinator.
Christmas Carols are our speciality from now ‘til December 25. Angelic voices and harmony…much pleasure you’ll derive.It’s all about the Christ child born on Christmas Day. To relax and uplift you, to transport you towards his way.Chris deSilva will take your booking 9276 2736.You can count on us we’ll be there.Carols we will sing.And when it comes to charging, there’s no need for consternation,the choir doesn’t charge a fee, just make them a donation.
Vespers for the All-Night Vigil and music of Brahms, Bruckner andDean
Melbourne Chorale
Helen Hill mezzo contralto
Conducted by Jonathan Grieves-Smith
Sunday 23 November at 2:30pm St Patrick’s Basilica, Adelaide St, Fremantle Tickets Adult $30 / $20 concession available at the door, or from Mills Records, Fremantle and all BOCS Ticketing outlets Telephone 08 9484 1133 or www.bocsticketing.com.au
Melbourne Chorale
2-3pm.Friends of Our Lady Queen of Peace (Achill Island) are invited to St Bernadette’s Glendalough to pray for a House of Prayer in WA.In accordance with Our Blessed Mother’s request to Christina Gallaher for an extension of Houses of Prayer throughout the world.Tel:Cathy 9444 1940 or 9409 4543
Saturday November 22
VOCATIONS RETREAT FOR WOMEN
This day retreat (10am-5pm,including Vigil Mass) will be guided by four sisters of four different religious orders (including Mother Teresa’s Sisters).Talks and discussion will relate not only to the vocation of religious life,but also to the single and married life of service.10 Sholl Street,North Beach.Contact:Sister Flora9384 0066 or Fr Armando 9470 9113.Cost.$5 Meals provided.
Saturday November 22 – Sunday November 23
PRIESTLY VOCATION
Silent Retreat for Men on Rottnest Island.This overnight 24hour silent retreat is especially designed for single Catholic men who are thinking of becoming priests in the Archdiocese of Perth.The context of the retreat is the spirituality of St Therese of Lisieux;the content of the meditative sessions will be based on the Trinitarian mystical theology of St Thomas Aquinas.Where:Holy Trinity Church,Rottnest Island. Take ferry boat,preferably 10am Saturday,North Quay, Fremantle,for $31 return trip as “guest of Monsignor O’Shea”.Contacts:Fr Armando.Tel/Fax 9470 9113. Msgr O’Shea 9292 5052.Additional food cost:$10.
Sunday November 23
GATE OF HEAVEN
Please join us at 7:30pm on 107.9 FM,Radio Fremantle,for more Global Catholic Radio.This week we will feature:(1) Council of Faith:Fr Trigilio completes his discussion on Lumen Gentium;(2) The Teachings of Christ with Fr John Corapi who speaks on the mission of Christ.
Sunday November 23
ETERNAL WORD TELEVISION NETWORK
1 - 2pm on Access 31:This week Fr Wade Menezes on The Communion of Saints from the series,God calls us to Himself.Followed by discussion of a highly relevant topic.Everyone is called to evangelise.Presented by Kris Franklin and Rosalind Moss,two converts to Catholicism,in the popular series Household of Faith. To contribute to the cost of keeping these inspiring programs on Access 31,please send a cheque or money order payable to The Rosary Christian Tutorial Association to RCTA,PO Box 1270,Booragoon 6954. For information about videos log on to http://www.cathworld.org/worlds/org/media/ or ring 9330-1170.
Monday November 24
TRUE LOVE WAITS – Information Session
“Celibacy – Why do we need it?”In the modern world, celibacy can appear to be a radical way of life.Some may be questioning why it is necessary and how this life-long commitment is possible.Fr Hugh Thomas will address these questions showing the theological reasons and some practical aspects for celibacy and why it is still such a beautiful calling.The evening will be held from 7.30-9pm at the Edel Quinn Centre,36 Windsor St,East Perth.Enq contact Lydia on 0413 993 987.
Tuesday November 25
A WAY THROUGH EMOTIONAL PAIN AND LOSS
Presenter:Lin Young (Psychotherapist).$5 (Donation Unwaged) Multi-Purpose Room.John XXIII College 7.30-9.30pm.Details:Murray 93830444.
Wednesday November 26
SOUTHERN AREA MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT GROUP
Blues and Depression? Hear about the difference at the Southern Area Mental Health Support Group which meets at St Thomas More Church Parish Meeting Room,100 Dean Road,Bateman 7.30pm. Refreshments provided.All welcome.For contact and information.Aileen 9330 2651,Jenny 9332 4532,Lesley 9337 6295 or Margaret 9364 8146.
Friday November 28
BUSINESS PERSONS MASS
All Saints Chapel,Allendale Square,Perth at 7am. Followed by a breakfast meeting at the WA Club,101 St Georges Terrace,Perth.Cost of breakfast $15.00. Guest speaker Fr Tim Deeter.Topic:Dying and Death. Enq.9384 0809.
Saturday November 29
LIVE HEALTHY,LIVE YOUNG,LIVE LONG
Presenter:Carlo Mandofia (Retired Swiss Medical Practitioner) Donation for Inigo Centre.Multi Purpose Room,John XXIII College.10am to 5pm.
Saturday November 29
CATHOLIC HOMESCHOOL CONFERENCE
Interested in finding out about Catholic homeschooling? Come to Holy Name Church Hall,Carlisle,for a day of workshops and talks.Fr Timothy Deeter will speak on preparing youth.Details Lorraine 9446 9682
Saturday November 29
NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF VAILANKANNI
Holy Trinity Church,Embleton.5pm followed by Vigil Mass at 6pm.Last Saturday of every month.Enq 9272 1379
Wednesday December 3 – Friday December 5
COME AS YOU ARE - ADVENT TRIDUUM
At St Kieran’s Church,Osborne Park,Corner of Cape and Waterloo Street,Wednesday,Thursday and Friday 3rd to 5th December at 7.00pm.The Mass will be preceded by the Holy Rosary.Anointing of the Sick during Mass,on Wednesday;Reconciliation during the Rosary and after the Mass on Thursday;and Supper after Mass on Friday.All welcome!
Friday December 5 – Sunday December 7
THE SECULAR FRANCISCAN ORDER
Will be holding their Annual Retreat commencing 7pm at The Redemptorist Monastery,Vincent Street,North Perth.Enq.Mary 9377 7925 or Michael 9444 0352.
Saturday December 6
DAY WITH MARY
St Gerard Majella – Cnr Ravenswood Drive & Majella Road,Westminster (Mirrabooka).9am – 5pm.A video on Fatima will be shown at 9am.A day of prayer and instruction based upon the messages of Fatima. Includes Sacrament of Penance,Holy Mass, Eucharistic Adoration,talks,rosaries,procession and Station of the Cross.Please BYO.Enq.Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate 9574 5204.
Sunday December 7
DIVINE MERCY
An afternoon with Jesus and Mary at St Mary’s Cathedral.Victoria Square,Perth,at 1.30pm.Program: Holy Rosary and Reconciliation.Sermon:Fr Paul Baczynski on the Holy Family followed by Divine Mercy prayers and Benediction.Enq:John 9457 7771 or Linda 9275 6608
Friday December 12
FEAST DAY
Celebrating the Gospel of life honouring Our Lady of Guadalupe,Patroness of the unborn.4pm Holy Hour. 5pm Procession and Holy Mass at All Saints Chapel, 77 Allendale Square,St Georges Tce,Perth.A plate is greatly appreciated.Come and join in.
Friday December 12 – Sunday December 14
40 HOUR FAST FOR TROUBLED YOUTH
The Society of Catholic Teachers Australia (SCTA) invites everyone to join in a 40 hour fast and prayer for troubled youth and their families.Different fasting and prayer options include:40 hour Eucharistic Adoration, an Opening Mass at St Bernadette’s parish in Leederville and a fast breaking picnic lunch at Hyde Park.For further information contact the WA Communicator on 9328 5043.
Sunday March 7
50TH ANNIVERSARY
Our Lady Of Mount Carmel Catholic Primary School, Hilton,will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary.All past families,students,staff and volunteers are welcome to send in their memorabilia,photographs or memories of events over the years.Please contact the school by phone 08 9337 7066,fax 08 9314 6005 or email admin@olmchilt.wa.edu.au
CATHEDRAL NOVENAS
In honour of The Infant Jesus of Prague.Every Tuesday at 11am and 1pm.In honour of St Joseph.Every Wednesday at 1pm.Please join us in prayer for our Holy Father,priests and religious,holy vocations,the sick,the deceased and all your special intentions.
PERPETUAL ADORATION
Christ The King Church,Lefroy Rd,Beaconsfield commenced perpetual adoration of The Blessed Sacrament on October 1 this year.Approx.200 parishioners have already pledged to attend at least one hour per week. We need help to fill some late evening,early morning hours or anytime day or night.If you can help please phone Joe 9319 1169(h) 9430 7937 (w) or 0419 493 100 (mob).You are invited to attend anytime on a permanent or casual basis.
he Columban Religious Art Award finalists were exhibited at the Australian Catholic University Melbourne campus in August 2003.
The awards, held in celebration of the 80th year of the Columban Calendar, attractted over 12,300 entries from approximately 280 different schools across Australia. The winning pieces were selected by a panel of three judges, including Sr Rosemary Crumlin RSM.
All entrants received a certificate of participation and some of the works exhibited have also been included in the 2004 Columban Calendar.
“As I look at the art work I can see God’s presence in the world. All of these works preach and rejoice in the word of God.”
“The best of the entries bring freshness and insight to a story which sometimes brings you to the edge of tears and somethimes makes you laugh, but is always strongly and deeply felt - in one sense, this exchibition is the Columban’s gift to the whole adult community.”
