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Conversion on disability to continue Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has written a letter upon the 15th anniversary of One in Christ, a landmark document in the Archdiocese of Perth about disability in the context of the Church. The Archbishop’s letter is printed in full, below.
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n 1999, Archbishop Barry Hickey, my predecessor as Archbishop of Perth, issued a Pastoral Letter entitled One in Christ, in which he reflected on the place of people with disabilities in the life of the Church. This year’s fifteenth anniversary of the publication of this Pastoral Letter provides us with an opportunity to recognise and thank God for all the progress which has been made in this area in our archdiocese, and of course to also thank those who have allowed God to work through them to try to ensure that everyone is made welcome in our parish and other communities. The anniversary also provides us with the important opportunity to recognise that, in spite of the hard work and good will of so many people, much remains to be done. We must keep recommitting ourselves to our ongoing efforts to implement the principles and practical requirements set out in One in Christ. At the same time we must recognise that in this area of vital concern for the integrity of the Church we are being called to conversion of mind and heart, and all true conversion takes time. The new vision laid out in the letter calls us to see with the eyes of Christ, to listen with the ears of Christ, and to respond with the heart of Christ. We will need the Spirit’s gifts of compassion, of courage, of determination and of patience. I was very struck with Archbishop Hickey’s reminder in his letter that “in a very real sense we are all disabled in one way or another”. Those among us whose disability is perhaps more visible are a mirror in which we can all see ourselves reflected, if only we have eyes that are open and hearts that understand. We all wish to
A young man touches the cheek of Pope Francis during the pontiff’s weekly audience at St Peter’s Square at the Vatican on May 14.
belong, and to feel at home, in our faith communities. As far as possible we all deserve to have our own special circumstances recognised, acknowledged and embraced. This is the goal towards which we must always be working. The Pastoral Letter One in Christ reflects on an important theological principle which must be at the heart of inclusiveness for people with disabilities in our communities: that every human person is made in the image of God, is endowed with an extraordinary dignity by virtue of his or her humanity, and that every baptized person is a member of the Body of Christ. We are all, therefore, intimately united with each other and mutually responsible for each other. In answer to the question which Cain posed to God after he had killed his brother Abel – “Am I my brother’s keeper?” the answer of a Christian is always,
“Of course I am!” Pope John Paul II once gave expression to this understanding when he said that the Church must be “a home and school of communion”. Our communities must be places where communion, another word for which is “belonging”, really is
in our archdiocese an opportunity to assess how well they have implemented the principles, and of course, the practical steps, outlined in the Pastoral Letter. I would encourage everyone to revisit the Pastoral Letter and recommit themselves to the task
In this area of vital concern for the integrity of the Church, we are being called to conversion of mind and heart, and all true conversion takes time. at home. To be at home means to be accepted, to be welcome, to be valued and to be understood. When we don’t experience these realities in a Christian community we know instinctively that something is wrong - we feel we don’t belong. The fifteenth anniversary of One in Christ provides every parish and every other Catholic community
of working towards the full implementation of the proposals and guidelines contained within. This will require an openness of heart, a recognition of our failures and a willingness to reconsider our priorities. Most of all it will require of each of us a readiness to recognise that if our own local Christian community is to really be “a home
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and school of communion” we must each play our part with generosity, with courage and with determination. As with everything else in the life of the Church the task of fully realizing the rights of people with disabilities to full inclusion in the pastoral, spiritual and sacramental life of the Church is one which we must be continually striving to achieve. Much has been done: much more remains to be done. As Archbishop Hickey reminds us it is not enough to re-affirm the principles: we must seek “to understand better the issues surrounding disability and affirm in practical ways the dignity of all members of the Body of Christ”. Most Rev Timothy Costelloe SDB Archbishop of Perth To read or download a copy of One In Christ, visit emmanuelcentre.com.au/media/one_in_christ.doc
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Trinity boys hungry to help the poor
Round-Up JUANITA SHEPHERD
Perth celebrates St John Paul II’s birthday
Perpetual Adoration coming to Kelmscott About 100 people gathered at Good Shepherd Parish in Kelmscott for a parish-based retreat from May 12 to 15, organised by parishioners and led by Fr Doug Harris. “The retreat began with Holy Hour,” parish priest Fr Andrew Lotton told The Record. “We exposed the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance, then there was a talk followed by 10 minutes of silent prayer and two decades of the Rosary. After the Rosary there was another talk followed by silent prayer again and we finished with the other three decades of the Rosary and Benediction.” The retreat was held in preparation for the establishment of Perpetual Adoration at Kelmscott, which the parishioners want to start in the side chapel of the newly-built church. “We give our support to the parishioners,” Fr Andrew said.
Morley to raise funds for Burmese widows Parishioner at Infant Jesus Parish in Morley Maggie Box is hosting a fundraiser for Burma on June 8. The event will include a band of singers and a presentation from Mrs Box about missionary work in India and Burma. “This is the first fundraiser we’re doing for Burma,” Mrs Box told The Record. “Everything raised at the afternoon tea will go towards helping widows and children.” Mrs Box said she hopes to raise enough funds to provide the widowed women of Burma and their children with goats, hens and plants to make them self-sufficient; the funds will also go towards building them
The cake stalls at Trinity College’s annual fundraising event, Unfair Day, on May 5 helped the College to raise $13,933, which will go to assisting destitute people in India and to provide education for the disadvantaged. PHOTO: SUPPLIED dream come true for us,” Mrs Box said. “It’s amazing how the Holy Spirit works. If any parish would like to follow us we are more than happy to come down and set up an afternoon tea to raise funds.”
small houses. Mrs Box began her missionary work at the age of 19. “I worked at Balgo for one year and at Notre Dame for two years,” she said. “When my husband and I went to Sri Lanka in 1979 and we saw the people on the streets, we had to do something about it.” The Box’s then raised funds to provide a group of children in Sri Lanka with uniforms and books, and were also able to build a community centre. Their missionary work has taken them to India, Vietnam and Thailand and in 1988 Infant Jesus Parish allowed them to set up Mission Partners Morley. “We never dreamt that we would be able to build, it was a
Malaysian Catholics to dance the night away In an effort to aid orphaned children, the Malaysian Singaporean Catholic Community Australia (MSCCA) are hosting a dinner and dance on June 14 at the Sicilian Club in Balcatta. “Jesus said the more you
Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Monday 26th - White ST PHILIP NERI, PRIEST (M) 1st Reading: Acts 16:11-15 A devout woman Responsorial Ps 149:1-6, 9 Psalm: Praise God’s name Gospel Reading: Jn 15:26-16:4 The Spirit as witness Tuesday 27th - White ST AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP (O) 1st Reading: Acts 16:22-34 Thrown into prison Responsorial Ps 137:1-3, 7-8 Psalm: God’s love eternal Gospel Reading: Jn 16:5-11 Sad at heart Wednesday 28th - White 1st Reading: Acts 17:15, 22-18:1 All God’s children Responsorial Ps 148:1-2, 11-14 Psalm: Praise God’s name Gospel Reading: Jn 16:12-15 The Spirit of truth Thursday 29th - White 1st Reading: Acts 18:1-8 They became believers Responsorial Ps 97:1-4 Psalm: Sing a new song
first century feast - May 31
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This feast commemorates the three-month visit of Mary with her elderly cousin Elizabeth during Mary’s pregnancy with Jesus and Elizabeth’s with John the Baptist. The story appears in the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel. It recounts Elizabeth’s Spirit-filled greeting, acknowledging Mary as “the mother of my Lord,” and Mary’s beautiful response, the Magnificat, which begins, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.” Introduced by the Franciscans in 1263, the feast became universal in the 16th century. The cousins’ visit has been depicted by many artists over the centuries. An especially tender “Visitation,” painted by Mariotto Albertinelli and considered his masterpiece, is on display at the Uffizi in Florence, Italy.
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give the more I will bless you,” spiritual director of the MSCCA Fr Roy Pereira told The Record. “The aim of this dance is for evangelical and apostolic work. We are all a beacon of light for Christ and we should come together as a community to help one another.” Since the MSCCA was formed six years ago they have held a number of fundraising events. Through these events the MSCCA has assisted students with their university fees and helped families with sick children pay medical bills. “We are very blessed to have such generous sponsors,” Fr Pereira said. “Christ is everywhere especially in the open and generous spirit of the
A small group of Catholics from all over the Archdiocese of Perth gathered for Mass, lunch and cycling around the city to celebrate the birthday of St Pope John Paul II on May 18. Following Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral, the group enjoyed lunch before heading towards the Esplanade to hire bikes. Greg Holland, who was in Rome for the canonisation of John Paul II, said it was an enjoyable day, despite the threat of rain. “It was terrific that a small group of people can come together for Mass and to share lunch,” he said. “What is so terrific about it is that we all came together under the banner of the Catholic Church and under the banner of St John Paul II.” Mr Holland said it was a great idea for people to get together and celebrate a saint’s birthday. “Not only are we brought together by a common bond under the watchful eye and care of the saint to celebrate what it is about them that brings people closer to Christ, but we are also celebrating their very humanity, the ordinariness and beauty of having been born into this world, that they too were someone’s special little baby.”
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READINGS OF THE WEEK
SAINT OF THE WEEK
Robert Hiini
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Gospel Reading: Jn 16:16-20 Sorrow into joy Friday 30th - White 1st Reading: Acts 18:9-18 Many are with me Responsorial Ps 46:2-7 Psalm: God is king Gospel Reading: Jn 16:20-23 Joy no one will take from you Saturday 31st - White THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (FEAST) 1st Reading: Zeph: 3:14-18 Have no fear Responsorial Ps/Isa 12:2-6 Psalm: I shall not fear Gospel Reading: Lk 1:39-56 Mary set out Sunday 1st - White THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD (SOLEMNITY) 1st Reading: Acts 1:1-11 Has the time come? Responsorial Ps 46:2-3, 6-9 Psalm: God is king 2nd Reading: Eph 1:17-23 Spirit of wisdom Gospel Reading: Mt 28:16-20 I am with you
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Budget delivers greater choice: UNDA The Federal Government released its first budget last week, which included extensive changes to Higher Education (HE) funding. What do the changes mean for the University of Notre Dame Australia? The Record spoke to its Vice Chancellor Professor Celia Hammond to find out.
principle and the fact that universities – rather than Government – will decide how and what to do. Do you welcome full fee deregulation? Why or why not? We are generally supportive of fee deregulation – although this of course is based on the cautious belief that all universities will remember the ‘social good’ purpose and role for which they are established in setting fees (and providing other means of access for students who come from disadvantaged circumstances). Do you anticipate fees at UNDA will increase? Given that the Government will be reducing the Government subsidy, we anticipate fees at all universities will increase in 2016. At Notre Dame, in setting our fees, we will continue to balance a variety of factors, including: a) Cost of delivery of a course. b) Impact of fees on students – both new and in the future. c) The nature of the course and its significance to our Objects and Mission. We do not anticipate a blanket across the board percentage change for all degrees. We will take a balanced approach – taking into account all relevant factors.
Is this a good budget for UNDA? On balance, the changes to the HE system are supported by Notre Dame. In an ideal world, we would have liked the Government to increase the amount it spends in HE, not reduce it – and we would have preferred that the loan indexation rate was not increased. However, the opening up of Commonwealth supported places should see greater choice for students. What changes are you enthusiastic about? What changes are you worried about? We are enthusiastic and supportive of the opening up of Commonwealth supported subsidies beyond the Table A/Public Universities. We believe this will increase competition, increase choice and increase quality, all of which are great for students. We are concerned about the linking of student debt to a higher rate of annual indexation – even if fees don’t rise dramatically,
UNDA’s Catholic ethos?
How will UNDA’s Catholic ethos affect how these changes are implemented at the university?
The Government hasn’t increased scholarships – it is requiring universities to use $1 in each $5 they receive from student fees to instigate their own equity and access programs, for example, scholarships, bursaries, support and outreach. Notre Dame already does a significant amount in this area – and we strongly support both the
As always, our Catholic ethos will remain core to all decisions we will make: whether it be the courses we offer, the extensive pastoral support we offer or the fees we charge. Key to us is that we are not being asked or required to change our Mission or purpose to receive Government support. This is a very significant policy decision.
UNDA Vice Chancellor Celia Hammond is pleased with the opening up of Commonwealth supported places. PHOTO: UNDA
all students will be paying back more over the course of their loan. While we agree that HE graduates do receive a ‘personal benefit’ from their studies, society in general also benefits – and we remain cautious lest the ‘balance’ between the two becomes such that it dissuades ‘debt adverse’ people from studying. What will change at UNDA in the light of these changes?
At present, only 50 per cent of our undergraduate students received Commonwealth supported places. From 2016, all new undergraduate students in all our disciplines will be eligible. This is enormously significant for us – and will open up real choice. What will the Government’s increase in scholarships mean for UNDA, particularly in light of
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Ordinariate shares its heritage with Archdiocese THE PARISH of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross celebrated Evensong and Benediction in its Maylands Church of St Ninian and St Chad on May 11. The liturgy was presided over by the Ordinariate parish priest Fr Stephen Hill, and the sermon was preached by Mgr Kevin Long. The liturgy, drawn from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, was well attended by Ordinariate parishioners and seminarians from St Charles’ Seminary who served and assisted with the singing. After the service supper was prepared by the parishioners and enjoyed by the congregation, which included many Roman Rite Catholics. Thanks to the provisions of Pope Benedict’s 2009 Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum Coetibus, Anglicans are now able to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving much of their Anglican liturgical and spiritual patrimony. Evensong and Benediction is held every second Sunday of the month at 5.30pm at St Ninian and St Chad’s Church, 11 Susan St, Maylands. All are welcome to join the Ordinariate Congregation. - ST CHARLES’ SEMINARY
Perth seminarians joined Fr Stephen Hill and Mgr Kevin Long to celebrate Evensong and Benediction on May 11.
PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Local MP inspires, challenges ALTHOUGH conventional wisdom suggests religion and politics should not be discussed in polite society, these topics were exactly what was discussed when local MP for Hasluck Ken Wyatt visited St Charles’ Seminary in Guildford recently. Drawing upon his own experiences of growing up in the State’s south, his family life and early education, Mr Wyatt explained the relationship he sees between his life as a committed Christian in politics and his initiation into the Catholic Church. Mr Wyatt said the Church had much to offer, particularly to
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isolated people within the community. He recalled how a member of the
Mr Wyatt explained the relationship between his life as a Christian in politics and his initiation into the Catholic Church. electorate was moved to tears after receiving a card from his office, as it was the first birthday card she had
received in 20 years. Mr Wyatt has won genuine respect from supporters and detractors alike through his commitment to intentional listening, while spending many hours going door-to-door meeting people. The seminarians found this both an inspiration and a challenge for their future ministry. Engaging with the members of the local community, even in the face of indifference and hostility, can clearly demonstrate Christ’s and the Church’s care and interest for God’s people. - ST CHARLES’ SEMINARY
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St Paul’s kids learn from Jewish friends By Matthew Biddle CHILDREN from St Paul’s Parish in Mount Lawley visited Perth’s Jewish synagogue on May 13 in preparation for their First Holy Communion next month. Sixteen children, most of whom were from St Paul’s Catholic Primary School, joined parish priest Fr Tim Deeter for an informative tour of the home of the Perth Hebrew Congregation. The tour was led by Rabbi Nathanael, who explained the meaning of numerous Jewish symbols, such as the menorah, the mezuzah, the yarmulke and the siddu. “One of the reasons this suburb is called Menora is because the structure of the neighbourhood looks like a menorah,” he said. The Rabbi also explained the importance of the Sabbath to the Jews, and even gave the group a demonstration of how the Jews chant from the Torah scrolls. It was the second time Fr Tim has taken children preparing for First Holy Communion to visit the synagogue, and he told The Record there were several reasons why he believed it was useful for them. “The First Holy Communion catechism which I wrote, and which we use in instructing the children for the Sacrament, includes several questions and answers about the influence of Judaism upon our Catholic liturgy,” he said.
Rabbi Nathanael explains the importance of the Torah scrolls to children from St Paul’s Parish during their visit on May 13.
“A lot of Catholic adults don’t realise how much Judaism has been the source of our liturgical practices.” He also said it was good for the children and the parish to be aware of the synagogue’s presence in the local community. “When St Paul’s was founded in 1956, it was given
the name St Paul in recognition of the fact that we are a Catholic community in a neighbourhood which has many Jewish residents,” Fr Tim explained. “As St Paul was himself a Jew and always went first to the local synagogue whenever he went to a new town to preach the Gospel,
so the parish is called to witness Christ’s message of love and reconciliation in our broader community.” In recent years, St Paul’s parishioners have attended the annual Kristallnacht ceremony and the lighting of the Hannukah menorah, Fr Tim said.
PHOTO: MATTHEW BIDDLE
“The First Holy Communion visit helps the children become more aware of the ‘Jewishness’ of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and reminds them that the Jewish people, the children of the covenant, still live in our midst and pray the way the holy family and the first Christians would have prayed,” he said.
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Family scared, need urgent assistance By Mark Reidy A WOMAN claiming to have been abused by multiple paedophile rings in the UK believes her two young children were being monitored by the same abusers and is hoping her application for a protection visa will allow her to remain in Perth. After hearing of her plight last year, a Christian church in Midland paid the airfares for Kate* and her children and they arrived in WA on December 31. The family is receiving support from Linda’s House of Hope (LHH), a Catholic organisation committed to assisting women exiting the sex industry. Founder of LHH Linda Watson told The Record Kate’s bridging visa would shortly expire, adding that Kate was terrified her children would also become victims of the same horrific sexual abuse and degradation she endured if they were forced to return to the UK. Ms Watson said that while temporary housing had been found for the family, without the appropriate visa they do not receive any income. “We have made a long-term commitment to support Kate and her children,” she said. “Although at the moment I have no idea where the money will come from.” Kate’s tragic journey from a shy 14-year-old to the years of abuse as she was passed from one paedophile network to the next, was told to the The Record by her Perth-based cousin who is assisting her with her Protection Visa application.
Countdown to the 2014 Mandorla Art Award Organisers of the Mandorla Art Award are once more calling for submissions to the annual religious art competition. Artists have two weeks remaining to submit their entry for Australia’s most significant thematic Christian art prize, with entries closing on June 1. The theme for 2014 is ‘Elijah meets God’, taken from 1 Kings 19:11b-13. The Mandorla Art Award (for artists aged 18 years and above) attracts a $25,000 acquisitive first prize, with highly commended award winners securing $5,000 and the People’s Choice Award winner receiving $2,000. The Mandorla Youth Art Award (for artists aged 16 to 25 years) attracts a $5,000 acquisitive first prize. Following a pre-selection process, finalists will be announced on June 15. These works will be exhibited at Linton and Kay Galleries, Perth from July 18 to 27. The award winners will be announced at the opening of the 2014 Mandorla Art Award exhibition on July 18. Entries close at 6pm WST, June 1.
Linda’s House of Hope are helping a woman seeking a protection visa (not the woman pictured).
Her cousin described how Kate’s night terrors have ceased since arriving in Australia and how she has watched her children blossom emotionally and behaviourally in an environment free from the turmoil they were experiencing in the UK. Ms Watson is seeking financial support for Kate’s family as they
may have to wait without income before discovering whether their applications have been successful or not. “We are committed to providing for Kate during this critical and stressful period but we are relying on the generosity of others to ensure we are able to fulfil this need,” she said. “Any money
PHOTO: ONLINE
we receive in excess of Kate’s needs will, of course, be used to support other women LHH is assisting in their journey to a new life.” To make a donation or for further information on Linda’s House of Hope contact Linda Watson on 0439 401 009. All donations are tax deductible. *Real name not used.
Como to host healing mission By Mark Reidy A FIVE-NIGHT healing mission delivered by international presenter Diana Mascarenhas, focusing on the healing of memories and past hurts, will be held at the Holy Family Church in Como, commencing on May 26. Mrs Mascarenhas, co-director of the India-based Institute for World Evangelisation ICPE Mission, first presented the “Set Free” healing ministry in Bangalore in 2004 and has since enabled participants across numerous countries to experience inner freedom through Christ. The Pontifical Council for the Laity officially recognised the organisation as an international association of the faithful of Pontifical Right in 2002 and they have since taken “Set Free” to 11 countries. Presented in conjunction with Perth’s Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR), each evening will consist of praise, teaching and healing prayer, featuring a local presenter each night, including Archbishop Emeritus Barry Hickey. CCR chairman Dan Hewitt told The Record the inspiration behind “Set Free” was to liberate people from past memories, guilt and hurts through the person of Jesus Christ, his Word and the sacramental life of the Church. “This is a course that deals with human pain and suffering that is common to all of us, but often remains suppressed,” he said. “If left unhealed these will continue to hurt and torment people throughout their lives. It is only the healing power of Jesus Christ that can cut these terrible bonds and allow people to move forward with renewed lives.” Mr Hewitt said the course, which draws its inspiration from John 8:36 - “When the Son sets you free, then you shall be free indeed,” - will include topics such as ‘Family (life) Hurts’, ‘Parental Anguish’, ‘Dealing with Guilt’, ‘Learning to Trust’ and
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YouthCARE pleased with budget outcome The Australian Government has announced funding of $245 million over four years for the National School Chaplaincy Program. The Government has kept its promise by guaranteeing funding to ensure that young people in schools and their school communities can continue to enjoy the support and vital benefits of the program. 342 public schools currently receive federal funding to access the chaplaincy services offered by YouthCARE, the largest school chaplaincy provider in WA. YouthCARE’s school chaplains offer support to thousands of students, staff and families in school communities throughout WA. YouthCARE CEO Stanley Jeyaraj said: “We, along with YouthCARE’s many supporters are incredibly pleased with the outcome and that funding for the chaplaincy program will continue to support vulnerable people in school communities throughout Western Australia beyond 2014. We thank the Federal Government for its commitment and appreciation of the value of the program. We look forward to working with the Government to ensure that the new refocused program will allow funding recipients to better focus on delivering chaplaincy services throughout Australia.”
New task force seeks out best for youth
Diana Mascarenhas will lead the “Set Free” healing mission at Como from May 26-30.
‘Living the Resurrection Joy’. “This will be the fourth “Set Free” event held in Perth and many past participants have shared with me how hurts have been healed and their lives positively changed through this ministry,” he said. “It can’t always eliminate our problems, but it certainly provides
new life skills, enabling people to rise above many of these issues. I am confident that the Lord will bless and heal this year as he has done in the past.” The “Set Free” event will run from May 26 to May 30 at the Holy Family Parish, Thelma Street, Como from 7.30pm to
PHOTO: ONLINE
9.45pm each evening. Admission is free, but there will be a collection taken. Participants are encouraged to bring a Bible, notepad and plate for a light supper. For further information contact Dan Hewitt on 9398 4973 or daniel.hewitt5@bigpond. com.
A special youth research task group will release a literature review of different studies on youth in the coming months. Over the past three years the Australian Catholic Youth Council (ACYC) has been developing and advocating for a task group specifically focused on identifying and promoting research into Catholic young people in Australia. In recent weeks this work became a reality with the first meeting of the ACYC Youth and Youth Ministry Research task group. The role of the task group is to identify existing research into Australian Catholic youth and youth ministry; advocate for new research projects and resources; and to collaborate with other organisations to undertake research into youth and youth ministry. Members include Fr Chris Ryan MGL (chair), Dr Joel Hodge (ACU), Dr Stephen Reid (PRO and CRA), Dr Kath Engebretson (ACU), Patrick Langrell (UNDA), Kelly Paget (Broken Bay), and Jessica Denehy (Melbourne).
LOCAL
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Looking forward to serving in Perth Perth Deacon Mark Baumgarten, Rome-based for now, shares his latest update on the tumult of life and the things to come. SO MUCH has happened since I last wrote that I barely know where to start. Perhaps I should begin with my ordination to the diaconate, which took place on October 3, last year in St Peter’s Basilica. It was an occasion of immense joy, though the fact that I was only metres away from where St Peter endured a gruesome execution in the name of the faith I was now professing was also a sobering reminder of the responsibilities I was inheriting. Furthermore, I was a little overwhelmed by just how much work so many others had put in for us in the lead-up to those days. Actually being a deacon took a little getting used to. As with a marriage, we say “yes” with some idea of what we’re getting ourselves into, but we probably then spend the rest of our lives learning the full implications of what that “yes” actually meant! The ordination was followed by something of a spiritual honeymoon period, accompanied by a noticeable shift in responsibility: as deacons we have a more central role in the liturgy, we are asked to assume greater leadership within the seminary community and in our various volunteer works, we undertake more specialised courses of study, and we are generally subject to less oversight overall. Being in Rome, another one of the perks is the opportunity to assist at the occasional papal liturgy, and offering communion to the many faithful who gather for the various high points of the Church’s year. On the other hand, the most challenging moment of my diaconate took place following the death of
Perth Deacon Mark Baumgarten among his fellow North American College confreres at the recent double canonisation.
my father Charles this past January. His health had been poor for some time and his passing was not entirely unexpected, but the fact that my siblings and I all happened to be away from Perth at the time added to what was already a difficult situation. I had the privilege of preaching at dad’s funeral and presiding at the vigil and committal ceremonies, which was both an honour whilst also being quite surreal. There was a degree to which I was in “work mode” during those days, and it was only in the days that followed that I was able to slow down and start to process all that had taken place. I was obviously disappointed that dad would not live to see me
ordained to the priesthood, since he had played a large role in the development of my present faith. However, there was consolation in knowing that his considerable
uted to dad’s strong Christian faith. Upon my return to Rome I had some catching up to do regarding school work and ordination planning, which I had to juggle along-
I had the honour of preaching at dad’s funeral and presiding at the vigil... which was an honour whilst also being quite surreal. sufferings had finally come to an end. Furthermore, I was touched when dad’s doctor spoke to us of his admiration for the equanimity with which dad had accepted his increasing physical difficulties over the years, an equanimity he attrib-
side continued grieving and trying my best to prepare spiritually for the life-changing event on the horizon. Moreover, the past couple of months I’ve been particularly struck by the now-and-not-yet nature of seminary life (“Ora, e non
ancora” as the Italians say). On the one hand, seminaries are traininggrounds, and their whole rationale is based around preparation for a future reality. On the other hand, any encounter - either with God in prayer, or with others in our daily life - necessarily takes place in the present, and we will not learn much from either if we are forever thinking about the future. In other words, if we do not cultivate an ability to be present here-and-now - to God and to others - we will not have much to offer anyone in the future reality that we are indeed preparing for in sometimes painstaking detail. This dichotomy has been particularly apparent to me of late, though perhaps dealing with this increasingly intense conflation of present and future in our current situation is itself a necessary preparation for the demands of parish life. Nonetheless, such tensions are grounded in the fact that my desire for pastoral ministry grows daily, which is surely something to be grateful for, given that my priestly ordination is only a couple of months away. Following ordination, I will have the opportunity to enjoy a few weeks of parish life as a priest in Perth, before returning to Rome for one final year to finish my postgraduate studies. I nonetheless look forward to returning to Perth for good next year, and beginning this next phase of the great adventure of service that I have had the privilege of being called into. Know that I keep you all in my prayers each day, and that I wish you all the peace and joy of the risen Lord.
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WORLD
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May 21, 2014
Mexican Church plagued with troubles POPE FRANCIS underscored migration and the narcotics trade as among the gravest ills plaguing the Catholic Church in Mexico and called on the country’s bishops to help their flocks through solidarity and prayer. The Pope made his remarks on May 19 to Mexican bishops making their periodic ad limina visits to the Vatican. “I have learned much from what you have told me,” he told the bishops, led by Cardinal Jose Francisco Robles Ortega of Guadalajara, president of the Mexican bishops’ conference.
“You leave me with serious worries about your churches. Some of your children who cross the border, all the problems of migration, those
today. When a peasant tells you: ‘What do you want me to do? If I raise corn I can live for a month, if instead I raise opium I can live all
“You have a very strong tie with the mother of the Lord. Mary will not leave you alone before so many problems, such dolorous problems.” who don’t make it to the other side. Children who die, children killed by hired assassins. All these are serious problems. “And then drugs, which is something you suffer from very seriously
year’.” In response to such problems, the Pope called on the bishops to seek what he called the “double transcendence”. “The first transcendence is in prayer to the Lord,” he said. “It is
the bishops negotiating with God for their own people. Don’t forget it. “And the second transcendence is closeness to your own people. With this double intention, forge ahead.” Pope Francis said the bishops had cause for hope because of their flocks’ traditional devotion to Mary. “I see that your Church is established on very strong foundations, and you have a very strong tie with the mother of the Lord,” the Pope said. “Mary will not leave you alone before so many problems, such dolorous problems.” - CNS
The light of Christ shines brightly in France
EL SALVADOR
Beatify Romero in El Salvador, ask bishops Pope Francis has assured the bishops of El Salvador that the sainthood cause of slain Archbishop Oscar Romero is proceeding well, and the bishops have asked him to come to El Salvador to preside personally over the Archbishop’s hoped-for beatification. Archbishop Jose Escobar Alas told reporters on May 18 that he and three other Salvadoran bishops met the Pope at the Vatican on May 9 to discuss the cause of Archbishop Romero, who was shot and killed on March 24, 1980, as he celebrated Mass in a hospital in San Salvador. “We ask the Lord for the speedy beatification of Archbishop Romero and that the Pope come here [to celebrate the ceremony],” Archbishop Escobar said. The Pope told the Salvadoran bishops he was pleased the process was moving ahead, but he gave no indication of when it would be completed. Archbishop Romero’s sainthood cause was opened at the Vatican in 1993, but was delayed for years as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith studied his writings, amid wider debate over whether he had been killed for his faith or for political reasons.
VATICAN
Church tensions solved with prayer, says Pope In the Church, as in any other situation, “problems cannot be resolved by pretending they don’t exist,” Pope Francis said on May 18. “Confronting one another, discussing and praying - that is how conflicts in the Church are resolved,” the Pope said before praying the Regina Coeli with visitors gathered in St Peter’s Square. The Pope focused his remarks on the day’s first reading, Acts 6:1-7, which describes how the early Christian community, as it grew to include people from different groups, began to experience internal tensions, and how those tensions were resolved at a meeting of the disciples. By facing the problem, discussing solutions and praying about the tensions, he said, the disciples found harmony and an end to a situation in which there was “discontent, complaints, accusations of favouritism and inequality”.
UNITED STATES
50 years later, nun sees results of great meeting
Military members from 36 nations raise candles as others arrive in procession for a candlelight vigil at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in southwestern France on May 17, as part of the annual International Military Pilgrimage to Lourdes. PHOTO: CNS / PAUL HARING
End arms trade if you want peace: Pope By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service IF INDIVIDUALS and nations are serious about protecting human rights and promoting peace, they must do much more to curb the global arms trade and assist immigrants, Pope Francis told seven new ambassadors to the Vatican on May 15. There are “stories that make us weep and feel ashamed: human beings - our brothers and sisters, children of God - spurred by a desire to live and work in peace, who face exhausting journeys and are subject to extortion, torture, abuse of every kind and sometimes end up dying in the desert or at the bottom of the sea,” the Pope said.
Forced migrations, conflicts and the proliferation of weapons are closely tied phenomena, the Pope told new ambassadors from Switzerland, Liberia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Jamaica, South Africa and India. “They are wounds in a world that is our world, the place where God
speaks of peace, all declare they want it, but unfortunately the proliferation of weapons of every kind goes in the opposite direction”. “It would be an absurd contradiction to speak of peace, negotiate peace and, at the same time, promote or permit arms sales,” the Pope said. He called for “a new season
“It would be an absurd contradiction to speak of peace, negotiate peace and, at the same time, promote or permit arms sales.” put us to live today and where he calls us to be responsible for our brothers and sisters so that no one’s human dignity is violated,” he said. Welcoming the new ambassadors, Pope Francis said, “everyone
of coordinated and courageous efforts” to limit arms sales and reduce weapons stockpiles. Another challenge to peace, he said, is the phenomenon of people being forced to leave their home-
lands because of civil conflict and a lack of respect for their rights. The problem has become so widespread that “the moment has come to face it with a serious and responsible political overview”. The story of immigrants, even recently, has included those who found a dignified welcome and a helping hand, enabling them to escape an “inhuman situation and reclaim their dignity, freedom and security,” Pope Francis said. But unfortunately, many others don’t find a helping hand. “It would be cynical to proclaim human rights and, at the same time, ignore or not help these men and women who, forced to leave their homelands, die in the attempt or are not welcomed with international solidarity,” the Pope said.
In 1964, when Sister Frieda Nasser was 16, she was among 12 girls chosen to greet Pope Paul VI as he entered Bethlehem, West Bank, on his two-day visit to the Holy Land. It was January, and the girls were in place at 3am, but with all the excitement they did not feel the cold, she recalled. They also did not, in their youth, feel the full importance of the occasion his meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras. It was the first meeting between Latin Catholic and Orthodox leaders in almost 1,000 years. But today, as principal of the Terra Sancta School for Girls in Jerusalem, Sr Nasser, a member of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Apparition, called the visit “very significant.” Sr Nasser will be among those witnessing the May 25 meeting between Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Pope Francis’ May 24-26 trip to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories was scheduled to commemorate the 1964 visit. “At that time if a Catholic boy brought home a Greek Orthodox girl to marry it was like a funeral, it was a bad situation. Today, after 50 years, if they get married there is no problem,” Sr Nasser said.
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Cardinal urges Syrians to be hopeful By Dale Gavlak Catholic News Service THE HEAD of an international network of aid agencies has urged Syrian refugees sheltering in Jordan “not to lose hope”, as the three-year conflict in their country shows no signs of letting up. Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, president of Caritas Internationalis, met dozens of mainly Syrian Christian families on May 18. Authorities say more than one million Syrians are sheltering in neighbouring Jordan, although only about 600,000 are registered with the United Nations. The country hosts the world’s second-biggest refugee camp at Zaatari, near the border with Syria. The cardinal told Catholic News Service that his message to the refugees was to “try to overcome all the difficulties, not with bitterness, but with hope that one day their beautiful land will achieve peace and they will be able to come back home”. He said he witnessed some of the clinical work done by Caritas Jordan, part of the Caritas network, among displaced Syrians. Every year, Caritas Internationalis holds its plenary meetings in May, normally in Rome, but the cardinal said the organisation decided to convene in Jordan to express its “solidarity with Caritas Middle East because they have been working always in such difficult conditions in Jerusalem, even in Syria and Iraq”. He added it was also an opportunity to express “our gratitude to Jordan” and “solidarity, especially with the refugees”. As a private organisation, Caritas Jordan has one of the widest outreaches to both Syrian and Iraqi refugees in the country. It aids 320,000 Syrians, 25,000 Iraqis and 150,000 poor Jordanians with mainly medical care, said Wael Sulieman, who directs the national organisation. Cardinal Rodriguez Maradiaga said the world’s attention must be drawn back once again to the Syrian conflict, which has created one of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern times. The Honduran cardinal said that while Caritas has vast experience in dealing with natural disasters and emergency situations, the Syrian conflict has created a human crisis of enormous proportions. “It is different helping people who have suffered from an earthquake or a tsunami than it is to help people who have suffered such killings, violence, and mutilations this is really another thing,” he said. “It’s very important that the world focus on this region and try to help with its utmost to achieve peace,” he said. The United Nations and aid agencies say the Syrian conflict is the worst humanitarian disaster since the 1994 Rwandan genocide, with 6.5 million people displaced inside Syria and an additional three million seeking refuge outside the country. It is estimated that at least 150,000 people have died since the conflict began in March 2011. “My home was bombed and everything I had in life has been lost,” said Um Bassam, 50, a refugee from Syrian’s eastern city of Deir el-Zour. “I have nothing to go back to in Syria.” She said although she has relatives living in America, she is hoping to join her children in finding asylum in Sweden. She and the other refugees were invited to meet Cardinal Rodriguez Maradiaga at Our Lady of Peace Centre, a sprawling facility run by the Catholic Church to aid people with disabilities and serve as a venue for youth activities. It is located nine miles south of the Jordanian capital, Amman.
A nun walks past a banner with an image of Pope Francis hanging on the Christian Information Centre building in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Syrian children played on swings and slides and drew colourful pictures, while their parents commiserated on the tragedy engulfing their homeland. Fr Imad Twal, who directs the centre, said it educates disabled children regardless of religious background; many Muslims participate in the program. It also has hosted 150 Syrian families seeking asylum in the West. Pope Francis will meet the children and asylum seekers when he visits the Baptismal Site in Jordan on May 24 as part of his three-day Holy Land pilgrimage. “We hope the Pope will bring peace and stability to our troubled region,” said Abu Reda, a Syrian businessman from Damascus. “We long to see Syria return to normal. We Christians want to find encouragement from the Holy Father being in our midst.” Another, Um Anas, added that she hoped the Pope might help Syrian Christians find refuge in the West as the fighting back home continues. Syrians will be among the 1,400 children to receive their First Holy Communion at the papal Mass at an Amman sport stadium on May 24. The parents of nine-year-old George of Aleppo, Syria, said their son will be among the lucky ones to receive his First Eucharist in the presence of Pope Francis. “We were forced to flee the bombing and destruction of our hometown for Jordan. Here, life is difficult, with work not permitted by the authorities and at times, we have little to hope for,” the Armenian woman said, who identified herself simply as Um George. “But George’s Holy Communion has given us something so special to look forward to.”
PHOTO: CNS / AMIR COHEN
Public Lecture
Prisoners’ Votes and Judges’ Political Power A public discussion with Professor John Finnis
Wednesday 4 June, 6.00pm The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle Tannock Hall of Education (ND4) (Cnr Cliff & Croke Streets) John Finnis is Professor of Law and Legal Philosophy Emeritus, University of Oxford; Professor of Law, University of Notre Dame, Indiana; and has an Honorary Doctorate from The University of Notre Dame Australia. His publications include: Moral Absolutes: Tradition, Revision and Truth; Aquinas: Moral, Political and Legal Theory; and Natural Law and Natural Rights.
To reserve your seat for this free event contact 08 9433 0840 | fremantle.events@nd.edu.au | nd.edu.au
Fremantle
Broome
Sydney
THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME AUSTRALIA
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A hidden life of contemplation and prayer Since their arrival in Western Australia in 1935, the Carmelite nuns in Nedlands have lived a quiet, hidden life devoted to prayer. Although they live in an enclosed community and rarely venture outside the convent, the nuns feel no sense of restriction, but, rather, feel a certain freedom to give themselves completely to God. The Record's Matthew Biddle spoke to four of the community's 14 members recently about life in the cloister...
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N ARRIVAL at 100 Adelma Road in Nedlands, one is greeted by an imposing eightfoot high wall that encloses a large building, accessible only through a small open gate. The carpark is empty and there’s not a person in sight. Perhaps the building is deserted or uninhabitable. But looks can be deceiving. Behind the walls, past the gates and inside the locked doors live 14 joyful women who have committed their lives to the service of God and his Church. Nestled neatly in the heart of Nedlands, the Carmelite convent is one of only a handful of completely enclosed religious communities in Australia. Arranging to speak with the nuns is not too difficult, although the visitor must be satisfied with sitting on the opposite side of a metal grill to the nuns. But even this is a privilege, because unlike other religious communities, the Carmelites remain inside the cloister as much as possible, making it rare to see one of the nuns in public. “Most of us try to keep the cloistered life. But if you have a toothache, there’s no question, you have to go and get it looked at,” Sr Margaret Mary says. This wasn’t always the case, however. When the community was first established in Nedlands in 1935, rules for leaving the walls of the convent were much stricter than they are today. “In 1961 Sr Catherine died and the other sisters had to get permission from the Apostolic Delegate in Canberra to go to the hospital to see her,” Sr Marie Therese recalls. “But it’s become much more normal now.”
For the community’s older nuns, such as Sr Marie Therese, who made her profession in 1962, living within the walls of the convent permanently is of no concern. “Someone once said the sisters are like a fish out of water when they’re out. That’s not necessarily so, but you do feel at home here,” she says. But for the convent’s newest member, 36-year-old Sr Qunyh Mary, there have been times when she has desired a more active life. “Once I had a desire to go out and help the poor... but my spiritual director said ‘You’re dreaming’. If the Pope asked all the enclosed sisters to come out to help the poor, we would,” she says. After a rare foray outside the convent, Sr Qunyh says one of her friends remarked that she was “returning to her prison”. To outsiders, it can often appear that the sisters are not doing anything worthwhile in the convent, as the benefits of their hidden works are not easily seen. “A priest once said, ‘Sister I better confess before we start talking that I really don’t see the value of your life’,” Sr Margaret Mary says. “I had to say, ‘Well, I can’t see it either, but it is a mystery’. “You can’t see any sick people getting well, you can’t see any children being taught or any lepers being cared for... so it’s a great mystery. You can’t prove it. By practical demonstrations in a scientific laboratory you couldn’t prove our life was worthwhile.” Because the community is a contemplative one, life in the cloister for the nuns revolves around regular prayer each day. This includes at least three hours of silent prayer, recitation of the Divine Office, an examination of con-
science and daily Mass. The nuns wake up each morning at about 5am, spending time in prayer while the rest of the world sleeps. But the nuns don’t spend all of their time in prayer, they also dedicate several hours each day to manual labour. “The principle we’re working on is that we shouldn’t be a burden on the Church, we should earn our living as much as feasible with that layout of life,” Sr Margaret Mary explains. “So mostly to do that we make altar breads for the Mass, and we do a bit of sewing of garments used for the liturgy and altar cloths and those sorts of things. We’re not supposed to be over-busy.” While most of the clothing the nuns sew
both in their 30s, agree the habit is an important mark of identity. “It’s true, young people choose the religious [communities] that wear habits and are very traditional,” Sr Quynh says. “The habits and all these things make you who you are,” Sr Thanh adds. “When you support a particular football team, you love to wear their colours, and I think it is the same with religious life, you want to say something about your choice.” The garment also has other practical advantages, and is suitable all-year round, Sr Margaret Mary says. “The habit cuts out an enormous amount of thinking for women, because you don’t have to plan what you’re going to wear, or
"You can't see any children being taught or any lepers being cared for... By practical demonstrations in a scientific laboratory you couldn't prove our life was worthwhile." are priestly vestments, they also sew their own distinctive religious habit. They’re an important feature of the Carmelite order, and since the days of St Teresa of Ávila in the 16th century, the habit has only been slightly modified. In 2009, Br Paul Bednarczyk CSC conducted a large-scale research project on the practices of religious communities in the United States. One of his findings was that having a religious habit was an important factor for a significant number of new members. The two youngest members of the Nedlands community, Sr Thanh and Sr Quynh, who are
decide what’s suitable to wear when the Archbishop’s coming, you just have the same habit,” she says. Whether or not the habit helps to attract religious vocations, the nuns say they – like most religious communities worldwide – are at a loss as to where the homegrown vocations have gone. “I would like to know what’s happening to the Euro-Australians, the Australian girls, now 20 or 25 who come from European backgrounds, or English or Irish, why they are not knocking,” Sr Margaret Mary says. While she says the youth who come to the convent chapel for Adoration are searching
for a deep spiritual life, Sr Marie Therese also finds the vocational crisis a “mystery”. “I think they’ve got so many attractions, so many choices, that it’s kind of a blinding thing in a way for young people,” she says. “The whole of society looks to be drawing people outside themselves to experiences or endless entertainments. Often they don’t even think deeply about God until they’re into their 30s.” Strengthening Catholics’ sense of the sacred, rather than competing with the world’s entertainment is the way to remedy the lack of vocations, Sr Marie Therese says. “Why is it that so many of our kids don’t practice? There’s something missing to me in their experience [of Mass], otherwise they wouldn’t just be leaving,” she says. “Entertainment is not it. And so the liturgy can’t be entertainment, because it’s never going to be as good as the world’s entertainment, it’s just not the same thing. [Children and youth] need to realise what the Mass is, that it’s Our Lord’s sacrifice made present.” But for the 14 nuns in the convent whose lives revolve around prayer, issues such as a decrease in religious vocations fail to disturb their inner peace. They trust in God and remain confident that religious orders will be renewed with new members in time. “God is inseparably living in us, even if we’re a crazy teenager on drugs... so he does bring up those questions, what is life all about, what am I here for, and you can’t run away from them,” Sr Margaret Mary says. “God calls, and you don’t have to hear a voice in the human sense, but you have a growing conviction that that’s where he wants you.”
The enclosed Carmelite convent in Nedlands is home to 14 faith-filled nuns. PHOTOS: MATTHEW BIDDLE; FILE
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Glamour vs Glory God’s will but not as we would have it No big break. No glamorous perks. Just one hard, more than occasionally menial slog. Except that it turns out, writes Kevin O’Brien, that following God is fulfilling, even in the often ignoble world of acting and theatre. This piece, originally published at Waiting for Godot to Leave www.thwordinc.blogspot.com.au.
M
OST actors have “careers” that consist of waiting waiting tables and waiting for their
big break. Many of my actors over the years have left St Louis for Hollywood, all but one running into a brick wall in the process. The one who made it big in LA is nevertheless at a precarious point in her career where her big hit is ending its run - which means she might be as forgotten 10 years from now as she was unknown 10 years ago. My solution to this was never to go to LA. Since I first moved out on my own as a 20-year-old, I have made a living in show business - in St Louis, no less, a town not known as a theatre-friendly place, a town where few movies or TV shows film. I’ve had to be versatile - and since I didn’t want my career to consist of “waiting”, it’s consisted of everything from making money as a stand-up comic, magician, drama teacher, director, singing telegram performer, audio book performer, and so on. But I’ve had limits. Early on I decided that I would only do good work that I was interested in and proud of; and that I would not work for free. This means I’ve had to learn how to be an entrepreneur, and how to write, produce and direct my own material. It means my stuff has had to be good enough to please an audience and succeed in the marketplace. Now this form of scrapping - and sometimes of scraping and scrambling - teaches you quickly that it’s not glamorous. Becoming a star or having adoring fans is something that I long ago gladly traded for earning a living doing what I love to do and what God has made me to do. This means that to an extent I am indeed a star and I do have fans, but I’m a star in small towns like Sesser, Illinois and my fans are 90-year-old ladies who watch EWTN. So when I audition actresses for our murder mysteries, I tell them, “This is not for everybody. The audiences are often drunk. Our changing rooms can be small twotoilet bathrooms that are closed to the public the night of our show. We’re often staying at Super-8’s in rural America surrounded by corn fields. This is more vaudeville than it is legitimate theatre. But I love
Actor, writer and director, Kevin O’Brien, the founder and artistic director of The Theater of the Word Incorporated, a Catholic theater company which tours the US evangelising through drama. He is pictured, right, as St Paul. PHOTOS: ONLINE
it. The audiences love it. We are bringing joy to people. Our shows are actually good, well-written, very funny and liberating; they are more fun than I can ever describe. And yet, “it’s not for everybody,” which is my way of saying, I only want to hire troopers, not diva-Hollywood-
in her life, but whose radiant joy is the light that the darkness of suffering could not overcome. I won’t go into detail, since I don’t know how much of her story she would want me to publicise - but it’s all about how she thought that she had founded a religious order
I tell them, “This is not for everybody. The audiences are often drunk. Our changing rooms, two-toilet bathrooms. The work, vaudeville.” wanna-be’s. And so this all leads me to reflect upon life and how we listen to God when he talks to us. Or how we don’t. This weekend in Chicago on a Theatre of the Word tour, we met with a friend of ours - a religious sister who has suffered a great deal
- an order that Cardinal George approved and that she and another sister took vows for - but an order that seemed to fizzle and die before it ever got off the ground. The other sister left; our friend got very ill; life itself seemed to come apart at the seams. Suffering upon suffering and cross upon
cross sent our friend through a dark night of the soul that made her doubt (I imagine) her very reason for being. And yet, now it is becoming clearer to our friend. She begins to see that the particular things she suffered were particular preparations for a very particular sort of work that she is being called to do for the Lord. The order is not dead; it is just that God is forming it. Helpers are beginning to appear. A mission is beginning to reveal itself. Much the same is the story for Theatre of the Word Incorporated. I was not expecting Hollywood stardom and the glamour of adoring fans. But I was expecting a certain amount of worldly success and some encouragement or acceptance by a grateful Church. Have we had either? We have had a touch of success from a worldly perspective, and much ad hoc private gratitude
from audiences and fans; but we’ve also had lots of rejection and even a fair amount of persecution from what has been in general a very ungrateful Church. This made me quite mad, and fueled a lot of my discontent over the last three months. Finally, I started to see the light that my own darkness had not understood. I started to see two things. First, you can’t really say you love someone or something (like the Church or your vocation) until you hit a kind of rock bottom and there is absolutely no reason to love it. Second, the frustration I’m feeling comes from a false expectation - the expectation that the form I had envisioned for my apostolate and for my life - is what God had in mind when I said “yes” to his call. In other words, I thought I had said yes to a kind of Hollywood; but God, in his mercy, has given
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Whether all will be saved an open question I recently read that some theologians have argued that we can hope no one is in hell and that all will be saved. Is this a reasonable position to hold?
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me something far more real than anything like Hollywood - a grace for which I have thanked God by doing a good deal of complaining (as is my wont, I am sorry to say). And so, like an actor who thinks he can only be successful if he’s a big time TV star and that trudging along doing “guerrilla theatre” at wineries and in church basements for 35 years is a failure; or like a religious sister who expects her order to be one thing and finds that it’s totally different and perhaps much more painful; or even like a husband or wife who gets married and finds out that it’s absolutely nothing like they imagined it to be - like all of these folks, we are usually our own worst enemies, and even when we say “yes” to God, we are often saying “yes” to the image in our minds, and not to the far greater reality that he intends to give us. For God is always real. That’s what
the Incarnation is all about. Do you think, for example, that the Virgin Mary imagined her “yes” would mean the panic and poverty of the Nativity, life as a refugee in Egypt, losing her son for three days as he went about his Father’s business, seeing him condemned, tortured, executed? Did she imagine, perhaps, that being the mother of the Messiah would entail a bit more honour (in this life) and ease and earthly glory? We know she didn’t have any of the selfish egotism that we all do. But did she get confused or frightened when all of the apparent success of being the Mother of God appeared to be for naught - a vocation of utter futility - on that dreadful day when the sun stopped shining and the earth shook? We see the glossy images of the Nativity, but we don’t smell the manure.
We see a painting of the flight into Egypt and we forget the slaughter of the innocents. We see the reunion in the temple, but we forget the horror and panic over a lost child. Our Faith is real, more real than we would care to admit. And every time our life, our career, our day doesn’t go the way we envision it, let us say a little prayer. Let us say, “Thank you, God, for speaking to me in this frustration; thank you for showing me by this little suffering that the reality you’re giving me is always greater than the unreality I keep telling myself I’d rather have.” Yes, we should be magnanimous. Yes, we should never settle. We should not lower our expectations and aim for the easy mark. But no, we should stop arguing with God that when we told him we’d serve him we meant it on our terms and not his.
E CAN START with Jesus’ own teaching. We know he spoke numerous times about the existence of hell, warning his listeners to be on guard. For example, in his description of the Last Judgment he speaks of the Son of man coming in his glory for the final judgment and saying to those on his left hand: “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink... and they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Mt 25:31-46). He also spoke about how difficult it is to be saved and how easy to be damned: “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Mt 7:13-14). His listeners clearly understood that it is not easy to be saved, to a point where someone once asked him: “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” He answered, “Strive to enter by the narrow door...” (Lk 13:23-24). From the very fact of Jesus’ repeated teaching we can be certain that there is a hell. Jesus, who is full of mercy and wants all to be saved (cf. 1 Tim 2:4) would not warn people about a state after death that did not exist, or to which no one was going to go. Precisely because he loves us so much and wants all to be with him, he warned us about the real possibility of hell so that we would live good lives and not go there. Common sense and experience confirm the real possibility of going to hell. Given the effects of original sin such as pride, self-centredness, laziness, self-indulgence, etc, we know well that unless we struggle to resist temptations and to do good, it is very easy to lapse into a way of life that is grievously sinful and offensive to God. We know people who have wandered off the path and now lead lives of grave sin, saying they don’t believe in God or life after death and consequently do not pray. It is true that anyone can repent on their deathbed, but we cannot be sure such people will do it. Hell is thus a very real possibility for many. As if this weren’t enough, the Church has always taught the existence of hell. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity” (CCC 1035). What is more, the numerous people down the ages – St Teresa of Avila, Sr Josefa Menendez, the three
Q&A FR JOHN FLADER
children of Fatima – who have had visions of hell, all speak of the horrible shrieks and cries of the people who are there along with the devils. Who, then, holds the view that God’s mercy is so great that we can reasonably hope that all are saved? In the early Church a few writers, among them Origen, St Gregory of Nyssa and St Maximus the Confessor, held some form of belief that in the end all will be saved. The idea was revived in the 20th century, especially by theologians Karl Rahner and Han Urs von Balthasar. Rahner held that all people are “anonymous Christians” and so can go to heaven. Von Balthasar, in his book Dare We Hope That All Men Be Saved?, bases himself mainly on the Church’s liturgy to argue that indeed we may hope that all
I firmly believe that, in spite of God’s infinite mercy and because of his respect for our freedom, there are many people who will not be saved. Perhaps very many. are saved. Even so reputable a figure as Fr Robert Barron says, in his book Catholicism, that “we may, as Hans Urs von Balthasar insisted, reasonably hope that all will find salvation...” (p. 258). On the other hand, Ralph Martin, a consultor to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelisation in his book Will Many be Saved?, argues strongly against the idea of universal salvation. In summary, the matter must be regarded as an open question, with highly respected figures, past and present, on both sides. As for me, while I too hope and pray that all will be saved, I firmly believe that, in spite of God’s infinite mercy and because of his respect for our freedom, there are many people who will not be saved. Perhaps very many. And so I will continue to believe, and to teach others, that there is a hell but that, if we strive to love God with our whole heart and to do his will, repenting of our sins, praying and receiving the sacraments, there is very little likelihood that we will go there. For more, go to fatherfladerblog. wordpress.com or contact Fr Flader on frjflader@gmail.com.
FUN FAITH With
MAY 25, 2014 • JOHN 14:15-21 • 6TH SUNDAY OF EASTER
CROSSWORD
TODAY’S GOSPEL John 14:15-21
ABANDON LIVES COMMANDMENTS
“If you love me, obey” my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
FATHER SPIRIT
Across
Down
4. No, I will not ____ you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live.
1. “If you love me, obey” my ____.
5. He is the Holy ____, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him.
2. And I will ask the ____, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 3. But you know him, because he ____ with you now and later will be in you.
FIND THE WAY SEND YOUR COLOURED IN PICTURE TO THE RECORD AT PO BOX 3075, ADELAIDE TERRACE, PERTH WA 6832 TO BE IN THE RUNNNG TO WIN THIS WEEK’S PRIZE.
I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.
VISTA
therecord.com.au May 21, 2014
Pollyann Lepping says she has a new appreciation for her family and the discipline she was taught growing up, as a result of her time as a volunteer.
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PHOTO: SUPPLIED
From problem child to loved educator Solomon Islander Pollyann Lepping says that volunteering in her local community has given her life a purpose and direction, as she guides, inspires and educates youth.
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T WAS FUN to be young and single and do crazy stuff, running wild and free. But it is empty when you do not answer your call. I was the wild one in my family and then felt a tug - being pulled to a life that includes God and focuses on my fellow countrymen and women. I am from a well known and loving family. At the age of 28, just before Easter, I heard this call - a sort of deep desire - to teach and share my knowledge, understanding and skills, to live a mission life. At first, it was hard telling my family about my new life, but I soon came to realise that telling them the truth would help me in my journey ahead. From then on, I came to see that I was leaving behind a ‘not-sogood life’ and in exchange received a ‘much better life’. Service to help and inspire During Lent and Holy Week, my almsgiving resolution was to help the flood victims at Bishop Epalle Catholic School, Rove Evacuation Centre. We did what we could together with other youth members of Bishop Epalle Mass Centre, to assist and help the victims as they came to terms with the disaster that struck our country. This made me realise who I am and what I am supposed to do in the future. After getting back home one night I went through a few booklets on the life of Don Bosco. The Salesians of Don Bosco are in the Solomon Islands and educate the young to be ‘Good Christians and honest citizens’. I contacted Fr Ambrose Pereira SDB and he guided me on the path of my long desired ‘call to serve.’ It was a big move for me, as I am still
doing my studies at the Solomon Islands National University and my family wanted me to finish my studies first, but I see this as an opportunity not to be turned down. Moving to a new place, living with new people and the hardest part was ‘no betel nut or alcohol allowed’. But I did get through with the support and words from Fr Ambrose and my parents. Life for me, as a new member of the Don Bosco family has been challenging, but a wonderful experience.
Every step is a step closer to getting to understand who I am in my parents’ eyes and to know the purpose of my life and God’s plan for me as I continue to serve him. Being an educator I have committed myself to be a volunteer for three months at Don Bosco Technical Institute, Henderson. As a volunteer-instructor, I have been assigned trade drawing, maths and computers. It’s a full load of 30 classes, with extracurricular activities and occasional sessions on the weekend. I realise that a few of the students do not have the right attitude and do not do what is required. I hear some say: ‘That’s not the Bosconian way’. My constant thought is, ‘What do I need to do to guide our students?’ It is difficult to make sure we are
up to standard. But that is what I am here for. I realise that helping and reaching out to others has built me up as a person and helped me appreciate the importance of my loving and caring family. The few first weeks were tough as I am not a trained teacher and I did what I learnt from my teachers of the past. I had these stagefears or phobias of being in front of a class. I have got over it and now have the courage to speak, write and draw without trembling hands and butterflies in my stomach. I am encouraged by the Salesians, who would lift my burdens up with words of hope. Abiding by the rules that are expected of me as a teacher and showing [the students] a good example reminds me of growing up with the strict discipline of home and family. I now see the importance of it all. These new turns of my life have made me realise the struggles my parents faced to bring me up. I thank them for what they have done and understand the challenges they have gone through. I miss my family, but I do not feel alone because the Bosconian family is now my family, and Don Bosco, Henderson is now my home away from my home. Being a local volunteer Over the years, I have been in contact with many overseas volunteers who have come to share their time and talent with us in the Solomon Islands. Their lives have touched me and I have grown. Reflecting on what they did, I decided to volunteer as well. Being a local, single, female young adult, I want to take up the challenge to being at the service of my fellow Solomon Islander youths.
Pollyann Lepping is a volunteer at the Don Bosco Technical Institute in Henderson, in the Solomon Islands. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Being a ‘volunteer’ has a very clear outline. I am ready to share my knowledge and skills of my trade and I am given an allowance to cover travel and food for the day. This is what gives me great joy and satisfaction. Pondering over my years past, I see that I have come a long way, from a little kid who thought she didn’t have a purpose in life to a youngster whose life is motivated and has a direction. I realise that perhaps I have been a problem child who hated discipline. I am now an educator, whom young people look
up to for guidance and inspiration. Sometimes, I feel the tension to return to the life I left behind, but deep down, I know that following this path is the right way. Every step is a step closer to getting to understand who I am in my parents’ eyes and to know the purpose of my life and God’s plan for me as I continue to serve him through the young I teach, educate and inspire. I realise that life is worth it, because he has offered me a possibility and I am the one to choose freely.
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OPINION
GUEST EDITORIAL
Back to the future on Resurrection’s scandal “SHE hears, upon that water without a sound, a voice that cries, “The tomb in Palestine is not the porch of spirits lingering. It is the grave of Jesus where he lay...”” Somber words. One should say, inappropriate words for Easter Sunday. They come from the American poet Wallace Stevens and they are an excerpt from his poem “Sunday Morning”. The poem is about a loss and lack of faith in the meaning of not only Easter, but every Sunday since then - for Sunday is enshrined with significance, not because it is a casual day of leisure, but because it is the day when Christ rose from the dead. In Wallace Stevens’ poem, faith in what the event of Christ’s resurrection accomplished in history has been lost. The modern mind is content with the distractions of the news of the day, willing to accept that the frame of reference for life’s meaning is limited to the cycles of nature, and is consoled by the promises of middle class prosperity. Sunday is a day to sleep in, or if rising early, to quietly sip one’s coffee and enjoy a pastry or two. One can expect nothing more. Blessed are those, at least in the context of Stevens’ poem, who do not see - or even if they do see - do not believe. It is hard to get a sense of what Wallace Stevens is really up to in his poem. Is his purpose advocacy or critique? It does seem to me that the poem is the diagnosis of a peculiar modern malady. This malady is the bracketing or refusal to acknowledge a supernatural reality. Experience is limited by a narrow sense of what is possible. Nature or the material is all that there is and all that really matters. That which defies the limits of a natural or material explanation is dismissed as inconceivable or untrue. Thus, Sunday is emptied of its supernatural significance. We cannot, the modern mind believes, gather each Sunday to worship a God who has acted in the world, a God who has acted to raise Christ from the dead - for who really believes that such a God is possible? The “god” that is preferred by many is not an actor in human history. He absented himself from that task when he set in motion time and space and has been silent and indifferent ever since. This is what the elites of the modern world would have us believe. An act of faith in faithlessness is what is demanded from the denizens of a polite and sophisticated society. Therefore, the practices of a traditional Sunday, which has worship of a God who acts in human affairs and places Christ’s resurrecPO Box 3075 tion at the centre of history, Adelaide Terrace is recognised only as a quaint PERTH WA 6832 archaism. For the modern, not even God is credited as caring office@therecord.com.au about such things as worship. Tel: (08) 9220 5900 And Jesus? It is reasoned that he came to abolish such revFax: (08) 9325 4580 erence by driving a wedge between himself and religion. This is the faith of the Church’s cultured despisers. Such faith is also the subject of Stevens’ poem. It is a faith that constricts what is possible, and therefore, when it hears the news of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, it cannot believe. It meets the proclamation of Easter with doubt - doubt that becomes scepticism, that becomes a scoff, that rests finally in indifference and that then permits itself an exemption from Sunday as a practice of faith in a God who cares and who matters. In terms of Stevens’ poem, it is in the narrowing of this modern soul’s sense of what is possible that what remains of Jesus Christ is nothing more than a tomb, rather than his resurrection. The deconstruction of Christian faith continues to be one of the premier cultural products of our time. The faith of those for whom Sunday is the Lord’s day, the day Christ conquered the power of death, has become a startling contrast to those who cannot bring themselves to believe or to care. The new faith in faithlessness tests itself repeatedly by throwing itself against the rock of those who refuse to believe in its tenants and persist in their religion despite what should be the sure and certain objections raised by modern critiques. And here is the thing about such criticism: none of it is really new. The Christian is not now in new, uncharted territory. We have been in this place before. Faith in the resurrection of Christ has now, at this precise cultural moment, become what it was at the beginning of its proclamation on that first day of Easter. That Jesus Christ rose from the dead is not something that everyone just assumes to be true. Instead, such faith is a radical witness of otherness from society’s norms. Faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ breaks into the culture, not from the center, but from the margins, and tells us something that is off-putting to our modern sensibilities. We should neither be ashamed or surprised. We are walking the same ground that the apostles trod centuries before. The Christian insists that not only does God act in the world, but he acted in a distinct person, in a particular way, and at a specific point in time. God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and, in doing so, expanded forever our possibilities beyond the natural and the material - beyond what we thought was possible for God or for ourselves. If Christ is risen from the dead, we do not, when all is said and done, merely come to the grief of a grave, but are given something greater than what our minds conceive to be possible. Death is not the end. God shows us in Christ that death is not what we think it to be.
Faith in faithlessness continues. This is not unchartered territory for Christians.
THE RECORD
The full text of Fr Steve Grunow’s homily ‘The Significance of Sunday Morning’ is available at Word on Fire - wordonfire.org.
therecord.com.au
May 21, 2014
LETTERS
Made to know the truth of the love of God I MUST have a very caring Guardian Angel. My life started in a small backwater village in Austria’s very conservative Catholic west. In the early 20th century before Hitler’s Annexation of Austria into Germany, I grew up, like everyone else to the rules and traditions of the Catholic Church. Since I was born with an inquisitive mind to all my questions concerning the Catholic faith, I was simply told that this is the way it is and that I was a doubting Thomas. Then I, like all my contemporaries, was indoctrinated by the Ideals of the Nazi’s great German Reich. Of course, when all that ended in one of the great tragedies of history, I was a young married mother to a man with a great vision to start a new life somewhere far away from everything and we landed in Australia’s, by then, almost empty North West. In early 1950, Wittenoom was a new town without any sign of religion, totally isolated from what we had known up to then and in a way it was, as I see it now, like living in a vacuum. But it was the beauty of the night sky under which we slept during the hottest time of the year, due to the lack of air conditioning that made me aware of God’s omnipotence. Then after the first few years, came the modern missionaries, some wonderful nuns and priests
who started a Catholic community that was instrumental in the formation of our five children and for which I am forever indebted. Of course, that came to an end with Wittenoom’s asbestos demise. All along that time my doubts lingered and the real questions remained a puzzle but I resigned myself to the thinking, oh well all these people I see at church should be enough for me to accept the way it was told and I just go along with it, but I could not quieten those voices that wanted to know. Then here comes The Record and with it also a better understanding of my adopted language it seems to be my saviour. Reading the ‘Guest Editorial’ (May 7 issue) finally explained to me Jesus’ Divinity and now hopefully I will be free of those doubts for good and can ask Jesus for forgiveness of my ignorance. As a thank you, I might be able to explain the Christian faith also to my mostly ignorant children and pray for the ability to spread the good news. Thank you to the staff and contributors of this excellent newspaper and thank you to St Athanasius. Olga Soter DUNSBOROUGH, WA
Uncritical praise poor stand-in for journalism I AM both bewildered and disappointed that The Record has chosen to give no coverage to the recent Royal Commission hearing
in Perth, apart from brief reference to the prayer vigil at the Catholic Education Office and the publication of Archbishop Costelloe’s very wise and moving letter the week before the hearing started. By contrast the coverage of the hearing in the secular media was predictably both extensive and less than sympathetic to the response of the Church in recent decades. Surely the issue is not one that The Record can simply ignore. At the very least I had hoped for coverage of Brother Julian McDonald’s powerful closing statement to the Commission, which pointed a way forward that not only the Christian Brothers themselves but the Church as a whole will need to take if it is to, in his words, ‘right this terrible wrong’. A Catholic newspaper that for decades heaped lavish and uncritical praise on the institutions that were the subject of the hearing surely has some responsibility in all this. But then again perhaps we all do, given our propensity to focus on the achievements of Catholic institutions and turn a blind eye to the human cost involved. No improved protocols or more generous compensation schemes are ultimately going to help if as a Church we cannot be honest about the dark side of our collective past and present. I hope that The Record can provide some leadership in the discussion that has to happen. Margaret Ker MOUNT LAWLEY, WA
Cathedrals and the crosstown bus: art as means, not as end Beauty as agent-for-conversion can miss the point, writes Maureen Mullarkey.
The ribbed vault of the retrochoir and Choir of Wells Cathedral, Sommerset, UK.
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iewed through the radiant trefoil window of aesthetics, my love of Gothic architecture is boundless. Approached through the tighter, denser lens of prayer, however, that love shrinks. It pales and contracts to where I can barely see it. If at all. Christianity’s great truths come to us through a Nazarene carpenter - a tekton, a builder - whose handiwork we have no clue to. Neither do we have the faintest inkling of his response to Herod’s monumental temple complex. The whole of it, with its plaza, porticos, columns, and stairs was a glory of limestone, marble and gold. Yet Jesus directed eyes to the lilies of the field, the birds of the air, to bread, weeds and mustard seeds.
His inattention to cultivated Herodian aesthetics mortifies me some. It pulls me back - sometimes not far enough - from making a golden calf of my own sensibilities and everything they revel in. Once destined for the faithful, Christendom’s magnificent cathedrals remain great goods. But they are not ultimate goods. And when we honour them as ends in themselves, we fall into idolatry. Gerard Manley Hopkins, a theologian of surpassing lyricism, condensed into a single exquisite stanza all a Christian needs to know - or say - about beauty: “Christ plays in ten thousand places, lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his. To the Father through the features of men’s faces.”
PHOTO: FR LAWRENCE LEW OP
The call to charity implicit in that line is the governing principle and crown of the gospels. I cannot dislodge it from memory. It repeats like a mantra, an unceasing reminder that compassion - caritas - is a vehicle for worship. And that our faith is simpler than we make it. Simpler, certainly, than the grandees of theological aesthetics would have us believe. The greatest cathedral of all, the only one capable of rising to the Paraclete, is the suffering human being next to us. Until we can worship on the crosstown bus, we have yet to greet the living God. Maureen Mullarkey is an artist who writes on art and culture at www. maureenmullarkey.com/essays/ index.html
OPINION
therecord.com.au May 21, 2014
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Time to gaze at the glory brightly I
Christ’s death tore the temple veil, but even this side of the Resurrection, Mark Reidy laments, we look around with veiled eyes. n 2007 Paul Potts nervously walked on stage for his first audition for Britain’s Got Talent. He was an overweight car phone salesman with a crumpled suit and, as he smiled awkwardly through disfigured teeth and announced he was there to sing opera, the murmur from the already doubting crowd grew and the eyebrows on the sceptical judging panel rose further. What was to follow would lift the audience to their feet and bring many to tears in what one judge would define as a “spine-chilling” performance. With prophetic undertones the same judge would announce, “What we have here is a case of a little lump of coal that’s going to turn into a diamond”. Potts would go on to win the competition and launch an international career which would see him perform before millions of people, including a Royal Gala for the Queen, and hit the top of music charts across the globe. It is a moving and inspirational moment to see the transformation of an entire audience as their initial perceptions are shattered by the reality of what lay beyond this external demeanour and appearance. It is one, strangely enough, I was reminded of during the recent Palm Sunday readings. I was struck by the final moment of Jesus’ death when the veil in the Sanctuary was ripped through. It was a line I must have heard many times before but this time it resonated more deeply. The Jewish faith at the time used the veil to separate the Holy of Holies – the earthly dwelling place of God’s presence – from the remainder of the temple, signifying man’s separation from God through sin. Only the high priest could pass beyond the thick, 20m high veil
Britain’s Got Talent winner, Paul Potts performing on Korean television.
once a year to atone for the sins of Israel. The ripping of the veil is a powerful symbolism of the spiritual doors Jesus opened for us through his sacrifice. By cleaning the slate of all of humanity’s sins – the “veils” that had separated us from God – Jesus became the gateway to intimacy with his Father. It is why, I believe, rags to riches stories such as Paul Potts strike
such a powerful public chord. We love the story of the underdog – the person who defies the odds and is able to lift themselves above the expectations of others – because it triggers an awareness of the diamond - the presence of God - living within each of us. We are able to witness the manifestation of something beautiful being released from an unexpected source and it awakens the divine
PHOTO: ONLINE
hope within each of us. We are reminded that beyond the veils of our own humanity - the residue of our trials, hurts and disappointments - something beautiful is waiting to burst forth. I see the extreme reality of our veiled existences when I journey onto the streets of Perth and meet those who have become lost in the shadows of our society. For many, the layers of coal have become so
thick they are no longer aware of the diamond within and many come to identify them only by the facade they have erected. These veils come in all shapes and sizes – violence, substance abuse, crime, intimidation, isolation, apathy, hopelessness, etc, and most are woven together by the pain and fear borne from life experience. The purpose of each veil, whether subconscious or by design, is to create a protective layer to prevent further hurt, but sadly they serve only to separate themselves further from society, and even more tragically, from recognising God within themselves. So often, however, I become one of the sceptical audience members who instantly make a judgement guided by only what I see in front of me. My focus and expectations go no deeper than the appearance, behaviour and attitude presented before me and, sadly, I add yet another layer of coal on their diamond. Unfortunately, this is an easy habit to fall into, whether on the street, at work, in our churches or even our homes, and we miss out on discovering the Paul Potts’ amongst us. Fear, helplessness or a judgemental attitude can rob us of the opportunity to expose the buried treasure that is only an outstretched hand or kind word away. Jesus made deliberate efforts to bring to the front stage people who were not considered worthy or important. He put the spotlight on those who begged, had leprosy, were possessed or worked in prostitution, ripping through the veils of appearance, isolation, behaviour and immorality. He did not see the singer – because he had already heard the beautiful song within.
Google age can’t be one of blind faith Information is at our fingertips, something we, in our freedom, wield; divorced from the inner “us”, or is it, asks Bernard Toutounji.
I
love Google. I use that little search bar numerous times every day. If I want to know what to cook for dinner, study the history of sandpaper or find out the time in Nigeria the method is always the same…Google. And it is a rare occasion when Google lets me down. Sometimes I have only fragments of information but sure enough, more often than not, Google knows what I am after. There are even times when I know the information I need is written somewhere very close by, but instead I’ll search for the information online. There is no doubt that our ability to find information so quickly on so many popular and obscure topics is one of the primary advantages of life in the 21st century. But just as every cloud has a silver lining, so every silver lining has a cloud. Google was given its name as a derivative of googol which is the number one followed by a hundred zeros. The mission of Google’s two founders was to organise the seemingly infinite amount of information on the web. And it would seem that they really have succeeded. With over 2 trillion searches made through Google last year it’s clear that the world is keen to get its hands on as much information as it can. And rightly so, for information is a wonderful thing. The word ‘information’ is derived from the Latin stem informare meaning a sort of “formation
of the mind”. This etymological meaning helps us to see that information is not only stuff we surround ourselves with, but in a much more profound way it shapes our very thoughts and thus the way we respond to situations. I remember seeing the phrase somewhere, ‘What you read today, walks and talks tomorrow’. In the way that the food we eat becomes who we are in a physical sense, the information we take into our minds even more truly come out in the choices and thus the people we are.
We know that an increasing proportion of adults (and children) in the Western World are entrusting their physical health to McDonalds. An even larger proportion of the population are entrusting their minds to Google and the online world that it controls. What we need in both cases though is a balanced diet. As we have established, there is no shortage of information that can be found online but raw information is only one piece of the puzzle. In a quick handful of Google
searches I can find reputable looking information on the best ways to have an affair, methods to evade tax, and abortion inducing pills that can be delivered to my door. However - and this is the clincher - the ability to actually do something is not an indication that a thing should be done. Long before anyone was able to Google anything, the world set itself on a tangent that would open the pathway for the information revolution, and that was what we now politely refer to as
the ‘Enlightenment’ or the ‘Age of Reason’ (as if complete foolishness had reigned until this point). The Enlightenment was a 17th century intellectual movement that emphasised scientific method and individualism over anything to do with faith or tradition. The Enlightened mind was one that was accountable only to itself. Information was divorced from questions of ethics and morality which were said to belong to a separate realm. Now of course there is nothing wrong with reason or science, but as has been seen in the world over and over, ideas without an ethic risk becoming inhumane, because people are not simply machines or mathematical calculations. On a purely physical level an affair is simply an interaction between two persons, but in the human world an affair destroys lives and whole families in ways that are far more than physical. Of course I am not saying that Google is bad or using the internet is somehow a pathway to infidelity. What I am saying though is that, as with all human achievements, we should take the internet with a degree of skepticism. It’s not only about what we allow ourselves to read or believe but also the thought patterns that we allow to sink into the depths of our being. As allknowing as Google may be, the fullness of the human experience will always be more complex than any algorithm.
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PANORAMA
SCHOENSTATT CELEBRATES 100 YEARS All welcome, 9 Talus Drive, Mt Richon. More information - 9399 2349. June 6 - 7.30pm The Covenant of Love in the Fourth Milestone 1965 July 4 - 7.30pm The Covenant of Love and the Place of Grace Bring a picture of your Home Shrine August 1 - 7.30pm The Covenant of Love in its Depth Renewal of Crowning ‘Queen of the Family’ September 5 - 7.30pm The Covenant of Love in its Width Bring your Pilgrim Mother Shrine October 3 - 8pm The Covenant of Love in the Everyday Bring your Group Symbol SATURDAY, MAY 24 Day of Reflection for Women of all Ages Embracing Womanhood 9am-3pm at St Jude’s Catholic Parish, 20 Prendiville Way, Langford. A Spiritual Dimension over a cup of tea with Sr Ann Cullinane followed by Eucharistic celebration. Cost: $10. Morning tea and light lunch provided. Only 60 places available. Registration closes Wed, May 20, 2014. Enq: Gertrude 0411 262 221, Helen 0422 812 061. SUNDAY, MAY 25 Centenary Celebrations - Mt Barker Parish 10.30am at Sacred Heart Parish, Langton Rd, Mt Barker. You are invited to the celebration of 100 years with Mass, celebrant Bishop Gerard Holohan, followed by bring and share lunch. RSVP with your intention to attend. Enq: Fr John Brown 08 9851 1119 or Rose-Mary 9851 1695. Western Australian African Catholic Community Mass - Africa Day Commemoration 12.30pm at North Perth Monastery, 190 Vincent St, North Perth. All are invited to celebrate and pray for Africa. Bring and share. Enq: Joseph on 0423 88 6870. MONDAY, MAY 26 TO FRIDAY MAY 30 Set Free 7pm at Holy Family Parish, Como. Rosary. CCR presents International Inner Healing Ministry of Mrs Diana Mascarenhas and Fr Elias Vella. Talks include Parental Anguish, Compulsive Behaviours, Dealing with Guilt and Living in Joy. Admission free; collections taken up. Enq: Dan 9398 4973 or E: daniel.hewitt5@bigpond.com or Frank 0400 885 635. FRIDAY, MAY 30 6th Anniversary Celebration Mass St Jerome’s Divine Mercy Prayer Group 2-4pm at St Jerome’s Church, 36 Troode St, Munster. Healing Mass and service led by Fr Varghese Parackal VC. Starting with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Divine Mercy Chaplet followed with Mass, talk on Divine Mercy and Healing. Enq: Connie 0437 803 322, Liliana 9437 3435. FRIDAY, MAY 30 TO SATURDAY, JUNE 7 Novena to the Holy Spirit and Pentecost Vigil 7.30-9.30pm at Holy Family Parish, 34 Alcock St, Maddington. Healing Mass with Novena. May 31June 5, Novena with Eucharistic Adoration from 7.30-8.30pm. June 6, 7.30-9.30pm Healing Mass with Novena; June 7, Novena, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Vigil Mass from 8-11pm. Enq: 94931703, vincentiansperth@yahoo.com. Web: vpcp.org.au. SATURDAY, MAY 31 Legion of Mary Annual One-Day Retreat 9am-3.30pm at the Little Sisters of the Poor, Rawlins St, Glendalough. Retreat Master is Fr Peter Porteous. Talks on Images of God/Jesus/ Church. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Reconciliation, Mass and Benediction. Tea and coffee and soup supplied. Secret bag collection to offset costs. Enq: Rosemary 0421 580 783. SUNDAY, JUNE 1 Divine Mercy Afternoon with Jesus and Mary - 1.30pm at St Francis Xavier Church, 25 Windsor St, Perth. With Fr Andre Maria - Homily “Body and Blood of Jesus.” Exposition of The Blessed Sacrament, holy Rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Reconciliation, Benediction and Veneration of First Class Relic of St Faustina Kowalska. Refreshments afterwards. Enq: John 9457 7771. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4 Alan Ames Talk and Healing Service 6.30pm at St Brigid’s Catholic Church, 69B Morrison Rd, Midland. Begins with holy Mass followed by talk and healing service. Enq: George 9275 6608. SATURDAY, JUNE 7 Day With Mary 9am-5pm at St Emilie de Vialar Church, 151 Amherst Rd, Canning Vale. Begins with video. Day of prayer based on the Fatima message. 10.10am holy Mass, Reconciliation, Procession of the Blessed Sacrament, Eucharistic Adoration, two talks, Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet and Stations of the Cross. BYO lunch. Enq: Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate 9437 2792.
Memorial Mass: Beginning Experience Founder 11am at the St Vincent Pallotti Chapel, 60 Fifth Ave, Rossmoyne. To acknowledge legacy of Sr Josephine Stewart, founder of the Beginning Experience which ran in Perth for over 25 years ministering to many grieving people. Please bring a small plate to share a light lunch after Mass. Enq: Gemma 0400 239 649. SUNDAY, JUNE 8 The World Apostolate of Fatima Eucharistic Holy Hour 3pm at St Pius X Parish, Paterson St, Manning. Enq: 9339 2614. SATURDAY, JUNE 14 St Padre Pio Prayer Day 8.30am at St Lawrence Parish, Albert St, Balcatta. 8.30am - St Padre Pio DVD in parish centre. 10am - Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Rosary, Divine Mercy, Silent Adoration and Benediction. 11am - Holy Mass, St Padre Pio Liturgy. Confessions available. 12pm - BYO for shared lunch, tea and coffee supplied. Enq: Des 6278 1540. SATURDAY, JUNE 14 AND SUNDAY, JUNE 15 Pater Noster Book Sale 9am to 4pm at Evershed St, Myaree in the School Parish Hall, Entrance. All types of books for sale. Enq: Margaret 9330 3848. FRIDAY, JUNE 20 Medjugorje - Evening of Prayer. 7-9pm at Our Lady of Good Council Parish, 108 Miles St, Karrinyup. In thanksgiving for Our Blessed Mothers reported apparitions at Medjugorje. Free DVDs on Donald Calloway’s life of sin to his conversion and priesthood. See Classifieds for Pilgrimage from Perth, in October. Enq: Eileen 9402 2480, 0407 471 256 E: medjugorje1947@ gmail.com. FRIDAY, JUNE 27 TO SUNDAY, JUNE 29 Live-in Growth Retreat 7.30am-5pm at Epiphany Retreat Centre, 50 5th Ave, Rossmoyne. Led by Fr Varghese Parackal VC and the Vincentian Fathers. Enq: Lin 0419 041 188 or 9493 1703 or email vincentiansperth@yahoo. com or visit website www.vpcp.org.au. SATURDAY, JULY 12 St Padre Pio Prayer Day 8.30am at St Joachim Parish, cnr Shepperton Rd and Harper St, Victoria Park. 8.30am - St Padre Pio DVD in parish centre. 10am - Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Rosary, Divine Mercy, Silent Adoration and Benediction. 11am - Holy Mass, St Padre Pio Liturgy. Confessions. 12pm - BYO shared lunch, tea and coffee supplied. Enq: Des 6278 1540.
REGULAR EVENTS EVERY SUNDAY Gate of Heaven Catholic Radio Join the Franciscans of the Immaculate from 7.309pm on Radio Fremantle 107.9FM for Catholic radio broadcast of EWTN and our own live shows. Enq: radio@ausmaria.com. Cathedral Cafe Cathedral Cafe open every Sunday 9.30am-1pm at St Mary’s Cathedral, downstairs after Mass. Coffee, tea, cakes, sweets, friendship with Cathedral parishioners. Further info: Tammy on smcperthwyd@yahoo.com.au or 0415 370 357. Pilgrim Mass - Shrine of the Virgin of the Revelation 2pm at Shrine, 36 Chittering Rd, Bullsbrook. Starts with Rosary, then Benediction. Reconciliation available before every celebration. Anointing of the sick administered at Mass every second Sunday of month. Pilgrimage in honour of the Virgin of the Revelation last Sunday of the month. Side entrance to Church and shrine open daily between 9am-5pm. Enq Sacri 9447 3292. Praise and Worship 5.30pm at St Denis Parish, cnr Osborne St and Roberts Rd, Joondanna. Followed by 6pm Mass. Enq: Admin on admin@stdenis.com.au. Mass with Sign Language Interpreter and PowerPoint 9.30am at St Francis Xavier Church, 23 Windsor St, East Perth. Enq: Voice 9328 8113, TTY 9328 9571, 0401 016 399 or www.emmanuelcentre.com.au. Latin Mass 8.30am at The Good Shepherd Church, Streich Ave, Kelmscott. Enq: John 9390 6646. EVERY FIRST SUNDAY Singles Prayer and Social Group 6.30pm at All Saints Chapel, Allendale Sq, 77 St Georges Tce, Perth. Begins with holy hour followed by dinner at local restaurant. Meet new people, pray and socialise with others. Enq: Veronica 0403 841 202. EVERY SECOND SUNDAY Healing Hour 7-8pm at St Lawrence, Balcatta. Songs of praise and worship, Exposition of Blessed Sacrament and prayers for sick. Enq: Fr Irek Czech SDS or office Tue-Thu, 9am-2.30pm on 9344 7066. EVERY THIRD SUNDAY Oblates of St Benedict’s 2pm at St Joseph’s Convent, York St, South Perth. We welcome all interested in studying the Rule of St Benedict and its relevance to the everyday life of today for laypeople. Vespers and afternoon tea conclude our meetings. Enq: Secretary 9457 5758.
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May 21, 2014
Holy Hour with Exposition 3pm at All Saints Parish, 7 Liwara Pl, Greenwood. Mercy Novena and Rosary during Holy Hour. Enq: Charles 9447 1989. Divine Mercy Holy Hour 3pm at Pius X Church, 23 Paterson St, Manning. Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Divine Mercy prayers, Rosary and Benediction. Please join us in prayer. Enq: Mrs K Henderson 9450 4195. EVERY FOURTH SUNDAY Shrine Time for Young Adults 18-35 Years 7.30-8.30pm at Schoenstatt Shrine, 9 Talus Dr, Mt Richon; holy Hour with prayer, reflection, meditation, praise and worship; followed by a social gathering. Come and pray at a place of grace. Enq: shrinetimemtrichon@gmail.com. Holy Hour for Vocations to the Priesthood, Religious Life 2-3pm at Infant Jesus Parish, Wellington St, Morley. Includes Exposition of Blessed Sacrament, silent prayer, scripture, prayers of intercession. Come and pray that those discerning vocations can hear clearly God’s call. EVERY LAST SUNDAY Filipino Mass 3pm at Notre Dame Church, cnr Daley and Wright Sts, Cloverdale. Bring a plate to share after Mass. Enq: Fr Nelson 0410 843 412, Elsa 0404 038 483. LAST MONDAY Be Still in His Presence – Ecumenical Christian Program 7.30-8.45pm at St Swithun Anglican Church, 195 Lesmurdie St, Lesmurdie (hall behind church). Begins with songs of praise and worship, silent time, lectio divina, small group sharing and cuppa. Enq: Lynne 9293 3848 or 0435 252 941. EVERY TUESDAY Novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal 6pm at Pater Noster Church, Marmion and Evershed Sts, Myaree. Mass at 5.30pm followed by Benediction. Enq: John 0408 952 194. Novena to God the Father 7.30pm at St Joachim’s parish hall, Vic Park. Novena followed by reflection and discussions on forthcoming Sunday Gospel. Enq: Jan 9284 1662. Mercy Heritage Centre Open Day 10am-2pm at 86 Victoria Sq, Perth (cnr Goderich St) main entrance. Free tour of the 1871 Convent. Enq: 08 9325 4155. EVERY FIRST TUESDAY Short MMP Cenacle for Priests 2pm at Edel Quinn Centre, 36 Windsor St, East Perth. Enq: Fr Watt 9376 1734. EVERY WEDNESDAY Holy Spirit of Freedom Community 7.30pm at Church of Christ, 111 Stirling St, Perth. We welcome everyone to attend our praise meeting. Enq: 0423 907 869 or hsofperth@gmail.com. Holy Hour - Catholic Youth Ministry 5.30pm at Catholic Pastoral Centre, 40A Mary St, Highgate. Mass followed at 6.30pm with Holy Hour. Supper $5 and fellowship later. Enq: 9422 7912 or admin@cym.com.au. Subiaco Ladies Prayer Meeting 10am in the upper room at St Joseph’s Parish, 3 Salvado Rd, Subiaco. We welcome you to join us for prayer, praise, and fellowship. Phone Win 9387 2808, Colleen 9245 3277 or Noreen 9298 9938. Evangelising with Catholic DVDs 10.30-11.30am at St Joseph’s Church, 20 Hamilton St, Bassendean Library. No price too high. Enq: Catherine 9379 2691 or Merle 0414 794 224. EVERY FIRST WEDNESDAY Novena to St Mary of the Cross MacKillop 7-7.45pm at Blessed Mary MacKillop Parish, cnr Cassowary Dr and Pelican Pde, Ballajura. Begins with Mass, Novena prayers and Benediction. Followed by healing prayers and anointing of the sick. Enq: Madi 9249 9093 or Gerry 0417 187 240. EVERY SECOND WEDNESDAY Chaplets of Divine Mercy 7.30pm at St Thomas More Parish, Dean Rd, Bateman. Accompanied by Exposition, then Benediction. Enq: George 9310 9493 or 6242 0702 (w). Miracle Prayers 7.30pm at 67 Howe St, Osborne Park. An opportunity to receive prayers for healing of mind, body and soul. Enq: miracleprayers@disciplesofjesus. org or Michelle 0404 028 298. EVERY THURSDAY Divine Mercy 11am at Sts John and Paul Church, Pinetree Gully Rd, Willetton. Pray the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy and for consecrated life, especially in our parish. Concludes with veneration of the first class relic of St Faustina. Enq: John 9457 7771. St Mary’s Cathedral Praise Meeting 7.45pm at the Legion of Mary’s Edel Quinn Centre, 36 Windsor St, East Perth. Includes praise, song and healing ministry. Enq: Kay 9382 3668 or fmi@ flameministries.org. Group Fifty - Charismatic Renewal Group 7.30pm at Redemptorist Monastery, 150 Vincent St, North Perth. Includes prayer, praise and Mass. Enq: Elaine 9440 3661. EVERY FIRST THURSDAY Holy Hour Prayer for Priests 7-8pm at Holy Spirit Parish, 2 Keaney Pl, City Beach. All welcome. Enq: Linda 9341 3079.
Prayer in Style of Taizé 7.30-8.30pm at Our Lady of Grace Parish, 3 Kitchener St, North Beach. Includes prayer, song and silence in candlelight – symbol of Christ the light of the world. Taizé info: www.taize.fr. Enq: secretary 9448 4888 or 9448 4457. FIRST AND THIRD THURSDAY Social Dinner (Young Adults aged up to 35) and Rosary Cenacle 6.30pm at St Bernadette’s Church, 49 Jugan St, Mt Hawthorn. Begins at 6.30pm with dinner at a local restaurant, followed at 8pm by a Rosary Cenacle, short talk and refreshments at the church. Great way to meet new people, pray and socialise! Enq: 9444 6131 or st.bernadettesyouth@gmail.com. EVERY FRIDAY Eucharistic Adoration at Schoenstatt Shrine 10am at Schoenstatt Shrine, 9 Talus Dr, Mt Richon. Includes holy Mass, Exposition of Blessed Sacrament, silent Adoration till 8.15pm. Join us in prayer at a place of grace. Enq: Sisters of Schoenstatt 9399 2349. Healing Mass 6pm at Holy Family Parish, Lot 375, Alcock St, Maddington. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Rosary, Stations of the Cross, Healing Mass followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Enq: admin 9493 1703/www.vpcp.org.au. Eucharistic Adoration - Voice of the Voiceless Ministry 7.30-9pm at St Brigid’s Parish, 211 Aberdeen St, Northbridge. Eucharistic Adoration, beginning with praise and worship and reflection on the scriptures. All welcome. Enq: adrianluke1999@ yahoo.com.abibleu. EVERY FIRST FRIDAY Mass and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 11am-4pm at Little Sisters of the Poor Chapel, 2 Rawlins St, Glendalough. Exposition of Blessed Sacrament after Mass until 4pm, finishing with Rosary. Enq: Sr Marie MS.Perth@lsp.org.au. Healing and Anointing Mass 8.45am Pater Noster Church, Evershed St, Myaree. Begins with Reconciliation, then 9am Mass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, anointing of the sick and prayers to St Peregrine. Enq: Joy 9337 7189. Pro-life Witness – Mass and Procession 9.30am at St Brigid’s Parish, cnr Great Northern Hwy and Morrison Rd, Midland. Begins with Mass followed by Rosary procession and prayer vigil at nearby abortion clinic led by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. Please join us to pray for an end to abortion and the conversion of hearts. Enq: Helen 9402 0349. Catholic Faith Renewal Evening 7.30pm at Sts John and Paul Parish, Pinetree Gully Rd, Willetton. Songs of praise, prayer, sharing by a priest, then thanksgiving Mass and light refreshments. Enq: Ivan 0428 898 833 or Ann 0412 166 164 or catholicfaithrenewal@gmail.com. Communion of Reparation All Night Vigils 7pm-1.30am at Corpus Christi Church, Loch St, Mosman Park or St Gerard Majella Church, cnr Ravenswood Dr/Majella Rd, Mirrabooka. Vigils are two Masses, Adoration, Benediction, prayers, Confession in reparation for outrages committed against the United Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Enq: Vicky 0400 282 357, Fr Giosue 9349 2315, John/ Joy 9344 2609. Holy Hour 7.30pm at St Bernadette’s Parish, cnr Jugan and Leeder Sts, Glendalough. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, music and chants, silence, readings and meditative decades of the holy Rosary. Tea/ coffee and cake to follow. Enq: Sean Tobin of Bl Elisabeth of the Trinity Choir 0439 720 066. EVERY SECOND FRIDAY Discover Spirituality of St Francis of Assisi 12pm at St Brigid’s parish centre. The Secular Franciscans of Midland Fraternity have lunch, then 1-3pm meeting. Enq: Antoinette 9297 2314. EVERY SATURDAY Our Lady of Sorrows Rosary 9am at St Denis Parish Church, cnr Roberts Rd and Osborne St, Joondanna. A warm invitation to those interested in praying Our Lady of Sorrows Rosary with us. Enq: Parish office 9242 2812. EVERY FIRST SATURDAY Vigil for Life – Mass and Procession 8.30am at St Augustine Parish, Gladstone St, Rivervale. Begins with Mass celebrated by Fr Carey, followed by Rosary procession and prayer vigil at nearby abortion clinic. Please join us to pray for the conversion of hearts and an end to abortion. Enq: Helen 9402 0349. Mission Rosary Making at the Legion of Mary 9.30am-2pm at 36 Windsor St, East Perth. All materials supplied. The Rosaries made are distributed to schools, missions and those who ask for a Rosary. Please join us and learn the art of Rosary making on rope and chain. Enq: 0478 598 860. Half-Day Retreat 9am-1.30pm at Holy Family Parish, 34 Alcock St, Maddington Led by Fr Parackal VC and Vincentian Fathers. Morning tea and lunch provided. Enq: 9493 1703 or email vincentiansperth@yahoo.com or visit www.vpcp.org.au. EVERY SECOND SATURDAY Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Succour) and Divine Mercy Chaplet (Chant) 8.30am at Our Lady of the Mission Parish,
Whitford, 270 Camberwarra Dr, Craigie. Holy Mass at 8.30am followed by Novena. Enq: Margaret 9307 2776. EVERY FOURTH SATURDAY Voice of the Voiceless Healing Mass 11.30am at St Brigid’s Parish, 211 Aberdeen St, Northbridge. Bring a plate to share after Mass. Enq: Frank 9296 7591 or 0408 183 325. DAILY IN MAY Month Of Mary 6.30-7.30pm at Holy Cross Church, Hamilton Hill. There will be daily service during the month of May in honour of Our Lady of Fatima. Novena commences at 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays 6am in May. All are welcome. Enq: Connie 0437 803 322.
GENERAL Divine Mercy Church, Lower Chittering Come join the “$500 club” by donating that amount towards completion of the Divine Mercy Church in Lower Chittering. Your name will be included in a plaque and you will share in Masses offered for benefactors. Donate online: www. ginginchitteringparish.org.au or send cheque to DM Church Building Fund, PO Box 8, Bullsbrook WA 6084. May God bless you! Free Divine Mercy Image for Parishes High quality oil painting and glossy print – Divine Mercy Promotions. Images of very high quality. For any parish willing to accept and place inside the church. Oil paintings: 160 x 90cm; glossy print - 100 x 60cm. Enq: Irene 9417 3267 (w). Sacred Heart Pioneers Would anyone like to know about the Sacred Heart pioneers? If so, please contact Spiritual Director Fr Doug Harris 9444 6131 or John 9457 7771. St Philomena’s Chapel 3/24 Juna Dr, Malaga. Mass of the day: Mon 6.45am. Vigil Masses: Mon-Fri 4.45pm. Enq: Fr David 9376 1734. Mary MacKillop Merchandise Available for sale from Mary MacKillop Centre. Enq: Sr Maree 0414 683 926 or 08 9334 0933. Financially Disadvantaged People Requiring Low Care Aged Care Placement The Little Sisters of the Poor community is set in the beautiful gardens in Glendalough. “Making the elderly happy, that is everything!” St Jeanne Jugan (foundress). Reg and enq: Sr Marie 9443 3155. AA Alcoholics Anonymous Is alcohol costing you more than just money? Enq: AA 9325 3566. Is your son or daughter unsure of what to do this year? Suggest a Certificate IV course to discern God’s purpose. They will also learn more about the Catholic faith and develop skills in communication and leadership. Acts 2 College of Mission and Evangelisation (National Code 51452). Enq: Jane 9202 6859. Abortion Grief Association Inc A not-for-profit association is looking for premises to establish a Trauma Recovery Centre (pref SOR) in response to increasing demand for services (ref www.abortiongrief.asn.au). Enq: Julie (08) 9313 1784. Free Rosaries For The Missions If you or anybody you know are going to the missions and would like to send or take Rosaries to spread the faith locally or overseas or for school or First Holy Communion, please contact Felicia 0429 173 541 or Hiep 0409 128 638. Saints and Sacred Relics Apostolate Invite SSRA Perth invites interested parties, parish priests, leaders of religious communities, lay associations to organise relic visitations to parishes, communities, etc. We have available authenticated relics, mostly first class, of Catholic saints and blesseds including Sts Mary MacKillop, Padre Pio, Anthony of Padua, Therese of Lisieux, Maximilian Kolbe, Simon Stock and Blessed Pope John Paul II. Free of charge and all welcome. Enq: Giovanny 0478 201 092 or ssra-perth@catholic.org. PERPETUAL ADORATION Adoration - St Jerome’s, Spearwood Adorers are needed. Please contact the office on 9418 1229. Holy Hour Slots at St Bernadette’s, Glendalough “Every Holy Hour we make so pleases the Heart of Jesus that it will be recorded in heaven and retold for all eternity” ~ Blessed Mother Teresa. Adorers needed for: Monday 2-3am; Tuesday 10-11am; Wednesday midnight-2am; Friday 2-4am; and Saturday 1-2pm. If you would like one of these hours or more information, please call the parish office. Enquiries: 9444 6131. Resource Centre For Personal Development 2014 Courses 197 High St, Fremantle. RCPD2 ‘Successful Relationships, Emotional Intelligence/ Communication Skills’; RCPD3 Part1 ‘Health – Mental, Physical and Spiritual’ ‘Understanding and Healing the Consequences of Emotional and Sexual Abuse’ Lecture and Discussion; RCPD11 ‘Therapeutic Workshop’; RCPD7 Part1 ‘Psychology and Christian Spirituality’; RCPD7 Part2 ‘Exorcists and Psychiatrists’. Volunteers required for Op/Shop Drop-In Centre. Enq: 9418 1439, 0409 405 585 www.rcpd.net.au.
CLASSIFIEDS
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CLASSIFIEDS Deadline: 11am Monday BEAUTY
FURNITURE REMOVAL
RURI STUDIO FOR HAIR Vincent and Miki welcome you to their newly opened, international, award-winning salon. Shop 2, 401 Oxford St, Leederville. 9444 3113. Ruri-studio-for-hair@ hotmail.com.
ALL AREAS. Competitive rates. Mike Murphy Ph 0416 226 434.
RELIGIOUS PRODUCTS RICH HARVEST - YOUR CHRISTIAN SHOP Looking for Bibles, CDs, books, cards, gifts, statues, Baptism and Wedding candles, etc. Visit us at 39 Hulme Ct (off McCoy St), Myaree. Ph 9329 9889 (after 10.30am Mon to Sat). We are here to serve. KINLAR VESTMENTS www.kinlarvestments.com.au Quality vestments, Australianmade, embroidered, appliqued. Ph: 9402 1318, 0409 114 093.
TAX SERVICE QUALITY TAX RETURNS PREPARED by registered tax agent with over 35 years’ experience. Call Tony Marchei 0412 055 184 for appt. AXXO Accounting & Management, Unit 20/222 Walter Rd, Morley.
JOB OPPORTUNITY EPIPHANY CENTRE ROSSMOYNE. Live-In Caretaker required. Suit retired or semiretired couple. For details phone 08-9457 2645.
WANTED HOUSE - Family with reference looking for a 3 - 4x, house to rent preferably SOR. Preferred suburbs, Queens Park, Cannington, Beckenham, Bentley, Carlisle. Will consider other suburbs. Close to public transport. 0481 125 854.
SERVICES BRENDAN HANDYMAN SERVICES Home, building maintenance, repairs and renovations. NOR. Ph 0427 539 588. PAINTERS IN PERTH since 1933. AJ Cochrane & Sons 08 9248 8211. BOB’S PAINTING Registered and insured. Free quotes 0422 485 433 www.bobthepainter.com. au. PERROTT PAINTING PTY LTD For all commercial and strata property requirements. Ph 9444 1200. BRICK RE-POINTING Ph Nigel 9242 2952. PAINTER. Registered with 35 years experience. Free quotes. Discount for Pensioners. Tony 0401 461 310.
PILGRIMAGES 19 days: Departing Perth Oct 7-25. For 8 days Italy - 7 days, Medjugorje. 1 night split.
$4,999. Rome. Monte Cassino. Castelpetroso, San Giovanni Rotondo, Monte Sant’ Angelo, Corato, Lanciano, Collevalenza, Assisi, 6 hour stay in airport hotel for rest and shower on departure and arrival. All flights, transfers, taxes, tipping, luxury coach travel, excellent accommodation all with ensuite facilities, bed/breakfast/ evening meals, guide 24/7. Cost $4,999. Spiritual Director Rev Fr Doug Harris. Contact Eileen 9402 2480 mob 0407 471 256 email medjugorje1947@gmail.com. JEWELS OF GERMANY including Austria and Luxembourg (30 Aug to 14 Sept 2014) Retreat at the original Schoenstatt Shrine SD: Father Kenneth Asaba CATHOLIC SHRINES OF EAST EUROPE- Poland, Czech Republic, Germany and Hungary 16 Sept to 1 Oct 2014 SD: Father Elias Mary Mills, USA Call Paul and Pin Yeak at 0466 999 325 CATHOLIC SHRINES OF EAST EUROPE - Poland, Czech Republic, Germany and Hungary 23 Sept to 9 Oct 2014 SD: Father Robert Carrillo Call Alternative Events (TA Lic: 9TA1573) at 0433 77 1979 / 0421 835 408 or email: info@alternative-events.net for the above pilgrimages.
PRAYER OF INTERCESSION TO
POPE ST JOHN PAUL II O Blessed Trinity, we thank you for having graced the Church with St John Paul II and for allowing the tenderness of your fatherly care, the glory of the Cross of Christ and the splendour of the Spirit of love to shine through him. Trusting fully in your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, he has given us a living image of Jesus the Good Shepherd. He has shown us that holiness is the necessary measure of ordinary Christian life and is the way of achieving eternal communion with you. Grant us, by his intercession, and according to your will, the graces we implore, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Maranatha Centre for Adult Faith Formation National eConference Presentation will be on Pope Francis; Modelling the Ministry of St Peter, to be presented at the following venues: June 11, from 10am-3pm at Newman Siena Centre, Doubleview, lunch provided. June 14, from 9.45am-3pm at Sts John and Paul Parish, Willetton, tea and coffee provided, BYO lunch. June 28, from 10am-3pm at St Mary’s Parish, Kalgoorlie, tea and coffee provided, BYO lunch. All presentations are free. Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB is one of the keynote speakers. Enq: 9241 5221, maranatha@ceo.wa.edu.au or www. maranathacentre.org.au
PANORAMA Deadline for material is 5pm on the Fridays before the intended edition. CLASSIFIEDS Short, Sharp and Cheap
C R O S S W O R D ACROSS 1 There were 12 in Israel 6 Paul went here when he left Damascus (Gal 1:17) 10 Death place of Saul (1 Sam 31:1– 6) 11 “O come, O come ___” 12 Pertaining to Heaven 16 “Where were you when I founded the ___?” (Job 38:4) 18 Catholic newsman and “Hardball” host Matthews 20 “…now and at the ___ of our death. Amen” 21 He was an original 22 Type of angel that Michael is 23 Catholic actor Frawley’s famous TV role 24 Church instrument, sometimes 26 Where you might find a monk 28 The New or The Old 32 ___ being 33 Advent foliage 35 Dorothy Day’s “Catholic ___” 36 “…Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had ___” (Jn 12:1) DOWN 2 “And I will ___ you up on eagle’s wings” 3 Popular Catholic TV sitcom actor Newhart 4 Commandment word 5 A queen from this country came to hear Solomon speak 7 Lector
W O R D S L E U T H
8 9 13 14 15 17 19 21 25 27 29 30 31 32 34
Canadian priest in the Hockey Hall of Fame Saints celebrated November 1 Saintly convert executed in Auschwitz “… for they shall ___ the earth.” (Mt 5:5) Site of Marian apparition Papal crown AKA Sinai Husband of Sarai Simon was from here British Prime Minister who converted in 2007 The Hebrews fled from here Babel edifice “Cheer, cheer for old ___…” “___ Great Thou Art” An Old Testament high priest
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