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FROM THE CHILD: Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, in Perth for the Helder Camara lecture at Notre Dame, offered a solution to South Africa’s deepest problems VISTA 1
A RECORD WIN: Your Catholic paper recognised in Catholic awards Page 2
UNITED NATIONS (CNS) - The Vatican secretary of state called for institutional reform of the United Nations “that is attentive to the real demands of our peoples rather than to the balance of power” and supported the establishment of a Peace-Building Commission to help people heal after conflicts.
Speaking on the last day of the September 14-16 summit of heads of state and government at UN headquarters in New York, Cardinal Angelo Sodano said “ordinary men and women, the many millions who constitute the ‘we the people’ of the UN charter,” are asking world leaders to “give us a modern institution, capable of taking resolutions and then enforcing them.”
“This is an insistent appeal issued to us by men and women who are disheartened by promises made and not kept, resolutions adopted and not enforced,” the cardinal added.
The high-level plenary session brought together leaders of more than 170 countries and resulted in a 35-page final statement that touched on terrorism, development issues, peace-building, human rights, the environment and health.
“Much has been achieved in the service of humanity” since the United Nations was founded in 1945, Cardinal Sodano said.
“Nevertheless, time has taken its toll upon this agency, as upon every human undertaking. It is now widely believed that the UN needs to be renewed, in response to the great challenges of the present day.”
The leaders voted to establish the Peace-Building Commission, an idea that the cardinal said the Vatican supported as a way to
Continued on Page 7
(CNS) - The first task of a bishop is to teach his people the Christian faith, helping them see that God loves each one of them and that he has revealed himself in Christ, Pope Benedict XVI told a group of new bishops.
The 110 bishops, including five from Eastern Catholic churches, were appointed over the past year. They were in Rome for a course sponsored by the Congregation for Bishops and designed to give them practical information for dealing with their new responsibilities.
Pope Benedict, who as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had been one of the key speakers at the course in previous years, told the bishops it was important for the Vatican to offer them “an adequate reflection on the challenges and problems that await you.”
Meeting the bishops on September 19 at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, the new Pope told the new bishops that their first task is to teach the faith.
“Be ‘doctors of the faith,’ authentic doctors who proclaim with Christ’s authority the faith to be
Continued on Page 7
Also: Priests called to faith, love, prayer
Runaway consumerism has been highlighted by the Australian Catholic bishops’ social justice lobby as a plague on the nation’s life.
Old electrical appliances, still working but discarded in favour of the ‘latest’ and ‘best’ models is just one instance of the wastage char-
acteristic of consumerism’s blight, said the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council in the annually-produced statement.
This year’s Social Justice Sunday statement, entitled “Jesus, Light for the World – Living the Gospel Today” was launched in Sydney on September 14.
The statements are delivered each year for Social Justice Sunday
The Servites celebrated their first ordination to the priesthood in 20 years when Bishop Quinn ordained Chilean migrant Oscar Aguilera last week.
(September 25) to promote advocacy and action on social justice, peace and human rights issues in an effort to integrate them into the life of the Catholic community.
The ACSJC was established in 1987 by the Australian Catholic Bishop’s Conference to provide the Church with a credible voice on these matters.
Through the ACSJC the bishops
challenged the Church and wider society to think about where the real difference can be made.
“If all of God’s creation is a gift, then where in our home, parishes, schools, workplaces and communities can we shine a light on the way we build, buy, use and discard things?” the statement asked.
The statement instanced a study conducted by the Australia Institute
Perth Sudanese celebrate, pray - Page 3 The Family is the Future - VISTA 4
which found more than $10 billion was spent each year on products and services that were not used, including $5 billion on food that is ultimately thrown out.
“If Australians were to undergo a health check,” the Bishops said, “we could well be diagnosed as suffering from the ravages of the disease of affluence.”
Continued on Page 6
Sr Miriam Duggan, an architect in the first instance of an abstinence and fidelity campaign resulting in a dramatic national drop in HIV-AIDS infection, spoke in Perth recently.
Vista 2
The Record wins three times at annual Catholic Press awards
The Record’s “Lion of Rome” special edition front cover which appeared after the death of Pope John Paul II “was in a class of its own” said the judges at the annual Australasian Catholic Press Association awards.
The Record won two prizes and its coverage was responsible for a third presented at the annual conference held in Melbourne from September 7-9.
While the Lion of Rome edition won ‘Best Newspaper Front Cover,’ discovery magazine’s centre-spread article in May 2004 by Catholic Education Office staff journalist Phil Bayne on whether singlesex schools were becoming more popular won the ‘Best example of Education Coverage’ category.
The third award was given to Sydney couple Byron and Francine Pirola in the ‘Best Media Campaign of a Church Event’ category for The Record’s preview coverage of their Perth Celebrate Love Seminar.
The coverage was largely written by Record journalist Mark Reidy about the seminar offering marriage education strongly based on
Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body.
Counting the award to the Pirolas, The Record was the only ACPA member to be responsible for three awards; the most wins scored by any other publication was in one or two categories. ACPA represents
more than 50 print publications spread throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific regions.
Meanwhile another Western Australian Catholic publication, The Kimberley Community Profile magazine produced by the Catholic Diocese of Broome won the prize
Ofor best Catholic magazine in Australasia. The Bishop Phillip Kennedy Memorial Prize for magazines was picked up by the Broome monthly.
The prize is awarded to one magazine and one newspaper for excellence in Catholic publishing.
The Bishop Kennedy Prize for newspapers went to the archdiocese of Adelaide’s Southern Cross, a monthly distributed through parishes and schools.
“All entries were of a challenging standard, but the Lion of Rome front of The Record was in a class of its own,” the judges said in their comments.
“It was impossible to look at the image of the Pontiff without sensing the pain.
“The deep etching worked well to focus attention on the central image.
“This was a classic example of a picture being worth a thousand words. A great effort that would touch any potential reader,” they said. Meanwhile, the discovery article on whether single-sex schools are becoming more popular in Catholic education was the first time the magazine, which replaces The Record six times a year, has been entered in ACPA’s annual awards.
Record and discovery editor Peter Rosengren said he was pleased the
n 14 January 2005 Pope John Paul II granted a Plenary Indulgence to the faithful -
1. “Each and every time they participate attentively and piously in a sacred function or a devotional exercise undertaken in honour of the blessed Sacrament exposed and conserved in the tabernacle.”
2. Clerics, Religious and others can obtain a Plenary Indulgence: “each and every
magazine had scored a win on its first try. “It shows that a specialist publication, created with the aim of raising consciousness of the reality of the Church for people who are largely out of contact with the Church, can make an impression,” he said.
“It encourages all those working on it to keep trying to find the formula that will achieve the goal as well as can possibly be done.”
While discovery is distributed to WA parishes the overwhelming bulk of its bi-monthly circulation is to the approximately 50,000 families with children enrolled in WA Catholic schools.
Meanwhile, the judges commended journalist Phil Bayne’s article for raising “a question that has been discussed in Catholic, other nongovernment and even state schools.”
The “very balanced” article “quotes extensively from the Director of the Catholic Education office, provincial of the Christian Brothers, a former principal of an all-girls’ school, and a parent,” they said.
“The pro’s and con’s are spelt out, as is possible future action (including decisions to be made by government authorities)”… on “an issue being discussed throughout Australia at the moment.”
time they recite at the end of the day, in company or in private, Vespers and Night Prayers (Compline) before the Lord present in the tabernacle.”
The usual conditions to receive the indulgence are:
- Sacramental Confession around the time with the desire to be free of all attachment to sin.
- Prayers for the intention of the Holy Father.
3. Those who are sick or are unable to visit a Church may receive the Plenary Indulgence under the following conditions:
■ Placing themselves spiritually before the Blessed Eucharist.
■ Sacramental confession
■ Prayers to Jesus in the Eucharist
■ Our Father and the Creed
■ Prayers for the Pope’s Intentions.
Archbishop Barry Hickey praised the music, dance and joy displayed by the African congregation during a Mass he celebrated with them at St Gerard’s Parish in Westminster on August 28.
The Archbishop had been invited by Fr Samanedi, Chaplain for the African Community, to join over 300 mainly Sudanese people in praying for peace in Sudan.
Vibrant music accompanied dancing girls as the congregation enthusiastically encouraged them.
During his sermon Archbishop Hickey noted that this joy seemed to be an expression of thanksgiving to God for the peace that they had now found.
He encouraged the community in their future contribution to the Church in Australia, particularly those who were being called to the
priesthood and religious life. The Mass was followed by a welcome by Chaplain Kara from the South Sudanese Association, who thanked the Archbishop for allowing the Sudanese community an opportunity to grow in their faith in Perth.
He said that while they gave thanks for the grace of God that they could see their children playing and smiling, it was essential that those who were still suffering in Sudan were kept in prayer.
The Archbishop was then treated to a display of traditional Sudanese singing and dancing before joining community members in a social gathering.
- An African Mass is celebrated in Arabic each Sunday at St Gerard’s Church in Westminster at 11.30am. For further details contact Fr Samanedi on (08) 9349 2315. Colourful
The feast of the Black Madonna, also known as Maria SS del Tindari was celebrated with a colourful procession through the streets of Fremantle in early September.
The solemn tridium of the Black Madonna began on September 8 in St Patrick’s Basilica and concluded on Saturday September 10.
Archbishop Hickey celebrated Mass with nearly 1500 people on Sunday September 11 after which the procession took place. The statue
was led through the streets of Fremantle to the Esplanade where there was a pause for fireworks before being led back to the Basilica for Benediction.
The statue was produced in Cottesloe and commissioned in Fremantle in 1996.
It has been placed in St Patrick’s Basilica Fremantle for festivities every year in September.
Legend has it that the Black Madonna arrived in the Sicilian town of Tindari in 726 AD after a merchant ship sailing from the east sought shelter in the bay of Tindari because of a storm.
Only six out of an original 114 retirement units at Mercy Village in Wembley are still available for prospective purchasers, after sales opened in mid-February.
Six units were set aside for Sisters of Mercy, on whose land the retirement village is being constructed; so far, the remaining 102 units have been sold.
Sales off the plans have demonstrated just how popular the project has been with the public.
Mercy Village has had the benefit of offering something special, while, being built on a tradition and ethos strongly associated with this remarkable religious order.
The site has been developed to embody the mission and values of the Sisters.
Elevated on a hill, views towards the
picturesque and relaxing Lake Monger, all within walking distance, go hand in hand with the chapel located in the Mercy Aged Care Centre next to the village.
The chapel is especially available for those moments of quiet reflection and contemplation – a haven in a busy world and a place of spiritual renewal.
Meanwhile, for those who can imagine themselves strolling down to nearby Subiaco there are the cafes, the bookstores, the shops and – for the the adventurous and the sportslover – Subiaco Oval.
Public transport is also close at hand with bus services on both Ruislip and Cambridge streets.
Anyone seeking further information on Mercy Village can contact Chris Gaggin on 1800 144 313.
For over 155 years the Sisters of Mercy have provided wonderful aged care and community services from the Wembley site.
Now, as part of a program to expand and develop these important services, a substantial area of this historic site is being transformed into an over 55s village of world-class.
Mercy Village–Wembley will offer luxury apartments, villas and terraced villas in a safe, involving and superbly planned community, with its very own chapel.
To find out more about the limited opportunities available to become a part of this incomparably well located, premium–quality village, simply telephone Karen Bailey or Chris Gaggin now on 1800 144 313.
Or visit the Sales and Information Centre located at the Catherine McAuley Family Centre, at 18 Barrett Street, inWembley.
You’ll soon discover that we’ve taken care of absolutely everything.
St Charles Seminarians said their final goodbyes recently to the three Greek students and their teacher from Rizarios Ecclesiastical School. The event took place at St Charles Seminary over dinner, the exchange of gifts and sharing of photos.
Dimitris Kaikis, Kostas Vasilakis and Dimitris Chionis spent the past five weeks at St Charles Seminary observing and witnessing the social, liturgical and cultural life of students at St Charles Seminary.
The three young men were accompanied by Mr Panayotis Tsakiris, a member of the Board of Trustees and co-ordinator of the exchange committee.
Mr Tsakiris said it has been heartwarming and inspirational to meet delegates of the Greek Community and Church while in Australia.
“Their patriotic sentiments deeply touched us,” he said.
“We leave with warm memories and live in prayer that we may meet again soon.
“The experience has been exceptionally worthwhile as a gesture of goodwill and has helped to deepen our appreciation of Australia.”
Last year St Charles students Paul Stokes and Deacon Clayton Mitchell travelled to Rizarios Ecclesiastical School in Greece to live a similar experience.
Deacon Mitchell said the experience of having the Greek students stay at St Charles has been a tremendous time of fostering friendships, culture and hospitality.
Deacon Mitchell went on to say a greater
mutual awareness of the Catholic and Greek traditions were gained by all.
For the Greek students, their trips to the north and south of Western Australia were among the highlights they said they would take home with them.
Dimitris Chionis also said that visiting the historical monuments of WA, such as the War Memorial at Kings Park, was also a moving experience.
Chairman of the Exchange Committee Fr
Gerard Beeson said the experience has brought out the true meaning of Christianity.
Fr Beeson said he was also very grateful to the support of sponsors such as Bowra O’Dea, Dorsogna Brothers, Denis Cullity and the Knights of the Southern Cross. Organiser Phillip Shields said the five week visit by the Greek students had been an exquisite experience of building trust and friendship that will walk into history giving hope and healing, especially between Catholic and Orthodox youth.
The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference is formulating a national strategy to promote a consistent and coordinated approach to the defence of human life. A brief issued by the Bishops’ Committee for Family and for Life, who have been delegated the task, states that the project will encompass issues relating to life at all its stages, including abortion, euthanasia, suicide and capital punishment.
The Committee said it would draw on the experience of individuals and organisations currently working to promote human dignity, both within and outside the Catholic Church, to learn more about successful initiatives, as well as omissions and shortfalls.
It planned to produce at least two documents. One would provide guidelines to people who promote the defence of human life and the other would outline the Church’s position in relatable terms to a secular society.
The Committee aimed to present the Final Report to the Bishops’ Conference by November 2006 and expected to launch it in early 2007.
The Principal invites suitably qualified applicants for the following position, to commence in 2006.
Official Application Forms are available on request from the Principal’s Secretary on 9271 8465 or on our website www.chisholm.wa.edu.au
Applications can be forwarded to the Principal’s Secretary at Chisholm Catholic College, PO Box 89, Inglewood 6932 Fax: 9271 8475, Email: admin@chisholm.wa.edu.au
Applications close 27th September 2005
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The Servite Order had its first ordination in the diocese of Perth for 20 years when Fr Oscar Aguilera was ordained by Emeritus Bishop, Peter Quinn, in St Denis’ Church Joondanna on September 8.
Fr Aguilera, originally from Chile, migrated to Perth with his family in 1986.
“I remember the first few months being the hardest,” Fr Oscar said.
“Even the weekly shopping was an ordeal.”
His first contact with the Servite Order came when Fr Leo asked a then 17-year-old Oscar Aguilera to translate a letter from English to Spanish.
Fr Aguilera said he appreciates the spirituality of the Servite Order, in particular the dimension of devotion to the Virgin Mary.
Fr Aguilera said he believes his vocation is about serving people.
“Being a religious I am called to do all sorts of services,” he said.
Fr Aguilera says he was ready to enter the order shortly after finishing school, but after some careful decisions, started work in a metal factory, followed by two years in the Kimberley working for BHP.
“It was a significant time for me, because working in the desert, I had a lot of time to think,” Fr Aguilera recalled.
After two years, Fr Aguilera felt it was time to visit Chile.
“It was an interesting experience as most of the memories I had
of Chile I had formed as a small child.”
Returning to Perth to complete his Tertiary Entrance Exams, Fr Aguilera worked for some time in a childcare centre, spending time at night school to gain a qualification.
It was at this point that Fr Aguilera went to live with the Servite Order in Melbourne to gain a deeper understanding of their way of life and experience life in a community.
After being received into the order as a postulant, he went to Mexico where he spent two years in the pre-novitiate, later returning to Perth to receive the habit and make his first profession.
A few months later he was sent to Rome where he studied theology and philosophy and finally returned
O Sacrament of love, sign of our unity and bond of our community! All who long for life have here its very Source. Let them come here and believe, unite with You and live!
– St Augustine
to Australia in 2003. He made his solemn profession in May 2004 and was ordained a deacon four months later in September.
He has spent the past year being involved in chaplaincy work at Servite College, doing a Pastoral Care course at St John of God hospital in Subiaco and working with the Spanish Community at St Brigid’s Parish West Perth.
For the occasion of the ordination, Fr Aguilera had colourful invitation cards printed as an expression of his personality.
“It is an expression of the people of South America, an expression of life,” he said.
The ceremony was filled with symbols of Fr Aguilera’s life.
The chasuble was displayed at the front of the Church prior to the ceremony starting so that people would realise that it was a special
Join Pope Benedict XVI in prayer - September
celebration. His new vestments were brought to the altar by his sister, mother and the Provincial Delegate of the Servite Order Brother Steven Barker.
The garments were given to Fr Aguilera by the priest who presided at his first communion in Chile.
Fr Aguilera said he was overwhelmed by the presence of a number of people who came for the occasion from all over the world, including his brother from Peru and the Servite Provincial Fr Anthony O’Connell.
In his new mission as a priest, Fr Aguilera encouraged people to be true to the promise made for us during baptism.
“Basically to follow the Creed, which is what we recite every Sunday.”
At present, Fr Aguilera is based in Joondanna.
– Thomas à Kempis
“For governors and governments: may they always respect the fundamental right to religious freedom of every person.”
Mission intention: “For young Churches: may they proclaim the Christian message so it may penetrate and enrich all local cultures.”
Moses made an ark of imperishable wood and overlaid it with purest gold, to place the Tables of the Law within it. Then how shall I, a corrupt and perishable creature, dare so lightly to receive the Giver of the Law within myself?
The birthday of the Virgin Mary on September 8 was celebrated with a Rosary bouquet presentation to Archbishop Hickey.
Georgia McCann, 7, and Joseph Haydon, 7, walked up the aisle holding the bouquet and scroll to Archbishop Hickey during the presentation of gifts.
The event has been running for the past 17 years, originating in Northam and the Central Wheatbelt with a small group of people who wanted to give a symbolic gift to the Virgin Mary on her birthday.
Rosaries are said continuously from September 5 at 6pm to September 7 at 6pm. The bouquet is made from Rosaries and the scroll contains all the names of the people and parishes who participated.
In his homily for the occasion, the Archbishop said the bouquet is a representation of all the Rosaries that had been said throughout the week in honour of the Virgin and her son, Jesus.
Organiser Margaret Bowen said many people this year were very aware that it is a birthday present to the Virgin Mary.
“Quite a few parishes wanted to roster themselves for the night hours and some even rostered for the full 48 hours,” Mrs Bowen said.
More than 150 people were present at St Mary’s Cathedral for the occasion.
Continued from Page 1
They also said that busyness can be another by-product of affluence and this has led to less time with family and friends.
They indicated that increased rates of depression, prescription drugs and separation were signs that family and relationships were under strain.
According to the statement, these conditions of greed, waste and anxiety can lead to selfishness pre-occupied with looking inward.
But if believers allowed themselves to be affected by the light of Christ then they would see beyond themselves and attempt to confront the injustices of the world, it said.
The bishops used this year’s statement to remind Catholics they are called to not only follow the light of Christ, but to also be that light for others. The Chairman of the Council, Bishop Christopher Saunders of Broome, wrote in his introductory message that the pur-
pose of this year’s statement was to bring the Word of God to each Catholic and to remind them of their baptismal responsibility to bring this Good News to the world.
The statement begins by emphasising that Jesus is the light of the world and gives the example of the healing of the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years (Lk 8:40-56) to illustrate the call for all Catholics to reach out to the marginalised and dispossessed in society. It then recalls Jesus’ final teaching to the Apostles (Mt 25:3146) which instructed them to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit the sick and imprisoned. The Statement said that all are called to follow the example of Christ.
The light of Jesus should illumine all that is unjust in our world, the statement said, such as the “runaway consumerism” which is plaguing society. The bishops quote James Wolfensohn, the-then President of the World Bank, who in 2003
said, “In our world of six billion people, one billion own 80 per cent of global gross domestic product, while another billion struggle to survive on less than a dollar a day. This is a world out of balance.”
The statement quotes one of the key documents of the Second Vatican Council, “The Church in the Modern World,” which emphasizes the call to Christians to be servants to all of humanity.
The statement says that through the Eucharist members of the Church become the body of Christ and that communion in God involves communion with each other. People should be transformed by the Eucharist, the Bishops say, and become a light to the world.
They should be building the kingdom of God on earth by gazing on God’s face in the poor, the hungry, the imprisoned, the naked and the stranger. The full statement can be found at: www.acbc.catholic. org.au
Willetton Charismatic Conference set to be a success.
Organisers of the second Willetton Charismatic Conference are confident that numbers at this year’s event will again exceed their expectations. Gloria Heuer, a member of the Apostles for Christ prayer group who are again sponsoring the event, said that almost 200 people gathered for last year’s Conference and with the positive feedback received, it is hoped that a larger
crowd will attend this year. The theme for the weekend is “Prepare the Way for the Lord” and, as with the first Conference, will be presented by the Holy Spirit of Freedom Community (HSOFC) who will provide speakers and music for the occasion. Mrs Heuer said that Conference would include Praise and Worship, Scripture and inspired teachings, prayer and healing ministry and the celebration of Holy Eucharist. She hoped that many people would attend so that they could, “Experience the mighty power of the Holy Spirit and
For those who missed Archbishop Hickey’s address on Channel Nine the text is below:
Welcome.
Evolution has been in the news lately.
The theory of evolution is simply a tool science uses to explain change and diversity. In itself it does not deny or affirm the existence of God.
Although I suspect some are trying to use the theory of evolution to promote their belief that God doesn’t exist, that would be a misuse of science.
receive the love, peace and joy that Jesus promised to every believer.” The union between the Apostles for Christ prayer group and HSOFC began several years ago when Mrs Heuer and her husband, Ben, attended the Community’s annual Charismatic Conference in Pemberton. “We were so inspired by that event that we wanted to share it with others.” Mrs Heuer said. Her hopes were realised last year when the HSOFC accepted the invitation of the Apostles for Christ members to conduct a Conference.
Those of us who believe in God say that whatever came first came from God. God’s creation is an act of love for us.
We also say that whatever about the body, the human soul or spirit did not evolve but came from God in a unique way, making us the image and likeness of God. We are much more than our body.
I’m Barry Hickey, Catholic Archbishop of Perth.
www.perthcatholic.org.au for current and past talks.
Friday October 7 - Sunday October 9
Program:
Friday evening:
Rally starts at 7.30pm
Saturday:
Session 1: 10am- 12.30pm
Session 2: 2pm – 5pm
Evening Rally: 7.30pm-
Sunday:
Session 1: 10am – 12.30pm
Session 2: 2pm – 3.30pm
Mass: 4pm.
Venue : Orana Catholic Primary School Hall. Corner Vahland Ave and Querrin Ave, Willetton.
Food: BYO Lunch and dinner. Tea/coffee provided. Cost: No Conference Fee. A love offering will be taken. Enquiries: Gloria & Ben Heuer 9310 3937, or Michelle Ricketts 9414 1260.
■ By Peter Rosengren
Despite the fact that democracy now rules, something vital is missing in post-apartheid South Africa: a child’s right to exist. If the South African constitution can’t protect a child in the womb what hope does it have of protecting, much less building, a nation?
In fact, only by absolutising the right to life from the moment of conception can South Africa heal the extreme damage done to its national psyche by the violence of the apartheid years.
And this, in turn, is something that the Church in South Africa has to offer the world, says one of the leading Church figures in Africa.
In fact, making the right to life beginning from conception the starting point will help solve the country’s severe problems of violence, “staggering rate” of HIV-AIDS infection, crime and sexual abuse of women and children on a prolonged basis.
Justice starts with the beginning of each and every new human life, says a South African Cardinal who spoke in Perth last week. Solving his nation’s deepest problems has to start with this, and recognising this principle is what will heal South Africa’s ongoing crises of extreme violence, crime, sexual abuse of women and children and “staggering” rates of HIV-AIDS infection.
Direct words, but they come from Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban. They were, when he uttered them at Notre Dame University in Fremantle last Thursday evening September 15, slightly surprising.
Cardinal Napier has been travelling around Australia in recent weeks delivering the Helder Camara lecture for Caritas Australia. The lecture, given annually by a guest speaker, focuses on social justice issues – often, but not exclusively, from the point of political or economic analysis in the light of Church teaching.
In giving the lecture Cardinal Napier was drawing the link between a moral, bioethical principle, and its necessity as a basis for constructing a wider, more just social order.
He was urging a new program for South Africa based on the right to life of the child, in part because a program of reform based on a less clear understanding of human rights - which has served southern Africa well - is, basically, no longer working.
“Up to now we have used human rights as the basis for all our reforming and transforming
action and policies,” he said. “Why are they not working any longer? Here, I suggest, is where Africa is challenging the world to search with it for an answer.”
“My contention is that we have to go deeper, and prioritise the human rights that have served us well up to now. And in prioritising we must give absolute value to the right to life.
Cardinal Napier said South Africans have never really dealt effectively with the damage done to their national psyche by apartheid and the struggle against it.
“Otherwise why do we seem to believe and, worse, act, on the principle that the best way to solve a problem is to eliminate the one who is causing it?” he asked his audience.
“Therefore I believe that we need a program to make the right to life the absolutely basic right against which no other right can stand in the case of a conflict. I further believe that we have in [Catholic] moral theology the principles and arguments for such a stance.”
The Cardinal offered a short reflection on the
An Irish Sister whose programs have been credited with helping to reduce the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Uganda shared her experiences with participants of the Thomas More Centre Spring School on September 3. As a member of the Franciscan Missionaries for Africa, Sr Miriam Duggan has witnessed the devastation that this virus has inflicted over the past 30 years, but her trip to Australia was accompanied with a message of hope. She said that abstinence programs had contributed to overall infection rates dropping from 28 per cent in 1991 to six per cent in 2005.
She told the audience at St Mary’s Parish Centre in Leederville that her motivation to become involved in AIDS work came from continually sitting by the beds of young people in her work as Medical Superintendent of Kampala hospital and watching them slowly die. With an increasing number of deaths, a growing number of orphans and Uganda’s social fabric rapidly unraveling, Sr Miriam could see that the condom mentality promoted by many African governments was not working.
When the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Africa met in Senegal in 1991, Sr Miriam arrived four days early to meet with
several other representatives in an attempt to look at the root causes behind the spread of the disease. The group believed that the condom “solution”, which was prevailing at the time, stemmed from a false belief that people could not change their behaviour. When the Conference commenced her small group presented it with the following statement:
“We believe that individuals and whole communities have the inherent capacity to change attitudes and behaviours. The power to fulfill this capacity is often denied or is not exercised. This power must now be recognised, called forth and supported.
“We recognise that behaviour change is inextricably linked to such basic human values as care, love, faith, family and friendship, respect for people and cultures, solidarity and support. The present pandemic affects everyone. We believe that behaviour change is the most essential strategy in overcoming the HIV pandemic.”
Sr Miriam said that they were “almost booed out of the Conference” and were accused of being unrealistic. However with HIV prevalence rates reaching their peak of 30 per cent in Kampala in 1991, Sr Miriam was convinced that abstinence and faithfulness were the only solutions to this growing tragedy. She returned to Uganda and adapted and promoted a course entitled, “Education for Life: A Behaviour Change Process” which had been designed by another Irish missionary, Sr Kay Lawlor.
Abstinence education of the kind she has promoted is now widely credited with having reduced infection rates from 28 per cent of the country’s population in 1991 to 6 per cent in 2005.
“Church leaders proclaim abstinence as the only real protection. I fear that that they are correct. It would seem that virginity and faithfulness will again become fashionable.”
Dr P.B. Marwood, British Journal of Hospital Medicine.
AIDS testimony brought new hope to thousands in Uganda and missioners give electric lighting to a poor rural parish.
Perth man, David Harp, who claims he has been miraculously healed of HIV/AIDS spent three weeks in Uganda last month recounting his experience and sharing his faith with those suffering from the disease.
However he says it is he who has been inspired by the simple faith of the poor who walked miles to listen to himself and Flame Ministries Director Eddie Russell speak.
An article on Mr Harp appeared in The Record and discovery in December 2004 recounting Mr Harp’s own story of his conversion, his struggle with same-sex attraction and his subsequent diagnosis with HIVAIDS.
Sr Miriam said that the program for young people promoted a “common sense, not condom sense” approach, as it explored scientific facts and statistics as well as attitudes, values and the influence of peers. It explained how condoms were incorrectly promoted as preventative in relation to the spread of AIDS, whereas, in reality they had a 10-13 percent failure rate as the virus was 250 times smaller than sperm.
“Would you get into a taxi if there was a 10 percent chance that the brakes would fail?” Sr Miriam would ask her groups. She would then provide them with the statistics of increasing infection rates, both globally and locally, to indicate that there was no such thing as “safe sex”. Scripture and Christian values would be introduced to guide them in making responsible choices and to provide them with alternatives to behaviours that could place them at risk. Participants would divide into small groups where they would explore questions such as “What if I say ‘no’ to sex?” ”What if I decide to remain a virgin until I marry?” “How do alcohol and drugs affect my decision making?” Sr Miriam said that discussion and role-playing real life situations proved to be an effective way for young people to learn from one another. Participants were then encouraged to make a commitment to abstinence and were assisted in formulating a plan to keep it. At the beginning many young people came back to Sr Miriam and said that whilst the course was effective in helping them change their behaviours, they needed more support as peer pressure was often too great an obstacle for them to overcome. Sr Miriam then made the decision with Sr Kay to establish a series of youth groups known as “Youth Alive”. These groups provided like-minded people with an environment of support in which they could encourage one another in their commitment to abstinence and faithfulness.
“At ‘Youth Alive’,” Sr Miriam explains, “They (young people) carry out many activities together, develop their talents through drama festivals, music, debates, becoming involved in fundraising for orphan care, or even in caring for orphans themselves. Though it involves chastity promotion, it is much more broad than that: it is looking at values and the need for respect for everything.” Youth Alive has now spread across Uganda and into 11 other countries. Sr Miriam says that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, the First Lady, church groups and prominent leaders have all given their support to valuebased and behaviour change programs and this has resulted in a decrease in those infected with HIV/AIDS. A Harvard University study on the prevention of AIDS in Uganda credits abstinence education with, “significant effectiveness in reducing AIDS in Uganda.” The study found that from the late 1980’s to 2001 the number of pregnant women infected with HIV dropped from 21.2 per cent to 6.2 per cent. By contrast in Botswana, where condoms are officially promoted as the solution, 38 per cent of pregnant women were HIV positive in 2001.
- Sr Miriam was in Australia as a guest of the Australian Family Association and spoke in each of the mainland state capitals as well as addressing the National Conference of the Catholic Women’s League in Canberra. She also met with senior government Ministers. She extended her trip to include Perth through the invitation and support of the Thomas More Centre.
“Australians need to hear the truth that sexual abstinence before marriage and faithfulness during it is the only way Africa can defeat the grim reaper of AIDS. There is also a message for us here that morality is not valueless in the modern age but rather it is something vital to any society; promoting family values is a panacea for a great many ills. It is not only in Africa that cultural change is needed.”
Australian Family Association NSW President, Mary-Louise Fowler.
Since being diagnosed with the condition, Mr Harp has made a remarkable recovery to the astonishment of the doctor and specialist he had been seeing for treatment.
Mr Russell and Mr Harp were invited to visit Uganda by the National Service Committee of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the diocese of Masaka.
Their mission was part of a five-nation evangelisation tour to Florida in the US, England, Portugal, Uganda and Indonesia.
The Ugandan evangelisation mission was mostly in remote rural areas.
“The poverty was obvious everywhere and the infrastructure virtually non-existent,” Mr Russell said.
“However, the faith and vitality of the people was inspiring; they walked for many miles with babies and small children carrying their belongings on their heads.
“At the conferences they slept and cooked in the open air with no running water or proper toilets but there was not one sad face, especially when giving praises to God,” Mr Russell said.
AIDS is an epidemic in Uganda, although the country is the standout example in all of Africa through the successful promotion of abstinence as a strategy to halt its spread.
HIV/AIDS rates have dropped from higher than 30% in the early 90’s to around 6% per cent last year after the government vigorously pursued an ‘ABC’ campaign emphasising abstinence, fidelity and the use of condoms as a last resort.
In other African countries
Mr Harp’s testimony regarding his healing from drug addiction and HIV/AIDS gave thousands new hope in their struggles against AIDS and so there were many opportunities to pray with the sick.
The good news began to
Continued on Page 7
“You tell us that because 20 per cent of youth are having sex, you provide us all with ‘safe sex’ education and a supply of condoms. Why not uphold the 80 per cent who are not having sex and encourage the others to come back on board?”
Youth Forum presentation to International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Africa, Zambia, 1999.
“For complete protection from HIV and STD’s the only totally effective measure is sexual abstinence or limiting sexual intercourse to mutually faithful uninfected partners.”
On website of Durex, manufacturer of condoms.
■ With Derek Boylen
Anyone with a baby looking for good resources to help their child’s development will quickly find themselves caught up in the intelligent baby fad. If you want your baby to have any chance of competing with the thousands of other children out there, if you want them to succeed in life and earn squillions then you need Brainy Baby or Baby Einstein or Bilingual Baby or Baby Genius or Bee Smart Baby or one of a dozen other DVD’s, videos and programs.
While Vygotsky, Piaget, Erickson, Skinner and a dozen other developmental psychologists have created many interesting and wonderful theories on how children develop, one thing is certain; a child is more than just a brain on legs.
Intellectual development is not the only kind of development that is going on. People develop physically, socially, emotionally, morally and spiritually. Development in all these areas is crucial and that’s the
Catholic view of things too. While being smart has many advantages it’s certainly not a prerequisite for being a Christian. Even the apostles, Christ’s first chosen, had their dumb moments.
The truth is that if we want our children to develop as healthy individuals who will contribute to the building of the Kingdom of God then we need to assist their development in all areas.
Our physical bodies are the vehicles God gives us to do his work. Teresa of Avila tells us “Christ has no body now but yours.” If we want our children to be productive members of the Body of Christ then we need to help them develop healthy habits in caring for their bodies.
Social development is important. It involves the ability to empathise and have compassion for those around them; to be able to identify with the sick, lonely and the oppressed. Helping them to respond in life-giving ways to those they encounter, as well as close friends and family.
A healthy emotional development is important to be able to participate fully in the life of Christ. Positive emotions help us to enjoy fully the goodness of God’s creation. Negative emotions are the alarm bells that God builds into each one of us so that we can recognise when things aren’t right. As parents we play a vital role in helping our children to recognise the emotions they are experiencing and to respond to their emotions in appropriate life giving ways.
When we focus on our children’s
(contemporaryhumanmobilityandthestandoftheChurch)
moral development we are helping our children to grow up as people of integrity. We equip them with the skills to make sound decisions for their lives and the kinds of relationships they would like to have in the future.
And lastly, spiritual development, helping our children to have a relationship with the divine; imbuing them with the knowledge that a lov-
ing God is calling them to a fruitful relationship with him; helping our children to understand that they are called to be sacramental. We need to help our children cultivate this relationship through fruitful participation in the Church and promoting personal prayer.
As Christian parents we need to give our children every opportunity to develop their intellectual
capacities; particularly their ability to think critically and creatively, in an information age, the era of mass media. But let’s not forget the other stuff. God gave us five senses to experience the world, emotions to animate our lives, other people to love us and challenge us, and he wants to have a meaningful relationship with us. We are more than just a biped with a head.
The January issue of the International Bulletin of Missionary Research, in marking its 50th anniversary, has published preliminary estimates of the status of Christian missions to Muslims and of Islamic outreach on a worldwide level. Christians and Muslims have a long history of outreach beyond their own communities. Even if preliminary, the findings are helpful in understanding the significance of both movements.
■ With Fr Anthony Paganoni, CSThe word Da’wah comes from the Arabic root d’w, whose basic meaning is call, invite. As such, the word can describe preaching, theological political campaigning or propagandising and calling others to the Islamic faith. We could say that da’wah is any effort to preserve a version of the Islamic faith, either in Muslims or non-Muslims. An international da’i, or Muslim missionary, is any individual who crosses a political border for the purpose of propagating or defending a version of the Islamic faith for no less than two years.
The data are not presented on a per country level. They are grouped together according to their sponsorship: those sponsored by multiple governments, such as the Muslim World League (1962) with 5.580
members; those sponsored by single governments with 11,450 members and those with no government sponsorship. Because of the large number of groups in the third category, the table divides it further into voluntary independent groups with 121, 350 members, Sufi groups with 6,250 members and groups specifically targeting the Islamic diaspora in the West, with 5,550 members. The combined total is 141,630 and unlike the Christian missionaries, rising quickly.
The first category consists of Saudi-run intergovernmental organisations (IGOs), several of which have some degree of recognition by the United Nations.
Some of these groups have fifty or more member countries. As a consequence, they reflect an extremely broad range of Islamic beliefs and can act within the framework of mosque building, printing and distribution of qur’anic materials and
engaging in anti-Christian polemics. These IGOs send imams to needy mosques throughout the world, with Africa and Asia receiving the most. These groups exercise significant political influence in places such as Mindanao, Chechnya and the Balkans.
The second category are those sponsored by single governments, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Libya. They adopt a “defence” attitude in the sense of preserving religious, cultural and political heritage among Diaspora Muslims. These groups range from Libyan and Iranian da’is to imams in Germany sponsored by the Turkish government.
The third category are the voluntary and independent groups. These exhibit the widest variety, both in the method of propagating or defending Islam and in the versions of Islam that they present. This group is by far the most influential of Muslim missionary organisations. What they lack in financial and political power they compensate in their numbers, religious zeal and ability to contextualise the Islamic message. These groups vary from the extremely political and influential Jama’at-I Islami (Islamic Society) to the extremely apolitical and very successful Tablighi Jama’at (Missionary Society) with more than 75.000 members, the largest
Muslim missionary movement in the world.
Sufi movements, such as The Naqshbandyah Order founded in 1350 in Cyprus or the Chishtiyya Order, founded in Rajasthan in India do not consider their work proselytism because it is so nonconfrontational. Nevertheless, they win their share of converts in the Islamic world and in the West. Their experiential and intellectual mysticism fits in well with modern culture.
Conclusions: The most surprising conclusion is that both faiths send the bulk of their missionaries to people of their own faith. The missionary enterprise of the world’s two biggest religions is aimed at maintaining their own traditions. The countries where most of them work have an enormous indigenous presence already.
The other significant factor is that in a post-colonial world, both Christian and Muslim missionary efforts are being recast in a global, multicultural and multilingual context. International movements of people, while crossing geographical boundaries, they also cross religious, racial and ethnic lines of belonging. Although there is the fear of renewed clashes, there is also the possibility for fresh dialogue that could transform ChristianMuslim relations in the years to come.
Both Christians and Muslims send the bulk of their missionaries to people of their own faith. The missionary enterprise of the world’s two biggest religions is aimed at maintaining their own traditions. The countries where most of them work have an enormous indigenous presence already.
Continued from Page 1 “design and implement an ambitious strategy to overcome those elements of ethnic rivalry which give rise to conflicts and which could reignite them in the future.”
The Vatican official also urged continued discussions “on the application and practical consequences of the ‘responsibility to protect’” - the collective international responsibility to protect people from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity - when “national authorities either cannot or will not protect their own populations, in the face of internal or external threats.”
On development, Cardinal Sodano called on governments “to attain and even to surpass the Millennium Development Goals” set in 2000 to fight poverty, provide debt relief or restructuring in the developing world, and increase funding for development projects.
The goals are “an essential precondition for peace and collective security, and for the elimination or substantial reduction of the threat from terrorism and international crime,” the cardinal said.
He acknowledged “a number of promising gestures” by governments in the development field.
“However, much work
remains to be done in order to achieve greater economic and financial solidarity,” Cardinal Sodano said. “This must include a solution to the debt problem of the poorest countries and of average-income countries with serious foreign debt problems, together with the relaunching of public development aid and a generous opening of markets to assist poor countries.”
The cardinal closed his talk by reaffirming the Vatican’s “full support for the objectives of this summit” and said it would “do what it can to help the summit produce the desired fruits rapidly so that an era of peace and social justice may quickly follow.”
Continued from Page 1
believed and lived,” he said. “You must help the faithful entrusted to your pastoral care rediscover the joy of the faith, the joy of being personally loved by God, who gave his son Jesus for our salvation,” the Pope said.
“As you well know, to believe consists above all in entrusting oneself to the God who knows us and personally loves us, and in welcoming the truth revealed in Christ with a confident attitude that leads us to have trust in him,” the Pope said.
“Despite our weaknesses and our sins,” the Pope said, “he loves us, and this love gives meaning to our lives and to the life of the world.”
Being teachers of the faith, he said, means helping people see that their response to God’s love must be a commitment to developing a personal relationship with him, allowing him to transform their lives and their consciences.
Pope Benedict encouraged the new bishops to make frequent use of the “Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church” in their teaching, not only because it is an official presentation of what the Church believes but also because it is “a sign of communion” and unity in the faith.
The Pope also asked the bishops to do what they could to ensure that the Year of the Eucharist, scheduled to end in October, “leaves in the hearts of the faithful the desire to increasingly root their lives in the Eucharist.”
Pope Benedict prayed that the Eucharist would be “the inspiring force of your ministry.”
He asked the bishops to remember that “the way the bishop celebrates the Mass nourishes the faith and devotion of his priests and faithful.”
In his diocese, the bishop is responsible for ensuring “a wor-
thy and decorous celebration of the Eucharist and for promoting eucharistic devotion,” he said.
Priests are called to lead lives of deep faith, love and prayer so as to strengthen the effectiveness of the Eucharist they consecrate daily, Pope Benedict XVI said.
“The validity of the sacrament does not depend on the holiness of the celebrant, but its effectiveness, for himself and for the others, will be much greater the more he lives with deep faith, burning love (and a) fervent spirit of prayer,” the Pope said at his Sunday Angelus on September 18.
He reminded the several hundred pilgrims gathered in the courtyard of his summer residence outside Rome that the month of October would mark the end of the Year of the Eucharist.
For all Christians, but especially for priests, there is a relationship between holiness and the Eucharist, the Pope said.
“The secret to their sanctification lies precisely in the Eucharist,” he added.
With his ordination, the priest receives “the gift and commitment to sacramentally repeat the gestures and words which Jesus instituted” during the Last Supper.
With his own hands, the priest “renews this great miracle of love” to which he is called to witness and announce ever more faithfully,” the Pope said.
- CNSContinued from Vista 3 spread, and as the days unfolded and more people walked to the conferences.
At the Intercessors Conference in Kitassa there was no electric power or lighting, no showers, and toilets were just holes in the ground.
“It was a new and humbling experience preaching the Gospel at night with only one kerosene lamp to light up the church,” Mr Russell said.
“Thanks to the generosity of those that supported this mission financially, we were able to purchase a generator, wiring and light-fittings for the church and presbytery in the Buhimbi parish before we left,” Mr Russell said.
“The priests in Uganda send their heartfelt thanks to all who helped finance this mission and gave them and their parishioners new hope and vision for the future;
“Some people have already begun to apply what was taught on faith, “New plans for development have also begun and are showing early signs of success from reports received since arriving home.”
As a result of reports that reached them from the people attending, the priests and diocesan spiritual directors, bishops and diocesan coordinators have now requested Set My People on Fire for Masaka, Mbarara and Kampala dioceses in 2006.
Continued from Vista 1 famous passage from Scripture where Mary pregnant with Jesus visits her cousin Elizabeth, expecting John the Baptist, to emphasise his point.
That scene “eloquently pleads the case for the sanctity and inalienable value of life,” he said.
On that occasion Elizabeth greeted Mary with the words: “And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
From Elizabeth’s words it can be established that there is not only a life but a unique person who can be identified and given a name, Cardinal Napier said.
This short Gospel scene gives firm grounds for refuting South Africa’s Constitution when it comes to the unborn child. Under that document the baby’s rights are not recognised, which in turn removes the legal right to life.
Cardinal Napier’s talk focussed on the good news about the Church in Africa and the continent’s contribution to global Catholicism.
Among the good news is that Africa is now sending missionaries everywhere else throughout the world.
In part this comes from the maturing of the Church in Africa, reflected in a synod of African Bishops held in Rome in 1994. The preparation for the synod and the consultation process extended down to almost every
parish and diocese in the country, with an overwhelming response to help the bishops consider the key issues facing the Church in that continent.
The synod, however, was marked by two events that highlight both the good and bad news from Africa.
In that year the “miracle election” gave birth to a new democratic South Africa.
Cardinal Napier said the election was described as a “miracle” because the widespread expectation was that it would be marked by extreme violence. For weeks beforehand there had been ‘bloodletting’ throughout the country, particularly in Kwazulu Natal.
On the day, however, almost nothing of that kind happened; instead an unprecedented outpouring of love, friendliness and generosity could only have been, he is convinced, a result of intense prayer for peace in the leadup to the election and a decade earlier when the bishops of South Africa gathered to pray for peace in their region.
However while Bishops were gathering in Rome for the Synod, news began to break through of the genocide in Rwanda.
What made this tragedy almost unbelievable at the time was that both victims and perpetrators shared the same Catholic faith and even some in Church leadership in that country were subsequently said to have been implicated in the planning for the slaughter.
Cardinal Napier offered three steps for
the Church in Africa to make the good news of Jesus Christ take effect.
● The Church must proclaim to Africans that they are part of the Family of God; destined for eternal life, not death. In African culture the concept of family is wide and not only confined to blood relatives but many other people connected with the family. By focussing on the family the Church’s message will resonate more with people for whom family is an important part of their culture.
However what is understood as family has to be clarified, even purified; there must be no implication that family means tribalism and clanism as these can lead to exclusion of those who are not connected by blood relationship.
● The Church, however, must become thoroughly evangelised itself – where everyone without exception experiences a daily death to sin and a daily resurrection to new life in Christ.
● The Church must be missionary to those who have not yet heard the Gospel; already Africa sends missionaries abroad to northern America and elsewhere to preach.
Finally the Church should use the means of communication – the media – new as well as old to reach everywhere with its message.
Cardinal Napier’s visit to Perth came after several appearances and speeches in the eastern states of Australia.
The ancient tradition of “lectio divina” or reading of sacred Scripture should be promoted as a way to enrich the spiritual life of the Church, Pope Benedict XVI said in an address to biblical experts.
“The Church must always renew and rejuvenate herself” through “the Word of God, which never gets old or expires,” he said.
The Pope urged a renewal of this ancient tradition, saying he was convinced it would “bring a new spiritual springtime to the Church if promoted effectively.”
The Pope’s message came in a September 16 address at his summer residence of Castel Gandolfo to some 500 biblical experts, scholars and pastoral leaders attending an international conference in Rome.
The Catholic Biblical Federation and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity sponsored the congress commemorating the 40th anniversary of “Dei Verbum,” the Second Vatican Council’s document on Scripture and revelation.
Pope Benedict reminded his audience that he was “a young theologian” who took part in the “lively discussions” at the time that resulted in “Dei Verbum.”
“The Church and the word of God are inseparably linked,” he said.
The Vatican II document affirmed that “the church does not live off herself, but off the Gospel, and it is from the Gospel that the Church always and again draws guidance for her journey,” he said.
The practice of “lectio divina” should be encouraged, even using
“carefully considered new methods” as a mainstay in biblical pastoral activity, the Pope said. The Pope described “lectio divina” as “the assiduous study of holy Scripture, accompanied by prayer, (which) initiates that intimate exchange” between God and the individual.
“By reading, we listen to God who speaks and, by praying, we reply to him with faithful openness of heart,” he said. “One must never forget that the word of God is the lamp for our feet and a light to our path,” the Pope said.
In a September 14 address to congress participants at the meeting’s venue in Rome, Cardinal Walter Kasper, head of the Christian unity council, also called for a renewal of the reading of sacred Scripture.
While “lectio divina” was “not a panacea that solves every problem in one fell swoop,” the cardinal said it was “an important pastoral task” that would help remind the faithful that the Bible dealt “with God’s word and God’s reality” and not “human words and theses.”
Cardinal Kasper said the word of God “is not intended as instruction on some supernatural facts or doctrines to which mankind has no access through the intellect alone.”
Revelation is “a communicative process from person to person” in which God speaks to people “as friends out of the abundance of his love.”
The sacred Scriptures, therefore, do “not give us something”; rather they give people “access to the Father” and allow the faithful “to participate in divine nature” and be in “fellowship” with God, Jesus and one another, he said. -CNS
In
some parts of world, Catholics don’t have easy access to Bible
Forty years ago, through “Dei Verbum,” a document on Scripture and divine revelation, the Second Vatican Council strove to emphasise the important role of Scriptures in the life of the church and put the Bible back in the hands of the faithful.
While many experts at an international congress in Rome agreed that great strides had been made, they said there were still parts of the world, especially developing countries, that do not have wide or easy access to the Bible.
At the September 14-18 congress sponsored by the Catholic Biblical Federation and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, some biblical experts laid part of the blame on lingering poverty and some pastors’ reluctance to promote the use of the Bible.
Archbishop John Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria, said, “In many places the cost of the Bible is beyond the reach of the average Catholic.”
In general this is because “the socalled ‘Catholic Bibles’ are imported from abroad and are much more expensive than the highly subsidized Protestant Bibles,” he said.
Archbishop Onaiyekan, who has a doctorate in biblical theology and is head of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, has been encouraging bishops to collaborate with Protestant biblical socie-
ties in translating and distributing Bibles. Because the Vatican has an agreement with the United Bible Societies, any local Bible group that is a member of the UBS should be following the joint “Guidelines for Interconfessional Cooperation in Translating the Bible,” he told Catholic News Service.
Bibles produced by a UBS affiliate should be free of bias and truly reflect the word of God, he said.
“But the problem we are having is that the idea that the Bible Society is a Protestant group has not left the mind of many people, and that means many Catholic bishops will not even talk to them,” he said.
The archbishop said bishops should be “joining house” with the other Bible societies and together produce or distribute approved translations in local languages that are available to all Churches.
The Bible has fully or partially been translated into more than 2,300 languages. Most of the nearly 1,000 languages left are in Africa and Asia, experts said.
Archbishop Onaiyekan said the Catholic Church often restricts its own efforts “to the so-called major languages,” resulting in many people “condemned to hearing the Scriptures in a second or even third language.”
“Again, here the Protestants have gone ahead of us, insisting that even if there are only 10,000 people speaking a particular language they deserve to have the Bible in their own tongue,” he said in his address.
While it may be a best-seller, the Bible still is not regularly read, nor has it become an integral part of many Catholics’ lives, said a panel of biblical experts.
“Unfortunately, it must be said, there is still little Bible in the lives of the faithful,” said Italian Bishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Catholic Bible Federation.
Recent research conducted in Italy, Spain and France found that many Catholics consider the sacred Scriptures as something “reserved for the clergy” rather than as an accessible resource for them to draw upon for truth and inspiration in their own lives, he said.
Bishop Paglia, together with a number of biblical experts, spoke at a Vatican press conference on September 8 to present an upcoming international congress commemorating the 40th anniversary of “Dei Verbum,” the Second Vatican Council document on Scripture and divine revelation.
The five-day conference, scheduled September 14-18, was to gather more than 400 biblical experts from all over the world. The event is sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Catholic Bible Federation, which was founded in 1969 to promote the reading of the
Bible. The council’s head, Cardinal Walter Kasper, said the gathering would offer the perfect opportunity “to make a reliable assessment” of how much the Bible is or is not a part of people’s everyday lives and to exchange or hammer out new pastoral solutions to fulfilling the Church’s mission in proclaiming the word of God.
In divine revelation, “God is talking to us as friends,” said the cardinal.
The word of God is not an intellectual treatise on “supernatural reality or arcane doctrine,” he said; it is “person-to-person communication” with God’s loving voice speaking directly to the individual.
The secretary-general of the Catholic Bible Federation, Alexander Schweitzer, said the Church needs to do more than just
make the Bible available to people; it needs, “at the same time, to provide the ways and means (for people) to know how to use it.”
Bishop Paglia said all Christians have “the right to a Bible in their own language,” but that handing them out should not be reduced to “the consignment of a product like the Bibles sitting in hotel drawers.” The Church and its pastors must show the Scriptures to be a spiritual treasure containing the living word, he said.
“It is by listening to the word of God, in fact, that the believer discovers himself to be a disciple and even an apostle, that is, an evangeliser,” said the bishop. “In that way, the sacred Scriptures become the light that illuminates one’s whole life” and all fields of culture, science and politics, he said.
Donald Thomas, a 73-year-old artist from Biloxi, Mississippi., lost hundreds of his paintings that had been securely fastened to his wall when the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina filled up the first and second floors of his home.
The only thing left on his walls after the waters receded was a plate with an image of Jesus on it hanging on a nail. The sight of that plate, somehow spared from mud that covered everything else remaining in the house, made an impression on Thomas that he will never forget.
“I saw it and I said, ‘I’m going to church from now on,’” Thomas told Catholic News Service on September 11 just outside a Red Cross shelter in Daphne.
“I’m not claiming to be a Holy Roller either,” stressed Thomas, who said he was raised Catholic but was not a churchgoer. He said the plate impressed him so much because it was one of the first things he saw after a harrowing night of hanging onto the roof of his house for several hours for safety. “To me, it said that God was with me the whole time.”
Thomas spoke briefly with CNS on September 9 in Biloxi, where he sat under a blue tarp in front of his damaged home on a main
road and asked passers-by about a place to live. A day later, a young woman and her brother spoke with Thomas, and upon learning his plight brought him and his housemate to the Red Cross shelter, which was just outside Mobile.
Thomas packed a few belongings, mainly his photo album with pictures of his paintings, and his plate with Jesus on it that is currently in the storage space provided by the shelter. Someday, he said, he will donate the plate to a church.
“I’ve never seen so many caring
people, even from out of state. I’ve never been through anything like this,” he said, fighting back tears.
The kindness he said he experienced from the woman who brought him to the shelter and from the shelter volunteers made him wonder: “How come we don’t meet people like this when we’ve got everything?”
He said he was happy to be at the shelter and had no intentions of moving back to his Biloxi home because it had “too many bad memories” of him trying to get to the
second floor and falling as the water was quickly rising. For now, he was looking into finding an affordable place to live. He also wanted to start painting again. He put his name on the list to find housing and said volunteers were trying to help him with it. On a more immediate practical level, a shelter volunteer walked up to him while he spoke with CNS and told him she was going to bring him some canvases and paints the next day so he could resume his artwork.
The failure of a recent UN summit to take concrete action against poverty represented a “missed opportunity of staggering proportions,” said the head of the worldwide Catholic charities organisation, Caritas Internationalis.
“The hope for achievements targeted for 2015 was daunting, but politically perfectly possible
in a world with the wealth and the technology to dent dehumanising poverty,” Duncan MacLaren, Caritas secretary-general, said in a September 15 statement. The intended focus of the September 1416 UN World Summit in New York had been to review the Millennium Development Goals on alleviating poverty and investing in health, education and the environment in the poorest countries of the world.
While the final document from
Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls on September 20 denied reports that the Vatican Secretariat of State has attempted to help hide a Croatian general accused of war crimes.
Carla del Ponte, chief prosecutor for the UN international tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, told a London newspaper she believes Gen. Ante Gotovina is hiding in a Franciscan monastery in Croatia.
In an interview published on September 20 in The Daily Telegraph, she said she had met with Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, Vatican foreign minister, in July seeking the Vatican’s help in discovering which of roughly 80 monasteries in Croatia was shel-
the UN summit recommitted to the goal of cutting poverty in half by 2015 and addressed issues on UN reform, terrorism, human rights and peace-building, some critics said the document failed to fully address rich nations’ previous commitments to fight world poverty. The Millennium Development Goals, adopted in 2000, represented “a global initiative to collectively and urgently address the gravest situations of need and sustained
tering the general. “They said they have no intelligence and I don’t believe that,” she told the Telegraph.
“I think that the Catholic Church has the most advanced intelligence services.”
The prosecutor said, “Mgr Lajolo said to me, ‘Let me know in which monastery Gotovina is hiding.’ I said, if I knew, I would not be here in Rome.”
Priests are called to lead lives of deep faith, love and prayer so as to strengthen the effectiveness of the Eucharist they consecrate daily, Pope Benedict XVI said.
“The validity of the sacrament does not depend on the holiness of the celebrant, but its effectiveness, for himself and for the oth-
desperation in a rich world of excess and indulgence,” MacLaren said.
The September summit instead boiled down to “commitments made and opportunities squandered,” he said. “What message are we giving to the millions of poor in every corner of the world who placed revived hope in this gathering?” he asked.
“What effect will this laissez-faire attitude have on the dispossessed who now have extra grievances to unleash violence on a world that
ers, will be much greater the more he lives with deep faith, burning love (and a) fervent spirit of prayer,” the Pope said at his Sunday Angelus on September 18.
He reminded the several hundred pilgrims gathered in the courtyard of his summer residence outside Rome that the month of October would mark the end of the Year of the Eucharist. For all Christians, but especially for priests, there is a relationship between holiness and the Eucharist, the Pope said.
A Chinese government official said that the Vatican’s invitation to four mainland bishops to attend a synod in Rome has not been rejected, reported AsiaNews.
Ye Xiaowen, director of the State Bureau
Catholic bishops in Iraq are seeking last-minute changes to their country’s draft constitution amid “grave concerns” that it would lead to discrimination against Christians.
Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel-Karim Delly of Baghdad, Iraq, met Iraqi interim President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari on September 18 and asked them to remove Article 2.1 (a) from the document.
The article states that “no law can be passed that contradicts the undisputed rules of Islam,” and Christian leaders fear it will inevitably lead to the country being governed by Shariah, or Islamic law.
Church leaders in Iraq are opposed to Shariah because it demands inequalities between Muslims and non-Muslims and between men and women.
Christians say it will make them second-class citizens and spark an exodus of the faithful from a country where Christian communities have existed since the first century.
“The bishops’ conference expressed a grave concern and fear ... about Article 2.1 (a),” the statement said.
“This opens the door widely to passing laws that are unjust toward non-Muslims. This conference insists that this clause is amended or deleted.”
The constitution will be put to a vote in a referendum on October 15.
doesn’t care?” he added. MacLaren said there must be renewed commitment by the world community to the original goals of the UN charter, namely that all people be able to enjoy “better standards of life in larger freedom.” On September 12, Pope Benedict XVI appealed to world leaders to “find appropriate solutions to reach the great goals that have been set previously, in the spirit of harmony and generous solidarity.”
of Religious Affairs, commented after a religious ceremony on Thursday last week in Hong Kong that the government is still negotiating with the Vatican, despite the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association’s expressed disappointment at the invitation.
The Patriotic Association chairman, Liu Bainian, criticised the Holy See for maintaining ties with Taiwan, and for releasing the invitation list without consulting Beijing first.
Ye, however, said mainland Catholics saw Benedict XVI’s invitation as a “friendly gesture.” “It is obviously a harmonious sign,” he said. “And it is still in the negotiating process.” The prelates invited to the October 2 - 23 synod in Rome are Archbishop Anthony Li Duan of Xian, Bishops Louis Jin Luxian of Shanghai and Luke Li Jingfeng of Fengxiang and “underground” Bishop Joseph Wei Jingyi of Qiqihar.
You might suspect something amiss with a movie that’s been sitting on the shelf for two years, but if you pass up “An Unfinished Life” (Miramax) you’ll be missing one of 2005’s best.
This is a totally captivating tale of forgiveness and rebirth in its story of an embittered Wyoming rancher named Einar Gilkyson (Robert Redford), who takes care of ranch hand Mitch (Morgan Freeman), badly mauled by a bear.
Einar reluctantly gives shelter to his son’s widow, Jean (Jennifer Lopez), who shows up unexpectedly with the 11-year-old granddaughter, Griff (Becca Gardner), he never knew he had. They are fleeing the abuse of Jean’s violent boyfriend, Gary (Damian Lewis).
Written by Mark Spragg and Virginia Korus Spragg, the film features top-level acting all around, but with Redford outstanding. This is a career peak for him. He completely inhabits his ornery, grizzled man’s-man character who - after the death of his beloved son - shuts himself down to life. His dialogue is liberally sprinkled with profanity, so you know he’ll eventually soften under Griff’s openhearted and liberating presence.
He’s not particularly religious, insisting, for instance, that anyone who comes to his door be treated well, unless “it’s some guy selling God,” which he gruffly dismisses with an expletive. But in every other
respect, he’s an honorable man. In addition to his ministrations to Mitch, he defends Nina (Camryn Manheim), the local diner’s waitress, from the predations of three drunken louts.
Einar - who talks to his son graveside every day - blames Jean for his son’s death (she had been driving, and lost control of the car).
Mitch - another splendid Freeman portrayal - spends most of his time in his shack, calling on Einar to give him morphine shots when the pain gets bad. The brotherly bond between the two men is admirable, and so profound that
young Griff at one point mistakenly thinks they must be gay, much to their amusement.
Mitch’s assailant plays a big part as the bear roams the town, causing great consternation. Einar wants to shoot him, but local sheriff Crane (Josh Lucas) stops him in the nick of time and sees to it that the bear is captured and put in the care of the local zoo owner.
Far from despising the bear, Mitch worries about the bear’s wellbeing, and demands that Einar feed the now-caged bear. With Griff at his side, Einar dutifully complies. Mitch’s instinct to show the bear
mercy is a powerful, if obvious, metaphor.
Jean, meanwhile, officially reports her situation to Crane, in case Gary should show up again, and before long, motivated in part by Jean’s intense sense of loneliness - especially in light of Einar’s unwelcoming coldness - they commence an affair. Griff is angry about their liaison, as her mother has had a pattern of hooking up with disreputable men. But this will prove different, as Crane shows himself a decent man.
The pacing is leisurely, but the underlying threat of Gary’s reap-
pearance and the omnipresent bear wreaking more havoc add a good measure of suspense.Director Lasse Hallstrom’s film, though not devoid of cliches, vividly conveys its positive message about healing, letting go of the past and living life to the fullest despite tragedy. Though the life of Einar’s son is referred to as “unfinished,” the title also reflects Einar’s emotional paralysis.
Lopez - in a smallish part - is well-cast and believable as a guiltridden woman on the run, while the versatile Lewis could not be more different from the veddy British Soames, an obsessed suitor of another stripe, that he played in the recent BBC “Forsyte Saga.” Manheim is terrific as the goodhearted waitress who copes better than Einar with the loss of a child (her daughter drowned, we learn).
Lucas plays his share of bad guys, but here he’s allowed to play one of the good ones. Gardner is refreshingly down-to-earth, and even the grizzly - Bart II in real life - acquits himself well. (The bear, symbolises, none too subtly, those parts of our past of which we must let go.)
Lush location scenery and painterly photography (by Oliver Stapleton) are other pluses in this evocative and beautifully redemptive slice of Western Americana. Despite profanity, rough language and irreligious remarks (mostly courtesy of Redford’s salty but basically honourable character), some brief episodes of domestic violence and implied premarital sex, the film is uplifting entertainment for adults and mature adolescents. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is AIII - adults.
Monday September 26
PRESENTATION SISTERS LOOK TO THE FUTURE
There will be a Eucharistic Celebration at 10.30 am at Star of the Sea Church, Cottesloe, to mark the opening of the Sisters’ Chapter which is held every six years. Bishop Don Sproxton will be the chief celebrant. All are welcome to join the Sisters at this Mass.
Thursday September 29
CATHOLIC POLICE OFFICERS MASS
Serving and former members of Police are advised that Mass will be celebrated at the Trinity College Chapel, Trinity Avenue, East Perth, at 7pm. This coincides with the feast day of St Michael the Archangel, Patron Saint of Police and is also National Police Remembrance Day, a day set aside to remember colleagues who died whilst performing their duties. A supper will follow the Mass. For catering purposes those wishing to attend are requested to contact Peter Browne (9321 2155), Inspector Paul Newman (9222 1474) or Des Noonan (9291 8641).
Saturday October 1 WITNESS FOR LIFE PROCESSION
Commencing with Mass at 8.30am at St Anne’s Church, Hehir St Belmont we proceed prayerfully to the Rivervale abortion centre and conclude with rosary. Enq Helen 9402 0349.
Saturday October 1
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Immaculate Heart of Mary Prayer Group invites all to the 9th anniversary celebration at St’s John and Paul Church, Pinetree Gully Rd, Willetton. The afternoon consists of thanksgiving Mass, Crowning of Our Lady, Procession and Rosary Prayer. Celebrations conclude with a meal. Please bring a plate.
Saturday October 1
SUNG LATIN MASS IN HONOUR OF ST THERESE OF LISIEUX
Commencing 1pm at the altar of St Therese of the Child Jesus in St Mary’s Cathedral, Victoria Square.
Veneration and Blessing with the relic of St Therese after Mass. All welcome. Enq Fr Michael Rowe 9444 9604.
Sunday October 2
DIVINE MERCY
An afternoon with Jesus and Mary at St Mary’s Cathedral, Victoria Square at 1.30pm. Holy Rosary and Reconciliation as well as sermon on St Faustina Kowalska with Fr Peter Meo, followed by Divine Mercy prayers and Benediction. Enq John 9457 7771, Linda 9275 6608.
Friday September 30 - Sunday October 2
BROTHER ANDREW RETREAT
An encouraging spring-time weekend retreat for Brother Andrew’s fifth anniversary will be held at God’s Farm. Brother Andrew was co-founder with Mother Teresa of the Missionaries of Charity Brothers. Retreat Master is Father Brian Morgan, Christian Brother Kevin Paull will give a special presentation on Brother Andrew’s life. Daily Holy Mass celebrated plus Prayers of the Church. Enq Betty Peaker s.f.o PH/Fax 9755 6212. Young people most welcome
Monday October 3
THE PASSING OF ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI
The Secular Franciscan order will be celebrating the feast with readings on the the passing of St Francis of Assisi and the Mass of the feast. All are welcome, the proceedings will commence in St John’s Pro Cathedral, Victoria Square at 6.30pm and will conclude with supper at the Parish Centre. Enq Mary 9377 7925.
Friday October 7
PRO LIFE PROCESSION MIDLAND
Lead by Archbishop Hickey, commencing at 9.30am with Mass at St Brigid’s Church Midland followed by Procession and Rosary. Enq Helen 9402 0349.
Friday October 7
RETREAT UNION WITH GOD CONTEMPLATIVE/ACTIVE
Fr Paul from Cross Roads Community will be having a Retreat at St John of God Retreat Centre, Safety Bay. For more details please contact us on 9319 8344.
Friday October 7
LA SALLE COLLEGE ART EXHIBITION
La Salle College 21st Art Exhibition, featuring the works of local and WA Artists together with a student display is once again held in conjunction with the Spring in the Valley festivities during the weekend of 8 and 9 October. Official Opening is on Friday 7 October from 7pm to 10pm at $20.00 entry, this includes Swan Valley premium wines and cocktail savouries. Tickets can be purchased from the College on 9274 6266. Entry is free on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 October from 10am to 4pm. 9274 6266 for tickets.
Friday October 7- to Sunday October 9
PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD
Charismatic Conference presented by the Holy Spirit of Freedom Community and sponsored by the Apostles for Christ, Willetton. All are invited to attend a weekend of praise and worship, teaching, prayer and healing ministry and the celebration of the Eucharist. Held at Orana Catholic Primary School hall, Cnr Vahland and Querrin Aves, Willetton. Fri: Rally at 7.30pm Sat: 4 Sessions 10am-5pm. Rally at 7.30pm Sun: 4 Sessions 10am-3.30pm. Mass at 4pm. Enq Gloria and Ben Heuer 9310 3937 or Michelle Ricketts 9414 1260.
Friday October 14
EUCHARISTIC YEAR CLOSING CEREMONY
40-hour Eucharistic Adoration beginning 6pm on Friday and concluding 9am on Sunday with Mass and a procession around the Church with Benediction and Fellowship in the Parish hall. Enq 9271 5528, 9272 1379.
Sunday October 16
ST GERARD MAJELLA 40TH ANNIVERSARY
Celebrations commencing 9.30am with Mass followed by lunch in St Gerard’s school grounds, meat provided bring salads and dessert to share. BYO Drinks. Come along renew long missed acquaintances, and join in the celebrations. Enq 9349 2315.
Friday October 21
REUNION THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION
Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish and School, Miles St Karrinyup invites Priests, past parishioners, teachers, pupils and anyone who has ever been a part of our past to celebrate our 40th Anniversary. Please bring photos with you. Commencing with Mass at 6pm followed by light supper and drinks. RSVP John Reid 9341 2895, OLGC School Secretary 9341 3148
Saturday October 29
YOUTH WITH A MISSION OPEN DAY
Check out training and ministry opportunities... enjoy music, fun and games... feast on a free sausage sizzle... Youth With A Mission has existed in Perth for over 20 years equipping young and old alike with the knowledge and methods to impact this city and nations abroad with the Gospel. Please join and learn more about opportunities for you to become involved. This is a great event for a youth group. date: 29th October 2005... time: 10am - 4pm... location: 150 Claisebrook Road, Perth... contact: (08) 9328 5321... hope to see you there.
BULLSBROOK SHRINE MASS PROGRAM
Shrine of Virgin of the Revelation, 36 Chittering Rd. Bullsbrook. 2pm Holy Mass, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Holy Rosary. Reconciliation is available in Italian and English before every celebration. A monthly pilgrimage is held on the last Sunday of the month in honour of the Virgin of the Revelation. Anointing of the sick is administered for spiritual and physical healing during Holy
■ SMALL BUSINESS BOOKKEEPING MYOB
Bulk rates negotiable. Ph: Margaret 9459 5866/0403 778 426
■ BRICK REPOINTING
Phone Nigel 9242 2952.
■ GUTTERS/DOWNPIPES
Need renewing, best work and cheapest prices. Free quote. Ph: Ad 9447 7475 or 0408 955 991 5008.
■ PERROTT PAINTING PTY LTD
For all your residential, commercial painting requirements. Phone Tom Perrott 9444 1200.
■ PICASSO PAINTING
Top service. Phone 9345 0557, fax 9345 0505.
■ RETAILER OF CATHOLIC PRODUCTS
Specialising in gifts, cards and apparel for baptism, communion and confirmation. Ph: 9456 1777. Shop 12, 64-66 Bannister Road, Canning Vale. Open Mon-Sat.
■ WORK FROM HOME
Around your children & family commitments. My business is expanding and I need people to open new areas all over Australia. Training given. Highly lucrative. www.cyber-success-4u.org
■ AAA SLIPSTREAM
Piano removal, sales and hire. Special discount for schools. Contact Tony 0418 923 414
■ ALL AREAS Mike Murphy 0416 226 434.
■ CHINESE REFLEXOLOGY
Two day course 10-11 October, 6.30pm9.30pm. Sts John and Paul Parish, Pinetree Gully Rd, Willetton. Cost by donation. Enq Fr Dominic Su SDS 9294 3504/0429 921 823, Anne Yeap 9459 0642/ 0421 953 747, Augustine Lai 9310 4532. Book Early.
■ BUSSELTON
Geog Bay, Park Home sleeps UP TO 6 winter rates apply. Ph Elizabeth 0408 959 671.
■ DENMARK
Holiday House 3bdr x 2bth, sleeps up to 8. BOOK NOW. Ph: Maria 0412 083 377.
■ DUNSBOROUGH
3 bed cosy cottage, sleeps 7, available for holiday rental, quiet oasis 3 mins walk to beach. Sheila 9309 5071.
■ CLARKE, HENRY ARTHUR 2ND ANNIVERSARY.
A special smile, a special faith and a special dad and husband, we will never replace. Love from Tess and the Children.
■ O’CONNOR, VERNON
On 23 August aged 85 years, formerly of Youanmi, Kensington, Ardross and Halls Head. Dearly beloved husband of Olive, and Father of Robert, Ted, Merlene and Ron and Pop of their families.
■ FOR BEGINNERS
Notation, vocal techniques, English modal chants, Latin Chants. 6 week course on Mondays starting 10 October. The only prerequisite is a willingness to sing. Jubilus Song School Australia. Making sacred music simple. Phone 1300 725 138.
■ SHEILA SHANNON
Thinking of changing your address?
Selling or buying, please think of me! Sheila Shannon, First Western Realty, ...hoping for your call 040 88 66 593.
■ RICH HARVEST YOUR CHRISTIAN SHOP
Looking for Bibles, CDs, books, cards, gifts, statues, baptism/communion apparel, religious vestments, etc? Visit us at, 39 Hulme Court (off McCoy St), Myaree, 9329 9889 (after 10.30am, Mon-Sat). We are here to serve.
■ WHITE MARBLE ALTAR
84”x24”x2”; 4 Marble pieces 30”x14”x2’ Marble Tabernacle Stand 30”x30”x3”
Altar Stone & Altar Stand. For whoever needs. Cost: Donation to charity. Contact Queen of Apostles Parish Riverton Tel 9457 2424 or Fax 9354 5083 or Email flynnjohnb@ozemail. com.au
■ BOARD
Full board available in lovely Maylands, Opp. Park and near bus. Suit female student, backpacker or working person. Ph Kath 0400 227 118.
■ ACCOMMODATION
Fully furnished self contained accommodation for mature lady in quiet hills area, near bus stop, $100p/w. Post Reply to Po Box 10, Kalamunda, WA, 6076.
■ CARETAKER/HANDYMAN
For Catholic Church, Bindoon. Accom provided. Suit pensioner. For details tel 9571-1839 or 9576-0006.
■ CLEANER
Looking for a trustworthy,committed cleaner to do two houses in the Stirling + Duncraig areas. Day-Saturday, but can be negotiated. Please call Joan during the day on 9444 9366 or after 7pm 9344 3380.
■ HELP REQUIRED Resident of Church’s Christ Retirement village wants a Cleaner for 2 hours once a fortnight $13p/hour. Negotiable. Time and amount is negotiable. Phone: 9271 0800
Phone Eugene 9227 7080 or A/h: 9227 7778
SEPTEMBER
23 Mercy Day Mass for Mercedes College, St Mary’s Cathedral - Archbishop Hickey Installation of New Moderator of Uniting Church - Fr Gerard Beeson
23-25 Parish Visitation, Applecross - Bishop Sproxton
24 Candidacy for Seminarians of St Charles’, Applecross - Bishop Sproxton
25 Mass and Procession for Feast of S Michele Arcangelo, Leederville - Bishop Quinn
26
28
SCHOENSTATT
ST
A
Please contact Nancy Paterson on 0417 927 126, (email
or St Clare’s School, PO Box 21 & 23 Carlisle North 6161. Tel: 9470 5711.
ALL SAINTS CHAPEL
CONFESSIONS: 10.30 to 11.45am and two lunchtime
MASSES: 12.10 and 1.10pm Monday through Friday. Easy to find in the heart of Perth , 77 ALLENDALE SQUARE, St. George’s Terrace, Perth, WA. Let the peace of the Chapel surround you; let the hurry and worry of your many cares be left with the Lord. Visit with Him. Talk with Him. Give yourself time for Him! Exposition: 8am - 4pm. Morning Prayer: 8am (Liturgical hours). The Holy Rosary daily: 12.40pm. Divine Mercy Prayers and Benediction: Mondays and Fridays 1.35pm. St Pio of Pietrelcina Novena to the Sacred Heart and Benediction: Wednesdays 1.35pm. To help you know and appreciate your
Faith, a Lending Library of a thousand books, videos, cassettes at your service. Tel: 9325 2009. The Chapel is closed weekends and public holidays. www.allsaintschapel.com
INDONESIAN MASS
Every Sunday at 11.30am at St Benedict’s church Alness St, Applecross. Further info www.waicc.org. au.
PERPETUAL ADORATION
Of the Blessed Sacrament Christ the King, Lefroy Rd, Beaconsfield. Enq Joe Migro 9430 7937, A/H 0419 403 100. Adoration also at Sacred Heart, 64 Mary St Highgate, St Anne’s, 77 Hehir St Belmont. Bassendean, 19 Hamilton St and Mirrabooka, 37 Changton Wy. “Jesus is there for you 24/7.”
THE PILGRIM CROSS
This wooden cross (2m length) will be carried by the group of 16 pilgrims to the Shrines at Medjugorje, Lisieux (St Therese Relic), Nevers (St Bernadette Relic), Lourdes, Fatima. Those who would like to have their name inscribed on the cross, can do so for a donation which will go towards Maddington Parish Fundraising. October Ball Saturday 1 October 2005. All donations are tax deductible. Donation forms can be obtained from Francis Williams, Enq 9459 3873, Mob. 0404 893 877.
PERPETUAL ADORATION AT ST BERNADET TE’S
GLENDALOUGH
Chapel open all day and all night. All welcome, 49 Jugan St, just north of the city. The easiest perpetual adoration chapel to get to in Perth. Just off the Mitchell Fwy by car, near the Glendalough train station and on bus routes 15, 278 and 400.
EVENING MASSES AT ST B ERNADETT E’S GLENDALOUGH
Every night at St Bernadette’s Glendalough, 49 Jugan St. 5.45pm Monday to Friday, 6.30pm, Saturday and the last Sunday Mass in Perth is at 7pm.
OCTOBER
2 Mass for deceased members of Catenian Association, St Mary’s Cathedral - Archbishop Hickey
Confirmation, Como - Bishop Sproxton
3 Clergy and Seminarians Day, St Charles’ Seminary - Archbishop Hickey
4 Mass, East Fremantle - Archbishop Hickey
5 Mass and Blessing of building works at Pregnancy Assistance - Archbishop Hickey
Annual Mass for AFO/CDF, Catholic Pastoral Centre - Archbishop Hickey, Bishop Sproxton
6 Visit to Notre Dame University - Archbishop Hickey
BLESSED SACRAMENT ADORATION
Holy Family Church, Alcock Street, Maddington.
Every Friday 8.30 am Holy Mass followed by Blessed Sacrament Adoration till 12 noon. Every first Friday of the month, anointing of the sick during Mass. Enq. 9398 6350.
SUNDAY CHINESE MASS
The Perth Chinese Catholic Community invite you to join in at St Brigid’s Church, 211 Aberdeen St (Cnr of Aberdeen and Fitzgerald) Northbridge. Celebrant Rev Fr Dominic Su SDS. Mass starts 4.30pm every Sunday. Enq Augustine 9310 4532, Mr Lee 9310 9197, Peter 9310 1789.
LITURGY OFFICE OFFERING EXCELLENT WORKSHOPS
Cantors for the Country: To give people confidence and practical skills to lead the singing in country parishes 22 October. Phone: 9422 7902.
CONFRATERNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Confraternity of the Holy Spirit has been sanctioned in the Perth Archdiocese, our aim is to make the Holy Spirit known and loved, and to develop awareness of His presence in our lives. If you would like more information please call WA Coordinator Frank Pimm on 9304 5190.
First Sunday of each month
DEVOTIONS IN HONOUR OF THE DIVINE MERCY
Fr Douglas Hoare and Santa Clara Parish Community welcome anyone from surrounding Parishes and beyond to the Santa Clara Church, Bentley. The afternoon commences with the 3 o’clock prayer, followed by the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Reflection, and concludes with Benediction.
THE DIVINE MERCY APOSTOLATE
St Mary’s Cathedral, Victoria Square, Perth – each first Sunday of the month from 1.30pm to 3.15pm with a different priest each month. All Saints Chapel, Allendale Square, 77 St George’s Tce, Perth - each Monday and Friday at 1.35pm. Main Celebrant Fr
James Shelton. St Francis Xavier Church, 25 Windsor Street, East Perth - each Saturday from 2.30pm to 3.30pm, main celebrant Fr Marcellinus Meilak, OFM. Saints John and Paul Church, Pinetree Gully Drive, Willeton - each Wednesday from 4pm to 5pm. All Enq John 9457 7771.
Manjimup marks 50 years
t Joseph’s Parish in Manjimup last week celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Church they built and opened in 1955. The occasion also marked the 85th anniversary of Kearnan College. More than 300 peo-ple from the Parish filled the Church for the occasion. Narrogin Parish Priest Fr Wayne Bendotti joined Parish Priest Fr Pat Rooney in concelebrating the Mass. Both priests grew up in the Manjimup-Pemberton district.
In his homily, Fr Rooney said it was good to celebrate the anniversary of the building.
“We also celebrate having been able
to come here for the occasion and that we are able to come here each week.”
During the time the church was being built, Fr Rooney was studying at St Charles Seminary, but was the first priest to be ordained in St Joseph’s in 1961.
Fr Rooney also reminisced about those who, over the years, had been involved with the school and parish.
Students from Kearnan College put on a colourful display during the Mass to mark the 50th anniversary of St Joseph’s Church. On the right is local MLA Paul Omodei, of Pemberton, a former student at Kearnan College.
married
on average, than do children in other family
Divorce and unmarried child bearing appear to have negative effects on children’s physical health and life expectancy. Longitudinal research suggests that parental divorce increased the incidence of health problems in children. The health advantages of married homes remain, even after taking socioeconomic status into account.
The health disadvantages associated with being raised outside of intact marriages persist long into adulthood. Even in Sweden, a country with extensive supports for single mothers and a nationalised health care system, adults raised in singleparent homes were more likely to report that their health was poor and/or to die (during the study period) than were those from intact homes; this finding remained after controlling for economic hardship.
One study which followed a sample of academically gifted, middle-class children for 70 years found that parental divorce reduced a child’s life expectancy by four years, even after controlling for childhood health status and family background, as well as personality characteristics such as impulsiveness and emotional instability. Another analysis found that 40 year old men whose parents had divorced were three times more likely to die than were 40 year old men whose parents stayed married: “It does appear,” the researchers conclude, “that parental divorce sets off a negative chain of events, which contribute to a higher mortality risk among individuals from divorced homes...”
