The Record Newspaper 22 December 2010

Christmas reveals ‘God’s huge plan’ for us, and the whole world...

Every year at Christmas The Record invites the Bishops of Western Australia to send a Christmas message to our readers. Here, Archbishop Barry Hickey suggests parents take advantage of the season to teach their children some of the key details of the Christmas story.

If you look in the Old Testament references to Bethlehem you will find two very significant things.

One is that it was the birthplace of King David and his family (1 Samuel 17:12), the second is that the Prophet Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).

When the Wise Men began asking where the “infant king” was, King Herod became very worried that he had a rival to the throne and asked the scribes and the chief priests where the Messiah was to be born. They answered without hesitation “Bethlehem in Judaea” because they were well aware of the prophecy of Micah.

This is why Herod tried to massacre all the children under two, to get rid of any potential rival.

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It seemed quite unlikely that Mary’s son would be born in Bethlehem because she lived in Nazareth, a long way away. It is a very strange coincidence, but we know it was no coincidence at all, that the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, called for a census to be taken of the whole Roman empire. This meant that all men had to go to their tribal town. As Joseph was of the tribe of David he had to go to David’s home town, Bethlehem, for the census. (Luke 2:1 & 2).

This is a most remarkable way for the prophecy of Micah to come true, that God would use the Roman emperor. This made it possible for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, not Nazareth.

The Holy Father has recently issued an Exhortation called Verbum Domini (The Word of the Lord), in which he asks us to get to know the Bible better.

Christmas is a good time for parents to teach their children Bible stories, especially the story of why Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem so Jesus could be born there and nowhere else. Parents could open up the Bible at the references I have mentioned above and help the children become used to finding things in the Bible.

the prophecy about Bethlehem. This Christmas let us renew our faith in Jesus, the Saviour the world was waiting for.

The more we become familiar with the prophecies about the Messiah in the Old Testament the more we understand the huge plan of God for the salvation of the world.

It increases our faith and brings into high relief the importance of Jesus in

today’s world of violence, drugs and broken lives. In your home try to make a little corner of faith with a candle, and crib if possible, or images of Jesus’ birth.

Place a Bible there too as its central theme is waiting for the Messiah, Emmanuel, God With Us, Jesus Christ the Child of Bethlehem.

I wish everybody all the peace, joy and love of this beautiful Christmas Season.

If you visit our restored Cathedral you will see an unusual statue of St Joseph on the right as you enter. He is with a carving of St Mary of the Cross who called her Sisters “Josephites”. On the statue of St Joseph, pictured as a strong Jewish carpenter at work, you will find Hebrew words: “Joseph, Son of David”. These were the words the Angel of the Lord used to address Joseph (Matthew1:20).

I suggest the next time you take your children to the Cathedral you get them to find the words in Hebrew and tell them what they mean and why. It may make the children curious about St Joseph and

The statue of St Joseph in St Mary’s Cathedral, Perth, with the Hebrew words “Joseph, Son of David” carved into his carpenter’s workbench. Children benefit from not only knowing the basic facts of Christmas but the history, including the prophecies of the Old Testament which found their fulfilment in the events which took place at Bethlehem when Jesus was born.

CASAMENTO

Bunbury’s St Patrick’s Cathedral nears completion

BY GLYNNIS GRAINGER

FULL-LENGTH laminated windows holding specially-commissioned artworks will feature in the new St Patrick’s Cathedral, Bunbury, now under construction and due to be consecrated on the Feast of St Patrick on 17 March next year. The windows will not be stained

glass but will hold a digitised print of artworks – by WA artist Robert Juniper - between two sheets of glass. The massive red brick structure overlooks the city of Bunbury from Money Street and replaces the cathedral that was destroyed by a tornado in 2005.

On 17 March the new St Patrick’s Cathedral will be dedicated and the altar will be consecrated by Bishop Gerard Holohan of Bunbury and bishops from around Australia and on 20 March, the Bishop will celebrate the opening Solemn Mass.

Financial administrator for the diocese of Bunbury and Project Manager for the cathedral precinct, John Ogilvie, told The Record he has conducted limited tours of the site for clergy and diocesan parishioners. The new cathedral spire has been completed and the main focus of work has shifted to a fit-out of the cathedral.

Artist Robert Juniper’s paintings on canvas were computerised and printed on film on glass on 14 windows, 7.5m high and 2.5m wide.

“One side shows scenes from the history of salvation, and one the life of Jesus to the Resurrection,” Mr Ogilvie said.

“Because of the windy conditions, the cathedral has a double brick outer shell and double brick inner shell, is tornado-proof and features Donnybrook stone.

“Provision has been made for air-conditioning in the cathedral. It has a sloping, suspended floor and heating and cooling can be installed.

“Celestory windows high in the cathedral will allow heat to escape. Hopefully, it will perform well.

“It will seat 500 in the nave, 250

in the gallery and 60 in the baptistry. The Blessed Sacrament Chapel will seat up to 50 people.

“The Blessed Sacrament chapel can be for Masses with small congregations, weddings and funerals.

“There will be a crypt for bishops; the design life of the building is 300 years.”

The architects are Marcus Collins Architects, who have chosen a traditional design.

A tapestry of the Resurrection designed by Robert Juniper – being made in East Asia - will be behind the sanctuary.

The jarrah pews are being made in Bridgetown by Glen Holst who also built the pews for St Mary’s Cathedral and the Canning Vale and Applecross churches.

Maintaining its links with the past the Gallery above the nave will contain pews formerly used in the cathedral.

A three-manual Roland organ (with three tiers of keyboards on the one instrument) and a belltower with a peel of eight bells, currently being cast in Holland, will also feature in the new St Patrick’s.

The belltower holds the recently completed spire.

The new St Patrick’s is part of an estimated $17 million cathedral precinct project.

Mr Ogilvie said the 2005 tornado damaged the old house where Bishops Goody and Miles McKeon had lived. Built in 1920 by Archdeacon Smythe, the heritage-listed building was extended in the 1960s and is now a U-shaped building being extended by Perkins Builders, the builders of the Cathedral.

The former residence will become the new Diocesan Centre for Bunbury.

A new Parish Centre and presbytery are being built, including a new Bishop’s residence; the current residence will be converted as a residence for visiting clergy.

The extensive damage wreaked by the 2005 freak tornado had turned out to have unexpected advantages.

“We had ‘ground zero,’ a lot easier and cleaner than a restoration,” Mr Ogilvie said.

The federal Government contributed $5 million to the project while approximately $2.5 million was contributed by the State Government. The diocese received $4.1 million in insurance when St Patrick’s was destroyed.

A nearby vantage point provides an impressive view of the rapidly forming new St Patrick’s Cathedral in Bunbury, due to be consecrated on the feast of its patron on 17 March next year. St Patrick’s can be seen from another angle, below. Project Manager John Ogilvie points out the sanctuary; with the recent completion of the spire, the focus of work has shifted to the building’s interior. It will have seating for an estimated total of 860 people in the nave, gallery, baptistry and Blessed Sacrament chapel.

PHOTOS: GLYNNIS GRAINGER AND DIOCESE OF BUNBURY

WA BISHOPS’ MESSAGES

This Faith, this Word, are not meant to be mute

Perth Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton reflects on the importance of the Word of God coming to life in our hearts

Ihave had the opportunity to spend some considerable time with the four deacons who are preparing for their ordination to the priesthood early next year. We are engaged in a programme to prepare them to preside at the liturgy. Of course, they are excited about the call they have received by the Church to be priests. At the same time they are in awe of the plan of God for them, and they are a little nervous.

I am sure that this Christmas our deacons are living the experience of Mary and her husband, Joseph. Like any other parents, they were changed by the coming of Jesus into their lives. The eventual birth

of Jesus put an end to a certain number of doubts in their minds. Providing and caring for the baby began immediately and there was little time to give to other issues.

Mary had cause to wonder at the things that were being said about her son. She felt a deep sense of awe at what God had done within her. She must have wondered how it was all going to turn out.

Some years ago, I watched the Papal Mass of Christmas Midnight, and I was taken by the special Procession of the Word of God that had been inserted into the Mass. The procession arrived at the figure of the Baby Jesus in the Manger that had been set up near the Papal Altar in St Peter’s Basilica.

The Book of the Gospels had been carried and placed in front of the Nativity. The eternal Word of God, the Son of the Father, became flesh (Jn 1:14). In this way the Son who is consubstantial with the Father, became consubstantial with us.

For Mary, who lived for some years beyond the death and Resurrection of Jesus, would see how her son continued to be present in the world through the preaching of the Apostles. The eternal Word of God began to be handed on in the Church’s living Tradition (Verbum Dei, 7). The pondering on the future for her son by Mary was answered in an amazing way. Generations of people after her would come to know her son personally.

“... Christianity is the “religion of

the Word of God, not of ‘a written and mute word’, but the incarnate and living Word”. Consequently the Scripture is to be proclaimed, heard, read, received and experienced as the Word of God, in the stream of the Apostolic Tradition from which it is inseparable.”(Verbum Dei 7).

Our deacons and, indeed, each of us in the Church are called to receive and in turn proclaim the experience of Jesus, in the living Word of the Scripture.

A highlight of the year for the families in the Archdiocese had to have been the SEEK

Alive: Pope Benedict XVI holds up the Book of the Gospels during the opening Mass of the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East in St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on 10 October. As Christians, all of us are called to receive and proclaim the experience of Jesus in the living Word of Scripture, writes Perth Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton in his Christmas reflection for The Record

PHOTO: CNS/PAUL HARING

Family Conference that was held in October. Its theme was the promotion of prayer within the family.

The Conference gave, among many examples and experiences of prayer, the opportunity for the participants to learn the method of praying with the Scriptures we know as “Lectio Divina”.

This method is becoming better known and more widely practised.

I hope that more opportunities will be provided for “Lectio

Divina”to be learnt and spread. Families will benefit from this way and the others that are available to let the Word of God enter under their roof.

Marriage preparation that I offer to couples brings out so often the enormous reserve in them to pray together and to talk about their faith. We should not be surprised that many new Catholic families will struggle to insert prayer into their daily lives.

My Christmas prayer and hope is that the image of Mary pondering all that she had heard about her son will be one that remains in our consciousness. May we seek the gift of a heart that grows in reflection and union with the Saviour.

I wish you and your families the blessings of peace and joy as you gather with your loved ones.

May your celebration of Christmas be a deep encounter with Jesus Christ, whose presence in your heart will be welcomed and remain close.

Christ really is present

What exactly are you celebrating this Christmas, asks Bishop Gerard Holohan of Bunbury

Christmas is a time to ask ourselves:

“Am I truly more at peace within myself this year than last year?’ If ‘no’ is the honest answer, it is worthy wondering: ‘Why am I celebrating this Christmas?’

Stresses and conflict now are very much part of daily life. Marriage and family break down are on the increase. Violence, vandalism and crime are growing. The peace of Christ grows within Jesus came to bring ‘peace on earth to all who enjoy God’s favour’ [Luke 2:14]. His is ‘a peace which the world cannot give’ [John 14:27].

The peace of Christ grows within us. It cannot be found in drugs, alcohol, superficial and fleeting relationships or the other ‘anaesthetises’ people these days try to ‘feel good’ and relaxed. This peace can grow within only as we relate personally with Jesus himself in the ways he taught. As we recall each Easter, Jesus is risen and present to all who really seek him

– unlike Buddha and the founders of other religions, who no longer are alive.

As we relate with Jesus personally, His divine power grows within us. Peace grows within us as His power changes us.

And as we grow in inner peace, relationships change. Love grows and selfishness weakens. The ability to forgive grows as hurts are healed. Dominant emotions such as unworthy desires and anger are calmed. This frees us to live ideals. We can conquer temptations to behave in ways our consciences tell us are against God’s laws. There are many other examples.

WA BISHOPS’

Turn to the Saints to catch a glimpse of heaven

Saints are an incarnation of Jesus in the world, writes Bishop Justin Bianchini of Geraldton

Even though Pope Benedict XVI canonised St Mary of the Cross MacKillop in Rome on 17 October this year it is still very fresh in our minds and hearts.

As we reflect on the life of St Mary of the Cross we see how she connected to a variety of people. Her relationships extended beyond family and the Church to Jews and Protestants. In fact we know the Jewish family of Emanuel Solomon and a Protestant woman Joanna Barr-Smith were very close and supportive friends. She still connects to people around Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, Peru, Timor Leste and goodness knows where. She connects us, I believe, very much to the feast of Christmas.

Some years ago Pope Benedict XVI received a group of first Communicants at St Peter’s and chatted with them. They were free enough to ask him their questions. One lad said “If God is real, why can’t you see him?” The Pope chuckled and with his typical gentle smile said “Well you can’t see electricity either, but it is still very real”.

The Pope could have answered this young boy with other examples.

At Christmas time it would have been quite easy to say, “because God is spirit, he sent his Son among us by becoming one of us, a human being, visible like all of us”. St John put it so beautifully in the Gospel we read at the last Mass of Christmas Day – “The Word became flesh, He lived among us, we saw His glory, the glory He has from the Father, as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jn1:14

The words of St John also in his first letter in the New Testament are so simple and profound “Something which has existed since the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which you have watched and touched with your own hands, the Word of Lifethis is our theme” (1Jn1:1).

You and I believe this and have come to know and love Jesus. Christmas is a time to deepen our appreciation and love of our selfless Saviour.

However, there are others in our Country, in our communities and maybe even in our families and Catholic Schools who still wonder or doubt or do not believe in God.

St Mary MacKillop is a reminder to us of how the Saints in a very practical way make God real to others.

They in some way make God again incarnate. God in some way takes flesh in them.

It is because they are so imbued with Jesus that he shines out to others. Other people can in fact see and touch and hear Jesus in them.

When I speak of the Saints, I mean not only the canonised ones, but all the good people there are –people around us and people like yourselves who are reading this and walking the path of Christ.

St Teresa of Avila is reported to have said “Christ has no body but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours, yours are the eyes with which He looks compassion on this world, yours the feet with which He walks to do good, yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world.”

This means that the Lord’s work

to all who seek

Christ’s peace must be accepted Christmas reminds us that Jesus offers His peace to all. It is accepted by all who relate personally with Him in the ways taught. As Jesus said, these are those who ‘keep my Commandments’ [John 14:14].

The first and greatest of these is to love God with our whole hearts, souls, minds and strength [Luke10:27]. Jesus taught his followers to love God by praying daily and worshipping, particularly through the Eucharist and other sacraments he gave for his purpose.

Why is this His first Commandment? Because it is the empowering Commandment. Christ’s power grows in our lives through these means. This is the power that changes us.

The second Commandment of Jesus is to love others as we love ourselves [Luke10.28]. This means to be selfless and forgiving, just and compassionate.

To love others means obeying God’s Commandments to honour father and mother; never to kill an innocent human life, be it born or unborn; never to commit adultery or engage in other forms of sex-

ual immorality. It includes God’s Commandments never to steal, or to lie, particularly by saying what is untrue about another person; never to lust after others, or to covet what belongs to others.

Questions for self reflection

Often the Second Commandment of Jesus can seem impossible to keep. Human effort to live the Commandments of God is not enough.

If we have not grown in inner peace since last Christmas, we need to ask ourselves ‘Am I drawing on Christ’s power for my daily life?’ ‘Do I pray daily?’ ‘Do I worship God, particularly through the Eucharist?’

‘Do I seek Christ’s power to love others in the ways Jesus taught, to keep the Ten Commandments?’

May you have Christmas peace

As we approach Christmas, let us ask ourselves honestly whether we are more at peace within this year than last year. The answer to this question tells us whether our relationship with Jesus is growing.

May each of you grow in Christmas peace – and become instruments of peace in your families and among your friends.

is there to be done by us now in the present day, in the circumstances of our daily lives. It also means very truly that it is Jesus working in and through us. When people see us or are helped by us they see Christ and know through us His love and help.

But let me return to Mary MacKillop.

So much has been said about her in these past weeks. So much has been written about her over the years. All, especially the Sisters that knew her, agree and comment on one particular quality – her kindness.

So to appreciate how, in Jesus, the kindness and love of God appeared, we can go to Mary MacKillop and see further reflections of that kindness.

The Saints, like St Mary, don’t take from Jesus, but lead us to know, appreciate, love and serve him better. Saints help the gospels

come alive. It has been said that “Saints are to Gospel as the played music is to the written notes”. To put it in another way the “Saints are

a window into the Gospel.” Saints have their special place in the life of the Church and our lives. They are a little incarnation of Jesus who is the incarnation of God the Father. Be inspired by the Saints, especially our own first Australian Saint. They reflect Jesus to us.

As we in turn become more imbued with Jesus, we will in turn radiate him more to others.

Cardinal George Pell, in his inspirational homily at the Mass of Thanksgiving in St Paul’s Basilica the day after Mary MacKillop’s Canonisation, said: “Mary MacKillop is a great saint. We need many more in Australia”.

I am sure he would agree that we need to be saints to renew Australia as Mary MacKillop did in her time. Christmas is a rich time of Grace when our God reaches out again to us in so many ways.

It is a time to take more steps along the road to holiness as the Vatican Council has called each member to.

It is a time to take more steps along the path to sainthood. A very happy Christmas to you all.

Bishop Saunders of Broome - Page 8

VACANCY - CARETAKER

EAGLES NEST RETREAT CENTRE, GIDGEGANNUP

The Catholic Archdiocese of Perth has a vacancy for a part time caretaker (16 hours a week) at Eagles Nest Retreat Centre, Gidgegannup, located close to Walyunga National Park. Position will commence early 2011. Caretaker’s two bedroom cottage with utilities is available. The caretaker should be someone who enjoys living in a remote area, able to work on his/her own, possess initiative, handyman/general maintenance and good interpersonal skills and the ability to work within the Catholic ethos. Weekend work may be required. For job description or further information, contact Julie Williams on 9422 7900.

APPLICATIONS CLOSE WEDNESDAY, 5 JANUARY 2011. Apply in writing to The Manager, Catholic Pastoral Centre, 40/A Mary Street, Highgate, 6003 or email manager@highgate-perthcatholic.org.au.

Special Pilgrimage in 2011 RWANDA AND KENYA

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Enjoy a pilgrimage that will change your life forever.

Experience a spiritual renewal as we visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Kibeho, visit holy places and the ruins of the genocide. Learn about the Rwandan culture with

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Inclusions will be three days in Kigali, five days in Kibeho and two nights in Nairobi.

You will visit and experience the Genocide memorials, the National Museum, The Orphanage, Shrine of Our Lady of Kibeho, School for the Blind and the Cana Centre with Fr Leszek. Immaculée will introduce you to traditional Rwanadan dancers and much more ... There will be a chaplain (TBA) for this special pilgrimage which will be led by Jane Pike from Australia. The Leader in Rwanda will be Immaculée Ilibagiza.

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Geraldton Bishop Justin Bianchini greets West Australian pilgrims at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome after the 18 October thanksgiving Mass for the canonisation of St Mary of the Cross. PHOTO: ANTHONY BARICH

How to make a visit to St Catherine of Siena

A 14th century mystic, doctor of the Church, child of a large family and holy woman drew The Record ’s Bridget Spinks to her birthplace in Siena in September this year. This feature is the last in the trilogy of travel features sponsored by Harvest Pilgrimages.

St Catherine of Siena was born in 1347, the 24th of 25 children. She died at 33, having written 381 letters, 26 prayers and The Dialogue: a mystical conversation with God, which she dictated to scribes while she was in ecstasy.

Now, more than 630 years later, this Doctor of the Church inspires people the world over to visit her birthplace.

When St Catherine of Siena was born, the Papal throne had been moved from Rome to Avignon.

It was a troubling time because the successive pontificates of several Frenchmen in Avignon from 1309-78 were under the influence of the French Crown.

It was thanks to St Catherine’s encouragement that finally Pope Urban VI returned to his seat in Rome in 1378.

St Catherine was born in Siena, in the mid-north region of Tuscany, which is today only about three hours north by train from Rome. Although it is not a big town, it is sometimes steep to walk round (especially noticeable if you bring a heavy suitcase).

Fr Alfredo Scarciglia, a Dominican priest who has lived in Siena for 19 years, said St Catherine is the woman of his life.

He’s one of six Dominican friars living in the priory next to the Sienese Basilica of St Dominic that has since been dedicated to St Catherine.

He said he loves studying her and is always happy to speak about her thanks to her letters, prayers and the Dialogue; she “always has the right word for the situation”.

“We can find her presence and her heart and her spirit in all of

this,” he said. Ironically, although prolific in her political letter writing, she learnt to write only when she was about 30, in the year she wrote The Dialogue

Fr Scarciglia, who has written five books of poetry and several books about St Catherine including Catherine of Siena dialogues with God, the Merciful Father said St Catherine was an extraordinary woman because from a young age she had a continual rapport with God.

“She’s not like St Francis who, at a certain point, had a conversion; she always had that connection with God,” he said.

“At six, she had a vision above this Basilica: she saw Jesus dressed as the Pope. Jesus saw her, smiled and blessed her. She was a mystic from that point on, from six.”

At the age of 7 she made a vow of virginity and at 16, Catherine joined the tertiary order of Dominicans called the “Mantellate” and at 18, when she received the habit, she began to live in solitude and silence in her room.

She would only leave it to attend Mass at the Basilica of St Dominic, which was just up the road.

In her early 20s, after Catherine was “mystically married” to Christ she began to rejoin her family and serve the poor and the sick with her sisters in the Mantellate.

A few years before her death in 1377 she received the Stigmata when she was in Pisa.

At her request, it was invisible to the rest of the world.

Famously, St Catherine travelled to Avignon to visit the Pope on behalf of the city-state of Florence.

On her return, she stopped at a castle in Belcaro to set up a strict monastery.

Holy Travel Tips

The House and Sanctuary of St Catherine (right) is halfway up a hill and is very important for the pilgrim visitor because although it has been converted into chapels and oratories, these are filled with reminders of the saint’s presence since, in 1466, the Council of Siena bought the house in which she was born.

In the Upper Oratory, several great paintings depicting scenes from the life of the mystic line the walls, and you can also see what was once her family’s kitchen. Across from the Upper Oratory (and a big statue of St Catherine), you’ll see a very ornate chapel. This is called the Church of the Crucifix because when Catherine was in Pisa, it was at prayer before this Crucifix she received the Stigmata. The Crucifix has since been moved here to be preserved and venerated.

The Lower Oratory is where Catherine’s father had a workshop. Make sure you go downstairs to see Catherine’s bedroom (a bare cell), as it was here that she spent most of her time, especially from the ages of 18-20 until her mystical espousal. Look out for a beautifully embroi-

Perhaps most marvellously in 1377-78, when Catherine was on a peace-making mission in Rocca D’Orcia, she went into ecstasy and dictated to scribes the words God spoke to her in response to four petitions.

We know this because in addition to her own written work, there are two main accounts of the saint written by others.

Her third confessor, Raymond of Capua, wrote the first ‘major’ biography about the saint.

An early disciple of the saint, Tommaso d’Antonio Nacci da Siena (commonly known as Caffarini) wrote A second ‘minor’ account of the saint’s life.

Together these works help to pull together the picture of the most marvellous event in St Catherine’s life - her dialogue with God.

To capture something of St Catherine while in Siena, reading a few passages from The Dialogue is highly recommended.

A recent translation (1980) of The Dialogue by Dominican Sr Suzanne Noffke has made the text

dered bag, which contained medicines, or herbs that St Catherine would take with her when visiting the sick. You could also see the bag, which carried her head back to Siena and also the top of a walking stick, which belonged to her. There is also a beautiful white statue of Saint Catherine kneeling and praying with arms outstretched within the cell. If you get the chance, ask to visit the Cellar, which is beneath the lower Oratory. Still in its original state, it was the scene of many miracles.

The Basilica of St Dominic (San Domenico) is a must. Catherine’s family only lived around the corner from this Basilica, as it was above this Basilica that St Catherine, as a child, had a vision of Jesus. Her head (above right) and one of her fingers is on display here.

accessible for a modern audience. In the introduction to her translation of The Dialogue she explains that we don’t posses the totally “original” manuscript of The Dialogue and that access to The Dialogue came through a comparison of the manuscripts from the hands of Catherine’s immediate disciples.

Despite the complex process of translation, according to Sr Noffke OP the Dialogue is theologically sound - “theologically there is nothing new or original”.

“Catherine is completely immersed in the main current of Catholic teaching, and she is impeccably orthodox even in subtle distinctions where one might expect her, untrained as she was in formal theology, to have slipped up at least occasionally,” she said.

Fr Scarciglia said that St Catherine is a Doctor of the Church because her writings are always current and she is a teacher for us of prayer because everything can be prayer.

“You can be out serving people, but in your heart, always be in

How did they move her head to Siena?

This most important relic was brought from Rome to Siena by Blessed Raymond of Capua in 1383 and originally it was placed in a copper container and later transferred to a silver one (now empty but still on display in the Basilica).

In 1711 it was removed to an urn in the form of a lamp made by the sculptor Giovanni Piamontini. It

remained there until 1947, when the Dominican Fathers decided to place it in its actual silver urn in a niche resembling a small gothic temple. After nearly two centuries of construction, the Basilica was finally dedicated entirely to St Catherine and a statue of her was placed even at the top of the bell tower.

SOURCE: www.basilicacateriniana.com/storia_en.htm

communion with God,” he said. St Catherine’s body and her head have been split up since her death. Her head and one of her fingers are on display in Siena, in the Dominican Basilica of St Catherine (Basilica di San Domenico), while her decapitated body is in Rome: in the Dominican church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. In 1940 St Catherine was made Patron of Italy along with St Francis and in 1970, Pope Paul VI gave her the title Doctor of the Church, along with St Teresa of Avila.

The Dialogue, with introduction and translation by Sr Suzanne Noffke OP (1980) and published by Paulist Press is available for sale at The Record Bookshop for $40.95.

For all your pilgrimage needs contact Harvest Pilgrimages on Australia Wide Free Call: 1800 819 156

Parish priest of the Basilica of St Dominic and Superior of the Dominican household in Siena, Fr Alfredo Scarciglia OP, at his desk and in discussion about St Catherine of whom, he says, he is always happy to speak about. PHOTO: BRIDGET SPINKS

St Catherine’s head enshrined in the Basilica of St Dominic in Siena.

Where to sleep?

For accommodation around the corner from where St Catherine’s family lived, stay at the Alma Domus. There are no frills and no curfew but you will be able to hear the bells of the Basilica peal out before Mass plus you will be less than 5 minutes walk from both the Basilica and the Sanctuary of St Catherine next door. For more information, check out: http://www. hotelalmadomus.it

Where are the original manuscripts?

Siena: Home of the Palio

After her canonisation in 1461, the most precious manuscripts and the relics of St Catherine were transferred to the Basilica of St Dominic. These twelve codices in 1700 were placed behind a painting above the altar in the Sacristy and formed the so-called “virginal library”. Today they are in the public library.

SOURCE: WWW.BASILICACATERINIANA.COM/STORIA_EN.HTM

This medieval horse race called Il Palio continues to take place today. It coincides with two religious feast days: 2 July, when there is a local festival in honour of Our Lady of Provenzano; and 16 August, in honour of the feast day of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. The tradition began in the Middle Ages when Siena was once divided into 59 districts, which would give troops to defend Siena from Florence and other neighbouring city-states. Over the years, these districts have been consolidated down to 17, but for safety reasons, only ten districts may participate in the Palio. Ten riders from ten of the 17 city districts ride two laps bareback around the Piazza del Campo and anticipation builds before the race as a two-hour pageant called the Corte Storico takes place. Go and see where this takes place on the Piazza del Campo (above) and if you go around the time it is on, you will see flags lining the streets in the competing region’s colours.

21st Annual Flame Congress 7.30pm January 21, 22. 23, 2011

John XXIII College Theatre Hall, John 23rd Avenue, Mt. Claremont. WA

Includes daytime sessions Sat & Sun

All evening sessions - FREE!

Presented by Flame Ministries International

SPEAKERS

Mgr Brian O'Loughlin VG,PA

Kaye Rollings FMI

Cyrus D’Souza FMI

Carlos Moreira FMI

Livia Cianfagna FMI

Cheryle Douglas FMI

to eat?

For a tasty fresh Raviolotti stuffed with peccorino cheese and pine nuts, sauteed with shallot and zucchini flowers for only 8 euro, you must go to Osteria Il Campaccio, nestled on Vicolo del Campaccio street (picutred left) on the route between St Catherine’s Sanctuary and the Basilica of St Dominic.

SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER: Aneel Aranha; Founder, Holy Spirit Interactive, Dubai, UAE. And

One thing to do is pray the five Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary while walking around Siena. Start at the Sanctuary of St Catherine and head towards the Cathedral (Duomo) by taking Via Camporegio. On the way you might see this view of the Basilica of St Dominic (below left) as well as an image hung on the brickwork recalling the moment of St Catherine’s vision when she was a child (above left). As you arrive at the Cathedral (above right), look up to see the Coronation of Our Lady painted into the central spire on the front facade. A museum is now opposite this facade of the Cathedral but this used to be a hospital in St Catherine’s day and it was here that she would visit the sick as she lived during the time of plague.

PHOTOS: BRIDGET SPINKS

Across the Archdiocese of Perth the young people are preparing to go to WYD. This week, The Record throws the spotlight on Whitford and Greenwood parishes and Catholic Youth Ministry.

Nicole Chamberlain (above right ), 21, along with Peter Westneat and Caitlyn Rice, is coordinating Whitford’s youth group. They’re taking up to 30 young people to Madrid, Spain

Nicole: “Our Whitfords team meets on the last Sunday of the month, which includes the 25 to 30 pilgrims and the many delegates who can no longer come but still enjoy participating in meetings, fundraising and social events. Everyone involved is between 18-30.

Before our monthly pilgrim meeting, our group attends Sunday Mass together. The majority of the group also make the effort to attend Sunday Mass together, weekly at 5:45pm.

At each pilgrim meeting we share dinner, our social sub-committee leads us in a game or activity, our Formation sub-committee leads us in some catechism or a different form of prayer and then we break into our various sub-committees to reflect on the previous month and

prepare for the up-coming one. The sub-committee groups are: social, formation, fundraising, hospitality and advertising. The WYD leaders then give updates about our package and progress as well as give notices and Fr Joseph Tran leads us in a prayer. Our WYD group has a beautiful community feel about it and many of our activities and events are spontaneous including: dinners, lunches, beach excursions and many trips to our favourite chocolateria, San Churro.

Our fundraising activities are also a large part of our social and financial preparation and have included hosting a WYD One Year to Go Ball at Hillary’s Yacht club, cake stalls, sausage sizzles, car washes, local community fete stalls and a number for raffles.

We have raised almost $17000, although some of this has been contributed towards other fundraising endeavours, including contributions to the Parish’s overseas mission fundraising team.

We hope to raise $30 000 to help subsidise all of our delegates tickets by approximately $1000 each. I am most looking forward to shar-

ing this incredible faith journey with my wonderful friends from Whitfords and with millions of Catholic youth from all over the world, coming together to give witness to the great love of our Father and deepen our faith.”

Emma Passmore (above), 23, is the Greenwood Parish Youth Minister for All Saints’ Parish which is taking 17 young people (mostly 18-25 years of age) to World Youth Day.

Emma: “The group meets every Sunday night for an hour. These meetings are focused on a spiritual discussion that looks at our personal faith development and breaking open Church teaching on topics that most relate to young people. We also discuss how best to handle the pilgrimage and missionary aspects of our trip. Some of us have committed to daily prayer and daily Mass. We have had lots of fundraisers this year and will continue to have more in 2011. This prepares us for working together so that when we are in Spain we will know each other better We’ve fundraised $12,000 but still have more to go.

I’m personally looking forward to WYD because WYD in Sydney

was an amazing experience, which changed my life and brought me closer to God. So I am looking forward to seeing the same thing happen in those people who are joining us for their first WYD and have not had the same experience of God.

Some of us are going to Vietnam for a week prior to WYD in Madrid. This part of the journey will be the missionary aspect of our trip. Following Vietnam we will travel to Madrid, where the rest of the group will meet us for the pilgrimage aspect of our trip which will take in all of the World Youth Day festivities.”

Tom Gourlay (above), works for Catholic Youth Ministry (CYM), which is coordinating the official Perth Archdiocesan World Youth Day 2011 Pilgrimage.

Tom: “We’ll be taking people from all over the Archdiocese who are unable to go with their parishes. It’s likely that we’ll have a few pilgrims from other Western Australian dioceses as well, which will be great. We’re hoping to take up to 150 pilgrims, but it would be great to have more. As well as our weekly Wednesday Mass at 530pm and Holy Hour of Adoration, CYM

has been hosting regular Pilgrim meetings at the Catholic Pastoral Centre in Highgate. These will pick up over next year, being held on the fourth Monday of every month. As well, the CYM office has been working with the Emmanuel Community here in Perth to run an Advent programme tailored to prepare potential WYD Pilgrims

There are many stories that are told about the great things that can and do happen at WYD. For many, WYD is the first time that they come to an awareness of the universality of the Catholic Church. Also, the centrality of the sacraments (particularly Penance and the Eucharist) makes the event and a lot of young people really experience them in a meaningful way.

For many young Aussies, the WYD experience in Madrid will be the first time they’ve been to Europe. Our Pilgrimage itinerary includes visits to Fatima, Rome and Assisi, which will no doubt have a profound effect on our Pilgrims; seeing a culture deeply formed in the Christian Tradition. Also, being close to the successor of Peter is also pretty exciting for us who live so far from Rome.”

Any tips to prepare? “Firstly, get in contact with us and make an effort to participate in the spiritual formation that we offer and really start praying for God to use this pilgrimage as a vehicle to impart His grace upon you. Secondly, start learning Spanish. I get the feeling that us English speakers may have some trouble when we get there if we can’t understand the basics. Lastly, continue saving your money.”

Catholic Youth Ministry Calendar 2011 Perth

JANUARY

4 RLO: Embrace the Grace Catch Up - Toy Story 3

7 Vinnies Youth: Kids Camp [7th-11th]

9 Disciples of Jesus: Summer School of Evangelisation [9th-16th]

10 West Australian Young Salesians: Summer Camp [10th-14th]

16 SJW BBQ in Kings Park

16 RLO Embrace the Grace 2010 Reunion

21 Vinnies Youth: Teen Camp [21st -24th]

20 Youth Impact: Impacters Summer Festival [20th - 22nd]

21 Flame Ministries: Free evening rallies with Praise & Worship and guest speaker [21st-23rd]

24 CYM WYD meeting

28 CYM Leader’s Retreat [28th-30th]

FEBRUARY

3 CYM: Youth Leaders Commissioning Mass (TBC)

6 SJW: Pilgrim Meeting: physical training, Mass, Taize with Srs of St Joseph

9 CYM Weekly Wednesday Mass & Holy Hour commences

11 Disciples of Jesus: Fire Weekend (17 and up) [11th-13th]

21 CYM WYD Meeting

MARCH

4 SBG: First Friday Holy Hour for Vocations

5 SBG: Red, White & Blue Rosary Walk for Chastity

5 Launch of Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion Appeal [5-6th]

6 SJW: Pilgrim Meeting: physical training, Mass, guest talk on WYD theme

11 CYM: Leaders BBQ

18 Vinnies Youth: High School Formation Weekend [18th-20th]

20 CYM: Sunday Sesh

21 CYM WYD Meeting

29 Caritas Australia: “Be More” Congo Film Night

APRIL

1 SBG: First Friday Holy Hour for Vocations

2 SBG: Red, White & Blue Rosary Walk for Chastity

2 CYM: Sand Sculpture Competition

3 SJW: Pilgrim Meeting: physical training, Mass, Lectio Divina

11 CYM WYD Meeting

17 CYM: World Youth Day Palm Sunday Event

27 Vinnies Youth: Kids Camp [27th-30th]

29 Disciples of Jesus: I Stand Anchored (14 – 18yo) [29th Apr – 1st May]

MAY 6 CYM General Reatreat [6th-8th]

6 SBG: First Friday Holy Hour for Vocations

7 SBG: Red, White & Blue Rosary Walk for Chastity

13 Vinnies Youth: Young Adult Formation Weekend [13th-15th]

15 CYM: Sunday Sesh

15 SJW: Pilgrim Meeting: physical training, Mass, guest speaker

23 CYM WYD Meeting

28 CYM Ball

JUNE 3 SBG: First Friday Holy Hour for Vocations

4 SBG: Red, White & Blue Rosary Walk for Chastity

10 CYM: Leaders BBQ

11 Vinnies Youth: Kids Camp [11th-14th]

21 Vinnies Youth: Teen Camp [21st-24th]

27 CYM WYD Meeting

JULY

1 SBG: First Friday Holy Hour for Vocations

2 SBG: Red, White & Blue Rosary Walk for Chastity

5 SJW: Final Pilgrim Briefing Meeting: physical training, Mass

17 CYM: Sunday Sesh

25 CYM WYD Meeting

20 Disciples of Jesus: Encounter Youth Convention (17

21

AUGUST

5

5

7

7

DECEMBER

Extra Tips

*For more information or to confirm any of these events closer to the date, contact the organisations below.

*Sign up to the CYM mailing list by visiting www.cym.com. au to receive regular newsletters and keep you to date with events and leadership training.

*Don’t forget to contact your local parish for details on the youth events in your parish.

THE ARCHDIOCESE OF PERTH’S YOUTH CONTACTS

Perth CYM (Catholic Youth Ministry): www.cym.com.au | 08 9422 7912

Disciples of Jesus (including 24-7 and Youth Mission Team): mike.24-7@disciplesofjesus.org

Flame Ministries: www.flameministries.org

RLO (Respect Life Office): respectlife@perthcatholic.org.au

SBG (St Bernadette’s Glendalough): st.bernadettesyouth@gmail.com

SJW (St Joseph’s Workers): tjkolay@gmail.com

TLW (True Love Waits): www.truelovewaitswa.com

Youth Impact: www.youthimpact.com.au

Vinnies Youth: www.vinnies.org.au

Ready for the new year: More than 110 young people from Perth and surrounds at this year’s Embrace the Grace conference organised by the Archdiocese of Perth’s Respect Life Office. More Embrace the Grace photos on Pages: 10-11.

PHOTO: MATT LIM

Renewal of C

“There is no true freedom where life is not welcomed and loved; and there i

Above, Symon Smyth-Kirk and MJ Bell splash it out during time out from talks at this year’s Embrace the Grace conference, an annual event renowned in Perth for its faith formation and fellowship, held 8-12 December in New Norcia. PHOTOS: MATT LIM , TAMMY NGUYEN

Feature photos from the Embrace the Grace conference held at New Norcia 8-12 December and organised by the Archdiocese of Perth’s Respect Life Office

Culture of Life

is no fullness of life except in freedom.” - Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae

Above, Silvana Scarfe, Claire Bastian and the St Joseph’s team enjoy the mini-Olympics on Saturday. While one of the main elements of the conference is the great speakers who this year talked about life and happiness, truth, theology of the body, freedom, fertility and IVF, there is always time for the carefree activities such as the mini-Olympics challenge in groups followed by the

dance.

PERSPECTIVES

Doormat Jesus a moment of grace

I say I say

By Mark Reidy

In a recent moment of quiet an image came to me of Jesus as a doormat. My initial reaction was one of shock, after all I don’t think it is a portrayal that would stand up too well under theological scrutiny, but ultimately I came to see it as a moment of grace.

The picture was possibly triggered by the Christmas-time reminder of Jesus’ lowly entry into our world – born amongst the dirt and filth of an animal enclosure – but I suspect that the seed had been planted the previous evening during a conversation with a troubled young woman.

I have known “Heather” since she was a self-loathing 14 year old, who aimlessly wandered the city streets, avoiding authorities and laying her head down in whatever dark corner she hoped would be safe.

Removed from home at the age of three, because her mother chose to remain with partners who abused her children, Heather found herself lost in a series of

foster placements. By the time she was eight, workers, who had been entrusted to keep her safe, had also abused her and she had emotionally withdrawn from the world.

She is now 19, living in a youth hostel and enrolled in a university course next year.

She is grateful that life has final-

ly given her a break and is looking forward to a new beginning, however her enthusiasm has been tempered by perceptions of how others will receive her.

“Look at my arms”, she said, as she rolled up her sleeves, revealing a multitude of self-inflicted scars. Criss-crossing from wrist to

elbow were permanent reminders, not only of her darkest hours, but also of the chains that bind her to her former life. “What will people think of me?” she pondered sadly. Heather understood that it would be difficult for people not to make judgements and assumptions about such obvious disfigurement,

so she had investigated the possibility of spending most of her government compensation money on laser treatment, to free her from these shackles to her past.

Although Heather is well aware that money is never going to alter the pain that she carries, she hopes, at least, that she can hide it from others.

That is why, I believe, I pictured Jesus as a doormat - He is the only one who can take away the dirtiness that Heather, or any of us, feels inside. He was born into squalor, spent His life giving hope to the downtrodden and then chose to sacrifice it so that we can wipe away all the grime and mess that stain us. It is He who invites us to lay our sins upon His broken and abused body so that we can enter, unblemished, into the House of His Father.

I envisioned Him prostrate on the ground; trampled, bloodied, battered and filthy, with arms out wide as He took upon Himself all the dirt and ugliness that Heather had accumulated over her short but traumatic life.

So that she, if she chose to, could fulfil the words of St Paulwords that should be born again within each of us at Christmas“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17).

St Joseph provides twist to Xmas story

Bee in my bonnet

A reflection on the struggles of those forgotten in society and Church

By Barbara Harris

Reflecting on Advent and Christmas there is usually a strong emphasis on Mary’s “Yes” to being the mother of God. And rightly so.

However, Emmanuel Centre’s 29th Christmas Party at St Francis Xavier’s church in Windsor St on 6 December offered over 120 participants an opportunity to focus on Joseph’s role with a reflection on “how could it be that any man could be asked to mentor the Son of God as a father”.

Participants were then called on by Archbishop Barry Hickey to

Clergy Appointments

FATHER Albert Saminedi

SDB of St Peter’s, Bedford has been appointed Parish Priest of Our Lady of Mercy, Girrawheen, to take effect from mid-February 2011. Fr Tony Vallis will then retire from the parish for health reasons.

Fr Dat Vuong, till now Chaplain to Aquinas College, will succeed Fr Saminedi as Parish Priest of St Peter’s, Bedford from the same date in February.

Archbishop Barry Hickey said that, although Aquinas has not formally asked for a Chaplain for 2011, “I am sure they would

spread joy, peace, love and hope in a world where violence, selfishness and materialism prevail.

Participants were inspired by the image of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples.

Each participant was given a gift of a bowl and small towel with a card inscribed with the words “Jesus will show you how” with the basin and the towel.

The music for the Christmas carols was supplied by musicians and singers who regularly serve the St Denis Joondanna parish. This was followed by an Annual Report presented via a PowerPoint presentation. If one picture speaks a 1000 words, then this PowerPoint was an absolutely fabulous way to present the very complex services of Emmanuel Centre.

Started last year, the aquaponics system set up behind the centre’s main building has been producing an overflow of vegetables and the fish component of the system will soon reach plate size.

Recycling paper and magazines

like to know if any priest is interested in the position”, and asked priests to inform him or Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton know if anyone aspires to the Chaplaincy of Aquinas College, a full-time position.

Fr Greg Donovan is leaving shortly for a sabbatical and will return to take up the position of Parish Priest of Our Lady of Mt Carmel, Hilton on 20 May 2011. A priest-in-charge will take care of the parish till then.

Fr Kenneth Asaba of Southern Cross has been appointed Parish Priest of Our Lady of Lourdes, Lesmurdie from 10 January 2011. His successor at Southern Cross will be announced in the near future.

is another beneficial activity of the Centre. Recycling means that less material goes into landfill and at the same time much needed cash can be directed toward Emmanuel’s many services.

A decision has not yet been finalised in respect to South Perth’s Parish Priest appointment. Fr Richard Rutkauskas is shortly to return to Perth to join the St John of God Murdoch Hospital Chaplaincy. His successor at Goomalling/Wongan Hills will be announced soon.

Fr Lewy Keelty OMI and Fr Slawek Plonka OMI will leave Lesmurdie Parish on 9 January 2011. This will mark the end of a long period of Oblate ministry in the Lesmurdie parish and surrounding centres.

Oblate priests will continue to administer Mazenod College and Archbishop Hickey said that “we are pleased to welcome back former St Charles

The Girl Guides have been working their magic at Emmanuel Centre for over 20 years and they have been involved in many projects over that time.

One of the innovations this year was to do some drama. The story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears will never be the same after seeing the costumed characters of the play.

Scrapbooking allows the volunteers of Emmanuel Centre to document their activities and learning experiences at the centre and gives participants an opportunity to demonstrate creative skills as photos of events are put into albums that not only preserve the photos but also but makes for an attractive way to show the talents and skills of the album makers.

Melbourne Cup Day is an opportunity for the ladies (and men) among us to devise and wear various head wear to bring out individual characteristics. The free sweep sees a small prize given to those who picked first, second and third places as well as the one who picked

Seminary Rector Fr Don Hughes OMI, who will be helping out at the College”. The Archbishop thanked the Oblate Fathers for their “incalculable contribution to Lesmurdie Parish. They leave with the highest reputation and the unstinting regard of the people”. The following transfers have been made by the Vincentian Provincial, Fr George Arackal VC: Fr Rojan George VC currently Parish Priest of Shenton Park, will transfer to Maddington as Parish Priest from 14 February 2011.

Fr Sabu (Sebastian)

Kalapurackal VC, currently Assistant at Maddington, will transfer to Shenton Park as Parish Priest from 14 February 2011.

the horse who came last in the race.

It is a day of fun all around.

The ministry takes in many different areas.

Prison and Hospital visitation are all part of the service.

Raising awareness of disability is a many-pronged effort. Visits to schools and parishes with workshops run by people with disabilities are a shock for some people.

Some of the seminarians from Saint Charles Seminary spend three hours a week at Emmanuel Centre for nearly three months.

Tables laden with food, brought by participants was enjoyed by all.

During the afternoon there was a concert presented by those who participated in the DRUMBEAT Course (Developing Relationships Using Music, Behaviours, Emotions, Attitudes and Thoughts).

Djembe Drums from Africa are used to show, for example, how an individual’s rhythm, while different, can still fit in with the rhythm of the group. Emmanuel values all contributions.

Fr Varghese Mathew Parackal VC, currently Parish Priest of Maddington, will take up fulltime evangelisation and retreat work.

Fr Paul Maunder OCD has been granted one year’s exclaustration by the General Definitory of the Carmelite Order. Fr Sunny Peackal OCD has now been appointed Parish Priest of Infant Jesus Parish, Morley.

Fr Joseph Rathnaraj, Parish Priest in Kalgoorlie, celebrated his 40th Anniversary of Ordination to Priesthood on 18 December.

Fr John Begley SJ, the founding Dean of St Thomas More College, Crawley, recently died, aged in his 90s. “May he rest in peace,” Archbishop Hickey said.

Phil Jack tries out the drumbeat at the Emmanuel Centre’s Christmas celebrations.

PHOTO: BARBARA HARRIS

Women throughout ages fought culture of death with feminine genius

Life, the Universe and Everything

Anna Krohn

Gifts of feminine genius: Protecting nascent faith and nascent life

In the 8 December issue of The Record (“Mary Glowrey and Pope Benedict fought same battle for culture of life”) we began to highlight some of the interesting and timely themes emerging in Pope Benedict’s Advent preaching for the new Church year.

In particular, we noted the way in which this Pope, with his own distinctive insights and style, is building upon the work of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

Just as Pope John Paul II gave impetus to the emerging leadership of women within the evangelisation of the “culture of life”, so Pope Benedict is presently unfolding the rich and relatively undiscovered theology, witness and concrete sanctity of the saintly women of the Church.

Pope Benedict’s reflections upon the great feminine “geniuses” of the Medieval Church are the focus of his present Wednesday audience series (they can be found on the Vatican Web page: www.vatican.va - look for audiences from September 2010).

These short but moving tributes to women as Catholic queens, abbesses, doctors and less well known mystics seem intended not merely as interesting historical vignettes but as a reminder and prompt to Christian women today of the power of their witness, dignity and “charismatic gifts” for the Church and the world.

Not only do these women provide a genius to the theological treasury of the Church but they also show what Pope Benedict calls “spiritual authority.”

This “authentic” authority is marked by its service to protect human life and dignity, its love of

the Church and its obedience to the truth.

The Pope evokes, for example, the “moral authority” of St Catherine of Siena calling the Pope out of exile, the “gifts of governance” in the Abbess Marguerite of d’Oingt and the collaborative leadership of St Bridget of Sweden.

In all these women, he finds gifts which lead others (including us today) to experience, in a more immediate and passionate way, the love of God in Christ.

The Pope begins his series on the feminine geniuses, with his own countrywoman: Saint Hildegard of Bingen, whom he calls “this great woman, this prophetess … Hildegard develops at the very heart of her work the theme of the mysterious marriage between God and humanity that is brought about in the Incarnation.”

For Hildegard and the other saintly geniuses this spousal love is never abstract, detached or selfabsorbed. Theirs is the love which provides not the icy rectitude which is “cold as charity” but the fire and the imaginative colour of authentic Christ-empowered cari-

tas. (Resonant themes indeed in his own encyclical: Deus Caritas Est) Benedict highlights St Hildegard’s intense engagement with music, philosophy and medicine, well in advance of any of her time which served the deepening of prayer and health in those around her.

And it is this genius, especially in the patient and suffering compassion of the dying, the pregnant, the unborn and the disabled which can be found again and again in the subsequent lives of holy women.

In The Record, we witnessed the breaking news of the early exploration of the life of the Australian religious sister and Doctor Mary Glowrey and we noted the echoes in her amazing life and Pope Benedict’s call for “nascent human life” this Advent.

Once again this fascinating missionary doctor strikes expectant chords with this series on feminine “genius.”

The investigations thus far reveal not only extraordinary human intelligence, but a spiritual “brilliance” in Mary Glowrey which reminds us of the Pope’s interest in St Hildegard.

We know that Mary Glowrey was inspired as was Hildegard to her medicine by the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament.

It was Mary who chose for her growing women’s organisation (the Catholic Women’s Social Guild- later the Catholic Women’s League) these words from the Book of Proverbs: it is a call for a strong and valiant leadership in women: “She hath opened her hand to the needy, and stretched out her hand to the poor…” (Proverbs 31:10-31).

Hildegard was a woman of profound practical and mystical wisdom yet she sought out and corresponded with the great St Bernard of Clairvaux and hunted down the guidance of her Archbishop and the Pope.

Mary Glowrey collaborated with her spiritual advisors (the remarkable Fr Lockington SJ) and with her Australian and Indian Bishops.

Yet neither of these women feared the ruthless and unjust power of men.

Hildegard, says Pope Benedict, fiercely opposed the “ungodly” tactics and thinking of the superpower of her time: Emporer Frederic

Barbarossa. Mary wrote from her poor dispensary against the medical eugenicists at the Congress of Vienna arguing for the dignity of each human person.

Hildegard, with vigorous intellectual acumen, used her interest in the natural sciences to combine or reject the herbal medicine and techniques of her era. Mary Glowrey, like Hildegard, thought on her feet and moulded her care from her prayer life.

She, with pioneering insight, balanced cholera epidemics, the extremely unhygienic folk obstetrics, caste bigotry, vast social inequalities and the helpful insights of traditional Indian medicine with her advanced observations about the role of hormones upon pregnancy, ante-natal maternal health, fertility and lactation.

Well before the United Nations turned its attention to “preventable maternal and infant mortality”, Mary was urging the training of local mid-wives, nurses and “medical women who are pitifully few”.

“Many a patient has lost 10, 12 or more babies” before they reached Dr Mary’s extraordinary hospital.

We need to explore further what really makes up the “genius” of such holy women as Mary, Mother Teresa and Hildegard (among the countless others) and the Pope’s call for this Advent to recall as a society, nation and world - the spiritual virtues of “expectation” along with the authentic support of pregnant women and their unborn children.

In this we realise that saints are recognised because they are needed for their time.

With an uneven type-font from a battered typewriter, Mary captures in one of her obstetric papers the confident but humble difference the culture of life makes to the suffering of so many woman and families down into our own times: “Save my baby! Save my baby!, was the oftrepeated cry of women. In the early day’s of (St Joseph’s) hospital … but recently a patient was overheard saying to a new-comer: “If you come to this hospital, your babies will surely live.”

Krohn is

A saintly and holy Christmas

BY BISHOP C HRISTOPHER SAUNDERS Bishop of Broome

We have become very familiar in recent times with discussions and thoughts about saints and canonisation and holiness.

For this we give thanks to our own St Mary of the Cross. A spectacular celebration in Rome, along with countless Masses, remembrances and prayer services, offered up in gratitude all over our nation, marked the occasion of her elevation as Australia’s first Saint. She has encouraged us to strive for holiness, in the sure and certain hope that even in the Australian context it is attainable, should we have ever doubted it! She is home-grown and easy to relate to, one of us, down-to-earth and completely devoid of any pomposity.

Much of what defined Mary MacKillop is found in the life of other Saints too, such as Mary, the Mother of Jesus and her husband, Joseph. Their lives were as simple as could be: they found shelter where they could for them and for us, a stable at the back of an inn was the birthplace of the Saviour, no slick resort or swank apartment. They lived unpretentiously; the boy child was wrapped in swaddling clothes and lay in a manger. They were all embracing; they played host to heavenly angels, impoverished shepherds and strange wise men from the East. They accepted the great disappointments in life and cherished the finer things in their hearts.

Mary of North Sydney and Mary of Nazareth have much in common. It is evident that Mary MacKillop learnt from the life of Mary of the Magnificat, as

she did from the quiet achiever Joseph, after whom she named her Congregation of Sisters. It is no wonder that there is a distinctive resonance in the remarkable holiness that distinguishes the life of our Mary, most recently proclaimed a Saint for the universal Church. Holiness for her meant conforming her will to the will of God and serving Him generously and faithfully.

Mary, the Mother of the boy child, Jesus, and her husband Joseph, through their example instill in us an appreciation of the wonder and generosity of God. At Christmas time let us focus even more strongly on this couple joined to the world through the birth of their Son Jesus, Our Lord and Saviour. This is the season to celebrate the family, when it is good to reach out and acknowledge this basic building block of society that is regularly treated

Committee member for the Cause of Sr Dr Mary Glowrey

so carelessly by some elements in our country. It is a special time for remembering that it is the simple things of life that truly matter and to concede that the desire to tirelessly consume and amass material goods is socially destructive and spiritually damaging, for ourselves and our nation. Conversely, to live the way of a family bound by love and holiness is an invitation which promises a richness that is fulfilling and life giving.

As we turn our minds to the festive moments of Christmas let our celebrations of this beautiful occasion turn also to our deep desire to seek holiness. May the lives of Mary and Joseph inspire us in this quest as they did St Mary of the Cross. May I take this opportunity to wish you and your family God’s choicest blessings now and throughout the coming year.

Anna

bioethics convenor of the Catholic Women’s League and

Dr Mary Glowrey (far left) undertaking the obstetrics component of her residency programme in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1911. PHOTO PART OF THE GLOWREY PAPERS; PRINTED COURTESY OF THE CATHOLIC WOMEN’S LEAGUE OF VICTORIA AND WAGGA WAGGA

Bishop Christopher Saunders of Broome.

Lack of religious freedom threatens global security: Benedict XVI

BY CAROL GLATZ Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY - Infringements on the freedom of religion threaten peace and security worldwide as well as stifle authentic human growth and development, Pope Benedict XVI said.

“Religious freedom is an authentic weapon of peace,” which fosters the human qualities and potentials that “can change the world and make it better,” the Pope said in his message for World Peace Day, 1 January, 2011.

Pope Benedict’s message, delivered to world leaders by Vatican ambassadors, was released at the Vatican on 16 December.

The message, titled Religious Freedom, the Path to Peace, made special mention of the “theatre of violence and strife” in Iraq and the deadly attack on a Syrian Catholic church in Baghdad on 31 October.

The Pope said it is in the context of widespread violence, persecution, intolerance and discrimination against people of faith that he decided to dedicate the peace day message to the fundamental importance of religious freedom as the basis for the well-being and growth of individuals and whole societies.

“At present, Christians are the religious group which suffers most from persecution on account of its faith,” citing specifically the Christian communities in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and “especially in the Holy Land,” said the Pope.

During a presentation of the message to the press, Mgr Anthony Frontiero, an official at the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said that of all the people “who are discriminated against, hurt, killed or persecuted for religious reasons, 75 percent worldwide are Christian.”

The statistic came from a spokesperson from The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life during a conference hosted by the European Parliament in November.

“A conservative estimate of the number of Christians killed for their faith each year is somewhere around 150,000,” Mgr Frontiero said quoting an article published on 4 December by the online news site of the Toronto Star daily newspaper.

“Virtually every human rights group and Western government agency that monitors the plight of Christians worldwide arrives at more or less the same conclusion: Between 200 million and 230 million of them face daily threats of murder, beating, imprisonment and torture, and a further 350 to 400 million encounter discrimination in areas such as jobs and housing,” the monsignor quoted from the news article.

In his message, the Pope said the fact that Christians must live in fear because of their faith “is unacceptable, since it represents an insult to God and to human dignity.”

“Furthermore, it is a threat to security and peace, and an obstacle to the achievement of authentic and integral human development,” he said.

The Pope also warned against “more sophisticated forms of hostility to religion” which, in Western countries, is often expressed by a denial of its Christian roots and the rejection of religious symbols, “which reflect the identity and the culture of the majority of citizens.”

Such hostility is “inconsistent

with a serene and balanced vision of pluralism and the secularity of institutions,” he said. Governmental and social institutions are called to engage in respectful dialogue with religious groups, which can make important contributions toward the common good, he added.

Civil society must acknowledge and make room for the right of believers to have their voice heard in the public realm, he said.

“To eclipse the public role of religion is to create a society which is unjust, inasmuch as it fails to take account of the true nature of the human person; it is to stifle the growth of the authentic and lasting peace of the whole human family,” Pope Benedict said.

The Pope urged societies to strike a careful balance between the unjust extremes of religious fundamentalism on one hand and a secularist, total exclusion of God on the other.

While laws and institutions must support people’s religious dimension, he said states must never exploit religious freedom in order to pursue “hidden interests, such as the subversion of the established order, the hoarding of resources, or the grip on power of a single group.”

Because religion is not “a creation of the state, it cannot be manipulated by the state,” rather, he said, the state has a duty to acknowledge and respect religion.

On the other extreme, in which societies may reject God and religious values from the public realm, he said those societies risk “falling under the sway of idols,” relative interests, and pseudo-values which in turn make societies vulnerable to political and ideological totalitarianism.

Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the justice and peace council, told reporters that “religious freedom is not considered a human right just because the Universal Declaration (of Human Rights) affirms it.”

Religious freedom is not granted by a state but is derived from natural law and the dignity of the person who is made up of body and spirit, he said, and urged world leaders to “act promptly to end every injustice” against Christians in Asia, Africa and the Middle East; he also assured all Christians facing violence and discrimination of his prayers and asked they renew their commitment to forgiveness and reconciliation.

The Pope ended his message with a plea to Western countries to end their “hostility and prejudice against Christians” and he urged Europe to become reconciled with its Christian roots, which, he said, are indispensable for promoting justice, harmony and peace.

The Pope noted that 2011 marks the 25th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Peace convened by Pope John Paul II in Assisi in 1986.

Cardinal Turkson said his council, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and a group of Franciscans were making plans to commemorate the anniversary, and had yet to see if Pope Benedict would be able to participate.

Vatican blames China for damaging trust, dialogue

BY CAROL GLATZ Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY - In an unusually strongly worded statement, the Vatican said the recent election of new Church leaders by government-controlled Catholic groups in China and the illicit ordination of a Chinese bishop have “unilaterally damaged” hopes of improved relations with China.

While expressing its wish to engage in honest dialogue with Chinese authorities, the Vatican said the events were “unacceptable and hostile” and had caused “a grave loss of the trust that is necessary for overcoming the difficulties and building a correct relationship with the Church for the sake of the common good.”

A written communique issued by the Vatican press office on 17 December criticised the Chinese-government-controlled National Congress of Catholic Representatives that was held in Beijing from 7-9 December.

The assembly, in which many bishops, priests, religious and laypeople were forced to take part against their will, came less than three weeks after the ordination of Fa Joseph Guo Jincai as Bishop of Chengde; his was the first ordination of a Bishop without papal approval in four years.

The Vatican condemned the methods of convoking the assembly, saying it reflected “a repressive attitude with regard to the exercise of religious liberty, which it was hoped had been consigned to the past in presentday China.”

Forcing people to attend the congress represented a “grave violation” of people’s human rights, particularly their freedom of conscience and religion, said the Vatican.

It said China’s “persistent desire” to control their citizens’ innermost lives, specifically matters of conscience, and to interfere with the inner workings

of the Church “does no credit to China.”

“On the contrary, it seems to be a sign of fear and weakness rather than of strength; of intransigent intolerance rather than openness to freedom,” respect for human dignity and a proper distinction between the civil and religious realms, it said.

The Vatican had repeatedly warned Bishops and the faithful to not take part in the national congress. It praised those who bore witness to their faith “with courage” and invited others to pray, do penance “and, through their works, to reaffirm their own will to follow Christ” in full communion with the universal Church.

The Vatican said it realised many Catholics, including Bishops and priests, were forced to participate and asked the faithful “remain steadfast and patient in the faith” and to remember that many of their pastors are under government pressure.

It asked the faithful to pray for their priests and “to continue courageously supporting them in the face of the unjust impositions that they encounter in the exercise of their ministry.”

The Congress of Catholic Representatives elected new leaders for the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China and the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, the two groups responsible for the public life of the Church in the Communist country.

The new president of the Bishops’ conference is Bishop Joseph Ma Yinglin of Kunming, who was ordained without papal approval in 2006.

However, the new president of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association is Bishop Yohan Fang Xinyao of Linyi, who was ordained in 1997 and is in communion with the Pope.

The Vatican said it was “deeply deplorable that an illegitimate

Bishop has been appointed” president of the Bishops’ conference, which includes Bishops who are still illegitimate and its statutes are incompatible with Catholic doctrine, it said.

It “cannot be recognised as an episcopal conference by the Apostolic See; the ‘clandestine’ bishops, those not recognised by the government but in communion with the Pope, are not part of it,” said the Vatican.

The Vatican said it was “lamentable also that a legitimate Bishop has been appointed president of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.”

Concerning “the so-called episcopal conference” and the patriotic association, the statement said Pope Benedict XVI’s 2007 Letter to the Church in China still applies to the two entities.

The letter said since the statutes of the two bodies promote “the principles of independence and autonomy, self-management and democratic administration of the Church,” they are not in line with Church doctrine.

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

The Vatican communique said it was obvious that China, “a great and noble nation,” still found it “hard to implement the demands of genuine religious freedom.”

The national congress has not only made reconciliation between the so-called “clandestine” and “official” communities more difficult, it has inflicted “a deep wound” on the Church in China and the universal Church, it said.

Photo above right: Pope Benedict XVI greets a young man at the Vatican on 1 December who was injured when the Syrian Catholic cathedral in Baghdad, Iraq, was attacked on 31 October. PHOTO: CNS/ L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO

CATHOLIC PRESS

Abortion, IVF bans labelled ‘human rights abuses’

European court says Ireland’s abortion laws breach European rules

BY MICHAEL KELLY Catholic News Service

DUBLIN - The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Ireland’s laws banning abortion breach European human rights law.

In a landmark and binding case that could have implications for other European countries, the court ruled that Ireland had breached the human rights of a woman with a rare form of cancer who feared it would relapse when she became unintentionally pregnant.

However, the woman was unable to find a doctor willing to make a determination as to whether her life would be at risk if she continued her pregnancy to term.

Early on 16 December, the court concluded that neither the “medical consultation nor litigation options” relied on by the government constituted an effective or accessible procedure.

“Moreover, there was no explanation why the existing constitution right had not been implemented to date,” the court ruled.

While abortion remains a criminal offense under 1861 legislation, a technical constitutional right to abortion does exist in Ireland following a 1992 Supreme Court ruling. In a controversial judgement known as the “X case,” the court established the right of Irish women to an abortion if a pregnant woman’s life was at risk as a result of the pregnancy.

However, successive governments have not legislated on the issue, and several constitutional referenda variously aimed at either enacting or revoking the judgement have proved inconclusive.

Guidelines from the Irish Medical Council describe abortion as “professional misconduct.”

The European court case was filed in 2005; in 2009 it had an oral hearing before the court’s grand chamber. This 17-judge court is reserved to hear cases that raise serious questions affecting the interpretation of the European Convention of Human Rights.

As a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rightsnow incorporated into Irish lawthe government is obliged to remedy any breaches of the convention.

Ireland and Malta are the only member-states of the Council of Europe in which abortion remains illegal.

Two other Irish women who took cases before the court in Strasbourg, France, were unsuccessful in their bids. The first woman, who was claiming the right to an abortion because she was living in poverty and felt unable to raise the child, had her case struck down. Her case, if successful, would have forced Ireland to legislate for abortionon-demand. The second of the two unsuccessful candidates ran the risk of an ectopic pregnancy, in which the fetus develops outside of the womb. Her case also was rejected because there was no clear medical certainty over the diagnosis of an ectopic pregnancy.

All three women were among an estimated 4,000 Irish women who travel to neighboring Britain for an abortion each year.

The Irish government defended its laws and said Ireland’s abor-

Bureaucracy threatens Costa Rica with sanctions to force legalisation of... IVF?

It’s not disappearances of political prisoners or allegations of torture that have Costa Rica being threatened with sanctions...

BY C HRISSIE LONG Catholic News Service

SAN

JOSE, Costa Rica (CNS)

- Costa Rica is under pressure to overturn its ban on in vitro fertilisation - and as a result abandon long-held Catholic teaching - or risk sanctions for violating international accords on human rights.

The threat of sanctions has led Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla to pursue legislation that will make the reproductive procedure legal even at the risk of offending the Catholic Church.

The dilemma arose in August when the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights asked Costa Rica to reverse the IVF ban so that it would comply with international accords to which it is a signatory such as the American Convention on Human Rights, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Cairo Programme of Action of the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development.

One of only a handful of nations that professes Catholicism as its official religion, Costa Rica has an accord with the Catholic Church that “expressly recognises the value of human life from conception.”

In early December, Pope Benedict XVI warned Fernando Sanchez, the Costa Rican ambassador to the Vatican, against “violating the rights of an unborn child with laws that legitimise in vitro fertilisation.”

Legislative debate on the bill was expected to begin in midDecember.

“It puts Costa Rica in a difficult situation,” said lawmaker

tion laws were based on “profound moral values deeply embedded in Irish society.”

It argued that the European Court of Human Rights has consistently recognised the traditions of different countries regarding the rights of unborn children. However, it maintained that the women’s challenge sought to undermine these principles and align Ireland with countries with more liberal abortion laws.

Government spokesmen were initially unwilling to comment on whether the state would appeal the decision.

Independent Senator Ronan Mullen called on the government to hold a referendum to overturn the 1992 Supreme Court decision.

“The only reason the ECHR

Oscar Alfaro, who will oversee debate in the country’s Legislative Assembly. “It’s a sensitive issue in our society in which both religious and scientific factors need to be considered.”

Dr Ariel Perez, who prepares Costa Rican women to undergo IVF outside of the country, said that statistics on the procedure show that about 30 per cent of fertilised eggs result in a child.

The remaining 70 per cent of fertilised eggs are either frozen for later use or discarded, he said.

For Sonia Cordero, 38, a Costa Rican who had to fight for the life of her daughter during a difficult pregnancy that kept her bedridden for months, the thought of more lives being lost is enough to oppose IVF.

“As a mother who was told that I won’t be able to have a baby, I understand women who want the treatment. But the pain of losing

made this judgement is because the Supreme Court made its flawed interpretation of the (Irish) constitution. We now need to have a referendum that will restore the full legal and constitutional protection for the unborn that was undermined by the Supreme Court,” Mullen told CNS

William Binchy, a constitutional lawyer and legal adviser to the Pro-Life Campaign, told CNS: “The most important (thing) is that the judgement does not require Ireland to introduce legislation authorising abortion. On the contrary, it fully respects the entitlement of the Irish people to determine legal policy on protecting the lives of unborn children.

“The Irish people must now make a choice. If they were to

more babies in the process of trying to make a life is a price too high to pay,” she said. Maureen Bonilla, disagreed, saying that every woman should have the right to experience motherhood.

“Adoption is not the same as feeling a baby grow inside your body,” she said. “It’s a beautiful experience.”

Bonilla, who is pregnant with her second child, added: “The Catholic Church might say they are against in vitro because it’s not natural or it’s against God’s will. However, I believe that if it’s not God’s will, he would not give humanity the opportunity to experience motherhood in other ways.”

She paused for a moment, frowned and added, “It’s hard because I am Catholic.”

Such hesitation has gripped many Costa Ricans, including

choose to endorse the Supreme Court decision in X, this would involve legalising abortion contrary to existing medical practice and the best evidence of medical research. If, on the other hand, the Irish people choose to endorse the current medical practice, they will be ensuring the continuation of Ireland’s world-renowned safety record for mothers and babies during pregnancy,” Binchy said.

The ruling is set to put the issue of abortion back on the political agenda as the country prepares for a general election early in 2011. Both main parties - the current governing Fianna Fail party and the main opposition Fine Gael - have policies opposed to abortion. Only the minority Labor Party supports the introduction of abortion.

the country’s leaders. While their Catholic upbringing has led them to value the sanctity of life, the procedure has become so widespread around the world that some question why Costa Ricans are still watching from the sidelines.

Since the first successful birth of a “test tube” baby in 1978, more than four million people have been born through the procedure. The founder of the procedure, Robert Edwards, was recognised with a Nobel Prize for Medicine in October. And while most of the world has seemingly overcome ethical qualms, Costa Rica maintains its prohibition.

In 2000, Costa Rica’s Constitutional Court ruled that IVF violates human dignity. Echoing church teaching, judges said that children should be conceived naturally and any manipulation is morally unacceptable.

In 2008, after exhausting all opportunities for appeal in the Costa Rican court system, a handful of infertile couples rallied before the Washington-based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an entity of the Organisation of American States. The asked for help in protecting their reproductive rights.

The human rights commission responded with a memo in August to Costa Rican leaders reminding the country of its international commitments and asking government officials to lift the ban. According to informal surveys and media reports, the Legislative Assembly is split, with most lawmakers voting on values or personal opinion over allegiance to any political party.

Lawmaker Justo Orozco is determined not to let international organisations dictate Costa Rican law. “(The commission isn’t) respecting the sovereignty of a country,” he said. “They are saying that we need to approve this law and if we don’t, there will be sanctions. They are imposing their criteria. This is a serious hit to our freedom as a country.”

The Legislative Assembly is expected to hear from scientists, religious leaders and social groups in the coming weeks and plans to respond to the human rights commission in early 2011.

The issue has emerged over the years as a lightning rod in Irish politics, with most politicians unwilling to touch the issue. Opinion polls consistently show that the majority of Irish people are opposed to the introduction of laws permitting abortion.

A poll in February of this year, for example, asked respondents: “Are you in favour of or opposed to constitutional protection for the unborn that prohibits abortion but allows the continuation of the existing practice of intervention to save a mother’s life in accordance with Irish medical ethics?”

The finding showed that 70 per cent supported constitutional protection for the unborn, 13 per cent oppose it and 16 per cent did not know or had no opinion.

An embryologist removes a vial of frozen embryos from a storage tank at the Smotrich IVF Clinic in La Jolla, California, in this 2007 file photo. Costa Rica, one of the poorest nations in the world, is facing the threat of sanctions to force it to legalise IVF.

PHOTO: CNS/SANDY HUFFAKER

Priests joyful awaiting Nazi executions to be beatified

BY GUNTHER SIMMERMACHER Catholic News Service

LUBECK, Germany - As the Nazi executioner beheaded three Catholic priests and a Lutheran pastor, one after another in a matter of minutes, their blood flowed together, creating a powerful symbol for ecumenism in northern Germany.

On 25 June, the three Catholic martyrs of LubeckFrs Johannes Prassek, Eduard Muller and Hermann Langewill be beatified in the historic city’s Sacred Heart Church, a stone’s throw away from the Lubeck Cathedral, the ministerial home of the Rev. Karl Friedrich Stellbrink, their Lutheran counterpart. Rev Stellbrink will be honoured in a special way that day as well.

The four were executed in Hamburg on 10 November, 1943. All had been found guilty of disseminating antiNazi material - such as the homilies of Cardinal Clemens von Galen of Munster - and other “treasonous” activities.

Although they were just four of more than 1,600 victims of Nazi political executions that year, their case drew the particular attention of Adolf Hitler and propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. Hitler reportedly intervened personally in the case of the four clerics, formulating the charges and instructing prosecutors on their strategy.

After the four were sentenced to death on 23 June, 1943, in a trial widely considered a farce, Goebbels wrote in his diary: “I urge that the death sentences will in fact be carried out.” An appeal for clemency by Catholic Bishop Hermann Berning of Osnabruck was rejected.

Fr Franz Mecklenfeld of Sacred Heart Church told CNS that news of the beatification was received with “immense joy” by his parishioners. It also is being followed “with great interest in the city of Lubeck,” traditionally a Lutheran stronghold.

In September, the daily Lubecker Nachrichten published a series of articles on the lives of the four martyrs.

“The martyrs have a great significance for the city,” Fr Mecklenfeld said.

“They have become ‘shining towers’ in the city of Lubeck,” where the skyline is famous for its seven Gothic church spires.

The notion of beatifying the three Catholics when their Lutheran companion cannot be honoured in the same way has given rise to some controversy.

The Rev Heinz Russmann, a Lutheran pastor in Lubeck, wrote that the beatification would represent a painful division that would be harmful to ecumenism.

Either all four should be beatified, or none, he wrote. His view is shared by the conservative local politician Hans-Lothar Fauth, a Catholic, who has said that all four have long been publicly acclaimed as saints, regardless of denomination, and therefore require no official recognition.

Cardinal praised for swift action on abusers

Report: Irish Church leader ‘begged’ Vatican to dismiss abusive priest

BY MICHAEL KELLY Catholic News Service

DUBLIN - A newly released chapter of the Murphy Report into the handling of clergy sex abuse allegations in the Archdiocese of Dublin between 1975 and 2004 shows Cardinal Desmond Connell “begged” Pope John Paul II to dismiss an abusive priest from the priesthood.

Chapter 19 was withheld when the report of Judge Yvonne Murphy’s commission was published in November 2009 because the abuser involved - former priest Tony Walsh - was awaiting trial. Walsh was sentenced to 16 years in prison for abuse in early December, clearing the way for publication.

Referring to Walsh, the inquiry noted, “his pattern of behaviour is such that it is likely that he has abused hundreds of children.” The newly published chapter reveals that allegations of abuse made just days after Walsh’s ordination in 1978 were largely ignored by Church authorities and he went on to abuse freely for almost a decade, being moved from parish to parish when fresh allegations emerged.

Cardinal Connell had been criticised extensively in other parts of the report for not alerting civil authorities to abusive priests.

However, Chapter 19 reported that within months of taking over in Dublin, then-Archbishop Connell used canon law to act immediately against Walsh even though he failed to notify civil authorities.

In the chapter, the commission praised Cardinal Connell for his use of canon law.

The chapter also detailed the prelate’s disappointment after Rome initially rejected his bid to dismiss Walsh from the priesthood. After a direct appeal to Pope John Paul II, the Vatican eventually backed Cardinal Connell’s view.

Walsh was identified as “Fr Jovito” in the report, while his case continued in the courts so as not to prejudice the proceedings.

“Only two canonical trials took place over the 30-year period,” the chapter reported.

“Both were at the instigation of Archbishop Connell, and the commission gives him credit for initiating the two penal processes which led to the dismissal of Fr Bill Carney in 1990 and Fr Jovito in 1996.

The commission recognises that he did this in the face of strong opposition from one of the most powerful canonists in the Archdiocese, Mgr (Gerard) Sheehy.”

Mgr Sheehy, now deceased, was the retired chancellor of the Dublin Archdiocese at the time and frequently advocated on behalf of priests who were accused of abuse to ensure that what he considered

proper canon law procedures were followed.

Many clerics in the Archdiocese, however, felt he too strongly supported priests at the expense of the rights of abuse victims.

Quoting evidence from one of the then-Auxiliary Bishops, the commission noted: “Bishop (Dermot) O’Mahony told the commission that, of the three Archbishops he served as an Auxiliary Bishop, it seemed to him that Archbishop Connell was ‘the most deeply affected by the harm of clerical sex abuse. He was also the most proactive in seeking improvement in the Church management of the issue.’”

A canonical trial in Dublin ruled in August 1993 that Walsh should be dismissed from the priesthood.

However, Walsh appealed to Rome and in June 1994 the Roman Rota, the Church’s central appeals court, commuted the penalty to 10 years living in a monastery.

Then-Archbishop Connell then wrote to Pope John Paul II saying “the Archbishop humbly begs the Holy Father graciously to grant him this favour in the interests of the well-being of the Church.”

The Pope immediately granted the dismissal.

Judge Murphy wrote: “The handling of that appeal in Rome was unsatisfactory.

“The fact that the original decision of dismissal was replaced with a sentence that would have confined Fr Jovito to a monastery for 10 years, suggests that after the 10-year period, Fr Jovito might have been entitled to resume his clerical ministry.

“The whole process was unduly cumbersome and at one stage it was suggested to the Archbishop that he should start all over again and initiate a new canonical process,” Judge Murphy said.

The report also is highly critical of the “hands-off” approach of the police in dealing with numerous

allegations against Walsh, describing it as “unacceptable.”

Responding to the latest release from the commission, current Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin reiterated his apology to clergy sex abuse victims.

“(The chapter) reports the tragic and shocking story of how a devious, predatory pedophile used the priesthood to gain access to young children and abuse them and how no one stopped him for years,” the Archbishop said in a statement.

“The first lesson to be learned from this is that in the cases of serial compulsive pedophiles only decisive action is capable of stopping them. Cardinal Desmond Connell, to his credit, was among the first to recognise this,” he said.

“The first step on the road to renewal is for our church to recognise what went wrong to honestly acknowledge with no ‘buts’ and no conditionality the gravity and the extent of what happened,” Archbishop Martin added.

When the redacted report was published in November 2009, it sent shockwaves across the country and within the Church in Ireland.

Two Bishops named in the report resigned within days of its release.

Two other Bishops, also named but not criticised, offered their resignations, but Pope Benedict XVI declined to accept them.

Murphy found in her investigation that some Church leaders frequently neglected to report known abusers to the civil authorities and had consistently put the reputation of the Church and the avoidance of scandal ahead of the needs of victims.

Another chapter in the report, Chapter 20, remains heavily redacted and refers to one individual and his brother. Judge Paul Gilligan said this redaction should remain in place until at least 5 July, 2011 indicating that criminal proceedings may be pending.

Legionaries exorcise image of founder

But many still wonder whether the Order and its lay movement can survive

BY CAROL GLATZ Catholic News Service

ROME - With the authorisation of a papal delegate, the Legionaries of Christ have formalised in a new decree a number of reforms regarding the depiction of the order’s founder, the late Fr Marcial Maciel Degollado.

“The decree formalises in broad strokes what has for the most part already been general practice,” said a statement posted on 11 December on the Legionaries of Christ website.

Legionaries Fr Alvaro Corcuera, director general of the order and of the order’s lay association, Regnum Christi, issued the norms following authorisation by Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, the papal delegate in charge of governing the Legionaries and helping reform the order.

The decree, promulgated on 6 December, forbids the placement of photographs of Father Maciel “alone or with the Holy Father” anywhere in Legionary or Regnum

and Regnum Christi” or “Father Maciel” in the institution’s writings and communications, it said. “Dates having to do with his person - birthday, baptismal day, name day, and priestly ordination anniversary - are not to be celebrated,” it said.

Yet, the anniversary of his death on 30 January “will be a day dedicated especially to prayer,” said the order.

Fr Maciel’s burial place in his hometown of Cotija, Mexico, “will be given the value that pertains to any Christian burial place,” it said, and will be “treated as a place of prayer for the eternal repose of the deceased.”

The retreat centres in Cotija will remain open, providing the same services, “but a place for prayer, reparation, and expiation will be created there,” said the statement.

Christi centres. However, out of respect for individuals’ personal freedom, it said members of the order and its lay association “may privately keep a photograph of the founder, read his writings or listen to his talks.”

Fr Maciel’s “personal writings

and talks will not be for sale in the congregation’s publishing houses, centres, and works of apostolate,” it said, but “the content of these writings may be used in preaching without citing the author.”

Fr Maciel may be referred to only as “founder of the Legion of Christ

Fr Corcuera said, according to the statement, that it was his hope the reforms would help the order’s members “focus on the person of Christ and continue forward united in charity.”

The decree was the latest in a series of reforms of the Legionaries of Christ after revelations that the late Fr Maciel led a double life in violation of Church teachings, abused seminarians and fathered several children.

Cardinal Desmond Connell

Left, Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, the papal delegate overseeing the reform of the Legionaries of Christ. Right, Fr Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legionaries of Christ, is pictured in an undated handout image provided by the order in 2009. The Legionaries have forbid the placement of photographs of the late Fr Maciel anywhere in Legionary or Regnum Christi centres. CNS

Billings sows seeds of empowerment in Peru

BY BENJAMIN MANN Catholic News Agency

PUNO, Peru - Fr Philip Bloom’s medical missionary work aims for more than just healthy bodies. He’s helping Peruvians cultivate a healthy respect for marriage, fertility, and new life, through natural family planning.

The Mary Bloom Centre, in the highlands city of Puno, near Peru’s Lake Titicaca, is named after Fr Bloom’s mother. He began the centre’s work during his years as a Maryknoll priest associate in Peru, in conjunction with the Canadian lay missionaries Denis and Liane Bruneau.

They wanted their work to pass on what Mary Bloom taught her son about valuing “marriage, family, children, and faith in God.” The centre began in 1994, while Mrs. Bloom was still alive.

She died in 2000, but her legacy continues to inspire her son’s efforts to promote authentic women’s health care. Although he is now a parish priest in the state of Washington, he remains president of the centre, and leads a group from the Archdiocese of Seattle to volunteer every year.

WOOMB international, which teaches the Billings Ovulation Method of fertility awareness and natural family planning, has partnered with the centre to educate married couples, as well as medical workers and young adults.

Fr Bloom explained to CNA that the centre’s work began when Denis and Liane Bruneau introduced a local obstetrician and midwife, Luz Marrón, to the Billings Method of natural family planning.

Marrón had been trained to “help” women through conventional means of birth control, which pose serious health risks and can cause septic abortions. But she soon wholeheartedly embraced the natural methods that the Bruneaus showed her, and now serves as the Bloom Centre’s director.

Fr Bloom teamed up with the Bruneaus to give spiritual and moral grounding to their practical instruction. Fr Bloom said many residents of Puno’s rural villages understood the logic of natural family planning better than more educated and cosmopolitan Catholics elsewhere.

“The people that we taught largely were farmers and country people, so the method made a lot more sense to them just intuitively. They’re used to planting seeds, and know that the rains have to come first, that the earth had to be moist in order for a seed to grow.”

For the farming families of Puno, that understanding of cycles and fertility throughout nature “led into the basics of the Billings method and how to use self-observation” to observe fertility within marriage.

While proponents of artificial contraception praise its apparent convenience, advocates of natural family planning point to the increased communication their method promotes between men and women. Circumstances in Puno allowed Fr Bloom to observe this phenomenon in a remarkable way.

“A lot of times, the women in the countryside would have very limited literacy skills. The men, generally, would be more able to read and write. So the men would be the ones who would keep the journal. We encourage that, too, even if

Expert criticises UN distribution of condoms in Peru

CNA - The Latin American director of the Population Research Institute, Carlos Polo, recently charged that the United Nations’ donation of 20,000 “female condoms” given to Peru’s “family planning” programs are part of a “huge business” that involves more than US$33 billion worldwide.

Peru’s Ministry of Health announced on 12 December that the UN Population Fund had donated 20,000 female condoms for the country to use in its campaign against AIDS.

Polo clarified on 13 December that the 20,000 female condoms were given free-of-charge to Peru, but that once they are included officially as part of the government’s family planning program, “the Peruvian State will have to pay for them with tax-payer money.”

“This is the same thing that has happened with other contraceptive methods,” he explained.

According to a report from the UN Population Fund, US$33 billion was spent on population control in 2008, with US$10 billion coming from international corporations. The other US$23 billion came from the governments of poor countries and from consumer sales of contraceptives, Polo said.

“Contrary to what the international organizations – who portray themselves as ‘the good guys’ – say,” Polo continued, they only contributed a little more than “three percent of the total cost.”

The UN Population Fund report states that the goal for population programs is to spend some $65 billion “in order to meet the goals supposedly

both knew how to read and write.”

This family planning and women’s health clinic is a far cry from other Peruvian organisations that might describe themselves in the same terms. Fr Bloom mentioned that other forms of artificial and dangerous “family planning” have received significant US government funding, under both Republican and Democratic administrations. Those methods, he said, are based on a mechanistic concept of the body, that strips sexuality of its meaning.

“In an urban environment, we can be more alienated from our bodies, and treat our bodies as a kind of machine – and not really see the integration of body and spirit that the (NFP) method is based on.” Fr Bloom noted that no population could possibly stand to benefit from policies that treat fertility as a disease, and new life as an inconvenient byproduct. He explained that natural family planning, besides being practical, also expresses a larger “philosophy of life” that affirms women as they were created.

Although the Mary Bloom Centre’s primary purpose is to strengthen families by helping them appreciate and manage fertility, its donors and volunteers partner to meet a number of other needs among the population of Puno –

agreed to at the conference in Cairo,” he explained.

“This means the UN Population Fund needs to raise funds for its questionable population policies, from supporting China’s one-child-per-family policy and forced abortions to including this ‘novelty’ of female condoms,” Polo said.

● The Obama administration is helping to flood Peru with over 18,000,000 condoms through the USAID programme, Peru’s two most prominent Catholic Bishops said.

“It shames me terribly that the Ministry of Health is promoting this massive distribution of condoms with the support of USAID because it encourages the irresponsible exercise of sexuality, above all among our young people,” said José Antonio Eguren, Archbishop of Piura and President of the Episcopal Commission on the Family, Infancy, and Defense of Life, in a written statement published on the Archdiocesan website.

“Sexuality cannot be reduced merely to the genitals, to an irresponsible sexual act, separated completely from its procreative intention and from its natural and rightful place, which is marriage,” Erugen wrote. He added that “we should reject this type of policy that promotes a culture that trivializes human sexuality.”

The Cardinal Archbishop of Peru, Juan Luis Cipriani, likewise blasted the new condom campaign in a recent sermon, in which he characterised the government’s policy as: “I’m going to give out condoms, 18 million. I’m not going to educate young people, I’m not going to educate parents, I’m not going to educate public opinion, I’m going to give them out so that there will be more libertinism, more sexual abuse.”

“This is the betrayal of which Jesus spoke,” said the Cardinal.

including medicine, food, clothes, scholarships, and school supplies.

Just as their concern for children goes far beyond safe birth, their work in women’s health encompasses the broadest range of needs.

The centre has provided hundreds of screenings for female cancers, as well as local treatment and help with referrals to those who are diagnosed.

Fr Bloom said the Mary Bloom Centre has also helped women value themselves in a more authentic way – one that bypasses Western feminism’s obsession with power and independence, in favour of helping communities value women for their unique roles and capacities.

“We have women seeing their own dignity, and the whole beauty of their creation. I always tell them, it’s not an accident that woman was the very last thing that God created. Because she’s the most beautiful, and the most complex thing in God’s creation.”

Fr Bloom asked one man, at the end of the five-week Billings method course, what the main point was that he would take away from it. He told Fr Bloom: “The main thing I learned was respect for women.”

More information on the Mary Bloom Centre is available at http://stmaryvalleybloom.org/ marybloom.html.

Bishop prepared to remove rogue hospital’s Catholic status

WASHINGTON (CNS)Citing “ongoing communication and attempts to rectify the situation,” Phoenix Bishop Thomas Olmsted has extended from 17 December to 21 December a deadline he had set for a local Catholic hospital to comply with three demands related to the Church’s ethical directives for health care.

The Bishop set the new deadline for Catholic Healthcare West, the San Francisco-based health system that includes St Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix, to agree that the termination of a pregnancy at the hospital in late 2009 violated the “Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services” and “so will never occur again” there.

The other requirements outlined in a 22 November letter were for Catholic Healthcare West to agree to “a review and certification process” concerning its compliance with the ethical directives and for the medical staff of St Joseph’s to receive “ongoing formation” on the directives, overseen by the National Catholic Bioethics Centre or the diocese’s medical ethics board. If the requirements were not met by 17 December, Bishop Olmsted said in the November letter, he would be forced “to notify the Catholic faithful that St Joseph’s Hospital no longer qualifies as a ‘Catholic’ hospital because of its failure to acknowledge the Bishop’s right and duty to judge whether the (directives) are interpreted and implemented correctly.”

After the letter from Bishop Olmsted to Lloyd H Dean, president of Catholic Healthcare West, was published on 15 December by the Arizona Republic newspaper, the Diocese of Phoenix neither confirmed nor disputed the contents of the letter, saying it was “considered to be private and confidential.”

“The Bishop and his staff are working together with Catholic Healthcare West and St Joseph’s Hospital to find the best way to provide authentic Catholic health care in accordance with the Church’s teaching,” the 15

December statement said. The case under discussion in the dispute involved a woman, who has not been identified, who was 11 weeks pregnant and suffering from pulmonary hypertension, a condition that the hospital said carried a near-certain risk of death for the mother if the pregnancy continued.

A nun who concurred in an ethics committee’s decision to abort the child was “automatically excommunicated” by her action, Bishop Olmsted said in May. Mercy Sr Margaret Mary McBride also was reassigned from her position as vice president of mission integration at the hospital after news surfaced about the abortion. She remains at the hospital but has declined to comment on the case.

St Joseph’s Hospital said in a 15 December statement that dialogue with the Bishop was continuing “and we hope to achieve a resolution. We believe that all life is sacred. In this case, we saved the only life we could save, which was the mother’s”.

The withdrawal of a hospital’s Catholic identification would not be unprecedented.

Bishop Robert Vasa of Baker, Oregon, announced in February that St Charles Medical Center in Bend had “gradually moved away” from the Church’s ethical directives and can no longer be called Catholic.

As a result of that decision, Mass is no longer celebrated in the hospital’s chapel and all items considered Catholic were removed from the hospital and returned to the church.

The hospital retained the St Charles name and a cross remains atop the building.

In his November letter, Bishop Olmsted outlined similar consequences. A revocation of his endorsement of St Joseph’s Hospital would necessitate removal of the Blessed Sacrament from all chapels and tabernacles at St Joseph’s Medical Centre, a prohibition of all Masses celebrated in chapels within it and public advisory from the Bishop’s office that St Joseph’s no longer qualifies as a ‘Catholic’ hospital.

Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, who said Mercy Sr Margaret Mary McBride, former vice president of mission integration at St Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Clinic in Phoenix, was “automatically excommunicated” because she concurred in an ethics committee decision to abort the child of a gravely ill woman at the hospital in 2009. PHOTO: CNS

PANORAMA

Panorama entries must be in by 12pm Monday.

Contributions may be emailed to office@therecord.com.au, faxed to 9325 4580, or mailed to PO Box 3075, 21 Victoria Square, Per th WA 6000.

SATURDAY, 1 JANUARY

Midnight Mass for Solemnity of Mary Mother of God

11.30pm at Shrine of Virgin of the Revelation, 36 Chittering Road, Bullsbrook. Celebration will commence with a Candle light procession to the Shrine on New Year’s Eve. All are most welcome. Enq: 9447 3292.

SUNDAY, 2 JANUARY

An Afternoon with Jesus and Mary

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

FRIDAY, 7 JANUARY

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

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

Pro-Life Witness

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

SATURDAY, 8 JANUARY

Witness for Life

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

SATURDAY, 8 JANUARY

Divine Mercy Healing Mass

2.30pm at St Francis Xavier’s Church Windsor St, East Perth. The main celebrant will be Fr Marcellinus Meilak , OFM. Reconciliation in English and Italian. Divine Mercy prayers followed by veneration of relic of St Faustina Kowalska. Refreshments afterwards. Enq: John 9457 7771.

St Padre Pio Day of Prayer

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

MONDAY, 10 JANUARY  FRIDAY, 14 JANUARY

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

WEDNESDAY, 12 JANUARY

Charismatic Healing Mass by Fr Hugh Thomas 7pm at St Bernadette’s Catholic Church, Grand Ocean Blvd, Port Kennedy

For those of you who are suffering from physical, emo-

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

WEDNESDAY, 19 JANUARY

Marist New Norcia Annual Mass and Reunion

4.30pm at Newman College, Empire Avenue, Churchlands. Mass will be celebrated by Marist Old Boy priests in the Newman College Chapel in memory of deceased brothers and students.

A reunion in the college courtyard to follow at 6pm. BYO. SIC and Marist old boys most welcome. Enq: Ambrose 9387 1117, 0419 912 187 or Frank 9446 6435.

EVERY SUNDAY

Pilgrim Mass - Shrine of the Virgin of the Revelation 2pm at Shrine, 36 Chittering Rd, Bullsbrook. Commencing with Rosary followed by Benediction. Reconciliation is available before every celebration. Anointing of the Sick administered during Mass every second Sunday of the month. Pilgrimage in honour of the Virgin of the Revelation, last Sunday of the month. Side entrance to the church and shrine open daily between 9am-5pm. Enq Sacri 9447 3292.

Extraordinary Form of Latin Holy Mass

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

THIRD SUNDAY OF THE MONTH

Oblates of St Benedict

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

EVERY FOURTH SUNDAY OF THE MONTH

Holy Hour for Vocations to the Priesthood, Religious Life

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

LAST MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH

Christian Spirituality Presentation

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

EVERY TUESDAY

Novena and Benediction to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

6pm at the Pater Noster Church, Marmion and Evershed Sts, Myaree. Mass at 5.30pm. Enq: John 0408 952 194.

EVERY WEDNESDAY

Holy Spirit of Freedom Community

7.30pm at The Church of Christ, 111 Stirling St, Perth. We are delighted to welcome everyone to attend our Holy Spirit of Freedom Praise Meeting. Enq 9475 0155 or hsofperth@gmail.com.

SECOND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH

Chaplets of the Divine Mercy

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

EVERY THURSDAY

Catholic Questions and Answers

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

Divine Mercy

11am at St John and Paul Church, Pine Tree Gully Rd, Willetton. Pray the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and for the consecrated life especially here in John Paul parish, conclude with veneration of the First Class Relic of St Faustina. Please do come and join us in prayer. Enq: John 9457 7771.

Taize Prayer and Meditation

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

The Cathedral Praise Meeting

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

FIRST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH

Holy Hour for Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life

7pm at Little Sisters of the Poor Chapel, 2 Rawlins St, Glendalough. Mass, followed by Adoration with Fr Doug Harris. All welcome. Refreshments provided.

Communion of Reparation All Night Vigil

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

Catholic Faith Renewal Evening

7.30pm at St John and Paul’s Parish, Pinetree Gully Rd, Willetton. Songs of Praise, sharing by a priest followed by Thanksgiving Mass and light refreshments after Mass. All welcome to attend and bring your family and friends. Enq: Kathy 9295 0913, Ann: 0412 166 164 or catholicfaithrenewal@gmail.com.

Healing Mass

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

Communion of Reparation All Night Vigil NOR 7pm-1am at St. Gerard Majella’s Church, Majella Road, Mirrabooka. Honouring the Two Hearts of Jesus and Mary, with 2 Masses, Confession, Adoration and Prayers. Celebrants Fr Giosue Marini and Fr T Bogoni. All welcome. Enq: Joy 9344 2609 or Nick 0428 953 471.

AA ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

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

OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE

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

AL  ANON FAMILY GROUPS

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

ST MARY MACKILLOP COMMEMEMORATIVE MERCHANDISE

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

PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND.

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

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

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

ACROSS

16

20

28

30

ACCOMMODATION

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

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

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

HOUSEMOTHER ROLE FOR FREE RENT IN FURNISHED

TOWNHOUSE We require a Live-In-Housemother for our 2 daughters aged 14 and 16. We wish them to become day scholars after having boarded for the last few years. We are offering free rent for 2 years. Costs include a third of the electricity and gas bills. Bond negotiable. This opportunity would suit a mature woman who is a nonsmoker and appreciates our efforts to instill Catholic values in our daughters’ lives. The 3-bedroom townhouse is on Canning Highway, in Melville with city views. Enclosed back garden with gazebo. Single carport with space for an extra car. Conveniently located near shops, on bus route with bus stop a few steps from front door.

If this opportunity appeals, please call us at our farm on 9880 4042 or mobile: 0427 186 357. Our email is jilakin@bigpond.com

TRADE SERVICES

BRENDON HANDYMAN

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

BRICK RE-POINTING

Ph Nigel 9242 2952.

PERROTT PAINTING Pty Ltd

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

PICASSO PAINTING Top service.

Ph 0419 915 836, fax 9345 0505.

FURNITURE REMOVAL

ALL AREAS. Competitive Rates. Mike Murphy Ph 0416 226 434.

LAWN MOWING

WRR LAWN MOWING & WEED

SPRAYING Garden clean ups and rubbish removal. Get rid of bindii, jojo and other unsightly weeds. Based in Tuart Hill. Enq 9443 9243 or 0402 326 637.

Deadline: 11am Monday

SETTLEMENTS

ARE YOU BUYING OR SELLING

real estate or a business? Why not ask Excel Settlements for a quote for your settlement. We offer reasonable fees, excellent service and no hidden costs. Ring Excel on 9481 4499 for a quote. Check our web site on www.excelsettlements.com.

BOOK BINDING

NEW BOOK BINDING, General Book Repairs; Rebinding; New Ribbons; Old Leather Bindings Restored.

Tydewi Bindery 0422 968 572.

FOR SALE

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

OPPORTUNITIES

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

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

RELIGIOUS PRODUCTS

CATHOLICS CORNER Retailer of Catholic products specialising in gifts, cards and apparel for Baptism, Communion and Confirmation. Ph 9456 1777.

Shop 12, 64-66 Bannister Rd, Canning Vale. Open Mon-Sat.

CONVENIENT LOCATIONS

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

RICH HARVEST YOUR CHRISTIAN SHOP Looking for Bibles, CDs, books, cards, gifts, statues, Baptism/Communion apparel, religious vestments, etc? Visit us at 39 Hulme Ct (off McCoy St), Myaree, Ph 9329 9889 (after 10.30am Mon to Sat). We are here to serve.

KINLAR VESTMENTS

Quality hand-made and decorated vestments: Albs, Stoles, Chasubles, altar linen, banners etc. 12 Favenc Way, Padbury. By appointment only. Ph Vicki on 9402 1318 or 0409 114 093.

NEW SHOP OPENED SOR

APARACIDAS EMPORIUM SHOP 2 – 101 CALISTA AVE CALISTA 6167 Retailer in Catholic products. CDs, Rosaries, cards, books, statues and more. Tues – Fri 9am – 5pm Sat by appointment.

HEALTH

ACHES, PAIN, STRESS?

Indian Masseur jai-0438 520 993.

MUSIC

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

FLORIST

30% OFF SILK BRIDAL BOUQUETS UNTIL DEC 31ST 2010 with orders over $300 Specialist fresh & silk wedding flowers by design. All areas with delivery. Customised service. Show room opened. Tues – Fri 9am – 5pm Sat by appointment. Phone Johanna 0434 390 363

CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS

MICHAEL AND FRANCIS JOHN AZAR

To my two precious darling sons wishing you almighty Gods love Peace and every Blessing at Christmas 25th December 2010. I am here for you both and I am thinking of you today and always I will be praying for you At the Holy Infants crib I am longing to see you I wait with open arms to greet you both I love you with all my heart Your loving mother

Janet “Jesus I trust in you”

MICHAEL AND FRANCIS Praying for you always “Love you heaps” Your loving Nanna

Doreen Lockyer

THANKSGIVING

Dear Heart of Jesus in the past I have asked for many favours, this time I ask You for this special favour (mention it) take it dear heart of Jesus and place it in Your own broken heart where it will become Your favour, not mine Amen. Say this prayer for 3 days. J.A.

29 W St Thomas Beckett, bishop, martyr (O)

Wh 1 Jn 2:3-11 Sure we are in God

Ps 95:1-3.5-6 Sing a new song

Lk 2:22-35 Rites performed

30 Th 1 Jn 2:12-17 Evil one overcome

Wh Ps 95:7-10 Glory and power

Lk 2:36-40 Began to praise God

31F St Sylvester I, pope (O)

Wh 1 Jn 2:18-21 You know the truth

joy

Ps 96:1-2.5-6.11-12The Lord of all

Jn 20:2-8 He saw and believed

28 Tu THE HOLY INNOCENTS, MARTYRS (Feast)

Red 1 Jn 1:5-2:2 Live in the light

Ps 123:2-5.7-8 In the Lord’s name

Mt 2:13-18 Escape into Egypt

Ps 95:1-2.11-13 Let earth be glad

Jn 1:1-18 John not the light

1 S MARY, MOTHER OF GOD (Solemnity)

Wh Num 6:22-27 The Lord bless you

Ps 66:2-3.5.6.8 Everlasting blessing

Gal 4:4-7 God sent his Son

Lk 2:16-21 Mary pondered

Which Questions would you ask The Pope?

What caused the clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Church?

Was there a “cover up”?

Have you considered resigning?

Can there be a genuine dialogue with Islam?

Should the Church rethink her teaching on priestly celibacy, women priests, contraception, and same-sex relationships?

What about Holy Communion for divorced-and-remarried Catholics?

Is there a schism in the Catholic Church?

Should there be a third Vatican Council?

Is there any hope for Christian unity?

Is Christianity the only truth?

Can the Pope really speak for Jesus Christ?

Is there a “dictatorship of relativism” today?

How about

All of them?

Never has a Pope, in a book-length interview, dealt so directly with such wide-ranging and controversial issues as Pope Benedict XVI does in Light of the World.

Light of the World

Taken from a week-long series of interviews with veteran journalist Peter Seewald, this history-making book tackles head-on some of the greatest issues facing the world of our time. Benedict XVI is candid about the problems and the solutions. Twice before these two men held wideranging discussions, which became the best-selling books Salt of the Earth and God and the World. Then, Seewald’s discussion partner was Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Vatican’s chief doctrinal office. Now, Joseph Ratzinger

Peter

The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times

200

is Pope Benedict XVI, the spiritual leader of the world’s over one billion Catholics. Though Seewald now interviews the Pope himself, the journalist “pulls no punches,” posing some of the thorniest questions any Pope has had to address. Believers and unbelievers will be fascinated to hear Benedict’s thoughtful, straightforward and thoughtprovoking replies. This is no stern sermon or ponderous theological tract, but a lively, fast-paced, challenging, even entertaining exchange.