The Record Newspaper 25 May 2011

THE R ECORD

Hundreds listen on God, tragedy and suffering

A large crowd turned out at Bateman Parish last Thursday evening to hear a visiting Jesuit talk about whether God visits suffering on innocent people

BY BRIDGET SPINKS

WHEN Jesuit priest Fr Richard Leonard’s older sister was left quadriplegic after a freak car accident at Wadaye in the Northern Territory in 1988, he and his family were looking for answers as to why such suffering had befallen them. His sister, Tracy – who has written her own book on life before the accident and her work with the Missionaries of Charity called The Full Catastrophe – was being towed after a breakdown in her four-wheel drive, at dusk, at 10km an hour. She was returning tribal women to their home when the car accidentally skidded and slammed into a tree.The other three people in the vehicle came out unscathed but Tracy did not.His own mother, a daily communicant, on seeing her 28-year-old daughter lose all feeling in her limbs after the accident, was left wondering how could God do this to them.

Please turn to Page 13

It’s Anniversary 80 for Midland couple

BY BRIDGET SPINKS

Joe and Rose Zekulich, who are 104 and 97 and parishioners of St Brigid’s Midland, were due to celebrate 80 years of marriage on 25 May, making them Australia’s longest living married couple. Former St Brigid’s parish priest, Fr Joseph Angelo, who moves to St Mary’s Leederville this week to take up his new appointment as parish priest, visited them on 20 May to deliver Perth

Please turn to Page 13

We can’t be silent anymore on children, disabilities, schooling

Comment

Bee in my bonnet

A reflection on the struggles of those forgotten in society Churchand

By Barbara Harris

It’s a strange world we live in.

As Church, we say that we are all family. As Church, we say abortion is wrong. As Church, we say that children with disabilities are our brothers and sisters. As Church, we say that we are members of the Body of Christ. As Church, we say that we belong to each other.

As Church, we say everyone is welcome. As Church, we say we want to bring back those alienated from the Church. But have we lost

some of our fire, some of our energy, some of our creativity? Have we lost the compassion and caring children with disabilities and their families so desperately need?

In the 1800s, without any ongoing assistance from Governments, Catholic men and women together with Religious Sisters, Brothers and priests worked tirelessly and creatively to provide a Catholic education for Catholic children.

Much of the focus of that effort related to ensuring that disadvantaged children were provided with educational opportunities.

Lack of funding could not stop Catholic education from happening.

Those pioneers placed a very strong value on Catholic education and made it happen.

The Catholic education of Catholic children was seen as a whole of Church issue.

It was not left to a central body to find a solution. The need was addressed at the local level by the whole Catholic community.

Is our answer today to deny our responsibility as a community and consider it an education issue, a government funding issue, a schools issue or can we generate a Catholic community response?

Have we taken the easy road; put the problem in the too hard basket; passed the issue to “them” and left parents out on their own?

A recent statement in the press indicated that unless Governments, Federal and State, contributed more money to Catholic schools for the education of Catholic children with disabilities, then more children could not be offered places.

So what happens to these Catholic children and their families? Do we abandon them?

It is true education does not come cheaply but if we, as a whole Church, believe Catholic education is so important, are we not responsible for seeing that Catholic education is offered to all Catholic children, including the gifted and the disadvantaged regardless of what Federal and State Governments are

doing? When parents have a child who is different, the parents don’t think “unless the Government gives me more money, I won’t have this child or I am not going to bother caring for it.”

No, the parents adjust to what is happening in their family. They adjust their financial circumstances, they adjust their whole lives and work with what they’ve got with open hearts.

There is never a question of “the financial cost is too great” because that would lead to a suggestion that “the child was not worth it.”

The value of the child is what makes the family work at seeking solutions.

Parents of children with disabilities face many challenges on a daily basis.

They do not need to be further weighed down with the criticism and guilt that they are a burden to our Church, to our schools.

Parents should not have to live with the uncertainty of where their child is going to school or even if

their child will be accepted at their local Catholic school. Nor do they need the constant anxiety of wondering whether the funding support their child needs will be there from year to year, which is the basis on which much of the funding is allocated.

Parents should not have to lobby for acceptance, for finding funds so that their child can be accepted at the local Catholic school and the local Catholic school should not have to scrounge around looking and hoping for funding support either.

It stands to reason that something is not right. This is a whole of Church issue and must be addressed by the whole Church.

We are talking about “my brothers and sisters”, “your brothers and sisters”. The answers are not easy but if the issue is not raised, we will never even begin to seek solutions. I can no longer sit at my desk while families are under stress. Families are breaking up and people are going under.

Fr Richard Leonard SJ gestures during his talk on God and human suffering at St Thomas More Parish in Bateman on 19 May. God does not want suffering to be visited on anyone, he said.

PHOTO: PETER ROSENGREN

Joe and Rose Zekulich on their wedding day in 1931. The Midland Parish couple have just celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary.

PHOTO: COURTESY MICHAEL ZEKULICH

New Ukrainian head ‘ideal man for job’

BY ANTHONY BARICH

THE Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church’s new global head, Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, is the ideal man for the job, according to Perth Ukrainian community leader Bohdan Mykytiuk who has had extensive experience working with him.

Bohdan got to know the Archbishop when he was Chancellor of the Holy Spirit Seminary in Lviv.

Bohdan said the 40 year old Archbishop, who was installed as the new head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church on 27 March in Kiev, is a captivating speaker, “extremely knowledgeable” and very approachable. His view of Archbishop Sviatoslav was confirmed by the seminarians and students of the Ukrainian Catholic University with whom Bohdan has been working over the past few years.

Bohdan, who has returned to the seminary 10 times since 2005, said the Archbishop was often seen after breakfast, lunch and dinner chatting casually with students in the seminary.

Bohdan and wife Katryna raised $20,000 through the Ukrainian Catholic community in Perth and Northam to update the seminary’s library and computing classes.

Editor

Journalists

Bridget

Mark Reidy mreidy@therecord.com.au

Anthony Barich abarich@therecord.com.au

Advertising/Production

Blazhenishy (Most Reverend) Fr Sviatoslav, who at the time was Chancellor of the Holy Spirit Seminary, said of them: “May the merciful Lord, who sees the fruits of your labour, bless and care for you … [We] assure you the seminary community will pray to our Saviour, so that you are rewarded, more than a hundred fold, for your generosity.”

Bohdan held many discussions with the Chancellor regarding the needs of the seminary and as well as working on projects at the seminary, he is now on the Ukrainian Catholic University’s Advisory Board of its Institute of Leadership and Management.

When Bohdan visited the seminary by chance in 2005 while taking a group of teenagers and young adults on a heritage tour of Ukraine to show them where their grandparents came from, the seminary hierarchy received them cordially, though the seminary had limited resources and only a handful of students.

He was so impressed he returned to Ukraine immediately after seeing off the touring party home to Perth, spending several weeks learning how the seminar-

ians are educated and trained. In order to be admitted to the Seminary, prospective seminarians need to complete Years 11 and 12 in the equivalent of a minor seminary.

They then undergo five years of training which, in addition to prayers, religious ritual and theological studies, includes pastoral field experience in schools, hospitals, with disabled, orphans, street kids, drug addicts, alcoholics, and as chaplains in the armed forces, police and security services,

providing help and spiritual guidance to all those need.

This is followed by two years of pastoral work in their chosen field and includes conducting missions throughout Ukraine, Russia, Siberia and countries of the former Soviet Union where Ukrainians live.

Little wonder, then, that Bohdan regularly returns to the Seminary and Catholic University in Lviv to foster this spirit of Christian renewal.

Catholics aid Indonesia

A CATHOLIC charity has come to the aid of a diocese in Indonesia having problems producing catechetical materials, as its printing machine was falling apart following nearly 50 years of service.

Aid to the Church in Need responded to an urgent request for help from Fr Augustus Habur of the Catechetical Commission of Ruteng, Indonesia.

Despite having been repaired numerous times over the years, their printing machine – which was built in 1964 – was not only breaking down, but it was difficult to obtain new parts for it.

Although Indonesia is predominantly Muslim, Ruteng diocese is located on the island of Flores where more than 93 per cent of the local populace is Catholic – meaning catechetical materials are vital to the life of the Church. Diocesan figures state that last year there were 673,596 baptised Catholics out of 717,000 inhabitants. Levels of poverty are high in the eastern part of Indonesia meaning the diocese was unable to afford the cost of a new press. With a working printing machine being essential for the Catechetical Commission to continue its work supporting religious education in schools and catechesis in parishes, ACN provided $10,000 towards the $12,300 total for a new machine. The Catechetical Commission produces more than 41,000 copies of different catechetical materials for teachers and catechists each year.

Ruteng diocese’s 77 parishes – each of which has at least 30 volunteer catechists teaching the faith to everyone from children to adults – rely on the Commission’s books to help instruct the faithful.

Bishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, who has been serving in Argentina, has been elected major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. He is pictured in an undated photo.

PHOTO: CNS/COURTESY UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Sacred Heart help out their founding Religious Congregation

Perth’s oldest primary school helping poor in India

BY GLYNNIS GRAINGER

SACRED Heart Primary School, Highgate, the oldest Catholic primary school in Perth, continues its partnership with Shanti Sadan Mission School, Central India.

Last year, the school was invited by Sr Catherine Brabender, the director of Our Lady of the Missions Mission Office, to form a partnership with the Indian school.

The Sacred Heart school community was encouraged to become involved and the staff enthusiastically came up with fundraising activities to be carried out over the four school terms.

Buddy classes collaborated and cooperated to run successful cake

stalls, a ‘Biscuits and More’ morning tea and a Games Day, where the children in Year Three created the games and ran the lunchtime session that was enjoyed by the rest of the classes.

Physical Education teacher Mrs Stephanie Alderman ran a ‘Guess the Jellybeans in the Jar’ competition and some Year Four children, with their parents’ permission and supervision, organised and sold muffins in their neighbourhood over a weekend. All money raised was sent to the Shanti Sadan Mission School and helped it purchase a number of desks and chairs for its students, who previously were writing on their laps.

They also began writing letters to each other and are learning about each other’s country and culture.

Last July, Sacred Heart Highgate received a visit from Sr Catherine, who spoke to the children about the Indian school and showed pictures,

increases in 2010.

Vinnies spokeswoman Lucinda Ardagh said she fears as winter approaches that those already struggling to cope will face an even greater risk of homelessness with the added pressures of the colder months.

“Winter is an exceptionally busy time of year for the Society and with figures like those recorded in February and March, it’s looking very grim for many West Australians,” Ms Ardagh said.

raising awareness of the needs of others and the benefits of sharing.

Sacred Heart Highgate was opened by five Sisters from the Congregation of Our Lady of the Missions on 25 October 1897, and the RNDM Sisters were present at the school for nearly 100 years.

For many years, the school’s choirs, prepared by choirmistress and music teacher Mrs Frances Ammoscato have visited the Margaret Hubery Village, Shelley to sing for and spend time with the retired Sisters and other residents.

The Sisters are present at Sacred Heart Highgate for various celebrations, such as Sacred Heart feast day and the opening and blessing of new buildings.

Under the guidance of Euphrasie Barbier, the Sisters were founded to be an international mission congregation and, on Christmas Day, 2011, the Order will celebrate 150 years since foundation.

month was recorded in November 2010 when 1,771 requests were responded to, the highest since July 2008. The Society said that demand has risen 55 per cent since 2009 (based on comparing home visits for Feb/March 2009 and Feb/March 2011).

Food continues to be the most requested item followed by requests for assistance with utility bills following the price

“The Society’s volunteers who deliver this core work can only continue to provide hope through the generosity of the WA community donating to the 2011 Winter Appeal. All donations received go directly back into WA.”

The Society’s Winter Appeal has officially kicked off, running for the months of May, June and July. This year’s theme is Help someone see a better future, Vinnies changes lives every day To donate to the Society call 13 18 12 or log on to www.vinnies. org.au.

NURSE, volunteer, fundraiser and international presenter, St John of God Sr Mary Kelly has received an Order of Australia medal for her service to nursing, particularly in the field of stomal therapy, and to the development of palliative care support in the southwest region of WA. She was the region’s first ever specialist nurse, clocking up many miles to help 375 patients and their families adjust to the life-altering physical change of having a stoma created. A stoma is a surgically formed exit on a person’s abdomen enabling the temporary or permanent drainage of body fluids.

Based at St John of God Hospital Bunbury from 1978 to 1996 and trained as a Registered Nurse at St John of God Subiaco, she was instrumental in establishing support groups for patients with stomas, Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis. She was also involved in establishing and developing a palliative care movement for this group of patients.

As well as educating patients and their families, an important part of her role was enlightening doctors about the importance of good stomal care, starting with selecting the optimal site for surgery to give patients the best long-term outcome and comfort.

“I had no sense of being a pioneer,” Sir Mary said. “There was a very big need for this

type of service, especially with the number of young people who suffer from these types of diseases.”

“The 80s and 90s were hectic years. I’d just get into my car and get going!”

Mary was well supported by local Lions Clubs who donated several cars for her use over the years and paid travel expenses as she drove in and around Bunbury, and as far south as Pingelly and to Augusta, with her signature number plate SMK 339.

They also paid for her airfare to attend a conference in Japan. She notched up another record in 1992 as the first female recipient of the Brunswick South West Bunbury Lions Club’s Melville Jones Award for humanitarian work.

Sr Mary attended several international conferences as a delegate where she presented papers on her work. She astounded delegates at one conference in Germany when she presented her work in English, German and Italian.

Now retired, Mary is volunteering with a support group for people with small bowel disease, and is still in touch with some of the surgeons and patients she dealt with back then - a link she relishes.

What she will be most remembered for, however, is as a confidante and friend to many people who will be eternally grateful.

Sacred Heart Primary School students in Highgate enjoy the festivities that were organised to raise money for a charity in India run by the Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of the Missions - the same Religious Order which founded the Catholic primary school in 1897.

PHOTO: GLYNNIS GRAINGER

SJOG Sr Mary Kelly receives the Lions Club’s Melville Jones Award for humanitarian work in 1992.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ST

Marriages better off in church: Fr Gatt

VICTORY AND FULFILMENT

Thurs 14, Fri 15 April, 7.30pm

Music Auditorium, ECU, 2 Bradford St, Mt Lawley

Tickets $23 Full / $18 Concession WAAPA Box Office: (08) 9370 6817

The Faith Court Orchestra, under the direction of Peter Tanfield perform Shostakovitch’s glorious Symphony No. 9 and Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 4, a warm and fulfilling work, rich with allusions to Beethoven and featuring an adaptation of a Bach chorale and a chaconne as last movement

Quotes from those who married at St Kieran’s

“Grant and I wanted to thank you for joining us in marriage on 18 December 2010. Thank you for guiding us before the big day and on the day itself for a very special ceremony. It was an honour to have you part of this amazing day.”

- Maggie and Grant Sanger

“Many thanks for the thoughtfulness you’ve shown. Thank you very much for the time you have spent with us, giving us formation and preparing for our wedding ceremony. We appreciate your suggestions and advice for how to make our wedding personal and vey meaningful. We will always remember to meet each other half-way.”

Ruth and Michael Bradley, married 14 May 2011.

“As our hearts are joined and we begin our new life together, we would like to thank everyone who celebrated with us on our special day. We find it difficult to put into words our feelings to those who share our love and happiness. Thank you for all support,

BY ANTHONY BARICH

CATHOLICS should be encouraged to seek Church weddings over garden weddings or the registrar’s office, as the latter two can cause a domino effect of cutting off from the Church and misery, said Osborne Park parish priest Fr Michael Gatt.

A number of letters and emails he’s received from people who married in his church praising the dignity and sanctity they feel their marriage has because of the ceremony has inspired him to produce a poster with photos and quotes from them to display in St Kieran’s.

He hopes it serves as a positive reminder to all who darken the doorway of St Kieran’s Church that marrying in a church is a powerful

prayers, wishes and very generous gifts: they are truly appreciated.

“To Father Gatt, we would like to thank you so much for the support and guidance that you provided us with throughout the preparation of our wedding. We will be forever grateful to you for this. Thank you for helping us begin our journey together.”

Adrian and Kara Clozza, married 24 April 2010.

“We were so pleased that you were able to marry us and we thank you dearly for all your help and for also coming to the reception.”

Nadine and Adam DeGroot, married 12 March 2011.

“Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful wedding cer-

force for good as it prompts positive life choices from that point on –including baptising their children.

Even if they don’t attend Mass regularly, marrying in a church gives them that call to return to the sacraments for the big occasions like weddings, and it is at these times when the parish community must embrace them so they may become a part of the community –and practising Catholics.

Even the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton “did so much good to the sanctity of marriage all over the world as the people watched the royals kneeling down in the ceremony … it was beautiful for everybody”, Fr Gatt said.

Similarly, the happiness on the faces of the newly wed couples on

emony for us. The ceremony was beautiful and elegant, and many guests have complimented on how warm and intimate it was. It truly was a day we will always cherish. We are also thankful for all your support, guidance and blessings in preparing us for the day and for marriage.”

Simon and Fiona Wallace, married 19 December 2010.

“Thank you so very much for performing our marriage ceremony.

“It meant the world to me to have you marry Lyndon and me.

“The wedding was perfect thanks to you. Thanks again, Fr Gatt.”

Aleisha and Lyndon Hunt, married 8 October 2010.

his poster “speaks more than our words. I was impressed by what they had to say”.

“People don’t think much about religion today, and some Catholics are in two minds about having their marriage in the Church,” Fr Gatt said

“We are there to support and encourage them to tell them what it’s all about. Weddings are sacraments between Christians, so in the Church they have the benefit of the prayers of the family, which is also a reminder not to let the family down.

For idle hearts and hands and minds the devil finds a work to do!

THE RAKE’S PROGRESS

Thurs 21 April, 7.30pm

Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre

Performed by WAAPA Classical Vocal students

Devised and directed by Rachel McDonald nd directed by Rachel McDonald

Tickets $330 Full / $25 Concession BOCS (08) 9484 1133 or visit bocstickeeting.com.au

Stravinskyy’s operatic masterpiece re-imagineed in a workshop presentation, bringing this classic talle of debaucher y and redemmption to life in the beautiiful surrounds of the new w State Theatre Ceentre

waapaa.ecu.edu.au

Vinnies changes lives every day.

Donate now to the Vinnies Winter Appeal. Call 13 18 12 or visit vinnies.org.au

“Many parents who spent thousands of dollars on Catholic education are broken hearted because their children went to the public registry; they don’t come to church, they don’t baptise their children, and the children are miserable because they drifted from the Church.

“A whole litany of things follow when people don’t get married in the Church.

“Marriage in a church leads to Baptism, Catholic education and a litany of positive follows. But this chain of goodness is cut because they chose to get married in a garden with a marriage celebrant; by doing it, they cut themselves off from the Church. This upsets their Catholic parents, and it affects the family their whole life.

“The more we help them to stay in the faith, the better. If they have the wedding in the Church, even if they don’t practise every Sunday but know they are of our congregation, it is helpful.”

“For example, to see the 500 in the street procession for the Italian feast of the Annunziata on 15 May, there were people there you don’t find every Sunday,” yet they made that public expression of faith, he said.

There can even be hidden graces in “mixed marriages” where one spouse is not Catholic. For the non-Catholic spouse to come to Mass to have the blessing in Holy Communion, “this is something that’s great, as he comes to support his wife. That’s something we promote, support and admire, because after all it’s about the gift of faith”.

Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts

Above, Adam and Nadine DeGroot; Left above, Lyndon and Aleisha Hunt; Left bottom, Kara and Adrian Clozza.

Golden Jubilee for Presentations

Diamond Jubilee 1951- 2011

THREE Western Australian born Sisters celebrated their Diamond Jubilee of Religious Profession on 8 May at Presentation Convent ‘Iona’ in Mosman Park.

They were Sr Peter Doyle from Bullaring/Yealering, daughter of Peter and Cora Doyle; Sr Patricia Downey from Mosman Park, daughter of Harold and Annie Downey of Mosman Park; and Sr Eileen Tinning from Perth, daughter of Elizabeth and James Tinning of Perth.

For 60 years they have carried the Presentation charism and tradition of service wherever it was needed from north to the south of this State and beyond. Some of these locations include ‘Iona’ Mosman Park, Mullewa, Goomalling, Wyalkatchem, Beverley, Port Hedland, Cottesloe, Brunswick Junction, Collie, Bruce Rock, Rivervale, Karratha, Lockridge and even Papua New Guinea.

Apart from standard teaching duties and administration, other

assignments included multicultural endeavours, parish work, preparing children for the sacraments in State schools; motor mission, involving long distances in remote locations; and assisting the St Vincent de Paul society.

These are some aspects and variety of their mission over the years. Perhaps the most fulfilling time for Sr Eileen’s apostolic work was the 21 years in Lockridge, working with the underprivileged in the Lockridge ‘drop in centre,’ reaching out to the poor in the spirit of Presentation founder Nano Nagle.

The celebrant for the occasion, Fr Neville Faulkner, said regarding the three Jubilarians: “At an early stage of their journey, Jesus came to walk with them, and they have recognised Him ever since by the breaking of bread. Their hearts have burned within them with the excitement of spreading the Good News far and wide. They could have chosen another path and with their talents made a success of whatever was chosen, they were led in quite a specific direction. In the words of today’s psalm: Lord, You will show us the path of life.”

Parish. Nation. World. The. Record.

Presentation Sisters Patricia Downey, Peter Doyle and Eileen Tinning, who recently celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of their Religious profession. PHOTO SUPPLIED BY PRESENTATION SISTERS

Faith overcomes terror with Psalms

BY ANTHONY BARICH

It’s rare, if ever, that a secular film glories - and rests solely - in the music of hymns and Psalms.

For this reason and many more, Of Gods and Men - based on the book The Monks of Tibhirine, the true story of monks who were brutally executed during the political nightmare that unfolded in Algeria during the 1990s – is a treasure to behold.

The impending (unseen) decapitation of seven French Trappists kidnapped from their monastery in the village of Tibhirine provides the thread for this real life drama of sacrificial love; of Christians who put their lives at risk for their Muslim friends, and Muslims who risked death for Christians.

The film’s producers had a special ‘monastic advisor,’ Henry Quinson, who himself joined the monastery of Tamié, Savoy (France), where he completed his novitiate before studying theology at the Catholic University of Strasbourg.

Quinson said the chants first allow us to see and hear the monastic community during its most frequent and regular activity: the seven daily offices, in other words, four hours of singing a day.

Like Philip Gröning’s 2005 silent documentary Into Great Silence, Of Gods and Men is slow and patient in that it allows the monks’ daily work to speak for itself, along with the chants, which give rhythm to the story.

But it is the chants which express the monks’ questions, their fears and their faith, as they relate directly to the increasingly serious events that are shaking the monastery and the region, Quinson said.

The monks’ fears of the looming evil are vividly portrayed in Psalms which prove strangely prophetic:

The enemy persecutes my soul He has smitten my life to the ground

He has made me dwell in darkness with those long dead

My spirit grows faint within me My heart within me, dismayed (Psalm 142).

By the end of the film, Quinson says, the monks’ choir is “the heart of God”.

“The songs give God words, and God gives His Spirit of communion and peaceful resistance to the monks who are caught up in the turmoil of an increasingly menacing and problematic violence,” Quinson said.

It is the monks’ chant that speaks most powerfully.

Almost every five minutes, the monks are back in their chapel, singing and chanting from their Breviary or the Psalms what reflects their current state of mind, petitioning to God. Some are questioning the point of being slaughtered along with others in the village, some are on surer ground, confident that their calling is to serve the villagers in love of them, each other and of God.

The chants also help make Beauvois’ Of Gods and Menscreening at Cinema Paradiso in Northbridge from 26 May - a catechism on the Catholic understanding of suffering, the dignity of work and the virtue of charity, humility, patience and obedience.

That’s quite a call for a secular film that won the Grand Prix –effectively second place – at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival last year.

More than that, it has made Catholicism, or at least monastic life, ‘cool’. Beauvois has found cinematic ways to convey the collective power of belief and the manifestation of all-encompassing love, as SBS online’s Lisa Nesselson noted.

Psalms and chants are prominent, but this is no Into Great Silence.

Of Gods and Men makes these aspects of Catholic faith more accessible for the non-religious and gives them greater resonance, as their charity shines through their interaction with the Muslim villagers and their dealings with each other, especially in the face of certain death.

“Remember – you have already given your life to God!” the monastery’s Superior, Br Christian, played with fervour by Lambert Wilson (the annoying and arrogant Frenchman, The Merovingian ,on the Washowski brothers’ Hollywood blockbusters Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions), tells a petrified young monk who feels alone as his prayers for inner peace appear to go unanswered.

Nesselson noted that the monks’ actions show that “if violent Islamic radicals are terrorising the local population and unsubtly suggesting that the Christian brothers clear out, the monks reason that the biggest risk is not to life and limb but to heart and soul”.

“The members of the Religious community examine their consciences with exemplary courage and act accordingly.

“What becomes of a life of contemplation when you’re forced to ‘contemplate’ the violent incur-

Screening times at Cinema Paradiso

Of Gods and Men is showing daily at Cinema Paradiso, 164 James Street, Northbridge from Thursday, 26 May to Wednesday, 1 June at 10.45am, 1.30pm, 4pm, 6.30pm and 9pm.

Cinema Paradiso will screen the film for a minimum of four weeks.

For session times past Wednesday, 1 June (available each Monday), readers can visit www.lunapalace. com.au.

The amount of time fit screens for may be extended depending on how popular it is.

sion of radical fundamentalists?” This inner turmoil is a constant theme, and the moment each declares their individual decision is a climax (there’s another involving Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake later on) of the film that is as powerful in its cause for jubilation as Darth Vader deciding good over evil and throwing the Emperor down the reactor shaft to save his son Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi, if you’ll forgive the crass parallel.

Though Of Gods and Men is a slow two hours, it identifies the viewer with each individual monk’s plight so intimately through their prayers and interactions that anyone with a heartbeat is willing to

stick around and watch how they find their salvation amidst the violence in tending to the community and carrying out their daily tasks of gardening, cooking, etc, while waiting for the insurgents or the government army to come in and wipe them out.

For the threat comes not from just the insurgents but from the government troops who are suspicious that because the monks also nursed some terrorists back to health – their charity is not exclusive to the innocent – they may be complicit with the insurgents.

Indeed, the Trappists’ upright Superior Br Christian chastises an army general for parading a cap-

tured insurgent through the streets in triumphalism.

In a particularly chilling moment while an army helicopter whirrs above the monastery appearing to take aim at it, the monks band together, arms over each other’s shoulders, chanting:

The shadows, for you are not shadows

For you, night is as clear as day.

In doing so, the monastic community shows a mystical and disarmed hope.

Such is the hope in their similarly disarmed Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave witness to the ultimate act of love that parallels the final consequences of these heroic monks.

The Monks of Tibhirine, on which Of Gods and Men is based

Brother Christian is offered a handshake of peace by an Islamic terrorist insurgent after negotiating his way out of them plundering the monastery’s resources.

A gripping moment in Of Gods and Men, as the monks sing Psalms when an armed helicopter flies overhead and appears to aim its gun turret directly at the monastery, after the monks helped nurse some of the Islamic insurgents, who are terrorising the local villagers, back to health.

A climax in the movie, when all the Trappist monks vote to stay at the monastery and not return to France, though some had previously had serious reservations.

The Trappist monks spend one of many moments of quiet reflection and prayer discerning what to do about the impending death and horror that surrounds them. IMAGES COURTESY LUNA CINEMAS

Life of sacrifice faces young Franciscan

Franciscan scared but trusts in God as daunting missionary life beckons

BY ANTHONY BARICH

YOUNG Franciscan Fr Lukasz Kwiatkowski joined the Order as he was drawn to its founder’s connection with nature. He’ll get plenty of it when he embarks on his first mission to Papua New Guinea, a 26km hike to the nearest airport.

Fr Lukasz, 29, ordaind two years ago in Krakow, arrived in Perth last month just prior to the Maylands Franciscan Polish community’s special 1 May celebrations for the beatification of the Polish Pope, John Paul II.

On 30 May he will arrive in PNG and, depending on the weather, will trek 26km through jungle to a remote church named after the late Pontiff, built by Fr Piotr Rzucidlo OFM who will accompany him on the trip.

Fr Lukasz will work for a number of months in the Sandoun Province in PNG’s north west with Fr Piotr, who will help him with inculturation and to acclimatise for a few months; then it’s just him and three other New Guinean Franciscan

Friars. Franciscans have worked there since World War II.

These New Guinean Friars are the fruit of the Franciscans’ missionary work. The first ordination of locally-produced vocations was in 1984, during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II.

Fr Lukasz could be there 10 months; or 10 years. Such is the life of a missionary called to serve God through the instructions and life of his Religious Order.

Fr Piotr, now 42, was on his own for most of the 10 years he spent in Nuku between 1998 and 2008, because the other Franciscan who volunteered as a missionary to the PNG outpost went home after a few months.

Not a few missionaries have returned home after initially volunteering in a blaze of good intentions. Fr Lukasz admits he’s scared, but is confident that God will give him the strength to endure.

Fr Piotr, now 42, stayed those 10 long years because he always wanted to be a Franciscan missionary since he was a young boy watching Pope John Paul II on the television in Communist-repressed Poland.

More than that, he drew strength from the many elements that have driven lesser men back home, including malaria.

“I had fear, but I drew strength

from it. I knew that if God wanted me to stay, He would give me support – and, sure enough, it came.”

This included material support. The Polish community in Perth based at Maylands and at St Brigid’s in Northbridge raised $5,000. He also raised $10,000 from Poland for the mission.

While Franciscan life on the biggest island in the Pacific Ocean is rightly simple and poor, and the sun setting over the “beautiful greenery” takes one’s breath away, life is far from idyllic.

“It’s like stepping back in timelike Jurassic Park,” Fr Piotr told The

Record. “We missionaries face many problems. We lack communication and transport; we who live in the bush eat mostly native food and we go hungry sometimes and often lack protein.”

But when he goes to town –another long hike – he buys tinned fish, meat and other supplies. Transport is tough and, if it’s been raining, it’s not uncommon for the car to get bogged; then they’re on foot.

“We have many different kinds of pests, like mosquitoes, snakes, rats, crocodiles, lizards, centipedes, tree kangaroos and many different kinds of birds,” he told a special Mass at Our Lady Queen of Poland Chapel in Maylands on 22 May to send off the two missionaries.

“The most dangerous of them and life-threatening are mosquitoes and snakes. Mosquitoes bring malaria, the biggest killer in the bush, and of course there are other tropical diseases that could strike at any time.”

Water is always a problem and there’s no electricity, which gets tough in tropical weather where humidity tests the spirit. The only way of accessing water is in long bamboos that the women carry down to the mountain stream each day. This was hard work for the

women, so the Franciscan missionaries tried to solve the water problem by building a priest house and a building that serves as a parish hall, church and school using iron sheets on the roof, off which the rain water runs into a water tank for the priest and the people.

But amidst the danger, life is rewarding. When they arrive it will be Pentecost – a major feast. And when there’s a feast, the Mass is accompanied by passionate music and dance. After the liturgy the Friars enjoy Bung Kaikai – a big meal – with all parishioners from each village contributing pigs, chickens, fish, sweet potatoes and fruits.

“The people love God and love us as missionaries because we bring Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, so they go to church every Sunday; they have a sense of sin. Our modern world can learn a lot from these people, especially about simplicity and hospitality,” Fr Piotr said.

While Fr Lukasz isn’t sure how he’ll handle the culture shock, as “Poland has become very western and people have everything they need”, Fr Piotr said it doesn’t matter how long a missionary priest stays.

“Even if you stay a few days, you have celebrated the Eucharist. That is the most important thing,” Fr Piotr said.

Fr Lukasz Kwiatkowski

Franciscan missionary Fr Piotr Rzucidlo embraces a local parishioner after Mass during a feast day in the remote village of Papua New Guina where he helped build a mission.

PHOTOS: COURTESY FR PIOTR

A New Guinean-born Franciscan Friar above will assist Fr Lukasz Kwiatkowski on the remote mission where the young Polish Franciscan will be based for an undetermined number of years.

A local parishioner in traditional attire for a special liturgical feast on the remote PNG island.

Clockwise from far left: Fr Piotr leads a liturgy in Nuku; the stunning panorama that is the coastline of the island on which the Franciscans run a mission; Fr Piotr teaches a class in PNG; the Polish regional Superior of the Order of Friars Minor in Nuku; Fr Piotr with local parishioners in traditional garb during the special opening Mass of the church named after the late Pope John Paul II in 2007. Liturgical feasts are cause for major celebration in the remote mission, Fr Piotr told The Record

Wooed by the King, I fell in love

Sr Therese Mills MGL

My vocation

with Debbie Warrier

Throughout my life, I had some kind of gist that there was a God from my Catholic upbringing, and my Grandmother’s and Mother’s faith. My parents went through a messy divorce when I was 10 and I didn’t really have much of a relationship with my Dad, so I saw myself as unloveable. I was often in trouble and rebelled against the world as a teenager. Looking back, I realise I was just trying to fill the pain I had in my heart.

In my final year of high school I was invited to a youth group. It was there I thought more of God and that maybe there was a God somewhere. But I also thought that He’s not for me because I had done too many bad things and wasn’t Holy enough. My attitude was, “Why would God love me anyway?”

I lived two separate lives for about six years – attending youth group and Mass on a Sunday but then on most weekends I would also try and fill the gap with ‘other loves’ in the party scene (boys, alcohol and clubs).

Then I got invited to go to a Summer School of Evangelisation (Christian camp for about 300 adults that goes for a week). Whilst there, I watched a team of young people perform a drama. The guy playing Jesus rose from the dead after being crucified and looked straight into my eyes. I saw a tear fall down his check. This totally blew my mind.

I realised that Jesus was real, did die for me and knew the pain I had in my heart. I went to Confession and opened my heart to Jesus. I spent time with Him in prayer and was real with Him. I realised I was loveable and through this was able to love others and be loved.

As time went on I discovered His love for me and it was like two people falling in love. This led me to His invitation for consecrated life. I chose Missionaries of God’s Love (MGL) because it was the MGL way of life that attracted me first. Everything about our way of life spun me into a sense of desire and excitement to want to look seriously at living my life totally for Jesus and becoming a Religious Sister. For some bizarre reason, I was attracted to the poverty (we take a vow of poverty where we rely on God for everything – food, clothing, bills etc.). The mission of MGL was also a major attraction – working with young people and the poor and marginalised seemed so much a part of what I wanted to do for God.

I never ever thought that I would ever become a Religious Sister; all I wanted to do was to get married and have three or four kids. But Jesus wooed me into this life. I have had plenty of confirmation that being a nun is the right choice for me. For instance, I used to wear a ‘bling’ ring with ‘Jesus’ inscribed on it and one time a teenager asked me, “Therese, you know how you wear a ring with the name Jesus on it, do you reckon Jesus would have a ring on with your name on it?” To me that was just a confirmation of “Yes, that’s exactly it; I am totally given to Jesus like in a marriage.”

A child virgin martyr’s powerful intercession

Q&A

By Fr John Flader

St Philomena

Q: In our parish church there is a shrine of St Philomena and I know the Curé of Ars, St John Vianney, had devotion to her. But a friend of mine says the Church no longer recognises her. What can you tell me about her?

First of all, St Philomena was an early Christian martyr who definitely existed and who has been recognised officially by the Church.

What do we know about her? To tell the truth, not much as regards her life, when she lived, what she did, or even the circumstances of her martyrdom.

What we do know is that on 25 May 1802, workers who were excavating in the ancient catacomb of St Priscilla in Rome came upon a very well preserved shelf tomb sealed with terracotta slabs, suggesting that the person buried there was either a noble or a great martyr.

Inside the tomb were the remains of a girl of about twelve or thirteen along with a vial of her dried blood.

Nearby were three tiles painted in red which made up the words Pax tecum, Filumena, or “Peace be with you, Philomena.” On the tiles were images of a whip, arrows, an anchor, a lily and a palm, indicating martyrdom and virginity.

The remains were taken to the Treasury of Rare Collections of Christian Antiquity in the Vatican, where they were soon forgotten by the public, especially since there was no record of a virgin martyr named

Philomena. Three years later, in 1805, a priest from Naples, Don Francesco di Lucia, on a visit to Rome with his newly appointed Bishop, was suddenly struck with spiritual joy when he passed by her remains and he asked to be allowed to take them and place them in a shrine in her honour in his church in Mugnano, near Naples.

Although the request was first refused, the priest was cured of a fever, which he attributed to Philomena, and he was later given the relics. The shrine was opened in 1832.

Even before the shrine was completed, favours, graces and “miracles” began to take place through prayer to Philomena. They increased in number to such an extent that the martyr was soon given the title “Philomena, Powerful with God”.

In 1837, only thirty-five years after her remains were found, Pope Gregory XVI

canonised Philomena as a saint. It was the first time in the history of the Church that someone was canonised solely on the basis of her powerful intercession, since nothing was known of her except her name and the evidence of her martyrdom.

Given the many favours granted through her intercession, St Philomena became known as a patron of hopeless or impossible cases, like St Jude and St Rita of Cascia. She is especially renowned for favours involving the conversion of sinners, the return to the Sacraments, expectant mothers, problems with children, unhappiness in the home, sterility, etc.

Many of the saints had great devotion to St Philomena. Among them, as you mention in your question, was St John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, who called her the New Light of the Church Militant. Other saints included St Peter Julian Eymard, St Peter Chanel, St Anthony Mary Claret and St Madeleine Sophie Barat.

Popes too had devotion to St Philomena. Pope Leo XII (1823-1829) had personal devotion to her and gave permission for altars and churches to be erected in her honour. Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846), who canonised her, gave her the title “Patroness of the Living Rosary”.

Pope Pius IX (1846-1878) proclaimed her “Patroness of the Children of Mary”, and Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) made two pilgrimages to her shrine before his election to the papacy. After becoming Pope, he approved the Confraternity of St Philomena, later raising it to the status of an Archconfraternity, with its headquarters still located at her shrine in Mugnano.

In 1855, the Congregation of Rites approved the texts for a Mass and Office to be celebrated on 9 September. While the feast was removed from the universal calendar in 1961 due to lack of historical evidence, any priest may celebrate a Mass in her honour and the faithful are free to have devotion to her and to entrust their prayers to her, especially the most difficult cases.

Boat people have dignity, too

BY FR MAURIZIO PETTENA CS The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office Director

When I became an Australian citizen, I was taught that our national anthem sings of the identity and pride we have in our nation.

The second verse of the Australian national anthem contains the line, “for those who’ve come across the sea, we’ve boundless plains to share”.

Most Australians don’t know this part of the song. In fact, those who perhaps know it best are those who have come across the seas, and participated in longawaited citizenship ceremonies where it is sung. At the moment, we are experiencing something of a regression in our way of treating those people who come to this country by boat. There is genuine evidence to suggest that we are going backwards in this area.

The Easter protests in Villawood Detention Centre give rise to this conversation about the treatment of asylum seekers once again.

Some commentators criticise asylum seekers who protest in immigration detention centres, but, perhaps fail to ask the right questions about the situation. They don’t ask why they might be sewing their lips together and hunger striking.

Why would people who have spent months in dangerous seas protest when they have reached dry land? Because instead of being listened to, they are placed in facilities much worse than our prison system and nobody communicates with them about the status of their claims for asylum.

Two young men stood on the roof of

Villawood detention centre over the Easter period holding up a banner which read “We are Human Beings.” Why would two people see the need to remind us of this most basic truth? When I saw that sign and read the Passion narrative, I couldn’t help but think of Jesus being presented by Pilate to the crowd saying “I am Jesus, I am God. I am not a criminal.”

Professor Pat McGorry, a mental health advocate and last year’s Australian of the Year, commented that treating mental illness in a detention centre is equivalent to treating Malaria in a swamp.

In this Easter season, we should consider carefully what detention is doing to our most vulnerable. In our parishes and churches, we marked the fact that Christ so loved the world that he died for our sins and rose again. For us, the situation of mandatory detention is one of the worst scars on our human rights record in this country. Through this collective sin, we are effectively nailing Christ to the cross again.

If we are to call ourselves a democratic society founded on values of human dignity, then we cannot persist in treating people in this way; we need to rise again as a nation.

We pride ourselves on being a multicultural nation made up of migrants, yet we persist in treating these most vulnerable in our society inhumanely.

Seven years ago, a report was prepared by the Human Rights Commission called A Last Resort? National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention in response to appalling policies which saw children locked up in detention with their parents for long periods with no access to education, recreational facilities or appro-

priate health and psychological care. Once again though, policies have changed ever so slightly, allowing for the slow erosion of human rights. Any gains made by this inquiry have been lost.

In a number of articles and reports recently, advocates have made reference to Alternative Temporary Detention in the Community (ATDC), which includes private houses, correctional facilities, watch houses, hotels, apartments, foster care, or hospitals.

The Church is concerned about this broad definition and, for political integrity, urges the government to be clearer.

There is a marked difference between alternatives to detention (which advocates promote) and Alternative Temporary Detention in the Community (ATDC) - the name given by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to describe places where asylum seekers are held. ATDC is also different to community detention which is considered by many advocates as a humane alternative to detention centres.

Asylum seekers come to this country fleeing persecution and in search of a sustainable life. By imposing mandatory detention, we demonstrate a callous lack of regard for human life.

We are advocating a welcome approach, an approach which assesses the claims of people who arrive on our shores, desperate for a fair go. We are not saying that anyone should be given a visa or permanency in this country without proper scrutiny or assessment of their claim; everyone deserves that dignity and has that right. What we are saying is don’t punish those who come by sea because, quite simply, often they have no other option.

Italian way of life has its own melody

Eternal city

... and beyond

A Perth boy’s journey to the priesthood

By Mark Baumgarten

Having been here in Rome for ten months now, I feel like I have established something of a rhythm with the city and its people.

It will never feel completely like home, but a level of familiarity has emerged such that I am normally quite happy to return here after periods of travel elsewhere. As with any foreign culture, if you are not prepared to adjust your expectations a bit while you’re here, you’re probably setting yourself up for constant frustration.

Indeed, there is much about life here that even locals joke about, and I am aware of my tendency to include a bit of affectionate teasing of the Italian and Roman ways of life in my correspondence with you all.

However, it would be unfair if my observations about the absurdities of life here were all I ever noted, so let me take this chance to balance the picture somewhat by sharing a few things that I have come to really appreciate about the people and culture of my adopted home.

Perhaps the best way of framing what follows is to begin by highlighting how Italians approach

the concept of law, which differs notably from the Anglo-Saxon approach.

For Italians, the law (both secular and religious) expresses an ideal: it provides a vision of the ideal community for all to aim for, but from which many people will inevitably fall short. In contrast, we AngloSaxons tend to see the law as a basic minimum standard: whatever else we might do, we must at least obey the law. The main collective purpose of the law for us is basically to ensure that we don’t endanger ourselves or others too much, and to make sure that the bills get paid. It’s simple, achievable, and beyond that we’re on our own in terms of aiming for the higher things in life. The Italian approach would

argue that no law is capable of capturing the myriad complexities of human life. Therefore, they see it as being of greater importance for the law to describe a vision of the virtuous life with all its grand ideals than for it to be rigidly obeyed. For someone used to the Anglo-Saxon approach, the seeming lack of order in the Italian way can seem excruciating at first.

However, while it lacks a degree of immediate precision, it is imbued with a tremendous depth based upon two great insights into the human condition: 1) that without a great vision to inspire us, we have a tendency to settle for the lowest common denominator, and 2) we are fallen creatures and thus we should not be too scandalised when

we fail from time to time. Italians have tough laws, but their enforcement is remarkably forgiving (it is no coincidence that their Federal legal office was once known as the Ministry of Justice and Grace).

Whenever I go to an Italian priest for confession I always feel like they want to give me a big consoling hug even before I’ve finished listing my sins.

Now, such an approach is open to abuse, which, among other things, explains the tangled mess that is Roman traffic (I see plenty of traffic police, but I’ve yet to see a single fine given or arrest made).

Yet within its seeming anarchy, even the traffic has a logic to it which becomes quite predictable after a while. I walk through the busiest downtown streets daily, but I’ve yet to witness an accident and I feel perfectly safe crossing the road. There is a surprising patience underlying the surface impatience – for example, cars will dart into an open gap in the traffic flow, but they will always stop for pedestrians once you begin crossing the road (provided you do so with conviction).

Rome certainly has all the chaos of a big, ancient city, with people constantly taking matters into their own hands. And yet, despite the seeming mayhem, the pace of life is actually quite laid-back in its own way. Romans have seen it all before, and they are not easily flustered or scandalised. Anyone trying to knock off a “to-do” list in an afternoon is set for disappointment: it is obvious that capitalism was not invented here, and even now it is

represented more by the migrant street-vendors than by the Roman shop owners.

The slower pace of life is not so much a desire to be subversive as it is a simple awareness that there are more important things than money.

Simple things like good food, an afternoon nap, and time for family often take precedence over minor details such as being on time. All aspects of life suggest an element of art, from the famous expressiveness of conversations to the refined craft of a traffic conductor. It is as though a secret musical score keeps the rhythm of the day, prompting the full gamut of emotions.

There is a capacity for great joy and a willingness to argue heartily, often at the same time. And while there is no room for the lukewarm, an impassioned argument can be immediately followed by a genuine smile. Political correctness has little sway, for better or worse. Men are men and women are women. Elders are valued, because the past is valued. The higher things are greatly respected: fine music, beautiful art, goodness, truth, and the quest for spiritual perfection. A humble earthiness is mixed with a passionate longing for the divine.

In short, there is a tremendous realism to life here, conscious of our possibilities for both sinfulness and sanctity – the bloody savagery of the Colosseum, and the soaring grandeur of the Sistine Chapel.

In a word, life here is human, in all its wonderful variety – both the fallen humanity of the prostitute, and the transfigured humanity of the risen Christ.

A thought for third world in energy crisis

Human ecolog y ecology

By Tim Wallace

There is much heat but little light in the debate about the proposed carbon tax.

Whether one agrees that curbing greenhouse gas emissions is, as former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd put it, one of the greatest moral and economic challenges of our age, there should be bipartisan acknowledgement that weaning ourselves off our dependency on non-renewable energy sources is a moral imperative in its own right.

Economic development and energy consumption (and by implication, carbon emissions) are inextricably linked.

The “energy problem”, as Pope Benedict XVI describes it in his encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), stems from the fact that non-renewable energy resources, and the benefits of their exploitation, are unevenly distributed.

The average per capita consumption of energy in an industrialised nation like Australia, for example, is 10 times that of India, and 20 times that of Haiti.

Natural resources like coal, oil and natural gas are, as Catholic social doctrine reminds us, gifts rightly destined for the benefit of the entire human family, both now and in the future.

The right to the common use

of goods is (to quote Bl John Paul II) the “first principle of the whole ethical and social order” and “the characteristic principle of Christian social doctrine”.

This principle of “the universal destination of goods” also requires a “preferential option for the poor”.

There is, in the context of the carbon tax debate, legitimate concern that higher prices for fossilfuel-derived energy will adversely affect poorer Australians.

That concern, however, is undermined by less altruistic objections to proposals to redistribute resources from the haves to the have-nots, not just within our own borders but globally.

That some states, power groups

and companies hoard and use nonrenewable energy resources for their own short-term interest with insufficient consideration to the needs of others is, says Benedict XVI, a grave obstacle to development in poor countries: “Those countries lack the economic means either to gain access to existing sources of non-renewable energy or to finance research into new alternatives, “ he writes in Caritas in Veritate

“The stockpiling of natural resources, which in many cases are found in the poor countries themselves, gives rise to exploitation and frequent conflicts between and within nations … The international community has an urgent duty to find institutional means of

regulating the exploitation of nonrenewable resources, involving poor countries in the process, in order to plan together for the future.”

What role can fossil fuels play in meeting the long-term energy needs of the world?

The answer is: not much. Fossil fuel consumption is a short-term binge that can benefit only a fraction of the global family.

According to BP’s 2010 Statistical Review of World Energy, the world has, at current rates of consumption, enough proven reserves of coal to last 119 years, of natural gas to last 63 years, and oil to last 46 years.

Those time frames might be extended by the discovery of new reserves and more efficient energy use as prices climb due to higher extraction costs and demand outstripping supply (which in the case of oil is expected to occur within a matter of year), but on the other side of the ledger is that the world’s population is expected to grow from about 6.9 billion now to 9.1 billion by 2050.

For the entire world to consume energy at the same per capita rate as Australia would require generating four times as much electricity as now, and 5.5 times as much by 2050.

If coal continued to supply about 40 per cent of the world’s electricity, coal reserves would be depleted by mid-century.

If the rest of the world used oil at the same rate as Australia, proven oil reserves would be depleted within 13 years; if the whole world used oil at the same rate as the US (which accounts for a quarter of global oil consumption with 4.5 per cent of the global population), reserves would be gone in about eight years.

So if we are interested in making life better for the estimated onefifth of the global population who continue to live in extreme poverty, in charting a path to a future where all can enjoy an equal degree of economic prosperity, and indeed in ensuring our own children and grandchildren will enjoy a standard of living comparable to our own, we need to starting looking beyond fossil fuels.

This is why, no doubt, Benedict XVI has written of the “pressing moral need for renewed solidarity” between highly industrialised and developing countries.

“The technologically advanced societies can and must lower their domestic energy consumption, either through an evolution in manufacturing methods or through greater ecological sensitivity among their citizens” Pope Benedict XVI states, adding that improved energy efficiency while developing alternative forms of energy is quite possible.

“What is also needed, though, is a worldwide redistribution of energy resources so that countries lacking those resources can have access to them. The fate of those countries cannot be left in the hands of whoever is first to claim the spoils, or whoever is able to prevail over the rest.”

- Tim Wallace is a freelance journalist who has worked on metropolitan dailies and magazines, including The Canberra Times, Australian Financial Review, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Diplomat magazine. He is the ghostwriter and editor of True Green: 100 everyday ways to contribute to a healthier planet and author of True Green @ Work: 100 ways to make the environment your business, both published by ABC Books and National Geographic.

A Roman traffic conductor on duty.

PHOTO: MARK BAUMGARTEN

A coal-burning power station is seen at night in Xiangfan, in China’s Hubei province, in September 2009, when China ranked first among all countries in carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels for energy and industry. The US ranked second.

PHOTO: CNS/ REUTERS

The rapture of it all

How many of The Record’s readers are still here is one quite interesting question following predictions of the Rapture last weekend. For that small number of people unaware of the most recent developments in the world of faith, it had been predicted (in the US - where else?) by a Christian radio host with the very interesting name of Harold Camping that the Rapture, otherwise known as the beginning of the End Times, would occur on 21 May, probably at about 6pm in the evening and then progressively move across the face of the earth, timezone by timezone. Mr Camping, who trained as a mathematician, was adamant in the leadup to his 21 May deadline that there could be no question the end of the world was nigh; the numbers in the Bible, he confidently asserted in numerous media interviews, were, not to put too fine a point on it, rock solid.

If the Rapture, a belief apparently based on one line from the First Letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians, did actually occur then those of us left behind are undoubtedly in some trouble. The line in question is 1Thess 4:17 which reads: “...and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” But did the Rapture really take place?

As Professor Henry Higgins tells Colonel Pickering in My Fair Lady, hope is a virtue, and while it is theoretically possible the Rapture may have happened last weekend (although apparently in nowhere near as spectacular a fashion as one would have thought for such an important event as the beginning of the end of the world) there are also some grounds for hoping that it did not happen at all. In this editorial The Record is leaning towards the second possibility.

The Rapture that did not happen is still, for Christians, fertile ground for reflection as well as for satire and humour. And there is some cause for sadness too. Of course it is true that, from the Christian perspective, there is no doubt the world will end one day. And it is theoretically possible that we will be around to see it happen - or at least the early phases - before we are all swept away. But the real end of the world, for each of us, is most likely the moment we leave this life behind and walk through the door that leads into eternal love with God. What this will be like is beyond our capacity to imagine, we know that much, but it is something we hope and pray for. How we have lived out lives up until that point is the critical issue. Whether we have learned to love seems to be the main thing that will matter. This is the bit about the end of the world that one suspects Mr Camping did not spend enough time decoding, at least in comparison to his numerological investigations.

THE RECORD

PO Box 3075

Adelaide Terrace

PERTH WA 6832

office@therecord.com.au

Tel: (08) 9220 5900

Fax: (08) 9325 4580

However the confident predictions of the Rapture-that-was-not also invite reflection on the necessity of having a Church that can be relied upon in matters of faith. The whole problem was really that one individual (and only the latest in a long line of individuals or organisations predicting the end of the world) came up with an actual date only by following his own highly eccentric series of hunches and extraordinarily peculiar interpretations of a variety of passages throughout the Bible. Mr Camping undoubtedly meant well but there is little doubt his main achievements will only have been to (a) alarm many credulous people and (b) make Christians and Christianity look ridiculous and unbelievable in the eyes of a contemporary culture already well disposed in that direction. In other words, highly enthusiastic eccentrics convinced of their own personal infallibility in matters of religious faith and magnified globally by a media hot for any alarmism it can trumpet from the rooftops, can actually do a lot of personal harm when the credulous believe their claims and a lot of social harm as well. One complication is that they almost always have impeccable intentions.

Mr Camping and his wild predictions contrast starkly with the reality of the Church. Often painted as a rule-bound, unfeeling institution, the Church is actually the most liberal institution on the face of the earth. It is a community whose membership is not bound by time and space. It is a communion of persons gathered around Christ which exists simultaneously in time and outside of it, the only institution in the world that can make this claim. It is the only institution in the world whose membership can draw instantly in prayer upon nothing less than the power of heaven to overcome life’s challenges, to find the way forward through a life that can, at times, seem nightmarish. And it is also an institution, as Christ intended, with guarantees attached to it as well.

Mr Camping sadly demonstrates the difference between unguided religious fervour in which no ultimate confidence can be placed, and an institution such as the Church which has been given authority by Christ. One makes wild predictions, the other reveals the wildest truth of a God who is Love. One is guided by bizarre theories about the meaning of unrelated numbers, the other, even despite the sinfulness of its members, is guided by the Holy Spirit. One can, unwittingly, obscure for others the truth about life, the other reveals life that is eternal. To put it in the words young people would use today, one is totally random. The basic lesson of Mr Camping’s mathematical error is the one already spoken by Christ (and the Church), that we are not to worry about tomorrow because today’s problems are enough for now. The other lesson is that the Church is not only a way but a safeguard, a restraint upon the wild enthusiasms of the naive, and something that can be trusted absolutely in its faith. Seen in this way, it is immaterial when the end of the world is to happen. How we face it in our own daily lives is what will count more than anything else at all.

With friends like The Record ...

“Our ideal for ourselves - agents of the Civilisation of Love” (from The Record Mission Statement).

I am so angry at this editorial about Bishop Morris that I need to write to you and let you know this.

This would be undoubtedly the most unkind editorial about anyone anywhere and to come from the major Catholic paper of the Archdiocese just adds insult to injury.

Not only does it insult Bishop Bill Morris who, by all accounts was what a Bishop should be - caring and concerned with what he had to deal with, not what the rule book said but concerned with his parishes in Toowoomba.

Of course, it goes without saying that for Bishop Morris to be sacked because he suggested that there is talk about the ordination of women is just another insult to women that the men of the Church cannot see!!

I quote one particular paragraph that also highlights the thoughts of the editor about the average Catholic: “As the simple people of faith do their best to lead the at-times difficult Christian life of fidelity to Jesus and everything He taught, they do not need Bishops who will obscure the way or who become obstacles to the heroic vocation of Christian marriage and family. In fact, they are, sadly, better off without them. One might say that they need a Bishop who can be a rock. One of the two Bishops at the heart of this controversy is undoubtedly that.”

Obviously the editor thinks that being Catholic equates with being simple - this is the sort of insults we Catholics received in the dim past by the anti-Catholic element that was prevalent in those days.

Who needs insults now from a much more tolerant society when you can get it home grown in The Record?

Helen Oxenburgh-Lowe Little Grove

Bold editorial

Thank you for the factual article on Bishop Morris, “The Bishop that had to go”. Bold, succinct and truthful, it contrasts immensely with the diatribe put out in our local media which gives an illuminating illustration of the poor state of Catholic knowledge in our area.

Raylene Dore Dalby, Qld

The Anthroprocene

Osions then, logically, the only sure way to prevent this from happening is to cut to the chase and limit human population.

Can it be that the Communist government of China has it right with its one-child policy after all? Is one child per family one too many?

Readers may be interested to know that many eminent scientists disagree with the hypothesis of anthropogenic global warming being promoted by this and other groups.

Dunstan Hartley Dianella WA

Reasons, please?

The ‘Vatican’ has insisted that Bishop Bill Morris (67) of Toowoomba resign or retire and, according to the Bishop, treated him unfairly and without proper explanation. The Press reports that what Bishop Morris said should be talked about: more opportunities for priestly ordinations including marriage for priests, is the reason.

However, Bishop Morris did break ranks with the Australian Bishops to declare to the victims of recent sexual abuse in a Catholic school in his diocese that the Church would accept all legal liability without resistance in the courts or limiting matters to the Church’s own process.

This could be a factor.

The Australian Bishops, through their Conference, are being very quiet on the Bishop Morris case although Archbishop Bathersby of Brisbane says he is at a loss to understand why it has come to a Vatican dismissal of Bishop Morris. Will we laity be told anything?!

Gerard Tonks Kalamunda WA

Superb article on science

William West’s superb article on the divine design of the physical universe and the origin of life deserves to be read and understood by everyone

The article is lucidly written and should leave no doubt that the case for a godless origin of the universe and life is logically incredible.

of overcoming all obstacles to advancement by science.

All that is needed, according to this opinion, is the “enlightened” eradication of benighted superstitions such as religion and the unfettered advance of science minus any belief in God.

Modern science is underpinned by the false philosophy of materialism, which limits its understanding of natural phenomena to materialistic explanations.

But false faith in science has been criticised by at least one scientist of international repute: David Horrobin scathingly criticised the modern attitude to science in 1969 in Science is God: “Science is the modern God. In a disturbingly large number of ways, the position of science in the mid-twentieth century parallels religion in the midnineteenth century. Politicians invoke science; scientists make the wildest claims; charlatans call their misbegotten concepts scientific. The lack of reality and hard thinking is terrifying to behold.”

It is indeed terrifying, especially when pseudo-science is allied with the terrible potency of modern technology which is much more concerned with wealth and power and has a truly totalitarian potential.

However, godless science can be effectively opposed by the propagation of a genuine science which acknowledges the initial and ongoing sovereignty of God in the material and spiritual universe. And in this cause, William West and The Record have served us very well indeed.

Hugh Clift Lesmurdie

Compliments, regrets

As one who is addicted to the Catholic blogs to be found on the Internet, I congratulate you on the compliments which are to be found there on your Editorial entitled “A Bishop who finally had to go”.

This brings me to the article written by Anthony Barich on the preceding page entitled “New Priests showing the way forward”.

In it, he quotes a number of figures on the beliefs of priests within Australia. He begins by quoting that 70 per cent of priests think that the Vatican does not understand the Church in Australia.

ne can only wonder whether the 23 internationally renowned scientists, mountaineers and lawyers who were reported (The Record 10 May) as having produced the document “Fate of Mountain Glaciers in the Anthropocene”, in which they warn that human emissions of greenhouse gases hold calamitous consequences for global temperatures, have considered the consequences of their statement. If, as they claim, temperatures will continue to climb as a result of these emis-

The question naturally arises: if the case against atheism can be so comprehensively demolished by logic of mathematical probability (that a godless origin of the material universe and organic life is virtually impossible), how is it that atheists and agnostics can have such a potent influence in the modern, academic world?

The answer lies in the natural inclination of human nature to regard itself as a valid substitute for God, and in the delusion that the human race is capable

My take on this is that the Vatican knows only too well the state of the Church here and has clear concerns about what is going on. We are told that only 84 per cent of priests believe in the Virgin Birth. Presumably the 16 per cent who do not let their views be known to their congregations as Bishop Morris let his diocesan flock know that he thinks that Lutherans or Anglicans can celebrate Mass just as validly as he can.

We are told that only 40 per cent of priests here hold that belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus is an article of Faith, which must be believed. What do the 60 per cent who don’t actually teach?

I will not repeat the whole of the survey, which appears in Anthony Barich’s article, but what it does reveal is the shaky foundation of some of the Church in Australia.

John Rayner

Hillarys

Strangers on a Rome train LIFE&FAITH

Detour in Rome: a leading Australian theologian caught the train for the beatification of Pope John Paul II but never got to her destination. It was all for the best...

BY DR TRACEY ROWLAND

Karol Wojtyla was beatified in Rome on 1 May, which in the Catholic calendar is both Divine Mercy Sunday and the Feast of St Joseph the Worker. It is also the highest of holy days for the Communists, who still exist, albeit in dwindling numbers, in Italy.

As dean of one of the eight John Paul II Institutes worldwide, I was in Rome for the beatification ceremony. I started to make my way to St Peter’s Basilica around 7am for the 10am Mass. I caught a train from the Manzoni Metro to Ottaviani, which is a 10-minute trip. In my carriage, sitting opposite, was a lady carrying a beatification booklet. As our train crossed the Tiber she became quite animated. I looked around to see if there was something in the river that might have been responsible for her reaction, like a papal barge or some such thing, but there was nothing. I smiled at her as if to say, OK, I understand, it is a sacred moment, we are crossing the Tiber. She smiled back and asked in Italian if I was attending the beatification ceremony. I said “Si” and then to indicate that my Italian is a work in progress – “Sono Australian”. She then switched to English and asked if it was my first trip to Rome. I said “No, I work for a John Paul II Institute, so I come over once a year.” At the mention of the words ‘John Paul II Institute,’ she changed seats, sat beside me, and kissed me on both cheeks, European style. She then extended her hand and said “I am Elena, from Milano”. She added that she was a cardiology nurse.

At that moment my thoughts went back to another Roman experience, when I was approached by a chap who said his name was Jorge and that he came from Peru and was a member of a new ecclesial movement whose leader wanted to meet me. I gave him my hotel details, and agreed to be collected for dinner at a certain time. As I waited to be collected it occurred to me that he could be an axe murderer for all I knew. I did not even know his surname. Jorge turned out to be bona fide and I spent a wonderful evening with the founder of the Fraternas movement and several of his high command. Fraternas now has a foundation in Sydney and runs the chaplaincy at the University of New South Wales.

I decided that this was a Jorge type of Roman experience and I became instant friends with Elena. She asked if I would like to join her and her priest friend, Don Battista. I agreed and the three of us set off for St Peter’s. We got about halfway along the road that runs from the Ottaviani Metro to St Peter’s when the police turned us back. There was no more room anywhere along the Via Conciliazione, which stretches from the Basilica all the way to the Tiber. It was jam packed with 1.5 million people. Crowds had been arriving since 2am.

The police suggested that we retreat to the Lateran Basilica, where plasma screens had been set up to cope with the overflow. We walked back to the Metro and found ourselves in a human traffic snarl. Thousands of people were still pouring out of the Please turn to Page 12

the world in brief

YES TO LIFE

Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the Italian pro-life movement at his noon blessing on 22 May. “Dear friends, I congratulate you in particular for your commitment to helping women who face difficult pregnancies, as well as engaged couples and spouses who desire responsible procreation. In this way, you are working concretely for the culture of life,” he said.  CNS

INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES CALL

TORONTO (CNS) - As Canada’s Jesuits remembered their first steps on North American soil and the welcome they received from the Mi’kmaq people 400 years ago, the Mi’kmaq asked for a favour. “Maybe it’s time for the Mi’kmaq to ask for your help in preserving our language,” Grand Keptin Antle Denny told three dozen Canadian Jesuits who had gathered to mark the 1611 landing of two Jesuits at Port Royal in what is now Nova Scotia. Denny said about 70 per cent of Mi’kmaq speak English and very few youth are comfortable in their own language. Linguists have told Denny the language will be extinct in 20 years. “We need your help,” he told the Jesuits.

BRAZILIAN SAINT

SALVADOR, Brazil (CNS) - Despite intermittent rain, 70,000 people gathered in a park for the the beatification of the nun sometimes called Brazil’s Mother Teresa. Born as Maria Rita de Souza Brito Lopes Pontes in 1914, she was known to Brazilian Catholics as Sister Dulce, the mother of the poor. Cardinal Geraldo Agnelo of Salvador concelebrated the Mass with more than 500 Archbishops, Bishops and priests.

People pack St Peter’s Square and the Via della Conciliazione leading up to the square during the beatification of Pope John Paul II on 1 May at the Vatican. This aerial view photo was provided by the Italian National Police.

PHOTO: CNS/MASSIMO SESTINI, ITALIAN NATIONAL POLICE VIA REUTERS

Pope Benedict XVI greets pilgrims in St Peter’s Square on

Pope appoints former Vietnamese refugee Bishop for Melbourne

Pope Benedict’s third episcopal appointment to Australia in less than eight weeks is just the beginning, with several other dioceses due to receive appointments.

BY ANTHONY BARICH Analysis

A VIETNAMESE refugee who fled Communism in 1980 as an 18 year old has been appointed as an auxiliary bishop of Melbourne.

Bishop-elect Fr Vincent Long Van Nguyen, 49, will become the second-youngest prelate in Australia when he is ordained as a bishop at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne on 23 June.

“The appointment of Bishop Vincent as auxiliary in Melbourne is a historic one,” Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne said in a statement on 20 May.

“He escaped from Vietnam by boat as a young man, came to Melbourne, joined the Conventual Franciscans and has already given distinguished service as a pastor in Springvale, as a leader in his Order and has made a generous and gifted contribution to the Church.”

Born in 1961 in Gia-Kiem, Vietnam, he joined the diocesan minor seminary which was later disbanded by the Communist gov-

ernment. In 1980 he left the country on a refugee boat and joined the Conventual Franciscans in 1983 before making his solemn profession on 14 January 1989.

His family has been scattered since the fall of Saigon by the People’s Army of Vietnam in 1975, with three brothers in Holland, a sister still in Vietnam and his parents and a brother and a sister are in Melbourne.

He was ordained to the priesthood on 30 December, 1989, after which he was sent to Rome for further studies and was awarded a licentiate in Christology and Spirituality from the Pontifical Faculty of St Bonaventure (The Seraphicum) in 1994.

Fr Vincent has served as Assistant General of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual since 2008 after

being elected Superior of the Order in Australia in 2005. In 2006 he was elected president of the Federation of Conventuals in Asia-Oceania.

He was appointed as the fourth Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne, a position that became vacant when Bishop Christopher Prowse was appointed as Bishop of Sale, Victoria, in June 2009 by Pope Benedict.

Melbourne has three other Auxiliary Bishops – Bishop Peter Elliott, a convert from Anglicanism, Bishop Timothy Costelloe, a Salesian, and Bishop Les Tomlinson, the Archdiocesan Vicar General.

Fr Vincent’s appointment is the third in a series of episcopal positions that have or are due to become vacant in Australia in 2011.

He is already the third Bishop to be appointed to the episcopacy

in Australia since 4 April, when the Pope appointed US-born Fr William Wright as Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle. The Pope appointed Fr Peter Comensoli, 47, a moral theologian, as an Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney on 20 April, as the youngest Australian prelate.

Archbishop Barry Hickey of Perth tendered his resignation to the Pope just prior to his 75th birthday on 16 April, while Archbishop John Bathersby of Brisbane and Archbishop Adrian Doyle of Hobart are also due to do the same as they turn 75 – the retirement age for Bishops - this year.

A replacement is also yet to be found for Bishop Joseph Grech of Sandhurst, who died suddenly on 28 December 2010 after a recurrence of a blood disorder.

The diocese of Armidale, New

South Wales also needs a new Bishop after Bishop Luc Matthys, 76, tendered his resignation to the Apostolic Nuncio on his birthday last year – May 3.

The diocese of WilcanniaForbes, NSW, has had two apostolic administrators – Bishop Terry Brady and retired Bishop Kevin Manning - since the Pope accepted the early retirement of Bishop Christopher Toohey, 59, on 8 June, 2009 under Canon 401 §2 which concerns Bishops who have “become less able to fulfill his office because of ill health or some other grave cause.”

On 28 April this year, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference issued a statement from Bishop Toohey saying that, since retiring, he had time to reflect on his life.

“My behaviour within the context of my relationships with some young adults in my pastoral care during the early years of my ministry was not consistent with that required of a good person,” Bishop Toohey said.

“I sincerely regret the hurt I have caused to these people and their families. In the light of these reflections, I will not be returning to active ministry in the church.”

Pope Benedict also appointed Brisbane auxiliary Bishop Brian Finnigan as apostolic administrator of the Toowoomba diocese in northern Queensland after the pontiff removed Bishop William Morris for what the Australian bishops’ conference acknowledged were “doctrinal problems” on 2 May.

A perfect dementor-free day in Rom

Continued from Page 11

Metro while thousands of others had been turned back by police and were heading into the Metro.

There were so many people it was not possible to get anywhere near the ticket machines. The only hope was to queue for human service but these queues were about 30 deep. Just as I was concluding that I would spend the ceremony stuck in an underground metro, Elena again became animated. She had noticed a friend at the head of one of the queues. She called out “Luciano, Luciano”, and then instructions for three more tickets. Luciano got the message and emerged from the scrum with a ticket for me, Elena and Don Battista. There was no time to exchange money, so I thanked the complete stranger for buying my ticket and when we finally got onto a train Elena said “Luciano is a psychologist”, and then to Luciano, “Tracey is an Australian theologian”.

It occurred to me that this was something of a foretaste of the end of the world. Leaving aside the fear and trembling, this was a moment when all the sheep were gathered together in the one place, and all feeling close and friendly, because, regardless of whether or not we could speak each other’s language, we were united by a bond that was so deep it did not need to be expressed in any language. The gestures, like Luciano’s ticket for me, or his bow in my direction as he stood back and let me off the train first, were enough.

I tried to explain to Elena that I thought it was like the end of

the world, but she did not understand ‘end of world’. I tried words like consummation and eschaton, but they did not help. She suggested French and I countered with German. She agreed to German. I then said: “Es ist wie das Ende der Zeit wenn Christ gekommen will.” She did not get it but gave me a hug as a compensatory gesture. We got to the Lateran in time

for the start of the ceremony. The crowd broke into applause as Pope Benedict XVI appeared. He was looking relaxed and happy.

A nun then brought forward the vial of blood which was taken from Blessed John Paul II before his death. As she came forward the choir chanted a motet in Latin. Don Battista had come with the

whole Order of Service and allowed me to read the words of the hymn over his shoulder.

The translation was “Open Wide the Doors to Christ”. As the Pope read out the decree of beatification an icon of John Paul II was unveiled behind the sanctuary.

The next surprise was the second reader. Sr Bernadette Pike, a former student of the Institute,

appeared before the microphone. I have known Sr Bernadette since she was Clare Pike, an undergraduate law student. She is a young protégé of Archbishop Barry Hickey and for several years directed his Respect Life office in Perth. I felt deeply proud of her; she managed to get through the whole reading without a quiver and she was a fellow Australian - someone I had taught.

In his homily Pope Benedict XVI spoke of John Paul II’s experiences in Communist Poland and how these led him to conclude that the contemporary culture wars were over what it meant to be human.

John Paul II wanted to juxtapose the Marxist idea of the human person with the Christian. This was evident in the very first lines of his first encyclical – Redemptor Hominis

Whereas the first sentence of Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto was: “Workers of the World Unite, the history of the world is the history of class conflict”; the first sentence of Redemptor Hominis was: “Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of Man, is the centre and purpose of human history”. For one, class conflict and economics is the dynamic of history; for the other it is Christ.

Pope Benedict XVI emphasised that the pontificate of John Paul II was all about the promotion of a Christian anthropology.

He noted that this anthropology was found in the documents of the Second Vatican Council and that John Paul II, who attended the council as a bishop, was an authentic interpreter of the meaning of the council.

Towards the end of the Mass

Pilgrims attend a vigil on the eve of the beatification of Pope John Paul II at the ancient Circus Maximus in Rome on 30 April.

PHOTO: CNS/PAUL HARING

Bishop-elect Peter ComensoliBishop-elect William Wright Bishop-elect Van Nguyen

Pope appoints former Vietnamese refugee Bishop for Melbourne

Pope Benedict’s third episcopal appointment to Australia in less than eight weeks is just the beginning, with several other dioceses due to receive appointments.

BY ANTHONY BARICH Analysis

A VIETNAMESE refugee who fled Communism in 1980 as an 18 year old has been appointed as an auxiliary bishop of Melbourne.

Bishop-elect Fr Vincent Long Van Nguyen, 49, will become the second-youngest prelate in Australia when he is ordained as a bishop at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne on 23 June.

“The appointment of Bishop Vincent as auxiliary in Melbourne is a historic one,” Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne said in a statement on 20 May.

“He escaped from Vietnam by boat as a young man, came to Melbourne, joined the Conventual Franciscans and has already given distinguished service as a pastor in Springvale, as a leader in his Order and has made a generous and gifted contribution to the Church.”

Born in 1961 in Gia-Kiem, Vietnam, he joined the diocesan minor seminary which was later disbanded by the Communist gov-

ernment. In 1980 he left the country on a refugee boat and joined the Conventual Franciscans in 1983 before making his solemn profession on 14 January 1989.

His family has been scattered since the fall of Saigon by the People’s Army of Vietnam in 1975, with three brothers in Holland, a sister still in Vietnam and his parents and a brother and a sister are in Melbourne.

He was ordained to the priesthood on 30 December, 1989, after which he was sent to Rome for further studies and was awarded a licentiate in Christology and Spirituality from the Pontifical Faculty of St Bonaventure (The Seraphicum) in 1994.

Fr Vincent has served as Assistant General of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual since 2008 after

being elected Superior of the Order in Australia in 2005. In 2006 he was elected president of the Federation of Conventuals in Asia-Oceania.

He was appointed as the fourth Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne, a position that became vacant when Bishop Christopher Prowse was appointed as Bishop of Sale, Victoria, in June 2009 by Pope Benedict.

Melbourne has three other Auxiliary Bishops – Bishop Peter Elliott, a convert from Anglicanism, Bishop Timothy Costelloe, a Salesian, and Bishop Les Tomlinson, the Archdiocesan Vicar General.

Fr Vincent’s appointment is the third in a series of episcopal positions that have or are due to become vacant in Australia in 2011.

He is already the third Bishop to be appointed to the episcopacy

in Australia since 4 April, when the Pope appointed US-born Fr William Wright as Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle. The Pope appointed Fr Peter Comensoli, 47, a moral theologian, as an Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney on 20 April, as the youngest Australian prelate.

Archbishop Barry Hickey of Perth tendered his resignation to the Pope just prior to his 75th birthday on 16 April, while Archbishop John Bathersby of Brisbane and Archbishop Adrian Doyle of Hobart are also due to do the same as they turn 75 – the retirement age for Bishops - this year.

A replacement is also yet to be found for Bishop Joseph Grech of Sandhurst, who died suddenly on 28 December 2010 after a recurrence of a blood disorder.

The diocese of Armidale, New

South Wales also needs a new Bishop after Bishop Luc Matthys, 76, tendered his resignation to the Apostolic Nuncio on his birthday last year – May 3.

The diocese of WilcanniaForbes, NSW, has had two apostolic administrators – Bishop Terry Brady and retired Bishop Kevin Manning - since the Pope accepted the early retirement of Bishop Christopher Toohey, 59, on 8 June, 2009 under Canon 401 §2 which concerns Bishops who have “become less able to fulfill his office because of ill health or some other grave cause.”

On 28 April this year, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference issued a statement from Bishop Toohey saying that, since retiring, he had time to reflect on his life.

“My behaviour within the context of my relationships with some young adults in my pastoral care during the early years of my ministry was not consistent with that required of a good person,” Bishop Toohey said.

“I sincerely regret the hurt I have caused to these people and their families. In the light of these reflections, I will not be returning to active ministry in the church.”

Pope Benedict also appointed Brisbane auxiliary Bishop Brian Finnigan as apostolic administrator of the Toowoomba diocese in northern Queensland after the pontiff removed Bishop William Morris for what the Australian bishops’ conference acknowledged were “doctrinal problems” on 2 May.

A perfect dementor-free day in Rom

Continued from Page 11

Metro while thousands of others had been turned back by police and were heading into the Metro.

There were so many people it was not possible to get anywhere near the ticket machines. The only hope was to queue for human service but these queues were about 30 deep. Just as I was concluding that I would spend the ceremony stuck in an underground metro, Elena again became animated. She had noticed a friend at the head of one of the queues. She called out “Luciano, Luciano”, and then instructions for three more tickets. Luciano got the message and emerged from the scrum with a ticket for me, Elena and Don Battista. There was no time to exchange money, so I thanked the complete stranger for buying my ticket and when we finally got onto a train Elena said “Luciano is a psychologist”, and then to Luciano, “Tracey is an Australian theologian”.

It occurred to me that this was something of a foretaste of the end of the world. Leaving aside the fear and trembling, this was a moment when all the sheep were gathered together in the one place, and all feeling close and friendly, because, regardless of whether or not we could speak each other’s language, we were united by a bond that was so deep it did not need to be expressed in any language. The gestures, like Luciano’s ticket for me, or his bow in my direction as he stood back and let me off the train first, were enough.

I tried to explain to Elena that I thought it was like the end of

the world, but she did not understand ‘end of world’. I tried words like consummation and eschaton, but they did not help. She suggested French and I countered with German. She agreed to German. I then said: “Es ist wie das Ende der Zeit wenn Christ gekommen will.” She did not get it but gave me a hug as a compensatory gesture. We got to the Lateran in time

for the start of the ceremony. The crowd broke into applause as Pope Benedict XVI appeared. He was looking relaxed and happy.

A nun then brought forward the vial of blood which was taken from Blessed John Paul II before his death. As she came forward the choir chanted a motet in Latin. Don Battista had come with the

whole Order of Service and allowed me to read the words of the hymn over his shoulder.

The translation was “Open Wide the Doors to Christ”. As the Pope read out the decree of beatification an icon of John Paul II was unveiled behind the sanctuary.

The next surprise was the second reader. Sr Bernadette Pike, a former student of the Institute,

appeared before the microphone. I have known Sr Bernadette since she was Clare Pike, an undergraduate law student. She is a young protégé of Archbishop Barry Hickey and for several years directed his Respect Life office in Perth. I felt deeply proud of her; she managed to get through the whole reading without a quiver and she was a fellow Australian - someone I had taught.

In his homily Pope Benedict XVI spoke of John Paul II’s experiences in Communist Poland and how these led him to conclude that the contemporary culture wars were over what it meant to be human.

John Paul II wanted to juxtapose the Marxist idea of the human person with the Christian. This was evident in the very first lines of his first encyclical – Redemptor Hominis

Whereas the first sentence of Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto was: “Workers of the World Unite, the history of the world is the history of class conflict”; the first sentence of Redemptor Hominis was: “Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of Man, is the centre and purpose of human history”. For one, class conflict and economics is the dynamic of history; for the other it is Christ.

Pope Benedict XVI emphasised that the pontificate of John Paul II was all about the promotion of a Christian anthropology.

He noted that this anthropology was found in the documents of the Second Vatican Council and that John Paul II, who attended the council as a bishop, was an authentic interpreter of the meaning of the council.

Towards the end of the Mass

Pilgrims attend a vigil on the eve of the beatification of Pope John Paul II at the ancient Circus Maximus in Rome on 30 April.

PHOTO: CNS/PAUL HARING

Bishop-elect Peter ComensoliBishop-elect William Wright Bishop-elect Van Nguyen

Jesuit offers way to make sense of tragedy

Continued from Page 1

This extraordinary experience led Fr Richard, 20 years later to write a book – Where the Hell is God? - on where people can find God in pain and suffering. The book also aims to help people who are suffering to make sense out of their experience.

It is deliberately simple, short and accessible he said, and is delivered not in deep theological terms but with a lighter touch.

“We’re in the area of speculative theology, the Church can’t be definitive,” he told The Record in an interview earlier that day.

He stressed that his conclusions in relation to God, pain and suffering in the book were not Church dogma.

They were merely his own speculations drawn from the early Church’s image of the Good Shepherd, and personal questions and experiences he has wrestled with over time, which people are free to take or leave.

Ordained in 1993, Fr Richard said he first started talking about tragedy and suffering in Perth at John XXIII College in 2000 and since then has been exploring, developing and reflecting on the meaning of suffering and God.

Fr Richard distinguished between the active will of God and the passive where God permits evil that good may come from it.

The point of suffering is that we grow through suffering, he said, which has been a long tradition of the Church.

“But that’s very different to saying God wants it to happen,” he said.

After his sister’s accident, floods of letters from well-intentioned friends came pouring in offering consolation but the theology in their kindness was not so comforting for the family.

The family received a number of

letters saying that Tracy had done something terrible in her life and that God was punishing her here, that she might merit heaven. Another strand of consolation came by way of suggesting that by Tracy’s suffering, she was “sending big building blocks to heaven and was going to have a mansion

in the sky”. Fr Richard said that Heaven was where we’re meant to be eternally happy with God, and that there wasn’t economy and first class in Heaven. And while believing in God’s justice he doesn’t think that we suffer because God wants us to send building blocks to heaven.

Another piece of consolation –“a lock stock piece of Irish theology” – the Leonard family was told was that “God only sends the biggest crosses to those who can bear them”.

They were told how blessed they were, but not feeling particularly blessed, this made them feel guilty, he said.

The fourth group of letters sent to the family said that God was a mystery and they would never know the reason they had been sent this suffering. Fr Richard also deals with finding God’s will in our lives.

“I believe passionately in finding God’s will in our lives, but in the big picture not in the small,” he said, referring to daily occurrences like choosing the route to work.

He recommended moving away from a “blueprint theology” – that says that God has a plan for me and I have to find out what it is – and moving towards finding out how to be “the most faithful, the most hopeful, the most loving person possible” which God asks of all believers.

He said that God accompanies us in the discernment process to discover how we’re going to live that out given our context, time and talents.

OFFICIAL ENGAGEMENTS

2011

MAY

24 Launch of Italian Australian Apprentice of the Year Award – Archbishop Hickey

26 Redemptoris Mater Diaconate, St Mary’s Cathedral – Archbishop Hickey

27 25th Anniversary Mass, Prendiville Catholic College – Bishop Sproxton Confirmation, Innaloo – Mgr Brian O’Loughlin VG

28 & 29 Confirmation, Leederville – Archbishop Hickey

31 Visit Confirmation candidates, Balcatta – Archbishop Hickey Catholic Primary Principals’ Association Conference Mass –Bishop Sproxton

JUNE

2 Italian National Day Reception – Archbishop Hickey

3 Conferral of Ministries, St Charles’ Seminary –Archbishop Hickey

5 Mass, St Thomas More College – Archbishop Hickey Italian National Ball – Mgr Brian O’Loughlin VG

For couple 80 years of life’s ups and downs also wedded bliss

Continued from Page 1

Archbishop Barry Hickey’s Episcopal blessing for their anniversary.

Tired of all the media attention, Rose declined a formal interview with The Record but when asked the secret to a happy, lifelong marriage, she replied with a laugh saying there was no secret.

“Some days are better than others. When the days aren’t so good, you hope tomorrow’s better.

“You love one another ... you think of your partner before yourself,” Rose said. “Things were

hard when we were young but I think it’s harder for the younger ones,” she said, referring to the cost of buying and setting up a house and the financial pressures for young newlyweds.

Joe migrated to Australia in 1924 from Croatia at the age of 16, having never left his village prior to that.

Joe first met Rose Beus when she was 11 on her father’s vineyard but his first priority was work - any work - to repay the debt he had borrowed for passage to Australia and to eat.

Ante Beus - Rose’s father - offered him work for 1 pound a week but a fellow passenger said, there was work in Kalgoorlie for 1 pound a day.

The Beus family kept in touch with him and invited him back for various jobs around their vineyard. They were married in 1931 in St Brigid’s Midland and have lived in the Swan Valley their whole married lives, moving into Morrison Lodge retirement village in 2004.

Joe and Rose have four children, 13 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren.

me could also be the end of the world

those of us who were watching on the Lateran’s plasma screen were escorted into the Lateran Basilica to receive Holy Communion.

We returned to the square in time for the Regina Caeli and final blessing. I then said farewell to my new friends, exchanged addresses and promised them all free bed and breakfast if they ever visited Melbourne.

On my way to my hotel I passed one of the 1 May Communist demonstrations. About 50 young people were carrying ‘ban the bomb’ posters and Soviet flags.

I had not seen a Soviet flag for decades. They were marching directly against a crowd of Poles whose red and white flags merged with the red and yellow of the Communists.

I watched to see if there would be a confrontation but the Poles were too happy to even notice their archenemies.

Other standout memories of the day included: the sight of huge signs on the doors of restaurants and bars around St Peter’s bearing the words ‘NO TOILET’; a scene on a train where two obviously homosexual Italians were the subject of a morals lecture by a Polish lady (she spoke in Polish, they countered in Italian); a couple of scenes of bishops and monsignori pleading with police to allow them access to roads around the Vatican which had been blocked off; and best of all, T-shirts with the words ‘Tu es Christ’ under a smiling image of John Paul II.

Of course, the correct Latin is Tu es Christus – but leaving aside the problem of spelling, the fact is

that John Paul II was the Pope, not Christ. It should have been ‘Tu es Petrus’.

Lucky there were no Protestants anywhere to be scandalised. When it came to sartorial sensibilities, the prize for the best dressed went to the French who, as always, were looking the most über cool; and the prize for the most ‘out there’ regalia went to a group operating on the

Vittorio Emanuele bridge. They were wearing long red capes with a huge image of Christ the King printed on the red cloth and handing out Miraculous Medals and holy cards. They had covered the bridge with banners. One said: “1 million angels for Benedict XVI”; another: “Free Rome: Ultramontanism”. I tried to find one who could

speak enough English to explain who they were but they were not very good at English and I ended up with several holy cards and Miraculous Medals but no deeper understanding.

My dominant spiritual impression was that these crowds of 1.5-2 million people were a concrete example of what French novelist Georges Bernanos (following

St Therese of Lisieux), had written about spiritual childhood. Bernanos thought that the best parts of the human being are those elements of faith and hope which somehow manage to survive childhood and do not get snuffed out by the brutality of the adult world.

J.K. Rowling was onto a similar insight with her concept of ‘dementors’. Dementors operate by sucking the hope out of people. It occurred to me that for a few hours at least, Rome was a dementor-free zone. Catholics could find sheer unadulterated joy in being Catholics. It was as if everyone had rediscovered the joy of children, the traffic jams notwithstanding.

All 1.5-2 million had their parts to play in a theo-drama much larger than any individual. There was a sense that together they could actually achieve what Blessed John Paul II wanted – to turn the trajectory of Western civilisation away from a culture of death to a civilisation of love. I imagined that in heaven they would all tell stories, like old soldiers, of how they did their bit – stories of this battle, that fight, those particular dementors, the angelic assistance, the prayers of the saints, the friendships forged along the way.

I also imagined that at the end of time, Christ will not put the Italian police in charge of traffic management; but, if he does, I will be relying on Elena, Luciano and Don Battista to shepherd me through.

Dr Tracey Rowland is Associate Professor and Dean of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family (Melbourne).

People file past the casket of of Blessed Pope John Paul II inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican May 1. More than 250,000 people visited Blessed John Paul’s mortal remains on the day of his beatification.

PHOTO: CN S/MAX ROSSI, REUTERS

Fr Richard Leonard makes a point during his talk at Bateman Parish last week. His book Where the hell is God? confronts the issues surrounding suffering.

PHOTO: PETER ROSENGREN

How Church verifies Mary’s visits as God’s

Mary has been appearing for centuries, but how does the Church respond to them?

Mark Reidy investigates.

According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to the Apostle, James the Greater, on 2 January in the year 40 in present day Zaragoza, Spain. Since then, there have been hundreds, possibly even thousands of reported sightings, with 386 alleged incidents being investigated by the Church throughout the 20th century. Only a handful have been granted official recognition.

But the Vatican, at least publicly, has always been reticent in focusing too much attention on these supernatural claims. She explains why in the Catechism: “Christ, the Son of God made man, is the Father’s one, perfect, and unsurpassable Word. In Him, He has said everything; there will be no other word than this one”(65). Her caution is more specifically addressed in the following paragraph with a quote from St John of the Cross: “Any person questioning God or desiring some vision or revelation would be guilty not only of foolish behaviour but also of offending Him, by not fixing his eyes entirely upon Christ and by living with the desire for some other novelty”.

In other words, the Church is unwavering in Her understanding that there will be no further rev-

elation “before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ” (CCC66). The Church acknowledges that there have been many “private” revelations throughout the ages and that some of these have even been officially recognised, but She is unequivocal in Her understanding that even those which the Church has authorised do not belong or add anything to the deposit of faith. “It is not their role”, the Catechism states, “to improve or complete Christ’s definitive Revelation, but to help [people] live more fully by it in a certain period of history” (CCC67).

With this understanding in mind it becomes easier to perceive why the Church hierarchy appears content to keep claims of alleged encounters at a comfortable distance. There is, after all, nothing they can add to the deposit of faith

already in their possession but they do have the potential to confuse or mislead the faithful.

Not renowned for speed, the Church seemed to be particularly and understandably cautious in Her approach to a topic as contentious and controversial as supernatural apparitions.

In an interview with Catholic News Service earlier this year, Father Salvatore Perrella, a theologian who serves as an expert for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith - the Vatican body that is sometimes called to oversee investigations into reported apparitions - said it plain and simply: “The process is never brief”.

He highlighted the case of Robinsonville, Wisconsin - the first time the Church had confirmed an apparition in the US - as an example.

In December 2010 the local Bishop declared the Marian apparitions received by Adele Brise in1859 to, “exhibit the substance of supernatural character” and to be “worthy of belief (although not obligatory) by the Christian faithful”. Although that process took 151 years to receive the Diocesan Bishop’s approval, Fr Perrella stated, it is was just half of the 300 years it took for the apparitions of Our Lady of Laus in France to receive CDF recognition in 2008.

The local Bishop gave the Laus apparition approval in 1665 but this only allowed devotion inspired by the apparition to proceed - it did not recognise it as a supernatural event.

Last century saw an increased number of reported visions, locutions, weeping/bleeding statues as well as a rapid rise in their dissemi-

Bishop Approved Marian Apparitions

Guadalupe, Mexico (1531)

Title: Our Lady of Guadalupe

Approved: 1555 by Archbishop Alonso de Montufar

Visionary: San Juan Diego (57), Juan Bernardino

First Apparition: 9 Dec 1531

Last Apparition: 12 Dec 1531

Number of Apparitions: 5

Summary: Mary proclaimed herself, “the Mother of the true God who gives life” and left her image permanently upon the tilma of Juan Diego, a recent convert to Christianity.

Quito, Ecuador (1594)

Title: Our Lady of Good Success

Approved: 2 Feb 1611 by Bishop Salvador de Riber

Visionary: Venerable Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres (31)

First Apparition: 2 Feb 1594

Last Apparition: 8 Dec 1634

Number of Apparitions: 4

Summary: Our Lady of Good Success appeared to Spanish-born Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres at her Conceptionist Royal Convent in Quito, Ecuador. She requested that a statue be made in her likeness and warned of diminishing faith and vocations in the 20th century.

Siluva, Lithuania (1608)

Title: Our Lady of Siluva

Approved: 17 Aug 1775 by Pope Pius VI

Visionaries: four children

First Apparition: 1608

Last Apparition: 1612

Number of Apparitions: Many over four years

Summary: One summer day, in 1608, a number of children were playing while tending their sheep in a field on the outskirts of the village of Siluva. They beheld a beautiful young woman standing on the rock holding a baby in her arms and weeping bitterly. The town, which had lost its Catholic identity to the Calvinists over the course of 80 years, was restored to the Faith.

Laus, France (1664)

Title: Our Lady of Laus / Our Lady of Happy Meetings

Approved: 4 May 2008 by Bishop Jean-Michel di Falco of the Diocese of Gap

Visionary: Benoite (Benedicta) Rencurel (17)

First Apparition: 1664

Last Apparition: 1718

Number of Apparitions: Many (over 54 years)

Summary: Benoite Rencurel, a poor shepherdess, was born in 1647. The Virgin Mary started appearing to her in 1664 and continued visiting her throughout the rest of her life. The Blessed Mother told her to “pray continuously for sinners.”

Paris, France (1830)

Title: Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

Approved: 1836 by Archbishop de Quelen of Paris

Visionary: St Catherine Laboure (24)

First Apparition: 18 Jul 1830

Last Apparition: 27 Nov 1830

Number of Apparitions: 3

Summary: In the chapel of the Daughters of Charity of St.Vincent de Paul, Mary showed herself three times to novice Catherine Laboure. Laboure said she was commissioned by the Virgin to have the medal of the Immaculate Conception or “Miraculous Medal” made in order to spread devotion to Our Lady.

Rome, Italy (1842)

Title: Our Lady of Zion

Approved: 3 Jun 1842 by the Vicar General of Pope Gregory XVI, Cardinal Patrizi

Visionary: Marie Alphonse Ratisbonne (28)

Sole Apparition: 20 Jan 1842

Summary: Marie Alphonse Ratisbonne, an anti-Catholic Jew, befriended a baron in Rome and began wearing the Miraculous Medal as a simple test. On 20 Jan 1842, while waiting for the baron in the Church Sant Andrea delle Fratte, Ratisbonne encountered a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He converted to Catholicism, joined the priesthood, and began a ministry for the conversion of Jews.

La Salette, France (1846)

Title: Our Lady of La Salette

Approved: 16 Nov 1851 by Mgr de Bruillard

Visionaries: Maximin Giraud (11), Melanie Mathieu (14)

Sole Apparition: 19 Sep 1846

Summary: Six thousand feet up in the French Alps, Mary is believed to have come to Maximin and Melanie while they tended sheep. Her appearance in sorrow and tears called for conversion and penance for sins.

Lourdes, France, (1858)

Title: Our Lady of Lourdes

Approved: 18 Jan 1862 by Bertrand Severe Laurence, Bishop of Tarbes

Visionary: St Bernadette Soubirous (14)

First Apparition: 11 Feb 1858

Last Apparition: 16 July 1858

Number of Apparitions: 18

Summary: At the Grotto of Massabielle, the Virgin showed herself 18 times to Bernadette Soubirous. Under the title “the Immaculate Conception,” she called for penance and prayer for the conversion of sinners.

Wisconsin, USA (1859)

Title: Our Lady of Good Help

Approved: 8 Dec 2010 by Bishop David L Ricken

Visionaries: Adele Brise (28)

First Apparition: 8 Oct 1859

Last Apparition: 17 Oct 1859

Number of Apparitions: 3

Summary: Our Lady appeared three times to a Belgian farmwoman and asked her to pray for the conversion of sinners and encouraged her to evangelise and catechise the local people.

Pontmain, France (1871)

Title: Our Lady of Hope

Approved: Feb 1875 by Bishop Laval

Visionaries:

Eugene Barbadette (12)

Francoise Richer (11)

Jeanne-Marie Lebosse (9)

Eugene Friteau (6)

Sole Apparition: 17 Jan 1871

Summary: Mary appeared on a farm to students at the nearby convent school. Mary’s message was written on a banner that unfurled from her feet: “But pray my children. God will hear you in a short time. My Son allows Himself to be moved by compassion.”

Gietrzwald, Poland (1877)

Title: Our Lady of Gietrzwald

Approved: Bishop Filip Krementz 1878, Warmian Bishop, Jozef Drzazga 11 Sep 1977

Visionaries:

Justyna Szafrynska (13)

Barbara Samulowska (12)

First Apparition: 27 Jun 1877

Last Apparition: 16 Sep 1877

Number of Apparitions: 9

Ambassador

nation thanks to the pace of modern, global communication.

In 1978, the CDF responded by releasing Norms of the Congregation for Proceeding in Judging Alleged Apparitions and Revelations

These guidelines were established to provide a uniform approach to the process of discernment and the investigation of reported apparitions and mysterious happenings. They were designed to assist those scrutinising alleged claims, particularly diocesan Bishops who, in most cases, had to determine whether a more thorough investigation was required.

The document provides lists of both positive and negative criteria to help determine the authenticity of reported cases. It provides guidelines in evaluating such aspects as: the personal qualities displayed by the person or people involved

Summary: In 1877, the Virgin Mary appeared to two girls over the course of three months and encouraged a return to prayer.

Knock, Ireland (1879)

Title: Our Lady of Knock

Approved: In 1936, Archbishop of Tuam, Dr Gilmartin’s investigative commission returns a positive verdict.

Visionaries: 15

Sole Apparition: 21 Aug 1879

Summary: During a pouring rain, the figures of Mary, Joseph, John the Apostle and a lamb on a plain altar appeared over the gable of the village chapel, enveloped in a bright light. None of them spoke. At least 15 people, between the ages of 5 and 75, saw the apparition.

Castelpetroso, Italy (1888)

- their mental and psychological health, moral life, obedience to Church authority, ability to return to their normal faith life, any pursuit of financial or material gain – and possibility of mass hysteria. The guidelines also address the content of the alleged revelations – do they align with the faith and morals taught by the Church and whether they are free of doctrinal error - as well as assessing the spiritual fruits which endure as a result, such as the spirit of prayer, conversions and signs of charity.

The initial investigation, which is instigated by the diocesan Bishop, either on his own initiative or at the request of the faithful, can include a commission of experts, such as theologians, canonists, psychologists and doctors.

Once the Bishop’s investigation is complete, he will come to one of

Approved: 13 October 1930

Visionaries:

Lucia dos Santos (9)

Jacinta Marto (8)

Francisco Marto (7)

First Apparition: 13 May 1917

Last Apparition: 13 Oct 1917

Number of Apparitions: 6

Summary: While tending sheep, Lucia de Santos and her two cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, reported six apparitions of Mary, who identified herself as “Our Lady of the Rosary.” Mary urged prayer of the Rosary, penance for the conversion of sinners and consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart.

Beauraing, Belgium (1932)

Title: The Virgin with the Golden Heart

Approved: 2 Jul 1949 by the Bishop of Namur

Visionaries:

Fernande Voisin (15)

Andree Degeimbre (14)

Albert Voisin (11)

Gilberte Voisin (11)

Gilberte Degeimbre (9)

three conclusions, says Fr Perrella. He can determine the apparition to be true and worthy of belief, untrue (which leaves open the possibility of an appeal), or he can say that he is unable, at the moment, to make a determination and will need to investigate further.

If the Bishop reaches a positive conclusion, cautionary permission to participate in any surrounding devotions can be granted indicating that, for the moment, there is nothing opposed to it. Ultimately, final judgement and determination needs to be given, giving approval or condemning the event, which, as in the case of Laus, can take centuries to determine.

If further investigation is required, the case can be brought to the country’s Bishops’ Conference. If a conclusion still cannot be reached, then the matter is turned over to the Pope who delegates the CDF to assist. The CDF may provide advice, appoint a commissioner or set up a commission to investigate.

First Apparition: 15 Jan 1933

Last Apparition: 2 Mar 1933

Number of Apparitions: 8

Summary: In a garden behind the Beco family’s cottage, the Blessed Mother is said to have appeared to Mariette Beco eight times. Calling herself the “Virgin of the Poor,” Mary promised to intercede for the poor, the sick and the suffering.

Amsterdam, Netherlands (1945)

Title: Our Lady of All Nations

Approved: 31 May 2002 by Bishop Jozef Marianus Punt of Haarlem

Visionary: Ida Peederman

First Apparition: 25 Mar 1945

Last Apparition: 31 May 1959

Number of Apparitions: 56

Summary: During a series of 56 apparitions, over 14 years, prophecies were given to Ida Peederman along with an image of the Blessed Mother and a prayer. The revelations emphasise the importance of the Eucharist.

Fr Perrella points out that the Bishop of the diocese where the apparitions have been reported is in charge of the investigation at every step.

“

It is not their role to improve or complete Christ’s definitive Revelation, but to help [people] live more fully by it in a certain period of history.”

He says that the case of Medjugore in Bosnia-Herzegovina is an example of the country’s Bishops requesting the intervention of the CDF. The Congregation

Title: Our Lady of Sorrows

Approved: 1889 by Mgr Macarone-Palmieri, Bishop of the diocese of Bojano

Visionaries: Two shepherdesses - Fabiana Cecchino (35) and Serafina Giovanna Valentino (33)

First Apparition: 22 Mar 1888

Last Apparition: June 1890

Number of Apparitions: Many

Summary: Two women had a vision of Mary: first, as the Pieta and; later, as Our Lady of Sorrows in a cave at Castelpetroso, Italy.

Fatima,

First Apparition: 29 Nov 1932

Last Apparition: 3 Jan 1933

Number of Apparitions: 33

Summary: Mary is believed to have come 33 times to the playground of a convent school to five children. Identifying herself as “the Immaculate Virgin” and “Mother of God, Queen of Heaven,” she called for prayer for the conversion of sinners.

Banneux, Belgium (1933)

Title: The Virgin of the Poor

Approved: 19 Mar 1942 by Bishop Kerkhofs of Liege; 22 Aug 1949

Visionary: Mariette Beco (11)

Akita, Japan (1973)

Title: Our Lady of Akita

Approved: 22 Apr 1984 approved by Bishop John Shoojiroo Ito of Niigata. In 1988, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger allowed Ito’s pastoral letter and its dissemination to the faithful.

Visionary: Sr Agnes Sasagawa (43)

First Apparition: 6 Jul 1973

Last Apparition: 13 Oct 1973

Summary: Sr Agnes Sasagawa of the Handmaids of the Eucharist received 101 messages emanating from a bleeding wooden statue of Mary.

responded in 2010 by establishing a commission to investigate the claims of the six people who have said that Mary has been appearing to them since 1981.

Fr Perrella says that while the Church approaches each claim with “maximum prudence and investigative rigour”, Her invitation to others is to the Gospel and not to a fixation on lesser events.

The Church never requires the faithful to believe in any Marian apparitions, not even those that She has officially recognised.

While the Church affirms that because Mary was assumed into heaven, body and soul, it is possible that she can appear in bodily form, Fr Perrella emphasises that she always comes as “God’s Ambassador, charged with a specific message for a specific time and place” and never on her own accord.

Her appearance is not meant to result in her glorification, he said, but of God’s.

■

Betania, Venezuela (1976)

Title: Reconciler of People and Nations

Approved: 21 Nov 1987 by Bishop Pio Bello Ricardo. Declared a sanctuary 26 May 2009 by Bishop Freddy J Fuenmayor.

Visionary: Maria Esperanza

First Apparition: 25 Mar 1976

Last Apparition: 8 Dec 1989

Number of Apparitions: 30

Summary: Maria Esperanza of Betania, Venezuela witnessed 30 apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary over the course of 15 years. The Virgin called herself the “Reconciler of People and Nations” and warned of impending war and suffering.

Cuapa, Nicaragua (1980)

Title: Our Lady of Cuapa

Approved: 13 Nov 1982 by Bishop Pablo Antonio Vega

Visionary: Bernardo Martinez

First Apparition: 15 Apr 1980

Last Apparition: 13 Oct 1980

Number of Apparitions: 4+

Summary: Church sacristan Bernardo Martinez entered an old chapel and observed a supernatural light illuminating from a statue of the Blessed Virgin. The Virgin later appeared clothed in white and asked for the daily Rosary with Biblical citations and to have the First Saturday Devotions renewed. She also warned of future sufferings for Nicaragua if the people didn’t change.

Kibeho, Rwanda (1981)

Title: “Nyina wa Jambo” (Mother of the Word)

Approved: 29 Jun 2001 (Bishop Augustine Imago of Gikongoro)

Visionaries:

Alphonsine Mumureke (17)

Nathalie Mukamazimpaka (20)

Marie Claire Mukangango (21)

First Apparition: 28 Nov 1981

Last Apparition: 28 Nov 1989

Number of Apparitions: Many

Summary: The apparitions began in November 1981 when six young girls and one boy claimed to see the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus. But only the visions of the first three - Alphonsine, Nathalie and Marie Claire - have received Bishop Misago’s solemn approval. Because there were reservations about the other four visionaries, and the supposed visions of Jesus, Bishop Misago didn’t confirm the authenticity of either those visions or visionaries.

San Nicolas, Argentina (1983)

Title: Our Lady of the Rosary

Approved: 14 Nov 1990, by the Bishop of San Nicolas, Monsignor Domingo Castagna

Visionary: Gladys de Motta

First Apparition: 25 Sep 1983

Last Apparition: 11 Feb 1990

Number of Apparitions: 1816

Summary: An ordinary housewife, mother and grandmother who had no formal education and no knowledge of the Bible or theology, claimed that she was visited by the Blessed Mother daily for a period of over six years.

Note: This compilation is taken mainly from website, The Miracle Hunters, with verification from numerous other sources; no official Vatican list of approved apparitions could be found. The above list does not include Coptic Approved Apparitions.

Portugal (1917)

Title: Our Lady of Fatima / Our Lady of the Rosary

Bishops release report into abuse causes

Causes and context report released on clergy sexual abuse of minors

BY DAVID GIBSON Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON - Because potential sexual abusers of minors cannot be pinpointed through “identifiable psychological characteristics,” it is “very important” to prevent abuse by limiting the “situational factors” associated with it, according to a longawaited report on the causes and context of sexual abuse by priests in the United States.

The report, released in Washington on 18 May, said there is “no single identifiable ‘cause’ of sexually abusive behaviour toward minors.” It encouraged steps to deny abusers “the opportunity to abuse.”

The report said they constituted a “heterogeneous population.” The majority “appear to have had certain vulnerabilities,” such as “emotional congruence to adolescents” or difficulty interrelating with adults.

Some priest-abusers were abused as youths. “Having been sexually abused by an adult while a minor increased the risk that priests would later abuse a child,” the report said.

The stress priests may experience at transitional moments - moving from seminary to parish life; transferring to new parishes; becoming pastors - was cited as a factor that can increase “vulnerability to abuse.”

Titled The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 19502010, it reports the findings of a study mandated in 2002 under the US Catholic Bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.”

The charter, adopted by the Bishops during a historic meeting in Dallas, created a National Review Board and directed the lay consultative body to commission studies of the abuse problem’s “nature and scope” and its “causes and context.”

The John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York conducted both studies.

The nature and scope study appeared in February 2004. The causes and context study commenced in 2006.

The new report addressed several misperceptions about the sexual abuse of minors by priests. It said:

● Priestly celibacy does not explain this problem. “Constant in the Catholic Church since the 11th century,” celibacy cannot “account for the rise and subsequent decline in abuse cases from the 1960s through the 1980s.”

● Despite “widespread speculation,” priests with a homosexual identity “were not significantly more likely to abuse minors” than heterosexual priests. Sexual “identity” should be differentiated from “behaviour.” A possible reason so many male minors were abused is that priests had greater access to them.

● Less than five percent of priests with abuse allegations exhibited behaviour consistent with paedophilia. Few victims were prepubescent children.

Seventy percent of priests referred for abusing a minor “had also had sexual behaviour with adults,” the study found. The majority of priest-abusers did not “specialise” in abusing “particular types of victims.”

The new study’s goal was to understand what factors “led to a sexual abuse ‘crisis’ in the Catholic Church” and “make recommendations to Catholic leadership” for reducing abuse, the John Jay College researchers explained.

They said their report also “provides a framework” for understanding “sexual victimisation of children in any institution” and how organisations respond.

No other institution has undertaken a public study of sexual abuse like this one, they said.

Priests who abused minors were not carbon copies of one another.

The report indicated that “situational stressors” do not cause abuse, but may serve “as triggers.” High alcohol consumption during stressful times can lower inhibitions, it noted.

“The peak of the crisis has passed,” the report observed. It said the Church “responded,” and abuse cases decreased substantially.

A “system of change” has begun in the Church, according to the report. However, it said, “organisational changes take years, and often decades, to fully implement.”

The report called sexual abuse of minors “a long-term societal problem,” one “likely to persist, particularly in organisations that nurture and mentor adolescents.”

It said diocesan leaders “must continue to deal with abuse allegations appropriately.”

Priest-abusers represented only a small percentage of all priests.

The researchers judged it “neither possible nor desirable to implement extensive restrictions on the mentoring and nurturing relationships between minors and priests, given that most priests have not sexually abused minors and are not likely to do so.”

Because so many abuse cases first were reported to authorities in the early 2000s, some people suspect the abuse remains “at peak levels,” the report said. The reality is otherwise.

Sexual abuse of minors by priests “increased steadily from the mid1960s through the late 1970s, then declined in the 1980s and continues

The statistics are incidents of Catholic clergy sexual abuse against minors as reported by dioceses, eparchies and religious orders in the United States and its territories.

Data released by the John Jay College in 2004 came from detailed surveys. Ninety-seven percent of all dioceses and eparchies participated.

The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate has done similar annual surveys since 2004. For its 2010 report, CARA received responses from 194 of the 195 dioceses and eparchies and 156 of the 218 religious orders of men.

1994-2001 Ad hoc committee issues “Restoring Trust” materials to dioceses, emphasizing education, prevention and pastoral response.

1994 Pope John Paul II allows for some exceptions to canon law to make it easier to laicize priests who commit sex crimes against minors.

2002 January: Boston Globe launches series on clergy sex abuse focusing on case of defrocked priest John J. Geoghan. April: In face-to-face meeting at

reported to CARA after 2003

reported to John Jay College in 2003

2010 7

2003

2004 February: Report on nature and scope of problem in U.S. released, shows that 4,392 priests were accused of sexually abusing 10,667 minors between 1950 and 2002. July: Archdiocese of Portland, Ore., becomes first U.S. diocese to file for bankruptcy protection because of abuse lawsuits.

2005 Bishops approve new Program of Priestly Formation. It orders the rejection of any seminary applicant and expulsion of any seminarian who has molested a child or shows inclination to do so.

2008 Pope Benedict XVI meets with victims in Washington.

2009 Oregon province of the Society of Jesus files for bankruptcy protection.

2010 Vatican issues revised procedures, penalties for clergy sex abuse cases.

2011 February: Philadelphia grand jury indicts priests, others for abusing or failing to protect children, says allegations against 37 priests still in ministry were credible.

May: Vatican says all bishops’ conferences in the world must have guidelines for handling accusations of clerical sex abuse in place within a year. John Jay report on causes and context of clergy sex abuse problem says there is no single identifiable cause of sexually abusive behavior toward minors.

to remain low,” the report showed. “Most abuse incidents occurred decades ago.” And “the majority of abusers (70 percent) were ordained prior to the 1970s,” the study noted; 44 percent of those accused entered the priesthood before 1960.

Social factors influenced the increase of abuse incidents during the 1960s and 1970s, the report said. It found this increase consistent with “the rise of other types of ‘deviant’ behaviour such as drug use and crime,” and changes in social behaviour such as the “increase in premarital sexual behaviour and divorce.”

Those generations of priestabusers also lacked “careful preparation for a celibate life,” the report noted. Moreover, they failed to recognise the harm done to victims.

Awareness of the harm of sexual abuse to minors grew in society and the Church during the 20th century’s last decades. An increasing reluctance over time to reinstate priests in parishes after a first accusation may reflect the growth of this awareness, the report suggested.

In the 1990s, it said, “the failure of some diocesan leaders to take responsibility for the harms of the abuse by priests was egregious in some cases.”

The report accented the critical role of what today is called “human formation” in seminaries. It said a gradually intensifying focus on human formation concerns coincided with a decline of abuse cases.

Human formation addresses matters such as the future priest’s relationships and friendships, his self-knowledge, integrity and celibate chastity. The report recommended that human formation continue after ordination.

Can seminaries screen out priesthood candidates who will abuse minors? While encouraging

further research, the report said “personality tests did not show statistically significant differences on major clinical scales” between priest-abusers and others without abuse allegations.

Nonetheless, it said screening tools remain “critically important” for identifying “other psychological problems not necessarily related” to abuse of minors.

Removing opportunities to abuse minors, making abuse more difficult and increasing its risks are among prevention steps the report recommended. Excuses priestabusers make need to be recognised for what they are, it advised.

The report affirmed the safe environment programmes implemented throughout the Church in the US. These programmes educate potential victims, abusers, parents and others, increasing the likelihood that abusers “will be identified” and “have more to lose.”

Priests need “outlets to form social friendships and suitable bonds with age-appropriate persons,” the report said. It encouraged attention to priests’ health and well-being, including factors such as stress.

It recommended that dioceses periodically evaluate priests’ performance. Evaluation is “an established element of most complex organisations,” it noted.

The Church has taken many steps “to reduce opportunities for abuse,” the report said. It recommended that these efforts “be maintained and continually evaluated for efficacy.”

Tears roll down as David Clohessy describes the pain victims of clergy sexual abuse suffer as he addresses US Bishops at their June 2002 meeting in Dallas. At that meeting, the US Bishops adopted the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” their landmark directives addressing clergy sexual abuse in the

JOHN JAY REPORT

No room for complacency in protecting children: prelate

Bishop warns against letting past grave mistakes happen in future

BY NANCY FRAZIER O’BRIEN Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON - Although a new report on the causes and context of child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy says it is primarily a historical problem, the Church must guard against complacency, two key figures in the release of the report said at a Washington news conference.

“There is no room for fatigue or feeling that people have heard enough when it comes to efforts to protect children,” said Bishop Blase J Cupich of Spokane, Washington, chairman of the US Bishops’ Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People.

Diane Knight, a retired Milwaukee social worker who chairs the all-lay National Review Board, said the report’s findings that the Church’s actions since 2002 have been “effective in preventing further acts of abuse” should in no way “lull us as a Church into complacency.”

“There will always be adults who are attracted to children in society and in the Church,” Knight said.

quarters of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops by Karen Terry, principal investigator for the John Jay study.

“The problem of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests in the United States is largely historical, and the bulk of cases occurred decades ago,” Terry said.

But, she added, “the vulnerability to abuse remains a risk in any organisation where adults form mentoring and nurturing relationships with minors.”

In response to a question, Terry stressed that the report was prepared independently by the John Jay researchers, without any influence on the findings from the Bishops or the National Review Board.

“We did the work, we did the writing, we came to the conclusions,” she said.

Bishop Cupich said the sexual abuse of children “is a human problem,” not just a Church problem.

“Our Church is committed to being part of the solution,” he said.

“The very fear that abuse would ever recur in the Church compels us to take whatever action is needed to see that it does not arise again.”

“Thus, we must always be on guard and do all that is possible to prevent sexual abuse.”

The two spoke on 18 May following the release of a report by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York on The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 19502010 The report was commissioned by the National Review Board as part of its mandate under the Bishops’ 2002 “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” They were joined at an afternoon news conference in the head-

He also pledged the Bishops to “build partnerships with leaders in the civic community to rally the entire adult world to put an end to this societal scourge.”

Bishop Cupich praised the John Jay researchers and the funders of the study “for helping us better understand what happened in this sickening period of our history.”

Knight, who has served on the National Review Board since 2007 and chaired it since 2009, said nothing in the John Jay report “should be interpreted as making excuses for the terrible acts of abuse that occurred. There are no excuses.

“There is much that the Church has to learn from this report, and much of it is difficult,” she added.

“The bottom line is that the Church was wrong not to put children first for all of those years, all of those decades.”

Knight said the sexual abuse cri-

Misperceptions of abuse ‘common’

BY DAVID GIBSON Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON - Several commonly held assumptions about clergy sexual abuse of minors are actually misperceptions, according to the report released 18 May on a major study of the causes and context of the problem in the United States.

The study, released at the headquarters of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, was conducted by a team of researchers at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York. “No single psychological, developmental or behavioural characteristic differentiated priests who abused minors from those who did not,” the report said.

clinical descriptions of paedophilia that speak of “fantasies, urges or behaviours about sexual activity with a prepubescent child that occurs for a significant period of time.” However, it said, nearly four out of five minors abused were 11 or older at the time of the abuse.

Eleven generally is regarded in professional literature “as an age of pubescence or postpubescence,” the report noted. It said less than five percent of priests with abuse allegations exhibited behaviour consistent with actual paedophilia.

● “Clinical data do not support the hypothesis that priests with a homosexual identity ... are significantly more likely to sexually abuse” minors than priests “with a heterosexual orientation or behaviour.”

sis had caused a “shattering of trust in God’s very representatives ... We would be a sorry Church if such news of sexual abuse were treated as commonplace,” she said.

“Protection of children must be part and parcel of every parish, school and faith community in America; indeed, in the entire world.”

The US Bishops are to review their 2002 charter during their June meeting in Seattle, but Bishop Cupich said its policy of “zero tolerance” for any priest credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor “must remain in effect.”

That policy not only protects children, he said, but also protects “the tens of thousands of priests who have suffered greatly in this crisis, all the while quietly serving with honour and self-sacrifice every day of their lives.”

Asked why Bishops sometimes returned abusive priests to ministry with children after treatment, Bishop Cupich said those decisions were based on “the science of the day,” which indicated that a person could be “cured” of abusive behaviour. “That was a bad mistake, shared by people across the board,” he said. “We know better now.”

Terry, dean of research and strategic partnerships at John Jay, defended the report’s findings that few of the priests who abused minors during the peak of the abuse crisis in the 1960s and 1970s were paedophiles.

“Very few priests exhibited behaviour consistent with the persistent abuse of prepubescent children,” she said. Instead, she said, the majority were “generalists” who abused multiple minors of different ages based on the opportunities available to them.

For the purpose of comparing the behaviour of sex offenders, the John Jay report defined a priest-abuser of children age 11 or younger as a paedophile, and a priest-abuser whose victims were all boys over age 12 as an “ephebophile.” In addition, Terry said, most of the victims of abusive priests were young males, not because most priest-abusers were homosexuals, but because their work gave them more access to males and more opportunities to abuse them.

Furthermore, it was found that “the majority of priests who abused were not driven by particular pathologies, and most did not ‘specialise’ in abuse of particular types of victims.” The report said 70 per cent of priests referred for abusing a minor “had also had sexual behaviour with adults.”

It often is thought that the sexual abuse crisis in the Church continues unabated today, the report observed. But it said “the peak of the crisis has passed.” It said the Church “responded,” abuse cases decreased substantially and clergy sexual abuse of minors “continues to remain low.”

Data show that abuse incidents were “highest between the mid1960s and the mid-1980s,” the report noted. “Ninety-four per cent of the abuse incidents reported to the Catholic Church from 1950 through 2009 took place before 1990,” it said. Currently, “fewer new reports are brought forward” each year.

The researchers pointed to “archival data” they analysed indicating that during the 1990s, despite reports of sexual abuse received by Church leaders, “the extent of the incidence of sexual abuse was not known” by them, “and the historical dimension of it also was not known.”

Certain misperceptions regarding the abusers’ sexuality were spelled out by the report. It said:

● “Media reports about Catholic priests who sexually abused minors often mistakenly have referred to priests as paedophiles.”

The report called attention to

However, “because of the large number of sexual abuse victims who were male minors,” homosexuality’s role in the abuse “has been a notable question,” the report explained. It considered it “important to note that sexual behaviour does not necessarily correspond to a particular sexual identity.”

A possible reason that so many male minors were abused is that priests had greater access to them, the report speculated.

The study showed that “the only significant risk factor related to sexual identity and behaviour was a ‘confused’ sexual identity, and this condition was most commonly found in abusers who were ordained prior to the 1960s.”

Neither celibacy nor the Church’s male priesthood undergirded the sexual abuse problem, the report said. “Features and characteristics of the Catholic Church, such as an exclusively male priesthood and the commitment to celibate chastity, were invariant during the increase, peak and decrease in abuse incidents, and thus are not causes of the ‘crisis,’” it said.

Priestly celibacy, consistently practised in the Church over many centuries, cannot explain the spike of abuse cases from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s and the steep decline after 1985, the report added.

The sexual abuse of minors “is not a phenomenon unique to the Catholic Church,” the report said. It referred to abuse of this kind as a “pervasive and persistent” problem often found in organisations where “mentoring and nurturing relationships develop between adults and young people.”

FACTORS THAT INDICATE a vulnerability of some priests to abuse. These traits in combination with situational stresses and opportunities raise the risk of abuse.

ISOLATION

LONELINESS INSECURITY

POOR SOCIAL SKILLS

LACK OF IDENTITY

CONFUSION OVER SEXUAL IDENTITY

PSYCHOSEXUAL IMMATURITY

A HISTORY OF SEXUAL ABUSE

POOR

ALCOHOL

Karen Terry, principal investigator for the John Jay College report on the causes and context of clergy sexual abuse, speaks during a press conference at the headquarters of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington on 18 May. The report said there is “no single identifiable ‘cause’ of sexually abusive behaviour towards minors” and encouraged steps to deny abusers “the opportunity to abuse.”

PHOTO: CNS/NANCY WIECHEC

Simple plot, timeless message

REVIEW BY BRIDGET SPINKS

Get Low starring Bill Murray ( Ghostbusters, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), Robert Duvall (The Godfather, The Apostle) and Sissy Spacek (Coal Miner’s Daughter) is a movie explicitly about forgiveness and our natural human need for pardon.

The film is based on the true story and folk legend of Tennessee recluse Felix “Bush” Breazeale who, curious to know what people would say about him when he was gone, planned his own funeral while he was still alive in 1938.

Felix sold lottery tickets for his party and offered his land as the prize.

For 40 years he hid himself away in a beautifully crafted hut in the middle of the woods with only a mule for company.

But when it was time to ‘get low’, aware that rumours had been flying around town on ‘the Devil’s radio’ ever since he’d been out of town, he invited everyone who “has a story” about him to come to the party and tell it.

It’s said that his funeral party drew as many as 8-12,000 mourners from at least 14 different states as well as a Life Magazine photographer and major newspaper reporters.

Felix even hires a bluegrass soul band for entertainment. The Bluegrass band the Steeldrivers own the stage at his on-screen funeral (Bill Murray joined them on mandolin in between takes) while the Friendly Eight Octet of Chattanooga played in 1938.

Despite his outward appearances - shaggy white beard and an outof-date horse and buggy - Felix is sharp when he wants to be, a master carpenter and ultimately courageous in the face of death.

While this movie is not about the Catholic sacrament of confessionthe concrete means and recourse we have to grace - it is a movie that shows what freedom and peace comes from seeking forgiveness, living in truth and the ability to start again that confession gives.

Catholic church teaching is that it’s not just important to live in the state of grace, it’s important to die in the state of grace.

Here’s a movie that fleshes out one man’s approach to preparing for death that practically lines up with our approach - set right any wrongs and confess your sins.

This man’s sin and the consequence of his sin that involved others has been on his mind ever since.

The irony is that you walk out of the cinema wondering why he spent 40 years with that on his conscience.

But who hasn’t catastrophised a sin (big or little, mortal or venial) and delayed a confession?

When he actually does confess, his contrition is sincere and all you want to do is hug him and say ‘don’t worry’ and ‘forget about it’.

If we read between the lines, this movie is also about how painful life can be without confession and forgiveness, without letting the truth be known.

Having said that, there aren’t any parallel past and present narratives

happening, because this movie isn’t about the process of living in pain, it’s about Felix reconciling with his past in order to prepare for his death (and future in the next life). Get Low, as in a euphemism for six feet under, with its simple plot has a refreshingly Christian theme for the worldly box office where Felix sets foot in not just one, but two churches.

Pope’s ‘reform of the reform’ in liturgy to continue

BY JOHN T HAVIS Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI’s easing of restrictions on use of the 1962 Roman Missal, known as the Tridentine rite, is just the first step in a “reform of the reform” in liturgy, the Vatican’s top ecumenist said.

The Pope’s long-term aim is not simply to allow the old and new rites to coexist, but to move toward a “common rite” that is shaped by the mutual enrichment of the two Mass forms, Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, said on 14 May.

In effect, the Pope is launching a new liturgical reform movement, the Cardinal said. Those who resist it, including “rigid” progressives, mistakenly view the Second Vatican Council as a rupture with the Church’s liturgical tradition, he said.

Cardinal Koch made the remarks at a Rome conference on Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict’s 2007 apostolic letter that offered wider latitude for use of the Tridentine rite. The Cardinal’s text was published the same day by L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper.

Cardinal Koch said Pope Benedict thinks the post-Vatican II liturgical changes have brought “many positive fruits” but also problems, including a focus on purely practical matters and a neglect of the paschal mystery in the Eucharistic celebration.

The Cardinal said it was legiti-

Although the yarn is the stuff of folk legend - shot in Georgia, in lush country America on sites that haven’t changed much since the Great Depression - its themes are timeless.

The characters too, wrestle with their conscience on whether they should help someone host his own funeral party and Frank Quinn, the undertaker, when faced with

an opportunity to steal a heck of a lot of money is asked if he can be trusted.

This is director Aaron Schneider’s first feature film, which was picked up by Sony Pictures after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2009.

Get Low is released through independent cinemas (Luna, Palace) coming out on 26 May.

Priest works to re-engage youth

JIFNA, West Bank (CNS)

- As dusk fell on this sleepy West Bank village, Father Firas Aridah looked down from the balcony of his office onto the church courtyard, where a group of young boys - and one girl - were in the midst of a soccer match. Religious songs in Arabic flowed over the church’s loudspeakers and mingled with the shouts of the children on the clear Saturday evening. As soon as the church bells began to ring, the boys disappeared while the girl slipped into the church, but the priest was not worried. He knew that while the pews at St Joseph Church filled mostly with women and girls, the boys would be back later, when the church youth group began its special activities for the younger children. Most importantly, among those parishioners who came to Mass, there were almost 25 young children - including four boys - and teenage girls. After the first and second Palestinian uprisings, the church lost many of its youth to the political arena, and political rivalries infiltrated the lives of families. Now he and other priests in the diocese have been focusing on bringing Catholic youth back into the church. “The youth need many things, like hope,” he said. “We have to gather them inside the church and beside the church, to live their brotherhood and to live their Christianity as it should be.”

mate to ask whether liturgical innovators had intentionally gone beyond the council’s stated intentions.

He said this explains why Pope Benedict has introduced a new reform movement, beginning with Summorum Pontificum

The aim, he said, is to revisit Vatican II’s teachings in liturgy and strengthen certain elements, including the Christological and sacrificial dimensions of the Mass.

Cardinal Koch said Summorum Pontificum is “only the beginning of this new liturgical movement.”

“In fact, Pope Benedict knows well that, in the long term, we

cannot stop at a coexistence between the ordinary form and the extraordinary form of the Roman rite, but that in the future the Church naturally will once again need a common rite,” he said.

“However, because a new liturgical reform cannot be decided theoretically, but requires a process of growth and purification, the Pope for the moment is underlining above all that the two forms of the Roman rite can and should enrich each other,” he said.

Cardinal Koch said those who oppose this new reform movement and see it as a step

back from Vatican II lack a proper understanding of the post-Vatican II liturgical changes.

As the Pope has emphasised, Vatican II was not a break or rupture with tradition but part of an organic process of growth, he said.

On the final day of the conference, participants attended a Mass celebrated according to the Tridentine rite at the Altar of the Chair in St Peter’s Basilica. Cardinal Walter Brandmuller presided over the liturgy. It was the first time in several decades that the old rite was celebrated at the altar.

Father Edward Yew offers Communion to altar servers during a Tridentine high Mass at St Therese Church in Collinsville, Oklahoma on 14 September 2007. About 50 of the faithful attended the service on the day expanded use of the Latin Mass as authorised by Pope Benedict XVI went into effect.

PHOTO: CNS/DAVID CRENSHAW, EASTERN OKLAHOMA CATHOLIC

Felix (Robert Duvall) listens as Peter Quinn (Bill Murray) tells him he can get a haircut after the shooting of a funeral photo for promotional purposes in Get Low. The movie is in independent cinemas from 26 May. PHOTOS: RIALTO PICTURES

Undertaker Peter Quinn (Bill Murray) organising Felix’s funeral party invitation in Get Low

Parishes ‘failing to evangelise’ amidst abuse

Dublin Archbishop says Catholics not passing on faith to young people

BY BARB FRAZE Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON - Irish society is not just suffering from the sex abuse scandal but from a failure to pass on the faith to the younger generation, the Archbishop of Dublin said.

“We have to completely, radically change the way we pass on the faith,” Archbishop Diarmuid Martin told CNS on 16 May.

“Our parishes are not places where evangelisation and catechesis are taking place.”

The Archbishop travelled to Washington to present the Order of Malta Inaugural Lecture, Faith and Service: the Unbreakable Bond

During his speech and in remarks to CNS beforehand, he spoke of the declining practice of the faith in Dublin - 18 per cent of Catholics regularly attend Sunday

Mass - and of the need to give young people responsibility in the parish to reinvigorate them.

Archbishop Martin has served in Dublin since 2003 and presided over the uncovering of hundreds of past cases of sex abuse and the mishandling of priest-abusers, but he says the problem goes deeper than abuse.

The Catholic Church runs 90 per cent of the elementary schools in Ireland.

Yet if only 18 percent of Catholics attend Mass, he said, he has to wonder about the commitment of Catholic teachers.

“If people are being prepared for the sacraments by people who don’t frequent the sacraments, there’s a real problem there,” Archbishop Martin told CNS.

He reiterated what he has said often in the past, that “young Irish people are among the most catechised and the least evangelised.”

“Unless we address it, we’re not going to have a next generation of young Catholics,” he said.

“We’re suffering from some of the products of being a mass Catholicism in the past.

“We’re still living, in some ways,

as if that were the case today,” he said. In his speech near the Georgetown University campus, Archbishop Martin said he believed the secularisation of Irish society was quite advanced, and he spoke of what it means to live as a Christian citizen. “If we start out in ... reflection on the place of faith in our culture with the conviction that God’s grace is present and can be found even within a world marked by human sinfulness, then our vision of the place of the faith in society changes, and the entire framework for the presence of Christians in society takes on a new shape,” he said.

“Christian commitment means getting your hands and your shoes dirty,” he said.

“The Christian in society is not just another social commentator, but a witness to another way of living.”

He said Christian commitment “must not be limited to the occasional outburst of global solidarity” after natural disasters or “the more militant enthusiasm engendered around protest meetings.”

“For the Christian, solidarity

and sharing should be the stuff of every day, an imperative and not just an option, a daily imperative and not an occasional awakening of conscience,” he said.

“Faith and service constitute an unbreakable bond,” he said.

“Defence of the faith is about living the faith without being afraid,” he said, adding that it means knowing that faith can improve all aspects of life.

In his CNS interview, Archbishop Martin spoke of the need for training volunteer laypeople to start relieving priests of some of their extra tasks so they can focus on priestly duties. Laypeople “bring a richness to ministry,” he said, and where he has full-time laypeople working in parishes, they have increased the numbers of volunteer laypeople.

He said Irish young people are “extremely generous, dedicated.”

“Parishes where young people are present and committed are parishes where they’ve been given responsibility,” he said.

“And the parishes which treat young people where they say ‘You come on our conditions,’ that’s just not working.”

China in wrestle for day of prayer

Chinese Catholics, government officials wrestle for control of annual day of prayer

BY CINDY WOODEN Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY - Chinese government officials have set up security checkpoints around the shrine of Our Lady of Sheshan, discouraging Catholics from travelling there on 24 May: the day established by Pope Benedict XVI as a special day of prayer for the Church in China.

Annual pilgrimages to the Sheshan shrine once drew tens of thousands of Catholics each year.

Government restrictions have cut down the participation, but Bishop Xing Wenzhi, an Auxiliary Bishop of the Shanghai Diocese, still plans to celebrate Mass at the shrine on Tuesday, the feast of Mary, Help of Christians.

Catholics of the “underground” Church in Shanghai report that their priests have been taken away by police for a governmentsponsored “tour,” to ensure that they will not lead pilgrimages to the Marian shrine. Arrests of “underground” priests have been reported in the north of the country as well.

The shrine of Our Lady of Sheshan has become a battleground in the struggle between the Vatican and the governmentbacked Patriotic Association for control of the Church in China, notes Fr Bernard Cervellera of the AsiaNews service.

Tensions are high this year as the Holy Father has made an urgent new appeal for prayers for the Chinese Church. Pope Benedict XVI said that the persecuted Catholic Church in China

needs and deserves the prayers of Catholics throughout the world. “There, as elsewhere, Christ is living His passion” because of government restrictions and pressures on the Church, the Pope said on 18 May at the end of his weekly general audience. He asked Catholics everywhere to observe 24 May, the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, as a day of prayer for Catholics in mainland China.

Pope Benedict established the annual day of prayer in 2007 when he wrote a letter to Catholics in China outlining ways to promote greater unity between those exercising their faith clandestinely and those participating in communities overseen by the government-

PHOTO: CNS/UCAN

backed Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. At his general audience, the Pope emphasised the need for unity between the Church in China and Rome. “Chinese Catholics, as they have said many times, want unity with the universal Church, with the supreme pastor, with the successor of Peter,” he said. China’s communist government has insisted on controlling the country’s Catholic community, defining ties with the Vatican as interference in its internal affairs.

“By our prayers we can obtain for the Church in China that it remain one, holy and Catholic, faithful and steadfast in doctrine and in ecclesial discipline,” the Pope said. Pope Benedict offered

Michelangelo continues to baffle

VATICAN CITY (Zenit.org).People today have a hard time understanding the splendour of Michelangelo’s depiction of the human body because we tend to see the body as “heavy matter,” opposed to the spirit, according to Benedict XVI.

The Pope made this reflection in an address on Friday to participants in a conference marking the 30th anniversary of the foundation of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family.

Friday was the 30th anniversary of the assassination attempt on John Paul II; at that day’s general audience, he would have announced the creation of the Pontifical Council for the Family and the institute for study.

Benedict XVI took up his predecessor’s theology in his reflection on the language of the body.

He recounted an incident shortly after Michelangelo’s death, when the painter Paolo Veronese was accused before the Inquisition of having painted inappropriate figures in a depiction of the Last Supper.

The painter referred in his defence to the nude figures in Michelangelo’s artwork in the Sistine Chapel, to which the inquisitor responded: “Do you not know that in these figures there is nothing save what is of spirit?” The Pope proposed that this lesson is hard to understand today because “the body appears to us as inert, heavy matter, opposed to the consciousness and the freedom of the spirit.”

special prayers for the Bishops, priests and laity who face severe limits on their freedom and their exercise of the faith. “By our prayers we can help them to find the path to keep their faith alive, to keep their hope strong, to keep their love for all people ardent” and to avoid “the temptation to follow a path independent of Peter,” the Pope said.

The Pope’s remarks came after his main audience talk on the power of intercessory prayer. One of the strongest early examples in the Bible of praying on behalf of others, he said, is the story of Abraham asking God to spare the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, if he could find 10 innocent people there.

Abraham “doesn’t stop at asking God to save the innocent. He asks for the forgiveness of the entire city and he does so appealing to the justice of God,” the Pope said.

The patriarch’s prayer reveals “a new idea of justice, one that is not limited to punishing the guilty as human beings do,” he said. Speaking in Polish, the Pope said Abraham’s prayers for Sodom and Gomorrah should be “an example to us to trustingly implore the mercy of God for ourselves and our whole world.” Pope Benedict said he would be discussing biblical examples of prayer for several weeks as a stimulus for people to get to know the Bible, “which I hope you have at home.”

● China has allowed the ordination of a new Catholic Bishop with the approval of the Holy See.

The installation of Bishop John Lu Peisen in the Yangzhou Diocese follows a call by Pope Benedict XVI for worldwide prayer for the Church in China, and a warning from the head of the Patriotic Association that the Vatican should not “interfere” with the appointment of Bishops by the government-backed group.

But Michelangelo’s bodies are “inhabited by light, life, splendour,” the Holy Father said.

“He wanted to show in this way that our bodies hide a mystery. In them the spirit manifests itself and operates. Our bodies are not inert, heavy, but they speak - if we know how to hear them - the language of true love.”

He went on to reflect about the “first word of this language,” found in creation.

“The bodies of Adam and Eve, before the Fall, appear in perfect harmony,” he explained. “There is a language in them that they did not create, an eros rooted in their nature, that invites them mutually to receive themselves from the Creator, to be able thus to give themselves.”

In love, he continued, man is “re-created.” And the true appeal of sexuality is in this context. But sin has also given the body a negative language: “It speaks to us of the oppression of the other, of the desire to possess and exploit.”

Nevertheless, the Fall is “not the last word on the body in salvation history,” the Pope assured. “God also offers to man a journey of redemption of the body, whose language is preserved in the family. If, after the Fall, Eve received the name Mother of the Living, this testifies that the power of sin does not succeed in erasing the original language of the body, the blessing of life that God continues to offer when man and woman unite in one flesh. The family is the place where the theology of the body and the theology of love intersect.”

It is in the family, the Holy Father said, that man discovers himself not as an autonomous individual, but as someone in relation to others, “whose identity is founded on being called to love, to receive himself from others and give himself to others.”

Catholics carry a statue of Mary as they process to the Sheshan Marian shrine in Shanghai, China on 1 May, 2009. Some 3,000 Catholics made a pilgrimage to the shrine that day to begin the month honoring Mary.

Modern slavery discussed in Rome

BY DENNIS SADOWSKI Catholic News Service

A DAYLONG conference hosted by the US Embassy to the Holy See and St Thomas University School of Law on 18 May in Rome brought new light to ‘modern-day slavery’: human trafficking.

The Church can create broader awareness of the evil of trafficking, the conference’s keynote speaker and lifelong Catholic, Ambassador Luis CdeBaca - who runs the US State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons - told CNS.

Explaining how people are forced into commercial sex will stress the need to fight demand for it, said CdeBaca. As well, shedding light on the fact that labourers work in slave-like conditions to harvest fresh produce, mine precious minerals or manufacture consumer goods from chocolate candy bars to designer clothing will lead people to ask questions about the products they buy, he said.

“You can’t (fight trafficking) by catching the bad guys and helping the victims,” he said. “You have to fight modern slavery by getting people to make the right choices.

“It’s how can we look and see

in brief...

what our own slavery footprint is.” The conference featured a series of panel discussions on the role faith communities, corporations and average people can play in reducing and perhaps eventually eliminating human trafficking.

Archbishop Antonio Veglio, president of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travellers, gave the invocation.

Miguel Diaz, US ambassador to the Vatican and Salesian Sr Estrella Castalone of the International Union of Superiors General and its Talitha Kum network that focuses on human trafficking also spoke at the conference, as did the Rev David Schilling of the Interfaith Centre on Corporate Responsibility; Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster of Rabbis for Human Rights-North America; and Republican Chris Smith, who has worked on child sex trafficking issues.

Corporate representatives from information giant LexisNexis, hotel operator Carlson and health and beauty products vendor Body Shop International discussed their efforts to expose trafficking networks.

Organisers hoped the day would lead to long-term partnerships that involve the Catholic Church and the corporate sector.

Cardinal chides Vietnamese Government on religious freedom

THE Vietnamese government is moving in the wrong direction on religious freedom, the Archbishop of Saigon warns.

In a letter to the prime minister, Cardinal Jean Baptist Pham Minh Man said that a new government decree on religious freedom represents “a huge retrograde step.” The Cardinal’s letter was released by VietCatholic news on 20 May.

The proposed new policy, which would require religious organisations to seek government authorisation, “turns the legitimate rights of citizens into privileges in the hands of government officials,” the Cardinal observed. He added that references to “misuse of beliefs and religions” is not defined, and leaves ample room for abuse.

India: woman martyred for not aborting daughter

AN Indian man beat his wife to death in the southern Andhra Pradesh state after learning that she was pregnant with a female baby. Prakash Chari beat and strangled his wife Surekha, who was six months pregnant. Chari was outraged after his wife, who had already borne a girl child a few years earlier, was determined to continue her pregnancy after learning that the second child was also female.

The couple had apparently returned from a private clinic where Surekha had undergone an illegal sex-determination test, when the husband became enraged and assaulted her. Police arrested Prakash Chari and are now also pressing charges against the clinic where the tests were done.

India outlawed sex-determination tests in a bid to cut down on the common practice of aborting girl babies. At least 5 million girls are estimated “missing” in India during the past decade as a result of sex-selection abortions. India now has a heavily skewed ratio of young boys to girls, reflecting an ancient cultural bias against female children. The gender bias can be traced to the Hindu belief that a man cannot attain moksha (salvation) unless a son performs his last rites. This religious sanction has rendered girl children unwanted. Heavy demands for dowries for brides have made girls an economic liability for their families, aggravating the problem.

No funerals for Mafia leaders

Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe

CARDINAL Crescenzio Sepe of Naples has announced that prominent Mafia leaders will no longer be allowed Catholic funerals if there is no evidence of their repentance.

“If Mafiosi were repentant, it would be a different story, but as this is not the case, they cannot be godfathers, or witnesses to a marriage, or have a funeral in church,” the Cardinal told reporters.

New documents exonerate Pius XII

Allied diplomats pressed Pope Pius to be silent on Nazi deportations

BY SIMON CALDWELL Catholic News Service

MANCHESTER, England - US and British diplomats discussed exerting pressure on Pope Pius XII to be silent about the Nazi deportations of Hungarian Jews, according to newly discovered documentation.

The British feared that the wartime Pope might make a “radio appeal on behalf of the Jews in Hungary” and that in the course of his broadcast would “also criticise what the Russians are doing in occupied territory.”

Sir Francis D’Arcy Osborne, the British ambassador to the Vatican, told an American diplomat that “something should be done to prevail upon the Pope not to do this as it will have very serious political repercussions.”

Osborne’s comments were made to Franklin C Gowen, an assistant to Myron Taylor, the US special representative to the Vatican.

Gowen recorded the conversation in a letter to Taylor, saying he had promised Osborne that he would bring his concerns to the “immediate attention” of the US ambassador.

“It was understood that, pending your reaction, he would not take any steps vis-a-vis the Holy See,” Gowen told Taylor.

In the letter, Gowen also said that Mgr Domenico Tardini, the Vatican assistant secretary of state, had told him 10 days earlier that Pope Pius would not “make any radio appeal because if he did so he would, in fairness to all, have to criticise the Russians,” a member of the Allies.

He said he withheld this information from Osborne in the belief that it would be best for Taylor to impart it himself following a meeting with Pope Pius scheduled the day after the letter was written.

The letter was dated 7 November 1944, as the Nazis were organising mass deportations of Jews from Budapest, the Hungarian capital, to death camps in Poland, Austria and Germany.

Rome had been liberated by the

US Fifth Army the previous June and, with the Vatican behind Allied lines, the Pope had more freedom to speak out. But as the head of a neutral state, he understood that he could not condemn the war crimes of one side without condemning those of the other.

However, on 19 November - less than two weeks after Gowen wrote his letter - the Vatican joined the neutral states of Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and Sweden to appeal to the Hungarian government to end the deportations.

British Jewish historian Sir Martin Gilbert, an internationally recognised expert on the Holocaust, said in his 2002 book, The Righteous: The Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust, that at that time the Catholic Church in Budapest was hiding 25,000 Jews in homes and religious institutions.

Simultaneously, the Red Army of the Soviet Union was advancing westward across Europe and killing and raping many innocent people as it was driving Adolf Hitler’s armies into retreat.

Gowen’s letter was made public for the first time by the New Yorkbased Pave the Way Foundation, which is conducting research into the actions of Pope Pius, assisted by US Catholic lawyer Ronald Rychlak; German historian Michael Hesemann; and journalist Dimitri Cavalli.

Gary Krupp, president of the foundation, told Catholic News Service in an 18 May email that the Allies feared any condemnation of Josef Stalin’s armies “would work against the unified war effort of the Allies”.

He said the letter was significant because it showed the pressures that confronted Pope Pius, who has been criticised for his alleged silence in the face of the Holocaust.

“The simple reality, which seems to be ignored by many critics, is that the Vatican was a neutral government that used its neutrality to save thousands of lives,” said Krupp, a US Jew from New York.

Gowen’s letter was found by Rychlak among Taylor’s documents and has been posted on the Pave the Way Foundation website.

Another letter made public by the foundation discusses help for Jewish fugitives, with Osborne telling Harold Tittman, another of Taylor’s aides, that it must be destroyed because it might endanger the life of an Italian priest who was rescuing Jews were it to fall into enemy hands.

It was dated 20 May 1944, barely three weeks before Rome fell to the Allies and, according to the Pave the Way Foundation, shows how the work of rescuing Jews was conducted in secrecy, with most documentary evidence of such activities destroyed almost instantly.

App links iPad users to Holy Land

New app developed by priests to link people, send prayers to Holy Land

BY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

ROME - A new iPad application developed by two priests will send users news, videos and photos from the Holy Land and let people send prayers via “virtual candles.”

The new app, Terra Sancta , was to be launched in English, Spanish, French and Italian at the Apple Store in mid-May, according to an 18 May press release by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.

Hebrew and Arabic were to be made available at a later date.

App users receive news from the custodia.org website as well as videos and high definition photographs produced by the Franciscan Media Centre.

The application lets users have “information on what is happening in the holy places, news and videos on the life of the custody, and photos of celebrations, events and people,” the press release said.

The content can be shared on Facebook and Twitter, it said.

Users can also “light a candle for the Holy Land” by sending prayers and messages to the custody, it said.

The idea for the new application was conceived by Fr Paolo Padrini, a diocesan priest from Italy who also helped develop the iBreviary application for the iPhone, and Franciscan Fr Silvio de la Fuente, secretary of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.

Pope Pius XII visits the San Lorenzo neighbourhood in Rome in this undated photo, part of an exhibit at the Capitoline Museum in Rome on the activities of the Knights of Columbus in the eternal city.

PHOTO: CNS/COURTESY OF KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

A participant uses an Apple iPad during the Catholic Press Congress at the Vatican in October 2010. CNS

Doctrine watchdog reaches out

Doctrinal congregation: Small Vatican office has broad reach

BY CINDY WOODEN Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY - As two recent documents illustrate, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith keeps an eye on almost everything coming out of the Vatican.

Although it has fewer than 50 employees, including ushers and receptionists, whatever any Vatican office does or says having to do with faith and morals is a matter that falls under the congregation’s gaze.

As the heir of the Holy Office of the Inquisition - and housed in a building still known as the Palace of the Holy Office - the congregation often is portrayed as an agency almost exclusively dedicated to seeking out errant theologians and condemning their writings.

The congregation does review books that Bishops’ conferences bring to its attention, especially if the book presents itself as explaining Catholic morals or doctrine and is widely used in schools of theology or seminaries.

But since Pope Benedict XVI was elected in 2005 and US Cardinal William J Levada was appointed to succeed him as the congregation’s prefect, the office has issued only one formal public criticism of written works: a notification about two books by a liberation

theologian, Jesuit Fr Jon Sobrino. More and more, the congregation’s pronouncements involve the application of Catholic moral teaching to questions concerning the very beginning and very end of human life. Biotechnology, the use of human embryos, politics and abortion, euthanasia and the care of the dying all have been topics of recent documents.

In early May, the Vatican published two documents signed by Cardinal Levada that demonstrate just how widespread the congregation’s reach is.

An instruction released on 13 May called on Bishops and pastors to respond generously to Catholics who want to attend Mass celebrat-

ed according to the 1962 Roman Missal, commonly known as the Tridentine rite.

And a circular letter released on 16 May ordered every Bishops’ conference in the world to prepare guidelines for dealing with accusations of clerical sexual abuse and for ensuring the protection of children.

Formally, the instruction on the Mass came from the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, which oversees the pastoral care of Catholics who have a special devotion to the older liturgy.

Pope Benedict placed the commission under the doctrinal congregation in 2009.

The letter on clerical sexual abuse reflects the fact that the larg-

est section of the doctrinal congregation - its disciplinary section - is charged with coordinating efforts to rid the Church of sexual abuse and with monitoring or conducting cases against individual abusers.

In addition to sexual abuse of minors, the disciplinary section deals with “the most serious crimes committed in the celebration of the sacraments,” particularly the Eucharist and Confession, examines “crimes against the faith - heresy, schism and apostasy - and, finally, evaluates cases of alleged apparitions, visions and messages with a presumed supernatural origin,” according to a description in the annual report, Activity of the Holy See

The international commission of Bishops and theologians appointed in March to study the alleged Marian apparitions in Medjugorje, for example, is working under the auspices of the doctrinal congregation.

The disciplinary section also coordinates “the admission of former non-Catholic ministers to the priesthood and other similar questions,” the book said.

Under the provisions of Pope Benedict’s 2009 apostolic constitution, the doctrinal congregation is charged with establishing special structures for former Anglicans entering full communion with the Roman Catholic Church while preserving aspects of their Anglican spiritual and liturgical heritage.

The structures, known as “personal ordinariates” are similar to dioceses. The first was established in England in January and there was widespread speculation that a US

ordinariate would be announced before July.

Cardinal Levada and the four dozen people who work each day in the Holy Office aren’t doing all that work alone. The congregation has 25 Cardinal and Bishop members and 28 consulting theologians.

Most of the consultants are professors at pontifical universities in Rome and they get together at the congregation three times a month to offer their expert opinions and share their research on questions the congregation considers pressing. More comprehensive, longterm studies are carried out by two other commissions that answer to the doctrinal congregation.

The Pontifical Biblical Commission currently is conducting a study on “inspiration and truth” in the Bible. And the International Theological Commission is working on three topics: the principles, meaning and methods of theology; belief in one God and its implications for relations among Jews, Christians and Muslims; and ways to better integrate Catholic social teaching into Catholic teaching in general.

Every Wednesday, the Cardinal and Bishop members who are in Rome gather around a conference table to review issues and make decisions. And, each Friday evening, Cardinal Levada meets personally with Pope Benedict to discuss what’s going on.

The weekly meetings are important given the congregation’s broad reach. Virtually every office or agency that belongs to the Roman Curia deals with something doctrinal, at least occasionally.

Caritas assembly assesses Vatican relations

BY CINDY WOODEN Catholic News Service

ROME - Whether they are tiny, all-volunteer organisations or agencies with hundreds of professional employees working around the globe, Catholic charities are called to be expressions of God’s love and the Catholic Church’s concern for the poor, said the Cardinalpresident of Caritas Internationalis.

Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, president of the confederation of 165 national Catholic charities, opened the week-long Caritas general assembly on 22 May in Rome. While a central focus of the meeting was to be new statutes that would strengthen Vatican oversight of Caritas Internationalis, the gathering also marked the 60th anniversary of the confederation, which was celebrated with a daylong trip on 21 May on a vintage steam train that boarded at the Vatican train station.

The festive atmosphere of the train trip was a contrast to the businesslike atmosphere of the general assembly, especially as it prepared to elect new officers, including a new secretary-general after the Vatican Secretariat of State decided not to give the current secretary-general, Lesley-Anne Knight, its blessing to run for a second four-year term.

“We all would have loved to continue our journey with the current secretary-general,” Cardinal Rodriguez said in his opening address. “The way she was not allowed to stand as a candidate ... has caused grievance in our confederation,” especially among the women working for Caritas, he said. The Cardinal said a dialogue

with the Vatican Secretariat of State about the new Caritas statutes formally began in February; because the dialogue is ongoing, he asked delegates to authorise the Caritas executive board to conclude the discussions with the Vatican and adopt provisional rules that would be in force until the next general assembly in 2015.

The opening session also featured Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, which was given the task in 2004 of offering guidance to Caritas Internationalis.

The Vatican called for new Caritas statutes to reflect the new role of Cor Unum, as well as the emphasis Pope Benedict XVI made in his 2005 encyclical letter on making Catholic charitable work more

obviously Catholic. Cardinal Sarah told the delegates that because the Catholic Church has a hierarchical structure in which the Bishops are ultimately responsible for all activity, Bishops must be involved in promoting and overseeing any agency that claims to work in the Church’s name.

“Our charitable organisations are located within the Church and not alongside her,” the Cardinal said.

Because charity is an essential part of the Church’s mission, Cardinal Sarah said, Catholic charities have “a responsibility, a vocation and a special commitment: to be at the heart of the Church as the most beautiful and most real manifestation of her essence, namely of the charity of God.”

The point is not predominantly

organisational, the Cardinal said. But agencies that act in the name of the Church must reflect the Church’s mission of bringing God’s love and promise of salvation to the world. “Today, dear friends, the tragedy of modern mankind is not a lack of clothing and housing. The most tragic hunger and the most terrible anguish is not lack of food,” he said. “It’s much more about the absence of God and the lack of true love, the love that was revealed to us on the cross.”

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, presided at a Mass for the delegates on 22 May and thanked Caritas Internationalis for giving concrete, practical demonstrations of the Church’s love for all people and its belief that the world is one family.

The Cardinal said the new statutes for the organisation are meant to reflect “a theological reality: in full communion with Christ and the Church, manifested in the life of its members and in their personal adherence to Jesus Christ, Caritas Internationalis will be truly capable of helping make the world one family, since it is only in Jesus Christ that our true human identity and dignity is revealed to us.”

Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, told delegates on 23 May that Catholic charity workers face two dangers when it comes to sharing the good news of God’s love: one is to place conditions on people receiving charity and the other is to be excessively cautious about sharing the faith.

“In performing the work of Caritas, we need not, and should not, restrict our aid to those who share our faith,” he said, but Catholics should make sure that the services they provide “reflect the values and the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Preparing to discuss the future of Caritas Internationalis, delegates also listened to a reflection by Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher of the papal household.

He told them that loving others like Jesus loved means offering them “concrete assistance” in the form of food or healing or other forms of help in addition to sharing with them the path of salvation.

In addition, he said, “it is not enough to provide for the needs of the poor and oppressed on a case by case basis; action needs to be taken on the structures that create the poor and oppressed.”

US Cardinal William J Levada, left, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, arrives with other Cardinals for Palm Sunday Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican on 28 March.

PHOTO: CNS/PAUL HARING

Earthquake survivors in the quake-ravaged Haitian city of Leogane unload emergency supplies provided by Caritas Internationalis and Diakonie, a member of the ACT Alliance in January 2010. Hundreds of families in the town are homeless following a 12 January earthquake, and the two Church-sponsored agencies worked together to bring them help.

PHOTO: CNS/PAUL JEFFREY

SATURDAY, 28 MAY

CYM Annual Ball

This year’s annual CYM Ball with the theme being ‘Recycle-ball’ will be stunning! Board the James Stirling, the largest vessel of Captain Cook Cruises and be prepared to be tempted by a delicious buffet and then dance the night away. Ship departs at 7.30pm. Attire, semi formal. The recycle-ball theme promotes using classy secondhand outfits from op shops, borrowed or preloved. Cost: $70 (alcoholic drinks will be sold at the bar). For tickets call 9422 7912 or email admin@cym.com.au.

Annual Day Retreat – Legion of Mary 9am-3.30pm at Little Sisters of the Poor, Rawlins St, Glendalough. Retreat topic: Pope Benedict’s letter Verbum Domini. Retreat Master Fr Hugh Thomas. Holy Mass, Benediction and Reconciliation. A small donation to offset cost can be made. Enq: Rosemary 0421 58 0783.

SUNDAY, 29 MAY

35th anniversary of the Australian Burma Mission Relief Society

9am at Holy Trinity Parish, 8 Burnett St, Embleton. Thanksgiving Mass followed by food fete at parish hall. Enq: George 9272 1379.

Irish Famine Commemoration

3pm at Irish Club Theatre, Townshend Rd, Subiaco. Australian Irish Heritage Association second annual commemoration to honour victims of the catastrophic Irish potato famine of 1845–1851. A presentation of live short famine poems by Tony Curtis, reflections, stories and music with an audiovisual content. Irish afternoon tea provided. Free. Enq: Tony 9367 6026.

TUESDAY, 31 MAY

Day of Reflection (MMP)

10.30am at St Paul’s Parish, 106 Rookwood St, Mt Lawley. Rosary, Holy Mass and talks. Confession available. Celebrant and speaker Fr Tim Deeter. Bring lunch to share. Tea/coffee supplied. Concludes 2pm. Enq: Margaret Bowen 9341 8082.

Seminar

7-8pm at St Benedict’s School Hall, Alness St, Applecross. “Love is our connection to God and to each other. Love is the climate in which the Christian lives” by Norma Woodcock. Collection to cover costs. Enq: Norma 9487 1772 or www.normawoodcock.com.

WEDNESDAY, 1 JUNE

Remembrance Mass

7pm at The Good Shepherd Parish, corner Morley Dr and Altone Rd. Mass for the family and friends of babies lost before, during or soon after birth. Enq: Shirley 9279 9165 or Cath 9378 9806.

THURSDAY, 2 JUNE

The Greatest Silence movie screening

7.15pm at Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament parish hall, 175 Corfield St, Gosnells (off Isdell Pl). Hosted by Caritas Australia and our parish. Powerful documentary by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Lisa Jackson. Be a voice for women in the Congo, get informed and take action. 16 years and above. Donation. Refreshments provided. RSVP by 31 May. Enq: Maureen secretary@ gosnellsparish.org.au or 9398 2331.

FRIDAY, 3 JUNE

Pro-life witness

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

FRIDAY, 3 TO SUNDAY, 5 JUNE

‘Be Inflamed’ Weekend Retreat for Teens

6pm at Eagle’s Nest Retreat Centre, 1406 O’Brien Rd, Gidgegannup. Teens aged 13-17. Weekend of fun, activities, music and spiritual talks from fantastic speakers. Cost $60. Concludes Sunday 1.30pm. Download registrations at cym.com.au. Enq: Stefania 9422 7914 or admin@cym.com.au.

PANORAMA

FRIDAY, 3 TO SATURDAY, 11 JUNE

Novena to the Holy Spirit

7.30-8.30pm at Holy Family Parish, Lot 375 Alcock St, Maddington. 7.30-9.30pm Fridays. Includes Holy Hour, Holy Spirit formation and prayers. Concludes Saturday with a Solemn Night Vigil, Midnight Eucharistic Adoration, healing, anointing prayer and Holy Mass. Enq: Fr Varghese 9493 1703.

SATURDAY, 4 JUNE

Vigil for life

8.30am at St Augustine’s Parish, Gladstone St, Rivervale. Mass followed by Rosary procession and vigil at abortion clinic led by Fr Paul Carey SSC. Weekly prayer vigils: Monday, Thursday and Saturday 8.30-10.30am. Come and pray for the conversion of hearts and an end to abortion. Enq. Helen 9402 0349.

Day with Mary

9am-5pm at St Brigid’s Church, 69B Morrison Rd, Midland. Day of prayer and instruction based on the Fatima message. 9am Video; 10.10am Holy Mass; Reconciliation, Procession of the Blessed Sacrament, Eucharistic Adoration, Sermons on Eucharist and Our Lady, Rosaries and Stations of the Cross. BYO lunch. Enq: Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate 9250 8286.

SUNDAY, 5 JUNE

Divine Mercy

1.30pm at St Francis Xavier Parish, 25 Windsor St, Perth. Main celebrant: Fr Doug Harris. Homily on ‘Adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament’, followed by Rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy and Benediction. Refreshments afterwards. Enq: John 9457 7771.

SATURDAY, 11 JUNE

Divine Mercy

2.30pm at St Francis Xavier Parish, 25 Windsor St, East Perth. Main celebrant: Fr Marcellinus. Reconciliation in English and Italian. Divine Mercy prayers followed by Veneration of First Class Relic of St. Faustina Kowalaska. Refreshments. Enq: John 9457 7771.

St Padre Pio Day of Prayer

8.30am at All Saints Chapel, Allendale Sq, Perth. Begins with St Pio DVD; 10am exposition of Blessed Sacrament, Rosary, Divine Mercy, Adoration and Benediction. 11am Mass with Confession. 12pm lunch. Bring plate to share. Enq: Des 6278 1540.

SUNDAY, 12 JUNE

50th Parish Anniversary

9am at Holy Spirit Parish, 2 Keaney Pl, City Beach. Mass celebrated by Archbishop Hickey, followed by brunch and activities for children. Holy Spirit Parish has touched many lives so please come celebrate with us. Enq and RSPV: Fr Kettle 9285 0218 or text 0431 66 1858 or holyspirit.parish@perthcatholic.org.au.

SATURDAY, 18 JUNE

25th Jubilee Parish Dinner Dance

7pm at St Simon Peter Parish, 20 Prendiville Ave, Ocean Reef in the Prendiville gym. Fabulous evening of music, dancing and a 3-course meal. Tickets $35 per person and Seniors $30. BYO alcohol and soft drinks. Coffee and tea provided. Tickets on sale now after all Masses and from Parish Office. Enq: Monique 9300 4885.

SUNDAY, 19 JUNE

Taize Prayer Service

7pm at Sisters of St Joseph Chapel, 16 York St, South Perth. Come be still and pray in the silence of a candlelit chapel. Please bring a torch. Enq: Sr Maree 0414 683 926 .

MONDAY, 20 AND TUESDAY, 21 JUNE

Healing Ministry

10am at The Good Shepherd Parish, corner Morley Dr and Altone Rd. Fr Michael Truong Luan Nguyen will minister the Healing Ministry in two full day programmes. Begins with healing Mass; 3pm Divine Mercy Devotions; 7pm Healing Service. Individual appointments available during day. Enq: office 9279 8119.

FRIDAY, 8 TO WEDNESDAY, 21 SEPTEMBER

Cruise on the River Nile 14-Day package. Includes Tour/Sightseeing of Jordan and Egypt. Cost: $4,900 per person twin share (22 people). Accompanying priest: Fr Joe Carroll. Itinerary and Enq: Fadua 9459 3873 or 0404 893 877.

PILGRIMAGE TO PRAGUE, POLAND AND AUSTRIA

St Jude’s Parish, Langford is organising a 13-day pilgrimage departing 1 October. It will include visits to the Shrines of Divine Mercy, Infant Jesus, the Black Madonna, St Faustina, the birthplace of Pope John Paul II and the Museum at Auschwitz. Total cost per person $5,800. Spiritual Director, Fr Terry Raj. Enq: Co-ordinator John Murphy 9457 7771, Matt 6460 6877, mattpicc1@ gmail.com.

WEDNESDAY, 5 OCTOBER TO THURSDAY, 20 OCTOBER

Pilgrimage to Rome, Lanciano, San Giovanni Rotondo and Medjugorje. Bed and breakfast, evening meals, transfers, guide, flying Emirates $3,990. Enq: 9402 2480.

FRIDAY, 11 TO TUESDAY, 22 NOVEMBER

Pilgrim Tour To The Holy Land

Jordan, Israel and Egypt. Spiritual Director: Fr Sebastian Kalapurackal VC from St Aloysius Church, Shenton Park. Enq: Francis – Coordinator, 9459 3873 or 0404 893 877 or Skype ID: perthfamily.

EVERY SUNDAY

Gate of Heaven Catholic Radio

Join the Franciscans of the Immaculate from 7.30-9pm on Radio Fremantle 107.9FM for Catholic radio broadcast of EWTN and our own live shows. Enq: radio@ausmaria. com.

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.

EVERY FIRST SUNDAY

Divine Mercy Chaplet and Healing Prayer

3pm at Santa Clara Church, 72 Palmerston St, Bentley. Includes Adoration and individual prayer for healing. Spiritual leader: Fr Francisco. All welcome. Enq: Fr Francisco 9458 2944.

EVERY SECOND SUNDAY

Healing Hour for the Sick

6pm at St Lawrence Parish, 392 Albert St, Balcatta. Begins with Mass, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and prayers. Enq: Fr Irek 9344 7066 or ww.stlawrence. org.au.

EVERY 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.

EVERY MONDAY

Evening Adoration and Mass

7pm at St Thomas Parish, Claremont, cnr Melville St and College Rd. Begins with Adoration, Reconciliation, Evening Prayer and Benediction. Followed by Mass and Night Prayer at 8pm. Enq: Kim 9384 0598, claremont@ perthcatholic.org.au.

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.

Bible Teaching with a difference

7.30pm at St Joachim’s Parish Hall, Shepparton Rd, Victoria Park. Exciting revelations with meaningful applications that will change your life. Novena to God the Father, followed by refreshments. Bring Bible, a notebook and a friend. Enq: Jan 9284 1662.

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: 0423 907 869 or hsofperth@gmail.com.

Holy Hour at Catholic Youth Ministry

6pm at 40A Mary St, Highgate, Catholic Pastoral Centre. 5.30pm Mass followed by $5 fellowship supper. Enq: Stefania 9422 7912 or www.cym.com.au.

EVERY FIRST WEDNESDAY

Holy Hour prayer for Priests

7-8pm at Holy Spirit Parish, 2 Keaney Pl, City Beach. All welcome. Enq: Linda 9341 3079.

SECOND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH

Chaplets of the Divine Mercy

7.30pm at St Thomas More Catholic Church, Dean Rd Bateman. A beautiful sung devotion accompanied by Exposition and followed by Benediction. Next devotion: Wednesday, 8 June. Enq: George 9310 9493 or 9325 2010(w).

EVERY THURSDAY

Divine Mercy

11am at Sts John and Paul Church, Pinetree Gully Rd, Willetton. Pray the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and for 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.

Fr Corapi’s Catechism of the Catholic Church

7.30pm at St Joseph Church, 20 Hamilton St, Bassendean - parish library. Enq: Catherine 9329 2691.

FIRST THURSDAY OF THE MONTH

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 invited. Enq: Joan 9448 4457 or Office 9448 4888.

EVERY SECOND THURSDAY

St Denis Discussion Group

7.30pm at parishioners’ homes to discuss any aspect of our faith followed by supper and fellowship. Enq: George 9349 2187 or Anna 9242 2788, (w) 9249 2788.

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.

Catholic Faith Renewal Evening

7.30pm at Sts 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.

Communion of Reparation All Night Vigils

7pm-1.30am at Corpus Christi Church, Lochee St, Mosman Park. Enq: Vicky 0400 282 357 and at St Gerard Majella Church, Ravenswood Dr and Majella Rd, Mirrabooka. Enq: Fr Giosue 9349 2315, John or Joy 9344 2609. The Vigils consist of two Masses, Adoration, Benediction, Prayers and Confession in reparation for the outrages committed against the United Hearts of Jesus and Mary. All welcome.

Healing and Anointing Mass

8.45am at Pater Noster, Myaree. Reconciliation, followed by Mass including Anointing of the Sick, Praise and Worship to St Peregrine and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. All welcome. Enq: Joy 9337 7189.

ACROSS

3 First word of a Latin hymn

9 ___ to Emmaus

10 Nordic Saint

11 Easter and Christmas

12 “…is now, and ___ shall be…”

14 Tarsus, to Paul

16 Article of clothing or bone of a saint

17 Number of beatitudes

18 One of the prophets

20 A element of moral culpability

22 Morally neutral

24 Francisʼ hometown

26 In some versions of The Lordʼs Prayer, trespasses are called these

27 First Mass in Canada was celebrated on this peninsula

30 ___ of David

32 Marriage vows

34 Home of the Archdiocese of Edmonton

35 “…___ of my bones and flesh of my…” (Gn 2:23)

36 Site of first miracle

37 Lector

DOWN

1 Liturgical colour

2 “I have finished the ___” (2 Tm 4:7)

4 The Israelites wandered here

5 Commandment word

6 Liberation from the power of the devil

Walk With Him

5 S THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD (Solemnity)

Wh Acts 1:1-11 Continued to appear

Ps 46:2-3, 6-9 Clap your hands

Eph 1:17-23 Spirit of Wisdom

Mt 28:16-20 I am with you

6 M St Norbert, bishop (O)

Wh Acts 19:1-8 Paul in Ephesus

Ps 67:2-7 Wicked shall perish

Healing Mass

7 He fought the battle of Jericho

8 ___ Sunday

13 Kind of reverend

15 NT epistle

17 Sins

19 Catholic fitness guru, Charles ___

21 “Who is my ___?” (Lk 10:29)

23 Title for Jesus

24 Samson killed Philistines with the jawbone of this animal

25 Chosen People

26 10 Hail Marys

28 Fr Junipero ___

29 Martyred Salvadoran, Bishop Romero

31 Commandment pronoun

33 Catholic novelist Koontz

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Jn 16:29-33 Do you believe at last?

7 Tu Acts 20:17-27 Paul’s way of life

Wh Ps 67:10-11, 2-0-21 A God who saves

Jn 17:1-11 The hour has come

8 W Acts 20:28-38 Travesty of the truth

Wh Ps 67:29-30, 33-36 Blessed be God!

Jn 17:11-19 World hated them

9 Th St Ephrem, deacon, doctor of Church (O)

Wh Acts 22:30, 23:6-11 Paul arrested

Ps 15:1-2, 5, 7-11 I shall stand firm

Jn 17:20-26 May the all be one

10 F Acts 25:13-21 Paul in custody

Wh Ps 102:1-2, 11-12, 19-20 Give God thanks

Jn 21:15-19 You know I love you

11 S St Barnabas, apostle (M)

Red Acts 11:21-26; 13:1-3 He was a good man

Ps 97:1-6 Sing Psalms Mt 10:7-13 Give without charge

Continued from Page 18

7pm at St Peter’s Parish, Wood Street, Inglewood. Reconciliation, praise and worship, Eucharistic Adoration, Benediction, Anointing of the Sick, special blessings and fellowship after the Mass. Celebrants, Fr Dat (parish priest) and specially invited priests. All welcome. Enq: Priscilla 0433 45 7352, Catherine 0433 92 3083 and Mary-Ann 0409 67 2304.

EVERY FIRST SATURDAY

Healing Mass

12.35pm at St Thomas Parish, cnr Melville St and

College Rd, Claremont. Spiritual leader: Fr Waddell. Enq: Kim 9384 0598, claremont@perthcatholic.org. au.

EVERY DAY DURING THE MONTH OF MAY

Novena in Honour of Our Lady of Fatima 7-8.30pm at Holy Cross Church, Hamilton Hill. On Saturdays, the novena will start at 6pm and on Sundays, at 8am. All are welcome. Enq: Connie 9494 1495.

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.

OPPORTUNITIES

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

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

REAL ESTATE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

Completely fully furnished.

3 bedrooms 1 bathroom villa. Close to good Shepherd Church, Lockridge. Phone (08) 9378 4384. Price Market value.

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.au.

ACCOMMODATION

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

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

PRACTISING CATHOLIC SINGLE FATHER requires 2 bed. apartment in City. Call Bradley 0430 653 857.

MATURE AGE GENTLEMAN, SINGLE, non-smoker, and works fulltime at Royal Perth Hospital. Has been a house friend for two elderly people over the past 20 years, carrying out light houseduties and gardening when required. If you can help, please call Greg O’Brien on mob 0413 701 489.

FURNITURE REMOVAL

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

Deadline: 11am Monday

TRADE SERVICES

BRENDAN HANDYMAN

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

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE. Your handyperson. No job too small. SOR. Jim 0413 309 821.

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.

SALE

MOTOR HOME FOR SALE

2003 Mercedes Sprinter, 306 CDi. Low kilometres, vg condition. Many extras. Ready to go. Bargain at $51,900. Ph 9653 1794.

FOR SALE CHEAP; VARIOUS Catholic/Protestant Books

New/2nd Hand 94404358

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.

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 Vickii on 9402 1318, 0409 114 093 or kinlar.vestments@gmail.com.

OTTIMO

Convenient location for Bibles, books, cards CD/DVDs, candles, medals, statues and gifts

at Shop 41, Station St Market, Subiaco. Fri-Sun, 9-5pm.

BOOK BINDING

NEW BOOK BINDING, General Book Repairs; Rebinding; New Ribbons; Old Leather Bindings Restored.Tydewi Bindery 0422 968 572.

PILGRIMAGE

JOIN SR ISABEL BETTWY on a 13 day pilgrimage (includes travel time) to Poland in the Footsteps of St Faustina

The 70th anniversary of the martyr death of St Maximilian Kolbe. Celebrate the 80th anniversary of Jesus appearing to Faustina Kowalska. Attend the Mass and closing of the World Apostolic Congress on Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki. Departing Perth on Wed, 28 Sep 2011.

Cost: AU$4,900 per person twin share (min 18 people) + AU$ 800 single supplement. Francis Williams (coordinator).

T: 9459 3873 (after 4pm)

M: 0404 893 877 (all day)

E: francis@perthfamily.com

Skype ID: perthfamily88

HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE COME JOIN THE KNIGHTS OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE ON A PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY

LAND AND PETRA FROM 28 SEPT TO 11 OCT 2011.

CONTACT BOB PETERS 08 9201 2702

MOB: 0419 195 645

EMAIL: repeters@iinet.net.au

EDUCATION COURSES

RELATIONSHIP EDUCATION COURSE

‘Healing hurts we don’t deserve’ - a therapeutic course for those wanting to resolve issues from their past. Begins Monday, 30 May from 5-7pm, Fremantleongoing for six weeks. For details, contact Paul on 0402 222 578 or www.educationalcounselling.asn.au.

St Joseph’s guide to the Bible

Karl A Schultz

RRP $22.00

The St Joseph Guide to the Bible: Becoming Comfortable with the Bible in Four Simple Steps contains chapters on how to choose a Bible, where to begin and how to proceed, lectio divina, and interpretive principles, practical pointers, and discussion of Cardinal Carlo M Martini SJ’s accessible synthesis of biblical study and spirituality with Ignatian spirituality.

Freedom

Matthew Pinto

RRP $36.00

Who am I? How do I find true happiness and fulfilment? These are the fundamental questions in each of our lives. It quickly becomes clear, however, that the best the world can offer are counterfeits that wound us, betray us and leave us wanting. Our longings for love, intimacy and freedom are good, but the sexual revolution sold us a bill of goods that simply cannot satisfy. But there is real hope, and it comes in the form of John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. In Freedom, you will meet people who, through the Theology of the Body, have discovered the meaning of their very existence. They have all realised that the message of the Theology of the Body is the key to understanding their purpose in this life. They have found what we’re all looking for—the authentic path to happiness and freedom.

Jesus, the Divine Physician

Christoph Cardinal Schönborn

RRP $44.00

Who is Jesus Christ? How can we really know Him? People have been asking that important question for 2,000 years. The best answers are found in the four Gospels, but how are they to be understood, and applied to our modern lives and faith? Cardinal Schönborn, a renowned spiritual writer and teacher, presents this third book in his series of meditations on the Gospels in which he seeks to help readers have a deep personal encounter with Jesus Christ as seen in the Sacred Scriptures. His first two books focused on the Gospels of Matthew and Mark and this book covers Luke. Sunday after Sunday, he uses the Church’s Year C, mainly readings from Luke, to explain the beauty of the Gospel in clear and understandable words.

Covenant and Communion

Scott Hahn

RRP $36.00

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s election as Pope Benedict XVI brought a world-class biblical theologian to the papacy. There is an intensely biblical quality to his pastoral teaching and he has demonstrated a keen concern for the authentic interpretation of sacred Scripture. Here, Scott Hahn, a foremost interpreter of Catholic thought and life, offers a probing look at Benedict’s biblical theology and provides a clear and concise introduction to his life and work. Hahn argues that the heart of Benedict’s theology is salvation history and the Bible and shows how Benedict accepts historical criticism but recognises its limits. The author also explains how Benedict reads the overall narrative of Scripture and how he puts it to work in theology, liturgy and Christian discipleship.

RTHE APTURE TRAP

By Paul Thigpen RRP $32.00

In this companion book, The Rapture Trap Study Guide, Dr Thigpen helps you unpack the rich treasury of insights, Bible references, and theological truths found in The Rapture Trap. This guide provides you with the most complete and useable Bible study information on eschatology (the study of the “last things”) available.

BIBIANA