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Government and Opposition do deal on Sunday trading but, some say,
Workers left unprotected
By Robert Hiini
IF NO conscience protections are built into proposed Sunday trading legislation, people who object to working on the Sunday will lose out, a former union official told The Record last week. Ivan Sands, now a permanent deacon serving in Bassendean, was responding to news the State Government had struck a deal with Opposition Leader Mark McGowan to end the Sunday trad-
ing standoff, with proposed legislation being introducted to parliament on Monday, 13 February. “It’s no different than what’s happened over the years. If you want the job then you do what the employer asks,” Deacon Sands said. “I don’t see any change unless there is some legislation that protects workers; that they are not discriminated against because they have a belief (and) they don’t want to work Sundays. “Unless those protections are
there the employee is going to be asked the question (will you work on Sundays?),” Deacon Sands said. “Almost inevitably they won’t get the job.” A media representative from the office of finance minister Simon O’Brien said it was illegal to fire someone for objecting to working Sundays on religious grounds. He cited WA’s Equal Opportunity Act 1984 and section 351 of the federal Fair Work Act 2009. Workers who have been sacked
or who have lost work due to conscientious objection must pursue their claim in the courts. The goverment had tried to balance the needs of families, churches and sporting groups, Minister O’Brien’s representative said, which was part of the reason for the proposed Sunday opening times of 11am-5pm. When asked if another referendum had been considered, he said there had been “no plan to go to a new referendum at all”.
In a 2005 referendum, just over 61 per cent of Western Australian voters said ‘no’ to six hours of trading for general retail shops on Sundays. “They (the government) have taken the pulse of the public and that’s what the public wants,” Minister O’Brien’s representative said. “So long as the Opposition is true to its word we will have Sunday trading some time between now and August.”
Things that count: making a difference one step at a time Audrey, a Bardji woman, with members of her community at Djarindjin, 200km north of Broome in the Kimberley. To address high rates of health problems such as diabetes which, in indigenous communities, are often many times the national average, Caritas Australia funds community-owned diabetes management and care programmes in eight Kimberley communities such as Audrey’s. During Lent, Catholics can contribute towards projects such as this through Project Compassion. This week, Caritas Australia’s chief executive officer, Jack de Groot, writes for The Record on how Catholics can make a difference far beyond their own parish horizons week by week via Project Compassion. Making the difference - Page 17 PHOTO: COURTESY CARITAS
Mary, Salesians, family, state take pride of place ARCHBISHOP Timothy Costelloe’s coat of arms was unveiled this week, bringing together symbols of his devotion to Mary, his Salesian roots, the Costelloe family and his new home of Western Australia. The coat of arms consists of a shield upon an archiepiscopal cross (a cross with two horizontal arms) surmounted by a green galero (a hat) with 10 green fiocchi (tassels) suspended on each side. These are standard ecclesiastical heraldic devices indicating the coat of arms is that of an archbishop.
The charges (emblems) on the left half of the shield (as the observer faces it) represent the Archbishop’s See, the Archdiocese of Perth. These include the constellation of the Southern Cross, a symbol for Australia and a black swan on a gold background, the state emblem for Western Australia. The charges on the right half are personal to Archbishop Costelloe and include: The gold star on the blue background represents Mary, the
Mother of God. In Catholic tradition, Mary is often referred to as the Star of the Sea. She is the one whose prayer and whose presence in our lives leads us to safety. The three trees represent Saint John Bosco, the founder of the Salesian Congregation, to which the Archbishop belongs. (Bosco, in Italian, means wood.) The three diamonds are taken from the Costelloe family crest. They may be understood to represent the three theological virtues of faith, hope and charity.
Archbishop Costelloe’s motto is Via, Veritas, Vita (the Way, the Truth and the Life). In the Gospel (John 14:6), Jesus describes himself as the Way, the Truth and the Life. In choosing this motto, the Archbishop wanted to indicate that Jesus stands at the very heart of our faith. It is he whom we seek to know, to love, to serve and to proclaim. It is he who will lead us to the Father for, as he says, “No-one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
Archbishop Costelloe’s coat of arms.
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29 February 2012, The Record
New archbishop reaps well wishers’ salutations By Robert Hiini ARCHBISHOP Timothy Costelloe SDB has received well wishes from all quarters since his appointment as Archbishop of Perth was announced on Monday, 20 February. Bishop of Bunbury Gerard Holohan said he was delighted for the archdiocese and “excited for its future”.
“Though a Victorian, he knows us as he has lived among us for some years in the past,” Bishop Holohan said in a statement. “He comes as a sensitive pastor, but also as a major theologian. He will be a great listener, but be a man of his own mind.” Bishop Holohan said he was sure local priests would give him the time he needed to come to know the archdiocese. Vice-Chancellor of the University
of Notre Dame, Professor Celia Hammond said she was like-wise delighted at what she described as “a significant appointment for Perth and for Notre Dame”. “Bishop Costelloe has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to Catholic education. He is a theologian of significant standing and a man much-loved by those who have come to know him,” Prof Hammond said. The local
representative of the Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, Fr Don Kettle, said the association welcomed the appointment with great joy. “We continue to support the archbishop and the clergy of the diocese with our ongoing prayers, loyalty and fidelity to the Magisterium,” Fr Kettle said. The ACCC was thankful to Apostolic Administrator, Archbishop Barry Hickey for the “generous sup-
Repenting and turning toward grace at Notre Dame By Robert Hiini UNIVERSITY of Notre Dame Fremantle staff members and students were called to ‘turn away from sin and be faithful to God’ as the ashes from last year’s Palm Sunday were placed on their foreheads. Doing the honours were Fremantle Campus Chaplain Fr John Sebastian and Fremantle Campus Minister Tom Gannon. The university adopted its own theme – Living life in grace – for the occasion. Through the words of the homily, the Notre Dame community reflected on the spiritual change one could undertake over the Lenten period. It also asked the congregation to act graciously in their lives, especially in the context of communicating with loved ones, work colleagues and peers. The Lenten journey concludes on Good Friday with the Stations of the Cross to be held at the Fremantle Campus from 10am. For more information on UNDA Mass times and prayer sessions throughout Lent, contact (08) 9433 0581.
UNDA’s Fremantle Campus Minister Tom Gannon does the honours on Ash Wednesday.
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Born the daughter of a French carpenter, Nicolette Boellet is venerated as the reformer of the Poor Clares. She joined the Franciscan Third Order, and about age 21 began living as a recluse in a hermitage at Corbie. She had a vision in which St. Francis of Assisi charged her with bringing the Poor Clares back to their original strict rule. The antipope, Benedict XIII, appointed her superior of any convents she would found or reform. Despite opposition, she founded 17 convents of the strict observance and reformed a number of religious houses.
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Sunday 4th - Violet 2ND SUNDAY OF LENT 1st Reading: Gen 22:1-2,9, 10-13, 15-18 Obedience rewarded Responsorial Ps 115:10, 15-19 Psalm Bonds loosened 2nd Reading: Room 8:31-34 Christ pleads for us Gospel Reading: Mk 92-10 The Transfiguration Monday 5th - Violet 1st Reading: Dan 9:4-10 The look of shame Responsorial Ps 78:8-9,11,13 Psalm: Forgive us our sins Gospel Reading: Lk 6:36-38 Compassionate God Tuesday 6th - Violet 1st Reading: Is 1:10,16-20 Cease to do evil Responsorial Ps 49:8-9,16-17, 21,23 Psalm: Am I like you? Gospel Reading: Mt 23:1-12 One Father, one Teacher
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Great Lesmurdie land sale to make sure Mass goers get a park Our Lady of Lourdes, Lesmurdie is selling two hectares of vacant land just so it has somewhere for parishioners to park. The reason for what might seem a counterintuitive move is that the area of land next to the church, often used for parking by parishioners during large celebrations, is being subdivided and sold. The two-hectare block the parish is selling is located in Carmel, on the corner of Carmel and Canning Roads, and was donated by a parishioner 50 years ago. The parish plans to use the money from the sale to purchase the land they currently use for parking. The parish hopes that it will avoid going into debt by using money from the sale. The decision to sell was made by a dedicated parish committee. Real estate agents have offered a discount on their commission if the parish refers a buyer to them. Expressions of interest are due by 25 March. If you are interested, contact Steve Rowling on 0447 677 775 to receive an information package.
READINGS OF THE WEEK
Colette of Corbie Editor
PHOTO: UNDA
port and encouragement” he had given the association. A comment was sought from the local Council of Priests, representing priests throughout the archdiocese. However, upon enquiries The Record learnt that, like the tenure of the diocese’ many vicariates, the council ceases to exist upon the appointment of a new archbishop. It will be up to the new archbishop to re-establish the council.
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Catholic clarity for complex times CATHOLIC families and those searching for truth need resources to help them negotiate the complexities of modern life, many of which are also active challenges to the desire of parents to lead their children to an encounter with the beauty of the Church. At The Record’s bookshop you can find great books for the family at good prices. Turn to Page 20 for some brilliant deals NOW!!
Wednesday 7th - Violet SS PERPETUA AND FELICITY, MARTYRS (0) 1st Reading: Jer 18:18-20 I pleaded for them Responsorial Ps 30:5-6,14-16
Psalm: God is my refuge Gospel Reading: Mt 20:17-28 Passion prediction Thursday 8th - Violet ST JOHN OF GOD, RELIGIOUS (0) 1st Reading: Jer 17:5-10 Devious in the heart Responsorial Ps 1:1-4,6 Psalms: The two ways Gospel Reading: Lk16:19-31 Lazarus and the rich man Friday 9th - Violet ST FRANCES OF ROME, RELIGIOUS (0) 1st Reading: Gen 37:3-4,12-13, 17-28 The plot against Joseph Responsorial Ps 104:16-21 Psalm: Joseph’s rise Gospel Reading: Mt 21:33-43,45-46 Parable of the wicked tenants Saturday 11th - Violet 1st Reading: Mic 7:14-15,18-20 Have pity on us Responsorial Ps 102:1-4,9-12 Psalms: Faults not repaid Gospel Reading: Lk15:1-3,11-32 The father and his sons
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29 February 2012, The Record
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No rat too big for the Carmelite “Dog Mother” By Glynnis Grainger THE Carmelite Monastery in Nedlands is home to a tree-climbing, rat-killing Jack Russell Terrier and three other dogs, all of which the nuns dote on. Scooby, after the cartoon character Scooby-Doo, is the star Jack Russell, 80kg Bosco is a huge guard dog Ridgeback-Hunterway cross, and the two females, Peggy, a Ridgeback and Mattie, a German Shepherd, all live behind the walls
of the monastery. But Scooby also has a habit of climbing and jumping over the two-metre high wall around the monastery and being rescued by neighbours or passersby or just turning up at the front door. Sister Joanne told The Record they “got him from the Jack Russell Rescue in January 2009” when they were looking for a dog which could kill the many rats on the property, and they gave him a good home, as he had been abandoned. “He was two to three years old
then and was a hunter,” Sr Joanne said. “We have a problem with rats. Scooby wasn’t interested in people. When he was not hunting, he was helping Bosco, the ‘patriarch’. “Scooby caught 50 rats in the first three months, and got a reward. “He would keep it till morning and produce this rat – he would come with one that he buried.” Sr Joanne said she gave the details and they wrote up Scooby’s story in the book Amazing Dog
Stories, published at the end of last year. She said Scooby was five years old going on six and Bosco is 11½ and quite an old dog. We met both of the dogs when we visited the parlour at the Monastery, where the Carmelites are a closed Order. The female dogs Peggy and Mattie “mother” Scooby, and he “worships” Bosco, his mate, Sr Joanne said. Scooby climbs up the cape lilac tree in the grounds of the monastery, where he gets stuck, and Sr
Joanne has to climb a ladder to get him down. Sr Anne of Jesus, who was a journalist before she joined the Order 50 years ago, told The Record Scooby, or Jack, as she calls him, thinks he is a Great Dane. Sr Joanne is the “Dog Sister” or the “Dog Mother” who looks after the four dogs and weighs their special food, so that they don’t put on weight. She said Scooby is not a true enclosed friar because he has jumped over the wall before.
Friendship beyond all ability By Robert Hiini IT IS an inititave that its enthusiasts say brings a fuller life to ‘friends’ with disabilities and their ‘advocates’ alike. Personal Advocacy Service had its annual Missioning Celebration on Sunday 19 February. Bishop Don Sproxton joined more than 70 advocates from the service, participating in the group’s annual Liturgy of the Word to celebrate the beginning of their ministry for 2012. The Personal Advocacy ministry is parish-based and is currently active in 13 parishes in the metropolitan area, providing support for 108 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In these parish settings, volunteers come together to form small adult faith communities into which they welcome the friends with disabilities, share their everyday life experiences and participate in a very gentle faith-based programme. Members of the parish community are linked on a one-to-one basis with people with intellectual disabilities (‘friends’). With the ongoing support of their small group, these relationships gradually strengthen over time, bonds begin to develop and both people grow in faith and trust. For more information, contact Personal Advocacy Service on 9275 5388 to find out when the next information session will be held in your vicinity.
Lesmurdie Parish Priest Fr Kenneth Asaba welcomes his nephew and new assistant priest, Fr Cyprian Shikokoti.
PHOTO: SARAH MOTHERWELL
Some uncles do have ‘em: nephew priest to Lesmurdie By Sarah Motherwell OUR Lady of Lourdes parish priest Father Kenneth Asaba (42) could not be more pleased with his new assistant priest, his own nephew Father Cyprian Shikokoti (29). Fr Asaba said if his nephew misbehaved he would be calling his mother - Fr Asaba’s eldest sister - before he called the Archbishop of Perth. He was appointed assistant priest of Our Lady of Lourdes
on 24 February. The two priests are from Kakamega in Western Kenya and arrived in Australia at different times after being invited to complete their seminarian training in Perth by Archbishop Barry Hickey. Fr Asaba met Archbishop Hickey during his training in Rome, receiving an invitation to complete his time as a seminarian in Perth. He was ordained on 9 December 2005 and has spent time as a chaplain at Edith Cowan University and
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as the parish priest of Southern Cross from September 2008 till the end of 2010. Fr Asaba said Lesmurdie is a good place to minister because it is halfway between the city and the country and people take things a bit slower. Archbishop Hickey invited Fr Shikokoti to be a seminarian in Perth after meeting him at a thanksgiving feast in Kenya. He came to Perth in 2006 as a seminarian and stayed at the St
Charles Seminary for three years before being ordained on 4 March 2010. Although having aspirations to be a missionary priest, Fr Shikokoti said is he is pleased to be working in Perth with his uncle. Fr Asaba said he expected working with his nephew would bring up some emotions and feelings that were particular to their situation but said at the end of the day helping the parish is what is important.
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29 February 2012, The Record
Days in the desert lead to life
Olympian to teach leadership
By Robert Hiini WHEN pro-lifers pray for an end to abortion they are not just praying for the lives of unborn babies, 40 Days for Life campaigner Tina Jack said this week. During each day of Lent a handful of people gather outside Marie Stopes in Midland to pray for all those inside affected by the abortions happening inside – children, mothers, fathers and all who work in the clinic. It is an effort Ms Jack hopes her fellow Catholics will unite themselves to, in action and in prayer, holding out the opportunity to pray outside the clinic at any time of their choosing between 7am and 5pm during Lent. Ms Jack said, “the first time I went I was quite afraid, and kept on thinking of all the reasons I shouldn’t go.” She said she expected a second visit to be a struggle but instead found it to be a profoundly moving experience. “I felt a sense of peace and purpose knowing that I was doing something so worthwhile, so Catholic,” she said. The campaign “unashamedly declares” that abortion is an injustice, against both child and mother, Ms Jack said, adding that her own pro-life advocacy was in large part driven by a desire to help women. “I felt it was important to be there for the mothers in crisis. They too are vulnerable at this time, not just the baby,” she said. “These women often just want someone to offer them hope, that they can change their mind, even at the last moment.” During the vigils she had attended, one person – usually a female pregnancy counsellor – offered a flyer to anyone approaching the clinic. “All they say is “good morning, would you like to read about abortion alternatives” and that is it,”
Two Emmanuel Catholic College students at the 2011 leadership day. PHOTO: COURTESY EMMANUEL CATHOLIC COLLEGE Maria Thompson, centre, stands with her family outside of a US Planned Parenthood office. Planned Parenthood is a major supporter of legal abortion in the US. PHOTO: CNS/LISA JOHNSTON
Ms Jack said. Veteran pro-life volunteer Helen Sawyer agreed, saying that affirming women was key to helping both mother and child. “What makes a difference to her at this point is someone or something saying that she can have her baby, that abortion will not help her, to believe in herself and trust that with support she and her baby will get through.” Ms Sawyer co-founded the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants in Perth in 1997 – a group that prays outside Perth’s abortion clinics on a regular basis - and is a longtime volunteer at the Catholic outreach, Pregnancy Assistance. “I believe that every person is capable of hearing and recognising truth and that it is written in every heart. Whether or not they
choose to respond to God’s grace that is available to them at that moment, by virtue of our prayers, is of course a matter of free will,” Ms Sawyer said. The campaign’s
“These women often just want someone to offer them hope, that they can change their mind, even at the last moment”. Vigil Coordinator Joanne Cichini became involved in the work a few years ago, after feeling the prompting of the Spirit.
“My pastor at church said that you know you’re a Christian, when God turns your life upside down,” she said. “I saw a pro-life group praying outside the abortion clinic in Midland. “I instantly got goose bumps and wanted to join them straight away,” Ms Cichini said. She volunteered at a Pregnancy Crisis Centre and said she is thankful that God put her in contact with so many pro-life Christian people. 40 Days for Life is an international campaign that began in the United States and has taken place in 240 cities in all 50 states, five Canadian provinces as well as cities in Europe and Australia. For more information visit www.40daysforlife.com/perthwa or call Joanne on 0439 657 597.
By Sarah Motherwell CATHOLIC students will have the opportunity to learn about leadership from dual Olympic gold medallist and former Hockeyroos captain, Jenn Morris, at the third annual Networking and Leadership Day for Catholic Schools next month. The event, which will be hosted by Emmanuel Catholic College on Friday, 9 March, will give two student leaders from each participating school the opportunity to discuss important topics including cyber bullying, how to lead a balanced life and responsibilities in the school yard. Last year thirteen Perth Catholic schools attended the event when the Western Australian Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan was a guest speaker and shared his experience of being a leader with students.
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Seminar to open hearts and minds to the Word By Mark Reidy HISTORICALLY, lay Catholics have not had a good track record when it comes to personally reading, let alone studying, the Bible. In the Middle Ages, widespread illiteracy meant it was mainly educated clerics and monastics who could read Holy Scripture. Post-Reformation, the explosion of protestant sects and the ascendancy of Sola Scriptura reemphasised the importance of
understanding Scripture in the light of Tradition and the Magisterium. Residual cautiousness found its way into the 20th century and, even until the 1960s, many lay Catholics were reluctant to read and study the Bible - or simply were not provided with the avenues to do so. That cautiousness dissipated in the latter part of last century and opportunities for delving into the Word of God became increasingly available. Since 1990, Perth-based Flame
Ministries International (FMI) have embraced this call to provide lay people with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of Scripture. Their 15 week Charismatic Bible Seminar, “Set My People on Fire” (SMPOF), has touched the lives of thousands of participants in Perth and across the globe, providing them with Church approved teaching based foremost on Holy Scripture, as well as the Catholic Catechism and Dei Verbum (a
Church document that sets forth the doctrine of divine revelation and its transmission). A new SMPOF course, which begins on 6 March, will be held each Tuesday evening at the Faith Centre, 450 Hay St, Perth. FMI’s team of experienced Catholic Evangelists aims to provide participants not only with the opportunity to unfold and explore Scripture in a deeper way, but to also prepare them in practically applying this knowledge in their
daily lives (FMI’s annual congress is another opportunity). The seminar, which is designed to provide spiritual growth to individuals as well as mobilising parishioners to spread the Gospel, has been approved by Perth Archbishop Barry Hickey. “Set My People on Fire, is an excellent source of Biblical teaching”, he said during one of FMI’s annual Congresses. “Especially as a living experience of the Word of God for the participants.”
Identitywa looks back with Hickey
Samantha Oreb (left) with Apostolic Administrator Barry Hickey and Jane Lefroy (right) at identitywa’s South Perth site. PHOTO: ROBERT HIINI
By Robert Hiini HISTORY repeated itself last Friday when Perth’s acting Archbishop (Apostolic Administrator) Barry Hickey made a farewell visit to disability services provider identitywa at their South Perth site. In a brief tour of the facility, Apostolic Administrator Hickey noticed a plaque commemorating the opening of one of the buildings back in 1991. The late Bishop Robert Healey, who was then Apostolic Administrator, did the honours that day while the archdiocese awaited the appointment of Archbishop William Foley’s successor,
Geraldton Bishop Barry Hickey. Archbishop Hickey joined identitywa CEO Marina Re, members of the identitywa board and several people who receive care from the organisation at a reception following the tour. “Over the past twenty years the Archbishop has overseen a significant growth in the Archdiocese’s social services and the growth of identitywa is part of that,” Ms Re said. That growth was not restricted to disability services, she said, but also included services to indigenous people, refugees and migrants, as well as those “confronted by despair and great difficulties who wish to change their lives”.
Jayne (left) and Crystal (right) founded their friendship through the Personal Advocacy Service, as Crystal tells below. PHOTO: COURTESY PAS
Advocating for friendship through service
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job and I broke my ankle; the timing was finally right. This is when I met an incredible lady named Jayne. We met on a warm April evening. She welcomed me into her home, introduced me to her housemates and told me that she could not wait for
us to start spending time together. Without knowing anything about me, Jayne had accepted me into her life. Joining PAS, I thought I would make a difference, little did I know how much Jayne would make a difference to me. - CRYSTAL
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29 February 2012, The Record
MILESTONES
moments past, passing and to come
Father who spent a life loving a family By Barbara Harris
I
T WAS evident from the large numbers gathered at the funeral Mass at Whitford and the cemetery at Pinnaroo on Friday, 10 February that Brian Hickey was a man loved and respected by those who knew him. Brian was born on 20 August 1927, the oldest son of Gregory and Freda Hickey. He had two sisters, Judy and Patty, and one brother, Barry (Archbishop of Perth from 1991 to 2012). At the age of six, Brian and his mother, father and sister Judy moved from Nedlands to Leonora where they spent two years. His father was the mining registrar and it was there that his brother Barry was born. The family then spent two years in Beverley, where his younger sister Patty was born, and then Cue for two years, Wiluna for five years and then on to Kalgoorlie. Brian attended the Christian Brothers Boarding School in Geraldton and was evacuated to Tardun during the war. After finishing school, Brian worked for a year at the Wiluna Co-Op before heading back to Perth to start his accounting career. Brian joined the St Joachim’s tennis club in Victoria Park, then St Thomas’ in Claremont where he met his beloved Patricia who played at Highgate Club. Brain maintained
Obituary
Brian Hickey Born: 20 August 1927 Entered eternal life: 4 February 2012 his tennis prowess for a very long time. He worked for 27 years at Hendry Rae and Court Accountants and then joined the Association of Relatives and Friends of the Mentally Ill (ARAFMI) where he was instrumental in devising a more transparent accounting system which helped the Association to attract more donations. He worked voluntarily for seven years as the Association’s part-time accountant and was made a life member of ARAFMI in 2001. Brian and his wife, Pat, returned to Wiluna in 1996 for the Centenary celebration. The trip was somewhat of a let-down for Brian who had been telling Pat what an oasis Wiluna was; the years had taken their toll on the town. However, Governor Michael Jeffery (who had been born in Wiluna) was there. Brian remembered that while the rest of the family drove back to Perth on bumpy roads, brother Barry flew back with the Governor. Brian was a gentle, loving and considerate husband to Pat for 55 years. They had four children, Catherine, Barbara, Greg and Alison, and 11 grandchildren.
He loved and was loved by his extended family and had a very close relationship with his two sisters, Patty, Judy and brother, Barry. No family party was complete without Brian asking if he should “say a few words”. Brian had a special relationship with each of his grandchildren. He always had time to listen to them, support them at school events, concerts, and sport, sing to or tell them stories before they went off to bed and delight in their achievements or support them in tough times. Brian loved all sports but especially football, tennis, golf and
He worried about people and often thought that if only he tried harder he could make life easier for others.
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W Brian Hickey always had time to sing to grandchildren, tell them stories and support them. PHOTO: HICKEY FAMILY
cricket. He would have loved that one of his children or grandchildren would play for the Eagles or compete in the Olympics. He loved travelling, dancing and music. Brian wanted people to be given a fair go. He believed in honesty, hard work and integrity and said that his
Back to the beginning for 60th
motto for life was “do your best and think of others”. He demonstrated throughout his life fairness, kindness, loyalty and generosity of time and presence. He had enormous empathy and stood strongly for social justice. He worried about people and often thought that if he tried harder he could make life easier for others. Brian died on 4 February 2012 at Joondalup Hospital. “Well done good and faithful servant. You have run the race to the end.”
hen Ross and Joan Watson got married 60 years ago, the couple and the priest were equally nervous. The marriage was one of the first Father Myles McKeon, future Bishop of Bunbury, had celebrated. The couple were married in sight of Fr McKeon at St Mary’s Cathedral on 23 February 1952. To celebrate their anniversary Ross and Joan returned to the site of their reception - the North Perth Hall. Their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren joined them in the joyous occasion.
Ross and Joan Watson on their wedding day in 1952. PHOTO: WATSON FAMILY
Couple built a life from humble start
Rosary from the Holy Land
Simple in design and yet profound in its symbolic significance, the olivewood rosary, handmade in Bethlehem by Christian families struggling for survival, are also available for a donation of $7.00. All proceeds will go towards the work of Aid to the Church in Need for the poor and persecuted Church worldwide.
This inspiring book can also teach the Faith here in Australia: with your family, godchildren, or in your parish or school. The Child’s Bible is a perfect gift for children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces, especially to mark a First Holy Communion. The Bible complements the catechism and children’s rosary booklet also published by ACN and available via our website.
Kevin and Irene Boladeras look back on 60 years of married life. PHOTO: COURTESY FR JOHN JEGOROW
By Fr John Jegorow
K
BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED THROUGHOUT 48 Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments Available for a donation of $7.00 A lovely gift idea!
Record WA
evin and Irene Boladeras (nee Whitely) recently celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary with a renewal of vows at St Mary of the Cross MacKillop Church in Ballajura followed by a family party at a local restaurant. Kevin and Irene first met as members of two organisations, the Young Christian Workers and the National Catholic Girls Movement, based in Fremantle. They married at St Patrick’s Church, Fremantle, on 9 February 1952 and, as Irene was a member of the choir, the long time music director, Mrs Jolly, pulled out all the stops to make it a grand occasion. In 1952, housing was in short supply in the metropolitan area. Couples like Kevin and Irene would rent a room and have use of a communal kitchen. When their first child John was born, Kevin
found work at the Katanning Co-op and, thankfully, a house was included in the wage package. The family grew to five children, all being born in country WA as Kevin progressively moved to better paid jobs managing co-operatives in Bruce Rock, Cunderdin, Broome Hill, and Trayning. Kevin and Irene then moved to Nollamara and managed
Then, couples would rent a room and use a communal kitchen. a local hardware business until retirement. Today, they have 17 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Irene’s young brother, Fr Peter Whitely, was grateful for his country connection when he was ordained as Irene and Kevin enlisted all their country friends to help cater for his ordination celebrations in 1971.
29 February 2012, The Record
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WORLD
Ex-Anglicans celebrate in St Peter’s By Carol Glatz FOR perhaps the first time ever, Anglican hymns, chants and prayers reverberated off the marble walls of St Peter’s Basilica as some members of the world’s first ordinariate for former Anglicans celebrated their coming into the Catholic Church. “Wonderful is not a strong enough word to express how we feel to be here,” where the apostle Peter gave his life “and where his successors guarded the faith for generations,” said Father Len Black in his homily. Mass at the basilica and the pilgrimage to Rome generated “a feeling of coming home,” said the Catholic priest who served as an Episcopalian pastor in the Scottish Highlands for 31 years. The group of about 94 pilgrims, including a dozen priests, was led by Monsignor Keith Newton, head of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, which was established in January 2011 for former Anglicans in England and Wales. After celebrating morning Mass on 24 February in a side chapel, the group moved to the centre of the basilica and stood in front of the Confessio - a lower chapel honouring St Peter’s confession of faith that led to his martyrdom - and recited the General Thanksgiving, a traditional Anglican prayer. “That was very moving, thanking God for all we received this year and for the pilgrimage,” he told Catholic News Service. The week-long Lenten pilgrimage highlighted the season’s call to conversion but also was an opportunity to thank Pope Benedict XVI for establishing a structure for welcoming former Anglicans into the
Members of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham in England attend Pope Benedict XVI’s general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican on 22 February. PHOTO: CNS/PAUL HARING
Catholic Church. Mgr Newton, the ordinary, also met briefly with the Pope at the end of the Pope’s general audience. The Pope’s 2009 apostolic constitution Anglicanorum coetibus provided a way for entire Anglican parishes or groups to become Catholic while retaining some of their Anglican heritage and liturgical practice. “We felt this was the answer to our prayers” for corporate Christian unity, the monsignor said. Ecumenical dialogue seems to no longer have full and visible corporate union as its goal, he said.
Lent time of grace to beat temptation By Cindy Wooden THE 40 DAYS of Lent are a time of spiritual renewal in preparation for Easter, but they also are a time to recognise that evil is at work in the world and even the Catholic Church faces temptations, Pope Benedict XVI said. The Pope explained the meaning of Lent during his weekly general audience on 22 February, Ash Wednesday. Like the people of Israel during their 40-year exodus and like Jesus during his 40 days in the desert, the Catholic Church and its members experience the grace of God, but also are besieged by evil around them and tempted by power and selfishness, the Pope said. Jesus, before beginning his public ministry, withdrew to the desert for 40 days. Fasting, “he nourished himself on the word of God, which he used as a weapon to defeat the devil,” the Pope said. Pope Benedict said experience of God’s grace and of temptation is not unique to modern Catholics or to the Church. During their 40 years in the desert, the people of Israel were guided by God, fed with manna and given water from a rock, but they also were tired, complaining and tempted to return to idol worship, the Pope said. Spending 40 days in the desert before beginning his public minis-
Pope Benedict XVI arrives to celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass at the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome on 22 February. PHOTO: CNS/PAULHARING
try, Jesus experienced the closeness of God, but also faced the devil’s temptations of “power, success and dominion.” “This ambivalent situation also describes the condition of the Church journeying through the desert of the world and history. In this desert, we believers certainly have the opportunity of having a profound experience of God, who strengthens our spirit, confirms our faith, nourishes our hope and animates our charity,” the Pope said. “The desert is also the negative aspect of the reality that surrounds us”, that attempt to convince people that God does not exist.
Dialogue has become more of an exercise in finding common ground and ways to cooperate, while the Anglican Communion falls further away from seeking revealed truth, Mgr Newton said. He said Blessed John Henry Newman saw himself engaged in a battle against liberalism or, rather, “that view that it didn’t really matter what you believed, they were all equally important and that there was no such thing as revealed religion.” “I think that’s exactly what’s happening in the Anglican community - it’s all personal opin-
ions,” he said. “The problem of the ordination of women and gay marriage are symptoms of the problem - the problem, I think, is liberalism in religion, secularism.” Mgr Newton, who was an Anglican bishop, said the real underlying motive for him and many others to break with the Anglican Church was “because we believe in revealed truth” and obedience. The creation of an ordinariate, which is similar to a diocese but national in scope, was a particularly Catholic way of building reciprocity between traditions
in which each shares and contributes its own unique gifts with the other, he said. “That seems to be exactly the way that ecumenism should go,” he said. “It’s the Holy Father’s vision and we’ve got him to thank for it.” The ordinariate in England and Wales recently celebrated its one-year anniversary while the US ordinariate was officially inaugurated in mid-February. While the situation in predominately Anglican Great Britain is unique, Mgr Newton said there are some lessons learned to pass on. He said the biggest challenges have been practical issues such as determining where clergy, especially those who are married with families, will live; deciding how much priests will be paid; and finding a place and time to worship that’s convenient for parishioners and clergy. “One of the lessons we all learned is when you begin this process, you can’t know exactly how it’s going to work out for you as an individual; it really is a step of faith.” Director of Music at Benedictine Buckfast Abbey in Devon, Michael Vian Clark, cobbled together “a scratch choir” out of the pilgrims who came from different parts of Great Britain. He said people who didn’t know each other were singing Roman-rite chants and Anglican hymns and psalms in harmony without much practice or preparation because “there’s a ‘have a go’ attitude in the Anglican tradition, particularly with music”. “Good music in the liturgy is a slice of heaven,” Vian Clark said. “It’s a glimpse to heaven and it allows people to realise that the liturgy and the Mass is a gift which is not of this world.”
Peru
University asked to protect Catholic identity VATICAN CITY (CNS) - The Pontifical Catholic University of Peru must amend its statutes in conformity with Vatican norms for the good of the university and the whole Church in Peru, said the Vatican’s secretary of state. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone met with the university’s rector, Marcial Rubio Correa on 21 February to discuss “the conclusions the Holy See has reached following intense dialogue and numerous meetings over the course of many years” between the university’s grand chancellor, Cardinal Juan Cipriani Thorne of Lima, his predecessors and the university, said a written statement released the same day by the Vatican. The cardinal also told Rubio the results of an apostolic visitation made to the university in December by Cardinal Peter Erdo of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary. The Vatican’s conclusions “took particular account of the outcome of the apostolic visit and of the proposal presented by the rector at the end of that visit,” it said. The Vatican is requesting the university’s statutes “be regularised as soon as possible, adapting them to the apostolic constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae for it’s good and that of the Church in Peru.”
www.johnxxiii.edu.au
John XXIII College Open Day 9am-12pm - 17 March 2012 At John XXIII College Mount Claremont, we seek to develop people of competence, conscience and compassion. To learn more about the College facilities, programs and enrolments come to our Open Day on 17 March – tours every half hour from 9-11.30am. For enrolment enquiries contact Kate Parker on (08) 9383 0449
FIND US ON THE INTERNET AT
WWW.THERECORD.COM.AU
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29 February 2012, The Record
WORLD
Pope’s older brother tells all RECOUNTING their rural Bavarian childhood and subsequent lifelong friendship, the elder brother of Pope Benedict XVI offers a privileged look at the personal side of the spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics. My Brother the Pope, scheduled for publication on 1 March by Ignatius Press, is based on interviews with Monsignor Georg Ratzinger by German writer Michael Hesemann and was originally published in German last year. Joseph, the future Pope Benedict, was “very slight and delicate” at birth, Mgr Ratzinger says, and was “often sick” as an infant with diphtheria, among other ailments. Later on, Joseph’s favourite toys were stuffed animals, and he was particularly attached to a pair of teddy bears. Mgr Ratzinger describes family life with their parents and older sister Maria as free of any overt conflict, “since each one settled that himself and with God in personal prayer. We did not talk about such things ... Such problems became a part of our prayer.” Glimpses of the boys’ destinies came early on. When a cardinal visited their small town in 1931, arriving in a black limousine, fouryear-old Joseph exclaimed, “I’ll be a cardinal someday!” Nevertheless, Mgr Ratzinger says, his brother
The cover of My Brother the Pope by Mgr Georg Ratziger, which will be released on 1 March. PHOTO: CNS
was never ambitious and external honours have been “always unwelcome” to him. “My brother was somewhat better behaved than I,” Mgr Ratzinger says, yet he recounts a boyhood prank in which the two tricked a local farmer into losing track of his ox cart. Recreation of a more edifying sort came when the boys played at being priests, using a toy altar made for them by an uncle. “It was a really beautiful high altar, which
he even equipped with a rotating tabernacle,” Mgr Ratzinger recalls. “Naturally, we used water instead of wine for the make-believe consecration.” The future Pope Benedict, now a proficient amateur pianist and lover of Mozart, “did not take to music quite as spontaneously as I did,” says Mgr Ratzinger, who went on to become the choirmaster of the Regensburg Cathedral, Germany. His brother “was a little more restrained, although he is a very musical person,” Mgr Ratzinger says. Recounting Hitler’s rise to power in 1930s Germany, Mgr Ratzinger says their father regarded the dictator as the “Antichrist” and refused to join the Nazi party. “But so as not to put our family completely at risk, he advised Mother to join the women’s organisation,” Mgr Ratzinger says, noting that the women “did not talk about Hitler but instead exchanged recipes, chatted about their gardens, and sometimes even prayed the rosary together.” It was only reluctantly that the two boys obeyed requirements to join the Hitler Youth and later served in the German military during World War II, Mgr Ratzinger says. The Pope’s brother was present at the allied bombardment of the monastery on Monte Cassino,
Italy, in 1944. Mgr Ratzinger recounts anecdotes about their time together as adults: watching a German television series about a police dog named Inspector Rex and dividing tasks in the kitchen - the monsignor washing dishes while his brother, by then a cardinal, drying. In 2005, after the death of Blessed John Paul II, Mgr Ratzinger was sure that his brother was too old to be elected pope. When he heard the new pontiff ’s name pronounced on live television, he admits that he was “disheartened.” “It was a great challenge, an enormous task for him, I thought, and I was seriously worried,” Mgr Ratzinger says. The Pope later confided that his election had “struck him like a bolt of lightning,” Mgr Ratzinger says. Mgr Ratzinger says that his brother has not been indifferent to the many criticisms he has received during his career as prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and then as Pope. Pope Benedict is “personally very sensitive, but he also knows from which corner these attacks come and the reason for them, what is usually behind them,” Mgr Ratzinger says. “That way he overcomes it more easily, he rises above it more simply.”
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
States, women, fight Obama HHS mandate Seven states have filed suit against the Department of Health and Human Services’ mandate that nearly all health insurance plans cover contraceptives free of charge, saying that it violates religious freedom and leaves “countless additional religious freedoms vulnerable to government intrusion.” Joining the attorneys general of Nebraska, South Carolina, Michigan, Texas, Florida, Ohio and Oklahoma in the lawsuit were a Catholic nun, a lay missionary working with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, Pius X Catholic High School in Lincoln, Neb, and the Omaha-based Catholic Mutual Group, a self-insurance fund that covers more than 125 dioceses or archdioceses and 200 Catholic religious congregations in the US and Canada. The lawsuit was filed as protests against the HHS mandate mounted. More than 4,500 women signed a letter calling on President Barack Obama, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Congress “to allow religious institutions and individuals to continue to witness to their faiths in all their fullness.” In addition, 18 US senators asked Obama to rescind the mandate, saying that its implementation “will unjustly impact religiously affiliated organisations and individuals.” The mandate requires no-cost coverage of all contraceptives approved by Food and Drug Administration. -CNS
Moulding a fresh perspective on Church stories THE statues that will dominate the east and west transepts of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita are taking shape. Sculptor Rip Caswell, who works from his studio in Troutdale, was commissioned to create two heroicsize bronze sculptures as part of the cathedral renovation project. The two sculptures, “Mary and Joseph” and “The Crucifixion”, will face each other from the east and west alcoves of the cross-shaped cathedral. The statues are scheduled to be installed in late August or early September. The first piece, “Mary and Joseph,” depicts a pregnant Mary with her hand on her womb and Joseph as a supportive father figure and husband standing behind her. Mary is looking across the cathedral to a scene of the Crucifixion. “We’ve made some bold departures with this piece,” Caswell told The Catholic Advance, newspaper of the Wichita Diocese. Traditionally, Mary’s pregnancy was hidden or portrayed as barely showing, he said. Joseph has been characterised as older, benign and in the background. Caswell said he sees a wave moving in churches across the country now to tell the traditional stories, but with a new angle, with a fresh perspective. “Culture and society have changed,” he said. “Churches still want commissioned works to be of the highest quality and to remain true to doctrine, but they want them to reflect a more genuine portrayal of life and of the things with which we can all relate. Realism is back. “With this sculpture, we’re celebrating Mary’s pregnancy - we’re celebrating motherhood,” he said. “We show Joseph as a strong, solid and protective man, very much in love with Mary.” The second sculpture, “The Crucifixion,” with a larger-than-life
figure of Christ, “will be powerful,” Caswell said. “The cross will appear to come right out of the floor. People will be able to walk around it, look up into Jesus’ face, and even touch his feet,” he explained. “In the Book of John, it talks about Christ willingly sacrificing himself on the cross. He was in control at every moment. He will be looking down, but his face will not appear as a victim. I will create his face to reflect a sense of calm and peace.” Caswell added that the wood for the cross will have special meaning because it is being shipped from Israel. Monsignor Robert Hemberger, chair of the Cathedral Arts
“Realism is back in sculpture.” Committee, said that “Mary and Joseph” in the west transept and “The Crucifixion” in the east will give the impression there is a conversation taking place between the crucified Jesus and his mother. “She and Joseph are standing here with the child and Mary has a distant look in her eyes, looking toward the future,” he said. Mgr Hemberger said one of the reasons Caswell was chosen as the sculptor was that he took the project so seriously. “He understood what we were looking for and he had an intuitive sense for our vision. We were struck by his attention to detail,” the priest told The Catholic Advance. “Historical accuracy is important to him. I’m just delighted by the beauty of what he’s created with Mary. Her face is astoundingly beautiful - it’s just amazing.” Both sculptures are one-fourth larger than life size. Caswell used more than 500 pounds of clay just to create the Mary and Joseph sculpture.
A close-up of Mary, part of a larger “Mary and Joseph” statue, is seen in Rip Caswell’s studio.
PHOTO: CNS/RIP CASWELL
Left: A close-up of a statue showing Joseph’s hand holding a carpenter’s square. Right: Sculptor Rip Caswell working in his studio in Troutdale. PHOTO: CNS/RIP CASWELL
29 February 2012, The Record
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WORLD
Catholics beseiged by evil: Benedict By Cindy Wooden THE 40 DAYS of Lent are a time of spiritual renewal in preparation for Easter, but they also are a time to recognise that evil is at work in the world and even the Catholic Church faces temptations, Pope Benedict XVI said. The Pope explained the meaning of Lent during his weekly general audience on 22 February, Ash Wednesday. Like the people of Israel dur-
ing their 40-year exodus and like Jesus during his 40 days in the desert, the Catholic Church and its members experience the grace of God, but also are besieged by evil around them and are tempted by power and selfishness, the Pope said. Jesus, before beginning his public ministry, withdrew to the desert for 40 days. Fasting, “he nourished himself on the word of God, which he used as a weapon
US physician says fertility is not cured by in vitro
Holy See of Red: Italian youths greet the Pope
By Cindy Wooden THE MAJORITY of the world’s fertility specialists have spent so much time and effort trying to promote and perfect in vitro fertilisation that they have wasted resources and time that could have been used to find ways to prevent and treat infertility, a US physician told a Vatican audience. “Infertility is a symptom of an underlying condition” and too many physicians do not even attempt to find the cause and treat it; they simply recommend in vitro fertilisation, said Thomas Hilgers, a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life and director of the Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction in Omaha. Dr Hilgers was one of 16 speakers at a workshop on 24 February, sponsored by the Pontifical Academy for Life to discuss the latest research on the causes, prevention and treatment of infertility. According to the academy, infertility affects about 15 per cent of the population in the industrialised world and up to 30 per cent of the population in some developing countries. “We want to offer a contribution to try to reduce as much as possible this phenomenon, which makes it impossible for so many people to procreate a child and to satisfy their just desire for responsible parenthood,” Bishop Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, academy president, told the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano. In an interview with Catholic News Service, Dr Hilgers said, “there are 9.5 million women in the United States who have some type of fertility problem. Of those 9.5 million women, less than 0.5 per cent of them had a baby last year by IVF,” a method in which a woman’s eggs are removed, united with sperm in a laboratory, and then implanted in the womb of the mother or a surrogate. The Catholic Church teaches IVF is immoral, first of all because fertilisation does not take place through the sexual union of a husband and wife, but also because of the number of fertilised embryos that usually are destroyed or frozen. “Women go to the IVF clinic with an underlying disease and they walk away from these clinics with the same disease,” Dr Hilgers told participants at the workshop. Dr Hilgers said his Natural Procreative Technology, presented at the conference, is the result of more than 35 years’ work on treating the causes of infertility, includ-
to defeat the devil,” the Pope said. Pope Benedict said experience of God’s grace and of temptation is not unique to modern Catholics or to the Church. During their 40 years in the desert, the people of Israel were guided by God, fed with manna and given water from a rock, but they also were tired, complaining and tempted to return to idol worship, the Pope said. Spending 40 days in the desert before beginning
his public ministry, Jesus experienced the closeness of God, but also faced the devil’s temptations of “power, success and dominion”. “This ambivalent situation also describes the condition of the Church journeying through the desert of the world and history. In this desert, we believers certainly have the opportunity of having a profound experience of God, who strengthens our spirit, confirms our faith, nourishes our hope and
animates our charity,” the Pope said. He said, “the desert is also the negative aspect of the reality that surrounds us: the aridity, the poverty of words and values, the secularism and materialism” that attempt to convince people that God does not exist. “The desert time can be transformed into a time of grace” because God’s love is more powerful than the temptations of the world, the Pope said.
Young people from northern Italy wave scarves during Pope Benedict XVI’s general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican on 22 February.
ing endometriosis, tubal adhesions and polycystic ovaries. NaPro Technology includes diagnostic methods as well as pharmacological and surgical treatments aimed at allowing couples to conceive naturally. Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the US bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities and a member of the pontifical academy, said many people mistakenly believe that in the field of sexuality and fertility, the Catholic Church is against the use of advances in medicine and science. “That’s not it at all. It’s about keeping the two essential meanings of sexuality - the unitive and procreative - together,” he said. Procreation “is more than just another bodily function. This is something with an inherent meaning and must be treated with respect and care. The treatments the physicians are speaking about here today - hormonal treatments, surgery, changing behaviours that can interfere with fertility - these are all things the Church can enthusiastically endorse.” Workshop speakers presented treatments and cures that are scientifically and medically valid, “but they have been neglected in the secular world in favour of a great deal of hype over in vitro fertilisation,” he said. Research is beginning to demonstrate some of the problems with in vitro fertilisation, he said.
PHOTO: CNS/PAUL HARING
Priest resigns over Missal BISHOP Edward Braxton of Belleville, Illinois said he did not “fire” a priest from his pastorate for using his own wording in some parts of the Mass but was obligated to correct the situation as shepherd of the diocese. The bishop accepted the resignation of Father William Rowe, pastor of St Mary Parish in Mount Carmel for the past 17 years, after several meetings with the 72-year-old priest over the last five years failed to resolve the bishop’s concerns about how Fr Rowe celebrated the Mass, especially after the
implementation of the new Roman Missal in late November. In a letter dated on 14 February and written while Bishop Braxton was in Rome for his periodic ad limina visit to report on the status of the diocese, the bishop said he had “only asked (Fr Rowe) to do what the Church asks me and every priest to do.” He wrote: “I regret very much that Fr Rowe could not find in his heart the docility needed to put the clear mandate of the Church above his personal likes and dislikes with regard to his vocation as an
ordained minister of the Church’s public worship in communion with the whole Church.” Bishop Braxton said he had consulted with Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, about the matter, and neither the cardinal nor members of his staff were aware “of another instance in the entire English-speaking, Catholic world in which a priest has resigned from his pastorate rather than accepting the new translation of the Roman Missal.”
Charity part of new evangelisation efforts AN AUTHENTIC Christian faith is demonstrated through concrete acts of charity and those acts are an essential part of the Catholic Church’s new evangelisation effort, Pope Benedict XVI told members of a Rome-based charity. “The witness of charity touches human hearts in a special way,” the Pope said, and “the new evangelisation, especially in a cosmopolitan city like Rome, requires a great openness of spirit and a wise readiness to help all.” The Pope made his remarks on 24
February during an audience with members of the Circolo di San Pietro which operates soup kitchens and a shelter in Rome, but also raises money for papal charities. “We know that the authenticity of our fidelity to the Gospel is verified in part by the attention and concrete care that we try to show our neighbours, especially the weakest and the marginalised,” he said. True concern for others means trying to meet all their human needs, “physical, moral and spiritual,” and “overcoming
the hardness of heart that makes us blind to the suffering of others,” the Pope said. “The service of charity,” he said, “is a privileged form of evangelisation in the light of the teaching of Jesus who will count what we have done for our brothers and sisters, especially the smallest and most overlooked, as something done for him.” When Christians reach out with loving concern for the suffering, the Pope said, they are sharing the Gospel by showing them the infinite love and mercy of God.
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29 February 2012, The Record
he Tyburn wa T y
Directed and filmed by former West End beauty and fashion photographer, Michael Luke Davies, Tyburn Convent Gloria Deo is a visually stunning and groundbreaking documentary on life behind the habit.
T
ake a London fashion photographer away from his world of luxurious designed perfection, glowing vibrancy of blending colours, textures murmuring elegance in leather, denim, feather and fur, with shimmering silks floating. Send him to make a documentary film within the enclosed contemplative monasteries of the Tyburn Benedictines, within which there is to be found no swirl of rich colour, no poetic hair poised, no flash of jewelled excitement, no effervescent variety but, rather, a world edged onto the transcendent. A world of silence and inwardness. All wear the same simple black habit, all in black footwear and all under the veil; cosmetics are unknown and even mirrors are few and far between. What then will this documentary be? “Is it just nuns singing?” asked one lady nervously, as she considered a purchase. Another, a busy mother, delayed watching her copy, fearing the worst: the nuns’ home-videos with ninety minutes of processions and sung Church services. But thereafter, she phoned the nuns in astonished awe, saying it was “fantastic” and wanting them to change the words on the DVD’s front cover which read, “A unique inside portrait of the world of Tyburn nuns, written, narrated and co-produced by the Tyburn nuns” to “Prepare to be blown away!" "This is the most visually compelling documentary on the monastic life as lived by the Tyburn nuns. You will find yourself transformed to another world of beauty and peace, and will be so disappointed when it ends that you will want to re-watch it straight away! Recommended for those with anxiety, high blood pressure, unresolved rage, disenchantment, etc.” What is it that makes Tyburn Convent Gloria Deo such a compellingly beautiful and religious film? Former West End fashion and beauty photographer Michael Luke Davies himself proposed the idea of the documentary to the nuns. Mr Davies had previously developed an interest in virtual reality photography and was a pioneer of 360 degree panoramic images, which he used for the first time
on the websites he created for the Benedictine St Michael’s Abbey, Farnborough, and other abbeys, and his work received international acclaim. Due to the exceptional quality of his work in designing religious websites, Mr Davies was commissioned to create the Tyburn website which has brought an amazing response from Internet users all around the world. The Tyburn nuns finally accepted his urgings to produce a film about their congregation worldwide and, knowing that he was an exceptionally creative and dedicated artist as well as being gifted with a high degree of religious sensitivity, they decided that he should be given a free hand to film, edit and direct this film according to his own knowledge of Tyburn monastic life and its place in the larger world. “Of course,” remarked the congregation’s Mother General, Mother Mary Xavier, “Luke really had no idea what he was letting himself in for – the five months of filming in the diverse locations of the monasteries with quite different time zones, climates, languages and food was often quite challenging, especially in the heat of Peru and the high altitudes of Ecuador and Colombia – but Luke has portrayed the message he dreamt of capturing in image and sound in a way that surpassed our expectations." "He has captured and conveyed for the wider public, without any fuss or artificiality, the essence and praxis of what it is to be a Tyburn nun,” she said. The film begins in London with the infamous “black map”, which traces the route along which scores of Catholic martyrs were “drawn” to the Tyburn Tree to be executed during the Protestant Reformation, and then introduces a French nun, Marie Adele Garnier, who fulfilled a prophecy, made amid the frenzy of the persecution, of how a religious house would stand at Tyburn in honour of the ultimate sacrifices made by Catholics during the Reformation. Moving beyond the walls of Tyburn Convent, London, the film takes the viewer on a unique and fascinating round-the-world tour of the other eight monasteries: to Cork Harbour, Ireland; to the fish-
Top: Tyburn nuns visiting the tomb of Blessed Pope John Paul II in Rome. Above: Tyburn nuns tend to the garden at the Tyburn Monasterio in Puerta de Cielo, Guatapé in Colombia. PHOTO: COURTESY TYBURN CONVENT
ing community of Sechura, Peru; to Riverstone, Sydney; to Largs on the west coast of Scotland; to rural South Auckland, New Zealand; to Vilcabamba, Ecuador and Guatapé,
"This is the most visually compelling documentary on the monastic life ..." Colombia, both high in the Andes; and to the Eternal City, Rome. The film celebrates the mystery and utter beauty of the silence,
simplicity, joy, and ora et labora – "pray and work" – the daily round of activities within these monasteries where normally outsiders do not enter. It offers a vivid and authentic insight into the spirituality of the nuns as they glorify the Most Blessed Trinity through the Holy Mass, the choral celebration of the Divine Office, Eucharistic Adoration, and in daily prayer for the Holy Father, the Church, and the entire human family. The film features a young girl receiving the habit of a novice and that extraordinary moment in the life of a young nun as she vows her life irrevocably into the hands of
God, making her final monastic vows and becoming a "Spiritual Mother". This remarkable film shows that the monastic contemplative life is one of vibrant, joyous and holy dedication to God, a life well worth living, not only for the nuns themselves, but for all those who are touched by glimpsing something of this life of hidden, godly dedication. Copies of Tyburn Convent Gloria Deo can be purchased for $25 (cheque or money order payable to Tyburn Priory, sent to 325 Garfield Road East, Riverstone, NSW 2765) or online at www.tyburnconvent.org.uk.
29 February 2012, The Record
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A vocation born during a lifelong odyssey Bishop Vincent Long came to Australia as an asylum seeker from Communist North Vietnam and was motivated to become a priest so he could help others who suffered.
I Above: Mother Justin making her Monastic Profession at Tyburn Priory in Riverstone, Australia. Below: Flowers are prepared for the Chapel at the Tyburn Priory in Riverstone, Australia by Sister Sebastian with the Mother General. Bottom: Procession into the Monastic Church for the Divine Office in Guatapé in Colombia. PHOTO: COURTESY TYBURN CONVENT
was born in 1961. The desire to become a priest began when I was 13, living in one of the most turbulent periods of my country’s history. My parents, being refugees from Communist North Vietnam, were forced to move from one place to another. Then the war and its terrible effects, the escape by boat, the experience of living in a refugee camp and that of settling in a new country all played a significant part in my vocation journey. They all contributed to the birth and growth of my strong desire to alleviate suffering and to help people who suffer. Eventually, it was a matter of choosing what option in life would best enable me to realise this desire. I did not know much about the Franciscans or other religious prior to coming to Australia. This was because most of the parish priests in Vietnam at the time were diocesan priests. It was by chance – or should I say Divine Providence - that I landed in a Franciscan parish in Springvale in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne in 1981. I was living alone in the Enterprise Hostel (federal, government-owned accommodation for migrants and refugees) when I felt the call to religious life. It was the friars who inspired me by their simple lifestyle, by their service to and advocacy for the migrants and refugees. I was drawn to them and eventually asked to join them in 1983. Upon hearing of my entry into religious life, my family and friends were pleasantly surprised. Many young Vietnamese men like me would find work and support their families back home. That option was effectively removed from me and it was not an easy one given my family circumstances at the time. Yet I was quite determined to follow my vocation. It was not all smooth sailing by any means. I experienced many doubts and uncertainties during the course of my vocational journey, especially at the initial stages. Imagine how a newly arrived refugee (with limited knowledge of the language and customs of the host country) would cope with life in Australia and specifically life in a religious community. Apart from other challenges like study and formation, it was a tremendous struggle for me to gain acceptance and respect. Confirmation of my decision to pursue religious life only came gradually, by way of encouragement on the part
My
Vocation with Debbie Warrier of my formators, my peers, my friends and my loved ones. Most of all, it came in the form of the deep peace I experienced from within. I think the experience of a boat person and a refugee instilled in me a deep sense of purpose and finality. When you undergo these kinds of experiences, you have a different take on life and its meaning. My spiritual growth has been gradual and at times subtle rather than dramatic. I did have powerful experiences whereby I felt the outpouring of God’s love quite distinctly and pervasively. As an asylum seeker in a deten-
Bishop Vincent Long was ordained as a priest in 1989 and as a bishop in 2011. PHOTO: CASAMENTO PHOTOGRAPHY
tion centre in Malaysia I was restless for security, for direction, for acceptance, for a sense of belonging and purpose. As a refugee, I did not have a choice of the country where I wanted to settle. In the refugee camp, I applied to go to Holland where my brothers had settled but was refused. For 10 years subsequent to my arrival in Australia, I lived without any member of my blood family nearby. So I learned to befriend others for love and support. God has blessed me a hundredfold in family and friends. The decision to be a priest was initially motivated by a desire to help people who suffered. As I became more mature, I was able to test and deepen that desire in the context of my faith and lived experience.
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29 February 2012, The Record
Grim Reapers need not apply
In a world where being Catholic ignites discussion tainted with preconceived attitudes and misconceptions, Professor Tracey Rowland reflects on CATHOLIC VOICES, a team in the UK which aims to ensure that Catholics and the Church are well represented in the media, and how this new kind of apologetics can be beneficial for the Australian Catholic Church.
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his small book immediately engaged my interest when I read the first paragraph. It began: We know how it feels, finding yourself suddenly appointed the spokesman for the Catholic Church while you’re standing at a photocopier, swigging a drink at the pub, or when a dinner party suddenly freezes, and all eyes lie on you. One of my most surreal experiences was being called by a journalist from The Age who said that scientists think they have found water on Mars and the journalist wanted to know what the Catholic Church would think of this. I politely squibbed out of it by saying that it was outside of my field of expertise. I have in fact felt very scared of journalists ever since a time, a very long time ago, when I was asked by a journalist how a certain bishop related to women. I replied “very well, women really like him” and then the response came back, “you mean, he is a bit of a lady’s man?” I can’t remember my response to that, but I can remember being very much terrified of journalists ever since. Much more common is the problem of being caught on a long haul flight to Rome by a fellow passenger who wants to know why I am going to Rome and who does not give up when I give one word replies like “business”. The moment I confess to being a Catholic the conversation either turns to divorce, contraception and child abusers, or I begin to be treated like I’m a priest and perfect strangers start to tell me their thoughts about God, their moral failures, their daughter’s divorce and so on. Archbishop Fulton Sheen once gave a homily in which he said that women in the 4th century would discuss Christological heresies with their hairdressers. When caught in these long-haul flight situations I have often thought that I would rather that the topic was Christological heresies than something like: Why does the Church promote natural family planning but oppose the pill? Isn’t the outcome the same either way? A fundamental problem is that the controversial issues can only be understood within a wider theological context that is as architectonic as a Gothic cathedral. Many people, however, have no knowledge of the
component parts of the “cathedral” or tradition. They no longer live and work within a world where it is normal to operate from within one particular philosophical or theological tradition. Instead, they tacitly cobble together a series of “attitudes” from a variety of different and mutually inconsistent sources without ever examining their logical coherence. When they suggest that the Church’s teaching in some area is weird I think, well, no, it’s not weird if you understand Trinitarian theology, the flaws in Cartesian metaphysics or the moral bankruptcy of the utilitarian world view. To return to the cathedral metaphor, it’s like non-Catholics are saying, what’s all the fuss about a gargoyle? When caught in these exchanges I find myself trying to defend gargoyles by reference to some infrastructural principle, which I understand would lead to the collapse of the whole cathedral if it were to be removed, but even the infrastructural principle is itself unheard of, or at least very strange, to many people. For example, on the question of contraception, the real issue is not about producing millions of Catholic babies, the real issue is about the meaning of sexual intimacy and the Catholic claim that in the act of sexual union a couple is participating in the life and creative love of the Holy Trinity. The trouble is how does one explain this to people for whom “The Trinity” is at best a fuzzy concept? What the Catholic Voices crew recommend is that instead of answering the precise question which has been put, which is usually loaded with a bundle of misunderstandings and would take a professional academic three hours to unpack, Catholics need to learn to “reframe the issue”. Included here is the idea that behind every criticism of the Church is an ethical value or, in other words, that there is some ethical motivation behind the judgements. The ethical motivations are often good but linked to a whole variety of misunderstandings. The basic message of the Catholic Voices network is to affirm the ethical motivation if it is a good one, and it often will be, but then go on to untangle the nonsense. To do this, one does need knowledge of the
basic facts and of Church teaching. One doesn’t need to be a professor of theology but one does need to know, for example, that the Church does not teach that the only reason for sex is to produce babies. When people trot this line out, one needs to have enough knowledge of the
ing of sexuality. It seemed to be giving the adults in her life rather a lot of trouble. She makes the point that she would prefer to have a “sacramental approach” to the whole subject than the merely biological and this worldly outlook of her parents, though after a few seconds
Instead of answering these precise questions, Catholics needs to learn to “reframe the issue”. theology in this area to say something like, “unfortunately a lot of people think that, but John Paul II was highly critical of this idea in his theology of the body”. I was recently reading a novel set in contemporary Paris. A teenage girl with very liberal middle-aged parents was reflecting on the mean-
consideration she concludes that the sacramental approach, though more romantic, would be too spiritually demanding. It was not a Catholic novel. The author was not Evelyn Waugh or Piers Paul Reed. Yet one character who is only a teenager gets the point that one option, the sacra-
mental one, treats sexual intimacy as something that is “special” because “sacramental” whereas the disenchanted perspective of her parents has a tendency to turn sour by middle age. It was only one flippant line in the novel and it was not developed further but I had two thoughts about it. The first was, I wondered just how many uppermiddle class Parisian girls with liberally minded parents would even understand the concept “sacramental” unless they happened to live next door to a family of Lefebvrists. The other was the Catholic Voices idea of how important it is to frame the issue well. In this context, it makes a lot of difference whether the sacramental approach is presented as something necessary in order to escape eternal damnation,
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Breaking the bread with Berakah and blessings Dear Father, the Gospels say that Jesus blessed the bread before instituting the Eucharist in the Last Supper. Do we know what this blessing was?
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Left: Young adults from the Washington area meet at a pub in the District of Columbia for a Washington archdiocesan Theology on Tap event last April. Above: Pro-life activist Josh Alcorn demonstrates in front of the Supreme Court in Washington on 18 April 2011 after the court upheld the nationwide ban on the partial-birth abortion procedure. PHOTO:CNS
which is unlikely to be a persuasive idea to the non-Catholic or, as this Parisian teenager saw it, as something desirable to salvage romance from ennui. This at least gets one thinking about where a materialist view of reality leads. This second thought relates to another principle of the Catholic Voices project. This is the idea that the Catholic speaker should not adopt the demeanour of the grim reaper. In the words of the authors: Catholic Voices should be idealists and radicals, inviting society to another better way. “Pro-lifers” should sound like anti-slavery campaigners, not admonishing moralists – they should not come across like the grim reaper. Part of the problem has been that on many of the controversial
issues, those who set themselves up to speak on behalf of the Church do so with the demeanour of the grim reaper. This sends most Catholics into a state of such extreme embarrassment that they just want to bow out of cultural battles and concentrate on paying off the mortgage and funding the private school fees. They retreat into the privacy of their own back-yard because they don’t want their neighbours to think that they share the outlook of the “grim reapers”. They make it difficult for others who are genuinely trying to empathise with women in extreme situations to present the Church as a mother rather than as the village proctor. The problem of the “grim reaper” approach raises the question of credentials. Can anyone join? Can anyone hand out a business card to the media outlets? I suspect that were such a group to get started in Australia there would be a number of grim reapers lining up to join. Some serious “quality control” mechanisms would need to be put into place. The ambition of the Catholic Voices members was to be well briefed and articulate, knowledgeable and able to communicate the settled teachings of the Church. They set limits to the questions they would take. If journalists wanted to know how the bishops or a particular bishop was likely to react to some event or statement, this would be outside the brief of the Catholic Voices crew, and journalists would be referred on to the relevant dioc-
esan authority, but if a journalist wanted to know what is the official teaching on issues a, b or c, then there would be a whole stable of people, mostly young professionals, ready to field the question. The last time I was in London I met a priest at a party in Soho who was bragging to his fellow clergymen that his parish has a “low loon factor”. He was very proud of the fact that he had a parish full of young professionals who were functional, able to hold down jobs, and otherwise quite socially well adjusted. His major pastoral work apart from administering the sacraments was to organise social events so that the large numbers of young people in his parish could meet and marry one another. I suspect that quite a few of his parishioners would be involved with the Catholic Voices project. It would be good if in Australia a number of such parishes were identified in the metropolitan areas and a list drawn up of those individuals who could be called upon to field questions in particular areas. For those who are honest enough to admit that the materialist world view does not have much to contribute to our understanding of the eternal things like love, a Catholic Voice may at least provide some relief from the boredom. Professor Tracey Rowland is the Dean of the John Paul II Institute in Melbourne and an Adjunct Professor of the Centre for Faith Ethics and Society of the University of Notre Dame (Australia).
he answer to your question is quite fascinating and it has a close relationship with the new rite of the Mass. The Gospels of Matthew and Mark both say that “Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body’” (Mt 26:26; cf Mk 14:22). It is clear that this blessing is not the institution of the Eucharist itself, which is indicated in the following words. Rather, it is a traditional blessing of food. Do we know what blessing this was? Yes, we do, at least with a high degree of probability. It was customary then, as now, for Jews to bless God in meals and on other occasions with a prayer known as a Berakah, a Hebrew word meaning “blessing”. The plural of the word is Berakoth. There are three main types of Berakah: blessings recited before pleasurable experiences such as eating, blessings recited when carrying out a commandment, and blessings recited in praise or gratitude. They were recited both in synagogue services and in homes and private prayer. It is the belief of Jews that food ultimately belongs to the one great provider, God, and that before eating it one should express gratitude to God by reciting the appropriate blessing. The Berakah is an expression of both praise and thanksgiving. That is probably why Luke and Paul, in their accounts of the Last Supper, do not say that Jesus blessed the bread or wine, but rather that he thanked God: He “took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you’” (Lk 22:19; cf 1 Cor 11: 24). Likewise, Matthew and Mark do not say that Jesus blessed the chalice but only that he gave thanks over it (cf Mt 26:27, Mk 14:23). Another reference to Jesus blessing food comes in his meal with the disciples of Emmaus: “he took the bread and blessed and broke it, and gave it to them” (Lk 24:30). Most Berakoth begin with the words Barukh Attah Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha-Olam, “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe”. They then add a reference to the particular occasion of the blessing. For example, at the time of Christ and up to the present it was customary for
Q&A By Fr John Flader Jewish families or groups of friends to gather together on Friday night, the eve of the Sabbath, for the fellowship meal called the chaburah. This formal meal was celebrated in the home with ritual washings and prayers. The meal began with the blessing of the wine and bread using a Berakah, also known as a Kiddush. It said: “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, king of the universe, creator of the fruit of the vine.” This was followed by the blessing of the bread: “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, king of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” We
It is the belief of Jews that food ultimately belongs to God and before eating, one should express gratitude to God by reciting a blessing. immediately recognise these words as very similar to those used in the Presentation of the Gifts in the new rite of the Mass: “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you: fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life.” The Berakah on Friday night also includes a reference to the meaning of the Sabbath: “Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who sanctified us with his commandments, and hoped for us, and with love and intent invested us with his sacred Sabbath, as a memorial to the deed of Creation”. It is the first amongst the holy festivals, commemorating the exodus from Egypt. At the conclusion of every Berakah those present answer “Amen,” “it is true” or “truly”. Jesus would have heard and used these prayers often. When the Gospels say he blessed the food, or gave thanks, they undoubtedly refer to this ancient Jewish prayer, still used by Jews today and the inspiration for the prayer used in Presentation of the Gifts in the Mass.
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TO
29 February 2012, The Record
Love ...
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TO THE
PLANNING A GOOD DEATH
By Marcia Riordan, Executive Officer of the Life, Marriage and Family Office, Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne
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e will die one day, yet this is not a subject upon which we like to dwell. Many will not face up to this reality until forced to, either through our own illness or when someone close to us is sick or suffering from a chronic or terminal illness. It can be very confronting to watch someone close to us pass from a strong, fit and active healthy person into someone suffering and in pain. Some may wish they did not have to experience this, or that they did not have to watch others enduring such a disease. Some of us may wonder why a God of love allows this to happen; why there is so much suffering in the world, why does it have to be this way? Many people have concerns over issues around dying, advanced care directives, refusal of treatment, euthanasia and end of life care. A few people argue that we should allow euthanasia for those who are dying and in pain. Often, this view is underlined by a fear of being “over treated” and kept alive “hooked up to a machine”. Others may fear that they will be “under treated” and abandoned when they are old and sick. We can worry that we may not be cared for as we would wish and we may fear approaching healthcare professionals as we get older. Most of us fear dying and being in pain. We might fear being a burden to others and wonder what does a good death really mean? Advance care directives? In many hospitals and aged care facilities, patients are being asked to sign advanced care directives or a living will in case an illness or accident leaves them unable to communicate their wishes about medical treatment. We should be cautious in signing these sorts of documents. Advance care directives or plans can be too inflexible and, in jurisdictions where they have been given a legal status, this could mean that health care professionals are prevented from acting in our best interests and changing our care to suit changing circumstances. The wording of these documents can be misleading, with the result that appropriate care is refused or inappropriate treatment given. Advance directives are often issued without full information because illness is unpredictable. They are thus not informed consent. It is best to avoid documents that attempt to be too directive. A better alternative is to appoint someone to act as a representative. “Written wishes may be produced to guide what happens, while being flexible enough to allow our representative to respect the patient’s values as the representative adjusts to new situations on the advice of health care
Registered nurse Cecilia Colaneri holds the hand of Carey Gainey, a patient at Mount Carmel House, a home for the terminally ill in Rochester, NY. PHOTO: CNS/ MIKE CRUPI
professionals.” When appointing someone it is important to discuss with them our values and beliefs, and which things we would consider to be burdensome. (Unless we appoint a representative, the law defaults to the senior available next of kin to make decisions for us.) Legitimate refusal of treatment The Catholic position on end of life care is often misunderstood. The Church does not hold a vitalist position which requires us to fight death at all costs to the bitter end. Rather, we are obliged to be good stewards, caring for our health and life but accepting death when it comes. We are not obliged to use overly burdensome means to prolong life. We can refuse medical treatment in instances where the treatment has become overly burdensome or disproportionate – where it is no longer providing any benefit to the patient, where it has become painful, frightening, repugnant, “overzealous” or even dangerous, or where it has become an excessive burden, on the patient and his or her family, or the hospital. This is also referred to as “refusing extraordinary treatment.”
John Paul II Personal witness Throughout his long life Pope John Paul II travelled the world proclaiming the sacredness of every human life. He reminded our culture, so often obsessed with the young and healthy, that ageing and suffering are a natural part of life. Pope John Paul II suffered from the debilitating effects of Parkinson’s disease in his last years. He visibly struggled to speak and had to use a cane or be transported on a platform in order to get around. Especially in the closing weeks of his life, John Paul was rendered almost completely silent in his suffering. With the example of the last weeks of his illness, our beloved Pope witnessed that both old age and illness are to be accepted with serenity and he taught us that life is a gift to be lived right to the end, accepting resolutely all that God disposes and enduring with courage the hardships and suffering that this entails. By his example, the late Pope taught us how to walk the path, which leads towards the mystery that awaits each of us when the gates of eternity will be opened. We should be careful not to confuse refusing burdensome treatment with euthanasia. Euthanasia is defined as the
deliberate ending of a life by active means such as fatal injection or by omission (withholding reasonable, non-burdensome care) in order
to end suffering. Euthanasia “is a grave violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person”. Euthanasia crosses a line; its focus is on ending the life, rather than ending pain. Refusing extraordinary treatment is very different from euthanasia. The focus is not on hastening death or killing, but accepting that a treatment is no longer effective or reasonable, and that natural death is inevitable. John Paul II says that “in such situations, when death is clearly imminent and inevitable, one can in conscience refuse forms of treatment that would only secure a precarious and burdensome prolongation of life, so long as the normal care due to the sick person in similar cases is not interrupted.” We cannot legitimately refuse ordinary care. Ordinary care means care that offers a reasonable hope of benefit and can be obtained and used without excessive pain or other inconvenience. Decisions to refuse burdensome medical treatment should be made where possible by the patient if he or she is competent. If the patient is no longer able to make the decisions, then such decisions should be made by those legally entitled to act for the patient, and who are required to act in the patient’s best interests. This includes someone appointed by the patient to be a medical power of attorney, the senior available next of kin, or a guardian appointed by a court or tribunal. Sickness does not rob us of our dignity Every human being has a special dignity regardless of age, sickness, disability, or our inability to communicate. Our dignity lies in our being, our existing. We possess dignity not because we can think, or make or do but simply because we are human. We share this dignity with every human being because we have been created out of love by God and intended for eternity. Every human being is therefore a “someone” and not a “something”. The very best human societies work together to ensure everyone has the basic necessities, care and support when they most need them. They seek to protect and respect the dignity of each unique human person no matter how old, frail, sick or weak they may be. What is the point of suffering? It is hard to watch someone we love suffer and often we can feel helpless, and frustrated. There may be a tendency to want to control death and to think
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A Church in need of modern day miracles If the Church is to once again draw huge numbers of willing people, then it must once again be identified with God’s supernatural graces as well as works of charity.
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Head nurse Gabriella Beier combs the hair of Eva Shterngraetz, a Jewish Russian patient at Saint-Louis Hospital in Jerusalem. PHOTO: CNS/ DEBBIE HILL
that suffering results in life that no longer has any meaning. This can be exacerbated when people lose contact or feel abandoned by their own families. Suffering, however, is not pointless. Pope John Paul II reminded us that God is always on the side of those who are suffering and that the Cross gives new meaning to suffering. Jesus, he says, freely accepted his suffering, although he could have chosen not to do so, but he stayed on the Cross until the end, in order to reveal his complete love. “Christ is the one who loved if ... to the end.” John Paul II further explains “to the end” means to the last breath. It is the revelation of love, which “endures all things”. It is the revelation that God is love and the One who “pours out love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” We have a natural tendency to abhor death, to want to fight the destruction which it brings. John Paul II explains that it is because we bear within ourselves an eternal seed which cannot be reduced to mere matter. It is in the face of death that this riddle of human existence is heightened. Through his Cross and resurrection, Jesus has defeated death, he has liberated us, and given us the hope of resurrection and at the same time cast new light on the mystery of suffering and death. Belief in the resurrection humanises the dying process by giving us hope. Life and death have new meaning. Life is in transition, dying becomes the way through, as we are called home to be with God. When confronted with suffering and dying, Christians are called to follow the way of love and true mercy, and not to aban-
don the person but to respond with companionship, sympathy and support, empathy and love. We are called to hope when all human hopes fail. John Paul II said, “The experience of suffering can be a factor in personal growth as we find that our love of others increases our capacity to suffer and that love responds effectively to suffering through empathy.” Role of hope There is evidence that people some
The Church obliges us to care for our health and life and accept death when it comes. We are not obliged to use overly burdensome means to prolong life. suffer from a condition researchers have called existential suffering or hopelessness, which simply means that they have nothing to look forward to that day, or the next day. The remedy can be as simple as a visit from a loved one or seeing the sunrise the next morning. We can all play a role in bringing hope and we may discover that we receive more than we could have imagined in return. What is palliative care? Modern palliative care and support recognises the unique needs of those with an incurable condition and their family and carers. It is about allowing someone to live as well as they can for how ever long
they have, whether it is days, weeks or months, or even years left to live. It is whole of life care - attending to their distress, relieving the pain where necessary, as well as attending to their psychological, social, emotional, cultural and spiritual needs. It provides support to help the family cope during their loved one’s illness and death. It aims to help people live as fully as possible during the dying process. Like the Good Samaritan, Catholics have a long tradition of caring for the sick and the dying. Today, Catholic hospitals and aged care facilities provide 55 per cent of palliative care in Australia. Staff work to uphold the dignity of the human person. “In the provision of health and aged care, patients, residents, practitioners, family and carers become a small community united in working for a person’s good.” The Order of Malta has a biography project in which people are trained to sit with a dying person and record their life story in order to give it to the family. Praying and preparing for a good death From the beginning, Catholics have prayed for a “good death” through prayers such as the Hail Mary. The last stage of our life can be a special, grace-filled time of preparing for death, of reflecting, of forgiving and being forgiven, and of giving and receiving love. It can be a time to say thank you, a time to pray and be prayed for, time to say goodbye, and a time of preparing to meet God. Willingness to accept the care of family and friends can be a source of love and hope. We pray that when our time comes we too can love, to the end.
ESUS could not heal the sick”. These words, written by US evangelist Bill Johnson, may shock many Catholics; however, they do not contradict the Church’s teachings in any way. Johnson does not deny the 100 per cent divinity of Jesus but claims that, because he chose to live on earth as fully human in all aspects but sin, he was not endowed with supernatural powers. Jesus himself said, “By Myself I can do nothing” (John 5:30). If he only performed miracles, signs and wonders because he was God, Johnson argues, then they would be unattainable for us mere mortals, but this, he says, is not God’s plan. So, as Catholics, is it wrong to believe that we are capable of replicating the same supernatural signs that Jesus did? It certainly doesn’t seem to contradict the Catechism, which quotes St Thomas Aquinas, “The only begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods” (CCC-460). Jesus’ own words confirm the reality of our spiritual potential. In Mark’s Gospel, he tells the Apostles that the signs associated with believers will include casting out demons and healing the sick and, even more confronting is his statement, “In truth I tell you, whoever believes in Me will perform the same works as I do Myself, and will perform even greater works” (John 14:12). By intentionally confining himself to human form, Jesus demonstrated to every believer, if they live in right relationship with God and submit to His Holy Spirit, they too could become a channel of God’s supernatural power. God was only able to work through Jesus because, as a man, he chose to submit himself totally and utterly to his Father, even to death. This choice to become a sacrifice opened the doors that had been shut by sin and provided all believers with the potential to imitate the miraculous works of Christ. So where today are the supernatural signs and wonders that were the signature of the early Church? Where are the miracles that drew thousands at a time to embrace the fledgling community founded by a crucified carpenter? The Acts of the Apostles is full of supernatural signs that are worked through early believers, but they seem to have faded over time. Today, it seems we associate miracles only with the saints and see them as an exception rather than the rule – a far cry from the regularity recorded by the first followers. Why?
I say I say
By Mark Reidy
It is rare to hear of the blind seeing, the deaf hearing and the lame walking within Catholic circles, yet these are the miraculous signs that we should be expecting. They should be no less part of the Church today as they were 2,000 years ago. In 1 Corinthians 12 we are told that the gifts of the Spirit include healing, miracles and prophecy which the Holy Spirit will distribute to each person as he desires. The Catholic Church is and has always been open to these charisms, acknowledging that they have been given, “to enable us to collaborate in the salvation
We have all been gifted with the power of God through the sacraments, yet it seems that the Holy Spirit has been stifled. of others and in the growth of the Body of Christ, the Church” (CCC-2003). So why is it that the Catholic Church is currently admired more for her works of charity than as a spiritual manifestation of God? That is not to say that we should abandon these projects, but there are many secular charities performing equally wonderful works in providing for the needy. If the Church is to once again draw huge numbers of passionate people who are willing to sacrifice all for the Body of Christ on earth, then she must once again be identified with God’s supernatural graces. We have all been gifted with the power of God through the sacraments, yet it seems that the Holy Spirit has been stifled. It is as though we are carrying around a cheque of infinite value, yet we are not willing to cash it in. Perhaps it is time we stopped using the excuses of being too afraid, of not having enough faith, of being too embarrassed, of not feeling worthy or just being contented to simply fill the pews on a Sunday, give a few dollars and be kind to others. Perhaps it is time to simply ponder and embrace the words of the One who taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”
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Western Australia’s legal system is apparently brilliant at sorting out matters such as mining royalties and taxation, but is uncertain what to do when a child is killed.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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he announcement by Western Australia’s Attorney General, Christian Porter, that he intends to introduce laws which make causing the death of an unborn child the equivalent of a serious crime similar, in some circumstances, to murder are a truly remarkable political-legal development in this state. The announcement by Mr Porter this week came on the heels of a number of high profile cases in recent times, especially that of a WA man with a notorious record of domestic violence against a string of former female partners, including those who were pregnant at the time, and who had most recently caused the death of his eight month old unborn child in October 2009 by driving head on into the path of another car. Quoting hospital records, the Opposition’s spokeswoman on child protection, Sue Ellery, described the convicted individual’s violence against former domestic partners who were heavily pregnant as “horrific.” When convicted, the father of the unborn child received an $8,000 fine and was suspended from driving for two years. Although his driving caused his then-current partner to be hospitalised for eight months and left her with brain damage, it was the child who was the other obvious victim of the collision that caused a deep sense of unease among WA’s public and even, surprisingly, its media, leading to Mr Porter’s announcement of his intention to have laws drafted that address actions which intend to, or accidentally cause, the killing of unborn children. Although there were calls for appeals to be launched by the Department of Public Prosecutions with a view to increasing the severity of the sentence against the convicted, the DPP responded by pointing out that no such appeal was likely to succeed: under existing WA laws a child must be born in order to be a victim of a crime. No appeal would be likely to succeed. It was at this point that the contradiction of the whole sorry situation, already transparently clear to every individual in the state, was made even more starkly apparent. In the October 2009 collision, a child was killed who, according to the laws of Western Australia, was effectively not a human being at all, an entity without any legal rights, an infant who was not a person. One could say that a legal paradox came into being at the moment charges were laid against the eventuallyconvicted individual, that what should clearly be a convictable offence under law is not legally an offence because the law recognises no victim, even though the whole population of Western Australia saw in a flash that there was a silent PO Box 3075 victim, an eight month old Adelaide Terrace unborn child. PERTH WA 6832 However, the legal contradiction that exists in Western office@therecord.com.au Australia’s legal system, which Tel: (08) 9220 5900 is brilliant at sorting out matFax: (08) 9325 4580 ters to do with mining royalties, taxation and all other issues of commercial law but which is uncertain what to do when a child is killed, was actually clear from 20 May 1998, which was the day on which Western Australia’s Parliament enacted the legalisation of abortion in this state, effectively at any time, including up until birth if a child is judged to have a disability. The odd, extremely odd, thing about Mr Porter’s announcement is that it may in some unintended way lay an eventual legal and philosophical foundation for a recognition, at some unknown time in the future, of what everyone who looks at this issue understands immediately: the principle of the sanctity of human life including that of all unborn children. If Mr Porter’s laws are eventually drafted and passed by Parliament what would then come to be in the state of Western Australia is a schizophrenic legal political framework of laws that recognise an identical action - the killing of an unborn child - as simultaneously being either a public virtue or a crime requiring life imprisonment depending on who carries out the action. Schizophrenia is almost too kind a term for this state of affairs. Such laws already exist in California where a woman may go to an abortionist and have her unborn child killed at any stage of pregnancy but if an unborn child is killed during the carrying out of a felony, such as bank robbery, the perpetrator can be charged with, and convicted of, murder. Furthermore, the mother can sue for damages. The completely weird question posed by Mr Porter’s proposed laws is whether they could unwittingly lead to legal recognition of what the October 2009 car crash made obvious: that a child is a child, a person possessed of the same universal rights as everyone else in our society. Abortion’s fiercest supporters, including the media, might, perhaps, be excused for feeling nervous that in pursuing political advantage the Attorney General may have accidentally laid the groundwork for winning the battle for our children’s lives. There may, in the end, be some silver lining to such a schizophrenic state of affairs.
CONGRATULATIONS on the excellent article by Fr John Flader on private revelation (18 Jan). It seems to me that there are two extremes to be avoided here; the first being that apparently exemplified by the friend of Father’s correspondent. One may, for example, spend so much time on the Internet checking out the latest apparitions, locutions and so forth, that it is impossible to fulfil all the prayer requests made in the revelations one actually accepts. However, there is also another extreme which is perhaps equally unfortunate. It is a refusal to believe in any private revelation unless it has been formally approved by the Church. This ignores the fact that even prior to such ecclesiastical approbation, there may be, as Fr Flader says, ‘phenomena that have no natural explanation’ and ‘messages consistent with teachings of the Church’ which ‘will be of benefit to those who receive them and perhaps to others’. It also ignores the fact that one criterion employed by the Church for assessing the authenticity of a purported revelation is to look at those who already believe in it – ie without her approval – and see if it has helped them lead holier lives. So, if everyone waits for her approval before believing, she is deprived of an important means of providing this approval. See No 95 in my booklet Heresies I have known.
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Politics that can’t grapple with the reality of a child
Thank you, Father Flader
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Letters to the editor The plethora of private revelations today, genuine or not, is one of many reasons why it is so important for everyone to have a spiritual director. The Church has always encouraged this, as reiterated by Pope Benedict and Archbishop Hickey. There is an article of mine on the subject, accessible by googling ‘commencement of spiritual direction’. Fr David Watt St Philomena’s Chapel MALAGA, WA
Excellent speech from Rabbi
IN HIS letter to the editor (15 February 2012), Peter Whyte described the speech of Rabbi Sacks as superb and a masterpiece and urged that we should hear his words and live by them. I agree that the article is a mas-
terpiece and that we should hear and live by what he has said. Nevertheless, it is what Rabbi Sacks did not say that needs our attention if we are to ‘stabilise the Euro’ because “the time has come for us to recover the Judeo Christian ethic of human dignity in the image of God” to quote the Rabbi. The word ‘usury’ is often used in the Old Testament but was not mentioned in the Rabbi’s speech. It implies ethical overtones and was mentioned by popes in their encyclicals, including Rerum Novarum. This encyclical was published just over 120 years ago. It was the first in a modern revival of a very old custom and is often referred to as a key part of the social doctrine of the Church. The concept of usury is important in order to understand how “the market does not create a stable equilibrium. It engages in creative destruction”, to quote again from Rabbi Sacks. John McKay COTTESLOE, WA
Cathedral isn’t a concert venue I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree with Peter Gilet. St Mary’s Cathedral is not an appropriate venue for a secular concert. It is not a concert hall. Reverence and respect must be accorded to such a sacred building. Marian Mason SOUTHERN RIVER, WA
WA Catholic schools have much to gain from Gonski The Gonski review offers equity for all schools, writes Senator Mark Bishop
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ATHOLIC schools in Western Australia, with their tradition of social equity and commitment to educating the spiritually and financially poor, have much to gain from the Gonski review. A key recommendation is that private schools serving disadvantaged students, such as Catholic schools in Western Australia’s north-west, should be fully funded. Also, it urges governments to greatly increase funding to schools where students face many disadvantages, seeing high concentrations of poor and indigenous students as having the most significant effect on educational outcomes. It sets out a proposal for base funding for every Australian student allocated according to a student resource standard – a set amount per student, with additional funding for disadvantaged students and schools. But there are also challenges, as journalists and experts have pointed out in millions of column inches across the state and nation. That’s to be expected as this is the biggest single planned shake-up in Australian school funding since 1973. So let’s recap on how the review came about and the government’s response. It was this government, with its commitment to the $16.2 billion Education Revolution that in April 2010 sought an independent review panel, led by Sydney philanthropist David Gonski, to look into school funding in Australia to see if it was working. The review was aimed at building on the Gillard Government’s commitment to education that has seen us try to address the widening gap in literacy between our most disadvantaged and advantaged students; a gap that can be measured
at almost three years of schooling. After extensive research, the review panel found the current system of funding Australian schools lacked logic and transparency. Indeed, it found funding wasn’t giving every child a great education because we have similar schools with similar needs getting different amounts of money. So a potential new model was put forward by the review panel calling for funding to be based on a Schooling Resource Standard. Extra money would be given to schools for disadvantaged students and schools that need it most, a call that resounds loudly in Catholic schools, especially operating in
This is the biggest shake up in Australian school funding since 1973 ... Parents and teachers need to study it. regional and rural areas of WA, reaching to financially and socially disadvantaged children. As the review panel says, there is a lot of work to do and there are lots of different groups who will want to be involved. However, it’s important to note the Federal Government has committed to ensuring no school will lose a dollar of funding per student and any new system would have to meet that test before it is implemented. Furthermore, indexation will be a feature of any new school funding system. Mr Gonski was clear that work needs to be done on the proposed model. That work should be done in partnership with school sectors, teachers, parents, other governments and the broader com-
munity and that’s what we will do. During the coming months, we are inviting everyone involved in schools to have a close look at the model. Schools Education Minister Peter Garrett has committed this government to legislate for a new funding model if it can reach agreement with the states. We’d like to do that this year. The fact is, since 2000 there has been a decline in student performance; there are some serious challenges about children in disadvantaged schools going through their schooling career and effectively ending up about three years behind children from better off schools. The next step is for the Prime Minister to take a series of funding principles to the next meeting of the Council of Australian Governments meeting, seeking cooperation with the states and territories. Mr Garrett will also set up a ministerial reference group consisting of key school groups, governments and working groups to test the recommended model. Catholic schools, parents, school communities, state and territory governments need time to study the panel’s report and decide what they think of it and how it may work. We need high quality teachers and strong leadership within our schools. We also need a funding system that ensures every student gets the resources and facilities they need to reach their full potential. The recommendations outlined above and the government’s push in implementing these should be welcomed by Catholic educators Australia wide. If you want to know more and have your say, you can visit: Your School Our Future www.schoolfunding.gov.au. Mark Bishop is a Labor Senator for Western Australia.
29 February 2012, The Record
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Christ and the Cross, an eternal vow of unity The comparison between the Cross and the marital bed is one that we should keep in our minds this Lent as we pray.
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HIS Lent, as you pray the Stations of the Cross and recall the Passion and Death of the Lord, you might add to your reflections the connection between Christ’s act of love for his bride, the Church, and the love of a husband and wife. The great spiritual writers have long spoken about the comparison between the Cross and the marital bed but in bringing it to mind again we can undergo a renewed appreciation of these two great life-giving realities. The 10th Station recalls that after the arduous walk to Calvary, Christ is stripped of his garments. It is not often that one finds a Crucifix in which the Saviour is completely naked; we usually leave a conveniently-placed loin cloth to protect our somewhat prudish sensibilities. Let us not be confused though, our Lord was stripped of all his garments; he hung upon the wood of the cross in the same way that he came into this world, naked. At Christmas we often speak about the humility and simplicity of the baby Jesus, but in this season
Foolish Wisdom
“a foolishness wiser than human wisdom” (1 Cor 1:25)
By Bernard Toutounji we would do well to recall the utter humility which was forced upon Christ as he lay before his tormentors with nothing between him and them. This nakedness is not only a historical fact though. The first Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and he understood he was naked; his disobedience brought forth death and the feeling that his nakedness was shameful. Christ, the second Adam, would return to the tree once again, but in his nakedness he would bring forth life and redeem mankind from the curse that had been laid upon him through Original Sin. Is it not also in nakedness that a husband and
wife continue to this day to overcome the sin of our first parents? Where but in the marital embrace can a man and woman experience that pure and beautiful gaze, which Adam and Eve knew every day before the fall? It is in their nakedness that man and woman approach the marital bed to make of themselves a gift in the way that Christ makes himself a gift to his bride. The 11th Station sees the Lord nailed to the Cross. We picture him writhing in agony as the long cold nails penetrate his flesh. Yet he freely took up the cross and all that it would entail. In this scene, Christ is made one with that piece of wood as much as a person could be. It is through this free and total union that life will come forth for the entire world. Christ did not go to the cross and withhold anything. He is the final lamb of sacrifice. Here too, can we not make a genuine analogy between Christ upon the marital bed of the cross and a husband and wife joined in union upon theirs? In this most intimate embrace the man and the woman
are called to give completely of themselves, they share their whole bodies, including the intimate gift of their fertility, with each other and they become truly one flesh. The 12th Station announces Christ’s death on the Cross. His last words were “It is consummated”.
Just as Christ’s death on the Cross is renewed at every Mass, the wedding vows between husband and wife are renewed each time they consummate their marriage. Everything that the life of Christ had undertaken was sealed in the act of the cross; without his death his life would have been empty. Similarly it is in the act of union between a husband and wife that their marriage is made complete.
Like a wax seal pressed upon an envelope, the sexual union seals the vows made at the altar. Those vows were to love with a love that will ever be free, total, faithful and fruitful. These are the qualities of love because these are the qualities of God’s love; these are the qualities of Christ’s love from the Cross. Our Lord went to his death freely; he gave himself totally to his bride to the extent that out flowed blood and water; he is every faithful to the Church and from that faithfulness flows the sacramental life. Just as Christ’s death on the Cross is renewed at every Mass, the wedding vows between husband and wife are renewed each time they consummate their marriage. As we then reflect upon the Stations of the Cross this Lent, let us not only see in them a tale of woe from 2000 years ago, but rather the rich gift that they are to all people, and especially the important example they leave each married couple of the model and pattern for their own lives as an imitation of the ultimate act of love on the cross. www.foolishwisdom.com
If you want peace, work for justice
In its 47th year, Project Compassion continues to help numerous people in developing countries but this year it still needs your help
“Justice, indeed, is not simply a human convention, since what is just is ultimately determined not by positive law, but by the profound identity of the human being. It is the integral vision of man that saves us from falling into a contractual conception of justice and enables us to locate justice within the horizon of solidarity and love.” PAPAL MESSAGE FOR WORLD DAY OF PEACE FROM THE VATICAN, 8 DECEMBER 2011 BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
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ope Benedict’s comments above on justice, solidarity and love could not have been better scripted or more relevant, coming as they do on the eve of Project Compassion 2012 – which this year conveys the message: If You Want Peace, Work for Justice. Believe it or not, Project Compassion has now been running for 47 years. It has become an extraordinary, ongoing demonstration of the faith, love and generosity of the Catholic congregation in Australia, all in the name of justice and peace. Now one of Australia’s largest humanitarian fundraisers, it brings thousands of Australians in solidarity with the world’s poor. In 2012, its message of hope remains as powerful as ever. As in previous years, Caritas Australia will again, this Lenten season engage with the Catholic community, as Project Compassion 2012, celebrate our achievements with a series of authentic stories from ‘in country’. These stories demonstrate how your support has enabled people across the world to traverse their own lives, discover love, choose solidarity and deliver justice in times of great need. Through your support, more people now have some peace. There is a famous quote by the Irish political philosopher, Edmund Burke, which states: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” The reverse is also true. To paraphrase: All that is necessary for the triumph of good is that ethical people do something. It is staggering, that even in times of personal hardship, Australians have always been prepared “to do
The daughter of a woman named Flabiana, whose family fled the violence in East Timor in 1999 to the mountains only to return and find their home destroyed. After taking part in the Caritas Australia’s Integrated Rural Community Development Program, Flabiana and her family began to witness positive change in their community. PHOTO: CARITAS
something” to help those who are worse off than themselves. Last year’s Project Compassion was a poignant and resonant example of your selflessness. 2011 was a year marred by terrible natural disasters. Not just overseas but in our own backyards. Queensland floods consumed Brisbane, Toowoomba and many
capacity to give? A great deal apparently. In 2011, Australians donated $9.7 million to Project Compassion – never before has our Lenten campaign been supported more wholeheartedly. It is hard to give a precise answer as to why these disasters at home made us even more willing to give support to our international broth-
and justice many times. For example, think of the longterm impacts on the Australian psyche caused by the Black Saturday fires and the tragic loss of 173 lives. The same goes for the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, which crippled many Asian nations, and killed and injured many Australians. What about the Bali Bombings?
Project Compassion is the lifeblood of Caritas Australia, without it we could not operate in an ever-growing number of developing countries. of the surrounding areas, killing friends and loved ones, destroying homes and leaving thousands of people displaced. The images of Brisbane’s CBD filling with water cut into our national consciousness. Then of course there was the immensely powerful Cyclone Yasi which tore through Australia’s far north at 300 kilometres an hour, devastating people and properties. So what did this mean for our
ers and sisters. I’m prepared to suggest that personal hardship not only encourages resilience but also brings with it a level of enlightenment. It allows us to understand with renewed clarity just what is most important. Through personal reflection, we find a renewed empathy for those whose troubles we now genuinely understand. As a country, we have been asked to reflect on the nature of suffering
This grave act of injustice stripped Australian families of their singularly most important right – human dignity. Go back even further and two World Wars saw an immense numbers of young Australian lives cut down on lonely battlefields a very long way from home. They were children, brothers, fathers and friends. Australians, though fortunate by
world standards, still understand injustice. We ‘get’ it. Sometimes injustice is quiet and insidious in nature. Like economic inequality or governmental control of speech and information. In other situations injustice is as overt as it is macabre. Like selfappointed militant groups that kill entire communities. Living, as we do in a global environment where information is everywhere, we don’t need to look very hard to see injustice. It saddens, repulses and riles us. Given the injustice that we see all around us, the call to arms that is Project Compassion, still rings as powerful and as vital as ever before. Project Compassion is the lifeblood of Caritas Australia. Quite simply, without it, we could not do the work that we do. Operating in an ever-growing number of developing countries, where hundreds of millions of people face extreme hardship daily, our work is the ultimate expression of your love. The worldwide Caritas network is a proven, organised, never-tiring and undeniable facilitator of worldwide justice and peace. It is your love, God’s love, in action. Your support of Project Compassion and Caritas Australia is your love embedded on every continent on Earth working with men, women and children to achieve self-sufficiency and to promote human dignity. This is about changing lives for the long-term. It is as much about us leaving as it is about us arriving. Caritas Australia sends funds and good people to the most dangerous places on this planet. With your blessing our partners on the ground put out their hands and humbly ask if there is anything we can all do. Sometimes the answer is no. Sometimes it is yes. When the answer is yes, together with local communities we set the wheels in motion. Jack de Groot is the chief executive offiver of Caritas Australia. To donate, support or fundraise for Project Compassion 2012 please visit our website at www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion
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29 February 2012, The Record
PANORAMA NEXT WEEK SUNDAY, 4 MARCH Divine Mercy 1.30pm at St Francis Xavier Parish, East Perth, an afternoon with Jesus and Mary will be held. The homily is on St John of the Cross. We also pray the holy rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy, conclude with veneration of first class relic of St Faustina Kowalska. Main celebrant is yet to be decided. Refreshments available afterwards. 25 Windsor St. Enq: John 9457 7771. TUESDAY, 6 MARCH ‘Set My People on Fire’ Catholic Bible Seminar 7.30pm at The Faith Centre, 450 Hay St, Perth. Runs every Tuesday until 12 June. See programme and details: flameministries.org/smpof.html. Enq: Flame Ministries International 9382 3668 or fmi@ flameministries.org. FRIDAY, 9 MARCH Healing Mass and Retreat 7.30-10pm at Holy Family Parish. Lot 375 Alcock St, Maddington. Healing Mass and Eucharistic adoration. Led by Fr Joshi Kochukudittil VC Director, Tabor Ashram, Kalyan- India and Fr Antony Parankimalil, VC Director Vincentian Prayer house, Nairobi. Enq: Melanie 0410 605 743 or M.Fonseca@curtin.edu.au SATURDAY, 10 MARCH Healing Mass 2.30pm at St Francis Xavier Parish, Windsor St, East Perth. The Divine Mercy healing Mass will be offered. Divine Mercy prayers followed by veneration of first class relic of St Faustina Kowalska. Refreshments afterwards. Enq: John 9457 7771. St Padre Pio Day of Prayer 8.30am at St Anne, North Fremantle, cnr Stirling Hwy and Alfred Rd. St Padre Pio DVD in parish centre.10am exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, rosary, divine mercy, silent adoration and benediction. 11am holy Mass, St Padre Pio Liturgy, Confession available. 12pm bring a plate for a shared lunch, tea/coffee supplied. One Day Healing Retreat 9am-5pm at Holy Family Parish. Lot 375 Alcock St, Maddington. Led by Fr Joshi Kochukudittil VC Director, Tabor Ashram, Kalyan- India and Fr Antony Parankimalil, VC Director Vincentian Prayer house, Nairobi. BYO lunch. Tea and coffee provided. Enq: Melanie 0410 605 743 or M.Fonseca@ curtin.edu.au
UPCOMING SUNDAY, 11 MARCH Healing Service 1-4pm at Good Shepherd Parish. 215 Morley Dr East, Lockridge. Led by Fr Joshi Kochukudittil VC Director, Tabor Ashram, Kalyan- India and Fr Antony Parankimalil, VC Director Vincentian Prayer house, Nairobi. Enq: Melanie 0410 605 743 or M.Fonseca@curtin.edu.au Latin Mass 2pm. Enq: John 93906646 FRIDAY, 16 TO SUNDAY, 18 MARCH Lenten Retreat 7pm at God’s Farm, 40km south of Busselton. Fr Tony Chiera VG will give the retreat. Enq: for bus bookings ring Yvonne 9343 1897; other reservations Betty 9755 6212 or mail to PO Box 24, Cowaramup, WA, 6284. SUNDAY, 18 MARCH Meditative Prayer in the Style of Taize 7 - 8 pm at St Joseph’s Convent Chapel, 16 York Street, South Perth. Includes Scripture, prayer, song (mantra) and silence in candlelight. Chapel door open 6.30pm. Bring a friend and a torch. Enq: Sr Maree Riddler 0414 683 926. Feast of St Joseph – pligrimage to St Anne’s, Bindoon 12pm BYO lunch. 1pm holy hour, prayers to St Joseph and exposition. 2pm Euch Proc’n rosary, hymns/benediction. 2.30pm holy Mass followed by Divine Mercy Chaplet. 3.45pm cuppa provided. 4.30pm return to Perth. Transport. Enq: Francis 9459 3873 or 0404 893 877 or Laurine 9576 0491 or 0448 833 472 or Fr Paul 9571 1839. FRIDAY, 23 TO SUNDAY, 25 MARCH Inner Healing Retreat (Live-in) 7.30pm at St John of God Retreat Centre, 47 Gloucester Cr, Shoalwater. A time to be healed and renewed. The retreat is led by the Vincentian Fathers. Registration and enq: Melanie 0410 605 743 or vincetiansperth@yahoo.com. SATURDAY, 24 TO SUNDAY, 25 MARCH St Joseph’s Central School Oberon Centenary Celebration 7pm St Joseph’s Central School Oberon, 129 Queen St, Oberon, NSW. The school opened when four Josephite Sisters from Perthville arrived in Oberon in 1912. Saturday begins with dinner and Sunday begins with 10am Mass. All past students are
What’s on around the Archdiocese of Perth, where and when
cordially invited to attend centenary celebrations to meet up with old friends and share memories. Enq: Secretary (02) 6336 1384.
Wright St, Cloverdale. Please bring a plate to share for socialisation after the Mass. Enq: Fr Nelson Po 0410 843 412, Elsa 0404 03 8483.
SUNDAY, 25 MARCH
EVERY MONDAY
Latin Mass 2pm at Enq: John 9390 6646.
Evening Adoration and Mass 7pm at St Thomas Parish, Claremont, cnr Melville St and College Rd. Eucharistic adoration, reconciliation, evening prayer and benediction, followed by Mass and night prayer at 8pm. Enq: Kim on 9384 0598 or email to claremont@perthcatholic.org.au.
SATURDAY, 31 MARCH Love Ministry Healing After the 6.30pm Mass at St Brigid Parish, 69 Morrison Rd, Midland. The Love Ministry healing team includes Fr Nishan and Fr David Watt. All welcome, come and be prayed over, healed from the past or present issues or stand in for a loved one who may be ill or facing problems at this time. Enq: Gilbert 0431 570 322 or Fr David Watt on 9376 1734. SUNDAY 1 APRIL Goliath Music Festival Perth Catholic Youth Ministry will be hosting an original Catholic music festival and we’re seeking local musicians and songwriters to get involved. Open mic nights will be held fortnightly from Wed 15th Feb after CYM Holy Hours to feature original Catholic music. Enq: admin@cym.com.au or 9422 7912. MONDAY, 2 APRIL Open Day at La Salle College 9.30-11.30am and 1.40pm at La Salle College, open day tours. 5 La Salle Av, Middle Swan. View our extensive facilities. Register preferred tour time via events@lasalle.wa.edu.au or mailto:events@lasalle.wa.edu.au or 9274 6266. SUNDAY, 29 APRIL 75th Anniversary 10am Mass at St Francis Xavier Church, Quairading followed by lunch. Celebrating the anniversary of the blessing and opening of the parish. Enq: Boyle (08) 9645 1513 or Box 163 Quairading 6383.
The Life and Mission of St Mary MacKillop 9.30-11.30am at Infant Jesus Parish Centre, cnr Wellington Rd and Smith St, Morley. Cost: $15. Enq: Shelley 9276 8500.
EVERY TUESDAY
Healing and Anointing Mass 8.45am Pater Noster Church, Evershed St, Myaree. Begins with Reconciliation followed by 9am Mass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, anointing of the sick and prayers to St Peregrine. Enq: Joy 9337 7189.
Novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal 6pm at Pater Noster Church, Marmion and Evershed Sts, Myaree. Mass at 5.30pm followed by benediction. Enq: John 040 8952 194.
EVERY FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH 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.
Be Still in His Presence – Ecumenical Christian Programme 7.30-8.45pm at St Swithun Anglican Church, 195 Lesmurdie St, Lesmurdie (hall behind church). Begins with songs of praise and worship, silent time, lectio divina, small group sharing and a cuppa at the end. Enq: Lynne 9293 3848 or 043 5252 941.
EVERY FIRST TUESDAY Short MMP Cenacle for Priests 2pm at Edel Quinn Centre, 36 Windsor St, East Perth. Enq: Fr Watt 9376 1734. EVERY WEDNESDAY Holy Spirit of Freedom Community 7.30pm at The Church of Christ, 111 Stirling St, Perth. We are delighted to welcome everyone to attend our Holy Spirit of Freedom praise meeting. Enq: 042 3907 869 or hsofperth@gmail.com.
REGULAR EVENTS EVERY SUNDAY Gate of Heaven Catholic Radio Join the Franciscans of the Immaculate from 7.309pm on Radio Fremantle 107.9FM for Catholic radio broadcast of EWTN and our own live shows. Enq: radio@ausmaria.com. 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 church and shrine open daily between 9am-5pm. Enq Sacri 9447 3292. EVERY FIRST SUNDAY St Mary’s Cathedral Youth Group – Fellowship with Pizza 5pm at St Mary’s Cathedral, 17 Victoria Sq, Perth. Begins with youth Mass followed by fellowship downstairs in parish centre. Bring a plate to share. Enq: Bradley on youthfromsmc@gmail.com. EVERY THIRD SUNDAY Oblates of St Benedict – Meeting 2pm at St Joseph’s Convent, York St, South Perth. For all interested in studying the Rule of St Benedict and its relevance to the everyday life of today for laypeople: Vespers and afternoon tea afterwards. Enq: Secretary 9457 5758. EVERY FOURTH SUNDAY 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 can hear clearly God’s call. EVERY LAST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH Filipino Mass 3pm at Notre Dame Church, cnr Daley St and
Is your son or daughter unsure of what to do this year? Suggest a Certificate IV course to discern God’s purpose for their life. They will also learn more about the Catholic faith and develop skills in communication and leadership. Acts 2 College of Mission & Evangelisation (National Code 51452). Enq: Jane 9202 6859.
Bible Teaching with a Difference 7.30pm at St Joachim’s parish hall, Victoria Park. Exciting revelations with meaningful applications that will change your life. Bring Bible, a notebook and a friend. Enq: Jan 9284 1662.
LAST MONDAY OF THE MONTH
THURSDAY, 1 MARCH
2012 Busselton May Rosary Pilgrimage in Honour of Our Lady 2.30pm at Queen of the Holy Rosary Shrine, Bove’s Farm, Roy Rd, Jindong, Busselton. Begins with hymn singing and concelebrated Mass led by Fr Tony at 1pm. Followed by rosary procession, benediction and afternoon tea. Note: Roy Rd runs off Bussell Hwy, approx halfway between Busselton and Margaret River. Enq and bus bookings: Francis 0404 893 877 or 9459 3873.
10am–12.30pm, from 20 Feb–10 Dec. For enquiries or bookings ph Eva 0409 405 585.
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 Ss John and Paul Parish, Pinetree Gully Rd, Willetton. Songs of praise, sharing by a priest followed by thanksgiving Mass and light refreshments. All welcome to attend and bring your family and friends. Enq: Kathy 9295 0913, Ann 041 2166 164 or catholicfaithrenewal@gmail.com.
Judaism and Christianity Influence 7.30-8.30pm at St Paul’s Parish undercroft, Mt Lawley. Fr Tim Deeter will lead a study of Jesus’ life as a Jew. Jewish influence on Christian worship, and Jewish-Catholic relations in history down to the present. SUNDAY, 6 MAY
Gerard Majella Parish, cnr Ravenswood Dr and Majella Rd, Westminster (Mirrabooka). In reparation for outrages committed against the United Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Enq: (Mosman Park) Vicky 040 0282 357 and Fr Giosue 9349 2315 or John 9344 2609. Healing Mass 7pm at St Peter’s Parish, Inglewood. Praise and worship, exposition and Eucharistic adoration, benediction and anointing of the sick, followed by holy Mass and fellowship. Celebrants Fr Dat and invited priests. 6.45pm Reconciliation. Enq: Mary Ann 0409 672 304, Prescilla 043 3457 352 and Catherine 043 3923 083.
Bible Study at Cathedral 6.15pm at St Mary’s Cathedral, 17 Victoria Sq, Perth. Deepen your faith through reading and reflecting on holy scripture by Fr Jean-Noel. Meeting room beneath Cathedral. Enq: Marie 9223 1372. Holy Hour - Catholic Youth Ministry CYM is back in 2012, followed by $5 supper and fellowship. Mass at 5.30pm and Holy Hour (adoration) at 6.30pm at the Catholic Pastoral Centre, 40A Mary St, Highgate. Enq: www.cym.com or 9422 7912. EVERY FIRST WEDNESDAY Holy Hour Prayer for Priests 7.30-8.30pm at Holy Spirit Parish, 2 Keaney Pl, City Beach. All welcome. Enq: Linda 9341 3079. Novena to St Mary of the Cross MacKillop 7-7.45pm at Blessed Mary MacKillop Parish, cnr Cassowary Dr and Pelican Pde, Ballajura. Begins with Mass, novena prayers and benediction. Followed by healing prayers and anointing of the sick. Enq: Madi 9249 9093 or Gerry 0417 187 240. EVERY SECOND WEDNESDAY Chaplets of the Divine Mercy 7.30pm at St Thomas More Parish, Dean Rd, Bateman. A beautiful, prayerful, sung devotion. Includes exposition followed by benediction. Enq: George 9310 9493 or 9325 2010 (w). EVERY THURSDAY Divine Mercy 11am at Ss 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. Concludes with veneration of the first class relic of St Faustina. Please do come and join us in prayer. Enq: John 9457 7771. St Mary’s Cathedral Praise Meeting 7.45pm every Thursday at the Legion of Mary’s Edel Quinn Centre, 36 Windsor St, East Perth. Includes praise, song and healing ministry. Enq: Kay 9382 3668 or fmi@flameministries.org. EVERY FIRST THURSDAY OF THE MONTH Prayer in Style of Taize 7.30-8.30pm at Our Lady of Grace Parish, 3 Kitchener St, North Beach. Includes prayer, song and silence in candlelight – symbol of Christ the light of the world. Taize info: www.taize.fr. Enq: secretary 9448 4888 or 9448 4457. Group Fifty – Charismatic Renewal Group 7.30pm at the Redemptorist Monastery, 150 Vincent St, North Perth. Includes prayer, praise and Mass. Enq: Elaine 9440 3661. EVERY FIRST FRIDAY Communion of Reparation - All Night Vigil 7pm-1.30am at two different locations: Corpus Christi Parish, Lochee St, Mosman Park and St
EVERY LAST SATURDAY Novena devotions – Our Lady Vailankanni of Good Health 5pm at Holy Trinity Parish, 8 Burnett St, Embleton. Followed by Mass at 6pm. Enq: George 9272 1379.
GENERAL Free Divine Mercy Image for Parishes High quality oil painting and glossy print – Divine Mercy Promotions. Images are of very high quality. For any parish willing to accept and place inside the church. Oil paintings - 160 x 90cm and glossy print - 100 x 60cm. Enq: Irene 9417 3267 (w). Sacred Heart Pioneers Is there anyone out there who would like to know more about the Sacred Heart pioneers? If so, please contact Spiritual Director Fr Doug Harris 9444 6131 or John 9457 7771. St Philomena’s Chapel 3/24 Juna Drive, Malaga. Mass of the day: Monday 6.45am. Vigil Masses: Mon-Fri 4.45pm. Enq: Fr David 9376 1734. Mary Mackillop 2012 Calendars and Merchandise 2012 Josephite calendars with quotes from St Mary of the Cross and Mary MacKillop merchandise. Available for sale from the Mary MacKillop Centre. Enq: Sr Maree 041 4683 926 or 08 9334 0933. Financially Disadvantaged People requiring Low Care Aged Care Placement The Little Sisters of the Poor community - set in beautiful gardens in the suburb of Glendalough. “Making the elderly happy, that is everything!” St Jeanne Jugan (foundress). Registration and enq: Sr Marie 9443 3155. Resource Centre for Personal Development The Holistic Health Seminar “The Instinct to Heal’’, every Tuesday 3-4.30pm; and RCPD2 “Internalise Principles of Successful Relationships and Use Emotional Intelligence and Communication Skills” every Tuesday 4.30-6.30pm, 197 High St, Fremantle - Tuesdays 3-4.30pm. Beginning 21 Feb. Enq: Eva 0409 405 585. Bookings are essential. Courses held at The Faith Centre in 2012 450 Hay St, Perth 1. Christian Foundations This course is designed to guide you to a greater understanding and deeper appreciation of the foundational beliefs of our Catholic faith. (Maranatha Lecturer: Sr Philomena Burrell pvbm). Thursdays: 1-3.30pm, from 16 Feb–22 Mar. For enquiries or bookings ph 9241 5222. 2. RCPD2 - Internalise Principles of Successful Relationships and Use Emotional Intelligence and Communication Skills This course provides knowledge of principles that, if applied, will improve all relationships. Skills of self-analysis are taught as well as communication skills. Mondays: 5-7pm, from 20 Feb–10 Dec. For enquiries or bookings ph Paul 0402 222 578. 3. RCPD4 – Increase Personal and Spiritual Awareness and Improve Relationships This course promotes self-awareness and spiritual growth. Emotional development is explained in order to improve understanding between persons. Study of Psychology and Theology. Mondays:
4. Higher Certificate in Biblical Studies The Higher Certificate of Biblical Studies is a distance education programme that can be followed in your own home at your own pace with periodic face-to-face contact workshops. Tutorial assistance is available as required. It is equivalent to a one-year tertiary course, although it is recommended that you aim to complete it in two years. For enquiries and enrolment, ph The Faith Centre on 6140 2420.
AA Alcoholics Anonymous Is alcohol costing you more than just money? Enq: AA 3253 5666. Saints and Sacred Relics Apostolate Invitation SSRA, Perth invites interested parties, parish priests, leaders of religious communities, lay associations, to organise relic visitations to their own parishes, communities, etc. We have available authenticated relics, mostly first-class, of Catholic saints and blesseds including Saints Mary Mackillop, Padre Pio, Anthony of Padua, Therese of Lisieux, Maximilian Kolbe and Simon Stock and Blessed Pope John Paul II. Free of charge and all are welcome. Enq: Giovanny 0478 201 092 or ssraperth@catholic.org. Divine Mercy – Santa Clara There will be no Divine mercy for February. 40 Days For Life Campaign Pray to end abortion. Take part in the world-wide, pro-life campaign to pray for mothers and their unborn children, as well as all those involved in the abortion industry. Runs from Wednesday, 22 February to Sunday, 1 April. Join the 40 day challenge: www.40daysforlife.com/PerthWA. Enq: Helen 9402 0349 or Tina 0415 382 541. A Different Lenten Programme WAVN (Western Australian Vocations Network) - short Lenten programme to reflect on the significance of the psalms in Christian worship. Sundays: 6-7.30pm. Dates: 4, 11, 18 and 25 March; 1 April. Venue: Archbishop Clune Lecture Theatre, Newman Siena Centre, 33 Williamstown Rd, Doubleview. Enq: Kathy 0418 926 590. SCHOLARSHIPS, YEAR 7, 2013 - Closing 31 March 2012 La Salle College invites applications for Year 7 2013 Academic Scholarships. The scholarship offers successful applicants full tuition through to Year 10. The examination will take place at La Salle College on Saturday, 31 March 2012. Closing date for registration is 20 March. No late applications will be accepted. The Scholarship Selection Test is run by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and incurs a fee. To register, visit the college website at www.lasalle.wa.edu.au and view Scholarships under Parent Resources. Enq: Angela 9274 6266. ABORIGINAL SCHOLARSHIPS YEAR 7 2013 – Closing 27 April 2012 As a commitment to working with Aboriginal people to enhance life choices and help further the career opportunities for Aboriginal youth, La Salle College offers Aboriginal Scholarships each year. This scholarship entitles the recipients with full/partial tuition. Applications close 27 April 2012. An application form can be downloaded from the College website www.lasalle.wa.edu.au by viewing Scholarships under Parent Resources. ENROLMENTS YEAR 7 2014 La Salle College is now accepting enrolments for Year 7 2014. For a prospectus and enrolment form please contact College Reception on 9274 6266 or email lasalle@lasalle.wa.edu.au SEMINAR ON LIFE IN A NEW CENTURY Living a Contemplative Life in the 21st Century as a mother of a large family or as a single person, as a CEO or a truckdriver, etc. For young adults: Friday eve 30 March, 7:30am - 9pm and Saturday, 31 March, 10 - 4pm. Fr Anthony O.P. 0438 208 952 PERTH SCREENINGS OF THERE BE DRAGONS Saturday, 24 March, 3pm, hosted by The Faith Centre at Hoyts Garden City, Almondbury Rd, Booragoon. Book online at: www.trybooking.com Tickets are $20 Phone bookings: The Faith Centre 08 6140 2420 Friday, 13 April, 7pm, hosted by The Faith Centre at Hoyts Millennium, Collie St, Fremantle. Book online at: www.trybooking.com Tickets are $20 Phone Bookings: The Faith Centre 08 6140 2420
Classifieds
29 February 2012, The Record
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CLASSIFIEDS RELIGIOUS PRODUCTS
FURNITURE REMOVAL
PILGRIMAGES
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.
ALL AREAS. Competitive rates. Mike Murphy Ph 0416 226 434.
TO OUR LADY OF VELANKANNI, ST FRANCIS XAVIER, ST PHILOMENA, ST MOTHER THERESA OF KOLKATA Tour covers all main cities in India: Chennai, Pondicherry, Velankanni, Bangalore, Mysore, Cochin, Goa, Delhi, Thaij Mahal, Kolkata, Darjeeling and more. Contact Charles Donovan 0400 216 257 or F Sam 0426 506 510.
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 handmade 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.
MISSION ACTIVITIES LEARN HOW TO MAKE ROSARY BEADS for the missions and special rosaries for family and friends. Phone: (02) 6822 1474 or visit our website: OurLadysRosaryMakers.org.au.
MISSIO IMMACULATAE THE FRANCISCAN FRIARS OF THE IMMACULATE MARIAN CATECHETICAL MAGAZINE $36 for five issues. Ph 08 9437 2792 or ffimunster@gmail.com. All for the Immaculate.
TAX SERVICE QUALITY TAX RETURNS PREPARED by registered tax agent with over 35 years’ experience. Call Tony Marchei on 0412 055 184 for appointment. AXXO Accounting & Management, Unit 20/222 Walter Rd, Morley.
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.
BOOK BINDING NEW BOOK BINDING, general book repairs; rebinding; new ribbons; old leather bindings restored. Tydewi Bindery 0422 968 572.
RENT ROOM FOR RENT Secure, luxury house – Midland. Owner/good cook - motivated person required. 0419 968 051. ROOM FOR RENT AVAILABLE. Male over 35, $100 pw. Enq: Kevin Senior 9506632
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. PICASSO PAINTING Top service. Ph 0419 915 836, 9345 0557 or fax 9345 0505. PERROTT PAINTING Pty Ltd For all your residential, commercial painting requirements. Ph Tom Perrott 9444 1200. LAWNMOWING AND 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.
HELP NEEDED GROWING APOSTOLATE NEEDS HELP Do you want to help evangelise and form people using Catholic audio CDs? Lighthouse Catholic Media is looking for motivated Account Managers who are energetic, organised and enthusiastic about sharing their Catholic faith. Work is at least a few hours per week and pay is by commission. Contact: Justin McGinnity on 0432 715 263.
INTENTIONS OH MOST BEAUTIFUL FLOWER OF MT CARMEL, FRUITFUL VINE, splendour of Heaven. Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin assist me in this my necessity. Oh Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein you are my Mother. Oh holy Mary Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me my necessity (make request). There are none that can withstand your power. Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3 times) Amen. Say this prayer for three consecutive days. THANK YOU ST JUDE and all the saints for answering my prayers.
HEALTH ACHES, PAIN, STRESS Indian mature male masseur. Reflex Relax Massage $30 per hour Jai 0438 520 993.
ST PAUL LITURGICAL CALENDAR 2012
ONLY
$5
OPTION 1: 25 DAYS: PILGRIMAGE TO HOLY LAND, ROME, COLLAVALENZA, DUBLIN (IRELAND FOR EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS), KNOCK AND MEDJUGORJE Departing 22 May, from $7,790, includes flight transfers, bed, breakfast, evening meals, guide, taxes. Spiritual Director Fr Ronan Murphy. Leader Yolanda Nardizzi. Tel: 9245 2222, Mob 0413 707 707. OPTION 2: 19 DAYS: PILGRIMAGE TO ROME, COLLAVALENZA, DUBLIN (IRELAND FOR EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS), KNOCK AND MEDJUGORJE. Departing 29 May, from $5,990, includes flight transfers, bed, breakfast, evening meals, guide, taxes. Spiritual Director Fr Ronan Murphy. Leader Yolanda Nardizzi. Tel: 9245 2222, Mob 0413 707 707. PILGRIMAGE DEPART PERTH 30 APRIL, RETURN 17/18 MAY (early hours) for Paris (3 nights) visit Lisieux (St Therese), Notre Dame for Relics of The Passion, Sacre Coeur, Miraculous Medal Shrine, St Vincent De Paul. Flight to Lourdes 5 nights stay, flight to Split 7 nights stay in Medjugorje. Spiritual Director Fr Bogoni. Costs $5,395: includes flight transfers, bed, breakfast, evening meals, guide, tipping and taxes. Contact: Eileen 9402 2480 Mob 0407 471 256, or medjugorje@ y7mail.com.
POSITIONS AVAILABLE CARETAKER WESTCARE ACCOMMODATION SERVICES We require a live-in caretaker who is to be available, manage our after-hours attendance and provide support to our residents with a disability who live in our village in Shenton Park. A furnished unit will be provided rent free for the caretaker on a seven day basis. This after-hours position also involves approx 10 hours paid casual employment per week. Interested applicants please contact the manager (Jim Mason) on 9318 1916 during business hours.
ACCOMODATION HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION Esperance holiday accommodation, 3 bedroom house f/furnished. Phone 08 9076 5083.
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION T R O M A B G O M N Y E N C O C C H L A D Y
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ACROSS 1 “…that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and ___.” 3 Blessing before meals 7 The golden ___ 9 According to Paul, at the name of Jesus every knee should do this 10 Noted garden dweller 11 Vestment made of a narrow strip of cloth 12 Isaiah spoke of a new one (Isa 66:22) 13 Miracle of the ___ and fishes 14 Housing for a patriarch 17 “___ Maria” 20 Act of Contrition word 23 Easter ___ 24 Vocation 25 Liturgy of the ___ 28 Original or actual ____ 29 “… from now on will all ___ call me blessed.” 31 Sport of Sneijder, Dutch athlete who converted to Catholicism during the 2010 World Cup games 33 The Feast of the Annunciation is the 25th of this month 35 The ___ of Forbidden Books 37 First of a Latin trio 38 Jacob, to Isaac 39 Influential Catholic Hollywood costume designer 40 Prayer spot? 41 “…___ lema sabachthani?” (Mk 15:34)
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DOWN 1 Lucifer 2 Mother of John the Baptist 3 What the Magi brought 4 Son of 10A 5 Commandment word 6 Nathan told David that taking Bathsheba was like stealing this (2 Sam 12:3) 7 Parish priest 8 The ___ Supper 11 Confidentiality of Confession 12 One of the seven deadly sins 15 Peter cut this off the soldier of the high priest 16 Biblical twin 18 Papal order 19 Husband of 10A 21 “On the third day he ___ again” 22 Catholic school 25 “Angels we have heard on ___…” 26 A mark of the Church 27 A Medici pope 28 Holy 30 Magician who wanted to buy the gift of God’s power (Acts 8:17– 20) 31 Religious offshoots 32 Title for Jesus 34 St ___ de Beaupre 36 3 PM prayer 37 “___ and it will be given you” (Mt 7:7)
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TheTRecord he Record LastBookshop W in ord 1911 The
15 February 2012, The Record
March Catalogue RESOURCES FOR EVERY CATHOLIC NOW AVAILABLE
ON CD
FROM
$21
NEW STOCK IN FOR 2012 FROM
$23 BIBIANA KWARAMBA Bookshop Manager
Telephone: 9220 5912 Email: bookshop@therecord.com.au Address: 21 Victoria Square, Perth 6000