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PERTH. WA: Dece ber 17. 1987
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The ma ageme t and staff of THE RECORD "sh all our readers a very ha y a d Holy Christmas with all best wis es for e New year in 1988.
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I
COVE e frontpiece a see e painted by a soeofte ew asterpieces in the co ecf on, a na · onal Bene i i e (See reporter orcia
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CHBISHOP FOLEY
Saint Francis of Assisi and others of a strong and single faith, were inspired to create the cribs of our Churches and homes by he Lukan account of he first Christmas. Mary and Joseph are gifted with the Son of God in an animal shelter. The evangelist who was so sensitive to the needs of the lower classes is inspired y God's special care for the poor, for women, for the marginalised and for those at the bottom of the social ladder. The shepherds, people of the soil and outcasts of society. are seen to ead the human procession acknowledging their saviour. It was St Matthew however who added to the lowly the Magi; outsid rs and foreigners who, at a price, were ready to journey to find Emmanuel, "God with us". They found him, of course. "with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him".
With so many mangers and carols, the world again this year joyously celebrates this entrance of God into the d pths of our humanity, into its very flesh and blood. That same world will find him 'With Mary his mother. .. " The Catholic world receives this Christmas of 1987 into its celebration of a Marian Year. The multiple shrines and churches that carry the mother's name, together with the art orks that recall God's choice of the Jewish maiden, all find their oriqin and inspiration in her mothering of He who was the Son of God. My hope is that the spirit of Christian discipleship might be rekindled in our midst as we find him anew "with Mary his mother". Certain churches in the Archdiocese of Perth have special significance in the history of our Church's growth. ew Norcia that became so early a significant part of the local church recall at its "shrine" the protection from fire of its settlement and crops through the intercession of Mary of Good Counsel. The first church of Perth was renamed in honour of arv's Immaculate Conception by Bishop Brady after his appointment and came his pro-cathedral. St Patrick's in Fremantle with the arrival and settlin of the Italian and Portugues fi hing communitie has becom a focal point of their d votion to ary and a remind r of the growing ethnic nature of our community.
And again the recent dedication at Bullsbroo of a new ch rch in honour of Mary, the Virgin Mother of the Church shows that the faith of the Church and the protection of Mary is still active as we continue our journey after two undred years. It is my wish that these churches articularly become places of parish pilgrimage and renewal during the rest of this Marian Year. An ongoing conversion of the true disciple which was called for by the Lord and is the common message of the great Marian shrines should be the goal of the lea ers of these pilgr"mages. Through good instruction and the faithf u r cepfon of the sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist may e all wal in the footsteps of ary and open our elv s Ii e her to the will of the Lord. May the celebration of Christmas d pen our faith and lov and bring pe and joy into our hearts, our om s a d our world.
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Messages from the bishops
Origins of Crib' scene
y ear peop e of the Kimberley.
Advent is a precious time of waiting - waiting fort e coming of the Lord Jesus. One rnlqht feel this "coming" unrea I and purely symbolic since God is Eternal, not subject o chan e, is ev r present, yet. .. He has come on earth, "a human being and liv among us" (Jn 1 :13). He comes to us t II tim and even lives in us! What is the r llty of A n re and now? G " m to His ow " (Jn 1 :11) through a . rv's who e being was folded upon h unborn Christ within her. She was His rmth, Hts rest. She was His shelter from rd. Sh as His food. She grew in of His pres nee as He grew
St Francis of Assisi is credited with giving us the Crib, the Bethlehem scene with the animals in the stable surrounding ary, Joseph and the new-born Jesus. t Francis tou hed son1ething deep within the Christian oul as he pre ented us with the Crib. He was a man of the utm t implicity him elf, radiating the jo) of J us' love as he felt it an a und him, ev n in the birds an th animal , Brother un
by ISHOP
HICKEY, GM1/ o
'. e thank t ran is for his beautiful gift to us. The Crib will help us to more early ,. ·hat needs to be first and m
People who 'confront' Christmas I I by BISHOP HEALY
When people are confronted with Christmas, a great many · I endeavour to observe the ref ious signtfica ce of the feast. They will do this by shari g in the celebration of the Eucharist and also by sharing their ime and their goods with others. Both of these are admirable practices through which there may emerge a greater commitment to the
faith.
In our co cem for others it is important that we ta e into acco e less fortunate members of our society. So we should be mindful of the aged, the homeess, those in p ison, estranger in our midst and so
1oon.
r.
ants to come to His own through us. He ants s to be more and more aware of Ht pr nc alrea yin us. He wants us to mor ully conscious of His re ence rou hout er anon. ea s us to rest with Him, o listen to His ord, to be still and •. him during this Advent. ry grew in intimacy wit God as her son in her. As her lov grew she longed gr for His birth. S e longed to hold Him in her han sand ow Him o others.
ion to our
D O
is God's wish that we d epen our relationhip wi h Him d y by ay. e invites us to be wi h Him, H waits or us, He longs to o us, o embrace us in His Father's love. cy with God filters through all her arv' inti ctions. In h r Adv nt she "got ready and hurri off to the hill country" (lk 1 ·39), to h p her cousin liza th. Elizabeth needed h r fore er baby was born. Mary knew that Je us was not given to herself alone but to the whole world. In our Advent, too must hasten to share Christ's life within us, and bring joy to other le. He want to come to His own - the Peo le of God - through us. He wants s to bring Him to a waiting world -to the fringed of our society. To the lonely, the d press , the confused, to the old, the om less, the hungry, to those in camps, in jail houses and in hospitals. He wants us specially to bring Him to His own in our own homes. e might think our life is too ordinary, meeting the same peo le or doing the same things very day. Yet it is righ here, in our humdrum day where God wants us to be more aware of His presence. It is here where He wants us to grow in intim c with Him and brin Him to each r born in the h arts of ill! This is my pray r for ith you
doz n ofca called th viii things of God. Each Chri
MOSCOW: Two Catholic communities in Central Asia have been refused registration with the Soviet authorities recently. They are the parish of Vakhsh in Tadzhikistan and Fergana in Uzbekistan. Both parishes are made up of Germans and Poles who were deported there during Stalin's ime. The Va hsh community was ministered to by Father Jozef
e·
es a ned
Swidnicki while he was priest in Dushanbe in the late 1970s. It was not until the 1970s that the Soviet authorities allowed Central Asian Catholic parishes to be registered officially in significant numbers, but there are still many parishes which have to exist without permission. The situation for these Isola ed churches is made worse by he refusal of the authorities to al ow all but a handful of young men rom a ong their numb r o study for he priestho a he on y two Cat olic semina ie ermined in he Sovie Union, oth of he in he Ba I tic s ates. KESTON REPORT
II II VAT CA CITY: Po e John Paul in a Ii urgical ce ebration at end d by the spiri ual ead r of t e world's Or hodo C ris ians de e e papal pri acy as an essen ial ut said it as o en o in e way it was
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The po e I o indicat d o nn s to th tr dition I in ependenc of Eastern churches. h ir ny of th m follow own disciplines w II b fore the 11th c ntury split with Rom , h a, . ould Ii e to s ure you, Holin s , hat the S of Rome, at en ive to everything that church tr dition signifi s, d sires to fully resp ct this tradition of the Church of the Eas , " the pope said.
nd a c:oun il olution \'O
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The Daughters of Charity
EED YOUR HELP
for their work for the development of the underprivileged
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Clothing, clean, wearable - house-ho d goods - nick-nacks - ornaments, jewellery etc. Deliver to
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Why don't YOU put YOUR vacancies in DOD
fr infi mY ti
The Record?
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Not ge ting hroug Why are there so many different forms of apparitions of Our Lady? Becau e the me sa e is not g tting through according to arian pilPrim, Jo n O' eil. She cite a re ently rep rted remark of Sister Lu y. one of the three Fatima visionarie , that the edjugorje apparitions are the completion of the Fatima story.
After a second \ · it to • edjugorje, JoAnn feels that Our Lady is saying in so many words: I have given you all the e message but you are not listenin . The world is till doing what I \ ·ould prefer it not to do. You are not listening and I rill try again. For Jo nn O' eil the coming out of edju orje has tv · clear directions: the renev ·al of life and pari h r onciliation.
messa
Micha 1 O'D a c -established B wra 0' a m 888. His co tribution to the rogre of th Catholic Church in We tern Australia ard th 'Dea family t uph Id.
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'The media are not touching on the fa t that at edju orje a parish is being formed to hov · how important a parish is in the life of the Church. ' 1ary · formin a 'parish of the v orld'," she sai . ' parish is the centre and nucleus of a carinz communitj not just a place where one g because the is qui or some other reason. 'The edju orje m sa is that we need to t ba to that ind f parish and understand what a harin community· about.'
ea a ily n 1 carri d n y aa hi s ns Joe (jnr. T ny and Justin. In time wh re un r tan ng a s nsitivity ar important, Bowra OD a can ca 1 d upon. p rth
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a three parishes and their plans
wood,
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St Anne's Florist G·ft Basket Bou ique and
FLOWER BASKETS FRUIT BASKETS CHOCOLATE BASKETS GOUR ET BASKETS BIRTHDAY BASKETS BABY BASKETS & TOILETRY BASKETS
WEDDI G FLO ERS F
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WE DELIVER TO ALL SUBURBS
GIVE US A CA
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Must our childre
M ri n
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Pr
Many families in i olated re s of our Region are desp rately n ding help to s e th ir children. The e simple, friendly and h rd wor ing p ople lack life's b ic n ces mes. Many of their children di before the age of 5 years. B sic child care nd m dical aid would have sav d most of them - but that kind of help I too far a ay.
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th re will m
Funds are desparately ne d d to establish, equip and m int in Community C re Centr s. Wh re our Centres are op rating, dedicated priests, sister • nurse , octal orkers and village development sup rvi ors are achievin remarkable result . ith education, family care and medical aid, the people are learning to grapple ith poverty. Sickness rs reduc d, lives are aved, water resources increas d, food production improved and family incomes b nefit, We need your pr yers and fin ncial a ist nee to help rescu thes f milies nd s e their children. Please be g nerous. Donations are tax deductible. Cheques should be m de payable to "Australian Jesuit ission Overseas Aid Fund" nd posted ith the coupon.
Au tr lia
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32
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DOD
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From page 8
mystique
It is hoped to supply the familie on a monthly basis at the decentralised distribution centre . The next most important problem is then the transport of the food to the centres. The most cost-effective is road transport, but the problem here is the civil war affecting especially the Tigray and Eritrea regions. There have been no more attacks on food convoys lately and it is hoped that this method of transportation can proceed smoothly. In order to reach areas of need quickly, ome are being supplie airlifted, e pe ially to akelle from mara or b. The Ethiopian Catholic Se retariat intend to upport the pe ple in the coming months as they us th pre-plantin time to build dams for water c rvati n buildins for warehou ing or m di I r , and terr in e and
afore tation programmes to prevent erosion. Ethiopian agriculture revolves around two rainy seasons: the 'little rains' from February to May and the principal season (meher) from June to September. Tho e living in the mountains take advantage of the little rains' (belg) to plant short-maturing crops such as barley and wheat whi h they can harvest in June or July. The farmers in the mountains, as well as tho e on the Im lands, also longer plant maturing crops which then are harvested around • lovember/ D ember. So the Ethiopian people face the future - living , ith the fact of the crop failure in 1 87, but hoping and working for the planting ns and harv of 1 88.
The Ethi pian tholi e ret riat , ·ill tand and work with them. Can w in u tralia continu ur prayer and up rt f r th m?
BAPTISMAL
P
EWS
or d liver TO
o phon
ODD
The D'Orsogna family � extend to you Christma Greeting and � t wi hes for the ew Year, ;,r
ODO
ODD
Th R
METRO
pplecr : 7.3 , 9.30am, 6pm; . at. ?pm. ttadale: 7.3 , 9.3 am; Sat 6.3 pm. Armadale: 7. 0, 9 30am, Sat. 7pm, ?pm; at. 6.30pm.
See also Page 1 8
*
Balcatta: 7.30, 9, 10.30 (Italian), 6pm, 7pm Sat . (Croatian , (See 6.30pm also 1 t 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Gwelup.) S._30_am ___________________________ _. Balga: 8, 9.30am, 6pm; Sat. 6.30pm. Sat. 7pm Sat. 7pm orth Balga: (Majella School): 9am. Sam 7pm Sat. 10.15am Sat. 7pm Bassendean: 7, 9 10.30am. 7pm Sat. lOam 7pm lOam Bateman: 7.30 9am; at. 2nd 4th: 10.30am Saturdays lst, 3rd 5th: 7.30 (winter 6.30pm 7pm. Bay w ter. 7.30, 9.30am· lOam Sat. 7pm. 7.30am at Keaney College consfi Id: 8.30 I Oam 7, (Portugue e 11. Oam 7pm; Sat. 6.30pm. Bedford Par : , l O. l 5am, __--t --------------=-----a-t-7_p_m . 5pm· at. 6.30pm. S_am 7_p_m_S_a_.t l_O_am ------------------=-----------=----------• Reim nt: JOam· at. 7pm. 7pm 7pm Bentl y: 7. , 9.30am; at. 6. pm. Brentwood: 9, I lam 7pm Sam illetton -----------------------------------• I --------------=---'----"---__;__....:_ ,Bull brook: Pearce lOam 8am R F: 9. m. ingin at. 6. pm.
CHDIOCESAN COUNTRY PARISHES
I
___________,e.._
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7pm
ASSTI
H mpt n: . Oam. Herne Hill: am. Highgate: 7.30, 9, IOam It), 5.30pm (Viet ; at. 6pm. Hilton: 7.30, 9am, 5.30pm; at. 6.30pm. Hollywood Repat: 7am.
**
Ingle ood: 8.45am.
Jarr bdale:
l Oarn, Sundays. Joondanrul: 7.30, Sat. 6.30pm.
*
Kalamunda: 7.30, Sat. 6.30pm. Karra en: 9.30am.
Rockingham: , 9.30am, ?pm; at. ?pm. R · n: 9am. at. ?pm.
*
7 .30, carborough: 9. Oam; at. 6.30pm. t Catherine Laboure Bedford A e: .3 am. erpentine: lOam 3rd Sunday. nton Par : 7.30 IOam· at. ?pm. Perth: 7.30 9.30am; at. ?pm. pesrwood: 8, I Oarn; at. 6.30pm. t ary' Cathedral: ( ee Perth). IOam· at. am·
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attelup: 9arn, 4th und y.
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15
-���������.����� Family crib I brings back e ••• lots of• memories My pilgrimage to
by Monica Clarll,
D
The doorway had been lowered centuries earlier to prevent raiders on horseback from pillaging the site. For me the humbling act of bending low to enter was the perfect symbolic gesture. The tiny Christmas lights strung across the ceiling surprised me as did the barrenness of this Orthodox church. I found the stairs behind the main altar that lead to the spot where tradition says Jesus was born. A large silver star is inset on the floor to mark the site.
Bethlehem started at 8
crowded bus station just outside the walls of Old Jerusalem. Several Palestinian
women. most balancing bundles of groceries on their heads while their hands held onto a small child or two. were waiting to board the rickety bus that would take us southwest to their small city. h was a hot August moming. For them this was a daily trip for physical sustenance; for me it was a joumey for spiritual renewal.
As the bus wound
through dusty roads. past olive groves and
adobe huts. alongside
men riding donkeys. I
looked into the faces
of those women and wondered how the mystery that immortalised their tiny village and changed the fabric of the world affected them.
DOD
BecauM I don't 1P88k Arabic. I couldn't ul<. but I 1UOj>8Cl8d that they. like many of us. might be taking it for granted. I was going to llethl&ham to try end rNWllkan IOffl8 of the wonder of
that mystery - that .i-.. became one of us. wal<ed our eerth, felt
human joy end human pain. fished and even cooked bf9llkfast for his
friends. h - the wonder I felt u • lffl8ft child when my mother led me down the lido, -* of our perish church to view the 1181ivily .,..,. on Christmu morning. On that day
our musty church -
filled with the strong 9Cl8r1t of fNllhly art pine. The - of Mary and Ja.ph ware faded end the onfant .,_.. had • chipped toe. But who noticed? Here - a tiny baby. lying in a manger. reminding us that God 10 loved the world that ha .-rt his only Son to lhow us how to low. My bus ended i1s JOUrney -"" blocl<s from
Bethlehem's main oquare end the .,,_
Church of the Nativity. I
..,.,_,.r lhopa.
wal<ed pest amis end
produce marltets end taxi stand9 until I stood before the church'• tiny &ib&at.
In a final clean out of my garage at home, I came upon our family's Christmas crib. This first death in my
The doorway. I wa1 told. had i-, "'-'ad c:a11iJriN ...... to pn,vw,t niiderl on ""'-beck from pillaging the n. For me the humbling IICt of bending low
own generation had been sobering as well
to enter - the pe,fect aymbolic gaature. The tiny Christmas lights stn-,g aerou the ceiling a,rpnaed me u did the be1 of this Orthodox church. I found the stairs behind the main altar that lead to the spot where tn,dj. tion aaya Je1u1 was bom. A lerguil....,r star ii .- on the floor to marl< then
as sad I looked at the crib as it sat on the
I.·-
ODD
I wanted it to be a silent piece. but tour guideo ware tal<ing end C811>&res ware clicking. Where -the huohed wonder? How could I ,,,,_ my faith in the modst of this CdCOl)hony 1 Dunng the ride beck to Jerusalem. I found my
--r. h W8I "' the daily activity of the peothe father ple I pa-' wor1ong to prowle for
attic floor next to the
Christmas tree stand and a box of tree lights. What would we do
with it now? Would
Left charming portrait
Luke left us a charm-. ing and challenging portrait of Mary in his
Gospel. It is a portrait
of the model disciple, one who hears the
word of God and keeps it Hr
attitude
an
elderly
woman, the teacher instructing her clul. the po1ooaman directing fie. the couple di9<:usling thaor w.kling. I reeli9ed that the Christmas _,t
tm·
is
about
onvolv.nent.
love
and
DOD
The lord inlef1ed him·
..tt compleU,ly 111to life;
I'm to do the Ama. The m ge of that miracle reverberated Within me u I sat that August night at an out·
door cafe. The 1tar1 above me ware tiny. but u bright as the one I'd
touched that morning ,n Bethlehem. Thay are. I thought. the same stars that shone hare 2.000 years ego. Thay win be shining too this Christmas, linlung me end the WOl'*1 who rode the rickety bus with me •rtier that day and the lord That. indeed. ii wonder-ful
16 The Record. Christmas Issue. December 17. 1987
By Father John Castelot
is
suruned up briefly in he, mitial response to his family, the nurse th angel: "Behold I
tendmg
by Father DAVID O'llOUllKE 01'
am the handmaid of
the Lord. May it be doie to me according to :11ur word" (1:38).
H,r acceptance of God's
will for her was her per1>nal oontribution to the work of humanity's sal»lion. In Luke's view, this was her singular claion to fame. Everythitig else was sheer gift of God. the only thing over which she had contro was her consent. As Luke portrays her, Mary is the model of whit is possible for anyone who accepts Go.ts offer of love and livu accordingly - even
if I means walking at
times in what St John of the Cross called the dark nig of faith. A more eloquent eXJtession of Mary's res�nse of God's Word is lie prayer known as rhe Magnificat (Luke 1:4l·56). It IS a joyful
acknowledgement of God looking "upon his handmaid's lowliness." It tates the fundamenta! truth that God alone is responsible for human salvation. Left to ourselv we are helpless and hopeless: •. The Mighty One has done great things for me and holy IS his name." The rest of the prayer adds strong and perhaps surprising colour to the portrait of this courageous young girl. It puts into words the sentiments of God's "anawtm", his poor - the neglected, oppressed, alienated exploited, members of society.
ODD
In no uncertain terms the Magnificat looks forward to a reversal of society's value system, a toppling of unjust power structures. Mary oomes through as an admirably trong woman. Identifying with the she disadvantaged, delights in the antici-
pated prospect thal God has "dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. All of that is seen by Mary's prayer as a working out of God's plan of salvation, of "the promise to our Fathers." The Magnificat is a social manifesto worthy of an advocate of liberation theology. It also is a forecast of Jesus' ministry. Like mother, like son He too stood with the poor and alienated. Jesus' inaugural homily given in the Nazareth synagogue was a sort of echo of the Magnilicat: The Lord "has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free" (Luke 4:18). The Magnificat also anticipates the Beatitudes. the basic plank in Jesus' platform: "Blessed are you who are poor. for the kingdom of God is yours" (6:20).
any of the younger generation even want it? This Christmas, as always, the wooden box would have become the house for Mary, Joseph and the Christ child But that day in the attic I did not want to touch the crib, for it bespoke memories still a little too hard to handle. My father built the crib when he came home from World War I. To be exact, he took a small, solid crate, refashioned the lid into a roof, painted it with brown and paint porch sprinkled flakes of mica on the fresh paint.
ODO
Straw from the barn went on the floor. There were top-heavy sheep with real fur and spindly little wooden legs. You had to shove them down into the straw to make them stand up. The sheep, along with the shepherds now equally worn, and Mary, Joseph and Jesus, had been under my grandparents' tree when my mother was a little girl They passed to her when she and dad married and then to my older brother, who died this year. Now, once again, it was time for them to move to a new house and a new generation. Most of us look to Christmas as a time to gather the clan, to celebrate, to take pleasure in friends and family. Our happy Christmas memo-
ries so often find us in the oompany of the people we love. But we are pilgrims as well as people who celebrate. We live with changes we do not seek and with a mobility often forced upon us. Our Christmases can make us think of the uprooted· ness that is so much a part of life. For many of us, the memories of Christmas mirror all of life: the changes we do not seek as well as the happy moments we welcome. For a Christian this is as it should be. What we recall at Christmas is the entry of God into our human history, an entry that occurred in the wrong place at the wrong time, just the way human events so often occur.
Like so many people today, Mary and Joseph were unwilling pilgrims. They were forced onto the road in obedience to the cruel oommand of a pagan emperor. They were made to travel at e time when Mary most needed the safety of home.
DOD
But on that pilgrim road, they were sustained in their faith by the promise the angel made to Mary, just as so many generations of Christians have been sustained ever since in the telling of the first Christ. mas story. After 2,000 y,,e.rs, this story, with all its change and mobility - so much a part of life in every
generation - continues to prove a source of hope and reassurance. I suppose I shouldn't worry about the old family crib. I suspect it will survive. Like the Christmas story, it will get passed down into willing hands.
from under my grant mother's tree into the little house my dad built. so their battered home will find a place m a new generation.
The Record, Christmas Issue. December 17. 1987
17
SUNDAY MASS TIMETABLE Continued from page 1 5
H Doc B OF B
s
y
Evening Mass
--SATURDAY --etro
7P
(co
)
•
erficia ore. I want to warn them, ' Don't expect t o much of this holiday."
by arianne
Strawn
But I've alway said the wron thin . After m children are half- rown I , tallise technique that would \ or perfect! for two-year-olds. gain, I'm too late. I
hould ha e whi -
•
res
· that nep ew
•a
by Father Ro ert
Kina st
ordained, th t a au ht m ·
und d m than hi
ri u
ei ht all d, th re a anta
h uld hav
ODD
Clau ?"
hat .ou want." "Only if I tell them," h an · red. "Well, what' wrong with that?" I a d
R
rd. Chri
ar
for
pe ' ch
sar
For Christians, Christmas is based not on human experience but on divine r. v /ation. It is concern d bout the big reconcili tion b tw n God nd m n, nd th proof of th t reamcili tion by reconcili tions mongallm n. Christm i where the Divine Action of Reconciliation 'Pa d mongu Christm s i wh n the ction tart d and Christmas a pira tions, pray rs, gift-g,ving, nd sh rmg should b a continu tion of that divin ction in our world through our co-op r tion. Unfortunately too much Christmas literatur ks of th Divine Child coming to m , bt ing my family. Too many Christians have stok n Christm for th ir own f. nci . Th h v manipulat d it, r. org nis d it until Chri tm h become for th m a Myor Ch r istma My-f. mily Chri tmas. God's purpo e for Christm s i pell d out in th triumph I eel mation ft r Con er, tion of th M (Chri t's Mass Chri tm r;. "Chri. t h in," long
y "Am n" to all
20
rd. Chri
DOD
Father Kevin Flinn is a Au tralian Col mban Missionary wor ng in Jap n. Durin his leave from hat mi ion he spent two years ach to th Columban House at Rivervale WA. He is a regular writer in r East, from which hi ditorial is re-print
Counting psalms In the early centuries of Christianity lay persons used several different methods for counting as they recited the psalms, then Our Fathers, and finally Hail Marys. To the practice of reciting 50 Hail Marys, Adolf of Essen. in 1400 AD, recommended adding meditations: "While saying the fifty Hail Marys meditate on the life of Jesus. Realize that the love of God is all-embracing and quite personal. Give thanks with joy for this condescension. Take a detail out of the life of Jesus and relate it to your life." That advice was given near on 600 years ago! For a while a theme for each Hail Mary was used, but in 1489 they were reduced to the 15 mysteries as we know them today. Having only 15 mysteries was very practical for the layperson. The 15 were easy to remember and no boo was needed. From time to time the popes threw their support behind the Rosary, the lsvperson's prayer par
ceti nee.
In 1569 Dominican Pope, St Pius V, after the 8 /i of Lep nto, instituted the Feast of the Holy Ro ry. In 1883 Pop Leo XIII designated October as th Month of th RoS11ry.
•
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around for
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Birth f Je
The
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Je u Presented in the T pie: Offer All At a . ary probabl offered Jesus to the Father on many occa ion before thi . for e ample hen He as born. hlle fleeing into Egypt. but here 1t a in a religiou rite at he Temple that she and Joseph did o They offered their all m the Temple. through he hands of Simeon At a s e offer our all through the hands of Jesus To Offer All At a s is the highlight of our religious pra tice. It rs o superior to the e ma e o offering frequently during the ee All lead up to The Offering At a J I Found: I ust lo TI I Find Je 'Looking For Je u · should be the main concern of everyday living. Without Him e can do nothing If we loo sincerely h e ary did and eep on loo ing. e, h e her. ill urely find Him. Where? Amid the 1oys, disappointment and worries of everyday living. among the people we live and or ith, and especially among the neglected, the lonely. the ick and the poor. Very often in the gui e of people e meet Jesus comes in search of us! I hould tart ach day loo ing For Je u , and often during the day I hould chec up, "Am I loo ing For Je u ?" Hail ary .. I'm Loo ing For Je u . Holy ary .. I'm Lo mg For J u
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he magic of Christmas-:'.·:: A Christmas we remember how Jesus came into our world as a tiny baby. Christmas is his birthday, a time for happiness, parties, gifts and songs. All ave the ward, people look forward to Christmas, and wish each other joy and peace. o one knows exact y when Jesus was orn. If he had been the son of a king or an emperor, his birth would have been carefully recorded, but no one bothered o wri e own the birthday of a poor baby, born in a stable at Bethlehem, the chi d of or i ary travellers. c later, when Jesus' life on earth was over, eople wanted to read his s ory. T en Matt ew, a tax gatherer, and a doctor named Luke each wrote about he first Christmas. This story was told aro d he world, travelled down the years, and is told again each year at C ristrnas ime. att ew and Luke did not know the day or t e month of Jesus' birthday. So how as he date of Christmas decided? Long ago, many years before Jesus came, pea ,e of he ancient world celebrated, in t e cold of winter, The birthday of the unconq ere sun'. They ate huge feasts. ey decor ted heir houses with holly, ivy and mist e oe.
Although the sky was grey and the fields were bare, people knew that from this day on, the sun would grow stronger and warmer. The Romans kept the 'birthday of the unconquered sun' on December 25th. In Australia, Christmas comes in the middle of summer when the days are longest and the sun is highest in the sky. Austra I ia ns cou Id ca 11 th is ti me 'the feast of the triumphant sun'. Years passed, and many, many people remembered the story and followed the teaching of Jesus. They too wanted to celebrate a time of hope. They turned the feast of the sun into the feast of Christ's Mass. The sun brought warmth and growth to a winter world. Like the sun, the baby of Bethlehem brought hope to Christian hearts. From the fifth to the tenth century, Christ's Mass marked the start of the Church's year. By the sixth century it was a public holiday. The Roman Emperor, Justinian declared that no one was to work on that day. Since then, in every century, every land has had its own Christmas customs and signs. Candles, stars, flowers, stockings, trees, puddings, crackers, holly, reindeer, carols, gifts, a hundred ways of making a Happy Christmas.
in The-Forest-Of-The- orld. In the no of inter I am green. In the dry brown ea of s mmer I am still green. A man sings a ong eneath my shady branches. He is old, b t no a old as I. I am t e oldest Ii ing thing in all he orld.
And what mak the cl u race by? You are the rd, the reat r. nl · y u kn w h w and why. Thank you L rd r th f
the aterside. He was like a ine in his father's garden. His kingdom was Ii e a tiny seed that grew into a tree where birds could build their nests. He was a carpenter, this Christmas an, and he died hen he as young on a wooden cross. The people in the houses tie gifts to my ranches. The on of an has gi en himself to us, they say. e ill g1 e t each other. On the t elfth day of hri tm s my branc e are taken o t of the ho es an hr n a ay. But I live on. Another ·n r, an t r mer. I ro . reach into the s y. e t Chri tma
·11
s
s
( h · m� - • in
CPY fullti
r
by F t
r John J
oro
co mg and Im rary
2
7,
January Bushdance bushdance on the second night of e January 20 Youth Confere ce will prove a raging success if kee ness of full fmers Andrew clean, athalie Hansen, Daniel itaway and Margaret McVeigh are a y indicati on. Parishes should ma e every effort to ensure that at I st o young people participate from their ranks.
Annual reports are a very worthwhile exercise for organisations on the youth scene. There is the tendency to ig light the successes and shift from he limelight the failures, frustrations and 'flops'. As 1987 draws o a close I look back with thanks and praise for all the people involved both young and the young at heart. Many groups could do much better with a ult support and the needs for roup chaplains is ever present. To ho e adults who have given their time, energy and often personal resources I say a big THANK YOU an AY GOD BLESS YOU. I con ratulate the young people, full timers, I a rs and members who have done their II. I has meant visiting their peers at j home, at work and in hospital. It has meant ing, inviting and bringing young people to m etin s, camps, seminars and special ev nts. It h s meant preparing talks and buyin food for camps. It has meant worryin about how a meeting will turn out
and whether everyone will do what they said they would do. It has meant preparing liturgies, prayer times and meditation sessions. It has meant regularly evaluating the last week's work and planning the next seven days. It has meant talking to the unexpected visitor, making a cup of coffee when a report should be written (like this one). Several new initiatives began in 1987. Sister Emilie Cattalini from the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Apparition began full time work in the youth offce concentrating on Antioch, Choice and Genesis II. Father Chris Saunders of Broome made contact with the office and a small but steady flow of young people accepted the challenge of voluntary work at Kalumbaru Mission. Aden Mitchell and Anne O'Loughlin will soon complete several months' work. In Sunbury,
Brother Michael Toohey has taken the wheel as diocesan youth chaplain. Geraldton is preparing for great things in '88 after one year without a full time youth worker. The statewide activities continue to be coordinated through the Catholic Youth Council which this year conducted a survey of several Catholic schools to find out what young students thought, to inform them of youth organisations and make an initial contact. The council also spent much time in preparing for the January 1988 Catholic Statewide Youth Conference. Two new initiatives I promoted included ICHTHUS and SPACE. The first was a great success. The second requires more hard work. lchthus is a weekend retreat program for years 8, 9 and 10 high school - available to parishes with a junior youth group. "SPACE" is an attempt to reach young Catholics in state schools - not an easy task to say the least. The following full timers completed their terms in 1988. Matthew Elliott (CPY); athalie Hansen, Emma Zillessen and Anne Dorozenko all of YCS: Monica Butler completes two years a TYCS full timer after nine years of involvement with the youth apostolate. Benny Mazzullo and Anna Rossi also completed their two year terms a nd headed for their mother country-Italy. Mrs Val Slater has for three years assisted one day a week on a voluntary basis and next year moves to another fie d. May God bless every one involved in the youth apostolate and all who have donated funds, shared their experience and faith or prayed for good things.
L OWT
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i h and r th t ap th m · ture int a rvin n layer f fr hly grated nutm g. R frig rat until r rv 10.
and grat d rind in th brandy and h butt r and ugar. dd the a h dditi n. ld in th
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The R
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From page 4
W DDI G
7,
7
Ort
ays by The Record
special reporter Pope John Paul recently got the bill for his dinner in Perth last year and he paid up willingly with a private Papal Mass for 1 O Australian Redemptorist Brothers. orth Perth Retreat House manager, Brother Dan Stafford, decided to go r"ght to the top w en he knew that he was due to visit Rome during a Redemptorist Bicentenary commemorafon. H
inner
II
rot to the S cretar ate of State saying how onderful It had been to make the arr n ments for the dinner served to the pope and other dignitaries in the Cathedral pr ytery on the night of Sunday, December 5, last y ar. a ed if It would be possible to get a private m n ng with the po
ODD a r sul , th 10 Australian Redemptorists were summo ed o the Bronze Door entrance of the Vatican at 6.30am to be taken to the pope's private chapel for the 7am Mass of the Holy F th r.
m Bro rD nscor ad ubleonhispapalpunt.Ten days before the private meeting with the pope h h d ecured a front row handshake with the Holy Fa h r during the public audience in St P r's Square. In first ver overs as journey by Australian R demptorist Brothers, the Australian conti g nt was part of a gathering of 80 Broth rs from English spea ing countries.
ODD Th
were celebrating the 200th anniversary of th found r of the Redemptorists, St Alphonsus Li uori. A 20 day bus tour too them through Europe's famous shrines and places associated with the R rnptor sts, such as the national shrine ater Domini of St Gerard Majella. For Brother Dan the papal reception was matched onl by the visit to the grave of St Alphonsus at Pa am, just outside Naples where the Saint did so much work in his lifetime. In his message to the v·s,ting Redemptorists, Pope John Paul had these words to say: "As you visit t places dear to your founder, may you be re ewed in love for our merciful Redeemer, and may ou be filled with gratitude for your religious consecrat on."
North Perth Retreat House manager Redemptorist Brother Dan Stafford meets Pope John Paul at the Vatican.
Special
Marian Year Pilgrimage Departs Perth May 24, 1988 UR Bl
D
y
FATIMA: Scene of the 1917 apparition. LOURDES: W ere Bernadette saw Our Lady in 1858. ROCAMADOUR: French Shrine fro AD1200. ROME: The great basilica of St Mary Major. The Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. Tre Fontane: Site of Our Lady of Revelaf ons. Genazzano: The painting of Our a y of Good Counsel. WALSI GHAM: English Shrine dating from AD1061. K
Record, Chri
has s y
n
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tian's sty e, zest ad
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rist 'the ethnic' NC
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The Go p I readin for the Ma s at d wn thi Christmas tells once n how th h •
ODD ODO toni hin si tthe of
It i , mor over, welcome news for tho who are burdened, who h ve dw t in th land of gtoom' • A r ght ha hone for th m, it i suge ted. For the ••gr ce of God has pp ared". Thi go d new i all bout •• the kindness and love of God" which has pp ared, e hear du ng th Mass at dawn. It I ood n w
dwellin among u " and wa lied with enduring love'· The di covery of Jesus might not seem a difficult t sk for Chri -
IL ETTON
From page 11
" n ebruary 22, we'll be having a m l. Th id is to int u any parishione · h to join one of our v
s
in ited.
0
all uld
From page 10
our
BAE TWOOD-WILLETTO
Wil on: Dec 24, Ch"ld n' Ma a 9 m; Mid "ght 7p ; Youth Ma . D 25, 7.30 a d 9am. B ntwood: Dec 24. Children' 7pm; Dec 25, 9am.
. From page 10
ODO
DOD
-
,Archdiocesan · Calendar
J
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Grt•yhoumls
1·,11th
The Rccont hpste«
,ono and many mor oprca u �ec cone r m tamu r la ron hip .
CUTHER CRO S
005.
87
one·
1 641
Th -called Black Madonna', Our Lady of Cz tochowa venerated as national patroness by th C tholi of Poland at the hill top monastery of J na Gora in southern Poland.
FROM
Jss
B. E. Murillo
THE HOLY FAMILY National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
�nrtnt •
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II
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858 HA
Perth s leading Importer and ' D · stributor of religiou gift and boo
Servi,ng
the Australian Curi tian Community ince 1890.
FILIPPO LIPPI