The Record Magazine Issue 21 (October 2019)

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Archdiocese making strides to communicate PAGE 10

Ordinary people called to extraordinary things PAGE 14

In our comtemporary lives PAGE 21

Official magazine for the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth

Centre for Faith Enrichment

COURSES & EVENTS

TERM FOUR 2019

DAYTIME COURSES

EVENTS

Tuesdays, 5 – 26 November ∞ 10:00am – 12:30pm

Tuesday, 15 October ∞ 10:00am – 12:00pm (Room S1.01)

Matthew’s Genealogy: One Introductory Story of Jesus

Cost: $35, 4 sessions With: Sr Clare Sciesinski PBVM Location: Newman Siena Centre, Doubleview (Clune Lecture Theatre)

Over four weeks, we will explore why Matthew thinks that Jesus’ birth/origin/genesis needs to be seen through the lens of a genealogy. We will see how a list of names helps us to understand who Jesus is, where he comes from, and what his purpose is. We will unpack Matthew’s story in the genealogy in the light of God’s saving presence in humanity’s history through the prophets, the kings and other very unexpected and often what we might classify as unacceptable, people.

CEWA Ongoing Renewal: this course has been approved for Knowledge

Mondays, 28 October – 2 December ∞ 10:00am – 12:30pm

The Good Life: An Introduction to Moral Theology

Cost: $45, 6 sessions With: Joe Tedesco Location: Newman Siena Centre, Doubleview (Clune Lecture Theatre)

God wants us to lead a life that is good. But why would this be so? What does a good life even look life? Is it simply following the rules? What happens if I can’t follow all the rules? Is there a difference between good for the religious person and those who are not religious or are not sure about their faith? These are some of the questions that moral theology deals with and that we will explore in this course. What better way to prepare for Advent!

CEWA Ongoing Renewal: this course has been approved for Knowledge

EVENING COURSES Tuesdays, 19 November – 3 December ∞ 7:30pm – 9:00pm

Advent 2019: Christ and the Future of our Life Advent time comes to question our expectations for the future of our life. Are we Cost: 3 sessions, afraid of what our existence will face? Is Jesus Christ the person we are waiting suggested donation $15 for? Join us as we explore how the teachings of the Church help us to see the With: Mr Paolo Sala great things that God has prepared for us.

Location: Kelmscott Parish CEWA Ongoing Renewal: this course has been approved for Knowledge

(42 Streich Avenue, Kelmscott)

Thursdays, 14 November - 5 December ∞ 7:00pm – 9.00pm

Advent 2019 – Making our hearts, homes and community ready for Christ

Cost: 4 sessions, suggested donation $20 With: Mr Derek Boylen Location: Ellenbrook Parish(cnr. Coolamon Drive and Strathmore Parkway, Ellenbrook)

Advent calls us to remember that the truth of the Incarnation was so profound that the early Church fell to her knees at these words: “and He was incarnate by the Holy Spirit, from the virgin Mary, and became man.” In the ordinary form of the Roman Rite, each week, we bow to these same words. These gestures acknowledge the profound mystery of the truth of the Incarnation.

How does the infinite enter the finite? How does He, whom the very heavens cannot contain, enter the womb of Mary? These talks call us to embrace Advent as a special time for preparing our hearts, homes and communities to receive Christ.

CEWA Ongoing Renewal: this course has been approved for Knowledge

Wednesday, 16 October ∞ 1:30pm – 3:30pm (Room S2.01) Thursday 17 October ∞ 5:30pm – 7:30pm (Room S1.01)

Plenary Council 2020 Listening and Discernment Sessions The second stage of the Plenary Council process invites us to continue to listen to what the Spirit is saying as we move from listening and dialogue into listening and discernment. Along with parishes in the Archdiocese of Perth, the Centre for Faith Enrichment will be hosting listening and discernment sessions as we discern how God is calling us to be a Christ centred Church that is: Missionary and evangelising; Inclusive, participatory and synodal; Prayerful and Eucharistic; Humble, healing and merciful; A joyful, hope-filled and servant community; Open to conversion renewal and reform. Join us on one or all the dates listed!

CEWA Ongoing Renewal: this course has been approved for Knowledge Location: Newman Siena Centre, Doubleview (Clune Lecture Theatre)

ONLINE COURSE Thursdays, 5 - 19 December ∞ 7:30pm - 8:30pm

The Birth of Jesus and Christmas This user-friendly online course looks at the origins and ‘developments’ of celebrating Christmas throughout the world while always returning to ‘reason for the season’ – the birth of Jesus.

CEWA Ongoing Renewal: this course has been approved for Knowledge Cost: $15 (3 sessions) With: Rev. Dr Charles Waddell

Visit www.cfe.org.au/courses-and-events for more information. For enquiries, contact us at cfe@perthcatholic.org.au.

F E AT U R E D T H I S M O N T H

6 Effective communications Is transformative

8

18 Relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux Coming to Perth in 2020

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me! Let anyone who believes in me come and drink.”

FROM THE EDITOR

— John 7:38

Jamie O’Brien

12 Communication & Evangelisation A mission of love and hope

In this Issue 21 of The Record Magazine, we take a look at the topic of Effective Communication. With the recent release of the Australian Catholic Bishops 2019 Social Justice

27

Statement, Making it Real, Genuine Human Encounter in our Digital World, the topic is ever more relevant for our Church today. In his 2014 message for World Communications

Recipe

Day, Pope Francis challenged the Church to be “attentive

Halloumi couscous salad & Classic nicoise salad

to what is happening around us and spiritually alert”. He echoes Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who said that “effective Christian witness is not about bombarding people with religious messages, but about our willingness to be available to others ‘by patiently and respectfully engaging their questions and their doubts as they advance in their search

FROM THE ARCHDIOCESE

for the truth and the meaning of human existence’”. This has

From Bishop Don Sproxton

been an important message in the work of our Archdiocesan communications, because it moves us to work towards ensuring positive growth in spreading the Gospel message further and wider. We pray that we will all continue to

4

IN THIS EDITION Perth Archdiocese Communications Saints and Communications

work towards using effective means of communicating and

ACSRF

engaging with each other, while also finding new and positive

Communication & the Family

ways to increase our pastoral attentiveness to those in need.

Effects of the Digital Stampede

The Record Magazine is a magazine for the people and I hope

2019 Social Justice Statement

you will enjoy taking the time to engage with us. Please feel

Colouring Page

free to share your thoughts via editor@therecord.com.au.

Activity Page

10 14 16 18 20 24 28 29

I S S U E 2 1 OCTOBER 2019 3

THE BENEFIT OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

BISHOP ’S WORD

M

y secondment to the 1990 Year of Mission

reasoning of the positions that the Church takes.

Committee proved to be a wonderful

This magazine, The Record, and its weekly electronic

opportunity to understand how to go about

version, prolongs a media tradition of over a century in

pastoral planning.

Western Australia. The new style has received high praise

Archbishop Foley asked me to join the team so that the

and readers appreciate the thematic approach of each

perspective of a parish priest could help in the

issue of The Record Magazine.

engagement with parish priests and the parishes.

The new platforms for sharing stories via social media

The major event of the Year of Mission was the

offer us more effective means of communicating our

Archdiocesan Assembly where parishes sent

message. They provide the opportunity for dialogue that

representatives who met in small groupings and in plenary

can help shape the way we communicate with the young

sessions. The major projects that emerged from the

and anyone who is searching in life.

assembly were parish renewal, planning for the future

Effective communication is also developing within the

development of the Archdiocese and communications.

offices of the Archbishop and between the agencies of the

It has been quite interesting to see that these projects

Archdiocese. Networking enables regular flows of

have been discerned as still relevant in the Archdiocesan

information, and enables agencies and bodies the chance

Plan 2016-2021.

to access and benefit from programs and professional

We prepared for the Archdiocesan Plan through a

development that one or other agency may sponsor.

consultation phase in 2015. This enabled us to recognise

The rapid developments in the new media have been

the great strides that had already been taken in

embraced by our communications staff and choices are

communications since 1990, but it raised our awareness of

being made on which of these suit our message and ethos.

the burgeoning developments in new technologies and the

Our staff are also able to access demonstrations, training

potential these offer to the Archdiocese.

and problem solving and with support from the IT staff of

One of the great challenges for the Church today is how

the Archdiocese.

can we communicate effectively the message of the

It is certain that the work of improving communications

Gospel and our story to the people within and outside the

will continue to be part of the pastoral planning in the

Archdiocese. We cannot rely just on traditional media. The

Archdiocese when the present Plan is completed in 2021

stories that we are able to tell require the space for the

and the new Plan emerges in 2022.

+ Bishop Donald Sproxton AUXILIARY BISHOP OF PERTH

5

THE MOST EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS IS TRANSFORMATIVE The motto the Vatican chose for the Social Communications Day in 2017 really said it all: ’The truth will set you free.’

WO R D S Desmond O’Grady

E

ffective communications are essential for both democracy and the Church, because both require shared understanding of reality.

Years ago, I wrote an article saying that some priests had profited from a

Some claim that the prevalence of distorted communications

racket involved in the arrival of many

before the Brexit vote determined the result.

religious sisters from India to study

The Church’s unity is linked to a shared reading of salvation

in Rome or fill nearly empty Italian

history.

convents. Unfortunately, some of the

What constitutes effective communications may seem

Indians ended up badly in Italy.

obvious – send a clear message to those interested. But at a

Archbishop Mario Brini, Secretary

closer look, it is not so simple: for instance, it is one thing to

of the relevant Vatican office, hotly

convey facts and another to convey viewpoints which seek

contested the story both to me and

to convince.

publicly, saying I had inadequate

Facts can be verified, viewpoints involve interpretations and

evidence. Then I managed to find a

feelings which are more complicated matters.

religious sister who told me by phone

The most effective communications of all are transformative

that two religious sister witnesses had

– it changes the recipient’s life. St Paul benefitted from such

left to take a flight back to India. I

communication somewhere short of Damascus.

jumped into my small Fiat 600 which

I believe that writers should at least attempt to convey truth.

was the first ever to pass Ferraris and Lamborghinis on the

One of my heroes is George Bernanos, the French Catholic

road to the airport. Their habits enabled me to identify

novelist and monarchist who went to the Spanish civil war

them, and they went on to give me clinching evidence.

where the anarchist killed hundreds of clergy and religious

My luck held because an American, Father Edward Heston,

sisters. As expected, he denounced these atrocities but

had just been put in charge of the Vatican Press Office and

then, unexpectedly, also those of the forces of General

confirmed my story. It was said it was the first time that the

Franco, Bernanos was for those who suffered not for either

Vatican had to acknowledge the truth of a critical article.

‘side’ in the civil war.

Effective communication is also not just confined to words.

For journalists, truth often means simply accuracy which is a

“Always preach the Gospel, sometimes using words” is

kind of workaday truth.

attributed to St Francis of Assisi.

Even that often requires tenacity and luck.

Gestures can be eloquent and the Church has often resorted

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THE RECORD MAGAZINE

to them as when Catholic processions in Communist Poland enabled a statement to be made despite restrictions on free speech. Or when Pope Francis launched a wreath of flowers off the tiny Italian island Lampedusa into the sea where many refugees had drowned.

But words remain important. Words which are ambiguous, or just plain boring, can dim any message. And we have constant reminders that words can be venomous.

It is sobering that lies can be communicated as effectively as truth. In our ‘post-truth’ era, some consciously

“

Always preach the Gospel, sometimes using words.

Pope Francis greets Msgr Dario Vigano, Director of the Vatican Secretariat for Communications, during a meeting with members of the Secretariat at the Vatican May 4. Addressing the group responsible for reforming Vatican Communications, the Holy Father said that courageous teamwork

manipulate lies, often using a modicum of truth to make the lies more plausible. This is a crucial issue.

Ever since the Garden of Eden, there has been fake news,

is needed to best respond to new challenges. Photo: CNS/L'Osservatore Romano. ● Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, looks on as Pope Francis talks to journalists in 2015 aboard his flight from Rome to Nairobi, Kenya. The retired papal spokesman says Pope Francis' communications style differs

but social media has given it a new toxicity. Social media

from Pope Benedict's but both papacies reflect continuity based on pontiffs'

enables new voices to be heard, but also increases the

understanding of the church. ● Photo: CNS/Paul Haring. St Francis of Assisi.

Source: Adobe. ● George Bernanos Source: Prabook.

volume and velocity of fake news which can trigger a veritable tsunami of hatred.

network, adding that the Church itself is a network based on

The Vatican, no slouch in social media itself (Pope Francis

the Eucharist and truth rather than on ‘likes.’

has 52 million Twitter followers), warned in its 2019 Social

It is a good diagnosis but leaves it to us to find how to

Communications Message that fully human networks are

use the internet more responsibly. It foreshadows an

needed rather than superficial networks. It is an invitation to

internet ascetics.

go beyond virtual contacts to contacts with people in

Many social media messages effectively communicate hate

the flesh.

together with over-simple response to complex issues. The

The message acknowledges that the internet can be a great

Gospel Good News is the final antidote to fake news. But it

resource but also warns against social media’s tendency to

could help to reduce, or break out altogether, from the use

foster fighting tribes which increase polarisation, ruining

of internet and slavish following of the 24/7 news cycle. Try

community. It turns to that ardent communicator St Paul

something else occasionally, including reading some history

who recommended speaking truth, not falsehoods, ‘because

for a perspective on the present era which is too present.

we are members one of the other.’

Desmond O’Grady is an Australian journalist and author

It wants the web, a word which suggests a trap, to become a

who resides in Rome.

I S S U E 2 1 OCTOBER 2019 7

SPECIAL REPORT

RELICS OF ST THÉRÈSE OF LISIEUX COMING TO PERTH IN 2020 The relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux which will visit Perth in 2020. The relics of St Thérèse, together with her parents Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, will embark on a four month pilgrimage across Australia, from February through to May. Photo: CNS

The relics of the French saint will be accompanied by the relics of her parents Sts Louis and Zélie Martin.

P

erth will next year be host to one of the most popular saints of modern times.

The relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux, together with her parents

Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, will embark on a four-month pilgrimage across Australia, from February through to May. The relics last came to Australia in 2002 where they were met with an outpouring of adoration among the faithful.

The family’s relics will also travel to Queensland, New South Wales and ACT, Victoria and Tasmania and in Perth will be hosted at Morley Parish (25 to 27 April) Nedlands Parish (27 to 30 April) Willetton Parish (4 May to 6 May), Gosnells Parish (6 & 7 May), Fremantle Parish (7 & 8 May) and St Mary’s Cathedral (8 May to 10 May).

The pilgrimage was officially announced Tuesday 1 October by Catholic Mission, who are partnering with funeral directors InvoCare to bring the relics to 17 Australian dioceses in both metropolitan and rural areas.

NEWS

The announcement coincided not only with the feast day of St Thérèse of Lisieux, but also the beginning of the global celebration of the Extraordinary Missionary Month.

St Thérèse, known as the Little Flower of Jesus, is the patron saint of mission.

National Director of Catholic Mission, Father Brian Lucas, said as the Pope’s own mission agency, Catholic Mission is very pleased to be able to partner with InvoCare, who will undertake the secure transport and housing of the relics, to bring this opportunity to Australia.

The devotion to relics among many Catholics is complex, but Father Lucas likens it to a secular example.

“People might go to a charity fundraiser and bid

Blesseds Louis Martin and Marie Zelie Guerin Martin, parents of St Therese of Lisieux. Relics

for a footy jersey signed by the team; something

of the French saints will next year tour Australia. CNS/courtesy of Sanctuary of Lisieux

tangible and practical that serves as a reminder of the people or the event,’ he said.

“That’s what the relics of the saints are intended to do, to remind us and give us the opportunity to enter into the life of those saints and what they can teach us.”

St Thérèse was born in 1873 and felt an early call to religious life. She entered the Carmelite order at age 15 after experiencing what she called her “complete conversion”.

“

Her struggle with weakness but her fierce determination to be loyal and faithful to God’s will is the legacy that everyone can participate in.”

“I think the connection between the relics of St Thérèse and [those] of her parents gives us an opportunity to consider the importance of relationships and family life.”

While it is difficult to predict whether the February arrival of the relics will attract a similar response as in 2002, Father Lucas believes the pilgrimage will be a powerful moment of connection between Australians and an immensely popular and beloved saint.

“I think the great legacy of St Thérèse of Lisieux is the example she gave through her writings of her connectedness to God,” he said.

“Her struggle with weakness but her fierce determination to be loyal and faithful to God’s will is the legacy that everyone can participate in.”

Father Lucas says the realisation of the simplicity of her message will give people a firm foundation for their own spiritual journey.

“The pilgrimage of the relics in 2020 will be an

Her simple way of living, spiritual writings and

opportunity for Australians to come together, to

commitment to small acts of charity and love

have that sense of belonging, and to find

made her an immensely popular figure, and her

inspiration in the life of St Thérèse and her

canonisation in St Peter’s Basilica in 1925, just 28

parents.

years after her death, was attended by more than

“Ahead of the Plenary Council 2020, it affords us

60,000 people.

a chance for prayerful reflection and to feel a

Her parents, Louis and Zélie, became the first

closeness to God in the way St Thérèse did.”

spouses to be canonised as a couple in 2015.

For more information about the pilgrimage of St Thérèse of Lisieux and Sts Louis and Zélie Martin, visit catholicmission.org.au/relics

Father Lucas says the togetherness of the family is an important feature of next year’s pilgrimage.

I S S U E 2 1 OCTOBER 2019 9

PERTH ARCHDIOCESE MAKES STRIDES T O C O M M U N I C AT E E F F E C T I V E LY WO R D S Matthew Lau

The Archdiocese of Perth’s means of communicating to its faithful has vastly evolved over the past seven years from a weekly newspaper to a now multi-media platform.

I

n this current internet-driven

to The Record) was a mainstay of the

climate, digital effective

Archdiocese for 140 years.

communications is key to any

Thus came The eRecord in October

successful organisation. For our local

2014.

archdiocese, action began in 2012

Analysis from 2015 to 2017 indicates

with a review of The Record Newspaper.

there have been some 2000 articles

Progress was made in 2014 with the

published during that period, which

development of the Archdiocese of

included a variety of local, national,

Father Matthew Gibey was the first editor

Perth Communications Office.

international, movie and book reviews.

of The Record. Photo: Archdiocese of Perth

Communications Manager Jamie

Since then, readership has grown at

O’Brien said the advancement

The release of the Archdiocesan

an expediential rate by more than 200

required a complete overhaul of

Plan 2016-2021 presented the

per cent.

communications assets, starting with

implementation of a new Effective

Events within the Archdiocese are

Communications strategy to elevate

an analysis of reader demographics.

distributed via email as a weekly

communications to the next level.

“It was determined based on a ‘change

newsletter; this is still being assessed

The plan saw the birth of The Record

in readership’ and a need to address

and has recently been expanded to be

Magazine, as Mr O’Brien details: “the

the digital age,” he said.

promoted through Facebook.

142-year tradition started to grow

“That meant that there needed to

“With that, we have had to ensure

even more”.

be a whole new strategy as to what

checks and balances are in place to

By October 2019, there had been

that meant, how to communicate to

maintain appropriate credibility, in

21 bi-monthly editions printed,

different groups [clergy, religious, laity,

addition to the necessary safeguarding

covering themes of the Year of Mercy,

non-Catholic], while looking at how

standards,” Mr O’Brien explained.

Education, Health, Women, Social

to engage with social media and also

“This new method of promoting events

Outreach, Adult Faith, and Youth to

understanding timelines, such as when

has resulted in better coverage of

name a few.

people read news.”

events via The eRecord, not just for

The Archdiocese’s social media has

Initiated in 1874 by then-Bishop

agencies and organisations of the

flourished during this evolution,

Martin Griver, The W.A. Catholic

Archdiocese, but for all faith and social

embracing Facebook and

Record newspaper (later shortened

service groups.”

Instagram notably.

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THE RECORD MAGAZINE

By the beginning of 2017, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe’s Facebook page was created. The Archbishop of Perth has regularly delivered Christmas and Easter messages, as well as other content on various messages where necessary.

“The development of videos by that time had started to grow, our audience were really starting to demand regular video content that was engaging and attentive to the situation at the time,” Mr O’Brien added.

“It is vital to ensure we capture the essence of significant events in a video sense, and not just in The Archdiocese of Perth Communications Office team, from left: Amanda Murthy, Feby Plando, Matthew Lau, Bibiana Kwaramba, Joshua Low, Jamie O’Brien, and Theresia Titus. Photo: The Record

words and images.”

Social media readership between all the Archdiocese’s channels has reached about 50,000 unique hits annually.

The Very Rev Fr Peter Whitely VG is the Vicar for Effective Communication

Photo: The Record

“

... to ensure checks

and balances are in place to maintain appropriate credibility, in addition to the necessary safeguarding standards.”

“Social media has also served as an avenue for people to provide their feedback on topics, replacing the ageold method of letters to the editor,” he said.

In 2018, readers of all ages and backgrounds were encouraged to relay their thoughts on The eRecord and The Record magazine by submitting a survey to the Communications Office.

A Communications Advisory Group, chaired by the Very Rev Father Peter Whitely VG, has supported the Communications Office.

All content has been vetted by Fr Whitely prior to distribution, with the additional support of a new print/broadcast editorial guidelines, and a new styleguide is hoped to be finalised by the end of 2019.

“I am constantly in awe of our Archdiocesan Communication Office staff’s ability to keep up with and use the expanding means of communication to pass on the Good News of Jesus to the people of our Archdiocese and beyond,” Fr Whitely said.

I S S U E 2 1 OCTOBER 2019 11

EVANGELION: A MISSION OF LOVE AND HOPE WO R D S Eric Martin

In an audience with participants of a meeting for the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, themed Knowing God: Is it possible?

Ways for a New Evangelization, Pope Francis says that to proclaim

“G

od is not the answer to an intellectual curiosity or to a commitment of the will, but an experience of love, called to become a story of love. Because - it is true first of

all for us – once we have met the living God, we must look for Him again. The mystery of God is never exhausted, it is as immense as His love,” Pope Francis emphasised.

The Second Vatican Council sought to renew the Church’s life and activity in light of the needs of the contemporary world and

God is to witness to the joy of

emphasised the Church’s “missionary nature,” recognising that the

knowing Him, it is to help live the

Christian mission is one of evangelisation: to proclaim the Gospel of

beauty of encountering Him.

Jesus Christ is a sacred calling for each and every Christian.

Indeed, the very word “Gospel” translates as “evangelion” in the original Greek version of the New Testament: Jesus Christ was sent by the Father to proclaim the Gospel, calling all people to conversion and faith: “Go out into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16,15), “that they may all be one...so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (Jn 17:21).

However, even though the call to take up ‘the great commission’ is clear, St John Paul II, in his 1990 encyclical Redemptoris Missio: On the permanent validity of the Church’s missionary mandate, writes that there is “a growing confusion” about the Church’s missionary role in sharing the Good News.

“Some think “that any attempt to convince others on religious matters is a limitation of their freedom,” suggesting that it is enough to invite people “to act according to their consciences”, or to “become more human or more faithful to their own religion”, or “to build communities which strive for justice, freedom, peace and solidarity”, without aiming at their conversion to Christ and to the Catholic faith,” he states.

The temptation, St John Paul II wrote, is to reduce Christianity to a form of human wisdom, a pseudo-science of well-being that causes

L E F T

T O

R I G H T

Dominican Sister Margaret

Scharf OP is currently the Coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for the Archdiocese of Perth. Photo: Archives

• “Go out into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16,15). Photo: Eric Martin • Evangelisation in Australia was historically associated with Missions in Central Australia, and though times

people to strive for the good of all people, but only in the humanistic sense, treating us as creatures made of flesh and blood without recognising the spiritual reality that underlies our true, eternal nature.

In a recent homily delivered in Rome for the Australian Bishops 2019 Ad Liminia Apolostorum, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB highlighted the need for the message of evangelisation to be

and practices have changed, ‘bush preaching’ is

partnered with the sacramental responsibility of faithfulness and

still considered a life changing experience for those

obedience to God.

privileged to share their faith. Photo: Archives

“To say that we are called to return Christ to His Church and to return the Church to Christ is really to invite us, to paraphrase some words of Saint Augustine, to become in practice what we are in Sacrament and in theology: the living body of Christ, the living Sacrament of His

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THE RECORD MAGAZINE

healing, renewing and saving presence in the world,”

this end he gives them the Spirit.

Archbishop Costelloe said.

Dominican Sister Margaret Scharf OP is currently

As St John Paul II writes in Redemtoris Missio, “Our own

the Coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for the

times offer the Church new opportunities in this field with the collapse of oppressive ideologies and political

Archdiocese of Perth, a regular presenter for the Centre for Faith Enrichment and adjunct lecturer for

systems (such as the fall of Communism and the Berlin

the Catholic Institute of WA.

Wall in the 1980s); the opening of frontiers and the

“There are two themes to be identified in the process

formation of a more united world due to an increase

of evangelisation: the call the proclaim, with joy, the

in communications; the affirmation among peoples of

good news of the Gospel to the ends of the earth, and

the gospel values which Jesus made incarnate in his

the call to be the Good News of the Gospel,” Sister

own life (peace, justice, brotherhood, concern for the

Margaret said.

needy); and a kind of soulless economic and technical

“Deepening our faith is a lifelong process, challenging

development which only stimulates the search for

us to take responsibility for caring for our spiritual

the truth about God, about ourselves and about the

life as we would our physical, mental and emotional

meaning of life itself.”

aspects of life.

“Our own time, with humanity on the move and in

“Under the Archdiocesan Plan 2016-2021, launched

continual search, demands a resurgence of the Church’s

by Archbishop Costelloe, there are new projects

missionary activity. The horizons and possibilities for

underway to support the whole person so that we can

mission are growing ever wider, and we Christians are

be the face of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, in our

called to an apostolic courage based upon trust in the

local communities, now and into the future.

Spirit. He is the principal agent of mission!” wrote St

Sister Margaret explained that one ministry in focus

John Paul II.

is the Centre for Faith Enrichment, directed by Dr

When the risen Christ met with his apostles, he

Marco Ceccarelli, which provides daytime programs

concluded with the ‘missionary mandate’: “All authority

at Newman Siena Centre in Doubleview and evening

in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go

programs in host parishes.

therefore and make disciples of all nations... and lo, I am

These programs provide the ideal stimulus for

with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:18-20;

learning and conversations in an adult faith formation

cf. Mk 16:15-18; Lk 24:46-49; Jn 20:21-23).

environment, fulfilling that desire for “the more,” or, as

This is a sending forth in the Spirit, as is clearly

Pope Francis wrote: “Once we have met the living God,

apparent in the Gospel of John: Christ sends his own

we must look for Him again. The mystery of God is

into the world, just as the Father has sent him, and to

never exhausted’ it is as immense as His love.”

I S S U E 2 1 OCTOBER 2019 13

S A I N T S A N D C O M M U N I C AT I O N S

Ordinary people called to do extraordinary things WO R D S Amanda Murthy

S

aints are somewhat the super heroes of the Catholic Church, lending their names to mark buildings like schools or hospitals, aiding with intercessions and

even performing miracles for the faithful.

Pope Francis in his 2013 message on the occasion of the Feast of All Saints stressed that Saints are not ‘born perfect’ but rather are ordinary people who followed God “with all their heart.”

“They are like us, they are like each of us, they are people who before reaching the glory of heaven lived a normal life, with

ST I SA D O R E O F S E V I LLE F E A S T D A Y 4 April P A T R O N S A I N T O F The Internet

A man with big ambition, St Isadore was regarded as the last scholar of the ancient world by 19th century historian Montalembert. Word is that he tried to record everything ever known, producing a 20 book opus Etymologies, also known as the Origins, and for thousands of years.

St Isadore’s would be known as the encyclopedia of all human knowledge. Pope John Paul II declared him a Saint, and his sainthood did not go through the standard traditional canonisation process.

ST M A X I M I LI A N KO LB E

studied Buddhism and Shintoism with the intention to learn the

F E A S T D A Y 14 August

culture and better understand the people of that nation. With

P A T R O N S A I N T O F Amateur-radio operators, of

this newfound knowledge, St Maximilian published Christian

drug addicts, of political prisoners, of families, journalists,

faith-based articles through the Japanese edition of his

of prisoners, and of the pro-life movement.

newspaper, delivering the message in a way that was in

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend.

“Garden of the Immaculate,” which survived the atomic bomb.

― John 15:13

harmony with Japanese culture. In Nagasaki, he set up a St Maximilian then travelled to Malabar and to Moscow, but

A Franciscan priest in 1918, St Maximillian believed that the

was recalled back home to Poland in 1936 due to health

world was passing through a time of intense spiritual crisis and

deterioration.

that Christians need to fight for the world’s salvation with the

In 1941, he was arrested and sent to the concentration camp

means of modern communication.

at Auschwitz, where he helped and succoured the inmates. In

This prompted him to start a newspaper publication called

August of that year, a prisoner escaped, and in reprisal the

The Knights of Mary Immaculate, which spread widely both in

authorities were choosing ten people to die by starvation.

Poland and abroad.

One of the men had a family, and Maximilian Kolbe offered to

In 1927, St Maximilian founded a Franciscan friary he dubbed

take his place. The offer was accepted, and he spent his last

“city of Mary,” which attracted many lay people. The friary was

days comforting his fellow prisoners. On 14 August 1941, St

self-supported, publishing many periodicals and running its own

Maximilian took his last breath at the age of 47 years.

radio station.

In 1982, Pope John Paul II canonised him and the man he

Three years later, he made it a point to travel to Japan where he

saved was present at his canonisation.

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joys and griefs, struggles and hopes,” the Pope explained.

television, radio and the internet to communicate the Gospel,

However, Pope Francis noted that the difference is, that each

however, the Saints back then communicated the power and

Saint changed his or her life “when they recognized the love of

love of God through their presence on earth.

God, they followed him with all their heart, without conditions

Think of Raphael in the Book of Tobit, leading Tobias to his

and hypocrisies.”

soon-to-be-wife Sarah. Or, even more famously, Gabriel

“They spent their lives in the service of others, they endured

coming to Mary during the Annunciation and to the shepherds

suffering and adversity without hatred and responded to evil

to announce Christ’s birth.

with good, spreading joy and peace,” he added.

Here are stories of some of our favourite Saints who carried

Today, the world uses technology whether in the form of

the message of Christ through their words and actions.

ST F R A N C I S D E SA LE S

He faced much hostility, including death threats and would-be assassins after he volunteered to head a

F E A S T D A Y 24 January

mission to return the Calvanist Switzerland back to

PAT R O N S A I N T O F

the Catholic faith.

Writers, journalists and Christian unity

During his ministry in Switzerland, he wrote and

The former Bishop of Geneva holds the title

distributed religious tracts including his famous work

‘gentlemen Saint’ for his friendly and gentle ways.

titled “Introduction to the devout life” that resulted

Born in 1567 in the Savoy region, in what is now

to inroads among Protestants and helped between

part of France, St Francis de Sales was no stranger

40,000 and 70,000 return to the Catholic faith.

to unpopularity.

His feast day traditionally marks the release of the

Highly devoted to St Francis of Assisi from a young

Pope’s annual message for World Communications

age, the former Bishop of Geneva entered into the

Day. Pope Benedict XVI’s 2013 message reflected

priesthood in 1593 against his father’s wishes, who

on social networks and their potential to strengthen

had pre-arranged a marriage for him.

unity and harmony between people. He also warned

St Francis de Sales has studied rhetoric, humanities and law in preparation for a

that these enable a mindset that rewards popularity, rather than rewarding what has intrinsic value.

ST P E T E R C L AV E R

political career, however

St Francis de Sales began his own order after his

resolved to hold to religious

namesake, was named Bishop of Geneva in 1602,

F E A S T D A Y 24 January

celibacy and held a deep

after which he worked to restore Geneva’s churches

PAT R O N S A I N T O F

devotion to the Virgin Mary

and religious orders.

African missions and of interracial

for some time - but he kept

He died in 1622 in Lyons at a convent he had helped

justice, due to his work with slaves

this strong spiritual life secret

to found. Frances de Sales was canonised in 1665

in Colombia.

from the world.

and named a Doctor of the Church in 1877.

ST C L A R E O F AS S I S I F E A S T D A Y 11 August PAT R O N S A I N T O F

Television, eye disease, gold smiths and laundry

Order. Ten years after Clare’s death, the order became known as the Order of Saint Clare.

In 1224, a rough army of soldiers from Frederick II arrived to attack Assisi. St Clare stepped forward to meet them despite her grave illness, holding a Blessed Sacrament in her hands and

St Clare gave up her comfortable lifestyle to be a Benedictine

pleading down on her knees for God to save the Sisters.

nun of San Paolo, under St Francis’ Spiritual Direction.

Miraculously, a sudden fright struck the attackers and they

Born in Assisi on July 16, 1194, as Chiara Offreduccio, St Clare

immediately fled as fast as they could without harming anyone

was said to come from a wealthy family. She dedicated herself

in Assisi.

to prayer from a very young age but it was at the age 18,

In her final days, St Clare witnessed a mystical experience on

when she heard St Francis of Assisi preach during a Lenten

Christmas day. Too sick to attend Mass, St Clare transported to

service that encouraged her to approach him, asking for

the prayers of the Friars in the new Basilica of St Francis in that

guidance on how to live faithfully according to the Gospel.

moment and was able to see and hear the orders of Mass

When her father attempted to bring her back home, St Clare

before her from bed as if she was present.

refused, professing her desire to serve only God. The sisters

On August 9, 1253, Pope Innocent IV declared Clare’s rule

became known as the “Poor Ladies of San Damiano” living

would serve as the governing rule for Clare’s Order of Poor

simply lives of austerity, seclusion from the world, and poverty,

Ladies. Two days later, Clare died at 59-years-old and Pope

according to a Rule which Francis gave them as a Second

Alexander IV canonised her as Saint Clare of Assisi.

I S S U E 2 1 OCTOBER 2019 15

Effective communication is essential when you’re trying to help people understand any complex subject.

And, when it’s something as important to their future as superannuation, it also becomes essential.

HELPING PEOPLE PL AN FOR THE FUTURE BY LISTENING T O W H AT T H E Y N E E D

O

ver the last few years, Australian Catholic Superannuation has undergone significant changes in how we communicate. We’ve asked our Senior

Content Manager, Jessica Gibson, to take you through the insights we’ve gained as we have reviewed and revised how we help our members understand their superannuation.

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ACSRF

UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND SPEAKING TO THEM Traditionally, we spoke to members about their retirement.

It makes sense, after all, providing for excellent retirement outcomes is our primary focus.

For people who are close to retirement, this was great. It was information that was relevant to their specific needs.

We had engaged that group well, but also saw the opportunity to help people who traditionally don’t engage with superannuation – really, anyone who wasn’t thinking about retirement.

There are a lot of things that younger people need to know, like the long-term benefits of making additional contributions to super, and we weren’t structuring that message in a way that appealed to those people.

“We spent a great deal of time learning about our members and their individual needs and started to group people together as we saw patterns develop,” said Jessica.

For example, we found that people at the beginning of their career were really interested in learning about super, but the material we provided wasn’t right for them. So, we revised our documentation and contacts to provide information to those people that was relevant and timely.

TALK TO PEOPLE LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE TALK Superannuation is loaded with jargon, and we’ve been as guilty as anyone for falling into the trap of assuming that everyone has a working knowledge of how the industry operates. Jessica says that stripping super back to its basic concepts and helping people understand how it works was a big step toward communicating more clearly.

“We made a concerted effort to remove the barriers to entry and help people truly understand all aspects of their superannuation and know what they need to do to make the most of it,” said Jessica.

MAKE IT RELEVANT Thinking about retirement when you’re in your 20s is,

something that’s reflected in our new website as well as the overhaul of our seminar series.

TALK TO PEOPLE IN THE WAY THEY WANT For years, we have encouraged our members to call us. We have an award-winning call centre and it’s a great experience.

What we recognised, however, was that our members wanted to connect with us in different ways. Some prefer face-to-face contact at school visits or our offices. Others like email. Others still like to use Facebook, so we started to use Messenger to communicate with members and a web chat function directly from our website and member portal!

We’re also exploring more ways to keep in touch with our members, but at the heart of it all is making sure that contacting us is easy and understandable.

WHY WE MADE THE CHANGE It would have been easy to keep doing what we had been doing, but it would have been a disservice to our members to keep treating them all the same.

“This wasn’t about making a random change but about recognising that we have an obligation to our members, to help them plan for their financial future,” said Jessica.

It also isn’t about making money but about serving all of our more than 90,000 members better. And, moreover, it was about helping people. That, truly, is our obligation as both a superannuation fund as well as an organisation that upholds Catholic values.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION BEGINS WITH LISTENING Remembering that communication is a collaborative process is the most essential part of effective communication.

“If we hadn’t spent time learning more about our members and their needs at different stages of life, we wouldn’t have known where to start with revising our strategy around how we help people,” says Jessica. “The way we see communication is as a back-and-forth process to help

admittedly, a stretch. But, with market swings and

people improve their future.”

economic news being top-of-mind for most people, we had

We spent time learning how people wanted to be talked to,

to provide content that provided timely value to the reader.

how they wanted to hear from us and figuring out what

If the news is screaming about a possible recession and you

they would find most valuable.

receive a communication about updating your beneficiaries

The results have been quite positive. We’ve improved how

(which is still important, don’t get me wrong), then as a

we speak to younger members, have found new channels to

business you’re missing an opportunity to make a

speak to people on and are getting people excited about

meaningful connection.

their future prospects instead of being intimidated by it.

Jessica says, “We started working with our investments

“This isn’t a one-change and it’s done situation,” concludes

teams to share regular market updates and reactive

Jessica. “We’re proactively looking for new opportunities to

analysis of things in the news to help people make better,

help people understand their super. It’s exciting to be able

informed decisions.

to make a difference like this at every stage of people’s lives

We wanted to make things simple and really break it down,

and meet their needs.”

I S S U E 2 1 OCTOBER 2019 17

THE WISDOM OF SAINT JOHN PAUL II

Gratissimam Sane, a focus on the family WO R D S Eric Martin

W

ritten in 1994 for the Year of the Family, Gratissimam Sane was a heartfelt appeal by the then Holy Father,

now Saint John Paul II, to demonstrate that among the many possible paths of people’s daily pilgrimage, the family is the first and most important.

“It is a path common to all, yet one which is particular, unique and unrepeatable, just as every individual is unrepeatable; it is a path from which man cannot withdraw: indeed, a person normally comes into the world within a family, and can be said to owe to the family the very fact of his existing as an individual,” Saint John Paul II wrote.

“Even if someone chooses to remain single, the family

Saint John Paul II as a young boy, Karol Wojyla, with his father. Photo: Supplied

continues to be, as it were, his existential horizon, that fundamental community in which the whole network of

“As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live:

immediate to the most distant.”

After all, pointed out St John Paul II, do we not often speak

the family is indeed, more than any other

of the ‘human family’ when referring to all the people

human reality, the place where an individual

living in the world?

can exist ‘for himself’ through the sincere gift of self - this is why it remains a social institution which neither can nor should be replaced: it is the ‘sanctuary of life’.”

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social relations is grounded, from the closest and most

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“The family, as a community of persons, is the first human ‘society’, which opens the spouses to a lasting communion of love and of life, and is brought to completion in a full and specific way with the procreation of children: the ‘communion’ of the spouses gives rise to the ‘community’ of the family,” he writes to the Church.

FAMILY

This fulfilment represents both a task and a challenge

Communication Day “So that you can tell your children

according to St John Paul II.

and grandchildren. Life creates history.”

“The task involves the spouses in living out their original

Pope Francis believes that memory - far from being static,

covenant: the children born to them (and here is the

inflexible recollections of the past - has dynamic and

challenge) should consolidate that covenant, enriching

transformative power that can influence and foster unity.

and deepening the conjugal communion (the sincere and

The passage, based on the Book of Exodus, highlights the

heartfelt communication) of the father and mother.”

importance of sharing meaningful memories, stories and

Not surprisingly, the wisdom of St John Paul II resonates

experiences, so that they may live on and transform the

with a particular branch of family communications theory,

present, the Vatican statement said.

called Joint Family Story Telling (JFST), where the process

The theme “reminds us that every story is born out of life,

of conjugal communion and family engagement is

from interacting with others,” it said.

explored in detail.

Stories are valuable resources which offer “great riches”

In her 2013 thesis on Joint Family Storytelling as a

to their listeners, it said. The insight, knowledge and

mediator of family communicating, US academic Patty

human connection fostered through effective storytelling

Ann Thompson explains that in the context of family

is an invaluable asset to the audience.

relationships, storytelling often occurs in the form of joint

“Communications is, therefore, called to connect memory

family storytelling or “collaborative constructions through

with life through stories,” it said, explaining how Jesus

which people [together] recount events by assigning plot,

used parables to convey “the vital power of the Kingdom

character, and setting in a way that helps them make

of God, leaving his audience free to welcome these

sense of and give meaning to the events and to their

narratives and apply them to themselves.”

relationship” (Koenig, 2002).

“These stories are not only alive in the past but continue

Pope Francis has also recently highlighted the important

to guide the lives and beliefs of Catholics today,” it said,

role of memory and storytelling across generations as a

adding, “The ability to generate change expresses how

way to bring people together in a world marked by discord

powerful a story is.”

and division, choosing the theme for the 2020 World

The Vatican announcement said the message will call for

I S S U E 2 1 OCTOBER 2019 19

ongoing dialogue with each other and with the past and will ask everyone to make communications be “an instrument to build bridges, to unite and to share the beauty of being brothers and sisters in a moment of history marked by discord and division.”

Thompson (2013) goes on to explain that family storytelling is not just one behaviour in which families engage, but an interactive phenomenon through which family is created and maintained. Using narrative performance theory, “storytelling constitutes or performs family identity” Within this framework, then, family storytelling behaviours hold special importance because they contribute to creating and maintaining family identity.

(Langellier and Peterson, 200a, 2006b).

The roles and patterns of a healthy family prayer life, as espoused by St John Paul II meet the same criteria in detail, as each individual enters into a heartfelt conversation with God about the issues (both positive and negative) that are central to the lives of the other family members.

Saint John Paul II was Time Magazines Man of the year in 1994,

“Together with the words of Sacred Scripture, our prayerful

the year he wrote Gratissimam Sane. Photo: Supplied

reflections as a family should always include the personal memories of the spouses-parents, the children and grandchildren,” St John Paul II wrote.

This forms a healthy family communication environment, strengthens family identity and brings both the individual and the family back to their foundational identity in God and his eternal love for us.

“It must become a union in prayer: prayer needs to become a regular habit in the daily life of each family - prayer is thanksgiving, praise of God, asking for forgiveness, supplication and invocation,” the St John Paul II wrote.

“In all of these forms the prayer of the family has much to say to God and it also has much to say to others - beginning with the mutual communion of persons joined together by family ties.”

“Families should pray for all of their members, in view of the good which the family is for each individual and which each individual is for the whole family: prayer strengthens this good, precisely as the common good of the family.

“Family prayer, life creates this common good ever anew: in prayer, the family discovers itself as the first “us”, in which each member is “I” and “thou”; each member is for the others either husband or wife, father or mother, son or daughter, brother or sister, grandparent or grandchild.

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“

... family storytelling

is not just one behaviour in which families engage, but an interactive phenomenon through which family is created and maintained.”

The information age has seen the advent of the mobile phone, the rise of telecommunications, the internet, satellites launched into orbit to relay digital information around the globe and an ever-increasing push in first world nations, away from traditional manufacturing and into the service economy.

T

he retail sector is suffering in Australia and one of the key reasons touted by experts is the rise of online shopping with internet giants such as Amazon, Wish and eBay taking the lion’s share of the market: even the traditional

weekly shop is being reinvented with technologies such as click and collect and home delivery ever increasing in popularity.

Gone are the days of CD sales boosting an artist up the music charts, with artists adding their strident calls to those of the big production companies to limit music and movie streaming services, which are affecting their profits from sales and royalties.

Digital technology, especially in the field of communications, has profoundly affected the way in which people work, socialise, relax and interact with one another and with society.

For example, as far back as the 80s and 90s, research in the field of communications focused on the effects of television (TV) on the family, both as a unit and as individuals, and this is one technology that demonstrates how the uptake of digital technology has infiltrated almost every aspect of our lives – including the family.

In 2017, Australians spent an average of two hours and 27 minutes watching live TV and playing back recorded content, adding up to 74 hours and 58 minutes over a month – which is more than 1.5 standard working weeks spent watching TV! Findings have shown that this viewing is often split between family members, with men tending to watch ‘masculine’ programs such as news and documentaries.

WO R D S Eric Martin

I S S U E 2 1 OCTOBER 2019 21

While all studies evaluated suggest that offline family interaction continues to play a crucial role in self-esteem formation for young adults, in high conversation-orientation Women reported that they tended to leave the room when

families this trend continues with online family interaction.

such content was on, and reality shows, soap operas and

Where traditional, conformity-oriented families may

romantic comedies (classified as feminine programing) had

suffer is that there is a positive link between online family

the same effect in driving men from the room.

interaction and offline family interaction: conversation-

As such, it is no surprise that couples occasionally used

oriented families are more likely to successfully leverage

TV to distance themselves from disagreements, and

online communication into offline activities shared together

on nearly two instances each week, one spouse stifled

as a family.

the conversation attempts of the other when they were

Social media has even come to challenge traditional media,

watching TV together - families may even use TV to

such as television and newspapers, in the gathering and

purposely limit unwelcome communication.

dissemination of news.

In fact, TV was often used to prevent tense interaction

For instance, nearly 60 per cent of Twitter users reported

among family members; however, the results suggested

getting news via Twitter and nearly 10 percent of Twitter

tension increased with higher amounts of TV viewing, with

users reported using the app to get information about the

the noise TV creates in the house competing with other

2016 US presidential campaign within any given week.

activities (e.g. doing homework, sleeping, looking after

The 2016 American presidential campaign between Donald

young children).

Trump and Hillary Clinton was highly contentious, with

While social networking sites were once a space for

complete media coverage of the event, yet the essential tool

children and young-adults to communicate, they are

in sharing campaign information in this election was Twitter.

increasingly becoming a space for family interaction and

On the day of the election, Hillary Clinton had 10.4 million

research has shown that traditionally oriented families,

followers on Twitter and had sent nearly 10,000 tweets up

where conformity to family norms is expected by parents,

to that point - however, she was bested by Donald Trump

could be at a disadvantage when trying to utilise social

who had 13.2 million followers on the day of the election

media to bolster family communication.

and had sent more than 30,000.

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“The New York Times went so far as to say that Trump had mastered Twitter in a way no other candidate ever had, and Trump himself referred to his Twitter account as comparable

Despite this, technology advocates such as Google pioneers,

to owning his own newspaper.”

Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen, argue that developing

Furthermore, rapid and accelerating digitisation is likely to

countries will see immense economic productivity by

bring economic disruption in the form of unemployment: as

adopting new technologies.

computers get more powerful, companies have less need for

“As digital connectivity reaches the far corners of the

some kinds of workers - technological progress is going to

globe, new users will employ it to improve a wide range of

leave unskilled people behind as it races ahead.

inefficient markets, systems and behaviours, in both the

"

... offline family interaction continues to play a crucial role in self-esteem formation for young adults,

most and least advanced societies,” Schmidt elaborates.

“The resulting gains in efficiency and productivity will be profound, particularly in developing countries where technological isolation and bad policies have stymied growth and progress for years... ” However, even with this optimism by those at the cutting edge, many researchers suspect that digital technology will not deliver this widespread economic growth, nor will it be a magic bullet for the world’s underprivileged: mobile phones may be more affordable today, but university fees, health care, insurance and housing are less so.

... conversation-oriented families are more likely to successfully leverage online communication into offline activities shared together as a family."

With advances in robotics and AI, the threat of technological unemployment is becoming a real concern to economists: as Oxford researchers Frey and Osborne (2013) estimate in their study of more than 700 different US occupations, within two decades, 47 per cent of today’s jobs will be susceptible to automation by computerisation and may become obsolete.

These jobs span the blue-and-white-collar divide, from truck drivers and warehouse workers to accountants, loan officers, health-care managers, and paralegals and a greater percentage of the workforce has already begun to recognise that becoming technologically literate is an essential skillset in an increasingly digital workplace.

I S S U E 2 1 OCTOBER 2019 23

D

edicated to the whole Church

The Australian Catholic Bishop’s Conference (ACBC) acknowledged the presence and impact of the internet in the way people

community of internet users, including those who are not digital

savvy, fall prey to hoax, fake news, privacy breaches and those who log

communicate, work, learn and do business,

on simply just to scroll through social

with the release of the 2019-2020 Social Justice

media feeds – the Bishops carefully

Statement titled, ‘Making it Real – Genuine Human Encounter in our Digital World.

explored ways in which the everyone can work together to best represent the Church’s important role in ‘building the city of God’ in reality and online.

As the final chapter explains, “keeping

S O C I A L J U S T I C E S TAT E M E N T

LET’S GET REAL – IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO MAKE THE INTERNET A SAFE PLACE W O R D S Amanda Murthy

the doors of our Churches opened also means keeping them open in the digital environment, so that people, whatever their situation in life, can enter and so that the Gospel can go out to reach everyone. We are called to show that the Church is the home of all.”

Although the statement was officially launched nationally on 3 September, it was the local launch on Thursday 26 September and attended by clergy, agency and school representatives from across Perth – which featured a panel discussion that provided an opportunity for deeper engagement, reflection and learning among all present.

Archdiocese of Perth Communications Manager Jamie O’Brien, Digital Branding Specialist Jamie Brook, and Director and Head of Video at Iceberg Media Andrea Bernardino headed a panel discussion at the Perth launch of the 2019 Social Justice Statement held on 26 September at the Newman Siena Centre. Photo: Josh Low

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SOCIAL JUSTICE

TOPICS EXPLORED AT PANEL DISCUSSION

“The Church community is the

Catholic Archdiocese of Perth

from all walks of life - whether it be

Communications Manager Jamie

people from different cultures, age

O’Brien spoke about the concept of

groups, sports or music groups or

community both in a digital and ‘real’

whatever it may be - and even with

world, when highlighting some of the

our Archdiocese’s publication The

key messages from the statement.

Record, we are able to physically go

“The call for ‘genuine human

out to the schools and parishes and

encounter’ as the title displays and the words of Bishop Terence Brady ‘we are

to produce content and stories that everyone can engage with online.

that caught my attention first,” Mr

“When our news is published (as for

O’Brien stated.

any content published in a public

“It takes a village to raise a human

forum), we have to also realise that our

in my life, as I very much relied on my [Church] community during my formative years,” Mr O’Brien recalled.

“The issue of solidarity and democracy is also one that I reflected on, and this then posed the question, ‘how do we build online communities that are respectful and fair and without

the Perth launch of the 2019 Social Justice

actually connect with the community

called to community’ are two things

– I definitely say that was the case

Perth Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton officiated

best place to connect with people

social prejudices and without social exploitation?

Statement held on 26 September at the

Mr O’Brien then encouraged those

Newman Siena Centre. Photo: Josh Low

present to take advantage of the opportunities that are available to connect with the wider community.

audience is no longer limited just to the 500,000 Catholics of the Archdiocese of Perth and its boundaries, but across the 4.3 Billion internet users,” he concluded.

Director and Head of Video at Iceberg Media, Andrea Bernardino used her experience to share with those present some of the things that internet users should be aware of when creating an online presence, especially when it comes to the use of photos and videos.

“Prepare yourselves – know what is real and what has been manipulated, be aware of the sites that are sending out the message of truth.

“Know your exact purpose of being

F A C T S More than one million people worldwide use the internet for the first time daily, the world’s average internet user spends over six and a half hours online each day, five billion people use mobile phones globally, on average social media users spend over two hours on social media platforms daily.

Today, there are 2.3 billion active Facebook users, 1.9 billion registered to You Tube and Instagram and WhatsApp platforms have gained 1 and 1.5 billion users respectively. – Social Justice Statement 2019.

online even before you start posting so that you can send out the right message and representation without confusing the audience, understanding that there can be repercussions to what we post,” she added.

Ms Bernadino shared that the two recommendations from ACBC that she favoured most was ‘make your online presence one of dignity and respect and take care of yourself and others.’

“Why? Because it really encapsulates our first commandment which is to love God and to love our neighbour,” she concluded.

ISSU I SES 2U1E OCTOBER 1 9 JUNE 2019 25

1 Make your online presence one of dignity and respect. 2 Be present to others in the “real” and virtual world. 3 Take care of yourself and of others.

3 Every community should promote digital literacy. 5 We cannot leave our sisters and brothers behind. 6 The local community is a place to make the virtual real. 7 We must protect the personal data of citizens. 8 Join the call for transparency and accountability. 9 Truth and trustworthiness must be guaranteed.

10 We are called to be citizens of the digital world.

HOW TO BE GENUINELY PRESENT

IN THE DIGITAL WORLD TODAY

26

Digital Branding Specialist Jamie Brook shed some

“It’s also important to note that when you are on social

light on the issue of immediacy, accountability and how

media, you are taking the necessary steps to eliminate

internet users can share information online in a manner

the possibility of being reported, remembering always

with the most positive impact to their audience.

that you are not alone - at the same time being able to

“When people don’t have a lot of experience exploring

speak your mind in the way you have been brought up

the online world especially social media platforms,

to act (with dignity and respect),” he added.

there is naturally an element of fear associated,

Revealing that ‘very soon’, the social media platform

venturing into that digital realm – It is important to

Facebook will have more deceased profiles than living

remain true to yourself.

profiles, Mr Brook emphasised the importance of

“It is important to be aware that when you are speaking

staying together as a community and push to what we

on a subject online, there is a passion in the narrative

believe is the truth.

that tugs on the heart strings of the audience.

“And that is the Word of God,” he concluded.

THE RECORD MAGAZINE

Summery salads are the perfect go-to dish as the weather

WHOLESOME SALADS

warms up. This Greek-inspired halloumi couscous salad and

R EC I PE S A N D PH OTO S Matthew Lau

can be served as either a stand-alone meal or a side dish to

French salmon nicoise are packed with hearty vegetables, and tantalise your taste buds. Both recipes serves four people.

HALLOUMI COUSCOUS SAL AD INGREDIENTS •

250g couscous

•

250ml vegetable stock

•

400g can chickpeas,

•

•

2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

•

one red capsicum,

•

250g pack halloumi cheese, thickly sliced and then halved lengthways

allumette jardiniere

•

t wo lemons, zested and juiced

•

one courgette, sliced on the slant

•

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

drained and rinsed

•

one aubergine, sliced on the slant

•

one large handful mint, chopped

75g pitted black olives

•

50ml extra virgin olive oil

•

one tub Greek plain yoghurt

METHOD 1.

In a bowl, pour the boiling stock over the couscous and mix well with a fork before covering with a plate to let stand for five minutes. Combine the olive oil, lemons and vinegar in a separate bowl to create the dressing. Fluff up the couscous with a fork, stir in the chickpeas and tomatoes and then follow with half the dressing. Mix well and pile onto a large serving dish.

2.

Heat 4 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and fry the capsicum, courgette and aubergine over a high heat for four minutes or until cooked. Carefully top the couscous with your hearty vegetables.

3.

Reheat the pan (add a little more oil if necessary), then sear the halloumi strips on each side until golden brown. Pile on top of your salad with a good sprinkle of mint and the remaining dressing. Serve each portion with a generous dollop of yoghurt.

CL ASSIC NICOISE SAL AD INGREDIENTS

•

250g punnet cherry tomatoes,

•

400g corn kernels, drained and rinsed

rinsed and halved

•

450g salmon fillet

•

400g baby new potatoes, halved

•

50g pitted black olives

•

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

•

150g green beans

•

25g capers

•

one lemon, zested and juiced

•

four large free-range eggs

•

one small shallot, finely diced

•

1 tsp Dijon mustard

METHOD 1.

Simmer the new potatoes in a pot for 8 minutes, then add the beans and boil for a further 2 minutes. Drain and refresh in cold water. Boil the eggs for 5 minutes, remove from the stove and run them under a cold tap until cool. Peel and halve the eggs with care.

2.

Season the salmon with sea salt and black pepper. In a lightly oiled hot pan, sear the salmon skin-side down for 4 minutes, then turn and cook for a further 2 minutes before setting aside, allowing it to cool enough to flake.

3.

Combine the shallot, olive oil, lemons, and mustard in a large bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper for the dressing. Add the lettuce leaves, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, olives, capers, and corn to the bowl – then toss to coat.

4.

Plate up the portions between 4 bowls, topping each with the eggs halves, flaked salmon, and garnish of your choosing.

COLOURING

28

THE RECORD MAGAZINE

ACTIVIT Y PAGE

ACROSS 1

4

Number of times each day the soldiers of Joshua marched around Jericho (Josh 6:3) Martyred Salvadoran, Bishop Romero

7

His Holiness

30 Days of fast and this

9

An end to repent?

33 It burned without being consumed 35 The ___ Dolorosa 37 “…world without ___. Amen”

13 Direction from Bethlehem to the Jordan

38 God is the Supreme Being who ___ all things and keeps them in existence

14 Enemies of ancient Israel

40 OT historical book

17 To do this is human, but to forgive is divine

She takes vows

3

One of the prophets

5

A queen from this country came to hear Solomon speak

6

First NT epistle

7

Aaron was anointed to be this (Ex 30:30)

8

They fill the church

9

Balaam spoke to one (Num 22:28)

10 Paul says this is “the pride of a woman” (1 Cor 11:15) 11 “…at the name of Jesus every knee should ___…” (Phil 2:10) 15 What the sea bottom became when Moses parted it

24 The Church is the ___ of Christ 29 Opus ___

12 First patriarch, to his friends?

1

23 Biblical animal of transport

26 Our ___ of Lourdes

10 NT book

41 “Silent ___”

18 “Do not put the Lord your God to the ___” (Lk 4:12)

DOWN

21 Fish part for Jonah

42 Novena number

23 Amos compared the women of Bashan to these animals (Am 4:1) 24 “Son of” in Hebrew 25 He left sad when Jesus told him to sell all he owned 27 Name of God 28 Number of loaves Christ had to feed the 5000 29 Lifeless biblical sea 31 A non-coveting commandment 32 Holy day cusp 34 “___ to us a child is born” 36 Evil deed 39 Son of Jacob ANSWERS

16 “…and there was no man to ___ the ground” (Gen 2:5) 19 “…___ lema sabachthani?”

(Mk 15:34) 20 “…the Lord is with ___.”

21 Angelus call 22 “…and ___ us not into temptation…”

I S S U E 2 1 OCTOBER 2019 29

Front cover: Feby Plando

OCTOBER

ISSUE 21

2019

OUR MISSION STATEMENT The Record Magazine seeks to promote awareness and understanding of vocation – God’s particular call to each of us to live and become what we were created to be. There are many such vocations – marriage and family life, priesthood, religious life or being single – with the first and universal vocation being to holiness, as described by the Fathers of the Church in Lumen Gentium.

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER & EDITOR

Jamie O’Brien jamie.obrien@perthcatholic.org.au

DISCLAIMER

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

The Record Magazine is published bi-monthly.

Views expressed in published articles are not necessarily those of the publisher or Editor. The Editor may refuse copy or material, including advertisements, for publication. Inclusion of an advertisement in The Record Magazine does not reflect endorsement or responsibility from the publisher or Editor.

Matthew Lau matthew.lau@perthcatholic.org.au

PRODUCTION

Feby Plando

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feby.plando@perthcatholic.org.au

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CONTENT PRODUCER

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Please send all information to: editor@therecord.com.au

CONTACT

JOURNALISTS

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eric.martin@perthcatholic.org.au

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