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GROWING IN SOLIDARITY: Christians Page 2 and Jews in Perth k
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: The Good Page 3 Sams celebrates 150 years
HELPING PARENTS: Doyles visit Perth Page 4 to talk Sex-Ed
Pope: Youth, be a witness to - PAGE 11 charity i t '
1, Jesus may love Osama, but don't t ake God for granted - PAGE 12
See our Vista special for the lowdown
Make them biblical people Archbishop Hickey tells teachers in Catholic schools to evangelise • By Anthony Barich
Archbishop Barry Hickey has told Perth's new teachers in Catholic schools that their primary role to students is evangelisation. The Archbishop, in a commissioning Mass for teachers at Catholic schools in the northern region, told them at Whitford parish on Tuesday to make their students "biblical people". In a time when recently released figures show church attendance rates of Catholics just out of school and in their mid-20s is down to about five per cent, the Archbishop urged teachers in Catholic schools to "bring their students back to the Holy Mass". He warned teachers that, in the effort to make Masses attractive for youth, "not to forget the central biblical core of your faith". "Some people think the Mass is something you can just manufacture with high school kids, but unlike secular services, we have a central core, a tradition passed down to us that is a transformation of the old Jewish Passover," he said. "At the Last Supper, Jesus spoke about his death, and how his blood is shed for the forgiveness of sins, so you're part of a long tradition. I urge you to bring your students back to that tradition, to go back to the Last Supper, to sit with Jesus, who gave us his body and blood on the Cross. "You carry the hopes of parents who entrust their students to you." The Archbishop's Vicar General Fr Brian O'Loughlin, who celebrated commissioning Masses for staff of Catholic schools in the South
Trinity welcomes new leader
Central region at Willetton parish and for the South West region at Fremantle Basilica, also emphasised the crucial importance of teachers' role to not only teach but be models of the faith. "Teachers have received the mandate from the bishops to teach, in particular, religious education in the name of the Catholic Church," Fr O'Loughlin said. "In that role, model yourself on Christ the teacher. You will also be supporting the parents in their first duty as faith sharers with their children - so it is not only important to be communicating the faith but modelling the faith by being examples of the faith." He also suggested that the teachers "seriously consider" making themselves available as participants in the World Youth Day in Sydney in July next year. "It will be crucial to your own faith development and appreciation," he said. In welcoming the new teachers into the Catholic education system, Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton encouraged teachers firstly to witness to their faith in the schools, and to work with the other staff members collaboratively. The Bishop, who celebrated School Commissioning Masses for Staff for the Central Region at Morley parish and for the Eastern Region at Lockridge parish, said he hoped they would "benefit from working in our Catholic schools where pastoral care is a major part, both for one another and for the students and families in the schools". Mgr Keating, chairman of the Catholic Education Commission, told the teachers to entrust their
PRIVACY UNDER THREAT The privacy of medical files is under serious threat, says former AMA president Dr Pearn-Rowe, as insurers increasingly demand complete medical histories.
Page 6
Welcomed: Principal Ivan Banks (left) is blessed by Archbishop Hickey, as Paul Ryan, Mrs Robyn Jennison and Leo PHOTO- SANDRA DOICK Murray watch on
Trinity College began the school year by welcoming their new principal, Ivan Banks on February 5. The college celebrated his arrival with an induction Mass, attended by all staff and students, Archbishop Barry Hickey, Province Leader of the Christian Brothers, Br Kevin
Ryan, Director of Christian Brothers Ministries, Paul Ryan, College Chaplain, Fr Michael McMahon, and Coordinator of Campus Ministry, Leo Murray. Principals from Aquinas, Scotch, Hale and Christchurch Colleges, representatives from the Catholic Education Office, members of the Christian Brothers Ministries and members of the Trinity community also attend-
ed and lent their support. Mr Banks has 24 years experience in Catholic Education and has spent the last ten years as Principal of Bunbury Catholic College. When asked what his plans were for 2007, Mr Banks said he was eager to build genuine relationships with students and staff of the College and eventually improve the college's music facilities.
children one by one to God, echoing the Vicar General's comments to imitate Christ the teacher - the most common title of Jesus. He told the teachers that while they're probably not paid as much as others in the booming State of WA, unlike many others what the
teachers are doing makes a difference. "Your job changes lives, and one day will help you earn eternal life," said Mgr Keating, who celebrated school commissioning Masses for staff in the South East region at Queen's Park parish and for Western region staff at
the Redemptorist Monastery. "For most I hope, teaching is not just a job but a calling. You need to remind yourselves that each child comes into the classroom with a story and journey of their own, and there are many different things happening in their lives."
• By Sylvia Defendi
INDEX Editorial/Letters I say, I say The World Classifieds/Panorama The Saints
- Page 8 - Vista 4 - Pages 9-11 - Page 15
- Page 16
WHERE WERE THE BISHOPS BURIED Fr Robert Cross expands the history of the Cathedral in our ongoing series.
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February 8 2007, The Record
A comeback for WA's Christians and Jews lo By Anthony Barich
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The world changed for the worse on November 7, 1938 when an angry 17-year-old Jewish youth walked into the German Embassy in Paris and shot the first bloke he saw. Two days later the German government unleashed a pogrom against the Jews, burning down synagogues and smashing the glass fronts of Jewish shops in Berlin and all large cities in Germany and Austria. The pogrom was allegedly in retaliation for the assassination of German diplomat Ernst von Rath, the man shot by the Jewish youth, Herschel Grynszpan, whose parents, along with 17,000 other Polish Jews, had been recently expelled by the Reich. Stormtroopers killed at least 91 Jews and injured many others, and for the first time Jews were arrested on a massive scale and transported to Nazi concentration camps. It may have been in "retaliation", but in reality up to 17,000 Jews had already been rounded up and herded back across the Polish border. Two of these Jews were young Herschel's parents. For the German government, it was the perfect pretext for their "spontaneous" uprising against the Jews. November 9 is now remem-
bered as Kristallnacht, or "Night of Broken Glass", and is commemorated on that day as the signal event of the start of the Shoah. Almost 70 years on since Kristallnacht, the Council of Christians and Jews Western Australia remembers this each November 9. It is one of many events planned by an organisation that promotes the education of Christians and Jews so as to appreciate each others' beliefs and practices, and the common ground they share. CCJWA, the West Australian branch of an international organisation, started in 1993 following the success of Councils of Christians and Jews both overseas and in other parts of Australia. Local church bodies and Jewish communities were approached seeking their support in establishing a WA branch, and both Orthodox and Liberal Jewish communities plus the Catholic, Anglican and Uniting churches responded in the affirmative. However, it is now 70 years on, and last week it was revealed that CCJWA narrowly avoided extinction with a surge in interest. There remain problems with the lack of a Jewish Orthodox representative on the executive and the ageing membership of the Council. When Adolf Hitler came to
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power, Jewish migrants and church people in England banded together to make a statement against it. In Germany after World War II, Churches and the Synagogues tried to bring people together, and from these two centres the Council of Christians and Jews started and spread over Europe. So initially its raison d'etre was to overcome the consequences of the Holocaust. However, as CCJWA vice-chairman Ken Arkwright said: "The more we move away in time from the Holocaust which was some 60 years ago, the urgency of the Council of Christians and Jews has lost some of its impact." But the recent resurgence has occurred, in part, because the executive has "listened to what members want". "The programs aren't so academic in universities, but are directed to grass-roots members of churches and synagogues," said Mr Arkwright, a German Jew who himself spent time as a 16-year-old in a concentration camp in GrossRosen, which held over 76,000 prisoners who were subjected to forced labour during the Second World War. Archbishop Barry Hickey said it was important that Christians and Jews grow in solidarity, which is what he felt deeply when on a pilgrimage last year to Mt
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Council objectives: — To promote the education of Christians and Jews so as to appreciate each other's distinctive beliefs and practices and their common ground; — To promote the study of and research into historical, political, economic, social, religious and racial causes of conflict between Christians and Jews;
— To provide a forum for the discussion of issues of common interest or concern between Christians and Jews; and
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Reverend Anne, the Applecross Uniting Church Minister, and Keith Amos were new additions at last year's AGM along with Ms Rush and Dr Marshall, the Council secretary whom Dr Strong also credited for the CCJWA's resurgence. Last year the Council secured the patronage of Governor of WA Dr Ken Michael AO. Dr Michael is the third WA Governor who has been the Council's patron, which Dr Strong said was an indication of the importance community leaders place upon the work of promoting religious dialogue. The Jewish interest has been sparked by the generous welcome given to the Council by the Jewish Orthodox community at Noranda Synagogue when Dr Strong gave a talk there on Israel last year. Dr Keith Shilkin, president of Jewish Community Council in Perth, has also shown strong support for the Council, placing an advertisement for the AGM in The Maccabean, Perth's Jewish newspaper. However Dr Strong reminded the AGM that "we still need to address some challenges if we are to become a Council whose work is 'more than just cups of tea' together, as Rabbi Tony Bayfield reminded us". "The most serious of these is that we still lack an Orthodox Jewish representative on our executive, notwithstanding various attempts to secure such a person," Dr Strong said. American Rabbi Bradley Bleefeld, formerly the Pennsylvania Governor's advisor on Academic and Economic Development to help the state become part of the global infrastructure, will be speaking for CCJWA on April 22, venue to be confirmed. It is one of many events the CCJWA hold annually. Others include a seminar on the Three Faces of Judaism - Orthodox, Conservative and Progressive; a book study and the annual Kristallnacht Memorial Service. For more information on the Council or its events, contact Mary Marshall on 9364 4625. As it is largely a volunteer organisation, membership costs $25, $15 for students.
— To promote, for the benefit of the community, education in those fundamental ethical teachings common to Christianity and Judaism;
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Sinai, where God handed the 10 Commandments to Moses. "I felt a great sense of solidarity with the whole Jewish history, especially the encounter between Moses and God and the Covenant, which was to last for all time," the Archbishop said. "I see it fulfilled in Jesus and continued to all the world, as it's the same Covenant that Moses gave to the people that we share now. That gives us a great sense of solidarity. "Furthermore I was impressed and overwhelmed by the grandeur and majesty of a God who would come so close to us. That was the experience of the Jews, and it's also our experience now, and as Christians we see that the presence of God among us is perfectly contained in the person of Jesus. "The CCJWA promotes this sense of solidarity between Christians and Jews. We're not two separate things - we are one because we believe in the one God and share the same heritage." At the CCJWA's annual general meeting last Sunday at St David's Anglican Church, Ardross, chairman Anglican Rev Dr Rowan Strong said in a statement that he was particularly disappointed he could not be there considering he predicted the closure of the Council if there was not a resurgence. "Iregret this (inability to attend) even more because I believe 2006 has seen a reversal of the Council's slow decline that I had to report on last year," Dr Strong said. "Last year I intimated that if such a reversal did not occur then your executive felt we had no option but to foreshadow the closure of the council. I am both pleased and relieved to report that this unhappy event has not had to occur at the AGM." The Council has received more frequent reports in the religious press than previous years thanks to the innovative work of publicity officer Shelley Rush. The Council once again has a full committee despite Rev Anne Amos and the volunteer treasurer, Keith Amos, not nominating for re-election. Ralph Hickling, Ann Smith (the new treasurer) and Judith Gravestock were last week added on to the committee.
— To act in Western Australia as the spokesbody on all matters that come within the purview and purpose of such a council. The Council is not a missionary organisation, neither is it a political organisation; the aim is to promote dialogue, recognising that the Land of Israel has a significant bearing on Christian-Jewish relations. Personal Service.
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February 82007, The Record
Page 3
Home grown Aussie order celebrates • By Sylvia Defendi The Australian-made Sisters of the Good Samaritan, commonly known as The Good Sams, celebrated their 150th anniversary of foundation across the nation last week. The order's Western Australian branch celebrated the anniversary vigil with almost 70 people on February 1, with sung vespers at St John the Evangelist pro-cathedral in Perth. The 11 Good Samaritan Sisters who live and work in WA at Broome, Geraldton, Mt Magnet and Perth were present. The small pro-cathedral was used by the order's founder, Archbishop of Sydney, John Bede Polding, in 1852, when he visited the Diocese of Perth. The Good Samaritan Sisters came to WA 21 years ago at the request of Archbishop Barry Hickey when he was bishop of Geraldton. At present the order has over 300 sisters working in various places throughout Australia, Japan, the Philippines and Kiribati. Archbishop Polding, who was the first Archbishop of Sydney, was a Benedictine from Downside Abbey in England. He gathered a small group of five women from the Sydney area and entrusted them with the care of women during the early days of the colony. Agnes and Margaret Clarke, Margaret Byrne, Mary Ann
Adamson and Agnes Mary Hart were the first to commit to the order while also being very early Australian settlers. "While living under the Rule of St Benedict, the new order was adapted with extracts from the Rules of other congregations so that the sisters were free to walk and work in the streets of Sydney," recounted Sr Margaret Malone, who welcomed all to the Evening Prayer. The 'Good Sams', as they are affectionately known, is the first Catholic religious congregation to be founded in Australia. Archbishop Polding once wrote that the name sufficiently indicated the scope of the congregation as they were called to imitate the compassion of the merciful Samaritan. Initially the Sisters' ministry was the care of the needy women at the Pitt Street Refuge and the visitation of the sick and poor of Sydney, but they soon began to widen the scope of their work to include the care of orphans and students in schools. For almost 100 years education was the area of activity for most of the sisters, but they maintained a continued fidelity to the social work ministry with which the congregation began. The Sisters continued their compassionate work with needy women by assisting girls committed to their care by the courts. Archbishop Polding desired the sisters to serve not only in spe-
Celebrating:The WA Sisters of the Good Samaritan celebrate their 150th anniversary. cific ministries, such as the care of needy women and the education of children, but also to apply themselves to every other charitable work. Today, the Sisters are involved in ministries as varied as pastoral work, midwifery, lecturing, diocesan ministries, Aboriginal ministry, parish leadership, administration and many others. A year-long celebration of the anniversary will continue across
Australia under the theme, 'Who is my neighbour?' Sr Clare Condon, Good congregational Samaritan leader, said that the title of the Congregation was taken directly from the well-known Gospel parable of the Good Samaritan. "It is important to pause at milestones, such as this, and reflect on what the past offers us, celebrate what has been life-giving, learn from the mistakes and struggles,
PHOTO: RON CLARK
and move forward with confidence and hope," Sr Clare said. In WA, the Sisters also celebrated the actual anniversary, on February 2, with Mass in the historic chapel of the Benedictine Monks at New Norcia. Speaking on behalf of her fellow Western Australian Sisters, Sr Margaret Malone said the Good Samaritans hope to serve the Church of Western Australia for a long time to come.
Sr Joan making a difference to Bangkok's needy Perth nun Sr Joan Evans continues to make a real difference to the lives of the poor in Bangkok, according to Perth MP John Hyde. Mr Hyde recently joined volunteer Australian women who help Presentation nun, Sr Joan, provide nutritional food and milk to new mothers and children in the Klong Toey slums of Bangkok. Sr Joan, who is 74 and lives in a modest dwelling in the heart of Klong Toey, is returning to Perth for a couple of weeks in February for some medical treatment before returning to Bangkok.
"Sr Joan makes a tremendous difference to people's lives," said Mr Hyde. "Sr Joan is living practical Christianity every hour of every day." Mr Hyde said that Sr Joan provides weekly nutritional food and milk to new mothers and their children, with around 60 mums attending the 7am morning muster. "Some of the children have autism; one four-month old attending for the first time with his 18year-old single mum, had already had head and heart surgery, but
no follow-up nutrition," said Mr Hyde. Klong Toey was one of the innercity areas of Bangkok hit by the New Year's Eve bombs, with one man killed and many injured. Mr Hyde said that while Sr Joan and other Klong Toey residents lived in streets with live rats and dead dogs and were regularly
flooded by polluted waters from the nearby canals, massive unused apartment blocks are fenced off next door. "Some 300 apartments were built six years ago for the poor by the local Council but never inhabited," said Mr Hyde. "Mismanagement of the tender saw poisonous, cheaper solvents
and sealants used so that the entire complex is uninhabitable. As a politician you get angry at this sort of waste and corruption, but Sr Joan and others keep meeting the daily needs of the poor." Mr Hyde praised the expatriate Australian community who volunteered to assist Sr Joan each week and undertake fund-raising for her
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Special can in a time of need: Sr Joan Evans (left) with John Hyde MLA, a Klong Toey mother and her child.
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Aglow gives answers through Spirit • By Anthony Barich
Responding to the world's need for answers that only the Holy Spirit can give, Aglow Australia has released a personal mini Bible study for women. This is the first time Aglow, an organisation where women minister to women to discover Jesus Christ through fellowship and their local denominational church, has issued such a study on a national scale. The bible study consists of a booklet containing information collated from Aglow International, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in September this year in Seattle, USA. The mini Bible study consists of five parts: The Holy Spirit in the New Testament, The Holy Spirit in the Life of Jesus, The Holy Spirit in Our Lives today and The Baptism in the Holy Spirit, the Fruit of the Spirit. The Bible study can be done at home or in a group, but participants will also be encouraged to
do it within a fellowship. Perthbased Aglow national president Kerry-Ellen Logan said the time is right to release such a study to help women's personal lives, in the hope that the benefits will flow to families. "We have sensed that in this time in the life in the church (various denominations) that we need fresh power and life which will only come from the Holy Spirit, living in us and working through us," Mrs Logan said. "We believe the power of God will bring healing, restoration and comfort, which all the world needs today - desperately so." Aglow Australiahelda Presidents' Summit last week, when 100 presidents from across Australia, including the Northern Territory, converged at St Catherine's College at the University of WA campus to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to them. Archbishop Barry Hickey spoke on the revelations God had given him during a pilgrimage to the Middle East last year; about the transition from old Covenant to
the new one which Jesus fulfilled. Archbishop Hickey is one of four advisors to Aglow's national board. The others are retired Anglican Bunbury bishop Hamish Jamieson, Northside Community Church Pastor Frank Whitmore and Rev Mrs Joan Morton, consultant to Aglow Australia and Mrs Logan's predecessor as national president. Mrs Morton was based in Brisbane when national president until she retired from the position in August 2005, after which the national board's central operation moved to Perth after 30 years. Mrs Logan said Catholic women were instrumental in Aglow being founded in WA. "We are the temple of the Holy Spirit," Mrs Logan said. "We focus on women finding guidance and life in the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but it doesn't mean women who aren't baptised can't come, they can come and find their life and hope in Christ." To know where your local Aglow fellowship is, or about the retreat to be held this winter, contact the Perth office on 9481 1463.
Glowing: Aglow national president Kerry-Ellen Logan with a picture of her predecesor, Joan Morton at the organisation's Perth headquarters.
Holy See gives voice New generation choices ZENIT - At the United Nations the Holy See gives a voice to those who have no voice, says Archbishop Celestino Migliore. The Holy See's permanent observer to the UN made this comment when Benedict XVI received him at a private audience on Monday. "I am happy to have had the possibility to speak with the Holy Father, in particular to share our common concerns and hopes for the UN," the prelate said on Vatican Radio. Commenting on the difficulties that arise when trying to reach UN agreements, the Archbishop explained that the Pope hopes the Holy See's presence can help. In the "meeting with the Holy Father I witnessed his desire that the Holy See's presence in the UN might contribute to unblock this situation and foster a greater will to reach understandings that are fruitful for the whole of humanity," Archbishop Migliore said. At the UN, the Holy See has the right to speak but not to vote. Archbishop Migliore, 54, explained that "by statute the UN
has the task to achieve peace and the well-being of the world's populations, through cooperation and common understanding." He described the new UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, as a well-prepared and enthusiastic man". "He is in the initial phase, in which he must form his team," the Holy See representative said. "For the time being we are in a period, so to speak, of waiting, but it is a waiting nourished by good hopes. "There is the impression that this appointment has injected new blood into this institution." In regard to the Holy See's activity at the UN, the Archbishop emphasised that those in the world who do not have a voice can be given one, through the Holy See. "We seek above all to give voice to those who have no voice," he said. "In fact, there are many emergency situations in which some turn to the Pope and to the Holy See, and precisely through this presence in New York we try to follow up this work, which is often specifically humanitarian."
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• By Mark Reidy
If parents are not forming the sexual development of their children, then they can be certain that someone or something else is, according to Jonathan and Karen Doyle, two of Australia's most sought after speakers in the area of Values Based Sex Education ( VBSE). The Canberra-based couple, having worked in the education and health fields for a number of years, became so concerned with the inadequacy of the sexual information being presented to young people that, in an effort to counter the situation, they formed their own company. They have since successfully communicated their passionate vision for human sexuality to thousands of parents, teachers and students throughout Australia and overseas and on February 26 will be coming to Perth to empower young people with the understanding that delaying sexual activity until marriage is an achievable
and positive lifestyle choice. The Doyle's have woven their understanding of the many sexual issues and pressures facing adolescents with the knowledge they obtained during their Masters degrees in Marriage and Family Studies at Melbourne's John Paul II Institute, and this has become the foundation of their company, Choicez Media. Through this they have been able to marry their experience with the insights of Pope John Paul's Theology of the Body, to produce material that is both relevant and appealing to young people today. Through seminars and the production of digital media resources the Doyle's have developed a number of specialised packages that have assisted an increasing number of adolescents in negotiating their way through the sexual minefield that they can find themselves in today. They cover issues such as the cultural and media pressures to be sexually active, the value of the human person and the gift of sexuality, the impact of pornography, the rise of the female
raunch culture and how these all affect sexual decision-making. This seminar will be the only opportunity for the Western Australian public to hear this dynamic and inspiring couple and the ramifications could be lifechanging. Jonathan and Karen will attempt to empower young people with the understanding that each of them has control over their own sexual destiny and that they do not have to inadvertently compromise their beliefs or values simply because they are surrounded by a culture that promotes sexual activity. It may be the only chance some young people will get to hear the encouraging message that, despite what the media or their peers suggest, abstinence before marriage is a real and worthwhile choice. Don't miss it! See page 13 for further details and visit www.choicez.com.au for more information.
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February 82007, The Record
Page 5
Catholics under fire again, rights denied • By Paul Gray The head of St John's College at Sydney University has hit back at suggestions that Catholics have no right to object to research involving the destruction of human life. "Everybody has the right to be a conscientious objector," Dr David Daintree told The Record. "Whether it's objecting to vivisection in animal research, demonstrating in war or even against the cutting-down of trees, everyone has the right to conscientiously object." Dr Daintree, who is the Rector of St John's College - Australia's oldest university college - was speaking as media controversy grew over restrictions the college had requested on the use of land it is ceding to the university. 1.3 hectares of land is to be ceded to Sydney University for development as a building which will ultimately be part of a new medical research centre. The College asked the university's governors to guarantee that research involving the destruction of human foetuses would not be allowed in the building developed on the land. The university's governors accepted the request at a meeting this week. The next morning, Dr Daintree told The Record: "We are not saying we have the right to force our views on others, but we didn't. The university agreed to our request." The arrangement over the 1.3 hectares in question will have no effect on research conducted elsewhere on the university's property.
Dr Daintree said that in the course of its negotiations with the university, the college did not ask Catholic superiors what they should do. "Cardinal Pell did not even know about it until we wrote to tell him," he said. "The only pressure we operated under was the pressure of our own consciences." The Australian newspaper had earlier reported that foetal stem cell research would be banned at a new cutting-edge medical research institute to be built under the arrangement between St John's and the university. The proposed deed between the college and the university stipulates that no part of the building can be used for human foetal stem cell research or any other procedures involving the termination of human life, or the artificial creation of human life. The controversy has emerged at a time when some members of the academic and medical communities have begun criticising Catholic involvement in medical research and public health care provision. Last year a Catholic health care company guaranteed the survival of a Canberra private hospital by buying it out. However, its insistence that IVF services be removed from the hospital to another location drew criticism, again, over Catholic involvement. On that occasion, supporters of the Catholic buy-out pointed out that IVF services would still be available to would-be customers in the area surrounding the hospital. In relation to this week's con-
troversy at Sydney University, Dr Daintree had earlier told the press that the college's reasoning for banning stem cell research was "purely ethical." "We as a Catholic College have a problem with termination of life, abortion and euthanasia." In a separate letter to the media, Dr Daintree responded to suggestions that the "the Church" had banned stem cell research by saying that the Church had done no such thing. "What has happened is that a body of Christians, the Council of St John's College, has tried to serve the dictates of its conscience, and the University has responded sensitively. "In common with Buddhists, Moslems, Hindus and other religious people we believe that all life is sacred and that interference with life, particularly at its most fragile extremities, is a terrible and dangerous thing." Dr Daintree said that many people of no religion hold views that are broadly in harmony with those of the Rector and Fellows of the College. The St John's Rector said he recognised that the University will continue to allow experimentation "of a kind that we would find unacceptable." He said St John's College would never hesitate to express its opposition to such experiments in words. This was "in the spirit of academic freedom," he said. However the College seeks to make progress by fair and open persuasion, not by "clandestine deal-brokering" as suggested in some reports, he said.
Making the choice to lead "Are you being called to lead? Are you feeling daunted at the challenge?"
These are the questions that have been asked in the promotion of the upcoming Choicez Youth Leadership Summit to be held at the Catholic Pastoral Centre in Highgate from February 23-25. According to organisers, the summit offers attendees corporate-level training in leadership for only $60 over a weekend. The training will be aimed at delivering a broad range of skills to people of all ages involved in leadership in their parish, organisation or community. Participants will be exposed to topics such as "Leadership and the Core Mission of the Church", "Leadership, Models Organisational and Change" and "Vision Clarification" amongst many others. They will also participate in several activities designed to give them a handson experience of their newlyacquired skills. The summit will be presented by Choicez Media, a company that specialises in corporate training and the production of teaching resources, particularly for Catholic schools. They have provided numerous training programs for Church agencies, businesses and schools including the Archdiocese of
Melbourne's World Youth Day leadership training. Catholic Youth Ministry (CYM), the youth office for the Archdiocese of Perth, report that registrationsto-date indicate a strong turnout, particularly following on from the first World Youth Day Information Meeting that was held recently. Robert Hiini, CYM Youth Coordinator, said that a desire to help parish World Youth Day representatives was the initial inspiration for the summit. However, "we quickly realised that there are a lot of people out there trying to do their best in Catholic organisations who had not been exposed to leadership training and we wanted to make it available to them, too". When asked about his own feelings towards the summit, Mr Hiini spoke of the necessity of ongoing human formation for leaders. "When reading Acts I think, 'that's us'. Sure, we're not being arrested for what we are doing, but it's an uphill battle. Being a Catholic leader can be a distinctly lonely and frustrating experience and initiatives such as the Choicez Leadership Summit help people to realise that they're not alone and teaches them to hone the abilities that God gave them. It's a great opportunity to network as well as learn," Mr Hiini said. To register for the Choicez Leadership Summit or for further information contact CYM at cym@highgate-perthcatholic.org. au or on 9422 7912. Cheques and money orders should be made payable to "Catholic Youth Ministry".
Couples Corner
Hints for a Happy Marriage with Derek Boylen
In brief... Rwanda's family policy Ministry Rwanda's of Gender and Family Promotion is fronting a new policy aimed at ensuring "that families produce only the number of children it can ably provide for," reports a Kigali paper. Valerie Minister Nyirahabineza said at the launch of the policy: "The family's role is not only reproducing kids. "There are several roles to c onsider...such as production and social aspects and even the opportunities available." - THE NEW TIMES/ALL AFRICA.COM
Join Pope Benedict XVI in prayer February General intention: Just Distribution of Resources. That the goods of the earth, given by God for all people, may be used wisely and in accordance with justice and solidarity.
- ANGUS REID GLOBAL MONITOR
It is worth noting that the little things (doing the dishes, making the bed, picking up the socks) make up a big part of married life. Couples that share these responsibilities and respond to each others needs experience much greater satisfaction on a day to day basis. A colleague of mine calls it domestic foreplay. The little things make a big difference.
Mission intention: That governments of all nations may cooperate to fight diseases and epidemics in the Third World.
1K1M THUTRE PLITYEK Presents 100 years of
The Playboy Of The Western World By JM Synge Directed by Jim Motherway
Abortion in Portugal An abortion referendum in Portugal scheduled for February 11 aims to liberalise the currently strict law, but the result either way will only be effective if more than 50 per cent of voters turn out. A poll last month showed that support for the proposal had fallen to 38 per cent, from 53 per cent in October. Another 21 per cent would abstain from voting and 14 per cent were not sure.
The little things.
Catholic Marriage Education Services *,
m.
NEWMAN COLLEGE &acetify ift tar Manii Tniation
216 Empire Avenue Churchlands Newman College is a Catholic co-educational school for Kindergarten to Year 12.
Enrolments — Year 8 2009 Applications are now invited for admission into Year 8 2009 and beyond. An information evening will be held on Wednesday, 14 February 2007, commencing 7.30pm in the Champagnat Chapel
When: Where:
Feb 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23 AT 8pm Feb 18 at 3pm Irish Club Townshend Road, Subiaco
Cost:
$15 & $12 conc
Info:
Irish Theatre Players
(entrance via Empire Ave). To register your attendance and for any other enquiries please contact Gay Carroll on (08) 9204 9405 or email: carroll.gay@cathednet.wa.edu.au Year 82009 enrolment applications close Friday, 9 March 2007.
College Open Day Saturday, 24 March 2007, 10.00am — 1.00pm
28th Annual Newman Arts Festival 23,24 and 25 March 2007
la
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February 8 2007, The Record
Medical files' privacy under threat Ex-AMA boss says docs will think twice about filling out details • By Sylvia Defendi The privacy of medical files is under serious threat, says former AMA president Dr Bernard PearnRowe, as insurers increasingly demand complete medical histories to process claims. No longer content with details relating to the claim, insurance agencies are refusing to process workers' compensation claims unless entire medical files are submitted. Citing one of two recent cases, Dr Pearn-Rowe spoke of his patient who suffered a work-related injury that prevented her from working. "The case was clear-cut, simple and straightforward," wrote Dr Pearn-Rowe in his letter to the editor of the Medical Journal of Australia. Yet the insurer refused to process her claim without receiving a copy of her entire file, which included very personal details of assault nearly 20 years earlier and her subsequent breakdown. According to Dr Pearn-Rowe, this unnecessary knowledge resulted in her claim being denied. "No-one denies an insurance agency's right to obtain information relating to a claim, with due authority from the patient, but this recent development gives cause for concern," he said. Dr Pearn-Rowe said it was not an isolated incident, but that the practice had been gaining momentum across the country for the last 18 months, with many medical practitioners appalled at the
Intense work: Former AMA president Dr Bernard Pearn-Rowe says the privacy of medical files is under threat. unnecessary invasion of privacy. In discussion with others on the AMA board of directors several other cases were raised, Dr PearnRowe said. However, the privacy of patients is not the only concern. Dr Pearn-Rowe, who is also a College of Medicine professor at Perth's University of Notre Dame,
Devoted Father An altar boy's reflection
As per Fr Lyons' family's request, there was no eulogy at his Mass of Christian Burial. Here we let a tribute that was written see the light of day
said he had become increasingly conscious of the details he included in his notes for patients. "The knowledge that whatIwrite may be assessed and viewed in full at the expense of my patient's privacy, unwittingly changes the wayI will report on a personal incident," he said, adding that many of his peers have felt the same way.
Australia's Catholic Women's League (CWL) has embarked on a 10-month project designed to raise money for non-profit Catholic organisation, MaterCare International.
MaterCare, a world-wide initiative, is an association of health professionals dedicated to improving the lives and health of mothers and their unborn chil-
dren. Specifically, MaterCare are concerned with the poor state of maternal health throughout the world as indicated by the unacceptably high maternal mortality, morbidity and abortion rates and the undesirable solutions being offered by the UN and other organisations. Through new initiatives of service, training, and research, in accordance with the contemporary teaching contained in the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae (the Gospel of Life), MaterCare assists many women and their children annually. CWL national president, Mary Schultz, said the project was true to the scriptural quota-
tion: "How often have I wanted to put my arms around all - as a hen gathers her brood under her wings (Matthew 23:27)." CWL branches across Australia are being encouraged to hold a fundraiser of choice in April, in order to promote the work of MaterCare and raise funds to support the worthy cause. All funds raised will be presented in September to a representative of MaterCare International, at the CWL Australian National Conference in Adelaide. Western Australian branches of CWL are in the process of planning up-coming events.
I don't think he could bear the thought of Mass not being perfect, such was his character. If asked what I recall most vividly about Fr Lyons I would say: such faith. Such conviction. Such love for Our Lord and devotion to Our Lady. His faith and conviction inspired him and consumed him. With a passion he taught, guided, inspired, urged, pressured and yes, even harassed us. So close did he hold our Lord in his heart, he so much wanted us also to have the same. He wanted us to
do more to have Our Lord at the centre of our lives, to do more to improve our spiritual lives. Father also spent a lot of time in the parish visiting the sick and elderly. He always seemed comfortable with them. Maybe in them also, he found hearts more turned towards Our Lord, not so preoccupied with this world. We feel gratitude to Our Father in heaven that he brought Fr Lyons into our lives, guiding and inspiring us in our faith, and by doing so we are all many steps
closer to this goal. But, I think, on reflection we also cannot help but feel great happiness for our Fr Lyons. For where is he now? After a lifetime of faithful service to Our Lord and to us, his parishioners, we can take comfort knowing that the most beautiful eternal reward does surely belong to Fr Lyons. For today, right now, Our Fr Lyons enjoys the most wonderful happiness as he looks upon the very face of the Lord. Conrad Sumich has been a parishioner at Willagee since 1971.
• By Sylvia Defendi
rienced his powerful personality. When it came to the Mass and the ceremonies, Father wanted - needed - things to go right and be done right. I can recall before Easter Vigil Masses, Father pacing around the sacristy like a cat on a hot tin roof. Anxious, almost nervous, doublechecking, triple-checking minute details. Yet he had done this ceremony for 30 years now and knew it like the back of his hand. Why doesn't he just relax? Everything will be fine, and surely God will not be displeased with him if someone takes a wrong turn or has a slight trip on the stairs? But Father could not relax.
However, Dr Pearn-Rowe said his greatest fear was that patients would soon learn to omit necessary medical information, for fear it will be publicly divulged in the future. "Although statistically very few, fraudulent claims are at the heart of the argument," commented Dr Pearn-Rowe. Speaking of his experience, Dr
Cash needed for service
• By Conrad Sumich Ican still recall my first impressions of Fr John Baptist Lyons when I was a young boy. I recall the energy and the purpose with which he moved and the stern expression and piercing gaze you felt could see right into your heart and see if Jesus was there. And that voice.., that was something else. In 2007 his voice and that razor-sharp mind were still as strong as ever. He had become frail and the body was slowing but his tools of his trade, as it were - what he needed to deliver Our Lord's message - his mind and his voice, never slowed a bit. Ihad the privilege for a number of years, along with my brothers and many other young lads, of being an altar server for Fr Lyons at Willagee. All of us alter servers, past and present, have expe-
PHOTO-. CNS
Pearn-Rowe said insurance agencies and the lawyers who work for them believe the end justifies the means. "They place great importance on the small proportion, who may have made fraudulent claims, and believe it is alright to trample on the privacy of most in order to crush the few who are being untruthful," he said. However, there are other methods for analysing the validity of a claim, Dr Pearn-Rowe said. "Insurnace agencies can request that a patient be examined by a doctor of their choice, one who has worked with the agency and has gained their trust over the years," he said. In this way medical files are only shared by practitioners and not by insurance agencies. Since voicing his opinions, Dr Pearn-Rowe said he had met much support and understanding from his peers within the medical field. "I have not had a single medical practitioner agreeing to the practice," he said. As for the patients who were forced to disclose their entire medical files, Dr Pearn-Rowe says none did so willingly. Rather, he said that they did so under sufferance. As the convenor of the federal council of general practitioners for the AMA, Dr Pearn-Rowe said he intended to continue advocating the right to privacy. "Iintend to approach the privacy commissioner and continue advocating for patient's rights until this practice is outlawed," he said.
February 8 2007, The Record
Page 7
Where were the bishops buried? St Mary's Cathedral priest Fr Robert Cross, also an archaeologist, has been excavating the site of the cathedral as large parts of it are dismantled in preparation for its completion. This is part four in our series of his findings. • By fr Robert Cross
Before excavation work began on the graves of Bishop Griver and Bishop Gibney at St Mary's Cathedral, there was uncertainty about the location of their bodies. Nobody knew where the Bishops were buried and two documents in the Archdiocesan archives conflicted with historical and physical evidence. One document, signed by Archbishop Redmond Prendiville and dated July 10, 1943, stated: "The remains of the late Bishop Gibney and the late Bishop Griver now rest immediately in front of the central gates of the altar rails in the centre aisle (St Mary's Cathedral)." But what altar rails was Archbishop Prendiville talking about? Presumably the altar rails that existed at the time he wrote the note and not the 1865 Cathedral sanctuary's altar rails that were demolished in 1926, and were located approximately 10 metres west of the current sanctuary. There also existed a second document written on April 29, 1976 by the Cathedral Dean indicating that the location given by Archbishop Prendiville was investigated and confirmed by digging and probing. Whilst this letter indicated that no coffins or vault were actually found, it stated: "Archbishop Prendiville's letter is accurate and that the remains were buried in a concrete vault six feet below ground." Before the initial archaeological investigation, the existence of two crosses carved into the floorboards of the Cathedral was known (top right). Archaeological examination found a further two crosses which together with the other crosses marked out a rectangular area similar in area to two graves (centre).
Excavations: The vault interior after the metal lid was removed and before excavation commenced (above); one of the crosses carved into the Cathedral floorboards (top right); the vault interior after the metal lid was removed and before excavation commenced (right); Vault lid revealed before being cleaned of debris.
These crosses coincided with a description by an eyewitness to the burial of Bishop Gibney, Fr John O'Mahoney, who said that Bishop Gibney was buried next to Bishop Griver in the front area of the 1865 sanctuary. Armed with this information, the archaeological team decided that the first investigation should be beneath the floor marked out by the crosses (top right). If nothing was found, then an excavation would be made in front of the current sanctuary. The
floor boards were lifted and a large sheet of "Lysaght" tin was found cemented to a brick wall. The metal sheet was removed, revealing two rectangular compartments, the dimensions of each being what a coffin might occupy. The compartments were half full of sand and rubble (main photo). Until this was excavated, uncertainty existed as to whether this was truly the location of the coffins, or had they been previously exhumed and moved elsewhere?
Priests ordained on special day Pope appoints Pell to (ACN) - For many Kazakhs the 28th of May 2006 was a special day. For Nikolai Mamajev, aged 27 and Mariusz Kowalski, aged 36, were ordained as priests on this day in the cathedral of Karaganda. They were the first priests to have been trained in the seminary of the diocese of Karaganda, the only Catholic seminary in Central Asia. Bishop Pavel Lenga addressed the newly-ordained priests during the ceremony, saying: "Recognise what you are doing, follow what you have embraced and live in harmony with the cross of the Lord." For the Catholics of Kazakhstan, an independent nation since 1991, the meaning of this event is only too well understood. For they, like Christians of other denominations, were persecuted for decades in this former Soviet republic. Numerous priests were forced to live a hidden life. During the 1930s and 40s, under Stalin, hundreds of thousands of people were deported to the labour camps of Kazakhstan and Siberia, among them Germans, Ukrainians, Poles and people from the Baltic republics. They included Catholics, Protestants, Baptists and Mennonites. They were sent there because they were seen as politically inconvenient and because they clung on to their faith. And the
repression continued, even after the death of this communist dictator. Today there are estimated to be between 300,000 and 500,000 Catholics in Kazakhstan. The earliest of them came here long before the communists came to power in Moscow. In the early 20th century it was the so-called "Russian Germans" - German farming people - who first came as settlers to the north of Kazakhstan. Among them there were many Catholics. Just how many Kazakhs still retain their Catholic faith today is something that nobody can really tell you - not least because the country is over a third the size of Australia and the communities lie widely scattered. Around half the population are Muslims. The other half is made up of Christians overwhelmingly Orthodox - while Catholics are thought to account for around 2%. They are divided up into the dioceses of Almaty and Karaganda, the archdiocese of Astana and the apostolic administration of Atyrau. Altogether there are around 60 parishes in this vast and seemingly endless country. By 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, there were just nine Catholic priests left in Kazakhstan. Today there are already 50. The
overwhelming majority of them still come from abroad and were trained or ordained outside the country. This is something that the Kazakh authorities have viewed with increasing mistrust ever since the mid-1990s. But this is not the main reason why the Church has been striving ever since independence to promote a youthful, native clergy - for in fact this is something that every country needs. The international Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), fully supports this initiative. From early on ACN realised how important a national seminary was for the slowly but steadily growing Catholic Church in Kazakhstan and so the charity also helped in 1994 when a socalled pre-seminary was opened in Karaganda, followed three years later by a full major seminary. By the end of 2006 the seminary was home to 18 young men aged between 17 and 34. ACN continues to help and in the current academic year it has made a considerable contribution to the support of the seminary. It is help that is urgently needed and gratefully welcomed, since the economic plight of the country is appalling and the poverty of the people extreme.
Holy See council Cardinal George Pell, of Sydney, is one of eight new appointments made by Pope Benedict XVI to the council which studies the Holy See's organizsational and economic issues. According to a communique issued by the Vatican press office last Saturday, the new members of the Council of Cardinals for the Study of Organisational and Economic Questions of the Apostolic See are:
Napier, - Wilfrid Fox Archbishop of Durban, South Africa; - Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, archbishop of Lima, Peru; Olubunmi - Anthony Okogie, Archbishop of Lagos, Nigeria; - Eusebio Oscar Scheid, Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; - George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney, Australia; - Marc Ouellet, Archbishop of Quebec, Canada; Rosales, - Gaudencio
Archbishop of Manila, the Philippines; - Nicholas Cheong Jin-Suk, Archbishop of Seoul, South Korea. The council consists of 15 archCardinals, all of bishops who head particular Churches from various parts of the world, and are appointed by the Pontiff for a five-year term. Pope John Paul Il's apostolic constitution "Pastor Bonus" (No. 24-25) explains: "The council is convened by the cardinal secretary of state, usually twice a year, to consider those economic and organisational questions which relate to the administration of the Holy See, with the assistance, if needed, of experts in these affairs. "The council also considers the activities of the special institute which is erected and located within the state of Vatican City in order to safeguard and administer economic goods placed in its care with the purpose of supporting works of religion and charity." - ZENIT.ORG
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Perspectives
editorial
Jesus loves Osama
letters to the editor
A
Baptist Parish in Sydney has aroused considerable debate by erecting a sign outside its church declaring "Jesus loves Osama". In much smaller print, it reminds us that Jesus said, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you". However, it was he first three words that caught the attention and caused the controversy. The notion that Jesus loves Osama bin Laden touched all sorts of buttons from Prime Minister John Howard to Sydney's Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen all the way to talkback radio audiences. What about our own buttons when we see those words? Do we believe Jesus loves Osama? Can we accept it without conditions or qualifications? What does it mean to us that Jesus loves Osama? How could he? Our personal answers to these questions are crucial to understanding our relationship with Jesus and with the rest of humanity. Jesus loves Osama, absolutely, unconditionally, unwaveringly. He does not love some abstract notion of Osama; he loves the real, live flesh and blood Osama who has done whatever he has done and is doing whatever he is doing. He loves you the same way. He does not love you because you have not done what Osama has done; he does not love you because of what you have done. He loves you. The unalterable nature of God's love has been revealed to us, shown to us, demonstrated, illustrated and reaffirmed to us over and over since creation, but still we have this misguided notion that somehow we could lose God's love or earn God's love. It is a free gift, freely given and freely to be received. Throughout the Old Testament he reminded the people of Israel of his constant love, and he constantly called them back to his presence. Such return was not a condition of his love. It was because it was only in his presence that they could experience and enjoy his love. He did not stop loving them in their isolation, their exile, their sinfulness. God's greatest outpouring of love was to be his beloved Son, the messiah, Jesus. This promise was never altered, PO Box 75, Leederville, WA 6902 never made conditional. God never said Tel: (08) 9227 7080, that Jesus would be sent only if or when Fax: (08) 9227 7087 they were paying attention to him. cathrec@iinetnet.au When Jesus came at the appointed time, he fulfilled in his person all that had been revealed before, and when so many would not accept him, he wept for them. In the 2000 years since, he has continued to reveal that his love is unchanging. The Church has taught constantly in his name that there is never a moment in our lives when his love is not available to us. Numerous saints have told us, either through personal communion with Jesus or through conversion experiences that God's love is always there and especially in our sinfulness because it is in our sinfulness that we are most confused and most in pain. Julian of Norwich wrote beautifully about Jesus' revelations of his divine love and how he kept telling her in relation to all humanity: "See how much I have loved you! See how much I have loved you!" A wonderful description of a deeply personal experience of this truth is given by David Morrison in his book "Beyond Gay". Actively gay and a gay activist, Morrison had no religion and was becoming increasingly aware of the emptiness in his life, but even so it was months before he acted on a suggestion from a friend that he pray. "I offered the only prayer I could imagine I could offer honestly. `Lord, I don't even know if you exist, but if you do,I sure need you in my life.' And He came.Ibecame suddenly, deeply aware of a presence in the room. I did not see Him or hear Him ... but Iknew He was there. He was Jesus. He was there and He loved me. ... It's not that Jesus negated my sins. It's not that He declared them null and void as if I had never done them. Instead, like oil upon my troubled soul, He soothed and calmed me in the midst of my wrongdoing. Panting and crying in the bloody afterbirth of my own sins I understood, suddenly and irrevocably. In His eyes there are no "bad people" - only His children who have been deceived about who they are. From that moment everything about my life changed. Not immediately and not easily, but inexorably and firmly like a plant growing up from concrete. Change has come." What Jesus taught Morrison, He also wants us to know: to a greater or lesser extent we are all deceived about who we are. We are God's children and the meaning of our life is to know, love and serve God here on earth and to be happy with him forever in heaven. The trouble is that we think God's way is inadequate and we would rather try doing it our own way. So many of us believe that God can't make us happy, that somehow we can invent a better way of being who we are. It is a complete deception and it is the cause of our confusion and pain because it keeps us away from the joy of God's love. The confusion and pain are real, and in the midst of it, God continues to love us. Jesus does love Osama, and we should always be grateful that He loves us with so great a love.
AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW The problem with one-liners like `Jesus loves Osama' is that they tend to focus our minds on the other things that need to be said. For an alternative view of this subject, see Paul Gray's article on Page 12.
Serra never bishop of Perth In an article of the latest issue, it is mentioned that Bishop Joseph Benedict Serra was a Bishop of Perth. This is not so, not a Diocesan Bishop that is. On 15/8/1848 he was consecrated as Bishop of Port Essington in the North of Australia (now Darwin area). However as Dr Brady, the first Bishop of Perth asked Rome for an assistant in temporal affairs, Bishop Serra was named as Vicar Apostolic, and Rosendo Salvado was consecrated as Bishop in his place. Bishop Serra did a lot of good works amongst the early people in WA including many long trips on horse back through the countryside, baptising, marrying, confirming and often burying people. However, Bishop Brady who had a turbulent career in WA, eventually departed Fremantle on the ship "Eugene" on 19/10/1852, and retired in France, and never resigned the Bishopric of Perth. Bishop Serra oversaw the separation of Benedictine goods in New Norcia and Perth, with Bishop Salvado staying at the native mission. On 13/7/1859 Bishop Serra appointed Father Martin Griver as administrator of the Diocese of Perth, and sailed back to Spain, never to return to Australia. His resignation was formally accepted on 7/1/1862. Father Griver carried on with a Bishops work load for seven years till he was made bishop of the titular see of Tloa by Pope Pius IV on 1/11/1869. Bishop Brady died at Amelie les Baines in France on 3/12/1871, with the result that Bishop Griver was then appointed Bishop of Perth on 22/7/1873. So, for nearly fourteen years, the Diocese of Perth did not have a resident Consecrated Bishop of the particular Diocese. It was most unusual situation in the history of the Faith in our State, but during which time wonderful men and women worked under very harsh conditions. Noel Inglis Albany
Fr Lyons the seminarian Thank you for your words of appreciation for the life and work of Fr John Lyons,
February 82007, The Record
A truthful education in Christianity goes a long way The Record January 18 had a full page devoted to a review by Hal Colebatch of two new books: How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilisation and The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism and Western Success. A lengthy review of each and their availability is also on the AD 2000 web site. The writers claim and I'm sure they're right, that it is Christianity that has underpinned and provided the impetus for the phenomenal development of the West and that Christians have a lot to be proud of in their history. Rather than swallow the myths and bigoted prejudices so frequently peddled by critics such as P Adams, Hitchens, Dan Brown etc Christians should be able to soundly refute their bile with evidence to the contrary. I'm sure turning the other cheek doesn't mean staying mute in the face of lies and distortions about our Christian heritage. Although I haven't read them as yet I'm willing to accept the reviewer's judgement that they make a valuable contribution to the defence of not just our personal beliefs but also the claim that Christianity is something much more. It has also provided the foundation for our civilisation's greatest achievements. Although they are a bit expensive I'll be getting at least one of them in the near future. Have a look and see if you agree. Barry Morgan Sampson
deceased, a faithful priest of the Archdiocese. You mention Fr John's studies at St Patrick's College, Manly. Before entering St Patrick's John Lyons spent five years at the fledging WA seminary, St Charles' at Guildford. He entered Year 11 in 1945 where he completed his secondary education and then studied Philosophy for three years. The seminary had begun in 1942. Fr John was one of the 163 priests ordained after spending some time at our local seminary. As your readers pray for the happy repose of Fr John, I ask that they continue to pray for those studying for the priesthood at their local seminary. Don Hughes, OMI, Rector
Footballer discovered I am writing in reply to Fr Robert Cross and his query regarding the photos of two footballers photos he found in the Mining Standard and Sporting News. The top photo in the article that appears in The Record dated February 1, 2007 is Ralph Aldersey. Ralph was the captain of the West Torrens football club up to his retirement in 1910, this last year of his career he was
team captain and the last listed before "coaches" were appointed to run football teams. When he retired he had played 130 games. He was awarded life membership in 1921. Jason Holmes Toll, Old
Confessing secret thoughts The Gospel for The Presentation of the Lord (2 February) tells of Simeon's prophecy to Mary: "A sword will pierce your own soul too - so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare." How can secret thoughts be laid bare, except by confession? Was Simeon, by divine inspiration, actually providing us with a guide to confession? There seems to have been a marked decline in the number of practising Catholics who regularly confess their secret thoughts in the sacrament of Reconciliation. Is this because we have neglected to lay bare our secret thoughts to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, who suffered as much as it is possible for any human being to suffer as she watched her only Son suffer so horribly for our sins? Hugh (lift Lesmurdie
A
man was touring a nursing home with the head administrator, when he asked a question: "What criteria do you use to determine when a person has lost his faculties enough to require institutionalisation?" "Well, we have a simple test," said the administrator. "We put them in a room with a bathtub full of water, give them a teaspoon, a teacup, and a bucket, and tell them to empty the tub."
"I see," said the man, "a rational person would use the bucket, so that the job would get done quicker." "No," said the administrator, "a rational person would pull the plug. Would you prefer a bed near the wall or near the window?"
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February 8 2007
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The Seven Deadly Sins
How we are led astray Categories of sin There are many types of sins, but there are t wo main categories in which they can be evaluated: Mortal sin: A violation of the law of God that concerns grave moral matter and is done with full knowledge, deliberation, freedom and consent. It can be absolved through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Venial sin: An offence that involves light moral matter or is done without adequate knowledge, full consent or adequate freedom.
Bo's preaching in jeans..
The Capital Vices are dangerous conditions that give rise to other sins that endanger the soul • By Regis Flaherty
The Black Death, the influenza outbreak of 1918, AIDS - all are deadly epidemics that killed tens of thousands at different times in the history of mankind. But all these plagues pale in comparison to the pandemic that started in the Garden of Eden. When sin entered the world, a far deadlier force confronted mankind. As Jesus said, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna" (Mt 10:28). To die of a disease is an evil; to die in serious sin is an eternal tragedy. History books and the evening news make us aware of the mortal ills of mankind. In our day, it is difficult to be uninformed on the medical problems that confront us. However, sin, the deadliest of diseases, garners far less media coverage. It is our Catholic faith that points us to the seriousness of this deadly problem and shows us the remedies. In the millennia since the Fall, men and women have found many ways to turn from God and embrace However, evil. there are seven sinful tendencies that provide the root causes that branch out into the many individual sins. These are known as the seven capital or "deadly" sins. Actually, "sin" is probably not the best term for these seven. In everyday speech, we normally equate sin with action or inaction. Perhaps a better term would be the seven vices - what the dictionary defines as "serious moral failing" or "personal failing or flaw." While not necessarily mortal in themselves, these capital sins give rise to other sins that can be deadly to the life of the soul. They can also be deadly in human relationships - in family, school, work and community. The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists them as "pride, avarice (greed), envy, wrath, lust, gluttony and sloth" sins insidious are They (No.1866). because they can be hidden from view. For instance, it is possible to refrain from punching someone in the nose and still be devoured by anger. Or, someone may avoid adultery and yet burn with lust. Obvious sinful actions are more likely to be dealt with if for no other reason than the negative social complications. However, if the underlying sinful tendency is not addressed, there is only a temporary reprieve for the soul. The world, the flesh and the devil find fertile ground in these seven vices. These sinful tendencies require radical surgery to be rooted out. In fact, many spiritual writers recommend not removal" but "displacements"- substitute virtues for these deadly sins. So let's explore these seven spiritual diseases and consider some of the remedies.
por Ihese capital
sins give rise to other sins that can be deadly to the life of the soul.
••• and this amazing man is on his way to Perth. Page 14 Lebanese see hope
Interfaith cooperations is the way forward Page 10
Podde
February 8 2007, The Record
Page 2 • Vista
Definition: "Pride is undue self-esteem or selflove, which seeks attention and honour and sets oneself in competition with God" (see the Catechism's glossary).
Definition: "Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure" (No. 2351). It's difficult to live a day in Western culture without being confronted by a temptation to lust. The popular anti-gospel proclaims that we should be sexually liberated. The truth is that our culture is dying from a deadly sin, the plague of lust. In fact, the odour of the rotting corpse is daily evident to those whose minds have been renewed in Christ (see Rom 12:2).
tat% Definition: Anger can be useful in rousing us to action for a good cause, but anger must be converted to peace and love before we plan and carry out our action. How we handle that anger can make the difference between victory over sin or succumbing to it.
Symptoms: Being in competition with God is not a good place to be. And in our personal struggles with pride, we probably don't think that we are competing with God. Yet a little reflection will show the truth of what the Catechism teaches. The proud person takes credit for what legitimately belongs to God. So, I point to my achievements and my gifts and my talents. Grace and God's providential care are, at best, viewed as secondary causes. Pride also seeks to down-play personal defects and minimise faults, thereby tending not to recognise and repent of sins. The prideful person believes he is better than others and will disparage their accomplishments to fortify his own image both to himself and to others. The prideful person will even magnify the failings of others. Pride also expresses itself in excessive discomfort and self criticism after making mistakes - as if one should be too good to have weaknesses. Pride comes in varying degrees,
Symptoms: Lust dehumanises other people and views them as objects for pleasure. It also dehumanises the sinner who gives reign to lower, animal passions, rather than to true love. Saint Bernard tells us that while lust appears to please the body, it is killing the soul. All sin can be "addicting," but perhaps lust more so than many other sins. While promising pleasure and "freedom," lust only delivers a hollow and momentary pleasure and leads to a form of bondage that imprisons. The depth of the problem is revealed in the startling statistics on pornography and the sins that spring from it. To overcome lust, the person dust first admit the problem. This in itself is a big step in a society that sees little wrong in impure television programs and salacious advertising. The normal means of overcoming sin (prayer, the sacraments,
Anger, "when it is not controlled by reason when it hardens into resentment and hate, becomes one of the seven capital sins. Christ taught that anger is an offence against the fifth commandment" (Catechism glossary). Symptoms: The anger that is a capital sin is a disorder of the emotion. It gives reign to passion over reason. It can be an offence against charity when it is manifested in ways that hurt others by word or action. Anger can also be contrary to justice when it seeks revenge against another. There is hot anger that others tend to see. The individual with this problem may be motivated to conquer the fault because of its negative consequences in interpersonal relationships. However, anger can be less visible. Cold anger lies below the surface and can be unseen until manifested in the cutting word, contempt, quarrelling or indignation. Anger can rob an individual of peace and can cause various mental disturbances. Blasphemy
but when it reaches the point of unwillingness to acknowledge dependence on God and refuses to submit to him and his Church, it is a grave sin. The Catechism points out that pride can even lead to hatred of God (No. 2094). Remedies: Humility is the antidote for pride. The humble person joyfully embraces the truth that everything in life is ultimately a gift from God. Humility is not low self esteem - there is some personal merit in responding to God's grace and call. Yet the humble person is always grateful and seeks to give God all the glory. A sober recognition of one's sins and a desire to repent also counters pride and fosters humility. Rather than contending with God, the humble person lives as a dutiful, obedient and thankful son or daughter of the heavenly Father. Humility recognises weakness and takes joy in God's grace that helps to overcome them.
IN a society so sin-saturated in this
area, a firm understanding of Church teaching is very important. Pope John Paul ll's theology of the body reveals the truth and beauty about sexuality.
growth in virtue) are important. But a level of accountability, perhaps to a spouse or spiritual director, can be very helpful for those who have a powerful struggle with this sin. Remedies: In a society so sinsaturated in this area, a firm understanding of Church teaching is very important. Pope John Paul II's theology of the body reveals the truth and beauty about sexuality. There are many good books now available that make his teaching accessible. While lust blinds men to the true
MY favourite definition of meekness is 'strength under control.' and cursing often arise because of anger. Even though many sins of anger are venial, anger can lead to mortal sins such as hatred and revenge - sins less prompted by emotion and more by decisions of the will. Like envy, anger gives the sinner little satisfaction. In a letter to a noble woman, Saint Catherine of Siena wrote, "There is no sin nor wrong that gives a man such a foretaste of hell in this life as anger and impatience." Remedies: One virtue that can offset anger is meekness.
beauty of human sexuality, the truth brings light. Pope John Paul II also often extolled the virtue of chastity, which is the answer to a disordered sexuality. If you need some extra encouragement to deal with lust, recall the beatitude," Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Mt 5:8). We are made for the beatific vision of God in all his glory. That is a beauty we don't want to miss. But even before that the pure of heart learn to see and respect the life of God in other people.
Unfortunately, this is a virtue that gets bad press and tends to be misunderstood. Meekness is patient submission to the will of God in the midst of sufferings and trials. Christ tells us that the meek "will inherit the land" (Mt 5:5). It is also acceptance of other people as they are without the urge to control them. My favourite definition of meekness is "strength under control." Scripture tells us that Moses "was by far the meekest man on the face of the earth" (Nm 12:3). Now we know that Moses didn't possess that virtue at an early stage of his life. In a fit of anger, he killed an Egyptian foreman who was abusing an Israelite on a work crew. The passion of anger was out of control in his life. But later Moses overcame his anger. He could take the insults of Pharaoh and rely not on his own strength, but upon God's. The example of Moses should give hope to all of us. When we trust God, we, too, can be meek and live not with anger but with reliance on the strength of the Lord.
Vista • Page 3
February 8 2007, The Record
'9,40a,reeel9teed Definition: "Greed [is] the desire to amass earthly goods without limit... Avarice [arises] from a passion for riches and their attendant power" (No. 2536).
Definition: Sloth is"a culpable lack of physical or spiritual effort" (Catechism glossary). Dante writes that this vice is rooted in insufficient love. Saint Thomas Aquinas sees this paucity of love in the background of all other sins.
Definition: Envy refers to the sadness at the sight of another's goods and the immoderate desire to acquire them for oneself, even unjustly" (No. 2539). Saint Paul encourages us to "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep" (Rom 12:15). The envious person rejoices when others weep and weeps when others have cause to rejoice.
Symptoms: Shortly after teaching his disciples the Our Father, Jesus tells them, "where your treasure is, there also will your heart be" (Mt 6:21). Instead of praying for the coming of God's kingdom, as Jesus taught in the Lord's Prayer, the avaricious person seeks to amass an earthly kingdom founded on possessions. The desire for wealth and power influences decisions and clouds right thinking. This underlying attitude can lead to overt sins from cheating on taxes to failing to meet the legitimate needs of the poor. The greedy person wants not just to keep up with the Joneses, but to surpass them. Greed is a vice that can masquerade as a virtue. Making realistic provisions for the future is a good, but only when it is situated within the Christian ethic of both reliance on God and taking responsibility for the demands of charity. For the greedy person accumulation of material possessions becomes an end in itself rather than a means to an end. This quest for more wealth can possess a person. As scripture points out, "The covetous man is never satisfied with money, and the lover of wealth reaps not fruit from it" (Eccl 5:9).
Symptoms: The sluggard has the "I-don't-care attitude." He lacks motivation, resisting work or effort. He is complacent. But we are called to love, and love makes demands: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength and you shall love your neighbour as yourself" (Mk 12:30). The slothful person looks the other way when confronted by the demands of love. Sloth also is counter to the grace of our baptism. When we enter the family of God, we are to take up the family responsibilities. We are to go and make disciples. We are to love our Father and all our brothers and sisters.
Symptoms: This sin manifests itself in various ways, such as malicious gossip, detraction, resentment and even outright hatred of others. Dante writes that the eyes of the envious are sewn shut in hell because in life they could not, or would not, see and give thanks for the good, the true and the beautiful. This deadly vice separates the envious person from the joy and solidarity of community. Its fruit is bitterness because it never satisfies. Envy breaks friendship, dividing individuals and families. It can separate man from God. The book of Wisdom tells us that it was envy that prompted Satan to tempt Adam and Eve. The devil, whose pride had caused his estrangement from God, could not bear to see man enjoy a relationship with God. The result of the envy of the devil was the temptation of man and the entrance of death into our lives (Wis 2:24). Remedies: Humility and gratitude are cures for the disease of envy. It certainly is a sin that rea-
Remedies: How do we counter a tendency to greed? We do so by rightly ordering our desires. We are to "store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal" (Mt 6:20). Generosity is an effective counter for greed. Generosity is living life with hands open to receive from God and to give to others, rather than with hands closed and grasping for per-
sonal gain. Greed is an offence against justice because the greedy person seeks more than he deserves, trying to accumulate wealth at the expense of others. Mercy, another antidote to greed, exceeds the demands of justice, seeking to bless others beyond what is strictly required. And it should be a comfort to know that the person who shows mercy will receive mercy (see Mt 5:7).
Zeal is at the centre of the beatitude: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness". And those who hunger for God "shall be satisfied." Remedies: What is the antidote? Be cautious here. The answer is not to become a workaholic. That, too, is an imbalance. In fact, it is possible to be a workaholic and still be slothful. Feverish activity can be a means of avoiding the real demands of the Gospel.
The virtue that counters sloth is zeal. This virtue is a wholehearted and energetic response to God's commands. Zeal is at the centre of the beatitude: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Mt 5:6). And those who hunger for God "shall be satisfied."
son opposes because the results, estrangement from others and the joy to be found there, are selfdefeating. But perhaps the best counter for envy is the ability to accept the suffering that we will certainly encounter in this world. Christ suffered and embraced suffering as the path of love and, through it, brought redemption. He sought our wellbeing and
emptied himself - the opposite of envy. The result was that, instead of the separation caused by envy, we now can enjoy union with God as members of his family. So, if we join our little suffering with that of Christ, we can "be of good cheer" (In 16:33), for Christ has opened the gates of heaven for us. In that joy, envy will find no home. Continued on Vista 4
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Opinion
February 82007, The Record
True happiness is found only in God
i say, i say • By Mark Reidy
I attended the funeral recently of 'Simon', a young man who had hanged himself. His short life had been one of misery. A fter enduring sexual abuse from his father throughout his childhood he had lived his teenage years drifting between government hostels and squats, seeking refuge from his pain in an assortment of destructive substances. He rarely spoke of the torment that dwelt within, but his eyes could never hide it. As he reached adulthood he carried his burden into the lonely existence of a transient boarding house dweller and it was here that he was eventually found, no longer able to cope with the screaming from within. A few days after his funeral a new television series called 'Heroes' premiered. It was the latest 'big thing' from the US, with over IS million viewers per week. Australian executives are expect-
Passing by: Ha\,e we made any attempt to bring God's love into the uncomfortable mess of someone else's life?
ing similar success here. It is a show that follows the lives of a number of ordinary people who suddenly discover that they each possess unique superpowers. These extraordinary powers are what draws the huge audience to the screen each week, says the show's executive producer Tim Kring. "There is this feeling in most of us," he suggests, "that we are somehow meant for something
different or something special". And this,Ibelieve, is why the show has become such an instant hit - Kring has tapped into that desire that we all possess, of needing to have a purpose for our lives. He has given viewers permission to entertain that inner yearning to be extraordinary, unique and significant to both themselves and others.
And this yearning, whether we recognise it or not, is what most of us spend our lives attempting to satisfy. We search for that true purpose in relationships, family, career, financial security, achievement, and a multitude of other pursuits. We desire to be special amongst our peers, our colleagues, our friends and our society. We want to be recognised and appreci-
Conclusion
- Continued from Vista 3
Definition: Gluttony is "overindulgence in food or drink" (Catechism glossary). If a culture can be said to be guilty of a capital sin, gluttony may be the defining sin of Western culture "too soon, too expensively, too much, too eagerly, too daintily" (1918 Catholic Encyclopedia on gluttony). For the glutton, "God is [his] belly" (Phil 3:19). When excesses in drinking or eating affect a person's health or his ability to discharge his duties, it can be a serious sin.
ated by others, to be relevant and to be remembered. But tragically this longing, which at its deepest and purest form is the need to love and to be loved, will never be fulfilled from earthly sources. Ultimately, only God can satisfy that cry from within us for purpose and meaning. We may find temporary relief in artificial substitutes, but inevitably the itch will once again work its way to the surface. We may search for the answer in money, success, marriage, parenthood, sex, drugs or even through fantasising about television superheroes, but the truth is, no one or no thing can ever replace our need for God. It is why St Augustine finally concluded his own colourful search with the words, "My heart will not rest Lord, until it rests in You". But sadly, it seems, Simon never found this peace in his lifetime. His eternal life is now in the hands of the only one who truly knew his heart. But as they lowered his body into the earth, I was left to ponder my own role in his life. How had I personally fulfilled or failed God's command to, "Love one another as I have loved you"? Had I truly attempted to bring His love into the ugly and uncomfortable mess of Simon's life, or had I opted to choose the path that had been easier for me? I guess that is a question that I must answer to God alone. But it is also one that we will all have to answer, for there are many other Simons walking amongst us.
Symptoms: In addition to overindulgence, gluttony also can manifest itself in "delicacy." Here the individual demands that everything be just a certain way. With food, the demand might be that it be the right temperature, just flavoured precisely, a portion only of a certain size or cooked a certain way. If the arbitrary criteria are not met, the person will reject the food or demand that it be as she or he desires. The delicate glutton demands to be pampered and satisfied according to his expectations.
Remedies: Temperance, which puts the pleasures of this life in a proper perspective, is the virtue that opposes this capital sin. Fasting and little acts of self-denial can help a person overcome this vice, especially when coupled with prayer that joins these acts to those of Christ. If we need an extra incentive to overcome gluttony, just think of this proverb when you pick up an eating utensil: "Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony" (Prov 23:2).
Reflection on the capital sins is one format for an examination of conscience. It can help to diagnose sinful patterns or inclinations in our life. Most often, the capital sins are not at the more serious level of mortal sin. However, untreated, they move us in the direction of serious sin. So it is important to identify the point of weakness and struggle. Cooperating with God's grace and growing in virtue are important. A particular capital sin may be so rooted in a person that he no longer recognises it as sin. Sometimes we try to excuse ourselves by saying: "That's just the way I am" or "Everyone gets angry or complacent." But God does call us to more. If one of the capital sins has a hold in my life, I should submit it to the Divine Physician. The sacraments, especially Reconciliation and the Eucharist, are great helps. A daily examination of conscience on my particular sin is a great practice. It only takes five minutes of review at the end of the day: "How have I given way to lust or sloth or whatever is the root of my struggle?" Repent, make an act of amendment and ask for God's grace for the battle tomorrow. Also, thank God for his grace whenever you make progress. Battling the deadly sins is a struggle, but we are people of hope because Christ has already won the victory. In him, sin and death are defeated. In him is glorious life. Regis Flaherty is editor-in-chief of Emmaus Road Publishing. He writes from Pennsylvania.
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The World FEATURE Are the saints sinners, or not?
sir
elbow
Pope Benedict XVI arrives for his weekly general audience at the Vatican on January 31.
Lost in translation: Pope's asides might be changed in official texts • By John Thavis
Rsarely is a general audience talk interrupted by spontaneous applause, and Pope Benedict XVI eemed as surprised as anyone when the clapping began in the Vatican's audience hall. The Pope had been talking about the Church's early times, and he set aside his text to drive home a point: The apostles and first disciples weren't perfect, but had their own arguments and controversies. "This appears very consoling to me, because we see that the saints did not drop as saints from heaven. They were men like us with problems and even with sins," he said on January 31. That's when the applause erupted among the 6,000 people in attendance. The Pope paused, looked up and smiled awkwardly, then continued to ad lib about how holiness doesn't mean never making a mistake. The moment marked a milestone for Pope Benedict as a communicator and demonstrated two
important facts: First, the scholarly pontiff is focussing on uncomplicated lessons about the Church and the faith. Second, when he talks, people listen. The simple idea that saints were also sinners resonated with his audience, and journalists were among those eagerly awaiting the Vatican's official text of the Pope's remarks. But a funny thing happened on the way to the printing presses. When the Vatican press office released the text two hours later, gone was the line about the sins of saints. Instead, the official version had the Pope saying that the early saints "were men like us with problems that were complicated." The Pope spoke in Italian, and "con peccati" ("with sins") sounds like "complicati" ("complicated"). But a close listening to a tape confirmed that the Pope had indeed been speaking about sins. The Vatican spoiled his applause line. What happened? The discrepancy was said to be a simple transcription error. Two days later, however, it had still not been corrected - which meant that many media reported the mistaken version. It's not always easy to catch every word the Pope delivers offthe-cuff. But on some occasions,
the Pope's words have been deliberately tweaked by his own aides. The process was explained recently by Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, in a meeting with a group of news agency reporters.
The general audiences used to be a place where reporters looked for commentary on current events.
When Pope Benedict extemporises, the Vatican press office scrambles to transcribe the talk and put it in the hands of the media. But before that happens, the transcript is sent to an office of the Secretariat of State, where it undergoes a "final polishing in Italian," Father Lombardi said. The reasoning is that the German Pope, although fluent in Italian, might use an awkward or imprecise phrase that could be rendered more elegantly. Reporters have noticed these changes from the beginning of Pope Benedict's pontificate. Most are minor stylistic modifications. But some are more substantial and seem to suggest the presence of an overly cautious editor.
PHOTO:CNS
For example, when the Pope learned in 2005 that Brother Roger Schutz of the Taize community had just been stabbed to death, he went out and told a general audience about what he called the "terrifying news." That was changed to "dramatic news" in the official version, which toned down his spoken remarks and drained it of the emotion the Pope had expressed so well. Father Lombardi, who also directs Vatican Radio and knows the journalistic profession well, said there's no question that journalists are authorised to report what the Pope actually says, even if it differs from the official text. That poses a problem of consistency, however, even inside the Vatican. After the Pope's recent audience talk, the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, reported the "saints had complicated problems" version, while Vatican Radio went with "the saints had sins." (ZENIT picked up the 'sins' bit, See back page.) The problems stem partly from Pope Benedict's less formal style at the Wednesday general audiences. In Pope John Paul II's later years, general audiences were primarily a mass photo op instead of a catechising moment for those who attend.
Most people came to see the Pope, not hear a speech. That explains why reporters seeking reaction to papal remarks at the audience were usually met with blank stares. But that is changing under Pope Benedict. For one thing, his diction is clear - in contrast to that of his ailing predecessor. Another big reason people pay attention is that the Pope often puts down his printed text and drives his ideas home in simple asides. He seems to have a keen sense of when he's engaging people and when he risks going over their head. The Pope has a purpose in all this, which is reflected in the themes of these weekly talks. For months now, he's been speaking about the apostles and the evangelisers of the early Church, trying to make them more real and less distant to modern Christians. The general audiences used to be a place where reporters looked for commentary on current events. They are finding less of that these days, and more on Scripture, the Church and salvation. The Pope's goal is to bring people back to the roots of their faith, aware that many Christians in the audience hall and beyond are hearing these New Testament stories -CNS for the first time.
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The World
February 8 2007, The Record
Lebanese Christians see hope • By Michael Hirst
The town of Khiam sits atop a rocky hillside, with breathtaking views across Israel to the south and the snowcapped peaks of the Golan Heights to the east. But during Israeli attacks against the militant group Hezbollah last summer, four-fifths of the town's buildings were completely or partially destroyed, and the surrounding olive groves and farmland remain littered with unexploded cluster bombs. Among the badly damaged buildings were two of the town's four Christian churches, for although Khiam is populated predominantly by Shiite Muslims, it is also home to a small Christian community struggling, like everybody else, to rebuild their normal lives after the war. "Before the Israeli invasion of South Lebanon in 1978, 25 percent of the population here were Christians," said Pierre Wanna, 28, a local Christian. "Now there are only 25 families out of a total of 700." Although only two of the churches - the Maronite Catholic and Greek Orthodox - remain open, Wanna said he does not see the local Christians as a beleaguered minority under threat of extinction. "Christians and Muslims have been living here together for ages," said Wanna, a Christian. "This area has always been a model for other areas of Lebanon in terms of integration, as shown by the high number of mixed marriages." When asked to clarify his religious denomination, Wanna smiled and said: "I'm Lebanese." "I've been so busy since the war that I don't often get a chance to go to church, but I feel I'm often in contact with God through my work," he said. For a few seconds, Wanna's smile
Hundreds of Sunni, Shiite, Druze and Christian children from all over Lebanon gather on the steps of the National Museum in Beirut on February 4.
fades and his brow furrows as he thinks back to last summer's war. Five days after it started in midJuly, he took his parents to safety in Beirut as their home came under intense Israeli shelling. "It's not easy losing everything in a single moment and then starting again from scratch. There's always the fear that this may happen again," he said. But then the smile returns and Wanna chuckles. "But the people in South Lebanon are used to it, as they've been living with war for 50 years," he said.
In Khiam's war-scarred streets, people are rebuilding their lives gradually. Hezbollah's reconstruction wing, bolstered by Iranian money, has forked out millions to compensate the Lebanese who lost homes. Qatar has stepped in to sponsor much of the town's reconstruction. As well as funding the rebuilding of homes and shops, it is also assisting with repairs needed at the town's badly damaged Maronite and Anglican churches. The 10,000 UN soldiers deployed in southern Lebanon to maintain
the cease-fire that ended last summer's war are also helping with the area's rehabilitation. Camp Cervantes, just north of Khiam, is home to 1,100 Spanish peacekeeping troops. The largest Spanish base outside Spain, the half-built camp will be finished by this summer, completely selfsufficient with its own sports hall, cafeteria, operations and logistics centres, as well as its own water and electricity supply. Many local people, particularly Hezbollah sympathisers, remain distrustful of the heavily armed
international troops, leading to occasional misunderstandings between soldiers and locals. "The problem is that there are some prejudgments on both sides," said Wanna. "When they first came to the area, the soldiers were greeted by a hail of stones from young children who saw tanks and guns and uniformed soldiers and thought 'This is the enemy.' It's a great responsibility for the UN to change this perception." The camp's engineering unit has helped rebuild war-damaged roads; its health centre provides medical aid to local people; and Spanish soldiers have cleared unexploded Israeli cluster bombs. Camp Cervantes runs Spanish-language courses in the area's villages and even organises soccer matches against local teams. But although the camp is pumping much-needed money into the local economy, only 15 of the 150 local workers employed there are Shiite, and this has alienated some Khiam residents. "Benjamin Franklin is a friend to everybody," Wanna said with a chuckle, referring to the US hundred-dollar bill. "The UN should be sharing the jobs with the whole community." Wanna spent nine years in Beirut earning a bachelor's degree in political science and a postgraduate degree in international relations. He currently works for a Lebanese nongovernmental organisation that emphasises sustainable development. He said he sees himself remaining in Khiam for as long as possible, despite its difficulties. "Hospitality is a characteristic of the Lebanese people, but, in these remote areas especially, the people lead simple lives and are so goodhearted," he said. "The truth is that I am staying in Khiam because I love its people. I'm trying to establish myself here, serving them and staying with them." -CNS
Fulfilling God's work through history
Special indulgence announced
Pope highlights special vocation of consecrated men, women
Vatican says Catholics can get indulgence for sick-day activities
Whether praying behind cloister walls or quietly witnessing to the Gospel in a factory, consecrated men and women have been called by God to dedicate their lives totally to him, Pope Benedict XVI said, The Pope highlighted the special vocation of consecrated people on February 2 in St Peter's Basilica with religious men and women celebrating the feast of the Presentation of the Lord and on February 3 with participants in an international symposium for members of secular institutes. The members of the secular institutes include laypeople and diocesan priests who take special vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in order to live "with evangelical radicalism" while holding
regular jobs or fulfilling their pastoral ministry, the Pope said. By living completely in the world, he said on February 3, the members demonstrate that "the work of salvation is fulfilled not in opposition to, but in and through human history." They are called to show their co-workers, neighbours and friends that living a life totally devoted to God leads to a concrete commitment to justice, peace and joy, Pope Benedict said. They are called to defend human dignity and the values necessary for true human fulfilment through their activities in fields "from politics to economics, from education to the commitment to public health, from the service industry to scientific research." Working in the world, he said, they must embrace all human reality as Jesus did by being born into the world. "Therefore, feel yourself called by every pain and every injustice, as well as by every search for
truth, beauty and goodness, not because you have the solution to every problem, but because every circumstance in which people live and die is an occasion for you to give witness to the saving work of God," he said. Meeting consecrated men and women on February 2 after a Mass in St Peter's Basilica, Pope Benedict said that by dedicating their lives totally to serving God and their brothers and sisters, religious "proclaim to a world that often is disoriented, but in reality is looking for meaning, that God is the lord of existence." "Choosing obedience, poverty and chastity for the sake of the kingdom of heaven demonstrates that every attachment to love for things or persons is incapable of definitively satisfying the heart," the Pope said. Pope Benedict told religious they "witness to the attractiveness of Christ's truth and to the joy that flows from love for him." -CNS
Catholics who participate in events connected with the February 11 celebration of the World Day of the Sick can receive a special indulgence, the Vatican announced. Pope Benedict XVI authorised the indulgences in order "to enrich" the World Day of the Sick and to highlight Christian teaching on "the value and function of suffering" accepted as a way to express sorrow for one's sins and trust in the fact that Christ's suffering is a source of salvation, said the Vatican statement released on February 5. The statement was signed by US Cardinal J. Francis Stafford, head of the Vatican tribunal that deals with indulgences and with matters related to the sacrament of penance. An indulgence is a remission of the tem-
poral punishment a person is due for sins he or she has committed. A plenary, or full, indulgence is being offered to those who join the official celebrations of the World Day of the Sick in Seoul, South Korea, or in their own dioceses or parishes. Plenary indulgences also can be obtained on February 11 by people who dedicate at least several hours that day to providing loving care for a sick person, especially one with an incurable or terminal illness, and by the sick themselves. All those who want to receive the indulgence must go to confession, receive the Eucharist - or promise to do so as soon as possible - and pray for the intentions of the Pope, all in a spirit of total detachment from the attraction of sin. Cardinal Stafford said partial indulgences are being offered "between February 9-11 to all the faithful each time they address, with a contrite heart, devoted prayers to the merciful God" on behalf of someone who is sick. -CNS
February 8 2007, The Record
Page 11
The World
Pope calls youth to be 'witnesses of charity' Pope urges young people to express love in unselfish ways • By John Thavis Pope Benedict XVI urged young people to express love in unselfish ways, looking past social goals of competition and productivity in order to become "witnesses of charity" in the world. He held out Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta as an example of a Christian who translated love into concrete action to help the poorest of the poor. The Pope made the comments in a message marking World Youth Day, which was being celebrated in most dioceses on April 1, Palm Sunday. The text was released at the Vatican on February 5. The theme of the papal message was love, and he began by telling young people that despite emotional disappointments and lack of affection in their own lives, they should know that "love is possible." "The purpose of my message is to help reawaken in each one of you - you who are the future and hope of humanity - trust in a love that is true, faithful and strong; a love that generates peace and joy; a love that binds people together and allows them to feel free in respect for one another," he said.
Pope Benedict XVI urged young people to express love in unselfish ways, looking past social goals of competition and productivity in order to become "witnesses of charity" in the world. -CNS He emphasised that God is the source of true love and that Christ's suffering and death on the cross form the perfect expression of this divine love. The Pope focused on three areas where young people are called to demonstrate love of God: in the
church, in marriage and in society. In the church, which he described as a "spiritual family," the Pope said youths should be willing to help stimulate parish and other activities, even if it means giving up some of their entertainments.
They should "cheerfully accept the necessary sacrifices" and testify to their love for Jesus among people their own age, he said. The Pope said marriage is a "project of love" between a man and a woman that fits into a divine design.
"Learning to love each other as a couple is a wonderful journey, yet it requires a demanding 'apprenticeship," he said. When couples get engaged, he said, it's a period of preparation that needs to be lived "in purity of gesture and words." Engagement allows couples to practice self-control and develop respect for each other, he said. This is true love, which does not place an emphasis on seeking one's own satisfaction, he said. When it comes to the daily routine of family, studies, work and free time, the Pope asked young people to look beyond the cultivation of talents needed to obtain a social position. "Develop your capacities, not only in order to become more competitive and productive, but to be witnesses of charity," he said. He encouraged young people to study the social doctrine of the Church and use it to guide their actions in the world. Love is a powerful social force, the only force capable of changing human hearts, he said. The Pope said Blessed Mother Teresa responded to the search for love by society's weakest members by taking in and caring for the people who were dying on the streets of Calcutta. The lives of the saints are full of such lessons, and young people should try to know them better, he -CNS said.
Vietnam proposes religious freedom for its citizens Vietnam says it will guarantee freedom of belief, religion In a white paper on its religious policies, the Vietnamese government said it will guarantee its citizens' right to freedom of belief and religion. Nguyen The Doanh, deputy head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, released the paper, "Religion and Policies Regarding Religion in Vietnam," at a February 1 press conference in the capital, reported UCA News, an Asian Church news agency. Doanh said the government con-
sistently has implemented a policy of national unity "without any discrimination on the basis of belief or religion." Followers of religions and faiths make up an integral part of the entire nation, and the government has worked out relevant policies to meet their spiritual needs, he said. However, he said the government's religious policies had not been observed fully in the past because of a lack of uniformity, and local authorities have had an improper understanding of religious activities. Doanh said the white paper is expected to make the Vietnamese
the world in brief (losing the gaps to peace Achieving peace implies closing the gap between the rich and poor as well as stopping terrorism and armed conflict, said a Vatican official. It also implies "stopping a revived arms race and the proliferation of a variety of weapons (and) rejecting the glorification of violence in the media," said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Vatican representative to UN agencies in Geneva. The archbishop spoke to representatives of the Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist faiths at an interreligious prayer service in Geneva on January 30. CNS obtained a copy of his text. The archbishop reminded participants that millions of people are
and the international community better understand the government's religious policies as well as the real situation of religious practice in Vietnam. The 86-page policy paper reviews the history and development of beliefs and religions in Vietnam and presents policies and guidelines to respect and guarantee religious freedom. It also mentions the government's views on the international ties of local religions and achievements recorded by local religions in expanding relations with foreign partners. Le Dung, a foreign affairs
affected by current wars and, in many cases, a total disregard for humanitarian law. He said there should be no surrender to the "culture of conflict" or acceptance of the idea that clashes are unavoidable and war is natural.
A mysterious gift Human life is "a great and mysterious gift" that must be welcomed with love and defended until the moment of natural death, Pope Benedict XVI said. As the Italian Catholic Church marked Pro-Life Day on February 4 in the midst of heated political debates about granting legal recognition to cohabiting couples and over euthanasia, the Pope used his Sunday Angelus address to call for "a constant effort in favour of life
spokesperson, said at the conference that after the talks between Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on January 25, Vietnam and the Vatican will have further talks about the proper steps for formalising diplomatic ties. According to a Vietnam News Agency report, Vietnam has six state-recognised religions and more than 20 million believers, half of whom are Buddhists. Catholics comprise the nextlargest group at almost 6 million. Vietnam has 83 million people. In a 2006 report the US State International Department's
and the family." He said, "Life, which is the work of God, must not be denied anyone." In addition to condemning abortion, even when a fetus has been diagnosed with serious disabilities, the Pope told people "not to fall into the trap" of thinking it is legitimate to help a suffering person die with euthanasia, "masquerading it under the veil of human pity." Pope Benedict said defending, assisting, safeguarding and recognising the value of the family founded on marriage is an important part of pro-life work.
Pope in for a big week Pope Benedict XVI will lead a full slate of Holy Week and Easter liturgies in Rome and at the Vatican. The Vatican announced on February 1 that the Pope would preside
Commission on Religious Freedom listed Vietnam as a country of particular concern for its "egregious violations of the universal right to freedom of religion or belief." The report said Vietnam "continues to harass, detain, imprison and discriminate against leaders and practitioners of all religious communities." A 2006 report by Aid to the Church in Need - a Catholic organization funding religious projects in 145 countries - also put Vietnam near the top of its list of countries that restrict religious freedom. -CNS
over eight major events in the week leading up to Easter. The Pope's Holy Week activities will begin with a procession and Mass in St Peter's Square on Palm Sunday, April I. As he did last year, Pope Benedict will celebrate a chrism Mass in St Peter's Basilica on Holy Thursday and that evening will preside over the Mass of the Lord's Supper in the Basilica of St John Lateran in central Rome. On Good Friday he will celebrate the liturgy of the Lord's Passion in St Peter's Basilica in the late afternoon, then will lead a nighttime Way of the Cross at the Rome Colosseum. On Holy Saturday, the Pope will preside over the Easter Vigil in St Peter's Basilica. On Easter, April 8, he will celebrate Mass in St Peter's Square and give his blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city of Rome and the world). -Catholic News Service
February 82007, The Record
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When buying kills us in a full-time career (in the sense of running at great pace and out of control) of consumerism. Yet the richer we get and the more we spend in this strange and ultimately unsatisfying quest for material heaven, the more miserable we become. The prophet Jeremiah knew all about it.
Catherine Parish
© home There really is nothing new under the sun, is there?
F
licking through the weekend papers, there are the usual tales of bizarre surrogacy arrangements, greed, dishonesty, a regular round of famous unwed 'couples' separating and pairing up with others, scantily clad scandalously young models, whom young girls are starving themselves to illness to emulate, pages of ads for things, things, things - and right in the middle of it all, a half-page story about the new condition "affluenza". Apparently British psychologist Oliver James has discovered - probably by looking around for a few minutes - that affluence doesn't make us happy. The temptation to mimic my kids and say "well, du-uh" is irresistible. His new book tells us it is highly debilitating to be locked into the eternal consumer competition with everyone else. Keeping up with the Joneses used to be a joke; now it is a serious end in life. The affluent western world is engaged
Dr James sees the main cause of "affluenza" in "selfish capitalism" and in advertisers creating false needs. He also spoke about it better, with all due respect to our modern author. Looking at this Sunday's reading (Jer 17:5-8), he has it in a nutshell - 20 lines as opposed to twenty chapters. "... the man who puts his trust in man, who relies on things of flesh, whose heart turns from the Lord... is like dry scrub in the wastelands... he settles in the parched places of the wilderness, a salt land, uninhabited." After how many thousands of years of us knowing those words, yet it is news to us that putting our trust in this world is stupid! Dr James sees the main cause of `afflu-
enza' in "selfish capitalism" and in advertisers creating false needs. True enough as far as it goes - but what about our personal responsibility for being silly enough to give in to the blandishments of advertisers and weak enough to give far more importance to external appearances than ever any sensible person, let alone a Christian and a Catholic, should. And, what is more, letting our children fall into the same trap. Whatever happened to the good oldfashioned word NO? It certainly raises its ugly head in our house (but not so much as you might suppose). But our children have lived! They are also rather analytical and canny souls when it comes to advertising and all manner of other things; as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves. Dr James sees the solution in somehow separating needs and wants; in less superficial values; in finding the secret (I don't know if he has found it yet) of "being successful and staying sane". Well, we'd all like to know that one! I prefer Jeremiah's more trenchant answer, personally. "A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord, with the Lord for his hope. "He is like a tree by the waterside that thrusts its roots into the stream: when the heat comes it feels no alarm, its foliage stays green; it has no worries in a year of drought, and never ceases to bear fruit."
Jesus loves Osama, but he's not guaranteed salvation Belief in redemption is more complex than a poster
Paul Gray warns against taking forgiveness for granted
A
picture's worth a thousand words, they say. How many more words, then, can be conveyed by a snazzy advertising poster created by a graphic artist with a licence to shock? The "Jesus loves Osama" poster sign outside a Sydney Baptist church, which stirred national controversy last week, is a case in point. Politicians, bishops of various denominations and talkback callers around the country all had their say on what the church in question hinted was merely a basic piece of Christian theology. Poster art, as conceived by the advertising industry, is really all about one thing: getting attention for your product. This is what that Sydney Baptist church achieved - though it may have left many people wondering precisely what the product is. Well-catechised Christian believers have no difficulty with the theology behind the bare
words themselves. It is a foundational belief of Christianity that Jesus died to save sinners. As sins go, the calculating destruction of thousands of human lives without warning, as happened on the morning of September 11, 2001, is pretty much in the major league. Osama bin Laden is presumably responsible for that destruction. Ergo, he's a sinner. Jesus died "to save" him, and all the other sinners. This action did not, however, guarantee the joys of eternal paradise to every human being - Osama, or you or me - because the co-operation of sinners in accepting Jesus' gift is called for too. Looked at in its theological context, these propositions are not particularly new or surprising. Nor is it the first time that Christian evangelists have sought to use them for dramatic effect. I remember wasting a few dollars on a cassette tape at a Christian bookstore several years ago. It was a rock music album by a young American evangelical outfit, and it caught my eye because one of the tracks listed on the dist-cover was titled "Jeffrey Dahmer went to heaven." Jeffrey Dahmer, of course, was one of the 20th century's bestknown serial murderers. His crimes included imprisonment of innocent victims, torture and cannibalism.
As one of America's most reviled criminals, he was executed by state law, and if tears were shed over his passing, I do not know who they were. Nevertheless, like the Sydney Baptists, these young American rockers wanted to make a point out of the story. A Christian point. Before his execution, Dahmer reportedly underwent a form of conversion to Christianity. Therefore, after execution, his soul went to heaven, the song suggested. Even to the longtime Christian believer, such thoughts can be provocative and confronting. However imperfectly they achieve it, both these stories can serve to focus the mind on larger issues. One of those issues is the economy of salvation. Christian belief about death, redemption and the afterlife is far more complex than can be conveyed by a poster on a wall, or a rock song. Nevertheless it holds compelling content for every human being. Each of us faces death. Each of us faces the reality of evil, or sins, in our lives. Whether those sins be the obvious ones committed by others, or the less obvious ones committed by ourselves, the thoughtful person cannot deny that wrongdoing has a major influence on the course of our existence.
So does the pain of death - the death of others, and the hopefully distant demise of us ourselves. Christian theology takes these frightening realities and treats them as merely the beginning point of much larger and more interesting story - a story which it defines, on the promise of Revelation, as the ultimate reality of existence. Unfortunately, many churches today seem far more adept at poster art than they are at conveying the arguments in favour of this interesting and compelling version of what it is that churches are really all about. The question of evil - real moral evil, like September 11, or the murders at Auschwitz is also naturally compelling to humans. The brilliant and influential Polish philosopher Leszek Kolakowski conveyed this question once in an essay with the memorable title, "Can the Devil be Saved?" Kolakowski, himself not a believer, argued for the compelling importance of the concept of the Devil, or Satan, in human affairs. We must be able to confront evil and see it for what it is - not explain it away as an illusion caused by false consciousness. Something similar should be said about the perpetrators of radical evil, like the terrorists who destroy innocent life.
"Centuries of oppression" - a line used by those who want to make the West share in the blame for terrorist atrocities - is no excuse for murdering someone who has never oppressed anybody. Attempts to water down or walk around this basic moral truth can do nothing to convince non-believers of the wisdom of the Christian faith. That can only be achieved by the constant and repeated articulation of the reasoned arguments for Christian belief - an argument that must be carried forward in a spirit of charity. Charity may not consist in calling Osama bin Laden or his followers dirty names. But neither does it require the avoidance of the fullness of truth. Yes, Jesus did die to save sinners. But according to Christian Scripture, he also warned against the flames of hell for those who do not co-operate with the grace of God. The Christian church on earth is incapable of saying who has been excluded from the joys of eternal life. But it is charged with the day to day mundane mission that eternal joys and eternal punishment are realities that should be remembered. Street signs can only be a bare beginning in this task. Sometimes, they are not even that.
February 8 2007, The Record
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February 82007, The Record
In Perth
Brewing ways Catholics connect with each other Last weekend over 35 people met at the Dome Cafe in Mt Lawley for Club Amici's first social event of the year. Meaning "club of friends" in Italian, Club Amici was set up to encourage and develop social life across the Perth Catholic community for people over the age of 25, whether married or single. "It was wonderful to have so many people from different suburbs and situations - single, married and families attend our first event of the year, " said committee member Jenni Del Marco. "Our committee is a small group of friends who have seen the need for people to connect with each other and have tried to create ways for this to occur. "As people outgrow youth groups and loose touch with school and parish ties
due to moving or life changes, it can be very hard to reconnect and find others of the same faith in a purely social setting. "We have been delighted to receive feedback from many people saying this is exactly what they were looking for." Club Amici has organised various activities over the past 12 months such as games nights, picnics, dinners and a bike ride. They have also tapped into parish social events and other community organised activities as a way of providing and promoting social opportunities. Events in the next few weeks include ten pin bowling on Friday February 23, a foreshore walk on March 11 and a river cruise on March 24. For further information or to obtain a calendar of events for the next six months please phone Jenni on 0438 447 100.
Inspirational: Dynamic preacher Bo Sanchez is coming to Perth.
The preacher in blue jeans At 14, Bo Sanchez was asked to speak to a posse of high-powered businessmen. Witness his preaching as he visits Perth with the Disciples of Jesus Community Bo Sanchez, a Catholic who is passionate about the Church and the role it offers lay people today, is in Perth for a few days and will speak at a public rally on Saturday February 17. Bo, who lives in Manila with his wife Marowe and sons Benedict and Francis, grew up in a strong Catholic family and from an early age was keenly involved in his faith. At the age of 13 he started preaching. At 14, Bo was invited to speak to a group of very wealthy businessmen about the love of God, and to pray with them. Today, he continues to preach to millions worldwide. Bo has founded many organisations, such as Anawim, a special home for the abandoned elderly, and Shepherd's Voice, a media ministry that publishes the widest read Catholic literature in the Philippines. He also founded Light of Jesus Community and the Light of Jesus Counselling Centre. A firm believer in working with others, he has partnered with Gawad Kalinga and other groups that work for the poorest of the poor. Bo has been quick to use the internet as a vehicle to promote God's love from a Catholic perspective. One ofhis latest endeavours is the Kerygma Family — a borderless, international, nonphysical community. Already over 8,000 people from a variety of countries have signed up as members of this virtual community. In this community they can get prayer support and gain access to a wide range
of material for their spiritual and personal growth. By the age of 20 Bo had written his first book. He is now the publisher and main writer of the Kerygma, the number one inspirational magazine in the Philippines. His range of inspirational books have for some years stayed in the top ten list of bestselling books in the Philippines. These books include You Can Make Your Life Beautiful, Thank God He's Boss, You Have The Power To Create Love, Fill Your Life With Miracles, Simplify And Live The Good Life, and Your Past Does Not Define Your Future. Aside from Kerygma magazine, he publishes five more magazines, Catholic devotionals, and Bible reflection guides: Didache, Gabay, Companion, Sabbath, and Fish - a youth magazine. All of them are top-selling in their respective niches. Recognising the power of the media, Bo also hosts a weekly TV show and a daily Radio program to share the love of God. Bo believes that one of the most important solutions to his country's economic problems is to raise up more micro-entrepreneurs among his countrymen. He frequently teaches and writes about financial literacy, believing that poverty is perpetuated by people's low financial understanding on subjects such as debt-management, saving, investing, and business. In another endeavour he is very passionate about, Bo started the Catholic Filipino Homeschool to help parents who wish to teach to their children at home. You can see Bo Sanchez on Saturday, February 17 at Integrity House, 67 Howe St, Osborne Park. The rally, which is hosted by the Disciples of Jesus Community, commences at 7.30pm and entrance is by donation. For more information contact Mario on 9202 6843 or mario@disciplesofjesus.org.
Relaxed: Bronwyne and Brendan Grieves (front left) with baby Rosalie with Michelle Dart and son (front right) enjoy a coffee with friends at a Club Amici gathering at Dome Cafe.
P ANORAMA a roundup of events in the archdiocese
Sunday February 11 ST COLUMBA'S BAYSWATER 50TH ANNIVERSARY The 50th Anniversary of the opening of the current church will be celebrated with a thanksgiving Mass at llam, followed by a light luncheon in the Parish hall. An invitation is extended to past parishioners to attend this celebration. Please contact Carolyn Kelly on 9271 1988. Sunday February 11 ST CATHERINE'S CHURCH GINGIN - FEAST OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES Starts noon. Holy Rosary, Exposition, Hymns, Benediction and Blessing of the Sick. 1.30 Marian Procession. 2.30 Holy Mass at the Grotto. 3.30 Afternoon tea provided. Coaches leave St Joachim's, Maddington & Morley parishes. Bookings: Francis Williams 9459 3873 or Mb 0404 893 877. Transport cost $16/pp return. Tea & coffee provided. Contact Sheila 9575 4023 or Fr Paul 9571 1839. Sunday February 11 - Monday February 19 HOLY FACE NOVENA Burnett St, Embleton. Weeknights (Mon-Sat) devotions commence at 7pm. Sunday devotions commence at 6.30pm. Feast day Mass in honour of the Holy Face will be held on Tuesday 20/2 at 7pm at the Holy Trinity Church. All are welcome and a light supper will be shared after Mass - please bring a plate to share.
Monday February 12 CHALLENGES A program organised by Guides Western Australia (Inc) at Emmanuel Centre, gives adult people with disabilities a chance to learn new skills and achieve goals. The program begins on Monday 12 February every Monday in the school term from 9.30am to 11 am. For further information, contact Barbara at 9328 8113. Monday February 12 ACTS 2 COLLEGE Dare to learn more about your faith. Semester 1 Day and Night courses. 16 week courses commence the week of Monday 12 February. Study scripture; Communication and Group skills; apologetics and doctrine; Youth Ministry; God's plan for life and marriage. All courses nationally accredited. Enquiries to Jane on 9202 6859 or 0401 692 690. Tuesday February 13 CARITAS AUSTRALIA Get ready for Project Compassion 2007 Lenten Speakers Workshop, 6.45pm - 8.30pm. Catholic Pastoral Centre, 40A Mary St Highgate (Parking off Harold St) Follow signs to Seminar Room. No charge, light refreshments provided, RSVP essential 94227925.
February 82007, The Record
Page 15
Classifieds
P ANORAMA continued
Thursday February 15 MINISTERING TO YOUTH TRAINING COURSE Looking at developing local youth ministries? Getting ready for World Youth Day 2008? This course will cover the strategic and practical essentials of ministering to young people today. Semester 1: Thursday 7-30pm commencing 15 February. Acts 2 College of Mission & Evangelisation, Osborne Park. Contact Mario Borg on 0411 641 245. Saturday February 17 BO SANCHEZ VISIT Bo Sanchez, international Catholic preacher and a uthor is coming to Perth. Founder of the largest Catholic media ministry in the Philippines, including his own TV show "Preacher in Blue Jeans", radio programs and the publishing of devotional and inspirational magazines. 7.30pm, 67 Howe St, Osborne Park. Cost by donation. Information: Mario on 9202 6843 or email mario@disciplesofjesus.org. Sunday February 18 CARITAS AUSTRALIA Get ready for Project Compassion 2007. Official Launch of Project Compassion: 1 1 am Mass, St Joachim's Pro-Cathedral Victoria Park, Celebrant: Archbishop Hickey, Parishes to conduct local launch. Sunday February 18 BENEDICTINE OBLATES OF NEW NORCIA Our chapter will meet 2pm at St Joseph's Convent, York St, South Perth. This is our first meeting this year and we would like everyone to attend as we want to make plans for our 50th anniversary (Sept 2008). Vespers and afternoon tea will conclude the meeting. Please contact Secretary: Adrienne Byrne 9388 3026. Visitors and enquirers welcome. Sunday February 18 TAIZE MEDITATIVE PRAYER 8pm, Sisters of St Joseph Chapel, 16 York St, South Perth. Everyone welcome to come and join in this beautiful way of praying through song, scripture and silence. Bring a torch and a friend. Enq: Sister Maree 0414 683 926. Tuesday February 20 CARITAS AUSTRALIA Shrove Tuesday - Pancake Lunch, 12 noon - 1.30pm, Cost: Gold coin donation. Catholic Pastoral Centre, 40A Mary St Highgate (Parking off Harold St), Follow signs to Seminar Room. RSVP Essential 9422 7925. Friday February 23 ALAN AMES IN GLENDALOUGH Alan will be speaking of his conversion experiences at St Bernadette's Catholic Church, Cnr Leeder & Jugan Sts, Glendalough, after 7 pm Mass on Friday 23 February 2007. Healing prayers will follow. Enq: Loretti Crameri 9444 4409. Friday February 23 HEALING FIRE - BURNING LOVE HEALING SERVICES 'On the Road to Emmaus' a Scriptural Way of the Cross presented by Jenni Young. Come and experience an intimate encounter of Jesus' healing love for you as he takes your wounds upon himself and makes you whole. Friday 23 February at 7.309.30pm and every last Friday of the month thereafter in the Church, 270 Camberwarra Dry, Whitford. For more information please contact Jenni Young on 0404 389 679 or 9445 1028. Sunday February 25 CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION AND MASS (MANDARIN) The Perth Chinese Catholic Community (PCCC) welcome all to join in our Lunar New Year celebration and High Mass at the Holy Family Church, 45 Thelma St (cnr Thelma St & Canning Hwy), Como, at 4pm. Cultural lion dancing and Chinese musical instrument performances will follow after High Mass. Enq: PCCC Centre 9312 7649. Saturday February 24 to Sunday February 25 LENTEN RETREAT "Healing of relationships" conducted by Fr Hugh Thomas CCsR, at the Redemptorist Monastery Retreat Centre, Vincent St from 9am to 5pm. For more details and registration contact Gertrude (9455 6576/0411 262 221), Rita (9272 1765), or Rose (0403 300 720). Monday February 26 to Friday March 2 LENTEN MISSION Queen of Apostles Parish, 55Tudor Avenue, Riverton, Lenten Mission from Monday, 26 February to Friday 2 March (both days inclusive), from 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm daily, with question time to follow. Directed by Fr Greg Donovan. Enquiries: Parish Office 9354 0707 or Fr Paul 9354 0713. Wednesday February 28 PREGNANCY ASSISTANCE INFORMATION DAY Are you Pro-Life? Compassionate? A good listener?
Classifieds: $3.30/line incl. GST
An information day will be held on Wednesday 28 February from 9.30am to 2.30pm for those who would like to know more about becoming a pregnancy support volunteer. To register, ph Pregnancy Assistance on 9328 2926. Friday March 2 to Sunday March 4 MARIST FR PAUL GLYNN Enjoy a quiet, non-stress retreat with the dearly loved author and retreat master, Fr Paul Glynn. Father will give two retreats at God's Farm 40km's south of Busselton, coach bookings now only for Retreat 1: Mar 2-4. Retreat 2: Mar 9-11. Details: Betty Peaker s.f.o. Ph/Fax: 9755 6212. PO Box 24 Cowaramup 6284. Saturday March 10 LENTEN RETREAT DAY "Dancing our sorrows", 10am - 4 pm. St Catherine's House of Hospitality, 113 Tyler Street, Tuart Hill. To register phone 9271 3873 Monday 26 March SPIRITUALITY AND JUSTICE: BEING HUMAN IN A CHAOTIC WORLD. 5.00 - 8.30 pm at the Perth Theological Hall, Worship Centre, Murdoch University (including light refreshments and worship) Registrations to 9360 6880 or a.watson@murdoch.edu.au. Every Monday SCRIPTURAL PRAYER PROGRAM The Council for Australian Catholic Women (CACW) is offering a Scriptural Prayer Program developed in the Jesuit tradition. This form of prayer can lead to more reflective living, greater spiritual depths and promotes lay spiritual leadership in the Church. Led by Kathleen Brennan (ibvm). 7.30pm, 49a Vincent St, Highgate. Enq: 9345 2555. All Welcome. Every Sunday BULLSBROOK SHRINE Mass celebrated with Rosary and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 2pm at the Shrine of Virgin of the Revelation, 36 Chittering Rd, Bullsbrook. Reconciliation in Italian and English before every celebration. Monthly Pilgrimage last Sunday of the month. Anointing of the sick during Mass on the second Sunday of the month. Side entrance of Church and Shrine open daily 9am and 5pm for private prayer. Enq SACRI 9447 3292. Every Monday WEIGHT MANAGEMENT FOR THOSE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS The Emmanuel Centre are offering to help people who gain weight because they are using medication for their mental illness. The group helps participants to manage their weight safely and healthily. Mind-Body-Life meets at the Emmanuel Centre on Mondays from 12.30-2.30pm. Free. The group starts with a weigh-in, then a talk on nutrition and healthy eating tips, goal setting and then half an hour of exercise. Enq: Amanda - Emmanuel Centre, 9328 8113. Every 1st and 3rd Friday of the month CATHOLIC FAITH RENEWAL Every 1st Friday of the month, Praise and Worship Evening held at St John and Paul's Church, Pinetree Gully Road, Willetton at 7.30pm and every 3rd Friday of the month, Catholic Adult Faith Education by Fr Greg Donovan held at LJ Goody Bioethics Centre, 39 Jugan Street, Glendalough. All are welcome, Enq: Rita 9272 1765, Rose 0403 300 720. IS YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER UNDECIDED AFTER SCHOOL? If your child has finished school unsure of what they really want to do, offer them a productive year discovering God's purpose for their life while learning practical life skills. They will develop leadership skills, communication and public speaking skills, and learn more about the Catholic faith and deepen their own faith in God. Contact Jane Borg (Acts 2 College) on 9202 6859 or 0401 692 690. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Is alcohol costing you more than just money? Alcoholics Anonymous can help. Ring 9325 3566. AL ANON FAMILY GROUPS If a loved one's drinking is worrying you - please call Al Anon Family Groups for confidential information meetings etc... Phone Number 9325 7528 - 24 hrs.
LINDA'S HOUSE OF HOPE APPEAL To enable us to continue to provide and offer support for girls wishing to leave the sex trade we need your help. We have achieved already new offfices which are now complete at the rear of the shelter and are fully functional. Donations are also required to complete the internal layout of the shelter itself. Please send donations to Linda's House of Hope PO Box Z5640, Perth, St George's Tce 6831. Ph: 0439 401 009. All donations over $2 are tax deductible.
24 hour Hotline 9227 7778
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EVENTS III PILGRIMAGE Dear Pilgrim, You are invited to come on a 15 Days Spiritual Pilgrimage. Medjugorje: 6 Days. Rome: 4 Days (audience with Pope). Garabandal: 4 Days. Spiritual Directors: Fr Paul Fox & Fr Aruiraj. Depart Perth: Wed 16 May 2007. Cost: $4958.00 P/P (twin share). Call Helen Cockrell Tel: (08) 9453 3218/0431 689 128. Sky air services - 9TA1220. Thank you for responding to my call.
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EMPLOYMENT • POSITIONS VACANT Cleaner/Office business, 4hr/week, North Perth, Telephone Joanne 0409 375 817
SERVICES REPAIR YOUR LITURGICAL BOOKS Repairs to all sorts of books and leather bindings; reliable, reasonable rates. Ph. (08) 9293 3092.
FURNITURE REMOVAL III ALL AREAS Mike Murphy 0416 226 434.
BLINDS • BLINDS SPECIALIST Call Aaron for FREE quotes 0402 979 889.
Classifieds Must be submitted by fax, email or post no later than 12pm Tuesday. For more information contact 9227 7778.
Official Dairy - February 8
Council of Priests' Meeting, Li Goody Hall, Glendalough - Archbishop Hickey, Bishop Sproxton Mass at Clarkson Parish - Archbishop Hickey
11
50th Anniversary Mass of St Columba's Church, Bayswater - Bishop Sproxton
13
Meeting of Candidates and Catechumens for Rite of Election - Archbishop Hickey
14
Knights of the Southern Cross Mass and Meeting, Rivervale - Archbishop Hickey
15
Mercedes College Opening Mass - Archbishop Hickey Meeting of Newly Ordained, St Thomas More College - Archbishop Hickey
16
Caritas Reconciliation Forum, John XXIII College - Reflections by Archbishop Hickey
18
Project Compassion Mass, St Joachim's, Victoria Park - Archbishop Hickey 25th Anniversary Mass for Sr Jacinta RGS, Mirrabooka Bishop Sproxton
19
Blessing for Impact World Tour - Bishop Sproxton
20 Meeting and Dinner, Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem - Bishop Sproxton
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The Last Word
February 8 2007, The Record
Holiness takes risks, makes mistakes and needs forgiveness Pope Benedict XVI says we can learn much from three of St Paul's collaborators: Barnabas, Silas and Apollos. ontinuing our journey among the leaders of the Christian origins, today we look at other collaborators of St Paul. We must acknowledge that the Apostle is an eloquent example of a man open to collaboration: In the Church, he does not want to do everything on his own, but makes use of numerous and diverse colleagues. We cannot reflect on all these precious helpers, as they are many. Suffice it to recall, among others, Epaphras (Colossians 1:7; 4:12; Philemon 23), Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25; 4:18), Tychicus (Acts 20:4; Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7; 2 Timothy 4:12; Titus 3:12), Urbanus (Romans 16:9), Gaius and Aristarchus (Acts 19:29; 20:4; 27:2; Colossians 4:10). And women such as Phoebe (Romans 16:1), Tryphaena and Tryphosa (Romans 16:12), Persis, mother of Rufus, of whom he says, "also his mother and mine" (Romans 16:1213), not forgetting spouses such as Prisca and Aquila (Romans 16:3; 1 Corinthians 16:19; 2 Timothy 4:19). Today, among this great army of men and women collaborators of St Paul, we are interested in three of these persons who had a particularly significant role in the evangelisation of the origins: Barnabas, Silas and Apollos. "Barnabas," which means "son of encouragement" (Acts 4:36) or "son of consolation," is the nickname of a Levite Jew born a native of Cyprus. Having moved to Jerusalem, he was one of the first to embrace Christianity, after the Lord's resurrection. With great generosity, he sold a field that belonged to him, giving the money to the Apostles for the needs of the Church (Acts 4:37). He became the guarantor of Saul's conversion to the Christian community of Jerusalem, which still mistrusted its former persecutor (Acts 9:27). Sent to Antioch of Syria, he went to look for Paul in Tarsus, where he had gone, and spent a whole year with him, dedicating himself to the evangelisation of that important city, in whose Church Barnabas was known as prophet and doctor (Acts 13:1). So Barnabas, at the moment of the first conversions of pagans, understood that Saul's hour had arrived; Saul had gone to Tarsus, his city. He went there to look for him. In that important moment he virtually restored Paul to the Church; he gave it, in a certain sense, once again, the Apostle of the Gentiles. From the Church of Antioch, Barnabas was sent on mission, together with Paul, undertaking the Apostle's so-called first missionary journey. In reality, it was Barnabas' missionary journey, given that he was the person in charge. Paul joined him as a collaborator, crossing the regions of Cyprus and central-south Anatolia, in present-day Turkey, through the cities of Atalia, Perga, Antioch of Psidia, Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe (Acts 13-14). Together with Paul he then went to the so-called Council of Jerusalem where, after a profound examination of the question, the Apostles with the elders decided to abandon the practice of circumcision (Acts 15:1-35). Only thus, in the end, did they allow it officially to be the Church of the pagans, a Church without circumcision: We are children of Abraham simply through faith in Christ. The two, Paul and Barnabas, confronted
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each other later, at the start of the second missionary journey, because Barnabas wanted to get John Mark as a companion, while Paul did not want to, given that the youth had separated from them in the previous journey (Acts 13:13; 15:36-40). Hence, also among saints there are oppositions, discords and controversies. And this is very consoling for me, as we see that the saints have not "fallen from heaven." They are men like us, with complicated problems. Holiness does not consist in not making mistakes or never sinning. Holiness grows with the capacity for conversion, repentance, willingness to begin again, and above all with the capacity for reconciliation and forgiveness. And in this way, Paul, who had been somewhat hard and bitter with Mark, in the end meets him again. In the last letters of St Paul, to Philemon and in the second to Timothy, Mark appears precisely as "my collaborator." We are not made saints because we never make a mistake, but because of our capacity to forgive and reconcile. And we can all learn this way of holiness. In any case, Barnabas, with John Mark, returned to Cyprus (Acts 15:39) around the year 49. From then on all traces of him were lost. Tertullian attributes to him the Letter to the Hebrews, which is not improbable as, being of the tribe of Levi, Barnabas might have been interested in the topic of priesthood. And the Letter to the Hebrews interprets Jesus' priesthood for us in an extraordinary way. Silas, another of Paul's companions, is the Greek form of a Hebrew name (perhaps "shear: to request, to invoke), which constitutes the same root of the name "Saul" (which also proceeds the Latin form "Silvanus"). The name Silas is only mentioned in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, whereas Silvanus appears in Paul's letters. He was a Jew from Jerusalem, one of the first to become a Christian, and he enjoyed great esteem in that Church (Acts 15:22), being considered a prophet (Acts 15:32). He was in charge of taking "to the brethren of Antioch, Syria and Cilicia" (Acts 15:23) the decisions made by the Council of Jerusalem and of explaining them. Evidently they thought that he was able to carry out a sort of mediation between Jerusalem and Antioch, between JudeoChristians and Christians of pagan origin, and in this way serve the unity of the Church in the diversity of rites and origins. When Paul separated from Barnabas, he took Silas as his new fellow traveller (Acts 15:40). With Paul, he arrived in Macedonia (in the cities of Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea), where he stayed, while Paul continued to Athens and afterward to Corinth. Silas reached him in Corinth, where he collaborated in the preaching of the Gospel; in fact, in Paul's second letter to that Church, he speaks of "Jesus Christ, whom we preached among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I" (2 Corinthians 1:19). This explains why he appears as coauthor, along with Paul and Timothy, of the two Letters to the Thessalonians. This also seems important to me. Paul does not act as a "soloist," as an isolated individual, but together with these collaborators in the "we" of the Church. This "I" of Paul is not an isolated "I," but an "I" in the "we" of the Church, in the "we" of the apostolic faith. And Silvanus is mentioned also at the end of the First Letter of Peter, when one reads: "By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him,Ihave written briefly to you" (5:12). Thus we also see the communion of the Apostles. Silvanus serves Paul, serves Peter,
On a faith journey: Paul and Barnabas were tireless in their mission.
because the Church is one and the missionary proclamation is one. The third companion of Paul that we wish to recall today is Apollos, probable abbreviation of Apollonius or Apolodorous. Despite its being a name of pagan origin, he was a fervent Jew of Alexandria of Egypt. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles, Luke describes him as an "eloquent man, well versed in the Scriptures ... fervent in spirit" (18:24-25). Apollos' arrival on the scene of the first evangelisation took place in the city of Ephesus: He had travelled there to preach and there he had the good fortune of meeting the Christian spouses Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:26), who "took him and expounded to him the way of God more accurately" (Acts 18:26). From Ephesus he crossed to Achaia until he arrived in the city of Corinth: He arrived there with the support of a letter of the Christians of Ephesus, who asked the Corinthians to give him a good reception (Acts 18:27). In Corinth, as Luke writes, "he gave great assistance to those who had come to believe through grace. He vigorously refuted the Jews in public, establishing from the Scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus" (Acts 18:27-28). His success in that city had a problematic ending, as some members of that Church, fascinated by his manner of speaking, opposed others in his name (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4-6; 4:6). Paul, in the First Letter to the Corinthians expresses his appreciation for Apollos' work, but reproaches the Corinthians for lacerating the Body of Christ, separating in opposing factions. He draws an important lesson from what
happened: Both Apollos and I, he says, are no more than "diakonoi," that is, simple ministers, through whom you came to the faith (1 Corinthians 3:5). Each one has a different task in the field of the Lord: "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave growth. ... for we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building" (1 Corinthians 3:6-9). On returning to Ephesus, Apollos resisted Paul's invitation to return immediately to Corinth, postponing the journey to a later date, which we ignore (1 Corinthians 16:12). We have no more news of him, though some experts think that he is the possible author of the Letter to the Hebrews, whose author, according to Tertullian, was Barnabas. These three men shine in the firmament of witnesses of the Gospel by a common characteristic, in addition to each one's personal characteristics. In common, in addition to the Jewish origin, they have the dedication to Jesus Christ and the Gospel, as well as the fact that the three were collaborators of the Apostle Paul. In this original evangelising mission they found the meaning of life and thus they are presented to us as luminous models of selflessness and generosity. Let us think, finally, once again, of that phrase of St Paul: Both Apollos and I are ministers of Jesus, each one in his way, as it is God who gives growth. This is valid for us also today, for the Pope, as well as for cardinals, bishops, priests and laity. We are all humble ministers of Jesus. We serve the Gospel in the measure that we can, according to our gifts, and we ask God to make his Gospel, his Church grow today. [TRANSLATION BY ZENIT)