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UKRAINIAN SPRING: English draft of new Catechism well under way Page 2
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Priests to teach Jesus to school students again
Clergy to have key, re Catholic primary and secondary schools are to be accountable to their Parish Priest for their religious activities, including the teaching of RE, Archbishop Barry Hickey announced this week. The Archbishop said that the new role for Parish Priests had been defined in agreements reached with the Catholic Education Office in accord with Part 4, No. 63 of the Bishops' Mandate Letter. That section states: "Within the Catholic school, the parish priest is responsible for ensuring that the Bishop's Religious Education Programme is followed, and for encouraging coordination between the school's and the parish's evangelisation activities." (The Bishops' Mandate Letter is the document under which the Bishops of WA create the Catholic Education Commission and the Catholic Education Office and authorise them to conduct Catholic education throughout the State.) Some of the specific provisions
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Sculptures in sand to promote WYD '08 • By Anthony Barich
The champs: The last few months have been Trinity College's most successful season, winning five titles and runner up in a sixth. They won the Alcock Shield (athletics), the Alcock Cup (Australian Rules football), PSA swimming, the Darlot Cup (cricket), the PSA basketball and, of course, the Head of the River (celebrated above at Trinity College), with the Challenge Cup for the 1st VIII race and the Hamer Cup for the being the strongest rowing school in the PSA.
Continued on page 16
THE UNHEARD HOMILIES
Most of the world wouldn't have heard these words unless they were standing within hearing distance of the Holy Father throughout the Easter celebrations.
VISTA 2-3
Reading from
Continued- Page 16
THE PATHFINDER
INDEX I say,I say/Letters Chrism Mass Feature The World Reviews Classifieds
Over 100 teams of Catholic youth are expected to take West Australians' reputation as "Sandgropers" to a whole new level this Saturday as a means of evangelising ahead of next year's global Catholic extravaganza in Sydney. On April 21 Perth's youth will show an awesome public witness of being a young Catholic by hitting Scarborough Beach in a sand sculpture competition to promote the upcoming World Youth Day event in Sydney next year.
- Page 8 - VISTA 4 - Pages 10 -12 - Page 14 - Page 15
Dr John Billings has been mourned and honoured the world over since his death in early April. Pope Benedict paid tribute to his synthesis of faith and science.
VISTA 1-3
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April 192007, The Record
Clergy changes • By Sylvia Defendi
In the recent Ad Clerum (letter to clergy), Archbishop Barry Hickey announced various clergy changes throughout the state. Fr Kenneth Asaba has been appointed to take the place of the late Fr Kevin Cronin as chaplain of the Holy Spirit Chapel in the Robert Healy Centre in Joondalup. For an initial period of three years, Fr Milton Arias has been appointed to the parish of Humpty Doo in the Diocese of Darwin, while Fr Eugenio Zurias-Dias will be transferring from the Diocese of Darwin to that of Broome. Fr Thai Vu will be replacing Fr Armando Carandang as the Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese of Perth. Meanwhile, Clinical Psychologist Fr Gerard Stoyle, from Wollongong, will be supporting Aranmore College and be lecturing within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle. New parish priests were also announced in the Ad Clerum, with Fr Joseph Rathnaraj appointed parish priest of Kalgoorlie/ Boulder; Fr Doug Harris as parish priest of Glendalough; Fr Jim Shelton of Bassendean; Fr Alfonsas Savickis of St Brigid's in Northbridge; Fr Donald Kettle of City Beach and Fr Freddy Hernandez of Cottesloe/ Mosman Park.
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Prayer the key to wedded bliss • By Sylvia Defendi
Not even war could separate Christine and William Boudville, who on Palm Sunday celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary amidst their three children, 13 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. Married in Burma on April 1, 1942, during the Second World War, the couple have said they believe the secret to a lasting marriage is love, patience, tolerance, trust and most importantly prayer. Hailing from Burma, the couple celebrated their anniversary with Mass at St Gerard Majella's Church in Mirrabooka, after which the whole family celebrated with a shared meal. At the celebration Mr and Mrs Boudville recalled a very rocky start to their lasting marriage. Fearing Japanese invasion, Mr Boudville wrote to Christine with his proposal. "One week's notice - who does he think he is?," Mrs Boudville recalls her mother saying. Regardless, within a week the couple were married, despite having to overcome strict rulings which forbade weddings during Holy Week. No photos were taken of the special event and there was no
Happy: William and Christine Boudville are content after 65 years of married bliss.
cake to be cut; it was, as Mrs Boudville said, "a typical war wedding". An evacuation officer at the time, Mr Boudville was forced to leave his wife the day after the wedding. The couple had planned to meet again in India, but stolen luggage and illness prevented Mrs Boudville from reaching her husband for a further three days. "He was not sure whether he would ever see me again," Mrs Boudville recounted. Yet, the kindness of an
Australian soldier allowed her to travel freely, from campto-camp, until she eventually reached Calcutta. Mr Boudville said he was so happy to see his wife that he thanked God and embraced her at once. Despite a bout of malaria affecting Mr Boudville, the couple travelled to southern India, where two of their children were born. The last of their children was born in Burma, when the couple returned to their homeland.
On March 18, 1966, the family migrated to Perth, when. they continue to live. Of their bumpy experiences Mrs Boudville said their devotion to Mary had never failed them. "Our lives are a testimony to the power of prayer. There could have been so many trag edies, yet the good Lord kept us safe," she said. Now in their late 80s the couple don't think they are particularly lucky, but they do believe they have been bounti fully blessed.
Twin sisters, twin vocations • By Sylvia Defendi
Twin sisters, Sr Catherine and Sr Mary O'Connor, have always remained close, so it was not unusual for them to celebrate their Golden Jubilee together earlier this year. Influenced by the example of the Mercy nuns, who taught them at St Mary's school in Leederville, now Aranmore Catholic College, both sisters entered the Leederville Mercy Convent in 1954, aged 17. Strict rules governing religious life later resulted in the two separating as they took up the ministry of teaching and laboured in classrooms in West Perth, Leederville, Osborne Park, Wanneroo, Kojonup, Lesmurdie, Balcatta, Craigie and Woodvale. "It was then that we realised how strong our bond was. We missed each other quite a bit," Sr Catherine said. During the 60s, however, much changed in the order and the two were able to see each other and the rest of their relations and friends more often. Having retired from teaching, Sr Catherine now assists at St Brigid's College in Lesmurdie with preparation for Mass and catechesis, while Sr Mary manages a village of independent living units and attends to congregation property.
Eerie similarity: Sr Mary and Sr Catherine have done everything together. PHOTO SYlViA nFrFNn
The two celebrated their anniversary on February 18 with Mass, celebrated by Fr Laurence Murphy at St Mary's Church in Leederville. Concelebrants at the anniversary celebration were Bishop Peter Quinn, Fr Daniel Foley, Fr James Petry, Fr Kevin Long, Fr Vincent Glynn and Fr Oswald Lewis. Family and friends then enjoyed a meal at Rossetti's Restaurant where the twin's lives were recalled with pictures and comments from loved ones.
Recalling their own fond memories, the sisters spoke of an occurrence during the late 50s at the old St Mary's School in Leederville. "Sr Mary was a teacher one year and then I followed as a teacher to the same group the next year," Sr Catherine said. One of the boys in year two, when asked whether he had a new teacher, responded that it was the same teacher, but that she had changed her name, recalled an amused Sr Catherine.
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Recapturing Eastern spirituality Visiting Eparch: Ukrainian Catechism nearly ready to go
• By Anthony Barich The draft of the first English translation of the first Ukrainian Catholic Church Catechism in over 400 years has been completed and should be approved by September. Melbourne -based Redemptorist Eparch Peter Stasiuk CSsR, who heads the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Australia and New Zealand, visited Perth this week, where he revealed that the Catechism that the late Pope John Paul II asked them to produce should be published in English after Christmas. Eparch Stasiuk said the Catechism is being written for the Greek Catholic Church, which includes Ukrainian, Russian and Ruthenian Catholics (a minority Church of the Ukraine that are prominent in the US, Hungary, Slovakia and other parts of Eastern Europe including the Balkans), totalling about 10 million people. A copy of the finished Ukrainian text was presented in August last year to all the Ukrainian Catholic Bishops in the world, who had until the end of last month to submit their comments, and were also promised an English translation at that time. The Ukrainian version should be approved at a Synod of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the US in September and be published after Christmas, quickly followed by an official English and Russian translation then Spanish and Portuguese over the next 18 months. Eparch Stasiuk said that Mgr Raffaello Martinelli, a Vatican official from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, told a Ukrainian Catholic Church meeting of the Catechetical Commission in Lviv, Ukraine in May last year that their work was crucial because, "in fact, your Catechism will tell us who we, the Latin-based Catholics, are". For the last five months theologians from Argentina, Ukraine,
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Visiting: Eparch Peter Stasiuk CSsR, in Perth this week, said the Ukrainian Catholic Church Catechism, requested by the late Pope John Paul II, is nearly ready to go. PHOTO. ANTHONY BAP' Australia, North and South America, Brazil and Eastern and Western Europe have reviewed the draft of the English translation. The project started in 2000 when Pope John Paul II asked the Ukrainian Catholics to produce their own Catechism, and in the process move closer to their own traditions and roots. Though JPII asked them to write their own Catechism, Eparch Stasiuk said it's not a mandate but an obligation. "Whether someone told us to do it or not, we should be doing it," he said. "We don't pretend to answer every question, we can't address every problem and we won't," Eparch Stasiuk said. "We can't address the whole theology, but we think we have captured the body of it. "We are going to express the Eastern spirituality, liturgy and Eastern thinking." Eparch Stasiuk says it should be a comprehensive exposition of what Byzantine Catholics believe,
how they pray and how they live.
He said the new Catechism will clarify Eastern theology for Byzantine Catholics, who up until now have been praying within an Eastern spirituality while unwittingly thinking within a Western theological mentality. "That creates an uncertainty and a tension that really shouldn't be there," he said. "We've never been able to state these things." This new Catechism will be especially significant as the collapse of Communism in the former Soviet Union has seen the emergence in Eastern European countries of their own Eastern Churches. "The Ukraine Church is part of the gene pool of Christianity and we enrich theology by our diversity," he said. There will be key differences from the Vatican's Catechism of the Catholic Church published in 1992, including differences in the Sacrament of Penance. "We look at sin as a falling away from God and we don't count the times that we have sinned indi-
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in brief... Those who've had abortions are likely abuse sufferers Researchers from La Trobe University in Australia report that Australian women aged between 22 and 27 who had an abortion were three times more likely to have suffered abuse from a partner than those who did not have an abortion. They were also more likely to come from a disadvantaged background. "The take home message is that if we want to reduce the rate of abortion and unwanted pregnancy in Australia, especially among teenagers, we need to reduce violence against women," said researcher Dr Angela Taft. - LA TROBE UNIVERSITY
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WHATI MET ALONG THE WAY
Bush urges prayer Prayer bolsters a nation, says President Bush WASHINGTON, DC (Zenit.org) - A strong nation is one that prays, President George Bush said to nearly 1600 people attending the fourth Annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. Addressing the event, held last Friday in Washington, Bush said that the true strength of a nation "lies in the hearts" of its men and women. The president also spoke of the continued effort for a culture of life: "Renewing the promise of America begins with upholding the dignity of human life. We must continue to work for a culture of life - where the strong protect the weak, and where we recognise in every human life the image of our Creator." Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington, DC, gave the keynote address on "Christianity and Our National Identity." Tracing the political foundations of the United States from the Mayflower Compact in 1620 to the Constitution in 1787, the archbishop said "this theme is repeated over and over again. We
are a free people who recognise the sovereignty of God and God's law in our personal and societal life." The prelate said that recent movements of public opinion lack appreciation for "the basic religious values that underpin our laws," and call for "a so-called secular frame of reference within which public policy should be articulated." "Yet the opposite conviction has long been a cornerstone of the American experience," said Archbishop Wuerl. "It finds expression in our deep-seated conviction that we have inalienable rights from 'the Laws of Nature and Nature's God.- Fr Richard John Neuhaus, editor in chief of First Things, spoke at the event on "Why I Am Not an American Catholic." Fr Neuhaus told Zenit: "Since the Second Vatican Council, there has been a fevered concern about what it means to be an American Catholic. I suggest that is the wrong way of putting the question. Our commitment is to be not American Catholics but Catholic Americans. The adjective controls. "Do we define being 'Catholic' to fit 'American,' or do we define
Howdee: President Bush at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.
`American' by 'Catholic'? Put differently, are we Catholics in a peculiarly American way or Americans in a distinctively Catholic way? Of course both are true, but the accent is on the latter. The future of Catholic witness in American life lies with those who are clearly and vibrantly Catholic Americans." "The prayer breakfast is a most welcome development. At one level, it is a very public showing of the Catholic flag.
Perth Missionary of God's Love takes vows • By Anthony Barich
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"More importantly, it is an occasion for encouragement and exchange among people who are excited about being Catholic Americans." Austin Ruse, a founder of the prayer breakfast and president of Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, told Zenit that four years ago the event was launched as "it is always important to fly the flag of the Church in the public square, most especially in the nation's capital."
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The simplicity of St Francis of Assisi's message is what inspires Perth boy David Callaghan through his time in the missionary of God's Love seminary in Melbourne, leading up to his ordination next year. David, 28, made his final vows at St Benedict's Church in Burwood, Melbourne on March 24 with fellow Sandgroper Daniel Strickland, 29. St Francis, who sought prayer and solitude to answer his vocation, first disposed of his possessions and set about announcing the Kingdom of God. This charism is replicated by the Missionaries of God's Love (MGLs), who wear pants of the same "beast colour" that Francis first wore in his wollen tunic. And just as Francis took poverty as his "bride of surpassing fairness" and who, even in his frivolous youthful days, had a special sympathy for the poor, the MGLs have a special missionary focus that draws many young people, including David Callaghan, to their Association of Christ's faithful. "What attracted me to the MGLs was that they were just really focused on proclaiming Jesus," David said. "It seems a strange thing, because as that's what the whole Church is on about, but this is about capturing people's hearts in a new way, and the particular way that the MGLs go about that is why it is so successful in appealing to young people." It was a random act of picking up a book on St Francis while waiting for a mate to pick him up from Church that first triggered his interest in religious life. He sees the MGLs as proclaiming Francis' charism. "It's the same thing - Francis just didn't want to get caught up with anything else, just to preach the Gospel and tell people about Jesus, with a particular emphasis
on the love of God. He's very much the inspiration to the whole thing," David said. David also finds inspiration from Fr Ken Barker, who started the MGLs, who, like Francis, regularly isolate themselves for prayer and contemplation. For this very reason David walked from his parents' Duncraig home to the Disciples of Jesus Summer School in New Norcia in January, to "walk in the footsteps" of Benedictine Bishop Rosendo Salvado. "It's a normal part of our formation, we do the missionary thing but are very contemplative. Once a month or so we just go away for a few days in solitude, just be alone with the Lord, and doing the walk was a bit of that, and this gives us the depth of relationship that gives us the means of the missionary work that we do." His formation has also seen him spend 18 months in Aboriginal communities around Darwin. Daniel worked in slum areas of the Philippines. For David, the experience left him awestruck. "The biggest thing was seeing the depth of faith in the Aborigines up there. It's an aspect of the Catholic Church that we don't see," he said. David and Daniel will be ordained into the diaconate in December before their ordination into the priesthood by Canberra Archbishop Mark Coleridge, who has worked closely with the MGLs, having taught scripture to most of their priests who are now ordained. Daniel says he wants to return home, but it will depend on if the MGLs can get the numbers to start a house in Perth. In the meantime he'll return through Disciples of Jesus Covenant Community events. To enquire about MGLs, tor the Brotherhood, their Sisters or priesthood vocations, contact Fr Ken Barker on 02 6281 0132 or email frken@smartchat.net.au.
April 192007, The Record
Page 5
Don't let them get away with it
Imprisoned priest's brother calls for sanctions on Vietnam By Paul Gray
The older brother of imprisoned Vietnamese priest Fr Nguyen Van Ly has called for Australia and other countries to impose sanctions on Vietnam until the communist country makes progress on human rights. Fr Ly, who has already spent 14 years in Vietnamese prisons, much of that time in solitary confinement, was recently sentenced to a further eight years jail, for the crime of "spreading propaganda" against the Communist State. Fr Ly and four other prodemocracy activists, all of them lay Catholics, were jailed after speaking against Vietnam's system of compulsory one-party Government. In a rare interview with the media, Fr Ly's brother, Nguyen Hoang An, told The Record that his younger brother is a courageous priest who has accepted his times of trial and suffering because of the opportunity it provides him to witness to the Catholic faith. "He has said that going to jail for him is a chance to convert people and baptise them," Mr An said. Mr An, who has lived in Australia since 1983 but still speaks little English, said through an interpreter that the Communist prison system in Vietnam does not allow prisoners to be visited by priests. He said that during his long years in jail, Fr Ly has converted many prisoners and also prison guards to the Catholic faith. Such is the fear and respect held for Fr Ly by prison authorities that they will not speak with him in his prison cell where all conversations are filmed and recorded on tape, as a matter of routine. Instead, when wishing to speak with him, prison authorities summon him to a meeting in the open air where their own words to him cannot be monitored by Communist Party hierarchy. Protests on behalf of Fr Ly have been raised by the Vatican with the Communist authorities of Vietnam. Amnesty International and politicians in the United States and Australia have also publicly denounced the priest's imprisonment. Mr An said he did not believe Fr Ly would be subjected to torture in his current imprisonment, but he
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Troubled times: Members of the Australia Vietnam Human Rights Committee with Mr Nguyen Hoang An (second from left) who is the brother of imprisoned Vietnamese priest Fr Nguyen Van Ly PHOTO: PAUL GR said that torture has been a regular feature of the prison system in the country. Asked to compare the treatment of his brother with that of famous Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks, Mr An became animated. "A Communist jail is incomparable!" he said. "I know, I have lived in a Communist prison. They terrorise you into submission," he said. Mr An then launched into an impassioned description of the psychological and physical tortures used for decades on ordinary, non-criminal Vietnamese who have fallen foul of the Communist regime. "They torture you in many ways," he said. "They use two lights, very bright, and you have to look into it. Soon your brain goes blank. They don't let you eat. "They make you stand with your hands on the wall" - at this point Mr An leapt up and shoved his hands against the wall of the crowded Footscray restaurant - "and if you happen to kneel down or drop that pose, they will hit you. "And in the heat, in the sun,
JPII used as example to take boy off respirator to be given "comfort care" AUSTIN, Texas (CNS) - Citing difficult decisions in his own family and the example of Pope John Paul II, Bishop Gregory M Aymond of Austin said Catholic teaching would permit the withdrawal of extraordinary medical treatment for Emilio Gonzales, a dying 17-month-old boy at Children's Hospital of Austin. Catarina Gonzales, the boy's mother, has been fighting for continued medical treatment of her son at the hospital. The boy's physicians and other hospital officials have recommended that the child be removed from a respirator and given only "comfort care." Emilio, who has been blind and deaf since birth and was admitted to the hospital on December 27 with a collapsed lung, has been diagnosed with Leigh's disease, a rare disorder that is causing his central nervous system to break down. The disease is considered incurable.
they will make you stand to the flagpole. You have to stand and look at the flag and when you're too tired, when you fall down, they will hit you and make you stand up again. And that's before they start to question you. "Then when you're too frightened, you will say everything that they want you to say. They write your supposed 'confession' and in that state of mind, you sign whatever they have written for you." Mr An said that his brother spent the entire period of his last prison term in solitary confinement. There has been speculation about the mental effect such intense incarceration might have had on Fr Ly. However Mr An said that his brother is mentally strong, and that his frequent prayer to God while in jail acts as a preventative against mental deterioration. Mr An indicated he is not confident of seeing his brother again. He said that he previously attempted to organise safe passage for his brother to travel to Australia but that Fr Ly had refused, saying that his fight for human rights and free-
dom of religion lay in Vietnam, where he would stay. Members of the Australia Vietnam Human Rights Committee, who collaborate with Mr An in trying to promote Fr Ly's cause, told The Record that they believed Fr Ly would not be allowed to leave Vietnam, even if the priest agreed to do so. They said Fr Ly was once nominated for an international peace award which would have required his travelling to America. But the Communist Government refused to give permission for Fr Ly to leave the country for that purpose. Victorian state parliamentarian Luke Donnellan had previously commented that Fr Ly's most recent imprisonment is "typical behaviour by a Communist Government." "Vietnam has been lobbying Australia and the US for support in its quest to be admitted to the World Trade Organisation. "Then as soon as Australia and the US accede on this, they (the Vietnamese Communist Government) go bashing up on their dissidents," Mr Donnellan said.
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Page 6
April 192007, The Record
Cathedral completion is moving ahead All systems are 'Go' as workers prepare the cathedral for its inspiring completion in 2008 Serious work on the conservation and completion of St Mary's Cathedral is now clearly visible to visitors and patients at Royal Perth Hospital. The top picture was taken last week, and work has progressed even further on the removal of walls and roof to allow for the expansion of the cathedral and the proper connection of the two halves of the building. The bottom picture shows how the cathedral will look when completed. The expanded central section and the existing 1930 cathedral (left) will house a new sanctuary and altar, and will accommodate bigger congregations with better visual access to the new sanctuary. The bottom picture also shows how the new section will combine with the western section of the 1865 cathedral (right) to create a unified cathedral with elements of the 19th Century, 20th Century and 21st Century buildings. A new tower will be erected at the north-western end to balance the existing tower on the south-western end of the building. The removal of the walls and roof, as shown above and on the southern side of the cathedral, has revealed starkly the deficiencies created by the original join - deficiencies which had to be accepted at the time because of the lack of funds or the prospect of funds when the great depression struck in 1929-30. The current conservation and completion project is estimated to cost $25 million. With the aid of $3mi11ion from the Federal Government and $2mi11ion from the State Government, the Archdiocese has $15 million in hand and has launched a public appeal for the balance. There has been enthusiastic acceptance of the design of the complete cathedral, and a positive response to the appeal for funds. At the recent launch of the appeal, the Chief Justice of Western Australia, the Hon. Wayne Martin said: "This is not just a building project; it is a vital symbol of our character as a community, and there can't be anything much more important than that." Archbishop Barry Hickey said he had been greatly encouraged by the response from all sections of the community, and repeated his pledge that the cathedral project would not be allowed to adversely affect the Church's extensive social welfare program, which he recently expanded with the opening of the DayDawn Advocacy Centre for Aboriginal people.
Now... This is what St Mary's Cathedral looked like shortly after Easter. This photo was taken from the top of Royal Perth Hospital.
And as it will be: Here is how St Mary's will look, from almost the same position as the photo at the top of page, when completed. cO' iRTESY
MARY'S COMPLETION COMMITTEE
Knights to the rescue - restoring St Mary's organ to the tune of $1 milli —on WA men's organisation "honoured" to be able to assist in restoration I I By Sylvia Defendi
The Knights of the Southern Cross have pledged a million dollars to cover the cost of restoring the St Mary's Cathedral organ. The substantial donation, which will be paid over a period of time, was pledged recently t'-'r di--cussions regarding the
needs of the Cathedral late last year. State executive officer for the Knights, Christopher Hunt, said the order was honoured to assist the Cathedral restoration project, by ensuring that worship through song would be an ongoing tradition within the new Cathedral building. "Our Cathedral is not just a building, it is a strong focal point of faith for all Catholics, but particularly for those in Western Australia and those within the Archdiocese of Perth," Mr Hunt said. As a representative of the order, M T Hunt caid the cocf or reQi-nring
the majestic organ aligned with the order's intended donation and that the Knights of the Southern Cross were sure that the faithful would enjoy the fruits of the restored organ for many years to come. Archbishop Barry Hickey has also called for priests and Bishops to represent their intimate connection with the Eucharist by donating towards the Cathedral's new High Altar. Recently-ordained permanent deacons were also encouraged to support the Cathedral's completion by contributing to the cost of - new rnho - a!so known ac a
pulpit - as a "symbol of their office of preaching the Word". Individual parishioners will in turn also be asked to support the project during a weekend appeal to be conducted in May. "Because the Cathedral is the mother church of the Archdiocese, I want all parishes to show their support for the completion of the Cathedral and for posterity to show that the people of every parish contributed in whatever manner they could to this historic project," Archbishop Hickey wrote in the Ad Clerum letter to all clergy this month
All archdiocesan clergy and parish appeal representatives have been invited to attend a special briefing on April 24 at the Catholic Pastoral Centre in Highgate, where Archbishop Hickey will brief them on details of the parish appeal. "In supporting the Cathedral's restoration and completion, we are reaffirming our commitment as Catholics to the faith, supporting the faithful and sending a strong message to the public in the mission of evangelisation," Mr Hunt said of the substantial financial support offered by the Knights of *he Cnnthprn Cross.
April 19 2007, The Record
Page7
WIT calls all actors, performers WYD treat: Fr Paul Raj and youth from Kalamunda parish explore a submarine.
Surprise tour
Perth's parish World Youth Day preparations took a dive last month. Fr Paul Raj, the Catholic Navy Chaplain and parish priest of Kalamunda, organised an exciting pre-WYD activity for his young parishioners who are involved in youth activities at the parish and are considering attending WYD in Sydney next year. On March li the group took a private guided tour of a submarine at the Garden Island naval base and learned about the life under the sea for a submariner and Fr Raj gave insights to the life as a Navy Chaplain. The group learned many things about life under the sea and how difficult it must be for sailors to be in such a small confined space for long periods of time and away from their families, too.
When back at home, the submariners have the opportunity to have their young babies baptised on the vessels and to have their child's names engraved on the bell that sits outside the vessel they sail on. A fter a one-hour tour of the small cavities of the submarine, including a look at the control room, torpedo room, bedroom facilities and the beautiful view from the top deck, the group was treated to a restful break in the Officers' Mess. In the Naval Officers Mess the group sat down for some cold drinks to talk with Anita Parker, the Archdiocese of Perth's WYD coordinator, about the up-coming WYD event in Sydney 2008 and the exciting possibilities of travelling across for the historic event.
Youth who fancy themselves singing, acting, painting or talking have the chance to take centre stage at World Youth Day next year. WYD 08 invites performers and creative artists from around Australia and the world to apply to participate in its three-day Youth Festival, to be held in the middle of WYD week - July 15-20 - and will feature music, performing arts, visual art exhibitions, debate, film, community gatherings, street performers, workshops and a vocations expo. Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Fisher, WYD08 coordinator, encouraged creative youth to jump at the offer to be centre stage at one of the biggest global events in the life of the Church. He relished the opportunity to call youth from around Australia and the world, who are so important to the life of the Church today and tomorrow, to be part of the creative process of WYD. "The Youth Festival is the perfect way for pilgrims to share their culture and faith as well as contribute to the experience of what is set to be an unforgettable event," he said. "We want young people to create and to appreciate, but above all, to participate," he
said. Youth Festival activities will take place in the afternoons and evenings at venues across the city - in parks, playing fields, churches, halls, galleries and outdoor performance spaces. Applications are expected from bands, visual artists, actors, poets, dancers, movements, associations, individual speakers and other creative people. "Performances, debates and exhibitions will reflect the Catholic vision and objectives of WYD08," Bishop Fisher said. Some of the acts expected to appear at World Youth Day include Bronx-based rapper/ preacher Father Stan Fortuna and Australian band Portico 77 - both of whom performed at a special one-off show outside St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney last Sunday. Applications to present, perform or facilitate a Youth Festival activity are available at www.wyd2008.org and close on October 26. World Youth Day is the largest youth event in the world and will attract an anticipated 500,000 pilgrims to Sydney from 15-20 July in 2008. WYD08 will also mark the first visit by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to Australia.
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WELBORN de-coding Da 'Vinci By Amy Wellborn
C-coNti,) M ARY
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de-coding Mary Magdalene By Amy Wellborn
Fr Fortuna gives Sydney a taste of WYD Sydneysiders celebrated World Youth Day 2007 on Palm Sunday with visiting US Franciscan Father Stan Fortuna rocking the forecourt outside St Mary's Cathedral until the sun went down. An estimated 3000 people from all over New South Wales witnessed Fr Stan's unique combination of jazz, rap, folk and reggae. "Fr Stan managed to capture the themes of John Paul II's Theology of the Body, of the family, of the culture of life and of the human person in a few words and preach them through the medium of contemporary music," said Bishop Anthony Fisher OP, the Coordinator of WYD08. "Above all, he emphasised the Pope's great optimism about the capacities of young people under grace to do great things. "Fr Stan demonstrated that contemporary music, dance and all the arts can be put at the service of the Gospel without cheapening that Gospel or diminishing the art. And all this can be great fun!" The Cathedral forecourt was packed on a sunny Sydney afternoon in anticipation of Fr Stan's return for next year's XXIII World Youth Day. Several Australian acts also performed including dance outfit Psalms, rock band Portico 77 and Australian idol finalist Joseph Gatehau. Young people also gave testimonies to the effects of past World Youth Days in their lives and the promise of WYD08 to come. Some 20 priests heard confes-
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Rock star Franciscan Father Stan Fortuna rocked Sydney on Palm Sunday.
sions solidly for nearly three hours, as many young people were brought to a sense of the mercy of God through the music and teaching. A team of 50 'street evangelists' moved amongst the crowd to talk to the young people about their faith while several ethnic communities contributed to the hospitality, music and procession of gifts.
Later that evening, young people filled the pews and floors of the Cathedral at a special youth Mass presided over by Cardinal George Pell, the Archbishop of Sydney. He was assisted by Bishop Peter Ingham of Wollongong, Sydney Auxiliary Bishops Julian Porteous and Anthony Fisher, and many priests.
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They heard Fr Stan deliver a passionate homily on the power of love. Sydney is hosting the XXIII World Youth Day and the tenth international WYD from July 1520, 2008. The largest youth event in the world is expected to draw up to 500,000 pilgrims, including up to 125,000 from overseas.
Offer valid Thursday April 19 to Wednesday April 25 or until stocks last.
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The Record 9227 7080
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Page 8
April 192007, The Record
Perspectives
I say, I say - with Paul Gray
letters to the editor
.1v4A
Footballers just symptomatic wr elcome to the counterfeit morality of modern times. The football's better than it's ever been - and the behaviour of some players, never worse. The last two years' AFL Grand Finals have been close to the best ever played. But off the field, you wonder what some of the players get up to.
Illegal drug-taking, and now the "sledging" scandal over allegations that West Coast's Adam Selwood made obscene comments about an opponent's six-year-old daughter are haunting the game. Some see such scandals as symptoms of a crisis engulfing AFL footy. They are nothing of the kind. They are signs of a crisis engulfing the whole of Western society. And the bad boys of AFL football are just one all-too obvious example. The Australian Family Association's Angela Conway said it well when she described the Selwood allegations as stomach-churning. Diehard fans of all tribal loyalties, including West Coast supporters, will undoubtedly agree that gibes about sex with a six-year-old are beyond the pale. As the paper went to press, Selwood was still denying the allegations. An easy temptation is to point the finger of blame at the culture of aggro competitiveness in top level sport today. I'm not so sure that's right. Yes, the professionals of several football codes do seem to be coached in the arts of extracting maximum competitive advantage over opponents through every means that falls short of direct physical violence. Hence "sledging" - a curious modern term which you never seemed to hear in sport much before the 1980s. It seems that football did a swap some time around that period, giving up the jaw-breaking violence that occasionally marred the action on the field in earlier times, in exchange for the supposedly gentler craft of verbal intimidation. But, is deliberately goading a person in the hope he'll retaliate violently really any better, morally, than provoking a fight by a punch? What is fundamentally different about today's variety of sporting grossness is the message it sends about the society that spawns it. We are a society that prides itself on having cast off the old-fashioned hypocrisies of the past. We are proudly "post-Christian." We regard those old-fashioned hellfire sermons about themes like sexual purity as so much tosh. Drugtaking is seen by many as OK so long as it doesn't interfere with your health, or cause harm to others. "Do no harm" - meaning do no harm to anybody else, because it really doesn't matter what you do to yourself - has become the only universally held spiritual precept of the day. That's pretty sad. Older generations believed it mattered very much what sort of interior mental life we cultivate for ourselves. If you stare at porn repeatedly, there's a fair chance you'll become a pervert. Resisting the temptation to indulge every natural desire - even the "unharmful" ones - was a central principle of the moral upbringing of generations of Australians. I remember my late Dad - a pretty classic case of a beer-drinking sports fan - announcing at the bar one day that if anyone told jokes about sex, he was leaving the room. Actually, he said that a few times. It was one of the stories that got told admiringly at his funeral. People could say to him, "Vin, you're an old prude." And he could say, "yep, and you're a bloody idiot!" It didn't really matter to that type of Aussie. The difference between right and wrong was clear-cut to them. We may yawn or laugh at stories like that today, but the by-product of our more "liberal" attitudes is reading the kinds of stories that mark today's news. What's next? In this era of "anything goes," literally anything that the unrestrained human imagination is capable of dreaming up.
ic‘ the
Qantas on notice
L
ast week, returning on a Qantas flight, I was appalled and disgusted that two young boys were watching the film "Borat" with a classification of MA 15+. The parents were on the flight, but were not seated with them and although each parent came to speak to the children numerous times during the flight, not once did they look at the screens or enquire what the boys were watching. Both these screens were in my full view and the images were pornographic and I can only presume the language in the film would not be appropriate for children either. I have written to the Censorship Registrar and Qantas regarding the appropriateness of such films on a plane where children have access to them and where the parents obviously do not care. This is not the first time I have written to the Classification Board and I have been advised that as few complaints are received, the classification process is operating satisfactorily. I beg to differ. It is time we all started to complain and change these laws. Halina Schiller Churchlands
More applause
A Russo
—ay I join in the applause for Tina i and the Gonzalez family who aim their objections at the cartels who contribute to the erosion of our moral values in our so-called sophisticated society. Even icons such as the ABC and The West Australian are not immune to this insidious slide towards decadence. Easter Saturday's edition of "The West" contained a TV magazine article by a would-be humourist, (Katz) mocking the Resurrection, which borders on the obscene. Patrick Miller Nollamara
Just to clarify ut of respect for the late Dr John Billings for his unceasing work in the field of natural family planning I would like to respond to comments in the recent letter by Derek Boylen concerning facts I had previously made. Quoting from the 2003 issue of 'The Billings Method' book, written by Dr Evelyn Billings and Dr Ann Westmore, page 15, "recent trials have a reported effectiveness of greater than 99 per cent". The effectiveness relies on couples using the method guidelines. In addition, The Billings Method has proven to be scientifically based. Professor James Brown began his research in 1962. Again from The Billings Method book, page 207, "Professor James Brown concludes the use of mucus as a signal of fertility or infertility, and the guidelines of the Billings Ovulation Method, had a sound scientific basis". Marilena Scarfe Thomlie
Br Pickett does not "run" us
I
write in my capacity as Secretary of Wheelchairs For Kids Inc., a charitable institution based in Wangara, which manufactures wheelchairs for disabled children in developing countries. In the article entitled "Br Oliver Pickett Honoured" appearing in the March15, 2007 edition, the following statement appeared: "Br Pickett was presented with a cheque worth $5000 on behalf of the college, for the charitable Wheelchairs For Kids organisation which Br Pickett runs" (my italics). Br Pickett is a valued member of the organisation but he does not 'run' it. His official designation is 'workshop manager'. Wheelchairs For Kids is a Rotary inspired project and is 'run' by Rotarians. It is a great project - it utilises the skills of many retirees who enjoy both the social aspect and the opportunity to participate in a community service, as well as providing wheelchairs to children whose lives (and those of their families) are transformed as a result. The Christian Brothers and the Rotary Club of Scarborough manufactured the chairs as a joint venture until, under the auspices of the Club, Wheelchairs For Kids Inc. was incorporated as an association on 16 June 2004. Gordon Hudson is the effective manager of the project, Mike McAuliffe is the Chairman of the Association (both Rotarians), the Management Committee comprises a majority of Rotarians and the membership of the Association (save for Br Peter Negus) is made up of members of the Rotary Club of Scarborough. Over 80 volunteers make the chairs and Rotary Inner Wheel, Joseph's Coat and retirement village ladies make the accessories. 011ie is one of many wonderful people who have contributed to this project, but, he does not run it. To say so denigrates the enormous job being done by so many dedicated volunteers. Peter Whyte Floreat
Chatter welcome, not an "unholy din" Tcan answer CV Phillips' question (let-
ters 4/4) regarding chatter after Mass. In doing soIdraw upon Pope Benedict's latest exhortation on the Eucharist within which he quotes St Augustine of Hippo: -The bread you see on the altar, sanctified by the word of God, is the body of Christ. The chalice, or rather, what the chalice contains, sanctified by the Word of God, is the blood of Christ. In these signs, Christ the Lord willed to entrust to us his body and the blood which he shed for the forgiveness of our sins. If you have received them properly, you yourselves are what you have received: Consequently, 'not only have we become Christians, we have become Christ himself:" How is such a profound mystery lived out? Where can we recognise such a miraculous transition? It is in people who stand around after Mass talking, sharing and laughing because they are the Body of Christ having just celebrated the summit of their faith and their source of strength in the week to come. They stand around because they recognise Christ in those around them. They understand that the experience of Mass has brought about a special transformation in their relationship with Christ, and his Church, and each other. This "unholy din" as you put it is a special, rich communion of life and love. Churches that don't have this unholy din" have no future. The sound of silence immediately following Mass is the sound of a parish where people don't know each other and where there is no outreach; it's the sound of a parish without children, young people and families. Silent parishes are parishes which will be closed when this generation is gone. Ilament the fact that too many of our Churches are silent after Mass. I yearn for my children an experience like I had after Mass; playing with the other kids from school on the church steps, parents talking, Father ruffling our hair and encouraging us to be good to our parents. I encourage everyone in the Archdiocese, after Mass next week,
in the presence of the most precious Eucharist, turn to the person in the pew next to you and introduce yourself. Make it the first step in a journey to get to know them. And, if you feel that you need more time with Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, I encourage you to come back later in the week, soak up the peaceful silence, the cool air, contemplate, spend an hour in prayer. I'm sure God would appreciate the visit. Derek Boyien Wanneroo
I stand corrected, but Ihad a point
I
n his letter in the April 12 edition
of The Record, Fr Brian O'Loughlin rightly took me to task for incorrectly naming the author of History of The Catholic Church in Western Australia 1829-1979 as Monsignor Bourke' whereas it was in fact Fr OF Bourke CM, MA, MEd. Mea Culpa. However the historical matter in my letter, re the present Cathedral site on Victoria Square, was taken from Fr Bourke's publication. The State Records Office at Alexander Library has the copy of a letter of 13 August 1859 from Colonial Secretary FP Barlee to 'The Reverend Martin Griver' which reads:Referring to the Right Reverend Bishop Serra's letter of 18 April 1859 applying for a reserve in the city of Perth called Victoria Square whereon to erect a place of worship. Ihave the honor to inform you that His Excellency will grant such site on condition that a chapel and no other building be erected thereon in the centre of the Square and that the whole of the land granted be enclosed by an open fence. John Moynihan Duncraig
RehCord
April 192007, The Record
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R
arely does a life affect so many people - and with such a deeply good impact. On the passing of Dr John Billings from death to new life, The Record is honoured to present (and wishes to honour Dr Billings) the Homily from the Burial Mass delivered by Monsignor Peter Elliott of the Archdiocese of Melbourne as a tribute to a great life. Below is printed also the letter of condolence from Pope Benedict XVI to Dr Billings' widow, Dr Evelyn Billings.
His Grace The Most Reverend Denis J Hart Archbishop of Melbourne Your Grace, Archbishop Leonardo Sandri. the Substitute of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, has asked me to convey to you the following messages - from the Holy Father and from the Cardinal Secretary of State: 'DOCTOR EVELYN BILLINGS, HAVING LEARNED WITH SORROW OF THE DEATH OF YOUR HUSBAND I OFFER MY HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES 10 YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AND 10 ALL WI-K) MOURN HIS PASSING. I RECALL WITH A SENSE OF DEEP APPRECIATION THE CREATIVE WITNESS BORNE BY DR. BILLINGS TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAITH AND SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE, AND HIS OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO FAMILY UFE BY HELPING COUNTLESS COUPLES THROUGHOUT THE. WORLD LIVE FULLY THEIR VOCATION AS FAITHFUL SPOUSES AND PARENTS. I JOIN WITH YOU IN PRAYING THAT, THROUGH THE INTERCESSION OF MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH, GOD OUR MERCIFUL FATHER WILL GRANT HIM THE REWARD OF HIS LABOURS AND WELCOME HIS NOBLE SOUL INTO THE JOY AND PEACE OF HEAVEN. To ALL ASSEMBLED FOR THE SOLEMN MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL I CORDIALLY IMPART MY APOSTOUC BLESSING AS A PLEDGE OF CONSOLATION AND STRENGTH IN THE RISEN LORD. BENEDICTUS PP. XVI PLEASE ACCEPT MY OWN EXPRESSION OF DEEP SYMPATHY AT THE LOSS OF DOCTOR JOHN BILLINGS. WITH GRATITUDE FOR HIS RESOLUTE COMMITMENT TO THE GOSPEL OF LIFE I ASSURE YOU OF MY PRAYERS FOR HIS ETERNAL REST AND FOR THE SPIRITUAL COMFORT OF HIS WIFE AND FAMILY. CARDINAL TARCISM BERTONE SECRETARY OF STATE The Apostolic Nundature shares the same sentiments of the above messages and thanking you for the kind attention in transmitting the same, I remain Devotedly yours in Our Lord. Ambrose De Paoli Apostolic Nuncio
Devotion: Together, Dr John Billings and Dr Evelyn Billings blazed a desperately-needed trail for couples to deepen their marriage
PHOTO PETER CASAMENTO
Doctor gazed into heart of life Homily at the Mass of Christian Burial for Dr John Billings, St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, Wednesday April 4, 2007 • Presented by Rev. Mgr Peter J. Elliott PP EV
In our lives we occasionally experience moments that define other people. Something about them imprints itself on the memory; an instant that seems to sum up everything about that person. Years ago, at a retreat house near the Yarra River in Melbourne, some families involved in the Billings Ovulation circle had gathered to pray, to learn, to celebrate. During a break, I walked out onto the lawn and
there was Dr John Billings surrounded by little children. First they ran to him and soon they were running with him towards us, with all the gleeful freedom that only little ones know. That instant bathed in Australian sunlight was for me a foretaste of God's great day when this man would be welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven by multitudes of the Holy Innocents of our human race, those little ones to whom the Kingdom belongs. Now, at least in terms of our earthly time, that day has come. In Melbourne's noble cathedral we offer the redeeming Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, this Holy Mass for a man so many of us know and love.Icannot put that in the past tense, "a man we knew and loved", for John Billings has entered eternal life. While we struggle forward here in "shadowlands", he is now more alive than we are. He is in the refining Continued on VISTA 2
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April 192007, The Record
Page 2 • Vista
They're secret, except for those who were able to listen to them in person, while Benedict XVI was pronouncing them. This week The Record begins a series of Benedict XVI's Easter 2007 homilies
The secret Easter homilies of Benedict
ear brothers and sisters, the Russian author Leo Tolstoy writes in a short story about a strict ruler who asked his priests and wise men to show God to him, so that he might see him. The wise men were unable to satisfy this desire. So a shepherd, who was just coming home from the fields, offered to take upon himself the task of the priests and wise men. The king learned from him that his eyes were not sufficient to see God. But then the king wanted to know at least what it was that God did. "In order to reply to your question," the shepherd said to the ruler, "we must exchange clothing." With hesitation, but driven by curiosity, the ruler consented: he handed over his regal garments to the shepherd, and had himself dressed in the simple clothing of the poor man. Then came the answer: "This is what God does." In fact, the Son of God - true God from true God - left behind his divine splendour: "he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself [...] even to death on a cross" (cf. Philippians, 2:6ff). As the Fathers say, God has established a "sacrum commercium," a sacred exchange: he took upon him-
This theology of baptism returns in a new way and with a new insistence in priestly ordination. As in baptism there takes place an "exchange of garments," an exchange of destiny, a new existential communion with Christ, so also in the priesthood there is an exchange: in the administration of the sacraments, the priest acts and speaks now "in persona Christi."
D
ministry by interpreting the liturgical vestments that, for their part, intend to illustrate what it means to "put on Christ," to speak and act in persona Christi.
self what was ours, that we might be able to receive what was his, to become like God. Saint Paul explicitly uses the image of the garment to describe what happens in baptism: "All of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ" (Galatians 3:27). This is what is achieved in baptism: we clothe ourselves with Christ, he gives us his garments - and these are not something external. It means that we enter into an existential communion with him, that our beings flow together and compenet rate each other. "It is no longer I who live, but Christ is living in me" - so Paul himself, in the letter to the Galatians (2:2), describes the event of his baptism. Christ has put on our clothing: the pain and the joy of being human, hunger, thirst, weariness, hopes and disappointments, the fear of death, all of our anguish, even death. And he has given us his "clothing." What he presents to us in the letter to the Galatians as a simple "fact" of baptism - the gift of a new mode of being - Paul presents to us in the letter to the Ephesians as a permanent commitment: "You must put away the old self of your former way of life... [You must] put on the new man, created according to God in justice and true holiness. Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak the truth, each one to his neighbour, for we are members one of another. Be angry but do not sin..." (Ephesians 4:22-26).
At the Chrism Mass on the morning of Holy Thursday
Vista • Page 3
April 192007, The Record
'The most important and, for me, touching part of his answer is: "God wanted to learn what obedience means for us; he wanted to take stock of everything on the basis of his own suffering, this invention of his love for us. In this way, he can himself bear what it is that we experience - what is asked of us, how much leniency we deserve - calculating our weakness on the basis of his suffering."
A benediction: . 'ope Benedict XVI blesses the faithful at the end of the chrism Mass in St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on April 5. During the Mass, the Pope encouraged Al FS ;ANDRO 6IANCHI, RELITERS priests to be inspired by Christ's sacrifice and love for others as they face their...tremendously heavy" burden of pastoral responsibilities.
He does not represent himself in the sacred mysteries, and he does not express himself in speaking, but he speaks for the Other - for Christ. Thus the sacraments make visible in a dramatic fashion what being a priest means in general, that which we have expressed with our "Adsum - I am ready" during priestly consecration: I am here so that you may do what you wish with me. We put ourselves at the disposal of him "who died for all, so that they who live may live no longer for
themselves..." (2 Corinthians 5:15). Putting ourselves at the disposal of Christ means that we let ourselves be drawn into his "for all": by being with Him, we can truly be "for all." "In persona Christi": at the moment of priestly ordination, the Church made visible and tangible to us this reality of the "new garments," even outwardly, through our being clothed with the liturgical vestments. In this external act, the Church wants to make evident to
us the interior event, and the task that we receive from it: to put on Christ; to give ourselves to him as he gave himself to us. This event, this "putting on Christ," is continually represented to us anew in every Holy Mass, through our clothing ourselves with the liturgical vestments. Putting these on must be for us more than an external fact: it is entering ever afresh into the "yes" of our task - in that "no longer I" of baptism
that priestly ordination simultaneously gives to us in a new way and demands from us. The fact that we are at the altar, dressed in liturgical vestments, should make clearly visible to those present and to ourselves that we are there "in the person of Another." The priestly vestments, as they were developed over the course of time, are a profound symbolic expression of what the priesthood means. And so I would like, dear confreres, to explain on this Holy Thursday the essence of the priestly
Putting on the priestly vestments was once accompanied by prayers that helped us to understand better the individual elements of the priestly ministry. Let's begin with the amice. In the past - and still in the monastic orders today - this was placed first on the head, like a sort of cap, thus becoming a symbol of the discipline of senses and thought necessary for a proper celebration of the Holy Mass. My thoughts must not wander here and there, behind the worries and expectations of my daily life; my senses must not be drawn by what within the Church might chance to captivate my eyes and ears. My heart must docilely open itself to the word of God, and be recollected within the prayer of the Church, so that my thinking may take its direction from the words of proclamation and prayer. And the gaze of my heart must
be turned toward the Lord who is in our midst: this is what is meant by "ars celebrandi," the right way of celebrating. If I am with the Lord, then with my listening, speaking, and acting,I will also draw the people into communion with Him. The prayers that [accompany the vesting with] the alb and the stole both move in the same direction. They evoke the festal garment that the father gave to the prodigal son who had returned home threadbare and filthy. When we approach the liturgy to act in the person of Christ, we all recognise how far we are from him, how much filth there is in our lives. Only he can give us the festal garment, make us worthy of presiding at his table, of being at his service. So the prayers also recall the words of Revelation, according to which the vestments of the 144,000 elect were worthy of God - but not by their own merit. Revelation comments that they had washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb, and so these had become brilliant white (cf. Revelation 7:14). Already as a young boy, I thought to myself: But when something is washed in blood, it certainly does not become white! The answer is: the "blood of the Lamb" is the love of the crucified Christ. It is this love that makes our dirty clothing white, that makes our darkened spirits genuine and illuminated; that, in spite of all of our darkness, transforms us ourselves into "light in the Lord." In putting on the amice, we should remember: he suffered for me also. And it is only because his love is greater than all my sins that I can represent him and be a witness to his light. But with the garment of light that the Lord has given us in baptism and, in a new way, in priestly ordination, we might also think of the wedding garment of which he speaks in the parable of God's banquet. In the homilies of Saint Gregory the Great, Ihave found a reflection worth not-
ing in this regard. Gregory distinguishes between Luke's version of the parable and that of Matthew. He is convinced that Luke's version speaks of an eschatological wedding banquet, while - according to him - the version handed down by Matthew deals with the anticipation of this nuptial banquet in the liturgy and in the life of the Church. It is, in fact, only in Matthew that the king visits the crowded hall to see his guests. And in this multitude there is also a guest without a wedding garment, who is then cast out into the darkness. Gregory then asks, "But what sort of garment is it that he lacked? All of those who are gathered together in the Church have received the new garment of baptism and faith; otherwise they would not be in the Church. What is it, then, that is still lacking? What wedding garment must still be added?" The pope responds: "The garment of love." And unfortunately, among the guests to whom he had given the new garment, the white vestment of rebirth, the king finds some who are not wearing the purple garment of the twofold love toward God and neighbour. The pope asks, "In what condition do we mean to draw near to the heavenly feast, if we do not put on the wedding garment - meaning love, which is alone capable of making us beautiful?" A loveless person is dark inside. The external darkness of which the Gospel speaks is only the reflection of the heart's inner blindness (cf. Homily 38: 8-13). Now that we are approaching the celebration of the Holy Mass, we should ask ourselves if we are wearing this garment of love. Let us ask the Lord to take away any hostility within us, to strip us of any sense of self-sufficiency and truly clothe us with the garment of love, that we may be people of light, and not dwell
in darkness. Finally, a brief word on the chasuble. The traditional prayer for the vesting with the chasuble sees in it a representation of the yoke of the Lord that has been placed upon us as priests. And it recalls the word of Jesus, who invites us to bear his yoke and learn from him, who is "gentle and humble of heart" (Matthew 11:29). Bearing the Lord's yoke means, above all, learning from him. Being always willing to go to school with him. From him we learn meekness and humility - the humility of God that is shown in his becoming a man. Saint Gregory Nazianzen once asked why God wanted to become a man. The most important and, for me, touching part of his answer is: "God wanted to learn what obedience means for us; he wanted to take stock of everything on the basis of his own suffering, this invention of his love for us. In this way, he can himself bear what it is that we experience - what is asked of us, how much leniency we deserve - calculating our weakness on the basis of his suffering" (Discourse 30; Theological Discourses IV, 6). Sometimes we would like to say to Jesus: Lord, your yoke is not at all light. It is, rather, tremendously heavy in this world. But in looking upon him who bore it all - who knew in his own person obedience, weakness, pain, all the darkness then our complaints die off. His yoke is that of loving together with him. And the more we love him, and together with him become persons who love, the more light his seemingly heavy yoke becomes for us. Let us pray that he help us to become together with him persons who love, that we may experience ever more how good it is to bear his yoke. Amen. www.chiesa.com
John was a trailblazer, helping couples the world over to take natural path, and recognised by Pope Benedict as "a noble soul" Continued from VISTA 1 no longer being servants but his friends, "What mercy of God's eternal present moment. That is Icommand you is to love one another..." With what we believe when we look to the risen Lord self-effacing humility, John Billings lived the Jesus. Therefore, mourning and celebrating New Commandment of Jesus Christ. him, we are honoured to join his devoted famIt was not surprising therefore that when a ily, Dr Lyn and their children - and their chil- motto was sought for the Billings Ovulation dren - and their children, to pray with Christian movement these Latin words were chosen: hope for the gentle soul of this unique man, Credidimus in caritate - "we have put our faith whose love they knew best of all. Our condo- in love". That is how John lived, as a husband, lences and prayers are with you all. father, doctor and guide, helping many people Of course, John Billings would immedi- to do what he and Lyn did, to put their faith in ately point out that each person is unique and love. Therefore it would be wrong to see him unrepeatable, as the Servant of God Pope John only as a world expert on the natural regulaPaul II so frequently proclaimed. Created in tion of fertility, even as that is true. What John the image and likeness of God, each person is and Lyn perceived was that openness to God's indeed unique in that basic sense. Yet there are great plan for the transmission of human life is certain people in history who respond to the a way of loving. Anticipating and then respondvocation of Baptism in a way that is distinctive, ing to the courageous and prophetic encyclical rare in its virtuous quality and fruitfulness. of Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, they have In one lifetime these people accomplish, with helped many thousands to "love one another" God's grace, what would take ten lifetimes for by maintaining the dynamic unity of the two most other people. John was such a man. dimensions of marriage - the gift of life and In the Gospel of this Mass, Jesus Christ says, the gift of love. "It is to the glory of my Father that you should However, we live in a world that would tear bear much fruit and then you will be my disci- life and love apart; on the one hand imposing ples..." John was one of those true disciples of an artificial sexuality that suppresses fertility, the Lord who bore much fruit. on the other hand reducing fertility to manipuJesus Christ goes on to speak of God's love lation in a laboratory. Yet it was in this confused for us, our love for God, our need to keep the and divisive world that John Billings offered commandments he gives us and so remain in his hope to men and women. With his beloved wife love. Then he gave us his New Commandment: Lyn, he taught them respect for one another, a "Love one another as Ihave loved you.", echo- gracious reverence for human life, an interpering it at the end of his discourse about disciples sonal dialogue of love and trust, how to find
true equality between man and woman, and especially the goodness of families where each child can be welcomed and cherished as a gift. He reached out first within our Catholic community to help and guide many who had been misled or confused by dissent or disheartened by social pessimism. Then he reached out beyond our community to people of other faiths and no particular faith. He offered them all a way beyond and above the false ways of what is significantly called "birth control".
"IfIcan picture John Billings being welcomed into eternity by the Holy Innocents,I invite you now to see in your mind's eye those countless women in China who could rise up on the Day of Judgement to say "thank you, thank you, Dr John", and not only the women of China, but women and men all around this planet, especially the poorest of the poor." IfIcan picture John Billings being welcomed into eternity by the Holy Innocents,Iinvite you now to see in your mind's eye those countless
women in China who could rise up on the Day of Judgement to say "thank you, thank you, Dr John", and not only the women of China, but women and men all around this planet, especially the poorest of the poor. Let us think of those to whom Blessed Teresa of Calcutta ministered. Let us never forget that one key element in the work of her sisters among women was made possible by her friend John Billings. As he knew so well and as he and Lyn have often reminded us, what seems to be a scientific method is really a way of loving, of caring and serving. Many colleagues and co-workers and friends gathered here today can testify to this. With him we can say: "we have put our faith in love." Nevertheless, massive challenges confront us. The culture of life still struggles with the culture of death. Certainly the last century saw remarkable scientific advances: cures for most diseases, the unlocking of the genetic code, human beings floating in space, walking on the moon. Yet in spite of all these achievements, unfortunately it would be true to say that the natural patterns of human fertility still remain hidden from so many women, perhaps most women. Because they do not know what God has written into their own bodies, they remain the docile customers of commercial interests and even fall prey to the destruction or exploitation of their fertility. Dr John Billings and the men and women who came before him and those who have
A light: Whether they realised it or not, the Billings's work inspired millions of people the world over. PHOTO pH-ER CAAMENfO
come after him developing the natural spacing of childbirth have offered women a truth that leads to freedom. Cardinal Lopez Trujillo calls it "the authentic alternative". I hope that John's passing may be a moment when people ask about this truth, this authentic alternative, he had to offer. Is it not every woman's right to know it? May all people seek to discover this
gift of freedom, a freedom to give life, which is freedom to love. This is why so many here today, and so many more around this earth united with us in spirit, must make the commitment to continue his work, to make it more widely known, to promote it, and we know we can do this with God's help for "we have put our faith in love."
In his last years, John could well have uttered the familiar words of our first reading: "I have fought the good fight to the end;Ihave run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith...." St Paul was writing to Timothy, one of the first bishops of our Church. He knew that soon he would face a martyr's death in Nero's Rome, but he also knew that that others would take up his work, sharing in the redeeming work and mission of the Lord Jesus. That is why it seems so appropriate that Dr John's passing has brought us together at the heart of Holy Week, when we are about to recall and celebrate the work of our Redemption. Let me pause here for a moment to note that John Billings went home to our Father's house on Palm Sunday, which happened to be the eve of the second anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II, the great shepherd who was his friend and inspiration. It was John who first introduced me to the Holy Father, and largely thanks to JohnIcame to study and work in Rome. Subsequently, on various occasions organised through the Pontifical Council for the Family,I was present when Pope John Paul and Dr John Billings were together, as we pray they are now. We offer this Requiem Mass as we approach the days when we celebrate the events that make us Christians. The Second Vatican Council called these events the Paschal Mystery of Christ, meaning the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the mystery and
the historical miracle of Easter. John has entered into the fullness of the mystery of the Death and Resurrection of the Lord, which we can experience here through sacrament and word. Across the long years of his earthly life, he was nourished by the Holy Eucharist. He was faithful to God's living word. He was close to Mary, the Queen of the Family and Mother of Fair Love. Lyn can testify to all this and much more. For these reasons, I am bound to complete the words of St Paul to Timothy, words which we can rightly apply to Dr. John: "...I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing." Lord, teach us to long for your Appearing, and as we wait in joyful hope for that Day, we commend the soul of John Billings to your loving mercy. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.
MEMORIAL MASS ARCHBISHOP BARRY HICKEY and Fr Hugh Thomas CsSR will celebrate a memorial Mass for the repose of the soul of Dr John Billings at the North Perth Redemptorist Monastery on Saturday 21 April at 10.30am. All welcome.
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In communion: Deacons George James and Arnel Taracina stand beside Archbishop Barry Hickey (above), while concelebrating priests join in the blessing of the Chrism oils (beiow).
We live in thanks for ultimate gift With 1128 people in attendance, including 190 priests not including Archbishop Hickey and his Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton; about 50 seminarians from both St Charles' and the Redemptorist Mater Seminaries and other Religious and deacons, the Chrism Mass reveals the very nature of the local
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n celebrating the Chrism Mass for the Archdiocese of Perth at St Thomas More parish in Bateman the week before Easter, Archbishop Barry Hickey boiled down the meaning of the Eucharist in our everyday lives to a simple, userfriendly format. To understand Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, we need not study the intellectual theological texts of St Augustine on the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. We can understand the Eucharist with our hearts. The Archbishop sums it up thus: "Jesus gives us Himself in the Eucharist, so we celebrate the Mass in a spirit of love and live our lives following Christ as a way of gratitude for this gift, and live so that our lives are an act of thanksgiving." But the mystery of what we need to be grateful for doesn't end there. There is a link between the Eucharist and Christ's crucifixion, which we mourn each Good Friday at 3pm, three days before what we now celebrate as Easter on the
Church that gathers around its Bishop. As we reflect on what we've just witnessed at Easter, Anthony Barich reveals how the Chrism Mass tells us about what the events immediately preceding Easter — primarily the Last Supper and crucifixion — mean for our everyday lives.
Jesus gives us Himself in the Eucharist, so we celebrate the Mass in a spirit of love and live our lives following Christ as a way of gratitude for this gift, and live so that our lives are an act of thanksgiving. - ARCHBISHOP BARRY HICKEY Sunday. And it is explained in the very text that the priest recites every day (as he is instructed), and which we hear every weekend. When Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me", he was doing more than just telling us to remember Him when He dies. In the same way he held up the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." St Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians (11:23-17), recounts
these events that occurred at the Last Supper, on what we now celebrate as Holy Thursday. He then went on to say in his letter: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." Hence the Archbishop's point when he said at the Chrism Mass: "We are changed every time we realise this (what Christ has given us in the Eucharist) - we become more generous, more honest, less critical of others, because of our response in love to His giving. "So celebrate the Mass in love so that people will know you are cele-
brating in an attitude of love. Enter deeply in communion with Christ and you will know Him better. "Express that love to people and they will know something of the love of Christ, so you are transformed into people of love in the Blessed Eucharist." This was the Archbishop's summary of a passage of the Pope's Exhortation on the Eucharist that was directed at priests, but as Archbishop Hickey said, it also applies to the rest of us, as we are united with the priest in celebrating Mass. The words of St Paul should be taken seriously, as he should be looked upon as God's
messenger, because he was himself persecuting Christians before struck blind by God Himself saying "Why are you persecuting me?" The Archbishop referred to Pope Benedict XVI's recently released Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist, in which he calls priests to love and value Jesus in the Eucharist. The Pope says that through the Eucharist we come in contact with the love of Jesus Himself, and with it his self-giving love. "In the sacrament of the altar the Lord meets us, men and women created in God's image and likeness (Gen 1:27), and becomes our companion along the way." The Archbishop said that in the Exhortation there is a passage for priests, but it applies to everyone, where the Pope links the Last Supper (Holy Thursday) with Jesus' suffering and death - His blood to be shed for the forgiveness of sins. "Our response to this understanding of what is going on - Jesus giving Himself over to His killers on the cross - is one of gratitude and thanksgiving for Jesus' great
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The Gospel truth
During the Chrism ass, the Gospel of St Luke (4:16-21) was read by recently ordained deacon George James, who is set to join the priesthood next year. It reveals the nature of anointing, and through whom we are anointed, which underpins the entire Mass. The Gospel sees Jesus in a synagogue in Nazareth on the Sabbath proclaiming, indirectly, that He is the Messiah. While he does not use that word, as the Archbishop said, he is the anointed one to bring the Good News. Reading from the prophet Isaiah, he found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord", before closing the book, sitting down and saying, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." The Blessing of Oils reminds us of the healing power of consecration and sanctification in the Sacraments.
Preparation: Oil is poured in to the vessels for the chrism Mass at St Peter's Cathedral in Scranton. PHOTO: CNS/OCTAVIO DURAN Symbolic: Vessels containing oil are pictured prior to a chrism Mass in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Renewal of service to faith love despite, or perhaps because of our faults and failings," Archbishop Hickey said. It applies to all of us as we are all called to share in the priesthood of Christ through Baptism, Confirmation and, for some of us, Holy Orders. This love that the Archbishop spoke of transforms us as it is the very essence of God. "In the sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus shows us in particular the truth about the love which is the very essence of God," the Pope said. "It is this evangelical truth which challenges each of us and our whole being. For this reason, the Church, which finds in the Eucharist the very centre of her life, is constantly concerned to proclaim to all, opportune importune (cf. 2 Tim 4:2), that God is love. "Precisely because Christ has become for us the food of truth, the Church turns to every man and woman, inviting them freely to accept God's gift." With this knowledge, why wouldn't we want to go to Mass every week?
t the Mass to bless the oils, the Archbishop said that priests look orward to this each year, as they bring with them hearts committed entirely to Christ and His people. But the great anticipation of the priests is not just because they get the oil with which they can carry out their ministry to baptise, confirm (when the Bishop is not present) and anoint the sick. It is because they get the chance to renew their commitment of service to the Church, to their Bishop and their people. The Archbishop asked them if they will joyfully sacrifice their own
pleasure and ambition to bring Jesus' peace to their brothers and sisters, to which they replied: "I am resolved to be more closely united with Christ." As the Archbishop told Perth's newest priests at a meeting earlier this year at St Thomas More College, their lives are to be based on prayer, for it is prayer that sustains them in the not insignificant trials they endure. During the Chrism Mass the people also renew their commitment to their ministries in whatever their daily lives may entail; before they also ask God to bless the priests then the Archbishop in their undertakings.
Blessed oils maintain a deep si e blessing of the oils, done annuallybefore Easter Week, is more than just a symbolic gesture. The blessing of the oils that are used to anoint the sick, perform adult and infant baptisms, confirmations and bestow Holy Orders, brings tangible benefits to the faithful. In the New Testament, St James refers to the anointing of the sick (James 5:14): "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord." When Archbishop Barry Hickey blessed the Oil of the Sick, he asked God that those
who are blessed by it be "freed from pain and illness and made well again in body, mind and soul." Of course, prayers are not always answered the way we want them to be. Even Jesus prayed that Peter - whom he still chose to be the Rock on which He builds His Church - would not fail him: "I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren." Jesus knew he would deny Him three times - in fact He predicted it - but it was through the tears that Peter wept after realising what he'd done that he gained further resolve and
PHOTO: CNS/OCTAVIO DURAN
was strengthened to be the Rock that Jesus wanted him to be. Jesus knew this too. He knew Peter's free will was his own, but it would serve him better in the long run. In the end his faith did not fail, as he was martyred. In the same way, while people have been miraculously healed before, the Oil of the Sick is more meant to bring God's strength to those in need, to bear the suffering caused by illness, to face the trials caused by advancing age, to remain steadfast in faith and to be forgiven of their sins. That is no mere symbolism. The Oil of Catechumens, which the Archbishop blessed second, signifies Christ's
cance strength for those preparing to accept the responsibilities of living the Christian faith In other words, it prepares those who are readying themselves for adult baptism. In blessing this Oil, the Archbishop prayed that those baptised with this oil be brought to a deeper understanding of the Gospel and to accept the challenge of Christian living. Again, this comes down to free will, but God's help will come to us if we spend enough time with Jesus in prayer, or in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. The Oil for the Sacred Chrism, to which fragrant balsam is added, signifies Christ's dignity as a priest, prophet and king.
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The World
April 192007, The Record
Episcopal Bishop returns to Church Retired Episcopal bishop and wife return to Catholic Church
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ishop Daniel W. Herzog, recently retired Episcopal bishop of Albany (New York), and his wife, Carol, have left the Episcopal Church and re-entered full communion with the Catholic Church. Both were raised as Catholics and joined the Episcopal Church as adults. In a letter to his successor, Bishop William H. Love, Bishop Herzog said his decision was a result of the decision of the 2003 General Convention of the US Episcopal Church to affirm the election and ordination of an openly gay man, Bishop Gene Robinson, as bishop of New Hampshire. Referring to the turmoil that action caused in the church, he said, "That turmoil was not merely external. It also caused a lot of hidden tears." In his view, he said, the power the convention claimed in taking its action "negated any previous authority on which I had relied. It caused me to engage in a fresh examination of apostolic teaching and authority." In a letter to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori he resigned from the House of Bishops and asked to be removed from ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church. She said on March 28 that she would undertake the canonical procedures to do so. Episcopal News Service said Bishop Herzog "is apparently the third bishop in the history of the Episcopal Church to become a Roman Catholic." It said Bishop Levi S. Ives of North Carolina left the denomination to become a Catholic in 1853
Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, leader of the Anglican Communion. His decison to allow openly gay men to be ordained in the Anglican Church has seen at least one Bishop return to the Catholic faith. -C and Bishop Frederick Kinsman of Delaware did so in 1919. Bishop Clarence C. Pope Jr. of Fort Worth, Texas, attended Catholic services for a while after his retirement in 1994 but subsequently returned to the Episcopal Church, it said. The ordination of Bishop Robinson has provoked worldwide controversy in the Anglican Communion, to which the US Episcopal Church belongs. This February the primates of
Concern over Islam in Lebanon ri
Christians are fleeing Lebanon to escape an ongoing political and economic crisis amid signs that Islamic fundamentalism is on the rise in the country. Forty-three percent of Maronite Catholics - the largest of the country's 12 Christian denominations - polled recently said they were considering emigrating. Nearly a third of them have applied for visas in the last six months, according to the study by Information International, an independent Beirut-based research body. The study, which was to be published in May, was released early to Catholic News Service. "Some 60,0 00 -70,000 Christians have left the country in the last six months," said George Khoury, executive director of Caritas Lebanon, the local agency of the Caritas Internationalis confederation of Catholic relief, development and
social services organisations. "In some ways Lebanon is becoming increasingly Islamised because of the demographic shift." The high emigration statistics also are impacting Lebanon's Muslims, many of whom are thought to have left Lebanon since last summer's war between the Iranian-backed Shiite militant group Hezbollah and Israel. But Lebanon's Christians are concerned their traditional influence in the country is waning as a result of the country's continuing internal power struggle, which for the past five months has pitted a Sunni-led government against a predominantly Shiite opposition movement spearheaded by Hezbollah. "It's a major political issue Muslims are taking over senior positions, especially in the public sector," said Khoury. "Christians are losing their influence and not being represented at the decisionmaking level."
the communion's 38 provinces around the world called on the US House of Bishops to make "an unequivocal common covenant" that they will not authorise the blessing of same-sex couples and to affirm clearly that they will not consent to the ordination of any other candidate for bishop who is living in a same-sex relationship unless some new consensus on that issue emerges throughout the cornmunion.
The primates warned the Episcopal Church that communion with other Anglicans would be at least damaged if it did not meet their conditions by the end of September. Bishop Herzog said he delayed his departure from the Episcopal Church until after his retirement so that he would not "walk away from my office and leave vulnerable this diocese which I love." He had headed the Albany
Diocese since 1998. News of Bishop Herzog's decision came less than a month after the people of the Albany Diocese learned that their newly retired Suffragan (Auxiliary) Bishop David J. Bena had recently requested and received permission from Bishop Herzog to transfer to the Anglican Province of Nigeria, whose primate, Archbishop Peter Akinola, has been among the world leaders in fighting Anglican acceptance or blessing of same-sex unions. Since he was simply transferring from one province of the Anglican Communion to another, Bishop Bena said, "I am neither renouncing my orders as a bishop nor am I abandoning the communion of the Church." In a letter to AlbanyEpiscopalians Bishop Love said that unlike Bishop Bena, who remains an Episcopal bishop in good standing, "Bishop Dan's decision has necessitated the resignation of his orders as bishop, priest and deacon. "As such he will not be able to function in an ordained capacity within the diocese or larger Anglican Communion." "Dan and Carol have been and continue to be good friends of the Diocese of Albany and will always be welcome at all functions in the diocese," Bishop Love wrote. "Their decision to return to Rome was not and should not be seen as an attack or lack of love or concern for the Diocese of Albany." Bishop Herzog, 65, was ordained an Episcopal priest in 1971 and a bishop in 1998. He grew up Catholic and, according to the Albany Times Union, graduated in 1964 from St Bonaventure University, a Franciscan-run institution in St Bonaventure, NY. -CNS
Nuncio attends holocaust ceremony JERUSALEM, APRIL 16, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Despite protests over a photo caption that implicates Pope Pius XII in the Holocaust, the apostolic nuncio to Israel attended the day of remembrance at the Yad Vashem museum. Archbishop Antonio Franco told the Italian news service ANSA that he reversed his decision to attend the official Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony on Sunday in Jerusalem after he received a letter earlier that afternoon from the president of Yad Vashem, Ayner Shaley, promising to "reconsider the way Pius XII is presented." "My action was not to distance myself from the celebrations, but to call attention to the way the Pope was presented," the nuncio told Vatican Radio on Sunday. "My goal was achieved." Archbishop Franco added: "I have no reasons to keep this tension going, and therefore I will participate in the ceremony." The caption in question first appeared when the Holocaust Museum was inaugurated at Yad
Vashem in 2005. It says that Pius XII had "recognised" the Nazi regime, and that "even when reports about the murder of Jews reached the Vatican, the Pope did not protest." Pius "maintained his neutral position" with two exceptions, the caption says, criticising "his silence and absence of guidelines." The exceptions were appeals to the rulers of Hungary and Slovakia toward the end of the war. The Italian bishops' SIR news agency announced on Thursday Archbishop Franco's "painful renunciation" of the invitation to the annual celebration at the Holocaust museum. The previous nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, had also requested, in 2005, that the caption be changed. Jesuit Father Peter Gumpel, the relator of the cause for Pius XII's beatification, told ZENIT that the Pontiff "is esteemed and honoured by millions of persons, even among the Jews." He added: "What is stated in that caption does not correspond to the truth." In response to the criticism that those who defend Pius XII are apologists, and not historians, Father Gumpel said:
"There are many noted and famous historians, many of those Jews, who have shown the good that Pius XII did. Among these include Sir Martin Gilbert, Michael Burleigh and Rabbi David Dalin." These people "do not seem apologetic at all to me," he said. The priest added: "And what about Golda Meir, Albert Einstein, Israel Zolli and all the heads of the main international Jewish associations who thanked Pius XII at the end of World War II. Are they also apologists? "Not to mention the directors of the Jewish papers published during the Second World War in most areas of the world. They too show Pope Pius XII as the light opposing Nazism. Are they too apologists?" The accusations against Pius XII, Father Gumpel pointed out, are always the same arguments, which are repeated without adding any historical facts in support." He added: "Those criticising Pius XII quote each other, and systematically avoid the entire historical Jewish source supporting Pope Pacelli." - ZENIT.ORG
April 19 2007, The Record
Page 11
The World
Peg's Legs recreate image of Father Damien Paralysed artist helps students create mosaic of Blessed Damien • By Anna Weaver On a bright Wednesday morning, a classroom at Holy Trinity School in east Honolulu is crowded with students sitting around tables and painting small, thick paper squares with watercolours. Written on the whiteboard are their instruction. The students, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders, talk about school activities, what they'll do after the half-day of school gets out, and who has painted more squares so far. But they also talk about the new friend they're painting those squares for - well-known local artist Peggy Chun, who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease - and what all those little pieces will eventually become - a mosaic of Blessed Damien de Veuster. The experience has made the students philosophical and reflective. Eighth-grader Joshua Aiu is amazed by Chun's unwavering determination despite the fact that the disease has progressed to the point where she is completely paralyzed except for her eyes. "The Bible says that the Church
With her Eye Response Interface Computer Aid not working, paralysed Hawaiian artist Peggy Chun communicates by pointing her eyes to letters and numbers on a "spell board" held by Shelly Mecum, a teacher. PHOTO. CNS is the body of the Christ and that in it we work together," Joshua said. "And so when one part can't go on, or has a hard time, it's dependent on the rest of the body to help." Seventh-grader Cary Chang says it's an honour to help Chun, whom he adores. "Even though
Peggy can't move at all, her heart moves around people," he said. "Her love is all around touching people's hearts." Every week since the start of the school year, Joshua, Cary and other Holy Trinity students have been acting as Peggy's hands, watercolouring mosaic pieces accord-
ing to the artist's instructions. In working with the students, Chun, a former St Francis School drama and literature teacher known for her whimsical paintings and vibrant island artwork, and now her valiant battle with ALS, is passing along not only artistic skills but her spirit to a new generation.
The way Chun communicates is with an Eye Response Interface Computer Aid that matches her eye movement with lasers. She looks at letters on the screen to spell out words, which the computer then "speaks." However, on a recent day at her home, the computer wasn't working because Chun's eyes were too dry. That day Chun used her eyes to point to different letters and numbers on a "spell board" held by Holy Trinity teacher Shelly Mecum. Another volunteer wrote down each letter Mecum called out. Chun has a large crew of dedicated volunteers playfully called "Peg's Legs." With the late afternoon sunlight slanting through her bedroom window and onto her hospital-style bed, Chun "spoke" about how the collaboration with Holy Trinity School started. She said she first thought of doing an artwork of Blessed Damien while working on a portrait of Blessed Marianne Cope for St Francis Medical Centre in 2002. But her disease soon became too advanced to undertake such a project. The idea was revived when Mecum was asked to collaborate with Chun on a children's picture book about Peggy's life. After the book was finished this past year, Mecum began teaching at Holy -CNS Trinity.
Concerns for Chinese Bishop missing since March Catholics in central China pray for bishop missing since midMarch Catholics of Zhouzhi, in central China's Shaanxi province, prayed for the safety of their missing bishop during Easter week. Local church sources told UCA News, an Asian church news agency, that the freedom of Bishop Joseph Wu Qinjing of Zhouzhi had been restricted since government officials sent him to "a learning class for about three days" on March 18. Bishop Wu, who took the name Martin Wu while working on his
4
master's degree in pastoral theology from St John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, and his master's in spiritual direction from Fordham University in New York, is only recognised as a priest by the Chinese government. One local source, who asked not to be named, said Catholics in the diocese had thought the government's action was aimed at preventing the bishop from celebrating the feast of his patron, St Joseph, on March 19, as well as marking the third anniversary of the death of a priest the next day. "But until today, the bishop is still out of reach," the source told UCA News on April 13, adding
news in brief
Mozzeta under fire
4
An Italian animal rights group called on Pope Benedict XVI to stop wearing fur out of "respect for the sacredness of the lives of all living creatures." The Italian AntiVivisection League made the appeal ahead of the Pope's April 22 visit to the Italian city of Pavia, where he was to receive a fur cape made of white ermine pelts. Having the Pope give up fur would be of "great religious and ethical significance" and be "a praiseworthy example of Christian charity," the group said in an April 13 press release. Vatican tailors had custom-ordered the fur cape from the Pavian furrier, Annabella, according to the fur company's owner, Simonetta Ravizza. "It will be the Pope's
that many of the Catholics were worried about the prelate's safety. Sources said they could not reach Bishop Wu through his mobile phone, but heard that the 39-yearold bishop was being confined in the Lintong district near Xi'an, the provincial capital of Shaanxi. They also said they heard that government officials pressured the bishop to discontinue his episcopal ministry and tried to make him leave his diocese and flock. One source said that on Easter, April 8, a message from the bishop was relayed "to his beloved Catholics," asking for their prayers regarding "the restriction of his freedom, when Jesus Christ has
decision whether to wear (the fur) or not," she told the Italian news agency ANSA on April 13. For outdoor events during the colder winter months, Pope Benedict would sometimes wear a "camauro," a red velvet cap trimmed with ermine, and for special occasions a red velvet, ermine-trimmed cape - called a mozzetta.
Pope cites Rabbi After the Gospel writers and the apostle Paul, the author most quoted in Pope Benedict XVI's new book is Rabbi Jacob Neusner, a US professor of religion and theology. In his book, "Jesus of Nazareth," released on April 16 in Italian, German and Polish, Pope Benedict joined the literary dialogue that Rabbi Neusner invented for him-
died, suffered and risen in glory today." "We all wept when we heard this," said the source. "The bishop, in such circumstances, still encourages us to have faith in God and still remembers his flock." He said Catholics prayed for "the merciful God to protect him, that he would hold fast to his faith and not yield to pressure. We also hope that he can return home soon." Bishop Wu was clandestinely ordained the sixth bishop of Zhouzhi with Vatican approval, and his episcopal status was made known to other priests in the diocese in May 2006. Last September 11, the bishop
self in his 1993 book, "A Rabbi Talks With Jesus." The Pope said that Rabbi Neusner's "profound respect for the Christian faith and his faithfulness to Judaism led him to seek a dialogue with Jesus." Imagining himself amid the crowd gathered on a Galilean hillside when Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount, Rabbi Neusner "listens, confronts and speaks with Jesus himself," the Pope wrote.
Call for resignation A Catholic development agency has called for the resignation of World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz. George Gelber, head of policy for the English and Welsh bishops' Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, said the bank should force
was taken away by plainclothes security officers who broke into the Immaculate Heart of Mary Cathedral in Zhouzhi, about 40 miles from Xi'an. After his release five days later, he was hospitalised for a slight concussion as a result of his forceful removal. During this detention, Bishop Wu was forced to write a statement admitting that his episcopal status was illegal because he was ordained without an election and that his management of the diocese and his presiding over church activities as a bishop have violated the Chinese government's religious affairs regulations. -CNS
Wolfowitz to resign amid allegations of corruption. "Paul Wolfowitz has made corruption an essential part of his personal policy platform, not only in the bank but also among all major donors," Gelber said in an April 16 statement. "But now his actions have so damaged his own credibility as an anti-corruption campaigner that his position at the bank is untenable and he should resign," Gelber said. "If he will not resign, then the bank board must ask him to leave." Wolfowitz has come under pressure to quit his position after he secured a promotion and a substantial pay raise for Shaha Riza, 52, his British girlfriend. Wolfowitz told investigators that he transferred Riza to avoid a conflict of interest, but her pay was boosted by more than $60,000. Wolfowitz acknowledged on April 12 that he had -CNS made a mistake and apologised.
Page 12
April 192007, The Record
The World FEATURE
Pope celebrates his 80th birthday
Big occasion: Pope Benedict XVI arrives on April 15 to say a Mass that marked his 80th birthday in St Peter's Square at the VatiLan.
The Pope on turning 80, thanks Church for surrounding him with affection • By John Thavis
At a Mass marking his 80th birthday, Pope Benedict XVI thanked the Church for surrounding him with affection "like a true family" and for supporting him with prayers. "Over and over,I recognise with joy how great is the number of people who sustain me with their prayers, who with their faith and love help me carry out my ministry, and who are indulgent with my weakness," he said on April 15. The Mass opened two days of celebrations commemorating the Pope's April 16 birthday and the second anniversary of his election on April 19. The festivities featured a Vatican concert, dozens of written testimonials and a giant birthday cake in the shape of the Vatican. Some 50,000 people, including German pilgrims wearing traditional dress, jammed into St Peter's Square for the liturgy. The altar area was surrounded by thousands of flowers that were yellow and white, the colours of the Vatican. Cardinals and Bishops processed with the pontiff through the square to a canopied altar area on the steps of the Basilica. Seated near the front were German civil authorities from the Pope's native Bavaria and ecumenical representatives from Orthodox Churches. Greeting the Pope in the name of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Angelo Sodano said his 80th birthryv)Tror+ "--ir day mat-Iced
itual joy" for the entire Church. He thanked the Pope for guiding the Church with love during the first two years of his pontificate. In his sermon, the Pope appeared uncomfortable about being the focus of the Mass, saying the liturgy should not be the place "to speak about oneself." But he added that one's personal life can also offer lessons about God's mercy. The Pope said he always felt he was given a special gift by being born on Holy Saturday, at "the beginning of Easter". In a sense, he said, he was born into his personal family and the larger family of the Church on the same day. He said his family helped lead him to God, and he expressed his gratitude to his own father, mother, sister and brother. The only surviving member of his immediate family, Mgr Georg Ratzinger, sat near the papal altar. The Pope described his priestly ordination in 1951 as a turning point in his life. As he approached the ordination Mass, he said: "The awareness of the poverty of my existence in the face of this new task weighed upon me." But during the ordination, he said, he came to realise that he would not be alone when he heard the invocation of the saints and the words of Christ in the Gospel: "I no longer call you slaves ... I will call you friends". "I was able to have a profound experience: The Lord was not only the Lord, but also a friend. He placed his hand in mine and will not leave me," the Pope said. A s his responsibilities have grown in life, the friendship of Christ has given him the strength to face them, he said. There is a lesson here for everyone, he added. "The mercy of God accompanies us day by day. We only need to have
it," he said. "We're too inclined to notice only the daily toil that's been imposed on us, as sons of Adam. But if we open our hearts, we can see continually how good God is with us." At the end of the Mass, the Pope said he was moved by the vast crowd that had gathered in the square. "From the depth of my heart, I renew my most sincere thanks and extend it to the entire Church, which, like a true family, especially in these days, surrounds me with affection," he said. The Vatican set up a temporary e-mail address where people can send birthday greetings to the Pope: http://isidoro.vatican.va/ auguri/auguri.php?lingua=en. Meanwhile, gifts poured into the Vatican. The Pope's private secre-
tary, Mgr Georg Ganswein, said they included letters, books, flowers, compact discs and even a giant teddy bear, which the Pope donated to the Bambino Gesu children's hospital in Rome. Mgr Ganswein said the Pope had said he did not want to accept personal gifts from the faithful. Those who want to give something can make an offering that the Pope will use for special Church or humanitarian causes, the papal secretary said. One gift the Pope did accept was a cope, or liturgical cloak, given him by his brother. The Pope also received 80 bottles of beer from a brewery near Freising, Germany. The Pope joined Cardinals for a private birthday lunch at the
Pope hosts 3.4 million Vatican says nearly 3.4 million attended events in Pope's second year • By Cindy Wooden
In the second year of Pope Benedict XVI's pontificate, almost 3.4 million people participated in his weekly general audiences, group audiences, liturgies and the recitation of the Angelus on Sundays and holy days. The Prefecture of the Pontifical Household, headed by US Archbishop James M Harvey, published the data on April 14 in anticipation of the April 19 anniversary of the Pope's election. It said that from late April
2006 through early April 2007, more than a million people attended the Pope's Wednesday general audiences, while more than 350,000 people joined special groups granted a papal audience. More than half a million people participated in papal liturgies at the Vatican and in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, the prefecture said. And 1.46 million people joined the Pope for the Sunday recitation of the Angelus in St Peter's Square or in the courtyard of the papal summer villa at Castel Gandolfo. During the first year of Pope Benedict's pontificate, the numbers were slightly higher. The Vatican reported a total of more than four million people at all the events combined with more than 1.87 million at the Angelus recitations alone.
PHOTO ;
Vatican on April 16, where he was given a cheque for 100,000 Euros (about $162,539) collected by the Roman Curia's Cardinals, designated for the support of Catholic communities in the Holy Land. The Vatican newspaper published eight pages of articles commenting on the Pope and his ministry, under the main headline: "Hearts Overflowing With Joy." "Joy is the key word for the teaching ministry of this universal pastor," an editorial said. At that evening's concert in the Vatican's audience hall, the Pope listened to the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra perform pieces by Mozart and two other composers. In a brief talk, the Pope said he was convinced that music is "the universal language of beauty," capable of uniting people and reminding them of transcendent realities. "Looking back on my life,I thank God for having placed music alongside me almost as a travelling companion, one that has always given me comfort and joy," he said. Among those attending the concert was a delegation from the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which earlier in the day gave the Pope a congratulatory message from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy H of Moscow did not come to Rome, but he also sent a delegation and a birthday greeting expressing his "special admiration" for a life dedicated to Church ministry. "What makes your position especially convincing is that you as a theologian are not merely a theoretically thinking scholar, but above all a sincere and deeply devoted Christian," Patriarch Alexy said. The patriarch wished the Pope good health and many more years 1. f
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YCW adopts Mary MacKillop • By Anthony Barich
The Australian Young Christian Workers have strengthened their connection to their Catholic heritage and the Church itself by adopting Blessed Mary MacKillop as their patron saint. The international YCW movement already has St Therese of Lisieux as its patron saint, but at the Australian YCW national team meeting in Adelaide in January it was decided to adopt a Catholic saint who embodied the YCW spirit. Sarah Lentern, Parramatta YCW president and administrative officer of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, said the national organisation needed a prominent Catholic role model as some members and young workers they encounter feel distanced from the Church. "When we're working with young people many of them, though Catholic, feel they are distanced from the organised Church," Miss Lenter said. "This was a way we could strengthen our connection with our Catholic foundation and philosophies. We try to have lots of reflection as part of our methodology, and Mary MacKillop gives us a good focus point, someone who is a young worker, for guidance and who is a role model." Mary MacKillop, born in Fitzroy, Victoria in 1842, worked as a governess aged 14 to provide for her family, as she was one of 11 children, before opening schools to teach poor children in rural South Australia and opening orphanages and refuges for marginalised women and children. She was beatified on January 19, 1995 by Pope John Paul II and is already patroness of Australia and of the diocese of Wagga Wagga, NSW. Miss Lentern said the very process of choosing a patron saint strengthened the national team meeting members' understanding of what it truly means to have a patron saint. "Mary MacKillop's life of action can guide us in our own lives of action," Miss Lentern told YCW members in the latest newsletter. "Her life exemplifies the YCW's characteristics of young, Christian and worker. She can help each of us discover the deepest meaning and mission of our lives by being an example to us of what out faith can be, and by helping us to understand how we rat live out that faith. 'To me, Mary MacKillop demonstrates just how much one individual can do to change the world by having faith and engaging others in action. "Like us, she was called to 'serve, educate and represent:"
April 192007, The Record
Book Review
A travel book with a difference WhatIMet Along The Way Brother Andrew, Reprinted with permission by God's Farm, Gracewood, 2003 Available from The Record $9.95 + postage
• By Sylvia Defendi
It is refreshing to occasionally discover a piece of travel writing that does not model itself on the ever-popular Lonely Planet structure; one that goes beyond the extravagant scenery, affordable accommodation and must-see festivals. Now in its second reprint, What I Met Along the Way, written by co-founder of the Missionary Brothers of Charity, Br Andrew, is just that. At just under 200 pages, the simple recollection opens a portal into the very soul of many muchtravelled and unknown locations worldwide. It surpasses the acclaimed scenery and at times even the mystifying culture in favour of the inspiring example of poverty, faith and hope Br Andrew encountered as he discovered an admiration for Mother Teresa, which led to a continuation of her work throughout the world. Born in suburban Melbourne in 1928, Ian Travers-Ball, as Br Andrew was originally named, was studying to become a Jesuit priest. What shaped his early life more than anything else was a passion for gambling, until God himself
broke through and directed Br Andrew towards Bombay in 1954, where he was to complete his training with the Jesuit mission in India. Affection for the work of Mother Teresa later led Br Andrew to cofound the Missionary Brothers of Charity. The book details his travels during 1984, when he journeyed round the world visiting communities set up by the brothers. Yet the book is not so much about these communities as about the people he met, what he saw and what he thought and the experiences that shaped his life thereafter. Written with great clarity and deep sincerity, this second edition of the book offers its readers two extra chapters previously unpublished. The chapter entitled 'Not So Smart in Nairobi' details a sneaky con that almost got the better of Br Andrew, while travelling through Nairobi, while 'My Weakened Spine' delves into his personal struggles throughout his mission as Br Andrew, but also as a Jesuit priest. By dedicating the book to "those who hunger and thirst for just a little more", Br Andrew, who passed away in 2003, once again offers a subtle insight into the gifts the text can offer those who are in search of a more meaningful understanding of our current world situations. "Brother Andrew's quiet, unobtrusive ways, always avoiding the limelight, meant only some were aware of his many gifts used so generously for God's troubled, hidden poor," states Betty Peaker,
Brother Andrew Co-Founder with Mother Teresa of the Missionary Brothers of Charity
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'A visionary figure writing a contemporary version of the amazing journeys of the apostle Paul' /71,/f
a close friend of Br Andrew's, and coordinator at God's Farm in Western Australia. However, despite Br Andrew's focus on the lives of those that he encountered en route, the book
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does not lack in descriptive portrayals of exotic lands and poverty stricken settings. WhatIMet Along the Way, by Br Andrew, is available from The Record for $9.95 + postage.
CBC Freo rises to the occasion • By Sylvia Defendi
Once ranked 29th out of 30 Catholic secondary schools in WA, Christian Brothers College (CBC) in Fremantle has risen from the dust and was recently awarded a 2007 National Award for Quality Schooling. The awards were announced at Parliament House in Canberra on March 21, where more than 60 teachers, principals and support staff of schools were recognised for their outstanding achievements and over $1 million was awarded. CBC was the only WA Catholic school to receive a highly commended award in the Excellence in School Improvement category. Now fourth on the WA Catholic school ladder, CBC has undergone great transformation since its humble beginnings. David McFadden, who served as College headmaster from 2001 until 2006, implemented various changes during his term, which are now being upheld by the College community and new headmaster Robert Henderson. "The national award is recognition of the outstanding work completed at CBC in the past five years.
Awarded: Federal Minister for Education, Science and Training Juilie Bishop with CBC deputy headmaster Darren O'Neil at the presentation in Canberra on March 21. PHOTO COURNTESY OF CBC FREMANTLE A range of initiatives including a teacher mentor program, improvements in the teaching and learning culture and changes in curriculum delivery have been responsible for
the change," Mr Henderson said. These days the college is focused on forging strong links with neighbouring Notre Dame University. "The College's new strategic
direction focuses on its core function in the carriage of Catholicism and addressing the needs of the Church to connect with youth," Mr Henderson said.
April 192007, The Record
Page 15
Classifieds
P ANORAMA continued
April BOOK DONATIONS We seek donations of books, Bibles, Divine Office, Missals - all sorts, any condition. We repair and redistribute to perpetuate the Word and place it in the hands of the faithful that they may better participate. Can you help? Contact: M. Mary John (08) 0293 3092 Saturday April 21 SAND SCULPTURE COMPETITION Scarborough Beach. Enter teams of up to 10 people to sculpt Christian symbols in the sand. Entry $15 team. Enjoy free festivities, BBQ facilities. Enter now for great prizes! HYPERLINK "mailto:Mario@disciplesofiesus. org" Mario@disciplesofjesus.org Registrations: 8am; Heats: 9am,10am,1 1 am; Final: 12.30pm. Friday -Sunday April 20 - 22 ANTIOCH RECRUITING WEEKEND Youth aged 16- early 20s, Antioch is a place for youth to come together in a relaxed environment play music, share, socialise and learn about their faith journey, God and themselves. We have a recruiting weekend coming up from the 20th-22nd of April at Whitfords Catholic Primary School, Craigle. Contact Nicole 0411 542 619 or Talitha 0432 167 923. Sunday April 22 ANTIOCH RECRUITING WEEKEND CLOSING All former Antioch members are invited to the closing of Whitfords Antioch Recuiting Weekend at Whitfords Catholic Primary School, Craigle, starting at 8pm. Catch up with old friends! Contact Nicole 0411 542 619 or Talitha 0432 167 923. Sunday April 22 YOU, FAITH AND THE 21' CENTURY 3pm, Hosted by the Council of Christians and Jews Western Australia. Presented by Rabbi Bradley N. Bleefield, Rabbi in residence, Temple David. Jewish Community Centre, Woodrow Ave. Yokine. $5 Members, $10 Non-Members. Sunday April 22 THANKSGIVING MASS Parishioners, past parishioners, friends are invited to attend Thanksgiving Mass and luncheon to celebrate the 50th Anniversary Our Lady of Good Counsel Church Chidlow. Mass at 1 Iam followed by a light luncheon. Invitation only: Helen Ball (Giles) 9295 2965, Mary Ball (Love) 9295 1841, Marie McGuckin 9572 4343. Sunday April 22 THE PROPHETIC ROLE OF WOMEN 3pm - 5pm Quinlan Room, St Thomas More College, Nedlands. You are invited to a conversation with Dr Donna Orsuto, Director of Pallotine Lay Centre, Rome & Professor of Spirituality, Gregorian University. RSVP: Michelle Wood 9345 2555 or michelleww@iinet.net. au Monday April 23 - Monday April 30 R U COMING TO DINNER? Australia-wide ALPHA program begins in Perth churches, parishes and centres. To join St John's Northbridge course (Sunday nights) ring Harry 9444 4626. Wednesday April 25 THE JULIAN SINGERS are again donating their time and talents to a charity concert for Pregnancy Assistance on June 10, 2007. Do you like singing and music? We need your help; rehearsals begin 7.30pm, 25 April at 36 Windsor Street East Perth. We welcome all interested people. Enq: Chris 9276 2736 and Angela 9275 2066. Thursday April 26 CATHOLIC POLICE OFFICERS ASSOC. MASS AND AGM Serving and former sworn/staff and families are invited to attend Mass and AGM at our Lady Help of Christians, 43 Camberwell St, East Victoria Park, Mass 7pm. Followed by short AGM, and light supper. RSVP 23/4/07 Peter Browne 9321 2155 or Insp. Paul Newman 9222 1474 or Des Noonan 9291 8641. Thursday April 26 NIGHT COURSES AT ACTS 2 COLLEGE OF MISSION AND EVANGELISATION Dare to learn more about your faith. Two night courses commence Thurs 26th April 7.30pm. The Bible timeline - a great introduction to the Bible in the context of your Catholic Faith - and our Youth Ministry Leadership Course - for developing Parish youth workers or in preparation for WYD08. Registration essential. Enq: Jane 9202 6859 or 0401 692 690. Friday April 27 WORLD YOUTH DAY PRAYER VIGIL 8pm - 6am All night prayer vigil for World Youth Day at City Beach Parish. Come along for an hour or two, or for the whole night. Parishes and communities are invited to register to 'Host a Holy Hour' for the vigil. Details: HYPERLINK "http://www.wydperth.com" www.wydperth.com.
Friday April 27 FATHER PAUL RAJ - SILVER JUBILEE Holy Family Parish Kalamunda are holding a celebration Mass and supper to honour the Silver Jubilee of Father Paul at 7pm. Father's former parishioners are cordially invited to join us on this happy occasion. RSVP Maureen Humpheys 0419 049 496 or e-mail maurjohn@iinet.net.au. Friday April 27 NEW LIFE IN GOD'S SPIRIT SEMINAR 7.30 - 9.30pm, Our Lady of the Missions, 270 Camberwarra Drive Whitford/Craigie. Listen to a talk given by Mario Borg and testimony from Elena Reidy on the 'Unconditional love of God' and experience an outpouring of the power of His love. Booklets available for $15.00 or $5.00 per session. CEO accredited seminar. Enq; Jenni Young 9445 1028 or 0404 389 679. Wednesday May 2 CHARISMATIC HEALING MASS Saint Bernadette's Parish Grand Ocean Blvd (cnr Strasbourg Ramble) Port Kennedy will be holding a healing Mass beginning at 7pm with Praise and Worship, followed by Mass at 7.30pm concluding with healing prayer and supper afterwards. Enq: Christine 0407 196 710. Friday May 4 CATHOLIC FAITH RENEWAL - PRAISE & WORSHIP 7.30pm St John and Paul's Church, Pinetree Gully Road, Willetton. A Praise and Worship Evening followed by a talk given by Fr Paul Fogarty titled 'Prayer' and Thanksgiving Mass. Light Refreshments after Mass. You are all invited and welcome to attend and we encourage you to bring family and friends to this evening of fellowship. Enq: Rita 9272 1765 or Rose 0403 300 720. Saturday May 5 A DAY WITH MARY 9am-5pm St Catherine of Sienna Church, Constable Street, Gingin. A video of Fatima will be shown at 9am. A day of prayer and instruction based upon the messages of Fatima. Includes Sacrament of Penance, Holy Mass, Eucharist, Adoration, Sermons, Rosaries, Procession of the Blessed Sacrament and Stations of the Cross. Please BYO lunch. Enq: Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate 9250 8286. Bus Services - Nina 9367 1366. Sunday May 6 DIVINE MERCY An afternoon with Jesus and Mary will be held at St. Joachim's Church, cnr of Shepparton Road and Harper Street Victoria Park, at 1.30pm. Program: Holy Rosary and Reconciliation, Sermon: 'Mother of Mercy' with Fr Paul Fox, followed by Divine Mercy Prayers and Benediction. Mother Angelic Video afterwards. Enq: John 9457 7771 or Linda 9275 6608. Sunday May 6 BUSSELTON MAY ROSARY CELEBRATION In Honour of Our Lady held at Bove's Farm, Roy Road, Jindong. Singing at 12.30pm. Mass led by Fr Tony Chiera, commences at 1pm, followed by Rosary Procession and Benediction, refreshments provided. Bus bookings from Perth to Bove's Farm can be made with Francis Williams 9459 3873 or 0404 893 877. Sunday May 20 CATHOLIC POLICE OFFICERS BBQ Serving and former sworn/staff and families, are invited to a Marian BBQ/Picnic at the Schoenstatt Shrine, 9 Talus Dr, Armadale. Rosary at 12.30pm followed by BYO BBQ/Picnic. No BBQ available on site, will need to bring one if required. Enq: Des Noonan 9291 8641. Friday June 15 GOOMALLING 100TH ANNIVERSARY Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Goomalling is celebrating its 100th Anniversary. If you have any old photos or information that might be relevant to this celebration, please contact Fr John Daly on 9629 1147. June 15 - 17 FESTIVAL OF PRAISE & WORSHIP - PEMBERTON The Holy Spirit of Freedom Community invites all to attend their 10th annual festival for the Bunbury Diocese. The weekend will include the Eucharist and Reconciliation, praise & worship, teachings and sharings, prayer ministry and fellowship. Enq: Meryl Guimelli 9772 1172. Every Sunday RADIO GATE OF HEAVEN 7.30-9pm, 107.9FM. 1. Council of Faith II w/Fr. John Triglio "The Christian Faith & Demonology". 2. The Web of Faith w/Fr. Robert Levus & Fr. John Triglio "Answering your questions as they come in". Every Wednesday ADORATION, EVENING PRAYER, BENEDICTION St. Thomas Church, 2 College Road, Claremont. Adoration 1 pm to 5.30pm. followed by Evening Prayer and Benediction. Personal prayer before the
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RELIGIOUS PRODUCTS • CATHOLICS CORNER Retailer of Catholic products specialising in gifts, cards and apparel for baptism, communion and confirmation. Ph: 9456 1777. Shop 12, 64-66 Bannister Road, Canning Vale. Open Mon-Sat. • RICH HARVEST - YOUR CHRISTIAN SHOP Looking for Bibles, CDs. books, cards, gifts, statues, baptism/communion apparel, religious vestments, etc? Visit us at 39 Hulme Court (off McCoy St), Myaree, 9329 9889 (after 10.30am, Mon-Sat) We are here to serve.
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• BIRTHDAY REMEMBERANCE Miss Marie McGregor: Principal of Sacred Heart High School Yangon Myanma Born 15th May 1904 - Died 22nd March 2002 in Yangon Myanma Aged 98 years. She was very kind hearted and loving toward the poor who were unable to meet the school fees, she allowed them free. May her soul rest in perfect peace. Rita Jacob.
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Classifieds Must be submitted by fax, email or post no later than 12pm Tuesday.For more information contact 9227 7778. Blessed Sacrament is Adoration of Jesus gift of Himself, of His love for you, for your loved ones and for our world. Come and thank Him.
instead assembles every fourth Sunday at 2.30pm in the Chapel of RSL Care, 51 Alexander Dr, Menora. Enquiries John 9385 5649.
Every Month MONTHLY 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 depth and promotes lay spiritual leadership in the Church. Led by Kathleen Brennan (ibvm). April 23, May 28, June 25, 7.30pm. Emmanuel Centre, 25 Windsor St, East Perth. Enq: Michelle Wood, 9345 2555. All welcome.
Every Monday WEIGHT MANAGEMENT FOR THOSE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS
Fortnightly BIBLE REFLECTIONS The 'Workers in the Garden of the Holy Family' are conducting fortnightly Bible reflections at St Mary's Church, Parish Centre (40 Franklin St, Leederville) commencing at 7pm, April 18, May 2, 16 and 30, followed by refreshments. For enquiries phone 9201 0337. Every Forth Sunday SECULAR FRANCISCAN ORDER The Perth Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order no longer meets at the Pro-Cathedral but
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 Fourth Sunday of Month HOLY HOUR FOR VOCATIONS TO THE PRIESTHOOD AND RELIGIOUS LIFE "WATCH & PRAY" Held at Infant Jesus Parish, Morley from 2-3pm with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The hour consists of some Prayers and Scripture but mostly the hour is silent prayer for Vocations. All welcome. Next holy hour is April 22. Please encourage others to come and pray. Enq: 9276 8500.
Official Diary - APRIL 20
Farewell Mass for Fr Patrick Lim, Thornlie - Bishop Sproxton
21
Memorial Mass for Dr John Billings, Redemptorist Monastery - Archbishop Hickey
22
Mass to celebrate 50th Anniversary of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Chidlow - Archbishop Hickey
24
Archbishop's Briefing on Cathedral Appeal Launch, Highgate - Archbishop Hickey Assembly at Aranmore Catholic College - Bishop Sproxton AGM YouthCare, Wollaston - Bishop Sproxton
25
ANZAC Day Commemorative Parade and Service, Langley Reserve - Fr Brian O'Loughlin VG
26
Ministry of Acolyte for Redemptoris Mater Seminary - Bishop Sproxton
MAY 1-10 Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference - Archbishop Hickey, Bishop Sproxton 3
Opening address for Christian Meditation Community - Fr Brian O'Loughlin VG
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Page 16
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April 19 2007, The Record
The Last Word
Priests to influence Religious Education Continued from page 1
to make the schools accountable to the Parish Priest for their religious activities are: • The parish priest has the right to be on the RE teacher selection panel. The parish priest is to be • informed early in the year by the RE Coordinator of the content being taught each year, with a summary given to him. • The parish priest is to determine, in conjunction with the school authorities, the frequency of school Masses, and the provision of the Sacrament of Penance. • The parish priest and par-
ish clergy are to be invited to participate personally in the RE program after discussions with the RE Coordinator regarding this involvement. Archbishop Hickey said that schools instruct and catechise well, but are more limited in their ability to evangelise. They are now to offer more opportunities for evangelisation through retreats and other experiences that will bring faith alive, especially the knowledge and love of Christ. Schools are also to refer to trusted youth evangelising programs, especially those conducted in the local parish.
In another significant step, RE is to be taught by teachers who believe and practise the Catholic Faith and desire to see the faith grow in the students they teach. The role of the local Bishop and his clergy is to be strengthened to make it more clearly apparent that the units of RE and the faith activities of Catholic schools are sanctioned, endorsed and to some extent prepared by them. For this purpose three academically qualified priests of the Archdiocese of Perth will assist in the final texts of the RE Units for secondary schools, and offer their advice to the Archbishop.
Sun, surf and sandcastles for WYD delegates Continued from page 1
Anita Parker, Perth's World Youth Day coordinator, is expecting over 100 teams consisting of anywhere between two to 10 people, who will be "busy sculpting various Christian symbols out of sand". To further her "new wave" of evangelisation, Miss Parker is encouraging parishes and Catholic organisations to bring banners or flags to display where they are from in their sculpting zone. "This will be a wonderful witness to see Christian symbols along the sand and banners from our various Catholic groups along Scarborough Beach," Miss Parker said. There will be various high pro-
file judges from the Perth community, to pick out the best sculptures. The winning team will be given the WYD 08 Shield and various other prizes are to be won throughout the day. People can enter teams of two to 10 people and Miss Parker has urged a high involvement from the currently interested pilgrims from our Catholic community, and appealed for Catholics to get others involved. "So far we have around 1,500 pilgrims aged between 16-35 from the Perth Archdiocese that are traveling to Sydney for WYD 08," she said, noting the juggernaut that is already building around next year's event. Spectators, families and friends are encouraged to come down
to the beach for the day. There will be beach games, picnic and barbecue facilities and musical entertainment. "This is a great evangelisation event to bring friends along to who aren't currently involved in Church activities. It will also be a great opportunity for pilgrims that will be traveling to Sydney to meet other pilgrims from other Parishes and organisations," she said. For registration, information and rules contact Mario Borg on 9202 6843, via email at mario@disciplesofjesus.org or www.wydperth.com. Further information on WYD is also available by visiting www.wyd2008.org or contact the Perth WYD office on
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