Slitiwi.tig her she matters
H7- 7
Since 1995 Pennsylvania has been providing real options and support for unexpected pregnancies. Read about it in Vista
Experience the Adore Conference Vista 2-3
Will the new book abut aboriginal Benedictines re-ignite the stolen generation debate? Page 5
FOR THE BEST DEAL ON A NEW HONDA, ACCESSORIES, PARTS, FINANCE OR FROM OUR RANGE OF DUALITY USED
FOR THE BEST DEAL ON A NEW HONDA, ACCESSORIES, PARTS, FINANCE OR FROM OUR RANGE OF QUALITY USED VEHICLES
www_hondanorth.corn_au 4.32 Scarborough Bch Rd, Osborne Park, 6017 Ph: 94.4 sobo neye€:n,danorth corn.au
432 Scarborough Beach Road, Osborne Park, 6017 Ph: 9449 9000 new@hondanorth.com.au
w w. ofl.änorth.coiW. 2fAiF1 ,EAF Vel SALES .
51144n69y41" utYwi"SZLEbYtELLEICIF
HONDA
NORTH
HONDA
THE PARISH. THE NATION. THE WORLD.
KNOWING HIM: A conference and parade through Northbridge Page 6
NORTH
Perth, Western Australia • S2
Western Australia's award winning Catholic newspaper
Thursday April 26, 2007
-4 -4, :TS:
PERTH FAREWELL: Saying goodbye to Page 7 Dr John Billings
SILENCE IN CHURCH? our letter writPage 8 ers speak their piece
Limbo fades
'Good reasons to hope' for unbaptised babies says Vatican Theological commission says Limbo concept reflects 'a restrictive view of salvation' - it was never a doctrine, only a theory
Youth get the spirit of WYD 2008
• By John Thavis
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - After several years of study, the Vatican's International Theological Commission said there are good reasons to hope that babies who die without being baptised go to heaven. In a document published on April 20, the commission said the traditional concept of limbo - as a place where unbaptised infants spend eternity but without communion with God - seemed to reflect an "unduly restrictive view of Scott Hahn salvation." The Church continues to teach that, because of original sin, baptism is the ordinary way of salvation for all people and urges parents to baptise infants, the document said. But there is greater theological awareness today that God is merciful and "wants all human beings to be saved," it said. Grace has priority over sin, and the exclusion of innocent babies from heaven does not seem to reflect Christ's special love for "the little ones," it said. "Our conclusion is that the many factors that we have considered ... give serious theological and liturgical grounds for hope that unbaptised infants who die will be saved and enjoy the beatific vision," the document said. "We emphasise that these are reasons for prayerful hope, rather than grounds for sure knowledge," it added. The 41-page document, titled "The Hope Continued on page 2
Gearing up: Perth's World Youth Day office organised a competition for young people to see who could come up with the best sand sculpture inspired by a WYD theme at Scarborough Beach on Saturday April 21; creativity abounded. Even a mermaid, pictured above, was on PHOTO: ANITA PARKER hand to help out. FULL STORY- Page 3
INDEX
EASTER WITH BENEDICT
As inspirational reflections on Jesus and the meaning of Easter it doesn't get much better than this; we continue our series of the Holy Father's Easter homilies.
Page 4
Archbishop/Letters I say, I say The World Reviews Classifieds
- Page 8 - Page 11 - Pages 12-13 - Page 14 - Page 15
Pennsylvania funds answer to abortion As Treasurer Eric Ripper and Premier Alan Carpenter try to decide what to do with a bloated budget surplus, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the USA has come up with a Government-funded service dedicated to supporting real alternatives to abortion for women in difficulty. Pennsylvania, with a population of about 14million, provides an annual .$5.5 million budget to support women with problem pregnancies from conception until their babies are 12 months old. The Pennsylvania program - known unambiguously as the Pennsylvania Alternative to Abortions Services Program - has become a model for other States in the US and could also be a model for Australian States in order to put real meaning into the claim made by all our parliaments that they are not pro-abortion, but pro-choice. It puts real community support behind women who want to exercise the choice for life instead of death. The program contracts 120 service providers made up of pregnancy support centres, social service agencies like Catholic Charities, adoption agencies and maternity homes throughout Pennsylvania to reach out to women in unplanned or crisis pregnancies. An interview with the director of the Alternative to Abortions program available on Vista 1 in this edition.
UKRAINIAN SPRING
Bishop Peter Stasiuk of Melbourne, the eparch of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Australia and New Zealand,ls spearheading the first English translation of the Ukrainian Catholic Catechism.
Page 16
Page 2
April 262007, The Record
in brief. ..
NSW State library opens religion exhibition The State Library of NSW launched an online exhibition on April 23 documenting the early history of religion in Australia, including the building of the first churches and missions around Sydney. "Religion, Church and Missions in Australia," supported by the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation and drawing on the library's collection of letters and journals, paintings and rare books, features historic images of the first churches erected in the penal settlement of Sydney. These include a Protestant church built in 1793, which was burnt down in 1798 by disgruntled Irish Catholic convicts who had been forced to attend services there.
Over 50s have it all People over 50 control 80 per cent of Britain's
wealth and enjoy "dream" living standards says a report from insurer Friends Provident. It says baby boomers worked through periods of relative economic prosperity and have experienced rocketing house prices, which means they have money to spare. It's a different story for younger adults saddled with personal debt and facing huge mortgages if they buy a house. - BBC
"Holy Father,Iwant to ask you something!" Pope Benedict XVI answers questions on Vocation, Marriage, understanding Holy Scripture, and speaks of the Last Supper and the meaning of EASTER. For your FREE copy write to: Tyburn Prior), 325 Garfield Rd East, Riverstone, NSW 2765 (Printed with permission of Libreria Editrice Vaticana)
• VISITING SYDNEY Why not stay at
STORMANSTON HOUSE 27 McLaren Street, North Sydney
Restful & secure accommodation operated by Sisters of Mercy, North Sydney • Situated in the heart of North Sydney and a short distance to the city • Rooms available with ensuite facility • Continental breakfast, tea/coffee making facilities & television • Separate lounge/dining room, kitchen and laundry • Private off-street parking
Contact: 0418 650 661 or email: nsstorm@tpg.com.au
Donations build SW drug service In the interests of social needs throughout the diocese of Bunbury, a recent and substantial contribution by the south-west diocese will see the expansion of a worthwhile and necessary drug and alcohol service, run by St John of God Health. The St John of God South West Drug Service will expand its services thanks to Bishop Gerard Holohan's Annual Christmas Appeal for CatholicCare which raised $12,500 for the St John's drug and alcohol service. Announcing the donation, the Financial Administrator of the Bunbury Diocese Mr
Continued on page 2
but did not suffer because they did not of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without know what they were deprived of. Being Baptised," was published in Origins, Through the centuries, popes and the documentary service of Catholic News church councils were careful not to define Service. Pope Benedict XVI authorised its limbo as a doctrine of the faith and to leave publication earlier this year. the question open. That was important in The 30 -member International allowing an evolution of the teaching, the Theological Commission acts as an advitheological commission said. sory panel to the Vatican, in particular to A key question taken up by the docuthe Congregation for the Doctrine of the ment was the Church's teaching that bapFaith. Its documents are not considered tism is necessary for salvation. That teachexpressions of authoritative church teach- ing needs interpretation, in view of the fact ing, but they sometimes set the stage for that "infants ... do not place any personal official Vatican pronouncements. obstacle in the way of redemptive grace," The commission's document said salva- it said. tion for unbaptised babies who die was In this and other situations, the need for becoming an urgent pastoral question, the sacrament of baptism is not absolute in part because their number is greatly and is secondary to God's desire for the increasing. Many infants today are born to salvation of every person, it said. parents who are not practising Catholics, "God can therefore give the grace of and many others are the unborn victims of baptism without the sacrament being conabortion, it said. ferred, and this fact should particularly be Limbo has never been defined as Church recalled when the conferring of baptism dogma and is not mentioned in the current would be impossible," it said. Catechism of the Catholic Church, which This does not deny that all salvation states simply that unbaptised infants are comes through Christ and in some way entrusted to God's mercy. through the Church, it said, but it requires But limbo has long been regarded as the a more careful understanding of how this common teaching of the Church. In the may work. modern age, "people find it increasingly The document outlined several ways by difficult to accept that God is just and which unbaptised babies might be united merciful if he excludes infants, who have to Christ: no personal sins, from eternal happiness," - A "saving conformity to Christ in his the new document said. own death" by infants who themselves sufParents in particular can experience fer and die. grief and feelings of guilt when they doubt - A solidarity with Christ among infant their unbaptised children are with God, victims of violence, born and unborn, it said. who like the holy innocents killed by King The Church's hope for these infants' Herod are endangered by the "fear or selfsalvation reflects a growing awareness of ishness of others." God's mercy, the commission said. But the - God may simply give the gift of salvaissue is not simple, because appreciation tion to unbaptised infants, corresponding for divine mercy must be reconciled with to his sacramental gift of salvation to the fundamental church teachings about orig- baptised. inal sin and about the necessity of baptism The document said the standard teachfor salvation, it said. ing that there is "no salvation outside the The document traced the develop- Church" calls for similar interpretation. ment of church thinking about the fate The Church's magisterium has moved of unbaptised children, noting that there toward a more "nuanced understandis "no explicit answer" from Scripture or ing" of how a saving relationship with tradition. the Church can be realised, it said. This In the fifth century, St Augustine con- does not mean that someone who has not cluded that infants who die without bap- received the sacrament of baptism cannot tism were consigned to hell. By the 13th be saved, it said. century, theologians referred to the "limbo Rather, it means that "there is no salvaof infants" as a place where unbaptised tion which is not from Christ and ecclesial babies were deprived of the vision of God, by its very nature," it said.
EDITOR
F1ightw;q1d
200 St George's Terrace, Perth, WA 6000 PO Box 7221, Perth Cloisters Square, WA 6850 Tel: (08) 9322 2914 Fax: (08) 9322 2915 Email: admingz)tlightworld www.flightworld.com.au
Hospital CEO Mark Grime said he was very appreciative of CatholicCare raising funds for this important service. "People of all ages living within our own communities are affected by drugs and alcohol. St John's is grateful for this support to help these people make significant changes to their lives" Mr Grime said. "It is satisfying to now be able to reach out and provide assistance in other communities where, without a place to go for assistance, people find it difficult to stop their drug or alcohol intake" he said This service also provides assistance to spouses, children and extended family members who have suffered from the affects of drug and alcohol use, including violence and crime. For further information concerning the St John of God South West Drug Service, call: 9722 1600, or visit: www.sjog.org.au.
Limbo idea 'restrictive;only a theory
Peter Rosengren cathrec@iinet.netau Personal Serriee' -L pe lence atllo list lour Dream!,
John Ogilvie said the funds will enable this service to undertake field trips and expand into the other parishes throughout the Diocese. "This service provides drug and alcohol counselling and support to those involved in drug and alcohol issues and aims to reduce the harm associated with alcohol and other drug use" Mr Ogilvie said. "The generosity of parishioners throughout the South West, Great Southern, South Coastal and South East Coastal regions will enable their services to expand throughout the Diocese" he said. CatholicCare is the charitable arm of the Catholic Diocese of Bunbury and was established in 2003 to provide for Church assistance for social needs throughout the Bunbury Diocese. Accepting the donation St John of God
JOURNALISTS Anthony Barich Bronwyn Clune Sylvia Defendi Paul Gray Mark Reidy
anthonybarich@hotmail.com clunerec@iinet net.au sdefendi@iinetnet.au cathrec@iinetnetau reidyrec@iinetnetau
ADMINISTRATION Justine Stephens administration@therecord.com.au ACCOUNTS Cathy Baguley
recaccounts@iinet.net.au
The document quoted St Paul's teaching that spouses of Christians may be "consecrated" through their wives or husbands. This indicates that the holiness of the Church reaches people "outside the visible bounds of the Church" through the bonds of human communion, it said. The document said the Church clearly teaches that people are born into a state of sinfulness - original sin - which requires an act of redemptive grace to be washed away. But Scripture also proclaims the "superabundance" of grace over sin, it said. That seems to be missing in the idea of limbo, which identifies more with Adam's sinfulness than with Christ's redemption, it said. "Christ's solidarity with all of humanity must have priority over the solidarity of human beings with Adam," it said. Liturgically, the motive for hope was confirmed by the introduction in 1970 of a funeral rite for unbaptised infants whose parents intended to present them for baptism, it said. The commission said the new theological approach to the question of unbaptised babies should not be used to "negate the necessity of baptism, nor to delay the conferral of the sacrament." "Rather, there are reasons to hope that God will save these infants precisely because it was not possible to do for them what would have been most desirable - to baptise them in the faith of the Church and incorporate them visibly into the body of Christ," it said. The commission said hopefulness was not the same as certainty about the destiny of such infants. "It must be clearly acknowledged that the Church does not have sure knowledge about the salvation of unbaptised infants who die," it said. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict, was president of the commission and head of the doctrinal congregation when the commission began studying the question of limbo in a systematic way in 2004. US Cardinal William J. Levada now heads the commission and the doctrinal congregation. Cardinal Levada met with the Pope to discuss the document on January 19 and, with the Pope's approval, authorised its publication.
CONTRIBUTERS Derek Boylen Hal Colebatch Anna Krohn Catherine Parish Johnny Heard
The Record PO Box 75, Leederville, WA 6902 - 587 Newcastle St, West Perth - Tel: (08) 9227 7080, - Fax (08) 9227 7087 The Record is a weekly publication distributed throughout the parishes of the dioceses of Western Australia and by subscription.
April 262007, The Record
Page 3
Evangelisation takes to the beaches
When it came to promoting awareness and enthusiasm for next year's World Youth Day, youth from all over Perth converged on one of this city's best known landmarks
Over 20 teams of over 100 people turned up en masse at Scarborough Beach for a very summery way of evangelising the Catholic faith last Saturday morning. Whitford parish, which registered two teams, won the event that required sand sculptors to sculpt anything with a religious theme as a promotional event leading up to World Youth Day in Sydney next year. The top three winners from
each round went through to the final, Whitford winning their way through with a detailed depiction of Christ on the Cross - complete with shells for nails and twigs for a very realistic crown of thorns. The Disciples of Jesus Covenant Community's "24-7" youth group innovated well, placing one of their own on a sand cross, with seaweed used as a crown of thorns. Finalists had to sculpt the World Youth day logo, and for their winning version the Whitford sculptors won a trophy, a perpetual shield and Greater Union movie passes. The success of the event - judged by Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton, Channel, 7 sports presenter Adrian Barich, Catholic Youth Ministry director Robert Hiini, Disciples of Jesus Covenant
Community coordinator Reg Firth, Record editor Peter Rosengren and City of Stirling official James Nerva - prompted Perth's WYD coordinator Anita Parker to promise another "bigger and better" sand sculpture competition next year.
The event proved a great evangelical tool. Miss Parker alone spoke to many curious onlookers, including a family visiting from Canada and three lapsed Catholic girls from Melbourne, who joined in,
making their own sand sculptures. Redemptoris Mater and St Charles seminarians attended, as did Bateman priests Frs Clayton Mitchell and Thai Vu, and Whitford parish priest Fr Joseph Tran.
Help Keep Christianity Alive tu Bethlehem
Today, as you read this, poverty and oppression are driving Christian faithful from the Holy Land. But you can help give our suffering brothers and sisters in Christ a reason to stay. Through a program we developed to support the distribution of rosaries handcrafted of local olive wood by Catholic artisans, Aid to the Church in Need is reaching out to faithful in need across the Holy Land. We provide a simple, dignified, and effective means for struggling faithful to keep food on the table for their families. Please help us strengthen and rebuild the Church. A beautiful, handcrafted rosary made of olive wood from the Holy Land will be sent for an offering of $12 or more to support the projects of Aid to the Church in Need in Bethlehem. Please tick the box if you would like to receive the olive wood rosary*. MI
NM
II=
MIN
MM
Order Form: Help Keep Christianity Alive in Bethlehem Send To: Aid to the Church in Need, PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 Phone/Fax No: (02) 9679-1929 E-mail: info@aidtochurch.org Web: www.aidtochurch.org BLOCK LETTERS PLEASE The olive wood rosaries are lovingly. handcrafted by poverty stricken families Mr/Mrs/Nis/Sr/Rev. in Bethlehem and your donation helps Address. them survive.
Postcode to help keep I/We enclose $ Christianity Alive in Bethlehem. Sandy Eucharist: Greenwood's Mason Feltoe, Emma Passmore, Matt Passmore, Rachel Noronha, Courtney Perrie and Carina McPherson with their sculpture.
=7'
Yes please send me the olive wood rosary* I enclose a cheque/money order payable to Aid to the Church in Need. OR please debit my Visa or Mastercard:
JJ1:0 Exp. date.
Signature:
Aid to the in Church Need ... a Catholic charity dependent on the Holy See, providing pastoral relief to needy and oppressed Churches.
I'm John Hughes, WA's most trusted car dealer • Do I guarantee that when people come to do business with me, they will be treated with courtesy, sincerity, professionalism and efficiency?
JOHN HUGHES Christ in 3-D: Whitford's Laura Janes, Theresa Pike, Jane Pike, Konrad Gagatek and PHOTOS: ANTHONY BARICH Simon Liddell with their sculpture.
Join Pope Benedict XVI in prayer April General intention: Call to Holiness. That guided by the Holy Spirit, each Christian may respond enthusiastically and faithfully to the universal call to holiness. Mission intention: Vocations - that the number of priestly and religious vocations may grow to meet the needs in North America] and countries of the Pacific Ocean.
• I say "I want your business and I'm prepared to pay for it" and "I stand behind every car I sell". Is that really true? • Is it true that I have over 40 technicians who are dedicated to getting my used cars in first class condition before sale? • Is it true that every year for the last 17 consecutive years I've been Australia's top selling Hyundai dealer? • Is it true that if somebody buys a used car from me, I will pay for a pre-purchase RAC or similar inspection?
CHOOSE YOUR DEALER BEFORE YOU • I have a warehouse selling cars under $10,000. Is it true that I offer a full money back guarantee within one week? CHOOSE YOUR CAR
Absolutely! Just over the Causeway on Shepperton Road, Victoria Pork. Phone 9415 0011 m.o.,
•
•
April 26 2007, The Record
Page 4
Girl with no oroduction value sneaks volumes • By Tanya Connor WORCESTER, Massachusetts (CNS) - In silence, Audrey Santo witnessed to the world. This was the message of preachers and participants at an April 17 wake for the girl who died after years of inexplicable paranormal events that seemed to emanate from her bedside where she lay comatose for the two decades after she fell into a pool. Santo, 23, who died on April 14 at home, was in a comalike state, unable to move or speak, due to an accident when she was three years old, but people had flocked to her bedside at her family's home, where she was cared for. Unexplained phenomena that seemed to happen in her presence drew thousands of visitors over the years. Many felt she could heal others.
Over 100 people attended her wake and about 300 were at her funeral from several States. The main celebrant of the funeral Mass was Fr John J Foley, pastor of Christ the King Parish in Worcester, the family's parish. Worcester Bishop Robert J McManus and his predecessor, retired Bishop Daniel P Reilly, attended the Mass, as did a dozen priests, a couple of deacons and several members of religious orders. Burial was private. Santo fell into her family's pool on August 9, 1987, aged three, was overmedicated at the hospital, lapsed into a coma that lasted three weeks and was left in a state called "akinetic mutism". A fter her accident, strange phenomena reportedly occurred in her presence. These included what some described as a faint scent of roses, and the oozing of oils and blood from religious stat-
ues and, on at least one occasion, from the Eucharist. Some people also claimed to have been healed of physical illnesses or handicaps after seeing the girl. Annual events for the anniversary of her accident drew people from around the United States and overseas to Christ the King parish and her home, known as the "ministry house." Some considered her a "victim soul" who suffered for others. In 1998 Bishop Reilly, then head of the Worcester Diocese, established a commission to investigate the phenomena. The first phase ended with a January 1999 report that did not substantiate any miraculous happenings, but Bishop Reilly said the family's dedication to Audrey was "the most striking evidence of the presence of God in the Santo home." "We may never fully understand
the causes of various paranormal events which have been reported to have occurred in their home," Bishop McManus said in a statement about the young woman's death. But he said everyone who visited was touched by "the unswaying commitment to life" family, friends and volunteers exhibited daily and that her mother "never treated her as any less a member of the family." "Every one of my children and grandchildren is a gift," Linda Santo, Audrey's mother, said in a statement. "People need to understand they can't lose their faith when tragedies like Audrey's accident happen. I don't blame God for the accident. I don't believe God did this, but I do believe God used this event. "Audrey in flesh and blood presents the world with an ines-
capable either/or choice" - either every person is loved by God and possesses intrinsic value, or all are of no account, Melkite Fr Emmanuel Charles McCarthy said in the funeral homily. As humanity decides the value of the least, it decides its own temporal and eternal future, he said. "Audrey, never speaking a word, speaks a prophetic and salvific word that reaches to the end of the earth," he said. He praised the witness of her family, who prayed and rearranged their lives to care lovingly for someone the world would discount - a handicapped child with "no production value." "Audrey helped many people in her own way, sometimes just by her presence," Father Foley said in his homily at the wake. Sometimes God works when people are weakest, he said.
This blood alone has the power to save us all After Easter there are eight weeks of celebration in the calendar of the Church — Eastertide. The Record continues this week with our series of the inspiring Easter homilies delievered in Rome during Holy Week by Pope Benedict XVI At the Mass of the Lord's Supper on the evening of Holy Thursday Dear brothers and sisters, in the reading from the book of Exodus that we have just heard, the celebration of Israel's Passover is described as it was set out by Mosaic law. In the beginning, there could have been a spring holiday celebrated by nomads. However, for Israel, this had been transformed into a feast of commemoration, thanksgiving and, at the same time, hope. At the heart of the Passover supper, ordained by the specific liturgical rules, was the lamb, as the symbol of liberation from slavery in Egypt. Thus, the paschal "Haggadah" was an integral part of the lamb dinner: the narrative recollection of the fact that it was God himself who had liberated Israel "with a raised hand." He, the mysterious and hidden God, had been stronger than the pharaoh with all the power that he had at his disposition. Israel was not to forget that God personally had a hand in the history of his people, and that this history was continuously based on communion with God. Israel was not to forget God. The words of the memorial service were surrounded by words of praise and thanksgiving taken from the Psalms. Giving thanks and blessing God reached its apex with the "berakha," which in Greek is called "eulogia" or "eucaristia:" To bless God becomes a blessing for those who bless. The offering donated to God returns blessed to man. All this erected a bridge from the past to the present and toward the future: The liberation of Israel had not yet come about. The nation
Greeting: Pope Benedict XVI waves to the faithful during his weekly general audience in St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on February 22. PHOTO CNS/DARRIN ZAMMIT LUPI, REUTERS still suffered like a small population in the middle of tensions between great powers. The thankful remembrance of the action of God in the past became at the same time both a plea and a source of hope: Bring to fruition what you have begun! Give us definitive freedom! This supper, with its multiple meanings, was celebrated by Jesus with his disciples on the eve of his passion. Taking into account this context, we can understand the new Easter, which he gave to us in the holy Eucharist. In the narrations of the Evangelists, there is an apparent contradiction between the Gospel of John, on one hand, and what, on the other hand, Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us. According to John, Jesus died on the cross precisely at the moment in which, in the temple, the Passover lambs were being sacrificed. His death and the sacrifice of the lambs coincided. This means that he died on the eve of Passover, and that, therefore, he could not have personally celebrated the paschal supper; at least this is what it would seem.
On the contrary, according to the three Synoptic Evangelists, the last supper of Jesus was a paschal supper, in its traditional form. He introduced the innovation of the gift of his body and blood. This contradiction, until a few years ago, seemed impossible to resolve. The majority of the exegetes thought that John did not want to communicate to us the true historical date of the death of Jesus, but had opted for a symbolic date to make the deeper truth more evident: Jesus is the new and true lamb that spilled his blood for us all. The discovery of the manuscripts of Qumran has led us to a convincing possible solution that, while not accepted by all, is highly probable. We can now say that what John referred to is historically correct. Jesus truly spilled his blood on the eve of Passover at the hour of the sacrifice of the lambs. However, he celebrated Passover with his disciples probably according to the calendar of Qumran, that is to say, at least one day earlier - he celebrated without a lamb, like the Qumran community who did
not recognise the Temple of Herod and was waiting for a new temple. Therefore, Jesus celebrated Passover without a lamb... no, not without a lamb: Instead of the lamb he gave himself, his body and his blood. In this way he foresaw his death coherently with his announcement: "No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own" (John 10:18). The moment he offered his body and blood to the disciples, he truly fulfilled this statement. He himself offered his life. Only in this way the old Passover obtains its true meaning. St. John Chrysostom, in his Eucharistic catechesis, once wrote: "What are you saying Moses? That the blood of a lamb purifies man? That it saves them from death? How can the blood of an animal purify man? How can it save mankind, have power against death?" "In fact," Chrysostom continues, "the lamb can only be a symbol, and, therefore, the expression of the expectation and the hope in someone that would be capable of doing all that an animal couldn't do." Jesus celebrated the Passover
without a lamb and without the temple, and nevertheless, he was not lacking a lamb or a temple. He himself was the awaited lamb, the true one, the one that John the Baptist had foretold at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry: "Behold the Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world" ( John 1:29). And he himself was the true temple, the living temple, the one in which God lives, in which we can find ourselves with God and adore him. His blood, the love of he who is at the same time Son of God and true man, one of us, this blood has the power to save. His love, this love in which he gives himself freely for us, is what saves us. The nostalgic action, in some sense inefficient, of the immolation of the innocent and immaculate lamb, found an answer in the one who became for us both lamb and temple. In this way, in the centre of the new Passover of Christ, we find the cross. The new gift brought by him proceeds from there. And in this way, it always remains in the holy Eucharist, by which we can celebrate with the apostles through the ages the new Passover. From the cross of Christ proceeds the gift. "No one takes it away from me; I lay it down." Now, he offers it to us. The paschal "Haggadah," the commemoration of the salvific act of God, becomes a recollection of the cross and the resurrection of Christ, a remembrance that doesn't just recall the past, but attracts us toward the presence of the love of Christ. In this way, the "berakha," Israel's prayer of blessing and thanksgiving, becomes our Eucharistic celebration, in which the Lord blesses our gifts, the bread and wine, to give himself. Let us ask the Lord to help us to understand ever more deeply this marvelous mystery, and to love it more and more. And within it, to love him more and more. Let us ask him to attract us more and more to him with holy Communion. Let us ask him to help us not to keep our lives for ourselves, but to surrender them to him, and in this way, to work with him so that all people find life, the authentic life that can only come from he who is the way, the truth and the life. Amen. [Translation by Zenit]
April 262007, The Record
Page 5
Turning Aborigines into Benedictine monks • By Paul Gray
A tour of the famous New Norcia monastery has prompted a former editor of New Internationalist magazine to write a book documenting early attempts to convert the Aboriginal people to Catholicism. The story of Dirimera and Conaci, the first Aboriginal students at New Norcia monastery, will be revealed by author Anouk Ride in a book released next week. It relates how the boys, both teenagers, were sent to Europe to train as Catholic monks. One, a brilliant student, died there and is buried in Italy. The book is predicted to renew debate on the so-called "stolen generations" - Aboriginal children removed from their families in the 20th century by Church and welfare groups, often with good intentions but tragic consequences. Set in the mid-19th century, the story of Dirimera and Conaci predates the period of the stolen generations controversy. However author Anouk Ride told The Record this week: "We can call
these boys the precursors to the stolen generation." Ride, who has received support from today's New Norcia monks in researching archival material for the book, claims to have taken an objective and even-handed approach to her subject matter. Asked if she regarded the monks responsible for taking the Aboriginal boys to Europe as heroes or villains,
Ride answered that she leaves that question to the readers. The book focuses on the role played by Spanish Benedictine missionary Rosendo Salvado, founder of New Norcia mission. "I had mixed feelings about Salvado's intentions," Ride said. However she said that for his time, the monk had "progressive" views and obvious human affection for the boys. Conaci died in Italy at the age of 13. Dirimera returned to Western Australia and died at the age of 17, in 1855. On examining Salvado's diary, Ride found it contained locks of hair that had belonged to the boys. Conaci and Dirimera were the first Aboriginal students at New Norcia mission. Three more Aboriginals were sent to Europe after them. Titled The Grand Experiment, Ride's book documents the 19th century monks' vision of converting the Aboriginal people to the Catholic faith by first converting young Aboriginals like Conaci and Dirimera. It will be published by Lothian Books.
Pope pips trainers over Randwick for Mass
Hundreds forced to relocate
T
hey're racing at Randwick, most of the time - but the neddies must go elsewhere when Pope Benedict visits Sydney for World Youth Day on July 19-20 next year. Nearly half a million people are expected to congregate at Sydney's famous racetrack for a papal Mass on the Sunday morning, July 20, forcing the temporary relocation of hundreds of horses, their trainers and staff. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that trainers are seeking financial compensation for the move. "We may be Christian and loving, but we're also practical," said an Australian Jockey Club official.
MPs from both parties cross floor on cloning Victorians ignore churches
A conscience vote has resulted in Victoria's state parliament passing a new bill to legalise human cloning. MPs crossed the floor in both directions during the vote, with the Liberal Party's leader, Ted Baillieu, and deputy leader, Louise Asher, both voting in favour of cloning. Labor parliamentarians Christine Campbell and James Merlino (Sports Minister in Victoria's Labor Government) voted against. Melbourne's Catholic and Anglican archbishops had strongly urged the defeat of the bill, which allows scientists to clone embryos for research. The bill passed by 58 votes to 25.
Live it and speak it, Wilson tells Church administrators The medieval world was "enchanted" by faith - but the modern world is "disenchanted," said the President of the Australian Bishops Conference, Archbishop Philip Wilson, at the Catholic Church Administrators Conference in Melbourne. Despite living in a disenchanted culture, Catholics must realise that their fellow human beings are still searching for God. How Catholics live and communicate is therefore crucial, the Archbishop said. "By living faithful, vibrant, intelligent Christian lives, in dialogue with the questions of our day, the Gospel will be powerfully expressed to those with whom we share the planet."
Faith-based aid ignored in funds Laritasi special adviser on
AIDS says Catholics and other faith-based organisations are extuded from decision-making regarding distribution of funds despite constituting 20 per cent of the AIDS battle ROME (Zenit.org) - Catholics and other faith-based organisations have always been at the forefront in the battle against AIDS, but are rarely included in decision-making on funding distribution, according to Caritas' special adviser on AIDS, Fr Robert Vitillo. Fr Vitillo made the comment on Tuesday when speaking with a group of ambassadors to the Holy See. The priest reported that the United Nations World Health Organisation estimates that 20 per cent of all
organisations engaged in the battle against HIV are faith-based. Between 30 per cent and 70 per cent of health care in Africa, where the AIDS epidemic is greatest, is provided by these organisations. Yet, he said, their work is often undervalued or misrepresented. Though more money than ever before has been made available for the fight against AIDS - through donors such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, for example - Fr Vitillo added that faith-based organisations receive only a small fraction of it. Officials from the Global Fund say that decisions on funding distribution are made within recipient countries. However, the Caritas adviser says that faith-based organisations often report that their attempted participation in the decision making is excluded. "To meet the challenges of univer-
sal access to prevention, treatment, and care posed by HIV and AIDS, we need to match up the funds that already exist with the people who are delivering the services, especially to the poor and marginalised," Fr Vitillo said. "Recently, civil society activists have proposed a dual track system for Global Fund applications - one that would allow direct application to the Global Fund by civil society actors, including faith-based organisations. "It is my sincere hope that donor governments and all Global Fund Board members will consider this proposal in a favourable manner." Fr Vitillo noted that a plan is working well in South Africa, where the Bishops' Conference launched a treatment program. With aid from the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Bishops' Conference is the secondlargest provider of antiretroviral treatment in South Africa.
Telstra boss predicts hi-tech spread of WYD message At the same conference, Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo predicted hi-tech communications methods would help spread the word from World Youth Day 2008 around the globe. "We can use SMSs, MMSs, webcasts, blogs and even mobile video calls so that more young people around the world can access and share this very special event," Mr Trujillo said. Previously dubbed one of Telstra's "three amigos," Mr Trujillo said he was also a friend to World Youth Day, having supported the first WYD at Denver in 1994 when he was CEO of US West.
New imagination needed to pass on faith, says Bishop The Church's "manner and method" of passing on its faith is not adequate to today's needs, Broome Bishop Christopher Saunders said in the latest edition of his diocese's Kimberley Profile. "The faith as we treasure it is not being received by present generations," he said. Bishop Saunders wrote that there has been marked change in the nature and depth of spirituality among residents of the Kimberley, as elsewhere. To preach effectively in this era of "stark materialism and faithless self-gratification" demands a "new imagination," he says.
HARVEST PILGRIMAGES
WAY OF ST JAMES
VISITATIONS OF MARY
ROME &MEDJUGORJE
Lourdes(3) Loyola Santo Domingo De Silos (1) Burgos Leon Astorga (1) Sarria (1) Santiago De Compostela (2) Coimbra Fatima / Anniversary (3)
Lisbon (1) Fatima Anniversary (3) Avila (2) Burgos Garabandal (2) Loyola Lourdes (3) Optional Mecogory Extensron
Rome (3) Medjugorje (7)
OptIonal Mecijogone Extension (6)
15 day pilgrimage from $4595* Departing • 9 Jun - Fr Brian Connelly • 1 Aug - Fr Vel Maglica • 9 Sep- Fr Eugene Ashkar • *9 Oct - Fr John Rate
*June and October only
We invite you to join us in June for the 26th Anniversary Celebrations,
15 day pilgrimage from $4595* Departing 2 Jun - Fr Brian Connelly (Left) *2 Oct - Fr Paul Chandler (right)
Fr Robert Vitillo, special adviser on AIDS to Caritas Internationalis, speaks in India,
14 day pilgrimage from $3795*
A 14 day journey departing: Ask about extening on Way of St James? • 15 June 2007- Anniversary
Escourted by Fr Paul Tru Also departs: • 27 Jul - Annual Youth Festival • 10 Sep • 8 Oct • *26 Oct 2007
HARVEST PILGRIMAGES FREE CALL 1800 819 156 PHOTO CNS/ANTO AKKARA
All prices listed do not include taxes
Flightworld Travel Perth: (08) 9322 2914 Harvey World Travel Osborne Park: (08) 9443 6266
us
MI
is
•
April 262007, The Record
Page 6
Adore conference sparks culture of self-giving The recent Adore conference in Perth, focusing on Jesus in the Eucharist, also saw more than 400 people march through the streets of Northbridge on a busy Saturday evening. The Record's Anthony Barich reports.
0
blate Apostles of the Two Hearts founder Fr Edgardo Arellano's mother had seven children. Two died but she adopted a staggering seven more. Her friends thought she was nuts. Here she was, raising a family in a middle class area of the Philippines, and she was taking on more than she and her husband could economically afford. In today's world where property markets put home ownership well out of the range of first buyers and the very idea of having more than one or two kids is laughable, where
children are only "had" if people can afford it, she would be considered a joke, not a saint. But in her self-giving love, Fr Edgardo, or "Fr Bing", as he is affectionately known, sees a reflection of the Christian life that we are called to by the very same self-giving love of Christ that we see in the Eucharist. Call him biased, but Fr Bing says his mother was the happiest mother in the world, because she gave so much of herself. It is in giving rather than receiving that true joy is found - doing what we can to live in thanks for the gift that Christ gave us on the Cross, and, in the same way, the Eucharist. At the Adore Eucharistic Congress that drew about 150 people plus another 300 or so to a Marian procession through the streets of Northbridge on the third day of the conference, Fr Bing was not calling Catholics to necessarily have more kids, but in lamenting children being considered a choice of convenience rather than a gift. It is an example of a society that has forgotten what love is because the individuals that suffer within it have not experienced true love.
Your Grace, In response to your request dated 19 February 2007, I have been asked to transmit to you the following message: The most reverend Barry J. Hickey Archbishop of Perth The Holy Father was pleased to be informed that young people from throughout Australia will gather for 'Adore 2007' the Archdiocese of Perth from 12-15 April 2007. He extends cordial greetings to all the participants and prays that this Eucharistic assembly may strengthen their commitment to follow Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life (cf. Jn 14:6). In his recent message to young people, His Holiness refers to the Eucharist as "the great school of love" (message for the 22 World Youth Day), he is confident that those attending 'Adore 2007' will come to a deeper understanding of the 'length and breadth' of God's love (cf. Eph 3:17-18) by regularly participating in the Holy Mass, adoring Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament, and sharing the good news through service to our brothers and sisters in need (cf. Deus Caritas Est, 16). Commending all gathered to the protection of Mary, our model of charity, and to the intercession of Blessed Mary Mackillop, fervent evangeliser among the people of Australia, the Holy Father cordially imparts his apostolic blessing. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone Secretary of State With kind regards and prayerful best wishes, I am Devotedly yours in our Lord, Ambrose De Paoli Apostolic Nuncio
qiimi•-.
...___T__
1111111111111111111111; 1 n• .. •
10 DAY BROOME, KIMBERLEY, KUNTINURRA, KATHERINE & DARWIN
$3390 SENIOR $3440 ADULT
22 DAY BIRDSVILLE TRACK & OUTBACK QUEENSLAND 8T" JULY 2007 Flight to Adelaide. Return from Bnsbane Cabin & Camping Accommodation Entries to attractions (see itinerary) Most meals $ 3790 SENIOR $3840 ADULT
lb
15 DAY CENTRAL AUSTRALIA 29T4 SEPTEMBER 2007 Cabin & Camping Accomrn Most Meals Continental Breakfasts Entries to attractions (see Mowery) $1990 SENIOR $2040 ADULT
A procession through Northbridge ends in prayer at St Brigid's Church Northbridge.
More families are having only one child and, as a result, they are being given everything. Everything except quality time and love. Fr Bing is the odd one out in his family being a Catholic priest, as his brothers are all doctors of some kind and are well off, yet most are having problems with their children, for these exact reasons. "Love is giving everything until you have nothing left to give," Fr Bing said, referring to Jesus. "If Jesus gives His life to you, He gives everything." "Fulfillment is giving when you have no time for yourself." It is in this way, says Fr Bing, that the Eucharist purifies us, because Jesus gave everything for us. Quoting Pope Benedict XVI, Fr Bing said that when we take the Eucharist in our mouths, Jesus does not become a part of us, we become part of Him. Paul said to the Galatians (2:20): "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Here we come to the core of the Adore Eucharistic Congress: discovering how the Eucharist can change our lives. For real. As Archbishop Barry Hickey said at the Chrism Mass the week before Easter this year, we are transformed because we live our lives in
thanks for this gift of Himself. Fr Bing extended this line of thought, again, like the Archbishop, without philosophising or using theological conundrums that baffle lay Catholics. While the message understandably startled some of the Congress's younger participants, his message and that of OATH Father Richard Santos, who also gave inspiring talks on God's love - was simple. The Eucharist purifies us partly because we go to Confession to make ourselves worthy of this most precious gift. Much was said at Adore about the need for Confession - indeed, the OATH priests, Brothers and Sisters take daily confession to keep themselves in a state of grace should their time come. "Young people feel a desperate lack of the power that comes from Jesus in the Eucharist," Fr Bing said. "So there is a need for proper disposition (putting ourselves right with God) before the Eucharist, for it (the Eucharist) to work. In his Apostolic Exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis, Benedict XVI said that there is a direct link between Confession and Communion. In the divine consecration, the priest becomes Christ, and, as Fr Bing said, Heaven comes down when Consecration occurs. So wouldn't we want to ensure we are not at odds with God before we
PHOTO: ANTHONY SAWN
come into His presence? Fr Bing quoted St Francis de Sales, who said in the 17th Century when he was battling the Calvinists, that of the few who go to Confession, the majority are sacrilegious Confessions. Why? Because people are afraid to admit their sins before the priest. It is said that St John Bosco, who the OATH order takes its charism from, once had a dream where a penitent sounded like he was being gagged when trying to confess his sins. When he came to see what was wrong with the penitent, the Devil was choking the person, and said to St John Bosco, "I took away their guilt so that they could sin without fear, now I am giving back their guilt so they cannot confess it to you." As Fr Bing said - if people have not made themselves right with God at Confession, confessing their mortal sins and, importantly, forgiving others and themselves and ridding themselves of anger, they will not be changed by the Eucharist. If we have not done these things before we receive the Eucharist, it will not be a gracefilled experience. What a description! It is not something we do out of obligation every week, it is a grace-filled experience - something that can empower us to become better people and infect Continued on page
9339 4291 METRO — OR - RURAL 1800 999 677
MIIIIARRIPPIMEM/111 KATHERINE & ALICE SPRINGS 1
$490 SENIOR
$2890 SENIOR
$510 ADULT
$2940 ADULT
7 DAY MT AUGUSTUS, MONKEY MIA & KALBARRI 2 40 AUGUST 2007
1
20T" OCTOBER 2007
$1450 SENIOR $1470 ADULT
•
PORT AUGUST *- -
*CEPS RANGES NAWKER BAROSA VALLEY PRAY PRO"
$720 SENIOR
$790 ADULT
$740 ADULT
12T" AUGUST 2007
30T" AUGUST & 14T" SEPTEMBER Motel Accomm All Evening Meal & Cooked Breakfasts Entries to attractions (see Worry)
$3540 ADULT
6 DAY MEANDERING SOUTH AUSTRALIA
$740 SENIOR
4 DAY NORTHERN WILDFLOWER
$3490 SENIOR
1050 SENIOR 1080 ADULT
MotelAccommodatron Entries to attractions (see enemy Most meals
23 DAY WESTERN HALF Cabin & Camping Accommodation Entries to attractions (see eineney1 Flight to Adelaide, Most meals.
Cabin & Motel Acc,omm Most meals. Entries to attractions (see itinerary)
18T" JUNE 2007
WAR! A,cnrnrn Evening Meals Cooked Breakfa sts Entries to attractions (see itinerary)
Motel Accomrn All Meals Cooked Breakfasts Entries to attractions,.. iiirviraryi
Return Flights, Motel Accomm Most Evening Meal & Cooked Breakfasts Entries to attractions (see itinerary)
63 B1RDWOOD CIRCUS BICTON WA 6157 Email:bcasey a caseytours.com.au 0111WAY ALA,ESPERANCE 5 DAY HISTORIC GOLDFIELDS & WAVE ROCK TOUR 7T" JUNE 2007
2"° JUNE 2007
30T" MAY 2007
Return Airfares Budget Motel A two bedroom apartment Accomm Most meals Entries to attractions a.. itinerary)
AWA AROL MT MAGNET & YALGOO
DAY SOUTH WEST TOUR -fNC. VALLEY OF THE GIANTS -
23" OCTOBER 2007
$640 ADULT
P.11FROri
9T" SEPTEMBER 2007
Motel Accomm Evening Meals Cooked Breakfasts Entries to attractions (S• Airwary) $2250 SENIOR
$650 ADULT
$2290 ADULT
0 DAY EAST COAST
$3860 SENIOR $3910 ADULT
EA.01,4 CORAL SAY WANE" MA NALIIMOI MRIT.
Return Flights. Cabin & Budget Motel Ac,cornm Most Evening Meals & Breakfasts Entries to attractions is. away)
PUMITOPI
8 DAY KARIJINL EXMOUTH, MONKEY MIA & KALBARRI
$630 SENIOR
29T" OCTOBER 2007
Motel Accornm Evening Meals aim Cooked Breakfasts Entries to attractions isa. itinerary)
$630 SENIOR
1,09AWA
ONE DAY TOURS
- INC IllaTEA & LUNCH 601 May - $72 San $75 Adult 13th May
\7---
7
Agent Licenses 9TA 937. 9TA938 A BN 14092360430
111C A SE YiLAUS TRALIAla'OURS
18T" MAY 2007 Return Flights Motel Accomm Most Evening Meal & Cooked Breakfasts Entnes to attractions see itinerary)
Committed:
$74 Sen $77 Adult.
$51. Sen $57 Adult 27$, May v 24th June -- $72 Sen $75 Adult
Page 7
April 262007, The Record
Perth farewells reproductive doctor Billings educators called to continue the necessary work with enthusiasm • By Anthony Barich
Redemptorist Father Hugh Thomas has called on Billings teachers and advocates not to lose hope in spreading the truth after its creator, Dr John Billings, died on April 1. Fr Thomas, a globe-trotting professional speaker on the Theology of the Body involved with True Love Waits, said at the Memorial Mass at the Redemptorist Monastery Chapel last Saturday that as Dr Billings has completed his work on earth, "you are the ones to take up the banner". "The world is crying out for the message of Natural Family Planning," Fr Thomas said, adding that there is mounting evidence that, with the persistence of such people, the "shining light" that was Dr Billings will not be extinguished. He cited the US Supreme Court, which just three days prior to the Memorial Mass, upheld the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. "Could this be a new dawn? You have the truth on your side, you are the light in the darkness, you have the Holy Spirit to encourage and strengthen you and now you have a
host of intercessors in Heaven, like Blessed Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II, Dr Billings, and, of course, the Mother of God herself. "Let us go from this Mass with the words from the Gospel (of the Memorial Mass) ringing in our ears - "It is to the glory of my father that you should bear much fruit and be my disciples" - with renewed energy and enthusiasm to carry on the Billings Ovulation Method (BOM). The Memorial Mass was concelebrated by Fr Thomas, fellow Redemptorist priest Fr Joe Carroll, Dominican Fr Anthony Van Dyke and Archbishop Barry Hickey, who said he knows what a "great leader" Dr Billings was in Catholic teachings, even when challenged strongly in the 1960s and '70s. Fr Thomas said the BOM was backed by Pope Paul VI's 1968 Encyclical Humanae Vitae, which said: "If, then, there are serious motives to space out births, which derive from the physical or psychological conditions of husband and wife, or from external conditions, the Church teaches that it is then licit to take into account the natural rhythms immanent in the generative functions, for the use of marriage in the infertile periods
New life: John Billings' grandson James Rickard with wife Letissia and chidren, Jarvis, 22 mths, and Neve, 8 months at the memorial Mass. 2HO'0• AN'HON/ BARICH
only, and in this way to regulate birth without offending the moral principles." Fr Thomas said that "sadly, this Encyclical was met by most, inside and outside the Church, with disobedience and dissent and the consequences are there for all to see - so many evils pervade our society like divorce, sexually transmitted
diseases and abortions". "But evil cannot extinguish good, darkness cannot extinguish light, and amid all of this was the shining light of John Billings and his wife Evelyn," Fr Thomas said. In the late 1960s, Dr Billings began his missionary work around the world, visiting WA for the first time in that decade on the invitation of then-
Redemptorist Superior Fr Kevin O'Brien, and continued his work right to the end. He made further visits to WA in 1982, 1992 and 2002 - the 50th anniversary of the BOM. Fr Thomas said that Dr Billings saw his greatest triumph when the BOM became the approved method of choice in China. Drs Billings were awarded a Distinctive Contribution Award from the Ministry of Health in China and were appointed honorary advisers to the Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing Family Planning Commissions. Fr Thomas said the readings used in the Perth Memorial Mass - the same as those used at Dr Billings' Mass for Christian Burial in Melbourne - were especially poignant. Paul's letter to Timothy (4: 6-8) summed it up thus: "As for me, my life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to depart. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come for me now is the crown of uprightness which the Lord, the upright Judge, will give me on that day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for His appearing."
Revised code allows for Catholic values in hospital • By Simon Caldwell
LONDON (CNS) - A revised code of ethics will prevent doctors from providing contraceptives and abortion referrals at a London Catholic hospital popular with celebrity mothers. The finalised code, which is expected to be passed by the hospital board on May16, will encompass all staff and resident practitioners at the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth. A draft of the code says that services will not be provided if they conflict with Catholic teaching regarding the value of life or sexual ethics. This includes the provision of the morning-after pill, amniocentesis to detect Down
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor
PHOTO CNS
syndrome and in vitro fertilisation. Cardinal Cormac MurphyO'Connor of Westminster ordered the code to be revised after doctors
admitted to prescribing the morning-after pill and referring women for abortions at other hospitals. The cardinal wrote a letter in March 2006 to Robin Bridgeman, chairman of the hospital, that said a newly revised code would be produced and that the hospital would have to abide by it. "There must be clarity that the hospital, being a Catholic hospital with a distinct vision of what is truly in the interests of human persons, cannot offer its patients, nonCatholic or Catholic, the whole range of services routinely accepted by many in modern secular society as being in a patient's best interest," said the letter. Cardinal appointed Murphy -O'Connor Auxiliary Bishop George Stack of
Westminster to the hospital's ethics committee to ensure that Catholic teaching was upheld in the new code. The cardinal also discussed the matter with Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 when the Pope, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Sources told Catholic News Service that some executives may oppose the code because they claim it could cost the hospital revenue if general practitioners, who pay to use the hospital site, chose to move elsewhere rather than abide by the restrictions. Nicolas Bellord, secretary of the Restituta Group, which has campaigned to keep the Catholic identity of the hospital, said some executives would view
the code as unworkable. Bellord noted in the April/May edition of the group's bulletin that a truly Catholic hospital "would be a very marketable concept to those ... who are attracted by a hospital where there is no deliberate destruction of human life from conception to natural death." The private hospital was founded in 1856 and formerly was run by the Sisters of Mercy. Its maternity unit has become popular with celebrities living in the nearby areas of St John's Wood, Hampstead and Primrose Hill. The government revealed in the House of Commons last year that the hospital also had become a centre for certain sex-change operations.
Eucharist at the forefront of the Perth Adore Conference Continued from page 6
other people with our love, if we only let Jesus change us, if we give ourselves over to Him. In dedicating his life to rescuing the young outcasts of society, St John Bosco saw the Eucharist as the "pillar of Christian education". Though the Salesians, the order that St John Bosco founded, still exist, the Oblate Apostles of the Two Hearts, founded by Fr Edgardo Arellano, believe that St John Bosco's charism has also passed onto them by the power Holy Spirit to enkindle in young people once more a flame of love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Just as St John Bosco gave thousands of priests to the Church, the OATH order currently has 8000 people, mostly young, studying in formation for the religious life as Brothers, Sisters and priests. "Salesian Youth Spirituality"
enkindled a great love for Mary the Mother of God, and the Oblate Apostles of the Two Hearts are very much about adoring Christ in the Eucharist through the example of Mary, who, along with St John the Apostle, was "the ultimate adorer" of Christ, as Br Dominic Herrera, the Oblates' national superior for Australia, said. According to the 23rd General Chapter of The Salesians' code, "young people take from the Eucharist a model of how they can organise their lives in the light of the mystery of Christ who gives Himself in love. In the Eucharist they learn to put others first as the spirit of communion demands. In it they are enabled to commit themselves to apostolic activity in keeping with their age and Christian development." St Augustine, whose influence on Christianity is thought to be second only to St Paul, said in his "Homilies on the Gospel of John":
"0 Sacrament of piety! 0 sign of unity! 0 Bread of love! He who desires life finds here a place to live in and the means to live by. "Let him approach, let him believe, let him be incorporated so that he may receive life. Let him not refuse union with the members. "Let him be a grateful, fitting and healthy member. Let him cleave to the body, let him live by God and for God. Let him now labour here on earth, that he may afterwards reign in heaven." The Congress covered a plethora of ways we can adore Jesus, through Mary, from many different angles, including a detailed breakdown by Fr Santos on the battle that is going on in our hearts with the devil, who, as Fr Santos said, has lost his chance for eternal life with God so wants us to lose our chance too. Along this same vein, the path to becoming a saint was outlined in a userfriendly step-by-step guide .
If the many Catholics, young and old, who attended the Adore Eucharistic Congress at Advent Park, Maida Vale took nothing else out of it, Fr Santos said he would be happy if just one person had
decided that "enough is enough", and to go to Confession and say to God, "Lord, tonight I will forgive all, because I want to experience the power and truthfulness of your love.
e—Couples Corner
Hints for a Happy Marriage with Derek Boylen
Establish boundaries Marriage researchers Drs Henry Cloud and John Townsend write that having healthy boundaries can be a great benefit to married couples. Boundaries are not about putting restrictions on our spouses they are about us. Having good boundaries that are well communicated encourages appropriate ownership of behaviour, responsibility for action and freedom in marriage. Boundaries are about protecting love.
A
Catholic Marriage Education Services ?k..
Page 8
Perspectives letters to the editor
Archbishop Hickey Following is the text
of talks posted by the Archbishop on his website www.perthcatholic.org.au last week and this week. A fresh talk is posted each Wednesday. Anzac Day
0
n Anzac Day we remember all those who served our country in times of war - those who died and those who survived. They defended our freedom with great courage, and we are truly grateful. If we are wise, we will remember other things about the Anzacs and we will be grateful for those things, too. One is that Australia has never gone to war to conquer other people, or take their lands. We should remember that war for malice or for gain has not been part of our tradition. We would do well to be grateful for this and to remain committed to the spirit of peace rather than to the anger of conflict - at home or abroad. We can also remember that Australian troops achieved extraordinary results on the world's battlefields because of their courage and their deep commitment to one another. Under the banner of mateship, they practised a rare spirit of equality that enabled them to serve, support and inspire one another. Their genuine respect for equality extended to the people they encountered overseas and earned for this country great respect and admiration. The same spirit helped us to welcome migrants from all over the world. It is something we should encourage today when we appear to be experiencing more PO Box 75, Leederville, WA 6902 tension and aggression than before. Tel: (08) 9227 7080, Finally, we should remember the great Fax (08) 9227 7087 commitment of Australian families in cathrec@iinetnet.au times of war. We remember those husbands and wives who remained committed and faithful to one another through all the trials and temptations that years of separation bring. In a society now badly damaged by sexual infidelity and family breakdown, we can look back at our Anzac heroes and their successors and see that perhaps their greatest example was their fidelity to their wives and families.
Rilord
Therapeutic cloning
S
cientists are unstoppable. They keep on coming up with new discoveries - a never-ending stream of information that can be used for the benefit of humanity. A recent discovery has been the isolation of stem cells, tiny cells that shape the development of the organs of the human body. The scientists have found that these cells can also repair damaged organs. Stem cells to repair diseased parts of the body can come from the human body at any age, called adult stemcells, or from human embryos, called embryonic stemcells. Now for the problem. Some scientists want to clone human embryos to use them as a source of stem cells. They claim they have great potential to cure many diseases. The problem - and it's a big one - is that they intend to create a new tiny human being - that is what an embryo is - and then destroy it to obtain stem cells. Morally that is wrong. The end does not justify the means. We can't do wrong even for some noble purpose. It is the age-old human failing of trying to call good the things that we really know are bad. Yet the Federal Government has just passed, by a very narrow margin, a law allowing just that. Our State politicians are now faced with the same awesome decision. I must insist as clearly as I can that it is morally wrong to create human life by cloning and then to destroy it for its stem cells. What we must do is look elsewhere for these stem cells. The good news is that they are already present in adults and even in other sources such as umbilical cord blood and the placenta where there is no moral objection to their use. Let us, as a nation, take the ethical path and reject this legislation. Let us take God's way and use the stem cells already provided by nature without taking human life. I'm Barry Hickey, Catholic Archbishop of Perth
A counter-cultural Record Try it, you'll like it.
L ETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Chat outside I would like to respond on the topic of chatter after Mass, as presented by CV Phillips (letters April 4) and Derek Boylen (letters April 19). There are many of us who like to spend some time with the Lord in front of the Blessed Sacrament after the Mass has ended. This can be quite a challenge when there are others still in the church chattering away, often not in subdued voices. There has been more than one occasion when a person has tapped me on the shoulder to say "hi", while my eyes have been closed and my head bowed in prayer. I certainly don't have a problem with people socialising after Mass, with friends saying hello to me or enquiring after my health etc. I don't see why this can't be done outside the church itself - in the foyer or the immediate area outside the church. Many parishes have tea/ coffee etc after Mass to encourage this. And while it would be lovely to believe that people chattering after Mass are doing so because "they understand that the experience of Mass has brought about a special transformation in their relationship with Christ, and His Church and each other",I find it hard to do so, given what I've heard people talking about after Mass. Like Mr Boylen,Ilove the fact that after Mass my children can play on the church steps, our parish priest can interact with us andI can talk and laugh with fellow parishioners but, like CV Phillips, I feel that it shouldn't happen in the church itself, before the Blessed Sacrament. Those of us who prefer silence in the church after Mass don't have a problem with people chatting, we just have a problem with where they are choosing to do it. I don't think it's asking too much that parishioners take their chatter outside - that way those who wish to pray are able to and those who wish to socialise can do so too. Everyone wins! Name and address supplied
Derek hogs I think it is rather unfair that as a contributor to the Record Derek Boylen hogs the Letters to the Editor column as well. I take issue with his hearty getting the boots in to Mrs Philips; she was calling for more reverence for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and children notice how and what adults do very much. I teach my little girls that
April 26 2007, The Record
Use church for its purpose Like Derek Boylen,I too welcome chatter after Mass but outside the church, not inside. Talking in church when not demanded by necessity is wrong. The church is the Lord's house, which Jesus taught is "a house of prayer" (Mt 21:13) and thus should be used according to its sacred purpose. Whenever we choose to talk to one another in church before or after Mass, we should ask ourselves if that is showing reverence to God Who is really present and is it showing respect for our neighbour, trying to pray in silent communion with God? The truth of this is shown by the strict guard for silence maintained in the chapels of the Roman basilicas where people are praying. Even in the areas where the tourists are viewing the architecture and art, talking above a whisper is not permitted. Catholics must show respect in church, first for God and then for neighbour. Silence has a very important role to play in the celebration of Holy Mass as indicated by the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, No. 45. "Sacred silence also, as part of the celebration, is to be observed at the designated times," the GIRM says. "Its purpose depends on the time it occurs in each part of the celebration. Thus within the Act of Penitence and again after the invitation to pray, all recollect themselves; but at the conclusion of a reading or the homily, all meditate briefly on what they have heard; then after Communion, they praise and pray to God in their hearts. Even before the celebration itself, it is commendable that silence be observed in the church, in the sacristy, in the vesting room, and in adjacent areas, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred action in a devout and fitting manner." Silence should also be observed after Mass until one is outside the Church building, both for respect toward the Blessed Sacrament, and toward those members of the faithful who wish to prolong their thanksgiving after Mass. In our noisy, modern world it is extremely difficult to be attentive to God, or to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, unless we can find the time and space to escape the hustle and bustle of our busy, daily lives. So please let us talk outside, not inside the Lord's house which is after all, "a house of prayer". Ceciha Natta Willetton
we are ladies in the presence of a great king who is also our dear brother. After Mass we go up and say a special hello and whisper our secrets to Him who is always there with - what's the word??? - 'awe' is what I want them to experience. As for outside the church, families and others can stay for `yonks' to chat and catch up, and so can children. Fran Mchugh Yangebup
House of prayer To Derek Boylen I say you would enjoy a church where I go; they talk before, after and during Mass. However Isuggest, that before next Sunday you, and those who want to talk in church, read Mt 21:13 where Jesus says: "It is written: 'My house shall be a house of prayer,' ..." I don't think it is too much to ask that reverence to God in His "house of prayer" and respect for those who choose to pray be shown, especially given there is unlimited opportunity to talk outside church. That way we both win! Lindsay Evans Como
Misunderstood I think that Derek Boylen has misunderstood me entirely. I don't object to chatting after Mass. In fact, on the evening
in question (the Tenebrae Responsories), I was almost the last to leave because I stayed chatting for so long outside the church. Churches that are silent after Mass are not full of people who don't know each other. They contain people who love God enough to honour His house, to talk to him and not each other, and to show adherence to the first half of the Great Commandment: "You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength, and your neighbour as yourself." Those who remain silently praying are expressing deep and appropriate reverence for Our Blessed Lord in the Tabernacle. Those who move outside, or to the foyer, have every opportunity to express love for their neighbours, as fellow members of the Body of Christ, and it is wonderful when they do so. But why should those who remain inside, trying to talk to God, not be given the courtesy of silence? And why should respect for God's house be of lower priority than the need to socialise with other Catholics, which can so easily be done outside anyway? As Fr Tim Deeter noted in his article on silence in church (The Record, March 24, 2005), in Scripture, Habakkuk says, "The Lord is in His holy Temple: let the whole earth be silent." CV Phillips Burswood
• Reeord
April 262007,
The Record
IS
Page 1
"An alternative to abortion is not a pamphlet, it is another person; it is one woman seeing another woman in crisis and loving her and supporting her like she is her own daughter." - KEVIN BAGATTA
Showing her she matters In 1995, the US state of
Pennsylvania started a bold, state-funded initiative to reduce the number of abortions by providing pregnant women the necessary resources to keep their children. In this interview with ZENIT, Kevin Bagatta, president and chief executive officer of Real Alternatives, discusses the Pennsylvania Alternative to Abortion Services Program and how it has helped abortion rates in the state to fall steadily.
H
ow did you get involved in Real Alternatives?
Bagatta: My three brothers and I were born and raised on Long Island, New York. Both of our parents are handicapped. My Italian-American dad, a World War II veteran, walks with cane and a brace and my Irish-American mum became paralysed with polio during the polio epidemic. They both taught us - and still do - the true value of life. Having watched the culture of death practised by Nazi Germany, they immediately explained to my brothers and I how wrong the Roe vs. Wade decision was that legalised abortion in America and the ill effects it would have on our country.
Alternative to Abortions Services Program [PAASP]. With a dedicated staff of 12 and nine board members, we contract with 120 service providers made up of pregnancy support centres, social service agencies like Catholic Charities, adoption agencies and maternity homes throughout the state to reach out to women in unplanned or crisis pregnancies. The concept of government-funded social services [in the US] is not new. Well over 30 years ago, the state saw nonprofit charitable agencies that served women who were in a unique crisis either due to domestic violence or rape, and decided to fund them so they would provide more service and reach more women.
Real Alternatives seeks to encourage childbirth instead of abortion. How did it begin?
"She is not alone. She knows someone is with her to help her."
BAGATTA: In 1994, Pennsylvania Governor Robert Casey placed alternative to abortion services program funding in the state budget. In 1995, I answered an advertisement in the local newspaper from a pro-life organisation looking for a director to start a statewide government-funded program. Real Alternatives was established to be the statewide administrator of the Pennsylvania
With PAASP, the state saw non-profit charitable agencies serving women who uniquely experience another type of crisis - an unplanned pregnancy. By funding these non-profit charities, the centres would be able to have the necessary resources to reach more women. That is exactly what has happened. In fiscal year 1996, we served 6,715 women statewide with 72 centres. In fiscal
year 2005, we served 16,600 women with 120 centres. With the necessary financial resources, centres opened more sites and hired more counsellors and continue to serve more women in need. To date, over 123,000 women have been served under the program. Does Real Alternatives have appeal for abortion-advocates as well? BAGATTA: It ought to. Once there is a crisis pregnancy, this is the only program established to help a woman in need choose life. By providing a counsellor to be with the woman in need from the moment she finds out she is pregnant to 12 months after the birth of the baby, this program empowers the mother to overcome her obstacles and crisis. She is not alone. She knows someone is with her to help her. An alternative to abortion is not a pamphlet, it is another person; it is one woman seeing another woman in crisis and loving her and supporting her like she is her own daughter. This program represents the best in America. Recently you began working with faithbased organisations. How does that teamwork happen, practically speaking? BAGATTA: This has been a greatly welcomed change in our ability to use experienced Continued on Vista 4
MI
•
Page 2 • Vista
April 262007, The Record
April 262007, The Record
"If we have no disposition (putting ourselves right with God) before Communion, the Eucharist will not change us - we are still angry at each other, or still affected by whatever afflicted us before we took the Eucharist." Fr Edgardo Arellano
Vista • Page 3 "There is a lack of love because people don't know how to love. But St John said in his Gospel that God loves us so much that He gave His only Son to ransom us from the Evil One. Yet young people feel a desperate lad( of the power of the love that Jesus offers in the Eucharist." -Fr Edgardo Arellano
A dorers of Christ
Be my witnesses
ope John Paul II said that as Apostles of the Third Millenium, the task of youth is to keep alive the awareness of Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament in the Holy Mass.
P
The four-day Adore Eucharistic Congress at Maida Vale earlier this month - run by the Oblate Apostles of the Two Hearts - had daily adoration, Rosary, Mass, Confession, skits, inspiring talks and readings from the Breviary, all to help youth understand the power that Jesus offers us in the Eucharist for their lives, guided by the charism of St John Bosco.
Eery: Faithful young and old, over 400-strong, processed through the streets of Northbridge praying the Rosary on the PHOTOS: ANTHONY BARICH Saturday of the Adore Eucharistic Youth Congress, including priests, nuns and Brothers.
Faking it: Oblate Apostles of the Two Hearts (OATH) Brothers ham it up during a skit at the Adore Eucharistic Youth Congress at Maida Vale.
Eager message: Br Sabastian, MC for the weekend.
As part of this witness, over 400 people processed through the streets of Northbridge with the Blessed Sacrament carried by Fr Don Kettle, a statue of Our Lady and numerous banners.
'Ineal fulfillment is in giving, not receiving. People said my mother was nuts to take on 12 children, but she was the happiest mother in the world because she gave so much of herself. Fulfillment is giving when you have no time for yourself.
"Never did I think I'd be carrying the Blessed Sacrament down the streeet past the pubs I used to go to every week," said Fr Kettle. Adore Eucharistic Youth Congress, April 12-15, 2007 See also page 6
- FR EDGARD° ARELLANO Adoration: OATH Brothers and Sisters at the Adore Eucharistic Congress.
Blessed: Fr Don Kettle carries the Blessed Sacrament through Northbridge.
Martyred: A skit representing the slaying of 26 Japanese martyrs at Nagasaki.
The Eucharist — the heart of God's love for us all Fr Edgardo Arellano, founder of the Oblate Apostles of the Two Hearts, gave some stirring talks at this year's Adore Eucharistic Congress on the Eucharist's beauty and how it helps us become saints, which Anthony Barich witnessed. Here are exerpts from his notes from the talks.
1
n the First World, a survey has shown that nine out of 10 young people are broken. Parents are too busy - kids are in daycare, kids are considered only if people can afford them. People think that without money they can't exist. Six out of 10 young people in Australia have had thoughts of suicide. In England, six out of 10 have been mental patients. But there is Good News - the love of God, and He wants to share it with you in the Eucharist, where He is present - body, blood, soul and divinity. I am one of 12 kids. When there is only one child, he is spoiled, no matter how good the parents are. My mother had seven children, two died, and she adopted seven
more. Yet my brothers are having trouble with their kids - one is in and out of the psychiatric hospital. My brother couldn't understand why his child was like this - "I gave her everything", he would say. Everything but quality time, as he was a doctor on call. Love is giving until you have nothing left to give. We might destroy our children if we give them "everything". There is a lack of love because people don't know how to love. But John said in his Gospel that God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to ransom men from the Evil One. Love is giving and gifting. Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI's first Encyclical letter given on Christmas Day 2005, said that yes, we need to live and satisfy our hunger, but in trying to satisfy ourselves we forget about self-giving. The root cause of this is the ignorance of true love. If Jesus gives His life to you, He gives everything. Real fulfillment is in giving, not receiving. People said my mother was nuts to take on so many children, but she was the happiest mother in the world because she gave so much of herself. Fulfillment is giving when you have no time for yourself. The Eucharist helps us purify ourselves in this way. When the Pope was Cardinal Ratzinger, he
wrote that when we receive the Eucharist we become transformed - He doesn't become a part of us, we become a part of Him. Paul said to the Galatians (2:20): "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the fleshIlive by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Yet young people feel a desperate lack of the power that comes from Jesus. So there is a need for proper disposition before the Eucharist, for it to work. In his Apostolic Exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis, Benedict XVI said that there is a direct link between Confession and Communion. In the divine consecration the priest becomes Christ, and Heaven comes down when the Consecration occurs. If people have no disposition before Communion, they are not changed - they're still angry at people, or whatever has afflicted them before they took the Eucharist. A proper disposition before the Eucharist means he is truly in the Eucharist, otherwise it is not going to be a grace-filled experience. But then people say, if people go to Confession, how come people still sin and have failed healings? St Francis de Sales said in the 17th century, when he was fight-
ing the Calvinists: Of the few who go to Confession, the majority are sacrilegious. In his 1984 document, Pope John Paul II said we must revive a sense of sin and of God. If you are in the state of grace, you can more easily recognise the good and bad in the world; what is venial and what is mortal sin. We must also dispose ourselves before Confession to prepare ourselves. We need a firm purpose never to do that particular sin again. • Having a true experience with the beauty of Jesus in the Eucharist
Unless we have a real experience with someone, how can we tell others about that person? These days, there is a denial of real beauty and a rejection of the true beauty. Man is drawn to the wrong kinds of beauty - homosexuality, Satanism, drug addiction. In Matthew (5:48), Jesus said: "You must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." We must be holy, as in holiness there is beauty. Have you seen anyone in Heaven who is ugly or diseased? Everyone is perfect, as all have the beatific vision. By what mysterious force are we prevented from seeing this our-
selves? The devil wants all of us to be down there in hell with him. We will never appreciate beauty unless we know the ugliness that awaits those who deceive. The beauty of God is right there in the Eucharist, and He is waiting for you. That is the moment of your liberation from evil, from suicidal tendencies, or anything else that will stop you from seeing the good in the world. So experience happiness! God created you for Himself! In our baptisimal promise we say only God is our Lord and Saviour, and that we renounce Satan. Absolute happiness and beauty is in God alone. The Eucharist brings back beauty in our conduct and manners, otherwise the Evil One has penetrated us. Take the Eucharist and he has no chance to enter our soul. If we love God we should visit Him often and tell Him all our problems. When we go to the Lord, healing takes place. That means He is alive. Saint John Bosco said: "No visit to the Blessed Sacrament, no graces". Benedict XVI said that beauty is centred in the Eucharist. To be
Prayer Br Brendan Adwien sings praise.
cal for the future of our society. If you have God with you, anything is possible. Benedict XVI keeps telling us, "The future is right here". In Matthew 28:20, Jesus said: "I am with you always, to the close of the age", so why are people crawling in life, when life can be so exciting, as Jesus gives us something new each time in the Blessed Sacrament! The cult of the ugly is pervasive - ugly liturgy, ugly Mass. Is this the way we respect Christ? We become like charlatans, changing the liturgy. Desecration or change of the liturgy leads to loss of faith. Do we change the Mass to attract young people? We lose young people instead. In 2002 we had 2000 applicants for religious life in our Oblate Apostles of the Two Hearts houses. This year we have 8000.
How to become a saint
The way it is: A captivating Fr Edgardo Arellano spoke about the Eucharist.
with the Communion of Saints is to be with Christ forever, but we will never be able to share it with others unless we realise the beauty of our Christian life. Jesus said: "Blessed are the pure,
for they shall see God." St Augustine called it 'spiritual virginity', like when Mary Magdalene regained her virginity by following Christ. The discovery of beauty is criti-
You may think that holiness is just for priests, but in the Oblate Apostles of the Two Hearts we have doctors, scientists, lawyers, politicians, all reading their Breviaries. These people can still live a life of piety, though called to married life. You cannot live happily without God. We have the wisdom, we must make the choice to follow Jesus. He did not call you for nothing. He called you for holiness. God wants us all to become saints. If you know what it means to be with God forever, you wouldn't want
anything else. St Thomas Aquinas said that the first step to become a saint is to have a very strong desire to become a saint. How do you become a saint? - Humble recognition of God's grace. We need proper reception and distribution of God's grace. So we don't keep it for ourselves, we pass it on. Parents given mindboggling self-sacrificing for the Lord. They might get to Heaven before me. - Humble acceptance of our faults and failings. We need one another to correct each other to keep us on the right path. - True contrition of our sins. The meaning of fearing the Lord is that he is everything we crave, not because we feel restricted by Him. - Perfect our state of life, whether it be the married life, single, religious or the priesthood. - Pray from the heart always, as the Bible says. When you offer everything you do that day for God's glory, everything you do is prayer - just sitting down is a prayer! - We need to sacrifice. There has to be sacrifice, mortification, which is the sacrifice of the Mass, for our relationship with the Lord. The Eucharist in the Mass is the greatest gift from God. We sacrifice also in daily Confession, Communion and prayer. This is repetition of good habit. It becomes part of you, and then it becomes virtue. - Deeper understanding of the
sacraments. Jesus did not just teach theory to the Apostles, he showed them. You learn more by what you see than by what you hear. Conditions for Discipleship: - Prompt response. If we say "I'll do it tomorrow", the devil will come to get you. We need to say "enough is enough". - Detachment from relatives. We love them, but our first love should be God. God wants to draw all to Himself. - Home. Know where our real home is - Heaven. Don't get homesick if your vocation takes you away from Perth or wherever. Heaven is your home. - Self-denial and giving up of one's will. It is time we asked God to take charge of our life - God's will. - The decision must come from your heart, not because your parents told you. Making your decisions will help decipher your vocation in life. St Don Bosco said: "If you miss your vocation you are a misfit forever." Catholic Church figures showed that of those canonised as of the year 2000, three per cent were married, 71 per cent were religious, 30 per cent were priests and six per cent were single. St John Bosco also said that a third of our youth carry the seed of priestly and religious vocation. The Eucharist is the key to recognise what God wants for us in our lives.
Page 4 • Vista
Opini011
April 262007, The Record
When there's nothing to burn, set yourself on fire
Being Heard • By John Heard o you have a personal message for the gay and lesbian youth listening to our station?' The question came from an interviewer during a live panel discussion. The venue was Joy FM; Australia's first radio station devoted to what some people call the `GLBTI community'. I'd been invited on to discuss the future of 'gay culture'. I didn't hesitate. 'Dear Heart, know that you are loved'. The other guests had offered standard inspirational fare: quotations from eminent politicians and slogans modified from university activism. My effort brought a new silence to the studio. I wasn't going to stop there. 'Know also that in the just society you will be judged on what you do, not on who you are'. I saw the interviewer breathe. I wasn't done. 'And, as best you can, try to do good'. I sat back from the microphone.
While my words flew out into the pulsing city, into the homes, cars and offices of listeners - many of them mostly hostile or at best indifferent to Christianity - I thought of John Paul the Great telling a startled world during his installation Mass to 'be not afraid... open wide the doors to Christ'. I remembered the words of Cardinal Ratzinger, as he then was, during an interview with Peter Seewald published in English under the title 'Salt of the Earth'. Our Pope said, 'I proclaim to you a great joy, God is here, you are beloved, and this stands firm forever'. My little words, my halting attempts could not scale those heights. I did not reach anywhere near the massive
numbers a Pope can influence. But the model provided by those men, the forthright, unflinching nature of their intervention in culture - especially their focus on love and hope - meant that when the time came for my more humble witness, I stood ready. As is too often the case in discussions about marriage and family, it meant that I was the only member of the panel who mentioned love as my animating interest and the lover's duty to love his beloved right as the key issue in any discussion of relationships. If marriage and family are not, at the foundational level, about love, then we're not talking about marriage anymore. Because marital love, written into
our biological and affective reality in the complementarity of the sexes is, we're taught, a flesh mirror of that divine love that Dante said 'moves the sun and other stars'. Marriage and sex is where man meets the beauty of the God Who Is Love. These truths were shocking to my listeners. They brought quick responses from the other panellists. They challenged the interviewer. And that was just a garbled version delivered by a noone in Melbourne. This truth in the hands and mouths of the Popes causes cultural and often political shockwaves. Not because a Pope is always a mighty general (some have been) and not even because he is always
a subtle philosopher (many Popes have been learned indeed). Rather, Christian truth speaks right to the heart of a man. Christian love penetrates the minds of women. Christianity shines out in the darkness of contemporary culture because it is, at least in the hands of the faithful, linked to the irresistible beauty of Christ, Who 'makes all things new'. Catholics across the world carry these truths, and that love, into a sometimes terrifyingly anti-human or else increasingly greedy, violent and sex-obsessed global culture. Today we stand up in the United Kingdom for child-serving adoption laws or toil in the thousands of HIV/AIDS care facilities run by the Church - still the largest provider on a global scale of such support for those afflicted with the virus. In the past, we spoke out against Nazism, Communism, slavery and human sacrifice. We continue to fight the good fight for the innocent unborn and the elderly/otherwise infirm who are threatened by the culture of death. In the future we will, starting perhaps with Pope Benedict's new book, 'Jesus of Nazareth', begin to address more urgently the injustices attached to global capitalism and heartless consumerism. It is in these ways, the subtle personal interventions alongside the more authoritative and disciplinary gestures appropriate to the papacy, that the Church as a community of life-changers, culturejammers and lovers is shaped and sent forward. I would have added, hadI thought about it on air: 'Lift high your Christ. Start a love-blaze'. * Title taken from the Stars song Your Ex Lover Is DeaT
Showing her she matters by loving her in a world that doesn't want to know Continued from Vista 1
service providers to serve women throughout the state. Again, due to interpretation of US Supreme Court First Amendment cases, we were restricted in the type of faith-based organisations we were allowed to contract due to the program being funded with government money. Thanks to President George Bush's Faith-Based Initiative Executive Order, all entities administering government funds are allowed to contract with faith-based organisations as long as the faith-based organisations keep their promotion of religion separate from the government-funded service. Now, women can receive our government-funded service from a faith-based organisation like Catholic Charities and also receive religious services and support. Your program recommends abstinence for young people. What is the most difficult part of educating youth in this? BAGATTA: Remember, when we see young women in our centres they have already become sexually active. Not all young women, however, who think they are pregnant when they come to our centres are indeed pregnant. For them, our goal is to modify their risky lifestyle and behaviour, not accom-
modate it. We do not want them to come through our doors again. We not only want them to avoid a teen pregnancy but also a sexually transmitted disease. Abstinence is the only way to lower teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Since this is the healthiest lifestyle for teens, this is what we recommend. Youth and parents are very ignorant or misinformed about the epidemic of sexually transmitted disease among our teenage population. In America, one out of two youths will acquire an STD before the age of 25. The only contraceptive that attempts to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases is the condom and it fails. For example, in 2001, a US governmental study revealed no proof that condoms prevented transmission of gonorrhoea, chlamydia infection, trichomoniasis, genital herpes, syphilis, chancroid, and HPV-associated diseases. We have known for years that certain strains of HPV cause deadly cervical cancer. Once we found out about these studies, we told the teenage girls this information so they could avoid these diseases - which in some cases are incurable and cause death - through abstinence. Teenagers are smart and want the facts.
Your Web site explains that a main goal is providing information so that a client can make an educated and informed choice about her health and that of her baby. How much does a "typical" client know about abortion? BAGATTA: Many times a woman assumes that there is just this "blob of tissue" that is removed. This is why tasteful, medically accurate fetal development photos interest her and why we have them on our Web site. In addition, counsellors provide information on the types of abortion performed and the risks associated with abortion. This information is provided to ensure that women who are considering abortion are fully informed about what is occurring in an abortion and the ramifications of that decision. The primary purpose of the program is to provide pregnancy support services that promote childbirth instead of abortion. Women seeking alternatives to abortion appreciate as many facts as possible when they are undecided about what to do in a crisis pregnancy. Providing her with facts empowers her and ensures she is fully informed before she makes a decision.
Real Alternatives continues to provide assistance to mothers and fathers even after babies are born. Why and how does this work? BAGATTA: The client arrives at the service provider and starts to receive counselling support that meets her needs. If she is not sure she is pregnant, then a pregnancy self-test kit will be offered to her. If she is pregnant, the counsellor will listen to the expressed concern she has about the pregnancy. If she is new to parenting, parenting classes or stress management counselling might be offered to ensure the crisis pregnancy does not become a crisisparenting situation. Each woman seeking the services comes as a unique individual. As such, her family, her education, her beliefs and her experiences shape her. This program provides a person to assist and mentor the woman to overcome her obstacles and meet her needs from the time she finds out she is pregnant until her baby is 12 months old. Explain how other states have looked to Pennsylvania with thoughts of implementing simi-
lar programs. Could this become a nationwide program? BAGATTA: Once we established the program and abortions started to decrease in Pennsylvania, other state pro-life organisations became interested in this first-of-its-kind program. Remember, using tax dollars to promote life was revolutionary. As a result of our educating these pro-life organisations about the program, state governors and legislatures in Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Florida and Texas placed funding of Alternative to Abortion Services programs in their budgets. Most of the states could not fund their programs at the $5.5 million a year level of Pennsylvania and now have much smaller programs. The state of Texas, however, proposed a large US $2.5mi11iona-year program and asked us to replicate our program there. Real Alternatives, through its government audits, has earned the reputation in Pennsylvania as a fiscally responsible and trusted custodian of public funds. This is the program that works in America lowering abortions and is certainly the compassionate and caring approach that should be tried in the rest of the world and funded as an additional program through the United Nations.
April 262007, The Record
The World FEATURE
Page 9
In the beginning: Jacopo Bassano's 1570-73 oil painting of the Garden of Eden as displayed in the Galleria Doria-Pamphili, in Rome.
Bettering the Christian track record on sex Interview with Author of "Men and Women Are From Eden" GAITHERSBURG, Maryland, (Zenit. org).- Mary Healy says she has the key to helping men and women in their relationships with each other. Healy is the author of "Men and Women Are From Eden" (Servant Publications), a study guide to Pope John Paul II's theology of the body. In this interview with ZENIT, she discusses getting to the root of the problems between the sexes, and from there, finding the most effective solutions. Q: With so many books coming from the secular press on relationships and the differences between men and women, where does this book on the theology of the body fit in? Healy: The topic of the differences of the sexes never gets old, because in every generation men and women experience the challenge of relating to one another. Yes, there is an avalanche of secular books offering relationship advice, some of it helpful and some less so - and some that should be tossed in the trash! But no advice really gets to the heart of the matter unless it goes all the way back to the beginning - to God's original plan for man and woman, as it was unveiled in the garden of Eden, before the Fall. And of course the only complete access we have to that original plan is through Scripture, authoritatively interpreted by the Church. Pope John Paul the Great left the Church a great gift by presenting the biblical teaching on men, women, sex and marriage in a new and compelling way, in his catecheses known as the theology of the body. The purpose of my book is to try to make the theology of the body accessible to ordinary people, and to give them a tool for studying it in-depth. When people are introduced to the theology of the body, they usually find that it resonates with the deepest stirrings of their hearts and begins to transform their whole approach to relationships, from the inside out.
Q: The title seems to allude to the popular relationship book from the United States entitled "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus." Is your book a Catholic version of that best seller? What inspired the title? Healy: Yes, you caught the hint. The title is inspired by John Paul II's insight - based on the words of Jesus himself in Matthew 19:4 - that the key to understanding who we are as men and women is found in the book of Genesis, in the story of Adam and Eve in the garden. As John PaulII noted, the creation accounts in Genesis are "mythic," not in the sense of being fictional, but in that they recount the events at the dawn of history using symbolic language so as to convey profound truths about God and the human condition. Only by understanding those truths will we be able to fully appreciate our identity as men and women and fulfill our longings for authentic love. Q: While much of what popular theories say about the differences between men and women is true, is there something lacking about how these theories view maleness and femaleness, and then the dynamics of relationships between the two? Helly: The best that a secular approach can do is explain the biological, psychological and social reasons why men and women have trouble relating, and then offer practical advice for dealing with those differences. But as John Paul II shows, those differences are not merely accidental; they are part of God's marvelous design for humanity. In fact, they even hold the clue to the meaning of our existence. Our sexual complementarity reveals what he called "the spousal meaning of the body" - that is, the body's capacity, in its masculinity or femininity, to be a vehicle and expression of self-giving love. Adam and Eve discovered that when they encountered one another and, in the words of Genesis, became "one flesh." So, God has stamped in our very bodies the call to a communion of persons, an exchange of love in which each person becomes a gift for the other. But because of the Fall - our first parents' decision to disobey God - the complementa-
rity that God designed for life-giving union became instead a source of conflict. Ever since then, relationships between men and women have often been characterised by lust, selfishness, manipulation and abuse. So you can see why relationship advice remains on a very superficial level unless it gets to the root of the problem, which is sin, and the key to the solution, which is our restoration to God's magnificent plan through the grace of Christ. Once that key is found, then people begin to deal with the dynamics of relationships on a much more profound level. Q: John Paul II explains that the response to the human being's quest for happiness is to be found in the Garden of Eden. Can you explain this? Healy: As Pope John Paul II explains, the story of our origins presents a vision for why we were created and what is the deepest purpose of our lives. According to Genesis, when God wanted an image of himself in the created world, he didn't fashion isolated individuals, but rather a married couple. This means that both are needed to complete the picture. Why? Because it is their communion of love with one another that most reveals God! Only in the New Testament is the truth fully revealed that God himself is a communion of persons, an eternal exchange of love between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And God has destined us to share in that exchange. This is the meaning of our sexual complementarity and of the vocations in which it is lived out, whether in marriage or in consecrated life. By becoming a gift to one another in a communion of persons we learn to love and be loved as God loves, and so prepare to share in his life forever. This is our dignity and our destiny, and the quest for happiness depends on discovering it and living it out. Q: Who is this book written for? Youth? Couples in crisis? Engaged couples? Can a beginner with no background in theology or philosophy understand it? Healy: All of the above! My book does not focus on practical advice, but rather on the doctrinal foundations people need to guide their practical decisions. It
was written with the goal of helping ordinary people understand the theology of the body and apply it to their real-life situations. John Paul II writes on a very theoretical level, but as a priest he had counselled hundreds of couples, and he well understood the issues people face. The theology of the body is not too abstract or difficult for anyone. It is true that those who try to put it into practice will find it very challenging on a personal level - in fact, eventually they will find that it is simply impossible without the grace of the Holy Spirit. Even solid Catholics may find that it causes a revolution in their whole perspective on sex, marriage and relationships. But that is part of the whole point, because the grace to change is there for anyone who asks. Regarding youth in particular,Ihave taught theology of the body to teens and young adults, and I have found them in every case to be extremely receptive to and hungry for these teachings. This generation has reaped the bad fruits of the sexual revolution, and they see the fallout in broken families and broken lives all around them. Many of them are not impressed by the false promises of the permissive culture they've grown up in. They are ready for something new. The theology of the body gives them hope and enables them to pursue their vocation, whether to marriage or celibacy, with a deep sense of purpose and vision. Q: What impact do you hope the book will have on the Catholic world? Healy:Ihope my book will help many people, both Catholics and non-Catholics, discover the theology of the body and the dramatic impact it can have on their lives. In Europe and America, Christians do not have a very good track record for presenting a lifestyle different from the surrounding secular culture - as shown by our statistics on divorce, abortion, contraception and premarital sex. But that is beginning to change. I am convinced that as the theology of the body is embraced by the current generation, marriages will be strengthened, families will be healed, respect for human life will be renewed, and young people will be rekindled in their zeal to live for God.
April 26 2007, The Record
Dissenters on brain death speak up Minority view: Participants publish their side of brain death debate • By Cindy Wooden
Breaching normal protocol, several participants in a 2005 Vaticansponsored conference over the ethics of declaring someone brain dead have published the papers they delivered at the debate. Many of the papers reproduced in "Finis Vitae: Is Brain Death Still Life?" argue that the concept of brain death was devised mainly to expand the availability of organs for transplant and claim that some patients who had been pronounced brain dead continued to live for months or even years. Publication of the papers, which the Vatican had decided not to publish, is evidence of the strong feelings about brain death held by a minority of the members of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Roberto De Mattei, vice president of the National Research Council of Italy who is not a member of the academy, said he edited "Finis Vitae" in order "to expand the debate and bring it to a wider audience." While differences of opinion among theologians, philosophers and scientists, especially on ethical issues, are nothing new, it is unusual that participants in a Vatican conference published the papers that the Vatican specifically decided not to publish. "The concern of many is that the Vatican has not taken the appropriate position when doubts exist about the end of human life," De Mattei told Catholic News Service on April 20.
Terri Schindler Schiavo is shown here with her mother, Mary Schindler, in a photograph taken in late 2001. The case of Terri Schiavo was probably the most recent high profile story over the issue of brain death. ENS
"The moment of the separation of the soul from the body is shrouded in mystery, just as the moment of when a soul enters a person is," he said. But when faced with questions about the moment of ensoulment at the beginning of life, the Church's position always has been to assume the soul enters at conception in order to ensure the greatest possible defence of human life, he said. Those who question whether brain
death is really death are simply asking that the Church extend its defence of human life if there is the minimal possibility that the soul remains in a body that has a heart beat, respiration and blood circulation, even if those are supported artificially, De Mattei said. Bishop Fabian W. Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska, whose paper from the 2005 meeting is included in "Finis Vitae," asked how the Catholic Church can accept a lack
of brain function as a definition of death yet still oppose the wilful destruction of human embryos, which have not yet developed a brain. The question was part of the discussion at a 2006 Vatican meeting; the Pontifical Academy of Sciences decided to publish the 2006 papers and transcripts of the discussion, while it decided not to publish those from the 2005 meeting. "The embryo has a potential
brain under development," said Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancellor of the science academy. He insisted there is a difference between an embryo with "the potential development of the complete body with the brain" and a situation in which there is "only the body without the brain." De Mattei said the Pontifical Academy of Sciences' position is not surprising, given that most of its members and consultants are experts in the hard sciences, but not philosophy and theology. "The transplant lobbies defend brain death because they are defending an enormous market," he said. If a brain-dead person weren't really dead, then the removal of vital organs for transplant would be synonymous with homicide. In 1985 and again in 1989, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences recognised brain death as "the true criterion for death." The science academy book, "The Signs of Death," also emphasised the fact that in a speech in 2000, Pope John Paul II agreed that "the complete and irreversible cessation of all brain activity (in the cerebrum, cerebellum and brain stem), if rigorously applied, does not seem to conflict with the essential elements of anthropology." Still, Bishop Sanchez said the academy had "invited those who are critical" of the Vatican's position to the 2005 meeting in order to hear their arguments and determine whether there was enough new material to warrant another more formal gathering. The formal gathering was the one held in 2006, which ended with the publication of a ninepage statement titled, "Why the Concept of Brain Death Is Valid as a Definition of Death." -CNS
Vocations mean giving life to God
'St Joan's bones' not hers
• By Alicia Ambrosio
Tests revealing bones not Joan's don't affect church, official says
A vocation to the priesthood or religious life consists of giving one's life not only to God, but also to the Church so that it leads people into communion with God, said Pope Benedict XVI. "God has always chosen some individuals to work with him in a more direct way in order to accomplish his plan of salvation," Pope Benedict said. Jesus taught the apostles about God and his love Or them, which led them into a re fios ip with God, the Pope sa sus then entrusted the apos; 'di leading others into a re Ip with God, he said. The Church has been given the same task, the Pope said in a message released ow 24 for the World Day *et for Vocations 2007. The theme for brated on April 29 in ceses, is "The Vocation tAfil ce of the Church as ConimtmOh." Pope Benedict was ta ^mark the
A seminarian
day by ordaining 22 new priests for the Diocese of Rome. The faithful, who have entered into a relationship with God, are then united with each other through the Eucharist, the Pope said. "This intense communion favours the growth of generous vocations at the service of the Church: The heart of the believer, filled with divine love, is moved to dedicate itself wholly to the cause of the kingdom," Pope Benedict
said. In order to encourage vocations, it is necessary to teach the faithful how to hear God's voice, he said. It is easier to listen for God's voice in a church community that is harmonious and where people feel responsible for each other, the Pope said. All the different ministries that exist within the Church must be used to promote communion with God and communion among the faithful, he said. "In the Church's liturgy, in her prayer, in the living community of believers, we experience the love of God, we perceive his presence, and we thus learn to recognise that presence in our daily lives," the Pope said. Having experienced God's love and presence through the liturgy, the faithful can respond with love, he said. The Pope said Mary, who supported the first Christian community, continues to teach the faithful how to listen to Jesus' voice and respond to his call. -CNS
A forensic scientist's findings that bone fragments are not those of St Joan of Arc would not "change anything for the Church," said a French church official. "These remains have never been regarded as relics by the Church - although we knew of their existence, they were never the objects of cult or devotion," said Bertrand Vincent, spokesman for France's Tours Archdiocese. "No doubt the 19th-century medical students who collected them were amused to pass them off as relics of Joan of Arc. Although some people - many - have believed this, the Church never had any interest in them." Vincent said the Church always maintained that St Joan's "remains were burned and scattered - though historians and researchers may probe the record, nothing has happened to change it."
"No one has prayed over these objects, and they're of little interest to the institutional Church or to the faithful," he added. Nature, an international science journal, reported on April 4 the results of the yearlong examination by Philippe Charlier, a professor at a hospital west of Paris, of pieces of bone and cloth allegedly retrieved from Rouen, where St Joan was put to death. A jar inscribed "remains found under the stake of Joan of Arc, maid of Orleans" was discovered at a Paris apothecary in 1867. It contained pieces of rib and linen, as well as carbonised wood and a cat's femur, and was housed at a parish museum at Chinon. Nature reported that spectrometry, electron microscopy and carbon-14 tests had revealed the sacred scraps" were remains of an Egyptian mummy dating from 600-300 B/C. It added that the 1867 discovery fitted "the period when Joan of Arc, who had been forgotten for centuries, was rediscovered by historians and created as a national myth." -CNS
April 26 2007, The Record
The World
Partial Birth Abortion ban court win in US of A Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act upheld; abortion opponents laud court Abortion opponents lauded the US Supreme Court's 5-4 decision on April 18 upholding the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. US President George W Bush, who signed the ban into law in 2003, called partial-birth abortion an "abhorrent procedure" in an April 18 statement from the White House. "Today's decision affirms that the Constitution does not stand in the way of the people's representatives enacting laws reflecting the compassion and humanity of America. "The partial-birth abortion ban, which an overwhelming bipartisan majority in Congress passed and I signed into law, represents a commitment to building a culture of life in America," said Bush. While praising the decision, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, head of the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said: "The court's decision does not affect the legal status of the great majority of abortions, and does not reverse past decisions claiming to find a right to abortion in the Constitution. "However, it provides reasons for renewed hope and renewed effort on
Page 11
the part of pro-life Americans," he said. "The court is taking a clearer and more unobstructed look at the tragic reality of abortion, and speaking about that reality more candidly, than it has in many years." Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing the majority opinion in the Gonzales v. Carhart and Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood cases, said the law's opponents "have not demonstrated that the act would be unconstitutional in a large fraction of relevant cases." Also voting in the majority were Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. Voting in the minority were Justices Paul Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David Souter and John Paul Stevens. In her dissenting opinion, Ginsburg said the decision "tolerates, indeed applauds, federal intervention to ban nationwide a procedure found necessary and proper in certain cases by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists." She added the decision "refuses to take ... seriously" previous Supreme Court decisions on abortion. Six federal courts had ruled the act had unconstitutionally restricted a woman's legal right to an abortion. In October the Supreme Court accepted cases from California the Planned Parenthood case - and
H istory of the Act
Nebraska - the Dr. Leroy Carhart case. The high court conducted oral arguments in November. In what the law calls partial-birth abortion, also referred to as an "intact dilation and extraction," a live fetus is partially delivered and an incision is made at the base of the skull, through which the brain is removed, and then the dead body is delivered the rest of the way. In the 1990s, Congress had twice passed a ban on partial-birth abortions. Both times the bills were vetoed by President Bill Clinton. In 2000, the Supreme Court struck down a Nebraska ban on partialbirth abortions. Writing for a 5-4 majority at that time, Breyer said the law imposed an undue burden on a woman's right to make an abortion decision. Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who died in September 2005, and now-retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor were both on the high court at the time this ruling was issued. O'Connor sided with the majority, and Rehnquist with the minority. In 2003, Congress again passed a ban on partial-birth abortions. Bush signed the bill into law, but because of court challenges it never went into effect. -CNS
fl
1995 Congress approves Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.
VETO
1996 President Clinton vetoes bill. Congress fails to override veto.
1997 i t -----, , 1 Congress approves Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.
VETO
1998 Clinton vetoes act again. Congress fails to override veto. 2003 Oct. 21 — Congress approves act for third time Nov 3 — President George W. Bush signs bill into law. Court challenges are filed to stop enforcement of the law. 2004
4 Sept. 8 — U.S. District Judge Richard
Kopf becomes the third federal judge to rule the act unconstitutional
2005 -----4 July 8 — Three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upholds the Kopf ruling. 2007 April 18— U.S. Supreme Court upholds the act banning partial-birth abortions. Source: CNS report
02007 CNS
New beatifications witness a marvellous adventure Fr Luigi inspiration for young priests
TURIN, Italy (Zenit.org) - Fr Luigi Boccardo, known as an Apostle of Merciful Love, was proclaimed blessed in his native city of Turin. Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Saints' Causes, presided over the beatification Mass, held on Sunday in the Church of the Holy Face. Cardinal Severino Poletto, Archbishop of Turin, concelebrated. Luigi Boccardo was born on August 9, 1861, the seventh of nine children. He was ordained a priest in 1884, and served as assistant pastor to his brother and godfather, Fr Giovanni Maria Boccardo, who was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1998.
Fr Luigi then served as vice rector and spiritual director at the Consolata College for young priests, and as a theology professor at the diocesan seminary. The priest also spent hours hearing confessions at the Shrine of the Consolata and visiting prisoners. Fr Luigi became the superior general of the Poor Sisters of San Gaetano, founded by his brother, after Father Giovanni Maria died in 1913. In 1919, Father Luigi became director of an institute for the blind. In that time he built the Shrine to Jesus Christ, King and Priest. In 1932, he founded the Order of Sisters of Christ the King, a contemplative branch of the order founded by his brother. He died on June 9, 1936. Mother Teresa
Ponsi, superior general of the Poor Sisters of San Gaetano, spoke to Vatican Radio about Fr Luigi. "His charism as educator and founder was to reveal the merciful love of Jesus, priest and king,. to his brothers, especially in the education of the clergy ... and in the spiritual direction of so many that approached him in the confessional," Mother Teresa Ponsi said on Vatican Radio. Fr Luigi "could be defined as 'a priest, always a priest'," the superior general added. "For him, to be a priest was the most marvelous adventure." Mother Ponsi added that the priest and founder was a "teacher and guide for the young clergy, confessor and spiritual guide for all types of people." She added that he was a "priest of divine mercy," and that he "disseminated this in great abundance". Mother Ponsi continued: "A contemplative and an apostle, he had a knowledge of delicate charity in understanding that even blind people can live a religious life, because before God no impediments exist with respect to who, by his grace, is called to consecrate their life to him." "Because of all this, Blessed Luigi Boccardo is an example and a motivation in the coherent search for holiness," and a "witness of charity," she added. Cardinal Poletto wrote in the diocesan paper: "The event of two brothers, priests in our diocese, being declared blessed by the Church, is an extraordinary grace."
Compassionist founder devout
CASTELLAMMARE DI STABIA, Italy (Zenit.org) - According to the prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Saints' Causes, Jesus was truly "the first and the last" for Mother Maria Magdalena Starace. Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins gave this synthesis of the life of the religious who was proclaimed blessed on Sunday. The founder of the Institute of the Compassionist Sisters was born on September 5, 1845. In 1850, the Daughters of Charity established themselves in Castellammare to help the sick and then opened an orphanage and boarding house for children, where she was admitted. There, she decided to consecrate herself to the Lord. Later, because of health reasons, she had to return to her family various times. Her confessor allowed her daily Communion (at that time permission was necessary) and, at age 15, allowed her consecration. She took the name Sister Maria Magdalena of the Passion. When several epidemics of cholera hit Castellammare, she founded in 1869 the Institute of the Compassionist Sisters, approved two years later. Her charism can be summarised in four points, the congregation explains: "To love God in every brother and sister. To share aspirations with every person. To participate, like Mary, in the redeeming work of Christ in the world, with love, prayer and sacrifice. To be with Mary at the foot of the infinite crosses of man,
where Christ is still crucified." In 1893, the congregation of the Compassionists was officially joined to the order of the Servants of Mary. Sister Maria Magdalena of the Passion died of pneumonia on Dec. 13,1921. In the homily at her beatification, Cardinal Saraiva Martins underlined how God was at the centre of her life. He said she "directed her institute kneeling at the altar, first speaking to the Lord about the life of each foundation and the individual problems of her daughters." The "fundamental criterion of the new Servant of God," the cardinal recalled, "was centered around the conviction that true happiness in helping elderly persons, in educating youth, in giving oneself to those in need of help and comforting, was in direct relation to personal sanctification, with deep union with God." Cardinal Saraiva Martins recalled that this is also discussed by Benedict XVI in "Deus Caritas Est," because, he said, it goes back to the "primacy of charity in Christian life and in the Church, underlining that the privileged witnesses of this are the saints, who made this their existence, even with thousands of different shades, a hymn to God-Love." "The weapon of prayer, acceptance of the cross and abandonment to the will of God" were fundamental to the life of the newly beatified, the cardinal added. "Let us learn from her to turn our gaze up to he who is the first and the last, the living," Cardinal Saraiva Martins concluded.
on
•
0
Page 12
April 262007, The Record
To heal ourself is to discover ourself
The key to battling depression is to recognise our frail human condition, according to Jean Vanier, founder of L'Arche Community. ROME (Zenit.org) - In this interview with ZENIT, Vanier reflects on the causes of depression, and suggests useful ways of addressing it, both for the sufferer as well as those close to him. Vanier is the author of "Seeing Beyond Depression," published by Paulist Press. He founded L'Arche Community in 1964 in France, which provides group homes and spiritual support for developmentally disabled people. It currently has 120 communities in 30 countries.
Q: Depression is a plague of present-day society. How should it be faced? How can depressed persons be freed from their suffering? Vanier: It is necessary to speak of depression, and to speak of it as a most human and real thing. The question is to know what one's values are. And the big question is that, if these values are focused only on success, power, etc., then one is neglecting a part of oneself, a part that is a child, a very frail woman, a vulnerable person. To come out of depression means to find people who love you not because you are powerful or successful, but for yourself, with your frailty. Q: We can say this to ourselves or to depressed people, but how can it be truly internalised in either case? Vanier: This is a huge problem. It's not medicines alone that can help people. Drugs can lessen anxieties, but the big question is: Do I want to discover what it means to be human? The human being was born little and will die little. Are we willing to accept our frailty as it really is? We are in a society that in fact rejects this truth. The weak are rejected, there is a desire to discard the elderly, to remove the handicapped and to do without our frailties. How, then, can we help people to rediscover the meaning of the human being?
Q: Can depression be regarded as a mental disability? Vanier: It is not at all mental disability. A depressed person is what I would call "disabled by distress." Depression is an illness of distress, of energy. Somewhere the energy is blocked. And it is this blocking of the spirit that causes all kinds of anguish, all sorts of elements in one's interior that must be calmed. So the danger is to hide behind the television, to take refuge in alcohol, in drugs, to look for something new instead of looking within oneself. And this is the tragedy! Q: If the problem of the depressed person is precisely that he is unable to enter into himself and tries to find the answers to his condition outside of himself, what can be done to help? Vanier: There must be someone who goes out to meet him. But it is necessary that he himself feel the need to change his life somewhat, because the blockages of energy appear in the sense that one launches oneself into something, for example, into success, forgetting another part of oneself. The human being is complex. One must have both capacity as well as heart; relationships with people are necessary. However, it is not a question of dominating these relationships, but of being in communion
with them. There is a part of spirituality that is an interior movement which will help me to live and to discover that I can do good things with my life. Here there is an issue of faith that touches all the subjects of death, failure, etc. And very often people have omitted something. Then it is necessary to help them seek in their innermost being. But the important fact is that it isn't necessary that there be many who wish to change people. There must be people who accept them as they are. When we want to change people, instead of loving them as they are, we run the risk of rejection on their part. Q: How, then, can one learn to love these people? How can one help them in their distress? Vanier: The real question that we must ask ourselves is how to help these people in our poverty, given that distress is a lack of strength. When we are with a depressed person, we must become poor. The question is: How to accept the other, as he is, with our miseries and our element of depression in the face of depression? Q: Do you think that everyone is able to help a depressed person toward liberation? Vanier: We are all subject to depression. We are all capable
of entering the world of despair. Bernanos says that to find hope one must go down to the abyss of despair. But in order to help, it is necessary to be careful, given that when we speak of helping there is a certain desire to change the other person. So that the first thing we must do to help the other is to change ourselves. Q: The psychic well-being of patients is your daily concern. How do you see all that is done medically, as well as socially, to help those who suffer depression? Vanier: For me it is a question of living in my community with people who go through highs and lows. For example, we have just accepted a 22-year-old girl who doesn't have a family. She has a mental disability, and was mistreated in the past by a caregiver. She has just arrived, but has recently entered a mild phase of depression because one of my assistants, whom she very much appreciates, has to leave. How should one act in an appropriate way with her, not obliging her to change, but accepting her as she is? She is a young girl with an immense need to find what she has never had. Time is needed. It is necessary that I myself see myself as helpless before her, and help her by just being close to her.
Dr John Billings - a Christian gentleman
Jo Bell, a Billings teacher since 1980 and colleague and friend of the great doctor, reflected on him at last week's Memorial Mass at the Redemptorist Monastery
Billings Ovulation Method of Natural Family Planning can be used: Normal Cycles Spacing Pregnancies Following Birth
Irregular Cycles Achieving a Pregnancy Managing Menopause
billings -WA mobile 0409 119 532 phone 9791 3696 1800 819 841 www.woomb.org nan-pnlii niganscanan pinata Iry Aastraluin Drpi. Health A Ageing rimmgh Nantral Family Planning Pnatrans
My dear sisters and brothers of the Billings' extended family in WA. It is a great honour to have been asked to give a eulogy for our beloved father and mentor, Dr John Billings. Words are scarcely adequate to express the sorrow I feel that he has passed from our lives, but that sorrow is tempered by a feeling of deep and joyful gratitude that we have been beneficiaries of the blessed and fruitful life that he lived for his Lord. To have known John and Lyn, and to have enjoyed their friendship, and worked alongside them, has been an enormous privilege, and one of the greatest gifts God has given me. I first met this amazing couple in 1972, whenI attended the first teacher training program, which they ran at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne. I did not finish training at that time, as we left Australia to work in Korea in early 1973. However I did take some teaching charts with me, and whilst staying with the Columban sisters in Mokpo, awaiting the birth of our third child, I passed some information on to the sisters, which became the seed of a very successful NFP programme in Korea... but that's another story! I mention this, as it is typical of the way the Billings Ovulation Method of Natural Family Planning has spread all over the world. John Billings was for me the model of a Christian gentleman; strong yet
The happy couple: Drs John and Evelyn Billings.
tender, forthright yet tolerant, courageous in the face of opposition, yet loving the opponent, possessing both a strong sense of responsibility, and a wonderful sense of humour. Not to mention his brilliant scientific mind, and great gift of precise articulation of his logical thoughts. Truly a gentleman and a scholar! If I may enlarge on some of these attributes, perhaps the first I would choose is his tender love. The way he would walk beside his wife Lyn, somehow surrounding her with an aura of courteous pride.., just look at any photos of them together! So many times I have seen that glow of love and pride on his face, as he watched her give a talk which he must have heard thousands of times
before! I experienced a little of that courteous love in his greeting, every time we met. He had a way of making one feel honoured and special. However, he was anything but a `softie'! He had a quiet strength and determination which would make all but his strongest opponents think twice about arguing with him. This was not born of any sense of his own superiority, but of a constant awareness of his commission to 'teach the truth with love', which he believed his God had given him. In order to fulfill that commission responsibly, he spent a life-time in collaborative research with people all around the world, continuing to investigate all avenues of sci-
April 262007, The Record
Page 13
Patriotic bishop dies Cancer claims head of 'official' Church
• By Catholic News Service
BEIJING (CNS) - Bishop Michael Fu Tieshan of Beijing, the top leader of the registered Catholic Church community in China, died on April 20 after a long battle with cancer. His death was announced in Beijing by the Xinhua news agency. Bishop Fu, 75, had led the diocese covering the Chinese capital since 1979. At the time of his death, he served as chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and acting president of the governmentrecognised Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China. Anthony Liu Bainian, vice chairman of the patriotic association, told UCA News, an Asian church news agency, on April 19 that Bishop Fu wanted to "see his priests, whom he hasn't met for a long time" because of his long illness. Bishop Fu's last public appearance was at the March 4 preparatory meeting for the annual session of the National People's Congress, China's parliament, of which he has been a vice chairman since 2003. People holding positions of vice chairman or higher are ranked as state leaders. The bishop was
Bishop Tieshan.
PHOTO: CNS/ANDREW WONG
absent from the March 5-16 annual session. Father Peter Zhao Jianmin, one of Bishop Fu's two assistants, told UCA News on April 20 that Bishop Fu had received the sacrament of anointing of the sick. Father Matthew Zhen Xuebin, the bishop's other assistant and rector of the Beijing seminary, said the diocese had asked all Catholics to pray for the bishop after he became seriously ill. On the matter of succession, the
two priests said the diocese has not discussed the matter. Liu said the Beijing Diocese had not held any election for a bishop candidate, because it required the consent of the local government. He said the matter of who will succeed Bishop Fu as chairman of the patriotic association will be discussed in a committee meeting. Bishop Fu, born in 1931, was ordained a priest in 1956. He was ordained a bishop in 1979 at age 48. He was the first bishop to be "self-elected and self-ordained" by the Chinese church, without papal approval, after China adopted economic reforms and an open-door policy in 1978. In March, a church source in Beijing said Bishop Fu was not recognised as a bishop by the Holy See, but the source believed that "in his mind" the bishop was in communion with the Pope. The source, who described the bishop as "a very kind person," emphasised that the situation in Beijing was complicated, and people did what they could to work within the system. Father Zhao said the Beijing Diocese currently has about 50 priests and 50,000 Catholics.
Choir call-out • By Sylvia Defendi
St Mary's Cathedral Choir is on the lookout for past members who may have lent their talented voices any time from the 1950s to 1980s.
Contact details of past members will be used for record keeping purposes and to form an association. "For now, we would like to invite people who were in the choir prior to the 1980s to a get-together at Trinity College on June 3," said chorister and member of the choir fundraising
committee, John Majewski. Mass will be celebrated in the College chapel at 1lam and will be followed by light refreshments. While previous members are sought after, the Cathedral choir is also in need of men willing to share their voice for the present choir group. A good tenor or bass voice is especially sought after. To join the present choir group, contact Jacinta Jakovcevic on: 0419 942 099 or email: jacintajakovcevic 5@bigpond.com. Those wishing to attend the Mass or leave their contact details can contact John Majewski at majewski.family@iinet.net.au.
Abstinence programs under fire School programs promoting sexual abstinence instead of contraceptive use are under fire this week following publication of a report that shows they were no more effective in delaying sex amongst adolescents than "comprehensive" sex education. At least, that is what it appears to show. The study, commissioned by the US Federal Government (which largely funds the programs) interviewed more than 2000 teenagers with an average age of 16.5 in high-risk states. About 1200 of them had taken part in abstinence-only programs between four and six years earlier. The rest constituted a control group. Researchers found that over the last 12 months, 23 per cent of both groups reported having had sex and always using a condom; 17 per cent of both groups reported having had sex and sometimes using a condom; and four per cent of both groups reported having had sex and never using a condom. Youths in the two groups did not differ in the number of partners with whom they had sex - about 25 per cent said they had already done so with three or more partners. - REUTERS
innovator and loving father to many ence which could attest to the accuracy and refinement of his work. Professor Eric Odeblad, a biophysicist from Sweden, and Professor James Brown, a Biochemist from New Zealand were two of those wonderful scientists, who were not just his collaborators, but life-long friends. His Christian faith was also an attribute which inspired me, and all who worked with him. Even travelling in communist China, we found that it had been arranged for us to attend Mass at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Shanghi. John's reverent and devout attitude to his faith was evident during this totally Chinese Mass, and he questioned our interpreter closely about the subject matter of the sermon over a cup of tea afterwards. He also displayed an exemplary Christian attitude to anyone who sought to oppose him or discredit his work, usually representatives of the 'culture of death' in some guise or other. He regarded their opposition as a sure sign that we were doing God's work, as the forces of evil were threatened, and therefore harassing us. He would never vilify any person, but describe them merely as 'misguided individuals', and seek opportunities to treat them with courtesy and respect, and often, in so doing, to win them over to the side of truth. Above all, he was fun to work with! His acute powers of observation, combined with a wonderful sense of
humour, enlivened many a conference, dinner, or informal gathering. Any stories however, were always related with reverence and respect for the people involved.., often the humour was in the polite way he expressed things. I will never forget his impersonation of the run-over cat... a fictitious story which he was apt to tell as after dinner entertainment. Early in our acquaintance he discovered that we shared a common appreciation of the short, pithy poems of Ogden Nash, so it became a custom for us to greet one another with an Ogden Nash rhyme, if the occasion was appropriate! (eg: "If called by a panther... Don't anther!") During the 1980's Drs John and Lyn were active in their support and encouragement of the training of a vibrant young band of teachers in WA, from Perth to Esperance, and many places in between. Many of us remember a wonderful teacher training camp and mini conference at the Catholic Youth Camp in Busselton. Actually, at the last moment we decided to accommodate them at the Geographe Bay Resort, rather than in the dormitory with us and about 35 children! However, they seemed to thoroughly enjoy their time with us at the youth camp, teaching us with the same tender professional care as they would have in a university lecture theatre in Melbourne. We had set them a fairly hectic sched-
ule around the South West. I seem to remember the doctor's lunchtime seminar in Perth generated so much interest that it ran overtime by about two hours, necessitating a very fast trip to Narrogin in a low-flying Combi van, entertained by the Bell children, in order to attend the evening function there. The late Father Costello hosted them that night, and I think the Nenkes brought them to Busselton. A fter those adventures, we were always welcomed by John and Lyn at the Melbourne gatherings, as those pioneering women from the West. In fact, the first time we took a group over for a conference, they personally invited us for dinner at the Melbourne Club. Unlike most conferences and conventions, a Billings Ovulation Method Conference was always graced by the presence of some babies, accompanying their mothers/parents on a training program. These were always given a beaming welcome by John and Lyn, who were fond of saying that the BOM welcomes the child with love. Part of the joy and wonder of teaching a couple to recognise their fertility is to see them open their hearts and their relationship to the possibility of the child inherent in every act of sexual love. Whether it is their intention to conceive or to postpone conception, the child is never totally excluded. This attitude flows on naturally to children
Dr Evelyn and her late husband Dr John Billings.
already born, to other people's children, and eventually to the whole of the human family. How sad it was then to see some of the press reporting his death proclaiming him a pioneer of contraception! Natural or otherwise, contraception was never part of the agenda of John Billings! These few small cameos of Dr John's lifeIthink are typical of the way this great man lived and worked. There was no separation between his work, his life and his faith. The father and patriarch of a large and thriving natural family, he treated all who wished to come under his circle of influence as an extended family, embracing with great joy peoples of all nationalities and creeds, developing in the last decades of his life a special love for
TURAL FAMILY PLANNING 98% effective but no side effects. It's about making healthy choices
Natural Fertility Services Th
For more information or a confidential consultation call 9223 1396 e-mail: admin.nfs@aanet.com.au or visit www.acnfp.com.au
PHOTO: PETER CASSAMENTO
the people of China, adding enormous numbers to his extended family! Like any parent, he strongly encouraged unity of heart and purpose amongst his family, facilitating this by his policy of teaching the truth with love, and by leading us in both praying and playing together at family gatherings. I am quite sure that even as we pray for him in this Mass, he will be praying for us and with us. I believe his prayer for us will echo many of the sentiments of the 'Priestly Prayer of Christ', as recorded in ch. 17 of John's gospel... "Consecrate them in the truth; your word is truth... May they all be one, so that the world may believe..." and "May the love with which you loved me be in them..." (Jn.17:17,21,26.)
^
Page 14
April 262007, The Record
the family is the future
Teaching our children to trust, reflect
• with Derek Boylen
I
was shocked last week by the tragic events at Virginia Tech. Not just by the horrific events that took place but by the speed with which news of the events and updates reached Perth. We live in an ultra-fast world. The speed with which information and news can travel the world is no longer measured by weeks, days or hours but in minutes and seconds. The Virginia Tech tragedy was still in progress when the news reached Perth on the other side of the world. Later that afternoon we had police reports and profiles. The next morning we woke up to video recordings and the last words of the shooter on our television screens. By mid-morning we had documents and plays produced by the shooter appearing on blog sites around the world. We live in a world where new information hits us at a blinding pace. As adults we can easily be overwhelmed by it all. However, research shows that it's not the same for young people. Our young people are growing up in a world where all they've ever known is an ever increasing rate of information.
Hi-tech: Kids today deal with info overload by scanning, so we should teach them to read our culture at a deeper level.
Interestingly, more often than not our young people have developed a number of coping mechanisms that circumvent a feeling of overload. Whereas we adults tend to evaluate all the information we receive and make decisions about its value, young people have instead developed approaches which short-cut this process. The first difference is that young people have become less trusting. If you are constantly being bombarded with information, news and advertising trying to convince you of this or that, one way to cope is to not trust. Instead of listening
and evaluating it is much easier to switch off. Rather than me do the thinking, put the onus on the person sending the message to be as convincing and appealing as possible. A second coping mechanism is to place more emphasis on the opinions of friends and peers. If I don't have the time to think and process everythingIam confronted with it is easier to rely on the opinions of my peers, they may know more about it and I trust them. Young people are much more likely to react favourably to a message if a friend or peer has previously
made a positive comment about it. Thirdly, young people have become very good at scanning information on the surface level. Rather than looking at things with real depth, they are good at simply scanning through large quantities of information and picking out the things that appeal to them. Unfortunately, while young people have become very good at coping with what we might call information overload, one thing they are often not very good at is reflection. They are poor at reflecting deeply on the information they are confronted with. Our fast food
world of video, DVD, HDTV, CD, movies, computer games and the internet has robbed our young people of the skills for deep reflective listening and critical thought. The ability to do this kind of deep reflective thinking is one of the greatest gifts a parent can give. One of the best ways to teach our children to reflect from an early age is by doing it ourselves out loud. Talk through issues with them; both the issues you encounter and the ones they do. Watch television with them. Television and the media often present a skewed image of reality. It's an image of reality that society as a whole often accepts and which is reinforced by young people's friends and peers. Sadly, the image of reality presented on television couldn't be further from what is actually real. Watch television with your children and ask them questions, start a conversation about the values, beliefs and lifestyles being promoted. What are the positives and benefits? It's not about persuading them to a particular view but rather equipping them with the skills to reflect purposefully on new information and messages in their lives. And lastly, while they are still in their formative years, monitor what they watch. Minimise their exposure to brain numbing programs that promote an unhealthy view of the world and maximise their exposure to programs and documentaries which encourage more insightful reflection and heightened awareness of current issues. Derek Boylen is the Director of Catholic Marraige Education Services. He may be contacted at derek.cmeskipperthcatholic.org.au
More young doctors in Britain refuse to abort More UK doctors are refusing to do abortions - young doctors especially, contrary to procedure, statistics show
LONDON (Zenit.org).- A growing number of doctors in the United Kingdom are refusing to perform abortions for ethical reasons, a new report shows. A report by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists looked specifically at the number of abortions that now take place at private clinics instead of public ones because of unavailable staff. The number of abortions in private clinics 10 years ago was 20 per cent; now the number is closer to 40 per cent. Still, the Independent newspaper reported on Monday that the
Troubling: More and more young doctors are vexed by abortion procedures.
number of abortions in England and Wales is at a record 190,000 a year. With fewer doctors willing to perform the procedure, abortion
supporters say that within five years, there may be more demand for abortions than doctors to provide them. Furthermore, with fewer doc-
tors in public clinics willing to perform abortions, hospitals must refer those seeking abortion to private clinics. And the National Health Service, which funds four out of five abortions in Britain, is struggling to cope with the bills. Julia Millington of the Londonbased ProLife Alliance said that the news of fewer abortions at public clinics is certainly welcomed. In a press statement, Millington said: "We have been hearing for some time now that young doctors, in particular, do not want to work in this field. "Those choosing to go into medicine presumably do so because they want to cure sickness and disease, not end the lives of innocent human beings." In the United Kingdom, abortion is legal throughout the entire
pregnancy if the doctor believes the baby suffers a severe disability, or if the mother's life is at risk. Otherwise, depending on the mental health of the mother, an abortion can be had up to 24 weeks. On another front, a London Catholic hospital will ban abortion-referral, contraception provision and in vitro fertilisation following a campaign to restore its Catholic identity. Cardinal Cormac MurphyO'Connor of Westminster asked that the ethical code of the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth be revised after learning that doctors were providing the morning-after pill and referring women for abortions. The new code is expected to be agreed upon by the hospital board next month.
P ANORAMA a roundup of events in the archdiocese 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.
Sunday April 29 AFRICAN/SOUTH AFRICAN MASS Come share the cultures of many African countries. Wear African national costume, samle their cuisines, enjoy the colourful entertainment and costume. Meet the Sudanese community. Bring your friends. Our Lady of the Mission Church, Craigie. llam mass followed by lunch. 270 Camberwarra Dry, Craigie.
Sunday April 29 BULLSBROOK PILGRIMAGE The end of the month pilgrimage to the Shrine of 'Virgin of the Revelation; 36 Chittering Rd, Bullsbrook 2pm. Confessions 1.30pm followed by the procession to the Shrine, Holy Mass and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. All are most welcome. End: Sacri 9447 3292.
Sunday April 29 OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE CHAIN HOUSE OF PRAYER Establishment of a Chain House of Prayer for WA (Archbishop Hickey's Awareness). The House must be a Registered Charity (see classified). Interested in possible properties closed convents, churches or large houses. Weekly information sessions begin April 29 at the'Goody Centre; Jugan Street Glendalough 1.30-5pm.
11111111M•111111
I MON
April 26 2007, The Record
Page 15
P ANORAMA continued
Eng: Catherine Kelly 9444 1940. 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. Eng: Christine 0407 196 710. Friday May 4 NEW LIFE IN GOD'S SPIRIT SEMINAR 7.30 - 9.30pm Our Lady of the Missions, 270 Camberwarra Drive Whitford/Craigie. Jesus is LordE Listen to a talk given by Fr Francisco Mascarenhas and Steve Peake. Come to know Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour. Booklets available for $15.00 or $5.00 per session. CEO accredited seminar. Eng: Jenni Young 9445 1028 or 0404 389 679. Friday May 4 PRO-LIFE PROCESSION MIDLAND The first Friday Mass, Procession and Rosary Vigil will commence at 9.30am with Mass celebrated at St Brigid's Church, Midland. The Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate will lead us. All are invited to witness for the sanctity of life and pray for the conversion of hearts. Eng: Helen 9402 034 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. Eng: Rita 9272 1 765 or Rose 0403 300 720. Friday May 4 ALLIANCE AND TRIUMPH OF THE TWO HEARTS All night Eucharistic vigil in reparation to the Two Hearts. Holy Mass 9pm at St Bemadette's Church, 49 Jugan Street, Glendalough. Followed by all night adoration with rosaries, hymns and silent prayers. All welcome for any length of time. Concluding with Parish Saturday Mass at 7.30am with reconciliation available at 7am. Eng: Fr Doug Harris 9444 6131 or Dorothy 9342 5845 Friday May 4 ALL NIGHT VIGIL Commencing with Mass at 9pm to the Sacred Heart of Jesus followed by Rosaries, Hymns and Prayers. Concluding Saturday with Mass at 7am to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at Westminster Church, 31-33 Chipala Rd, Westminster (Balga). Eng: 9409 4543. Friday May 4 ALL NIGHT VIGIL Alliance of the Holy Family International, organisers of ADORE 2007 invites all participants to attend an All Night Vigil in honour of The Sacred Heart of Jesus and The Immaculate Heart of Mary at Corpus Christi Church, 43 Lochee Road, Mosman Park. Begins 7pm Holy Mass, ends lam Sat. 5th May. Eng: Vicky 9364 2378 or Cathy 0439 932 151. 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. Eng: Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate 9250 8286. Bus Services - Nina 9367 1366. Saturday May 5 WITNESS FOR LIFE PROCESSION The next first Saturday Mass, Procession and Rosary
Panorama entries must be in by 5pm Monday. Contributions may be faxed to 9227 7087, emailed to administration@therecord. com.au or mailed to PO box 75, Leederville, WA 6902. Submissions over 55 words will be edited or excluded. Inclusion is limited to 4 weeks. Events charging over $10 constitute a classified event, and will be charged accordingly. The Record reserves the right to decline or modify any advertisment. Please do not re-submit Panoramas once they are in print.
Vigil will commence with Mass at 8.30am at St Anne's Church, Hehir St Belmont. We proceed prayerfully to the Rivervale Abortion Centre and conclude with Rosary led by Fr Paul Carey SSC. Please join us to pray peacefully for the conversion of hearts. Eng: Helen 9402 0349. Sunday May 6 DIVINE MERCY An afternoon with Jesus and Mary will be held at St Joachim's Church, cnr of Shepperton 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 Angelica Video afterwards. Eng: 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 13 FATIMA DEVOTIONS The World Apostolate of Fatima Aus. Inc. invites you to attend Fatima Devotions to mark the 90th Anniversary of Fatima, in Our Lady's Assumption Church, Grand Promenade, Dianella at 3pm. The National Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which belongs to the Apostolate, will be present in the Church for this hour of devotion. Friday May 18 CATHOLIC FAITH RENEWAL Catholic Adult Faith Education 7.30pm at U Goody Bioethics Centre, 39 Jugan Street, Glendalough. Conducted by Fr Gino Hendriques titled 'Witnesses to The faith'. All are welcome. Eng: Rita 9272 1765 or Rose 0403 300 720. 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. Eng: Des Noonan 9291 8641. Sunday May 20 WUNDOWIE 50TH ANNIVERSARY A Mass for the 50th Anniversary of the building of the Our Lady, Queen of Heaven Church will be held at 8am. Our inaugural Priest Fr Pat Cunningham will be returning to celebrate Mass with us. All welcome, especially past and present parishioners. Morning tea will be served after Mass. Friday May 25 SAINT PIO'S BIRTHDAY A Mass in honour of Saint Pio will be held at 7pm, St Mary's Church 40 Franklin St, Leederville. Following Mass a presentation for St Pio prayer groups and those interested will be in the Aranmore School Hall. Tea and Coffee provided please bring a plate. Eng: 6278 1540. Sunday June 10 CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION - TOODYAY The annual procession will commence at St John the Baptist Parish Church, 36 Stirling Terrace, Toodyay at 1 2.30pm with Holy Mass at 10.30am. The procession will honour the Blessed Sacrament with Prayers, Hymns and Benediction. A reception will follow (please bring a plate). Bus services will be available - Contact: Nita Campbell 9367 1366 or Chia Sticca 9337 3831. Eng: Franciscans of the Immaculate 9574 5204.
Classifieds
Classifieds: $3.30/line incl. GST
24 hour Hotline 9227 7778
Deadline: 12pm Tuesday
A DVERTISEMENTS ACCOMMODATION • ACCOMMODATION WANTED Retired Catholic married couple wishes to house sit for part of Victorian Winter (June-Sep), somewhere close to Edgewater. References available. Sober habits and will take good care of your home. For further information please contact strathcarmel (4' bigpond.com or telephone (03) 5439 6235. • DENMARK Holiday House 3bdr x 2 bath, sleeps up to 8. BOOK NOW. Ph: Maria 0412 083 377. • FAMILY/GROUP ACCOMMODATION Fully furnished luxury beach houses, Perth metro. Visit www.guadalupehill.com. Call 0400 292 100.
BUNDS • BLINDS SPECIALIST Call AARON for FREE quotes 0402 979 889.
BUILDING TRADES • BRICK RE-POINTING Phone Nigel 9242 2952. • PERROTT PAINTING PTY LTD For all your residential, commercial painting requirements. Phone Tom Perron 9444 1200. • PICASSO PAINTING Top service. Phone 0419 915 836, fax 9345 0505. • RENDING AND SAND FINISHES All rendering and sand finishes work undertaken all areas. C Davies & Son 9245 4461 or 0404 954 791
DEMENTIA REMISSION • DEMENTIA REMISSION Do you. or your loved one, suffer Dementia. Get into Dementia Remission like me! http://www. wgrey.com.au/dm/index.htm or (02) 9971 8093.
REUGIOUS PRODUCTS I I 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.
FURNITURE REMOVAL • ALL AREAS Mike Murphy 0416 226 434.
SERVICES • REPAIR YOUR LITURGICAL BOOKS Repairs and rebinding for your books. Ph: 9293 3092 or 0435 035 438.
EMPLOYMENT • SEEKING HOUSEKEEPER - PARTTIME 6-8 hrs pw at Monastery. Suit mature aged Lady. Contact Bob 9328 6600.
PRAISE AND THANKS • PRAYER ANSWERED Granting of favour to Holy Spirit, Sacred Heart, Divine Mercy and Our Lady. • PRAYER ANSWERED Thankyou God, Virgin Mary, St Jude for answering my prayers and interceding on my behalf I will encourage devotion to you always. Bernadette & Maria. • HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR WA At our Blessed Lady's request via Irish visionary Mrs Christina Gallagher, believers opened Our Lady Queen of Peace House of Prayer (Fraternity) in 1995, Achill Island (West Coast Ireland). In 2003 our Lady requested an extension of Chain Houses (Confraternity) throughout the world. Our Lady promises an extension of Graces from Achill to chain houses to include: 1. Her presence with many angels interceding for all who come to the houses. 2. Protection for the houses and surrounding areas (in times ahead). 3. Conversions (spiritual healings). 4. Physical Healings (many miraculous healings have been reported at Achill). 5. Special graces to all who contribute financially towards the houses or assist in voluntary capacity in any way. Please pray for the above intentions (see panorama) Info: Catherine Kelly 9444 1940 or 9409 4543.
Classifieds Must be submitted by fax, email or post no later than 12pm Tuesday. For more information contact 9227 7778.
25 Windsor St, East Perth. Eng: Michelle Wood 9345 2555. All Welcome. Every Saturday PERPETUAL HELP DEVOTIONS 4.30pm The half hour Perpetual Novena Devotions to the Mother of Perpetual Help continue each Saturday at the Redemptorist Monastery Church 190 Vincent Street, North Perth. Reconciliation available before and after the Devotions. All welcome. 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".
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.
Every Wednesday ADORATION, EVENING PRAYER, BENEDICTION St. Thomas Church, 2 College Road, Claremont. Adoration 1pm to 5.30pm. followed by Evening Prayer and Benediction. Personal prayer before the 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.
June 15 - 17 FESTIVAL OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP - VPEMBERTON 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. Eng: Meryl Guimelli 9772 1172.
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, May 2, 16 and 30, followed by refreshments. For enquiries phone 9201 0337.
Every Fourth Monday SCRIPTURAL PRAYER PROGRAM The Council for Australian Catholic Women (CACW) is offering a Scriptural Prayer Program developed in the Jesuit tradition. This form of prayer can lead to more reflective living, greater spiritual depths and promotes lay spiritual leadership in the Church. Led by Kathleen Brennan (ibvm). May 28, June 25. Emmanuel Centre,
Every Forth Sunday SECULAR FRANCISCAN ORDER The Perth Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order no longer meets at the Pro-Cathedral but instead assembles every fourth Sunday at 2.30pm in the Chapel of RSL Care, 51 Alexander Dr, Menora. Enquiries John 9385 5649.
The Record is proud to announce the engagement of Micheal Wardle and Sylvia Defendi. Congratulations! Every Monday WEIGHT MANAGEMENT FOR THOSE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS The Emmanuel Centre are offering to help people who gain weight because they are using medication for their mental illness. The group helps participants to manage their weight safely and healthily. Mind-BodyLife 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. Eng: Amanda - Emmanuel Centre, 9328 8113.
•
Page 16
MI
•
April 262007, The Record
The Last Word
Recapturing the Holy Fire of the East Visiting Eparch: Ukrainian Catechism nearly ready, English draft coming Although this article by ANTHONY BARICH appeared on Page 3 of last week's Record a technical problem caused a whole column of the story to drop out. We reprint the story this week for the benefit of readers.
he 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 Ukrainian Catholics 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 who 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, 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
Subscribe!!! For $78 you can receive a year of
The Record and Discovery
Name: Address: Suburb: Postcode: Telephone: nIenclose cheque/money order for $78
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, while the English translation is progressing well. PHOTO ANTHONY BARICH
Eparch Peter Stasiuk cc
VVe 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."
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 individually," Eparch Stasiuk said. There will be three sections of about 165 pages each, with a preface unlikely to be much more than 20 pages, and will specifically avoid giv-
ing a history of the Church. It will simply state what the Byzantine Catholic Church teaches and what that faith is. The moral section, titled "Life in Christ", will concern itself with modern ethics, covering bioethics, but in this the Catechism will follow the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as it is the Universal Church's teaching on these topics. The biggest influence on previous Catechisms was the Council of Trent, then the influential Austrian Bishops' Conference, as Austria ruled western Ukraine for so long. The first Ukrainian Catholic Church Catechism was produced by Ukrainian Catholic saint and martyr St Josephat in 1618, and subsequent versions updated in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries have been increasingly Westernised.
Subscribe now and receive a copy of THE SONG OFA WOUNDED HEALER Please debit my
Bankcard
Mastercard
isa Card
No Expiry Date: ___J___ Signature: Name on Card: Send to: The Record, PO Box 75, Leederville WA, 6902