The Record Newspaper 26 November 1987

E TH, WA:

o

mber 26, 1987

R gist red by Australia Post Publicanon o WAR 0202

umber 2559

POST ADDRESS: PO Box 50, orthbridge, 6000 W.A. LOCATIO : 26 John St,.. orthbridge (east off Fitzgerald St).

EP O E: (09) 328

388

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Cat

Sister Ber adi e dea s · h life at a ow eb . S e sees it raw a d ex se and is always here o emofonally band ge, ie t e mora sp i ts a d e p with the hea ·ng. story featu es on pa and 7.

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a udaism . 2% a d The term " a-Religion" answered by 16.7 er ce of he Western A s ra ia population in he last cens s does not mean t ey a e "certificated a eists", ays arc ivist and c urch istori n, Father Fran Bourk , Vincentian.

"It q ite easily y me n hat they are no attac e to a articular d nomina ion," e sai .

Father Bour e w s commenting on h rise since t e 1981 census of 3.1 % in the

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&

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he atholi p ul tion h with th

r artin J nco, who spent 19 months n Lebanon a captive i write ab u xperl nc hostage.

He wlll be att ched to the national anctuary of the

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From page 1

Sorrow t er.

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olls represent wi nur ery rhymes fai pope and V tican characters. he largest figures, uch lice in ond rland, re up to metre in length.

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Infinity is computers loved by roll e mathematicians watch their on endlessly, butwho out in the real worid peop e are more comfortable knowing that things have a beginning and an end.

Eternity is all very well for love-struck romantics staring into a jeweller's display case, or the songwriters who pump out their love eternal jingles, but clocks, p anes and peop e run on real time, we say cynically.

The eternity and infinity of God are always the stumbling blocks in discussions about God. Love, mercy, indness, forgiveness and provide ce are easier qua if s to u derstand in God. But a God without beginning or end starts an argume t in e simp e human m · d, until fa· h opens a door.

Jesus of Nazareth, too, we can un erstand because we can wal e Ga ilean Hills and stare at His birthplace.

But· is not too easy to sweep· across the hunderi g ope i g of St Jo 's Gospe to e stunningly simple sta e ent that e Word was made Flesh. . . ·ght ere a d hen!

The Church as no option but to follow the u an brain and deal "th our digital atomically accurate clocks, our cale dars, our radio elescopes scanni g billio s of ears i he universe and say at all ad a begi ni g.

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e roe of women in the Catholic Church

intematio al evel," he continued in the report.

a d the need to address the iss e

He said i tervenfons fro

"forthrightJy and now" Archbi-

US

shop May told the American

asked spec· ica ly for

the

bishop-delegates "often his,

Bishops' Conference.

He said another central to ic was lay movements and their re ationship to the local Church.

"Statements from bis ops all over the world a d

ports from

ope i g to w

e permanent diaco

e , he a

ed.

Archbishop

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all groups mp a ised the e," e is eed o address 1

said.

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BATHROOMS ... BEAUTIFUL Remodel that old bathroom

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Add PRESTIGE and ALUE o our ome

V tican City ( C} - Happiness in marriage is physical and spiritual, but is incomplete unless accompanied by self-sacrifice and self-control, Pope John Paul II to d a group of Cathorc family experts.

Hit is a tragic tie to teach people that happiness can or should be reached by abandonment to instincts, wit out giving anything up, because "t is a ragic error to confuse happi ess w th p eaure or uti · y th op id mb r

BOUCHER JO ES PLUMBERS Rear 2 1 ewcastle St 328 6955 328 6558

E LIO T & EL OTT OPTICIA S D OPTO ETRISTS TS

Pope John Paul II

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ercy o pri on up port pri oner and th ir w II a

iy COLLEEN

cGUINESS-HOWARD th innoand th ir

JAKARTA (Indonesia) (NC) -

The Indonesian bishops' conference has been given a new legal identity releasing it from adher-

tion: Wh re

ence to a government-generated

re ho

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national philosophy.

Under Indonesian law several

m-

religious groups, such as the conference, were designated in 1986 as "mass organisations" and required to adopt Pancasila, a national ideology with religious and nationalist elements, as t eir

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sole guiding principle. heir

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and

The bishops had protested he

the

d signation, as did other re igious groups.

In Octo

to oth r?

xt nd d

r, a new government

list pu he Catholic Bishop Conferenc in h "religious org nisations" ca egory, which ls ex mp from he Pane sila rul s.

M jor Islamic, Prot

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No drugs, no devices ... healthy & ejfective.

MOSCOW: etropolitan Filaret of Kiev said last week that the Russian Orthodox Churc will not invite Pope John Paul II to Russia for next year's thousandth anniversary celebr tions of Christianity.

1 Condit1on are not right, ' he said, making clear that he was referring to Vatican support for the U rainian Catholic Church and its reestablishment in the Ukr ine.

The pope has on several occasions mentioned his desire to make a pastoral visit to the Ukraine most recently at the synod of exiled Ukrainian Catholic

ATURAL FAMILY PLAN I G 325 6644

Em a ue

PERTH 238 Hay St East Perth 325 2 87 CITY ARCADE (Shop 2) 322 4892

IRRABOOKA SHOPP! G CE TRE 345 BALGA BAZAAR SHOPP! G CE TRE 349 6427

Wi is &

OP OMET'RISTS

7

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534 or true

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D liver to

illiarn Street, g ga e o call - P one 328 403

Yearning to believe anything People today yearn to believe in something - a cause. a vision of life, a person - even as social commentators note that faith in governments and many institutions seems to have weakened.

People's faith in themselves often is shaky too. as p. yr.hiatrists and other counsellors testify.

And questions about life's purpose nip at the edge. of affluent Western society. where people consume and possess in great measure and slill feel empty.

In the midst of all this. tht' people of (,otl gather t•Jth Sundav and n•< 1lt• t he �iu·nc Crved, a Inurt h-r en t u rv starement of faith. w, ·k .,ft ... week la" Yerv, doctorv, ma n ua l laboun-rv, politic ra nv

and artists slate the facts of Jesus' origins, life, death and resurrer lion.

They drx lare belief that God's Son entered human historv.that sins are forgiven, the dead shalt nse and there is a new hfe awaiting all humankind.

The uene Cret•d is a summar} of faith, as familiar in lhHhurch as the Sign of the Cross.

by DOLORES LECKEY I asked one Catholic what he feels in saying the creed. A government worker, he confessed lo mixed ernottons over it The creed still reminds him of an incident when he was a student and hi� teacher called him in for a private consultation.

The priest. so he perceived, wanted lo probe the breadth of the 17year-old's faith.

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in h1� 50!') with a hfctime of commitment behind him, the man sa\S ho �all, thu pre · sure he felt Jc., a ver ,h, and insecure vnuth trvmg lo und rstand whal he believe and attempting to put it into word Yet, a, an adult he participates "illingl} in the < reed al Mass and say, he at luall) appreciate occasions when members of the r.hun:h repeat their baptismal promises together, as happen, on special occasions, His response caused me lo think about how I feel when I pray the creeds.

The postles' Creed is the most frequent creed in my prayer life. I say the rosary in my car, TO\\

AYS OF THE '

fighting traffic as t make my way to work.

One morning I realised that the Apostles' Creed is in the first person singular. II is I, Dolores, who daily go over the basics of the deepest part of mv life. As I say each phrase, I feel myself more rooted in the story of Jesus of azareth, choosing to join m, small story lo hi, large one.

The Apostles' Creed is notahly devoid of ornamentation and that is its beauty I thrnk. When I sav ii ren,� lively I am al one with the fishermen of th,• (,osprl who threw thelr lot with Jesus.

The Nirenr- Creed,

Everybody believes

in someone or some-

thing. This is so true that it is hard even to imagine, let alone find, someone who does not believe in anything.

The liberal sprinkling of most casual conversations with "I believe" statements. however, can be misleading. Just because people say "I believe" does not mean the} really believe.

Sometimes people pref.JC P a statement with th» words "I believe" as a ,va} of cushiornng what thev sa\ Stale men I, like, "II is going lo rmn, or "Cod i� good, .. are far more likely lo evoke a reaction, positive or negative, than saying, "I believe 11 Ls ,z:o ng to rain" or "I believe God is good.

Th1> is "hat I call soft belie, ing. II amounts lo little more than personal opinion. In plare

hO\\U\'Cr is communal.

Its language " plural, tatmg the bel ••• f, of the entire church and mcorporahng mvsucal and philo-ophical elem nls into decepuvely simple staternents ''\\c believe in one Lord ... (who i.sl light from light," the treed says. And we believe m the creator of "all that is seen and unseen."

II is fitting that such statements of my tery and of the rnystica l should be in our communal creed. For the creed is not just words lo hP uttered. As part of the liturgy. ii is much like prayer; it calls us to ponder the meaning of what it says for our lives.

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Catch a glimpse of who they are NC News Service

become virtually consumed by this concern for their child's education.

Not only their thoughts and words, but their activities reveal that they truly believe In education.

Some people believe that money paves the road to happiness ••• that success Is defined by "getting to the top" •.• that

The Record, November 26. 1987

exercise is the best antidote for stress •.. or that life can be lengthened with the proper diet.

Again, the proof is in the pudding.

These are the sorts of beliefs that lead people to definite actions - to hard work or even workah· olism, to do hardy exercise almost daily or to shopping carefully for and preparing Just the right foods.

True belief, you see, Is more than words. It reaches deep Inside

people and influences their actions. What people believe can be seen in the commitments they make.

Among Christians, It Is not unusual to speak of "having" belief or having faith.

The risk some theologians see in speaking this way is that belief begins to sound like a possession, "some thing" one obt.lns.

What Is needed, they suggest, is to see how belief Is related to who one "is" and what one does.

Presupposed here Is that what Is believed - who you believe In - has the capacity to change you.

Presupposed, for example, is that the story of Jesus recalled In the church's creed - that he suffered, died and was buried, that he rose again from the dead - is the story of someone who makes life different.

This is what the creed Is about ultl· mately. It is about the sort of belief that reaches deep Inside people, uncovering their "true greatness and dignity," as Pope John Paul II suggests.

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Everybody believes in someone or something

By Father Eugene

LaVerdiere

SSS

of u1 belie\'e'• someone could JUSI aseasil\· say I thinl," •·1 feel" or •·tn m} opinion."

BeliC'\'ing 1� a far more c.;er1ous matter than mt•re pcr.onal opinion.

Thi, is where hard hche, 1ng c:ome'i 1n

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l nlike soft lx-lie,1ng. hard believing deals ,,·ith has1c valu .., and the ,en foundations of life. Hard llf'lie, ing is the stuff of religious faith and <:reed,.

Even religious faith and creeds can be taken for granted - al least much of the time. There are times. however, when events force people lo think about what they really believe.

On the social front there are wars, Iamine-, such as we find in man, parts of Africa todav, and natural divavters like the great floodv in Bangladesh.

There are also personal experiences such a s iltnr,s or the death of a friend. Then there is the c.imple e"<perienr.e of plunginR into an alien culture.

I recall such a cultural experirnce in Izmir, the ancient port or Smyrna

in Turkey. Smyrna is but a few miles from Ephesus and like Ephesus it was the site of a Christian community way back in the first century, Today ii is a Moslem tily.

I had come lo Smyrna with three other students of the Bible. We had put up in a small Turkish hotel. We were guaranteed an authentic Turkish setting for our visit

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\1,· compan1on"i '"·ent out lo smut the neighbourhood. How dos ,wre th ruins of the old cit,? \\as there a re,tauranl nearb,·? Where was the main mo�qu ?

I entered the lim lobby of tho hotel and \\as greeted 10 flower) French bv a porll\ middle-aRed Turk: "\Iv friend the proprietor of

this establishment would be honoured if you would respond to a few q uesuon " I agreed. The proprietor, ,,·ho kne\\ neither French nor English, sat at a de�k \\·ilh a nt·rvou:-. smile, 1ool1n� at our foreign pa sport, To m� amaLPmcnt, the questions had lo do" 1th God. Belter ,et, lhev had to do with the Trm,t}, ever before had I joined in a con\t•�lion about the Trinil\ m a hotel lobb).

Bui there I " , talking about God - i\llah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. and ho" God

It's a question of believing!

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A wlltn6ln6 trenf fo, ,,...it is 1be birlJt of llfeir first cllild. A concont hrt/OflS HOii! w�,t r,/ues lbe �rots w,nt to �SJ .. to lbe ,..,•6sler. A numller tf JOU116 �rents, tsptci1ll1 mH, rore,/ 111,t lbe •irt1t is lbeir

When people tel I you what they believe "The more deeply one penetrates the divine mystery, the more one discovers the true greatness and dignity of human b�tngs," (Pope John Paul II In the United States, 1987) When people tell you what they believe, you catch a glimpse of who they are or at least who they Intend to be. For what people say they believe offers • clue to the direction their lives wlll go.

Parents who say they believe that education Is the key to a child's future can be expected not only to give close attention to matters of schoolIng, but to Invest time and money In the child's educational pursuits. In some cases, parents

Compiled by NC NEWS SERVICE

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Otte of lbe SmNl6tsf SOW'Cts of f1,t• IS c.'s II'""', rere,/,4 first in lllo HolKow scrolls of lllo Old T 1,1.,. ia tile Hwew "" Grtolr of UN llew Tesl.tntM!er•.

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writi•••

I believe "that" Jesus died for our sins ... that 1t 11.ilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa ... that 1ary is the mother of Jesus.

I also believe "in" a God who is compassionate. . . in my son·s ability to juggle a full-time job and part-time college ... in a Jesus who showed me how to tackle and overcome the worst difficulties.

People use the words "I believe' in different ways. As the first set of examples indicates. one '"·ay ts lo express their acceptance of c:rrtain basic facts.

The belief expressed in the second sci of examples moves into another kind of territory. II takes us into the world of trust. of the meaning in what we belie, •.

As theoloRian Father James Barik put ii, the ust• of "1-helie\e'" language r.an "sahsh the longing, of lhP human heart." He i pastor of Corpus Christi l m,cr

by KATHARINE BIRD

sil) Parish in Toledo, Ohio.

And for Christians, being able "to identify our beliefs links us with a of community•• kindred spirits; ii "enables us to know \Ve're not alone, that others share our beliefs and values."

People find themselves groping for a language to express their beliefs especially during key moments in life, Father Bacik said.

For college-age youths, this happens most often when "their faith is challenged." II happens, for instance, when they encounter atheists "·ho lead good lives or when tryinR to decide what commitments to make m life.

The cha Henge to express faith also arises when dealing with tragedies There are large-scale tragedies, for example the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle. There are personal tragedies such as those surrounding the serious illness of a classmate. Al such limes students "find that their normal ways of dealing with things don't work," Father Bacik said.

At these points people may turn to their faith to look for a language to express belief, he added.

A student grieving over a parent's death may say, "I believe that mother is in heaven" In this context. belief can take on new meaning for him Another challenging event for people is the birth of a first child. "I see great religious se r iou snes s at this time," Father Bacik said

A concern develops about what values the parents want lo pass on lo the youngster "I've had a number of young parents, especially men. sllying that the birth is their deepest religious experience," he said. Often they "don't have the language to express ii'' and faith can help them slate their awe and ne\\f sense of responsibility.

Father Baci.k says that people often need help in identifying what they believe and in learning how to express their beliefs. He finds that writing a short personal creed can help.

He urged a woman Religious lo start working on a short Cl'C('d three vears ago. It is her way of saying ''It's mine, it renects what's m my guts" Writing a personal cre,,d is "her wa} of appropriating her faith." he said.

is Father, Son and Spirit. The little lobb) was soon filled lo overnowing with every face, young and old. turning from me tom, interpre· ler and then lo the proprietor

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II took a while and lots of back and forth m French and Turki h before I learnNl "hat was happening Fmall\ it \\11 o, er. The propne tor sat back, his face beaming. His hotel guests, he had concluded, were not infidels after all. Like him, we believed in one God. I realised then that the proprietor, a devout Moslem. had been concerned that his Christian guests, the first non-Turks lo sla} in b1S botel. believed in three gods. In Arabic. Allah means "the God."

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For the proprietor, the interpreter and the neighbourhood crowd, this was very much a matter of conscience.

For me, it was a matter of renecting on what I really believed and how best lo express my belief.

The realisation called for celebration. A snap of the fingers, a word from the proprietor, and lea and ripe olives appeared on swinging trays. Our common belief did, indeed. call for a celebration.

I cherish the memory of that day. And I think of it sometimes at the Eucharist when we renect on God's work together and profess our faith in the words of the creed: "I believe in one God." Yes, indeed, this does call for celebration, euchanstic celebration.

'The Lord be \\ith vou."

Bring the bread and v.;ne.

The Record, November 26. 1987 9

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'The t m flov ing t our hou e at w

aid t have run r d with blo d for t r da ' aft r th famou

find

battle ther on Jun 2 -2 in 1314,' nn

th r

live on

f

ill t ll

u. ot und r Bru du

To say

y

rs Kitty de

Wa I holds her age well, would b a classic understatement.

She turns 105 years on December 6, a d it's hard to work out any

difference

between her and an

80 year old. In fact, for mental ability she's as

pi

by COLLEEN cGUINES · HOWARD

good as anyone else.

Very much a lady

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who

nows

what

she's on about and who has an opinion worth expressing,

rs

de Waal is certainly

sense of humour, a een interest in what's going on and I sus c , politics in particular!

What do s she think

remar able.

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Lt ti Poor,

By BOB BOYLE

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eal 'cat{ch)' for som o e

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From page 6

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DPossessor of a keen wit, grace and charm, Mrs Kitty de Waal reaches the grand age of 105 years, with all her faculties intact. Despite her quiet residency at the Uttle Sisters of the Poor, she con inues to shop weekly and retains a me tal awareness on the doings of society, with comments worth noting from politicians riqht through to childre . Mrs de Waal has great love of family and is seen pictured here ith a framed and treasured letter from her grea grand-daughter, Justine.

ife

T u io pr ced a son, Keit , nd a aug ter, Elsie, ow rs Best of Victoria

Par .

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ODD Blistered

· Today's People

She said she would Ii e to see the congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor grow in numbers to continue wi the good work they are doing.

"Take care oft old. The young can find their way, bu the o ar h lpless "

A regular feature From page 10

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From page 5

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elderly, to ma e it more comfortab e.

"But I'm happy with what I've got. I get ell loo ed after and I'm h r . I uldn't y

7

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S ooth ---�IFIED ��1J1J�[2@==== women's

Familie too small

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from Paul DONNELLY, Claremont

, fore-

Sir, The family rs the cell by whose growth a people survives and grows or may deg nerate and disappear if the cell does not grow.

Thrs should have been the keynote and the reason for the recent KSC seminar on th famrly, (The Record, ovember 12). It was not said or substantiated. lnstea • the principal paper by Dr Don Edgar, director of the Australian Institute of Family Stud, s. gave as the future pattern of Australian families, a two-ch rid family wrth both parents earning.

This rs a formula for degeneration rnto an ageing and dwrndlrng community relying increasingly on imrniqration for supporting any future growth and development.

All this rs well set rn the Australian Bureau of Statistics' "Projections of Australian Population 1984-2021 ". A r sume of that publication should ha be n th keynote of th discu sion, and much less time should have n grv n to th th me I trust therefore th t the KSC wrll try garn and rn dorng so put rnto ffect the oft quoted adaptation of Horace Walpole. "Evil pro pers bee u e good m n do nothing to re st evil, and th refor they should band together thus to resist" If not, he SC's commen bl effort will be yet noth r mrnar hoses ed fell among thorns or on roe y ground rnste of rnto a mo ment hich can tout to rev, th family hf of th M nzr ra - 3.75 chrldr n to a fam,ly.

Ind rng so th y will rescu a peopl alread m d lrn aft r only wo c ntunes o comm to Au traha

road

from Anne BEACH, Woodlands

Sir, Heartfelt than s to Father So b (The R cord, ovember 19) who wntes as an enhg tened m n rea y to s re th c I bratron of the lord He makes a tute comments about the state of the Church H also responds n manner to the

mmrstnes there writ be no balance m com rrson with other professions There are women d ors, etc oft

por 0 gra y Aboriqi a

too lat

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�:FUNDS APPEAL

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Donatio s c n

,6 Ring 328 4071 for more inform lion.

On Sunday ov m r 29, urgent help rs n ed d to help rais funds for th January youth cont rence.

The committee has a contrac to d liver phone boo s in th metropohta n area.

Anyone willing to ssist should on ring 328 9878.

DOD Accordrn to Pa ri

Wit-

Anyon inter t d in ttendrng on Janu ry 20 and enjoying the time of their life should ring Patr ck and fill out a registration form today. 328 9878.

Priests {concelebrants), religious, parents, grandparents - all welcomed.

Bring the whole parish youth group too.

Record Kids Club

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hildren 's Story Hour (D THE f b"tti

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according to Chris, that tradition has dirrurushed "Over the past 20 years the arnsuc tr dition m Catholic schools has been eroded partly because of the em asis p aced on scr nee and echnology," said Chris

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A I yo ante o k ow a o

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RA CALE DA MARIAN YEAR CALENDAR In St Mary's Cath dral, solemn Novena for the feast of the Immaculate Conception will comm nee on Monday, November 30 at 7.30pm nd will conclude with Mass on Tuesday, December 8. Father Raymond Clasby, Carmelite from Morley will be this year's pre cher. For furthr information phone 325 9557.

Send items for 'Marian Year Calendar' in writing to: 38 Great Northern Highway, Midland, WA 6056.

Louie Musca of May/ands and Maria Palmieri of Rivervale who will be married in St Mary's Cathedral onDecen r5.

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