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Christmas with The Record
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PERTH, WA: December 14, 1995
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The Record will publish a bumper Christmas edition next week full of reading to make your 1995 celebration of the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ as full of spiritual joy as possible. The traditional list of Sunday and Saturday vigil Mass times throughout Western Australia will again be published to help with Sunday Mass attendance in 1996, along with bishops' Christmas messages.
Bishop Belo 'ciotilod7r even t :hfilsen still at risk of assassination By Brian Coyne, Media Officer, Catholic Education Office
Bishop Belo said he would "work more for democracy in our OTTAWA (CNS) - East country and in the world, and Timorese rights activist Bishop always for respect for human Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo said rights." The bishop also said about 70 he will continue to work for democracy and human rights in young Timorese were arrested East Timor, despite the threat of earlier in the day after they wrote the word "freedom" on a wall in assassination. "I'm not afraid to die," said the the capital of Dili - marking the anniversary of the bishop, who has survived two 20th attempts on his life. We die only Indonesian invasion of East once and I'm ready to die even Timor. 'The people are praying, thinknow." Bishop Belo. 47, made the com- ing about what happened 20 ments from East Timor in a tele- years ago." he said. "It was a sad phone news conference with and dramatic event and (they) Canadian journalists on are suffering now as a result of December 7 Canadian Catholic the occupation." Two days earlier, he said, 12 News reported. The bishop received the John other young people were arrestHumphrey Freedom Award from ed after gathering at a home "to the Montreal-based International show that the United Nations Center for Human Rights and should pay more attention." "In Canada, you can walk and Democratic Development for his defence of human rights in East talk freely - here it's different," said the bishop. "We have no Timor. Bishop Belo was unable to opportunity to say what we feel, attend the presentation ceremo- what we have in our hearts." ny in Montreal and delegated The bishop said he had no Father Mateus do Rosario da doubt that Indonesian authorities Cruz, chairman of the East Timor were listening in on the teleJustice and Peace Commission, to phone press conference. accept the honour on his behalf. "It is natural, it is normal here." By Art Babych
he said. The Catholic Church and Amnesty International have reported that almost one-third of the population of East Timor some 200,000 people - have been killed since the Indonesian invasion. The Indonesian Government claims a much lower number. Bishop Belo said he believed the situation would not improve in the near future. "I am not a prophet. but what I see is that we will continue to suffer." he said. An auxiliary bishop Of Melbourne, Bishop Hilton Deakin. said last month after a visit to East Timor the chances for any act of self-determination by East Timorese did not look good at this stage. He said there was constant harassment without due process, especially of youth in places like Dili as well as elsewhere, normally after nightfall, and accompanied by torture, at its highest level since a visit he made in 1992 shortly after the Santa Cruz massacre. There was an "extraordinary hunger" for spiritual leadership, formation and prayer life in many parts of East Timor.
In our lifetimes we are each exposed to many "special moments" - those deeply moving, emotional experiences where our being is moved to its core. Who would have expected it to occur at a Friday morning school Mass? Yet, for many people it seems that is precisely what occurred at a Mass last Friday at Holy Rosary Church in Nedlands. It was a Mass to commemorate the work of the Mary Ward Centre at Loreto Primary School, Nedlands and the transfer of the centre to John XXIII College, Mt Claremont, from the beginning of 1996. The Mary Ward Centre exists to provide educational opportunities for children with intellectual disabilities. In a position of honour in the front pews were the children of the Mary Ward Centre and, seat-
ed behind them, their parents. Monsignor James Nestor began the Mass and then three children with quite severe speech difficulties made their way to the lectern where they intoned the words of the Kyrie: "Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy". At other points in the Mass these very special people took the place of honour bringing the gifts up to Monsignor, leading us in the Prayers of the Faithful and in the final procession. I was present at the Mass to take photographs and write a story on the Mary Ward Centre. As I moved down through the nave during the final recessional hymn, "Here I am Lord", my eyes glanced across the congregation. I have never before experienced such deep tears of joy in the eyes of so many adult Australians in one place. This was not one of those big moments of triumph in our lives. Continued on Page 2
The seven students from the Mary Ward Centre take pride of place at the Mass celebrated to mark the transfer of the centre from Loreto Primary School to John XXIII College
Lose your life on the frontier, and gain it has been working as a principal Kimberley work so that it In Kimberley schools for the past achieves the same success for the More than 100 years ago, young 12 years, is seeking dedicated, people of the Kimberley as the Irish-Australians got their chance skilled and trained teachers who early pioneers in Catholic educaof an education to fit them for the can help give the young men and tion in Australia made the system alien English culture that sur- women they teach the same sort work and opened the doorways rounded them in Australia thro- of chance that Catholic children to opportunity for the sons and daughters of the poor Catholic ugh the self-sacrifice and ideal- were given in the past. Other Kimberley Catholic immigrants who, for a long time, ism of the Irish teaching orders and Australia's own home grown schools are looking for similarly were virtually second-class citidedicated teachers (See page 15 zens in Australia. Josephite Sisters, Catholic Australians in their The Josephites, Christian Bro- for advertisements). This article is an appeal late 30s and older will have some thers, Sisters of Mercy, Presentation Sisters and others gave addressed to those Catholic real understanding of the start in Catholic children hope when the teachers who would like to give life that the nuns, brothers and surrounding culture was stacked something extra of themselves priests of the great teaching orders gave us. for a while. against them. Prior to their arrival and selfless The rewards for the sacrifice The challenge of finding a way in an alien culture is no different you are being asked to make are endeavour, education for many today for the Aboriginal children difficult to quantify, although In fact, most - Catholic families of the Kimberley, something the there are some financial incen- was a luxury that even the greatSisters of St John of God and the tives to assist lay teachers who est wishing and self-sacrifice on the part of parents could not buy. Pallotine Fathers have been help- take up the challenge. ing Aboriginals do for a century. One of the intangibles is makToday, if you take a quiet The principal at Ngalangangp- ing this special part of the moment to stop and look about um School, Sr Denise Casey, who Catholic education system in the you, young Catholic men and By Brian Coyne, CEO media officer
Children of Ngalangangpurn (Mother and Child) School at Warmun in the Kimberley. Aboriginal children need the same helping hand Irish Catholic children in Australia received for more than 100 years.
women - as well as their families - take their rightful place in wider Australian society on an equal footing with everybody else. We are not discriminated against because of our cultural values, our spiritual values or our lack of education. A Catholic Australian today has as much chance of making a success of their life as virtually any other person from the mainstream of Australian culture. We contemporary Catholics have a debt that has to be repaid for the start in life that each of us has been given. One place in which it can be repaid is by assisting others gain the self-esteem and basic educational qualifications that were denied to us - and if they were not denied to us directly, they were denied to our parents or our grandparents. Continued on Page 2