What's Inside...
3Reccor PERTH, WA: January 18,1996
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Perth's Social Justice Commission issues statement on the death penalty - Page 3 Two pages of book reviews for thoughtful summer reading - Pages 10-11 Call to ban IVF to stop frozen embryo horror Letters to the Editor - Page7 Archbishop Hickey writes on youth and the parish - Page 2
Taking the faith of Italy to Highgate's streets
The culmination of the three-day Festival of St John the Baptist, held at Sacred Heart parish Church in Highgate last Sunday, was a colourful procession in the Italian tradition through the streets of Highgate. Left, tarabinierr stand to attention before the procession leaves Sacred Heart Church; centre, winding its way up Beaufort Street past startled Sunday afternoon drinkers in the Photos Peter Rosengren Queens hotel; right, listening to Fr Angelo Gatto's homily afterwards. The festival began in 1978, continuing a tradition from Casale Maccabei in Italy's Benevento.
Missionary teams for inner city call By Peter Rosengren Archbishop Hickey has issued an strong call for missionary teams of priests and laity to evangelise the "virtual outcasts" living in Perth's inner city suburbs. Archbishop Hickey told the Disciples of Jesus Pastoral Training School at Aquinas College in Manning last week many people living in these are as were like lost sheep without a shepherd. "So I would see an area like that to be a missionary area, and if God sends me the right people I would put not one priest, but two or three - or a team of people - to be a real missionary thrust in that area and not just sit around the Church but be seen and be visible around the flats and the pubs and the shopping centres and so forth, so that people get to know them," he said. He was speaking on Tertio Millenio Adveniente, Pope John Paul's letter on the coming of the third millennium and preparations for the two thousandth anniversary of the birth of Christ. Sixty young people, mainly from the Perth region, attended
the two-week training school. The inner urban areas were missionary areas with many people living as best they could under cheap rents in the numerous flats in the inner areas. "And they don't come to Church so they're not counted as parishioners in the normal sense - but they're there, in their hundreds and hundreds and thousands," Archbishop Hickey said,". . . and we need priests, we need dedicated lay people, to wander around those flats." "There is plenty of drunkenness, plenty of drugs and plenty of broken marriages, plenty of kids in trouble. "There are plenty of de facto situations, there are young people living together in real misery - we can't look at the parish as simply the people who come (to Church)," he said. "We have to find some way of being Christ, reaching out, to the people who are virtually outcasts - they don't count; they've never voted so they don't count very much in political life; they don't count in social life, they use up a lot of social security resources." Inner suburban parishes should be re-evangelised rather
Catholic youth meet to find Jesus Christ in joy
than amalgamated. "So closing parishes might be justified for very good planning reasons but from the point of view of the mission of Christ I can't see much point in it," he said. "It should not have to depend on money. So often people say 'well, this will cost you so much, you can't do it otherwise.' I don't think that ever crossed the mind of Jesus as he The convention band and choir whip up the youth troops last Sunday. started his work," the archbishThe Diocesan Youth and Young op said. Adult Ministry convention - Seize He said the need for the the Day - got off to a flying start at Church to engage in such evan- Aquinas College in Manning last gelical work was called for in Sunday evening with a full-on display of youth talent. Pope John Paul II's letter. A concert on Sunday evening in The Pope's vision was for a the school's gymnasium featured "penitential people", people the Convention Choir and Band conscious of their own failings together with singers from the and humbled by their own per- Performing Arts Ministry sonal history, who are still able The concert included perforto be agents of compassion and mances from band, choir, indilove to go out to those who the vidual singers and comedy Pope calls "the outcast," he said. sketches written especially for to youth and opening night by members of which were relevant with relationship Speaking to The Record the the adults young the youth ministry. Church. the and faith following day, Reg Firth, the their The convention received regiselder of the Disciples of Jesus trations from all over Western Bishop Robert Healy attended Covenant Community in Perth, Australia, as well as from far the convention for the consultation being conducted by said the disciples were willing afield as Tasmania. Australia's Catholic bishops with to engage in any kind of work Youth Ministry representative the young people of Australia. do. to they might be invited Penny Ashcroft said keynote speakers had addressed those Archbishop Hickey reports on Training school report attending on a variety of topics the convention - Page 2 - Page 4