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Pope John Paul II prays at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, last Sunday, 26 March in Jerusalem. He became the first Pope in history to pray at the wall.

Pi grim Po e prays JERUSALEM (CNS) -- With slow but Judaism. The stooped pontiff stood and placed determined steps, Pope John Paul II made his trembling hand upon the massive stone his long-desired pilgrimage to the Holy blocks of the 2,000-year-old wall, as Jews have Land, preaching peace and reconciliation done for centuries. As is the Jewish practice, he left a prayer among the region's peoples and religions. written on a piece of paper in a crevice From the heights of Mount Nebo in Jordan between the stones. to the shores of the Sea of Galilee in Israel, The prayer was the same he recited earlier the Pope visited holy sites of the Old and in the month at the Vatican, asking God's forNew Testaments, making dramatic gestures giveness for Christians who have "caused of respect for Jews and Muslims and plead- these children of yours to suffer." ing for the unity of Christians. The prayer is to be put on display at the Walking carefully through a minefield of museum at Israel's Holocaust memorial, Yad political sensitivities, Pope John Paul also Vashem. urged a renewed conunitment to the Middle Rabbi Michael Melchior, a member of the East peace process, guaranteeing the security Israeli Cabinet, welcomed the Pope to the wall, of Israel but also satisfying the Palestinians' saying the Pope's visit confirmed the Catholic right to a homeland. Church's commitment to "end the era of The 20-26 March trip culminated in hatred, humiliation and persecution of the Jerusalem with visits to the city's holiest Mus- Jewish people." lim, Jewish and Christian sites. He also said the time had come for all sides While at every step he made overtures to to "end the manipulation of the sanctity of other religions and other Cluistian Churches, Jerusalem for political gain." he brought energy to his own personal prayers The Pope's visit was plagued by Israelis and at churches marking the site of the Angel Palestinians using speeches to the Pope to Gabriel's Annunciation to Mary in Nazareth, trade claims to the city as their own capital. Jesus' birth in Bethlehem and, especially, Just before visiting the Western Wall, the Jesus' death in Jerusalem. Pope met with the grand mufti of Jerusalem, In fact, instead of resting before going to the Sheik Ikrema Sabri, who asked the Pope to airport, the Pope returned to the Church of the promote the end of "Israeli occupation of Holy Sepulchre to pray at what is believed to Jerusalem." be the site of Jesus' crucilbdon, death and resThe Pope told Muslim leaders at the al-Aqsa urrectim The Pope brought the same inten- Mosque complex that the city was the comsity.111 prayer with him last Sunday, 26 March, mon patrimony of Jews, Christians and Musto J salem's Western Wall, the holiest site of lims.

Photo: CNS

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Pope John Paul's last appointment in Israel was his celebration of Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which he described as I "the most hallowed place on earth." Before the Mass, the Pope kissed the rock marking the place where Jesus' dead body was anointed, then, stooping down to enter a small cave, he kissed the stone ledge of Jesus' tImb. "The tomb is empty," the Pope said in his Sunday 26 March homily. "For almost 2.00n years the empty tomb has borne witness to the victory of life over death." Another highlight for the Pope was his 25 I. the Solenmity of March Mass at Nazareth on the Annunciation of the "I give thanks to Divine Providence for making it possible for me to celebrate the feast of the Annunciation in this place, on this day," said the Pope. Visiting the lower level of the Basilica of the Ammnciation, he held onto the altar and knelt to kiss the plaque that commemorates the place the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and "the Word was made flesh." Nazareth has been the scene of tensions between Cluistians and Muslims over Muslim plans to build a mosque on a plot of land adjacent to the basilica, but all was calm on tlie day of the Pope's visit to Jesus' hometown. I

Continued on Page 2 Mere photos and reports - Pages 2, 6, 9-13, 15, 16 and 19. Editorial - Page 7

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Pope's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Successor of St Peter returns to Upper Room to give thanks to God JERUSALEM (CNS/ZENIT) - In deeply emotional experience to the land where Jesus was born, listen to and then pronounce the Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass words Jesus said in the same in the room where the Church place 2,000 years earlier: "This is was born. my Body, which will be given up "I thank the Lord who has given for you." me the grace of celebrating the The words, he said, "have been holy Mass in this place," the Pope repeated, generation after genersaid on Thursday 23 March as he ation, by those who share in the began the liturgy in the Chapel of priesthood of Christ through the the Cenacle. sacrament of Holy Orders." He said he had *ardently desired Christ becomes present again to visit this place as a pilgrim to each day "through the voice of his celebrate Mass here, where the priests in every corner of the Lord, on the night he voluntarily world," the Pope said. gave himself over to the Passion. Later, papal spokesman Joaquin Instituted the ministerial priest- Navarro-Valls said the Pope was hood and left us his Body and deeply moved to have celebrated Blood as a memorial of his glori- Mass in a room where - for a various death." ety of reasons - it has not been The Israeli government, which possible to do so since 1583. owns the building, installed an In 1964, Pope Paul VI was not elevator so that the 79-year-old permitted to celebrate Mass there Pope could reach the upper room on his pilgrimage to the Holy of Jesus' Last Supper as well as Land. the Pentecost descent of the Holy Dr Navarro-Vals said the Pope Spirit on the Apostles. spent 25 minutes in silent prayer The Pope, concelebrating with after the Mass. the 12 bishops of the Holy Land Pope John Paul carried with him and with the priests and cardinals to the Upper Room the text of his in his entourage, offered the Mass annual letter to priests for Holy specifically for "the unity and the Thursday and signed it on the holiness of the Church." altar at the end of the Mass. The chapel is on the second The letter is expected to be floor of a building that also made public in April, a few days includes the site venerated by before Holy Thursday. Jews as King David's tomb. In his homily, the Pope said the Catholics honour the site as the Holy Year was "a special opporplace where Jesus instituted the tunity for priests to grow in appreEucharist, where Jesus appeared ciation of the mystery which they to the Apostles after the Resur- celebrate at the altar." rection and where the Holy SpirProclaiming faith in Christ's savit descended upon them and the ing death and resurrection in the Virgin Mary at Pentecost. celebration of the Eucharist "for Pope John Paul said it was a two millennia has nourished and

sustained the Church as she makes her pilgrim way amid the persecutions of the world and the consolations of God." The Eucharist nourished and strengthened the Church each day, he said. It drew men and women into Christ's body, the Church, and increased its faith and its unity, he added. In his homily, Pope John Paul said that "in a sense, Peter and the Apostles, in the person of their Successors, have come back today to the Upper Room, to profess the unchanging faith of the Church: 'Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.'" The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist was the greatest wealth of the Church, the Pope said, visibly moved. The Eucharist edifies her, because the "hands that broke bread for the disciples at the Last Supper were to be stretched out on the Cross in order to gather all people to Himself in the eternal Kingdom of his Father. "Through the celebration of the Eucharist, He never ceases to draw men and women to be effective members of his Body" "'Christ has died, Christ is risen. Christ will come again.' This is the 'mystery of faith' that we proclaim in every celebration of the Eucharist," Pope John Paul said. "Jesus Christ, the Priest of the new eternal Covenant, has redeemed the world by his Blood. Risen from the dead, He has gone to prepare a place for us in his Father's house.

Pope John Paul sits in front of a large mural depicting Christ the Teacher during Mass on the Mount of Beatitudes on Friday, 24 March, in which he recalled Christ's Sermon on the Mount during his homily. Photo: CNS/Routers

"In the Spirit who has made us God's beloved children, in the unity of the Body of Christ, we await His return with joyful hope." As a commemoration of the Pope's historic visit to the Holy Land, Israel promised to return the Cenacle to the Holy See. Since 1967. the cenade has been the property of the Israeli government, entrusted to the Ministry for Worship. The building is also

an object of pilgrimage for Jews, as they believe that King David is buried here. The room where Tradition holds that Jesus washed his disciples' feet today is a synagogue. In the past, it was also used for worship by Muslims. The cloister that leads to the second floor, where the Cenacle is, at present is a Museum of the Hola caust and a Rabbinical School.

Pilgrim Pontiff travels in prayer in Jesus' footsteps Continued from Page 1 The Pope's efforts to promote interreligious dialogue were not quite so successThe papal visit was filled with gestures of ful. At a meeting the same day of ecumenical good will and cooperation interreligious leaders meant to symbolise from all the region's Churches, including reconciliation among the three monotheisthe presence of Orthodox, Anglican and tic religions, one of Israel's chief rabbis and Protestant clerics at papal liturgies. a leading Muslim cleric sparred verbally Meeting the Christian leaders at the over the issue of Jerusalem. Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem The Pope did not directly address the veron Saturday, 25 March, Pope John Paul said, bal tug-of-war by his hosts on the status of "Only in a spirit of mutual respect and supJerusalem, but he strongly defended Palesport can the Christian presence flourish tinians' right to a homeland and said their here in a community alive with its tradi"legitimate aspirations" would only be met tions and confident in facing the social, cula negotiated through settlement. tural and political challenges of an evolving Throughout his heavy schedule of events, situation." the Pope looked alert and very much In a region where political conflicts and involved in what he has called the pilinterreligious tensions are almost a daily grimage of his dreams. reality, he said, "it is essential to overcome He prayed on Jordan's Mount Nebo on 20 the scandalous impression given by our March, the place where Moses glimpsed disagreements and arguments." the Promised Land before dying, and from The papal pilgrimage also marked a milepromontory looked out upon a dramatic a stone in Catholic-Jewish relations and an landscape stretching from the biblical attempt to promote a serious and respectSea to Galilee. Dead ful dialogue among Christians, Jews and Pope John Paul went on Friday, 24 March, Muslims based on their faith in the same Sister Gertrude from the Jerusalem Community to the Sea of Galilee, the region where Jesus God. of the Beatitudes reads the Bible as she waits spent the most time with his disciples. After a warm encounter with Israel's two for the arrival of Pope John Paul to Bethlehem's On the Mount of Beatitudes near Korazchief rabbis on Thursday, 23 March, he Manger Square on 22 March. Photo. CNS/Debble Hi im, he celebrated Mass for an estimated prayed at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Chronic controversies over the extent of 50,000 youths and called on them to memorial and said the Nazi attempt to the Church's apology to Jews seemed tem- become true disciples as well. exterminate European Jews was a tragedy porarily forgotten by the Jewish leaders "It is strange that Jesus exalts those whom that "burns itself onto our souls." He lis- who welcomed the Pontiff as a friend of tened to dramatic testimonials from the Israel and their religion. Prime Minister the world generally regards as weak," the Pope said. wartime period, then was reunited with Ehud Barak, who escorted the Pope about 30 Jewish survivors from his Polish through the Holocaust memorial, said the "He says to them, 'Blessed are you who hometown, greeting some by name. Pope had done "more than anyone else to seem to be losers, because you are the true "No one can forget or ignore what hap- bring about the historic change in the atti- winners: The kingdom of heaven is yours!" pened. No one can diminish its scale," the tude of the Church toward the Jewish pea At a Mass in an Amman soccer stadium Pope said. pie." for Jordan's minority Catholic community The Record, March 30 2000 Page 2

on 21 March, the Pope evoked St John the Baptist as a sure guide for Christians of all ages. Later he paid brief visits to both sides of the Jordan River to pray near the sites where St John is believed to have carried out his first baptisms. Arriving at Tel Aviv's airport that evening, he was met by Israeli President Ezer Weizman and Barak. who walked him down a red carpet amid a sea of Vatican and Israeli flags. In Bethlehem, the Pope declared on Wednesday 22 March that he had reached the heart of his pilgrimage. Celebrating Mass in Manger Square, he encouraged the Middle East and the world to rediscover the gift of peace Christ brought to humanity 2,000 years ago. Christ's kingdom, he said in a sermon, "is not the play of force and wealth and conquest which appear to shape our human history," but the power to heal wounds and make peace. He said it had special relevance in Bethlehem, a place that has known "the yoke and the rod of oppression." At the close of his sermon, the Mass was briefly interrupted by a noontime Muslim call to prayer - abbreviated out of respect for the Pope, according to Church officials. At Dehiyshe refugee camp that afternoon, the Pope expressed his support for the Palestinians and emphasised the plight of their refugees, calling for a "just solution" to their situation. The "degrading conditions" in which refugees often must live "are the measure of the urgent need for a just solution to the underlying causes of the problem," he said.

SVP joins criticism of State By Glynnis Grainger The charity dollar is getting smaller and smaller and it is getting harder to convince the public they should support charities, according to John Meahan, president of Society of St Vincent de Paul in WA. He was commenting on an article in The West Australian last Friday in which Anglicare chief executive Ian Carter said government agencies were increasingly vying for funds with charities. Mr Meahan said he agreed completely with Mr Carter, who said In the article Government policies of economic rationalism and privatisation were eroding the social fabric and it was time the public starting asking questions.

"St Vincent de Paul gets very little Government money, a maximum of about $70,000,— Mr Meahan told The Record "It is getting harder and harder - you cannot start a project every time you run an appeal. The response to mail invitations to contribute to the Society had dropped by 15 per cent, so "it's very hard to come up with something that really appeals? Mr Meahan said something ought to be done to determine what was a charity. Each year it got harder and harder. The problem was that those who were desperate and on low incomes struggled all the time. "They really haven't got a voice," he said. "For example, the GST is going to make things very diffi-

cult. A lot of money that is being raised could be taxed with the GST." Mr Meahan said "the Zoo was a charity and they say they are less dependant on public money." "They are making the genuine charities worse off. Our admin expenses are only 5.28 per cent, which is very low. "For every dollar, 96 cents goes to the cause and over the whole of Australia [our administration costs are] only seven per cent" Mr Meahan said that with a turnover of $200 million in Australia, the Society was the biggest charity in the country. St Vincent de Paul provided food. and emergency services to the tune of $7.6 million in goods and services in WA

He said they got help from the Lotteries Commission for the new mental health homes in Coolbellup, but "we didn't get help from the Government" Homeswest - Government money - did provide the five mental health units at Glendalough, but he said "we stand on our own two feet" The St Vincent de Paul Society's annual report for last year has just been released. It reveals there are 3,000 volunteers in the Society assisting an estimated 150,000 people and operating 43 low-cost shops, distributing donated clothing, food, furniture and blankets to thousands of the needy.

John Meahan

Archbishop Hickey takes bishops' Sacred Heart pilgrimage cloning ban call to Federal MPs Human cloning must be prohibited experimental and commercial purposes." On throughout Australia because it is unethical behalf of the bishops he urged politicians and open to commercial exploitation by mar- not to open the door to cloning. ket forces and the destruction of unborn "The logic of market forces, and the parahuman beings, Archbishop Barry Hickey told digm of the industrial manufacture of only a Federal Parliamentary committee this the most perfect model, coupled with the Wednesday, 29 March. attendant production and discarding of The Archbishop's message on behalf of the many less than perfect prototypes, must not Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference was be allowed. . . ." he said. delivered in person to the House of RepreLaws to prohibit human cloning would also sentatives' Standing Committee on Legal and send a message to the community about the Constitutional Affairs in Canberra. value of human life. The committee is inquiring into scientific, Even from the creation of the first cell early ethical and regulatory aspects of human human life "is unique, irreplaceable and worcloning. Key among the issues the commit- thy of the utmost respect and protection," he tee is considering is the harvesting of stem said. cells from human embryos. "Respect for all human life must take prece"Human cloning for the purpose of [embry- dence over respect for academic and scienonic stem] cell collection as presently pro- tific freedom to conduct research, especially posed requires the creation, dismemberment when there are commercial incentives and du.truction of embryonic human beings, involved," he warned. or at least subjecting them to grave risk and The distinction sometimes drawn between unethical exploitation," the Archbishop told 'reproductive' and 'therapeutic' cloning was the committee. seriously misleading, he said, because both Human life is never disposable at any stage involve the creation of human embryos; "In of its development and should never be seen the case of 'therapeutic cloning' it also as a commodity or property able to be involves the destruction of human embryos." exploited, he said. Embryonic stem cells should also be treatCloning distorts procreation's human ed with the same respect due to a human meaning because it was "no longer consid- embryo as there was now "significant scienered or practised for reproductive and rela- tific reason" to believe that certain types of tional reasons but programmed for medical, stem cells could develop into embryos.

Year 12 students from Sacred Heart College, Sorrento, made a pilgrimage last week with a difference. On the Monday and Tuesday, different groups were bused to the Causeway and walked onto Heirisson Island to visit the statue of Yagan, above, where they took part in readings reflecting on the importance of reconciliation. Later, at St Mary's Cathedral, they were welcomed by John Winship, who gave them a conducted tour of the Cathedral, commencing with a walk through the Holy Door. The students participated in the daily lunchtime Mass and were made welcome by Cathedral priests Fr Jordan Perry, on the Monday, and Fr John Piumatti, on the Tuesday. Because they alienist Ness at the Cathedral, the students and teachers had the opportunity to receive a special Jubilee Year indulgence. Lunch was eaten at Perth Zoo and they were given a talk on the need to rest on the Sabbath. On the Tuesday, lunch was enjoyed at Trinity College, as it rained heavily during Mass at the Cathedral. After the pilgrimage, the Year 12 students went on their annual threeday retreat

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A rare political bi-partisanship By Glynnis Grainger Bi-partisanship in State politics is not something that characterises much social policy debate. But a Labor and Liberal member have joined to promote the interests of the family. Carine MLA, Liberal Katie HodsonThomas, and Girrawheen MLA, Labor veteran Ted Cunningham, have issued a joint statement promoting the family as the basis of society following their return from the Second World Congress of Families, in Geneva, Switzerland. As Members of Parliament representing different, political points of view, different political parties and different religions, they believe they can persuade, educate and speak out against laws that would be detrimental to the family. The World Congress of Families II was held from 14-17 November, 1999. The inaugural World Congress of Families was held in Prague in the Czech Republic in 1997. In Rome, Italy, in May, 1998, a

group of individuals from diverse national, cultural, social and faith communities called for a convening of the congress. Mrs Hodson-Thomas said she thought it was very bi-partisan, and "we both came away very pro-family." She said it was a wonderful experience to go away and listen to such learned speakers. She felt very privileged to go and said she was just one of the backbenchers chosen. "There was so much to learn from the Congress and particularly to network with people from different countries as well," she told The Record. Legislative Assembly Opposition Whip Ted Cunningham said he and Mrs HodsonThomas were totally unanimous and never disagreed once during the four-day conference. He said it was the first time two Members had agreed to such a report and it is hoped that it will be tabled in the Legislative Assembly. He has printed a copy of the report, with a circulation of 28,000, for his electorate.

For all your Business, Holiday or Pilgrimage Travel

around the voluntary union of a man and a woman in a lifelong covenant of marriage,'" the joint statement said. "The purpose of the World Congress of Families was to express and reaffirm the natural family unit as the fundamental social unit." Some 1,570 delegates from around the world attended the opening ceremony. "The World Congress of Families has a strong belief, and we both concur, that marriage has become one of the major casualties of the many cultural changes experienced over the last thirty to forty years," the two MPs said. "Our modern life has become so complex with so many more demands upon family life. "Legislation has made divorce easier to Mr Cunningham and Mrs Hodson-Thomas in obtain, thus the heart and soul of our comGeneva last November. munity support for marriage has been "We were united in our report to Parlia- eroded and weakened. ment on 24 November, 1999, that the 'nat"We both agree that programs supporting ural family,' as defined by the United couples embarking on this major commitNations, 'is the fundamental social unit, ment of their lives should be promoted and inscribed in human nature, and centred encouraged by all governments."

Holy Door, new Foley Village units, blessed Last Thursday week, Fr Jerome Watt, parish priest of Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish, Hilton, blessed the Holy Door at Larmenier Chapel, one of the chapels at Foley Village, Hilton.

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This was followed by an open-air celebration of Mass in the concert garden of the Village, for residents, staff, their family and friends and the Knights of the Southern Cross, who own the village.

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Anniversary Celebration

A fter Mass Fr Watt blessed the residents' ten new retirement units and presented each home with a small wooden cross.

SACRI Association

cordially invite you to the 53rd Anniversary of the Apparition of the Virgin of the Revelation to the seer, Bruno Comacchiola. Mgr Michael Keating will preside at the Concelebrated Mass at the Shrine of the Virgin of the Revelation 38 Chittering Road Bullsbrook on Wednesday April 12 at llam. Mass will be followed by a Marian Procession. For bus reservations Phone 9277 5378 For further inquiries: SACRI Association, Tel 9447 3292

The residents moved into their units in June/July last year. Acolyte Tom Kearns, Gordcn Smith, and Jeanne Porteous, left, watch Fr Watt shake Mrs Sylvia Smith's hand after blessing her new unit. - Glynnis Grainger

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Though the Solemnity of St Joseph the Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary is on 19 March, St Joseph's College, Albany, celebrated it two days earlier on St Patrick's Day, Friday. The day's celebrations started with a College Mass in Holy Family Church. at the end of which student leaders from the primary, middle and senior school were presented with badges. After Mass, a fair was held on the oval to raise money for Project Compassion. Earlier in the week, Brian Moylan from Caritas Australia had spoken to the students about the work of Caritas. Activities at the fair were organised by students from Year 4 to Year 12, and included face-painting, hairplaiting, "bat-the-rat", pony rides, pillow fights, speedthrowing, cake stalls, guessing competitions and lots more. The fair raised about $1500. Albany students and pastors attend St Joseph's Day Mass.

The increased adoption of modern technology in our schools has been highlighted again in the recent opening and blessing of a new library resource centre at Chisholm Catholic College, Bedford. Perth Auxiliary Bishop Robert Healy blessed the new centre, which the director of Catholic education in Western Australia, Therese Temby, opened. It provides students with the latest state-of-the-art resources required to meet the rapidly changing demands in technology. The ceremony was also attended by the Howard Government's Special Minister of

Bishop Healy blesses the crucifix that now hangs in the Library Resource Centre. Assisting Bishop Healy are the college's head boy and girl Ronan McGinniss and Natalie Tartaglia

State, Senator Chris Ellison, and Ray Halligan, Member for North Metropolitan in the WA Legislative Council.

Mr Halligan, representing Education Minister Colin Barnett, said that, based on present growth trends, non-

government schools would account for some 30 per cent of student enrolments in WA by 2004. To address this demand, Mr Halligan said State and Commonwealth governments would continue to provide and maintain their funding of the non-government schooling system. in addition to its budget allocation of approximately $142 million, the State government will provide capital funding of $20 million over four years for the purchase of some 8000 computers and related information technology support services for students attending non-government schools," he said. - Philip Bayne, CEO media office

Kimberley children train for nothing

Mixed reaction to call to test MPs, public servants for drugs By Glynnis Grainger Two Catholic politicians have backed a Family Council of WA call for politicians and other public figures to be drug-tested but another prominent WA Catholic politicians has rejected it. Last week Salvation Army Major Brian Watters, chair of the Australian National Council on Drugs and a key adviser on drug policy to the Prime Minister, called for individuals involved in legislating, developPhillip Pendal ing and implementing drug policies to be subject to drug abused drug in Australia was testing. alcohol but it was unlikely that The WA Family Council sup- Major Watters wanted random ports such drug-testing. breath testing for alcohol. Family Council drug policy co"This is a proposal designed to ordinator Geraldine Mullins give people an impression that said "drug policy in Australia something is being done," Mr should not be made or influ- Pendal said. enced by those who are themThe fact that Major Watters selves users of these dangerous, had called for compulsory testmind-altering substances." ing for public servants, but only Independent Member for voluntary testing for MPs. clearSouth Perth, Phillip Pendal, a ly showed he had not thought strong campaigner against drug through his proposal legislation, has rejected the proBut Labor Member for Girposals for compulsory drug-test- rawheen, Ted Cunningham, ing for public servants and supports testing for illicit drugs for senior public servants and voluntary testing for MPs. "Random testing of any kind is politicians. South Metropolitan Member obnoxious and rarely has a place in a liberal democracy," of the Legislative Council and Liberal, Barbara Scott, said she Mr Pendal said. He said the call by Major Wat- didn't have a problem being ters was a simplistic reaction to drug tested as a member of the a serious problem, and was like- Government. ly to hinder the fight against Mr Cunningham recently named in Parliament alleged drugs. The most widely used and drug dealers in his electorate.

By Glynnis Grainger Kimberley Aboriginal children have been practising since last July for the annual Croc Eisteddfod but it will not go ahead this May due to lack of funds. For the past two years the highly successful Croc Eisteddfod Festivals have been held in the remote NorthWest and other centres in Australia. For this Year 2000, children from 30 remote and regional schools have been rehearsing for festivals planned for Kununurra and Tom Price. With preparations In their final stages and only four weeks left to polish up performances, schools were informed two weeks ago that the WA events has been cancelled. Rose Haggarty, a teacher at Kururningku Catholic Education Centre, Billiluna, 170km south of Halls Creek said "it's the kids who miss out - they have done all the hard work It was a bit of a disappointment to them." Mining and Pastoral MLC Tom Stephens, ALP Leader in the Legislative Council. took the matter to Parliament last week In an answer provided in Parliament. Education Minister Colin Barnett said funds would not be provided through his department - education funds were directed to supporting programs which encouraged improved attendance, literacy and numeracy among students and therefore funds to support activities such as the Croc Eisteddfod were limited. Mr Stephens said Mr Barnett's comment showed a "lack of appreciation of this festival. This festival has greatly improved the attendance

Tom Stephens

"Leaders in our community should be prepared to be fully accountable," he said. "If this means sacrificing some of our privacy and civil liberties, then so be it. "However. I'm not sure that the community would expect all those of prominence, for example, doctors, lawyers, members of the clergy, nurses, police, defence personnel, bus drivers, to be similarly tested. "I am also concerned that the proposal may be difficult to implement in practice." Mrs Scott said she would be very reluctant to involve anyone working in her office in drug testing. "You would not want to involve every employee and every employee of politicians, who are not setting Government policy," she said. "It is a pretty wide call." Later, Christian Democratic Party state committee member Madeleine Goiran condemned Greens MLC Christine Sharp's demonstration of a marijuanasmoking implement. The demonstration was confirmation "beyond any doubts that some politicians persisted in being ignorant and irresponsible about drug issues," she said.".... While Dr Sharp should be congratulated for underscoring one of the major dangers of pot smoking - which is often ignored - its carcinogenic effects, she should be condemned for encouraging young people to embark on a dangerous health practice."

for many of the students in remote parts of the Kimberley, whose attendance in the past has been extremely poor." A spokesman for the WA Department of Aboriginal Affairs said they hadn't had a formal application for funds. There is no record of any request for funding, he said. A spokeswoman for the Education Ministry told The Record said "We 1111111111M111 have never funded it and we have no MOW money to fund it." Ms Haggarty said the festival was $50,000 short in funds from the WA Government this year. The Croc Eisteddfod was a nonprofit organisation which has received financial support from the elebrate the true meaning of the new millennium with this Commonwealth Government and beautiful Lumen Christi 2000 candle from Aid to the business organisations. As the WA Government had failed Church in Need. to provide sufficient financial support to enable the WA Festivals to go 'lb date, over 500,000 candles have been sent ahead, Ms Haggarty said, rural and our world-wide. Over 20,000 candles have remote students. including a big been distributed throughout Australia. The number of indigenous students, campaign has also enabled us to send 30,000 would miss out on an opportunity candles to the Bishops' Conferences in Sudan for learning and for celebrating their and Cuba for distribution among their suffering people. culture and heritage. New Prayer Leaflet for the Year 20(X) With each candle we enclose readings and prayers specifically composed for religious feasts during the Jubilee year. The candle costs $10. stands about 15 cm high, is about 6cm thick and comes in a special box of its own. Twice the Dealer Ark. the Service Proceeds from the Lumen Christi 2000 campaign will help our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ.

LUMEN CHRISTI 2000 (The Light Of Christ)

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The Record. March 30 2000 Page 5

We see shame, God sees hope Fr Adrian Pittarello, Vicar for Migration, continues a series of reflections on the readings associated with the Lenten and Easter seasons

he First Preface for Lent proclaims: "Every year you give us this joyful season when we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery with mind and heart renewed." The fourth Sunday of Lent, which marks the half-way mark of our journey towards Easter, is known as "Laetare/Rejoice" Sunday (from the Entrance antiphon). It reminds us of the joyful character of this season, and it encourages all those who are engaged in the spiritual exercises proper to this season not to let fatigue overcome them, but rather to keep up, and, even better, to speed up the pace towards the final goal, which is now so near and visible (as in the Opening prayer). The invitation to rejoice should be seen particularly in the context of the catechumens, that is, those who, after a long period of preparation, will receive baptism during the Easter Vigil celebration. Lent has a much more meaningful sig-

With Fr Adrian Piftarello nificance for those parishes that have catechumens making their final preparation for their Baptism. The various "scrutinies" done during the Sundays of Lent involve not only the catechumens but also the whole parish community. Those who take part to them are in a better position to appreciate the celebration of Easter. Any parish holding the sacrament of Baptism at Easter Night is enriched by it. Baptism, perhaps more than any other sacrament, is not a sacrament that concerns the individual, but the whole parish; and this is never as evident as when it is administered to adults during Easter Night. This is one more reason why every Christian should feel compelled to par-

FAMILY ROSARY CRUSADE April 15- May 7 2000 with

Father John Phalen CSC Albany. New Niiirk 'Ow Most Reverend Barry James Hickey Archbishop of Perth together tsvith Bishop Peter Quinn - BunburN: warmly welcomes Father John Phalen. visiting Perth and Millbury Dioceses. \II the faithful are invited to participate in this event. PERTH APRIL at 13 Perth - St Mary's Cathedral - 730 pm. Welcome and official launch by Archbishop Hickey (following 6.34m Mass) EUCHARISTIC PROCESSION & RALLY Sun 18- Perth- Palm Sunday Eucharistic procession (led by Archbishop Hickey ) and Passion Play. Assemble The Esplanade (Barrack St. end) - 1.30 pm Proceed up Barrack St to Forrest Place- 2 pm Passion Play - 3 pm Mon 17- York - Day of Reflection - St Patrick's Ch - 10 am Tues 18- Swanbourne - St Paul's Ch, Fraser St Talk. Cenacle. Mass - 10.30 am TRAINING WORKSHOPS "flies 18. Thurs 20. Wed 26, Thurs 27 East Perth - Legion of Mary Headquarters. 2-4 pm Sat 22- Aquinas College- Family Day BBQ - Talk. Rosary 10.30 am (Food and Drink - BYO). Sun 23 - Bullsbrook - Our lady of Revelation. Talk. Rosary following gam Mass Tue 23 - Rottnest Island - Rosary Crusade - Rottnest Island Dawn Service - (Make own overnight arrangemelik Mass - gam. Talk. Adoration. Rosary. Benediction- man DIOCESAN MISSION - LIVING THE MYSTERIES Ties 25. Wed 26. Thurs 27 St Mary's Cathedral - Talk. Rosary- 730pm (Novena incl.) Fri 28- Aquinas College - gathering of school representatives from across the metropolitan area - 9.30am Fremantle - St Patrick's Basilica - Holy Mass - Talk. Rosary - 7pm Sun 30 - Kalgoorlie - St Mary's Ch Rosary, Benediction Following 10am Mass MAY Mon 1- New Norcia • Holy ilinity Ch - Talk. Rosary. Benediction- 10am Thornlie - Sacred Heart. Mass Talk. Procession - 7pm 'flies 2- Belmont - St Anne's - Talk Cenacle. Mass- 9.30am Wed 3- Ocean Reef - St Simon Peter Ch - Talk Exposition. Rosary- 7pm Thum 4- Rockingham - Our lAdy of Inurdes - Talk Rosary- 7pm BUNBURY Fri 5 - Manjimup - St Joseph's Church- 7pm Sat 8- Dardanup - Immaculate Conception Ch - 7pm Sun 7- jingdong - Rosary Rally - Bove's Farm. Roy Rd Singing 12.30 pm. Holy Mass - 1pm followed by Rosary, Procession & Benediction Inquiries: Fr Paul Fox 9223 1351 or Fred Preshaw 9245 4843 Bookings: Workshops: Stephonie 9218 9589 or 0418 917 371 Rottnest: Rebecca 9430 5844 (discounted fares)

SHORT. SHARP. TO THE POINT. Record Classifieds. 24 hours. Telephone: (08) 9227 7778 The Record, March 30 2000 Page 6

ticipate in the Easter Vigil ceremony. The anticipation of the joyful celebration of Baptism is, as it were, the backdrop of today's liturgy. However the real theme is Jesus' words: "God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son that whoever believed in him may not be lost, but may have eternal life"; words echoed by St. Paul in the second reading (Eph 2:410): "God, who is rich in mercy, revealed his immense love - as we were dead through sins, he gave us life with Christ". This is the core of Christ's message. As we approach the Holy Week, our focus should narrow more and more on God's love for us. The Holy Week is a time when we are called to contemplate God's love for us, a love that has been revealed to us not in an abstract way, but rather by visible and concrete acts that we can recall and by which we can be deeply touched. Our preparation for Easter, therefore. should switch now to a higher level. We should look not so much at ourselves, at our sinfulness, but on God's love. Looking at ourselves we can only find reason for regret and sadness; looking on God's love we find reason for great joy and celebration.

To Jesus through Mary .. . a column of Marian devotion

()pe John Paul II will travel to Nitima, Portugal, in May to beatify two shepherd children who had visions of Mary in 1917, a Vatican official confirmed. The Holy Father accepted the invitation of the bishop of Fatima to hold the beatification ceremony of the shepherd children directly in Fatima," Archbishop Crescenzio Sepe, secretary-general of the Vatican's jubilee committee, told Vatican Radio on litesday, 21 Mar-ch. The Pope will leave for Portugal on 12 May and celebrate the beatification Mass the following day - the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima - on the shrine's esplanade, he said. The announcement marked the first Vatican confirmation that the Pope would travel to Fatima to beatify Francesco and Jacinta Marto, two of the three children who had visions of Mary. The third child, Sister Lucia dos Santos, is a 93-year-old nun living in a Portuguese convent. Archbishop Sepe also announced that the Fatima statue of Mary would be brought to the Vatican in October for a special ceremony entrusting the third Christian millennium to Mary's care. Archbishop Sepe said that at the end of Mass on 8 October during the Jubilee for Bishops, the Pope would lead an "act of entrustment" to Mary. Pope John Paul has several times

Jacinta and Francisco Marto are pictured with their cousin Lucia dos Santos, right, in a photo taken around the time of the apparitions. Photo CA.,5 t

spoken of Our Lady of Fatima as a special protectress. He was shot and seriously wounded on her feast day in 1981, and a year later he paid a visit to the Fatima shrine to give thanks for his survival. On the 10th anniversary of the shooting, he placed a fragment of the bullet that wounded him in the crown atop the Fatima statue of Mary.

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The Record

Faith, patience, love and endurance will see us through

With Penny Ashcroft

wo weeks ago, Jon Bowerman of Mindarie contributed to the Outside Run column in The West Australian. He wrote a moving account of the widereaching affect tragic circumstances can have, and about the fact that there is always more than one victim. His contribution was valuable. I believe that anyone or anything that can help us face up to the problems we can cause by negligent or wilfully bad behaviour is valuable. There are many tragic events occurring on a daily basis, not the least of which are suicide, drug overdose, marriage breakdown and loss of life through traffic accidents. The sad thing is, there is always the afterthought that these could have been avoided. Each one of us must be accountable for our actions every day of our lives. Dr Roberta Sykes, author, academic, foundation member and National Executive Officer of the Black Women's Action Education Foundation, delivered the Occasional Address at Murdoch University's ceremony for conferring degrees and diplomas recently. Her address was challenging and inspiring. Dr Sykes threw out the challenge to attending graduates to he the best people they could possibly be on a daily basis. When we come to the end of our life, it is not what we have accumulated or our status that we will think about, but perhaps the question. could I have treated people in a better way. (lone more for others, loved more deeply? It was good to hear the words offered to graduates to consider the privilege they had been given by being educated in a fine environment. We all have the choice to use our education, our faith, our lives, for the betterment of the world we live in. The other choice is to serve self-interest. I found myself thinking after having read Jon Bowerman's contribution, that. whilst I agree that there are as many victims as there are ripples in a pond after a tragic event, we also have a choice as to the degree to which we remain victims. Speaking out as he did is one way of lessening that degree. Believing that God is with us in all circumstances is another. Sometimes we can discover amazing inner strength through tragedy. We can grow to be more compassionate or understanding of others who face dire circumstances in their lives. Emerging from the tunnel of grief that may follow a particular event, we may be able to contribute to society through our experience. Ibelieve that, as Christians, we have the most wonderful opportunity to choose a life which can lead to emotional, physical and spiritual wholeness. If we rely wholeheartedly on the Holy Spirit to guide us He will give us the strength to withstand the temptations that we can guarantee will be placed before us. The temptation or hunger to accumulate great wealth, which can cause misery and pain for those we encounter along the way, the desire for sex outside marriage, which can be the downfall of family life, are two major problems in society today. Even Jesus was tempted. Satan never misses an opportunity and probably hones in on our most prevalent weakness. Faith, patience, love and endurance can see us through. Advertisement

Message from Our Lady, Queen of Peace, given to Marija Pavlovic Lunetti for the village of Medjugorje and the world on March 25, 2000

"Dear Children! Pray and make good use of this time, because this is a time of grace. I am with you andIintercede for each one of you before God, for your heart to open to God and to God's love. Little children, pray without ceasing, until prayer becomes a joy for you. Thank you for having responded to my call."

(It is accepted that the final authority regarding apparitions of Our Lady at Medlugorte rests with the Holy See of Rome)

Pilgrim Pope shows way to unity and peace

The Record

he religious and social significance of Pope John Paul II's pilgrimage to the Holy Land has hardly begun to be understood. Yes, any trip by a Roman Pontiff to the land where our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Like Abraham and Moses, Pope John Christ, was born, lived, died and rose from He extolled the Palestinians' right to a homeland and equally defended the JewPaul, by travelling to the Land of the the dead has to have some significance. Promise, has led the world to turn its attenPope Paul VI was the first Pope in cen- ish race's right to a secure homeland. In all this, at a time when some pro-abortion to God's Promise to humanity turies - if not, since St Peter left - to travel tion forces are trying unsuccessfully to Like John the Baptist, he has walked the to the Holy Land when he did so in 1964. Unfortunately, his pilgrimage could not be have the Vatican lose its observer status at Promised Land pointing to the One who the United Nations, he has shown how the will save humanity from despair and vioas extensive as Pope John Paul's. And the still relatively primitive state of Vatican can play a unifying role in lence. On the Mount of the Beatitudes, he stood, media technology at the time prevented inflamed international situations, particuthe rest of the world and the Catholic larly in conflicts that have a strong reli- as Vicar, in the shoes of Jesus Christ, and reminded the world of the saving virtues Church from participating in the event gious basis. I n the religious sphere, he travelled to of Christian living that his Master profrom the sidelines to the same extent. But now television and Internet coverage the spot that Muslims believe Mohammed claimed overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Pope John Paul's witness is enormous. gave instant coverage to the Vicar of ascended into Heaven to honour their reliChrist's travels in the homeland of his and gious sensibility but not to agree to their He only just escaped death in the monbeliefs. strous evils of Nazi and Leninist-Stalinist our Master. He went to the Western or Wailing Wall totalitarianism, stood a whisker from Some people overseas were able to watch the Vicar of Christ walk the of the Temple in Jerusalem to ask God's death after taking an assassins bullet in Pope John Paul waves to pilgrims at the outPromised Land as the first Vicar of Christ, forgiveness of the sins of Christians 1981, and now drags his frail body around door Mass on the Mount of Beatitudes, near the against Jews, and honoured the victims of the roads of Israel in the footsteps of that Sea of Galilee on 24 March. Photo: CNS/Reuters St Peter, did. In a sense, St Peter has returned again to the Holocaust at the Yad Vashem memor- Master. Pope John Paul knows the only obstacle Just as Jesus did, he is suffering with to this dialogue and unity lies in the weakthe Holy Land, and many were able to ial, meeting there the Jewish woman who participate in his pilgrimage in a way the is sure he was the one to carry her to safe- humanity by standing with it in its crisis ness of human hearts. ty at the end of the Holocaust. points. world has not known before. The archangel Gabriel said when telling And he sat between a distrustful Muslim Who knows if we are not seeing God's of the coming of Jesus and the Holy SpirThe wonders of media and transport religious leader and a Jewish rabbi to grace working through this man again as it to Mary in Nazareth at the Annunciatechnology have made all this possible. But the real wonder of the pilgrimage in encourage dialogue between the two reli- He did when he used Pope John Paul to tion: Be not afraid, and Mary opened her bring courage to the workers of Gdansk heart to God's grace. this Great Jubilee Year 2000 is the witness gions. Like a great religious navigator, he point- and help bring about the beginning of the It has given to the unifying and peaceSo Pope John Paul II called on Christians making role of Pope John Paul II in inter- ed to the spot where the voyage to reli- collapse of Communism? and the world in late 1978 in his first pubnational politics, among religions and gious unity can begin - in Judaism, Islam Surely we are seeing the same grace lic appearance as Pope, and so has he and Christianity's common, root belief in working to bring peace in the Middle East been telling the world again in his pilwithin Christianity. If only ears will hear and eyes see, laying grimage to the Holy Land. The Polish Pope has travelled to Jordan, the God of Abraham. And he vigorously urged Christian the groundwork for truth and good will to Israel and the Palestinian Territory and in his demeanour and teaching given both Churches in the Holy Land to stop squab- reign in the dialogue between the great • The opinions expressed in this editorArab and Israeli hope that they can live bling over who owns which Christian site religions that look to Abraham as their ial, and any other Record editorial, are together on the basis of a shared human- so that a clearer witness to the saving truth earthly fathers, and among Christian not necessarily those of the Roman ity while respecting each other's religion. of Jesus. Christ can be given. Catholic Archbishop of Perth. Churches.

[71 -1'0(112o

Greed: how are we faring?

7a4te cies that appear cruel to us.

Who is to blame for taking young British children from their families and sending them to Australia as child migrants? Who is to blame for persuading unmarried mothers to sign over their babies for reed (Letters. 23 March) is far from adoption? The present Government can regret that exclusively corporate, it is endemthings happened, but it is not responthese ic in the building, waterfront, elecsible for them. trical and government service unions The Government of today should coneveryone going for more. centrate on the problems of today. Lawyers and health people also take quite Why are so many people rejected by socia bit more than a sufficient comfortable liv- ety and unable to find jobs? ing. Why are there so many victims of drug abuse? Why don't we all do with less, such as Why are our public structures, such as wearing out our cars, rather than frequent hospitals and nursing homes, being change to new ones, one bathroom instead allowed to deteriorate? of two or three; it is the same for bedrooms The Government could do much to open and other unnecessary appendages. up employment prospects by backing AusAnd if we had a good hard look through tralian manufacturing, ie. in wool, cotton. shop shelves (and in the trolleys) don't tell iron, etc. It could facilitate employment on our me we could and should do without at the waterways which need urgent attention. very least half of the stuff. Let the Government develop policies that If that's not greed, what is it? help all Australians and not become Peter Bertola 'bogged down on whether to say 'sorry' or Esperance not. Present day Australians, in general, have done nothing wrong to indigenous people. ogether with many others I am Patricia Malone heartily sick of the term 'reconcilia- Scarborough tion' as used in the media. Reconcile with whom? About what? If anyone has done something wrong to agree with the concerns about exposanother, he/she should personally make ing our children to the occult at an early amends. age (The Record, 23 March). The development of Australia as a British WhenI was on a school board, about six colony was due to intrepid and daring years ago, it was raised by the school's sailors in their quest to learn about the principal that in the month leading up to world - that these sailors were mostly Halloween that activities in the classroom British has meant that Australia is now an were on the theme of Halloween. English-speaking country not an Asian one, I queried about teaching about witches nor any other. and goblins in a Catholic School. Since that time Australia has become an A priest did not see any concerns and independent nation and great benefits have said he had treats available for the children been given to this land of ours. when they come to his house. Unfortunately some past government The planned classroom activities proceeded that year and I assume each year policies have not been good. It was a bad policy to have mixed blood since. There should be a concern about the children taken from their mothers to be educated in 'white ways', but one must parts of the American culture that we remember that their children, fathered by embrace and what we teach in our catholic white men, were not wanted by Aboriginal schools. Paul Andriessen men. There are other former government poli- Manning

Who is responsible?

Halloween concern

Leffers lo /Ae Cofilor Reading and counting

he Catholic Social Justice Council (The Record, 16 March) is being unnecessarily coy about the results of the poll on recommendations emerging from the small group discussions at the public forum at Mercedes College on 11 March on the Woman and Man report The results were publicly available to anyone who stayed at the forum until the end and who was able to read, and to count The top four recommendations were as follows: 1. (Received 29 votes) Emphasis on mother's role in the home; recognition of the role of mother, Church promotion of tax reform to encourage full time mothers. The home is the domestic church; motherhood is a leadership role. Where there is a single income family, school fees should be decreased - encourage mother to be at home if she wants to. 2. (Received 23 votes) Particular genius of women in the service of life - in the face of culture of death. 3. (Received 9 votes) All decision making bodies of the Church should reflect gender balance. 4. (Received 7 votes) Greater representation of women at Roman Synods. No other recommendation received more than six votes. Peta Freedman City Beach Renee Leach Trigg Marie Srdarev Karrinyup

Political inventions

he slogan "The stolen generation" was politically invented for political purposes. It has been insidiously used by some to denigrate the heroic, apostolic and successful work done by the Catholic Church for Aboriginal people. Those who know the history of the missionaries - some deserving of canonisation - who sacrificed much for the benefit of the Aboriginal people, know that the Catholic Church has no reason to apologise to the Aboriginal people. Brian Coyne (Letters, Headline distorted, 16 March) is ignorant of the Church's role when he says: "the Church thought it was doing the right thing removing Aboriginal _

children form their parents. . . . The thinking at the time was that the parents were irresponsible, uneducated or in some way unable to care for their children properly" This is not the real case and is so glib that it is dangerous. As early as 1908 it had become Government policy for the police to pick up halfcaste children and full-blood Aboriginal children who appeared to be neglected. This policy did not take into consideration the grievous hurt inflicted on both mothers and children. Had the missionaries at places like New Norcia, Beagle Bay, Lombadina, Kalumburu and Balgo in the Great Sandy Desert not cared for and educated the abandoned and half-caste children, hundreds - especially girls - would have died; some may even have been cannibalised. His objection to the Record's headline "No change in faith and morals" is also foolish. Of course there has been no change in faith and morals; so why not say so? Brian A Peachey Woodlands

False authority

refer to the pro-homosexuality propaganda preached by High Court Justice Michael Kirby at a Catholic secondary college in Sydney recently. Ills well to note that he did not merely counsel a charitable attitude towards all other human beings, but (as reported in The Australian, 25 February) also told the teenage boys present regarding homosexual inclinations around the age of puberty: "And if that is how you are, that is how God meant you to be." Needless to say, the omnipotent, supernatural Creator of the bodies of Adam and Eve cannot possibly have intended homosexuality. People don't send their children to Catholic schools for this sort of thing. The guest-speaker's social prominence lends him an air of false authority, which he has exploited to the fullest in order to attempt to perversely influence the thinking and behaviour of teenage boys. Such stunts cannot be permitted to be gotten away with with impunity. Far too much is ultimately at stake, primarily including matters of Eternal salvation. Trevor Boardman North Perth

ThelteCtiiid, Mar6h.30 2000 Page 7

Returned Perth missionary: you too can share By Glynnis Grainger You are never too old, too young or too settled to be an overseas missionary, according to Melanie Maclou, who returned at Christmas after two years in Tonga. Melanie, who just turned 2Z told The Record she left Perth in January, 1998, and did two stints of teaching in the Pacific Islands of Tonga. The country Tonga is comprised of about 170 islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean of which 32 are inhabited. It is situated somewhere between Fiji and Samoa. It is the only Pacific country to have never been colonised and still remains today a constitutional monarchy over which the very huge and famous King Taufa'u Tupou IV of Tonga reigns. Tonga's main exports are squash, which is sold to Japan, vanilla and yams. It imports basically everything because it does not have the land, facilities, finances or technology to produce many of the things Australia produces and consumes. Tonga's economy is reliant on foreign aid, people live in small villages and form very close-knit communities. Activities in the village are often centred around the church, and on Sundays it is forbidden by law to work, trade, play games or sport. "The thing that amazed me the most was the enthusiasm and passion with

Melanie Maclou

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The Record, March 30 2000 Page 8

orating the moment when Mary told the angel Gabriel that she If those who act to protect agreed to become the mother of innocent human life at all its God. Catholics should try to follow stages - from the unborn threatened by abortion to the sick and Mary's example of absolute elderly threatened by euthana- acceptance of God's will, the sia - must suffer for their stance Archbishop said. "Let us then remember Our then they will be doing God's will, Archbishop Barry Hickey Lady's example.. ..and ask her prayers so we can do the same, said last Saturday. However his comments, which and if we have to suffer for God's came during a concelebrated will in protecting unborn life, Mass focussing on the pro-life and life at all its stages, then we struggle, were delivered to a rel- will be doing God's will," he encouraged those participating atively tiny group of people. Only about 100 people includ- in the Mass. Those who stood for God's will ing state politicians Katie Hodson-Thomas, Ted Cunningham in this way would become "a and Nick Griffiths as well as small light flickering in the darkmembers and volunteers of ness - but (one] which may grow pro-life groups such as the arch- stronger," he said. If this hapdiocesan Pregnancy Assistance pened, people would see that God is all-holy and to be obeyed. agency attended the Mass. Earlier, the Archbishop charConcelebrating with the Archbishop were Monsignor acterised contemporary society Thomas McDonald, Columban as dominated by the forces of priest Fr Paul Carey and Cathe- individualism, defying and dral assistant priest Fr John Piu- rejecting God in almost all ways. math. The day was also the Feast "Let us give each other the of the Annunciation, commem- courage to go ahead and oppose By Peter Rosengren

the forces of darkness, especially with prayers, and grow close to Mary at all times in her fidelity to the word of God," he said. Earlier, the Archbishop commented on the recent apology by Pope John Paul II for the actions of Christians who have done evil in the name of the Church and the similar apology from the Bishops of Australia. He had recently appeared on a one-hour national radio program on the issue, he said, describing it as an "unfortunate experience." Most callers to the program had said the Church was not sincere in making the apology he said; many wanted it to apologise instead for its teaching on matters such as sexuality and marriage - things which cannot change. "But if the Church's hard sayings are not followed then a lot of damage will be done to individuals, families and societies," he warned

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oping countries. It aims to foster greater understanding and links between Australians and other global communities, particularly those in the Pacific. It also provides the skills of Australians to communities where they can make a sustainable improvement to the quality of life. PALMS will be holding an information evening for people interested in becoming a volunteer on 13 April, at St Mary's Church, Leederville, at 7pm. When Melanie was in Tonga she applied for a grant of $10,000 Tongan pa'anga from the British High Commission for computers for the business college, which she got. This paid for five computers. She is collecting educational resources to send to Tonga such as scientific calculators, atlases, old soccer and rugby balls, and sports equipment. "It would be good if teachers could help me with things that make learning fun, such as Maths exercises," she said. She is also looking for sets of books, for classes. Melanie also wants old First Communion dresses to send to Tonga, where they are in short supply. (To arrange donations contact The Record on (08) 9227 7080) "I would love to retire in Tonga but development is encroaching.Idon't think things will ever be the same," she said. "But Tongans will always share what they have even if they don't have much."

Pilgrimages 'Suffering prolifers do God's will'

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Departing in 2000: • 15 April - Fr John McGlone OSA (Easter) • 10 May - Mgr Michael Berbari • 30 May - Fr John Alt • 17 June - Mgr Philip Green • 29 July - Fr Gerard McMorrow • 6 Sep - Fr Mark Hagan • 16 Sep (school holidays) from • 3 Oct- Fr Frank Perry • 21 Oct - Fr Peter Quilty • 14 Nov • h fan 2001.

which the parish participate in the Mass and in the Church community, especially their singing, for which they are worldrenowned," she said. "The first time I went to church in Tonga,I was so moved by the ceremony and singing that it brought tears to my eyes." Melanie has a degree in Japanese and Commerce from Murdoch University and has two units left of a Graduate Diploma in Development Studies, from which she has taken a break this semester. For the first year, she stayed on the island of Tongatapu and learned the local language. She taught Computing and English at St Joseph's Business College there. For the second year, she lived on the island of Vava'u and taught English and Social Science at a Catholic high school called Chanel High School. Melanie was born in South Africa and came here at the age of five. Missionary work is "something I have always wanted to do since I was little," she said. "I used to collect stamps for the Columban Missions andI phoned them up and asked to join. "They pointed me in the direction of PALMS, the Paulian Association of Lay Missionaries." PALMS promotes cross-cultural experiences by sending out volunteers who have been requested by overseas devel-

Those who care for the sick, the aged and the dying, whether they do it for a living or are looking after someone close to themselves, are invited to attend a special Stations of the Cross formulated for their often-difficult lives. The Stations of the Cross for Carers will be held at St Denis' Church, Joondanna, on Saturday 7 April at 7.30pm. It has been organised by a Perth doctor, Doctor James Chong, who came up with the Idea several years ago after coming across a booklet in a religious goods shop which he felt closely matched the needs of those who give so much of themselves in caring for others. This year's stations will be the fourth time that Dr Chong has organised the event since he started it in 1997. "The Stations (devotionI came acmssi reflected a lot of my own emotions," Dr Chong told The Record on Monday. "It brought tears to my eyes. It was really very moving." And, he said, "I'm sure there

Doctor James Chong are many, many carers out there who have the same emotional experience - for example, lay people with a sick person at home." Doctors are not the only people caring for the sick, the aged and the dying. There are thousands of nurses and lay people around Perth doing so as well, he said. After much contact with hos-

pice workers Dr Chong said he noticed how they also had similar concerns and worries which emerged out of their work. The Stations due to be held at foondanna reflect "what a lot of us really feel," he said. For example the second station of the cross reads: "Lord,I get up each day knowing that it will be a long and demanding one. The cross I bear is not so much one of physical pain, as that of emotional care and concern for those who are suffering. Lord open my heart that I may understand; open my eyes that I may see; give me ears that will listen; and a mouth that will speak only words of comfort." Dr Chong also pointed out that carers can often get worn down by their constant duty "We want to care but can get tired," he said. This is why each of the 14 Stations of the Cross gone through by Jesus have been linked to the lives and concerns of caregivers, he said. - Peter Rosengren

Pope's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

'Spread Gospel to earth's end' By Cindy Wooden JERUSALEM (CNS) - In the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which he described as the most hallowed place on earth," Pope John Paul II celebrated the last Mass of his Holy Land pilgrimage. Before the Mass, the Pope knelt down and kissed the rock marking the place where Jesus' dead body was anointed and then, stooping down to enter a small cave, he kissed the stone ledge of Jesus' tomb. "The tomb is empty It is a silent witness to the central event of human history: the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ," the Pope said in his 26 March homily. "For almost 2,000 years the empty tomb has borne witness to the victory of life over death," Pope John Paul said. Instead of resting before leaving Jerusalem, the Pope returned to the church after lunch to pray more privately, although dozens of clerics and cameras accompanied him. During the afternoon visit, the Pope also managed to get up the steep, narrow stairs to the part of the church which marks Golgotha. Earlier in the day bells tolled as the Pope arrived for Mass at the church, which is divided into sections controlled by the Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church. Armenian and Greek Orthodox prelates and Franciscan friars who guard the church met the Pope in the courtyard and led him Inside. Greek Patriarch Diodoros II of Jerusalem and Armenian Patriarch Torkom of Jerusalem attended the liturgy. "Here at

the Holy Sepulchre and Golgotha, as we renew our profession of faith in the Risen Lord, can we doubt that in the power of the Spirit of Life we will be given the strength to overcome our divisions and to work together to build a future of reconciliation, unity and peace?" the Pope asked. "From this place where the Resurrection was first made known to the women and then to the Apostles,Iurge all the Church's members to renew their obedience to the Lord's command to take the Gospel to all the ends of the earth," he said. The Resurrection is the fulfilment of all the promises God has made to his children throughout the ages, the Pope said. "At the dawn of a new millennium, Christians can and ought to look to the future with steadfast trust in the glorious power of the Risen One to make all things new," he said. The Mass and the recitation of the Angelus prayer in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre were the last public events of the Pope's 20-26 March visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories. 'These have been days of intense emotion, a time when our soul has been stirred," the Pope said before reciting the Angelus (See Page 19). Pope John Paul said the emotion came not only from remembering what God did in the Holy Land, but from feeling "his yell, presence, walking with us once again in the land of Christ's birth, death and resurrection." Walking in the footsteps of Jesus, he said, means also walking with his mother Mary. With Mary, he said, "we stand in the shadow of the cross and weep with her over the

Pope John Paul kneels and kisses a marble stone at the entrance to the Church of the Holy SepulCNS/Reuters chre March 26 in Jerusalem. affliction of Jerusalem and over the sins of this journey's end, we look upon the true the world. "Realising the terrible conse- face of the Church, radiant in all her beauquences of sin, we are moved to repen- ty," Pope John Paul said before praying that tance for our own sins and for the sins of Mary would help the Church "to grow in the Church's children in every age," the faith, hope and love as she searches out Pope said. Contemplating Mary "almost at and does the will of God in all things."

Edith thanks her Holocaust rescuer The day before a meeting on 23 March between Pope John Paul Hand an Israeli woman who said the Pope saved her life in Poland in 1945, the ZENTT news agency reported on the woman's story.

Childhood friends reunite

JERUSALEM. March 24 (ZENIT).Yesterday, two childhood friends separated by the Second World War were reunited at Jerusalem's Holocaust Memorial: Pope John Paul H and Yossef Bainenstock. No one was dry-eyed when, a halfcentury after their separation, the Jew who survived the Holocaust, and the Christian who became Pope, embraced. "For a long time I wanted to ask him for an audience in the Vatican. but I had the hope that sooner or later I would see my old playmate again here, in Israel," Yossef said at the end of the ceremony. He spoke to him in Polish, called him by his nickname, "Lolek." They remembered old times, "the afternoons on the soccer fields - he was goalkeeper and stopped many goals; the skiing excursions, school. .

JERUSALEM, 22 March (ZENIT) - This Thursday will be an unforgettable day for Edith Tzirer, a Jewish woman who was born in Poland but who has lived in Haifa for decades. At last, in the Yad Vashem Memorial to the Holocaust, she will be able to personally thank Karol Wojtyla, the man who saved her life 55 years ago, she said. At that time, Edith Tzirer said: "I remember perfectly well. I was there, I was a 13-yearold girl, alone, sick, and weak "I had spent three years in a German concentration camp at the point of death. "And, like an angel, Karol Wojtyla saved my life; like a dream from heaven: he gave me something to drink and eat and then carried me on his back some four kilometres in the snow, before catching the train to safety." It was a cold morning in early February, 1945. Pope John Paul II reaches out to Holocaust survivor Edith Tzirer in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad The young Jew, who was not yet aware that Vashem in Jerusalem on 23 March. Tzirer said that as a child in 1945, she was carried out of a PolJohn Paul II shook his hand for a she was the only member of her family to ish prison camp near Krakow by a young seminarian, who gave her bread and tea. She said she realised long time and then asked about his survive the Nazi massacre, let a tall, strong later the seminarian was Karol Wojtyla, who became Pope. Photo: CNS/Reuters family, most of whom died in 25-year-old, tonsured seminarian carry her Auschwitz or Dachau, the same my in imprinted indelibly was "His name way station between Czestochowa and and give her a ray of hope. extermination camps where Yossef Today, at 66, Edith is the mother of two and Krakow" At this time, Wojtyla was in Krakow memory." was held. ".. .. Now I want to thank him personally," preparing for his priestly ordination. lives on the outskirts of Haifa. Before the War, there were 2,000 "I was sure I would arrive at the end of my she said. She rebuilt her life in Israel, where she Jews in Wadowice. journey.Iwas lying on the ground, in the corarrived in 1951, suffering from tuberculosis. • However Ms Tzirer was reported by Only 200 escaped death at the For many years, she kept the incident to ner of a large hall where dozens of refugees Catholic News Service as describing her hands of the Nazis. were gathering. . . . herself. young Wojtyla rescuer as a "priest." Some emigrated to Israel, and of "Then Wojtyla saw me. He came with a big When Karol Wojtyla ascended the Chair of After Pope John Paul's 23 March visit to the these 13 are still living, all close 10 80 Peter in 1978, she felt the need to tell the story cup of tea, the first hot beverageIhad had in Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial papal weeks. Then he brought me a cheese sand- spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said 'The years old. and express her gratitude. These were invited to share this wich made with Polish rye bread, wonderful. Pope does not dismiss the story out of hand, she how is could The question that arises moment with the Holy Father at the "But I didn't want to eat.I was too tired. He but he cannot remember the details." be certain that that seminarian is the Pope? Holocaust Memorial. The reporters of Haifa's weekly newspaper made me eat. He added that the Pope said the woman's "Lolek was top of the class, a real to walk to have would "Then I he me told time first the for story the Kolbo, who heard was in genius. The teachers hardly finished catch the train.I tried, but I fell down on the story was quite possible because he in 1998, say her story is convincing. that area at the time. asking a question, when he already "She is not trying for publicity all the details ground. Father Polish Pope's biographer, chief The had the answer. carried and arms his "He in me took then said. one credible," she gives seem he that in Adam said Jerusalem Boniecki, "He was a generous genius, who let Edith said "On January 28, 1945 Russian me for a long time. All the while the snow found result the doubtful, perhaps the story copy from his notebooks, and me tranthe jacket, fell.... I brown remember his soldiers liberated the Hassalc concentration since Pope a of the was seminariconfusion, me pass exams. helped parents' his quil about voice who me told for imprisoned been had I where camp, 'Iwas a Jew and he a Christian, but almost 3 years, working in a munitions fac- death, and his brother's, the loneliness he an at the time, not a priest. "The Pope has never mentioned it to me," we saw nothing strange in our friendtory. . I felt confused,I was prostrated with felt, and the need not to be overcome by sorhe said. ship," Bainenstock recalled." illness. 'hyo days laterIarrived at a small rail- row and to fight for life. The Record, March 30 2000 Page 9

Pope John Paul II's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Mass in Basilica of the Annunciation one of the Great Jubilee Year's 'supreme moments' By Judith Sudilovsky

Pope John Paul prays at a small altar at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth on 25 March. The spot is traditionally believed to be where the angel Gabriel announced the conception of Jesus to Mary. LAsHeuters

ulfilling a longtime personal desire, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass at the site said to be where the angel Gabriel announced the conception of Jesus to Mary. "I give thanks to divine providence for making it possible for me to celebrate the feast of the Annunciation in this place, on this day," said the Pope, calling the Mass at the Basilica of the Annunciation on 25 March "one of the supreme moments of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000." As the Pope entered the lower level of the church, where the cave which marks the spot of the Annunciation is located, the approximately 500 invited guests surged forward to greet him. At the cave he knelt, holding on to the altar, to kiss the plaque that commemorates where the "Word was made flesh." He then went to a nearby kneeler and prayed silently for five minutes. At the altar he left a branch of gold roses in honour of Mary The Pope signed the guest book of the basilica, and the Franciscan fathers told him they still had the guest book he had signed when he visited Nazareth in 1963 as an auxiliary bishop in Poland. "I have longed to come back to the town of Jesus, to feel once again, in contact with this place, the presence of the woman of whom St Augustine wrote: 'He chose the mother he had created; he created the mother he had chosen.' Here it is especially easy to understand why all generations call Mary blessed," the Pope said in his homily, his voice audibly weaker and the homily more slurred than the previous day, when he celebrated Mass for some 50,000 faithful outdoors. The Pope called for a "great renewal of faith" and said he asked the Holy Family to "inspire all Christians" to "defend the family against so many present-day threats to its nature, its stability and its mission." He said he entrusted the Holy Family with "the efforts of Christians and of all people of good will to defend life and to promote respect

Muslims want built on a plot of land adjacent to the basilica. Although the land had been designated for an Italian-style piazza, a Muslim group, citing the presence of a Muslim tomb, received permission from Israeli authorities to build a smaller mosque. Muslim leaders say building of the mosque will probably begin this summer. Muslims strung signs of welcome in front of the square, saying the mosque next to the basilica would be a "symbol of harmony and good." But Christians Ziad Faraj, 22, and Zaher Haddad, 26, lowering their voices and glancing over their shoulders to the square where a string of "guards" stood protectively around the periphery of the land, said the Muslims' presence was provocative. "There are never so many worshippers here on a Saturday," said Faraj, who said he would like to see the Pope's visit bring more unity among Christians. "And all those bodyguards behind us, they are not always there. What do they think, Pope John Paul II reads his breviary at the Grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem on 22 March. The Pope Christians will attack their site? We never attack" prayed there for 20 minutes, emphasising his role as pilgrim in the Holy Land. CNS Arturo Man As some 150 Muslims responded to the call for the dignity of every human being." Two praises of the woman through whom the light to prayer that rang out on a loudspeaker, the thousand people, including religious and rose over the earth.'" of which had been lowered so as not volume political leaders, had been invited to the Mass. Toward the end of the Mass, applause and bother the Pope's Mass, the festive air of the to In his homily the Pope pointed to Mary as an calls of "John Paul II, we love you." forced the example of faith, trusting in God even though Pope to begin the introduction to the final people outside diminished, and there was silence for a few moments. she could not imagine how she could have prayer three times. Then those gathered closer to the basilica conceived a child. Outside, several thousand people had gath"Like Abraham, Mary must walk through ered to catch a glimpse of the Pope as he rode began shouting slogans supporting the Pope. clapping their hands, waving flags and beatdarkness, in which she must simply trust the by in his Popemobile. one who called her. Yet even her question, They stood waiting outside for two hours ing drums in anticipation of the Pope's depar'How can this come about?' suggests that Mary until the end of the Mass to see him depart as ture. The prayers ended without disturbance. "Of course it bothers me that they are there Is ready to say yes, despite her fears and uncer- well. tainties. Mary asks not whether the promise is On one side of the road leading to the basil- like a big block just establishing their prespossible, but only how it will be fulfilled," the ica, a group of young Christian men stood on ence. Why don't they come join us to welcome Pope said. rooftops and balconies waving large Vatican the Pope instead of making a statement of "Through the fiat that Mary uttered in flags, while across from them another group their presence over there," said 23-year-old Nazareth, the Incarnation became the won- of young Muslim men waved flags proclaim- Catholic journalist Shadya Ibrahim. drous fulfilment of Abraham's encounter with ing the oneness of Mohammed and God. -This is a very historical visit, and it will give God. So, following in the footsteps of AbraFor more than two years Nazareth has been strength to all Christians, not just Catholics." ham, we have come to Nazareth to sing the embroiled in controversy over a mosque some - Catholic News Service

Pope John Paul celebrates Mass inside the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth on the feast of the Annunciation on 25 March.

'Blessed are you who seem to be losers, because you are true winners' By Cindy Wooden

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ope John Paul II stood on the Mount of Beatitudes and called young people to follow Jesus, confident that the kingdom of heaven can be theirs. The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount "offer us the road map of our Christian life and a summary of our responsibilities to God and neighbour," the Pope said during the 24 March Mass. An estimated 50,000 people, many of them young people from around the world, attended the Mass on the slope of a hill leading down to the Sea of Galilee. Hundreds of them spent the night in huge tents on the lake's eastern shore under a heavy rain shower. The Mass was delayed for an hour in the hopes that the weather would improve. The crowd stood in the mud or sat on whatever piece of plastic they could find while dark clouds threatened another downpour. A strong wind came up during the Mass, and the Pope's zucchetto flew across the altar platform. Pope John Paul invited the youths to meet Jesus just like the crowds who came to Galilee to see Jesus 2,000 years earlier, listened to him preach the Sermon on the Mount and ate the loaves and fishes he miraculously multiplied. "In the stillness we hear his gentle and urgent voice, as gentle as this land itself and as urgent as a call to choose between life and death," the Pope said. Except for the city of Tiberias and the small shrines marking Christian holy sites, most of the Galilean shoreline is undeveloped, and large tracts of it are part of a protected nature reserve. In

the early spring, the hillsides were covered with green grass, a sprinkling of red poppies and a generous wash of yellow and purple wildflowers. Pope John Paul brought two stages of his jubilee pilgrimage together in Korazim: his February trip to Mount Sinai in Egypt where Moses received the Ten Commandments and his visit to the Mount of Beatitudes. "Jesus teaches that the way of love brings the law to fulfilment," the Pope said. "And he taught this enormously Important truth on this hill here in Galilee." James Ceman, who came as a chaperone with a Neocatechumenal Way youth group from Fullerton, California, said, "We knew the Pope would be here where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. "We become very blase, cynical in our day-to-day life, especially when we forget to pray. It goes in one ear and out the other," Ceman said. 'They are nice words, nice intentions, but ills not until we apply it to our lives that it has meaning." Pope John Paul said that telling people they are blessed when they are poor in spirit, or gentle or mourning, or peacemakers or persecuted "may seem strange." "It is strange that Jesus exalts those whom the world generally regards as weak," the Pope said. "He says to them, 'Blessed are you who seem to be losers, because you are the true winners: The kingdom of heaven is yours!— The message of the world usually is different, the Pope said. It seems to bless the strong and powerful and even the violent. Among the young adults at the Mass were 100 UN peacekeepers stationed

The Record, March 30 2000 Page 10

in southern Lebanon. A dozen Irish and French soldiers were watching the Mass from a slope far from the altar; one of them said, 'There are a lot of Polish soldiers, too, but they are all up front" near the Polish-born Pope. Another Irish blue beret, who said he was not allowed to give his name, said hundreds of peacekeepers wanted to come for the Mass, "but only a few of us got the chance. This is a once-in-alifetime chance." Grainne Malone, 24, said she came from Dublin because "I know the Pope will have something important to say for my life today." Being on the spot where Jesus walked "makes it seem real, there's a purpose for following him. And, with so many young people here, you realise you are not the only one," she said. The Pope told the young people, "Not far from this very place, Jesus called his first disciples, as he calls you now. "His call has always demanded a choice between the two voices competing for your hearts even now on this hill, the choice between good and evil. between life and death," he said. Following Jesus means believing what he says no matter how strange it may seem, and it means rejecting the voices of evil no matter how reasonable they sound, the Pope said. Two thousand years ago, the disciples came to know and love Jesus and went throughout the world preaching his Good News, Pope John Paul said. "Now, at the dawn of the third millennium, it is your turn," he told the youths. Pope John Paul's voice was strong and he read his English-language homily with emotion and conviction, although he briefly lost his place at one point. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the papal spokesman, said, 'The Pope feels well.

did so many things it wasn't funny," Rodriguez said. One US member of the congregation got to Israel by designing a poster. Joevanny Duran, a 15-year-old sophomore at St Rita of Cascia High School in Chicago, won an all-expense paid trip for himself, his campus minister and a rabbi who teaches at his school by winning the contest sponsored by the American Jewish Committee. "My friends couldn't believe it whenI told them," Duran said as he stood in the mud waiting for the Pope. "I think this is going to be the coolest thing." Rabbi Larry Edwards teaches at St Rita's as part of the Catholic-Jewish Educational Enrichment Program, said Augustinian Father Tom McCarthy, the campus minister. Even in the tranquil setting of the Galilee, signs of Middle East political tensions were evident at the Mass. The disputed Golan Heights rise from the lake's eastern shore, and the road from Jerusalem was lined with signs saying "Hands off the Golan" - protesting Israeli moves to negotiate the return of some of the territory to Syria - and other signs saying, "Peace in Golan." Lebanese attending the Mass held up signs saying, "Barak: Please don't make your allies in blood eternal enemies." Some southern Lebanese who have cooperated with Israeli soldiers staPope John Paul II waves to the crowd gathered for Mass nor Os Soo of Galilee on 24 Nan* Photo: CNS/Reuters tioned there fear reprisals if Israel pulls Certainly, this is a very special trip for than one time," Khory said. "He is the dence parish in Miami. "This is our first out in July as the government has said It will. him." king of the Christians and this is the pilgrimage," Rodriguez said. Elias Khory, 17, and his classmates land of Jesus. . . This is the first time Roads leading to the site were closed They prepared with prayer, study and came from Nazareth to participate in I've seen so many Christians in one the Sacrament of Confession. But, they to general traffic 24 hours before the the Mass even though the Pope was place and it's very cool," he said. Mass, and Israeli soldiers with machine had to work hard, too, they said. scheduled to visit their hometown the Raul Rodriguez, 16, and Joel Perez, 15, "We worked, we sold stuff, we washed guns guarded the back of the papal next day. came with other young Neocatechu- cars" to raise the US $1,500 they need- altar. "To see the Pope twice is even better menal members from Divine Provi- ed for the 10-day trip, Perez said. "We - Catholic News Service

Young Catholic women throw palm branches while Pope John Paul II looks on at the close of the outdoor Mass on the Mount of Beatitudes. An estimated 50,000 people, many of them youths, attended the service above the Sea of Galilee. Photo CNS/Reuters

The Record, March 30 2000 Page 11

Pope's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Smile reveals heart's desire has been fulfilled More than his words, they cheered the presence of the 79-year-old pontiff, who eaching what he called the "heart" first spoke of his desire to make a pilgrimof his Holy Land pilgrimage, Pope age to Bethlehem and the Holy Land a few John PaulII celebrated Mass in Beth- months after his election in 1978. When he finally arrived, walking slowly lehem and said the Middle East and the world need to rediscover the gift of peace across an altar decorated with a giant shooting star, he wore a smile of deep perChrist brought 2,000 years ago. In Manger Square on 22 March, next to sonal satisfaction. "Bethlehem is the heart of my jubilee pilthe grotto where Jesus was born, the Pope said the mystery of "redemption unfolding grimage. The paths that I have taken lead in weakness" was a hard truth, but one that me to this place and to the mystery that it proclaims," he said. modern people should accept. While it marked the spiritual focus of the Christ's kingdom, he said in a sermon, "is not the play of force and wealth and con- Pope's jubilee-year visit, the day in Bethlequest which appear to shape our human hem began with a meeting that also carhistory," but the power to heal wounds and ried deep political significance to his make peace. He said it had special rele- Palestinian hosts. After being welcomed by Palestinian vance in Bethlehem. "This is a place that has known the yoke leader Yasser Arafat, the Pope kissed a basand the rod of oppression. How often has ket of native soil held by a young girl - a the cry of innocents been heard in these typical act when the Pope arrives in a new country. streets?" the Pope said. Many Palestinians viewed the Pope's kiss Thousands of Palestinians filled the square for the two-hour liturgy and lined as lending symbolic support to their aspithe stone streets of the ancient city, waving ration for statehood. Palestinian and Vatican flags as the Pope Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls arrived in his glass-walled Popemobile. downplayed political interpretations, saying simply: "It would have been very strange if the Pope had not kissed the earth Pope John Paul II, surrounded by Vatican officials and Catholic leaders from the Holy Land, In the land of Jesus' birth." l eans on his crosier during Mass in Bethlehem Bethlehem speech to Arafat at the In a Photo. CNSiReuters headquarters of the Palestinian National on 22 March. Authority, the Pope issued a strong defence the "eternal" and "occupied" capital of of Palestinians' "natural right to a home- Palestine - apparently reacting to a stateland" and called for "new attitudes of comment by Israeli President Ezer Weizman, promise" to bring about a definitive peace who said in a welcoming speech to the agreement with Israelis. Pope the day before that Jerusalem was "Peace for the Palestinian people! Peace Israel's eternal capital. for all the peoples of the region!" he said. Israel's minister for internal security "No one can ignore how much the Pales- affairs, Shlomo Ben Ami, said the Pope's tinian people have had to suffer in recent reference to a homeland for Palestinians decades. Your torment is before the eyes of had touched on a key point of future talks. the world. And it has gone on too long," he "We are negotiating with the Palestinians said. so that they can have a homeland. What "Only with a just and lasting peace - not the homeland will be is the subject of negoImposed but secured through negotiation tiation," he said. - will legitimate Palestinian aspirations be Arafat, a Muslim, sat in the front row of fulfilled," he said. the papal Mass, next to his Christian wife, Arafat said the Pope carried with him the and heard the Pope say that the 2,000th "hope and expectations" of Palestinians, anniversary of Jesus' birth was a special who view him as an ally in their struggle event not just for Christians but for everyfor recognition as a "sovereign and inde- one. The newborn Jesus, the Pope said, has Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat leads Pope pendent people" in their homeland. a timeless message of salvation. "The joy announced by the angel is not a John Paul II to his Popemobile in Bethlehem on In a last-minute change to his speech, 22 March. Arafat added a reference to Jerusalem as thing of the past. It is a joy of today," he By John Mavis

said. 'Today from Manger Square, we cry out to every time and place, and to every person, 'Peace be with your he said. As the Pope finished his sermon with a loud "Amen," the Mass was interrupted for several minutes by the Muslim call to prayer from a mosque across the square. The Pope sat silently and waited until the muezzin had finished the noon prayer call - abbreviated because of the Mass - then resumed the liturgy. Navarro-Valls, the Vatican spokesman, said the shortened prayer call was an unusual example of "interreligious dialogue." Bethlehem, the biblical city of King David with a centuries-old history of wars and occupations, celebrated the Pope's presence with homemade decorations and symbols. After the Mass and a rest, the Pope made a private visit to pray at the Grotto of the Nativity, the cave where the birth of Christ has been commemorated since the second century. After a brief greeting from the Greek Orthodox priests who own most of the Basilica of the Nativity, the Pope walked down a narrow staircase to the snug grotto, where he knelt in prayer first at the spot where tradition says Jesus was born, then in the place where tradition says he was laid in the manger. While the Pope knelt, the only sounds in the room were the repeated click of camera shutters. Near the altar of the manger area, the Pope sat and read his breviary for almost 20 minutes after his personal secretary had pushed Franciscan friars, security officers, bishops and cardinals out of the cave-like mom. The Pope later visited a refugee camp outside the city, where several thousand Palestinians have lived for years. The Pope told Arafat he wanted to see the camp to show his concern for the many Palestinians, Christians and Muslims who are still without a home and a place in society. Meeting Arafat again at the Palestinian National Authority heliport before leaving Bethlehem, Pope John Paul told him. "I know that you, too, are convinced that only patient and courageous dialogue will open the way to the future which your people - CNS rightly desire."

Christ's shepherd defends refugees' justice right By Judith Sudilovksy

elivering a message of support to the Palestinian people, Pope John Paul II emphasised the plight of their refugees and called for a "just solution." Throughout his pontificate, he said, he has felt close to the Palestinian people. He said he hoped his 22 March visit to Dehiyshe Refugee Camp would "draw attention" to their continuing difficulty. "You have been deprived of many things which represent basic needs of the human person: proper housing, health care, education and work," the Pope said. "Above all, you bear the sad memory of what you were forced to leave behind, not just material possessions, but your freedom, the closeness of relatives, and familiar surroundings and cultural traditions which nourished your personal and family life. "The degrading conditions in which refugees often have to live, the continuation over long periods of situations that are barely tolerable in emergencies or for a brief time of transit, the fact that displaced persons are obliged to remain for years in settlement camps: These are the measure of the urgent need for a just solution to the underlying causes of the problem," he told a group of some 200 invited guests at a boys' school in the camp. The camp, overseen by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, is home to some 10,000 Palestinian refugees - all Muslims and 40 per cent under the age of 18. Palestinian National Chairman Yasser Arafat, who is in frail health, led the ageing pontiff up to the specially erected stage, The Record, March 30 2000 Page 12

Palestinians listen from a balcony overlooking Manger Square as Pope John Paul II celebrates Mass in Bethlehem on 22 March. Photo CNS/Reuters

and Palestinians cheered their arrival. Assad Abdul-Rahman, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation executive committee in charge of refugees, welcomed the Pope as an "honourable guest of President Arafat and the Palestinian people." "We welcome you.... in this blessed land of Palestine with our holy city of Jerusalem as our eternal capital," he said. "The narrow concept of the Promised Land has caused all of us a lot of suffering, and it is time for that to end. There is no way to make this promised land into a promising land without the return of all refugees according to UN Resolution 194."

Pope John Paul said he was pleased with the work of the New York-based Pontifical Mission for Palestine and many other Catholic organisations working with refugees, "but there is still much to be done." He urged young people to strive, through education, to take their rightful place in society. He also told refugees that their plight made them no less important in God's eyes. "Never forget your dignity as his children," he said. When Pope John Paul spoke of nearby Bethlehem, he strayed from his prepared text, and, to the delight of those in the crowd told them, "Probably the shepherds of Bethlehem were your predecessors, your ancestors." A group of mothers of political prisoners sat in one corner near the stage, hoping to present the Pope with an appeal for the release of their sons. One mother, Amuneh Hassan Abed Rabo, 62, said her son had received a prison sentence of 100 years because the Israelis accused him of killing an Israeli. "We welcome the Pope in the city, and we hope he will come again when we will be free," she said. "I hope the Pope can liberate not only my son but all prisoners." Though they were unable to give their letter to the Pope, they did call out blessings to the pontiff and to Arafat in the traditional trilling manner as the Pope approached the podium to speak The Pope appealed for "greater international solidarity," calling on political leaders to implement agreements and to move forward with the peace process. Some present said they had hoped the Pope would be more forthright in men-

tioning the right of return of the Palestinian refugees to their villages, which are now under Israeli control. "In generalIam happy with what he said. but he didn't speak out frankly enough" about the return of refugees, said Ahmed Maslamani, 40, director of a Palestinian non-governmental organisation. "He spoke spiritually, of the agony in general, which is the traditional way of the Catholic Church, but I hope in Jerusalem he will say it explicitly," he added. Bir Zeit University political science professor and camp resident Hisham Ahmed, 37, said he was pleased with the Pope's remarks. "He highlighted the need to remove the underlying causes of the problem," Ahmed said. "The fact that he did not say it directly does not mean he did not allude to it," said Ahmed. "He meant the right of return." Before the Pope's arrival, Palestinians had gathered in the main street outside of the camp to hear political speeches, watch traditional dances and listen to traditional music. Banners with slogans calling for the right of return were everywhere, and small children with their hands symbolically chained were marched about with placards calling for the release of political prisoners. "His visit shows solidarity with us," said Ziad Abu Abbas, 35, media coordinator for the Pope's visit. "We are looking for a historic visit, otherwise it will be like all the other visits." According to UN figures, nearly 3.6 million Palestinian refugees live in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and Gaza. - Catholic News Service

Pope's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Holocaust visit stirs emotions By John Thavis JERUSALEM (CNS) - In an emotional reunion with Jewish death camp survivors from his hometown, Pope John Paul II visited Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and said the Nazi attempt to exterminate European Jews was a tragedy that "burns itself onto our souls." After praying silently a few moments before an eternal flame in the Hall of Remembrance, a stone monument to the six million Jews killed in World War II, the Pope said the Holocaust was planned and carried out by a "godless ideology" that must never again be tolerated. "Here, as at Auschwitz and many other places in Europe, we are overcome by the echo of the heart-rending laments of so many," the Pope said in a talk. No one can forget or ignore what happened. No one can diminish its scale," he said. The 79-year-old pontiff spoke movingly of his own Jewish friends and neighbours who were caught up in the persecution. saying some perished and some survived. Then he warmly greeted about 30 Jewish survivors from his native city, Wadowice, who crowded around the Pope and exchanged memories for about 10 minutes. Some cried, some smiled and one woman said she was proud of her old acquaintance. "He understands that Jesus and his mother were Jews. He was the first Pope to put Jews and Christians together," said Gusta Revanovich Goldberg, 79. The hour-long visit included plaintive songs, testimonials and the reading of a 1943 letter from a mother who, in an effort to protect her seven-year-old son, had entrusted him to a Polish woman. In the weeks leading up to the Pope's trip, some Jewish leaders had called for an explicit papal apology for the failures of Church leadership in opposing the Holocaust. In his talk at Yad Vashem, the Pope did

express regret for Christian shortcomings, but he also noted that some Christians gave their lives to save Jews. "I assure the Jewish people that the Catholic Church, motivated by the Gospel law of truth and love and by no political considerations, is deeply saddened by the hatred, acts of persecution and displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews by Christians at any time and in any place," he said. He asked that "our sorrow" for the tragedy of the Jewish people would help open a new era of mutual respect, in which there would be "no more anti-Jewish feeling among Christians or anti-Christian feelings among Jews." Prime Minister Ehud Barak escorted the Pope through the memorial. In his speech, Barak recalled that his own maternal grandparents were killed in the Nazi camp of Treblinka and lauded the Pope for working to make sure their fate was never forgotten. "You have done more than anyone else to bring about the historic change in the attitude of the Church toward the Jewish people," Barak said. He added that the Pope's visit to Yad Vashem marked a "climax of this historic journey of healing." A papal spokesman later said the Pope was extremely gratified by Barak's remarks. Barak also praised the Pope's 12 March Day of Forgiveness liturgy at the Vatican, in which Church leaders confessed historical moral failures regarding Jews and other groups. While other Jewish groups criticised the papal apology as too weak, Barak called it a noble act that had "raised the flag of fraternity to full mast." Barak noted that among the Holocaust survivors, many were saved by Christians, honoured as "righteous Gentiles" at Yad Vashem. A survivor who shook the Pope's hand, Eli Zborowski, said the Pope had made an eloquent statement simply by coming to Yad Vashem. "Let's be appreciative to this Pope, who is

Pope John Paul!! wipes his face during an emotional ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem on 23 March. Photo CNS/Reuters

The Pope, accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, left, looks over the names of concentration camps on the floor of the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem. Photo CNS/Reuters

changing 2,000 years of persecutions against Jews. This is a turning point," he said. The Pope also greeted his former schoolmate Jerzy Kluger, who later told reporters that he'd heard enough debate about how much the Pope had and had not said regarding Church shortcomings during the Holocaust. :'The great majority (of Jews) will welcome this speech by a Pope who in 20 years has done more for the Jewish people than other Popes have done in 2,000 years," Kluger said. Jewish leaders expressed mixed reactions following Pope John Paul ll's visit to Yad Vashem. Racelle Wyman, a lecturer on Holocaust and genocide studies at Haifa University, said the Pope's remarks were a "great disappointment" "I think he could have said

more about the history of the teaching of contempt It was the time and opportunity to have said this and not to put anti-Semitism in parity with anti-Christianism, which has been mainly only as a result of the persecution of the last 200 years." The Anti-Defamation League called Pope John Paul's Yad Vashem visit a "powerful demonstration of the Pope's personal solidarity with the victims of the Shoah." Jonathan Rosenblum, director of Am Echad, an organisation that tries to foster better understanding of the Jewish ultraorthodox community, said although the speech did not break any new ground, "any time the Pope speaks in a public forum forcefully reiterating that anti-Semitism has no place in Church doctrine, it carries a great deal of weight . . . and we welcome such statements."

Prayer at Wall marks historical first By John Thavis

Pope John Paul makes the sign of the cross after placing a prayer in a crevice of the Western Wall, right, on 26 March in Jerusalem.

After placing his prayer in the Western Wall, the Pope prayed for a few minutes on the final day of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Photo CNS/Reuters

JERUSALEM (CNS) - Paying extraordinary visits to Muslim and Jewish holy places, Pope John Paul II became the first Pope in hislory to pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the most sacred place in Judaism, and to visit the al-Aqsa Mosque complex, an ancient centre of Muslim worship. In a brief but dramatic ceremony on 26 March in Jerusalem's Jewish quarter, the stooped pontiff bowed his head before the wall and quietly pronounced a personal prayer. Then he placed within a crack of the stones a written request for forgiveness for centuries of mistreatment of the Jewish people and traced a blessing with his hand. The signed piece of paper contained a reading from his repentance liturgy earlier in March. The prayer later will go on display at the museum at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial. The text read: "God of our fathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring your name to the nations: We are deeply saddened by the behaviour of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and asking your forgiveness, we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant. Johannes Paulus II (John Paul II)." As Jews have done for centuries, he placed his trembling hand upon the massive stone blocks of the 2,000-year-old wall, the only

remnant of the Second Temple, built by Herod the Great and destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, when Jews were forced to leave the city. When he arrived at the site under extremely heavy Israeli security, the Pope stood on a platform and read in Latin the words of Psalm 122, a hymn to Jerusalem, which seemed written for the occasion "And now we have set foot within your gates, 0 Jerusalem," the 79-year-old Pope recited, as a hushed group of Vatican and Jewish leaders sat in the sunlit plaza. ' Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! . . . . May peace be within your walls, prosperity in your buildings. Because of my relatives and friends,Iwill say, 'Peace be within you!' Because of the house of the Lord, our God,I will pray for your good," he read. For centuries, Jews have come to this spot, known until recently as the Wailing Wall, to express their grief at the destruction of their temple and their exile. That was recalled by Rabbi Michael Melchior, Israel's Minister for Diaspora Affairs, who greeted the Pope. Thousands of years of history are looking down on this scene, he said, "and they see you here." He said the papal visit confirmed the Catholic Church's commitment to "end the era of hatred, humiliation and persecution of the Jewish people." "In the torturous dungeons of the Inquisition, while awaiting the hangman's noose, when cramped in cattle cars bound for Auschwitz, Treblinka or Majdanek. . . Jews have longed for and prayed toward this holy

place," the rabbi said. He also said the time had come on all sides to "end the manipulation of the sanctity of Jerusalem for political gain." While he spoke, an ultraOrthodox Jew demonstrating against the Pope's visit was dragged out of the plaza by police. The 15-minute service at the wall was held after the Pope visited a complex of holy buildings that includes the al-Aqsa Mosque, situated on Temple Mount just above the Western Wall. There the Pope met with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheik Ilcrema Sabri, and said Jerusalem was the common patrimony of Jews, Christians and Muslims. Vatican officials had been hoping the encounter would help restore interreligious good will after Jewish and Islamic participants traded political accusations at an earlier interfaith meeting presided over by the Pope on 23 March. But the mufti dampened those hopes in an interview published by an Italian newspaper the day before the Pope's visit, in which he said Holocaust death numbers had been exaggerated by Israel in order to gain worldwide sympathy. The Vatican did not comment directly on the mufti's statements. The Pope and the mufti held their talks in the shadow of the Dome of the Rock, which protects an exposed rock revered for many reasons: as the "rock of foundation" from which the creation of the world began, as the site where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac, and, by Muslims, as the place from which Mohammed • ascended- to-heaven.

The Record, March 30 2000 Page 13

Books and History

A timely reminder of Truth With Mary Busher, Perth Catholic Church Archives volunteer

Excerpts from the WA Catholic Record, 31 March, 1900.

Farewell Rev Archdeacon Lecaille, who has carried on his good works at Greenough.. .. for 35 years, is leaving that area to take charge of a parish down in the Vasse district. On the day of his departure he was presented with an address and a purse of sovereigns by a number of his Catholic parishioners and Protestant residents of the Greenough Flats.

Soap producer The East Perth Soap Works is turning out under the supervision of.... Mr George Mason. a soap that cannot be equalled or excelled in Australia. It can be used in fresh water, brackish or even salt water with astounding results. As well Mr Mason has guaranteed that owing to its purity it will not Injure the finest material. As the Record has always been foremost in supporting local industries, we would recommend our readers at any rate to give it a fair trial."

Monopoly The determination of the Commissioner of Crown Lands (Mr Throssell) to deal with the monopoly of the Midland Railway Company does the Minister credit. Vast areas of fertile lands in districts whose settlement is a matter of imperative necessity.... are shut out from cultivation, while a class of settlers, able and anxious to make profitable use of them, are forbidden to do so. As Mr Throssell argued, the intention with which the lands were granted to the Company, was necessarily that their settlement might be all the more easily and speedily promoted."

Southern Cross The Presentation Sisters have settled into their temporary convent. 'The Sisters are accustomed to the best methods of teaching and it is expected their proficiency will be appreciated, not only by the Catholic population, who in any case are bound by their religious profession to make a sacrifice for the Catholic education of their children, but also by the members of other denominations.

Sisters of Mercy The first community of Sisters came to West Australia from Bagot Street, Dublin. about 54 years ago. After some years spent in St George's Terrace the community was transferred to the present site in Victoria Square where, by continued improvements year after year, the grounds have been transferred from a semiwilderness into an elegant and happy home for the good nuns and their pupils. . . Altogether the Sisters . . are educating about 1800 children - a truly satisfactory rate of progress."

The Advocate: The Spirit of Truth in the life of the individual Christian by Fr Andrew Apostoli, published St Pauls, RRP $18.95 Reviewed by Peter Rosengren

ather Andrew Apostoli is the Community Servant of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. His talks on the Eternal Word Television Network in the US, along with his retreats and parish missions, have endeared him to millions. Young people have been especially attracted to him because of his "tell it like it is" approach; in him they sense someone who is not afraid to challenge them to follow Christ more closely and, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to live the truth in love. This book is the third in a trilogy he has written on the Holy Spirit since 1994. In an age where image is everything and the very idea of truth is often relegated in uncomfortable silence to obscurity because it conflicts with political correctness and the transient, passing fashions of our day, it is refreshing to find a book that restores this stable and necessary value to the place of prominence it once held in society. Once, people accepted the truth and based their lives on it. Today, a seismic shift in the social, political, cultural and religious landscape, increasing in ferocity over the last 40 years or so, has seen the opposite process: fantasy and phantasms occupy the centre stage of much of our private and public lives and values. Opinion polls, political expediency and popularity contests have

In the Life of the Individual Christian Andrew Apostoli, CFR their place in the world but they have little, if any, importance when it comes to the things of heaven - the truth about God, His existence and Revelation to us, and the objective and enduring norms which He has set forth to guide us to our eternal salvation. This third in the Holy Spirit series by Fr Apostoli may well therefore be the most important.

given the timeliness of its contents and the seriousness of its message. "It is my hope," he writes, "that this book will enlighten all who read it in regard to the wonderful role of the Spirit of Truth in our daily lives." "May it also inspire its readers to have a greater personal devotion to the Third Person of the

Blessed Trinity and a greater confidence in His constant presence and working in our lives." As the author points out in his introduction, this latest book concentrates on the role of the Spirit of Truth working in the life of the individual Christian. Truth today, he says, along with its associated values of justice, honesty, integrity and respect is being rejected in our post-Christian (and, one might add, our postTruth) culture; it is being distorted, perverted and even outrightly denied. In the struggle to re-establish the essential value of truth in our present society we know we cannot succeed without help from the source of all truth, Jesus Christ, who called himself "the Truth." And it is Jesus who promised to send us the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, from the Father "to lead us into all truth" and to "prove the world wrong" regarding its refusal to believe in Him as the Son of God and only Saviour, and in its promotion of many false moral values. We each of us need to do more - in fact spend our entire lives making more room for the Spirit of Truth in everything we do, say and think In his epic poem 'Captain Quiros,' one of Australia's great poets, James McAuley, calls Australia the "Great South Land of the Holy Spirit." Sadly, in practice, the opposite is largely true. But we can all take confidence from the fact that the Spirit blows where it will and one day our country will emerge from the present darkness which reigns from its very bottom to its summit.

Jerome a scholar who gave people the Bible

aint Jerome was born, Eusebius Hieronymus in AD 346. Hieronymus translates into English as Jerome. He was born into a wealthy Catholic family in Stridon, a town near the Italian border of what used to be Yugoslavia. He went on to become the most important of the Latin Church Fathers. As a very young man, Jerome was sent to Rome to study under the famous pagan grammarian, Donatus. Although in later life, Jerome felt that he had wasted too much of his time reading pagan writers and Latin literature, he seems to have been a very serious and religious student, and was baptised in Rome at the age of about twenty. From Rome, he went to Trier to study, and resolved to become a monk. For a while he settled in Aquileia with some other young men pursuing a religious life. Then he and two of his friends decided to see the world. They set out for the Holy Land. They went as far as Antioch, when they all became seriously ill (which is a good reminder to modern tourists to the Middle East not to drink the water). Jerome eventually recovered, but his friends died. He swore to give up reading pagan authors and devote the rest of his life to the study of God. In a search for inner peace, he withdrew into the wilderness of Chalcis, near Antioch, and became a hermit. He was tor-

The Record, Palatch 30 0000 Page 14

mented by loneliness and poor health. He also hated desert food To save himself from sensual thoughts, he studied Hebrew. He finally emerged from the erth historian Dr Jennifer Skeffitt sheds when Chalcis wilderness some tight on Catholic history to mark became involved in disputes 2000 years of Christianity. This week: concerning various popular Saint Jerome (b 346) heresies. Jerome stressed oneness with the Bishop of Rome (the Pope). and tended to a sarcastic and were all translated into Greek. He went first to Antioch, where very thorough defence of his However, Christianity spread to he was ordained a priest, then on intellectual work. the west of the Roman Empire, to Constantinople, where the Jerome also ran classes for where the common people mostgreat Church Council of Con- noble Roman widows and vir- ly spoke only Latin. stantinople was held in 381. gins, who he encouraged to be A good translation of the whole In 382, Jerome became secre- religious and ascetic. Bible was not available to westtary to Pope Damasus. In Rome, This left him open to some ern Christians in their own lanhe was respected for his holiness unfortunate gossip, which seems guage. very unlikely, in light of his writConsequently, Pope Damasus ings on both women and celiba- asked Jerome to translate the cy As a consequence, after the Bible into Latin. death of Pope Damasus in 385, It took him over twenty years to Jerome left Rome, in bitter indig- complete both the Old and New nation. Testaments. This version of the He settled in a monastery in Bible was called the Vulgate, Jerusalem, attached to a convent, because it was in the common. where his Roman ladies had fol- or vulgar tongue. lowed him. Ironically, the Catholic Church, Here he remained for the rest which was falsely accused by of his life, completing his great Protestants of keeping the Bible work, which he had begun in from the people, used Latin and Rome; the translation of the had the Bible translated into whole Bible into Latin. Latin because it was the lanThe books of the Bible were guage of the common people. written in the languages of their The Eternal Church tends not authors; Hebrew and Aramaic, to hurry, and stuck to the Latin which were the Jewish tongues, tongue long after the common A portrait of St Jerome that hangs in and Greek, which many Jews people were speaking other lana chapelin the church of St Jemme's spoke from the second century guages. Jerome's translation parish, Spearwood. BC. remained the standard Catholic Educated people in the Roman Bible until 1965 when it was and studiousness. He was also widely disliked. He castigated Empire usually spoke Greek. as revised by the Second Vatican Roman clergy and lax monks, well as Latin, and the Scriptures Council.

Lye n e4riSt 2000 P

Pope's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Inner peace in Garden despite din By John Thavis JERUSALEM (CNS) - When Christ prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane outside Jerusalem the night before his death, he did so in silence and solitude after his apostles had fallen asleep. Pope John Paul II revisited the spot of the agony in the garden on 25 March, but he had company: a small but noisy army of aides, priests and journalists that appeared to make prayer a difficult prospect. When he strolled past what's left of the garden - eight massive olive trees, one of which has been dated at more than 2,000 years old - he paused to lean on a fence and reflect as police helicopters buzzed overhead and his entourage waited behind. Then he was ushered inside the Church of the Agony, built around a rock Christ was thought to have fallen upon when he prayed: "My

Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will." The Pope knelt and put his head in his hands, to a crescendo of camera shutters. A few feet away, chairs scraped. plastic video cases dropped loudly and then, what sounded like a ladder crashed to the marble floor. Another crash, and the Pope lifted his eyes and looked to the side. After four minutes, without warning, a woman began reading from Scripture through a loudspeaker. The Pope simply stayed where he was, praying. The click of the shutters decelerated, and after 14 minutes the pontiff rose stiffly and sat down, gazing up at a mosaic depicting Jesus on the Mount of Olives. Judging from his expression of awe, he had reached an inner place where he could pray.

Barak juggles Shabbat, a meeting, and government By John Thavis

Pope John Paul II prays on 25 March inside the Church of the Agony, built near Jerusalem's Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed before his crucifixion.

Peter's glory and shame absorb his successor By John Thavis

TABGHA. Israel (CNS) - For more than 21 years Pope John Paul II has filled the shoes of the fisherman as the 263rd successor of St Peter. On the fifth day of his Holy Land visit he walked in the footsteps of the first Pope near the Sea of Galilee. On a pilgrimage on 24 March to a string of sites where Jesus chose his disciples and began his preaching life, the Pope had a chance to reflect on the apostle whose combination of strength and weakness has long fascinated him. Near the ancient village of' Tabgha, on the shores of a misty Sea of Galilee, the Pope knelt and prayed at the place where Jesus told Peter, "Feed my lambs," instituting papal primacy and apostolic succession. In Capernaum a few miles away, the Pope stood next to the ruins of Pope John Paul accepts gifts of bread during Mass in Bethlehem's Manger Square on 22 March. Photo CNS/Arturo Man what is traditionally held to be St role as leader of the universal heart," Father Collier said. As he Israeli police boats patrolled the Peter's house, where Christ and Church, but at the same time has has aged, the Pope's words about shoreline. Then, held firmly by his disciples would talk for hours invited ecumenical discussion Peter's frailty have sometimes two aides, he took slow mini-steps after rounds of public preaching. over the future of papal primacy taken on a more personal dimen- up a rain-slickened set of stairs. For the 79-year-old pontiff, it was He might have remembered Although the Pope has cited sion. a visit to the centre of Jesus' activ- Peter in recent years to illustrate A few months ago, when his Christ's words of wisdom to Peter ities and to the roots of his own how a pontiff must be willing to declining vigour was especially when he picked him to lead the apostolic mission. make decisions and take some evident, the Pope made a remark Church: "When you were At the small Church of the Pri- flak, he has always seen him as to Vatican officials that many saw younger, you used to dress yourmacy of St Peter, the Pope prayed much more than an authority fig- as a response to rumours of papal self and go where you wanted; before the massive rock outcrop- ure. but when you grow old, you will retirement. ping that stretches across the altar He has spoken frequently of "It is with Christ's power that stretch out your hands, and somearea. Then, hobbling closer, he Peter as a man of human weak- (Peter) could sustain his brethren, one else will dress you and lead leaned against the stone and ness and frailty - the man who despite his own personal weak- you where you do not want to go." kissed it. In Capernaum, his last stop, the denied Christ, who showed his ness. . . . The man who, as Peter's A Franciscan priest read St limitations and defects, and who successor, exercises this ministry Pope gazed at the stone ruins John's Gospel, which recounted protested to Jesus at Capernaum, can never forget this," the Pope where Peter is thought to have how the risen Christ appeared to "I am a sinful man." lived, and where the Gospel says said. Peter and the other disciples for Father Georges Corner, the The Pope began his pilgrim's Jesus cured the apostle's motherthe last time here, directing them Pope's personal theologian, said expedition in good form. At one in-law of a fever. to a miraculous catch of fish. the Pope is absorbed by the para- point he climbed some 30 steps to The city was known as "Jesus' They ate lunch afterward on the dox in Peter's character, which see a chapel that was not even on town," and was the place of sevrock, where Christ singled out mixes human weakness and the his itinerary. eral early miracles and parables. Peter to lead the Church. strength of faith. There he blessed a statue of St He prayed at a church built on "The Pope makes the point that the site where Jesus is said to have Peter. So much flows from this spot for Pope John Paul, who visited here the office (of the papacy) is not fed 5,000 people with five loaves He was presented with a stone as a bishop in 1963 and took away tied to the virtue of the person. On and two fish. from Peter's house, and as he sat several rocks from the shore as the contrary there's an enormous In Tabgha, appearing more tired in a chair reflecting on the scene, souvenirs. contrast between Peter's task and toward the end of the day, the Vatican cardinals accompanying Since his election as Pope in human deficiency This is a theme Pope looked out over the twilit him began singing softly, "Tu es 1978, he has• strongly .affirmed his. . . that is very, very dear to the Pope's waters of the Sea of Galilee, as Petrus" ("You .are Peter"). - • • .... . . ..

JERUSALEM (CNS) - He waited a long time for the encounter, but when Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak met with Pope John Paul II, the clock was running - the Sabbath was approaching, and so was a potential political storm. Orthodox Jews, who form a key part of Barak's governing coalition, had worried before the 24 March meeting that the Prime Minister would not be able to conclude his talks with the Pope and get home before sundown. Sabbath begins at sundown Friday and ends at sundown Saturday, and Orthodox Judaic tradition strictly forbids all but emergency work during that time. The Pope, running behind on his schedule, arrived more than 20 minutes late. That put the pressure on. and TV commentators began the countdown, announcing that Barak had about 14 minutes for the Papal meeting. The talks lasted 15 minutes, and Barak took a few more moments to talk to the press. He said he and the Pope managed to discuss peace prospects in the region in their abbreviated encounter and Israeli grievances on missing soldiers in Lebanon. Barak quickly introduced a few ministers to the pontiff, then turned to say goodbye. "We have to go now. We cannot break the laws of Shabbat. We have to keep our government together," the prime minister said, prompting a papal smile. Then Barak was off and running, trying to make it to his mother-in-law's house in nearby Tiberias before the official sundown time. He was rushed to a waiting helicopter, took off and arrived at his in-laws' with three minutes to spare. His political partners breathed a sigh of relief. The Pope also had to return to Jerusalem, but Israeli officials made an exception for their distinguished guest saying security personnel should be considered exempt from the Sabbath rule. Some Jewish commentators have questioned the Sabbath controversy, noting that much of Israeli society ignores the traditional ban on work. Soccer games, for instance, are routinely played on Saturday.

Photo CWS/Reuters

Pope John Paul II rides through the streets of Jerusalem escorted by a police unit armed with submachine guns on 23 March.

The Record, March 30 2000 Page 15

Pope's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Rabbis roll out a red carpet of friendship By Judith Sudilovsky JERUSALEM (CNS) - Israel's leading rabbis warmly received Pope John Paul II at the ceremonial offices of the chief rabbinate, in a historic first meeting with the pontiff. Later that day, Israeli President Ezer Weizman welcomed the Pope in a first meeting in Jerusalem between a Pope and an Israeli president. Weizman told Pope John Paul that through his character and influence, the pontiff unites "the hearts of humanity." In contrast to the reports of rabbinical opposition to the papal visit that dominated the media prior to the Pope's arrival in Israel, there was a spontaneous outpouring of affection by the rabbis. In typical Israeli fashion, the rabbis ignored protocol and pressed forward to meet the Pope and shake his hand when he arrived on 23 March. Cardinals and rabbis intermingled as the Pope moved forward and his entourage followed him into the hall. Outside, a small crowd of onlookers had gathered to welcome the Pope, who arrived in his Popemobile. Pope John Paul and Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Israel Meir Lau. also a native of Poland and a Holocaust survivor, exchanged friendly

The two chief rabbis of Israel meet with Pope John Paul II in Jerusalem on 23 March. Ashkenazi Rabbi Israel Meir Lau is at left and Sephardic Rabbi Eliahu Bakshi-Doron is right Photo CNS/Reuters

remarks with Chief Sephardic who were arrested for spying for Rabbi Eliahu Bakshi-Doron. Israel several months ago. The three religious leaders They also asked the Pope for his made their way to the library, help in resolving the problem of where they met privately for 15 Israel's missing soldiers in minutes. Lebanon. In the meantime, a number of They thanked Pope John Paul for the other rabbis, all from the his fight against anti-Semitism orthodox stream of Judaism, offi- and for his part in helping return cially greeted the Christian lead- Jewish children rescued by ers with words of welcome. Catholic institutions and families After the meeting, Rabbi Lau to their Jewish families after told Israeli television the rabbis World War II. had asked the Pope to intervene They also reaffirmed their for the release of 13 Iranian Jews shared interest in common issues

such as the importance of the fam- creates history. You, your holiness, ily and socio-economic concerns. without doubt, clearly leave your Asking for Jewish recognition of mark and influence on history," the steps the Church had taken Weizman said in his welcoming against anti-Semitism, the Pope remarks. "Through your characsaid in a prepared text that he ter, your conduct and your perhoped "the Jewish people will sonal influence you unite the acknowledge that the Church hearts of humanity." Re-emphasising Jerusalem as utterly condemns anti-Semitism and every form of racism as being -the eternal capital of Israel," altogether opposed to the princi- Weizman said the Pope's visit could contribute to "peace, to ples of Christianity. -Truly this is a uniquely signifi- friendship between Jews, Muscant meeting which - I hope and lims and Christians and between pray - will lead to increasing con- Israel and the Arab world." The Pope told those gathered tacts between Christians and Jews, aimed at achieving an ever that they must work toward a new deeper understanding of the his- era of reconciliation and peace torical and theological relation- between Jews and Christians and ship between our respective that "development, justice and religious heritages," said the text peace cannot be attained unless they are attained for all. of the Pope's remarks. "My visit is a pledge that the After their meeting, the chief rabbis presented the Pope with a Catholic Church will do everycopy of the Jerusalem Bible, thing possible to ensure that this inscribed with the words: "A sou- is not just a dream, but a reality," venir of the historical visit of Pope said the Pope. "We know that real peace in the John Paul II in the holy city of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, Middle East will come only as a and the meeting with the chief result of mutual understanding and respect between all the peorabbis of Israel." In a private meeting before the ples of the region: Jews, Christian official presidential reception, and Muslims. In this perspective. Weizman asked the Pope to open my pilgrimage is a journey of the Vatican archives for Israeli hope: the hope that the 21st censcholars who want to research the tury will lead to a new solidarity Vatican's role during the Holo- among the peoples of the world.. .. It is my fervent hope that a gencaust. "There is a question whether uine desire for peace will inspire history makes a leader or a leader your every decision," he said.

Cards-on-the-table-time as some sparks fly in meeting of religions By Judith Sudilovsky JERUSALEM (CNS) - An ecumenical meeting between Pope John Paul II and representatives of the Jewish and Muslim faiths was marred after one of Israel's chief rabbis called Jerusalem Israel's "eternal undivided capital" and claimed the Pope had recognised it as such. Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Israel Meir Lau's statement, in which he also urged people to move toward peace and listen to each other although they might not agree, was followed by a rebuttal by Sheik Taysir al-Tarnimi, an Islamic court judge. Al-Tamimi said Jerusalem was Palestine's undivided capital and decried Israel's occupation of the city, calling for the right of return for Palestinian refugees. There were outbursts from the audience against both positions. The meeting on 23 March, the fourth day of Pope John Paul's

Holy Land pilgrimage, was can be accepted,- Navarro-Valls intended to symbolise reconcilia- said. Culminating a day that tion among the three monotheis- included historical visits to the chief rabbinate and the Yad tic religions. "We have to appreciate the fact Vashem Holocaust memorial and that we could even have such an meetings with the Israeli presievening," said Australian Cardi- dent, the Pope met with members nal Edward Cassidy, president of of the Christian. Muslim, Jewish, the Pontifical Council for Promot- Druze and Bahai faiths. Flanking him on either side ing Christian Unity "It is true that not everything was were Rabbi Lau and al-Tamimi. perfect, but that it could happen The leading Muslim cleric in at all was something. Next time it Jerusalem, Grand Mufti Ekrima Sabri, refused to appear on the will be better." Vatican spokesman Joaquin same stage with Rabbi Lau while Navarro-Valls said that in all of his the political problems between texts during the pilgrimage, the Israel and the Palestinians Pope had been trying to express remained unresolved. Pope John Paul told the gatherthe concept of "just peace," but Instead people were "trying to get ing that people of religious faiths something else besides what is have duties toward one another that cannot be ignored. written there." 'The Pope's point of view is not "If it is authentic, devotion to a romantic view; forcing others to God necessarily involves the be treated as you would want to attention to our fellow human be treated by others is not a polit- beings," he said in his message ical (solution), but only the cli- following the statements by the mate in which a political solution two other religious leaders. "Thus, concern for justice and peace does not lie outside the field of religion, but it is actually one of its essential elements." According to the Christian view, he said, it is not the role of religious leaders to propose solutions for social, economic or political problems, but it is their task to teach the "truth of faith," helping people, including those in leadership positions, become aware of their duties and their need to fulfil them. 'As religious leaders, we help people to live integrated lives, to harmonise the vertical dimension of their relationship with God with the horizontal dimension of service to their neighbour," he said. "Drawing upon the riches of our A Jewish demonstrator carrying the respective religious traditions, we Israeli flag is arrested on 23 March must spread awareness that near where Pope John Paul II was today's problems will not be meeting with chief rabbis in solved if we remain ignorant of Jerusalem. Photo CNS'Peuters one another and isolated from

Police arrest anti-Pope group leader following 'ritual curse' JERUSALEM (CNS) - Israeli police arrested the leader of a Jewish fringe group who was accused of performing a ritual dance to put a death curse on Pope John Paul II. Shlomo Ben Am!, the Israeli Minister for Internal Security Affairs, told reporters Meir Baranes was taken into custody on 21 March and formally arrested on 22 March. Baranes and other members of his ultra-Orthodox Jewish group invoked the curse during a 16 March Midnight ceremony in a cemetery in Safed in northern Israel. An Israeli television station telecast a tape of the ceremony on 21 March.

The Record, March 30 2000 Page 16

Arturo Man

Pope John Paul is flanked by Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Israel Meir Lau and Muslim cleric Taysir al-Tamimi as representatives of the three monotheistic religions meet at Notre Dame Institute in Jerusalem on 23 March.

one another." Acknowledging the although he claimed he had to go problems that remain among the to prayers in Ramallah, West three religions because of "past Bank misunderstandings and conIn response to the incident and flicts," the Pope said Jews, Chris- other political exploitation of the tians and Muslims must do all trip, Joaquin Navarro-Valls said: they can to "turn awareness of "The Pope is making the trip he past offences and sins into a firm intended to make. If problems resolve to build a new future in arise, if the problems are real, it is which there will be nothing but good they come out. respectful and fruitful coopera"It would be false to walk on the tion between us." clouds and not on the earth," he Pope John Paul smiled as he was said. given a standing ovation. "What you saw (at the interreliLater, with Rabbi Lau, the Pope gious meeting) was the photoplanted an olive tree sapling in a graph of the reality here." copper pot. Tamimi left the meetAt the interreligious meeting, ing before the tree-planting cere- three children's choirs - one Jewmony took place. ish, one Christian, and one MusThree members of an Israeli- lim - performed for the gathering Palestinian youth peace group to emphasise the importance of Pope John Paul had met with at the young generation for future the Vatican gave him the tree as a peace. symbol of peace. The -young people present here It was to be transplanted later at are a sign of hope and an incenthe grounds of the Notre Dame tive for us," said the Pope. Centre, where the meeting took "Each new generation is a divine place. gift to the world. If we pass on to Speaking to reporters on 24 them all that is noble and good in March in Korazim, Navarro-Valls our traditions, they will make it said the sheik left the meeting blossom in more intense brotherbecause of what was being said, hood and cooperation."

International News

Effects of Putin's wi unclear for Church By Frank Brown MOSCOW (CNS) - Catholic leaders in Russia say it is unclear what the administration of newly elected president Vladimir Putin will mean for religious minorities like the Roman Catholic Church. "As everyone stresses, Putin is an unknown quantity No one knows what he is thinking or will do," said Jesuit Father Stanislaw Opiela, general secretary of the Russian bishops' conference. Putin, 4Z was elected Russia's second president on 26 March with more than 52 per cent of the vote. During his eight-month tenure first as prime minister, then acting president, Putin's popularity grew by leaps and bounds as the Russian army slowly battled for control of more and more territory in the breakaway Muslim republic of Chechnya. The small, bloody victories in Chechnya stoked a nationalist pride among Russians still smarting from the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union. The nationalist revival has included a higher profile for the

Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin takes a call at the Kremlin on 28 March from British Prime Minister Tony Blair. tic utels

80-million-member Russian Orthodox Church, the country's dominant faith into which Putin was baptised as a child. Of all Russia's top leaders to emerge since the breakup of the Soviet Union, Putin has been the most demonstrably Orthodox, talking publicly about his faith, attending services and speaking

of the Church's role in today's Russia. Until he was named prime minister by former president Boris Yeltsiun last summer, Putin was a relatively unknown figure. Putin began his career in the KGB, working 15 years as a spy. Putin's past in the dreaded Soviet security apparatus is not cause for alarm, said Soviet-born Bishop Joseph Werth, apostolic administrator of Western Siberia. "If it were 10 or 15 years ago, then it would have made a big difference," said Bishop Werth, a Russian citizen, in an interview from Novosibirsk. "But now we hope that everything has changed." Asked which candidate most Russian Catholic believers supported, Bishop Werth said it was impossible to know. "We haven't been working here long enough that their Catholic faith will have much of an Impact," said the bishop. Until the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, only two Catholic churches served all of Russia, which Catholic officials estimate has more than 1 million residents

In Brief Pope to eat with poor

of Catholic background. Aside from the war in Chechnya, political analysts also credit Putin's election victory to his frequent pledges to restore law and order. It is a promise that Caritas official Antonio Santi hopes Putin keeps. "We can only hope that he will work according to the law, not according to (arbitrary) rules or to who has power," said Santi, director of Caritas for European Russia, which includes 67 charitable organisations. "All the Catholic Church requires is that he act according to the law, for the common good." he said. Under a 1997 religion law, Catholic organisations - like those of all faiths - are required to reregister with the Justice Ministry. In most cases, the process is cumbersome. In some cases, say those familiar with the Church in Russia, the process is used by fickle or ignorant bureaucrats to discriminate against minority faiths. This year, two Catholic parishes have been denied registration on procedural grounds.

Murphy-O'Connor lays out priorities for future By Paulinus Barnes WESI'MINSTER, England (CNS) - Archbishop Cormac MurphyO'Connor, installed as 10th archbishop of Westminster, pledged to continue his work for Christian unity He told the congregation that packed Westminster Cathedral on 22 March he knew there were obstacles and difficulties on the path to Christian unity. "The road to Christian unity is like a road with no exit, a pilgrimage of grace we make together. More and more, it seems to me that all of us who profess Jesus Christ must speak with one voice to give witness to him in this strange and wonderful new world in which we live. "I pledge myself to do so with my whole heart," he said. He called Pope John Paul II's 1982 visit to England and Wales and the moment the Pope joined the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury and other non-Catholic

church leaders at prayer in Canterbury Cathedral "one of the most moving moments of that very memorable week." "I confess to you that as I watched it, tears came to my eyes. I thought to myself this is how it ought to be, this is how the enmities, the misunderstandings, the hurts of the past must end - in common prayer - in a communion that is real, and in a common witness to the one Christ in whom we are already one." he said. Archbishop Murphy-O'Connor succeeds Cardinal George Basil Hume, who died last June. Among the congregation were Anglican Archbishop George Carey of Canterbury; Cherie Booth, a Catholic and wife of Prime Minister Tony Blair; and representatives of the Queen and the Prince of Wales. Two days before his installation as Westminster's new archbishop, Archbishop Murphy-O'Connor said the family must be central to government policy-

Photo CMS Pteu ,

Newly-installed Westminster Archbishop Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.

making, and he urged continued dialogue among Christian churches. The archbishop spoke in a 20 March interview with the editors of the English Catholic press about his aspirations for the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Referring to the new social and political agenda that faces the

church today, Archbishop Murphy-O'Connor said the family must remain at the centre of policy-making. "Every bit of social legislation must be evaluated first of all by its effect on the family," he said. One of the great evils of our society is the breakdown of family life, and therefore I think that just on social policy alone, insisting on Christian beliefs about the family will be my No. 1 priority." The archbishop also said he felt it was right for him to comment on political and social issues. "I think it is (right) for a Catholic leader to say 'this is what I believe,' but how that relates to a government's policies is for politicians to deal with. And if they say I am interfering in politics, then I shall just reply that I am saying what I believe is true. "Where the politicians and the Church interact is when you speak about the kingdom of God or the common good - and at a certain point it touches them."

Methodists, Pentecostals, also ask forgiveness WASHINGIUN (CNS) - Following Pope John Paul II's public apology for sins of the Church, leaders of other denominations in the United States have also asked for forgiveness for past wrongs. Officials of the United Methodist Church said they "humbly join in confessing our sins of commission and omission in our common heritage as well as in the present." And a Pentecostal scholar asked Catholics to forgive those Pentecostals who have condemned the Catholic Church for "spiritual harlotry and idolatry." The two apologies were praised by Catholic bishops involved in ecumenical relations and acknowledged as a means to contribute to healing among churches and the wider society. "I congratulate our sisters and

brothers in the United Methodist tradition for their courage and prophetic leadership," said Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane, Washington, Catholic co-chair of the United Methodist-Roman Catholic Dialogue. And Bishop Tod Brown of Orange, California, chairman of the US bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, said he was "gratified by the response of the United Methodist Church leadership to the Holy Father's service of confession and repentance." Regarding the Pentecostal statement made by Francis Macchia, president of the Society for Pentecostal Studies in Costa Mesa, California, Bishop Brown said it was "particularly touching to us as Catholics."

"We are only gradually coming to know and appreciate the Pentecostal community," he added. "We hope that our common prayer and repentance may lead us deeper into the unity that only the Holy Spirit can give." The United Methodist apology came as a 16 March letter to the Pope from the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns of the United Methodist Church. Macchia delivered the Pentecostal apology on 18 March during a plenary meeting of the Society for Pentecostal Studies in Kirkland, Washington. The letter from the United Methodists acknowledged the Pope's "clear pastoral call for Christians to repent and be reconciled to our gracious God and

to each other." "We confess," the letter continued, "that too often our own acts, words, thoughts and attitudes continue to wound the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not always live as our Lord taught us, and too often we ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit to manifest the grace and peace of Christ in the world around us." Macchia, speaking for the Society of Pentecostal Studies, responded to a private apology delivered by Benedictine Father Kilian McDonnell of St John's Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota. Macchia said he spoke for many in the Society in offering forgiveness to Father McDonnell's confession. He, in turn, then asked for forgiveness for Pentecostals.

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 22 (ZENIT) - The climax of the Jubilee of the Poor will be John Paul ll's dinner with 200 homeless on a Saturday in June. The special jubilee event was announced by Archbishop Crescenzio Sepe, secretary general of the Vatican Jubilee 2000 Committee. The specific date and program for the event will be published within the next few weeks. The initiative to dedicate a day to the homeless, to the poorest of the poor, underlines the charity and solidarity dimensions of the Jubilee of the Year 2000.

Youth confess VATICAN CITY (CNS) Underscoring the jubilee's central theme of repentance, more than 2,000 priests will be stationed in an ancient Roman field to hear confessions during August celebrations of World Youth Day. Though previous World Youth Days have also offered confessions. "it has never before been of these massive proportions," Nello Scavo, a spokesman for World Youth Day's Italian committee, told CNS on 21 March.

Templeton win NEW YORK (CNS) - The major challenge facing science is making sure that it "brings benefits to everybody rather than widening the gap between rich and poor." according to this year's winner of the annual Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion. Freeman Dyson, a Protestant and physics professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. New Jersey, from 1953 until his retirement in 1994, said on 22 March that "science and religion should work together to abolish the gross inequalities that prevail in the modern world."

Turn off, tune out ROME, MARCH 20 (ZENIT)From April 24-30, 18 million people in 30 countries worldwide will observe the fifth "Week Without Television." For 7 days families agree to turn the TV off and enjoy life together: playing, reading, talking, sharing, and helping others. The organisation running the initiative, "TV Free America," suggested families go fishing, play the piano. speak to a friend, fix a bicycle, invent something, write a diary - things that are constantly put off because of TV

Romero honour SAN SALVADOR (CNS) - El Salvador's Congress recognised murdered Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador as "a pastor who fought for justice, freedom, democracy and peace." The Congress approved the recognition on 23 March, the eve of the 20th anniversary of the archbishop's killing. Archbishop Romero was murdered March 24, 1980, by a rightist death squad while saying Mass in a small chapel in San Salvador.

The Record, March- 30 2000 Page 17

Official Engagements

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PRAYER OF PETITION 0 holy St Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke your special patronage in time of need, to you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition. In return I promise to make your name known and cause you to be invoked. St Jude pray for us and all who invoke your aid. Amen. Say three Your Fathers, three Hail Marys and Glorias. Thank you St Jude. J&R.

BRICK re-pointing. Phone Nigel 9242 2952 CARPENTER, qual. tradesman Ph: Graham, mob. 0417 900 054. PERROTT PAINTING Pty Ltd for all your residential, commercial painting requirements. Phone Tom Perrott 9444 1200.

HEAUNG I WILL pray with you for healing of the body, mind or spirit. Phone Michelle 9276 2637.

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The Record, 'March' 30 2000 Page 18

Blessing and opening of extensions at Mater Christi School, Yangebup - Bishop Healy

APRIL

HOUDAY ACCOMMODATION WIN SUN SUM BREZ Kalbarri, 2 b/r, sic home, Tel. Pat (08) 9572 3297 MANDURAH - Golden Bay. Fully-furn, house, sleeps 710. Tel: 9247 3918

Farewell Mass for Bishop John Jobst, CEO Chapel Archbishop Hickey, Bishop Healy Dedication of Flame of Remembrance by Her Majesty the Queen, King's Park - Mgr T McDonald, Rev Fr G Dickinson

2-7

Post-Synod (for Oceania) Council, Rome Archbishop Hickey

Farewell to Mr Vin Warrener, Catholic Marriage Education Services - Bishop Healy

8/9

Address Billings Conference, Melbourne Archbishop Hickey

Council of Priests' Meeting, Glendalough

Archdiocesan Panorama ALAN AMES AT MIRRABOOKA A lan will be speaking of his conversion experiences at St Gerard Catholic Church, 327 Changton Way, Mirrabooka, after 7pm Mass on Friday 14 April. Talk and healing prayers follow. All welcome. Enq: Loretta 9444 4409 or George 9275 6608. RECONCILIATION RALLY AT GOOD SHEPHERD PARISH Come and experience the saving, restoring, healing power of Jesus. Speaker: Fr Vinh Dong. 9 April, 2-4pm (refreshments afterwards). Good Shepherd Parish. cnr Morley Drive and Altone R d, Kiara. Entry off Altone Rd. C ATHOLIC PASTORAL WORKERS ASSOCIATION

The Record, established in 1874, is distributed to Catholic churches, presbyteries, religious houses and subscribers throughout the Archdiocese of Perth and the Dioceses of Geraldton, Bunbury and Broome. Advertising rates Display: $6 col cm. Classifieds: $3 a line Deadlines: Editorial: Tuesday, first mail. Advertising: Booking: Monday midday. Copy: Tuesday midday. Member: Aust Catholic Press Association; Aust Religious Press Association. The Record follows the Holy Spirit's teaching at the Second Vatican Council on the role of the Catholic print media. The Record will not return copy or photographs submitted for publication unless specifically requested in writing upon submission. The editor reserves the right to accept or reject any material submitted and to edit such material for clarity and brevity without recourse to the author.

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State Reception for Her Majesty the Queen, Government House - Archbishop Hickey

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MARCH

Workshop for Parish secretaries and people who work in various administrative roles. Facilitator: Brian Moylan, Caritas Australia. Tues 11 April at Mercy Convent, 113 Tyler St. Tuart Hill. 10am to 1pm. Cost $5 (includes morning tea. Please bring your own lunch.) RSVP Sr Margaret Berry 9444 5750: Margaret Walker 9390 8365. EASTER EVENTS AT THE SCHOENSTATT SHRINE Pilgrimage from St Mary's Cathedral to the Schoenstatt Shrine for vocations to the priesthood and Religious Life on Easter Monday 24 April. Holy Mass and blessing of extensions. Archbishop Hickey will celebrate Mass and bless the extensions to the Shrine 10am,Thurs 27 April. Day of discernment for young women (18-30 years) 10.30am to 4pm. Sun 30 April. BYO lunch. Morning and afternoon tea supplied. Schoenstatt Shrine, 9 Talus Drive Armadale, information 9399 2349. Cost by donation.

ation, talks and social fellowship. it will be held at New Norcia from 13-16 April and is open to everyone. Details are available from the following numbers: 041 945 072, 9367 6303, 9385 6805. RETREAT FOR CATECHISTS A retreat day providing an opportunity to reflect on the Jubilee themes of "Proclaim Liberty and practice Justice". Mon 3 April, 9.30am-2.30pm. Catholic Education Centre, 50 Ruislip St, Leederville Cost S5. BYO lunch. Facilitator: Sr Anne Beech SJA. To register phone Jenny on 9212 9257. PRAY FOR THE NATION A night of prayer and worship at Kings Park lookout, Fraser Ave, 8 April, 6pm to 8.30pm. Information: John Acland, Tel/fax 9537 3390. COUNTRY DAY OF REFLECTION Join the pilgrimage to St Patrick's Church, York for the first Country Day of Reflection in the JubileeYear.The day will be held Mon (Holy Week) 17 April, commencing at 10am, concluding with Holy Mass at 2pm. Speaker: Fr John Phalen CSC. BYO lunch, tea/coffee supplied. Inquiries: York 9641 4015, metro 9446 1935. PAST PUPILS' REUNION Past pupils, friends and sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart are all invited to this event which will be held on Sun, 9 April at St Joseph's Convent, York St, South Perth. Come early enough for a seat in the garden to celebrate the Eucharist at 2pm. Afternoon tea and a gourmet hamper raffle, as well as meeting old friends, are all part of our tradition. Info: Colleen Lowry, 9450 2173.

PRO LIFE PROCESSION - MIDLAND

SEMINARS FOR THE GREAT JUBILEE

The First Friday Mass, procession and Rosary will be held on 7 April. Commencing 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. Inq: Shelda 9294 2340.

Seminars are held at the Thomas More Centre offices, 949 Wellington St, West Perth on Sundays at 7.30pm. The first seminar on "Jesus Christ: True God and True Man" will be held on Sun 9 April. Inquiries: Richard Egan 9321 2822.

CHRISTIAN MEDITATION The Christian mediation Community will conduct a Twilight Retreat on Fri 14 April, 6-8.30pm, at the Dianella Church of Christ, 68 Waverley St (off Alexander Drive). Participants are invited to soup and bread from 6-7pm and the follow the program till 8.30pm. Suggested donation $5 at door. Inq: Vesta or Sam 9444 5810. AH 9242 2830. FIRST FRIDAY/FIRST SATURDAY ALL NIGHT VIGIL The Society for Eucharistic Adoration invites you to the All Night Vigil at St Mary's Cathedral on Fri 7 April commencing at 9pm. Mass will be celebrated by Fr Jordan Perry. Alliance to the Two Hearts prayers recited each hour with half an hour quiet time with Our Lord. Refreshments provided all night. Please join us when convenient. All welcome. Vigil ends with Mass at 6.45am. Inquiries: Jean 9316 1204 or Dorothy 9342 5845. HOLY ROSARY PARISH NEDLANDS PARISH PICNIC Sun 2 April from 11am in the grounds of Loreto Convent, Webster St, Nedlands. All are invited to bring their picnic and join in the Jubilee Year celebration. Information: Parish 9386 1870. JUBILEE 2000 RETREAT The retreat is held for young Catholics and includes Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, reconcili-

BUSSELTON PILGRIMAGE Will take place on Sun 7 May, at Bove's Farm. Holy Mass at 1pm with Bishop Peter Quinn as the main celebrant. Followed by Rosary procession and Benediction.There will also be the crowning of the statue Queen of the Holy Rosary. Fr John Phalen, director of the Family Rosary Crusade in the US will give a talk for the occasion. Int: Luisa Bove 9755 7554 or Paul 9444 4003. K ALGOORLIE-BOULDER ANNUAL FAIR A Catholic stall will be present at the KalgoorlieBoulder Annual Fair, 7-8 April. Anyone wishing to donate or help can contact Jenny 9091 3936, Bev 9021 1798. PRAYER NIGHT AT IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH Conducted by Fr Paul Baczynski on the first Monday of each month from 7-9pm. The Church is located at Canning Highway, East Fremantle. This prayer evening is for healing and also for those and their families affected by addictions. *Holy Mass at 7pm, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Benediction and healing prayers.The next evening is Mon 3 April. All are welcome. WAY OF THE CROSS The Therry Catholic Drama Society is presenting "The Way of the Cross" in the following parishes: St Thomas Claremont, Wed 5 April, 7.30pm; St Vincent's, Kwinana, Fri 7 April, 7pm; Holy Name Carlisle, Wed 12 April, 7pm.

Pope's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Jordan pit-stop simple but 'strongly emotional' By Cindy Wooden JERUSALEM (CNS) - Pope John Paul II went down to the Jordan River for a second time, giving equal opportunity to those who believe Jesus was baptised on the river's western shore. But unlike his 21 March visit to the eastern site in Jordan, the Pope's prayer time on the river bank the next morning was almost private. Instead of a crowd shouting, "John Paul II, God bless you," the 22 March stop at alMaghtas was accompanied by the songs of birds. Visiting the baptismal site about six miles east of Jericho was a lastminute addition to the papal itinerary and was planned as a private prayer visit Israeli officials usually allow access to the site, lying in a mined zone of the disputed West Bank,

only on the feast of the Epiphany, when the region's major Christian churches hold celebrations there. At al-Maghtas as at Wadi al-Kharrar the day before, the Pope prayed out loud in English. But on the West Bank, only Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Vatican nuncio in Israel, responded. Pope John Paul blessed a stone bowl full of Jordan River water and used a branch to sprinkle the crowd, but the crowd was not made up of thousands of faithful as it was in Jordan. In Israel, television and still photographers were the only ones who were dampened. Most of the Pope's entourage went directly to Bethlehem on 22 March, missing the river stop. Archbishop Sambi told reporters, "It was a very simple ceremony, but strongly emotional."

Pope John Paul II prays before an urn of water from the Jordan River at a site traditionally held as the place of Christ's baptism on 21 March in Jordan. Photo" CNS A .

'He told the truth to everyone, but without humiliating anyone' By John 'Mavis JERUSALEM (CNS) - Walking at last amid the ancient stones where Jesus lived and died, Pope John Paul II created a new pilgrim's path by reaching out to other religions and to the divided peoples of the Holy Land. His 20-28 March visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories will be remembered as an interfaith journey that, despite some notes of dissonance, struck a spiritual chord among those who watched and listened. In sharing prayer and emotions with Christians, Muslims and Jews at places of deep religious significance, the Pope was clearly trying to set an example of harmony in a land beset by political conflict and religious turf-guarding. "Our gaze directed to Jerusalem, let us lift up our prayer to almighty God for all Pope John Paul reflects near the rock believed to be the place where Jesus told Peter, "Feed the peoples living in the lands of the my lambs." The pontiff visited the small Church of the Primacy of St Peter in Tabgha, Israel, on Photo. CNS/Reuters promise.... They share the same place of 24 March during his weeklong pilgrimage to the Holy Land. blessing, where the history of salvation Interrupted the papal Mass. The Pope has left an indelible trace," he said at the waited patiently - the picture of religious start of his long-awaited pilgrimage. tolerance - and had his aides point out But he also spoke with realism, telling that the muezzin's call had been abbreviInterfaith leaders in Jerusalem: "Not came repeated claims that Jerusalem was ated out of respect for the pontiff. everything has been or will be easy in this each side's "eternal capital.- The Pope Speaking to ecumenical leaders in coexistence." ignored these assertions, and after awhile Jerusalem, the Pope spoke so movingly At the heart of the Pope's message was they seemed petty and out of place. that his host, Greek Orthodox Patriarch the conviction that the Holy Land can and Interreligious dialogue went off-key dur- Diodoros, added a spontaneous message must be a homeland for all its faiths and ing a meeting presided over by the Pope thanking the Pope "from the bottom of our for all its peoples. hearts" at the end of the ceremony. in Jerusalem. His path of prayer took him from Moses' Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Israel Meir Lau At Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, the Holomountain in Jordan to the river where St started it when he erroneously claimed caust memorial where spiralling smoke John performed the first baptisms; to the Pope had accepted Israel's territorial from an eternal flame hauntingly evokes Jesus' birthplace in Bethlehem; to claim over Jerusalem. A Muslim cleric the deaths of Jews in the extermination Nazareth, where Mary received the responded with a righteous harangue camps, the Pope met with Polish survivors, annunciation and where Jesus grew up; to against Israeli occupation and discrimi- including one woman who said that in Galilee, where Christ preached; and to nation against Palestinians. 1945 the future pontiff had personally carJerusalem, where he was crucified. "It's a photograph of the reality here," ried her out of a prison camp and given For the Church, this is the historical shrugged Vatican spokesman Joaquin her food and drink. homeland, and the Pope did his best to Navarro-Valls. Better that the Pope see it The story, which the Pope says is "posencourage the dwindling Christian popu- and hear it than "walk on the clouds," he sible" but which he does not specifically lation to remain in the region where so added. recall, was discussed at length on Israeli many chapters of the Old and New TesBut the squabbles paled next to the TV and seemed to introduce a significant taments were written. beautiful form the pilgrimage assumed, new side of the pontiff to Israeli Jews. He made a strong connection with the as the Pope moved from places of the Old At the Western Wall, the Pope amazed mostly Muslim Palestinian population Testament to the New Testament, from the Jews by leaving his own written prayer in when, preaching the justice of the Gospel, Old Law of the Ten Commandments to a crack of the stones, like Jews have done he endorsed their right to a political the New Law of the Beatitudes, and along for centuries. It prompted one rabbi to homeland and said their suffering as a the path of suffering and salvation walked remark, "He touched the wall and the wall displaced and desperate people had by Jesus, from the manger in Bethlehem touched him." "gone on too long." to the tomb in Jerusalem. In the end, the Pope managed to bring a Although each of his audiences viewed week of good will and good news to a And, in a gesture that made one of the deepest impressions of the trip, he prayed the Pope through a different lens, they all region sorely inneed of both. On the plane at Judaism's holiest place, the Western appeared to appreciate that this man was carrying him back to Rome, his Wall, the stone remnant of the temple that truly on a religious pilgrimage and spokesman, Navarro-Valls, was asked how for many Israeli Jews symbolises the reli- seemed to receive new energy from each the Pope managed to navigate the Holy gious homeland they once lost and have stop. Land's political minefields without any The Pope who knelt for long periods at major explosions. now regained. Like the daily reality of the Holy Land, the holy places, hunched over in silent "The key thing,Ithink, was that the Pope the Pope's trip was a blend of the spiritu- prayer, became more fascinating as the told the truth to everyone, but without al and the political. The jarring notes were trip went on. humiliating anyone. He spoke in charity. He made connections even where they . . . and people respected that," Navarroheard on the few occasions when politics were problematic. gained the upper hand. Valls said. That was no small accomplishIn Bethlehem, a Muslim call to prayer ment in today's Holy Land. From Israeli and Palestinian leaders

Angelus prayer for Pope's Holy Land pilgrimage

ear Brothers and Sisters, these have been days of intense emotion, a time when our soulhas been stirred not only by the memory of what God has done but by his very presence, walking with us once again in the Land of Christ's Birth, Death and Resurrection. And at every step of this Jubilee Pilgrimage Mary has been with us, lighting our pilgrim path and sharing the joys and sorrows of her sons and daughters. With Mary, Mater dolorosa, we stand in the shadow of the Cross and weep with her over the affliction of Jerusalem and over the sins of the world. We stand with her in the silence of Calvary, and see the blood and water flowing from the wounded side of her Son. Realising the terrible consequences of sin. we are moved to repentance for our own sins and for the sins of the Church's children in every age. 0 Mary, conceived without sin, help us on the path to conversion! With Mary, Stella matutina, we have been touched by the light of the Resurrection. We rejoice with her that the empty Tomb has become the womb of eternal life, where He who rose from the dead now sits at the Father's right hand. With her we give endless thanks for the grace of the Holy Spirit whom the Risen Lord sent upon the Church at Pentecost and whom He continually pours into our hearts, for our salvation and for the good of the human family. Mary, Regina in caelum assumpta (Queen assumed into Heaven]. From the Tomb of her Son, we look to the tomb where Mary lay sleeping in peace. awaiting her glorious Assumption. The Divine Liturgy celebrated at her tomb in Jerusalem has Mary say: 'Even beyond death, Jam not far from you'. Andin the Liturgy her children reply: 'Seeing your tomb, 0 holy Mother of God, we seem to contemplate you. 0 Mary, you are the joy of the angels, the comfort of the afflicted. We proclaim you as the stronghold of all Christians and, most of all, as Mother'. I n contemplating the Theotokos, almost at this journey's end, we look upon the true face of the Church, radiant in all her beauty, shining with 'the glory of God which is on the face of Christ* (2 Cor 4:8). 0 Advocate, help the Church to be ever more like you, her exalted model. Help her to grow in faith, hope and love. as she searches out and does the will of Godin all things (cf Lumen Gentium, 65). 0 dement, 0 loving, 0 sweet Virgin Mary! The Record, March 30 2000 Page 19

Infant Jesus Primary School Morley

Happy students, happy staff, happy parents are the keys 0

riginally founded in 1955 by the Dominican Sisters, the school of Infant Jesus, Morley, today stands on a different site in the parish with which it shares the same name. The shift took place in 1960 and in 1975 the Dominicans handed over the school to the Catholic Education Commission of WA. These days Mr Viv Theseira is only the second lay principal, following a 20-year stint from Mr John Holland. And so to the 1990s. With government assistance and a bequest from a parishioner, Mr Brosnan, the school embarked on a capital development plan to modernise itself. A completely new and imposing entrance on Russell Street is one of the results but others include new offices for secretarial Timing is everything in the school band. staff, a new staff room, a workroom, a first- Mother and Daughter camps, the Father aid room, storerooms and toilets. and Son camps and the Family camps. Year These were all blessed and opened in Sevens also attend an annual camp. 1996 and, in late 1997, the new KinderMeanwhile, Infant Jesus provides good garten completed the picture. physical education and sporting programs, In part, the school can be summed up by with many out-of-school sporting activities Its numbers -37 staff, 390 families and 574 organised and supported by parents. children from Kindergarten to Year 7. But of Languages other than English include course there's much more to it. Italian for students from Pre-Primary to One of the major projects is the ongoing Year 7 and Indonesian for Year 3 to Year 7. upgrading of Information Technology The school has an instrumental music All classrooms are networked and, with program and a school band, together with the assistance of grants and funds raised by a middle and upper-grades choir. the Parents and Friends' Association, all Last year the school made a record numhave four computers each. ber of entries in the Catholic schools' PerWith an eye to the future, Infant Jesus has forming Arts Festival. formed a strategic planning committee to Throughout its history the parent body devise a plan for the years 2000-2004 to has been renowned for its activity. One Include the three 'C's': Church, Curriculum example is the school's 'Mega-Fete', no and Conununity. ordinary event, which is set this year for The school board, chaired by Dr Freder- Sunday 12 April, from 11am - 4pm. ick Ng, had a 'Formation Saturday' last It will have everything your normal fete week has - and more: entertainment, food and a All members attended a day-long semi- 'Big Raffle.' nar dealing with the new Board constituHowever faith is the reason the school tion, team building and spirituality. exists. Every Thursday sees a class or Activities that are always popular are the school Mass, also attended by many par-

What the new Infant Jesus looks like - or part of it. The new and imposing front entrance.

Lessons in life - here 'Bully Busters' entertain, and educate, students from years 4 to 7.

And for parents the task is similar: supents, at the parish church. Fr Gerard, the new parish priest, works closely with class porting their children, encouraging them teachers. The Sacramental programs are and accepting them for who they are. parish-based and parish assistant, Sr Key among their responsibilities are pracCatherine, and assistant principal for Reli- tising their faith, getting involved in their gious Education, Lisa Harrison, work close- education and being models for their chilly on the preparation. dren as well. There is a weekly staff reflection while a Like so many other Catholic schools, parent prayer group prays for special inten- Infant Jesus in Morley has found that unless tions for the school. parents practice their faith in the home and On Mondays, the whole school assem- take seriously the job of parenting, then a bles to join in the hymn singing paralitur- Catholic school is limited in what it can do. gy while each Friday's assembly sees However, at the end of the day when a prayers prepared by individual classes. school is based on principles such as those School principal Vivian Theseira's vision followed at Infant Jesus one thing is certain of what Infant Jesus should stand for - children being prepared for life can only Includes three principles: happy children, benefit. happy staff and happy parents. Students are happy when they are achieving, he says, and experiencing high self esteem and respect for themselves and others as they experience their growing faith. Principal: Mr Vivian Theseira For teachers, he said, teaching should be Address: 1 Russell Street, Morley WA a vocation. "We are all evangelists, here to educate 6062 children and model the correct way of life," Telephone: (08) 9276 1769 he pointed out. Fax: (08) 9276 2998 "We support each other and support parEnrolment: 574 boys & girls The role of parents as educators and models is fundamental in any Catholic school. Here, the infant ents in their roles. We are professional and Email: admingkijmorley.edwa.netau Jesus prayer group meet with Fr Gerard. The group prays for special intoolions for the school. we practice our faith."

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