The problem of
SFAC,111.17 1 ,11T
Church communica ions expert R I SELL SW talks a the one thing many clerics don't want discussed.
•
new senes
Three funerals for every Baptism Europe is sliding Luckily, the Church is not about numbers and never has been. But the statistics of the Church across all of Europe are sobering. Never in 1500 years has the Church been wealthier in real estate, architecture and money - and never has it lost so many people.
Light at Midnight? A REFLECTION BY ANTHONY PAGANONI, CS Page 13
warm therecord.coin.au
Perth, Western Australia $2
Western Australia's award-winning Catholic newspaper since 1874 - Wednesday August 19 2009
Chivalry Ball an evening to remember as youth dance
the night away
Students set out to win peers over to Church's spiritual treasure, fraternity is By Robert Hiini
White ball gowns, tuxedoes and dance cards. PANACHE, style and elegance are back in youth social events - and perhaps a little of the spirit of Jane Austen. The Chivalry Ball, organised by young Catholics and held in the hall of St Kieran's Parish in Osborne Park with the blessing of parish priest Fr Michael Gatt, astonished many parents who turned up at midnight last Saturday to pick up their teenage children after a night of dancing.
Dance cards were enthusiastically sought by dance partners throughout the evening - and added a certain style.
It has also gone down among the 100 or so participants as the best night of their lives - so far - and the standard by which future social events will be judged. Meanwhile pages on Facebook, the popular social networking site, are full of photos of stylishly and elegantly dressed young people enjoying a night of fun in what was, in an earlier era, considered one of the central rites of passage for youth Please turn to VISTA 4
Sonia Spadaccini, wearing pink ribbon, Montana McCann and Kayla Roatch pose for the camera moments before the Chivalry Ball commences. The evening surprised many parents and set a new standard for entertainment among young people in Perth. PHOTO JACOB ROATCH
A GROUP of undergraduate and post-graduate students at the University of Notre Dame (UNDA) have announced that they are in the nascent stages of establishing a student society that aims to offer peer mentoring to potentially every student at the university. The School of Philosophy & Theology Student Society will provide support, fraternity and social events for member-students studying units in philosophy PHIL & THEO theoland ogy, including UNDA's core c urriculum units which are compulof Philosophy & Theology sory for all School Students' Society students. President The new UNDA Philosophy T ammy and Theology Students Nguyen and Society's logo. vice-president and secretary Vincent Restifo, both theology majors, told The Record that membership of the new society is open to every UNDA student and staff member. They have their work cut out for them. Research into the experience of Catholic secondary education in WA has shown that the vast majority of students emerging from Catholic secondary schools - from which UNDA receives many of its enrolments - see the Church as irrelevant to their lives. However SPaTS, as its organisers refer to it, will work closely with Campus Ministry and unit lecturers to provide two sessions of peer support for students per semester as well as relevant film and documentary viewings with question and answer sessions and discussion to follow. The Society's logo features two garlanded heads in the style of Greek thinkPlease turn to Page 5
Liturgical Dance: No
Fr John Reynolds 0 Praem dies, 77
Migrant Week begins next week
One of the founding members of the Norbertine community in Western Australia, Fr John Reynolds 0 Praem, served as a priest for half a century.
The Bishops of Australia are urging everyone to stop and take stock of the others in our midst those who have migrated to Australia from many countries.
Cardinal Francis Arinze, the former head of the Church's top Office for Worship, has warned that liturgical dance distracts from the true purpose of the Mass - worship and forgiveness.
• PAGE 4
• PAGES 2-3
• PAGE 11