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OFFICIAL
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ORGAN
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ARCHDIOCESE
No. 3176. Perth, Thursday January 14, 1965
1 KING ST. 21 7721
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IMPORTANT TOPICS 11011 RELIGIOUS
CONGO BISHOP SLAIN LEOPOLDVILLE, THE BISHOP WITONGO: C TEBOLS, S.C.J., OF W AMBA, A 52-YEAROLD NATIVE OF BELGIUM, HAS BEEN MURDERED BY CONGOLESE ACCORDING REBELS, TO REPORTS REACHING HERE.
During this weekend the final numbers of about 200 Nuns will be arriving in Perth for the Congress of Religious Sisters of Australia, New Zealand and Oceania. The Congress which will be held at Loreto Convent Claremont will be opened with a Mass of the Holy Spirit celebrated by His Excellency the Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Domenico Enrici, on Tuesday, January 19.
White hostages rescued from Wamba said the bishop was one of the 28 persons slaughtered by the rebels on November 26, after they heard U.S. planes flying overhead on a mission to drop Belgian paratroopers at Paulis. Belgian Seven other missionary priests died on the same day. Witnesses said the hostages were herded together by rebels who screamed "Kill! Kill! Kill!" Some of the victims were shot. Others were beaten to death or tied and thrown into the river. They said Bishop Wittebols was the first to die.
Theme
The theme of the congress is: Religious Women — Adaptation to modern life — its desirability and posibility from the point of view of recruitment, training, work and community life. Each of the four days of the Congress will be taken up with the reading of papers by chosen speakers, these will be followed by discussion of the points made by the speakers.
Speakers
Speakers include Bishop F. X. Thomas of Geraldton, Father E. Stormon S.J., Father J. Wilkinson C.M.. Father W. Dunphy, C.SS.R., Father Joachim O'Brien 0.F.M., Father Domenic Fitzmaurice 0.P., Father W. Radford S.M., Father J. Mc Mahon M.S.C., Mother Basil Short 0.S.U., Prioress of the Ursuline Convent, Croydon Park, N.S.W., Mother M. Attracta, St. John of God Convent, Subiaco, Mother M. Sebastia n, Our Lady of the Missions, Fremantle.
Subjects
Subjects will range over the Vows (Father Stormon), The Modern Girl (Mother Basil), the Nun in the Modern World (Mother Sebastian), the Ecumenical Movement (Bishop Thomas). The final day of the Congress will be Friday, January 22, but on Saturday, there will be a meeting of Major Superiors.
Delegate's Reception
The Apostolic Delegate, the Most Reverend Domenico Enrici, will be given a Liturgical Recep tion in St. Mary's Cathedral on Tuesday, January 19. The ceremony will commence at 7.30 p.m. A rchbishop Enrici is on his first official visit to Western Australia since he was appointed Apostolic Delegate in October, 1962. Prior to coming to A ustralia, His Excellency w as the Apostolic Internuncio in Japan. Ordained in 1933 he c ommenced service in the Apostolic Nunciatu re in Ireland in 1938 and in 1946 he was transferre d to Egypt. In 1948 he was t ransferred to Jerusalem where he remained till 1953 when he was transferred to China. In 1955 he was consecrated Titular Archbishop of Ancusa and was appointed as Apostolic Internuncio to Indonesia. In 1958 he held
the same position in Haiti up till his appointment in Japan.
Sister Mary Francesca ( left) and Sister Mary Lidwina made their Final Profession in the Dominican Sisters last Monday morning. Father F. X. Brown, 0.P., officiated at the ceremony and celebrated the Mass in St. Peter's Church, Bedford Park. He also preached the occasional sermon. Sister M. Lidwina's parents, Mr. and Mrs. De Groot, formerly from Holland, now of Darlington, were present as was the mother of Sister M. Francesca, Mrs. L. Haddock of Morawa.
FIRST HOLIDAY HOME FOR SISTERS Combining a short holiday with attendance at next week's Congress of Religious Sisters is Sister Mary Dolores. Formerly Kathleen Twomey, she is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bill Twomey of Central Avenue, Inglewood. This is Sister Dolores' first holiday at home since she joined the Home Missionary Sister of Our Lady in 1946. Sister Dolores will attend the Congress with another West Australian in the same order, Sister Mary Magdalen Ryan. During this week prior to the Congress, the Sisters have been meeting their many relatives and friends. Sister Dolores was a member of the original Catholic Girls Movement which later became the N.C.G.M. and now the Y.C.W. (Girls). The order of the Home Missionary Sisters of Our
Lady .was founded in Launceston by a diocesan priest, Father John C. Wallis in 1944. Its purpose was to provide help and religious guidance to families living in remote areas. At present there are about 50 members in the Order with six communities in Tasmania, one in Parkes. N.SW., and one in Toowoomba, Queensland.
Annual Collection
The annual collection for the Redemption of Slaves in the African Missions will be taken up on Sunday, January 17.
TRAMPLED TO DEATH Nearly three weeks later. on December 15, the rebels killed another group of hostages including American Protestant missionary William McChesney of Phoenix, Ariz. McChesney, a member of the Worldwide Evangelisation Crusade, was trampled to death, survivors said. Congolese soldiers lead by white mercenaries rescued 120 whites. including 110 Greeks. in Wamba, located some 250 miles northeast of Stanleyville, scene of earlier massacres by rebels. About 100 others, mostly Belgians, were said to be missing from Wamba, presumably dragged off into the bush by retreating rebel forces before the town was taken. Among the hostages believed to have been held for a time in Wamba are 37 priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and 59 Sisters of various orders. Wamba is one of the last towns in the northeastern Congo where rebels are known to have held a large number of hostages. STILL MISSING Among those still missing are 37 priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and 59 Sisters of various orders. Government forces made an overland dash to Mungbere. about 60 miles from Paulis, in an effort to rescue them. Another column of troops, striking westward from Stanleyville, rescued five Dominican nuns at Viadana, near Paulis. At first the hostages reaching here said as many as 17 Catholic priests were killed at the first Wamba execution. Later the number was reduced. The refugees also told stories about 10 whites being killed and eaten on Christmas Day. • SEE PAGE 9