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WA's only Catholic weekly newspaper Perth: November 21 2002 Price: $1
Bishop Healy goes home to God B
Bishop Healy in a photo taken at the time of his retirement in October 2000.
Photo: Peter Rosengren
ishop Robert Healy, the former Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth and Titular Bishop of Mayo died in his sleep in the early hours of Monday morning 18 November at his home in Manning. By the time his body was discovered later in the morning by his housekeeper, Archbishop Hickey and 11 other priests were on the tennis courts at nearby Aquinas College for their regular Monday morning exercise. All 12 went immediately to Bishop Healy's home to anoint him and "send him out in style", as the Archbishop put it Robert Healy was born in Cruttinclough, Kilkenny, Ireland, on July 17, 1925, the eldest of seven children. After education at St Kieran's College, Kilkenny, he was ordained a priest in Ireland on June 5, 1949 and arrived in Perth on February 23, 1950. There followed more than half a century of dedicated service to the Archdiocese of Perth, including 27 years as a bishop. He had a variety of appointments in South Perth, Queens Park, Maylands and Claremont, before beginning a decade of service in the Goldfields. He was initially appointed Priest in Charge at Boulder on March 20, 1955 and then on March 4. 1956 he was appointed Administrator of Kalgoorlie, a position he held until March 1965 when he was appointed Parish Priest of the new parish of Willagee. On his official retirement he said the Willagee experience had been a highlight of his priestly life because of the cooperative effort of all the people in building the church and the life of the parish. On March 14, 1971 he was appointed parish priest of Cottesloe and held the position until he was chosen in October 1975 to be Auxiliary Bishop of Perth and Titular Bishop of Mayo. He was ordained as Bishop on December 9, 1975 and served the Archdiocese under Archbishops LJ.Goody, W.J.Foley, and B.J.Hickey. His time as Auxiliary Bishop included two stints as Administrator of the Archdiocese, initially when Archbishop Foley was seriously ill and again following his death. Bishop Healy celebrated his golden jubilee as a priest in 1999 and officially retired in October 2000 after 25 years as a Bishop, but continued to carry a full workload until Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton was ordained in February 2002. At the time of his official retirement and again on his death, Archbishop Barry Hickey said that outstanding among his many qualities were his integrity, his deep spirituality and his Continued page 5 love of the priesthood.
Statue inquiry announced Archbishop Barry Hickey has appointed a Commission of three members to investigate the weeping statue of the Virgin Mary at Rockingham. "The phenomenon has been going on for more than three months now," he said. "The faithful and the community at large are entitled to as clear a statement as I can make about whether the tears can be explained by some natural process or human intervention, or whether they defy scientific explanation. "The owner of the statue, Mrs Patty Powell, whom I trust completely in this matter, has agreed to my appointing a commission," he added. The three commissioners appointed by the Archbishop are: Fr Kevin Long, Rector of St Thomas More College.. Dr Thelma Koppi, a scientist from UWA and a non-Catholic. Dr Michael Shanahan, a surgeon. The commissioners will not be person-
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ally responsible for tests carried out on gate claims of healings associated with the statue. Instead they will arrange the statue and the scented oil flowing whatever scientific tests they consider from the eyes, but they may investigate necessary and will determine who is best any matter they consider relevant. The statue was first noticed weeping on equipped to carry them out. As well as their own scientific, theolog- March 19, the feast of St Joseph, the husical and historical expertise, they will be band of Mary, and then over the four able to take suggestions from anyone in days of Easter. It began weeping again on the scientific community who has ideas August 15, the feast of the Assumption of on what would be needed to determine Our Lady into Heaven, and has wept conwhether the phenomenon can be tinuously since. The statue underwent a number of tests explained. The only stipulation is that the statue is not damaged, but with mod- at Murdoch and Curtin Universities ern technology this is not considered to arranged by the Channel 7 program Today Tonight. The tests included analybe a limitation. The commission has said that it will not sis of the oil, x-ray examination and comment on its work or on the results of examination at magnification of 40 times. individual tests until all tests have been The scientists said they were unable to completed and it has reported its con- identify any fraud, but felt the tests were inconclusive in terms of offering an clusions and advice to the Archbishop. The Commission will interview the explanation. people immediately involved, including The statue will continue to be available Mrs Powell and Rockingham Parish for public veneration at Our Lady of Photo Carole McMfllen Priest Fr Finbarr Walsh. Lourdes Church, Rockingham, on Sun- Still weeping after three months - the statue of Our Lady photographed by The Record on Monday. They have not been asked to investi- day afternoons.
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