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THE PARISH. THE NATION. THE WORLD. http://thecatholicrecord.org
Western Australia's award winning Catholic newspaper - June 7, 2007
BOVE'S FARM: Hundreds converge on
65! Perth migrant couple celebrate a marriage - and its achievements Page 4
Bunbury farm for Mary day
Page 3
Perth, Western Australia • $2
MORE SURFACES: Hitler's plot to abduct Pope Pius XII Page 9
Archbishop: high regard for Catholic MPs "Catholic MPs in WA have an outstanding record over many years in defending the sanctity of life in parliamentary debates," Archbishop Barry Hickey said on Wednesday. "They have presented their arguments rationally in ways that could be accepted by MPs of good will and of any faith or none, and I am sure they will continue to do so in the debates that are impending," the Archbishop said. "In my comments stressing the need for consistency between one's faith and actions, I may have unwittingly undermined the independence of cer-
Underway: Scaffolding for repairs already surrounds St Patrick's.
Weddings cease as Basilica rebuilds • By Anthony Barich
Fremantle's St Patrick's Basilica has undergone extensive restoration just in time to prevent the whole structure from being demolished. Stonemasons working on the site last week told The Record that if the foundation's cavities been allowed to decay any further it would have eventually failed to hold the Basilica up and "we may have needed to demolish it". Fremantle parish priest, Oblate of Mary Immaculate Father John Sherman, has suspended weddings at the Basilica until September as the centre isle is temporarily gone. He insisted to builders that the Basilica always remain a functioning church, but the 90th anniversary Mass he concelebrated on Mothers' Day with Archbishop Barry Hickey and nine other priests was held on one side of the church, with the other blanketed off with a giant sheet the length of the Basilica. So after no money had been spent on the Basilica's structure for 10 years, the restoration of the Basilica's nave is due be completed by November thanks a Federal Government grant of $1 million, $600,000 from the WA State Government. In 1900 the Basilica was lit by gas, but it was recently revealed the gas pipes had rusted and were causing cracks, and even caused a lump of plaster to fall in the past two months. So the pipes are being taken out of the wall and the electrical wiring also needs to be completely overhauled. Parishioners have also pledged $900,000 over three years to upgrade St Patrick's Basilica's sanctuary and
the fence, and hopefully, the roof of the adjacent presbytery that is also in need of repair. Fr Sherman is quietly confident his parishioners and their friends can raise the cash. The total planned costings totalled $5 million - $3 million for the works and $2 million to be kept "in case we ever get into this situation again". The initial $60,000 grant Lotterywest donated in 2002 repaired leaks through the stainglass windows on the southern side and to investigate the problem of moisture seeping through the walls. Lotterywest then gave $100,000 in 2003 to repair the roof as all the wiring holding the tiles in had rusted. But then the problems got worse. Limestone mortar and plaster was used in the original building, then some time since the 1930s the repairs were done using concrete. But it was found that with the best of intentions the concrete walls were repaired internally with concrete plaster and painted over and externally with concrete-based mortar. Both these processes prevented the limestone from breathing and built up excess water. Workers are currently tearing off the concrete from the internal and external walls and replacing it with limestone plaster and limestonebased mortar. They are also re-establishing the ventilation system after the vents had been sealed up, causing heat to build up inside on hot days. Improvements on the organ that the parish could not afford when it was rebuilt in the late 1990s, estimated at $23,000, will also be done thanks to an overseas benefactor pitching in $20,000.
ENTER THE SHOCK TROOPS
When you have children you find yourself at the frontlines in the culture war. In stark contrast to "a child's a blessing", there's open hostility out there.
tain Catholics and other Christians by implying they must do the Archbishop's bidding. "Such was not my intent. If I have given that impression I am indeed sorry. "My aim was to raise the importance of the stemcell issue currently before the State Parliament and to stress the role of conscience and moral consistency above all else. "I have only the highest admiration for the courageous stance of many in Parliament who have consistently supported the dignity of human life over the years," the Archbishop said.
Priest's murder highlights choice facing Iraq's Christians: •
'Convert or the
• By Sylvia Defendi and ACN
Archbishop Barry Hickey condemned the recent murder of Catholic priest, Fr Ragheed Ganni and three sub-deacons in Iraq stating that the shocking killings threatened the very existence of the Catholic and Christian people in Iraq. "This cowardly assassination should alert the international community to an aspect of the war in Iraq that has hardly gained any attention, the plight of
Christians," he said. Muslim militants shot Fr Ganni, 34, on June 3 in Mosul where he had just celebrated Mass with sub-deacons, Basman Yousef Daoud, Ghasan Bidawid and Wadid Hanna. One of Fr Ganni's friends and classmate from their Rome seminary days together, Perth Priest Fr Sean Fernandez, wrote in The Record this week of Fr Ganni's commitment to his priesthood and his people in Iraq (see Page 2). Fr Ganni had begun serving in Iraq four years ago, where he had been threatened repeatedly. The murders come amid signs
of increasing persecution against Christians, especially in Al-Dora, the district of southern Baghdad, which until now has had a high number of faithful. Archbishop Hickey said that Christianity in Iraq is often identified by Islamic militants as Western, even though it was well established in Iraq centuries before Islam. Reports from international aid organisation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), with which Fr Ganni was involved, stated that constant abductions and violent attacks against Christians, especially against members of the clergy, were putting the Church in great jeopardy. ACN stipulated that Christians were being forced to convert Continued - Page 6
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Under threat: DariChiPnerS of St George's Assyrian Church, Al Dora, in Baghdad survey the damage following a recent N NcF^ attack. A
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Fr Sean Fernandez remembers his murdered Iraqi friend: Page 6 INDEX
Letters Being Heard: Homoactivists The World Reviews: SHREK Classifieds
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DON'T BE SO VICTORIAN
Melbourne author Mary Sullivan, who documented legalised prostitution's disastrous explosion in Victoria, urges WA through The Record not to make the same mistake.