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Archbishop backs Perth Christian Radio
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Drama teaches Perth’s Polish Catholic youth John Paul II’s philosophy of life
BY GLYNNIS GRAINGER COMOBASED Christian radio station 98.5 Sonshine FM counts Archbishop Barry Hickey as a gold donor - practically and in spirit. “Archbishop Hickey has contributed a lot to Sonshine FM, both morally and in a practical way – financially – the huge crowd with World Youth Day ’08 in Perth – we were involved with that,” Sonshine’s Development Manager Jill Bonanno said. “He just had time for everyone. He was very good on air. He has been involved with Sonshine FM for a long time and has been a real friend of the station and gave the most towards this building. “We are getting him to do a campaign on air, do an endorsement on TV camera and our Facebook page when he gets back in February.” Sonshine FM celebrated its 23rd anniversary on Australia Day, 26 January. Colin Waddell is the general manager and Arthur Muhl the breakfast announcer and programme director, with many other staff in the two-year-old building. Please turne to Page 5
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Attadale plans a new church ATTADALE’S St John Pignatelli parish is the latest community to start planning the construction of a new parish church after a parishioner donated 1.2 million dollars last year. The donation was given on the condition that it is only used on the new church, Attadale parish priest and columnist, Fr Sean Fernandez told The Record. The current church, which was built in 1954, was intended to function as a hall. Fr Fernandez said he hopes to have the new church built in the next four years. As well as planning for the new church, Fr Fernandez said he is trying to organise events for the young people at the parish and is hoping to get a youth group started.
Vietnamese to be ordained
Perth Catholic Polish youth perform a play as part of SCENA 98, the production company founded by Fr Tomasz Bujakowski OFM as part of his pastoral outreach to young people. Having studied Pope John Paul II’s philosophy writings at the seminary in Poland, the chaplain to Perth’s Polish Catholic community helps their youth re-connect with their heritage using the medium that helped form the late Pope’s thinking. STORY; PLUS HOW PERTH’S FOUR POLISH FRANCISCANS WITNESSED COMMUNISM’S WAR WITH THE CHURCH IN POLAND, PAGES 1011
TWO Vietnamese men will soon be ordained - one to the diaconate and one to the priesthood. Seminarian Tai Trinh, 31, will be ordained to the Diaconate for Geraldton Diocese on 5 February at All Saints Church, Greenwood. Deacon Quynh Huy Nhat Do, 35, was incardinated to the Diocese of Perth on 6 January and will be ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Perth on 4 March. Interviews - Page 3
Experienced hand, missionary families, to build Baldivis Archdiocese calls on experienced priest, Neocatechumenal families and clergy as it builds a new parish from the ground up BY BRIDGET SPINKS FATHER Geoffrey Aldous, the first parish priest for the newly
established parish of Baldivis, celebrated Christmas Eve Mass in a local government school last year. There is neither a Catholic school nor a parish church in the area as yet, but up to 130 people attended the Mass at Settler’s Primary School in Settler’s Green, one of the Baldivis estates. Fr Geoffrey Aldous invited all the parishioners of Perth’s newest parish to write down their contact details and has since then been visiting all the parishioners in the area. “It’ll be a while before the build-
ings get going; the most important thing is to get people together,” he said. “I’ve visited 20 odd families since Christmas and they’re very keen to get going.” Parishioners are getting ready to find a place where they can have a regular Sunday Mass and there seems to be a lot of enthusiasm for that, he said. Archbishop Barry Hickey canonically erected the parish of Baldivis on 8 December last year and appointed Fr Aldous, one of Perth’s
most experienced priests, as parish priest on the same day. The parish area is about 16km of rural or semi-rural land, Fr Geoffrey told The Record. It reaches as far north as Kwinana and as far south as Bunbury diocese’s Mandurah parish. The urban part is developing rapidly and the population is projected to grow to 42,000 by 2030, he said. Before this parish was established, Rockingham, Port Kennedy and Kwinana were the closest par-
Due to be released at cinemas later this month, The Rite tells the true story of a young American priest sent to Rome in 2005 to study to become a diocesan exorcist. Journalist Mat Baglio’s account of the experiences and transformation of a young priest uncertain what to think about the existence of evil into an exorcist who confronts satanic beings in the name of Christ is gripping and yet not sensationalised. Readers will find the story of a priest’s education inspiring and heartening. $23 from The Record Bookshop
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ishes. “It’s not as though they can’t get to Mass; it’s a 10-15 minute drive at most. But it’s nice to have a place to call your own and build community,” he said. Fr Geoffrey came to Baldivis to take up the new appointment after spending three and a half years on loan to Geraldton Diocese as administrator of the Cathedral parish. The newly established diocesan parish on the outskirts of Perth’s Archdiocese will work with three Please turn to Page 8