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ROSARY CELEBRATION: 1000 people turn up at Bove’s farm Page 3
The Parish. The Nation. The World.
Thursday June ,
Western Australia’s Award-winning Catholic newspaper
Perth, Western Australia ● $1
BY THE NUMBERS: 5000 were confirmed in Sydney last week Page 4
THE DARK SIDE: Latest Star Wars movie is really quite profound Page 7
St Patrick’s crumbles Engineers report Bunbury cathedral will have to be demolished South wall has now moved 350 mm - over 12 inches Bunbury’s St Patrick’s Cathedral will have to be demolished after damage from freak winds a fortnight ago has continued to worsen, it has been confirmed. The south wall of the cathedral has now moved 350 millimetres, or over 12 inches, The historic building is in imminent danger of collapse at any time. Structural engineers who surveyed the continuing decay of the cathedral have also expressed concern for public safety. The fate of the historic 84-year old Cathedral was confirmed by the insurers of the Cathedral following receipt of the report from structural engineers commissioned to survey the damaged building. “The Engineer states in his report that the Cathedral continues to move. New cracks are appearing daily and the original cracks are enlarging at an alarming rate” Bishop Gerard Holohan of Bunbury said last week. “The windows and walls have significant horizontal displacement and the roof has visible signs of deformation… the northern wall has taken on the shape of a dog’s leg. There is a risk of total collapse” he said. Bishop Holohan informed parishioners at Masses on the weekend that structural engineers had said damage was worsening to the extent that it was now too unsafe to undergo further examination and was in danger of collapse at any time. The Bunbury Diocese has lodged an application for demolition to ground level with the City of Bunbury. “The engineer has expressed concern for public safety and has caused additional measures to be taken over and above those already implemented. “The Cathedral has been locked, additional fencing has been installed in case of collapse. Surveillance by security guards has been extended to around the clock,” Bishop Holohan said. He told parishioners he hoped it would not take more than a couple of years to build a new Cathedral.
Candida is Maddington’s May Queen 3 new prolife MPs encouraging ■ By Mark Reidy
Candida D’Silva was crowned May Queen at Holy Family Church’s May Queen Ball in Maddington last Saturday evening. Twenty-two young ladies entered the contest at the ball, which was held to raise funds for the refurbishing of church grounds. Record reporter Kerry Connelly went along to the evening, which was a smash hit for all those who attended. Full story - Page 5
Pro-life supporters were encouraged by the presence of three newly elected state politicians at this year’s Rally for Life at Parliament House in Perth on May 26. Troy Buswell (Member for Vasse), John Castrilli (Bunbury) and Dr Graham Jacobs (Roe) joined over 250 others as Archbishop Barry Hickey, Richard Egan, State President of the National Civic Council, Pastor Rob Furlong from the Church of Christ and several other politicians addressed them. The Rally was chaired by Reverend Dwight Randall, President of the Coalition for the Defence of Human Life, who led the gathering in a minute’s silence for the souls of the 57,000 unborn children who have been put to death in Western Australia since 1998. Mr Randall made the point that if a minutes silence were dedicated to each individual it would have to be maintained for over forty days. Archbishop Hickey explained the legacy of Pope John Paul II who called the world to recognize the culture of death that is has embraced in so many places. However, he said, young people are now responding to this call because they are becoming appalled at the loss of life they see around them through abortions, cloning, drugs, preventable diseases, suicide, violence and war. Pastor Rob Furlong specifically focused on the injustices of the Terri Schiavo case in the US and joined Richard Egan in emphasising the need to fight proposed legislation currently being prepared in WA. Mr. Egan said that the “Medical Treatment for the Dying Discussion Paper” claimed to protect doctors who claimed to provide treatment but Continued - Page 2
YOU CAN HELP!
REAL MEN, STEP FORWARD
As head of the Vatican department responsible for helping the world’s children, Fr Patrick Byrne has seen it all - from child soldiers to trafficking of children. He’ll be in Perth to speak in mid-June and wants to share with listeners ways in which we can help. You should be there
Steven Lawrence won admiration as an AFL star and premiership player for Hawthorn. These days the Sydney University chaplain wants to promote the Theology of the Body
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