Many call him ‘John Paul the Great.’ This week, eight women talk about why they think this old Polish Pope knew more than most about... VISTA 2&3
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THE RECORD
St Patrick's Day Mass: St Mary’s Cathedral, 17 March, 10.30am Be there as Archbishop Barry Hickey presides over a long-awaited event “Be indefatigable in your purpose and with undaunted spirit resist iniquity and try to conquer evil with good, having before your eyes the reward of those who combat for Christ.” -Bishop Matthew Gibney 1874
the Parish. the Nation. the World.
www.therecord.com.au
Smith orders diplomats to help look for missing orphans
Western Australia’s award-winning Catholic newspaper since 1874 - Wednesday 10 March 2010
Perth, Western Australia $2
Mary protects her Immaculate Friars “I grabbed the Blessed Sacrament... and ran,” Franciscan says of Wattleup fire.
The ugly reality of sex trafficking seems to be behind the kidnapping of 50 Karen children. Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister has BY ANTHONY BARICH National Reporter Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has mobilised the Australian Embassy in Bangkok to liaise with the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs to help find 50 children feared abducted for sexual trafficking from a Perth-funded Thai orphanage. Mr Smith told Archbishop Hickey in a letter sent on 2 March that One Heart Association member Adelia Bernard’s account of the children’s disappearance was “gravely disturbing”. Mr Smith said the Australian Embassy in Bangkok contacted the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs as soon as his office received Archbishop Hickey’s letter. “The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concern for the children and has already begun to consult with relevant Thai agencies,” the Foreign Minister said in the letter. “I would also like to take this opportunity to commend the One Heart Foundation (which has raised $700 a month over the past six years for the orphanage), especially [Presentation] Sisters Cecilia and Consuela, for the compassion and life-preserving assistance they have given to the children at the Sang Khan Buri orphanage. “Thank you for bringing this case to the attention of the Government. I assure you we will continue to work with the Thai Government to seek answers about the disappearance and ensure that you and the One Heart Foundation are kept updated.” For Foreign Minister’s reply came after Archbishop Hickey wrote to him on 15 February seeking urgent help in finding the orphans aged 10-13 and were believed to have been kidnapped in a highly orchestrated operation on 28 December. Mrs Bernard, a parishioner of St Joseph’s parish in Midland, has worked for over 30 years for the Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR) established by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Thailand in 1978.
Flames race towards the Franciscan Friary in Munster on 1 March. The three Franciscan Friars who were on the property at the time grabbed the bare essentials, including the Blessed Sacrament, before escaping. They believe urgent prayers and Mary’s intercession saved their residence from going up PHOTOS: CHANNEL TEN NEWS in smoke.
BY ANTHONY BARICH National Reporter
T
hree Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate narrowly escaped from having their Munster friary and five-acre property being burned to the ground as fires raged around Wattleup on 1 March. And while they would be the first to admit they couldn’t prove it, they have no doubt that their prayers to Mary stopped their Munster Friary from going up in flames. Frs Joseph Michael Mary McShane, Andre Mary Feain and Friar Cyprian Mary Costello looked out their windows at 3.05pm to see the fire across the street racing towards their property. Authorities believe the fire was deliberately lit. As temperatures soared to 35C and flames surged to an estimated 18 metres in height, police evacuated nearby properties. However the friars didn’t wait to be told to abandon their Our Lady Gate of Heaven Mission in Munster. “When I first saw the fires my heart sank. I realised very quickly that it was quite serious as it was so close and I knew we’d be in great danger,” Fr Joseph, 46, told The Record. “The most important thing was that we saved our lives, so I grabbed the Blessed Sacrament, my ordination chalice, a statue of Our Lady of Fatima and some documents and ran.” Before leaving the three friars put an image of the Divine Mercy on the window facing
A helicopter dumps water on the Wattleup fire which burned down six sheds and threatened electricity supplies on 1 March. Authorities believe the fire was deliberately lit.
the fire and a statue of Our Lady that their visiting founder Fr Gabriel Maria Pellettieri blessed last week out on the lawn facing the flames before leaving, and closed all the doors and windows. They also quickly sprinkled holy water around the property and asked the Blessed Virgin to protect the house. The fire, which burned through 31,000ha, crossed the firebreak onto their property,
and helicopters dropped water onto it. Three helitacs and 17 fire trucks attended the scene as six nearby sheds burned down and the Western Power sub-station was under threat. “We were very blessed. We could’ve lost everything,” Fr Joseph said. Please turn to Vista 4 Friars bring Kelmscott parish, surrounds, together with special Marian Day - Vista 4