W E S T E R N A U S T R A L I A’ S A WA R D - W I N N I N G C AT H O L I C N E W S P A P E R S I N C E 1 8 7 4
THE RECORD
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The ‘Enemy’
LET THERE BE LIGHT. HT. PETER QUINN ON THEE ARCHITECTURE OF ST MARY’S. PAGE GE 20
Fr SEAN FERNANDEZ on
URGENT TASK:
PARISH Archbishop Hickey told several hundred people at the Couples for Christ conference last weekend their conference - and the subject of marriage - was so important that both he and Bishop Sproxton attended separately to support it.
Padre Pio relics coming to Perth The first-class relics of one of the greatest mystics of the modern era will be in Perth in August BY BRIDGET SPINKS
RENEWING MARRIAGE
Couples for Christ
BY ANTHONY BARICH AUSTRALIA badly needs the renewal of marriage and family life that family-based ministry Couples For Christ aims to strengthen, Archbishop Barry Hickey told the movement’s 12th Australia Pacific closing Mass at Trinity College in Perth on 11 July. “In Australia, what is so painfully obvious is the collapse of marriage. It’s like a plague,” he said. The fact that his Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton also celebrated the opening Mass of the conference on 9 June spoke to how critical Couples for Christ’s ministry is to the life of the Church and the world, he added. Too often, he said, marriage is no longer considered a life-long commitment but a phase in life, which is symptomatic of a world full of ego, individualism and self-centredness, rather than the other-centred self-giving that marriage requires. Please turn to Page 7
The collapse of marriage across Australia is like a plague, with devastating consequences not only for couples but for children, Archbishop Hickey told more than 300 people attending the Couples for Christ Australia Pacific gathering at Trinity College on 11 July. PHOTO: CNS
COUPLES FOR CHRIST was established in the Philippines in 1981 and has since spread around the world. The movement has a number of associated divisions for children, youth, singles, single women and single men. Its website is: www.couplesforchristglobal.org. The Australian website can be found at: www.cfcaustralia.org.
Fr Ermelindo DiCapua OFM, a Capuchin of San Giovanni Rotondo Italy, spent six years with Saint Padre Pio as his translator. He will visit Perth from 9-15 August as part of a St Padre Pio 2010 Australasian tour and bring relics of the astonishing saint to venerate. The visitation honours the 100th anniversary of St Pio’s ordination to the priesthood. Fr DiCapua will bring the relics to each venue for the faithful to venerate. St Pio (1887-1968) was canonised in 2002.
Marks of a Mystic
“Prayer is the best weapon we have; it is the key to God’s heart. You must speak to Jesus not only with your lips, but with your heart. In fact on certain occasions you should only speak to Him with your heart.” -Padre Pio
Padre Pio was reputed to have the gift of reading souls. In 1947 he told a young Fr Karol Wojtyla he would become Pope. A 1999 book by Malachy Carroll relates how the prayer of the Italian mystic won back sight for Gemma di Giorgi, born without pupils. Fr Ermelindo’s programme: PAGE 2
PARISH
National Marriage Day 2010 NATIONAL MARRIAGE DAY 2010, 13 August, is an initiative of the Australian Family Association to celebrate and promote the importance of marriage and family life to the nation. To mark National Marriage Day, the AFA has organised a national dinner to be held in Sydney on 12 August. For those who can’t make it from interstate, the Association has also launched a rosette-selling programme to help individuals raise funds for their schools or favourite charities. Anyone interested in either the dinner or the rosette programme can find more information on the internet at: www.marriageday.family.org.au.
There was plenty of fun at the Malaysian-Singaporean Catholic Community’s WYD 2011 fundraiser on 3 July. PHOTO: ANTHONY BARICH.
Malay priest turns entrepreneur for WYD BY ANTHONY BARICH THE Malaysian-Singaporean Catholic Community of Australia raised a net figure of $18,000 on 3 July for their own and Aboriginal youth to attend World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid. Comparing it to Jesus’ miracle
of feeding 5,000 people with a basketful of loaves and fishes, organiser Fr Roy Pereira said he prayed for a miracle to feed 600 people for an event planned to only cater for 500. There were so many people, organisers told The Record they Please turn to Page 4
History made as Catholic radio station launches online
St John of God celebrates legacy of pioneering medical nurses
A group of young Sydney Catholics have heeded the call of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI to start an innovative new online radio service, cradio.org.au.
St John of God Hospital in Subiaco opens historical exhibit in its main foyer celebrating the people who made it what it is.
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