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W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a’ s awa 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
We d n e s d a y, 1 7 A u g u s t 2 0 11
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At a packed ceremony, archbishop urges ordinands to adapt to changing society
Priests face new realities By Robert Hiini Priests need to reach out to young people growing up in dysfunction and at risk of violence, Archbishop Barry Hickey told Perth’s three newest priests at their ordination on 12 August. The world had changed dramatically since he was ordained 52 years ago and priests needed to adapt their age-old mission of being Christ in the world to new realities, he said. “It seems to me [times then] were simpler, I don’t know, but the world of today is so full of suffering: dysfunctional families; children growing up not knowing if they are loved of not,” he said. “Children are being shaken free when they should be given love and find that they get caught up in fights, in violence; in the sins of other people. “So have a care for the young people as they are growing up and be attentive to their sufferings.” St Mary’s Cathedral was near full as the family and friends of Mark Payton, Chris Webb and Thomas Zureich, as well as many priests and well-wishers, witnessed their ordination. The rector of St Charles Seminary, Monsignor Kevin Long vouched for their worthiness before the three pledged to preach the Gospel, to minister the sacraments, and to be obedient. They lay prostrate as the congregation invoked the prayers of the angels and the saints. As the candidates knelt before him, the archbishop extended his arms, laying hands on their heads in conferral of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Clergy prayed over them before they were vested with stole and chasuble by their families. The archbishop anointed each man’s palms with the Oil of Chrism, the same oil used at Baptism and Confirmation. The archbishop knelt at the conclusion of mass, to receive a blessing from each newly ordained priest. The dean of St Mary’s Cathedral, Mgr Michael Keating, said it was great that about 60 priests had turned out to welcome the three men into the fold: “It was marvellous. I think they’re coming to a very good diocese. We wish them well and we wish God’s blessing on them.”
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Journey to Madrid runs through the Sacred Heart By Bridget Spinks
Archbishop Barry Hickey kneels in St Mary’s Cathedral to receive a blessing from newly ordained priest Mark Payton, one of three priests ordained for the Perth archdiocese. More photos - Pages 10-11 photo: peter rosengren
Michael Burke of the parish of Rockingham, Rebecca Thomas of Glendalough and Robin Rosario of Mirrabooka were among a group of 30 Australians to visit Paray-leMonial, in France, as part of their pre-World Youth Day pilgrimage. Christ famously appeared to St Margaret Mary Alacoque in this small picturesque city more than 300 years ago, revealing to her his Sacred Heart: a “heart full of love for all mankind”. Devotion to the Sacred Heart has become one of the most well-known and popular of all Catholic pious practices. The Paray-le-Monial gathering, from 12-15 August, was organised by one of the newest movements in the Catholic Church, the Emmanuel Community. The chaplain for the Emmanuel Community’s Australian contingent, Fr Peter-Damien McKinley, celebrated private masses for the pilgrims on 9 and 10 August – the feast days of the martyrs St Edith Stein and St Lawrence respectively. He encouraged them to be attentive to God’s call in their lives. A mini-pilgrimage was made to to the Paray-le-Monial cemetery where Pierre Goursat, who founded the Emmanuel Community in 1972, was buried in 1991. Fr Peter-Damien, who has been a member of the community since 1989, gave a personal testimony and introduction to the founder. Goursat had a great devotion to Our Lady and to Christ through Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and to the mass, Fr Peter-Damien said, emphasising there was never a plan for him to found the community on his own strength; instead, it grew out of a Parisian charismatic prayer group. From a small advertisement in a local newspaper, Goursat, then a film critic, met a young medical student, Martine Laffitte and began a school of prayer. Their prayer group of less than 10 people became the catalyst for the Emmanuel Community, quickly swelling to about 500 members. Soon offshoot prayer groups were meeting regularly in Vezelay, a site linked to the veneration of St Mary Magdalene, who washed the feet of Jesus. Continued on Page 5
Indulgences for World Youth Day – if you pray To encourage prayers for a spiritually fruitful World Youth Day, Pope Benedict XVI has authorised a special indulgence for anyone who “with a contrite spirit” raises a “prayer to God, the Holy Spirit, so that young people are drawn to charity and given the strength to proclaim the Gospel with their life,”. The Vatican announced that the decree included the offer of a plenary, or full, indulgence to all the young people who will gather with the pope in Madrid. World Youth Day runs from 16-21 August in the Spanish capital; the pope arrives
Contrite spirit key to pilgrims evangelising with their lives, says Pope Benedict XVI. on 18 August. An indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment a person is due for sins that have been forgiven. The conditions necessary for receiving a plenary indulgence include having recently gone to
confession, receiving the Eucharist and offering prayers for the intentions of the pope. Pope Benedict decreed that World Youth Day participants could receive a plenary indulgence if they participated with prayerful devotion in any sacred event or “pious exercise” as well as attend the closing Mass, receive the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist and offer prayers for the pope’s intentions. The decree, signed by Cardinal Fortunato Baldelli, head of the Vatican office that deals with indul-
gences, said a partial indulgence was also available to all Catholics who were contrite for their sins and offered their prayers with the pope for young Catholics. The cardinal asked priests around the world to make themselves available to hear the confessions of those wanting indulgence and to encourage public prayers for the success of World Youth Day. In central Madrid’s Buen Retiro Park, 200 portable confessionals will be set up for confessions. The pope is due to hear confessions at the park on 20 August. CNS
Benedict XVI greets pilgrims at Castel Gandolfo, Italy. photo: CNS/Paul Haring