the Record
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
We d n e s d a y, 2 3 N o v e m b e r 2 0 11
the
P a r i s h . t h e N at i o n . t h e W o r l d .
CHRISTMAS CATALOGUE
$2.00
therecord.com.au
Rebuilding the future
How development aid brings hope - Page 14
Family resources, gifts - Pages 9–12
15 years on, thousands of women helped, and the need is ever greater
To save a life is to save the world
By Robert Hiini
FOR 15 years, the volunteers and staff of Pregnancy Assistance have been reassuring women they can choose to keep their unborn babies and can count on being supported. Often it was the only affirmation some women got, said long-term volunteer Helen Sawyer. “Sometimes abortion feels like the more viable option but, in their heart-of-hearts, women know it’s
not the way to go,” she said. “It’s being able to say to a woman, ‘It’s okay to have your baby; you can do it; let us help you; we’ll stand by you,’ that makes all the difference.” Sometimes women with unplanned pregnanices did not hear that from those around them; instead, people “sit on the fence”. “The women hear, ‘We’ll support you whatever your decision,’ which a lot of the time sounds like, ‘Sorry, you’re on your own’.”
Ms Sawyer said her experience was that a woman’s loved ones would usually rally to support her once she had signalled her resolve to keep her baby. She has been a volunteer at Pregnancy Assistance, located in a modest house on Lord Street, East Perth, since it was founded in 1996 through the combined efforts of herself, Sharon Balsarini, AnneMarie Langdon and Brian Peachey. They were inspired to take direct
action to help pregnant women, after Archbishop Barry Hickey made a public pledge that no woman should ever feel she needed to have an abortion due to financial pressure or lack of support. While abortion is a hot-button political issue, inflaming passions across the ideological spectrum, Ms Sawyer said her main interest was attending to the personal needs of women and their babies. “My work remains the same,” she
said of her role, counselling women and providing practical support after birth. The need has never been greater. In 1998, two years after Pregancy Assistance was established, the West Australian parliament legalised abortion on demand (Victoria followed suit in 2008). This year the centre has offered help to more than 1000 women. Continued on Page 4
Robert
Deacons Antonio Scala, Marcelo Gonzalez and Wilson Martins present themselves in St Mary’s Cathedral on the evening of Friday 18 November for ordination to the priesthood.
PHOTO: R HIINI
Drugs and despair: priests’ new job description By Sarah Motherwell SUICIDE, drug abuse and false directions in society are among the issues confronting newly ordained priests in Australia today, Archbishop Barry Hickey warned during his homily at the ordination of three new priests for the Perth archdiocese. “You were ordained for today, for
today’s times and conditions,” said the archbishop in a speech touching on topical social and economic issues confronting modern society. Among the challenges the new priests would face, the archbishop nominated an increasing drug culture among young people and a high suicide rate. Deacons Antonio Scala, Marcelo Parra Gonzalez and Wilson
Donizetti Martins were ordained to the priesthood after studying at the Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary in Morley for the past several years. All three are part of the Neocatechumenal Way movement, under whose auspices Redemptoris Mater is administered. At the ordination ceremony, held at St Mary’s Cathedral on Friday 18
November, traditional hymns and prayers accompanied by organ were interspersed with the distinctive Spanish music of the Way. The congregation, many of whom were members of the Way, almost lifted the roof off the cathedral with their singing. Artist Kiko Argüello founded the Neocatechumenal Way in the slums of Madrid in 1963; the
Way dedicates itself to providing a post-baptismal itinerary of adult Christian faith. The organisation was officially approved by the Holy See in 2008. Described as one of the more charismatic formations in the Catholic Church, it is estimated to have more than a million followers worldwide. Continued on Page 6