A PRELATE SPEAKS: At a special Mass for the Unborn, Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton speaks
out for abortion’s two victims ...
Children and Mothers
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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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Bishop Brady found
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20,000 WA Mass-goers sign up A large number of this State’s Catholics are believed to have stated their opposition to ‘same-sex marriage’ BY ANTHONY BARICH
Historic discovery of skeletal remains raises more questions about the enigma of founding prelate BY PETER ROSENGREN
T
he almost complete skeletal remains of Perth’s first Bishop, John Brady, have been found intact in the French parish cemetery of Amelie-Les-Bains. The result elated researchers from the Archdiocese of Perth, who had acknowledged before they left WA that after 140 years there might be nothing left due to high concentrations of mineral water below ground level in the spa town. However, an excavation of the grave on Friday, 20 March revealed that Perth’s first Bishop, who died in Amelie-Les-Bain in 1872,
had been buried in a zinc-lined coffin that was almost completely intact. After removal of the coffin lid they found that only foot bones were missing. Excavation team member Odhran O’Brien, who had been writing a daily blog on the effort to return the remains of the founding Bishop of Perth from France to the crypt specially reserved for Bishops of Perth under St Mary’s Cathedral, was delighted by the discovery. “I am elated to write today’s blog,” he wrote on the excavation team’s daily website. “The zinc lining had protected the remains inside and when the coffin was opened there Please turn to Page 9
Excavation begins Local French workers, above, begin the excavation of the grave of Perth’s first Bishop, John Brady, after having removed the gravestone.
Success The zinc-lined coffin is finally seen, below left, after two days of painstaking digging. Notre Dame Fremantle Master’s student Odhran O’Brien, at left of photo below, assists Perth archaeologist Fr Robert Cross and Dr Michael Shanahan to sieve material from the gravesite.
PHOTOS: TOP: ODHRAN O’BRIEN; BELOW LEFT: FR ROBERT CROSS; BOTTOM RIGHT: JADE O’BRIEN
UP to 20,000 signatures have been submitted to WA Federal MPs in response to the Australian Bishops’ call to Catholics urging them to protect marriage, according to the Australian Family Association (AFA). The Bishops distributed a petition opposing the legalising of same-sex marriage in December in response to Federal Greens MP Adam Brandt’s successful motion asking members of the House of Representatives to “gauge their constituents’ views on ways to achieve equal treatment for same-sex couples, including marriage” over the Christmas parliamentary break. The AFA has urged that the petitions and letter writing continue until the ALP national conference in November, saying there are lobby groups actively working towards changing the definition of marriage, “so it is most important for us to continue to keep up the pressure on our legislators”. Bunbury Bishop Gerard Holohan was one of the first to distribute the petition Please turn to Page 7
Busselton invites all to rhapsodic celebration THE parish of Busselton is inviting all to come and enjoy a weekend concert of music around the theme of ‘Rhapsody’ to help celebrate the parish’s 125th anniversary. The concert will be held on Sunday, 3 April at 2pm. The artists include pianist Mark Coughlan, supported by WASO violinist Stephanie Dean, local soprano Janet Depiazzi and young pianist, Matthew Ho. The afternoon will see performances of Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, Richard Addinsell’s Warsaw Concerto and works by Liszt and Chopin. Tickets are $25 adult, $20 concession and $15 for students. Afternoon tea is included. Available from Uniting Church office: tel 9752 3304; Catholic Parish office: tel 9752 1687. Busselton’s anniversary celebrations told through pictures. Please turn to Page 17
Search here FOR Catholic clarity See this week’s exciting range of books, DVDs and CDs that provide great resources for Catholic ffamilies am finding their way in today’s world. From The Record Bookshop. Page 20