People wanting to know more about Indigenous spirituality were given the opportunity through a series of Perth workshops. By Caroline Smith.

Transmitting the word of God through the mainstream media has been a labour of love for Shalom World TV, an international television network which started in 2014 and is now planning to start regular productions in Australia from September 2017.
Shalom World TV emerged from the Indian network, Shalom Television, which began in 2005, promoting the work of local parishes and providing other faith-specific programs for not just Catholics, but for all people, transmitted in the regional Malayalam language.
Nine years later, it was decided that this work could be expanded to other countries in English, and Shalom World TV was set up, with its headquarters in Texas, USA. Since then, production centres have opened in the United Kingdom, Vatican City, Ireland and Canada.
Programs available through Shalom World TV include interviews, talk shows, movies, concerts, and coverage of live events – often from the Vatican. By Caroline Smith.

A parish is a place where people walk side-by-side with Jesus, and represent God’s community in the world, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB told attendees at a recent Mass to mark the 50th anniversary of blessing and opening of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Nollamara. The Mass, held on Sunday 24 September, brought together a church full of parishioners past and present, and was celebrated by Archbishop Costelloe and con-celebrated by Parish Priest Father Stanislaw Bendkowski SDS, Fr Laurence Murphy SDS and Fr Vincent Glynn. In his homily, Archbishop Costelloe said that such an anniversary was both a time of celebration and reflection on the nature of Catholic community at both parish and universal levels. “This anniversary is an occasion for gratitude, for acknowledgment, and for hope. I think it’s also an occasion for us as a Christian community to reflect on just why it is that we come to church week after week,” he said. By Caroline Smith.

With more than 20 years of dedicated work in the Archdiocese of Perth, Miriam Romiti has been well-placed to observe how it has changed and flourished. Mrs Romiti, who was Office Manager at the Catholic Pastoral Centre in Highgate, has now retired from the role after 12 years, and said she has really enjoyed working with the diverse groups and Church employees based there. “I’ve worked with quite a few agencies through the Pastoral Centre. The Centre for Liturgy were here when I started back in 2005, and I loved helping with some of the liturgy projects they had,” she said. “I also enjoyed working with the Justice Ecology and Development Office (formerly the Social Justice Office). “Overall I’ve learned a lot about liturgy and social justice and people, and it’s been a very varied role.” Before joining the Pastoral Centre, Mrs Romiti was Secretary at Mirrabooka Parish, St Gerard Majella Church, where she worked alongside former Parish Priests, Father Geoff Aldous and Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton. By Caroline Smith.

An ‘inclusive’ Mass held each month in Morley is helping people with disabilities to take a more active role in the liturgy. By Caroline Smith.

In addition to being the ‘father’ of three monotheistic faiths – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – Abraham is also a model of the welcoming behaviour that we should show to others, including strangers and outsiders. This message was the focal point of Abraham Day, celebrated last week at the University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA), with keynote speakers from each of the three communities: Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, Rabbi Dovid Freilich from Perth Hebrew Congregation, and Sheikh Muhammad Agherdien, Teacher at Langford Islamic College. The event, held on Thursday 14 September, carried the theme ‘Abraham: Welcoming and Standing Up for the Other’, and was the second Abraham Day hosted at UNDA, following its launch last year. Addressing attendees in the Drill Hall in Fremantle, Archbishop Costelloe said people of faith should challenge themselves to welcome others in a genuine and caring fashion. By Caroline Smith.

Students from Emmanuel Catholic College enjoyed a program of cultural immersion last month when they visited the Kimberley. By Caroline Smith.

A Quiz Night supporting the work and services of Pregnancy Assistance held this month attracted some 160 people. By Caroline Smith.

From 1 to 28 June this year, Dr Lawrence Pang, who teaches Old Testament Theology at the University of Notre Dame Australia Fremantle campus, visited the Tantur Ecumenical Institute as part of his being a 2017 BJ Hickey Scholarship recipient. By Caroline Smith.

Pope Francis’ teachings on love in his exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, are guided by his wider focus on mercy and compassion, but reinforce the pivotal role of marriage and family in the Catholic Church, Irish theologian Professor Eamonn Conway told attendees at a recent lecture. By Caroline Smith.