At the end of July, Bishop Don Sproxton celebrated the Opening Mass for the 2017 Catholic Schools Performing Arts Festival and spoke about learning beginning from an awareness that there is something more for us to know.
“I am fascinated by the stories I have heard from some of the refugees who have been welcomed to Australia. They are spellbinding, and I leave each encounter wondering how I would have coped in the dreadful situations so many have lived through as they fled their homelands.
When I was a Parish Priest at Mirrabooka, I had the chance to listen to many of these stories. Some were told to me by the Assistant Priests, two of whom were refugees, who ministered with me.”

Just recently, I was reminded of a comment made by a newly-ordained Bishop who, in speaking at the end of the ordination ceremony, remarked that this, his ordination day, was not the most important day of his life. Rather, he insisted, that honour belonged to the day of his baptism.
There is a profound truth being expressed by the Bishop here. We often speak of baptism as the first Sacrament of Initiation, through which we become members of the Church. This is absolutely true. But of course, the significance of this statement lies in what it means to become a member of the Church. Far from being initiated into a club or a human institution of some kind, initiation into the Church through baptism has a deeply personal character.

“The call to service in the Kimberley is a call to serve Christ. It is a commitment to His Mission, His people and His Church… to light up the fire of divine love in others.” Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders.

For those looking for an opportunity to give back to the community and to work with the locals in remote areas, volunteering at the Kimberley Catholic Volunteer Service in the Diocese of Broome brings about a special closeness that one has to experience.
For volunteers John Chitty and Jan Gorza, who have been up to Kalumburu in the Kimberley not once but more than four times, have only wonderful memories about the place and the community. In an interview with The eRecord, the two recount their time spent in Kalumburu, the many memories created and say that everyone should give volunteering a go, at least once. Hailing from Baker’s Hill in Western Australia, 74-year old Mr Chitty said heading up to Kalumburu had always been a life-long wish. By Natashya Fernandez.

Most of the mayhem wreaked by the figurine-haunting demon at the centre of the horror prequel Annabelle: Creation is restrained. Yet, as the film progresses, director David Sandberg and his collaborators allow their imagery to become briefly but disturbingly graphic. Accordingly, only those grown moviegoers willing to brave flashes of intense gore should say hello to this particular dolly. By John Mulderig.

With millions of people fleeing persecution and poverty around the globe, nations must expand options to enable migrants and refugees to cross their borders safely, Pope Francis has said. “The principle of the centrality of the human person, firmly stated by my beloved predecessor, Benedict XVI, obliges us to always prioritise personal safety over national security,” Pope Francis wrote in his message for the World Day of Refugees 2018.

Leaders of the only three communities established for former Anglicans who sought communion with the Catholic Church will meet for the first time in Australia this month. Monsignor Keith Newton of the Ordinariate in the United Kingdom, Bishop Steven Lopes of the Ordinariate in the United States and Australia’s own Ordinary Monsignor Harry Entwistle will meet in Brisbane at the end of August. By Emilie Ng, The Catholic Leader.

Catholic Youth Ministry’s (CYM) ‘Endless Wonder’ themed Ball saw some 100 young Catholics from across Perth come together for a night of festivities.

It was a momentous day for all past, present and future students, teachers and alumni to revel in the 50 year anniversary celebration of Our Lady’s Assumption (OLA) School Dianella last week on 17 August. Emeritus Archbishop Barry Hickey celebrated Mass to mark the occasion, together with Parish Priest Father Kenneth D’Souza and former Parish Priest Fr Benedict Quadros. Principal for OLA, Mrs Therese Bandy, who was a member of the OLA community and teacher in 2005, was particularly privileged to be celebrating this milestone with all present.“Fifty years of Catholic education is a significant milestone and we are very proud to be celebrating with you. A Catholic education was the dream of our founding Parish Priest Fr Patrick O’Mara and we are grateful for his vision,” she said. By Natashya Fernandez.

Conversation, communication and coordinator are the three Cs that are integral to Margaret and Denham Boulger’s 50 years of marriage but what ties it all together is keeping the biggest C – Christ in the middle of it all.
In an interview with The eRecord, the couple spoke about the Sacrament of Marriage, the challenges faced and how being on the same page with a focus on Christ and the Church at all times is important to both of them.
Mr and Mrs Boulger celebrated their 50th Anniversary together with 143 other couples at the Annual Marriage Day Mass held on Saturday 12 August.
The Mass was celebrated by Archbishop of Perth Timothy Costelloe SDB and concelebrated with priests from across the Archdiocese.
The two country towners from Albany now living in Perth and from Highgate Parish, Mr Boulger or Bob as he is fondly known, said his first encounter with Mrs Boulger was a tough one. “I used to see Margaret at Mass, I was one of the collection takers and every time I went up to her, I’d get nervous,” he laughed.

Anyone who’s endured the ignominy of grinding poverty with an alcoholic, out-of-work parent understands that there’s nothing ennobling about the experience. It’s something to endure, to escape if one can. The screen version of Jeannette Walls’ 2005 account of her impoverished youth entitled The Glass Castle, the viewer sees a cheery gloss on everything, as if all the excruciating history was somehow not as bad as it seems.