This year, on 9 May, marked 175 years since Perth became a diocese. The anniversary was not formally celebrated because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB and his curia wished to recognise this significant event. Odhran O’Brien, Director of the Archdiocesan Archives Office, has compiled a short reflection on the diocese’s foundation, which includes extracts from the missionaries who arrived in Western Australia during 1845.

“At the heart of the Plenary Council, in its preparation stage (presently underway), in its celebration stage (the two formal Assemblies) and its implementation stage (to be undertaken at both the national level and, more importantly at the local level), we find the call to, and challenge of, discernment. Both the call and the challenge are captured very well in the fundamental question of the Plenary Council and in the foundational theme of the Plenary Council.

This time of COVID-19 has been a challenge, but it has also been an opportunity for healing and hope.

It is the peace of God given when there seems to be turmoil all around and I need help to find my way through the darkness; it is the grace God gives, embodied in Jesus Christ who rose from the dead offering hope to all of us even if we do not deserve it.

Personal Advocacy Service (PAS) commenced in 1989 on the initiative of parents of people with intellectual disability who wanted their children to receive the sacraments and gain greater spiritual depth in understanding God’s love for them.

We know from her subsequent letter writing, how much Mary relished, the sights and sounds of Fremantle and Perth. From the ship, she was warmly greeted by relatives, including her paternal uncle John Glowrey and his family. John became a Western Australian MLC and was the successful publican of the Palace Hotel on St George’s Tce.

Lifelong learning is a widely accepted part of any worthwhile endeavour and in the rapidly changing situations of 2020, the Centre for Life, Marriage & Family (CLMF) continues to offer support, educate and create resources and help form the lives of others.

Aimed at the laity and spoken in a series of lectures delivered in 1851, the earlier comment reflects St John Henry Newman’s desire for Catholics to know their faith.

The Catechist Service supports Religious Education and Sacrament preparation for the roughly 50 per cent of Catholic primary school-aged children who are not in Catholic schools.

I used to think that there was no point for me to try to become a saint. Being conscious of my selfishness and sin, I had no desire for holiness as I thought it was unattainable. One day, I came across a book that truly changed the way I perceive God’s love and mercy; and hence, the true meaning of holiness.