For Perth couple Sarah Hardy and Damien Beale, a volunteering program in Papua New Guinea (PNG) provided them with many happy memories and the opportunity to put their medical and educational training to good use.

The eRecord this week recounts the life and priestly vocation of an extraordinary man and priest. One who, upon his retirement after 51 years of service, received both an Apostolic Blessing and the Papal Award ‘Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice’ (For Church and Pope) from Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI.

The 2017 Child Protection Breakfast organised by the Archdiocese of Perth was recently held on 5 September at the Duxton Hotel and saw some 200 patrons including dignitaries, schools and lay people attend the event.
Focusing on the theme, Primary Prevention and Stronger Communities, Safer Children, the breakfast coincided with National Child Protection Week (3-9 September), with the safeguarding program highlighting the fundamental belief that children have the right to physical and psychological safety at all times and that the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth must play its part in protecting all children and vulnerable individuals. Commencing with the ‘Safeguarding Song’ debut performed by Teresa and Phillip Stuart-Tuckwell from Wanneroo Parish as well as the John XXIII Treble Choir performance, Bishop Sproxton was invited to say grace and welcomed everyone to the breakfast.

The friendship, lifelong bonds and extraordinary contribution to society of some 180 former Child Migrants were acknowledged at a special reunion lunch in May this year, held to mark the 70th Anniversary of their arrival in Western Australia. One of those child migrants was 75-year-old Mirrabooka parishioner Michael Goodwin, who spoke to The eRecord Assistant Editor Natashya Fernandez about his life since coming to Australia and said that he is very blessed and fortunate to have had a good life. Shipped off to Australia at the age of five on the SS Asturias in 1947 and adopted by an Irish Catholic family, life took many turns for Michael Goodwin. Educated at Iona Presentation Primary School, Mosman Park and later Christian Brothers Fremantle, Mr Goodwin recalled that what he did miss out on was meeting his biological mother who came to Australia looking for him. With the war ending, there was an influx of children, and the Government and [Catholic] Church had to find ways resolve the issue, he said. By Natashya Fernandez.

Having started as a blog for Catholic men, The Catholic Gentleman has turned into a community of more than 100,000 followers worldwide. By Josh Low.

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

The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle announced the appointment of Dr Gervase Chaney as the new Dean of Medicine.

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.

Archdiocese of Perth publications The eRecord and The Record Magazine have last weekend been awarded the 2017 Gutenberg Award at the Australasian Religious Press Association (ARPA) Annual Conference and Awards Night. The eRecord was also awarded Best Design for an Online Publication and Best Education Coverage for an article by Dr Marco Ceccarelli published in Issue three of The Record Magazine (Exploring the dynamic world of digital learning) at the Australasian Catholic Press Conference and Awards Night on Thursday 24 August. The two conferences and award nights were held in Auckland, New Zealand and attended by Archdiocesan Communications Manager and The Record Editor Jamie O’Brien, together with more than 40 fellow journalists and communications professionals from Catholic dioceses and publications across Australia and New Zealand. The ARPA Conference saw some 30 journalists and communications professionals attend across Australia and New Zealand.