Rats, fleas, famine and sand are just some of the aspects of Fremantle that spoiled Mary Ann Friend’s experience when she visited the Swan River Colony in 1830, according to her researcher Associate Professor Deborah Gare at the University of Notre Dame Australia’s Fremantle Campus. The location of Mrs Friend’s diary has been a mystery for years. Now the journal, which includes maps and ...

Western Australia's most senior clerics gathered together at St Charles Seminary in Guildford to celebrate its Patronal Feast on November 5. Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB was joined by Archbishop Emeritus Barry Hickey, Bishop Donald Sproxton, Bishop Gerard Holohan of Bunbury, Bishop Christopher Saunders of Broome, Bishop Justin Bianchini of Geraldton and the Ordinary of the Personal O...

St Gerard’s, Mirrabooka, has a long his history of parish picnics and on Sunday October 14 the parishioners came together for a moment of communion and friendship on the grounds of St Charles Seminary, Guildford, on the banks of the Swan River. Around two hundred people turned out, enjoying the day’s perfect weather. St Gerard’s provided meat for the BBQ and the parishioners brought sala...

Michael Siciliano Bedbound and suffering from chronic back pain, Michael Siciliano was at a loss as to how to reverse more than four decades worth of damage to his spine. After working for more than 45 years in the stainless steel manufacturing industry, the only position Mr Siciliano could bare without experiencing excruciating in both legs was lying flat on his back. “I was havin...

Every human person has inherent dignity and worth. That is a Christmas message the Archbishop of Perth wants to send during a time when many people are struggling to make ends meet. Archbishop Costelloe SDB held his first LifeLink Christmas appeal earlier this month and said he hoped to raise more than $575,000 to provide support for people in need within the community. “My Christmas ...

Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB received a mantle of different kind from former Perth Archbishop Barry Hickey on November 4. In a two-hour-long ceremony at St Joseph’s Church in Subiaco, Archbishop Costelloe was instituted by Archbishop Emeritus Hickey as the new Grand Prior of the Western Australian Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre. Archbishop Costelloe was join...

Being Catholic in Australia requires great courage and great faith in a society that no longer believes in Christian values says Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB. Speaking at a gathering of Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre recently, the Archbishop of Perth said the challenge of being Catholic would become “ever stronger and ever more demanding” and would require “great faith”. ...

“Don’t forget your iPads kids” may well become a common refrain at the fledgling Hammond Park Catholic Primary School in Success according to plans laid out in the school’s recent newsletter. The school will open its doors for the first time next year, catering for one kindergarten class, but Foundation Principal Chris Cully said HPCPS would be a digitally enabled school from the get-go....

Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB issued a statement on Monday after Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced a Royal Commission into institutions run by church and state. In response to media enquiries this afternoon, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, the Catholic Archbishop of Perth, has indicated that he welcomes the statement by the Prime Minister announcing the establishment of a Royal Com...

Hyperboles and hypotheses may put some people’s mind to the test but, for the students of Our Lady of Grace primary school in North Beach, no pronunciation or puzzle is too problematic. Two teams of seven students in Years 5 and 6 from the school participated in this year’s Tournament of Minds (TOM) national final. Our Lady of Grace language literature team beat seven other schools in...