By Jamie O’Brien and Phil Bayne
Today we commemorate not only the publication of a book, but the celebration of a long and meaningful history; a story that deserves to be told and remembered, Perth Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton has said.
Speaking at the launch of the publication, Knights of the Southern Cross in Western Australia 1922 – 2022, Saturday 30 Mary at Frasers Resturant, Bishop Sproxton explained that for over a century the Knights of the Southern Cross have played a quiet yet significant role in the life of the Church and the wider community here in Western Australia.
“Their contribution has always been highly visible and deeply influential, built on faith, loyalty, and a strong sense of brotherhood,” Bishop Sproxton said.
“From their earliest days, the Knights were formed to support Catholic men in living out their faith with courage and conviction, particularly at a time when doing so was not always easy,” he told the large group of Knights, family, friends, and supporters gathered to celebrate the launch.
“Over the years, that mission has continued to evolve, but its heart has remained the same – to strengthen the church, to support one another, and to serve the common good.
“What stands out in reflecting on their history,” he continued, “is the spirit with which this work has been carried out. The Knights have consistently embodied values such as generosity, integrity, and perseverance.”
Sports presenter and sporting identity Adrian Barich served as MC for the occasion, paying homage to his father, John Barich, a respected Knight remembered for his commitment to faith, family and community life in Western Australia.
Following the launch Archdiocese of Perth’s Centre for Faith Enrichment Director, Dr Marco Ceccarelli, who served as primary Editor, Archives and Information Governance Director, Mr Odhran O’Brien and former ABC journalist, Peter Kennedy, discussed various milestones of the one-hundred-year story supported by excerpts read from the book.
Dr Ceccarelli said the book reveals how ordinary lay Catholics played an extraordinary role in shaping WA’s social and faith landscape.
“Founded in Western Australia in 1922, the Knights of the Southern Cross operated privately and quietly for four decades, focused on service rather than public recognition,’ Dr Ceccarelli explained,
“As a result, many of these contributions were never widely documented publicly or online. This book helps uncover the people behind initiatives and institutions many Western Australians know today but may never have realised were supported by generations of Catholic laymen.’
In his closing address of appreciation, Knights of the Southern Cross Councillor Tristan Kolay said his involvement with the Knights had personally provided him with faith formation, fellowship and a genuine opportunity to serve others.
Within the community of Western Australia, he referenced the order’s contribution to youth leadership through the Knights Catholic Leadership Academy, aged care through Southern Cross Care, the approximately 500 teachers and seminarians who have benefited from education foundation scholarships in theology, the organ restoration project at St Mary’s Cathedral, and the financial, logistical and personal support provided to parishes, priests, seminarians, youth and families in need.
“Together, we can further encourage and strengthen these good works as a family in faith,” he concluded.
Contributors to Knights of the Southern Cross In Western Australia 1922 – 2022 included Dr Robert M Andrews, Dr Nicholas D. Brodie, Dr Michael Francis, Dr Jeff Kildea, Dr Josephine Laffin, Dr Angela McCarthy, Clement Mulcahy, Dr Marco Ceccarelli, Odhran O’Brien, Peter Kennedy AM, John Dwyer, Nigel Hayward, W. Peter D. Lewis, Dr George Sekulla and John Walczak.
Founded in Western Australia in 1922 during a period of widespread sectarian discrimination, the Knights originally emerged to support Catholics facing exclusion from employment and public life.
More than a century later, the book reveals how that same organisation helped leave a lasting imprint on education, healthcare, aged care and community life across Western Australia.
Copies of the Knights of the Southern Cross in Western Australia 1922–2022 are now available at: https://go.kscwa.au/100yearhistorybook