A Catholic community is one that looks beyond its own needs and wants, said Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton at the Indonesian Catholic Community of Perth (ICCP) 28th anniversary Mass on Sunday 15 November.

Twenty-five years ago, on 17 November 1995, a 40-year-old Father Philip Perreau stood before family and friends at the Saint Mary’s Cathedral sanctuary as a newly ordained priest of the Archdiocese of Perth.

A special concert event was held last Sunday, 15 November, at St Mary’s Cathedral, dubbed Con-Celebration – for the retirement of Dr Nicholas Bannan, Associate Conductor and internationally renowned composer.

The Plenary Council is a “mission of love”, says Mercy Sister Kerry Willison RSM, Director of the Archdiocesan Centre for Liturgy, who was the keynote speaker during one of the six Plenary Council seminars held recently on 5 November at Newman Siena Centre

Plenary Council delegates have gathered on 4 November for yet another opportunity to pray, discern and reflect as they prepare to represent the voices of the Perth Catholic community.

A spirit of common commitment to catechetical ministry and an acknowledgement of the integral role catechists play in the Church were the central theme as 62 catechists were commissioned last week.

The vast rusty bulk of the old water tower at St Charles’ Seminary, with its heavy timber beams and flaking steel, seems more like something found in an English, Victorian era industrial town rather than the green, overgrown banks of the Swan.

A group of Year 12 Children, Family and Community (CFC) Mercedes College students have last month gifted backpacks to Operation Sunshine Western Australia (OSWA).

The role of Parish Priests in supporting Perth Catholics in becoming Saints, with all their gifts and limitations, was the key message delivered by the Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB at the installation Mass of the new Parish Priest for Canning Vale Parish, Father Jean-Noël Antoine Marie.

The story of the Good Samaritan took centre stage at a special liturgical service for Parish Priests and representatives in advance of the official launch of the Archbishop’s Christmas Appeal for LifeLink 2020.

A resource designed to inspire others to enter into a relationship with God and encourage reconciliation between the Catholic and indigenous communities in Perth . . .

The recently installed Perth Consul of Italy Nicolò Costantini met with Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB on Thursday 17 September at the Office of the Archbishop to discuss issues that affect the local Catholic and Italian communities.

People of various ethnic backgrounds and nationalities gathered in one faith to mark the annual Cultural Diversity Mass on Saturday 24 October.

Attendees joined Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton at Newman Siena Centre on Thursday 15 October for a Twilight Retreat inspired by the Social Justice Statement 2020-21: To live life to the full, Mental Health in Australia Today.

The dry heat of Kambarang, Nyoongar Season of Birth, could be felt at St Mary’s Cathedral last Sunday as members of Perth’s indigenous and Catholic communities came together to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of Aboriginal peoples and culture at the 2020 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mass.

Catholic School Parents Western Australia (CSPWA) acknowledged five categories of individuals, groups, and a parish, in appreciation of their significant contribution to work collaboratively with their schools and parishes to provide a Catholic education to help all children reach their full potential.

Spring sunshine warmed the grounds at St Francis Xavier Church in East Perth on 18 October as the Emmanuel Centre community gathered to celebrate Mass and a ceremony to bless the centre’s new memorial garden, as a place of remembrance for the dearly departed members of the Emmanuel community – a self-help centre for people with a disability, their families and carers.

The intertwined relationship of mental health and poverty was the spotlight at the Anti-Poverty Week (APW) Ecumenical Service, held at Highgate Parish on 14 October.

Saintly wisdom was freely offered to some 130 guests attending “Trust and Love in Troubled Times, Drawing Inspiration from St Louie, St Zélie and St Thérèse”, a one-day spiritual retreat spearheaded by Catholic Mission, held at Infant Jesus Church, Morley Parish, on Thursday 1 October.

Saint Charles’ seminarian Nicholas Diedler has been formally received as a candidate for Ordination, seven years since first answering the call to a priestly vocation.

The Maida Vale Parish community celebrated the patronal feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi on 4 October in a dedicated Sunday morning Mass.

The Archdiocese’s Centre for Life Marriage & Family (CLMF) has recently introduced its latest resource – an Advent reflection journal – which aims to aid in spiritual enrichment among the faithful as Christmas draws near.

Leading and highly respected Australian physician, educator and one of the founders of the University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA), Professor Michael Quinlan AO, has passed away in Perth on 2 October 2020.

Perth Catholics can expect a day of prayer, reflection, listening and discussion at an upcoming free seminar, which will provide an insight to one of six Plenary Council (PC) thematic Discernment papers, this time discussing the question “How is God calling us to be a Christ-centred Church in Australia that is ‘Prayerful and Eucharistic’?”.

Gathering in the name of Jesus, more than 100 worshippers congregated for Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral on Sunday 4 October to witness the commissioning of 12 local delegates who have the privilege of representing the Archdiocese of Perth in the upcoming Plenary Council (PC) as representatives of religious congregations and other Church bodies.

A world that looks beyond a global pandemic with no roadmap can find one in Pope Francis’ new encyclical, which Archbishop Mark Coleridge says “is not just for believers but for the entire human family”.

Bassendean parishioner Xavier Jarvis is the new Organ Scholar at St Mary's Cathedral Parish after successfully securing a one-year scholarship grant.

The upcoming commissioning of 12 Perth Plenary Council (PC) delegates this Sunday, 4 October, at St Mary’s Cathedral will be a great opportunity for Perth Catholics to embrace and give the delegates prayerful support and encouragement, as they receive their blessing and commit to their roles.

As a small boy growing up in the Philippines, Father Benny Calanza wanted to be a pilot or a dentist, little knowing the amazing adventure that the Lord had planned for his life.

Dozens of priests, deacons and seminarians convened for the annual clergy Mass on Tuesday 22 September 2020.

The Shopfront, the Archdiocese’s social welfare service that started 20 years ago in Maylands, has new premises that were officially launched and blessed on 18 September.

Moora parishioners at Jurien Bay have this month gathered for the blessing and burying of its foundation stone, which marks the location of the much-anticipated church, on 6 September.

Catholic Performing Arts Festival participants and educators gathered on Thursday 17 September at St Mary’s Cathedral for a joyful celebration of the Liturgy of the Word.

Speaking on an issue vexing enough for experienced Christians to comprehend, let alone teenagers and students, Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton visited Iona Presentation College last Thursday, 17 September, to give a presentation to Year 12 Religion and Life ATAR pupils on the topic of Voluntary Assisted Dying.

Every child is “Elizabeth Grace” in the recently-published Archdiocesan Safeguarding children’s storybook, God gave Elizabeth Grace the Right to Feel Safe.

The Perth Catholic community is invited to attend the commissioning of the Archdiocese of Perth Plenary Council delegates during Mass at 11am on Sunday 4 October at St Mary’s Cathedral.

The Perth Catholic community united on 13 September for the 2020 Child Protection Week Mass, recognising the valuable contribution that the 237 Safeguarding Officers make on behalf of young people.

In Christianity, being a leader and being a servant naturally go together, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB told Year 6 pupils of three Perth southern-suburb schools last Friday.

A new informational video that promotes the work of LifeLink is set to be launched in November this year.

The experience of suffering a stroke three years ago has not stopped Father Alfonsas Savickis from dedicating his heart and mind to his life’s calling and vocation.

Acknowledging the many cultures that exists within the Archdiocese of Perth, the West Australian Catholic Migrant & Refugee Office (WACMRO) is encouraging the faithful to gather at St Mary’s Cathedral on Saturday 24 October at 6pm for the annual Cultural Diversity Mass.

The Centre for Liturgy (CFL) has last week paid tribute to its staff member Helen Medina for 40 years of service in supporting parish liturgical practices and 10 years as a Field Officer.

The importance of the need to be an evangelising Church in Australia was emphasised at a recent free Plenary Council seminar, titled “Towards the Plenary Council 2020: Understanding a Missionary and Evangelising Church.”

Innaloo/Karrinyup Parish is inviting Catholics across the Archdiocese of Perth to be a part their special retreat event on Saturday, 12 September at St Dominic’s Catholic Church, Innaloo.

Themed to the current circumstances faced by many, “Walking the Way of Faith in an Age of Uncertainty”, the retreat welcomes Vicar General of Bunbury Diocese, Fr Tony Chiera, as the facilitator.

Parish Pastoral Care Program Coordinators from across the Archdiocese of Perth gathered at the Catholic Pastoral Centre in Highgate on 15 August, to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of Catholic Outreach with a Mass celebrated by Applecross Parish Priest Father Nelson Po, followed by a brunch event.

Primary and Secondary students of Catholic Schools in Western Australia were recently recognised for their outstanding creativity at a ceremony, marking the official opening of the 2020 Angelico Exhibition.