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2020 LIFELINK CHRISTMAS APPEAL: Allow the Lord to mould our hearts, says Archbishop Costelloe

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Archbishop Costelloe blesses the parish priests and representatives during the special liturgical service in advance of the official launch of the Archbishop’s Christmas Appeal for LifeLink 2020. Photo: Ron Tan.

By Jamie O’Brien

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.

“It speaks of love of neighbor and of practical, down-to-earth faith which is never content with words but knows that words have to be put into action,” Archbishop Costelloe SDB explained.

“For me the most powerful part of the story is the description of the Samaritan man as someone who was ‘moved with pity’,” he continued.

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Archbishop Costelloe and Bishop Don Sproxton during the special liturgical service on Tuesday 2 November at St Mary’s Cathedral, in advance of the official launch of the Archbishop’s Christmas Appeal for LifeLink 2020. Photo: Ron Tan.

As part of the liturgy, LifeLink Chair and Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton read the story of the Good Samaritan. This was followed by an address by Archbishop Costelloe. This year, Archbishop Costelloe highlighted, has been difficult for everyone.

“Christmas 2020 will be especially challenging for so many people who, in more normal times, might not be in great need of help but who, because of sickness, unemployment or other unforeseen financial and personal difficulties, might well be as much in need of the soothing oil of kindness and generosity as the injured man was of the oil and wine poured on his wounds by the Good Samaritan,” he said.

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Parish priests and representatives came together on Tuesday 2 November at St Mary’s Cathedral for the special liturgical service in advance of the official launch of the Archbishop’s Christmas Appeal for LifeLink 2020. Photo: Ron Tan.

More than 160 parish priests and their representatives from 72 parishes attended the evening’s prelaunch which was an opportunity for Archbishop Costelloe and Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton to express their thanks to parish priests and representatives for their support with the appeal each year.

The Archbishop’s 2020 Christmas Appeal Letter will be distributed after each Mass in parishes throughout the Archdiocese this weekend, and a special video message from the Archbishop will be shown to parishioners at the end of each Mass.

The official launch of the Archbishop’s Christmas Appeal for LifeLink will be held in parishes on the weekend of Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November.

It goes without saying, Archbishop Costelloe continued, that the raising of money through his Christmas Appeal for LifeLink is an important and practical way of lifting the burden of loneliness, of poverty, of homelessness and of hopelessness for many people who access LifeLink agencies.

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Archbishop Costelloe blesses the parish priests and representatives during the special liturgical service in advance of the official launch of the Archbishop’s Christmas Appeal for LifeLink 2020. Photo: Ron Tan.

“But beyond the raising of money it would be my hope that what really happens is that we, and the people of our parishes, will respond as generously as we can because we have allowed the Lord to mould our hearts so that we really are moved with pity: that we see as Jesus sees, and listen as Jesus listens, and respond as Jesus responds, and love as Jesus loves.  “Then we will have really taken the parable of the Good Samaritan to heart because we will, as Jesus says in relation to the Good Samaritan, “go and do likewise”,” he said.

At the Liturgical Service, a new “Welcome to LifeLink” informational video was officially released, which was developed and produced in consultation with students and teachers from selected secondary schools in the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth, and with the support of Catholic Education Western Australia.  

This new video is now available online at www.lifelink.com.au.

The Archbishop’s Christmas Appeal video message is also available online at www.lifelink.com.au

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