Project Compassion focuses on food

20 February 2015
Your news from across the Archdiocese of Perth
Edition #19
Project Compassion focuses on food
FOCUSED on the theme Food
for Life, Perth Archbishop
Timothy Costelloe last
Sunday launched the 2015
Caritas Australia Project
Compassion appeal - one of
Australia’s largest humanitarian fundraising and awareness-raising campaigns.
The Mass at St Mary’s
Cathedral on Sunday, 15
February was attended by
Perth Lord Mayor Lisa
Scaffidi as well as guests from
Vasto, Perth’s Italian twin
city, including Vasto Mayor,
Luciano Antonio Lapenna.
The Archbishop said that,
through Caritas, the Church
is seeking to throw a spotlight on global food issues.
“Through the aid and
development programs
sponsored by Caritas, [we
will] empower the world’s
poorest people to establish
sustainable food sources for
life,” he said.
The Archbishop went on
to speak of how “Project
Compassion is focused on
giving people hope, and
does so in a way that deeply
respects the dignity of people’s right to self-determination”.
He stated that “we are not
really handing out charity”
but, rather, that “we are helping people to live the lives
God has created them to live:
light of joy, lives of dignity,
and lives of hope”.
Quoting
Project
Compassion’s 2014 total
fundraising of $11 million,
the Archbishop invited the
Catholic community to take
EDITION #19 | 19 FEBRUARY 2015
Archbishop Costelloe launched the 2015 Caritas Australia Project Compassion appeal at St Mary’s
Cathedral on 15 February. PHOTO: CARITAS
home with them a Project
Compassion gift box and
suggested that families “make
this a special part of your
Lenten journey this year”.
Each year, Project
Compassion, which runs
through the six weeks of
Lent, brings hundreds of
thousands of Australians
justice and peace. Last year,
supporters, schools and parishes across Australia raised
nearly $11 million to help the
world’s poorest communities.
“Project Compassion has
transformed the lives of
many of the most marginalised people around the
world,” Mr O’Callaghan said.
Food is essential for all life, many of the
world’s poorest people do not have a
reliable food source, or enough money
to buy food everyday
together in solidarity with
the world’s poor.
Caritas Australia CEO,
Paul O’Callaghan, said
Project Compassion was
an extraordinary, ongoing
demonstration of the faith,
love and generosity of caring
supporters, all in the name of
“It’s thanks to the generosity of the Australian supporters that Caritas has been
able to work alongside communities over the long term
in Asia, Africa, the Pacific,
Latin America and with First
Australians.”
The theme for this year’s
Project Compassion, Food
for Life, aligns closely with
the Caritas Internationalis
global initiative of One
human family, food for all,
aimed at ending hunger by
2025.
“Food is essential for all
life and, while we may take
it for granted in Australia,
many of the world’s poorest
people do not have a reliable food source, or enough
money to buy food every
day,” Mr O’Callaghan said.
During Lent, Australians
are invited to raise funds
for Project Compassion in a
variety of ways.
To donate to Project
Compassion, or for fundraising ideas, go to www.caritas.
org.au/projectcompassion or
phone 1800 024 413.
Full Text available at
www.therecord.com.au
Caritas works flat out for the less fortunate
By Jamie O’Brien
PANCAKES were aplenty at
this week’s Shrove Tuesday
festivities, thanks to Caritas
Australia’s Perth office.
The Perth arm of the international aid and development
organisation of the Catholic
Church extended an open
invitation on Tuesday to all
staff from Perth Catholic
organisations and agencies to
take a few moments and learn
about the work of Caritas –
through the words of guest
speaker Gary Bonney – while
enjoying some pancakes.
Mr Bonney, a third-year
Bachelor of Arts student
currently studying Social
Justice and Education at the
University of Notre Dame’s
Fremantle campus, talked
about his experience of visiting an Indigenous community in Peru, in 2012, which
formed part of his studies.
Hailing originally from the
Wongi tribe, near Kalgoorlie,
Western Australia, Mr
Bonney, (or Curly as he is
known to family and friends)
told the crowd gathered at
the Pastoral Centre, Highgate
The Perth-arm of Caritas Australia on Tuesday extended an open-invitation to all staff from Perth
Catholic organisations and agencies, to learn about the work of Caritas. PHOTO: CARITAS
about the impact of his experience in Peru seeing the
work of Caritas first hand on
his understanding of the real
meaning of social justice.
Mr Bonney said the work
of Caritas in Peru was of significant importance to him,
due to the focus on children,
youth and families.
“Not only have I been able
to hear about the theory of
Caritas’ work, I’ve been able
to see it at the grassroots
level,” Mr Bonney said.
“It has really inspired me,
and somewhat strengthened
my faith in humanity,” he said.
In speaking to Archdiocese
of Perth Communications
and Media Office Editor
Jamie O’Brien, Mr Bonney
said one of the highlights
of his trip was being able to
play the Didgeridoo for the
Indigenous communities who
live in the Andes mountains
of Peru.
Mr Bonney showed examples of how Caritas is helping
in a region in Peru, not far
from the capital, Lima, assisting people with growing their
own food and building appropriate housing.
He first became involved in
Caritas through the Walk-AsOne Program.
Full Text available at
www.therecord.com.au
Goody Hostel residents rise to the occasion for Pancake Day
FLUFFY pancakes were piled
up high when residents at
Catholic Homes’ Archbishop
Goody Hostel in East Perth
enjoyed Shrove Tuesday celebrations this week.
Elderly residents helped
prepare their own feast, kicking off with a group pancake
mixture-making from 9am
Tuesday morning.
And, in true Australian
style, the bulk pancake batter was cooked outside on
the barbeque for residents to
enjoy with their morning tea.
Catholic
Homes
EDITION #19 | 19 FEBRUARY 2015
Occupational Therapist
Katarina Zubonja said residents had been looking forward to their pancake feast,
and were heavily involved in
the preparations.
“Our Pancake Day celebrations are part of our
Montessori-based approach
to care, which focuses on
involving residents in meaningful activities within their
own community at AGH,”
she said.
“It’s about more than just
an activity for the sake of
doing an activity – it’s about
creating enabling environments for our residents. The
focus is on the ‘doing’ which
enables residents to be as
active and independent as
possible.
“So, while making pancakes might seem like a simple activity, for our residents
it’s a chance to show off their
culinary skills, to be engaged
and involved in cooking
food for themselves and for
their fellow residents. And of
course they get to eat the end
result!”
Catholic
Homes
Incorporated has been caring for seniors in the West
Australian community for
more than 40 years, providing
a range of high-quality retirement and aged-care facilities.
With a community made
up of staff and residents from
diverse religious and cultural
backgrounds, the not-forprofit organisation operates
seven residential aged-care
facilities and four independent-living villages in Belmont,
Bunbury, Duncraig, East
Perth, Guildford, Joondanna
and Wilson.
Students continue Ash Wednesday tradition at Kolbe
Students from Kolbe Catholic College Rockingham continue an
Ash Wednesday tradition of the school.
PHOTO: LEANNE JOYCE
Youth event set to ignite Perth’s Faith in 2015
By Marco Ceccarelli
THE OVERWHELMING
success of Ignite Youth in
Brisbane, which has seen
more than 1,300 people in
attendance each year, will
soon be extended to Perth.
Christian youth groups and
communities all over the city
will be able to take advantage
of the services offered by
Ignite Youth as its organisers
set the stage for a number of
upcoming events in 2015.
Ignite Youth will be introduced to Perth in the form
of “Ignite Live”, a one-night
concert style event that will
be held six times throughout
this year. The first of these
will take place on Friday, 27
February 2015 at Prendiville
Catholic College Performing
Arts Centre, Ocean Reef.
The evenings offer young
aim of Ignite Live is to create an environment in which
young people can be ignited
by the Holy Spirit and return
to their churches to pass on
this positive energy to their
“They can come to Ignite Live, because
Ignite Live is not a youth group, it’s
something youth groups can gather for
if they wish.”
Christians an opportunity
to encounter Jesus Christ
through music, prayer, reconciliation and a message from a
youth communicator.
As the title suggests, the
peers and family members.
The event lends itself as
an invaluable tool for parishes, schools or community
groups which may be looking
for ways of diversifying their
Christian youth programs.
It presents itself as a supporting element to pastoral formation and ministry,
immersing young people
into an environment where a
spiritual message is received
in the context of music, dancing and socialising.
“It’s our hope that ‘ignite’
becomes a key word in
this establishment of Ignite
Youth events in Perth,” said
Perth co-ordinator and frequent guest speaker at the
annual Ignite Conference in
Brisbane, Ronan McGinniss.
Full Text available at
www.therecord.com.au
EDITION #19 | 19 FEBRUARY 2015
Lent, a time of grace for a world of indifference
POPE FRANCIS DELIVERS
HIS 2015 LENTEN
MESSAGE
DEAR BROTHERS and
Sisters, Lent is a time of
renewal for the whole Church,
for each communities and
every believer. Above all it is
a “time of grace” (2 Cor 6:2).
God does not ask of us anything that he himself has not
first given us.
“We love because he first
has loved us” (1 Jn 4:19). He
is not aloof from us. Each one
of us has a place in his heart.
He knows us by name, he
cares for us and he seeks us
out whenever we turn away
from him. He is interested in
each of us; his love does not
allow him to be indifferent to
what happens to us.
Usually, when we are
healthy and comfortable, we
forget about others (something God the Father never
does): we are unconcerned
with their problems, their
sufferings and the injustices
they endure… Our heart
grows cold. As long as I am
relatively healthy and comfortable, I don’t think about
Pope Francis places ashes on the head of Cardinal Jozef Tomko during the Ash Wednesday
Mass at the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome on February 18. PHOTO: CNS/PAUL HARING
those less well off.
Today, this selfish attitude
of indifference has taken on
global proportions, to the
extent that we can speak of a
globalisation of indifference.
It is a problem which we, as
Christians, need to confront.
When the people of God
are converted to his love, they
find answers to the questions
that history continually raises.
One of the most urgent chal-
lenges which I would like to
address in this message is
precisely the globalisation of
indifference.
Indifference to our neighbour and to God also represents a real temptation for us
Christians. Each year during
Lent we need to hear once
more the voice of the prophets who cry out and trouble
our conscience. God is not
indifferent to our world; he so
loves it that he gave his Son
for our salvation.
In the Incarnation, in the
earthly life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God,
the gate between God and
man, between heaven and
earth, opens once for all. The
Church is like the hand holding open this gate.
Full Text available at
www.therecord.com.au
Australia welcomes appointment of new Apostolic Nuncio
HIS HOLINESS Pope Francis
has this week appointed
as Apostolic Nuncio to
Australia, His Excellency
Most Reverend Adolfo Tito
Yllana, Titular Archbishop
of Montecorvino and, until
now, Apostolic Nuncio to
the Democratic Republic of
Congo.
Archbishop Yllana was
born on 6 February 1948 in
Naga City, Philippines.
On 19 March 1972, he
was ordained a priest for
the Archdiocese of Caceres,
Philippines.
Following his doctorate in civil and canon law,
Archbishop Yllana completed post-graduate studies in international diplomacy at the Pontifical
Ecclesiastical Academy in
Rome. Archbishop Yllana
was appointed Apostolic
Nuncio to Papua New Guinea
and Titular Archbishop
of Montecorvino on 13
December 2001. He was
ordained a bishop on 6
January 2002.
On 5 February 2002,
Archbishop Yllana was
appointed Apostolic Nuncio
to the Solomon Islands and
later appointed Apostolic
Nuncio to Pakistan on 31
March 2006.
Full Text available at
www.therecord.com.au
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Most Reverend Adolfo Tito
Yllana.
PHOTO: SNIPVIEW.COM