Published by the DIOCESE OF BROOME PO Box 76, Broome WA 6725 T: 08 9192 1060 FREE F: 08 9192 2136 E-mail: [email protected] www.broomediocese.org ISSUE 5 OCTOBER 2019 Multi-award winning magazine for the Kimberley • Building our future together Plenary 2020 Themes for Discernment #1 How is God calling us to be a Christ- involvement and formation among all the centred Church in Australia that is baptised who make up the Church. The missionary and evangelising? data also identified the need to reach out “…You will receive power when the Holy and communicate more effectively and to Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my find new ways of living and proclaiming witnesses in Jerusalem…and to the ends of the Gospel in Australia today. There was a the earth.” call for the strengthening of leadership and (Acts 1:8) ministries in parishes and schools, training to equip leaders for ministry, pastoral This National Theme for Discernment support for various groups within parish is inspired by the voices of the People of and faith communities, and a desire for a God who shared a passion for COVER: unified voice in engaging social issues such participating in the missionary nature of Photo: CAS as life and religious freedom. the Church and desire stronger support, Jock Mosquito, who received the Sacrament of Confirmation from Bishop Christopher Saunders at the Holy Place in Warmun. There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 KIMBERLEY COMMUNITY PROFILE is a publication of the Bishops Pays Tribute to Tim Fischer Roman Catholic Diocese of Broome, published six times a Archbishop Mark Coleridge has paid tribute to In 2012, he was made a Knight Grand year by the Bishop of Broome. former Ambassador to the Holy See, Tim Cross in the Order of Pius IX, one of the Articles to do with the Kimberley Fischer, who died in August, saying he lived as Church’s highest honours. are welcome to be submitted for a proud Catholic and a proud Australian. “Tim was very proud to be our man at the publication. Mr Fischer, who was educated by the Jesuits Vatican at the time and was a remarkable host ENQUIRIES at Xavier College in Melbourne, had a long and ‘ambassador’ for Church and country,” Diocese of Broome and distinguished career in the New South Archbishop Coleridge said. PO Box 76, Broome WA 6725 Wales and Australian Parliaments. He noted that “Tim was renowned for his Tel: 08 9192 1060 At the federal level, he served as leader of love of trains and, even during his time Fax: 08 9192 2136 the National Party of Australia during the representing Australia in Rome, he managed to Email: [email protected] 1990s and Deputy Prime Minister and Trade reactivate the Vatican railway.” Minister under John Howard between 1996 “He was loved by all who met him,” the SUBSCRIPTIONS and 1999. Archbishop said, “and we mourn his passing. Subscription Rate $30.00 P/A He had earlier served in the Australian But we also The opinions expressed in this Army during the Vietnam War. celebrate all publication are not necessarily Archbishop Coleridge, President of the that Tim gave those of the Bishop of Broome Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, said to his family, Mr Fischer was a larger-than-life personality his BROOMEDIOCESE.ORGVESUS who throughout his career was genuinely community, dedicated to service. his Church “Tim was a man of many interests and with and his many talents, but those of us who have known country. him will remember most his warmth, his “May he humanity and his strong conviction to pursue rest in the what is right,” he said. peace of In 2008, the Labor Government appointed Christ.” Mr Fischer Australia’s Ambassador to the Holy See. During his tenure from 2009-12, Australia’s first saint, Mary of the Cross MacKillop, was canonised. 2 KIMBERLEY COMMUNITY PROFILE OCTOBER 2019 Viewpoint Kicking Heavenly Goals Football finals are resoundingly joyous footy supporter and the worth of their times for some people, while for others personal character. they are occasions for serious On another note, in the Kimberley, as lamentation and harrowing in other parts of the country, people take disappointment. It is remarkable to see their footy seriously. It is only right that how innumerable hordes of peoples, they do so. But to take the game seriously from across the various codes, get surely is a multi-faceted commitment passionately behind their teams more that must extend beyond merely winning than is usual when their clubs have to how we play the game, how we view qualified for the finals. Their avid those to whom we offer our support and fitting entertainment. support of their favoured tribe turns into those too who play for the opposing side. What would Christ have done when a frantic quest, longing for positive Is there room in our Christian lives for faced with the challenge of being a good results even when there is only a remote words and behaviour that espouse hatred sport? How would he have behaved in possibility that their heroes will conquer for the opposition? I think not. And what circumstances surrounding sporting all to become the Premiers for the year. about the use of bad language, publicly events? Surely, as a child there were Who can tell, they say. Footy Finals are on the field or off it? I mean language games he played, were there not? These different from the usual fixtures. Strange that is more than just passionate but is are useful questions to pursue when we and wonderful things can happen for any most definitely crude and foul? How we seek to behave as we should, to develop team. I must say I admire their behave on the footy field is a learned skill charitable attitudes and follow just hopefulness! There must be a salient that is as important as kicking, marking actions. lesson or an ounce of inspiration here or tackling. How much of that drill is Bearing in mind that some of us are somewhere surely? part of any coach’s game plan? How we nearer the finals than others, nonetheless Football teams can often become an behave off the field at a local park or at a there is one Grand Final that awaits each extension of ourselves in our unbridled community sports field, in what we say of us at the end of our season here on enthusiasm to get behind them. Very and do, affords us an opportunity to earth. In that enlightening moment there often we seek through our footy heroes place ourselves at the heart of good will be no possibility for any kind of to achieve for ourselves a sense of behaviour in the public domain, at the unruly tribalism, and we shall be singing success over failure, recognition over pinnacle of good example to others and no one else’s theme song not even our anonymity, triumphalism over placidity, way out front as tutors of good own ~ just the songs of angels. The goals and glowing pride over the prospect of sportsmanship. that count, we shall find out, may not be humility. But there is more to consider, is I always regard it a huge the ones we thought were important. there not? How we handle success or disappointment to know that families All flags will be irrelevant then, all failure, how we behave when enamoured won’t go to local football matches, or premiership cups will be redundant and with the power of winning or how we basketball carnivals for that matter, competition completely meaningless. handle the daunting tragedy of losing can because of the frequency of poor social Please God, then we shall all be the same say much about us and our character. behaviour and the disgraceful language perfect fit for the pearly gates laid out Winning an important game, or losing it, that prevails there. Local authorities, it before us. No one shall be more may mean much to any team of any code appears, have given up enforcing rules of important than another, all will be but it can mean much more to their appropriate conduct in public. That in equally important in the eyes of the one followers if those supporters take itself is a shameful abandonment of duty loving and merciful God, and the advantage of the opportunities that arise which unfortunately will only result in a language of our togetherness will be to show valour and class in the face of diminishment of public standards on and nothing short of perfect. victory or defeat. To be generously well off the field, to the detriment of good In our prayerfulness, that’s the sort of disposed towards others after a serious sportsmanship and a welcoming cake-walk for which we continually hope. loss and to be kindly humble after a environment where people can enjoy victory says much about the enthusiastic each other’s company in the midst of +Christopher Saunders Bishop of Broome KIMBERLEY COMMUNITY PROFILE OCTOBER 2019 3 Office of Saint News Justice, Ecology and Peace St Elizabeth of Hungary By Dr Sandie Cornish, the Publications Born: 7 July 1207 and Research Officer at the Office for Died: 17 November 1231 Social Justice of the Australian Catholic Feast Day: 17 November Bishops Conference. Don’t Shoot the Messenger! St Elizabeth of Hungary, Have you ever been attacked for delivering bad news, or also known as St naming inconvenient truths? It happens to journalists, media Elizabeth of Thuringia, workers and human rights activists often.