Published by the DIOCESE OF BROOME PO Box 76, Broome, Western Australia 6725 Tel: (08) 9192 1060 Fax: (08) 9192 2136 E-mail: [email protected] www.broomediocese.org FREE ISSUE 01 APRIL 2010 Multi-award winning magazine for the Kimberley • Building our future together Lord, bless the sinner who asks for your forgiveness and bless all those who receive these ashes. May they keep this Lenten season in preparation for the joy of Easter. [From the Mass of Ash Wednesday] KIMBERLEY COMMUNITY PROFILE APRIL 2010 1 Many Happy Returns: 90 On 4 February 2010 Bishop Johannes Jobst DD, the Emeritus Bishop of Broome, celebrated his 90th birthday with a special Mass at Wilten Abbey. Following the Mass was a concert of a baroque ensemble, playing on original musical instruments, in honour of the occasion. We join in wishing Bishop Jobst many blessings in this his 91st year and we keep him in our thoughts and prayers. Photo: CAS Ash Wednesday at Warlawurru Catholic School, Red Hill, near Talking up BoysTown at Balgo Halls Creek, East Kimberley, was a prayerful community celebration for Nutting out matters the seventy or so adults and children gathered in the undercroft. to do with BoysTown In this photo, Elder Philomena operations and Minga, gave out the blessed ashes infrastructure at Balgo to Shania Willett. Photo: CAS were from left (front) Tracey Adams (CEO of BoysTown), Brother KIMBERLEY Ambrose (De La Salle COMMUNITY PROFILE Provincial) and Brother is a publication of the Rick (Principal Balgo), Roman Catholic Diocese and (back) Bernie O’Shea of Broome, published eight times a (Catholic Education), year by the Bishop of Broome. Bishop Saunders and Articles to do with the Kimberley are welcome to be submitted for Ron Dullard (Director publication. of Catholic Education Office WA). ENQUIRIES Diocese of Broome, Photo: J Grimson PO Box 76, Broome WA 6725 Tel: 08 9192 1060 Fax: 08 9192 2136 Email: [email protected] SUBSCRIPTIONS Caritas Appeal for Haiti Subscription Rate $25.00pa The opinions expressed INSIDE Australia's First Saint in this publication are not necessarily This Issue those of the Bishop of Broome. Bran Nue Dae review www.broomediocese.org Ten steps towards being witnesses to the Gospel Step 1. Take seriously the call to be witnesses to the Gospel of life Witnessing to the Gospel of life challenges us to address the human need before us, and to be a force for change to institutions and policies that divide society, undermine human dignity and cause human poverty and disadvantage. [Australian Catholic Social Justice Council] 2 KIMBERLEY COMMUNITY PROFILE APRIL 2010 Flying Easter Message off to By Bishop Christopher Saunders DD EASTER – THE SUPREME school GIFT OF FAITH Thumbing a ride or I have been looking for an image of the resurrection – a painting, a catching a lift comes in a sketch, a mosaic or a block-print. I wanted to use it in our magazine to variety of forms in the accompany an article and a prayer-card for Easter and I wanted Kimberley. Here Pipi something that went beyond the pious, shallow art that so often adorns Tataya gets a ride on the the pages of our press this time of the year. Bishop’s plane from I have looked far and wide for an art form of any kind that Gibb River to high communicates graphically and wonderfully Christ’s rising from the school at Kalumburu. dead. It will be no surprise that I have found nothing that captures the gravity and mystery of that moment, or even comes near the Photo: CAS expectations of my imagination of what that gospel scene may have looked like. I have seen some wonderful paintings recorded in art books and on the web. I have looked at oils, water-colours and Visitors farewelled crayons, even at scenes constructed in soft light by world renowned photographers as they tried to seize that sacred second when Christ Father Bill Christy (L), Peninsula Parish Priest, farewells Fr breathed anew and humanity was saved. However, each image seemed Kevin Matthews (centre) from Port Pirie Diocese in SA and incomplete as the magnitude of what it proclaimed could never be volunteer worker, Glen Groves (R), from Sydney. contained or captured within the physical limits of a piece of art. I have examined many memorable renditions of the crucifixion of Christ found in the great galleries of the world. They evoke an appreciation of Jesus as the one who has given everything, even unto death, for a sinful world. I am convinced of the authenticity of the rigours of the scourging at the pillar and the crowning with thorns portrayed in great works by the masters, and in modern films by directors such as Mel Gibson in his The Passion of the Christ. I remember flinching through gruesome scene after scene of the Passion in a city cinema and looking forward to the resurrection ‘finale’, wondering then how it might look from Gibson’s perspective. Cleverly he avoided it. Well, almost. Bandages lay abandoned on the cold stone slab and an eerie light beckoned us to appreciate that something super-significant had happened. It was as close to the real thing that Gibson dared venture. I don’t blame him. I am sure he knew we would all feel severely disappointed with any attempted celluloid portrayal of such a mystery. No artist can recreate the magnificence of the resurrection so as to do it justice. Similarly, the theologians simply haven’t the words to craft an explanation of the resurrection of Christ that satisfies us, nor can they explore in their conjectures the details of this profound occurrence; one that so changed humanity and humanity’s relationship Photo: CAS with God. And neither can any of us with the most fertile of imaginations ensnare for a moment the full meaning of this mystery. Easter, it would seem, is nothing less than pure faith. It is a time for the true believers. “Blessed are those who do not see and yet believe.” Award What a superb gift to us is faith. Our faith compels us to believe in the risen Christ, one who winner demands that we love as he loved. “This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you.” He now awaits our response to his Emma Sibosado has won the supreme gift of love. He who has loved us to the point of death gathers Bishop’s Leadership Award for us in this new life which he breathes into us through the power of the 2009 at St Mary’s College Broome. Spirit and urges us to live and love as he did. The Award was presented by Easter is a remarkable time that leads us to the edge of pure Bishop Saunders at the mystery and begs us to contemplate our relationship with God and Presentation Night held at the with each other… and set it right. With this in mind I wish you a College in early December. Emma happy and a Holy Easter. May the joy that your faith promises you lift is well known in the community you up in happy expectation of new beginnings in the company of the and is a wonderful ambassador for resurrected Christ. young people in the Kimberley. Photo: S Di Maria KIMBERLEY COMMUNITY PROFILE APRIL 2010 3 Briefly Speaking GLEN GROVES from Sydney is a fireman who spent some time in the Kimberley recently, doing repairs and renovations using his skills in carpentry and fabrication. We are grateful for his time of volunteering and look forward to his return. Photo: J Martin PETER MCARDLE, Research Officer at the Australian Photo: CAS Catholic Bishops Conference in THE KIMBERLEY has a new Congregation of Priests working in Canberra, was in Broome in the Apostolate – The Heralds of Good News (HGN), a society of late 2009 to put together a apostolic life from India that has just celebrated its 25th year submission to a House of since foundation. Appointed to Kununurra-Wyndham are (L) Fr Representatives committee on Raphael Koppula and, the Parish Administrator, Fr Jes Katru. Photo: J Martin the matter of juvenile justice. OUR THANKS go to outgoing FR DENIS DENNEHY has Religious Education Consultant, been appointed Administrator Gerard Tonti Filippini, who of the Parish of Halls Creek and concluded five years in the job comes to us from the Diocese at Catholic Education, Broome of Ballarat in Victoria. Fr Denis office. He is now Principal at St has already settled into a busy Rita’s Primary School, Babinda, schedule in the Parish which in the Diocese of Cairns Qld. includes the small remote community of Ringer Soak, south of Halls Creek. Photo: J Martin FR ANTONY SAVARIMUTHU, a priest from the south of Photo: J Martin India, has offered his service BEN STEPHENS is a on mission in the Broome volunteer working at Balgo. Diocese. Presently he is Ben has just completed an working in the East Kimberley Honours Degree in Commerce and brings a wealth of at university in Perth which will experience to his ministry after come in handy in the desert some years working in the which has its own unique Photo: J Grimson Middle East. Photo: C Lord economy of life. MARION WHITBREAD, a Let us all resign ourselves into His new volunteer, from hands, and pray that in all things He Tamworth NSW has taken up her appointment at may guide us to do His Holy Will... Kalumburu in the State’s remote north. She is looking When thoughts of this or that come I forward to helping out turn to Him and say: "Only what you wherever she is needed in the tropical location.