27 February 2015
Your news from across the Archdiocese of Perth
Edition #20
Rightly Elected into the Church
By Marco Ceccarelli
AT THE VERY heart of our
Christian life is the awareness that we are called by
God to be members of
Christ’s body.
Furthermore, Christians
understand that they are
chosen by Jesus to be part
of the Christian community in accordance with the
Gospel passage, “You did not
choose me, no I chose you”
(Jn 15:16).
Both these concepts had
a profound resonance in
yesterday evening’s Rite of
Election of Catechumens
and Formal Recognition of
Candidates liturgy, presided
over by Archbishop Timothy
Costelloe SDB at St Mary’s
Cathedral, Perth.
More than 150 individuals
were ‘elected’ by the Church
to take another decisive
step toward receiving the
Sacraments of Initiation –
Baptism, Confirmation and
Holy Communion - at this
year’s Easter Vigil.
In the presence of the
Church, the catechumens
(those who are receiving instruction from a
catechist with a view to
Baptism) and candidates
(those who are baptised in
another Christian denomination) were invited by the
Archbishop to become full
members of the Catholic
faith – an invitation which
they proudly accepted.
The catechumens’ names
were formally inscribed in
the Book of Elect, while
EDITION #20 | 27 FEBRUARY 2015
Clockwise from top left: Angela Studman, John Harrison, Vi Hayes, Paul Lydiat and Melanie
Caddick (centre) took part in yesterday evening’s Rite of Election of Catechumens and Formal
Recognition of Candidates liturgy. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
the candidates’ names were
inscribed in the Book of
Recognition. This signifies
that they have heard God
call their name and wish to
respond to His call.
with Archdiocese of Perth
Communications and Media
Office journalist Marco
Ceccarelli.
Soon to be baptised, Vi
Hayes and Melanie Caddick
“That this man should sacrifice himself
for my spiritual being is emotional to
me, to say the least...”
Catechumens Melanie
Caddick and Vi Hayes and
candidates John Harrison,
Paul Lydiat and Angela
Studman - who have been
regularly meeting with
Our Lady of the Mission
Whitford parish RCIA
coordinator Ann Cunneen
- agreed to share their experience of the RCIA program
spoke about their ongoing association with the
Catholic Church and the
Catholic education system as
a contributing factor to their
growing desire to receive
Baptism.
Head of English at Mercy
College, Melanie Caddick
said that since joining the
Catholic education system
four years ago, she has come
to enjoy the Masses and services.
“I now feel like I know
what I am doing and saying
– I finally get it,” she said.
“I’ve never before experienced such a welcoming
school/system – our school
motto of Love in Action is
apparent every day.”
This ongoing association with the Church also
characterised Vi Hayes’
experience. After years of
being in contact with the
Catholic Church through
her husband, children and
grandchildren, Mrs Hayes
said that she will now feel at
home with them.
Full Text available at
www.therecord.com.au
Perth’s latest parish receives Pope’s blessing
By Mark Reidy
A GREAT SENSE of excitement permeated through
the 400-strong crowd at
the Banksia Grove Catholic
Primary School when, on
1 February 2015, inaugural priest Father Vinh Dong
unveiled two foundational
stones personally blessed by
Pope Francis.
The stones, on which the
community’s future church
will be built, came as a surprise to those who had
gathered for Mass to witness Archbishop Timothy
Costelloe SBD officially install
Fr Vinh as the first priest of
one of the Archdiocese’s newest parishes.
Fr Vinh explained to the
congregation that the stones
had been blessed earlier in the
year in Sri Lanka when he had
been received by the Pope in
a private audience.
For the past 18 months, the
fledgling community, which
lies 27km north of Perth, had
been celebrating weekly Mass
at the primary school with Fr
John Daly from St Anthony
of Padua Parish in Wanneroo.
Usually about 80 locals
gather for the occasion but
they were joined for Fr Vinh’s
installation Mass by his family
and supporters from his previous parishes of Lockridge
and Greenwood.
Fr Vinh’s sense of humour
was on show to his new
parishioners as he provided
them with an entertaining
summary of his life from his
journey from Vietnam as a
12-year-old refugee to his
reluctance to accept his first
posting in Kalgoorlie.
He also reflected on later
metropolitan placements,
including his most recent
in Greenwood, fondly reminiscing on the challenges,
EDITION #20 | 27 FEBRUARY 2015
Father Vinh Dong unveiled
two foundational stones
blessed by Pope Francis
at Banksia Grove Catholic
Primary School. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED
the people and the love he
encountered in each parish.
Fr Vinh analysed the significance of the names of several of the parishes, emphasis-
building and supporting a
growing community.
The effervescent priest also
shared the sense of support
he felt from his Greenwood
Fr Vinh explained that the stones had
been blessed earlier in the year in Sri
Lanka when he had been received by
the Pope in a private audience.
ing the “lock” in Lockridge,
stating he had been locked
into the parish for 10 years,
the longest he had ever been
stationary in his whole life, as
well as “bank” in his recent
placement, emphasising the
responsibility he now had in
raising money for the church
parishioners who had sent
him off with $25,000 to
begin his latest venture and
a further $4,000 which had
been provided by individual
friends from across Perth.
Fr Vinh’s pioneering mission in Banksia Grove will
be supported by Sr Tuyen
Nguyen and Sr Duyen
Truong, two Vietnamese
Dominican Sisters who will
assist him with his pastoral
and outreach work as they
seek to strengthen the embryonic community.
Celebrations continued
after Mass with a morning
tea, which was followed by
more than 100 members of
the congregation processing to the convent and new,
temporary presbytery for a
blessing.
Fr Vinh said he hoped the
curiosity piqued by Banksia’s
Grove’s first procession,
which saw many residents
glancing through their windows, would plant the seeds
for a prosperous future.
St Gerard’s Primary celebrates 50 years of growing together
By Jamie O’Brien
1965 was a special year for
the local community of
Westminster (then Balga)
with the opening of two classes at the newly established St
Gerard’s Catholic Primary
School, for children entering
Years One or Two.
At the time of its opening,
the school doubled as a Mass
Centre on weekends – and
was situated in an area that
was fairly desolate, as well as
being home to large goannas,
snakes and other wildlife
that would roam the school
grounds during the day, rummaging through student bags
looking for food.
However, it was a very different setting last weekend
when more than 250 former
students, teachers, parents
and members of the school
community gathered together
to celebrate the school’s 50th
anniversary.
In 2015, the school now
boasts an ever-increasing
number of more than 200
students from Kindergarten
to Year 6, in addition to the
well-resourced facilities with
teachers who continue to provide a sound education in the
Mercy tradition.
Former parish priest and
Perth Auxiliary Bishop Don
Sproxton, main celebrant at
the special 11am Mass, was
joined by current parish
priest, Fr Giouse Marini; former student and parishioner,
Fr Vincent Glynn; and former
parish priest, Fr Francisco
Mascarenhas.
The celebrations continued after Mass with a festival
which included the cutting
of a cake by former principal
Brian Preston, together with
Acting-Principal Josephine
Vivante and Bishop Don.
Mrs Vivante said the occa-
sion was also a special time
to remember the work of
the Mercy Sisters and Servite
Fathers whose ideals have laid
the foundation for the current
school motto – Truth, Love
and Mercy.
Present for the occasion
was the first lay principal,
Brian Preston, who served in
the role from 1979 to 1997.
Mr Preston said that, for
him, one of his most memorable moments included
the commencement of
International Children’s Day,
which saw the school display
more than 50 flags and share
different foods representing
students’ countries of origin
as part of a special celebration.
The work of Mr Preston
resulted in the completion of
a number of new buildings,
particularly the opening of a
new Pre-Primary Centre in
1990, which has now been
named after him, the BJ
Preston Pre-Primary Centre.
Mr Preston also paid tribute to the school’s former
financial and administration
Student Paul Nolan reads a prayer of the faithful, and former
Principal Brian Preston cuts the cake. PHOTOS: JAMIE O’BRIEN
officer, Lori Page, who worked
in the role for more than 30
years. The Administration
buildings, which were completed in 1984, were named
after Mrs Page many years
later.
Mr Preston also made
mention of and gave thanks
to former Board treasurer
Orion Fernandez, whose
foresight and financial planning saw the opening of a
purpose-built computer room
in 1988, the first of its kind in
a Catholic school in Western
Australia.
“For the future, I hope that
the children learn to think
for themselves and to carry
on the traditions that the
school has already started,”
Mr Preston concluded.
Full Text available at
www.therecord.com.au
EDITION #20 | 27 FEBRUARY 2015
Farewell to a long-standing model parishioner
By Marco Ceccarelli
ST GERARD Majella Parish
Mirrabooka recently lost one
its most treasured parishioners, Christina Lauretta
Boudville. A devout Catholic
and longstanding member
of the parish, Mrs Boudville
passed away on 4 February
2015 surrounded by her loving family.
Mrs Boudville’s daughter,
Marilyn Bull, described her
mother as a woman renowned
for her acts of charity towards
the poor and underprivileged.
“I can’t praise her enough
for what she did. She was a
good Christian who worked
tirelessly for those in need.
“She especially helped
so many refugees come to
Australia from Burma and
looked after them once they
arrived,” Mrs Bull said.
Born in Rangoon (now
Yangon), Burma (now
Myanmar), Mrs Boudville
migrated to Australia in 1966
with her husband, William, in
search of a better life for herself and her family.
However, having arrived at
the age of 45 and with a limited knowledge of the English
language, Mrs Boudville had
difficulties finding employment. Despite many setbacks, she persevered in her
pursuit of a job until she was
employed by the Sisters of St
John of God, Subiaco, as a
nursing assistant.
Mrs Boudville’s devotion
to her work and overall passion for helping the sick soon
earned her a position as the
Matron’s assistant. In this role,
she managed to offer services
to those in need, both within
and outside the hospital. She
often collected towels, sheets,
Christina Boudville was renowned at St Gerard Majella for her tireless charitable work and
kindness towards the underprivileged. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
linen, spare beds and anything else no longer needed
by the hospital and made sure
that those items were donated
to the disadvantaged, including impoverished refugees.
Mrs Boudville also acted
as a mother figure to many
her wing and helped her significantly. I didn’t know this!
I read these things and realise
what an amazing woman she
was.”
There are many priests
and nuns in the Archdiocese
of Perth who will remember
“I can’t praise her enough for what
she did. She was a good Christian who
worked tirelessly for those in need.”
orphaned children.
“We recently received an
envelope from a lady whom
we had never heard of,”
recounted Mrs Bull.
“In it, there was a letter
saying that my mum had
helped this woman and her
family when they arrived
from Burma. After the sudden death of her mother and
father when she was only
two, this woman said that my
mother had taken her under
Mrs Boudville for her highspirited manner.
Perth Auxiliary Bishop
Don Sproxton, who celebrated
Mrs Boudville’s funeral, was
parish priest of St Gerard’s
Mirrabooka in the time when
Mrs Boudville did most of her
charity work.
Dean of St Mary’s Cathedral,
Monsignor Michael Keating,
who also served as parish
priest of St Gerard’s, organised a pilgrimage to Lourdes
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in France, Israel and Rome,
Italy, in the mid-1990s which
Mrs Boudville attended.
Mrs Boudville frequently
visited the Sisters of St John of
God after her retirement, with
her visits increasing when the
nuns fell ill or needed greater
assistance.
In response to a question
regarding the kind of force
that drove her mother to do
so many charitable works in
her life, Mrs Bull said that
she was completely wrapped
around Jesus and Mary, the
mother of God.
“It didn’t matter what she
did or where she went, she
believed that they were with
her and looked after her.
“She was very close to God
and always looked for new
ways to serve the Church.”
Mrs Boudville’s funeral
was celebrated at St Gerard’s
Catholic Church on Friday, 13
February 2015.