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| LMF News | August 2010 | |
Dear friends,
Welcome to the August edition of LMF News.
We are writing this after a very successful Mass for pregnant women over the weekend at St Mary's Cathedral. About 90 pregnant mothers were present at the 10:30am Sunday Mass and after Holy Communion they came up one-by-one to receive a personal blessing from the Archbishop, George Cardinal Pell. Each woman also received a single rose. It was a very beautiful morning and a great sign of the Church's love of life.
You will notice that this edition of LMF News is noticable shorter than usual. With the upcoming Federal Election we decided to focus just on that, so we have included as the first article the election guide we have prepared, which looks at issues around life, marriage and family. Following that is an article the Cardinal wrote a couple of weeks ago in his weekly Sunday Telegraph newspaper column. We hope that these will be helpful to you as you consider your vote.
Also included are some upcoming events including our 'Breakfast for Fathers' and the 2010 'Youth Leaders' Formation Course'.
We will see you again in September, back with the regular mix of articles, videos and podcasts.
God Bless you and your family.
The Life, Marriage and Family Centre Team |
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Election 2010 - Some Considerations | | |
On 21 August, Australia will choose it's Federal Government for the next three years. It is an important opportunity to have your say in which direction you want Australia to move.
The Life, Marriage and Family Centre has prepared an election guide that looks at the policies of the major political parties relating to some life marriage and family issues.
We invite you to carefully consider the listed issues and the various political positions before casting your vote.
In the words of Pope John Paul II, "As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live".
Click the image below to see the election guide,

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The Cardinal on the Election | | |
+ George Cardinal Pell
Archbishop of Sydney
Recently while on parish visitation I met the young adults group for an evening's discussion.
One of them asked me how he should vote in the coming Federal election. I replied that it was not my role to tell them how to vote, but I would make a couple of points.
First of all they should look at the policies and personal views of the individual candidates. Good and wise people are needed in the major political parties.
Many people, including myself, are concerned about the environment, so my second point was to urge my listeners to examine the policies of the Greens on their website and judge for themselves how thoroughly anti-Christian they are.
In 1996 the Green leader Bob Brown coauthored a short book The Greens with the notorious philosopher Peter Singer (now at Princeton University in U.S.A.), who rejects the unique status of humans and supports infanticide, as well as abortion and euthanasia.
They claimed humans are simply another smarter animal, so that humans and animals are on the same or similar levels depending on their level of consciousness. This Green ethic is designed to replace Judaeo-Christianity.
Some Greens have taken this anti-Christian line further by claiming that no religious argumentation should be permitted in public debate.
Not surprisingly they are often inconsistent on this issue, welcoming Christian support for refugees, but denying that any type of religious reasoning should be allowed on other matters.
One wing of the Greens are like water melons, green outside and red inside. A number were Stalinists, supporting Soviet oppression. A few years ago they even tried unsuccessfully to use the privileges committee of the N.S.W. Legislative Council to silence religious voices in public debate.
The Greens are opposed to religious schools and would destroy the rights of those schools to hire staff and control enrolments. Funding for non-government schools would be returned to the levels of 2003-04.
Already in Canberra, Green pressure was one factor in the attacks on Calvary Hospital, because they were not providing abortions.
Naturally the Greens are hostile to the notion of the family, man, woman and children, which they see as only one among a set of alternatives. They would allow marriage regardless of sexuality or gender identity.
We all accept the necessity of a healthy environment, but Green policies are impractical and expensive, which will not help the poor.
For those who value our present way of life, the Greens are sweet camouflaged poison.
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A Breakfast for Fathers | | |
Being a father is not an easy task. We live in a world that downplays the role of fathers and fatehrhood. Too many men in the headlines are anything but good examples of what it is to be a husband and a father.
In commemorating Father's Day, the Life, Marriage and Family Centre warmly invite all Fathers and Grandfathers to a morning of prayer, fellowship, formation and food on the morning of Saturday 4 September.
The morning will commence with Mass at All Saints church in Liverpool before heading over the the Liverpool Catholic Club where a full buffet breakfast will be served.
There will be two talks given over breakfast. The first speaker is Ron Delezio, the father of Sophie Delezio who was involved in a serious accident in 2003 and became a national icon of hope. Ron was named Australian Father of the Year in 2006 and will share with the men his story about overcoming the difficulties and keeping his family together in the difficult times.
The second speaker is Bishop Julian Porteous, auxiliary bishop of Sydney. Bishop Porteous will speak about the Fatherhood of God and what that means for the way fathers look after their own families.
This will be an event that fills quickly, so please see the flyer here for full registration and event details. If you are not a father yourself, give it to your father as a gift for Fathers Day!
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Youth Leader's Formation Course 2010 | |
The world needs men and women with a clear vision, ready to develop their talents and carry forward the mission of Christ into all walks of life. This year the Archdiocese of Sydney will host the 4th Youth Leader's Formation Course. This is a one month live-in experience from 22 November to 18 December at the Benedict XVI Retreat Centre in Grose Vale.

Over the course participants will receive daily presentations on various aspects of the faith, leadership and witnessing to the world. They will be involved in a parish mission, participate in a silent retreat and engage in a day of social outreach. They will be immersed in the rhythm of daily prayer and will build new and lasting friendships with like-minded young adults.
This is an experience that transforms lives! Find our more, read about what last years participants had to say and check out the brochure at www.sydney.catholic.org.au/ylfc.
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An Event for Young Adults | | |
Love & Life @ Polding Centre
The Life, Marriage and Family Centre is inviting Young Adults to a series of DVD and discussion evenings to be held at the Polding Centre, (the Polding Centre is where the offices of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney are located).
We will begin with food and drink at 5:30pm followed by a DVD and a time of discussion. It will be a great way to meet some new people and think about topical issues.
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Coming Events | |
There are always plenty of good events happening in and around Sydney.
If your parish, school or group is planning an event for families, couples, singles etc then let us know about it so we can share the news!
Here are some events that we know about...
Retreat for Women, 'Home is where your heart is'. Mt Schoenstatt, Mulgoa, 28-29 August.
A Breakfast for Fathers, Saturday 4 September in Liverpool. Mass, breakfast and talks by Ron Delezio and Bishop Julian Porteous.
Retreats are essential for those who wish to make real progress in the spiritual life and in learning to love. They are opportunities to step back and listen to what God is saying. The Carmelite Friars at Varoville have 28 different retreats on offer in 2010. See which might be calling you.
Retreats with the Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia. These retreats are for single Catholic women ages 18-35 and will be held in August and October. Click here for further information.
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The Life, Marriage and Family Centre is an agency of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney and has been established to extend the research, policy, educational and pastoral activities the Church undertakes with respect to life, marriage and family issues. Our website is lifemarriagefamily.org.au.
Thank you for taking time to read our newsletter, we hope it has been of interest. We welcome your comments and feedback at lmfnews@sydneycatholic.org. We hope we will be able to serve you in some capacity in 2010.
Yours in Christ,
The Life, Marriage and Family Centre Team
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