The Catholic Weekly 31 July 2022

catholicweekly.com.au 2 NEWS 31, July, 2022 I n this edition News Movies, books Archbishop’s homily Editorial & Letters 1-11 8-9 21 24-25 EDITOR Peter Rosengren (02) 9390 5400 REPORTERS Marilyn Rodrigues (02) 9390 5410 Debbie Cramsie (02) 9390 5396 Adam Wesselinoff (02) 9390 5400 SUBSCRIPTIONS Rita Ng (02) 9390 5411 ADVERTISING AND MARKETING Steve Richards (02) 9390 5404 Katie Clarke (02) 9390 5402 DESIGNERS Renate Cassis Mathew De Sousa Our story begins in 1839 with the Australasian Chronicle, continuing with the Freeman’s Journal in 1850. Level 13, Polding Centre, 133 Liverpool Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. Phone (02) 9390 5400 | Vol 73, No 5245 The Catholic Weekly is published by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney ABN 60 471 267 587 and is printed by Spotpress Pty Ltd, 24-26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204. ‘It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the liv- ing God.’ If we do once catch a glimpse of it, we are afraid of it. Once we recognise that we are sons of God, that the seed of divine life has been planted in us at baptism, we are overcome by that obligation placed upon us of growing in the love of God. And what we do not do voluntarily, He will do for us.” - Dorothy Day, On Pilgrimage QUOTABLE CatholicWeekly The DOWNLOAD THE OUR FAITH OUR WORKS APP Your one-stop location for Mass and Confession times, spiritual reflections and meditations, podcasts, local Catholic news, the Go Make Disciples mission plan, and much more. To download the app visit ourfaithourworks.org/app or scan the QR Code. LIFTOUT MAGAZINE IN NEXT WEEK’S EDITION OF THE CATHOLIC WEEKLY New ball game FOR ALL Saints Liverpool pa- rishioner and proud Catho- lic convert, Tamburai Enoch Mutawemba, next month’s Parish Renewal Conference, will mark the culmination of a three year journey which has seen him struggle through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and emerge far more committed to his faith. Tambarai will be amongst a group of Liverpool parish- ioners travelling to St Mary’s Cathedral precinct for the 19- ¾ Michael Kenny Momentum’s growing 20 August which will feature a keynote address online by leading U-S writer and the- ologian, Dr Scott Hahn and addresses by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP and the Archbishop of Hobart, Julian Porteous. The Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney’s Parish Renewal Conference is an opportunity for clergy, parish leaders and parishioners to be renewed in the Church’s mission of evangelisation and equipped to strengthen their practical efforts through spiritual, intel- lectual, pastoral and human formation in keeping with the Archdiocesan mission plan, Go Make Disciples. All Saints Liverpool pa- rishioner Tambarai Enoch Mutawemba had seen first- hand how his children had benefited from the Catholic values instilled in them at All Saints College Liverpool and in late 2019, he started be- I ultimately became a Catholic be- cause I decided that if I wanted to be a Christian, then I wanted to be part of the Church that Christ established over 2000 years ago.” Tambarai Enoch Mutawemba CHRISTIAN GROUPS have condemned the Sydney Kings for its decision to become Australia’s first team to host a Christmas Day sporting fix- ture. Breaking the final frontier of Aussie sport, the reigning NBL champions will host Mel- bourne United at Qudos Bank Arena on the evening of 25 December. There will also be a game on Christmas Eve with the Adelaide 36ers and South East Melbourne Phoenix to face off at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Christian groups have called for boycotts of com- petition sponsors including Hungry Jacks, K-mart and Bunnings, and labelled it a “blatant attempt to under- mine and belittle the faith of Australian Christians”. FamilyVoice CEO Greg Bondar said the scheduled game on Christmas Day, which is also a Sunday in 2022, is a slap on the face for Chris- tianity. He said the NBL needed to take into account the welfare of playersdue to theChristmas Day fixture. “Having games ¾ Debbie Cramsie scheduled on Christmas Day can have severe stress issues for players of faith,” he said. “The NBL chairman says ‘we are a changing society’ and that ‘the innovation better reflected a diverse Australian society’ but has failed to fac- tor in the fact that the NBL has numerous Christian players and followers who will be sti- fled from celebrating one the most sacred days on the Chris- tian calendar. “The NBL seems to stand for ‘No Biblical Leanings’ giv- en their actions. “Can we please let Chris- tians be Christians and afford them the respect that others are afforded.” While he understands the attacks, Sydney Kings owner Paul Smith has defended the move in the wake of criticism, referencing several other ‘sa- cred days’ on the calendar. He told The Catholic Weekly that in an increasingly secular so- ciety, the religious aspect of the day was far less prevalent than it once was and provid- ed an opportunity to connect those who would otherwise spend the day alone. He said the club would be looking at partnering with a charitable organisation, in- cluding the Sydney Archdio- cese, to enable those on the margins to attend. “Our society has changed a lot, there’s no doubt about it,” he said. “Good Friday, Easter Sun- day and Anzac Day used to be sacrosanct, it’s an evolving community. “We are holding the game on Christmas night as a way of not only promoting our sport but also promoting our sport as an opportunity to connect people and no player, coach or staff member will be forced to take part if it goes against their beliefs. “I know there are a lot of lonely people out there and that Christmas can be a very emotional time. “This won’t be a cure-all, it might provide people who are sitting at home missing their kids or experiencing whatever form of sadness something to do and not be alone. “The Sydney Kings have a strong history of giving and while this is a whole new ball game for us, we are very excit- ed about what we can do for others. “Sure there are the cynics out there that are saying it is purely a money-making ven- ture, but we know we are giv- ing [to] people who otherwise might spend the day alone to have an option. “I honestly don’t think the world is going to end by us staging a Christmas Day game.” The festive fixtures follows in the footsteps of the National Basketball Association in the US, where Christmas games have been commonplace for many years. Christians upset by Christmas fixture but Club stands by decision The NBL seems to stand for ‘No Bibli- cal Leanings’ given their actions. Can we please let Christians be Christians and afford them the respect that others are afforded.” Greg Bondar, FamilyVoice