The Record reports news of the parish, the nation and the world on a weekly basis with a special focus on the life of the Catholic Church in Western Australia.

In Western Australia, The Record is available from your local Catholic parish church or by subscription.

The Record also goes out to all university chaplaincies in Western Australia, St John of God Hospital in Murdoch, and to the staffrooms of all Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Perth.

We are continuing to expand the number of places we go to in order to maximize our reach and readership.

There are 52 editions of The Record produced each year.  

Our mission - communion and progress

Our mission is to provide a weekly and bi-monthly newspaper for the Catholic community of WA providing news of the parish, the nation and the world.

The content of this publication will reflect the needs and interests of the Church - local, national and universal.

Our ideal for ourselves - agents of the Civilisation of Love

The contribution of Catholic journalists is more precious than ever today, at the pastoral, cultural and social levels. In an era of global communication and new technologies, our mission is often daunting, but we will not discouraged by the difficulties we meet.

Catholic newspapers, particularly weeklies, breathe into families, parishes and cities the information and intellectual firepower Catholics need to be Christ to the world.

A culture of life

This applies, in particular, to the protection of human life in its integrity and of marriage and the family, which, in a misguided culture of 'personal rights,' tend to be dismissed and marginalised as irrelevant.

Our vision is nothing less than God's plan of life and love, stretching into eternity, for every human being that has ever been born. We want to share it with you.

Here at The Record we seek to continue resolutely to proclaim the Gospel of truth and hope from the pulpit of a diocesan weekly newspaper, remaining always open to voice of the Christ in His universal Church.

In order to carry out these tasks we seek the necessary spiritual food of prayer and an intense sacramental life. That is why each week at the offices of The Record we pray together - not only for ourselves but for everyone, everywhere, and for the coming of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. We recognise that we need prayers from all our brothers and sisters.

We are also concerned to enrich our ethical and cultural formation, so that our Gospel convictions are given weight and shape.

We will not be diverted by the prevailing tendencies and key currents in modern culture which have drifted away from or abandoned basic truths to do with God and humanity.

Information

We recognise that people need sources of information on the Catholic Church that are complete and authentic, and that Catholics must be constantly updated on the teaching of the Church and on the way it can enliven our existence today.

Our only request is that you pray for us and what we seek to do, commending our meagre efforts to the will of our Father in Heaven.

The Record also seeks to promote awareness and understanding of vocation - God's particular call to each of us to live and become the individuals he created us to be. There are many such vocations in the life of the Church - marriage and family life, priesthood, religious life as a member of a congregation or being single in order to be a better witness for the kingdom.

We all share the first and universal vocation to holiness. The Record seeks to promote the awareness of the call to holiness as described by the Fathers of the Church at the Second Vatican Council in Chapter 5 of Lumen Gentium, and of the other vocations listed above.

Special editions

Whether it was the election of Pope Benedict XVI, World Youth Day in Sydney 2008, or the story of Monsignor Hawes, WA's outback architect priest, The Record occasionally brings out special editions focusing on themes of interest and importance to our readers and the community. Other special editions have focused on themes such as vocation, major news events and coporate works of mercy.

Thousands of loyal readers in parishes and dioceses throughout Western Australia rely on The Record to bring them the stories that can be found nowhere else.

For all 52 weeks of the year, The Record is dedicated to continuously telling the story of this wonderfully diverse and devoted Catholic family while looking toward the future and new opportunities.

One final Word: We try to remain focused on Jesus in all things. But we have a special place in our hearts for two other individuals intimately connected with Him and the Church; his Mother Mary and St Joseph. We turn to them constantly, seeking their intercession for us, asking that they bring us and all our brothers and sisters to Jesus.