JANUARY 20, 2002, vol 52, no 2 by CatholicNews

Jesus tells us not to uselessly question that which is reserved to God, which is precisely the course o f events... ’ - Pope John Paul II

C h u rc h e s re

Villa Francis resident

IN T H E F O O T S T E P S O F T H E P O P E . . .

Archbishop Chia issues first Pastoral Letter

Urgency of dialogue between faiths, communities an inter-civilisation seminar By Christopher Khoo

THE tragedy of Sep 11 and the sufferings and tensions in its aftermath have brought to the consciousness of the world the ur gent need to build a culture of respectful dialogue and cooperation between all the members of the human family. In the shadow of that tragedy, His Holiness Pope John Paul II issued a powerful message for the World Day O f Peace, Jan 1, 2002. The theme of his message, No Peace Without Justice. No Justice Without Forgiveness, addresses a number of issues in our contempo rary world, placing emphasis on the necessity of justice and forgiveness as the source and condition of true peace for all. To eliminate the social and cul tural causes of terrorism, religious leaders must work together and em phasize the greatness and dignity of the human person and the oneness of the human family and at the same time take the lead in publicly con demning terrorism and denying terrorists any form of religious or moral legitimacy. In our pursuit of peace in the world, let us bear in mind that peace is the work of justice and love. True peace is the fruit of justice which ensures full respect for rights and responsibilities, and the just distri bution of benefits and burdens. Human justice however is al ways fragile and imperfect due to the limitations and egoism of indi viduals and groups. Hence there must also always be a place for torgiveness which heals and rebuilds troubled human relations. Forgive ness is the opposite of resentment and revenge, not of justice. We need to work together to eliminate the social and cultural causes of terror ism. His Holiness sees the need to pray for peace, for to pray for peace

Archbishop Chia: It is my hope that you will generously respond to the ardent request of His Holi ness and participate in our Archdiocesan District Prayer Serv ice and Pilgrimage.

is to open the human heart to the inroads of God’s power to renew all things. With the life-giving force of his grace, God can create openings for peace where only obstacles and closures are apparent. To pray for peace is to pray for justice and freedom. To pray for peace is to seek God’s forgiveness and implore the courage to forgive those who have trespassed against us. Bearing in mind that Religions call for a human solidarity through understanding and peace, and as a sign of our solidarity, Pope John Paul II has invited representatives of the world’s religions to sign a COMMITMENT TO PEACE at the Assisi Pilgrimage in Italy. This Pil grimage will be held on Jan 24, 2002. As a spiritual preparation for • Continued on Page 16

HOW does one forge bonds and build trust among religions and eth nic communities? What are the ob stacles to building such relation ships in multi-religious and multi ethnic Singapore? These were some of the tough questions which speakers and par ticipants at a public dialogue ses sion on Jan 12 grappled with in the wake of the Sep 11 tragedy and the recent arrests of Singaporeans linked to the Al-Qaeda terrorist network. Titled Inter-Civilisation Dia logue, the seminar was organised by the Centre For Contemporary Is lamic Studies and drew some 300 participants of various faiths. Retired Methodist Bishop Dr Yap Kim Hao, co-chairman of the organ ising committee, which comprised members of different faiths, said in his opening address, that this semi nar was the first in a series of dia logue sessions for religious commu nities to “meet, discuss, share ideas and respond together on matters of common interest and concern”. Guest-of-honour, former presi dent Wee Kim Wee, in his address, expressed the hope that the delib erations here could contribute to the “search for a peaceful co-existence that might serve as a model for our global world”. Archbishop Nicholas Chia, the keynote speaker for the event, told the crowd, “A true dialogue be tween cultures requires respect for differences. Authentic culture cannot be built upon the practice of religious intolerance and persecution... Reli gious freedom must be upheld. A neighbour of another faith remains a neighbour not withstanding his or her religion.” Referring to the Internal Security Act arrests, he said it “showed us the seriousness of the threat of terrorism in our midst and in the region”. He stressed that it was the duty of

Panellists at the Inter-Civilisation Dialogue seminar on Jan 12: (from left) Mr Chandra Mohan, NMP; Assoc Prof Kirpal Singh, director, Singapore Man agement University; Assoc Prof Hussin Mutalib, NUS (moderator); SrTheresa Seow, Pontifical Council For Inter-Religious Dialogue; Assoc Prof Syed Farid Alatas, NUS and Dr Kevin Tan, Roundtable discussion group.

A cross section of the audience.

Singaporeans “to support the govern ment in its efforts against terrorism”. Assoc Professor Kirpal Singh, director of the Centre For Cross-Cul tural Studies at the Singapore Man agement University, suggested that

Singaporeans see their multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-lingual con text as a cause for celebration, “some thing to be very proud and happy o f ’ - instead of seeing it as a “potentially explosive challenge”. Assoc Prof Syed Farid Alatas, from the Sociology Department of the National University Of Singapore, said that the education system and the media could do much to forge inter faith and inter-ethnic harmony. Young people could be taught about the multi-cultural origins of modem civilisation, the contribu tions and common values of various civilisations, and the common problems they face, he stated. Furthermore, students should leam not only about their own religion in school but all religions as well. As far as the media is concerned, • Continued on Page 16

JANUARY 20 - 27, 2002

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

iLOCAL NEWS!

Strategies for migrant workers’ welfare By Bridget Lew

THE Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peo ple hosted the first ASEAN-South Asia Migration (ASAM) Conven tion on at CH IJ Toa Payoh Secondary School on Dec 15, the United Nations’ Second Interna tional Migrants Day. In solidarity with migrant pasto ral agencies, ASAM delegates recognize the huge, but often unseen, contribution that millions of mi grants make to the economies, societies and cultural advancement of countries throughout the world. The ASAM convention provided an opportunity for host and sending countries in the region to work to gether to ensure that migrants live in dignity and safety. Conference papers on migration were presented by delegates, from India, Philippines, Japan and Singa pore. Japanese researchers led by Professor Yuka Ishii presented a comparative study of the living con ditions of Filipinos in Hong Kong and Singapore. Good Shepherd Sister Mary Bernadette Guzman, director of the Philippine bishops’ Center for Over seas Workers presented an animated overview of the causes of women in migration and the challenges they present to migrant pastoral workers. During workshop sessions, del egates focused on strategic measures for collaboration between host and sending countries. In response to the Holy Father’s World Migration message for 2002, delegates also discussed measures to develop inter-religious dialogue in the pastoral care of migrant workers. The convention culminated on Dec 17 with a working document to

Overseas and local participants and speakers who attended the net working convention on the pastoral care of migrants on Dec 15.

be implemented in 2002. Among the specific actions del egates agreed to w ork on immediately is the publication of a directory of regional agencies serv ing migrant workers and the set up of a network of information centres to serve migrant pastoral workers especially in crisis management. Delegates to the conference came from India, Indonesia, the Phil ippines, Japan and Australia. Among local delegates were Consul General Minda Cruz of the Philippine Em bassy, labour officers from the Sri Lankan High Commission and the Indonesian Embassy and senior rep resentatives from the Singapore Ministry Of Manpower. The delegates came away from the sessions both enlightened and committed to the action plan. Other programmes they agreed to implement or set up were:

■ Departure and follow-up pro grams; ■ Regional meetings; ■ Procedure and conditions of employment; ■ Video-conferencing facili ties; ■ OFW peer training for new arrivals; ■ Counseling /crisis centres; ■ Exchange trips for exposure; and ■ Lobbying on policies and laws. The convention also included a World Peace Rosary Rally and pro cession of Our Lady Of Guadalupe on Dec 15 followed by a vigil led by migrant and local communities. The dawn Mass on Dec 16 was celebrated by Redemptorist Father Xavier Pinto, executive secretary, of the Indian bishops’ commission for labour. □

Legion O f Mary celebrates 80th anniversary By Aurelia Ang

LEGIONARIES from Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore marked the 80th anniversary of the Legion Of Mary with a day-long celebration here on Dec 8, feast of the Immacu late Conception. The celebration, organised by the Singapore Senatus, was held at the Catholic Archdiocesan Educa tion Centre and the Church Of The Risen Christ. Sharing the joy and thanksgiv ing were two Concilium officers from Dublin: Assistant Secretary, Patrick Fay, and the Peregrinatio Pro Christo Committee Chairman, Michael McGauran. Some 1,000 legionaries from Singapore were joined by 121 le gionaries from Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei, Malacca and Muar. The apostolate was founded on Sep 7, 1921 in Dublin, Ireland. As on the first enrolment of members, some 300 legionaries knelt around the Legion altar at 10.00 am to begin the opening prayers of the Senatus meeting. Non-Council members for the first time attended the meeting which culminated with the official launch ing of the Singapore Senatus website by Fr Louis Loiseau, spiritual direc tor of the Singapore Senatus. In the evening, some 850 le gionaries gathered for a celebratory

dinner and showcase of talents. In true Legionary spirit, they performed in colourful traditional costumes complete with matching headgear and footwear. There was a F ilipino singing group, a Singaporean magician, Korean danc ers, an Indonesian angklung band, elderly Sabahan Sumazau dancers and Sarawakian traditional dancers. After dinner the Legionaries at tended the feastday Mass presided by Archbishop Nicholas Chia and Frs Loiseau, Peter Lu, Gregoire van Giang and John Nguyen van Dick. In his homily, Archbishop Chia commended and encouraged mem bers on their contribution to the apostolate and the archdiocese. Days before the celebration, the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Adriano Bemardini, forwarded a message from the Vatican Secretariat Of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano on behalf of the pope, to the 5,000strong Legionaries in Singapore. Cardinal Sodano said in the mes sage that the pope “encourages the Legionaries to devote themselves with fresh vigour to the Church’s mission of evangelization, in order to bring the saving message of the Gospel and the witness of charity to the men and women of our time.” For more information on Le gion O f Mary Singapore Senatus, visit: www.legiomariae.net.

Orthodox priest blesses sea Legionaries from the Korean community in Singapore perform during the dinner celebrating the apostolate’s 80 years of existence worldwide.

By Mel Diamse-Lee

AS CATHOLICS observed the Feast Of The Epiphany on Jan 6, the Orthodox Church celebrated the Baptism Of The Lord on the same day by blessing the sea off East Coast Park. To Catholics, Jan 6 commemo rates the Magi’s visit and presenta tion of the gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh to the Christ child, but in the Greek Orthodox tradition, Jan 6 is observed as the day God revealed Himself at His baptism in the Jordan river. (Catholics celebrate the Baptism Of The Lord on the Sunday after the Epiphany). Orthodox faithful call the Jan 6 celebration as the Feast Of The Theophany or “revelation of God” (theo - God, phania - revelation). At the blessing ceremony pre sided by Fr Daniel Toyne, special prayers were said during which he blessed the sea with his hand (by dipping it into the water and making the sign of the cross three times), with his breath (by blowing into the sea three times) and with the cross (by throwing it into the sea three times). Three parishioners then went into the sea to retrieve the cross. Fr Dan-

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CHURCH OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT Fr Daniel Toyne, a priest ot the Greek Orthodox Church, and his parish ioners at the blessing of the sea off East Coast Park on Jan 6.

iel said that each of the actions are done thrice to symbolise the Trinity. “Some of the Early Church Fa thers saw the blessing ceremony almost as a sacrament because it is done to sanctify water and has ref erence to biblical water events such as the flood in the time of Noah, the parting of the Red Sea and the tapping of the rock in the wilder ness so that water could flow from it,” Fr Daniel added. The ceremony also invokes the

descent of the Holy Spirit to cleanse and sanctify the water and all mate rial things. On the Feast of Theophany, the Orthodox priests and bishops also bless the holy water used by the Church for the rest of the year. Some parishioners also get their water blessed on this day to drink each morning at home. In the Orthodox tradition, the arrival of the Magi is celebrated on Christmas day. □

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THE CATHOLIC NEWS

JANUARY 20 - 27, 2002

LOCAL NEWS

Nativity church youths learn leadership skills By Cornelius Vianney Ching

YOUTHS from the Church Of The Nativity took part in a day-long camp on Dec 19 to get a better idea of their roles as servant leaders in the church. The camp, held at CJC Hostel, was titled Leadership In Service and was attended by 26 leaders and potential leaders, aged 15-19 who belong to the various youth groups of the parish. Fr Michael Sitaram spoke on what it means to work with people as a leader and Fr J J Fenelon highlighted the importance of being a servant leader always ready to serve in the church. Some lay leaders were also in vited to share their life experiences. There were also talks on communi cation and evangelization skills and sessions which helped them to find their own identity and purpose in their service to the church. The participants engaged in a role-play, re-enacting Joshua’s deci sion to cross the Jordan river , leav ing behind the things they detested in themselves and serve God. The Charismatic group of the parish prayed over the participants, asking the Lord to empower then and fill them with spiritual gifts to enable them to serve Him to their fullest. The participants came up with a unified code of conduct for them-

Jean Vanier to conduct retreat, public talk in Malaysia, Singapore THE founder of two communities for the intellectually disabled will be in the region from Feb 15-19 to conduct a talk and retreat. Mr Jean Vanier, the French founder of L ’Arche and Faith And Light communities, will conduct a three-day stay-in, silent retreat at the Majodi Centre, Plentong, Johor Bahru from Feb 15-17. This retreat is open to all Catholics. Mr Vanier’s public talk will be held at the Novena Church on Feb 18, 7.30 pm. He will also conduct a day of recollection for the priests and Reli gious in the archdiocese on Feb 19. The three-day retreat costs S$75 per person for dormitory; S$ 115 per person for twin-sharing. The public talk is free of charge. □ For more details, please contact Geraldine Szeto at (763-7484; 92825833) or email: gerryszeto@hotmail

IN VIEW of the current job situ ation which has recently been addressed by the government task force, we thought that as a Catho lic newspaper, we could do our bit to contribute to a possible alleviation, even if to a small extent, of the suffering that a number of our fellow Catholics must be experiencing. With this, we appeal to all Catholic employers to give us information on positions that they may be able to offer part-time or full-time, of whatever description and or remuneration. Any kind of

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The youths from the Nativity Church at their Dec 19 retreat at the CJC Hostel.

selves and their peers. They also made an act of commitment to serve the Church. Said participant Annabel Chen: “The camp has been a really fulfill ing and enriching experience. The sessions were carefully customised to help us develop as leaders of the church. On the whole, I gained a great deal, spiritually and mentally. Another participant, Mark Jason Ng, said: “The leadership camp was a fun, exiting, new and enriching experience. We had interesting speakers, good food and quality time for ourselves. I enjoyed it and I’m happy I made time to attend it.” Clare Yip added: “I felt that the

camp was a great eye-opener for me. I learned many social and communication skills to help me to become a better leader. I was very fortunate to have felt the Lord’s divine presence during this camp, which I feel will help me to become a better Catholic believer. I would like to thank the organizers for arranging the camp for us. Youth leader, Maximillian Ng, felt camp was a “refreshing experi ence which reaffirmed my duties and enabled me to know and learn what is needed to become a capable leader. It set the basis on which I will have to strengthen to be able to be a good leader. □

Indian Catholic diocese launches family health insurance scheme KOCHI, INDIA - Policy holders of a southern Indian diocese’s new family medical insurance scheme have hailed the programme’s aim of helping those facing financial diffi culties due to illness and accident. By the beginning of this year, at least 10,750 families had enrolled in the Shreyas (progress) programme that Verapoly archdiocese launched in collaboration with a governmentowned insurance firm. Latin-rite Archbishop Daniel A charuparam bil o f V erapoly, Kerala, said the scheme was the first such initiative from a Catholic diocese in the country. The prelate told UCA News that the response from Catholic families has over whelmed the diocesan authorities.

IN CONJUNCTION with the Assisi gathering called for by the pope on Jan 24, an inter-faith prayer service will be held at the Church Of The Holy Family on Jan 23 from 8-9.30 pm. Attending the event will be representatives from the major

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JANUARY 20 - 27, 2002

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

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Japanese Christians apologise to Koreans for nation’s war atrocities TOKYO - Christian groups from

Archbishop Anthony Soter Fernandez breaking his fast with the family of Tuan Haji Mohammed Sultan bin Hj Sickander on Dec 14. Herald photo

Archbishop celebrates with Muslims By Patricia Pereira PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA -

A rchbishop A nthony Soter Fernandez broke fast with a Muslim family during the universal day of fast last month and hosted the Malaysian Prime M inister at a Christmas celebration held in his Kuala Lumpur residence. Archbishop Fernandez said that breaking fast with the family of Tuan Haji Mohammed Sultan bin Hj Sickander of Petaling Jaya on Dec 14 provided an opportunity for dialogue on life, fam ily and friendship between the two religions. “The time shared was an oppor tunity for us. We realised that de spite our many differences, we can learn and accept one another through the common grounds of love and friendship,” he said. “Many Catholics do not realise the significance of being united with those of other religions. Our day of fast which coincided with the Mus lim fasting month was a good op portunity for Catholics in Malaysia to take advantage of this occasion to foster a closer bond with their Mus lim brethren,” he said. According to him, believers of

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other Christian denominations and even those of other religions also responded to the papal appeal for a fast on Dec 14. “Fasting is a sign of human and Christian solidarity because it in spires us to live voluntarily what millions of people are compelled to live out of necessity,” he said. On Nov 29, A rchbishop Fernandez together with the Rt Rev Tan Sri Dr Lim Cheng Ean of the Anglican Church, Rt Rev Julius Paul of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and Rev D atuk Dr Prince Gunaratnam of the Assemblies Of God Church were invited for a break ing of fast reception at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s official residence. Archbishop Fernandez said he had fasted that day and his partici pation in the event was meaningful. On Christmas Day, on behalf of the Christian Federation Of Malay sia, of which he is president, Arch bishop Fernandez, in turn, hosted the Prime Minister and his wife to a Christmas “Open House” at his resi dence. The event included the sing ing of carols by a choir, a Gospel reading, a speech by the archbishop and a buffet reception. Also present were representa tives of the Malaysian Consultative Council For Buddhism, Christian ity, Hinduism and Sikhism (MCCBCHS) and dignitaries. □ h e r a l d

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Japan have expressed solidarity with an apology to Korean religious groups amid fears and anxiety over w hat they view as the “remilitarization” of their country. In their statement issued during a visit to South Korea last month, 18 delegates from 11 Catholic and Prot estant groups in Japan asked for giveness for the Japanese occupa tion of Korea that caused “great agony and affliction to the country and its people.” Japan colonized Korea from 1910-1945. The Japanese delegates also vowed never to forget the Korean people’s “sacrifice and martyrdom” during this period. They also ex pressed regret that Korean Christians were forced to visit Shinto shrines. The statement also aimed to re duce tensions over the recognition of the Hi no Maru, or “rising sun” flag, and Kimi ga Yo (His Majesty’s Reign) anthem as national symbols. The flag, with its familiar crim son disc on a white background, and anthem are historically linked with Japanese military imperialism in the first half of the 20th century and were not recognized by law after World War II. The delegates also expressed concern over the approval by the Japanese government of history text books that downplayed atrocities committed by the Japanese imperial

In a statement, Catholic and Protestant groups in Japan asked JorgivenessJor the Japanese occupation o f Korea,

Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro visited, last year, the Yasukuni Shrine, which honours the war dead, among whom were war criminals. Japanese Christians apologised for this, c n s me photo

army in Asia. In last August, Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro became the sec ond Japanese prime minister to visit a shrine that honours the nation’s war dead, among them those ex ecuted as war criminals.

Both China and South Korea, neighbours most affected by past Japanese military action, protested against Koizumi’s visit to the shrine. Auxiliary Bishop Matsuura Goro of Osaka, one of the delegates to South Korea, told UCA News that the Dec 3-5 visit was a success and informative. The president of the Japan Catho lic Council For Justice And Peace said that from an ecumenical and inter-religious point of view, “It was a good opportunity for both sides... as I heard that Korean Protestants rarely work with Catholics and Buddhists.” Among the groups that signed the statement were the Japan Catho lic Council for Justice and Peace, the National Christian Council in Japan, Baptist and Anglican groups, as well as the Korean Christian Church in Japan. □ u c a n

Pakistan president praises Christian contribution to nation-building CNS file photo

MULTAN, PAKISTAN - President

General Pervez Musharraf of Paki stan, in his Christmas message, has lauded Christian contribution to na tion building after the country wit nessed anti-Christian violence this past year. “I take this opportunity to place on record my appreciation of the patriotism, devoted services and con tribution of the Christian commu nity for the betterment of Pakistan,” the president said in his Christmas message. While wishing Christians a happy Christmas, the president stressed his government’s firm commitment to uphold and protect the rights and privileges of all m inorities as enshrined in Pakistan’s Constitution. Gen Musharraf noted that Islam encourages its followers to regard the life, property and honour of nonMuslims as sacred. He expressed appreciation for “Prophet Jesus” and his message of peace and harmony. Church officials noted a sub dued Christmas celebration amid fear of anti-Christian attacks and regional tensions. Many Christmas programmes were cancelled for se curity reasons and midnight serv ices were not encouraged. Police and military officers were deployed at churches and other

A Pakistani police officer stands guard outside a church in Paki stan. In the wake of anti-Christian violence, Gen M usharraf has stated his appreciation for Chris tians’ nation-building efforts.

places where Christmas services were held. Christians have lived in fear since gunmen killed at least 16 Prot estant churchgoers on Oct 28 in Bahawalpur town. Church leaders

have maintained that the killings were connected to the US military strikes in neighbouring Afghanistan. In his C hristm as m essage, Bishop Andrew Francis of Multan noted that recent world events showed “that our love and respect for one another has diminished” but added that “the birth of Christ is an example of love and unity”. This year the media gave more coverage to Christmas events. Paki stan Television broadcast special programmes on the Christian feast. Messages of Catholic and Protes tant bishops were presented along with special Christmas dramas, in cluding the killings in Bahawalpur. At many places, Muslims or ganized Christmas parties to show their appreciation of Christians. In Multan, 360 km south of Islamabad, a Christmas party was organized by Liberal Forum where Dominican Father James Channan, in charge of the country’s Domini can missioners, cut a cake with many Muslim social and political leaders. Mr Khalid Maqbool, governor of Punjab state, organized a Christmas party at his residence where he said the government is committed to to ensuring the betterment and welfare of all Christians in keeping with Islamic teachings. □ u c a n

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

JANUARY 20 - 27, 2002

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Church leader calls for free Palestine BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK -T h e call for peace was once again made in the Holy Land, a land which has paradoxically seen more than its fair share of strife. While leading a peaceful New Year’s Eve procession of more than 2,000 people, Jerusalem Church leader, Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, called for an end to the Israeli “occu pation” of Palestinian territories and for free access to Jerusalem. “Today we affirm that Palestin ians and Israelis want peace and do not want more killing or more humilia tions or more insecurity,” said Patriarch Sabbah, who was joined at the head of the procession by other Christian and Muslim religious leaders. The Dec 31 procession culmi nated at an Israeli checkpoint in Bethlehem, where religious leaders led a short prayer service. Although the majority of pro testers were not allowed to pass through the checkpoint, a small del egation of Palestinian and interna tional participants were allowed through to the Old City. The patriarch said that if Israel would withdraw its troops from Pales tinian territories and open access to Jerusalem, the Palestinian people would give “the Israeli people their security”. People are being humiliated and killed, he said, and with this killing of human dignity, the dignity of God also is being killed. “The Palestinian people are oppressed and the Israeli people are the victims of the reaction to this oppression,” he said. Carrying banners and balloons, the group of local residents and inter

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Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah (right) with Christian and Muslim leaders in a procession from Bethlehem to Jerusalem on Dec 31. The Catholic patriarch together with more than

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national activists was stopped on the way to the checkpoint by Israeli soldiers in an area controlled by Israel. Before being stopped, the group hoped to join other peace activists in the Old City. Plans also called for forming a human chain around the walls of the Old City. But protesters said they knew the likelihood of being let through the checkpoint was close to non-existent. Eventually a delegation of Pal estinians and international members of the procession were allowed to cross through the checkpoint to the

Old City, where they attended a service in St Anne Church. There, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount was read in Arabic and English. Patriarch Sabbah told the group assembled at the church that Israel will not have peace until peace is restored for Palestinians, and he told Palestinians that they will not achieve peace through violent retaliations. “Surrendering to evil is losing one’s humanity but resisting evil with evil methods is worse than that,” he said, paraphrasing Ma hatma Gandhi. □ c n s

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However, Archbishop Karlic said the government’s credibility both in ternationally and among Argentine citi zens would be restored “only if there is a decisive move to fight corruption, especially at the top political levels”. Archbishop Giaquinta said Ar gentina’s long history of political corruption has left him skeptical of the interim administration’s claim

of restoring economic stability. “Like St Thomas,” the arch bishop said, “I need to see before I believe.” But, he said he was “sym pathetic” to the idea of suspending debt payment because “it is defini tively immoral if paid in the terms it was being paid”. President Rodriguez Saa re signed on Dec 30. □ c n s

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Argentina bishops and debt repayment BUENOS AIRES - Argentine bish ops said they supported a decision made by the country’s interim presi dent to withhold debt payments in order to help stabilize Argentina’s faltering economy. “Paying a debt is a moral obliga tion, but never above the immediate needs of a people,” said Archbishop Estanislao Karlic of Parana, president of the Argentine bishops’ conference. Archbishop Carmelo Giaquinta of Resistencia used even stronger language. “We certainly have an ob ligation, as a nation, to pay the debt, but not to the international vultures, but to the nations, some peoples of the first world, which have to see in us a credible partner,” he said. Interim Argentine President Adolfo Rodriguez Saa had announced that Argentina would temporarily withhold the payment of its US$132 billion (S$243 billion) public debt to concen trate money into generating jobs. Mr Rodriguez Saa had said the suspension of the country’s foreign debt was necessary because Argen tina must first address domestic is sues, such as hunger and the unem ployment rate, which stands at 20%.

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JANUARY 20 - 27, 2002

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

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Sri Lankan Church-sponsored forum tackles good governance COLOMBO —A post-election forum organized by the Church in Sri Lanka highlighted the importance of good governance in addressing poverty, violence and injustice in the country. B ishop O sw ald Gom is of Anuradhapura, who chaired the meeting, highlighted the importance of checks and balances through the independent functioning of the judi cial, legislative and executive branches of government. Injustice and inequalities must be tackled at their roots, said the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka. R. Sampanthan, leader of the Tamil National Alliance that won the most number of seats in the northern and eastern parts of the country, said that good governance is not only about changing and im plem enting new system s and structures but also addressing injus tices and inequalities of minority communities. Mr Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu,

director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, called for a negotiated settlement of the war between the Sinhalese-led government and sepa ratist Tamil rebels. A recent survey conducted by his centre, he said, showed that 70% of Sri Lankans, both Tamils and Sinhalese, favour a political rather than military solution to the 18-year ethnic war. Mr Saravanamuttu, who is also co-convener of the Centre For Moni toring Of Election Violence, ex pressed concern about electoral vio lence and disenfranchisement of vot ers during the Dec 5 elections. Elec toral violence, he said, affects the credibility of an elected government. Representatives from leading political parties attended the Dec 14 forum in Colombo, organized by Caritas Sri Lanka, a Church humani tarian aid agency. However, the new ruling United National Front, led by the United National Party, failed to send a representative. □ u c a n

Cabinet votes to halt building of Nazareth mosque JERUSALEM —The Israeli Secu

LOURDES FEA ST at 50 Ophir Rd, S’pore 188690 The Church ofOur Lady ofLourdes commemorates its Patronal Feast with a Novena from Saturday 2 Feb to Sunday 10 Feb , 2002. Daily Novena Masses at 6 pm. On the final Day Healing Masses at 8 am (in Tamil) and 10 am (in English). In the evening candlelight procession presided by Archbishop Nicholas Chia. ALL ARE WELCOME

rity Cabinet voted 4-1 in favor of halting construction on a mosque adjacent to the Basilica of the An nunciation in Nazareth. Meeting on Jan 9, the Cabinet instructed member Natan Sharansky to find an alternate site for the struc ture in Nazareth within two weeks, according to news reports. “We don’t expect the Islamic Movement to cooperate,” said Mr David Parsons, spokesman for the International Coalition For Naza reth, noting that the movement al ready had ignored a three-week-old court order to stop construction. “They are working at breakneck speed; the foundation has already been poured and is almost at ground level. I don’t know if the Cabinet decision will stop anything,” he said. In 1999, Israeli authorities ap proved construction of the mosque next to the Basilica Of The Annun ciation, despite strong Vatican ob jections. Fr Giovanni Battistelli, head of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, in a letter to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said the mosque issue raised serious questions about free access to Christian holy places, which Israel had promised to protect. □

CNS

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McDonald’s within cathedral grounds? Half of the rent from the outlet will go to a Philippine archdiocese's centre for retired and sick clergy. CNS file photo

BALAYAN, PHILIPPINES -C ath o

lics are split over the construction of a McDonald’s hamburger restaurant on the grounds of a historic church in the northern Philippines. Immaculate Conception Cathe dral in Balayan, Batangas, 75 km south-west of Manila, has leased 400 sq m of its property to one of the American fast-food chain’s fran chises, says Fr Ernesto Mandanas. The cathedral parish priest told UCA News on Jan 3 that the 72,000peso (S$2,520) monthly income from the lease would help support a Lipa archdiocesan centre for elderly and sick priests, and youth catechesis. Fr Mandanas said a government restriction imposed in December would be lifted “soon”, allowing construction of the two-storey res taurant to continue. The Department Of Environment And Natural Resources prohibited work on the structure that had be gun in November after a rival food chain questioned the lack of an en vironmental clearance for the new structure. The municipal government later ruled that clearance is required only after construction is completed, Fr Mandanas explained. He called the 10-year contract with McDonald’s “a stroke of bless ing”. Half of the rent will go to Lipa archdiocese’s centre for retired and sick clergy whose families cannot afford long-term medical and pro-

The ubiquitous McDonald’s will soon make its way into the grounds of the Immaculate Con ception Cathedral in Balayan, Batangas.

fessional care. “The (priests) have sacrificed for the Church, and in their old age they cannot just be abandoned,” Fr Mandanas said. The rest of the rent, he continued, will be used to buy materials and pay salaries for a pro posed Sunday school programme for public school students. M unicipal councilor Anna Arroyo, 46, said that though she understood the Church’s reasons, eld

erly parishioners “will not like this”. The brightly colored red-andyellow McDonald’s building clashes with the Spanish colonial architec ture of the church, which the gov ernment declared a historical site in 1986, she explained. Immaculate Conception cathedral was built in the 1870s. Ms Arroyo cited critics of the deal who say the restaurant should have been built at the back of the property. However, she added, many parishioners say nothing can be done about the project now “because it’s already there”. Susana Sale, 16, said Church leaders should have thought of other fund-raising schemes. She predicted that teenagers would hang out at the M cDonald’s, making it “really noisy” even during Mass. However, another Catholic, Ms Cleotilde Dugay felt that it is “what’s inside the church” that matters, so the restaurant need not be a distraction. The 45-year-old candle vendor said the Church needs to be “practical” and drop “senti mental ideas”. In a letter to the editor of a local daily newspaper, McDonald’s Phil ippines executive vice-president Kenneth Yang wrote that his com pany “is working with the local parish as well as the municipal gov ernment of Balayan to ensure that there is no encroachment on historic grounds”. □ u c a n

Vietnam bishops urge PM to respond to Church petitions HANOI - Catholic bishops of Viet nam have appealed to the prime min ister to respond without delay to their pending petitions. Bishop Paul Nguyen Van Hoa of Nha Trang, president of the Vietnam Bishops’ Conference, and bishops of the conference’s standing committee and episcopal commissions made the appeal during their courtesy call to Prime Minister Phan Van Khai on Dec 29. A local Church source told UCA News that Bishop Hoa told the prime minister that Catholics want to con-

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They asked the prim e minister to allow the Church to recruit seminary candidates every year instead o f every two years. tribute in the social and economic fields, including poverty alleviation, preservation of the nation’s identity and cultural traditions. However, he complained that some constraints on Church activi ties have not been removed, although in recent years some Church petitions have received a positive response. Bishop Hoa said he wished that “clergy, Religious and laity be able to receive the training they need in order to contribute more significantly in the fields of education, health care and social welfare”. He also appealed to the prime minister to allow the Church to re cruit seminary candidates every year instead of every two years as set by

current regulations, according to the Church source. The Church leader urged the gov ernment to abolish the screening of priesthood candidates’ political back ground before ordination as they have already been screened before entering the major seminary. He asked the government to al low the Church to construct more churches and assign priests to these parishes. He also asked permission for Church people to receive foreign religious publications. Bishop Hoa also asked the gov ernment to return Church lands and religious establishments it had appro priated. According to the Vietnam Com munist Party daily Nhan Dan (Peo ple) of Dec 30, the prime minister lauded the considerable contributions to economic development and na tional defence made by the country’s 6 million Catholics. The paper added that while brief ing the Catholic Church leaders on the co u n try ’s socio-econom ic achievements of the past year, the prime minister urged them to “com bine efforts with the entire Vietnam ese people of all walks of life, reli gious and ethnic groups”. □ u c a n

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

JANUARY 20 - 27, 2002

iVATICANi

Vatican, Anglicans discuss ways to forge greater understanding VATICAN CITY - From praying together for peace to promoting wider use of the Anglican Centre’s library in Rome, Pope John Paul II and the Anglican archbishop of Can terbury’s personal representative in Rome discussed ways to promote closer cooperation among Catholics and Anglicans. A nglican B ishop R ichard Garrard met the pope on Jan 4 at the Vatican, his first meeting with the pope since his November installa tion as director of the Anglican Centre and representative of Arch bishop George Carey of Canterbury, spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Bishop Garrard said the main focus of the audience was on the Anglican Centre and its work of promoting Anglican-Catholic under standing in Rome. “The Holy Father spoke particu larly of the need to use our library as a place where Catholics can learn more about Anglicans and where Catholics and Anglicans can meet,” he said. The pope also asked if Bishop Garrard was ready for the Jan 24

inter-religious gathering in Assisi to pray for peace; the bishop will speak at the gathering in the name of Archbishop Carey. “I have already completed a draft of the talk, so I was happy to be able to say I was ready,” Bishop Garrard said. The bishop said he sees great promise for improved relations through the work of the new Angli can-Roman Catholic Commission For Unity And Mission, a group of bishops appointed by the Vatican and the Anglican Communion to promote common activities to build on the theological agreements reached over the past three decades. In a separate development, the Pontifical Council For Promoting Christian Unity thanked Archbishop George Carey of Canterbury for his “commitment to fostering and deep ening Anglican-Roman Catholic re lations” as head of the Anglican Com munion for more than a decade. The spiritual leader of the world’s 70 million Anglicans an nounced he would step down on Oct 31 this year, three years before he was due to retire. □ c n s

Archbishop George Carey of Canterbury, who will be retiring in October this year, was thanked by the Vatican for his commit ment to fostering AnglicanRoman Catholic relations. Archbishop Carey is spiritual leader of the world’s 70 million Anglicans.

Pope to Catholics: trust in God for the future, remove anger from selves

Pope John Paul II blessing the altar at Mass at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. ‘Jesus tells us not to uselessly question that which is reserved to God,’ he said at an end-ofyear service. CNS photo

VATICAN CITY - It is a very hu man temptation to want to know what will happen in the future, but Jesus had assured his followers that time is in the hands of the Father. Pope John Paul II highlighted this point at a Dec 31 evening prayer service marking the end of the year. Jesus had told his disciples that until the end came the strength of the Holy Spirit would be with them, helping them make disciples of all nations. “He called on them to as sume a new attitude towards time,” the pope said. “Jesus tells us not to uselessly question that which is reserved to God, which is precisely the course of events, but to use the time each has at his disposal - the present working with filial love to spread the Gospel to every comer of the planet,” he said. As if to make a personal point, the 81-year-old pontiff also said, “I ask God for the strength to continue for as long as he wants in faithful

service to the church of Rome and of the whole world.” Pope John Paul also said the end of an old year is a time to become aware of “our own fragility and of the moments in which we were not fully faithful to the love of God. For our shortcomings and omissions, we ask the Lord’s forgiveness”. On Dec 30, addressing visitors in St Peter’s Square, he asked individu als and families to begin the New Year by setting aside feelings of an ger and by giving thanks for the blessings they have received. “Every year brings with it joys and sorrows, problems and new pros pects,” the pope said “I ask everyone to conclude 2001 by giving thanks to God, leaving be hind them every enmity in order to begin 2002 in the love and peace of Christ,” he said during his mid-day Angelus address. Marking the Dec 30 feast of the Holy Family, Pope John Paul said that although the Gospels do not pro vide many details about Jesus’ grow

ing up in Nazareth, there are enough hints to know that it was “an intimate community of life and love”. “The Redeemer of the world pur posefully chose the family as the place of his birth and his growth, thereby sanctifying this fundamen tal institution of every society,” the pope said. “Gathering and prayer, mutual understanding and respect, personal discipline and communal asceticism, and a spirit of sacrifice, work and solidarity are the typical traits which make the family of Nazareth a model for all of our homes,” he said. Pope John Paul said the Church will not stop going against the cur rent of modem societies by preach ing the importance of family life, both spiritually and for the good of society itself. But the Church’s teaching must be supported by the witness of Chris tian families themselves, who are called to show the world that strong families are a “sign of unity for the world”, he said. □ c n s

CNS file photo

Vatican website for priests ROME - The Vatican’s Congregation For The Clergy has launched a web site service for the ongoing forma tion of priests. “Missio - clerus.org offline” is a programme that enables priests to work within an electronic library (www.clerus.org) without being con nected to the Internet. The user may carry out research as he usually does on the Internet, after consulting the file of each document, article or book. After finding the required page, he may connect to the internet to download the chosen titles. The

method shortens the connection time to the internet without minimising the benefits of www.clerus.org, a site sponsored by Vatican and other Church bodies. The Congregation’s Electronic Library is broken down into the de partm ents of P ersonalised Catechesis, M agisterium Of The Sovereign Pontiffs, Church Fathers, Sacred Writings, and Other Docu ments. The programme also makes possible the updating of indexes and other changes. The books and docu ments in five languages are free of charge. □ c a t h o l ic h e r a l d

Several missionaries killed by fanaticism in 2001 VATICAN CITY - Ethnic hatred, religious fanaticism and violent crime took the lives of at least 33 Catholic priests and religious in mission territories in 2001, said the Vatican’s Fides news agency. Killing missionaries simply to rob them is a relatively new, but growing phenomenon, said Fides, the news agency of the Congrega tion For The Evangelization Of Peoples. “Ten or 15 years ago, mission aries were respected and esteemed for the spiritual values they repre sented,” said Fides director, Fr

Bernardo Cervellera, in a Dec 29 editorial. “Today they are seen only as defenceless prey, easy to strike,” he said. “Everyone knows that mis sionaries are unarmed; they won’t retaliate or seek revenge.” But rape and robbery also are used to mask religious or political motives for killing missionaries, the Fides director said. “The year that closes takes with it a terrible burden of violence and contempt for God and man,” said Fr Cervellera. “Their determina tion to live and to die among the

plagues of our planet for love of Jesus is a source of hope for 2002. These martyrs are the proof that love is possible and that the earth belongs to Christ, not to violence and terror.” The Fides “martyrology” for 2001 included 25 priests, five Re ligious women, one seminarian, one consecrated laywoman and one lay missionary. Eight were Indians killed in their own country, presumably part of the continuing violence of fun damentalist Hindus against Chris tians. CNS □

JANUARY 20 - 27, 2002

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

FAITH ALIVE! C

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... even in tim e s of great stress and difficulty. Dolores R. Leckey shares som e insights. ■yTTARLY in 2002, the old t j year still casts its shadow. M ' Sin does, surely, abound. M J But what about grace? W hat about G o d ’s free gifts, blessings - which St Paul tells us in his Letter To The Romans - dwarf sin’s bravado? St Therese of Lisieux gives us a clue. “All” is grace, she said. Even in the ashes and fear of the autumn of 2001? Yes, she would insist. And so I try to pay attention to the contents of my life and others’ lives where blessings lie woven into the fabric of ordinary days and nights. The first discovery is the re newed centrality of home. 1 read that people are now more pulled towards spending time at home, with family, in familiar sur roundings. Once again, small is beautiful. Home with its own particular icons (photographs, reli gious art, books, furniture, memo ries) represents some stable ground in an unstable world. Can it be that the blessing is to hold up before us the truth of our own abundant lives - the sacramentality of daily living? People are central to our homes. One hears that parents are spending more time with their young children, time carved out of busy schedules filled with responsibilities. We - my husband and I - are spending more time with memories: our parents, places w e’ve lived, friendships formed through many years, satisfying work. There is a deeper, sharper awareness than be fore of the richness of our lives. Gratitude grows because of that.

A Muslim reading the Koran. An other blessing of these times is the growing desire of non-Muslims to know more about Islam. With a world in crisis, people are now finding strength in spending time with their family, in familiar surround ings, says the writer. Another constant blessing is the liturgy. ‘I find that the Church does for me what I cannot do alone for myself: words and gestures conveying the inexpressible,’ says the writer, c n s photos

One constant blessing during uncertain times is the liturgy. I know that people react differently to stress, and I find that prayer dries up in me in the immediacy of the moment. But the liturgy goes on no matter how I feel. The Sunday following Sep 11, our pastor celebrated Mass for times of civil disturbance. It was like wa ter in the desert. Over and over, I find that the Church does for me what I cannot

do alone for myself: words and gestures conveying the inexpressible. This is luminously so in times of illness, of course. The sacrament of healing comes when we are at a low point, perhaps our lowest. Then the Church gently touches us, imparting love, confidence and hope. It happens in less dramatic ways as well. For weeks after the initial shock of Sep 11,1 prayed Compline, the Church’s night prayer, for those buried in rubble of the World Trade

Center. Compline seemed poignantly suitable, with psalms pleading for deliverance and safety, and prayers of confidence in God’s mercy. One pervasive blessing of these strange and dangerous times is also the growing desire to know more about Islam, the youngest of the monotheistic religions - those be lieving in the one God. When a local mosque held an open house, I felt drawn to attend. What awaited me and hundreds

of others was generous hospitality. We were given flowers and copies of the Koran, and invited to study displays with the history of Islam. There were short lectures with opportunities for questions - and many questions were raised, with considerable candour. Food was plentiful. A new world opened to many of us, with the opportunity to under stand the values and lifestyle of families who are our neighbours. And is not greater understand ing a blessing? □ c n s Leckey is a senior fellow at Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University, USA.

Recognising a blessing when we see one By Sr Katherine Howard, OSB

IN ADDITION to the Church’s of ficial Book Of Blessings, there are books with blessings galore for every occasion and every thing: ■ Blessings for meals, for wheels, for boats, for goats. ■ Blessings for mother, father, sister, brother. ■ Blessings upon travel, bless ings upon work. ■ Blessings for rainy days, sunny days, dying and birth! Blessing is integral to the Chris tian experience of life. The words “bless”, “blessing”, “blessed” appear hundreds of times in Scripture, and we often hear them on our own lips or the lips of friends and acquaint ances: “What a blessing she arrived safely!” And that spontaneous re sponse to a sneeze, “God bless you!” A blessing is an experience of God’s favour. To bless God or some one else is to give thanks and praise for good received. To pray God’s blessing on someone or something

is to call upon God to manifest divine goodness in some particular way. Every moment God, the ever present, creative Source of our be ing, looks at moon, sun, stars, cattle, birds, fish, sky and trees, woman and man and says: “How good! This is my gift to you!” (See Genesis 1.) God’s infinite goodness in creation in each of its particular manifesta tions is blessing. But even that is not enough for God, who says, “I myself will live in you and among you within my creation.” So God has come in Christ. And now through His dying and rising, Christ lives in us in the power of His Spirit as the Life of our life, the Love of our love, the Light of our light. God made flesh - God immers ing God’s self in the stuff of crea tion - comes to us in gifts of love and friendship, beauty and good ness, inner gifts of prayer, whole ness and well-being; gifts as simple and direct as undisturbed sleep, daily

food and a safe journey home; gifts as complex as peace between na tions restored. God’s loving gift of self also is with us, in us, in loneliness and pain, betrayal, disillusionment, suf fering and death. Sometimes we experience it as relationships renewed, health re stored, tranquillity regained. Some times we know it only as dogged strength to endure, courage to go on, hope for a better future. Eucharist is the pinnacle of our celebrating the breadth and depth of God’s blessing on us in Christ, and our blessing of God through Christ in return. God’s love poured out in bless ing never is exhausted. “God’s mer cies never come to an end; they are new every morning, so great is God’s faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:2223). □ c n s Sr Howard, o f St Benedict's Mon astery, St Joseph, Minnesota, USA, does spiritual direction and retreat work.

E v e r y m o m e n ty G o d , th e c r e a tiv e S o u rce o f o u r b e in g , lo o k s a t m o o n , s u n , s ta r s , c a ttle , b ir d s , fis h , sk y a n d tr e e s , w o m a n a n d m a n says:

a n d

‘H o w g o o d !

T h is is m y g

ift t o y o u ! ’

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

JANUARY 20 - 27, 2002

FEATURE i

Churches renovate, rebuild to accommodate more parishioners Official opening, blessing expected in May for newly rebuilt Immaculate Heart Of Mary church By Christian Kwan

THE old Immaculate Heart Of Mary church, built as a temporary chapel in 1943, was inadequate to meet the growing population of the parish, which has since grown to 6,000. In 1999, during the Parish As sem bly, p articip an ts voted unanimously to build a new church. Construction for the new church started in Nov 2000. The church complex comprises three buildings sitting on a common semi-basement. The basic design concept is a “kampong church”. Main church: The single story church building, with a seating ca pacity of 1, 400, is column-free so that everyone w ould have an unimpeded view of the sanctuary at Mass. The floor gslopes down to ward the sanctuary like a cinema hall. Two sets of stained glass from Milan, Italy show the 15 mysteries of Our Lady at the sanctuary. Terracotta Stations Of The Cross adorn the choir loft parapets. Presbytery: The church is linked to the two-storey presbytery that houses the office at the ground level and the priests’ quarters upstairs. Beside the office is an adoration room. Pastoral Centre: One the threestorey block is a cafeteria which opens into the church plaza. On the second and third levels are 21 cat echism classrooms cum meeting rooms. A group of 250 people may use the multi-purpose hall on the third level by opening two of the adjoining rooms. The church complex has an open piazza for community functions and fellowship after Masses. A grotto features a statue of Our Lady Of

An artist’s impression of what the new Immaculate Heart Of Mary church complex will look like after completion. The bell tower (foreground) is one of the key features of the new church.

Lourdes. A staircase from the pi azza leads to the columbarium below. Columbarium: Containing 6,000 niches, the columbarium is located below the church level. Bell Tower: The landmark of the church complex is a set of three 7-storey-high pristine white towers in the form of three crosses housing the three old cast iron bells. The reconditioned bells, cast in 1943, w ill be swung and rung mechanically. IHM Retreat House: Com pleted late last year, the three-storey Retreat House at 46 Kovan Road has dormitories for at least 80 re

treat participants and their retreat master. In it are a lecture hall, refectory, and common halls for retreat par ticipants. This would be linked to the church in due course. The redevelopment of the new IHM Church and Retreat House at the cost of $11.5million will be completed soon and the blessing and opening of the new church is scheduled for May 1. Fund-raising efforts have pro duced $ 9.1 million. Fund-raising activities include ouright donations, food and fun fairs, walkathons, golf tournaments and pledges. A second collection is also. □

N e w H o ly S p irit c h u rc h to b e re a d y b y P e n te c o st By Al R Dizon

IT’S all systems go at the Church Of The Holy Spirit in Upper Thomson Road as parishioners, led by parish priest Fr Joseph Tan race against time to get their new church build ing up by Pentecost this year. Work on the new church build ing began in December 2000, with hopes that the Easter of 2002 would see the parish celebrating the Easter Vigil at the new building. But sev eral delays put paid to such hopes. Fr Tan believes at least the new building would be ready by Pentecost. “We see our church building as an oasis, a gathering space for call ing forth what we are in God’s sight - members of the body of Christ in all our diversity,” said Fr Tan. “That is why I am confident that we can make it by Pentecost.” The entire project involves the erection of a new church building, renovations to its existing church hall and other existing buildings, and a columbarium. The whole project is scheduled for completion by June 2003, with a new kindergarten building and youth centre. On completion, the building project will have cost some $ 8 million. The church has already organised several fund-raising drives, including a golf tournament, several dinners, walk-ajogs, sale of assorted food items and

accessories and monthly cash contri butions to the fund by Giro or Sunday collections. “Even the children have joined the act with their collection tins,” added Fr Tan. He said his parishioners know that they are partners in building “a vigorous arena for conducting the business of faith, a place of transac tion poised at the centre of commu nity life, both secular and sacred, a place of hospitality, a place where those in need can find help, and a sanctuary where all are safe”. With this current project, church building at the parish has gone full circle. The existing church, including the rectory, carpark and canteen built in 1964 was inaugurated by then archbishop, Msgr Michael Olcomendy. In the Pentecost of 1988 a new block housing the existing book shop and the Upper Room was officially opened by then Archbishop Gregory Yong on Pentecost. The parish of more than 3,000 is now looking forward to Archbishop Nicholas Chia inaugurating the new church building by Pentecost. Enthused parishioner Michael Lim: “From age to age, Sunday to Sunday, procession to procession, celebration to celebration, this place and space will simultaneously bear more meaning than any of us can know, especially our children who will grow up here.” □

Construction workers race against time to complete the church build ing of the Holy Spirit parish by Pentecost.

Church of St Francis of Assisi renovates main church building, builds 4-level annexe By Agnes Yong

The columbarium at the basement of the church annexe in St Francis Of Assisi church opens up to an amphitheatre for informal gatherings and prayer.

THE increasing number of Catho lics in Jurong Central and Jurong West has made it necessary to reno vate and expand the facilities at the Church Of St Francis Of Assisi in Boon Lay. The main church is being reno vated and upgraded to make room for 900-1,000 parishioners each Mass, 300 more than before. The new features in the main church include air-conditioning, a room for babies and their parents; a stained-glass facade featuring St

Francis Of Assisi, a bell-tower and an adoration room. The demolished church hall and classrooms made way for a new church annexe with a more spacious hall and three levels of classrooms to accommodate more children in catechism classes and give organi zations more meeting rooms. At the basement of the annexe is a columbarium, which opens out to the amphitheatre for open-air prayer sessions. The whole project costs $5 mil lion and many fund-raising activi ties have taken place with more to

come this year. Parishioners have had food-andfun fairs, feast day dinners and a charity golf tournament. There is an on-going sale of souvenirs and do nations to book columbarium niches. This year, there will be a lottery draw to raise more funds. Parishion ers have also made pledges to donate sums of money or to give more during collections at Sunday Masses. The extended church is expected be completed by May when the parish priest, Fr Nicholas Ho, the overseer of the project, will leave for his attachment in the United States. □

JANUARY 20 - 27, 2002

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

FAMILY!

Five ways to build family spirituality L ife in Singapore has becom e rather hectic, but appar ently, this situation is true elsewhere,

One way of renewing famify syirituafity is to create a famify cufture. ‘A way to do that is to fiave dinner together as a famify or invest in a ‘carefree timefessness1, wfienparents and cfifdren step out of tfie rat race and spend some time refaxing.

AUSTRALIAN author and speaker Matthew Kelly, in a recent talk in Hungtington, Indiana in the United States, chose to speak on Building Family Spirituality because as he put it, “we’re in the middle of a culture war, and the No 1 target in that culture war is the family. It is being targeted ... it is being divided, it is being destroyed by our modem culture”. He offered five tips that can help families renew their spiritual ity. ■ Ask the right questions. “The best thing you can do for your chil dren is to teach them how to make good decisions. The most important thing we do every day is make decisions. This is something we need to note. Parents have a tendency to always tell children what to do in stead of helping them to reach a decision. Unless we train them, children will find it very difficult to make their own decisions in future. If your child presents a situation that requires guidance, it’s impor tant to get him or her to contemplate what would be the best decision. Make them think about what they should do, Mr Kelly said.

■ Pray together as a family.

This doesn’t need to be a lengthy affair. A short period for night prayer would be a good start. Saying grace before meals would help too. Mr Kelly suggested that parents lead spontaneous prayer at the din ner table for about a month until the children learn how to do it. “Keep it short, keep it simple, keep it real, keep it from the heart,” he said. ■ Create a family culture. One

way to do that, Mr Kelly said, is to

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INDONESIAN CATHOLIC CHARISMATICS OF HOLY SPIRIT CHURCH would like to invite our Brothers and Sisters in Christ to attend a Thanksgiving Mass in Bahasa Indonesia celebrated by Fr Yusuf Halim S VD and Nafiri Vocal Group in commemoration of our

2nd Anniversary Friday, 22nd February 2002, 7 pm Holy Spirit Church 248 Upper Thomson Rd, S’pore 574371 Enquiries: Jane 9762-4395, Leny 9002-7692, Susan 446-3855

“... and on this rock I will build my church...” Matthew 16:18

have dinner together as a family whenever possible. “If you can’t get together as a family once in a while then there’s a problem. Is that house of yours a home or is it just a hotel where strangers pass through?” Another way to create a family culture is to take Sunday off and invest in a concept he calls “carefree timelessness,” when you step out of the rat race and peace descends. “Life is better when we take that time to relax,” he said. “Everything appears in perspective when we step back.”

■ Simplify. Let us look at ways to

simplify our lifestyle. For instance, do we really need to upgrade to a WAP-enabled handphone when we already have one of the latest compu ter models at home? One good thing that the eco nomic downturn has done to parents is that it has prompted them to rethink their spending priorities. They now consider how buying the latest electronic gadget would affect their budget. There are also now less families

spending many hours in the shop ping mall and more in the parks. In short, the economic crisis is helping families to simplify their lifestyle. ■ Develop a spirit of service.

Those who are most happy are mak ing a difference in other people’s lives, Mr Kelly said. “When we lay our lives in the service of other people, we find fulfillment and sat isfaction and a deep and lasting happiness.” Teach your children that they can contribute to a better church, family and community, he said. □ c n s - Edited by Mel Diamse-Lee

D epressed? N othing new... and y o u ’re not alone THE current economic woes the world over combined with the socalled “events of Sep l l ” and their aftermath have left a trail of real and potential depression factors. We in Singapore have not been spared and with the rising number of job losses, not to mention the impending Cambridge examination results, one can foresee an increas ing number of depression cases. Some observations of Dr Frederic Flack, a psychiatrist based in the United States might be en lightening. “Depression is often unrecog nized. Thus little or nothing is done to alleviate it,” Dr Flack says. Because of the sadness, moodi ness, irritability, worry, fatigue and a host of other distressing behaviours that accompany it, depression casts a pall over family life: Feelings easily are hurt. What people say to each other often is misunderstood. The very blessings a family otherwise could enjoy go unappreciated. Depression usually has a start ing point. You usually can find that its onset occurred in the context of some serious life stress: someone’s illness or death; financial reversals; hurtful actions that never were for given. Even supposedly happy events, like babies being bom or grown chil dren marrying can set off a certain degree of depression. The common denominator is

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loss, the loss of something or some one valued. And if one thing charac terizes the life cycle it is loss, not just external loss, but the losses that accompany changes within you as you move from youth to old age. There are three steps to restoring health and happiness: ■ Take a good hard look to see if depression is, in fact, a problem. Such an honest appraisal requires a certain degree of humility, a virtue clearly strengthened by faith in God’s caring love. Medical studies have shown that people with a sincere, inner faith are in a much better position to resolve depression than those with out such faith.

38&*k.

■ Medical and psychological treatm ents for depression have proved remarkably effective. Use them if you think they may help, and thank God for them. As you make progress, watch joy and energy flow back into your family life. ■ Start building resilience to cope more effectively with changes that lie ahead. Physical resilience calls for in telligent eating, weight control and regular exercise. Psychological resilience requires the development of such virtues as generosity of spirit, the nurturing of loving relationships and acknowl edgment of the importance of God’s role in every aspect of life. □ c n s

THE CATHOLIC NEWS IT H E I

JANUARY 20 - 27, 2002

1VIEWPOINT

CATHOLIC NEWS

Changes and change

EDITOR

Dr (Rev) Robert P. Balhetchet MANAGER

Rev Fr Johnson Fernandez STAFF CORRESPONDENTS

Rev Fr Richards Ambrose Christopher Khoo Mel Diamse-Lee 2 HIGHLAND RD #01 -03, SINGAPORE 549102

TEL: 858-3055, FAX NO. 858-2055 e-mail: cathnews@catholic.org.sg

From the P ew s: IF We owe this title to a reader ystfio “dropped” it quite casually. Your views are most welcome. We may not be able to print your letters in full but we will endeavourto answer all queries. If you wish to write to us, ple< e include your full name, addri and contact number.

THE dawn of a new year brings hope and expectancy of change - for the better - on a personal level, on the level of society as a whole and the world at large. Changes have certainly come about in the Archdiocese Of Singapore. New postings affecting nearly half of the clergy were announced recently. Only a few of these have already taken effect as o f 1 January 2002. The rest will take effect after the Lunar New Year celebrations. BY DR (REV) Changes have been made as far as personnel are ROBERT P. concerned and changes will be seen in the areas of BALHETCHET responsibility that have been affected by these changes - if nothing else, new faces will be seen and new voices heard. Changes were necessary for a renewal of the archdiocese and as a new year dawns the Church in Singapore looks forward with hope and expectency of change - for the better. One must, however, not confuse changes with change! Changes are very easy to effect - at least relatively so. Change is much more difficult to achieve - real change, and change for the better, that is! As far as the Church is concerned, it’s mission has never

changed and will never change. Indeed, the Church IS mission, as the Second Vatican Council pointed out nearly 40 years ago, when it was called to initiate change in the Church. Pope John XXIII was credited then with throwing open the windows of the Church to allow the winds of change to blow through. Forty years later, one cannot but wonder how much real change has actually taken place. O f course there have been cosmetic changes. Most would cite the use o f the vernacular in the Liturgy and other such equally cosmetic changes. However, Vatican II did very much more than produce the Constitution On The Sacred Liturgy. Unfortunately, these great documents seem largely to have served to fuel, on the part of scholars, a proliferation of learned tomes which continue to weigh down the shelves of libraries the world over. One would be justified in wondering just how much real change, as envisaged by Vatican II, has really taken place. Real change for the better can only materialize if attitudes change and attitudes can only change if real convictions are reached about the change that is necessary and the necessity to change. May the transforming Spirit inspire us all! □

FROM THE PEWS

Readers give feedback on CN’s new look, bid farewell to Fr Lee Frs Lee, Sitaram and Richards contributed greatly to paper’s store of interesting articles I HAVE been reading the Catholic News since I was in secondary school. However, most times, what in terested me was the guideline on film classification. But even as a working adult, I would merely flip through the pages and read the few articles that I liked. Sometimes I bought a copy just to support it. In short, I was a casual reader of The Catholic News. However, when Fr Johnson and his team took over, I noticed a gradual change in the articles published. There were more interesting articles to catch the reader. There was a greater mix of local and foreign articles. More pages were added and hence more articles could be included. But I must say that the concise editorials written by Fr Cyril Lee were a draw as they were effectively jab-like in hitting a reader into sitting back for a moment to dwell on the

truth of his statement. I have always looked forward to reading Fr Cyril Lee’s profound reflections and so decided to subscribe regularly to CN. I was not disappointed. CN has improved through the years. Together with Fr Lee, the other two priests who have contributed greatly to CN’s store of interesting articles are Fr Michael Sitaram and Fr Richards Ambrose. Without doubt, their articles, which are a source of inspiration for the reader, could be re-edited, printed in various volumes and re circulated so that such a rich source of inspiration could be preserved and read in book form. I would like to congratulate you and your team of workers, both laymen and clergy, for their com mitment for making The Catholic News what it is to-day. Sebastian Teo Wah Ann Singapore

Colour pages make a lot of difference IT WAS most refreshing to pick up the latest issue of Catholic News. More colour pages do make a lot of difference. I also read the HERALD which has gone weekly, so I am wondering if CN will do the same. After all, I read the current issue has been Jan 6-13, will that mean that the next issue is just a week away, i.e. Jan 14-21? I am sure that if many can come up with 60cts a day for the New Paper which features little but sen sational stuff - getting the Catholic News weekly should not be a bur den. In fact it will enrich their understanding of the faith as well as

the happenings in the church in Singapore and the region. Indeed, let there be more cover age of activities in the local and neighbouring dicoeses. As the lay people (and also the clergy and religious) know more of such hap penings, there will be better under standing and discovery of coordi nated efforts in making the Church relevant in society. I pray the Catholic News con tinues to display creative and re sponsible reporting so it will remain an invaluable asset to the Church here and beyond. Lawrence Ho Wai Kee Singapore

Here are my 10 suggestions FELICITATIONS are in order for of their childhood/teenage years? the new-look CN, always a source 2) With renovations/upgrading of reassurance and inspiration in of our parishes, much, by way of old these turbulent times. structures, could be lost forever. Per Those of us acquainted with Fr haps various parishes can periodi Cyril John Lee cannot agree more cally come up with snapshots of old with the “quiet and unassuming way” churches, their history, personages, description of his person - indeed bizarre episodes/ incidents, quintessential goodness lies in gentle architecural quirks and other obscure strength and unflagging conviction. aspects of our faith heritage. It will Personally, I have harvested sig be an interesting archival trip. nificant quotations from his editori 3) Feature how the Catholic als over the years. I hope Fr Cyril Church in other countries incorpo Lee is not about to retire but will rates local customs/traditions into continue to share with us his wise the Mass in the spirit of inculturation. perspectives and life’s philosophies. It can serve as a good primer against For what it’s worth, the following culture shock when one is overseas. may merit inclusion in the new CN: 4) The Harry Potter phenom 1) With the imminent reshufenon and all things occult do not sit fling of our parish priests, fond easy with many parents of young memories and even painful uproot sters. Maybe the Catholic Church ing will likely touch those involved. ought to speak up regularly/un equivocally here. Please devote a regular column to capture still raw sentiments that must 5) Let’s have some space for stir in their bosoms before familiarity readers to share their work/life’s and routine set in. experiences and encounters where Priests are human too, and it is secular and spiritual values have not important to provide an avenue here. always been compatible, and edito Perhaps include a personality profile. rial advice on the matter. Parishioners like an early peek into 6) Oftentimes, dramatic and their new priest’s character surely. traumatic world events impinging Could we make it de rigueur for on humanity’s welfare and survival those interviewed to submit a photo arouse passionate but muted re

sponses in the individual, either for want of a more analytical read, or more authoritative proclamations. I fee the archdiocese should be more pro-active in issuing “Open Letters” to the Catholic laity, amplify ing the Church’s stand in no uncertain terms. A point-by-point response can complement more ruminative pieces. 7) Invite readers’ contributions for creative works like poems, jin gles, short narratives-verses etc. on themed topics. Primary school kids’ efforts should especially be encour aged. 8) We need more jokes or car toon strips for comic relief. 9) True stories of human cour age, perseverance and unwavering faith in the face of trials and adver sities could be highlighted, especially of families prepared to share their experiences. 10) A grievance column, ano nymity granted, should be created for parishioners to point out specific instances of inconsiderate behaviour/ ill-discipline within the church’s premises. This could be briefly men tioned at the end of Mass for greater reinforcement. Michael Gerald Hong Singapore

Encourage more feedback from readers 1 REFER to your article Changes In The Catholic News (CN, Jan 6-13). Changes are inevitable as we have to progress in tandem with advance ment of technology. What needs changes however, is our mindset. Many are tuned to the old way of doing things and resist any change without giving it a chance. The apprehension is that one has to learn new things all over again. The new masthead on the first issue of The Catholic News for 2002

and the more colourful pages are reader friendly, and a welcome change. I only hope that in time, all the pages will be printed on white paper as the newsprint pages tend to turn yellow. I will definitely miss the editorial by Fr Cyril Lee as it is the first article I read when I receive my copy of CN. It is both thought-provoking and inspirational. Perhaps we can per suade him to write an article in each issue, if not in most issues.

With the new Catholic News, perhaps it is time that this tabloid solicit and encourage our Catholics to write in. The voice of the young and elderly must be heard for their feedack, suggestions and inspirations. Finally I wish the new editor and new Catholic News well, and look forward to reading future issues. Ronald Lee Singapore • More letters on Page 12

JANUARY 20 - 27, 2002

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

FROM THE PEWS: What are guidelines Are certain gestures at on abstaining from Mass innovations or meat on Fridays?

spontaneous expressions?

FOR some time now, I note that the congregation at Mass will generally raise hands with open palms up wards when the celebrant pronounces “lift up your hearts” just before the consecration of the Eucharist, in the same way as does the celebrant. The same action is repeated by the celebrant and congregation at the recital of the Lord’s Prayer prior to communion time. A second point is that the congre gation at Mass will join hands with one another at the recital of the Lord’s Prayer. But not everyone will do so. What I wish to know is whether such a gesture or act by the congre gation is an innovation by the Church, or is it just a spontaneous expression on their part? And why is there no uniformity of action by the congregation at Mass, unlike the Muslims praying at mosques? Would it not be better for the Church to give certain guidelines in this regard? Joseph Lee Singapore The editor replies: Some prior

observations are necessary when considering the conduct of religious rites in any religion. Official rites and private practices need to be distinguished. In the C atholic Church, official rites are referred to as Liturgy. Indeed, there are various “rites” in the Catholic Church. The one that we are familiar with in Singapore and our close neighbours is known as the Latin Rite or Roman rite. “Liturgy” encompasses the cel ebration and administration of all the Sacraments as well as the Mass, within which the Sacrament of the Eucharist is effected. Everything else in terms of religious celebrations is

While there is uniformity in the celebration of official rituals, the Church allows for adaptation to cultures and customs.

NOT the liturgy but would come under the category of devotional practices, like the Stations of the Cross, the Rosary, the Novena, to name a few of the better known ones in Singapore. With this distinction in mind, we can now understand that as far as the Liturgy goes, there are set rituals in official books of the Church for each of these celebrations and detailed instructions as to how they are to be conducted are provided. Texts of readings and prayers to be used in the ceremonies are speci fied together with accompanying gestures and postures. All these are very clearly set out in these instruc tions, as are colours of vestments, materials to be used and so on. The gestures and postures are not arbitrary but are linked to the meaning of the prayers and or parts of the ritual in question. Mr Lee refers specifically to the raising of hands and outstretched arms. The outstretched arms on the

part of the Celebrant at Mass is for prayers which he says on behalf of the whole congregation in his role as celebrant of official worship. The congregation does not there fore imitate this posture, otherwise they would have to be assuming the same posture for more than just the two points mentioned by Mr Lee. One might note that when there is a concelebration of several priests, ONLY the Main Celebrant adopts the posture of out stretched arms. The other priest celebrants do not do the same. While therefore there is uniform ity in the celebration of official rituals, the Church does allow adap tation of the rites to individual cul tures and customs, a process which is known as “inculturation”. How ever, this process of inculturation is to be guided by the B ishops’ Conference of the region concerned, and official approval must be obtained before any changes are made. □

Fasting and abstinence, imposition of ashes

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I AM seeking your guidance con cerning the practice or discipline of abstaining from eating meat on Fri days as I am not able to get a standard response on this. Some of the Catholics that I have asked take the view that such abstinence is a perennial requirement and, therefore, dutifully undertake this sacrifice. Some others (and, mind you, these are long-standing practising Catholics) take the view that absti nence is confined to the season of Lent only and thus at other times, abstinence is optional. I shall be grateful for your advice on this. Perhaps your advice should be promulgated so that all practising Catholics are aware of the Church’s ruling on this. Eric Ng Singapore The editor replies: Canon Law,

which is the universal law of the Church, states that the law of God requires all Christians to do pen ance (C 1249). All Christians from the age of 14 and above are bound by the law of abstinence from meat (C 1252) while all Christians from the age of 18 to the beginning of 60 are bound by the law of fast and abstinence on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday (Canon 1251 and 1252.) The Church then leaves it to Bishops’ Conferences to determine how these universal laws are to be observed. Our regional Bishops’ Conference has stipulated that all Fridays throughout the year, unless they are solemnities, are days of

abstinence. Whilst laws are to be observed, one needs also to ensure that the spirit of the law and not just the letter of the law is kept, if one is not to incur the severe criticism that Jesus levelled at the Scribes and Pharisees in the Gospel. If one is a passionate lover of all things that swim and or otherwise propel or station themselves in wa ter, one could hardly be said to be observing the spirit of the law of abstinence on Friday if one reserves the day to indulge in this particular form of aquamarine passion (i.e. seafood)! All this being said, one must add, nevertheless, that one should also bear in mind the Biblical notion of penance which is a change of direction. This certainly implies not just “abstaining” from pleasurable things, but positively doing “good”. Trying positively to do some thing good every day definitely en tails great self-discipline. Not doing something bad or not doing what one likes to do does not necessarily mean that one is doing something good! □

A stylish, w orld-class CN! THE first issue of The Catholic News in 2002 looks so stylish with the improved masthead and the eight full colour pages. It’s world class! Thank you, Fr Johnson and your team. I always enjoy reading articles like the one on our newly ordained Jesuit priest, Fr Charles Sim. The article is inspiring for both young and old. Reading about what he did during his regency teaches us humility. Articles like this also make us feel we belong to one family - at least we know a little about our priests.

Thus they don’t seem like stran gers to us ordinary Catholics, even though we don’t know them person ally. (Often we get to know a little about our priests only after their deaths!) I am going to miss Fr Cyril Lee’s editorials. I have always en joyed his writing. His editorials were always succinct. He was always so subtle, a writing skill which not many of us possess. Thank you, Fr Cyril Lee, and we pray God will grant you good health always.

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I CANNOT give you an adequate answer because o f a lack o f details and the need fo r me to ask ques tions. Can you please communicate via the fo llo w in g address: soulbalm@catholic.org.sg. -E ditor

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THE CATHOLIC NEWS

Mr & Mrs Anthony Raj am celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary on 5 January, 2002 with a Thanksgiving High Mass at the Church of the Sacred Heart qgg & followed by dinner at the parish hall ____ _ with about 100 close friends and family members. /f( LENTEN RETREATS

In Dying We Live -

a w eekend retrea t during L en t given by F r P eter K im , S.J. D ate: M ar 1 (Fri, 8 pm ) - M a r 3 (Sun, 5 pm ). M ax: 24 persons. 4 - Day Lentent Retreat is an in dividually directed retreat. B y F r P eter K im , S.J. an d F r A n toni P o n nudurai, S.J. Date: M a r 12 (Tues, 8 pm ) - M ar 17 (Sun, 5 p m ). E ach re tre a t m aste r ca n only tak e 5 retreatants. Easter Triduum Retreat is a specially d esigned resid en tial retreat fo r those w h o w an t to ex p erien ce the P asch al M ystery. C onducted by Fr. P au l G oh, S.J. Date: M a r 28 (Thur, 3 p m )-M a r 31 (S un, 5 p .m .), M ax: 24 persons.

JUNE RETREATS

2 slots of 4-day retreat by F r P eter K im , S.J. Dates: Ju n

7 (Fri, 8 p m ) - Jun 11 (T ues, 5 p m ), an d Ju n 12 (W ed, 8 p m )-J u n 16 (S un, 5 pm ). 1 slot of 8day retreat b y F r P au l G oh, S.J. on Ju n 14 (F ri, 8 pm ) - Ju n 23 (10 am ). M a x im u m n u m b er p e r retrea t m aster: 5 a t an y tim e.

NOVEMBER RETREATS C o n d u c te d b y F r P eter K im , S.J. an d F r P au l G oh, S.J. 2 slots of 4-day retreat on N o v 15 (Fri, 8 pm ) - N ov 19 (Tues, 5 p m ), an d N o v 20 (W ed, 8 pm ) - N o v 24 (S u n , 5 pm ). 1 slot of 8-day retreat on N ov 15, (F ri, 8 pm ) N o v 2 4 (Fri, 10 am ).

XAVIER WEEKENDS F o r y o u n g adults. F acilitated by F r L eslie R aj, S .J., F r G erard K ean e, S .J., M s C e lin a L in , M r B o b b y L ean, M r L o u is P ang. Dates: M ay 3 (Fri, 8 p m ) M ay 5 (Sun, 11 am ); O c t 4 (F ri, 8 p m )-O c t 6 (Sun, 11 am ).

RE-DISCOVERING GOD IN CHRONIC ILLNESS A g en tle tim e o f p ray er and support fo r those w ith life-lim iting illness. A n o ccasio n to feel G o d ’s unco n d itio n al love. A step tow ards intim acy w ith the w o u n d ed Jesus. F acilitated by F r L eslie R a j, S.J. Dates: M ay 1 (W ed, 9 am 1 pm ) an d N o v 4 (M on, 9 am -1 pm )

CARING IN SITUATIONS OF LOSS AND GRIEF T ailo red fo r p ro fessio n als in the careg iv in g m inistry. C onducted by F r L eslie R a j, S.J. an d M s Ja c in ta P h o o n . Dates: T ues 5 (8 am - 1 0 pm ) on Sept 1 7 ,2 4 , O ct 1, 8 an d 15. Subject to prior bookings and availability o f retreat directors, individually directed retreat and group retreat can be accepted at any tim e o f the year.

Enquiries:- C en tre o f Ig n atian S pirituality & C ounselling (467-6072 / Fax: 4 6 9 -8 8 5 7 ) ig n atian _ sp iritu ality @ h o tm ail.co m

G D A OIL LAMPS H

JANUARY 20 - 27, 2002

WHAT’S o n : YOUTH EVENTS FOR YOUNG ADULTS Venue: F.M.M . House o f Prayer and Form ation, 49 Holland Rd. Date/Them e: M ar 2/3: A weekend ofprayer in colours. M ar 17: Em bracing your shadows. Apr 6/7: Fem inine spirituality. July 27/28: Cosmic Spirituality. Sept 7/8: Fm m. M ission Spirituality. O ct 20: M ission and me? Retreats, prayer/recollection days can be arranged on a group or individual basis. Enquiries: 474-2526 (9-noon or 2-5 pm).

CROSSROADS A Lenten program m e for youth by Redem ptorist M ission Team, N ovena Church. Anim ator: F r Francis Pinto CSsR Date: Feb 22, 23 & 24. Time: 7.30-10pm. Venue: Peter D onder’s Rm, N ovena Church. C ontribution: $10. Enquiries: 255-2133. Email: rym ecl@ lycosasia.com

PRAISE & WORSHIP WITH THE YOUTH PRAISE MINISTRY O ur weekly sessions include talks and teachings from speakers in our ministry and from other lay/religious organisations. Time: Every Saturday at 3pm. Venue: Catholic A rchdiocesan Education Centre, 2 Highland Rd #03-08. All are welcomed! Enquiries: H elen Lee (9029-0118) or email ypm singapore@ yahoo.com .

RCIA / RCIY CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS XAVIER RICA C om m encing on Feb 27, every W ednesday at 7.45 pm for those who want to know Jesus. Catholics who wish to deepen their faith or to join as sponsors are welcome. Enquiries: Anthony (284-3718).

RCIY AT CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR For non-baptised youths who want to know Jesus, an RC IY journey will begin in February. For details, c i l Bem ie (241 -9565) or em ail us at bem iechua@ olps.org.sg.

FEAST DAY LOURDES FEAST

Novena: Saturday Feb 2 to Sunday Feb

10. Daily N ovena M asses at 6 pm. On the final day, H ealing M asses at 8 am (in Tamil) and 10 am (in English). In the evening, candlelight procession presided by the Archbishop Nicholas Chia. Venue: C hurch o f O u r L ady o f L o u rd es, 50 O p h ir R d.

SINGLES/MARRIAGE PROGRAMMES BEGINNING EXPERIENCE (BE) W EEKEND F or those who have lost a spouse, through separation, divorce or death, here is an opportunity to turn pain into a journey of grace. Enquiries: Lilian (582-9233) Brendan (9617-1338),Margaret(9502-6223).

MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER W EEKEND Enquiries: M ike & Lisa Koh (451-2468/ 9639-9394) Stephen & Juliana (382-5676) Francis & C hristina (458-8112).

RETROUVAILLE WEEKENDS (A lifeline for married couples). Are you thinking about separation or divorce? Are you frustrated, hurt and angry with each other? A Retrouvaille weekend can help. Enquiry:346-1927. Next weekend: A pr 19-21, Ju ly ‘19-21, Sep 18-20.

R E T R E A TS / SEMINARS

TALKS HARVESTERS TALK Date: Jan 31, 7.30pm. Topic: Y our work m atters to God. Come if you feel that you are drow ning in your job. Rediscover the value o f your work to God. Enquiries: Jane (98464320) or Philip(96637044).

MASSES INDONESIAN CHARISMATIC MASS T hanksgiving Mass in Bahasa Indonesia ccelebrated by Fr Yusuf Halim S VD and Nafiri Vocal Group in com m em oration of the second Anniversary. Date: Friday, Feb 22, 7 pm. Venue: Holy Spirit Church, 248 Upp. Thomson Rd. Enquiries: Jane 97624395,Leny 9002-7692, Susan 446-3855.

PERANAKAN MASS The Annual Peranakan Mass to usher in the Chinese N ew Y ear w ill be held at 11 pm on Feb 11 at the Church o f the Holy Fam ily, East Coast Road. All are welcome.

LENTEN RETREATS

TAGALOG MASS

In dying w e live I - a weekend retreat during L ent given by Fr Peter Kim, S.J. Date: M ar 1 (Fri, 8pm) - M ar 3 (Sun, 5pm). 4 - Day Lentent Retreat is an individually directed retreat by Fr Peter Kim, S.J. or Fr A ntoni Ponnudurai, S.J. Date: M ar 12 (Tues, 8pm) - M ar 17 (Sun, 5pm). Easter Triduum Retreat a residential retreat by Fr Paul Goh, S.J. for those who want to experience the Paschal Mystery. Date: Mar 28 (Thu, 3pm) - M ar 31 (Sun, 5pm). Enquiries:- Centre o f Ignatian Spirituality & Counselling (467-6072/F a x : 469-8857) ignatian_spirituality@ hotm ail.com

Every 4th Sunday of the month, 11.15 am. Cathedral of the G ood Shepherd, Queen St.

RETREAT IN MALAYALAM Charism atic retreat in M alayalam led by Fr Sam uel K attukallil (Principal, M ar Evanios College, Trivandrum , India) and team. Venue: St Mary o f Angels Church, Bukit Bathok E ast A ve 6 Date: Tues & W ed, Feb 12 & 13, 9 am to 5 pm. Enquiries: Diana (468-3664 ), Perly (897-5484)

32ND SABAH RETREAT Date: Thu, M ar 7 - W ed, M ar 13, 2002 Venue: Bundu Tuhan Retreat Centre. Priority will be given to Non-Christians. Organised by Rev F r Francis Tsen, Sabah. M inistered by Rev Fr V incent Lee & his team .Please register with the SFX Retreat Centre, A dm in Office (288-7901).

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O THERS MAKING SENSE OF OUR FAITH Sharing some brilliant insights from the “Dum b O x”. Date: Jan 25, (Friday), 7.30 pm. Venue: Church o f the Holy Family (Rm 03-14) Speakers: Fr David G arcia M artin, O P (Dom inican priest) & Jude Chua, M A (Phil.). O rganized by Apostolate for Catholic Truth. Fr David will talk about St Thom as A quinas’ life & his writings. Jude will talk about The W isdom o f A etem i Patri (Papal docum ent on the Summa).

BAKHITA SEARCH-INN Venue: Blk 165 #07-573 W oodlands St 13 (beside M arsiling MRT) M onthly Scripture sharings - every 1st Sunday, 3 pm. M onthly Prayer for Vocations - every 3rd Friday, 8 pm. Enquiries: Sr Christina/Sr Veronica (3676264/4674290 yscchris@ yahoo.com / canosis@ pacific.net.sg)

NATIONAL CATHOLIC CHARISMATIC MEETING Every last Monday of the month, 7.30 pm. Venue: Church o f the Risen Christ, Toa Payoh. Features: Praise and worship, teaching, testim onies, healing service.

JANUARY 20 - 27, 2002

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THE CATHOLIC NEWS

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In loving memory of ~1

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AROKIAMARY JOSEPH Departed:Jan 15,1997 Dearest mother, We miss you so much. The love you gave us Spoke beautifully of you. Dearly missed by husband Appurasamy Nasanathan, children, son-in-law, daughterin-law and grand children.

RICHARD GERARD HO Departed: Jan 20,1997 God took him home, it was His will, But in our hearts We love him still, His memory is as dear today As in the hour he passed away. We often sit and think of him When we are all alone, For memory is the only friend That grief can call its own. Dearly missed by mother and all loved

CECILY PEREIRA Departed: Jan 23,1987 Today recalls sad memories, Of a dear mother gone to rest, And the one who thinks of her today Is the one who loves her best. Mass will be celebrated at 6.15 pm on the Jan 23, 2002 at the Church of Immaculate Heart of Mary. Sadly missed by your loving children, in-laws and grandchildren. Please treat this as a personal invitation from the Pereira family.

VINCENT CHENG TSU PIN Bom: Feb 20, 1971 Departed: Jan 21,2000 Take him in Thy arms, dear Lord, And ever let him be A messenger of love Between our hearts and Thee. Dearly missed and always loved by family and loved ones.

Sixth Anniversary In loving memory of

Eighth Anniversary In loving memory of

Sixth Anniversary 1° loving memory of

First Anniversary In loving memory of

In loving memory of our dearest Aunt

OLIVER CARVALHO Departed: Jan 25,1996 The sun be warm and kind to you, The darkest night some stars shine through, The dullest mom a radiance brew And where dusk falls God’s hand to you. Still missed by June, James and John.

MICHAEL YIP PAK KIONG Departed:Jan 23, 2001 God took you home, it was his will. But in our hearts, we love you still. Always remembered by sister, brother, sister-in-law and nieces.

REGINA MARY Departed: Jan 21,2000 May she rest in peace. Sadly missed by your loving nephews and nieces.

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G. AROKIASAMY Departed: Jan 24,1987 His helping hand was always first To render any aid he could; His voice was always raised in praise, His words were wise and good. Dear father, since you went away, The ones you loved so true Try hard to carry on the way We know you’d want us to. Fondly remembered by loving wife: Anthoniammel, sons: John and Vincent, daughters: Josephine and Regina, sons-inlaw: Robert and James, grandchildren and loved ones.

MAYMA MIRANDA Departed.Jan 23, 1996 Memories of you dear mum Still cast a gentle glow It braces our days and lights Our paths wherever we may go. Sadly missed by your loving children, in laws, grandchildren and great-grandsons. A mass will be offered at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, on Wednesday Jan 23, 2002 at 6.15 pm. Please treat this as a personal invitation from the Miranda family.

MRS ELIZABETH PESTANA Departed: Jan 21,1994 Rest in peace, dear loving mother, Eight long years have passed away; You’re gone, but are still living In the hearts of those who stay. We cannot forget you, mother Our loved one so dear; Your memory grows Sweeter year after year. Always remembered by daughters, son, daugnter-in-law, grand-daughters and all loved ones.

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M R FRAN CIS JOSEPH PETER Bom: Nov 27,1899 Departed: Jan 20,1965

M R JO E ALOYSIUS PETER Bom: Sep 21,1930 Departed: Feb 1,1972

MDM ANTONIA PETER Bom: July 18,1910 Departed: Feb 26,1988

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LEE WAI SIM Departed: Jan 24,1992 We often think of bygone days When we were together; The family chain is broken But memories live for ever.

LYNN LEE Departed: Jan 25,1990 God knows how much we miss her, Never shall her memory fade; Our loving thoughts ever wander, To the spot where she (John 11:55) Deeply missed and is laid. Dearly missed and always remembered always remembered by wife Aurelia and by mum, dad, brother, daughter Grace. sister and loved ones. Second Anniversary Second Anniversary In loving memory of In loving memory of

DAPHNE PEARL SWYNY Departed: Feb 2, 2000 Two years now, You may be gone. But in our hearts, You still live on. Lovingly remembered and dearly missed by husband Douglas, daughters Priscilla and Eleanor and families, and Susan; son Richard and family; sisters Yvonne and Lulu; and all loved ones.

MARY SIM Passed away peacefully on Jan 19, 2000 Peacefully sleeping, resting at last, The world’s weary troubles and trials are past. In silence she suffered, in patience she bore, Till God called her home to suffer no more. May she rest in peace, Amen Sadly missed by all loved ones.

Sixth Anniversary In loving memory of

MARK S. PEREIRA Departed: Jan 26,1992 What little he had He shared with others He gave, till it hurt - A generous man Even when unkind words Were spoken to / about him He kept silent - A man of honour Dearly missed by loving wife, children and grandchildren. Thirteenth Anniversary In loving memory of

CYRIL CHEW KENG JIN Departed: Jan 6,1989 You believed it more important To be humble Than to be important. You led by example By serving your fellow man. Today, we still Follow what you taught us Because we will always Believe in you. Your beloved wife, Grace and family. Seventh Anniversary In loving memory of

LEONARD YEO AIK LEONG Departed: Jan 16, 1996 If only you could see the tears in the world you left behind If only you could heal our hearts Just one more time Even when we close our eyes There’s an image of your face And once again we come to realise You’re a loss we can’t replace. We will love and miss you always Your loving wife, Francis. Your 5 monsters, Ashton, Ashley, Alexandria, Andrew and Avery. Mum and Dad.

Thirteenth Anniversary In loving memory of

PHILIP TEO CHENG LIM Departed: Jan 23,1995 Our tears may have stopped Our pain may have subsided But neither our love for you dear Father Nor our fond memories have ever wavered. Dearly missed and always remembered by second daughter Gwendoline Teo Siew Lee, son-in-law Paul Lee, grandchildren Maurice and Manuel.

JOHN CHIN SIN CHOY Departed: Jan 23, 1989 Fondly remembered by wife, children, grandchildren and loved ones.

THANKSGIVING Once again thank you holy apostle St Jude for prayers answered. Also grateful thanks Sacred Heart of Jesus, Mother Mary, Sts Anne, Anthony, Gerard and all the holy Angels and Saints for their perpetual blessings, protection and help rendered to me and my family. Please continue to protect and guide us always. SC Oh Holy St Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke your special patronage in time of need, to you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition. In return I promise to make your name known and cause you to be invoked. St Jude, pray for us and all who invoke your aid. Amen Thanksgiving for prayers answered.. Patricia Lim Most grateful thanks to our Lord, our Mother Mary, St Jude, St Gerard, for answering our prayers, for a safe delivery and giving us 2 lovely boys. We rejoice in this wonderous event and are truly grateful for your mercy, love and compassion. Please continue to bless our new family. GML Special thanks and gratitude to Sacred Heart of Jesus, Mother Mary, Sts Jude, Anne, Anthony, Gerard Rita, Dymphna and all the Holy Angels and Saints for the countless intercessions, miracles and prayers answered during the most difficult and troubled times. Deeply appreciate all the blessings, guidance, protection given to me and my loved ones. Please continue to pray, bless and intercede for us. SCY St Jude, thank you so much for healing me and for granting me my request even before I started my Novena to you. Please continue to help me. Mary

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

JANUARY 20 - 27, 2002

YOUNG CATHOLICS

How are your resolutions getting along? IN MY last column I suggested a few resolutions for the New Year. ■ To set aside some time every day for prayer; ■ To put God first (you will in time realise that things get better when you keep your focus on God); ■ To live a good Christian life by always asking and doing what God wants you to do; and ■ To make a regular effort to share God’s love with others. To reinforce the importance of good habits during the year, I ’d like to share an idea I came across in my reading.The book is entitled The Balanced Christian Life. The writer compares the bal anced Christian life to a bicycle wheel. The wheel is centred around the hub which is Christ; and the Holy Spirit is the power that makes the wheel move. The spokes are prayer, study, community, witness and service. Any damage caused to any part of the wheel will make it lopsided and cause it to veer off course. In the same way, a Christian on life’s journey must fine-tune the spokes so that the wheel - our Christian life - does not get damaged. Now let us look at the spokes one by one. Prayer - This is the only way you can keep in touch with God any time of the day or night. Remember how the Gospels tell us that Jesus prayed throughout His ministry His relationship with the Father is

After reading this, I hope that you will realise the

importance of makinggood resolutions and striving to keep them.

mm* definitely something to be admired and one that we should try to follow. Study - This includes reading the Bible as well as Christian litera ture. Sad to say, many Catholics have Bibles that seem to gather dust. If you feel discouraged reading the Old Testament, why not try

starting with the New Testament first. Just a chapter a day. Pick out a verse that stands out for you and reflect on it during the day. When you have become en chanted with the rich beauty of the Bible then you can consider attend ing Bible classes conducted by the

Singapore Pastoral Institute to im prove your knowledge of the Bible. Reading good Christian Books also helps you to update your knowledge of our Faith. Community - We are not meant to live our Faith only as individuals but as a faith community forming the Body of Christ. Taking part in church activities and communal celebrations (remember the Mass is the highest form of prayer) helps us to live as members of the Body of Christ. Witness - This is a command

that Christ gives to every baptised C hristian - “Go make d isc i ples........ ” (Matthew 28:18-20) Service - Jesus says that He came to serve and He wants us to do the same. If we want to grow in faith we have to serve others by using the talents and gifts that God has given us for the greater glory of God, not for our own personal glory. So wake up the sleeping talents within you and get working on them with humility. For a start, do this simple exer cise over five days beginning from the day you read this column. Below are the five passages quoted in the diagram. Read and reflect on one for a day, asking God what he wishes to tell you through the passage. ■ Prayer - Philippians 4:4-7 ■ Study - Matthew 4:4 and 2 Timothy 3:14 -17 ■ Community - Acts 2:43 - 47 ■ Witness - Acts 1:8 ■ Service John 13:13-14 When you are open to God’s Word you will find that “the Word of God is something alive and ac tive” (Hebrews 4:12 -13). After reading this, I hope that you will realise the importance of making good resolutions and striv ing to keep them. And at the end of the year see how you have grown in living a balanced Christian life. May God bless you in your attempt. □ Fr Michael Sitaram is one o f two youth chaplains o f the Singapore Archdiocese. To contact him, email: cathyctr@pacific.net.sg.

Head of Taize community urges young people to ‘overcome hopelessness’

Pakistani bishop affirms potential of youth, warns agains neglect

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - The head of the ecumenical Taize com munity urged young people to “over come hopelessness” and experience the “miracle of forgiveness.” “Today more than ever, the hu man family needs to enter a time of trust and comprehension — it is es sential for Christians to be servants of trust, not masters of worry,” Brother Roger Schutz, the Swiss Prot estant prior of Taize, told some 70,000 young people attending Taize’s European youth meeting in Budapest. “It is not only those with great responsibilities who determine the future of the human family. In every country, so many of the humble of this world are preparing new roads forward. They do not need prestig ious abilities to achieve this,” he said at the close of the Dec 28-Jan 1 conference that drew participants from more than 60 countries. In a separate message, Pope John Paul II urged participants, who in cluded 27,000 youngsters and 300 priests from Poland, to be “watchers for the morning” and to “offer hu manity the gifts characteristic of the young: hope, joy, the ability to serve and give oneself’. Founded in 1940 and based in central France, Taize is operated by about 200 Catholic and Protestant monks and nuns from 25 countries. The community, which the pope

KARACHI, PAKISTAN - N e glected youth can turn against the Church, a bishop in Pakistan has warned in urging greater pastoral attention to young people and more youth involvement in parishes. Auxiliary Bishop Evarist Pinto of Karachi said at a youth event in the city Dec 17 that during pastoral visits since his episcopal ordination last April he found that young peo ple in some parishes take pastoral work seriously. “They are helping to build up the Church, and this is an encourag ing sign for the Church,” he added. Some of these efforts were cited in the awards presented at the event to selected youth from each Karachi parish for outstanding service in their area and for promoting peace and harmony. The future of the Church de pends on the youth of today, and serious efforts must be made to contact them, understand their prob lems, find openings for their energies and guide them, Bishop Pinto said. He emphasized the vital role parishes play in forming Catholic youth and cautioned that “neglected youth can become anti-Church and anti-priest”. The bishop encouraged all Catholic youth to take advantage of the many opportunities open to them to work for the Church in their

‘ ...it is essential for Christians to be servants of trust, not masters of worry.' — Brother Roger Schutz Protestant Swiss prior of Taize, to 70,000 youths

visited in 1986, has staged youth meet ings annually since 1978 in various European cities to build links among Christians of various denominations. In a letter circulated in 58 lan guages, Br Roger said easing world poverty was a “basic necessity to make peace on earth possible,” add ing that the summons to forgiveness was “the most striking thing about the Gospel.” “The Gospel awakens us to com passion and to a kindheartedness without bounds. There is nothing naive about this — it can require vigilance,” Br Roger said. “In a world where new tech nologies are m aking possible advances never before imagined, it is im portant not to neglect fundamental values of the inner life — compassion, simplicity of heart and life, humble trust in God, serene joy,” he said. Dc/vs

Pakistani students drill with weapons at a government school. Auxiliary Bishop Evarist Pinto of Karachi urged greater pastoral attention to young people.

parish. He appealed to them specifi cally to help in teaching catechism. At the same time, he appreci ated the work youth already do in various groups and organizations. Citing the killing of at least 16 Protestant churchgoers by gunmen on Oct 28 in a Catholic church in Bahawalpur town, he noted that Christians in Pakistan are “passing through difficult times and live in fear and anxiety”. However, Bishop Pinto re minded the youth that although the

killings left the Christian commu nity “shocked and stunned” and cannot be forgotten, “as disciples of Christ we believe that God is with us and walks with us”. He urged young people to rely on Jesus, who he said “gives us the courage to carry on our day to day work” of promoting brotherhood and harmony in society. The youth event in Karachi, some 1,150 km south-west of Islamabad, also included a choir competition. O u c a n

JANUARY 20 - 27, 2002

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

INEWS

Villa Francis resident marks 100th birthday By Christopher Khoo

ANNA NG JIAK NOY climbs stairs effortlessly, walks at a brisk pace and cuts out patterns for patchwork quilts. She also turned 100 recently. And on Jan 5, some 140 elderly residents of the Villa Francis Home For The Aged Sick celebrated the centenarian’s birthday with a Mass and cake-cutting ceremony. Madam Ng embraced the Catho lic faith in August. Her godmother, Madam Maria Wong, who was in strumental in teaching her the faith, is a 91-year-old resident of the home, which is managed by the Catholic

Church, religious leaders in India urge talks to end Pakistan-India tension

Welfare Services. Madam Ng, who came to Singa pore from Guangzhou province, China, lived with her husband, also from China, in a one-room flat until his death in 1966. She has no relatives but a god son supported her until he died in 1984. From then on, she sought shelter with friends. In 1991, she was admitted to the home. Although Madam Ng was the main star of the day, staff of the home also jointly celebrated the birthdays of seventy-nine other residents whose birthdays fell in January, or whose birth dates were undocumented. □

Ms Champa Devi (right) is consoled by her relative in a hospital in Jammu, the winter capital of JammuKashmir state in India, on Jan 2. Ms Devi said she was injured in the latest bout of violence between India and Pakistan. CNS photo from Reuters

Centenarian Anna Ng cutting her birthday cake on Jan 5. Looking on are other residents from the Villa Francis Home For The Aged.

Archbishop Chia’s Pastoral Letter • From Page 1

this important event, His Holiness had requested a day of fasting on Dec 14 involving all the faithful, with the exception of the sick, to obtain the gift of peace and conver sion of heart and to channel whatever is saved through fasting to the poor and suffering as a consequence of terrorism and war. This fasting should be accompa nied by pilgrimage and prayer. Pilgrimage is a sign of the demand ing journey which each follower of Christ is to undertake in order to attain conversion Prayer is the cen tral moment in which to listen to God and fill the “void” created in us by the purification of fasting and the silence of pilgrimage. There can be no possibility of peace without prayer. In our Archdiocese, on district level, one church is to be designated as pilgrim site for parishioners of the district to gather and pray for unity and peace either on Mon, Jan 21 or Tues, Jan 22. On Jan 23, the eve of the pil

grimage of the pope and religious leaders to Assisi, there will be an Archdiocesan Pilgrimage to be held at Holy Family Church at 8 pm. It is my hope and prayer that you will generously respond to the ardent request of His Holiness and participate in our Archdiocesan District Prayer Service And Pilgrim age. Together with His Holiness, Pope John Paul II and the leaders of the various Christian confessions as well as the world’s great religions, let us be united in prayer and sac rifice to pray for peace in the world. May the Spirit of God enlighten and empower you to be instruments of peace. God bless you all. Yours devotedly in Christ,

Archbishop Nicholas Chia Given at the Archbishop’s House, Singapore, Jan 10, 2002

NEW DELHI - The Church has joined representatives of other reli gions and secular organizations in calling on the Indian and Pakistani governments to start peace talks as the threat of war looms over the Indian subcontinent. The Catholic Bishops’ Confer ence of India (CBCI) said in a statement, issued on Dec 30 by CBCI secretary general A rchbishop Oswald Gracias of Agra, that the Indian government must “exhaust all other possibilities of dialogue at all levels before considering the last option of waging a war”. India blames two Pakistan-based Islamic militant groups for the Dec 13 attack on its parliament that left 14 people dead, including five attackers. India’s Hindu nationalist-led coa lition government has accused Pakistan of supporting these groups and introduced a series of diplomatic measures against Pakistan. However, Pakistan’s President, General Pervez

Musharraf, has denied the charges, responding to India’s diplomatic offensive in the same terms. Archbishop Vincent Concessao of Delhi, who led an inter-religious prayer meeting on Dec 25, told the gathering that in a war “it is human ity that loses out and it is the poorest people who bear the brunt of it”. Ven Pannasara told the inter religious meeting that “given the nuclear scenario, the prospect of a war amounts to a nightmare”. The Buddhist monk said reli gious leaders and peace-loving citizens should ensure that the “war on terrorism does not degenerate into a war on peace and neighbourly relations”. Hindu Swami Gokulananda of Ram Krishna Mission in Delhi added, “The world is fortunate to have the message of peace of Christ mas day. Let this become a reality in our world today.” The Jesuit-run Indian Social

Dialogue seminar • From Page 1

he feels there is a need for more balanced reporting. There is very little coverage of protests in the US and Europe against the war on terrorism, for example, and very selective coverage of the Muslim world and Muslim reactions, he said. Canossian Sister Theresa Seow, a Consultor for the Pontifical Coun cil For Inter-religious Dialogue, suggested that dialogue can take the

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form of humanitarian aid, “the kind of help that we extend to our neigh bours in need, those who are less privileged”. She recommended that efforts be made at the grassroots level to help people of different faiths, who live side by side, to get to know each other’s beliefs and practices better. The same could be done in schools, she added. Mr Chandra Mohan, Nominated Member Of Parliament, said that he felt schools could teach students the

Institute in New Delhi also recently brought together a number of peace groups under the banner of People For Peace to urge the governments of India and Pakistan to defuse the tension. “A war would destroy the econo mies of both the countries and would be a crime against a people still reeling under poverty,” Jesuit Fa ther Prakash Louis, the institute director told UCA News. Participants of the institute’s peace forum, who have met several times in December, said people in India “want to live in peace with our neighbours just as our neighbours wish to live with us. We do not wish for war, death and destruction”. During their Dec 22 meeting, they said bilateral talks should be resumed within the framework of South Asian Association For Re gional Cooperation (SAARC) and efforts should be made to find po litical solutions to the crisis. □ u c a n

customs and cultures of the various races in Singapore. All four official languages could also be taught in a fun way, he suggested.There could also be the creation of an institute or ministry for race relations and reli gious harmony, he ventured. Dr Kevin Tan, treasurer of the Roundtable discussion group, sug gested, among other things, that Singaporeans take the pledge and the Constitution more seriously than they do at the moment. An energetic question-and-answer session followed in which members of the audience shared their views on the topic or posed questions to the panellists. □

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