WEST MALAYSIA RM 1.20
M.I.T.A.(P) No.130/01/2004 PPS 201/4/2004 Vol 54 No. 5
The road to Calvary might just be that little clearer for us this year with the release of “The Passion O f TTie Christ,” Mel G ibson’s powerful movie of the last hours of Jesus’ earthly life. Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, Prefect of the Congregation for Clergy says: “Gibson has used the marvelous technology available to make the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ come alive for the people o f our times. “It is a film that leads the viewer into prayer and reflection. I would gladly trade some of the homilies that I have given about the passion of Christ for even a few scenes of this film. “I would like all our Catholic priests throughout the world to see the film. I hope all Christians will be able to see it, and all people everywhere.” □
The season of Lent began on Ash Wednesday, Feb 25. Lent calls Christians to prayer, fasting and acts of charity.
Ceremony held in church so that Christian community can acknowledge the efforts of the school leaders and pray for them
By Gina Ann Sebastian PRINCIPALS and vice-principals from 31 Catholic schools in Singapore gathered at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Feb 7 for their commissioning, commitment of service and blessing. This was the first time the annual ceremony had been held in a church. The principals of Canossa Convent Primary, Catholic High School, Montfort Junior School and St Anthony’s Canossian Primary were newly commissioned. Archbishop Nicholas Chia, who celebrated Mass and presided over the ceremony, presented each of them with a lit candle to symbolize the presence of Christ in their schools. Brother Paul Rogers, principal of Catholic Junior College, led the other principals and vice-principals to join with those newly commissioned to pledge their commitment of service. Archbishop Chia blessed them and asked God to empower them with strength, courage and the Holy Spirit and fill them with the joy and peace of being his instruments. In his homily, Archbishop Chia explained how like the Prophet Isaiah, St Paul and St Peter, they have been chosen by God to fulfill a mission in society. However, to spread the Good News, they
Archbishop commissions Catholic schools leaders not only need to be faithful and focused on their faith but also to submit themselves to him to do his will, the archbishop said. “We are deficient and unless God comes in the picture, we will not be able to accomplish our m ission,” he said.
“Rely on God and he will help us ...in this case, in the education field.” THE last 20 years have not been easy for Catholic schools. Previously, religious brothers and sisters were often the principals and teachers, this is not so now.
O f the 31 Catholic school principals today, only two are religious brothers. “It is a changing society and education system” and they have caused new difficulties, explained the archbishop. Lay Catholic principals have arisen to assume the responsibilities of leadership, he said. He thanked them for taking up the challenge to teach, encouraged them to become prophets of hope and to instill the spirit of love and generosity in their students so that they will contribute to the church and society. A delighted Sister Cecily Pavri, the event organizer, shared that the decision to bring the celebration into the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was to enable the whole Christian community to acknowledge the efforts of the school leaders and pray for them. This touched the participants. Ms Doris Sum, principal of Holy Innocent Primary, felt that the celebration was meaningful and that it was important to have public acknowledgement and also the support of God. Mr Justin Arul Pierre of Holy Innocent High School agreed. “While we abide closely to M O E’s (Ministry of Education) standards, we also need to ensure that there are Christian values in the mix,” he said. “Public support is important.” □
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SINGAPORE - The Parish of St
Ignatius has begun a new chapter in its history. On Feb 12, the new church was blessed in a ceremony presided over by Archbishop Nicholas Chia, 43 years to the day of the blessing of the original church. About 1,000 parishioners attended the ceremony and Mass presided by Archbishop Chia and concelebrated by 20 priests, among whom were Fr O. C. Lim, the Jesuit Superior for Malaysia and Singapore and Fr Leslie Raj, the parish priest. The new St. Ignatius Church is the result of years of hard work. The original church was built by the Society of Jesus in 1961 for the few hundred Catholics living in that area which was then rural. The parish population has grown to over 4,000. As the population increased, the church could no longer accommodate the over flowing congregation even as the number of Sunday Masses rose from three in 1962 to seven. “W hen I returned from my years of formation, the escalating congregation size and, with it, the pastoral, educational and sacramental needs (of so many parishioners) confronted me with a burgeoning challenge,”
Lay consecrated persons may join Conference of Religious now
Archbishop Nicholas Chia leads the concelebrated Mass of dedication of the new St Ignatius church on Feb 12.
said Fr Leslie. “(This was) the pleasing result of the long years of dedicated service of a more senior breed (of priests).” Now, it was up to a new generation to carry on the mission of bringing people to God, and bringing God into the lives of a community consisting of both local and expats, said Fr Leslie who led the redevelopment project. The journey to a new church began in 1995; the concept was accepted in October 1998; work began in May 2002; and the new church was completed in time for Advent last year.
Christian meditation gets a boost from visiting monk
By Sr Wendy Ooi, fsp SINGAPORE - The Singapore
Archdiocesan Conference of Religious (SACR) meets regularly to discuss and plan matters on religious life and their activities in Singapore. In their Jan 28 meeting, it was acknowledged that SACR should be open to all consecrated persons - not only the religious but also the lay consecrated persons. The move to be more inclusive was motivated by Pope John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation, Vita Consecrata. This document addresses both lay and religious consecrated persons, making no distinction between them but recognizing all as members of the Consecrated Life. So all who profess the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, who live in community, and adhere to a structured organization are now welcome to join the SACR. Such lay consecrated institutions include the Focolare Movement. □
The result is a sacred place that provides all who enter a refuge from the hectic world outside; a place of peace and serenity that encourages one to stop, rest and be still in the presence of God; a place that brings to mind the Jesuit motto: “For the Greater Glory of God”. The new St. Ignatius Church provides a setting in which we can “ build a living church filled with the spirit of Christ, the spirit of love and service, by participating in the life of the parish, in the work of evangelisation” as Archbishop Chia urged all present at the dedication to do. □
FATHER Laurence Freeman inspired the Singapore Catholic audience.
By Martino Tan SINGAPORE - Christian
meditation was given a boost by a Benedictine monk who flew in from London to speak to enthusiasts at the Church of the Holy Family recently. Father Laurence Freeman, Spiritual director of the World Community for Christian Meditation, spoke of the benefits and art of Christian meditation in his talk, “Sharing the Gift of Christian Meditation”. “Meditation is the prayer of the heart and it allows us to see the light of God,” he explained.
“By understanding what we are doing, we can make better social decisions daily. Meditation changes the way we perceive things and it helps us to love God wholeheartedly.” Father Laurence advised the audience to meditate twice daily (morning and evening) for twenty minutes. He is the author of a number of books that have also been recorded on tapes and CDs including “Jesus The Teacher W ithin”, “Light W ithin” and “The Selfless S e lf’. Mr Andrew Quek, one of the organisers of the talk, said: “ I find Fr. Lawrence’s session to be a timely one. It’s a reminder that we, as individuals, can contribute towards the process of world peace simply by coming to a better understanding of the need to break the cycle of violence. This awareness comes with the daily practice of this prayer form.” For information on Christian Meditatioin, contact Rebecca at 6445-8062, rebeccalim@pacific.net.sg or Daulet at 6737-6279, daulet@pacific.net.sg □
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Sister Doreen Soh, who has just taken her final profession, has many relatives who are priests and nuns. SR DOREEN Soh, (third from left), is joined by friends, parents Thomas and Rosa (forth and fifth from left), and Canossian Provincial Sr Anne Tan, just before the Feb 1 Mass and profession of her final vows. By Mel-Diamse Lee SINGAPORE - Doreen Soh found
God “too attractive” to want to tear herself away from him. That’s when she decided to become a Religious, 11 years into a successful career as a human resource officer of the Singapore Armed Forces. “W hen I started thinking about my life options, I thought that it would be wonderful if I could just dedicate m yself to doing G od’s work,” recalled Sister Doreen. While attending an archdiocesan vocation camp she came to appreciate the beauty of all vocations. However, Sr Doreen, 43, said, “I was too attracted to Jesus that when it came to the point of deciding to commit my life to someone, I chose the religious life.” So in October 1994, Doreen, then 34, became a postulant and two years later a novice of the Canossian Daughters of Charity. She made her first vows in January 1998 and this month, Feb
By Christina Joseph SINGAPORE - Young people
sang praise and worship songs (photo) and enjoyed a skit about accepting the trials that come our way and trusting in God at a Peace Rally at St. Joseph’s Church, Bukit Timah Feb 7. It was organised by the parish’s Youth Ministry and received guidance from Fr. Edmund Chong and Canossian
1, professed her final vows of chastity, obedience and poverty at a Mass at Church of St Anthony in Woodlands. “It was a great joy to be able to witness to the people my final commitment to the Lord,” she said. “I had entered earlier with the desire that it would be a commitment forever, so the final profession was to make it public.” As a young catechist at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she looked up to the late Canossian Sister
Sister Christina Yeo, and enthusiastic support from parish priest Fr. Lawrence Yeo. Sr Christina told the youth about St. Bakhita, who personified the beauty of love. Sharings were given by youth leader Charles Lim, Lynette Wong and Christopher See. Participants, both Catholic and non-Catholic, came from all over the North District. □
A R C H B IS H O P ’S O F F IC IA L D IA R Y Feb 29
2.00 pm Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour - Mass: Rite of Election
Mar 6
5.30 pm Church of St Mary of the A ngels-M ass: Presentation of the Creed
M ar7
3.00pm
ChurchofStMaryoftheAngels-Mass:RiteofElection(Mandarin)
Catherine Wong, then catechist coordinator whose “simplicity and zeal in spreading the faith to the people of Hougang” inspired her. Sr Catherine passed away in
March 1991, a few years before Sr Doreen joined the same Congregation. Bom October 18, 1960, the elder of two children of Thomas
Soh and Rosa Ng, Sr Doreen comes from a long line of Catholics, counting among relatives Fathers Edward Lim, Eugene Chong and Albert Ng and Sisters Mary Soh and Maria Sylvia Ng of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. The day after her final profession, Sr Doreen left for a seminar in Rome and a short visit to the Canossian Mother House in Verona, Italy. Upon her return she will continue her apostolate as a counsellor at the Canossaville Children’s Home and as a catechist at Canossa Convent on Sallim Road. □
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Divine Word Father Marian Zalazek works with leprosy-affected people Conference ofReligious Major Superiors
Action plans SINGAPORE - The Conference of
Religious Major Superiors of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei met for their bi-annual meeting Feb 1011. The first day of their encounter was a Study Day where members discussed the role and functions of the conference in the light of their call today. These include being a prophetic voice; collaboration and networking for support, information gathering and resource sharing; Justice and Peace issues related to women and children, sexuality; and ongoing formation. The critical issues facing the religious life today - within the Church and beyond the Church were also highlighted. Issues within the Church include culture and Christianity, the drastic drop and quality of vocations, systematic formation of the laity, dialogue with the bishops, and the gap between what is advocated in the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference and implementing decisions. Issues beyond the Church include dialogue with other religions, globalization and its consequences, breakdown of family life, exploitation of migrant workers, and ecology. In moving forward to live their prophetic call, the major superiors plan to address the concerns and issues of today with a range of planned activities starting with the sharing of resources for ongoing formation of religious, programming and providing systematic formation for the laity, and working with NGOs for justice and peace. Certain members have already volunteered to undertake these issues and they will be meeting to concretize their plans. □
Nobel Peace Prize for Missionary in India ?
D IV IN E W ord F ath er M arian Z alazek, left, visits w ith a patient at a hospital for those w ith H a n se n 's disease in P uri, In dia. T h e P olish priest, 86, h as been n om in ated for the 2 004 N ob el P ea ce P rize,
c n s photo
By A n to A k kara
NEW DELHI, India - A Polish missionary
and Nazi concentration camp survivor who has worked among people with Hansen’s disease has been nominated for the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. Divine Word Father Marian Zalazek, 86, was short-listed by the Nobel Peace Prize committee in 2002. “It should be a secret,” Father Zalazek said jokingly when contacted by telephone at his home in Puri. “I am doing my duty. If someone finds it important, it is for them to do what they want,” said the missionary who survived five years in the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau, Germany, before coming to India. Father Zalazek said his “love for the leprosy-affected people started in 1975” when the Divine Word Society posted him to Puri. There, a government official requested he help patients who lived in a segregated leper colony; most of them survived by begging from the thousands of Hindu pilgrims who visited Puri, a holy city on India's east coast. “First we arranged a mobile clinic to (provide) medical aid for them, as nobody would even go near their dingy colony,” Father Zalazek said. Soon, “Karunalay,” or “Home of Mercy,” was set up inside the colony. Over the years, the Karunalay complex under Father Zalazek’s supervision expanded into a hospital for treatment of Hansen’s and other diseases and a rehabilitation center for hundreds of “socially ostracized” sick people and their family members. As a result, now only 25 percent of the 800 residents beg while others work in the colony's “mini-industrial center,” which includes an orthopedic shoe and prosthetic workshop and units for tailoring and mat-
and rope-making using coconut fiber. Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar said Father Zalazek “is the best-known Christian for the Hindus of Puri.” Recently, the chief priest of the famous Jagannath Temple visited and presented Father Zalazek a cross as a Christmas gift, Archbishop Cheenath said. “Some of the Hindu priests visit Father M arian’s hospital secretly in the night for treatment to hide their leprosy,” the archbishop said. The archbishop, who has known Father Zalazek for 25 years, did not offer an opinion as to whether the priest deserved the Nobel Peace Prize, but said “he is a wonderful person who spends every minute of his life for others.” Father Zalazek has used his fluency in the local Oriya language to convince government agencies to distribute products made by colony residents.
POPE GREETS THOSE WITH DISABILITIES VATICAN CITY - Marking the Feb. 11 celebration of the
World Day of the Sick, Pope John Paul greeted youths and adults in wheelchairs (photo) following Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. The example of Catholics who, despite sickness and suffering, continue to express faith in the saving power of Christ is a precious gift for the church, the pope said. “Human existence is always a gift of God, even when it is marked by physical suffering of any kind. It is a gift which the church and the world must value,” he said. Pope John Paul said that from a human point of view “suffering and sickness can appear to be absurd realities.” But, he said, when suffering is seen in the light of the Gospel, “one is able to gather its deep salvific meaning.” The Gospel message is that Christ suffers for and with all people, taking their pain and making it part of the path to salvation and new life, the pope said. “Those who suffer must never be left alone,” the pope said, and he thanked family members, medical professionals and chaplains who dedicate their lives to caring for the sick. “It is a great act of love to take care of one who suffers,” he said. The pope prayed that Our Lady of Lourdes would watch over all who are sick, who are old or who are left alone. □ c n s
He also operates a popular school attended by 400 healthy children and 190 with Hansen's disease. “Initially, outsiders were reluctant to send their children to the school where the children of leprosy-affected people were studying, but we have succeeded in removing the public fears,” Father Zalazek said. “The biggest hurdle in leprosy eradication is the social stigma attached to the disease,” he said. Due to widespread belief that leprosy is a “curse from God,” Father Zalazek said, many patients go untreated “and hide their infection, leading to deformity.” H ansen’s disease is so dreaded in rural areas that once leprosy is suspected victims are disowned by their families and banished by villagers, forcing them to migrate to cities to live as beggars. Because of this, many new residents arrive at the colony with extreme deformities, even though medications are available that could completely cure Hansen's disease, Father Zalazek said. He said people in Poland and several local Hindu activists have promoted his peace prize nomination. In 2000, he was honored with Poland's highest civilian award - the “Chivalry Cross” - for his dedicated work in the colony. Father Zalazek was captured by the Nazis while he was a Divine Word novice in Poznan, Poland. He was imprisoned between May 1940 and April 1945. “We were 26 when we were taken in. Fourteen of us died in the first one-and-ahalf hours,” he said. The priest, who has etched in his memory his release from the concentration camp “at 5 p.m. on April 29 in 1945,” said he had “little hope” of coming out of Dachau alive. “We (inmates in the camp) used to say our best chance to come out was through the chimney (of the crematorium in the camp),” the priest recalled. After his release from Dachau, he continued his priestly studies in Rome. He was ordained in 1948 and was assigned to India two years later. □ c n s
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“A Carmelite heritage, tradition & devotion”
I waited and you came Now “Ask and you shall receive” By Sandra Ann Inbaraj PETALING JAYA - Amazingly young at 100 years is one way to describe Sr Francois Shen, FMM. As I enter her office,Sr Francois is sending an e-mail to a friend. On her desk is a big magnifying glass. “This is to help me read,” she explains. It seems odd that she is so comfortable with modem technology. “When I first came here,” she reminisces, “I was bored as there was nothing for me to do.” She told the CEO of Assunta: “Give me something to do or I will ran away.” Her office was soon equipped with a computer, Internet connection and printer. Sr Francois’ residence was actually at the Assunta Convent. She was moved to Assunta Hospital as the convent was under constant renovation. It has been almost two years since. She says the hospital has been very kind to her, providing her an office, a kitchen and a room. This diminutive lady forgets that she was one of the pioneers of Assunta Hospital. She formed the Busy Bees (whose members were involved in charity, social work and fundraising). She also founded the kindergarten, which became a major source of income for the hospital. Even now, Sr Francois still helps in what little way she can. She cannot sit still. The hospital provides her noon and night meals but Sr Francois prefers to prepare her own breakfast “for variety,” she says. Sr Francois is also known as the ‘professional beggar’. This is because she is very good at fundraising. Many people rely on her fundraising abilities. She remembers the time when she was scolded for ‘begging’ by the people she approached. She listened to what they had to say. Then she asked them if they were willing to give anything for the poor. “I never had an off day,” she says. “I travelled to all parts of Malaysia to raise funds.” When asked about her sunny disposition, she replies, “I cannot cry, so I smile.” Even her pain-riddled body will not get her down. Now, her only wish is to make it to heaven. She explains, “I cannot be selfish, the Lord has given me so much, I cannot ask for more.” Turning her thoughts to young people, she says that they think that they know everything even though they don’t. They don’t have the experience. However, if they learn, they will be better than this generation, she continues. Sr Francois is well loved by many. Sr Enda Ryan, FMM
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Sr Francois Shen, FMM
THE NUN WHO IS AN AMAZINGLY YOUNG
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relates a recent incident. Malaysian Health Minister Datuk Chua Jui Ming was giving a speech at Assunta Hospital. Suddenly he stopped. He spoke to the CEO of Assunta and told him that he could not see Sr Francois present. The CEO explained that she was not attending the event. Datuk Chua refused to finish his speech until Sr Francois was brought in! Many people wanted to celebrate her 100 years with a bang, but she preferred a small celebration. She says, “I was overjoyed when I realised that my birthday was on the second day of Chinese New Year.” Sr Francois knew that many people would not be able to attend. She receives many invitations for lunches and dinners but prefers to decline them as “there are many things that I cannot eat” and also because she tires easily.
Younger days SISTER Francois was bom into an extremely privileged family on Jan 23,1904 in Shanghai. Her decision to join the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM) was met with scepticism and derision by her family. She persisted and entered the
novitiate at the age of 22. Shie was sent to Grottaferrata, ItaJly. After her novitiate, she went to serve in a hospital in Lyons, France. She then returned to Chefoo, China where she wats in charge of the kindergarten. When the sisters wanted to open a hospital in Shanghai, Sr Francois helped to raise funclis for it. She was also sent to Fordham University, New York to continue her studies. In the late 1950s, she was sent to Malaysia. She was one of thte pioneers of Assunta Hospital, Petaling Jaya. While serving im the hospital, Sr Francois started the Busy Bees. Members of thiis club spend their time volunteering in the hospital, raising funds ass well as doing social work. She then started a creche for the children of the staff of Assunta. Soon the creche evolved into a kindergarten. T h e profit from the kindergarten iis given to the needy. Sr Francois Shen lives h e r vocation to the fullest. Her steadfast faith and sense of humour has seen her throughi one century and will continuie to be her guiding force. This is an edited version of the airticle “Centenarian nun living her vocatiom to the fullest” published in the Herald.
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N ew s English-speaking bishops get copies of draft of revised Mass prayers for review By C indy W ooden
ROME - Bishops in English-speaking countries have been sent copies of a draft of a new translation of the main prayers used at Mass, but one liturgy expert said the number of obviously modified texts would not be overwhelming. Msgr. James P. Moroney, secretary of the U.S. bishops’ liturgy committee, said “the only things that were changed were those things that needed to be changed for precision or proclamation.” The English draft of the “Ordo M issae,” or Order of the Mass, was approved by the episcopal board of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy in January. Copies were sent out Feb. 13 to every Latin-rite bishop in the United States, and other English-speaking bishops’ conferences were expected to distribute the text about the same time. Msgr. Moroney said the Order of the Mass contains “almost all of the changes” expected in the parts of the Mass recited by the congregation. Catholic News Service obtained a copy of the draft in late February. In several instances, the new version of the Mass prayers includes more literal translations of the original Latin texts. For example, the proposed Gloria begins: “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to people of good will.” The current English text says: “Glory
Eucharist: Theme of 2005 Synod of Bishops
Changes in Mass prayers by end 2005 to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth.” In many instances, the proposed text uses more formal language than previously. For example, the third eucharistic prayer currently in use says: “From age to age you gather a people to yourself, so that from East to West a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name.” The proposed version reads: “... you never cease to gather a people to yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure oblation may be offered to your name.” The Order of the Mass includes the prayers that are used at every Mass, such as the Gloria, the Nicene Creed and the eucharistic prayers. It does not include all of the prayers that change each week during the liturgical year. The new text is the first English translation of Mass prayers resulting from the 2002 publication of the third edition of the Roman Missal in Latin and from new translation rules contained in the 2001 Vatican instruction, “Liturgiam Authenticam” (“The Authentic Liturgy”). English-speaking bishops have been asked to comment on the draft by May 15
so that ICEL can consider suggested revisions during its July meeting. If the bishops approve the text by a two-thirds margin, the text would go to the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments. If the congregation approves its use, the text might be printed and in parishes before the end of 2005.
Some proposed changes “LITURGIAM Authenticam” asked for some specific changes, including that English translations of the creed return to the first person singular - “I believe” used in the Latin and most other languages. The Vatican also suggested a more literal translation of the standard response to the priest saying, “The Lord be with you,” with the people answering, “And with your spirit.” The Sanctus, or Holy, Holy, Holy, is another prayer that the ICEL draft text proposes to change. Instead of beginning, “Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,” the draft suggests, “Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of mighty hosts.”
Vatican celebrates 75th year as city-state P A L E S T IN IA N P rim e M in ister A h m ed Q u reia greets P op e J oh n P aul II at the Vatican F eb . 12. T h e p o n tiff told Q u reia th at the H oly L an d n eeds “fo rg iven ess
By Joh n T h av is
n ot reven ge, brid ges n o t w a lls.” T h e V a t i c a n , a s a n i n d e p e n d e n t s t a t e , has been able to tak e an active in tern ation al role in p ro m o tin g peace an d h a rm o n y b etw een nations, c n s photo
VATICAN CITY - The next world Synod
of Bishops will discuss the theme, “The Eucharist: Source and Culmination of the Life and Mission of the Church,” the Vatican announced. The theme was chosen by Pope John Paul II on the basis of suggestions by bishops. The 2005 assembly will take place at the Vatican Oct. 2-29. The announcement came the day after the pope named Archbishop Nikola Eterovic as secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops. The synod on the Eucharist will be the 11th general assembly of the synod since Pope Paul VI reinstituted the structure after the Second Vatican Council. The worldwide meetings generally are held every three or four years. The last synod, focusing on the ministry of the bishop, was held at the Vatican in 2001. The Eucharist was the topic of the pope’s latest encyclical, issued in April 2003. It emphasized the importance of the Eucharist as the greatest gift God left to his church. The encyclical also reaffirmed the traditional teaching of the church on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, on the need for validly ordained ministers for its celebration, and on the importance of following the church’s liturgical norms. □ c n s
In the penitential rite at the beginning of Mass, one prayer currently includes the line: “ ...I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to d o ....” The new draft suggests: “... I have sinned exceedingly in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.” “We will need to grow into these texts,” Msgr. Moroney said. The proposed Order of the Mass also was distributed at the Feb. 8-11 meeting of the secretaries of the liturgy commissions of nine English-speaking bishops’ conferences. The secretaries met at the English College in Valladolid, Spain. One of the concerns expressed at the Valladolid meeting, Msgr. Moroney said, was precisely how to help people gain “a deeper understanding of the Roman liturgical texts.” “Liturgiam Authenticam” emphasized two values, he said: “Precision, so we must say what the text says; and memorability, so it should stay with me and conform me to Christ, and that means understanding it.” A related document, a proposed “ratio translationis,” which is a type of stylebook providing specific examples of how Latin terms should be translated into English, was sent to bishops in mid-January by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacram ents.□ c n s
B y John T havis
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican celebrated its
75th birthday as a city-state and said its independent status allowed the church a clearer moral voice on international issues of peace, justice and development. The Feb. 11 anniversary was celebrated as a holiday at the Vatican. It marked the signing of the Lateran Pacts of 1929, a treaty and other agreements under which the Vatican recognized the Italian state and Italy recognized the pope’s absolute sovereignty and independence over the 109-acre Vatican City. The 1929 treaty also compensated the Holy See for the loss of the Papal States with a large payment in cash and bonds. At
the same time, a concordat regulated the status of religion and the church in Italy; among other things, it declared Catholicism the official religion - a provision revoked under a revised concordat in 1984. Pope John Paul II, speaking at a general audience, said the Lateran Pacts had marked a decisive and positive turning point in Italian church-state relations, opening the way to a “profitable cooperation that serves and benefits the whole population.” In a front-page editorial, the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, said the 1929 treaty had assured the “religious peace” in Italy. The emergence of the Italian state in the late 1800s created huge tensions with the church, which had to abandon its claim to temporal power in Italy.
But the newspaper said the smaller, independent Vatican City State turned out to be an ideal vehicle for promoting the church’s agenda. “With the creation of the Vatican City State, the Holy See ... was given total and visible independence, necessary to carry out its mission in full liberty,” the newspaper said. It said the treaty has allowed the pope to accomplish his task of confirming Christians in the faith and promoting church unity. The Holy See, while it “remains outside temporal competition between states,” has been able to take an active international role in “promoting peace and harmony between nations and favoring the development of peoples, especially the most disadvantaged,” it said. The editorial reiterated a point often made by the pope in international settings, that the Vatican does not use its independent status to seek privileges for its members, but simply to carry out its spiritual mission. At the same time, it said the church’s special relationship with Italy - historical, cultural and spiritual - should not be forgotten as Italy and Europe redefine institutional life in view of greater European unity. □ c n s
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Update on Church statistics V A T IC A N Y E A R B O O K Europe; 12.8 percent are in Africa; 10.3 percent live in Asia; and 0.8 percent live in Oceania. Comparing the number of Catholics to the general population in each region, the Vatican said Catholics make up 62.4 percent of the population in
B y C indy W ooden
the world “remained basically stable” from 2001 to 2002, with a VATICAN CITY - In addition to continuing drop in the num ber of naming 30 new cardinals in 2003, religious order priests offset by Pope John Paul II named 175 an increase in the number of new bishops around the world diocesan priests, the Vatican said. and created 19 new dioceses. At the end of 2002, there were The new titles, names, 405,058 Catholics priests in the addresses, telephone world, only nine fewer than numbers and local statistics at the end of 2001, it said. are listed in the Vatican’s The number of diocesan 2004 yearbook, the priests rose from 266,448 John Paul II has appointed all but four Annuario Pontificio. in 2001 to 267,334 in 2002, of those eligible to vote for a new pope Cardinal Angelo while the number of priests Sodano, Vatican secretary in religious orders declined REGION NUMBER of state, and personnel from 138,619 in 2001 to from the Vatican’s Central Western Europe 49 137,724 in 2002. Office of Church Statistics The Vatican also Latin America 24 presented the first copy of reported there were 4,695 Eastern Europe 16 the 2004 volume to Pope Catholic bishops, 30,097 North America 14 John Paul during a Feb. 3 permanent deacons, 54,828 audience. Asia 12 religious brothers and The book, which runs 782,932 religious women Africa 13 more than 2,000 pages, at the end of 2002. Oceania 3 usually goes on sale in late In addition, it said, the TOTAL 131 February. church’s workforce North America includes the United Slates and Canada. The names of the includes: 28,766 members world’s cardinals and of secular institutes, COUNTRIES W ITH MOST ELECTORS bishops in the new volume 143,745 lay missionaries reflect the situation as of and more than 2.7 million *V Italy 22 Dec. 31, 2003, while the catechists. United States 11 H statistics on the number of Looking toward the d t Germany 6 Catholics, priests, religious, future, the Vatican reported seminarians and parishes ^ Brazil 6 an increase in the number refer to data solicited Dec. o f candidates for the Spain 6 31, 2002, from every priesthood in the church’s Poland 5 j diocese in the world. major seminaries. The According to a Vatican number of major © 2004 CNS Graphics press release, at the end of seminarians rose from AS o f Jan. 4, 2004 there are 131 card in als 2002 there were more than 112,244 in 2001 to 112,982 eligible to vote for a new pope. P ope John P aul 1.07 billion Catholics in the in 2002. II has ap p oin ted all but four, c n s g r a p h ic world, an increase of 11 The Vatican said the million over the previous increasing number of year. seminarians was Out of a world population of the Americas, 40.5 percent of the “particularly satisfying” in more than 6.2 billion people, it European population, 26.8 Africa, where the number grew said, Catholics account for 17.2 percent of the population in by 5.8 percent, and in the percent. Oceania, 16.5 percent of the Americas where seminary The Vatican said 50 percent of African population and 3 percent enrollment increased by 1.4 the world’s Catholics live in the of the Asian population. percent. Europe and Asia Americas; 26.1 percent are in The total number of priests in reported “slight declines.” □ c n s
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Mini-Catechism By J oh n T havis
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican
has completed a draft of a 150page mini-catechism and is sending the text to cardinals and bishops’ conferences for review, a Vatican source said. Pope John Paul II commissioned the shorter, simpler version of the 865-page “Catechism of the Catholic Church” last year, and a 10member commission has been working on the text since March. The source said Feb. 9 that over the next few months the commission would consider the input of cardinals and bishops’ conferences, and that a final draft is expected to be
completed later this year. The mini-catechism outlines church teachings in four parts, under the headings of profession of faith, sacraments, commandments and prayer, the source said. The work on the draft was considered unusually fast by Vatican standards. Last year, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation and president of the drafting commission, said he expected the preparation work to take about two years. The pope asked for the mini catechism at the suggestion of several bishops. They said the current volume of more than 2,800 articles of church teaching
was too ponderous for m any Catholics. In constituting the commission last year, the pope said there seemed to be a widespread desire for “a brief compendium containing all the fundamental elements of Catholic faith and morals, formulated in a simple and clear manner.” At the same time, he cautioned that experience had shown it is not easy in such syntheses to “fully safeguard the completeness and integrity o f the content o f the Catholic faith. ” The pope said the new, shorter text would “faithfully m irror” the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” and would be “an authoritative, sure and complete synthesis.” □ c n s
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Papal adviser slams therapeutic cloning VATICAN CITY - A papal adviser
says the news of the cloning of a human embryo by South Korean scientists signals a desire to make industrial material out of human beings. For Bishop Elio Sgreccia, vice president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, “from the ethical point of view this supposed ‘therapeutic’ cloning is doubly illicit.” “In the first place, cloning has a procedure that goes against nature and, in the second, it eliminates the cloned embryo,” the bishop said on Vatican Radio. “Therefore, if it is already something monstrous to clone a person - to make a photocopy according to our will; it is even more so to eliminate the embryo to make therapeutic use of it,” he added. □ c n s
“ Where human life is at stake, the right o f private property ends.’ - C ardinal Ja vier L ozano B arragan , president of the
Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, explaining that patent rights over anti-AIDS drugs, for example, may not be legitimate in places like Africa, where millions of people face death.
Pro-abortionists not welcome to speak
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KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Archbishop James P. Keleher of Kansas City has asked all Catholic institutions in the archdiocese not to invite “any person in the pro-choice movement, or any politician who espouses the pro-choice movement or has a voting record endorsing pro-choice legislation” to address, give workshops or otherwise make any presentations at these institutions. The archbishop’s twoparagraph statement cited “the importance of the issue of legalized abortion in our country, which has resulted in the killing of over 40 m illion unborn babies in the last 31 years.” “It is imperative that our Catholic churches, schools and institutions make every effort not only to support the pro-life movement, but especially to ensure that the public understands our unequivocal stand on this issue,” the statement said. □ c n s
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE:
Eric E thington and partner D oug O kun, carrying tw ins Sophia and Elizabeth, hold their m arriage license as they depart San Francisco's City H all Feb. 13. Under the direction o f M ayor G avin N ew som , a backer o f gay rights, city officials issued m arriage licenses and married sam e-sex couples, despite a recently passed state law that institutes m arriage as a union o f a m an and a wom an. M eanwhile, as gay rights groups and church leaders from Boston to San Francisco continued to debate the gay m arriage issue, Catholic bishops reiterated their opposition to sam e-sex m arriages w hile stressing that their support for traditional m arriage should not be seen as an attack on or discrim ination against hom osexuals,
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Worrisome biotechnology practices They do not always respect human life, says pope VATICAN CITY - Despite the great
promises new research and technology give for treating illnesses and helping infertile couples, the field of biotechnology is strewn with practices that do not respect human life, Pope John Paul II said. In a message to the Pontifical Academy for Life marking the 10th anniversary of its founding by the pope, he praised the physicians, researchers, theologians and ethicists who have helped the Catholic Church understand the new technology and the ethical challenges it raises. “While it gives us glimpses of promising developments for the good of humanity and for the cure of serious and distressing diseases, progress in the biomedical sciences not infrequently presents serious problems in relation to respect for human life and the dignity of the person,” the pope said. The pope’s message was read on the opening day of the academy’s Feb. 19-22 meeting. Pope John Paul told academy members he was concerned by “the growing domination of
medical technology over the process of human procreation, discoveries in the field of genetics and molecular biology (and) changes that have occurred in the treatment of critical patients.” When combined with “the spread of currents of thought” often marked by the search for pleasure or power or seeing human beings and human tissue as something to be used, the pope said, scientific progress “can lead to aberrant conduct” and to the passage of laws that are “unjust in relation to the dignity of the person and the respect required by the inviolability of innocent life.” Pope John Paul thanked the academy members not only for the information they give the Vatican, but for efforts they make to promote ethical, philosophical and theological reflections with their peers. “It is necessary to continue to sensitize researchers, especially those in the biomedical sphere, about the enriching benefits that can flow from joining scientific rigor with the requirements of anthropology and Christian ethics,” he said. □ c n s
Pope asks officials to ensure priests umderstand chaste lifestyle
By C indy W ooden
VATICAN CITY - The best way for the Catholic Church to deal with clerical sex abuse is to ensure that its priests understand and embrace the chaste lifestyle the church requires of them, Pope John Paul II said. The pope called on the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to work with other Vatican offices to ensure seminary and post-ordination programs are effective in guaranteeing that those who minister in the church’s name will not sexually abuse anyone. The members of the doctrinal congregation, which bears ultimate responsibility for investigating claims of clerical sexual abuse against minors and punishing guilty priests, met the pope at the end of their Feb. 3-6 plenary meeting. Pope John Paul said that in the past two years, under stronger rules for dealing with “grave crimes” against the sacraments, “a notable increase in the number of disciplinary cases” has been
Clerical sex abuse referred to the congregation. “The canonical norm which your dicastery is called to apply with justice and equity seeks to guarantee both the exercise of the right of self-defense of the accused as well as the requirements of the common good,” the pope said. “Once a crime has been proven, in every case one must evaluate well both the just principle of proportionality
between fault and penalty as well as the predominant requirement of safeguarding the people o f God,” Pope John Paul said. But protecting the Catholic community, he said, “does not depend only on the application of penal canon law.” “It finds its best guarantee in the correct and balanced formation of future priests called in an explicit way to embrace with joy and generosity that
C A R D IN A L Joseph R atzinger, prefect o f the C o n g re g a tio n for the D o ctrin e o f the F aith, greets Pope Joh n P aul II at the Vatican Feb. 6. T h e d octrin al congregation m et w ith the pop e at the end o f its four-dav plenary m eetin g. T he pope called on m e m b e rs to w ork w ith oth er Vatican officia ls to en su re sem inary and post-ord in atio n p ro g ra m s are e ffective in g u a r a n te e in g that th ose w h o m inister in the church w ill not sex u a lly a b u se a n yon e. C VS p h o t o
By John Thavis VATICAN CITY - W hen the Vatican asked scientific experts last year for input on how the church should address clerical sexual abuse, it marked an important step outside the usual boundaries of Vatican consultation. The decision to publish the results of that conference is even more remarkable because the content raises disturbing questions for church officials. The 220-page report, “Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church: Scientific and Legal Perspectives,” contains uncomfortable data and painful observations, along with some notes of encouragement for the church. The volume was expected to be published in early M arch by the Pontifical Academy for Life. Catholic News Service obtained a preliminary copy of the text, which was undergoing minor editing changes before its release. Vatican consultation - on matters ranging from liturgy to doctrine - is typically an in-house process involving a familiar cast of characters. In this case, by turning to eight outside professionals none of whom was Catholic - the Vatican signaled that its own resources were inadequate to understand the full implications of sex abuse in the priesthood. The guest specialists in psychiatry, psychology and psychotherapy spoke to an audience of Vatican officials and Catholic abuse experts. Some of the most fascinating sections of the report cover the follow-up discussions among these three groups. In a few instances, as when discussing the relative incidence of sex abuse among priests, church officials sound defensive. But for the most part, they seem eager to leam what researchers have discovered about the causes of sexual abuse, the treatment possibilities and the potential for effective screening. Among the more sensitive issues faced in the report:
Vatican confers with outside abuse experts
An unusual step - Most experts emphasized that the sexual deviancy that causes abuse of minors is a permanent condition that can be managed but not cured. That goes against the opinion, commonly expressed at the Vatican, that many abuse cases involve a single lapse from which a priest can fully recover. - Screening of potential sex abusers is difficult and, in the opinion of many, ineffective unless aggressive techniques are used. - The experts were asked about the effectiveness of doing “psychosexual histories” on seminary candidates, a much-debated issue inside the Vatican. One expert strongly defended the technique, saying that detailed questions about sexual history are justified, not only to identify potential abusers but also to emphasize the serious commitment of celibacy. - According to studies cited by one expert, the incidence of sexual abuse among Catholic clergy is considerably higher than among ministers of other religious denominations. That challenges the presumption among many at the
Vatican that the Catholic Church has been singled out unfairly. - Several experts said that, as in other professions that work with young people, at least some abusive priests may be drawn to the priesthood for the access it grants them to children. - W hile the possible connection between use o f Internet pornography and sexual abuse is a question o f debate, one expert said that the downloading o f child pornography was becoming a more and more im portant reason that clergy are referred for treatment. - “Zero tolerance” - the current U.S. policy of dism issing priests from ministry for even one act o f abuse - was roundly criticized on practical and moral grounds and contrasted with the European practice of allowing a priest to return to restricted, controlled ministry. - The Vatican officials heard a detailed report on how sex-drive-reducing drugs, sometimes referred to as “chemical castration,” might offer a tool in the case o f abuser priests who want to remain in ministry. In the report’s discussion sessions, one
humble, modest and chaste style of life which is the practical foundation of ecclesiastical celibacy,” the pope said. The pope asked the congregation members to work with other Vatican offices responsible for priestly life and formation - namely the congregations for clergy and for Catholic education — “so that the necessary measures are adopted to ensure that priests live in a way consonant to their call and their commitment of perfect and perpetual chastity for the kingdom of God.” Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the doctrinal congregation, told the pope the members had reviewed the new church procedures “available for safeguarding the sanctity of the sacraments and the dignity of the sacred ministry.” He did not say whether congregation members felt adjustments were needed, nor did he say how many cases of clerical sexual abuse the congregation had handled. □ c n s
can occasionally glimpse the urgency felt by some Vatican officials in finding answers to the sex abuse crisis. For example, the church participants asked bluntly: How can one prevent men with pedophile tendencies from hiding behind celibate life? Should the church try to ban all homosexuals from the priesthood? Should the church require therapy for priest-abusers? W hat should a bishop do if a seminarian or priest acknowledges pedophile tendencies without having committed an offense? Some of the experts offered praise and hope to church leaders as they try to take the measure of clerical sex abuse and correct it. For example, several said that celibacy, far from being a cause of abuse, can be a valuable spiritual foundation for priests and a guide for evaluating the sexual maturity of potential priests. One expert said that in some ways the church is ahead of other institutions in dealing with abusers and in many places is providing humane, state-of-theart care. Sources said the Vatican report was not designed to balance the study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice on U.S. clerical sexual abuse over the last 52 years; that study will be released Feb. 27. The Vatican initiative, however, does try to offer a forward-looking approach at a time when U.S. media attention is focused on past cases. It also comes at a time when the Vatican has been quietly working in tandem with U.S. bishops to make the processing of sex abuse cases more efficient, under the direction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Not all the U.S.-Vatican contacts have been publicized. In late January, sources in Rome said, several members of the National Review Board, established by the U.S. bishops to help them deal with the abuse crisis, came for confidential talks with Vatican officials, including Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the doctrinal congregation. □ c n s
Li
Whatever you do to the le
The season of Lent calls Christians to prayer, fasting and acts of charity. Lent began on Ash Wednesday, Feb 25. Beginning with this special feature, CN will highlight organisations and charities where Catholics can commit to meaningful works of charity. Mel Diamse-Lee reports
VICTIMS OF THE PEOPLE THEY SERVE Traumatised by constant humiliation Juanita learned to love and pray for her employers even when they ill-treated her JU A N ITA L O M B O K , 22, was often asked to cook special dishes or bake cakes for her em ployers’ parties. She used to wake up very early each morning to wash her em ployers’ two cars. Yet, she claimed, she was scolded and shouted at daily; called stupid, idiot and lazy. “I could not concentrate on my work because my Madam was always scolding me,” said the domestic worker from Manado, Indonesia. Once, she alleged, her lady employer, a Christian, slapped her on the back. The humiliating treatments so traumatised her, she said, “I would dream of hearing my employer calling and I would panic.” She was refused a day off. A Christian, she was also not allowed to go out during Christmas to attend a church service. (It is customary for employers not to give their domestic workers a day off until the latter have completed paying their employers for the fee paid to their employment agency. It takes a domestic worker six to seven months to settle the “debt” amounting from $1,600-$ 1,800. In spite of this, she said she was not angry with her employers. “Even if they were like that, I had grown to love them..” She added: “I just pray for them that one
employers’ home, she said. Every door in the house had an alarm. But run away she did just three months into her 2-year contract. “If you are good to me even if you don’t give my salary, I will work for you. But they treated me like an animal,” she said. She has since been staying at the women’s shelter run by the Commission for Migrants and Itinerant People (CMI). Her case she reported her lady employer’s abuses to the police - is being investigated by the police. At the shelter, the m ulti talented woman plays the guitar, cooks, tends the garden and sew M U L T I-T A L E N T E D Juan ita (holdin g guitar) enjoys curtains. She bakes cookies to a m usic session w ith fellow residents at the w o m e n ’s help raise funds for CMI. shelter run by the C M I. Early this month she and several residents of the two day they will change.” shelters started working at the Salvation Miss Lombok came to Singapore after Army thrift shop on Upper Serangoon working for two years in Hong Kong. She Road. wanted to earn more money to continue her The project aims to give them a sense medical degree at a university in her that they are not totally dependent on province. She has completed a year of it. others. Part of their income is spent on their It was not easy to run away from her personal toiletries. □
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m m h
Hearing impaired by beatings Endarwati still cares for her employer’s family and continues to plead their cause. EN D A RW A TIW A K ID IN , 27, worked for the same Singaporean family for seven years. And for seven years she endured her lady em ployer’s beatings. Today she has a hearing problem because of the blows she received on the ears. And for running away from her employers, she had to stay in the police lock up for three days because the Indonesian Embassy could not accommodate her. She claimed that when the police asked if she was beaten by her employer she said yes, but she did not want her charged for the sake of the two children, aged seven and nine. She said, “I told the police I just wanted my employer to return to me the money I saved in the bank and my (unpaid) salary for three m onths.” She worried that her employers’ children would suffer terribly if their mother was charged and sent to jail. She added: “It was heartless to do that to me but I loved the children very much.” The domestic worker from Surabaya, Indonesia, had not enjoyed a day off for seven years. She claimed to have received the same salary - $250, although her Indonesian Embassy document states she received $270.
E N D A R W A T I is determ ined to m ake so m eth in g o f herself. She speak s fluent English and intends to learn the com puter.
She was employed to look after her lady em ployer’s ill mother who is in her late 60s. She also sends her two wards to school on a bicycle every day. She endured the persistent beatings quietly. “I took it as a punishment when I did something wrong,” stated the soft-
spoken, slightly built woman. In spite of this, she kept saying her employer, a kindergarten teacher, was very good to her. “She’s a very nice employer except when her temper flares - because maybe she has problems with her students.” She ran to the police after her employer threatened to send her home for making a phone call to her sister without her permission. Miss Wakidin claimed her Madam wanted to make her pay for her plane fare and that she would be booked in the first class cabin to make sure she leaves Singapore pennyless. She is owed over $1,900 and three m onths’ salary. The second youngest of four siblings bom into a family of farmers, she stopped schooling after Secondary 1 and worked in the city. She fled to Singapore to work whe pressed to marry by the family. Determined to make something of herself when she reached Singapore, she forced herself to speak and read in English and bought a dictionary. She spoke fluent English during the interview. Now she intends to learn to use the computer and start a business with the money she has saved when she returns home. Her case is still being investigated by the police. □
ist of these... you do to me TRUE FRIENDS OF MIGRANTS Energised by service Miss Olindang feels happy being able to help others
CMI: Empowering the most vulnerable SINCE the Commission for Migrants and Itinerant People (CMI) started in 1998 they have constantly evolved to continue to address the needs of migrant workers and keep abreast of the issues confronting them. Mrs Bridget Lew, in a Feb 11 interview, explained that the ministry of CMI is three-pronged: advocacy, welfare and empowerment.
Women residents of Madonna Grotto pack rosaries at the Salvation Army as part of CMI's rehabilitation programme.
A dvocacy HER pilgrimage to Rome in 2000 during the Jubilee Year for Migrants paved the way for Miss Paulina Olindang’s involvement in the migrant ministry. Now the 40-year-old domestic worker is neck-deep in work. She is the one-woman management team which oversees the operations of CMI programmes and services at the former St Joseph’s Convent on Hillside Drive. On weekends she is preoccupied with preparing the course materials of students at the Madonna Skills Centre (MSC). She is in charge of the Madonna Bazaar, a thrift shop. She also supervises the cleaning of the compound. In between, she finds time to water the plants in the skills centre classrooms and run minor errands. At the end of a long day, she makes sure all the airconditioners, lights and other electrical appliances used are
P aulin a gave up a lucrative part-tim e jo b to do voluntary w ork. She is fortunate to have kind em ployers.
switched off. In spite of this long list of duties, she said she finds nothing to complain about. “I feel happy and light-hearted. I feel good doing this.” In fact Paulina gave up a lucrative part-time job on Sundays to devote her time to her volunteer work. Her satisfaction comes from seeing the students graduate, she said. She is also grateful to her Catholic employers for allowing her to get very involved in CMI. They trust her so much that they bring her to Orchard Road on weekdays to go shopping since she has no time to spare on weekends, she said. □
ttrmrer; Her children learn compassion from her volunteer work Mrs Lee believes she is called to help the migrants Mrs Rose Lee, 48, believes she was led by the Lord to help out at the Commission for Migrants and Itinerant People. She began helping out at the Madonna Soup Kitchen in July 2000, doing the marketing and collecting donated provisions from various charitable groups, such as the Singapore Buddhist Lodge. She has also helped CMI in various fund-raising activities. Because of her dedication to her volunteer work, her children too have become more aware of the ministry and the plight o f the people CMI serves. Sharon, 18, sweated it out at a day-long garage sale two years ago. She introduced Shawn, 13, to some of the residents at the women’s shelter. Now he helps out at home when his mother does extra work for CMI.
CM I’s advocacy role is to help migrant workers get heard through dialogues with government institutions, such as the Ministry of Manpower; and civic groups, such as The Working Committee 2. They have established networks here and overseas to address foreign worker issues. W elfare CMI help migrant workers in crisis - those needing food, shelter, guidance or a listening ear and therapeutic activities. They established M adonna Soup Kitchen in June 2000 to cook nutritious and hot meals to be distributed to construction workers at their worksites. This effort opened an avenue for Singaporeans to lend their support
Mrs Lee said, “I feel happy and satisfied at the end of the day because I am serving people who are unfortunate. I am very fortunate whereas they may not even have food to eat or a place to sleep.” □
by volunteering to cook and send food to the workers. In August 2002 M adonna Grotto, a shelter for women was established. Last December, a second shelter - this time for men - was set up. In May 2003 Hope Haven help desks, offering free counselling service, were started in Lucky Plaza and Kampong Kapor Methodist Church in Little India, two places where many migrant workers congregate. This month, CMI also started a rehabilitation programme for the residents of its two shelters. Parishes and the Salvation Army on Upper Serangoon Road were approached to employ the foreign workers “so they do not feel they are living off others,” said Mrs
Bridget Lew, chairman of CMI. Its hotline service answers about 6,000 calls a year. Five percent, or 300 of these calls are crisis cases, which include people needing counselling and urgent medical assistance. E m pow erm ent To empower foreign workers, especially domestic helpers, they are trained in various skills which could be used when they return to their home countries. For this there are the Madonna Skills Centre and Laksetha, offering courses such as hairstyling, cooking, baking, nursing aide, typing, Basic and Intermediate-level English and computer lessons. □
Volunteers needed, please W ILLING hands, warm hearts and welcoming souls are sorely needed at CMI. Fund donation is also encouraged. Individuals considering volunteering must be willing to commit to at least 6 months in one of the following areas: • M anning Hotline - Training will be provided. Basic requirement: ability to listen. • Assistance in documenting or following up cases o f migrants at various institutions. Requirement: Knowledge of Employment Act. Confidence to work with the police, immigration office and others.
M R S R ose L ee is happy to serve the unfortunate.
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• Advocacy work - People willing to organise and coordinate CMI talks at their parishes or organisations to create awareness and understanding of the situations of foreign domestic helpers and construction workers. • Collection of supplies and donations - People willing to use their own vehicles to collect provisions and supplements for the various services o f CMI.
V O L U N T E E R S are needed to teach E nglish to these B a n gla d esh i residents o f the C M I shelter.
Befriending - People willing to bring out the shelter residents to Singapore tourist attractions. Hope Haven Help Desks Providing free “counselling” service for migrant workers. Training will be provided. Fund-raising - Helpers willing to sell goodies prepared by shelter residents. Temporary employment People willing to employ men and women residents of the
shelter. Many of the girls have pending police cases. • Language teaching - The immediate need is for volunteers to teach English to Bangladeshi men at the shelter. • Legal representation - Pro bono representation by qualified lawyers . • Medical Assistance - Doctors willing to look after patients for free. □ To volunteer call 6280-5424.
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INSPIRATION By J oh n T havis
VATICAN CITY - When Mel
Gibson’s film, “The Passion of the Christ,” opens in the United States and other parts of the world on Ash Wednesday, a spotlight will turn on a little known but influential figure in the movie’s genesis: German Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich. Sister Emmerich, a mystic and stigmatic who died in 1824, is drawing attention for several reasons. Gibson has said he was inspired to make the movie in part by her book of visions, “The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” which added detailed episodes to the Gospel account of Christ’s suffering and death. Whether she actually wrote the book, however, has been questioned by Vatican experts. Other scholars, Jewish and Catholic, have said Sister Emmerich's writings reflect the anti-Semitism of her time, particularly in her depiction of the Jews’ role in Christ’s death. Pope John Paul U, meanwhile, is said to take an intense interest in Sister Emmerich and her life. Under his papacy, her sainthood cause has advanced to the point where she is expected to be beatified, probably sometime early next year. By that time, Sister Emmerich already may have had her 15 minutes of fame in the mass media, thanks to Gibson’s movie and the interest it has generated. In an interview with The New Yorker last fall, Gibson said Sister Emmerich's writings had supplied him with “amazing images” and “stuff I never would have thought of.” How much of it shows up in the final version of the film remains to be seen. In pre-release screenings attended by church officials in Rome, one easily recognizable scene from Sister Emmerich stood out: After Christ is scourged, Pilate’s wife takes towels to a grief-stricken Mary so she can wipe up the blood. Sister Emmerich also envisioned Satan as physically present among the crowd as it called for Jesus’ death and witnessed his suffering. Gibson ended up casting a woman as Satan, all of which raised some questions at the Vatican. “The introduction of the figure of the devil does not seem in accordance with what is in Scripture,” said U.S. Archbishop John P. Foley, the Vatican's top communications official, who has praised Gibson’s film. Throughout Sister Emmerich’s narratives on the Passion, Jews are portrayed negatively and repeatedly called “wicked,” “cruel” and “hardhearted.” Yet that is not seen as a big problem among the Vatican's saint makers, who have
downplayed her writings. In fact, the very thing that is catapulting Sister Emmerich to wider fame - her mystical account of the Passion - was ultimately given no weight by the Vatican experts who have prepared the way for her beatification. The problem, one official explained, was that Sister Emmerich was practically illiterate, and her visions were written down and elaborated by a popular romantic poet of the time, Clemens Brentano. Brentano published them after her death, and there’s no way to tell how much liberty he took. “It is absolutely not certain that she ever wrote this. There is a serious problem of
“She’s being judged, as always, not on the basis of what she’s written but on the basis of her virtues,” Father Gumpel said. The daughter of a peasant couple, Anne Catherine Emmerich worked as a seamstress and servant before entering an Augustinian convent in 1802 at age 28. Frail and pious, she became known for her ecstasies, visions of the supernatural and “conversations” with Jesus. She became bedridden in 1813 and developed the stigmata - bleeding wounds corresponding to those of the crucified Christ. That prompted a church investigation, which pronounced the wounds genuine. Ill for years until her death at age 49, she
on road to saint]u n it offered up her suffering for the souls in purgatory. Sister Emmerich is among several church figures whose mystical experiences have been popularized in recent years. Her tomb in Dulmen, Germany, draws an increasing number of pilgrims, including some Americans, according to the postulator of her sainthood cause in Rome, Andrea Ambrosi. With the release of Gibson’s movie, Sister Emmerich’s written works are being promoted with new energy. Web sites citing “the book that inspired Mel Gibson’s SIST E R A nne Catherine ‘Passion’ project” offer her writings E m m erich is depicted in a holy on the passion, as well as her other volumes on the life of Christ, on card im age from the Mary and on biblical revelations. Augustinian order. T he G erm an Yet in spite of all this new nun, a m ystic and stigm atic, attention, the Vatican has not yet died in 1824 at age 49. C NSphoto set a date for Sister Emmerich's beatification. The ceremony could authenticity,” said Jesuit Father occur any time, since last year the Peter Gumpel, who helped study Vatican approved a miracle the issue for the Vatican’s attributed to her intercession. Congregation for Saints’ Causes. Is the Vatican trying to avoid “Since it was impossible to the impression of a “tie-in” with distinguish what derives from Gibson's movie? Sister Emmerich and what is Ambrosi said the reason is embroidery or additions, we could something more practical. It not take these writings as a seems Sister Emmerich’s native criteria. Therefore, they were Archdiocese of Munster would simply discarded completely from like her to be beatified along all the work for the cause,” Father with Cardinal Clemens Van Gumpel told Catholic News Galen, an outspoken opponent of Service. Hitler, whose cause is still In fact, other Vatican awaiting approval of a miracle. officials said, a common The “two-in-one” ceremony misperception is that in would be better logistically and approving a sainthood cause the would avoid the potentially church is giving a stamp of embarrassing situation of many approval to everything the German pilgrims coming to Rome person may have written. for the first event - Sister “When writings are approved, Emmerich’s beatification - and it's in a negative sense: that fewer people showing up for there’s nothing in them against Cardinal Van Galen, Ambrosi said. faith and morals. That’s not the In promotional terms, the same as a positive approval,” said church’s agenda is clearly not one official of the Vatican’s Hollywood’s agenda. By the time sainthood congregation. Sister Emmerich is beatified So what has promoted the probably early in 2005 - “The Vatican to declare Sister Passion of the Christ” will be out Emmerich “venerable” and of theaters and onto DVD. □ c n s worthy of beatification?
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& Lj_re ‘Passion’not anti-Semitic
A violent film A C T O R Jim Caviezel portrays Jesus being com forted by his mother, Mary, in a scene from “T he Passion o f the Christ.” The m ovie received an R rating from the M otion Picture A ssociation o f A m erica for sequences o f graphic violence. T he “restricted” rating m eans that those under 17 m ust be accom panied by a parent or adult guardian. On the m ovie’s violence, M el G ibson said, “I w anted the full savagery o f it to ju m p out o f the screen and m ove people. 1 d o n ’t think anybody u n der the age o f 12 should go see it.” c n s p h o to
By M ark Pattison
WASHINGTON - Blaming Jews for the death of Jesus is not the point of “The Passion of the Christ,” said its director, Mel Gibson, in a Feb. 16 interview on A B C ’s “Primetime.” “It’s not about pointing the fingers,” Gibson told interviewer Diane Sawyer. “It’s about faith, hope, love and forgiveness.” When Sawyer asked him who killed Christ, Gibson replied: “The big answer is, we all did.” Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League of B ’nai B ’rith, also interviewed on the program, said he did not believe that either Gibson or his film were antiSemitic, but repeated his belief that “this movie has the potential to fuel anti-Semitism, to reinforce it.” Gibson said that to be antiSemitic “goes against the tenets of my faith. It’s been condemned by one papal council after another. T here’s encyclicals on it ... to be anti-Semitic is to be unChristian, and I ’m not.” In the interview, Gibson acknowledged that “The Passion
B y C indy W ooden
VATICAN CITY - The week
Gibson says thej£pre of his movie “Passion” is faith, hope, love and forgiveness not blaine for Crucifixion
Mel Gibson explains his
“P A S S IO N ” of the Christ” was “very violent”. Gibson added he wanted the violence to be “shocking. And I also wanted it to be extreme. I wanted it to push the viewer over the edge. And it does that. I think it pushes one over the ed g e... so that they see the enormity, the enormity of that sacrifice; to see that someone could endure that and still come back with love and forgiveness, even through extreme pain and suffering and ridicule.” Foxman said of Gibson on “Primetime”: “This is his vision, his faith. H e’s a true believer, and I respect that. But there are times
CHRIST IN CINEMA
that there are unintended consequences.” In a column Feb. 12 in The A.D. Times, his diocesan newspaper, Bishop Edward P. Cullen o f Allentown, Pa., noted that some of the “Passion” controversy “has been about just who crucified Jesus.” “That placing of blame has, without a doubt, been the source of rancor and recrimination over the centuries. It has been the excuse for periods of anti-Semitism. It has been the source o f cruel actions and smug, self-satisfied notions that our own cruelty is somehow justified when directed against those ‘who crucified Jesus,” ’ Bishop Cullen said. “This placing of blame is one of the oldest and most foolish of
human games,” going back to Genesis, when Adam and Eve started pointing fingers elsewhere when God confronted them with their sin, he said. “How easy it is to say, ‘They did it!” ’ he added. “They ... they ... they ... and that is, of course, completely wrong. W hat caused the death o f Jesus was sin.” Bishop Cullen said, “It is ridiculous for any of us to think we can shift the blame to anyone else, whether past or present. If we use the crucifixion of Jesus as our excuse to look down on or to persecute others, we must also admit that in doing so we are not following the Lord, who forgave those who brought about his death. He forgave us!” Devs
before “The Passion of the Christ” was to open on U.S. movie screens, Abraham H. Foxman, the U.S. director of the Anti-Defamation League was in Rome Feb. 16-18 on his way to a European conference on anti-Semitism to express his concerns about Mel Gibson’s film. “For almost 2,000 years,” he said, “four words - ‘The Jews killed Christ’ - were the rationale for anti-Semitism.” Foxman said he appreciated the fact that many Vatican officials and other Christian leaders felt the film cast the blame for Christ’s death on all human beings and on their sins. But many Jews experience the film differently, he said. “At the end, they may feel that all are guilty, but there is a sense that the Jews are more guilty,” he said. Foxman met with U.S. Archbishop John P. Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. Archbishop Foley told CNS he explained to Foxman, “I saw no anti-Semitism in the film.” Watching the film, Archbishop Foley said, “I found myself meditating deeply on the sinfulness of each one of us.” “I would hope people would accept the film as a meditation on our own culpability for Christ’s suffering,” the archbishop said. He also said he hoped people would be aware of the strong teaching of the Catholic Church that anti-Semitism is a sin and that not all the Jews of Christ’s time, nor all Jews of all time were responsible for his death. □ c n s
Christ in Cinem a Popular theater and TV titles dealing with his life
Praise, is a collection of limited edition artwork first commissioned by the Franciscan order in Singapore, in August 2002, for the new Church of St Mary of the Angels.
The Gospel of John 2003 Jesus 1999 ED The Last Temptation of Christ 1988 «
Lim ited Edition A rtw o rk!
Jesus 1979
!A lhssim u , omnipotente, bonsignore,
tu so no Ce Caude Ca gforia et I’fwnore et o m m fenedictione.
Jesus of Nazareth 1977 e b Godspell 1973 Jesus Christ Superstar 1973 a The Greatest Story Ever Told 1965 a The Gospel According to St. Matthew 1964 « 7k King of Kings 1927,1961 < bi N om inated for Academy Awards m Television miniseries ★ In th e Vatican's 1995 g rea t movies list Rated “morally offensive by the U.S. bishops' Office for Film & Broadcasting Photo: Henry Ian Cusick as Jesus in 'The Gospel of John" Source USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting Academy of Motion Picture Arts and pences Source: jpences
A N O T H E R title w ill be ad d ed to the list o f m ovies abou t J esu s w ith the A sh W ed n esd ay release in the U S and o th er c ou n tries o f Mel G ib so n ’s “ T h e P assion o f the C h rist.” G ib son criticized past film ed treatm ents o f J e s u s ’ death and resurrection as “ very h o k ey” with “stilted a ctin g.” c n s g r a p h ic
- S t Trancis of'Assisi -
YADDO A rt Enquiries YaddoArt, 19 Duxton Road, Singapore 089602 email: yaddo_art@yahoo.com.sg tel: 90269222 Price range terracotta tiles: S$80 - S$2200 bronze sculptures: from S$2500
The collection features 2-feet high bronze sculptures o f Franciscan saints and the crucified Christ. Plus, life-size sculptures of St Francis and a platform honoring "Mary and the Angels". The series was sculpted by renowned contemporary artist, Teguh Ostenrik, who has managed to capture each Franciscan saint in an identifiable pose; exuding the qualities he or she was known to possess. The collection includes terracotta tiles depicting motifs and scenes o f Christ's resurrection and passion. Limited editions of the original artwork installed at the new Franciscan church, are now for sale. Don’t miss owning a unique piece of artwork that will have significant impact in the religious world of art! Each piece is one of a limited edition of ten.
Bulletin of the Family Life Society, Archdiocese of Singapore
From the E D
Ttie CLilLleLrs deed
First, we'd like to thank God and our Archbishop for the honour and privilege of organising the Catholic Church Charity Premiere of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion o f Christ’’. A film much talked about, it is not just any movie but a unique and vivid experience of the last hours of Christ, one that reportedly will leave you still riveted in your seats at the end, personally reflecting on the profound and unconditional love that He has for each one of us. At the time of writing this message, discussions are being finalised on the theatre, date (probably end-March), time and ticket prices. Our Guest of Honour is Archbishop Nicholas Chia, and we hope to have bishops from the surrounding countries join us for this special event. Tickets will be available from 10 March 2004 from our Family Life Society office at 2 Highland Road LG-01 by cash and/or credit card payment. Please call our ticketing hotline 6488 0280 or log on to our website www.familylife.org.sg for more information. We look forward to your strong support of this charity premiere and request you book early to avoid disappointment. March will also see three other significant FLS events. There will be the “Celebration o f Life!” Seminar from 19 to 21 March. This will be invaluable to all who desire to have a better understanding of Christian morality, human sexuality and the Pope’s Theology of the Body (see w rite-up on this page). Our Pregnancy Crisis Service (PCS) is grateful to Fr Gregoire van Giang, Parish priest of OLPS Church in Siglap Hill, for agreeing to celebrate our Day for Life Mass at OLPS Church on Thu 25 March on the occasion of the Annunciation of the Lord. Rosary will begin at 5:15 pm. Mass will commence at 6:00 pm and there will be special blessings for families and expectant mothers. PCS organizes 3 Pro-Life Masses each year (last year’s were held at Novena, the Cathedral and St Joseph’s in Victoria Street) and we welcome all to celebrate life with us once again in the Mass on 25 Mar. FLS is a Program Partner with Focus on the Family in a Seminar on “Parenting Teens with Confidence”, which will be held on 27 March. Please visit our website for updated news on these and other upcoming events and activities. You can also send us an email atjam esw@ veritas.org.sg if you wish to be kept informed proactively by email. God bless you and your families, James Wong Executive Director
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Missed the Human Life International Congress in November last year? Here’s your chance to catch the presentations by our panel of international speakers on VCD.
cibellt
Sex and Marriage
Dear Friends of Family Life,
Most news about sex in the media today is bad news - from sex crimes like rape, molest, sexual assault, sexual abuse, same-sex marriages, and pornography, to greater liberalisation of media and censorship laws. Making headlines recently was the governm ent’s intended amendment of Section 377 of the Penal Code, which concerns oral sex, sodomy and bestiality. Linder the guise of “safer sex", condom use is rampantly promoted as “healthy and responsible” , while, in truth, there is no scientific evidence of its effectiveness against STDs (sexually-transmitted diseases) and AIDS. The so called “modernisation” of our moral norms is nothing more than a move towards promiscuity and licentiousness, of promoting a culture of more sexual pleasure outside the marriage covenant. This liberalisation of our sexual and moral norms has resulted in society disassociating the sexual act from the loving and unitive marital act. Since contraceptive sex is w idely practiced by many, sex is no longer seen as intrinsically procreative. And if sex is no longer intrinsically procreative, it does not have to be intrinsically heterosexual. Thus, homosexuality is spreading. When sexuality is widely misunderstood and abused, there are serious consequences for society. The first casualty of the “sexual revolution" is the family. Divorces, dysfunctional families, declining fertility rates and single parenthood are key concerns of governments. With premarital and extramarital affairs becoming more common, and with cohabitation and gay activism on the rise, the very institution of marriage and the fam ily is threatened. Society pays the price of declining fertility rates, which have potentially devastating economic and political consequences. With a shrinking workforce and defense force, a country’s vulnerability and survival become issues of serious concern. But if God made sex in the beginning, and if all that God made is good, then where have we gone wrong?
At the beginning of his pontificate, the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, began a series of catechetical homilies during his W ednesday public audience to address the challenge of the sexual revolution and the resulting culture of death. Titled “The Theology of the Body”, the collection of homilies “is not merely meant for the married, but is essential for the understanding of man in general: for the self comprehension of his being in the world” (Pope John Paul II) Briefly, it states that we must understand and use sex the way God intended it to be. The good news about sex then is that sex, correctly understood and used, is the way God wants to reveal His plans for us - how we are to live, how we are to love, the meaning and purpose of life, and what our ultimate destiny is. Scripture reveals to us that both Genesis, the first book of the Bible, and Revelations, the last book of the Bible, are about marriage. In the former, it is the marriage of Adam and Eve. In the latter, it depicts the union between Christ and the Heavenly Jerusalem - the Church. In the Old Testament, God is seen as the faithful Spouse of the Chosen People. In the New Testament, Christ is identified as the Bridegroom, with the Church as his bride. In scripture and in the writings of the saints and the mystics throughout history, God's love is best described as spousal, that God created us with a body that is sexual. We, as embodied spiritual beings, can love, rationalise and have free will, and we have a destiny that is eternal. Given our sexuality or our sexual complementarity as male and female, we are called to experience the call of God’s plan for us to love as he loves. The call to communion inscribed in our sexuality is the “fundamental element of human existence in the world”, “the foundation of human life”, and the “deepest substratum (foundation) of human ethics and culture” (Pope John Paul II). God has inscribed His plan and love for us in our
C h oice On C am pus Choice made its first move into campus to offer a weekend experience to 24 Nanyang Technological University (NTU) students in February 2004. Many participants said they were touched and empowered by the sharing and songs. They also acknowledged the need to take a more proactive role at building their fam ily relationships. As for the presenting team, the weekend was a powerful reminder that God works through us and that He wants to bring life to His beloved young people burdened by the pressures of modern living. The next campus weekend is scheduled for May 2004 and plans are underway to recruit students from NUS and other campuses. The Choice Campus weekend is the first step in the overall plan proposed by the Choice committee to make Choice an integral part of the Archdiocese efforts to set up an effective post-confirmation programme for our young people.
Day One • 6 Nov 2003 1. Who Needs a Family Anyway - Joseph Meaney 2. Signs of the Times - Rosa Linda Valenzona 3. Culture of Death - Marlon Ramirez 4. Sexuality Struggle - Freedom of Choice - Leslie Lung 5. Families 'Nature's Way - Joan Clements 6. Families in Crisis - Willie Cheng
Day Two • 7 Nov 2003 7. Natural Moral Law - Fr Tom Euteneuer 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
What We Need to Know About Anti-Life Organisations - Joseph Meaney Love Is The Reason - Joan Clements The Pope on Sex and the Meaning of Life - Fr Tom Euteneuer Ethical Implications of Surrogate Parenting - Fr Jam es Yeo What Is A Christian Family? - Archbishop Nicholas Chia
Day Three • 8 Nov 2003 13. Contraceptive Mentality - Fr Simon Pereira 14. What Your Child Ought to Know About the Birds and the Bees - Mark & Monica 15. Making Marriage Work - Fr Joseph Tan 16. Using the Media to Promote the Culture of Life - Edwin Lopez 17. Homosexuality - A Personal Response - Leslie Lung 18. The Chastity Challenge - Bernard and Ying
Day Four • 9 Nov 2003 19. 20. 21. 22. 23.
The Problem With Parents - Fr Simon Pereira One More Child - John and Joann Ooi Called to Love - Joseph Meaney Witnessing to Life and Love - Dr John Hui Love for the Eucharist, Love for Life - Fr Tom Euteneuer Single CD I Talk costs S$12.90 each Set of 6 CDs fo r Each Day costs S$40.00 Full Set costs S$144.00
To order call 9876 0591 or e-m ail: video.ed@ post1.com
body. It is a spousal love that is free, total, faithful and fruitful. Marriage and marital love becomes the sacramental sign of God's love for us. We can see that our sexual instinct is but an awareness of the nuptial meaning of the body, and that the body has a language that must be correctly “spoken”. In this way our body is prophetic as it proclaims God’s plan, but it may become a false prophet when we do not speak the truth with our body and instead indulge in immoral sexual activities. God's plan and commandment for us is to love one another as he loves us. Intentionally sterilised sex can never be loving. It is mere lusting - “using” another’s sexual body for our selfish gratification. Hence the Church’s constant teaching that contraception is an intrinsic evil. Through understanding the body and sexuality in this way, the body becomes a theology, a way of understanding God’s revelation for man as inscribed in his sexuality. Thus the “Theology of the Body", which is a collection of 129 homilies given by Pope John Paul II between September 1979 to November 1984, was the Holy Father's response to the problems brought about by the sexual revolution of the 60s and 70s. It has been described by the Pope's biographer, George Weigal, as one of the boldest reconfigurations of Catholic theology in centuries. Though it focuses on sexual love, the theology of the body affords “the rediscovery of the meaning of the whole of existence, the meaning of life” (Pope John Paul II). To learn more about the Theology of the Body, Family Life Society is conducting “The Celebration of Life Seminar” (19 to 21 March 2004). A full day workshop w ill introduce participants to the subject. W orkbooks and video presentations, facilitated discussions and workshops will be included. Information from this seminar will be invaluable to catechists, teachers and all those involved in the marriage and fam ily ministry. For more details, please call 6488 0278 or visit our website w w w .fa m ilylife .o rg .sg
D ay For Life M ass Date: Time: Venue: Celebrant:
25 March 2004, Thursday 5.15pm - Pro-Life Rosary &6 pm - Mass Our Lady Of Perpetual Succour, 31 Siglap Hill Fr Gregoire Van Giang
Special blessing for pregnant mothers and their spouses and children. Organised by: Pregnancy C risis Service
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Celebration o f Life Sem inar 1 9 -2 1 March, C atholic Archdiocesan Education Centre, 2 Highland Road. A seminar on Catholic Morality, Human Sexuality and other contemporary Catholic issues. Cost $30. To register, log on to w w w .prolife.org.sg or call 6488 0278.
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LIFE SEMINAR
1 9 - 2 1 M ar
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, H um an S exu ality A w o rk sh o p a n d s e m in a r oi 5, g ro u p le a d e r s a n d an d all th in g s C atholic. A mi tion aredHrainina, th o s e involved In m inistry, educi 19 March, Fri 6.30pm -10.30 pm
Catholic Fundamentals
20 March, sa t 9 am - 9 pm Theology of the Body 21 March, Sun 8.30 am - 6 pm Christian Morality & Celebrate
the Workshop
V enue: CAEC, 2 H ig h la n d Road
C ost: $30
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Day fo r Life Mass 25 March, Thursday, Our Lady o f Perpetual Succour Church, 31 Siglap Hill The mass on the Feast of the Annunciation is organised by the Pregnancy Crisis Service to pray for an end to abortions. Pro-life rosary at 5.15 pm and mass at 6 pm. Marriage Encounter Weekend 5 - 7 March, Salvation A rm y Changi Conference Centre A weekend marriage enrichment programme for couples to deepen their relationship. Tel: 6289 5349 Legal Aid 1 March, Monday, Fam ily Life Society Free legal counsel on family related issues given by experienced lawyers. From 7 pm to 9 pm at 2 Highland Road. No appointment required. Joyful Parenting - C atholic Moms Support Group Meetings The monthly prayer meetings and support group is open to all Catholic mothers. • 29 Feb, 11.45 am to 12.45 pm at Church ofthe Holy Cross (St Matthew Room). Topic: “ Why A R eligious Fam ily?” - Tel: 90227652 • 7 Mar, 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm at Church of Christ the King (Rm 109) Topic: “ How Your Child Learns?” - Tel: 92713335 Choice Weekend 26 - 28 March at Choice Retreat House, 47 Jurong W est St 42 A weekend programme for single adults to discover self and the importance of family relationships. Tel: 9307 77521 9671 0767
Life!
a#SS
mm F o r re g is tra tio n a n d e n q u irie s , c o n ta c t F a m ily L ife S o c ie ty at:
Tel: 6488 0278 E-mail: andrewk@ veritas.org.sg Log on to: www.prolife.org.sg
Fam ily Life Society
2 Highland Road, #LG-01
C atholic Archdiocesan Education Centre
Singapore 549102 Tel: 6488 0278 www.familylife.org.s
Our Programmes and Affiliates: Family and Marital Counselling; Pregnancy Crisis Sen/ice; Youth Life-Line; Joyful Parenting; Catholic Legal Aid; Celebration of Life; Marriage Encounter; Engaged Encounter; Couples for Christ; Marriage Preparation Course; Natural Family Planning; Hope, Retrouvaille and Choice.
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EY E O N T H E M E D IA
For kids’ sake Pope urges parents to watch over what’s being watched NEW YORK - Parents who tuned into the Super Bowl recently received a sharp reminder about how far media standards have fallen. The halftime entertainment, organized by MTV, and the vulgarity of many television commercials drew criticism from numerous family groups. Concern over the lack of morality in the media is at the center of the pope’s message for this year’s World Communications Day, to be celebrated May 23. In the message, released late last month, John Paul II acknowledged that modem media have enriched “the lives not only of individuals, but also of families.” But he also warned that “families today face new challenges arising from the varied and often contradictory messages presented by the mass media.” The pope invited families to reflect on how they use the media, and to be more attentive as to how the media treat themes related to the family. The Church’s concern, explained the papal message, is rooted in the evangelical teaching that “it is from the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks (cf. Matthew 12:34-35).” In this interior dimension of our hearts we can either grow or diminish in our moral status in the way we choose to speak, and the external influences we allow ourselves to be exposed to. Thus, our use of the media needs to be marked by wisdom and discernment, explains the message. The pope expressed particular concern over how the media depict marriage and family life. This does not mean that family life should be portrayed as without defects - it’s not - but in the midst of these problems it is necessary to “make an effort to separate right from wrong, to distinguish true love from its counterfeits, and to show the irreplaceable importance of the family as the fundamental unit of society.” Unfortunately, family life is presented without any moral or spiritual context, the text said. Instead, sexual activity outside marriage, divorce, contraception, abortion and homosexuality are all seen as positive, the message observed.
Life without TV? The pope has good reason to caution parents about what their children are watching. In Britain, research carried out by the Broadcasting Standards Commission in 1996-2001 showed that television is
constantly on in many households from morning to night, the Guardian newspaper reported last June 10. Most parents said they were unwilling to cause trouble by asking children to turn off the television. “The children in our study couldn’t imagine life without it,” commented Kam Atwal, the research manager in charge of the study. The researchers found that children - aged 4 to 15 - spent 2 hours and 23 minutes a day
much different in Ireland. The country’s broadcasting commission reports that children aged from 4 to 6 are watching adult dramas and violent police programmes, the London Sunday Times reported Dec. 14. Those aged 7 to 10 enjoy watching a “hard-hitting prison drama” while 11- to 14-year-olds regularly stay up until 11 p.m. and later to watch adult shows. Overall, Irish children spend between 2 and 3 hours a day watching television. Similar tendencies prevail in
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watching TV. Only half an hour was dedicated to children’s programming; the rest went to soap operas and other entertainment programmes. Another British survey, based on interviews with 750 parents, found that one in three children under the age of 6 watches television in the range of 2 to 6 hours daily, the Telegraph reported Sept. 3. Researchers also found that a third of children under 3 have a television set in their bedroom. TV viewing in itself isn’t necessarily bad. Dr. Brian Young, a child psychologist at Exeter University, said that children could benefit emotionally and mentally if they watched programmes with their parents. “It can be positive, constructive and enjoyable as long as parents explain the meaning of what they are watching,” he told the Telegraph.
From age 6 months Children’s viewing habits are not
the United States. A study published by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found that even babies are now exposed to the media for hours every day, the New York Times reported Oct. 29. During an average day, 59% of children ages 6 months to 2 years watch television. Add in figures for videos and DVDs, and the median daily time they spend watching some form of media is just over 2 hours. Based on what parents said, the report estimated that more than a third of infants live in homes where the television is on almost all the time, even if no one is watching. And television isn’t just found in homes. It is increasingly finding a place in the car, the New York Times reported Nov. 21. A study by market researchers J.D. Power & Associates found that 65% of drivers with children expressed interest in buying rearseat entertainment systems. Some observers doubt the influence of television on children’s behaviour. But such
doubt is not shared by advertisers, according to data published Nov. 11 by the Wall Street Journal. A study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest revealed that fast-food and snack companies doubled spending over the last decade, to US$15 billion in 2002, on advertising their products to kids. The Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group linked these ads to the growing problem of childhood obesity and urged Congress to enact laws curbing marketing to kids.
Guidelines for use THE pope’s message contained a number of recommendations regarding the media. - M edia professionals should know and respect the needs of the family and be prepared to resist commercial pressures or the demands to conform to secular ideologies. - Public authorities have a serious duty to uphold marriage and the family for the sake of society itself. They should set in place regulatory policies and procedures to ensure that the media do not act against the good of the family. - Parents, as the primary and most important educators of their children, are also the first to teach them about the media. They need to train their offspring in the moderate, critical, watchful and prudent use of the media. This also means they should be educated not to uncritically accept or imitate what they find in the media. - Parents also need to regulate the use of media by planning its use, strictly limiting the time children devote to media, and making entertainment a family experience. Parents also need to give good example to children by their own thoughtful and selective use o f media. Points worth considering before the next Super Bowl. □ c n s
Use it to evangelize youth, says pope VATICAN CITY - John Paul II
encouraged the use of Internet by the Church as an especially appropriate means to evangelize young people. The pope expressed this when he received a group of visiting French bishops in audience, and applauded their efforts to evangelize via Internet. Referring to the reports the bishops gave him, the Holy Father noted the “complex and difficult context in which young people live. Their cultural universe is characterized by the new communication technologies, which transform their relation with the world, with time and with others, and which mould their behaviour.” “This creates a culture of the ephemeral and immediate, which is not always favourable profundity, interior maturation, or moral discernment,” he added. “However, the use of the new means of communication has an interest that no one can deny,” the pope said. “Your conference and numerous dioceses have well understood the positive character of this change, proposing Internet sites directed especially to young people, where it is possible to be informed, to be formed, and to discover the different proposals of the Church,” he said. “I cannot but encourage the development of these instruments to serve the Gospel and to promote dialogue and communication,” he added. 0 c n s
WHAT”S YOUR PICK? T H E 76th an n u al A ca d em y A w ards sh o w a irs F eb. 29. H ere are the pick s for top a w a r d s as ch osen by D avid D iC erto, review er for the U .S. b ish o p s’ O ffice for F ilm & B roa d castin g . W h a t’s you rs? c n s graphic
Oscar Picks The76thannualAcademyAwardsshowairsFeb. 29 PICTURE
"The Lordof the Rings: The Returnof the King"
DIRECTOR
Peter Jackson "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
ACTRESS
ACTOR
Charlize Theron "Monster* Ben Kingsley "House of Sand and Fog"
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricio Clarkson "Piecesof April"
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Benicio Del Toro *21 Groms"
Selediomby the Offite lor I ilm &Broadcasting, US tonfereme of Catholic Bishops
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Sunday, February 29 O Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Psalm 91:1-2, 10-15; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13
Simple labels stand in the way of truth
SATAN: The father of lies
SEVERAL years ago, while giving a workshop in England, I was approached during a health break by a couple of participants who asked me: “W hat are you? W e’ve been trying to figure out whether you’re liberal or conservative.” My response: “W hat difference should that make? Why don’t we just weigh the value of w hat’s said as to truth or falsity, depth or faddishness, without having to consider whether it’s being driven by a liberal or conservative agenda? Labels aren’t important. W hat’s important is truth, depth, G od’s consolation and challenge, things helpful to build up the community. No ideology has a monopoly on these.” That needs to be said out loud more often. It’s generally unhelpful to label others. As soon as we define others in terms of their ideology, ecclesiology, p o litics, or agenda we insert an extra, unneeded hermeneutical filter between them and us and become more selective in our acceptance of truth. Granted, we are always somewhat selective in any case. Everyone operates out of a certain software (philosophically termed a “pre-ontology” and more commonly called a “bias”). The discipline of epistemology (more recently renamed hermeneutics) has forever put an end to any naivety about this. Nobody is completely objective and the route towards objectivity is best pursued when everyone precisely tries to name his or her biases rather than assuming that he or she hasn’t got any and are in a position to point them out in others. Whenever we label, we further distort our perception of reality. That’s also true when we label ourselves. As soon as we define and label ourselves as liberal, conservative, or even as someone trying for middle ground, we become unhealthily selective in our listening. Sadly, both in society in general and inside of theological and ecclesial circles, we are obsessed with labelling. And we do it equally on both sides of the ideological spectrum: “She’s a liberal. She’s a feminist. He’s one of those young neo conservatives. He’s Opus Dei. She’s from Call to Action.” The most helpful response might be: so what? None of these labels determines the truth and none of them, per se, distorts it. G od’s house has many rooms, just as truth lies in many places, and God’s consolation and challenge is always somewhat coloured by the biases of those who bring the good news: liberals, conservatives, fem inists, Protestants, Catholics, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Taoists, New Age people, social B y F r R o n a ld ju stic e ad v o cates, O pus D ei m em bers, R o lh e ise r Charismatics. The challenge is precisely to be open to the truth beyond our labels, beyond our own temperament, beyond our circle of ideological intimates, and beyond what’s prescribed for us as politically correct by either the left or the right. Part of this openness also is having the courage to ask ourselves: in what am I ultimately interested? The truth or what fits my being right, even if being right means being bitter and at odds with many sincere people? It’s not easy to ask questions because we have to admit that a lot of truth lies outside our own circles. RECENTLY there was a survey done on the reading habits of both Catholic and Protestant clergy. Each was asked: “Other than the Bible, what authors do you read most often to help you in your ministry?” Here are the top five picks in each tradition. Catholics: 1) Henri Nouwen, 2) John Paul II, 3) Raymond Brown, 4) William J Bausch, 5) Walter Burghardt. Mainline Protestants: 1) Henri Nouwen, 2) William Willimon, 3: Frederick Buechner, 4) Max Lucado, 5) Eugene Peterson. W hat’s interesting is that everyone on both lists defies simple classification in terms of liberal or a conservative. Some will probably object and immediately label John Paul II as a conservative. But that can only be done if we haven’t read his apologies for the historical sins of institutional Christendom or witnessed his prayer or gestures as he walked in the old city of Jerusalem. The same is true of those who would simplistically label Raymond Brown a liberal. That’s more easily done if you’ve never met or read Raymond Brown. I was at a party and the conversation turned to psychological and ecclesial labels: “W hat’s your enneagram number?”; “Where do you place yourself on the ecclesial ideological scale?” There was an eager and animated sharing in this. One person, however, a young mother and nurse, remained silent throughout. Finally someone prevailed upon her: “Where do you land in all of this?” Her answer: “I have an unlisted number!” T here’s wisdom in her answer. We need to let go of labels and try to let the truth speak independently of them. We need also to have the courage to face up to where our own ideologies are blinding us to truth, keeping us in unnecessary anger, and dividing us from others of sincere will. The truth can set us free, no matter which pulpit it comes from. □
Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to turn into a loaf.” But Jesus replied, “Scripture says: Man does not live on bread alone.”
IMAGINE a courtroom scene where the defence lawyer gives his final argument. As a member of the jury, you may be convinced that the defendant is guilty, but the law yer’s words are well crafted and appeal to your emotions. What do you do? You go back to the truth - the evidence - and hold it up in your mind. To our natural minds, Satan can be very cunning in his attempts to take our eyes off the truth of who God is. He entices us to doubt that God will provide for us and for our families. He tries to convince us that we will get by only if we do some “creative accounting” on our taxes or pursue our work to the exclusion of our family’s well-being. He tells us we will be happy only if we have the newest gadget or gam er more and more attention from our peers. The problem is that Satan is the father of lies. He may not blatantly forbid us to worship God, but he will try to tempt us and distract us when we go to pray or read Scripture. W hen we are sick, he will quietly mock God and tell us he is not taking care of us. W hen we sin, he will hint that the Father w on’t forgive us, or that we will never change. Brothers and sisters, we are engaged in a battle. Jesus may have won the victory through his cross, but it’s still up to us to embrace this victory by accepting Jesus into our lives. Like the juror who was tem porarily swayed by the smooth-talking lawyer, we can look to G od’s word and hold his truths up against the lies of the evil one. Encouraged by the promises of our faithful Father, let’s all put on the armour of God so we can stand firm against the devil’s tactics (Ephesians 6:13). □ “Lord Jesus, you know the temptations I face every day. Put your truth deep in my heart so that I can stand against Satan’s lies. I want to hike up the authority you gave me against Satan through your Copyright: Peter Clare
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IN ABRAHAM ’S time, treaties were often ratified in a ritual in which the parties involved passed between the halves of a sacrificial animal that had been split in two. By taking this action, the people making the treaty were saying, “May I become as this animal if I break this agreement.” In making his covenant with Abraham, however, only God (in the form of a blazing torch) passed between the severed animals. In other words, God took full responsibility for his prom ise to give Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars. This story illustrates two important points. First, it shows how com pletely com m itted God is to fulfilling his word. He will never go back on his prom ise to bless and care for his children. No amount of waywardness on our part can stop him from loving us. He is bound, so to speak, by his own covenant. Perhaps m ore im portantly, this story also foreshadows our salvation in Jesus. Since God did not require Abraham to walk between the halves of
the animals, Abraham - and all those who followed him - would not suffer the full punishm ent for transgressions against the covenant. God knew that the effects of original sin made it impossible for any of us to be completely faithful. That is why, as Old Testament history progressed, God promised a new covenant, one that ultimately required his Son’s death to atone for the part of the agreement that we could never keep. Can you imagine a God more faithful? He not only kept his side of the covenant; he also sent his Son to fulfill our side! Through the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit, and the church, we have all the strength we need to live as the faithful sons and daughters of Abraham. Let us ask God for the strength of the Holy Spirit as we strive to love, honour, and serve him. ‘‘Lord, I stand in humble awe o f your faithfulness. You even sent your Son to ensure our salvation and fill us with your Spirit, the power o f the new covenant. I recommit m yself to serving you."
Ylevy points; CatholicNews Fortnightly newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore Managing Editor
Fr Johnson Fernandez
The vocation of Catholic educators has been neglected in our church
Staff correspondents
Ms. Mel Diamse-Lee Fr Frederick Quek Sr Wendy Ooi Layout: Ms. Elaine Ong Consultant: Mr Francis Yeo TO CONTACT US Editorial
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I REFER to Sharon Soares’ letter “Catholicise our schools more” (CN, Feb 15 & 22). While her suggestions of praying more and having spiritual devotions are good, they do not address the more urgent problem facing our schools. The most important thing that Catholic schools must do is recruit more Catholic teachers and ensure that their schools are run by people who care for its Catholic spirit. This is the most pressing issue facing our schools currently. Without Catholic teachers, how can you have a Catholic school? Who will
Death Penalty: Think Centre does promote awareness IN SISTER Wendy O oi’s comment that there is a lack of publicity and education about the death penalty, it has to be noted that the civil society activist group, Think Centre, has always been promoting awareness on such issues through its website (www.thinkcentre.org) and public forums. Unfortunately, such activism has often not been taken too kindly by our authorities. Sadly, opportunities are lost in trying to educate Singaporeans
on such human rights issues as many do not want to associate themselves with such activities. Life is about choices. Just as God gave us a choice whether or not to follow him, many Singaporeans have chosen to walk the safer road and remain apathetic and silent on the death penalty. May the Lord grant us the courage to change. Irvin Lim Kim Leong Singapore 486542
No deterrence is absolute; we can do only what is possible SISTER Wendy Ooi, fsp, in writing “The death penalty - as I see it” (CN, Feb 15 & 22) quoted an Amnesty International (AI) report regarding more than 400 executions in Singapore over 13 years. She also referred to a report from the UN Commission on Human Rights that says that a range o f experts in criminology, sociology and psychology have doubts over the deterrent effect of capital punishment. There are many philosophers and sociologists who have advanced the argument backed in some cases by research that there is a negative correlation between crime and punishment - the more certain and severe the punishment, the greater the deterrent, hence the lower the likelihood of crime. No deterrance is absolute and we have to work with what is humanly possible. It is humanly possible to reduce crime rates, as it is possible to
reduce disease and to mitigate suffering. There is no panacea to eradicate in totality the ills of this life. Personally, I am not in favour of capital punishment but reality has to have our ear as well. The Singapore government is not wrong in looking after the welfare of the society it has been entrusted with. We cannot have drug traffickers running around plying their noxious trade, terrorists planting their home grown bombs, or murderers taking their pleasure at our expense. In dealing with human nature we must cut the cloth (deterrent) to fit the idiosyncrasy of the human animal - where both Hobbes and Epictetus (in his discourse, first century A.D.) said, man fears “death and destruction” and these are the two factors best suited to his control. Dudley Au Singapore 248238.
transmit and give living examples of Catholic values to the students? How will Religious and M oral Education classes be taught, if at all? Ask a few Catholic schools just what percentage o f their staff are Catholics. You may be in for a shock. I have even heard of cases where non-Catholics are principals. Each Catholic school must have a community of Catholic teachers who are filled with their school’s spirit and mission, who will support each other as they try to educate in the spirit of Christ. W hen a school has this,
everything flows naturally. If a school does not have this, whatever few Catholic activities still take place become only a m atter of going through the motions. I am sorry to say that I see little evidence o f efforts made by our 30 Catholic prim ary and secondary schools to build up the num bers o f their precious few Catholic teaching staff. W hile we have heard constant messages about the need for more priestly vocations, there is a need also to highlight the im portance o f Catholic educators and rally the Church
to this cause. We reap what we sow. Little wonder then one hears of schools losing their Catholic identity, of a Catholic education being little different from a secular one and of Catholic parents who see no need to send their children to Catholic schools. The root cause is that the vocation of Catholic educators has been neglected in our Church. Much, much more can be done and must be done to reverse this trend. The future of the Church depends on it. Augustine Chen Singapore
Every priest is different I REFER to “W hy Nicholas Chia is archbishop”(CN, Feb 15&22). Gerald A ng’s admiration for Archbishop Chia is commendable. His view of the Archbishop is reinforced by his experience at Holy Cross parish. He saw how the then Fr Chia went about his duty doing the right thing at the right time. That is the stature of the man who is now archbishop. W hilst I did not attend Holy Cross when Fr Chia was in charge there, I had at least on one occasion witnessed a confirmation ceremony and I was very impressed with Fr Chia's meticulous attention to details. The reality, however, is that not all priests can become
archbishop. Neither do I wish to see our priests a stereotype of Fr Chia. Each priest has the gift of building rapport with his parishioners in his own way. Gerald did not walk away from the church when told off by the then Fr Chia in a tour incident. He respected Fr Chia too much to be negative. But I have known of Catholics who have left the church when told off by their parish priest over some minor infringement. The fact is, each priest leams through trial and error how best to deal with a sensitive situation. Not every parishioner is as magnanimous as Gerald. Every priest has his strengths and weaknesses. The important
point is that he cares for his parishioners and listens to their concerns. Parishioners too have a duty to give the priest their support. He cannot please everyone. If he is always strict, parishioners will fear him and keep their distance. Striking a balance requires judgement of how people perceive him. It is quite a herculean task for the priest to know all parishioners well and it takes time for him to build rapport. Let's give our priests the support to - here I quote our archbishop - “do your best.” Sebastian Teo Wah Ann, Singapore 577928
DO C H R IS T IA N S , M U S L IM S A N D J E W S W O R S H IP T H E S A M E GOD? POPE John Paul, Rabbi Elio Toaff and Imam Abdulawahab Hussein Gomaa (photo) think so. The pontiff called on Jews, M uslims and Christians - “believers in the one G od” - to work for “sincere reconciliation” and peace in the world at a recent “Concert of
Reconciliation” at the Vatican. But there are many who disagree. At least one quarter of the Catholic, Protestant and Jewish respondents to a recent survey said they believe that Christians, Jews and Muslims do not worship the same God. CNS graphic
O ne G od Christians, Jews and Muslims believe in one supreme divine being. Percent of the following believers who saythe three faiths... Worship the Same God H Do Not Worship the Same God
Catholic
Protestant
Jewish
[ J N ot S ure S ource: H arris Poll
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What is the Church’s position on
CANOSSIANS CONNECT
female altar servers?
Canossian Alumni Ex-Co invites ex-pupils /teachers to come celebrate Foundress Day together on Mar 6 ,2.30pm at Canossa Convent, 1 Sallim Rd. For information: Visit www.canossianalumni.com or write to info@canossianalumni.com TH E G OSPEL ACCORDING TO ST M ARK
some occasions, however, it might be best to separate boys and girls into different groups. It is very difficult to lay down precise rules in a matter like this since the situation may vary widely between parishes. And it is not unknown to have sharp differences among the faithful who assist at different M asses at the same parish.
Q ! What is the Church’s position on the use of female altar servers? May all the servers be female? Do you feel that the use of female altar servers detracts from the building of vocations among young males?
THE Singapore Archdiocese is blessed with many dedicated altar boys such as these. Are we likely to see altar girls?
Father Edward McNamara answers:
10 sessions with Msgr Eugene Vaz. This course presents the main themes of Mark’s Gospel and helps participants apply the Gospel in daily life. • Blessed Sacrament Church:
Mondays, Mar 8,15, 22, 29, Apr 12,19, 26, May 3, 10 & 17, 7.45pm - 9.45pm. • Singapore Pastoral Insitute:
Tuesdays, Mar 9,16,23, 30, Apr 13,20, 2 7 ,May 4, 11 & 18,9.30am - 11.30am. • Singapore Pastoral Institute:
Fridays, Mar 12, 19, 26, Apr 2, 16, 23, 30, May 7, 14 & 21, 7.45pm - 9.45pm. Contribution: $30/- Register with: SPI (6858-3011). LENTEN TRIDUUM
FEMALE altar servers are permitted in all but two U.S. dioceses. They are also common — in most English-speaking countries, and in Western Europe. The situation is patchier in the rest of the world. From the point of view of liturgical law, an official interpretation of Canon 230, Paragraph 2, of the Code of Canon law on the possibility of delegating certain liturgical offices led to a 1994 letter from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments clarifying that girls may serve at the altar. But bishops are not bound to permit them to do so, nor could the episcopal conference limit the bishop’s faculty to decide for himself. A further clarifying letter published in 2001 said priests are not compelled to have girls serve at the altar, even when their bishops grant permission. The 1994 letter states: “It will always be very appropriate to follow the noble tradition of having boys serve at the altar. As is well known, this has led to a reassuring development of priestly vocations. Thus the obligation to support such groups of altar boys will always continue.” The letter also recommends to bishops to consider “among other things the sensibilities of the faithful, the reasons which would motivate such permission and the different liturgical settings and congregations which gather for the Holy Mass.” Therefore the Holy See’s recommendation is to retain as far as possible the custom of
Q I Based on the same theology of the body that Pope John Paul II has so profoundly explained, how can girls serving at the altar not be perceived as a move towards wom en’s ordination? Father Edward McNamara answers:
having only boys as servers. But it leaves to the bishop the choice o f permitting women and girls for a good reason and to the pastor of each parish the decision as to whether to act on the bishop’s permission. It is important not to focus this debate using political categories such as rights, equality, discrimination, etc., which only serves to fog the issue. We are dealing with the privilege of serving in an act of worship to which nobody has any inherent rights. The question should be framed as to what is best for the good of souls in each diocese and parish. It is thus an eminently pastoral and not an administrative decision, and this is why it should be determined at the local level. Among the pastoral factors to be weighed is the obvious yet often forgotten fact that boys and girls are different and require different motivational and formative methods. This difference means that both boys and girls usually go through a stage when they tend
I
to avoid common activities. Pre-teen boys in particular are very attracted to activities that cater especially for them, and they tend to reject sharing activities with girls. They also tend to have a greater need for such structured activities than girls who are usually more mature and responsible at this stage of life. As a result, some parishes have found that the introduction of girl servers has led to a sharp drop-off of boys offering to serve. Once the boys have left and enter the years of puberty, it is difficult to bring them back. Some pastors say this phenomenon is less marked where serving at Mass forms part of a wider Catholic structure, such as a school, or when siblings serve together. It is also true that groups of boy servers have fostered vocations to the priesthood. But to be fair, this usually happens within a broader culture of openness to a vocation in which other elements come into play, such as the example and spiritual guidance given by good priests, and family support. If, for example, a longestablished programme of boy servers has proved successful in promoting vocations or has been useful in helping boys avoid bad company and maintain the state of grace, then the good of souls obliges pastors to weigh heavily the spiritual risks involved in abandoning it. W hen girls do serve, it is probably best to aim for a mixture of boys and girls. On
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I do not think it is wise to try to establish doctrinal grounds for every aspect of liturgical discipline. The very fact that the Holy Father approved of this change clearly shows that he does not consider this issue to have serious doctrinal implications. It is necessary to distinguish between minister, either ordained (bishop, priest and deacon) or instituted (acolyte and lector) and those who may be delegated in some cases to substitute for them. Thus the formal ministries of the Church are open only to males, while altar servers, readers and extraordinary ministers of Communion, whose function is to substitute for the lack of proper ministers, may be delegated to Catholics of either sex. Even when these functions are carried out frequently, or even daily, they will always be essentially delegated and substitutive. In this context the canonical decision to open service at the altar to girls was logical since every other delegated ministry had already been opened up. Nor does the Holy Father’s decision open the way toward w om en’s ordination. The papal declaration in “Ordinatio Sacerdotalis” that the Church has no power to ordain women is no mere statement of opinion but, as confirmed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, an exercise of the gift of infallibility and therefore binding. □ Father Edward McNamara is professor o f liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical Athenaeum.
Joy in Communion: Experience a Spiritual Renewal and Healing in our Eucharistic Celebration. Main celebrant: Fr Gino Henriques, CssR. Date: Mar 10 to 12. Time: 6 pm. Venue: Church of St Ignatius, 120 Kings Road EARTHEN VESSELS PRAYER MEET
Need a mid-week dose of Jesus? Come to Earthen Vessels prayer meet for praise and worship, talks, sharing and intercessory. Upcoming meetings: Alternate Thursdays, Mar 11 & 25 and Apr 22. Time: 8pm. Venue: Novena Church. Peter Donders Rm. Enquiries: e-mail: earthen_vessels@catholic.org. AN EVENING OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS Date: Mar 13 (Saturday), 8 pm to 9 pm. Venue: St Paul’s room, Church of the
Holy Cross. Br Kenny Tan will be sharing his vocation story. For information:morevocations@catholic.org INNER-HEALING SEM INARS Date: Mar 13 to 14 (Weekend
Seminar) at Church of St Vincent de Paul, Mar 6 to 18 (Weekday evenings only) at Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. Enquiries: 6482-0959 or email albng@singnet.com.sg ARCHDIOCESAN YOUTH NIGHT CYCLING Date: Wed Mar 17-18,9 pm to 5.30 am. Enquiries/registration: www.cayc.org Closing date: Wed Mar 3. CELEBRATION OF LIFE SEMINAR
Workshop & Seminar on Catholicism, Morality & Human Sexuality. A crash course for things Catholic, a must for catechists, group leaders and those in ministry, education & training. Date: Mar 19, 20 , 21 (Fri-Sun) at Catholic Archdiocesan Education Centre, 2 Highland Rd (St John’s Rm) • Mar 19, 6.30-10.30pm: Faith Fundamentals • Mar 20, 9am-9pm: Theology of the Body • Mar 21,8.30 am-6 pm: Christian Morality & Celebrate Life! the Workshop. Cost: $30. Organised by the Family Life Society. To register: emailandrewk@catholic.org.sg your contact and details. LENTEN R EFLECTO N IN TAM IL
By Fr S. Arulananthu on Sunday, Mar 21, from 2 to 6.30 pm followed by Holy Mass at 7 pm. Venue: Blessed Sacrament Church, Damien Hall. All are welcome. JOURNEY FRO M ASHES TO EASTER
Five sessions with Sr Francisca Tan, rc Date: Wed, Mar 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31, 9.30 am to 11.30 am. Venue: Blessed Sacrament Church. Contribution: S$20/- Enquiries: SPI (6858-3011) LENTEN RENEWAL IN THE SPIRIT Venue: Church of St Francis Xavier.
Conducted by Alex Loo & team from Church of Holy Rosary, KL. Date: Fri. Mar 12 (7 pm -10 pm), Sat. Mar 13(1.30 pm-10), Sun. Mar 14 (1 pm 5.30 pm) and Mon Mar 15 (8 pm-10 pm). Eucharistic Celebration by Fr Vincent Lee. No registration or fee.
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T e n th A n n iv e r sa r y
In loving memory of
MR JA M ES M RS C. M A NA S TR ESAM M A Departed: Jan 12, 1994 Departed: Mar 3 ,1 994
A High Mass will be held for the departed souls on March 6, 2004 at the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea, Yishun St 22, Singaore at 6 pm. Please treat this as a personal invitation. Always remembered by loved ones.
THANKSGIVING Thanksgiving to St Jude Most holy apostle, dear St Jude. M y heart is filled with gratitude. I cam e to you in deepest despair. You lifted me with pow erful prayer. Most holy advisor, dear St Jude. M y faith has grow n in magnitude. Through Jesus, Mary, Joseph and you. I know G od’s love is great and true. E.K. Holy Spirit, you who m ake me see everything and show me the way to reach my ideal. You w ho give me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that is done to m e and who are in all instances o f my life with me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank you for everything and confirm once more that I never want to be separated from you no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with you and my loved ones in your perpetual glory. Please continue to intercede for me. Amen Christabell
Dearest St Jude, St Anthony, Divine Mercy, Sacred Heart, Infant Jesus and M other Mary for answering our prayers. Please continue to bless us and pray for us. Amen Celine O Holy St Jude, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsm an o f Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor o f all who invoke your special patronage in times of need. To you I have recourse from the depth o f my heart and humbly beg you, to w hom God has given such great power, to com e to my assistance. H elp m e in my present urgent petition. In return, I prom ise to m ake your nam e know n and cause you to be invoked. St Jude pray for me and all who invoke your aid. Humbly in need of your intercession. Amen. Thank you for answ ering my prayers. D ear St Jude, thank you very much for answ ering my prayers. I am truly grateful for all your help. Please continue to bless me. Gerard
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Third Anniversary In loving memory o f
THERESA LEE HOI LAN Departed: Mar 9,2001 Just a thought of sweet remembrance. Just a memory sad and true, Just the love and sweet devotion. O f one who thinks o f you. A lw ays remembered by loved ones.
TRINITY CASKET PTE LTP First Anniversary In loving memory o f
First Anniversary In loving m em ory o f
BENEDICT FOONG SIN KHIAN Departed:Feb 28, 2003
SERAPHINE LEE TAI NYUK Departed: Mar 1, 2003
Time takes away the edge o f grief But m em ory turns back every leaf G one from our lives one so dear But in our hearts forever near. A lw ays remembered and cherished by all loved ones.
Fondly remembered by children, grandchildren and loved ones.
Fourth Anniversary Broken is the family In loving memory of circle, O ur dear one has passed away. Passed from the earth and earthly darkness Into a bright and perfect day But we all m ust cease to languish O ver the grave of him we love. Strive to be prepared to meet him, In the better world above. E D W AR D TAN TECK YAM Dearly missed by Doreen, Departed:Mar 1,2000 Avryl and all loved ones.
In lo v in g m e m o r y o f
T w enty-Fourth Anniversary In loving m em ory of
who were called to the Lord on March 1,2000 W e’re assured of your love Even though we’re apart, ‘Cause so much we’ve shared Is written in our hearts. Remembered with love and deeply missed by all in the Family. Fourth Anniversary
In loving memory of
Twentieth A nniversary In loving m em ory o f
ANSELM PATRICK D ’ SOUZA Departed: M ar 2, 1984
N E W T O N EU GEN E W E BSTE R Departed: M ar 5,1984
“Love is remembrance’’.
Eternal rest grant unto him , O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul rest in peace. Amen.
M asses will be offered at C hurch o f Star of the Sea at 7 am and Church o f the Imm aculate Heart o f M ary at 6.15 am. By family and loved ones.
Always remembered by children, grand-children and all loved ones.
Catholic Guidance Counsellors: M s Olivia Stravens (9 6 7 5 6 9 5 0 ) : M r Dave Lim (9 6 4 8 6 8 5 5 )
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MDM AGATHA HENG SWEE KHIM
Departed: March 2, 1998
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. Forever cherished and fondly remembered by family, relatives and friends.
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Twentieth Anniversary In loving m em ory o f
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A DAY W ITH M ARY
Aday of instruction, devotion, intercession, based on the message given at Fatima in 1917. Date: Mar 13, 9.30 to 3.30pm. Venue: Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Siglap. (Please bring your own packed lunch). LENTEN JOURNEY “NO GREATER LO VE”
By Sr Florence Wong, FMDM. All Catholic nurses, healthcare professionals and friends are invited. Venue: Assisi Home and Hospice Chapel at 820 Thomson Rd (Mount AIvemia Hospital grounds).Date: Mar 25-27 (Thur-Sat). Time: 7 pm - 9 pm. Organised by Catholic Nurses Guild.
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PETER LEOW
Departed: Feb 29, 2000 “All you that fear the Lord, look forward to his blessings of mercy and eternal happiness.” Sirach 2:9 Always remembered by: wife - Teresa, children - Maria & Ignatius, Paul & June, Angela and grandsons - Gerard, Gregory & Linus.
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Rev Frs Paul Tong, Joseph Chao and Bonaventure Tung will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of their priesthood on Apr 15 as follows: Eucharistic Celebration: Church of St Bernadette, Zion Rd, at 6pm. Dinner: Meritus Mandarin Hotel, Orchard Rd, at 7.30 pm. Those who wish to attend the dinner, please call or SMS Mrs Doris Ho 9661-3784. Cost: $50 per head.
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On March 13 & 14 tic k e ts will also be available at the following churches: Church o f Our Lady o f Perpetual Succour Church of St. Vincent de Paul
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