APRIL 14, 2002, vol 52, no 8 by CatholicNews

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£ Follow me . . . And they left everything and followed Him. (Matt:4:20-22)

V o l. 52 N o. 8

Priestly and Religious Vocations

ufiny 5overty today must be defined not simply in terms of a lack of economic income, t more in terms of an inability to realise fully that God-given human potential, with which every person, man or woman, is endowed Countless billions of dollars have been and are still being poured into development aid throughout the world - with what impact and effect? Fifteen years ago, in 1987, our Holy Father Pope John Paul II wrote in his Encylical “On Social Concern’ : “It should be noted that in spite o f the praiseworthy efforts made in the last two dec ades by the more developed or developing nations and the inter national organizations to find a way out o f the situation, or at least to remedy some o f its symp toms, the conditions have become notably worse.” That situation, it appears, from the numerous news reports and features that appear almost daily, has not improved even in our new century.

oped nations, which have not always, at least in due measure, felt the duty to help countries separated from the affluent world to which they themselves belong. Moreover, one must denounce the existence o f economic, financial and social mechanisms which, although they are manipulated by people, often function alm ost automatically, thus accentuating the situation o f wealth for some and poverty for the rest. These m ech an ism s, w hich are maneuvered directly or indirectly by the more developed countries, by their very functioning favour the in te re s ts o f the p e o p le manipulating them and in the end they suffocate or condition the economies o f the less developed countries. ”

As for developing nations who are recipients of aid he pointed out that there were grave omis sions on their part, especially on the part of those holding eco nomic and political power.

A glimmer of hope that things might change, that could amelio rate the situation of widespread poverty in the world has begun to flicker last month at an Internatinal Conference which was held at Monterrey in Mexico under the auspices of the United Nations. It was a conference that brought together world leaders and experts in the fields of financing and development to discuss issues that could lead to realistic and workable ways to address the elimination of poverty in the world and the development of the whole human family.

As for the aid givers, he said: “Nor can we pretend not to see the responsibility o f the devel

At Monterrey, the head of the Vatican delegation, Archbishop Renato Raffaele Martino, who is

Two main causes were identi fied by the Pope in his encyclical, and it would seem that his diag nosis still remains correct. He pointed a finger of blame both on countries that were the benefici aries of aid as well as the donor countries or rather the whole system through which aid is given.

also Vatican Ambassador to the United Nations and was formerly the first Vatican Ambassador to Singapore, highlighted the situa tion in the world today: “Too many families in today's world are forced to be concerned with survival and do n o t have the lu x u ry o f participating as actors in their development; too many people are forced to migrate, too many people continue to be burdened by absolute poverty and live in countries where debt burdens make it impossible to gain access to basic social services and social safeguards. ” Archbishop Martino empha sized that the dignity of the human person must be at the centre of all d e v e lo p m e n t and aid p ro grammes. Quoting the great social encyclical “On the condition o f the W orking C lassses - (Rerum Novarum)" of Pope Leo XII in 1891, he said: Every program geared to increased production must have no other end in view than to serve the human person, namely: to lessen inequalities, to remove discrimination, to free men from the bonds o f servitude and to enable them to improve their condition in the temporal order, achieve moral development, and perfect their spiritual endowments. Concurrently with the Con ference of Monterrey, another very significant meeting was in progress, in Geneva - the 58th session o f the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

A r c h d i o c e s e of S i n g a p o r e h o m e p ag e , V e rita s : h t t p : / / w w w . c a t h o l i c . o r g . s g .

At that meeting too, the Vati can Permanet Representative to the United Nations Office in Ge neva, Msgr. Diarmuid Martin, in very strong terms, emphasized the centrality of the human person in all development endeavours. A “ know ledge-based, g lo balized economy” has become much touted jargon these days. Quoting our Holy Father's Encyc lical “Centesimus Annus’ he said: “many people, perhaps the major ity today, do not have the means which would enable them to take their place in an effective and humanly dignified way within a productive system in which work is truly essential. They have no possibility o f acquiring the basic knowledge which would enable them to express their creativity and develop their potential” And, he added: Poverty today must be defined not simply in terms o f a lack o f economic in come, but more in terms o f an inability to realise fully that Godgiven human potential, with which each person, man or woman, is endowed. Fighting poverty, which has now been recognized as an essential overarching dimension o f all developmental policy, must therefore be about enabling peo ple to realise their God-given potential. It is about enhancing human potential.” As for globalization, he had this to say: “It is a paradox to have to speak in the same breath

o f g lo b a lis a tio n a nd m a r ginalization and exclusion. Global should mean inclusive. A global economic system that leaves large sectors of society on its margins is not what it claims to be: global. ’ Referring to the concurrent meeting in Monterey he con cluded: ‘As we deliberate, the community o f nations has just adopted in Monterrey a strategy for financing development. Once again, the success o f that strat egy will depend on how it places human persons at the centre o f co n c e rn s fo r s u s ta in a b le development, on how it directs the use o f financing, traditional and additional, to ensure that people can realise their potential, and fully exercise the rights as the protagonists o f sustainable development. ” We may not be in a position to influence world opinion and still less, international policies in the field of developmental aid, but as Catholics we need to be informed of what is going on in the world, we need to know how the Church views the situation of people and tries to intervene in the shaping of the world. Salvation is not just about saving “souls”, it is about saving “people”. It is about empowering people to realize their full potential as human beings created unto the image and likeness of God their Creator.

I n t e r n e t e d it io n of T h e C a t h o l ic N e w s : h t t p : / / w w w . c a t h o l i c . o r g . s g / C N .

Editor

APRIL 14 -A P R IL 21, 2002

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

VOCATIONS

Shhhhhh

can you hear it? s o m e t i m e s i t ' s onl y a w h i s p e r Across time, across the world, one thing has remained unchanged - whether we live up north or down south, whether w e’re young or old, rich or poor, male or female - when we cry, we cry the same tears. We’re here because we heard a call ... the calling of God’s people. Many hands and many hearts are needed to continue this work. Perhaps you hear that call too. Perhaps you’re unsure. Perhaps its only a whisper. Perhaps you’d like to lift up the phone and chat with us? Do call or write or do something about it. We’ll be w aitin g...........

R E D E M P T O R IS T W AY O F LIFE S e r v i n g

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W hat is a Christian Brother? ‘Brother’ is really a verb. It’s a way that we live our life. It’s the way that we love people. It means loving with equality. We see ourselves as Brothers, and that really changes the way we love. And this Broth erly love is multi-faceted: A Brother to his students, com munity, and the Partners with whom he works. Brothers are needed, indeed. And how are they to be found? The Rule of the Brothers declares: “The entire people of God has the responsibility for awakening, discerning, and developing voca tions in the Church” (Article 8 3). The process of awakening vocations begins with awakening young people to themselves. We invite all to get to know who they are and how God is speaking to them. For enquiries, do access < www.lasalle2.org> or write to: The Vocation Director, St. Patrick’s School, 4 9 0 East Coast Road, Singapore 4 2 9 0 5 8 . Or, email to: johnbdls@yahoo.com

A b a n d o n e d

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The Franciscans in Singapore would like to invite youth and adults to an Open House featuring talks and exhibitions on the different voca tions within the Franciscan family. •

Secular Franciscan O rder

• Franciscan Missionaries o f M a ry • Franciscan Missionaries o f the Divine M o th e r hood • O rder o f Friars M in o r

Open House Date :2I April,2002 Time : 10 am - 5 pm Venue: San Damiano Friary 4A Chestnut Drive Singapore 679330

Programme 11.00 am : Sharing by Secular Frandscans 12.00 am : Franciscan Pot Luck! 1.00 pm : Sharing by Franciscan Missionaries of Mary 2.00 pm : Sharing by Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood 3.00 pm : Sharing by Friars 4.00 pm : Francsican Mass for Vocations

Hold back nothing of yourself for yourself so that Christ who gives himself totally to you may receive you totally. St. Francis of Assisi

There is a place in the FMDM family for anyone who wants to follow Jesus by living the Gospel more radically like St. Francis of Assisi, as a reli gious sister If you wish to know more about our way of life, write/call/email/fax: Sr. Florence Wong or Sr. Regina de Roza Gr eccio 652 Yishun Ave 4 , #05-507 Singapore 760652 Tel: 6753-9602 Fax: 6257-7522 Email: grecciofmdm@pacific.net.sg

APRIL 14 -A P R IL 21, 2002

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

LOCAL

Diocesan team to promote priesthood

Speak, Lord, your servant is listening Priests, Religious Brothers and Sisters tell CN how they recognised their special vocations.

By Mel Diamse-Lee A DIOCESAN Vocations Promotion Team (DVPT) has been formed to promote vocations to the priesthood in the archdiocese. The team is needed to “develop a coordinated initiative, involving clergy and laity, to promote and foster vocations to the diocesan priestho od ,” said Archbishop Nicholas Chia, who appointed the eight members of the team, in a letter to parish priests dated March 18. On the team are Fr Anthony Ho, the new rector of St Francis Xavier Major Seminary; Fr William Goh, dean of studies and procurator and Fr Henry Siew, dean of studies and formator at the seminary; Vicar Gen eral Monsignor Eugene Vaz and Frs Terence Pereira, Richards Ambrose, Erbin Fernandez and Alexander Chua. “Vocations promotion is the job of the whole Church,” said Fr Ho. It is for this reason that his team recommended the creation of a parish Vocations Promotion Teams (VPT). The team of five committed lay people and a priest, whose task is “to pray and work for vocations”, must be launched in parishes on April 21, the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, suggested Archbishop Chia. To help the VPT members, a preparatory meeting “to inspire and equip them for their tasks” was planned for'April 14. The DVPT will give follow-up programmes as and when neces sary, Fr Ho added. In the same letter, the arch bishop said that “while the promo tion of vocations to the consecrated life is important, nonetheless, I have asked the (DVPT) team to focus specifically on diocesan vocations as our archdiocese’s needs are par ticularly urgent.” Profile of a priest Frs Ho, Goh and Siew gave CN a document outlining the “profile of a priest" in Singapore. “The kind of priest we need in Singapore is dependent on the kind of Church we want to have in Sin gapore,” wrote the priests in the document.

“Our hearts are restless, O Lord, until they rest in you.” THIS short prayer, made famous by St Augustine, is echoed again and again in the vocation stories of many priests and Religious as a testi mony to the "restiveness" of spirit they were experiencing before they realised their special calling. Defying human logic

From left: Frs Henry Siew, Anthony Ho and William Goh of the St Francis Xavier Major Seminary are members of the newly-formed Diocesan Vocations Promotion Team. This Church must be in accord ance with the teaching and spirit of Vatican Council II, which presents the church as mystery, communion and mission. The document stated: “Priestly identity must be deeply rooted within the Church’s mystery whereby the priesthood is to be seen to be first and foremost as a gift and calling from God. “In this sense, priesthood is a vocation. Just as baptism implies the conferral of a mission, so too the vocation of a priest is for the service of the Church and for the salvation of the world. This mission is effected by his own communion with God and by his proclaiming it in the world.” The dimension of mystery in the priesthood “underscores the impor tance of the sacramental aspect of the priesthood” as the priest is called to make the presence of Christ felt and experienced through his mean ingful and devoted celebration of the sacraments, the seminary staff noted. Priesthood is a three-fold minis try of the Word, Sacrament and Pastoral Charity. Being a minister of the Word of God presupposes that a priest has cultivated a deep love and conviction for the Word, a special sensitivity, love and docility to the living tradition of a church and the magisterium, the priests noted. “As a minister of the sacraments and the liturgy, he must have a real appreciation and understanding of

the liturgy he celebrates,” continued the statement. In the ordination rite, priests are reminded that they “are not only called to believe what they read but to put into practice what they teach, not only to celebrate the mystery but to imitate the mystery they cel ebrate. This living out of the mys tery is expressed in a life of pastoral charity,” the document said. “ Priests must therefore be configured to Christ, the head and shepherd so that they can exercise the pastoral charity of Christ. The priest is to form himself in the heart of the Shepherd whereby his spir itual life is marked by the funda mental attitude of service to the people of God. “Thus, the priest in a special way is called to holiness by living a life of pastoral charity expressed by his life of poverty, obedience and celibacy, consecrated to Him entirely for the evangelical mission,” the seminary staff noted. Pastoral charity must be the motivation for the priest’s spiritual life and communion with God, they added. “This communion with the Lord, the Presbyterium and the Church finds its fullest expression espe cially at the celebration of the Eucha rist. It is this communion with Christ, his fellow priests and the people that provides the basis for the priest’s mission, the document noted.

J e n n if W o r ld w id e M o v e r s

Putting meaning to into life A CONVERT to the faith, Jesuit Father Gerald Tseng said he knew he wanted to become a Religious when “I saw clearly that my life would have had no meaning if I did not use my time on earth serving God. “I wanted to be happy in the next life and so I wanted to serve the Lord on earth. The need to do spiritual work was very strong.” “The prayers I said also hap

Inner attraction towards things religious “I STARTED thinking about the Re ligious life when I was in primary school,” said a Christian Brother, who declined to be named. He realised his calling because he had “an inner attraction, an incli nation towards things religious” he said. The Brother, who joined the Re ligious life 14 years ago, also at tributes his special calling to his parents’ way of life. “They never expressed any wish for me to become a Religious but I remember them saying how impor tant religion was to them. We were also practising Catholics.” Another “influence” on his deci sion to become a Religious was a family friend. “My sister’s godmother is an Infant Jesus Sister and the way she lived her life inspired me.” • Continued on Page 4...

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CANOSSIAN Sister Marion Liong, in trying to explain how she came to know she had a calling to the Re ligious life, said: “It is quite difficult to put into words how one comes to know he or she is called to the priesthood or Religious life. Some things defy hu man logic. People would ask why one, who has a comfortable life and a good family background, would want to have a life where he or she is tied to a life of poverty “In the end, one’s vocation to the Religious life or priesthood is reallly a mystery which cannot be shrugged off. There is an attraction that goes beyond understanding.” For the Canossian who made her first profession 29 years ago, “the realization came” when she was 12 years old “but it was a very fleeting feeling”. “I remember reading the lives of saints and I was fired by their lives of service and prayer. Prayer has always attracted me. When we are at prayer and we think about issues and people, the decisions we make are influenced by compassion.”

pened to be those of St Ignatius of Loyola, such as the Prayer of Gen erosity. ‘Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wound, to labour and not to seek for rest...’ “That helped me to be more generous in dedicating my life to God. I used to say this after com munion during weekday Masses.”

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Feeling of discontent CENACLE Sister Mari Ramos has been a Religious for 30 years. Perhaps the seed of vocation was planted when her mother gave her a vocation prayer leaflet, saying they would both pray for what God wanted of her. She had the first inkling to her calling at college, but her pious mother convinced her to complete her studies first. After college, she taught in a kindergarten. "I was happy but not contented," she said. The feeling that God wanted her to do someting more came up when she learned in 1967 that the Cenacle Sisters had set up a house in the Philippines, she said. She spoke of a feeling of dis content even though she was very much into apostolic work in her parish. She found her "rest" with the Religious of the Cenacle. “The calling is in the heart, it is found inside. People asked why I wanted to become a Religious when I could serve God outside. I said, “The love in me cannot be con tained in the family alone. I feel it is a universal kind of love that I want to share with people.”

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“The calling to the priesthood or Religious life is mysterious,” con cluded a 50-year-old diocesan priest who requested anonymity. He spoke of an attraction to the life and clothing of a Religious Brother as a sign that he had a calling. “When I started to go to school at a La Salle school, a Christian Brother caught my attention. He would walk around the school in his white robe and with a Rosary. At the school assembly, he would talk about the saint whose feastday the church was celebrating that day. At Sec 1 in another Religiousrun school, he told his parents he wanted to become a Brother but they objected, saying he was too young. “Later, I started going for daily Mass and got interested in the Mis sal. I was very taken up by the lives of the saints,” he said. This stopped at Sec 3 and during his early years of work. In 1979, he joined a religious congregation but was asked to leave because he was told he had "no vocation". He started work at an other bank but "again there was a feeling of emptiness”. The turning point came in 1986 when the pope came, he said. “Again, I started to think about the priesthood,’’. Eventually he joined the diocesan priesthood. “Looking back now, my calling was really to the diocesan priest hood and I am very happy," he said. A quest for something else

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Franciscan Friar Eugene Yeow, who is waiting to be ordained to the diaconate, came to know that he had a calling to the Religious life within a span of a few years. “There was unrest. I felt that whatever I had in life, it was not enough, but there was a quest for

something else,” he said. “I had a lot of questions, such as ‘Is this all life has to offer, Is this all that we do in life? I did not want the ‘assembly-line’ kind of life where you finish your studies, find a job, get a wife, have children then die...” His sister, Edwina, who joined the Canossians the year after he joined the Franciscans, gave him a book on St Francis of Assisi for his 25th birthday. “I read it four years later and most of the questions St Francis asked I also asked. That intrigued me and so I asked to join the Franciscans," he said. “Sr Edwina helped me to dis cern whether this was a call or not. She knew exactly what I was going through. She herself had been dis cerning for a good five years.” Follow Me “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men,” (Lk 5:10) was the verse that resounded in the mind and heart of Sr Grace Mary Gonzales, a Divine Word Missionary. "The call didn’t come from a sign or from a strange voice but through a personal relationship that I had with Him," she said, adding the Verbum Dei Missionaries made her realise she did not know God that much, even though her whole family was Catholic. “My deepening prayer life opened my eyes that Jesus is my friend, companion and the one who could give me much more happi ness and fulfilment than the world could ever give." “My relationship with God is not only for me. I have experienced how Jesus’ love gave me fulfilment and I can’t bear to see people wasting their life on things, ambi tions and dreams that will not satisfy them," she said. □

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FAMILY Nursery of Vocations

Parents have always been con sidered the first educators of children. The reason for that assum ption is that the child spends its first years in the home, and even later when it goes to institutions of education it will still spend a great deal of time in the home and will imbibe its values for life from its parents. If this is so, the family must certainly play a key role in voca tio n s to the priesthood and religious life. Our Holy Father, in a recent Lenten discourse on vocations to the priesthood and religious life, pointed out: "From the very mo ment when our children and youth begin to know God and to form a moral conscience, they need to be helped to discover that life is a vocation and that God calls some to follow him more closely in com m unioti with Him and through the gift o f themselves. For this reason," continued the Pope, "Christian families have a great and irreplaceable mission and responsibility in respect o f vocations." (Discourse to the Clergy o f Rome, 14 Feb 2002) It is rightly thought that priestly and religious vocations are spe cial gifts and callings from God he calls whom he chooses! But at the same time, Gpd acts through human circumstances.

Even when one considers secular professions, the wofk and the pro fessions of the parents often have an influence on the choice of the children. One can't of course expect the same effect in terms of the priesthood and religious life, given the celibacy factor. Considering the nature of these vocations, a general atmos phere of religiosity in the home goes a long way in preparing the ground for the seeds of vocation to grow. If family prayers are a regular feature in the home, if Sunday Mass is a "family thing", if chil dren are encouraged to involve themselves actively in the parish as altar boys and members of various youth groups that exist for both sexes, if generally, there is a genuine Christian atmosphere in the home, where the love of God and neighbour prevail, then surely this augurs well for the seeds of vocation. One local priest interviewed about his vocation mentioned that all through school life, he went to daily Mass with his parents. In their home, family prayer was a daily institution. It must have had something to do with his vocation, he said. There was a time when fami lies considered a priestly or religious vocation in the family as

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a great blessing. One can only wonder whether this is still the case, and (f it is, whether it is something widespread or confined to only a few. The m aterialistic values of society are often cited as obsta cles to priestly and religious vocations in the world today. But then, such attitudes don’t exist in a vacuum. They have to exist in people and people belong to fami lies. If families themselves have a materialistic attitude to life, then it could hardly be conducive to chil dren having altruistic let alone religious values. Amongst our local religious Brothers, Sisters and priests there are several who are not the only vocations in the family, but have a b ro th e r or s is te r a lso in priesthood or religious life. One could reasonably conclude that in their family lives there must have been elements which directly or indirectly had an impact on them. We are not by any means advocating that parents should urge their children to enter the priesthood or religious life. That would be very undesirable indeed. There must be free choice on the part of the young people. What we are advocating is a genuine Christian living out of faith in the family which could foster the seeds of vocation. □

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APRIL 14 - APRIL 21, 2002

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

____ ^EDUCATION

From the Pews I must congratulate the Editor for capturing the interest of so many of us in the Catholic News. Ever since you took over as Editor, I am always looking forward to the next issue. I like “From the Pews” best because finally, there is this opportunity for us to open up and to learn from each o th e r’s experiences. However, there is something missing in the Catholic News. You are the pioneer of “Moral Education" in Singapore and this is your expertise. I wonder if a section could be devoted to “EDUCATION”, whereby Catholic parents and school children could turn to for help and to share experience with regards to education in the Catholic schools. Often, we do not know where to turn to except the various church organisations - which are not really helpful, and are biased. This could be an avenue for us to know what is acceptable and encouraged in the Catholic schools. The first question which I have in mind is: What is the role of a Catholic school? Should Catholic schools permit corporal punishment, daily name calling and breaking the spirit of our children and what can be done about it? Sadly, this is happening

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today.... Issues such as these could be highlighted, lest we forget the main focus of providing our children with a Catholic education, where Christ is the centre of their lives and where His love is a daily experience in the classrooms. Liz Thank you for the appreciation, and above all thank you for the great idea. You will notice that issues concerning education will be located in this section in future, so that we may be more focused. To answer your queries spe cifically: what is the role o f the Catholic school? The answer is indeed contained in para. 2 o f the relevant code, which I quoted in this section. The specific role is to provide education based on the principles o f Catholic doctrine. This obviously does not neglect what we could term “secular education"" Indeed another code dealing with the Catholic school says that “instruction given in C atholic schools is, in its academic stand ards, at least as distinguished as that in other schools in the region.” With regard to the question o f corporal punishment, there are very strict guidelines laid down by the Ministry o f Education as to form and conditions, should the Principal deem it necessary. As for the other things you mention, they are equally strictly forbidden by the Ministry o f Edu cation in any circumstance. One would certainly NOT expect to find that going on in a Catholic school If a Catholic school, by defini tion, is e xp e cte d to im p a rt education based on the principles o f Catholic doctrine, one would expect that the love o f Christ would be the guiding principle.

What is Catholic Education? If we are going to start dis cussing Catholic education in terms of “the Catholic school”, it is only logical that we need to understand what a Catholic school is in the first place. The new Code of Canon Law, which is the official law of the Catholic Church took effect as of 27 November 1983 and is currently in force. The Code provides the definition of a Catholic school in Canon 803. §1 A Catholic school is understood to be one which is under the control o f the c o m p e te n t e c c le s ia s tic a l a u th o rity o r o f a p u b lic e c c le s ia s tic a l, ju r id ic a l person, or one which in a w ritte n docum ent is acknowledged as catholic by the ecclesiastical authority. It then goes on to elaborate an essential characteristics of a Catholic school in para

Vocations and the Catholic School With the focus in this issue being Vocation Sunday, which falls each year on the 4th Sunday of Easter, 21 April, it would be appropriate to highlight the part that the Catholic school could play in the promotion of vocations to the Priesthood and Religious life. If the Catholic school was faithful to its fundamental concept, namely to provide education based on the principles of Catholic doctrine, one would already have a basic background for the seeds of vocation. There are many other avenues for Catholic schools to create a greater consciousness of faith and commitment among students. Pro grammes of Christian formation would further enhance Christian commitment as would the formation of youth groups of the many forms of Catholic Apostolate that exist. Liturgical celebrations, where suit able and possible, would also bring about a focus on faith. Catholic books and magazines would also be very powerful means to get young people to think of the possibility of a priestly or religious vocation.

In interviews conducted for this issue, one local priest attributed the trigger for his vocation to a book about the life and work of a priest which hfe read in his SGhool library. “By the time I completed the book,” he said, “I made up my mind that that was the kind of life I wanted.” Schools frequently have talks from invited speakers from various professions and different walks of life. Hopefully talks on priestly and re lig io u s vo ca tio n s are not overlooked. Such talks could be arranged specially for Catholic students while not ruling out others who might wish to know about these other “professions”. School notice boards abound with posters about the various options for students in terms of their careers, but we wonder whether among them one would find posters inviting students to consider a priestly or religious vocation. Perhaps if the Archdiocese could produce such posters for distribution to Catholic schools, it would provide an awareness crea tion of other ways of life to be considered.

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___________APRIL 1 4 -A P R IL 21, 2002

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

LOCAL

Priests of the Archdiocese of Singapore at the Mass of Chrism, on Holy Thursday 2002

An aging population The following statistics are based on information contained in the Official Catholic Directory and Ordo 2002.

With the focus on vocations, it might be interesting to consider the ages of our local priests and what we have in terms of “replacements” from new vocations to the secular diocesan priesthood.

Total number of priests in Singapore: 138 (local and foreign secular and those belonging to Societies, Congregations and Religious Orders.)

There are different categories of priests in Singapore, just as there are in every part of the world. Not many of our Catholics would know the differences between them, hence we set out briefly the main characteristics of these various "types” or “categories” of priests.

Of these 138, 4 are retired. Of these 138, local secular diocesan priests number only 60 (43.5%) By age group, the local diocesan preists are made up of: 33 priests (55%) aged 50 years and above [ 12 o f them are 60 and above] 26 priests (45%) aged between 30 and 49 [ 18 o f them are between 40 and 49] 1 (age unavailable)

Secular diocesan priests: local Singaporeans who are ordained for the Archdiocese and are directly under the authority of the Archbishop of Singapore Others: local and foreign who work in the Archdiocese but belong to special groups with their own Superiors. These can be posted to any other country where their groups operate. There are several such groups in Singapore and these can be divided into different categories:

Incidentally, the priests who are not locals have, among their ranks, 24 priests aged 70 and above, and among them 5 who are in their 80’s. By contrast, among the locals only 2 are in that category, with one being 70 and the other 81. Looks like a case of “foreign made" being more durable!

Societies (e.g. Paris Foreign Missions - those affectionately known as “the French priests” - the original missionaries who brought the Catholic faith to Singapore) Congregations (e.g. Redemptorists) Orders (e.g. Franciscans, Carmelites, Dominicans)

The replacement group: 13 seminarians spread over 6 years of training in the Major Seminary.

Of these categories, some are “religious" who take the vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience while others do not, and are therefore “secular". These groups may also have Brothers as well as Sisters.

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APRIL 1 4 - APRIL 21, 2002

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

FAITH IN LIFE 3 EASTER

4 EASTER - VOCATION

RECOGNIZING CHRIST

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

The Texts:

W e h ave risen with J e s u s to a new life with our celebration of E aster, but it m ust be a new life in reality and not just th e repetition of so m e sort of slogan oft rep e ate d in this liturgical se a so n .

The theme of today is so obvious th at it h a s b een incorporated into a special n am e for th e S u n d ay -Good Shepherd Sunday. In th e Gospel, Christ u s e s th e analogy of a sh ep h erd , or g ate of th e sheepfold to refer to himself. “I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe:

St. P e te r in th e First Reading rem inds us that God raised J e s u s to life after his d eath on the C ross and then, quoting King David, a d d s

he will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture... I have come so that they might have life and have it to the full”.

“You have made known the way of life to me, you will fill me with gladness through your presence. ”

A ssociation with Christ, how ever, p re su p p o se s certain character istics which St P e te r in th e Second Reading rem inds u s of. “Christ

T he Responsorial Psalm pleads: Show us, Lord, the path of life, an d concludes: You will show m e the path of life, th e fullness of joy in your p rese n ce , at your right hand h ap p in ess for ever.

suffered for you and left an example for you to follow the way he took ... He was bearing our faults in his own body on the cross, so that we might die to our faults and live for holiness”. This is really th e co n stan t th em e of E aster.

St. P eter, in his First Letter, co n trasts this new life th at h a s been given to u s by God and our ‘old lives’. R em em ber th e ransom that w as paid to free you from the u s e le s s w ay of life your a n c e s to rs h anded down to you. (Second Reading).

“You must repent”. St P e te r in th e First Reading rem inds us. It is th e constant struggle th at th e Christian m ust b e e n g a g e d in. W e have go n e astra y like s h e e p but now w e m ust “come back to the shepherd and guardian of our souls!” a s S t P e te r say s.

The Gospel would se e m to indicate that even the clo se a s so c ia te s of J e s u s failed to realize th e significance of C hrist's d ea th an d the resurrection which he had foretold and prom ised. This is o n e narrative of the several that occur in th e G ospel of the a p p e a ra n c e s of J e s u s after his resurrection. All th e a p p e a ra n c e s have a com m on elem ent. T h o se to whom J e s u s a p p e a rs fail to recognize him. Mary M agdalene mistook him for a g ard en er, his own ap o stle s thought he w as a ghost, and th e two disciples in to d ay 's incident thought he w as so m e stupid fellow who h a d n ’t even heard of th e e v e n ts th at had occurred in Je ru sa le m at the time.

“Newness of life “ will b e a co n stan t th em e for E a ster and indeed a co n stan t th em e for th e w hole of Christian life. As followers and disciples of Christ, who h av e risen with him to a new life, we have to LIVE that new life. T he Christian h a s to b e renew ed and constantly be in th e p ro ce ss of renew al. Living new lives is NOT spending m ore time in Church or in prayer. It is living our daily, ordinary, hum drum lives with a new vision of faith, with a continual response to the challenges to live and to react and to respond as disciples of Christ, in the light of his teaching.

H ave w e realized the significance of J e s u s ' resurrection for us, in our lives?

Application in life

T he narrations of th e a p p e a ra n c e s of J e s u s after his resurrection, just a s have a certain com m on elem ent about them - th o se to whom J e s u s a p p e a rs do not se em to recognize him. And yet, they are not stran g ers to Je su s. They w ere close com panions, or disciples or ev en apostles.

O ne can n o t help thinking that th e impact of the Resurrection of Jesus on the early Christians could also b e duplicated in our m odern-day situation. T here is no rea so n to su g g e s t th at th e R esurrection should only influence th e C hristians in th e first cen tu ries of th e Church. If our faith m e an s anything to us, then our belief in th e R esurrection, which is so central to our faith, should also have a practical im pact on our own lives.

W e could be in the sa m e situation - though w e wouldn’t be able to have the sa m e ex cu se a s the disciples and apo stles of J e s u s ’ time. They did not have the benefit of the teaching of the Church a s w e have now. They w ere too much a part of th e tragic even ts of that fateful w eek.

T he liturgy of this tim e of E aster e m p h a siz e s th e n e w n e ss of life th at th e resurrection of J e s u s implies, b e c a u s e his victory over sin and d eath is our victory too. In th e Acts of the Apostles, w e read of the im pact th at this fact of th e resurrection had on th e early Christians. The realization th at they w ere now reborn a s so n s an d d au g h ters of Christ, m ad e them com e to g e th er a s a closely knit com m unity an d an early p ag an historian of th e tim e w rote that it w as e a sy to recognize C hristians “by th e w ay they loved o n e an o th er.”

W e are close com panions too, w e are his disciples, and yet w e don’t se em to recognize Christ w hen w e encounter him. Of course, J e s u s d o es not a p p e a r to us physically a s he did soon after his resurrection. But would w e really recognize J e s u s if he mingled am ong us physically appearing a s a m an a s he did in all tho se G ospel narratives? Would we recognize him if he entered a lift with us, or if w e bum ped into him on a void deck, or if he w aited next to us at an MRT platform, or for that matter, sa t beside us at M ass? Most likely, NOT!

Our own situation as modern-day Christians could well do with so m e practical and externally tangible im pact of th e R esurrection, m uch on th e lines of th e early Christians. “Living in n e w n e ss of life” can n o t ju st rem ain so m e internally “spiritual” union with Christ. O ne d o e s not n eed d e e p insight to w onder w h eth er th at p ag an writier in the early cen tu ries of th e Church would write in th e sa m e vein a s he did, if he lived today am ong our Christian com m unities. He would only need to hang around our Church co m pounds on S u n d ay s and w atch while th e crow ds ca m e an d w ent for S u n d ay M ass. He would notice that w e certainly fit th e definition of a “crow d” but hardly that of a “com m unity”! T hen, if he w alked along th e stree ts, h e would certianly h av e a hard tim e identifying u s C hristians, if he u sed th e criterion he m entions ab o u t th e early Christian com m unities.

T he disciples and apo stles probably didn't recognize J e s u s b ec au se they w ere feeling sorry for th em selves at having lost Je s u s , or else they w ere huddled together trembling with fear, or, they felt com pletely let down in their expectations of so m e kind of glorious, tem poral m essiah. It could also have been a feeling of being let down by their “M aster” on whom they had com e to rely on so much. They had w itnessed such g reat m iracles that he had perform ed. They had se e n him raise to life the widow’s son and Lazarus, too. They them selv es had c a st out devils in his n am e and on his instructions. Surely, he could have prevented his own capture and his own death. W hat a let down! T he reason for our not being able to recognize Christ is probably that w e also are too preoccupied with ourselves. W e are too busy with our work or our studies. Too busy with the problem s w e are grappling with in life. W e too have parallels with w hat the ap o stle s and disciples w ere feeling - let down - by the Lord w e have com e to believe in. W e too, perhaps, have com e to s e e J e s u s a s so m e sort of person who should b e intervening miraculously in our lives - saving u s from all so rts of calam ities, helping us to get a job, preventing our being retrenched, finding us a new job, getting good g rad e s for us, healing us and our loved o n e s from sickness and d ise ase .

If w e fail at our own com unity level, w hat m ust it b e like in term s of our relationship to o th ers in society? As a sort of se q u el to last S u n d ay 's focus on “recognizing Christ"'we might do well to recall the picture of th e Last Ju d g e m en t painted by J e s u s - th at bit ab o u t the sep aratio n of th e good from th e bad and the criterion u sed for the sep aratio n . T h o se on th e “w rong” sid e w ere surp rised th at the Ju d g e m entioned th at they had not fed or clothed him and generally did not resp o n d to his n ee d s. His answ er: “W hen you neglected to do this to o n e of th e le a st of my brothers you om itted to do it to me!

W e have to learn to recognize Christ. W e have to learn to recognize him in people, not just th o se in need, but everyone whom w e encounter and with whom w e have to interact. W e have to learn to enco u n ter J e s u s in all the situations and circum stances w e find ourselves in, b e c a u s e all th e se contain ap p e als and challenges to react and respond a s true disciples of Je s u s . It might se em difficult, it might se e m dem anding, but then, it is a n ec essary co n seq u e n ce of our faith in the resurrection of Je su s. W e need to cultivate a vision of faith. “He is risen. He is with u s.” Are th e se just platitudes which w e mouth and rep eat? Or a re they ex p ressions of real d ee p faith in the Resurrection of J e s u s ?

W e focus so much on the “bad things" that we do, the com m andm ents th at w e break, but it might b e b etter to focus on th e good things that w e DID NOT DO! That, by th e way, am o u n ts to breaking th e o n e and only new co m m andm ent th at J e s u s g av e us: Love o n e an o th er a s I h av e loved you. W e have ju st celeb rated th e P asc h al m ystery which em p h asized th e trem en d o u s love that Christ had for us. T hat's the m eaning of that p h ra se “..a s I have loved you.” T hat is indeed som e criterion to m e a su re o u rselv es against! W e will nev er m e asu re up fully to it, but are w e anyw here along that line? This n ew n e ss of life that w e talk ab o u t so much an d h ea r ab o u t so much m ust a s s u m e so m e practical implications!

H o ly W eek H is

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th e A r c h b is h o p o f S in g a p o r e M o st

N ic h o la s

c c lc b r a tin g

th e

C h ia

litu r g y

o f H o ly W e e k a t h is

C a th e d ra l

Blessing the palms on Palm Sunday to commemorate Christ’s entry into Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover

Do this in

Blessing the Oil of Chrism which is used at Baptism and Holy Orders at the Chrism Mass on the morning of Holy Thursday

of Me

The celebration of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening

Priests of the Archdiocese concelebrating with their Archbishop at the Chrism Mass

Washing and kissing the feet in imitation of Christ’s action at the Mass of Holy Thursday

More photos with explanations in subsequent issues

Prostrating before the High Altar at the start of the Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion and Death on Good Friday

Blessing the Paschal Candle being held by Vicar General Msgr Eugene Vaz at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday

Photos by Ropix

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APRIL 1 4 -A P R IL 21, 2002

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

YOUNG CATHOLICS!

Are you joining us for WYD 2002 in Canada? WYD 2002”. Another book called “The prayers for WYD 2002” will also be given to participants. Each catechesis site will have a team responsible for preparing the liturgy, organizing the music and moderating the discussions. The sacram ent of reconciliation will also be available to all partici pants from July 23-26 . One special area will be at the Due in Altum Park on July 23, where everyone will congregate for morn ing p ra y e rs , sp iritu al s o n g s , Confession and finally the Eucharist. It’s going to be a great time for all of us - a time of spiritual growth and a time to show solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world. It will also be a great sign for the world to se e Catholic youths gathered together to proclaim the m e ssa g e of the Risen Lord to becom e "salt of the earth, light of the world". Come and join us from July 17 - 29. For further information please email freddy@cyos.org or log on to the Singapore world Youth Day website: http://wyd2002.netfirms.com or ask your parish priests for the application forms. If you are unable to get in touch with anyone, you can email me.

ON July 25 last year Pope John Paul II issued an invitation to the young people of the world to attend the World Youth Day 2002 in To ronto, C anada. He also presented the WYD cross to 47 Canadian youths at St P e te r’s S q u are, m entioning the them e, “You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the world”. (Matthew 5:13-14). The pope calls us to begin this pilgrimage to Toronto by renewing our commitment to Christ, our Lord. Let me tell you something about the event that will be held in July. WYD logo

The WYD 2002 logo consists of 4 elements: The Cross symbolizes the pres ence of Christ. He is the reason the participants are coming, the under lying reason for this trip that is a spiritual pilgrimage. It is not a tour. The Circle (yellow) represents the youth who will attend the WYD. Canadian Symbols - This y ear’s WYD event includes the whole of C anada and two symbols are used to express this. The blue section at the top rep resents the o ceans and w aters of Canada. The three open sides rep resent the oceans bordering C anada - the Pacific on the west, Arctic in the north and Atlantic on the east. It w as on these coasts that mission aries planted the cross as a sign of the faith that they brought. Maple Leaf - The fourth element of the Logo is THE MAPLE LEAF, the national symbol of Canada. Our itinerary:

We will begin our WYD 2002 under the guidance of the Youth Arise International (YAI) and we will spend 10 days in C anada. The Singapore delegation will make its first stop in Ottawa, to

Youths from all over the world gather around a W orld Youth Day Cross at St Peter's Square in March as a prelude to the event in Toronto in July.

T o«X "

celebrate with YAI. The four days in Ottawa will be from July 18 - 21. During th ese days the youths will experience Canadian hospitality. There will be workshops focusing on how youths can share their faith. This will be based on a missionary mindset - pre-evangelization, inter cession, relationship with God/others and being led by the Spirit. There will also be talks on the basic steps of presenting the G os pel message.A nother great topic that

will be discussed is how to develop the leader within youths and the leader around youths. Although many of our youths have been to leadership talks, it would be an extra a s se t if we listen to such talks given by bishops, priests, nuns and experienced lay people. Besides the talks, there will be praise and worship sessions, testi monies and, of course, the highest form of worship, the holy Eucharist. The Mass will be celebrated in vari o u s lo catio n s to c a te r to th e languages of the people. From Ottawa we will move on to Toronto in the afternoon of July 21. All the participants will arrive in the G reater Toronto Area. Accommo dation will be provided. As usual participants will have to bring their sleeping mats. Accommodation fa cilities will definitely not have "5-star hotel” features and neither will there be dom estic helpers around to ac com m odate us. On July 23 we will have the Opening Mass of welcome. We hope

that the Holy Father will welcome and celebrate with us. If he is not p r e s e n t, th e n h is E m in e n c e , Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic, Arch bishop of Toronto, will celebrate the Eucharist at Exhibition Place near downtown Toronto. The evening will feature con certs at different exhibition places to cater to the vast number of youths who will be present. C atechesis will be held m ost of the days. There will be a handbook called "Salt and Light: Preparing for the

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S u ccess & M o tiva tio n a l C on su ltants

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

APRIL 1 4 -A P R IL 21, 2002

VIEWPOINT

IT H E I

C A T H O L IC N E W S EDITOR

Dr (Rev) Robert P. Balhetchet

a l l e d

b y

o d

MANAGER

Rev Fr Johnson F ernandez STAFF CORRESPONDENTS

Rev Fr Richards A m brose C hristopher Khoo Mel D iam se-Lee 2 HIGHLAND RD #01-03, SINGAPORE 549102 TEL: 6858-3055, FAX NO. 6858-2055 To send letters, articles and for editorial enquiries, please e-mail cnedit@catholic.org.sg. All other enquiries: cathnews@catholic.org .sg.

For correspondence

"FROM THE PEWS"

write to:

The Editor Catholic News 2 Highland R oad #01-03 SINGAPORE 549102

or e-mail

All of us are called by G od. All of us have, therefore, a divine vocation. H ow ever, the Fourth S unday of E aster is designated “W orld D a y o f P ra y e r for Vocations" - referring specifically to vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life. T h e reason for this designation lies in the G ospel p assage assigned to the Fourth S unday of Easter, n am ely the passage w h ere Jesus refers to him self as the G a te of the sheepfold and the Good Shepherd. T h e Pope, Bishops and Priests are tradi tionally referred to as S hep h erd s of the flock of Christ. T h e re w as a tim e, a good half century and BY DR (REV) m ore ago, w hen vocations to the Priesthood ROBERT P. and Religious life w e re abundant. Sem inaries BALHETCHET a n c f re lig io u s houses o f fo rm a tio n m ushroom ed to cope with the increase in num bers of young m en and w om en w ho w an ted to dedicate their lives to God. T h en began a fall in ‘vocations’ and the houses of form ation which had m ushroom ed fell vacan t and m any w ere closed. T h e S econd V atican Council c am e in for its fair share of blam e. Before the Council it w as com m on to think of the Priesthood and especially the Religious life as the p eak of holiness so that any person w ho w anted to really attain sanctity would aspire to total committm ent in the priesthood and religious life. T h e Council, how ever, pointed out that every individual w as called to holiness and had to ach ieve holiness in his or her

daily life by fulfilling the vocation that God had called them to. T h e d ecrease in vocations to the priesthood and religious life is also often blam ed on the changes in values of society. It is frequently m aintained that society has b ecom e very m aterialistic in its outlook and priesthood and religious life are perceived as requiring a moving a w ay from the m aterial to focus on the spiritual. T h a t w o uldn’t go down well am ong young people if they are focussed on the m aterial, it is alleged H ow ever, w h at does strike one in society is the seem ingly high level of generosity in young people and the not so young. T h e re are num erous groups all over the world, m any of them international, w h ere young people offer th em selves and sacrifice their resources to volunteer to go overseas, and leave the comfort of their lives at hom e to offer their services in projects g eared to helping the needy of one kind or another, in conditions that can be very dem anding, if not, even dangerous. G ranted this service is not alw ays a life long com m itm ent, but it still rem ains very dem anding on the individual. W h a te v e r be the contributing factors to the decline in vocations to the Priesthood and Religious life, perhaps a d eep re-think and thorough study of the w hole situation of vocations and the priestly and religious life is in order.

steeple@ singnet.com.sg

F ROM T H E PEWS

L itu rg ic a l In c u ltu ra tio n I am writing to you to let off som e hot air that h as been in my head ev er since Ash W ednesday w as mystically transform ed into Ash Friday this year. First, I’d like to say that this w as perhaps the g reatest faux p as the Catholic Church has m ade in all my years a s a Catholic. It is firstly an insult to all minority races, who have w atched with pained silence a s great red banners, ang pows an d C h in ese letters a re hung, som etim es without any grace or elegance in our churches over the last few years. Whilst I have a great respect for the Chinese a s a race and a s an ancient civilization, I would like to remind the bishops who decided on this novel idea that Singapore is a multi-racial society. If you accord one race superior

status and privileges and shifting a holy day in the Catholic calendar to suit the C hinese calendar/custom s a s in this c a se m ost definitely, then you should accord the other races in Singapore the sa m e privileges. W here, for instance, do you find in any church in Singapore an incorporation of oil lamps [a tradition peculiar to the Indian community at least] on, say, a grand night such a s Holy S aturday? I’ve never seen it in Singapore. H as any church incorporated or even bothered to incorporate Indian classical dance into their celebrations? No - not that I know of. W hen I w as in S araw ak witnessing the ordination of a d ear friend, I w as delighted to watch young d ancers coming out in their tribal/native c o s tu m e s to celebrate the occasion, to thank

God for his offer of service to the church a s well a s to m ake his ordination a truly grand affair. As far a s I know it, it w as a surprise, not a forced or coerced enunciation, shall I say, of a project. It w as spontaneous. I w ould like to s e e so m e spontaneity, so m e spark in o u r . local ch u rch es w here parishioners g ath er to celeb rate their ethnicity with simplicity and elegance, taking into mind th at w e are all m em bers of the body of Christ, all here to serv e a particular, p erh ap s unique function. St Paul alluded to this, a s h e did to the fact that in G od’s e y e s all rac es are equal. I feel greatly sad d en ed to have to preach a serm on to bishops who are far more holy than me. But I feel in.this case, they have m ade

T h e S a c r e d S p e c ie s O n e of th e m o st im p o rta n t teachings of the Rom an Catholic Church is the true p rese n ce of the Body of Christ. As read in CCC,

1 3 7 4 “....it is a su b stan tial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present”. This teaching certainly m arks a difference betw een Catholics and Protestants and thus the term M ass rather than Service. I have how ever observed som e sacrilegious ac ts if not impiety tow ards Our Lord during m a sse s with resp ect to the Body of Christ. The faithful may com m une with their h ands and drop h o sts onto the floor without proper retrieval. W asn’t the bread distributed the Body of Christ-? T hat would include the breadcrum bs a s well. If so ,,isn ’t it sa d to s e e th e Church actually approving of the faithful

com muning by h an d s w hen no one knows w hat the Faithful do with their h an d s after reception. It is highly probable that Faithful may simply brush their h an d s thus the Body of Christ lying on the floor and be stepped by many! And w orse still if they w ere to do som ething more than that with their hands before w ashing it. Iro n ic ally , C o m m u n io n M in iste rs a n d P r ie s ts w o u ld normally purify their h an d s after d istrib u tin g Holy C o m m u n io n although this practice is no longer required by today’s rubrics. D oes that su g g e st a double stand or am biguity of u n d ersta n d in g in teachings? D oes that too su g g est C ongregants are of higher position in C h u rc h litu rg y w h e n th e R epresentative of Christ h as to purify his h an d s after distribution yet not the C ongregants?

Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi. How w e pray depicts w hat w e believe. With th o se true events taking place in today’s Church, are w e still proclaiming that (Host) is truly the Body of Christ or a novelty? The Sacred Species are without doubt the holiest "things" that we handle - indeed, the Body and Blood of Christ himself. From that point of view, NOTHING would be clean enough — neither hands nor mouth, nor the vessels, nor the cloths we use. It is certainly important to be conscious of how we handle the Eucharist. While we agree that carelessness can and does creep in to our usage and handling, we must also avoid scrupulosity. We will always remain humans handling the divine. That is what makes the Eucharist so awesome. Would that we never lose the awe!

an awful blunder and they should abandon this silly idea of confusing ethnicity and holiness and give God the reverence he d eserv es on Ash W ednesday. For the C hinese who celebrate Ash W ednesday w hen it clash es with their new year, I have this simple suggestion. Abstain from having breakfast and do with fruit juice and water. Refrain from food till noon and have a half day fast. You can have your lunch and your reunion dinner. God understands festivities and the need to celebrate. W asn’t Je s u s celebrating at the wedding feast in C an aan ? I’m sorry, d e a r sir, that I have taken such a long-winded way. But I do hope th at this absurdity of changing d a te s and tim es will not occur again in the history of the Catholic Church in Singapore. I do believe and will insist to my dying day that it is both scripturally and technically wrong. Changing the time and d ates of holy days or even days of obligation is wrong, both in the ey es of ordinary mortals like me, and I believe in the eyes of God. Give to God w hat is his right, and to Pontius Pilate w hat is his. Basil

H u m b le o b e d ie n ce I refer to the Ash W ednesday issue. As I s e e it, it all boils down to the failure of humble ob ed ien ce to the Church. Did not Je s u s found his Church on earth on the solid foundation of his chief A postle Peter, the rock? Did he not give the Church the keys to H eaven? A bsolute and com plete pow er is given to His Church. The Bishops are actually our m odern-day ap o stles an d they are charged with looking after us. The decision w as m ade through the C o n f e r e n c e of B is h o p s , an d Catholics should ac cep t and obey with humility rather than m ake a hoo-ha out of it. Put it in reverse. If the Bishops had left the fasting and ab stinence on Ash W ednesday, they would h av e b ee n criticized a s being inhum an,uncaring, insensitive, etc. It's like a coin; either side looks different, but it still rep resen ts a coin. S o w e should not b e distracted but cool down an d grow into m ature C atholics an d live in the Spirit and not ju st satisfy o urselves drinking milk an d not taking solid foods.

With the publication of the New Missal, we suppose that Liturgical Commissions in dioceses around Vincent the world will be hard at work on translations and cultural a d aptations. Hopefully, they will study You certainly have a point. the "General Instructions" carefully A lot of people have written and also consult the laity for their on this issue. Of course it has feelings, ideas and suggestions. While the Third Typical Edition deeper ramifications than first of the Missal is meant to safeguard meets the eye, as we have seen the unity of the traditions of the from the various reasons ex Roman Rite, italso gives more scope pressed for the 'pros' and 'cons'. It's the reasons given which are to Bishops' Conferences and even Dioceses for specific adaptations of more interesting and we can only the liturgy, always, though, bearing | hope that these have been well in mind the communities they are noted. Can we suggest that we now intended for an d the better give the topic a rest? participation of the faithful.

APRIL 14 -A P R IL 21, 2002

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

FROM THE PEWS1 Pomp and Circumstance revisited I refer to Rev D eacon Ignatius’s com m ents on my letter, “Pom p an d C ircum stance”. I do not ag ree w ith h is re m a rk th a t my observations are “rigid”, and had to be tackled by th e Editor by applying good liturgical se n se . T he D eacon’s com m ents imply that it m ade “rigid” and “not good” liturgical s e n s e to follow th e directives a s spelt out in the 1984 V atica n p u b lic a tio n , th e new “C e r e m o n ia le E p is c o p o ru m ” p u b lis h e d by th e V a tic a n ’s C ongregation for Divine W orship by Authority of P ope John Paul II. T h e ru b ric s a n d liturgical req u irem en ts sp elt out in that publication are uniformly practised by bishops around the world, at least from w hat I observed when I w as o v erse as for som e time. I w as therefore wondering w hether or not, w e in Singapore, should be in uniformity with the rest of the Catholic world. I w as wondering from my observations w hether in Singapore w e prefer simplicity, to avoid the complexity of the altar servers rem em bering w hen to bring forth the mitre for the bishop, when to rem ove it for the bishop, when to hand the bishop the pastoral staff (crozier), when to rem ove it etc. Apart from my observations o v e rs e a s , I also noted in the Episcopal Ordination of our new A rchbishop, th a t th e principal celebrant, the Apostolic Nuncio, A rchbishop A driano B ernardini ob served all the above with regard

to the mitre an d the pastoral staff s e t u p a s a n in d e p e n d e n t during the solem n cerem ony. archdiocese, while MeFaka-Johor T he Editor h a s rightfully pointed b ecam e ano th er diocese. out that th e pom p asso c ia te d with S in ce 1972, th e re w ere no an Episcopal celebration, reflects s u f fr a g a n sees u n d e r th e th e m ajestic splendour of Christ A rc h d io c e s e o f S in g a p o r e . Himself, which should n ever be B eca u se it had no m ore suffragan denied. The bishop is the stew ard s e e s , I too had th e im pression that of th e g ra c e of th e su p re m e the A rchdiocese of S ingapore w as priesthood, celebrating a s chief no longer a Metropolitan se e. pastor and representing the person It w as only during the Episcopal of Christ in th e celebration of the ordination cerem ony of our new sa cram e n ts for us. The bishop is Archbishop, that I heard very the chief stew ard of the m ysteries clearly the apostolic m an d ate by of God and the overseer, promoter, the P ope being read, referring to and guardian of all liturgical life in our arch d io cese a s a metropolitan th e particular Church entrusted to se e , an d that Nicholas Chia is his care. As our new Archbishop appointed the METROPOLITAN s o a p tly m e n tio n e d in h is ARCHBISHOP OF SINGAPORE. thanksgiving ad d re ss during his This letter w as very, clearly and O rdination, “All th e pom p and distinctly read out to all by Fr splendour a re not for me, but for Francis Lau on that day. Christ”. W hen w e s e e the pomp D ea co n Ig n atiu s, h o w ev er, and splen d o u r of th e b ish o p ’s m aintains that our A rchbishop is a p p a r e ls , v e s tm e n ts , and not a Metropolitan, despite w hat p ag ean try , w e s e e in th em a w e h e a r from th e a p o s to lic glim pse of th at sp len d o u r that m an d ate by th e Pope. He may rightfully belongs to God Himself. wish to read the P o p e’s letter or to As for the issu e of the pallium, view the VCD of th e Episcopal I would like to m ake the following ordination. points: P Goh 1. I am aw are that th ere are a rc h b ish o p s w ho m ay not be You are right about the Archbish m etropolitans. op's title. It is M etropolitan 2 . 1 am fully aw are that in 1955 Archbishop of Singapore, even th e a r c h d io c e s e of M e la k a though there are no suffragans. S ingapore w as established a s the This is for historical reasons. He Metropolitan with Kuala Lumpur does not have the pallium be and P en an g a s suffragans. cause that is the symbol of the 3 . 1am fully aw are that in 1972, authority of a Metropolitan in re the archdiocese of S ingapore w as spect of his suffragans.

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T h o s e se rm o ns!

Another M issing C a se

About th o se serm o n s - the truth is, som e priests have no experience of working life a s w e have, S o instead, they preach down to us. They m ake us feel that w e are all perpetual sinnersand many parishioners Ihav© sh ared with have simitar views - w e think so m e priests actually w ear horse-hair vests withintheir cassocks - th e y have such pained expressions on their faces, its a w onder anyone bothers to listen to them. Being Catholic and being sav ed m ust m ean th at w e a re a joyful people. W e sh a re our ex p erien ces of p erso n al spiritual trium ph or failures - to work together a s on e to en c o u rag e o n e an o th er to en su re that w e all reach the prom ised land. I have taken the liberty to only go to churches w here I know the priests there are enlightened enough to give m eaning to their serm ons. I don’t s e e how God could sp eak through priests that keep telling us w e are bad every S unday and that w e shall go to hell if we don't repent. This is the on e thing that kept m e aw ay from the other Christian churches when I w as a teenager. I believe that Jo sep h is right - p erhaps the Catholic Church n eed s to revamp their priests’ sermons-giving - but public speaking or T oastm asters may not b e the an sw er - p erhaps they should be se n t into a real d esert for 40 days, ex p e rien c e so m e h ard sh ip and suffering and then com e back and tell us howthey survived., spiritually... or open up the serm ons session to lay-persons who have experienced life and lived to tell the tale...

T he Catholic N ew s s e e m s to read like a Perry M ason Novel. First it w a s th e c a s e of th e m issin g ap o stro p h e, now it is th e c a s e of th e m issing su rn am es. T h ere a r e two re a so n s why I feel th at the n am e an d su rn am e of th e w riter sh o u ld b e p ro p erly indicated. O n e co n cern s th e new an d budding writer. It will give them a boost in confidence an d a s e n s e of ach iev em en t to s e e their letters in print an d secondly, to qu o te ourwitty editor, it will prevent m e having “helluva” h e a d a c h e in answ ering telep h o n e calls asking w h eth er I am th e sa m e perso n who w rote th at article. Leaving out my su rn am e d o e s not offend me, but it d o e s give offence to my biological father, -much so my biological mother, who, by this indication a p p e a re d to have brought forth a fath erless s e e d into th e world or th e s e e d of a n am ele ss man. Ronald

No pretentions to belong to that league! The reason why surnames are left out is not to encourage anonymity - identity needs to be provided, but it will not be revealed to preclude anything being taken too personally. It is for that reason, too, that we will not publish parish names or localities as suggested by someone. Most certainly no insinuation is intended with regard to legitimacy or otherwise!

J.C.

St J o s e p h ’s In s titu tio n 15 0 t h A n n iv e rs a ry C e le b ra tio n ;

150th Anniversary Thanksgiving Mass Friday, 10th May 2002 Cathedral of the Good Shepherd 6.00 pm

The Great Lasallian Jubilee m

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Main Celebrant: A rchbishop Nicholas Chia

JS w S

C o-celebrants: F orm er Josephian s /Lasallians w ho are now priests

150th Anniversary Dinner Saturday 11th May 2002 ts So ^ Grand Ballroom, Suntec Ov Au f iC*tl " 0 0

SJI Commemorative Book Launch Saturday, 11th May 2002 Grand Ballroom, Suntec City 7.00 pm

2002 sees us celebrating two significant events: Firstly, the worldwide Lasallian community celebrates the 350th Anniversary of the Birth of our Founder, St John Baptist de la Salle. Born in 1651 in Rheiins, France, and through wisdom and God’s guidance, he established an order of Brothers who saw as their mission the education of youth, especially the poor of society. De La Salle’s inspiration continues today in the work of both the Brothers and Lasallian partners. Secondly, die year also sees the celebrations for the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of the Lasallian Family in Asia (1852 - 2002). SJI was the first Lasallian school to be established in Asia with the arrival of the first six Brothers on 29 March 1852. From Singapore, the Brothers opened schools in Malaysia, Calcutta, Sri Lanka, Burma, Hong Kong, Indo-China, Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

Sherlock

THE CATHO LIC NEWS

APRIL 14 - APRIL 21, 2002

VOCATIONS

EFROM THE PEW S* Appropriate Dress I a g re e w holeheartedly with Lim’s nothing about it. So let’s not blam e th e se things on cultural influences letter under th e heading Smoking in G od's h o u se in th e March 17-24 surro u n d in g us. T h e following 2002 issue of the CN. T hanks be excerpts w ere taken from an article to God, though I have yet to s e e on the life of B lessed P ad re Pio anyone sm oke in His house before, (who will be canonized this coming and hopefully never will, there is June) an o th er m atter which I think is even m ore pressing and should be “P adre Pio, se a te d in his open a d d re sse d by pasto rs through the confessional, all y ear round would p u lp it. I am ta lk in g a b o u t ascertain that the w om en and girls inappropriate, or m ore bluntly, w ho c o n f e s s e d to him w e re in d e c e n t d r e s s e s w o rn by wearing skirts not too short. He parishioners to church. would even c a u se te a rs to be sh ed Som e might ask, “Are there any w hen so m e o n e who had been laws or canons that speak on the waiting in line for hours would be issu es of smoking and dressing?” I tu rn e d a w a y b e c a u s e of an would a sk that person, w here are offending hemline... Then som e the laws and canons that forbid use kind souls would step forward and of c o c a in e or w a tc h in g offer help. In a corner, they would pornography? Obviously, there are unsew the hem , or e lse lend the none. D oes this m ean that our penitent a coat. Finally, som etim es innate common se n s e should not th e F a th e r w ould allo w th e be enough to guide us to recognize h u m iliated p e n ite n t to go to w hat is healthy and confession.” “O n e d a y his w hat is n o t? For correspondence Church laws and spiritu al d ire c to r regulations should r e p r o a c h e d him “FROM THE PEWS” not be considered fo r h is h arsh write to: a com pendium of c o n d u c t. He a n s w e r s to all replied: “I could The Editor possible questions. o bey you, but Catholic News e a c h tim e it is G od g a v e u s a 2 Highland Road #01-03 m ind and a J e s u s w ho tells SINGAPORE 549102 conscience and we m e how I am to should u se them to deal with p e o p le .” determ ine w hat is, H is se v ere or e-mail right and w hat is m anner, then, w as wrong, w hether or / s te e p le @ s in g n e t.c o m .sg in s p ir e d fro m not the particular a b o v e , u n iq u e ly for th e honor of is s u e h a s b e e n ad d ressed legally or not. God an d th e salvation of souls." Smoking tobacco is a digusting, “W om en who satisfy their vanity filthy, addictive habit that turns the in their d re ss can never put on the m outh of th e sm o k e r into an life of J e s u s Christ; m oreover they ashtray. It not only poisons the even lose the ornam ents of their body of the sm oker but pollutes soul a s soon a s this idol en ters th e air that o th ers around the into their heart.” sm oker breathe. It is absolutely “And let no one reproach him incompatible with the dignity of the for lack of charity: “I beg you not Christian sta te of life, w hether the to criticize m e by invoking charity, Church specifically a d d re ss it or b e c a u se the g re a te st charity is to not. deliver souls held fast by S atan in H o w e v e r, co m p ared to order to win them over to Christ.”” smoking, which ruins the body, Finally, let us rem em ber our indecent d re ss ruins the soul. Men Lady's w ords at Fatima that “certain . who w ear tight-fitting ‘m uscle-m an’ fashions will be introduced which shirts, w om en who w ear spaghetti offend O ur Lord very m u c h ”. strings or sle ev e less tops (which Imagine our Lady saying that in w ere considered the underw ear of 1917 and com pare this to the yesteryears!), miniskirts and tightsituation of today! It is definitely fitting pants, a s well a s people of not imagination but a prediction both s e x e s who w ear shorts to com e true! church are not only scream ing for Yee attention from others, but could also b e a c a u se for others to sin We sh a re your view ab o u t by looking at us w hen w e en ter the appropriate dress for church. As H ouse of God. a thumb rule we normally suggest W ho are w e to blam e? The office attire. Certainly what is culture around u s? I think that all seen today in churches would not of u s s h a r e s o m e s o r t of be tolerated in any office responsibility in this decline of environment. Signs at the doors resp e ct tow ards G od’s H ouse. For are a good idea, though it does not the laity, p arents should instill and mean that these will be observed. s e t g o o d e x a m p le s for th e ir The same goes for handphones! children. P asto rs should sound out Refusing entry or refusing their horror a t the pulpit or even Communion would cause a lot of refuse Holy Communion to tho se acrimony and, in many cases, who do not d re ss properly. Since would create unpleasant scenes w e live in a world which dem an d s at Communion time, which would p o litical c o r r e c tn e s s , p a s to r s hardly be desirable. People today should at least put so m e notices at would not be as accepting as in c h u rc h e n tra n c e s if th e y the past. We can really only th e m s e lv e s a r e to o tim id to constantly appeal to good sense reprimand. an d re sp e c t on the p art of At th e very least, priests could worshippers, and perhaps the se t an exam ple by alw ays wearing disapproving looks of others as their c a sso c k s in public. Of course, well. As for clerical garb, the cassock in this m atter it is the duty of the bishops to remind their priests that is not required nowadays especially this is alw ays followed. It is just in hot climates. People may not sim ple church order and discipline. be aware of this, but normal All of us have failed to do our jobs clothing has to be worn under the in so m e w ay or another by allowing cassock, which adds yet another innovations to creep in and did layer. □

T o

e n t e r

t h e

e n a c l e e n t e r

is t h e

t o h e a r t .

W h o a re th e C e n a c le S is te rs ? Under the guidance o f the Holy Spirit and Our Lady of the Cenacle, the Cenacle Sisters follow Christ in the life and mission to: “bring the good news to the poor, to give sight to the blind, to set captives free and to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.” The Cenacle Sisters listen and respond to the cries of the heart today through their ministry of faith formation: • giving retreats to groups and individuals who are seeking direction in life • offering spiritual direction to those seeking a deeper

relationship with God and a loving relationship with oneself and others, at home and at the workplace. Today, you will find the Cenacle Sisters present and doing their ministry in 17 countries. For more information contact: Cenacle Sisters 47 Jurong West St 42, Singapore 649368 Tel: 565-2895 Fax: 565-3875 E-mail: cenacle@mbox4.singnet.com.sg

CICM SCHEUT MISSIONS SINGAPOREANS WHO RESPONDED TO THE CALL OF MISSION - from the Church of Christ the King - Ordained priest in 1997

- a missionary in Zambia, Africa - came on home leave in June 2000.

- from Holy Cross Parish

- Ordained priest in 1999 - a missionary in Zambia, Africa

B ro . A n th o n y L e e

- from Nativity Parish - Now in formation in our CICM novitiate - Manila, Philippines

APRIL 1 4 - APRIL 21, 2002

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

MEMORIAM

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G A B R IE L NG C H IN N G A N

D A N IE L TA N SZE OON

Called home to be with the Lord on April 23, 1999 Deeply missed and always remembered by loved ones.

Departed: Apr 21, 1994 The years may wipe out many things. But this they’ll wipe out never, The memory of those happy days Which we had spent together. Dearly missed and always remembered by Grace and Desiree and all loved ones.

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Departed: Apr 25, 1995 Tender thoughts silent tears In loving memory of

The month of April comes with deep regret It brings back the day we will never forget. So sudden was the shock, So great was the sorrow, to part with the one we loved so dear It’s been seven years since you have left us but the memories of you will always remain. Fondly remembered by wife Bessie, sons, daughter, daughtersin-law, son-in-law and grandchildren. N ineteenth A n n iv e rsary

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K A T H E R IN E LOH JO O G EK

Departed: Apr 15,1977 Just a thought of sweet remembrance, Just a memory sad and true, Just the love and sweet devotion, Of one who thinks of you. Inserted by loving daughter Lucy and family.

G E O R G E V IC T O R SA N T H O U

Departed: Apr 13, 1983 Your presence is ever near us, Your love remains with us yet; You were the kind of father, Your loved ones will never forget. Always remembered by wife and children.

Departed: Apr 18,2000 Our thoughts are always with you Gone is your kindness beyond recall; Gone to a world where peace and love But in our hearts forever near. Mass will be celebrated at the Church of St Theresa’s on Apr 18, 2002 at 6 pm. Always remembered by loving wife, children, grandchildren and loved ones.

LA U C H A I K IA T A LLA N

Departed: Apr 10, 2001 One year have gone But in our hearts you still live on, Our thoughts are always with you. The memory of those happy days and good times. Lovingly remembered and dearly missed by wife Nancy Henry, sons Julian and Gerald.

Loving memory 2 8 y e ars

F o u rth A n n iv e rsary

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Eighth Anniversary

In loving memory of JO H N PETER K EN N ED Y

Departed: Apr 22,1974 But still the empty chair Reminds us o f the face, the smile, of one who once sat there. From your loving family and loved ones.

E leventh A n n iv e rsary

In loving memory of

MARY AUGUSTINE

K U R IA N S E B A S T IA N

Departed: Apr 24,1991 His helping hand was always first To render any aid he could; His voice was always raised in praise, His words were wise and good. Dear Father, since you went away, The ones you loved so true, Try hard to carry on the way We know you’d want us to. Lovingly remembered by wife Ivy Sebastian nee Ivy Paglar, sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren. Mass will be celebrated at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary at 6.15 pm on April 24, 2002. Please treat this as a personal invitation.

Departed: Apr 18, 1994 The depths of sorrow we cannot tell Of the loss of one we love so well, And while she sleeps a peaceful sleep, Her memory we shall always keep. Fondly remembered by Stella, Julius and loved ones. E T H E L K EN N E D Y Mass will be held at the Church of the Departed: Apr 2,2002 Holy Spirit at 6 pm on April 18, 2002. Rest in peace

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In loving memory of

M A R T IN S T E W A R T F E L IX GOM EZ

Departed: Apr 12, 2000 Close to our hearts you will always remain we still often talk about you and cry each time when we miss you. Rest in peace dear. Forever cherished by family and loved ones. N in th A n n iv e rsary

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Departed: Mar 31, 1998 In our home she is fondly remembered, Sweet memories cling to her name; Those who loved her in life sincerely, Still love her in death just the same. Dearly missed and remembered by family and loved ones.

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dear loving mother. You’re gone to be with our lord but are still living in our hearts. Always remembered by children, grand children, great grand children, sister, brothers, in-laws and loved ones

H ILD A SH A K U N TA LA BAI D/O FA T E H SIN G H

G A B R IE L A R O K IA SA M Y

LINA ROSA

Departed: Apr 19, 1978 Departed: 1963

Rest in peace, dear mom and dad Y ou’re gone, but are still living In the hearts of those who stay. Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Always remembered by Lazar Gabriel, Jeanette and Sarah, Christina and family.

FR A N C IS FERNANDEZ

Departed: Apr 17, 1993 What would we give to clasp his hand, His happy face to see. To hear his voice and see his smile, That meant so much to us. Deeply missed and always remembered by wife, Celine Fernandez, children, and loved ones.

Departed: Apr 21, 1986 God knows how much we miss her, Never shall her memory fade; Our loving thoughts ever wander, To the spot where she is laid. Always remembered by husband, parents and family.

THANKSGIVING G ratefu l th an k s to Jesus, Mother Mary, St Gerard, St Teresa and all in the saints for favours received.Please continue to protect and guide us always. C .J . O Holy St Jude, apostle and martyr, great in v irtu e and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Chfist, faithful intercessor of all who invoke your special patronage in times of need. To you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg you to whom God has given such great power, to come to my assistance. Help me in my p resen t urgent petition. In return I promise to make your name known and cause you to be invoked. St Jude, pray for me and all who invoke your aid. Humbly in need of your intercession. Amen. T hank you for answering my prayers.

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

APRIL 14 -A P R IL 21, 2002

VOCATIONS

Francis o f A ssisi was challenged to answ er the call o f the gospel. Today, his dynam ic w ay o f life, C hrist-centred and out-going, still seeks your response. T h e Franeissean F ria rs For information please post to: Friar John-Paul Tan OFM Franciscan Vocations Office 5 Bukit Batok East Avenue 2, Singapore 659918

Je s u s M a s te r is th e c e n t r e o f o u r lives. W e e n c o u n te r Him d a ily in th e liturgy a n d in o u r h o u r of a d o ra tio n b e fo re th e E u c h a ris t. W e bring to Him th e n e e d s o f h u m a n ity a n d d r a w from Him th e stre n g th to live o ur a p o s to lic v o c a t io n in th e w o rld o f c o m m u n ic a tio n .

O u r m ission o f e v a n g e lis a tio n c h a lle n g e s us to p ro c la im th e G o s p e l e v e ry w h e re th ro u g h v a rio u s fo rm s of m e d ia : b o o k s, m u sic , ra d io , s o ftw a re , th e in te rn e t, C D s, V C D s , D V D , v id e o a n d TV.

D A U G H T E R S OF S T. PA U L W hat is G o d calling y o u to d o to d a y ? Do you fe e l th a t p erh a p s you m ig h t w a n t to g ro w closer to G o d as a religious sister or Pauline C o o p e ra to r?

N a m e :__________________ Address:

j I a m in terested in finding out m ore a b o u t E m a il:______ Occupation:

Contact No: Age:

L IT T L E S IS T E R S OF TH E POOH C h r is t w a s s e n t b y h is

religious life as a D a u g h te r of St Paul m onthly p ra y e r session for single yo u n g w o m e n Pau lin e C o o p e ra to rs, o n e of th e institutes of the Pauline Fam ily, or a sup p o rter of our mission of sp re a d in g G o d 's Word DAUGHTERS OF ST. PAUL

47 Jurong West, St 42, Singapore 649368 Tel: 560-8003, Fax: 562-5857 e-mail: paulinefsp@pacificnet.sg

NAME: ADDRESS:

TEL:

AGE:

OCCUPATION:

AGE LIMIT: 18-30 years old, single (Except Pauline Cooperators)

F a th e r to b rin g G o o d N e w s to th e p o o r a n d

C A T H O L IC F A M IL Y CENTRE

to h e a l th e b r o k e n h e a r te d .

is l o o k in g f o r :

S is te rs o f t h e P o o r m a k e s us e n t e r fu lly

"Never forget that the poor are our Lord"

in s p ire d b y th e

Student-Care Teacher and Supervisor. Minimum GCE 'O' level Experience preferred. Admin Assistant Min CGE 'O' Level Bilingual in English & Chinese Computer literate (Word & Excel)

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Please send resume to No.4 Lorong Low Koon, Singapore 536450 or call: 62851377 for interview.

O u r in te n s e a p o s to lic

The SS.CC. Congregation was founded in 1800 and is present in 40 countries all over the world. It has over 1300 Fathers and Brothers and over 1000 Sisters. The famed missionary, Fr Damien, who ministered at the leprosy settlement in Molokai, and later became a victim of leprosy, is a member of the congregation. Fr Damien was beatified on May 10,1995. “The political and journalistic world can boast of very few heroes who can compare with Father Damien of Molokai.” MAHATMA GANDHI

FOR MORE INFORMATION

PLEASE CONTACT:

S a c r e d H e a r t s F a t h e rr es * PB l e s s e d S a c r a m e n t C h u r c h 1 C o m m o n w e a lth flr iv e , S in g a p o re 1 4 9 6 0 3 o r p h o n e F r A n th o n y H u tje s : 4 7 4 0 5 8 2 E - m a il : h u t j e s @ v e r i t a s . o r g . s g .

The new ly can o n ized saint, M a r c e l l i n C h a m p a g n a t and the M arist B rothers invite you to “fo llo w C h rist in the m a n n er o f M a ry ”

a c tiv ity is th e fr u it o f a n in te n s e life

* To live our brotherhood in the family of Mary in

o f p ra y e r a n d c o n t e m p la t io n o f th e W o r d o f God.

For fu rth er in fo rm atio n , please call or w rite to:LITTLE SISTERS O F THE P O O R •49 Upper Thomson Rd, Singapore 574325 Tel: (02) 2562532

The full name is: Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesu s and Mary and the perpetual adoration of the Most B lessed S acram en t of the Altar (SS.C C .) The Congregation is sometimes called Picpus.

(in Hougang)

O u r v o c a t io n as L ittle

in to th is w a y o f life

Congregation of the Sacred Hearts

"5th M ile Jin Cheras, Kuala Lumpur Tel: (03) 3911464

• 79 Lorong BatuLanchang Tel: (04) 8283437

* To educate, to serve and to accom pany young people, especially the neglected and the least favoured in the society. * To break the human boundaries by our common brotherhood. There is also the Champagnat M ove ment for Lay people who wish to live the spirituality o f Champagnat.

C O NTACT: Br A nthony T an , fms Maris Stella High School 25 Mount Venion Rd Singapore 368051 Tel: (02) 2803880 (O) (02) 96662059 (Hp) E-mail: ant@piaget.moe.edu.sg B r A nthony T ay, fms Catholic High School P.O. Box 383 Lanang Rd 96007 Sibu, Malaysia Tel: (084) 322327 E-mail: henght(g>pc.jaring.my B r R obert Teoh, fms 251 Jalan Gajah Berang, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia Tel: (06) 2835290 E-mail: tanba@pc.jaring.my

MARCEIUM CHAMPAGNAT fOUMOCR OF THE MARIST BROTHERS

Champagnat Movement

APRIL 1 4 - APRIL 21, 2002

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

T h o u s a n d s can be a F a th e r. B u t o n ly a f e w c a n b e a F a th e r t o th o u s a n d s .

To fin d o u t m o re a b o u t b ein g a D iocesan P riest, ju s t call a n y o f th e p rie sts below. O r v isit S t F rancis X avier M ajo r Sem inary, 199 P unggol 1 7 th A venue, S ingapore 8 2 9 6 4 5 . If you ve b ee n w a itin g fo r a sign, th is is it! Rev F r A n th o n y H o 6 3 8 7 1505 • Rev. Fr W illiam G oh 6 3 8 6 3 8 7 5 (w m goh@ pacific.net.sg) • Rev. Fr H e n ry Siew 6 3 1 2 4 7 1 9 (henrysw l@ singnet.com .sg)

P U B LIS H E D BY A R C H B IS H O P G. Y O N G , 2 H IG H L A N D R O A D #01-03, S IN G A P O R E 549102.

P R IN T E D BY K H L PR IN TIN G C O PTE LTD , 57 LO Y A N G D R IVE , S IN G A P O R E 508968.