APRIL 25, 2004, vol 54, no 9

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Vol 54 No. 9

F ro m a m e re 12 in c h es to a w h o p p in g 60,000 s q u a re feet...

P izz a m a g n a te p la n s to b u ild A m e r ic a ’s b ig g est C a th o lic c h u rc h

THE CHURCH THAT’S BUILT ON PIZZA-P A G E 16

“Show special care for altar servers, who represent a kind of ‘garden’ of priestly vocations.” - Pope John Paul n

V O C A T IO N S “Pray to the ‘Lord of the harvest’ for those who already follow Christ very closely in the priesthood and religious life, and for those whom he in his mercy continues to call to such important ecclesial service.” - P o p e J o h n P a u l I I

ONE for the mem ory - Apostolic nuncio Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio joins Archbisop Nicholas Chia and religious sisters for a photo session during his official visit to Singapore.

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Archishop Chia calls on Singapore Catholics to renew love for Eucharist.

Archdiocesan Eucharistic Congress to be held at Singapore Indoor S tadium -page 12

CARMEL ISPRAYER

CENACLE SIST E R S m ake th e g o sp el k n o w n to th e p e o p le of o u r tim e a n d w o rk fo r

o f th e w o r ld byawakening

the transform ation

anddeepening fa ith w ith a n d fo r th e p e o p le o f o u r tim e a s : 'f& cii>ÂŁ<!&(&&

rds God

Together your CENACLE S I S T E R S 4 7 Jurong West, St 42, Singapore 649368 Call us at tel: 6565 2895 Fax: 6565 3875 or email us at

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Discernment

Director Formation House Avenue, Ponggol 3 829729

370530 rs _ s g @ h o tm a il.c o m

"In your w ork o f ev a n g elisa tio n , u s e th e m o st rapid and effectiv e m ea n s p rogress m ay provide. lessed James Alberione, Founder

A p ostles are n eed ed w h o s e h earts are filled w ith God. W hen our heart is brimming over w ith love for God, our a p o sto la te will be effective.

Expand your heart, a s St. Paul did. May th e Gospel race ahead and reach th e w h o le world.

Theda Merlo, Co-Foundress

Follow me and I will make you into fish ers o f men.

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From Abraham to Peter, Andrew, James, and John to the disciples on the road to Emmaus and extending to you, Scripture reveals that nothing is so lifechanging as the call we hear that originates in God.

By Father Donald Senior, Cp

TH E m ost basic m eaning of vocation is not defined by any specific role or function but is som ething far greater, something written on a vast canvas. It is pure gift, w ith G od as its author and life as its subject. This call is not first and forem ost to a particular role in life but m ore it is a call to seek the face o f God, a call to holiness and the fullness of life itself. This is the endpoint of the biblical quest: to see the face o f G od and live. It is for this that we are called, all o f us as part o f the hum an family, and surely all o f us as part o f the church.

“Call” is not peripheral to scripture but essential to the B ible’s understanding o f human existence before God. W ho can forget in the opening chapters o f M ark and M atthew ’s Gospels those encounters by the Sea of G alilee? Fisherm en Simon and A ndrew casting their nets in the sea; Jam es, son o f Zebedee, and John his brother, sitting in their boat m ending their nets-they have no inkling o f w hat is about

to happen to them , som ething that will change their lives forever.

Jesus, w alking by the sea, calls to them , “Follow m e and I will m ake you into fishers o f m en.”

(M ark 1: 16-20). They drop their nets and leave their father and his w orkers behind in the boat where th ey ’d been sitting.

The B ible offers m any other stories, like the story o f P ete r’s call renew ed, w hich appears at the end o f Jo h n ’s gospel. It is perhaps the m ost exquisite story in all the N ew Testament.

D eflated disciples fish listlessly.

O n the shore o f the S ea o f G alilee, a figure appears w ith a charcoal fire bum ing-it is som eone unknow n but hauntingly familiar. H e issues

directions on w here to fish, and the fisherm en haul in an abundant catch, w hich prom pts a heart-pounding recognition.

Peter, knowing who awaits him, plunges into the sea and swims ashore. Sharing a breakfast o f bread and fish by the sea, the strain o f jo y and shame is about to burst within Peter. And then comes the moment o f reconciliation: “Simon Peter, do you love me more than these?” Peter undergoes the threefold question in order to heal the breach o f his threefold betrayal. Then Jesus invites him, “Feed m y lambs, feed m y sheep.”

P eter’s discipleship is restored, his call renewed.

In these and m any other biblical stories w here Jesus calls

disciples w e find certain basic qualities: • T hey m ake abundantly clear that the life o f discipleship begins not w ith a choice but with a call. Je su s’ authority and his alone is the source o f that call. It com es unexpectedly and w ithout w arning.

• M ost of the stories also make it clear that the call is foremost a call to follow after Jesus. The focal point is the person of Christ. The disciples follow after Jesus, not ahead o f him and not even alongside him. Jesus is out in front o f his community; the disciples follow behind, often in confusion and fear.

• B ut there is som ething m ore in the content o f the call.

Jesus says, “I w ill m ake you into fishers o f m en.” T he disciples who are called to follow Jesus will be plunged into the w ork o f transform ing Israel, o f renew ing the covenant com m unity, o f establishing the kingdom , o f healing and exorcism and teaching ju st as Je su s’ was. A nd their destiny w ould be to encounter the w ithering pow er o f alienation and death in Jerusalem ju st as he would.

• M ost o f all, the stories m ake clear the disciples’ lives w ould never be the same. T hey leave their boats and their fam ilies and new allegiances w ould be required.

The biblical call stories rem ind us that responding to G o d ’s vocation requires conversion and lifelong personal transform ation. It is not by accident that the m ost pervasive biblical sym bol for describing the life o f faith is that o f the journey. A ll o f Israel’s history is cast as a long and often tortuous jo urney o f faith: from the first stirrings o f A b rah am ’s trek into the pastures o f C anaan through the exodus from E gypt and the jo urney to the prom ised land, from the w renching experience o f exile to a m uted and hopefilled return to the land o f Judah.

A nd so, too, is the life and m ission o f Jesus cast as a long journey, beginning in the bursting energy o f his m inistry in Galilee and then the om inous and purposeful journey to Jerusalem w here he w ould m eet his destiny in death and Resurrection.

Response to G od’s call is not an instantaneous or static reality but one that unfolds over time and one that must endure the rigours of the march to Jerusalem, a journey that often involves challenge, fatigue, and failure.

Each one o f us has received a call.

O ur biblical heritage gives us the means to understand that call and to respond in faith. □

“ P ra y th e re fo re th e L o r d o f th e h a rv e s t to se n d o u t la b o u re rs in to h is h a rv e s t” (Lk io: d.

By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul

Pope John Paul said the Eucharist should be the centre of prayers for vocations.

II has asked Catholics to pray not only for new vocations to the priesthood and religious life, but for the strength, holiness and fidelity o f those w ho already have answ ered G o d ’s call.

“O ur first obligation is to pray to the ‘m aster o f the harvest’ for those who already closely follow Christ in priestly and religious life,” the pope said in his annual m essage for the W orld D ay of Prayer for Vocations.

“It is indispensable to pray that the ‘called’ rem ain faithful to their vocations and reach the highest possible degree o f evangelical perfection,” Pope John Paul said.

In 2004, m ost dioceses will

Pope asks prayers for vocations and holinessfor those already ‘called m ark the v ocatio ns’ prayer day M ay 2, the fourth Sunday o f Easter.

Pope John Paul said his “heartfelt w ish” was that prayers for vocations w ould intensify.

T hey should be prayers “both o f adoration for the m ystery o f G od as well as o f thanksgiving for the ‘great things’ he has accom plished and never ceases to realize despite hum an w eakness.”

The E ucharist should be the center o f prayers for vocations,

he said.

“T he sacram ent o f the altar has a decisive value for the birth o f vocations and for their perseverance because those who are called can draw from the redeem ing sacrifice o f C hrist the strength to dedicate them selves totally to the proclam ation o f the G ospel,” Pope John Paul said.

Priests and religious, he said, have a particular obligation to pray for new vocations and for people to take their place in

continuing to serve G od and their neighbours.

“T he strength o f the w itness o f those w ho are called depends on their holiness,” he said, and that is w hat w ill attract others to follow their exam ple and dedicate their lives totally to G od and to the church.

“This is the way to fight the drop in vocations to the consecrated life that is threatening the existence o f m any apostolic works, especially in m ission countries,” he said. □ c n s For the full text, visit: http:// www.vatican.va/holy_father/ john_paul_ii/messages/vocations/ d ocu m en ts/h fjp ii_mes_20031205_xli-voc2004 en.html

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F r. S im o n P e r e ir a , C .S s .R & T e a m 21 , Punggol 24 th A venue 829491 Singapore T e l : 63868019 E m a il: redpon@ singnet.com .sg

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“ Follow me and I will make you into fish ers o f men. ”

P O P E J O H N P A U L ’S Mary * * Queen , o f th e A , Rosary f g ■$

M E S S A G E T O P R IE S T S

A celebration o f V o c f f io r

Priests attract vocations by celebrating Eucharist w ell

By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul

II prayed that the m ore than 400,000 Catholic priests in the w orld w ould never take for granted the m ystery and blessing o f being able to celebrate the Eucharist.

In prom oting vocations to the priesthood, “your ow n witness counts m ore than anything else,” the pope told priests in his annual H oly Thursday m essage to them.

T he m essage focused particularly on how priests can encourage vocations am ong altar boys by the w ay they live, pray and celebrate M ass.

“In your hands they see the E ucharist ‘take p lace,’ on your face they see its m ystery reflected, and in your heart they sense the sum m ons o f a great love,” the pope wrote.

T he H oly T hursday rem em brance o f Je su s’ L ast Supper m arks the institution o f both the E ucharist and the priesthood, Pope John Paul said.

“T hese tw o sacram ents were b o m together and their destiny is indissolubly linked until the end o f the w orld.”

Jesus called his apostles to follow him and, by extension, “he called by nam e each and every priest in every tim e.”

A lthough C hrist is present w hen the faithful gather, the assem bly “is not by itself able to celebrate the E ucharist or to provide the ordained m inister,” because the priest, like the E ucharist, is a gift o f G od, Pope

John Paul said.

A ll Catholics need to pray for m ore vocations to the priesthood because they are G o d’s gift.

But priests them selves m ust cooperate by offering an exam ple to others, particularly to children and young people already involved in parish activities, especially those w ho serve at the altar.

“W hat counts is our personal com m itm ent to Christ, our love for the Eucharist, our fervor in celebrating it, our devotion in adoring it and our zeal in offering it to our brothers and sisters, especially to the sick,” the pope wrote.

Pope John Paul asked priests “to show special care for altar servers, w ho represent a kind o f ‘g arden’ o f priestly vocations,” to help them grow in their love for Jesus, to recognize him in the Eucharist and to experience the beauty o f the liturgy.

T he pope ended his letter by praying that the w o rld ’s priests w ould receive “the grace never to take for granted the m ystery put in your hands.”

Presenting the letter at a press conference, Cardinal Dario Castrillon H oyos, prefect o f the Congregation for Clergy, said the p o p e’s annual letter takes a personal tone and wants to help priests “rediscover the very high dignity o f their ministry and their responsibility to be trustees o f the inestim able gift o f the Eucharist.”

T he cardinal declined to com m ent on his opinion about w hether allow ing girls to serve

FATHER Patrick Goh, parish priest of Church of the Holy Family, is much loved by parishioners.

at the altar w eakens the potential to get boys to think about a vocation to the priesthood.

The Vatican, he said, has ruled that girls may serve at the altar and the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments may have more to say on the practice when it issues a document on liturgical abuses later in the spring.

A rchbishop C saba Tem yak, secretary o f the clergy congregation, said the congregation’s latest verified data show ed there were 405,067 Catholic priests in the w orld in 2001, about 1,000 m ore than there w ere in 1961.

He also said the num ber o f m ajor sem inarians - those in their last five or six years of preparation for priesthood - has alm ost doubled since the beginning o f Pope John P au l’s pontificate in 1978.

A nd, he said, the percentage o f m ajor sem inarians who leave their studies before ordination has declined significantly over the past 25 years: from 9 percent in 1978 to 6.9 percent today.

“G od is the G od o f history and he know s the crisis and acts w ithin it, for exam ple, by calling m ore m ature candidates,” said Cardinal C astrillon. □ c n s

“Priests in love with the Eucharist are capable of communicating to children and young people that ‘Eucharistic amazement’... lead them to the path of the priesthood.”

- Pope John Paul II ARCHBISHOP Nicholas Chia, known as the people’s priest before he became archbishop, is an inspiration to young and old.

POPE ADVISES PRIESTS TO CARE FOR ALTAR SERVERS 6 6 T he group o f altar servers, under your guidance as part o f the parish com m unity, can be given a valuable experience o f C hristian education and becom e a kind o f pre-sem inary. H elp the parish, as a fam ily m ade up o f fam ilies, to look upon the altar servers as their ow n children.

W ith the help o f the families m ost involved and catechists, be particularly concerned for the group o f servers so that, through their service at the altar, each of them will learn to grow in love for the Lord Jesus, to recognize him truly present in the Eucharist and to experience the beauty of the liturgy. Initiatives for altar servers on the diocesan or local level should be prom oted and encouraged. W hen children and young people serve at the altar w ith joy and enthusiasm, they offer their peers an eloquent witness to the im portance and beauty o f the Eucharist. Thanks to their ow n lively im agination and the explanations and example given by priests and their older friends, even very young children can grow in faith and develop a love for spiritual realities.

Finally, never forget that you yourselves are the first “A postles” o f Jesus the H igh Priest. Your ow n w itness counts m ore than anything else. A ltar servers see you at the regular Sunday and w eekday celebrations; in your hands they see the E ucharist “take place”, on your face they see its m ystery reflected, and in your heart they sense the sum m ons o f a greater love. M ay you be for them fathers, teachers and w itnesses o f Eucharistic piety and holiness o f life! 5 ? □

F o r th e full te x t o f th e p a p a l m essage, v isit:h ttp ://w w w .v a tic a n .v a /h o ly _ fa th e r/jo h n _ p a u l_ ii/ie tte rs/2 0 0 4 /d o c u m e n ts /h fjp -ii_ le t_ 2 0 0 4 0 4 0 6 _ p rie sts-h o ly -th u rsd a y _ e n .h tm l

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ESUITS Any men who know they are sinners, yet called to be companions of Jesus, as St Ignatius was, to engage, under the Cross, in the crucial struggle of our time - the service of faith which necessarily includes the promotion of justice; through dialogue with other religious traditions and the engagement with cu ltu re which is essential for the effective presentation of the Gospel"

T he n eed s of millions today, especially th e poor, are im m ense. / / • : ' And every hum an p e rso n hungers for spiritual fulfilment. / /

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T he w orld n eeds m en and w o m e n to bring the Kingdom of G o d to all peoples.

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Very few of us today are D pre p are d t o re sp on d generously t o G od 's call and challenge t o serv e o th ers. . *

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je jY c if;

Always challenging,

(General Congregation 34)

Always meaningful.

1gnatius of Loyola believed th at there was no service th at a Jesuit could n o t rend er to and for G od ’s people.

J e s u i t s - Com panions of Jesus - are missionaries, teachers, spiritual directors, scholars, carpenters, doctors, lawyers, astronom ers, administrators, poets....

T here is n o limit to th e kind of w ork Jesuits can do.

The Jesuit vocation means living the Gospel message fully, generously, perhaps even heroically.

It is not an easy life.

It is a wonderful vocation.

Everything for the greater glory of God; more is not possible.

In short, all Jesuits answ er th e Lord's call to serve Him anytime, anywhere and any persons in any m anner that best brings ab ou t G od ’s G reater Glory!

A \T "aatev er we do, w herever we are, and no m atter w h eth er we are Jesuit bro th ers o r priests, we are all Servants of Christ's Mission.

■ Pedro A rrupe SJ, Superior General (1965 - 1983)

I'E p rv /d/krp+'i; ijx r u v .

W e invite you to contact us for a friendly chat.

Fr Philip Heng, SJ at 6467 2790 o r email philipheng@pacific.net.sg Find o u t m ore at o u r website at www.jesuit.org.sg

THESE LO C A L MSN HAVE RESPONDED TO G O D ’S CALL

Fr. A n th o n y U rn , cic m Holy Cross Parish Ordained in 1999 M issionary in Zambia Africa

Fr. P e te r K o h , cic m Christ The King Parish O rdained in 1997 M issionary in Zam bia Africa

H O W A B O U T YOU ?

Br. A n th o n y L ee, c ic m N a tiv ity P a rish Theology Studies Manila Philippines FOR INQUIRIES CONTACT Fr. Paul Staes, cicm 4 Randan Valley #07-418 5 p o re 597628

T el: 6 4 6 8 2 6 4 5

EMAIL: spe@eatholic.org,sg WWW.SCHEUTMISSIONS.ORG

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“ Follow me and I will m ake you into f ishers o f men.

becam e a L a Salle B rother - B r Jeffrey Chan.

Some o f Fr T seng’s lay m an colleagues also later joined the religious life.

“It d id n ’t daw n on m e that my presence m ight influence the teachers as w ell,” said F r Tseng.

But it did.

English teacher M ichael B roughton becam e a L aSallian religious brother, now the w ell-know n A ssociate V isitor o f the L aSalle Brothers in Singapore, geography teacher M ichael d ’C ruz is now a w ellknow n Franciscan Friar and Chaplain o f the B rothers and students at SJI, and PE teacher A nselm Phang is now a C arm elite father. He is now in the US.

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 wounds, to toil and not to seek fo r rest, to labor and not to ask fo r reward, save that of knowing that I do your will.

- S t Ignatius’ Prayer fo r Generosity

HIS portfolio reads like one o f a busy CEO o f a m ultinational corporation, covering countries like the Philippines, H ong Kong, Ireland, Spain, the UK, and M alaysia.

A nd for Rev F r G erald Tseng, S J, his corporation is perhaps the m ost m ultinational o f all - it’s G o d ’s “corporation” and every m an is a client.

B om the sixth son in a non-Catholic fam ily o f eight boys and one girl, Fr T seng’s early years w ith the Catholic church w ere fraught w ith uncertainty.

Japanese troops had storm ed into Singapore and, am idst the violence and unrest, F r Tseng, then a boy about the age o f 12, found his peace w ithin the w alls o f a Catholic church.

Every m orning, he w ould traipse up the hill from his D evonshire R oad house to the Church o f the Sacred H eart to attend Mass.

It seem ed odd to neither his fam ily nor him self that he w as not Catholic.

Said Fr Tseng: “It w as the only church nearby that had M ass every day. The A nglican church w as far aw ay and they d id n ’t have w eekday service.”

S om etim es his brothers w ould join him but, often, he w ould ju st go alone.

There, he leam t a prayer that w ould determ ine the course o f the rest o f his life.

“I found the w ords o f St Ignatius’ P rayer for G enerosity so m eaningful that I decided to dedicate m y w hole life to serving G od as a priest - that w as m y one and only m otivation,” said Fr Tseng, who was baptized in 1944.

W hen the w ar ended, he enrolled at Saint Jo sep h ’s Institution, w here his brothers w ere studying. H e excelled in his studies, and w hen the tim e cam e for him to choose a profession, the fam iliar prayer from his youth cam e back to him.

Said Fr Tseng: “I had thought it over and concluded that other professions w ouldn’t lead m e closer to G od, but priesthood w ould draw m e closer. It was the best o f all the professions I could think of. I w ould be able to say the M ass and evangelise - that w ould be w hat G od w ould w ant us to do.”

W hen he told his parents his intention to becom e a Jesuit priest, they d id n ’t m ind one bit.

A m ong his siblings w ere already two teachers and one doctor - tw o w ould go on to be school principals and another, the first neurosurgeon in Singapore, said Fr Tseng.

Fr Tseng w ould also becom e a teacher, but first, he had a lot o f learning to do.

H e took intensive M andarin classes in order to jo in the Chinese novices and, after nine years o f training in M anila, he w as posted to teach in the W ah Yan Jesuit C ollege in Kowloon^ H ong Kong.

A t the end o f that academ ic year in 1959, Fr Tseng w ent back to school.

He was asked to take the “ slow boat” to Ireland to do his theological studies.

R u n n i n g a s t u d e n t h o s te l

FATHER Tseng w on ’t be still despite his age. His ministry now is in counselling - including by email - and in anointing the sick.

FR GERALD TSENG, SJ

To toil and not to seek for rest R ecalled F r Tseng: “In those days, there w ere no je t planes. We had to take a boat and it took 20 days to com plete the journey.”

It w as an adventure for the young priest, but he w as fearless - well, almost.

Said Fr Tseng w ith a laugh: “I was only afraid o f going to a country w ith a cold w inter!”

He sailed from H ong K ong to Singapore, across the R ed Sea and stopped in N aples, Italy. H e spent tw o nights recovering from the rocky boat ride in a Jesuit residence, then hopped on a train to Rom e.

A fter another short stay exploring the w ondrous city, Fr Tseng w as back on a train, w hich took him through Florence, A ustria, G ermany, Brussels, London and Liverpool.

A ferry from there took him to his final destination - D ublin, w here he w ould study for four years.

F r Tseng w as finally ordained on July 31, 1963, and becam e the first M alaysian/ Singaporean Jesuit.

A fter further studies in Spain and L ondon, Fr Tseng w orked as A ssistant Superior o f the Irish Jesuit Fathers o f Wah Yan college in K ow loon, H ong K ong w here he also taught.

H e w as later sent to M alaysia to take

over as C haplain o f Catholic students o f U niversiti M alaya, C atholic Trainee Teachers o f the Teachers Training College and C atholic students o f the RM SA. At the sam e tim e, he m anaged the Jesuit Student H ostel X avier Hall.

C o i n in g h o m e to S in g a p o r e S eptem ber 1975 finally brought the travelling F ather hom e.

He returned to Singapore and resum ed teaching full-tim e in SJI w hile saying M ass at St Ignatius Church.

“I w as lucky to be asked to teach Secondary 1 and 2,” said Fr Tseng.

“Teaching the low er levels is better because the students still have open m inds. By the tim e they are in Sec 3 and 4, their m inds are already m ade up about w hat they w ant to b e.”

A nd F r Tseng did inspire som e o f his students to dedicate their lives to serving God. He m ay be old, but Fr Tseng was quick to rattle off a list o f nam es.

Student C hristopher Soh, once a practicing lawyer, joined the Jesuits, another student, Fr Joachim Chang, becam e an A rchdiocesan priest and is now in St B ernadette’s Church. A nother student w hom he instructed and baptized

F r Tseng becam e A ssistant D irector o f the Catholic Junior College H ostel in A pril 1984, and in 1989, he retired from full-tim e teaching. From 1990-1998 he w as D irector o f Catholic Junior College Hostel.

R unning the hostel was hard work. Fr Tseng felt he co u ld n ’t reach out to the students as m uch as w hen he w as teaching at SJI. O ften, he w ould be up to his ears in adm inistrative w ork and running around the hostel.

Fr Tseng did not believe in hiring plum bers, carpenters or technicians. He did all the w ork him self.

“I saved a lot o f m oney,” he said, a tinge o f pride in his voice.

He estim ated savings o f about $1.6m

by January 1998.

“T hat w as all due to hard w ork,” he said. “W hen I w as young, I w as always interested to know how things w ork and used to open things up and put them together again.”

So fixing faulty lights and leaking plum bing w as a breeze for Fr Tseng.

A t the hostel, he w itnessed first hand how the stress o f studying for exam s could affect students.

He recalled: “T he students studied too hard. T hey cut dow n on sleep to study.

T here w as a scholar w ho studied through every night, but in the end, he cracked up.

H e started vandalizing the hostel doors.”

But the other students recognized his handw riting. Fr Tseng prescribed three full days o f rest for the boy.

A nother scholar studied so hard, she fell ill in the eve o f her prelim inary exams.

“She insisted on taking the exam s, but her fever was so high,” recalled Fr Tseng.

“I asked her: ‘D o you w ant to d ie?’ and told her to rest.”

H e m ade her go hom e to Ipoh to rest and eat w ell for tw o w hole w eeks. W hen she returned, she scored w ell in the final exam s.

In January 1998, F r Tseng retired from the hostel and took up residence at K ingsm ead Hall. H e continued to w ork as C haplain o f the L aSalle Brothers until he suffered a stroke in 2001.

B ut the ever-busy F ather still w o n ’t be still. H is m inistry now is in counselling including by em ail - and in anointing the sick.

“T his is m y w ork after ‘retirem ent’,” said Fr Tseng.

“For a priest, he does not retire entirely till he is in the grave. He just does w hat he can even when he is w eak and sickly.” □

) comply with the origin d mission, the Brothers are rsuing the spirit of their Founder, Blessed Peter Friedhofen, by itpting on his life, is goals are ours: o hiave a close union with us and to grow more and re in the love of God.

P A It I FORETC missions!

SOCIETY,i (Missions Etrangeresde Established in 1663

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T o lead men to Christ.

To plant the love of Mary in the hearts of men.

M CPFA

To take care of the sick out of Christian love.

C ontact:

As Brothers we serve the sick in different fields such as:Nursirig ♦ Administration ♦ Clerical ♦ Pastorl Care, etc

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For More information, piease c o n ta ct:

A s F ra n c is c a n w o m e n to d a y , w e b e lie v e w e a re ca lle d to c o n tin u e th e d re a m o f S t. F ra n c is o f Assisi b y liv in g fr o m G o s p e l to life , a n d fro m life to G o s p e l.

The Vocation Director The Vocation Director St. Joseph House Peter Friedhofen House 12 Jalan Sultan Azlan Shan, 5A Burghley Drive, 31400 Ipoh - Perak, Singapore 558984 Malaysia Fax: 6284 0489 E-m ail: brambrosesg@yahoo.com.sg

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Do you like to know m ore about us?

C o n t a c t : Sr. Florence Wong Sr. A gnes Ken Maryvale Clareville 77 Jalan Pemimpin 54 Jalan Gajah Singapore 577228 12000 Tanjong Bungah Penang, Malaysia flowong38@hotmail.com agnesfmdm@yahoo.co.uk w w w . f m d m s g m y . o r g

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8448 Sisters, 70 Nationalities dedicated to

Universal Mission An adventure in Communion at the service of Life and Hope

CAN0SSIANS-

women with a mission to tell the story of God’s Great Love to the women and men of our time

inspired by St. M agdalene o f C anossa com m itted to * contem plating the C rucified C hrist * living the spirituality o f the G reatest Love in com m unity * sharing the G ospel m ission - form ing hearts to love unconditionally - serving the poor and the suffering Today, there are more than 3,3 00 Canossian Sisters in 32 countries all over the world.

The Canossian Family also includes: T he Canossian Sons of Charity and an extensive network of Lay Associates: Lay Canossians, Lay Missionaries and Volunteers, committed to the common mission of “making Jesus known and loved.”

Contact: Bro. Paul Ching, FM S 15 F low er Road Singapore 549404 T e l : 6382-3448 F a x : 6289-6167

or

Bro. R obert Teoh, FM S

251 Jalan G ajah Berang 75200 M elaka M alaysia Tel: 02-2835290 Em ail: vmfms@pd.jctring.my

For more inform ation : Canossian Sisters 4 Lorong Low Koon, Singapore 536450 Tel : 62845170 E-mail : cfhfdcc@ singnet.com .sg W e b s ite : http://catholic-church.org/canossians-sg/

O u r mission is to

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contem plate, live, and proclaim G od’s redem ptive Love

''flk F ' Fr. F a b ia n v a n L ie s h o u t S S C C Damien House. 1D Gillman Heights. #01-38, Singapore 103001.

T e l: 6275 9174 Fax 6270 1745 E m a il: fabianvt@ pacific.net.sg

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“ Follow me and I will m ake you into fish ers o f m en .”

50 years ago, fun-loving Gladys Sewell experienced a calling to the life of a religious that also fuelled her desire to be a nurse.

A few days ago on April 16, Sr Thomasina - Gladys, being the first Indian ever to join the congregation, was named after St Thomas, the Patron Saint of India - celebrated her Golden Jubilee as a religious sister with the Franciscan Missionaries of Divine Motherhood (FMDM).

SR THO M ASINA enjoying her garden at M aryvale. Her personal motto is to be “in right relationship with God, self, people and creation.”

Sister Thomasina Sewell,

FMDM

Planting her garden with the seeds of love SR THO M ASINA comes from a close-knit family with two brothers and a younger sister (who also joined her as a religious sister).

SR T H O M A SIN A ’S early years were lived in Sentul and Petaling Jaya in M alaysia.

O ne o f the activities o f her very Christian fam ily that she rem em bers w ell w as the nightly fam ily rosary.

T hough educated in an IJ Convent, she did not feel the call to be a teacher.

She felt she w as called to be on m ission and to serve the sick. She w as attracted to the Franciscan w ay o f life.

Sr T hom asina recounts her early days as a novice in the International N ovitiate in G uildford, U K , w ith a chuckle. “T here w ere definitely lifestyle changes that w ere hard to adjust to initially, such as the cold w eather and the food!”

“I had never eaten anything aside from Indian fare m y w hole life and w hen I was first served sausage for a m eal in England, I thought I co u ld n ’t possible eat it!” she recollects.

T he cuisine and clim ate aside, the inevitable loss o f individual autonom y that governed a life in religious order and com m unity living, w as one o f the m ore difficult changes Sr T hom asina had to becom e accustom ed to. B ut overcam e them she did, w ith faith draw n from an attitude that if G od w as calling her, he w ould give her the necessary strength.

A golden jubilee m arks a significant m ilestone in the long journey undertaken by the 18-year-old student.

“M y departure into religious life was very painful to m y parents and m yself,” Sr T hom asina recalls. But challenges and the pain o f cutting family ties notw ithstanding,

she knew that joining the FM D M was G o d ’s plan for her.

H er parents w ere to experience this pain again w hen her younger sister, Pauline, becam e a religious sister in the sam e congregation.

“B ut it was bittersw eet pain because m y family, particularly m y father, w as very devoted to the church and its m ission to the poo r” she added.

A fter tw o years o f learning and experiencing Franciscan spirituality as an FM D M , she m ade her First P rofession in 1954.

“T he challenge w as, w as I prepared to accept w hat others chose for m e? - N ot m y w ill but G o d ’s w ill ?”

She always trys to be a “yes” to God and her congregation. Regardless o f what she is asked to do, she feels that G od always gives her the strength to fulfil the task.

R e lig io u s s i s t e r a n d n u r s e T he teenage desire to be both nun and nurse m aterialised w hen Sr T hom asina applied her G eneral N ursing and M idw ifery training in E ngland and Ireland to m aternity w ork in the FM D M hospitals there, and at O ur L ad y ’s H ospital in Ipoh, M alaysia and M t A lvem ia H ospital in Singapore.

In the late 70s, she returned to the UK to pursue a N ursing A dm inistration course. This w as follow ed by a course on Form ation Spirituality at P oona in India.

1981 saw her back in Singapore as N ovice Directress in their first FM D M local N ovitiate at Villa Francis. It was then that she branched out from nursing babies to taking care o f a H om e for the Aged.

Sr T hom asina soon discovered the old are not so different from the young.

“Everyone needs tender loving care, and given in large doses, they heal faster than any m edicine,” she said.

W hile at V illa Francis, she was im pressed by the m any young people from schools and colleges w ho cam e to help during the w eekends and holidays.

Six years later, she was asked to m ove back to M t A lvem ia w here she was involved in adm inistrative work. Then, just as she thought she was settled in, she was asked to be the local leader at the FM DM M otherhouse in the U K where she spent very happy years with Sisters w ho were from the M issions all over the world.

It w as a great experience listening to and sharing their vast experiences,

especially w ith those w orking in third w orld countries.

W hen asked if she “envied” these Sisters from the M issions, she said very simply, “Yes, but this is w here G od w ants m e, so I d id n ’t feel disappointed.”

The nurturing touch is evident in Sr T hom asina’s loving disposition w hich she attributes to years o f training in domesticity.

Currently residing in M ary vale, Singapore w ith four other FM D M Sisters, the house is w arm and w elcom ing thanks to her deftness in decorating and gardening.

Says Sr Florence, a fellow sister and resident o f M aryvale, “She is a hom e builder and keen gardener. W herever she goes, a garden grow s.”

Indeed her love and care are apparent in M ary vale’s garden - a lush bed of flow ers and ferns and plants. T here is the saying that w e plant our ow n garden and grow our ow n happiness. Sr T ho m asina’s garden o f life bloom s w ith blessings from 50 years o f servitude and devotion to G od and her com munity.

W hen interview ed, the vivacious Sr T hom asina sum m ed up her half-a-century o f religious life as being “fulfilling and life-giving”. Currently w orking part-tim e at M t A lvem ia H ospital, Sr T hom asina m akes sure that life is as fruitful and purposeful as possible.

She spends her after-w ork tim e and off-days visiting the lonely, seeing to household chores, cooking, gardening, taking w alks, w indow shopping, chatting w ith friends and even catching a m ovie every now and then.

S r T hom asina is a m usic lover. She cites Elvis Presley, C liff R ichard and Jim R eeves as som e o f her favourite singers.

In fact, if you happen to be at the E splanade for ‘Coffee M orning” you m ight ju st spot Sr T hom asina there.

“Y ou’ll definitely see m e there on the first M onday o f M ay” she declares excitedly.

“T h ey ’ll be playing songs from the 60s and 70s, m y favourites.

W hen asked if she is looking forw ard to her D iam ond Jubilee and m any m ore exciting and significant years to com e, Sr T hom asina says she w ill live life simply, taking a day at a time.

“M y favourite phrase in the Bible is from the prophet M ica 7:18-20; “to live justly, love tenderly and w alk hum bly w ith our G od”. □

“Many are those who have generously responded and continue to respond to the constant invitation of Jesus: ‘Follow me!’ ; they are men and women who accept to place their lives at the complete service of his Kingdom.”

- P o p e J o h n P au l EACH religious order has a charism that helps them focus on the mission members hope to accomplish in community.

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THIS IS PART ONE OF A SERIES ON THE PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL. WRITTEN BY THE ARCHDIOCESAN PPC PROMOTION TEAM.

ARCH BISH O P N icholas Chia and the priests o f the Singapore Archdiocese have decided to establish the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) in all parishes by the end o f this year.

W hat is the nature o f PPC? W hat are its functions? How is it similar or different from existing parish councils? How does it conform to our vision o f the church? How will it be implemented? W hat are the roles o f priests, religious and laity in PPC? How should PPC meetings be conducted?

The Archdiocesan Promotion Team will present a series of articles in the Catholic News to answer these questions. The team is made up of Fr Henry Siew (coordinator), Frs Eugene Vaz, Patrick Goh, Terence Pereira, Richards Ambrose, Ms Wendy Louis, Bailyne Sung, Pat De Souza and Teresa Lye. We begin w ith a theological reflection on the three roles o f the laity in this issue o f CN, and exam ine how this is linked to PPC.

The three roles of the laity and how the Parish Pastoral Council can help to realize them ordinary life, m aking holy our daily tasks at hom e and at w ork. T he m arried and fam ily life o f the laity, including daily labour and leisure, and the hardships o f life patiently borne - all o f these can becom e spiritual sacrifices acceptable to G od through Jesus C hrist (1 P eter 2:5).

A s prophets, w e are given the ability and responsibility to accept the G ospel in faith and to proclaim it to the world; and to courageously identify and denounce evil. This is to fulfill the L o rd ’s com m and: “G o into the w orld and proclaim the good new s to the w hole creation.” (M k 16:15) This prophetic role is also called

Ministerial and non-ministerial roles T he priestly, prophetic and kingly roles are entrusted forem ost to the bishops. T hey “preside in place o f G od over the flock, w hose shepherds they are, as teachers for doctrine, priests for sacred w orship, and m inisters for governing.”

Priests, by sacred ordination and m ission w hich they receive from the bishops, are prom oted to the service of C hrist the teacher, priest and king. T hat is, the m inisterial priesthood is to em body C h rist’s triple office, and they act in the person o f C hrist the head and in the nam e

The three roles “G O D now anoints you w ith the chrism of salvation. As Christ w as anointed priest, prophet and king, so m ay you live always as a m em ber o f his body, sharing everlasting life.”

This prayer said by the celebrant during the anointing after adult baptism indicates that as baptised people, we are m ade sharers o f the priestly, prophetic and kingly roles o f Christ.

These roles can be m ore fully appreciated w hen we understand the church as the People o f G od. This concept o f the People o f G od was first applied to the Israelites in the covenantal relationship o f the O ld Testam ent. G od said to them “I shall be their G od, and they shall be m y people.” (Ex 6:7; D t 7:6; L v 26:12). T he early church adopted this im age for itself.

St P eter told his com m unity o f believers that “you how ever are ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people he claim s for his ow n to proclaim the glorious w ork s’ o f the O ne w ho called you from darkness into his m arvellous light. O nce you w ere no people, but now you are G o d ’s people.” (1 P eter 2:9-10) T he intention o f this teaching o f the apostle is to show that the church is the People o f G od in the new covenantal relationship established by Jesus Christ (Col 2:11).

A s such, the church is to offer prayers and sacrifices to the Lord; to preach the G ood N ew s to all m en; and to be the servant-king to the w orld. T hese three roles apply to all m em bers o f the church.

A s priestly people, w e are to participate in private prayer and public liturgy. T his w orshipping role is to be exercised in spirit and in truth (Jn 4:24). It involves the participation in E ucharistic celebration and various devotions, as well as the integration o f the spirit o f prayer in

THE lay faithful need to fully participate, collaborate and share responsibility in the life o f the church.

teaching, preaching and w itnessing. Such teaching involves both w ords and actions, and m ost o f all the w itness o f our life style according to the G ospel values, because “people today put m ore trust in w itnesses than in teachers, in experience than in teaching, and in life and action than in theories. T he w itness o f a Christian life is the first and irreplaceable form o f m ission.

Just as C hrist, w hose m ission we continue, is the w itness par excellence and the m odel o f all Christian w itness.”

A s kings, we are to live up to our royal identity by m aking a gift o f ourselves and so serve others in justice and in charity, and in com bating and overcom ing the kingdom o f evil and sin (Rom 6:12). In other w ords, we are firstly to contribute to the realization o f G o d ’s kingdom here and now, and secondly to protect the church and the w orld from the onslaught o f evil.

O ur kingship is to be exercised in the form o f service, for this is the exam ple our L ord him self has set for us; that “the Son of M an cam e not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

(M k 10:454)

o f the church.”

T he lay faithful are m ade one body w ith Christ and established am ong the People o f G od through baptism ; they are, in their ow n way, m ade sharers in the priestly, prophetic and kingly office o f Christ.

This m eans that bishops and priests represent C hrist as the head o f his body, and the laity represents C hrist as his body.

In fulfilling their priestly function, the laity’s roles during the liturgy are supportive but not necessary. D uring the celebration of the liturgy, the priests can entrust to the laity certain responsibilities that do not require their being a priest, namely, to exercise the m inistry o f the w ord (lectors), to confer baptism (in cases o f em ergencies), and to distribute Holy Com m union . The laity should avoid dressing, behaving and appearing like clergy.

Bishops and priests are the official teachers o f the church in m atters o f faith and m orals. Therefore, only clergy are allow ed to preach at the pulpit during the E ucharistic celebrations. This does not m ean that priests “know b est”, or that they

are to talk dow n to the laity. It is true that priests m ay not alw ays practise w hat they preach, but as Scripture says, “they sit on M oses’ seat; therefore, do w hatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice w hat they teach.”

T he church is the w hole people o f G od, and authority com es from G od and resides in the com m unity as a w hole, but bishops and priests are given the pow er to form and govern G o d ’s peop le”. The adm inistrative structure o f the church is hierarchical, and this is an essential feature o f institutional governing. “I will give you the keys o f the kingdom o f heaven, and w hatever you bind on earth w ill be bound in heaven, and w hatever you loose on earth w ill be loosed in heaven.” (M t 16:19) B ishops and priests are entrusted leadership role in the church to help the church grow in love and unity, and strive for the fullness o f C hristian life and w itness.

The contributions of the laity The differences between the laity and clergy should not obscure the fact that the lay faithful are church to the same degree the clergy and religious are church - hence they need to fully participate, collaborate and share responsibility in the life o f the church.

T he laity as priestly people affirm s the com m on vocation to holiness o f all Christians. We are to assist one another to w alk “according to the Spirit” in our daily life. (Rm 8:9) and enhance the quality o f our prayer and w orship so that we can help believers to respond to God. T he laity as prophetic people take responsibility for faith form ation at hom e and in church; and participate in society and culture to form social conscience. The church as a w hole should speak out on issues o f social ju stice and other im portant social events w hen appropriate. A nd the laity is to contribute to public opinion and social policies by being involved in politics and public affairs.

T he laity as servant-kings is to be o f service to one another and to society. They have the right and obligation to take an active part in the life o f the church. T hey can and should collaborate w ith the pastors, participate and share responsibility for the planning and im plem entation o f parish pastoral plans.

T hese pastoral plans involve both the developm ent o f the church and the realization o f the G ospel values o f love, peace, truth and justice in society. In the past, the laity m ay not have been aw are o f this role or it m ay not have had the support o f som e priests. It is our hope that things w ill gradually but steadily im prove w ith the establishm ent o f PPC. T he structure o f Parish Pastoral C ouncils enables and invites all Christian faithful to participation so that they will live the G ospel better and that includes enhancing the spiritual and liturgical life o f its m em bers, spreading the G ood N ew s to all people; and serving the church and society.

T he PPC is an im portant m eans for the local church to realize the priestly, prophetic and kingly role o f priests and laity. □

ews Catholic rituals, Jewish roots

By Mel Diamse-Lee SINGAPORE - T w o other m onotheistic religions share the roots o f Judaism : C hristianity and Islam .

A braham , the patriarch o f the Jew s, is also recognised as the patriarch o f C hristians and M uslim s.

The first Christians w ere Jew ish believers first. H ence, m any Christian Catholic rites and rituals are derived from Jew ish religious practices, said P hilip K ok during a series of talks on Judaism , Christianity and Islam given to E ast D istrict parishioners at the C hurch o f O ur L ady Q ueen o f Peace.

M r K ok studied w orld religions. H e is chairm an o f Singapore A rchdiocesan Catholic C harism atic Renew al.

He noted that the Feast o f P entecost (Shavont to the Jew s) celebrates the w heat harvest and is often called the “festival o f first fruits” because fam ilies w ould bring the w heat harvest as an offering at the tem ple.

In C hristian context, the feast o f the P entecost is the experience o f the first fruits o f the Spirit o f God. To the Jew s, it is a form of honour to w ear holy garm ents w hen com ing before the Lord.

The guests to the tem ple or synagogues com e in good attire to show their “reverence, respect and honour” for God. Catholic priests, on their part, kiss the stole before putting it on as an act o f holiness.

In the sam e w ay that the Torah is put on the Jew ish altar, the Catholic lectionary is placed on the altar.

“H allelujah” or “praise G od” has its roots in Judaism .

“F or this reason, C atholics are the people w ho praise the Lord m o st” because the expression is part o f the ch u rch ’s liturgy, M r K ok explained.

T he Jew s keep their holiest religious item, the Torah, in the tabernacle. Similarly, Catholics, keep the sacred host in the tabernacle.

B oth Jew s and C atholics use specific songs for special m om ents o f the ch u rch ’s

liturgical seasons.

Im portant Jew ish rites include circum cision or “brit m ilah” being perform ed on young boys by a qualified practitioner. T he rite rem inds Jew s that they are descendants o f A braham and that they are to be obedient to G od. Jesus too w ent through this rite.

“B ar m itzvah” (literally “son o f the com m andm ent” refers to the cerem ony conferring and celebrating the status o f a boy o f 13 as an “adult responsible for his m oral and religious duties.” A Jew ish girl celebrates her“bar m itzvah” betw een the age o f 12 and 14.

M r K ok explained that one o f the 13 Jew ish principles o f faith is “the M essiah w ill com e”.

goats, m ust feel the least pain or no pain at all during slaughter.

M uslim s believe in G od, prophets, revelations, angels, destiny or fate and judgem ent day. The five pillars o f their faith are: confession o f faith, prayer, fasting, pilgrim age to M ecca and alm sgiving.

Im portant rituals and rites are also practiced by M uslim s, such as ensuring they are ritually clean before every one o f their five-tim es-a-day prayer. Prayer tim es are characterised by bow ing and prostrating at appropriate m om ents.

M s Julie Jam , a parishioner o f the H oly Fam ily Church, w ished sim ilar talks w ould be held in the future “for detailed studies o f the various religions. ” She added: “It is w onderful to learn about other religions. It helps us appreciate w hat we have.” D

Catholic

IRISH troops patrol the streets o f Monrovia as part of a U.N. peacekeeping force sent to quell the violent aftermath o f Liberia’s 14-year civil war.

The Singapore Archdiocesan Eucharistic Congress committee is organizing a project to help the people of Liberia, disclosed Archbishop Nicholas Chia in his recent pastoral letter on the Eucharist,“and we can show our solidarity with the poor by responding to this...project”.

The Irish soldiers, influenced by military chaplain Father Brendan Madden, have donated their own money to help an AIDS hospice run by the Missionaries of Charity. Catholic Relief Services and the pope have made donations to help childen and women suffering from the effects o f war, and other humanitarian causes, c n s p h o t o

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W ith the Poor in Jamaica

Digest

Philip Kok is chairman of Singapore Archdiocesan Catholic Charismatic Renewal.

This is the reason w hy the Jew s cannot accept that Jesus is the M essiah because they were expecting a “conquering king” w ho w ould lead them to kill their enem ies. T hey did not expect a “suffering kin g ”.

Like the M uslim s, w ho are perm itted to eat only halal food, the Jew s also observe a dietary law. Food prepared and served according to Jew ish dietary requirem ents is called kosher.

T he practice o f eating kosher food has nothing to do w ith hygiene, however. For anim als to be considered kosher, they m ust be killed under supervision o f a rabbi. Sw ine and fish with scale or fins are not kosher.

A nd like the Islam ic dietary law requires, anim als considered kosher, like sheep, cattle and

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PHILIPPINES President Gloria MacapagalArroyo stands next to Cardinal Jaim e Sin, the retired archbishop of Manila, during Mass at the Manila cathedral in early April. Cardinal Sin, 75, was celebrating his 50th year as a priest.

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SINGAPORE - Church o f O ur Lady o f Perpetual Succour w as packed

w ith clergy and laity, including m any students, for the C hrism M ass on H oly T hursday A pril 8 (photo above).

D uring the M ass w hich was concelebrated by A rchbishop N icholas C hia and priests o f the Singapore A rchdiocese, the chrism and oils used in the sacram ents o f baptism , confirm ation, ordination and the anointing o f the sick w ere blessed (photo left). Priests also renew ed their ordination vows.

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VATICAN CITY - On H oly T hursday m orning, m ore than 1,000 priests

w ho m inister in R om e gathered w ith their bishop, Pope John Paul, for the chrism M ass and the renew al o f the prom ises m ade at their ordination.

“H ow can w e not rem em ber, w ith thoughts full o f em otion, the enthusiasm o f the first ‘y es’ we pronounced on the day o f our priestly ordination?” the pope asked in his m orning homily. ‘“ H ere I am ,’ w e responded to the one w ho called us to w ork for his kingdom ,” the pope said. “We m ust repeat this every day w ith the aw areness that we have been called to serve the com m unity in a special way, in the person o f C hrist.”

D uring the m orning M ass in St. P e te r’s, w ith 1,450 priests, 47 bishops and 35 cardinals concelebrating, Pope John Paul also blessed the chrism and the oils used in the sacram ents o f baptism , confirm ation, ordination and the anointing o f the sick.

In his hom ily, the pope said the chrism M ass is a call “to contem plate C hrist w ho assum ed our hum an fragility and m ade it the instrum ent o f universal salvation.”

“In his im age every believer, filled by the anointing o f the H oly Spirit, is ‘consecrated’ to becom e an offering pleasing to G od,” the pope said.

Pope John Paul told priests that the “gift and m ystery” o f their priesthood m ust be protected and cultivated each day through prayer.

“T he C hristian people w ant to see us m ost o f all as ‘m en o f prayer.’ W hom ever w e m eet m ust be able to experience the faithful and m erciful love o f G od in our w ords and behavior,” he said. □ c n s

t h i s is it.

Priesthood. It could be burning in your heart and dwelling in your mind. If you have been pondering and searching for a sign, this could be it. Start by talking to us. Call or write to any of the priests below to find out more about being a Diocesan Priest. O r visit St Francis Xavier Major Seminary, 199 Punggol 17th Avenue, Singapore 829645.

Rev. Fr Anthony Flo 6587 1505 (sfxms@pacific.net.sg) Rev. Fr William C/oh 6386 3875 (wnrgoh@pacific.net.sg) Rev. Fr Henry Siew 6312 4719 (hsiew2003@yahoo.com.sg) Rev. Fr Kenson Koh 6556 9340

“The sacrament of the Altar holds a decisive value for the birth of vocations and for their perseverance, because from Christ’s redemptive sacrifice those called are able to draw strength to dedicate themselves entirely to the proclamation of the Gospel.” - P o p e J o h n P a u l I I

SINGAPORE Archdiocesan priests “share the cup” during the Chrism Mass at which they renewed their ordination vows.

CHRISM BLESSED AT MASS

Archbishop Nicholas Chia writes Pastoral Letter to Singapore Catholics

A renewal of love for Eucharist

Eucharistic Congress

Eucharistic Congress to be held at Singapore Indoor Stadium

By K R Goh SINGAPORE - A n Archdiocesan Eucharistic Congress will be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium June 13, the Feast o f Corpus Christi. This will be the climax o f a series o f activities planned to help Catholics better appreciate and deepen their love for the Eucharist.

The congress is being organised by the Singapore Pastoral Institute.

This was revealed by A rchbishop N icholas Chia in a Pastoral Letter to Singapore Catholics read out at all Catholic churches in Singapore on Sunday, April 18. The archbishop asked that Catholics m ake a special effort in the com ing weeks “to renew our com m unities in our love for the Eucharist”.

“O ur w orld very badly needs to m eet Jesus C hrist and we can reflect his light and life only if we ourselves contem plate his face. The best place o f encounter w ith C hrist is in the Eucharist.

There w e can see him in his passion and death and in his resurrection as the bread o f life,” said A rchbishop Chia.

H e sent a sim ilar m essage to Catholic youth and children in pastoral letters that w ere read out at Catholic schools and in parish catechism classes.

The them e for the Singapore Eucharistic Congress is “The Eucharist, Light and Life of the N ew M illennium ” w hich is the same as that for the 48th International Eucharistic Congress to be held in Guadalajara, Mexico, in O ctober this year.

A rchbishop C hia w ill be representing the region at the international event w hich is held every four years “to glorify Christ in the E ucharist and to w orship him publicly in the bonds o f charity and unity”.

The international congress has three essential com ponents - a catechetical aspect seeking to study

and explore the Eucharistic Mystery, an experiential aspect encouraging full, active participation in the liturgy, and a mission aspect leading Catholics to various works o f charity, mutual help, missionary activity and the various forms o f witnessing.

In unity with the universal church, the Archdiocesan Eucharistic Congress and the activities leading up to it will focus on “the central place the Eucharist has in the life o f the church and for our mission in the world today”.

“In these very troubled tim es we w orry about our future,” said the archbishop.

“O f course we are afraid and uncertain at times, but our faith in Jesus Christ helps us realize that we can rely on him. If we truly enter into the celebration o f the Eucharist with heart and soul, Jesus will be our light and life and nothing can extinguish this light.”

R eferring to the G ospel for the Second Sunday o f Easter,

A rchbishop C hia rem inded C atholics that in the Eucharist, w e have the chance to see the face o f Jesus today.

“The Risen Lord is with us, he gives him self to us in the Sacrifice o f the M ass. We should not dem and like Thom as to see before w e will believe. We are happy because w e have believed w ithout seeing. We w ant to see Jesus w ith the eyes o f faith. I pray that you may all encounter the R isen Jesus at the Eucharist and that your lives will always be directed and nourished by his loving presence,” he said, inviting everyone to participate in the parish and diocesan reflection sessions, retreats and celebrations in the com ing weeks.

T he archbishop also asked that all be generous in responding to the projects that help us live out our Eucharistic calling and “to respond to the G od w ho seeks us out and gives him self to us in the E ucharist”.

“ T h e H o ly F a th e r h a s e c h o e d th e c a ll o f C h r is t to ‘P u t o u t in to th e d e e p ’. H e sa y s, a n d I w a n t to sa y w ith h im , th a t ‘T h e c h u r c h la u n c h e s o u t in to th e s e a o f a n w m ille n iu m a n d k n o w s th a t it w ill b e a b le to r e a c h a s u re h a v e n b e c a u s e it d o e s n o t v e n tu re fo rth a lo n e n o r tr u s t in its o w n s tre n g th , b u t ra th e r, b e c a u s e its L o rd is e v e r p re s e n t, b e s to w in g o n it h is S p irit a n d n o u r is h in g it w ith h is s a c ra m e n ts , p a r tic u la rly th e E u c h a r is t.’”

He highlighted som e areas in w hich we should especially desire to serve the Lord.

The first o f these is ecum enical relations. A rchbishop C hia said it is his earnest wish that w e becom e a m ore m issionary church with a concern for unity with our sisters and brothers o f the Christian churches and peoples o f other faiths.

N ext he w ould like to see m ore Eucharistic worship outside o f M ass. “We need to develop in ourselves a stronger sense o f the m ystery o f G o d ’s presence in the Blessed Sacram ent,” said A rchbishop Chia. In line with this, churches will be designated for Eucharistic Adoration in the m onths ahead.

A rchbishop C hia added that he w ould like the Social M inistry o f the Church to grow and for our church activities to be less self-serving.

“We should all be involved in at least one activity or ministry that takes care o f the m ore needy people am ong us. T he Eucharistic Congress com m ittee is organizing a project to help the people o f L iberia in A frica and we can show our solidarity with the poor by responding to this and som e o f the other projects,” he said.

D eparting from his usual “Yours devotedly in C hrist” ending, A rchbishop C hia signed off as “Your loving archbishop” .

In his letter to young C atholics, the archbishop challenged them to “m ake a radical choice o f faith for Jesus.”

Archbishop Chia said, “W hen I think o f you I am filled with hope because you possess the knowhow to offer new ways to carry the message o f Christ to the world at the dawn o f this new millenium.”

He invited the youth to participate in Youth Week activities (June 7 to 11) being organised by the Youth M inistry Office. □

I Singapore 2004

Key Activities • Individual and group reflection and prayer to be held at the various parishes, neighbourhood groups and small Christian communities.

• C harism atic R enew al Pentecost Rally: Follow the

Spirit 2004.

M ay 3 0 ,7 .4 5 pm.

H oly Spirit Church.

• Public talks by F r Erasto Fernandez. SPI.

Eucharist as Memorial.

M ay 31, June 2 & 4, 9.30 to 11.30 am

Eucharist - Light and Life o f the World.

June 1, 3 & 8, 7.45 to 9.45 pm • Blessed Sacram ent Church Triduum : Eucharist - Light

and Life o f the World.

June 9 to 11, 8 to 10 pm.

• E ucharist Triduum at Church o f Christ the King:

Eucharist, Light and Life o f the New Millennium.

June 9 to 11.

M ain celebrant: Fr. Lee Z he Siew from Taiwan. In M andarin.

• A rchdiocesan Eucharistic Congress: Eucharist, Light

and Life o f the New Millennium.

June 13. Singapore Indoor Stadium. Q

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New apostolic nuncio makes first official visit to Singapore

By Sr. Wendy Ooi, fsp SINGAPORE - A rchbishop

Salvatore Pennacchio, w ho was appointed A postolic N uncio to Singapore last Septem ber 20, m ade his first official visit to Singapore M arch 31-A pril 6.

T he 51-year-old Italian prelate presented his credentials as the am bassador o f the Holy Father to President S.R. N athan at the Istana A pril 5.

D uring his one w eek stay, he visited the M issionaries o f Charity, St. T heresa’s H om e for the A ged, the Singapore Pastoral Institute and Church o f the Im m aculatae H eart o f M ary, and m et the sem inarians studying at St Francis X avier M ajor Sem inary in Ponggol.

D uring an encounter w ith priests, religious, and representatives o f various lay organizations, A rchbishop Pennachio urged everyone to pray for m ore vocations. He also expressed his eagerness to live his call as our apostolic nuncio despite considering him self a “nov ice” in his know ledge of Singapore and South E ast Asia.

Confident o f the L o rd ’s help, he revealed that the scripture w ords, “D o not be afraid” is his logo on his coat o f arms. In time he hopes to “know the church (of South-east A sia), understand the church, love the church and serve the church.”

The nuncio expressed his w illingness to listen to the people, and thanked the Singapore A rchdiocese for her continual support and generosity to the poorer churches in Laos, Cam bodia, and M yanm ar. □

Above: ARCHBISHOP Salvatore Pennacchio joins Archbishop Nicholas Chia and other guests for a meal and jokes after the dialogue with local church leaders (below). Also there were Sr Wendy Ooi and Fr Timothy Yeo. PHOTOS: RAYMOND TAN

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Fr. John Lee, Parish Priest o f Risen C hrist w arm ly w elcom es the presence o f the sisters in his parish, Sr. G race Lee, fsp expresses the sisters’ gratitude, “This new M edia Centre is a great gift from G od on our 10th anniversary of foundation. W hen we first arrived in Singapore on M ay 1, 1994, we offered ourselves and our m ission to G od for Singaporeans. We prayed that we

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“A Carmelite heritage, tradition & devotion”

“Passionate Enough?”

By Gina Ann Sebastian SINGAPORE - O ver 200 polytechnics and university students packed a cinem a, at Suntec C ity for a special screening o f “The Passion o f the C hrist” A pril 3. It was organized

by L iving Stones Cam pus O utreach (LSCO).

T he students, a m ixture o f C atholics and non-C hristians, w ere briefed on the last 12 hours o f Je su s’ life as an introduction into the m ovie.

D uring the m ovie, the silence w as punctuated occasionally by sobbing, blow ing noses, w hispers and people leaving the cinem a.

N obody w as seen indulging on the usual m ovie-going fare o f popcorn and soda.

A bout 70 o f the students jo in ed L SC O m em bers at a post-m ovie discussion over light refreshm ents at Brekz, at M arina Square.

T heir reactions w ere a com bination o f fun, sorrow fulness, seriousness and a yearning to understand. A m ajority o f them adm itted that they w ere driven to tears by the scenes o f Jesus being scourged and carrying his cross,and M ary ’s pain.

“I thought Satan w as really attractive,” said R egina Ong. “I guess this is reflective o f the battle betw een good and evil. It is easy to fall for the seduction o f evil; to fall into tem ptation.”

E ntitled ‘Passionate E no ugh?’ this was the first m ajor public outreach project

undertaken by L SC O since its transform ation about a year and a h alf ago. T hey w ere form erly the N U S Catholic C harism atic P rayer G roup.

Stella Soon, the L SC O project leader, shared that the the group had initially planned to discount the tickets prices by $2, but w ith m any other C hristian churches offering free tickets, they felt they too should supply the tickets for free.

Though tim e w as tight, they som ehow m anaged to get sponsors.

“I am ju st glad everything w ent sm oothly,” said Stella.

L SC O plans to follow up on all participants and encourage them to reach out to their friends. T he aim is to form C atholics on cam pus to be leaders for Christ.

F or m ore inform ation on LSC O , visit www.livingstones-

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PLANET LOVE: You can make it happen!

By Edwin Francis SINGAPORE - A t 7.30pm on

M ay 8, the Hosanna! M usic M inistry w ill launch the Planet L ove m ovem ent at St A nthony’s Church in W oodlands. It w ill be about an hour o f fun and interaction, w ith a m ultim edia presentation, m usic, dance, and m ore. A nd it ’s open to anyone.

B ut w hat is Planet Love?

O ur vision is a w orld o f love, the way it was m eant to be. The w orld it w ould be if everyone follow ed in the footsteps o f Jesus, and heeded his call to love one another as he loves us.

Im agine this w orld of unbridled love, o f understanding, care and peace.

W here neighbours trust each other, w here strangers are just friends you hav en ’t m et yet.

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and not the daily news. Sound incredible? T h a t’s Planet Love!

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Perth statue weeps again

Pizza magnate to build America’s biggest church Relax it's Domino^

From a mere 12 inches to a whopping 60,000 square feet... A pizza maker unvieils his plans for a church that will offer the American people a taste of paradise. Freddy Gray reports.

TH E m an w ho “m ade pizza delivery w hat it is today” is building what could be the largest Catholic church in America.

T hom as M onaghan (photo at right), who built up his D om ino’s Pizza com pany into the w orld’s biggest pizza delivery chain, is an exem plar o f the A m erican dream.

N ow he has dedicated his fortune - and the rest o f his life - to his very ow n A m erican C atholic fantasy: a new Catholic university and tow n.

In 1998, M r M onaghan sold D om ino’s Pizza and for a figure rum oured to be in the region of US$1 billion. He soon announced his intention to use the fortune to support the enterprise o f Catholic education. H e initially set up the Ave M aria Institute, a tw o-year course in Michigan.

Now M r M onaghan’s long term vision is the Ave M aria University, in Naples, Florida. It will be the first new Catholic University for more than 40 years.

The campus will cover 750 acres, and a tow n will be constructed alongside the university.

M r M onaghan has already put U S$200 m illion into the project.

And last w eek he show ed off designs and sketches for the O ratory o f Ave M aria, a 150 fthigh church w ith a lum inescent sanctuary that will be able to seat m ore than 3,300 worshippers.

T he futuristic church w ill be m ade from glass, alum inium and steel. It is designed to w ithstand hurricane w inds. V isitors to the church can expect to be confronted by a 40 ft body of Jesus C hrist on a giant bronze

PROPOSED design for new church on the campus of Ave Maria University shows a structure made o f glass and aluminum. The Oratory of Ave Maria, which is to be the centerpiece of the new campus, will seat more than 3,000 people and house a perpetual adoration chapel on the lower level, c n s ph oto

cross on the facade o f the building.

“It is only fitting that at a C atholic institution w here faith is at the core o f all we do, the dom inant building is a church,” said T hom as M onaghan at a press conference.

“There is no place like this in the w orld,” added M ark M endell, senior architect o f the project, “nor could there be. This place is designed to attract people from all over the w orld - the essence of a w orld class place.”

R epresentatives o f the Ave M aria U niversity project also revealed plans for 14 other buildings, including a “D onum D ei” (G ift o f G od) library, a student recreation centre, academ ic buildings and dorm itories.

T here is som e debate over w hether the finished oratory should actually rank as the largest Catholic church in Am erica. T he B asilica o f the N ational Shrine o f the Im m aculate C onception in

Mass for Christian policemen KUALA LUMPUR - Christian police personnel based in the K lang Valley celebrated the 197th Police D ay at the C athedral o f St John M arch 27.

The M ass w as celebrated by Capuchin Fr Valentine Gompok.

“We need leaders who will listen to the people, w ho will eradicate poverty, w ho will educate and who w ill reduce crim e,” he preached. H e rem inded everyone that “leadership is not pow er but service”.

Fr Valentine also rem inded the police personnel to fulfil their

prom ise o f “Cepat, M esra dan Betul” .

A ssistant D irector o f Special Branch, SAC II, C. Pakianathan reiterated Prim e M inister A bdullah B adaw i’s call to “carry out your task with professionalism to ensure the stability o f the country”. He also rem inded them that as Christian police personnel, they needed to “stay away from all form s of corruption, indiscipline and other negative elem ents that can bring your dow nfall and ruin your professional im age”. □ herald

W ashington D.C. is actually larger, at 77,500sq ft com pared to the Ave M a ria’s projected 60,000. B ut none can m atch the Ave M a ria’s seating capacity.

Peter Skonski, a spokesm an for the N ational Shrine in W ashington, w as unw illing to credit Ave M aria w ith the title o f “A m erica’s biggest”. F loor space is the crucial factor in his opinion. B ut he did not deny that the Ave M aria U niversity w ould be spectacular.

“W e’re all on the sam e team here as far as I ’m concerned,” he told reporters. “W e’re still the largest church in the U nited States in pure size, but I ’m excited for Ave M aria. I t’s w onderful that a new Catholic university is being established and th e y ’ll have a grand church in the m iddle o f the cam pus.”

The Ave M aria University has already opened. A temporary campus caters for the needs of some 120 students. The cirriculum includes literature, philosophy, theology, history, mathematics, biology, economics, political science and classical languages.

Som e o f the courses have a clear C atholic em phasis. Titles include: “M other T h eresa’s

C atechism ”, “Sacred M usic for the S oul” and “C atholicism in T udor E ngland.”

M r M onaghan has stated that he believes Catholic teaching is being neglected in other Catholic universities. He has, therefore, prom ised that the Ave M aria U niversity will be “unabashedly Catholic”.

Indeed, students at Ave M aria are encouraged to attend pro-life rallies and hold vigils outside abortion clinics.

The university founders describe its m ission as “uncom prom isingly com m itted to Catholic principles the form ation o f young m en and w om en in the intellectual and m oral values o f the Catholic faith.”

T he university is expected to be fully operational by 2006, and w ill accom m odate som e 5,000 students.

M r M onaghan, w ho also ow ned the D etroit Tigers baseball team , was put in ninth place in a survey by Inside The Vatican m agazine o f “Top 10 Catholics.”

He w as one place ahead o f “the p o p e ’s m ost im portant dayto-day assistant,” B ishop Stanislaw D ziw isz. □ c a t h o l i c

PERTH - A statue o f the Virgin M ary that has been draw ing crow ds since 2002 w hen it apparently began w eeping rosescented tears reportedly started crying again.

O w ner Patty Powell, who bought the statue 10 years ago in Bangkok, said it started shedding tears again on Palm Sunday.

“I had no idea it w as going to happen, but like all o f this, I take w hatever I am given,” Ms P ow ell said.

M s Powell started displaying the statue at the local church at Rockingham in 2002. But Archbishop Barry Hickey instructed her to remove it from the church after an analysis o f the “tears” found they were a mixture of vegetable oil and rose oil.

T hat ruling did not stop thousands o f people flocking to see the statue, w hich is now on display four days a w eek at P o w e ll’s hom e, renam ed the H oly Fam ily H ouse o f Prayer, w here she has built a shrine for the w eeping figurine. □

Bookies taking bets on the next pope CW N reports English Catholics and Protestants alike have attacked as “tasteless and immoral” those bookmakers who are offering odds on w hich cardinal w ill succeed Pope John Paul II. T he new s agency says the current favorite w ith the bookm akers Paddy P ow er and B etfair is Cardinal D ionigi Tettam anzi, the A rchbishop o f M ilan.

Bettors are offered odds o f 2 to 1 on Archbishop Tettamanzi with Paddy Power, which is based in Ireland and London, and 37 to 13 with Betfair, an online company.

Bishop T hom as M cM ahon o f B rentw ood told the Sunday Telegraph such betting w as “not acceptable or m oral.”

M artyn Eden, a director of the E vangelical A lliance, said: “This betting is so grossly tatty and tasteless. We should be praying for the right choice, not looking to m ake m oney from it.”

B ookm aker Paddy P ow er insisted that offering odds on the next pope w as “in the public interest.” A spokesm an for B etfair told the new spaper: “We respond to custom er dem ands”.

W illiam Hill, one o f B ritain's largest bookm akers, said that it w ould not open a book, on the grounds o f taste. A spokesm an said, “You c a n 't resign from the papacy, so it is hardly the same as betting on a football m anager’s jo b .” - Domus Enterprises. □ ,

Jesushas shown us how we must pray TH E poet, T heodore Roethke, once wrote: “In a dark belie that.” Jesus trusts God not ju st w hen truth seems tim e, the edge is w hat w e have.” In a dark tim e we to be p rev a ilin g , but also, and especially, w hen also have prayer. In the G arden o f G ethsem ane, as falsehood seem s to be trium phing. h e s w e a te d th e b lo o d o f lo n e lin e s s an d 3) R adical honesty and boldness in expressing m isunderstanding, Jesus dropped to his knees in fear: “L et this cup pass.” In G ethsem ane, Jesus lifts prayer: “A bba, Father, all things are possible for you. m ind and heart to G od. H e do esn ’t tell G od w hat he Let this cup pass; yet not m y will, but yours be done.” thinks G od w ants to hear; nor does he tell God where A nd com ing back and finding his disciples asleep, he, Jesus, w ould like to be at in term s o f maturity. he returned and prayed even m ore earnestly.” From N o, he tells G od where in fact he really is at, namely, Je su s’s prayer in the garden, we can learn how we cringing, frightened, and reluctant before bitter duty. sh o u ld p ra y in a d a rk tim e. W h a t are th e k ey T h e re ’s no denial or preten ce in his prayer. H is ingredients in Jesus’s prayer in G ethsem ane? A m ong hum anity expresses itself w ith childlike clarity. He other things, five elem ents m ight be highlighted: cringes before duty and is not asham ed to express 1) C hildlike intim acy with, and reliance upon, th a t to his Father. Iris M urdoch once w rote: “A G od as a great, all-loving, all-pow erful parent w ho com m on soldier dies w ithout fear, Jesus died afraid.” can m ake everything okay: Jesus begins his prayer H is G ethsem ane prayer reflects that. w ith the w ords: “A bba, Father ...” A bba is a w ord 4) T he w illingness to give G od the space w ithin w hich, at the tim e, a child w ould use w hich to be God: “Yet not m y will, but a ffe c tio n a te ly fo r h is o r h e r fath er, yours be done.” D espite everything in ro u g h ly e q u i v a le n t to o u r w o rd s him that cringes before the im plications “ D a d d y ” , o r “P a p a ” . O b v io u s ly it o f saying yes, Jesus still consents to give connotes a deep connection, an intimacy G od the space w ithin w hich to be God. beyond even friendship, a certain daily H e a c c e p ts th a t G o d ’s b ig g e r p la n fam iliarity. B ut it also im plies m ore, necessitates that som etim es real life, real nam ely, the sim ple, childlike hope that blood, and real dream s (and in this case o n e ’s father (or m other) can fix w h at’s his own) have to be sacrificed in the short w ro n g . S o m e y e a rs ag o , a m o th e r run. He accepts that there’s no other way described to m e the horror o f w atching and, because there isn ’t, he surrenders her teenage son die o f a gunshot wound. to duty, pain , m isu n d e rsta n d in g and T h e y w e re in th e ir h o u s e w h e n , death, w ithout dem anding in turn that

By F r R o n a ld s o m e o n e s h o t h e r so n th r o u g h a G od keep everyone fully briefed and R o lh eiser window. T he boy, stunned, m uted and — —— ............... satisfied at each stage o f the process. His dying from the gunshot, stum bled into the room in prayer gives G od a blank cheque, along w ith the time w hich she w as sitting. H e w as unable to speak in and space to fulfil his purposes, even if, for a time, w ords, but his eyes spoke the clear, sim ple plea o f a that purpose is grossly m isunderstood. ch ild : “M u m , m ak e th is o k a y !” O f co u rse she 5) R epetition, repeated prayer: “He returned and co u ld n ’t and he died in her arms. Je su s’s opening prayed even m ore earnestly.” Scripture prom ises that w ords in his prayer in G ethsem ane say roughly the faith and prayer w ill m ove m ountains, but it do esn ’t sam e thing - and prayer in a dark tim e invites us to p ro m ise that they w ill m ove them im m ediately. m ake this kind o f plea.

Som etim es for prayer to be effective, it has to be 2) Trust in G od, despite overpow ering darkness prayed m any tim es, over and over. Jesus does this in and chaos: “A ll things are possible for you.” D espite G ethsem ane. O nly after repeated efforts does an his aloneness, his betrayal, the hatred and m adness angel finally com e and strengthen him. around him ; and the fact that darkness, not light, S t M o n ic a p r a y e d f o r h e r w a y w a r d so n , appears to be trium phing, Jesus prays, trusting that A ugustine, for m any years. E ventually he converted the centre still holds, trusting that, despite every an d b ec am e o n e o f the g re a t sa in ts in history. indication to the contrary, G od is still solidly Lord G ethsem ane teaches us this lesson: prayer needs to o f this universe. In essence, his prayer is saying: be repeated. CS L ew is once said that “the harshness “Father, I believe you are still m aster o f this world, o f G od is kinder than the softness o f m an, and G o d ’s still m ore pow erful than all o f these forces, and your com pulsion is our liberation. T he prayer o f Jesus in truth and light are still w orth giving everything for, G ethsem ane, the m odel for all prayer in a dark tim e, despite the fact that right now everything seem s to illustrates that great truth. □

J 1929 U B-I20

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Bulletin of the Family Life Society, Archdiocese of Singapore

From the E D Dear Friends of Family Life, 29 March 2004 was a day to remember - the Charity Premiere of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ”.

It was a wonderful and heartwarming experience of the Catholic Church coming together and filling all nine halls and 1800 seats at Cathay Orchard Cineplex, during the poignant period of Lent, not only to watch a truly moving cinematic expose of our Lord's last 12 hours but also to demonstrate support for the fundraising event in support of Family Life Society.

We expect a net amount of just over $60,000 raised to help us continue operating our Family and Marital Counseling Centre at Highland Road, as well as our Pregnancy Crisis Service, Celebration of Life moral education programs, our hotlines for the youth (Youth LifeLine) and for young parents (Joyful Parenting), amongst other programs and services we provide for the Archdiocese (please visit our website www.familylife.org.sg and www.prolife.org.sg for more information).

On behalf of all of us here at the Society, as well as all the beneficiaries you will be helping with your contributions, thank you for your charity!

We would like to inform you of the Society’s Executive Committee appointments of Mgr Eugene Vaz and John Ooi as our new President and Vice-President respectively.

Our gratitude to Fr Ambrose Vaz and Dr John Lim (who continues in the capacity of Hon Secretary) for their services as President and Vice-President in the previous term.

God bless you and your families James Wong Executive Director

VCD of 10th HLI Asia-Pacific Congress ON SALE NOW! Missed th e Hum an Life In tern a tio n a l Congress in N ovem ber la s t year?

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Who Needs a Family Anyway - Joseph Meaney Signs of the Times - Rosa Linda Valenzona Culture of Death - Marlon Ramirez Sexuality Struggle - Freedom of Choice - Leslie Lung Families 'Nature's Way - Joan Clements Families in Crisis - Willie Cheng

D ay T w o • 7 N ov 2 0 0 3 Natural Moral Law - Fr Tom Euteneuer What We Need to Know About Anti-Life Organisations - JosephM eaney 9. Love Is The Reason - Joan Clements 10. The Pope on Sex and the Meaning of Life - Fr Tom Euteneuer 11. Ethical Implications of Surrogate Parenting - Fr Jam es Yeo 12. What Is A Christian Family? - Archbishop Nicholas Chia 7.

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D ay T h re e • 8 N ov 2 0 0 3 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

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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 H LI B o o k o f S in g le C D Set o f 6 CDs F u ll

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Our Programmes and Affiliates: Family and Marital Counselling; Pregnancy Crisis Service; 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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Exams are just round the corner again. These days, it’s not only the children who are jittery. Parents, are also stressed when examinations come around. Our counselors provide advice to both children and parents on coping with examination stress.

It is not uncommon for children, even as young as preschoolers, to experience stress. Changes in the school or home environment, inability to cope with school work or parental pressure are some factors which can give rise to stress in a child.

Stress is not always unhealthy as a certain amount of stress helps to motivate a child in performing certain tasks e.g. finish his homework, compete in sports events etc. However if, the stress experienced is excessive, it may affect a child’s well-being and performance.

Some children may not be able to voice out or share their stress and frustration, as they may be fearful of being reprimanded or they may be unaware that they are stressed. There are emotional, social or physical symptoms that indicate that your child is experiencing stress.

E m o tio n a l S y m p to m s Anxiety and panic reactions Depression Irritability Outbursts of anger P h y s ic a l S y m p to m s Irregular or accelerated heartbeat Dizziness Heartburn Stomachaches or a “churning" sensation in the tummy Generalised body pain Teeth grinding Cold hands Skin eruptions Frequent infections or minor illnesses Flare-ups of chronic disorders e.g. asthma or allergies General lethargy Loss of appetite Restlessness S o c ia l S y m p to m s Quiet and withdrawn Procrastinates Indecisiveness

W HAT CAN STU D EN TS DO? R e s t W e ll Take short breaks of 5 to 10 minutes after about 45 minutes to 1 hour of studying. Do be realistic in your ability to absorb and memorise information. Relieve tension by listening to soothing music, watching TV, walking the dog or doing anything that is not too stimulating for the brain.

Get enough sleep. Burning the midnight oil till the wee hours of the morning is not going to benefit them the next day. Have at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep.

E x e rc is e Encourage a healthy exercise regime. Regular exercise causes the body to release endorphins which reduce stress and anxiety and improve concentration. Deep breathing exercise is also important as you need enough oxygen in your lungs.

E a t W e ll Avoid foods that are heavy and rich in carbohydrates as these can make you feel lethargic. Beverages such as coffee, tea and cola should also be avoided as they may contain stimulants that can raise tension. Instead, eat foods that are high in proteins and minerals such as fish, fruits, tonic and juice. For snacks, eat fresh fruits and nuts such as sunflower seeds or seaweed.

T a lk I t O ve r If stress is getting to you, confide in someone. Talk to your parents or friends. Do not keep it bottled inside as you may feel more frustrated and find it harder to focus on ybur studies.

S tu d y S m a rt Work out a practical timetable and ensure that you have time for revision before each exam.

While you should distribute enough time for each subject or topic, spend more time on weaker subjects and topics and less on the ones you are familiar with.

If you find certain subject/topic difficult and bogging you down, put it aside for the time being and concentrate on another topic or subject which you find easier, then come back to it later.

Use mind maps or formulate acronyms (ie words formed with the first letter of key words, key points or sentences) to help you memorise information.

W HAT CAN PARENTS DO? H ave R e a lis tic G o a ls a n d E x p e c ta tio n s o f Y o u r C h ild Understand what you child is going through and how much he can take. Every child is an individual with unique abilities. Assess your child’s ability and set realistic goals for them. Parents should not compare their child's performance with that of friends or siblings as it puts unnecessary stress on the child as well as on parents.

C re a te A C o n d u c iv e E n v iro n m e n t Create a conducive environment for studying. Turn down or switch off the TV or radio. Cut down on family outings which may be long and tiring or may distract them from their study routine.

B e P o s itiv e Motivate and build their confidence by being encouraging and supportive. Praise them for their attributes or validate them for what they have achieved.

Prepare special meals which are rich in proteins and treat them to healthy snacks. Ensure that they also have sufficient rest and take short breaks from their studies.

Do N o t A d d To T h e ir S tre s s Be mindful not to quarrel or raise your voices in front of your children, nor complain about the other parent, family problems etc. Your child is not your emotional cushion and may be burdened and distracted.

R e la x Relieve their tension and even your own with relaxing activities e.g. take short walks in the park, pray together as a family etc.

Most importantly, parents and children should communicate with each other. It is a time to show care and concern and work together to achieve the best results. Good luck!

HELPLINES Q: I have 13-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son. Compared to her brother, my daughter is a quiet girl who keeps to herself.

She has not many friends and the teachers recently have expressed concern. She is a rather bright student, but lacks confidence. Once she was scolded by a teacher for not handing in her work on time. That got her all upset and she refused to go to school the following day. She is now in Secondary 1 and misses her old school, friends and teachers. I do not know how to motivate and build up her confidence. Please help.

A : It appears that your daughter is not responding to the change in school very well. Some kids'have a great fear of change. It is like stepping outside a comfort zone of six years, and being placed into a new environment where she may find it not so easy to adapt immediately. It may not be easy for her to let go of the comfortable and familiar environment of her past school. This couid be one reason why she keeps to herself.

You can help by encouraging her to do things more on her own and encourage her to be more independent. Help her to see and appreciate her independence, authority and responsibilities as a young adult.

Perhaps your son, who has gone through this transitional stage, can share his fears, sadness and loss of moving from primary to secondary school with his sister. Let her know that she is not the only one going through this, that there are also others in her class who face the same situation.

As her parent, try to understand what she is going through.

Listen with empathy and ask her about how she is when she returns from school. Spend time with your daughter to get to know her better.

Help her build her confidence back by focusing on her accomplishments and personal history. She will feel confident, competent and capable if she knows she has a strong family support system that makes her feel good about herself. Focus on her strengths and gifts. And as a parent, be realistic in your expectations of your children.

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Topic: “ T h e D iffe re n t S ta g e s o f C h ild h o o d ” Tel: 90227652 • 2 May, 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm at C hurch o f C hrist the King (Rm 109) Topic: “ P a re n ts A s M o d e ls ” Tel: 92713335 C h o ic e W e e k e n d 28 - 30 M ay a t C h o ic e R e tre a t H o u se , 47 J u ro n g W e st S t 42 A w eekend program m e fo r single adults to d isco ve r s e lf and the im portance o f fa m ily relationships.

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PATIENTS IN “VEGETATIVE” STATE Experts say pope’s speech to medical congress settles some key issues B y J o h n T h av is Pope Jo h n P au l II sp o k e a t le n g th to o v e r 400 d e leg a tes a t a c o n g re ss o rg a n iz e d by th e W o rld F e d e ra tio n o f C a th o lic M ed ical A sso ciatio n s a n d th e P o n tific a l A ca d em y fo r L ife. T h e th e m e o f th e c o n g re ss w as “ L ifeS u sta in in g T re a tm e n ts a n d V egetative S ta te : S cientific A d v a n c e s a n d E th ic a l D ile m m a s.”

I t w as h eld in R o m e f ro m M a rc h 17-20

VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul

I I ’s forceful defense o f nutrition and hydration for patients in a persistent vegetative state has narrow ed the m argin o f Catholic debate on the issue, according to church experts at the Vatican and in Rom e.

A t the sam e tim e, the p o p e ’s speech left som e key aspects o f the question open to further reflection and interpretation, the experts said. O ne crucial point the pope him self acknow ledged w as that tube-feeding loses its purpose w hen the patient is no longer nourished by the process.

Interview ed by Catholic N ew s Service in R om e A pril 67, the experts agreed that the p o p e ’s com m ents m arked a significant step in consolidation o f the C atholic position on the nutrition and hydration issue.

“I have no doubt that the im plications o f this statem ent w ill be considered extrem ely im portant, particularly in the m ore than 600 C atholic hospitals in the U nited States,” said R edem ptorist Father Brian Johnstone, a theologian in Rom e w ho deals w ith bioethical issues.

T he p o p e ’s com m ents are authoritative, church officials said, although less so than if they had been expressed in an encyclical or other docum ent.

“This is a speech that has a clarifying function. It is authoritative w ithout being definitive,” said Franciscan F ather M aurizio Faggioni, a theological expert on life issues and a consultor to the V atican’s doctrinal congregation.

T he m ain clarification to em erge from the p o p e ’s speech was that, in the church’s view, nutrition and hydration by “artificial” m eans such as feeding tubes are generally to be considered ordinary care and not extraordinary m edical treatm ent.

T h a t’s im portant because the church teaches that “extraordinary” m eans o f treatm ent for unresponsive patients can som etim es be discontinued. Som e Catholic experts have argued that feeding tubes fall into the category o f extraordinary treatm ent; the pope said otherw ise, and that w ill alter future discussion.

On this particular point, “it’s som ething that closes the debate, in m y view,” F ather Johnstone said.

“I w ould not consider it appropriate for a Catholic theologian, one w ho is com m itted to the tradition, to deny the (p o p e’s) basic

What the pope said IN the key section o f his talk, the pope said, “the adm inistration of w ater and food, even when provided by artificial means, always represents a natural m eans o f preserving life, not a m edical act.”

“Its use, furthermore, should be considered, in principle, ordinary and proportionate, and as such m orally obligatory, insofar as and until it is seen to have attained its proper finality, w hich in the present case consists in providing nourishm ent to the patient and alleviation o f his suffering,” he said.

Patients in a “vegetative state” do not lose their dignity or rights, and w ithholding food and w ater from them am ounts to euthanasia by om ission, says Pope John Paul II. “D octors and health agents, society and the church have m oral duties tow ard these persons, o f w hich they cannot exem pt them selves,” the pope stressed.

“Therefore, the sick person, in a vegetative state, aw aiting recovery or his natural end, has the right to basic health care, and to the prevention o f proposition and say that we can stop food and hydration” on the grounds that it is an extraordinary m eans o f treatm ent, F ather Johnstone said.

Father Faggioni said the pope cut through som e false distinctions in arriving at his conclusion.

“T he issue is not w hether it is natural or artificial treatm ent.

M edicine is all artificial, in a certain sense. T hat distinction m akes even less sense today -

com plications linked to his state,” the pope continued.

The lack o f “quality o f life” is no reason to cause a person’s death, but rather calls for greater loving care from those aiding the patient, insists the pope.

H e said that considerations about “quality o f life” are “often dictated by pressures o f a psychological, social and financial character.”

Euthanasia defined In No. 65 o f his encyclical “E vangelium V itae,” the pontiff explained: “E uthanasia in the strict sense is understood to be an action or om ission w hich of itself and by intention causes death, w ith the purpose o f elim inating all suffering.

‘E uth anasia’s term s of reference, therefore, are to be found in the intention o f the will and in the m ethods u sed .’”

In his address to the congress, the pope distinguished euthanasia “from the decision to forgo so-called aggressive medical treatment, in other words, medical procedures w hich no longer correspond to ‘artificial’ m eans are quite ordinary,” Father Faggioni said.

So rather than dw ell on w hether a tube or other instrum ent is involved, the p o p e’s speech focused on the function o f the treatm ent and its effect on the patient, he said.

B ishop E lio Sgreccia, vice president o f the Pontifical A cadem y for Life, w hich co­ sponsored the conference, said A pril 7 that the p o p e ’s rem arks have been w rongly interpreted

the real situation o f the patient, either because they are by now disproportionate to any expected results or because they im pose an excessive burden on the patient and his family.”

H e added, how ever, that this defense o f the fundam ental right to life, in particular in the case o f patients in a vegetative state, m ust be accom panied by “positive actions,” specifically, by supporting the fam ilies o f the sick.

“T hey cannot be left alone w ith their heavy hum an, psychological and financial burden,” the pope said.

“Society m ust com m it available resources to offer them help. In this area, doctors and health agents, as w ell as volunteers who help w ith assistance to the sick,” play a decisive part.

T he church feels personally com m itted to helping families of the sick, the pope said. He em phasized at the sam e tim e the “im portance o f spiritual consultation and pastoral help, as an aid to recover the most profound m eaning o f an apparently desperate condition.” □

ZEN IT, CNS

by som e to m ean that the feeding tube is obligatory in every circum stance.

W hen the pope spoke o f the “proper finality” o f nutrition and hydration, he w as m aking an im portant qualification, B ishop Sgreccia said.

“A s long as nutrition and hydration are a support, as long as it is food and thirstquenching drink that helps avoid suffering, it is obligatory,” he said.

“If the patient no longer assim ilates food and if the patient no longer has thirst quenched by fluids but is only torm ented, th ere’s no longer an obligation to adm inister it,” he said.

B ishop Sgreccia, the p o p e ’s top bioethics adviser, said the p o p e ’s w ords w ere w eighed very carefully. In the end, he said, they leave a “m argin o f ju d g m en t” to doctors and other health care professionals, who m ust decide w hether the patient is truly being nourished and having his suffering alleviated.

F ather Johnstone, w ho teaches at R o m e’s A lphonsianum U niversity and w orks in a hospice for the term inally ill, said som e experts have m ade the argum ent that tube-feeding can itself cause or increase suffering in a patient, especially w hen it requires constant adjustm ent or w hen the flesh around the tube degenerates.

M uch depends on individual circum stances and a d o cto r’s inform ed judgm ent, he said.

B ishop Sgreccia and others em phasized that the p o p e ’s speech did not appear out o f now here. T hey said the basic position in favour o f nutrition and hydration has been expressed before - for exam ple, in docum ents o f the Pontifical A cadem y o f Sciences and the P ontifical C ouncil “C or U num ,” I and in the 1994 “C harter for H ealth C are W orkers” published by the Pontifical C ouncil for H ealth Care W orkers.

“T he p o p e ’s speech is very m uch in line w ith previous church positions going back to Pope Pius XII. In this case, the H oly Father applies it to the particular case o f patients in the so-called vegetative state, and discusses the issue w ith a breadth and depth that is new ,” said Father Faggioni.

“I t’s a speech, so clearly this is not an ‘ex cathed ra’ pronouncem ent. It’s not infallible, and it’s not an encyclical. But it is not a casual teaching, either. The pope is confirm ing an im portant teaching in the light o f new m edical practices,” Father Faggioni said.

The experts said they w ould not be surprised if the pope w rites a new docum ent on this and related issues. Father Johnstone said he believes such a docum ent is already in the w orks, as an expansion o f the p o p e ’s 1995 encyclical, “E vangelium V itae” (“The G ospel o f L ife”). □ c n s

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If only we could become like children in the way we follow the Lord.

Then, becoming an example of holiness to the world would come to us automatically.

A K IN D E R G A R T EN teacher w as w alking dow n the hall w ith her students follow ing in single file behind her. W hen she passed another teacher, she softly said, “G ood m orning.” A s the young students filed past the other teacher, each o f them individually said in a hushed tone, “G ood m orning.” This gesture brought a sm ile to the face o f the other teacher and put an extra spring in her step.

W ouldn’t Paul and B arnabas have loved to have this little troop o f children am ong those w ho w ere listening to them preach? If only we could becom e like those children in the way we follow the Lord. Then, becom ing an exam ple o f holiness to the w orld w ould com e to us autom atically. We w ould know that our position as children o f G od is secure. We w ould be convinced that G od do esn ’t ju d g e us based upon w hat possessions w e have, how sm art we are, or how talented we are. We w ould treasure one thing and one thing only: that is our Father.

B eing “sim ply” G o d ’s child m eans that w e becom e his vessels, letting his light shine through us to the world. A s we adopt a childlike delight in follow ing Jesus, our lives w ill begin to show his light, and we w ill becom e a reflection o f him . Just like those children eager to be like their teacher, w e w ill w ant to im itate Jesus in even the m ost m inute o f details. A nd as w e do, those w ho see us w ill be com pelled to follow him as well.

T hrough daily prayer and Scripture reading, w e really can becom e follow ers o f Jesus, going w herever he leads us. A s we m ove through our days, w e really can expect to find opportunities to m anifest his love to other people. By follow ing him - our m aster teacher - w e can bring a sm ile to those w ho are lonely or hurting. M ay our actions alw ays be sim ple signs o f Je su s’ love, draw ing others to desire w hat we have! □

“Thank you, Jesus, fo r making me into a vessel o f your divine life and love. May they overflow from me and draw others into your wake.”

Sunday, A pril 25 □ A cts 5: 27-32, 40-41; P salm 3 0 :2 ,4 -6 , 11-13; R evelation 5: 11- 14; John 21:1-19

Do you love me?

JE S U S ’ questioning o f P eter in such a direct w ay was not intended to m ake P eter feel guilty. A nd neither w as it an “ego trip” for the Lord. Jesus d id n ’t need P e te r’s love to feel better about him self, and he certainly d id n ’t need Peter to reassure him. No, Jesus asked this question because he w anted P eter to look deep w ithin him self and see how m uch love for the Lord was actually there.

This w as probably one o f the m ost encouraging interrogations anyone could experience! Jesus questioned P eter to show that P ete r’s love for him really w as strong, even despite P ete r’s past failures. H e w anted P eter to see that w hile he w as hum an and w ould m ake m istakes, his love for Jesus could still cover a m ultitude o f sins (I Peter 4:8). True, Je su s’ question m ust have disturbed Peter initially.

But in the end, it restored his faith in h im self as a child o f G od and a chosen disciple. It helped P eter understand that no m atter w hat happened in the past, he could still serve Jesus fully.

Today, even though he already know s the answer, Jesus asks each o f us, “D o you love m e?” We should w elcom e this question. Jesus d o esn ’t doubt us. H e only longs to bum aw ay any unbelief with the fire o f his love for us, a love that w ill enkindle an even deeper love for him in our hearts.

L e t’s w elcom e Jesus into our hearts at Com m union today. We aren ’t perfect. We w ill m ake m istakes. B ut our love for Jesus can perfect us enough to m ake our lives a testam ent to him . A s we declare our love to Jesus, he will strengthen us and em pow er us to take up the w ork he has called us to. Then, our love for him w ill becom e visible pro o f that his kingdom really has com e. □

“Jesus, you know how much I love you. Continue refining me with the fire o f your Spirit so that I may love you more and demonstrate my love to you and my neighbours.”

“I tell you most solemnly, when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.”

CathoIicNews Fortnightly newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore Managing Editor F r Johnson F ernandez Staff correspondents M s. M el D iam se-L ee F r F rederick Q uek Sr W endy O oi, fsp Layout: M s. E laine O ng Consultant: M r Francis Yeo TO CONTACT US Editorial E m ail: cnedit@ catholic.org.sg P lease include y o u r full nam e, address and telephone num ber.

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JENNIFER WEE 9105-0312 T

Fr Kang’s acts have nothing to do with our Catholic faith I REFER to the letter from Ms. Hazel Ho “W hatever happens, let’s stand by the church” (CN, A pr 11 & 18).

The trial o f Fr. Joachim Kang has nothing to do with the faith. In no way does it touch on the faith or the church. It is agreed, it is church money, comprising donations. This is the only link to the church. The guilt rests solely on the accused and it makes no difference whether he is a priest, bishop, or pope.

To expand it further, when did the Catholic faith teach that a priest, bishop or pope cannot sin or fall? To be initiated into holy orders is not a guarantee of immunity to sin, misdemeanour, or infraction of the Commandments. The point is we should not see the trial as a trial of the church; and more so, not a trial of the faith. To put it another way, if a Catholic sins, Jesus Christ does not sin in accompaniment.

I believe all Catholics should be taught clearly that Fr. Kang is not the church or the faith. He belongs to the church and administers the faith. He

is not the church. Jesus Christ is the church and the faith. Just as a leader of a country is not the country, only its caretaker (hopefully, by democratic election), the pope, for example, is not the faith or the church, only its keeper, by the authority o f Christ.

Catholics have nothing to be ashamed o f and nothing to defend, or stand by, because, to reiterate, the church and the faith are not accused o f anything. To accuse the church and faith for any o f its priests’ misdeeds would be tantamount to accusing G od him self o f the sin.

If I may use an analogy, when Peter denied knowing Christ three times, before the cock crowed, he was guilty of telling a lie three times.

The falsehood was his alone, made under duress out o f fear for his safety. Christ was in no way implicated, or made an accomplice, by the lie.

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Church accounts should not be disclosed

I HEAR and read many sad stories about priests. I believe that without a priest we are lost. W hen we are bom we m ust have a priest to baptise us. W hen people get married they also must have a priest to marry them. W hen we die we must have a priest to bury us, to give us the Sacrament o f the Anointing o f the Sick. W hen my mother was very ill the parish priest of St Francis X avier Church drove to a far away hospital in the rain to give her Holy Communion. I hope that many Catholics like m yself appreciate what the priests do for us.

Hazel Aeria Singapore 576694

I DISAGREE with M r Patrick Tan’s suggestion “Publish Church Account” ( CN, April 11 and 18 ).

O ur religion focuses not only on forgiveness towards others, but also trusting, loving and having faith in people.

To give a donation, one must not expect to know how the money is going to be utilised, but to place trust in the authorised personnel (who handles the donation), that the money will be used in areas deemed necessary for the church or organisations under the church’s care.

W HEN it comes to taking care of our bodies, people today appear to be in one of two camps. They are either aware of the health risks of being overweight and are trying to do something about it, or they have no desire to change their lifestyle no matter what it costs them medically or physically.

In recent weeks, much has been written about the current obesity crisis in America. Studies have finally been done to show that fast food is not good for a person’s health. The studies that have shown the adverse effect of fast foods on children have caused the most notice, and we should be thankful.

Ever since fast food restaurants began marketing special meals for children, parents have been caught between making a child happy and providing proper nutrition for the child. But since many adults have had difficulty providing for their own healthy diet, it is no wonder that their children are picking up the bad habits.

The “Catechism o f the Catholic Church” can be brought into this discussion as well. “Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God. We must

Sally Law Francis Tan

take reasonable care o f them, taking into account the needs o f others and the common good” (No. 2288).

And in No. 2290, “The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco or medicine.”

Probably few realize they have a moral obligation to take care of their bodies; and if not for their own good, for the good o f society.

In the U.S. for instance, obesityrelated illnesses cost taxpayers US$75 billion in Medicare and M edicaid monies last year alone.

Those who are overweight can be the wealthy, who eat too well and too much, or the poor, who must depend on what they can get, which far too often is food that is high in calories and fat. But the wealthy have the means to take better care of their bodies because they have the resources to make wise choices.

According to the National Institutes for Health, weighing too much may increase a person’s risk of developing many health problems. If they are overweight or obese on a body mass index (BMI) chart, they may be at risk for type-2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, cancer, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis,

gall bladder disease, or fatty liver disease. A person can lower his or her health risks by losing as little as 10 or 20 pounds.

With so many diet books on the best-seller lists, it would seem that people are taking better care of themselves. O r maybe the same people are buying the books as they keep trying to find the diet that works for them.

People belonging to the camp o f “having no desire to change their lifestyle no m atter what it costs them medically or physically” have turned deaf ears to the discussion o f why they should lose weight.

M aybe they will listen if they hear St. Paul’s message that their bodies are to be temples of the Holy Spirit.

Because our bodies are destined for the resurrection, they should be treated with respect and reverence.

W hatever the motivation, everyone, young and old, should take care o f the body God created for each one o f us, if for no other reason than we have a moral obligation to do so.

The article fir s t appeared in the M arch 17 issue o f The Catholic Commentator, diocesan newspaper in Baton Rouge, La.

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iVmgMmwj Is the consecration gradual?

Q I I am told that that bells are no longer rung at M ass because there is not one m agical m om ent w hen the bread and w ine becom e the Body and B lood o f Christ, that the process o f transform ation is gradual through all the prayers at M ass. Is that true?

F a th e r E d w a r d M c N a m a ra a n sw e rs: First, there is no reason w hy a bell should not be rung at the consecration. This is still the practice at papal M asses and is explicitly foreseen in the new G eneral Instruction o f the R om an M issal, No. 150, w hich states: “A little before the consecration, w hen appropriate, a server rings a bell as a signal to the faithful.

A ccording to local custom , the server also rings the bell as the priest show s the host and then the chalice.”

A s to the theological hypothesis o f a gradual consecration given by your source: To put it mildly, it w ould appear to overstate the conclusions o f certain valuable contributions to eucharistic theology w hich have sought to em phasize the advantage o f considering the E ucharistic P rayer in its entirety, rather than lim iting o n e ’s attention to the form ula o f consecration, in order to achieve a fuller and richer concept o f the eucharistic mystery.

C oncentration on the m om ent o f consecration tends to privilege above all the aspect o f the R eal Presence, w hile taking the entire Eucharistic P rayer into account brings out m ore fully other aspects such as the E ucharist as m em orial o f C hrist’s sacrifice, his resurrection and ascension, the role o f the H oly Spirit, the

Twentieth Anniversary In loving memory o f

K.S. VINCENT Departed: April 20, 1984 The Lord is my shepherd; There is nothing I shall want.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would 1 fear. You are there with your crook and your staff; with this you give me comfort.

Always remembered by loving wife, children, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law and grandchildren.

First Anniversary

aspect o f m ediation, its role in building up the church, etc. In m any w ays this is the procedure used by the H oly F ather in his recent encyclical “E cclesia de E ucharistia.”

T he use o f this m ethod, how ever, in no w ay contradicts traditional Catholic theology as to a specific m om ent in w hich the bread and w ine are changed into C hrist’s body and blood at the consecration. T he concept of a gradual transform ation from bread to Eucharist is no m ore sustainable than the idea o f a nonhum an em bryo becom ing an alm ost hum an, o r a not quite hum an, foetus, gradually transform ing itself into a hum an being. There can be no stages in the eucharistic m ystery: It is either bread or it is Christ, there is nothing in betw een.

This truth is also indicated by the rubrics o f the M ass w hich explicitly state that the priest genuflect in adoration after consecrating the bread, and again after the consecration o f the w ine. This rubric w ould be senseless, not to say idolatrous, if C hrist w ere not already fully present from that m om ent. □

Father Edward McNamara is professor o f liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical Athe naeum .

Third Anniversary

In loving memory of my beloved Wife Son

Third Anniversary In loving m em ory o f

Fifth Anniversary In loving memory o f

Sixth Anniversary In loving m em ory o f

Third Anniversary In loving m em ory of

ABBEY FOO KIM BEE Departed: May 4,2001

G A BR IEL NG CH IN NGAN Called hom e to be w ith the Lord on April 23, 1999

M A RY CHUA SIEW KIM Departed: Apr 27,1998

BONIFACE ANTHONY GOMEZ Departed: May 7, 2001

We miss you in so many ways We miss things you used to say And w hen old times we do recall It's then we m iss you most o f all Fondly remembered by fam ily m embers and all loved ones.

M ass will be celebrated at Church of St M ichael on A pr 25 at 9.30 am.

Thank you for the years we shared Thank you for the way you cared We loved you then and we love you still Forget you, we never will.

Time takes aw ay 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 Remembered with love and deeply m issed by all the family, relatives and friends.

D eeply m issed and alw ays remembered by loved ones.

Thirty-second Anniversary In loving m em ory of

Sixth Anniversary In loving m em ory of

M ass will be held on Friday May 7, at C hurch o f St Louis, Kluang.

D early m issed by children and loved ones.

First Anniversary In loving memory of

E. CICILY D ’C RUZ

C H R ISTO PH E R D ’CRUZ Departed: M ay 9, 2003 July 28, 2001

A light from home has gone The voice we loved to hear is stilled Gone is the face we so dearly loved Leaving a vacuum in our home Never shall your memory fade Sweet thoughts o f you will always remain.

Always remembered by husband, children, in-laws, grandchildren and all loved ones.

Mass will be offered for the dearly departed at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Highland Rd on Saturday May 8, 2004 at 6.15 pm.

ALEX A N D ER GOM ES Departed: Apr 27,1998 In our hom e you are fondly remembered, Sweet m em ories cling to your name; Those w ho loved you in life sincerely.

Still love you in death ju st the same.

A lw ays rem em bered by family and all loved ones.

ED W AR D FERNANDEZ Departed: Apr 1,1972 Your m em ory will never grow old.

It was destiny that made us part The sorrow that broke every heart But as tim e will heal all pain We know w e ’ll one day m eet again A lw ays loved and rem em bered by wife, Susy and children.

PAULOSE THOMAS M arch 7, 1933 - May 9, 2003

“Miss Me - But Let Me Go”

Ninth Anniversary In loving m em ory of

Seventeenth Anniversary In loving m em ory of

Kindly adjourn to the Parish canteen after Mass for reception.

THOM AS S FRED RICK Departed: May 3,1995

IN M E M O R IA M M inim um $60 for an insertion not exceeding a ten-centim etre colum n (w ith o r w ithout a photograph).

A dditional space: $6.50 p er one-centim etre colum n.

C L A SSIFIE D A D V E R T ISE M E N T M inim um S$28 fo r the first 25 w ords. A dditional w ords: 50 cents a w ord. H yphenated w ords are considered as tw o w ords.

D O R E EN IRIS P. nee DA N KER Departed: May 1, 1987 D earest M ama, Years may come and years m ay go, But deep in our hearts the pain remains.

Just as your love for us will always flow, O ur love for you will never end.

Sadly m issed by loving sons, sisters and loved ones.

A lthough nine years have passed, your love and dedication as a husband and father, your kind words, and your w illingness to help others will always be in our hearts.

Rest in peace, dear loving father.

Fondly remembered by his w ife, children and grandchildren.

When I come to the end o f the road A nd the sun has set fo r me, 1 w ant no rites in a gloom fille d room!

Why cry fo r a soul set free!

M iss me a little - but not too long A nd not with your head bow ed low, Rem em ber the love that we once shared.

M iss me - but let me go.

F or this is a journey we all m ust take A nd each m ust go alone; It’s all a p a rt o f the m asters’plan A step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick o f heart Go to the frien d s we know and Bury your sorrows in doing good deeds.

M iss me - but let me go.

Mass will be celebrated at Church o f Christ the King on Sunday, May 9, 2004 at 6 pm.

Deeply missed by Mary Rose, Justin, Jenny, Collin, son and daughter-in-law and grandchildren.

F irs t A n n iv e rs a ry

In loving memory of

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THANKSGIVING WORKSHOP BY SR. GENEVIEVE A better Understanding of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Four sessions of 2 hours... a bird’s eyeview of the C.C.C. (Basic course) Date: Sun May 2 ,9 ,2 3 & 30. Venue: Holy Spirit Church, Thomson Rd. Cost: $30.

Registration: Tel/Fax: 6272-4056.

R.C.I.A CLASSES Blessed Sacrament Church, Damien Centre. Commencing Apr 28, every Wednesday, 7.30pm-9pm. Enquiries: 6474-0582 Fax: 6472-6545. E-mail: tanytjoe@pacific.net.sg Queen of Peace Church. Commencing in M ay every Friday at 7.45 pm.

Enquiries: Martin de Souza (9137-2607) William Chia (9817-4155) or Raymond Chong (9771-9050).

Non-Catholics who wish to know the Catholic Faith and Catholics who wish to deepen their understanding of the faith or to journey as sponsors with the catechumens are welcome.

XSPECIAL MASS IN HONOUR OF ST PEREGRINE Patron Saint of those suffering from Cancer or any other life-threatening illness. Date: Thurs., May 6, 8 pm.

Venue: St Joseph’s Church, 143 Victoria St. Celebrant: Fr Gerard Weerakoon. St Peregrine’s feast day is on May 4. The date of this mass, May 6, is a substitute. Enquiries: Elaine 97988295/mizee@singnet.com.sg or Molly 6481-8109. Organised by The Cyrenes, a Catholic-based inter-religious support group for the people with AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. All, including non-Catholics, are welcome.

VIGIL TO PRAY FOR VOCATIONS Date: May 1,9 pm to 6.30am. 9 pm: Sunset Mass. Prayers for each hour on the hour will be led by different groups.

Venue: Centre for Ignatian Spirituality, 8 Victoria Park Rd (Tel: 6467-2790).

Refreshments will be provided throughout the vigil. All are welcome.

CHOICE WEEKEND Choice weekend during Easter and Pentecost. Dates: Apr 23-25 / Jun 25-27.

Choice Retreat House, 47 Jurong West St 42. Enquiries: Terence 9695 6599, Jennifer 96710767. www.choice.org.sg email: choicewk@singnet.com.sg 25th ANNIVERSARY (SILVER JUBILEE) Holy Mass in Tamil on Sunday May 16 at 6.45 pm in Blessed Sacrament Church. Celebrant by Fr A. Ponnudurai.

LISS SEMINAR Praise@Work invites you to the Life in the Spirit Seminar (LISS). It is a 7week programme designed for busy working adults. Dates: Saturdays - 1 May, 8 May, 15 May, 22 May, 19 Jun & 26 Jun, 2.30pm to 5 pm. Venue: St Bernadette’s Church Parish Hall/AV Rm. Cost: $25 (Excludes costs of livein retreat). Contact: Stella (9069-6957) or Fran (9615-0989) Website: www.praiseatwork.org

O Holy St Jude, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in m iracles, near kinsm an o f Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor o f all who invoke your special patronage in tim es of need. To you I have recourse from the depth o f my heart and hum bly beg you, to whom G od has given such great power, to com e to my assistance. H elp me in my present urgent petition. In return, I prom ise to m ake your name know n and cause you to be invoked. St Jude pray for me and all who invoke your aid.

H umbly in need of your intercession.

Amen. Thank you for answ ering my prayers.

ANNI M ATHEW S

Departed: Apr 26, 2003 God looked around His garden And found an empty place He then looked down upon this Earth And saw your tired face.

He put his arms around you And lifted you to rest God’s garden must be beautiful He always takes the best.

Mass will be celebrated at the Church of St Mary of the Angels on April 25, 2004 at 5.00 pm.

Always remembered by all loved ones

In L d vlng 1Vifeiijurj Ninth Anniversary

G EOR GE IGNATIUS KESSLER Departed: Apr 25,1995 Tender thoughts silent tears The m onth o f April comes with deep regret It brings back the day we w ill never forget.

So sudden was the shock, So great was the sorrow, to part with the one we loved so dear It’s been nine years since you left us but the m em ories of you will always remain.

Fondly remembered by w ife Bessie, daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.

Thirtieth Anniversary In loving memory

JO H N PETER K ENNEDY Departed: Apr 22, 1974

Gone, but not forgotten

August 2, 1896 to April 21,1944 In memory of KANDASAM Y RATNAM

You had a heart o f gold O ne o f the best to behold You w ere generous, loving and kind These are the memories you left behind.

Always remembered by all your loved ones.

- b e lo v e d h u sb an d o f M arisu se am a l L ucas (dec) - son o f A p p a sa m y K a n d asa m y (dec) - b ro th e r to: K a n d asa m y M an ic k a m (dec) K a n d asa m y R o o k o o m a n i C h ellu m ideo - father o f D avindran R atn am @ Joe R atnam

Second Anniversary In loving m em ory o f

In loving memory of

Fifteenth Anniversary

First Anniversary

Second Anniversary In loving memory o f

Sixtieth A nniversary In loving memory of

PETER ZACCHEUS Departed: Apr 25, 1991 W e’re assured o f your love Even though w e’re apart ‘Cause so much w e’ve shared Is written in our hearts Dearly m issed by beloved w ife Jam una, son, daughters, and all loved ones.

M ass will be held at the N ovena Church on April 25 at 5.30 pm.

JO H N T H E S E IR A Departed: A pr 28, 1944 You were alone when you departed.

We were not there to hold your hand and bid you farewell But you left us with a memory of what has been and never more will be.

Rest well dear Dad you are still loved and remembered by your daughter June and son George.

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Nineteenth Anniversary In loving m em ory o f

HENRY SEBASTIAN M IRANDA Departed: May 1,1985 Time takes aw ay 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.

Sadly missed by your loving children, in-laws, grand-children and great grandchildren.

A mass will be celebrated at 6.15 pm on Saturday, M ay 1, at C hurch o f the Im m aculate Heart o f Mary.

Please treat this as a personal invitation from the M iranda family.

Thirteenth Anniversary In loving m em ory of

PAULINE TONG Departed:May 3,2002 In our hearts your m em ory lingers Sweetly tender, fond and true.

There is not a day, dear Pauline, That we do not think o f you.

Remembered with love and deeply missed by all the family, relatives and friends.

TA N Y ON G BOON KOH HO O D LUNG A U G U STIN E M ARY Departed: June 19, 1989 April 10, 2003

Just a thought of sweet remembrance, Just a memory sad and true, Just the love and sweet devotion, Of one who thinks of you.

Deeply missed and remembered by beloved family and loved ones.

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In loving m em ory of Second Anniversary In loving m em ory of

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BA SIL OLIV EIRO Departed: Apr 29,2002 N o pen can write N o tongue can tell My sad and bitter loss But almighty God above Has helped so well To bear my heavy cross.

Deeply m issed by wife, Sharon Oliveiro, son Alw yn Oliveiro, Father and loved ones.

AGATHA SEAH MENG CHOO Departed: M ay 3,2001

W e’re assured o f yo u r love E ven though w e ’re a p art ‘C ause so m uch w e’ve shared Is w ritten in o u r hearts.

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No Glass No Glass Half Glass Half Glass Half Glass

$ 10 $ 598 $ 798 $ 998 $1498

W e also have a wide selection of coffins to choose from.

Discount 10% for church members. No GST!

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For booking of Mount Vernon Funeral Parlours, please call

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Sadly missed by husband: Bernard Cheong, son: Joseph Cheong and loved ones.

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N A LPON PETER DAM IAN Called home to be with the Lord on May 3, 2002 Your heart o f gold stopped beating Two smiling eyes at rest God broke our hearts to prove He only takes the Best The tears in our eyes will wipe away But the love in our hearts Will forever stay.

D eeply m issed by wife, childen, grandchildren and all loved ones.

M ass will be celebrated at Church o f the Imm aculate Heart o f Mary on Sunday M ay 2, 2004 at 6.15 pm.

- N iche B 1-004

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M ass w ill be o ffe re d at C h u rch o f St A n th o n y o n A p ril 26, 2 0 0 4 at 6 pm .

D early m issed an d lo v in g ly rem e m b e re d by fam ily and all lo v e d ones.

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