6 Be fruitful, multiply; fill the earth and conquer it. Be masters of all creation. 9 (Genesis 1:28)
The crucial meeting
W O R K
W o rk -In Perspective On W ed nesd ay, 1st May, throughout the world, there will be a celebration that has practically become universal albeit under different names. For us in Singapore it is “Labour Day.’
have issued great Encyclical letters on the subject of work. The great S econd Vatican Council also deals with work in its great Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
We can hardly let such an occasion p ass without any reflection, not ju st b e c a u s e it is a universal celebration, but above all b ecau se it is the celebration of something that is absolutely universal and d ates back to the beginnings of creation - or should we rather have to say - even before the beg in n ings of creation. If th e narrative of creation in the Book of G enesis is anything to go by, one would have to maintain that God himself worked (at least, at least in our hum an m etaphor) to bring about the process of creation.
Without any doubt, work is something we cannot do without, and if we have, a s we say, “progressed and developed” it is because, knowingly or unknowingly, man has carried out and continues to carry out the command of God in Genesis: “Be
St. Joseph, the
Worker
Acknowledging the universality and the importance of work, the Church itself instituted a special feast to mark Labour Day. (Pope Pius XII in 1955). The F east w as titled the Feast o f St. Joseph, the Worker, in recognition of the fact that Joseph, the foster father of Je su s, and husband of Mary, w as a carpenter.
(Gaudium et Spes).
fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and conquer it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all living animals on earth." Man has, down through the ag es, certainly m ade trem endous progress in all fields through his endeavours, and continues to do so th ro u g h re se arch and developm ent, the fruits of which have been extended and applied throughout the created world. This is by no m ean s to be considered a challenge to G od’s suprem acy. As Vatican II pointed out: “Christians are convinced that
the triumphs of the human race are a sign of God’s grace and the flowering of His own mysterious design. ” Questions begging answers
The Word o f God
Scripture testifies to work being a part of m an's activity. Innumerable references throughout the Bible sp eak of work. Je su s, we can assu m e m ust have worked with St. Jo sep h before beginning his public ministry at the ag e of thirty or thereabouts. Je s u s drew his apostles mostly from professional fishermen, with a sprinkling of other occupations. St. Paul insisted on w orking for a living an d not depending on others. Incidentally he had som e very harsh words about those who refused to work and expected support from others.
H o w ev er, a s p r o g r e s s a n d development, continue to increase there are still m any questions that continue to be asked. Vatican Il’s Constitution on the Church in the Modern World formulated th ese q u e stio n s thus: What is the
meaning and value of this feverish activity? How should all these things be u se d ? To the achievement of what goal are the strivings of individuals and societies heading? Indeed, in recent times, even more questions, with ethical repercussions, are being asked, particularly in the field of genetics. A question o f regulation
The teaching o f the Church
A num ber of P op es down the ag e s
come from God, then, autonomy in th is s e n s e w ould b e q u ite unacceptable. While som e might be tempted to think that all this constitutes the view of those who believe in God, and that such a view would not be acceptable by those who do not share such a belief, it might be useful to draw attention to the strong m ovem ents in the world today, without any religious reference, warning of the impending dam age to the world and mankind and the need to respect the environment to prevent foreseeable catastrophes. The words of Vatican II are relevant here: ‘Indeed
A very fundam ental point that n eed s to be considered is w hether
whoever labours to penetrate the secrets of reality with a humble and steady mind, even though he is unaware of the fact, is nevertheless being led by the hand of God, who holds all things in existence, and gives them their identity. ’ A 'global village'
human work and activity are subject to any regulation. The Church a s the guardian of revealed truth has always sought to offer guidance on this issue. O ne fundam ental principle is the fact that while hum an activity proceeds from man, it m ust also be ordered to man. Vatican II proposed a norm for hum an activity: “that in
accord with the divine plan and will, it harmonize with the genuine good of the human race, and that it allow men as individuals and as members of society to pursue their total vocation and fulfil it. ” The implications of this proposed norm are that m an’s labour and creativity, his endeavours to m aster creation should and must redound to the common good of man, and, more than that today, it has been pointed out that in the context of an increasingly interdependent world and a shrinking’ world one has to think of the 'common good’ not just in terms of a society or a country, but of the common good of all countries and societies, truly an ‘international good’. No more can one country go it alone without regard for other countries and regions.
A r c h d io c e s e o f S in g a p o r e h o m e p a g e , V e rita s : h t t p ://w w w .c a t h o lic .o r g .s g .
Autonomy of earthly affairs
This is an issue which is intimately connected with the question of the regulation of hum an activity. The Vatican II Constitution of the Church in the Modern World m akes a clear distinction betw een two views. If autonom y of created things is u n d ersto o d in th e s e n s e th at created things ‘enjoy their own laws and values in harmony with the will of the Creator, in that they are endow ed with their own stability, truth, goodness, proper laws and order’, then it is entirely right to dem and autonomy. Obviously it will be the task of scientific research and investigation to discover w hat are th e se laws and values, and resp ect them and be guided by them. If, on th e o th e r han d , the autonom y of cre ate d things is understood in the se n se that created things do not depend on God the C reator and do not p o ss e s in themselves a certain value and order, and thus can be used in any way without regard to the laws of nature that we, a s believers, believe have
If hum an activity, m an's labour and creativity are to be ordered to the ‘in te rn a tio n a l co m m o n g o o d ' serious consideration n eed s to be given to the way that the benefits of m an's endeavours to m aster creation are distributed so that they may really redound to the good of mankind a s a whole. O ne d o e s not n e e d to be s p e c ia lis t of s o rts to w o n d er whether this is indeed being verified in this world of ours. The great ‘divide’ that is being increasingly referred to betw een nations and regions sp a n s every a sp e c t of m an’s ad v an ces and endeavours. T hat divide, in a world that is ironically being more and more often described a s a ‘global village’ constitutes a contradiction in terms. T he growing disparity betw een peoples and countries and regions b eg s the question: what is the p u rp o s e of w ork? Is it th e acquisition of personal wealth and power? Is it the domination of som e over others? Is it power that com es with w ealth? Is it the fulfilment of G od’s creative design?
In t e r n e t e d itio n o f T h e C a th o lic N e w s : h t t p : //w w w .c a t h o lic .o r g .s g /C N .
Editor
APRIL 28 - MAY 5, 2002
THE CATHOLIC NEWS
LOCAL
Work - the harsh realities Ropix
To obtain various angles on the “WORK" focus o f this issue Catholic News approached a teenager, 17 years old, who is currently hoping to gain admission into a Polytechnic. The teenager g la d ly a g re e d to p en som e perspectives. We are indeed grateful. Whoever said teenagers can’t think deeply!
“The road to happiness lies in two simple principles; find out w hat it is that interests you and that you can do well, and w hen you find it, put your whole soul into it - every bit of energy and ambition and natural ability that you have. So say s John D. Rockefella III. I ag ree that to be happy with our work, we would have to be happy with w hat w e do. Nowadays, however, one might well ask just how m any people a re actually truly happy w ith th e ir w orking en v iro n m e n t? How m any ca n sincerely and truthfully say “I love my job!” In th e p r e s e n t e c o n o m ic depression, it is so difficult to find a job, let alone be choosy. We work for survival - to bring bread hom e for the family. But m oney is not everything. And there are levels of it. Riches are relative depending on w hether you are poor, average or rich. And jobs can be anything, sales, marketing, banking, acting,
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A m an w ith o u t h a n d s w o rking fo r h is living in S in g ap o re. singing, baby-sitting and even the dubious, like prostitution. They all keep the money rolling in - and put the rice on the table and edu cate the children. But ask yourself, w hat do you work for? Are you happy? W hat do you get at the end of the day? I
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had a friend whom I had not contacted in years. S he u sed to work at a pub a s a cashier, then later sh e switched over to work for ano th er friend’s m other in foot reflexology. S he w as doing quite okay but sh e still had high and dem anding am bitions in mind. S he tried to m ake it a s a model but got conned and lost more than two thousand dollars, a sum that w as su p p o sed to pay for her ‘modelling fe e s’. S he borrowed the money from my frie n d ’s m om , h e r em ployer in the foot reflexology business. S h e could not pay it back and fell out with my friend and the m other in a bad argum ent. Money w as very important to her an d s h e w ould ju m p a t an y opportunity that would pay her well, a n d le t h e r live in co m fo rt, regardless of w hether sh e would be happy in the first place. And just recently, I received a call from the friend w hose m other had hired her in foot reflexology. S h e told m e with great disgust that the girl had en g ag ed in pros-tituition to pay her handphone bills! Y ou s e e , r e g a r d le s s of w hatever w e do in our daily lives, a job is always a job. W hatever we may think is not a job m ay be one for som eone else. God created the world. He took care of us. That
B T h e C y re n e s
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tfie fa m iC y
w as his job. His job is to love us. Would you call that a job? Would you call that working? A prostitute’s night life is her work, a banker’s is another. For me, I am pretty fussy when it com es to getting down to work. W hat I work for is also survival. To be able to live o ne day and s e e another. Of course, with som e extra pocket money, enjoym ent is a pleasure. W h at w e n e e d , is to g e t connected with ourselves. W hat are w e working for? Many people I know are like m achines, who just work, work, work. I think they are e v e n b e tte r th a n m a c h in e s som etim es. We have a goal and w e w ork for it. B ut a r e w e overworking for it? Do w e neglect the people around us, and retreat to a world of our own. I have done that before, and it w as terrible, b ec au se I hurt the people around m e whom I love. But when w e are busy, we do not even have the time for ourselves let alone others. We also neglect ourselves. And w hen w e do that w e neglect God. A friend had sarcastically joked with m e the other time. He said: “Hey, cats have nine lives, but God gave you only one. God m ust be really disappointed in you! He gave you hands to dial a phone, but yet, it’s been a long time since you’ve called him.” Our perspective is to g et the best. A father can work his legs off, but at the end of the day, w hen he co m es hom e and s e e s a s e a of smiling faces or m aybe a voice that g o es:” Daddy! Daddy! Look w hat I did in school today!” H e’d
tell himself ‘It is worth it’. W hat we n eed to rem em ber is to work tow ards happiness. And not over do it. You se e , don't you ag ree that when you work and finally get som ething out of it, you feel very happy, and you will feel even happier w hen you have som eone to sh a re it with. Like w hen you get your first pay, and you finally can g et that special gift for som eone w ho’s been eying it. And when you p resen t it to him or her and just s e e that joy on his or her face, that is the pure reward for why you worked so hard. We have to rem em ber what w e work for and transform those thoughts into positive o n es - to be able to m ake ourselves smile at the end of the day. And not forget everything and everyone w hen we g et too d eep into our work load. Bring up a hard day to the Lord. It is not ea sy to let go totally and say: “God, I lift my burden up to you!” And really, really lift it up and let go. Till today, I’m still trying to do that. W e m eet many different types of people everyday. G o o d a n d b a d . A s E le a n o r Roosevelt said: “C haracter building begins in our infancy and continues until death." So don’t let a wet blanket spoil your day at work. Laugh at it, God will be laughing along with you. In every job we do, the m ost important thing is to rem em ber ourselves and everyone connected with us. From there you will find support in every corner. And then w e can relate better to our work. And not ju st for the sake of statu s, or m oney or anything else. The job we do h a s to m ake us learn and grow along with. Don’t work at so m e place b ec au se all your frien d s do, d o n ’t do som ething you d o n ’t like, ju st b ec au se it pays you well. W e have to establish our thoughts and our com m unications with our job. We learn from it everyday. So rem em ber the next time you w an t to go a h e a d with som ething, never be afraid to, just b ec au se people will laugh. Ask God and yourself about it. And trust me, God will answ er. In every little way, h e is listening an d answering. If you feel that it will work for you an d you will work for it, then go. The rew ards will be just the beginning.” F elicia N eo, Guest Writer
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APRIL 28 - MAY 5, 2002
THE CATHOLIC NEWS
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T h e C r u c ia l M e e tin g As this issue of Catholic News goes to press, the long awaited meeting of the United States Cardinals summoned to the Vatican by Pope John Paul II takes place in the Bologna Hall of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, Tuesday and Wednesday, April 23 and 24.
T here are two se ssio n s each day, th e first from 9.3 0 am to 12.30pm and the seco n d from 4.30pm to 7.30pm. A great deal of speculation has been rife about the subject of th ese m eetings, and coming a s it d o es at the height of the scandal that rocks the Catholic Church a s a whole and to a g reat extent the Church in the United S tate s of America, it is widely speculated that the focus and indeed the whole reason for the meeting is precisely how the United S tates Church is to handle the whole issue that se e m s to h a v e r e a c h e d m in d -b o g g lin g proportions in th e se p ast months. United States participants
T he V atican P re s s re le a s e of Monday April 22 gives the full list of the participants of the meeting which is under the presidency of Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the S e c retary of S tate of the Vatican. Apart from th e 10 U n ited S ta te s Cardinals, the P resident and ViceP re sid e n t of th e US B ishops' C onference, who are Bishops to g e th e r w ith th e E x e c u tiv e Secretary, Msgr. William Fay will also be present. T hree other US Cardinals who preside over Com m issio n s an d C ouncils a t th e Vatican will also take part in the meeting. Officials at the meeting
The list of the rest of the officials who will be present, lends cre d en ce to the speculation that the meeting h as been explicitly called b ec au se of the crisis in the United
S tate s Church. T h ese officials are all H eads of various C ongrega tions (the Church’s equivalent of Government Ministries) w hich would have direct relevance to the troubles that have b e se t the North American Church. T h ese officials are the Cardinal P refects of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, the Congre• gation for Institutes of C onsecrated Life, the Congregation for Bishops, the Congregation for Divine Wor ship and the Discipline of the S acram ents, the Congregation for the Clergy, the Congregation for C a th o lic E d u c a tio n a n d th e P resident of the Council for Legis lative Texts. The Holy Father will give only on e ad d re ss to the meeting, but will be closely following the pro ceedings in betw een the other prior com m itm ents that he already has. Catholic News will obviously refrain from any speculation a s to the outcom e of the meeting, but will report w hatever conclusions are reached when they are re leased by the Vatican P re ss Office. T here h as already been so much reporting on the subject, par ticularly by the American media, including Catholic m edia services, with many repetitions a s well as c o n tra d ic tio n s and wild speculations that it beco m es diffi cult to even analyse all the issu es a t stake. Indeed much that has been written ap p e ars to sideline the real issu es in efforts to “defend” the action or non-action of the Church authorities in dealing with various c a se s. O ne issu e in particular se e m s not to h av e b ee n taken into a c count nor indeed even m entioned, although it w as referred to by C ardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, P refect of th e C ongregation for th e Clergy w hen he an sw ered
q u estio n s from journalists at the P re s s C o n feren ce th at p rese n ted th e Holy F ath e rs Letter to P riests on th e o ccasio n of Holy T h u rs d a y th is y e a r . A d m itte d ly , C ardinal H oyos m ad e a very brief and passing reference to it without elab o ratio n . In his very last s e n te n c e at th a t P re ss C o n feren ce he said: “... with the ex cep tio n of th e c a s e of th e sacram e n ta l se a l or th e se c re t co n n e cted to th e ex e rcise of the ep isco p al ministry and th e com mon pasto ral g o o d .” The “sacram ental se a l” is the “S eal of Confession” about which every confessor h as to be, if one might say so, absolutely paranoid about. . In no circum stance w hat so ev er can any priest (or bishop) reveal anything w hatsoever that he h ea rs and learns of in the S acram en t of Confession. Neither can he in any way m ake u se of, or act upon, directly or indirectly, any know ledge that he gains through confession not even in dealing with the penitent himself or herself. The confessor cannot even m ake any appeal to the seal of confession, not even to protect or defend him self, b ec au s e by appealing to such secrecy he would indirectly be ad mitting that he had acquired certain knowledge through confession and would thus be violating the seal. If o n e u nderstands the serio u sn ess of this elem ent that w as mentioned in passing by Cardinal Hoyos it is not difficult to s e e the possibility of its relevance to som e important a sp e c ts of the very grave issu es at stake. W e can only pray and hope that the m eetings which are taking place at the highest levels of the Church will initiate a pro cess which can heal the w ounds th at the Church is suffering in th e se times. The outcom e will certainly not be a “quick-fix” of the problem! Editor - Vatican Press Reports
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THE CATHOLIC NEWS
APRIL 28 - MAY 5, 2002
LOCAL
P a r is h
v o c a tio n
p r o m o tio n
By Mel Diamse-Lee
Archcfiocese launches vocation pro m otion te a m , h o ld s o rien tatio n session for parish representatives
many priests are indisposed so we need more people who are able to be really active in the ministry.’
By Mel Diamse-Lee
THE dearth of vocations to the dioc esan priesthood w as stressed over and over again as the archdiocese celebrated V ocations S unday on April 21 with the launch of parishb ased vocation promotion team s here. Archbishop Nicholas Chia, at the orientation programme for the team s a w eek earlier, said he is having problems finding enough priests for each parish in the archdiocese. “Even though there are over 130 priests, many are indisposed due to old age and sickness so we need to have more people who are able to be really active in the ministry,” the archbishop told som e 150 laity and priests gathered at the St Francis Xavier Major Seminary. He said two situations hinder the “multiplication of vocations” in the archdiocese. Couples are having less children and the lure of materialism provides “too many distractions”. “We are fighting against these two. All the more there is a need for us to put in efforts (to promote voca tions) and to pray,” he said. The Archdiocesan Vocation Pro m otion T eam of eight d io c e sa n priests and two final-year sem inar ians highlighted the crisis in voca tions by quoting the current statis tics. Of th e 136 d io c e s a n and Religious priests in the archdiocese, 5 are inactive and 36 are past the retirement age of 65. In 10 y ears’ time, assuming that priests live to 70 years, 58 priests would have died.
- Archbishop Nicolas Chia
Archbishop Nicholas Chia hands a parish representative copies of the vocation promotion kit and poster at the orientation session held on April 14 at the St Francis Xavier Major Seminary.
The archdiocese baptises 4,500 children and adults into the faith each year. Based on the government cen sus in 2000, there are som e 300,00 Catholics including foreigners. The current ratio of priests to pa rish io n e rs is 1 p rie st to 2 ,2 9 0 parishioners. In 10 years time, the archdiocese will need 150 priests to maintain this ratio. Noting that there are only four seminarians in the first four years of formation and five in the final two years, the archbishop said: “The Church depends on all of us. The Church depends on you in a special way to try to conscientise other Catho lics on vocations. The more numer ous the priests are the better it is.” He acknow ledged th at “for a number of years, unfortunately, our diocesan clergy has not been focus ing on vocation promotion. This is why it is the top priority now of the archdiocese.”
He added: “We are trying our best to conscientise all Catholics on the question of vocation. Everyone is involved because if we don’t have good families, good parents, it is not likely that we will have vocations,” the archbishop sard, also highlighting the role of parish organisations in the promotion of vocations. In answ er to a representative’s q u ery a s to th e c o m p o n e n ts of priestly training in the seminary, Fr William Goh u n d e rs c o re d th e wholistic ed u catio n sem in a ria n s receive, because pastoral ministry is the goal of seminary formation. “The priesthood is the calling that serves all the calls,” said the semi nary lecturer and dean of studies. “One cannot be a good teacher, a good doctor if the Church does not nourish your faith. Your vocation can not be complete unless you have a shepherd to lead you to Je su s and to help you to really think about life
seriously,” said Fr Goh. Priests have “trem endous work to do and it is the duty of every Catholic to be mission-minded and to be concerned about promoting vocations" so that the Word of God can be spread, Fr Goh added. He noted how often parishioners complain about the unavilability of priests. “But who is the cau se of all this? All of us because we are not praying for priests, we are not pro moting vocations,” he stated. Vicar General Eugene Vaz, who gave the welcome address, said that “while it is true that when we pray for vocations we are looking for the op portunity to respond in whatever way God is calling us, we want to see whether we can go deeper into helping young people to discern God’s call to the diocesan priesthood.” Archbishop Chia said the Church is not disregarding other vocations. "No, we really want to promote all (vocation) but for the moment we are c o n c e n tra tin g on d io c e s a n priesthood. We pray for all, we sup port everyone who is called to the various congregations b ecause they have a special charism and a sp e cial calling.
Promoting vocations in parishes, schools AT THE orientation session for p a rish re p r e s e n ta tiv e s , Fr Terence Pereira spoke on how parishes could celebrate voca tions Sunday following the sug gestions of the A rchdiocesan Vocation Promotion Team. The suggestions included having a para-liturgy after the prayer after communion and re citing to g e th e r th e vocation prayer. Prayer cards were to be distributed. In the kit given to each par ish rep resen tativ e w ere also worksheets for parish organisa tions and neighbourhood groups to get m em bers to reflect on the need to foster and promote vo cations. Posters to create aw areness for vocations to the diocesan priesthood will be posted in par ishes and Catholic schools. Ar ticles on vocations will be pub lished in the Catholic News and annual cam ps for vocations will be organised. The next meeting of the par ish representatives and archdiocesan vocation team is scheduled on May 24, 8 pm at the St Francis X avier Major Seminary. □
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APRIL 28 - MAY 5, 2002
THE CATHOLIC NEWS
____________
LOCAL _______
Catholic Medical Guild celebrates 50 years By Dr John Lim and Dr John Hui
MEMBERS of the Catholic Medical Guild of Singapore celebrate their 50th anniversary this year with a thanksgiving Mass, a lecture on Bioethics and dinner on May 19. Redemptorist Father Edmund Dunne, former spiritual director of the guild and ex-president of Family Life Society will deliver the lecture on Bioethics. With the Holy Spirit’s guidance CMG grew slowly and steadily in membership and apostolate. From a few medical students in the early 1950s, it has now som e 400 Catho lic medicos on its list. Among the apostolates that have benefited the archdiocese, the Natu ral Fam ily P lanning (N FP) Programme, which started in 1973 at the Church of the Risen Christ, stands out. Led by Dr Ian Snodgrass,
there are now NFP centres in almost every parish in Singapore. CMG mem bers also give talks to schools and church groups on boethics issues, such as sex educa tion, a b o rtio n , c o n tra c e p tio n , euthanasia, and stem cell research. Public forums have been organized almost every year since 1999 to share the rich teachings of the Church in these areas. Members also help the less privileged by providing free medical services to adoptees of the St Vin cent de Paul conferences and taking part in overseas missions. Many young members of the guild have participated in medical missions to Tanzania, the Republic of Congo, the Philippines and Myanmar. CMG provides regular spiritual input for its members. There is a
monthly rosary devotion, rededication of the guild to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, recollections days and an nual retreats. Several medical students from the Catholic Students’Society decided to form the Doctors’ Guild in the 1950s. Jesuit Father Joy, the first Chaplain of the Guild, then formed the Catholic Medical Guild of Singa pore in 1952. The first Master of the Guild was Dr A. M. D’Costa, a well-known Gyneacologist. Jesuit Father L.A. Egan took over after Fr Joy, followed by Fr Albert Brys and then Fr Nicholas Chia, the Archbishop of Singapore. Redemptorist Father Edmund Dunne served as its spiritual director from 1983-98 and today it is Jesuit Father Colin Tan.
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APRIL2 8 -M A Y 5, 2002
THE CATHOLIC NEWS
FAMILY
EDUCATION Perspective
A S h a tte re d D re a m In our last issu e, with its focus on Priestly and Religious vocations, w e sp o k e of th e Family a s the nu rsery for priestly and religious vocations. It is there, in the hom e w here the first s e e d s are sow n. Yet, this is not restricted to priestly and religious vocations. All work is a vocation in the perspective of our Christian faith. Work is a part of G od’s creative plan - in d e e d it his explicit com m and to all of us to be m asters o f all creation. In this se n se , the family m ust indeed be considered the nursery of all work, understood in the nonrestrictive se n s e of “vocation” - a call from God to respond to his plan for us. In this se n se , it is within the family that the child m ust receive guidance a s to w hat he or sh e is going to do with his or her life. G u id a n c e h o w e v e r, is NOT compulsion. It h as been said the parents often w ant to s e e in their children the vicarious fulfilment of th e ir ow n unfulfilled d re a m s. P erhaps there is an alternative som e parents might very much w ant their children to be clones of them selves. It is a fact, that m any children do w ant to becom e w hat their fath ers or m others are without any com pulsion w hatsoever. That is only natural since they are familiar with their p aren ts work and lives, and might w ant to be “like Mummy and D addy”. Of course, in m any c a s e s too, they precisely “do not w ant to be like Mummy and D addy.” T h e point is th a t p a re n ts should e n su re that their children are m ad e aw are of all the options th at a re op en to them in the choice of their vocations. P aren ts n ee d to guide their children in a s s e s s in g their capabilities and suitability a s well a s their likes an d dislikes in re sp e c t of w hat
they w ant to do with their lives and to w hat G od is calling them to. It is not e a sy for a growing child to decide w hat he or she w ants to do, and still less w hat God w ants them to do. That is precisely why they need guidance and discernm ent. Ultimately, it will be the grown-up child who will have to lead his or her own life w hat sort of life that will be, m ust without doubt be the result of a personal decision. Catholic News recently spoke with a young adult on the subject of work. This w as the outcome!
I had a dream. I had a dream where I was either performing on stage, spouting Shakespeare or huddled over an old desk, churning out p ag e s and p ag e s of an unfinished novel. However, as fate would have it, I would not be able to fulfil my dream. Living in Singapore can either be a dream or a nightmare. It is undeniable that Singapore has many comforts in which one can bask in, provided you have the m eans, but how m any do? Conversely, Singapore can be seen as a rat race, where everyone is trying too hard to keep up with the Joneses. I was one of the first batch of students who had to undergo the pressure of streaming exam inations where one was put in a certain class because of how one performed. Thinking of it, none too fondly, it sounds almost like A Brave New World, one that dictates that you must be excellent in order to be accepted in the ‘‘Alpha Class". My parents reacted violently to this Brave New System. I was given all the tuition I needed to score the ‘A ’s that were required to remain in my school, which was
one of the top schools in Singapore. Then, more was given, so that I would be able to attend the most prestigious Junior College in Singapore. Now, a s I sta n d a t the threshold of adult life, I am seeing things in a whole new perspective. Just as I am being swept up into the “Real World", I realize that it is impossible to live comfortably without being the best, not in Singapore. Caught up in a society where excellence is rew arded and where the average are ousted, it is hard not to push yourself to the maximum. The only difference is that where I would rather push myself to the maximum in doing something that I would love to do, I am forced to push myself in an area that my parents think would make the most money in future, such is their measure of success and happiness. This is the type of conditioning which comes from policies that reward those in the business sector and give special privileges to professionals like lawyers and doctors. Driven more by pressure from my parents, than from the best motivator, ambition and love for the profession, I find myself hating everyday that brings me closer to do what I have learned for a living. I would love to tell my fellow Singaporeans to follow their hearts, to follow their dreams. Perhaps that would be possible, even feasible, but just not here, not now, esp ecially not in Singapore. W hat can on e sa y ? If this is representative of a lot of young adults today, then we need not w onder why we keep hearing the oft-repeated moaning about the lack of creativity and passion that locals seem to suffer from.
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THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL on the threshold o f the 3rd millenium The human person and his or her education The Catholic school se ts out to be a school for the hum an person an d of h um an p e rso n s. “T he person of each individual human being, in his or her material and spiritual n eed s, is at the heart of Christ’s teaching: this is why the promotion of the hum an person is the goal of the Catholic school”. T his affirm ation, s tre s s in g m an’s vital relationship with Christ, reminds us that it is in His person th a t th e fu lln ess of th e truth concerning man is to be found. For this reason the Catholic school, in co m m ittin g its e lf to th e developm ent of the whole man, d o e s so in o b e d ie n c e to th e solicitude of the Church, in the aw a re n ess that all hum an values find their fulfilment and unity in Christ. This aw a re n ess e x p re sses the centrality of the hum an person in the educational project of the Catholic school, stren g th en s its educational endeavour and renders it fit to form strong personalities The social and cultural context of our time is in danger of obscuring “th e ed u c atio n al v alu e of th e C ath o lic sc h o o l, in w hich its fundam ental reaso n for existing an d th e b a s is of its g en u in e apostolate is to be found”. Indeed, although it is true to say that in recent y ears there h as been an increased interest and a greater sensitivity on the part of public o p in io n , in te rn a tio n a l o r g a n izations and g o vernm ents with regard to schooling and education, there h as also been a noticeable tendency to reduce education to its purely technical and practical a s p e c t s . P e d a g o g y a n d th e scien ces of education them selves have ap p eared to devote g reater
a tte n tio n to th e s tu d y of phenom enology and didactics than to the e s s e n c e of education as such, centred on deeply meaningful v a lu e s and v isio n . The fragm entation of education, the generic character of the values freq u en tly invoked an d w hich obtain am ple and e a sy co n sen su s at th e price of a d a n g e ro u s obscuring of their content, tend to m ake the school step back into a supposed n e u tra lity , w hich en erv ates its educating potential an d reflects negatively on the formation of the pupils. T here is a tendency to forget that education always p resu p p o ses and involves a definite concept of man and life. To claim neutrality for schools signifies in practice, m ore tim es than not, banning all.reference to religion from th e cultural and e d u c a tio n a l field, w h e r e a s a c o rre c t p e d a g o g ic a l a p p ro a c h ought to b e open to the more d e c is iv e s p h e r e of u ltim a te objectives, attending not only to “h o w ”, b u t a ls o to “w h y ”, overcoming any misunder-standing a s regards the claim to neutrality in ed u catio n , restoring to th e educational process the unity which sa v e s it from dispersion amid the m eandering of know ledge and acquired facts, and fo cu ses on the human person in his or her integral, tran scen d en t, historical identity. With its educational project inspired by the G ospel, the Catholic school is called to take up this challenge and respond to it in the conviction that “it is only in the mystery of the Word m ade flesh that the mystery of man truly becom es clear”. Vatican Documentation
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THE CATHOLIC NEWS
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CATHOLIC NEWS
APRIL 28 - MAY 5, 2002
VIEWPOINT
EDITOR
Dr (Rev) Robert P. Balhetchet
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Poor Adam has often been blamed for man’s need to work. If only he had curbed his craving for apples or was it his desire to share everything with his beloved Eve. There is, however, a little oversight to this tendency to allocate blame. God himself worked pretty hard even before this episode, so much so that after his final effort, he had to rest on the seventh day! Actually, it’s the “sweat” that we have to blame Adam for! We have been indeed charged by God to work and dominate creation and to look after it: “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and conquer it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds BY DR (REV) o f h e a v e ,- , a n c j |jv jn g animals on the earth.” ROBERT P. BALHETCHET , • Whatever it .is, work is a part. of, our ..lives whether we like it or not. And we had better learn to like it, because the more we like it the more we are likely to enjoy it, and the work itself will be more fruitful and productive. The “catch”would seemto lie in liking towork and liking the work we do. Yet, the two are very intimately connected and it is difficult to say which has to come first. It’s easy to say that we should like to work, but if one does not like the work one has to do, then its seems too much to ask that one should liketo do the kind of work that one dislikes. On the other hand if one has work that one actually likes to do, but then doesn’t like working in the first place a \\
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and prefers to just laze around, then one is not going to enjoy working at all, no matter what the work is. All this might just seem like a play on words. Seriously though, it might be useful to ponder carfullythe implications. We would suggest that in order to tackle the apparent dilemma, one could start fromthe premise that one needs to choose the work that one wants to do. That is, indeed, the advice that is given to all young people as they progess through their secondary education and approach the point when they will decide on their “further education” as it is termed. However, it appears that only lip service is paid tothe advice that isgiven. How many young people can really choose what they would like to do with their lives when they reach that point of decision - a point that will shape and determine their future - let us make no mistake about that! When those critical results are announced, how many young people can really choose what they want to do? Just a lucky few who happen to fall into the “right” slot, or the even fewer, who happen to be children of parents who can afford to send them anywhere in the world in order to pursue further education which will open to them the possibility of doing what they would like to do and would therefore enjoy best doing, not to mention making a great success of what they do as a result of liking what they are doing.
It g o e s e x c lu s iv e ly to th e Editor.
FROM THE PEWS
A question of convictions Many Catholics in Singapore score well for the ‘O’ and the ‘A’ levels, and many have gone beyond basic u n iv ersity d e g r e e s an d h av e bagged M aster and Ph.d. degrees. However, their know ledge and understanding of the Catholic Faith is not sound, objective and integral. This is pitiful. Right now, far too m any Catholics have a vague notion of their Faith, contented with half-truths and hazy notions. Without the proper guidance, they simply feel their way through their Faith, and through life, a s a c o n s e q u e n c e . T h eir F aith is som ething merely subjective and of little consequence. W hat is needed is for Catholics to realize that th e dogm as and doctrines of their Faith are a s real a s their lives. C atholics m ust have the whole, integral picture in m in d. T h e y m u s t p o s s e s s o b je c tiv ity , to w h ich th e ir subjective opinions and feelings m ust conform. This m ean s that th ere is an urgent need for a s y s t e m a tic and s tr u c tu r e d exposition of sound Dogmatic, Moral and A scetical Theology. With sound Dogmatic Theology, Catholics will know w hat God h as r e v e a le d . W ith so u n d M oral Theology, they will learn how to a p p ly D o g m a tic T h e o lo g y practically in their lives. With sound Ascetical Theology, they will learn Catholic Spirituality, which will help them to aspire to perfection, beyond th e m ere the av oidance of sin. From th e se, right convictions will be formed, a n d n o t h a z y f e e lin g s a n d im pressions that do not g en e rate th e right convictions. Stephen
There could well be a disparity betw een levels of sec u la r
know ledge an d religious knowledge. The reason is in what you have pointed out. We go as far as we can in our secular education, but formal religious education appears to stop with Confirmation, here in Singapore, at least. Courses on one topic or another are offered from time to time, but not a systematic deeper study of our faith. In the world of se c u la r knowledge, a good number of people attend courses to continue their education but this does not seem to happen on such a scale when it comes to religion. Of course, we could offer the excuse that we are “too busy” in Singapore! One solution would be ct systematic “teaching” from the pulpit, which would reach out to most people every week. One could also think of the parish bulletin as another instrument of religious formation, and indeed the Catholic News, which we are endeavouring to use to this end. However, it is not only knowledge that is necessary. One can be very learned in the teaching and beliefs and also the pracitces of one’s religion. The crucial issue, however, in the area of religion, is how one then applies all this knowledge and achieves a deeper living of one's faith through the application of acquired knowledge to daily life. Indeed, it is the same in any area. One can always be very well qualified in the science of one’s profession, but being a skilled and effective practitioner is quite another matter. ' It is the combination of the two that is necessary - the “theory" and the “practice". Ideally, of course, the “teaching" must not restrict itself to theory, but must also impart the ability to relate the knowledge to practical life situations and issues.
Human and Humane I am a Catholic, baptized at birth and am now in the mid 30’s. During my school days, I w as an altar boy and also w as active in Church Activities. Now I am married and b lessed with 2 intelligent boys. Having being a Catholic all my life, I am indeed very saddened with the mannerism of many priests today. In the old days, priests wore plain white cassocks, signifying their simplicity in living and being of service to the church congregation. These priest, most of whom were foreigners, though strict in their duties as Ministers of the Church displayed an attitude of care towards any person who needed their attention and help in administering sacram ents when needed. That w as the time when I can vouch that priests did practice a RELIGION OF HUMANITY.
Nowadays, priests do not live in simplicity. Their cassocks when worn often portray a flamboyant priest and they are carrying out their duties not as a calling to be of service to God but rather as a professional career. Initially the younger priests began to be flamboyant in their mannerisms but now this ‘disease’ has got into priests who are in their middle age. My family have encountered m any o c c a sio n s w hen p riest/s simply brush us aside apparently b ecau se we are not wealthy and cannot contribute huge sum s of m o n ey to w a rd s th e C hurch development. I for myself have seen priest/s in my parish who often lend a listening ear to parishioners whose dressing gives an impression to the priest/s that it is worth spending time with them becau se there will definitely be monetary returns. Even som e volunteers in the Church, ap p ear to join societies with ulterior motives and there some whom I have encountered being arrogant and biased in the m anner
they deal with the poor Catholics When priest/s are told of how their volunteers behave, they instead of advising, encourage them by supporting their d em ean o r and saying that they are volunteers hence, it is okay. I am writing this to plead with the Church in general not to make it a commercial entity and also not to e n c o u r a g e s e g re g a tio n of parishioners, dividing the rich and poor in their dealings with them. Lastly, allow me to cite an incident which took place in my parish last Sunday. After catechism classes, my sons wanted to have som e light snacks in thechurch canteen. Whilst in the canteen, my younger son, several times saw a priest passing by and asked me to bring him to the priest because he wanted to wish him Good Morning and also ask for blessings. When I approached the priest, he showed a facial expression of being in a hurry to serve holy communion to the congregation and excused himself. I explained to my son that the priest needed to go and give holy com m union. He w as sa d and w anted to cry but I som ehow managed to ap p ease him. As we were walking out of the Church, the sam e younger son pointed out to me that the priest who w as earlier in a hurry to give holy communion w as in the Church aisle speaking to two gentlemen. My son asked whether is it because daddy do esn ’t have a CAR or not RICH that the priest does not want to spend time with us. I told him to ask God when he says his daily prayers before retiring to bed every night. When I went back home, I sat alone and began to ponder my so n ’s question on whether is it bcecause of lack of material wealth
that we are often cast aside from the others or is it becau se my family is from a minority group? My personal view is that our C a th o lic C h u rch is no m ore p rac ticin g a R ELIG IO N OF HUMANITY AND EQUALITY. Berchman
From your letter, it is not hard to sense the pain and disappointment you feel and I am truly sorry that you are made to feel that way. Whether the attitude you sense is Intentional or not on the part of those who give such an impression, (I should hope it is not intentional), is not the issue. It is always necessary for all of us to be careful of the signals we give and the impressions that our actions or attitudes may generate. The impressions you draw atten tion to are very prevalent in society, which is all the more reason why we in the Church have to be even more careful. It is easy to say that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, but really living such convictions may well require conscious effort. Thank you for calling attention to this point.
TO TH E PEW S We truly appreciate the views expressed from the pews. We were wondering, however, if we could have views, comments and questions about the themes of the focus that we provide for each issue. For example, the last one on Vocations, and the current one on Work. It would be even better if we could have views from the pews ahead of time, so that they can be in sync (to use current jargon) with the focus of the CN issue itself. To this end we are providing the focus that is coming up in the next issue - COMUNICATION MEDIA - for World Communication Sunday, May 12.
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FROM THE PEWS
Respect for the Eucharist Firstly may I compliment tlie new CN te am on th e new form at especially the section ‘From The P ew s’. It is indeed heartening to se e that the laity h as now got a channel to voice their concerns. We would like to reinforce what T hom as h as written in the CN 'R ev e ren ce for T he E ucharist' issue Mar 31 to April 7 2002.” It is indeed sad to s e e a d ec rease in r e v e r e n c e for th e Holy Eucharist. As such, we hope to highlight further considerations that might help increase devotion to o u r Lord in th e B le s s e d Sacram ent, a s well a s to obtain guidance on a num ber of concerns which have troubled our fellow Catholics in recent y ears.” 1) It is noticed that in som e parishes, there is the practice of turning off the tabernacle light after the last m ass, despite the continued p resen ce of Our Lord in the Eucharist. We realise that this might in fact sav e the parish som e co sts in m aintenance but unfortunately, it also reveals a • crucial lack of reverence for the T ru e P r e s e n c e a n d in d e e d , re m in d s o n e of a th e a tric a l perform ance w here the curtains are drawn, the lights turned off and the props hurriedly kept as the actors exit the sta g e at the end. Thus, in addition to showing little love and resp ect for the True P resen ce, we w onder if this is e v e n licit s in c e c a n o n law prescribes a burning lamp (or elec trica l o n e ) to glorify th e B lessed S acram ent as a perpetual guard of honour? C anon law. 940 surrounding the sacram ents states that “A special lamp is to burn CO N TIN U O USLY b e fo re th e tabernacle in which the B lessed Eucharist is reserved, to indicate and to honour the p rese n ce of Christ.” 2 ) On th e s u b je c t of E xtraordinary M inisters of the Eucharist, it is wonderful to se e th e laity b e in g g iv e n m o re opportunities for service in the life of the church, especially in the liturgy that em bodies our faith. However, the habitual u se of such ministers at all m a sse s (even w e e k d a y m a s s e s with sm all congregations) puzzles and raises the question a s to w hether we are abusing this privilege. At best, it d o e s h elp c u t do w n th e c o m m u n io n tim e in la rg e congreg atio n s but at w orst, it scan d alises the faithful when we s e e m inisters who irreverently handle the sacred sp ecies without care or consideration for Who it is they carry in their hands. Indeed, it is not uncom m on to notice E u c h a ristic m in iste rs helping them selves to the co nsecrated chalice in som e m a sses, imposing h an d s in benediction over nonC atholics and children in the c o m m u n io n line (c le a rly in violation of canon law), and taking their place at the altar in w hat s e e m s to b e a p e r m a n e n t arran g em en t. But p erh a p s the m ost troubling a s p e c t of this phenom ena is that in empowering the laity, the a b se n c e of ordained priests w hose duty it is to distribute communion beco m es even more stark , particularly in religious com munities w here there is more than one priest present during m ass or at the p riests’ house. It m akes us w onder how much our p r ie s ts lo v e th e B le s s e d
S a c ra m e n t w hen so m uch d e le g a tio n ta k e s p la c e u n n e c e s s a r ily , g iv in g th e im pression that the clergy would rather be doing som ething else than to minister at the Lord’s Table. This so u n d s harsh and is p erh ap s unfair, but the enduring sight of som e com m union m inisters who are lackadaisical in their functions c a u s e s real pain to m any who assist at M ass and who wish more reverence is acco rd ed to God by th o se who profess to serve Him. W h at’s m ore, this p ractice b eco m es even m ore disturbing w hen we co nsider the C hurch’s stand on com m union and u sa g e of e x tra o rd in a ry m in iste rs a s published in the Vatican Document “Inestimabile Don-um" on “Certain
Norms concerning the Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery”. Quote: 9 “Communion is a gift of the Lord, given to the faithful through the minister appointed for this purpose. It is not permitted that the faithful should themselves pick up the consecrated bread and the sacred chalice, still less that they should hand them from one to another.” 10: “The faithful, whether religious or lay, who are authorised as Extraordinary Ministers of the E ucharist can distribute communion ONLY when there is no priest, deacon or acolyte, when the priest is impeded by illness or advanced age, or when the number of the faithful going to communion is so large as to make the celebration of M ass EXCESSIVELY long". Accordingly, a REPREH EN SIBLE ATTITUDE is show n by th o se priests who though p resen t at the celebration, refrain from distributing com munion and leave this task to the laity.” (20) From the S acred C ongregation for the D iscipline of th e S a c ra m e n ts ,
Instruction: Immensae Caritatis. With this in mind, w e w onder if a m ass that g o e s on slightly longer b e c a u s e of a larger crowd might not b e better than one that a c c o m m o d a te s an im p a tie n t congregation at the e x p e n se of proper love and reverence. 3) R egarding th e attire of w orshippers, much h as been done in som e p arish es to discourage im proper d re s s . H ow ever, w e w onder if m ore can be d one to ed u cate our w orshippers so that the cu rren t tren d of sp ag h etti straps, short skirts and d re sse s exposing undergarm ents, running shorts and slippers etc. can be a v o id e d a t s u c h an a u g u s t celebration a s the sacrifice of Christ? U n d e r s ta n d a b ly , th e h o t w eather plays a part. But despite climatic restrictions, ch u rch es in Africa and other parts of Asia deem it only proper to d re ss with resp ect and decorum . Even St. P eter's Basilica in Rom e refu ses e n try to a n y o n e d r e s s e d in sleev eless blo u ses and mini-skirts etc. Why then do w e m ake such allow ances h ere? In this respect, one c a n ’t help but adm ire our Muslim and P ro testan t brethren for their natural s e n s e of religious m odesty. T h ese concerns may se em too ex tern alised and superficial to som e. Yet w e think that just a s faith n ee d s to find its expression in good works according to the author of Ja m e s, love too n ee d s
to ex p ress itself in how we worship a s a people. We don't m ean to be s c r u p u lo u s . B ut t h e s e a r e tra d itio n s h a n d e d dow n a n d do cum ented through the a g e s . Indeed a s Catholics w e stand firm on both th e oral an d w ritten traditions of the Church. And this is w hat m ak es us sta n d s out from our se p a ra te d brethren. If we are not going to practice it, who will? We hope that a s w e journey to g eth er a s the people of God, we may continue to learn, to te st and to proclaim with g rea ter fidelity; our love and devotion to God, especially in his true p rese n ce so mercifully given to us. We thank God for his priests and pray for a g reater reverence and love in their ministry. Derrick an d Francis
Thanks for the compliments. We certainly find it very telling to see that those who write in have very strong views on various issues, which might appear trivial and superficial to some, unfortunately! However, as the two of you point o u t. externals should not be con sid ere d trivial a s they are expressions of internal spiritual faith. We need to ponder the un derlying is s u e s an d the implications of the seemingly trivial concerns. You are very charitable in pointing out that turning off the tabernacle lamp could be in the interests of cost-saving! One can not help wondering how much saving is achieved, anyway! The conduct and exercise of the extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist certainly needs to be considered carefully as does at tire, which I am sure, does trouble a number of priests. Indeed, there is always this danger in any area, and not just in religious faith, that familiarity can result in carelessness and thoughtlessness. Indeed, the old adage goes even further - famili arity breeds contempt! Would that this is not becoming the case in our religious practices.. All your quotations are per fectly accurate, and it is very heartening to see that there are laity who keep themselves in formed. P erhaps the Arch diocesan Liturgical Commission could make a study of these is sues and provide guidance and reminders to all concerned. We cannot but share your deep concern in matters pertaining to the Eucharist which is a matter of faith and so deeply central to our practice and worship and which is so unique to the Catholic Church. Thank you again for bringing attention to bear on these issues that are connected with our faith in the Eucharist.
A c k n o w le d g m en t
Thank you, Ronald and Sebas tian for your letters on Sermons w,hich reinforce the views ex pressed, and yours, Lawrence, on the question of "smoking”. Just to answer your question: the Church does not consider smok ing nor drinking nor gambling as sins in them selves. C onse quences connected with these could end up being sinful, though!
APRIL 28 - MAY 5, 2002
THE CATHOLIC NEWS
FROM THE PEWS C atholic N ew s Book & M edia, 6 8 5 8 -3 0 6 6 Fax: 6 8 5 8 -2 0 5 5
The “Sacred Species” I like to point out that the Eucharist is sacred and so are the S acred Particles of the Host. Pope Paul VI in Mysterium Fidei sa y s that if anyone dropped a S acred Particle of Host on the ground (through negligence) then that person would be guilty of sin. “In fact the faithful th o u ght th e m se lv e s guilty, and rightly so, a s Origen recalls, if after they received the body of the Lord in order the preserve it with all care and reverence, a small fragm ent fell off th ro u g h n e g lig e n c e ”
(Mysterium Fidei, Pope Paul IV “In Exod. Fragm P.G. 12) T here is also an o th e r m ore s e r io u s is s u e c o n c e rn in g th e receiving of Communion in the hand. P o p e Paul VI in his instruction
Memoriale Domini (May 29, 1969) states: “It[Communion in the hand] carries certain dangers with it which
may arise from the new manner of administering holy Communion: the danger ofa loss ofreverence forthe August Sacrament of the altar, of profanation, of adulterating the true doctrine."
I h a v e w itn e s s e d 2 s u c h incidents that confirm this. I saw a man who after receiving communion in the hand, put it in his mouth, broke a small part off and gave it to his son to play with. W hen I told him that he w as not su p p o sed to do this, he gave m e a hostile look. In the second incident, o ne man after receiving com munion in the hand did not consum e it but tried to keep it in his pocket. W hen I confronted him, he consum ed the Eucharist. I think th e re le v a n t ch u rch a u th o ritie s s h o u ld c o n s id e r reviewing its current policy of how Holy Communion is adm inistered. I
Young priests reaffirm priesthood
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feel that receiving com munion on the tongue would go a long way in re d u c in g th e a b u s e s of th e Eucharist. Edwin
There certainly are these dangers, but such abuses have also occured with communion on the tongue. The only way to obviate them is for the priest to ensure that whichever way Communion is received, the person puts it completely in the mouth. Church wardens could stand nearby and ensure this as well.
C O M IN G UP PCS MASS T h e P re g n a n c y C risis S e rv ic e is org a n isin g a E u c h a ris tic C e le b ra tio n in h o n o u r o f M o th e r M a ry a n d to p ro m o te th e rosary. D a te : F rid a y M a y 3, 6 p m . V e n u e : N o v e n a C h u rc h . P U B L IC F O R U M M a k in g th e R ig h t C h o ic e s fo r y o u r b a b y . D a te : S a tu rd a y , J u n e 2 9 , 2 pm to 5 pm . V e n u e : IR A S A u d io tir u m , 5 th F ir, R e v e n u e H o u s e . E n q u irie s : 6 3 4 7 - 6 6 3 6 / 6 3 4 7 -6 6 3 4 .
MAY THEY REST IN PEACE
Seventeenth A nn iv ersary
In loving memory of
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nc0071b@cyberway. com.sg FAMILY
In ever loving memory of
S e e p age 10
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YOUTH S e e p a g e 15
CHILDREN
By Fr Conor Donnelly
THE young priests of the archdio cese unanimously expressed satis faction and fulfilment in their priest hood during a seminar held at St Francis Xavier Major Seminary from April 1-5. The group focused their s e s sions on “Equipped for the Work of Ministry", a compilation of papal d o cu m en ts on th e priesthood, published by the Committee on Priestly Life and Ministry of the United States Conference of Catho lic Bishops. The priests mentioned how they felt encouraged when the laity high lighted not just their talents and abilities but something particularly related to their priesthood. “Every day as a priest is an exciting day,” said the 13 priests. They agreed on the importance of their prayer life and that all strength com es from it. However, they also noted that rest is impor tant to maintain health for the ministry. Holiness is the greatest contribution they can make to the parish, they noted. Many shared that an older “holy” priest had been an inspiration in mo ments of struggles in their vocation. They also cited Pope John Paul II as a solid example for all priests, for being a “holy leader” full of humility,
“a man of courage” who “does not back down from his Catholic beliefs”. In their reflections, the young clergy highlighted the need to bring dignity to the altar, to taking time with the liturgy, to communicating a deep se n se of reverence when “praying” the Mass. To say Mass is a priviledge and a responsibility. It must be celebrated from the heart not as a routine but always as an event, they agreed. They shared on the joy of hearing confessions and how they are strengthened in their visits to the sick. Som e also spoke about the rel e v a n c e of expounding on the Church's ideas in a simple way in both the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and in preaching. “I am more convinced of the teaching of the Church. I teach from conviction. My teaching is a sharing of what I really believe,” said one priest, adding that the Catechism of the Catholic Church is an anchor for this thrust. Archbishop Nicholas Chia concelebrated Mass with the group on the last day of the seminar. As part of the ongoing formation of priests ordained in the last five years, the young clergy m eet regu larly for discussions, retreats or semi nars. This is their third live-in sem i nar. □
THANKSGIVING Heartfelt thanks to Jesus and St Jude for prayers answered and favours received. I will always honour you as my special and powerful patron. Please continue to intercede and pray for us. F rancis Jo sep h
O Holy St Jude, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke your special patronage in times of need. To you I have recourse from the depth of my heart ahd humbly beg you, to whom God has given such great power, to come to my assistance. Help me in my present urgent petition. In return I promise to make your name known and cause you to be invoked. St Jude, pray for me and all who invoke your aid. Humbly in need of your intercession. Amen. Thank you for answering my prayers.
Thank you dearest Heavenly Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Mother Mary for helping my son in his recent exams. He has obtained good passes in all his subjects. Please continue to help and guide him in his studies. Thank you, Holy Spirit, you who make me see everything and show me the way to reach my ideal. You who give me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me and who are in all instances of my life with me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank you for everything and confirm once more that I never want to be separated from you no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with you and my loved ones in your perpetual glory. Amen Blessed St Jude, thank you for interceding to our Lord Jesus to carry me through my trials. Glory to God forever for his love and compassion. Amen
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Young priests who attended the seminar on priestly ministry at St Francis Xavier Major Seminary from April 1-5.
Indonesian-speaking Catholics, Josephine Handojo 6 2 3 5 -2 8 2 0
Morning S tar Fam ily C are Centre, 6 2 8 5 -1 3 7 7 Fax: 6 2 8 5 -2 7 1 5
rowlandyeo@hotmail. com
Departed: May 1, 1985 Memory of you, dear dad, V IN C E N T still casts a gentle glow C H E L L IA H It braces our days and Departed: Apr 19, 1992 lights our paths wherever we may go. Ten long years have Sadly missed by your passed away, You are gone, but still loving children, in are living in our hearts. laws, grand-children and “Grant him, Jesus, great grandchildren. heavenly rest. A mass will be Remembered by wife: Pauline L Nathan, celebrated at 6 pm Daughters and Sons-in- on Wednesday, May 1, at Church of the law: Josephine and Steven Durai, Veronica Immaculate Heart of and Siva Kumar, Linda Mary, Highland Road. Please treat this as a and Randall Tan, Grandsons: Sean Siva personal invitation from the M iranda and Jarius Siva & family. loved ones.
Francophone Catholic Community of Singapore (French-speaking Catholics), Sabine et A ntoine H uet T el/Fax: 6 4 7 2 -5 8 4 0 G erm an -sp eaking Catholics, 6 4 6 8 -1 5 3 4 Fax: 6 4 6 8 -2 4 0 2
C atholic Office for the H earing Im paired, Friar Rowland Y e o , O F M
HENRY SE B A STIA N M IR A N D A
Filipino Catholic Com m unity of Singapore, Nelly Fam inialagao 9 8 3 1 -8 0 4 4 / 6 8 9 3 -7 6 0 9
Christian Fam ily and Social M ovem ent, Francis T a m el M a n e 9 5 8 6 -9 9 3 8 , 6 79 2 -6 70 1
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A ng M o Kio H om e, Sr Jo Tham 6 45 9 -4 80 1
KINDERGARTEN C atholic Kindergarten, M s Edna Ng Poh Tiang 6 2 8 3 -3 8 2 1 Fax: 6 2 8 4 -7 7 8 3
cathkg@singnet.com.sg G ood S heph erd Kindergarten, Evelyn Ong 6 2 4 1 -1 8 0 2 Fax: 6 4 4 5 -3 6 9 2 Nativity Church C entre, 6 2 8 5 -6 1 9 8 , Fax: 6 2 8 5 -9 5 5 6 nativity@pacific.net.sg M agdalene's K indergarten, M ary Goh Boon H ow 6 7 4 7 -6 5 5 4 C anossian C onvent K indergarten, Sr Jan e C hong 6 4 6 9 -2 2 0 1 Fax: 6 4 6 6 -1 3 0 7
SOCIAL SERVICE Catholic W e lfa re S ervices, M ichael C hua 6 3 3 7 -6 1 6 5 / 6 3 3 7 -7 9 5 4 Fax: 6 3 3 6 -1 5 1 3
SPIRITUALITY C en acle, 6 5 6 5 -2 8 9 5 Fax: 6 5 6 5 -3 8 7 5
cenacle@mbox4.singnet. com.sg C en tre For Ignatian Spirituality and Counselling, Br G erard C hoo, SJ 6 4 6 7 -6 0 7 2 Franciscan R etreat C entre, 6 5 6 7 -9 7 7 1 • Fax: 6 5 6 7 -9 7 8 6 F M M H ouse of P rayer and Form ation, S r M ary C hua 6 4 7 4 -2 5 2 6 Infant Jesus R etreat and Youth C entre, Sr G erard Lee 6 7 6 0 -2 4 6 1 Fax: 6 7 6 9 -9 3 6 9 Life Direction T e a m , S r Th eresa Koh, F M M 6 4 7 4 -2 4 2 2 Fax: 6 4 7 2 -5 8 9 5 Sr Florence W ong, F M D M 6 7 5 3 -9 6 0 2 / 9 2 6 4 -6 7 3 3 LifeSprings C anossian Spirituality C entre, Sr Lily T an 6 4 6 6 -2 1 7 8 Fax: 6 4 6 6 -1 3 0 7 litspmg@singnet.com.sg S t Francis X a v ie r M inor S em inary (S F X R etreat C en tre), 6 2 8 8 -7 9 0 1 Fax: 6 8 5 8 2 7 1 6 sfxrc@singnet.com.sg W e b s ite :
http/'/www. catholic. org.sg/SFX T h e Sojourners’ Com panions, 9 2 6 8 -6 7 2 3
sojoumers_companions@yahoo.com
cankdg@singnet.com.sg PROFESSIONAL M aris Stella, S r Marjorie Alm odiel, FM M 6 4 7 4 -3 5 9 0 Marymount Kindergarten, Petrina Siow 625 1 -5 04 9 Fax: 6 2 5 2 -6 79 0 4 S t Francis X a v ie r Play C entre, M rs Em ily Goh Tel: 6 2 8 0 -8 9 2 9
C atholic Nurses Guild o f Singapore, Miss Jan et Chan Poh Goon 6 4 4 2 -8 5 4 6 C atholic T e a c h e rs ’ M ovem ent, Mrs Gail Siow (R ) 6 4 5 4 -4 0 9 4 T h e Catholic Medical Guild of Singapore, Dr John Hui Keem Peng
johnhui@cyberway. com.sg Bible C orrespondence C ourse in C hin ese, Fr John Baptist Tou 6 3 3 7 -2 4 6 5 Catholic Audio-Visual C entre, 6 8 5 8 -3 0 7 7 Fax: 6 8 5 8 -2 0 7 7 China Catholic Communication (Zhonglian C entre), Patrick Lee Kim H w ee 9 0 6 0 -5 0 8 0 /6 2 8 6 -1 8 2 6 mail@zl.per.sg w e b : www.zl.per.sg C arlo C atholic Society, 6 3 3 7 -7 4 8 9 Fax: 6 3 3 4 -4 3 7 0 cario@cams.org.sg W e b s ite : http://www.cams.org.sg T h e C atholic N ew s, 6 8 5 8 -3 0 5 5 Fax: 6 8 5 8 -2 0 5 5 cathnews@veritas.org.sg C entral C om m odity Services (P te ) Ltd, 6 3 3 7 -4 2 3 8 Fax: 6 3 3 9 -2 5 8 3
ccs55@singnet. com.sg Hai Sing Pao, Ms C atherine Chia 6 3 3 7 -2 4 6 5 cario@cams.org.sg W e b site: http://www.cams.org.sg Katong Catholic Book Centre R e Ltd, 6 3 4 5 -1 4 1 3 Fax: 6 4 4 0 -0 2 7 2
katongcathoiic@paciHc.net.sg A postolate o f the M edia, 6 8 9 2 -1 6 3 9 Fax: 6 5 6 2 -5 8 5 7
SPECIAL SERVICES Catholic A ID S R esponse Effort (C A R E ), P eter Lau 6 3 5 3 -4 9 7 6 , 9 7 4 5 -8 99 1 Good Shepherd C entre, 6 7 5 5 -6 4 9 6 Fax: 6 7 5 2 -0 6 7 0 R. C . Prison Ministry, Sr G erard Fernandez, R G S 6 25 0 -9 15 1 Fax: 6 2 5 0 -1 8 0 4 H eartville, Susan W illiam 6 5 4 2 -6 5 5 9 Fax: 6 5 4 2 -9 4 8 6 S ingapore Anti-Narcotics Association Catholic Aftercare (Counselling) Service Com m ittee SA N A Co-ordinator: Tan Lee Hoon 6 7 3 2 -1 1 2 2 Fax: 6 7 3 2 -4 5 6 4 A postleship o f th e S e a (Catholic S e a m e n ’s Mission), Fr R om eo Yu C hang, C IC M 6 2 7 1 -8 4 6 4 /9 7 8 3 -5 1 9 1 Fax: 6 2 7 1 -1 1 7 5 portchap@singnet.com.sg W e b s ite :
www. stellamaris. net G ift of Love H om e, Sr M A ndrianne, M C 6 2 5 1 -6 0 0 4 'R ose V illa’, 6 2 5 3 -6 5 5 6
14
APRIL 28 - MAY 5, 2002
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IN MEMORIAM E ighteenth A nn iv ersary
F ifteenth A nn iv ersary
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In loving memory of
F o u rth A n n iv e rsary
Thirteenth Anniversary
In loving memory of
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F o u rth A n n iv e rsary
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F o u rth A nniv ersary
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For: • C o m p le te & d ig n ifie d fu n e ra l a rra n g e m e n ts by p rofe ssional a n d c a rin g staff. • C a th o lic m a le & fe m a le sp e cia list e m b a lm e rs . Note: Female embalmer will attend to all female deceased.
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Departed: May 12,1984 “I am the resurrection and the Life; he who believes in me, even if he dies, shall live, and whoever lives and believes in me, shall never die. (John 11:52) Masses will be celebrated on May 12, 2002 at Church of the Holy Family and Church of Christ The King at 6 pm.
CLEM ENT DE
D O R E E N IR IS P. nee D A N K ER
Departed: May 1, 1987 Dearest Mama, Years may come and years may go, But deep in our hearts the pain remains, Just as your love for us will always flow, Our love for you will never end. Sadly missed by loving sons, sisters and loved ones.
SOUZA Departed: May 11,1998 Peacefully sleeping, resting at last, The world’s weary troubles and trials are past. In silence he suffered, in patience he bore, Till God called him home to suffer no more.. Dearly missed by wife Doris, children: Virginia, Anna and Gerard.
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ER IC W IL L IA M FERN A N D EZ
Departed: May 7,1988 In our hearts your memory lingers, Sweetly tender, fond and true, There is not a day, dear son, That we do not think of you. Fondly remembered by all loved ones. F o u rth A nn iv ersary
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M A R G O R IE G O H
Departed: May 4, 1998 In our hearts your memory lingers, Sweetly tender, fond and true, There is not a day, dear mother, That we do not think of you. Dearly missed by your loving children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Mass will be held on May 4 at Church of Queen of Peace at 6.30
A B BEY F O O K IM B E E
C H R IS T O P H E R T S ’AI D eparted: A pr 28, 1998 A lw ays rem em bered and loved by Susy and all loved ones. Fifth Anniversary In loving memory of
Departed: May 4,2001 Dear Abbey, although we’ll no more see Your happy face and gentle smile We always dream of you, even forjust a while And see your smiling face, And we know that you are happy In your Father’s chosen place. Remembered with love and deeply missed by all the family, relatives and friends.
Departed: Apr 23, 1997 A place in our hearts we reserve. Memories of you we preserve. Love and praise you deserve. For God in heaven you now serve. Sadly missed by wife and children and all loved ones.
F irst A nn iv ersary
F irs t A n n iv e rsary
In loving memory of
FR E D D Y JO H N NEO
In loving memory of
MARY CHUA S IE W K IM
Departed: Apr 27, 1998 We cannot forget you Our loved one so dear; Your memory grows Sweeter year after year. Fondly remembered by family members and all loved ones. Mass will be celebrated at Church of St Michael on April 27 at 5.30 pm. Eleventh A nniversary
In loving memory of —g
N O E L L IM EW E K EAT
Departed: Apr 6,2002 Rest in peace, dearest loving husband, father, brother, teacher and friend. You are gone to be with the Lord but are still living in our hearts. We love you. Deeply missed and cherished by wife, Yvonne, son Ivan (and wife Lilian) daughters, Joyce and Grace, sister Anita (and husband Albert), brother Francis (and wife Maria) and loved ones. T w elfth A nn iv ersary
In sweet memory of
P E T E R ZA C C H EU S S. ANTHONY SAMY
NG LOI FA, MARGARET Returned to Our Lord on May 6, 1997 Only the memory’s left of the happiness we knew, But the love that kindled memory’s torch will fuel our whole lives through.
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GOMES Departed: Apr 27, 1998 In our home you are fondly remembered, Sweet memories cling to your name; Those who loved you in life sincerely, Still love you in death just the same. Always remembered by family and all loved ones.
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Departed: Apr 29, 1989 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. In you I trust, my God. Dearly missed and fondly remembered by wife, children, grand children and all loved ones.
Deeply missed and fondly remembered by Boon, Herbert, San, Ho, Sue, Kelvin, and Ryan.
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Departed: May 11,2001 The depths of sorrow we cannot tell. For the loss of you so dear to us. In life we loved you dearly. In death we do the same. We praise and thank God, for giving you to us. Fondly remembered and cherished by loving wife Mary Anthony, daughter Marie & Nick, son Jerry & Cathy, son Kenny, 0,F,M ., granddaughters, relatives and loved ones. Mass will be celebrated at Church of St Francis of Assisi on May 11 at 6.30 pm.
B O N IFA C E ANTHONY G O M E Z
Departed: May 7, 2001 This is the first year of our separation. Thank you Dad for all the sacrifice you made to bring us up and the beautiful moments we spent together. Good-bye Dad, we will carry you in a special place in our hearts. Someday we will be reunited with you again. Mass will be held on Saturday May 11,2002 at Church of St Louis, Kluang, at 6.00 pm. Dearly missed by wife, children, grand children, in-laws, relatives and friends.
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Departed: Apr 25, 1991 The Lord took him home, it was his will But his true love and fond memories remain and we cherish still. Dear God, we miss him so much but we surrender him to you till we meet again. Dearly remembered by beloved wife Jamuna, son, daughters, son-inlaw and loved ones. Mass will be celebrated at the Church of Christ the King on Sunday, April 28 at 6 pm.
AGATHA SEAH MENG CHOO Departed: May 3,2001
Loved, remembered, and longed for, She’ll be with each beat of my heart; Till in heaven we’re once more together For eternity never to part. Fondly remembered by beloved husband, son and all loved ones.
Departed: May 3,1995 His smiling way and pleasant face Areapleasure to recall; He had a kind word for each And died beloved by all. Some day we hope to meet him, Some day, we know not when, To clasp his hand in the better land, Never to part again. Fondly remembered by his wife, children and grandchildren.
M URIEL EVANGELINE JONATHAN
My darling wife Our affection&te mother Our loving grandmothef Bom: Feb 20, 1929 Departed: May 6, 1990 Dearest mother, Twelve long years have passed Peaceful be your rest, dear We often think of the yesteryears When we were together To be with you in the same old way Is our dearest wish today. Forever cherished and rem em bered by your loving husband Clyde, children, daughters-in-law , son-in-law and grand-children. ER R A TU M
Mar 17 issue of The Catholic News should have put Theresa Lee Hoi Lan, Departed: Mar 9,2001 instead of Departed: Mar 15, 1996. Our apologies to the family and friends. Please turn to page 13 for more “In Memoriam” announcements and classified advertisements.
15
THE CATHOLIC NEWS
APRIL 28 - MAY 5, 2002
YOUNG CATHOLICS
The road to Emmaus and the youth YEARS before my ordination I won dered about the significance of the Gospel of Luke Chapter 24:13-35, in our daily lives. After much thought, I saw the story as a reflection of our lives but, more importantly, I saw it as the journey of our youths. Two disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus. They had left Jerusalem because all their hopes had been dashed. The one whom they had supported and placed their hopes in - Jesus Christ - had been crucified and there was nothing much they could do. So they left Jerusalem for Emmaus.
The two disciples represent our youths. They are eager to do som e thing in church. They are not the future of the Church, they are and belong to the present Church. The youths may not dress well (in relation to the adult understand ing of dressing up) and they may seem to be too playful but actually they get the work done and I can attest to this. The Shine Je su s Shine rally held every year and the Basic For mation Course for youth leaders are totally m anaged by the youths. I take charge of the youths a s a spiritual director and make sure that
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X-
The Gospel account o f Jesus joining his two disciples on the road to Emmaus is a reflection o f the life journey o f our youths who are looking for priests and other role models to walk w ith them.
...
the spiritual/liturgical aspects of the events are all in order. Young people becom e down cast when they do not se e a leader shepherding them. They look for role models and when they cannot find one they move on to the m ate rial attractions outside the church. They seem happy but deep inside they are still searching.
The Lord comes up and walks along with the two disciples.
Our youth need us priests and adult mentors as role models and to walk with them. It is not easy walk ing with our youth. With their raging hormones and confused minds, they can take a toll on you. Je su s shows us how to spend time with our youths. First, He uses
Joan of Arc: Simple story, simple message, fiery acting By Matthew Lee
JOAN was a simple girl. She was, in the words of stage director Henry Goh, “a girl so ordinary but did so much”. Saint Joan: Maid of God w as a simple play. The set designs, cos tum es and actors’ movements were simple. It had a simple m essage to the lay people to stick together and not, as the French soldiers in the play, “waiting to do nothing”. Simple too w as the storyline with major skips of time in between. To understand the play fully, one must have prior knowledge of the life story of Joan of the Arc. This play starts with Joan and her relationship with her father. The father has recurrent dream s of her riding off with the French soldiers. She risks angering him and m akes her first prophesy to the French governor. She is unsure of the path ahead but submits herself to God. The musical then moves swiftly on to the scene of battle, done with soldiers fighting against a red back drop with Joan waving the flag of France. After Joan wins the battles, the Dauphin gets jealous of her su ccess and the support sh e re ceives from the common folk. The se ed s of hatred are planted and his evil greed for glory increases. After many battles, Joan is weary and longs for home. Coreen Rozario, playing Joan that night, delivered a wonderful song entitled, “ I will be
language which is proactive - “What m atters are you discussing?” Sometimes we find it difficult to understand our youths’ language. A great example is SMS. Many youth will SMS me but, half the time, I cannot understand what they are saying. After w e’ve spent time listening to them, they explain everything. Remember, Je su s com es in an en counter that is caring, making a reactive comment - ‘‘You foolish
We followed this by the Basic For-*'mation Programme. This year there will be an Intermediate Formation Programme. Once more we are with our youths showing care and concern and our youths are open to God’s healing touch in the Eucharist. Then only can we recognize Jesus in each other. “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he/she talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us.” But wait a minute, the journey has not yet ended... With confusion and anger many of our youth walk out of the church. As you are open to G od’s love and presence and forgiveness, now is the time to set out and return to Jerusalem . Now is the time to return to the Church. Our youths tend to walk out of the Church the very second they realise they did something wrong. When you make a mistake the just thing is to come back to Church. With the guidance of your youth leaders, priests and mentors and in receiving the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, your hearts too will burn with the fire of God’s love.You will return to praise the Lord’s name and proclaim it to all that you meet.D
men, so slow to believe the full message of the prophets" But som e of our youths go into the childish mode. When an adult or a priest confronts them for a wrong doing, the priest or adult is hated for a lifetime. Even at home, when parents discipline their adolescent youth, they are hated for weeks. We have to find various m eans and ways to attract our youth to the ministry. That is the way that Je su s shows us - walk with them, spend time with them, listen to them. Above all we must be examples for them to follow. The Shine Je su s Shine event w as a great event for energizing our youth to the faith. It is definitely not a “one-off’ thing a s som e put it.
DIRECTORY FOR YOUTHS/YOUNG ADULTS Catholic Students' Society University of Singapore, Mr ( 6 3 6 7 - 6 2 6 4 / 6 4 6 7 - 4 2 9 0 ) Irving Teo 6296-0897 irvingteo@ catholic. org yscchris@ yahoo. co m / canosis@ pacific.net.sg Nanyang Technological University Catholic Students’ Boys' Town Fraternity, Apostolate, NTU Branch: Mr g audette@ boystow n.org.sg Budi Susanto 9478-7827. Br Dominic Kiong 6769-1618 National Institute of Fax: 6762-7846 Education Catholic Students' Catholic Overseas Students Aposolate (NIECSA), NIE Down U nder Adrian (9 8 3 6 - Branch:Ang Mei Ling 96663234 5217) or Dennis (6274-2979) Infant Jesus Retreat and o r cosdu@ yahoo.com .au Youth Centre, Sr Gerard Lee 6760-2461/92947521 Fax: Choice, 9307-7752/96717699369 srtlee@ yahoo.com 0767 choice@ cheerful.com Bakhita Search-lnn,
Christina/Sr Veronica
Hosanna! Music Ministry
Poverello Teen Centre,
T H I N K I N G
St Patrick House, (Boarding) Br Collin Wee, FSC 63455929 Fax: 6345-4635 Youth Life-Line, 6252-6300 Fax: 6285-5311 Youth Praise Ministry Helen Lee (9029-0118) email _
ypmsingapore@yahoo.com. Young Christian Students’ Movement (Mandarin speaking), Mr Stephen Chia 6286-4166 95024549 Young Christian Workers (Mandarin-speaking), Maria Ng Kim Luang 6763-0137
www.hmmonline.org Sr Maria Sylvia Ng, FMM <http://www.hmmoniine.org> Tel/Fax: 6544-2603 contact Tammy 9747-8570. jub20 00 @ sing n e t.co m .sg
IN S U R A N C E
Praise@ Work Juliana 9799-9184 or email w elcom e@ praiseatw ork. org
A D V IS O R S
O F
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C H A N G E
J O IN US T O M A K E T H E D IF F E R E N C E !
• Independent • Unlimited income • Professional Coreen Rozaro (right) plays Joan of Arc and Jonathan Peeris plays Fr Jean Pasquerel, St Joan’s confessor, in the musical Saint Joan: Maid of God, which was recently staged by the Artistes for Christian Theatre.
your Home” together with Jonathan P e e ris , w ho p la y ed Fr J e a n Pasquerel. The song, written by Michael Card, assured Joan that God would be her home “in this fearful fallen place”. Coreen’s rounded and full vocals brought out the emotion of the weary Joan and her homesick ness. This w as easily the most applauded scene of the first half. The second half begins with Joan in the hands of the English, telling the story of her trials and her last moments. It ends with Fr Jean and her best friend, Nicole, drawing parallels to her death and the death
of Jesu s. With the final song, “What did she/he die for” sung by the whole cast, the energy and devo tion of the cast could be felt. Many m em bers of the audience lamented that the death scen e of Joan w as not shown. However as Je su s rose from the dead, Joan too died in the love and power of the cross and is portrayed a s the inex tinguishable burning lily, burning with “passion to listen to God’s calling”. The play is indeed simple but the emotions it generated and the perform ance, which A rchbishop Nicholas Chia called “impressive”, w as fiery.D
• 4 ‘O ’ level and above • Mininum 22 years old • Singaporean or PR.
C ontact us now fo r a prelim in a ry discussion! W illi a m T e o afp representing G re a t E a s te rn Life h r: 9
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APRIL 28 - MAY 5, 2002
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YOU ARE INVITED TO COME FOR THE FOLLOWING EVENTS
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Sun 28 Apr '02 8am - 2pm FOOD & FUN FAIR at old SJC Premises Mon 29 A p r '02 8 p m -9 p m BLESSING OF HOLY SEPULCHRE (IHM COLUMBARIUM) by Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. James Yeo Tue 30 Apr ‘02 8pm ■9pm BLESSING OF PASTORAL CENTRE & GROTTO (Rosary Recitation) by His Grace, Archbishop Emeritus Gregory Yong W ed 1 May '02 2pm • 4pm OPEN HOUSE
PU B LIS H E D BY A R C H B IS H O P G. Y O N G , 2 H IG H L A N D R O A D #01-03, S IN G A P O R E 549102.
P R IN T E D BY KHL PR IN TIN G CO PTE LTD, 57 LO Y A N G D R IVE , S IN G A P O R E 508968.