JUNE 08, 2003, vol 53, no 12 by CatholicNews

"I urge you to

celebratethe extraordinary courageand contributions refugees C

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1 SUNDAYS JUNE 8 AND JUNE 15, 2003

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SINGAPORE 50 CENTS / WEST MALAYSIA RM 1.20 M .I.T .A .(P ) No. 105/01/2003

P PS 201 /4/20 0 4 VOL 53 No. 12 |

pasran cf present" Koti A„„an U n it e d N a t io n s S e c r e t a r y G e n e ra l

POPE: WELCOME THE STRANGER IN CHRIST’S NAME

CNS Photo

HE’S 83 AND S TILL

GOING PLACES

Pope John Paul II offers a smile as he greets Polish pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square during a special audience May 19. He told his fellow Poles, “I am ever more aware of the fact that the day is drawing near when I will have to present myself to God and make an accounting of my whole life.” The pontiff marked his 83rd birthday the day before by proclaiming four new saints, two of them Polish. When you read this issue of CatholicNews, the pope will be in Croatia (June 5-9) to beatify a 20th-century nun and to celebrate liturgies in four towns. This will be his 100th trip out of Italy as pope. By then he will have visited 131 nations, travelled 718,000 miles and made 2,393 speeches. □ c n s

POPEJOHN PAUL II has called for a commitment to overcome all racism, xenophobia and exaggerated nationalism in his message for the 89th World Day o f Migrants and Refugees 2003 to be celebrated on June20, which is also the United Nations’ designated World Refugee Day. Below are excerpts of what the pope said. MIGRATION affects m illions o f human beings. This year’s World Day o f Migrants and R efugees should be a time of special prayer for the needs o f all who, for whatever reason, are far from home and family; it should be a day o f serious reflection on the duties o f Catholics towards these brothers and sisters. Among those particularly affected are the most vulnerable of

foreigners: undocumented migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, those displaced by continuing violent conflicts in many parts of the world, and the victims - mostly women and children - o f the terrible crime of human trafficking. At the root o f these situations there are sinful intentions and actions that go contrary to the Gospel and constitute a call to Christians everywhere to overcome evil with good. Membership in the Catholic community is not determined by nationality, or by social or ethnic origin, but essentially by faith in Jesus Christ and Baptism in the name o f the Holy Trinity. The “cosmopolitan” make-up o f the People of God is visible today in practically every particular Church because migration has transformed even small and formerly isolated communities into pluralist and

CHURCH OF ST STEPHEN IS 25 YEARS OLD By John Foo CONCELEBRATED Mass, dinner and triduum were held to celebrate the silver jubilee o f the parish o f St Stephen May 11. Concelebrating with Archbishop N icholas Chia were Paris M issions Society priest John Nguyen van D ich, Jesuit Father Charles Sim and Fr John Khoo, the parish priest. The dinner for some 950 parishioners and guests saw the enthusiastic participation o f all segments o f the parish community during the entertainment portion. The Brass Band and the Chinese Orchestra o f Maris Stella High School provided musical items. Singers Jerry Fernandez and Paul Cheong performed popular songs. Guests included priests and Religious communities. The triduum on May 8, 9 and 10 was presided over by Archbishop Emeritus Gregory Yong, w hile praise and worship was conducted by St Jude’s Music Ministry o f St Francis Xavier Retreat Centre. The parish o f St Stephen boasts a vibrant and cohesive community praying for the chance to upgrade the church building and

build up the parish community. Fr John Khoo, who was posted to the Church o f St Stephen in February last year as parish priest, considers it his role “to build up both the parish community and the building” where the activities are conducted. He observed that many in the parish are “very committed and ever willing to work hard to build up a Christian community that exudes love all around.” Fr Khoo sees “a bright future” for the parish with Bidadari Cemetary and Mt Vernon Crematorium soon to make way for many housing blocks. This prospect, together with the North East and Circle Lines o f the MRT and the Kallang/Paya

Lebar Expressway, w ill create a positive and optimistic vision o f the future. Fr Khoo foresees many fam ilies m oving into the vicinity and the congregation sw elling in tandem. He realizes that “the task o f renovating and expanding the church building” is a matter of great importance and urgency. The parish must ready itself to m eet the needs o f the community in the next decade.

HISTORY: It was through the efforts o f Fr R. Challet and Fr Joachim Teng that construction o f the church on Sallim Road began August 16, 1976 after a series o f

fund-raising activities . On April 22, 1978 the church was blessed and opened by then Archbishop Gregory Yong. It was named after St Stephen in memory o f Fr Stephen Lee who established a Catholic community in the area by providing education for poor Chinese boys and an orphanage for those orphaned during World War II. Fr Lee invited the Canossian Sisters in Middle Road to send members o f their community to Sallim Road to run the orphanage and teach. Today that school nurtures young girls and provides a residential and student care facilities for children o f all races.

□

inter-cultural realities The Church understands that restricting membership o f a local community on the basis o f ethnic or other external characteristics would be an impoverishment for all concerned, and would contradict the basic right of the baptized to worship and take part in the life of the community. Moreover, if newcomers feel unwelcome as they approach a particular parish community because they do not speak the local language or follow local customs, they easily become “lost sheep”. The loss o f such “little ones” for reasons o f even latent discrimination should be a cause of grave concern to pastors and faithful alike. (We have a) Christian duty to welcome whoever comes knocking out o f need. Such openness builds up vibrant Christian communities, enriched by the Spirit with the gifts brought to them by new disciples from other cultures. I therefore appeal to parents and teachers to combat racism and xenophobia by inculcating positive attitudes based on Catholic social doctrine. Only genuine evangelical love will be strong enough to help communities pass from mere tolerance o f others to real respect for their differences. Only Christ’s redeeming grace can make us victorious in the daily challenge of turning from egoism to altruism, from fear to openness, from rejection to solidarity. I also invite the immigrants to recognize the duty to honour the countries which receive them and to respect the laws, culture and traditions o f the people who have w elcom ed them. M ixed cultural communities offer unique opportunities to deepen the gift o f unity with other Christian Churches and ecclesial communities. Many o f them in fact have worked within their own communities and with the Catholic Church to form societies in which the cultures o f migrants and their special gifts are sincerely appreciated, and in which manifestations o f racism, xenophobia and exaggerated nationalism are prophetically opposed. May God’s abundant blessings be with those who w elcom e the stranger in Christ’s name. □ c n s

Sundays June 8 and June 15, 2003 Catholic News

— News —--------------------------------

AWARDS FOR FRIENDS OF MIGRANT WORKERS

BUSH CALLS POPE“ONE OF THE GREATEST MORAL LEADERS OF OUR TIM E” KRAKOW, Poland - U.S. President George W. Bush described John Paul II as “one o f the greatest moral leaders o f our time,” on the eve o f Secretary o f State Colin P o w ell’s visit to the Vatican. On Saturday, while visiting Krakow, the city o f which Karol Wojtyla was archbishop, the U.S. president said amid applause: “At Wawel Cathedral in 1978, a Polish cardinal began his journey to a conclave in Rome, and entered history as Pope John Paul II — one o f the greatest moral leaders o f our time.” Further on in his speech, delivered at Wawel Royal Castle, Bush added: “Through the years o f the Second World War, another legacy o f the 20th century was unfolding, here in this city o f Krakow.” “A young seminarian, Karol Wojtyla, saw the swastika flag flying over the ramparts of Wawel Castle,” Bush said. “He shared the suffering o f his people and was put into forced labor. From this priest’s experience and faith came a vision: that every person must be treated with dignity, because every person is known and loved by God. “In time, this m an’s vision and this m an’s courage would bring fear to tyrants and freedom to his beloved country, and liberation to half a continent,” the

By Mel Diamse-Lee NDIVIDUALS and organisations were recognised at a May Day celebration held May 25 for their “commitment in protecting the welfare” o f migrant workers in Singapore. Leading the awardees was Mr Edmund SC Eddun, assistant labour and welfare officer o f the Philippine Embassy, who was cited for being “always generous Sri Lankan migrants present a traditional dance on May 25. with his time and effort to reach an amicable settlement between the employer and em ployee Members o f the Interm eaningful for people and the promptly and judiciously,” Religious Organisation opened more people I help the better,” according to the Archdiocesan the celebration with prayers in she said. Comm ission for Migrants and their respective traditions. A lso cited for their services Itinerant People (CMI). Som e 100 graduands o f the were the Center for Overseas Among organisations which Madonna Skills centre were also Workers in the received citations were given their certificates o f Philippines, Sri the Singapore Buddhist completion. Lankan High Lodge which provides Food for the 500 attendees Commission, basic essentials like rice was prepared by some 30 Philippine and cooking oil to the volunteers o f the Madonna Soup Overseas Labor Madonna Soup Kitchen, Kitchen, led by Franciscan Office/Overseas which feeds over 100 Missionary o f Mary Sister Workers Welfare migrants in construction Rosalind Chan. Administration sites three times a week; Outside the auditorium, and Filipino the American School sumptuous dishes prepared by the Catholic Trust Ltd for conducting cooks o f various skills centres Community o f Singapore. computer courses for migrants vied for the top prize. The five-hour long event at and giving the course fees to CMI Sr Bernadette Yeo, a member the HDB hub in Toa Payoh for the purchase o f teaching aids o f Franciscan Missionary o f the included a colourful array o f such as sewing machines and D ivine Motherhood, said she was songs, cultural dances and nursing tools. “very m oved, very impressed traditional costume parade by the Volunteer teachers at the with the event that brought Sri Lankan, Indian, Myanmarese, skills centre were also given together so many people o f Filipino and Indonesian migrant certificates o f appreciation. different nations”. □ communities. One o f them, Ms Anna John

CNS PHOTO

president added. “To this very hour, Pope John Paul II speaks for the dignity o f every life and expresses the highest aspirations o f the culture w e share.” Bush is in Europe for the Group o f Eight nations summit in Evian, France. Colin Pow ell will be received in audience on Monday by John Paul II to speak about the renewal o f negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, as w ell as about the Mideast in general, in the wake o f the Iraqi war. The U .S. secretary o f state is expected to report on the provisions o f the application o f the “road map” toward peace, supported by the United States, Russia, Europe and the United Nations. During the visit, there will also be discussions on the process o f reconstruction and pacification o f Iraq after the war, which Rome and Washington disagreed over. Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, president o f the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum,” celebrated Mass recently in Baghdad’s cathedral. He is in Iraq at the request o f the Pope, to coordinate Catholics’ contribution to the country’s reconstruction. □ z e n it

Lim, a professional hairdresser has imparted her skills to Filipino domestic workers for more than a year. “I feel good doing something

YOUTH for

S olem nity of The Body and Blood of C hrist Come and Celebrate The Feast of Corpus Christi with Mass and Adoration on the occasion of the 1st anniversary of the opening of the

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Archdiocesan Perpetual Adoration Chapel at St Francis Xavier Minor Seminary (SFX Retreat Centre) 1261 Upper Serangoon Road on Saturday, 21 June 2003 7.30 pm - 10.00 pm Main Celebrant: Archbishop Emeritus Gregory Yong Join us for refreshments and fellowship after the service.

All are welcome!

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Contact: Sr. Martina fmm Email: fmmtrini@singnet.com. Tel 67880171

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On its 1st anniversary, members of the Archdiocesan Perpetual Adoration Chapel will take turns to adore the Blessed Sacrament in the Chapel on Saturday 21 June 2003 from 8 am to 6 pm. Archdiocesan Perpetual Adoration Chapel: The Blessed Sacrament is exposed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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21 June.2pC

Catholic News

Sundays June 8 and June 15,2003

VEHICLES WANTED

News A R C H B IS H O P ’S O FFIC IA L D IARY

A R C H B IS H O P ’S ANNOUNCEMENT Appointments/Transfers ARCHBISHOP Nicholas Chia has announced the following appointments: • Fr Alex Chua, assistant priest of the Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace has been posted to the Church of the Holy Trinity; • Fr William Lim, assistant priest of the Church of St Francis Xavier has been assigned to the Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace. • Fr Albert Ng, assistant priest of the Church of St Michael, has been posted to the Church of St Vincent de Paul; • Fr Luke Fong, assistant priest of the Church of St Anne, has been posted to the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour; • Fr Gerard Weerakoon of OLPs has been transferred to the Church of St Francis Xavier. • Deacon Stanislaus Pang, who will be ordained on June 22, will be posted to the Church of St Anne. Three priests will go to Rome on study leave from June 24. They are: • Fr Paul Yeo (Spirituality), • Cary Chan (Church History), • J. J. Fenelon (Catechetics). □ CORRECTION: In the previous issue, the article “A lm ost all kindergartens m eet MOE requirements” carried the clause “the kindergartens must also prove that its teachers m eet the qualifications o f the MOE and that hygiene and sanitation are observed.” It has been confirmed that all parish-run kinndergartens that have received temporary licences have met all the requirements o f the MOE and other govt agencies.

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Jun 8

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Jun 14

Confirmation at Church of St Michael

3.00 pm

Confirmation at Church of Risen Christ

8.00 pm

Pentecost Rally at IHM

11.45 am 6.30 pm

Jun 15

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Confirmation at Church of Christ the King

Jun 21

6.00 pm

Confirmation at Church of the Nativity

Jun 22

10.30 am Confirmation at Church of Queen of Peace

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Ordination of Deacon Stanislaus Pang at Holy Spirit Church

5.30 pm

Ordination of Deacon AloysiusOng at St Bernadette Church

Archbishop Nicholas Chia will be celebrating a Mass on W orld Refugee Day, June 20 at the Cathedral o f the Good Shepherd at 7 pm. O rganised by JRS. T H E F E A S T O F C O R P U S C H R IS T I

Anthony. Tue 10,8 pm - Penitential Service followed by M ass in Honour of St Anthony. Wed U , 8 pm - Mass in Chinese. Thu 12, 8 pm - Mass in Tamil. Fri 13. 8 pm - Mass in English (M ain Celebrant: Archbishop Nicholas Chia). Sat 14, 6 pm - Mass in English. Sun 15, 7.30 am - M ass in Chinese; 9 am, 11 am, 6 pm - M asses in English; 12.30 pm - Mass in Tamil. Note: St A nthony’s Bread will be distributed at all M asses on June 13, 14 and 15. C O M B IN E D P O L Y C A T H O L IC C A M P

Students in Polytechnics and students entering poly are welcom e to a 3D2N funfilled and faith-enriching camp. Jointly orgainsed by The Living Stones, SP Legion of Mary and NP Catholic Youth Apostolate. Date: June 20-22 check-in at 7 pm. Venue: St Patrick’s School Hostel. Cost: $15. Contact: Wayne 90050024/Stella 96354742 email: polycatholics@ yahoogroups.com Website:www.polycatholics.latest-info.com/ T H E F E A S T D A Y O F T H E B IR T H O F ST J O H N T H E B A P T IS T

SAGE Counselling Centre helpline for the elderly needs volunteers to befriend the elderly. Candidates must be at least 28 years old, able to speak English/Chinese and a local dialect and must be available during office hours. Basic training, skills enhancement and personal development program m es provided. C all 1800-3538633.

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Celebrate The Feast of Corpus Christi with Mass and Adoration on the 1st anniversary o f the Archdiocesan Perpetual Adoration Chapel at St Francis Xavier M inor Seminary (SFX Retreat Centre) 1261 U pper Serangoon Rd on Saturday, June 2 1 ,7.30pm - 10 pm. M a in Celebrant: Archbishop Emeritus Gregory Yong. Volunteers to be in the Archdiocesan Perpetual Adoration Chapel are needed. Call Henry Tan (97313215) for more information.

Tuesday 12.15 and 1.15 pm

The Order o f M alta will be celebrating the Feast day of the birth o f their Patron Saint, St.John the Baptist, on Tues June 24, with Mass at the Franciscan M issionaries of M ary,49D Holland Rd, at 6 pm. Celebrant; Archbishop Nicholas Chia, Chaplain o f the Order. There will be a small cerem ony with the Knights and Dame in their robes, the carrying of the Cross, the B anner of the Order, and the Sword of Chivalry of the O rder of M alta. Please be there by 5.45pm.

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Sundays June 8 and June 15, 2003 Catholic News

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News

Archbishop Chia commissions new graduates of evangelization school By George Teo SINGAPORE - ARCHBISHOP Nicholas Chia reminded lay Catholics in Singapore of their mission to evangelize - to “go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last” - when he commissioned 29 graduands of the 15th NET School of Evanglization during a Mass at the Church of St Bemardette May 24. He noted that only four per cent of Singaporeans are Catholic, and suggested that if each of the 130,000 to 140,000 Catholics were to bring one person into the Church, the number would double. One of the first activities of the graduates is an enrolment drive for the school’s 16th intake. They will be visiting Singapore

parishes in July and August to invite parishioners to the school’s Open House at the Church of St Bemardette August 30. The school’s 18-month programme is focused primarily on discipleship that leads to evangelization. It provides a balance between formation of the individual and information on the key aspects of the Catholic faith and its teachings. Trainers include

By Francis Tamel Mane

- THE CHRISTIAN Family and Social Movement (CFSM) celebrated May 1, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, in solidarity with migrant workers and their families. The gathering commemorated the 117-year struggle for an eight-hour workday, decent working and living conditions for all workers and their families. The event started with special

SINGAPORE

prayers for the unemployed, the Sars victims, all health workers and their families. Many workers have lost their jobs because of the recession and Sars. Hotels, food centres, shopping centres and tourist related industries are badly affected. Many workers have been retrenched while others suffered

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Tel: 6344 5042 Fax: 6344 5065 Email: lukyrise@ singnet.com .sg Web: www.holydevo.com Business Hours: Monday-Saturday lOam to 7pm Closed on Sunday Buses: 853, 646, 10, 31, 32, 40, 76, 135, 197. Branch

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priests, nuns and lay leaders. The school’s new programme will begin September 11.

Those who wish to enrol or want to know more about the Open House may email to neteam@pacific.net.sg or call Elizabeth at 9324-0471 . □

CFSM celebrates labour day with migrant workers

A house of their own

HOLY DEVOTIONAL CENTRE

The graduates’ commissioning on May 24.

PRIESTS of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts (SSCC) now have a place they can call their own. Their community house at Gillman Heights was blessed on Good Shepherd Sunday May 11 by Fr Alfons Claes, the Superior of the Indonesian Province SSCC. Pictures of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart - from which the Congregation has its name - were also blessed. A prayer was said to Blessed Damien, the leper-priest who gave his life in service of the lepers, after whom the house was named. The Damien House project had begun with an advertisemet in the December 2001 Blessed Sacrament newsletter asking for

Priests and parishioners of Blessed Sacrament Church at the blessing, May 11. funds to buy a community house for the priests of the SSCC congregation. Parishioners responded favourably. Some even undertook projects to raise funds. Within five months, the unit at Gillman Heights was purchased and renovation works on the dream house began. □

wage cuts to remain on the job. Newspaper reports indicate that 89,100 Singaporeans are unemployed. That’s about 4.5% of the total working population. Franciscan Friar Gerard Victor said St. Joseph worked as a carpenter and took good care of his family. He said that St. Joseph, who is the patron saint of workers, challenges all workers and their families to be humble and to work with dignity to serve God and to build his kingdom. The day ended with a simple lunch and a blessing by CFSM national chaplain Fr. Christophe Andre. In 1955, Pope Pius XII declared May 1 the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. In 1981, Pope John Paul II, through the encyclical Laborem Exercens (On Human Work) wrote that there would be always a need for workers’ solidarity. This social teaching motivates Catholic lay organisations to promote solidarity among local workers, their families and migrant workers. International Labour Day has been celebrated since May 1, 1886. Many countries observe a 40-hour week, but in some countries including Singapore, a 44-hour week is still observed by many companies. □ ■ ■ ■ •

Catholic News

Sundays June 8 and June 15, 2003

‘All Girls’ Before & After School Care

News

Good response by priests to Sars crisis HONG KONG - ABOUT forty-five priests in Hong Kong responded to the diocese’s call for volunteers needed to administer the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to Sars-assigned hospitals. With permission from local authorities, the Hong Kong diocese has chosen five of the priests to minister in hospitals and the remaining forty will visit Catholic families and persons in quarantine. The five priests chosen are Joseph Chan Wingchiu, Luis Ho Siu-keung, Benedict Lam Cho-ming, Simon Li Chi-yuen and Jesuit Father Marciano Baptista. They have been given a special course at

Filipino Catholics still kissing images in churches despite Sars PARANAQUE CITY, Philippines — CATHOLICS in the Philippines seem to be so fearless of Sars that they continue to kiss holy images in their churches, despite warnings from church leaders to stop doing so. At Our Mother of Perpetual Help National Shrine in Paranaque City, just south of Manila, Angelita Casasis pressed her lips on the image of Christ crucified, just as she has done for many years. “I am unafraid of Sars,” the 37-year-old mother, now pregnant ^ with her fourth child said. Casasis declared that her faith is stronger than Sars. Casasis and her daughter joined devotees that packed the church May 7 to seek the Blessed Mother’s intercession. The devotion that began when Casasis was still a single woman selling plastic bags outside the shrine has endured. On Wednesdays, she pauses from helping her husband manage an air-conditioner and refrigerator

Caritas Medical Center with regard to precautions to take when carrying out their ministry among the sick. The priests say they are not afraid of catching Sars. Father Baptista was the first to make a hospital visit May 3, and reported that “our visit helped the patients to carry on and it was a great sign of hope for them. Their greatest fear is that they may die without receiving the sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick.” The priest said he wore protective clothing and spent ten minutes with each patient. He anointed the person using a baton to avoid direct contact. Father Joseph Vhan, assistant

priest at the church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, said: “The sacrament of the sick gives strength, peace, and courage to overcome the difficulties of those who are seriously ill and the fragility of old age and it helps to overcome the temptation to discouragement and despair when facing death.” In the meantime, the diocese has a telephone line for urgent cases of Catholics who are in danger of death requesting the ministry of a priest. Sarsdesignated hospitals have also adopted the use of mobile phones for patients and staff who can see their family members through webcam. □ z e n i t

repair shop to take her family to the regular novena Mass and prayers at the shrine. Redemptorist Father Joseph Echano, the rector, says that 100,000 people visit the shrine on Wednesdays and Sundays, but reminders and guidelines for Sars prevention do not stop people from touching or kissing the images. ' Father Echano also told UCA News that priests “strictly follow” the advice to distribute Communion on the recipient’s hand. After Cardinal Jaime Sin of Manila issued an Easter Sunday circular on Sars, he said, only one man refused to receive

use the confessional boxes. Priests prefer to be side-by-side rather than face-to-face with penitents. In Cardinal Sin’s letter, “In Danger I Called to the Lord; The Lord Answered Me and Set me Free,” he called for prayers for Sars victims and their families, and for protection against infection. He discouraged kissing statues for public veneration and recommended distributing Communion in the hand. Nonetheless, Rene Bullecer, a medical doctor and director of a pro-life group, maintains that “if you believe you are receiving the body and blood of Christ the healer, then you have nothing to worry about.” Since April, some priests have been discouraging physical contact at their Masses. Instead of saying, “Let us join hands” to pray the Our Father, they now just tell congregants, “Let us pray” or “Let us sing together.” That innovation did not deter a grandmother at Holy Sacrifice Parish in Quezon City, northeast of Manila, during Mass on May 18. She reached for her seatmate’s hand at the Lord’s Prayer, as did most other congregants. And most of them also shook hands with one another to express a sign of peace. □ u c a n

A priest distributes the Eucharist in the hand at a church in Manila.

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Sundays June 8 and June 15, 2003 Catholic News

Feature

PEO PLE TH E W O R LD TE N D S TO IG N O R E This year’s World Refugee D ay to be celebrated June 20 w ill focus on refugee youths. In this article by Teresa Cheong, you w ill get an insight on who the refugees are, w ho is doing what for them, how Singapore Catholics and the Jesuit R efugee Service are involved and how you can make a difference. OPE JOHN PAUL II has urged ail Catholics in his World Day of Migrants and Refugees message to remember the day as “a time of special prayer for the needs of all who, for whatever reason, are far from home and family”. It should be “a day of serious reflection on the duties of Catholics towards these brothers and sisters” as “it is the Christian duty to welcome whoever comes knocking out of need.” The pope also encourages Catholics to overcome the tendency to care for just fellow Christians but to instead reach out to others of different faiths and nationalities. Obstacles such as racism and xenophobia which prevent us from caring for them must be overcome, he said.

SINGAPORE —Catholics and non-Catholics are invited to pray for refugees in a World Refugee Day Mass to be celebrated by Archbishop Nicholas Chia at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd at 7 pm Friday, June 20. There will be slide presentations on Pope John Paul II’s message and the plight of refugees. The Mass is organised by the Jesuit Refugee Service Singapore.

Behind the statistics: People with faces, names and needs.

COLD STATISTICS

AMALAVATHINI and Naw Aye are two faces from among 20 million refugee youth and internally displaced young persons worldwide whom the United Nations High Commission For people who are unable or unwilling Refugees (UNHCR) will to return to their home countries because of a well-founded fear of commemorate June 20, a day designated as World Refugee Day. persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, political This year, UNHCR has dedicated opinion, or belonging to a particular World Refugee Day to Refugee Youth to “celebrate their many strengths, social group. The Catholic Church and NGOs adopt a broader definition their huge potential, and their capacity of refugees to include those who are to help themselves and their communities.” The heartbreaking fleeing from armed conflicts, famine, stories of Kamalavathini and Naw abject poverty and natural disasters. IDPs are people who have also been Aye highlight the untold misery of refugees living without protection of forced to leave their homes, for reasons similar to the refugees’ but their basic human rights. are still living inside their home UNHCR estimates in early 2002 country. Unlike refugees, IDPs are say there are 12 million refugees and not protected by international law about 20-25 million Internally and not eligible to receive Displaced People (IDPs) worldwide; international aid. of these 80% are women and War and internal violence have children. JRS and other non caused massive migrations. government organizations (NGO) put Refugees: Afghanistan, 3.8 million; the number at 45 million refugees Iraq, 530,100; Thailand-Burma, and IDPs combined. 276,300. IDPs: Afghanistan, 1.2 UNHCR defines refugees as

Where the Church stands THE CHURCH’S stand on what Pope John Paul n described as a “shameful wound of our time” is clear. Its Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People urges international communities to “recognize and respect the norms for the protection of refugees, their right to belong to a community of their own”, and that “no person must be sent back to a country where he or she fears discriminatory action or lifethreatening situations”. It also urges states where refugees are living in camps to be “assured not only food, clothing, housing and protection from violence, but also access to education and medical assistance, and the possibility of assuming responsibility for their own lives, cultivating their own cultures and traditions, and freely expressing their own faith.” Reunification of refugee families must also be promoted, the council said. The Bible has many refugee stories. Joseph’s brothers left for Egypt, driven by a devastating famine (Gen 42:1-3); the people of Judah, defeated in war, were “taken into exile out of their land” (2 Kings 25:21); even the Holy Family were

NAW AYE, a quiet ten -year- old Karen girl with a doleful expression and a small, thin frame camouflaged by an old oversized T-shirt, has known no home other than the harsh mountainous terrain bordering Thailand and Burma. She was bom in a refugee camp and has never seen “the modem world” outside the camp. Flushed toilets, television, refrigerators or water on tap do not exist in Naw Aye’s world. School is a sparsely furnished bamboo hall with rows of uneven bamboo planks as benches. She has no textbooks or writing paper. Her parents had fled from their border village in the Karen state to Thailand to escape the Burmese soldiers’ raids and forced relocation. □

KAMALAVATHINI lost her leg when an artillery shell fell on her makeshift home in the Vanni region of northern Sri Lanka in 1997. The explosion killed her parents, grandparents and elder brother. Ironically, Kamalavathini’s family had fled from their hometown in Jaffna to Vanni in 1990 as fighting between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and government forces escalated. Thirteen years after fleeing from her home, Kamalavathini, now 21, remains an internally displaced person. She said: “War is futile because it creates generations of people like me, invalid and handicapped. This must be stopped: resources are being destroyed and wealth is wasted. Peace must prevail.”

refugees, having fled by night to Egypt to escape from King Herod (Mt 2:13-15); and the early Christians in Jerusalem faced bitter persecution and “everyone except the apostles fled to the country districts of Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1). Throughout his ministry, Jesus set an example for Christian followers by his love for the weak and the poor. He taught us that in the face of the needy, we see him: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, thirsty and you gave me drink; a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35). Our concern for the stranger goes beyond showing a natural concern for a fellow man. This is because in every human being, we have the opportunity of meeting Christ. This teaching is especially relevant in our attitude towards refugees. As Christians, we are called to respond to all who are marginalized or excluded. As the number of refugees in our midst continues to increase, we are challenged to make a choice. Do we follow the example of Christ and take the side of the poor and defenseless or do we ignore the refugee problem and hope that it will blow away? □

Hearts of flesh CHURCH of St Ignatius parishioner Michael Chan, has gone back three times to the Karen and Karenni refugee camps at the Thai-Burmese border since his first visit there in

2001. Michael, who is in his 60s and semi retired, said: “It tore my heart to pieces to see so many children and young people wearing such dirty and worn out clothes. They also looked so sullen.” Michael was so touched by “the sight of a young girl washing clothes by the river and babysitting her younger sibling who was strapped behind her back with a cloth” that he has been sending blankets and used clothes to the refugees DAWN YEN, 33, a parishioner from the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea, changed her attitude of indifference to one of real concern after a face-to-face encounter with IDPs during a visit to Sri Lanka

million; Colombia, 720,000; Sri Lanka, 630,000. A total of 144 countries have signed the 1951 Geneva Convention and/or its 1967 Protocol, recognizing persons as refugees based on UNHCR’s definition. In non signatory countries UNHCR has little or no direct access to refugees. Resettlement in another country has always involved legal and bureaucratic complexities. This has worsened since September 11, 2001, even in traditionally receptive countries such as US, Australia and the European states. The JRS 2001 Annual Report says: “The treatment of forcibly displaced people since the terrorist attacks has deteriorated still further, with an erosion of social protection in many parts of the world, especially in industrialized countries.” To most people, a refugee or an IDP is a faceless statistic. The mass media’s recent focus on “live” battlefront reports and their disinterest in the associated human toll has desensitised the world to the suffering faced by refugees and IDPs everyday. □

with JRS Singapore. Until then, her image of refugees was people “living far away from civilized countries”, “underprivileged, homeless and despairing”, with “little or no knowledge of healthcare and hygiene.” But after visiting the rebelheld Jaffna Peninsula and Vanni region, Dawn, a human resource professional, said, “the refugees became flesh and blood. I realized that they were like me, with aspirations too. They are our brothers and sisters who need our support physically and psychologically.” Indeed, IDPs and refugees are ordinary people - like us - whose crime was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dawn was particularly struck by the young adults who had survived the war and lost family members. “They were not bitter. They were hopeful for peace in the country. I met a woman IDP who shared that she didn’t understand why God allowed the war, but knew in her heart that he had his reasons for all this, and she didn’t blame him for anything. I was astounded by her unwavering faith despite all that had happened in her life.”

Be a volunteer with the Jesuit Refugee Service JRS is an international Catholic organization founded in 1980 by the Jesuits to accompany, serve and defend the rights of refugees and displaced people. JRS serves refugees in over 50 countries, offering them humanitarian and spiritual help, regardless of their beliefs. JRS focuses on areas which do not attract international attention and hence receive little or no international aid. JRS International has over 500 voluntary workers, Jesuits and members of other religious orders working among the most neglected refugees in forgotten places like Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Rwanda. JRS also operates in Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Nepal and India. JRS Singapore works closely with JRS Asia Pacific on orphanage, education and humanitarian projects in Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia. Refugees and IDPs attract little media coverage. But answering Jesus’ call to clothe the naked, and feed the hungry and thirsty stranger means not remaining deaf to the millions of powerless voices crying for our help.□

I f you are interested to help or to know more about JRS Singapore projects, contact JRS Singapore at 6463 6022 or email to jrs@jesrefsg.org.

These encounters have led her to do refugee relief work as a JRS Singapore volunteer. AFTER seven years working for refugees, one might reasonably assume Fr Andre Sugijopranoto SJ, 38, to long for a less stressful assignment. The Indonesian Jesuit priest is the JRS Asia Pacific Regional Director and based in Bangkok. He worked with IDPs for three years in Cambodia and West Timor. Wrong assumption. “First of all, I am a Jesuit so I believe that my superior’s assignment for me to work with JRS is God’s calling,” he explained. “Secondly, I love being with the refugees and IDPs and I believe that JRS can contribute in many small ways to help them.” Was his life ever in danger? He answered: “When I was working in West Timor, I always faced threats from the militia. JRS wanted to bring the refugees back to East Timor and the militias wanted to keep them in West Timor.” After three years of helping East Timorese refugees in West Timor camps return to their homes, he can now look back with deep satisfaction because his mission has been accomplished. □

Catholic News

Sundays June 8 and June 15, 2003

PhotoNews A child’s world

Remembering the refugees

In recent decades, literally tens of millions of children have been given a new chance to grow and prosper through better medical care, schooling or, in the case of refugees, through the protection and help of UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations. Despite these accomplishments, life remains desperate for millions of the world’s youngest citizens, including 25 million children currently uprooted from their homes,

Just as we make a special effort to remember our mothers on Mother’s Day, we want the world’s refugees to be remembered on their special day. For years, many countries and regions have been holding their own Refugee Days and even Weeks. One of the most widespread is Africa Refugee Day, which is celebrated on June 20 in several countries.

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As an expression of solidarity with Africa, which hosts the most refugees, and which traditionally has shown them great generosity, a special UN General Assembly Resolution was unanimously adopted in 2000 which designated June §ome 0f (he millions of the world’s uprooted children at a camp in 20 every year as World Refugee Day. , he Horn of Africa. © UNHCR/MAwai

A salute to courage

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' tl-t. World Refugee Day is a salute to the indomitable spirit and courage of the world’s refugees, and as such it should be a real celebration. Around the world, this day of festivity and tribute is expressed in a hundred different ways, from stand-up comics and rock concerts to conferences and memorial services. But whether it’s as simple as a village fete or school event, or a high-profile ceremony, June 20 is a day in which we think about the world’s refugees, and extend to them our encouragement, support and respect □

CNS PHOTO

Above: A Congolese girl holds her brother at a church refugee compound in Ntoroko, Uganda, May 18. Fighting in eastern Congo between armed rival tribal militias has brought renewed turmoil to a region already devastated by war. Some 100,000 people have fled to neighboring Uganda out of fear of kidnappings, killings and cannibalism and were in desperate need of food, water and shelter. In early May three Catholic priests were among those killed in a rampage in northeastern Congo, cns

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Refugee youth: Building the future •

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’’The days of our youth are the days of our glory”. So wrote the poet Byron. But tragically, for 20 million young people around the world, the days of their youth, far from being days of glory, are often filled with hopeless misery, unspeakable cruelty and heartless exploitation. Among them are the world’s refugee youth youngsters whose only crime was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and who now find themselves the displaced victims of other people’s wars and conflicts. It is the special plight of these innocents that UNHCR wishes to spotlight, by dedicating World Refugee Day 2003 to Refugee Youth, and thereby open the eyes of a worldwide audience to their needs; to accentuate the positive by celebrating their many strengths, their huge potential, and their capacity to help themselves and their communities. UMHCR also aims to provide refugee youth with a heightened sense of value and self-worth; to help them gather their strength and courage, spread their wings ... and fly! □

Sundays June 8 and June 15, 2003 Catholic News

Special Report IN canonizing a saint,

By John Travis

the church is 'F SAINTS are models for everyday living, miracles confirm a link between this life and the next — a demonstration that the divine can touch upon human affairs. But in a modem age dominated by scientific scrutiny and logical explanation, the church is extremely careful in what it proclaims as a “supernatural” event. Just like the alleged virtues of saints, miracles must pass an authenticity test. The reason saints and miracles go together is simple: From the church’s earliest centuries, Christians have prayed to holy people who have died, asking their help with earthly problems. The prayers are offered for the saint’s intercession with God in the belief that those who lived holy lives in this world surely will have God’s ear in the next. God grants the grace or miracle, not the saint. People pray to these holy figures for all kinds of reasons, including illness, family and marital conflicts, and a host of other woes. Miracles submitted to the Vatican for verification almost always concern unexplained recovery from illness. The reason is that such healings are typically well-documented by professionals who have no special interest in promoting a sainthood cause. In some cases, the doctors’ amazement ends up being a key part of the church’s record. But it’s not enough to show that a healing is inexplicable by science. The church must also verify that a particular saint is responsible for obtaining God’s grace — in other words, that specific prayers were answered. Vatican rules for saint-making require one miracle for beatification and a second for canonization. The only exception is for those declared to be martyrs, who do not need a miracle for beatification but do need one for canonization. Each sainthood cause moves at its own pace, and a miracle can be a key factor. Scores of causes have languished for decades or centuries, waiting for a miracle to be verified. Some would-be miracles are rejected after study by experts, and that can cause deep disappointment among those promoting the cause. The sainthood process works like this: After a cause passes through diocesan-level review with a favorable judgment, it is forwarded to the Vatican. In most cases, two decrees are needed before beatification occurs: one confirming the person’s heroic virtues, another verifying a

miracle attributed to the person’s intercession. When an alleged miraculous cure is submitted, the Vatican oversees a detailed review of the facts. If two Vatican-appointed medical experts think the case is substantial enough, it is considered by a full six-member medical board called a “consulta.” The experts must make sure the disease or ailment was serious and medically verified; that other treatments failed to cure it; and that the cure was instantaneous, lasting and inexplicable by modem medical intervention. Already at the diocesan level, doctors who treated the patient have been called as witnesses, and often they are asked to write a report on the disease and its progress. The Vatican reviews

elevating a model of holy living, not promoting miracles. Yet, God works in wondrous ways; miracles linked to a saint’s intercession remind people of that.

Mother Teresa was acclaimed a saint even when she was alive; the miracle after her death was a formality.

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this information and then checks it out with one or more of the approximately 100 medical specialists on its roster of consultants. Once the medical scrutiny has confirmed a wondrous cure, the case passes to a group of theologians. They make sure that prayers for healing were indeed offered to the would-be saint — attesting to the link between a cure and prayers for a cure. When both medical and theological experts have given the miracle a thumbs-up, it is forwarded for approval by the pope, who issues a decree while meeting with the cardinalmembers of the Congregation for Sainthood Causes. Katharine Drexel was beatified in 1988 after a teen age boy miraculously regained his hearing; she was canonized in 2000 after the Vatican verified another miraculous cure of deafness in a U.S. toddler. In both cases, the people cured were among those attending the beatification and canonization Masses. In the rare cases of a nonmedical miracle — for example, someone’s life inexplicably saved in what should have been fatal circumstances — the Vatican consults other scientific experts to rule out a natural explanation of the event.

Padre Pio’s stigmata did not make him a saint; his faith - lived life did. There is no special Vatican office for miracles, and the sainthood congregation only studies miraculous events as they relate to pending causes. It would not investigate alleged miracles after a saint has been declared or look into extraordinary happenings, visions or prophecies among people who are not active in its sainthood files. Miracles are basically a way for the church to see a divine “seal of approval” on its judgment of a person’s sanctity. Despite the central importance of miracles in the sainthood process, however, the miracles are not spotlighted during canonization ceremonies. Usually miracles are not even mentioned during these ceremonies. The reason, Vatican officials say, is that in canonizing a certain person the church is elevating a model of holy living, not promoting miracles. At the same time, Vatican officials know that verification of miracles reminds people that God works in wondrous ways. “Behind the whole process is the conviction that the Lord does intervene and act in human affairs,” said one Vatican official. □

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There’s more to a miracle than meets the eye — literally. If all there is to an astounding event is what “meets the eye” (the amazing action that is witnessed), is it a miracle as Christians use the term? it is important to distinguish miracles from magic. Miracles do more than amaze. They are wondrous works that work wonders in people. Witnesses of miracles are invited to change for the better — to be converted, that is. That could mean imitating the miracle worker by giving care, being compassionate or serving others. People use the word “miracle” rather freely in conversation. We might say, for example, that a certain teacher worked a miracle with her students, by which we mean that it was astonishing how much and how well they did under her guidance. What w e’re calling “miraculous” in this case isn’t the teacher in and of herself, but all the good she did. It’s like that with miracles in the Christian understanding. They’re not magical events, fascinating to observe but not very meaningful. They’re extremely meaningful because of the scope of the good they do. □ c n s

Catholic News

Sundays June 8 and June 15,2003

Special Report By T. Jensen Lacey

Michael Clancy is a chahged man, and it happened during an incident on the job with a glimpse of a tiny, outstretched hand.

VETERAN free lance

photojoumalist living in Nashville, Clancy had been hired by USA Today to photograph surgical procedures being performed on fetuses. A fortysomething, single, erudite professional who says he’s “spiritual but uncommitted to any particular religious dogma,” Clancy then considered himself to be someone totally uninvolved in the debate over abortion. “It (the pro-life debate) was something that didn’t have anything to do with me, and I had never taken a stand either way,” he said in an interview with the Tennessee Register, the Nashville diocesan newspaper. Something happened to change Clancy’s attitude and challenge his beliefs on Aug. 19, 1999, as he stood, gowned and in surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, with Canon camera in hand. The surgical procedure he was photographing that morning was a corrective spinal procedure on a fetus of just 21 weeks’ gestation. The baby had spina bifida, in which part of the spine does not close. “When the surgery began,” Clancy said, “they made the typical incision like they would make for a C-section to gain access to the uterus, which they lifted out and placed on the

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mother. An incision was then made to the uterus itself, with the infant staying inside the womb throughout the procedure.” Then, Clancy said, a miracle happened. “As they were about to finish the procedure,” he recalled, “the doctor was asking me about my film speed, and in my peripheral vision I caught a movement. No one was touching the uterus but it was moving. All of a sudden, the child thrust an arm out of the opening, then pulled back in until only the tiny hand was protruding. I started taking pictures.” What happened next

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continues to amaze Clancy. “The doctor leaned over and lifted the baby’s hand,” he said. “The baby took hold of the doctor’s finger, and when the surgeon gently shook the finger, the baby held on tight.” Then the moment was gone and the doctor began to close the incision and complete the procedure. “A nurse asked me what happened because I was saying, ‘Wow! Amazing!’” Clancy said. When he told her what he had seen, he said she shrugged and responded, “Oh, they do that all the time.” Still in awe over what he had

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witnessed, Clancy sent the unprocessed film to USA Today; many publications require this from photographers, to ensure there is no artificial manipulation of images. “I thought then,” he said, “that of all the things I’ve ever done, this is the most significant to me.” Clancy still did not know if the photograph had even been in focus, it had happened so fast. Ten days later, Clancy’s editor called him. “He told me this was the most incredible picture he’d ever seen,” Clancy recalled. The now-famous “Fetal Hand Grasp” photograph is featured on CNS PHOTOS

By Jean Sweeney

'Y FRIEND Jackie always walks during her prayer time. She listens to and hears God as she walks a few miles each day. My own way is to lie in bed whenever I wake or to sit in my chair with Scripture to begin my quiet time. For me it is an everyday miracle of grace that this God time happens and that I am motivated to turn to God. I am grateful. Often when I sit in awareness of God, a graceful sliver of clarity, an inner truth or acceptance about a frustrating situation comes. Such miracles! I know about real miracles. A few springs ago my sister was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma that already had metastasized to the brain. There

i r a

were no available treatments. I closed up shop at work and flew to New England to help out by moving in with her. A chronic depression had earlier shut down much of her life spirit. My other sisters gathered in love. Those of us who belonged to churches (three out of the five) put my sister on prayer lists and asked all friends to pray. In the first month my job was to accompany her to checkups on the tumor’s growth and to consult some treatment specialists. I helped her clear up “things that were on her mind.” Since I live alone it was a great pleasure to prepare meals to delight us both. We loved being together, working together and hanging out. A sister who had been the primary-care person was over

l e

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A healing miracle is more than a cure. With it, God touches hearts to love deeply and unselfishly or to hope. often for fun and sharing. There was a large, hilarious family reunion at the end of the summer. My sister’s energy was far better. I returned home.

lif e

In early September my sister called. At a post-scan conference with three doctors, a nurse and social worker, she was told there was no trace of any cancer. Since there had been no treatments, they were stunned and so were we. They called it a miracle. It was a cure, but it was also a healing. Thanks be to God! There were many miracles of healing in this: my workplace releasing me; the great love of my other sisters and family; my sister being able to receive love so easily. It seemed particularly important that she didn’t get obsessed with the disease, not reading much about it or even talking much about it. Our obsessions and fears can block grace. She lived in the present

Web sites — with permission from the photographer and without — and on billboards, posters and on Clancy’s own Web page, www.michaelclancy.com. “The day after this photo was published,” Clancy said, “a man from St. Louis called and told me, ‘I have 14 crisis pregnancy centers I’m in charge of, and I just want you to know your picture is saving lives.’” Radio personality Rush Limbaugh talked about the site on his show, and G. Gordon Liddy, on his radio show, interviewed Clancy. “I’ve also had people e-mailing me saying how this has changed them,” Clancy added. Donna Thomas, director of Caring Choices in Nashville, saw the photo on Clancy’s Web site. “It’s pretty striking,” she said. “It reinforces the concept that there is a life growing within someone and that it needs to be respected and cared for in the proper way.” Still a spiritual seeker, Clancy said the photo answers one important question for him and for people, such as pregnant women or abortion-clinic staffers, who are in the position of making life-or-death decisions. “This changed me spiritually,” he said. “I know without a doubt that God is using me and that I have to get this picture out there. I see myself not so much as saving lives; I see myself as a messenger to let people know about something that happened in the blink of an eye.” And what of the infant? Clancy said, “Samuel was bom Dec. 2, 1999.1 saw him when he was two days old in an Atlanta hospital. When I saw him, it was amazing. He was a perfectly formed, normal baby, looking around. From what I ’ve read about Samuel’s surgery, this is a miracle.” □ c n s

moment, fully receiving what was available for her, and regained her capacity for joy. Now my sister newly attends a church. She has invited friends (and my other agnostic, but searching, sister) to join her in a sharing group. They use a book that has prayer practices. They share their spiritual challenges and discuss their growth. They practice being attentive to the present moment. In that present moment the “I am the Way, the Truth, the Life” of Christ transforms. And it is a miracle also when our hard hearts become open and compassionate, when we turn toward reconciliation or when we risk authentic living. There is so much more than a cure in this miracle. □ c n s

Sweeney is a pastoral counselor at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Arlington, Va. E-mail her at jeansween@eroIs.com.

Sundays June 8 and June 15,2003 Catholic News

The Word Of God the holy tr in ity |

sunday, june 8|

Today is a day of great promise

ACTS 2: 1 -11

EVERAL times at the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples that it would be a good thing for him to leave them - and each time, they just couldn’t accept his words. But on Pentecost, a full ten days after Jesus had indeed left them and ascended into heaven, it finally hit them. Now, because the Holy Spirit had come, Jesus was not only with them; he was in them too! This is the great truth we are called to celebrate today. Through the Holy Spirit, each of us has Jesus living within us, transforming us into the very likeness of Christ and empowering us to do the miraculous. So, on this great feast day, on this great day of commemoration and celebration, we should all ask ourselves, “Has it hit me? Do I know in my heart of hearts that I am a temple of the Holy Spirit? Do I know that God Almighty has taken up residence in my heart? Am I experiencing his power and his love at work within me?”

o rd s h ip and MERCY. How can we know if we are experiencing the Holy Spirit in greater and greater measure? There are many ways, but today let’s focus on two, both of which are related to the Scripture readings we will hear at Mass. First, we will recognize the Spirit’s presence as we become more and more convinced that Jesus truly is the Lord (I Corinthians 12:3). But the Lordship that we experience from Jesus is far different from the kind of authority we might expect. Jesus is not a distant,

Tongues of fire rest on Mary and disciples of Jesus in this 15thcentury depiction of the Pentecost by Jose Pessoa indifferent ruler who erects barriers between himself and his people, as great kings and emperors have done throughout history. Rather, Jesus’ Lordship is more like the biblical images of a shepherd tenderly caring for his sheep and a passionate lover leaping over mountains and hills rushing to embrace his beloved (Matthew 18:12-14; Song of Songs 2:8-14). The Holy Spirit wants to show us more and more how desirable it is to live under Jesus’ authority. He wants to convince us that living for ourselves only leads to heartbreak and loneliness, but living for Jesus and his people leads to a life of adventure, fulfillment, and great accomplishment. He wants to show us that anyone who is in Christ is a new creation and that this new creation has the capacity to do the very things that Jesus did while he walked among us (2 Corinthians 5:17; John 14:12). The second way we will know the Spirit is at work within us comes as we are convinced

that our sins are forgiven (I John 1:9). The Holy Spirit wants to show us that every one of our transgressions has been washed away in Jesus’ blood. As we allow the Spirit to unfold this truth to our hearts, nothing will be able to keep us from confessing our sins and receiving the forgiveness that Jesus won for us on the cross. In fact, we will learn to run to Jesus with every area of darkness, eager to know his power to cleanse and heal us. Is there a part of your life that you feel powerless to change? Are you carrying guilt and shame from some past action that you now regret? Well, listen to the Spirit’s personal message for you: Your sins have been forgiven. Period. Don’t be afraid to expose your needs, your sins, and your weaknesses to the Lord. Don’t let the devil convince you that you’re beyond redemption. Nothing could be further from the truth! So, has it hit you today? Has the greatness of Jesus’ gift of the Spirit penetrated your mind and heart? Do you know that you can turn to the Spirit at any time and receive his love, his joy, and his power? Today is a day of great promise. As you celebrate Mass today, ask Jesus to immerse you in his Spirit. Ask him to give you a new experience of the Spirit and a deep confidence in his love for you. Believe that your life can be changed on this day of joy and celebration.

“Holy Spirit. I give you praise and honour. I believe that you have come to live in me and to empower me to live for Jesus. Thank you for assuring me that my sins have been forgiven. Come, Spirit, and fill me —and your whole church - with Jesus’ love and joy." Lj

W hat a m agnificent

R EVELATION ! [SUNDAY, JUNE 15|| ROMANS 8: 14-17 | would ever think we have the mystery of the Trinity figured out: How can the one God really be three distinct Persons and yet rem ain one? We would be more likely to feel overwhelmed by the thought and conclude that God is simply too lofty and abstract ever to grasp. The point of Trinity Sunday is not to try to figure out a mathematical or metaphysical puzzle. Rather, it is to celebrate that this God - who is mystery - has revealed himself to his creation. And what a magnificent revelation it is! We see a heavenly Father pouring life and love into his eternal Son. We see the Son returning this love through w orship and obedience. And we see that the love that exists between the Father and Son is so great that this very love is also a divine P erson, the Holy Spirit. The wonder is that these marvelous truths were revealed, not as human philosophers speculated, but as God reached out to sinful men and wom en God the Father, Jesus and the Holy through his Son, Jesus Spirit are depicted in a stained glass Christ. As he walked window at the Glasgow cathedral in among us as a man, Scotland Jesus showed us the love of God in action. As he hung on the cross, he freed us from sin and open heaven’s doors to us. Now risen in glory, he sends his Holy Spirit to warm our hearts with the experience of this overflowing love. This is the revelation that God most delights in giving us, because it has the power to heal our wounds, fill us with hope, and unite us in him. In prayer and at Mass today, fix your gaze upon the Holy Trinity and ask for a deeper revelation of the love of the Father and the Son. Be bold enough to ask the Holy Spirit to draw you more deeply into the very life of God. This is your heritage as a baptized Christian, and it is something the Father longs to do for you. On this day of great celebration, accept that God, who can do all things, is able to fill you with divine life and give you a taste of the love that surpasses every other force in the universe.

“Holy Father, Lord Jesus, gracious Spirit, please show yourself to me today. Let me experience your love today. I want to be transformed as I open my heart to you today."

Vatican Museums seek tomorrow’s masters today By John Thavis VATICAN CITY — Filled to the brim

with masterpieces from the Renaissance and other golden ages of art, the Vatican Museums are searching for something new. Over the last 30 years, the museums have acquired more than 500 works of modem art, adding to a contemporary collection that most visitors never see — in fact, they don’t even know it exists. The acquisitions leave some people puzzled. When you’re flush with paintings, etchings, statues and models by renowned masters, why fill up storerooms with works by relative An oil painting of Christ’s crucifixion painted in 1927 by Italian futurist Gerardo Dottori is among the art works on exhibit, c n s Photo

unknowns? That’s retro thinking, according to museum officials. “If the popes of previous centuries had taken that attitude, we wouldn’t have the great collection we do today,” said Francesco Buranelli, director of the Vatican Museums. “Our role is to document the times we live in, not only the centuries of the past,” he said. To highlight the latest artistic arrivals, in late May the museums opened an exhibit of more than 50 new works of contemporary art, selected from 360 works acquired between 1980 and 2003. Housed in a section of the museums’ vast entry way, the exhibit catches visitors before they’ve been exhausted by the miles of paintings, statues and tapestries on display inside.

It was Pope Paul VI who launched the idea of the contemporary art collection at the Vatican. A great lover of modem art, the late pope wanted to build on the Vatican’s traditional role as a patron of artistic expression. But unlike Renaissance pontiffs, Pope Paul did not have the world’s best artists at his back and call. Nor did he have strongboxes full of gold to commission works like Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes or his marble Pieta. Instead, the Vatican relies on donations to fill its contemporary collection. Works come from the artists themselves, or from heirs, foundations, collectors and corporations. The Vatican, in line with Pope Paul’s belief that all true art is spiritual, is not just looking for works with religious themes. □ c n s

Catholic News

Sundays June 8 and June 15,2003

Viewpoints CatholicNews ED ITO R:

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Verbatim “In time, this m an’s vision and this man’s courage would bring fea r to tyrants and freedom to his beloved country, and liberation to half a continent.”

Let’s have a “dress and behave properly” campaign

a n d t h e F ly in g D u tc h m a n I WOULD like to commend Mr. Rod Monteiro and the Flying Dutchman for standing up for their Catholic viewpoints on Class 95 fm on June 2 during “The Morning Show”. During the programme, the topic of discussion was “virginity” - whether it should be prized and saved until after marriage. Both Mr. Monteiro and the Flying Dutchman made no bones about their conviction in saving virginity for one’s future husband/wife. Yet, they did not go the extreme end and condemn others with differering opinions. Both managed to temper their viewpoints without compromising their own morals. Indeed, both DJs were good examples of St. Josemaria Escriva’s teachings that “it is we, men walking in the street, ordinary Christians immersed in the bloodstream of society, whom Our Lord wants to be saints and apostles, in the very midst of our professional work; that is, sanctifying our job in life, sanctifying ourselves in it and, through it, helping others to sanctify themselves as well. (Consider too that, by doing your daily work well and responsibly, not only will you be supporting yourselves financially you will also be contributing in a very direct way to the development of society).” Keep up the good work! Jillian Cheng Singapore 159949

The crowds pushed forward into St. Peter’s Basilica, but coming back the other way was a steady trickle of disappointed tourists — the ones barred at the door for improper apparel. These were men who made the mistake of revealing a seemingly mundane part of their anatomy: the bottom portion of the leg, a few inches above the ankle. The problem has worsened this year because of the popularity of three-quarter or “cropped length” pants among men. It’s a style that has caught on in the United States and Europe, but the Vatican is not ready to bend its rules for fashion. One Vatican official said the Vatican is merely trying to protect the sense of decorum inside the basilica. “Some people have always been surprised that people who leave too much of their body uncovered cannot go inside St. Peter’s. But if you go to any place of worship, this is the first thing required of visitors. It’s a universal form of respect,” he said. □ c n s VATICAN CITY—

M a ry J. Yong

B le s s e d

a re

th o s e t h e y

on Pope John Paul II’s role in liberating Eastern Europe from com m unism .

R o d M o n te iro

Here’s something the Vatican has to say about proper dressing.

IN ADDITION to John Lim's & Mildred Koh’s comments on parishioners’ dressing and arriving late for Mass, I’d like to add that a Catholic who has sufficient knowledge of the significance (and love) of the Mass, would likely come in a reverential state - and be well prepared in all senses. That makes me wonder what’s in the mind of parishioners who sing the Gloria with arms folded, while gazing left and right.... I suggest that the message about the sacramental presence of our Lord and the need for punctuality and appropriate dressing be conveyed in eye-catching slogans and drawings, printed as hand outs and distribute. Let’s have a “dress and behave properly” campaign ! □

President George Bush,

In p r a i s e o f

Sin of the shin

w ho h a v e

tu rn

o ff m o b ile

a n s w e r e d

PARISHIONER from have been personalised with the Church of the Holy Family owner’s favourite ring tones. in Katong remarked that Next, a person in one pew he can’t remember when he lastmay have a ringer with the song attended a Sunday Mass when no We Gather Together, while mobile phone rang. another person has programmed It seems this is a problem not Awesome God into his phone to only at his parish but also at many alert him of incoming calls. other parishes in Singapore; and We already have the adult not only in Singapore but other choir, youth choir and bell choir. countries too. We print two articles below about a situation in America Well, here comes the cell phone and another about the use of a choir. jamming device by a priest in Realistically, cell phones are Spain.Read them and let Catholic here to stay. But, unfortunately, News know if the situation is any they are sounding off during Mass, different in your parish and what confirmations, even ordinations. has been or should be done. On Trinity Sunday I was at church and the same person’s cell AM ERICA... phone rang three different times during the service. It must have By Michael Alexander been a call from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! OFTEN wonder which wireless Conventual Franciscan Father plan God is on because Gregory Hartmayer, pastor of St somebody’s cell phone is always Philip Benizi Church, Jonesboro, is ringing in church these days. among the growing number of Maybe he is with the priests carrying cell phones and he company whose slogan is finds his cell phone a useful benefit “wireless that goes the distance.” to his ministry, but not to worship. That would make sense with Fr Hartnaayer said, “Given the mobility of priests today, cell the big gap between heaven and phones are helpful when it comes earth Or maybe he is with one where to attending to the needs of “you pay no roaming charges from parishioners in an immediate fashion.” virtually everywhere in the state.” On the other hand, they are a That would surely please the likes of St Matthew, the tax nuisance to others when people accountant. have them on during the liturgy. “The third commandment Today in the United States there are more than 120 million says keep the Lord’s day holy, so that sacred time should only be wireless subscribers, just over 40 per cent of the population. conversation with God.” New subscribers are growing One priest in the archdiocese at a rate close to 67,000 a day. recalls a moment he was hearing That accounts for one someone’s confession. * subscriber nearly every two “The penitent’s cell phone seconds. The Church would love rang and he said, ‘Excuse me, to have that conversion rate! Father, I need to take this call.’ There used to be a time when He stepped out of the we carried missals, rosaries, or confessional, proceeded to talk, maybe nappy bags into church. and once he ended the Now people are carrying cell conversation, returned to the phones into church, many of which confessional and picked up where

th e

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c h u rc h

r ig h t c a ll

he left off.” It seems to me that wireless technology has outpaced our better judgment in some cases. Churches are choosing to address the problem of cell phones in different ways. Some are having lectors make announcements prior to Mass. Others are putting announcements in their church bulletins. Still other churches put signs outside the entrance reminding people to turn their cell phones off. The sign is not meant to be insulting, but it invites people to do the right thing. But people still forget at times. In one incident a woman sitting near the front thought she didn’t bring her cell phone into church, but out of nowhere it started ringing. She heard it but could not find it, so her nineyear-old daughter threw her body over the noise like it was a hand grenade. She was very apologetic afterwards. Sometimes all you can do is laugh or make light of it Fr Stewart Wilbur, pastor of St Michael Church, Gainesville, describes the time he was in the middle of a homily at a former parish. This phone was ringing so loud . I responded with humour by saying, ‘Is that God calling?’ People got the message and started immediately turning their cell phones off.” Whichever approach works is fine, so long as worshippers don’t have to hear ringing phones in church. There’s no sin or penance associated with it but I propose the following beatitudes: Blessed are you, who turn off your cell phones in church, for you are considerate and

respectful of fellow parishioners. Blessed are you who put love of God ahead of cell phones and the world’s modern-day gadgets, for you have answered the right call

The Georgia Bulletin, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. SPAIN... A CATHOLIC priest in Spain installed jamming devices in his church after parishioners complained that Masses were being “reduced to chaos” by the constant ringing of mobile phones. “Of course, I’ve nothing against mobile phones - 1 understand they’re useful gadgets, which are needed for work and urgent messages,” said Father Francisco Llopis, rector of the parish in the southeastern Spanish town of Morairan. “But when I turn on this blocking system, I can be sure the conduct of religious rituals takes place in an atmosphere of prayer,” he said. Father Llopis said he believed it was important to “maintain a sense of dignity” in public places, adding that the use of mobile phones were “as disruptive at Masses as in classical concerts.” The jamming mechanisms, whose low-power radio signals cut communications between cellular handsets and base stations, are illegal in some countries while others allow limited use for quiet zones in restaurants, libraries and theatres. A spokesman for NiceCom, which has marketed the technology in Spain since 2000, confirmed that Father Llopis was the first priest to order the equipment. Clews

Sundays June 8 and June 15,2003 Catholic News

In Loving Memory

Viewpoints

Communion on tongue Here’s another way I AM WRITING in reference to the letter ‘Have separate lines for those receiving Communion on the tongue’ by Raphael Leong. Though I think it is a very commendable sentiment to want to cater to those who really need to receive Communion on the tongue, I do believe a separate communion line would be difficult to implement considering the time factor and the lack of ministers. I have noticed that there are indeed very few people nowadays who communicate on the tongue. I believe it would be much more practical for those receiving Communion in the hand to

Allow it, but be socially responsible IN A RECENT video conference with health care professionals of Tan Tock Seng Hospital, it appears that the transmission of Sars occurs only when the person afflicted with the disease is febrile(feverish). I understand the concerns raised about distributing Communion on the tongue. As a Communion minister I often inevitably come in contact with the communicant’s hands when I give Holy Communion and that in fact does put me at risk (small as it may be) of contracting and spreading the disease since the virus spreads by close contact. But does that

communicate first, and at the very end the priest could indicate by an announcement or some other sign for those who want to receive on the tongue. This would allay the fears of all those who fear contamination from diseases. Alternatively, there could be set aside certain weekday Masses when those wanting ‘Communion on the tongue’ could attend and receive at the end of the communion line. This would mean of course, that they would not be able to receive on Sundays and Feast Days, but nevertheless this would be better than nothing. At the moment, because of their strong conviction that ‘Communion on the tongue’ is

mean we should stop the distribution of Holy Communion altogether? I do not think so. The solution lies in each person attending church adopting a socially responsible attitude. If you are febrile or feeling unwell, do not attend church. Eliminating Communion on tongue is not the solution. It is somewhat akin to driving a car - if you are careless, you will endanger the lives of others. I am not sure whether each parish can work out a program to monitor the temperature of the faithful attending Mass but with each household receiving a thermometer from the government, each of us is called to be socially responsible. I do hope that Communion on

the only method of receiving under any circumstances, most of them have refrained from receiving Sacramental Communion (in obedience to the Archbishop’s instructions not to receive Communion on the tongue) and are making Spiritual Communion instead. I am sure there are other ways to cater to them. We have to remember in Pope Paul V i’s encyclical letter, Memoriale Domini: “The new method of administering communion (i.e in the hand) should not be imposed in a way that would exclude the traditional usage (i.e on the tongue).” Cecilia Hon Singapore 289402

tongue will be reinstated as an option for receiving the Body of Christ. To quote Memoriale Domini (Instruction on the manner of distributing Holy Communion released by the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship, issued May 29, 1969): “The custom ... of the minister placing a particle of consecrated bread on the tongue of the communicant.... must be retained, taking the present situation of the Church in the entire world into account, not merely because it has many centuries of tradition behind it, but especially because it expresses the faithful’s reverence for the Eucharist.” Dr John Chuah, Singapore 549223

fraid of the times By Father John Catoir

EARING danger is a common, but dreaded anxiety. Even the most spiritual people on earth experience this fear in times of conflict. We are in a situation today where terrorists can strike at any time. Innocent people are targeted all over the world. What will become of us? These disturbing thoughts unsettle even the strongest among us. How are you handling the stress? If it’s of any help, at least know that you are not alone. There are real dangers out there, posed by real enemies. However, in these matters the bigger problem is within. How are you coping with your inner fears? Jesus gave wise advice regarding our fears. If you delve deeper into Gospel spirituality you will find answers. You will grow in knowledge and come to understand that there is a supernatural dimension to every problem. The Sermon on the Mount offers the kind of advice that is above anything this world can give. Read Matthew, Chapters 5 and 6. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid.” He

was not only concerned about how we deal with the past, encouraging us to forgive and move on, but also how we cope with fears of the future. He urged us not to be afraid and to take heart. He said that in this world we will have many troubles but that he has overcome the world. Take heart. That is where you begin. Jesus said, “Be not afraid; be not anxious. Sufficient unto the day are the day’s troubles.” God knows everything that is happening. He is not the direct cause of it but he allows evil to coexist with good. Accepting this mystery, even if you do not understand it, can help you to gain a measure of serenity. The Lord wants to give you more than a quiet spirit. He actually wants you to lift up your heart and have confidence in his love. He wants your trust. If you turn over the future to divine providence and the past to his divine mercy, you will begin to experience a level of peace that this world cannot give. By the grace of God, you can control your fears and lower your stress level. Believe that you are not in danger, the Lord is with you. Believe that with God all things are possible. Check your fears, and begin

praying as if everything depended on God, while acting as if everything depended on you. The saints all had the knack of focusing on the duties of the present moment as a way of controlling their wandering thoughts. They learned to find the joy of the Lord in the duties of the present moment. Pope John Paul II instructed well with these words: “Christ came to bring joy: joy to children, joy to parents, joy to families and friends, joy to workers and scholars, joy to the sick and elderly, joy to all humanity. In a true sense, joy is the keynote of the Christian message and the recurring motif of the Gospels. Be messengers of joy.” “Joy is the gigantic secret of Christianity” (G.K. Chesterton). Claim joy. The saints knew this secret well. St. John of the Cross expressed it eloquently: “The soul of one who loves God always swims in an ocean of joy, always lives in the holiday spirit and is always in a mood for singing.” In times of danger we may not be in the mood for singing, but we can find solace by turning to the words of Jesus, “Be not afraid — I will always be at your side — abide with me.” D c/vs

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me shall never die.

Twenty-third Anniversary

In loving memory of

A N D R E W LE O N G C H E E SENG Departed: June 16, 1980

Twenty three years have passed since you left us to join the Lord. But memories of you remain with us forever. Always remembered by dad, mum, brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces Michelle, Melissa, Maria, Melanie, Jamie nephews Jude, James and all loved ones. Mass will be celebrated on Sunday June 15, Church of Christ the King, Ang Mo Kio at 11 am.

Fortieth Anniversary In loving memory of

F o r those w ho have no one to pray for them — w e pray to the Lord. Seventh Anniversary

In loving memory of M

Thirteenth Anniversary

JOSEPH V. GOMEZ Departed: June 8, 1963 “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) Fondly remembered by wife, children, grandchildren and loved ones.

In sweet memory of Third Anniversary

In ever loving memory of

THER ESA ER M U I K H IM

Departed: June 10,1996 We miss you so much. The love you gave us Spoke beautifully of you. Upright and just in all your ways, Loyal and true through all your days, Silently suffered, patiently bore, God took you home to suffer no more. On earth you nobly did your best; Grant her, Jesus, heavenly rest. Sadly missed by husband, sons, daughter, daughtersin-law, son-in-law, grandchildren and all loved ones.

Fifteenth Anniversary

in loving memory of

M URIEL EVANGELINE JONATHAN

Our affectionate mother Our loving grandmother | Bom: Feb 20, 1929 Departed: May 6, 1990 Dearest mom, Thirteen years have passed Peaceful be your rest 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 ! remembered by your loving children, i daughters-in-laws, son-in-law and grand-children.

ANTHO NY JORRIS D ’C R U Z

Departed:June 10, 2000 Dearest husband/dad You toiled all those years for us. Each day we continue to feel you in our lives. We know you are watching and praying for each one of us. An empty chair reminds us of your smile. We love you. Missed by: wife, children and loved ones. Fourth Anniversary

STEPHANUS C H A I M A N T IN G

Departed: June 6, 1988 The years may wipe out many things. But this they’ll wipe out never, The memory of those happy days Which we had spent together. Dearly missed by wife, sons, daughters, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

In loving memory of Fifth Anniversary In loving memory of

our beloved father

Fourth Anniversary

In loving memory of

A R O K IA S A M Y ANTHONY

PAUL CHOO Departed: June 12, 1999 Dearest Papa No wave or smile. No last goodbye You’re suddenly gone Sweet memories of you linger on. Lovingly remembered and deeply missed by all.

Departed: June 14, 1999 His smiling way and | pleasant face Are a pleasure 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. Deeply remembered by loving wife, daughters, I sons-in-law, and grandchildren.

A N T H O N Y TU A N G T E C K SAI

Departed: June 12, 1998 (Church of St Michael) Niche Number 0638 Take him in Thy arms, dear Lord, And ever let him be A messenger of love Between our hearts and thee. Always remembered by wife, children and grandchildren. Masses will be celebrated in his memory at: Church of St Michael at 6 pm

Catholic News Sundays June 8 and June 15,2003

In Loving Memory Fifth Anniversary

Fifth Anniversary

In loving memory of

Ninth Anniversary In loving memory of

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Departed: June 19,1998 Take her in Thy arms, dear Lord, And ever let her be A messenger of love Between our hearts and Thee. Forever in our hearts. In loving memory of i Your loving children and grandchildren.

Departed: June 10,1998 Mass at Church of Christ the King and Church of Holy Family on June 10, 2003 at 6.15 pm.

JOSEPH WU JIANWEN Departed: June 15, 1994 Gone from our lives one so dear, But in our hearts forever near. Always remembered by dad Phillip Goh, mum Catherine and all loved ones.

Fourth Anniversary In loving memory of

. Fifth Anniversary

In loving memory of

N E L L IA DE S ILV A

Departed: June 19,1989 Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let your perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Always remembered by her sons Denis, Charles, George and their families. Second Anniversary

In loving memory of

JOSEPH LAGER ANTH O N Y

T A N Y O N G BOON A U G U STIN E

Departed: June 9, 1989 He suffered patiently and long, His hope was bright, His faith was strong, The peace of Jesus filled his breast, And in His arms he sank to rest. Dearly missed and remembered by beloved family and loved ones.

Departed:June 19, 1989 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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Departed: June 10, 1988 We cannot forget you Our loved one so dear; LA M B E R T Your memory grows j JO H N NORRIS Sweeter Departed: June 8,1998 year after year. Time may heal the broken heart, Lovingly remembered I Time may make the by wife, children wound less sore, and loved ones. But time can never stop the longing Third Anniversary For the loved one In loving memory of gone before. Dearly and deeply missed by wife Evarista, children and grandchildren.

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SEBASTIAN QUEK SWEE HOW Departed: June 7, 1999 His smiling way and pleasant face Are a pleasure 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. Always remembered by Rosaline, Philip, Elsie, Annabelle, Davidson and Victoria.

Departed:Jun 14,2001 My heart is sore As time goes by I miss you more. Your loving smile, your gentle face, No one can fill your vacant place. Dearly missed by your loving wife, children and grandchildren. Mass will be held on June 14 at Church of Queen of Peace at 6.30 am.

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LLOYD BARTHOLOMEUSZ Departed: June 6, 1998 God took him home, it was His will, But in our hearts we love him still, His memory is as dear today As in the hour he passed away. We often sit and think of him When we are all alone, For memory is the only friend That grief can call its own. Dearly missed by wife, Vasantha and two sons, Christopher and Matthew.

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Aged: 74 years Returned to the Lord on June 13, 2000 in Melbourne, Australia Love - Memories come together Dess it is you we love forever.

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Departed: June 3, 2002

S EN G O LE LO UIS SEBASTIAN (NESAN) KTS, PPN

Departed: June 12, 1986 Only the memory of bygone days And a sigh I for a face unseen; A constant feeling that God alone Knows best what should have been. Sadly missed and always remembered by loving wife, sons, daughters, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, grandchildren and all loved ones.

Your booming voice, your funny laughter, Your impatient walk, your proud nature, Your noisy grouses, your incessant nagging, Your fussy appetite, your constant loving, Your wrinkled hands, your tattooed arms, Your one-of-a-kind hairstyle that always charms, Your undying love for your grandchildren, Your plain generosity to your children... These are the things we remember you by, Since last June, we’ve had to say goodbye. Could we ever lose you? The thought never surfaced, We thought you were immortal - that was your purpose Now that you are finally at home with God, We know that you are at peace with our Lord. We pray you know our love will always be whole, And that eternal rest be granted to your soul. Missing you, Your children: Vicky, Anthony & Maria, Philip & Alice Your grandchildren: Adeline & Gabriel, Angie & Patrick, Amy & Ling Siow, Alex, Karen & Andrew, Adrian & Chris, Gerald & Emeline Your great-grandchildren: De-Anne, Amanda, Joseph.

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Sundays June 8 and June 15, 2003 Catholic News

Family H

W E O FTEN FO R G ET or neglect to tell people especially our fam ily m em bers - how im portant they are to us. F ath er’s D ay is an opportunity for you to go and see your dad. Tell him how m uch you love and appreciate him.

One father is worth more than a hundred schoolmasters. English proverb

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To become a father is not difficult, but to be a father is. Author Unknown

It doesn’t matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was. Anne Sexton

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. Theodore Hesburg

I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection. Sigmund Freud

A man’s children and his garden both reflect the amount of weeding done during the growing season. Author Unknown

You don’t have to deserve your mother’s love. You have to deserve your father’s. Robert Frost

A father is a banker provided by nature. French proverb

Children aren’t happy with nothing to ignore, and that’s what parents were created for. Ogden Nash

One of the oldest human needs is having someone to wonder where you are when you don’t come home at night. Margaret Mead

A man should have a child, plant a tree and write a book. Chinese proverb

It is a wise father that knows his son. William Shakespeare

It is a wise child that knows its own father, and an unusual one that unreservedly approves of him. Mark Twain

T H A N K S G IV IN G Thanksgiving to St Jude

Most holy apostle, dear St Jude. My heart is filled with grati tude. I came to you in deepest despair. You lifted me with powerful prayer. Most holy advisor, dear St Jude. My faith has grown in magnitude. Through Jesus, Mary, Joseph and you. I know God’s love is great and true. E.K. O Holy St Jude, apostle and Martyr, you have heard my petition and came to my assistance. You have brought my novena to our Lord Jesus Christ and He has heard my plea. This is the second time you have heard my prayers. May all who need this thanksgiving be increased in faith in their hours of desperation and need and come to you in prayer. M a rk Chin and Family To St Jude

Thank you very much for answering our prayer. Caron and Philip

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 and 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. Many thanks to the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Immaculate Heart of Mary and St Jude Thaddeus for prayers answered. May the Sacred Heart o f Jesus, Immaculate Heart of Mary and St Jude Thaddeus be always adored and honoured.

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A new national survey by Family Circle magazine reports that 91 percent of dads in the U.S. say they bathe, feed and change the diapers of their infant children. The survey also found that fathers are becoming more involved parents than ever before. Are Singaporean fathers just as involved? All dads are especially honoured on Father’s Day, June 15 this year. □ cns file photo

THE CYRENES: AID FOR THE VERY ILL AND THEIR FAMILIES By Elaine-Ee Meyers

EVERY year for the past five years, The Cyrenes had celebrated Mass on the feast day of St Peregrine. St. Peregrine is the patron saint of those with cancer or other life-threatening illness and The Cyrenes are an inter religious support group for people with AIDS and cancer. Because of Sars, The Cyrenes did not expect many people to attend the May 2 Mass at St Joseph’s Church on Victoria Street this year. Their expectations were exceeded when roughly 300 people came. Molly Wijeysingha, the group’s coordinator, said: “This turnout shows that God is ever-present in our humble outreach to his suffering children, for whom he has a very special love.” During Mass, Belinda shared how The Cyrenes had helped her cope with her family’s AIDS crisis and how God has since blessed her with a new family. Belinda’s father died of AIDS when she was only 13. She was deeply shaken. Her mother had deserted her six years earlier. After his death, Belinda was shuttled from one relative to another. Fortunately for Belinda, she had the continuous support of The Cyrenes from the time of her father’s illness. Belinda found strength and solace and felt God’s love for her during those lonely, confusing years. Today, Belinda is 21 and lives with a friend’s family in a loving and stable environment. Before the Mass, a statue of the saint stood by the church entrance and many petitions were offered to the saint. As Mass began, Sigfried,a young father of a son with a genetic disorder, carried St Peregrine’s statue to the altar. Sigfried’s

Sigfried carries the statue of St Peregrine on May 2. son was bom about a month earlier and named after the saint. A prayer written by The Cyrenes was recited and distributed in a printed leaflet. This leaflet has become a key instrument of The Cyrenes’ mission. Like Simon of Cyrene, who helped Jesus carry his cross, The Cyrenes help those who live with AIDS, cancer or any other life-threatening illness to carry their crosses, reaching out to them and their families, regardless of race, colour, creed or age. The Cyrenes depend on Divine Providence. They accept donations but never solicit funds. There are no collections at St Peregrine Masses. The Lord has always provided. □

For St Peregrine prayer leaflets or more information on The Cyrenes contact 6481-8109, 9306-0020 orfax 6484-1732.

Competition: Healthy vs harmful By Bill and Monica Dodds

VERY child should get to experience being No. 1 at something. And every child needs to learn to lose graciously. That thrill of victory is a wonderful feeling, and a part of parenting is helping a child discover and develop talents and interests that help make it possible. Sometimes defeat really is “agony,” but a son or daughter needs to know how to deal with that too. Losing is part of life. Three points for your child to think about: 1. Being No. 1 doesn’t mean you’re better than someone else. It means you’re better at something than someone else. (Perhaps only on a particular day, in a particular contest.) 2. No one likes to lose, but no one likes a sore loser. Everyone

idea here is that children will have to compete for things in life, and you want them to know how to do it. Healthy competition rewards 3. Not all victories or defeats effort and talent. There’s little are of equal value. Sometimes a incentive to put much oomph into rec league soccer game is just a preparing if every contestant gets rec league soccer game. the same “participant ribbon.” Healthy competition No competition vs. no mercy encourages winning — doing one’s best — without crushing an As a parent, you have so many opponent. But in recent years, items competing for your time advertisers have really capitalized and attention (never-ending on the show-no-mercy attitude, worries!) that competition itself and kids (parents and coaches) may be low on your list. Still, have picked up on it. finding the right spot — or spots — on the competition continuum A coach of great value is something worth considering. At one extreme, you’re A good coach is worth his or her scolded if you attempt to instill weight in fund-raising chocolate any sense of competition in your bars. child. The prevailing philosophy If your child’s coach is doing here is that unless everyone a good job balancing “work hard “wins,” everyone loses. to win” and “be gracious in At the other end of the defeat,” let him or her know you spectrum, you’re scolded if you appreciate it. fail to foster a fierce sense of No doubt most coaches hear a competition in your child. The loses sometimes. A true champion, even when he or she comes up short, shows class.

lot of lobbying from win-at-allcosts parents. Not Fair! God gives each of us particular talents. In a way, they’re “unfair” advantages. On the other hand, a mediocre player can increase his or her skills by working on them. That takes effort and commitment, and the result may be that he, more often, gets the “lucky” hit or makes the “lucky” catch. A child so caught up in winning may lose out on many opportunities. She may quickly abandon a new activity because she isn’t immediately good at it (not even near the best) and doesn’t want to appear foolish. □

CNS

Bill and Monica Dodds are the editors ofMy Daily Visitor magazine and the authors of “Caringfor Your Aging Parent: A Guidefor Catholic Families" (Our Sunday Visitor). They can be contacted at BillandMonica@BillDodds.com.

Catholic News

Sundays June 8 and June 15, 2003

Young Catholics

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When things don’t go as planned

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By Amy Wei bom

HIS is the first installment of a column on favourite websites. Tell us about your favourite too and, if suitable , we will share it with our readers. Email us at cnedit@catholic.org.sg

All you want to know about saints w m catM k ,or^ fsai«ls is where you will find information on about 7,000 saints. Here, you can read about angels, Doctors of the Church, Patron Saints, saints of the day and other “saintly” information.There are also interesting illustrations like the one on St. Anthony of Padua below. Starting this column with St Anthony is quite appropriate, though not planned, since he is known today as the “finder of lost articles.” Not that we have lost anything; but we are searching - for good websites, that is. This interesting site of saints and angels is located at the massive www.catholte.Qrg which we will tell you about in another issue. By the way, the feast of St Anthony will be celebrated at the Church of St. Anthony, 25 Woodlands Avenue 1 from June 11-15 and includes a food & games fair Sunday, June 15 from 8am to 2pm and a feastday dinner at 7.30pm the same day.

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HEN TEENAGER Jessica Lynch joined the U.S. Army, she probably never seriously thought she might end up in Iraq. And when she got to Iraq she probably never imagined that the supply convoy of which she was a part would take a wrong turn and run into hostile fire, and that she’d be captured. When Jessica Lynch was lying in a hospital in Iraq with two broken legs, a broken arm and gunshot wounds, as much as she hoped help would come there were probably lots of moments when she found it impossible to imagine that it could. Life is like that. We plan and plan, we think we know what’s going to happen, we know we’ve got our lives mapped out, but the truth is — we don’t. Sometimes the changes come in negative ways and sometimes in positive ways. Jessica Lynch’s story shows us how that works: In a space of 10 days or so, she experienced both sides of unexpected change. Ask any adults with a few decades of life behind them if their life now is exactly what they thought and planned it to be when they were 18. You might ask what their first major was in college and what they hoped to do with it, or

what they foresaw for their career when they first entered the job market. Are they now doing what they thought they would? Well, you might run across a few who are — who decided they were going to be doctors when they were six and stuck with it and never turned back, or who started off repairing cars out of high school and are still at it and still loving it. But chances are you’ll find lots of adults whose lives are completely different from what they had hoped or planned. They entered into a field or started a college major full of enthusiasm and then found out it wasn’t what they expected. Or, somewhere along the way they got involved in a new activity that opened up new possibilities. I once had a student who was very intensely pre-med, mostly because of her parents. In college,

she started writing for the school newspaper, loved it and changed her major. She’s now a journalist and very content. You just never know. Personal circumstances can intrude on your plans too. Sickness or injury can set you back. Money can run out. A family situation can distract you and readjust your priorities. We’re not saying you shouldn’t make plans. Of course you should! It’s really not a good thing to wake up every morning with no idea of what you’re going to do next. And if you want to do important, serious things with your life that are going to make the world a better place, you have to plan, set goals and work very hard. But you also have to be open and ready for the unexpected and to believe that God is present every moment, helping you cope and helping you figure out what to do next. These surprising events (or reactions) can either show you that the path you’ve chosen is the right one or can free you up to do something new and even better than you’ve planned. Life, as Jessica Lynch discovered in a tougher way than most of the rest of us ever will, is full of the unexpected. It’s about the only thing in life you can be sure of — that you can never be sure what’s going to happen next! □ c n s

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U A IN T ANTHONY was canonized (declared a saint) less than one year after his death. There is perhaps no more loved and admired saint in the Catholic Church than Saint Anthony of Padua, a Doctor of the Church. Though his work was in Italy, he was bom in Portugal. He first joined the Augustinian Order and then left it and joined the Franciscan Order in 1221, when he was 26 years old. The reason he became a Franciscan was because of the death of the five Franciscan protomartyrs — St. Bernard, St. Peter, St. Otho, St. Accursius, and St. Adjutus — who shed their blood for the Catholic Faith in the year 1220, in Morocco, in North Africa, and whose headless and mutilated bodies had been brought to St. Anthony’s monastery on their way back for burial. St. Anthony became a Franciscan in the hope of shedding his own blood and becoming a martyr. He lived only ten years after joining the Franciscan Order. So simple and resounding was his teaching of the Catholic Faith, so that the most unlettered and innocent might understand it, that

he was made a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII in 1946. Saint Anthony was only 36 years old when he died. He is called the “hammer of the Heretics” His great protection against their lies and deceits in the matter of Christian doctrine was to utter, simply and innocently, the Holy Name of Mary. When St. Anthony of Padua found he was preaching the true Gospel of the Catholic Church to heretics who would not listen to him, he then went out and preached it to the fishes. This was not, as liberals and naturalists are trying to say, for the instruction of the fishes, but rather for the glory of God, the delight of the angels, and the easing of his own heart. St. Anthony wanted to profess the Catholic Faith with his mind and his heart, at every moment. He is typically depicted with a book and the Infant Child Jesus, to whom He miraculously appeared, and is commonly referred to today as the “finder of lost articles.” Upon exhumation, some 336 years after his death, his body was found to be corrupted, yet his tongue was totally incorrupt, so perfect were the teachings that had been formed upon it. □

NUS / N TU Freshman Orientation Camp 2003 NUS Catholic Students’ Society

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FOC 2003 Cost Contact

: 16th - 19th June : $30 : Veronica (96955481) Meryl (97989607) For more information, please log on to www. catholic.org.sg/web_links/ NUSCSS/foc

NTU Catholic Students’ Apostolate FOC 2003 Cost Contact

: 24th - 27th June : $30 : Jonathan (94778870) Michael (98520681) For more information, please log on to www.ntu.edu.sg/studorgn/catholic fh a tt

Sundays June 8 and June 15, 2003 Catholic News

Backpage A R C H B IS H O P OF K U A LA LU M P U R C HANG ES ANTHONY SOTER FERNANDEZ RETIRES

MURPHY PAKIAM IS NEW ARCHBISHOP

o s t re v e re n d Archbishop Anthony Soter Fernandez of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur has resigned. The acceptance of his resignation by Pope John Paul was announced on Saturday May 24. The Chancellor of the Archdiocese, Rev Fr Jestus Pereira, made this known to the Archdiocese on the same day. Archbishop Fernandez has since become Archbishop Emeritus Fernandez. On suffering a heart attack in 1989 Archbishop Fernandez made a request for early retirement. However, in lieu of accepting his resignation the Vatican gave him an Auxiliary Bishop to assist him. On Oct 4, 1995 Bishop Murphy Pakiam was ordained as the Auxiliary Bishop of Kuala Lumpur. Despite his poor health, Archbishop Fernandez, with the support of his Auxiliary, continued to be a great source of inspiration to the people of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur as well as the Peninsular Malaysia Churches. His significant leadership has been evident in the united thrust and the forging ahead of a Vision-Mission statement for the Peninsular Malaysia Churches. This has become a historic landmark in the journey of Peninsular Churches. Today, that Vision-Mission statement is being

Archbishop Emeritus Fernandez was inspiring when Archbishop of Kuala lumpur. formulated into concrete and realisable pastoral plans. At the national level, the Archbishop spoke against the Internal Security Act as “immoral”. He is a man of great courage who has been faithful to the gospel that he has preached. He summarised the gospel in two words which became his motto: Justice and Peace. As his health weakened he went on sabbatical leave for six months in 2000. Early this year he celebrated his episcopal silver jubilee, marking a fulfilled ministry of labouring in the Diocese of Penang and the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. Surely, he has run his course magnificently and what awaits him is his reward, which his Good Master will bless him with. □ h e r a l d

HE FORMER Auxiliary Bishop Murphy Nicholas Pakiam was installed as the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur on the Feast of the Ascension May 29. He was elevated as Archbishop May 24. The news of his appointment has taken many by surprise. Some were even confused because of the speed at which the change of guards was taking place. Few expected the resignation of Archbishop Soter Fernandez to take place before the mandatory retirement age of 75. Archbishop Pakiam, as he will be known from now on, was bom in Tapah, Perak on the feast of the popular saint of children, St Nicholas (Santa Claus) December 6, 1938. He has been a priest for 40 years and a bishop for seven and a half years. The number seven signifies perfection in the world-view of biblical language and culture. In the biblical sense, Archbishop Pakiam has been prepared to assume the leadership, by God's grace, in the most important diocese of Malaysia. Being in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city, he will be called upon to liaise with the Government and work closely with other religious leaders of the country. This demands that he act with tact and speed in

TWO SXGSLLSMT BOOKS FOR OATBTIkSuS GUIDED MEDITATIONS FOR CHILDREN by Jane Rehoost Teaching children how to come tothe Lord will not only affect you and your class now, but will lead children into a life-long habit of effective prayer - the heart of religious education.

Archbishop Pakiam is known to be very articulate. certain matters pertaining to Church and State. He has been known to be very articulate in expressing his views, which will stand him in good stead in his new role. His ever-ready smile and the ability to hold a conversation will give him added mileage in the administration of the multilingual and multicultural diocese. The Catholics of the archdiocese have welcomed the archbishop in his new responsibility as the shepherd of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. □ h e r a l d

BLE SS E D S A C R A M E N T G H O R C H

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JESUS by Thomas Zanzig In clear, non-technical language the author explores the life, times and sig nificance of Jesus, the Christ, the anointed one sent by God to bring full ness of life. Excellent resource for Confirmation programme

Catholic Church of St Ignatius

C O L U M B A R IU M 2-urn F am ily Niches from

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WED 18JUN 8pm TAKEN "Take and Eat" THU 19JUN 8nm BROKEN "Broken by Sin, Healed by tbe Eucharist" FBI 20JUN 8(1111 SHARED "Do this in Memory of Me” Organised bu BLESSED SACRAMENT CHURCH CORPUS CHRISTI COMMITTEE in co-oneration with A.C.M.A.

PUBLISHED BY ARCHBISHOP NICHOLAS CHIA, 2 HIGHLAND ROAD #01-03, SINGAPORE 549102. PRINTED BY KHL PRINTING CO PTE LTD, 57 LOYANG DRIVE, SINGAPORE 508968.