AUGUST 18, 2002, vol 52, no 17

4 So will Your ways

be known upon the earth and all nations know Your saving help.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 18 - August 25, 2002

SINGAPORE 500 / WEST MALAYSIA RM1.20

9

— P s a lm 6 6

Vol. 52 No. 17

A fter Toronto ... ?

For practically a whole week, 23-28 July, Toronto, in Canada, enjoyed the attention of the world with its celebration of World Youth Day and the presence of the Holy Father during that time. The euphoria climaxed with 800,000 people participating in the closing Mass of the Holy Father.

O n M o n d a y 3 0 July th e Holy F a th e r left T oron to and continued on his mission to C e n tral A m eric a , but by com parison with T oron to , w orld m ed ia c o v e rag e s e e m e d insignificant.

As the sun set at d usk on Toronto, the h un dred s o f tho usand s o f youth from all th e continents o f the world b eg an dispersing and returning h om e, filled surely with m an y m em o rie s and m oved by th e e x p e rie n c e s and solidarity they had shared.

But, a fte r T oronto, w h a t now ? Will everything return to the status q uo before W Y D 2 0 0 2 to a w a it W Y D 2 0 0 5 in C o lo g n e , G e rm a n y ?

S u n d a y c a te c h e s is

T h e Holy F a th e r in his first S u n d a y "Angelus" c a te c h es is a fte r his return to the V a tic a n , recalled his re c e n t visit to Canada.

"Today," he told th e crow ds, "I wish to trun m y thoughts to T oron to , w h e re the 17th W o rld D a y of Yo uth brought hundreds o f tho usand s o f boys and girls to enjo y the cordial hospitality of C a n a d a , a country c h a ra cte rize d by a rich and varied h um anism .

O n the sho res o f L ak e O ntario it s e e m e d th a t th e re c a m e alive again the hop e o f the p eo p le of G alillee, on the sho res of th e L a k e o f T ib e ria s , w hen Jesus, gath ering the crow ds around him, entru sted to them the splendid and com pelling enunciation of the B eatitud es.

T h e young p eo p le g ath ere d in T oronto h av e noted in the w ords o f J esu s the resp on se o f joy and hop e w hich b eats in their hearts.

It is a resp on se th a t convinces b e c a u s e Jes u s did stop a t m erely proclaim ing the B eatittud es but lived them h im self and ind eed to the s u p re m e gift of him self.

H e w a s him self, poor, m e e k , m erciful and pure of heart. H e sought justice, he consoled the afflicted, h e built p ea c e ,

H o p e a n d e n th u s ia s m s h a r e d ?

As th e sun s e ts in T o ro n to , th e Y outh retu rn to th e ir co u n tries to be "th e builders of a n e w c iv iliza tio n o f lo v e.”

- John P a u l I I

paying the s u p re m e price o f h im self on the C ross. T h a t is w hy, a t th e core o f e v e ry e n c o u n te r th e re is a lw a ys the C ross. It is the C ross which a c c o m p a n ie s th e 'p eop le of the B eatitudes", the p eo ple of youth in th eir pilgrim age through the b yw ays o f the world.

"Blessed a re you!" T h e b eatitu d es a re the "M a g n a C h arta" of tho se w ho wish to introduce a n ew civilization into the world.

T h e youth h av e understood this and they d ep a rte d from C a n a d a , d ete rm in e d to h av e faith in C hrist, b e c a u s e they know th a t H e "has the w ords o f e te rn a l life." A w orld w ithout re fe re n c e to Christ - and this is the m e s s a g e of T o ro n to - is a w orld that s o n n e r o r later, will end up being aga in s t M an . T h e history o f the past and e v e n the p resent d em o n s tra te s this. It is not possible to reject G od w ithout finding o n e s e lf rejecting M an .

It is for this reaso n th a t the youth g ath ere d from m o re than 1 7 0 nations h av e heard the invitation of C hrist toe be "the salt of th e earth and the light o f the w orld. It is n e c e s s a ry first o f all to B E salt and light, and then to act as salt and light.

This w a s the th e m e o f the 17th W orld Youth D ay. T h e youth h av e h eard it and not th e y return to th eir countries to be "the builders of a n ew civilization of love."

It is with this com m itm en t, a fte r the intense e x p e rie n c e lived in C a n a d a , that they now continue in th eir jo u rn e y tow ard s the n ext s ta g e w hich will be in

A r c h d io c e s e o f S in g a p o r e h o m e p a g e , V e r ita s : h t t p : //w w w .c a t h o lic .o r g .s g .

C o lo g n e in G e rm a n y in 2 0 0 5 .

M a y M ary the M o th e r o f the C hurch a c c o m p a n y the youth o f the w h o le world in their spiritual and ecclesial jou rn ey.

H o p e in Y o u th

O u r Holy F a th e r has a clearly undisguised and u nb ou nd ed enth usiasm for and hop e in youth. A t the beginning o f the n e w m illenium he d eclared: "S o m e tim es w hen w e look a t the young, w ith the problem s and w e a k n e s s e s that c h a ra cte rize th e m in con tem po rary society, w e tend to be pessim istic. T h e J ub ilee o f Y o un g P e o p le how ever, c han ged that, telling us that young p eople, w h a te v e r their possible a m b igu ities, h av e a profound longing for tho se g en u in e va lu e s w hich find their fullness in C hrist. Is not C hrist the se c re t o f true fre e d o m and profound joy of h eart? Is not C hrist the su p re m e friend a nd the te a c h e r of all g en uin e friendship?

If C hrist is presented to young p eo ple as he really is, they e x p e rie n c e him as an a n s w e r th a t is convincing and they can a c c ep t his m e s s a g e , e v e n w h e n it is d em a n d in g and b ears the m ark of the C ross. F or this reaso n, in resp on se to th eir enth usiasm , I did not h esitate to ask them to make a radical choice of faith

and life and present them with a stupendous task: to become “morning watchmen" (cf. Is 21:11-12) at the dawn of the new millennium.

W h ile o u r Holy F a th e r has such c on fid ence in youth, the question is w h e th e r this is s hared by all in the C hurch.

T h e p essim ism m en tio ned by the P o p e , is m ore likely w h at c h a ra c te rize s tho se w ho clearly do not fit into the a m b iv ale n t ca te g o ry of youth. It is an attitude th a t is not only p resent in th e C hurch but in society at large.

T h e re s e e m s to be a g en e ra l relu ctan ce to allow youth to s ho uld er responsibility and even to s h a re in d ecision -m aking p ro cesses. T h e ir lack of e x p e rie n c e is a flim sy e x c u s e at best. E x p e rie n c e can only be g ain e d through th e e x e rc is e of responsibility. O n e cann ot help but w o n d e r w h e th e r the real reaso n is not a re lu ctan ce to let go, on the part o f those w ho h av e held the reins for so long. C an it also be th a t th e re lurks a fe a r that the youth m ight w ell do b etter than w h a t is being d on e. T h e y w ould certainly bring fresh ideas and the c o u ra g e to try those ideas out, unh in dered and unfetterd, as th e y a re , by the b a g g a g e of the past.

T h e re h av e b ee n 17 A n nu al W orld Yo uth D a y s since P o p e John Paul II instituted the celeb ration in R o m e in 1 9 8 6 . W e h a v e seen that in the H oly F ath er's s c h e m e o f things, th e re w a s a studied c a te c h es is of youth to bring them to being the "Salt of the Earth and the Light o f the W orld." N o w , as he says, th e y return to be "builders of a new civilization o f love."

T h e H oly F a th e r calls youth the P e o p le o f th e B eatitudes!

"Answer his call by placing your lives at his service in your brothers and sisters!

Trust Christ, because he trusts you.

Lord Jesus C hrist, proclaim o n c e m ore you r B ea titu d e s in the p re s e n c e o f th e s e young p eo p le ,g ath ere d in T oron to for the W o rld Yo uth D ay.

Look upon th e m with love and listen to th eir young hearts, re a d y to put their future

on the line for you.

Yo u h ave called th e m to be the “salt of the earth a n d light of the w orld ”.

In t e r n e t e d it io n o f T h e C a t h o lic N e w s : h t t p : //w w w .c a t h o lic .o r g .s g /C N .

THE CATHO LIC NEW S

AUG U ST 18 - August 25, 2002

VATICAN In Mexico

In Guatemala P o p e John P au l II a rrived a t "La Au ro ra" In tern atio n al A irp o rt o f th e C ity o f G u a te m a la , capital o f G u a te m a la a t 3 p m local tim e on July 2 9 . a fte r a 5 -h o u r flight from T o ro n to . H e w a s m e t by the P re s id e n t o f th e R e p u b lic of G u a te m a la , His Exc. A lfon so A n to nio Portillo C a b re ra , the A p ostolic N u n cio o f G u a te m a la an d s e n io r g o v e rn m e n t and C h urch officials a n d m e m b e rs o f th e D ip lo m a tic C o rp s. Present

also the Presidents of 6 other countries of Central America, th e ir E x c e lle n c ie s , F ra n c is c o P e r e z of El Salvador R ic a rd o J o e s t o f Hondouras, B o lan o s G e y e r o f Nicaragua, A b el P a c h e c o o f Costa Rica, M ire y a R o d rig u e z o f Panama, R a fa l D o m in g u e z of the Dominican Republic and the P rim e M in is te r of Belize, S aid M u s a . T h e C a n o n iza tio n C e re m o n y too k p la c e on

In Summary

T h e H oly F a th e r w a s m e t by the P re s id e n t o f th e F e d e ra l R e p u b lic of M ex ic o , H is E xc. V in c e n te Fox Q u e s a d a , th e A p ostolic N u ncio and officials o f the G o v e rn m e n t and C h urch , on his arrival a t the “B enito J u a re z ” In tern atio n al A irport of C iu d a d d e M ex ic o , C a p ita l o f M ex ic o , a t 7 .3 0 pm on W e d 31 July, a fte r his 2 -h o u r flight fro m G a u te m a la .

PREFAC E TO THE DEC REE OF EXC O M M U NICATIO N In o rd e r to d isp el a n y dou bts a b o u t th e cano n ic a l s ta tu s of Bishop R o m u lo A n to nio B rasch i, w h o a tte m p te d to c o n fe r priestly o rd ination on s e v e ra l C a th o lic w o m e n , th e C o n g re g a tio n fo r th e D o ctrin e o f the F aith con firm s that, a s a s chism atic, he h a s a lre a d y incurred e x c o m ­ m u n ication re s e rv e d to th e A p ostolic S e e .

DECREE OF EXCOMMUNICATION

Return to Vatican O n F rid a y 2 A u g u s t th e H oly F a th e r returned from his A p ostolic visit w hich brought him to T o ro n to , the C ity o f G u a te m a la a n d th e C ity o f M ex ic o . H e arrived a t R o m e 's C ia m p in o A irp o rt a t 9 .0 0 a m local tim e , a fte r a tw e lv e an d a h alf hou r flight and im m e d ia tle y b o a rd e d a h elic o p te r to return to the P a p a l s u m m e r re s id e n c e a t C a s te lg a n d o lfo .

Official Pronouncement concerning the attempted ordination of 7 women as priests

ucan f r e t

Targeting a “century” It is being said th a t th e Holy F a th e r is not d o n e with travel ab ro ad yet. It w ould s e e m that h e is trying to m a k e his "century". H e has ju s t clocked his 9 7 th M issio nary jo u rn ey. T his m onth, A ugust, h e is scheduled to m a k e a visit to his native Po land to m a k e up for th e M as s th a t h ad to b e cancelled b e c a u s e o f illness s o m e th ree y e a rs ago , in his fo rm e r A rch d io c e se o f K rakow . T h e n it is m o re than strongly hinted that h e will a c c e p t the invitation of C a rd in a l Sin o f M an ila to visit th e Philippines in J a n u a ry 2 0 0 3 on th e occasion o f th e W o rld F am ily C o n g re s s . T h e 100th trip m ight b e to M o s c o w o r C h in a so s ays speculation!

Garden Vigil

98th Mission - Poland

P u rs u a n t to th e w a rn in g issued by this C o n g re g a tio n on July 10, 2 0 0 2 , a n d p ub lish ed th e follow ing d ay , b e c a u s e th e w o m e n C h ris tin e M a y rL u m e tz b e rg e r, A d e lin d e T h e re s ia R o itin ger, G is e la F orster, Iris M uller, Ida R a m in g , P ia B ru n n e r a n d A n g e la W h ite did not w ithin th e period th a t e n d e d on July 2 2 , 2 0 0 2 , g ive a n y indication o f a m e n d m e n t o r re p e n ta n c e for th e m o st serio us o ffe n c e th e y h ad c o m m itte d , this D ic a s te ry, in k e e p in g w ith this w a rn in g , d e c la re s th a t th e y h av e incurred e x c o m m u n ic a tio n re s e rv e d to th e A p ostolic S e e , w ith all th e e ffe c ts e s ta b lis h e d by ca n o n 1331 o f th e Code o f Canon Law. In havin g to ta k e this actio n, th e C o n g re g a tio n trusts th a t, by the g ra c e o f th e H o ly Spirit, th e a b o v e -m e n tio n e d p erso n s m a y re d is co v e r th e path o f c on version in o rd e r to return to th e unity o f th e faith a n d to c o m m u n io n w ith th e C h u rch , w hich th e y h a v e w o u n d e d by th e ir actio ns.

R o m e , fro m th e O ffic e s of th e C o n g re g a tio n fo r th e D o ctrin e o f the F aith , A u g u st 5, 2 0 0 2 . + J o s e p h C a rd . F IA T Z IN G E R , P refect + T a rc is io B E R T O N E , S .D .B .

A rch b is h o p E m e ritu s o f V e rc elli, S ecretary

Summer Vacation A u g u st is vacation m onth fo r E u ro p e in g e n e ra l, a n d th e V a tic a n is no e x c ep tio n . E x c e p t fo r pressing a n d u rg en t m atters, V a tic an offices a re , to all intents a n d purpo ses, closed during this tim e.

T h e re will con s e q u e n tly b e a d ea rth o f V a tic a n n ew s during this period.

They served us!

\

In ou r love, le t us pray fo r th e m in th e ir tw ilig h t y e ars and in th e ir a fflic tio n s .

T h e H oly F a th e r will b e in his n ative P o lan d fro m F rid a y 1 6 A u gu st to 19 A u gu st 2 0 0 2 . H e will c e le b ra te th e E u charist a t th e S a n c tu a ry of D ivine M erc y a t K rak o w -L a g ie w n ik i. W h ile th e re , th e P o p e will also m e e t th e P re s id e n t, P rim e M inister a n d top g o v e rn m e n t officials. O n A u g. 19 h e will d e liv e r th e H o m ily a t the 4 0 0 th A n n iv e rs a ry o f the D edication o f th e B asilica o f th e P assio n o f J e s u s a n d O u r L ad y of So rrow s. H u g e cro w ds a re e x p e c te d in this country w h e re 9 6 % a re C atho lic.

I \ m ,T

m f-

i i i ■ >p

III * w

A w o m a n jo in s th e vigil s e rv ic e ce leb ra tin g the fe a s t o f St. M a rth a in th e V a tic a n g a rd e n s July 2 9 . N o rm ally , n o n -V atic a n re s id en ts a re a llo w e d in the g a rd e n s only w h e n th e P o p e is in C a s te lg a n d o lfo . (CNS photo by Max

Rev. Rev. Rev. Rev. Rev. Rev. Rev, Rev. Rev. Rev. Rev. Rev.

Fr. Claude Barreteau, MEP Fr. Felix Brygier, MEP Fr. Balthazar Chang, CICM Fr. Francois Dufay, MEP Fr. Edmund Dunne, CSsR Fr. James Wallace, CSsR Bro. Casimir, CSsR Fr. Gerard Keane, SJ Fr. Alfred Chan Fr. Frank Depoorter, CICM Fr. Simon Yim, Fr. James Yeo

See page 3: Miracles do happen!

by Rev. Fr. Frank Depoorter, CICM

Rossi, Catholic Press Photo)

For information, please post to: Friar John-Paul Tan O FM .

Franciscan Vocations Office, 5 Bukit Batok East A ve 2, Singapore 6 5 9 9 1 8 . | Name & Age:

J

Occupation:

|

Address:

1

I ..................................................................................I I Phone & e-mail:

^

I I

Francis o f Assisi was challenged to answ er the call o f the gospel.

Today, his dyn a m ic way o f life, C hrist-centred a n d out-going, still seeks y o u r response.

I

■

AUG U ST 18 - August 25, 2002

THE CATHO LIC NEW S

LOCAL

W e a re a la rg e N O N -P R O F IT corporation looking for an e x p e rie n c e d and qualified a c c o u n ta n t for the position of:

Letter of His Grace Archbishop Chia.

A C C O U N T IN G & FIN A N C E M ANAGER

8th July 2 0 0 2

Duties & Responsiblities:

M y D e a r P e o p le o f G od,

Regarding the Priestly Society of St Pius X A s th e re is s o m e confusion am o n g our faithful with regard to the a b o v e S o ciety o f S a in t Pius X , I w ould like to d ra w your attention to the cano nical situation o f the priests o f the Priestly F raternity of S t Pius X (com m only know n as " L efre b rtists") as stated in the note of the Pontifical C o m m issio n "E c c le s ia D ei".

1:

B e c a u s e of th eir illicit (but valid) d iaco nal and priestly ordination by reaso n o f th e lack o f dim issorial letters and incardination in a d io c e s e o r a cano nically ere c te d religious institute (w hich the S o ciety o f Pius X is N O T ), th e s e priests a re sus p e n d e d "a d iv in is ", ( C 1 3 8 3 ). T h e re fo re th e y C A N N O T e x e rc is e the p ow er

•

M a n a g e , control, and safe g u a rd the a s s ets o f th e corporation.

•

M on ito r and control the accou nts o f th e various subsidaries

•

a nd a ssociates.

P rep aratio n of m onthly reports to the F in a n c e C o m m itte e.

•

P reparation of periodic Statu tory Reports.

•

P rovid e g en e ra l a s s is ta n c e and a d v is e to subsidiaries and a s s o c ia te s as required.

R e c o m m e n d im p ro v e m e n ts and c h a n g e s on A ccou nting , F in a n c e , and investm ent m atters to the F in a n c e C o m m itte e.

•

of O rd ers (C a n o n 1 3 3 3 ).

2:

Further, the m e m b e rs o f the S o c ie ty o f S t Pius X a re e x c o m m u n ic a te d " la ta e s e n te n tia e " if they a d h e re to the schism of M sgr. Lefebvre. Form al a d h e re n c e to th e schism , being an interior act, m ust be m an ifested exteriorly: priests w ho rem ain in the S o ciety and continue to e x ercise th e ir ministry undou bteld y give this e xterior sign o f th eir interior a d h e re n c e and a re con sequ netly exco m m u n ic a te d as schism atics (C a n o n 1 3 6 4 ). T h e fact th a t th e S o c ie ty has e le cte d o n e o f the e x c o m m u n ic a te d bishops (C f. M o tu P ro p r io " E c c le s ia D e i" o f 2 n d J u ly 1 9 8 8 ), B ern ard F ellay, as sup erio r G e n e ra l a g g ra v a tes the schism atic situation o f the S o c ie ty of S t Pius X.

C O N C L U S IO N : a Bishop can n o t and m ust not give e ith e r jurisdiction or a pastoral m inistry to a priest m e m b e r o f the S o ciety of S t Pius X until the situation d escrib ed a b o v e c h a n g e s . This can only be accom plished by m e a n s o f a reconciliation with the Holy S e e .

Qualifications & Experience: •

R e c o g n ize d accounting qualification in S in gap ore.

•

C o m p u te r literate and in particular fam iliarity with E X C E L .

• •

G ood o rg an isatio nal skills.

Im p e c ca b le record o f honesty.

Retired and semi-retired professionals in good health are welcome to apply. Qualified candidates are invited to write and submit their resumes to: “Post of A & F Manager” c/o The Managing Director 12 Tuas Crescent Singapore 638706

I sincerely hop e that the a b o v e gives you a c le a r picture o f the position of the S o ciety o f S t Pius X and the cano nical situation of the priests serving in the S o ciety. T his is the official stand o f the C hurch.

L et us pray th a t a reconciliation will ta k e place.

G od bless you.

Y o u rs d evo ted ly in C hrist M sgr. N icho las C h ia ,-D .D .

A rchbishop of S in gap ore.

)TEACHER’S DAY FAMILY MASS DATES : Saturday August 31, 2002 TIME : 5.00 pm to 6.00 pm.

VENUE : Good Shepherd Chapel, next to Marymount Convent, 790 Thomson Road

Miracles do happen!

CONTACT : C a th o lic T e a c h e rs M o v e m e n t -

B y R e v . F r a n k D e p o o r te r, C IC M

w w w . ve ritas. o rg . s g /c tm

The most recent issues of the Catholic News launched a prayer appeal for two priests who are critically ill! (Fr Simon Yim and myself) I would like to thank you for your concern and care.

M an y , m an y loving friends inform ed m e that th e y w e re praying for m y s p e e d y reco very - M a s s intentions, p rayer-intercessio ns, p rayers in heighbourhood groups, etc. a special than k you to o u r caring "S hepherd" A rch bish op C h ia, w ho visited m e in hospital and calls m e on a reg ular basis to a s s u re m e o f his p rayers and concern.

M a n y p eo p le w e re asking m e w h a t kind of illness I had to d eal with. T o m a k e a long story short, lung ca n c e r, s ta g e 4 and 4 0 % survival c h a n c e to reach the end o f the ye a r, and also b o n e-c a n c e r.

F o r the m o ent I am undergoing c h e m o therap y and a n ti-b o n e -c a n c e r infusion as an outpatien t...

S o far, praise G o d , no m ajo r side effects ... only fatique.

A fe w d ay s a g o a w h o le s e t of m ed ical tests took p lace a t N U H .. T o g e th e r with m a n y p eo p le I hum bly a s k ed our loving and caring F a th e r for s o m e "good new s" Miracles do happen! W h a t do w e actu ally u nd erstan d by the w ord / term "m iracle? I do b elie v e in m iraclesNt w a s a nice surprise T o re c e iv e a te le p h o n e call from Sr. B riese M c K e n n a on the occasion of h er second visit to S in g a p o re . S h e help ed m e to c h a n g e my "attitude” and to a s k "the corect" q uestions ...

Asking G od: "W hy m e? W h y do I h av e to go through this experie n c e ? " a re actu ally the w rong questions! ... the right q uestions is : H e lp m e to cop e w ith, to a c c e p t in faith and with lots of p atien ce. H o w can I cop e w ith it? b ec o m e s the right question. ... It's also a m a tte r o f fac t that w hilst praying the D ivine O ffice and the Bible I started looking a t and e xp erien cin g the tes t in a totally d ifferent w a y . (M s g r. E u g u e n e V a z ’s contributions on Bible w e rre a w e ll-a p p rec ia te d help).

O n 2 2 July I w e n t to s e e th e oncologist ..

N e e d le s s to say, I w a s v e ry anxio us ab o u t the m ed ical result .. B elie ve it or not ... th e tu m o r on m y righ lung shrank in only two m onths' tim e by

37%!

T h e p ro fessor e v e n told m e with a big smile: "F a th e r F rank, you a re at the top o f the 4 0 % survival class", and y o u r c h a n c es to add s om e m o re y e a rs (with s o m e lim itations, o f cou rse!) are real. Yo u m issionaries and yo u r friends - fam ily ta k e really good c a re o f you! D on't w orry w hen

p eo p le say: you a re looking good! It's actu ally a com plem en t."

A fte r the e x c h a n g e o f the " good news", I exclaim ed: "Professor, miracles do happen! T h e w h o le C atho lic C o m m u n ity o f S in g a p o re w a s praying for m e. I w a s convinced th a t G od with his h ealing p o w e r w ould go s e veral extra m iles and a n s w e r the "m iracle-prayer" in his tim e." T h e w ise, caring d octor said: "Father, you a re right. I didn't e x p e c t such a quiclk m ed ical partial healing.

Y o u a re right w h e n you said in a touching, beautiful w ay: It's m y big brother Jesus, w ho b e c a m e a M A N - a m an so special th a t I w rite it w ith a C apital letter "M A N ” - w ho g ranted a m iracle ... w ho a c c ep ted the heartfelt p rayers o f so m a n y , good people" T h e p rofessor looked into my e y e s - I'll n e v e r forget the "way" he looked and said: "Y es, G od is great; w h a t s o m e tim e s rem ains im possible for us to explain b ec o m e s possible to Him .. and nothing is im posible to G od."

M y c h e m o th e ra p y continues ... I a m a lre a d y m aking n ew friends in the tre a tm e n t a re a ... m y p ra y e r book and rosary h av e b e e n noticed as m y "tools and instrum ents".

I w ould like to th a n k A L L of Y O U for your love, con cern , enco uragin g w ords and prayers. M y indeed critical condition has ch a n g e d into a m ore "optimal" condition. W e than k G od for m aking this possible! Let's continue to pray for o u r good F a th e r Yim .

A s req uested by the m ed iacal te a m , I resigned as District S u p e rio r o f the C IC M M issions h ere in S in g a p o re . At the s a m e tim e I resig ned as P rovincial Councillor o f the C IC M S c h e u t M issions Province o f S in ic a-M o n g o lia (T a iw a n , H ong K on g, S in g a p o re , P .R . C h ina, M o n go lia). M y S u perior G e n e ra l a c c ep ted m y resignation on the 12 Jun e 2002.

W h a t's next? I le a v e it up to the Lord. I try to k eep in touch with him through d aily d ialo gu e and prayer.

Y e t, th e re is s o m e "S IL V E R " new s.. O n S a tu rd a y , 16 N o ve m b e r, I'll be celeb rating my S ilver (2 5 th ) priestly Jubilee at the C h ru ch o f St M ich a e l a t 7 .0 0 p m . His G ra c e the A rchbishop, my first parish priest h ere in S in g a p o re , a c e p te d the invitation to c e leb ra te and c o n c e leb ra te with a quick and firm Y E S .

T h a n k you so m uch for yo u r p atie n c e in read ing m y story ... a story o f a priest with G od and his p eo ple. T a k e c a re and let's continue to p ray for o n e another.

Gail: 6258-1422 (school) / 6454-4094 (H) Stella: 6288-2682 stfer@pacific.net.sg C om e w ith y o u r fam ilies a n d l e t ’s c e le b ra te T eachers’ Day

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AU G U ST 18 - A ugust 25, 2002

THE CATHO LIC NEWS

B u lle tin o f th e F a m ily L ife S o c ie ty , A rc h d io c e s e o f S in g a p o r e

FAMILY LIFE SOCIETY The Family Life Society is a non-profit j organisation registered under the Societies ; Act of Singapore in 1985. It was established } under the auspices ofthe Catholic Archbishop j of Singapore to make the family apostolate a priority o fth e local Church.

We aim to promote a deeper

Owing to lack of space, we will resume our series of suicide articles by Bro. Collin Wee, FSG, in the next issue of LifeLine.

A Tribute To Fr Paul Marx, OSB Fr Marx celebrated 60 years of his priestly vocation last month. Why is he a key figure in Singapore’s pro-life movement? Dr John Lim, Vice-President of the Family Life Society, recounts.

understanding and respect for marriage, ; family and human life and to make our j services available to all.

— —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- By D r John Lim

PROGRAMMES AND SERVICES

publishing a newsletter that will inform the public at large of pro-life activities.

Family and M arital Therapy (Counselling Services) 6 4 8 8 0 2 7 8

Fr Marx pointed his finger at me! He warned me that the newsletter was to materialise not later than two weeks from that time! Also, this newsletter was to be circulated monthly.

f A confidential service managed and provided j by experienced family and marital therapists j for those with marital, psychological and .social problems.

Celebration of Life 6 4 8 8 0 2 87 ■;A Pro-life programme on human sexuality : | education for chastity and the promotion of ■the sanctity of life message, thus promoting the culture of life in society. If you would like : to book a session, please contact COL.

Pregnancy Crisis Service 6 3 3 9 9 7 7 0 / 6 4 8 8 0281 :| A hotline service for teenagers facing 1 unwanted pregnancies, and who are likely to turn to abortion as an easy way out.

Youth Life-Line 6 2 52 6 3 0 0 j A youth crisis hot line offering help for youth j in distress.

Joyful Parenting 6 4 8 8 02 86 A hotline service to support breastfeeding | mothers and help parents cope with family ; life.

Catholic Legal A id Services 6 4 8 8 0 2 7 8 j Provides legal advice on family-related ] matters to members of the general public.

AFFILIATE ORGANISATIONS M arriage Encounter 6281 6 4 68

Fr Paul Marx, OSB, is the Founder of Human Life International and the greatest prolifer the world has ever seen.

Born in 1920, Fr Marx grew up in St. Michael, Minnesota, the 15th of 17 pregnancies (14 living children - 11 girls and 3 boys). His family and the Church leaders nourished his desire to become a priest, one of 4 children joining the Benedictines (2 nuns and 2 priests).

In 1942, Fr Marx began his priestly journey when he joined the St. John’s Abbey as a monk.

My first encounter with Fr Marx was in Singapore in December 1983 to deliver two days of lectures on pro-life issues, giving a small group of local pro­ lifers information on the abortion scene worldwide.

At the end of his sessions, Fr Marx said that he ■ wanted to appoint a person who would be responsible for starting a pro-life group and for

With the grace of God, and a lot of sweat, the pro­ life group was formed and the newsletter materialised within two weeks with a small circulation of 60 copies. Within the next few years, it grew by leaps and bounds, with circulation hitting 8,000 copies that reached pro-life groups in over 40 countries worldwide. Today, the newsletter is published quarterly and is available only in Singapore.

Our pro-life group, the Celebration Of Life (COL) also grew. Fr. Marx supplied us initially with some Precious Feet, which he said would help us financially if we sold these. He put us in contact with suppliers of pro-life materials, pro-life groups all over the world, and made the Celebration of Life in Singapore a branch office of HLI. Fr Marx regularly sent us pro-life material-from books, to films, slides and fliers.

On several occasions, Fr Marx sponsored a Singapore pro-lifer to attend the annual HLI World Conferences on Love, Life and Family. On Fr Marx's insistence, I attended one of these conferences at Irvine, California in 1988. It was my first exposure to an international event.

It is now 19 years since Fr. Marx first spoke to us.

Through his influence and with his generous assistance, our work in pro-life matters has become popularly known both in Singapore and in Asia.

The COL is still visiting schools and parishes, educating youths and adults on the sanctity of life.

We continue to provide information on chastity and encourage youths and young couples to adopt Natural Family Planning after marriage. Thanks to Fr Marx’s encouragement and his example of untiring work, we have persevered inspite of many obstacles. The COL program to schools has developed a reputation such that the Ministry of Education in Singapore has appointed us to be consultants to them for developing their sexuality programme.

I remember his last visit to Singapore when I had him seated in the passenger seat of my car during an HLI Asia Conference that we hosted. We were driving to the lecture hall when Fr Marx turned away from his indispensable tape recorder into which he was speaking, and casually asked me about my “sex education programme in schools”. It wasn't until I corrected him saying that we were educating in human sexuality-not sex education-that I realised he was then testing me!

On his 60th jubilee, we wish Fr Marx many more good years, good health and abundant blessings.

He is a truly remarkable man and an inspiration to any pro-lifer. A great apostle for the Lord!

A weekend stay-in programme for married couples to look more deeply into their relationship with each other and with God.

Engaged Encounter 6 7 8 2 39 12 A marriage preparation stay-in weekend programme for engaged couples.

Choice 9 3 0 7 7 7 52 / 9671 0 7 67 A weekend stay-in programme for singles I between 18 and 32, with the aim of helping one know oneself and in relationships with j family, friends and the larger community j

M arriage Preparation Course 6 2 8 8 3 4 2 7 /6 2 4 1 76 14 A six-weekend programme for engaged couples preparing for marriage.

Retrouvaille 6 3 4 6 1927 (Hotline)/ 6 4 4 5 1375 | For troubled marriages (including separated J or divorced couples) who want their marriage | to work.

Couples For Christ 6 3 8 6 3 8 3 6 | j | I I

A family life renewal programme for singles and married couples to look more deeply into their relationship with each other and with God.

Natural Family Planning 6281 0502 em ail: nfpspore@catholic.org

I Based on the knowledge of the fertility I periods during a wom an's menstrual cycle, it is the only morally acceptable form of family planning allowed by the Church as it il is in accordance with the moral natural law

Joyful Parenting is an FLS programme that helps parents bring up a loving, close-knit family unit. It promotes breastfeeding as a means of family bonding.

Breastfeeding helps parents intimately understand and bond with their newborn baby and become better aware of their role towards their family. Breast milk is the natural and best source of nutrition for infants. It has the right composition of proteins, fats, vitamins and live antibodies designed to nurture baby's growth and development and protect her from major infections in the early months.

Breastfeeding protects your child against allergic diseases like asthma -a common childhood disease in Singapore - eczema and allergic rhinitis. The child also has'a lowered risk of developing diabetes later in life. Studies have even shown that breast­ fed babies have high IQ scores. Because of these known benefits, the World Health Organisation recommends that babies be given breastmilk for the first two years of life.

The breastfeeding mum also benefits.

Breastfeeding after delivery helps the mother's uterus shrink quickly back to its pre-pregnancy size. With a sensible diet and ample exercise, breastfeeding helps the nursing mum shed the pounds gained during pregnancy in an effective yet painless way. Breastfeeding also lowers the risk of breast cancer - the most common cancer among women in Singapore.

Joyful Parenting reaches out to mothers with breastfeeding advice and support. We run a telephone helpline service at Tel: 6488 0286 (MonFri 10am-1pm, 2-5pm; at other times, leave your message with our answering service and we will return your call).

Our volunteers also regularly attend sessions at KK Women’s and Children's Hospital and Mount Elizabeth Hospital to help new mothers get started with breastfeeding, under guidance from the hospitals’ Lactation Consultants. We also spread the breastfeeding message to young couples at the Marriage Preparation Course.

Joyful Parenting also lends a listening ear to those with parenting issues. Come to one of our popular talks held at the Catholic Archdiocese Education Centre to pick up some useful parenting tips. In May 2002, Mr Eugene Wijeysingha, former Raffles Institution principal, gave insights on how parents can help their child succeed in life. On 6 September “2002 at 7.30pm, Brother Collin Wee will speak on how to teach your child about sexuality.

Call us at 6488 0286 for advice and support. Our service is free. Alternatively, if you are a parent with some time to spare, we warmly welcome you to join us as a volunteer. Help us spread God's word through the cherished bond of family life. Our work is as spiritually uplifting as it is rewarding when we see healthy family relationships nurtured through the wonderful God-given tool - breastfeeding.

HOPE 6 4 8 8 0 2 7 8 | A peer support group for the divorced, j separated and widowed.

C A T H O L IC E N G A G E D E N C O U N T E R w ill be c e le b ra tin g its 2 0th A n n iv e rs a ry on

Saturday 31 August at St Patrick’s School. All C E E c o u p les are invited.

CONTACT US For more information, pis check our website at http://www.familylife.org.sg

Mass will be at 5.00pm, celebrated by His Grace, Archbishop Nicolas Chia and followed by dinner at $10 per adult and $3 per child (7-16 years). For tickets please contact Felix @ 9879 5511 or Tony & Gwen 6284 3928. ' >* ’

AUG U ST 18 - August 25, 2002

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Insufficient attention to youth INDONESIA, Padang, (UCAN) - “The youth are the future o f the C hurch’ is an empty slogan in the Indonesian Catholic Church, which has not given enough attention to young people’s concerns, a bishops’ conference official says.

Jesuit F a th e r J osep hu s W a rd a y a , e x ecu tive s e c re tary of the Ind on esian b ishops’ Yo uth Affairs C o m m issio n, told 2 6 youth m o d erato rs from five d io c e s es on S u m a tra Island in w e s te rn Ind on esia th a t only o ne-third of the d io ceses in the country h av e youth com m issions.

T h e youth m o d erato rs m e t for a w orksho p in P a d a n g , capital o f N orth S u m a tra , on “e m p ow ering m arg in alized youth in the S u m a tra C hurch reg io n .”

F a th e r W a rd a y a said th a t priests or lay p ersons entrusted to chair the d io cesan youth com m ission s that do exist a re so busy with their p rim ary d uties th a t th e y “ta k e the n ew position as a s id e lin e .”

H e also b la m e d th e C hurch for giving priority to liturgy, S cripture and cate c h es is but not to the youth. A m on g 3 5 d io ceses in the country, “there a re only th re e d io ceses that set a s id e a special fund for C atho lic youth activities.

Ino P rabo w o, a youth m o d era to r from P a le m b a n g , said youth h av e not participated so fa r in the d ecision -m aking process of the C hurch.

“W e a re e a g e r to participate in the C h urch 's d ecision -m aking process, and not just be ava ila b le to do w h a t the priest c o m m a n d s us to d o .”

Lila H u ta b ara t said young p eo p le h av e b een

w aiting for the C hurch to g ive th e m a c h a n c e to d ev e lo p th e m s e lv e s .

C apu chin Bishop M artin u s Situm orang told participants th a t although the C h urch m a y p resent a beautiful im ag e, s o m e p eo ple or groups in it ignore o th e r sectors.

C ro s ie r F a th e r Ignatius Su ran to , a youth m o d erato r, cited failure to d ev e lo p critical thinking skills am o n g youth as a problem , w hich he said “has som ething to do with our national edu catio n.

W e h ave to find a ltern atives in C atho lic form ation to help the youth d ev e lo p th eir abilities and critical m in ds.”

C a rm e lite F a th e r A ld ian to said that finding a ltern atives to help young p eo p le gain skills and a strong spirituality to. fa c e the future is an im portant tas k for tho se involved in youth ministry.

E a rlier in a training Jun e 2 7 -3 0 for youth anim ato rs in Y o g y a k a rta , central J a v a, F a th e r Y o h a n e s D w iharsan to, said th a t the C h urch will b ec o m e m o re d yn a m ic if it entrusts s o m e of its w ork to the youth. T h e priest is chairm an o f the Y o uth C o m m issio n o f S e m a ra n g A rch dio cese's Y o g y a k a rta vicariate.

O n e participant said, “P arish priests and p astoral councils h av e to be a w a re th a t o n e of th e s e d ays, they will h ave to hand o ve r leadersh ip to the you th,” Ariati ad d ed .

B enno P u rn om o, a n o th e r participant, reiterated th a t “the C h urch has to p re p a re th e youth if it w a n ts to b e alive and be m o re d yn a m ic .”

Church and Culture

World Family Meeting

UZBEKISTAN, Tashkent. (UCAN) - Organ recitals, art exhibitions and management of a Catholic website are some of the activities that enliven unfinished Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Tashkent.

PHILIPPINES, M an ila (U C A N ) - An official of the organizing committee for the Fourth World Meeting of Families next January in Manila hopes the gathering will draw attention to family preservation and ministry.

Construction w ork for a church began in 1 9 1 2 but w a s stalled by 7 0 years o f Soviet com m unist rule before U zbekistan proclaim ed its ind epen den ce in 1 9 9 1. It w a s only in O c to b e r 2 0 0 0 that the church prem ises w e re finally dedicated.

M ore w ork is still needed, but the church is already a centre o f cultural and social life in the capital of this Muslim -m ajority Central Asian country.

In addition to M a s s e s and religious instruction p rogram s, F ranciscan F a th e r K rzys zto f K ukulka, sup erio r of the “sui juris” (self-g o vernin g) mission o f U zb ek is ta n , has o p e n e d the chu rch ’s doors to m an y non-religious events.

S in c e the beginning o f 2 0 0 1 , m o re than 6 ,0 0 0 visitors b esid es parishioners h ave atte n d e d the cultural and ed u catio n al eve n ts . S o m e o f them h a v e b e c o m e m e m b e rs o f the C hurch.

O n e such person is K am illa U s m a n o v a , w ho often plays the organ during e v e n ts a t th e church.

S h e said th a t the concerts th a t attracted h er to th e church also led h er to the C atho lic faith.

F a th e r K ukulka arra n g e d org an recitals and p erfo rm a n c e s o f choral and c h a m b e r m usic so p eo p le w ould c o m e to the church and b ec o m e fam ilia r with C a th o lic s ’ p resence.

W ith the help of the V a tic an , F a th e r Kukulka o p e n e d th e first C atho lic w e b s ite in U zb ekistan .

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g ath ere d m o m en tu m d esp ite eco n o m ic hard tim es, th e p o p e ’s physical frailty and “security concerns," says H e n rie tta D e V illa, the central organizing c o m m itte e ’s e x e cu tiv e secretary.

In h er view , the m eeting , to be held in A sia for the first tim e, should be only the start of m ore intensive C hurch ministry to fam ilies.

Invitations from Cardinal Jaim e Sin o f M anila h ave b een sent to episcopal con ferences in 130 countries and 4 5 0 international pro-fam ily and pro­ life m ovem en ts and organizations. T h e other 79 Philippine dioceses h ave also b een sent invitations.

T h e Church in the United S tates has the biggest contingent so far. T h e y said they are sure of 1 ,0 0 0 d ele g a te s and the num ber m ay increase. Italy has asked to reserve room s for at least 3 0 0 deleg ates.

Invitees from South K orea, Japan, T aiw a n , Hong Kong, T hailand , V ie tn a m , Indonesia, S ingapore and M alaysia h ave responded with inquiries.

N u m b ers a re e x p e c ted to start com ing in by S e p te m b e r. P lan s go a h e a d . T h e y a re not g ea re d tow ard w h e th e r the pope is com ing o r not. T h e pro gram is intact. T h e Holy F a th e r is fully ex p e c ted to com e. T h e W orld Yo uth D a y and W o rld M ee tin g o f F am ilies a re tw o a s s em b lie s that he h im self h as initiated and attend s all th e tim e

Future Networking

THAILAND, Bangkok (UCAN) - A mobile library has been launched to help minor seminarians in Thailand improve English reading skills they will need in the major seminary.

CANADA, Toronto, (U C A N ) - Ethnic Chinese delegates at the recent World Youth Day (WYD) celebration say the event has laid the groundwork for a support network among them.

F a th e r Joseph C h aiy o Kitsakul, director of the H oly F am ily N atio n al In te rm e d ia te S e m in a ry is in c h arg e o f the project.

“W h e n fully o p e n e d , e a c h box in the m obile library b ec o m e s library shelves full o f English books. T h e 1 0 0 books in e a c h box a re c a te g o rized from b eg in n e r to a d v a n c e d le v els ,” he told a July 2 6 m eeting of the bishops' com m ission in c h arg e o f sem in aries.

W h e n m inor sem in aria n s a re transferred to M a jo r sem in aries, their English is w e a k . M an y religious books in English that a re not translated into T hai.

T h e s e m in ary com m ission h as prioritized E n g lis h -la n g u ag e teach ing at all s e m in arie s in the country.

“W e w a n t to form a global netw ork o f young C h in e s e C a th o lic s ,” said S e le n a C h a n , w ho co­ o rg an ize d a con cert for the d e le g a te s in Toronto, C a n a d a . S h e ad d e d th a t th e y w a n te d their com ing to g e th e r to be m o re than a o n e -tim e event.

T h e netw ork can b e a r “precious fruits” in faith form ation, inculturation and other a reas, C h an said.

S o m e 1 ,0 0 0 ethnic C h in e s e youths a ttend ed the S in g a N e w S o n g ” con cert a t M el L astm an S q u a re in Toron to as part o f th e July 2 2 -2 8 W Y D celeb ration .

“S in g a N e w S o n g ” w a s s tag ed using M an d arin , C a n to n e s e and English. Participants and p erform ers c a m e from Hong Kong, M a c a u , M ala y s ia , S in g a p o re and T a iw a n , as w ell as from A u stralia, C a n a d a and the U nited S tates.

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ST(

AU G U ST 18 - August 25, 2002

THE CATHO LIC NEW S

CHILDREN’S CORNER This q u iz is o p e n to children w ho a re preparing to re ceive

Answers for Contest No. 6 (1st.

WHAT WE BELBEVE

Holy Communion and are attending classes

at their Parishes.

It h as to b e the children's ow n effort and p arents a re a s k ed to use this as an opportunity to tea c h the children the v a lu e o f honesty.

first three correct entries to reach the Editor, AFTER midnight Wednesday/ Thursday 21/22 August 2002, by e-m a il to steeple(a)sinanet.com,sa. The first three correct entries will be based on the date and time as recorded in the "Inbox". The Editor's decision is final.

Closing Date: midnight. Fri/Sat 23/24 August 2002.

P rize s will be a w a rd e d to the

All th a t is n ee d e d to send the an s w e rs , is to u se the num bers o f the clues a s indicated and a n s w e r for e a c h clue.

Y o u m ust g ive your

state the

full name, address, and the Communion Class you a re attend ing at yo u r Parish.

C om m .)

Across 4.

W e b elieve in th ree P E R S O N S .

7.

T h e third Person is called the H oly S P IR IT .

9.

W h a t w e b elie v e as C atholics, is found in a p ra y e r called the “I

11.

T h e secon d person is called the S O N .

12.

T h e first person is called the F A T H E R .

B E L IE V E ".

Down

D o not forget to provide your O W N contact, o th e rw is e it will not be possible to a d v is e you, if you h ave w on. All entries will b e ac k n o w le d g e d .

2.

This p ra y e r is also called the A P O S T L E S ' C reed".

first three correct entries, (according to the "Inbox") will be a n n o u n c e d in the following issue

3.

W e re m e m b e r th a t Jesus w a s crucified and died on G O O D Friday.

5.

Jes u s suffered u n d er Pontius P IL A T E .

6.

Jes u s w a s crucified, died a n d w a s B U R IE D .

W in n e rs , the

o f the C ath o lic N e w s , and will be inform ed o f how th e y can collect th eir prizes.

1.

8.

Contest No. 7 (1st Comm.)

W H A T W E B E L IE V E 2

J E S U S is a n o th e r n a m e for the Son.

W e c e le b ra te that he a s c e n d e d

into h e a v e n on A S C E N S IO N

T hu rsday.

10.

W e c e leb ra te that Jesus rose again on E A S T E R S u nd ay.

T h e W IN N E R S A R E .......

CLUES

Across W e believe, too, in the com m union of

Consolation Prizes

6.

W e also b elieve in t h e ___________ .

7.

W e also b elieve th a t our sins can be

9.

A p art from the F a th e r and the S on, w e also b elieve in t h e _________ person in G od.

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

2.

T his person is also called the Holy

3.

T h e C hurch is also

4.

A fte r w e finish our life on earth th e re will be the final

© Copyright 2000-2002 by Green Eclipse Software.

5.

Finally, w e b elieve th a t th e re is everlasting.

P rize s for C o n te st N o .7 (1st C o m m .)

6.

T h e m ain things that w e b elieve a re all in the

Created by CNews with EclipseCrossword.

W H A T W E B E L IE V E 2

a donor who wishes to remain annonymous.

Peter Mah - R isen C h rist Sharmaine Cheng Jing Yi - P e rp e tu a l S u c c o u r Benjamin Yong Zhen Hui - S t A n n e

1.

Down

a re very kindly sponsored by:

1 2 3

8.

A fte r w e d ie, w e b elieve th a t our too, will rise again .

10. This C h urch is

Shaun Soh Zheng Kai - R isen C hrist Desiree Low Yi Hui - R isen C h rist Chua Wei Jin Jonathan - S t A n n e Vivienne Chang Wei Ling - F ra n c is X a v ie r Sabrina Leong Li Qi - H o ly T rinity Kenneth Sim Jun Jie - St. M ich a e l Felicia Tan - Q u e e n o f P e a c e Joseph Gwee Ming-Wei - H oly F am ily Alexis Arthur Tan Yan Xiong - H o ly F am ily Francesca Kok Si Hui - R isen C hrist Khoo Chok Siang, Leonard - H oly C ross S. Nicholas Dinesh - Im m a c u la te H e a rt Name: Celestine Grace Cai - H oly Spirit Vanessa Ann Leong Hui Ling - H oly F am ily Jacqueline Anne Nonis - H oly Trinity Lim Yu Feng Alissa - St. B e rn a d e tte Lisabeth Marie Chea Pei Li - Q u e e n O f P e a c e

T his is terrific! 20 entries and ALL were correct.

A ccording to th e "inbox" tim e, th e first 3 g e t the m ain prizes, but all the o th e r correct o n e s also g e t a little consolation p rize each.

Congratulations to ALL of you. We will let you know by e-mail about the collection of your prizes, soon. God love you all!

Children please take note:

NOTES:

You need to look at the DATES when you are to send in your answers and Y O U N EE D T O KEEP T O TH EM .

Crossword No. 6 was about the "I believe" (Apostles' Creed)

Why is the "I believe" called the "Apostles' Creed"7 It's certainly N O T b e c a u s e Jesus' apo stles re­ cited th a t prayer!

T h e A p ostles, as you m ust know , w e re the tw e lv e m en w ho m Jes u s picked to be his disci­ ples - or "students', if you like. H e tau g ht them m o re than he tau g h t the p eople. H e often g av e th e m e x p la n atio n s . ab o u t w h a t he p re a c h e d to eve ry o n e .

T h e y also lived to g e th e r and travelled around Israel, the H oly Land, tog eth er.

T h e y also p rayed to g e th e r and s o m e tim e s, a fe w of them s a w special things, a s w h e n Jesus w a s tra n s ­ form ed and the fe w disciples with him , s a w him in all his glory as the So n of G o d . By the w ay, w e c e leb ra te d th a t ev e n t, called the T ra n s fig u ­ ration, recen tly on 6 A u gu st - the F e a s t of the Transfigu ration of o u r Lord.

S o th e s e tw e lv e m en w e re very close to Jesu s and follow ed him to the end w h e n he w a s crucified, though th e y w e re so s cared ab o u t w h a t m ight h ap pen to them , since they w e re friends o f Jesus, that th e y bolted off and hid

th e m s e lv e s s o m e w h e re , w h e n the soldiers a r­ rested Jes u s in the G a rd e n of G e th s e m a n e .

T h e y got their c o u rag e b ack later on a fte r the resurrection, but that's a n o th e r story!

W e said that Jesus chose these tw elve fellows to be his special disciples or Apostles, and formed and trained them so that they could carry on his w ork of preaching and teaching the people.

A ctually it's very m uch like the “S em inary", th a t p lace out in Ponggol w h e re young m en w ho w a n t to be priests a re trained , and then A rch­ bishop picks and ordains them priests to continue the w ork o f Jesus in S in gap ore.

By now you can guess w hy the "Creed" is called the A p ostles' C re e d . T h e A p ostles w e re the o n e s w ho actu ally learn ed w h a t to b elieve, from Jesus him self. A nd then th e y passed on th a t teach ing and th eir belief right along the w a y dow n to us in the church today. S o w h a t w e b elieve today, is in fac t w h a t the A postles learn ed from Jesus. I forgot to s ay that " C re e d " is from a Latin w ord th a t m e a n s 7 believe".

T h e A postles' C re e d is o n e of the basic p rayers th a t all of us learn w hen w e a re children, if w e a re born into C atho lic fam ilies. O th e rw is e w e learn th e m w h e n w e a re preparing for B aptism . T h e A postles' C re e d is pro bably m ore often called the "I believe". O th e r basic p rayers w ould h av e b ee n the "O u r Father", "Hail M ary" "Glory be". T h e n a m e s o f all th e s e p rayers com e from the first tw o w ords in the prayers.

T h e A p ostles' C re e d is a very im portant prayer. A ctually it's not quite a "prayer" but a brief s u m m a ry o f w h a t w e b elieve as C atholics. P erh ap s, b e c a u s e it is ra th e r long and has s e veral "big" w ords, a lot o f children don't know it "by heart". H o pefully all of you do know it - o th erw ise it m ight b e a good idea to start learning it! E v e n to recite the R o sary you w ould n eed to start by reciting the A postles' C re e d .

W e w on't be saying too m uch ab o u t the w h o le C re e d this tim e, b e c a u s e th e n ew C rossw ord N o. 7 is still ab o u t it. But w e will still say s o m e things now and k e e p s o m e o th er things for the n ext issue.

W e said e a rlie r that the A p ostles' C ree d states very briefly w h a t w e b elieve in, as C atholics. T h e re is, h ow ever, a n o th e r C re e d , w hich says a bit m o re ab o u t w h a t w e believe. Y o u h av e probably c o m e acro ss it on s o m e S u n d a y s during M as s . This w ould d ep e n d on w h a t the priests in yo u r ow n parish do, b e c a u s e w e can cho ose b etw e e n the tw o "C reeds", the sho rter o n e , the "I believe" and th e longer o n e which begins "WE believe".

T h e longer o n e is actu ally called th e "Nicene Creed". T h e n am e " N ic e n e " c om es from the n a m e o f a tow n called "N ic e " which is in the south o f F ra n c e . N o w , w a it a bit - the n a m e of the tow n is not pronounced as you say: "T he cho colates a re n/ce!" It's a French n a m e and it is pro no un ced like "n e p h e w - niece". G o t it? O n ly the a d je c tive as in the title "N icen e C ree d " has the sound of the c ho colate kind o f "nice" - as in " n ic e -e n e " . M a n a g e d it? G ood!

It m ight be a good idea to ta k e a look at you r S u n d a y M issal - the p ra y e r book you use to follow the M a s s on S u n d a y s in church, and c o m p a re the tw o C re e d s w hich you find there.

Toronto

(P o p e off the N a tio n s )

City of Mexico

City of Guatemala

G uatem alan President Alfonso Portillo C a b rera w elcom es P ope John Paul II to G ua te m a la City. T h e pontiff m ade a short visit there to canonize St. Pedro d e S an Jose Betancur, affectionately known as H erm ano Pedro, the first Central A m erican saint, ( c n s photo from pool).

P o p e John Paul II a rrives in his p op em ob ile a t the Basilica o f O u r L ad y of G u a d a lu p e in M exico City July 3 1 . C row d s of 2 million p eo p le lined the streets as the pontiff arrived to c e leb ra te a M a s s o f c ano nization for M ex ic a n N a h u a tl Indian Juan D iego , w h o experie n c e d visions Of M a ry in 1531 (CNS photo from Reuters)

C o nfou nd ing the sceptics, a crowd o f 8 0 0 ,0 0 0 at the C losing M a s s w ith P o p e John Paul II a t D o w nsview P a rk in T oron to ( c n s photo from pool).

A lw a y s in the s h a d o w of his "boss", the H oly F ath er's S e c reta ry , B ishop S ta n is la w D ziw isz. T h e P o p e arrives in G u a te m a la C ity July 2 9 to c a n o n ize B lessed Ped ro d e S a n J o se B etan cur, the Sp anish m issionary w ho arrived in A n tig ua in 1651 to c a re for the sick and poor. T h o u s a n d s lined the streets to w e lc o m e the pontiff. (CNS photo from Reuters)

IL P o p e John Paul II b lesses an indigenous M a y a n lady in G u a te m a la City. (CNS photo from Reuters)

A boy kisses P o p e John Paul II during the w elcom ing ce re m o n y for the pontiff in G u a te m a la City.

An indigenous M ex ic a n lady holds up incen se as P o p e John Paul II looks on during the beatification of indigenous m artyrs Jacinto d e los A n g e le s and Juan Bautista at the B asilica o f O u r L ad y o f G u a d a lu p e in M exico City. N o te the M ex ic a n stole w orn by the Holy F ath er. (CNS/Reuters)

(CNS photo from pool).

Picture o f coloured saw d u st o f O u r L ad y o f G u a d a lu p e in M ex ic o City. P o p e John Paul II raised Juan D iego, visionary o f the Virgin o f G u a d a lu p e , into the canon o f

P o p e John Paul II re a c h e s out to a young w o m a n escorting him from th e Basilica of O u r L ad y of G u a d a lu p e follow ing the beatification service for tw o indigenous m artyrs A u g. 1 in M exico City. During his 1 0 -d a y trip to the A m eric a s, th e 8 2 -y e a r-o ld pontiff focu sed on the k ey th e m e s for C h ristians o f a n y age: holiness and charity, love for G od and o n e â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s neighbor.

saints.

(CNS/Reuters photo)

AUGUST 1 8 -A u g u s t 25, 2002

__________

8

FAITH IN LIFE

20 Ordinary

21 Ordinary

August 18

August 25

GOD OF ALL T exts:

1 Rd: Is. 5 6 :1 . 6 - 7 2 Rd: R o m 1 1 :1 3 - 1 5 .

2 9 -3 2

Resp: P s 6 6 Gospel: M t 1 5 2 1 - 2 8

First Reading: T h e last s e n te n c e o f the p assage: m y h o u s e w ill b e c a lle d a h o u s e o f p r a y e r fo r a ll th e p e o p le s . " suggests the th e m e not only of the reading but all th e texts o f th e S u n d a y . It is not ju st Israel w h o w ould enjo y the Lord's favo ur, but all who accept him would also

be found acceptable.

Responsorial:

T h e allusion to th e

universality of salvation is not hard

to notice. "S o w ill y o u r w a y s b e k n o w n u p o n e a r th a n d a ll n a tio n s le a rn y o u r s a v in g h e lp ."

“ORDINARY TIME" Liturgical Colour: GREEN - Symbolizes “HOPE" — in the Christian context hope in eternal life, founded on Christ’s promise.

The focus is on our Response to God revealing himself through Salvation History.

Sunday Cycle: 1 A

2 n d Reading: S t Paul m a k e s it v e ry c le a r th a t the pagans too are called to salvation.

"I h a v e b e e n s e n t to th e p a g a n s a s th e ir a p o s tle , a n d I a m

need for the living out of faith :

L e t y o u r w is h b e g r a n t e d ."

G od sent his only S on, Jesus, into the w orld not specifically and exclu sively for the Je w s, but for the redemption of all mankind. Jesus m a d e that quite c le a r in his life on ea rth . The Incarnation was for the

W h a t is im portant in o u r relationship with G od is not ju st th e fact of being called and invited to discipleship. T h e Je w s w e re G od 's C h o s e n people, by blood, by race. T h e y gloried in th a t title to the point o f despising e v e ry o n e e ls e w h o didn't belong to Israel.

But w h a t is really im portant is not ju st being invited, but accepting and responding to that invitation.

W h a t is im p orant is o u r faith in Jesus. It w a s b e c a u s e o f faith that Jesus g ranted the C h a a n a n ie w o m a n 's w ish. " W o m a n , y o u h a v e g r e a t faith.

L e t y o u r w is h b e g r a n t e d ."

00

OUT

T0lt)€Wfa)U

WORID,

it)€Godt)Nevys

A pplicatio n in life

10 A ll CREATION

(Gospel)

Is 2 2 : 1 9 - 2 3 Rom

1 1 :3 3 -3 6

Resp: P s 1 3 7 Gospel: M t 1 6 :1 3 - 2 0

First Reading: An allusion to the M es s ia h w ho is to co m e. Jes u s w a s born o f the H o u s e o f King David.

Responsorial: in praise o f G od in his g re a tn e s s an d in his designs.

Second Reading: Y e t a n o th e r o f those v e ry classic and grand iose p a s s a g e s o f St. Paul extolling the greatness and inscrutability of God. W h o can e v e r doubt his g reatn ess! W h o can e v e r question the w a y s of G od! T h e re a re m a n y o f such m ag nificent p a s s a g e s in the Letters of St. P au l. O n e can only surm ise th a t he spoke from his faith experience o f a very d ra m a tic conversion to Christ.

T h e n , Jes u s puts the s a m e question to his disciples: “B u tyou ", he said, ‘Who do YOU sa y I a m ? ’ P e te r a n s w e re d on b eh a lf o f all o f them : “You

are THE Christ, the Son o f the Living God".

Peter’s answer is very significant. H e refers to J esu s as T H E Christ.

“C h r is t “sim ply m e a n s “a n o in te d o n e ”. Using the title with the article, T H E , sim ply m e a n s that P e te r reco gn ized and identified Jesus as the

M es s ia h w h o m th e prophets had spoken of.

A pplication in life The Gospel suggests a very important "working through" of our faith response. T h e trouble is m ost o f us tend to tak e o u r "faith" for g ranted.

P e rh a p s too m uch along the lines m en tio ned in the application for last S u n d a y 's liturgy. It ten d s to a m o u n t to a sort o f equation: "Faith = what religion I practice" - in the s e n s e th a t w e w ould s p e a k o f p eo p le of d ifferent faiths.

T h e "faith-response" is not just giving an intellectual a s s e n t to certain truths th a t a re proposed to us - in our ca s e, by the C atho lic Church though its rep re s e n ta tiv e , the priest, a t o ur B aptism o r re n e w ed in the largely m ech anical recitation of th e C ree d on Su nd ays.

Faith itself, is not just lip-service. It im plies accepting and implementing the teach ing o f Jesus in o ur lives. " T h e s h e e p th a t b e lo n g to m e lis te n to m y v o ic e ... I k n o w th e m a n d th e y fo llo w m e ."

1 Rd: 2 Rd:

The G ospel to d a y revo lves around a very crucial question. J es u s asks his disciples: Who do PEO PLE say the Son o f M an is? H e got a variety of answers from the disciples, ranging from John th e B aptist to the prophets.

1AIM

redemption of all creation.

T ex ts:

proclaim the G ood N e w s o f salvation.

"th e y

Gospel: T h e incident of the C h a n a a n ite w o m a n asking Jesus for a cure for h e r sick d a u g h te r is a lesson fo r us on the universality of salvation - a lesson th a t God is not just God of the Christians but the God of all.

T h e C h a n a a n ite s w e re not part o f G od 's C h o s e n P e o p le . T h e y w e re con sidered p ag ans. H o w e v e r, h er p ersistan ce in asking for a cure for h er d a u g h te r c a u s e s Jesus to rem ark: " W o m a n , y o u h a v e g r e a t fa ith ...

ACKNOWLEDGING CHRIST

Alleluia Verse: T h e v e rs e highlights the mission entrusted to us to

p r o u d o f b e in g s e n t ". . a s y o u h a v e c h a n g e d fro m b e in g d is o b e d ie n t to G o d , a n d n o w e n jo y m e r c y ..."

A lle lu ia V e r s e : u n d ersco res the fo llo w m e ."

THE CATHOLIC NEWS

(Alleluia) T h e F aith -res p o n s e m ust essen tia lly be a lived commitment and expe­ rience based on and flow ing from th a t intellectual a ssen t. T h e problem is th a t all too often w e sim ply stop a t the intellectual a c c e p ta n c e . And even then, o n e can question how strong is th a t intellectual a s s e n t if our fa ith -k n o w le d g e is m inim al or e v e n quite obscure!

A s C hristians, it is e a s y for us to fall into complacency, if not arrogance. T h a t's w h a t h a p p e n e n e d to the C h o s e n P eo ple! T h e y w e re G od 's choice, th e y and they a lo n e w ould enjoy G od 's favour. T h e very fac t of being born J e w s g u a ra n te e d th e m salvation.

F aith -res p o n s e , o f its very nature, has to be PERSONAL, for the sim ple reaso n th a t it is sup po sed to be a personal c om m itm en t to be m ad e operation al in our d aily living. But it is, of necessity, linked to o ur intellectual a s s e n t w hich, of course, is ag ain , o f necessity, linked with how w e s e e Christ, o r w h a t w e c on sider him to be - not just according to w h a t the books say, o r th e p re a c h e r says, but how I p ers o n a lly , in the dep ths of my being and conviction, s e e and con sider him. N otice the w a y Jesus starts out asking P e te r w h o others s a y he is - then b ec o m e s v e ry "personal" an d a sks Peter: 'W h o do YOU s a y I am ?"

T h e re 's p erh ap s m ore than just a little bit o f th a t in us Christians, e spe c ia lly tho se o f us w ho a re , as w e often say "b o m C a th o lic s " som ething akin to being " b o m J e w s " . W e h av e b ec o m e so fam ilia r with G od and things sa c re d , th a t p erh ap s th eir im p act on us h as dim inished..

W e begin to ta k e everything for granted, including our salvation. W e s e e m to think th a t ju s t b e c a u s e w e a re b ap tized , w e will n ecesarily be s aved and th a t w e do not h av e to put in a n y effort o f o u r ow n. Y e t, w h a t will count on the d ay o f reckoning, is not ju s t w h e th e r w e a re b ap tized but w h e th e r w e h av e b ee n faithful to C hrist - w h e th e r w e h ave put our faith into practice and lived it.

Jesus is asking us, too: “Who do you say I am ?" Like the disciples of

language w e use b etrays o u r w h o le disposition. W e s p e a k of

Jesus, w e h a v e b ee n follow ing him for som e tim e. A nd now , Jesus is putting th a t v e ry critical question to us: B u t you, w h o d o you s a v I a m ?

The

"practising o u r religion" instead o f "living o u r faith". I t 's not just being fussy ab o u t la n g u a g e . L a n g u a g e is m erely sym bolic expressio n of our thoughts and feelings. Norm ally, thoughts and feelings express them selves in w ords and actions. But it is also true that w ords and actions can gradu ally influence and e v e n tu a lly d ete rm in e o ur thoughts and feelings.

If w e a re constantly speaking in term s o f "practicing " o r fulfilling the v arious "practices" o f our "religion" (w h ic h is a ls o a te rm to d e n o te a c a te g o r y in v a rio u s fo rm s w e fill), then it w on 't be long b efo re w e just do e xactly that. S o w e "go to M ass" and fulfill our "Sunday obligation" but don't really "participate". S o w e "observe" a b s tin e n c e on F riday but don't really benefit from the self-discipline. T h e n w e also "go to Confession and Com m union" but don't really re p e n t nor a re w e transform ed by the living G od.

W e m ight be te m p te d to think that it is an u n n ec e s s a ry question. S u rely w e m ust know w ho C hrist is! W e ought to! But do we really know? It’s a question of how we actually consider Jesus. H o w do w e v ie w Jesus in term s o f o u r practical, lived faith? Do w e s e e him, p erh ap s like the Je w s o f old, as a miracle worker, a wonder worker, someone whom we

Graphics: Copyright.. The Order o f St.Benedict

turn to in impossible and difficult situations? Someone who can solve all our problems? If th a t’s how w e v ie w Jesus, then our practical faith sees Jesus not as our personal saviour, not as our master whose life and teachings we are committed to imitate and to implement. W e n eed to a n s w e r th a t question for o urselves. E ach and e v e ry o n e of us! Who do we say Jesus is? T h e a n s w e r th a t w e honestly g ive is an indicator of the nature of our faith. The answer will distinguish between "practis­ ing" or "living” our faith!

Texts: Copyright 2002. D r (Rev) R. Balhetchet

Feasts of the Week: M on 19 Tues 20 W e d 21 T h u rs 2 2 Sat 24

S t John E u d es, p r ie s t S t B ern ard , abb ot, doctor S t Pius X , P o p e Q u e e n s h ip o f B lessed Virgin M a ry

St Bartholomew, Apostle, Feast

(G lo r ia )

W h y not

Feasts of the Week:

c e le b ra te

Tues 27 W ed 28 Thur 29

Y O U R F e a s td a y w ith M ass!

S t M on ica S t A u gu stin e, b is h o p , d o c to r M artyrdo m o f S t John th e B aptist

AUG UST 18 - Auqust 25, 2002

THE CATHO LIC NEWS

i Vatican II teaches

FORMATION

The Living Word

by Rev. Ambrose Vaz, SSL

by Dr (Rev) Robert P Balhetchet, Ph.D. (Theol.)

Professor of Sacred Scripture St Francis Xavier's Major Seminary

Vocabulary of Theology T h e o lo g y (" T h e o s " is the G re e k w ord for G o d ) can be said to be the study o f G od . H o w ev e r, o n e m ust im m e d ia tely add a caution th a t o n e cann ot really e x p e c t to "know" G od and to plum b the d ep ths o f his ineffab le m ystery.

It has b een said th a t if M an claim s to und erstan d G o d , then, either, M an is not M an but G od , or, G od is not G od but M an .

F igure th a t out!

S eriously, though, w e h ave to constantly b e a r in mind, that for all the scien ce of T h e o lo g y , w e can n e v e r e x p e c t to fully und erstan d nor, e ven less, circum scribe the infinite G od .

T his d o e s not, h o w e v e r, im ply that w e can know nothing ab o u t G od . H e has re v e a le d h im self to us through his Son Jesus and through the S a c re d Scriptures. T h e task of T h e o lo g y is to try to interpret this revelation as b est w e can, b e c a u s e if w e a re to relate to G o d , w e w ould n eed to relate to s o m e o n e w e h av e s o m e kn o w led g e of, no m a tter how limited that k no w ledg e m ight be. W e cannot, h o w e v e r relate to s o m e o n e w e know abso lutely nothing about.

It is thus w ith a profound sense of humility and our own limitations th a t w e n ee d to app ro ach the study o f G od . W e n ee d also to b e a r in mind th a t an y exp lan atio n s w e provide m ust n ecessarily ta k e into accou nt the limitations of our

THE BIBLE : THE OLD TESTAMENT

IB B M W M IiB B

THE PENTATEUCH T h e heart of Judaism is th e P en tateu ch - also know n as the “T o ra h " , the “L a w " ,

The Holy Bible

or the “Five books o f M oses."

It is not difficult to u nd erstan d w hy. T h e unifying fac to r and vehicle of salvation history is the p eo ple of G od - those chosen by him and m a d e the object o f his prom ises. T h e P e n ta te u c h a n s w e rs the q uestions : “Who is this people?"

“Where did they come from?" “Why were they called?" N ot

human concepts and analogies.

only is the form ation and call d escrib ed, but th e s e e v e n ts a re also placed aga in s t a b ro ad e r background that m a k e s cle ar th eir ultim ate m ean ing .

Vocabulary of Ecclesiology

T h e term “Pentateuch" signifies a com position in five volu m e s o r scrolls. It is not a collection o f five books but a single w ork, later divided into five parts for c o n v e n ie n c e -

" E c c le s io lo g y " is that branch o f T h e o lo g y w hich d ea ls with the C h urch . (" E c c le s ia " is the G re e k / Latin w ord for " C h u rc h ') W h a t im m e d ia tely com es to mind w h e n w e s ay “c h u r c h " is e ith e r the b u ild in g w h e re w e w orship, o r the “C h u r c h ” to which w e belong (= p a r is h ), o r w hich Christian C hurch w e belong to (= d e n o m in a tio n ). T his u sa g e focu ses on the “h u m a n /v is ib le " , e le m e n t of th e C hurch. What Vatican II wants to emphasize is the “divine/invisible” element w hich will better d efin e the “h u m a n -v is ib le ” e le m e n t and give us a m ore correct and co m p lete perspective.

In defining the n ature o f the C h urch , V a tic a n II u ses the term s ‘ m ystery" and “sacram ent" and this e m p h a s ize s the “d iv in e ” e le m e n t w hile not obscuring the “h u m a n ” e le m e n t.

W h e n it w a n ts to re fe r specifically to the “h u m a n /v is ib le ” e le m e n t it favo urs the term “People o f G od’ which has m ore d yn a m ic connotations than the m ore a m b iv ale n t term " c h u rc h ”.

W e will explain all this in future segm ents.

G e n e s is , E x o d u s , L e v itic u s , N u m b e rs , D e u te r o n o m y .

T h e d esignation “the five books o f M oses’ reflects an anc ie n t b elie f that M o s e s auth ored the P e n ta te u c h . Such a d esignation underlines the profound influence o f M o s e s as G o d ’s a g e n t for the exod us, m e d ia to r of the coven an t, first legislator, and fo u n d e r o f Israelite faith and w orship.

H o w ev e r, certain d iscrep an cies sug gest that not all could hav e b ee n the w ork o f o n e hand. In fact, m odern studies h ave show n th a t the P e n ta te u c h is the results o f s e veral centuries o f grow th, centuries in w hich the foundation laid by M o s e s w a s stren g th en ed , d e e p e n e d , and p erfected. It rep re s e n ts both prim itive and a d v a n c e d stag es o f Israel's faith, and contains law s th a t reflect the practice o f m an y d ifferent periods.

v_ F o r a long tim e, S cripture scholars h ave g u e s s ed th a t the w h o le o f the P e n ta te u c h is a collection o f

Understanding th e Church

four main traditions,

w ritten a t d ifferent tim es. T h e w h o le is p e rm e a te d by the spirit and authority o f M oses.

whole purpose of the Vatican II w a s to e x po un d the nature and mission of the Church. T h is w a s a v e ry e n o rm o u s tas k to

The

The four traditions

u n d ertak e , but o n e w hich the C ouncil F ath ers u n d er the g u id an ce o f th e Holy Spirit w e re a b le to a c h ie v e . As far as scope, coverage

and output of documents are concerned, Vatican II can easily be rated the greatest Ecumenical Council of the Church. P revious

- the Y a h w is tic , the E lo h is tic , the D e u te r o n o m is tic , Graphics: Copyright.. The Order o f St.Benedict

councils w e re a lw a ys con voked to a d d re s s s o m e particular point o f doctrine, usually b e c a u s e o f s o m e d is a g re e m e n t and co n ten ­ tion, o r e ven a h ere s y ab o u t a m a tter o f d octrine and belief.

T h e concern o f V a tic a n II is quite logical, a n d ind eed fu n d a m en tal, b e c a u s e unless we, as members of the Church, are clear about

what the Church is and why she exists, it will not be possible for us to truly live the life of the Church and really be Christians true to our Divine Master.

B efore, during and a fte r the Council s e veral theo lo gian s proposed so-called “m o d e ls o f th e C h u r c h ” in atte m p ts to try to provide a b etter und erstan din g o f the C hurch. But long b efo re the theo lo ­ gians, th e S a c re d Scriptures, both th e O ld and the N e w T e s ta ­ m ents, provide m a n y images and analogies of the C hurch, a lre a d y from the tim e of the P rop hets. V a tic a n II calls th e s e “figures" of the Church, ra th e r than “m o d e ls " as th e term has connotations w hich do not suit the c on cept of th e C hurch. A " m o d e l" ten d s to su g g est som eth ing "fixed " which is im itated. O n e can hardly im ag ine th a t J esu s w ould use such a "m o d e l" for th e C h urch . A "figure", h o w e v e r, is an "a n a lo g y". T h e re is a p arallel, th e re is som e s e m b lan c e , s o m e e le m e n ts of sim ilarity b e tw e e n the "figu re" and th e "reality".

and the

P rie s tly traditions w e re collected in a single volum e.

This w ork w a s m ost likely com pleted ab o u t 4 0 0 B .C . and h as often b ee n attributed to E zra , the priest.

The

Documents of Vatican I I

Primeval History : the Prologue to Redemptive History Primeval History (cf. Gen 1 - 1 1 ) a n s w e rs th e question : “What was God’s motive in forming a people in the first place?”

B efore attention begins to c e n te r on o n e fam ily at the call o f A b ra h a m (cf. Gen 12), w e a re given a g lim pse o f the universal h um an situation : m an kind , cre a te d good, but going from bad to w o rs e as the ra v a g e s of sin result in the

But w h a te v e r the voc a b u la ry w e cho ose, w e m ust b e w a re of o n e thing. The Church is a divine-human reality. T his w e m ust b e a r in mind ALWAYS. W e sim ply can not and m ust not re d u c e the C h urch to a sociological entity.

It is NOT a corporation, a c om pan y, a club, a society o r an associatio n. N o m odel, and not e v e n , im a g e s, a n a lo g ie s and figures can e v e r e n c o m p a s s the full reality o f w h a t the C hurch is. T his caution, h o w e v e r, must not lead us to believe th a t o n e can n e v e r und erstan d the n ature and mission of th e C hurch!

e s tra n g e m e n t o f m an from G od a n d m an from m an .

T his glim pse o f m an kind fro m th e G a rd e n (cf. Gen 2) to the T o w e r of B abel (cf. Gen 11), lets us s e e his radical n eed for redem ption; only then a re w e p re p a re d to und erstan d the call of A b ra h a m and the p rom ises m a d e to him. In this sense, P rim eval H istory is the prologue to re d e m p tiv e history.

10

A U G UST 18 - August 25, 2002 -'-4

s t-, r ..Jfe ? «£■ .

THE CATHO LIC NEW S

I REGIONAL

Equipped for Mission MYANMAR, Yangon (UCAN) — Representatives from various Churches in Myanmar, including the Catholic Church, met in a workshop in Yangon to discuss ways of equipping evangelizers for mission work.

R e v e re n d P e te r T hein M au n g , priest o f St. J o h n ’s A n glican C h urch in Y a n g o n , told s o m e 4 0 participants July 2 4 to k e e p th e m s e lv e s close to G od .

H e said it is a good habit to say “T h a n k Y o u J e s u s ” a t the start o f e a c h day.

T h e w orld tod ay, he said, n ee d s “spiritual re n e w a l,” adding th a t th e re can be no hope w ithout p rayers and w ithout being in touch with G od.

D Aung Yi from the Bible L eag ue spoke about mission in

Ending ethnic conflict

the context of M yanm ar. H e noted that the mission field rem ains “very large” and needs m any w orkers to “till and to reap .”

M ission, he said, is not to d o m in a te but to s e rv e and direct the p eo p le to G o d . All C h urch es, he e m p h a s ize d , m ust h a v e a "harvest fo rce ” d u e to the vast mission field.

“All Christians, including pastors and catechists, m ust carry the burden o f lost sou ls,” he said. “In caring for souls, the m issioner m ust ta k e c a re of their physical, m en tal and spiritual w e lfa re ,” he a d d e d . F o r this p urpose, the e v a n g e liz e r m ust be w ell equ ipp ed.

R e v e re n d M eh n T u n T h a n of the Baptist C hurch conducted a session on the role of

com m unication and m ass m ed ia in ev a n g eliza tio n .

R e v e re n d Sm ith Ngulh Z a T h a w n g , g en e ra l se c re tary o f the M y a n m a r C ouncil o f C h urch es, led the concluding prayer. H e focu sed on the n ee d for humility, d edication, sacrifice and o b e d ie n c e, taking Christ as the m odel. H e also stressed the im portance o f being faithful to o n e ’s church.

T h e w orkshop w a s conducted by the L utheran H o ur M inistry O ffice u n d er its mission n a m e “W o rd of H o p e .”

A m o n g the C h u rch e s re p re s e n te d w e re the C h in e s e M eth od ist C hurch, M y a n m a r L utheran M ission C hurch, Zom i C h urch and Khum i Baptist C hurch.

Training young leaders VIETNAM, Hung Hoa, (UCAN) Efforts to train young lay leaders since 1995 have helped a diocese in northern Vietnam meet changing pastoral needs.

“T h e training of young leaders has m ad e parishes more dynamic, enabling them to catch up with progress in society,” said Joseph T a Q uang V a n , a lay leader.

H e said th a t the training has also brought uniform ity in religious activities in the d io cese o f s o m e 2 0 0 ,0 0 0 C atho lics w h o s e origins a re m ostly in low land d io ceses.

Hung H o a, V ie tn a m ’s larg est d io c e s e in term s o f territory, covers nine m ountainous northw est provinces. It h as 2 5 priests but has not had a bishop for 10 years.

It began training young lay leaders in 1 9 9 5 to “bring fresh vitality to the faith life of com m unities of lay Catholics that had to p reserve their faith under difficult circum stances for nearly half a century,” V a n said.

A ccording to F a th e r Joseph N g uyen V a n Dinh, w ho is resp on sible for parish councils, th e d io c e s e gives priority to the form ation o f young lay le a d e rs with the aim o f m aking them effe c tiv e assistants to priests.

Paul P h am T h a n h Binh, one of 10 d io cesan -level trainers, said that in the past seven years, the d io cese held training w orkshops each y e a r for lay leaders from its

seven dean eries.

T h e training syllabus, he said, includes leadership skills, parish m an a g e m en t, the G ospel, lay ministries and service to the sick.

P ierre T ra n V a n T hu , a lay le a d e r said th a t lay pastoral ministry requires e n th u siasm and a good u nderstanding o f the C hurch and society, as w ell as good health.

“T h o ug h w e h av e to w ork hard, w e regularly receive training and h av e opportunities to s h a re e x p e rie n c e s am o n g o urselves during retreats and o th er m eetin g s a t both dio cesan and parish le v e ls ,” h e ad d ed .

T rainin g program s, Thu said, include sections on how to d ialo gu e with local authorities and p eo p le o f o th e r religions.

This includes how to w ork to g e th e r to solve problem s relating to religion and p e o p le ’s livelihood, he said.

D io cesan records s ho w that from 1 9 5 4 to 1 9 9 4 , religious activities in Hung H o a took place only inside churches and lay p eo ple did not re c e iv e any C hurch leadersh ip training even though th e re w a s a serious s ho rtage o f priests.

A s a result, lay Catholics w e re not given a d e q u a te religious edu catio n. M a n y C atho lic com m u nities did not h av e p laces o f w orship, and the w a y the lay faithful lived their faith varied from parish to

parish.

“S in ce m odern society is changing a t a dizzying s p e e d in e v e ry aspect, C atho lics in the d io c e s e can no lo n g er live their faith life the w a y th e ir forefathers d id ,” F a th e r F ranco is X a v ie r N g u y e n V a n T h a i said.

“Living the faith life consciously will facilitate the proclam ation o f the G ood N e w s in e v e ry situation, reg ard less of social statu s,” he a d d e d . T h e 4 6 -y e a r-o ld priest has b een m inistering to the 2 3 ,7 0 0 C atho lics of N h an N g h ia parish in Y e n Bai province since 1 9 9 8.

Josep h Trinh V a n T h u an , a fo rm e r lay le a d e r said that although young lay le a d e rs n o w a d a y s “do not h ave much pastoral w ork e x p e rie n c e , they a re m o re flexible and a re a b le to s h a re the G ood N e w s .”

Joseph N g uyen Q uang N han, a young businessm an o f N o Luc parish, told U C A N ew s, “M ost Catholics in the d io cese feel p leased with this renew al since it m e a n s that lay people a re more trusted and e m p o w e re d .”

H o w ev e r, M a rie N g u y e n Thi C hinh, along with s o m e o th er w ives o f lay le a d e rs in Y e n Bai parish, h av e c om plain ed that b e c a u s e th eir husban ds spend tim e on pastoral concerns, the w ives h ave to sho uld er all the h ousew ork. P art-tim e C hurch w orkers should be paid, they said.

COLOMBO (UCAN) — The newly installed archbishop of Colombo has urged fellow citizens to work toward ending Sri Lanka’s twodecade long ethnic conflict.

During his installation on July 2 7 , A rch bish op O s w a ld G om is o f C o lo m b o stressed the im p ortan ce o f all ethnic and religious com m u nities w orking to g e th e r to reso lve the conflict b etw e e n Tam il s eparatists and the g overn m en t.

T h e Liberation T ig e rs o f T am il E e la m b eg a n fighting the S in h a le s e -le d g o v e rn m e n t for a s e p a ra te Tam il sta te in northern and e a s te rn Sri L an ka in 1 9 8 3 .

In his hom ily at St. L u c ia ’s C a th e d ra l in C o lom bo , Archbishop G om is said that all will perish if p eo p le o f d ifferent religions and ethnic com m u nities fail to w ork to g e th e r to build a nation o f love, solidarity a n d justice.

H e rem ind ed C atho lics in the country not to fo rg e t th a t th e y live w ith p eo p le of o th e r religions. “W e a re not living in this country in isolation. But w e live with th e m all as m e m b e rs o f o n e fam ily ,” he said.

“W e s e e that m oral va lu e s a re e ro d e d . T h e re is lack o f love, c a re for culture, tradition a n d good m oral b ehavior. All th e s e can be rectified if w e w ork as o n e p eo p le and put a s id e o u r petty d iffe re n c e s ,” said the eighth archbishop of the cou ntry’s m etropolitan see.

T h e n ew arch bish op m o ved freely am o n g Buddhist m onks and o th er religious re p re s e n ta tiv e s attending the e ven t. A t the tim e of his a p p o in tm e n t July 6, he w a s bishop o f A n u ra d h a p u ra d io cese, w h o s e s e e city is holy to Sri L an k a n B uddhists H e th a n ke d his p redecessor, retired A rch bish op N icho las M arc u s F ern a n d o , for his 2 5 y e a rs as h ea d of the arc h d io c es e that A rchbishop G om is had s erved as auxiliary bishop until his tran sfer to A n u rad h ap u ra in 1 9 9 5.

A rch bish op F ern a n d o said in a short ad d re s s , “In A rchbishop G om is w e h av e a m an b lessed with m an y gifts. In this a g e of tech no log y w e h av e a person v e ry c o n versant with inform ation tech no log y to ta k e us into th e n ew a g e . L et th e old o rd er ch a n g e and let the n ew b eg in!”

Sri L a n k a ’s P re s id e n t C h an d rik a K u m a ra tu n g a and Prim e M inister Ranil W ic k re m a s in g h e sent con gratu lato ry m e s s a g e s to the n ew archbishop.

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Qur’an Farewell IN D O N E S IA , Karawang, (UCAN) M uslim students sang ve rs e s from the Q u r'a n in front of a C atho lic church in Ind on esia during a farew ell g ath ering for a Dutch m issioner w ho prom oted interreligious harm ony.

S o m e 5 0 0 stu d en ts from an Islam ic boarding school in R e n g a s d e n g lo k, W e s t J a v a , offered a “s a la w a t” thanksgiving p ra y e r at C hrist the King C hurch for C ro s ie r F a th e r T h e o d o ru s van Rijn. T h e y sang it in A rab ic and Javanese.

Islam ic cleric A h m ad E m ay, h ead o f the boarding school, said his students m a d e the “spontaneo us” gesture o f gratitude in a w a y set by P rophet M u h a m m a d .

“W e feel h a p p y ,” he said, “for being to g e th e r with all

believers and than k G od for the C atho lic C h u rch ’s effort, e spe c ia lly by F a th e r van Rijn, w ho prom oted interfaith o p e n n e s s and friendship am o ng p eo p le from all relig ion s.”

T hrou gh this g athering, he a d d e d , “I a m optim istic relations b etw e e n M uslim s and o thers will gro w and that cooperation am o ng religions will be fruitful.”

F a th e r van Rijn, 6 0 , a natu ralized Ind on esian citizen, cho se to return to his h om e country, the N e th e rla n d s , a fte r w orking for 2 8 y e a rs in In d o n esia, m ostly in Band u ng d io cese. H e called on believers to “o pen the barriers that h inder o u r d ia lo g u e ” and urged C atho lic and M uslim religious le a d e rs in the a re a “to h ave a com m on

we’res h a r i n g aplate, s b a r /wgacu]

vision on p e a c e .”

“T h o ug h I will le a v e the country, I hope the existing good relations will be m ain tain ed and d e v e lo p e d ,” F a th e r van Rijn said.

E m a y said, “M uslim s h ere a re re a d y to c oo perate with C atho lics to p ro m o te p e a c e .” H e also as k ed pardon on b eh a lf o f all M uslim s in the district for th eir past m istakes.

Both E m a y and F a th e r van Rijn a re m e m b e rs of F orum D a m a i, an interreligious d ialo gu e forum th a t aim s to bring to g e th e r B uddhists, C atholics, Hindus, M uslim s, P rotestan ts and follow ers o f o th e r religions and use m ed ia to p revent m isunderstanding am o n g them .

r/wgourlifestoriesas

venue: san damiano friary. 4 a, chestnut drive, s( 6 7 9 3 time & date: 3 - 8 pm on 25 august 2 0 0 2

Young male Catholics (above 18) who would like a part in our sharing may contact Friar John-Paul Tan, ofm. Tel: 65631358. Email: jptan@franciscans.org.sg

11

THE CATHO LIC NEW S

AUG U ST 18 - August 25, 2002

EDITORIAL

CATHOLIC NEWS

Sym bolism

EDITOR Dr (R ev ) Robert P. Balhetchet

MANAGER R ev Fr Johnson Fern and ez

STAFF CORRESPONDENTS R ev Fr Richards Am brose Christopher Khoo Mel D iam se-Lee

2 HIGHLAND RD #01-03, SINGAPORE 549102 TEL: 6-858-3055, FAX NO. 6-858-2055 e-mail: cathnews@catholic.org.sg.

To send letters, articles and for editorial enquiries e-mail: steeple@singnet.com.sg

From the Pew s: e-mail:

steeple@ singnet. com. sg please include full nam e, address, contact num ber/ e-m ail address.

Human interaction is very much symbol-based. All our communication consists of symbols. Our thoughts are expressed and communicated through symbols - for that is what language, written or spoken consists of. The spoken word is simply sounds that we agree, stand for certain things. Likewise the written word is also an agreed system to stand for certain things. We may have developed very sophisticated means of communication, but they still consist of "symbols". All of our so-called cultural customs and gestures are also symbols - sets of behaviour often in combination with laguage which express certain things.

This symbolism is all-pervasive in our lives in society, and the Church and religion in general is not in any way exempt from it. Indeed, as

BY DR (REV) far as religion is concerned, it is even more ROBERT P. necessary since we are in the realm of BALHETCHET communication with the divine. W hat we call "liturgy" in the Church is, in fact,, an elaborate set of symbolic arrangments to deal with our relationship with God. However, symbolism is not just a necessary means of expression and communication. It possess a tremen­ dous potential for producing desired effects and action.

Art, in all its forms, is an excellent example of this.

We have just witnessed a particularly significant example of the power of symbolism. We refer, of course, to the recently concluded World Youth Day Celebrations in Toronto. The symbol at the centre of it all was our Holy Father. Despite the dismal forecasts of the "prophets of doom", Toronto was no less a success than Paris or

Rome. Numbers cannot only be the criterion of success!

The very factors, 9/11 and the scandal, that were cited as "dampening" the enthusiasm for the celebration, brought into focus, even more, the overwhelming and ecstatic enthusiam of the youth for the Pope. Not even the pouring rain throughout the preceeding night dampenned the enthusiasm of the 800,000 people who came for the concluding Mass of the Holy Father. Even the Church authorities o fth e United States were amazed at the hugh number of young people who went to Toronto.

One can only conclude that the determining factor in all of this was the Holy Father himself - THE unifying SYMBOL o fth e Church of Christ. His very determination to go to Toronto despite his infrimities was symbolic enough! News commentators were sharp enough to note that it was small gestures on the part of the Holy Father which won the hearts of all - his determination not to use the special electric lift to disembark from the plane, but to walk down the steps, the way in which he welcomed all to come forward and greet him, his gesture to order his helicopter pilot to turn back and circle low over the crowds, his motioning to the handicapped children in paddle boats to approach the boat he was in while taking a tour of Strawberry Island, and then givng them a blessing and a rosary each, his invitation to a group of youth to have lunch with him were all powerful symbols of his love and concern for youth - a love that Jesus had for children, "Let the children come to me!"

That love overcame the prejudice, the scandal and all. □ V- ~ M u l .4

Beautiful symbolism at Anniversary Mass 10 July 2002 was truly a red-letter day for the Mongolian Catholic Mission which was started on 10 July 1992. His Eminence Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, (C a rd in a l Prefect o fth e Congregation for the Evangelization o f Peoples), and

Apostolic Nuncio Giovanni Battista Morandini presided at the Anniversary Mass.

T h e M ission started w h e n three C IC M fath ers first arrived in the c o u n try .

F a th e r s W e n c e s la o P a d illa, G ilbert S a le s and R o b ert G o e s s e n s s ta rte d b uild in g th e m ission from scratch, first staying and saying the first m ass in the U la a n b a a ta r Hotel, then ju s t to be in s ty le w ith th e c o u n tr y , ‘n o m a d iz in g ,1 th a t is c h a n g in g q u a rte rs , ( t h e m a jo r it y o f th e M o n g o lia n p o p u la tio n s till liv e s a n o m a d ic lif e s ty le , c h a n g in g lo c a tio n s fo r th e s a k e o f fin d in g p a s tu r e fo r th e ir h e rd s ), m oving to

vario us a p a rtm e n ts , then finding b ig ger and big ger p laces adapting to the s ize of the m ass participants. “ A t o n e tim e w e rented a hall, with a sym bol of a h a m m e r and sickle on the o utside w all, on a hill o w ned by the a rm y .... tod ay, it is a police s ta tio n ,” re m e m b e re d Fr. W e n s with a laugh.

Symbols o f the land T h e m a s s b e g a n w ith a v e ry sym bolic c erem o n y. T h e sym bols th a t re p re s e n t th e la n d w e re brought in by young C atho lics in national dress, first fire, that is burning in th e c e n te r of e v e ry hom e, providing w a rm th and life in the fre e zin g w inters, then water th a t turns the land a m e a d o w for the h erds to g ra z e , thus giving

food and life to the p eo ple. T h e third sym bol w a s th e ger, the M on go lian ro u n d -sh ap ed felt tent th a t is the h o m e for m ost fam ilies, e a s y to carry on the b ack of a couple o f cam els, e a s y to assem ble in an hour. F in ally th e soil of M on go lia w a s brought in, the land th a t is th e h o m e , c ra d le an d d w e llin g p la c e o f th e p e o p le , w itn ess to M o n g o lia ’s history, and dw elling place of G od .

M sgr. W e n s, the first, and newly a p p o in te d P re fe c t A p o s to lic of M ongolia and Fr. G ilbert c a m e in to pay h om age to the land. Barefooted, they prostrated and kissed the soil that w a s placed before the altar.

T h e n all m issionaries lined up and did reveren ce to the soil by bowing in front o f it.

Mission Crosses T h e n th e s u p e r io r s o f e a c h religious o rd er received the six mission crosses to be carried to th e countryside o f M on go lia. SDB to D a r h a n : fo r a m is s io n a ry p re s e n c e not n ecessarily a school (but hopefully a school in the future) MC sisters to D a ir Ekh: a n ew c o m m u n it y , w h ic h o p e ra te s ind e p e n d e n tly from that o f Y a rm a g (w h e re th e sisters h av e a school for poor children, u n ab le to go to school and now behind their peers, and a h om e for old p eo ple). Dari E kh is a ls o a v illa g e o u ts id e U la a n b a a ta r, w h e re all fam ilies live in ten ts or w o o d e n cabins. It is a lso a m issionary ve n tu re am o ng the poor p eo p le in th a t a re a . CICM to E rd e n e t: a ls o a m is s io n a ry p re s e n c e and outreach; and to S o ng ino H airh an: a possibility to e s ta b lis h a p a ris h . FD (F id e i D o n u m ) priests to Zuu n M od (F a rm

o f N o rb ertus, S u m m e r Doctors); a n d to H a n Uul (F r.K im ): to establish a Parish com m unity: ICM to Sh uvu u (C o m m u n ity building w ith Sr. M arife in the le a o ) SPC to Zuu n M od: m ini-school for very poor children.

th e re will be m o re possibilities for the p eo ple in the countryside to find jobs and e du catio n, and thus it m ight m a k e it m ore fea s ib le for p eo ple to stay in the countryside a n d s lo w d o w n U la a n b a a t a r ’s m onstrous growth.

M ission Sending

Laying o f stone

In a country o f 1 5 6 0 0 0 0 squ are km , w h e re a lm o s t h a lf o f th e p o p u la tio n o f 2 . 4 m illio n is c o n c e n t r a t e d in th e c a p it a l, U la a n b a a ta r, (o ffic ia lly 8 0 0 0 0 0

During the offertory representatives o f th e m issionary congregations, and the rep resentatives o fth e laity, M o n go lian and e x p a tria te, laid a stone in front o f th e altar, show ing their willingness to carry on building the mission.

T h e tenth a n n iversary m ass concluded with the p resentatio n of a w a rd s to church p erson nel, staff o f the V e rb is t C a re C e n te r, and h a n d in g o u t c e r t if ic a t e s of app reciatio n to C ard inal S e p e , A p . N u n c io M o r a n d in i, M s g r.

K urian, Bishops P a k and F arina.

M sgr. P ad illa, in the n a m e of the M ongolian C atholic C o m m un ity than ked th e m for th eir p re s e n c e at the big occasion, for th eir support, help and friendship.

“W e o w e o u r v ita lity a n d streng th to th e le a d e rs o f our C hurch, especially our Holy Father, o ur Cardinal S e p e , and our Nuncio.

I w ould like to e x press m y gratitude to th e m and to e v e ry superior, e v e ry m is s io n a ry a n d o u r la y p eo p le h e re ,” he said.

“During the past ten y e a rs I lost m a n y things.

First, a fe w kilos, then a lot of hair, and also the color o f m y h air”, said F r W e n s pointing to his h ead in front o f a p u zzle d but giggling congregation “but I do not really m iss a n y of those.! T h e o n e and only thing I m iss is the com pan y, advice and w isdom o f our confrere, Fr. R o bert

b u t in fa c t m o r e th a n o n e m illio n )

the sending off of missionaries has a very significant meaning.

T h e ir n ew task is now to reach 1.4 million p eo ple scattered in a few tow ns and m an y tiny settlem en ts, th ro u g h o u t this v a s t land and w h e re th e re is o n e railw ay line a c ro s s th e c ou ntry c o n n e c tin g R u ssia and C h in a , only 1 7 0 0 km o f paved road, all the rest beingdirt ro a d s . P ro v in c ia l c a p ita ls a re con nected by air, but th a t is too e x p e n siv e for th e m ajority. P e o p le liv e a s e m i-n o m a d ic life s ty le , changing th eir dw elling p laces and going in a larg e circle four to eight tim es e v e ry y e a r, returning to the s a m e p lace e v e ry seaso n.

W ith th e e x c e p tio n o f tw o b ig g e r cities, D a rh a n ( 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 p e o p le ) a n d E r d e n e t ( 6 0 ,0 0 0 p eo p le), the capital U la a n b a a ta r is the p lace for industry, e du catio n, b usiness, tra d e , cultural life, and everything e x c e p t for herding. In the past ten y e a rs it w a s tru e of the C atho lic p re s e n c e as well.

W ith the tenth a n n iv e rs a ry the mission has re a c h ed a m aturity th a t e n a b le s it to reach out to u ntouched a re a s . Hopefully, with the various w orks o f th e church

G o e s s e n s w ho w a s posted again to J a p a n a fte r 10 y e a rs with us. H e sent us a con gratulatory fax.

C IC M p ro vin cial Fr. P a tric k M as s c h ele in a d d e d a fe w w ords about c h o o s in g th e firs t m is s io n a rie s : “W e h ad thirteen c a n d id a te s w h o v o lu n te e re d to c o m e to M on go lia. It w a s very difficult to cho ose from th em . W e w a n te d to send a young, e n ergetic p rie s t fre s h fro m s c h o o l w ith beautiful vision, a m iddle-aged man with great expertise and experience to m a n a g e , and an o ld e r m an with a p atien t heart and w isdo m . W e could e v e n tu a lly cho ose the first tw o, b e c a u s e Fr. G ilbert w a s th e re right in H o ng -K o ng , and Fr. W e n s just co m p leted his secon d term as S u p e rio r in T a iw a n . But finding s o m e o n e from the e ld e r generation is n e v e r e a s y . Fr. R o b ert did not e v e n belong to o u r province, he w a s in J a p a n . But his volunteering m a d e the choice possible fo r us.

T h a n k you, Fr. R o b e rt.” T h e m ass e n d e d with thu nd ero us app la u s e , a nd tearfu l'ch eerin g for Fr. R obert.

(We are very thankful to Msgr.

Padilla, CICM, Prefect Apostolic o f Mongolia, for sending us this report)

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LOCAL The Church in St Paul

By Mel Diamse-Lee T H E H O M E and household w a s th e c e n tre o f C h ristian activity d u rin g th e tim e o f th e e a rly Christians and S t Paul e n co u rag ed th a t re la tio n s h ip s b e tw e e n the faithful be like tho se o f “brothers and sisters".

This w a s the gist of the talks of F r R aym o nd Collins, an Am erican biblical scholar, w ho spoke here on Pauline Ecclesiology on July 4 -6 .

T h e h o m e w a s w h e r e th e church o r b elievers m e t and w a s the b as e o f e v a n g eliza tio n and m is s io n a ry a c tiv ity , w h e re th e L ord’s su p p e r took place. It is also by households that Christians w e re baptised, F r Collins told s o m e 2 0 0 parishioners, s em in arian s, priests and Religious w ho a tte n d e d the talks at th e C atho lic A rch dio cesan E d ucation C e n tre.

This w a s w h y w h e n S t Paul talked abo ut the C hurch, he alw ays spo ke ab o u t households. “T h a t is w hy S m all Christian C o m m un ities (S C C ) a re so im p ortan t,” stressed F r Collins.

E x c e p t for his letter to the R o m a n s , S t P a u l’s letters w e re all w ritte n to a g ro u p o f p e o p le g ath ere d in s o m e o n e ’s h om e and a d d re s s e d a p articu lar situation in th eir lives, F r Collins said.

H e noted that in S t P a u l’s first letter a d d re s s e d to a household in T h e s s alo n ic a , S t Paul spo ke o f them as the “chosen p e o p le ” of G od.

In t o d a y 's c o n te x t, th is re fe re n c e to the chosen p eo ple

Fr Raymond Collins at the July 4-6 talks he conducted on Pauline Ecclesiology. m e a n s th a t “w e can n e v e r forget o u r Jew ish h e rita g e ”, he said.

“W e h a v e to thin k o f the C h u rch a s b elo ng ing to G o d ’s cho sen p eo ple. N ot only a re the G en tiles cho sen by G od , they are the ‘a s s em b ly o f G o d ’ stressed the biblical scho lar w ho te a c h e s at the C atho lic University o f A m eric a .

S t P a u l’s letters a d d re s s e d the faithful as “brothers and sisters”, w hich is a “la n g u a g e of belonging a n d u n ity ”, s a id F r C o llin s , a m e m b e r o f the editorial com m ittee o f the C atho lic E n cyclo ped ia. A Christian com m u nity’s relationship with G od is “w ork e d out in o n e ’s relationship with o th e rs ”.

S t P au l's letters infer th a t the h allm a rk o f th e e a rly C hristian com m u nity is th a t they w e re a group of p eo p le w h o s e lives w e re c h aracterised by a d yn a m ic faith, h ardw o rkin g love an d end uring

hope.

H e said th a t P a u l’s letters often e n d e d with brotherly adm onishions a n d w o rd s o f c o n s o la tio n a n d e n c o u ra g e m e n t, m uch like parents would w hen writing to their children.

In his parting w ords, Paul a sked the b elievers to resp ect tho se “in c h a rg e ” b e c a u s e e v e ry C hristian com m u nity n ee d s th em . H e also n o te d th a t e v e ry C h r is tia n com m unity n eed s a prophet, w ho s p e a k s on b eh a lf o f G o d . “T h a t the p ro p h e t fo re te lls th e fu tu re is co in cid en tal,” he e m p h a s is e d .

H e also clarified th a t o f the 13 letters attributed to S t P au l, only se v en w e re originally w ritten by him . T h e s e w e re the letters to the R o m a n s , C o rinthians, G a la tia n s , Ph ilipp ian s, T h e s s a lo n ia n s (first letter) a n d P h ilem on.

H e noted th a t the first e le m e n ts o f the N e w T e s ta m e n t w e re the letters o f S t P au l, w ritten s o m e 2 0 ye a rs a fte r Jesus' d ea th and 12 years before M ark w rote his G ospel account.

F r C ollins w a s on the first leg o f h is re g io n a l to u r c o v e rin g S in g a p o re , M a la y s ia and Brunei w hich c e leb ra te d Bible S u n d a y in mid-July.

T h e re n o w n e d a u th o r a n d te a c h e r w a s invited “so that the Bible m a y b e c o m e a c c es s ib le to all and parishioners m a y gro w in o u r app reciatio n o f G o d ’s w o rd ” a n d h e lp b u ild up th e s m a ll C h r is tia n c o m m u n it ie s in S in g a p o re , M a la y s ia and Brunei, according to th e vic ar g en e ra l, M o n s ig n o r E u g e n e V a z .

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W H IL E m an y students spen t their J u n e school h oliday frolicking in b e a c h e s o r bum m ing around with friends, 19 students of S t J o s e p h ’s Institution (S J I), w e n t on a mission trip to th e re m o te T h a p s a k e province in T h a ila n d from Ju n e 4 -

8.

Led by tw o te a c h e rs - o n e of w h o m is S JI chaplain, F ranciscan F ria r M ich a e l D ’C ru z - th e y spent d ays in A run vith aya School, run by the S a le s ia n F ath ers o f Don Bosco, interacting with a group of T h a i students, exposing th e m to the English la n g u a g e and to their own culture.

T h is w a s th e s e c o n d trip o r g a n is e d b y th e s c h o o l in resp on se to the a p p e a l o f the D ire c to r o f the school, S a le s ia n m issionary F a th e r John T a m a y o , w ho h as b ee n w orking in T hailand for the past 3 0 years.

F r T a m a y o felt th a t getting a

g ro u p of E n g lis h -s p e a k in g s tu d en ts to visit th e school and in te ra c t w ith th e T h a i s tu d en ts w ou ld m o tiva te th e la tte r to learn E n g lis h , w h ic h is in c re a s in g ly b ec o m in g an im p o rtan t m ed iu m o f c o m m u n ic a tio n to th e T h a is in th e light o f g lo b alisatio n .

G a m e s a n d activities w hich prom oted the use o f the English la n g u a g e w e re org an ised for them .

T w o m onths b efo re the trip, an a p p e a l for books to be p resented to the T h a i stu d en ts w a s m a d e to the SJI stu d en t body.

T h e T h a i stu d en ts w e re not the only o n e s w ho le a rn ed and g ain ed from th e mission trip, how ever.

SJI students also g ain ed m uch - m a n y T h a i friends and an insight into an e x tre m e ly d ifferent culture.

T h e y e n jo y e d t h e m s e lv e s through th e s e m utual gains and a g r e e d th a t C h ris t h a d b e e n present in th e ex p e rie n c e ; they w e re very h ap p y to h ave g on e.

T h e trip w a s p la n n e d a n d

o rg a n is e d b y a c o m m itte e o f students from th e Legion o f M ary a nd the S t V in c e n t d e P au l S o ciety (S V D P ).

O n e o f the boys, A lb ert S alim , 16, a m e m b e r of the S V D P Society, said “I signed on for the trip b e c a u s e I w a n te d to e x p e rie n c e being on a mission trip and s hare w h a t I h av e with o th e r p e o p le .”

L eg ion ary T e re n c e C h a n g , 16, w e n t b e c a u s e he w a n te d to”follow th e sch o o l’s motto: B ecom ing M en o f Faith and S ervice, to enrich both his and the T h a is ’ lives”.

N icho las Lim , 16, reflected: “I m e t C hrist in all our hosts, w ho w e re so friendly in w elcom in g u s.”

Alvin B elloc C h en g , 16, felt th a t no w ords could e x p re ss the h ap p in ess he ex p e rie n c e d .

B enjam in C h ia, 16, felt th a t he had “learnt to ta k e th e initiative to reach out to o th e rs ”.

The s tu d e n t w riter, 16, co ­ chaired the organising comm ittee fo r the m ission trip.

Working with heart B y Sara Ng A T A July 6 M a s s o rg an ised by the C atho lic T e a c h e rs ' M o v e m e n t, F ria r M ich a e l D ’C ru z said that w h e n a p ers o n ’s h ea rt is in w h a t he o r s h e d oes, th e burden is lighter. G o d 's yo k e is e a s y and His burden light and allow s the person to cope, he said.

H e a ls o s p o k e a b o u t how J esu s a tta c k e d pride and uplifted th e w e a k . “O u r pride blinds us to

im portant things and to G o d ’s love," he a d d e d .

T h e friar’s m e s s a g e rem inded the te a c h e rs th a t pride and the la c k o f h e a r t in th e ir d o in g s contribute to troubles and strife.

A s p eo p le w ho k no w and are trying to w a lk in His steps, C atholic te a c h e rs s h o u ld re m e m b e r to w atch o v e r th eir pride and put their h ea rt into doing w ortw hile things, his hom ily said.

E a rlier in the aftern on , s om e

3 0 adults and children held an outdo or recitation o f the rosary, w ith the th e m e P e a c e and W alkin g w ith C h rist, a t th e M a ry m o u n t C o n v e n t School grounds.

The next event b e in g o rg an is e d by th e te a c h e rs is the annual T e a c h e rs ’ D ay M ass, w hich will b e held on A u g 31 a t th e C a th e d r a l o f th e G o o d S h e p h e rd . P re s id in g o v e r a t the M a s s will b e A rch b is h o p N ic h o la s C h ia .

AU G U ST 18 - A ugust 25, 2002

THE CATHO LIC NEW S

REGIONAL End discrimination INDIA, Pune, (U C A N ) - The Maharashtra Handicapped Employees Federation has asked the western Indian state of Maharashtra to end discrimination against them and implement laws meant for their welfare.

S ta te law g u a ra n te e s the d isab led 3 p erc e n t of the jobs in all g o v e rn m e n t offices, but “v e ry fe w offices follow ed this ru le.”

In d ia ’s fed e ra l p arlia m e n t e n a c te d in 1 9 9 5 the Protection and W e lfa re of D isabled P e o p le Act, which provides d isab led p eo p le fre e edu catio n, em p lo ym en t, housing and o th e r concessions.

M o s t of this, h o w ever, has “re m a in e d on paper," said the F ed eration .

T h e ir s ta te m e n t criticized th e g o v e rn m e n t’s “lack of political w ill” to help the d isabled, w ho they s ay c om e m ostly from econ om ically and socially m arg in alized classes.

M ah a ra s h tra has s om e 1 million p eo ple affected by conditions such as hearing or speech im pairm ent, polio and D o w n ’s syndrom e. Even the edu cated am o ng them a re d en ied an opportunity to

w ork and live a dignified life. N o disabled person obtained a state job in the past th ree years.

F e d e ra tio n m e m b e rs d e m a n d e d in their s ta te m e n t a hike in their travel and daily a llo w a n c e s and exem p tio n from professional tax.

T h e y also co m p lain ed th a t fe w g o v e rn m e n t buildings and offices h av e facilities for the disab led . M a n y offices do not h a v e con venient toilet facilities and ra m p s for w heelchairs.

T e a c h e r D ig a m b a r G h a tg e -P a til said that d isab led p eo p le w o rk h ard e r than “a b le p e o p le ” and the state should re c o g n ize th eir service. T h e physically d isab led a re also less inclined to loiter during office hours.

H o w ev e r, D .B . T h a id e , d ep u ty director a t the S ta te C o m m issio n for Person s w ith Disabilities, told U C A N e w s th a t “recession has hit the g o v e rn m e n t hard, and prom otions a re d ecid ed on the n u m b e r o f v a c a n c ie s .”

H e said w e lfa re m e a s u re s for the disabled could be im p lem en ted o n c e the g o vern m en t allo c a tes the n ec e s s a ry funds.

Alarm

BM growing MALAYSIA, Bukit Mertajam, (U C A N ) - Thousands thronged a major pilgrimage centre in Malaysia to celebrate the feast of Saint Anne as Church officials inaugurated a larger church.

T h e crow d for the consecration M a s s July 2 6 o verflo w ed th e n ew church with its 2 ,0 0 0 -s e a t capacity. M a n y stood in the a isles, at the b ack of the church or s o m e w h e re around the grounds w h e re they could h e a r the th re e -h o u r service.

This is the third St. A n n e ’s C hurch to be built in Bukit M ertaja m , (c o m m o n ly k n o w n a s B M ) ab o u t 3 0 0 kilom eters n orthw est o f K u ala Lum pur, w h e re th e an n u al fe a s t of S a in t A n n e also attracts follow ers o f o th e r religions.

T h e c e re m o n y started with a procession o f fou r bishops, 5 0 priests, a lta r boys and lectors. T h e y w e re p re c e d e d by youths in traditional costum e.

A postolic D e le g a te to M ala y s ia , A rchbishop A d riano B e m a rd in i, , unveiled a p laq u e and cut the ribbon to d e c la re the church o pen.

Bishop A n to ny S e lv a n a y a g a m of P e n a n g , w h o s e d io c e s e covers Bukit M ertaja m , rem ind ed tho se p re s e n t th a t although th e y m ay ad m ire the b ea u ty of the n e w church building, th e y should re m e m b e r that it is th e p arishioners w ho m a k e it a living church.

D escribing the dedication c e re m o n y as an a c k n o w le d g m e n t of G o d ’s p re s e n c e th e re am o ng the p eople, he said, “T his is a place w h e re w e can n o t e n te r if w e a re not reconciled w ith e a c h o th e r.”

T h e multi-tiered roofing o f the cross-shaped building is arranged in a series o f overlapping shells supported by m etal rafters painted black.

A relic o f a m artyr w a s c e m e n te d into a recess on the altar tab le, a fte r w hich it w a s ano inted with chrism oil, incen sed and sprinkled with holy w ater.

A re g u la r pilgrim to th e an n u al fe a s t d a y celeb ration said that m an y of the pilgrim s w h o c o m e a re childless couples. S h e noted th a t pilgrim s com e from all o v e r the world to Bukit M e rta ja m for this purpose, w hile o thers com e to pray for various o th e r intentions o r to fulfil personal vow s o f thanksgiving o r dedication.

Parish priest F a th e r M ich a e l C h e a h urged his parishioners to s e rv e pilgrim s. “H e lp th e m to e x p e rie n c e the p e a c e and love o f this co m m u n ity,” he said.

Josep h Lim , chairm an o f the parish pastoral council, th a n ke d all w h o h elp ed with the building project, w hich started in M a y 2 0 0 0 .

“T h is church will b e c o m e a s y m b o l o f p e a c e and unity am o ng Christians and n on -C h ristian s a s w ell as a sou rce of inspiration and spiritual grow th for all o f us h e re ,” he said.

H e e s p e c ia lly th a n ke d th e Inter-faith O rganisatio n and the M ala y s ia n C o nsu ltative Council of Buddhism , C hristianity, Hinduism and Sikhism , w h o s e re p re s e n ta tiv e s w e re present.

A rchbishop A n th on y S o te r F e rn a n d e z o f K u ala Lum pu r w ro te in the s ou venir b ooklet th a t the history o f St. A n n e ’s C h urch d ate s b ack to 1 8 4 6 . “A fte r a span o f o ve r o n e -a n d -a -h a lf centuries, w e rejoice th a t pilg rim ages a re increasing, which h as given rise to the n ee d for a n ew c hu rch .”

Arch bish op B ernardini w rote, “M a y this solem n celeb ration inspire within th e entire parish fam ily a re n e w e d con sciou sn ess o f their Christian dignity and m issio n.”

MALAYSIA, Plentong, (U C A N ) — The Catholic bishops of Malaysia have expressed “alarm” over the impact on religious freedom of what they see as increasing politicization of Islam in the country.

M a la y s ia h as w itn essed the “process o f Islam izatio n of our law s and re g ulation s,” the bishops say in an A u g. 1 s ta te m e n t. It w a s issued during their 70th P le n a ry M ee tin g in Plen to ng , n e a r Johor Bahru.

T h e s ta te m e n t “D e c la ra tio n o f C a th o lic B is h o p s o f M a la y s ia o n th e F r e e d o m o f R e lig io n ”

w a s signed by A rchbishop A n th on y S o te r F e rn a n d e z of K u ala Lum pur, presiden t o f the C ath o lic bishops of M ala y s ia .

COMING UP TEA C H ER DAY FAMILY MASS Dates: S aturday A ugust 31, 5 pm -6 pm.

Venue: Good Shepherd Chapel, (next to M arym ount Convent, 790 Thom son Rd. Contact: C atholic Teachers M ovem ent w w w .veritas.org.sg/ctm or Gail: 6258-1422 (school) / 6454-4094 (H) or Stella: 6288-2682 stfer@ pacific.net.sg HOSANNA! MU SIC M IN ISTRY’S C O N C ER T - “Approved” the concert Venue: Jubilee Hall, Raffles Hotel. Date: August 30-31, 8 pm. Tickets available: Julian (97386800) Joseph (96671320).

Email: hm m @ catholic.org.sg CHU R CH OF ST VIN C EN T DE PAUL FEAST DAY CELEBRATION Theme: Feed my Lambs. 3 days triduum: 8 pm. Dates: Tues Sep 17 - Feed My Soul, Wed Sept 18 - Feed Our Family, Thu Sept 19 - Feed O ur Church, Sun Sept 22 - Mass at 6 pm. Feast day Mass Main Celebration: Archbishop Nicholas Chia.

FELLOW SHIP W ITH TEMASEK POLYTEC N IC STU D ENTS All Tem asek P olytechnic student are invited to an afternoon fellow ship on Sat. A ug 31, 2pm at S AC C (St Anthony Canossian) w here fun, support and prayer can be experienced. For inform ation at http://w w w .polycatholics.latest-info.com /"

DR MEGAN MCKENNA, THEOLOGIAN, STORYTELLER AND WRITER RETURNS TO SINGAPORE TO GIVE THE FOLLOWING TALKS:

Villa Francis Home for the Aged, 6269-2877 Fax: 6368-4505

Bible Correspondence Course in Chinese, Fr John Baptist Tou 6337-2465

St Theresa's Home For The Aged, 6256-2532 Fax: 6256-5610

Catholic Audio-Visual Centre, 6858-3077 Fax: 6858-2077

St Joseph's Home, Sr Maria Sim 6268-0482 Fax: 6268-4787

China Catholic Communication (Zhonglian Centre), Patrick Lee Kim H wee 9060-5080/6286-1826 web: www.zl.per.sg

nc0071b@cyberway.com.sg F A M IL Y Christian Family and Social Movement, Francis T amel Mane 9586-9938,6792-6701

Carlo Catholic Society, 6337-7489 Fax: 6334-4370 cado@cams.org.sg W ebsite: http://www.cams.org.sg

Fam ily Life S o ciety - S e e page 4 6488-0278 w ebsite :w ww.fam ilylife.org.sg

The Catholic News, 68 58-3055 Fax: 68 58-2055 cathnews@veritas.org.sg

Morning Star Family Care Centre, 6285-1377 Fax: 6285-2715

Central Commodity Services (Pte) Ltd, 63 37-4238 Fax: 6339-2583

C H IL D R E N Galilee Centre, 6454-0528 Fax: 6454-3167 Clementi Children's Centre, Ms Maria Swee 6777-3893 ijhcc@singnet.com.sg Canossaville Children's Home, Sr Rose Low/M s A nne Siew 6748-5777

canossa@pacific.net.sg Marian Centre (before and after school care), 6250-0877 Marymount Boarding, 6354-2245/ 6253-6816 Fax: 6353-4809 Nazareth Special Learning Centre, Sr A nne May Chua, FMM 6276-3200 Good Shepherd Child Care Centre, Ms Helen Tan 6242-5695 Fax: 6448-3454 H A N D IC A P P E D Catholic Office for the Hearing Impaired, Friar R owland Yeo, OFM

ccs55@singnet.com.sg Hai Sing Pao, Ms Catherine Chia 6337-2465 cado@cams.org.sg Website: http://www.cams.org.sg Katong Catholic Book Centre Pte Ltd, 6345-1413 Fax: 6440-0272

katongcathotic@padfic.net.sg Apostolate of the Media, 6892-1639 Fax: 6562-5857 Catholic News Book & Media, 68 58-3066 Fax: 6858-2055 M IG R A N T C O M M U N IT Y Filipino Catholic Community of Singapore, Nelly Faminialagao 9831-8044/6893-7609 Francophone Catholic Community of Singapore (French-speaking Catholics), Sabine et Jean-Baptiste Juery 68870564 jbsabine@singnet.com.sg

rowlandyeo@hotmail. com

German-speaking Catholics, 6468-1534 Fax: 6468-2402

Canossian School For The HearingImpaired, 6749-8971 Fax: 6749-8976

Hong Kong Catholics, 6737-9285 Fax: 6737-8502

Ang Mo Kio Home, Sr Jo Tham 6459-4801

Indonesian-speaking Catholics, Josephine Handojo 6235-2820

K IN D E R G A R T E N Catholic Kindergarten, Ms Edna Ng Poh Tiang 6283-3821 Fax. 6284-7783

Japanese Catholics, Kiyoko Jam es 65 52-4060 james@pacific.net.sg

cathkg@singnet.com.sg

Korean Catholics, Esther You 6242-5607

Nativity Church Centre, 6285-6198, Fax: 6285-9556 nativity@pacific.net.sg

Commission for Migrants & Itinerant People 6280-5424 migrants@singnet.com.sg

Magdalene's Kindergarten, Mary Goh Boon How 6747-6554

Jesuit Refugee Service, jrs@jesrefsg.org Fr Colin Tan 6463-6022 cxtsj@singnet.com.sg

Canossian Convent Kindergarten, Sr Jane C hong 6469-2201 Fax: 6466-1307

China Catholic Communication, Patrick Lee Kim Hwee 9060-5080 mail@zl.per.sg

cankdg@singnet.com.sg Maris Stella, S r M arjorie Alm odiel, FMM 6474-3590 Marymount Kindergarten, Petrina Siow 6251-5049 Fax: 6252-67904 St Francis Xavier Play Centre, Mrs Emily Goh Tel: 6280-8929 YOUTH Bakhita Search-lnn, Christina/Sr Veronica (6367-6264 / 6467^1290)

yscchris@yahoo. com/canosis@pacific. net.sg Boys' Town Fraternity,

gaudette@boystown.org.sg Br Dominic Kiong 6769-1618 Fax: 6762-7846 Catholic Overseas Students Down Under Adrian (9836-5217) or Dennis (6274-2979) or cosdu@yahoo.com.au Choice, 9307-7752/9671-0767

choice@cheerful. com

S P IR IT U A L IT Y Cenacle, 6565-2895 Fax: 6565-3875

cenacle@mbox4.singnet.com.sg Centre For Ignatian Spirituality and Counselling, Br Gerard Choo, SJ 6467-6072 Franciscan Retreat Centre, 6567-9771 Fax: 6567-9786 FM M House of Prayer and Formation, Sr Mary Chua 6474-2526 Infant Jesus Retreat and Youth Centre, S r G erard Lee 6760-2461 Fax: 6769-9369 Life Direction Team, S r Theresa Koh, FMM 6474-2422 Fax: 6472-5895 S r Florence W ong, FMDM 6753-9602/ 9264-6733 LifeSprings Canossian Spirituality Centre, Sr Lily ta n 6466-2178 Fax: 6466-1307 lifspmg@singnet.com.sg

Harvesters Ann 6481-5912 or email: info@ harvesterscom m unity.org W ebsite: w w w .harvesterscom m unity.org

St Francis Xavier Minor Seminary (S FX Retreat Centre), 6288-7901 Fax. 6858-2716 sfxrc@singnet.com.sg W ebsite: http//www.catholic.org.sg/SFX

Hosanna! Music Ministry www.hmmonline.org http://www.hmmonline.orgTammy 9747-8570.

The Sojourners’ Companions, 9268-6723

Catholic Students’ Society - University of Singapore, Mr Irving Teo 6296-0897

irvingteo@catholic. org Nanyang Technological University Catholic Students’ Apostolate, NTU Branch: Mr Budi Susanto 9478-7827.

National Institute of Education Catholic Students’ Apostolate (NIECSA), NIE Branch: Ang Mei Ling 96663234 Infant Jesus Retreat and Youth Centre, Sr Gerard Lee 6760-2461/92947521 Fax: 7699369 srtlee@yahoo.com Poverello Teen Centre, Sr Maria Sylvia Ng, FMM 6544-2603 jub2000@singnet.com.sg Praise@Work Juliana 9799-9184 or email

welcome@praiseatwork. org St Patrick House, (Boarding) Br Collin Wee, FSC 6345-5929 Fax. 6345-4635

sojoumers_companions@yahoo. com P R O F E S S IO N A L Catholic Nurses Guild of Singapore, Miss Janet Chari Poh Goon 6442-8546 Catholic Teachers' Movement, Mrs Gail S iow (R) 6454-4094 The Catholic Medical Guild of Singapore, Dr John Hui Keem Peng

johnhui@cyberway.com.sg S P E C IA L S E R V IC E S Catholic AIDS Response Effort (CARE), P eter Lau 6353-4976, 9 745-8991 Good Shepherd Centre, 6755-6496 Fax: 6752-0670 R. C. Prison Ministry, Sr Gerard Fernandez, RGS 6250-9151 Fax: 6250-1804

Youth Praise MinistryHelen Lee (9029-0118) email ypmsingapore@yahoo.com.

Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association Catholic Aftercare (Counselling) Service Committee SANA Co-ordinator: Tan Lee Hoon 6732-1122 Fax: 6732-4564

Young Christian Students’ Movement (Mandarin-speaking), Mr Stephen Chia 6286-4166 9502^ 5 4 9

Apostleship of the S ea (Catholic Seamen's Mission), Fr Rom eo Yu Chang, CICM 6271-8464/9783-5191 F a x:6271-1175

C h u rc h H a ll, C h u rc h o f th e B le s s e d S a c r a m e n t on A u g 2 9 a t 7 .3 0 p .m .

Young Christian Workers (Mandarinspeaking), Maria Ng Kim Luang 6763-0137

portchap@singnet.com.sg W ebsite: www.stellamaris.net

RESURRECTION SCRIPTURES

S O C IA L S E R V IC E

S t M ic h a e l’s C h u rc h o n A u g u s t 3 0 a t 7 .3 0 p .m .

Catholic W elfare Services, Michael Chua 6337-6165 / 6337-7954 Fax: 6336-1513

PARABLES C h a p e l, S t A n th o n y ’s C o n v e n t on A u g u s t 2 8 a t 7 .3 0 p .m .

GOSPEL OF ST MATTHEW

Youth Life-Line, 6252-6300 Fax: 6285-5311

Gift of Love Home, S r M A ndrianne, MC 6251-6004 'Rose Villa', 6253-6556

14

A U G UST 18 - A ugust 25, 2002

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DAVID TAY HOON LIM Departed: Aug 23,1987

In loving m em ory o f I Rest in peace, dear loving Daddy, Fifteen years have passed away; You are gone, but still are living In the hearts o f those w ho stay.

Sadly missed by wife, children, in-laws, grandchildren and loved ones.

M asses will be celebrated at Church o f C hrist the King, Ang M o Kio on Friday, A ugust 23, at 6.15 pm and Sunday A ugust 25 at 9.45 am.

Tenth Anniversary In loving memory of

E leventh Anniversary

Ninth Anniversary In loving m em ory of

Twelfth A nniversary In loving m em ory of

T hanksgiving prayer to St Jude T hank you St Jude for interceding and praying for me. God has granted all my petitions. W.L.

CA R O LIN E PAUL Departed: Aug 20, 1998 Take her in Thy arms, dear Lord, A nd ever let her be A m essenger o f love Between our hearts and Thee.

Rest in peace.

A lw ays rem em bered by loved ones.

A U GUSTA BHEEM (AUNTY GIRLIE) Departed: Aug 19, 1991 W e rem em ber fondly today and everyday O ur special grand-aunt who loved us all.

Love always, Jarod, Jason, A udrey, A licia, A idan, Travis, Erin, Denise, Carl, N icole, Justin and Lauren.

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NORM AN KLASSEN Departed: Aug 29,1993 His sm iling face and pleasant way, Are a pleasure to recall, He had a kind word for each, And died beloved by all.

Alw ays rem em bered by his family and loved ones.

Ninth Anniversary In loving m em ory of

M O SES GOH K H EN G JO O Departed: Aug 18,1990 God took you home, it was His will But in our hearts we love and m iss you Y our m em ory is still dear today As we often sit and think o f you.

A lw ays rem em bered by all loved ones.

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ESTHER HO GOON MUI Departed: Aug 26, 1992 Deeply missed and lovingly remembered by loved ones.

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In our hom e she is fondly rem em bered, Sweet m em ories cling to her name; Those who loved her in life sincerely, Still love her in death just the same.

MDM CECILIA CHONG AH CHEAK Departed: Aug 28,1993 ERIC ANTH ONY PEREIRA Departed: Aug 23,1973 The years may wipe out many things.

But this they’ll *wipe out never, T he m em ory o f those happy days which we had spent together.

Sadly missed, alw ays rem em bered by loving wife, children, daughtersin-law, sons-in-law, grandchildren and loved ones.

A lw ays rem em bered by mum, brother and sisters, sister-in-law and niece.

O ur thoughts are alw ays w ith you, O ur hearts are sore w ith pain; T his w orld w ould be like heaven If you w ere here again.

M ass w ill be celebrated at C hurch o f St Ignatius, K ings R d at 6 pm.

PETER JAMES LOH Departed: Aug 23,1988 R est in peace, dear loving husband, Fourteen long years have passed away; Y ou’re gone, but are still living In the hearts o f those w ho stay.

D eeply m issed by C atherine Goh and family.

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L O U R DES XAVIER KOLA N D AISA M Y Departed: Aug 25, 1990 T. R A TN A M A R Y Departed: Aug 28,1973 She suffered patiently and long, Her hope w as bright, her faith was strong; The peace of Jesus filled her breast, And in his arms she sank to rest.

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In our hearts your m em ory lingers, Sw eetly tender, fond and true, There is not a day, dear m other, That we do not think o f you.

Alw ays remembered by daughter Theresa and loved ones.

M ARIA PA N G PETER CHIA KIM N EO LIANG GIN wife of late Mr Departed: Jun 19, 1976 Peter Chia Liang Gin Departed: Aug 24,1975

A lw ays loved and rem em bered by children/spouses M ary & H ock Lye, M ichael & A nnie, W illie & D olores and F rancis & A nne, 12 g ran d ­ children and 6 great grandchildren. ^

C A R O LIN E PAUL Departed: Aug 20, 1998

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CHAN FLORENCE Departed: Aug 31, 1993 In our hom e she is fondly rem em bered, Sw eet m em ories cling to her name; Those who loved her | in life sincerely, Still love her in death just the same.

Sadly m issed by children and grand-children.

The depths o f sorrow we cannot tell, O f the loss o f one we love so well.

God took her home, it was His will, But in our hearts we love her still; Her m em ory is as dear today, As in the hour she passed away.

Dearly m issed and alw ays loved and rem em bered by husband Peter, children, daughtersin-law, son-in-law and grandchildren.

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M RS DOROTHY PETRONELLA DE SOUZA Bom: Sept 6, 1918 Departed: Aug 29,1989

PAUL TAN SU N N SUNN Departed: Aug 24, 1992 His life w as earnest, his actions kind, A generous hand and an active mind, A nxious to please, loath to offend, A loving brother and faithful friend.

A lw ays rem em bered by mum , daughter, brothers, sisters,in­ laws and loved ones.

T hank you dearest Heavenly Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, M other M ary for helping my son obtain good passes for m ost o f the subjects in his m id-term exams.

Please continue to help and discern him in his studies. Thank you, Holy Spirit, you m ake m e see everything and show me the w ay to reach my ideal. You who give me the divine gift to forgive and forget the w rong that is done to me and who are in all instances o f my life with me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank you for everything and confirm once more that I never w ant to be separated from you no m atter how great the material desires may be, I want to be with you and my loved ones in your perpetual glory Am en. Anne G rateful thanks to Jesus, M other Mary and Holy St Jude for prayers answered.

Please continue to bless and protect my family and me.

Patricia Lim Thank you St Jude for answ ering my prayer.

Please continue to bless me and my family. A.S. Thank you dearest Jesus, M ary, St Joseph, St A nthony and St Jude for answ ering my prayers. Please continue to bless my fam ily and me. FNG Special thanks to Holy Saint Jude for answ ering our prayers and helping Jerem y recover from pneum onia. Please continue to help us alw ays. A nthony and Agnes.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS DAISY C H A N C H Y E NEO Returned to the Lord: Aug 18, 1997 Her helping hand was alw ays first T o render any aid she could; Her voice was always raised in praise, H er words w ere wise and good.

D ear D aisy, since you w ent away, The ones you loved so true, Try hard to carry on the way W e know y ou’d want us to.

Lovingly rem em bered by husband Rodney Mark, children, grandchildren and loved ones.

M asses w ill be celebrated on Sunday, August 18, 2002 at Blessed Sacram ent C hurch at 9 am and at St T eresa Church at 6 pm

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15

THE CATHO LIC NEW S

AUG U ST 1 8 - A u g u s t 25, 2002

_ YOUNG CATHOLICS U p d a te w ith N O T long ago I prom ised to give you an update of the proposed pro gram m e for post-confirm ation teenagers.

W ell, w e still h ave a long w ay to go with the program m e but here is w hat I can tell you so far.

On July 9, I proposed two pro­ gram m es - nam ely the Alpha and Focolare - to the com m ittee com ­ prising Archbishop Nicholas Chia, Monsignor Eugene V az, district youth chaplains and som e Religious work­ ing with youth in the diocese.

T h e archbishop suggested a fact-finding session in every district to experience the Alpha and later the Focolare program m es. It w as supposed to serve as a jum p start to g ather youth leaders or their representatives w ho will later be asked to plan activities with their district chaplains.

For starters, the district youth leaders would be called together for consultation to m ake their for­ m a tio n m o re m e a n in g fu l a n d relevant. This would be followed by a presentation of the Alpha and Focolare program m es. T h e y will then be asked about the feasibility of adapting these program m es.

T h e District Youth C haplains will

contact the priests in charge of the youths in each parish to the youths their needs and suggestions for the developm ent of their youth groups.

As Mgr V a z stated, w e need a methodology in the formation of our youths. H e said that there is a need to call our youths together to listen to them and help them have a religious experience that links faith and life.

D u rin g th e m e e tin g , it w a s

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Youths at a recent gathering at the FMM House in Holland Road The archdiocese is preparing a post-confirmation programme for young people.

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agreed that there w as a need for a gathering or a consultation with youths to decipher w hat they are saying to us.

T h e district youth chaplains are to m eet the youth leaders of the various parishes: ■ To address the issues re­ garding their needs, life problems and plans; ■ To propose possible pro­

gram m es for youth formation ■ To plan a gathering of youth representatives to m eet the arch­ bishop - the date, time and venue are to be fixed later.

It looks like the focus of the archdiocese is really now on the needs of youths so my advice to all youths is to speak your mind.

If you really w ant to be heard and w ant your needs to be met,

then speak up. I hope and pray that together w e can w ork tow ards a better youth ministry in the archdio­ cese of Singapore. But, as you know, this can only be done with you playing your part in sharing your needs and ideas with us. So let’s g et cracking...

Fr Michael Sitaram is youth chaplain of the Singapore Archdiocese. To con­ tact him email: cathyctr @pacific.net.sg.

Asian Youths and WYD CANADA, Toronto, (UCAN) - Young Pakistani and Sri Lankan Catholics at the World Youth Day celebration in Canada said the experience strengthened their faith and inspired them to get more involved in their local Church.

T e n youths re p re s e n te d th e C hurch of Pakistan , w hich m a k e s up only 1 .5 p ercent of the 1 4 0 million population. All said th eir faith had b e c o m e “m uch stron g er” a s a result of m eeting o th er C atho lics from d ifferent cultures and countries w orldw id e, s eein g the dep th o f th eir faith and sharing with them .

T h e y d re w p articu lar inspiration from seeing and listening to P o p e John Paul II. O n e re m arked that seein g the P o p e w a s "a g re a t blessing for u s.” A n o th e r called him “a sym bol o f C h ristian ity.”

A n o th e r said: “If the pop e is still actively w orking, w h y should w e not also b e doing this?”

T h e P akistan i d e le g a te s said th e y had “a m arvello us e x p e rie n c e ” fa r beyond w h a t they had im ag ined .

T h irteen young C atho lics and th re e priests c a m e from Sri L an k a . O n e youth said the e v e n t helped in the spiritual d e v e lo p m e n t o f th e young peo ple and inspired them to assist and g et involved in th eir local C hurch.

A fte r s e e in g the pope up close, he said, “I felt that I had s e e n th e re p re s e n ta tiv e o f G o d . H e is a v e ry im portant le a d e r o f the C hurch and a very holy m a n .”

In the eve n in g , all A sian participants g ath ere d for a p ra y e r service that included Scripture reading and religious song and d an c e a n d testim onies.

M a n y o f th e m e x p re ss e d view s sim ilar to those ex p re ss e d by the young p eo p le from Sri Lan ka and Pakistan

Lunch with the Holy Father B y Gerard O'Connel

CANADA, Toronto, (U C A N ) — Two Asians who had lunch with Pope John Paul II during WYD celebrations in Canada said they were left in awe of the spontaneous and “lively’ pope.

Shirley T so Suet-lin, a secondary school teacher from Hong Kong, and S an g e e th a Joseph, a social w orker from India, w ere am ong the 14 w ho had this unique opportunity of lunching with the Holy Father.

D ressed in traditional finery, e a c h youth w a s p resented to the pop e and kissed his ring.

W h e n T so told the pope she w a s from C h ina, he w a s visibly h ap py and care s s e d h er face.

During lunch, the H oly F a th e r q uestioned his young guests ab o u t the W o rld Yo uth D a y celeb ration , their lives and th eir h om e places.

T so told him that all 8 0 C hinese pilgrims from Hong Kong had requested her to tell the pope, “Holy Father, w e all love you.” “T h e y all love m e?”, the pope responded with surprise. “Y es, they love you,” she confirmed. “Incredible!”, the Pope replied.

S a n g e e th a , from the southern Indian state of Kerala, spoke with the pope for about five minutes.

“H e w a s so loving,” she said. “It w a s like a loving fath er sitting with his little daughter. W h e n he told

jokes, it w a s so beautiful. H e w a s so lively.”

A fte r lunch , the P o p e sug gested som e im prom ptu ente rta in m e n t. It w a s o n e person's birthday, so th e o thers sang “H a p p y Birthday” and the p op e join ed in. S a n g e e th a recounted th a t she sang a song in English and the pop e “liked it.”

T h e w h o le e x p e rie n c e w a s “so pow erful, I w a s so e x c ite d ,” she said.

T h e re w a s m uch la u g h te r during lunch, particularly w h e n D aniel Kuntai from K enya, Africa, stood for a M a s a i tribal d a n c e . H e had to m ove out of the room as the ceiling w a s too low for his jum ps, m uch to the p o p e ’s a m u s e m e n t.

B efore bidding him fare w e ll, e a c h o f the young p eo p le g av e the pope a gift. T so g a v e him a flag o f C h in a , w ith the sign atu res o f the 8 0 pilgrim s on it. S h e said to him, “W e hop e o n e d a y that W Y D can ta k e p lace in M ain la n d C h in a !” A W Y D pin w a s atta c h e d to the flag, with the fou r w ords “salt o f the e a rth ” and “light of th e w orld ” w ritten in C h in e s e . S h e e x p la in e d this to th e pope, w ho w a s very h ap py to re ceive the flag and pin.

T s o re m arked th a t th e p op e w a s “like a g ra n d fa th e r - kind, friendly h um orous and very en e rg e tic. I re s p e ct him v e ry m u ch ” T h e P o p e g a v e e a c h young g uest a rosary.

AUG U ST 18 - August 25, 2002

THE CATHO LIC NEW S

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Artist Brother

Ecumenical Meeting SW EDEN, Stjarnholm Representatives of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) held their third plenary meeting in Stjarnholm, Sweden

Very well-known in Singapore, educationist and artist, de La Salle Brother Joseph McNally stands dewarfed by his sculpture in the Singapore Embassy in Wasington D.C. The missionary and artist culls his inspiration from the Christian mysteries, his subjects from universal symbolism and his materials from swamps and bogs.

(CNS photo b y M artin Lueders)

Its co -m o d era to rs w e re Archbishop M ario Conti (R o m a n Catholic Archbishop o f G lasgo w , S co tlan d) and Bishop Jonas Jonson (Lu th eran Bishop of S tra n g n a s , S w e d e n ).

K now n a s th e Join t W o rking G ro up (J W G ) it started m eeting since the 1 9 9 8 G e n e ra l A ssem b ly of the W orld Council o f C h urch es.

T h e w orking sessio ns w e re fram ed b y p ra y e r w h ic h in c lu d e d b ib lic a l reflections on living in an interim period.

T h e re p re s e n ta tiv e s o f th e W C C a n d th e C ath o lic C hurch m e t s e p a rate ly for h alf a d a y a t the beginning o f the m eetin g for specific orientation.

T h e jo in t p le n a ry th e n s h a re d significant m o m e n ts w hich affected the lives o f the C h u rch e s since the last m e e tin g , particu larly, th e e v e n ts o f S e p te m b e r 11, 2 0 0 1 a n d the intensified conflict in the M idd le East.

In h is u p d a te , W C C g e n e ra l s e c r e ta r y R e v D r K o n ra d R a is e r, highlighted the w ork o f th e S p ecial C o m m is s io n on R e la tio n s w ith th e O rth od ox C h urch es.

O n e o f th e studies u n d er w a y is the e c c le s io lo g ic a l c o n s e q u e n c e s o f baptism . An u p d ate o f th e study w a s p resented to the p le n a ry and O rd e r C o m m issio n on Baptism .

A t last y e a râ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s m eeting it w a s a g re e d th a t furth er w ork w a s n e e d e d on the e c u m e n ic a l role o f inter-church fam ilies

Sr Threresa Seow with Lutheran Bishop Jonas Jonson, a coordinator of the joint meeting of Catholic and other Christian Churches. and the ecclesiological im plications of m a rria g e b e tw e e n p artn ers o f d ifferent church traditions.

T o help focus on this issue, pap ers from th e p erspective o f th e R o m an Catholic, O rthodox and Uniting C hurches in A u s t r a lia w e r e p r e s e n t e d a n d d iscussed in p len ary and sm all groups.

It w a s re c o m m e n d ed th a t the study of the Ecclesiological C o n s e q u e n c e s of B aptism include s o m e reflection on the issue o f interchurch m a rria g es , w hich is affe c tin g th e lives o f an increasin g n u m b e r o f Christians.

A proposal for a study on Theological

Anthropology, w hich w ould reflect on th e h um an person as c reated in the im a g e a n d lik e n e s s o f G o d , w a s p resented and through plenary and small group discussions th e ap p ro ach th a t it w ould ta k e w a s refined.

Also u n d e rw a y is a study on National and R egio nal C ouncils o f C h u rch e s and E cu m en ical Instrum ents with particular focus on R o m a n C atho lic participation.

A m eeting w ith re p re s e n ta tiv e s of the Christian Council o f S w e d e n e nab led the m e m b e rs to learn som ething o f the stories of th e four m ajo r C hurch fam ilies th e re - L utheran , C atho lic, O rthodox and F re e C h urch - a s w ell a s to as learn o f th e fu n c tio n in g a n d p ro g ra m m e e m p h a s e s o f this C ouncil.

T h e subgroup studying T h e N a tu re and P u rp o s e o f E cu m en ical D ialog ue received som e direction for th e w ork o f its first m eeting w hich will tak e p lace in G e n e v a in S e p te m b e r.

S m all groups also reflected on the D e c a d e to O v e rc o m e V io le n c e , the B russels D ec la ra tio n , T h e P eace of G od in the W o rld from an inter-religious g ath ering called by His All Holiness B arth olo m ew , the E cu m en ical Patriarch an d th e P re s id e n t o f th e E u ro p e a n C o m m issio n in B russels on D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 1 a n d T h e C o m m o n C o m m itm e n t to P e a c e p roclaim ed a t Assisi by the P o p e on J a n u a ry 2 4 .

The m e m b e rs had s e v e ra l opportunities to e n c o u n te r the tradition, h is to ry a n d e c u m e n ic a l life o f th e C h u rch e s in S w e d e n .

T h e next plenary m eeting is expected to b e held from M a y 5 -1 2 next year.

Crowning of Our Lady's Picture Solemn Con-celebrated Outdoor M ass Consecration of Families

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