MAY 05, 2013, Vol 63, No 09

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Pope offers prayers for Boston Marathon victims

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INSIDE HOME Montfort schools engage in S’pore Conversation Exhibition unveiled at celebration

BOSTON, USA – Pope Francis

responded to the bombings in Boston by invoking peace for the souls of the departed, consolation for the suffering and strength for emergency and medical personnel. In a message sent to Cardinal Sean P O’Malley of Boston, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said Pope Francis was “deeply grieved by the loss of life and grave injuries caused by the act of violence per

Boston Marathon on April 15. The explosions left three people dead, including an eightyear-old boy, and more than 170 wounded. Cardinal Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, sent the message on behalf of the pope. The text was released by the Vatican on April 16. “In the aftermath of this senseless tragedy, His Holiness invokes God’s peace upon the dead, His consolation upon the suffering and His strength upon all those engaged in the continuing work of relief and response,� the message said. “At this time of mourning, the Holy Father prays that all Bostonians will be united in a resolve not to be overcome by evil, but to combat evil with good, working together to build an ever more just, free and secure society for generations yet to come,� the message said. Within hours of two explosions

the marathon, Cardinal O’Malley sent a message of prayer and support for those injured, their loved ones and those who experienced the trauma of the tragedy. “The Archdiocese of Boston joins all people of goodwill in expressing deep sorrow following the senseless acts of violence perpetrated at the

VOL 63

Local residents attend a candlelight vigil in the Dorchester section of Boston on April 16, where eight-year-old bombs blast victim Martin Richard lived. CNS photo

„ Page 11

ASIA Upcoming Philippine elections Church warned against endorsing politicians „ Page 13

WORLD Archbishop Romero’s sainthood cause to proceed Shot as he celebrated Mass „ Page 14

Alleged miracle attributed to John Paul II Boston Marathon today,� he said. New York Cardinal Timothy M Dolan of New York, as president of the US bishops’ conference, urged all “to pray for the souls of those killed, the healing of those injured and the restoration of peace for all of us unsettled by the bombings at a world renowned sporting event�. “The growing culture of violence in our world and even in our country calls for both wise secu -

cials and an examination by all of us to see what we can personally do to enhance peace and respect for one another in our world,� he said. Hundreds of people converged on Garvey Park in the Boston neighbourhood of Dorchester for an evening candlelight vigil on April 16 to remember eight-yearold Martin Richard, who died, and to pray for the Richard family. Martin’s mother, Denise, suf-

‘At this time of mourning, the Holy

Father prays that all Bostonians will be united in a resolve not to be overcome by evil, but to combat evil with good.’

– Vatican message

fered a brain injury and his sixyear-old sister, Jane, lost a leg in the blast. The two others killed included Krystle Campbell, 29, from Medford and Ms Lu Lingzi, 23, a graduate student at Boston University from China. Martin’s father, Mr Bill Richard, released a statement before the vigil thanking family, friends and people they don’t even know “for their thoughts and prayers�. “I ask that you continue to pray for my family as we remember Martin. We also ask for your patience and for privacy as we work to simultaneously grieve and recover,� the statement said. Fr John J Connolly, pastor of neighbouring St Brendan Parish who lives at St Ann, led the prayer vigil, while Fr Sean M Connor, pastor of St Ann, stayed with the Richard family. „ CNS

Woman reportedly healed „ Page 17

POPE FRANCIS Church has not acted enough on Vatican II „ Page 20

ASCENSION MASS TIMES „ Page 21

JUBILARIANS Honouring priests and Religious celebrating their anniversaries „ Pages 22-23

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Reaching out to orphans in Indonesia By Martin See The Indonesian Catholic community in Singapore staged an Easter charity concert to raise funds for an orphanage in Kupang, West Timor. The Vox Cordis Chorus, comprising four choirs that sing at Indonesian Masses across Singapore, raised about $8,000 through ticket sales and love offerings. The April 13 event, which took place at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, at-

tracted a crowd of 650 despite stormy weather that evening. The 40-strong choir performed songs from Once Upon A Tree, a cantata by American Christian musician Pepper Choplin. The concert in English recounted the Gospel story of Christ’s sufferings and resurrection, and included Handel’s rousing Hallelujah Chorus. Two pianists accompanied the singers, including four soloists, and a narrator who retold the story of Christ’s Passion.

ARCHBISHOP NICHOLAS CHIA’S DIARY May 1 4.00pm Church of the Holy Spirit: Mass – Ordination of Deacon Alphonsus Dominic May 2-8 Lourdes May 11 11.00am Carmelite Monastery: Mass – 75th Years of Foundation ! " #

6.00pm Church of St Francis of Assisi: Mass – Jubilee Anniversaries of the Canossian Sisters " $% & ' ( ! " #

The Indonesian Catholic community’s Vox Cordis Chorus performing at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour to raise funds for an orphanage.

The two-hour concert drew rousing applause from the audience. “I’m very impressed by the quality of the performance and despite the bad weather there was a full turn-out,� Ms Henny Sutonjo told CatholicNews. “It is great that the choir is doing this to help the orphans in West Timor.� * + / ciary of the charity concert, houses 70 children with most of them below the age of 10. The orphan-

age aims to provide as much education to them as possible in the hope that the children will be able to graduate from university. The Indonesian Catholic community in Singapore or Keluarga

It is great that the ‘choir is doing this to help the orphans in West Timor.

’

– A member of the audience

Katolik Indonesia Di Singapura (KKIS) started in February 1985. In 1994, the group moved its base from the Church of the Holy Family to the Church of St Bernadette. Later, the community started more ministries such as choirs, Legion of Mary and sports groups to cater to the increase in Indonesian Catholics living in Singapore. The KKIS website is http:// www.kkis.org/kkis „ martin.see@catholic.org.sg

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Harmony Games help build bonds Young Catholics who took part in this year’s Harmony Games said it was a great way to make friends with people of other faiths. “Being on the same team with people of other religions was like being with a group of old friends as we all just came together to compete and have fun,” said 16-year-old Deanne Christabel from the Church of Divine Mercy. “The team I was in bonded quickly and it didn’t matter that we were from different religions as we knew that we were not that different,” she said. Christabel was part of a team of nine men and eight women, aged 16-29, from Divine Mercy parish who took part in the soccer and netball competitions held as part of the Harmony Games. The annual games encourage interaction between different racial and religious communities through sports and is organised by a different religious group each year. This year, the Sikh community

hosted the games at the Singapore Khalsa Association at Tessensohn Road on April 20. Apart from the Catholic team, the 300 participants included members of the Buddhist, Muslim and Protestant communities. Before the games began in the morning, participants were treated to a Bhangra dance performance. Participants were then placed in different teams together with people of other religions. During game intervals, participants huddled in circles to share their lives and faiths.

Being on the same ‘team with people of other religions was like being with a group of old friends.

’

– Deanne Christabel, 16, Church of Divine Mercy

Left: Members of the Divine Mercy Church team pose for a photo at the Harmony Games organised by the Sikh community. The annual games aim to encourage interaction among Singapore’s different communities. Below: Girls of different religions chat during game intervals.

According to Ms Gloria Samantha Koh from Divine Mercy Church, the youngest participant appeared to be an eight-year-old girl who participated in soccer while the oldest participant was probably in his late 50s. During lunch, guest of honour Lawrence Wong, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, met with participants and spoke with them. The Catholic team members said they felt the games were a great success. “The event encouraged harmony between the different religious groups and, through the games we played, harmony was displayed,” said 16-year-old Megan Tan.

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Religious superiors focus

By Darren Boon Seeing girls earning a living as sex workers in Geylang brought sadness to Vietnamese Sr Tin Nguyen. The girls, who were of a foreign nationality, looked “very youngâ€? and they looked ashamed, the Sister of Providence of Portieux nun told CatholicNews. She managed to speak briefly with some of them and even prayed with them as some of the girls were Catholic. “I felt sad when I saw the ‌ girls standing there,â€? said the nun, who works with young people in Vietnam and organises life skills training. Sr Tin Nguyen was among over 30 Religious superiors from Southeast Asia who visited the Geylang red-light district on April 16 evening as part of the 15th South East Asia Major Superiors (SEAMS) Congress. The congress, held at the Church of St Ignatius, lasted from April 15-19. Its theme was Human = > ? During the visit to Geylang, @ to the sex workers and handed them cakes. However, they did not ascertain if the girls had been Walking through the lanes of Geylang was like “walking into an unreal worldâ€?, said Malaysian Sr Agatha Ling, adding that the place was a far cry

from what one usually associates with modern and developed Singapore. Sr Ling, from the Sisters of St Francis of Sarawak, described the sex workers as being stripped of human dignity, begging for customers and “letting people come and choose you�. Basically, it is a “marketplace�, agreed Jesuit scholastic Matthew Tan, who has visited the area on previous outreach programmes. The congress saw speakers

Walking through the lanes of Geylang was like ‘walking into an unreal world’, said one participant. discussing various aspects of the / ticipants analysing the problem in Southeast Asia from the sociological, legal, political and theological perspectives. In a press release, congress chairman Jesuit Fr Colin Tan said the decision to focus on human Q “was unanimous as it has become X Q social mission�. Z' sue that the Church takes very

Small group discussion during the 15th South East Asia Major Superiors (SEAMS) Congress held at the Church of St Ignatius.

seriously,� said Fr Tan, who is Regional Superior of the Jesuit Region of Malaysia-Singapore. He noted that Pope Francis, in his Easter message, said that Z extensive form of slavery in this 21st century�. In its concluding statement, the congress said that “participants emerged with a strong conviction that we cannot continue

our present piecemeal way. There is an urgent need for greater networking and collaboration�. = Q cludes enhancing collaboration among congregations, conferences and lay associations in Southeast Asia through the setting up of a common database; engaging NGOs, other religions and governments; and exploring the fea-

sibility of setting up shelters for Archbishop Nicholas Chia Q Mass on April 15 together with Coadjutor Archbishop William Goh and Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli. The next congress is expected to be held in Thailand in 2016. „ darren.boon@catholic.org.sg

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Filipino priest Mandarin Assigned to serve Mandarin-speaking community at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour By Darren Boon Fr Charlie Oasan is a Filipino priest. However, he serves the Mandarinspeaking community of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour parish as he @ The 45-year-old arrived in Singapore in mid-February from Taiwan and is currently assistant priest at the Siglap church. Fr Oasan, who is also in charge of the parish’s Neighbourhood Christian Communities, told CatholicNews he feels the Church in Singapore is “vibrant� and “alive�, with congregations hungering for the word of God. The Scheut Missions priest noted how local Catholics are sincere in serving the Church and keen on overseas mission trips. A missionary is always open to the people, he said. So wherever the missionary is sent, he or she learns from the culture, he added. Fr Oasan should know. His priestly formation and ministry have taken him to Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan. In addition to understanding Mandarin – he spent two years in Beijing learning the language – he also understands Cantonese as he was in Hong Kong for three years as part of his priestly formation. He was ordained in the former British colony in 1997 and the

" X Cantonese, he said. After his studies in Beijing, he worked in Taiwan for his congregation’s mission to China. From Taiwan, he oversaw a human development programme for the mainland, and would travel at least twice a year to Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and Gansu where missionaries used to operate before they were expelled. His work brought him to remote areas and to severely impoverished people, Fr Oasan said. He would visit the villages and speak with the

Newly-arrived Scheut Missions priest Fr Charlie Oasan studied Mandarin in Beijing and has worked in remote areas in China.

The Church in Singapore is ‘vibrant’ and ‘alive’, with congregations hungering for the word of God, says Fr Oasan. locals to learn about their needs. Health clinics were set up under the development programme and local Sisters sent to study nursing and to staff the clinics. This was necessary as there were no hospitals and children’s mortality was high, said Fr Oasan. In addition, wells and reservoirs to provide water were constructed and kindergartens / ( Taiwan, Fr Oasan would canvass for funds for the projects. He was later appointed parish priest of a church in Taipei and also spiritual director of El-

Shaddai, one of the biggest Filipino Charismatic groups in the city. Although there were 1,800 registered parishioners, only about 400 attend Mass on a regular basis, he said. Nevertheless, he enjoyed visiting families and the sick and elderly during his sixyear tenure as parish priest. Fr Oasan shared that he grew up in a family in which members were active in church ministries. He was also inspired by his parish priest’s “missionary zeal� – the Scheut Missions priest had built four churches. Another priest who delivered moving sermons also inspired him to join the priesthood. Fr Oasan joined the Scheut Missions after high school. The congregation’s charism “is missionary�, he said, to go “to another country to proclaim the Gospel especially to the poor�. Fr Oasan said he now looks forward to contributing to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour parish and

Z „ darren.boon@catholic.org.sg

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Society marks founder’s 200th birth anniversary Above: Archbishop Chia was the main celebrant at the Mass to mark the 200th birthday of Blessed Frederic Ozanam, founder of the Society

While you help the poor with money and rations, make sure you have Christ’s presence in you. You should also be thankful to the poor for giving you an opportunity to encounter Christ. This was the message Archbishop Nicholas Chia had for members of the Society of Vincent de Paul as he celebrated Mass in honour of the 200th birth anniversary of Blessed Frederic Ozanam, the society’s founder. The Mass was also for the “Friends in Need� (FINs), the poor that the Vincentians

serve in Singapore. The celebration was held at the Church of St Vincent De Paul and attended by close to 400 Vincentians, FINs and some residents from the Gift of Love Home and St Vincent Home. Said Mr Paul Foo, president of the Singapore National Council of the Society of St Vincent de Paul: “It is a great occasion for all to come together as one people to celebrate the gift of Blessed Frederic Ozanam, one of the greatest lay Christians, and the many Vincentians who have been faithful

to the call to serve God’s poor through the 180 years of the society’s history.� A short video showing the work done by Vincentians in Singapore and the views of some of the FINs was screened towards the end of the Mass. „

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Sunday May 5, 2013 „ CatholicNews

Training held for school chaplaincy teams Catholics who attended a programme for School Chaplaincy Teams (SCTs) conducted by an Australian Catholic school consultant said they gained much from it. “I have found that my role in the SCT is to complement the already good Religious Education team and catechism committee� in school, said Ms Lesley Goonting, a chaplain from the Convent of Our Lady of Good Counsel. Ms Bernadette Vidya, a Catholic school Religious Education Co-ordinator, said she found the sessions “thought-provoking�. The Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools (ACCS) organised Basic and Advanced SCT training for 29 SCT members from April 8-11. The programme, conducted by Dr Michael Downey, was held at the Catholic Archdiocesan Education Centre. The aim of SCTs is to support leaders of Catholic schools in providing quality Catholic education for all students, especially in the areas of religious education, pastoral care and sacramental life. SCTs are usually made up of both laypeople and Religious. In his sessions, Dr Downey stressed the importance of the lay vocation as well as the chaplain’s

Participants engage in a group discussion (above) during a training session conducted by Dr Michael Downey (left).

inward journey of the heart leading to community and service. In the basic training sessions, he examined the aspirations of the

individual and also drew analogies and ideas from well-known Catholic personalities such as Karl Rahner, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton and Pope Francis. In the advanced sessions, Dr Downey guided participants in \ @ ACCS started its chaplaincy training programme in 2009. Dr Downey also conducted an SCT training programme at the CAEC last year. „

Assumption Pathway School launches its training restaurant Assumption Pathway School (APS), run by the Gabrielite Brothers, launched its newly refurbished training restaurant on April 10. At a ceremony in the Assumption Restaurant for Training (ART), guest of honour Tan Chuan Lye, president and CEO of SATS, who has been an industry partner with APS since 2009, noted that hundreds of students and partnership. This included attachments to SATS’ catering and other sectors. Mr Andrew Sng, chairman of the restaurant management committee, spoke of the importance of supporting students as they prepare for employment, especially X X

dence and skills. APS caters to a large number of students from less privileged backgrounds who require

= also provides breakfast for many students at its own expense, said school management committee chairman Gabriel Teo. APS works closely with the Institute of Technical Education as well as the Education Ministry to craft curriculum suited to the students. School principal Wee Tat

Above: Student servers at the Assumption Restaurant for Training. Right: A student demonstrates fruit sculpting.

Chuen noted that it is very challenging but also very satisfying to run a school where the students face challenges in their studies and in their own lives. Br Rajamanikam Anthony, representing the Gabrielite Brothers, thanked those present and encouraged many more to support APS. „

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Priest, nun and seminarian talk about their calling Series of talks held in runup to World Day of Prayer for Vocations Mass By Martin See “I never wanted to be a nun. In fact, that was the last thing on my mind,” Sr Wendy Ooi told a crowd of young people attending talks on vocations at the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea. Sr Wendy was one of three speakers, including a Jesuit priest and a diocesan seminarian, who spoke about their spiritual calling from April 17-19. Between 14 and 25 people attended the talks each night. These culminated in a Mass at the parish presided over by Coadjutor Archbishop William Goh on April 20 to celebrate the 50th World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Speaking on the Joys of Religious Vocation on April 19, Sr Wendy, who was raised a Catholic, shared how as a student in the UK she went in search of the “real” Church. She visited various Protestant Churches but after a painful incident in one of them, she stopped going to church altogether. However, reading the book Mere Christianity by Anglican writer C S Lewis brought her back to God, she said. Upon graduation, she worked in Singapore as a TV producer at the then-Singapore Broadcasting Corporation. The faith was rekindled when she attended a talk on Mary’s supposed appearances in Medjugorje to several children. She became eager to know more about her own Catholic faith and was enlightened by Mary’s role in the Church. She made a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in 1990.

Diocesan seminarian Nicholas Lye spoke about addressing the dilemma one faces when torn between marriage and the priesthood.

sign a parish ‘The is growing in Jesus is when there are vocations from that parish.’

– Coadjutor Archbishop William Goh

Sr Wendy later joined church ministries and longed to use her broadcasting skills to evangelise. That was what drew her to the Daughters of St Paul who work with media. She later went on discernment

retreats in Malaysia and the Philippines, and it became increasingly clear to her that God wanted her to be a nun, she shared. “Although I’ve been sent to various countries to serve, I’ve never felt lonely,” she said. This is

Sr Wendy Ooi went on a spiritual quest.

Fr Christopher Soh: All of us have a vocation to be holy.

because of the friendships she has made with the other nuns from her congregation. On April 18, seminarian Nicholas Lye spoke on the topic, When Torn Between Two Lovers, Marriage and Priesthood. He shared that he had a girlfriend before he joined the seminary four years ago. “My girlfriend at that point accepted my choice for priesthood, but it was intense and hard for her to let go.” Br Nicholas stressed that having an attraction towards marriage “doesn’t mean an exclusion to priesthood. You have to heed your calling”. “Children are not the only way to express love between people,” he said, adding that a celibate life can be lifegiving because “God provides the love and intimacy that we desire so that we can share that same love with others”. “Celibacy gives me the love of God that I’ve received from Him to minister and give to others,” shared Br Nicholas. Jesuit Fr Christopher Soh

spoke on Discerning Your Vocation on April 17. “Before I’m called to married life, priestly life or Religious life, I must ask myself: Do I recognise the Shepherd’s voice?” said Fr Christopher. “To be holy is to live your life only for God and all of us have a vocation to be holy,” he said. He noted that each person has a vocation, a “call”, whether it is to be “a parent, a teacher, a leader … all of us are called to be disciples of Christ”. In his homily for the April 20 Mass, Archbishop Goh said it is primarily through prayer that the call to priestly or Religious vocations is discerned. “Ministerial priesthood is very important for the Church,” he said. “It is the priest who builds the Church and ministers to the congregation.” He added that “the sign a parish is growing in Jesus is when there are vocations from that parish”. martin.see@catholic.org.sg

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Philippine Church leaders lambast Aquino presidency CNS photo

From left: Education Minister Heng Swee Keat (in long-sleeve white shirt), Br Emmanuel (partially hidden), " $ % & ! # ' *+ / 3 4 7 " 89

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Montfort boys singing during celebrations to mark the Montfort Schools’ ! " #"

Participating in the Singapore Conversation is ‘ one way in which we hope our boys would become attuned to their role as contributing citizens.’

– Mr Andrew Tan and Ms Genevieve Chye, principals of the secondary and primary schools respectively

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‘We raise our voices

with the victims of extrajudicial killings whose numbers are on the rise each day. Is there still a rule of law?

’

– Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines

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Sunday May 5, 2013 „ CatholicNews

Bangladesh Christians refute Muslim conversion claims DHAKA –

Bangladesh have broken their silence over a recent campaign by X " The group has threatened to blockade Dhaka if its numerous demands are not met. + ? &/ " ' “ \ \ ernment to initiate the death pen / cation and restore a pledge to Al " — ^ " ' na and ministers from the ruling Awami League have strongly rejected the demands. Hifazat is a group linked to ‹ \ \ / a major adversary of the govern now remained wary of commenting on its hardline stance which has also included accusations that newly formed Protestant churches and NGOs are attempting to con " Bishop Gervas Rozario of Ra{ / which is not illegal according to Bangladeshi law. Z= involved in such activities. Anyone X to the court and we will prove our

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' / / X " ? groups were made under article 10 of a 13-point list of demands made by Hifazat on April 6. " ( “ / { / name churches and NGOs ac " what he said was a fear of inciting unrest in a country which has seen political and religious tensions explode in recent months with almost daily strikes and protests. “We don’t want to name churches and NGOs but we can if X X/ he added. " ~ * “ / _ ? / groups of systematic campaigns spreading false information to dis _ Z over reprisal and a lack of forti / ? ‚ \ / X / silent in recent weeks following a backlash in the past by what he Z Z= X X silence and avoid further contro / „ UCANEWS.COM

Facebook, TV ‘affecting church attendance’

MANILA – The head of the Philippine bishops’ conference’s youth commission has said that the dis @ / sites like Facebook and too much television are to blame for declining church attendances in the country. Fr Kunegundo Garganta said “virtual world� where the youth

" “[Young people] tend to believe X / X " New media – and particularly social media like Facebook and =X # with a huge challenge to be relevant / He also made the suggestion that social media is still not being used effectively in evangelisation efforts.

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" X / X / „ UCANEWS.COM

FEATURE

In Asia, the Pentecostals are on the march The Catholic Church must change its culture or risk losing members to Pentecostal churches, a missionary warns VATICAN CITY – Pentecostal or X ? / the new urban migrants and ethnic / analysis presented in Rome. Some have concluded that this rapid growth could prompt the / X distinguished by clericalism and top-down governance. ( ‹ " ^ / $Œ� with the Society of the Divine ‰ / X Pentecostalism in Asia during a recent conference on “new religious movements� organised by the German bishops’ conference. The Pentecostal movement started at the beginning of the 20th century out of an urge for direct personal experience of God and spiritual renewal through the ' Q Z / / ulous healings and prophesying. While the term “Pentecostal� is usually used to refer to the new movements and independent churches that sprang up from the / Z ic� is generally used for the groups who bring Pentecostal spirituality X X ment and groups such as El Shaddai in the Philippines. “Pentecostalism has set its stoutest roots among Asian ethnic minorities and social classes which lack political or ideological X / ( ^ X presented at the conference. X X X / ( ^ X sponse to the growth of these Z X ? / X / ing a vast swathe of believers. ? / ^ / ( ^ “People who have been uproot / who are “somewhat insecure in the / { X ^

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has set its stoutest roots ‘Pentecostalism among Asian ethnic minorities and social classes which lack political or ideological power.

’

– Fr John Mansford Prior

The movement is also strong / “Pentecostalism gives dignity and identity to ethnic minorities and / ty and mutual help to unsettled urban migrants� that was “presumably... lacking in their previous ˜ / the priest wrote in his report. ™ ” ? / with the exception of South Korea and – though reliable data is hard # / ^ groups in Asia do not explicitly emphasise the “gospel of pros / X between faith and economic success. But Fr Prior notes that when people join these groups “they / Q / Q / X / therefore they are living thrifty lives and automatically they go up the social scale�.

‰ ” ? / growth of Pentecostalism has coincided with a large exodus from / ? Z has been open to accept those / ( ^ / the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Q ferences throughout the continent has been “very positive�. But in some cases there have been “tensions� with the major / " ' _ / sometimes aggressive evangelising drive of the new movements. Fr Prior warns that the shift ? Q ` + X / Z X X see more and more and more peo €

X / X munities such as the Pentecostal / „ UCANEWS.COM

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Sunday May 5, 2013 „ CatholicNews

Philippine archbishop warns Church against endorsing politicians MANILA – A senior Philippine

Catholic bishop has warned clergy and Church groups against endorsing candidates in upcoming elections, stressing that the Church will end up the loser if they start supporting candidates. Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Dagupand, vice president of the Philippine bishops’ conference, said Church leaders can guide voters but not endorse candidates or else they will reduce the Catholic Church to a political party. “When the Church endorses candidates in political elections, she ends up a loser. The endorsed candidate may win with the votes but the Church never wins with him,� Archbishop Villegas said in a recent pastoral letter. By endorsing candidates, “the Bride of Christ, the Church, tarnishes her spiritual mission with the stain of the mundane.... The Church must guide, not dictate�, he said But Mr Mike Velarde, head of the popular Catholic Charismatic > / a number of electoral candidates. All his preferred candidates stood against the government’s Reproductive Health Bill when it passed in Congress earlier this year. “It is one way of expressing our gratitude for the steadfast commitment they showed despite the pressure on them to change

their position and vote for the passage of the bill,� he said. He added that he would be happy to discuss his position with Archbishop Villegas. Mr Velarde, a televangelist who is known for having held considerable sway over politicians and election outcomes for nearly three decades, established

Mr Mike Velarde (above), head of

? @ "> the archbishop’s appeal.

his El Shaddai group in 1984. “There were those who said that there’s no Catholic vote.... We will prove that there’s really a Catholic vote,� he said. “It’s time to let the public know that there’s such a vote that’s coming in this election and in the future elections.� „ UCANEWS. COM

Vietnam allows Church to provide healthcare LAO CAI, VIETNAM – The Catho-

lic Church has been allowed to provide free healthcare to thousands of poor people in two Vietnamese provinces. In the past, government authorities in Lao Cai and Phu Tho provinces refused permission for the Church to get involved in healthcare. Vietnamese law forbids religious organisations from providing such services. But now, according to Fr Joseph Nguyen Van Thanh, pastor of Lao Cai parish, “authorities have allowed the local Church to take part in health care and charity work they prevented or interfered with in the past. “The government has not only kept its promises but is allowing Church workers to use state-run facilities,� he said. He attributes the change to a 2011 meeting between Lao Cai provincial authorities and Italian Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the

\ ative for Vietnam.

The archbishop requested Catholic involvement in health care, education and charity work as a contribution to social development. Local Caritas workers have been giving free ocular operations to 1,200 patients, and free medicine and treatment to an additional 600 elderly people at state-run hospitals, since last year. Recently, they performed more than close to 200 eye operations. Fr Thanh said the government is now also encouraging the local Church to set up hostels and vocational centres for ethnic minority students. The government saves money since services provided by the Church are covered by benefactors. Ms Nguyen Thi Bac, vicechairwoman of the People’s Committee of Lao Cai city, said the city is “grateful to Caritas workers for giving medical care to poor people. Both the government and the Church have duties to serve the people�. „ UCANEWS.COM

Young people in Myanmar stand up against violence YANGON – Around 30 young people from different faiths have launched a campaign in Yangon as a response to sectarian violence in the country. The volunteers, part of a group known as Pray For Myanmar, distributed more than 80,000 stickers and 4,000 T-shirts with the words, Z‚ @ happen because of me� on April 5 and 9. Mr Thet Swe Win, one the organisers of the campaign, said Buddhists and Muslims need to accept that there are extremists among them and they need to meet each other to communicate their feelings. “There will be no violence if every citizen embraces only citizenship� rather than emphasise race or religion, he said. The group started after sectarian violence broke out in Meikhtila, central Myanmar, and spread to the southern part of the country in March.

The group, Pray For Myanmar, distributed thousands of stickers and T-shirts in their campaign against violence. State-run media reported that 43 people were killed and more than 1,300 homes and buildings were destroyed in 15 townships. About 120,000 people were displaced according to the United Nations. “Our aim is to achieve peace in the whole country – no more religious violence,� said Mr Thant Zin, a Muslim volunteer. “We re-

alised we needed to do something for peace.� He said people felt unsafe af @ ^ " mar is helping. “All religious teaching is based on peace and harmony and never includes hatred and killing. If we all follow and live according to our religious teaching, there will be no more religious con@ / Mr Sithu Maung, a Christian volunteer with the group said: “We are just ordinary youths, we have no power to stop the violence, but we want to give a message of religious harmony through our campaign.� He added that “in public areas in Yangon, the majority of people welcomed us and gave us support�. The organisers say they plan to visit Meikhtila to help the displaced. They also plan to campaign in other parts of the country. „ UCANEWS.COM

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archbishop’s sainthood cause ‘unblocked’ Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, an outspoken critic of human rights abuses in El Salvador, was gunned down while celebrating Mass in 1980. He is pictured in an undated photo.

VATICAN CITY – The process to

beatify and eventually canonise the late Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador has been un Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, ^ ( cial promoter of the sainthood of Archbishop Romero, made the announcement in a homily on April 20, a few hours after meet X ^ ( The Italian archbishop, who was preaching at a Mass in the Italian city Molfetta to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of the diocese’s Bishop Antonio Bello – widely known by the di-

minutive Don Tonino – said, “To- of doctrinal error; many people day, the anniversary of the death working for Archbishop Romeof Don Tonino, the cause for ro’s cause described the review ? Z % % — * X One of those supporters is The archbishop gave no more / Prof Roberto Morozzo della April 22 that no more would be Rocca, a professor of contemposaid until there is something con- rary history in Rome, and author of Primero Dios: Vita di Oscar A In his homily, Archbishop Pa- * |‡ ( ! = ” glia said, “Martyrs help us live, + ? * } He said Archbishop Romero’s help us understand there is more “enemies claimed joy in giving than there were theo = is why we need his writings and to preserve their Z= He added that

took years of work / ^ he hoped Arch della Rocca told bishop Romero Catholic News Serand Bishop Bello

? %% – known for their The next step care of the poor and their commitment – Archbishop in the process is a to peace – could be Vincenzo Paglia formal papal declaration that Arch bishop Romero “because Jesus always sent the apostles out two by died a martyr – that he was killed + X Bishop Bello died in 1993; the of his cause have claimed his asVatican approved the opening of sassination was politically moti % � The papal decree would folArchbishop Romero was shot on March 24, 1980, as he cel- low a recommendation from the " = cardinals who are members of the for Saints’ Causes authorised the Congregation for Saints’ Causes; $ŒŒ they vote on decrees after reviews Often the Congregation for the by separate panels of theologians ‚ ( A miracle is not needed for the review the writings of sainthood candidates to ensure they are free „ CNS

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US gun control failure shows ‘moral leadership failure’ WASHINGTON, USA – Bishop

Stephen E Blaire of Stockton, California, said the US Senate’s failure “to support even mod Z failure in moral leadership to promote policies which protect and The head of the US bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development ex Z that the lawmakers failed to pass \ Bishop Blaire made the comments in an April 18 letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader " "

On April 17, the Senate failed measure that would have expanded background checks for gun purchases, increased penalties for gun / weapons ban and imposed restrictions on civilian access to high “

Bishop Blaire noted that many of the provisions of the bill en{ On April 10, the day before debate began, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Senator Patrick Toomey of Pennsylvania, announced a compromise deal on the background-checks provision These checks would not have applied to unadvertised gun sales, ( ther, gun owners who have passed background checks within the past

\ permit can use that permit to buy The bishop said in his letter that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has been “working with other faith leaders and organisations urging Congress to support legislation that builds a culture of life by promoting policies that reduce gun violence and save people’s lives in homes and communi „ CNS

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Sectarian strife scaring Egypt’s Christians into leaving CAIRO, EGYPT – Mounting sec-

tarian violence in Egypt is pushing tens of thousands of Egyptian Christians to look for security abroad, say Christian community members, Church leaders and aid workers. Some of the most serious sectarian violence occurred on April 7 at Egypt’s main Coptic Orthodox cathedral in Cairo, when a crowd confronted angry Christian demonstrators shouting anti-government slogans as they were leaving the funeral of four Christians

? Œ ^ walls of St Mark Orthodox Cathedral and reportedly stepped aside as the unknown assailants, armed with petrol bombs and other weapons, attacked those inside the cathedral grounds. “The police not only didn’t / tear gas into the cathedral,� said Mr Alfred Raouf, an Egyptian opposition party member, describing the events to Catholic News Service. Egyptian newspapers reported a Muslim who had been injured at the scene on April 7 died of his in{ ? Œ = ™ bishops’ Catholic Relief Services reported in mid-March that almost 11 incidents of clashes between Muslims and Christians in Egypt had occurred over the past two years, and that as many as 100,000 Christian families had already left the country over fears for their future. Coptic Christians account for an estimated 10 percent of Egypt’s

Œ " Egyptians are Sunni Muslims. Mr Assad Attiya, a 48-yearold clerk in a downtown Cairo department store, said growing violence and a general “state of chaos� since the revolution had

Clashes between Muslims and Christians in Egypt had occurred over the past two years. As many as 100,000 Christian families had already left the country over fears for their future.

A man uses a bucket to put out a tear gas canister as Egyptians run inside St Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in % " > 3 " 3 # CNS photo

frightened his and other Christian families into applying for emigra ™ ™ \ “All Egyptians, by nature, are kind [but] circumstances are now making everything bad, so I am afraid of you and you are afraid of me,� he told CNS. ' cidents of Muslim-Christian violence in front of Cairo’s national television building in March 2011

and the following October in the predominantly Christian Cairo slum of Manshiyat Naser. Both incidents led to the death of at least 25 people, most of them Christians, and are among the sev ™ ‚ partment’s human rights report, which said Egypt’s “government failed to prevent violence against Christians or stop the destruction of churches and religious minority-owned property�.

Mr Raouf, the Egyptian opposition party member and a Christian, said it was important to remember that most abuses against Christians had taken place during

the transition period directly after the revolution, when the country’s national military was in charge. But he said the April 7 violence was a sign the now-ruling Muslim Brotherhood was doing no better at managing Egypt, which he said continued to suffer from years of unchecked polemics by radical Egyptian Islamists towards the country’s Christian minority. “All this sectarian tension is the product of the [former Presidents] Sadat and Mubarak�, said Mr Raouf, adding that all people in the country, Muslims and Christians, were suffering in present-day Egypt. „ CNS

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Govt to be wary of amnesty for Islamic sect: bishops ISEYIN, NIGERIA – Several Catholic bishops warned the Nigerian government to be wary of the consequences of granting amnesty to Boko Haram, a sect that wants to impose strict Islamic law. At least one bishop said Mass attendance had dropped because the Islamist sect often targeted churches. Another bishop also urged the government to dialogue with the leadership of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, which has been linked to attacks on petroleum installations in southern Nigeria. “Churches in northern Nigeria and my diocese in particular have been recording depletion in the number of faithful attending church services owing to Boko

Haram insurgencies there in recent years,’’ said Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of Yola. He said many Christians had moved to other parts of the country. Bishop Mamza told Catholic News Service that many residents in northern Nigeria and especially in Yola now live in fear that Boko Haram could strike at any time, killing innocent people. “We religious leaders are assuring them that their security is in the hands of God and [they] should not abandon God’s house,� he said. In early April, the Nigerian government set up a technical committee to advise President Goodluck Jonathan on whether to grant amnesty to Boko Haram, an Islamist sect blamed for the deaths of at least 1,400 people since 2010. „ CNS

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NZ bishops saddened by same-sex marriage law WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND –

New Zealand’s Catholic bishops described as “bizarre� parliament’s vote that discards the understanding of traditional marriage when it approved a same-sex marriage law. The bishops also expressed sadness that the April 17 action was taken despite widespread opposition from New Zealanders. Z‰

“ X been discarded is an understanding of marriage that has its origins in

human nature and common to every culture, and that almost all references to husband and wife will be removed from legislation referencing marriage. We know many New Zealanders stand with us in this,� said Archbishop John A Dew of Wellington, president of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Legislators voted 77 to 44 to approve the measure, making New Zealand the 13th nation to recognise same-sex marriage. „ CNS

US states passing new restrictions on abortion WASHINGTON, USA – Kansas and

Virginia have joined the growing list of US states that have passed new restrictions on abortion this year. Kansas lawmakers passed a bill declaring that life begins “at fertilisation� and which bans sexselection abortions. “Unborn children have interests in life, health and well-being that should be protected,� said the bill, which Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, a Republican, has said he will sign. In Virginia, the state’s Board of Health gave its approval by an

11-2 vote on April 12 on new regulations for abortion clinics. Among the new regulations are mandatory state inspection of clinics, and architectural requirements to match those of newly constructed hospitals. The Virginia Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the state’s bishops, issued a “Victory Alert!� on April 12 in which it said, “Since abortion operates under the guise of health care in this country, the abortion industry must be properly regulated for the safety of Virginia women.� „ CNS

Don’t arm Syria; forge for peace, says patriarch CNS photo

VATICAN CITY – Unless western

X bring peace to Syria instead of debating whether to arm opposition forces, the country will continue to be in turmoil and a victim of the West’s indecision, said a Syrian patriarch. “It’s truly a pity, a great pity to not think in terms other than ‘to arm’ or ‘not to arm’,� said Syrianborn Melkite Patriarch Gregoire III Laham of Damascus. “No one is talking about more serious, more realistic, and more effective efforts for peace,� he told Vatican Radio on April 18. The patriarch had a private audience with Pope Francis on April 18 and said he told the pope about the suffering in Syria. According to the United Nations, more than 70,000 people – mostly civilians – have been killed and more than three million Syrians have been displaced inside the country since the uprising against President Bashar Assad began two years ago. In addition, some 1.1 million people have taken refuge in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.

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“We are dying, every day we are victims of chaos, we run the risk of being kidnapped, ending up victims of some explosion as simple bystanders, an explosion of a school, factory, university or church,� the patriarch said. “There is a gross injustice in the consideration, evaluation of the situation� of Syria by western

nations who seem to limit their options to whether they should arm the opposition against Assad’s regime when the real problem is “how to bring peace�, he said. “We are the victims of your indecision,� he said, referring to the governments of the United States, France, England and other European nations. „ CNS

Russian Catholics surprised at govt raids on churches OXFORD, ENGLAND – Russia’s Catholic Church expressed surprise and concern after a wave of raids on its parishes and charities, part of a government clampdown on organisations with foreign links. “The Catholic Church is clas / explained Fr Kirill Gulbunov, spokesman for the Moscow Archdiocese, who added, “We can’t help feeling surprised that associations linked with our Church are viewed as possible sources of extremism or terrorist activity.� Fr Gulbunov spoke to Catholic News Service on April 9, the same day security agents raided " X / the Catholic charitable agency. On April 3, government agents “inspected� Caritas headquarters in St Petersburg. Fr Gulbunov said the archdio planned raid. He said a Catholic parish in Orel, Russia, had been

‘

Although we can’t say whether local authorities are deliberately using the operation against the Catholic Church, it has caused surprise and consternation.

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told it was to be “checked� just before the raid took place. “The people responsible have evidently received a very broad list of organisations to watch as part of this nationwide operation,� the Russian priest said. “Although we can’t say whether local authorities are deliberately using the operation against the Catholic Church, it has caused surprise and consternation.�

In February, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered checks on thousands of non-governmental organisations and the seizing of computers and documents, under a July 2012 law requiring groups with outside funding to register as “foreign agents�. Russia’s million-strong Catholic Church has long complained of discrimination in Russia and protested when a Moscow charity house belonging to Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity was bulldozed in 2011 and a Catholic parish in Pskov was barred from building its church because of “legal technicalities�. German-born Bishop Clemens Pickel of Saratov, Russia, told Germany’s KNA news agency he believed the raids were legal but predicted they would place the Catholic Church, “intentionally or not, in a bad light in the eyes of the people�. Russian newspapers said the Russian Orthodox Church had not been affected by the raids. „ CNS

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Alleged healing attributed to John Paul II reported VATICAN CITY – A Vatican-convoked commission of doctors concluded that a healing attributed to Blessed John Paul II had no natural explanation, according to Italian news reports. Eventual papal approval of the alleged miracle would clear the way for the canonisation of the pope, who died on April 2, 2005, X " $/ % $$ Several Italian newspapers ` saying the alleged miracle presented to the Vatican involved a woman who was healed just a few hours after the late pope was be ^ _ ž† When the details are made public “many people will be surprisedâ€?, the source said. The newspaper Il Messaggero quoted Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, as saying, “There is a widespread desire for the canonisationâ€? of Blessed John Paul, “but no date has been setâ€?. The web-based Vatican Insider spoke to Polish Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, Blessed John Paul’s longtime secretary, about the canonisation. “It would be marvellous if it took place during the Year of Faith,â€? which ends in November, the cardinal was quoted as saying. He said he hoped the ceremony could be held in October, 35 years after the late pope’s election to the papacy in 1978. Once a panel of physicians convoked by the Congregation for Saints’ Causes determines that a healing is authentic and lasting, and that there is no natural, medi  / passed on to a panel of theologians.

Italian media have reported a healing supposedly due to Blessed John Paul II’s intercession.

The theologians study the events – especially the prayers – surrounding the alleged miracle and give their opinion on whether the healing can be attributed to the intercession of a particular sainthood candidate. If the theologians give a positive opinion, the cardinals who are members of the congregation vote on whether to recommend that the pope recognise the healing as a

miracle and set a canonisation date. In sainthood causes, the votes by the board of physicians usually

~ X progress in causes generally is known only once a pope approves decrees related to them. Msgr Slawomir Oder, the postulator of Blessed John Paul’s cause, was not giving interviews in late April. „ CNS

Pope prays for Orthodox archbishops kidnapped in Syria VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis offered “intense prayers� for the safety and liberation of two Orthodox archbishops kidnapped in Syria, for effective responses to the humani there and for peace in the nation, the Vatican spokesman said. Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi said Pope Francis was informed about the “new, very serious fact� of the kidnapping on April 22 of Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan Gregorios Yohanna of Aleppo and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Paul of Aleppo, who were in northern Syria on a humanitarian mission. The following day, news agencies reported the two archbishops had been released, but those re

Media had reported that the two Aleppo Church leaders were trying to arrange for the release of two priests – an Armenian Catholic and a Greek Orthodox – who were kidnapped in early February. In an April 23 statement, Fr Lombardi said the kidnapping of the two archbishops and the reported killing of their driver was Z

tragic situation in which the Syrian population and its Christian communities are living�. The Jesuit said the pope was following the situation and that the kidnapping of the bishops was a further sign of the “growing violence in the past few days� and the “humanitarian emergency of vast @ Pope Francis, he said, was praying that “with the commitment of all, the Syrian people can

to the humanitarian drama and see the dawn of real hopes for peace and reconciliation�. In an interview with Vatican Radio on April 23, Franciscan Fr Georges Abou Khazen, administrator of the Latin-rite vicariate

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X Orthodox archbishops had been on a mission to secure the release of the priests kidnapped in February. “Their kidnappers had promised to turn them over to them,� he said. Asked if that meant the archbishops were in contact with the kidnappers, Fr Khazen said such arrangements are always done through the Red Cross or Red Crescent. “You never know� who the kidnappers were, he said. The Franciscan said no one knew where the archbishops were or who was holding them. “Some say it is a group of Chechen jihad-

One of the kidnapped archbishops: Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan Gregorios Yohanna of Aleppo.

ists, but the one thing that is certain is that the Syriac Orthodox bishop’s driver, who was with them, was shot to death. His body has been given to us and tomorrow at 11 local time we will celebrate his funeral.� According to the United Nations, more than 70,000 people – mostly civilians – have been killed and more than 4.2 million Syrians have been displaced inside the country since the uprising against President Bashar Assad began in March 2011. Some 1.3 million people have also taken refuge in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. „ CNS

Catholic members of royal couples won’t have to raise kids Catholic

Construction to begin on family centre in Nazareth

LONDON – Catholic Church leaders have told the British government that members of the royal family who marry Catholics under recently passed legislation will not be obliged to bring up their children in the Catholic faith. Lord Wallace of Tankerness, speaking on behalf of the government, said he had been assured personally by Msgr Marcus Stock, general secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, that the canonical requirement of Catholics to raise their children in the faith was not always binding. Z of Msgr Stock to say that he was speaking on behalf of Archbishop [Vincent] Nichols [of Westminster]

VATICAN CITY – Construction is

as president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and can inform the House that the view taken by the Catholic Church in England and Wales is that, in the instance of mixed marriages, the approach of the Catholic Church is pastoral,� he said. “It will always look to provide guidance that supports and strengthens the unity and indissolubility of the marriage,� Lord Wallace said. “In this context the Catholic Church expects Catholic spouses to sincerely undertake to do all that they can to raise children in the Catholic Church,� he continued. “Where it has not been possible for the child of a mixed marriage

to be brought up as a Catholic, the Catholic parent does not fall subject to the censure of canon law.� The remarks were made during the third reading debate of the Succession to the Crown Bill in the House of Lords on April 22. For the

/ legislation would allow British monarchs to marry Catholics. However, the sovereign must still be a member of the Church of England. Canon 1125 of the Catholic Church’s Code of Canon Law requires that in a mixed marriage, the Catholic “is to make a sincere promise to do all in his or her power in order that all the children be baptised and brought up in the Catholic Church�. „ CNS

expected to begin soon on a large guesthouse for families on pilgrimage to the Holy Land and an international centre dedicated to promoting Catholic teaching on the family. Blessed John Paul II approved the idea of building the International Centre for the Family in Nazareth, Israel, in 2000, and Pope Benedict XVI blessed a cornerstone for the building when he visited Nazareth in 2009. Last October, Pope Benedict formally approved the establishment of the International Family Centre of Nazareth Foundation ^ cal Council for the Family. Mr Salvatore Martinez, presi-

dent of the Catholic Charismatic movement in Italy, was named president of the foundation, which has been entrusted with the daily operation of the centre. Mr Martinez said he expected construction to be completed in late 2015 or early 2016. The facility will include a community residence for the staff, 100 rooms and a restaurant designed to host families on pilgrimage, a 500-seat church, a playground, a large auditorium, di The foundation, he said, will promote “the spiritual formation and evangelisation of families as well as support pastoral outreach to families throughout the world, but particularly in the Holy Land�. „ CNS

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Sunday May 5, 2013 „ CatholicNews

Pope names international panel of cardinals to advise on Vatican reform VATICAN CITY – Amid rising

concerns about corruption and mismanagement in the central administration of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis named an international panel of cardinals to advise him on the latest reform of the Vatican bureaucracy. The Vatican Secretariat of State announced on April 13 that the pope had established the group – which includes Boston Cardinal Sean P O’Malley and Sydney Cardinal George Pell – to “advise him in the government of the universal Church and to study a plan for revising the apostolic constitution on the Roman Curia, Pastor Bonus�. Pastor Bonus, published in 1988, was the last major set of changes in the Roman Curia, the Church’s central administration at the Vatican. It was largely an effort at streamlining by reassigning re es, rather than an extensive reform. Complaints about the shortcomings of Vatican governance increased markedly during 2012 X † ”

dential correspondence providing evidence of corruption and mis of the Holy See and Vatican City State. That affair prompted a detailed internal report, which Pope Benedict XVI designated exclusively for the eyes of his successor. The College of Cardinals extensively discussed the problems in meetings preceding the conclave that elected Pope Francis last month. According to the April 13 Vatican statement, the sugges-

Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, India, is one of eight cardinals named by Pope Francis to advise him on reform of the Vatican bureaucracy.

tion for an advisory panel on reform arose during those meetings. Only one member of the new panel is a full-time Vati ! ‡ Bertello, president of the commission governing Vatican City State. All of the others currently serve as diocesan bishops.

The group’s coordinator is Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, who is also president of Caritas Internationalis, a Vatican-based umbrella organisation for national Catholic charities around the globe. The other members are Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, retired archbishop of Santiago, Chile; Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai, India; Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, Germany; and Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa, Congo. = X time on Oct 1-3, 2013, the Vatican statement said, but are “currently in contact� with Pope Francis. The panel’s membership rep / X largest number – three members – coming from the Americas. Three members, more than any other linguistic group, hail from English-speaking countries (counting India). Two members are native speakers of Spanish. Only one member shares the Italian nationality of the majority of Vatican employees. „ CNS

20 LETTERS/OPINION

Sunday May 5, 2013 „ CatholicNews

Fortnightly newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore

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Catholics still need to enact teachings of Vatican II: pope VATICAN CITY – While some

Catholics would like to undo the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, others basically are trying to build a monument to it rather than fully live its teachings, Pope Francis said. In his homily on April 16 at an early morning Mass in the chapel of his residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae, Pope Francis said Christians must struggle with the temptation to tame the Holy Spirit. Z= ! = '

/ = Spirit “moves us, makes us walk, pushes the Church to move forward�. But, too often, he said, Catholics are like the Apostle Peter on the mountaintop when Jesus is = / ^ / / “Oh, how nice it is to be here all together�, but “don’t bother us�. “We want the Holy Spirit to sleep,� he said. “We want to domesticate the Holy Spirit, and that just won’t do because He is God and He is that breeze that comes and goes, and you don’t know from where.� = ' ‡ Q / = ' Spirit “gives us consolation and the strength to move forward� and the moving forward part is what can be a bother. People think it is better to be comfortable but that is not what ' / Pope Francis said. While Catholics today may be more comfortable speaking about the Holy Spirit than they were 50 years ago, it doesn’t mean the temptation to tame the Spirit has diminished, he said. Pope Francis said reactions to the Second Vatican Council are a prime example. Z= X work of the Holy Spirit,� he said. “But after 50 years, have we done everything the Holy Spirit in the council told us to do?� = lics have opened themselves to

The council was a beautiful work ‘ of the Holy Spirit. But after 50 years, have we done everything the Holy Spirit in the council told us to do?’ – Pope Francis

“that continuity of the Church’s X = X / / Z Catholics seemed willing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the council’s opening in 1962, he said, but they want to do so by “building a monument� rather than by changing anything. At the same time, Pope Francis said, “there are voices saying X = being hard-headed, this is called wanting to domesticate the Holy Spirit, this is called becoming

‘foolish and slow of heart’�, like the disappointed disciples on the road to Emmaus. = be at work in Christians’ personal / Z= ' pushes us� to live the Gospel more seriously, but resistance is often one’s reply. Pope Francis ended his homily encouraging everyone to pray for docility to the Holy Spirit, “to that Spirit who comes to us and urges us forward on the path to holiness�. „ CNS

Struggling with secularity WE LIVE in a highly secularised culture. Generally this draws one of three reactions from Christians struggling to live out faith in this context: First, a growing number of Christians of all denominations see secularity more as an enemy of faith and the Churches than as an ally. In their view, secularity is a threat to religion and morality and is, in the name of freedom and open-mindedness, slowly suffocating Christian freedom. For them, secularity contains within itself a certain tyranny of relativism which can aptly be labelled postChristian and a culture of death. A second group simply accommodates itself to the culture without @ X = { and the culture to the faith as suits their situation. For them, faith becomes largely a cultural heritage, an ethos more than a religion, though \ Deeper struggles go on beneath, prompted not just by the soul’s perennial questions but also by the Judeo-Christian genes inside the DNA of both the culture and the individual. So these individuals selectively take values from both the Judeo-Christian tradition and the secular culture and blend them into a new marriage, seemingly without a lot of religious anxiety. A third group has a more nuanced approach: Persons such as Ca = / ” ‚ / poet Kathleen Norris, and, a generation earlier, German Jesuit Fr Karl Rahner, see secularity as a mixed bag, a culture of both life and death, a X and religious values, even as it is losing ground morally and religiously in other ways. Of major importance in this view is the idea that secular culture, secularity, is the child of Judaism and Christianity. Judeo-Christianity, at least for the most part, gave birth to philosopher Rene Descartes, the principles of the Enlightenment, the French revolution, the Scottish revolution, the America revolution, and thus to democracy, the separation of Church and state, and the principle that so much undergirds secularity, namely, that we agree to organise public life on the principle of rational consensus rather than on the basis of divine authority (allowing, / @ } In this view, the opposite of secularity is not the Church, but the = X divine authority irrespective of rational consensus. Secularity then is more our child than our enemy. However, if that is true, then why is secularity often so bitter and overly-critical in its attitude towards the Š = / can be anti-Christian for the same reason that adolescents can be bitter and overly-critical towards their own parents, namely, adolescence is often immature and grandiose. But an immature, grandiose adolescent Q / {

Viewing secularity from this perspective, it is equally important to highlight both the moral and religious ground that has been lost in secularity as well as the moral and religious ground that has been gained. Both can be seen, for example, by looking a highly secularised culture like the Netherlands: On the hand, it is very weak in church attendance and in explicit Christian practice. Along with this there is the tolerance and legalisation of abortion, drugs, prostitution, and pornography. On the other hand, they are a society that takes care of its poor better than any other society in the world and one that is recognised for its emphasis / / ` X = religious and moral achievements. Where do I stand? Mostly with this third group and its belief that secularity is not our enemy but our child and that it carries inside itself both highly generative streams of life and asphyxiating rivulets of death. On the one hand, I draw a lot of my life and joy from its creativity, colour, exuberance, and generative energy, often times against my own Germanic-propensity for greyness and acedia. I am also uplifted on a regular basis by the real generosity and genu

/

# / / / portunity for education, wonderful medical care, information technology, access to information, wide cultural and recreational opportunities, clean water, plentiful food, and, not least, the freedom to practice my faith and religion. + / ! = ance of abortion, the marginalisation of the poor, the itch for euthanasia, lingering racism, widespread sexual irresponsibility, a growing addic / \ X ity. As reality television becomes more indicative of our culture, I begin to despair more for its depth. As an adult child of Rene Descartes, I breathe in secularity, a very  / Â

X / comfortable but uneasy, defending secularity even as I am critical of it. „

FOCUS 21

Sunday May 5, 2013 „ CatholicNews

Filipinos face tough situation amid Mideast sensitivities PHILIPPINES – Ms Celeste Macal-

do says she’s a “devout� Catholic who attended Mass every week until she landed a job as a care ” Z( / ing to church to attend Mass only

/ > / X " " friends tried to persuade her to / + / " Z‹ X / " * = / X X ‘ X / Z cause he can practise his faith in Z ‘ X € than other Middle Eastern coun X / / are three Catholic churches in KuX Other Filipino workers in the " > / X / = X " ‹ ” " / " ? / ( / X / " + $% ( X / $ ¤ ? Z‰ { / " " / (  rience a lot of “internal struggleâ€?

Christians found attending services outside of embassies or consulates face arrest and severe punishment.

Filipino Fr Michael Albano, a chaplain with the US Army, reads from Scripture during Mass at Camp New York in the Kuwait desert. CNS photo

for failing to practise their reli ' " ? / Z Q Christians found attending consulates face arrest and severe Z‚ / / / cannot however change the Fili X / " " / ( -

Z / Z” " X / " " " _ ” says online Masses are “better than none at all� although it is not

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X @ X ( ‹ + / " " Fr Orbos is a Divine Word X @ " Philippine Catholic Church leaders have declared Filipino Z X Overseas Filipino workers can %$¤ ™ ÂĽ$„ | ÂĽ%% } X

„

CITY Cathedral of the Good Shepherd May 9: 7.00am, 1.15pm & 6.30pm St Joseph’s Church (Victoria Street) May 8: 6.30pm May 9: 6.30pm & 7.45pm Church of Sts Peter & Paul May 8: 5.30pm May 9: 7.20am, 6.00pm & 8.00pm (Chinese) Church of Our Lady of Lourdes May 8: 6.30pm May 9: 12.30pm, 6.30pmn & 8.00pm (Tamil) Church of the Sacred Heart May 8: 5.30pm May 9: 7.00am & 5.30pm Church of St Teresa May 8: 7.00pm May 9: 12.30pm & 7.00pm Church of St Alphonsus (Novena Church) May 8: 7.00pm May 9: 6.30am, 12.15pm & 7.00pm Church of St Bernadette May 8: 6.00pm May 9: 6.30am & 7.00pm Church of St Michael May 8: 8.00pm May 9: 6.30am & 8.00pm EAST Church of the Holy Family May 8: 7.30pm May 9: 6.15am, 1.00pm & 7.30pm Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace May 8: 6.30pm May 9: 6.30am & 8.00pm (Bilingual) Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour May 8: 6.15pm May 9: 6.30am, 12.30pm, 6.00pm & 8.00pm

UCANEWS.COM

Church of St Stephen May 8: 8pm May 9: 6.30am & 8.00pm Church of the Holy Trinity May 8: 8.00pm May 9: 6.30am, 6.00pm & 8.00pm Church of the Divine Mercy May 8: 7.00pm May 9: 6.30am, 1.00pm & 7.00pm & 8.30pm NORTH

CHURCH FIGURES: Today, Brazil hosts the largest population of Catholics over any other country, with Mexico following close behind.

St Joseph Church (Bukit Timah) May 8: 8.00pm May 9: 6.30am & 8.00pm Church of St Anthony May 8: 8.00pm May 9: 6.30am & 8.00pm Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea May 8: 6.30pm May 9: 6.45am, 6.30pm & 8.00pm Church of the Holy Spirit May 8: 8.00pm May 9: 6.30am, 6.00pm & 8.00pm

CNS graphic

Church of the Risen Christ May 8: 7.00pm May 9: 6.30am, 12.45pm, 6.00pm & 8.00pm

Church of Christ the King May 8: 8.00pm May 9: 6.30am, 1.00pm, 6.15pm & 8.00pm SERANGOON Church of the Nativity of the BVM May 8: 6.30pm, 8.00pm (Mandarin) May 9: 6.30am, 6.30pm & 8.00pm Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary May 8: 8.00pm (no 6.15pm Mass) May 9: 6.15am, 6.15pm & 8.00pm Church of St Francis Xavier May 8: 7.00pm May 9: 6.30am, 6.30pm & 8.00pm St Anne’s Church May 8: 8.00pm May 9: 6.30am, 6.15pm & 8.00pm Church of St Vincent De Paul May 8: 8.00pm May 9: 7.00am, 6.00pm & 8.00pm WEST Church of St Ignatius May 8: 6.00pm May 9: 7.00am, 6.00pm & 8.00pm Blessed Sacrament Church May 8: 7.30pm May 9: 7.00am, 8.30am, 6.00pm & 7.30pm Church of St Mary of the Angels May 8: 6.30pm, 8.15pm May 9: 6.55am, 1.15pm, 6.30pm & 8.15pm Church of St Francis of Assisi May 8: 7.00pm May 9: 6.30am, 7.00pm (Mandarin) & 8.15pm Church of the Holy Cross May 8: 7.30pm May 9: 6.15am, 6.00pm & 7.30pm CATHOLIC PRAYER SOCIETY All Masses below are on Thursday May 9.

Suntec City: Venue: Kids Performing Academy of the Arts Walk (opp Parco), Singapore 039596 Time: 12.15pm & 1.15pm

! "# Time: 11.30am, 12.15pm & 1.15pm Orchard: Venue: The Brix, Grand Hyatt Hotel Time:12:40pm and 1:20pm Shenton: Venue: Singapore Conference Hall (Shenton Way, opp DBS Bldg 1, $ % $ $ ' * + 12.30pm & 1.15pm Jurong East: % ---/$; / </ < $ # = $ * $ # >? @ > Cecilia Loke: 98316307 Outram: Venue: SGH Campus, Alumni Medical Center, 2 College Rd (Outram Road E $ - FI= = $ ; + Time: 12.15pm Mass times correct at time of printing. Please check with parishes for updates.

22 JUBILARIANS

Sunday May 5, 2013 „ CatholicNews

We salute our CatholicNews honours priests and Religious celebrating 60 YEARS FR PAUL TONG Fr Paul Tong, 86, says he is grateful to be celebrating his 60th anniversary as a priest. He was born in Shandong, China, joined the seminary in Tianjin and pursued his studies in philosophy at the major seminary in Beijing. He completed his theology ^ ™ ™ * / X dained a priest on Dec 20, 1953. He ™ versity of Louvain, Belgium. At the invitation of then Archbishop Michael Olcomendy, Fr Tong arrived in Singapore in November 1958 to serve the archdiocese. He has worked in parishes such as Church of Sts Peter and Paul, Church of St Bernadette and Church of Sacred Heart where he is currently assistant priest. Fr Tong has also been deeply involved in the Mandarin-speaking apostolate and dedicated his time to the Mandarin-speaking faithful in Singapore such as in the Legion of Mary, Young Christian Students’ Movement (YCS), Young Christian Workers, Mandarin Bible Society and Marriage Encounter in Mandarin. “After the ordination, although I was unable to exercise my ministry in my diocese of Tianjin, by divine providence, I was blessed to

exercise it in Singapore,� he said. “I’m very happy in the formation and training of the lay apostolate.� His passion is evident in his 31 years as chief editor of Hai Sing Pao, the bi-weekly Church newspaper for the Mandarin-speaking community. He still serves the paper as a consultant. His concerns for the Mandarinspeaking community led to the formation of the Commission for Apostolate of Mandarin-speaking (CAMS) where he was spiritual director. CAMS functions as the highest coordinating and strategising body

among the Mandarin-speaking Catholics and promotes the community’s apostolate works. Fr Tong notes that there are many Mandarin-speaking Catholics who are dedicated to their faith. Yet, at some archdiocesan level activities, Mandarin-speaking and Tamil-speaking Catholics, despite having commissions in the Singapore Church, are overlooked, he says. “I do hope that the Church as well as the Catholics in Singapore would also show their concern and encouragement towards this minority of Catholics so that they may join the majority English-speaking Catholics in worshipping God and rendering service in the Church of Singapore,� he said. Fr Tong started Carlo Catholic Society in 1996 which aims to spread the Gospel through the media. Its predecessor was the Catholic Central Bureau. Fr Tong was appointed its director by the Vatican. Despite his advanced years, Fr Tong is currently spiritual director for the Mandarin-speaking retirees’ group and is in charge of three Bible-sharing groups. He still celebrates daily and weekend Masses. „

Not all who are celebrating their jubilees are featured here as some have declined the publicity.

SR MARIA RIVA Z X * life is a gift,� says Canossian Sr " * Z X siastic ... knowing that when the Lord calls, He will give the grace and courage to take up the challenge.� Through constant prayer, her father approved her decision to become a nun. God “changed my father’s heart�, said the Italian nun. * her two sisters who became nuns, she decided to join the Canossians at the age of 21. In 1963, “after a long and arduous 22-day journey on the ship, I arrived in Singapore at St Anthony’s Convent�. She started learning English and teaching methodology, and later worked in various ministries. These included being in charge of boarders in Malacca and Canossa Convent in Singapore, teaching

SR TARCISIUS LEONG

in the Canossian-run school for the hearing-impaired, and teaching catechism in parishes and schools. Currently, she is involved in pastoral care for the elderly at St Joseph’s Home and teaches catechism at St Francis of Assisi parish. “For me, doing ordinary things with great love is the most important ministry,� she says. „

Sr Tarcisius Leong of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine " /

sion in 1958 in England. She has done missionary work in Kin Men islands, near Xiamen, China, and also volunteered as a nurse in Ethiopia for one and a half years. She was a midwife and nurse in Mount Alvernia Hospital and cared for postulants here before they left for their postulancy programme in England. She was spiritual director for a X * ? in Johor Bahru, and also started the day care service in Assisi Hospice. The nun says she is “thankful to God for allowing me to see my 60 years of work, love and prayers for people�. Currently, she helps out in her convent and does gardening. X @ X / her favourite, and roses. „

SR AGNES TAN ? = X porean postulant of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood (FMDM). She underwent religious and nursing/midwifery training in the ™‘ $Œ—Œ X tulant director in Singapore. She also worked in the old Tan Tock Seng Hospital until 1961 when Mount Alvernia Hospital (MAH) was opened. She was appointed Sister-incharge of the maternity ward. In 1967, she was transferred to Mount Alvernia Hospital, Bendigo, in Australia, as midwife in charge. In 1977, she was appointed local leader/administrator of the hospital. She returned to Singapore in 1981 and in 1984 was made FMDM regional leader. In 1990, when the Gulf War broke out, she assisted the FMDM nuns in Jordan by helping with refugee work for three months. In 1991, she underwent Clinical

Pastoral Care (CPC) training in Ireland. She was later appointed CPC coordinator at MAH in Singapore and local leader of the community. In 2000, she worked as a CPC Sister in Ireland, after which she rejoined the CPC Team at MAH. In 2008, she was appointed local leader. She is now doing parttime CPC ministry and helping with house chores in the convent. „

FR GERALD T ( ‡ =

profession as a Jesuit in Singapore in 1966. He was then assigned to teach in the Wah Yan College in Kowloon, Hong Kong. After a year of teaching he was posted to work with the Irish Jesuits in Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur. He was given the task of running the Jesuit student hostel known as Xavier Hall. After eight years, he left Malaysia. “I had a choice of going back to Hong Kong to teach in one of our Jesuit colleges or stay and work in Singapore as the Irish Jesuits had already established themselves in Kingsmead Hall and had built the former St Ignatius Church along ‘ Q * / As an old boy of St Joseph’s Institution, he approached Br Joseph Kiely, the principal then. “I taught the lower classes of Secondary One and Two as I felt X @ young students to dedicate their life ” *

FR JOHN NGUYEN V Fr John Nguyen van Dich’s vocation as a missionary was nurtured in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, where he joined the minor seminary in 1964. He describes the hilltribe people as “candid, sincere, loving and trusting� and spent a year assisting the villagers in education and agricultural skills. Hard times came when the communists occupied the south of Vietnam in 1975. Fr van Dich recalls the closure of seminaries, the exodus of students back home with priests and professors imprisoned in concentration camps or sent back to France. He himself suffered in hard labour and concentration camps – more than three years in stone quarries. “For the communists, it was ... ‘re-education’. For me, it was a time of purgatory ... they were to prepare me for my missionary life in Singapore,� he said. He escaped Vietnam after one year on the run and arrived in Paris in 1979. He returned to his priestly studies and joined the Paris Foreign Missions Society (MEP) in 1984. He arrived in Singapore in 1989 after his ordination. He has since served at Church of the Holy

JUBILARIANS 23

Sunday May 5, 2013 „ CatholicNews

JUBILARIANS their 25th, 50th and 60th anniversaries this year 50 YEARS

D TSENG

or Religious brothers,� he said. After retiring from teaching and running the Catholic Junior College hostel, he returned to the Jesuits’ Kingsmead Hall Residence. He celebrated Mass in the old church until he suffered a stroke. After he recovered, he celebrated Masses for the elderly in the Villa Francis Home for the Aged in Mandai when the regular chaplain was not available, and also anointed the sick in hospitals or in their homes. „

SR EUCHARIA TAN Sr Eucharia Tan joined the International Noviciate of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood (FMDM) at Ladywell Convent, England, in 1961. She later studied nursing in Ireland and served children with special needs in Beaufort, County Kerry.

in the village church in July 1968, “a historic moment ... as I was the

* ? my profession there�, she says. She was assistant to the novice directress in Ladywell and in 1986 attended the formators’ programme in Antipolo, Manila. She was later novice directress for FMDM’s Singapore/Malaysia region for eight years. She also worked at Singapore’s Mount Alvernia Hospital at different times as Sister-in-Charge of the general and paediatric wards, and also in the operating theatre. She then served the residents of FMDM’s Villa Francis Home for the Aged. “However, I had always hoped that one day I would go to Africa to

serve our missions there,� she said. In 1994, she was assigned to Nigeria. She helped to build up primary health care and was also Diocesan Health Coordinator. She later assisted the chaplain in the local university of Yola State and counselled students. She returned to England later to care for elderly Sisters. Sr Eucharia Tan returned to Singapore in 2011. She serves Assisi Hospice patients and the cancer support group her late brother, Fr Joseph Tan, spearheaded. „

SR ISOBEL LOONG “I’ve been in nursing and hospital administration most of my Religious life,� says Sr Isobel Loong from the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood. “I’ve always believed that with our institutions we have a ‘gold mine’ to serve God’s people, particularly ministry to the poor, vulnerable, and disadvantaged.� She has had experience of missions to the UK, Ireland, USA, Nigeria, Zambia, Jordan, Philippines and China. For 12 years, she undertook a China outreach through the Ecumenical Mission Desk in the Council of Churches in London. “My role was to enable China Religious Sisters the opportunities and access to studies outside China,� she says. Two Sisters who obtained their master’s are now generals of their respective orders. She says her time at Penang’s Mount Miriam Cancer Hospital, from 2003-2006, was “a very precious ... time�.

“The starting of radiotherapy wasn’t easy. But with many likeminded people and the commitment of our FMDM Sisters, treatment for cancer patients at Mount Miriam was realised.� At the age of 72, she felt “called to be hands-on with the poor� and responded to a call for help from an isolated church on Hainan Island in China. “I took it on as a regional project for three years,� she said. She was able to help build a clinic and church there. „

25 YEARS

N VAN DICH

Family, St Joseph Church (Bukit Timah), Church of St Francis of Assisi, Church of St Stephen, and Church of the Holy Spirit. He is currently assistant priest at Church of St Vincent de Paul. He also formed the Vietnamese Catholic community in Singapore with NTU and NUS students. The groups celebrates Mass monthly at St Joseph’s Church, Victoria Street. Fr van Dich also got involved in Marriage Encounter and family life programmes. Fr van Dich says he is grateful for the gift of the Catholic community as they are the “reasons and the joy� of his missionary life. „

FR GLENN DE CRUZ “Before joining the Redemptorists, X the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for some years,� says Fr Glenn de Cruz. “Although I drew a salary decent enough for me to afford a car, I was restless. When the newly opened zoo advertised for zookeepers in 1974, I leapt at the chance.� Then, he only attended church when he “felt like it� but had a “spiritual awakening� as he worked with the animals “and after learning more about the delicate web of life in nature�. “You can say I found God in the zoo,� he said. However, he felt troubled and decided to speak to Fr P J O’Neill, an Australian Redemptorist priest. “One thing led to another. In no time I decided to join their Aspirancy House at Nallur Road.� He recalled a friend jokingly asking him, “Are you leaving the zoo and joining the circus?� His reply, “If that’s the case then God must be the ring master.� He studied in Chicago’s Catholic Theological Union from 1997-

1999. He was later Redemptorist vice-provincial of Malaysia and Singapore for six years. “For the past 25 years, I was involved in many ministries, and parish missions in Singapore and other countries,� he says. He is now postulant director of the Aspirancy and Postulancy House at Nallur Road. He is also involved with the Novena Bible Apostolate, a member of the Parish Mission Team and spiritual director for various groups. „

SR PRISCILLA GERTRUDE AHIN

Sr Priscilla Gertrude Ahin joined the Canossians in 1988. “Being an only child, I was timid and shy ... Yet I had the experience of working with drop-outs and started a vocational centre for them,� she says. “I also worked with children X / cilitated talks and conducted retreats and personal accompaniment.� Sr Ahin is now working in the Canossian School helping children with hearing loss using the Natural, Auditory, Oral (NAO) programme. “I have lots to thank God for especially for both my psychological and spiritual growth as a person,� she says. „

SR ANNE LIM

Z sion in 1988, my training as a nurse has enabled me to serve Him best,� says Canossian Sr Anne Lim. “At St Joseph’s Home for the Aged and Hospice, I could help ease the pain of the elderly and terminally ill.� From 1988 to 2003, “I experienced God’s loving care and pose in offering professional and spiritual support�, she says. Since 2005, she has been taking care of elderly Canossian nuns. “I am grateful for 25 years of God’s faithfulness, I am convinced that the heart of the matter is listening to the daily call of God,� she says. „

24

Sunday May 5, 2013 „ CatholicNews

CHILDREN’S STORY:

By Joe Sarnicola Paul and Barnabas went to the synagogue in Iconium to preach about Jesus. Their speaking was so effective that many Greeks, as well as Jews, came to believe. This made some of the Jews who did not believe angry, so they tried to tell people that Paul and Barnabas were not men to listen to. But Paul and Barnabas continued to preach and to perform miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit. As a result, some of the people of the city believed the words of the disciples, while others did not. When they discovered that some of the people who did not like them were plotting to stone them, Paul and Barnabas escaped to the countryside, including the cities of Lystra and Derbe. In Lystra, they found a man who

had been crippled from the time he had been born. The man called out to Paul for help. Paul could tell the man had the faith necessary to be healed, so he said to him, “Stand up straight on your feet.� Not only was the man able to stand, but he walked and jumped. The people who saw this thought that the Greek gods had come down to visit them. They thought Paul was Zeus and Barnabas was Hermes. Paul and Barnabas were upset by this, so they said, “Men, why are you doing this? We are of the same nature as you, human beings. We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God, ‘who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them’.� Paul and Barnabas eventually returned to Antioch, where they encour-

SPOTLIGHT ON SAINTS:

St Pius V Michael Ghislieri (1504-1572) joined the Dominican order when he was 14 years old. After becoming a priest he taught theology and philosophy, and he also was a master of the novices. In 1552 he was appointed bishop and shortly after was named inquisitor general as well as being promoted to the position of cardinal. Upon the death of Pope Pius IV, Michael was selected to be the next pope. He chose the name of Pius V and made it public that he wanted to enforce the recommendations of the Council of Trent, including the creation of the catechism. He used his position to help the poor and even promoted ' encouraged the people of the church to fast and to pray the rosary. We remember him on April 30. „

aged the Christians there. They also prayed and fasted with them as they appointed presbyters in the churches. They also told the people of the churches about the events that happened during their missionary journey, including being able to preach to the gentiles as well as the Jews, and how God had been with them, even though they Using their own lives as examples, Paul and Barnabas said about

their travels, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.� „ Read more about it: Acts 4 Acts 14

Q&A 1. What did the crippled man do after Paul healed him? 2. What did Paul and Barnabas say to the people who thought they were gods?

WORDSEARCH: „ PAUL

„ BARNABAS

„ SYNAGOGUE „ JESUS

„ PREACH „ GREEKS

„ JEWS „ MIRACLES

„ BELIEVE „ POWER

PUZZLE: Using the Acts of the Apostles as a guide, match the event with the place where it happened. Chapter numbers have been provided as hints. Not all names in the list will be used. Malta Samaria Corinth Damascus Cyprus Israel

Caesarea Bethlehem Jerusalem

1. Pentecost (2) 2. Philip and the magician (8) 3. The conversion of Saul (9) 4. Cornelius the gentile (10) } @ # ~ (13) 6. Paul visits Aquila (18) 7. Paul spends the winter (28)

Bible Accent:

Answers to Wordsearch: Answer to Bible Trivia: Luke (Acts), John (John 1, 2 and 3)

BIBLE TRIVIA: Which two Gospel writers have more than one of their books in the New Testament?

Answers to Puzzles 1. Jerusalem, 2. Samaria, 3. Damascus, 4. Caesarea, 5. Cyprus, 6. Corinth, 7. Malta

The Acts of the Apostles opens with Jesus promising His apostles that He would send the Holy Spirit to give them the power to be His witnesses on earth, and then Jesus ascended into heaven. When the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost, everyone who was in Jerusalem saw a demonstration of the power of God. Peter gave a speech to the people explaining what was happening. After that day, the Christians performed miracles and continued to preach wherever they went, and many times they were thrown in jail or persecuted. Much of the remainder of this important book tells us about the conversion and missionary work of Paul, who had previously been one of the harshest opponents of the Christians. „

WHAT’S ON 25

Sunday May 5, 2013 „ CatholicNews

EVENT SUBMISSIONS We welcome information of events happening in our local Church. Please send your submission at least one month before the event. Online submissions can be made at www. catholic.sg/webevent_form.php

RCIA/RCIY/ RCIC A journey for those seeking to know more about the Catholic faith. Baptised Catholics are also invited to journey as sponsors.

FRIDAYS APRIL 26 RCIA@CHURCH OF ST TERESA 7.45-9pm: At Church of St Teresa 4th Level St Paul Room Parish House (510 Kampong Bahru Rd). Register T: 9769 1691, 6271 1184; E: stteresa@  SATURDAYS APRIL 27 RCIY@CHURCH OF DIVINE MERCY 2.30-4pm: For those aged 13-22. At Church of Divine Mercy (19 Pasir Ris St 72) Register T: 8133 3078 (Leonard); E: rciy@divinemercy.sg SUNDAYS APRIL 28 RCIY@CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS XAVIER 10.30am-12pm: For those aged 15-21. At Church of St Francis Xavier (63 APRIL 30 MASS OF HOPE 7.30pm: The Mass of Hope offers families peace and healing from the grief of miscarriages, stillbirths or even abortion. By Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat Team. At Church of OLPS (31 Siglap Hill). Register E: massofhope@gmail.com; T: 9070 1190 (Alex/Jocelyn); W: www.massofhope.org MAY 1 PILGRIMAGE IN MY BACKYARD 10am: Walk through the Church of the Nativity of the BVM and see how the ' over 160 years. Register T: 6336 4815/ 6336 4467; E: cana@catholiccentre.com.sg FRIDAY MAY 3 TO SUNDAY MAY 5 MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER WEEKEND Fri (8pm)-Sun (6pm): A live-in marriage enrichment programme for married couples. Equip yourselves on this journey of love. By ME Singapore. At 201-B Punggol 17th Avenue. Register: T: 9670 5390; E: register@marriage-encounter-sg.org SUNDAYS MAY 5 TO AUGUST 11 CHRISTIAN LIFE PROGRAMME 2-5pm: An initiation course leading to a life in the Holy Spirit. Married couples and individuals over 21 years old are welcome. By Couples for Christ. At Church of St Anthony Auditorium (25 Woodlands Ave 1), T: 9388 4473 (Jun), 9825 1428 (Bong) TUESDAYS MAY 7 TO MAY 21 A BIBLICAL WALK THROUGH THE MASS 7.30-9.30pm: Discover the rich meanings behind what we say and do during the liturgy which will lead you to a more fruitful worship experience. At Church of the Risen Christ Parish Hall. E: free. risenchrist@gmail.com; Register W: http:// home.catholicweb.com/freeatrisenchristl

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WEDNESDAYS MAY 8 RELAXATION EXERCISE IN ENGLISH 10-11am: Therapeutic breathing and guided imagery exercises. By Clarity Singapore. At Block 854 #01-3511, Yishun Ring Road. Register: 67577 990, 9710 3733; E: registration@clarity-singapore.org THURSDAY MAY 9 TO SUNDAY MAY 12 FROM CONSUMER TO COWBOY Thu (7pm)-Sun (5pm): pray and @ commitment in a consumerist world. Cost: $210 (non air-con room), $270 (air-con room). Facilitated by Fr Christopher Soh, SJ. By Kingsmead CISC. At 8 Victoria Park Rd. Register by Apr 29. T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@gmail.com

Chartwell Drive). Register T: 9751 3448 (Mark); E: tctay60@gmail.com THURSDAYS MAY 2 RCIA@BLESSED SACRAMENT CHURCH 8pm: At Blessed Sacrament Church St James Room (1 Commonwealth Dr). Register T: 6474 0582 (Dominic); E: rcia@bsc.org.sg SATURDAYS MAY 4 RCIY@CHURCH OF CHRIST THE KING 3-5pm: For those aged 15-21. At Church of Christ the King Room 105 (At 2221 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8). Register T: 9667 9952 (Iris), 9362 8263 (Daryl); E: rciyctk@gmail.com SATURDAYS MAY 4 RCIY@CHURCH OF ST IGNATIUS 4-6pm: For those aged 15-22. At Church of St Ignatius Attic (At 120 King’s Rd). Register T: 9762 6330 (Evelyn), 9362 0912 (Pascalene); E: rciy.ignatius@gmail.com WEDNESDAYS MAY 8 RCIA@CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI 8pm: At Church of St Francis of Assisi Level 2 RCIA Room (At 200 Boon Lay Avenue). Register T: 6262 4193 (Joachim); E: joachimliu@sfa-parish.org.sg to raise fund for the new annex building to cater to increasing parishioners. Mr Lim Boon Heng will grace this occasion. At Seletar Country Club. T: 9777 5801 (Jellita); E: jellita.walean@gmail.com SATURDAYS MAY 11 TO MAY 25 COMMON SENSE PARENTING WORKSHOP Œ \$ ! ?  \ X developed by Boystown, USA, to help parents discover a practical approach to manage behaviours and guide children in the choices that they make. Parents will also receive practical sessions in the workshop. At Morning Star Community Services (4 Lor Low Koon). Register T: 6285 1377; E: programs@morningstar.org.sg MAY 11 MEDITATIVE PRAYER WITH THE SONGS OF TAIZE 8-9.30pm: At The Armenian Church of St Gregory the Illuminator (60 Hill Street); T: 9837 7256 (Benny); E: bennycah@gmail.com SUNDAYS MAY 5 TO AUGUST 11 CHRISTIAN LIFE PROGRAMME 2-5pm: A life renewal programme that has touched the lives many. Married couples, individuals, singles over 21 years old are welcome. By Couples for Christ. At Church of Divine Mercy (19 Pasir Ris St 72), Register T: Ronald - 9786 1427 (Ronald), 8201 9788 (Weng) – for couples, Erick - 8318 6923 (Erick), Ice 8606 0410 (Ice) – for singles; W: http:// www.couplesforchrist.org.sg WEDNESDAY MAY 15 TO FRIDAY MAY 17 PENTECOSTAL TRIDUUM 7.30-9.30pm (nightly): Theme: We walk by faith and not by sight. Help yourself, your family and your community grow in faith. Preaching by Fr Jacob Ong CSsR. T: 64536340 Ext7; E: ppc.holyspirit@ gmail.com; FB: http://www.facebook. com/CHSPentecost2013 MAY 18 PASTORAL CARE WORKSHOP ON CARE FOR THE SICK AND ELDERLY 2-5pm: Caregivers and parish Communion Ministers to the sick are encouraged to attend. Facilitated by Sr Carmen Francis, FMDM, Clinical Pastoral Care/PastoralGrief Counsellor. By Catholic Nurses Guild. Cost: $10. At Church of Divine Mercy. Register T/SMS: 9236 1047 (Theresa), 9670 3521 (Dorothy), 8121 1263 (Yvonne) MAY 18 PENTECOSTAL RALLY 7.30-10.30pm: An evening of prayer, praise and thanksgiving led by Youth Charismatic Ministry. At Church of St Ignatius (St Ignatius Hall). E: devitachristi@gmail.com

FRIDAY MAY 10 TO SUNDAY MAY 12 CHOICE WEEKEND Fri (6pm)-Sun (6pm): For single young adults 18 to 35 years old. This weekend will inspire you to make choices that

X ? ¤� Jurong West Street 42. Register: T: 9880 3093 (Dawn), 90462297 (Albert); E: registration@choice.org.sg; W: www. choice.org.sg

MAY 19 34TH ANNIVERSARY OF ST JOSEPH PRAYERS IN TAMIL 6.30-9pm: St Joseph Tamil Prayer Group will celebrate its 34th Anniversary of Divine Mercy in honour of St Joseph prayers in Tamil with Mass at 7pm. At Blessed Sacrament Church. T: 6474 5249/9678 3855 (Margaret)

MAY 10 CHURCH OF ST ANTHONY FUNDRAISING GOLF TOURNAMENT 11.30am: Fundraising golf tournament

WEDNESDAYS MAY 22 RELAXATION EXERCISE IN CHINESE 10-11am: Therapeutic breathing and guided

FRIDAYS MAY 10 RCIY@ CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI 8pm: For those aged 13-17. At Church of St Francis of Assisi Level 2 RCIA Room (At 200 Boon Lay Avenue). Register T: 6262 4193 (Joachim); E: joachimliu@sfa-parish.org.sg WEDNESDAYS MAY 22 RCIA@CHURCH OF THE HOLY FAMILY 7.30-9.30pm: From Aug meetings will also be held on Sundays from 11am12.30pm At Church of the Holy Family (At 6 Chapel Rd). Register T: 63440046, 96666542; E: rciaholyfam@gmail.com THURSDAYS MAY 23 RCIA@CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 8-10pm: At Church of St Vincent de Paul Room #03-11 (At 248 Upper Thomson Rd). Register T: 9751 3041 (Kevin); E: holyspiritrcia.coordinator@gmail.com THURSDAYS MAY 30 RCIA@CHURCH OF ST VINCENT DE PAUL 8pm: With Info Night on April 23. Enquiries welcome on RCIY and RCIA (Mandarin). At Church of St Vincent de Paul (At 301 Yio Chu Kang Rd). T: 6482 0959

imagery exercises. By Clarity Singapore. At Block 854 #01-3511, Yishun Ring Road. Register: 67577 990, 9710 3733; E: registration@clarity-singapore.org MAY 30 ART THERAPY STUDIO 3-5pm: The open studio is a conducive and creative space for you to be in touch with your inner being and to express yourself through art. No prior art experience necessary. Cost: $10. By Clarity Singapore. At Block 854 #01-3511, Yishun Ring Road. Register: 67577 990, 9710 3733; E: registration@clarity-singapore.org MAY 31 CANDLELIGHT ROSARY WALK AND 5TH ANNIVERSARY MASS 8-10pm: Candlelight rosary walk to honour Mother Mary, followed by the 5th Anniversary Mass of Gen-Christ! Young Adults Eucharistic Adoration Ministry. By Generation Christ! Ministry. At Church of St Ignatius (Garden of Light). E: gen.christ.ministry@gmail.com FRIDAY MAY 31 TO SUNDAY JUNE 2 RETROUVAILLE WEEKEND Fri (8.30pm)-Sun (5.30pm): If you are serious about making your marriage work, this programme could be worthwhile for you. At 201-B Punggol 17th Avenue. Register: T: 6749 8861; E: retrouvaillesingapore@yahoo.com.sg; W: http://www.helpourmarriage.sg FRIDAY JUNE 14 TO SUNDAY JUNE 16 DEALING WITH A PRICKLY PORCUPINE Fri (7pm)-Sun (5pm): A semi-directed retreat with Fr Matthew Linn, SJ, who X can become a source of new life and healing for us. By Kingsmead CISC. Cost: $270 (non air-con room)/$320 (air-con room). At 8 Victoria Park Rd. Register by June 1 T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@gmail.com JUNE 15 A TRAVELLING LIGHT SERIES: I CALL YOU FRIEND 1-6pm: Calling young adults from 20 to ¤ @ and discovery in Sentosa. By Verdum Dei Missionaries. Register T: 6274 0251; E: verbumdeispore@yahoo.com.sg JULY 2 HEALING WHAT MAKES US RESTLESS 8-10pm: Fr Matthew Linn, SJ, helps us look at unresolved anxiety that surfaces at night because it needs healing. Evening ends with a prayer service to heal anxiety and improve sleep. Cost: $20. By Kingsmead CISC. At 8 Victoria Park Rd. Register by June 4 T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@gmail.com JUNE 26 HEALING SERVICE: RECEIVING THE GIFTS OF OUR HERITAGE 8-10pm: Session will focus on naming the gifts of our maternal and paternal ancestry (or whoever else has loved us) and receiving their blessing to live life more fully. Receiving their love also heals the grief that arises from missing their presence. Conducted by Fr Matthew Linn, SJ. Cost: $20. By Kingsmead CISC. At Church of St Ignatius St Ignatius Hall (8 Victoria Park Rd). Register by June 19 T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@gmail.com

SUNDAYS JUNE 8 RCIC/RCIY@CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 9.45am (RCIC), 3pm (RCIY). At Church of the Holy Spirit (248 Upper Thomson Rd). RCIC for 7 to 12 years old. RCIY for 13 to 20 years old. T: 9740 3993 (Jamie – RCIC), 8499 9420 (Elizabeth – RCIY); E: jamie_ze_pig@hotmail.com (RCIC), lizjteh@gmail.com (RCIY) TUESDAYS JUNE 11 RCIA@CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY 7.45pm: At Church of the Holy Trinity (20 Tampines St 11). Register T: 8444 5505 (Gregory); >! Â&#x;

=! & � %—„— | }/ Œ�— &„& (Joanna); E: sng.joanna@gmail.com WEDNESDAYS JUNE 19 RCIA@CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY 7.45-9.45pm: At Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Hall A/B 3rd Floor of Parish Centre (24 Highland Rd). Register T: 9627 3835 (Nancy), 9616 2001 (Agnes); E: rcia@ihm.sg; W: http://ihm.sg/rcia FRIDAYS JUNE 28 RCIY@ CHURCH OF THE RISEN CHRIST 8pm: For those aged 15-25. At Church of the Risen Christ St Matthew Room (91 Toa Payoh Central). Register T: 9489 8086 (Jeremy); E: jeremyleehr@gmail.com

THURSDAYS JUNE 13 RCIA/RCIY@NATIVITY CHURCH 8-10pm: At Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1259 Upper Serangoon Rd). Register T: 97451498(Grace), 96856673(Genevieve); E: nativitysg@yahoo.com.sg

MONDAYS JULY 1/TUESDAYS JULY 2 RCIA@ NOVENA CHURCH 7.30-9.45pm: At Church of St Alphonsus (Novena Church). 300 Thomson Rd. Register T: 6255 2133; E: rcianovena@ gmail.com; or at church reception

TUESDAYS JUNE 18 RCIA@CHURCH OF STS PETER AND PAUL 7.30-9.30pm: With Info Night on June 18. At Church of Sts Peter and Paul (225A ÂŤ } *

FRIDAYS JULY 5 RCIA@ CHURCH OF CHRIST THE KING 8-10pm: At Church of Christ the King (2221 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8). Register at >! ` Â&#x;

Crossword Puzzle 1083 1

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20 23 27 33

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28 34

11

48

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66 www.wordgamesforcatholics.com

ACROSS 1 Heap 5 Black or Blue 10 Splendor 14 Sale words 15 Pilsner 16 Fragrance 17 Mil. branch 18 Got up 19 Game of chance 20 Tennis shot 21 _____ of Kings 22 He sent the Magi to Bethlehem (Mt 2:8) 23 Vatican Guard 25 From a distance 28 Juan’s cheer 29 Emperor of Russia 30 Chafe 33 Growl angrily 36 Marriage 38 Promised _____ 39 Simon’s motherin-law was cured of this (Lk 4:3839) 40 Aid and _____ 41 _____ succession 43 Choreographer Bob _____ ¤¤ ? X 45 Back part of the foot ¤& ZŠ sea and the birds of the _____.â€? (Gen 1:26) 47 Flexible tube 48 Melody 50 A jewel 53 Near

54 Ursuline order letters 57 River in England 58 French World War I soldier 60 Obstacle 61 Ornamental fabric 62 Archbishop Romero 63 Irritate 64 Black 65 Hammer heads 66 Annual race, familiarly DOWN 1 St _____ of the Cross 2 “This _______ sudden!� 3 Branches 4 Corner key 5 Saint for sore throats 6 Merits 7 Highly excited 8 Matter of law 9 Coordinator of parish programs (abbr.) 10 Card game 11 River in central Europe 12 “Kissing disease,� for short 13 Goad 21 What we are forbidden to commandment 22 Spydom name

24 The Seven Last of Jesus 25 St. Juan Diego, for example 26 M*A*S*H character 27 Religion of the Muslims 29 Trivial objection 30 Steals from 31 Ones, to Pierre 32 Units of computer memory 34 Mondavi’s valley 35 Hie’s partner 36 Confused hand-to 37 New Zealand aboriginal 39 Enemies 42 Commandment pronoun

43 What Andrew and Peter did for a living 46 Prophets 47 It was in the carcass of the lion that Samson killed 48 Imperial edict that legalized Christianity 49 Pope of the 7th century 50 Indonesian resort island 51 “Terrible� ruler of Russia 52 An enthusiast 53 Pleasing 55 Stated 56 Unattractive 58 Explosive sound —Œ X  &

Solution to Crossword Puzzle No. 1082 J A C O B

U N I T E

D E N S E

A G A R

R O D E

E L A N

J A R S

U N I T

N O D E

E W E

P A U A L H I V I D I N A T D C A D E R R O S E D E G E E L

A R G U E H O N E Y L E S

C E A L L Y M W H O E M R A O N D M J O O U T R A N

A M A H G O A D E D

A M B R R I L E A S I D S P A W A I L I E N B R K I N B U S E O D R O C C N H U T O R W I S O R E

Y S E R S A G S O B O E S

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Sunday May 5, 2013 CatholicNews

PUBLISHED BY ARCHBISHOP NICHOLAS CHIA, 2 HIGHLAND ROAD #01-03, SINGAPORE 549102. PRINTED BY TIMESPRINTERS, 16 TUAS AVE 5, SINGAPORE 639340.

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