JANUARY 26, 2014, Vol 64, No 02

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SUNDAY JANUARY 2014

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New relations needed between bishops, Religious Pope Francis says he knows through experience the problems that can arise between bishops and Religious communities VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis said

he has ordered a revision of what he called outdated Vatican norms on the relations between Religious orders and local bishops, in order to promote greater appreciation of the orders’ distinctive missions. The pope’s remarks were published on Jan 3 in the Italian Jesuit magazine La Civilta Cattolica. He made the comments on Nov 29 at a closed-door meeting with 120 superiors general of male Religious orders from around the world. Pope Francis referred to Mutuae Relationes, a set of directives issued jointly by the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for Religious in 1978. The document said that Religious orders are part of the local Church, though with their own internal organisation, and that their “right to autonomy� should never be considered as independence from the local Church. “That document was useful at the time but is now outdated,� the pope said. “The charisms of the various institutes need to be respected and fostered because they are needed in dioceses.� The pope, who until his election in March 2013 served as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and formerly served as a Jesuit provincial, said he knew “by experience the problems that can arise between a bishop and Religious communities�. For example, he said, “If the Religious decide one day to withdraw from one of their works due to a lack of manpower, the bishop with a hot potato in his hand.� “I also know that the bishops are not always acquainted with the charisms and works of Religious,� he said. “We bishops need to understand that consecrated persons

VOL 64

NO.

INSIDE HOME New school principals commissioned Archbishop explains role of Catholic schools „ Page 8

ASIA Change in Johor weekends Parishes amend Mass times to cope „ Page 10

‘Key man of 2013’ Chinese media forum give pope top vote „ Page 11

WORLD Pope Francis arrives for a meeting with 120 superiors of men’s Religious orders at the Vatican Nov 29. Standing next to the pope is Jesuit superior general, Fr Adolfo Nicolas. CNS photo

are not functionaries but gifts that enrich dioceses. “The involvement of Religious communities in dioceses is important,� the pope said. “Dialogue between the bishop and Religious must be rescued so that, due to a

acknowledged a “vocational crisis� among such men but said he believed they still had a role in Religious life. The 15-page article by Jesuit Fr Antonio Spadaro, editor of La Civilta Cattolica, quoted exten-

We bishops need to understand that ‘ consecrated persons are not functionaries but gifts that enrich dioceses.’

– Pope Francis to superiors general of male Religious orders

lack of understanding of their charisms, bishops do not view Religious simply as useful instruments.� At the Nov 29 meeting, the pope also asked the heads of the ish a pending document on male Religious who are not priests. He

sively from the pope’s remarks at the three-hour meeting, which Fr Spadaro attended. During the event, Pope Francis preferred “neither to give a talk nor to listen to their prepared remarks: He wished to have a frank and free conversation consisting of questions

and answers,� Fr Spadaro wrote. Pope Francis said seminary directors must be sensitive to the needs of Religious novices, encouraging them to engage in sincere and fearless dialogue with their instructors. “Formation is a work of art, not a police action,� the pope said. “We must form their hearts. Otherwise we are creating little monsters. And then these little monsters mould the People of God. This really gives me goose bumps.� He added, “In the end we must not form administrators, managers, but fathers, brothers, travelling companions.� The pope also praised efforts by Pope Benedict to stop sex abuse of minors by clergy and Religious and stressed the importance of vetting candidates for Religious orders. „ CNS

Frosty weather in the US Church agencies step up to render aid „ Page 13

POPE FRANCIS Pontiff creates 19 new cardinals Two are from Asia „ Page 14

BACK PAGE State of catechesis in S’pore Archbishop gives his frank opinion „ Page 24

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Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Newly ordained priests share their faith stories By Darren Boon It was a phone call asking for a “Fr Terence� even before he was anywhere close to becoming a priest that made Fr Terence Kesavan think seriously about the clerical life. Kesavan, 35, was then active in the young adults’ community at St Francis Xavier parish. When he received the call for a “Fr Terence� on his phone, asking for the person in charge of the youth at the parish, Fr Kesavan thought the caller was “playing a fool� or $ % & # Fr Kesavan then laughed over it, but the idea of priesthood started taking root in his mind. Words and other thoughts related to the priesthood came to his mind over the next few days as he attended Mass and during his prayer time. He then began to contemplate seriously about whether God was calling him to be a priest. It was the “last piece of the jigsaw� Fr Kesavan’s journey to the priesthood, he told CatholicNews. When he was younger, Fr Kesavan had thought of becoming a priest. As an altar server, he was also often encouraged by senior parishioners to consider taking up the vocation. reasons against it: he felt he was unable to speak in public as he was a shy person, he did not pray outside of church and family prayers, he felt bored reading the Bible and other spiritual books, he had not experienced the spiritual call, and he found it unthinkable to attend a 30-day silent retreat which seminarians had to go through.

Fr Terence Kesavan

when he spotted a that said, ‘If you’re going to live life as if God doesn’t exist, you better be sure.’ However, the turning point came when he had a crisis of faith in 2002. He had returned to Singapore after his studies in Melbourne and returned to join the young adults’ community at St Francis Xavier parish. He felt he could contribute more to the community having led sessions in a Catholic community in Melbourne. However, he realised that the Mustard Seed Community had deepened its faith considerably compared to what he had experienced previously, and members were sharing their experiences of God in their daily lives.

Newly ordained priests Fr Jude David (third from left) and Fr Terence Kesavan (third from right) pose for a photo with (from left) Msgr Ambrose Vaz, Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Chia, Archbishop William Goh, apostolic nuncio Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli and Jesuit Msgr Philip Heng. The new priests were ordained on Jan 1 at the Church of St Francis Xavier. Photos: DOMINIC WONG

He started to examine his own experience with God and found little he could share about. “That totally shook my faith,â€? he recalled and led him to ask, “Is God real?â€? “I guess I was at the crossroads of my life‌after graduation‌ looking for a job‌and everything was wide-open,â€? he recalled. He then realised he was leading a double life, practising his faith in church but not outside of it. At the same time, his non– Catholic friends were talking about career, cars, clubbing and sleeping around. He remembered asking himself, “If God is not real, what is stopping me from doing that? Why

am I wasting my time in church?� This struggle lasted a few months and he thought of leaving the Church until he spotted a car with a bumper sticker that said, “If you’re going to live life as if God doesn’t exist, you better be sure.� He then started praying more, and reading the Bible and other books on faith. Soon, he was able to see God’s presence in his life and his prayer life also deepened. So when the strange phone call came, Fr Kesavan felt that longer valid, and he was willing to undergo the silent retreat if he had to. He also recalled that there was

a sense of peace within him even though he would have preferred the married life. Fr Kesavan said he enjoyed his studies in the seminary though exams were a challenge. This was especially so as he had a science background and preferred “everything black and white�. However, with God, certain areas are a mystery, a big patch of grey, he said. Describing himself as an optimist, he said he feels the joys of his journey to the priesthood outweigh the struggles and challenges, which included the passing of his mother. Even then, he was able to feel God’s presence, he said. „

A search that led him to a personal encounter with Jesus It’s all about falling in love with Jesus and His Church, says newly ordained Fr Jude David, as he describes how he came to embrace the priesthood. “I was so captivated by Jesus and the beauty of the Church. After I began to read more about the Church, I became convinced that the Catholic Church was really the true Church,� said Fr David. “I was very moved by all the work the Spirit was doing in the Church especially in the renewal of the Church,� Fr David told CatholicNews. Although he was an altar server in his early years, Fr David, 34, said his personal encounter with Christ came during his college days. A crisis of faith back then led him to a search to discover more about God and Catholicism. He had also felt discouraged then because he felt some Catholics were not as enthusiastic about their

faith compared to other Christians. “It was this personal search that led me to the personal encounter with Jesus Christ,� he said, adding that his experience as an altar server gave him “the grounding for that personal realisation and awakening of faith in my heart�. On the positive side, he was inspired by various Church movements and how young people responded to God’s call to serve Him. Together with a few other like-minded young people from the Church of St Francis Xavier, where he was a parishioner, they formed a youth group called Youthworks, now known as the Mustard Seed Community. They would come together twice a week for Bible study and sharing, attend Mass together, and take part in community prayer and formation. They would even visit relatives of parishioners who were in hospital to pray with them.

‘Father’ is not ‘ just a title or rank for me, but really a relationship...to be a father to God’s the love of the Father to them,’

– Fr Jude David

Fr David said this experience gave him “the perspective and a broadened vision of Church and pastoral ministry‌ in a very existential wayâ€? rather than just in a “theoreticalâ€? way. Fr David told CatholicNews that although he had thought of the priesthood in his early years, he had ignored it as he was fearful

also the oldest of three sons and felt a duty to take care of his family. After working for two years following graduation, he felt God calling him to enter the seminary.

family, they gave him his blessings, Fr David recounted. His formation years were not

smooth sailing as he encountered various challenges. Nevertheless, he persevered, trusting that the God would take care of things. Fr David says he feels joyful and privileged to be in love with Jesus and His Church and hopes to “be the face of Christ to His people�, to “encourage people in their low moments�, to “celebrate with them in their joys� and to “truly be a father to them�. “So ‘Father’ is not just a title or rank for me, but really a relationship...to be a father to God’s Father to them,� he said. He says he would like to “journey� with people and “mediate God’s presence in their lives� in his ministries at the Catholic Spirituality ! " # and the Church of the Holy Spirit that he has been assigned to. „ darren.boon@catholic.org.sg

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Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews

CHIJ school to mark 160 years

Left: CHIJ Secondary principal Karen Tay poses for a photo with students. The school is holding a series of celebrations to mark its 160th anniversary. Right: banner outside the school.

By Clara Lai CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) will mark its 160th anniversary with a thanksgiving Mass on Jan 30 to be celebrated by Archbishop William Goh. The event launches a yearlong celebration, themed ‘Celebrating Love, Changing Lives’, to commemorate the 160 years

' * + '*/ established in Singapore. Other activities include a launch ; $ ' * +'*/ <

; There will also be a bazaar and gala dinner in November, and this will be a joint celebration with CHIJ Primary, IJ Homes and Children’s

Centres, as well as school alumnae. “As a school community we’re excited,� said Mrs Mathews < = >

the anniversary celebration planning committee. “We, as laypeople, should give ;

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celebrations is also to pass on the CHIJ “legacy to the students, as '*@ ' QUZ[ '* <

'* Bras Basah Road and Victoria Street, where CHIJMES stands today. In 1905, secondary education started when Senior Cambridge exams were introduced. In 1964, the school separated into primary

and secondary sections. It then moved to Toa Payoh in 1983 and

; CHIJ Primary and CHIJ Secondary in Toa Payoh thus origi \

< < ] garet’s primary and secondary schools which started in 1842. „ clara.lai@catholic.org.sg

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Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews

ARCHBISHOP GOH’S LUNAR NEW YEAR MESSAGE

Thanking God for the gift of family Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Chinese New Year is one of the most celebrated occasions in the Lunar Calendar. It is customary for families to gather together during this time of the year to renew familial ties and to reminisce the good old times and to recall the shared experiences that bind us together. We remember also the sacri $ them for bringing us up well, imparting valuable cultural and family traditions to us down the generations, inculcating in us good moral values and being good role models themselves, and most importantly, passing on the faith of our forefathers. In our celebrations, we must ; %

learned in the family, where a community of brothers and sisters who, bonded by blood ties, grow to accept and care for each other. Our family is the fundamental cell of society, where we learn to live with others despite our dif-

Let us remember those who have lost their loved ones, the poor and those on the fringes of society. If we can, let us invite them to partake of our family celebrations.

ferences and to belong to one another; it is also the place where parents pass on the faith to their children (Evangelii Gaudium, 66).

I encourage you in this time of celebration, to welcome Christ _ to imitate the Holy Family of Nazareth, always putting the needs of our brother and sister before our own, submitting to each other out

of love for Christ (Eph 5:21). According to the Chinese zodiac, the year 2014 belongs to the year of the horse. Those born in the year of the horse are supposed to be characterised by their unremitting efforts to improve themselves, are warm-hearted, $ _ $ be persevering in our faith, and be visible signs of Christ’s love and mercy and exemplary to one another, especially in the exercise of justice and charity.

We cannot be brothers and sis

; a brother and sister to each other in our own families. May we bear witness to others by our love and $ that we are Christians by our love (John 13:35). As we share our material abundance with each other, let us remember especially those who have lost their loved ones, the poor and those on the fringes of society. If we can, let us invite $ ebrations, so that they, too, will experience the warmth of family in this Chinese Lunar New Year season. May we be generous in giving ; $ munities that we are in, the wonderful gifts that God has blessed us with, for it is in giving that we realise the fullness of all that we have received. I wish all of you a blessed Lunar New Year! „ Yours in Christ,

Archbishop William Goh

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Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Religious leaders and representatives from various faiths attended an interreligious event at the Church of St Ignatius on Dec 29.

Interfaith gathering held at Church of St Ignatius By Maureen Khoo Thirty religious leaders from eight different faiths attended a Christmas celebration hosted by the Archdiocesan Catholic Council for Interreligious Dialogue (ACCIRD) at the Church of St Ignatius on Dec 29. Among the 80 people present, Msgr Philip Heng, Sr Maria Lau, Sr Theresa Seow and other ACCIRD members also attended the event. Archbishop William Goh in his welcome message spoke about the real meaning of Christmas – that it is in essence a

celebration of love, the love God showed man when He sent His Son to take on our human form. This was followed by Christmas carolling with a brief narration of the Christmas story by eight members of Chorale Evangelica who come from different parishes. Msgr Heng addressed the guests too, explaining the con

mas crib scene and how the idea of the Nativity scene began with St Francis of Assisi in 1223. The guests then proceeded to St Ignatius Hall for a buffet

dinner and evening of fellowship. Buddhist Venerable You Wei said that the Christmas story about the crib as told by Msgr Heng was very insightful. Hindu representative Shriniwas Rai commented that there was fellowship and bonding at the event. Imam Syed Hassan Al-Attas said that the main takeaway from the event was understanding what Christmas is and its importance. He added that understanding the basis of faith events is most important and brings understanding between religions. „

Hindu representative Shriniwas Rai greets Archbishop William Goh as Sikh representative Gurmit Singh (on his left) looks on.

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Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Updated guidebook on Church in China published By Darren Boon China Catholic Communication, a local Church body, has published an update to its guidebook on the Catholic Church in China. The 2014 version of Guide to the Catholic Church in China “re life of the Church� there, the publisher told CatholicNews. The last edition was published in 2008. The newly released 658-page book has a list of priests ordained since 2008. Their mobile phone numbers are also included, where available. Photos of new churches and diocesan websites have also been added. The names of dioceses have also been standardised with lo Holy See’s naming coming after, if there is a difference. China Catholic Communication, also known as Zhonglian, told CatholicNews that apart from the information gathered from websites or Church publications, the publisher also established direct contact through email and other means with the priests in China. Zhonglian endeavoured to ensure the accuracy of the data ex-

The guidebook, published by local Church body, China Catholic Communication, has photos of new churches and diocesan websites.

cept for some remote and hard to contact places, said the publisher. Churches listed in the guidebook include the governmentapproved ones as well as “underground� ones in certain regions. However, Catholics can attend Masses and receive communion in both communities. Most of the Chinese bishops, including those ordained without the approval of the Vatican, together with most of the “underground� ones, are listed in the guide.

The book is in English and Chinese and provides addresses of churches and Mass times. However, visitors are advised to check Mass times in advance as these are subject to change. Readers may also consult the listed websites for information. The guidebook costs $20 and is available at Carlo Catholic Society and at CatholicNews Book and Media. For more information on Zhonglian and the guidebook, visit http://www.zhonglian.org „ darren.boon@catholic.org.sg

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Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Big jump in Community house for China-founded Religious IB scores for SJI International congregation set up

Two of the top scorers (from left): Lim Dao Han and Aidan Sim.

Archbishop Goh poses for a photo with members of the Congregation of the Disciples of the Lord at their new community house. Fr Peter Zhang (second row, second from left), Fr Joseph Zhang Wei (second row, extreme right) and Fr Joseph Zhang Liyong (front row, second from right) are serving in Singapore.

By Darren Boon A Singapore house for the Congregation of the Disciples of the Lord (CDD) has been established in Faber Gardens in Upper Thomson. Archbishop William Goh blessed it on Jan 4. The CDD, a clerical Religious order, was founded in 1931 in China. However, due to the rise of communism in the country, some members of the congregation went to Taiwan and set up a General House. There are currently three CDD priests serving as assistant priests in Singapore – Fr Peter Zhang (Church of the Holy Cross), Fr Joseph Zhang Wei (Church of the Risen Christ) and Fr Joseph Zhang Liyong (Church of the Holy Trinity). Speaking at the blessing, Archbishop Goh thanked God for the Religious and noted that the Religious life is “very important to the Church – the apex of the Church’s holiness�. He also highlighted the community life of the Religious. “A Religious house is to give hope that there is such a thing called a communion of life,� Archbishop Goh said. He added that he hopes the service of the CDD priests in the parishes would attract vocations to the congregation. The event saw Fr Peter Zhang, the CDD vice general, speaking

CLARIFICATION: In the story, Singapore Team Contributes To Chapel In New Holy Land Basilica (CN, Jan 12), the chapel and its altar were gifts to God for the new Basilica of St Mary Magdalene, in thanksgiving for His blessings and protection of Singapore over the years.

Religious house is ‘toAgive hope that there is such a thing called a communion of life.

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– Archbishop William Goh speaking at the blessing ceremony

about the congregation’s founder, Cardinal Celso Costantini, and the congregation itself. CDD superior general, Fr John Chia from Taiwan, later celebrated Mass. More than 80 guests, including several other Religious and priests, attended the blessing ceremony. Fr Chia told CatholicNews that some China-born CDD seminarians had been sent to Singapore for their formation and studies and stayed on to serve in the

archdiocese after their ordination. Now with three such priests in Singapore, it was felt that the time was “suitable� for the establishment of a community house. Fr Chia said the house would allow the three priests to “lead a community life� and to promote vocations to their congregation. The house could also be opened to laypeople for activities such as Bible sharing. Fr Peter Zhang said the priests would continue to reside in their parishes but will return to their house once a week for gatherings and prayer. Apart from Singapore, Taiwan and China, the congregation is also present in Indonesia, Canada and Malaysia. „ darren.boon@catholic.org.sg

St Joseph’s Institution International has attained its best International Baccalaureate (IB) results ever in its short history. Out of the 146 students who received their results on Jan 6, 37 percent achieved at least 40 points out of 45 points, up from a previous best of 25 percent in 2012, according to the school. In addition, the school’s average was 37.5 points while the global average score was 29.95 points. SJI International scholar Lim Dao Han topped his cohort with a perfect 45 points, while eight students attained 44 points and another eight obtained 43 points. Lim, a Singaporean, added that the “teachers were very nurturing, and worked hard to bring out the potential in students�. One student who scored 44 points is Aidan Sim, a parishioner

of the Church of St Ignatius, who had transferred from a junior college to SJI International to pursue the IB programme. Speaking to CatholicNews, Sim said that his experience in the school “helped me to appreciate my spirituality a lot more�, as the approach that the school used was “warm and accepting�. Principal Bradley Roberts said, “We are very, very proud of our students, particularly because SJI International does not just focus on academics. We strive to develop people of integrity and people for others.� The Lasallian school was established in 2006. About 3,360 students in 22

# $ the November IB exams. Currently, there are 20 institutions in Singapore offering this diploma programme. „

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Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews

New principals of Catholic schools commissioned Kellock. < -

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New principals pose with Archbishop William Goh. Front row from left: Ms Chia Hui Ting (St Anthony’s Childcare Centre), Ms Lim Kiah Pin (Canossian Convent Kindergarten), Ms Magdalene Chin (CHIJ Kellock), Mr Eric Leong Yew Hon (Assumption Pathway School) and Ms Deidre Hazlewood (SJI International Elementary School). Back row from left: Madam Patricia Chan Gek San (CHIJ Katong Convent), Mrs Monica Koh (Maris Stella Kindergarten), Madam Mak Lai Ying (St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School) and Mr Yap Wai Meng (Holy Innocents’ High School).

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Friar Michael D’Cruz blessing the new Maris Stella Convent.

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Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Photos: PAULINE HO and CHEW JIALING

Catholics learn about Bahå’í faith through interreligious visit By Pauline Ho and Participants taking part in an open discussion about the roots and history of the Bahå’í faith with a representative of the assembly (centre).

Catholic visitors on a tour of the Bahå’í Centre at 55 Cantonment Road.

Chew Jialing Fifteen Catholics visited the Bahå’í Centre at 55 Cantonment Road on Jan 11, and met representatives from The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahå’ís of Singapore. A presenter, Mr Yin Hong Shuen, shared the history and development of the Bahå’í faith, and what was central to their belief – oneness of God, the oneness of the human family, and the oneness of religion. The group also asked ques-

tions about how Bahå’ís viewed God and the presence of different faiths, and how they reconciled with the different teachings. Mr Yin’s response was to focus on the core truth – to love humanity for the love of God, and that God has prepared mankind for His revelation through different manifestations of Himself. “I am inspired by the Bahå’ís’ consciousness of transforming their history of persecution into a spirituality of openness and striving for unity with all. From my Catholic perspective, it echoes the ‘Paschal

mystery’ of rising above being victims to become agents of reconciliation,� said Mr Lee Tuck-Leong, 38, from the Church of St Mary of the Angels. Another group was also scheduled to visit the Bahå’í Centre on Jan 18. Both visits are organised by the Archdiocesan Catholic Council for Interreligious Dialogue (ACCIRD) to involve Catholics in interfaith exchanges. If you are interested in joining future interreligious trips and formation, please email Gerald Kong at gerald@accird. org.sg. „

Jesus Youth S’pore Vocations prayer service holds event for youths for Archbishop Chia’s jubilee By Clara Lai

The participants playing a game during the event. Photos: SIJUMON ABRAHAM

Feliz Navidad, a celebration by Jesus Youth Singapore was held at the parish hall of Church of the Risen Christ on Jan 11, and over 80 tertiary and university students from various campuses attended the event. There were seven booth games to start off the afternoon’s programme, and participants could get prizes by winning the games. The music ministry then led the audience through praise songs, while skits and dance choreographies presented a visual feast. Jesus Youth International coordinator C C Joseph also presented a session and challenged the students to live a life rooted in Jesus with all its fullness and joy. In his talk, he put across a message about God’s love in four major points: it is unconditional, covenantal, everlasting and limitless. Fr Frederick Quek, spiritual director of Jesus Youth Singapore delivered a short message and joined in the cake-cutting ceremony together with Mr Joseph

and a committee member dressed as Santa Claus. Feliz Navidad is an annual event by Jesus Youth Singapore for tertiary and university students. Started in 2011, the event aims to highlight the true essence of Christmas

Mr C C Joseph

to the current young generation. Jesus Youth is an international Catholic youth movement, and its Singapore chapter was established 12 years ago. For more information, visit http://singapore. jesusyouth.org. „

“For my sacerdotal jubilee celebration, the focus is not on me, but on the importance of vocations.� Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Chia said this during the Prayer Service for Vocations, held at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Jan 12. The Serra Club and Catholic Spirituality Centre (CSC) led the prayers, which included the recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Glorious Mysteries. According to Ms Mary Low from CSC, the prayer service was planned to commemorate Archbishop Chia’s 50th priestly anniversary, because he “has a heart for vocations�. Archbishop Chia will celebrate the occasion on Jan 26. In his welcome address, parish priest Fr Henry Siew said the prayers are for young people to “respond to vocation callings�. Each Glorious Mystery was cause: for Archbishop Chia; for Pope Francis and Archbishop William Goh; for seminarians, novices and postulants; for aspirants; and for parents that they may be generous and supportive of their children’s priestly or Religious vocations. There was also a Gospel reading by Archbishop Chia on the Good Shepherd who looks after His sheep. '

blessing, the Archbishop Emeritus noted how some young people

Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Chia addresses the crowd at the end of the prayer service, which also commemorates his golden jubilee. Photos: LEE JIN WOO

The audience prays for more vocations in this service led by Serra Club and Catholic Spirituality Centre.

are “attracted to materialism and secularism and not listening to the call of God�. “We pray hard that they will listen to God’s call,� he said. Ms Betty Choo, who is in her 60s and a parishioner of the

Church of the Holy Family, said she hopes “the Lord will touch the hearts of young people�, and that more young people will attend such services in the future. „ clara.lai@catholic.org.sg

10 ASIA

Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews Photo: FRANCIS GOPAL

Change in weekends for JB affects parishes By Vincent D’Silva JOHOR BARU – The change in

Johor’s weekends from SaturdaySunday to Friday-Saturday has led to rescheduling problems for churches in catering to parishioners’ worship and faith education needs. The announcement of the changed weekend was made last November by Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar. Churches that are affected are the city parishes where they have a large numbers of vernacularspeaking parishioners. Couples planning to get married are expected to adjust the time of their wedding Mass from Saturday evening to Saturday morning. Ms Philomena Beh, a faith educator at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Johor Bahru, said that catechism lessons are shortened because they have to cram classes for the three language groups – English, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin – on Saturday. Mr Francis Soh of St Joseph’s Church in Plentong said, “The Chinese group is affected the most as we have a number of catechism classes for children currently studying in the Chinese-medium schools in Johor Baru.� He explained that the national Chinese schools observe Fridays and Saturdays as their weekend break while the Chinese independent schools take Saturdays and Sundays as their off-days. Fr Anthony Ng, chancellor of Melaka-Johor diocese said, “The Church in Johor will do its best to < day obligations.� He said regardless of the changed weekend, Catholics must not acquit themselves of their weekend worship obligations. He also urged parents not to renege on their obligations to send their children to catechism classes. Sharing similar views, Fr Devadasan Madala Muthu, parish priest of St Louis Church, Kluang said that with the changes, “wedding Masses and baptisms are to be conducted in the morning�, and priests will “no longer be able to attend the wedding receptions in the evening as we have Masses in the parish�. „

A group photo during the conference. Front row from left: Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Chia, First Counsellor of the Apostolic Nunciature Msgr Marek Zalewski, Kuching Archbishop John Ha, apostolic nuncio Archbishop Joseph Marino, Melaka-Johor Bishop Emeritus James Chan and Brunei Bishop Cornelius Sim. Back row from left: Priest-secretary Fr Michael Teng, Penang Bishop Sebastian Francis, Sibu Bishop Joseph Hii, Miri Bishop-elect Richard Ng, Keningau Bishop Cornelius Piong, Archbishop William Goh, Melaka-Johor Bishop Paul Tan and Kota Kinabalu Archbishop John Wong.

Region’s bishops told to be ‘always welcoming’ By Vincent D’Silva JOHOR BARU – The Church has been experiencing an authentic reawakening through the ministry of Pope Francis who has been giving much hope and joy, said the apostolic nuncio to Malaysia Archbishop Joseph Marino. He was speaking during the 93rd Plenary Session of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei held in Plentong, Johor, from Jan 6-10. Archbishop Marino said that one of the key elements that has produced so much expectation is the pope’s dedication towards reform. “From all reports, it seems that he is on track to bring about some changes that hopefully will give positive results,� he said. He mentioned that the ultimate reform that the Church needs must take place within the local Churches.

Archbishop Marino also noted that efforts in the area of inter-religious dialogue must intensify and the Church must become a Church of mercy that is manifested with the attitudes of humility, simplicity and a spirit of dialogue. He said, “Every Christian is

on behalf of the Christian faithful of their territory�. Elaborating, he said the conference must address common concerns of bishops and must do so with a spirit of care, solidarity and collegiality. Archbishop Marino urged the bishops to reach out to their very

Archbishop Marino urged the bishops to reach out to their very own, inviting back those who have left, and making sure that priests and Religious are always welcoming. called to go to meet others, to dialogue with those who do not think like us, and those who have other faiths and with those who even have no faith at all.� Speaking on the role of the bishops’ conference, he said the primary function is to “jointly exercise certain pastoral functions

own, inviting back those who have left, and making sure that priests and Religious are always welcoming, adding that “parishes must always be opening and welcoming, even with an available confessor at all times�. He also expressed his sincere thanks to Archbishop Emeritus

Murphy Pakiam (see story below) whose resignation from the pastoral governance of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur was accepted. The conference then proceeded to discuss matters to do with Synod on the Family, Charismatic Renewal, Justice and Peace, Migrants and Itinerants, Liturgy and Social Communications. The bishops also discussed at length on Islamisation which has been an issue in Malaysia. Archbishop John Ha, president of the bishops’ conference also welcomed Bishop-elect Fr Richard Ng who will be installed as bishop of Miri on Jan 25. On the third day of the conference, the bishops had a joint meeting with the assembled Conference of Religious Major Superiors (CRMS) who had gathered for their annual meeting. The CRMS presented the bi-annual report to the bishops. „

Archbishop Pakiam elected Administrator KUALA LUMPUR – The Kuala

Lumpur archdiocese’s College of Consultors has elected Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam as archdiocesan administrator. He is to govern the archdiocese until the pope appoints a successor. Archbishop Pakiam, on

reaching the age of 75 on Dec 6, tendered his resignation as the head of the archdiocese. Bishops are required by canon law to tender their resignations at the age of 75. A notification of Pope Francis’ acceptance of the resignation was made known through Vatican Radio and the official

Vatican website on Dec 13. Under canon law, Archbishop Pakiam will continue to carry out his episcopal duties within the archdiocese. However, he cannot grant incardination, establish a public association of the faithful, or make innovations in the archdiocese. „

Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam

ASIA 11

Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Chinese media forum votes Pope Francis a ‘Key Man of the Year 2013’ BEIJING – A group of Chinese media and diplomatic representatives has voted Pope Francis one of the world’s top ten “key men of the year 2013�. The China International News Forum, made up of 50 representatives from the most important media and diplomatic associations on mainland China, placed Pope Francis in third position among the top 10 most important men in the world, according to Fides news agency. Others included President of Iran Hassan Rouhani, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. No pope or religious personality has ever appeared in the annual ranking of the organisation, Fides reported. The selection was made

at the forum’s 15th annual conference on Dec 15 in Hainan, and made public on Dec 24. The event was cosponsored by Guangming Daily, China Public Diplomacy Association and Hainan Daily Press Group with the support of the China Telecommunications Corporation. Launched in 1999, the China International News Forum aims to raise the quality of international coverage by China’s media, and improve coordination between media groups. Since it started, it says it has “played a positive role in expanding the Chinese \ @ € hering to the correct direction of public opinion�. „

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ZENIT

CNS photo

Vietnam priest gives back to Japan, Two Catholics jailed for defending religious the country that helped him freedom released

FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN – Welcomed in Japan 28 years ago af

South Vietnam, 36-year old Fr Nguyen Quang Thuan “is giving back� to the country that took him in, by devoting psychological help to those who were evacuated from their homes in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster of March 2011. Born in the suburbs of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, Fr Thuan lived with his two brothers and sister, as well as his parents who ran a coffee plantation. However, his family decided to leave Vietnam for fear of persecution by the new government in the chaos just after the end of the Vietnam war. ! years old, he found himself on a small wooden boat, among the estimated 1.44 million refugees who escaped from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia after Saigon’s fall in 1975. On the boat, there was barely enough food for three or four % &

ach by licking sugar that his parents had given him. During the journey, an uni ;

vessel and male gang members with guns boarded demanding money. “I can’t watch pirate movies,� said Fr Thuan, who retains vivid memories of such experiences. Fr Thuan then reached Indo-

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nesia’s Galang Island after being at sea for more than a week. After spending two years with his elder sister at a refugee camp, he came to Japan, where his father and elder brother had taken refuge. The family stayed at a Catholic church in Miyazaki Prefecture. “I wanted to put myself out there for others by becoming a priest like the priest of the church who accepted my family,� Fr Thuan said. He is now in charge of 10 temporary housing complexes in Fukushima. Together with volunteers from the Catholic Church they visit and chat with residents affected by the 2011 incident. They are people housed in temporary accommodation in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefec-

ture, isolated within their shelters, to the point that a meeting place has been set up for them called “outreach cafe�. The Vietnamese priest goes there daily: he prays for displaced people, listens to them, and tries to help them out of their isolation. “Evacuees are worried about whether they will be able to go home in the future,� he said. “I want them to be positive about their lives, even if it’s just a little.� “The evacuees arrived at the temporary housing to take ref ' home country and arrived here,� Fr Thuan said. “Many people helped me get to where I am now. It is natural for me to help others�. „ ASIANEWS

VINH, VIETNAM – During the recently-concluded Christmas festivities, the faithful in the Diocese of Vinh not only celebrated the birth of Jesus, but also gathered en masse around their bishop to welcome two members of My Yen parish church released by authorities after spending several months in prison. Mr Ngo Van Khoi, 53, and Mr Nguyen Van Hai, 43, had been arrested on June 27 after an altercation with plainclothes police a month earlier. Their arrest and subsequent conviction a few months ago had triggered a reaction among Catholics, backed in their fight for religious freedom by their bishop, Msgr Paul Nguyen Thai Hop, and the whole Vietnamese bishops’ conference. In a statement, Vinh diocese leaders had slammed the verdict, calling it “unfair and ambiguous�. After six months in prison, the two men were released on Dec 22, giving them the opportunity to celebrate the holiday season with their families. Speaking to AsiaNews, Msgr Paul spoke about the community’s feeling of “great joy and happiness�, and its embrace of the two parishioners on this special occasion of celebration. In the past few months, the

“My Yen case� had been at the centre of a battle pitting the Catholic community against Vietnamese authorities. The two former prisoners expressed their gratitude towards the parish, the diocese and especially the bishop for their support and their involvement in the fight for their release. On Christmas Eve, Msgr Paul led a thanksgiving Mass at the parish church, attended by more than 5,000 people. At the end of the Eucharist, the two former prisoners turned to the gathering to express again their gratitude and appreciation for their efforts in favour of their release. „ ASIANEWS

12 WORLD

Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Young Pakistanis vow to build peace and tolerance LAHORE,

PAKISTAN – About U‡‡ # $

Muslims and Christians, signed a pledge to become ambassadors of peace and tolerance recently. The crowd, which also included Hindus and Sikhs, were taking part in a young people’s rally for peace at < _ +# jab) under the auspices of the Catholic Church’s National Commission * # +„ *#/ The Jan 12 event was held in the wake of the deaths of two people – a young student and a leading expert in anti-terrorism – from Islamic fundamentalism. # ; of peace were noticeable throughout the day. In their address to the gathering, „ *# % “ " Mani; Irfan Mufti, deputy director <

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� „ *# } # Jacob urged young people to become active agents of peace. Irfan Mufti stressed the need for “unity� and an end to discrimination based on “caste, colour or creed� which are essential to a lasting peace. ] # * ; role of the younger generation is € @ €# -

ROME – A Nigerian bishop warned

Pakistani Christian boys decorate a Christmas tree on the roof of their house in Islamabad. Christians are a small minority in the country.

kistan cannot afford ideological or strategic mistakes whilst people try to build peace,� he explained. At the same time, the principle of “justice� must be taught to promote institutional and structural reforms. % ]

to work “in harmony� for a “better # $

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QU‡ million people, 97 per cent of whom are Muslims. „ ASIANEWS

California bishops urge prayers as water levels fall SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA –

California’s Catholic bishops are asking Catholics and all people of faith to pray for rain as lowerthan-normal rainfall in the state enters its third year. “Water is essential to who we are as human beings,� said Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, president of the California Catholic Conference of Bishops, in a Jan 6 posting on the conference’s website. “Our reliance on water reveals how much we are part of creation and creation is a part of us.� ” ; -

Bishop warns of spread of Islamic extremism in Africa

cially declared in the state, but the shrinking levels of groundwater and reservoirs and a reduced snowpack are becoming increasingly evident. Bishop Soto offered a prayer all could say to ask for rain: “May God open the heavens and let His mercy rain down upon _ especially pray for those most impacted by water shortages and for the wisdom and charity to be good stewards of this precious gift. “May our political leaders seek the common good as we learn to care and share God’s gift of water for the good of all.� The state Catholic conference’s website also includes prayers taken from the Roman Missal and Cath _ \ œ _ # Book’ as well as sample prayer intentions to use during the general intercessions at Mass. „ CNS

of great risk to all of Africa if Nigeria were to fall to Islamic extremism that has been causing an upsurge in violence in the region. In an interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, ‹

“ ; ; istrator of the Apostolic Vicariate of Bomadi, said that local Christians are confronted by the growing threat of extremism. Radical Islamic sect Boko Haram has attacked various places of worship and killing many Christians, leading the US to designate it a terrorist organisation. An estimated 1,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria in 2012 alone. Boko Haram was responsible for the deaths of roughly 700 Christians last year. “If Nigeria falls to Islamic extremists, all of Africa will ;

$ @ ‹

“ ; ; The Nigerian prelate said that Boko Haram’s goal of imposing Sharia law in the country makes anyone opposed, particularly Christians who are associated with the West, a target for violence. “That’s why Boko Haram is even attacking schools and killing children. These radicals believe that Western education should be

A car burns after a bomb explosion outside a church near Nigeria’s capital Abuja in 2011. Islamic sect Boko Haram had claimed responsibility.

forbidden – anything that builds up the Christian ethos,� he said. “If they should overrun Nigeria, it will be a stepping stone to conquering smaller countries. There is a lot of support for Boko Haram from outside the country – otherwise the fact that they are so professionally trained and supplied cannot be explained. If they had simply been a homegrown organisation, they would have been defeated by now.� Tensions have soared after the election of Mr Goodluck Jona-

than as president, a Christian from southern Nigeria. The bishop stressed the crucial role that Christians play in the country, who contribute to speaking truth and emphasising the need for peace between Christians and Muslims. ‹

“ ; ; ~ ern countries to not turn a blind eye to the violence in Nigeria. Allowing Islamist extremism to overrun the country, he said, would cause “an unimaginable humanitarian disaster� in Africa. „ ZENIT

Crowd chaos forces Black Nazarene Mass to be cut short MANILA – _

Tagle of Manila was forced to cut short a Mass during the annual procession of the Black Nazarene. The archbishop, along with other dignitaries, including Ma * “ bundled from the stage in the cap \ _ # $ – of eager devotees burst through barricades to try and touch the revered statue of Christ. < ignored repeated warnings to stay back before overpowering them. The life-sized, dark-skinned wooden sculpture of the Black Nazarene is held to be miraculous ; % The procession, held every Jan 9, is one of the most spectacular religious events in the country. Authorities estimated some 12 million people attended this year’s procession which lasted about 18 an estimated 1,600 people were injured. ;

_ of Jaro expressed disappointment over the unruly behaviour of some devotees. “That is not genuine religion. It can be improved,� he said. “There’s a lot more that we

Devotees carry the statue of the Black Nazarene during a procession in Manila, Philippines on Jan 9. CNS photo

need to teach our devotees,� said Msgr Ignacio Clemente of Quaipo Church in Manila, home to the Black Nazarene shrine. Before the procession began, Cardinal Tagle urged devotees to “translate love and devotion� into corruption. “We could not follow

with the greed for money, more so, if we could swindle and abuse our brothers and sisters,� he told them.

He also urged the devotees, who later walked barefoot in procession through the streets of Manila, not to forget the victims of calamities. “If we truly pray, if we are _ not forget our brothers and sisters,� he said, referring to all those affected by Typhoon Haiyan, the ‹ • $ ing in Zamboanga which killed hundreds and displaced thousands more. „ UCANEWS.COM

WORLD 13

Sunday January 26, 2014 CatholicNews

US Church agencies step up aid as frosty weather hits WASHINGTON – With a huge

swathe of the United States – from the upper Midwest to the Atlantic Seaboard – alternating between cold snaps and snowstorms, Catholic service providers are stepping up their emergency services. Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Baltimore works with Baltimore city authorities to keep people warm when a “code blue” alert is announced. Ms Mary Anne O’Donnell, its director of community services, said she got the alert, activated during periods of extreme cold weather, early in the afternoon of Jan 5. That activates contingency plans to keep My Sister’s Place shelter and Our Daily Bread employment centre and feeding programme running. It involves having some personnel pack overnight gear and stay on site. “We try to bring in some people who might be able to work additional hours, some extra volunteers, some central staff who can work at our shelter site,” Ms O’Donnell said. In Macomb County, Michigan, a suburban county just north of Detroit, 30 Catholic churches are part of a 90-church consortium called the Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter Team. They take turns hosting 30-60 homeless visitors at a time. An estimated 1,100 residents of the county are homeless, according to executive director April Fidler. “When the weather’s like this,

In Macomb County, Michigan, 30 Catholic churches are part of a 90-church consortium which take turns hosting 30-60 homeless visitors at a time.

Travellers leave a subway station during a snowstorm in Boston, USA. The snow and subzero temperatures in some parts of the US have caused churches and charitable agencies to adapt and reach out to help. CNS photo

the churches will allow our guests to stay in all day long, or our doors are open all day long, so they’re not out in the frostbit cold,” she said. Families can be put up in a hotel for the evening if needed, she added. Immaculate Conception Church in downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas, opened its doors to the homeless on Jan 6 because of the weather forecast of 10 degrees. Parish volunteers were tasked to provide dinner in the evening and breakfast in morning. At Mercy Hospice shelter in Philadelphia, run by Catholic Social

Services of the archdiocese, seven “winter beds” have been added at the home that currently hosts 29 homeless women and eight children. “Morally we have to do what we can to help women,” said Ms Amy Stoner, director of the agency’s Community-Based Services Division. “Seven beds doesn’t sound like a lot, but seven women living in the streets – to not [offer them beds] would be unconscionable.” “We have one woman who is eight months pregnant” at Mercy, Ms Yvonne Branch, Mercy Hos-

pice programme director said. “Now they have a roof over their head and food.”

Catholic Social Services also runs St John’s Hospice shelter for homeless men; 40 or so can get three hot meals there and a bed for the night. The facility is “constantly giving out warm clothes” such as socks, wool hats and gloves, said director Kevin Barr. The extreme weather, he added, was driving more men than usual to the site for its lunch programme, with between 350 and 400 lining up daily. CNS

14 POPE FRANCIS

Sunday January 26, 2014 CatholicNews

19 new cardinals named, including two from Asia VATICAN CITY – Stressing that

their role would be one of service rather than honour, Pope Francis named 19 new cardinals, including two from Asia. The pope announced the nominations on Jan 12 and said he would formally induct the men into the College of Cardinals on Feb 22. Although cardinals are traditionally known as “princes of the Church”, Pope Francis, who has pointedly refused many of the

istically dismissed any element of pomp in the distinction he had decided to bestow. In a letter to the new cardinals, the pope wrote that a red hat “does not signify a promotion, an honour or a decoration; it is simply a form of service that requires expanding your vision and enlarging your heart”. He instructed the cardinalsdesignate to “receive this new designation with a simple and humble heart. And while you should

Half of the new cardinal electors hail from statistically underrepresented regions in the southern hemisphere, including three of the world’s poorest countries: Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Haiti. The new cardinals are: Italian Archbishop Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, who turned 59 on Jan 17. Italian Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, general secretary of the Synod of Bishops, 73. German Archbishop Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 66. Italian Archbishop Beniamino Stella, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, 72. English Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, 68. Nicaraguan Archbishop Leopoldo Brenes Solorzano of Managua, 64. Canadian Archbishop Gerald Lacroix of Quebec, 56. Ivorian Archbishop Jean-

Korean Archbishop Andrew Yeom Soo-jung of Seoul

Philippine Archbishop Quevedo of Cotabato

do so with joy and happiness, do it in a way that this feeling may be far from any expression of worldliness, or any form of celebration alien to the evangelical spirit of austerity, sobriety and poverty.” The consistory will bring the total number of cardinals to 218 and the number of cardinals under

age 80 to 122. Until they reach their 80th birthdays, cardinals are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. The two Asian cardinals are Korean Archbishop Andrew Yeom Soo-jung of Seoul and Philippine Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato.

Orlando

Pierre Kutwa of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, 68. Brazilian Archbishop Orani Tempesta of Rio de Janeiro, 63. Italian Archbishop Gualtiero Bassetti of Perguia-Citta della Pieve, 71. Argentine Archbishop Mario Poli of Buenos Aires, 66. Korean Archbishop Andrew Yeom Soo-jung of Seoul, 70. Chilean Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati Andrello of Santiago, 72. Burkina Faso Archbishop Philippe Ouedraogo of Ouagadougou, 68. Philippine Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato, 74. Haitian Bishop Chibly Langlois of Les Cayes, 55. Italian Archbishop Capovilla, 98. Spanish Archbishop Fernando Sebastian Aguilar, retired, of Pamplona, 84. Saint Lucian Archbishop Kelvin Felix, retired, of Castries, who will be 81 on Feb 11. CNS

OK to breastfeed in Pope takes part in live Nativity scene Surrounded by public, even in Sistine cheese sellers, shoemakers and baying animals, Pope Chapel, pope tells mums bleating, Francis immersed himself in a VATICAN CITY –

Pope Francis looks at an infant during a baptism ceremony in the Sistine Chapel in which he baptised 32 children. CNS photo

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis as-

sured mothers that breastfeeding their babies in public, even during a papal Mass in the Sistine Chapel, is OK. No chorus is as wonderful as the squeaks and squeals of children, the pope said during a Mass in which he baptised 32 babies on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, on Jan 12. “Some will cry because they are uncomfortable or because they are hungry,” he said during his brief and unscripted homily. “If they are hungry, mothers, let them eat, no worries, because here they are the main focus,” he said. One of the mothers, Ms Emer McCarthy, an Irish journalist at Vatican Radio, told Catholic News Service that while most of the other mothers had brought baby bottles for feedings, she did not hesitate to breastfeed her daughter discreetly during appropriate moments during the ceremony.

She said she hoped the pope’s encouragement would help overcome social taboos against breastfeeding in public. “Who would have thought the pope would be this great proponent,” she said. The pope made a similar appeal in an interview with Italian newspaper La Stampa on Dec 15. In a world where many children go hungry, people must help them eat, he said. He mentioned a woman he saw at a general audience whose child was crying desperately. “I told her, ‘Ma’am I think your baby is hungry.’ And she replied, ‘Yes, it would be time.’ I replied, ‘Well, please, feed him.’” The pope’s remarks “underline how natural it is, how motherhood and maternity are natural and have a place, even in church, even in the Sistine Chapel”, said Ms McCarthy. CNS

lively re-enactment of a special day in Bethlehem. He even let a lamb rest on his shoulders and greeted a baby named Francis, who played the part of Jesus, when he visited a live Nativity scene on Jan 6 at the Church of St Alfonso Maria dei Liguori on the northern outskirts of Rome. More than 200 people took part in the re-enactment. According to Vatican Radio, the pope greeted each of the participants and many of the parishioners who attended. A woman dressed as a shepherd then placed a small lamb on the pope’s shoulders. The priest who organises the parish’s live Nativity scene each year said he had invited the pope just a few days earlier. “The pope was so happy. He told me ‘Keep it up. Don’t get discouraged,’” Fr

A woman dressed as a shepherd puts a lamb around the neck of Pope Francis as he arrives to visit the Church of St Alfonso Maria dei Liguori in Rome on Jan 6. CNS photo

Dario Criscuoli told journalists. Meanwhile, on Jan 3, the pope told Jesuits that the zealous proclamation of the Gospel must never be coupled with “inquisitional clobbering, with condemnation.

No, the Gospel is proclaimed with kindness, fraternity and love”. The pope was celebrating the feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus at the Church of the Gesu, the Jesuits’ main church in Rome. CNS

Pontiff warns Christians against defeatism VATICAN CITY – There are too many “defeated Christians” in the Church who do not fully believe in the faith handed down to them by way of tradition and who do not completely trust in God, Pope Francis said. If Christians don’t believe and live the faith as a victorious mover of mountains, then “there is only defeat, and the prince of the world conquers the world”, the pope said in his homily on Jan 10 at morning Mass.

The pope focused his homily on a reading from the First Letter of John (5:5-13) in which the apostle reminds Christians that there will be eternal life for those who believe in the name of the Son of God. “Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” the apostle asks. Whoever remains in God and in His love is victorious over the world, the pope said, according to

a report by Vatican Radio. “Our faith can do anything,” he said. Christians should remind themselves that faith in God is powerful and that faith is what “conquers the world” because “many times we are defeated Christians”, he said. “The Church is full of defeated Christians who don’t believe in this, that the faith is victorious,” he said. A strong, victorious faith requires professing the faith with all of one’s heart and trusting completely in God, the pope said. CNS

POPE FRANCIS 15

Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Jerusalem’s Latin patriarch hopes papal visit will be ‘cry for peace’ CNS photo

AMMAN – Latin Patriarch Fouad

Twal of Jerusalem welcomed the announcement of Pope Francis’ May visit to the Holy Land and said he hopes the pilgrimage will be a “cry for peaceâ€?, particularly for Palestinians, Israelis, Syrians ; ; Pope Francis announced his Land, May 24-26, during his weekly blessing in Vatican City on Jan 5. His visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories is planned to mark the 50th anniversary of the historic visit by Pope # ¢' _ Q£—[ Pope Francis is expected to celebrate Masses in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and the Jordanian capital, Amman, where he will begin his trip. Speaking to reporters in Amman on Jan 5, Patriarch Twal underscored that Arab Christians are badly in need of the pope’s encouragement as their numbers continue to decrease due to violence and economic hardship. “How great is his concern for us. And our presence, I think is one of the aspects he will mention in his speech to ask us to be courageous and to stay,â€? the Jordanianborn patriarch said. “To stay in this land, to live in this land, to die in this land: the Holy Land is worthy to stay, to suffer and to die for,â€? he said. Christians throughout the Middle East represent the oldest such community in the world. But in their ancient homelands of Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, they have

Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem (centre) celebrates Christmas Mass in Bethlehem. Patriarch Twal said on Jan 5 that he hopes Pope Francis’ visit in 8 # 3 '; # #

increasingly become targets of intimidation and killing in the midst of civil unrest and war. “The visit is intended to consolidate the good relations that bind the Muslims and Christians of these Arab countries since ancient times, as well as contribute to intensifying calls for mutual respect and redoubling efforts to respect for religious pluralism in an atmosphere of love and cooperation,� the patriarch said. Another aspect of the papal pilgrimage aims to strengthen efforts initiated by Pope Paul VI to encourage greater unity between the Western and Eastern churches. Pope Francis will meet Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and the three Catholic patriarchs of Jerusalem. Immediately after his arrival

in Jordan on May 24, Pope Francis will meet privately with King Abdullah II, who visited the pontiff with his wife, Queen Rania, in August at the Vatican. Pope Francis also will hold talks with Jordanian religious and political leaders and celebrate an open-air Mass in an Amman stadium. Later that evening, the pontiff will travel to the site where it is believed that Jesus was baptised and the “place chosen by Jesus to begin His mission�, Archbishop Giorgio Lingua, apostolic nuncio to Jordan and Iraq, told the news conference. The place has been “sig share dinner with the ‘least’, that is, with those living in peculiar conditions of suffering and uncertainty�, he said. „ CNS

Pope pledges donation to help pay WYD debt RIO DE JANEIRO – Pope Francis

has pledged a donation of almost US$5 million (S$6.4 million) to help pay part of the debt incurred by the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day, said the Local Organising Committee. A statement from the committee said the pope recognised “the great effort made by the Local Organising Committee to hold World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro and

nancially help pay off part of the

investments made� for the event. An independent audit of the event, conducted by Ernst & Young, ’Q ~ Youth Day had an accumulated debt ™<š’U [ ating with suppliers and selling a property, the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro was able to reduce the debt ™<šQU World Youth Day was Pope %

\ after being named pontiff. The event brought nearly three million

pilgrims to Copacabana beach on * ‘’>‘U An October-December public campaign to obtain donations to pay off the debt collected ™<š’’— —‡‡ The Local Organising Committee said World Youth Day was funded entirely by the Church and donations. Federal, state and local governments’ participation was limited to guaranteeing the security of pilgrims and public services during the event, it said. „ CNS

New rule for ‘monsignor’ honour VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has

decided to limit the honour of “monsignor� among diocesan priests and grant it from now on only to those at least 65 years of age. The change, which is not retroactive and does not affect Vati ; gious orders, was announced in a letter from the Vatican Secretariat of State to nunciatures around the world, along with instructions to

inform local bishops. Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States, informed US bishops of the ” ’‡ Msgr Ronny E Jenkins, general secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, forward ;

* ’ Of the three grades of monsignor – apostolic protonotary, honorary prelate of His Holiness and chaplain

of His Holiness – only the last will be available to diocesan priests who meet the new age requirement. Bishops must resubmit any pending requests for papal honours in accordance with the new rules. Archbishop Vigano’s letter did not give a reason for the change, but Pope Francis has often warned clergy against the temptations of careerism and personal ambition. „ CNS

16 OPINION

Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews

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LETTERS

We need proper I fully support Edmund Loh’s call that the New Evangelisation Must Start From Pulpit (CN, Jan 12). Many priests rely heavily on Catholic theology by focusing on the beauty of God’s love. There are others who will never delve deep into moral issues for fear of being labelled as preachy and moralising. There is probably only a handful of priests who clearly state the Truth compassionately so that $ humanness and godliness of their spiritual Fathers. The common refrain that one must encounter and experience Jesus before one can appreciate the “tough� teachings of our Church is not incorrect. HOW to do this is the challenge. How can the laity know Jesus and their Father intimately if they do not know both the intimate joys and pains that God feels for His adopted sons and daughters? Pope Francis said it is “really very important...to become acquainted with reality by experience...by walking on [and talking about] the periphery [of society and culture]�. We also need to re # “ Benedict’s message that “evangelisation must start from an encounter with the Lord in a dialogue established in prayer, and then concentrate on witness in order to help our contemporaries rediscover the signs of God’s presence�. > quires a topic, a catalyst, that must be initiated from the authority of our Lord’s anointed priests. Jesus provided many catalysts in the Gospels. Particularly, He spoke of Hell (and sin) much

more than Heaven, bravely yet compassionately proclaiming the sensitive truths and morals so much that He was put to death. And that enabled the people around Him to encounter a true Man who showed them that loving God is not simply a walk through the park; to experience a human Christ with whom they can follow and humbly approach without fear of condemnation. Similarly St Jean Vianney, patron saint of parish priests, as well as our popes (including the current one) frequently preached both joyful and woeful messages, $

We need caring Fathers to warn us of dangers to our eternal lives, catalysts to start their inner dia ' our best shepherds when, through the Internet, all their homilies and writings can be easily obtained? As sons and daughters of our spiritual Fathers, we children have the right to the basic needs of spiritual food and healthcare. By focusing mainly on a spiritual en ; ing guided in Christian theology and societal issues, we are merely scratching the surface of our faith and can be dangerous. We need our Fathers to speak about the horrifying effects of divorce, same-sex acts, contraception, abortion, IVF, cohabitation, etc., controversial issues that the secular

world has been sugarcoating. Many devout Catholics know abortion and contraception are wrong but they fail to realise the atrocity of these acts, the impact of these on their Christian lives, and the inadequacy in being true witnesses to the world. Increasingly, many even unknowingly embrace the “freedom to loveâ€? mantra of homosexual activists. “Educationâ€?, stressed Pope Francis, “is a key, key, key mission.â€? We need caring Fathers to alert and warn of dangers to our eternal lives. We need good Fathers who can place their children on their laps and dialogue with them. We need empathetic Fathers to assure us they know our problems and guide us by forming our consciences along the narrow and righteous Way. The faithful need to know that their Mother Church – through their Fathers’ homilies, not just sermons – understands their individualised pain and that their Fathers are prepared to journey with them to holiness without compromising the Truth. A sure sign of whether priests have a personal experience with Jesus is whether their preaching causes them to be “hated by the worldâ€? (Matt 10:22) because Christians are called to be counter-cultural. Proper catechesis from the $ in the faithful. Through that personal encounter with God, they can then exclaim, like the Samaritan woman at the well, “He told me everything I have ever doneâ€? ÂĽ Edmund Leong

Singapore

I started attending Mass at this church near to my home since the start of Advent. I noticed that a lot of the people still walk into the church during the readings. Some even come in during the preaching of the Gospel. As the sitting arrangement is spread almost in a circle, it is so distracting for other churchgoers. In addition, this particular church’s main door would activate a sound similar to a mobile phone

ringing tone each time one enters the church. I would like to suggest that constant reminders be given to latecomers on importance of attending the “full� Mass. If this is done in all churches in Singapore, I am quite sure Catholics will try to be punctual. Jocelyn Lim

Singapore 560352

The dangers GIVEN the speed and change in our world today, the oceans of information being given us by the new technologies, the speed with which knowledge now passes through our lives, the increasing specialisation and fragmentation inside higher education, and the everincreasing complexity of our lives, you occasionally hear someone say, usually just after offering an opinion on something: “But what do I know anyway?� Good question: What do we know anyway? On the surface this may sound humble and, if sincere, does depict a certain humility; but this kind of admission has a sad underside: What do I know anyway? Indeed, what can we know amongst all the complexity and sophistication of our world? Well, we can know our own light, our own moral centre, our own heart, our own mystical centre. Ultimately we can know what’s most real and most precious to us and this is the most important knowledge of all. We can know what’s ultimately important. Next to the inchoate knowledge we have of God, knowledge of our own light, of our own moral centre, is the most important thing we will ever know. Indeed knowing our own centre is intimately intertwined with knowing God. This is something we need to highlight today because so many forc

; $ and attentive to our own deepest centre, that is, from being in touch ~ \

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centre rather than acting out of ideology, popular opinion, fashion, fad, or out of some prefabricated concept of ourselves that we’ve ingested from others around us. ! ;

we’ve read recently, and what newscasts and talks shows draw our attention. Likewise we often understand ourselves more by a persona that was handed to us by our family, our classmates, our colleagues, or our friends than by the reality that’s deepest inside us. Beginning from infancy, we ingest various notions of who we are: “You’re the bright one! You’re the stupid one! You’re a rebel! You’re ÂĽ " \ ÂĽ " \ ˆ " \ ÂĽ " \ • $ mind. You’re a loser! You’re bad! You’re good! You’re destined for higher things! You’ll be a failure!â€? And so the challenge is to be more attuned to our own light, to our own moral centre, to be more in touch with what’s ultimately most real and most precious to us. No small part of that is the challenge to resist

> \ ingested of ourselves as a the bright one, the stupid one, the rebel, the ; the successful one, the failure, the one who needs to say: “But what do I know anyway?� What’s the price we pay for doing that? First, both our compassion and our indignation then become prescribed and selective. We will praise certain people and things and be incensed by other people and other things not because these speak to or speak against what’s most precious inside us, but because they speak to or against our image of ourselves. When that happens we not only lose our real selves we also lose our individuality. Ideology, popular opinion, fashion, fad, group-think, and hype, ironically, bury us into a sea of anonymity. Rene Girard – French historian, literary critic, and philosopher – noted that in our desire to be different we all inevitably end up in the same ditch! One needs only to look at any popular fad, such as wearing a baseball cap backwards, to see the truth of this. \ ; $ ˆ ~ $ > might help free us from ideology? How might we think of ourselves in a way so that the image of ourselves that we ingested in childhood might no longer hold us captive in adulthood so that we are strong and healthy enough to not let – as the late American poet William Stafford says – a simple shrug or a small betrayal break our fragile health and send the horrible errors of childhood storming out to play through the broken dykes? There’s no easy answer, but here’s a suggestion: Early on in his min

* ‹

$  €~ ˆ They asked: “Are you the Christ? Are you Elijah? Are you a prophet?� John replied that he was none of these. “Who are you then?� they persisted. John’s answer: I am a voice crying out in the wilderness! Just that, no more! Now that’s a healthy self-image and a true humility, with no sad underside. „

FOCUS 17

Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews

COMMENTARY

Our Holy Father: Winning friends and souls by being like Christ A look at what Pope Francis achieved in 2013 and what other changes he might bring about this year. A VALUABLE lesson Pope Francis has already taught the Catholic Church is that the imitation of Christ is the one sure way to win souls. Since he arrived at the helm last spring he has hacked away at the accretions of wealth and power that the papacy had accumulated over centuries, cutting back to the essentials. He seems acutely aware of what it is about Catholicism that attracts and what it is that repels, the simple formula being that the more it points away from itself and toward Christ, the more convincing it is. He has been named Man of the Year from various directions, but the one award he most deserves would be from the public relations industry for showing how to turn what is seen by many as a toxic brand into a winning one almost overnight. The attraction is not purely to the man himself, but to what he stands for. So the process of reform he has initiated is not to make the Church more Francislike, but more Christ-like. The Gospel, he understands, cannot be preached by the rich and powerful to the poor and powerless – even if the words are the right ones. The symbolism contradicts them. The Gospel needs integrity between message and messenger. Those whose preferred image of the Vatican is of a glorious Renaissance monarchy surrounded by a deferential Renaissance court

; $ to authentic Christianity somewhat uncomfortable. Yet he has not shed a single Church teaching. His orthodoxy is impeccable. Clearly the Church does not need to trim its doctrinal sails to regain respect. Nor did Christ: That is another lesson. It is impossible to label Pope Francis a progressive or a conservative because he is essentially both.

He makes it possible for those two schools to live harmoniously together in the one Church. He is not an authoritarian – indeed, he likes to subvert his own authority, telling Catholics who receive a rebuke from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to stay calm and carry on. There is no knowing where this journey will lead. If 2013 was the year of papal surprises, perhaps the biggest of all being the resignation through failing health of Pope Benedict XVI, then 2014 may well be no more predictable, maybe even less so. The role of the pope is being rede < of his leadership, are the roles of bishops, clergy and laity. During 2014, Pope Francis will have to embark on the root-andbranch reform of the Vatican curial machinery that he clearly thinks is necessary, guided by the advice of the eight cardinals he has chosen as his special team of consulters. Over the centuries, the Catholic Church has acquired a vertical and pyramidal power structure, with graduated layers of hierarchical status from top to bottom. Pope Francis’s example makes it possible to say that that might not be right: that far from being the \ acteristic, the very idea of a hierarchy of power is alien to the Gospel, just as is the idea that all that power should be exclusively in the hands of elderly male clerics. What if collegiality was not only the right principle for the internal structure of the world episcopacy, as Pope Francis clearly believes, but also for organising each diocese and parish? What reserves of spiritual energy might thereby be released? „ THE

The role of the pope is being !

TABLET

18 FAITH ALIVE!

Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Spreading and showing the joy of the Gospel to everyone 2014 has just begun, so how do you ensure that you have a... By Daniel S Mulhall We are to rejoice in the Lord always. We are to celebrate our faith as if we’d won the lottery and not act like “sourpusses� who drank Feeling joy or being joyful means that a person is experiencing great delight, happiness and even elation. Joyful people often seem to beam, with bright eyes and megawatt smiles that light up their faces. Their emotion is

they often will burst out in song or dance, or hug everyone they see. This is the feeling that most parents have when they hold their ; or when one has accomplished something of great importance. Pope Francis is afraid that people today are in danger of losing this sense of joy. He writes that because of consumerism, people often fall into “desolation and anguish� caused by “covetous hearts� and the “feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures�. We are so besotted with the desire to be happy (by the material) that we miss the source of happiness that is right before us: Jesus Christ. Pope Francis says that “whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of His love is no

Young women sing during a special Mass at St Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre, New York.

longer felt and the desire to do good fades.� ~

joy they can’t contain themselves. They must share their joy with everyone they meet. It is this type of joy that Jesus illustrates in the three parables found in the Gospel _ $ QZ ing his one lost sheep, invites all of his friends to rejoice with him; she throws a party for her friends in celebration; and a father welcomes home a wayward son by killing the fatted calf. While a bit extreme perhaps, each of these stories rings true: # ‚ amazing things.

In Luke 15, Jesus also uses these stories of people’s extravagant joy to make this point about God: Jesus tells us that His Father

‚ return to Him and is always merciful, always forgiving, always seeking what is lost. Pope Francis makes this same point in The Joy of the Gospel when he writes: “Let me say this once more: God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking His mercy. Christ, who told us to forgive one another ‘seventy times seven’ [Mt 18:22] has given us His example: He has forgiven us seventy times seven. Time and time again He bears us on His

shoulders. No one can strip us of the dignity bestowed upon us by this boundless and unfailing love. With a tenderness that never disappoints but is always capable of restoring our joy, He makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and to start anew.� * with joy can’t help but share their joy with others, so, too, Christians who have encountered the living Lord and have experienced His loving mercy can’t contain themselves. They must share this joyful message of hope and salvation with everyone. They become evangelisers, people who spread the good news of salvation.

This is the critical message that Pope Francis shares with us: Christians are to experience the joy of salvation in Christ Jesus and then are to share it with everyone. This is at the very heart of the new evangelisation. It is in our experience of Christ € spiration of all our efforts at evangelisation. For if we have received the love that restores meaning to our lives, how can we fail to share that love with others?� So, sing an ode to the joy and give thanks to our loving God who makes such joy possible. „ CNS Mulhall is a catechist and writer who lives in Laurel, Md.

Approaching evangelisation with joy By Louise McNulty There are many approaches to evangelisation. One is the style of those who go door to door or take to the streets to spread the faith. These purveyors of religious belief usually appear solemn and serious. There’s no lightness in their step, no ready smile on their lips. Perhaps it’s because they don’t feel that way inside. Perhaps their attitude comes from meeting with unwelcoming strangers or from having doors slammed in their faces. Others try to attract people to their faith by personal invitation. A woman I once worked with at $ ; this was a powerful method. She was constantly in the break room asking this person or that person to join her at a special service or presentation at her megachurch. The only problem was that this

woman was generally not the life of the party. She tended to gripe and complain a lot and did not have an especially large group of friends at work – or after work. If this is what a person of faith looks like, why would nonbelievers want to join? Though their undertakings are

Christians whose lives resemble Lent without Easter will never successfully evangelise. worthy, one wonders how much their attitude affects their success or failure. When Pope Francis recently called upon the Church to spread the faith in a new way, in his Joy of the Gospel, he said that evangelisers should put on a joyful expression

and “never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral�! In view of the above examples, one can see his point. An enormously popular person himself, the Holy Father was not simply drawing on personal experience. He backed up his advice by referring to the many times the Bible speaks of joy. Starting with the Old Testament, he cited the book of Isaiah’s predictions of the joy of salvation and how frequently the chosen people are exhorted to “Shout aloud and sing for joy!� Other joyful predictions include the prophets Zechariah and Zephaniah, whose short books repeat words inviting the people to rejoice when their king comes in triumph. All are invited to shout joyfully and not be discouraged, because the Lord will renew them in His love. The pope refers to only a few

New Testament examples, such as the angel’s greeting to Mary, “Rejoice!� or when the baby leaps in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary comes to visit and Mary’s words: “My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.� But the pope’s biggest contention is that the true believer and the most effective evangeliser is the person who removes self-concern, who retreats from a blunted conscience and the temptations and

discouragements of the world and makes room for God in the soul. He contends that it is the light of the Lord shining through the smile on the face and the joy in the actions of those who believe that attract others to the faith. He contends that Christians whose lives resemble Lent without Easter will never successfully evangelise. „ CNS McNulty is a freelance writer who lives in Akron, Ohio.

In a Nutshell If your faith gives you any joy, please notify your face. The bottom line is in your decision to put on the will to live joyfully, simply because you have the knowledge of God’s love. Faith is knowledge, and that in ‚

Wisdom comes from the same faith that enables you to apply this enrichment to your emotional life. Joy opens the eyes of the spiritually blind. < to have a jolly good year? With joy, of course. „ CNS

FEATURE 19

Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews

MESSAGE FOR WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES

Pope addresses challenges, fears surrounding migrants VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis

called for greater international cooperation to improve conditions for the world’s rising numbers of migrants and called on the media to combat prejudices that make immigrants unwelcome in their new countries. The pope’s words came in his annual message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which is celebrated in many dioceses on Jan 19, 2014. “Contemporary movements of migration represent the largest movement of individuals, if not of peoples, in history,� the pope wrote. According to the United Nations, 232 million people, representing 3.2 percent of the world’s population, are currently international migrants, up from 175 million in 2000 and 154 million in 1990. A 2012 study by the US-based Pew Research Center listed Mexico as the world’s largest source of emigrants, and the US as the most popular immigration destination. Noting that many migrants experience “rejection, discrimina $ } suffering and death�, Pope Francis wrote that migration “needs to be approached and managed in a new, equitable and effective manner� marked by “international cooperation and a spirit of profound solidarity and compassion�.

Bilateral relations between countries of origin and destination, as well as international norms on the rights of migrants and host countries, can help national governments “confront socioeconomic imbalances and an unregulated globalisation, which are among some of the causes of migration movements in which individuals are more victims than protagonists�, he wrote. Pope Francis also encouraged countries to “create better econom-

> ? Q V ! ic and social conditions at home, so that emigration will not be the only option left for those who seek peace, justice, security and full respect of their human dignity�. Many citizens of host countries treat immigrations with “suspicion and hostility�, the pope wrote. “There is a fear that society will become less secure, that identity and culture will be lost, that competition for jobs will become stiffer and even that criminal activity will increase.� In response, the pope wrote, the

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communications media have a special responsibility to “break down stereotypes and to offer correct information in reporting the errors of a few as well as the honesty, rectitude and goodness of the majority�. The pope invoked the Holy Family’s experience of migration during

“ encouragement to migrants. & tect the infant Jesus from death at the hands of King Herod, Mary and Joseph “never doubted that God would always be with them�. Pope Francis wrote. “Through

their intercession, may that same every migrant and refugee.� „ CNS " %&& !' !' & ( & & & & & ) (*+7;+<+=( ) ) ( !

My wish – on World Day of Migrants and Refugees As the Church celebrates the centenary anniversary of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, the Archdiocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants (ACMI) asks some migrants for their thoughts

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Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews

By Joe Sarnicola

their net into the water. They were brothers, and their names were SiAFTER He had been baptised, Jesus mon, also called Peter, and Andrew. spent 40 days and 40 nights in the Jesus said to them, “Come after me, desert, where He was tempted by the ' $ @ devil. After defeating those temptaThe two men immediately tions with His faith and the Scriptures, stopped what they were doing and Jesus moved away from His home in went with Jesus. Nazareth to live in Capernaum, a city As the three men continued by the sea in the land of Zebulun and walking along the sea coast, they saw Naphtali. two other brothers, named James and ‹

* John, who were in their boat mending of the prophecies of Isaiah, which said, their nets with their father, Zebedee. “Land of Zebulun and land of Naph- Jesus called them as well, and they tali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jor- left their father to go with Jesus. dan, Galilee of the gentiles, the people Jesus travelled throughout the rewho sit in darkness have seen a great gion of Galilee preaching, teaching in light, on those dwelling in a land over- the synagogues and healing the peoshadowed by death light has arisen.� ple of their sicknesses. Word of this From there, He started preaching new teacher and healer quickly spread and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom as far away as Syria. of heaven is at hand.� People from many different citOn a day when Jesus was walk- ies and villages brought to Jesus their ing along the Sea of Galilee, He saw friends and family members who ; were sick, injured or tormented by

] + QZ[‡/ ; Q‡ years old, along with one sister and one brother. The three children went to live with an uncle, but three years later another tragedy struck the family when Angela’s sister died before she had received the last sacraments. Angela was very upset by this, but she had a vision that reassured her about the fate of her sister’s soul. This vision also inspired Angela to dedicate her life to serving the Lord. She became a Franciscan tertiary and lived very simply, eating a very meagre diet. When she was in her 20s, Angela was determined to improve the lives of children who were living in poverty, and she wanted to make sure they received proper religious instruction. This led to her eventual founding of the Company of St Ursula as a teaching order. We honour Angela on Jan 27. „

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WHAT’S ON 21

Sunday January 26, 2014 „ 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 A journey for those seeking to know more about the Catholic faith. Baptised Catholics are also invited to journey as sponsors. WEDNESDAYS FEBRUARY 19 RCIA @ CHURCH OF CHRIST THE KING U>Q‡ Â

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Sunday January 26, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Archbishop comments on state of catechesis in S’pore “Something in this diocese has to change.� These were the strong words that Archbishop William Goh used in addressing about 200 catechists celebrating the start of the Catechetical Year on Jan 5. Archbishop Goh said he was unhappy with the state of catechesis (children, youth and RCIA) in Singapore as it had failed to bring people to an encounter with Jesus Christ. The archbishop, who wore a specially designed shirt with the words “Archbishop William Goh, Chief Catechist� during the event, said catechists must be people with a deep relationship with God so that they can lead others to Christ through their conviction and witness. Fr Erbin Fernandez, Episcopal Vicar for the New Evangelisation and catechetical director, commented that adults have failed to preach the Kerygma to young people and failed to make them disciples who choose to follow the cru

Instead, he said, catechesis in some instances has made young people weak Christians as the message they hear from Catholic adults is one of worldly wisdom – study hard and get a good job in order to be successful – and faith and religion are merely to attain life goals. The Kerygma, from the Greek keryssein (to proclaim) and keryx (herald), refers to the initial proclamation of the Gospel message that overwhelms a person and brings him to decide to entrust himself to Jesus Christ by faith. The Kerygma is distinct from

Archbishop Goh said he was unhappy with the state of catechesis (children, youth and RCIA) as it had failed to bring people to an encounter with Jesus Christ.

Catechists from the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Association pose for a photo with Archbishop William Goh and catechetical director Fr Erbin Fernandez at the launch of the Catechetical Year on Jan 5.

catechesis, which is the teaching that comes after the Kerygma in order to deepen it. Commenting on what Archbishop Goh and Fr Erbin said, Ms Jane Lau, associate director ! “Since 2010, when Fr Erbin initiated new training and formation programmes for catechists, it has been a slow process as some catechists, coordinators and even priests are not keen on training and formation. “Catechists are more comfortable lecturing to the young

people rather than being Christian witnesses, because to be a witness means to look at our own relationship with God and that can be uncomfortable,� said Ms Lau, who is also executive di ! „ Evangelisation (ONE). “But I think we’ve been given our marching orders by the bishop and it’s clear that if we want to touch our young people and have a missionary and evangelistic Church, the current situation cannot continue. “We as catechists must un-

dergo our own conversion in order to be able to share the Good News with the young people and disciple them.� % volved in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and the Liturgy of the Word for Children were invited to the event as their training and formation now comes under the Catechetical Of !„“ The recently formed Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) Association (Singapore) also made a presentation on their

method of catechesis. & ! lined some key initiatives for 2014 which include strengthening training and formation for Special Needs Catechesis, RCIA teams and Liturgy of the Word for Children (LOWC) teams as well as exploring ways to help parents be more involved in the faith formation of their children. were also awarded to catechists who have successfully completed the Level 1 and Level 2 Basic Catechist Courses, which are the recommended training and formation programmes for all catechists. CGS catechist Jeanne Voo felt the Catechetical Year launch, held at the Catholic Archdiocesan Education Centre on Highland Road, was a wake-up call for catechists. “It has inspired me to continue in the true spirit of CGS to facilitate the building of the relationship between children and Jesus,� she said. “It was also a good reminder that we ourselves need to be constantly converted.� „

Concert of evergreen songs raises $30K for typhoon victims

Veteran singer Vernon Cornelius interacts with a member of the audience during the Love & Hope concert held at the Church of St Teresa. Photo: LUKE ETHAN WOO

A two-night concert held at the Church of St Teresa raised $30,000 for victims of Typhoon Haiyan. The concert, titled Love & Hope, featured classic pop songs of the 20th century and was staged at the church auditorium on Dec 26 and 27. Among the performers for the evening was Vernon Cornelius from the well-known local band, The Quests fame, who was also an organising committee member. He delivered many Cliff Richard hits and also songs such as From Russia with Love from the Q£—’ * ‹ After a short interval, Riem de Wolff, from the Dutch duo Blue Diamonds, took the stage to perform songs including Nat King Cole’s Mona Lisa,

John Legend’s All of Me, Doris Day’s Secret Love and Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World. But it was the Blue Diamonds’ and the Everly Brothers’ hit songs that brought the concert to a higher level. Wolff invited Cornelius back on stage, and together they performed songs such as Let It Be Me and Ramona to end the show. On Dec 27, Wolff even donated his personal copy of the “Blue Diamonds� Christmas EP (extended play record) for auction. With a starting bid of $50, the original vinyl record was successfully sold for an offer of $500. According to the organisers, the concert’s ticket sales and donations raised a total of $30,000. „

PUBLISHED BY THE CATHOLIC NEWS, 2 HIGHLAND ROAD #01-03, SINGAPORE 549102. PRINTED BY TIMES PRINTERS PRIVATE LIMITED, 16 TUAS AVENUE 5, SINGAPORE 639340.

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