Catholic News issue 1, 2018

SUNDAY JANUARY 7, 2018

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Welcome migrants, build peace, pope says in Peace Day message C N S phot o

V AT ICAN CIT Y – Exploiting a fear

of migrants and refugees for political gain increases the possibility of violence and discrimination and does nothing to build a culture of peace, Pope Francis said in his message for World Peace Day 2018 .

“Those who, for what may be political reasons, foment fear of migrants instead of building peace are sowing violence, racial discrimination and xenophobia, which are matters of great concern for all those concerned for the safety of every human being,” the pope said in the message, which was released by the Vatican on Nov 24.

The pope chose “Migrants and refugees: Men and women in search of peace” as the theme for the celebration on Jan 1, 2018 .

Presenting the message to the media, Fr Bruno Marie Duffe, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, said, “It is clear peace begins with saving lives and taking care of people who are trying to escape wars, discrimination, persecution, poverty and climate disasters.”

As work continues on the U N Global Compact on R efugees and the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and R egular Migration, Pope Francis urged the international community not to surrender “to cynicism and to the globalisation of indifference.”

Countries at the U N General Assembly voted in September 2016 to develop the compacts; after meetings around the world, a draft of each compact is scheduled to be released in February and a final ote is s heduled for September 2018.

In his message, which was signed on Nov 13, the feast of St Frances Cabrini, patron of migrants, Pope Francis said think-

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INSIDE HOME

Visionary leadership in Charismatic groups Head of Catholic Charismatic renewal addresses issue n Page 2

Serving refugees, needy kids Catholics make trips to Pattaya, K uala Lumpur n Pages 6, 7

WORLD

Authenticating, protecting saints’ relics Vatican issues new instruction A R ohingya refugee at a camp in Cox’ s Baz ar, Bangladesh. I n his message for W orld Peace Day 2018 on Jan 1, Pope F rancis urged the international community not to surrender ‘ to cynicism and to the globalisation of indifference’ .

Migrants and refugees ‘bring their courage, skills, energy and aspirations, as well as the treasures of their own cultures.’

– Pope Francis ing about peace naturally meant thinking about “those who most keenly suffer its absence.”

International organisations estimate there are some 250 million international migrants around the globe and that about 22.5 million of them are refugees, who have ed war iolen e or erse ution.

In their search for a place where they can live in peace, the pope said, many are “willing to risk their lives on a journey that is often long and perilous, to endure hardships and suffering, and to encounter fences and walls built to keep them far from their goal.”

Pope Francis acknowledged the right and obligation of countries to protect their borders and wisely allocate their resources, including those dedicated to resettling migrants and refugees. But the pope also insisted that basic human decency requires sheltering those whose dignity is at risk.

In the message, the pope also said that welcoming migrants and refugees actually contributes to ea e and benefits host ountries.

Migrants and refugees “do not arrive empty-handed. They bring their courage, skills, energy and aspirations, as well as the treas-

ures of their own cultures; and in this way, they enrich the lives of the nations that receive them,” he said.

When people in need are welcomed and valued, “seeds of peace” begin to sprout, the pope said. “Our cities, often divided and olarised by on i ts regarding the presence of migrants and refugees, will thus turn into workshops of peace.”

Countries have a moral obligation as well as a legal obligation under international law to protect those eeing from real danger he said. And no one should forget the very high and very real risk of exploitation faced by migrating women and children, he said. n C N S T he f ull message is at https: / / w2 .vatican.va/ content/ f rancesco/ en/ messages/ peace/ documents/ papaf rancesco_ 2 0 1 7 1 1 1 3 _ messaggio51gi ornatamondiale- pace2018.ht ml

n Page 14

POPE FRANCIS Pope on role of the press:

Must be factual, free from manipulation n Page 16

Christmas at the Vatican Pope prays for world’s suffering children n Page 17

OPINION

Living in hope in 2018 Conceiving new possibilities in the New Y ear n Page 18

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Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

Why visionary leadership is vital for Charismatic groups The head of the international Catholic Charismatic renewal addresses this and other issues at recent rallies he most signifi ant as e t of leadershi in the harismati renewal is to gi e ision to others members of harismati rayer grou s learnt re ently. here there is no ision the eo le erish said Mr im Murhy resident of the nternational atholi harismati enewal er i es uoting ro erbs . e was s ea ing to members of harismati rayer grou s ore and ser i e teams attending a leaders forum on e . he e ent whi h had the theme isionary eadershi was held at the atholi r hdio esan du ation entre and organised by the inga ore r hdio esan atholi harismati enewal .

Mr Mur hy who was in inga ore to attend a meeting of the ub ommittee for sia eania listed three basi ways to lead. hese are n dministrati e leadershi the ability to organise. n astoral leadershi the ability to are for listen to onne t

with and hel eo le in their need. n ro heti or isionary leadershi the ability to share a ision and in ite and hel eo le to embra e the ision. uoting ro erbs Mr Mur hy noted the risis of a la of ision in the world. ithout a ision eo le end u doing the same old things and things begin to fall a art he said. e shared that od wants to gi e three inds of re elations n he re elation of od imself the ision of who e is and how mu h e lo es us. n ision of self in whi h eole begin to see who they really are in hrist esus. n ision of others and what is going on in the world today. hen a erson embra es these three isions he be omes a different erson and the eo le around him will be hanged too said Mr Mur hy. n order for effe ti e leadershi to ta e la e the ore teams of harismati rayer grou s

Mr Jim Murphy, president of the I nternational Catholic Charismatic R enewal Services, speaking to members of Charismatic prayer groups’ core and service teams.

need to ta e the following ste s said Mr Mur hy. hese are n e ei e the ision i.e. see od s ision. n hare and ommuni ate the ision with others. n el eo le to embra e the ision. n el eo le to sustain the ision and wal in it. he three uestions that eole need to as when dis erning a grou s ision are s it understandable is it doable and is it sustainable Mr Mur hy also s o e at rallies the next two nights. hese were a follow u of the ealing ally held on e at oly nno ents igh hool. t the hur h of ur ady of ourdes on e Mr Mur hy s o e on the theme ee ening ntima y with od. e noted that harisms or gifts of the oly irit an be abused if used for selfish ur oses in ministry. nly if our hearts are lose to od an they be used authentially he said. e shared that Mary was a true harismati . he was obedient to od and always ondered things in her heart. he was also among the resent in the er oom on ente ost ay he said. t the rally at the hur h of the oly ross on e Mr Mur hy s o e on the theme tirring u iritual ifts ma ing referen e to im .

People praying during a Charismatic rally held at the Church of O ur L ady of L ourdes on Dec 12.

W ithout a vision, pe ople end up doing the same old things, and t hings be gin to f all apart, s aid M r Jim M urphy. harismati should be both harismati and ontem lati e he said. esus was ontem lati e as e s ent time raying to the ather e was also harismati as e relied on the ower of the oly irit in is ubli ministry.

Mr Mur hy also shared se eral ualities that harismati s should imbibe and used the word as an a ronym for these n stands for strength the strength to do whate er od as s of us. n is for trust in od. e gi es

us faith to belie e in things we annot see. n is for initiati e. e need to ta e the initiati e to stir u od s gifts in us. n is for res onsibility. od ga e us a sense of res onsibility and e wants us to use it.

Mr Mur hy also shared that faith is not taught but aught through the ord of od ommunion and fellowshi re e tion of the sa raments es e ially the sa raments of re on iliation and the u harist and ersonal rayer. n

BUILDING THE CHURCH OF TOMORROW 3

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

five spiritual reasons for giving Archbishop William Goh discusses five spiritual reasons why the act of giving is an important aspect of the faith, in this adapted extract of his speech given at a Catholic Foundation Dinner held on 18 October 2017.

Many of us do not understand why we give.

Very often when we give, we think we are doing God a favour, doing the Church a favour, or doing someone else a favour. Actually when you give, you do yourself the greatest favour, more than anything else.

The second reason why we give is because we are called to be stewards of God’s blessings. God does not give us things only for our own use. We are all trustees of the resources and talents He gave us.

Sure, use what you need for yourself, for your families

do you have faith in god’s providence? do you believe that god will bless you when you bless others?

In giving, we recognise that God is the source of all the blessings we receive.

We are where we are today not only because we have worked hard, but because of God’s divine providence.

He has sent the right people to us and given us the opportunities. Therefore, if we have the ability to give, it is only because God is the source of all blessings.

Without Him, we would be nowhere.

This is why when we give, we are acknowledging that God is the creator of all things, and the giver of all things. That is the first reason why we give.

and loved ones. But many Catholics are blessed with more than enough. This is where we are challenged to ask ourselves: how do we use the resources that the Lord has blessed us with?

Because at the end of the day, we are accountable to God and to our fellow men for how we use what God has blessed us with.

The third reason for giving is really so that we can share in the blessings of God. St Paul said that God blesses us with resources so that we can share in His blessings. What are the blessings in life that we are called to share?

When we give our time

or resources, we receive fulfilment, meaning, and a joy that cannot be described.

The capacity to give means to say we have shared in the heart of God. The fourth reason why we give is simply because we are called to share and deepen our faith. Only those who have faith are willing to sacrifice what they have.

Do you have faith in God’s providence? Do you believe that God will bless you when you bless others?

If you cannot give, if you are hoarding, it means that you do not believe that God will provide. That is why it is a test of faith. When you give and you show that you have faith in God, God cannot be outdone in generosity.

But the most important reason why we give, is to share in the mission of Christ. Not all of us can become priests, not all of us can become religious. But all of us, without exception, every baptised Catholic and Christian is called to share in the mission of the Church, in the mission of Christ.

This means going beyond simply supporting the maintenance of the Church.

If we are talking about

mission, then the issue here is whether we are growing the Church, or are we simply maintaining it?

So my dear brothers and sisters, I just want to conclude by saying, let us thank God for the blessings we have and let us reflect on Christ who loved us. Christ was rich, He became poor so that we may be rich in Him. The Lord has blessed you, and the Lord is inviting you to bless the many people that need our support.

Archbishop William Goh discussing the spirituality of giving at the Catholic Foundation Dinner.

Photo: Catholic Foundation.

Our archdiocese envisions a more vibrant, missionary and evangelistic Church. As the fundraising arm of the Archdiocese of Singapore, the Catholic Foundation has launched the Giving in Faith & Thankfulness (GIFT) campaign to urge every Catholic to participate in making the vision of the archdiocese a reality.

Gift Now

gift.catholicfoundation.sg

a series contributed by

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Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

My Father: My Hero and Role Model A s we celeb rate the F east of the H oly F amily on 3 1 D ecemb er, let us turn our f ocus to an important b ut of ten neglected person in the f amily – the f ather. D j amila B urgos shares her memories of her late f ather and how he tried his b est to nurture her despite his challenges.

A few hours before he passed on, Father whispered to me “Child, bless me. I will sleep soon.” My heart skipped a beat.

Blinking away the tears that were threatening to come, I asked, “Did you mean to pray for you, Father? ” “Y es,” he replied. “I’m sleepy already.”

That was how my father passed away in 2015 at the age of 8 2 – full of peace, grace and strength in spite of the tough life he had had.

In my heart, Tatay (“father” in Tagalog) will always be my role model of faith and first love. He was the one who taught me to trust in God despite the circumstances and showed me what it means to be singlehearted in love.

While he only had Grade Three qualifications (the equivalent of Primary 3 ), he struggled to provide materially for the family. And though he suffered from ill health, Tatay made sure that we were never poor in love and hope.

The Practical Teacher When Nanay (“mother” in Tagalog) died unexpectedly at 41 years, my two younger brothers and I were often taunted by others and called orphans. We were dirt poor with no food, no money, no mother and a sick father who could not work.

But despite the poverty, we never felt hopeless. Tatay often taught us through his words and actions that God has a great plan for us. Because of the hope he placed in our hearts, we could always find ways to make ends meet.

Every December, we would make and sell “parols” (Christmas lanterns) since all students must bring one to school and the start-up capital was only a few pesos. “U se the perimeter of the roof to display the ready-made lanterns and attract customers,” Tatay would tell us.

When the straps of my rubber slippers broke, Tatay showed me how to mend them by melting the broken ends in fire and pressing

them together tightly. And when neighbours tried to claim my slippers as their own, Tatay taught me how to press heated copper wires into my slippers so as to mark them with my initials.

R ef lecting on these ex p eriences, I realise that som etim es the b est lessons in lif e are those tau ght in the classroom of lif e u nder the lov ing gaz e of a p arent. Through these little moments accumulated over time, my brothers and I learnt the value of hope, perseverance and hard work in difficult times.

The F aithful L over Tatay was only 48 years old when Nanay died. I will always remember the way he would look at Nanay’s photo whenever he missed her or felt lonely. He would tell us that Nanay was still single when she took that photo, which means he had been keeping it for at least the past five decades!

Even when his wallet became old and tattered, Nanay’s photo would still be pristine and perfect in that special spot in his wallet.

That was how much Tatay loved and treasured Nanay.

Despite the many ladies surrounding him and the periods of loneliness, Tatay never had eyes

The way he loved Nanay and his dedication to his marriage became my model for my own marriage.

The A ttentive F ather Looking back, though Tatay struggled with his health, he was always sensitive to our developmental and emotional needs and seemed to know whenever his children were troubled or struggling.

Tatay would quietly ask our friends and neighbours whenever he sensed something was amiss.

Y et, he would not intervene directly in our troubles but simply assure us that everything will be okay.

In this way, he gave us the confidence to handle our own worries and empowered us to stand on our own.

As I was a girl growing up amongst boys, Tatay noticed that I was becoming too boyish. So when I turned 13 , he took me to my first ball to remind me that I was a girl and would eventually be courted by boys!

Even though Tatay was not my first dance partner, he made sure that I was well prepared for it and even secretly peeped at the first boy that I danced with. Such was the care, protection and security that Tatay provided us as we grew up.

The I nnovative E ducator

for anyone else and remained a widower for 3 4 years till his death.

Despite his lack of formal education, Tatay was very intelligent and inspired in us the love for learning through his own example.

Tatay loved to read and always kept himself abreast of the local and international current affairs.

Contrary to the local practice of renting comics, Tatay would borrow books on various topics from friends. He would also re-read his treasured copies of R eaders’ Digest and World Almanac, periodicals he bought while he was still working.

Whenever we had time together, Tatay would then share with us his thoughts and what he learnt from the books he read.

Djamila and Tatay on holiday

Djamila and Convocation Tatay at her Universit y o brothers on Djamila and her twniversary an ing her silver wedd

To make learning fun, Tatay would play Scrabble with us and ensure that he was always one step ahead so that we could never be complacent. He would also make us read the dictionary and do the crossword puzzles in the newspapers. That was how he tried to help us excel in our studies.

Thank Y ou Tatay Because of Tatay, my brothers and I were indeed redeemed from poverty. When life got too tough and we could not go on, Tatay would remind us that God is merciful and has a great plan for us.

Growing up in this closeknit family, we found it very challenging to live apart when all three of us had to move to different cities to pursue our

university education. During the big earthquake of 19 9 0, we lost contact with one another and scrambled to find news of each other. It was three days later before we managed to re-establish contact and meet up.

Though we were materially poor, we were blessed because of Tatay’s strong faith. Days before he passed away, Tatay confided that he was leaving in peace because he was assured of our steadfast love and care for each other.

Thank you Tatay for devoting your entire life to us and giving us ours. We can never repay you for this debt of love.

S haring is caring.

V isit www.catholicf amily.org.sg to share this story with your f riends!

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Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

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Secrets of

P rotect and P rov ide f or the F am ily

Effective Fathers

“ A nyone who does not look af ter his own relations, especially if they are living with him, has rej ected the f aith and is worse than an unb eliever.” ( 1 T im 5 : 8 )

I mage courtesy of P ix ab ay

Effective fathers do everything within their power to be the protector and provider of the home.

They provide a sense of security in their spouse and children by looking out for their emotional, spiritual and material needs. It may not be possible for fathers to keep up with the Jones, but that is not important.

What is more essential are fathers that children feel they can turn to in times of crisis and need.

Studies have shown that the absence of a father figure in a child’s growing up years negatively affects his/ her social-emotional development. These effects may be more pronounced if the absence occurs during early childhood and are more obvious in boys than girls.

With longer working hours and increasing work travel, how can fathers continue to play an active role in nurturing and bringing up their children? Here are seven secrets K en Canfield, author of The Seven Secrets of Effective Fathers, found when he surveyed over 10,000 fathers in America.

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C om m it Y ou r R ole as a F ather to G od

“ C ommit your destiny to Y ahweh, b e conf ident in him, and he will act, ” ( P s3 7 : 5 )

Fatherhood is an amazing but challenging journey and fathers will need all the help they can get.

Thankfully, God our Father has promised help when we commit and surrender all aspects of our lives to Him. So make it a habit to ask God to help you to be a better and more effective father every time you pray.

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regarding life and faith. Similarly, our children need role models who are consistent in thoughts, words and actions, especially in the area of faith, morality and ethics.

Should mistakes occur, effective fathers take the time to explain and apologise to their children their inconsistencies. Being honest with our children about our inadequacies give them courage to face their own.

G et to K now Y ou r C hild

“ P arents, do not irritate your children or they will lose heart.” ( C ol 3 : 2 1 )

Effective fathers make it their priority to get to know their children. Through open dialogue and attentive observations, effective fathers know their children’s capabilities, concerns and questions. From there, they learn to provide the encouragement and nurture that are needed to help their children to grow physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Effective fathers are also open to learning from others such as teachers, catechists and their wives about their children.

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B e C onsistent in F aith, M orals and E thics

“ Y ou, though, have f ollowed my teaching, my way of lif e, my aims, my f aith, my patience and my love, my perseverance and the persecutions and suf f erings that came to me… ” ( 2 T im 3 : 1 0 )

In 2 Tim 3 : 10, St Paul presents himself as a model for Timothy by reminding Timothy of his own consistent conduct in matters

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L ov e their M other “ H usb ands should love their wives, j ust as C hrist loved the C hurch and sacrif iced himself f or her… ” ( E ph 5 : 2 5 )

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P ractise A ctiv e L istening “ L et anyone who can hear, listen to what the Spi rit is saying to the churches.” ( R evelation 2: 29)

The Bible implores us in several places to listen. What does it mean to listen to our children? It means getting down to their level and giving them the freedom to be honest and speak without fear of incurring a lecture. This doesn’t mean that we cannot speak truth or correct our children. R ather, do so only after we have taken time to hear them out.

23 January (Tuesday), 7 .3 0pm - 9 pm A gape V illage, 7 A L orong 8 T oa P ayoh, S ingapore 3 1 9 2 6 4 W e meet as a group of b ereaved parents to f ind mutual support through prayer, scripture and sharing of ex periences.

N o need to register, j ust walk in.

Pieta.singapore@ gmail.com facebook.com/ PietaSingapore

If you are thinking, “Wow, I still have a long way to go! ” do not be disheartened. R emember that we are all imperfect and that there is only one who is perfect (cf Lk 18 : 19 ). By endeavouring to be better fathers, we are already teaching our children to be effective parents as well.

F or a list of f amily events in the A rchdiocese visit

Marriage E ncounter W eekend 2 - 4 February (Friday - Sunday), 8 pm - 6 pm M arriage E ncounter H ouse, 2 0 1 B P unggol 1 7 th A venue, S ingapore 8 2 9 6 5 1 D iscover the weekend that has b een transf orming marriages all over the world f or more than 4 0 years.

F or couples married two years and ab ove.

P rogramme starts F riday ( 8 pm) and ends S unday ( 6 pm) .

catholicf amily.org.sg/ events

March 27

wwmesg.org/ me-weekend-selector to book a weekend.

C onclu sion

Available on https://catholic-link.org/images/infographic-5-thingsthat-we-learn-from-our/

February 2

Pieta Monthly Support Session for Bereaved Parents

The family is the domestic church and therefore the primary place for spiritual formation. Both fathers and mothers play important and complementary roles in teaching and modelling Christian values and lifestyle to their children.

Being a role model doesn’t mean being perfect. R ather, it means being strong enough to admit our imperfections before our children and saying “please”, “thank you” and “sorry” when necessary. Let your children know about your dependency on God and His primacy in your life.

A P rayer f or the F amily, f rom http: / / catholicf amily.org.sg/ a- prayer- f orthe- f amily/ ”

Catholic Family Events in January - March 2018 23

“ R emain in me, as I in you. A s a b ranch cannot b ear f ruit all b y itself , unless it remains part of the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.” ( Jn 1 5 : 4 )

One of the best things a father can do for his children is to love their mother. As Pope Francis said, children first learn about love, trust, sincerity, fidelity and other virtues from the relationship between their father and mother. If your children see you loving your spouse, chances are, they will model that same standard in their own marriages.

L E T U S P R A Y : O dear Jesus, I humb ly implore Y ou to grant Y our special graces to our f amily. M ay our home b e the shrine of peace, purity, love, lab our and f aith. I b eg Y ou, dear Jesus, to protect and b less all of us, ab sent and present, living and dead.

O M ary, loving M other of Jesus, and our M other, pray to Jesus f or our f amily, f or all the f amilies of the world, to guard the cradles of the newb orn, the schools of the young and their vocations.

B lessed S t Joseph, holy guardian of Jesus and M ary, assist us b y your prayers in all the necessities of lif e. A sk of Jesus that special grace which H e granted to you, to watch over our home at the pillow of the sick and the dying, so that with M ary and with you, heaven may f ind our f amily unb roken in the S acred H eart of Jesus. A men.

January

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E q u ip Y ou r C hildren S p iritu ally

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Pieta Monthly Support Session for Bereaved Parents 27 February (Tuesday), 7 .3 0pm - 9 pm A gape V illage, 7 A L orong 8 T oa P ayoh, S ingapore 3 1 9 2 6 4 W e meet as a group of b ereaved parents to f ind mutual support through prayer, scripture and sharing of ex periences.

N o need to register, j ust walk in.

Pieta.singapore@ gmail.com

Marriage E ncounter W eekend 2 - 4 March (Friday - Sunday), 8 pm - 6 pm M arriage E ncounter H ouse, 2 0 1 B P unggol 1 7 th A venue, S ingapore 8 2 9 6 5 1 D iscover the weekend that has b een transf orming marriages all over the world f or more than 4 0 years.

F or couples married two years and ab ove.

P rogramme starts F riday ( 8 pm) and ends S unday ( 6 pm) . wwmesg.org/ me-weekend-selector to book a weekend.

facebook.com/ PietaSingapore

This section is produced by the Archdiocesan Commission for the Family and is published on the last issue of each month. For more information on Catholic family life matters, visit catholicfamily.org.sg.

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Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

S’poreans reach out to needy young people in Pattaya Some 50 Catholics, mostly from the Church of Christ the K ing, travelled to Pattaya, Thailand, and visited various Catholic charity institutions there in early December.

R edemptorist Fr Simon Pereira and parish priest Fr John Sim led the group, which included

parents and their teenage children.

They visited the Father R ay Children’s Village, the Father R ay Children’s Home, the Father R ay Center for Children with Special Needs, the Camillian Social Center R ayong, Father R ay Day Care Center, the Pattaya School for the Blind and the R edemptorist Vocational School for People with Disabilities.

During the visits, they enthusiastically joined the children and teens in the Children’s Home and Children’s Village to play soccer, learn muay thai (Thai boxing) and play volleyball.

Their parents also participated in the activities.

Many of the young people were also seen breaking out of their comfort zones to reach out to the orphans, the blind, the poor and the disabled.

One of them, Daniel Omar, shared: “Imagine growing up poor or disabled, struggling to make ends meet or failing to do basic

Catholics from Singapore interacting with teenagers with disabilities in Pattaya during their mission trip.

e eryday duties effi iently. e love to complain about how we don’t have this or how come we aren’t as rich as other families, but the truth is our problems are very

minor compared to those living here, yet we are always seemingly unhappy. Y et those here in Pattaya, even as they live life simply, are satisfied and grateful.

love to complain about how we don’ t have this ‘W ore how come we aren’ t as rich as other f amilies, ub t the truth is our probl ems are very minor compared to those living here.

’

– D aniel O mar, a young visitor from Singapore

Many of the participants shared that although the goal of the Dec 1-9 trip was to bring love, hope and joy to the less fortunate, they definitely re ei ed these from the people they met and interacted with during their nineday programme.

The trip also saw participants taking part in sharing sessions which helped to bond parents and children, and helped the group grow closer as a community in Christ. n

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Serving Myanmar refugees in Kuala Lumpur

By Mabel L ee Eight missionaries from the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour spent a week reaching out to Myanmar refugees in K uala Lumpur.

From Dec 11-17, they visited the Z utong R efugee Catholic Learning Centre (Z R CLC), which was set up by Catholics to house Myanmar refugees seeking shelter from violence in their homeland.

The trip saw the Singapore visitors and the children from Z R CLC equipping two other Myanmar learning centres, the Z o and Sancheng learning centres, with libraries.

The trip was initiated by CHAR IS (Caritas Humanitarian Aid & R elief Initiatives, Singapore) and the Fishing R od Society, an organisation which serves refugees in K uala Lumpur.

The project saw the Singapore missionaries purchasing shelves and easel boards from IK EA with help from the Z R CLC children.

According to the Singapore participants, the children from the three learning centres were excited to be involved in this project and eager to work together to build their libraries. he first day saw the isitors

guiding the children on how to piece together the shelves and easel boards. The next day, the children were able to take the lead and guided their teachers and peers in assembling these materials.

The visitors also planned a Christmas party with the children from Z R CLC and empowered them to take full ownership of it.

The children planned the games, entertainment, sing-a-long and art-and-craft sessions, and served lunch to the children from the Z o and Senthang learning centres who were the guests.

The party was apparently a huge success with each kid receiving numerous presents. A Mass was also celebrated by a Myanmar priest living in K uala Lumpur. he final art of the tri saw the missionaries singing carols at the refugees’ homes, and getting a glimpse of their simple lives.

The Singapore participants said the trip helped them as a group grow from strangers to brothers and sisters in Christ. They have since formed a Parish Mission Group to lead more mission trips.

T he C H A R I S webs ite is http: / / charis- singapore.org/ n

Members of a group from the Church of O ur L ady of Perpetual Succour helping Myanmar refugee kids build shelves for their library.

8 CHRISTMAS IN PARISHES

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

Fulfilling Christmas wishes

A look at how some parishes cel St Francis Xavier parishioners make Advent wreaths, paint murals An Advent wreath workshop, painting an Advent mural and singing Christmas carols in two malls.

These were some of the activities organised by the Church of St Francis X avier to commemorate Advent and Christmas.

On Nov 25, about 50 participants tried their hand at making Advent wreaths during the workshop held in the parish.

Targeted at families, the workshop saw children and adults working together to make their very own Advent wreath.

As part of a parish community initiative, about 15 parishioners used their artistic talents to paint two Advent murals on Dec 9 .

Both young and old spent the afternoon painting two murals, one of the Three Wise Men and another of the Nativity scene.

According to the parish, the wall murals provide a photo opportunity for parishioners and visitors, and also bring life to the Christmas story.

Church of St F rancis X avier parishioners making A dvent wreaths during a workshop.

Bringing the Christmas spirit out of the church, the parish youth choir also took time to sing Christmas carols at two malls in Serangoon.

The two carolling events were held at myVillage on Dec 16 and at Nex on Dec 22.

ringing joy to the less fortunate at St gnatius The Church of St Ignatius organised two events that brought Christmas joy to families and the less fortunate.

On Dec 2, the Welcome Ministry of the parish held an Advent wreath-making family event.

Families came together to try their hand at making wreaths and the children also took part in games such as a treasure hunt and scrabble.

The following day, members of the Society of St Vincent De Paul

(SSVP) and about 130 Friends-InNeed (FINs) – made up of elderly and other low in ome benefi iaries – gathered for an evening of feasting and fun.

The event kicked off with some games – from a scavenger hunt to having the FINs dress up as reindeer with the help of balloons.

Many also stepped up to sing their favourite karaoke songs and dinner ended with the crowd’s favourite Bingo session. n

Jesuit F r Jerome L eon blessing A dvent wreaths.

Popular carols such as Joy to the World, Silent Night and Angels We Have Heard on High entertained passers-by and pamplets on the Christmas story were also handed out. hristmas fiesta was s heduled to take place on Dec 29 in the church. he fiesta whi h had the theme A Gift Given, A Gift Shared, had scheduled activities such as choir performances, a children’s pageant and various dance items. n

Y oung people painting an A dvent mural depicting the Nativity scene.

Parish helps make wishes come true At the Church of St Bernadette, a Christmas Giving Tree Project was launched on Nov 26 to support the Friends-In-Need (FINs) from the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SSVP) of the parish.

The initiave, jointly organised by the parish’s Family Life team, the Altar Servers’ Society and the SSVP, saw FINs writing down a list of items that they wished to receive during Christmas.

These were then taken up by parishA Church of St Bernadette F I N receiving her Christmas wish gift as part of the parish’ s ioners, wrapped and Christmas G iving Tree Proj ect. given to the parish offi e. wrapped items to the FINs, many Some examples of the items class for a disabled sibling. include birds’ nest essence, a Parish volunteers gathered of whom had bright smiles on their microwave oven and a tuition on Dec 16 to distribute the gift- faces. n

CHRISTMAS IN PARISHES 9

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

es, bringing joy to the poor

elebrated Advent and Christmas

y r

St Mary’s befriends the poor in the neighbourhood Extending Franciscan hospitality to the needy and to the marginalised.

This was the idea behind the Church of St Mary of the Angels’ (SMOTA) Advent outreach programme that brought the joy of Christmas to about 6 00 people, mostly poor residents living in rental blocks in Bukit Batok.

The Dec 23 event, held at basketball courts near the rental blocks, included Christmas carols, a dance item and a magic performance.

In addition to the food stalls, there were also games, motorised rides as well as an outdoor photo booth for people to take photos.

The event helped parishioners, staff and friars of SMOTA to better know the people of Bukit Batok.

SMOTA worked with Mr Mu-

rali Pillai, MP for Bukit Batok, and his team for the event.

Through a social enterprise named Gobbler, residents were issued vouchers by the Bukit Batok grassroots team. These vouchers allowed residents to redeem food, household items and more.

Home visits were also conducted and transportation provided for the less mobile residents to the venue.

The whole idea of this Advent outreach programme started at a townhall meeting in SMOTA. The SMOTA townhall replaced the concept of the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) three years ago, where instead of electing a few members from the parish, the townhall allowed for wider representation from a parish that is home to about 11,000 parishioners with 120 ministries and communities. n

Transfiguration Church celebrates first Christmas The Church of the Transfiguration (COTT) celebrated its first hristmas this year with a tour for various senior priests as well as a festive goodies sale.

On Dec 5, COTT hosted a lunch and tour of the church complex for seven senior clergy and Archbishop William Goh. The priests were Frs Michael Arro, Gino Henriques, Paul Staes, Paul Goh, Tom Curran, John K hoo and Joseph Jeannequin.

A gift of appreciation was presented to each priest for his commitment to and love for the Catholic community in Singapore.

To aid the operating costs of the parish, The 3- m Christmas tree at the Church of the ransfi ration ecorate with note car s writthe youth ministry sold homemade cookies ten by parishioners. while the pantry minisdifferent coloured lights to reptry sold honey glazed chicken.

Besides a Nativity scene in resent the different virtues of the Holy Spirit. its sanctuary, COTT also has 13 The 3- m tree is in the church artifi ial trees and a m tall li e foyer and parishioners are invited tree. en of the artifi ial trees an be to write their good wishes on cards found on the ground oor lit with and hang them on the tree. n

A Church of St Mary of the A ngels volunteer interacting with Bukit Batok residents during the Dec 23 A dvent outreach programme.

Cathedral holds Christmas night market The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd celebrated Christmas by organising its first hristmas ight Market from Dec 15-24.

The Night Market consisted of a series of activities and events that aimed to allow Catholics to find out the true meaning of hristmas.

These activities included souvenir stalls selling Christmas gifts and other items, nightly carolling by different church choirs, movie screenings of The Nativity Story and Mary of Nazareth, and trivia quizzes to entertain children. ngel figurines holding musical instruments could also be found facing the main entrance of the cathedral while 44 other lighted angel figurines were la ed around the compound.

There were nightly carolling performances by different church choirs at the Cathedral of the G ood Shepherd from Dec 15- 24.

Msgr Philip Heng, rector of the cathedral, also held a healing service on Dec 20 and he cel-

ebrated a special Mass for the elderly and homebound on Dec 23 . n

Focusing on the theme of family This Advent, the Church of Sts Peter and Paul focused on the theme of family.

Families were invited to consider how they can grow in love so as to become more effective witnesses to the joy of the Gospel.

The parish’s Advent Family Prayer Project involved the decoration of a Christmas tree with prayer cards which represented each family’s Advent prayer intentions.

Some of these included growing in love as a family and remembering fam-

ily members and relatives who are estranged or who are nonbelievers.

Families were invited to write their petitions on ornaments which were then hung by volunteers on the Christmas tree.

The prayer intentions were specially prayed for during Advent Masses.

To encourage family prayer at home, families were also invited to take home a prayer card containing Pope Francis’ prayer for the 2014/ 2015 Synod on the Family. n

Prayer intentions of families hanging on the Christmas tree at the Church of Sts Peter and Paul.

10 HOME

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

PSLE no hurdle for visuallyimpaired Montfort pupil

By Jared Ng He began losing sight in his right eye towards the end of Pri 4.

In Pri 5, he began to see clouded images in his left eye.

However, Joshua Babol did not want anyone to find out for fear of being treated differently.

It was only when one of his teachers began to notice that his handwriting had begun to get illegible that Joshua admitted to having “clouded vision” in both eyes.

A failed eye test in his school, Montfort Junior School, also confirmed his fears.

Further examinations at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) and other private clinics revealed to Joshua’s family that he had Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), which leads to a loss of central vision.

Despite this, Joshua had a PSLE aggregate score of 212, achieving an A for Science and B for English and Mathematics.

But it was a struggle for him.

“It was really inconvenient for me [to lose most of my vision] and I didn’t feel comfortable telling anyone,” he recalled, adding that he often had misunderstandings with other students because they thought he was “pretending”.

It was also harder for Joshua to understand certain concepts in class due to his visual impairment and he took longer to complete his homework as a result.

“Even till today I still have some homework left incomplete,” Joshua said with a sheepish smile.

Said Joshua’s father James Babol, “It wasn’t easy for Joshua to go through what he did and I am really appreciate of the school for being so supportive and understanding.”

Mr Babol, who attends Mass at St Anne’s Church with his family, told Catholic News that Joshua was referred by SNEC to iC2 PrepHouse, a centre that teaches children with low vision coping skills in everyday living for them to be independent.

At the centre, Joshua learned to use a walking cane and was also introduced to a CCTV device which helps him to read and complete his work more conveniently.

The device works as a screen magnifier where any text or other object placed beneath the built-in camera is enlarged.

At home, Joshua used the device to complete his homework as well as for revision.

At school, he had another sim-

Joshua learned to use a walking cane and was also introduced to a device which helps him to read and complete his work more conveniently.

Joshua Babol using the CCTV device, which works as a screen magnifier, to complete his homework as well as for revision.

ilar device with an added function that helped him read texts from soft-copy documents.

His teachers would help him by setting up the device daily before classes started.

On their part, Montfort Junior School supported Joshua by assigning classmates to walk with him in school.

During the PSLE, Joshua received twice the amount of time for each of his papers and had a scribe and reader assigned to him for his Mathematics and Science examinations.

Joshua, who enjoys playing Lego during his free time, shared that he was accepted into Montfort Secondary School and would be studying in the Express stream.

His advice to others going through challenges prior to their examinations, “Try your best to overcome your challenges and don’t give up. Work hard and you will slowly progress.” n jared.ng@catholic.org.sg

Joshua with his younger brother Jaime Paul and father, Mr James Babol.

Spanish-speaking community celebrates Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe A Mass to commemorate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe was held on Dec 12 at the Church of St Bernadette.

Opus Dei Fr Joe Lopez, chaplain of the Spanish-speaking community, celebrated the Mass in Spanish for the Latin community, many of whom were in their traditional colourful costumes.

At the same time, he also translated his homily into English as he was keen to welcome the local community who attended the Mass.

In his homily, Fr Lopez said that Our Lady of Guadalupe, appearing and associating as a native Mother of God, did what the Spanish conquerors and European priests could not do over the preceding decade, which was the massive conversion of the indigenous peoples of Mexico and the whole of Latin America over the following years.

After Mass, people enjoyed a time of fellowship, food and dance.

Ms Cristina Cortes, a Mexican married to a local, said “celebrating a Mass in honour of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Spanish and English and praying in my native

Members of the Spanish-speaking community in their traditional costumes during the Dec 12 Mass.

language brought me [back] to Mexico City, my native country.”

She added, “It was beautiful to see more than 100 people from the Hispanic and local community attend the Mass followed by a fiesta as we do in Mexico.” n

January • Migrants Outreach (1 Jan) • ACAMS Workshop (14 Jan)

• My Journey Series – Teo Ser Luck (8 Mar) • Lenten Retreat (17 Mar) • Couples Retreat • Conversion Experience Retreat • Graduation Day (3 Mar)

• Dormitory Outreach

• Leaders’ Retreat (20 Jan)

• School of Charismatic • School of Healing Prayer Level 1 Leadership Module 1 (10, 11, 17, 18 Mar) (24-25 Feb)

• Course on ‘Praying with Others’ (2 Jun) • School of Charismatic Leadership Module 3 (16, 17 Jun) • School of Charisms Module 1 (23, 24 Jun)

• Pentecost Rally (20 May) • Combined Ministries • Labourers in the Vineyard Retreat (15-16 Jun) Retreat (25-29 May) • Jesus Mary Rally (26 May) • Family Camp (31 May-3 Jun) • Communities’ • Graduating University Formation (5 May) Students’ Recollection • School of Christian (8-9 Jun) Leadership • Kickstart for Freshmen (18-28 May) (22-24 Jun) • Nox Gaudii (29 Jun)

• EMHC Study Day (7 Apr) • Hope in the City (21 Apr) • Wardens’ Study Day (28 Apr) • Treasure #9 (5-8 Apr) • Poly Commissioning Mass (18 Apr) • Nox Gaudii (20 Apr)

• School of Charismatic • Pentecost Retreat Leadership Module 2 (5, 6 May) (7, 8 Apr) • Pentecost Rally • Spiritual Preparation (20 May) for Pentecost Retreat (21, 22 Apr)

• Communi-Tea: RCIA (2 Jun) • Catechists’ Retreat: (8-10 Jun) • Basic Catechist Course Level 1: (Mandarin) Introduction to Catechetical Pedagogy & Catechetical Methods (1) (23, 24 Jun) • Basic Catechist Course Level 1: Liturgy : The Mass (26 Jun-31 Jul) • Basic Catechist Course Level 2: Learning to Listen and Facilitate (Follow-Up) (23 Jun) • Bridging Term 3: (30 Jun-25 Aug)

• RCIA: Pentecost Retreat (5-6 May) • Introduction To RCIA (17-19 May ) • Archdiocese Catechist Training Programme: Maryvale Certificate in Catechesis Study Weekend (1) (26, 27 May) • Bridging Programme: First Reconciliation/ First Holy Communion Retreat (29-31 May) • Bridging Programme: Parent Formation (3) (29 May )

• Basic Catechist Course Level 2: Introduction to Morality (4 Apr-2 May) • Archdiocese Catechist Training: Study Day (2) (10 Apr) • RCIA: Sponsors Training (14 & 15 Apr) • Catechist Elective Course: Special Needs Catechesis 2 (17 Apr-15 May) • Praying with Catechumens and Sponsors (21, 28 Apr)

• Mission Trip – Nepal

November • Youth Camp

• Enrolment for 2019 Opens (6 Oct)

• Enrolment for 2019 Closes (8 Dec)

• Marriage Preparation Course (30 Dec)

• Christmas Party for Migrant Families • Spiritual Living Through Art

December • Migrants Outreach • Family Mass

• Combined University Retreat (18-21 Dec)

• Love in the City (29 Dec)

Compiled by Office for the New Evangelisation (ONE), www.one.org.sg

• Advent Day of • School of Healing Recollection (1 Dec) Prayer – Deliverance Module (4, 5, 6, 7 Nov) • School of Intercession Module • School of Charisms 1 (8, 9 Dec) Module 3 (17, 18 Nov)

• Villagefest (10 Nov) • Evangelisation Conference (24 Nov)

• Bridging Programme: • RCIA: Advent Day of Recollection for Parent Formation 5 Catechumens (1 Dec) (3 Nov) • Coordinator’s Day of • Catechist Elective Course: Introduction Recollection (6 Nov) to Church History • Communi-Tea: (8, 9 Dec) Children Catechist (10 Nov) • Communi-Tea: Youth Catechist (10 Nov) • RCIA: Bishop’s Catechesis for Catechumens (17 Nov)

• Young Adults Building the Kingdom Workshop (10 Nov) • Review of Life Workshop (20 & 21 Nov)

• Information Night (9 Nov) • Semester 2 Ends (21 Nov)

• Advent Retreat (24 Nov)

• Happiness Workshop • Recollection Day for • FDW Day Migrant Families • Deepavali Migrant • Skills Development Party Enrolment – 2019 Semester 1

October • Migrants Outreach • Rosary Month Procession

• Personal Moral • Catholic Social Teaching Compass – Module 5 Workshop (6 Oct) (6 Sep-11 Oct) • Personal Moral Compass – Module 6 (18 Oct-6 Dec) • Living our Faith in Community Workshop (20 Oct) • Down Memory Lane 2018 • Archdiocese • Basic Catechist Course • Communi-Tea: RCIA • Archdiocese Catechetical Training Level 1: Evangelisation Catechetical Training (6 Oct) Study Day (3) (7 Aug) & Mission (Follow Up • Catechist Elective Information Night • Bridging Programme: Workshop) (15 Sep) (11 Jul) Course: Praying the Parent Formation 4 • Catechetical • Catechist Elective Divine Office (18, 15, (18 Aug) Awareness Weekend Course: Virtues 22 Oct) • Catechist Elective (8, 9 Sep) (11 Jul-5 Sep) • Maryvale Archdiocese Course: Liturgical • Basic Catechist Course • Craft of Catechesis Catechetical Training Principles Level 2: Catholic Workshop: The Five Programme Weekend (21 Aug-11 Sep) Social Teaching Strategies of the (13, 14 Oct) (12 Sep-17 Oct) Virtues Project (2) • Basic Catechist Course • Bridging Term 4: (21, 28 Jul) Level 1: Intro to (15 Sep-1 Dec) • Basic Catechist Course Catechetical Pedagogy • Archdiocese Level 2 – Learning to & Catechetical Methods Catechetical Training Listen (16, 23, 30 Jul) (19 Oct-30 Nov) Study Day (4) (4 Sep) • Basic Catechist Course Level 2: Learning to Listen & Facilitate (20, 27 Oct) • RCIA: Bishop’s Catechesis for Catechumens (20 Oct) • Basic Catechist Course Level 2: Human Sexuality (24 Oct-28 Nov) • Watchmen Retreat • Choir Study Day • Lectors’ Study Day • EMHC & Wardens’ (9-12 Aug) (8 Sep) (4 Jul) Day of Recollection • Faith in the City • New Wine (13 Oct) (25 Aug) Conference (15 Sep) • SCC Study Day (22 Sep) • Nox Gaudii (17 Aug) • Treasure #10 • Uni Day of • Communities’ Recollection (28 Jul) • Uni Commissioning (20-23 Sep) Formation (6 Oct) Mass (23 Aug) • Empower: • Youth Coordinators’ Leadership Retreat Retreat (8-12 Oct) (26-29 Sep) • Poly-ITE Day of Recollection (13 Oct) • Nox Gaudii (26 Oct) • School of Charisms • School of Healing • ICCRS Leadership • School of Healing Module 2 (25, 26 Aug) Prayer Level 2 Formation Institute in Prayer Level 3 (7, 8, 14, 15 Jul) Rome (2-22 Sep) (13, 14, 20, 21 Oct) • Pilgrimage to France, Spain, Portugal (23 Sep-6 Oct)

• Creed on the Street • Personal Moral • Young Adults Social Night Discussion Compass – Module 4 Mission Event (2 Jun) Session (3 Aug) (12 Jul-30 Aug) • Social Mission Conference (21 Jul)

• New Students Briefing (6 Jul) • Semester 2 Commences (9 Jul)

• Marriage Preparation Course (30 Sep)

• Roundtable • Befrienders’ Discussion on Formation II – Value Migrants of Self & Community • Happiness Workshop • Migrant Sunday (23 Sept)

August September • ACAMS Night (12 Aug) • Examination Mass • Conversion for Students Experience Retreat • NE Seminar (19 Aug) • Marriage Preparation Course (5, 12 Aug)

• Living our Faith • Review of Life in Community Workshop Workshop (7 Apr) (15 & 16 May) • Personal Moral Compass – Module 3 (19 Apr-7 Jun) • Charity Golf 2018

• Semester 1 Ends (1 Jun) • Enrolment for Semester 2 Closes (9 Jun)

• Marriage Preparation Course (29 Jul)

• Spiritual Living Through Art

July • Liturgy Seminar • Faith Formation (22 Jul) • China Saints’ Mass

• Mission Trip – Cambodia

• Information Night (4 May)

• CBN Golf Classics (16 May) • Annual General Meeting (24 May)

• Family Day (15 Jun)

• Talk on Law & You

June • Children’s Camp

• Mission Trip – Philippines

• Enrolment for Semester 2 Opens (7 Apr)

• Befrienders’ Formation I – Value of Self & Community • Befrienders’ Development I – Active Listening – Skills Development Enrolment • Marriage Preparation Course (29 Apr)

May • World Day of Prayer for the Church in China (24 May) • Rosary Month Procession • Chinese Charismatic Rally • Love Matters 3 (1 May) • Befrienders Development II – Contracting

EVENTS BY ARCHDIOCESAN ORGANISATIONS IN 2018

April March • ACAMS Lenten Rally • Faith Formation (15 Apr) (7, 14, 21 Mar) • Marriage Preparation • Family Parenting Camp (6-8 Apr) Course (4, 11 Mar)

• Personal Moral Compass – Module 2 (1 Mar-12 Apr) • Catholic Social Teaching Workshop (3 Mar) • Creed on the Street Night Discussion Session (6 Mar) • Communi-Tea: Primary • Communi-Tea: • Chinese Rite of RCIA Coordinators’ & Youth Coordinators Election (3 Mar) Meeting (3 Feb) Gathering (6 Jan) • Bridging Programme: • Communi-Tea: RCIA • Craft of Catechesis Parent Formation (2) Workshop: Managing Coordinators Gathering (3 Mar) Youth in the Prayer • Launch of Catechetical • Craft of Catechesis Space (8 Feb) Year (6 Jan) Workshop: Planning • RCIA: Bishop’s Catechesis • Catechist Elective Parent Formation Course: Special for Catechumens (13 Jan) Sessions (Children) Needs Catechesis 1 • Basic Catechist Course (6 Mar) (21 Feb-21 Mar) Level 1: Scripture • Catechist Elective • Craft of Catechesis (16 Jan-20 Feb) Course: History of the Workshop: Planning • Craft of Catechist Catholic Church in Singapore (10, 17 Mar) FR/FHC retreat Workshop: Managing • Basic Catechist Course (22 Feb) Children in the Level 1: Introduction to Prayer Space (18 Jan) • Rite Of Election Catechetical Pedagogy (24 Feb) • Basic Catechist Course & Catechetical Methods • Rite Of Election Level 2: Learning to (10, 11, 17, 18 Mar) (25 Feb) Listen & Facilitate • Archdiocese Catechist • Craft of Catechesis (27 Jan, 3 Feb) Workshop: Planning Training: Study Day • Bridging Term 1 Confirmation Retreat (1) (27 Feb) (20 Jan-3 Mar) (13 Mar) • Bridging Programme: • Bridging Term 2 Parents’ Formation (24 Mar-28 Apr) (1) (27 Jan) • Choir Study Day (3 Mar) • EMHC Day of • ONE Day (10 Feb) • Family Retreat (9-11 Mar) Recollection (6 Jan) • SCC Day of • Wardens’ Day of Recollection (17 Mar) Recollection (27 Jan) • Lectors’ Study Day (24 Mar) • School of Witness • Nox Gaudii (23 Feb) • SHINE Retreat (20-23 Mar) (7 Jan-3 Mar)

• Personal Moral • Charities Week 2018 Compass – Module 1 (24 Feb-6 May) (4 Jan-22 Feb) • Young Adults Catholic Social Teaching Movie Event (27 Jan)

• New Students Briefing (12 Jan) • Semester 1 Commences (15 Jan) • Inauguration Mass (18 Jan)

• Lenten Retreat (16-18 Feb) • CSR Activity with Caritas Singapore (3 Feb)

• Roundtable Updates on Migrants in Singapore • Spiritual Living Through Art (11 Feb)

February • ACAMS Lenten Rally (21, 28 Feb) • Migrants Outreach

BUILDING A VIBRANT, MISSIONARY AND EVANGELISTIC CHURCH

Note: This information is correct at the time of printing. For more information, please refer to the respective organisation’s website.

Singapore Archdiocesan Catholic Charismatic Renewal

Office for Young People

Office for the New Evangelisation

Office for Catechesis

Caritas Humanitarian Aid & Relief Initiatives, Singapore Caritas Singapore

Catholic Theological Institute of Singapore

Catholic Spirituality Centre

Archdiocesan Commission for Tamil Speaking • Thanksgiving Mass Catholic Business (13 Jan) Network

Archdiocesan Commission for the Family Archdiocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People

Organisations Archdiocesan Commission for Apostolate of Mandarin Speaking

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

11

12 ASIA

R elatives of drug-war victims show portraits of their loved ones during a Mass in November in Manila.

R ecently, a diocese north of Manila held a Mass for ‘ spiritual healing’ for the families of such victims.

CNS file photo

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

Diocese marks Christmas with relatives of drug war victims MANILA – A diocese north of Manila, where many of the estimated 12,000 victims of drug-related killings were slain, staged a unique Christmas celebration this year with the families of those who died.

Bishop Virgilio Pablo David of K alookan said the gathering on Dec 9 aimed to be part of the “spiritual healing” for families of the victims.

“It really hurts to be a victim, it hurts more to continue to be a victim, but what is worst is if we lose all hope in humanity and let hatred take over us,” said the prelate in his homily during a Mass.

Bishop David, an outspoken critic of the government’s deadly war on illegal drugs, thanked the families of the victims for attending the celebration.

“We need to breathe deep and exhale that anger because violence breeds hatred in the hearts

of those affected by violence,” said the prelate.

He said that as bishop it is his duty to bring together people willing to help the families of victims, whom the prelate called “survivors”.

“Y ou are not victims but survivors, when there is still life there is still hope to start over again,” the bishop told the gathering.

Amnesty International has called on the International Criminal Court to start a preliminary examination of possible crimes against humanity regarding Philippine President R odrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. atest offi ial data from the Philippine National Police shows that at least 3,93 people have been killed in police operations, while thousands have also been reported killed by vigilante groups. n U C A N E W S.C O M

Priests resist casino plan on Philippine island been consistent in campaigning to BORACAY, PHILIPPINES – Catholic priests are leading the resist- make Boracay a family destination.

“A wholesome family destinaance to a plan to build a “mega casino” on the central Philippine tion and gambling will never be a island of Boracay, one of the good combination,” said the priest.

Ms Vicky Aguirre, an island Philippines’ top tourist attracresident, said she cannot imagine tions.

A Chinese company, Galaxy En- what the proposed mega casino tertainment Group, has announced complex will look like.

“I only have headaches thinkthat it plans to develop a worlding about it,” class beach reshe said, addsort and casino ing that she is on Boracay Isworried about land. the future of ffi ials of Boracay. the company The apand its local proach by the partner, Leisure Chinese compaand R esorts ny comes amid World Corp, warming ties met President between China R odrigo Duand the Philipterte to discuss pines following the project. the election of Galaxy is President Dureportedly planterte last year. ning to invest “[We are] up to U S$500 Casino gambling. A Chinese company excited about million (S$672 million) in the plans to develop a world-class resort the possibility and casino on Boracay I sland. File photo ... to develop project. a world class Fr Cesar Echegaray, a former parish priest beach resort for our players in Boon the island, said K alibo diocese racay,” said Galaxy vice chairman has always been opposed to any Francis Lui Y iu Tung in a statement. form of gambling on the island.

He said his company is inter“I have been telling local government offi ials that if they allow ested in exploring the great potenone investor [to come in], it would tial and attractive business opporbe hard for them to refuse any fu- tunities in the Philippines.

In 2011, Galaxy opened a ture plans,” said the priest.

Fr Jose Tudd Belandres of the 550,000-sq-m resort with Las Most Holy R osary Parish, said Vegas-style facilities in Macau. n Church leaders in the province have U C A N E W S.C O M

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

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13

14

WORLD

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

Vatican’s new instruction on authenticating, protecting relics re ognised as the de eased s heir . ha e been ertified as authenti n the ase of an u oming an be ex osed for eneration by anonisation or beatifi ation the faithful said a new ati an in- some small ie es or fragments stru tion. already se arated from the body ublished on e in talian an be remo ed and later gi en to by the ongregation for aints the ostulator or i e ostulator auses the instru tion larifies and for la ement in a ro erly sealed details the anoni al ro edures to reli uary the instru tion said. be followed by lo al bisho s in an ut the dismemberment of effort to erify the authenti ity of the body is not allowed unless the reli s and the morbisho has obtained tal remains of saints ermission from and lesseds as the saints ongrewell as better guargation it said. antee a reli s resThe sale or er ation a ro e trade of reli s reand tra its mo emains absolutely ments and romote rohibited as well its eneration. as ex osing them he instru tion in rofane or replaces the apunauthorised lo aendix anoni al tions it said. e ognition of the ome of the Mortal emains rules also in lude n igorously of the er ant of a oiding any sign od in luded of eneration for the with an torum remains of a er ant Mater the ongregation s nstru - A relic containing a vial of of od or enerable before beatifi ation. tion for ondu ting blood of St John Paul I I . A n Obtaining io esan or ar- new instruction outlines the onsent hal n uiries in the specific proce res an per- written from the ongreauses of aints sonnel necessary for the cagation and e ery released in . nonical recognition of the aubishop or propriehe new in- thenticity of relics. CNS file photo tor that would be stru tion outlined the s e ifi ro edures and er- in ol ed in the mo ing of in transsonnel ne essary for the anoni al ferring the ownershi of or in the ilgrimage of any reli s and mortal re ognition of the authenti ity of the reli s or remains of a saint or remains of the saints and lesseds. n etting the onsent of the anyone on the ath to sainthood. t also s e ified that any a tion ta en saints ongregation the rele ant atriar h and his ermanent synod regarding the reli s or remains must also onform with lo al go ernment for the alienation or transfer of ownlaws and ha e the onsent of the ershi of reli s and re ious i ons saints ongregation and the erson of the astern hur hes. n C N S

V AT ICAN CIT Y – Only relics that

15

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

Mission

To collaborate and provide leadership within the Catholic community in Singapore in fulfilling the Catholic Church’s social mission especially for the most vulnerable in society.

Vision

To be the visible sign of God’s love for humanity demonstrated

by Catholics living the principles and values of the Catholic Social Teaching.

Initiative

Agape Village – a one-stop integrated social service hub, providing holistic care to those in need regardless of race, religion and nationality.

Member Organisations ■ Abilities Beyond Limitations and Expectations (ABLE) ■ acts29 ■ Archdiocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (ACMI) ■ Assisi Hospice ■ Boys’ Town Singapore ■ Canossaville Children and Community Services ■ Caritas Humanitarian Aid and Relief Initiatives, Singapore (CHARIS) ■ Catholic AIDS Response Effort (CARE) ■ Catholic Business Network ■ Catholic Lawyers Guild ■ Catholic Medical Guild ■ Catholic Nurses Guild ■ Catholic Welfare Services ■ Christian Family and Social Movement ■ Clarity Singapore Limited ■ Faith and Light Community ■ Family Life Society ■ Infant Jesus Homes and Children’s Centres ■ Jesuit Refugee Service Singapore ■ Mamre Oaks ■ Montfort Care ■ Morning Star Community Services ■ Mount Alvernia Hospital ■ Roman Catholic Prison Ministry ■ Society of St Vincent De Paul (SSVP)

Stewardship Report 2017 We are grateful for the generosity and continuous support of the Catholic community.

Here is a summary of the work done for the financial year ending 30 September 2017.

Key Financials

FY 2017 ($)

Donations and Fees

FY 2016 ($)

8,268,190

9,104,746

-

2,000,000

Sponsorships

361,591

173,800

Others

756,731

574,222

Total Income (Incoming Resources)

9,386,512

11,852,768

Costs of Charitable Activities

8,852,253

7,185,593

Fundraising and Sponsorship Costs

308,030

261,754

Governance Costs

254,907

181,682

9,415,190

7,629,029

(28,678) FY 2017 ($)

4,223,739 FY 2016 ($)

3.6%

2.3%

308,030

261,754

8,629,781

11,278,546

94%

94%

8,852,253

7,185,593

9,415,190

7,629,029

Government Care & Share Matching Grant

Total Expenditure (Resources Expended) Net Income (Incoming Resources) Ratios Fundraising Ratio1 - Fundraising and Sponsorship Costs - Total Funds Raised (Donations and Sponsorships) Programme Ratio2 - Expenses spent on charitable programmes (including grants) - Total Expenditure 3

Reserves Ratio

2.19 years

2.71 years

- Reserves

19,915,665

19,944,343

15,056,083

15,627,494

Agape Village Building Fund4

Organisation Board Members & Trustees

27

Committee Members

65

Staff Member organisations

23 25

(excluding Board and Trustees)

Notes: 1 Measures fundraising efficiency. Computed based on the formula: Fundraising and Sponsorship Costs ÷ Total Funds Raised.

2 Measures funds deployed on charity programmes versus fundraising and overheads.

Computed based on the formula: Expenses Spent on Charitable Programmes (including Grants) ÷ Total Expenditure.

3 Measures number of years of reserve.

Computed based on the formula: Reserves ÷ Total Expenditure (excluding Fundraising and Sponsorship Costs).

4 This is donations raised for the construction of Agape Village. As the building construction have just been completed, these funds will be transferred to a sinking fund for the purpose of maintenance and operational costs of Agape Village going forward.

Annual Report

The Annual Report, and Governance and Financial Report provide an insight into the activities of Caritas Singapore in the year and our summarised financial statement as of 30 September 2017.

Download a copy from www.caritas-singapore.org

Save the Dates in 2018!

Charities Week 2018

24 February – 6 May Appeal envelopes will be available at all parishes during this period Contact: pamela@caritassingapore.org

Social Mission Conference

Golf for Charity

Saturday, 21 July

Wednesday, 1 August

Theme: Whole of Me, All of Us, One in Christ

Bringing like-minded golfers together to raise funds for people in need

Contact: smc@caritassingapore.org

Contact: pamela@caritassingapore.org

Caritas Singapore 55 Waterloo Street #08-01 Catholic Centre Singapore 187954 Tel: +65 6338 3448 Email: info@caritas-singapore.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/CaritasSingapore www.caritas-singapore.org

16 POPE FRANCIS

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

Press must be factual, free from manipulation: pope V AT ICAN CIT Y – People need factual and trustworthy news that avoids sensationalism and whipping up heated reactions, Pope Francis said.

It is important the press not be “constantly at the mercy of easy slogans or improvised information campaigns, which show the intention of manipulating reality, opinions and people themselves, often creating worthless ‘ media dust storms,’” he told members of the press.

“Y our voice – free and responsible – is fundamental for the growth of any society that wishes to call itself a democracy, so that the continuous exchange of ideas and a fruitful debate based on real and correctly reported information may be guaranteed,” he said.

The pope spoke on Dec 16 with members of the Italian Periodical Press U nion and members of the Italian Federation of Catholic Weeklies, which represents nearly 200 Catholic newspapers.

He praised in particular the value, necessity and effectiveness of diocesan weeklies, which he said require “a renewed commitment” from priests and the whole Church community, and “kind attention from public authorities”.

The Catholic press can be a useful tool of evangelisation, Pope Francis said. It is a place where the life of a diocese can be “validly expressed” and where members of the Church can “dialogue and communicate.”

To work at a diocesan weekly means to listen to the local Church, to live close to the people, and “above all to interpret events in the light of the Gospel and the teaching of the Church. These elements are the ‘ compass’ of its particular way of doing journalism, of reporting the news and expressing opinions.”

However, all members of the press – Catholic and secular – have one of the most important tasks in today’s world: “to inform correctly,

T here is an urgent need f or news that is communicated with serenity, pr ecision, completeness, c larity and thoughtf ulness, P ope F rancis told membe rs of the secular and C atholic press in I taly. to offer everyone a reporting of the facts that conform as closely as possible to reality” and to make complex problems and issues accessible to the most people possible.

The problem, he said, is that the current situation is often dominated by over-anxious speed, a drive to sensationalise to the detriment of offering a precise and complete story, and purposely whipping up emotions rather than fostering thoughtful re e tion.

Given this situation, he said, “there is an urgent need for reliable information, with facts and news that ha e been erified that does not aim for shock value or playing with people’s emotions, “but rather sets its sights on fostering healthy critical thinking in readers, enabling them to ask

appropriate questions and reach well-reasoned conclusions”.

“There is an urgent need for news that is communicated with serenity, precision, completeness”, clarity and thoughtfulness and in a way that favours “fruitful re e tion and re e ts am lifying a discussion that is strident, ambiguous and insinuating, he said.

The people’s right to information must be “scrupulously respected,” together with protecting all people’s dignity, he said.

“For all these reasons it is, therefore, desirable that everyone’s commitment to ensuring the existence and vitality of these periodicals is not lacking,” and that the obs and dignified ay for eole wor ing in this field are rotected, he said. n C N S

POPE FRANCIS 17

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

Pope prays for world’s suffering children on Christmas Day e see Jesus in ‘theW many children

V AT ICAN CIT Y – Those who rec-

ognise the Lord in the baby Jesus in the manger also should recognise His presence in children suffering today because of war, poverty and immigration, Pope Francis said.

“Jesus knows well the pain of not being welcomed and how hard it is not to have a place to lay one’s head,” the pope said on Dec 25, praying that people would work together to make the world “more human and more worthy for the children of today and of the future”.

Standing on the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica on a clear, crisp Christmas day, Pope Francis spoke about the world’s children before formally giving his blessing urbi et orbi (to the city and the world).

Christmas is a time to live again “the mystery of the God who comes, who assumes our mortal human esh and who becomes lowly and poor in order to save us,” the pope said. “And this moves us deeply, for great is the tenderness of our Father.”

The shepherds, who were the first after Mary and ose h to adore the newborn Jesus, are models for people today, teaching them not to be “scandalised”

by His poverty and lowly birth, but to acknowledge Him as Lord and learn to recognise His pres-

f orced to leave their countries to travel alone in inhuman conditions and who be come an easy target f or human t fi e

’

– P ope F rancis

Pope F rancis greets the crowd after delivering his Christmas message and blessing u rbi et orbi ( to the city and the world) from the central balcony of St Peter’ s Basilica. C N S phot o

ence in others shivering in the cold, wrapped in rags and without a worthy home, the pope said.

“We see Jesus in the many children forced to leave their countries to travel alone in inhuman conditions and who become an easy target for human traf-

fi ers he said. hrough their eyes we see the drama of all those forced to emigrate and risk their lives to face exhausting journeys that end at times in tragedy.”

“We see Jesus in the children of the Middle East who continue to suffer because of growing tensions between Israelis and Pal-

estinians,” he said, adding a plea for peace in Jerusalem and for a resumption of negotiations “that would allow the peaceful coexistence of two states within mutually agreed and internationally recognised borders”.

“We see Jesus in the faces of Syrian children still marked by

the war that, in these years, has caused such bloodshed in that country,” Pope Francis said.

Children continue to suffer in ra torn by war and on i t o er the past 15 years, he said, and in Y emen.

Pope Francis also offered prayers for the children and people of South Sudan, Somalia, Burundi, Congo, Central African R epublic and Nigeria.

He also prayed for “the children of unemployed parents who struggle to offer their children a secure and peaceful future” and for “those whose childhood has been robbed and who, from a very young age, have been forced to work or to be enrolled as soldiers by unscrupulous mercenaries”. n C N S

Turning the power of fear into the power of charity V AT ICAN CIT Y – Christmas calls believers to see God’s presence where He is often perceived as absent, especially in the “unwelcomed visitor, often unrecognisable, who walks through our cities and our neighbourhoods, who travels on our buses and knocks on our doors,” Pope Francis said.

“Christmas is a time for turning the power of fear into the power of charity,” the pope said as he celebrated Mass on Christmas Eve. The evening silence enveloping St Peter’s Square was broken by the pealing of church bells following the proclamation of Jesus’ birth during the Mass.

Pope Francis walked towards the altar of St Peter’s Basilica, and stood while the cantor sang the solemn “Christmas proclamation”, recounting the timing of Christ’s birth in human history.

He then removed a cloth that revealed a statue of the baby Jesus and gently leaned forward, reverently kissing it.

In his homily, Pope Francis said the “simple story” of Jesus’ birth recounted in St Luke’s Gospel brings Christians to “the heart of that holy night” and “plunges us into the event that changes our history forever”.

Pope F rancis walks with children after visiting the Nativity scene at the conclusion of Christmas E ve Mass in St Peter’ s Basilica. C N S photo

“Everything, on that night, became a source of hope,” the pope said.

‘E

While Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem was full of expectation and hope for the coming birth of Jesus, the pope said, it was also a journey full of the same uncertainties and dangers that await those “who have to leave their home behind”.

In Mary and Joseph’s footsteps, he said, “so many other footsteps are hidden”.

“We see the footsteps of entire families forced to set out in our own day. We see the footsteps of millions of people who do not choose to go away but, driven from their land, leave behind their dear ones,” he said.

For some people, the departure is filled with ho e for the future, he said. “Y et for many others, this departure can only have one name: survival. Surviving the Herods of today who, to impose their power and increase their wealth, see no problem in shedding innocent blood.”

verything, on t hat night, be came a source of hope.

’

– P ope F rancis speaking about the power of Christ’ s birth during Mass on Christmas E ve

On that Christmas night, he continued, the announcement of “the one who had no place to be born” was proclaimed to poor shepherds – men and women who “had no place at the table or in the streets of the city”.

“This is the joy that we tonight are called to share, to celebrate and to proclaim. The joy with which od in is infinite mer y has embraced us pagans, sinners and foreigners, and demands that we do the same,” the pope said. n C N S

18 OPINION

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

F ortnightly newspaper of the Catholic A rchdiocese of Singapore

2H

ighland R oad, #0103 Si ngapore 549 102.

T elephone: 6 8 5 8 3 0 5 5 . F ax : 6 8 5 8 2 0 5 5 .

W : www.catholicnews.sg F B : www.f aceb ook.com/ catholicnews I G : catholicnews.sg MA NA G I NG E DI TO R : F ather R ichards A mbrose: ra

E DI TO R I A L MA TTE R S A ND Q U E R I E S: nedit

atholi .org.sg

A SSI STA NT E DI TO R : Christopher K hoo: hristo her. hoo

I N ME MO R I A M: R acq uel Castanares: memoriam SU BSCR I PTI O NS: R ichard Paul: subs ri tions

atholi .org.sg

STA F F CO R R E SPO NDE NT: Jared Ng: ared.ng atholi .org.sg

A DVE R TI SE ME NTS: E laine O ng: ad ertisements

lease in lude your full name address and hone no. for all letters to the editor. ll de isions on submissions rest with the atholi ews. ublished submissions will be edited.

DE SI G N / L A Y O U T: Christopher W ong: design atholi .org.sg E laine O ng: elaine.ong atholi .org.sg

atholi .org.sg atholi .org.sg atholi .org.sg

atholi .org.sg

T hev iew sor pos itionspr esentedi nar ticlesi nC atholicN ew sdon otn ecessarily r epr esentt hev iew sof t heC hu rch.

A dv ertisem entst hatappe ari nC atholicN ew sar en otn ecessarily e ndorsedby t heC hu rch.

COMMENTARY

Living in hope in 2018

By F r E ugene H emrick hen saiah s ea s of a bear and ow being neighbours and a baby sitting aside a i er s what message is he sending for us in t first loo his exam les symbolise ea eful oexisten e. hat whi h seems unli ely is now li ely dire t o osites uniting as one. he deri ation of the word ea e omes from the word a t . saiah en isions a world desirous of ma ing o enants that reate ea eful existen e. n our resent age of bitter di isions saiah is en ouraging us to sha e hands with those we tend to a oid. s a bear and ow en oy neighbourly ea e together so too are we in ited to ra tise wholesome neighbourliness. se ond loo at saiah s message is e en more heartening to en ision a future in whi h we oexist together ust as his image of a bear and ow do

Pope F rancis shakes hands with a man at a migrant reception centre during a pastoral visit in Bologna, I taly. I n our present age of divisions, the prophet I saiah encourages us to practise neighbourliness with others. CNS file photo

and the ho efulness this ins ires. o e is the heart of life s greatest a hie ements. f we didn t ha e ho eful in entors rogress wouldn t exist. f it

weren t for musi ians ex loring new modes of musi mu h of the ins irational musi we en oy wouldn t o ur. f it weren t for s holars ho eful of un o ering ex iting insights into od s word religion would be de ri ed of its infinite ins iration. nd we must wonder what life would be without the ho e of returning to od after this life. o e ossesses ower to onei e of new ossibilities and to dream of a better world. heologian ernard li ier tells us o e gi es us the assuran e that the mystery of suffering will be sol ed that it will all lead somewhere that all roblems will find ade uate solution in a new earth ... wherein dwells usti e. ... ruly ho e is the mainstay of the hristian life on earth. he o osite of ho e is des air. reams of a brighter future are dashed and est is snuffed out allowing dar louds of disillusionment and de ression to blot out a ho eful future. ur faith tea hes all things are ossible with od. ith od s ho efulness filling us with est the new year will ossess all we ho e it to be. n C N S

The ‘fear of God’ as reverence don t we rea h hellfire anymore hat s a uestion as ed fre uently today by a lot of sin ere religious eo le who worry that too many hur hes and too many riests and ministers ha e gone soft on sin and are o er generous in s ea ing about od s mer y. he belief here is that more eo le would ome to hur h and more eo le would obey the ommandments arti ularly the sixth one if we rea hed the raw truth about mortal sin od s wrath and the danger of going to hell when we die. he truth will set you free these fol s assert and the truth is that there is real sin and that there are real and eternal onse uen es for sin. he gate to hea en is narrow and the road to hell is wide. o why aren t we rea hing more about the dangers of hellfire hat s alid in this ind of reasoning is that rea hing about mortal sin and hellfire an be effe ti e. hreats wor . grew u sube ted to this ind of rea hing and readily admit that it had a real effe t on my beha iour. ut that effe t was ambi alent n the ositi e side it left me s ared enough before od and life itself to ne er stray ery far morally or religiously. n the negati e side it also left me religiously and emotionally ri led in some dee ways. im ly stated it s hard to be intimate friends with a od who frightens you and it s not good religiously or otherwise to be o erly timid and afraid before life s great energies. ear of di ine unishment and fear of hellfire admittedly an be effe ti e as a moti ator. o why not rea h fear e ause it s wrong ure and sim le. rainwashing and hysi al intimidation are also effe ti e but fear is not the ro er fuel for lo e. ou don t enter a lo e relationshi be ause you feel afraid or threatened. ou enter a lo e relationshi be ause you feel drawn there by lo e.

More im ortantly rea hing di ine threat dishonours the od in whom we belie e. he od whom esus in arnates and re eals is not a od who uts sin ere good hearted eo le into hell against their will on the basis of some human or moral la se whi h in our moral or religious ategories we deem to be a mortal sin. or examle still hear this threat being rea hed sometimes in our hur hes f you miss going to hur h on unday it s a mortal sin and should you do that and die without onfessing it you will go to hell. hat ind of od would underwrite this ind of a belief hat ind of od would not gi e sin ere eo le a se ond han e a third one and times se en more han es if they remain sin ere hat ind of od would say to a erson in hell orry but you new the rules ou re re entant now but it s too late. ou had your han e healthy theology of od demands that we sto tea hing that hell an be a nasty sur rise waiting for an essentially good erson. he od we belie e in as hristians is infinite understanding infinite om assion and infinite forgi eness. od s lo e sur asses our own and if we in our better moments an see the goodness of a human heart des ite its la ses and wea nesses how mu h more so will od do this. e e nothing to fear from od. r ha e we oesn t ri ture tell us that the fear of the ord is the beginning of wisdom ow does that s uare with not being afraid of od here are different inds of fear some healthy and others not. hen ri ture tells us that the fear of od is the beginning of wisdom the ind fear it is tal ing about is not ontingent u on feeling threatened or feeling anxious about being unished. hat s the ind of fear we feel before tyrants and bullies. here is howe er a healthy fear that s innate within the dynami s of lo e itself. his ind of fear is essentially ro er re eren e that is when we genuinely lo e someone we will fear being selfish boorish and disres e tful in that relationshi . e will fear iolating the sa red s a e within whi h intima y o urs. Meta hori ally we will sense we re standing on holy ground. ri ture also tells us that when od a ears in our li es generally the first words we will hear are on t be afraid hat s be ause od is not a udgmental tyrant but a lo ing reati e oy filled energy and erson. n

FAITH ALIVE! 19

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

Feast of the Epiphany brings message of hope, salvation Celebrated on Jan 7, the feast day marks Christ’s revelation to the world

By Maureen Pratt

T he world into which Jesus was bor n was rif e with many of the same probl ems our world f aces today.

N

ATIONS against nations. R ulers abusing their power. Fear, uncertainty, even despair taking hold in fragile hearts because of threats to safety abroad and at home.

The world into which Jesus was born was rife with many of the same problems our world faces today. Y et, the readings for the Epiphany of the Lord help us understand that because of Jesus’ birth, there is more light than darkness, more hope than despair.

The humble appearance of Jesus’ birth – in a manger, apart from any comfort except the love of His earthly parents – is not a re e tion of wea ness or ho elessness in a troubled time. Q uite the ontrary esus birth re e ts power and dominion that are no less potent today than they were in the stable in Bethlehem.

The shepherds knew of this power. Jesus’ birth was heralded by a “heavenly host” of angels (Lk 2: 13) , which they witnessed while in their fields.

They had to leave everything to go, see and worship. That they abandoned their livelihood, leaving their o s in haste 2: 16) so they could go to see and worship Jesus was an act of complete recognition of Jesus’ dominion over their lives.

The Magi also knew, and they

The adoration of the Magi as depicted by A yman F ayez . The E piphany of the L ord helps Catholics understand that because of Jesus’ birth, there is more light than darkness, more hope than despair. C N S phot o

travelled a great distance at serious peril to do homage to the Christ Child. Looking up to follow the star, they did not spend much time looking down, giving in to K ing Herod’s pointed inquiries about the child they sought.

Even before the dream that instructed them to go home “by another way” (Mt 2: 12), these Wise Men must have sensed Herod’s violence-prone jealousy when he dispatched them to Bethlehem.

And they bowed to another, more powerful ruler – the babe in the manger – never betraying Him, but defying Herod’s order to tell him where the child lay.

Close by, through all the visitors to the manger, Joseph stood watch and Mary “kept all these things” in her heart (Lk 2: 19) .

Theirs were not passive but very active acknowledgements of the glory God was revealing to them and others, and to the power exer-

cised through their lives.

First, Mary’s yes, and then Joseph’s obedience to heavenly instruction manifest how far God’s dominion extended beyond their understanding and own human will.

Beyond the stable in Bethlehem, others who did not yet know of Christ’s birth were living in the world, with worldly cares and worldly kings.

It was an utterly dark world,

fraught with human injustices. But Jesus’ coming, full of love, light and the grace of salvation, changed their world.

And He continues to change ours, today.

His love lived out in ours overrides selfishness and greed in all ways and in all walks of life. His absolute dominion shines powerfully whenever we look above and beyond boundaries of human invention, to His power, His purpose and His truth.

The examples of the shepherds, the Wise Men, and even Mary and Joseph might seem extreme today. Saying yes to something that contradicts all reason to do what God asks – these are not easily explained to those who have not yet received Jesus’ message of salvation (or, sometimes, even those who have).

But Jesus’ power and dominion are not of this world. They are of God. And so His reach extends to all and everywhere. n C N S P ratt is a columnist f or C atholic N ews Se rvice.

My gift to a king

By Shemaiah G onz alez

Men portraying the Three K ings prostrate themselves before people portraying the H oly F amily in this pageant. G od welcomes everyone to present their struggles to H im. C N S phot o

In our family, we leave the Christmas tree and decorations up until the Epiphany, the feast day celebrating the visit of the Wise Men to the Christ Child. The irony isn’t wasted on me, that on the day Christ received gifts from the Magi, I decide to end Christmas celebrations.

The story of the Magi is mentioned in only one of the Gospels. These men from the East were probably from modern-day Iraq and had followed the star 1,500 km to see this K ing of the Jews. Through these Wise Men, God reveals that Jesus isn’t just for the Jews, but for gentiles too.

Gentiles like these Wise Men, and me.

I peel off a few Christmas cards that have been taped onto our li ing room wall and find one with the Magi presenting

their gifts to Christ on the front.

Although not mentioned in Scripture, tradition reveals their names as Caspar (or Gaspar), Melchior and Balthasar.

I think of their gifts for Christ: gold, a symbol of kingship; frankincense, a symbol of His priesthood; and myrrh, an embalming oil, a reminder of His death to come.

“What gift would I give Jesus? ” I wonder.

R ecently, I sat down and made a list of resolutions for New Y ear’s. My resolutions are similar each year – lose 5 kg, run a few 5-kms, save money. At their core, these resolutions are an attempt to be more thoughtful about where I spend my time, energy, money.

I sit down on the couch with the Christmas card. It is an intimate scene. The Wise Men are shown so close to the Christ Child, they could touch him, but

they don’t. They hold out their gifts in awe.

“Lord, what can I give you? ” I whisper there on the couch.

Immediately in my heart, I know. I can give Him my frustration. I carry it with me often.

My frustration with society, with friends, with my own family.

Frustration is a symptom of my judgment of others and need to control situations.

“Not that! ” I gasp to myself.

Then I start to laugh. I even want to hold onto something that constrains me. How freeing would it be to hand this over to Him? But still I cling to it, my desire to be in charge.

I close my eyes, creating my own intimate scene. “Would you take this need? As a gift? Will you help me? ” I pray.

Sweet peace takes over me, as if He wanted me to ask all along. n C N S G onz alez is a f reelance writer.

20

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

St Egwin Egwin (d. 717) was committed to serving God from the time he was a young boy.

He became Bishop of Worcester, England, in 6 9 2, but because he spoke out against evil, he angered some people in his congregation.

He was called before the pope to answer charges that had been made against him and cleared his name.

When he returned home, he built the abbey of esham with financial and political support from Ethelred, the king of Mercia.

Egwin later made a second visit to R ome, but he had no charges to answer for. He was given the support of Pope Constantine and was able to make the abbey one of the most important religious sites in England. We honour him on Dec. 3 0. n

their home in Nazareth in Galilee.

Jesus grew up to be a strong, healthy boy who was wise and who was blessed by the favor of God. n R ead more about it: L uke 2

Q & A 1. Wh y did Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the temple?

2. W hy was Simeon happy to see Jesus?

Wordsearch: n R E DE E M n VI SI O N n SA VI O U R n K I NG n DA VI D n A NG E L

n BE H O L D n A NNA n PO PE n PR A I SE n BI BL E n F A VO U R

BIBLE TRIVIA: W hich holiday is more important from the Church’ s point of view, Christmas or E aster?

Bible Accent:

A nswer to B ibl e T rivia: E aster.

The Old Testament – the books about events that took place before the birth of Jesus – has many references to a Messiah, or a person who would be a special spiritual leader sent from God. Some of the prophecies said this Messiah would be a descendant of David. The Gospel of Matthew lists the family tree of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, and proves that Joseph was a descendant of David.

Many of the people who were waiting for the Messiah to come thought he would be a powerful king and soldier who would conquer all of the oppressors and enemies of srael. t was robably ery diffi ult for them to a e t that their Messiah had not been born in a palace surrounded by servants, but in a manger surrounded by animals.

The Bible tells us of the ministry of Jesus and the miracles he performed, the greatest of those being his resurrection from the dead, so that we might live. n

PUZZLE: Cross out the one name in each list that does not belong with the other two. A hint has been provided for each list.

1. Visitors to Jesus: shepherds, W ise Men, carpenters 2. O ld Testament prophets: I saiah, Matthew, E z ekiel 3. G ospels: James, L uke, Mark 4. Disciples of Jesus: Peter, Moses, James 5. New Testament books: R omans, Philippians, L amentations he first man an woman am, li a eth, e 7. K ings of I srael: Tut, Saul, David

A nswer to W ordsearch

SPOTLIGHT ON SAINTS:

contradicted ... so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

A prophetess named Anna was an old woman who spent most of her time fasting, praying and praising God. She stood close in order to see Jesus, and then she praised God for sending a child who would redeem Israel.

Then, after following all of the laws that applied to the birth of a child, Joseph and Mary returned to

atthew, oses, liz abe th,

Jesus had been born in Bethlehem, the home of his father, Joseph. Because of the ensus the town was filled with other people who had also come to be counted. There were no rooms available at the inn, so Joseph and his wife Mary had to sleep in the stable. And that was where their son was born.

Shepherds who had seen an angel in the night sky came to see the baby. The angel told them, “For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.”

The shepherds told Mary and Joseph what they had seen, and they left praising God because they had seen a miraculous child.

When the time had come for Jesus to be urified a ording to the laws established by Moses, Joseph and Mary brought their son to the temple.

A man named Simeon, who lived in Jerusalem, was a faithful follower of God’s commandments. He had seen a vision that he would not die before seeing the promised Messiah.

He knew when he saw the baby Jesus that this was the Messiah.

He held Jesus in his arms, looked toward heaven and said, “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”

Mary was astonished to hear such words spoken by such an important man about her son, even though she knew Jesus was special.

Then Simeon looked at Mary and said, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be

A nswer to puz z le: 1. c arpenters, 2. M .3 J ames, 4. M .5 L amentations, 6. E 7. T ut.

By Joe Sarnicola

WHAT’S ON 21

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

E VE NT SU BMI SSI O NS WH

A T’ S O N submissions now req uire the completion of a form from the A rchdiocese before the event can be publicised. F or events with foreign speakers, please submit the necessary documentation for approval to the Chancery. F or more information and to download the form, visit http: / / www.catholic.sg/ events/ announcementadvertisement-req uest/ .

O nce forms have been submitted online, kindly send us details of your event for publication at www. catholicnews.sg/ whatson/ at least one month ahead of the publication date.

SE PT 27, 2017 TO MA Y 1, 2019 SH A R E TH E JO U R NE Y : A G L O BA L CA MPA I G N BY CA R I TA S I NTE R NA TI O NA L I S Organised by Caritas Internationalis, the campaign aims to increase spaces and opportunities with Caritas organisations and parishes to enable local communities and migrants to have more positive encounters.

Do join in the campaign activities organised

by Caritas Singapore and CHAR IS. Follow CaritasSingapore and CHAR ISSingapore on Facebook for more updates.

JA N 6 L A U NCH O F CA TE CH E TI CA L Y E A R 2018 Time: 3 pm-5pm. Venue: CAEC 2 Highland R d, S549 102. Theme: Living as Missionary Disciples. Together with Archbishop William Goh and Fr Erbin Fernandez, the ffi e or ate hesis in ites you and your catechetical ministry members to join us in this celebration. Please register before Jan 3 vi a the link below: https: / / tinyurl.com/ ybw66o 8g. F or more information, W: www.catechesis.org.sg; E: formation@ catechesis.org.sg; T: 6 9 110400.

JA N 6 ‘ O G O D, I T’ S A NE W Y E A R ! ’ DA Y O F R E CO L L E CTI O N Time: 9.30 am-5pm. Spend some time in silence contemplating Scripture and be engaged in guided activities based on Ignatian themes. Includes guided meditation, labyrinth walk and writing exercises.

Facilitators: Ms Diana Tan and Ms R oselie Chia. Organised by K ingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park R d. Cost: $60. To register: http: / / tinyurl.com/ ogod2018 ; T: 6 46 7 6 07 2.

JA N 6 MA SS F O L L O WE D BY PR A Y E R S F O R H E A L I NG All are welcome and no registration is needed. Time: 2pm-4pm. Y ou are invited to join us for praise and worship and Mass followed by prayers for healing. After Mass, prayer teams will be available to pray with you for healing. Please spread the word to your family and friends. Celebrant: Fr Tom Curran. Organised by SACCR EPraise@ Work. Venue: Church of Sts Peter and Paul. For more information, E: praiseatworksg@ yahoo.com; T: 9 7 47 246 7 .

JA N 13 CA TH O L I C BU SI NE SS NE TWO R K TH A NK SG I VI NG MA SS Celebrant: Msgr Ambrose Vaz. Time: 5.30pm -8pm . We would like to invite you and your family to come celebrate with us at our Thanksgiving Mass. After Mass, we have a buffet dinner and fellowship.

Love offerings welcomed. Venue: SJI International Chapel, 490 Thomson R d, S298191.

To register: 92284463 (R aymond); E: admin@ cbn.sg.

JA N 16, 23, 30; F E B 13, 20 BA SI C CA TE CH I ST CO U R SE L E VE L 1 – S CR I PTU R E Every Tuesday from 7: 30pm -10pm.

In this basic course, catechists will discover the fundamental principles that undergird and animate the great themes of Sacred Scripture. The objective of this specially designed Scripture course for catechists is that they understand how to craft catechetical sessions that truly become encounters with the Living Word.

Speaker: Fr Erbin Fernandez, Catechetical director. For more information, E: formation@ catechesis.org.sg.

JA N 16 A ND 23 I NTR O DU CTI O N TO TH E BI BL E Time: 9.30a m-11.30a m. Conducted by Msgr Ambrose Vaz. Venue: CAEC, 2 Highland R oad. Cost: $20.

To register: E: aba_s ecretariat@ catholic. org.sg; T: 62800356.

JA N 18 CR A F T O F CA TE CH E SI S WO R K SH O P: MA NA G I NG CH I L DR E N I N TH E PR A Y E R SPA CE Time: 7: 30pm -10pm. Venue: CAEC 2 Highland R d S549102. At the end of the workshop, catechists will have a better understanding of how to work effectively with children in catechesis. Parishes will be equipped with strategies to effectively create and maintain an appropriate environment for the prayer space. R egister via the link before Jan 17: https: / / tinyurl. com/ ycbmlvqc. For more information, W: www.catechesis.org.sg.

JA N 20 ME DI TA TI VE PR A Y E R WI TH TH E SO NG S O F TA I Z E Time: 8pm . Come join us to pray for Christian unity with fellow Christians and all who want to create greater trust and openness through meditative prayer.

No registration needed. All are welcome.

Organised by the Singapore Taize core

NEWS

Israelis, Palestinians must agree on Jerusalem, says archbishop J ERU SALEM – The status quo of Jerusalem should remain as it is until an agreement about the holy city is reached by Palestinians and Israelis, said Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

“The status quo affects the fragile life between the different communities. [It] should be changed only through dialogue,” he told journalists at the Latin Patriarchate on Dec 20.

“There is no problem that Jerusalem be a national symbol for Palestinians and Israelis, but Jerusalem is not just a question of politics, sovereignty and borders,” Archbishop Pizzaballa added. “It is something that goes beyond that. It is a universal symbol for billions of believers, and we can’t forget that.”

On Dec 6, U S President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and announced the U S would move its embassy from Tel Aviv, where most international embassies are located, to Jerusalem. The declaration ignited worldwide condemnations and demonstrations in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is home to holy sites sacred to Christians, Muslims and Jews and is contested as the capital of Israel and a future Palestinian state. The city has been a key point of contention in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, which have been on hold since 2014.

“We are against unilateral de-

People carry Christmas trees in Jerusalem’ s O ld City. The head of the L atin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has exp ressed concern over Mr Donald Trump’ s recognition of Jerusalem as I srael’ s capital. C N S phot o

cisions taken by one against the other,” Archbishop Pizzaballa said.

Asked what message he would give to U S Vice President Mike Pence, who is scheduled to visit in January, Archbishop Pizzaballa said he would suggest: “Listen more to others. That is my message to him.”

R esponding to another question, Archbishop Pizzaballa said it would be a problem for the local hur hes if at this time officials ask to visit holy sites in an offi ial a a ity.

“If they come as pilgrims we cannot say no ... but sometimes we can’t ignore the political con-

sequences, and also we want to keep open our [communication] with the . e will find a respectful way,” he said.

Archbishop Pizzaballa said Mr Trump’s statement added to frustration felt by Palestinians over what they see as a lack of action on the political front to resolve the on i t. eo le are tired of iolence in all its forms, he said, and are waiting for “justice, rights and truth”.

“We religious leaders can recommend, but the [politicians] must do,” he said.

“We need new visions, decisions on the ground,” he added. nC N S

group at the Armenian Church of St Gregory the Illuminator, 60 H ill Street.

For more information, E: bennycah@ gmail.com; W: www.taize.fr/ en.

JA N 21, 2018 TO JA N 27, 2018 WE E K O F G U I DE D PR A Y E R A T ST A NTH O NY ’ S CH U R CH The Sojourners’ Companions invites you to learn how to pray with Scripture and develop a closer relationship with the Lord. Jan 21 (Taster) 2pm-5pm; Jan 22-26: Daily 30 m ins at home and 30 m ins with personal prayer guide at a convenient time between 9a m and 10pm; Jan 27 ( 2pm–5pm ) closure.

Venue: Church of St Anthony. Cost: $30.

To register: W: www.sojourners.sg; wog so ourners.sg arish offi e church foyer after Masses on Jan 13 and 14.

JA N 27 A ND F E B 3 BA SI C CA TE CH E SI S CO U R SE L E VE L 2 – L E A R NI NG TO L I STE N A ND F A CI L I TA TE Jan 27: 9: 30a m-6pm , Feb 3: 1pm6pm . Venue: CAEC 2 Highland R d, S549102. P articipants will learn the key to facilitating small faith-sharing groups – w hich is how to listen authentically and the practical skills needed to help individuals and the community grow in faith. R egister via the link before Jan 24: https: / / tinyurl.com/ yc3k4z om. For more information, W: www.catechesis.org.sg; E: formation@ catechesis.org.

JA N 30 TO MA Y 22 CO U R SE O N PR O PH E T JE R E MI A H Every Tuesday except Mar 13 a nd May 1.

Time: 9.30a m-11.30a m. Fifteen sessions conducted by Msgr Ambrose Vaz. Venue: CAEC 2 Highland R d. Cost: $120.

To register: E: aba_s ecretariat@ catholic. org.sg; T: 62800356.

F E B 10 I NTR O DU CTI O N TO A U TH E NTI C CO NVE R SA TI O NS Time: 9.30a m-5.30pm . This retreat day explores the art of listening, which is at the heart of an authentic conversation.

Are we aware of what we really listen to?

Facilitator: Mr Lance Ng. Organised by K ingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park R d.

Cost: $60. To register: http: / / tinyurl.com/ itac2018; T: 6467072.

F E B 21 TO MA Y 30 BI BL E STU DY , A CTS O F TH E A PO STL E S Conducted by Msgr Ambrose Vaz. Venue: Church of St Francis X avier. Every Wednesday night from 8pm -10pm (14 lectures). FOC. To register: E: maisielee21@ gmail.com; nsron2003@ yahoo.com.

F E B 22 TO MA Y 31 G U I DE D BI BL E TO U R : TH E A CTS O F A PO STL E S Every Thursday from 8pm -10pm at the Church of St Ignatius, annexe hall (level 2). No pre-registration. FOC. All are welcome. Come enjoy the living Word of God. For more information, E: henrythwu@ gmail.com.

MA R CH 2 TO MA R CH 4 H O ME CO MI NG – A L E NTE N SO JO U R N March 2 (7.30pm )-March 4 (4pm). This Lent, Jesus wants to invite you on a journey home to God’s love. In the words of o e ran is ent is a benefi ial time to rediscover one’s Christian identity, whi h is lo e that ser es not selfishness that uses.” Facilitators: Fr Greg Tan and Mr Lance Ng. Organised by K ingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park R d. Cost: $260 (non-AC), $300 ( AC). To register: http: / / tinyurl.com/ hals2018; T: 6467072.

OBITUARY

Fr Paul Tay called to the Lord Fr Paul Tay Chin Hak, a diocesan priest in Singapore, passed away on Dec 26. H e was 84.

Fr Tay was born in Singapore on Feb 8 , 19 3 3 . He studied at Holy Innocents’ School before entering the major seminary College General, in Penang.

Fr Tay was ordained a priest on May 29, 1960. He was posted to St Michael’s Church as an assistant parish priest in 19 62, and then as a parish priest in the Church of St Teresa from 19 72 t o 1979.

He also served in St Joseph’s Church (Bukit Timah), Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, F r Paul Tay ( 193and in parishes in Malacca, K uala Lumpur and Muar.

In 198, he was put in charge of building the Church of the Holy Trinity in Tampines.

Fr Tay was instrumental in designing the church building and wor ed out of a rental at in Tampines to build up both the physical parish and its communities. He served as parish priest until 2002, after which he became parish priest of the Church of the Sacred Heart.

During his term at Sacred Heart, he renovated the church which was nearly a century old and built a new community building for the parish.

Fr Tay celebrated his golden jubilee as a priest in 2010 and retired in late 2014.

Fr Tay’s wake was held at 20 Sunbird Circle, Singapore 487264 with nightly prayers at 8 pm and 9 pm .

His casket will arrive at the Church of the Holy Trinity on Dec 31 (Sunday) at 1 pm, where it will remain in the main church until the next day.

His Grace Archbishop William Goh 2017) will preside and preach at the Mass for Fr Tay. Details of Mass: Date: Jan 1 Time: 11 am Venue: Church of the Holy Trinity, 20 Tampines Street 11, Singapore 529455 Cremation will follow after at Mandai Crematorium, Hall 2, at 1.40 pm.

We invite you to pray for him in your Masses and prayers. n S ub mitted b y the C H A N C E R Y O F T H E R O M A N C A T H O L IC A R C H D IO C E S E O F S IN G A P O R E

22

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

Ninth A nniversary In loving memory of

Twenty-fourth A nniversary In loving memory of

MAY THEY REST IN PEACE

Tenth A nniversary In loving memory of

Twenty-fourth A nniversary In loving memory of a father and a husband

E DW A R D A NTH O NY SCU L L Y Departed: Jan 9 , 2009 He never looked for praises He was never one to boast He just went on quietly working For the ones he loved the most.

His dreams were seldom spoken His wants were very few And most of the time his worries Went unspoken too.

K U L A NDE I SA MY L A W R E NCE MA BE L O NG Departed: Jan 5, 2008 PO H K I M We cannot forget you Departed: Jan 7 , 19 9 4 Our loved one so dear, In silence she suffered, Y our memory grows with patience she bore, Sweeter year after year.

God saw it, took her home to suffer no more. Sadly missed by wife Margaret, children Always remembered and grandchildren. by loved ones.

Seventeenth A nniversary In loving memory of

Twenty-second A nniversary In everloving memory of

JO SE PH G O ME Z Departed: Jan 3 , 19 9 4 Y ou had a heart of gold One of the best to behold Y ou were generous, loving and kind These are the memories you left behind.

Y our loved ones.

e was there.... firm foundation Through all our storms of life A sturdy hand to hold on to In times of stress and strife.

A comforting face we could turn to When times were good or bad One of our greatest blessings The man that we call Dad / Papa.

With Love: Christine, George & grandchildren Michelle, Daniel and Shane

CLASSIFIED THANKSGIVING Once again thank you holy apostle St Jude Thaddeus for prayers answered.

Also heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Our Father, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Infant Jesus or Prague, Divine Mercy, Mother Mary, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our

Lady of Lourdes, Sts Joseph, Anthony, Jude and all the Holy Angels and Saints for all the favours granted, miracles, blessings, protection and prayers answered during the most difficult times.

Please continue to bless, intercede, protect, guide and watch over me and my family especially my husband and daugther.

Thirteenth A nniversary In loving memory of

F ourth A nniversary In loving memory of

A G NE S TA N SO O L U A N Departed: Jan 9 , 2005 Y our presence is ever near us Y our love remains with us yet Y ou were the kind mother Y our loved ones will never forget.

Fondly remembered by all loved ones.

A L I CE CH NG CH E NG Y I M Departed: Jan 3 , 2014 Gone from our lives One so dear But in our hearts Forever near.

Dearly missed by loved ones.

In loving memory of our dear parents

E STH E R TA N L I MI I N Born: Nov 27 , 19 7 7 A NTH O NY NA TH A N Departed: Jan 8 , 2001 Departed: Jan 8 , 19 9 6 “See! I will not We miss you forget you... in so many ways I have carved you on We miss things the palm of My Hand... you used to say I have called And when old times you by your name... we do recall Y ou are mine...

It’s then we miss Y ou are precious to you most of all.

Me... I love you.”

I saiah Mass will be celebrated at the Church of the Always remembered Holy Spirit on Monday

by Dad Benjamin, Jan 8 a t 6pm .

Mum Valerie, Fondly remembered Grandma Mabel and by children and sister R uth and grandchildren. all loved ones.

JO SE PH MI CH A E L L E E TE CK CH U A N Departed: Oct 3 , 19 8 9

We miss you in so many ways We miss things you used to say And when old times we do recall It’s then we miss you most of all.

From your loved ones.

Pl e a s e t u r n t o p a g e 2 7 f o r m o r e i n m e m o r ia m a d v e r tis e m e n ts .

I nm em oriam r ates: M inimum $80 f or an insertion not ex ceeding an eight- centimetre column.

A dditional space: $ 8 per one- centimetre column.

Classified advertisement rates: i i S o the fi t o itio l o o

O L I VE MA R G A R E T L E E nee R O DR I G U E S Departed: Jan 13 , 2011

F ifth A nniversary In loving memory of

Seventh A nniversary In loving memory of

L A U R E NCE H E NR Y DA SI L VA Departed: Jan 1, 2013 We remember and cherish the happy times together R emembering them today and forever.

Deeply missed and always remembered by wife, children, children-in-law, grandchildren, relatives and friends.

MA R Y WO NG A H L A N Departed: Jan 4, 2011 In our hearts you will always live We remember and cherish the happy times together R emembering them today and forever.

Deeply missed and always in the thoughts of your loved ones.

R emembered always by relatives and friends.

Crossword Puzzle 1200 1

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14

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A CR O SS 1 Language of the Church 6 Gift bearers 10 Matches 14 Bring out 15 So be it!

16 Hosea, formerly 17 Adjective for God 19 Shortest distance between two points 20 “…now and at the _ of our death. Amen” 21 Overjoyed

23 Shooting star 26 God in three Persons 27 U nder 28 Task 30 _ a nd consent 32 Expression of disgust 3 Hebrew for “son of” 36 Woman in the Book of Judges who killed Sisera 37 Trainee

39 40 41 42 44 46 47 50 52 53

Garment of ancient R ome Catholic governor Smith, and others _ of Ars Emaciated Comment Intestinal obstruction Garments Superior of convent Mary, Q ueen of _ Creche

54 Gardner who writes 55 The _ H eart of Mary 61 Capital of Y emen 62 “Y ou are the _ of the earth” (Mt 5: 13) 63 Shades 64 Clothes 65 Don’t make a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6 Area and Z ip

DO WN o e of the fifth century 2 Naval off.

3 Large cask 4 Here, to Pierre 5 Eliphaz and R euel, to Jacob 6 Catholic star of “The R obe” 7 U SA 8 Bk. of the Pentateuch 9 Works with 10 Homeland of John Paul II 11 Q uery found in Matthew 12 Dogma 13 Shabby 18 Tic-tac-toe goal 22 Chain piece 23 Miraculous, for one 24 Sprites 25 Slave away 26 “Light from light, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ God from…”

27 California peninsula

29 Actress Winona 13 Promotion of the restoration of unity among Christians 3 “…of my and esh of my esh (Gen 2: 23) 34 “__ D ei” 35 Beams 38 Asian inland sea 39 Mahjong piece 41 Cover with wax 43 Community settlement 44 They fed Elijah (1 K ings 17: 2–4) 45 “The _ K id” 47 In front 48 Hidden 49 Went white 51 Pen maker 53 955, t o Nero 56 Chinese chairman 57 Powder room 58 Mother of Mary 59 Golfer’s aid 60 Winding shape

Solution to Crossword Puzzle No. 1199 A N N A S G R A B S I L O

B O O T H

B O O T Y

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

A G E R N O C A Y D W H A E G L E I A T E

G R E E K T H I E F D H L

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

C A H I L L

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R O F L

I N A N U S D I F E R N I C A E R

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www.wordgamesforcatholics.com

IN MEMORIAM 23 nth A nniversa e e t In Loving Memory

ry

F i

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

We remember and cherish the happy times together Y ou left a beautiful memory for us to savour Today and everyday your memory is kept To love and cherish and never forget K E NNE TH G E R A R D TH I O SO O N H O CK Went Home To Glory 1 January, 2003 i th nni ersar In loving memory of

JO SE PH A NG PO H SE NG Departed: Dec 3 1, 2012 Dearly missed by his family, relatives and loved ones.

In everloving memory of

E DW A R D G O VI NDA SA MY Departed: Jan 6, 2008 Gone from our lives One so dear But in our hearts Forever near.

Always remembered by loved ones. hirt first A nniversary In loving memory of

Y ou are a special gift from God we treasure.

Lovingly remembered by: Mom & Dad – R osalind & Wife – J essica Cousin sister – R ina

Michael

Twenty-ninth A nniversary In loving memory of

F ourteenth A nniversary In loving memory of

CY R I L CH E W K E NG JI N Departed: Jan 6 , 19 8 9 Another year goes by But time will not change our memories of you Of your caring spirit, Y our love for all of us.

Y our memory will forever remain in the hearts of Y our loving partner in life, Grace Y our children and their life partners Y our grandchildren And great-grandchildren

L A RW E NCE JO SE PH TA N K E E CH Y E Departed: Jan 11, 2004 We speak your name with love and pride We smile with tears we cannot hide We thank you for the years we shared The love you gave, the way you cared.

We remember you lovingly, Mum, Pat, Mike, Michael, Lawrence, Angie, Tony, Gerald, Justin, Monia, R aja and loved ones.

“ I n the L ord’ s own house shall I dwell f orever and ever” P salm 2: 6 F ourth A nniversary In loving memory of

In loving memory of

SI A U W M I E SI O E CH O O NG K O O W CE CI L I A SA N, F R A NCI S Departed: January 4, 19 8 1 October 27 , 2014

We remember and cherish the happy times together R emembering them today and forever.

Always remembered by family and loved ones.

“G od is love and where there is love, there is G od” went secon A nniversary

went first A nniversary

In loving memory of

MDM MA NG A L A M MA R Y Departed: Dec 3 1, 19 8 6 Missed is the touch of your friendly hand, Gone is your kindness beyond recall; Gone to a world where peace and love Are given and gained by all.

Lovingly remembered by sons and daughters and all loved ones.

F irst A nniversary In loving memory of

R E BE CCA L A I O I K H U M Departed: Jan 1, 2017 In our hearts you will always live Y our love, your voice and your smile Are forever imprinted in our minds.

Always remembered and cherished by all loved ones.

Pl e a s e t u r n t o p a g e 2 6 fo r m o r e in m e m o r ia m and classified a d v e r tis e m e n ts .

MA R Y L E E SI E W H U I Departed: January 6 , 2014 Gone from our lives One so dear But in our hearts Forever near Deeply missed and fondly remembered by children, in-laws, grandchildren, great grandchildren and loved ones.

In loving memory of ort fi th A nniversary

G E O R G E DE NNI S F E R NA NDE Z

i hteenth A nniversary

TH E R E SA DE NNI S F E R NA NDE Z

Departed: Mar 27 , 19 7 3 Departed: Jan 12, 2000

Dear Papa and Mummy, Y ou are fondly remembered and cherished.

We love you dearly.

Memories of you will never fade away.

Forever remembered by Sons: Francis, Johnson (deceased) and Merwyn.

Daughters: Shirley and Silvia sons-in-law, daughters-in-law and grandchildren.

TH E R E SA K O H PE TE R L A U Y O K E L IN PE NG K U A N Departed: Jan 14, 19 9 6 Departed: Jan 16 , 19 9 7

Always remembered by family and friends Mass will be offered at the Church of St Teresa on Sunday, Jan 14, 2018 a t 10.30a m.

In loving memory of our dear parents

BE R NA R D A NNA STA NI SL A U S CA MI L L E R O DR I G U E S R O DR I G U E S Departed: Jan 4, 19 8 5 Departed: May 15, 2004

In my Father’s house there are many rooms.

Otherwise I would not have told you that I go to prepare a place for you.

After I have gone and prepared a place for you, I shall return to take you to myself, so that you may be with me where I am.

Joh n14:

2-

3

Fondly remembered by your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

24 POPE FRANCIS

Sunday January 7, 2018 n CatholicNews

Kids entertain pope as he marks his 81st birthday V AT ICAN CIT Y – Celebrating his 8 1st birthday, Pope Francis blew out the candles on a 4-m-long pizza after being serenaded with song and dance by children and employees from a Vatican paediatric clinic.

A group of children receiving assistance from the Vatican’s St Martha Dispensary, a maternal and paediatric clinic, gave the pope a birthday party on Dec 17 marked with singing, dancing and a cake adorned with gold and white fondant decorations.

They also rolled out a large pizza with a single lit candle on it. The pope was joined by several children from the clinic and counted down before blowing out the candle.

“Eat the 4-m pizza: Eat well, it will do you good and make you grow,” the pope told the children during the event held at the Vatican’s Paul VI hall. He said their joy was a gift and is like “good earth that makes life grow with good fruits”.

PU BLISHED

“Do not make children sad.

When children see that there are problems at home, that their parents are fighting they suffer he said.

“They must always grow with joy.”

After meeting the children, Pope Francis greeted an estimated 25,000 pilgrims in St Peter’s Square for his Sunday Angelus address.

After reciting the Angelus prayer, the pope was about to greet several groups present in the square before the crowd burst into song, singing “Happy Birthday.”

Touched by the gesture, the pope said: “Thank you. Thank you very much.”

Celebrating the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, Pope Francis invited Christians to prepare for Christ’s coming through “constant joy, persevering prayer and continual thanksgiving”.

“Joy, prayer and gratitude are the three attitudes that prepare us to live Christmas in an authentic

BY T HE CAT HOLIC NEW S, 2 HIG HLAND

ROAD

Pope F rancis blows out a candle on a 4- m-long piz z a as he celebrates his 81s t birthday with children from a Vatican paediatric clinic. C N S phot os

way,” the pope said before inviting the crowd to repeat the words: “Joy, prayer and gratitude.”

He also blessed the statues of baby Jesus that would be at the centre of Nativity scenes in R ome schools, churches and homes. Addressing the children who brought their figurines the o e urged them to “be drawn towards the tenderness of the child Jesus, who was born poor and fragile”. n C N S

# 0 1 - 0 3 , SING APORE 5 4 9 1 0 2 . PRINT ED

Pilgrims hold up the I talian words for ‘ H appy Birthday’ during the pope’ s A ngelus prayer time in St Peter’ s Sq uare.

BY T IMES PRINT ERS PRIV AT E LIMIT ED , 1 6 T U AS AV ENU E 5 , SING APORE 6 3 9 3 4 0 .