Catholic News Issue 12 2018 by CatholicNews

SUNDAY JUNE 10, 2018

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NO. 12

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Marriage Encounter leaders meet pope Receive his encouragement n Page 4

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Local Italian community’s celebrations Archbishop William Goh and Carmelite Frs Thomas Lim and Thomas Curran praying at the Pentecost Rally Mass on May 20.

Fr Thomas conducting a healing session with the Blessed Sacrament. Photo: VITA Images

First Holy Communion, Confirmation held in Italian n Page 7

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Special Mass in Mandarin, English

By Christopher Khoo The Church celebrates her coming into being on Pentecost, and that is why it is called the “birthday of the Church”, said Archbishop William Goh. “The Church came into being because of the Holy Spirit.” Archbishop Goh was speaking at the annual Pentecost Rally Mass, held at St Joseph’s Institution Junior on May 20. “The Church was born so that the Church can continue to be a sacrament, a sign of God’s love and unity,” he said to the hundreds gathered in the hall, including some who were baptised at Easter. “Our task as Church is to bring others to come to know Jesus, to be loved by Him, so that they know the Father’s love, mercy and forgiveness,” said Archbishop Goh. “I pray that for those of you who have encountered the Lord intimately in your life, you will begin to share this with others,” he said. The rally began with a rousing praise and worship session led

by the Burning Bush Charismatic Group from St Anne’s Church, followed by a talk by Msgr Ambrose Vaz titled “Witnessing as One”. To learn what it means for Catholics to “witness as one”, it is necessary to refer to the Acts of the Apostles, especially Acts 2:42, which describes how the early Christians devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayers, said Msgr Vaz.

These were the four hallmarks of witnessing in the early Church, he said. Commenting on the first, Msgr Vaz asked the crowd, “Am I becoming more and more aware of the word of God? Do I thirst for the Scriptures?” On the second hallmark, fellowship, Msgr Vaz explained that it is another way of describing accompaniment, participation and

involvement in someone else’s life for the sake of helping that person. “Fellowship has to leave us and the others around us with a conviction that really we are loved, we are cared for, we belong, we are one body,” said Msgr Vaz. The third hallmark, the breaking of the bread would be the Eucharist. n Continued on Page 7

WORLD

Abortion vote in Ireland Bishop hopes papal visit can bring healing n Page 12

POPE FRANCIS

Chile’s bishops hand in resignation Decision comes after meeting on sex abuse n Page 16

FAITH ALIVE!

Being a welcoming parish Msgr Ambrose Vaz spoke about the early Christian community.

Some suggestions to consider The crowd at St Joseph’s Institution Junior.

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New nuncio appointed to Singapore

Choir-led pilgrimage to Central Europe inspires participants

Archbishop Marek Zalewski.

As of 21 May 2018, His Holiness Pope Francis has appointed His Excellency Archbishop Marek Zalewski as Apostolic Nuncio to the Republic of Singapore, as well as non-resident Pontifical Representative for Vietnam. This is Archbishop Zalewski’s second assignment to Singapore, the first being from 2011-2012 when he served as Counsellor of the Nunciature. Prior to his new appointment, Archbishop Zalewski was the Apostolic Nuncio to Zimbabwe. • Born in Augustów, Poland on 2 February 1963; • Ordained to the Priesthood in Poland on 27 May 1989; • Holds a Doctorate in Canon Law from Pontificia Università Gregoriana (Gregorian University) • Since entering the diplomatic service of the Holy See in July 1995, he has had the

following postings: African Republic (1995-1998) • United Nations Organisation – New York (1998-2001) • Great Britain (2001-2004) • Germany (2004-2008) • Thailand (2008-2011) • Singapore (2011-2012) • Malaysia (2012-2014); • Appointed Titular Archbishop of Africa (Mehdia, in Tunisia) and Apostolic Nuncio (Ambassador) to Zimbabwe by Pope Francis on 25 March 2014; • Besides his native language, he speaks Italian, English and French. We welcome Archbishop Zalewski back to Singapore and wish him a fruitful term. n Submit-

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ted by: CHANCERY OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF SINGAPORE

n Interview with nuncio: Page 10

Pilgrims pose for a photo in the Church of Our Lady before Týn in Prague, Czech Republic.

Participants of a recent pilgrimage led by the Emmanuel Choir of the Church of St Bernadette to four European countries were left in awe of how God has touched their lives. From May 6-18, 31 pilgrims – made up of members of the choir and other ministries as well as parishioners of other churches – travelled to Poland, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic. They visited places such as the Infant Jesus shrine in Prague; the Weeping Madonna in Vienna; the murals in St Matthias Church in Budapest, Hungary; the largest Nazi concentration camp at Austchwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Musuem; and Krakow, the birth place of St John Paul II. Also of significance during

the pilgrimage was the final day’s Mass at the Church of our Lady Victorious in the Czech Republic. In total, the pilgrims travelled across 14 cities and towns. Mr Patrick Cheah, 62, said it was an amazing experience attending Mass at the The Holy Cross Chapel 130 m below ground level inside a salt mine in Wieliczka, Poland.

pilgrimage has ‘This taught me to live as a community of love and opened my eyes to true fellowship with God and my brothers and sisters in Christ.

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– Mr Robert Tan

Ms Joyce Poon, 43, was in awe as she visited the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Krakow, Poland, as it was where the Divine Mercy originated. She said she felt very touched by how God has shown His mercy to the world through the Divine Mercy prayers. Mr Robert Tan, 52, said, “This pilgrimage has taught me to live as a community of love and opened my eyes to true fellowship with God and my brothers and sisters in Christ.” Franciscan Fr Martin Low, spiritual director for the pilgrimage, shared, “Visiting the Shrines of the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed into Heaven [in Budapest, Hungary] and Our Lady of Czestochowa [in Poland] affirmed my devotion to the perfect Mother of all.” n

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BUILDING THE CHURCH OF TOMORROW 3

Sunday June 10, 2018  CatholicNews

the spirituality of stewardship In this article, guest writer Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers discusses the Christian principle of stewardship and its immense significance as a way of life for Catholics.

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The word “stewardship” sometimes evokes negative feelings in the Church. It seems that as soon as a priest mentions “stewardship”, people automatically think, “Uh-oh, he’s going to ask for money again”. But stewardship is so much more than simply “money”: time, talent, and treasure are spiritual principles rooted in Scripture, and give authentic expression and witness to our lives as Catholics.

of Mass, strengthened by the Eucharist, we go forth in freedom and love to be “Eucharist” to others: to be living signs and witnesses of the Father’s love to the world. The stewardship of love rooted in the Sacrament of Charity means that we must be a self-gift; we must completely sacriﬁce ourselves for the sake of others and so enter more deeply into the life of Christ. The stewardship of love

authentic stewardship is an extension of the church’s eucharistic life and mission. The commitment to stewardship is not expressed in a single act or gift, or even in a number of actions or gifts over time, but by an entire way of life. Stewardship means committing our entire selves to the Lord. Being a good steward means removing all obstacles that prohibit us from loving God alone and, in doing so, making ourselves vulnerable before the God who made us. It means emptying ourselves so that God can ﬁll us. It means exposing the weakest parts of who we are so that God can make us strong. It means becoming blind to the ways of the world so that Christ can lead us. Authentic stewardship is an extension of the Church’s Eucharistic life and mission. At the end

revealed in the Eucharistic Mystery means that our love must be permanent, because God will not accept anything less than our total, complete, and life-long commitment to serving Him. The stewardship of love in Communion means that our love must be lifegiving, that every act of love must necessarily be an intimate partnership of life and love, for our God is not a God of sterility and death: He is the Lord and Giver of life. Giving “to God what belongs to God” in stewardship means that we must be willing to give up everything that we have determined to be important in this life, everything that keeps us from making our personal relationship with Jesus Christ the single most important priority of our lives. Building up treasure in

heaven means that we must turn away from materiality in our own lives—everything, without exception—from our jobs to our favorite television show; from our cars to our reputations; from a vacation getaway to our own pride: we must prefer absolutely nothing to the love of Christ. Our following Jesus has to be totally and absolutely unconditional! How can we do this? Here are a few suggestions. 1. Recognize that you have something to offer, no matter how small and insigniﬁcant your gift may seem to you or anyone else. 2. Acknowledge that you cannot accomplish anything on your own. 3. Acknowledge that your offering (the gift of your life) will not grow and thrive unless you give it Jesus! 4. After blessing the offering of your life, share your gifts with the world, and not keep it to yourself (remember the Parable of the Talents?). Living an authentic life of stewardship acknowledges that we belong to God. Giving ourselves to Him completely is a labour of love that requires deep faith and enduring hope. We have to take our hands off the steering wheel and let God drive. In the Holy Spirit and with great conviction, let us be good stewards by giving the Lord glory and honour, for He is our God and there is no other. My brothers and sisters in Christ, everything in this world belongs to the Lord.

We are merely stewards of His gifts. Be good stewards of the precious gift of your time by getting more involved in the life of the archdiocese, regularly attending Eucharistic adoration, and taking time to pray together as a family. Be good stewards of your talents by asking the Lord to help you identify your gifts and use them to strengthen the life of the archdiocese according to His holy will. Be good stewards of your treasure by financially supporting the archdiocese, not out of guilt or fear or even sense of obligation, but out of gratitude to God for His generosity to us. It is only then, in the total offering of ourselves in love to the Other—in the sublime moment of complete giftedness—that we can say with Saint Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me,” for it is in giving ourselves away in love that we truly find ourselves in God. Deacon Harold BurkeSivers is the host of several popular series on EWTN television, author of several best selling Catholic books, as well as a highly sought after speaker at Catholic conferences and events around the world. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife and four children.

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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First two students awarded special SJI Foundation scholarships

Daniel and Shelley Ee, the Worldwide Marriage Encounter’s global leaders, meeting with Pope Francis on May 16.

Marriage Encounter leaders meet pope “God bless you, keep working, everything that you do for the family is never enough. Keep working, God bless you.” Pope Francis said this to Daniel and Shelley Ee, the Worldwide Marriage Encounter’s global leaders, on May 16 at the pope’s general audience in Rome. During the meeting, the Singaporean couple presented the Holy Father with a copy of the 50th anniversary global-edition book of Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME). During their

visit to Rome, they also presented Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery of Laity, Family and Life, a copy of the book as well as an annual report of the movement. From May 18-24, the couple, together with fellow international leader Fr Nathaniel Gomez, will chair the WWME World Council Meeting in Madrid. The world council comprises the continent leaders from Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, Pan-Africa and the Pacific. The council will meet in

Toronto, Canada, next year. From Madrid, the council will go to Fatima to join the WWME community of Portugal for their annual pilgrimage. Marking the 50th anniversary of the movement this year, North America is organising a convention to celebrate the occasion. Daniel and Shelley are scheduled to deliver an address as the global leaders during the June 22-24 convention which has the theme, “We remember, We celebrate, We believe.” n

BUILDING A VIBRANT, MISSIONARY AND EVANGELISTIC CHURCH EVENTS BY THE FOLLOWING ARCHDIOCESAN ORGANISATIONS IN 2018

ORGANISATIONS

JUNE

Archdiocesan Biblical Apostolate

Archdiocesan Commission for Apostolate of Mandarin Speaking

JULY • Bible Sunday: Publication of digital booklet on choosing a Catholic Bible and general resources to read, meditate, and learn the Bible (8 Jul)

• Children’s Camp (1-3 Jun)

• China Migrants Retreat • Faith Formation (22 Jul) • HV50 Conference (14 Jul)

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

• Talk on Law & You

• Spiritual Living Through Art

Archdiocesan Commission for Tamil Speaking

• Family Day (15 Jun)

• Marriage Preparation Course (29 Jul)

Catholic Business Network

• Career Counselling: For graduates entering the workforce and PMEs (14, 28 Jun)

• Career Counselling: For graduates entering the workforce and PMEs (5, 19 Jul)

Catholic Spirituality Centre

• Corpus Christi Celebration (3 Jun) • Awaken #15 (14-17 Jun) • Revival Friday (1, 8, 29 Jun) • 4th Saturday Healing Mass (23 Jun)

• Kerygma Retreat #3 (19-22 Jul) • Revival Friday (6,13,20 Jul) • 4th Saturday Healing Mass (28 Jul)

Catholic Theological Institute of Singapore

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

• New Students Briefing (6 Jul) • Semester 2 Commences (9 Jul) • Social Mission Conference – Pre Conference Programme: Mission Possible (7 Jul)

Caritas Humanitarian Aid & Relief Initiatives, Singapore Caritas Singapore

• Young Adults Social Mission Event: Fully Alive in God’s Love (2 Jun)

• Personal Moral Compass - Module 4: Ethics of Love, Sex and Marriage (12 Jul-30 Aug) • Understanding Labour Birth & Postnatal Self-Care (14 Jul) • Social Mission Conference: Whole of Me, All of Us, One in Christ (21 Jul)

Office for Catechesis

• Office For Catechesis Open House (2 Jun) • Catechists’ Retreat (8–10 Jun) • RCIA Workshop 2 (16 Jun) • Bishop’s Catechesis for Neophytes (23 Jun) • Gathering for Learning to Listen Practitioners (23 Jun) • Basic Catechist Course Level 1 – Liturgy: The Mass (26 Jun-31 Jul) • Bridging Term 3 (30 Jun-25 Aug)

• RCIA: Marriage & Baptism (7 Jul) • Catechist Elective Course: Virtues (11 Jul-5 Sep) • Craft of Catechesis Workshop: The Five Strategies of the Virtues Project (2) (21, 28 Jul) • Basic Catechist Course Level 2 – Learning to Listen (16, 23, 30 Jul)

Office for the New Evangelisation

• Combined Ministry Retreat (15-16 Jun)

Office for Young People

• Graduating University Students’ Recollection (8-9 Jun) • Kickstart for Freshmen (22-24 Jun) • Nox Gaudii (29 Jun)

• Uni Day of Recollection (28 Jul)

Singapore Archdiocesan Catholic Charismatic Renewal

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

• School of Healing Prayer Level 2 (7, 8, 14, 15 Jul)

Note: For more information, please refer to the respective Organisation’s website. This information is correct at the time of printing. Compiled by Office for the New Evangelisation (ONE), www.one.org.sg

Robert Andrew Martin (left) and Mark Hangchi will begin their undergraduate degrees in October at Christ’s College, Cambridge, UK.

The St Joseph’s Institution Foundation for the Lasallian Mission (SJI Foundation) celebrated its inaugural awards ceremony for the SJI Foundation – Christ’s College Cambridge Scholarship on May 12. This scholarship programme was established in 2017 to mark the 165th anniversary of St Joseph’s Institution’s (SJI) founding in 1852. Through it, the SJI Foundation will award up to two scholarships to selected candidates from SJI and SJI International to pursue a full-time undergraduate degree at Christ’s College, Cambridge, UK. The recipients of the 2018 SJI Foundation – Christ’s College Cambridge Scholarship, Mark Hangchi and Robert Andrew Martin, are both graduates from SJI International. The scholarship recipients were selected on a merit-based approach and the scholarship selection committee were unani-

mous in its endorsement of both recipients who had both obtained 45 points in the International Baccalaureate examinations. The scholarships will help them realise their full potential at the tertiary level by providing partial and un-bonded financial support. Hangchi will read Law and Martin will read Natural Sciences at Christ’s College. Both recipients recently completed their national service and will begin their undergraduate degrees in October. The SJI Foundation is a charitable institution focused on enabling the Josephian community and its supporters to contribute their time, talent and treasure in support of the mission of the De La Salle Brothers (the Catholic order which started SJI in 1852). n To find out more about SJI Foundation, visit: https://www. sjifoundation.org/.

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Dear Muslim friends Hari Raya Aidil-Fitri! We rejoice with you as you celebrate the end of your holy month of Ramadan with prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Indeed, these are wonderful signs of your desire to be holy through a life of obedience and charity and reverent worship of God, and a great witness to the world of your faith in Him. We Catholics too are called personally by God to holiness:

Sunday June 10, 2018 n CatholicNews

“Be holy, for I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44). Pope Francis has just reminded us in his most recent Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate (Rejoice and Be Glad) “On The Call To Holiness In Today’s World”, that holiness is to be found not just in the saints and martyrs who made great sacrifices for their faith, but also in the small everyday things of common life that are said or done by our nextdoor neighbours – whether they

are Christian, Muslim or of other faiths. These ordinary people living in our midst profoundly reflect God’s goodness and mercy in little gestures and details of love. The Pope describes five great expressions of the love of God and neighbour that can be found in what he calls the “middle-class of holiness”: (i) perseverance, patience and meekness; (ii) joy and a sense of humour; (iii) boldness and passion; (iv) community; and (v) constant prayer. He reminds us that holiness is not confined to an individual effort, but a journey in community, side by side with others. We rejoice and are glad, dear friends, that we have the privilege of journeying with you side by side in our endeavours to break barriers, to build bridges and bonds of friendship and

fraternal charity in our nation. With you we share the same journey of holiness through love of God and our neighbours, in mutual respect, compassion and forgiveness. Despite the circumstances of today’s world, where there is so much fake news, stereotyping and prejudice, suspicion, individualism, isolationism, indifference, complacency and even defeatism, we have endured and persevered boldly in our interfaith mission to forge lasting relationships of trust and safety in our common spaces with humility, patience and perseverance. Most of all, we believe in the power and importance of constant prayer and reverence for the sacred word of God, for holiness is the work of God within us. We now wait patiently with expectant faith for the transformation

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of hearts and minds of those we constantly pray for, but which we surrender to God’s providence. Once more we are grateful to God and you for being such faithful and faith-filled companions on this journey of holiness – let us continue to encourage and inspire each other in making visible our transcendent God’s presence in our material world. May we always stay joyful and light-hearted as we cooperate, collaborate and celebrate even the smallest victory together! On behalf of the Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore, we send our heartfelt wishes to you and your families for a very happy and holy Hari Raya Aidil-Fitri!

Most Rev William Goh Archbishop of Singapore

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Living out the Eucharist in one’s life

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Members of the Burning Bush Charismatic Group leading a praise and worship session. n From Page 1

Twenty-four children had their First Holy Communion at the Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace (above) while 10 others celebrated their Sacrament of Confirmation at the Church of Sts Peter and Paul.

“What does the Eucharist mean for us?” he asked. “How can we witness as one by living out the Eucharist in our lives?” On being faithful to prayers, Msgr Vaz said, “It is good to ask ourselves: when we pray, are we essentially praying only by ourselves, for ourselves, for our needs. Or do we also seek to interest others in praying together?” Carmelite Fr Thomas Lim then conducted a healing session as he carried the Blessed Sacrament around the hall.

Italian community celebrates First Holy Communion and Confirmation The Italian Catholic community celebrated First Holy Communion and the Sacrament of Confirmation for 34 of its members recently. The events, held on May 13 and May 19 respectively, were believed to be the first time that the community celebrated these sacraments as a community and in their own language. On May 13, 24 children, aged eight to 14, had their First Holy Communion at the Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace, surrounded by their parents and friends. The chaplain of the community, Fr Timothy Yeo, who speaks Italian, celebrated the Mass which was filled with song and cheer. On May 19, nine teenagers, aged 13 to 16, and one adult were confirmed at the Church of Sts Peter and Paul. Archbishop Joseph Marino, Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia

and Timor-Leste and Apostolic Delegate to Brunei, celebrated the sacrament in Italian, together with Msgr Yovko Pishtiyski, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Apostolic Nunciature in Singapore and Fr Timothy. The Italian Catholic community started in Singapore around 2011. From meeting once a month to attending Mass in Italian, they eventually held weekly Masses. Over the past months and for the first time, the community conducted catechism classes in Italian for their members at the Catholic Centre on Waterloo St. Previously, members attended catechism classes in English at various parishes. The Italian community currently has about 150 members. For more information on the Italian Catholic community, email: monica.fontanesi@gmail. com n

Crossword Puzzle 1211 1

24 25 31

26 33

43 47

48 51

ACROSS 1 Sanctuary ____ 5 Title for a priest (abbr.) 9 Confirmation gesture 14 Road to the Colosseum 15 Trac II successor 16 He is ____! 17 Spouse 18 There was none at the inn 19 Fail at a premature stage 20 Grace

www.wordgamesforcatholics.com

22 Blueprints 23 Give me that _____ religion 24 Jesus slept in one 25 Globe 26 Cream 30 Used to be 33 The day of the Resurrection 36 Paul and Silas’ prison doors after the earthquake (Acts 16:25–27) 37 Catholic vaudevillian,

39 40 41 42 44 45 47 49

Gracie _____ It follows Dan Opening Alphabet string “He has been ____.” (Mk 16:6) Birds of the air don’t do this (Mt 6:26) It can be used as a sunshade Poverty or obedience, for example The _____ Coin

50 “I ____ in God, the Father Almighty…” 54 Suppose 57 Cavalry 58 Heroine at Jericho 59 _____ de vivre 60 Zhivago’s love 61 Delight 62 Some annexes 63 Flat circular plate 64 This, that or the _____ 65 Direction from the Jordan to

The rally ended with Archbishop Goh urging those who were baptised at Easter to make time to pray and to be part of a faith community. “Share the word of God, pray together,” he said, adding that it is important to have their faith life nourished in this way first before joining a ministry. The rally was organised by the Singapore Archdiocesan Catholic Charismatic Renewal in collaboration with the Office for the New Evangelisation and Office for Catechesis. n christopher.khoo@catholic.org.sg

Bethlehem 66 Narrow strip of wood DOWN 1 Medieval concept that was never an official teaching of the Church 2 Whatsoever 3 Measured 4 Magician’s word 5 Musical instrument 6 This was rolled in front of Jesus’ tomb 7 Alcoholic drink 8 Animal of sacrifice in the Old Testament 9 Early landing place 10 Drink 11 By this date 12 Perky 13 Picnic intruders 21 Seductively beautiful woman 22 Jubilee entry 24 “___ us, O Lord…” 27 Chooses 28 Roman emperor who persecuted Christians

29 Winter stuff 30 Insect 31 The Diocese of Calgary is here (abbr.) 32 Insult 34 Commandment word 35 You, to Pierre 38 Appraise 40 Paul was upset because of the number of these in Athens (Acts 17:16) 42 “On the third day he ___ again” 43 Highest mountain 46 Gloomily dark 48 Handles, as a sword 50 Sixth plague 51 Online letters 52 Vice follower 53 Make real 54 Pertaining to Mars 55 Dead Sea component 56 Sovereign 57 Gap 59 “There is neither ___ nor Greek” (Gal 3:28)

Solution to Crossword Puzzle No. 1210

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Mass held to pray for the Church in China

From left: Frs John Chen, Peter Zhang and Francis Wang celebrating the Mass to mark the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China. In front of the altar is a little statue of Our Lady of Sheshan carrying the baby Jesus. Photos: HAI SING PAO

We are one Church, one community, said Fr John Chen during the annual Mass for the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China. Speaking to a crowd of 150 mostly Mandarin-speaking Catholics, he said that when Jesus started His ministry, He called upon His disciples from all walks of life to follow Him and form a new family, the family of God. This was the Church community, said Fr Chen at the Mass held at the Church of the Risen Christ on May 24, and conducted in Mandarin and English. In this community we believe in one God and we follow Jesus, said Fr Chen. The community is based on the principle that “whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother”. Fr Peter Zhang was the main celebrant at the Mass, which was concelebrated by Fr Francis Wang and Fr Chen. A special prayer for the intercession of Our Lady of Sheshan, who

The crowd at the May 24 Mass.

is venerated at the shrine of Sheshan near Shanghai, was recited during the celebration, as well as rosary prayers in Mandarin and English. Mr Lee, a Chinese national who was among the foreign workers attending the celebration, commented that praying with local Catholics made him feel that “the Church was one”. A local Catholic noted that foreign workers are usually very shy. She added that “we should always take the initiative and make the first move to welcome them to church”. The celebration was organised by the Archdiocesan Commission for Apostolate of Mandarinspeaking (ACAMS). The annual celebration is in response to a request in 2007 by then Pope Benedict XVI, who designated May 24 as a day of prayer for the Church in China. n Submitted by HAI SING PAO

n See related story on Page 16

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An interview with the new nuncio to Singapore

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Archbishop Zalewski talks about his role and other matters in this email interview. CatholicNews: You were Counsellor of the Nunciature in Singapore from 2011-2012. What are your thoughts on coming back to Singapore, this time to serve as Apostolic Nuncio? Archbishop Zalewski: From 2008-2011 I was based in Bangkok, as Counsellor of the Nunciature, and back then I was already following some issues pertaining to Singapore. During that period, I came to your country several times before 2011, when I was transferred to Singapore to prepare for the arrival of the first resident Apostolic Nuncio, H. E. Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli. My first thought when I received the news that His Holiness Pope Francis has appointed me as his Representative to Singapore was: “How nice! I am going back to a country that I am familiar with, to work again for the Church and the society, together with people who are generous and ready to help!” Then, I thought: “Am I able to accomplish all these tasks and expectations that my new office encompasses?” Anyway, I feel blessed and privileged to move to Singapore soon! What are you looking forward to do in your role as papal representative in Singapore, and what are your thoughts on relations between Singapore and the Holy See? What are the areas we can work on to make the current relations even warmer? Diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Singapore were established in June 1981, under the pontificate of St

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– Archbishop Marek Zalewski

John Paul II. In 2006, we had an official celebration at the high diplomatic level of 25th anniversary of our friendly diplomatic and cultural ties. In 2016, Pope Francis met with the president of the Republic of Singapore, marking 35 years of diplomatic relations between the Country and the Holy See, and the first-ever state visit by a Singaporean president to a Pope. We are working together on various topics which relate to the importance of interreligious and intercultural dialogue for the promotion of stability, justice and peace in Singapore and in the whole of South-east Asia. One of the urgent issues that we have to discuss together and

work on relates to climate changes and respect for our natural environment. In that sense the Pope’s Document Laudato Si’ could be taken seriously and used as a guideline for our actions. Are there plans for Pope Francis to visit Singapore? I hope that in my term, as Apostolic Nuncio to Singapore, the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of St Peter, will visit our country. However, for now, there are no plans for an immediate pastoral travel of Pope Francis to Singapore. Would you like to say a few words to the Catholics in Singapore as their new nuncio?

I am very pleased to be your Nuncio and to represent the Roman Pontiff to the Catholic Church in Singapore. I am sure that, together with Archbishop William Goh, we will work hard for the common good and the respect of the human person. Dear friends, you are all Catholics, but also Singaporeans. As Singaporeans, you owe temporal allegiance and respect to the State; and, as Catholics, spiritual allegiance to the Holy Father. It is important, and I am grateful to the Singaporean Government, that we have freedom to practise our religion publicly. My appointment is a clear indication of that freedom, I will use this opportunity to promote Christian and human values in our society. As the Pope’s Representative to your Country, I convey to you the Apostolic Blessing! You have also been appointed non-resident Pontifical Representative for Vietnam. What are your plans for Vietnam? As you know, the Holy See and Vietnam enjoy excellent relations, which I hope will improve and intensify. My predecessor, Nuncio Girelli, did a great job in promoting strong ties with Vietnam. I am sure that the Holy See and the Catholic Church will be able to continue contributing to local society there, particularly in education and health care. Last week, on 24 May, I was in Rome and had the honour and privilege to meet His Holiness Pope Francis. During our private conversation, he mentioned Vietnam several times. He said that he loves Vietnam and its people, he wants the Vietnamese Catholics to be good and responsible citizens, to contribute to the country’s prosperity and holistic human development.

At this point, I would like to thank the Vietnamese Government for having created favourable conditions for the Pope’s nonresident Representative to work in such a beautiful and culturally rich country. We are living in challenging times and the media has extensively covered news about interreligious strife and individuals, who attempt to harm religious harmony, causing death and destruction by their acts against the Church. What message would you like to share with Catholics in this region on how we can strengthen interreligious relations to create the trust and confidence during times of crisis? First of all, a serious and true religion does not harm anyone! It is in the wrong human interpretation of religious values that misleads some of the believers. The Lord does not ask us to kill, to hate or to destroy! The Almighty and Merciful God tells us to love and respect each other, because we are all His sons and daughters, we are all brothers and sisters. Religions are called to help us understand that we are oriented towards the Most High, who created us, and towards the other, who is our neighbour. Individuals and whole societies suffer when some act as if God does not exist, but also when others believe they are justified in using violence to impose extreme and radical attitudes, which are furthest from the living and loving God. Without doubt, humanity needs religion to avoid terrible mistakes. As Pope Francis said, the true religion is “the compass that orients us to the good and steers us away from evil, which is always crouching at the door of a person’s heart”. It is very important that we don’t follow any of these extreme groups. In fact, we have to condemn all expressions, even the smallest ones, of religious discrimination and hate, regardless of which religious group they belong. At a time when the world seems to live in conflict, it is my sincere hope that religions would prepare “the way for a dawn of peace; seeds of rebirth, amid the devastation of death; paths to encounter and reconciliation reaching even those places, where official mediation efforts seem not to have borne fruit” (Pope Francis, Apostolic trip to Georgia and Azerbaijan, 2016). Thank you. n

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Bollywood star uses water conservation methods pioneered by Jesuit CNS file photo

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A man carries containers filled with water in India. Bollywood actor-producer Aamir Khan has inspired young Indians to join a water conservation movement. CNS file photo

it will help replenish over-exploitPUNE, INDIA – Thousands of young Indians have joined a wa- ed ground water sources. The work was to be comter conservation movement led by popular Bollywood actor-produc- pleted in May, ahead of the Juneer Aamir Khan to fight drought us- September monsoon season. The ing methods originally advocated water percolation and collection will make the village self-suffiby a Swiss-born Jesuit. Asian Church news agency cient in water for the following ucanews.com reported that more summer. The actor-producer said he than 150,000 college students from drought-prone western Indi- appreciated the pioneering water an cities joined Mr Khan in early conservation work carried out by May. They dug trenches ahead Swiss Jesuit Fr Hermann Bacher of monsoon rains in more than who founded Watershed Organisation Trust with 100 villages across CNS photo Mr Crispino Lobo, a 24 drought-prone former Jesuit priest, districts of western in 1993. Maharashtra state. The trust was esMr Saurabh tablished to help vilVishal, a student lagers fight drought from Symbiosis Inin arid regions and is ternational Univernow active in eight sity in Pune, said Indian states. he was proud to be The idea of helping. seeking free physi“It was like docal labour for water ing something for the nation, for the Aamir Khan established conservation “was village and our peo- his nonprofit Paani (wa- conceived and imple,” said Mr Vishal, ter) Foundation in 2016. plemented by Fr Bacher in [the] 25, who assisted in 1980s, which inspired the other digging trenches in Savargaon. Mr Khan, 53, said his move- volunteer groups to follow suit,” ment originally planned to enrol Mr Lobo said. In Maharashtra, more than 100,000 university students to offer free physical labour to help re- half of its 43,665 villages were mote drought-prone villages. It’s declared drought-stricken in 2016, all a part of the actor’s nonprofit reported ucanews.com. “Our dream is to make MahaPaani (water) Foundation, which rashtra drought-free in five years,” he established in 2016. Mr Khan said it takes about Mr Khan said. “We found that wherever the 45 days to prepare a droughtprone village for water conserva- water issue had been solved,” he tion. The method requires digging said, “the solution lay in people’s trenches to allow rainwater to col- collective efforts and labour.” n lect and seep into the earth, where CNS

Archbishop asks pope not to ‘sacrifice’ Taiwan HONG KONG – The president of the Vatican and China are going to the Chinese Regional Bishops’ establish diplomatic ties, Taiwan Conference (CRBC) has asked is very nervous,” he said. Pope Francis to protect Taiwan “I told the pope I hoped they from being sacrificed as part of [the Holy See] would not see us any Sino-Vatican agreement. as part of China and would not Archbishop John Hung Shan- connect us. They can establish chuan of Taipei also asked the diplomatic ties, but the rights pontiff not to leave and interests of TaiTaiwan behind in any wan should not be circumstances. sacrificed,” ArchHe was part of bishop Hung said. a CRBC delegation He told the pope that provided an upthat Taiwanese Cathdate to the Vatican on olics and people adthe progress of their mired him very much, dioceses since their but they would feel last visit 10 years ago. frustrated if they The meeting with heard the pope wantthe pope was part ed to break diplomatic of the delegation’s Archbishop John Hung relations with Taiwan. ad limina visit – an Shan-chuan of Taipei “I also told the pope, obligatory visit that said Taiwan is concerned ‘Please do not leave bishops make peri- about the Vatican estab- us behind in any situaodically to report to lishing diplomatic ties tions.’ And he replied, the pope on the state with China. CNS file photo ‘Certainly not!’” of their dioceses. Seven Taiwan Archbishop Hung, interviewed bishops met Pope Francis on May by Radio Free Asia on May 15 af- 14. They invited him to attend the ter returning from Rome, said he Eucharistic Congress in Taiwan had mentioned Taiwan’s worries next March. about the establishment of SinoArchbishop Hung said that if the Vatican diplomatic relations at the visit did not take place, he hoped the meeting. pope could send a video message to “Every time it is rumoured that Catholics in Taiwan. n UCANEWS.COM

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Hebei bans pilgrimage reports as China steps up repression HONG KONG – Censorship of the

biggest Catholic media outlet in China has raised concerns that Hebei province will join Henan as the main targets of the Communist Party’s religious crackdown. Faith Weekly, based in Hebei, has been ordered not to report any news about Marian pilgrimages across the country during the Marian month of May. A source who asked to be unnamed told Asian Church news agency ucanews.com that the Hebei Provincial Ethnic and Religious Department had given the company verbal notification that neither its newspaper nor website should report pilgrimages in May. Webmasters of websites in other dioceses said that they had submitted articles on local or inter-provincial pilgrimages to Faith Weekly but none had been published. A Catholic said he was worried that a new wave of government religious suppression had started in Hebei. “If the pro-government Faith Weekly cannot report pilgrimages, it might be regarded as a warning that the religious policy applied to Hebei will be tightened,” he said. He pointed out that authorities had targeted Zhejiang, Henan and now Hebei, all with large numbers of Christians. According to statistics, Hebei has nearly one million Catholics, followed by Henan with 300,000 and Zhejiang with 10,000. “If the large Christian provinces are suppressed, the small ones are easier to handle,” he said.

Also in Hebei province, Hejian Education and Sports Bureau of Changzhou city issued a circular on May 9 asking all schools to prevent students from joining an Our Lady of Lourdes pilgrimage to Ludezhuang organised by a local church. The Ludezhuang pilgrimage honours the Virgin Mary, with thousands of people visiting there

A Chinese Catholic kisses a crucifix. A news agency based in Hebei has been ordered not to report any news about Marian pilgrimages during the Marian month of May. CNS file photo

on Mother’s Day, the second Sunday of May. The latest incidents follow authorities ordering the removal of a statue of a saint from Dongertou Catholic Church in Hebei province. In Henan province, churches have been seized, kindergartens closed and children prohibited from attending Mass. n UCANEWS. COM

Caritas aids volcano victims JAKARTA – Church social action arm Caritas has rushed to distribute thousands of face-masks and provide eye drops to people living in Indonesia’s Semarang archdiocese following a series of volcanic eruptions. Considered one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, Mt Merapi, in central Java, has seen at least nine eruptions over the past month, sending steam and

ash clouds 6,000 m into the sky, seriously affecting air quality for thousands of people. As of May 28, a 3-km exclusion zone around the mountain had yet to be lifted. Fr Martinus Sutomo, deputy director of the local Caritas branch, said at least 15,000 masks and eye drops had been distributed to those living in the volcano’s vicinity. “We will continue to distribute them until the alert status returns to normal,” he told Asian Church news agency ucanews.com. Distribution of the aid was carried out with the cooperation of 11 parishes. Mr Tarsisius Sugiono, a parish volunteer, said his parish established four distribution points. “We have given out masks and eye drops to school students and to people living in dozens of villages within a 6-km radius of Mt Merapi,” he said. In October 2010, Mt Merapi erupted, killing at least 198 people and injuring thousands. n UCANEWS. COM

Bishop hopes papal visit can bring healing after abortion vote DUBLIN – An Irish bishop said he

hopes Pope Francis’ August visit can help bring healing after a divisive referendum that will pave the way for abortion on demand up to 12 weeks’ gestation. In a May 25 referendum, voters opted by a margin of 66.4 percent to 33.6 percent to remove the right to life of the unborn from the constitution. Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick told Massgoers on May 26 that the result “is deeply regrettable and chilling for those of us who voted ‘no.’” He said “the final result of the referendum is the will of the majority of the people, though not all the people.” “It is a vote, of course, that does not change our position. Our message is one of love: love for all, love for life, for those with us today, for those in the womb,” he said. Referring to Pope Francis’ Aug 25-26 visit, Bishop Leahy said: “In August, we will unite as a family, to renew that sense of family when the World Meeting of Families comes here. We have the privilege of Pope Francis coming, and today I cannot think of his visit being more timely: to come here and remind us of the importance of family, of the love we have of family, of the reality that, yes, families get bruised sometimes, but they should never be broken. “So we go forward to that moment, we look forward to the healing it will bring,” he said.

A voter casts his ballot on May 25 in Dublin as Ireland held a referendum on its law on abortion. Voters opted to remove the right to life of the unborn from the constitution during the referendum. CNS photo

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Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin insisted that “the Irish Church after the referendum must renew its commitment to support life.” Speaking during a homily at Mass for the ordination to the diaconate of four seminarians at the national seminary in Maynooth, County Kildare, Archbishop Martin said that the Church is

called to be pro-life “not just in words and statements and manifestoes, but to be pro-life in deeds, by being a Church which reflects the loving care of Jesus for human life at any stage. “That loving care includes support to help those women who face enormous challenges and who grapple with very difficult decisions to choose life,” he said. Archbishop Martin said during the homily that “the challenge of witnessing to Jesus Christ in today’s world is not an easy one. Many will see the results of the referendum as an indication that the Catholic Church in Ireland is regarded today by many with indifference and as having a marginal role in the formation of Irish culture.” n CNS

Church helps preserve ethnic writing NGHIA LO, VIETNAM – A dio-

cese in northwest Vietnam has launched a language course for ethnic Hmong Catholics to increase evangelisation work and preserve their old writing created by foreign missioners. Some 30 lay leaders and catechists from Hmong communities in the mountainous province of Yen Bai attended the Hmong language-teaching course organised by Hung Hoa diocese’s committee for ethnic minorities from May 21-24 at Nghia Lo Church. “The course aims to train Hmong Catholics to be fluent in the Hmong writing system according to international standards and to know how to teach it to villagers,” said Fr Peter Nguyen Truong Giang, the committee’s deputy head. Fr Giang, who is fluent in the language, said participants are expected to teach villagers, especially children, how to read and write the language, which was initially romanised by foreign missioners.

An ethnic Hmong woman with her baby. A diocese in Vietnam has launched a language course for ethnic Hmong Catholics to be fluent in their writing system. CNS file photo

Missioners came to evangelise Hmong people in the area in 1917. They composed Latin-FrenchHmong and French-Hmong dictionaries, and Hmong prayer books, printing them in Hong Kong from 1930-40. Since the missionaries were expelled from the area in 1954 after communist forces defeated French troops in northern Vietnam, local Catholics have taught

themselves oral prayers and have had no resident priests. Catholic books were banned and gradually lost. Hmong writing is not taught at public schools in the area. Fr Giang said teaching Hmong writing is an effort to preserve their cultural traditions and develop evangelisation work. Course participant John Sung Cho Cau, 42, said he learned how to read and write the old Hmong language from his parents when he was a child but he found some difficulties in writing international Hmong. He said he has a duty to “keep alive our culture and writing and teach them to younger generations.” Fr Giang said the latest course was the third held by his committee this year. About 100 Hmong Catholics have joined the courses. Hung Hoa diocese covers 10 provinces and serves 245,000 Catholics including 20,000 Hmong people. n UCANEWS.COM

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Christians, Muslims need to cooperate, not compete ... says Vatican’s message for Ramadan and Id al-Fitr from competition to collaboraattitude between Christians and tion, the cardinal wrote. “A spirit of competition has Muslims fosters the belief that religions are a source of tension too often marked past relations and violence, not peace, said between Christians and Muslims,” he said. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran. “In some cases, these have “It is important that we Christians and Muslims recall led to violent confrontations, the religious and moral values especially where religion has that we share, while acknowl- been instrumentalised, above edging our differences,” said all due to self-interest and politthe cardinal, president of the ical motives,” the message said. This kind of “interreligious Pontifical Council for Interrelicompetition” hurts the image gious Dialogue. “By recognising what we of religions and their followhold in common and by show- ers, “and it fosters the view that religions are not ing respect for sources of peace, our legitimate difIt is important but of tension and ferences, we can that we Christians violence,” it said. more firmly estabTo prevent lish a solid foun- and Muslims recall and overcome dation for peaceful the religious and such negative relations, moving moral values that consequences, the from competition we share, while cardinal wrote, it and confrontation is key for Christo an effective coacknowledging tians and Muslims operation for the our differences. to recognise what common good,” – Cardinal Jean-Louis values they share he said in a mesTauran, president of the and show respect sage to Muslims. Pontifical Council for concerning legitiThe annual Interreligious Dialogue mate differences. message was for Working toRamadan and Id alFitr, the feast marking the end of gether for the common good the month-long fast, which will should include assisting those be on or around June 15 this year. most in need, allowing both sides Titled, “Christians and “to offer a credible witness to the Muslims: From Competition Almighty’s love for the whole of to Collaboration,” the message humanity,” the message said. “So that we may further expressed appreciation for “the great effort by the Muslims peaceful and fraternal relations, throughout the world to fast, let us work together and honour pray and share the Almighty’s each another,” Cardinal Tauran wrote. “In this way we will give gifts with the poor.” The importance of the glory to the Almighty and promonth was an opportunity to mote harmony in society, which share some thoughts about re- is becoming increasingly multilations between Christians and ethnic, multireligious and multiMuslims and the need to move cultural.” n CNS

All economic activity has moral dimension, doctrinal congregation says

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Children work at a brick kiln near Lahore, Pakistan. A new Vatican document says financial and economic decisions can be virtuous or sinful.

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VATICAN CITY – Financial and

economic decisions – everything from where a family chooses to invest its savings to where a multinational corporation declares its tax residence – are ethical decisions that can be virtuous or sinful, a new Vatican document said. “There can be no area of human action that legitimately claims to be either outside of or impermeable to ethical principles based on liberty, truth, justice and solidarity,” said the document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. The text, “Considerations for an Ethical Discernment Regarding Some Aspects of the Present Economic-Financial System,” was approved by Pope Francis and released on May 17 at a Vatican news conference with Archbishop Luis F. Ladaria, congregation prefect, and Cardinal Peter Turkson, head of the dicastery.

Based on principles long part of Catholic social teaching and referring frequently to the teaching of St John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, the document insisted that every economic activity has a moral and ethical dimension. Even something as simple as shopping can be important, the document said. Consumers should avoid products manufactured in conditions “in which the violation of the most elementary human rights is normal.” They can avoid doing business with companies “whose ethics in fact do not know any interest other than that of the profit of their shareholders at any cost.” Being ethical, it said, also can mean preferring to put one’s sav-

Consumers should avoid products manufactured in conditions ‘in which the violation of the most elementary human rights is normal.’ – A new Vatican document on economy

ings in investments that have been certified as socially responsible and they can join others in shareholder actions meant to promote more ethical behaviour by the companies in which they invest. The document takes aim at greed, not capitalism. In fact, it praises economic systems and markets that respect human dignity and promote human freedom, creativity, production, responsibility, work and solidarity. A healthy economy, it said, promotes all of those goods and realises that the measure of progress is not how much money people have in the bank, but how many people are helped to live better lives. One key to judging how well the economy works is how many decent jobs are created, the document said. But too often selfishness gets the upper hand, the rich speculate and gamble, accumulating more money but not creating more jobs. “No profit is in fact legitimate when it falls short of the objective of the integral promotion of the human person, the universal destination of goods and the preferential option for the poor,” the document said. n CNS

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Comprehensive School in Rome on May 25 as part of his series of ‘Mercy Friday’ visits. The pope arrived after classes, surprising some 200 students who were rehearsing for a year-end show. CNS photo

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Teaching on all-male priesthood is definitive, Vatican official says VATICAN CITY – That only men can

be validly ordained to the priesthood is a truth that is part of the Catholic faith and will not and cannot change, said Cardinal-designate Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. “It gives rise to serious concern to see that in some countries there still are voices that put in doubt the definitive nature of this doctrine,” the cardinal-designate wrote on May 29 in the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano. St John Paul II, confirming the constant teaching and practice of the Church, formally declared in 1994 that “the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful.” Cardinal-designate Ladaria said some people continue to question the infallibility of St John Paul’s declaration in the document “Ordinatio Sacerdotalis” because “it

Christ willed to ‘ confer this sacrament on the 12 apostles – all men – who, in turn, communicated it to other men.

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– Cardinal-designate Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Priest candidates lie prostrate during their ordination Mass. A Vatican official said that the teaching that only men can be validly ordained to the priesthood is to be ‘definitively held’ by the faithful. CNS photo

was not defined ‘ex cathedra’” or formally, solemnly proclaimed as infallible. The argument, the cardinal-designate wrote, is that “a later

decision by a future pope or council could overturn it.” But “sowing these doubts creates serious confusion among the

faithful not only about the sacrament of orders as part of the divine constitution of the Church, but also about how the ordinary magisterium can teach Catholic doctrine in an infallible way,” he wrote. A teaching of the Church is infallible not only when it is solemnly pronounced by a council or by a pope speaking “ex cathedra,” he said. A teaching is recognised

as infallible also when it is “the ordinary and universal teaching of bishops spread throughout the world when, in communion among themselves and with the pope, they propose Catholic doctrine that is to be held definitively.” That is what St John Paul did, he said. “He did not declare new dogma, but with the authority conferred on him as successor of Peter, he formally confirmed and made explicit – to remove any doubt – that which the ordinary and universal magisterium had considered as belonging to the deposit of faith throughout the history of the Church.” “Christ willed to confer this sacrament on the 12 apostles – all men – who, in turn, communicated it to other men,” Cardinaldesignate Ladaria wrote. “The Church always has seen itself as bound to this decision of the Lord, which excludes that the ministerial priesthood can be conferred validly on women.” n CNS

Defend right to life, conscientious All should have affordable health care: archbishop objection, pope tells doctors VATICAN CITY – Make medicine

and health care more humane by protecting the life and dignity of all patients, particularly the weakest and the unborn, Pope Francis told Catholic doctors and medical specialists. “The Church is for life and her concern is that nothing be against life,” no matter the stage of development or how weak or defenceless that life is, Pope Francis said. The pope met on May 28 at the Vatican with a delegation from the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations. The federation, which represents more than 100,000 health care professionals in about 80 countries, was to host its 25th world congress from May 30-June 2 in Zagreb, Croatia. The defence of the human person “is essential for humanising medicine,” the pope told the delegates, urging them to be active nationally and internationally in their field and even in political debates involving legislation on hot-button ethical issues such as “pregnancy termination,

A doctor with her patient. Pope Francis said Catholic medical professionals are called to uphold the dignity and centrality of every human person, including all their inalienable rights. CNS file photo

end-of-life and genetic medicine.” He also encouraged them to remain committed to defending the right of conscientious objection for all health care workers. “It is not acceptable that your role be reduced to that of being a simple executor of the will of those who are ill or of the demands of the health care system in which you work,” he said.

Catholic medical professionals are called to uphold the dignity and centrality of every human person, including all their inalienable rights, with the right to life as the foremost, he said. Recognising the federation’s fidelity and commitment to applying Church teaching and norms in the field of medical ethics, he praised them for cooperating with the Church’s mission of “promoting and defending human life from conception to its natural end. “This fidelity required and requires hardship and difficulties, which, in certain circumstances, can call for a lot of courage,” the pope said. “Keep on this path with serenity and determination” and continue to be aware of the moral implications of Church teachings in the field of medicine, he added. To be a Catholic doctor, he said, is to be inspired by one’s faith and – in communion with the Church – to grow and mature in one’s profession and Christian faith, seeking to discover and understand natural law so as to better serve life. n CNS

Bishops offer prayers after school shooting HOUSTON, TEXAS, USA – In response to the May 18 school shooting at a Houston-area high school, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston said the archdiocesan community would “unite to support and offer healing to those affected.” “As a society, we must strive for a way to end such acts of senseless gun violence in our

schools and communities,” he added in a May 18 statement. The cardinal said he was “deeply saddened” and that his prayer and the prayers of Catholics in the archdiocese are with the “victims and families of those killed and injured in this horrific tragedy.” In a separate statement as president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Di-

Nardo said: “I extend my heartfelt prayers, along with my brother bishops, for all of those who have died, their families and friends.” The school shooting, occurring just three months after the shooting in Parkland, Florida, took place when a male shooter opened fire at a Santa Fe High School on the morning of May 18 killing 10 and injuring another 13 people. n CNS

VATICAN CITY – Everyone should

Archbishop Jurkovic thanked the have access to essential health ser- UN leadership “for keeping it as vices and no one should have to a top priority on the agenda of the fall into poverty to obtain needed World Health Organisation.” care, a Vatican representative said. Each country will have to “For many poor communities, strengthen systems “to deliver effamilies and individuals, access fective and affordable services to to the much-needed health care prevent ill health and to provide services remains an unachieved health promotion, prevention, objective,” said Archbishop Ivan treatment, rehabilitation and palJurkovic, Vatican observer to UN liation services” that place the huagencies in Geneva. man person at the centre, he said. “We are all “Countries must daunted by the disfruitfully engage We are all quieting fact that with the private secdaunted by the tor, whose contribuhalf the world’s population is still untion to this universal disquieting able to obtain many health coverage is fact that half essential health sercrucial,” he said. vices,” he said. “At Faith-based instituthe world’s the same time, huntions play a major population is dreds of millions are role, he said, and pushed into extreme they very often guarstill unable to poverty because antee access to care obtain many they have to pay for “even in very remote health services enessential health and inaccessible artirely from their own eas.” services. meagre resources.” Archbishop – Archbishop Ivan “Since everyJurkovic also praised Jurkovic, Vatican one should have the the assembly’s “road observer to UN possibility of benmap” for a greater agencies in Geneva efiting from necesglobal response to sary health services the negative effects without falling into poverty, the of air pollution on human health virtue of solidarity urges us to and lives. work towards this goal,” said the “Avoidable environmental archbishop. risk factors cause at least 13 milArchbishop Jurkovic spoke on lion deaths every year and about May 23 at the World Health As- one-quarter of the global burden sembly, a meeting of the member of disease,” he said, according to states of the World Health Organi- the WHO report. “Air pollution sation (WHO) to set WHO poli- alone causes about 6.5 million cies and programmes. deaths a year or one in eight of all The need for universal health deaths, placing it among the top care coverage was a major topic global risks to health,” he continat the May 21-26 meeting, and ued. n CNS

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All of Chile’s bishops offer resignations after meeting pope on abuse VATICAN CITY – Every bishop in

Chile offered his resignation to Pope Francis after a three-day meeting at the Vatican to discuss the clerical sexual abuse scandal. “We want to announce that all bishops present in Rome, in writing, have placed our positions in the Holy Father’s hands so that he may freely decide regarding each one of us,” Bishop Juan Ignacio Gonzalez Errazuriz of San Bernardo said on May 18 in a statement on behalf of the country’s bishops. The unprecedented decision was made on the final day of their meeting from May 15-17 with Pope Francis. Auxiliary Bishop Fernando Ramos Perez of Santiago, secretarygeneral of the Chilean bishops’ conference, said the pope had read to the 34 bishops a document in which he “expressed his conclusions and reflections” on the 2,300-page report compiled by Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta and his aide, Fr Jordi Bertomeu, during a visit to Chile to investigate the scandal. “The pope’s text clearly showed a series of absolutely reprehensible acts that have occurred in the Chilean Church in relation to those unacceptable abuses of power, of conscience and sexual abuse that have resulted in the lessening of the prophetic vigour that characterised her,” Bishop Ramos said.

After reflecting on the pope’s assessment, he added, the bishops decided to hand in their resignations “to be in greater harmony with the will of the Holy Father.” “In this way, we could make a collegial gesture in solidarity to assume responsibility – not without pain – for the serious acts that have occurred and so that the Holy Father can, freely, have us at his disposal,” Bishop Ramos said. Shortly after the announcement, Mr Juan Carlos Cruz, one of three survivors who met privately with Pope Francis in April, tweeted, “All Chilean bishops have resigned. Unprecedented and good. This will change things forever.” The bishops will continue in office unless or until the pope accepts their resignations. The document in which Pope Francis gave his evaluation of the situation of the Church in Chile was leaked on May 17 by Chilean news channel Tele 13. The pope wrote in the document that removing some Church leaders from office “must be done,” but that “it is not enough; we must go further. It would be irresponsible of us not to go deep

Pope Francis and 34 Chilean bishops meeting on May 15 to discuss the clerical sexual abuse crisis in Chile. CNS photo

in looking for the roots and structures that allowed these concrete events to happen and carry on.” In it, the pope said that “the painful situations that have happened are indications that something is wrong with the ecclesial body.” He also said he was concerned by reports regarding “the attitude with which some of you bishops have reacted in the face of present and past events.” This attitude, the pope said, was guided by the belief that instead of addressing the issue of sexual abuse, bishops thought that “just the removal of people would solve the problem.” In an accompanying footnote, the pope said the bishops’ behaviour could be labelled as “the Caiphas syndrome,” referring to the high priest who condemned Jesus, saying, “Better for one man

The bishops decided to hand in their resignations ‘to be in greater harmony with the will of the Holy Father.’

to die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” The act of covering up cases of abuse, he added, was akin to the Latin American saying, “Muerto el perro se acabo la rabia” (Dead dogs don’t bite). The document’s footnotes included several details from the investigation made by Archbishop Scicluna, who is president of a board of review within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; the board handles appeals filed by clergy accused of abuse or other serious crimes. The pope said the report con-

firmed that, in some instances, the bishops deemed accusations of abuse as “implausible.” But Pope Francis said he was “perplexed and ashamed” after he received confirmation that undue pressure by Church officials was placed on “those who carry out criminal proceedings” and that Church officials had destroyed compromising documents. Those actions, he said, “give evidence to an absolute lack of respect for the canonical procedure and, even more so, are reprehensible practices that must be avoided in the future.” n CNS

Meeting with other victims From June 1-3, Pope Francis will meet with five priests who suffered abuse by Chilean Fr Fernando Karadima or his followers, the Vatican said. The pope will meet with “five priests who were victims of abuses of power, of conscience and sexual abuse,” the

Vatican said in a statement on May 22. Two priests who have accompanied the survivors “in their juridical and spiritual journey” and “two laypeople involved in this suffering” were also invited by Pope Francis, the statement said. n CNS

Pope urges prayers for Catholics in China Blesseds Paul VI, Oscar Romero CNS photo

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis

Chinese Catholics praying during Mass. Pope Francis has called for spiritual unity with Catholics in China.

asked people to pray for Catholics in China so that they may be able to live their faith with serenity and in full communion with the pope. The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians on May 24. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI established the feast as a world day of prayer for the Church in China because Mary is venerated under that title at the Marian shrine

in Sheshan, outside Shanghai, China. At the end of his general audience talk in St Peter’s Square on May 23, Pope Francis said the feast day “invites us to be united spiritually with all the Catholic faithful who live in China.” He asked people to pray to Our Lady so that Catholics there would be able “to live the faith with generosity and serenity” and so that they would know how to carry out “concrete gestures of fraternity, harmony and reconciliation, in full communion with the successor of Peter.” “Dear disciples of the Lord in China, the universal Church prays with you and for you so that even in the midst of difficulties you may continue to trust in God’s will,” he said. n CNS

to be canonised in October

Pope Francis has cleared the way for the canonisations of Blesseds Paul VI (left) and Oscar Romero. CNS photo VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis will declare Blesseds Oscar Romero, Paul VI and four others as saints on Oct 14 at the Vatican during the meeting of the world Synod of Bishops.

The date was announced on May 19 during an “ordinary public consistory,” a meeting of the pope, cardinals and promoters of sainthood causes that formally ends the sainthood process. n CNS

Sun

POPE FRANCIS 17

Sunday June 10, 2018 n CatholicNews

Holy Spirit changes hearts, says pope on Pentecost VATICAN CITY – Christians should begin each day invoking the Holy Spirit, praying that the Spirit will lead them and the Church closer to God and closer to any person in need, Pope Francis said on Pentecost. Celebrating Mass on May 20 in St Peter’s Basilica, the pope said the Bible, especially the Acts of the Apostles, makes it clear that the Holy Spirit brings a real power to change to individuals and the Church. “The Spirit frees hearts chained by fear,” the pope said in his homily. “To those content with half measures He inspires wholehearted generosity. He opens hearts that are closed. “He impels the comfortable to go out and serve,” the pope continued. “He drives the selfsatisfied to set out in new directions. He makes the lukewarm thrill to new dreams. That is what it means to change hearts.” People often vow to change, but lack the power to do so, he said. The power of the Holy Spirit is different, Pope Francis said. “It does not revolutionise life around us, but changes our hearts. It does not free us from the weight of our problems, but liberates us within so that we can face them.” The change occurs because the Holy Spirit brings God’s forgiveness, he said. “From guilty he makes us righteous and thus changes everything.” “By the working of the Holy Spirit, joy is reborn and peace blossoms in our hearts,” the pope said, before offering a special prayer for peace in the Holy Land, especially in Gaza where violent protests led to the deaths of 60 people in early May. The pope prayed that the Holy Spirit would “blow upon our world the soothing warmth of peace and the refreshing cool of hope”. In a week that included Pope Francis’ three-day meeting with the bishops of Chile to discuss the sexual abuse scandal, a meeting that ended with all the bishops offering the pope their resignations, the pope said, “frequently, even in the bleakest of times, the Spirit has raised up the most outstanding holiness! Because He is the soul of the Church, who constantly enlivens her with renewed hope, fills her with joy, makes her fruitful, and causes new life to blossom.” Pope Francis prayed that the Holy Spirit would “blow upon us, blow into our hearts and make us

A choir sings as Pope Francis celebrates Mass marking the feast of Pentecost in St Peter’s Basilica on May 20. CNS photo

Pope Francis prayed that the Holy Spirit would ‘blow upon our world the soothing warmth of peace and the refreshing cool of hope’. breathe forth the tenderness of the Father! Blow upon the Church and impel her to the ends of the earth, so that, brought by you, she may bring nothing other than you.” After the Mass, Pope Francis went to the window of his studio overlooking St Peter’s Square to lead the recitation of the “Regina Coeli” prayer and to announce his

decision to create 14 new cardinals from 11 nations on June 29. But first he prayed for Mary’s intercession that the Church would experience “a renewed Pentecost, a renewed youthfulness that gives us the joy of living and witnessing to the Gospel and a fervent longing to be saints for God’s greater glory”. n CNS

18 OPINION

Sunday June 10, 2018 n CatholicNews

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Cheating workers of their just wages is mortal sin, pope says

Workers make clothes at a clothing factory. The pope has stressed that employers need to give their workers just wages and benefits. CNS file photo

VATICAN CITY – Loving wealth destroys the soul, and cheating people of their just wages and benefits is a mortal sin, Pope Francis said. Jesus did not mince words when he said, “Woe to you who are rich,” after listing the Beatitudes as written according to St Luke, the pope said in a morning homily. If anyone today “were to preach like that, the newspapers the next day [would say], ‘That priest is a communist!’ But poverty is at the heart of the Gospel,” Pope Francis said. Celebrating Mass in the chapel of his residence on May 24, Pope Francis focused his homily on the day’s first reading from the Letter of James (5:1-6) in which the apostle scolds the rich. Not only has their wealth “rotted away”, the decay and corrosion of their material possessions “will be a testimony against you” on judgment day, the passage says. St James criticised employers who withheld wages from their

workers, the pope said, and those workers’ cries reached the ears of the Lord. People today mistakenly might think St James is “a union representative”, Pope Francis said, but he is an apostle whose words were inspired by the Holy Spirit. Even in Italy, there are those who leave people out of work to protect their assets, but whoever does this, “Woe to you!” not according to the pope, but according to Jesus, the pope said. Jesus, he said, is the one who says, “Woe to you who exploit people, who exploit labour, who pay under the table, who don’t pay

Wage theft ‘is a sin’, Pope Francis said, even if the employer goes to Mass every day, belongs to Catholic associations and prays novenas.

pension contributions, who don’t offer vacation days. Woe to you!” Wage theft, like “skimming” from people’s pay cheques, “is a sin; it is a sin,” the pope said, even if the employer goes to Mass every day, belongs to Catholic associations and prays novenas. When an employer doesn’t pay what is due, he said, “this injustice is a mortal sin. You are not in God’s grace. I’m not saying this, Jesus says it, the Apostle James says it.” The condemnation is severe because “wealth is idolatry” that seduces people, and Jesus knew people could not serve two masters – they must choose either God or money, Pope Francis said. Wealth “grabs you and doesn’t let you go, and it goes against the first commandment” to love God with all of one’s heart, he said. “To be free before wealth you must step back and pray to the Lord,” he said. “If the Lord gave you wealth, it is for giving it to others, to do many good things for others in his name.” n CNS

The definition of friendship ONE of the richest experiences of grace that we can have this side of eternity is the experience of friendship. Dictionaries define friendship as a relationship of mutual affection, a bond richer than mere association. They then go on to link friendship to a number of words: kindness, love, sympathy, empathy, honesty, altruism, loyalty, understanding, compassion, comfort, and (not least) trust. Friends, the dictionaries assert, enjoy each other’s company, express their feelings to each other, and make mistakes without fear of judgment from the other. That basically covers things, but to better grasp the real grace in friendship, a number of things inside that definition need explication. First, as the Greek Stoics affirmed and as is evident in the Christian spirituality, true friendship is only possible among people who are practising virtue. A gang is not a circle of friendship, nor are many ideological circles. Why? Because friendship needs to bring grace and grace is only found in virtue. Next, friendship is more than merely human, though it is wonderfully human. When it is genuine, friendship is nothing less than a participation in the flow of life and love that’s inside of God. Scripture tells us that God is love, but the word it uses for love in this case is the Greek word agape, a term which might be rendered as “family”, “community”, or “the sharing of life”. Hence the famous text (“God is Love”) might be transliterated to read: God is family, God is community, God is shared existence, and whoever shares his or her existence inside of community and friendship is participating in the very flow of life and love that is inside the Trinity. But this isn’t always true. Friendship and family can take different forms. Mr Parker Palmer, the contemporary Quaker writer, submits: “If you come here faithfully, you bring great blessing.” Conversely, the great Sufi mystic, Rumi, writes: “If you are here unfaithfully, you bring great harm.” Family and community can bring grace or block it. Our circle can be one of love and grace, or it can be a one of hatred and sin. Only the former merits the name friendship. Friendship, says St Augustine, is the beauty of the soul. Deep, life-giving friendship, as we all know, is as difficult as it is rare. Why? We all long for it in the depths of our soul, so why is it so difficult to find? We all know why: We’re different from each other, unique, and rightly cautious as to whom we give entry into our soul. And so it isn’t easy to find a soulmate, to have that kind of affinity and trust. Nor is it easy to sustain a friendship once we have found one. Sustained friendship takes hard commitment and that’s not our strong point as our psyches and our world forever shift and turn. Moreover, today, virtual friendships don’t always translate into real friendships. Finally, not least, friendship is often hindered or derailed by sex and sexual tension. This is simply a fact of nature and a fact within our culture and all other cultures. Sex and sexuality, while they ideally should be the basis for deep friendship, often are the major hindrance to friendship. Moreover, in our own culture (whose ethos prizes sex over friendship), friendship is often seen as a substitute, and a second-best one at that, for sex. But while that may be in our cultural ethos, it’s clearly not what’s deepest in our souls. There we long for something that’s ultimately deeper than sex. There’s a deep desire in us all for a soulmate. More deeply than we ache for a sexual partner, we ache for a moral partner. Friendship, like love, is always partly a mystery, something beyond us. It’s a struggle in all cultures. Part of this is simply our humanity. True friendship is an eschatological thing, found, though never perfectly, in this life. n

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Sunday June 10, 2018 n CatholicNews

Making Sunday Mass more welcoming for parishioners Some suggestions for churches to consider By Fr Herb Weber

difference in a Sunday celebration. There are different tastes, but I recognised the man in the pew as the common denominator is that it an active member of a neighbour- has to be done well and have the ing parish. After Mass, I greeted invitation to include others’ parhim and asked what brought him ticipation. Priests must make lito our parish, somehow assuming turgical music a high priority and it was the quality of our liturgy. invest in it accordingly. His two-word answer was: “Air Added to those three big chalconditioning.” lenges, Sunday liturgies become We don’t always know why more inviting if the following three people do or do not come to steps are also taken: basic needs Mass. Nonetheless, parishes can are met, children are welcomed take special steps to improve at- and weekly preparation for Sunday tendance. With the provision that Mass is done by all parishioners. we already have the Eucharist, Basic needs include good sight churches can improve and good sound in the in several ways. church building, acEmphasise n The first is hoscessibility and a clean welcoming pitality. This means environment. When all people, much more than simpeople don’t have to ply free coffee and tea making room overcome many obstaafter Mass. We emcles, they make a greatfor visitors, phasise welcoming all er effort to come. people, making room helping people n Children are an for visitors, helping important part of any feel at home, people feel at home, parish. We have chiland consciously greet- and consciously dren’s Liturgy of the ing people from parkWord, childcare with greeting ing lot to entrance to trained staff and a Sunpeople from participation to deparday morning preschool. entrance to ture ... and coffee and What’s more, we weltea after every Mass. come kids and never departure. One young couple complain if kids cry who had attended another parish out. There is a “respite space” for for several weeks said after their parents to take their little ones who first visit to our parish that 13 peo- need to run or make noise, where ple had said hello to them by the the kids’ noise disrupts no one while time they sat down. What’s more, the parents can still see and hear. they felt the warmth and welcome. n And finally, parishioners n Second, the preaching at have to do their own preparation every Mass has to be worth lis- for Sunday Mass. During each tening to. As a weekly homilist, I week we provide reflections on the work on the homily all week long. readings and a taste of the music But I don’t work alone. I explore list, all sent out through email blasts the Sunday readings with a Tues- or on our parish app. Our weekly day morning group, as I do with podcast allows people to hear the the Rite of Christian Initiation of readings with a simple commenAdults programme. The parish tary. And multiple parish groups staff often give feedback on my study the readings well before compreliminary homily thoughts. ing to church. This, along with all In short, I try out various ideas the other steps, helps attendance on anyone who will listen. It takes and conscious participation. n CNS time for ideas and appropriate illustrations to surface. Fr Weber is the founding pastor of St John n Music can make a major XXIII Parish in Perrysburg, Ohio, USA.

In a nutshell How do we, as Catholics, make our parishes, liturgies, programmes and processes more appealing to Catholics and those who are not Catholic? The answer is relatively simple: Welcome. Invite. Include. Empower. Appreciate. Celebrate.

For a parish to be truly vibrant, it must accompany as well as challenge its members. Sunday liturgies become more inviting if basic needs are met, children are welcomed and weekly preparation for Sunday Mass is done by all parishioners.

n CNS

A family prays during Mass. We don’t always know why people do or do not come to Mass. Nonetheless, parishes can take special steps to improve attendance, says Fr Herb Weber. CNS photo

Sunday June 10, 2018 n CatholicNews

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By Jennifer Ficcaglia Jesus and His apostles were travelling around Galilee. Wherever they went, Jesus would heal the sick and drive unclean spirits from people. One day, Jesus came home with His friends. As usual, a huge crowd gathered around Him, and Jesus and the apostles couldn’t even eat a meal. When Jesus’ relatives heard that Jesus was home, they made plans to seize Him because they were worried about Him. “He is out of His mind,” they said. The scribes, who had come from Jerusalem, thought that Jesus was possessed by an unclean spirit. They even suggested that Satan was giving Him the power to remove unclean spirits from those who were possessed. “By the prince of demons,

He drives out demons,” they insisted. When Jesus heard what the scribes were saying, He summoned the crowd to Him and began to speak in parables. “How can Satan drive out Satan?” Jesus asked those in the crowd. “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder the house.” Then Jesus told everyone about a sin that could not be forgiven: attributing to Satan things that are the work of the Holy Spirit. “Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will

SPOTLIGHT ON SAINTS:

St Alban St Alban lived in third-century Britain during a time when the Romans were persecuting Christians. Even though St Alban was a pagan, he helped a priest who was fleeing from the persecution. This priest wound up baptising St Alban as well. When the Romans found out that he had helped a priest escape capture, he was arrested and killed. St Alban is believed to have been Britain’s first martyr. A cathedral and an abbey were even built on the hilltop upon which he is said to have been killed. We honour St Alban on June 20. n

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be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin,” he said. Just then, some people in the crowd told Jesus that His mother and other relatives had arrived and were asking for Him. “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Jesus asked as He looked at the people gathered around Him.

Jesus spread out His arms. “Here are my mother and my brothers,” he said of the crowd. “For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” n Read more about it: Mark 3

Q&A 1. Who wanted to see Jesus? 2. Who did Jesus call His family?

Wordsearch: n ARRIVE

n HEAL

n LOVE

n EXODUS n STRONG n ABLE

n RESPECT n SPEAK

n FORGIVE n WORK n MEAL

n OBEY

C ESSAY:

What does being part of God’s family mean to you?

Bible Accent:

4. Colossians 3:19 3. Proverbs 22:6 2. Ephesians 6:1

1. Proverbs 6:20

Answer to puzzle:

AC 1 5

PUZZLE:

Draw a line between the quotation in the left column and its correct chapter and verse in the right column. 1. “Observe, my son, your father’s command.”

Ephesians 6:1

2. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord.”

Proverbs 22:6

3. “Train the young in the way they should go.”

Colossians 3:19

4. “Husbands, love your wives.”

Proverbs 6:20

15 16 17 18

Answer to Wordsearch

The Bible talks a lot about families. For example, in the Book of Genesis, we read that God created Adam and Eve, the first family. Afterwards, He told them to “be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Gn 1:28). God also talked about families in two of the Ten Commandments. In Exodus 20, He told the Israelites to honour their fathers and mothers and to be faithful to their spouses. In Ephesians 5:33, the apostle Paul said that husbands and wives should love and respect each other. In Colossians 3:2021, St Paul also said that children should obey their parents, and fathers should not provoke or discourage their children. Jesus talked about the sacredness of marriage in Matthew 19:1-6. And in John 19:25-27, right before he died on the cross, He made sure that His own mother was taken care of by one of His apostles. During his ministry, Jesus also talked about being part of God’s family, which includes everyone who does God’s will. So not only did Jesus see the biological family as important, but also the spiritual family – the members of his Church, who might not even be related to one another. n

EVENT SUBMISSIONS WHAT’S ON submissions now require the completion of a form from the Archdiocese before the event can be publicised. For events with foreign speakers, please submit the necessary documentation for approval to the Chancery. For more information and to download the form, visit http:// www.catholic.sg/events/announcementadvertisement-request/. Once 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. JUNE 5 TO NOV 20 THE BIBLE TIMELINE Time: 7.30pm-9.45pm. Due to popular demand, F.R.E.E. Ministry will be presenting a re-run of “The Bible Timeline” – a 24-week Bible video course. Come and see how God’s loving plan for humanity unfolds, resulting in a greater love for God and a deeper appreciation of our Catholic faith. A study kit is available at $66. Venue: Church of the Risen Christ Parish Hall. To register: W: http://free.risenchrist.org. sg; E: free.risenchrist@gmail.com. JUNE 8 GLOBAL ROSARY RELAY & MASS OF THE SOLEMNITY OF THE SACRED HEART Time: 10am-2pm. Join Catholics around the world to pray for all priests on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart (also designated as the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests). The event comprising the rosary, Mass and spiritual reflections is organised by the Carmelite Friars and the Good Shepherd Sisters. Venue: Good Shepherd Place (Chapel) 9 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh, S319253. JUNE 18 TO JUNE 24 PARISH RETREAT Theme: Building a vibrant and missionary community. Retreat masters: Fr Michael Payyapilly, VC, and Fr Joseph Edattu, VC. Sessions start at 8pm on weekdays at the Church of the Transfiguration. Full-day session will be held during the weekend at Holy Innocents High School. Cost: $100 per person. Registration forms are available at the parish office or may be downloaded at www.transfiguration.sg. JUNE 22 TO JUNE 24 WORKING WITH OUR DREAMS Friday (8pm)-Sunday (1pm). Venue: Lifesprings Spirituality Centre, 100 Jalan Merbok. This programme will help us understand our dreams and their symbolic language, listen to and experience them as a way in which the Divine can speak to us. Participants are asked to bring a significant dream to use during the weekend. Conducted by Sr Linda Lizada, RC, and Cenacle team. To register: W: www.cenaclemission.com; T: 97223148. JUNE 23 BISHOP’S CATECHESIS FOR NEOPHYTES Time: 10:30am-12:30pm. Venue: Church of the Holy Trinity, 20 Tampines Street 11, S529455. This third talk by Archbishop William Goh aims to rally the neophytes to continuing conversion as new members of the Body of Christ. Register using the following URL: https:// docs.google.com/forms/d/1DpKBxqJrRm cDZlJmQHvvDUMBFMhCcsJ5F5NSY io-Tqo/edit. For more information, E: formation@catechesis.org.sg; W: www.catechesis.org.sg; T: 69110400. JUNE 23 CLARITY’S INTRODUCTORY GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING ANXIETY WORKSHOP Time: 10.30am-12.30pm. Venue: Agape Village. Anxiety is a normal emotional response many experience as part of everyday life. However, some of us experience anxiety in ways that affect our daily lives. We will explore the reasons behind our anxieties, debunk myths and misconceptions that we may have and learn different ways to manage our anxieties. Cost: $15. To register, W: https://tinyurl.com/TC23Jun; T: 67577990. JUNE 26 AND JULY 10, 17, 24, 31 BASIC CATHECHIST COURSE LEVEL 1 – LITURGY: THE MASS Every Tuesday (except July 3). Time: 7.30pm-10pm. Venue: CAEC 2 Highland Rd, S549102. Contribution: Waived. Speaker: Fr Erbin Fernandez. In this basic course, catechists will gain a deeper understanding of the importance of liturgical worship in their lives as Christian disciples. Register before June 21 using the following URL: https://tinyurl.com/yblxwyzg. For more information, E: formation@catechesis. org.sg; W: www.catechesis.org.sg.

IN MEMORIAM 21

WHAT’S ON

Sunday June 10, 2018 n CatholicNews

RCIA/RCIY A journey for those seeking to know more about the Catholic faith. Baptised Catholics are also invited to journey as sponsors. APRIL 8, 2018 TO JUNE 9, 2019 RCIA @ THE CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR Time: 7:30pm-9:30pm. New RCIA journey will begin with a welcome night on April 8 and thereafter every Sunday onwards in Verbist Hall, Level 4. Please register your name or names of those who are interested in the Catholic faith. Registration forms are available at the parish secretariat. For more information, W: www.olps.sg; T: 96671137 (Elayne); T: 96355635 (Peter). MAY 3, 2018 TO JUNE 6, 2019 RCIA @ BLESSED SACRAMENT CHURCH Every Thursday from 7.30pm-9.30pm. For more information, T: 64740582; E: rcia@bsc.org.sg; W: https://tinyurl.com/RCIA-BSC. MAY 16, 2018 TO JUNE 6, 2019 RCIA @ CHURCH OF THE HOLY FAMILY Every Wednesday from 7.30pm-9.30pm at 6 Chapel Road. From July, sessions will also be held on Sundays. Registration forms are available at the parish office. For more information, T: 63440046; 93414999; E: rciaholyfam@gmail.com. JUNE 3, 2018 TO APRIL 21, 2019 RCIA @ THE CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS XAVIER “Come and See” information session will be held on June 3 from 10.15amnoon at the Good Shepherd room. To register: W: tinyurl.com/sfxrciy2018; E: rciy@sfxchurch.sg. Registration forms are available on the parish website. Actual RCIA sessions begin on June 19 from 8pm-10pm. JUNE 5, 2018 TO MAY 21, 2019 RCIA @ THE CHURCH OF ST BERNADETTE Time: 7:45pm-10pm. Interested to know about the Catholic faith? Come on a journey with us at the Church of St Bernadette, 12 Zion Road. To register: T: 93859581 (Ginnie). JUNE 6, 2018 TO MAY 29, 2019 RCIA @ CATHEDRAL OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD Every Wednesday from 7.30pm-9.30pm. Register at goo.gl/xJ4AgX and at the cathedral office. For more information, E: cathedral.rcia@catholic.org.sg; T: 96308346 (Terese). JUNE 6, 2018 TO JUNE 5, 2019 RCIA @ CHURCH OF THE RISEN CHRIST Every Wednesday evening from 7.30pm9.30pm at the parish hall. Registration forms are available at the parish office. For more information, T: 94243608; E: iwanttobeaCatholic@gmail.com. JUNE 7, 2018 TO JUNE 13, 2019 RCIA @ CHURCH OF ST VINCENT DE PAUL Every Thursday from 8pm-10pm in JULY 4, 2018 TO FEB 27, 2019 JEFF CAVINS’ BIBLE TIMELINE Journey through the entire Bible and experience God’s love for His people in the amazing salvation history recorded in the Bible since the beginning of time. Every Wednesday from 9.30am-noon at the Church of St Ignatius. For more information, T: 97852268 (Viv); T: 81832273 (Jo). JULY 7 RCIA: MARRIAGE AND BAPTISM Time: 9am-4pm. Venue: CAEC 2 Highland Rd, S549102. This symposium will help participants gain an insight into the complexity of the issues related to divorce, separation and annulment within the RCIA process. Register using the URL: https:// tinyurl.com/y9tl2bk7. For more information, E: formation@catechesis.org.sg; W: www.catechesis.org.sg; T: 69110400. JULY 10 TO NOV 13 SALVATION HISTORY By Fr Ferdinand Purnomo, OCD. Every Tuesday from 9.30am-11.30am. (No class on Aug 28, Sept 4 and Nov 6). Venue: 2 Highland Road, CAEC, S549102. Cost: $120 ($100 if paid by July 6). Organised by the Archdiocesan Biblical Apostolate. For more information and registration: W: https://goo.gl/forms/gjDhir2bocPIrIL53; E: aba_secretariat@catholic.org.sg; T: 62800354. JULY 13 TO JULY 15 MONTFORTIAN XPERIENCE II (MXII) – TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY Friday (6:30pm)-Sunday (1pm). A weekend

room #03-02. RCIA inquirer registration forms are available at the parish office. For more information, T: 64820959; E: rcia.svdp.sg@gmail.com

FIRST ANNIVERSARY In loving memory of

JUNE 10, 2018 TO APRIL 21, 2019 RCIY @ CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS XAVIER Sessions will be held every Sunday from 10.15am-noon. “Come and See” information session will be held on June 3 at the Good Shepherd room. For more information, W: tinyurl.com/sfxrciy2018; E: rciy@sfxchurch.sg. JUNE 14, 2018 TO APRIL 20, 2019 RCIA @ CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY OF THE BVM Every Thursday from 7.30pm-10pm. Every Sunday from 10.45am-12.30pm. For more information, call 96856673 (Genevieve Lau); E: nativitysg@yahoo.com.sg. Registration forms are available in the parish office. JUNE 25, 2018 TO MAY 13, 2019 RCIA (MANDARIN) @ BLESSED SACRAMENT CHURCH Every Monday from 7.30pm-9.30pm. For more information, T: 64740582; E: rcia@bsc.org.sg; W: https://tinyurl.com/RCIA-BSC. JUNE 26, 2018 TO APRIL 20, 2019 RCIA @ CHURCH OF THE HOLY CROSS For English: Every Thursday at 7.45pm. It begins on June 28. For Mandarin: Every Tuesday at 7.45pm. It begins on June 26. For more information, E: holycrosschurch.rcia@gmail.com; T: 97577115 (Susan for English RCIA); T: 96772709 (Wendy for Mandarin RCIA). JULY 1, 2018 TO JUNE 2, 2019 RCIA (MANDARIN) @ CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR Every Sunday from 9am-10.30am. Calling all who wish to know about Catholic faith. Organised by Church Of Our Lady Of Perpetual Succour, 31 Siglap Hill, S(456085). For more information, T: 97712135; W: www.olps.sg. JULY 3, 2018 TO JUNE 9, 2019 RCIA @ CHURCH OF ST IGNATIUS Every Tuesday from 8pm-10pm at St Ignatius Hall. For more information, T: 64660625 (Angela); T: 96286472 (Sandra); W: https://tinyurl.com/stignatius-rcia. JULY 7, 2018 TO MAY 19, 2019 RCIA @ CHURCH OF DIVINE MERCY New RCIA journey will begin with a welcome day on July 7 and thereafter every Saturday onwards in the parish hall, Level 2. It will begin at 3pm. Registration forms are available at the parish office. JULY 14, 2018 TO JUNE 9, 2019 RCIY @ CHURCH OF ST IGNATIUS Calling all youths who are not Catholic aged 17-24. Key dates: welcome tea and information session: July 14 (4pm-6pm). Introductory Sessions: July 21 and July 28 (4pm-6pm). Subsequent RCIY sessions will commence on Aug 7 and continue every Tuesday from 8pm-10pm. For more information, T: 97247613 (Eliza); T: 82283419 (Aaron); T: 98172118 (Debbie); E: rciy.ignatius@gmail.com; W: https://tinyurl.com/ignatiusrciy.

JACK HENRY DE COTTA 24 June 1929 - 14 June 2017 Your heart of gold stopped beating Two smiling eyes at rest God broke our hearts to prove He only takes the best The tears in our eyes will wipe away But the love in our hearts for you Will forever stay Always remembered and cherished by your Darling wife Magdalene Grandchildren Marilyn Samantha, Shaun Leonowen and Gabrielle Children Leonard and Wendy, Ian, Bernard, and Stephanie and Larry Mass will be offered at St Anne’s Church at 6.15pm on 14 June 2018.

OBITUARY

Twentieth Anniversary In loving memory of

In loving memory of

LAMBERT JOHN NORRIS Departed: Jun 8, 1998 In our hearts you will always live Your love, your voice and your smile Are forever imprinted in our minds. Dearly and deeply missed by children, grandchildren and loved ones.

MRS THERESA MUTHUSAMY NEE SYN Sep 5, 1919 May 15, 2018 Gone is the face we loved so dear Silent is the voice we loved to hear Too far away for sight or speech But not far away for thought to reach Always cherished by family and loved ones

In memoriam rates: Minimum $80 for an insertion not exceeding an eight-centimetre column. Additional space: $8 per one-centimetre column. Classified advertisement rates: Minimum S$40 for the first 25 words. Additional words: $1.00 a word.

Please turn to pages 22 and 23 for more in memoriam and classified advertisements.

live-in retreat based on the spirituality of St Louis Marie de Montfort. To him, Mary is “the surest, easiest, shortest and most perfect means by which to go to Jesus Christ.” Discover for yourselves the means given by God Himself to bring us salvation through the way of Mary. Venue: Montfort Centre. Facilitators: Br Dominic Yeo-Koh, SG, and Br John Albert, SG. Cost: $130 (twin/sharing). For more information, E: enquiries@montfortcentre.org; T: 67695711. JULY 14 UNDERSTANDING LABOUR BIRTH & POSTNATAL SELF-CARE Time: 10am-12.30pm. Venue: Agape Village, 7A Lor 8 Toa Payoh S319264. Come, be an empowered-parent! Gain insights and tips from professionals and trainers in the field of counselling, psychology, childbirth education and breastfeeding. Learn from experienced mothers as you listen to their struggles and triumphs of parenthood. To register: E: agapevillage@caritas-singapore.org; T: 68017400. JULY 14 TO AUGUST 4 ADULT CONFIRMATION PREPARATION COURSE Time: 3:30pm-5:30pm. Catholics (aged 17 and above) who have not received the Sacrament of Confirmation are invited to join. There are four preparation sessions followed by a day of recollection on Aug 4 (1pm-6pm). Confirmation will be on Aug 19 at the Church of St Bernadette, 12 Zion Road. To register: E: stbern.sg@gmail.com; T: 67373529.

ABiblicalCourseByMsgrAmbroseVaz.

CLASSIFIED THANKSGIVING O Holy St Jude, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke your special patronage in time of need. To you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg you, to whom God has given such great power, to come to my assistance. Help me in my present urgent petition. In return, I promise to make your name known and cause you to be invoked. St Jude, pray for me and all who invoke your aid. Humbly in need of your intercession. Amen. Thank you for answering my prayers.

–––––––––––––––– Dear St Joseph of Cupertino, this thanksgiving letter is long overdue. Thank you for your intercession, for success in examination with good results. Including helping me to cope with exam stress and pressure. Thanks, Florence

–––––––––––––––– Once again thank you holy apostle St Jude

Thaddeus for prayers answered. Also special thanks and gratitude to Our Father, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Divine Mercy, Mother Mary, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Lourdes, Sts Joesph, Anthony, Jude and all the Holy Angels and Saints for their many intercessions, Miracles, protection and prayers received during times of need. Please continue to protect, guide, pray and intercede for me and my family.

–––––––––––––––– St Jude, thank you for blessing my life with devotion and hope. I receive this gift, and all the gifts that come from God, with a grateful spirit. I pray that I will always be aware of God’s love and mercy, and that I will share that same love and mercy with others. Stay by my side, St Jude, filling my heart with grace and calming my heart in the face of serious challenges. Amen. Thank you for your intercession and the peace that comes from devotion to you.

22 IN MEMORIAM Fourth Anniversary In loving memory of

Sunday June 10, 2018 n CatholicNews

Sixteenth Anniversary In loving memory of

First Anniversary In loving memory of

Seventeenth Anniversary In loving memory of

ERIC FREDERICK RONALDO JOSEPH MONTEIRO ANTHONY MORALES Departed: Jun 11, 2017 ALCANTRA ARIKAN VICTOR Departed: Jun 1, 2002 Departed: Jun 14, 2001 Departed: June 6, 2014 Time changes Time changes many things Rest in peace, You had a heart of gold many things; but not the memory dear loving father, One of the but not the memory this day brings Sixteen long years best to behold this day brings Till now you are still in have passed away; You were generous, Pa, you’re still in our our minds and hearts. You’re gone, loving and kind mind and hearts. but are still living These are the memories Always remembered, Lovingly remembered in the hearts you left behind. forever cherished and forever cherished of those who stay. by family and Dearly missed by by sons, daughters, all loved ones. Dearly missed by Sister Helen and grandchildren your loving wife, loved ones. and loved ones. children and grandchildren. 32nd Anniversary Fourth Anniversary In sweet Twenty-ninth loving memory of In loving memory of Anniversary In loving memory of

JEROME DORAI Departed: Jun 17, 2014 We think of you in silence No eyes can see us weep But still within our aching hearts Your memory we keep Dearly missed by wife, children, grandchildren and relatives. Memorial mass will be held at Church of Christ the King on June 17, 2018 at 11.30am.

ANTHONY BHEEM Departed: Jun 12, 2013 Papa, you silently left us all. Our hearts still ache with sadness and silent tears still flow. For what it means to love and miss you, Papa no one will ever know. You will always remain in our hearts forever. Dearly loved and deeply missed by all loved ones.

In loving memory of

JOSEPH PAUL Departed: June 1, 2005 A light from home has gone The voice we loved to hear is stilled Gone is your face we so dearly loved Leaving a vacuum in our home Never shall your memory fade Sweet thoughts of you will always remain. Always remembered and cherished by your loving wife, children, grandchildren and godchildren.

S. LOUIS SEBASTIAN NESAN JOSEPH LAGER PPN KTS ANTHONY Called home to the Lord on 12 June 1986 Departed: June 9, 1989 He suffered Memory of you, patiently and long, dear father, still casts a gentle glow his hope was bright, his faith was strong, It braces our days The peace of Jesus and lights our paths filled his breast, wherever we may go. And in His arms Forever missed by he sank to rest. loving wife: Jeyaceely Dearly missed and Roch, sons, daughters, remembered by sons-in-law, daughtersin-law, grandchildren, beloved family, baby, Sweetie and granddaughters-in-law loved ones. and all loved ones.

In loving memory of

In loving memory of 5th Anniversary

Fifth Anniversary In loving memory of

Sun

38th Anniversary

In loving memory of

ALICE THOO

WILLIAM LEONG ANDREW LEONG YOEN THEAN CHEE SENG Dec 19, 1926 Feb 3, 1953 to Jun 13, 2013 to Jun 16, 1980

In our hearts, you will always live. Your love, your smiles and your laughter are forever imprinted in our minds. We will always cherish the happy times together and the joy you brought to our lives. Forever remembered by beloved family, wonderful relatives and friends. Holy Mass will be offered on Sunday, Jun 17, 2018 at 11.30am at the Church of the Holy Spirit.

Second Anniversary

Sixteenth Anniversary

MICHAEL THOO YUEN HENG

Departed: August 7, 2010 June 14, 2003

Gone from our presence but never from our hearts; A sea of memories, of which you are a part. We miss you dearly... We remember, we laugh, we cry, Until the time we meet again, and never have to say goodbye.

Forty-fifth Anniversary

Second Anniversary

In loving memory of our beloved parents, grandparents and great-grandparents

Thirtieth Anniversary In loving memory of

STEPHEN CHER MARIA LIM POH YONG PUAY CHIN Departed: Sept 14, 1955 June 12, 1983

Walled in our hearts There’s a garden Where memories bloom every day In the rainbow, colours of happiness Before the Lord took away. Always remembered by children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and loved ones. Eleventh Anniversary In loving memory of

In loving memory of

His weary hours and days of pain His sleepless nights are past His ever patient frame Has found sweet rest at last We who love him know How much we have lost. Dearly missed by wife, sons, daughters, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, STEPHANUS CHAI grandchildren and MAN TING Departed: June 6, 1988 great-grandchildren.

Nineteenth Anniversary In loving memory of In loving memory of Mom and Dad Fourth Anniversary

QUEENIE DIAS

BERTRAM MAURICE BATCHELOR Departed: Jun 7, 2016 Departed: Aug 20, 2002

Gone from our lives Ones so dear But in our hearts Forever near. Dearly missed and fondly remembered by your children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren Please turn to pages 21 and 23 for more in memoriam and classified advertisements.

Fourteenth Anniversary

JOSEPH TEO AGATHA CHIA HONG CHAR BOO LAT Departed: Jun 6, 1973 Departed: Jul 26, 2016

We thank you for the years we shared We thank you for the way you cared We loved you then and we love you still Forget you both, we never will. Dearly missed and fondly remembered by your children, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, relatives and all loved ones. A Mass will be celebrated at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Wednesday June 6, 2018 at 6pm (for dad) and on Thursday July 26, 2018 at 6pm (for mum)

GILBERT S/O V. S. FERNANDEZ Born on Nov 25, 1948 He was called home to our Lord on: Jun 8, 2007

Time takes away the edge of grief But memory turns back every leaf Gone from our lives one so dear But in our hearts forever near. Fondly remembered by loved ones.

CATHERINE PETER KOH JOO MOEY CHAN KIM YONG Departed: June 16, 2014 January 6, 2004

Time takes away the edge of grief But memory turns back every leaf Gone from our lives one so dear But in our hearts forever near. Always remembered by family and loved ones.

SEBASTIAN QUEK SWEE HOW Departed: June 7, 1999 His smiling way and pleasant face Are pleasures to recall; He had a kind word for each And died beloved by all. Some day we hope to meet him, Some day, we know not when, To clasp his hand in the better land, Never to part again. Always remembered by Rosaline, Philip, Annabelle, Victoria, Rebecca and Antonia.

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IN MEMORIAM 23

Sunday June 10, 2018 n CatholicNews

Twenty-fourth Anniversary In loving memory of

TERESA TAN LEE SIAN Departed: June 4, 1994 Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord and let your perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen Sadly missed and always remembered by loved ones. Sixth Anniversary In loving memory of

FOURTH ANNIVERSARY In loving memory of

PETER YIM WAN SENG Departed: June 16, 2014 Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, And let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen Always remembered by your loving wife, children and grandchildren.

PAUL SALASSA Departed: Jun 6, 2012 Thoughts of you bring tears For one we love so dear But the will of God it must be In silent sorrow you will remain In our hearts eternally. Deeply missed by family and loved ones. Third Anniversary In loving memory

CARMEN FOONG NEE GALISTAN Departed: Jun 12, 2015 You had a heart of gold One of the best to behold You were generous, loving and kind These are the memories you left behind. Dearly missed and fondly remembered by family and loved ones.

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Third Death Anniversary In loving memory of

Please turn to pages 21 and 22 for more in memoriam and classified advertisements.

TERRENCE SEBASTIAN LOO JIAN LIANG Departed: June 5, 2015 Even when we close our eyes There’s an image of your face And once again we come to realize You’re a loss we can’t replace. Fondly remembered by loved ones.

Sunday June 10, 2018  CatholicNews

LET US PRAY THAT WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE A PLACE TO WORSHIP IN.

“PRAYER AND ACTION MUST ALWAYS BE PROFOUNDLY UNITED.” Pope Francis.

We thank you Lord for how you have built, and continue to build your beloved Church in Singapore. We pray that we may continue growing for generations to come. In the archdiocese today, there are multiple properties which sit on leasehold land. These properties are at risk of being lost if the Church is unable to renew land leases when they expire.

Commencing 2017, the archdiocese will begin creating sinking funds in preparation for the renewal of archdiocesan properties, as well as for the renovation of buildings owned by the Church. The effort will start modestly, with additional fundraising needed when the actual renovations and lease renewals take place. To realise this endeavour, we pray that all catholics will come together and support our prayers with action for the Church of tomorrow.

Help answer the call to build the Church of tomorrow. Details at gift.catholicfoundation.sg This community project is funded by Catholic Foundation

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