OCTOBER 18, 2015, Vol 65, No 21

SUNDAY OCTOBER 18, 2015

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Pope Francis shows Americans who he really is Pontiff speaks to world bodies, encourages marginalised groups

NO. 21

INSIDE HOME Migrants honoured More than 1,000 attend celebration „ Page 2

By Cindy Wooden PHILADELPHIA – Pope Francis speaks often about the importance of remembering where you came from and setting off without fear to share the Gospel.

That’s what he did in the United States. Pope Francis showed the public who he really is with touching blessings, strong speeches, prayerful liturgies and an unplugged proclamation of the beauty of family life.

He repeatedly admitted his own failures and reminded people they, too, have fallen short. He also urged them to trust in God’s mercy and get a move on proclaiming WKDW WR WKH ZRUOG ¹ ¿UVW ZLWK JHVtures and maybe with words.

Human life is sacred at every stage of its development, and that includes the lives of convicted murderers, he said during the visit. The well-being of a nation is served by businesses and enterprises that make money, but that do not make money their god.

The pope’s proclamation of the Gospel in Washington, New York and Philadelphia from Sept 22-27 focused on reinvigorating people’s faith, hope, trust and commitment to loving God, serving others and living up to the founding ideals of the United States: equality, opportunity for all, religious liberty and the sacred dignity of every creature – humans especially, but also the earth.

Pope Francis had never been in the US before landing in Washington on Sept 22. He was welcomed to the White House and EHFDPH WKH ÂżUVW SRSH WR DGGUHVV D joint meeting of Congress. He also addressed the United Nations.

From the beginning of this overseas trip – on Sept 19 in Havana, Cuba – the pope made it clear that with all the important

VOL 65

Poetry and prayer S’pore poet makes the connection „ Page 3

ASIA The haze crisis Indonesian Church wants govt to address issue „ Page 7

WORLD Pope on guardian angels Everyone has one, says pontiff Pope Francis gives a copy of the Gospel of Luke to a family during the Mass of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. CNS photo

meetings he would have, his primary purpose was to join the celebration of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

And he insisted it be a celebration, not a funeral or a simply a session for rallying the obedient.

LV QRW ¿UVW DQG IRUHPRVW D FDXVH for concern, but rather the joyRXV FRQ¿UPDWLRQ RI *RGœV EOHVVing upon the masterpiece of creation,� he told the bishops on Sept 27.

Tossing aside the text he had

The pope’s proclamation of the Gospel focused on reinvigorating people's faith, hope, trust and commitment to serving God, serving others and living up to the founding ideals of the United States.

The big challenge, he told more than 100 bishops who came to the meeting from around the world, is to recognise just how many beautiful families God has blessed the Church with. “For the Church, the family

prepared for the night-time festival of families on Sept 26, Pope Francis had tens of thousands of people watching him with awe, laughter or tears as he described the blessing of real-life families. Âł)DPLOLHV KDYH GLIÂżFXOWLHV

Families – we quarrel, sometimes SODWHV FDQ À\ DQG FKLOGUHQ EULQJ headaches,� he quipped.

The next day, he spoke to bishops and to hundreds of thousands of people gathered on Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway for the event’s closing Mass. “Anyone who wants to bring into this world a family which teaches children to be excited by every gesture aimed at overcoming evil – a family which shows that the Spirit is alive and at work – will encounter our gratitude and our appreciation.

Whatever the family, people, region, or religion to which they belong!� he said. „ CNS „ More stories on pages 11, 12 and 13

„ Page 8

WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES Helping the divorced or separated Listen to their stories ¿UVW DGYLVHV VSHDNHU „ Page 10

FEATURE Discoveries on Mars These may reveal God’s personality: astronomer „ Page 18

2 HOME

Sunday October 18, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Migrants honoured in special celebration More than 1,000 migrants attend Migrant Sunday event

By Jared Ng The Migrant Sunday celebration organised recently by the Church here represented “unity for all the races�, said Ms Rhodora, 51. “Everybody cheered for each other,� said the Filipino domestic worker, “we feel like we belong�.

Ms Rhodora was one of more than 1,000 migrant workers who gathered at the Church of Divine

Mercy on Sept 27 to celebrate Migrant Sunday, a yearly Church event to honour migrants.

It was organised by the Archdiocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (ACMI) together with the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SSVP).

SSVP also provided bus transport for migrants from parishes to the venue.

The communities represented

Migrants from countries such as Myanmar, Indonesia and India presenting gifts during the Migrant Sunday Mass.

during the celebration included the Chinese, German, Filipino, Indonesian, Malayalam, Myanmar, Sri Lankan, Tamil and Vietnamese communities.

In his homily, Archbishop William Goh urged locals not to see migrants as competitors but as people who “have something to share�. “Through migration, there is an enrichment of tradition and culture,� he said.

He also encouraged those

gathered to respect the principles of integration, complementarity and inclusivity. “Migrants must be integrated with the customs and with the laws of the people,� he said. “The host country has the duty of hospitality, the duty to welcome migrants and make them feel at home.�

Concelebrating the Mass with Archbishop Goh were priests of the parish, Fr Johnson Fernandez and Fr Terence Kesavan, and the

host country has the duty of hospitality, ‘The the duty to welcome migrants and make them feel at home.'

– Archbishop William Goh speaking at the Migrant Sunday Mass

chaplains of some of the migrant communities.

After Mass, SSVP provided free meals to participants as the various migrant communities performed cultural song and dance items.

When asked about what the celebration of Migrant Sunday meant to them, Ms Thuong, 40, a Vietnamese ¿QDQFH DGPLQLVWUDWRU VDLG ³7KLV day is for us migrants to celebrate and interact with other communities, to know more about one another in terms of tradition and culture.�

Ms Patricia, 34, an accountant from Myanmar, shared that she enjoyed “getting to know more about other nationalities and seeing their beautiful performances�. „ jared.ng@catholic.org.sg

Myanmar participants performing a dance from the Kachin ethnic community in their country.

The Vietnamese community, including their chaplain, Fr John Nguyen van Dich, singing a Vietnamese song.

HOME 3

Sunday October 18, 2015 CatholicNews

Poetry and prayer: making the connection Writing creatively, especially the writing of poetry, can help one connect with God even when one is not consciously doing so.

This was a point stressed by acclaimed Singapore poet, Dr Anne Lee Tzu Pheng, at a full-day workshop held at CANA – The Catholic Centre on Sept 26.

The workshop, titled On Earth as it is in Heaven: Connecting with God through Poetry, aimed to show participants how poetry is a way of praying, and how the simplest poem can be the deepest prayer.

“To work with words, especially creatively, is to touch and connect with God because all words are holy,” Dr Lee, a professed member of the Secular Franciscan Order, told the 15 participants.

She shared that from the earliest times, Man had responded to what moved him most in the form of poetry.

The first examples of poetry, which included creation stories and spiritual teachings and songs, began as oral traditions and were later written down.

“The basic pulse of poetry is

Singapore poet, Dr Anne Lee (above), conducted a workshop which helped participants learn how poetry is a way of praying.

to make images,” said Dr Lee. Images appeal to people’s imagination and senses, and they stir up feelings, she added.

The way that people in ancient days have expressed their response to life in poetry continues “up to our present day”, she said.

Dr Lee also drew a parallel between the unifying work of the Holy Spirit and the creative process of poetry writing, which helps

a person gain insights into things.

During the workshop, participants also did some creative writing and were shown how their pieces corresponded to certain ways of praying.

Participants said they came away from the workshop with a deeper awareness of the connection between poetry and spirituality.

“The workshop taught me to be mindful of poetry not just

as an exercise in words but as a prayer, for example as hymn, petition, suffering and thanksgiving,” said Ms Moira Ong. Mr Kevin Koh said the class helped him “to be more aware of the power of words and how they often impact and connect us to our surrounding situations”.

St Ignatius youth organising World Youth Day trip

The De Vita Christi Youth Community from the Church of St Ignatius plans to lead a contingent of 70 pilgrims to World Youth Day (WYD) 2016 in Krakow, Poland.

An Information Day on Oct 24 has been scheduled for those interested, and will be held in the church’s Annexe Hall at 120 King’s Road from 10am-1pm.

The WYD trip itself will be from July 14 to Aug 2, 2016, and the age range for participants is 18-30.

As part of the pre-WYD preparation, pilgrims will be involved in the MAGIS programme in Poland, which aims to help pilgrims experience Jesus’ unconditional love and discover His presence in everyday life.

This programme will be from July 15-25 and is a prelude to WYD which begins on July 26.

Registration for the Information Day may be done at tinyurl. com/MAGISWYD2016.

4 HOME

Sunday October 18, 2015 „ CatholicNews

CALLED TO THE LORD

Jesuit Fr Antoni Ponnudurai Fr Antoni Ponnudurai, SJ, of the Kingsmead Jesuit community in Singapore has passed away.

He had been admitted to hospital after a heart attack on Sept 17 and returned to the Lord in the early morning of Sept 23. He was 83.

Fr Ponnudurai was born on March 22, 1932, as the eldest of ÂżYH FKLOGUHQ +H HQWHUHG WKH -HVuit novitiate in Madurai, India, at the age of 19 and was ordained a priest on March 19, 1964. +H SURIHVVHG KLV ÂżQDO YRZV DV a Jesuit six years later.

Fr Ponnudurai served in Mauritius and Medan before he was sent to serve the Malaysian Tamilspeaking communities in 1978.

After 10 years as the parish priest of the Church of Our Lady of Fatima, Kuala Lumpur, Fr Ponnudurai was sent to Singapore to minister to the Church of St Ignatius and the apostolate of Tamil-speaking Catholics in Singapore.

Fr Antoni Ponnudurai passed away on Sept 23.

In 1990, Fr Ponnudurai was transcribed from Madurai Province where he had received his formation and ordination, to Macau-Hong Kong Province, as a member of the Dependent Region of Malaysia-Singapore.

He also served in a number RI -HVXLW RIÂżFHV LQFOXGLQJ EHLQJ a member of the Consult of the

Malaysia-Singapore Region, Regional Treasurer, and the Socius to the regional Novice Master.

From 1992 to 1998, Fr PonQXGXUDL KHOG RIÂżFH DV WKH 5Hgional Superior of the MalaysiaSingapore Region, after which he continued as a Consultor of the Regional Superior and as Local Superior of the Kingsmead Jesuit community.

Despite his failing health in recent years, Fr Ponnudurai continued to exercise his priestly ministry in Singapore and Malaysia, making regular trips to serve in parishes and as a team member of the Centre for Ignatian Spirituality and Counselling (CISC) in Singapore.

Archbishop William Goh presided at the funeral Mass on Sept 26 at the Church of St Ignatius, Singapore. Fr Ponnudurai was cremated at Mandai Crematorium.

We invite you to pray for him in your Masses and prayers. Submitted

by CHANCERY OFFICE

Gabrielite Br Jean-Denis Gervais Br Jean-Denis Gervais, SG, of the Brothers of St Gabriel in Singapore, has passed away. He had suffered cancer of WKH SURVWDWH DQG RI WKH ERQHV LQ KLV ÂżQDO years and returned to the Lord on the evening of Sept 29.

He was 85.

Br Denis was born on March 7, 1930, in Quebec, Canada. He arrived in Singapore in 1967 and served as a Math and Science teacher in St Gabriel’s Sec-

ondary School until his retirement in 2002.

Br Denis will be remembered for his great cheerfulness and love.

Br Gervais’ funeral Mass was scheduled for Oct 3 at St Joseph Church (Bukit Timah), followed by cremation at Mandai Crematorium.

We invite you to pray for him in your Masses and prayers. „ Submitted by CHANCERY OFFICE

CHANCERY NOTICE

27 September 2015

CHN/CN/2015/012

APPOINTMENTS 1. Fr Christopher Soh SJ was elected Chair for the West District parishes for a term of two [2] years with effect from August 2015.

2. Professor Tan Cheng Han has been reappointed as member and Chair of the Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools for a term of two [2] years with effect from 17 September 2015.

3. Ms Angela Ow has been appointed a member of the Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools for a term of two [2] years with effect from 17 September 2015.

4. Sr Mariana D’Costa FMDM has been appointed trustee to the Board of Trustees of ACMI Migrant Fund for a term of two [2] years with effect from 17 September 2015.

7KH IROORZLQJ KDYH EHHQ HOHFWHG RIÂżFH EHDUHUV WR WKH $UFKGLRFesan Commission for Tamil Speaking (ACTS) for a term of two years with effect from 27 September 2015: a. Spiritual Director: Rev Fr John Joseph Fenelon b. Assistant priests: Rev Fr Antony Raj and Rev Fr Antony Maria Joseph c. ACTS Secretariat: Sr Motcha FMM d. Vice Chairperson: Mr Joackin Wilfred e. Secretary: Mr John Kennedy f. Treasurer: Mr Vincent Arockiadass 6. Sr Susan Thomas FMM has been elected Provincial for the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM) for the Province of Malaysia/Singapore for a term of four [4] years with effect from 31 October 2015.

OTHER MATTERS Centre for the Theological Study of Faith and Culture A Decree was issued for the approval of The Constitutions for the Centre for the Theological Study of Faith and Culture which is established under the auspices of the Catholic Theological Institute of Singapore by Archbishop William Goh DD with effect from 21 September 2015.

Br Jean-Denis Gervais passed away on Sept 29.

Imprimatur Sr Sandra Seow FMVD has received an “Imprimatur:� from Archbishop William Goh DD for the publication “Prayer for Living – The Word of God for Daily Prayer. Year C�.

Archdiocesan Commission for Tamil Speaking The Commission for the Apostolate of Tamil Speaking (CATS) has undergone a name change and hence will now be called the Archdiocesan Commission for Tamil Speaking (ACTS).

3URFHVV LQ &RQĂ€LFW 5HVROXWLRQ 7KH VHQDWH KDV DSSURYHG D 3URFHVV LQ &RQĂ€LFW 5HVROXWLRQ LQ WKH Archdiocese of Singapore on 25 September 2015 for a transparent and accountable way of addressing complaints in the Archdiocese.

A copy of it will be uploaded onto the Archdiocesan website with an accompanying chart to explain this process.

Fr John-Paul Tan, OFM, JCL, Chancellor, Chancery of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore #07-01 Catholic Centre, 55 Waterloo Street, Singapore 187954 Email: chancery@catholic.org.sg

HOME 5

Sunday October 18, 2015 CatholicNews

Filipinos, locals celebrate El Shaddai anniversary

By Charmaine Lirazan Some 2,500 people, mostly Filipinos, celebrated the 24th anniversary of the El Shaddai movement in Singapore.

The event, which was also attended by locals, was held at D’Marque, Downtown East in Pasir Ris on Sept 27. It included a thanksgiving Mass celebrated by Archbishop William Goh and several priests.

Mr Mariano “Mike” Velarde, founder of El Shaddai, also gave a talk.

El Shaddai, which is the Hebrew word for God Almighty, was established by Mr Velarde in the Philippines in 1981.

Its members who worked and migrated to different countries, including Singapore, were responsible for opening the group's international chapters.

This year’s anniversary coincided with Migrant Sunday celebration. In his homily, Archbishop Goh stressed the importance of “migration and integration” in achieving the dream of the Catholic Church, which is “to build love and harmony as one family.”

He stressed that both migrants and locals need to be aware that wealth is to be shared and that gifts are given by God and must be shared with everyone.

"It is very important that migrants and locals be integrated," he said.

"It is a win-win situation, wherein all of us grow and prosper together. We need to value each other,” Archbishop Goh said.

Mr Velarde, who is popularly

As a human, whatever ‘colour, whatever language we speak, we are just one under one God.

'

– Mr Mariano ‘Mike’ Verlade, founder of El Shaddai

Archbishop William Goh stressed that migrants and locals need to be integrated.

known as “Brother Mike”, agreed RQ WKH VLJQL¿FDQFH RI PLJUDWLRQ DQG integration in a community.

In his talk, he emphasised that migration, though, is not just one way.

It is not only Filipinos, who come to Singapore and other countries, but Singaporeans, also travel to the Philippines “to work and do business.”

“As a human, whatever colour, whatever language we speak, we are just one under one God," he said.

"We are one people praying to one God, loved by God and cared for by God. He wants us to mix and make peace with everyone,” Mr Velarde said.

He said, in jest, that it is the

Mr Mariano Verlade, founder of El Shaddai, waving to those gathered at the El Shaddai celebration.

locals “who are trying to integrate” into the largely Filipino El Shaddai group that prompted him to try to deliver his message in English, which was not done in past celebrations.

The full day event also includ-

ed praise and worship by different choirs including those from the Singapore Archdiocesan Catholic Charismatic Renewal (SACCRE) youth and El Shaddai-Manila.

El Shaddai now has an about 10 million members worldwide

and in Singapore, the movement has grown to become the biggest Filipino Catholic community.

That expansion has prompted the chapter’s council to open prayer meetings in other parishes aside from Blessed Sacrament Church, where it is based.

The Charismatic group now holds regular weekly prayer meetings at the Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and St Vincent de Paul churches, and plans to open two more prayer meetings in the north and city districts.

As the number of Filipinos and locals attending the El Shaddai celebration every year continues to increase, Mr Velarde said he is contemplating holding next year’s silver jubilee in a much bigger venue – at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

6 HOME

Sunday October 18, 2015 CatholicNews

Archbishop William Goh with members of the Society of St Vincent de Paul after a Mass to celebrate the society patron’s feastday.

Divine compassion key to loving the needy

SINGAPORE DELEGATION AT WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES: Fr David Garcia (far left) and Fr Charlie Oasan (fourth from left) pose with Catholics from Singapore at the World Meeting of Families held in Philadelphia, USA, from Sept 22-25. The event is held HYHU\ WKUHH \HDUV DQG VSRQVRUHG E\ WKH +RO\ 6HH¶V 3RQWL¿FDO &RXQcil for the Family. MORE STORIES ON PAGE 10

Divine compassion is vital in the work of the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SSVP). Without it, the work the society does is reduced to the purely humanitarian, and members would not be able to offer the fullness of the Gospel, i.e.

Jesus, to others.

Archbishop William Goh made this point at a Mass to celebrate the society patron’s feastday at the Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace on Sept 28.

Speaking to about 400 members about the Vincentian spirit of service to the poor, he noted that if this comprises of only human compassion, it cannot make one a good apostle of charity. Human compassion is limited, myopic

and dependent on human strength, he said.

He stressed to Vincentians that it is not enough to focus on the material needs of the poor, as the ultimate end of their service is to bring God into people’s lives.

With divine compassion, VinFHQWLDQV ZLOO ¿QG WKH VWUHQJWK WR love everyone like God, said the archbishop, who concelebrated the Mass with Fr Eugene Vaz and spiritual advisers from various SSVP parish conferences.

As the Mass came to an end, 80 new Vincentians gathered in front of the archbishop to take the Vincentian Pledge Several longtime Vincentians spoke to CatholicNews about the

joy they experience in serving others.

“People say we help the poor but actually the poor are helping us,” said Ms Helen Ng, 62, one of seven Vincentians who received the 25-years long-service award.

Mr Christopher Goh, 65, another long serving member, has provided educational support to a pair of twins from primary school to polytechnic level, and seeing them attain scholarships from the Singapore Armed Forces was a memorable and rewarding experience.

When their mother told the society that the twins “could support themselves from now on, I felt really happy, ” he said.

Helping an employee who was riddled with debt

By Jared Ng One of his employees had threatened to take his own life after losing all his money through gambling. After hearing of the man’s problem, Mr Alvin Yapp decided to help him as best he could.

“Whatever your problem is, I

will solve it for you,” Mr Yapp, 45, told the man.

Mr Yapp, director of BusAds, a family-owned printing company, recalled that he was unsure what he should do, but through constant prayer, he helped the employee by managing his salary, and the man “has gone on to be

one of my most loyal staff”.

Mr Yapp was speaking to about 40 business professionals at the Catholic Centre in Waterloo St on Sept 23 as part of a series of talks organised by the Catholic Business Network titled “My Journey”.

The aim of the talks is to help Catholic business professionals understand how their faith can help shape workplace practices.

Mr Yapp, who used to work for Singapore Airlines before joining BusAds, also shared how he attends morning Mass every day before heading to work.

“It calms me down and helps me think properly by spending quiet time to refuel my thoughts,” he said. “It can be quite powerful.”

Mr Alvin Yapp speaking to business professionals at the Catholic Centre.

CBN will hold its Christ@ Work Conference for working adults at Catholic Junior College on Nov 28. For more informa-

tion visit www.christatworkconference.com. jared.ng@catholic.org.sg

ASIA 7

Sunday October 18, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Auxiliary bishop ordained for Kuching archdiocese Photo: TODAY’S CATHOLIC

KUCHING, MALAYSIA – “Today as

I stand in front of you as a bishop, it is not about me. It is about the Church gathered here,� said newly ordained Auxiliary Bishop Simon Poh Hoon Seng of Kuching, Sarawak.

More than 5,000 Catholics from Kuching archdiocese and other parts of Malaysia attended the episcopal ordination ceremony of Auxiliary Bishop Poh, 52, on Sept 24 at Stadium Perpaduan.

An auxiliary bishop assists the residential bishop of the diocese, in this case Archbishop John Ha. The ordination was witnessed by 19 bishops, including Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia Archbishop Joseph Marino, 88 priests, 41 seminarians and members of Religious orders from Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

Archbishop Ha was the principal consecrator with Archbishop Emeritus Peter Chung of Kuching and Bishop Julius Dusin Gitom of Sandakan as co-consecrators.

Immediately after he was ordained, Bishop Poh was welcomed by dancers dressed in the traditional attire of the Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu and Melanau ethnic communities.

After sharing a little on his vocation, he gave this advice: “Parents, give your children to God ... there will be blessings. Give

Auxiliary Bishop Simon Poh was episcopally ordained on Sept 24.

thanks to our heavenly Father for he is exceedingly generous and He will give a hundred-fold.�

Bishop Poh was born on April 15, 1963, in Sri Aman, Sarawak,

WKH HOGHVW RI ¿YH VLEOLQJV +H entered the Major Seminary of St Peter’s College, Kuching, in 1982. He was ordained a priest at St Joseph’s Cathedral, Kuching, at the age of 25.

He was in turn assistant parish priest at Church of Our Lady, Queen of Peace, Sri Aman; St Stephen’s Church; and St Joseph’s Cathedral, Kuching.

He later pursued a Licentiate LQ 0LVVLRORJ\ DW WKH 3RQWLÂżFDO Urbaniana University in Rome, which he obtained in 1996.

From 1997-2000, he was parish priest of St Ann’s Mission, Kota Padawan, while also external lecturer for Missiology, Evangelisation in Asia, Pastoral Ministry and Social Communications in St Peter’s College, Kuching.

He went to Fu Ren University, Taiwan, to study Mandarin and was later spiritual director to seminarians in St Peter’s College, Kuching. In 2006, he became the Chairman of Commission for Mission and Human Development and the following year was made GLUHFWRU RI 3RQWL¿FDO 0LVVLRQ 6Rcieties in Kuching archdiocese.

He was appointed parish priest of St Joseph’s Cathedral, Kuching, in 2012. On May 8, 2015, he obtained a doctorate in ministry at the Graduate Theological Foundation, Indiana, USA. „ Submitted by HERALD

Church wants Indonesian government to address haze issue JAKARTA – Thick haze blanketing the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan has affected the local economy, forced school closures and led to widespread acute respiratory infections, the head of the country’s Catholic bishops’ justice and peace commission said. “Because of the haze crisis, [the local people’s] activities in the economic sphere have been shackled,� said Fr Paulus Christian Siswantoko, secretary of the bishops’ Commission for Justice, Peace and Pastoral for MigrantItinerant People.

The haze “has shackled all spheres of life�, he said during a Sept 21 press conference in Jakarta.

The haze is caused by slashand-burn farming techniques used by palm oil, pulp and paper plantations that populate the two islands.

Fr Siswantoko said the government has failed to take concrete steps to address the disaster and the people suffer as a result. “We remain very concerned about this,� he said.

Compounding the issue, Fr Siswantoko said, is that many resiGHQWV LQ WKH KD]H ÂżOOHG UHJLRQV FDQÂśW obtain or afford the medicine needed to treat their respiratory infections. He said the government must step in and provide free medicine.

People crossing a river in Sumatra amid the haze. CNS photo

He also urged the government to heavily regulate plantation companies and enforce existing laws to prevent haze outbreaks.

The public already knows who VHWV WKH ¿UHV KH VDLG ³+RZHYHU there is no sanction that would act as a deterrent. The government must be consistent in enforcing the existing law,� he said.

Divine Word Fr Frans Sani Lake, coordinator of the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation in Kalimantan, said the current haze crisis has led to at least 17 deaths in the Central Kalimantan province. “Within the last three months,

more than 3,700 people in the province have suffered from acute respiratory infections,� he said.

His organisation has been distributing masks, eye drops and even oxygen kits to local people.

West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, Jambi, Riau and South Sumatra are the provinces hardest hit by the air pollution, he said.

The environmental group Greenpeace said in a Sept 18 statement that 40 percent of the ¿UHV RULJLQDWHG IURP SHDWODQG Neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Malaysia have also been affected. „ UCANEWS.COM

Myanmar cardinal XUJHV SHRSOH WR œIXOÀO sacred duty’ to vote – Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon is urging voters to choose candidates and parties that promote a culture of democracy, human rights and reconciliation for the Nov 8 general election.

In a written appeal addressed to “all Myanmar peopleâ€? released on Sept 24, he said citizens need to make the upcoming election a true exercise of democracy, which he described as “a long and arduous journeyâ€?. “Voting is a fundamental right in a democracy,â€? he wrote in his DSSHDO Âł3OHDVH IXOÂżO \RXU VDFUHG duty in this election. Please go to the booth. Vote for the right candidates of your choice.â€?

YANGON

ed an ability to work with “different ethnic groups and religions� in the Buddhist-majority country.

He also referred to the thorny issue of the controversial Chinafunded Myitsone Dam project, encouraging voters to choose candidates and parties that “safeguard the country’s nature and natural resources, protecting our forests and not selling our sacred rivers and resources to foreign powers�.

In the interview with ucanews. com, Cardinal Bo said some may perceive his guidelines as “an attack� on the current government. “They might dislike it, but I need to speak out as it is the reality of our country’s situation,� he said.

The 67-year-old cardinal said that the Church can play a role in Myanmar’s politics by giving

system that ‘hasThebeen ruled by old elites didn’t bring any change.

'

– Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon (left)

In an interview with ucanews. com days before this appeal was released, Cardinal Bo said he wanted to urge people to vote because “this is a very important time for our country, which needs to be changed�. “The system that has been ruled by old elites didn’t bring any change,� he said. “So people need to be aware of who will bring real change.� In the past, the cardinal has spoken out on human rights issues, including the treatment of ethnic Rohingya Muslims who are regularly denied citizenship and basic social services.

In his Sept 24 appeal, he detailed the attributes he said voters should look for when selecting worthy candidates. These includ-

election guidance to people at Mass, and by distributing pamphlets outside of church services. “[The] election is a great window of opportunity [for] this nation,� he concluded in his Sept 24 appeal. “Peace and prosperity are the fruits of [a] free and fair election.�

Many observers see the poll as a test of Myanmar’s democratic reforms. The country, which is impoverished but rich in resources, is in a transition to democracy DIWHU HPHUJLQJ IURP ¿YH GHFDGHV of military rule.

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy and the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party, which is backed by the military, are the main competitors in this election, which is likely to be the freest and most hotly contested in 25 years. „ UCANEWS.COM

8 WORLD

On HK protest anniversary, cardinals urge dialogue, unity HONG KONG – Catholics in During the Sept 28 service, Hong Kong have joined hundreds Cardinal Zen admitted that “there of other residents to mark the an- ZHUH LQVXIÂżFLHQFLHV LQ WKH YLFniversary of the pro-democracy toryâ€? because of disunity. He enumbrella movement, with a re- couraged participants to remain minder to be united and to sup- united, as “solidarity is strength.â€? port those arrested in the wideOn the other hand, Cardinal spread protests.

John Tong Hon of Hong Kong, During an evening prayer ser- ZKLOH KH FKRVH QRW WR RIÂżFLDOO\ vice held on Sept 28 outside the join the Occupy movement or any Legislative Counof the 2014 procil building, retired tests, held positive Cardinal Joseph Zen views of the demoZe-kiun of Hong cratic movement a Kong told about 100 year later. people in attendance “That means that the “umbrella Hong Kong is a movementâ€? was not free society,â€? the a failure. cardinal said in an “The basis for August interview. ÂżJKWLQJ >IRU@ XQL“At least there is versal suffrage is a good point, that not to be slaves,â€? is, Hong Kong still he said at the gathtolerates such kinds ering, which was of things happenCardinal Joseph Zen Zehosted by the diing.â€? kiun of Hong Kong told resocesan justice and The cardinal LGHQWV WR ÂżJKW IRU XQLYHUVDO peace commission. issued statements suffrage. CNS photo “The central govand pastoral letters ernment promised during the protest to give it to us. If we give up when period, calling for restraint and we cannot get it, we are surrender- dialogue from both sides. ing ourselves to be slaves.â€?

Dialogue remains crucial toIn late 2014, the outspoken for- day, he said. mer bishop of Hong Kong joined “Dialogue does not mean that the territory’s Occupy movement, ZH QRZDGD\V IROORZ WKH >LVVXHV@ which started as a student protest of the people and don’t talk about but expanded to include an esti- political things,� he said. “We still mated 150,000 demonstrators at have to talk about it because this its peak. is part of our life.� „ UCANEWS.COM

Sunday October 18, 2015 „ CatholicNews

‘Unite suffering’ with those grieving, archbishop says PORTLAND, OREGON – St Joseph Parish in Roseburg, USA, hosted an emotional Mass the evening of Oct 1 for 10 people who died in a shooting that morning at Umpqua Community College.

Portland Archbishop Alexander K Sample rushed a letter to the people of Roseburg hours after the shooting. “I am saddened beyond words over the tragedy that has struck your local community,� the archbishop wrote. “Even though I am unable to be physically present with you at this particular moment, know that I am very much united with all of you in spirit and in prayer. We are one body in Christ, and when even one member suffers, we all suffer with them. My heart is indeed very heavy with sorrow as I grieve with all of you.�

The archbishop went on to say he cannot begin to make sense of the tragedy. “Why such shooting tragedies continue to happen is hard to understand,� he wrote. “Sadly, we live in the midst of a culture that does not value the dignity and sacredness of every human life as it once did.�

The archbishop told Catholics in Roseburg to “unite their suffering� with those directly affected and to pray for healing and strength of those who lost loved ones.

Many Catholic parishes in Oregon are sending what organ-

3HRSOH WDNH SDUW LQ D FDQGOHOLW YLJLO IROORZLQJ WKH PDVV VKRRWLQJ LQ 5RVHEXUJ 2UHJRQ 86$ 3RUWODQG $UFKELVKRS $OH[DQGHU . 6DPSOH VDLG KLV KHDUW LV KHDY\ ZLWK VRUURZ DQG RIIHUHG KLV SUD\HUV IRU WKRVH JULHYLQJ CNS photo

isers call “Posters of Hope� to St Joseph Church in Roseburg. “All of our faith traditions abhor violence, and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon has joined the National Council of Churches in calling for action to prevent gun violence,� said Ms Jan Elfers, interim executive director of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon. “Our prayers go out to all whose lives have been impacted by this terrible tragedy; to the victim’s families and friends, and to the entire Roseburg community.� “We pray for the victims and their families, and we call for

reasonable gun violence control measures to save more innocent lives from meeting the same tragic ends,� said a statement by the Jewish Committee on Public Affairs on Oct 2. “What’s more, it appears this crime may have been motivated by anti-Christian bias. Crimes based on prejudice and hatred are deplorable and are anathema to the fundamental values of democracy upon which this nation is founded.�

Authorities in Roseburg, LGHQWLÂżHG WKH VKRRWHU RQ 2FW DV 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer.

Nine others were wounded. „ CNS

All have a guardian angel, pope says VATICAN CITY – Everyone has a

guardian angel who is advising and protecting each individual on earth, Pope Francis said at a morning Mass.

Whenever people hear a little voice in their head, “‘Well, do this.

That would be better. You mustn’t do this ...’ Listen! Don’t turn against

him� because it is the guardian angel’s voice, he said on Oct 2 during the Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lives.

Marking the day’s memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels, the pope’s homily focused on these angels, saying they were “like an ambassador of God.�

Even when God expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, God didn’t abandon them and tell them, “Make do as best you can,� the pope said, according to Vatican Radio.

God gave everyone a guardian angel to accompany and protect people on their journey in life and prepare the way toward heaven, he said.

One’s guardian angel “is always with us. And this is a fact,� he said. Therefore, people should be mindful and respectful of the angel’s presence. “For example, when we do something bad and we think we are alone. No. He’s there.�

So often “we think that we can hide so many things ... bad things,� but everything always comes to light in the end, he said.

Listen to the angel’s counsel because he is always trying to defend us, especially from evil, just like a real friend – “a friend we do not see, but we can hear,� the pope said.

Listening to and respecting your guardian angel requires being meek and open to the Holy Spirit, he said. “Let us remember how good the Lord is,� who never abandoned His children and left them all alone, he said. „ CNS

SYNOD ON THE FAMILY 9

Sunday October 18, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Pope urges bishops to speak with courage at synod on family VATICAN CITY – The world Synod

of Bishops on the family is not a parliament where participants will negotiate or lobby, Pope Francis said, but it must be a place of prayer where bishops speak with courage and open themselves to ³*RG ZKR DOZD\V VXUSULVHV XV´ Pope Francis was speaking at WKH RSHQLQJ RI WKH ¿UVW ZRUNLQJ session of the synod on Oct 5. The meeting of bishops will last till 2FW The synod is not a convention RU D SDUOLDPHQW KH VDLG ³EXW DQ H[SUHVVLRQ RI WKH &KXUFK LW LV WKH Church that walks together to read reality with the eyes of faith and with the heart of God.�

Synod members must be faithIXO WR &KXUFK WHDFKLQJ ³WKH GHSRVLW of faith, which is not a museum to be visited or even simply preserved, but is a living spring from which the Church drinks to quench the thirst and enlighten� people, he said.

The synod hall and its small working groups, he said, should EH ³D SURWHFWHG VSDFH ZKHUH WKH Church experiences the action of the Holy Spirit.�

6\QRG PHPEHUV QHHG ³DQ DSostolic courage that does not allow itself to be afraid in the face of the seductions of the world�

WKDW DUH DWWHPSWLQJ ³WR H[WLQJXLVK in human hearts the light of truth�

DQG UHSODFH LW ZLWK ³OLWWOH DQG WHPporary lights�, he said.

The synod is ‘an expression of the Church; it is the Church that walks together to read reality with the eyes of faith and with the heart of God’. – Pope Francis

Pope Francis leads the opening session of the Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican on Oct 5. CNS photos

However, at the same time, he added, apostolic courage does not WUHPEOH LQ IHDU ³EHIRUH WKH KDUGening of certain hearts that despite good intentions drive people further from God�.

(YDQJHOLFDO KXPLOLW\ LV ³HPStying oneself of one’s own convictions and prejudices in order to listen to our brother bishops and ¿OO RXUVHOYHV ZLWK *RG´ KH VDLG ,W LV D KXPLOLW\ ³ZKLFK OHDGV XV

QRW WR SRLQW D ¿QJHU LQ MXGJPHQW of others, but to extend a hand to help them up again without ever feeling superior to them.�

Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucipalpa began the session telling the ELVKRSV Âł:H DUH QRW D &KXUFK LQ danger of extinction, far from it.

Neither is the family, although it is threatened and struggling.�

The synod, he said, is not a

Care for hurting couples with ‘balm of acceptance and mercy�

VATICAN CITY – ,Q D ZRUOG ¿OOHG with challenges to marriage and family life, the Catholic Church LV FDOOHG ³WR FDUU\ RXW KHU PLVVLRQ LQ ¿GHOLW\ WUXWK DQG ORYH´ 3RSH Francis said at the Mass opening the world Synod of Bishops on the family.

During the Oct 4 Mass in St Peter’s Basilica, the pope said the Church must encourage families and defend faithful love, the sacredness of every human life and ³WKH XQLW\ DQG LQGLVVROXELOLW\´ RI marriage.

At the same time, he said, the Church must carry out its mission ZLWK FKDULW\ QRW RQO\ ³QRW SRLQWLQJ D ¿QJHU LQ MXGJPHQW RI RWKers�, but also seeking out all who are lonely and in pain, caring for ³KXUWLQJ FRXSOHV ZLWK WKH EDOP RI acceptance and mercy�.

The synod aims to discuss ways to strengthen the Church’s support of families and its outreach to those struggling to live fully the Catholic ideals of marriage and family life. Marriage preparation, sexuality, procreation, communication, support for couples at risk of separation, accompaniment of

Bishops attend the opening Mass of the Synod of Bishops on the family.

divorced Catholics and possible ways to bring back the divorced and civilly remarried were all expected to be on the synod’s agenda.

The readings for the Mass were the same as those used in Catholic parishes around the world. But, the pope said, they seemed tailor-made IRU RSHQLQJ WKH V\QRG 7KH ¿UVW reading was the Genesis account of God seeing Adam alone and creatLQJ D KHOSPDWH IRU KLP WKH *RVSHO LQFOXGHG -HVXVœ WHDFKLQJ WKDW ³ZKDW God has joined together, no human being must separate.�

The Genesis story, the pope said in his homily, makes clear WKDW WKH ³GUDPD RI VROLWXGH´ H[SHrienced by too many people – the elderly, the abandoned, widows and widowers, migrants, the persecuted – is not part of God’s plan.

The modern world, he said, VHHPV WR RIIHU ³PDQ\ SOHDVXUHV EXW IHZ ORYHV PDQ\ OLEHUWLHV EXW OLWWOH IUHHGRP´ DQG ³WKH QXPEHU of people who feel lonely keeps growing.�

Yet the experience of Adam, and of human beings through history, VKRZV WKDW ³QRWKLQJ PDNHV PDQœV heart as happy as another heart like his own, a heart which loves him,� the pope said. God made man and ZRPDQ ³WR FRPSOHPHQW´ HDFK RWKHU ³WR ORYH DQG WR EH ORYHG DQG WR see their love bear fruit in children.�

Many people today doubt whether a lifelong marriage is possible or even desirable, thinking that it limits individual freedom and potential, the pope said.

But at the same time, people ³FKDVH DIWHU ÀHHWLQJ ORYHV ZKLOH GUHDPLQJ RI WUXH ORYH WKH\ FKDVH after carnal pleasures but desire total self-giving.� „ CNS

SODFH ³WR PRXUQ RU ODPHQW´ WKH challenges families face, but to rejoice and seek perfection and to help families do the same.

Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo of Esztergom-Budapest outlined the questions the synod will discuss.

A primary challenge facing families worldwide is economic, he said. Young people delay marriage and parenthood as they do

not have or think they do not have the means to support a family.

Millions of families are torn apart by war and migration.

In addition, the exaltation of individualism results in a widespread distrust of institutions – including of the Church, the state and the institution of marriage.

The Catholic Church at every OHYHO KH VDLG PXVW DIÂżUP WKH PLVsionary role of families, ensuring married couples are part of marriage preparation programmes, family support groups and outreach to families in crisis emotionally or economically.

On the much debated topic of the pastoral care of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, he said pastors must be ready to help couples verify whether or not their Church marriage was valid.

If it was a valid marriage, he said, it is indissoluble, as Jesus Himself taught. „ CNS

Stressing Church teaching vs fears of becoming a ‘ghetto’ VATICAN CITY – As the discussion began at the world Synod of Bishops on the family, Pope Francis urged members not to act as if the only question that mattered was the pastoral care of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, his spokesman said.

Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi told reporters at an Oct 6 press EULH¿QJ WKDW WKH SRSH WKDW PRUQLQJ DI¿UPHG WKDW ³&DWKROLF GRFtrine on marriage has not been touched or put into question.�

Canadian Archbishop PaulAndre Durocher of Gatineau, Quebec, a synod member who also attended last year’s extraordinary synod on the family, told reporters that participants see a growing distance between modern cultural attitudes toward marriage and family life and what the Church teaches and proposes.

Catholic pastors have different attitudes about what the response VKRXOG EH KH VDLG Âł2QH UHDFWLRQ is to emphasise what the teaching is for fear that, as the culture moves away from that vision, our own understanding gets diluted.

The other fear is that we lose contact with that culture and that we close in on ourselves and become

a kind of a ghetto or a sect that no longer has an impact on culture.� ³$OO WKH ELVKRSV DJUHH ´ KH VDLG ³WKDW WKH WHDFKLQJ RI WKH Church coming from Jesus is a gift for the world – it’s not just for a select few.�

The challenge, he said, is to not lose the teaching while learning to enter into dialogue with the ZRUOG ³LQ D ZD\ WKDW ZLOO VSHDN WR the world and provoke its imagination and its interest�. $W WKH PHGLD EULH¿QJ )U /RPbardi and others charged with summarising the synod’s activity each day listed dozens of other topics UDLVHG E\ WKH ¿UVW V\QRG PHPEHUV to speak. These included the challenges to families and the Church SRVHG E\ WKH ³FXOWXUDO UHYROXWLRQ´ the need to be careful in using language that appears immediately MXGJPHQWDO DQWL &KULVWLDQ SHUVHFXWLRQ DQG PLJUDWLRQ DQG WKH UROH RI the family in the new evangelisation.

Basilian Fr Thomas Rosica also listed the topics of the role of the H[WHQGHG IDPLO\ EHWWHU DQG ORQJHU PDUULDJH SUHSDUDWLRQ SURJUDPPHV and the need to love and respect hoPRVH[XDO &DWKROLFV ZKR DUH ³RXU children, our family, not outsiders, EXW RXU ÀHVK DQG EORRG ´ „ CNS

10 WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES

Sunday October 18, 2015 „ CatholicNews

‘You are not alone’, those struggling with divorce told

A family looking into the sunset.

A speaker said during the World Meeting of Families that healing after a divorce can come through Christ alone.

PHILADELPHIA – Stepping to the

VRUHG E\ WKH +RO\ 6HHÂśV 3RQWLÂżFDO microphone to offer a break-out Council for the Family. session on healing from divorce, Ms Sweet’s workshop, “I Am Ms Rose Sweet hit her crowd with With You: Struggling With Dihonesty. vorce,â€? offered direct remedies “I’ve been married and di- for those who are hurting, and vorced three times,â€? she said. ways in which family members, “I’m here to tell friends and the /LVWHQ WR WKHLU you that God pulls Church can help beauty out of the care for them.

VWRU\ ÂżUVW ashes. The mes“Yes, the sepa7KH\ GRQÂśW QHHG sage of the Church rated and the di\RXU DGYLFH RU is that there is vorced are in a FRXQVHO ULJKW hope. You are not unique situationâ€? alone, whether you that requires comDZD\ WKH\ QHHG are separated or passion and care, \RX WR OLVWHQ WR divorced. There is Ms Sweet said.

WKHLU SDLQ DQG hope and healing “But what is not for you.� unique is that all WKHLU VWRU\ A show of of us suffer from – Ms Rose Sweet on how hands from those anger, depression, the Church, family and gathered at Ms guilt, grief, lonelifriends can help those Sweet’s session ness, fear, anxiety... struggling with divorce on Sept 24 during I’ve found that healthe World Meeting of Families in ing that is available – and it’s the Philadelphia illustrated that she right healing available for the perwas giving her message to those son going through separation and who needed it. divorce – really applies to all of us.�

The World Meeting of FamiThat healing comes through lies was held in Philadelphia, Christ alone, she said.

USA, from Sept 22-25. The event “Distress is a universal realis held every three years and spon- ity, and nobody understands this

‘

'

CNS photo

more than Christ Himself.� “Yes, it is terrifying when you learn that your spouse has another lover...or when they don’t even care about the kids. Fear can grip your heart for a long time,� she said. “But Jesus was afraid, He was betrayed, He was abandoned.

He is close to the brokenhearted, and He is our answer.â€? “I hit the lowest of the low,â€? she said. “Yet, Our Lord came in and He took my pathetic little life and my offerings, and He made something very beautiful out of it. +H WDXJKW PH WR ORYH +LP ÂżUVW DQG foremost. He taught me to love His Church.â€?

She offered four chronological steps that family, friends and the Church can take in helping those suffering from separation or divorce: listen, lead, love and let go. ³/LVWHQ WR WKHLU VWRU\ ¿UVW They don’t need your advice or

counsel right away; they need you to listen to their pain and their story,� she said. “When you establish that relationship, lead them to Jesus, lead them to the truth,� Ms Sweet offered. “And love them, no matter how they respond to the truth and to the love of Jesus,� she said. “Finally, let go. This is the hardest part sometimes,� she acknowledged. She advised against pressing to offer them more counsel, Bible quotes, or dinners to discuss the subject. “Let them go.

God always proposes, never imposes. ... Let them go for God to ¿QG D ZD\ WR UHDFK WKHLU KHDUWV This doesn’t mean let go of the person or your love for them, but let go of your own fears, worry and anxiety for them.�

Ms Sweet acknowledged that many separated and divorced

Catholics have felt ostracised, criticised or abandoned by the Church and her members. “You can trust the Church,� she said, “but not everyone in her.

A lot of the reasons that the separated and divorced have felt so estranged and rejected is because many people just don’t know what to say or do.�

She called upon parishes to direct Catholics who are separated and divorced to ministries and outreach programs designed VSHFLÂżFDOO\ IRU WKHLU QHHGV DQG WR practise listening, leading, loving and letting go: “Listen without an agenda. Use your eyes, and your ears, and your heart. Lead without pushing or pulling, and be content that you’ve done your part. Love without reservation, no matter what they do, and let go without hesitation, because that’s how God loves you.â€? „ CNS

Combat ‘hookup’ culture with sexual integrity, says speaker

A young couple admiring the starry sky. Ms Erika Bachiochi, a speaker at the World Meeting of Families, said young people must be educated about leading lives of sexual integrity from their earliest years. &16 ÂżOH SKRWR

PHILADELPHIA – The time to educate young people about leading lives of sexual integrity doesn’t start when they hit puberty, Ms Erika Bachiochi told a crowd of hundreds during a Sept 24 address at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

Parents must set their children on the right path from their earliest years, she said. “If teenage boys and girls are going to resist the urgings of their bodies and the cultural pressures toward recreational sexual encounters,� Ms Bachiochi said, “self-mastery must be learned in the smallest of ways in the earliest years at home.�

The nationally known author of “Women, Sex and the Church: A Case for Catholic Teaching�

‘7KH GHVLUH IRU ORQJ WHUP FRPPLWPHQW LQ PDUULDJH GRHV SHUVLVW DPRQJ WKH \RXQJ HYHQ LI WKH\ DUH EHFRPLQJ LQFUHDVLQJO\ F\QLFDO DERXW WKH SRVVLELOLW\ RI VXFK FRPPLWPHQW ' – Ms Erika Bachiochi, a speaker at the World Meeitng of Families

said mothers and fathers begin those lessons by teaching table manners, proper respect for authority, dignity for others, mod-

erate eating habits and responsible participation in household chores. “If our children are habituated to give in to their body’s every desire in little things or to remain sluggish in the face of family responsibilities,� she explained, “even well-catechised, intellectually converted teens will be hard-pressed to resist the allure of a premarital sexual relationship.�

Ms Bachiochi’s talk, “No Strings Attached? Responding to the Hookup Culture,� emphasised that peppering young adults with religious prohibitions isn’t going to be much help. Instead, she said, “robust and attractive� alternatives to the hookup culture must be given.

“The desire for long-term commitment in marriage does persist among the young, even if they are becoming increasingly cynical about the possibility of such commitment,� she said. “We need to ride the wave of this desire, helping young people see how...carelessness affects their aspirations for lifelong love and that the sooner relationships become sexual, the more likely they are to fail.�

Ms Bachiochi warned against language about sex and the body that gets caught up in “some sort of gnosticism – that the body and sex are bad.� “It ought to be a positive and authentic message about the merits and joys of faithful, fruitful, lifelong love,� she said. „ CNS

POPE IN U.S. 11

Sunday October 18, 2015 „ CatholicNews

POPE TO WORLD BODIES

Pope to Congress: Stop bickering, world needs help WASHINGTON – The past, the

promise and the potential of the United States must not be smothered by bickering and even hatred at a time when Americans and indeed the world need a helping hand, Pope Francis told the US Congress.

Making history by being the ÂżUVW SRSH HYHU WR DGGUHVV D MRLQW meeting of Congress, Pope Francis was introduced to the legislators by the House sergeant at arms on Sept 24.

In his speech, Pope Francis condemned legalised abortion, the death penalty and unscrupulous weapons sales. He called on Congress to “seize the moment� by moving forward with normalising relations with Cuba. And he pleaded for greater openness to accepting immigrants.

Pope Francis used four iconic US citizens as relevant models of virtue for Americans today: Abraham Lincoln, Rev Martin Luther King Jr, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton. “A nation can be considered great when it defends liberty as Lincoln did; when it fosters a culture which enables people to ‘dream’ of full rights for all their brothers and sisters as Martin Luther King sought to do; when it VWULYHV IRU MXVWLFH DQG WKH FDXVH of the oppressed as Dorothy Day

Pope Francis called on Congress to ‘seize the moment’ by moving forward with normalising relations with Cuba, and pleaded for greater openness to accepting immigrants.

Pope Francis addressing a joint meeting of Congress in Washington. He condemned legalised abortion and called for the ‘global abolition of the death penalty’ during his speech. CNS photo

did by her tireless work; the fruit of a faith which becomes dialogue and sows peace in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton,� the pope said.

Pope Francis also gave strong support to several concerns of the US Conference of Catholic Bish-

ops and Catholic faithful, including defending the right of people WR SXEOLFO\ OLYH WKHLU IDLWK DQG MRLQ political policy debates from a faith-based perspective. “It is important that today, as in the past, the voice of faith continues to be heard, for it is a voice

of fraternity and love, which tries to bring out the best in each person and in each society,� he said. “Every life is sacred,� he insisted, calling for the “global abolition of the death penalty� and the “responsibility to protect and

defend human life at every stage of its development.�

His speech to Congress delved deeper into the positive aspects of a market economy – as long as it is ethical and includes controls, solidarity and a safety net for the poorest and weakest members of society. “The creation and distribution of wealth� obviously is important for continued efforts to reduce poverty in the United States and around the globe, he said. “Business is a noble vocation� when it seeks the common good, Pope Francis said. And today, he told legislators, the common good includes protecting the environment and taking bold steps “to avert the most serious effects of the environmental deterioration caused by human activity.� „ CNS

3HRSOH FRPH ÀUVW OLIH LV VDFUHG SRSH LQVLVWV DW 81 UNITED NATIONS – Dealing with war, development, the economy or environmental concerns, bureaucrats and diplomats always must remember that the lives of real children, women and men are at stake, Pope Francis told the United Nations.

Helping to celebrate the organisation’s 70th anniversary, Pope Francis visited its headquarters on Sept 25 and pleaded with governPHQW OHDGHUV DQG 81 RIÂżFLDOV WR keep the dignity and sacredness of every human life and the value of all creatures at the centre of their concern. “Above and beyond our plans and programmes,â€? he told the UN General Assembly, “we are dealing with real men and women who live, struggle and suffer and are often forced to live in great poverty, deprived of all rights.â€?

More than 190 heads of state attended the General Assembly, and many of them made a point of being in the UN’s historic hall for Pope Francis’ speech on the eve of discussion of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and, later in the year, the Paris Conference on Climate Change.

Pope Francis praised recent international agreements with

‘

Economic and social exclusion is a complete denial of human fraternity and a grave offense against human rights and the environment.

'

– Pope Francis

Iran to ensure it does not develop nuclear weapons and he pleaded for real, concrete, multilateral efIRUWV WR EULQJ SHDFH DQG MXVWLFH WR the Middle East, North Africa and other African countries plagued by the violence of extremists claiming to act in the name of Islam. “Christians, together with other cultural or ethnic groups and even PHPEHUV RI WKH PDMRULW\ UHOLJLRQ who have no desire to be caught up in hatred and folly,â€? he said, “have been forced to witness the destruction of their places of worship, their cultural and religious heritage, their houses and property, and have faced the alternative either of Ă€HHLQJ RU RI SD\LQJ IRU WKHLU DGKHsion to good and to peace by their own lives or by enslavement.â€?

Pope Francis warned UN leaders and heads of state that too many

Pope Francis addressing the General Assembly of the UN in New York. He XUJHG 81 RIÂżFLDOV WR NHHS WKH GLJQLW\ DQG VDFUHGQHVV RI HYHU\ KXPDQ OLIH DQG WKH YDOXH RI DOO FUHDWXUHV DW WKH FHQWUH RI WKHLU FRQFHUQ CNS photo

decisions seemed to be based on the desire by a few for economic or political power, ignoring the values and rights the UN was formed to promote and protect.

The UN, he said, is called to help humanity “dispel the darkness of disorder caused by unrestrained ambitions and collective IRUPV RI VHOÂżVKQHVV ´

“Economic and social exclusion is a complete denial of human fraternity and a grave offense against human rights and the environment,� the pope said, echoing one of the main themes of his encyclical, “Laudato Si’.�

The best way to measure the success of the new development goals, he said, will be how they give “effective, practical and immediate access, on the part of all, to essential material and spiritual goods: KRXVLQJ GLJQLÂżHG DQG SURSHUO\ UHmunerated employment; adequate food and drinking water; religious freedom and, more generally, spiritual freedom and education.â€?

Pope Francis insisted on the reality of “natural law,� an ethical code of right and wrong that all people can recognise.

The earth, “the common home of all men and women must also be built on the understanding of a certain sacredness of creature nature,� the pope told the assembly.

He also insisted “a true ‘right of the environment’� exists and is closely tied to human rights, since people are part of nature and are called to live in communion with it. “Any harm done to the environment,� he said, “is harm done to humanity.� „ CNS

12 POPE IN U.S.

Sunday October 18, 2015 „ CatholicNews

POPE MEETS AMERICANS

Pontiff visits nuns, addresses homelessness WASHINGTON – Pope Francis vis-

ited the Little Sisters of the Poor and addressed the issue of homelessness with Catholic Charities EHQHÂżFLDULHV His visit to the nuns was a sign of support for them in their lawsuit against a mandate requiring all employers to offer contraceptive coverage, and his speech to &DWKROLF &KDULWLHV EHQHÂżFLDUies spoke about moral injustice homeless people face.

On Sept 23, Pope Francis made an unannounced visit to a Washington residence operated by the Little Sisters of the Poor, where he met about 45 Sisters.

Sr Constance Veit, communications director for the Little Sisters, said the pope spoke individually with each Sister, ranging in age from novices to 102-year-old Sr Marie Mathilde.

Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said that the papal visit was intended as a sign of support for the Little Sisters’ lawsuit against the Obama administration’s mandate that all employers offer contraceptive coverage in

Pope Francis greets Sr Marie Mathilde (in wheelchair), 102, during his unannounced visit to the Little Sisters of WKH 3RRU UHVLGHQFH LQ :DVKLQJWRQ 7KH YLVLW ZDV D VLJQ RI VXSSRUW WR WKH 6LVWHUV ZKR KDG ÂżOHG D ODZVXLW DJDLQVW D mandate that called for contraceptive coverage for all employers. CNS photo

their health plans or participate in a religious “accommodation� that the Sisters have refused.

But Sr Constance said Pope Francis made no mention of the lawsuit. Rather, his message to the

Meets with migrant students, prison inmates

His Holiness at 9/11 Memorial NEW YORK – Honouring both the

pain and the strength of the families of those who died at the World Trade Centre on 9/11 and drawing on the pools of water that are part of the site’s memorial, Pope Francis spoke about tears and quenching the world’s longing for peace. ³7KH ZDWHU ZH VHH ÀRZLQJ WRward that empty pit remind us of all those lives� lost in 2001, he said. ³7KH ÀRZLQJ ZDWHU LV DOVR D V\PERO of our tears.�

Pope Francis joined a varied group of religious leaders and about 400 people in Foundation Hall to offer prayers for the deceased and for peace in the world.

“This is a place where we shed tears, we weep out of a sense of helplessness in the face of injustice, murder and the failure to settle conĂ€LFWV WKURXJK GLDORJXH ´ 3RSH )UDQFLV VDLG LQ KLV SHUVRQDO UHĂ€HFWLRQ Meeting the families of victims, he said, was a concrete reminder that “acts of destruction are never impersonal, abstract or merely material. They always have a face.

However, the pope said, they also demonstrate “the power of love and remembrance,� which is something the memorial promotes with the names of those who died in the attack engraved in stone. „ CNS

sin of sexual abuse of children can no longer remain secret� and that he “committed the close vigilance of the Church to protect the children, and I promise that all responsible will be held accountable.�

In his private meeting, Pope Francis told the survivors that they were an inspiration and “ministers of mercy.� He also prayed with them and said he shared their pain, suffering and shame. “We owe each of them and their families a gratitude for their great courage to bring the light of Christ of the sexual abuse of children,� he said. „ CNS

Pope Francis greets Religious leaders during the 9/11 prayer service in New York. CNS photos

Pope Francis receives a jersey during a meeting with migrant students in New York.

Blessed Junipero Serra canonised WASHINGTON – Pope Francis canonised the 18th-century Spanish

missionary, Blessed Junipero Serra, in Washington.

Celebrating a late afternoon Mass outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Sept 23, the pope declared the holiness of St Junipero, founder of a string of missions in California.

7KH FDQRQLVDWLRQ RI 6W -XQLSHUR ZDV WKH ¿UVW VXFK FHUHPRQ\ WR EH celebrated in the United States rather than at the Vatican. „ CNS

people the joy of Jesus,� the pope Pope Francis visited students said. and immigrants from a Catholic On Sept 27, he spent about an school, and also met selected pris- hour at the Curran-Fromhold Coron inmates in a correctional facili- rectional Facility in Philadelphia. ty in Philadelphia. He spoke about He said prisons must focus on the immigration experience to the rehabilitation, and insisted that no students, and in the meeting in the one is perfect and without need of correctional facility, urged prison- forgiveness, and also told the iners to dedicate the time in prison mates he was visiting as a pastor, as preparation to rejoining society. “but mostly as a brother.�

Pope Francis encouraged Serving time in prison is a Catholic school students and im- painful time, said the pope. “Any migrants to live with joy and dare society, any family, which cannot to dream. He also highlighted the share or take seriously the pain of immigrant experience – in a way its children and views that pain children could understand, com- as something normal or to be exparing it to seeking pected, is a society acceptance and makPope Francis ‘condemned’ to reing friends in school. main a hostage to itencouraged “They tell me that self, prey to the very one of the nice things Catholic school things which cause about this school is that pain.� students and that some of its stuPope Francis indents come from immigrants to sisted Jesus “teaches other places, even to see the world live with joy and us from other counthrough His eyes – dare to dream. eyes which are not tries,� Pope Francis told students and a scandalised by the group of immigrants at Our Lady dust picked up along the way, but Queen of Angels school in New want to cleanse, heal and restore.

York when he visited on Sept 25.

He asks us to create new opportu“I know that it is not easy nities: for inmates, for their famiWR KDYH WR PRYH DQG ÂżQG D QHZ lies, for correctional authorities, home, new neighbours and new and for society as a whole.â€? friends,â€? the pope said. “At the “The Lord goes in search of beginning it can be hard. ... Often us; to all of us He stretches out a you have to learn a new language, helping hand,â€? the pope said. “It adjust to a new culture.â€? is painful when we see prison sysThe message continued the tems which are not concerned to pope’s call for inclusive attitudes care for wounds, to soothe pain, to and actions in favour of immigrants. offer new possibilities.

He ended his speech by asThe pope urged the prisoners signing homework to the children. to dedicate their time in prison to “Please don’t forget to pray for “getting back on the right road� and me, so that I can share with many preparing to rejoin society. „ CNS

NEW YORK AND PHILADELPHIA–

Pope apologises to sex abuse victims PHILADELPHIA – Pope Francis met with a group of survivors of sexual abuse in Philiadelphia on Sept 27 and said he was overwhelmed by a sense of embarrassment and was committed to holding accountable those who harmed children.

The 30-minute meeting was held with three women and two men abused by members of the clergy or their families or their teachers. “It is engraved in my heart, the stories, suffering and pain of the children abused by priests,� the pope said. “I am deeply sorry. God cries,� he said.

He said that “the crimes and

group was about the Little Sisters’ “mission to the elderly� and “how important it is in a society that

tends to marginalise the elderly and the poor,� she said.

Speaking to an audience of about 200 clients of Catholic Charities gathered at St Patrick's Church in Washington on Sept 24, 3RSH )UDQFLV VDLG ³:H FDQ ¿QG QR VRFLDO RU PRUDO MXVWL¿FDWLRQ QR MXVWL¿FDWLRQ QR MXVWL¿FDWLRQ ZKDWsoever, for lack of housing.�

He reminded the Catholic Charities clients of the Christmas story, when Jesus was born in a manger, because there was no room for Joseph and Mary at the inn in Bethlehem. “The Son of God knew what it was to be a homeless person,�

Pope Francis said. “We know that Jesus wanted to show solidarity with every person. +H LGHQWLÂżHG ZLWK DOO WKRVH ZKR VXIfer, who weep, who suffer any kind of injustice,â€? Pope Francis said.

He encouraged the Catholic Charities clients to pray. “In SUD\HU WKHUH LV QR ÂżUVW RU VHFRQG class, there is brotherhood. It is LQ SUD\HU WKDW RXU KHDUWV ÂżQG WKH strength not to be cold and insensitive in the face of injustice.â€? „ CNS

Pope Francis urged prisons to create new opportunites for inmates.

POPE IN U.S. 13

Sunday October 18, 2015 „ CatholicNews

POPE ON FAMILIES

Pope delights crowd with spontaneous talk on families PHILADELPHIA – Pope Francis threw away a prepared text and, to the delight of tens of thousands of people on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, spoke from the heart about the challenges and love that come with being part of a family.

After listening to testimony from six families from various continents on Sept 26, he thanked them for sharing their stories. “A witness given in order to serve is thoroughly good, it makes us good persons, because God is goodness,� he began, continuing to increase in speed and emphasis to the delight of the crowd. He smiled, gestured with his hands and the crowd cheered as he said it was “worth being a family.�

God sent His son into a family, he said, “and He could do this because it was a family that had a truly open heart,� he said.

The pope spoke in Spanish, the language in which he is most comfortable; his talk was translated by

0VJU 0DUN 0LOHV DQ RIÂżFLDO IURP the Vatican’s Secretariat of State. “We are celebrating the feast of the family,â€? he told the crowd. “Families have a citizenship that is divine. The identity card that they have is given to them by God so that within the heart of the family truth, goodness and beauty can truly grow.â€? “Some of you might say of course, Father, you speak like that because you’re not married,â€? he said. “However, in families, there is always lightâ€? because of the love of God’s son. “Just as there are problems in families, there is the light of the resurrection,â€? he said. “The family is like a factory of hope.â€? “In the family, there are indeed GLIÂżFXOWLHV´ DQG FKLOGUHQ EULQJ challenges, too, he said. Âł%XW WKRVH GLIÂżFXOWLHV DUH RYHUcome with love,â€? he said. “Hatred is not capable of dealing (with) or

Pope Francis blesses a girl as her family presents offertory gifts at Mass during the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

He called on families to solve their GLIÂżFXOWLHV with love.

CNS photo

RYHUFRPLQJ DQ\ GLI¿FXOW\ 'LYLVLRQ RI KHDUWV FDQQRW RYHUFRPH D GLI¿culty; only love can overcome.�

The festival included prayer, music, dance, comedy and testimonies of faith and followed on the heels of the eighth World Meeting of Families from Sept 22-25.

'R]HQV RI ÀDJV DQG EDQQHUV RI different countries hung over steel barricades lining the route into Benjamin Franklin Parkway toward the Festival of Families stage.

In his talk, the pope noted the challenges families face, including quarrels and inimical relationships. “Never let the day end without making peace,� he said. “A socie-

Families have a ‘ citizenship that is divine.

The identity card that they have is given to them

by God so that within the heart of the family truth, goodness and beauty can truly grow.

'

– Pope Francis

W\ LV VWURQJ LWœV VROLG LI LWœV HGL¿HG on beauty, goodness and truth.�

He told those present that God likes most “to knock on the doors RI IDPLOLHV DQG WR ÂżQG IDPLOLHV

that are united, that love each other� and who raise their children in view of creating “a society of truth, goodness and beauty.�

The family must take special care of children and grandparents, he said. Children are “the strength that moves us forward� and “grandparents are the living memory of the family. They pass on the faith; they transmitted the faith to us.� “To look after grandparents and children is an expression of love,� he said. “A people that does not know how to look after children and grandparents is a people that has no future because it does not have the strength or the memory to go forward.� „ CNS

Pope says he left US praying for, impressed by its people ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM PHILADELPHIA – At the end

Pope Francis meets the Walkers in Philadelphia. The family had travelled for about six months to meet the pope. CNS photo

Argentine family travels 21,000 km to see pope RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA –

An Argentine family of six travelled about 21,000 km and visited a total of 13 countries to meet the pope in America.

The Walker family departed Buenos Aires, Argentina, in March. Their goal was to reach Pope Francis and the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, which opened on Sept 22.

The whole family got their wish when they were granted an audience with the pope. There were laughs and hugs all around, and the Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi, said meet-

ing the family touched the pope “very, very much.�

Mr Catire Walker, his wife Noel Zemborain, and their four children spent two nights with a host couple, who also planned to be at the family meeting.

When asked how they felt when fellow Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope, they said they felt happy, even better than if their country had won the World Cup. “We want to celebrate family with this trip. Our message is ... family is the best we have,� Mrs Zemborain said. „ CNS

RI KLV ÂżUVW HYHU YLVLW WR WKH 86 WKH pope told reporters he “was surprised by the warmth of the peopleâ€?.

Spending close to 50 minutes ZLWK WKH PHGLD À\LQJ EDFN WR Rome with him on Sept 27, the pope said he also was struck by the sincere piety of people at his Masses and prayer services.

Pope Francis responded to why he spoke with such compasVLRQ WR 86 ELVKRSV LQ :DVKLQJWRQ in the aftermath of the clerical sex abuse crisis. “I felt a need to express compassion because what happened was horrible, and many of them suffered a lot,� the pope said.

Sexual abuse occurs in families, and other environments, he said, but when the abuser is a priest it is “a kind of sacrilege,� because a priest’s job is to help a person grow in love of God. Pope Francis said he understands survivors who feel they cannot forgive their abusers and those who have lost their faith in God because of it. “I pray for them,� he said.

Pope Francis was also asked about his decision to streamline the process for declaring the nullity of marriages.

His Holiness walking to vest in the sacristy before celebrating Mass in Washington. He said the Church has to be close to her people. CNS photo

He insisted the change was strictly juridical and not doctrinal.

It is not “Catholic divorce,� he said. The annulment process does not dissolve a marriage, but rather investigates whether or not a valid sacramental marriage was present from the beginning, he said.

Another issue touched upon GXULQJ KLV 86 YLVLW ZDV PLJUDWLRQ He said that the world cannot pretend the crisis currently impacting Europe sprang up over-

night. He said it was provoked by years of war and tensions in the Middle East and by decades of hunger and tensions in Africa, a continent that continues to be exploited by the world’s rich nations.

Asked about the primary task IDFLQJ WKH &KXUFK LQ WKH 86 WKH pope said, “The challenge of the Church is to be what it always was – close to the people, not detached,� he said. „ CNS

14 OPINION

Sunday October 18, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Fortnightly newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore

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Telephone: 6858 3055. Fax: 6858 2055.

Website: www.catholicnews.sg Facebook: www.facebook.com/catholicnews MANAGING EDITOR: Father Richards Ambrose: ra@catholic.org.sg

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3OHDVH LQFOXGH \RXU IXOO QDPH DGGUHVV DQG SKRQH QR IRU DOO DESIGN / LAYOUT: Christopher Wong: design@catholic.org.sg letters to the editor. All decisions on submissions rest with Elaine Ong: elaine.ong@catholic.org.sg the CatholicNews. Published submissions will be edited.

The views or positions presented in articles in CatholicNews do not necessarily represent the views of the Church.

Advertisements that appear in CatholicNews are not necessarily endorsed by the Church.

Clarifying the use of the term ‘sonship’ Q

: I came across this term, “sonship�, twice recently and it was used to describe the relationship between Christ and us. I am confused because I had learnt that this term is used in our relationship with God since He is the Father and I am Jesus’ brother/sister because He is the Son of God. Has the Church changed its stand?

Lilian Kwek

A

: The doctrine that is at the KHDUW RI WKLV TXHVWLRQ LV ZKDW LV sometimes known as the doctrine of supernatural adoption as children of God and at times also referred to under the rather amELJXRXV WHUPV ³GLYLQH ¿OLDWLRQ´ RU ³GLYLQH VRQVKLS´ This doctrine has its source HVSHFLDOO\ LQ WKH WHDFKLQJV RI 6W Paul who speaks of those baptised in Christ as being children of God LQ &KULVW -HVXV WKURXJK IDLWK FI Galatians 3:26-27).

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Understanding human nature

Gospel where he tells us that the power to become children of God is given to all those who accept -HVXV &KULVW FI -RKQ

:KDW GRHV WKLV GRFWULQH WHDFK XV" (VVHQWLDOO\ IURP ZKDW 6W 3DXO teaches regarding our adoption in &KULVW -HVXV LW PHDQV WKDW LQ EDStism we have clothed ourselves ZLWK &KULVW DQG E\ VR GRLQJ ZH KDYH EHFRPH FR KHLUV ZLWK &KULVW sons and daughters of the same Father in heaven.

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It is by the grace of the Holy Spirit that we recognise God as our Father and live as His adopted sons and daughters in Jesus Christ.

-HVXV &KULVW ZKR LV WKH RQO\ EHJRWWHQ 6RQ RI *RG WKH ÂżUVWERUQ amongst many brethren.

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DGRSWLRQ LQ -HVXV &KULVW L H WKDW we are adopted sons and daughters of the Father in His only-beJRWWHQ 6RQ -HVXV &KULVW But this is not all for this doctrine also is taught in relations to WKH +RO\ 6SLULW IRU LW LV WKH +RO\ 6SLULW GZHOOLQJ LQ RXU KHDUWV WKDW PDNHV XV FU\ RXW ³$EED )DWKHU´ FI 5P *DO

,Q RWKHU ZRUGV LW LV E\ WKH JUDFH RI WKH +RO\ 6SLULW WKDW ZH recognise God as our Father and live as His adopted sons and GDXJKWHUV LQ -HVXV &KULVW WKH 6RQ of God from whose fullness we have received all grace and truth and who has revealed to us the FaWKHU FI -RKQ

)LQDOO\ ZKDW LV WKH VLJQL¿cance of this doctrine of supernatural adoption as children of *RG" 7R WKLV TXHVWLRQ E\ ZD\ RI H[SODLQLQJ RQH RI WKH VLJQL¿FDQFHV RI WKH ,QFDUQDWLRQ RI WKH 6RQ RI *RG WKH &DWHFKLVP RI WKH &DWKRlic Church provides a profound theological answer: 7KH :RUG EHFDPH ÀHVK WR PDNH XV ³SDUWDNHUV RI WKH GLYLQH QDWXUH´ ³)RU WKLV LV ZK\ WKH :RUG EHFDPH PDQ DQG WKH VRQ RI *RG EHFDPH WKH 6RQ RI PDQ VR WKDW PDQ E\ entering into communion with the :RUG DQG WKXV UHFHLYLQJ GLYLQH VRQVKLS PLJKW EHFRPH D VRQ RI *RG ´ ³)RU WKH 6RQ RI *RG EHFDPH man so that we might become *RG ´ ³7KH RQO\ EHJRWWHQ 6RQ RI *RG ZDQWLQJ WR PDNH XV VKDUHUV LQ +LV GLYLQLW\ DVVXPHG RXU QDWXUH VR WKDW +H PDGH PDQ PLJKW PDNH PHQ JRGV ´ &&& „ Fr Kenneth Gopal

Do you have a burning question on the faith?

Questions on the Faith is a new column for you to have your questions answered by authorities on various topics. Just email your question to cnedit@catholic.org.sg,

and include your full name, address and contact number. All decisions on submissions rest with those answering the questions. Published submissions will be edited.

AN AMERICAN humorist was once asked what he loved most in life. This was his reply: I love women best; whiskey next; my neighbour a little; and God hardly at all!

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FOCUS 15

Sunday October 18, 2015 Â&#x201E; CatholicNews

POPEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MISSION SUNDAY MESSAGE

Live the mission, serve others, pope writes

A nun greeting a woman at a home for the elderly in Nepal.

Pope Francis urged in his letter for Mission Sunday that Religious orders reach out to the poor and bring the joy of the Gospel to them.

VATICAN CITY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mission is a

passion for Jesus and at the same time a passion for His people,â&#x20AC;?

Pope Francis wrote in his message for World Mission Sunday.

The two concerns always go hand in hand, he said, because just as a Christian knows others need to hear the Gospel, he or she knows Jesus calls all His disciples to share His love.

Because World Mission Sunday, which will be celebrated on Oct 18 in most dioceses, falls within the Year of Consecrated Life, Pope Francis focused his PHVVDJH VSHFLÂżFDOO\ RQ WKH PLVsionary work of Religious orders.

Just as missionary outreach is essential to the Churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s identity, he said, men and women called to follow Jesus most closely must follow Him in mission. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mission is part of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;grammarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of faith, something essential for those who listen to the voice of the Spirit who whispers, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Comeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Go forth,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? he wrote.

The power of Christian witness lies not in words, but in lives, the pope said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;By the vow of pover-

ty,â&#x20AC;? he said, consecrated men and women â&#x20AC;&#x153;choose to follow Christ in His preference for the poor, not ideologically, but in the same way WKDW +H LGHQWLÂżHG +LPVHOI ZLWK WKH poor: by living like them amid the uncertainties of everyday life and renouncing all claims to power.â&#x20AC;?

Living with and like the poor, he said, Religious â&#x20AC;&#x153;become broth-

who by Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Those grace accept the mission are called to live the mission.

'

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pope Francis

ers and sisters of the poor, bringing them the witness of the joy of the Gospel and a sign of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The central ideal of mission is Jesus Christâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;this ideal demands the total gift of oneself to the proclamation of the Gospel,â&#x20AC;? the pope said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On this point there can be no compromise: those who by Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

grace accept the mission are called to live the mission.â&#x20AC;?

Pope Francis asked missionary orders to be open to welcoming young people and associates who want to express their own missionary vocation, although only IRU D VSHFLÂżHG SHULRG RI WLPH DQG he encouraged young Catholics to consider consecrating their lives to a missionary vocation. He told young people they are â&#x20AC;&#x153;capable of courageous witness and generous deeds, even when these are countercultural. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do not allow others to rob you of the ideal of a true mission, of following Jesus through the total gift of yourself,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Remember that even before being necessary for those who have not yet heard it, the proclamation of the Gospel is a necessity for those who love the master,â&#x20AC;? the pope wrote. Â&#x201E; CNS The full text of the popeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s message can be found at: http://w2.vatican.va/content/ francesco/en/messages/missions/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_ giornata-missionaria2015.html.

16 FEATURE

Sunday October 18, 2015 Â&#x201E; CatholicNews

Integrating new Catholics i

(DFK \HDU DERXW LQGLYLGXDOV EHFRPH &DWKROLF WKURXJK WKH 5LWH RI &KULVWLDQ ,QLWLDWLRQ RI $GXOWV 0HO 'LDPVH /HH Ă&#x20AC;QGV R CHURCH OF ST TERESA

CHURCH OF DIVINE MERCY PROGRAMME/ACTIVITIES Over the last three years, the parish has experimented with: Â&#x2021; Social nights â&#x20AC;&#x201C; dinner with priests and sponsors at the church rooftop. Â&#x2021; A whole RCIA session where the various parish ministries talk about their mission and work. Â&#x2021; Attachment to the ministries during parish feast day. home-based Â&#x2021; Occasional RCIA sessions conducted by the sponsors. However, RCIA coordinator, Mr Mark Wong, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;These put a strain on the sponsors and also

the sponsors have to be willing and able to conduct the sessions. However, these home sessions really bind them into the community.â&#x20AC;?

Ms Michelle Lim Baptised in 2014

â&#x20AC;&#x153;More than a year before I was baptised, I joined the Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Liturgy (CL) Ministry. Unlike many, who serve in the ministry as a baptised Catholic, I must say that my situation is a little unique. I UHPHPEHU SUD\LQJ WHOOLQJ *RG WKDW I felt very â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;aloneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and I needed a community.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereafter a series of events happened, which led me into the CL ministry. Being in the ministry gave me a sense of belonging and a sense of purpose as a Christian. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Besides serving in the ministry, the ladies in our group also meet regularly to pray, share about RXU WULDOV DQG KRZ *RG ZRUNV LQ our life and to intercede for our children. This helps to strengthen my faith.â&#x20AC;?

Ms Faith Teo Baptised in 2014 with younger siblings, Christopher and Noel

After their baptism, Ms Teoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 17-year-old brother, Christopher, returned to be a sponsor in the RCIA and to help with administrative work. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because he missed the ÂżUVW WZR PRQWKV RI WKH SURFHVV he wanted to know what had been happening during the period,â&#x20AC;? said Ms Teo. A special education teacher, Ms Teo hopes to be involved should the parish establish a class for children with special needs.

On how she feels about belonging to a parish, she said she is not new to the Mass as her boyfriend is Catholic, adding, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m baptised I am more comfortable [during Mass].â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

Ms Michelle Lim speaking to children during Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Liturgy.

Mr Jonas Chan being baptised in 2014. He hopes to be part of the RCIA committee in the near future to pass on his experiences and knowledge.

PROGRAMMES/ACTIVITIES Introduce organisations and Neighbourhood Christian Communities to the newly baptised during Mystagogy and encouraging participation. Â&#x2021; Yearly invitation to neophytes to become â&#x20AC;&#x153;companionsâ&#x20AC;? rather than sponsors in the RCIA programme in the hope they will eventually help out as sponsors. Â&#x2021; Introduced neophytes this year to an â&#x20AC;&#x153;openâ&#x20AC;? Small Christian Community in church to do the 6HYHQ 6WHS *RVSHO 6KDULQJ ZLWK other parishioners.

Mr Jonas Chan Baptised in 2014

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am integrating well into the par-

ish community. It has been easy for me as I have been attending church since my younger days, although I was baptised only recently. So I am pretty well accustomed to the Catholic traditions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel a sense of belonging to the community. I hope to be a part of the RCIA committee in the near future as I am interested in passing my knowledge and past experiences to the next batch of inquirers/ catechumens. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The parish community has done a good job in integrating neophytes. To further improve on this, I wish the community can include more activities with the RCIA inquirers.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT PROGRAMMES/ACTIVITIES Pre-baptism Â&#x2021; Informing catechuments of parish programmes and initiatives, and encouraging their involvement, such as regular canteen service and special liturgical celebrations. Â&#x2021; Collaboration with other ministries, such as carolling at homes of home-bound parishioners. Â&#x2021; Sponsors share their own involvement with ministries and the parish community, and facilitate catechumensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; participation where there is interest. Â&#x2021; Nearing Easter, ministries share about their mission and role in parish life.

Post-baptism: Â&#x2021; Linking neophytes with relevant Neighbourhood Christian Community [NCC] leaders so that they can experience community life within their own neighbourKRRGV DQG ÂżQG VXSSRUW WKHUH IRU their discipleship journey; Â&#x2021; Piloted cell groups after the 2013-2014 journey. The cells met separately once a week to reĂ&#x20AC;HFW DQG VKDUH RQ WKH *RVSHO RI Luke and gathered together once a month for organised sessions conducted by priests of the parish. It was observed that the neophytes often struggled to commit time to attend the weekly meetings and cell group leaders required proper

formation and training to ensure they were equipped to lead. The parish will continue to monitor the cell groups to ascertain the sustainability of this initiative.

Mr Raphael Li Baptised in 2013

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was integrated into the parish very quickly and naturally. The moment I started my RCIA journey as an inquirer, I immediately felt part of the community. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I quickly felt comfortable and it was special to be part of a new

group of people who shared personal experiences, thoughts and doubts with me and with whom I could do the same. I have since joined the RCIA as a sponsor. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Being part of the parish community and the RCIA ministry strengthens my faith, my hope and WUXVW LQ *RG $OVR LWÂśV D JUHDW IHHOing to contribute, albeit in a small way, to building the Church and help create the environment in which other people can learn more about the faith and hopefully encounter Jesus.â&#x20AC;?

Mr George Chua with wife, Darrell and daughter Hanna. Mr Chua and his wife are involved in the Family Life Ministry in the Church of the Holy Spirit.

Mr George Chua, wife Darrell and daughter Hanna Baptised in 2014

Mr Raphael Li (right, seen here with seminarian Nicholas Lye) joined the RCIA in his parish as a sponsor after being baptised in 2013.

Mr Chua and his wife are involved in the parishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Family Life Ministry (FLM), which comprises a group of families meeting once a fortnight to share experiences and give support to one another. Being in the ministry, said Darrell, â&#x20AC;&#x153;allowed us to see how Catholic families live their livesâ&#x20AC;?.

Mr Chua, who is also a sponsor in RCIA, added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;RCIA gave us

head and heart knowledge but it is the FLM that gave us the opportunity to practise that knowledge and get to know other families.â&#x20AC;? One sign that the family integrated early was their eagerness to go to church on weekends, even before their baptism. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Church life is very much a part of our life now,â&#x20AC;? said Mr Chua, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is a platform for me to become a better Christian and a Christ-centred person. It is in a community like this that you learn to give and take, to be gracious.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

FEATURE 17

Sunday October 18, 2015 CatholicNews

into the parish community

V RXW KRZ VRPH SDULVKHV LQWHJUDWH WKHP LQWR SDULVK OLIH DQG VSHDNV ZLWK VHYHUDO QHZ &DWKROLFV DERXW WKHLU H[SHULHQFHV CHURCH OF ST IGNATIUS PROGRAMMES/ACTIVITIES Said Mr Matthew Raj, assistant coordinator of RCIA: “We offer ministries that are service-related, impart biblical knowledge and are prayer-centred. We brief them on what the ministries are about or invite the leaders of the ministries to speak to the group during the period of Mystagogy.”

Other integration activities: Neophytes are invited to attend parish events to get them acquainted with the life of the community.

Get-togethers with former RCIA participants, such as potluck gatherings and group outings (pilgrimage to Malacca).

Those who have shown to be

good facilitators and evangelisers are taken under the wings of the RCIA team for further exposure.

Invitation to help out during RCIA canteen duty to raise funds for the needy.

Attachment to Neighbourhood/Small Christian Communities, where they are invited to attend monthly gatherings.

Ms Marina Tan Baptised in 2013

“During my RCIA journey, the facilitators and my sponsor extended their loving kindness and compassion to me despite my incessant questioning, which at times were challenging.

“As a neophyte, I found myself having even more questions,” she said. “However the priests always found time personally or through messages to counsel and support me in times of trouble and confusion.

“The ongoing support of the RCIA committee and community was instrumental in deepening my faith... Joining the RCIA ministry has given me an opportunity to expand my relationships within the parish and encourage inquirers and catechists as they continue their own new journey of faith.

“Being part of the “Grateful Hearts” and NCC group's Whatsapp prayer group that my RCIA cohorts set up allows me to be part of the parish community when I am out of the country for extended periods of time for work.”

Mr Matthew Khoo Baptised in 2012

Ms Marina Tan (second from right) joined the RCIA in her parish to encourage inquirers and catechists in their faith journey.

Since his baptism, Mr Khoo has been assisting his wife with infant baptisms, from doing the administrative work to ushering parents and relatives to their seats, arranging chairs or doing up the names of participants.

“I enjoy being involved because it is a service to God and to the church,” said Mr Khoo. “Going for weekly Mass and having the children attend catechism lessons already give me a sense of belonging. The service is rendered because the church needs it. I feel privileged and honoured.”

CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY PROGRAMMES/ACTIVITIES During Mystagogy, a few ministries are invited to introduce themselves and the work they do and neophytes are encouraged to join them.

Encourage neophytes to journey for another year with the new RCIA team and if they are interested, will be invited to join the pool of experienced sponsors for the next journey.

Assign neophytes to offer the bread and wine during Mass IRU WKH ¿UVW WZR PRQWKV DIWHU EDStism so parishioners get to see them.

Ms Alena Chong Baptised in 2012

“I am currently serving in the RCIA as well as Our Lady of Sorrows, which is the ministry that prays for the deceased during a wake.

“The RCIA committee incorporated activities, such as canteen day, for us to serve and get to know the parishioners better while our sponsors introduced us to other parishioners.

“As a new convert, it is very important for me to feel comfortable and welcomed in a parish

community... The decision to join and serve in a community has helped me to grow because in this community I can get support, advice and guidance to grow spiritually.

“Many times when I was lost, I knew I could always turn to the community.”

ice breaking games during the retreat for catechumens."

He added, “There is joy, love, frustration and trials in the community but we encourage each other to continue serving and this has KHOSHG PH WR SHUVHYHUH DQG ¿QG joy, love and hope in life as well.”

Mr Jimmy Lin Baptised in 2012

“After my baptism, I stayed in the RCIA as a neophyte and helper. A year later, I became a sponsor and have been serving in that capacity up to today. I also attended Bible classes hoping to increase my knowledge about the faith and get to know more parishioners.”

Mr Lin shared that “in RCIA, I’m tasked to be a social event captain, organising activities such as visits to the major seminary and conducting

Mr Matthew Khoo has been assisting with infant baptisms since his baptism in 2012.

CHURCH OF OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE PROGRAMMES/ACTIVITIES Representatives of church organisations are invited to introduce their ministries to the catechumens.

Invite neophytes to assist in RCIA as sponsors or facilitators.

Invite neophytes to church events, such as parish feast day and parish retreats.

Occasional invitations to special events, such as RCIA Christmas party.

Mr Jamie Ng and wife, Doreen Grace Yeo Baptised in 2014 with children

“RCIA has played a huge role in our integration process. When we were

catechumens, we were gradually introduced to, besides the teachings and beliefs, the Catholic way of life and way of being,” said Mrs Ng. Added Mr Ng, “Members of the RCIA committee as well as our own sponsors are also very warm and they always made the effort to introduce us to other parishioners, even those who are not from RCIA. Through our godparents [also in RCIA committee] we see the joy and commitment in serving the church.”

“It is a huge blessing to be part of a small but warm, loving and close-knit parish like Our Lady Queen of Peace,” Mrs Ng revealed.

“We feel belonged here.”

ST JOSEPH CHURCH (BUKIT TIMAH) Mr John Tan and wife, Claudia Baptised in 2012 with children Ashley and Raphael

Mr Jimmy Lin (in blue) has become a sponsor for RCIA and attends Bible classes to increase his knowledge of the faith.

“I would say that our integration into parish life happened quite naturally,” said Mr Tan. It started with the RCIA committee and sponsors’ welcoming and sincere attitude in ZDQWLQJ WR ¿QG RXW PRUH DERXW XV There was already a genuine effort to establish deep friendships early on in the programme. From there,

we were introduced to other equally welcoming members of the parish, ZKLFK UHDOO\ KHOSHG XV WR µ¿W LQ¶ DV we continued to make more friends.

He added, “Our parish community is like a ‘kampung’ or small village where we feel it is like our second home. The people are warm and friendly and will acknowledge one another with a greeting or smile even if they don’t know the person well.”

18 FEATURE

Sunday October 18, 2015 Â&#x201E; CatholicNews

Mars discoveries may reveal Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personality ... so believes the director of the Vatican Observatory VATICAN CITY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A Vatican as-

FRXOG EH WR VHH MXVW KRZ UDUH RU tronomer said the latest discovery KRZ FRPPRQ LW DFWXDOO\ LV ´ RI Ă&#x20AC;RZLQJ OLTXLG ZDWHU RQ WKH VXU%U &RQVROPDJQR VDLG GLVFRYIDFH RI 0DUV ZDV H[FLWLQJ HULQJ LI WKHUH ZHUH RU ZHUH QRW OLIH Âł<RX FDQ VHH WKH WUDFHV RI WKH IRXQG EH\RQG (DUWK ZRXOG UHYHDO ULYHUV FKDQJLQJ RYHU WKH FRXUVH VRPHWKLQJ DERXW *RGÂśV SHUVRQDOLW\ RI D 0DUWLDQ \HDU 6R ZH DUH QRW Âł,I *RG FKRVH WR PDNH D XQLWDONLQJ DERXW ZDWHU WKDW ZDV WKHUH YHUVH ZKHUH ZH DUH WKH RQO\ FUHDD ORQJ WLPH DJR RU ZDWHU WKDW LV WXUHV WKDW LV LQWHUHVWLQJ WKDW WHOOV IUR]HQ XQGHU WKH XV VRPHWKLQJ DERXW VXUIDFH EXW DFWXDO If God chose to *RG DQG XV ´ OLTXLG ZDWHU RQ WKH â&#x20AC;&#x153;If God creates make a universe D XQLYHUVH ZKHUH VXUIDFH ´ -HVXLW %U *X\ &RQVROPDJQR where we are the OLIH LV HYHU\ZKHUH director of the VatiWKDW JLYHV XV D GLIonly creatures, FDQ 2EVHUYDWRU\ IHUHQW SLFWXUH RI that is interesting *RG EXW HLWKHU told Vatican Radio RQ 6HSW ... If God creates ZD\ ZH OHDUQ PRUH 1$6$ VFLHQa universe where DERXW ZKR WKH FUHDWLVWV FRQÂżUPHG RQ WRU LV ´ KH VDLG 6HSW WKDW OLTXLG life is everywhere, %U &RQVROZDWHU Ă&#x20AC;RZV DW OHDVW PDJQR VDLG WKH that gives us GXULQJ WKH VXPPHU IDFW WKDW WKH ZDWHU a different PRQWKV RQ WKH VXURQ 0DUV PD\ EH picture of God. IDFH RI 0DUV PDGH RI VDOW\ ZHW The latest dissoil means that â&#x20AC;&#x153;the â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Jesuit Br covery adds to the kind of interacGuy Consolmagno GHEDWH RI ZKHWKHU tions and the kind OLIH HYHU H[LVWHG RU FRXOG H[LVW RI FKHPLVWU\ WKDW JRHV RQ WR PDNH EH\RQG WKH SODQHW (DUWK EULQH LV QRW LQFRQVLVWHQW ZLWK WKH %U &RQVROPDJQR WROG 9DWLFDQ SRVVLELOLW\ RI VRPH VRUW RI PLFUR5DGLR Âł:H KDYH QR LGHD ZKHWKHU ELDO OLIH XQGHUQHDWK WKH VXUIDFH´ OLIH LV VR UDUH WKDW LW QHYHU RFFXUV :KLOH WKHUH LV VWLOO QR FRQDQ\ZKHUH RU VR FRPPRQ WKDW LW FUHWH SURRI RI OLIH WKH GLVFRYHU\ LV RFFXUV HYHU\ZKHUH DQG WKDWÂśV ÂłFHUWDLQO\ D VWHS LQ WKH ULJKW GLUHFZK\ ZH KDYH WR ORRN DW SODFHV OLIH WLRQ´ KH VDLG Â&#x201E; CNS

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-HVXLW %U *X\ &RQVROPDJQR GLUHFWRU RI WKH 9DWLFDQ 2EVHUYDWRU\ LV VHHQ LQ WKLV ÂżOH SKRWR CNS photo

Sunday October 18, 2015 Â&#x201E; CatholicNews

19

20

Sunday October 18, 2015 Â&#x201E; CatholicNews

Jesus and His apostles were getting ready to go on a journey. As they were preparing to leave, a man rushed up to Jesus and fell down on his knees in front of Him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Good teacher,â&#x20AC;? the man asked, â&#x20AC;&#x153;what must I do to inherit eternal life?â&#x20AC;?

Jesus looked at the man. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You know the commandments: 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honour your father and your mother,â&#x20AC;? the Lord replied.

The man said he had followed those rules since he was a little boy.

Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; KHDUW ÂżOOHG ZLWK ORYH DQG He told the man that there was just one more thing left to do. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Go,â&#x20AC;? Jesus said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;sell what you have, and give to [the] poor and you

will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.â&#x20AC;?

The manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s facial expression changed. He had a lot of possessions that he loved dearly, so he very sadly walked away from Jesus. In the end, the man decided that he loved his things better than he loved the Lord.

Jesus turned to His apostles. â&#x20AC;&#x153;How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!â&#x20AC;? He exclaimed.

The apostles looked surprised. The Lord noticed as He continued to speak. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through [the] eye of [a] needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.â&#x20AC;?

The apostles were shocked and quietly asked one another: Then who could be saved? â&#x20AC;&#x153;For human beings it is impos-

SPOTLIGHT ON SAINTS:

St Luke

Not much is known about St Luke, who helped St Paul convert people to Christianity. We do know that he wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. In Colossians 4:14, he is called â&#x20AC;&#x153;the beloved physician.â&#x20AC;?

St Luke was said to be a Greek gentile who lived in Antioch, which is in present-day Turkey, and he probaEO\ ZDV ZLWK 6W 3DXO WKH ÂżUVW WZR WLPHV that Paul was imprisoned in Rome.

St Paul wrote that St Luke was with him right before his martyrdom, but we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know for sure what Luke did after St Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death. According to tradition, St Luke wrote his Gospel in Greece, where he died at age 84. We remember him on Oct 18. Â&#x201E;

sible, but not for God. All things are possible for God,â&#x20AC;? Jesus told them.

Then Peter spoke. He pointed out that the apostles had to give up all they had so they could follow Jesus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers

and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come,â&#x20AC;? Jesus said. Â&#x201E; Read more about it: Mark 10

Q&A 1. What question did the rich man ask Jesus?

2. What did Jesus say must be given up?

Wordsearch: Â&#x201E; HEAVEN

Â&#x201E; GOSPEL Â&#x201E; FOLLOW Â&#x201E; RICH

Â&#x201E; GOD

Â&#x201E; HEART

Â&#x201E; LOVED

Â&#x201E; SHOCKED Â&#x201E; FACIAL Â&#x201E; EYE

Â&#x201E; NEEDLE Â&#x201E; SPEAK

Kids' Club: Essay: Why should we love God better than any other person or thing?

Bible Accent:

Answer to puzzle: 1. T; 2. T; 3. F; 4. T; 5. F

The Bible talks a lot about money. Many times, we read warnings that money can potentially lead us to sin.

In 1 Timothy 6:10, for example, we read that â&#x20AC;&#x153;the love of money is the root of all evils,â&#x20AC;? and in Matthew 6:24, Jesus said people cannot have two masters â&#x20AC;&#x201C; God and money â&#x20AC;&#x201C; because they will love and serve one and not the other.

In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus taught that it was better to build up treasure in heaven that could not be destroyed rather than treasure on earth that could rot away or be stolen.

In Mark 12:41-44, Jesus watched people put money into the collection box at the temple. The rich people made VXUH WKH\ VSHQW PRQH\ RQ WKHPVHOYHV ÂżUVW WKHQ SXW WKHLU leftovers in the box. But Jesus praised a poor widow who put in only two coins, because she was giving from her poverty instead of her extra wealth.

Hebrews 13:5 warns people to be free from the love of PRQH\ DQG WR EH VDWLVÂżHG ZLWK ZKDW WKH\ KDYH And in Acts 20:35, St Paul recalled that Jesus told His followers, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is more blessed to give than to receive.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

PUZZLE: Put a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tâ&#x20AC;? next to the statements that are true, and an â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fâ&#x20AC;? next to those that are false. Hints have been provided. ______

1. God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

______

2. The rich will weep, because their miseries are coming. (James 5:1)

______

3. It is OK to love God and money. (Matthew 6:24)

______

4. Your heart is where your treasure is. (Luke 12:34)

______

5. Never be content with what you have. (Hebrews 13:5)

Answer to Wordsearch

By Jennifer Ficcaglia

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ON 21

Sunday October 18, 2015 Â&#x201E; CatholicNews

OCT 22 LAUDATO SI Pope Francisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Laudato Si has captured the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s imagination on the Churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teaching on how to care for creation.

Many secular humanists â&#x20AC;&#x201C; non Christians, DWKHLVWV DJQRVWLFV DOLNH Âą ZKR ZRUN LQ WKH HQYLURQPHQWDO ÂżHOG KDYH FRPPHQWHG on how wonderful the treatise is. As Christians, what is our response? Cana LQYLWHV \RX WR D WDON GLVFXVVLRQ ZLWK 3URI Michael Quah of NUS who will share his perspective as a Catholic environmentalist ZLWK %U )UDQFLVFR %DVQD\DNH 2)0 IURP his perspective as a Franciscan.

7.15 pm@Cana.T: 63384080; E: canatheplacetobe2013@gmail.com

EVENT SUBMISSIONS We welcome information of events happening in our local Church.

Please send your submission at least one month before the event.

Online submissions can be made at www.catholicnews.sg/whatson OCT 14 TO DEC 2 (EVERY WED) LIFE IN THE SPIRIT SEMINAR 2015 Charismatic Prayer Group, Church of St Mary of the Angels. 7.45pm at St Clare Hall. Register. T: 98523804 (Patricia) E: patcheah@gmail.com T: 85256503 (Joy) E: joy_choong@yahoo.com.sg.

T: 81618492 (Grace) E: chrislee288@gmail.com.

W: http://www.stmary.sg/latest-events

OCT 23 EVANGELISING THROUGH THE INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA <RX ZLOO KDYH D JUHDWHU XQGHUVWDQGLQJ RI KRZ HYDQJHOLVDWLRQ FDQ ZRUN LQ D Catholic setting and how to use social media to reach out to the community and joyfully share the Gospel. A must-have VNLOO LQ WKLV GLJLWDO DJH 6SHDNHU %HQHGLFW Tang. Venue: St Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church, Victoria Street (Conference Room). FOC. Register. : KWWS WLQ\XUO FRP $&7 7DON 6LJQXS Organised by Apostolate for Catholic Truth

OCT 16 NOX GAUDII (NIGHT OF JOY) This October will be a special celebration, ZLWK 2IÂżFH IRU <RXQJ 3HRSOH 2<3

celebrating our 2nd anniversary. There will be Mass, followed by festivities.

8pm-10:30pm. Be seated by 7:45pm, refreshments will be provided at the end.

This event is open to all young people of the Archdiocese from 18-35 years old.

7KURXJK 1R[ *DXGLL 2<3 VHHNV WR VWLU faith among the young people as they come together to worship God, and experience the fellowship of the local Church community.

OCT 23 JUNIOR COLLEGE MASS â&#x20AC;&#x153;And when I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all people to myself.â&#x20AC;? John 12:32. Calling all junior college students to a Eucharistic celebration, a time of prayer and fellowship, to pray for exams, but most of all, to be united under the banner of Christ. Come and be fed! (There will be refreshments and fellowship after Mass). Time: 8pm-10pm 9HQXH 2IÂżFH IRU <RXQJ 3HRSOH 2 Lorong Low Koon Singapore 536449 Register. W: www.tinyurl.com/JCmass

OCT 16 TO OCT 18 TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY MONTFORTIAN EXPERIENCE RETREAT (MX-2) $ ZHHNHQG OLYH LQ UHWUHDW EDVHG RQ WKH spirituality of St Louis Marie de Montfort.

To him, Mary is â&#x20AC;&#x153;the surest, easiest, shortest, and most perfect means by which to go to Jesus Christ.â&#x20AC;? Venue: Montfort &HQWUH 5HWUHDW GLUHFWRUV %U 'RPLQLF <HR Koh, Br John Albert. Register: T: 67695711; E: enquiries@montfortcentre.org OCT 16 SEVEN DAILY HABITS OF HOLY APOSTOLIC PEOPLE What is the plan of life? Why is it so important for our spiritual well-being and happiness? Time: 7pm-9pm.

Venue: St Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church, Victoria Street &RQIHUHQFH 5RRP 6SHDNHU 0DUJDUHW Teo. W: www.catholic.sg/act T: 96493893 (Andrew). FOC. Register. : KWWS WLQ\XUO FRP $&7 7DON 6LJQXS

OCT 24 GODâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GIFT OF YEARS What gifts do you bring as you transition towards the next chapter of your life?

7KLV ZRUNVKRS IRU ZRPHQ DQG PHQ RYHU 50 years old, will help you to discover DJHLQJ DV *RGÂśV GHVLUH IRU IXOÂżOPHQW LQ your life and your spiritual development.

7KH ZRUNVKRS ZLOO FRQVLVW RI VKRUW LQSXWV group sharing and some quiet time. 10am4pm. Facilitated by Diana Tan and Diana Koh. At Kingsmead Centre. Contribution: $50 (including lunch). Register.

T: 64676072; E: cisc2664@gmail.com

OCT 17 (10AM) TO OCT 18 (5PM) AUTHENTIC CONVERSATIONS II: DISCERNING MOMENTS $ ZHHNHQG UHWUHDW WKDW ZLOO KHOS SDUWLFLSDQWV nurture authentic conversations on the level of the soul. Uncover and experience discerning moments when conversing at the level of the interior self. Note: Only for participants who have attended â&#x20AC;&#x153;Introduction to Authentic Converationsâ&#x20AC;? and/or recipients of spiritual direction or individually guided retreats (IGR). Facilitators: Lance Ng and Celina Lin. At Kingsmead Centre. Register.

T: 64676072; E: cisc2664@gmail.com

OCT 24 (7PM-10PM) AND OCT 25 (9AM-5PM) THEOLOGY OF THE BODY COURSE What is the Theology of the Body? How does it concern the whole scripture, the whole Gospel, the whole teaching and the whole mission of Christ? A course on spirituality and sexuality. For those in families, youth ministries & catechesis.

Venue: The Training Centre @IP, 10 Anson Road, 29-03A, International Plaza.

Trainer: Andrew Kong.

Love offerings welcomed. Register. : KWWS WLQ\XUO FRP $&7 7DON 6LJQXS

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OCT 24 (2PM-9PM) AND OCT 25 (9AM-7PM) WORKSHOP AND RETREAT ON INNER HEALING What is inner healing, spiritual warfare, reconciliation, discernment of spirits, blessing and curses, usage of prayers. %\ )U -DPHV <HR DW &$(& +LJKODQG Road. St Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Auditorium. Tea, lunch and dinner provided. Fee: $40 for two days. Payment at main door entrance.

Registration open to all parish ministries especially those who are interested to learn about inner healing. E: tomson.scaria@ gmail.com. E: josephtoh46@gmail.com.

Please register early.

OCT 30 SAME-SEX MARRIAGE & MARRIAGE What is the Catholic teaching on this and why is it a disorder? What causes SSA and what can one do about this orientation?

Time: 7.30pm-9.30pm. Venue: The conference room, St Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church, 9LFWRULD 6WUHHW 6SHDNHU $QGUHZ .RQJ (Licentiate in Canon Law). FOC. Register. : KWWS WLQ\XUO FRP $&7 7DON 6LJQXS OCT 31 TO NOV 1 INTERCESSION RETREAT â&#x20AC;&#x153;I urge that prayers, petitions and WKDQNVJLYLQJV EH PDGH RQ EHKDOI RI DOO men â&#x20AC;Ś â&#x20AC;? (1 Tim 2:1). Come and increase your understanding of intercession. Learn how to be an effective intercessor. Retreat director: Fr Erbin Fernandez. Venue: Catholic Spirituality Centre. Register. W: www.csctr.net; T: 62887901; T: 68582716 NOV 6 TO NOV 8 LIVING UNTIL WE DIE 7KLV ZHHNHQG UHWUHDW ZLOO IRFXV RQ WKH LQYLWDWLRQV IRU WKH ÂżQDO VWDJH RI OLIH DQG will attempt to respond to questions such as: What is retirement for? How can I grow old well? What fears am I facing as I ponder the end of life? How do I open myself to the joy of this last stage of life? What provisions do I need for the journey? Recommended for those who are 60 years old and above. Fri 8pm - Sun SP DW 0RQWIRUW &HQWUH 8SSHU %XNLW Timah. Organiser: Cenacle Sisters.

T: 65652895 E: cenaclesing@gmail.com NOV 7 TO NOV 21 COMMON SENSE PARENTING WORKSHOP A 12-hour evidence-based programme developed by Boystown USA. A programme that shows positive results for both parents and caregivers. Parenting VNLOOV VXLWDEOH IRU FKLOGUHQ DJHG WR RQ how to: give reasons so children buy in to what he or she should do. Give logical FRQVHTXHQFHV VR \RXU FKLOGUHQ ZLOO ÂżQG them meaningful. Register. W: http:// www.morningstar.org.sg/events_CSP.html NOV 7 THE GRASS IS GREENER.. WHERE? A day of recollection for young adults based on the Word of God. Come and join us for prayer, fellowship and fun. 9am-5pm.

Organised by Verbum Dei Community.

married to Burns 16 College in New 5RFKHOOH 1< 17 Actress Russo 18 Measures 19 There was none at the inn 20 Individual facts 21 Designer Piccone 23 Vane reading 24 Unsteady gait 26 Beverage made with beaten eggs 28 Jesus told him he must be born again of the Spirit 33 Chief minister of WKH 3HUVLDQ NLQJ LQ WKH %RRN RI (VWKHU 37 Seaport in New Jersey 38 Pitcher 39 Month of the feast RI 6W 3DWULFN 41 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Just ___â&#x20AC;?

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11 Celestial body used in dating Easter 12 Ever and ___

At FMM retreat house, 49D Holland Road. Register. T: 62740251 (Verbum Dei Missionaries)/ T: 97205922 (Jocelyn) E: vdeisgevents@gmail.com W:http:// www.verbumdeisingapore.org/ Cost: $50 NOV 13, (8PM, CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR) NOV 14, (8PM, CHURCH OF THE RISEN CHRIST) HEAVENLY VOICES CONCERT Join the Daughters of St Paul from around the world as they celebrate their centennial with two nights of inspiring concerts. They are joined by special guests, Fr Edward, OCD; Fr KK, CICM; Fr Valerian and Fr 7HUHQFH &6V5 7LFNHWV DW DYDLODEOH DW '63 ERRNVKRS &KXUFK RI WKH 5LVHQ Christ; CANA. E: paulinesg100years@ gmail.com. T: 63565958; T: 65608003.

W: www.paulines.org.sg NOV 21 (8.45AM) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; NOV 22 (4.30PM) WHOSE AM I? A WEEKEND RETREAT FOR WORKING ADULTS With the theme â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Whose Am I?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, the UHWUHDW UHĂ&#x20AC;HFWV RQ WKLV TXHVWLRQ WR H[DPLQH this longing in us and how it affects our lives. Individual spiritual direction (oneto-one) will be available during the retreat to explore where God is in our lives and KRZ +H PD\ EH VSHDNLQJ WR XV 9HQXH FMM House of Prayer and Formation at +ROODQG 5RDG 2UJDQLVHU 3UDLVH#:RUN &RVW 5HJLVWHU : SUDLVHDWZRUN wordpress.com; T: 90187914; ( SUDLVHDWZRUNVJ#\DKRR FRP NOV 27 TO NOV 30 FAMILY LIFE CAMP Church of Christ the King Family Life Camp. Calling all families in Singapore to MRLQ XV IRU D VSHFLDO KROLGD\ OLNH QR RWKHU ([FLWLQJ DQG IXOÂżOOLQJ IDPLO\ ERQGLQJ programmes, telematches, spiritual sharings, Mass and a gala dinner. Theme: â&#x20AC;&#x153;If Lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Journey, Travel Light!â&#x20AC;? Venue: Felda Residence, Mersing, JB, Malaysia.

Register. E: CTKfamlife@ymail.com T: 9650-1338 (Mathilda) or T: 9754-2207 (Agnes). Spiritual director: Fr Paul Goh. .H\ VSHDNHU $QGUHZ -DPHV 2QJ /LPLWHG WR WKH ÂżUVW IDPLOLHV &ORVLQJ GDWH 2FW NOV 28 CHRIST@WORK 2015 CONFERENCE â&#x20AC;&#x201C; PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS AT WORK DP SP 7KLV VSHFLDO HGLWLRQ PDUNV WKH 10th anniversary of equipping you with the VNLOOV DQG LQVSLUDWLRQ WR KHOS \RX DQVZHU &KULVWÂśV FDOOLQJ DW WKH ZRUNSODFH WR ÂżQG true happiness. The conference features ZRUOG FODVV VSHDNHUV DQG FRUSRUDWH OHDGHUV and ends off with Mass, celebrated by Archbishop William Goh. Venue: Catholic Junior College Performing Arts Centre Price: $60 (Early bird till Sept 30) Register.

T: 92284463 (Raymond) E:admin@cbn.sg; : KWWS ZZZ FKULVWDWZRUNFRQIHUHQFH FRP NOV 29 TO DEC 5 CHARIS HAIYAN HOUSEBUILDING TRIP On Nov 8 2013, Typhoon Haiyan claimed the lives of more than 6,000 people in

13 Identical 22 ___ of Christ 25 â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Śbut you PDNH LW D BBB RI robbers.â&#x20AC;? (Mt 21:13) *HQHVLV VNLSSHU +ROORZ URFN 29 Toronto media (abbr.)

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RCIA/RCIY A journey for those seeking to know more about the Catholic faith.

Baptised Catholics are also invited to journey as sponsors.

NOV 1 TO DEC 25 2016 CALLING YOUTHS TO JOIN OUR CATHOLIC FAMILY! 7KH 5&,< WHDP LV ZHOFRPLQJ QRQ Catholics, aged between 14 and 24 years ROG WR MRLQ XV RQ D MRXUQH\ WR NQRZ DERXW the Catholic faith from November 1.

Venue: Church of Christ the King.

6HVVLRQV ZLOO WDNH SODFH RQ 6XQGD\V at 3pm. Register. T: 96718555 (Randy), T: 81880239 (Bernadette) the Philippines. Last June, after initial relief efforts, CHARIS helped fund the Archdiocese of Cebu in various housebuilding projects. A CHARIS mission team will be deployed to help with the building RI KRXVHV -RLQ XV DV ZH ZRUN KDQG LQ hand with our brothers and sisters in need to help rebuild their homes and lives.

Come experience faith in action and the MR\ RI PLVVLRQ ZRUN ZLWK WHDP PHPEHUV and the locals. Register. T: 63374119; E: lilynne@charis-singapore.org

IN MEMORIAM

24

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Sunday October 18, 2015 CatholicNews

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