Catholic News Issue 7 2018

SUNDAY APRIL 1, 2018

SINGAPORE $0.70 CENTS / WEST MALAYSIA RM$2.10

MCI (P) 010/08/2017

PPS 201/04/2013 (022940)

VOL 68

NO. 07

I m age of ‘ Je sus M eet s t h e W om en of Je rusal em ’ b y art ist V irgi l C ant ini. CNSphot o

2 HOME

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

Cathedral holds 24-hour prayer event A special “24 H ours f or the L ord” initiativ e was held recently to of f er Catholics an opportunity f or both E ucharistic adoration and sacramental conf ession.

H eld at the Cathedral of the G ood Shepherd on M arch 9 , 6 pm, to M arch 10 , 6 pm, the ev ent drew a crowd of ov er a thousand ov er the 24 hours.

T he initiativ e was organised by the Office for the New Evangelisation in collaboration with the Cathedral of the G ood Shepherd, and ArchComms ( the archdiocesan communications office .

“T hese 24 hours are an opportunity to experience the immense lov e of our L ord,” said cathedral rector M sgr Philip H eng in his opening address.

T here were guided hourly reections based on the theme of Pope Francis’ 20 18 L enten M essage, “B ecause of the increase of iniq uity, the lov e of many will grow cold” ( M att 24 : 12) , as well as prayers to aid the congregation to encounter Jesus.

M any priests were av ailable f or most of the 24 hours to administer the Sacrament of R econciliation.

T he entire ev ent was also liv e-

Archbishop Chia’s 80th birthday Archbishop meritus N ich ol as C h ia w il l cel eb rat e h is 80t h b irt h d ay w it h a t h ank sgi ving M ass on A p ril 7 at 10.3 am at t h e C h urch of t h e H ol y C ros s.

A l l are w el com e t o j oi n in t h e cel eb rat ion . n

streamed on the archdiocese’ s Y ouT ube channel f or the homebound and those who were not able to attend.

M s M asha L im, 3 2, commented that the initiativ e allowed her to better prepare f or E aster.

I n Pope Francis’ L enten message, he inv ited the Church to celebrate the Sacrament of R econciliation in the context of E ucharistic adoration during the “24 H ours f or the L ord” initiativ e.

T his year’ s theme was inspired by Psalm 13 0 : 4 , “W ith you is f orgiv eness. ” T he objectiv e, according to Archbishop Salv atore Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting N ew E v angelisation, “is to of f er to all – especially to those who f eel uncomf ortable entering a church – the opportunity to seek the mercif ul embrace of G od” .

I n prev ious years, the Archdiocese of Singapore has held a decentralised “24 H ours f or the L ord” in v arious parishes. T his year, it was held solely at the cathedral to f oster a greater sense of communion. n Su b m i t t e d b y OF F I CE F OR T I ON

T H E NEW EV ANG EL I SA-

P eop

l e p rayi ng i n f ron t of

t h e B l essed S acram ent d uring t h e ‘ 24 H

ou rs f or t h e L or d ’ event .

BUILDING A VIBRANT, MISSIONARY AND EVANGELISTIC CHURCH EVENTS BY THE FOLLOWING ARCHDIOCESAN ORGANISATIONS IN 2018 O R G A N IS A T IO N S A rch d ioc esan C mo m ission f or A p os t ol at e of M and arin S p eak ing

A P R IL • Faith Formation ( 15 Apr) • Family Parenting Camp ( 6- 8 Apr)

• L ove M atters 3 ( 1 M ay)

A rch d io cesan C o m m issio n f o r t h e Fam il y A rch d ioc esan C om m ission f or t h e P ast or al C are of M igr ant s and I t inerant P eop l e

• B ef rienders’ Formation I – V alue of Self & Community • B ef rienders’ Deve lopment I – Active L istening – Sk ills Dev elopment E nrolment

A rch d ioc esan C om T am il S p eak ing

• M arriage Preparation Course ( 29 Apr)

m ission f or

A • W orld Day of Prayer f or the Church in China ( 24 M ay) • R osary M onth Procession ( 19 M ay) • B ef rienders Dev elopment I I – Contracting

• CB N G olf Classics ( 16 M ay) • Annual G eneral M eeting ( 24 M

C at h ol ic B usiness N et w or k

ay)

• CE R #60 ( 25- 29 Apr) • I nner H ealing R etreat #1 ( 5- 8 Apr) • R evi va l Friday ( 6, 13, 20, 27 Apr) • 4t h Sat H ealing M ass ( 21 Apr)

• Couples R etreat #4 ( 11-13 M ay) • R evi va l Friday ( 4, 1 1, 18,25 M ay) • 4t h Sat H ealing M ass ( 19 M ay) • Pentecost Celebration ( 20 M ay)

C at h o l ic T h eo l o g ical I nst it ut e o f S ing ap o re

• E nrolment f or Semester 2 Opens ( 7 Apr)

• I nf ormation N ight ( 4 M

C arit as H um anit arian A id & R el ief I nit iat ives, S ingap or e

• M ission T rip – Cebu, Philippines

C arit as S ingap

• L ivi ng our Faith in Community W orks hop ( 7 Apr) • Personal M oral Compass – M odule 3 ( 19 Apr-7 Jun) • Charity G olf 2018

• R ev iew of L if e W ork shop ( 15 & 16 M ay)

ffice for Catechesis

• B asic Catechist Course L eve l 2: I ntroduction to M orality ( 4 Apr-2 M ay) • Archdiocese Catechist T raining: Study Day ( 2) ( 10 Apr) • R CI A: Sponsors T raining ( 14 & 15 Apr) • Catechist E lective Course: Special N eeds Catechesis 2 ( 17 Apr-15 M ay) • Praying with Catechumens and Sponsors ( 21, 28 Apr)

• R CI A: Pentecost R etreat ( 5- 6 M ay) • I ntroduction T o R CI A ( 17- 19 M ay ) • Archdiocese Catechist T raining Program: Maryvale Certificate in Catechesis Study W eeke nd ( 1) ( 26, 27 M ay) • B ridging Programme: First R econciliation/ First H oly Communion R etreat ( 29 -3 1 M ay) • B ridging Programme: Parent Formation ( 3) ( 29 M ay )

ffice for the ew vangelisation

• E M H C Study Day ( 7 Apr) • H ope in the City ( 21 Apr) • W ardens’ Study Day ( 28 Apr)

• L abourers in the V ineyard R etreat ( 25- 29 M ay) • Jesus M ary R ally ( 26 M ay) • Family Camp ( 31 M ay-3 J un)

ffice for oung eople

• T reasure #9 ( 5- 8 Apr) • Poly Commissioning M ass ( 18 Apr) • N ox G audii ( 20 Apr)

• Communities’ Formation ( 5 M ay) • School of Christian L eadership ( 18- 28 M ay)

• School of Charismatic L eadership M odule 2 ( 7, 8 Apr) • Spiritual Preparation f or Pentecost R etreat ( 21, 22 Apr)

• Pentecost R etreat ( 5, 6 M ay) • Pentecost R ally ( 20 M ay)

C at h ol ic S p irit ual it y C

ent re

or e

S ingap or e A rch d ioc esan C at h ol ic C h arism at ic R enew al

N to e: For m or e inf or m at ion , p l ease ref er t o t h e resp ect ive O rgan isat ion ’ s w eb sit e. T h is inf or m at ion is cor rect at t h e t im e of Compiled by Office for the New Evangelisation (ONE), www.one.org.sg

ay)

p rint ing.

HOME 3

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

Walking a barefoot Way of the Cross in Singapore M ore than 140 people, f rom teens to senior citiz ens, took part in a special baref oot W ay of the Cross across Singapore recently.

T he annual eve nt, called Crucis Singapura, was organised by Jesus Y outh Singapore. T his was the eighth time that the group, part of the Jesus Y outh move ment which started as a Catholic lay move ment in I ndia in 1985, has organised the activi ty during L ent.

T he M arch 17 eve nt saw people gathering at eight churches across the island and then walki ng baref oot on hot pave ments as they made their way to Agape V illage in T oa Payoh, cove ring distances ranging f rom 3 t o 20 km .

W alki ng in pairs, participants were give n material f or spiritual re ection, focusing on the plight of Peter the Apostle and his experiences during Passove r night and af ter.

Activi ties were conducted at va rious points along the routes, including havi ng participants wash each other’ s f eet.

W hen they reached their journey’ s end at Agape V illage, participants shared the spiritual experiences they had during their walk. Some were move d to tears by their experiences.

T he Jesus Y outh music ministry also led a time of worship.

Fr Frederick Q uek, the group’ s spiritual director, blessed the participants. H e told them that just as Jesus aske d Peter, “Do you love

‘s harT

he s arh pai w ih l e i ngadpr pr o v e dt obe ca alh sa w e l l as t he eh ta – Z ach ary Q

P art icip ant s w al k ed in p airs cove ring d ist ances rangi ng f rom t h eir j ou rney .

me? ” Jesus is also aski ng the same of each person.

“I f we do not really do what the L ord wants us to, we are denying H im and not lovi ng H im,” said Fr Frederick.

Z achary Q uek , a participant f rom the Church of Div ine M er-

ns t ath oc c ru r e d ay i ngw i t hm y par t ne r l e nge t ode al w i t h, f r om t he gr ound.

uek f rom

t h e C h urch of

’

D ivine M ercy

3 t o 20

k m

and al so w ash ed each ot h er’ s f eet al on g

cy, shared: “W alk ing baref ooted was an insightf ul experience to me. T he sharp pains that occurred while sharing and praying with my partner prov ed to be a challenge to deal with, as well as the heat f rom the ground.

“I t made me realise about how challenging and trying the W ay of the Cross is, but through ev erything, I can become stronger in my journey, and grow closer to G od. ” Jesus Y outh has been active in Singapore f or the past 16 ye ars.

T he J e s us Y out h Si ngapor e w e bs i t e i s ht t ps : / / s i ngapor e .j e s u s y o ut h.or g/ n

4 BUILDING THE CHURCH OF TOMORROW 3

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

protecting the collection and use of god’s resources In this final instalment of the series on governance and financial accountability, Msgr Philip Heng delves into how the archdiocese ensures accountability of the collection and use of its funds through its fundraising arm, the Catholic Foundation.

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

Gift Now

gift.catholicfoundation.sg

In the past three articles of this series, we learned about the Church’s canon law, organisational structures, funding pools, fundraising bodies, as well as the archdiocese’s approach to financial governance.

The previous issue in particular showed us how the archdiocese is funded in two ways; through a portion of the Mass collections made in every parish, as well as donations to the Catholic Foundation.

This two-pronged funding model, with the Catholic Foundation serving as the fundraising arm of the archdiocese, helps the Church ensure a greater level of governance and transparency in fundraising for its mission.

a registered charity Much transparency and accountability is assured firstly through the legal construct of the Foundation.

The Catholic Foundation was set up in Singapore as a company limited by guarantee (CLG) under the Companies Act, and a registered charity

under the Charities Act (UEN o 01 1 1k).

This positions the Catholic Foundation as a corporate body that is subject to the laws and regulations of both the Companies Act and the Charities Act, as well as the regulations set by the Commissioner of Charities.

Thus, as with all other registered charities, Catholic Foundation’s fundraising

grants can be found.

In addition, Catholic Foundation seeks to conform with the Code of Charity overnance issued by the Charity Council in Singapore, and discloses its compliance with the Code on the charity portal. The Code identifies leading governance practices which are required of charity boards.

this two-pronged funding model... helps the church ensure a greater level of governance and transparency in fundraising for its mission. activities follow the rules set out by the Commissioner of Charities.

The Foundation also produces an annual set of financial statements in line with Charity Accounting tandards. These financial statements are audited by a public accounting firm, Deloitte & Touche, and are presented in an annual report where further details of fundraising activities and

catholic foundation board Accountability of funds raised are also assured through the Foundation’s board of directors. t is made up of both leadership priests and lay personnel with relevant networks and expertise such as accounting, legal, and corporate governance.

All the directors have legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities under the

Companies Act and the Charities Act for the activities of the Foundation.

Such a partnership between the clergy and laity of the archdiocese also helps direct the Foundation to constantly keep its focus on the mission of the Church, while maintaining the highest levels of governance in its activities.

going beyond In fact, the approach taken by the board and staff of the Foundation in ensuring accountability and transparency goes beyond what is required by the law.

This can be seen firstly through the extent of communication between Catholic Foundation and its stakeholders. A glance at its website, annual report, and other communication collaterals will show the Foundation’s dedication to providing detailed information.

Where appropriate, it is provided in a drill down fashion.

For instance, the frequently answered questions (FAQ) on the Foundation’s website comprises 58 questions

5 BUILDING BUILDINGTHE THE CHURCH CHURCH OF OFTOMORROW TOMORROW 4

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

grouped into 10 categories.

It has also distributed guides for parishes to follow when handling contributions to the archdiocese.

In addition, the Foundation regularly communicates its fundraising results to relevant stakeholders and the public. The results of the GIFT campaign, for instance, are provided to parishes and published in Catholic News on a quarterly basis.

The Foundation also seeks accountability to each and every contributor. On top of acknowledging each

contribution, all contributors are also given access to their individual accounts with the Foundation on an online portal.

Through this, contributors are able to edit their profiles, view their individual and aggregate contributions to date, and provide direct feedback to the Foundation.

the archdiocesan finance office (AFO).

The Archdiocesan Finance Council (AFC), headed by the archbishop, decides how funds should be used in the archdiocese.

An archdiocesan grants committee, working closely with the AFO, was also established to work with the various organisations and offices of the archdiocese to streamline their budgets, before making their proposals to the AFC for any approvals.

These structures have facilitated much growth in

grant making Accountability does not only end at the fundraising process.

After raising what it can for the Church, the Foundation subsequently disburses funds through block grants through

accountability of fundraising

the archdiocese in the past three years. But as the Lord continues to build us up to be a more vibrant, missionary and evangelistic Church, much more resources are needed to carry out His work.

I urge all Catholics today to pray, get involved, and support our Church in all that it does. Borrowing the words of St Therese of Liseux, “Let us go forward in peace, our eyes upon heaven, the only one goal of our labours.�

Catholics support the Church

Laws, Regulations and Guidelines ACRA (Companies Act)

Catholic Foundation Fundraising arm of the Archdiocese of Singapore

Commissioner of Charities (Charities Act)

Board & Audit Committee Executive Team

ow N t f i G IC ATHOL .SG C .

T F I G ATION FO U N D

Independent Auditors

Block Grants

accountability of grant making

Decision makers on how funds should be spent Archbishop

Board of Consultors Archdiocesan Finance Council (AFC) Grants Committee

Archdiocesan Finance Office (AFO)

Funding

Funding

Archdiocesan Organisations

Capital Projects

Archdiocesan Commission for the Family (ACF)

Bethany East (Retirement residence for priests)

Office for Young People (OYP)

St Francis Xavier Seminary

Office for the New Evangelisation (ONE)

Archdiocesan Hub

And many more...

Sinking Funds

a series contributed by

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Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

Companions for your journey…

In this issue of FamFare, ACF writer Ange Dove interviews three Couple Mentors about the need for and the importance of couple accompaniment. family time ine, it’s all about For Zach and Jann

When couples prepare for marriage or are navigating those first crucial years, going it alone is not a wise option. With over 20% of marriages ending in divorce in Singapore, if you are a newly married couple today, the odds are not stacked completely in your favour.

The Catholic Church mandates that couples preparing for marriage attend a marriage preparation course to gain the skills needed to navigate obstacles and ensure that God is present in the marriage. But when the honeymoon period is over, who do you turn to when you need help. And you will. will

Nobody enters into a marriage able to manage it perfectly. Firstly, it’s a new situation you will not have a past personal reference for. Your model for marriage will have come, in most cases, from your parents. And your spouse may have a different frame of reference for what a marriage should be than you do, due to a different upbringing. Additional challenges may arise if you enter into a mixed-faith marriage.

Add to that the fact that men and women communicate very differently (AKA Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus) and you’ve got some work ahead of you, no matter how prepared and accepting of each other you think you are now.

Couples cannot walk alone We need the grace of God and the support of the Church’s community to sustain, nourish and strengthen marriage. ACF has introduced the parish-based Couple Mentor Journey (CMJ) programme specifically to mentor engaged couples and those in their first few years of marriage.

It augments existing marriage preparation programmes like Catholic Engaged Encounter and Marriage Preparation Course.

Its aim is to help couples build a strong, faithful and fruitful Christ-centred marriage.

CMJ provides vital new tools to newly weds We put our couple mentors through a training course so that they are better prepared to deliver CMJ and arm their mentees with skills for a loving and God-filled marriage. But not surprisingly, these couple mentors found that the learning helped to enrich their own marriages. The tools from the Smart Loving training provided some new communication skills they had not been aware of before.

Stop. Reflect. Connect.

Jannine and Zach are one of our couple mentors. They’ve been married 12 years and, like all married couples, they still face difficulties from time to time. One issue came up not long after they had attended the training course to deliver CMJ. As the couple looks back, they can see that the Stop. Reflect. Connect. tool they learned on the course really helped them through the rough patch, as Jannine explains: “Zach runs his own business and, as the boss, had taken a female colleague to dinner alone one evening to discuss something away from the office.

I felt really uncomfortable about this. I trust him of course, but I didn’t think it was wise for him to put himself in a situation where he could get tempted.”

So Jannine confronted Zach with her feelings, and the couple

started to get into a heated debate as Zach simply couldn’t see that he’d done anything wrong and felt she didn’t have anything to be upset about. As voices rose, the couple remembered the Stop.

Reflect. Connect. tool and called a time-out on their argument.

They realised that talking while emotionally charged wasn’t going to resolve the issue. They went off alone to reflect on what each other had said and examined the situation from the other’s point of view. When they reconnected 10 minutes later they followed the Stop. Reflect. Connect. process and took turns to talk uninterrupted in a calm manner. From there, they were able to understand each other’s feelings and agree on future behaviours.

“We wouldn’t have resolved this issue so quickly if we hadn’t done the course,” Zach observes. “I really couldn’t see that I had done anything wrong and was surprised by her reaction at first. But by applying the tools, I was quickly able to see things from Jannine’s point of view, and she had a point about not putting myself in the way of temptation. Now I hold all staff meetings in the office and during office hours.”

The couple have come to a new and deeper level in their marriage where they are very open and honest with each other, now that they have these vital communication tools.

Gabriel and Karren with son s Zinedine and Zac

enjoying Jeremy and Alicia

er couple time togeth

The new tools learned on the course also helped one of our other couple mentors, Alicia and Jeremy. “There’s no such thing as a perfect marriage,” says Jeremy.

“It’s a journey where every day is a challenge to love and grow in intimacy. There’s no end game.”

Remember the bigger picture Jeremy added that we all go through many years of formal education to prepare ourselves for our careers.

But we enter into marriage not necessarily equipped with the skills and tools. We learn through trial and error. Yet these skills are the fundamentals to a successful God-filled marriage. “Couples really owe it to their marriage to invest the time to learn these skills now. What I took away most from

the course was the importance of taking time every day to remember our vows and the commitments we made to each other.”

Alicia explains that couples should expect fights every now and then. That’s part of a healthy marriage. But we have to remember the bigger picture. How we are both in this for life. So fight fairer, reflect and have more empathy for one another.

“I used to think that fighting was bad,” says Jeremy. “But now I understand that it gives us a chance to grow. When we use the skills taught to fight fair, it becomes a win/win situation for both parties and brings us closer together. It’s a journey and an ongoing process. It’s not just about romance but about developing a deeper communion.”

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Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

Surviving a mix ed- faith marriage As Catholics are required to bring their children up in the Church, being able to communicate well in a mixed-faith marriage is all the more important. For our couple mentors Karren and Gabriel, this was not an issue they expected to face when they entered married life.

“We both were not Catholics when we got married and as such we didn’t go through any marriage preparation course,” Karren explains. “But I always felt we needed some tools we didn’t have. We married young at 24 and 25 years of age and found it difficult to cope as young parents. I entered into the Church first and I always wanted to volunteer. A Nepal trip came up when my first child was two and I knew I had to go. Gabriel was dead set against this as he thought I should be at home with our son.

But for me, there is never a “right” time as parents, and I realised we had very different perspectives on our roles, which we needed to deal with.”

H ow does CMJ work?

When you enrol on CMJ, you and your partner will be paired with a mentor couple from your parish who has been married for more than five years and has been trained to guide you through the programme You will visit your mentors in their home. This way you get to see live, in real time, what married life is like, warts and all. You’ll see the issues faced with raising children, managing time and household chores together and how work, children and priorities can alter the marriage dynamics. You’ll learn, as they have learnt, how to use the Smart Loving tools to connect at a deeper level and to achieve unity in marriage.

we had our differences on how to raise them. This pressure, on top of our very different communication styles, led to disagreements.”

“I suggested attending the Couples Empowerment Programme to try to improve on our relationship and communication with each other,” added Jeremy.

“Through this, we became convinced that we should put Jesus at the heart of our marriage. When we were asked to be mentors in CMJ, it seemed like a natural progression to us as we felt that,

When she returned from Nepal, she signed up for Marriage Encounter, recommended by a friend. “We benefitted from the Love Circle a lot,” Karren remembers. “Because I know the impact such courses have had on our marriage, I wanted to sign up as a mentor on CMJ to give back.

We really believe we could be saving a marriage in some cases.

Ours was certainly saved.”

“Karren baptised the boys when she got baptised, but at that time I didn’t see the need to convert,” Gabriel adds. He was able to understand and respect her decision and didn’t object to his children being brought up as Catholics. “The Love Circle had helped us tremendously in how we communicated with one another.

We even had friends with failing marriages approach us to ask how we managed to make our marriage work so well.”

As time went on and the children got older, Gabriel started to feel he was missing out on important family bonding and togetherness. So he started to attend mass with his family and got touched by God, entering the Church four years after his wife and kids.

Alicia and Jeremy, however, entered marriage as a mixed-faith couple and continue to be so.

“Jeremy is a Catholic and I’m a Methodist,” explains Alicia. “We stopped attending church during the first few years of marriage.

Then when the kids came along,

Your mentors will share their experiences in their own marriage to guide you. Couples have found this to be a particularly useful aspect of the programme as they get to realise that their situation is not as unique as they thought and that in fact everyone goes through similar feelings and challenges.

Through the programme, you will also come to understand that having differences of opinions and arguments is not an indicator that you are failing in your marriage.

Q uite the opposite in fact! It is natural and expected to come across situations in which you will disagree. CMJ will teach you how to communicate effectively in such situations so that the

resolution brings you closer together as a couple and helps you to grow. Through CMJ, you’ll get to understand the beauty of the sacraments God has given us, and learn to know and understand each other better. You’ll become more attuned to each other as you get to understand your partner’s perspective and learn to make adjustments together.

Your mentors are not professional counsellors or experts by any means, but because they have been through the challenges, they can help you avoid making the same mistakes, and therefore smoothen your transition into marriage and a life together with God.

H ow long is the programme?

Who is it for?

You will visit your mentors at their home for six sessions and they will take you through one of the six modules of the programme at each session. The expected duration is 12 weeks, though this is flexible, and you will have homework to do after every session. Once the sessions are over, your mentors will still be there for you any time you have a question or need some guidance. It is hoped that you develop a long-lasting friendship.

If you are engaged to be married or if you are married (three years or less), this course is for you.

Gabriel’s baptism with his Godparents (and Love Circle mentors)

T he initial y ears are a vital y et delicate period during which couples grow in an awareness of their vocation and mission.

- T he final report of the 2 0 1 5 Sy nod of B ishops to the H oly Father, P ope Francis

24

24 April (Tuesday) 7 .3 0 pm - 9 .3 0 pm Agape V illage 7 A L orong 8 T oa P ay oh Singapore 3 1 9 2 6 4 W e meet as a group of bereaved parents to find mutual support through pray er, scripture and sharing of ex periences.

N o need to register, j ust walk in.

P ieta.singapore@ gmail.com

Sign up for CMJ by scanning the Q R code or go to http:// catholicfamily.org.sg/cmj/mentees If you have questions you can write in to cmj@ acf.org.sg

The cost is $ 9 8 , which will cover a set of Couple Workbooks used during the journey.

For a list of family events in the Archdiocese visit

catholicfamily .org.sg/ events

May 1

27

P ieta Monthly Support Session for Bereaved P arents

H ow do we register?

H ow much will it cost?

Catholic Family Events in April - May 2018 April

with the tools that we have learnt, we could share our experiences on a more personal level with newly married couples. This kind of support was something we did not have during our initial years in marriage.”

One thing all three mentor couples agree: the single most important ingredient to a lasting marriage is Jesus Christ. Join the journey by enrolling on CMJ and build a strong, faithful and fruitful Christ-centred marriage.

4

Retrouvaille

L ove Matters

Marriage E ncounter Weekend

27 - 29 April (Friday - Sunday) Friday 7 pm to Sunday 6 .3 0 pm Marriage E ncounter H ouse 2 0 1 B P unggol 1 7 th Avenue Singapore 8 2 9 6 5 1

1 May (Tuesday) 8 .3 0 am - 1.3 0 pm Church of T he T ransfiguration 5 1 P unggol Central Singapore 8 2 8 7 2 5

4 - 6 May (Friday - Sunday) Friday 8 pm - Sunday 6 pm Marriage E ncounter H ouse 2 0 1 B P unggol 1 7 th Avenue Singapore 8 2 9 6 5 1

For couples with marital problems including those who are considering marriage separation and those who are already separated or divorced but want marriage help.

L O V E MAT T E RS is organised by ACF and W W ME SG to celebrate marriage and the priesthood and milestone anniversaries of these vocations. ACF and W W ME SG invite couples and priests to celebrate their milestone anniversaries at this special event. Come be enriched by our Formation Day T alk as well.

Discover the week end that has been transforming marriages all over the world for more than 4 0 y ears.

retrouvaille.singapore@ gmail.com + 6 5 6 5 22 8 7 5 0

For couples married two y ears and above. wwmesg.org/ me- weekend- selector to book a weekend.

catholicfamily.org.sg/ lovematters

facebook.com/ P ietaSingapore

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

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Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

A Church that reaches out to the periphery Archbishop Goh urges Catholics to take up Pope Francis’ mission of being people of mercy at Pope’s Day Mass B yC

h rist o p h er K h o

Follow Pope Francis in being people of mercy, people who are welcoming, people who are not af raid to go beyond their comf ort z one, said Archbishop W illiam G oh during the annual Pope’ s Day M ass.

Speaki ng to the congregation gathered at the Cathedral of the G ood Shepherd f or the 10.30 am M ass on M arch 11, he stressed that the thrust of the pope’ s pontif icate over the past five years have been about mercy, inclusivi ty, joy, compassion, f orgive ness and lif e.

Pope Francis “speaks of a Church that is a welcoming Church” , not a cold, legalistic one, said Archbishop G oh at the Mass to mark the fifth anniversary of the pope’ s election.

“H e believe s in a Church that comes out of itself to the world, reaching out to those on the periphery,” he told the congregation which included priests, R eligious, ambassadors and other members of the diplomatic corps.

T he pope isn’ t speaki ng about people livi ng on the geographical periphery, but those on the “existential periphery” , those who are in misery, suf f ering f rom pain, injustices, illness and pove rty, said Archbishop G oh in his homily.

“T hese are the people the

Church is called to reach out to,” he said, noting that Pope Francis has said many times that he wanted a Church “that is bruised, hurting and dirty, not a Church that is confined in her security, looking always within” .

“T he Church is not about ourselve s. T he Church is about humanity, about society,” said Archbishop G oh.

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t r i ne s ,t he hs w e pr oc l ai m – t he s e ar e t he i de al s .

B u t p e o p le a re s tr u g g lin g t ol i v e out t he i de al s .

Andt h at i s w hy t he H ol y F at he r i nv i t e s us t oap pl y t he G os pe l of m e r c y i n r e ac hi ng out t ot he s e pe opl e .

– A rch b ish op

’

G oh

And that is why the pope wants the Church to be a Church of mercy, a Church that is welcoming to eve ryone, including sinners, said Archbishop G oh.

“T he Church that Pope Francis speaks of is a Church that goes beyond rules, doctrines, and laws.

T he Church that he believe s in

A rch b ish op W il l iam G ho and M sgr Y ov k o P ish t iys k i, C h argé d ’ A f f aires a.i . of p or e, c el eb rat ing t h e P op e’ s D ay M ass on M arch 1 1. P hot o: V I T AI m age s

cannot be just a Church of dos and don’ ts,” said Archbishop G oh.

H oweve r, that does not mean that Pope Francis does not hold on to the truths of the G ospel. “Of course he does,” said Archbishop G oh. “W hat he is speaki ng about is that we need to put people’ s existential problems and needs bef ore the ideals.

“T he doctrines, the truths we proclaim – these are the ideals. B ut people are struggling to liv e out the ideals. And that is why the H oly Father inv ites us to apply the G ospel of mercy in reaching out to these people,” said Archbishop G oh.

H e noted that f or those with

same-sex orientation, the pope has said, “W ho am I to judge? ” “T hose of you whose marriages are f ailing, those of you who have been divor ced and remarried, the H oly Father know s your struggles. H e know s your pain. N obody gets married to be divor ced, let’ s f ace the f act,” said Archbishop G oh.

“T hese are manif estations of a wounded humanity. T heref ore we need to be welcoming, we cannot af f ord to be judgemental.”

For those who are suf f ering, “we must help them discern, accompany them. And more than anybody else, these are the people who need our support and lov e” , said Archbishop G oh.

“T his is what a mercif ul Church is all about. T his is a Church

t h e A p os t ol ic N unciat ure in S inga -

that reaches out to the periphery. ” H e urged the congregation to “take up this same mission; f ollow Pope Francis in being people of mercy, people who are welcoming, people who are not af raid to go beyond the boundaries of our comf ort z one” .

At the end of the M ass, M sgr Y ovko Pishtiyski , Chargé d’ Af f aires a.i . of the Apostolic N unciature in Singapore, thanke d the congregation f or their “constant prayers” f or the pope and f or their generous support of Peter’ s Pence, a papal charity.

H e conve yed to the congregation the greetings of the H oly Father and his apostolic blessing upon them and their f amilies. n christoph er.kh oo@catholic.org.sg

9

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

GET CONNECTED: 2 LORONG LOW KOON, SINGAPORE 536449 T 6285 2571 | 6286 0341 W www.oyp.org.sg For enquiries, please email: info.oyp@catholic.org.sg

SPECIAL FEATURE

FEATURE

SCHOOL OF WITNESS 2018

LIVING A CHRIST-CENTERED LIFE

38 courageous young men and women gave 8 weeks of their lives to the Lord and just like mustard seeds, He increased their faith and transformed their lives. On 2nd March, we celebrated the school’s Comissioning Mass. More than just a bookend to the school, it was a celebration of thanksgiving for the grace and healing that our dear participants experienced . It was also a beautiful time of empowerment and blessing as participants prayed for and ministered to their family and friends who came to support them.

by Bryan Francisco In the fast paced society of Singapore, where all we can really ever think about is what we’re going to do next, be it at work or at school, what does it mean to put God at the center of our lives? More often than not, when we say we put God at the ‘center’ of our lives, we often tend to compartmentalize Him. We say we’ll give an hour of our day to the Lord to speak to us and limit Him to that one hour with “Speak Lord in this time!”

And when we do not discernibly hear Him in prayer, we begin to view our prayer time as routine and dry, leaving us restless and eventually losing our purpose or initial intention to make God the centre of our life!

It is crucial for every committed Christian to have a disciplined schedule and structure in their lives which includes time for prayer. In addition to protecting our prayer life, how can we truly allow God to be at the center of our lives? Here are some things that I find particularly helpful.

Participants and staff of the school with Archbishop William Goh and the OYP Chaplains and staff

(Above & below) Participants praying for their loved ones

I was crippled by fear, but the Lord always fights my battles and delivers me to victory. I’m no longer purposeless, for He holds my life’s purpose. My freedom is knowing that my God has plans for me and walks by my side. He has restored my soul. - Adeline Setyo The Lord has set me free from my own expectations and the need for others’ recognition. He is my Shepherd and his plans for me are greater than my own. He has shown me true freedom and joy. He loves me and I am a child of God. - Nicholas Isaac Siew

increase our faith: thanksgiving

by Veronica Wong “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her” - Luke 1:45 School of Witness 2018 (SOW) was a journey of learning to trust in the Lord’s faithfulness and to give my ‘yes’ and ‘amen’ to Him no matter how difficult. And truly, the Lord has been faithful to His promises to me through all the ‘yeses’ I had given to Him over these two months!

die to myself and to trust in the Lord’s promises to me. I was challenged to surrender my past wounds and brokenness, wounds that have intrinsically created a barrier between me and God. I was challenged to let God into past memories and to give Him full control over them, even when that meant that I had to relive painful memories that I had effectively forced myself to forget over the years. I was challenged to forgive people who had inflicted these wounds on me, and most importantly, I was challenged to forgive myself.

I had no intention of attending SOW and even rejected the idea when my community (Living Ark) members encouraged me to attend. I had quit my job in December and was eager to look for a new one so as to continue progressing in my career.

A two-month program would get in the way of that. The high demands of my previous job led me far away from God, and I felt extremely unprepared for an experience like SOW.

Include Him in Our Every Action Start every activity with a prayer; invite the Lord into our every minute, every hour and really just allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in our thoughts, our words, our actions. You’d be surprised to see how tangible and noticeable God’s hand is in our daily lives. Personally, this practice has helped me to become more Christ-like in my every action.

This mindfulness of the Lord has helped me to navigate trying conversations by allowing me to see the face of Christ in the other person and challenging me to honour their true identity as a child of God, whether they are life-giving to me or not.

This grace has allowed me to lay aside any frustrations or resentment that I would normally have felt. It has allowed me to love my fellow brother and sister in Christ genuinely and has made it a whole lot easier to forgive them and let go of negative emotions.

Bryan is an alumnus of SOW 2017. To read the full article, visit: http://oyp.org.sg/living-christ-centered-life/

UPCOMING Veronica (middle) during a creativity item

Veronica (pictured, middle)

However, the Lord is truly a relentless God who left the 99 to chase me down—He never stopped sending people to me even after I had said no! It all changed when someone told me, “Whenever in doubt, always give your yes to God first and He will take care of the rest.” It struck me that when God asked Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt sacrifice (Gen 22:1-19), He did not tell Abraham, “Sacrifice your son and I will spare him after that!”. God only gives us part of the story and asks for our yes in faith in return. And that was the first of my many ‘yeses’ to the Lord.

Through each challenge, the Lord always waited for me to die first—to die to myself—just as He waited for Jairus’ daughter to die first before He healed her (Matt 5:21-43). The Lord peeled away bandages of rot, bandages that had hardened against my skin over the years. He peeled them away so that I could once again be bare and vulnerable before Him. He peeled them away so that I could grow new skins of faith. He peeled them away so that I could become a new creation once again.

Healing is a process, and through the school, God has only just begun His work in me. Will you trust God to enter into the darkest areas of your lives so that He can fulfill His promise of a new life for you?

“When we become aware that we do not have to escape pain, but that we can mobilise them into a common search for life, those very pains are transformed from expressions of despair into signs of HOPE.” - The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen.

TREASURE#9

“Jesus healed me of the chains of guilt and shame that have been binding me for the past 3 years. I feel the love of Jesus now and can walk free of my burdens.”

- Charles Lim, 30 “I came to the retreat weary and burdened. After Treasure, I felt the power of God’s love and am secure in the knowledge that I am His beloved child. Praise the Lord that I may go out to share this good news with others!”

- Genevieve Wong, 30

OYP’s stay-in retreat for young working adults, Treasure 9, is open for registration. It will be held from 5 Apr (Thu) 7:30pm – 8 Apr (Sun) 6:00pm, at S$130 per person. To register, visit: http:// oyp.org.sg/treasure9/

Throughout the school, I was challenged time and again to

Final.indd 1

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10 HOME

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

Virtual reality a new service for St Joseph’s Home residents The newly renovated home celebrated its 40th anniversary on March 19 B y J ared N g R esidents of St Joseph’ s H ome can now enjoy reminiscing their f avour ite places of old with the help of vi rtual reality technology.

T he technology creates a simulated env ironment to immerse the user inside a 3 -D and 3 6 0 degree experience.

I t simulates senses such as sight, sound and touch, and allows users to interact with the simulated env ironment.

T his special serv ice was showcased during the official opening of the newly renov ated St Joseph’ s H ome, located at Jurong W est, on M arch 19 , the f east of St Joseph.

T he ev ent also mark ed the nursing home and hospice’ s 4 0 th anniv ersary.

Archbishop W illiam G oh and Dr Amy K hor, Senior M inister of State for Health, got a first-hand experience of how the v irtual technology work ed.

W estwood Secondary School students came up with the project f or St Joseph’ s H ome.

Other highlights during the opening included perf ormances by residents as well as children f rom a childcare centre located

within the home. T here was also a v ideo presentation on the history of St Joseph’ s H ome and its journey towards its 4 0 -year milestone.

I n his address, Archbishop W illiam G oh said that St Joseph’ s H ome f ocuses on “prov iding holistic care through lov e and compassion” .

T he home is “not a place where the aged wait f or death but instead a place where they live meaningf ul live s,” he said.

Dr K hor in her speech emphasised the importance of activi ties that encourage interaction between young and old such as the intergenerational playground on the home’ s premises that was launched in August last year.

Other new f eatures of the home include a new dementia ward f or up to 7 2 residents and an indoor pool f or hydrotherapy, a rehabilitation programme to help seniors with mobility issues and to reduce pain.

T he home can also house up to 20 hospice residents.

St Joseph’ s H ome was set up

by Catholic W elf are Serv ices in collaboration with the Canossian Sisters at G ek Poh R oad ( currently part of Jurong W est)

A b ove : A rch b ish op W il l iam G oh and D r A m y K h or , S enior M inist er of State for ealth got a first-hand exp erience of virt ual real it y t ech nol ogy at S t Jos ep h ’ s H om e resid ent s. I t is a p ro j ect b y W est w o d S econ d ary S ch ol st ud ent s.

in 19 7 8 . I n 19 9 3 , the home mov ed to its current location where it remained until September 20 14 . I t later mov ed to temporary premises at 9 M andai E state due to redev elopment work s. I t mov ed back to its current location in 20 17 .

T he six-storey home can now accommodate up to 4 12 residents. n jared.ng@catholic.org.sg

Ot he t he ane f or upt andi f or

r en hom

w f e ta ur e s o f e i nc l ude w ed m e nt i aw ra d 72ro e s i de tn s ndor pol yh dr ot he r apy .

M id d l e p h ot o: A rch b ish op G oh , D r K h or ( on h is righ t ) and S r G eral d ine T an ( on h is l ef t ) , exe cut ive d irect or of t h e h om e, w ere am on g t h os e p resent t o cel eb rat e t h e 40t h anniversary of S t Jos ep h ’ s H om e.

B ot t om p h ot o: A S t Jos ep h ’ s H om e resid ent w or k ing on a p uz z l e.

ASIA 11

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

Catholics in Indonesia urged to be alert during Holy Week JAKARTA – Church officials have the Religious Affairs Ministry’s called on Catholics in Indonesia Directorate General for Catholic to stay alert in the run up to and Community Guidance issued a cirduring Holy Week following a cular following the church attack, number of attacks on churches in calling on Catholics to stay alert. several parts of the country.

“Security in churches must be On March 8, six men smashed tightened and cooperation with their way into a chapel in Ogan police and security personnel Ilir district in South Sumatra and must be improved,” he said. burned statues and liturgical items Capuchin Archbishop Anicetus before escaping.

Bongsu Sinaga of Medan in North A month earlier on Feb 11, a man Sumatra said the church attacks armed with a sword have made Catholics burst in on a Sunday more vigilant. “But be Se c ur i t y i n Mass at a church in inclusive, don’t create c hur c he s m us t Yogyakarta’s Sleman enemies,” he said. district and attacked He said the Imbe t i ght e ne d a Dutch priest and maculate Concepandc ope r at i on three parishioners. tion of Mary Cathe“We call on each dral Church formed w i t hpol ic e parish and mission a 12-member secuands e c ur i t y station to stay alert rity team following ahead of the obseran attack on a priest pe r s one l m us t vance of Holy Week during Sunday Mass be i m pr ov e d. and Easter. This is at a church in Medan very important,” Sa- – Fr Franciscus Xaverius in August 2016. cred Heart of Jesus Sukendar Wignyosumarta Besides attackFather Felix Astono ing the priest with an Atmojo, vicar-general of Palem- axe, the teenage attacker also atbang Archdiocese in South Suma- tempted to detonate a bomb in his tra, said on March 13. backpack, which failed to explode.

He also called on Catholics to Ms Maria Theresia Erlien, a continue building good relations parishioner of St Joseph Church with people from other religious in Matraman, East Jakarta, said backgrounds. “It was sad to see the call for alertness should get the attack. But we can learn from serious attention. it; we need to continue to promote Four people were killed in a togetherness,” he said. bomb blast at the church on ChristIn Semarang archdiocese, mas Eve, 2000. “Being vigilant is which also serves Yogyakarta, important despite security personnel Vicar General Fr Franciscus Xave- usually being deployed [for Holy rius Sukendar Wignyosumarta said Week],” she said. n UCANEWS.COM

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Bishops hope pope will visit Pakistan VATICAN CITY – Sitting in a small

circle with Pope Francis in the papal library, five bishops of Pakistan felt like they were having a family discussion, including about their problems, said Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Islamabad-Rawalpindi.

The archbishop, president of the Pakistan bishops’ conference, spoke to Vatican News on March 15 after the meeting with the pope as part of the Pakistani bishops’ ad l i m i na v i s i t s , which every bishop in the world makes to the Vatican periodically to report on the status of his diocese, to discuss his diocese’s most pressing concerns and to affirm bonds with the pope.

The problems of Pakistan’s small Catholic community – just 2 percent of the population – are serious, the archbishop said. But some of the worst problems – like discrimination or becoming victims of an abuse of the country’s antiblasphemy laws – impact other

groups as well, including members of the Muslim majority, he said.

For example, he said, while there are famous cases of Christians falsely being accused of blasphemy against Islam and the prophet Muhammad, the same happens to Muslims. But, he said, “the government is taking steps” to make it harder to abuse the law.

And, Archbishop Arshad said, Catholic leaders in the country continue to be committed to dialogue with their Muslim counterparts, which “is very important”.

“If circumstances permit,” he said, “we would like the Holy Father to come visit us because he loves us.”

The other bishops making their ad l i m i na visits were Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi, Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad, Archbishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore and Bishop Benny Mario Travas of Multan. n CNS

Indonesian Catholics re-enact Jesus’ walk to Calvary on Good Friday in this file photo. A number of churches have been attacked in the country over the past months. CNSphot o

12 ASIA

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

Catholic leaders criticise Duterte’s withdrawal of Philippines from ICC

Catholics urge Japan to atone over ‘comfort women’

CNS photo

Seve ral Philippine Catholic leaders criticised President R odrigo Duterte’ s M arch 13 decision that he was withdrawing the country f rom the I nternational Criminal Court ( I CC) , which is inve stigating his international war on drugs.

“T he Philippines is not Duterte,” said M anila Auxiliary B ishop B roderick Pabillo, head of the E piscopal Commission on the L aity. H is remark s were reported by Asian Church news portal ucanews. com.

T he bishop said the president’ s decision only showed that there might be a basis f or the allegations leve lled against him. “[ H e] is af raid of accountability. Duterte should be inve stigated,” said B ishop Pabillo.

U canews. com reported that B ishop Arturo B astes of Sorsogon said the president might be “simply af raid” of a possible conv iction f or his “crimes against humanity. ” “H is withdrawal . . . is an act of cowardice that mak es his name more inf amous,” added the prelate.

M r Duterte accused U N special rapporteurs and I CC inv estigators of painting him as a “ruthless and heartless v iolator of human rights who allegedly caused thousands of extrajudicial k illings. ” T he president complained about what he said were “baseless,

M ANIL A

–

P op

e Francis gr eet s ‘ com f or t w om en’ at M yon gd on g cat h ed ral in S eou l in C at h ol ic inst it ut ion s in t h e cou nt ry h ave urge d Jap an t o ap ol ogi se ove r using t h e w om en as sex w or k ers d uring W or l d W ar I I . CNS file photo 2014.

P h il ip p ine P resid ent R o d rig o D ut ert e w as crit icised b y C at h o l ic l ead ers f o r h is d ecisio n t o w it h d raw t h e P h il ip p ines f ro m t h e I nt ernat io nal C rim inal C o urt .

unprecedented and outrageous attacks on my person and against my administration, engineered by officials of the nited Nations.”

Franciscan Fr Pete M ontallana said only the truth can set M r Duterte f ree.

“L et him be courageous enough to f ace inv estigation to prov e that he has nothing to hide,” he said.

Sr M ary John M ananz an, a B enedictine nun who helped organise the M ove ment Against

T yranny opposition group, called M r Duterte’ s withdrawal f rom the I CC “cowardly.”

H owev er, B ishop R uperto Santos of B alanga said the Philippines is sov ereign and independent, and whoev er commits a crime “should be tried here with our people. ” B y law, the I nternational Criminal Court can only inv estigate and prosecute the crimes in situations where states are “unable” or “unwilling” to do so themselv es. n CNS

colonial rule. W e should look into S E O U L – A coalition of Catholic institutions in South K orea has the comf ort women issue f airly,” called on the Japanese gove rn- said Abbot B lasio Park , who also ment to apologise f or f orcing serv es as the Apostolic Administra“comf ort women” f rom Asia to tor of T ok won in N orth K orea.

T he prelate criticised T ok yo provi de sexual servi ces f or its f or continuously denying it ran a troops during W orld W ar I I .

U nlike G ermany, Japan has wartime policy of recruiting or enneve r committed itself to maki ng slav ing comf ort women despite ev iamends f or alleged war crimes dence and testimony to the contrary.

“T he K orea-Japan Comf ort against its Asian neighbours, a constant source of ve xation f or W omen Agreement should be nulcountries like South K orea that lified because it was formulated in disregard to the v iews of v ictims,” f ell under its colonial rule.

T he N ational Catholic Action he said, ref erring to a deal reached f or N ullity of K orea-Japan Comf ort in December 20 15 that of f ered some compensation W omen Agreement no apology. and Just and E v anAbbot Blasio but At the end of his gelical Settlement conducted a M ass in Park criticised trip to South K orea in N ove mber 2014, f ront of the Japanese Tokyo for Pope Francis met with embassy in downtown continuously seve n comf ort women Seoul on M arch 1 and ask ed T ok yo to settle denying it ran a at M yeongdong Cathedral in Seoul bethe matter in a just and wartime policy f ore attending a M ass f air manner.

M arch 1 mark ed of enslaving calling f or inter-K orean reconciliation. the 9 9 th anniv ersary T he women, many of what in K orea is comfort women. of whom are Catholic, k nown as Samiljeol, or the M arch First I ndependence staged weekl y demonstrations in M ov ement Day, one of the earliest f ront of the Japanese embassy f or displays of K orean resistance to years but f ew are alive today.

T he coalition is made up of Japanese rule.

T he M ass was presided ove r diocesan justice and peace comby Abbot B lasio Park H yun-dong mittees, religious institutions and of St B enedict W aegwan Abbey Catholic N G Os. I t has vow ed and other priests including Fr Paul to press its demands by of f ering M oon K yu-hyun, a social activi st, M asses eve ry M ay 2 and Aug 14.

Aug 14 is a day named in tribute and Jesuit Fr N aka i Jun of Japan.

“T oday is the day to recall the to the comf ort women in South unsolv ed problems during Japanese K orea. n UCANEWS.COM

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

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14 WORLD

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

US Church offers prayers after bridge collapse W AS H ING TO N – T he Archdiocese of M iami said it was praying f or those af f ected by the collapse of the pedestrian bridge near Florida I nternational U niv ersity on M arch 15 .

Six people died in the incident.

V ia T witter, the archdiocese said it was “saddened to learn of the tragic ev ent that has af f ected our community this af ternoon.

Please join us in praying f or ev eryone inv olv ed. ” T he archdiocese also said on

M arch 15 that it was praying f or v ictims, those injured, their lov ed ones, first responders and the univ ersity community.

N ews reports said that because of a red light, v arious cars had stopped under the bridge, which had been lif ted into place just days bef ore it collapsed.

Some are q uestioning the construction method used to build the 9 6 0 -ton structure meant to bring greater saf ety to those trying to cross the eight lanes of traffic below. n CNS

Investigators and police officers are seen at the site of a collapsed pedestrian b rid ge at Fl or id a I nt ernat ion al U niversit y i n M iam i. CNSphot o

Pope to visit Baltic states in September VATICAN CITY – T he V atican an-

nounced that Pope Francis will make a f our-day trip to L ithuania, L atvi a and E stonia in September.

I n a statement released on M arch 9, V atican spoke sman G reg Burke said the pope will visit five cities during the Sept 22-25 trip, including V ilnius and K aunas in L ithuania, R iga and Aglona in L atvi a, and T allinn, E stonia.

T he pope’ s schedule, M r B urke said, “will be published shortly” .

T he pope’ s vi sit coincides with the 100t h annive rsary of all three B altic countries declaring their independence f rom R ussia in 1918. L ithuania, L atvi a and E stonia were incorporated into the Sovi et U nion in 1940 until 1991, shortly bef ore the socialist state was dissolv ed.

T his will be the second vi sit f rom a pontif f to the three B altic nations. St John Paul I I vi sited L ithuania, L atvi a and E stonia in September 1993. n CNS

Vatican official urges financial support for Mideast Christians

isplaced people sit in a truck with their belongings in Afrin Syria. he head of the Congregation for astern Churches has urged aid for Christians suffering from the turmoil in the iddle ast. CNSphot o VATICAN CITY – Christians in the

M iddle E ast, particularly those who hav e been f orced f rom their homes by v iolence and persecution, need the support of the Catholic Church, a Vatican official said.

“L et us show them concretely our closeness, through our constant prayer and through our monetary aid,” said Cardinal L eonardo Sandri, pref ect of the Congregation f or E astern Churches.

Such support is especially k ey now that the N inev ah Plain in I raq has been liberated f rom the I slamic State and “most I raq i Christians and Syrians want to return to their own land where their houses were destroyed, with schools, hospitals and churches dev astated. L et us not leav e them alone,” he said in a letter sent to bishops around the world.

T he V atican released a copy of the letter on M arch 12.

I n the letter, the cardinal urged Catholics around the world to giv e to the annual collection f or the H oly L and on G ood Friday or on the date established by their local bishops’ conf erence. T he collection was established in 16 18 by Pope Paul V

to support E astern-rite Churches in communion with R ome and maintenance of holy sites under Catholic care in the H oly L and.

T he cardinal wrote that the traditional collection is a way f or Catholics worldwide “to be one with our brethren in the H oly L and and the M iddle E ast” .

“U nf ortunately, f rom those territories, the outcry of thousands of persons who are deprive d of eve rything, at times eve n of their own human dignity, continues to reach us, breaki ng our hearts and invi ting us to embrace them through Christian charity, a sure source of hope,” he wrote.

T he majority of the f unds go

‘L c e onc t us

s owh t he m r e t e l y our c l os e ne s s ,t hr ough uro c ons t ant pr ay e r ndta hr oughr m one t ar y ai d.

’

Cardinal eonardo Sandri

to the Franciscan Custody of the H oly L and, an administrativ ely autonomous prov ince of the Franciscan order that is responsible f or most of the shrines connected with the lif e of Jesus as well as f or prov iding pastoral care to the region’ s Christians: running schools, dev eloping low-cost housing, operating charitable institutions and training f uture priests and R eligious.

T he congregation uses the remaining f unds f or the f ormation and support of seminarians, priests and R eligious, and to help cov er educational costs f or young students.

Along with Cardinal Sandri’ s letter, the Vatican press office released some details of how the congregation disbursed the U S$ 7 . 2 million ( S$ 9 4 . 8 million) raised in 20 17 .

N early U S$ 9 0 0 ,0 0 0 was prov ided in emergency assistance to R eligious in Syria and f or extra support in Jerusalem; more than U S$ 8 . 3 million was used to support Catholic education at ev ery lev el; and about U S$ 1. 6 million went to support churches in Jerusalem, Jordan, I raq , I ran, L ebanon, T urk ey, E gypt, E thiopia and E ritrea. n CNS

Intercessory prayers require courage, persistence VATICAN CITY – Praying f or

G od’ s intercession take s courage, dogged persistence and patience, said Pope Francis.

“I f I want the L ord to listen to what I am aski ng him, I have to go, and go and go – knoc k on the door and knoc k on G od’ s heart,” the pope said in his homily on M arch 15 at morning M ass in his residence.

“W e cannot promise someone we will pray f or him or her

and then say an ‘ Our Father’ and a ‘ H ail M ary’ and then leave it at that. N o. I f you say you’ ll pray f or another, you have to take this path. And you need patience,” he said.

Pope Francis’ homily f ocused on the day’ s reading f rom the B ook of E xodus ( 32: 7- 14) , in which M oses interceded f or his people.

“For prayers of intercession, you need two things: courage,

that is par r he s i a, and patience,” he said.

People’ s hearts must be truly inve sted in the thing or person they are praying f or; otherwise not eve n courage and patience will be enough to ke ep going, he added.

People should ask G od f or the grace to pray f rankl y and f reely to G od, as sons and daughters would talk to their f ather, know ing that “my f ather will listen to me” , Pope Francis said. n

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Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

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16 WORLD

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

Church leaders praise Hawking for contribution to science, dialogue CITY – T heoretical physicist Stephen H awk ing, who said he did not believ e in G od, was still an esteemed member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and fostered a fruitful dialogue between science and f aith.

T he academy, which Pope Pius I X established in 18 4 7 , tweeted, “We are deeply saddened about the passing of our remarkable Academician Stephen # H awk ing who was so f aithf ul to our academy. ” “H e told the f our popes he met that he wanted to advance the relationship between faith and scientific reason. We pray the Lord to welcome him in his glory,” @ CasinaPioIV, the academy, tweeted on M arch 14 .

T he V atican observ atory, @ SpecolaV aticana, also expressed its condolences to H awk ing’ s f amily.

“We value the enormous scientific contribution he has made to q uantum cosmology and the courage he had in f acing illness,” the observ atory tweeted in I talian.

VATICAN

The British-born theoretical physicist, cosmologist and popular author died on M arch 14 at the age of 7 6 .

Cardinal V incent N ichols of W estminster tweeted, “W e thank Stephen Hawking for his outstanding contribution to science.

As a member of the Pontifical Academy of Science, he will be missed and mourned there, too. ” Anglican Archbishop Justin W elby of Canterbury tweeted, “Prof essor Stephen H awk ing’ s contribution to science was as limitless as the universe he devoted his lif e to understanding. H is was a lif e liv ed with brav ery and passion. As we pray for all those who mourn him, may he rest in peace.

St John Paul II named Hawking a member of the papal acad-

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e Francis gr eet s S t ep h en H aw k ing d uring an aud ience w it h p art icip ant s at t end ing a p l enary session of t h e ontifical Academy of Sciences at the atican on ov . awking the ritish-born theoretical physicist cosmologist and popular author died on arch at the age of . CNS file photo

emy in 19 8 6 . T he academy’ s members are chosen on the basis of their academic credentials and professional expertise – not religious belief s.

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gave the then 33-year-old scientist the prestigious Pius X I gold medal in 19 7 5 af ter a unanimous vote by the academy in recognition of his great work, exceptional promise and “important contribution of his research to scientific progress. ” H awk ing had most recently met Pope Francis when he delivered his presentation on “The Origin of the niverse” at the academy’ s plenary session on science and sustainability in 20 16 .

Although he was an avowed atheist, this did not k eep him f rom engaging in dialogue and debate with the Church as his work and contribution to the papal academy showed.

H e also debated on CN N ’ s “Larry King Live” in 2010 with Jesuit Fr Robert Spit er – a philosopher and educator – ov er the scientific underpinnings of the beginning of the univ erse and the theological arguments for the existence of G od. n CNS

SJI Open House 14 April 2018 | 9am 9am - 1pm 1pm Register at www.sji.edu.sg

Nurturing Men of Integrity and Men For Others

POPE FRANCIS 17

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

Pontiff asks youth to help rejuvenate Church; youth ask Church to listen Event held in preparation for the Synod of Bishops meeting on young people in October RO M E – T he Catholic Church needs the enthusiasm, daring and hope of young people so that it can preach the G ospel energetically and respond to the que stions men and women raise today, Pope Francis told some 30 young adults.

“W e need to rediscove r in the L ord the strength to get up af ter f ailure, to mov e f orward, to strengthen hope f or the f uture,” the pope said on M arch 19, opening a week- long meeting in preparation f or October’ s Synod of B ishops.

M ost of the young people gathered with the pope at the L egionaries of Christ’ s M aria M ater E cclesia College in R ome were chosen as delegates by their national bishops’ conf erences.

Others represented a va riety of Catholic move ments or ministries, including R eligious lif e. B ut the V atican also invi ted delegates f rom other Christian Churches, other religions, including I slam, and young people who describe themselve s as nonbelieve rs.

Pope Francis told the young people that they are the ones who can help the Church fight “the logic of ‘ it’ s always been done this way.’ ” T he Church and its members must continue to go out, continue aski ng what G od is calling them to and continue finding new ways to respond, the pope said.

Of course, he said, eve ryone must “ke ep an eye on the roots” of the Church and preserve its essential teachings, but they also must find creative ways to share those teachings and re ect on how the G ospel responds to people’ s que stions today.

Spending the morning with the young people, Pope Francis heard directly f rom 10 of them, who represented ev ery region of the world.

Some lamented the amount of time their peers spend on social media, while others spok e of how technol-

had not been baptised, but had q uestions about the meaning of his lif e and his relationship to the world and to G od, if G od exists. H e said he was not sure if he wanted to approach the Catholic Church f or help because it is so big and he didn’ t want to giv e up his f reedom. B ut he ask ed the pope where he should start.

“Y ou hav e already begun,” the pope told him. “T he danger is not allowing the q uestion to come up. ” Y oung people must hav e “the courage to tell themselv es the nak ed truth” about their hopes and weak nesses, the pope said, and then they must find a wise person – someone patient, “who won’ t be f rightened by anything” – with whom they can talk through their q uestions.

Disconnected from the Church P o p e Francis sp eak ing at a p re- sy no d g at h ering o f y o ut h d el eg at es in R o m e o n M arch 1 9 . A l so p ict ured are C ard inal L o renz o B al d isseri ( l ef t ) , secret ary - g eneral o f t h e S y no d o f B ish o p s, and U S C ard inal K evin J . Farrel l , p ref ect o f t h e V at ican’ s D icast ery f o r L ait y , Fam il y and L if e. CNS p h o t o s

A ust ral ian d el egat e A nge l a M ark as sp eak ing at t h e p re- syn od ag t h ering of you t h d el ega t es.

ogy helps connect young people and rally them in support of good causes. Some talk ed of a need f or better catechesis and support in fighting the “culture of relativism,” while others ask ed f or an open and honest discussion of the Church’ s teaching on sexuality and on the role of women in the Church.

P po e Francis gr eet s a you d el egat es.

ng m an d uring t h e p re- syn od

About tattoos And one, a seminarian f rom U kr aine, aske d about tattoos.

Y ulian V endz ilov ych, a seminarian at H oly Spirit Seminary in L v iv , ask ed the pope how a young priest is to judge which parts of modern culture are good and which

Pope to celebrate Holy Thursday in prison VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis

will once again celebrate the H oly T hursday M ass of the L ord’ s Supper in a prison and wash the f eet of 12 inmates.

T he pope will celebrate the eve ning M ass on M arch 29 at R ome’ s R egina Coeli prison, the V atican announced on M arch 20.

B ef ore M ass, the pope will vi sit sick inmates in the prison infirmary, the Vatican said. He will celebrate the M ass and wash the f eet of 12 inmates in the prison’ s central rotunda and, af terward, will meet some inmates in the prison’ s Section V I I I , a protected section of the prison f or inmates

convi cted of sexual crimes and other inmates who could be in danger in the general population.

A f ormer conve nt built in the 160s , R egina Coeli has operated as a prison since the 1890s . M ore than half of the inmates are nonI talians.

From the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has celebrated the annual H oly T hursday eve ning liturgy at a place of particular suf f ering. H is immediate predecessors celebrated the M ass either in either St Peter’ s B asilica or the B asilica of St John L ateran.

In 2013, for his first papal celebration of H oly T hursday, he

went to R ome’ s Casal del M armo juv enile detention centre, where he washed the f eet of young male and f emale of f enders. T he next year, he presided ov er the M ass and f oot-washing ritual at a rehabilitation f acility f or the elderly and people with disabilities on the outsk irts of R ome.

I n 20 15 , he went to R ome’ s main prison, R ebibbia, where he celebrated the M ass with the male prisoners there and women f rom a nearby women’ s detention f acility.

I n 20 16 , he celebrated with ref ugees at a centre north of R ome.

And, in 20 17 , he went to a prison in Paliano, near R ome. n CNS

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are not. H e used the example of tattoos, which many young people believ e “express true beauty,” he said.

“Don’ t be af raid of tattoos,” the pope responded, noting that f or centuries E ritrean Christians and others hav e gotten tattoos of the cross.

“Of course, there can be exaggerations,” the pope said. B ut a tattoo “is a sign of belonging,” and ask ing a young person about his or her tattoos can be a great place to begin a dialogue about priorities, v alues, belonging, “and then you can approach the culture of the young. ”

Journey towards Catholicism A young man f rom France, M r M axime R assion, told the pope he

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L ike many of the speake rs, M s Angela M arka s, a Chaldean Catholic and a delegate f rom Australia, spoke to Pope Francis and her peers about young people’ s que stions regarding their identity.

“As youth, we are in need of guidance,” she said. B ut f rom talki ng to f riends, f amily and young people she tutors, “I f eel young people are less drawn to seek this guidance f rom someone associated with the Church. T here are many reasons, but a consistent one is that youth f eel disconnected f rom the Church.”

“Y outh do not always f eel they hav e a place in the Church,” she said. “T hey need a place where they f eel saf e, welcomed and lov ed. ” B ut they also want the Church to take them and their concerns seriously, M s M arka s said. “T here is a tendency in the Church to avoi d matters that are not so easy to talk about. T his includes same-sex marriage, our sexuality, and also the role of women in the Church.”

M r N ick L opez , a campus minister at the U nive rsity of Dallas and a delegate chosen by the U S Conf erence of Catholic B ishops, also addressed the opening session with the pope.

M any young people today, he said, have already decided that the Church is not releva nt to them.

B ut they are still searching, and Church members should go out to meet them and help them see that Christ is the answer to many of their que stions, he added. n CNS

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18 POPE FRANCIS

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

Pope: imitate St Pio’s care for poor S AN G IO VANNI RO TO ND O , ITAL Y – M any people admire St Padre

Pio, but too f ew imitate him, especially in his care f or the weak , the sick and those whom modern culture treats as disposable, Pope Francis said during M ass at Padre Pio’ s shrine.

“M any are ready to ‘ lik e’ the page of the great saints, but who does what they do? ” the pope ask ed on M arch 17 . “T he Christian lif e is not an ‘ I lik e,’ but an ‘ I giv e myself . ’ ” Pope Francis celebrated the M ass outside the Shrine of St Pio of Pietrelcina with about 3 0 ,0 0 0 people af ter v isiting children in the cancer ward of the hospital St Pio f ounded, Casa Solliev o della Sof f erenz a ( H ouse f or the R elief of Suf f ering) .

I n his homily, the pope reected on three words that both summarised the day’ s readings and, he said, the lif e of Padre Pio: prayer, smallness and wisdom.

Smallness, he said, calls to mind those whose hearts who are humble, poor and needy lik e the young patients cared f or in Padre Pio’ s hospital and those who in today’ s world are unwanted and discarded.

P po e Francis p rays in f ron t of t on d o, I t al y . CNSphot o

t h e b od

Departing f rom his prepared text, Pope Francis said he remembers being taught in school about the Spartans, who, “when a boy or girl was born with malf ormations, they would tak e them

y of

S t P io in t h e C h urch of

S ant a M aria d el l e G raz ie in S an G iovan ni R o -

to the top of the mountain and throw them ov er. ” “W e children would say, ‘ H ow cruel,’ ” the pope said.

B ut, “brothers and sisters, we do the same. W ith more cruelty

and more k nowledge. W hatev er isn’ t usef ul, whatev er doesn’ t produce, is thrown away. T his is the throwaway culture. T he little ones are not wanted today. ” “T hose who tak e care of children are on the side of G od and def eat the throwaway culture, which, on the contrary, pref ers the powerf ul and considers the poor useless,” he said. “T hose who pref er the little ones proclaim a prophecy of lif e against the prophets of death of ev ery age. ” Only with wisdom, motiv ated by lov e and charity f or others, can true strength be f ound, he said. Christians aren’ t called sim-

ply to admire great saints lik e Padre Pio, but rather to imitate their way of fighting evil wisely “with humility, with obedience, with the cross, of f ering pain f or lov e” .

Prayer, he said, is “a gesture of love” that is often sti ed by excuses and leads to Christians f orgetting that without G od “we can do nothing” .

“W e must ask ourselv es: do our prayers resemble that of Jesus or are they reduced to occasional emergency calls? Or do we use them as tranq uilisers to be tak en in regular doses to reliev e stress? ” the pope ask ed.

Padre Pio recognised throughout his lif e that prayer “heals the sick, sanctifies work, elevates healthcare and giv es moral strength” , he said.

Pope Francis began his day of tribute to St Pio with an early morning v isit to Pietrelcina, where the Capuchin saint was born in 18 8 7 .

T housands waited outside the sq uare of the Chapel of the Stigmata which houses a piece of the elm tree Padre Pio sat in f ront of when he first received the stigmata – wounds on his f eet, hands and side corresponding to those Jesus suffered at the crucifixion – in September 19 18 .

Pope Francis entered the chapel where he prayed priv ately f or sev eral minutes bef ore mak ing his way to the sq uare to greet the f aithf ul.

T he pope said that it was in Pietrelcina that the f uture saint “strengthened his own humanity, where he learned to pray and recognise in the poor the esh of Christ” . n CNS

P adr e P i o‘ l e ar ne dt opr ay nda recognise in the poor the esh of Chr i s t ’ ,s ai dP ope F r anc i s .

Catholics urged to dialogue with govt leaders VATICAN CITY – L iberating the

poor, the oppressed and the persecuted is an integral part of what G od wants his Church to do, Pope Francis said.

“I n order to set f ree those who today are oppressed, rejected and enslave d,” Catholics must promote dialogue with gove rnment leaders, “a dialogue that take s into account people’ s actual experiences, suf f erings and aspirations, in order to remind eve ryone once more of his or her responsibilities,” he told Catholic leaders worki ng on ref ugee and migration issues.

T hat dialogue is ke y to help deve lop “much-needed new ways f or the international community to respond with f oresight to these

phenomena typical our time” , he said on M arch 8.

T he pope’ s comments came in his address to participants in the plenary council of the I nternational Catholic M igration Commission, which was meeting in R ome.

Pope Francis praised the commission’ s work ove r the past 67 years, noting how it also of f ers expert assistance to bishops’ conf erences and dioceses to respond to local and national challenges.

“I t is my hope that this work will continue to inspire local churches to do all they can f or persons f orced to leave their home countries and who, all too of ten, become vi ctims of dishonesty, vi olence and abuse of eve ry sort,” he said. n CNS

POPE FRANCIS 19

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

Retired pope slams criticism of Pope Francis VATICAN CITY – On the ev e of Christian,” the retired pontif f the f if th anniv ersary of Pope wrote.

Francis’ election, retired Pope M sgr V igano read the letB enedict X V I def ended the con- ter during a presentation of the tinuity of the Church’ s teach- 11-vol ume series on M arch 12. ing under his successor and H e said he had sent a message to dismissed those who Pope Francis and Pope criticise the pope’ s B enedict regarding P ope theological f oundathe publication of the tions. book s eries.

F r anc i s i s I n a letter sent to H e also aske d if am anw ith M sgr Dario V igano, Pope B enedict would pref ect of the V atican be “willing to write a pr of ound Secretariat f or Compage or a page and a l os ophi c al munication, Pope phi half of dense theology B enedict applauded in his clear and puncand the publication of a tual style” . t he ol ogi c al new book series tiI nstead, the retired f or m at i on. tled T he T heology of pontif f “wrote a beauPope Francis. tif ul, personal letter,” – P op e B ened ict “I t contradicts the M sgr V igano said. f oolish prejudice of Pope B enedict those who see Pope Francis as thanke d M sgr V igano f or havi ng someone who lack s a particular give n him a copy of the book setheological and philosophical f or- ries, which was authored by sev mation, while I would have been eral notable theologians. considered solely a theorist of “T hese small v olumes reatheology with little understand- sonably demonstrate that Pope ing of the concrete live s of today’ s Francis is a man with prof ound

‘

’

etired ope enedict is seen talking with ope Francis in this file photo. he retired pontiff has criticised the foolish pre udice’ of those who see his successor as lacking a particular theological and philosophical formation’. CNS p h o t o

philosophical and theological f ormation and are helpf ul to see the interior continuity between the two pontificates, even with all the dif f erences in style and temperament,” the retired pope wrote.

Pope B enedict has made no

secret of his af f ection f or and admiration of Pope Francis.

During a V atican celebration f or the 65t h annive rsary of Pope B enedict’ s priestly ordination on June 28, 2016, the retired pope expressed his gratef ulness to Pope Francis, saying that his goodness

“from the first moment of your election, in eve ry moment of my lif e here, touches me deeply” .

“M ore than the beauty f ound in the V atican G ardens, your goodness is the place where I live ; I f eel protected,” Pope B enedict said. n CNS

20 OPINION

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

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REFLECTION

Challenging how we perceive people, faith B yM

sgr P h il ip H eng, S

J

T his morning, one of the “homeless poor” ( M r Chan, not his real name) came to our Cathedral of the G ood Shepherd f or his usual monthly financial support.

M r Chan is 62 years old. H e shared with us that he really thinks he is not going to live much longer; not more than three years, as he has many illnesses. H e has been homeless f or some years, sleeping on the streets.

W hen he came to us, he nev er ask ed f or money f or f ood. H e just wanted a shelter as it was cold sleeping on v oid deck s and street corners.

H is bones get v ery painf ul due to his bone degenerativ e disease.

One of our Cathedral Social M ission ministry v olunteers noticed that when M r Chan was waiting f or his turn to be intervi ewed, he took out buns f rom his bag and shared them with the others who were in the que ue. W hen aske d about what he did, he remarke d, “One bun is enough f or me, the others looke d hungry.” B ecause M r Chan is poor and has f elt cold and hunger, he f elt f or others.

T hrough our advi ce, he is now receiving financial assistance from SSO Social Service Office , applied for a HDB rental at and has a f ree medical card as he is ve ry sickl y. M eanwhile, our Cathedral Social M ission is provi ding rental f or his shelter.

T his morning, M r Chan shared that he wants to nominate our cathedral as the beneficiary of his CPF, so that we can continue to help others who are poor. H e shared that he has no f amily, f riends or relativ es, and he is v ery touched by our Church’ s social outreach to him, and caring f or him with dignity and respect.

M r Chan is not a Catholic, but recently, he was seen attending M ass. I was ve ry touched by M r Chan’ s deep gratitude and sincerity of heart. H e is only one among the other many poor who come to our cathedral, with such gratitude and sincerity of heart, f or monthly financial assistance.

M r Chan has specially reaf firmed my perceptions of the “poor and needy” . T hey are sent to us by G od who wants us to embrace them with H is compassionate love and care, through our Cathedral’ s Social M ission ministry.

I n the livi ng of our f aith daily, each of us has certain perceptions of G od, lif e and people. M any of us perceive the “poor and needy” narrowly and negative ly, and ke ep a “distance” f rom them.

Can we honestly say to Jesus that we have deep empathy f or

hunger pangs of an empty stomach, and the hurts of rejection by people.

Y et, many of their hearts, like Mr Chan, are filled with deep gratitude and sincerity, when we reach out to them with respect, dignity and compassion.

I f we have not “seen and experienced” this side of the poor and needy, then in all probability we have “insulated and isolated” ourselve s f rom them. I f so, how then are we to experience such gratitude and sincerity in such persons of G od, in our midst?

T h e H mo el ess Je sus scul p t ure at t h e cat h ed ral . T h e need y are sent t o us b y G od w h o w ant s us t o e m b race t h em w it h H is com p assion at e l ove .

Many of us pe r c e i v e t he op or ande e dy nar r ow l y and ne gat i v e l y ,andk e e p adi s t anc e f r om t he m . these anw i m ( H ebrew: the poor who depend on the L ord’ s delive rance) of our society?

H ow many of us f eel the compassionate love of Christ f or them?

W hat if we were in their shoes, and are shunned as “shameless beggars, drunka rds, the laz y and useless in society” ? H ow would we f eel if we were in their shoes?

W hat is Jesus saying to us during this H oly W eek and E aster season? Are these a n a w i m not precious children of G od? T hey also have a human heart of esh like our spouse, children, siblings, parents and grandparents, who also f eel the cold piercing their bones, the

L ik ewise, as we prepare our hearts f or H oly W eek and the E aster season, let us also challenge the perceptions we hav e of our f aith.

L et us ask f or G od’ s transf orming lov e to challenge our perceptions of the people we relate to daily; not only the poor and needy, but especially our f amily, relativ es, f riends and Church communities.

L et us put on Christ-like perceptions, indeed the perceptions of the R isen Christ, and neve r assume that our present perceptions do not need to be challenged to be more in accord with G od’ s will.

T o do this, we need the humility of heart to allow the H oly Spirit to challenge our perceptions and ref rame them into more Christlike perceptions, and continue to pray f or the wisdom of openness to allow ourselve s to be challenged by G od’ s transf orming, compassionate love . n Ms gr H e ng i s t he r e c t or of t he Cat he dr al of t he G odShe phe r d.

Lord, teach us to pray!

Un l e s s y o u s o m e h o w h a v e a f o o t o u t s i d e o f y o u r c u ltu re , th e c u ltu re w ill s w a llo w y o u w h o le .

American Jesuit priest and anti-war activ ist, Fr Daniel B errigan, wrote that and it’ s true too in this sense: U nless you can drink in strength f rom a source outside yourself , your natural procliv ities f or paranoia, bitterness and hatred will inv ariably swallow you whole.

T he disciples in St L uk e’ s G ospel understood this. T hey approached Jesus and ask ed H im to teach them how to pray because they saw H im doing things that they did not see anyone else doing. H e was able to meet hatred with lov e, to genuinely f orgiv e others, to endure misunderstanding and opposition without giv ing in to self -pity and bitterness, and to retain within H imself a centre of peace and nonv iolence.

T his, they k new, was as extraordinary as walk ing on water, and they sensed that H e was drawing the strength to do this f rom a source outside H im, through prayer.

T hey k new they themselv es were incapable of resisting bitterness and hatred and they wanted to be as strong as Jesus and so they ask ed H im: L o r d , t e a c h u s t o p r a y .

N o doubt they imagined that this would simply be a q uestion of learning a certain techniq ue; but as the G ospels mak e clear, link ing to a div ine source outside of ourselv es isn’ t always easy or automatic, ev en f or Jesus, as we see f rom H is struggle in the G arden of G ethsemane, H is “agony in the garden” .

Jesus, H imself , had to struggle mightily at times to ground H imself in G od as we see f rom H is prayer in G ethsemane. H is struggle there is described as an “agony” , and this needs to be caref ully understood. “Agony” was a technical term used at the time f or athletes.

B ef ore entering the stadium or arena f or a contest, athletes would first work their bodies into a sweat, a warm lather, an agony, to make their muscles warm and ready f or the contest.

T he G ospels tell us that Jesus also work ed H imself into a sweat, except that in H is case, H e sweated blood as H e readied H imself in H is heart f or the contest, the test H e was about to enter – H is passion.

Amidst all the dark ness, hatred, bitterness, injustice, and misunderstanding that surrounded H im, amidst ev erything that stood unf airly against H im and was antithetical to H is person and message, Jesus struggled mightily to cling to a source that could giv e H im the strength to resist the hatred and v iolence around H im, that could giv e H im the heart to f orgiv e H is enemies, that could giv e H im the graciousness to f orgiv e the good thief , and that could giv e H im the inner strength to turn humiliation, pain, and injustice into compassion rather than bitterness.

I n G ethsemane, Jesus stayed awak e to H is identity as G od’ s belov ed. H is disciples didn’ t.

As the G ospels tell us, during Jesus’ great struggle, they f ell asleep and their sleep ( “out of sheer sorrow” ) was more than physical f atigue. T his was ev ident when, immediately af ter Jesus has managed to ground H imself against hatred and v iolence, Peter succumbed to both and cut of f the ear of the high priest’ s serv ant. Peter was asleep, in more ways than one, in a sleep that signifies the absence of prayer in one’ s lif e.

Prayer is meant to k eep us awak e, which means it’ s meant to k eep us connected to a source outside of our natural instincts and procliv ities, which can k eep us grounded in lov e, f orgiv eness, nonretaliation, and non-v iolence.

L o rd , te a c h u s to p r a y ! n

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FOCUS 21

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

Three truths that parenting taught me about Lent No morning Masses on Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday.

Holy Thursday (March 29): Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Adoration till midnight.

Good Friday (March 30): Service only, no Mass.

Holy Saturday (March 31): Easter Vigil.

Easter Sunday (April 1) CITY DISTRICT CATHEDRAL OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD Holy Thursday: 7.30pm Good Friday: noon, 3pm & 6pm Holy Saturday: 8pm Easter Sunday: 8.30am, 10.30am, 1pm & 5.30pm

A f am il y p rays d uring M ass. T h is L ent , rem em b er t h e on es cl os est t o you T h ey m ay h ol d t h e t rut h s G od is w ait ing t o t each you . CNS file photo

.

more f ruit than trying to do it all.

The second What matters is Our greatest spiritual teachers can f aithf ulness, not success.

I t is not wrong to desire good be our nearest and dearest. T he f amiliar ones with whom we share f or our f amilies. B ut if we start to lust af ter idols of success, we can sinks and sheets and silve rware.

I don’ t mean that all f amilies lose sight of G od.

N o one is handing out trophies are f ull of prophets, pastors or at the end – to ki ds or parents. N o prof essors. B ut the simple f act of bumping up against each other’ s college scholarship, top-notch needs and aws can teach us vol- job, big house or comf ortable reumes about humility, f orgive ness tirement can guarantee joy or f ulfilment for us or our children. and f aith.

“W e are called upon not to be All of which come in handy successf ul, but to be f aithf ul,” said during L ent.

T his year as I prepared f or St T eresa of K olka ta. H er wisdom the season’ s practices of prayer, reminds us that society’ s end goal f asting and almsgivi ng, I real- is not the ultimate good.

I f we inv erted our v iew of L ent ised three truths my children have – not as a win-or-lose taught me about parcontest but as a slow enting and L ent.

The plans towards G od – The first You we made must walk we might discov er don’ t have to do ev ebe set aside what look s lik e f ailure rything. f aithf ulParents today f eel to take up the isnessactually if we k eep trying. pressure to give their une pected The third God is children eve ry opporin control, not you. tunity. K ids have bedirection Parents are no come ove rscheduled, in which more in control of their activi ties ove rtheir child’ s lif e than specialised. od leads. their own, despite our T ake youth sports, f or example – now a year-round secret wishes, our deepest prayers industry of trave l teams, elite and an entire industry of parenting coaches and of f season training experts, book s and solutions.

W e can give our children love , starting with the youngest players. M eanwhile, the widening gap comf ort, instruction and discibetween rich and poor means that pline as they grow. B ut we cannot many get lef t behind, lacki ng the shape them into our own creation resources that allow a lucky f ew or save them f rom the world ( or themselve s) . to play the game or join the club.

Lent is the same a journey of W heneve r our f amily opts f or less instead of more, I f eel the humility. N ot a do-it-yourself pronagging tug of guilt. W hat if our ject of self-fulfilment, but a gift of ki ds can’ t play high school sports growth to be receive d with head because they didn’ t start as pre- bowed.

T he plans we made must be schoolers?

Yet contrary to popular wis- set aside to take up the unexpected dom, I find that the less we fill our direction in which G od leads.

T his L ent, remember the ones f amily calendar, the more peace closest to you. T hey may hold the and contentment we f eel.

L ike wise, L ent can turn into truths G od is waiting to teach you. a competition – with ourselve s or n CNS others. T he Olympics of prayer, anucci is a mother writer and dif asting and almsgivi ng.

B ut less can be more f or the rector of a pro ect on vocation at the spiritual lif e, too. Picki ng one or Collegeville nstitute in Collegeville innesota SA. two simple practices of ten bears B yL

aura K el l y

ST JOSEPH’S CHURCH (VICTORIA STREET) Under renovation/restoration CHURCH OF STS PETER & PAUL

Holy Thursday: 7pm, 7pm (M* at chapel),

8.30pm (Cantonese at chapel) Good Friday: noon (M*), 3pm & 3pm (Cantonese at chapel) Holy Saturday: 8pm Easter Sunday: 8.30am (M*), 11am, 2pm (Cantonese) & 4pm

CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES

Holy Thursday: 8pm Good Friday: 3pm (2.30pm Stations of the

Cross), 6pm (T*) (Stations of the Cross after service) Holy Saturday: 8pm (English) & 11.30pm (T*) Easter Sunday: 7.30am, 9.30am (T*), 11.30am, 1pm & 6.30pm (T*) CHURCH OF THE SACRED HEART Holy Thursday: 6pm Good Friday: 2.30pm & 5.30pm Stations of the Cross followed by services Holy Saturday: 8pm with baptisms Easter Sunday: 9am, 10.30am, noon & 5.30pm

CHURCH OF OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE Holy Thursday: 7pm Good Friday: 9am (M*), noon & 3pm, 7pm (Stations of the Cross) Holy Saturday: 7.30pm Easter Sunday: 7.30am (M*); 9am, 10.45am & 5.30pm CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR Holy Thursday: 5pm & 7.30pm Good Friday: 7.30am (M*), 10am, 12.30pm & 3pm Holy Saturday: 8pm with baptisms Easter Sunday: 7am with baptisms (M*), 8.45am, 10.45am, 12.45pm, 3pm (Children’s Mass with baptisms) & 6pm CHURCH OF ST STEPHEN

Holy Thursday: 8pm Good Friday: 11am, 3pm. 8pm (Stations

of the Cross)

Holy Saturday: 9pm Easter Sunday: 9am, 11am & 5.30pm

CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY

Holy Thursday: 6pm & 8pm Good Friday: 8am (M*), 11am & 3pm Holy Saturday: 7.30pm Easter Sunday: 6.45am, 8am (M*), 9.45am,

11.30am & 5.30pm

CHURCH OF DIVINE MERCY

Holy Thursday: 7pm Good Friday: 9am, 11.30am, 3pm &

5.30pm (Stations of the Cross) Holy Saturday: 7pm Easter Sunday: 7am, 9am, 11.30am & 5.30pm NORTH DISTRICT ST JOSEPH CHURCH (BUKIT TIMAH)

SERANGOON DISTRICT CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY OF THE BVM

Holy Thursday: 6.30pm Good Friday: 8am, 10am Teochew

Stations of the Cross followed by service at 10.30am (M*), 1pm, 3pm & 5pm Holy Saturday: 7.30pm (English & Mandarin) Easter Sunday: 7.30am, 9.15am, 11am & 5.30pm CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY Holy Thursday: 6.30pm Good Friday: 10am (9.15am Stations of the Cross) & 3pm (2.15pm Stations of the Cross) Holy Saturday: 7.30pm Easter Sunday: 6.45am, 8.30am, 11.15am & 5.45pm CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS XAVIER

Holy Thursday: 7.30pm Good Friday: 9am, noon & 3pm Holy Saturday: 7.30pm Easter Sunday: 7am, 9am, 11am & 5.30pm

ST ANNE’S CHURCH

Holy Thursday: 7pm Good Friday: 8am, 11am & 3pm Holy Saturday: 8pm Easter Sunday: 7.15am, 9am, 11am & 6pm

CHURCH OF ST VINCENT DE PAUL

Holy Thursday: 8pm Good Friday: 11am (Tagalog), 3pm &

5.30pm

Holy Saturday: 8pm Easter Sunday: 7am, 9am, 11am & 6pm

CHURCH OF THE TRANSFIGURATION

Holy Thursday: 8pm Good Friday: 9am & 3pm, Stations of the

Holy Thursday: 6pm & 8pm Good Friday: 9am (M*), 11am & 3pm Holy Saturday: 7.30pm with baptisms Easter Sunday: 7.15am (M* with

Cross at 7pm

CHURCH OF ST TERESA Holy Thursday: 6.30pm Good Friday: 9.30am (Children’s Service at auditorium), 9.30am Stations of the Cross followed by service, 2.30pm Stations of the Cross followed by service Holy Saturday: 7.30pm Easter Sunday: 8.30am (Children’s Mass), 10.30am, 12.30pm & 5.30pm

CHURCH OF ST ANTHONY Holy Thursday: 7.30pm Good Friday: 9am, noon (M*), 3pm & 5pm (T*).

Holy Saturday: 7.30pm with baptisms & confirmation Easter Sunday: 7.30am (M*), 9.15am, 11.15am & 5.30pm

Holy Thursday: 7.30pm

CHURCH OF ST ALPHONSUS (NOVENA CHURCH) Holy Thursday: 8pm Good Friday: 3pm Holy Saturday: 8pm Easter Sunday: 8am, 10am, noon & 5.30pm

Holy Thursday: 6pm & 7.30pm Good Friday: 9am, 11.30am & 3pm

CHURCH OF ST BERNADETTE

Holy Thursday: 7.30pm Good Friday: 8am (M*), 11.30am

(Indonesian) & 3pm (2.30pm Stations of the Cross) Holy Saturday: 7.30pm Easter Sunday: 8am (M*), 9.30am, 11.15am, 1.15pm (Tagalog) & 5.30pm CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL Holy Thursday: 9pm Good Friday: 9am (M*), noon & 3pm (2pm Stations of the Cross) Holy Saturday: 8pm Easter Sunday: 8am (M*), 10am & 5.30pm EAST DISTRICT CHURCH OF THE HOLY FAMILY Holy Thursday: 7.30pm Good Friday: 9am, noon, 3pm & 5.30pm (M*) Holy Saturday: 7.30pm with baptisms Easter Sunday: 7.15am, 9.15am, 11.30am & 6pm (M*)

Holy Saturday: 8pm Easter Sunday: 7am, 9am, 11am & 5pm

WEST DISTRICT

baptisms), 9am, 11am & 5.30pm

CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

(Stations of the Cross after service) Holy Saturday: 7.30pm with baptisms Easter Sunday: 7am, 9.30am & 11.30am

CHURCH OF ST IGNATIUS

Good Friday: noon, 3pm & 6pm Holy Saturday: 8pm Easter Sunday: 6.45am, 8.15am, 10.15am, noon & 6pm BLESSED SACRAMENT CHURCH

Holy Thursday: 7pm Good Friday: 10am, 12.30pm (M*) & 3pm Holy Saturday: 8pm Easter Sunday: 7.30am, 9am (M*), 11am

& 5.30pm

CHURCH OF ST MARY OF THE ANGELS

Holy Thursday: 6pm, 8pm & midnight

(Tenebrae)

CHURCH OF THE RISEN CHRIST Holy Thursday: 4pm & 6pm Good Friday: 8am (M*), 11am, 3pm & 5pm Holy Saturday: 7.30pm Easter Sunday: 7am, 8.15am (M*), 9.45am, 11.30am (celebrated by Archbishop William Goh) & 6pm

Good Friday: 8.30 am (morning prayer), 9am, 11am, 1pm (M*), 3pm, 5pm & 7pm Holy Saturday: 9am (morning prayer) & 7.30pm Easter Sunday: 7.30am (M*), 9am, 11am, 1pm, 5pm & 7pm

CHURCH OF OUR LADY STAR OF THE SEA Holy Thursday: 6.30pm & 8pm Good Friday: 8am Stations of the Cross followed by service (M*). 10.15am Stations of the Cross followed by service.

1pm (T*). 3pm Stations of the Cross followed by service. 5.30pm (Tagalog) Holy Saturday: 8pm Easter Sunday: 8.30am, 10.15am, noon, 1.45pm (M*) & 5pm

Holy Thursday: 7.30pm Good Friday: 10am, 1pm (M*), 3pm &

CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

5.30pm (T*)

Holy Saturday: 6pm (M*) & 9pm Easter Sunday: 7.30am, 9am, 11am, 6pm

(M*) & 7.30pm (T*)

CHURCH OF THE HOLY CROSS

Holy Thursday: 7.30pm Good Friday: 7.30am, 9.30am, 11.30am,

CHURCH OF CHRIST THE KING

1.30pm (M*) & 3.30pm Holy Saturday: 8pm Easter Sunday: 7.30am, 9.30am, 11.30am & 5pm

followed by service (M*), 11am, 2.30pm Stations of the Cross followed by service (M*) & 5pm Holy Saturday: 7pm with baptisms Easter Sunday: 7am, 8.15am (M*), 9.45am, 11.30am & 5.30pm

Note: Mass/Service in English unless indicated.

(M*): Mandarin; (T*): Tamil.

Please contact the individual parishes for updates.

Holy Thursday: 7pm Good Friday: 8.30am Stations of the Cross

22 FAITH ALIVE!

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

Stories about the struggles and

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H E Palm Sunday cry of Christians, “B lessed is H e who comes in the name of the L ord,” was heard many centuries ago in Jerusalem’ s streets. I t still is heard today.

T he words of this cry are so f amiliar that their meaning risk s being ov erlook ed or tak en f or granted. T hey hold a great challenge, howev er.

L et’ s vi sit the writing of E theria, a woman f rom G alicia, a Spanish provi nce, who trave lled to the H oly L and in the f ourth century.

H er word images of Christian lif e in Jerusalem became an inva luable tool f or f uture historians.

T he Palm Sunday procession she described must have been qu ite a sight. I t began at the M ount of Olive s, with the people bearing palm and olive branches. Parents carried children on their shoulders, as the somewhat slow-movi ng procession made its way f rom the mount’ s top and through the city.

I t adv anced slowly, E theria explained, in order not to weary people.

H er account rev ealed that much of the day had been and still would be dev oted to prayer, singing and worship.

N otably, af ter the G ospel account was read aloud of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donk ey, surrounded by children carrying branches and

oesn t the Palm Sunday cry of Christians challenge every Christian and Christian community to come in the name of the ord

P eop l e carry p al m l eaves d uring a P al m S und ay M ass at t h e V at ican. M ark ing t h e st art of H ol y W eek , C at h ol ics are rem ind ed t h at t o b e b on d ed w it h C h rist is t o b e b on d ed in H im w it h so m any ot h ers. CNS file photo

palms, the procession commenced.

E theria indicates that people of all ages and ranks walke d together, praying, singing and responding to each other, “B lessed is H e who comes in the name of the L ord.”

T his happened around the year

AD 385, setting in motion the eve nts of the week ahead, know n to E theria as the G reat W eek, and know n to us as H oly W eek.

T here can be a sense, as H oly W eek begins that, light now will be cast on whateve r is good and

whateve r detracts f rom the good.

T he days of the E aster triduum, beginning on H oly T hursday and ending on E aster, are like one day in which currents of death and new lif e conve rge wondrously.

W ith the start each year of H oly

W eek , Christians turn intently towards Jesus. Paradoxically, howev er, to turn towards Jesus does not req uire turning away f rom others.

I nstead, to be bonded with Christ is to be bonded in H im with so many others and to turn towards them too!

Doesn’ t the Palm Sunday cry of Christians, then, challenge eve ry Christian and Christian community to come “in the name of the L ord” ?

W e know much about Jesus. H e cared f or the sick. H e bef riended the poor, instilled hope and communicated lif e and love . Doesn’ t coming in the name of the L ord imply all of that and more?

As B ishop Daniel E . Flores of B rownsvi lle, T exas, U SA, said recently, the ki ngdom of the crucified and risen Christ “is not about cultiva ting relations with people who can profit you, it’s about being good to people who cannot pay you back.” n CNS ibson served on Catholic News Service s editorial staff for years.

The days of Holy Week B yS

h em aiah G on z al ez

Spiritual writer, K athleen N orris, in her book , “T he Cloister W alk ,” shares her H oly W eek schedule. I t includes morning prayers, choir rehearsal, and ev ening liturgy serv ices. B ut what I really noticed, was right smack in the middle of her af ternoons, she wrote “N AP! ! ! ” Y es, in capital letters and extra exclamation points.

I was gratef ul to read this, as if

M s N orris gave me permission to admit the exhaustion of H oly W eek.

As we walk through the story of Christ’ s passion, I f eel it in eve ry atom of both my body and my soul.

M y parish has a joyf ul processional f or Palm Sunday. M y schoolage sons are radiant, wavi ng their palm f ronds as we parade into the church, our path lined with trumpeters and singers.

I ’ ll remember that just a week

later the joyous crowd transf orms to a jeering mob, calling f or Our L ord’ s death. I t’ s a vul nerability I f eel in my own body, staying with me as we stand, my kne es shaki ng, listening to the Passion readings.

T his grief stays with me all week , as I turn the story ov er in my heart.

On H oly T hursday, the L ast Supper, I imagine the amaz ement of the men as they watched Jesus wash their f eet. H ow could he lower H imself to serv e us in this way?

T hey ask ed each other, not k nowing what is in store f or their belov ed Christ.

T hat night, I lie in bed, thinki ng of Peter’ s denial and how that could so easily have been me. I make a mental note to take a nap af ter servi ce tomorrow.

On G ood Friday, my legs wobble as I mov e f orward in the line f or the v eneration of the cross. I imagine myself , there bef ore H im in pain, dying. E v en though I shouldn’ t, I attempt to control my emotions in f ront of my f ellow parishioners.

I think of Jesus’ last words as I wrap myself in a blank et on my couch at home: “M y G od, my G od, why hav e you f orsak en me? ” Jesus’ loneliness and grief surpassed mine.

And on E aster V igil, eve n

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b ish op w ash es t h e f eet of a m an d uring H ol y T h ursd ay M ass. T h e act reenact s Je sus’ w ash ing t h e f eet of H is d iscip l es. CNS file photo

though our catechumens are baptised that eve ning, reminding us of the glory to come, my body is sore, my soul exhausted, like the children who f all asleep on the church pews.

I am waiting, and I wonder if the disciples remembered the psalm, that Saturday night, as they too waited: “W ait f or the L ord; take courage; be stouthearted, wait f or the L ord! ” ( Ps 27: 14) .

It’s not just that first Passion that I am relivi ng. I t’ s personal, my own walk with Christ, today, one where I so desperately need the season of L ent, to ref ocus my love and desires on H im.

T he next morning, I f eel the weight of despair lif t as I ready the f amily f or E aster M ass.

T he dark colours of mourning have been replaced with our brilliant E aster best. W e are now transf ormed, energised, our f aces reve aling f reedom and love .

M y f riend Ann M arie says, “E aster isn’ t nearly as meaningf ul to me if I don’ t go through those liturgies first.” I’d have to agree, as I watch the jubilant processional. M y eyes are f ull of tears again but this time they are tears of joy as I sing with all creation, “Oh praise H im!

Alleluia! ” n CNS

FAITH ALIVE! 23

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

nd joys of Holy Week and Easter

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T H E first Easter Sunday, two of Jesus’ disciples, disillusioned by the eve nts of the past three days, set out f rom Jerusalem f or E mmaus, seve ral ki lometres away.

E n route they meet a stranger who appears totally unaware of what has transpired in Jerusalem.

Jesus, they tell the “stranger”, was “a prophet mighty in deed and word”, an earthly hero who, they hoped, would “redeem Israel”, and they seem ske ptical about the report of the empty tomb and the women’ s “vision of angels”.

T hey invi te the stranger to stay with them because eve ning draws near. As they sit down to a meal, H e tak es, blesses and breaks the bread – and “their eyes [are] opened” and they recognise Jesus.

Suddenly, H e va nishes.

Despite the distance they have already trave lled, they return immediately to Jerusalem to tell the others their amaz ing news.

W hen their eyes are opened it

O

N

isn’ t merely a matter of recognition but of enlightenment.

W hen they recognise Jesus in the breaki ng of the bread they see more than a mighty prophet: T hey see the risen L ord.

Once again Jesus has prov en H imself “mighty in deed and word”. The two disciples recognise him in the breaki ng of the bread – the deed – but they were prepared

by H is words as H e “interpreted to them what ref erred to H im in all the Scriptures.”

T heir journey has been both a physical journey f rom Jerusalem to E mmaus and a journey of spiritual enlightenment as they encounter the risen L ord. B ut this encounter isn’ t simply a happy reunion; it prepares them to be Jesus’ s witnesses to the ends of the earth. T hey had a journey to make – now they have a story to tell.

T he next stage of their journey tak es them to the place of Jesus’ ascension into heav en, and then to the upper room in Jerusalem, where the H oly Spirit will empower them to fulfil the Lord’s command to be

The two disciples ourney has been both a physical ourney from erusalem to mmaus and a ourney of spiritual enlightenment.

A n 18t

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H is witnesses to the ends of the earth.

T his command extends to us as well. And we, too, need to have our eyes opened. Jesus’ explanation of the prophecies presupposed the disciples’ f amiliarity with the Scriptures. How do we get started Catholics are blessed to belong to a liturgical Church, in which the daily and weekl y readings are predetermined according to the f easts and seasons, so that ove r the course of a year the entire paschal mystery, explained and recounted by the N ew T estament and set into a wider context by the Old T estament, unf olds bef ore us.

T here is, as I ’ ve heard said, a

t oE

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CNS file photo

“certain humility” in letting ourselve s be thus guided in our reading of the Scriptures – rather than pick ing a passage f rom the B ible at random and reading it independently of any context.

A v ariety of resources, in print and online, is av ailable to help us read the day’ s readings bef ore the M ass, many of which hav e commen-

taries to f urther our understanding.

At the liturgy we are f ed by the word as well as at the eucharistic table. Reading and re ecting on the word ensures that we get the most out of the banque t G od sets bef ore us. n CNS e lon is the author of The oy of Praying the Psalms.

24

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

Wh 2.

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at d id eJ sus b l ess and gi ve t o t h e ap os t l es t o e at ?

Wordsearch: n FR U I T nR O O M nB L E S S nD A V I D

BIBLE TRIVIA:

n FE A S T nB O R N nP A L M

ow much money was Judas paid f o r b et ray ing J esus?

nA G R E E nS A I N T

( H int: M atthew 2 6 : 1 4 - 1 6 )

nB R E A D n FR E E D nM E A L

Catholics remember the events of Jesus’ crucifi ion death and b urial b y p rayi ng t h e S t at io ns of t h e C ros s. P ut t h e st at ion s in the correct order they’re prayed. With a parent visit www. usccb .or g and search f or t h e scrip t ural S t at ion s of t h e C ros s.

Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns A .

Je sus d ies on t h e cros s B .

Je sus in t h e G ard en of G et h sem ane C .

Je sus is con d em ned b y t h e S anh ed rin D .

Je sus b ears t h e cros s E .

Je sus is j ud ge d b y P il at e F. Je sus is h el p ed b y S im on t h e C yr enian t o c arry t h e cros s G .

Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem H .

Jesus is crucified I. Je sus is d enied b y P et er J. Je sus p rom ises H is k ingd om t o t h e god t h ief K .

Je sus sp eak s t o H is m ot h er and t h e d iscip l e L .

Jesus betrayed by Judas is arrested M .

Je sus is p l aced in t h e t om b N . _

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i bl e T r i v i a: s ilv e r s .

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An s w e r t o Wo r d s e a r c h

Just days before He was crucified and died, Jesus travelled to Jerusalem with his apostles to celebrate the Passov er.

T he Passove r was a ve ry important celebration f or the Jews. On that day, they gathered together in Jerusalem to remember how G od had f reed them f rom slave ry in E gypt.

I n M atthew 21, we read that Jesus entered the city riding upon a donkey and a colt, which fulfilled an Old Testament prophecy about H im.

T here was a large crowd of people who saw Jesus coming.

As H e rode by, they shouted excitedly, and many people placed their cloak s or tree branches on the road f or Jesus to ride ov er.

“H osanna to the Son of Davi d; blessed is H e who comes in the name of the L ord; hosanna in the highest,” the people in the crowd said.

“W ho is this? ” some people aske d when they heard all the commotion.

“T his is Jesus the prophet, f rom N az areth in G alilee,” the people replied.

E ve ry year, Christians remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem f or the Passove r. T his remembrance take s place on the Sunday bef ore E aster, which is called Palm Sunday. n

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Bible Accent:

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Q & A

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St B enedict the M oor was born in Sicily in 1526.

H is parents were slave s, but as the eldest child, he was f reed.

N ickna med “the holy M oor” because of his f aithf ulness and good works , he became a hermit.

H e ev entually became a Franciscan lay brother and worke d as a cook in a conve nt near Palermo, Sicily. M any people came to vi sit the conve nt because B enedict was so holy and also was know n f or his miracles. E ve n though he could not read or write, he was named the conve nt’ s superior.

H e died in 1589.

On April 4, we honour B enedict, who is the patron saint of Palermo and of Af rican-Americans. n

R ead m or e ab ou t it : M ark 1 1 &

D :3 I : 10 N: 41

St Benedict the Moor

with three of His apostles. When He finished praying, H e told H is f riends that the time of H is betrayal was at hand. n

z le : C: 1 H :9 M: 2

SPOTLIGHT ON SAINTS:

T hen Jesus took a cup. Af ter H e gav e thank s, H e handed the cup to each of H is f riends, and they all drank f rom it.

“T his is my blood of the cov enant, which will be shed f or many,” Jesus said. “Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the f ruit of the vi ne until the day when I drink it new in the ki ngdom of G od.”

Af terwards, they went to the M ount of Oliv es, where Jesus prayed

r t opuz B : 13 G :8 L : 21

Jesus and H is apostles trave lled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passove r and the Feast of U nleave ned B read.

T wo days bef ore the f east, the chief priests and scribes were plotting to have Jesus arrested and ki lled.

“N ot during the f estiva l,” they said, because they f eared the people would riot.

I n the meantime, Jesus and the apostles went to the home of Simon the leper to share a meal with him.

Af ter the meal, one of the apostles, Judas I scariot, sneak ed of f to v isit the chief priests and scribes. H e of f ered to hand ov er Jesus to them, and they agreed to pay Judas f or betraying Jesus.

On the first day of the Feast of U nleave ned B read, the apostles aske d Jesus where they would be eating their

meal. Jesus told two of them to talk to a certain man, who would show them an upper room that was f urnished and ready f or them to use.

I n the ev ening, Jesus and his f riends gathered in the room to eat the Passov er meal. W hile they were sitting at the table, Jesus made an announcement that shock ed the apostles.

“Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me,” H e said. “For the Son of M an indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of M an is betrayed. I t would be better f or that man if he had neve r been born.”

As they continued to eat the Passove r meal, Jesus picke d up some bread and blessed it.

“T ake it,” H e told H is f riends as they handed them pieces of bread, “this is my body.”

Ans w e A: 6 F :5 K :1 1

By Jennifer Ficcaglia

WHAT’S ON 25

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

RCIA/RCIY

E V E N T S U B M IS S IO N S A T ’ S O N sub m issio ns now req uire t h e com p l et ion of a f or m f rom th e A rch d ioc ese b ef or e t h e event can b e p ub l icised . F or event s w it h f or eign sp eak ers, p l ease sub m it t h e necessary d oc um ent at ion f or ap p roval t o t h e C h ancery . F or m or e inf or m at ion and t o d ow nl oad t h e f or m , v isit h t t p : / / w w w .c at h ol ic.s g/ event s/ annou ncem ent ad vert isem ent - req uest / .

O nce f or m s h ave b een sub m it t ed on l ine, k ind l y s end us d et ail s of you r event f or p ub l icat ion at w w w . cat h ol icnew s.s g/ w h at so n/ at l east on e m on t h ah ead of t h e p ub l icat ion d at e.

A j o urney f o r t h o se seek ing t o k no w m o re ab o ut t h e C at h o l ic f ait h . B ap t ised C at h o l ics are al so invit ed t o j o urney as sp o nso rs.

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FE B 21 T O M A Y 3 0 B IB L E S T U D Y : A C T S O FT H E A P O S T L E S Conducted by M sgr Ambrose V az .

V enue: Church of St Francis X avi er.

E ve ry W ednesday night f rom 8pm -10pm ( 14 l ectures) . FOC. T o register: E : maisielee21@ gmail.c om; nsron2003@ yahoo.c om.

FE B 2 T O M A Y 3 1 B IB L E S T U D Y : A C T S O FT H E A P O S T L E S Conducted by M sgr Ambrose V az .

E ve ry T hursday f rom 8p m-10pm at the Church of St I gnatius, annexe hall ( leve l 2) . N o pre-registration. F OC. All are welcome. C ome enjoy the livi ng W ord of G od. F or more inf ormation, E : henrythwu@ gmail.c om.

FE B 27 T O M A Y 2 2 U N C O V E R IN G S T M A R K ’S G O S P E L B Y M S G R A M B R O S E V A Z E ve ry T uesday f rom 7.45 pm-10pm .

W hat was the purpose of St M ark ’ s writing?

W ho is he writing f or? W hat does his G ospel emphasise? L et M sgr Ambrose V az guide you in 10 insightf ul sessions on St M ark’ s G ospel. F OC. O rganised

by F.R .E .E . M inistry at the Church of the R isen Christ, T oa Payoh. T o register: W : http: / / f ree.r isenchrist. org.s g; E : f ree.r isenchrist@ gmail.c om.

A P R I L 3, 4 A N D 7 A N G E L I C O A R T A W A R D 2018 D IA L O G U E S E S S IO N S April 3 ( 10a m) , April 4 ( 7pm ) and April 7 ( 4.30pm ) . V enue: Catholic Centre, 5 W aterloo Street, 2nd leve l. F acilitated by Joanna T an f rom H eartspace. T hese casual dialogue sessions are open to anyone interested in joining the Angelico Art Award ( AAA) 2018. T his is a que stionand-answer session with an introduction to AAA as well as the theme, Prepare the W ay f or the L ord. F or more inf ormation, E : enqui ries@ angelicoart.c om.

A P R I L 8, 2018 T O JU N E 9, 2019 R C I A @ T H E C H U R C H O FO U R L A D Y O FP E R P E T U A L S U C C O U R T ime: 7 : 3 0 pm-9 : 3 0 pm. N ew R CI A journey will begin with a welcome night on April 8 a nd thereaf ter eve ry Sunday onwards in V erbist H all, L eve l 4. P lease register your name or names of those who are interested in the Catholic f aith. R egistration f orms are ava ilable at the parish secretariat. F or more inf ormation, W : www.ol ps.s g; T : 9671 137 ( E layne) ; T : 9635 ( Peter) .

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N E 6, 2018 T O JU N E 5, 2019 R C IA @ C H U R C H O F T H E R IS E N C H R IS T E ve ry W ednesday eve ning f rom 7.30pm 9.30pm at the parish hall.R egistration forms are available at the parish office. For more inf ormation, E : iwanttobeaCatholic@ gmail.c om; T : 942 43608.

A P R IL 4 T O M A Y 2 B A S I C C A T E C H I S T C O U R S E 2– IN T R O D U C T IO N T O M O R A L IT Y T ime: 7.30 pm-10pm . V enue: CAE C, 2 H ighland R d. S peake r: Fr Davi d G arcia.

T his course seeks to provi de catechists with an ove rvi ew of the f undamental guiding principles of morality. F or more inf ormation,W : www.c atechesis.or g.s g.

A P R IL 7 M A S S FO L L O WE D B Y P R A Y E R S FO R H E A L I N G All are welcome and no registration is needed. T ime: 2pm-4pm . Y ou are invi ted to join us f or praise and worship and M ass f ollowed by prayers f or healing.

Af ter M ass, prayer teams will be ava ilable to pray with you f or healing.

Celebrant: Fr T om Curran. O rganised by Praise@ W ork. V enue: Church of Sts. Peter and Paul. F or more inf ormation, E : praiseatworks g@ yahoo.c om; T : 9742467.

A P R IL 7 C L A R I T Y ’ S WO R K S H O P O N ‘A G U ID E T O U N D E R S T A N D IN G D E P R E S S IO N ’ T ime: 10.30a m-12.30pm . V enue: Agape V illage. I ndivi duals with depression often have difficulty seeking help for themselve s and in most times, cause f riends and f amily members to f eel f rustrated and burned out. C ome join us to find out what depression is about and share insights on the journey of provi ding care to your f riends or love d ones who may need help. C ost: $15. T o register: W : https: / / tinyurl.c om/ L T W 7A pr.

A P R I L 8 T O A P R I L 15 C H A R IS M IS S IO N FR I E N D S H I P C E B U 2018 Join us as we work ha nd-in-hand with our brothers and sisters in need to help provi de clean water to their homes.

L ocation: Caritas V illage H agnaya and T acup in San R emegio, Cebu, Philippines.

Cost: $870 pe r person. M aximum number of participants: 15. F or more inf ormation,: T : 63741 19 ( G abriel) ; E : gabriel@ charis-singapore.or g.

A P R I L 1 1 T O S E P T E M B E R 19 FA I T H FO R M A T I O N A T C H U R C H O FS T T E R E S A Come journey on an exciting 24 w eeks through the B ible to learn, understand and be inspired by G od’ s great plan in salva tion history and your role in this great plan. D iscove r how the B ible relates to your lif e and get to know better the G od who love s you and is f oreve r f aithf ul to H is promises. R egister online at: www.goo.gl / U M sU PS. A P R I L 13 T O A P R I L 15 A S P I R I T U A L I T Y FO R T H E S E C O N D H A L F O F L I FE : T H E M I D L I FE T R A N S I T I O N April 13 ( 8pm ) -April 15 ( 1pm) at M ontf ort Centre. T his week end retreat deals with the experience of transition that mov es us into midlif e – a stage of personal growth and deve lopment. R ecommended f or those 38 ye ars old and above . O rganised by the Cenacle M ission. F or more inf ormation, T : 652895; T : 97283148; E : cenaclemissionsingapore@ gmail.c om.

A P R I L 14 A N D A P R I L 15 R C IA S P O N S O R S T R A IN IN G T o provi de participants with a better understanding of the role of a sponsor and to equi p them with tools to be an ef f ective sponsor. W ho should attend: R CI A coordinators, R CI A core team members, R CI A catechists, R CI A sponsors and Catholics interested in R CI A process. T ime: 9 . 3 0 am-5 pm. T he second day will end with a M ass. V enue: CAE C, 2 H ighland R d, S549102. R egister by April 6 vi a this link: https: / / tinyurl.c om/ ycxdxnz l. F or more inf ormation, W : www.c atechesis.or g.s g.

A P R I L 20 T O A P R I L 2 H E L O V E S M E ,H E L O V E S M E N O T A weeke nd retreat f rom April 20 ( 7pm ) April 22 ( 5pm ) . T his retreat helps you to grow in the convi ction of G od’ s love .

E xamine images of self and G od, and become aware of any obstacles to G od’ s love , so you can f ree yourself to f all in love with G od. P resented by spiritual directors at M ontf ort Centre. C ost: $30.

T o register: E : anthony@ montf ortcentre. org; T : 9631 1943.

M A Y 26 T O M A Y 29 C O M E A W A Y (B E A C H R E T R E A T FO R Y O U N G A D U L T S ) A Cenacle programme. T ake a holiday in a meaningf ul way in this “play and pray” retreat designed to help us grow and deepen our f aith despite our busy lif estyle. Following the pattern of the spiritual exercises of St I gnatius of L oyola, these days of f er tips on self -care, daily discernment and a way of finding God in all things and time. For more inf ormation, E : cenaclemissionsingapore@ gmail.c om; W : cenaclemission.c om.

A P R I L 20 Q U E E N O FP E A C E C H U R C H H O U R O FD I S C E R N M E N T T ime: 8pm . V enue: H ouse of Davi d, room 4.1. O rganised by the parish voc ation team of Q ueen of Peace Church.

Fellowship thereaf ter in canteen.

Potluck welcome. For more inf ormation, T : 9 6103 ( E va ngeline K wok) .

A P R I L 21 T O M A Y 19 C L A R I T Y ’ S S E L F- WO R T H IN T R O D U C T O R Y A N D S M A L L G R O U P WO R K S H O P S E ve ry Saturday f rom 10a m-noon.

Join us f or a f our-session works hop to understand self -worth, its importance and impact in your lif e. T hrough va rious activi ties and exercises, practise ways to recognise and replace self -def eating thoughts. L earn how to love and accept yourself in spite of your imperf ections and how to make your lif e more meaningf ul.

V enue: B lk 854 Y ishun R ing R d. C ost: $15 pe r person.

For more inf ormation, T : 67590.

M A Y 30 H O W T O M A K E S T R E S S Y O U R FR I E N D T ime: 7.30pm -9.30pm . B ased on the latest research by Dr K elly M cG onigle, learn how the handling of stress can either shorten or extend our healthy lif e span. F acilitator: Fr M atthew L inn, SJ. O rganised by K ingsmead Centre, 8 V ictoria Park R d. Fee: $ 5 0 ( $ 8 0 if also attending “W hat is the K ey to H appiness talk” ) . T o register: W : http: / / tinyurl.c om/ M attL inn18; T : 64702.

M A Y 13 WH A T IS T H E K E Y T O H A P P IN E S S ?

T ime: 7.30pm -9.30pm . W here are the happiest people in the world, and what are their secrets to yielding true happiness?

W e will answer this with research f rom the award winning documentary “H appy.”

Experience simple processes to daily find happiness wherev er it eludes us. Facilitator: Fr M atthew L inn, SJ. O rganised by K ingsmead Centre, 8 V ictoria Park R d. Fee: $50 ( $80 i f also attending “H ow to M ake Stress Y our Friend” talk ) . T o register: http: / / tinyurl.c om/ M attL inn18; T : 64702.

A P R I L 2 T O A P R I L 28 WE E K O FG U I D E D P R A Y E R @ C H U R C H O FC H R I S T T H E K I N G T he Sojourners’ Companions invi tes you to learn how to pray with Scripture and deve lop a closer relationship with the L ord. April 22: 2pm-5 pm: T aster. April 23 27: Daily 30m ins @ home + 30m ins with personal prayer guide at a conve nient time between 9a m–10pm . April 28: 2pm–5pm : closure. V enue: Church of Christ T he K ing. C ost: $30.

T o register: W : www. sojourners.s g; W : wogp@ sojourners.s g.

For more inf ormation, vi sit the parish office on the weekend of April 1 and 15.

M A Y 31 T O JU N E 3 FA M I L Y C A M P 2018 Come and spend some time away with your f amily to encounter G od in each other. S essions f or children, teenagers, and adults. C ost: $350 pe r adult/ teen and $20 pe r child. V enue: B atam V iew B each R esort. T o register: W : www.one .or g.s g/ events. Organised by the Office for the N ew E va ngelisation and Archdiocesan Commission f or the Family.

A P R I L 27 T O A P R I L 29 C H O I C E A P R I L WE E K E N D I t take s that one weeke nd to inspire you f or the rest of your lif e. C ome away f or a Choice W eeke nd – it is by the choices we make that we define what our life is all about. V enue: Choice R etreat H ouse, 47 J urong W est Street 42, S 64938.

For more inf ormation: 97053 ( H illary) ; T : 9710968( Francesca) ; W : http: / / www.c hoice.or g.s g/ ? page_i d= 8.

JU M A Y 25 T O M A Y 29 L A B O U R E R S IN T H E V IN E Y A R D R E T R E A T A stay-in retreat open to Catholics above the age of 21. C ome away and allow yourselve s to be encountered by the L ord. P rogramme includes daily M ass, adoration of the B lessed Sacrament, talks , praise and worship sessions and spiritual counselling. R etreat master: Fr T erence Pereira. T o register: W : www.one .or g.s g/ events. Organised by Office for the New E va ngelisation.

N E 1 T O JU N E 3 P E A C E B E WI T H Y O U : T R A N S FO R M I N G FE A R I N T O G I FT June 1 ( 7.30pm ) -June 3 ( 5pm ) . T his healing retreat will f ocus on how Jesus sent the H oly Spirit to transf orm the disciples “behind locke d doors out of f ear” into bold, risk- taki ng apostles rooted in a deep peace. D iscove r how this transf ormation can happen to us. F acilitator: Fr M atthew L inn, SJ. Organised by K ingsmead Centre, 8 V ictoria Park R d. F ee: $270 ( non-AC) , $30 ( AC) . T o register: W : http: / / tinyurl. com/ M attL inn18; T : 64702.

REFLECTION

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B y S r A l icia T or res M any young people are hurting inside – eve n deeply wounded.

Whether it be from a difficult childhood, abuse or sins that haunt them, they are struggling and don’ t know where to turn. T hese wounds manif est themselve s in so many ways and drain energy.

T his is exactly where the Church must meet young people. E v ery time I speak to a group of teens or young adults and ask them if they’ v e experienced suf f ering in their liv es, hands always shoot up, heads nod.

Particularly af ter speak ing to young adults, I ’ m of ten surprised by how many women and men will come up to me, ask ing f or adv ice to deal with their own specific wounds.

Pope Francis said that the Church should be a field hospital.

W hat does that mean?

Have you ever seen a field hospital? Check out “W e W ere Soldiers” or “G one with the W ind” to get an

idea of how messy, earthy, acute and bold a field hospital really is.

I t is run by men and women who are both responsive and attentive – who can assess needs and make decisions, who know what they are able to provi de and where their limits are.

W hat k ind of resources does the Church have in her “field hospital” ? W e hav e people – priests, consecrated men and women, and laity – who hav e hands to serv e and hearts to lov e. W e hav e the treasure of the sacraments – especially the E ucharist and reconciliation – that literally hav e the power to set people f ree. W e hav e the spiritual gif ts of wisdom, under-

This is e actly where the Church must meet young people.

ospital

standing, counsel and f ortitude.

U ltimately, we have Jesus Christ, who came to set us f ree.

Do we k now Jesus? Can we testif y to how Jesus has changed our liv es? H ow, as a Church, are we giv ing witness? Does that witness bear authenticity? Does it draw people who are hurting to the One Person who can set them f ree?

In our Church that is a field hospital we need brav e soldiers who are willing to risk their reputations and ev en at times their liv es to care f or the wounded. W e need men and women who are so conv icted by what Jesus has done f or them that they boldly and confidently invite others into a relationship with Jesus, who can set them f ree.

Setting captive s f ree – this indeed is what Jesus asks of his Church right now. n CNS Sr Torres is a member of the rancis cans of the ucharist of Chicago l linois SA.

A p riest h ears con f ession f rom a you ng p erson . I n t h e C h urch ’ s field h os p it al ’ , t h ere are t h e sacram ent s – esp ecial l y t h e E uch arist and recon cil iat ion – t h at h ave t h e p ow er t o s et p eop l e f ree.

CNS file photo

26 IN MEMORIAM I n lovi ng memory of

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

T w ent y- sevent h A nniversary I n lovi ng memory of

FR E D D I E M O R A E S Departed: M ar 26 , 19 8 6 Only the memory of bygone days And a sigh f or a f ace unseen; A constant f eeling that G od alone know s best what should hav e been.

Always remembered by love d ones, especially his granddaughter.

D A S S O N B A R T H O L O M E W W ho was called to the L ord on April 3 , 19 9 1 W e’ re assured of your love E ve n though we’ re apart ‘ Cause so much we’ ve shared I s written in our hearts.

Fou rt eent h A nniversary I n lovi ng memory of

For t y- sixt h A nniversary I n lovi ng memory of I s e e t he s T yh owp e rt T he sn i ngs m H ow rg e at

t ar s ,I eh ar hr o ughot y s oul m, T houar t!

t he r ol l i ngt hunde r, t eh uni v e r s e di s pl ya e d y Sav i our G odt To eh e H ow gr e at T houar t!

N int h A nniversary I n lovi ng memory of

E igh t h A nniversary I n lovi ng memory of

M A R G A R E T M A R Y P E R E IR A Departed: M ar 27, 2009 T hank you f or the years we shared T hank you f or the way you cared W e love d you then and we love you still Forget you, we neve r will.

Fondly remembered by husband, sons, daughter-in-law, grandson, brothers, sisters and lov ed ones.

V A N H U IZ E N T H E O D O R A C A R M E N Departed: M ar 29 , 20 10 If in one eeting moment I could see you smile I ’ d give up eve rything I have So I could hold your hand f or a while W e all love you so much W e miss you so badly And we won’ t eve r f orget the happy times that we shared.

Dearly missed by love d ones.

S econ d A nniversary I n lovi ng memory of

C Y R I L FR A N C I S T H O M A S Departed: M arch 25, 2016 W e remember and cherish the happy times together R emembering him today and f oreve r.

L ovi ngly remembered by K enneth T homas and f amily and love d ones.

T w ent y- secon d A nniversary

I n lovi ng memory of

I n lovi ng memory of R A Y M O N D L IA N N O N IS Called home: Apr 5, 2004 W e speak your name with love and pride.

W e smile with tears we cannot hide.

W e thank you f or the years we shared, T he love you gave , the way you cared.

From your children and spouses, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

JU

E D W A R D FE R N A N D E Z Departed: Apr 1, 19 7 2 T ime take s away the edge of grief B ut memory turns back e ve ry leaf G one f rom our live s one so dear B ut in our hearts f oreve r near.

Always love d and remembered by wif e, Susy and children.

CLASSIFIED THANKSGIVING O H oly St Jude, apostle and martyr, great in v irtue and rich in miracles, near k insman of Jesus Christ, f aithf ul intercessor of all who inv ok e your special patronage in time of need. T o you I hav e recourse f rom the depth of my heart and humbly beg you, to whom G od

has giv en such great power, to come to my assistance. H elp me in my present urgent petition. I n return, I promise to make your name know n and cause you to be invoke d. St Jude, pray f or me and all who inv ok e your aid. H umbly in need of your intercession.

Amen. T hank you f or answering my prayers.

JO H N A N G M E N G S E N G DOB : 26 M ar 1918

C A R O L C A T H E R IN E P E R E IR A

R est in peace dear lovi ng f ather, grandf ather & great grandf ather.

T reasured memories hold you near and in our hearts you will remain f oreve r dear.

Always cherished and remembered by your love d ones.

M ass will be celebrated at the Church of the I mmaculate H eart of M ary on 26 M ar 2018 a t 6.15pm .

I n celebration of her birthday on M ar 29 Called H ome to the L ord on N ov 17, 2013 Always in the hearts of Dennis, Denise, Carl, N icole, M artha, Alexandra ( R af a) , G abriel, M artin, B ryan, Jasmine, Dalv a, and all f amily and f riends.

T ih kn how s he m su t be w i s ih ng T hat w e c oul dal l k now t dayo H ow otn ih ngbut uro s adne ss Cant r ul y asp s aw ya I nt

H apy

Andt he eh F or not Ands

hi nk fo ar t s of t hi ngl vo he w as l

B i r t hd

ay M um

he hos

r sa l i v e s he t e di s e v e ov e ds om

i ng ouc he d r l so t uc h

m y / Car ol / G r andm

M A R Y S O H K E O W N O I DOB : 26 S ep 1929

T O M M Y S IM S E O W Y O N G Departed: M ar 28 , 19 9 6 T he angels came to take you home And you lef t us all alone W e know you ke ep watching us f rom above As we still pray f or the one we love .

Dearly missed by: W if e Shirley Daughter: E ulindra Son-in-law: I va n L im Son: B randon Daughter-in-law: Claire T ang H ui Sim G randchildren: Z achary / Chloe / H elena / Ayden L im Ashley / Joshua Sim.

Crossword Puzzle 1206 a!

D O NW 1 One of the seve n gif ts of the H oly Spirit 2 Playwright E dward _ 3 Seve nth sign of the z odiac 4 I ntense light beam 5 M iddle easterners 6 See 30D 7 T ype of angel that M ichael is 8 E xtents 9 E lijah held his challenge here 10 Describes some men in the G ospel of M atthew 11 Culture medium 12 Priscilla and Aqui la lef t here because the Jews were ordered out 13 First name of the subject of an 1857 U S Supreme Court decision 21 _ j et 23 Agape _ 25 I n 1 Corinthians, Paul aske d where was its sting?

28 M onsters 30 W ith 6D , a H oly L and site 31 507, t o N ero 32 Long fish 3 20t h letter of the H ebrew alphabet 34 Jesus is the _ of G od 35 Cupid 36 nspecified in number 37 H oodwink 39 Paddled 43 W ritten guarantee 46 Pop classic 50 I mpasse 52 N on-pro sports org.

54 Silhouette 56 “__ us peace” 57 E rrand runner 58 Clear the board 59 I ndoor game 60 _ of T hunder 61 Streetcar 62 Assess 63 _ ve ra 64 Former R ussian ruler 68 M ythical sea monster

Solution to Crossword Puzzle No. 1205 A C R O S S 1 Chalice cove ring 5 Son of Sarah and Abraham 10 One of two names in a Catholic book publ ishing company 14 H ip bones 15 Franciscan f ounder of Calif ornia missions 16 Composer Stravi nsky 17 R ecedes 18 I ndy 5 0 0 participant

19 I dentical 20 Saint of Avi la 22 Did a carpenter’ s job 24 L onged f or 26 H oly _ 27 T opping in a tub 29 Jacob’ s dream, in G enesis 34 I n L uke , the Pharisee was surprised to notice that Jesus did not do this 38 Othello’ s betrayer 40 E mbankm ent

41 T ypee seque l 24 Pharaoh ref used to give this to the H ebrews 4 I s unwell 45 R ite in the Catholic Church 4 7 Daughter of Cronus 48 K itchenware 49 St. K atherine’ s surname 51 Shot contents 53 OT prophetic book 5 H auled 60 A street in Damascus, as

named in Acts R oman goddess of the dawn 6 L ike much lore 67 H e housed Paul and Silas in T hessalonica 69 A place to worship f rom?

70 W estern pact 71 Away 27 M ake a home 37 H ook’ s hand 47 “H av e _ _ _ _ on us” 57 V ery, in V ersailles 65

IN MEMORIAM 27

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

wenty-fifth A nniversary I n lovi ng memory of

S IM O N A N T H O N Y 26 / 11/ 31- 8/ 4/ 93

Y our heart of gold stopped beating T wo smiling eyes at rest G od broke our hearts to prove H e only take s the B est T he tears in our eyes will wipe away B ut the love in our hearts W ill f oreve r stay.

Dearly missed and f ondly remembered by wif e, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and love d ones.

FI R S T A N N I V E R S A R Y I n lovi ng memory of

I n L ovi ng M emory of Our Dearest P ap a & M um m y

M A R G A R E T T S ’A I Y U A N H S IN Departed: April 6, 2017 I t’ s been a year since you’ ve gone One year with you away Y et your presence still lingers M emories of you will always stay W ith the passage of time T he days that pass us by Comes the time we’ ll meet again T ill then, we will not cry

JO

S E P H

S IL V A &

JU

L IA N A L S IL V A

At H ome in G lory with the L ord Jesus Christ N ove mber 8t h 1986 & M arch 29t h 2003

A l ightf rom t heh om eh asgon e, T hev oicesw el ov edt oh earar es tilled G onear ey ou rf acesw es ode arly l ov ed L eav ingav acu u m i nou rh om e N ev ers hally ou rm em oriesf ade S w eet thou ghts of y ou w ill alw ay s rem ain.

M ass will be of f ered at the Church of Our L ady of Perpetual Succour on Saturday, 24t h M ar 2018 a t 6.30 pm .

L ov ingly remembered and cherished by all.

I n lovi ng memory of First A nniversary

S ixt eent h A nniversary

FE L E C I A T S A I G R A C E C H E O N G Departed M arch 26, 2017 M ay 26, 2002

T reasured memories hold you near T houghts of you bring many a tear T ears in our eyes we can wipe away B ut the love in our hearts will f oreve r stay.

Deeply missed by f amily & lov ed ones.

P le a s e tu r n to p a g e 2 6 fo r m o r e in m e m o r ia m a d v e r tis e m e n ts .

T hanks f or the memories T hanks f or watching us grow W e will seek s olace in remembering And suppress the hurt and sorrow Always cherished by L ate husband: Andrew Daughters & Spouses: Carmel & N oel, G illian, Audrey & Song G randdaughters & G randson in law: L ouise & G inno, L aura & L orraine, all relative s & love d ones.

28 WORLD

Sunday April 1, 2018 n CatholicNews

US Catholic school students pray, march in National School Walkout W AS H ING TO N – Catholic school

students across the country prayed with their school communities f or school shooting vi ctims or joined marches protesting gun vi olence on M arch 14 during the N ational School W alkout , a student-led response to the Feb 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

I n the Archdiocese of St Paul and M inneapolis, more than 100 H ighland Catholic middle school students, teachers and parents gathered on the school’ s f ront steps f or 17 minutes of silence and prayer. They lit 1 blue candles in memory of those who died at M arjory Stoneman Douglas H igh School and held signs in honour of each deceased individual.

Students also wrote petitions, which were prayed in the gym f ollowing the time of silence outside.

Other Catholic schools around the Archdiocese of St Paul and M inneapolis held similar observ ances on March 1 . Providence Academy in Plymouth also of f ered a symposium af ter school f or juniors and seniors to discuss gun violence.

Students at B enilde-St M argaret’ s in St L ouis Park walke d out of classes and distributed inf ormation about legislators and vot er registration for seniors.

I n M issouri, St L ouis Catholic high schools also participated in the National School Walkout.

At Christian B rothers College H igh School in St L ouis, students and staf f members who attended a prayer serv ice circled around their school grotto and listened as the

I one C at hol i c hi gh s c olh ,s t ude nt s not onl y gat he r e df or pr ay e r but t he y al s o w r ot e t ot he i r e l e c t e d officials researched i nf or m at i onabut gunc ont r ol and hadm oc k de bat e .

S t ud ent s of P resent at ion A cad em y , a C at h ol ic sch ol in L ou isvil l e, K ent uck y , U S A , st and arm - in- arm on M arch to call attention to gun violence. hey were among thousands around the nation who participated in a ational School Walkout. CNSphot o

names of 27 schools impacted by shootings were read aloud and then were silent before reading re ections and praying the Our Father.

T he presenters urged students to write a commitment to action and place it in a bask et in the chapel. The suggestions included reaching out to someone at the school who may be experiencing difficulties or is pick ed on, expressing love and care to a family member.

Students at Cardinal R itter College Preparatory H igh School in St L ouis took to the streets f or about an hour in support of the Parkland students.

W earing orange arm bands or orange shirts, students, f aculty and staf f members marched about 1 km carrying posters with messages such as #S topT heV iolence, E nough is enough and B lessed are the children.

Students at Catholic high schools in the Diocese of T renton, N ew Jersey, made prayer the f ocal point of their gatherings during the National School Walkout.

“L et’ s pray f or G od to empower us to be the voi ces f or those who cannot speak,” said E ileen H art, moderator of the Celebrate L if e Club at N otre Dame H igh School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.

School seniors Julianna Okups ki

and T rystan Crichton led almost 100 students and some adults in a prayer f or vi ctims and peace outside in the school’s grotto.

Trenton Bishop David M. O’ Connell joined the students in prayer and said he was “deeply moved” to do so.

Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger of T ucson, Ariz ona, joined students at St Augustine Catholic H igh School in T ucson when they prayed the rosary during the N ational School Walkout.

At San M iguel Cristo R ey Catholic H igh School in T ucson, students not only gathered f or prayer but they also wrote to their elected officials, researched inf ormation about gun control and had a mock debate.

I n Denv er archdiocese, where schools were holding special M asses, praying the rosary or holding prayer serv ices on M arch 1 , Archbishop Samuel J. A uila urged archdiocesan Catholic schools to use the time of prayer f or the conv ersion of hearts and f or the souls of those who died. n CNS

Study of universe makes life’s problems look small, Vatican astronomer says TRO Y, NE W YO RK – Jesuit B r G uy Consolmagno, director of the V atican Observa tory, told a crowd at a U S Catholic Church that the study of the unive rse make s the petty problems of lif e look insignificant.

“W e get so provi ncial in think ing our problems are the world’ s problems. God who created the unive rse is perf ectly capable of taking care of us,” he said.

H e cited Psalm 13 9 , “O L ord, you hav e searched me and you k now me,” and added: “T here are places in the univ erse we hav en’ t set f oot on yet, and maybe we won’ t,” but they are “as much a part of God’s creation” as the earth.

“G od is bigger than just what we see around here,” B r Consolmagno said.

Attendees were vi sibly move d by the photos he shared of planetary landscapes, moon craters, stars and galaxies. He was uick to note that none of the images were artist’ s renderings; close-up photos showed places “we have P U B L IS H E D

B Y TH E

vi sited with our machinery and left our footprints.”

T he astronomer emphasised the need to see other heave nly bodies as specific places. He shared a clip f rom a panel discussion televi sed on C-SPAN af ter a M ars rov er landing in which a mission team member described his awe at seeing photos of the red Martian landscape.

B r Consolmagno related all of this to f aith in his talk on Feb 28 at Christ Sun of Justice church in T roy as part of the parish’ s annual week-long Lenten speaker series.

T hroughout the talk, photos ashed by on the viewscreen n T he rocky surf ace of V enus, captured by a R ussian lander that

‘t haG

o id s bi ge r nj us t w ath w e s e e ar oundhe re [ one ar t h] .

’

– B r G uy C on sol m agn o, d irect or of t h e V at ican O b servat or y

CATH O L IC NE W S , 2 H IG H L AND

RO AD

lasted only minutes in the 70degree, high-pressure atmosphere where sulphuric acid fills the air. n I o, a moon of Jupiter with a yellow surf ace cove red with erupting volcanoes. n “E arthrise,” with the earth seen f rom orbit, coming up f rom behind the moon.

Along with the pictures came uotes from St Francis of Assisi’ s “Canticle of the Sun” : “B e praised, my L ord, through all your creatures, especially Sir B rother Sun ... through Sister Moon and the stars ... through Brothers Wind and Air ... through Sister Water ... through Brother Fire ... through our Sister, Mother Earth.”

T he canticle was composed in the year 1225 , but B r Consolmagno said its spirit is just as applicable today. He pointed to Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical on the env ironment, which expressed similar ideas about respect for creation.

“W e are made by G od and we are siblings,” the astronomer said. “To exploit nature is to ex-

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U S J esuit B r G uy C o nso l m ag no , an ast ro no m er w it h t h e V at ican O b servat o ry , is pictured with the observatory’s meteorite collection in this file photo.

ploit your little sister.”

B r Consolmagno, a native of Detroit, shared his own lif e story, f rom studying the moons of Jupiter to servi ng in the Peace Corps, teaching physics and, in 1993, joining the staf f at the V atican Observa tory, where he has studied meteorites and asteroids and now serves as director.

B r Consolmagno also has trav elled to Antarctica to search f or meteorites. He noted that the pho-

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tos he took there resembled the surf aces of other planetary bodies: harsh, barren landscapes that, neve rtheless, have much to reve al about creation.

E ve n the smallest meteorite cross section – thinner than a human hair – shows incredible crystalline structures, he said, noting “that sense of discove ry, that I ’ ve seen this little thing … it’ s like the voi ce of G od behind me, saying, ‘ I sn’ t this cool? ’ ” n CNS 5 , S ING AP O RE

6 3 9 3 4 0 .