Catholic News issue 9, 2017

Sunday april 30, 2017

SINGAPORE $0.70 cents / WEST MALAYSIA RM$2.10

MCI (P) 013/08/2016

PPS 201/04/2013 (022940)

Newest church holds first Mass on Maundy Thursday

Vol 67

No. 09

Inside home

A barefoot Lenten walk

Punggol Catholic community gets a boost as Church of the Transfiguration opens

Participants reflect on Christ’s sufferings

By Sharon Sayson-Teo and

n Page 6

Gerard Francisco The Maundy Thursday Mass at the new Church of the Transfiguration marked a milestone in the lives of Catholics living in Punggol. More than 1,600 people attended the eagerly awaited first Mass of Singapore’s 32nd Catholic church on April 13.

In his welcome address, parish priest Fr Joachim Chang shared his vision “to build a community of holy and God-fearing people, who are welcoming”, and urged all present to pray for this intention.

He also thanked the many people from other parishes who helped to make the new church a reality and the foreign workers who had worked hard in the last two years to construct the building.

In his homily, Fr Joachim shared that during the Last Supper, Jesus’ disciples did not know what would happen within the next few hours, but He did. And we could not imagine how alone Jesus must have felt. Yet He understood everything and all He did was to love.

Fr Joachim stressed that the parish, as a community, needs to come together to celebrate the Eucharist for the purpose of working towards unity.

The washing of the feet of 12 parishioners followed. Participants included males and females, from senior parishioners to a three-year-old girl.

During the commissioning of Communion Ministers, Fr Joachim encouraged them to give the greatest respect to Jesus when handling the Eucharist.

There was also the presentation of the holy oils that were

Prayer sessions for cabin crew

They decide to meet more regularly for fellowship n Page 12

ASIA

‘I am a Catholic, but…’

Philippine archbishop concerned over disdain of Church teaching n Page 13 Celebration of Maundy Thursday Mass at the Church of the Transfiguration.

consecrated by Archbishop William Goh during the Chrism Mass earlier that day at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd.

Parishioners said they were happy to have a new church right in their neighbourhood.

“Having a church built in this young estate of Punggol is an important step forward as it makes it more accessible for the many Catholics living here to come together to a common place of worship,” said Ethan Chia, 18. “It is a good avenue to reach out to the community of Catholics and nonCatholics alike.”

Mr Albert Laudia, 34, an Indonesian, said, “The population of Catholics in Punggol is increasing and there are many young families. I’m very grateful to have a church so close to my home where my whole family can worship.” n Page 2: Mount Tabor rock and other features

POPE FRANCIS

Religious leaders condemn Egypt attack Pontiff to continue with Cairo trip n Page 14

Pope’s Holy Week, Easter celebrations Urges refugee aid, washes prisoners’ feet n Pages 16 & 17 Fr Joachim Chang washing the feet of parishioners.

a church built in this ‘Having young estate of Punggol

is an important step forward.’

– Ethan Chia, 18

WORLD

Vatican envoy on Medjugorje

Impressed with spiritual fervour there n Page 21

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Sunday April 30, 2017 n CatholicNews

Mount Tabor rock and other features n From Page 1 The Church of the Transfiguration is named after the original Church of the Transfiguration in Israel and has some interesting features.

These include:

Mount Tabor Rock

Twelve-metre-high stained glass depicting the Transfiguration.

The Transfiguration of Christ took place on Mount Tabor nearly 2,000 years ago. In 2014, three pieces of stone from the site were presented to parish priest, Fr Joachim Chang, by the custodian of the original church in the Holy Land. Today, one of these stones is embedded in the church’s basement exactly three levels below the high altar in the sanctuary.

Stained glass

Prayer corners

Christ as the head of the church is With the hectic pace of life in Sinrepresented by the majestic 12-m- gapore, parishioners are invited to high stained glass artwork with find solace in the various prayer the image of the transfigured Je- corners around the church. sus.

One such prayer spot is at the Designed by famed Italnorth-west corner of the ian stained glass maker, ground-level mezzaF.R. Vetreria Artistica, nine, which houses it attempts to portray the statue of Our the awesomeness of Lady of the Imthe Transfiguration maculate Conas presented in the ception.

Gospels, with Elijah Another is holding the Word of located at God and Moses holdthe corner ing the two tablets of of the main the Ten Commandconcourse This rock from Mount Tabor ments. on Level 2, is placed three levels below and which the high altar.

Stations of contains the the Cross shrine of Our Lady Vessel of Honour. The Adoration Room, which Along the perimeter of the church will be consecrated during the nave are sculptures of the 14 Sta- church’s Dedication Mass in Autions of the Cross placed on con- gust, is also on this level. crete pillars.

Tucked in a sheltered area on Level 5 is a grotto for Marian deJacob’s Well votion. This quiet area sits next to an open deck with lush green The baptismal font on the altar is a spaces for reflection. representation of the famous “JaThe open deck on Level 5 cob’s Well” mentioned in the New also serves as a place for ministry Testament, where Jesus met the members to gather for sharing and Samaritan woman. fellowship. n The church has three-dimensional sculptures of the Stations of the Cross.

Sunday April 30, 2017 n CatholicNews

BUILDING THE CHURCH of Tomorrow 3

4 home OBITUARY

Fr Benito called to the Lord

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Understand priests’ challenges so you can support us ... says Archbishop William Goh at annual Chrism Mass

By Christopher Khoo

Fr Benito de Sousa passed away on April 5.

Fr Benito de Sousa (Diocese of Macau), the last rector of the Portuguese Mission at St Joseph’s Church (Victoria St) in Singapore, passed away on April 5. He was 89.

Fr Benito was born on Jan 7, 1928, and ordained in 1962. He served in Singapore as a missionary for the Portuguese Mission from 1990 to 1999.

Although St Joseph’s Church had become a devotional church in 1981 by decree of the Holy See, the Bishop of Macau was allowed to continue supplying priests to maintain the Portuguese character of the church.

As Macau was no longer able to supply priests by 1999, Fr Benito became the last of the Portuguese missionaries.

Fr Benito’s funeral Mass was held at the Church of St Peter (Malacca) on April 8. St Joseph’s Church (Victoria St) also held a Memorial Mass for him on April 7.

We invite you to pray for him in your Masses and prayers. n Submitted by: CHANCERY OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF SINGAPORE

are educated and urged priests to involve them in church adminisAt the Chrism Mass on Maundy tration. “At the end of the day, we Thursday, Archbishop William need to get people to help us,” he Goh urged Catholics to understand said. the challenges and vulnerabilities The third reason is worldly of priests so they can support their temptations. clergy in their vocations.

Just like everybody else, “Pray for us priests so that we priests are also broken and can truly be worthy servants of wounded people. Some also come God,” said Archbishop Goh at the from broken families, he said.

Mass held at the Cathedral of the “A priest is also vulnerable,” Good Shepherd on April 13. said Archbishop Goh. “SomeThe annual Chrism Mass saw times priests fall into worldly many diocesan and temptations simply Religious priests they do not It is ‘important because attending. It signiknow how to disfor you to fies the unity of the tance themselves or priests with their are not aware of understand us, they bishop and is an exwhat is happening in understand pression of the fulltheir own lives.” ness of the bishop’s It is “important also our priesthood. for you to understand vulnerabilities us, understand also In his homily, Archbishop Goh our vulnerabilities so so you can shared that “the only you can support us in support us in reason that we bethe priesthood,” said come priests is sim- the priesthood’. Archbishop Goh. “It ply because we want is difficult to be a – Archbishop to serve the people priest, to be a good William Goh of God.” However, priest, to be saying priests can lose their yes all the time; to zeal and passion, he warned. be humble, to be forgiving all the One factor is routine, “doing time.” things day in and day out … for During the Mass, Archbishop life”. When people ask priests Goh blessed the oil of the sick and for help every day or “every the oil of the catechumens, as well other hour”, it becomes demand- as consecrated the chrism which ing, said Archbishop Goh. “After will be used for baptism, confirsome time, we just get tired.” mation and Holy Orders.

The second factor is getting The Mass also saw the clergy so involved in the administrative renewing their priestly vows. work of the parish that “we have Priests who will be posted to no more time for the people, no parishes as new parish priests on more time to hear the people”.

April 23 also made the Profes“When we rule from our arm- sion of Faith and took the Oath of chair, we become more and more Fidelity. n detached from others,” he warned.

He noted that laypeople today christopher.khoo@catholic.org.sg

Archbishop Goh at the Chrism Mass in which he blessed the oil of the sick and the oil of the catechumens, as well as consecrated the chrism to be used for baptism, confirmation and Holy Orders.

Priests attending the Mass.

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Braving pain, discomfort, in barefoot Lent walk The Crucis Singapura barefoot Lenten walk this year was one with a difference.

For the first time, the 205 people who took part in the April 8 event were given special guided reflections by the organisers, Jesus Youth Singapore.

Apart from meditating on the Stations of the Cross along the way, praying the rosary and Divine Mercy prayers, there were also several stops with activities to help participants reflect on their lives and relationships.

Participants ranged in age from youths to seniors as old as 74. They chose from seven established routes with the aim to reach the Church of the Holy Spirit at the end. The shortest route was 4 km, starting from the Church of Risen Christ, and the longest was 17 km, starting from the Church of St Francis of Assisi at 7 am.

Volunteers on bicycles guided participants along the routes.

There was also a medical booth at the destination for anyone who needed medical assistance.

Participants converged upon Holy Spirit Church at about 2.45 pm for a time of praise, testimonies and a blessing by Fr Fredrick Quek, spiritual director of Jesus Youth.

“Saving us was not cheap,” said Fr Frederick. “Christ paid the price, He sacrificed His life and that’s how much He loves us.”

He urged the participants to carry their Lenten walk experience into Holy Week and further contemplate on Christ’s sacrifice for all.

Participants said the pain and discomfort of walking barefoot for kilometres helped them identify with the sufferings of Christ.

It truly made me ‘ reflect on Jesus’ pain and sufferings on his walk to Calvary.

’

– Ms Jann Chia who walked 7 km

“It truly made me reflect on Jesus’ pain and sufferings on his walk to Calvary, through the hot pavements and relentless sun,” said Ms Jann Chia, who walked the 7-km route from the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Ms Melissa Yam, who walked 4 km from the Church of the Risen Christ, said, “God led me to an insight – ‘notice how it’s the tiny grains of sand that cause the most pain’. Yes, and these tend to stick

to the feet, causing more pain over time. It’s a timely reminder as we enter Holy Week, to have a keener awareness of our habitual sins and to lean on God for help to overcome them.”

Apart from the April 8 walk, the organisers held an intercessory walk along the same routes on March 26 to pray for the event.

A total of 105 people took part in this earlier event.

This is the seventh consecutive year that Jesus Youth has organised the barefoot Crucis Singapura walk.

The unique Lenten exercise had its beginnings in 2011 when the organisation’s key leaders decided to hold a barefoot spiritual walk to intercede for an upcoming retreat. About 65 young people took part.

It eventually led to the concept of Crucis Singapura, a walk across Singapore to contemplate on Christ’s Passion and pray for various intentions, and usually held on the Saturday before Palm Sunday.

According to the organisers, the number of participants and scale of the event have increased every year since 2011. n The Jesus Youth website is http://singapore.jesusyouth.org/

Participants walking barefoot during the Crucis Singapura Lenten event.

CHANCERY NOTICE

11 April 2017

APPOINTMENTS 1. Fr Paul Yeo has been appointed as Assistant Priest at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes for a term of three [3] years with effect from 1 May 2017.

2. The following have been appointed to the Archdiocesan Commission for the Family (ACF) for a term of two [2] years with effect from 1 June 2017: a. Roderick Theseira – Chair b. John Hui – Vice Chair c. John Ooi – Secretary d. Cyrine Joosa - Treasurer OTHER MATTERS Archdiocesan Office for Human Resource A new office has been established in the Archdiocese to manage Human Resource with

CHN/CN/2017/009

competence pertaining to lay employees of the Archdiocese.

This office will also cover all insurance matters of the Archdiocese. This office is overseen

by Mgr Philip Heng SJ who is Vicar General for Finance and Administration.

Information in regard to the new office will be communicated in due course when the office is fully operational.

Archdiocesan Office for Young People The Archdiocesan Office for Young People (OYP) has competence over the pastoral care of various tertiary institutions of study including those communities that are placed under their pastoral care.

The chaplains of these institutions are appointed by the Archbishop upon presentation by the OYP.

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

Sunday April 30, 2017 n CatholicNews

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8 Easter stories

Sunday April 30, 2017 n CatholicNews

How I came to join t

New Catholics, who joined the Church at Eas Family turns to God after son’s eye condition When their son was diagnosed with a rare eye condition, Mr Raymond Choo and his wife, Tammy, were at a loss as to what to do.

Caden was five years old when he was diagnosed. “We visited many eye specialists as well as neurosurgeons to see what we could do,” said Mr Choo, 44.

Caden is visually impaired in his right eye. He has a brother, Lucas, who is two years younger.

However due to the severity and rarity of Caden’s condition, doctors “deemed it too complicated and dangerous to administer any treatment or procedure,” Mr Choo said, adding that “our best option was to leave it as it was and continue to observe.”

It was then that other family members stepped in and suggested he turn to prayer. “My aunts from my father’s side were Catholics ... and suggested I attend Novena sessions,” recalled Mr Choo.

Although he was a Buddhist, Mr Choo shared that he turned to the Catholic Church because he had prior exposure to the faith when he attended St Stephen’s School.

Mrs Choo, who was a free thinker, was invited by her friends to attend services at a megachurch.

Recalling his first visit to a Novena session at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour

(OLPS), Mr Choo said, “Upon entering the main church, I saw this sign that said: ‘You are now entering God’s house’. I began feeling very emotional and when I entered, tears streamed down my face.”

Mr Choo said he knew he was called by God to the Catholic faith after that experience.

He and his wife also attended a healing service at the Catholic Spirituality Centre.

“We spoke to Fr Erbin [Fernandez] after the service and he told us to decide upon our faith as a family,” said Mr Choo.

Together, Mr and Mrs Choo decided to attend Novena sessions together and soon found themselves signing up for the RCIA in 2016.

Their sons also began attending catechism classes at OLPS. “There were some sessions that we found really hard to attend because of other commitments and also looking after our kids.”

However, “seeing the RCIA core team so committed to reaching out to us made me reflect and

The Choo family’s journey to the Catholic Church was triggered by Caden’s rare eye condition. Clockwise from top left: Tammy, Raymond, Caden and Lucas.

I told myself not to come up with excuses,” said Mr Choo.

The couple also said they enjoyed the sessions conducted by Fr Bruno Saint Girons, spiritual director of the RCIA at the parish.

“He made stories from the Bible relatable and applicable. The teachings were put into perspective really well,” shared Mr Choo.

Journeying through the RCIA

Journeying through the RCIA as a couple‘made it easier to make decisions at home because we, and also our kids, were growing together in the faith.’

– Mr Raymond Choo

as a couple also meant that each spouse had “tangible, emotional and spiritual support” from one another during sessions.

“It also made it easier to make decisions at home because we, and also our kids, were growing together in the faith,” said Mr Choo.

Mrs Choo also shared how she felt God was reaching out to her even “in the midst of a long working week”.

“Sometimes during the week you can have bad experiences at work or with people. Somehow during Mass on the weekend, I feel the homily or Gospel touching on these bad experiences and it’s then I feel God looking out for me,” she said.

“My hope when I first joined the RCIA was to ask God to look after Caden, for his condition not to spread or get worse. So far everything has remained status quo,” said Mr Choo.

Caden is now nine and attends St Stephen’s School with his brother.

The couple shared that getting baptised as a family at Easter was something “beautiful” and that they would make it a habit to attend Mass together.

Mrs Choo shared that she is currently serving in the parish’s Children’s Liturgy ministry and hopes to continue. Mr Choo said he hopes to join the lectors in the near future. n

Led to the faith by wife and Teochew rosary group Mr Johnny Lim was a Pentecostal when he married his wife, Josephine, in 1978.

Since then, his wife, who is a cradle Catholic, has brought him to Masses at various churches.

“It was how she introduced the Catholic faith to me,” said Mr Lim, 65, adding that he continued to attend services in a Pentecostal church.

Despite accompanying his wife to attend Masses for more than 20 years, Mr Lim, who is retired, shared that he did not feel “a call” to join the Catholic Church.

It was only during Ascension Mass last year at the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea that he felt drawn to Catholicism. “I was really inspired by the homily of Fr Greg and there was something about the church that really struck and appealed to me,” he said. Fr Gregoire van Giang is the parish priest of the church.

After that Mass, Mr Lim saw the RCIA announcement in the bulletin and “knew that he was being called by the Lord to join.”

During the early days in his RCIA jour-

ney, he was also invited to join the Teochew rosary group in the Neighbourhood Christian Community (NCC) by Fr Stanislaus Pang, spiritual director of the RCIA ministry.

“I was not very fluent in my Teochew so

Joining the Teochew rosary prayer group ‘allowed me to appreciate the meaning behind the rosary, what the words meant and the importance of Mother Mary’.

– Mr Johnny Lim

I had my doubts initially. But with Fr Pang and my wife’s encouragement, I plucked up the courage to join,” said Mr Lim. Joining the group not only improved Mr Lim’s Teochew, but “more importantly, it allowed me to appreciate the meaning behind

the rosary, what the words meant and the importance of Mother Mary in the Catholic faith,” he said.

He shared that the main challenge he faced during his RCIA journey was understanding the role of Mary.

With help from his RCIA sponsor; his wife, who would accompany him to sessions; and members of the Teochew rosary prayer group, Mr Lim said that his doubts were soon cleared and he is now “close to Mary, constantly asking her for intercessions.”

Mr Lim says he now prays the rosary with his wife twice a day, once in English and once in Teochew. He also attends daily Mass followed by adoration.

Mr Lim said that he hopes to live out his Catholic faith by spreading “the good news and evangelising to others.

“We have a Feed the Hungry project in the church that caters to the needy, so I hope to volunteer there as well visit residents of homes and shelters,” he shared. n

Mr Johnny Lim, 65, said he hopes to live out his Catholic faith by spreading ‘the good news and evangelising to others.’

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the Catholic Church

ster, share their faith journeys with Jared Ng Couple find God, each other amidst challenges She was having a relapse of thyroid cancer at the age of 27. He was struggling to establish his career in an “elitist” society.

Faced with these challenges, Ms Wendy Lim and Mr Kelvin Tang turned to God to ask, “Why is this happening? Why me?”

“I was at a difficult moment in my life when I found out I had a relapse of the cancer. So many questions, frustrations and worries entered my mind,” Ms Lim told CatholicNews, adding that she had been exposed to the faith before because she was from a Catholic primary school and “attended a few Masses”.

It was also during this period that she started talking to Mr Lim, her primary school classmate. The two had lost touch after leaving primary school but found each’s other profile on Facebook and contacted one another.

“He was really supportive and would text or call everyday to check up on me,” said Ms Lim. For Mr Tang, he shared that early in his career, “I was looking to get into a leading position in the banking industry.”

When that goal did not materi-

‘

The presence of God ... has made our lives a lot more positive.

He has become an anchor in our relationship.

’

– Ms Wendy Lim

alise, many of his friends stopped contacting him. He later took on an internship position under an employer who constantly berated him.

Mr Lim took his troubles to prayer even though he had little knowledge about the Catholic faith. However, his previous girlfriend was a Catholic and had brought him to Sacred Heart Church and the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd to attend Mass and pray, he recalled.

Mr Tang and Ms Lim started dating in 2013 and they acknowledged God’s presence in forming their relationship. They began attending Mass at the Church of the

Mr Kelvin Tang and Ms Wendy Lim journeyed through the RCIA as a couple.

Sacred Heart before they moved to Bukit Batok and went to the Church of St Mary of the Angels.

They were civilly married in March 2016.

During a Mass last year, the couple heard parish priest Friar

RCIA helped him overcome family, relationship issues “Through the RCIA, I learned to let my pride down and be more understanding of the needs of my family,” shared Mr Ethan Tan, 29, adding that the programme “has allowed me to trust people better, to be more accepting of them.”

Mr Tan, currently doing his doctorate in Material Sciences and Engineering, said the RCIA journey has made him “more dependent on God and less on himself” and credited the Bible as his main source of strength to “focus on love and service of others”.

He shared with CatholicNews that he had struggled with family issues in his late teens.

There was little communication at home, recalled Mr Tan, who has two younger brothers and a sister.

Mr Tan also struggled with relationships with the opposite sex. “I had difficulty understanding the meaning of love because society bombards us with so many ideas of what love is or what it should be,” he said.

In his junior college days, a Catholic friend invited him to the Church of the Holy Family and Mr Tan shared that he felt “relief and inspiration” upon attending Mass.

He signed up for the RCIA programme in 2007 seeking answers to his troubles but left after three sessions as he felt that what he learnt there “wasn’t relevant and couldn’t be applied to life. It was too idealistic.”

After completing national service, Mr Tan left to pursue his degree overseas in 2010. He shared that his relationship with his family was still sour and that he “left on bad terms.”

He spent seven years in the US, UK and Germany. There, he said he lived a “secular life”.

Mr Tan returned to Singapore in January last year. However, he experienced another challenge as a relationship he was in failed a few months later.

During this time, a friend invited him to attend Mass at Holy Family Church again.

It was then that he “picked up the courage to join the RCIA again. This time, I entered with an open mind and heart,” he said.

Although he had his reservations at first, Mr Tan said he learnt to “shift his focus to God and not to myself”.

He also began attending Novena sessions to learn the role Mary plays in the faith. “I learnt that she is our advocate and why Catholics place such a huge emphasis on her.”

Mr Tan’s relationship with his family subsequently improved.

“I was able to open up and communicate with them a lot better. I can now share about my personal issues and so can my parents with me,” beamed Mr Tan. As to how he plans to live out his Catholic faith after baptism, Mr Tan shared that he hopes to be a sponsor in the RCIA one day but is still “discerning and praying”. n jared.ng@catholic.org.sg

Clifford Augustine announcing the start of a RCIA journey and they signed up.

They shared that going through the RCIA programme as a couple made it “easy for them to talk about God” as they were both on

the “same wavelength.” They were also able to support each other.

The main challenge they faced during the course of their RCIA journey was a “test of time and endurance”.

“There were certain sessions during which we felt quite tired, especially after a bad or long day at work,” said Ms Lim. Concurring, Mr Tang said that “there were days when they thought of missing a session but the idea of totally giving up the journey never crossed our minds.”

They credited their sponsors, a married couple, who “guided and formed us” in the faith.

“Being a married couple also meant that they could relate to us better,” said Mr Tang.

“The presence of God ... has made our lives a lot more positive.

He has become an anchor in our relationship,” shared Ms Lim. They said that they hope to live out their Catholic faith by joining a ministry in the parish. Ms Tang said that she hopes to join the choir as a way of being part of the wider church community. Mr Lim shared that he intends to join the RCIA ministry to serve as a sponsor. n

now share ‘I can about my personal issues and so can my parents with me.

’

– Mr Ethan Tan on how his relationship with his parents improved after attending the RCIA

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Catholic cabin crew to meet more regularly for prayers, fellowship

By Martino Tan After their recent annual retreat, Catholic cabin crew members decided to meet up twice a month for prayers and sharing as many felt they needed more than a yearly retreat for spiritual growth and fellowship.

Ms Denise He, a participant at the March 27-28 retreat, said she was “thankful to have found a group of people willing to journey” together. The retreat, held at the Church of Divine Mercy, “was a good two days of reflection and spiritual input”, she added.

Twenty-three cabin crew members, ranging in age from

the mid-twenties to late fifties, attended the retreat directed by Fr Terence Kesavan.

The event, titled “Heaven is a place on Earth – Finding God in my Daily Life”, aimed to help participants realise that just as they work hard to serve passengers in the air, so too they need to work on finding God in their daily lives.

The retreat saw participants watching and reflecting on the movie, “The Way”, starring Martin Sheen. The movie is about Tom, an American who goes to France following his adult son’s death in a storm while walking the Camino de Santiago, a Catholic pilgrimage route.

Cabin crew members pose for a photo with Fr Terence Kesavan (directly behind crucifix with hand clasped) during their recent retreat.

Tom’s initial purpose is to retrieve his son’s body. However, he later decides to walk the ancient spiritual trail himself.

Retreatants also shared in small groups on various topics, such as writer Gary Thomas’ Sacred Pathways to God, about dis-

covering one’s own way of experiencing God. Fr Terence, in his homily during Mass, reflected on Ezekiel 47, stressing that Jesus is “our river of life” and how people can look towards Him for healing.

At the end of the retreat, each

participant received a card with short prayers that they can pray before takeoff and after landing, as well as a rosary.

The Catholic Crew Ministry started as a WhatsApp chat group and Telegram messaging group years ago, but has grown steadily in strength. This year’s retreat saw a more than 40 per cent increase in the number of participants compared to last year.

For more information about the Cabin Crew Ministry, contact Richard Dragon at dragrich@ hotmail.com n

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Cardinal asks religious leaders to unite Myanmar

Philippine archbishop rebukes faithful for ‘rebuffing Church morals’

MYANMAR – Cardinal Charles Maung Bo

MANILA – The head of the Philippine bish-

of Yangon called on the religious leaders of Myanmar to unite and bring the hope of Easter to the divided nation.

“As we celebrate Easter, we call upon the religious leaders to rise above all narrow interest and bring the hope of resurrection,” Cardinal Bo said in his Easter message released on April 13.

Charles “We are 16 dio- Cardinal Maung Bo of Yangon, ceses, more than 700 priests and Myanmar. CNS file photo 2,000 Religious.

We appeal to all the Buddhist religious: there are around 500,000 monks and 70,000 Buddhist nuns,” he wrote in his message.

“Come let us join together, to roll down all the mighty stones of despair from our life and bring the hope of Easter to this nation.”

Cardinal Bo said many good things have occurred in Myanmar during the past five years but that the “message of Resurrection has not reached all.”

“There is war, conflict and displacement in Kachin, Rakhine states. Thousands of refugees,” he said.

“Easter is the time to say, ‘Roll down the stone that keeps our people dead. Bring in peace to our land, let Shalom [peace, prosperity, harmony and joy] flow in the mountains of valleys of Myanmar,’” Cardinal Bo said. n UCANEWS.COM

ops’ conference expressed concern over what he perceived to be a growing trend “of rebuffing Church morals and doctrine” in his country.

Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan opened his Easter message with a searing rebuke of the faithful in the Philippines, questioning their behaviour.

“How many of our Catholics openly and blatantly declare, ‘I am a Catholic, but I agree that drug addicts must be killed; they are useless. I am a Catholic but I am pro-death penalty. ... I am a Catholic, but I do not always obey my bishop, he is too old-fashioned. ... I am a priest but my bishop’s circulars are optional for obedience. ... I am a Catholic but ...

I am a Catholic but ...,’” Archbishop Villegas trailed off in the published message.

Since Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte took office in June 2016 on a promise to eradicate crime and kill drug dealers and addicts, the archbishop has been a vocal critic.

Months later, more than 7,000 people, most of them impoverished, have died in either police anti-drug operations or in unexplained killings. And in early March, Mr Duterte’s allies in the Philippine House helped pass a measure reinstating the death penalty, with the primary goal of executing drug offenders.

Archbishop Villegas’ criticism has grown more strident with the body count increasing and the latest steps towards restoring execution. He has led prayer marches and authored letters and official conference documents decrying the “war on drugs” and

CNS photo

CNS photos

A resident looks at Philippine drug enforcement officers during an anti-drug operation on March 16 in Manila. Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, in his Easter message, questioned Filipino Catholics on their attitudes towards the killing of drug addicts.

the death penalty. However, Mr Duterte’s popularity ratings remain high, with supporters expressing strong backing online.

In his Easter message delivered at St John Cathedral in Dagupan City, Archbishop Villegas said it has become “fashionable” to make priests and bishops “the punching bags of public officials to the glee of our parishioners.”

“The Church is ridiculed and her Churchmen are rebuked. Christ’s teachings are relentlessly challenged. Human life is cheaper than a gun. God’s mercy is disdained and scorned,” he said.

Archbishop Villegas was particularly emphatic about bishop-bashing on the Internet.

“We bishops have become martyrs in social media,” said the prelate. “We are killed a thousand times; our trolls are in the thousands. When we speak, they want us muted.

When we oppose, they want us maimed.

When we stand for life, they want us dead.”

The archbishop said if this type of behaviour continued he expected to see “more and more priests and bishops dying as martyrs in the prime of their lives.” n cns

14 Pope francis

Sunday April 30, 2017 n CatholicNews

Religious leaders slam attacks, pope to continue with Cairo trip VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis and other religious leaders have condemned the terrorist attacks in Egypt, with the Vatican stressing that the pope’s visit to Cairo will take place as scheduled.

In his noon Angelus address on Palm Sunday, April 9, the pope decried the attacks calling on “those who sow terror, violence and death,” including arms’ manufacturers and dealers, to change their ways.

The pope also expressed his deepest condolences to “my dear brother, His Holiness Pope Tawadros, the Coptic church and the entire beloved Egyptian nation,” which the pope was scheduled to visit from April 28-29.

Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II was in the Cathedral of St Mark in Alexandria on April 9 for the Palm Sunday service, when an explosion went off outside the church. Earlier, a bomb exploded inside the Orthodox Church of St George in Tanta, north of Cairo, during its Palm Sunday service. Estimates say at least 44 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the two attacks, making it one of the deadliest against the nation’s Christians in decades.

Despite these incidents, “the pope’s trip to Egypt proceeds as scheduled,” Mr Greg Burke,

Security personnel investigate the scene of a bomb explosion inside the Orthodox Church of St George in Tanta, Egypt. That same day an explosion went off outside the Cathedral of St Mark in Alexandria. CNS photos

Pope Francis sent a message of condolence on Palm Sunday.

Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II: ‘Egyptians are united before this terrorism.’

Vatican spokesman, told Catholic News Service by email on April 10. The pope is scheduled to meet governmental and interfaith leaders in his visit to Cairo.

“Egyptians are looking forward to Pope Francis’ visit, although the atmosphere at present is heavy,” Fr Rafic Grieche, spokesman for the Egyptian bishops, told CNS. “The pope’s mission is to be beside his brothers at the time of difficulty. Now is the real time that he can bring peace and hope to the Egyptian people as a whole

terrorism lacks any religion.”

Sheik Ahmad el-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar University, also condemned the attacks, calling them a “despicable terrorist bombing that targeted the lives of innocents.”

Retired Coptic Catholic Bishop Antonios Mina of Giza, Egypt, said the incidents were an attack against the nation’s unity, its Coptic Christians, “to remind them that they have no rights, and

against all Christian minorities of the country that anxiously await Pope Francis.”

“Despite it all, we will never lose hope,” he said. “Egypt’s Christians are warriors of hope.”

Around the world, religious leaders offered prayers.

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the attacks on the churches were “unspeakable persecution.”

“In the midst of what should be peace, horrible violence yet again,” he said. On behalf of all US bishops, the cardinal expressed “our deepest sadness” for all those killed and injured, and their loved ones. n CNS

and to the Christians of the East, in particular,” he added.

Pope Tawadros told the Italian national network Rai News on April 9 that the attacks would “not damage the unity and cohesiveness” of the Egyptian people.

“Egyptians are united before this terrorism,” he said, adding that “these vile attacks that hit people of peace in places of prayer demonstrate that

are looking forward ‘toEgyptians Pope Francis’ visit, although

’

the atmosphere at present is heavy.

– Fr Rafic Grieche, spokesman for the Egyptian bishops

Sunday April 30, 2017 n CatholicNews

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16 Pope francis

Sunday April 30, 2017 n CatholicNews

A look at how Pope Francis cel

The Risen Christ calls all to follow Him on path to life VATICAN CITY – Jesus is the risen shepherd who takes upon His shoulders “our brothers and sisters crushed by evil in all its varied forms,” Pope Francis said before giving his solemn Easter blessing.

With tens of thousands of people gathered in St Peter’s Square on April 16, the pope called on Christians to be instruments of Christ’s outreach to refugees and migrants, victims of war and exploitation, famine and loneliness.

Preaching without a prepared text, Pope Francis began – as he did the night before at the Easter Vigil – imagining the disciples desolate because “the one they loved so much was executed. He died.”

While they are huddling in fear, the angel tells them, “He is risen.”

And, the pope said, the Church continues to proclaim that message always and everywhere, including to those whose lives are truly, unfairly difficult.

Pope Francis suggested everyone find a quiet place on Easter to reflect on their problems and the problems of the world and then tell God, “I don’t know how this will end, but I know Christ has risen.”

After celebrating the morning Easter Mass, Pope Francis gave his blessing urbi et orbi, i.e. to the city of Rome and the world.

Before reciting the blessing, he told the crowd that “in every age the risen shepherd tirelessly seeks us, His brothers and sisters, wandering in the deserts of this world.”

Christ seeks out all those in need, he said. “He comes to meet them through our brothers and sisters who treat them with respect and kindness and help them to hear His voice, an unforgettable voice, a voice calling them back to friendship with God.” Pope Francis mentioned a long list of those for whom the Lord gives special attention, including victims of human trafficking, abused children, victims of terrorism and people forced to flee their homes because of war, famine and poverty.

“In the complex and often dramatic situations of today’s world, may the risen Lord guide the steps of all those who work for justice and peace,” Pope Francis said.

“May He grant the leaders of nations the courage they need to prevent the spread of conflicts and to put a halt to the arms trade.”

The pope also offered special prayers for peace in Syria, South Sudan, Somalia, Congo and Ukraine, and for a peaceful resolution of political tensions in Latin America.

May He grant the ‘leaders of nations the courage they need to prevent the spread of conflicts.

’

– Pope Francis

Pope Francis delivers his Easter message and blessing urbi et orbi (to the city and the world) from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica on April 16. CNS photos

Easter Vigil The pope’s Easter celebration got underway the night before in a packed St Peter’s Basilica.

The Easter Vigil began with the lighting of the fire and Easter candle in the atrium of the basilica.

During the vigil, Pope Francis baptised 11 people: five women and six men from Spain, Czech Republic, Italy, the United States, Albania, Malta, Malaysia and China.

In his homily, reflecting on the Easter account from the Gospel of St Matthew, the pope recalled the

the lonely and the abandoned, and “immigrants deprived of country, house and family” suffer the heartbreak reflected on the faces of the women at the tomb who have seen “human dignity crucified,” he said.

However, the pope added, in the silence of death, Jesus’ heart-

Rome’s Colosseum, Pope Francis offered a prayer expressing both shame for the sins of humanity and hope in God’s mercy.

A crowd of about 20,000 people joined the pope at the Rome landmark. They had passed through two security checks and were watched over by a heavy police presence given recent terrorist attacks in Europe.

At the end of the service, Pope Francis recited a prayer to Jesus that he had composed. “Oh Christ, our only saviour, we turn to you again this year with eyes lowered in shame and with hearts full of hope.”

The shame comes from all the “devastation, destruction and shipwrecks that have become normal in our lives,” he said, hours after some 2,000 migrants were rescued in the Mediterranean Sea. The shame comes from wars, discrimination and the failure to denounce injustice.

Turning to the sexual abuse crisis, Pope Francis expressed “shame for all the times we bishops, priests,

Pope Francis carries a candle as he arrives to celebrate the Easter Vigil in St Peter’s Basilica on April 15.

A cross is seen in front of the Colosseum before the Way of the Cross led by Pope Francis on April 14.

Walking behind the Easter candle and carrying a candle of his own, Pope Francis entered the basilica in darkness.

The basilica was gently illuminated only by candlelight and the dim light emanating from cellphones capturing the solemn procession.

beat resounds and His resurrection comes as a gift and as “a transforming force” to a humanity broken by greed and war.

women who went “with uncertain and weary steps” to Christ’s tomb.

The pope said the faces of those women, full of sorrow and despair, reflect the faces of mothers, grandmothers, children and young people who carry the “burden of injustice and brutality.”

The poor and the exploited,

Stations of the Cross Presiding over the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, April 14, at

consecrated men and women have scandalised and injured your body, the Church.”

But the pope also prayed that Christians would be filled with the hope that comes from knowing that “you do not treat us according to our merits, but only according to the abundance of your mercy.” n CNS

Sunday April 30, 2017 n CatholicNews

Pope francis 17

lebrated Holy Week and Easter

Pope to priests: Never separate truth, joy, mercy from the Gospel VATICAN CITY – Always preach the whole truth of the Gospel with humility and respect and never be afraid to offer that truth just “one sip at a time,” Pope Francis told the world’s priests.

The Gospel is truth, “brimming with joy and mercy. We should never attempt to separate these three graces of the Gospel: its truth, which is non-negotiable; its mercy, which is unconditional and offered to all sinners; and its joy, which is personal and open to everyone,” he said on April 13 during the Chrism Mass in St Peter’s Basilica.

Presiding over the first of two Holy Thursday liturgies, Pope Francis blessed the oils that will be used in the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, ordination and the anointing of the sick.

With Holy Thursday commemorating the day Jesus shared His priesthood with the apostles, Pope Francis led the more than 1,500 priests, bishops and cardinals in a renewal of their priestly vows and dedicated his homily to the importance of preaching with a joy that touches people’s hearts.

“The priest makes the message joyful by his whole being,” he said, and it is in “little things” that this joy is best shared.

For example, he said, by stepping into today’s “no man’s lands” to bring God’s mercy to forsaken situations, by picking up the phone and scheduling a needed meeting, by patiently allowing others “to take up our time.”

The “good news” of the Gospel is not a thing, he said, but a mission that brings “delightful and comforting joy” to the evangeliser.

The truth of the good news can never be an abstract truth for those who do not let it fully and concretely shape people’s lives just “because they feel more comfortable seeing it printed in book,” he said in a homily delivered in Italian.

“The mercy of the good news can never be a false commiseration, one that leaves sinners in their misery without holding out a hand to lift them up and help them take a step in the direction of change,” Pope Francis said.

The pope then offered priests three images of “three new wineskins” so that the good news may

Pope Francis breathes over chrism oil, a gesture symbolising the infusion of the Holy Spirit, during the Holy Thursday Chrism Mass in St Peter’s Basilica. CNS photo

be full and contagious, inclusive and concrete, meek and truthful.

Like Mary and the stone water jars at the wedding feast of Cana, be “filled to the brim,” ready and willing to do God’s will and courageously go out to assist others, the pope said.

Like St Teresa of Kolkata and the Samaritan woman who drew water at the well for Jesus, be concrete and

The ‘good news’ of the Gospel is not a thing but a mission that brings ‘delightful and comforting joy’ to the evangeliser.

– Pope Francis to priests

Pontiff washes feet of prison inmates at Holy Thursday Mass VATICAN CITY – In a gesture of

service towards marginalised people, Pope Francis washed the feet of 12 inmates, including three women.

Although in Jesus’ time, washing the feet of one’s guests was performed by slaves, Jesus “reverses” this role, the pope said during the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper on April 13 at a prison 72 km from Rome.

“He came into this world to serve, to serve us. He came to make Himself a slave for us, to give His life for us and to love us to the end,” he said.

To protect the safety and security of the prisoners, only a live audio feed of the pope’s homily was provided by Vatican Radio as well as selected photographs released by the Vatican.

The Vatican said on April 13 that among the 12 inmates who participated in the foot washing ceremony, “two are sentenced to life imprisonment and all the others should finish their sentences between 2019 and 2073.”

In his brief homily, which he delivered off-the-cuff, the pope said that upon his arrival, people greeted him saying, “’Here comes the pope, the head of the Church.’”

“Jesus is the head of the Church.

The pope is merely the image of Jesus, and I want to do the same as He did. In this ceremony, the pastor washes the feet of the faithful. [The role] reverses: The one who seems to be the greatest must do the work of a slave,” he said.

This gesture, he continued, is meant to “sow love among us” and show that the faithful, even those in prison, can imitate Christ in the same manner.

“I ask that if you can perform a help or a service for your companion here in prison, do it. This is love, this is like washing the feet. It means being the servant of the other,” the pope said.

Vatican Radio reported that several other inmates took an active role in the liturgy, including four who served as altar servers. Other inmates prepared homemade gifts

Pope Francis washes the foot of an inmate on April 13 at Paliano, a prison outside of Rome as he celebrates the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper. CNS photo

for the pope, among them were two dessert cakes, a handcrafted wooden cross and fresh vegetables grown in the prison garden. n CNS

help Jesus in His mission, he said.

Just as Jesus called to the Samaritan woman, “I am thirsty,” He calls to everyone, and Mother Teresa heard Him calling her to take Him to the poor and be His light.

Mother Teresa was concrete with her smile and the tender way she touched people’s wounds, the pope said. Priests need to be like this – concrete and tender, he added.

The last image is the “fathom-

less vessel of the Lord’s pierced heart, His utter meekness, humility and poverty which draw all people to Himself,” he said.

Priests have to learn from Jesus that “announcing a great joy to the poor can only be done in a respectful, humble, and even humbling, way.”

The Holy Spirit teaches the whole truth, but “He is not afraid to do this one sip at a time,” the pope said. n CNS

Papal preacher: Jesus came to admonish sin, not condemn sinners VATICAN CITY – Jesus came to the world not just to teach, but to radically change human hearts that have hardened from sin, the preacher of the papal household said during a service commemorating Christ’s death on the cross.

“A heart of stone is a heart that is closed to God’s will and to the suffering of brothers and sisters,” but God, through the son, offers the world “a heart of flesh,” Capuchin Fr Raniero Cantalamessa said in the homily.

Pope Francis presided over the Good Friday Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion on April 14 in St Peter’s Basilica, which began with a silent procession down the central nave under dim lighting to emphasise the solemnity of the ceremony.

The pope then lay prostrate on the floor before the main altar of the basilica, his head resting upon his clasped hands on a red pillow, in silent prayer, in a sign of adoration and penance. As is customary, the papal household’s preacher gave the homily.

Fr Cantalamessa said the motto of the Carthusian monks, “Stat crux dum volvitur orbis” (The cross is steady while the world is

turning), represents Christ and His cross standing firm, not against the world, which is always in flux, “but for the world, to give meaning to all the suffering that has been, that is and that will be in human history.”

Jesus came not to condemn sinners, who “are creatures of God and preserve their dignity,” but to admonish the sin, which is the “result of one’s passions and of the ‘devil’s envy,’” he said.

When Christ died, the earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs were opened. These signs also indicate, the papal preacher said, “what should happen in the heart of a person who reads and meditates on the Passion of Christ,” Fr Cantalamessa said.

Quoting St Leo the Great, the preacher said people’s earthly nature should tremble at the suffering of the saviour, “the rocks – the hearts of unbelievers – should burst asunder.

The dead, imprisoned in the tombs of their mortality, should come forth, the massive stones now ripped apart.”

The heart of flesh God promised “is now present in the world” and in receiving the Eucharist, “we firmly believe His very heart comes to beat inside of us as well.” n CNS

18 opinion

Sunday April 30, 2017 n CatholicNews

The empty tomb

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Pope: Scientists must defend creation from distorted use of biotech CNS file photo

VATICAN CITY – Scientists work-

ing in the field of biotechnology are called to use science to protect creation and to prevent methods that seek to control it, Pope Francis said.

The responsible use of the “enormous and growing” power of science is a “fundamental cornerstone” of humankind’s actions in promoting the development of plant, animal and human life, the pope told a committee charged with establishing scientific norms for the Italian government.

“You also are asked to foresee and prevent the negative consequences that can cause a distorted use of the knowledge and abil-

ity to manipulate life,” he said on April 9 during an audience with the Italian National Committee for Biosecurity, Biotechnologies and Life Sciences.

According to its website, the Italian committee reviews key issues, including “genetic testing, gene therapy, tissue engineering, development of biotechnologies in Italy, cloning, and Italian and European legislation.”

The pope congratulated the committee on the 25th anniversary of its founding and encouraged members in their work for society and the care of creation.

Scientists, he said, are called to “know” and to “know how” to

A laboratory director conducting an inspection at an invitro fertilisation clinic. The pope urged scientists to use the power of science and biotechnology responsibly.

make responsible decisions and avoid the risk of “misusing the power that science and technology places in our hands.”

“When the intertwining between technological power and economic power becomes closer, interests may condition lifestyles and social orientations in the direction of profits of certain industrial and commercial groups to the detriment of peoples and the poorest nations,” the pope said.

Humility, courage and openness, he added, are crucial in creating harmony between social, scientific and political bodies so all may work together for the common good and the sustainable development of the “common home.”

Science and technology, Pope Francis said, “are made for man and the world, not man and the world for science and technology.”

“May they be at the service of a dignified and healthy life for all in the present and in the future and make our common home more habitable and marked by solidarity, more cared for and preserved,” the pope said. n CNS

Believers and non-believers alike have been arguing about the resurrection since the day Jesus rose. What really happened? How was He raised from the dead? Did an actual dead body really come back to life and step out of the grave or was the resurrection a monumental life-changing event inside the consciousness of Jesus’ followers? Or was the resurrection both, a real physical event and an event inside the consciousness of believers?

Obviously nobody was there to see what actually happened. Those who claimed Jesus was alive again didn’t see Him rise and emerge from the tomb. They met Him only after He had already risen and, immediately, believers and sceptics began to divide from each other, persons who claimed to have touched Him and persons who doubted that testimony.

There have been sceptics and believers ever since and no shortage of persons, professional theologians and non-scholarly Christians alike, who believe in the resurrection of Jesus as a faith event but not as a physical event, where an actual body came out of a grave.

The faith event is what’s important, they claim, and it is incidental whether or not Jesus’ actual body came out of the grave.

Was Jesus’ resurrection a faith event or a physical event? It was both. For Christians it is the most monumental event, faith and otherwise, in history. Two thousand subsequent years cannot be explained, except by the reality of the resurrection. To understand the resurrection of Jesus only as a literal fact, that His body rose from the grave, is to cut the resurrection off from much of its meaning. However, that being admitted, for Christians, the resurrection must also be a radically physical event. Why? First, because the Gospels are pretty clear in emphasising that the tomb was empty and that the resurrected Jesus was more than a spirit or ghost. We see, for instance, in Luke’s Gospel where Jesus invites a doubting Thomas to verify His physicality: “Look at my hands and my feet. It’s really me. Touch me. You can see that I have a living body; a ghost does not have a body like this.”

As well, and very importantly, to cut the resurrection off from the literal fact that there was real physical transformation of a once dead corpse is to rob it of some of its important meanings and perhaps of the deepest root of its credibility. For the resurrection of Christ to have full meaning it must, among other things, have been a brute physical fact. There needs to be an empty tomb and a dead body returned to life. Why? Not as some kind of miracle proof, but because of the incarnation.

To believe in the incarnation and not to believe in the radical physical character of the resurrection is a contradiction. We believe that in the incarnation the Word was made flesh. This takes the mystery of Christ and the reality of the resurrection out of the realm of pure spirit. The incarnation always connotes a reality that’s radically physical, tangible, and touchable, like the old dictionary definition of matter as “something extended in space and having weight.”

To believe in the incarnation is to believe that God was born into real physical flesh, lived in real physical flesh, died in real physical flesh, and rose in real physical flesh. To believe that the resurrection was only an event in the faith consciousness of the disciples, however real, rich, and radical that might be imagined, is to rob the incarnation of its radical physical character and to fall into the kind of dualism that values spirit and denigrates the physical. Such a dualism devalues the incarnation and this impoverishes the meaning of the resurrection. If the resurrection is only a spiritual event then it is also only an anthropological one and not also a cosmic one. That’s a way of saying that it’s then an event only about human consciousness and not also about the cosmos.

But Jesus’ resurrection isn’t just something radically new in terms of human consciousness; it’s also something that’s radically new in terms of atoms and molecules. The resurrection rearranged hearts and minds, but it also rearranged atoms. Until Jesus’ resurrection, dead bodies did not come back to life; they stayed dead, so when His came back to life, there was something radically new both at the level of faith and at the level of the atoms and molecules.

Precisely because of its brute physicality, Jesus’ resurrection offers new hope to people.

I believe that Jesus was raised from the dead, literally. I believe too that this event was, as the rich insights within contemporary theology point out, highly spiritual: an event of faith, of changed consciousness, of new hope empowering a new charity and a new forgiveness. But it was also an event of changed atoms and of a changed dead body. It was radically physical, just as are all events that are part of the incarnation wherein God takes on real flesh. n

Sunday April 30, 2017 n CatholicNews

Detail of Resurrection painting by 15th-century Italian master Andrea Mantegna. CNS photo

By Raymond Langford

give our lives in the way that early Christians did, but that doesn’t Once upon a time, it was a tradi- mean we can’t make a difference. tion for one of the big three televiAfter all, Jesus was bringing sion networks in the US to broad- God’s love to the people of his day cast The Wizard of Oz on Easter long before his death on the cross Sunday night.

– by healing the sick, socialising As a child, it was something with the outcasts and welcoming I looked forward to every year, children to his side. All such acts along with Easter baskets, attend- of love bring a redemptive experiing a sunrise church service and ence, a taste of “home”. an egg hunt in the afternoon.

“In every human situation, Even now, the movie – first marked by frailty, sin and death, released in 1939 – reminds me the good news is no mere matof home, which is appropriate, ter of words, but a testimony to because after you unconditional and Celebrating brush away the trapfaithful love,” Pope pings of travel by Francis said in his Christ’s tornado, a city made 2014 Easter address. resurrection of emeralds and a “It is about leavtalking scarecrow, ing ourselves behind reminds us The Wizard of Oz is and encountering that we have a others, being close a homecoming story.

A young girl home with God, to those crushed by trying to find her life’s troubles, sharnot only in the ing with the needy, way home takes a long journey down afterlife, but in standing at the side a yellow brick road of the sick, elderly seeking assistance. the here and now. and the outcast.”

After numerous HolAs we answer We just have to lywood-style perils, that call, giving our open ourselves to time, attention and Dorothy, played by experiencing it. compassion to those Judy Garland, ultimately discovers around us, we can that she had the power to return remember and give thanks for home all along, but didn’t know it. all the people who have done the That, to me, is the message same for us, helping us experience of Easter: the church’s collective – even for a brief moment – our homecoming after the dark jour- divine home, our Easter, our joy. ney through Lent.

John of Damascus, an eighthCelebrating Christ’s resurrec- century saint, says it well in words tion reminds us that we have a that were set to music more than home with God, not only in the 1,000 years after his death: afterlife, but in the here and now.

“Now let the heavens be joyful, We just have to open ourselves let earth her song begin, the round to experiencing it. With that, of world keep high triumph, and all course, comes the call to help that is therein … let all things seen others experience it as well, to be and unseen their notes together God’s hands and feet in the world. blend, for Christ the Lord is risen, Few of us today are called to our joy that hath no end.” n CNS

faith alive! 19

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Sunday April 30, 2017 n CatholicNews

On the third day after Jesus’ death, Mary of Magdala went to His tomb. The stone had been rolled away and the body gone.

She ran to tell the apostles. Peter and another apostle rushed to the tomb and found only Jesus’ burial cloths inside. They did not understand that Jesus had risen from the dead.

The two apostles returned to a home in which Jesus’ followers had locked themselves.

But Mary stayed at the tomb and wept. Suddenly, Jesus appeared.

At first, Mary did not recognise Him. But when she finally did, her sorrow turned to joy. Jesus asked her to tell the apostles that she had seen Him. “But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your

God,’” He told Mary to say.

That evening, after hearing of Jesus’ appearance to Mary, the apostles received their own visit from the Lord.

“Peace be with you,” Jesus said as He suddenly appeared inside their locked room.

Jesus’ friends started to rejoice.

The Lord then breathed the Holy Spirit upon them.

“Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained,” He told His friends.

One of Jesus’ apostles was not there to witness the Lord’s appearance.

His name was Thomas. He refused to believe that his friends had seen Jesus.

“Unless I see the mark of the nails in His hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into His side, I will not believe,” he told them.

A week later, Thomas was with

his friends in the locked room when Jesus again came into their midst.

“Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side,” Jesus told Thomas, “and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

Thomas did what he was told. He looked at Jesus.

“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.

“Have you come to believe be-

Spotlight on Saints:

Wordsearch:

St Zita

n Thomas n Sheep n Bread

St Zita was born in Monte Sagrati, Italy, in 1218. When she was 12, she went to live in the village of Lucca to be a servant for a family that owned a wool and silk weaving business.

She was devoted to prayer and was hardworking. She always gave food and clothing to the poor. At first, the other servants in the household did not like Zita, but in time she won them over and they came to admire her.

She also was very well-liked by the family she served, and she eventually was put in charge of the household. The family allowed her all the time she wanted to visit the sick, poor and imprisoned. She especially was devoted to those prisoners who were going to be put to death.

She served the same family for 48 years and died peacefully in 1278 at age 60. We remember her on April 27. n

cause you have seen me?” Jesus asked His friend. “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” n Read more about it: John 20

Q&A 1. What did the apostles find in Jesus’ tomb?

2. Which apostle did not believe that his friends had seen Jesus?

n joy

n bOAT

n Believe

n fish

n Tomb

n sorrow

n lamb

n peace n magdala

What other name does Jesus call the Holy Spirit?

(Hint: John 14:26)

Bible Accent:

Answer to puzzle: Do not be unbelieving, but believe.

Answer to Bible Trivia: The Advocate

Jesus appeared to His followers several times before ascending into heaven.

In Luke 24, two of His friends were walking along a road to a village near Jerusalem called Emmaus. As the two were talking about what had happened to Jesus, the Lord appeared and began walking with them. His friends did not recognise Him, however.

After reaching Emmaus, the two friends asked Jesus to stay with them. Jesus broke bread with them, and just as they recognised Him, He disappeared.

In John 21, Jesus appeared to seven of His followers – one of whom was Simon Peter – who were fishing at the Sea of Tiberias. They saw Him on shore as they brought their boat in. He told them to come and eat a breakfast of bread and fish.

As Jesus talked and handed out the food, his followers finally recognised Him. It was during this visit that Jesus told Simon Peter to feed His lambs and sheep. n

BIBLE TRIVIA:

PUZZLE: Unscramble the words to reveal a sentence from the children’s story. od ton eb leebiivnnug tub beeevil ––

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Answer to Wordsearch

By Jennifer Ficcaglia

Sunday April 30, 2017 n CatholicNews

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Once forms have been submitted online, kindly send us details of your event for publication at www. catholicnews.sg/whatson/ at least one month ahead of the publication date. april 12 to may 17 The prophets - messengers of god’s mercy Every Wednesday from 9.30am-11.30am.

Venue: Church of the Holy Spirit Level 3 Room 10 - Annex Blk. A DVD-based programme presented by Thomas Smith and Sarah Christmyer (Great Adventure Catholic Bible Study). Prophets bridge the Old and the New Testaments, calling us to return to our covenant relationship with God. This study shows us how their words continue to speak to us with urgency today.

No pre-registration. For more information: E: hsbibleapostolate@gmail.com april 20 to may 18 Basic Catechist Course L2 Introduction to Morality Time: 7:30pm-10pm. Venue: Catholic Archdiocesan Education Centre, 2 Highland Rd, S549102. To provide catechists with an overview to the fundamental guiding principles of morality – acts and assessments, moral conscience and principles, virtues and happiness. Please register using the following URL: http://tinyurl.com/ z842sg3. For more information, E: formation@catechesis.org. sg; T: 68583011; W: www.catechesis.org.sg april 27 to may 18 Panorama of the Old Testament Time: 8pm-10pm. Join us for four weeks of facilitated/DVD little rock Scripture study on the Panorama of the Old Testament. Get a bird’s eye view of all the different books of the Old Testament and how the plan of the old covenant was directed to prepare for the coming of Christ. Organised by the Church of Christ the King, Ang Mo Kio Ave 8. To register: T: 98321538 (Lene); E:ctkbat@hotmail. com; W:www.christtheking.com april 28 to may 1 Kerygma Retreat – Annual Retreat for Catechetical Teams Venue: Catholic Spirituality Centre (CSC) 1261 Upper S’goon Rd, S534796. To register: Please register using the following URL: https://cms.catechesis.org.sg/ci vicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=93 For more information, E: formation@catechesis.org. sg; T: 68583011; W: www.catechesis.org.sg

RCIA/RCIY A journey for those seeking to know more about the Catholic faith. Baptised Catholics are also invited to journey as sponsors. april 23 to may 20, 2018 RCIA at church of our lady of perpetual succour Time: 7.30pm-9.30pm. New RCIA journey will begin with a welcome night on April 23 and thereafter every Sunday evening.

Please register your name or names of those who are interested in our Catholic faith. Registration forms are available at the OLPS secretariat or RCIA ministry @ www.olps.sg. For more information, T: 96718216 (Christina); T: 96355635 (Peter).

May 5, 2017 to may 31, 2018 RCIA @ CHURCH OF ST TERESA Every Friday, from 7.45pm-9.45pm.

To register: W: www.stteresa.org.sg/rcia/; E: stteresa@singnet.com.sg; T: 62711184.

Address: 510, Kampong Bahru Road, S099446.

April 29 AWAKEN Registration Time: 1pm-4pm. The Amplify Community invites all Catholic young adults, between the ages of 18-25 to come for AWAKEN: A young adults conversion experience retreat from June 29-July 2. More details can be found at http://amplifyministry.org April 29 to may 1 DEEPENING AUTHENTIC CONVERSATIONS April 29 (9am)-May 11 (4pm). In the workshop, Introduction to Authentic Conversations, we became more conscious of an experience of the presence of God through real conversations. In this deepening installation (retreat), we dive into the mystery of presence as a ministry of presence. Organised by Kingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park Rd. Fee: $260 (nonAC), $300 (AC). To register: W: http:// tinyurl.com/deepeningacr; T: 64676072

may 24, 2017 to may 16, 2018 RCIA @ Cathedral of the Good Shepherd Every Wednesday from 7.30pm-9.30pm.

A journey for non-Catholics seeking to know about the Catholic faith. Please register at cathedral.rcia@catholic.org.sg.

Registration forms are also available at the entrance of the cathedral.

May 28, 2017 to may 20, 2018 RCIA @ Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace Every Sunday from 3pm-6.30pm.

For more details, please contact Catherine at kosp2411@yahoo.com.sg or Gregory at teiktiong@yahoo.com. may 31, 2017 to april 25, 2018 RCIA @Church of Christ the King Every Wednesday from 8pm-10pm.

Venue: 2221 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8, S569809. To register: E: query.rcia@gmail.com; W: http://www.christtheking.com.sg To register: W: www.cenaclemission.com; T: 65652895/97223148. Contribution $200. may 13 Our Lady of Fatima Centennial Celebrations Time: 5pm-8pm. Come join us for Mass and a candlelight procession for the centennial celebrations of Our Lady of Fatima at St Joseph’s Church, 143 Victoria Street. The celebrations commemorate the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal and honour the Fatima message of penance and prayer. may 15 to june 29 Catechesis for Adults & Youths Time: 8pm. God loves as you are! Come and meet Him! Every Monday and Thursday at the Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace, 4 Sandy Lane. Organiser: Neocatechumenal Way. For more information, visit ncwaysingapore.sg

may 6 Healing Mass All are welcome and no registration is needed. Time: 2pm-4pm. You are invited to join us for praise and worship and Mass followed by prayers for healing. After Mass, prayer teams will be available to pray with you for healing. Please spread the word to your family and friends. Celebrant: Fr Tom Curran. Organised by SACCREPraise@Work. Venue: Church of Sts Peter and Paul. For more information, E: praiseatworksg@yahoo.com; T: 97472467.

may 20 Transform a Life for Good Time: 9.30am-12.30pm. Does the plight and vulnerability of the migrant worker concern you? You can enable and empower them through your gift of time. Help the Archdiocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (ACMI) by being a Befriender. To find out how to volunteer or be a benefactor, register at: www.acmi.org.sg/befriender.

may 12 to may 14 The Spirituality Of Work May 12 (8pm)-May 14 (1pm).

Venue: Choice House, 47 Jurong West St 42. A Cenacle programme.

A weekend of prayer and reflection to help working professionals experience God’s labour in and through our busy schedules. Take a break to ponder upon God’s call and direction of our daily work: How do we participate in God’s passion and find meaning in giving life?

may 21 to may 28 Week of Guided Prayer at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour The Sojourners’ Companions invites you to learn how to pray with Scripture and develop a closer relationship with the Lord. May 21, 2pm-5pm. Taster, May 22-26: Daily 30mins at home plus 30mins with personal prayer guide at a convenient time between 9am10pm. May 28, 2pm–5pm: closure. Venue: Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Church; Fee: $30. To register: W: www.sojourners. sg / wogp@sojourners.sg. Visit the parish

What’s On 21

office or the church foyer after Mass on the weekend of May 13 and 14.

May 24 Receiving the Gifts of the Near Death Experience Time: 7.30pm-9.30pm. Near Death Experiences (NDE) reveal a divine template for the spiritual journey into unconditional love. Explore how the processes of each stage of an NDE facilitate a transformation with us.

Facilitator: Fr Matthew Linn, SJ. Organised

by Kingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park Rd. Fee: $50. To register: W: http://tinyurl. com/MattLinn; T: 64676072.

If you wish to attend multiple talks by Fr Matthew (see his talks listed here: May 24, May 25, May 31 and June 1), the prices are as follows: 2 talks – $80, 3 talks – $105, 4 talks – $120).

May 24 and may 31 Catholicism: Pivotal Players Time: 9.30am-11.30am. Church of the Holy Spirit, Level 3 Room 10, Annex Block.

A DVD-based programme presented by Bishop Robert Barron unlocking the truths behind two of the Catholic Church’s most influential people, St Catherine of Sienna and Michaelangelo. No pre-registration needed. For more information: E: hsbibleapostolate@gmail.com. may 25 Sleeping With Bread: A Spiritual Tool for Burnout & Connecting with Your Heart Time: 7.30pm-9.30pm. The will of God is that we give and receive love and life ever more deeply. However, despite our greatest desires to know God’s will, most of us struggle to hear His voice. Learn about the daily inventory for finding God in all things. Facilitator: Fr Matthew Linn, SJ. Organised by Kingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park Rd. Fee: $50. To register: W: http://tinyurl.com/MattLinn; T: 64676072 may 26 to may 28 Healing Our Relationships: Walking with the Prodigal Son May 26 (7.30pm)-May 28 (5pm).

This retreat will integrate spirituality and psychology to heal our relationship with God, with those who have hurt us, and where it is difficult to love ourselves as did the prodigal son. Facilitator: Fr Matthew Linn, SJ. Organised by Kingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park Rd. Fee: $270 (non-AC), $330 (AC). To register: W: http://tinyurl. com/MattLinn; T: 64676072 may 31 Healing our Difficult Relationship Time: 7.30pm-9.30pm. Each of us knows a difficult person in our lives. As we move through the steps of forgiveness and finding new life, we will experience a transformation just as the disciples at Emmaus did. Facilitator: Fr Matthew Linn, SJ. Organised by Kingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park Rd. Fee: $50. To register: W: http://tinyurl.com/MattLinn; T: 64676072

june 1 How to Add More Years to Your Life & Life to Your Years Time: 7.30pm-9.30pm. Learn of the lifestyle and spirituality that creates longevity (based on The Blue Zone by Dan Buettner). It will close with an exercise of the most important trait, finding our unique purpose in life – that by itself adds more healthy years to our lifespan. Facilitator: Fr Matthew Linn, SJ. Organised by Kingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park Rd. Fee: $50. To register: W: http://tinyurl.com/MattLinn; T: 64676072 june 2 to june 4 You Don’t Have to Die to Experience Heaven Now June 2 (7.30pm)-June 4 (5pm). Near Death Experiences (NDE) reveal a Divine template for the spiritual journey into unconditional love. In this retreat, we will explore in depth how the processes of each stage of an NDE facilitate a transformation with us. Facilitator: Fr Matthew Linn, SJ. Organised by Kingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park Rd. Fee: $270 (non-AC), $330 (AC). To register: W: http://tinyurl. com/MattLinn; T: 64676072 june 7 to december 6 Bible Timeline Course Every Wednesday (24 weeks) from 7.30pm-9.30pm at the Church of St Teresa, 510 Kampong Bahru Road.

Come discover God’s great love for us by journeying through the entire Bible.

See how your life is woven into salvation history. Fee: $60 inclusive of personal Bible study kit and light refreshments.

For enquiries, T: 98750752 (Michelle); E: email gossamerstar@gmail.com. To register online, visit goo.gl/ZHGV9P. Registration closes on May 7.

June 9 to June 11 FINDING GOD IN DRAMA June 9 (7pm)-June 11 (4pm). In this retreat, encounter the Scriptures and God differently. Through Ignatian contemplation and Bibliodrama, participants will be invited to step into the role of a character, or even of an object.

As the Scriptures come alive, recognise areas of your life where God wants to draw your attention to. Organised by Kingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park Rd. Fee: $260 (non-AC), $300 (AC).

To register: http://tinyurl.com/Goddrama; T: 64676072 june 17 Clarity’s Take Control A Guide to Understanding Anxiety Overwhelmed by anxiety? Do you suffer from panic attacks? Join us at this interactive workshop where we seek to find out more about anxiety. We will explore the reasons behind our anxieties, debunk myths and misconceptions that we may have and learn different ways to manage our anxieties. FOC. Venue: CANA The Catholic Centre, St Flora room. To register: T: 67577990; E: registration@clarity-singapore.org

NEWS

Papal envoy praises ‘spiritual climate’ of Medjugorje MEDJUGORJE, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA –

Pilgrims pray at a statue of Mary in Medjugorje. Archbishop Henryk Hoser said ‘the biggest miracle of Medjugorje’ are the confessions of hundreds of people daily. CNS file photo

While he said he had no authority or expertise to discuss the authenticity of the alleged apparitions of Mary at Medjugorje, Pope Francis’ envoy to the town said it was clear “there is a special spiritual climate here”.

Polish Archbishop Henryk Hoser of Warsaw-Praga, named by Pope Francis in February to study the pastoral situation in the small town and the needs of pilgrims, held a news conference on April 5 after a week in Medjugorje.

The archbishop repeatedly told reporters he could not respond to questions about the authenticity of the claims of six young people who said Mary had appeared to them daily beginning in 1981. Some of the six say she still appears to them and gives them messages each day, while others say they see her only once a year now.

“It is not my task to discuss whether

these phenomena are true or not, because the Church has not yet defined them. This is the work of the commission,” he said, referring to the commission which nowretired Pope Benedict XVI established in 2010.

Archbishop Hoser told reporters he hoped “the ultimate decision of the commission and of Pope Francis” would be published soon. However, he did say “the biggest miracle of Medjugorje are the confessions” of hundreds of people each day.

Evangelisation obviously is occurring in Medjugorje, the archbishop said, and that is clear from the packed celebrations of the Mass, Eucharistic adoration, conversion stories and the reports of hundreds of Catholics who cite an experience in Medjugorje as key in their following a vocation to the priesthood or Religious life.

The archbishop confirmed that he had met with the six so-called seers, as part of his look at the pastoral needs of the townspeople and pilgrims, but not to discuss the authenticity of the apparitions.

According to the six, he said, “the phenomena still persist, which present difficulties in making a final judgment”.

Archbishop Hoser also met with Bishop Ratko Peric of Mostar-Duvno, whose diocese includes Medjugorje. In a statement released two weeks after the archbishop’s appointment, Bishop Peric affirmed his belief that nothing supernatural occurred or was occurring in Medjugorje.

“Taking into account all that was examined and studied by this diocesan curia, including the study of the first seven days of the presumed apparitions, one calmly can affirm: The Virgin Mary has not appeared in Medjugorje,” he said. n CNS

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in memoriam

Crossword Puzzle 1183 1

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Seventh Anniversary In loving memory of

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MARTHA KHOO CHENG SIEW Departed: May 6, 2010 Helen Yeoh Geok Suan Gone from our lives Departed: Apr 28, 1957 One so dear But in our hearts Deeply missed and Forever near. lovingly remembered by children, Dearly missed by Rosa grandchildren and Lee and all loved ones. great-grandchildren.

Sixth Anniversary Seventh Anniversary In loving memory of In loving memory

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Twelfth Anniversary In precious memory of

Fifteenth Anniversary In loving memory of

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Sunday April 30, 2017 n CatholicNews

JOHN EMMANUEL SANTHOU Departed: May 4, 2012 Treasured memories hold you near Silent thought bring many a tear Tears in our eyes we can wipe away But the love in heart will always stay We make no outward show To what it meant to lose you Only we will ever know.

With love, your family.

ANNA KIN MOI @ SIEW PIN MOI NALPON PETER Departed: May 2, 2005 DAMIAN We think of you Called home to be with in silence the Lord on May 3, 2002 No eyes can see us weep But still But still within the empty chair our aching hearts Reminds us of the Your memory we keep. face, the smile, Dearly missed, fondly Of one who remembered and once sat there. forever loved by Deeply missed by loving daughter and wife, children, grandchildren and grandchildren grandchildren-in-law, and all loved ones. and great-grandchildren.

In loving memory of

First Anniversary In loving memory of

www.wordgamesforcatholics.com

ACROSS 1 Saint of Lima 5 Mtg. 9 Shape 13 In baseball, three of these and the side is retired 14 Fabled loser 15 An additional clause 16 “Let it stand” 17 One doing monkey business?

18 Pungent bulb 19 Raison d’___ 20 Securely confined 21 Catholic pastime?

22 More rational 24 Percussion instruments 25 Mother of Augustine 27 “___ and eat; this is my body.” (Mt 26:26) 31 TV station 34 Christmas 35 Catholic portrayer of Alexander Graham Bell 37 Marsh gas 39 Caused by heat 40 Standards of perfection 41 “My punishment is too great to ___.” (Gen 4:13) 42 Abstract being 43 Doctrines

44 Semitic language 46 Tells what to do 48 Husband of Anna 52 Second century pope 55 Nickname of Catholic composer Haydn 57 Spanish pot 58 Atlas blowup 59 English public school 60 Physical suffering 61 Horses of mixed color 62 Half a whistle?

63 Cyberzine 64 Makes a mistake 65 US state in which the Diocese of Nashville is found 66 Repeat DOWN 1 They were found in Juan Diego’s cape at Guadalupe 2 “I’m ___ here” 3 Severe 4 According to Proverbs, a gracious woman gets this (Prov 11:16) 5 Cries of discovery 6 Possible pope 7 Words that introduce the prayer of consecration

33 Halt 35 Husband of Queen Jezebel 36 Treasury of ___ 38 They are no longer popular 39 Kitchen utensil 41 Respire SILVADIMA 44 Feature ANTHONY 45 Catholic movie ROZARIO star of “High Departed: May 4, 2010 Noon” fame In our hearts 47 Scraps of food you will always live 49 Hold responsible Your love, your voice 50 Greek epic poem and your smile 51 Latin-American Are forever imprinted dance in our minds.

52 Male parent Dearly missed and 53 ___ about always cherished 54 Former Russian by wife, children ruler and loved ones.

56 Soon Solution to Crossword Puzzle No. 1182 Seventh Anniversary In loving memory of B U S H G I F T S H A L O 8 A Doctor of the Church 9 Eucharistic ___ 10 Thor’s father 11 Catholic “Topper” star Carroll 12 Spy movie 15 Biblical epic starring Burton and Mature (with “The”) 23 “…a chosen race, a ___ priesthood” (1 Pet 2:9) 26 They take solemn vows 28 Top 29 Asian prince 30 Long fish 31 902, to Nero 32 King and queen, for example

E I N G

M B E R

M I T E

C A R S

A M A H

N E H I

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A M O S

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A A R S T E D E L E K N A E R R A B L O H O E A B I F N K E H R

L O N E P O S T Y E E E M A G E G A N E B R O O N L E I R S V I T E C U

E A S G A T I M S E A G R O L L O D D E E A R S T U T B A E R S

B E L O A D O N S L U A U

E T R E

S E A L

E D I T H

S I E N A

T O R A H

www.wordgamesforcatholics.com

Mary Nadasan Soosay Departed: Apr 23, 2010 There is a place in our hearts which is yours alone A place in our lives No one else can ever own We hold back tears when we speak your name But the ache in our hearts Remain the same.

Always remembered and dearly missed by family and loved ones.

Alphonsus Chung Fatt Yat June 29, 1929 – May 7, 2016 Anna Katherina Rodrigues Departed: May 1, 2011 In our hearts you will always live Your love, your voice and your smile Are forever imprinted in our minds.

Dearly missed by Ashley, Kathleen, Michael, Agnes, Gabriel, Janelle, Mark and Antonia.

Twenty Sixth Anniversary In loving memory of

ANTHONY RAJANDRAN Departed: Apr 26, 1991 We remember and cherish the happy times together Remembering them today and forever.

Dearly missed by wife Nelly, daughter Caroline, son-in-law Robert, granddaughters Audrey & Amelia.

25th Years Death Anniversary In loving memory

Dearly missed and fondly remembered

by Florence and the family.

Mass will be held at St Joseph’s Church 143 Victoria St on May 7, 2017 at 8am.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalm 23:6) Forty-fourth Anniversary

LILIAN A. MONTEIRO Departed: Apr 30, 2008

JOSEPH A. MONTEIRO May 8, 1988

Dearest parents, You are in God’s Kingdom The glory of His universe Eternally the peace and joy Flow like a watering-can.

Fondly remembered by sons Joe, Chris, Bert & all loved ones.

Third Anniversary

In loving memory of

JOHN CHUA MARGARET KIAM GUAN ANG Departed:

April 4, 1973 May 18, 2014

Dearest pa-pa and ma-ma, You are in God’s Kingdom The glory of His universe Eternally the peace and joy Flow like a watering-can.

Fondly remembered by children, grand-children, great-grandchildren and loved ones.

22nd Anniversary In loving memory of

Eleventh Anniversary In loving memory of

ROBERT HERMAN TIRO Departed: April 23, 1995

VINCENT CHELLIAH Departed: April 19, 1992 We speak your name with love and pride.

We smile with tears we cannot hide We thank you for the years we shared The love you gave, the way you cared.

Dearly missed by wife, daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren.

Please turn to page 23 for more in memoriam advertisements.

TAN SWEE JIANG DOREEN IVY Departed: Apr 28, 2006 Filial Daughter, Devoted Wife Doting Mother, Caring Sister And unforgettable Friend to all…

Bunga sayang, bunga sayang…

You are heaven’s own work of art.

Bunga sayang, bunga sayang…

Gentle flower of the heart.

Forever cherish and remembered

by Teresa Tan, family members and all loved ones.

Dearly remembered by beloved wife, daughter and family, relatives and friends.

Masses will be celebrated in his memory on Sunday, April 23, 2017: 10.30am Cathedral of Good Shepherd 11.30am Church of Holy Spirit 12.15pm Church of St Ignatius 3.00pm Church of Divine Mercy 5.30pm Church of Sacred Heart 6.00pm Church of St Teresa

Sunday April 30, 2017 n CatholicNews

Twenty-sixth Anniversary In loving memory of

KURIAN SEBASTIAN Departed: Apr 24, 1991

We think of you in silence No eyes can see us weep But still within our aching hearts Your memory we keep.

Lovingly remembered by wife Ivy Sebastian nee Ivy Paglar, sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren.

Mass will be celebrated at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Sunday, April 23 at 11.15am.

Twenty-first Anniversary In loving memory of

Thirty-second Anniversary In loving memory of

in memoriam 23

Fifth Anniversary

In loving memory of

HELEN LEE NYUK YIN Called to be with our Lord Jesus on April 30, 2012 As a deer longs for a stream of cool water, so I long for you, O God... Psalm 42 MAYMA MIRANDA HENRY Departed: Jan 23, 1996 SEBASTIAN MIRANDA Even when we Departed: May 1, 1985 close our eyes There’s an image In the emptiness and of your face silence of our mourning And once again comes the comfort we come to realize From on high You’re a loss With peace in our we can’t replace. hearts and the joy that Sadly missed by your you are always nearby. loving children, Your loving children, in-laws, grandchildren in-laws, grandchildren and great-grandsons. and great-grandchildren.

Mass will be offered Mass will be celebrated at Church of the at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Immaculate Heart of Mary on Monday Mary on Monday, May 1, 2017 at 4pm.

May 1, 2017at 4pm.

In loving memory of

He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6.8 Always cherish by all your loved ones.

Nineteenth Anniversary In loving memory of

CECELIA DORAI JOSEPH Departed: May 1, 2016 In our home she is fondly remembered, sweet memories cling to her name; Those who loved her in life sincerely, still love her in death just the same.

Always cherished by your loving husband, children and all loved ones.

And I said, ‘Here am I, send me.’

Isaiah 6:8

Second Anniversary In loving memory of

First Anniversary

Twenty-first Anniversary

In loving memory of mama and papa

ALEXANDER GOMES Departed: Apr 27, 1998 In our home you are fondly remembered, Sweet memories cling to your name; Those who loved you in life sincerely, Still love you in death just the same.

Always remembered by family and all loved ones.

Nineteenth Anniversary In loving memory of

Anthony Tan Kheng Hai Departed: April 29, 2015 Close in our hearts you will always stay Loved and remembered every day.

Remembered by mother, wife, sons, daughter-in-laws and grandchildren.

Fourth Anniversary In loving memory of

JOHN TAN THERESA WANG (aka Johnny & Anak ) Departed: April 20, 2016 January 6, 1996

Alas, after 20 years, a sweet reunion as you rest in peace in the loving arms of our Lord.

We love you mama & kongkong.

You continue to live in our hearts.

Second Anniversary In loving memory of

Albert Lim bun Bee Departed: April 28, 2013 Rest in peace, dear Albert Four years have passed, You’re gone but are still living in our hearts May you always remain in our Lord’s loving care.

Cherished and fondly remembered by your family and loved ones.

Mass will be celebrated at the Church of the Holy Family on Friday April 28 at 6.15pm.

Please turn to page 22 for more in memoriam advertisements.

GEOFFREY JAMES CHONG KHIM SIONG Departed: May 3, 2015 Time takes away the edge of grief But memory turns back every leaf Gone from our lives one so dear But in our hearts forever near.

Dearly missed by Ethel, Kelvyn, Colin, Jocelyn and all loved ones.

Masses will be celebrated at 6.30pm on May 2-4, 2017 at the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea.

MARJORIE GOH NEE SCULLY Departed: May 4, 1998 In our home she is fondly remembered, Sweet memories cling to her name; Those who loved her in life sincerely, Still love her in death just the same.

Dearly missed by loved ones.

Second Anniversary In loving memory of

charlie francis valberg Departed: Apr 21, 2015 In our hearts you will always live Your love, your voice and your smile Are forever imprinted in our minds.

Deeply missed and remembered by mother, brothers, sisters and loved ones.

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Sunday April 30, 2017 n CatholicNews

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