The Southern Cross - 100922

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CWD spreads its warmth

125 years community work

Parish of the month

Dressing the Pope

September 22 to September 28, 2010 Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 4694

www.scross.co.za

R5,50 (incl VAT RSA)

SOUTHERN AFRICA’S NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY SINCE 1920

Inside Safe travel is our human right Responding to the recent tragedies on our roads, Lois Law speaks out.—Page 2

Impact of Alpha Alpha South Africa’s new course “Does God exist?” has been life-changing for many.— Page 3

News agency for Africa Catholic media practitioners from Africa have plans to set up an African Catholic News service.—Page 4

Australia takes top donor spot A survey of 153 countries found that 70% of Australians had given money to a charity.— Page 5

Whom to trust in faith?

David Brattston looks at the question of whom to trust in religious matters.—Page 9

What do you think?

In their Letters to the Editor this week, readers discuss distinguishing the changeable from the fixed, a convenient untruth and directing skills.—Page 8

This week’s editorial: Dear sisters - a big thank you

The Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood (CPS) in Mariannhill celebrates 125 years of working with the impoverished in the community this month. Founded in 1885 in Mariannhill, the congregation has committed itself to social change through the missionary work they do.

From humble beginnings, the Missionary Sisters are now present in 19 countries worldwide. See page 3.

PHOTO: MAURICIO LANGA

Mozart’s music reflects hope in the face of death

Two tons for Holy Cross Sisters

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trongly rooted in his faith, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart used his sacred compositions to celebrate God’s love and hope even in the face of suffering and death, Pope Benedict said.

Specifically, Mozart’s “Requiem” is “an exalted expression of faith that fully recognises the tragic nature of human existence” and yet it is also aware that human life is “illuminated by God’s love.”

The pope made his comments at the end of a special concert performed in his honour at the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo.

The concert was hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and featured Mozart’s “Requiem”. Claudio Desderi conducted the performance by the Italian Symphony Orchestra of Padua and Veneto and by Turin’s “Accademia della Voce” choir.

Pope Benedict said he has always had a deep fondness for Mozart. Every time he listens to his music, he is transported back in time to his local parish when he was a boy, listening to Mozart’s “Great Mass” on holy days.—CNS

PHOTO: L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO VIA REUTERS/CNS

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON EPTEMBER saw the Holy Cross Sisters celebrating two centuries of work in Cape Town—a centenary of work in the Maitland/Kensington community and a century of education since the founding of Holy Cross Primary in Searle Street, District Six. Both communities have benefited from the support of the Holy Cross presence in their development, through faith-based education and as a safe haven, especially for the youth of these two outer-city areas.

In recalling the early history of the Holy Cross sisters in Maitland/Kensington and District Six, principal Erna Lehy of Holy Cross Maitland said their work in the two areas was closely linked with Maitland’s St John’s Parish which had started as an outstation of St Mary’s in District Six in 1906.

The sisters had initially “walked to Maitland each day from District Six before they eventually settled on the premises of the original Miramonte Estate in 1911.”

The first building was an old tin shanty which served as a church until 1923.

The extreme poverty of Maitland motivated the sisters to enter this community, “where so much need existed”, Lehy said.

One of the greatest needs was a place of education which led to the opening of St John’s Primary mission school with 18 learners in 1916. The high school was opened in 1927 and both the primary and high schools continued in Maitland until Holy Cross, Brooklyn, was built. Thereafter only the high school occupied the school premises.

The celebratory Mass of Thanksgiving at Maitland took place on the Feast of the

Exaltation of the Cross, also the feast day of the sisters. In his homily Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town said it was the sisters’ perseverance, commitment and their involvement in the community, providing quality education and solid values, that had enabled productive people to continue to build the community.

Mr Mike Hoare of the Catholic Schools Office in Cape Town said these schools served people living outside but working within the city centre. Their importance went beyond education as the learners needed somewhere to go while their parents were working.

“The schools play a very different role today from 100 years ago,” he said, noting that Holy Cross Maitland achieved consistently high matric results and Holy Cross Primary had a deep history in the District Six area. More than 60 000 residents of District Six were forcefully removed in the 1970s under Group Areas legislation during the apartheid regime.

Known as Holy Cross Mission in the early days, Holy Cross in District Six was the first coloured school in the Cape. Principal Sr Mary Quimpo HC said the school was established when four sisters set out from the then Transkei looking to establish a mission in the city.

The school was expected to accommodate 70 learners and, until free education was introduced, the sisters charged fees of one penny a week in the lower classes and four pence from standard four and beyond.

The school continued to grow and a new building was erected in 1933. Sr Quimpo said: “Imagine this: 101 standard three pupils, 59 boys squeezed into the

passage, 36 girls into the principal’s office, and the lower classes were in the sisters’ chapel, with the sanctuary screened off by a curtain.” The building was expanded to address the overcrowding and by 1969 the enrolment had increased to 890 learners.

Regarding the forced removals and demolition of the area, Sr Quimpo said “today we remember not only the suffering inflicted upon us, but the fruits that were reaped in spite of it”.

Archbishop Brislin said the role of the communities had changed vastly over the 100 years: “It is vital that the Church and schools strengthen people. Many in the communities are finding life very difficult.

It is the role of the Church to give hope.”

Archbishop Emeritus Lawrence Henry, who has a long association with the Holy Cross Sisters, celebrated Mass to acknowledge their achievements in District Six. Today, Holy Cross District Six has produced priests, religious brothers and sisters, the Rector of the University of the Western Cape, Mr Brian O'Connell, exMayor of Cape Town Ms Theresa Solomons, principals throughout South Africa, outstanding educators, singers, actors, musicians, lawyers, doctors, nurses, good husbands, wives and families—this despite having a high number of hungry, abused and sick students.

The current school enrolment consists of 19 educators and 600 learners who commute daily from the township areas on the Cape Flats.

Archbishop Brislin said there were enormous problems in South African education today, but Catholic schools provided a great beacon of hope.

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LOCAL

The Southern Cross, September 22 to September 28, 2010

Safe travel is our human right

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

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Nontlupeko Ben, CWD Community Development Centre manager in Samora Machel, Cape Town, with recipients of donated blankets.

CWD spreads its warmth

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

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ORTY elderly residents from Samora Machel informal settlement on the Cape Flats are sleeping a lot warmer with new blankets.

The blankets were given to the Catholic Welfare and Development’s (CWD) Crisis Relief Programme by Greenhands, the social development arm of Old Mutual.

The recipients, members of a group of elderly men and women who meet every Wednesday at their local community development centre, were seen to be vulnerable to floods, strong winds and fire. The centre prioritises the needs of the elderly.

Centre manager Nontlupeko Ben said that in addition to emergency relief, the programme also responded to the needs of victims of xenophobic attacks and communal disputes in Samora Machel.

Ray van der Scholtz, project manager at Old Mutual Specialised Finance, said they felt there was a need for the blankets to go to the elderly as they were often forgotten.

A number of the blankets donated

by Old Mutual were distributed last month, through CWD’s community development centre in Atlantis. More blankets will be distributed to some of the Western Cape's most impoverished communities.

The Crisis Relief Programme identifies crises and responds according to their nature and extent as well as assessing their physical locations. Volunteers are then recruited, equipment organised and the needs of those affected addressed.

In addition to blankets, the programme distributes items such as plastic sheeting for leaking roofs during heavy rains and “crisis basins”, consisting of food items and toiletries suitable for all family members.

Nonsikelelo Dwangu, CWD’s Crisis Relief manager, thanked those involved: “The support has been wonderful and we have been able to help many families who would have had no means of keeping themselves warm this winter if we had not given them a helping hand.”

Correction: The previous issue of The Southern Cross (September 1521) carried a report on Page 1 headlined “Sharing the Franciscan spirit in the modern world” which referred to the Franciscan Convention at La Verna, Italy. The location should have been La Verna, Vanderbijlpark. The error crept in during the editing process and is regretted.

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ESPONDING to the recent tragedies on South Africa’s roads, Lois Law, a researcher for the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s Parliamentary Liaison Office, has appealed to the public to remember to uphold human rights on the road.

Ms Law was speaking after 10 schoolchildren were killed when the taxi they were travelling in was hit by a train at a level crossing in Blackheath, Cape Town, and the fatal assault ofnSergeant Ntshimane Mogale in Pretoria. Blue Bulls rugby player Bees Roux has appeared in court in connection with the alleged murder of the sergeant.

She pointed out that while both cases were still under investigation it appeared that those responsible were “already breaking the law prior to the fatal incidents”.

The taxi driver was reportedly transporting more children to more destinations than his license allowed. Mr Roux was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol. If these reports were true, said Ms Law, both drivers had shown complete disregard for legitimate authority and the safety of others.

Ms Law pointed out that repeated violations of traffic

rules by mini-bus taxis were regarded as “normal” and rarely challenged. This lack of interest continued even when children were involved, despite having developed a “progressive and comprehensive legislation to protect and promote the rights of children”.

Ms Law said the regulations that were in place were poorly policed and often disregarded.

Not only was the policing of school transportation problematic, but the alternative had issues too. “It is of grave concern that children frequently walk long distances to and from school unsupervised.”

Those who were born well off were protected by private transport, but those using public transport were in daily danger without much care from transportation officials.

Ms Law said that problems on the road were not limited to school runs.

Alcohol was a big problem and the death of Sgt Mogale, and charging Mr Roux in connection with his death, appeared to have had their root in driving under the influence.

“Whether or not Mr Roux was being blackmailed, as some newspapers have reported, does not excuse the violence directed toward Sgt Mohale,” Ms Law said.

“An extended family has been robbed of a breadwinner; a wife and children have been left without a loving father and husband. The consequences of this death extend far into the future, both economically and emotionally for all the parties concerned.”

What Ms Law found more disturbing was the immediate support shown to the Blue Bulls player, with members of the public interviewed by the media pledging their support and sympathy toward him in his time of need.

“The Springbok rugby coach [Peter De Villiers] declared that the Boks were ‘100%’ behind Mr Roux. Is this kind of violence then also to be regarded as ‘normal’ and therefore perhaps excusable? This incident is another stark reminder of the violence that characterises much of our social discourse. It is also a lesson in the many permutations and irreversible consequences of careless and irresponsible behaviour.”

Ms Law said it was important to realise that our actions on the roads had human rights implications. “The way we drive, and our behaviour on the roads, is a human rights issue, so is transport as a whole, since it involves the rights to equality and safety.”

Legion of Mary heads ‘Back to Basics’

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

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HE Legion of Mary held their Back to Basics conference in Cape Town, which attracted members from around the Western and Northern Cape.

The conference was held to clarify and improve legionary duties.

Dawn van der Horn of the Bergvliet chapter in Cape Town said an organising committee was formed to successfully carry out the task of getting legionaries to identify errors made in the performance of their duties.

The duties of the lay order included reporting on visits done, reciting the Catena (the legion’s daily prayer) and to maintain administrative duties.

The purpose of the conference was to return to the guidelines set out in the legion’s handbook and to ensure uniformity during meetings. This was achieved, Ms van der Horn explained, by the “varied and unique ways in which facilitators tackled problem areas”.

The spiritual director of order

Members of the Legion of Mary were taken ‘Back to Basic’ during the legion’s conference. in Cape Town, Fr Michael Clement SAC, celebrated Mass, and in his homily spoke about the importance of fulfilling the conference’s theme.

Ms van der Horn said those present were given a copy of the legion’s Child Safeguarding Policy and literature on holiness through Mary to assist them in

their work around the country.

The Legion of Mary has in excess of ten million members worldwide, making it the largest apostolic organisation of lay people in the Catholic Church.

Members are primarily focused on performing spiritual works of mercy rather than works of material aid.

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LOCAL

Missionary Sisters celebrate 125 years of community work MAURICIO LANGA

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HE MISSIONARY Sisters of the Precious Blood, long admired for their service to communities in the Diocese of Mariannhill and the Diocese of Mthatha, are celebrating 125 years of missionary endeavour this year.

Known as the Red Sisters when they were founded by Abbot Francis Pfanner at Mariannhill in 1885, the CPS are marking more than 100 years of unwavering commitment in missionary work coupled with the call to supportsocial change to improve people’s lives.

From humble beginnings the CPS have spread their work to 19 countries around the world. They are involved in crucial ministries such as education, healthcare, pastoral work, and management of orphanages and day-care centres, offering the supportive interventions that vulnerable people need to emerge from an existence of “no hope” and begin a journey of dignity, self-fulfilment and spiritual nourishment.

The CPS and medical staff at St Mary's Hospital, Mariannhill, were among the first to organise an effective response to HIV/AIDS in the 1980s and to establish a community outreach against the deepening pandemic.

The jubilee celebration on 11 September was graced by the presence of His Eminence, Cardinal Wilfrid Napier OFM, Archbishop of Durban, Bishop Barry Wood OMI, Auxiliary Bishop of Durban, Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Mthatha Diocese and his predecessor Bishop Oswald Hirmer.

Also present were many other religious superiors who came from different parts of the country and abroad to be part of the historic celebration which was preceded by a powerpoint presentation encapsulating CPS activities around the world.

The CPS Provincial Superior at Mariannhill, Sr M Paula Maine, said the congregation's successes and achievements over the years were rooted in the guiding principles they had received from Abbot Francis. Apart from the principle of Ora et Labora (work and pray),

Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Umtata Diocese, Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban, and Bishop Barry Wood OMI of the Archdiocese of Durban, celebrated the 125th anniversay of the Congregation of the Missionaries Sisters of the Precious Blood in Mariannhill. the principle of “unity is strength” had also played a vital role in the congregation’s accomplishments over the past 125 years. Sr Paula said it would be wrong on their part, as CPS living today, if they were to pat themselves on the back and rest on their laurels and claim to have made it. It would also be a great mistake to forget the many pioneers who had worked tirelessly for the establishment and prosperity of Mariannhill between 1885 and 2010.

“They formed a united force that gave us the strength we needed to persevere throughout the 125 years of existence,” said Sr Paula, adding that such pioneers included Abbot Francis and Mother Paula Emunds, the CPS cofoundress, who came out from Germany with the first four young women, followed by hundreds of sisters all over the world.

“The difficulties and struggles of the early years gave the foundation on which both Mariannhill and the CPS throughout the world stand today,” said Sr Paula.

Presiding at the thanksgiving mass, Cardinal Napier said that while a jubilee was a good thing to celebrate, it was important also to reflect on some of the basics that hindered the progress and activi-

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ties of the Church.

The culture of materialism was widespread within religious circles and this so often took precedence over the basic teaching of the Church “to know God, to love God and to serve God through his people”.

Cardinal Napier spoke of a need to get back to the basics of religious education and to inculcate good morals and values as these virtues formed the foundation stone of knowing God through the scriptures. The lack of such basics in early education either at school level or in families not only affected many young people during their school years, but also impacted negatively on many people entering seminaries.

“This is the case with many young men entering seminaries; they hardly cope because the standards set at these institutions are so high. While some of them might have good intentions and willingness to become religious they fail because they lack basics,” said Cardinal Napier, who also reminded all present that the achievements of the CPS were manifold and everlasting, in that through their work they had touched and changed the lives of many people for the better.

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OLLOWING a nationwide drive, Alpha South Africa has started impacting lives with many participants across the country describing the course as “a lifechanging experience”.

The course, which addresses the question “Does God exist?” has been given a big push in the country through Alpha South Africa’s recent drive.

Renato Acquisto of Alpha South Africa for Catholics says the course will be answering a call to Catholic evangelisation.

A joint venture between the Catholic and Anglican churches in Secunda, Mpumalanga, the course yielded enthusiastic responses from Catholic Fr Gerald Gostling of Holy Family parish in Evander, and Anglican Fr Andrew Manning.

The course brought four communities together in the Evander/Secunda area: the Catholics of Christ the King and Anglicans of St Peter's in Evander, and Catholics of Holy Family, and Anglicans of St Joseph's in Secunda.

Fr Gostling described the course as “a fantastic venture” saying the highlight was the lively “spirit weekend” which was “the best witness possible for Alpha”.

Degreene Tucker of St Catherine

of Siena parish in Kleinvlei, Cape Town, attended an Alpha course organised by her local Methodist church and described it as “lifechanging”.

Ms Tucker said she was at a low point in her life, dealing with childhood abuse and the recent breakdown of her marriage. She told The Southern Cross that after her initial apprehension, she forced herself to go—and the more she went, the stronger she became.

Describing herself as aggressive and defensive before the invitation, Ms Tucker said the Alpha course helped her to become the “calm” person she was today. She was now more aware of the actions of the Holy Spirit around her on a daily basis.

“You need to change within yourself first before you can make a change in the world. Alpha helped me to make that change,” Ms Tucker said, adding that her Catholic faith has been enhanced, and attending church was more fulfilling now.

Ms Tucker has taken part in two Alpha courses and wants to take Alpha into poorer communities.

Alpha South Africa estimates that more than 400 000 people have experienced Alpha in the country. Programmes have been extended to schools, old age homes and prisons.

The Pallottine Missionary Sisters working in Cape Town have received the Legacy of Healing award, presented by Archbishop Lawrence Henry. The award was presented to them at a gala evening at St Joseph’s Home for Chronically Ill Children, Montana, to mark the Pallottinis’ 75 years of uninterrupted service in healthcare,including care of children with special needs. Accepting the award on behalf of the sisters is convent superior Sr Vera Altemeier (left). Holding the award is Provincial Superior Sr Boscona Schamann.

PHOTO: FRENSKE OTZEN

3 September to 13 September

Celebrate with them by visiting Holy Land Christian sites — Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, to name but a few, and Old Cairo where the Holy Family hid from Herod’s soldiers, Mt Sinai, St Catherine’s Monastery in Egypt

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Life-changing impact of Alpha

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The Southern Cross, September 22 to September 28, 2010

INTERNATIONAL

Pope: Rights need universal foundations U NIVERSAL rights grounded upon a rational, objective foundation are needed if countries are to successfully combat the problems of violence, religious intolerance and violations against human dignity, Pope Benedict told a group of European legislators.

“How could a fruitful dialogue among cultures take place without common values, rights and stable universal principles understood in the same way by all member states of the Council of Europe?” he asked.

The pope met privately with 38 members of the bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe at the end of his weekly general audience at the Vatican.

The pope recalled that 2010 marked the 60th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights, which commits member states to promote and

Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien unveils a limited edition papal visit tartan which was specially made to mark the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Scotland PHOTO: DAVID MOIR /REUTERS/CNS

defend human dignity.

He also recognised the parliamentary assembly’s recent work in trying to address the problems of extremism, human trafficking, the illegal drug trade and prostitution, as well as its efforts to help war victims, defend religious freedom and fight religious intolerance and violence.

The only way international bodies such as the Council of Europe can be effective in a multi-cultural world is by emphasising the universal validity, inviolability, inalienability and indivisibility of human rights.

There are many risks if rights, values and duties were changing and merely relative to particular cultures and local laws, he said.

Such relativism does not offer “solid and lasting ground for supranational institutions,” such as the Council of Europe.

“These values, rights and duties are rooted in the natural

dignity of each person, something that is accessible to human reasoning.”

Christianity does not impede, but rather promotes the search for common ground and invites people “to seek a supernatural basis for [human] dignity”.

Such universal principles, when they are adhered to, will help international bodies “respond adequately to the decisive and urgent challenges” facing many countries today, including the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, marriage which is “rooted in the exclusive and indissoluble gift of self between one man and one woman”, and the freedom of religion and education, the pope said.

“I encourage you to fulfil your sensitive and important mission with moderation, wisdom and courage at the service of the common good of Europe.”—CNS

Vatican Library to create reading room replica for tourists

BY CAROL GLATZ

URSULINE SISTERS OF THE ROMAN UNION “LEAD A NEW LIFE” “WHEREVER THEY ARE, THEY SHOULD SEEK TO SPREAD PEACE AND CONCORD.” FROM THE SECOND COUNCIL OF ST ANGELA MERICI.

“ALWAYS LET YOUR PRINCIPAL RECOURSE BE TOGETHER AT THE FEET

JESUS CHRIST AND... JESUS CHRIST FROM THE LAST LEGACY OF ST ANGELA MERICI. OF

WILL BE IN YOUR MIDST.”

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For more information: The Vocations Promoter PO Box 235 RANT-EN-DAL, 1751

CONGREGATION OF MARIANNHILL MISSIONARIES

Ora et Labora The Congregation of the Missionaries of Mariannhill, CMM, sprung from the Trappist Monastery of Mariannhill founded by Abbot Francis Pfanner in South Africa in 1882. We believe that: “Our missionary field is the Kingdom of God and that has not boundaries!” Faithful to the example of Abbot Francis Pfanner, the Mariannhill Brothers and Priests try to be of service to the local church through pastoral, social and development works. We make our contribution to the call for renewing, uplifting, developing and sustaining the human spirit, as our response to the signs and needs of the time. In our missionary life of Prayer and Work (Ora et Labora), we try to effectively proclaim the Good News to all people, especially to the poor and needy, so that there are “Better Fields, Better Houses, Better Hearts!”

To know more about us contact: Director of Vocations PO Box 11363, Mariannhill, 3601 or PO Box 85, Umtata, 5099

E

VEN though the Vatican Library is opening its doors after a three-year major renovation, most of the general public will never get a chance to walk down the frescoed halls of the pope’s library.

Only qualified students, scholars and historians are granted permission to leaf through the precious volumes or flip through the microfilm reproductions.

An average of 20 000 people from all over the world visit the library’s stacks each year. But now, to help celebrate its extensive restoration, the Vatican Library is organising a special exhibit next to St Peter’s Square to help everyday visitors to Rome get a look at and feel for the real library.

Visitors to the exhibit in the Braccio Carlo Magno hall from November 10 to January 31 2011, will be able to slip on white gloves and cozy up to exact replicas of medieval and Renaissance era manuscripts, said the curator of the library’s printed collections.

Librarian Enrica Moretti looks out over the Leonine Reading Room in the newly renovated Vatican Library. After three years of major renovations, the library is reopening its doors to scholars.

PHOTO: PAUL HARING/CNS

Barbara Jatta, a recent papal appointee, said the library’s artisans will also be on hand at the temporary exhibit to show the public how they care for and repair damaged bindings, worn pages and delicate codices. “We

want to offer the general public an opportunity to learn about the Vatican Library, its history and how it began, as well as how it has integrated the latest technology in handling and caring for its treasures.”—CNS

Benedictine nuns focus on strengthening, sharing hope

N

INETY Benedictine nuns from more than 30 countries gathered in Rome to discuss ways to strengthen their sense of hope and better share it with others.

“Benedictine Women: Witnesses of Hope” was the theme of the international symposium of the Communio Internationalis Benedictinarum, a confederation of 920 Benedictine monasteries around the world.

The member communities have a total of about 15 000 nuns. “We’re looking at

hope for our communities, that we would be communities of hope and that we would have hope that would spill over into the Church and the world,” said Sr Nancy Bauer, prioress of St Benedict’s Monastery in St Joseph, Minn.

At the beginning of the nuns’ symposium in Rome, Sr Bauer said the need to rekindle the hope for healing in the Church and for coexistence and peace in the world is felt by Benedictines in every part of the world.

The focus on hope is not simply internal, though hope is a

challenge for shrinking religious communities in Europe and North America.

But even the growing Benedictine monasteries in Korea, parts of Africa and Vietnam need to find ways to better live in hope so they would be real models of strength for others in their countries.

For years, she said, her community was the largest of the 920 monasteries; the largest community is now in Tanzania, where more than 700 sisters belong to one monastery.—CNS

Catholic media resolve to establish African news agency

T

HE Conference of Catholic Media Practitioners from Africa, aimed at establishing an African Catholic News Service, has set up a central working group to “mid-wife” a continental News Agency.

The conference appointed Fr Patrick Alumuku, the Director of

Communications of Abuja archdiocese in Nigeria, to head the team that will facilitate the implementation of the news service, assisted by Fr Andre Quenum, editor of the National Catholic Paper in Benin, together with Mr Benedict Assorow, the Director of Communications of the Sympo-

sium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).

Fr Alumuku said that the Conference was unanimous about the need to establish an African continental news service, describing it as “a voice that can tell the story of the Church in Africa”.— CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, September 22 to September 28, 2010

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Commission report shames Belgian Church B

ELGIUM’S Catholic bishops said they would learn from their errors after an independent report highlighted hundreds of cases of sexual abuse by clergy.

The church would work with Belgium’s Justice and Interior ministries in devising ways of preventing abuse and bringing past cases to light. Church officials would honour victims’ demands to be personally involved in new “healing initiatives”.

The bishops pledged to set up a “centre for recognition, healing and reconciliation”, staffed by four experts who would work with church and state institutions and draw up plans for financial compensation. They also pledged to establish guidelines for all church personnel working with children and young people.

The initiatives were presented at a news conference, three days after the report from a commission headed by Peter Adriaenssens recounted sexual abuse in most Catholic dioceses and all church-run boarding schools and religious orders.

The commission said 475 cases of abuse had been reported to it between January and June, including more than 300 cases that involved boys younger than 15 at the time the abuse occurred. Twothirds of victims had been male, the report said, while 13 had killed themselves and six more attempted suicide.

The commission reported clergy assaulted more than 160 girls, many of whom had faced abuse into adulthood.

The problem was at its worst in the 1960s and declined in the 1980s, when there were fewer

Caritas: Australia’s top spot shows ‘big hearts’

BY ANTHONY BARICH

A

USTRALIA’S spot on the top of the list of the world’s most generous donor countries reflects its citizens’ “very big hearts”, said the head of the nation’s Catholic aid agency, Caritas.

The survey of 153 countries compiled by the British-based Charities Aid Foundation found that 70% of Australians had given money to a charity; 38% had donated their time in the month before they were surveyed, and almost two-thirds said they had given assistance to a stranger.

“I’m always moved by the level of generosity of contributions people make year in, year out,” said Jack de Groot, chief executive officer of Caritas Australia.

The World Giving Index placed Australia and New Zealand first, with Canada and Ireland tied for third, the United States fifth and the United Kingdom eighth.

Mr De Groot said Australians give approximately $800 million (US$741 million) a year to all international aid agencies. Caritas

Australia receives about 3% of that, with more than 50 charities benefiting.

Australians “see the fundamental need of people in poverty throughout the world. Even through the time of the global financial crisis, Australians were still generous,” he said.

Australians have a history of giving in difficult times. They gave more than $120 million in 2009 to help victims of the Victorian bushfires that killed 173 people and destroyed several townships and hundreds of homes.

In 2004, when the Asian tsunami hit, Australians donated more than $250 million to help victims in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Mr De Groot said that in 2010, Australians have contributed more than $10 million to Caritas’ annual Project Compassion Appeal, which aims to eradicate extreme poverty worldwide.

He noted that this was on top of the millions donated for the Haitian and Chilean earthquakes and victims of Pakistan’s flooding.

Catholic priests in Belgium and the Church was less involved in education.

Although prosecutors had yet to bring charges against those accused, half of whom are now dead, the commission recommended punishing those who failed to come forward and setting up a solidarity fund for victims.

“These accounts and the suffering they contain make us shudder— they confront us with something which should never have happened and deserve our deepest and greatest attention for the human drama played out in them,” the bishops said in a statement.

“However regrettable the confrontation may be, these accounts and the faces of their victims cannot be hidden from our community.”—CNS

A worker on a hoist examines a statue of a saint on the colonnade in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican. The colonnade and its 140 statues of saints are being restored in a four-year project which began in 2009.

PHOTO: PAUL HARING/CNS

Exhibit highlights Jewish poet, Catholic nun connection W HEN the travelling “Women & Spirit” exhibit on Catholic women religious opens in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, New York, it will recall once again the connection between two 19th-century women—one Jewish, one Catholic.

The final illness of Emma Lazarus, the Jewish poet best known for the words that appear at the bottom of the Statue of Liberty, led Rose Hawthorne Lathrop to found the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne for the care of incurable cancer patients.

Lazarus’ poem The New Colossus reads in part: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.”

“Few who can quote this famous excerpt know that this

Be a light to others Servants of the Holy Childhood of Jesus.

Jewish woman poet-activist inspired her friend Rose Hawthorne...to start a religious order,” said Mercy Sr Camille D’Arienzo, a former president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious who visited the exhibit twice at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

During the latter part of the 19th century, when Lazarus was dying, “cancer was believed to be contagious and those who suffered from it were stigmatised and often shunned”, Sister D’Arienzo said.

Although Lazarus was well cared for, Lathrop, the daughter of American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, “observed that many others were not”.

Lathrop opened her home to indigent cancer victims but wanted to do more and began writing newspaper articles about her concerns and soliciting financial sup-

port. She and wealthy reader Alice Huber eventually dedicated their fortunes to found St Rose’s Home for Incurable Cancer in 1899.

After the death of her husband in 1898, Lathrop became a nun and, with Huber, established the religious community that became known as the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne in 1900.

Their ministry was governed by three rules: “The sisters were never to show revulsion for those disfigured by the disease, no money could be accepted by patients or their families, and no patient could be used as a guinea pig for medical research—those policies remain in effect today.”

The community currently operates five homes in the United States and one in Kenya.

The exhibition’s website is www.womenandspirit.org.

PO Box 11095, Mariannhill 3624 OCTOBER 22-24

from supper Dec 10 to breakfast 18

Mgr Paul Nadal: “Second Vatican Council,

DECEMBER 24 - JANUARY 1

Forty Years After”. Weekend.

“Our Joy in Being Catholic” (written by Bishop Oswald Hirmer), presented by Fr John Driessen, from supper Dec 24 to breakfast Jan 1.

NOVEMBER 19-21 Advent meditiations by Fr Pierre Lavoipierre: “Arm Ourselves – Appear in the Light”.

DECEMBER 10-18 Fr Michael Gumede OMI Seven-day retreat “In the Footsteps of the Apostles and the Saints”, from supper Dec 10 to breakfast 18

A SPIRITUAL CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY! January 3 - February 2, 2011 SPIRITUAL EXERCISES according to St Ignatius of Loyola. Thirty days of prayer and meditation, led by Fr Urs Fischer JANUARY 3-11

DECEMBER 10-18 Fr Urs Fischer & Team: 7-Day Guided Retreats,

Br Crispin Graham & Team: 7-Day Directed Retreats, from supper Jan 3 to breakfast 11.

Personally guided retreats may be arranged at any time throughout the year to suit individual need.

For Bookings: In the Spirit of God Incarnate, we follow the way of the Gospel. We have dedicated ourselves to the service of disadvantaged women and children and to the education of the young.

Is God calling you to be a witness to the Light that is Jesus?

If so, please contact: Sr Gregoria, P. Bag 553, Eshowe 3815. Tel: 076 3492752

Reception: Fr Urs Fischer Fax

031 700 2155 031 700 2890 031 700 2738

Cellphones: 083 9633848 083 5441504 082 7307180

Email: monretreat@saol.com

Fr Urs Fischer Bro Crispin Mrs N Qupa

6

The Southern Cross, September 22 to September 28, 2010

COMMUNITY

Fr Valentine Mphoso of the Diocese of Klerksdorp celebrate his 10th anniversary of the priesthood at St Theresa of the Child Jesus in Mashai, Lesotho. Fr Mphoso is originally from Lesotho. At the celebration are (left) Fr Emmanuel Nkofo, Fr Mphoso, Deacon Benedict Matlama and Fr Pascalis Mokhethi.

Elthea Gunnell and Ruth du Plooy at a spring tea event organised by the Catholic Women’s League at the Parish of Our Lady of Loreto in Kempton Park.

SUBMITTED BY BERNIECE EALES

Youth of St Martin parish in the Diocese of Mthatha put their time to good use by visiting the elderly during the public servants’ strike. With the youth is parish priest Fr Mbulelo Qumntu.

SUBMITTED BY FR FRANCIS NGADI

Young members of St Matthew’s parish in Bonteheuwel, Cape Town, at their confirmation.

Pictured with the youths are Rev Andrew Siljeur, Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town and Fr Gavin Butler.

PHOTO: MICHAEL BROWN

Fr Lubabalo Mguda of Christ the King church in Mdantsana admits new members to the Sacred Heart Sodality.

SUBMITTED BY PUMLA MADLIWA

During a gala evening in Houghton, Johannesburg, the Catenian Association enrolled member Mike Cooney to the association. At the celebration are (left) Evelyn and Vernon Da Cruz, Mike and Marion Cooney and Henry and Bernadette Alley.

Members of the Catholic Women’s Association of St Thomas church in Mossel Bay celebrate their 50th anniversary.

SUBMITTED BY HENRY ALLEY

IN FOCUS

Edited by Nadine Christians

Send photographs, with sender’s name and address on the back, and a SASE to: The Southern Cross, Community Pics, Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000 or email them to: pics@scross. co.za

CHURCH LIFE

The Southern Cross, September 22 to September 28, 2010

7

St Boniface church, Knysna

Parish cooks up a storm

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

S

T BONIFACE Catholic Church has a rich history in the famed Garden Route and seaside town of Knysna in the Diocese of Oudtshoorn. St Boniface has a vibrant congregation that intends to see the church grow from strength to strength.

The Vicar-General for Oudtshoorn and St Boniface parish priest, Fr John Atkinson, said the Catholic community in Knysna was founded around 1861 when a small chapel and schoolroom were built by Fr Rooney in Queen Street where the present presbytery stands.

It was two years before the first church was consecrated in 1863 and a further 28 years before the first resident priest was appointed in 1891.

According to Fr Atkinson the foundation for the current building was laid on April 23, 1949, and the design of the church is in the modified Mediterranean revival style and today houses regular mass, prayer groups, community support groups and fundraising projects for the community.

Prayer group member and parishioner Elinor Clegg said St Boniface tried to include everyone in the community with faith-sharing and support.

The parish has a weekly faith-

sharing group, ministers who take communion to the sick and regular masses for children. One of the longest standing groups is the rosary group which has been meeting every Wednesday since 1987.

The group has also undertaken to pray for a priest every day “so every priest in our diocese and also some priests in the Queenstown district have two to three people praying for them daily”.

One of the biggest challenges facing the parish is encouraging children to attend mass and catechism, says Ms Clegg.

While St Boniface has been trying to get both children and their parents involved in church activities, Ms Clegg was able to speak fondly of the “enthusiastic” attitudes of the confirmation groups which have been committed to a variety of duties.

St Boniface has seen a large increase in the sale of The Southern Cross. This could be attributed in part to an announcer who draws the congregation’s attention to interesting articles in The Southern Cross and reminds them to pick up their copies of the paper. Unsold copies are given to the sick “who have expressed their delight in receiving the newspaper”.

One of the biggest projects on the go at the moment is a recipe book. Parishioner Olive Krog says some women in the parish decided

to compile a recipe book to raise funds for the church. “The book would be a useful addition to [any] kitchen for tried and tested recipes,” she says. However, to raise funds for the parish, the group needs to raise funds to print the books.

Ms Krog says the group of women has raised funds through raffles and pancake sales.

Another parishioner, Dorothy van Edenner, has been organising a bridge drive to support their effort.

The recipe book will be launched and sold at a function next month and will be available to all parishes on request at a cost of R50.

It is hoped the book will raise funds for the parish’s ongoing support of Knysna’s needy community as well as bring much joy to kitchens in the area.

The church receives strong support from the Knysna community and also draws many visitors travelling the Garden Route who are attracted to the church’s four stained glass windows depicting the Annunciation, Nativity, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus.

The church has become a landmark in the seaside town, both for its physical beauty and its positive role in the community.  Each month the featured parish will receive a valuable Southern

First Holy Communion at St Boniface is a black tie affair. The most recent communicants are seen here with Fr John Atkinson.

Catechist Margerath Tavendale shows a young first communicant what to do on his special day. St Boniface is trying to encourage children and their parents to get more involved in the church's activities and has noted a particular enthusiasm from confirmation candidates. It is hoped the communicants will do the same.

Cross Press Office free of charge for a year. The Press Office will be permanently displayed on The South-

ern Cross website at www.scross.co.za, and The Southern Cross E-newsletter.

8

The Southern Cross, September 22 to September 28, 2010

LEADER PAGE The Editor reserves the right to shorten or edit published letters. Letters below 300 words receive preference. Pseudonyms are acceptable only under special circumstances and at the Editor’s discretion. Name and address of the writer must be supplied. No anonymous letter will be considered.

Guest Editor: Sydney Duval

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Distinguishing the changeable from the fixed

Dear sisters – a big R thank you

T

HE Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood at Mariannhill and the Holy Cross Sisters are celebrating major milestones which remind us of the massive contribution Catholic religious, men and women and their coworkers, make to education and human development throughout South Africa.

From impoverished rural and semi-rural communities to working class suburbs and the leafy lanes of the more well off.

The Holy Cross Sisters are celebrating 100 years in education through their school at Searle Street in District Six, and 100 years of service to St John’s parish, Maitland/Kensington, which includes establishing a primary school there in 1916.

The CPS are celebrating 125 years of serving impoverished communities through healthcare and education. Both congregations have served and continue to serve society with exceptional distinction and commitment. Their passion for their vocation burns still in hearts that were once young and tender.

The work of the sisters in education continued in spite of the apartheid regime’s hostile discrimination against Catholic schools, forcing the Church to launch its special campaign to save its mission schools in the 1950s, a courageous and visionary action that called for great sacrifice from Catholic educators. In 1993, at a Mass at St Mary of the Angels, Athlone, former president Nelson Mandela acknowledged the role of church and mission schools when he said his generation, from elementary school up to university, was educated by church and mission schools.

Through holistic education in the classroom and on the playing fields, through art and music, the Catholic school is an affirming source of inspiration and enlightenment to young minds, showing them that they can rise above adversity to a better life; that the

education and formation learners receive they must also strive to apply at home and at work and for the good of society as caring, responsible and involved adults. The guidelines they take from the classroom, enriched by Gospel values of truth, justice and compassion, are a supportive scaffolding for the years ahead. In times of joy and in times of distress and hardship.

The Holy Cross sisters and the Sisters of the Precious Blood have invested in an education that in many ways is a precious gift, offering learners the opportunity of friendship and solidarity for life. This connection is affirmed by the many active circles of old girls’ associations who support their old schools when calls are made on their time and special skills. They, too, have been conscientised to read and respond to the signs of the times; to be a discerning, sensitive and generous laity that will serve humanity in response to SACBC’s Pastoral Plan for Southern Africa.

The CPS were among the first in this country to offer both medical support and caritas to those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. They wanted their community outreach programme from St Mary’s Hospital to be a living sign of Christian caritas where a devastating disease was adding to the distress of dire poverty. They started Jabulani Centre in an enterprising effort to help alleviate poverty by training local people in skills that could be used to put food on the table.

To all the Holy Cross Sisters, to all the CPS sisters, to all the Dominican Sisters, Loreto Sisters and Salesian Sisters, to all the Marist Brothers and the Christian Brothers, and the CMM Confréres, our profound thanks for your work and presence in the classrooms of this country.

Your journey has been a tremendous adventure in education—infused with loving service.

EGARDING Mervyn Pollit's letter “Church Crisis” (August 18), I would like to share with all The Southern Cross readers my point of view.

1) No doubt we are immersed in a crisis. However, in my parish I can say that not one practising Catholic with a minimum of formation has left the Church because of this. On the contrary, I would say that it has encouraged them to be more faithful.

2) I realise that if a member of the Catholic Church is able to say that “the laity will no longer allow a handful of clergy in the Vatican to dictate to us”, that person is going through a serious crisis in his belief, probably out of ignorance of what the Catholic Church is.

3) Before we reach Vatican Council III, we need to assimilate and put into practice the teachings of Vatican Council II, especially what Lumen Gentium has taught about the kind of Church our founder (Jesus Christ) wanted: Hierarchy

(Pope, bishops, priests, deacons), religious and lay people, each one with his/her specific role.

4) We need to distinguish in the life of the Church those things that are “changeable” from those that are not. No one in the Church, not even Pope Benedict or a Vatican Council III, can change the indissolubility of marriage, the moral teachings regarding contraception or the nowadays frequent issue of the ordination of woman.

May these words of Pope John Paul II illustrate what I am saying: “The Church does not have any power to confer priestly ordination to women. This affirmation should be considered definitive for all the faithful of the Church” (Letter Ordinatio sacerdotalis; May 22, 1994) Why can't we change these issues?

To put it in a simple way, because it’s in the Gospel (explicitly or implicitly).

The discipline of priestly celibacy could be changed, but it would be going backwards (to understand this I recommend reading Paul VI’s

Encyclical Letter Sacerdotalis Coelibatus; June 24, 1967).

5) If we look around we see thousands of different Christian denominations. In the origin of this splitting process we always find the rejection of some of these “unchangeable” issues.

The divorce of Henry VIII in the case of the Anglicans is well known by all. That’s why I start worrying when I see people claiming changes that no one in the Church can concede. I cannot avoid thinking that a new split is coming or has already taken place.

The priestly prayer of Jesus at the Last Supper is always actual: “I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message. I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me” (John 17, 20-21).

Fr Thomas Gibson, Kensington, Johannesburg

A convenient untruth

ed among the twelve, but she had the awesome privilege of being the first to see our risen Lord. Our Blessed Mother might not be one of the twelve, but she is the Mother of God. Shocked as I am that Ms Stroud presumes to know the mind of the Holy Father, I am more shocked that she claims to know the mind of Jesus better. Jesus’ intention (if I might humbly submit my thoughts) was to call each person as an individual (regardless of gender, race, age) to the vocation which he or she has intended.

As a woman, I am glad my vocation has not landed me on the same list as Judas Ischariot. If Ms Stroud would like to be numbered alongside him, I am sure the Holy Father might reconsider in a second edition.

Dr A. Mbanga Durban

call them “control freaks”.

A large percentage of retirees and semi-retirees have been members of their dioceses for many years, are well known and respected by the Catholic parishioners and have outgoing personalities which makes them “popular”. It is therefore expected that they would take a leading role in any Church organisation or project.

Missionary Societies, Pastoral Councils and Administrative Councils, to name a few, require people in the organisation with particular skills to keep it running in the right direction.

A retired tradesman would not be suitable for the Administrative Council but a retired business or bank manager would, and therefore conflicts would occur within the organisation and parish because the correct skills have not been applied.

Many viable projects in a diocese have started with a bang because a “popular” member of the parish started the project; and ended in a wimper because the required skills were not implemented. It is the duty of diocesan administrative priests to direct skills in a diplomatic manner so that harmony is established within any church organisation or project.

Leo Vertenten, Bloemfontein

I

WAS once again alarmed at the knee-jerk criticism of our Holy Father’s new children's book. Ms Stroud from “We are Church” claims that the pope's omission of women disciples in the book “send’s a strong message that women are second-class citizens in the Christian religion”.

I beg to differ. The “friends of Jesus” included in the book are the twelve Apostles (including Judas Ischariot), St Matthias (who is included in the twelve after Judas’s demise) and St Paul who, as we know, is definitely considered an “Apostle” even though he did not form part of the twelve.

The book is about the Apostles.

Anyone with a modicum of common sense will see that “friends” is a simple term which is used to introduce the concept of the twelve to children.

Were the Holy Father to have gone further simply to include women, would that not have undermined the inherent dignity of women?

As a woman and a feminist sociologist, I am appalled at the idea that exceptions should be made and parameters broken or stretched in order to “include” women.

Worse still is the idea that a book which is meant to open up the scriptures for children is being constrained to not make a distinction which was made by Our Lord.

No exceptions need to be made whatsoever—women compete on the same playing field. Mary Magdalene might not have been includ-

Directing skills

M

ANY parishioners retiring from secular public life and even those that are semiretired wish to donate some of their time on a voluntary basis to assist the Catholic Church by joining a church organisation or completing a project in aid of church funds.

This of course is praiseworthy because the Church needs the Catholic laity to help where needs arise in the diocese. The matter of “control freaks” taking over a particular function when they become involved in these church organisations or projects occurs probably because before retirement they held senior positions in secular life and will obviously be inclined to take a leading role.

However, I would be hesitant to

Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. The letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate.

Letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the Church accurately.

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PERSPECTIVES Colleen Constable

Women and Spirituality

An old model for modern women

O

UR Catholic faith has no shortage of women saints and holy or pious women: the jewels of the Church; the special friends of Christ. From the Middle Ages to the 21st century, lessons from the inspirations and life journeys of women icons serve as guidelines to understand life’s purpose.

These women followed holy desires, understood their destination, but were not in control of the route. They travelled and conquered. Maybe angels prepared the path ahead. What does their message hold for the 21st century generation X and Y women living in the world? Today women are liberated and opinionated, independent, intelligent and ambitious, compassionate and assertive. They resemble the 21st century woman in an era of globalisation, technology, bio-diversity and inequality.

The Middle Age diamond St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302) was never formally canonised.

According to the classic writing from 1678 on her life and revelations, “her name was inserted… without any special eulogium”.

Gertrude was offered to “the service of God in holy religion” at the age of five—a practice later forbidden by the Council of Trent and abolished

by Pope Clement III. When Gertrude could exercise her agency she did: she freely chose Christ and became a professed sister of the Benedictine order. She died in sanctity as abbess and left memories of her spirituality based on the pillars of trust in divine providence and following the will of God. In a modern world these two aspects require women to integrate a total dependency on God into all areas of their everyday life. It requires redefining the relationship with God, analysing and decreasing the levels of self-will and dependency on your own inner strength—a challenge easier said than done.

Gertrude was a spirit-filled and intellectually gifted woman: an intercessor that had an extraordinary intimate spiritual relationship with God the Son. Although spiritually gifted and connected, Gertrude remained humble. She requested prayers from others for her personal development. How willing is the independent woman of today to accept assistance? How often does she ask others to pray for her specific needs?

Another facet of Gertrude’s life is the stage where she showed no exterior signs associated with someone in spiritual progress. Visitors perceived another religious sister to be more spiritual.

Some 21st century women may relate to this aspect of Gertrude. They may have found themselves being perceived as lacking the signs of spiritual affirmation. Some say it can be seen in the way the person moves with reverence, others want to see them become silent, if previously they had an inclination to be vocal; others expect changes in the dress code: lipstick, jeans and high heels replaced by a toned down image.

Woe to those who do not show these signs!

They are deemed to be frowned upon, accused of false humility and seeking attention by trying to draw people towards them. Enough to let a generation X or Y woman fall prey to the advice of her peers: “Go with the flow!” But if she has perseverance and zeal she may just continue to go against the flow.

Gertrude was emotionally intelligent. She had self-awareness and spent time in reflection to ponder her shortcomings. She felt she needed more patience and mildness and requested another religious to pray for her. How open are today’s women to acknowledge their weakest link?

Gertrude was also willing to make a trade-off: she gave up her love of literature, to concentrate on her contemplative spiritual role. What tradeoffs are modern women challenged to make if they want to keep their spiritual, professional and personal lives in tact? How willing are women to let go when it is time to do so?

Gertrude understood her mission. She received the burden of religion: praying for the Church and writing the dialogue between her and God. The result is a spiritual journal for anyone seeking ways to reach sanctity. After reading this journal you remain in awe!

That brings us to a modern day struggle: the inclination to link a personal, intimate relationship with the Triune God to supernatural experiences. Generation X and Y women are perceived to be realistic and practical. The dreams of their mothers who longed for visions, foreknowledge or inner locution, and never got it and so tried to impart their unfulfilled wishes on their daughters, hoping to have a “special child”, have been shed.

Of course there are also mothers who have always been practical.

But some girls grew up wanting to be “special”, and by the time they become adults they start to Continued on page 11

The Southern Cross, September 22 to September 28, 2010

Whom to trust in faith?

T

HERE is no obligation for a Christian to naively trust just anyone, in all circumstances.

In fact, a healthy distrust—especially in religious matters—is encouraged by the earliest Christian literature, written at a time when the oral teachings and Bible interpretations of Jesus and the apostles were still fresh in Christian memories.

Jesus himself warned to “beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15), and “false Christs and false prophets will arise” (24:24). The Apostle John added: “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).

As Paul’s letters show, his ministry was constantly beset by such frauds.

Having become resigned to the phenomenon, in Acts 20.29:30 he told local Church leaders: “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.”

Around AD 233 Origen, the greatest Bible scholar and Christian preacher of the era, advised: “Be careful of immediately trusting just anyone that quotes the Scriptures. Examine the sort of life he leads, the religious beliefs he holds, and his intentions. He may pretend to be holy when he is not really holy. He may be a false teacher and wolf in sheep’s clothing. He may even be the mouthpiece of the devil, who quotes Scripture for a purpose” (Homilies on Luke, 31).

Whom, then, can we trust, particularly in religious matters? One apostle wrote that “every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God” (1 John 4:2-3). However, as Origen noted, even some people that assert they are good Christians nevertheless ought to be investigated further.

I

n the middle of the second century came a book of Christian moral teaching that proved very popular and influential. It concisely states: “Trust you the righteous, but put no trust in the unrighteous” (Shepherd of Hermas, Mandate 6.1.2) and then

David W T Brattston

Point of Ethics provided criteria by which to tell the two apart, and thus a guide as to a person’s life, beliefs, intentions, and spirit.

The messenger of righteousness is “gentle and modest, meek and peaceful…he talks to you of righteousness, purity, chastity, contentment, and every righteous deed and glorious virtue. Trust him, then, and his works”.

On the other hand, “the messenger of iniquity…is wrathful, and bitter, and foolish, and his works are evil…drunken revels, divers[e] luxuries, and things improper, …hankering after women…overreaching, and pride, and blustering” (Mandate 6.2).

I

n the same vein is the Shepherd of Hermas’ mandate 11: “He who has the Divine Spirit proceeding from above is meek, and peaceable, and humble, and refrains from all iniquity and vain desire of this world, and contents himself with fewer wants than those of other men. […] the spirit which is earthly, and empty…exalts itself, and wishes to have the first seat, and is bold, and impudent, and talkative, and lives in the midst of many luxuries…it never approaches an assembly of righteous men but shuns them.

“Try by his deeds and his life the man who says he is inspired. But as for you, trust the Spirit which comes from God, and has power; but the spirit which is earthly and empty trust not at all.”

If readers think that all this is too negative and cynical, remember that Christ himself took the same course of action: “Many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did; but Jesus did not trust himself to them, because he knew all men and needed no one to bear witness of man; for he himself knew what was in man” (John 2:23-25).

We who do not possess Jesus’ powers of knowing other people’s inner thoughts and intentions must fall back on our usual limited human methods of finding out whom to trust and whom not. These methods are outlined above in 1 John, Origen, and Hermas.

9

Chris Chatteris SJ

Pray with the Pope

Higher learning General Intention: That Catholic universities may increasingly become places where, in the light of the Gospel, people may experience the unity of faith and reason.

HE word “university” originally meant a place to study anything and everything.

Hence it doesn’t really make sense, in the original understanding of the term, to ask if such and such a university has a science faculty.

How can an institution which claims to examine everything ignore the sciences? And the term “technological university”—implying that it does not teach the humanities—is equally contradictory according to this traditional sense of the word.

In effect the word’s meaning has changed to signify a place where a large number of disciplines are studied, but not all. This is partly due to the modern explosion of knowledge; no single institution has the capacity to embrace everything anymore.

Also because what we consider worth studying has shifted since the Middle Ages when the knowledge of God was high on the scale of academic values. That is no longer generally the case. In fact a student of theology today risks being considered an oddity.

Another shift has been in the use of the word “science”. Today, “science” in English means the “hard” sciences like physics, chemistry and biology and might, at a pinch, include the “soft” sciences of economics and sociology.

Everyday English would rarely refer to theology as a “science”. However, back then it meant what we in English would term “knowledge” or “scholarship” and included things such as philosophy and theology.

The modern marginalisation, even banishment of theology from the university curriculum, has been a particular preoccupation of Pope Benedict’s. Hence he looks to the Catholic universities to restore the intellectual unity between what we refer to today as “sacred” and “secular” studies. It is in an atmosphere where faith is valued and reason is not seen as a threat to that faith, that the two can coexist and enrich each other.

Hence we pray for Catholic universities as intellectual breach-menders as well as formers of young people’s minds and mentalities.

T

We all must preach Missionary Intention: That World Mission Day may help Christians realise that the task of proclaiming Christ is a necessary service to which the Church is called for the benefit of humanity.

OPULAR novels such as The Poisonwood Bible have cast doubt in the minds of many Christians about the value of missionary work.

In a time when we rightly do our best to respect the beliefs of others, we are understandably hesitant to adopt an aggressive evangelical stance. That, we Catholics often believe, is what Pentecostal preachers do, like the young man I saw handing around Pentecostal literature at Wits University recently. He wore a T-shirt which proclaimed that judgment day was near, and he didn’t just mean the university exams!

Although Catholics may not be given to such fundamentalist fervour and earnestness, the missionary imperative remains: preach the good news always. We might like to go along with people like St Francis who is said to have added, “and sometimes use words”, meaning that we can persuade more powerfully by our deeds of charity and justice than threatening people with doomsday.

The evangelical success of Catholic institutions suggests that Francis was right. Converts often come to the faith through a sustained association with Catholic schools, hospitals and other institutions in which we do not thump Bibles but try to let the underlying motivation of faith shine through all our efforts.

However, this engine of evangelisation of our institutions is no longer what it was and we may need to imagine other ways of passing on the knowledge of the hidden treasure of the Gospel.

Indeed, the recent falling off of numbers in the South African Catholic Church, suggests that a renewal of mission is sorely required.

Whatever local shape or form that might take there will be roles for everyone. Let us pray that we find our places and play our parts with evangelical joy.

P

on DStv audio channel 170

also streamed on www.radioveritas.co.za

10

FOCUS

The Southern Cross, September 22 to September 28, 2010

Code red and white: Dressing the pope Pope Benedict is a snazzy dresser, as far as pontiffs go.

But he can’t pick and choose his daily wardrobe; precise protocol dictates when he may wear what, as CAROL GLATZ explains.

W

HEN a pope attends a public event like a general audience in St Peter’s Square or meets a head of state in the papal apartment, he is not exactly free to “wing it” with his wardrobe. His choice of outfit is dictated by a precise protocol.

Recently a Vatican official published two extensive articles in the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, in an effort to help observers decipher the papal dress code.

In what can seem like a page of dos and don’ts from the rule book of etiquettes, Mgr Stefano Sanchirico, an assistant for papal ceremonies, spelled out current norms on how popes should dress for a non-liturgical event.

First, a peek at what’s in the

papal closet: a white cassock; a white zucchetto (skullcap); a white sash; a short white surplice-like garment called a rochet that is worn over the cassock; an elbowlength red cape called a mozzetta; a red velvet mozzetta trimmed with ermine fur; a white damask mozzetta with or without the white fur trim; a selection of red stoles with gold embroidery; white stoles with gold embroidery; red shoes; and a pair of white loafers.

Even though the items are few, they are worn in particular combinations for specific occasions.

The basic outfit is the white cassock, white sash with gold fringe and the white zucchetto. This is what the pope wears for almost all public events: the weekly general audience, the Sunday Angelus, an audience with a government official and during most meetings on papal trips abroad.

When the pope holds an official audience with a head of state or ambassador at the Vatican, the rochet and mozzetta are added on top of the basic papal attire. If the visiting head of state is Catholic, then a stole is added to the mix.

According to Mgr Sanchirico, the stole and the shoes should

always match the colour of the mozzetta. However, papal tastes trump sartorial standards in the shoe department: Pope Benedict always wears red shoes in public, even when protocol dictates otherwise.

Whether red or white accessories are worn depends on the time of year.

The white mozzetta—with or without the ermine trim—is worn after the Easter Vigil until the second Sunday of Easter. However, Pope Benedict prefers to wear the white mozzetta until Pentecost.

The red mozzetta is worn the rest of the year. Whether it is trimmed with ermine fur or not depends on the season. A red mozzetta with trim is worn from the feast of St Catherine of Alexandria on November 25 through to the Ascension; the red mozzetta without trim is worn from the Ascension to November 25.

Pope Benedict has reintroduced to the papal wardrobe a widebrimmed red straw hat that Pope John XXIII often wore and a red velvet cap trimmed with ermine called a camauro, which Pope John was the last to wear.

The one thing all the pope’s

When the pope meets a head of state, such as US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, at the Vatican, he wears a red mozzetta or cape over a white rochet. If Mr Obama was a Catholic, the pope would add a stole to the ensemble.

PHOTO: CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO/CNS non-liturgical garments and accessories have in common is they are either red or white. The colours, according to Mgr Sanchirico, “are distinctive of papal dignity” with white symbolising “innocence and charity” and the red symbolising the blood and sacrifice of Christ.

But the colours are also rooted in the historical process of the early Roman pontiffs taking on the customs and clothing of the Roman emperor, as outlined in the so-called Donation of Constantine.

Mgr Sanchirico said the document, which was probably written around the eighth or ninth century, claims that Emperor Constantine handed over sovereign authority to Rome and the western part of the empire to Pope Sylvester I. To reinforce the legitimacy of the pope’s role as a sovereign ruler, the document established that the pope could wear imperial garments and use the sceptre, “which already from the ninth century began to play a role in the rite of installation of the new pontiff”, wrote Mgr Sanchirico.

The first systematic description of what the pope was to wear

upon his election was written out for Pope Gregory X sometime between 1272 and 1273 by the papal master of ceremonies. Earlier norms specified only the importance of the red cloak.

From the time of Pope Gregory, both white and red were to be visible to show that the pope represented “the person of Christ and his mystical body, the Church”, Mgr Sanchirico wrote.

Further codifications of papal dress stipulated that, upon his election, the pope was to put on a white cassock made of linen or other material appropriate for the weather and that a high-ranking cardinal would then place the red papal mantle over his shoulders.

The installation outfits eventually became the pope’s everyday attire for public events and formal meetings.

Even with a few modern modifications, the traditional papal outfit has never gone out of style.

Sticking with the same look for centuries offers continuity and “makes visible the uniqueness and singularity of the ministry of the successor of Peter”, Mgr Sanchirico said.—CNS

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The Southern Cross, September 22 to September 28, 2010

St Gertrude: An old model for modern women Continued from page 9 express wishes for mystical gifts. And then there are women who, if they do meet someone with mystical gifts of some sort, (yes, it can still happen in our time!) they immediately wish that these gifts be imparted.

You cannot blame them: they became the product of indoctrination. They support a hidden theme: the competition to be Christ’s special friend.

In this process the concentration shifts away from the core thought, namely to develop a personal, intimate relationship with the Triune God. Actions become directed towards religious piety. And being in competitive mode creates insecurity and alienation. Some women are unable to have constructive spirituality discussions with other women.

The loving concept of spiritual sisterhood becomes a myth. And the personal, intimate

relationship with God gets deferred. Unless women face the reality that feelings of spiritual insecurity expose something about her rather than another woman, she will not be at peace with herself or with other women. She will not understand that it is time to fix her life.

Gertrude’s approach to spirituality encourages modern women to have a living, personal and intimate relationship with the Triune God: to offer God a resting place in a busy world. To follow a journey, living their best life to the glory of God, through seeking their true calling: a path carved out according to the will of God, supported by the trade-offs women are willing to make, to give Divine Providence control of their destiny.

What exciting times for 21st century generation X and Y women: a time for something ancient and something new!

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JOHANNESBURG:  First Friday Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 10:30. First Saturday: Devotions: Our Lady’s Cenacle, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Rosary, 15:00–16:00. Special devotion to Our Blessed Lady for her priests. Our Lady of the Angels, Little Eden, Edenvale,  011 609 7246  First Saturday of each month rosary prayed 10:30-12:00 outside Marie Stopes abortion clinic, Peter Place, Bryanston.  Joan Beyrooti, 011 782 4331  Rivonia parish social evening ‘Night Fever’ September 18, 18:30, Barnyard Broadacres. For tickets contact Elvira 011 803 1229 or elvira@rivoniacatholic.co.za.

KIMBERLEY:  St Boniface High School celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2011. The St Boniface Past students Union is currently preparing to celebrate this event. Past students are requested to contact Union’s PRO & chairman of the board of govenors, Mr Mosalashuping Morundi  073 768 3653 or at sbonifa@iafrica.com for further information PRETORIA:  First Saturday: Devotion to Divine Mercy. St Martin de Porres, Sunnyside, 16:30.  Shirley-Anne 012 361 4545 To place your event, call Claire Allen on 021 465 5007, or e-mail c.allen@scross.co.za

REMEMBERING OUR DEAD “It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins” (II Macc XII,46) Holy Mass will be celebrated on the first Sunday of each month in the All Souls’ chapel, Maitland, Cape Town at 2:30pm for all souls in purgatory and for all those buried in the Woltemade cemetery.

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Thoughts for the Week on the Family

11

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FAMILY CALENDAR 2010 FAMILY THEME: “Families Play the Game.”

SEPTEMBER : A SPORTING TRADITION 26th September—26th Sunday of the Year C. Behold the Man. Jesus stood before Pilate as a witness for the truth. This is often shown in commitment to justice and to addressing the inequality between rich and poor.

Sport today is a way of good healthy enjoyment but has also become a way of striving for fame and wealth without care for others. Pray for yourselves and for all sportsmen and women that they may be generous in their concern for others.

29th September—Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, archangels as messengers from God show us God’s power and concern. Invite them to join us in prayer for our needs.

Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000. Tel 021 465 5007 Fax 021 465 3850 e-mail: advertising@scross.co.za

IN MEMORIAM

ANTHONY—In loving memory of Mrs Leah who passed away September 18, 2007. Always remembered by her family, friends, Parishioners of St Martin de Porres, Lavistown, the Legion of Mary and the Third Order of St Francis de Sales. Rest in peace.

BLAND—Anne. In loving memory of my dear wife, our mother and grandmother who went home to be with Our Lord and His Mother, Our Lady, six years ago on September 26, 2004. We love you and miss you still in our everyday lives. You and Tracy are always in our hearts and minds. Rest in peace.

Ken, Carol, Jennifer, Mathew, Paul, grandchildren and friends

PERSONAL

Mass readings for the week Sundays year C, weekdays cycle 2

Sun September 26, 26th Sunday of the year: Am 6:1,4-7; Ps 146:7-10; 1 Tm 6:11-16; Lk 16:19-31 Mon September 27, St Vincent de Paul: Jb1:6-22; Ps 17:1-3, 6-7; Lk 9:46-50 Tue September 28, St Wenceslaus, SsLaurence Ruiz & Comp: Jb 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23; Ps 88:2-8; Lk 9:51-56 Wed September 29, Archangels Michael, Gabriel & Raphael: Dn 7:9-10,13-14; Ps 138:1-5; Jn 1:47-51 Thur September 30, St Jerome: Jb 19:21-27; Ps 27:7-9,13-14; Lk 10:1-12 Fri October 1, St Therese of the child: Is 66:10-14; Ps 131:1-3; Mt 18:1-5 Sat October 2, Guardian Angels: Ex 23:20-23; Ps 91:1-6, 10-11; Mt 18:1-5,10 Sun October 3, 27th Sunday of the year: Hb 1:2-3, 2,2-4; Ps 95:1-2,6-9; 2 Tm 1:6-8, 13-14; Lk 17:5-10

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PRAYERS HOLY St Jude, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke you, special patron in time of need. To you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg you to come to my assistance. Help me now in my urgent need and grant my petitions. In return I promise to make your name known and publish this prayer.

Amen. Say this prayer for nine days then publish.

Grateful thanks for prayers answered. AP. HOLY St Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor for all who invoke your special patron in time of need. To you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg you to come to my assistance. Help me now in my urgent need and grant my petition. In return I promise to make your name known in publication of this prayer that never fails. Amen. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be forever Blessed and Gloried, Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us and grant me my request (name your request). Say this prayer for 9 consecutive days and on the ninth day your request should be granted. HC. HOLY SPIRIT you who makes me see everything.

You showed me the way to reach my ideal. You who give me the divine gift to forgive and forget all that is done to me and you are in all the instincts of my life with me. I want to thank you for everything and confirm once more that I never want to be separated from you no matter how great the desires may be. I want to be with you and my loved ones in your perpetual glory. This prayer should be said on 3 consecutive days, after the

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3rd day, the request will be granted, no matter how difficult it may be. Promise to publish the entire dialogue with the condition of having your request granted.

H/RC. O St MARTHA, I resort to thee and to thy petition and faith, I offer up to thee this light which I shall burn every Tuesday for nine Tuesdays.

Comfort me in all my difficulties thro’ the great favour thou didst enjoy when Our Saviour lodged in thy house. I beseech thee to have definite pity in regard to the favour I ask (mention favour). Intercede for my family that we may always be provided for in all our necessities. I ask thee St Martha to overcome the dragon which thou did cast at thy feet. One Our Father and three Hail Mary’s, and a lighted candle every Tuesday and the above prayer made known with the intentions of spreading devotion to St Martha. This miraculous Saint grants everything before the Tuesdays are ended. No matter how difficult. HC. REMEMBER O Most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence I fly to thee, O Virgin of Virgins, my Mother, to thee I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O mother of the Word incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

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KOLBE HOUSE is the Catholic Centre and residence for the University of Cape Town. Beautiful estate in Rondebosch near the university. From mid November, December and January, the students’ rooms are available for holiday guests. We offer selfcatering accommodation, parking in secure premises.

Short walks to shops, transport etc. Contact Jock 021 685 7370, fax 021 686 2342 or 082 308 0080 or kolbe.house@telkomsa.net MARIANELLA Guest House, Simon’s Town: “Come experience the peace and beauty of God with us.” Fully equipped with amazing sea views.

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27th Sunday—Year C (October 3rd) Readings: Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4 Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9, 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14 Luke 17:5-10

G

OD can sometimes feel very remote from us, his demands impossible to comply with, and his deafness too pronounced to be an accident. The readings for next Sunday face this quandary with some courage.

In the first reading, Habakkuk, writing at the turn of the 7th and 6th centuries BC, is not very happy: “How long, O Lord, am I crying—and you do not listen?”

Our Jewish forebears are an example to us of the important truth that we are allowed to complain to God—provided that we listen for the answer.

“Why do you make me see violence?”, he bellows, but then an answer comes: “The Lord answered me and said, ‘Write down the vision’.” The vision is to the effect that one can trust God, “It will certainly come...then the just one shall live because of his integrity”. That last phrase came across to St Paul as “the one who is [made] just by faith shall live”—but that is another story.

The psalm is a good deal less bleak; it is an invitation to the Temple worshippers to join in praising God: “Come let us make a joyful

Be patient; listen for God’s voice Fr Nicholas King SJ

Scriptural Reflections noise to the Lord, and exult the Rock of our salvation.” There is (as so often in the psalms) a massive confidence here. God is not far away, and is there to be adored.

“Come, let us adore and kneel before the Lord who made us, for he is our God, and we are the flock of his pasture.” The basic task for us, as for Habakkuk, is to “Listen to his voice; do not harden your hearts”.

That is the key for us when we feel overwhelmed by the remoteness of God, instead of shouting (or as well as shouting, but with a bit of respectful silence), to pay attention to what God is saying to us; for our God is always saying something to us.

In the second reading, Timothy is encouraged to trust in what the community of faith has given him: “Stir into flame the free gift of God, which is in you, because of the laying-

on of my hands.” And (a very important lesson for us today), “Don’t be ashamed of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but join in suffering for the gospel in accordance with the power of God”.

Once we can see it in this way, God’s remoteness does not seem, after all, so terrible. “Hold as your model the healthy words that you heard from me, in the faith and the love that is in Jesus Christ.”

When we get to the gospel, we need to know, if we are going to understand it, that Jesus has just been encouraging his disciples to forgive a person who has sinned against them as many as seven times a day. Not surprisingly, they respond: “Increase faith for us.”

At first sight, you may think that the Lord’s response is not all that helpful:, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard, you would say to this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea’, and it would obey you.”

So we hang our heads, certain that we could not do anything like that, and so we must be hopeless failures; but try thinking of faith as a relationship of trust between ourselves and God, or ourselves and Jesus; and we are simply not equals.

Humility with Christ T

HE greater you are, the more you should behave humbly—these were the opening words of a sermon delivered recently by Fr Bram Martijn, parish priest at Sts Simon and Jude Catholic Church in Simon’s Town on the Cape Peninsula.

His homily bears repeating because it struck me as being extremely relevant right now, to an ongoing debate within our church.

He continued: “Then you hear Christ saying: ‘Everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.’

“Christ is saying that humility exalts and pride degrades. He has the right to say this because He lived very humbly.

He obeyed human parents and teachers, He underwent religious rites at the hands of priests who were far inferior to Himself.

“He became known as a companion to sinners and drunkards. He forgot Himself in the service of others.

“He traded His royalty for a crown of thorns, divested Himself of dignity and hung disgraced between criminals in a shameful and tortured death.

“He is humble enough today to want union with each of us in His Eucharist as though each were His only loved one.

“His parents, Mary and Joseph, lived humbly. Christ’s way of living was humble. He travelled on dusty feet through desert lands between the towns, often tired and hungry and badly in need of a

CONRAD

Chris Moerdyk

The Last Word change of clothes.

“On the road He comforted and healed people and saw the good in them even at the moment that He carried His cross. He had a comforting word for the crowd along the road.

“As the son of God, He was a man of the street.”

Fr Martijn compared Christ’s humble way of life to the materialism and pomp and power in the Church.

“Many of us were victims of its rules and regulations. Many married people suffered under its regulations—not only married people, but also priests and nuns.

“It looked as if our Church manipulated our consciences and the consequence was that many carried a pointless cross. “ Fr Martijn said he felt that “a development” was on its way “from the bottom up, in which people can breathe again, in which the real picture of Christ will come again to the surface.

“A picture of a consoling, loving Christ, who put Himself at our level, who is walking with us without power play, who is understanding us and is strength-

ening us to to follow our consciences.

“Through Him we are able to walk again in freedom and full of joy, trusting Him and ourselves.

“The Church has to return to the life that Christ lived; humble, without pretence, full of understanding and love for each other. He wants us humble, he wants His organisation, the Church, to be humble too and nearer to the people as He was.

“We all, and the Church too, have to bear in mind His saying that humility exalts and pride degrades.”

Fr Martijn gave The Southern Cross permission to publish this homily. In fact, he welcomed the opportunity to take his message of humility to an audience far wider than his tiny seaside parish.

From all the reading I do of Catholic issues, I get the feeling that there are a lot more priests and bishops, brothers and nuns who are prepared to speak out against pomp, power and materialism within the Church even though they know that there will be many conservative Catholics who will call for their heads for being critical of the very seat of power of the Catholic Church.

On the other hand, I would pray that, more and more Catholics will not see opinions such as Fr Martin’s as treacherous, but rather as part of a new dispensation within our Church, a dispensation approved one way or the other by the Vatican itself, in which the lower order of Catholics such as the laity and parish priests along with local bishops, are encouraged to openly discuss what might appear to be thorny issues.

Fr Martijn, now in his early 70s, was born in the Netherlands and studied pastoral psychology at the University of Leiden. He was appointed chaplain to the Dutch contingent of Nato forces firstly at the Berlin Wall and latterly during the first Gulf War. On his retirement he was invited by the now retired Archibishop of Cape Town, Lawrence Henry, to come to South Africa as parish priest in Simon’s Town and to lecture at the seminary in Cape Town. Fr Martijn spoke no English when he arrived in South Africa a little over a decade ago.

So Jesus gives them a sort of a parable: “If one of you has a servant doing the ploughing or looking after the flocks, when he comes into the house, are you going to say to him, ‘Lie down straight away to eat’?”

Jesus then answers his own question: “No —you’ll tell him ‘Get something ready for me to have supper, put on your livery and serve me while I eat and drink, and you are to eat and drink after that’.

Is he grateful to the servant for doing what he was told to do?” And now Jesus turns to us and draws the moral: “So with you lot—when you have done everything that was commanded you, say, ‘We are useless servants; we have done what we ought to have done’.”

The point is that although we are dealing with a God who loves us more than we can possibly begin to imagine, we do not have rights over God. Habakkuk is permitted to make a loud noise of protest against God’s apparent deafness, but then he must listen to what he is being told.

God’s seeming remoteness is simply a reflection of our lack of perception.

Southern Crossword #411

ACROSS 1. Monks’ heads (6) 4. Gaulish (6) 9. The first thing God did (7,6) 10. Pens were once dipped in it (7) 11. Nod ye to the senior (5) 12. Do angels play them?

14. Send out the children? It’s debatable (5) 18. Abram built one (Genesis11) (5) 19. Sated with food (7) 21. Traditional Marian prayer (4,4,5) 22. Pays out cash (6) 23. Have trust in (4,2)

DOWN 1. North Pole area (6) 2. When you eat after Lent? (9,4) 3. Church tax (5) 5. And sage holds orders of business (7) 6. Christ’s unhateful command (4,4,5) 7. Clergy weapons? (6) 8. False gods (5) 13. Became dry (6) 15. Ah, stop. It makes you sad (6) 16. In a faithful way (5) 17. Westminster’s cardinal in the 1960s (6) 20. Feeling of resentment (5)

SOLUTIONS TO #410. ACROSS: 5 Past, 7 Accomplice, 8 Over, 10 Electors, 11 Snowed, 12 Toledo, 14 Studio, 16 Nation, 17 Accepted, 19 Pots, 21 Came to pass, 22 Seth. DOWN: 1 Halo, 2 Sorrowed, 3 Spread, 4 Divest, 5 Pelt, 6 Sacred Host, 9 Vanity case, 13 Late pope, 15 On time, 16 Nudity, 18 Each, 20 Sash.

CHURCH CHUCKLE

A

FTER the christening of his baby brother in church, little Johnny sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father and mother asked him three times what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied “That priest said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I want to stay with you guys!”

Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.