The Southern Cross - 101027 by The Southern Cross

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Priest’s mother turns 106

Meet the 24 new cardnals

New series: The Pilgrim’s Trek 2010

16-page 90th birthday supplement

October 27 to November 2, 2010 Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 4699

www.scross.co.za

R5,50 (incl VAT RSA)

SOUTHERN AFRICA’S NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY SINCE 1920

We are 90 O

The current staff of The Southern Cross on the steps of St Mary’s cathedral in Cape Town, near the newspaper’s offices. Standing (from left): Joan King, Pamela Davids (business manager), Elizabeth Hutton, Michael Shackleton (advisory editor), Claire Mathieson, Jean van der Westhuizen. Sitting: Avril Hanslo, Claire Allen, Desiree Chanquin, Nadine Christians and editor Günther Simmermacher. PHOTO: ROSS VAN DER PAS

Congratulations! Archbishop James Patrick Green, Apostolic Nuncio: s the representative of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, I am pleased to extend to you and your staff my sincere congratulations on the auspicious occasion of The Southern Cross’ 90th anniversary. Since the founding of The Catholic Newspaper and Publishing Company Ltd and the printing of the first edition of The Southern Cross, this Catholic newspaper has served the Church in Southern Africa with distinction. Recently the Holy Father reminded us of the important role the Catholic media has in regard to humanity’s search for truth: “The search for truth must be pursued by Catholic journalists with a passionate mind and heart, but also with the professionalism of competent staff who are equipped with adequate and effective means.” As you now celebrate all the good moments of the past, it is my fervent hope and prayer that all at The Southern Cross will heed the words of the Holy Father, orient themselves to Christ, “and keep burning the flame of hope in the world and live worthily our today and to build the future appropriately”. Finally, in the name of the Holy Father, I willingly impart to you and all the staff of The Southern Cross the Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of his affection and paternal care.

Cardinal Wilfrid F Napier OFM, Archbishop of Durban and spokesman for the Southern Africa Catholic Bishops’ Conference: HE 90th anniversary of The Southern Cross is a milestone for the Catholic Church in Southern Africa. The Southern Cross’ history of dedicated service to the Catholic community

of Southern Africa is significant not so much for the length of time it has survived, but for the fact that it has served as an instrument of hope for that community. Recently Pope Benedict urged the Catholic media to be at the service of hope for humanity. Catholic journalists and other media professionals are called to do this by reflecting decisively and critically on current events in the light of faith and truth, in particular their own faith in Jesus Christ. By carrying out this service of publishing news and views about the Catholic Church, The Southern Cross has built up the reputation of being a unique Catholic voice not only for South Africans, but as one of the venerable Catholic print voices. This is a legacy that we are rightly proud of and upon which we must continue to build so that the voice of the Church can be heard clearly. It is gratifying to note initiatives which the board of the Catholic Newspaper and Publishing Company have taken to ensure that The Southern Cross is up to the mark in regard to the use of “New Media”, “smart technologies” and “convergence”. We believe that by doing this, The Southern Cross is rising to the challenge not only to maintain its current readership, but also to broaden its readership to reflect the broader reality of the Catholic Church in Southern Africa. For this reason I earnestly urge all parish priests and parishioners to do all they can to increase subscriptions to The Southern Cross by at least 10%. However, for this to be achieved, we Catholics will have to change the way we see The Southern Cross. We will need to do what we can to make it truly the Voice of Hope in Southern Africa. We are sure that the Southern Cross board and staff will join us in

From left: Archbishop James Green, Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, Archbishop Stephen Brislin this effort to make The Southern Cross the paper that speaks for Catholics in Southern Africa and indeed in the World Our prayer is that the next ten years will see The Southern Cross continue to make its illustrious contribution to the growth of the Church as an instrument of hope which builds peace, justice, and reconciliation through the New Evangelisation to which we are all called. Archbishop Stephen Brislin, Archbishop of Cape Town: ONGRATULATIONS to the editor, board and staff of The Southern Cross on your 90th birthday. For a nonagenarian you are indeed full of life, energy and youthfulness. Your ability to adapt to the challenges of the computer age, with your digital edition and e-newsletter, shows that you are going into the future with confidence and determination. Over these 90 years The Southern Cross has never missed the publication of a single issue and it is clear that you have no intention of letting it happen. I have no doubt that all the editors and staff who have gone before you are rejoicing in heaven at this accomplishment. May you go from strength to strength and reach an ever-increasing number of readers.

N October 16, 1920, The Southern Cross published its debut edition, featuring a photo and message of Pope Benedict XV on the front-page. This week, one week short of our 4 700th edition, we look back at 90 years of The Southern Cross— and also to the future. Much has changed in the Church and the world since The Southern Cross first appeared. The newspaper has lived through economic crises, a world war, apartheid, and antiCatholicism in South Africa. It has reported on eight popes, the first locally-born bishop and Vatican II. The Southern Cross evolved to reflect the Church of its times and adapted to keep up with technological advances. The Southern Cross has been an integral part of the life of the Church for almost a century, providing a home for the Body of Christ throughout our vast territory. It will doubtless continue that mission. Addressing Catholic communications specialists in Rome earlier this month, Pope Benedict noted the importance of Catholics making use of the New Media, but also emphasised that the printed Catholic press—such as the newspaper you are holding right now—remains essential for Church communities. Indirectly, Pope Benedict restates the call made by a succession of his predecessors: that every Catholic home should have a Catholic newspaper. The pontifical expectation has not been fully realised in South Africa, where the Catholic media is not found in every Catholic home. Nonetheless, The Southern Cross celebrates its 90th anniversary in robust health. At a time when newspapers are struggling to survive, The Southern Cross has managed to hold its circulation steady. This achievement has been recognised by South Africa’s Marketing Mix magazine, which earlier this year named The Southern Cross as one of the top performing newspapers in the country. The credit for this is not due alone to the staff of the newspaper, nor to the committed board of directors of the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company Ltd, which publishes The Southern Cross. The achievement also belongs to those people in the parishes who distribute and promote The Southern Cross—the parishioners who receive the weekly parcels, the priests who mention the newspaper in the notices at Mass, and those who ensure that their fellow Catholics buy it, and to those who loyally buy and read the newspaper. And the biggest credit, of course, is due to Our Father, whose Holy Spirit we feel present in our work every day. The Southern Cross is South Africa’s only nationally distributed Christian weekly newspaper. It is a notable distinction that, alone among the country’s denominations, Catholics manage to sustain a weekly newspaper—more so one that is financially entirely independent. In compiling this week’s special 16-page supplement we were acutely aware that The Southern Cross is a community newspaper in the best sense of the word: we rely on friends and supporters to collaborate in the social communications apostolate: our friends and supporters, our generous Associates, our advertisers, and those who contribute towards the content. Naturally we review the long history of the newspaper as well as look ahead to the future, and present the good wishes from advertisers whose kind support has made this special supplement possible. We hope that our valued readers have enjoyed the company of The Southern Cross on their lives’ pilgrimage so far, and will continue to do so in the future. Günther Simmermacher (Editor)

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

LOCAL What’s new with you?

Send your news and photographs to: The Southern Cross, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000. You can also email pics@scross.co.za

Why the strong rand hurts the weak BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

T Priests of the diocese of Umzimkulu under the olive tree at the garden of Gethsemane.

Holy Land dream comes true BY STAFF REPORTER

FTER a year of his episcopate in the diocese of Umzimkulu, Bishop Stanislaw Dziuba sent all the priests serving in his diocese to the Holy Land. Some time ago Bishop Dziuba took two priests to attend a conference organised by the initiators of the Neocatechumenal Way. The conference was held in Galilee at the the Domus Galilaeae Centre. The guide took the group of bishops and priests on a tour following the route of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. It was during this time that Bishop Dziuba decided it worthwhile to send all priests in his diocese to the Holy Land. When Bishop Dziuba returned from the Holy Land, he announced his dream to send the priests to the Holy Land. Since it was during the Year for Priests, the bishop asked all the parishes in his diocese to partner him in this venture. With the help of the parish communities, Bishop Dziuba’s

dream was made a reality, with 12 priests leaving for the Holy Land. Each parish contributed at least 50% of all the expenses for their own priest. The rest of the money came from the bishop’s fundraising efforts, which included approaching benefactors and friends, to cover the remaining 50%. In a joint thanks to Bishop Dziuba, the priests of the diocese said: “We came back renewed in spirit and vigour for our work. You have given us and the people we serve the greatest gift that one would give to someone. “We also thank our parishioners for their love, loyalty, commitment and generous giving. We thank you dear parishioners for your prayers and the inspiration that we continuously receive from you. “Finally, we would like to thank the friends of the diocese of Umzimkulu from all over the world. Your support has contributed towards lifting up our souls and the life of the diocese as a whole.”

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HE strong South African rand is bad news for the economy and does not aid the Church’s teachings which call for greater equality between rich and poor, a Johannesburgbased priest has said. Jesuit Father Chris Chatteris said on his blog on the Jesuit Institute South Africa website (www.jesuitinstitute.org. za) that the situation was best expressed by Victorian historian, Thomas Carlyle, who described economics as “the dismal science”. “It affects us all”, Fr Chatteris said, “even that mysterious business of exchange rates.” Robert Brand, coordinator of research for the Centre for Economics Journalism in Africa and lecturer at Rhodes University, said the day-to-day fluctuations in the market are not as significant as those of the long-term. “Over the longer term, fundamental factors come into play, and what is happening to the rand right now should be of concern to everyone watching our economy.” Mr Brand said the fundamental problem associated with the economic situation is that the country, on a whole, is living beyond its means. We are buying more overseas products than we are earning from exports, but the rand does not currently reflect this. Furthermore, international investors are taking advantage

of the country’s high interest rate. Mr Brand said investors borrow yen, dollars and pounds at almost 0%, then exchange these borrowed funds for the rand and place them on deposit in South African banks at 6-7%. “These flows are recorded in the capital account, which is in surplus, offsetting the current account deficit and keeping our balance of payments on the level,” he said. “That is all well and fine, but it means that the rand remains stronger than it should be, placing our exporters at a significant disadvantage in international markets. And it also forces the South African Reserve Bank to keep interest rates higher than they should be, because reducing interest rates would render the carry trade less attractive, leading to an outflow of capital and strain on the balance of payments.” Fr Chatteris said when economic times are tough, countries try to keep their currencies weak to cheapen their exports on world markets. “Unfortunately, if one large economy effectively devalues its currency, this sets off an international chain reaction, a mutually damaging race to the bottom”. Mr Brand said South Africa’s strong currency and high interest rates place our manufacturing and export sector at a disadvantage, “meaning our economy is going to struggle to emerge from the recession that most

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economists now believe it is in”. Fr Chatteris said the weak dollar makes the rand strong, which makes our exports more expensive. Since the sale of raw materials such as platinum is central to our economy, this is bad for South African business. The Jesuit asked the obvious question: what can a middlerange economy like South Africa do? “Not much except be patient and remember that bubbles burst. The rand will eventually come down and give relief to exporters.” Fr Chatteris said it was not all bad news because during unstable financial times the markets always buy up gold, “a safe investment since time immemorial”. This is good news for the local gold-mining industry. He said the Church’s view on the situation was straight-forward. “Church teaching prefers order to chaos and the common good over the enrichment of individuals.” This would require wise regulation, and since the recession was in great part caused by an “anarchic investment-banking environment”, much international sentiment now favours levelling regulations. “The Church would therefore argue for a fair global currency agreement, which can bring some stability and equity to the situation. She would want the ‘dismal science’ actually to be ‘good news’ for the poor.”

Raising funds for burnt kids BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

HE Phoenix Burns Project (PBP), a Catholic-based organisation dedicated to child burn survivors and the promotion of burn prevention, is raising further awareness over the month of November—a time synonymous with fires and fireworks—through an event to be held in Cape Town. PBP president Dr Peter Martinez said the event aims to create awareness around the prevention and treatment of burn victims and to recruit new volunteers. Dr Martinez said burn injuries are the secondmost common cause of mortality of children under the age of two years in South Africa. The Cape Town-based organisation currently runs a variety projects, including the Bear with Your Rehab programme, which encourages children to continue with crucial follow-up treatments. They do this by giving the patients a soft toy at each of their check-ups. This encourages children to continue their consultations and helps with their reintegration into society. The project was established in 2006 and works closely with the burns unit of the Red Cross Children’s Hospital. Dr Martinez said the project is heavily involved in burn-prevention education with children around the Western Cape and said their long-term goal was to build a dedicated Burn Rehabilitation Centre. A fundraising and awareness campaign will be held on November 13 at the One & Only Hotel’s ballroom at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. Dr Jenny Edge, a general surgeon at Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital, will be speaking about the origins and history of Guy Fawkes day, the excitement and also some of the dangers of fireworks. The function will include an auction, with objects including a rugby jersey signed by Stormers players up for grabs. Tickets for the event cost R200 and funds raised will aid burn survivors.  For more information contact Andiswa at 021 234 5678 or andiswa@catalystcommunica tions.co.za. Visit the PBP at www.pbp.org.za.

LOCAL

The Southern Cross, Ocotber 27 to November 2, 2010

German Cultural Weeks educate and entertain BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

HE German Cultural Weeks currently being held in Cape Town have seen a variety of festivities ranging from music concerts to debates and public discussion. The celebrations are aimed at bringing the German community closer together and educating others on German culture and its various facets after 20 years of German unity and freedom in South Africa. Fr Stefan Hippler, former chaplain to Cape Town’s German-speaking Catholic community, described the weeks as a place of exchange of minds and hearts. “Generally the German Cultural Weeks are intended to bring German culture close to the hearts of South Africans,” he said. Festivities kicked off on Germany’s national day, October 11, at the City Hall where the Federal German Lawyers Orchestra performed. Fr Hippler said the event was a “good opportunity to connect with a lot of people, fellow citizens, but also representatives in politics and churches”. He said it was a place to mingle and to have side chats important for the

work. Human rights was high on the agenda over the course of the festivities. A public dialogue, “A New South African HIV/Aids Policy: Reason for Hope?” was held at Cape Town’s Centre for the Book. Guest speakers included former deputy minister of defence and health, Nozizwe Madlala Routledge, who now leads the South African Secretariat of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women and the Embrace Dignity Campaign. Other speakers included Chris Bate from the South African Journal of Medicine, and Fr Hippler, the co-founder of the Aids project HOPE, a non-profit organisation providing outreach, education and counselling that focuses on HIV/Aids and tuberculosis. Fr Hippler said one of the most interesting aspects of the debate was the issue of counselling those diagnosed with HIV. Another was how government is dealing with non-governmental organisaions that are involved with HIV patients. “The audience should take with them [the notion] that we are on the right path, but ways away from achieving the ultimate goal: an HIV-free

Margherita Blaser of Claremont, Cape Town, this month celebrated her 106th birthday. Mrs Blaser, mother of Fr Emil Blaser OP, is an avid gardener having cross-pollinated the yellow Clivia pictured. She was overjoyed at all the attention received. Mrs Blaser was mentioned in numerous newspaper articles and radio broadcasts, with friends and family paying special tribute to the centenarian. Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town and Western Cape premier Helen Zille (pictured) paid a special visit to Mrs Blaser on her birthday.

South Africa, and that we still have a long way to go.” Forthcoming events include an exhibition titled “The Human Abused” at the District S i x M us e u m , p ho t o gr ap hi c exhibitions at the Erdmann Contemporary Gallery, a theatre production, The Flying Dutchman at Artscape Theatre in November, as well as various other festivities to be held in and around the city until February. According to the German consul-general, Hans-Werner Bussmann, South Africa and Germany have more in common than people realise. Mr Bussmann said: “Both nations have more in common: much was achieved but not all expectations materialised. Therefore, some events of the 2010 German Cultural Weeks are meant to look back and to look forward together.” Fr Hippler added: “It is so important to be reminded of the injustice in our world and of the burden, the cruelty, the suffering of people. Good Friday happens every day in every country and we cannot close our eyes as Christians as long as one fellow man is not living in dignity and according to the human rights”.  For more information visit www.kapstadt.diplo.de.

Spreading the word F BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

OR the past three years, the School of Evangelisation has been responding actively to Pope John Paul II’s call to proclaim the Good News. The school, dedicated to Our Lady of the Visitation, has held courses across the Western Cape and hopes to grow through its forthcoming schools programme. Using the motto from Mark’s gospel, “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News!”, the school has offered various courses since 2007 with the goal of creating disciples. Barbara Ramsden, who spoke on behalf of the Catholic School of Evangelisation, said one of the most exciting things has been the growth of the school as “some of these ‘disciples’ will study further and in due course form other disciples within their parishes”. According to Ms Ramsden, eight parishioners from Durbanville were the first to complete all four of the initial train-

The School of Evangelisation in Cape Town held their most recent course in Grassy Park, Cape Town. Pictured are the graduates. ing courses. Subsequently, groups in Athlone, Lentegeur, Grassy Park and Macassar have graduated. “Each group now works within their parish in close association with their priests and pastoral councils, introducing what they have learnt and undoubtedly, with the grace of God, enriching the life of each to whom we are dedicated as a parish.” Similar schools exist in over 60 other countries.

More than 175 people in the Western Cape have attended courses and have carried out the principal objective of the courses: “To form disciples who in turn will be able to form other disciples, working within their parishes in all aspects of ministry,” Ms Ramsden said. The school will be launching a programme aimed at schools in 2011.  For more information contact Deacon Piet Philander at 084 827 1634.

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Blessed Paul Joseph Nardini

For more information, contact the Vocation Team at P/Bag X9309 Vryheid 3100

PO Box 194 Wasbank 2920

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Tel: 034 981 6158 Fax: 034 983 2012

034 651 1444 034 651 1096

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The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

INTERNATIONAL

New saints ‘a shining example’ BY JOHN THAVIS & CINDY WOODEN

OPE Benedict proclaimed six new saints, including an Australian nun and a Canadian brother, calling them “shining examples” of holiness and the power of prayer. Thousands of pilgrims from Australia applauded and waved their national flags after the pope pronounced the formula of canonisation in St Peter’s Square for Mother Mary MacKillop, who educated poor children in the Australian outback in the late 19th century. She became the country’s first saint. In his homily, Pope Benedict said St MacKillop (1842-1909) was a model of “zeal, perseverance and prayer” as she dedicated herself to the education of the poor in the

difficult territory of rural Australia, inspiring other women to join her in the country’s first community of religious women. Canadians cheered the canonisation of André Bessette (18451937), a doorman known for his devotional practices and his healing touch. He became known as the “Miracle Man of Montreal”. The pope said St Bessette “showed boundless charity and did everything to soothe the despair of those who confided in him”. Although he had little instruction, he “understood what was essential to the faith” and had an intense prayer life. Relics of the six saints were brought to the altar during the two-hour liturgy. Tapestry portraits of the newly canonised hung from the façade of St Peter’s basili-

ca behind the papal altar, and many pilgrims carried their own personal pictures of the saints. The others canonised were Ss Camilla Battista Varano (14581524), Stanislaw Soltys (1433-89), Giulia Salzano (1846-1929), and Juana Cipitria Barriola (18451912). In his homily, the pope said the new saints exemplified the effectiveness of prayer as an expression of faith. “Sometimes we get tired of praying, we have the impression that prayer is not very useful in life, that it is not terribly effective. So we are tempted to dedicate ourselves to activity, to using all human means to achieve our aims, and without turning to God.” The canonisation brought some 8 000 Australian pilgrims to Rome, where Australian flags waved in abundance during the papal liturgy. Each of the thousands of pilgrims who flocked to St Peter’s Square had a special reason for being there. Ricky Peterson, a 50year-old American from Kansas City, credits the intercession of St MacKillop with healing him of

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

Tapestries showing Ss André Bessette, Mary MacKillop and Camilla Battista Varano hang from the façade of St Peter’s basilica. The three were among six new saints proclaimed by Pope Benedict. PHOTO: PAUL HARING, CNS Parkinson’s disease 27 months ago. Visiting her grave in Sydney in 2008, “I prayed, ‘Lord, I’ve asked Mary to pray with me. I’d love nothing more than to leave this disease and the tremors buried in the soil with Mary, if it is your will’. We had a 10-minute walk back to the train and it was on the train that I realised the tremor was gone,” he said. Mr Peterson said his doctor now thinks the Parkinson’s diagnosis

was wrong, “but I know I’ve been healed”. Diane Guillemette from Montreal said that when her mother was 16 years old, “she had a problem with her ear and she went to Br André [Bessette] and he healed her”. Ms Guillemette, a member of the Pilgrims of St Michael, a lay missionary movement, said that for her, “Br André is an example of patience, humility and love of work”.—CNS

Belgian archbishop: I didn’t say Aids is a divine punishment BY JONATHAN LUXMOORE

SPOKESMAN for the archbishop of MechelenBrussels has defended the prelate’s comment about Aids, after the archbishop was widely criticised for describing the disease as “a sort of inherent justice”. “The problem here in Belgium is that most people have only read one passage from this book, and not in the sense it was intended,” said Jürgen Mettepenningen, spokesman for Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard of Mechelen-Brussels. “The whole discussion has been around one sentence in a book, when he was asked if Aids was a punishment from God. He replied that it wasn’t, but that it could be a kind of inherent justice for some people—a consequence of personal behaviour.”

Mr Mettepenningen said Archbishop Léonard had been concerned to highlight the risks facing those with “multiple sexual partners”, who should recognise Aids was a potential “consequence of their own behaviours”. “The archbishop hasn’t suggested Aids as a whole is an inherent justice. He’s already clarified this carefully, so it’s hard to see what else he can do.” In a 2006 book of interviews with French journalists Dominique Minten and Louis Mathoux, which was republished in an updated Dutch edition this month, Archbishop Léonard said Aids was a reminder that “mistreating the deep nature of human love always ends up spawning catastrophes at all levels”. “I see in this epidemic a sort

of inherent justice, not at all a punishment—a bit like when, at the ecological level, we mistreat the environment, it ends up mistreating us in turn,” said the archbishop, who succeeded Cardinal Godfried Danneels as head of the archdiocese in January. “When one mistreats human love, perhaps it will finish by taking its revenge, even without there needing to be a transcendental cause. Perhaps it’s a matter of some inherent justice— although where immediate causes are concerned, it’s doctors who are best able to say where this illness comes from and how it’s transmitted.” Some members of the Belgian Parliament called the archbishop’s comment “stupid and discriminatory” and called on other legislators to condemn it.—CNS

Pope: We need pastors BY JOHN THAVIS

For further info, contact: Vocations Director, St Norbert’s Priory PO Box 48106, Kommetjie, 7976 (Cape Town) OR Tel 021 783 1768 Fax 021 783 3742

N a letter to the world’s seminarians, Pope Benedict said that in the face of widespread religious indifference and the recent moral failings of clergy, the world needs priests and pastors who can serve God and bring God to others. The pope encouraged seminarians to overcome any doubts about the value of the priesthood and priestly celibacy that may have been prompted by priests who “disfigured” their ministry by sexually abusing children. The papal letter was an unexpected postscript to the Year for Priests, which ended in June. Today, the pope said, many people are no longer aware of God and instead seek escape in euphoria and violence. The priesthood is viewed as outmoded, yet priestly ministry is crucial in helping people see God’s presence in the world. As a result of all the abuse scandals, he said, “many people, perhaps even some of you, might ask whether it is good to become a priest; whether the choice of celibacy makes any sense as a truly human way of life. Yet even the most reprehensible abuse cannot discredit the priestly mission, which remains great and pure”. He expressed gratitude for the many exemplary priests who demonstrate that ordained ministers can live a life of celibacy and give witness to an “authentic, pure and mature humanity”. At the same time, he said that in the wake of sex abuse cases, the Church must be “all the more watchful and attentive” in evaluating vocations. Growth in human maturity was one of several elements the pope underlined in priestly formation.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

24 new cardinals named; four from Africa BY JOHN THAVIS

OPE Benedict has named 24 new cardinals, including four Africans. They will be formally installed at a special consistory at the Vatican on November 20. The new cardinals come from 13 countries on five continents, and their number include ten Italians. The pope named ten Roman curia officials—a higher number than expected—along with ten residential archbishops and four prelates over the age of 80. One unusual aspect of the pope’s list was that two of the residential archbishops were retired. The November ceremony will mark the third time Pope Benedict has created cardinals since his election in April 2005. After the consistory, he will have appointed about 40% of the cardinals currently under the age of 80 and therefore eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. The consistory will leave the College of Cardinals with 203 members, a new record. Of those, 121 will be under age 80, one more than a numerical limit of 120 that has often been waived. Seven cardinals will turn 80 over the next six months. Pope Benedict’s latest appointments left geographical balances relatively unchanged among voting members of the College of Cardinals, although it bolstered the European presence, which will

have 62 of the 121 potential cardinal electors. Roman curia elector cardinals would number 37, about 30% of the total. The pope named four Africans as cardinals, including Coptic Patriarch Antonios Naguib of Alexandria, Egypt, who has been in the spotlight recently as the recording secretary for the October Synod of Bishops for the Middle East. Also named were Congolese Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa, 71, a biblical scholar and activist in justice and peace issues; Guinean Archbishop Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, 65; and retired Zambian Archbishop Medardo Joseph Mazombwe, 79, who has helped mediate political disputes in his country. The pope named a single Asian, a former collaborator in the Roman curia: Sri Lankan Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith Pof Colombo, 62. He was formerly a secretary of the Vatican’s worship congregation. In addition to Cardinal-designate Sarah, the curial officials named included Italian Archbishop Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes; Italian Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy; Swiss Archbishop Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical

Among the newly-named cardinals are (from left) Archbishops Donald Wuerl, Robert Sarah, Reinhard Marx, Laurent Mosengwo, Kurt Koch, Paolo Sardi, Gianfranco Ravasi, and Patriarch Antonios Naguib. PHOTOS FROM CNS Council for Promoting Christian Unity; Italian Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, prefect of the Pontifical Council for Culture; US Archbishop Raymond Burke, head of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature; Italian Archbishop Fortunato Baldelli, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican tribunal; Italian Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, who was recently named as an interim leader of the Legionaries of Christ while the order undergoes a reorganisation. The pope named four cardinals who are over the age of 80 and who were “distinguished for their generosity and dedication in service of the Church”. They are Italian Bishop Elio Sgreccia, 82, retired president of the Pontifical Academy for Life; Spanish

Anglican bishop ready to move BY SIMON CALDWELL

HE bishop who leads the largest Anglo-Catholic group in the Church of England said he plans to resign by the end of the year, become Catholic and join a personal ordinariate when it is established in England and Wales. “I am not retiring, I am resigning,” Bishop John Broadhurst of Fulham told a meeting of Forward in Faith, the traditionalist group of which he is chairman. Bishop Broadhurst told Catholic News Service that he was “absolutely, absolutely” certain that a personal ordinariate would soon come into existence in England, but did not know exactly when. Pope Benedict established the mechanisms to create personal ordinariates last November through his apostolic constitution Anglicanorum coetibus (“Groups of Anglicans”) in response to repeat-

ed requests for a means of group reception from disaffected Anglican bishops around the world. The structures will resemble military dioceses and allow former Anglican communities to retain their distinctive patrimony and practices, including married priests. Bishop Broadhurst decided to enter the Catholic faith after the General Synod of the Church of England voted in July to ordain women as bishops by 2014 without provisions to satisfy Anglicans who objected. The bishop’s announcement came two weeks after St Peter’s parish in Folkestone, within the Anglican archdiocese of Canterbury, became the first to vote to join a future ordinariate. Several Anglican organisations have reacted to mounting speculation of many more conversions by announcing in a statement that they can amend the church’s legislation on women bishops to

protect the rights of objectors. They believe they can force the Church of England to recognise the newly established Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda as an Anglican equivalent of the Catholic ordinariate that would offset the many possible defections to the Catholic Church. The society will be nearly identical in structure to a Catholic ordinariate, having no women priests or bishops, and its members will be served by their own bishop rather than the local diocesan bishop. A spokesman for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales said that no timetable had been agreed on for the establishment of an ordinariate. He said the bishops were awaiting confirmation from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that there was sufficient interest in the ordinariate before it could be set up.—CNS

50 000 births at Bethlehem hospital BY JUDITH SUDILOVSKY

OLY Family Hospital, situated just a few hundred metres from the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem, marked a milestone on October 18 with the birth of its 50 000th baby since opening in 1990. Hafsah Radaydiah, 19, a firstyear student, gave birth to her first child, Aisha, after three hours in labour. She and her husband Isam, a 24-year-old labourer, are from the West Bank village of Ebiedieh, just outside of Beit Sahour. The Catholic hospital, run by the Order of Malta, is also marking the 20th anniversary of the partnership between the order and the Daughters of Charity. “It is really something wonderful for her to have been the 50 000th baby born here. This is good luck for us,” said Mrs Radaydiah, a Muslim. Like many young Palestinian women, Mrs Radaydiah, the youngest of eight children, said she intended to continue studying to complete her degree. Though the birth brought with it a bit of fanfare from the hospital, Mrs Radaydiah said she

Isam Radaydiah, 24, holds his newborn daughter, Aisha, while his wife Hafsah, 19, rests after delivery at Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem. Aisha was the 50 000th baby born at the maternity hospital since its opening in 1990. Operated by the Order of Malta, the hospital is located within a few hundred metres from the traditional site of the birthplace of Jesus. PHOTO: DEBBIE HILL,CNS just wanted her daughter to be “raised in a good way”, to have a good education and to be happy. “When she finishes with the university, then I will let her marry,” said the new mother. Dr Jacques Keutgen, general manager of the hospital, said he

was pleased that the baby was a girl. “Women are symbolic of the future, and here in this country we have to work a lot for the women of Palestine to get their rights, including decent health care,” he said.—CNS

Archbishop José Manuel Estepa Llaurens, 84, former military ordinary of Spain; German Mgr Walter Brandmüller, 81, retired president of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences; and Italian Mgr Domenico Bartolucci, 93, retired director of the Sistine Chapel Choir. The other cardinals-designate are US Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington; Polish Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz of Warsaw; Brazil-

ian Archbishop Raymundo Damasceno Assis of Aparecida; Italian Archbishop Paolo Romeo of Palermo; Ecuadoran Archbishop Raúl Eduardo Vela Chiriboga of Quito; German Archbishop Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising; Archbishop Francesco Monterisi, archpriest of the basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls; and Italian Archbishop Paolo Sardi, propatron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.—CNS

LETTERS PAGE

The Southern Cross, October 20 to October 26, 2010

The editorial appears on page 1 this week

Precedent for lay involvement

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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.

T Mass in late September we received brochures advertising the newly-created SACBC Foundation, asking us to contribute to it either directly or in the form of a bequest. I would like to thank the bishops’ conference for this important initiative. There is no doubt, as the brochure says, that we need to do more to support our local Church; we cannot expect to rely on “overseas” funding forever. The brochure outlines the great variety of work undertaken by the Church in so many fields. Reading

the list of the Conference’s departments, offices and associate bodies gives us all an idea of the huge contribution the Church makes to wider society, especially in the social sphere. The commitment that the foundation’s financial and narrative reports will be publicly accessible is also welcome; as is the statement that “You ARE the Church”, which is obviously aimed primarily at the laity, who will contribute the great majority of the funds. When I came to the last of the “questions and answers” in the brochure, though, I found myself

disappointed. Having told us that “We ARE the Church”, why was it felt necessary to have only the five archbishops as trustees? Surely this was an ideal opportunity to recognise the responsibility, competence and right of laypeople in the temporal affairs of the Church? There is a very clear local precedent for such lay involvement. In the archdiocese of Cape Town a Catholic Schools Trust has been established to take over ownership of the schools currently owned by the archdiocese. In due course it will also take ownership of some of the schools belonging to the Cabra

Dominican Sisters. The value of the trust’s property will certainly exceed R50 million which the SACBC Foundation seeks to raise. It is stipulated in the trust’s founding deed that at least half of the trustees be laypeople. At the moment, of the six trustees, only two are clergy; the others are a religious sister, who is also the chairperson, and three laypeople with expertise in education, finance and law. If a vote has to be taken, a simple majority suffices. It seems a pity that the opportunity was not taken at the establish-

ment of the SACBC Foundation to concretise the notion that “You ARE the Church” by inviting a few suitably qualified laypeople and religious to join one or two of the archbishops as trustees. That this would have sent out an affirmatory and constructive message of joint lay/clerical responsibility for the future of the local Church is selfevident. I assume that this possibility must have been discussed, and for some reason rejected. It would be interesting to know why. Mike Pothier, Cape Town

Hangberg: the other side?

beeswax”. We know God is merciful, but he is also full of justice, justice must run its course with these priests before we dish out ladles of mercy towards them. God has given us the ability to discern good from evil and we must used this for sound judgment in these crimes. Romina Rubin, Pretoria.

and your heart and you shall hear my footsteps of my Return. the fig tree has ripened and soon you shall eat its fruit.” I ask you: is this message irrelevant? Is it contrary to revelation in Scripture? Stand by the Scriptures by all means including the part that says: “A child of God listens to his voice.” Since God has expressly revealed his divine wish that we celebrate the feast of his divine mercy on the Sunday after Easter, who are we who claim to love and obey him, to gainsay him? Let us align ourselves with His wishes; He is our King after all. Wake up, soldier of Christ! Gail Ramplen, Benoni

most leave the practice of their faith. If the faith has been taught as a series of facts, of do’s and don’ts, as a sort of philosophy without stressing the person of Jesus as the centre of ourselves, as Lord and Saviour, in a relationship empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are putting the cart before the horse. Scripture reading, prayer, Mass and the sacraments will then have no appeal at all. Is it any wonder that worldwide, Sunday Mass attendance is said to be at an all time low of 2%? Only about 10% of Catholics are effectively evangelised, that is, brought into an effective relationship with Jesus Christ. The very term evangelisation has, for us, a Protestant ring to it. The Church is highly institutionalised, sacramental and hierarchical in its structures. Absorbed in the inner problems of the Church, and occasionally in issues of peace and justice, contemporary Catholics have relatively little interest in spreading the faith. “Mission” was primarily in bringing Protestants to see truths of the claims of the Catholic Church. Catholics were to show Protestants that Christ had founded a hierarchical Church. The focus was more on authority than on content. The more evangelical focus in the post-conciliar writings of the popes is one of the most surprising and important developements in the Catholic Church since Vatican II. We cannot stress the following words enough: they were written by Pope Leo the Great, 5th century Doctor of the Church: “Unless a man believes in Jesus Christ, true

God and true man, and accepts him as his own Saviour, the salvation that is offered to the whole of mankind, will be of no avail to him.” We need to introduce lapse Catholics to Jesus, before getting them back to Mass. John Lee, Cape Town

USUALLY look forward to reading Mphuthumi Ntabeni's monthly column, but he got it totally wrong regarding the unfortunate situation in Hangberg (October 13). We are talking about 20 unoccupied, illegal structures erected on the slopes of a heritage site and in the middle of a fire break. It is indeed sad that some of the people were injured, but they were far from “innocent bystanders”. There is photographic evidence of those very same people hurling petrol bombs, broken bottles and stones at Metro Police, some of whom were also seriously injured. I was actually relieved when I heard that the Catholic Church did not participate in this so-called “Peace March”. We cannot condone such illegal activities. This poor community is being used by organisations with their own agendas who have no intention of assisting this community. There is also a section of criminal activity within this community. Teresa Omodeo, Cape Town

Our common sense

N “Open Door”, October 1, I was extremely disappointed by Michael Shackleton’s “Just overlook, forgive and don’t judge” response to parishioners regarding the abuse of minors by priests. (“Open Door”, October1). He completely demolished the weapons with which we have to use our common sense in such matters. Forgiveness is a basic tenet of Christianity, but we know there is a difference between those who suffer for doing good and those who suffer through their sinful choices. In Matthew 18:15, Jesus tells us “If your brother does something wrong...and refuses to listen, treat him as an outcast.” We are also exhorted to always be on the lookout for our enemy, the devil, not just to adopt an attitude of “see no evil, hear no evil, mind your own

Hearing God

T is a bold heart that will say to the Lord: “Do not speak!” It is a perverse heart that says: “After the revelation in the Scriptures, the Lord is forbidden to speak,” and a foolish heart that says: “What He has to say now is not important— I am not obliged to listen.” If we obey the first commandment, which is to love God with all our heart and strength, won’t we yearn with all our hearts to hear what he says? Why do we think that the only one who speaks is Satan and fear to hear any message that claims to come from God? Why do we give all the power to Satan? We say we are traditionalist and stick to the Scriptures, but have we understood them? Isn’t the second place in the Kingdom, after that of the Apostles, given to the prophets? So why do we keep “killing” God’s messengers/prophets? Most probably because we give the power to Satan and are comfortable with the deceptions—fearing perhaps that God will give us a message that won’t suit us! What about the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Don’t we believe in them anymore? What will we respond to God when he asks: “Why wouldn’t you listen?” Hear this from the revelations to the Vassula Ryden: “....I, your Christ, come to ravish your heart with my Song of Love and delight my heart; do not say: I sought him, but I did not find him; I called to him, but he did not answer; I waited for him, but he did not come; seek me beloved ones in simplicity of heart and you will find me; call me from the core of your heart and I shall answer you, open your ears

Show lapse Catholics Jesus

OME years ago, a close relative of mine, after attending a funeral, decided to start attending Sunday Mass again, after being a lapse Catholic for over 30 years. Perhaps the thought of his own death put the fear of God in him—not a bad thing. I was naturally overjoyed. But I was saddened when recently he stopped attening Mass saying that he got “nothing out of Mass” and told his priest in confession that he could think of nothing to confess. He was active as a reader and helped with the decoration of the sanctuary among other things. He told me he had no prayer life at all, had forgotten how to pray, but kept Rosary beads next to his bed. Whenever I spoke to him directly about the Lord and whether he had a relationship with Jesus Christ, he would angrily reply with the words “To change the subject, ...” Any mention of the Lord seemed to embarrass him. When we Catholics encounter a loved one who no longer attends Mass, most of us will try our best to get the person back to Mass. I see now that the lack of being effectively evangelised is the reason why

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.

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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Being part of the Church

UR church—the holy Catholic Church—is one of a kind in the world. From afar it is surrounded in mystery. There is only one way to understand and that is by looking at her from within. We, as young people, should start learning about the Church and become involved in the daily life of the parish. It is important for us to serve God by serving the Church. Many of us, after our confirmation, have taken time out and think we can return to the Church when we are much older. We tend to make God our last priority and put the pleasures of the modern world first. This is not the way to go. Let us learn about the Church now and make ourselves available to the many groups within our spiritual family, for example, to youth groups, teaching catechism, and so forth. To all the young people out there who are already taking part, we say a big thank you. Each one of us is personally known and loved by God as members in Christ and we must return this love by serving the Church. So let us go out there and show others that there is life and vitality in the Church. Let’s make a difference for we are the future of the Church. There is light in the Church, be part of it. Make it shine ever brighter until Christ comes again. Boshom Mpetsheni and Oupa Matseke, St Kitzo Seminary, Johannesburg More on page 27

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The Church and us: then and now Much has changed since The Southern Cross was first published on October 16, 1920. CLAIRE MATHISON looks at the Church and society then and now.

INETY years ago there were no computers, antibiotics, microwave ovens or aerosol sprays. Most people in this country did not have the vote (not even women), purchases were made with pounds and tickeys, and Afrikaans was not yet an official language. World War I had ended just two years earlier, and the Boer War was still fresh in the population’s memory Even the country as we know it today did not exist. In 1920, the Union of South Africa, just ten years old, was a very different place. Both country and Church have seen many changes in the nine decades that followed—and The Southern Cross kept up with both. When The Southern Cross first appeared, Jan Smuts was prime minister, the country was divided into just four provinces and was made up of 67% black, 21% white, 9% coloured and 3% Asian people. Bishops John Rooney, Hugh MacSherry, Charles Cox OMI and Henri DeLalle OMI presided over vicariates—proper dioceses were not established until 1951—and pope was Benedict XV. The majority of clergy were missionaries, many of them from France and Ireland. The Catholic roots in South Africa go back to the late 15th century, when Portuguese explorer Bartholomew Diaz rounded the Cape of Good Hope, planting crosses along his journey. He arranged for the first ever Mass in South Africa, near modern-day Port Elizabeth, in 1488. The first bishop in South Africa was the Dominican Raymond Griffith in Cape Town (which is still regarded as the mother church of not only South Africa, but also Australia and New Zealand), in

BACK COPIES To order back copies of this supplement, please contact Avril Hanslo at (021) 465 5007 or e-mail subscriptions @scross.co.za Or save it digitally on your computer by subscribing to The Southern Cross’ DIGITAL EDITION www.scross.co.za/ subscribe/ The

Southern Cross

1837, but it wasn’t until 1925 that the first South African-born bishop was consecrated. The Kimberleyborn Bishop David O’Leary headed what is now known as the archdiocese of Johannesburg. Not only were the clergy foreign, but the liturgy was also distinctly foreign. Going to Church in 1920—and for the next 50 years—was a time when Mass was “said” (and not celebrated) in Latin by a priest whose back was turned to the people, when only an epistle was read from the New Testament prior to the Gospel, and fasting began at midnight the evening before receiving Communion whilst kneeling. While many liturgical traditions continue, the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy intends for the Mass to be “full, conscious and active participation” by the congregation. Today, the Catholic Church in South Africa is led by the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) whose 30 bishops serve a population of 3,1 million Catholics in a country of nearly 50 million people. In 1920 foreign missionaries were prominent in Africa; today the continent represents the largest area of growth for the Church. Today, Africa exports missionaries to Europe. According to David Barrett’s “Annual Statistical Table on Global Mission”, there were 8,7 million African Christians in 1900; there are 389 million African Christians today. Nearly half of those are Catholic. In South Africa there are more than 3 million Catholics, with the archdiocese of Johannesburg representing the biggest Catholic community, with nearly 900 000. In 1910, South African Catholics numbered 92 840. According to the SACBC website, the Southern African Catholic Church has shown “remarkable” signs of growth throughout the 20th century. “Long seen as a foreign church, it has now gained influence in all sectors of society,” it said. A total of 6,6% of South Africans are Catholic, and 80% of its members are black.

St Mary’s Cathedral, Cape Town, congratulates The Southern Cross on 90 years of bringing the good news to Christ’s faithful. May God reward all who have endeavoured to spread the truth and challenges of the Gospel in Southern Africa

Nazareth House Durban congratulates The Southern Cross for 90 years of service to the Catholic community of Southern Africa. We thank you for the many years of producing a quality newspaper which keeps us informed of our faith and events in the Church and wider community.

Above: The Southern Cross is promoted during Press Sunday in 1928 in Durban. Below: Reflection on the May 1929 Eucharistic Congress in Durban.

A bound volume for 1939 lies open in The Southern Cross’ library which includes every issue published since the newspaper first appared on October 16, 1920. The opened edition announces the appointment of Bishop Colbert as new prefect apostolic for the Eastern Cape vicariate. PHOTO: CLAIRE MATHIESON

Dr Joy Brain, South Africa’s leading Church historian, told The Southern Cross that the biggest change between the Church now and then was the attitude of Catholics in the Union. Today, she noted, Catholics are represented in all facets of South African life. “There were not very many Catholics and there was a good deal of anti-Catholic prejudice so that in effect it was a ‘fortress church’, in that Catholics were close together, firmly loyal to the Church and always on the defensive.” It was in that atmosphere that the bishops in 1919 decided to launch a popular Catholic weekly newspaper for the Catholics of the Union.

he late Archbishop Dennis Hurley of Durban remembered how sensitive to criticism Catholics were and how strongly the Church was defended against Protestants. One of the events that would help define growing Catholic pride in South Africa was the Eucharistic Congress of 1929 in Durban, which he remembered well participating in as a 13-year-old. Dr Brain said there was no

thought of interreligious activities and there was less “religious indifference among young people”. Today, by contrast, there is far greater anti-religious sentiment, more interreligious work and softer Catholic pride. Dr Brain said the Catholic population of 1920 was supportive of missions but was not wealthy. They were loyal to the Church, but did not experience much growth. Much as the facts and figures may have changed, some basic themes covered by the Catholic media have remained constant. Early editions of The Southern Cross report on the concern of local Catholics shown for the political upheaval in Ireland, debate on the use of money to build new facilities, and the need for Catholics—at least those who were enfranchised—to exercise their right to vote in the forthcoming elections. One 1920 article reminds readers of the importance of a Catholic education, saying parents were “bound in conscience to send their children to Catholic schools”. At the same time, the diocese of Kimberley was having financial con-

cerns as mining magnate De Beers had retrenched many workers in the area. Even the regular “The Catholic Mother and her Home” column compassionately noted in November of that year: “There is no doubt that life today is far more difficult for the housewife and mother than before.” Modern readers may echo the sentiment, albeit for different reasons (washing clothes certainly has become a much simpler task since then). In 1920 the Jesuit Fathers opened a mission station in Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape, Catholics in Port Elizabeth congratulated new mayor Mr W F Savage, the English Catholic Social Guild issued an appeal for arbitration in response to the coal crisis, and the newest churches in Cape Town were those of the Holy Cross Sisters. It was a time when the South African Air Force was established, the League of Nations’ Treaty of Versailles went into effect, Prohibition began in the United States, and Finland became independent. The Southern Cross has witnessed many these changes, and has adapted with them.

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

JUBILEE EDITION

Looking back: One letter short of heresy GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER has worked for The Southern Cross since January 1995, and became its editor in 2001. Here he looks back at some events in his time with the newspaper.

HINGS might have turned out quite differently—I almost did not work for The Southern Cross. In 1994, after I was interviewed by the editor, the late Fr Bernard Connor OP, and business manager Noel Bruyns (who also died far too young), I was notified that my application had been unsuccessful. Later I was told that the decisive difference between myself and the successful applicant was a matter of R300; the gap in our respective salary expectations. There might have been more to it, but that was the official logic. I do remember, however, that Fr Connor was less than intoxicated with dazzled exhilaration when I suggested that The Southern Cross was a “staid” newspaper which I would like to help jazz up (or words to that effect). As an intellectual and academic, Fr Connor’s vision for his newspaper did not incorporate crazy notions of jazzing things up. He later said that he did not care about circulation, only about disseminating the content. It’s safe to say that this is not the average newspaper editor’s default position. As it turned out, the successful applicant (now a senior journalist herself) and The Southern Cross

were not a perfect match. In December 1994, Noel phoned to offer me a job on The Southern Cross, which I accepted. Fr Bernard left soon after I started, to be replaced by Michael Shackleton. Mike and I had an instant rapport. He appreciated my journalistic instincts, mentored me especially in the ways of the Church, and gave me much creative freedom. It was a good time to begin jazzing things up. Noel Bruyns also became a close friend. He left The Southern Cross half a year after I started, but continued to contribute to the newspaper—through news reports, a monthly column on the Internet and a youth page—until his untimely death in December 2004. Noel was a full-blooded journalist. In that regard, I must mention some of the fine journalists I have had the privilege of working with during my time at The Southern Cross. Michail Rassool, now with Catholic Welfare & Development, consistently reflected his deep love for the Church in his prolific writings over nine years. Gene Donnelly, who retired this year after 41 years of service, was a meticulous sub-editor of the old school. Elizabeth Ellis and Terri DunbarCurran were very much of the younger school, but both were very competent and wonderful colleagues. Terri is now an arts and entertainment journalist with a Cape Town daily; Elizabeth now works in England. I also think of some of the great columnists I have worked with, especially Owen Williams, at whose funeral I was honoured to deliver the eulogy, and Fr Nicholas

Günther Simmermacher in April 2005 as the studio guest during e.tv’s live transmission of Pope John Paul II’s funeral, hosted by Debra Patta (with an opened edition of The Southern Cross’ special memorial edition for the pope in front of her). King SJ, whose reflections on the Sunday readings have appeared every week for 18 years.

nd, of course, there was Noel; a truly gifted all-rounder. Soon after I started, just as we were going to send the latest issue to the printer, he looked over my shoulder while I was finishing off a page I had been sub-editing, the children’s section. He spotted an error in a headline that was supposed to read, innocuously enough, “Jesus is my friend”. He pointed out that the headline’s noun was missing the letter R. The erroneous head-

line would not have withstood theological scrutiny. A few weeks later, I was able to return the favour by correcting an advertisement which Noel had made up, apparently for a Divine Percy Pilgrimage. “Different audience, I think,” I told him. The commission of typographical heresy narrowly dodged, the board of directors evidently regarded me a suitable successor to Michael Shackleton as editor. And so, in February 2001, I took over a most daunting task. Readers will have to decide for themselves whether that decision a decade ago

was a happy one. Editing any religious publication is an exercise in tapdancing with stilts on dental floss in the midst of a tornado. This is especially so in a newspaper that covers a hierarchical church populated by people with widely divergent perspectives and opinions, and even visions as to what their church actually is. Older readers will remember in particular one regular and very productive contributor to the letters page of The Southern Cross (and to the correspondence columns of the Cape Town dailies, usually on Catholic matters). I do not think I am misrepresenting the late Mr V G Davies when I call him a Catholic of conservative leanings. I have been told that Mr Davies was not at all charmed by my appointment as editor of The Southern Cross—much as I might not have been terribly impressed had Mr Davies been appointed in my stead. Nonetheless, on occasions when he phoned me, our conversation would be very polite. One day, not long after I had become editor, Mr Davies telephoned in regard to a change or other in a letter which he had submitted. As he concluded the call, he said something quite unexpected: “Mr Simmermacher, I really enjoy reading The Southern Cross these days.” In my almost 16 years at this newspaper, I have received many kind comments about my work (and that of my colleagues), some from unexpected and even eminent quarters. But given the source, I believe that Mr Davies’ was the greatest compliment I have yet received.

The Catholic Order of the Knights of da Gama The Supreme Knight and Board of Directors of The Catholic Order of the Knights of da Gama congratulate the board, editor and staff of THE SOUTHERN CROSS on the newspaper’s proud achievement in reaching the milestone of 90 years of publication. Ad multos annos! Cell: 082 855 1146 or Fax (013) 656 5885 Email: abeale@mweb.co.za Website: kdg.co.za

THE IRISH SOUTH AFRICAN ASSOCIATION Congratulates the management and staff of The Southern Cross on reaching this 90th year milestone An Irish Blessing: May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, And rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand. www.ireland.co.za Phone : Cape Town chapter 021 713 0154 Gauteng chapter 082 555 3939 Email: Cape Town chapter: members@ireland.co.za Gauteng chapter: members.jhb@ireland.co.za

JUBILEE EDITION

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

Looking back: Advertising through the decades

1920s

1930s

1950s

1970s

1940s

1960s

1980s 1990s

2000s

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

JUBILEE EDITION

A brief history of The Southern Cross GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER looks at the events that have shaped The Southern Cross over the past 90 years.

HE seeds for a new Catholic newspaper were planted over breakfast after a Mass for the Association of Old Hibernians in St Michael’s church in Rondebosch, Cape Town, on March 17, 1917. An eminent priest of the vicariate of Natal, Fr L Sormany OMI, communicated to his host, Fr James Kelly, the need for a popular Catholic weekly newspaper. Fr Kelly had no background in journalism, but was greatly excited by the idea. The two priests and a few other clerics proceeded to animate the idea among the laity and bishops. South Africa’s widely dispersed bishops, not yet organised into a conference, had the rare opportunity to meet in 1919, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the priestly ordination of Natal’s Bishop Henri Delalle OMI in Durban. A meeting of the bishops at Cathedral House in Durban, chaired by Bishop Hugh MacSherry of the Eastern Cape vicariate and with Fr James Kelly and Mgr Frederick Kolbe in attendance, resolved that the national Catholic weekly should be founded by the bishops, and be published by a limited company. The meeting suggested that the new venture should be edited by a layman, but Bishop MacSherry interjected that he had had “experience of lay editors who fiercely attacked their priests and bishops even on political grounds”, the minutes record. Bishop MacSherry’s proposal that a professional journalist be appointed to assist the priest editor was accepted. That editor would be Fr Kelly— and so it happened that the newspaper would be based in Cape Town, initially at Fr Kelly’s Rondebosch presbytery. He was to be

assisted by Mr A Donovan, the editor of the Cape newspaper who had been present at the Old Hibernian breakfast. Fr Kelly also arrived at the name for the new paper. He liked the cleverly punned name of an Anglican publication he had received once in 1892: The Southern Cross. Until it was ascertained that the Anglican Southern Cross was indeed defunct, the newspaper was going to bear the unhappily strident moniker “The Crusader”.

A star is born With a name, structure and business plan in place, the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company Ltd was floated with a capital of £1 500, divided into shares of £1 each which were sold to laity, parishes and religious congregations throughout the Union. Of these shares, 500 were allotted to the bishops as founders, 750 were offered to the public, and 250 were held in reserve with first option reserved for the bishops. The first board of directors comprised John McDonald (distiller) as chairman, Philip Doherty (timber merchant), Charles Tayler (retired sea captain), W B Eigermann (manager), W J Egan (Canadian government trade commissioner), J F Hartnady (solicitor) and Joseph Muller (optician). Mr Doherty died before the first edition appeared, to be replaced by John Devitt, who later served as chairman. The company’s first secretary was G W Peart, who would also chair the board for many years. After months of promotion— especially by Durban’s Fr O’Donnell OMI, who tirelessly toured the country to create enthusiasm for the new Southern Cross—the newspaper hit the churches on Sunday, October 17, 1920 (a day after the cover date), with a circulation of 3 500 and cover price of 3d. The excitement was great. Outside Durban’s Emmanuel cathedral, a report noted, “the young men who had volunteered for the work of distributing the copies of the new Catholic weekly had a dif-

ficult task, so eager was the rush to secure the long-wished for issue”. The cathedral’s allocation of 800 copies was quickly sold out. South Africa in 1920 was still relatively hostile territory for Catholics. So in an editorial, Fr Kelly exhorted Catholics not to be afraid or ashamed of being seen reading their newspaper in public. “South African Protestants will respect you South African Catholics all the more for being proud of your faith and showing your pride in it,” he wrote. Within a few weeks, circulation had risen to 6 000, with the enthusiastic help of the Society of St Vincent de Paul and the Children of Mary. Still, the newspaper lost money, necessitating a price increase in January 1921. The first annual general meeting, held on January 22, 1921, found the company in a precarious state of financial affairs, even as hearty congratulations had been received from all over the union. The same year, the newspaper moved from Rondebosch to Progress Lane, off Strand Street. Its new postal address, PO Box 2372, has remained unchanged since. In 1927 operations moved to the Catholic Institute at 11 Hope Street, where the newspaper stayed until 1959. It has since resided in Plein Street, Roeland Street and in the Cape Town chancery, and since 1993 in Tuin Plein, near the cathedral. The paper’s first year was marked by editorial acrimony, especially between Mr Donovan and Fr Kelly. Forced to choose between the journalist and the priest, the board decided that Mr Donovan’s role was essential, and Fr Kelly was asked to resign. Mr Donovan, however, also had disputes with acting editor Fr John Morris. The priest offered to resign; in the event, Mr Donovan resigned in January 1922. The newspaper faced a bizarre problem in 1923: it was advised by an advocate that selling The Southern Cross at Mass on Sunday was illegal under the Sabbath Obser-

HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC CHURCH MATROOSFONTEIN

Our congratulations to The Soutthern Crosss for their successful 90 years of spreading the Catholic ethos openly and fearlessly. We wish you many more! From Fr Baijn Mundactal MSFS, the PPC and parishioners of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Matroosfontein, Cape Town

CONGRATULATIONS ON 90 YEARS OF PUBLICATION Church of the Immaculate Conception Rosebank, Johannesburg

These are the participants at the 1919 meeting of bishops and others in Durban that committed the local Church to launch a national Catholic weekly. In the front are (from left): Mgr Frederick Kolbe, Mgr Kelly of East London, Bishop MacSherry, Bishop Delalle, Bishop Cenez of Basutoland, Mgr Lanslots OSB of Northern Transvaal, Fr James Kelly (who would become the first editor). In the back row are Oblate Fathers O’Donnell OMI (second from left) and Sormany (fourth from left). Fr O’Donnell promoted The Southern Cross while Fr Sormany first raised the idea of a Catholic weekly. vance Act. Having secured an indication that the company would not face any legal action, it continued to break the Sunday law. That way, readers continued to enjoy the content which the chairman of the board at the 1925 AGM praised fulsomely: “I do not think any Catholic journal in the world…has such a galaxy of famous writers and contributors writing for it practically every week.” Among that galaxy was Mgr Frederick Kolbe, the intellectual giant of the local Church who had been present at the bishops’ meeting that decided to launch a Catholic weekly. Mgr Kolbe wrote many articles of consummate erudition, but he evidently had much greater fun running the Children’s Corner, a section dominated by affectionate chumminess and in-jokes in which all correspondents were given nicknames. Among these were the children of a lighthouse keeper in Natal. Mgr Kolbe—the local Church’s giant of the first half of the 20th century—called one of them Robin, who as Archbishop Denis Hurley would become the local Church’s giant of the second half of the 20th century. Other popular columns would be launched over the years. Mary Singleton’s Home Circle was wildly popular in the 1930s and ‘40s, while from the 1950s on, the various columns by Mgr Desmond became a fixture. In the 1970s and ‘80s, Luky Whittle and The Scrivener enjoyed a long run. Perhaps the most popular column in the post-war era was written from 1983 to 2007 by the cultured Owen Williams, doyen of South African art critics and committed francophile. In September 1925, The Southern Cross celebrated the installation of the first South African-born bishop, David O’Leary OMI, as vicar apostolic of the Transvaal vicariate by dedicating an entire edition to that event.

1930s: Cutting back By 1933, the Great Depression also affected The Southern Cross. In a gesture of concern for the staff, it was agreed in November that year to reduce the cut in salaries from 10% to 5%. The declining circulation was the largest in the newspaper’s 13year history, even if other publications were suffering much worse contractions. It would prove difficult to recapture readers lost during the hard years of 1930-34, because they had dropped out of the habit of buying The Southern Cross, as chairman GW Peart noted in 1935. Economic conditions notwithstanding, in 1933 the company started to sell books, with a volume of Mgr Kolbe’s poetry among the best-sellers. Out of that endeavour grew the Catholic Bookshop, which the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company owned until it was sold to the Schoenstatt Institute in 1982. Those were the days when a trip overseas was still a big event. So when Mgr John Colgan, who had succeeded Fr Morris as editor in 1931, attended the 1936 International Congress of Catholic Journalists in Rome, he applied for six months leave. Fr Gavan Duffy SJ stood in for him, though the newspaper’s content was mostly run by the managing editor, Mr M J Rowntree. Two years later, Fr Louis Stubbs substituted for Fr Colgan—in 1948 he became editor. The Southern Cross was not the only Catholic newspaper in South Africa at the time. The Catholic Times was published in Johannesburg. That newspaper was at the centre of some rancour when a disaffected advertising agent started to sell adverts for the Catholic Times by creating an impression that it had replaced The Southern Cross. A stern exchange of letters resolved that problem. Continued opposite

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JUBILEE EDITION

When chairman Mr Peart travelled to Johannesburg in 1937, he was told that leading Catholics there felt that The Southern Cross was hostile to their region, and in particular to the Catholic Times. The upshot was that the company should acquire the Catholic Times to turn it into a national newspaper. The chairman of the Johannesburg paper, Mr A W Clare, visited Cape Town to discuss the matter, but the company never heard from him on the subject again. So the idea died, as eventually would the Catholic Times—but not before the scheme was revisited in 1958 when Archbishop Owen McCann of Cape Town asked The Southern Cross to take over its publication. This time, the board rejected the idea because of financial implications.

1940s: The war years Before becoming a bishop, Fr McCann had been The Southern Cross’ editor, from 1941-48. He would return for a second stint from 1986-91. The Southern Cross is therefore the only newspaper ever to have been edited by a future and an existing cardinal. The Second World War had been raging for two years when Fr McCann succeeded Mgr Colgan. When the war broke out, the newspaper anticipated a 30% decline in advertising, with Lever Brothers and Woolworths among the first to suspend their contracts. There was enough reserve of paper to continue production for a few months, but an extra stockpile of 10 tonnes was ordered immediately from Sweden. In the end, The Southern Cross had to cut pages and occasionally change its format to adapt to paper availability, but throughout the six years of war, it appeared every week—as it has done, without fail, for 90 years. The war affected circulation. In 1941, Mr Peart in his annual report attributed the first decline in circulation since 1936 to “so many of our Catholic young men having answered their country’s call to arms”. One of these Catholic men was board member J B Robertson, a former cricket Springbok and future chairman. Mr Peart, a lieutenant and father of three priests, also was periodically absent on military duty and resigned as chairman in September 1942, having been associated with The Southern Cross since its beginning. He was succeeded by Mr A T Drew, who in turn was replaced by Gerald McLoughlin in 1944. Mr Peart died suddenly in 1946, shortly after returning from Sunday Mass. The same year, Mr Robertson became chairman, and future chairman Jean Pothier joined the board. Politically, The Southern Cross was unequivocally on the side of the Allies. However, it had strong sympathies for the fascist regimes of Portugal’s António de Oliveira Salazar, whom Mgr Colgan thought to be “one of the greatest Christian statesmen in the world today”, while in 1943 Fr McCann expressed his admiration for both Salazar and Spain’s dictator General Franco. A bizarre furore erupted in December 1943 when the Protestant Association of South Africa threatened to apply to the government to ban The Southern Cross if the government did not repeal its ban on the association’s book The Roman Catholic System, a bigoted tract originally published by one William Hammond in 1890. The Southern Cross described the re-published book as “a filthy attack on

our nuns’, specifically the Sisters of Nazareth. The Southern Cross never was banned in South Africa, though some issues were banned in Ian Smith’s Rhodesia in the 1970s. Soon after Fr Stubbs became editor in 1948—a position he would hold until 1972—managing editor Mr Rowntree left. He had not been on excellent terms with several directors, who took the opportunity of Mr Rowntree’s departure to raise the notion of employing a layman as editor, with a priest appointed to vet the newspaper every week. The proposal was not carried, but the next managing editor was given greater scope than his predecessor.

1950s: Glory years Andrew Murray, appointed in late 1950, and Fr Stubbs would steer The Southern Cross through a golden age that would see dramatic changes in the Church before Mr Murray’s departure in 1969. Working conditions were not ideal. Because Fr Stubbs’ was working only part-time, Mr Murray often had to put together the entire newspaper on his own, as had his predecessor. In the mid1950s, he finally received an assistant—of all people Mr Rowntree, who would remain with the newspaper until 1965, accumulating almost four decades of service. His record would be broken by Mr Murray’s eventual successor, Gene Donnelly, who worked for 41 years for The Southern Cross, until his retirement this year. The Southern Cross had provided one bishop for the Church already, its ex-editor Archbishop McCann. In 1951 another former Southern Cross staffer, Mgr Hugh Boyle, became the bishop of Port Elizabeth (and in 1954, bishop of Johannesburg). On a smaller scale, in 1947 The Southern Cross employed 18-year-old bookkeeper William D’Arcy. He later worked for the Catholic Bookshop before becoming a priest. And in 1960, Southern Cross shorthand typist Celeste Santos left the company’s employ to become a Dominican nun. On August 28, 1952, the board of directors elected Mr Drew, who had served on it since 1920, for a second stint as chairman. Three days later, he died. In his place, Mr J G Coates was elected for a fourth term as chairman, soon to be succeeded by Jean Pothier, who would hold that position for the next quarter of a century. The 1950s was a time of healthy circulation, no doubt helped by such exciting events as the Marian Congress of 1950, and the establishment of the hierarchy the following year. To mark the latter, a series of daily editions was published under the banner The Southern Cross Daily. It was the first instance of a South African religious publication bringing out a daily edition. The Second Vatican Council energised the Church around the world. The Southern Cross had a particularly well-placed correspondent from the Council: Archbishop Denis Hurley, who contributed anonymously. It was a heady time, and this was reflected in The Southern Cross. When Pope Paul VI issued his encyclical Humanae vitae in 1968, the newspaper carried the reaction of the region’s leading bishops, which can be paraphrased thus: Bishop Boyle: “The pope is 100% right!” Cardinal McCann: “The pope has spoken, we must now follow.” Archbishop Hurley: “I am distraught by the encyclical.” Bishop van Velsen of Kroon-

stad: “Did you really expect anything else?” Between 1953 and 1963, circulation had increased by 57%. In 1956 it stood at 15 000, in 1964 at 18 500. That was, of course, in the midst of Vatican II. From here on in circulation started to drop, as it did at many other newspapers. In 1970 it was still around 16 000, two years later 14 000, and in 1974 it had decreased to 12 600. By the mid-1990s, circulation dipped to below 10 000 for the first time since the war. For the past decade or so it has stood steadily at above 11 000.

1980s: Political years Advertising has always been a thorny terrain in terms of what is acceptable. Alcohol ads were common in the 1920s and ‘30s before they declined. In November 1989, the board was faced with a query from the bishops’ conference as to whether liquor ads would be accepted. The minutes reflect, with some humour, that the newspaper would “take some advertisements without making a big splash of this innovation”. Greater consternation greeted an advertisement for hand-guns in 1963. In the 1970s, ads for government bonds caused protests from Catholic anti-apartheid groups, as did in 1989 an election ad for a National Party candidate. In the 1970s and ‘80s repeated debate concerned moving The Southern Cross’ offices to the Rand. The bishops voted down such a proposal in 1970, by 26 votes to one, with five abstentions. Ten years later, the National Pastoral Council made the same call, also asking that the content of the newspaper, edited since 1974 by Mgr Donald de Beer, reflect “the aspirations of the majority”. Politics was a running theme in the 1980s. While some readers demanded to know from the editor why his newspaper lacked loyalty to the nation (read apartheid), others saw The Southern Cross as a representative of middle-class liberalism. In 1980, Boksburg parish cancelled its weekly order of 130 copies because The Southern Cross

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

had failed to report on the detention and reportedly “rough interrogation” of three priests—Frs Michael Mkhize, Remigius Makobane and Patrick Mvemve (now bishop of Klerksdorp). In an editorial, Mgr de Beer wrote that the report was suppressed at the request of Archbishop Joseph Fitzgerald on the grounds that publicity could create further problems for the priests, who had been warned by the security police not to mention their detention to anybody (an instruction they had rightly ignored). Embarrassingly for The Southern Cross, the secular press did cover the story. Whether or not public perceptions of The Southern Cross were fair, it would take a long time before the newspaper regained the trust of Justice and Peace activists.

1990s: A new era In the interim, the board of directors had seen a gradual passing of the torch. On June 15, 1979, chairman Jean Pothier died suddenly. He had served on the board for nearly 33 years, and 24 of these as director. He was followed by William Houghton, who steered The Southern Cross through the turbulent ‘80s before his death in 1990, also while still in office. John Robertson, son of the former chairman JB, then became chairman for the next 17 years. The same year, Mr Pothier’s son Bernard joined the board. The second incarnation of a Robertson/Pothier tandem helped shape The Southern Cross significantly. Both retired soon after one another in 2006/07, when Chris Moerdyk, a columnist for the newspaper for several years before he joined the board, was elected chairman. Mr Pothier still serves The Southern Cross as manager of the Associates’ Campaign and as “circulation troubleshooter”. Much changed over the years in the way the board of the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company runs The Southern Cross’ affairs. In 1952, the company still debated the acquisition of a hatstand (the board, the reader will be relieved to learn, authorised the procure-

ment). In the late 1980s, it faced much bigger decisions. In 1987, the board of directors approved the purchase of a “telecommunication computer” for processing international wire stories via the Post Office’s Saponet service—a forerunner of e-mail. A year later, managing editor Gene Donnelly mooted the notion of switching to a new-fangled “Desk Top Publishing” system. Over the next few years, money was invested into “the study of programmes and purchase of hard drive equipment, suitable disks and ‘mouse’”. In 1991 Mr Donnelly moved to implement the Apple Macintosh system. The same year, veteran journalist Sydney Duval in a report for the bishops’ conference backed that idea, and proceeded to initiate financing from the German funding agency Missio Aachen. The same report also urged a reorganisation of staffing structures. Subsequently, Dominican Father Bernard Connor was appointed editor, succeeding Cardinal McCann, whose supposed caretaker stint had lasted from 1986-91. Noel Bruyns, a journalist and former youth columnist for The Southern Cross, became business manager. Fr Connor’s appointment was preceded by renewed discussion about the employment of a lay editor (there were voices suggesting Mr Bruyns, who had previously worked for the bishops’ conference), and the debate resumed when Fr Connor announced his resignation in late 1994, effective as of March 31, 1995. Some directors felt that it was important that a priest be editor, with journalistic background secondary. Others—led Mr Robertson and Mr Pothier—felt the editor could be a journalist layperson with a “church feel”. In the end, the appointment of Michael Shackleton in 1995 satisfied both points of view: he had been a priest, but had also performed ad hoc work for The Southern Cross. It would be six years before a layman—your present correspondent—was appointed to the editor’s chair.

www.pbp.org.za

14 Tuin Plein PO Box 379, 8000 Cape Town Tel(021) 465-5904 Fax (021) 461-0785 custserv@cbs@mweb.co.za

congratulates

The Southern Cross on 90 years of publication

Marist Brothers Province of Southern Africa congratulate The Southern Cross on its 90th Anniversary

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

JUBILEE EDITION

Looking back: Life with The Southern Cross MICHAEL SHACKLETON’s relationship with The Southern Cross goes back to his childhood. Today he is still involved with the newspaper.

Y mother taught me at a very young age that when a priest blessed items such as rosary beads or prayer books, they immediately became holy objects. From that moment they were to be used only in the service of God and not of the world. When these holy objects broke or became tattered or out of date, they were never to be thrown into the rubbish bin as if they were part of the household refuse. Because they were blessed objects they had to be burned either in the fireplace or in a make-shift incinerator somewhere else. Years later and to my surprise, I found out that my mother treated old copies of The Southern Cross in exactly the same way. For her, the Catholic newspaper she bought every week at Sunday Mass, was not a secular publication but a religious one. It could not be dis-

carded with other old newspapers. It had to be burned. I guess I was influenced by this, even if unwittingly, although I knew better than to consider the Catholic newspaper as more than mere newsprint. I got a copy of the latest Southern Cross every week, long after I left home. When it was announced that Pope Pius XII had approved the establishment of the South African hierarchy in April 1951, The Southern Cross became the first religious newspaper in the country to be published daily during the week-long celebration. I volunteered to go out on to the streets and sell copies to anyone who would buy it. I was delighted when most people unquestioningly paid up, although most of my sales took place at a celebratory pageant at Cape Town’s Rosebank Show Grounds, attended by a good few thousand Catholics. In 1955 I became a student for the priesthood at St John Vianney seminary in Pretoria. I swiftly twigged that the daily postal delivery was deposited on a table beneath the main staircase, waiting to be collected by the student

responsible for distributing it. As soon as I espied the weekly copy of The Southern Cross there, I would extract it from its paper sheath and make sure I digested most of its contents before I put everything back in position as if nothing had been disturbed. Fr Louis Stubbs was editing The Southern Cross when in the 1960s he invited me to join his “editorial team”, that is, to provide him with constructive comments and to write editorials from time to time. The others on the team were Mgr Con Lynch and Fr J McMorrow. I loved doing this. I felt I was now in a world of journalism. Seeing my enthusiasm, Fr Stubbs coached me in the correct way to proof-read and how to apply the system of conventional marks to indicate corrections to be made to the proofs. He even instructed me in the history of printing presses, confusing me with facts about the handpress, the drum, the flat-bed cylinder and rotary press. Fr Stubbs had the gift of the gab and the gift of being able to write prolifically at a moment’s notice. His editorials and longrunning column called “Topics of

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The Parish priest and Parishoners of The

Immaculate Conception parish in Westonaria congratulate the Southern Cross o n the 90th anniversary of

Congratulations on reaching this wonderful milestone. May you be blessed with many more years of success. With sincere good wishes Monsignor Brendan Deenihan and Parishioners at St Augustine’s Cathedral, Port Elizabeth

publication. May you keep up the spirit of Information, Education and Entertainment as part of your ministry. Rev. Fr. Ekpenyong Gabriel, C.S.Sp. on behalf of the parish

Michael Shackleton with a cake presented to him by staff member Terri Dunbar-Curran at his retirement as editor-in-chief of The Southern Cross at the end of January 2001. the Week” kept readers well up to date about the happenings of the times. When he went on long leave overseas for three months, Fr Stubbs asked me to take over as temporary editor. With the help of Gene Donnelly, who has only lately retired after 41 years with this newspaper, I learnt many of the tricks of the trade. Having already been an experienced journalist in the realm of the mainstream press, Gene made me aware of the importance of deadlines and potential problem areas. His contemporary, Andrew Murray, was the managing editor and he also advised me and fostered my desire to know more about producing a newspaper. In 1969 he left to spend his time as an artist, creating delightful pictures in the genre known as naive painting. His portraits of cats have become collectors’ items. In 1995 I was invited to take over from Fr Bernard Connor OP as editor. At that time The Southern Cross had become far too

conservative. It was losing readership and, I thought, not in touch with the everyday person in the pew. Gradually I began to introduce some improvements, not all as successful as I might have wished, but I felt I was on the right track. When I decided to retire from my post in 2000, Günther Simmermacher was appointed in my place. The son of a newspaper editor himself, he had already established himself with us as a competent managing editor and resourceful writer. As editor he has made remarkable improvements to the paper’s appeal and readership, positioning it firmly in the melting pot of the 21st century. As this publication goes into its 91st year of uninterrupted production, I am proud to be associated with it still as advisory editor and columnist. I hope and pray that present readers will keep us going and encourage others to find in our pages nourishment for the faith and a stimulus to our enthusiasm to keep that faith active every day.

JUBILEE EDITION

Readers have safeguarded The Southern Cross When in 2002 The Southern Cross appealed to readers to help safeguard its future and to fulfil its social communications mandate, the response was overwhelming. BERNARD POTHIER pays tribute to The Southern Cross’ Associates.

ST FRANCIS HOSPICE

PO R T E L I Z A B E T H Eastern Cape

YEARS OF CARING

Congratulates The Southern Cross on 90 years of sterling service. Well done & good luck! * Hospice offers Holistic Palliative Care support for short life expectancy HIV, AIDS, Cancer & Motor Neurone Disease patients and their families and * is the accredited Centre of Palliative Learning for the Eastern Cape, providing training for professional nurses, health workers & community volunteers. (Fully accredited by COHSASA and Hospice Palliative Care Association of SA)

S far as we know, The Southern Cross is the sole surviving religious weekly in this country which is not subsidised. For 90 years it has stood on its own two feet, through thick and thin, never failing to produce an issue every week. But sometimes the going gets really tough, as was the case in 2002 when we had to face severe financial challenges, notably the need to replace our aged computers without which a modern newspaper cannot be produced, and also the replenishment of our reserves which were not at all adequate. Our editor, Günther Simmermacher, was aware that the Jesuits in the United States managed to keep their magazine, America, going with the enthusiastic help of regular donors who associated themselves with the aims of the paper. Fr Anthony Egan, a South African Jesuit, was then based in the US and he greatly assisted us by providing information and literature on America’s annual Associates Campaign. In April 2002 we approached our readers for help. The response was immediate and most generous. Individuals, including a number of bishops, and parishes came forward to help. There were many anonymous contributions including one for R15 000. And, touchingly, an inmate of a prison filled out the brochure’s form and sent us R2,50. Each year our Associates supported our renewed appeals so that we were able to supply free copies in suitable numbers to all our seminaries and to many prison chaplains. As Pope Benedict XVI has said: “Chaplains and their collaborators are called to be heralds of God’s infinite compassion and forgiveness.” Our Associates are as much collaborators in this work of mercy and restoration as those lay people who visit prisoners and give them copies of The Southern Cross and other Catholic literature. In this way they help to meet the great desire among prisoners to obtain spiritual reading matter and, in addition, prisoners are assured that they have not been completely forgotten by the outside world. It is a source of great encouragement to learn how prisoners are inspired to turn their lives around by having access to Catholic reading material such as The Southern Cross. In one instances, a prisoner credited his conversion to the Catholic faith to The Southern Cross. At present a tremendous and rapid change is taking place in the newspaper world. In general, circulation figures are dropping alarmingly. In the US and elsewhere long-established papers are clos-

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

Associates Campaign brochure 2009 ing down, dailies are becoming weeklies and commentators are predicting the end of printed newspapers as we know them. Those with the necessary resources are “going digital”, as The Southern Cross has done—in a process partly funded by the Associates Campaign. More and more readers are finding their news and commentaries on their computer screens. While our circulation remains steady, promising a long life to our print version, we must nevertheless cater for the increasing numbers of people—especially among the youth and middleaged—who prefer the digital way. Our weekly free e-newsletter has just celebrated its first birthday. It contains material which does not appear in The Southern Cross and has been well received. The digital version of our paper, on the other hand, contains every word and picture of the usual print issue but appears on screens throughout the country and abroad earlier in the week and more cheaply. But these developments come at a considerable price. Eventually, when the number of subscribers to the newsletter reaches an attractive figure, advertisers will come aboard, but until then the heavy costs involved in setting up and maintaining these digital ventures have to be borne. This is another challenge which has to be met and overcome, as were so many others in the ninety years of our paper’s history. Several recent popes as well as our bishops have repeatedly emphasised the importance of the Catholic media in promoting the Church’s evangelical mission. Our Associates and other donors—some anonymous—have done wonders with the generosity of their response to our previous appeals. It is our hope and prayer that once again they—and many others among our readers—will join in promoting the apostolic work of The Southern Cross.  Bernard Pothier manages The Southern Cross’ Associates Campaign. To find out more about the Associates Campaign, please visit www.scross.co.za/ associates-campaign, or e-mail admin@scross. co.za, or phone 021 465 5007

Sincere Congratulations for an excellent service over 90 years — Fr Ralph de Hahn

PO Box 11095, Mariannhill 3624 Tel: 031 700 2155 Fax: 031 700 2738

e-mail: monretreat@saol.com

congratulates The Southern Cross on its 90th birthday – ninety years young, and going from strength-to-strength. Thanks to all who make our Catholic newspaper happen every week!

Contact us for further information at 041 360 7070 / 041 360 1279 (fax) Email: hospice@progen.co.za Web: www.stfrancishospice.za.org

Springfield Convent School since 1871

Congratulations to The Southern Cross on your magnificent milestone and contribution. We are blessed and honoured to have walked alongside you every step of your 90 years!

Tel: (021) 797 6169 Fax: (021) 762 7930 www.springfieldconvent.co.za

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

JUBILEE EDITION

A journey through the decades 1920s

1930s

The Southern Cross in the 1930s featured news from around the Union (as it was then) and from around the world. The July 16,1930 front-page (right) features photos from Rietpoort as well as a Catholic procession in Manchester. Much of the news in the 1930s concerned the Great Depression, the communist threat and the rise of Nazism in Germany. But the decade was not without the strange and endearing. Above is a photo of a Trappist monk with a calf, and below a story about a couple of American nuns who were trained in case of a nuclear attack.

October 16 1920: the first issue of The Southern Cross is published. Pope Benedict XV, featured on the front-page, gave the newspaper a papal blessing. Inside, an article discusses the struggle between rich and poorâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a topic still on our editorial agenda to this day. The long-awaited first issue is a quick seller, and within two weeks, the newspaper reaches a healthy circulation of 6 000.

Loreto Convent School Skinner Street, Pretoria Congratulates The Southern Cross on its 90th anniversary. As a Catholic School, striving to keep the light of Christ burning brightly, we are glad to have recourse to the articles and editorial comments available in The Southern Cross and feel sure that all our learners draw benefit from this inspiration.

1940s

Holy Redeemer Parish Quigney, East London Congratulates The Southern Cross on attaining 90 years of publishing Thank you for giving us all the Catholic news over all the years and keep up the good work Best wishes from: Fr Robert Kamangu, The Parish Pastoral Council and all our parishioners

www.littleeden.org.za

Care of Persons with Intellectual Disability

Congratulations on 90 wonderful years of spreading the Good News. May God bless you! The Children, Board of Governors, Management and Staff of LITTLE EDEN

The outbreak of World War II in 1939 posed a challenge to The Southern Cross: because of shortages. Paper and ink as well as ordinary resources necessary to run a business had to be rationed, and distribution was also affected. Still, the newspaper appeared every week. The range and tone of the articles from this period reflect the great shadow cast by the war. The dropping of the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki were condemned, while the end of the war in Europe was noted with gratitude to God (left). Right: A priest leads a bride and bridegroom through the the remains of his church which was bombed in London.

JUBILEE EDITION

1950s

1960s

In 1951, the Southern African hierarchy was established, with the founding of the bishops conference and the elevation of vicariates to dioceses. To mark the occasion, The Southern Cross published daily for a few days to cover the occasion.

The big story in the 1960s was the Second Vatican Council (196265). While there was mostly great enthusiasm for the Council’s wide-reaching changes, some Catholics reacted negatively.

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

Geoffrey Jacobs worked for two months as an intern for The Southern Cross. He spent most of his time in the Archive library assembling research for this spread. Layout by Claire Allen

Apartheid was at its strongest in the 1960s, with South African-born cricketer Basil D’Oliveira, a Catholic, at the centre of the looming international sporting boycott.

The 1970s were dominated by rising opposition to apartheid and the Rhodesian war.Archbishop Denis Hurley is featured (right) at a Mass for people who died in detention.

1980s

In 1978, cardinals had to vote twice for a new pope after the brief pontificate of Pope John Paul I.

1970s The 1980s were dominated by Pope John Paul II, who was featured almost every week. In May 1981 he survived an assassination attempt in St Peter’s Square. The 1990s were dominated by South Africa’s transition from apartheid to democracy. In September 1995, Pope John Paul II visited South Africa to introduce his exhortation on the first African Synod. He celebrated a papal Mass in Johannesburg.

1990s

Pope John Paul’s close friend Mother Teresa visited South Africa in 1988, and had some special words for local Catholics.

When in April 2005 Pope John Paul II died,The Southern Cross published a special stand-alone memorial issue. Two years earlier, we marked the 25th anniversary of John Paul’s pontifical election with a special supplement. The liturgical changes that will be implemented in 2011 were first reported on in The Southern Cross in 2000. During the Jubilee Year in 2000, all front-pages featured the Jubilee logo.

Peter Leahy

The family of the late Peter Leahy, one of the founding shareholders of The Southern Cross , congratulate them on their 90th anniversary.

The Cabra Dominican Sisters congratulate The Southern Cross on 90 years of publishing service to the Church. May God continue to bless your mission

Burke Leahy Ludwig McEvoy Families

2000s

Apostleship of the Sea The Rector, Chaplains and Lay people congratulates The Southern Cross on their 90th Anniversary. For more information contact The National Director, Tel/Fax 031 463 3212, 082 953 2145, venture@saol.com, PO Box 10543, Marine Parade, Durban 4056

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

JUBILEE EDITION

Luky Whittle, pictured with her family, was the author of the “Coffee Break” column that ran from the 1970s. This photo was printed in The Southern Cross in June that year.

Looking back: Moments in history and an almost lawsuit BY LUKY WHITTLE

FEEL like a shepherd in a crib scene, taken out of the cupboard once a year and rubbed with a soft cloth in the hope he makes it to one more Christmas, all because I was invited to produce my reminiscences for the newspaper’s 90th anniversary. One morning in December 1966, I saw an article in The Southern Cross by a lady who deplored the fact that some mothers fought with their children at Mass when the little dears only wanted to explore and, I suppose, pull the laces from the shoes of the pious. I replied in an article titled “Raising three children by trial and error”. It was published, and some years later, I ended up writing a weekly column called “Coffee Break”. My editor was Mgr Donald de Beer, a convert and canon lawyer with a strong personality, who sometimes wiped the floor with me. Nevertheless, I appreciated him because he was a staunch apologist at a time when Pope Paul VI was coming under

attack from within the Catholic Church and without a scapegoat of the icy blast which followed the opening of the Church’s window by Pope John XXIII. It delighted me to see how a convert could love and honour every facet of a Church, which, even then, appeared to bore or irritate so many cradle Catholics. The managing editor, Eugene Donnelly, retired from The Southern Cross only this year. Until his last shift—he was 80 years old—he cycled to the station from home and walked to the office. In a Sunday newspaper, an interview with an anonymous Catholic priest, the pope was blamed for the imposition of the vow of celibacy on candidates for the priesthood. I wrote: “If this priest exists, I’d like to say: ‘Come out, come out, wherever you are.’” Eugene phoned and said: “I read your story while on holiday and was afraid we’d hear more about this. You never call the other guy a liar.” He was correct. The huge

Congratulations on your 90th Anniversary of Publication

“A person is of more value than the whole world.” St Mary Euphrasia

Good Shepherd Sisters Provincialate

Sunday paper threatened to sue the stalwart little cashstrapped Southern Cross. The apology printed in response was such a masterpiece of perfunctoriness that it made me suspect Mgr De Beer secretly sided with me. It is too late to ask him, for he is dead, like so many other Southern Cross editors, writers and contributors to the letters column, inter alia, Cardinal McCann, Archbishop Hurley, Mgr Hatton, Fr Stubbs, the Scrivener, Noel Bruyns, Owen Williams and VG Davies. These days I have discovered the delights of the Letters to the Editor page. There is no deadline and you write only when you have something to say—not just to say something—anything! In conclusion, before they wrap me up in newspaper and put me back into the box in the cupboard until the year 2020 when the paper turns 100 and I 80, if we both survive that long, I would like to wish The Southern Cross and all who sail in her a very happy 90th anniversary. Keep the faith!

Congratulations to The Southern Cross on 90 years of service to the church of South Africa. Thank you! Missionary Sisters of the Assumption, Highlands North

JUBILEE EDITION

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

On pilgrimage with The Southern Cross Since the Jubilee Year 2000, The Southern Cross has headlined eight pilgrmages, six of them to the Holy Land. GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER looks back.

The 2000 pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Cairo, led by Fr Nicholas King SJ, in Jaffa. It was the first of eight pilgrimages to be headlined by The Southern Cross.

In July 2000, The Southern Cross hosted a youth pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Cairo, led by Fr Michael Hagan.

Y now, about 260 people have gone on eight pilgrimages headlined by The Southern Cross, covering the Holy Land, Egypt, Jordan, Greece, Turkey, Italy, France and Germany. These pilgrimages have been directed by Fr Nicholas King SJ, Fr Emil Blaser OP, Fr Michael Hagan Isch, Mgr Clifford Stokes and, last month, Bishop Zithulele Patrick Mvemve of Klerksdorp. It has been my pleasure and privilege to accompany five of these pilgrimages—and to write about all of them in serialised form. My five pilgrimages to the Holy Land are small fry in comparison to the numbers recorded by some people I have met. I met one of these people during my first visit to the Holy Land, at an international conference in February 1999. I asked the man, a Baptist minister from the United States, who said he had been to the Holy Land more than a hundred times, whether he doesn’t get bored with it all. He laughed at the question, as if it was the craziest thing he had ever heard, before explaining that to him, every trip is different. I can see his point. A pilgrimage is more than just a visit to a bunch of holy sites. The dead stones are given life by the people with whom the pilgrim travels, and the context of one’s life at that moment. Different spiritual directors and tour guides will influence the experience of a holy site, and so does the group dynamic. The prayer of one person in the group can have a transforming effect. In Jerusalem’s astonishing church of All Nations, the crown of thorns that frames the rock in the garden of Gethsemane on which Jesus prayed and suffered before his arrest may be just a poignant artwork. But one pilgrim’s prayer can create a powerful transformative connection with another pilgrim’s experiences, illuminating the meaning of Christ’s despair. The crown of

Joanne Jacobs with her “miracle baby” Saffron and Fr Michael Hagan in 2002. thorns ceases to be just an artwork. And such experience may be replicated in different ways at any number of sites. The group dynamic is important in the ways in which pilgrims share their intense experiences, even if these are not always articulated. Part of that sharing includes shaking loose the pilgrim dust at the end of the day, and simply socalise. One makes friends: some of these friendships will soon fade away, some will last for a while, and some will remain forever.

lmost every pilgrimage includes some misfortune. On the first evening of my first pilgrimage, in the Holy Year 2000, one member of our group fell and, having received medical attention, spent the rest of the tour with a big black eye, while the spiritual director, Fr Nicholas King, could not walk easily for two days due to an inflamed knee. A year later, on a pilgrimage that started just a few days after 9/11 (causing one concerned pilgrim to cancel), two elderly ladies were pickpocketed in Jerusalem and relieved of all their spending money. Before that, their luggage had not accompanied them on the flight to Jordan (through their own fault). It caught up with them after a cross-border taxi ride only halfway through the pilgrimage. In 2005 a pilgrim gave us a mighty fright by fainting (ironically falling down at the site of the Ascension), and a year later, a pilgrim badly cut her leg when slipping on metal steps, and after hospitalisation had to use a wheelchair.

St Dominic’s Parish, Boksburg

The 2006 group (left), led by Fr Emil Blaser, visited the Holy Land, Rome (with a papal audience) and Assisi, while the 2010 group (right), led by Bishop Zithulele Mvemve, toured the Holy Land and saw the Oberammergau Passion Play.

The 2005 pilgrimage, led by Mgr Clifford Stokes, covered the Holy Land and Cairo.

Congratulations on 90 years of service to the Catholic Community of South Africa

All of these mishaps rallied the troops. Pilgrimage 2000’s Martha Black Eye, as she was to be known, was indefatigable and Fr King was carried and lifted and helped along until the inflammation subsided. A generous pilgrim helped the two pickpocketed ladies with essential supplies and spending money. The fainting pilgrim was fussed over by our group while bed-bound, and people took turns to wheel around the lady who had injured her leg. This, too, is part of the great collective dynamic: the group itself is one of the graces of a pilgrimage. And there have been many graces obtained on Southern Cross pilgrimages, many more, I’m sure, than I know of. One I do know of came from a trip I was not part of, the Youth Pilgrimage of July 2000, led by Fr Michael Hagan, then and now the national youth chaplain. In the group was a couple, Joanne and Eldridge Jacobs, who had tried to conceive a child, but without success. In light of a particular medical history, they had practically given up. Still, during an emotional wedding vows renewal ceremony in Cana they asked for the group’s prayer that they, like St Anne, may conceive a child (though there was no expectation of an immaculate conception). The alert reader (or the keen reader of photo captions) has already guessed the outcome: the following year, Joanne gave birth to a beautiful daughter, Saffron. It is tempting to relate that beautiful story to a pilgrimage as a life-giving event, which in many ways it is, as a transformative experience. That transformation is a process, of course. It continues long after the pilgrim has returned home. For many, that transformation continues for the remainder of their lives—perhaps every time they hear of a place or event in Scripture which takes them back to the overwhelming time of information overload in the Holy Land, or every time they see a photo from, say, Rome that reminds them of the fruits they reaped as pilgrims.  Günther Simmermacher’s latest series, on The Southern Cross’ pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Oberammergau in September, begins this week on page 26.

Assumption Convent

warmly congratulates The Southern Cross on their 90th anniversary

“It is only through the practice of virtue that respect and honour may be gained” www.assumptionconvent.co.za

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

JUBILEE EDITION

Parish of month:Through the years BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

EING chosen as the “Parish of the Month increased” is a recognition of a parish’s orders of The Southern Cross. The almost six years of the feature have shown that these parishes which actively promote The Southern Cross all run a wide range of projects. “The idea to introduce the Parish of the Month was inspired by the activities of Matroosfontein parish in the Cape Flats, where lots of people are involved in selling and promoting The Southern Cross. We thought that people like them, whom we don’t even know, should be honoured in some way,” said Southern Cross editor Günther Simmermacher. Matroosfontein itself became Parish of the Month in 2007. In 2009, Durban was represented by three successive Parishes of the Month: Durban North, Queensburgh and St Mary’s in Pietermar-

itzburg. Some parishes, such as Wentworth, Durban, Kempton Park in Johannesburg and Richard’s Bay in KwaZulu-Natal, have held the distinction more than once. St Charles Lwanga in Soshanguve, Pretoria archdiocese, was Parish of the Month in August of 2008. Its pastor, Fr Mathibela Sebothoma, said one of the reasons his parish encourages sales of The Southern Cross is the role it plays in the lives of people who are approaching spiritual direction. “The Southern Cross helps people to see God in their daily lives.” Oblate Father Allan Moss of St Mary’s in Pietermaritzburg told The Southern Cross in May 2009 that the Catholic Church is far more than just a local church, and the newspaper broadens one’s horizons accordingly. “The Southern Cross enables Catholics to get a wider view that we are a bigger Church,” Fr Moss explained. Parishes may have had different

reasons for wanting to promote the newspaper, but all have seen the difference it makes to sales when they do so. “I don’t think it’s possible to overstate how important it is when parishioners and priests promote and actively sell The Southern Cross.” Mr Simmermacher said. “Just a word at Mass by the priest about a couple of interesting articles in that week’s issue, and somebody standing in the doorway making The Southern Cross visible makes a huge difference.” The Parish of the Month is among the newspaper’s most popular features, Mr Simmermacher said. And, of course, the members of a featured parish enjoy it most of all. “From what I’ve heard, there is always tremendous excitement when a parish is featured, and feedback suggests that readers enjoy the feature as well,” Mr Simmermacher said.

Christ the King parish in Wentworth, Durban, was the first Parish of Month featured in December 2004. The parish made the list again in 2010. In the beginning Parishes of the month were covered on the local news pages in short articles. It soon commanded its own popular feature page.

1st

Parish of the year is listed with the name of the church, area and diocese

2004

2006

2007

2008

Christ the King, Wentworth, Durban

Church of Resurrection, Bryanston, Johannesburg Regina Pacis, Ladysmith, Dundee St Charles,Victory Park, Johannesburg Our Lady of Loreto,Kempton Park, Johannesburg Ss Peter & Paul, George, Oudtshoorn St Kevin, (Gelvindale), Port Elizabeth St Francis Xavier, Bluff, Durban St Thomas, Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn St Anne’s, Steenberg, Cape Town St Joseph's, Primrose, Johannesburg

Our Lady of Dolours, Carletonville, Johannesburg Immaculate Conception, Rosebank, Johannesburg Holy Redeemer, Bergvliet, Cape Town St Catherine, Kleinvlei, Cape Town St Francis, Richards Bay, Eshowe St Phillip Benezi, Meyerton, Johannesburg Good Shepherd, Pretoria North, Pretoria Queen of Peace, Grassy Park, Cape Town Our Lady of Loreto, Kempton Park, Johannesburg Holy Trinity, Matroosfontein, Cape Town

St Joseph’s, Goodwood, Cape Town Blessed Sacrement, Germiston, Malvern East, Johannesburg Our Lady Help of Christians, Lansdowne, Cape Town Ss Lambert, Martin & Nicholas, Benoni North, Daveyton, Johannesburg St Joseph the Worker, Chatty, Port Elizabeth St Phillip’s, Strandfontein, Cape Town St Charles Lwanga, (Soshanguve),Rosslyn, Pretoria St Henry, Mmabatho, Kimberly Holy Trinity Parish, Braamfontein, Johannesburg

2005 Ss Simon & Jude, Simons Town, Cape Town Regina Mundi, Soweto, Johannesburg Good Shepherd, Phoenix, Durban St Timothy, Tafelsig, Cape Town St Jude, Vredenburg, Cape Town St Dominic, Hilcrest, Durban San Francesco, Emerald Hill, Port Elizabeth St Anne, Atteridgeville, Pretoria St Anthony, Coronationville, Johannesburg

St Margaret’s, Diepkloof, Johannesburg Holy Trinity, Karasburg, Namibia

Johannesburg Ss Mary & Anne, Mariannridge, Mariannhill

2009

2010

St Matthew’s, Vryburg, Kimberley Our Lady of Fatima, Durban North, Durban St Catherine’s Bellair, Queensburgh, Durban St Mary's, Pietermaritzburg, Durban Corpus Christi, Humewood, Port Elizabeth St Josephine, Queenstown, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Pretoria St Augustine Parish, Upington, Kimberly-Upington St John Bosco, Robertsham,

St Thomas, Lenasia, Johannesburg Christ The King, Wentworth, Durban St Patrick’s, Mowbray, Cape Town Ascension Southridge Park, Mthatha St Michael’s, Potchefstroom Corpus Christi, Wynberg, Cape Town St Francis, Richards Bay, Eshowe St Francis of Assisi, Standerton, Dundee

JUBILEE EDITION

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

Bryanston: Where The Southern Cross sells best The church of the Resurrection in Bryanston sells the highest number of Southern Cross copies each week and has been featured in the paper’s Parish of the Month. Reporter CLAIRE MATHIESON delves into the history of the church.

O parish in South Africa sells more copies of The Southern Cross every week than the church of the Resurrection in Bryanston, Johannesburg. Of course, Bryanston has been the Parish of the Month—which is chosen on basis of increased orders of the newspaper—in March 2006. Established on Easter Sunday in 1967 at the Brescia House Convent chapel, Bryanston parish grew at a rapid rate due to the enormous development of the suburbs and complexes in the area. Today the parish has some 2 600 registered families. Parish secretary Dru Behrendt said the first parish priest was the late Fr Ronan Byrne CP. “Initially, there was no accommodation, so parishioners Jim and Pat Maddison hosted Fr Ronan. He later moved closer to the church site and was accommodated by Carl and Deidre Pingle. Mrs Pingle became the first parish secretary while Mr Pingle studied and was ordained as one of the first married deacons in the diocese of Johannesburg.” By the late 1990s the parish had grown in excess of 1 500 members and a new church was commissioned and consecrated in Septem-

ber 1998, with the old building being converted into a church hall, which sees various functions, groups’ gatherings and meetings. Today Fr Michael Fitzpatrick oversees the vibrant parish which last year celebrated 99 baptisms, 58 confirmations and 75 First Holy Communions. Family is key to this burgeoning community. Fr Fitzpatrick said the number of families in the parish continues to grow each year, and the liturgy in the parish is “alive and well, with ever-increasing parishioner participation in church activities”. Mrs Behrendt explained that the parish has active groups including the Knights of da Gama, Catholic Women’s League, a youth group, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults convert classes, Alpha, faith-sharing groups, Bible study groups, both junior and senior catechism classes as well as St Anne’s, St Cecilia’s and Sacred Heart sodalities. There are also two choirs: the Youth Choir and the Sunday Mass Choir. The many families that make up the relatively young parish have also become known for their big hearts. “Our St Vincent de Paul Society supports several families and is very active and hands on in assisting the needy in our area, which includes the neighbouring Diepsloot,” Mrs Behrendt said. As the festive season approaches, the parish will be involved in bringing Christmas cheer to the community with special Masses and parties for the elderly. Parishioner Kathy De Villiers said one of the highlights of the year is the annual craft market where funds raised will be “used to make

up parcels for needy pensioners in Soweto and other areas”. Giving starts at the end of November as a Christmas tree is placed outside the church with children’s gender and age tags pinned to it, Ms De Villiers said. “Parishioners are invited to take tags, buy gifts and return them for distribution to needy children for Christmas.” She said the project has run for a number of years with great success through the hundreds of gifts donated. Interest in the Church has also increased among the youth due to regular youth Masses held at the parish. The parish now hopes to have international representation by sending a number of young people to World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain, next year. It is not by chance that Bryanston is the parish with the highest sales of The Southern Cross. Mrs Behrendt explained parishioners are always reminded to buy their Southern Cross, and Fr Fitzpatrick specifically recommends it. “We also distribute it to the parishioners on our home visiting list,” she added. Deacon Alex Niven said there was an active drive to sell the newspaper on Sunday mornings, with three parishioners dedicated to the effort. Fr Fitzpatrick said the parish’s journey had been a long road so far that has truly been blessed. “With His grace, we continue to grow and prosper as a strong community that serves others in meaningful spiritual and life-fulfilling ways. May we continue to do so for years and generations to come.”

Three dedicated sellers, Edwin Owell, Andy McNally and Steve Cullerton, have been responsible for encouraging sales of The Southern Cross, helping Bryanston become the biggest seller of the newspaper in South Africa.

One of the most important features of Resurrection parish is the Garden of Remembrance where families remember those who helped build the relatively young church community. The garden is home to a 500 year old olive tree.

JUBILEE EDITION

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

JUBILEE EDITION

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

Nun keeps Catholic history alive Schoenstatt Sister Sheila Bell knows her Catholic history. Being the chancellor and archivist at the Cape Town chancery, Sr Bell makes sure that history is anything but a memory. CLAIRE MATHIESON spoke to her.

VERY archdiocese in South Africa has an archive. All communication to and from the chancery is kept here and looked after by individuals who meticulously care for Church documents new and old, collect printed media such as The Southern Cross, and assist the public in enquiries. They create a rich resource of history for the Church in South Africa. One of these people is Schoenstatt Sister Sheila Bell, chancellor for the archdiocese of Cape Town and archivist for the past two decades. Sr Bell came to Cape Town from Johannesburg in 1960 where she took her vows as a Schoenstatt Sister. Two years later, she was appointed typist to Archbishop Owen McCann, who soon became a cardinal. At the time of the cardinal’s retirement as archbishop of Cape Town, Sr Bell worked in archdiocesan administration. Cardinal McCann’s successor, Archbishop Stephen Naidoo, asked her to help in the archive. “I never thought I’d end up working as an archivist, but its interesting work,” she said. Sr Bell moved into the role

without any training, but the work was “quite straight forward”. Some of the archivist’s duties include filing all correspondence from the archdiocese, including copies of all the archbishop’s letters, and assisting families in researching their family trees. “Family trees can be very difficult and extremely time consuming, but I quite enjoy it—especially finding interesting stories in all the old records.” Families are not the only parties interested in the archive, Sr Bell said. Many students, academics and researchers visit the archive. A neat guestbook lists the visitors from around the province—all grateful for the well organised archive. Sr Bell is quick not to take the credit for the archive’s filing system; she just “keeps it all up to date”.

One of Sr Bell’s favourite areas of the densely populated archive are the marriage records. Holding a book labelled “1823-1860”, she explained how marriages in the Church were documented first through “banns”—the process of notifying others of your intention to marry—and then through the official recording of one’s marriage. “These records hold great detail. It’s interesting to see how different things were done all those years ago.” She then showed off the baptismal register. “It’s amazing how the ink survives”, she noted as she showed the intricate, handwritten records of the archdiocese’s events. The archives are filled with documents dating back more than 200 years. Further duties include keeping track of the priests in the diocese.

The archives date back to the Bishop Patrick Griffith, who was Cape Town’s first bishop in 1837.

Sr Sheila Bell looks after the archives housed in the chancery of the archdiocese of Cape Town. PHOTOS: CLAIRE MATHIESON When a priest dies, Sr Bell collects all the information on the priest and prepares it for the parish. When international priests arrive in the country, Sr Bell organises their work permits, liaising between the Department of Home Affairs and the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference to ensure the priest will not be a financial burden to the country. Another important duty is keeping an archive of Church media. Bound in heavy leather books, 90 years of The Southern Cross occupy several shelves in the strong room. “It’s a good newspaper. Every Catholic should have one,” said Sr Bell. She enjoys learning about the different parochial communities in the monthly “Parish of the

Month” feature. She also likes the “Church Chuckle”, but believes she has heard them all already. The newspapers have been collected by the archdiocese since the first issue, and new editions are added to the archive weekly. “People don’t think of history much today,” Sr Bell said, “but it’s important. It’s amazing how much we can learn just by looking at our past.” Sr Bell continues the work of the original archivists, who began the job of compiling records more than 200 years ago, when in 1804 a strong room was built to house Cape Town’s Catholic documents. The nun describes her job as “keeping everything that goes in and out of the Church”, but she does more than that—Sr Bell keeps history.

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

JUBILEE EDITION

The future of The Southern Cross BY CAROLINE McGRATH

HE Southern Cross is facing enormous challenges and will need all of its wits about it if it wants to celebrate its centenary in ten years time. So said Chris Moerdyk, chairman of the board of the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company Ltd., which publishes The Southern Cross. He said it was a “miracle” that the newspaper had not only managed to survive 90 years, but has done so without missing a single issue. The newspaper had survived a world war, depressions and successive recessions, as well as 40 years of the apartheid government’s media regulations and opposition to English language religious media. The Southern Cross now faces even greater challenges, said Mr Moerdyk, one of South Africa’s leading marketing analysts. Prime among these is the sheer cost of printing newspapers today as well as the even higher cost of posting them to subscribers and delivering in bulk to parishes, he said, adding that this is not just a local problem, but a global phenomenon. “The board is painfully aware of the fact that in spite of being among the tiny handful of newspapers in South Africa to have maintained their circulation and revenue, costs are rising at such an alarming rate that the business model involving just a newspaper is nowhere near sustainable.” He said that a “courageous” decision was taken by the board a few years ago to implement a more sustainable business model which would also serve to reach more and more Catholics. “Our bishops have quite rightly identified media such as The

Southern Cross as playing a key role in communicating with Catholics in Southern Africa. And we know that while our newspaper reaches more than 44 000 Catholics a week, this is really not good enough when one considers that there are roughly 5 million Catholics in the region.” He appealed to parish priests to actively promote The Southern Cross, for example by highlighting a few stories of interest at the end of Mass. Mr Moerdyk said that experience has shown that this is the best marketing the newspaper can get. Günther Simmermacher, editor of The Southern Cross, agreed that circulation should be higher, but thought that the newspaper had hit a ceiling in terms of circulation growth. “I think for almost every newspaper today, the goal is to hold circulation steady,” Mr Simmermacher said. “So far we have succeeded in doing that—no doubt also because of the efforts by people in parishes who promote The Southern Cross.” Mr Simmermacher said that the steady circulation figures were particularly satisfying in light of the newspaper’s traditionally older readership. “I’m not sure that our readership is generally as old as popular imagination has it, but we seem to be able to replace those readers who die or otherwise fall off with new ones; else our circulation would be decreasing.”

he Southern Cross editor acknowledged that many young people simply don’t read newspapers, and the board of the newspaper has taken action to reach the youth and all users of the New Media where they are. “It’s absolutely necessary to do

Mr Twomey said payment options were being made simpler. “This digital version will make a wonderful Christmas present for friends and family of South African Catholics, no matter where they are in the world.”

The Southern Cross in its digital format, which launched at Easter this year. Subscribers receive a link to the latest edition on Wednesday mornings, and enjoy access to back issues. The digital option is one of various ways in which The Southern Cross is using the opportunities presented by modern media. that for two reasons. Firstly, our mandate is to get the Catholic communication to the Catholic community. The primary tool for that is the printed newspaper, but we must also try and reach those who don’t use newspapers. “Secondly, The Southern Cross is published independently, and therefore doesn’t get nor ask for subsidies from the Church. We are self-sustainable, and we must take steps to ensure that we continue to be able to publish.” Mr Moerdyk said The Southern Cross had launched several new initiates which were slowly beginning to gather momentum as alternative revenue sources. Southern Cross webmaster and marketing advisor Sean Twomey said that in the past year the newspa-

Little Company of Mary Sisters Congratulations on your wonderful achievement and for the spiritual knowledge which has touched so many people both Catholic and non-Catholic. May God continue to bless and guide you in this ministry Little Company of Mary Sisters Pretoria - Port Elizabeth - Zimbabwe

per’s website had been significantly revamped and that the weekly electronic newsletter— which features material not found in the newspaper—had reached almost 1 000 subscribers. “As this subscriber number grows it will become more and more of interest to our advertisers because it will give them significant added value and alternative channels,” said Mr Twomey. He added that “even more exciting” was the launch of The Southern Cross’ digital edition earlier this year. “The digital edition is exactly the same as the printed version and available on subscription. It can be accessed on the date of publication every week and viewed very easily on home computers, laptops and mobile devices such as iPads.”

nother new service The Southern Cross web platform is offering will help Catholic parishes, religious orders, schools, NGOs and other institutions as well as businesses get their message out. “The ‘Press Offices’ on our website will give them an effective way of reaching out to their stakeholders, supporters and beneficiaries, through The Southern Cross website and e-newsletter.” Mr Moerdyk urged readers and supporters of The Southern Cross to promote these initiatives to friends and family—particularly to “get them to sign up for the enewsletter and recommend the digital subscriptions to friends and family abroad”. All of these new initiatives can be viewed and accessed on www.scross.co.za. Mr Moerdyk said that the newspaper’s next step in utilising the opportunities of the New Media will concern cellphone technology. Mr Simmermacher said that feedback and experience has shown that young Catholics are very keen on The Southern Cross, but aren’t always in the habit of buying the printed newspaper. “It’s not true that young people don’t read anymore,” he said. “They just read differently from those generations that grew up without cellphones and the Internet. As Catholic media, we must offer those who won’t read the newspaper alternative ways of accessing information. That’s how we evangelise: by speaking to people where they are.” He added: “And like it was in the past, so it must be in the future: The Southern Cross in the forefront of Catholic media in Southern Africa.”

PERSPECTIVES Catherine de Valence

Point of Reflection

Growth by suffering and mourning

T is difficult to counsel and comfort someone who has endured the loss of a loved one when we ourselves have never been in their shoes, but when we have experienced it we can have compassion for them and walk alongside them in their loss. We cannot take their pain away or expect them to just get over it as if their bereavement never happened, but we can give them hope that eventually in time, this pain will heal, through the healing touch of God. God weeps with us, for he knows what it is like to lose a child. Jesus weeps with us, for he knows what it felt like when his friend Lazarus died away (he wept with his friends Mary and Martha). There is nothing wrong in expressing our sadness and tears. Faith is not about suppressing our emotions, but allowing God peace and love to comfort us during our times of grief, through the love and comfort of others. At the time of loss, we might fail to see how God has spared a loved one from pain and suffering. We might fail to see how in our vulnerable state, many have been drawn to compassion and softening of hearts with us. We might fail to see how many lives have been touched and changed by the eulogy, and how it has brought a community and family members closer together in pray. We might fail to see how God has been there all along, making something positive out of a negative situation. When we start to understand this, our healing process can start taking place, in the grace and love of God. We can draw comfort that our loved ones are with God, and allow our loss to prepare us better, spiritually, to meet our Father and loved ones. We can draw comfort in knowing that this parting is not good bye, but au revoir—“to see you again”. It is in our time of sufferings that we are drawn closer to God, that we rely and depend on him. It is during those times that his love is poured more fully into our hearts, and that we experience his strength in our time of weakness and need. It is in our poverty that we experience his providence the most. I am thankful for my times of sufferings, because they have enabled me to grow spiritually. Sometimes we might question why God allows sufferings, and turn away from him; but if we try and accept our sufferings and turn to God, we will experience his peace. Faith is embraced by thanking God in good times and in bad, for faith believes in things not yet seen. Being thankful for suffering acknowledges that through God growth can emerge from a bad experience, even if we cannot see it at the time. Suffering is the key to the Kingdom of God; the way to “the way, the truth and the life”; the necessity for self-awareness, of our weaknesses and limitation; the acknowledgement of our sins and our need for repentance; our step towards acceptance and non-judgmental approach to others, because of the growth in the knowledge of our own imperfections; the opening of our vulnerability to others, which increases our humility, and brings out their merciful compassion through Christ; embracing our experiences as learning tools and; our liberation from false self, to finding true self in Christ; a time of experiencing God’s providence, protection, salvation and strength, understanding, knowledge, joy, peace and love in spite of everything; what enables our detachment from this world, to be united in eternal, internal intimacy with God; the stepping stone to a New Life in Christ, a life of holiness and wholeness through the presence of God within us; the foundation of the merciful, compassionate God who uses our sufferings to free us and others; a time where our faith is strengthened in God’s faithfulness to us through his help in times of sufferings, through the love of others. And suffering is a time when our love for others is most tested, and God’s unconditional love is felt in and through us the most.

on DStv audio channel 170

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The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

Priests must open eyes

OST of the Church’s activities are done through the parishes. It is important therefore to look at the relationship between priests and the laity—the People of God. The laity and ordained ministers are equal members of the Church by virtue of baptism (Eph 4:4-16). The documents of the Second Vatican Council and Pope John Paul II’s encyclical letter Christifidelis laici encourage the laity to assume active roles in the Church and to collaborate fully with ordained members. Anything that may hinder their mutual collaboration should be addressed instantly. This could apply to instances such as the accusation made by several African lay leaders and consecrated nuns of being marginalised by priests, as reported in The Southern Cross of September 1-7. Formation for the priesthood takes a long period; at least eight years. This shows the seriousness of the ministerial priesthood in the Catholic Church. The period presupposes that the future pastors would appropriate values and a character proper to their ministry. However, the recent revelations about priests’ misconduct have shocked the Catholic family and beyond. This has definitely strained the relationship between the laity and priests. Placed on the spot, priests nowadays have to be very vigilant regarding their conduct. Despite shortcomings, the Catholic family has always been in solidarity with priests. But Catholics long to see more priests who uphold their integrity. There is no time for petty excuses if priests are to restore their lost glory. Parish priests are spiritual leaders, canonically entrusted with the noble work of leading the people. By virtue of their office, they must possess qualities of the Good Shepherd (Jn 10:3-14). The critical shortage of priests notwithstanding, those who lack basic leadership qualities should not run parishes.

ome appointments are tantamount to taking the People of God for granted. St Paul knew what it takes to be a spiritual leader when he advised Timothy (1 Tim 4:12-16). Many priests meet St Paul’s expectations, but others regrettably neglect their gifts and become ineffective, including in their homilies. Sometimes it seems as if the Catholic Church is a farm on which nice fruits are produced, but due to gross negligence, Protestants harvest and eat these fruits. Poor or uneducated parishioners also deserve committed and attractive priests of whom

Michael Shackleton answers your question

Open Door

Chileya Moba CSSp

Point of Debate they can be proud. Societies today have highly educated people. An uninformed leader, especially if he is a priest, is a disaster and a shame. Intelligence is a spiritual discipline; a powerful pastoral tool. We may not like it, but the era of purely sacrament-oriented priests is long gone. Likewise, seminaries that float on the sea of dogmas and sacraments are retrogressive. There is a need for contemporary courses in leadership, communications and human development. Parish ministry is essentially about facilitating the connection of people with God, with one another and with the environment. Jesus Christ needed no diploma in communications to know how to mix feelings and thoughts. He embodied communication skills in his personality; attracted discipleship, captured the audience and won many converts. Parish priests who communicate and connect well with parishioners are fulfilled men of God.

arish priests who have understood their calling have the power to change deserts into the ocean. They have eyes that see and ears that hear. They respond to the local needs swiftly. But in this broken society, many priests are still idle, disorganised and uncreative. They are preoccupied with the litany of demands and unceasing complaints. I call on such brother priests to wake up and help the people to feel Jesus Christ and to be proudly Catholic. Over time, visionary and zealous priests can motivate and educate people. Parishes should care and collaborate well with their priests. The unbearable struggles many parish priests go through—in the name of Jesus and on the pretext of poverty, sacrifice and service—should be ended. A virtue that causes pain and suffocates relationship is not a virtue. At the same time, irresponsible parishes do not deserve priests until they change their attitude. For parishes to function properly, parishioners should equally meet the genuine demands of their priests. The meeting point should be sought and treasured always with total docility to the Holy Spirit, to the greater Glory of God.  Fr Moba ministers in the diocese of Dundee.

All Souls Day

Those thousand pre-judgment years I have friends who devoutly believe that Christ will reign on earth for a thousand years and after that time has elapsed, he will carry out the Last Judgment. I know the Church rejects this doctrine, but I need some help to understand where and why it originated. IB ES, the Church has never accepted this teaching but it became a matter of debate in the early centuries. This arose particularly from Revelation 20:1-6, which describes how Christ will return to earth and reign here for one thousand years together with those who were loyal to him. The substance of this text, like so much of Revelation, was disclosed to the author through visions during a period of fierce persecution. The message was that all earthly powers would eventually collapse and give way to the glory of the triumphant Christ, but the author, fearing the vigilant Roman persecutors, took care not to say this explicitly. He used lots of symbols and allegorical references that Rome’s spies would not instantly recognise as proper to the Christian faith but which must have had meaning for his readers, giving them hope. Many early Christian theologians failed to see the allegorical nature of Revelation. They took 20:1-6 and the rest of the book literally. For them, Christ would return to reign for one thousand years. By the 4th century their viewpoint faded away to nothing as influential Christian scholars realised that the book of Revelation was a piece of apocalyptic writing, loaded with symbols and imagery, such as numbers, animals, heavenly bodies and colours. Interpreting these has been a perennial challenge. The thousand-year reign of Christ could symbolise the period from the birth of the Church to the end of time. The Catechism (1038) says the resurrection of the dead will precede the Last Judgment after which the just and unjust will receive their eternal sentence. In Matthew 25, Christ warns that he will return to earth in his glory to judge all nations. This presupposes the resurrection of the dead. All who have accepted his grace will be judged favourably and enter his kingdom. Those who have resisted it will be condemned to dwell with the devil. The Church’s faith is that Christ will come back to this world only once, that is for the Last Judgment and the triumph of the kingdom of God, and not to reign for a thousand years before or after that dramatic event.

 Send your queries to Open Door, Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000; or e-mail: opendoor@scross.co.za; or fax (021) 465 3850. Anonymity can be preserved by arrangement, but questions must be signed, and may be edited for clarity. Only published questions will be answered.

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

Tuesday, 2 November 2010 His Grace, Archbishop Emeritus Lawrence Henry, will celebrate Holy Mass for the Souls in Purgatory at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 2 November 2010 in the All Souls Chapel, Woltemade Cemetery, Maitland, Gate 1.

Please make every effort to attend this Mass. For further information contact Colette Thomas 083 412 4936 or 021 531 0550

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The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

FOCUS

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

Priests were joyful as they awaited execution by Nazis The execution of three Catholic priests who will be beatified next June and a Lutheran pastor by the Nazis in the German town of Lübeck offers much ecumenical symbolism. GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER reports.

S the Nazi executioner beheaded the three Catholic priests and Lutheran pastor one after another, in a rhythm of three minutes, their blood flowed together, creating a powerful symbol for ecumenism in northern Germany. On June 25, 2011, the three Catholic martyrs of Lübeck—Frs Johannes Prassek, Eduard Müller and Hermann Lange—will be beatified in the historic city’s Herz Jesu (Sacred Heart) church, a stone’s throw away from the cathedral of their Lutheran counterpart, Rev Karl Friedrich Stellbrink, who will be honoured in a special way that day. Beatification is the final step before canonisation to the sainthood. The four were executed in Hamburg just after 18:00 on November 10, 1943—first Fr Müller, then Fr Lange, Fr Prassek and finally Rev Stellbrink—having been found guilty of disseminating anti-Nazi material (such as the homilies of the regime’s great Catholic foe, Cardinal Clemens von Galen of Münster) and other “treasonous” activities. Although they were just four of more than 1 600 victims of political executions that year, their case drew the particular attention of Adolf Hitler and propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. Hitler reportedly intervened personally in the case of the four clerics, formulating the charges and instructing prosecutors on their strategy. After the four were sentenced to death on June 23, 1943, in what amounted to a farce trial, Goebbels wrote in his diary: “I urge that the death sentences will in fact be carried out.” An appeal for clemency by the Catholic bishop of Osnabrück, Hermann Berning, was rejected. Fr Franz Mecklenfeld, current parish priest of Herz Jesu church, said that the announcement of the beatification was received with “immense joy” by his parishioners. It is also being followed “with great interest in the city of Lübeck”, traditionally a Lutheran stronghold. For example, in September the local daily Lübecker Nachrichten published a series of

(From left) Frs Johannes Prassek, Hermann Lange, Eduard Müller and Pastor Karl Friedrich Stellbrink, who were executed together on November 10, 1943, for opposition to the Nazi regime. Collectively, they are known as the Martyrs of Lübeck, after the northern German city in which they were active. articles on the lives and deaths of the four martyrs. “The martyrs have a great significance for the city,” Fr Mecklenfeld told The Southern Cross. “They have become ‘shining towers’ in the city of Lübeck”, whose skyline is famous for its seven gothic church spires. The martyrs are well known even outside church circles, and four suburban streets are named after them, the priest said.

he notion of beatifying the three Catholics when their Lutheran companion cannot be honoured in the same way has given rise to some controversy. Rev Heinz Russmann, a Lutheran pastor in Lübeck, wrote in an article that the beatification would represent a painful division that would be harmful to ecumenism. Either all four should be beatified, or none, Rev Russmann said. His view is shared by the conservative local politician Hans-Lothar Fauth, a Catholic gastronomer who has said that all four have long been publicly acclaimed as saints, regardless of denomination, and therefore require no official recognition. Fr Mecklenfeld said his parish had always been sensitive about maintaining the martyrs’ unitive integrity. “A leading parishioner, the late Adolf Ehrtmann—who knew the four and was among the 18 laypeople arrested at the same time as the clerics—said on his deathbed: ‘Never say three; always say four.’” Ecumenical relations in Lübeck are marked by the shared martyrdom. Apart from many personal relationships, there is close cooperation between the parish churches of the martyrs as well as between the Herz Jesu and Lutheran Cathedral parishes. For example, Fr Mecklenfeld said, many Lutheran pastors and parishioners attend the annual memorial service on November 10 in the Herz Jesu church. The friendship between the

Lutheran pastor and the Catholic priests was unusual for its time, when German clerics tended to keep confessional boundaries in both social and pastoral domains. Pope Benedict, a German from the other side of the country, recognised the significance of that friendship. In an address to the German ambassador to the Vatican on September 13, he said: “The documented friendship between these four clerics while they were in jail represents an impressive witness to ecumenical prayer and suffering which in many places flowered among Christians of different denominations during the dark days of national socialism. We may regard these witnesses as shining lights on our common ecumenical path.” Fr Lange’s writings bear out the pope’s sentiment. In July 1943 he wrote in a letter: “The suffering borne in common over the last years has brought the two Christian churches closer to one another. The shared imprisonment of the Catholic and the Evangelical clergy is a symbol of this community of suffering, but also of reconciliation.” Nowhere else in Germany did officials of the country’s two largest churches share in so strong a witness as they did in Lübeck. However, Fr Mecklenfeld pointed out that the four martyrs need not be idealised: “They were not goody-two-shoes or superheroes, but they are worthy of veneration.”

ndeed, Pastor Stellbrink, 49 when he died, has been described as a prickly character who initially was an eager supporter of the Nazi party. The veteran of World War I soon became disillusioned with Nazism, especially its anti-clericalism, and began to criticise it. He was expelled from the party in 1937 for refusing to denounce his friendship with Jews. In 1941 he met Fr Prassek at a funeral and increasingly engaged

The Herz Jesu (Sacred Heart) Catholic church in Lübeck, where the three executed priests were based. Their beatification will take place outside the 19th-century church. On the left is the gothic Lutheran cathedral. The building seen to the right of the cathedral is the old arsenal, which during the Third Reich served as the local headquarters of the secret state police, the Gestapo. PHOTO: GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER in contact with the younger priests at Herz Jesu, who had been resolutely opposed to the regime. He was the first Protestant cleric to be executed in Germany. Unlike his Catholic friends, he received no support from his church, which rehabilitated him only 50 years later, noting its “pain and shame” at the disgraceful treatment of the heroic pastor. Fr Prassek, 32, regularly preached against Nazism, and ministered illegally to forced labourers from Poland, even learning Polish for that purpose. Just two weeks before his arrest on May 18, 1942, Fr Prassek was honoured for his courage in rescuing people during the carpet bomb attack on Lübeck—the first on any German city—on Palm Sunday 1942. Like his companions, he expected to be executed after their arrest. On the day of the court’s judgment he wrote: “God be praised, today I was sentenced to death.” Later, physically broken after more than a year of torture and other hardships in jail, he joyfully looked forward to his execution: “To be allowed to die fully conscious and quietly prepared is the most beautiful thing of all.” Fr Müller, also 32 and a priest for just three years when he was executed, was a quiet man popular among the local youth, to whom

he ministered. Though regarded as mostly apolitical—he never preached publicly against Nazism—he acknowledged Hitler’s ideology as irreconcilable with Christianity, and refused to collaborate with the Hitler Youth which had courted him. Fr Lange, 31, was the parochial vicar, with the responsibility of providing pastoral care to the youth and men of the parish. A reform-minded Catholic, he was perhaps the most politically active among the four. He distributed pamphlets and, among those whom he trusted, accused Germany of war crimes. He even told a soldier that a true Christian could not really fight on the German side in the war. Fr Lange’s residence had already been raided by the Gestapo a year before his arrest. The martyrs of Lübeck are not the only clerical victims of Nazism to be beatified. In September, Fr Gerhard Hirschfelder was beatified in Münster, and the beatification of Fr Georg Häfner of Würzburg is planned for May 2011. Organisers of Lübeck’s June beatification expect 6 000 to witness the ceremony outside the Herz Jesu church. The day before, a service will be held in Rev Stellbrink’s parish’s Luther church.

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TRAVEL

The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

Starting a pilgrimage where salvation began S

OMETIMES the requirements in a pilgrimage itinerary—dictated by geography and deadlines for booked Masses—produce happy coincidences. So it was with The Southern Cross’ Passion Pilgrimage in September, which brought together 45 people from all over South Africa to breathe where Jesus breathed. The pilgrimage began with a Mass in the magnificent church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. In his homily, our spiritual director, Bishop Zithulele Mvemve of Klerksdorp, reminded the group that it was here where the story of salvation began, by way of young Mary’s submission to God’s will that she bear the Messiah: “Let it be done to me according to your word.” There is no better place for kicking off a pilgrimage than right at the beginning. And our pilgrimage would end in Oberammergau, Germany, with the climax of the Nazarene’s incarnation: his Resurrection, as performed in the village’s famous Passion Play. The church of the Annunciation is a modern structure, completed in 1969. It replaced an older

Günther Simmermacher

The Pilgrim’s Trek church from the 18th century. It is that church which Mark Twain visited during his pilgrimage in 1867. In his splendid and very funny travelogue Innocents Abroad (which I used as my travel companion this year), he wrote: “We went down a flight of fifteen steps below the ground level, and stood in a small chapel tricked out with tapestry hangings, silver lamps, and oil paintings. A spot marked by a cross, in the marble floor, under the altar, was exhibited as the place made forever holy by the feet of the Virgin when she stood up to receive the message of the angel. So simple, so unpretending a locality, to be the scene of so mighty an event!” Behind the modern church’s altar is the grotto in which the Word became Flesh. It is enveloped by the remnants of ancient church walls, presumably

Four of the seven couples that renewed their wedding vows at Cana: (from left) Lucy and Mark Wilson, Margaret and Francis Hlobo, Marilyn and Colin Francis, and Lawrence and Joan Felix.

those of the first church to be built on the site in 427. That structure was destroyed, probably during the Persian sack of 617, when all but one church in the Holy Land were burnt down (the only one spared was the church of the Nativity in Bethlehem). The Crusaders rebuilt the church, but that was destroyed by the Saracens in 1187. What we do know is that the grotto was venerated as the spot of the Annunciation at least as early as the early 5th century.

n Mary’s time, there was only one source of water in the little hamlet of Nazareth. Located 400m from Mary’s grotto, the village’s women would come to the well several times a day to draw water for various household purposes. If necessary, they would take their little children with them, or send them to fetch water. Today the spot is commemorated by the Greek Orthodox St Gabriel’s church, in the crypt of which one can still draw water from the well, albeit through a standard tap. The Greek Orthodox believe that the first Annunciation attempt took place here, based on the apocryphal protoevangelium of James. According to that account, the Archangel Gabriel first appeared to Mary as she fetched water at the well. Not surprisingly, the teenage girl was frightened by the apparition and ran home, where Gabriel took advantage of the more discreet and safe surroundings to persuade Mary to bear the Redeemer of the world. When our very tired group—by then most of us had been in transit for more than 24 hours—visited Mary’s Well, a wedding party began congregating outside St Gabriel’s church to celebrate a young couple’s nuptials. In the fortuitous ways of the unexpected, it set the scene for our next destination: Cana, where Jesus performed his first public miracle at the wedding feast. The little town of Cana is just around the corner from Nazareth. Although the actual site of the

The remnants of an ancient church surround Mary’s grotto in the church of the Annunciation in Nazareth—the place where the salvation story began. PHOTOS: GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER

ancient Cana is not definitively known. However, evidence of an early Christian synagogue, which was unearthed when the Franciscans built their present church there a hundred years ago, as well as the remains of a basilica and domestic dwellings serve as a good signpost, as do ancient pilgrim texts. But, as Holy Land pilgrims are well counselled, it is not really material where exactly the events they are following took place, but what happened. And what happened at Cana was momentous. A wedding took place, perhaps involving a close relative or friend of Mary’s. Jesus and his pals—whom we later meet again as his disciples—are there too. Perhaps they gatecrashed the wedding reception, which might explain why the wine ran out, and why an embarrassed Mary put her son on the spot so publicly. We can only imagine her courage to do that. Here she made public what must have been a closely guarded secret: her Yeshua’s powers to perform miracles. John’s gospel reveals that her son was none to pleased; if he renders Jesus’ response faithfully, it

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lacks tact (and to modern ears sounds a little chauvinistic). Still, Jesus turned 600 litres of water into finest wine—though the sickly-sweet stuff that is sold as Cana wine today would not merit inclusion in the John Platter Wine Guide—using six huge stone water jars used for ritual cleansing. Of course, all turned out well: Jesus’ friends realised just what kind of person they were following, and the party doubtless went on merrily. At Cana it is now traditional for pilgrim couples to renew their wedding vows. For some couples in our group, this was of particular significance. Wayne and Anneline Lawrence of East London had come on the pilgrimage with the specific purpose of marking their 25th wedding anniversary earlier this year; while Peter and Jeanne Anderson of Pinetown celebrated their wedding anniversary the following day, and Francis and Margaret Hlobo’s theirs in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, those of us not blessed to travel with spouses remembered their loved ones at home.  This is the first part of Günther Simmermacher’s weekly series on the

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. For further information, please contact St Jude Society, Box 22230, Fish Hoek, 7975 Telephone (021) 552 3850

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The Southern Cross, October 27 to November 2, 2010

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Pain in the neck

N September, Norman Servais of Metonoia Ministries showed the concluding film in the series he had presented at St Paul’s church in Somerset West. I watched the film called The Saint of Biscay about the life of a Spanish priest, Fr Aloysius Ellacuria. We were given instances of his miraculous and immediate cures of various people who had approached him. For three or four days that week, I had severe pains in my neck and shoulders

and these became much worse due to the fact that I was sitting awkwardly while watching the film. I am also inclined to be a sceptic concerning instant cures of anything and, with due respect to the people concerned, usually dismiss claims of this sort. Driving home after the film, all I could think about was a cup of hot tea and one of the extra stong pain relief pills I keep for such emergencies. As I drove up the hill near my home, I jokingly said: “Well Fr Ellacuria, if you could do such wonders for those people who we have just seen,

Mass readings for the week

COMMUNIT Y CALENDAR BETHLEHEM:  Shrine of Our Lady of Bethlehem at Tsheseng, Maluti mountains; Thursdays 09:30, Mass, then exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.  058 721 0532 CAPE TOWN:  Holy Redeemer, Bergvliet, Padre Pio Prayer group, November 21 15:30.  Adoration Chapel, Corpus Christi Church, Wynberg: MonThurs 6am to 12pm; Fri-Sun 6am to 8pm. Adorers welcome  021-761 3337  Good Shepherd, Bothasig. Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in our chapel. All hours. All welcome. 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  Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: first Friday of the month at 09:20 followed by Holy Mass at 10:30. Holy Hour: first Saturday of each month at 15:00. At Our Lady of the Angels, Little Eden, Edenvale. Tel: 011 609 7246. KIMBERLEY:  St Boniface High School celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2011. The St Boniface Past Student’s Union is currently preparing to celebrate this event. Past students are requested to contact the Union’s PRO and chairman of the board of governors, 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

 J.M.J

can you do something for me?” Within the remaining two blocks to my house, the pain lightened remarkably and I burst out laughing, telling myself that this is what comes of making jokes with saints, and straight away felt another twinge in my neck. I hastily apologised to the good priest and by the time I got home, the pain had completely gone. I humbly retract my doubts and thank the good father. I went on to have the cup of tea, but not the pain pill. Carmen Smith, Cape Town

Sundays year C, weekdays cycle 2

Sun October 24, 30th Sunday of the Year: Sir 35:12-14,16-18; Ps 34:2-3,17-19,23; 2 Tm 4:68,16-18 ; Lk 18:9-14 Mon October 25, feria: Eph 4:32-5, 8; Ps 1:1-4,6; Lk 13:10-17 Tue October 26, feria: Eph 5:21-33; Ps 128:1-5; Lk 13:18-21 Wed October 27, feria: Eph 6:1-9; Ps 145:10-14; Lk 13:22-30 Thur October 28, Ss Simon & Jude: Eph 2:19-22; Ps 19:2-5; Lk 6:12-19 Fri October 29, feria: Phil 1:1-11; Ps 111:1-6; Lk 14:1-6 Sat October 30, St Marcellus: Phil 1:18-26; Ps 42:2-3,5; Lk 14:1,7-11 Sun October 31, 31th Sunday of the Year: Wis 11:22-12,2; Ps 145:1-2,8-11,13-14; 2 Thes 1:112,2 Lk 19:1-10

Thoughts for the Week on the Family FAMILY CALENDAR 2010 FAMILY THEME: “Families Play the Game.” OCTOBER: ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE 31st 31st Sunday of the Year C. Jesus in our Midst. Part of the mission of Jesus was to seek out the sinners and bring them to God. Zaccheus was a tax collector and because he worked for the Romans was considered a sinner. He made a special effort to see Jesus by climbing a tree and Jesus rewarded him by coming to his house. No matter who we are, Jesus will come to our house too and help us to look at our lives. Are we really united, “all for one and one for all?” Think about this and share some examples in your own family.

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Classified Advertising Births • First Communion • Confirmation • Engagement/Marriage • Wedding anniversary • Ordination jubilee • Congratulations • Deaths • In memoriam • Thanks • Prayers • Accommodation • Holiday accommodation • Personal • Services • Employment • Property • Others Please include payment (R1,05c a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

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

DIAMOND WEDDING ANNIVERSARY CAVAVAGH—Bryan and Estelle married on October 2, 1950 by Rev Father Angus Mackinnon OMI at St. Mary’s in Pietermaritzburg.

IN MEMORIAM FIGAJI—Doris. Passed away November 1, 2009. Will always be lovingly remembered by her family, friends and the Parishioners of Holy Family and Our Lady of Fatima Parish. Rest in peace. OLSEN—William (Bill) My husband who passed away October 20, 1996. Those who die in grace go no further from us than God and God is very near. Those who knew him, please remember him in your prayers. His loving wife Elaine (Charnie). PAULSE—Mary. Our mom and granny passed away on 28.10.2008. The ache in our hearts will ease one day but missing you will never go away. Sorely missed by Jenni and Catherine.

PERSONAL ABORTION WARNING: ‘The Pill’ can abort, undetected, soon after conception (a medical fact). See website: www.humanlife.org/abor tion_does_the_pill.php

THANKS THANKS to the Sacred Heart, St Jude and Our Lady for prayers answered. Alix. THANKSGIVING to Our Lord Jesus Christ for prayers answered and for the intercession of St Rita, our advocate in difficult situations. Irene.

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Elizabeth Hutton 021 465 5007 for sizes and rates

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HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION AZARS B&B: Olde worlde charm in Kalk Bay’s quaint fishing village. Luxury double ensuite/privatelounge/entra nce,DSTV/tea/coffee. Serviced three a times week. Minutes from metrorail. Enjoy breakfast at different restaurants every day (included in tariff). Holy Mass Saturdays/Sundays within walking distance. Tel/Fax 021 788 2031, 082 573 1251.grizell@iaf rica.com CAPE TOWN: Ambler’s Rest—holiday or business accommodation in the heart of the Constantia winelands. Fully equipped self-catering open plan unit with secure parking (sleeps 2). R250pp per night sharing. Contact Barbara 021 712 6177 or 082 407 0856 www.capes tay.co.za/amblersrest CAPE TOWN: Vi Holiday Villa. Fully equipped selfcatering, two bedroom family apartment (sleeps 4) in Strandfontein, with parking, at R400 per night. Contact Paul tel/fax +27 21 393 2503, cell 083 553 9856, e-mail: vivil la@telkomsa.net CAPE WEST COAST Yzerfontein: Emmaus on Sea B&B and self-catering. Holy Mass celebrated every Sunday at 6pm. Tel: 022 451 2650. FISH HOEK: Self-catering accommodation, sleeps 4. Secure parking. Tel: 021 785 1247. FISH HOEK: Self-catering holiday accommodation from budget to luxury. Pensioners rate.Tel/fax: 021 785 2364, alisona@ xsinet.co.za GORDON’S BAY: Beau tiful en-suite rooms available at reasonable rates. Magnificent views, breakfast on request. Tel: 082 774 7140. E-mail: bzhive@telkomsa.net KNYSNA: Self-catering garden apartment for two in Old Belvidere with wonderful lagoon views. Tel: 044 387 1052. 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 self-catering 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. Secure parking, ideal for rest and relaxation. Special rates for pensioners and clergy. Tel: Malcolm Salida 082 784 5675 or mjsalida@mweb.co.za PENNINGTON—South Coast: Fully equipped self catering units, from 2 to 10 sleeper, with lovely sea views. Just cross the road and you are on the beach. Contact Maria on 082 800 3626 or email joemari ahideout@gmail.com for more information. SEA POINT: Double room, own bathroom in heart of this prestigious suburb, near all amenities. Tel: 082 660 1200. SOUTH COAST: Three bedroom house, Marine Drive, Uvongo. Tel: Donald on 031 465 5651 or 073 989 1074. STELLENBOSCH: Five simple private suites (2 beds, fridge, microwave). Countryside vineyard/forest/mountain walks; beach 20-minute drive. Affordable. Christian Brothers Tel: 021 880 0242. UMHLANGA ROCKS: Fully equipped self-catering 3 bedroom, 2 bath room house, sleeps 6, sea view, 200 metres from beach, DStv. Tel: Holiday Division, 031 561 5838,holi days@lighthouse.co.za

PO Box 2372, CAPE TOWN, 8000 Tel: (021) 465 5007 Fax: (021) 465 3850

www.scross.co.za Editor: Günther Simmermacher (editor@scross.co.za)

Advisory Editor: Michael Shackleton Editorial staff: Claire Mathieson (c.mathieson@scross.co.za)

Nadine Christians (n.christians@scross.co.za)

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Kolping Guest House & Conference facility Situated in a tranquil garden in the centre of Durbanville, Cape Town, with pool and braai facilities, we offer both tastefully decorated B&B and S/C as well as a full English breakfast and dinner by arrangement. Conference and wheelchair facilities available, within walking distance of shops, restaurants, banks and close proximity to Catholic church, tennis courts, golf course and wine routes. 7 Biccard Street, Durbanville, 7550  021 976 8758 Fax: +27 21 976 9839 E-mail: guesthouse@kolpingsa.co.za www.kolpingguesthouse.co.za

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Accounts: Desirée Chanquin (accounts@scross.co.za) Published independently by the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company Ltd, Cape Town Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect those of the editor, staff or directors of The Southern Cross. The Southern Cross is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa. Printed by Paarl Post, 8 Jan van Riebeeck Drive, Paarl. Published by the proprietors, The Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Co Ltd, at the company’s registered office, 10 Tuin Plein, Cape Town, 8001.

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Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000  10 Tuin Plein, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001 Tel: (021) 465 5007  Fax: (021) 465 3850 Editorial: editor@scross.co.za  Advertising/Subscriptions/Accounts: admin@scross.co.za Solemnity of All Saints (November 7) Readings: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14; Psalm 24: 1-6; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12

EXT Sunday we in this country celebrate the feast of All Saints; in a sense this is our feast, if we get it right, but we have to recall what it is really about. The message is that God is in charge, and that we are created to be with God, and (audaciously enough) to be like God. This God invites us creatures, flawed as we are, to recognise the Creator, and so discover who we are. The first reading is from the Book of Revelation, which is written for Christians who thought that everything had gone wrong, and that Roman persecution meant that God had forgotten them. To encourage them, the elder John offers a vision of an “angel”, who is, of course, God’s messenger, and therefore intended to inspire confidence, coming “from the sunrise”, he direction from which the People of God entered the Promised Land; and to guarantee that the angel is the “real thing”, we are given the added detail that he carries “the seal of the Living God”, so we listen with relief as he gives instructions to halt the destruction of the earth. Then comes a number; now numbers

A God who never forgets Fr Nicholas King SJ

Scriptural Reflections

are of immense importance in the Book of Revelation, so we listen attentively as we learn that 144 000 represent the People of God (and that means “a lot”, and must not be taken as an upper limit), followed by “an uncountable crowd”, from every “nation and tribe and people and language”—so it is a vision of the Church Catholic—singing to God. When God is being worshipped in this way, then creation is in good shape. That is our task, that is what we are made for; and that is what the saints whom we recall today managed to get right, and are doing now, on our behalf.

We should also, however, notice what they are wearing, “garments washed white in the blood of the Lamb”. This is a reminder that the cross is a grim reality for Jesus’ followers; but it is not the end of the story. The psalm cheerfully proclaims a similar message: “The earth, and everything in it, belongs to the Lord, the world and its inhabitants.” It is essential that creatures recognise their Creator, and act accordingly. So the singer asks the important question: “Who can go up the Lord’s mountain?”, and gives the answer: it is those with “clean hands and a pure heart” (does that ring a bell in this country today?), and those who “seek the face of the God of Jacob”. The second reading comes at the matter from another angle. What saints need is “knowledge” and “love” (these words are each mentioned three times in a very short reading); and if we get that right, then we are children of God and (audaciously enough) shall become “like God”. That is what we shall be celebrating next Sunday. The gospel is the electrifying opening of the Sermon on the Mount, the first and

Strange chance encounters O

NE of my favourite dinner table conversation pieces is about chance encounters. I find it fascinating that no matter how far from home one travels, somehow one always manages to bump into a complete stranger with a common connection. I was reading a wonderful book written by a fellow parishioner, David Brokensha. Its called Brokie’s Way, the memoirs of a remarkable man—a young soldier in World War 2, prisoner of war, student at three universities, colonial administrator, founder of a public policy-oriented NGO and professor of anthropology. It is also the love story of David and his life companion of 50 years, Bernard Riley, who worked together in Africa, the United States and Britain for nearly 50 years. What interested me in particular was the chapter in which David was describing life as a POW in Italy, and how his path crossed with another, Arthur Winter. Literally ships that passed in the night. I was reading the book at the same time we were entertaining a visitor from Britain. His name was Arthur Winter and indeed, he remembered David very well. The two of them made contact again after nearly 60 years. A few weeks later, a school friend of mine, Pat Webb, who now lives in Australia, phoned me to say that he and his wife had just returned from a trip to Canada where on a whim they decide to pop across the border into

CONRAD

Donations and volunteers and prayers always welcome

Chris Moerdyk

The Last Word the US to see what things were like there. They booked into a B&B in a little town and then called in at a laundromat to get their week’s washing done. Being a sociable fellow, Pat started talking to one of the locals who asked him where he was from. When Pat said Australia, his new-found friend said he didn’t know anyone from Australia, but he had a neighbour who had an accent just like Pat’s. Turned out the neighbour was a woman who had left Pretoria to settle in the US years ago, and her family had owned the house that Pat and a few friends had rented when they were at the University of Pretoria. The room that Pat had in that house was the room in which this woman had lived for all of her school years. They had dozens of acquaintances in common. I remember too, in about 1972, while I was on a visit to my brother in Paris, I was walking down the Rue du Seine early one winter’s morning, long before the sidewalks markets or bistros had opened. As I strolled towards the river, out of the mist along this deserted street

came a shambling figure whose body language I recognised immediately from my school days a dozen years earlier. It was a fellow called John Spottswood with whom I was on nodding terms at school. As we passed each other he said “Hi Chris”, and I replied “Hi John”, and with neither of us breaking our pace we passed on into the mist—just as we would have done at school a dozen times a week. And only a short while ago, soon after my family arrived in Simon's Town in Cape Town, we invited our neighbours and fellow parishioners, David and Dorina Shaw, to dinner. As we sat having some pre-dinner drinks, the grandfather clock I had inherited from my parents, started chiming. David almost dropped his drink in surprise. “I know that clock,” he said with considerable conviction. I said he couldn’t possibly know it because we had only just met them. It then turned out that when my father took long leave in 1955 and we kids were all shipped out to relatives, Dorena’s family offered to look after my parents’ home. That was at a time when David was courting Dorina and he said he never forgot that clock which kept reminding him every quarter of an hour that he would soon have to leave the love of his life and go home. David and Dorina are still happily married and when you visit their home in Simon’s Town you will not be surprised to see that there are absolutely no grandfather clocks around. And when I worked at The Star newspaper in the 1980s and was introduced to Peter Sullivan, who eventually became editor, I found out that this complete stranger and I were actually related. Hopefully, in telling these few stories of chance encounters and long lost friends, I will have got you thinking about all the chance encounters you have had. Call it fate, call it coincidence, call it what you will—it is absolutely fascinating and happens to everyone. I believe it is one of God’s favourite hobbies.

loveliest of Matthew’s five long collections of Jesus’ teaching. Listen to it carefully, and hear in it not only Matthew's portrait of Jesus, but also the picture of all the saints whom you have known, flawed as they may have been. Sit among the crowd on that mountain, and listen to the profound sanity in the list of those people to whom Jesus offers his congratulations”. It may seem odd to us that he successively pronounces happy the “poor in spirit”, “those who are mourning”, “the gentle”, “those who hunger and thirst for justice”, “the merciful”, “the pure in heart”, “the peace-makers” and “those persecuted for righteousness” along with an extra dose of congratulations for all those who are “persecuted” and “slandered”. It sounds absurd, but just sit with the list for a while and you will see that there is a real profundity about it. Our task is not to magnify ourselves, but to recognise that God is in charge and has created us for him. Once we have managed that, then we have solved the problem of holiness, and can join in celebrating this great feast as our own.

Southern Crossword #416

ACROSS 1. Reveal the bride (6) 4. Holy River of the Hindus (6) 9. Murder by laughter? (6,2,5) 10. Moved in a circle (7) 11. Collections of church law (5) 12. Lesson you get from decent story? (5) 14. Son of Abraham (5) 18. He deputises for the doctor (5) 19. Home for the dying (7) 21. South Africa’s papal elector (7,6) 22. Desire to dwell (6) 23. Franciscan brothers (6)

DOWN 1. Improvement after being down (6) 2. Invitations to the religious life? (8,5) 3. Means of entry from the sea (5) 5. Forcibly seizes and runs (7) 6. Bags in radical shape: you'll find one in Rome (5,8) 7. Rift in the faith (6) 8. The student may do it in here (5) 13. Looked at with pleasure (7) 15. River like a blossom? (6) 16. Kind of doubtful character in sunless place (5) 17. One of four suits (6) 20. Step on the flight (5)

SOLUTIONS TO #415. ACROSS: 5 Dock, 7 Popemobile, 8 Yeti, 10 Frippery, 11 Purist, 12 Apathy, 14 Tether, 16 Sinbad, 17 Ciborium, 19 Soda, 21 Ineligible, 22 Flat. DOWN: 1 Spry, 2 Devilish, 3 Soffit, 4 Silica, 5 Deep, 6 Churchyard, 9 Ecumenical, 13 Agnostic, 15 Raises, 16 Summit, 18 Obit, 20 Area.

CHURCH CHUCKLE

FTER being knocked down by a bus, Paddy lies dying in one of the streets in Dublin. A priest arrives and when administering the last rites, he asks Paddy: “Do you renounce the devil and all his evil works?” Paddy looks up and says: “Father, this is not the time to make enemies.” Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.