The Southern Cross - 101110 by The Southern Cross

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Catholic gifts for Christmas

Spring inspires green focus

New books reviewed

Pilgrimage: Showtime in the Jordan

November 10 to November 16, 2010 Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 4701

www.scross.co.za

R5,50 (incl VAT RSA)

SOUTHERN AFRICA’S NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY SINCE 1920

Church praise for Zuma’s cabinet reshuffle

Inside Review of 1989 pastoral plan The bishops of Southern Africa have called for an interdiocesan consultation to review the 1989 pastoral plan.—Page 3

Jo’burg headmaster retires

STAFF REPORTER

After 25 years as headmaster of St Benedict’s School in Johannesburg, Anthony Dobson is retiring next month.—Page 3

Bishops pledge peacemaking Bishops from Africa’s Great Lakes region have agreed to work more closely together to promote peace, justice and reconciliation in the often troubled areas of their countries.— Page 4

Baghdad attack condemned Pope Benedict has described the deadly militant siege of a cathedral in Baghdad as a “savage” act of “absurd violence”.—Page 4

Nuptial headhunting

Pope Benedict arrives for a gathering with youths from the Italian Azione Cattolica (Catholic Action) movement in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican. PHOTO: PAUL HARING,CNS

In his monthly column, Mphuthumi Ntabeni discusses marriage and the missing head of a Xhosa chief.—Page 7

Chinese Mass dilemma The Open Door column addresses the question of going to Mass celebrated by priests not in full communion with Rome.—Page 7

What do you think? In their Letters to the Editor this week, readers discuss the beginning of the universe, the title “pontiff”, the tour of St Thérèse’s relics, a history of same-sex ceremonies, and a disappointing celebration.—Page 8

This week’s editorial: A relevant Church

Catholic clothes are cool

SCOTTISH clothing company that markets its products at young Catholics has experienced such growth that it is now opening a shop in the United States, the British Catholic Herald has reported. The Catholics with Attitude company, which was founded in 2006, has doubled its sales, thanks to Pope Benedict’s visit to Britain in September. The company’s T-shirts and hoodies feature slogans such as “Team Benedict”, “Vatican All Stars”, and “I Love Papa Benny”. Spokesman Elliot Bohannon told the Catholic Herald: “I think there’s been a cultural shift. People have discovered they can wear a T-shirt that says what they believe in.” Sales from January to September this year doubled over the same period in 2009, Mr Bohannon said, and have gone “far beyond our wildest expectations”. The most popular slogans, he said, had been “Team Benedict”, “God Bless the Pope” and “Cor Ad Cor Loquitur” (meaning “Heart speaks to heart”), the motto of the papal visit and of Bl John Henry Newman, whom the pope beatified in Birmingham. The company, based in Paisley, near Glasgow, is preparing to open a second distributor in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to cater for the American market. In recent months hoodies and T-shirts have been delivered to customers in the US, France, Germany, Cyprus and Spain.

Church honours Indian jubilee BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

O celebrate 150 years of the Indian community in South Africa, the archdiocese of Durban will host lectures, book launches and a “Grand Finale Celebration” on November 21 at Moses Mabhida Stadium, which is expected to attract 70 000 people. Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban said the Christian community in South Africa will “give thanks for the men and women from India who came here as ‘indentured labourers’ contracted to work on the sugar and tea plantations of Natal”. The cardinal said it was important to note that the celebrations were not just for Indians by Indians, but a celebration “by the whole Christian community to give thanks to God for what he enabled those Indian pioneers and their descendents to contribute to the growth and development of the entire South African community”. Historian Dr Joy Brian said the Indian community in South Africa began when white farmers in Natal were struggling to grow crops due to the lack of labour and the highly vegetated area. The first ship, The Truro, brought 342 indentured labourers from Madras on November 16, 1860. Between 1860 and 1911, some 152 184 indentured labourers from across India came to South Africa. Dr Brain said the Catholic Church and French missionary priest Fr Sabon of Durban were very supportive of the indentured workers. The Catholic Church started schools and it was not long before the community had its own churches, which still exist today. “The Indian community is one of the most active in the Catholic Church,” Dr Brain said. According to South Africa’s last census, there are now 20 670 Indian Catholics in South Africa. 2010 has been an important year for the

Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban with Gabrielle and Priscilla Naidoo. A coffee table book on the history of Christian Indians in South Africa, written by Dr Gabrielle Naidoo and Dr G K Nair, will be launched on November 21. Indian community. Lectures and events have been held throughout the year, including a “cultural exchange” held at the end of October at the Parish of Our Lady of Good Help in Verulam, Durban. Parishioner Indrani Naidoo said the event was a way to look at India and South Africa’s shared history, describing it as a “colourful, vibrant and joyous journey”. The jubilee celebrations include the launch of an illustrated coffee table book, Celebrate Indian Christians in South Africa 1860-2010, written by Drs Gabrielle Naidoo and GK Nair, which sells for R100. Cardinal Napier said the Grand Finale will be a “fun event as well as a religious one”. He said the event will be a “great Jubilee of thanksgiving” with gospel artists, sermons, food stalls and various kinds of religious and cultural items on sale. Tickets are available at R70 and R90. For more information contact the Durban archdiocese 031 303 1417.  More on the history of South Africa’s Indian community next week

HE reshuffle of President Jacob Zuma’s cabinet is important not so much for who replaced whom, but that it took place at all, according to the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO), a body of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. “Given that he came to power at the behest of a disparate and divergent group of politicians on the periphery of power, whose only uniting factor was their disdain for President Mbeki; and given that that very group has now diverged to the point where they spend most of their time attacking each other, it is only to be expected that Mr Zuma’s purposes and motives will be minutely dissected,” said CPLO research coordinator Mike Pothier in a briefing paper. However, “the mere fact of this cabinet reshuffle is considerably more important than the details of who has been fired, and who has stepped into their shoes”, he said. “In his nine years at the helm of government, [ex-President Thabo] Mbeki did not fire a single cabinet minister. One or two died or retired, a couple were transferred between portfolios, and a small number fell out with him and were not reappointed when he formed his second government in 2004. “But Mr Mbeki’s unspoken message was effectively that all of his 25-odd ministers performed perfectly well for nine years; there was simply no need for changes. The sub-text was that, since he had chosen them in the first place, and since he was not given to making mistakes, they must have been, and remained, the best people for the job,” Mr Pothier said. For example, he said, the late Manto Tshabalala-Msimang was retained as minister of health “despite her notorious incompetence and her absurd approach to the HIV/Aids crisis”. Mr Pothier therefore welcomed the reshuffle which saw some long-serving ministers, such as Makhenkesi Stofile (Sport and Recreation), Membathisi Mdladlana (Labour) and Buyelwa Sonjica (Water and Environmental Affairs) dropped. “This must indicate to the rest that, no matter how senior you may be in cabinet, your position is not guaranteed,” Mr Pothier said. He noted that none of the dismissed ministers were re-appointed to another portfolio, saying that this might be “intended to send a different message: if the president thinks you’ve failed you will not be given a second chance.” Mr Pothier acknowledged that Mr Zuma so far had “not won much praise for his leadership”. “Indeed, while important office-bearers in the alliance tear into each other, and while rival ideologues contest for power and influence in a manner that makes the African National Congress look more like a political bazaar than a political party, Mr Zuma has done almost nothing to set limits and enforce discipline,” Mr Pothier said. “Therefore, the fact that he has realised the need to get rid of some of his cabinet ministers—whether or not one agrees with his particular choices—is a good thing; that he has had the courage to translate the realisation into action is an excellent thing.”

LOCAL

The Southern Cross, November 10 to November 16, 2010

Combonis on worldwide web Spring inspires green focus STAFF REPORTER

HE Comboni Missionaries have launched a new website (www. comboni.org.za)which they hope will “help us to heighten awareness of our own and of other Catholic missionary activities in Africa and also of our worldwide missionary endeavours”, said the congregation’s provincial secretary, Fr Guillermo Medina. “It is vital that we use the various methods and means of our times to the best effect in our missionary work. In this way, we follow in the footsteps of our beloved founder, St Daniel Comboni, who in his own time effectively used all the various

 J.M.J

means of communication then available to inform people about his missionary efforts in central Africa,” said Fr Medina, who is also the site's webmaster. St Comboni founded several newspapers and launched magazines to propagate awareness of the work of the missions. In South Africa, the Comboni Missionaries publish the magazine Worldwide. The website will report on the work of the Comboni Missionaries. It also includes a virtual chapel where visitors can pray for the work of the missions and for vocations and a section dedicated to the life and works of St Comboni, as well as a discussion forum.

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N honour of spring, the Neighbourhood Old Age Homes (Noah) have adopted a green attitude to encourage others to live “simply, consciously and in tune with the planet”. The Western Cape-based organisation’s Anne van Niekerk said the green focus meant inspiration not only to plant gardens, but also motivation for the year to come for much planning and preparation to begin. One of the biggest changes for the year ahead has been developed on account of the backlog of demand for safe, affordable housing and services for social pensioners. Ms van Niekerk said it was impossible to do this alone. “A decision has been taken that we will no longer actively seek to add to our portfolio of community homes. Instead, Noah will share expertise and experience by working with other interested parties to help them develop ‘Noah-type’ community homes.” According to the home, Noah is recruiting, supporting and capacitating steering committees for each existing community home. “These committees link residents with a range of services and organisations available in the neighbourhood. At present five are operational and three more are in the pipeline,” Ms van Niekerk said. The new plans have been kick started by the “renewal” of the season. Furthering the concept of spring as inspiration, the Catholic-based non-profit organisation has launched various green projects. Governing body member Jane Roberts said at Noah, gardens contribute to fulfilling all three of the organisation’s aims: home, health and happiness for every older person. “Many older folk are necessarily limited in active gardening, but gentle exercise is still beneficial especially if flower beds can be raised.” Ms Roberts said the gardens—large or small—are necessary for people’s wellbeing

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and contentment. Residents also got involved when non-governmental organisation Soil For Life held a day’s workshop in which participants were taught to grow their own organic food garden using water-wise, low-cost and environment-friendly techniques. Funder RisCura raised money for the residents to attend the workshop. During the workshop the group learnt about starting a nursery in an old tyre, preparing rich soil beds, seasonal planting and basic garden maintenance like watering, mulching and weeding. Ms van Niekerk said a vegetable garden has been started at Millicent Gunn Cottage. “By summer, residents will be enjoying home-grown vegetables and flowers that will beautify and feed their home, health and happiness”. Ms van Niekerk said that community involvement was important and volunteers are always needed. The garden projects are something anyone can get involved with. Recently a Grade 3 class volunteered their services as a school project. The learners from Western

Province Preparatory School helped prepare beds and planted seeds for Harmony House, one of the homes in the Noah network. Noah is looking for volunteers to continue the greening of its homes to help create water-wise gardens. Fundraising manager Mbuzeli Mrwetyana said the homes were grateful for the assistance received from people who “care about the welfare of older people who have been forgotten by the rest of the world”. Ms Mrwetyana said the contributions made to the homes helped honour the elderly as individuals who were “deserving of respect and dignity, and a safe haven in which to live out their last days”. Noah will continue with its green attitude as it moves into new operational strategies to assist more of the Western Cape’s elderly and hopes the gardening projects will be of great benefit to those already there. Noah, which falls under the auspices of Catholic Welfare and Development, has been providing services to needy pensioners in the Western Cape for 28 years.

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Residents and voluneers at Noah, including these learners from Western Province Prepatory, are working towards creating a greener environment for those at the homes for the aged.

LIFELINE has been thrown to more than a hundred people who eke out a living in Reiger Park, an informal settlement near Boksburg on the East Rand. Through skills training received in 11 different courses at the St Anthony’s Education Centre, a Catholic institution supported by Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) as their corporate social investment project, community members now have the opportunity of finding employment. At their graduation ceremony, certificates were handed to

graduates recognising their achievements and formal qualification in various fields including motor mechanics, welding, bookkeeping, computer literacy and plumbing. In his address to the graduates, MBSA chief financial officer Bernd Schwendtke pointed out that education and skills formed the foundation for competitiveness and sustainable development. “We have a group of students here today who have demonstrated their commitment to making a change in their lives as well as the lives of their dependants,” said Mr Schwendtke.

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Entertainment for the event was provided by a student choir and the St Dominic’s School’s marimba band. The highlight of the event was the address by Tebogo Makgoke who completed a plumbing course at the centre in 1996. Ms Makgoke now owns a construction company and employs 14 workers. Her latest project is the construction of the new Natalspruit Hospital. She is also the chairwoman of the Ikageng Women’s Club and serves on the committee of the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

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LOCAL

The Southern Cross, November 10 to November 16, 2010

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MANAGER - PORT ELIZABETH Fr Barney McAleer is calling on parishes, individuals and groups to participate in the 2011 pastoral plan.

Bishops to review 1989 pastoral plan STAFF REPORTER

HE bishops of Southern Africa have called for an interdiocesan consultation for the territory to review the 1989 pastoral plan and chart the way forward. Since the pastoral plan, “Community serving Humanity” was adopted, South Africa has changed significantly, said Fr Barney McAleer of the bishops’ Department of Evangelisation. 2012 will be an important year for the Church in Southern Africa. “In order for the 2012 consultation to be both successful and useful, the Department of Evangelisation has been tasked

with consulting broadly” in preparation for it. “Drawing on the lessons learnt during recent pastoral forums, questionnaires have been broadly circulated since June 2010, asking for response from parishes, individuals and groups,” Fr McAleer said. “Pastoral direction and renewal is not easily achieved. This first phase of consultation asks how the initial idea of the 1989 pastoral plan was received, achieved and implemented. “Many responses have already been received and are being collated to give an overview of the pastoral situation in parish life at present,”

the priest said. The process has given pastoral councils and other bodies, such as small Christian communities and sodalities “an opportunity to reflect on their work and their contribution to the work of the Church”, he said. A second phase of consultation will be launched in 2011. “It will look at the nature of the Church and how we as church share in the mission of Jesus. “A third phase will ask how we can make our contribution as communities and individuals more effective in bringing about the kingdom of God,” Fr McAleer said.

Manager is required for a home caring for elderly residents. Applicants should be strong in financial and administrative systems and be able to communicate effectively with residents, staff and management. Good working conditions and competitive salary for successful applicant. e-mail CV to jconnellan@blclaw.co.za

Headmaster retires after 27 years BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

OR 27 years, Anthony Dobson has been walking the halls of St Benedict’s School for Boys in Bedfordview, Johannesburg. He will retire from the school at the end of the year. For this first two years Mr Dobson was a teacher, but for the past quarter century he was headmaster of one of South Africa’s biggest Catholic schools. Established in 1958 by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, St Benedict’s and Bedfordview have grown dramatically since. Years ago Bedfordview was a garden village; today it is a thriving part of the Ekurhhuleni metropole, said Mr Dobson. The school has also grown accordingly. “In 1986 there were 27 staff and 311 pupils. Today there are 142 staff and 1 350 students,” he said, attributing the growth of the school to its solid reputation. “One of the greatest achievements is our 100% matric pass rate. I’m proud to say I was able to uphold the strong academic focus established by the Oblates.” Mr Dobson said this was possible only because he has been “very fortunate” to have worked with a great team of teaching staff. “It has been a pleasurable experience teaching with such a high calibre of staff. Team work has made the school what it is today.” As a rowing enthusiast—he is the president of the South African Schools Rowing Association—Mr Dobson said he will miss the sports. “St Benedict’s was established as an academic school, but as the student body has grown, so has the interest in culture and sports. “Today St Benedict’s has a

What’s new with you?

Outgoing St Benedict’s School headmaster Anthony Dobson can boast a 27-year history 100% matric pass rate.

very good sporting relationship with the top boys’ schools across the country.” Under the leadership of Mr Dobson, 95% of all students earn university entrance. Subjects on offer have increased from seven to 12, and the school has been enlarged from 26 to 40 acres. As the first lay headmaster of the school, Mr Dobson has tried to keep the traditional Catholic values of the school, but feels secular life has become too easily accepted by many of the students. He hopes that the future leaders of the school will be able to encourage learners to commit to the faith. “Our boys have grown up to become fine men. St Benedict’s has created great businessmen, excellent fathers and sportsmen, but many of these have become [only] nominal Catholics. I hope to see greater faith in the learners.” Mr Dobson hopes that an old

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boys’ structure will be formed. “I’ve been focused on the day-to-day running of the school. I wish I had more time to involve those who have left the school and hope that we can combat the perception” of the school being only for those who excel at sport and academics. St Benedict’s, he said, “is for everyone”. In retirement, Mr Dobson hopes to further his involvement in his local parish, St Patrick’s in Benoni, and also has some business projects on the horizon. “I have every confidence…that St Benedict’s, under the guidance of our new headmaster, Andre Oosthuysen, and Mr Edwards in the Prep School, will continue to progress and reach new heights.” Mr Dobson has seen a quarter century of teachers and religious, and five generations of parents and boys pass through the school. He described his time as being “blessed”.

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

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The Southern Cross, November 10 to November 16, 2010

INTERNATIONAL

Pope: Baghdad cathedral terror attack ‘savage’ BY CAROL GLATZ

OPE Benedict has described this month’s deadly militant siege of a Catholic cathedral in Baghdad, Iraq, as a “savage” act of “absurd violence”. The pope urged international and national authorities and all people of good will to work together to end the “heinous episodes of violence that continue to ravage the people of the Middle East”. Armed militants wearing explosives stormed the cathedral while an estimated 100 faithful were celebrating evening Mass. The terrorists, who said they were part of the Islamic State of Iraq—a group with suspected ties to al-Qaeda—held parishioners and priests hostage in the hopes of leveraging the release of prisoners from their network. After a stand-off that lasted hours, Iraqi forces stormed the cathedral and the ensuing firefight and a series of explosions left a large number of people dead and injured. The 58 victims included two priests—Frs Tha’ir Saad and Boutros Wasim—and at least one child. In a telegram read at the funeral of some of the victims, Pope Benedict said: “I renew my appeal that the sacrifice of these brothers and sisters of ours may be seeds of peace and of true rebirth…so that all those who have at heart reconciliation and a coexistence marked by fraternity and solidarity would find reasons and strength to work for good.” Syrian Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan criticised the lack of security for Christian places of worship and called on “Iraqi

Baghdad residents take part in a funeral for victims of the attack ion a Catholic cathedral in the city. Dozens of hostages and police were killed when security forces raided the Syrian Catholic cathedral in Baghdad to free worshippers being held by gunmen wearing explosives. PHOTO: THAIER AL-SUDANI, REUTERS/CNS

parties to overcome their personal and confessional interests and look for the good of the Iraqi people who have elected them”. “There are a few churches and Christian institutions left in Baghdad, not so great a number that it is not unreasonable for them to be protected, security-wise,” he said. “Christians are slaughtered in Iraq, in their homes and churches, and the so-called ‘free’ world is watching in complete indifference, interested only in responding in a way that is politically correct and economically opportune, but in reality is hypocritical,” said the patriarch. The patriarch demanded “that the US Congress, the United

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Nations, the International Commission for Civil Rights and the League of Arabic States…take the appropriate action to defend innocent Christians brutally singled out because of their religion, in Iraq and some other Middle Eastern countries”. Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said in an address to the general assembly that the attack underscores the need to ensure that all religions and all believers have “the most basic right to religious freedom and worship”. Iraqi bishops had just participated in the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East which drew atten-

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African bishops pledge to build peace

ISHOPS from Africa’s Great Lakes region have agreed to work more closely together to promote peace, justice and reconciliation in the often troubled areas of their countries. The agreement was reached during a conference of bishops from Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda as well as the Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa and the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa. The agreement responds to a call from the October 2009 Synod of Bishops for Africa asking for greater cooperation among the region’s bishops to initiate and lead peace-building efforts. The bishops said the collaborative effort is needed in the region which is rife with tribal conflicts, insurgencies, bad governance and wide-ranging exploitation of natural resources and the resulting destruction of the environment. In a declaration, the bishops gave themselves six months to develop a strategic plan for their

tion to the challenges facing Christians in the region. During the synod, Iraqi bishops said kidnappings for ransom, bombings of churches and other Christian buildings and a general lack of security have made life so precarious for the vulnerable

efforts to establish a process to carry out the plan. They also agreed to involve other Catholic institutions, including universities, research centres, Justice and Peace commissions and local agencies belonging to the worldwide Caritas Internationalis aid and development network. The bishops acknowledged three challenges to their work: a general lack of awareness of the Church’s potential to promote peace and reconciliation; a lack of pertinent information on the underlying causes of the region’s problems; and insufficient coordination of Church efforts to promote peace and reconciliation. The conference builds upon efforts from the 2006 Catholic Peacebuilding Network conference in Burundi and a peacebuilding initiative involving the Burundi bishops’ conference, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services.—CNS  The final declaration is online at cpn.nd.edu/assets/31941/final_ declaration.pdf Christian community that about half have left their homeland for safer destinations in the seven years since the US-led invasion of Iraq. At least one bishop raised the question of systematic attacks as part of a “plan” to drive all Christians from the Middle East.—CNS

World food systems failing BY MARK PATTISON

HE growing adoption of USstyle industrial farming practices worldwide puts too much stress on the planet and deceives people into thinking that the world will be able to keep feeding a growing population, currently 6,8 billion. That was one of the main points raised at a forum titled “Are We Eating Ourselves to Death?”held at Washington’s Catholic Georgetown University. Holy Cross Brother David Andrews, a senior representative for Food and Water Watch, said nations are adopting US-style farming practices not because they want to, but because they have to. Br Andrews said it was World Bank- and International Monetary Fund-mandated “structural adjustment” policies that have knocked down vast areas of rainforest in a quest to grow

exportable crops to pay back World Bank and IMF loans. Meanwhile indigenous people, who had practiced subsistence farming, are kicked off the land and have a harder time feeding themselves. Complicating matters, Br Andrews added, is that US subsidies for certain crops allow foreign markets to be flooded with those crops at prices that are cheaper than what local farmers can produce. Br Andrews suggested educating women on sustainable farming and agriculture issues “because if you’ve educated the woman, you’ve educated her whole family”. Bishop Frank Dewane of Venice, Florida, who grew up on a dairy farm, said that Catholic social teaching “must shape the global agriculture system”, noting the “option for and with the poor”.—CNS

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Palestinian Catholic Bishara Michael makes the sign of the cross on his son, 3-month-old Gabriel, during an annual Franciscan-led pilgrimage to the Qasr el-Yehud baptism site by the Jordan River. Located in a militarised zone near the West Bank town of Jericho, experts believe the site to be one of two likely places where St John baptised Jesus. In 2009, Pope Benedict visited a rival site across the border in Jordan. PHOTO: DEBBIE HILL,CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, November 10 to November 16, 2010

Vatican spokesman to protesters: We hear you BY CINDY WOODEN

ARY Bergeron and Paola Leerschool, who had hoped to observe a moment of silence in St Peter’s Square with a large group of sex abuse survivors and their supporters, ended up walking to the Vatican alone, leaving letters for Pope Benedict and a small pile of stones to show survivors they had been there. “The journey of a survivor is one step at a time. This is one step,” said Mr Bergeron, one of the numerous youngsters abused in the 1960s and ‘70s by then-Fr Joseph Birmingham, who once served as a priest in the Boston archdiocese and since has been laicised. Even though Italian military police prevented the whole group of about 100 people—sex abuse survivors and their supporters— from walking together to St Peter’s Square, Mr Bergeron said the event “was very powerful for many of the survivors and, to me, that’s a success”. Bernie McDaid, who was also abused by Fr Birmingham, told the survivors: “My anger, your anger, our anger is justified.” He said that while the Church has enacted new norms for preventing and dealing with abuse cases, the fact that new revelations of abuse erupted again this year, shows that more must be done.

Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi SJ walks through a crowd of demonstrators and journalists near Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome. About 100 victims of clergy sexual abuse and their supporters gathered near the Vatican to call attention to the needs of survivors and ask for reform in the Catholic Church. Fr Lombardi met with several of the demonstrators afterwards and issued a statement outlining the Vatican’s position. PHOTO: PAUL HARING, CNS

“We cannot heal until things change,” he said. Mr McDaid and Mr Bergeron, founders of Survivors Voice, called on the United Nations to declare sex abuse a “crime against humanity”. Mr Bergeron told Catholic News Service: “This is not a

protest. This is a gathering of people standing with survivors and in one voice saying, ‘Enough’.” He said he and Mr McDaid did not ask in advance for a meeting with anyone at the Vatican, but did ask dozens of US bishops to help them get permission to hold a vigil in St Peter’s Square. Only

two of the bishops answered and both said they couldn’t help, Mr Bergeron said. The group did not have a permit from the Italian government to hold a public gathering, although police allowed them to give interviews, make speeches and observe their moment of silence in front of Castel Sant’Angelo, down the street from St Peter’s Square. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, went to the castle grounds to speak to Mr McDaid and Mr Bergeron, but left after more than 100 photographers and reporters crowded around him and after one of the Italian survivors shouted “shame”. When the survivors’ group tried to leave the castle grounds to walk down the boulevard to St Peter’s, a row of Italian police stopped them. In the end, a couple of police officers and dozens of journalists walked with Bergeron and Leerschool—the wife of a Dutch survivor of abuse—to the square while the rest of the survivors’ group stayed behind. Italian police also accompanied Mr Bergeron and Mrs Leerschool to the Bronze Doors, a Vatican entrance, where they left about 75 letters from sex abuse victims. In the square, Mr Bergeron and Mrs Leerschool left a dozen stones at the foot of the obelisk as a sign to

other survivors that they had been there and were in solidarity with them, they said. A delegation of eight later met with Fr Lombardi. The Jesuit said: “We spoke for almost an hour. They told me their position and their concerns.” Fr Lombardi gave Mr Bergeron a statement he had prepared as a sign that he and other Vatican officials were aware of the survivors’ presence. “I know you think that the Church should do more, and in a quicker way,” Fr Lombardi’s statement in English said. “From my point of view—even though one may and should always do more—I am convinced that the Church has done, and is doing a lot. Not only the pope, with his words and example, but many Church communities in various parts of the world have done and are doing a lot, by way of listening to the victims as well as in the matter of prevention and formation.” Most of the survivors and supporters at the event were from a school for the deaf in Verona, Italy; they said dozens of priests on the staff abused students over the course of decades and were never arrested or punished in any way. Other survivors came from Ireland, the Netherlands, England and Australia.—CNS

‘Abortion vote is never justified’ VISIT US ON THE WEB BY JOHN THAVIS

N American Vatican official has said that voting for a political candidate who favours legal abortion can never be morally justified. Cardinal-designate Raymond Burke, who heads the Vatican’s highest tribunal, made the comments in an interview with the US advocacy group Catholic Action for Faith and Family. A video of the comments on abortion were posted online before the US mid-term elections on November 2. “No, you can never vote for someone who favours absolutely what’s called the ‘right to choice’ of a woman to destroy human life in her womb, or the right to a procured abortion,” he said. “You may in some circumstances where you don’t have any candidate who is proposing to eliminate all abortion, choose the candidate who will most limit this grave evil in our country, but you could never justify voting for a candidate who not only does not want to limit abortion but believes that it should be available to everyone.” Cardinal-designate Burke said Catholic politicians who support legal abortion were perfect examples of “scandal”—leading

Cardinal-designate Raymond Burke, who has said that voting for a pro-choice candidate is never licit. In 2004, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger clarified the issue of voting for candidates whose positions conflict with Church teachings. PHOTO: PAUL HARING, CNS

the faithful into moral confusion or error. He said he was talking about “Catholics who would betray their Catholic faith in political life, legislators or judges or whatever it may be, leading other people to believe that abortion must not be the great evil that it is, or that abortion is in fact a good thing in some circumstances”.

In 2004, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger—now Pope Benedict, and at that time the Vatican’s top doctrinal official—wrote a memo to US bishops on the issue of politicians and Communion. In it, he briefly addressed the question of voting for candidates who support legal abortion. The memo said a Catholic who deliberately voted for a candidate precisely because of the candidate’s pro-abortion (or proeuthanasia) stand would be guilty of “formal cooperation in evil” and should exclude himself from receiving Communion. It said that when a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favour of abortion but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered “remote material cooperation”, which is “permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons”. Vatican officials later said that defining what constitutes “proportionate reasons” for a Catholic in such cases might be extremely difficult. One possible example, they said, was when Catholic voters face a choice between two candidates who support legalised abortion but to widely differing degrees, and do not want to renounce their responsibility to vote.—CNS

Bishop killed in communist jail beatified BY JONATHAN LUXMOORE

HE October 30 beatification of martyred bishop Bishop Szilard Bogdanffy was an “important reminder” of the Church’s communist-era persecution and serves to boost the country’s Christian faith, the head of Romania’s Catholic Church said. “We must hope the new generations can understand what happened to the Church at the time,” said Archbishop Ioan Robu of Bucharest. “Although it all happened in a very different era, today’s young people need links with those who lived before, to see and recognise the witness we share with them.” The beatification of Bishop Bogdanffy, an ethnic Hungarian prelate who died after being tortured in a communist-run

Romanian prison, took place in the northern city of Oradea, 47 years after the prelate’s death at age 42. Christians were persecuted in Romania under communist rule, which lasted from the end of World War II until the December 1989 “Winter Revolution”. In 2003, commissions from the country’s churches drew up a ‘’National Christian Martyrology”, a listing of people killed for their faith-based actions. The list includes 340 Christians, among them 50 Latin-rite Catholics. In 1948, when Romania’s Catholic seminaries were nationalised, Bishop Bogdanffy—who was born in Crna Bara, now in Serbia, to an ethnic Hungarian village teacher’s family—set up a secret training course for clergy. Secretly consecrated a bishop in February 1949, he was arrest-

ed two months later by the Romanian secret police, and tortured in the notorious Jilava, Capul Midia and Sighetul Marmatiei prisons. In April 1953, Bishop Bogdanffy was sentenced to 12 years of hard labour on espionage and subversion charges in a showtrial. The bishop died from mistreatment at Aiud prison on October 2, 1953, before a retrial could take place. Archbishop Robu said he hoped the beatification ceremony would “provide an impetus” for other sainthood causes, including those of the martyred Bishop Anton Durcovici, 63, who died in 1951, and Fr Vladimir Ghika, 80, who perished in 1954 in Jilava prison after penning 850 reflections from his cell.—CNS

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The Southern Cross, November 10 to November 16, 2010

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Blueprint of the universe

A relevant Church

N the imagination of much of the secular world, the Catholic Church seems to be out of touch with the modern world, unable to understand what it means to be alive in these times. Presumably it was that sort of thinking which gave rise to the scoffing mirth that accompanied the reports of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano declaring the eponymous family of TV’s The Simpsons “Catholic”. It does not matter that the L’Osservatore article might have overstated their case. The derision was directed at the notion that the Church should have any opinion at all. The secular headline-writers and commentators conveyed an impression that the Vatican, through its newspaper, was trying to be hip in a ridiculous attempt to be relevant. Of course the Catholic Church is relevant in the modern world, and not disconnected from it, as the headlines would suggest. The welcome Pope Benedict received in highly secularised Britain showed that Catholicism is not obsolete there. There are times, of course, when Church officials fail to explain its teachings adequately (or, sometimes, correctly), and wrongly ascribe evil motives to those who disagree with them. Indeed, some representatives of the Church seem to have made it a virtue to appear out of touch. And yet, the Church shows its relevance when its contribution to the welfare of people around the world, even and especially for nonCatholics, is second only to that of governments. In South Africa and worldwide, the Catholic Church is engaged in a quarter of all HIV/Aids programmes, often serving at the vanguard, as it did in South Africa in the distribution of antiretroviral drugs in its clinics. Education in many countries, including some rapidly secularising European nations, would be in danger of collapsing if

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.

Catholic schools ceased to exist. The Church is involved in many peacekeeping initiatives, especially in Africa. If South Sudan manages to secede peacefully from Khartoum, a portion of the credit will be due to Catholic mediation (especially from the Southern African Church). The Catholic Church has been at the forefront in campaigning for debt relief for the poorest nations—long before rock stars adopted the cause. Not a week goes by without either the pope or a Vatican representative speaking out for the poor in concrete terms, also noting the devastating effect which climate change is having on them. In South Africa, the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office is highly respected by politicians, and is frequently invited to make representation on pending legislation, even if it is unrelated to specific religious interests. By speaking sometimes uncomfortable truths on life issues—be they abortion, euthanasia or capital punishment—the Catholic Church acts as a conscience for a world that is not always showing great respect for human life. Definitions of what actually constitutes human life may differ sharply, but it is necessary that humanity never lose sight of the sanctity of life. If the secular editors still doubt the Church’s relevance today, they may turn to Madrid next year and observe the hundreds of thousands of youths, maybe more than a million, who will gather from all parts of the world to celebrate the Eucharist with the pope. There should be no doubt that the Catholic Church is very much part of this world, acutely sensitive to the issues facing our times and unafraid to address them. Sometimes the Church might not do a great job of it. But at no time should be it denied a legitimate voice— even on the subject of television programmes.

T is both interesting and welcoming to see our priests having open minds regarding evolution. In in the early 1900s, after Darwin had put the cat amongst the pigeons in the mid-1800s with his theory on evolution, a Catholic priest formulated an idea that 20 odd years later became known as the “Big Bang” theory. His name was Mgr Georges Lemaître.

In the 1930s Fr Lemaître, a Belgian, flew from France to America and presented this idea to an eminent group of scientists, Einstein being one of them, that gave credence to the problematic subject of creation. Fr Lemaître was himself a scientist. The birth of Christianity is based on an evolutionary process. The death of Jesus on the cross “for us” has become a symbolic

What’s in a name?

significant that a group of young people in Soweto were granted their wish for the relics to visit South Africa, and how providential it was that this should be during the World Cup when the focus of the world would be on our country. A steady stream of people came throughout that first weekend to venerate the relics. We heard that there had been instances of physical healings, but greater still were the spiritual healings. Many had come with crosses to bear, illness, sadness of every kind, but left with renewed hope in God and given the strength to persevere. A notable visitor was a reporter from Die Beeld newspaper. He wanted to know about St Thérèse, the casket, and the significance of Catholic devotion to the saints and veneration of the relics. Fr David Evans was on hand to explain these things to him. The reporter thanked us for our kindness and said this had been a great experience for him personally. When the article appeared in the Monday edition of Die Beeld, it showed us how St Thérèse reaches out to everyone. May we pray that St Thérèse continues to “spend her heaven by doing good on earth” and draws all of us, especially the youth, closer to God. Gillian Tweehuysen, Benoni

HE title “Pontiff” seems to be applied more and more again these days to the Holy Father by the secular press, as evidenced by his recent visit to Britain. References in the press to his predecessor Pope John Paul II were usually simply worded as “The Pope”, “Holy Father” or “Pope John Paul”. The ostentatious title “Supreme Pontiff” (Pontifex Maximus)— bridge builder—derives from the one formerly accorded the pagan Roman emperors, and to the pagan chief priest. It has connotations of that odious expression “to pontificate”—something we would do well to avoid. Two of the pope’s official titles are “Vicar of Christ” and “Servant of the Servants of God”, the latter much preferred by Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) The chief ministry of Jesus in the gospels, of whom the pope is the vicar, is not as a bridge builder. The gospels show that the bridge-building or peace, that Jesus brings to us is not the absence of war, or even the socalled “tranquillity of order” but a dynamic, personal relationship with God empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is usually accompanied by the fire of purification and the sword of separation. His passion and death on the cross surely shows how unsuccessful that was although in the modern era of ecumenism bridge-building would be one of the pope’s duties. John Lee, Johannesburg

Reflection on St Thérèse’s relics

HE year, 2010 is drawing to a close and will be remembered by South Africans for the football World Cup. Another very significant event for us, as South African Catholics, was the visit of the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux. At the Carmelite monastery dedicated to her in Brentwood Park, Benoni, Fr Shaun Von Lillienfeld said in his dedication that it was

KRUGER PARK

Same-sex unions not new to Ireland

HEN the Irish parliament passed legislation by an overwhelming majority allowing same-sex unions they faced enormous opposition from the Irish hierarchy and clergy. We would, however, be misled if we think the practice of same-sex unions is a novelty in Catholic Ireland. On a visit late in the 12th century, the historian Gerald of Wales witnessed just such a ceremony: “They come together in some holy place with the man they want to join. First they are united in pacts of kinship, then they carry each other three times around the church. Then, entering the church, before the altar, in the presence of the relics of the saints and with many oaths and finally

replay of the origins of life-giving matter which were formed in exploding stars entering their final moments of existence (supernova). This matter led to the birth of our solar system, the flowers and plants, reptiles, mammals and you and me. The underlying blueprint of the universe is that, in death, the seeds of new life are born. Christianity is one of many ways depicting this blueprint. Pat Dacey, Johannesburg with a celebration of the Mass and the prayers of priests, they are permanently united as if in some marriage. At the end, as further confirmation of the friendship and a conclusion to the proceedings, each drinks the other's blood, which is willingly shed for this. This, however, they retain from the rites of pagans, who customarily use blood in the sealing of oaths” (The Marriage of Likeness, John Boswell). It is strange, is it not, that these liturgies survive only in Greek and Slavonic; all the Latin ones have mysteriously disappeared. Could it be that they were “swept under the carpet”? Michael Carstens, Pietermaritzburg

Celebration is not a funeral!

WISH to express my unhapiness with the way the Golden Jubilee occasion of the cathedral of Christ the King, Johannesburg, was celebrated. It was a very boring celebration. It lacked vibrancy and almost half of the members in attendance were sleeping during the homily. Why must everybody be so mute and moody, as if we are in a funeral parlour? I have been an active and practising Catholic all my life but I have never seen a parish or cathedral run the way Christ the King is. The microphone in the cathedral has been faulty for some time now and the worst of it all is that you can only hear what the chief celebrant is saying if you are sitting in the first five rows. Those that are sitting further back can only see what is happening, but not hear the word of God. Paul Ifeanyi Nwobi, Johannesburg 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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The Southern Cross, November 10 to November 16, 2010

Michael Shackleton answers your question

Mphuthumi Ntabeni

Pushing the Boundaries

Open Door

The ethics of Mass in China

Nuptial headhunting

HERE is a Xhosa saying, “Intonga entle igawulwa ezizweni”, which loosely translated means that if you want a stick of quality wood, you must travel far and cross rivers. The stick the Xhosas are referring to, of course, is a wife. I’ve noticed a similar attitude among the Jewish people. Almost always where the patriarch’s son needed to marry, he would summon his most trusted servants, give them strict instructions to cross the deserts and travel vast lands to look for a wife that his son must marry. My favourite criterion is that whereby the servant was instructed to choose a girl who will not only offer the visitors water for themselves, but also for their animals. It’s clear to see that one was looking for a kind and generous heart that goes beyond the call of decorum and kindness to strangers. Is it any wonder that we later find her crying inconsolably, because Israel’s children were murdered by a cruel king? I’m sure that if the Xhosas knew there would be those of us who take their adage as a personal challenge—to the extent of going as far as Scotland—they would have thought twice. What is it with Xhosas and Scots anyway? If you recall, it was mostly Scottish missionaries who founded the schools that eventually led the Xhosa nation to become the avant garde of black liberation struggle against colonialism and apartheid. I’m talking about places like Lovedale and Fort Hare. Also, still today you still find Xhosa diviners and amagqirha having dreams of finding Hintsa’s head in Scotland. By the way, Hintsa ka Khawuta (born 1789) was the fourth paramount chief yamaGcaleka, sub-group of the Xhosa nation from 1820 until his death on February 12, 1835. He was captured by the British during the 1835 Cape Frontier War, and then shot dead by British soldiers. His body was subsequently dismembered by the troops in search of grisly mementoes of his teeth and all. His head was preserved and taken back to Britain. The Xhosa rate this barbarity against their king as the lowest point in their history, and have never really managed to forgive the British for it. They are still looking for Hintsa’s head and say the nation can never rest until the skull of its king is returned and buried in dignity. Hintsa’s head is believed to be somewhere in Scotland. Perhaps, if we get a chance, we shall double up our honeymoon with a paeleontological quest for Hintsa’s head. Then my bride Helen and I shall be not only heroes to my people, but somehow stepping stones towards building a bridge that will eventually reconcile both our nations. Be that as it may, this is me signing off to my old bachelor life. The next time you read this column, I shall have been hitched, and most hopefully be more fulfilled and happy. I had always thought that when this day came, there would be signs all over to confirm my choice and all of that. But none of that has happened—not yet anyway. Is it because I have no asses to drive to the well? But the sense of trust and deeper assurance of the light which leads kindly is there, and that’s enough for me. I can almost taste that desperate plea from another wanderer, who, wrestling with God in the desert as his head rested on the rock exclaimed: “I will not let you go until you bless.” And so, in Bl John Henry Newman’s language: “Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see/the distant scene; one step enough for me…/So long thy power hath blessed me, sure it still/will lead me on./O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till/the night is gone,/And with the morn those angel faces smile,/which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!” So long as thy power hath blessed! So long as thy power hath blessed us!

HOLY SITES TRAVEL HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE with Fr Gregory Mitchell SEPTEMBER 2011 Organised by Kevin & Debbie Contact: Elna Ferreira on 082 975 0034, E-Mail: elna@holysites.co.za, Website: www.holysites.co.za

In July I visited China for two weeks as part of an official South African delegation. China has no real freedom of religion. Catholics may practise their faith through a government-sanctioned organisation called the Chinese Catholic Association which does not recognise the authority of the pope. Was I correct to not want to attend any Masses hosted by the Chinese Catholic Association? Manny de Freitas

The “White Synagogue” in Capernaum with the Russian Orthodox church in the background. Right: Pentecostal baptism in the Jordan river. PHOTOS: GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER

Showtime in the Jordan P T The Pilgrim’s HE disciples Peter, Andrew and Philip were from Bethsaida, the place for which Jesus anticipated a dire future with the words: “Woe to you, Bethsaida!” (Lk 10-13-14). Woe it surely befell, because today nobody really knows where Bethsaida was. The best bet is that its remains are located 2km north of the Sea of Galilee. If that excavated site was a fishing village—and all evidence suggests that it was—then the lake’s shape must have changed dramatically in the intervening millennia. Peter and the rest must have left Bethsaida at some point, for we know that they joined Jesus’ nascent group of disciples in Capernaum. Capernaum was a bustling fishing town of some wealth on strength of its location on the strategically important Via Maris trade route, which stretched from Egypt to Damascus. Jesus had made Capernaum his headquarters during the Galilean ministry, and picked up about half his squad of apostles there. Still, Jesus had no great affection for the town. Like Bethsaida and Chorazin, he condemned it. Today it is a place of ruins. Among these is the house of Peter’s motherin-law. It has been venerated as such since early Christian times. In the late 4th century, the pilgrim Egeria noted the building had long served as a house church (“a domus ecclesia”). By the 6th century, the Pilgrim of Piacenza noted that a church stood at the site. Today a modern Franciscan church is suspended above the remaining walls, looking much like a spaceship preparing to take off for its home galaxy. Just a few metres from there is the ruin of the small but impressive 4th century “White Synagogue”, which was built on top of an earlier synagogue that stood there in the 1st century. The basalt foundation of that synagogue, built around in 20AD, can still be seen. That one might well have been the town’s only synagogue. Jewish houses of worship were not profuse in Galilee at the time, and a town of Capernaum’s population, numbering maybe 1 500, had no great need for many synagogues. All that, and the proximity to Peter’s in-laws’ home, suggests that it is here where Jesus preached, as reported in John 6.

ater that day, our group of Southern Cross pilgrims was privileged to see another synagogue in which Jesus might have taught: the remains of a 1st-century synagogue at Magdala that was discovered during the building of a Catholic centre. The Legionaries of Christ, who are erecting the centre (with a pilgrims’ inn), facilitated our group’s visit to see the synagogue, which won’t be open to the public for another couple of years. Before that, we went on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, as virtually every group of pilgrims does. While we were on the water, we saw groups from Brazil, India and Poland—how universal the followers of Christ are. As we disembarked, a group of Indonesian Catholics (like our group, led by a bishop) waited to enter the boat. The crew of the boats fly the flags of the pilgrim groups they are carrying and play their national anthem— for us, “Die Stem”! In terms of faux pas, it is not quite on the scale of playing the “Deutschland über alles” at the Western Wall, but a number of our pilgrims were rightly miffed (as

Günther Simmermacher

Trek was I, having complained about this very problem to the boat company’s boss four years ago). The recording of “Die Stem” was followed by an impromptu rendition of “Nkosi Sikel’ iAfrika”, which is, of course, a prayer to God. In our tight itinerary, we still had time for a lunch of St Peter’s fish from the Sea of Galilee (of which the pilgrim Corneille Le Bruyn in 1679 noted “an abundance...everywhere along the shore”), a visit to Mount Tabor (more of which next week) and the baptismal site at the river Jordan.

he Yardenit site at the Jordan makes no claim to being the authentic place of Jesus’ baptism by his locust-eating cousin John. The more likely place of that event is in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, so Yardenit—appointed at a position to the south of the Sea of Galilee where the river is less polluted than elsewhere—is a place of commemoration. With fortuitous timing and strong will, it can even be a place for reflection. But most days it evokes the atmosphere of a theme park. The first thing as visitors enter, they are given a “discount” card for the generously stocked and immodestly priced shop. On the way to the famous waters, one will pass a sidewalk café and another shop where one can buy batteries, icecream and bottled water from the adjacent river. On the day we came, a big group of Pentecostals—possibly the same crowd that we heard during our Mass at Tabgha that day—were conducting a baptismal revival, with insistent preaching and Christian rock songs broadcast not only over liberally amplified speakers, but also on closedcircuit TV. All the time, successions of white-clad young people were immersed, as if from an assembly line, in the water. They re-emerged with faces that glowed with rapture, wonder and incomprehension. As a spectacle of burning faith, it was remarkable. As a template for how to connect with young people, the Catholic Church would do well to take note (without diluting its liturgy or theology). We may have the apostolic succession, Our Lady and the saints, the real presence and strong social teachings—but they have the money to put on a good show and the amplifiers to make it heard. For all the holy places and graces that we witnessed in one day, it was the Yardenit experience that created lively debate around the supper table: what can we Catholics do to reach our youth? There is no straight answer. Context must dictate the response. What is needed is imagination, flexibility and a collective will to meet the Catholic youth on their terms—all qualities that are not always encouraged in the Church. We do have a blueprint: World Youth Day. It is the energy of that event which must be harnessed and applied if we want to present the Catholic Church as an alternative to the Pentecostal option.  This is the third part of Günther Simmermacher’s series on The Southern Cross’ Passion Pilgrimage.

OPE Benedict issued a letter to the loyal Catholics of China in May 2007. He acknowledged that the bishops of China can be divided into three groups. The first is those who accept the authority of the Holy See and are consequently not recognised by the Chinese government (the persecuted “underground Church”). The second is those who, because of circumstances, have been ordained bishops without a papal mandate, but who later requested to be reconciled with Rome. The third is those who, without a papal mandate, have been ordained bishops and do not desire reconciliation with Rome—the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, approved by the Chinese authorities. In all cases, the bishops and priests of these groups are validly ordained and the sacraments they celebrate are equally valid, if not legitimate in every case. This must be borne in mind because it appears that bishops and priests from the three groups sometimes overlap so that it may not be clear to the faithful which group they represent when they celebrate the liturgy. The pope’s letter, therefore, taking into account the validity of the sacraments administered by illegitimate clergy, gave this advice: the faithful must seek bishops and priests who are in communion with the pope; nevertheless, where this cannot be achieved without grave inconvenience, they may, for the sake of their spiritual good, turn also to those who are not in communion with the pope. In your case, had you found an illegitimate priest about to say Mass and you had the spiritual need of the sacraments, you could have attended and received Communion. To commemorate the second anniversary of Pope Benedict’s letter, the Vatican published a Compendium in May 2009. This reaffirmed the contents of the letter of 2007, but also set out to provide China’s Catholics with a deeper understanding of what the Lord wants from them in the delicate situation of the Church in China.

 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.

Do you feel called to the Franciscan way of life?

The Vocations Director PO Box 914-1192, Wingate Park, 0153 082 409-1457 / 012 345-1172 Email: ofmvocations@rocketmail.com

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The Southern Cross, November 10 to November 16, 2010

GIFTS

The Southern Cross, Novermber 10 to November 16, 2010

Christmas shopping with meaning Christmas shopping can be stressful, especially in busy shopping malls that offer few gifts of spiritual value. CLAIRE MATHIESON went looking for Catholic presents.

ANY believe that Christmas is dominated by the commercial aspect of giftgiving, but there are some places where one can buy Christmas presents that reflect the “reason for the season” and don’t cost a fortune. Catholic bookshop and repositories hold some surprising and excellent gift ideas. According to one employee at a Catholic bookshop, traffic has already increased at the shop as people are preparing not only for Christmas Day, but also for the season of Advent. “Apart from buying the everpopular Advent calendars, many people are buying spiritual books that give daily readings leading up to the arrival of Christ on December 25,” said the employee, who asked not to be named. She said Advent items had become increasingly popular as people prefer to get ready for Christmas through meditation instead of commercial hype that often “tires you out before Christmas has even arrived”. Nativity scenes are a particularly popular buy. They range in size, style, material and price, but are a constant best seller. “By the time Christmas arrives, none of these will be here,” one assistant said, pointing at a shelf full of nativity scenes. Most of the items are imported from the United States and Britain, but wood-carved nativity scenes are becoming increasingly popular. Hand-carved in Zimbabwe, the items are distinctly African and “make for great gifts for foreign friends, or even making Christmas a little more homely for us South

Africans”, the assistant said. Some shops are anticipating best sellers reflecting the highlights in the Catholic Church this year. The Daughters of St Paul have a wide range of books and media relating to St Thérèse’ of Lisieux in their Johannesburg shop. The order, whose charism it is to “announce the message of the Gospel to the people of today” by using all media, has responded to the great interest shown in the relics by making available as many St Thérèse-themed items as possible. Pope Benedict’s recent visit to Britain is expected to create interest in commemorative books. A Cape Town vendor said the papal visit received far more secular media attention than expected. “It was all over the international news channels-it was impossible not to get caught up in it.” As a result, the state visit and beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman has been covered in at least one comprehensive book. “The books haven’t reached our shores yet, but we are sure they will be hot sellers.” Also as a result of the papal visit, books on the life of Bl Newman are expected to be popular. “People are interested in learning more about this man and why there was so much hype around him over the past few months. Why was he beatified? These questions are answered in the books,” the vendor said. Most Catholic books for sale in South Africa are imported. However, many of the bookstores and repositories (some of which are also publishers) will encourage the purchase of local items. The Catholic Bookshop in Cape Town said: “Not only is there a very small market for South Africans to sell to, but it’s also quite competitive with the abundance of international books coming in, so we do try to promote South African authors where we can.” Many of the shops have said the most popular gifts are the liturgical calendars and diaries. “These are always a favourite,” a Catholic shop manager said. “These include God’s word for each day, provide space for you to write your own notes

Searching for Christmas gifts with spiritual value is made easy by the many Catholic bookstores and repositories around the country where local and imported items can be found. PHOTO: CLAIRE MATHIESON

and keep you reminded of the important days in the Church.” Children’s books are another perennial favourite at Catholic bookstores and repositories. “We have international and local authors writing fun books for children. These cover everything from the nativity to stories about saints”. Catholic shop and repositories (some of which operate in parishes) also offer wide ranges of Catholic items such as rosaries and votive candles, statues and artworks that cover the traditional and the more abstract, and music CDs. Some gifts can be ordered locally on the Internet.

Metanoia Productions specialises in locally produced films and recordings relevant to local Catholics. Founder Norman Servais said: “We’re an apostolate aimed at addressing an area of great need in the Church.” The Metanoia website (www. catholicshop.co.za) has books, CDs, adult and youth resources and documentaries available. The site has recently added a selection of items suitable for Christmas in their “gift ideas” page. While Cath-

olic bookstores and repositories are naturally aimed at Catholics, there is a wide range of items suitable for those who are not Catholic, or even religious. “Many of books offer guidance. You don’t have to be Catholic to appreciate them,” said a Catholic shop manager. “There really is something for everyone, but it’s not only this time of year that it's available. This is what we do!”

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The Southern Cross, November 10 to November 16, 2010

BOOK REVIEWS

The catechism, in other words THE FAITH EXPLAINED TODAY: Popular Edition by Joe Babendreier. Scepter Publishers Kenya Ltd, Nairobi. 2009. 928pp BELIEVING IN JESUS: A Popular Overview of the Catholic Faith (sixth revised edition), by Leonard Foley OFM. St Anthony Messenger Press, Cincinnati. 2009. 324 pp. Reviewed by Daniel Mulhall RITING a catechism is not an easy task. Thousands of books have been written over the years attempting to explain in meaningful ways the history, beliefs, mission and ministry of the Catholic Church. Many of these works focus on very narrow topics and use hundreds of pages doing so. Yet a catechism has the challenge of being both comprehensive and of a reasonable length— too long and it will scare readers away; not comprehensive and it will leave out essential aspects of the faith. But the purpose of a catechism is also to help to bring people to belief. So in addition to length and completeness, catechism writers also have the daunting task of making their works engaging, enjoyable and compelling—the work must hold the reader’s atten-

tion, help them to understand what is written and encourage them to study further. Although neither The Faith Explained Today by Fr Joe Babendreier nor Believing in Jesus by Franciscan Father Leonard Foley are technically catechisms, both fall into that general category and so readers should expect to find in the works the criteria suggested above: completeness, manageable size, engaging, enjoyable and compelling. These are the criteria used in this review as well. Although The Faith Explained Today has a large number of pages, the book is compact in size and the pages are printed on thin paper. This makes for a book that is easy to stuff into a pocket or purse to carry around. The book is also comprehensive in scope, covering the questions of Christian belief, God’s revelation, moral living, worship, what it means to be human, and how Christians pray, much as one would find in the Catechism of the Catholic Church—just easier to understand. It is written in an attractive style, one that invites the reader to understand and want to journey further. Throughout the book, the author presents quotations and teachings from a plethora of

Catholic saints and theologians that provide a nice break from the text and a different perspective on the topic being discussed. Each chapter ends with a number of review questions that are designed to check on knowledge comprehension, not to encourage dialogue. The biggest drawback about using this book is that each page is full of words, making it a bit difficult to read. Believing in Jesus covers much of the same material but from a different perspective. The author begins by introducing the reader to Jesus and unpacks the story of the faith with Christ always at the centre of the discussion. For example, the chapter that discusses the sacrament of baptism is titled “Jesus Welcomes Strangers Into his Community”. The writing is clear and concise, and the author engages the reader well. The questions at the end of the book are aimed at promoting discussion. There also are recommendations for additional reading at the end of each chapter and in Appendix B at the back of the book. Appendix A provides a guide for programme leaders on how to use the material most effectively people entering the Catholic Church.

For more Book Reviews: www.scross.co.za/category/books

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Both are fine works and provide an appealing introduction to the Catholic faith, but they will be attractive to different audiences. The Faith Explained attempts to do what its title suggests—explain the faith to people who don’t understand. It would seem the better book for people exploring the faith on their own or in groups without a teacher. Believing in Jesus seems more appropriate for use in a class setting or in a group with a skilled leader; a novice Catholic might

need more explanation about issues than is generally presented here. One additional comment about Believing in Jesus: the author of this book, Fr Foley, has been dead since 1994 so its six revisions have been done by the editorial staff at St Anthony Messenger Press. In this latest revision a better job could have been done to fix dated references, such as “tape recorders” and “Big Mac attack”.— CNS  Daniel Mulhall is a catechist.

In search of miracles FULL OF GRACE: Miraculous Stories of Healing and Conversion Through Mary’s Intercession, by Christine Watkins. Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, Ind. 2010. 224 pp. MIRACLE CURES: Saints, Pilgrimages and the Healing Powers of Belief, by Robert A Scott. University of California Press, Berkeley. 2010). 266 pp. BLEEDING HANDS, WEEPING STONE: True Stories of Divine Wonders, Miracles and Messages, by Elizabeth Ficocelli. St Benedict Press, Charlotte, NC. 2010. 136 pp. Reviewed by Brian Welter IRACLES have played a rich and vital role throughout Christian history. Divine intervention has assured believers of God’s continued presence and love in human history. Christine Watkins’ Full of Grace and Elizabeth Ficocelli’s Bleeding Hands, Weeping Stone, each written by practising Catholics, present a spiritual view of miraculous events. Miracle Cures, written by sociologist Robert A Scott, politely but resolutely explains such marvels with modern medical and social science. The power of suggestion and the expectations for miracles from deeply religious environments explain these wonders. Full of Grace tells the stories of six people, including the author, who are transformed by Mary, especially through her presence at Medjugorje in what is now Bosnia-Herzegovina. Suicidal drug addicts, social dropouts and broken families are deeply transformed through prayer and halting, sometimes even cynical belief. Just a mustard seed of prayer and faith moves people to change their lives after God intervenes through Mary. Watkins never promises that things will be easy, though. The people she portrays keep slipping up. They give up on God, yet God continues to speak, never giving up on them. Their time in Medjugorje is grace-filled, and they find healing, even if they must return more than once. Mary,

it turns out, does more healing than all new-fangled therapies ever could because she always leads people to her Son. Bleeding Hands, Weeping Stone is a fun read, as Ficocelli canvasses Christian history for weird, surprising and hard-tobelieve supernatural events, including bilocation, luminosity, levitation, the odour of sanctity, incorruption and apparitions. Until the 19th century, apparitions were not necessarily associated with Mary. In the Middle Ages, many saints, the apostles and even Jesus appeared to people. The devil would also show up, not as his true self, but as a seemingly good spiritual being. Through prayer and keen spiritual sense, a person could spot Satan. St Padre Pio, who famously fought with the devil, received many spiritual gifts. He is only a modern example of the stigmata, first seen in St Francis of Assisi. With this blessing, the person shares in some way with the passion of Christ. Such people often have deep connections with Christ’s sufferings. The author shows how such miracles, like all the graces discussed, are Christcentred. Thus, she notes, “true stigmata are not meant for a specific individual, but for the universal Church”. Such a blessing is not meant to turn that individual into a spiritual celebrity, but to indicate God’s love and presence. A miracle is valid only if it leads people to greater faith and virtue. The Church, and the faith of the people, grow through such heavenly works.

Sociologist Robert A Scott, author of Miracle Cures, takes a much different approach. He acknowledges the reality of miracles in the sense that they are real for the individual and the society from which they come. Miracles play a central role in perpetuating the faith within that society, and the recipient becomes a kind of shaman between this world and the other. Yet Scott never gets beyond his sociology. Some medical, social or psychological explanation always exists. Causes of miraculous healing include: clean water and air and better nutrition available during a pilgrimage; an improved mental disposition caused by the belief itself; an illness clearing up naturally on its own; or an unconsciously staged illness, by which the person becomes ill so that he or she can then experience a “cure”. God plays no part in this deeply secular, politely atheistic worldview. Nonetheless, the insights into the power of belief and into the nature of religious societies, both modern and medieval, make Miracle Cures a fascinating read. Unlike the atheist fundamentalists of today, Scott does not attempt to argue readers out of their faith. He simply sticks to his story line. These three books offer answers to the modern-day thirst for spirituality through clear, direct arguments. All three agree that the search for God is a deep part of human nature that has ramifications for all of society.  Brian Welter is studying for his doctorate in systematic theology and teaching English in Taiwan.

BOOK REVIEWS

The Southern Cross, November 10 to November 16, 2010

Book helps unmask ourselves to Knowing the Holy Spirit make our journey to God easier GOING TOWARD YOUR TRUTH, by Robert Boulle. Melrose Books, 2010. 114pp. Reviewed by Michael Shackleton SYCHOTHERAPY in general is aimed at trying to understand what is troubling an individual who experiences disagreeable feelings. It involves the individual’s interaction with a trained psychologist who seeks to help his client to learn new ways of behaviour. Robert Boulle, a practising psychotherapist, takes the line that in treating his clients, he intends to deepen their relationship with God, who is their ultimate happiness. This is the true God, he emphasises, who cannot be known adequately unless we know our true selves within the depths of our being. There can be no real human fulfilment outside of our inborn need to be on good terms with God our Father. None the less, because of our human condition, we gradually acquire false selves in our relationships with others. We present a kind of mask for the sake of others and for our own sake, in order to conceal our emotions and fears. This condition builds up over time and eventually it interferes with our relationship with God. As an experienced Christian psychotherapist, the author has studied human behaviour in such situations, and his book offers some guidelines on how to achieve the desired balance in the fulfilling communication between the true God and our true selves.

in the past, Boulle begins the first part of his book by analysing the human condition in which bodily and intellectual growth and maturity are clear enough, but emotional development is not. Repressed emotions and unhealed memories influence our interactions with those around us, particularly in marital relationships. We are taken on an enlightening journey that provides an insight into our human condition and why each individual tends to behave in a particular manner.

He knows, as we all do, that human nature finds it hard to keep God and our duty to him in mind at all times. We are led astray by our human weakness and our daily worries and anxieties as we battle to cope with life. This is our human condition, the result of Original Sin, which St Paul sums up as follows: “I cannot understand my own behaviour. I fail to carry out the things I want to do, and I find myself doing the very things I hate... Instead of doing the good things I want to do, I carry out the sinful things I do not want” (Rom 7:18-19). Laying particular stress on our emotional life, a life often neglected by moral theologians

n the second half of the book, Boulle urges us to live with our human condition in a way that is open to divine and human healing. Learning more about our condition and the possible reasons why our emotions and fears can be so dominant, sets us on the path to healing and growth. The path has twists and turns which will often give us feelings of joy as well as depression. By being open to God and presenting him with our true self, warts and all, and not the false self that we may present to ourselves and others, we can faithfully remain on the journey. The author’s use of technical terms such as cognitive behaviour, the unconscious and the subconscious does not intrude on his clarity of presentation, and this makes his work readable and spiritually, intellectually and emotionally rewarding. Really troubled persons whose lives are in turmoil may require the sympathetic help of a spiritual or psychological director. For those less anxious but who want

THE HEALING POWER OF PRAYER, by Thelma Coert. CB Publications, Cape Town. 2010. 76pp. Reviewed by Michael Shackleton HIS is the autobiography of a Cape Town woman, a Catholic, who experienced a transformation in her spiritual life when she joined a charismatic prayer group. The abrupt and vivid awareness of the constant presence of the Holy Spirit as lover, carer and comforter came as a surprise to her. She draws a picture of how she rapidly found that she could let go of her fears and accept Jesus as her saviour, friend and personal teacher and she shared this with her husband and family. She began to hear God talking to her, gently nudging and motivating her to do or avoid certain actions. She acquired the gift of healing and became intensely aware of God’s powerful will and ability to heal bodies and souls. She has set forth this book in the hope that her exciting and renewed discovery of God’s infinite love may touch the hearts of others so that they may come to know what she now knows. Her patent sincerity forms an attractive feature of her story, but there may be readers who will step back and ask whether she has an over-active imagination.

a boost to help them over the hurdles of our human condition, Going Toward Your Truth will be a boon. It could be taken on retreat or on a day of recollection, or even on a picnic.

divinity/catechetics game, rosaries, books, pictures, gifts and nativity sets which are now available Visit Divine Mercy Catholic Bookstore at 17 Mercy Street, Goodwood, 7460 Tel: 021 591 0891

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The author has provided the Christian reader with a new slant on understanding our true and false selves, and how God and his care for us cannot be left out of relationships.

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Such a question is a legitimate one, but we cannot dismiss out of hand the firm conviction that some individuals have of being on personal good terms with God to the point where he clearly talks to them and they to him. The words of St John come to mind: “The wind blows wherever it pleases; you hear its sound but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. That is how it is with all who are born of the Spirit” (Jn 3:8). The Spirit might well blow where he pleases and move the reader in the same way as he moved the author.

LITURGICAL CALENDAR FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA 2011 13 colour pictures; Liturgical seasons/vestment colours, Lectionary references for Sundays, weekdays and feastdays + booklet of Nicholas King SJ’s Sunday scripture reflections Wall calendar + booklet R25.00 LITURGICAL DIARY FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA 2011 Especially suitable for priests, deacons and other diary users, for desk or brief case - size 15x21cm spiral bound R75.00 BENEDICT XVI AND BLESSED JOHN HENRY NEWMAN: The State Visit September 2010 - The Official Photo Record Full texts of the Holy Father’s speeches and homilies; addresses and reflections by key public figures; background information on Newman and the Church in Britain; edited by author and journalist Peter Jennings A4 size quality softback, 208 pages R179.00 Available early December!

MUSIC CHRIST THE SAVIOUR Taize chants Recorded at the Church of St Vedast in London 14 chants sung in English where appropriate. Includes: O light of every heart; Herr Wohin; Christe Salvator; O give thanks; Ubi caritas CD + booklet (words) R182.00 GREGORIAN CHANT: The definitive collection Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo De Silos Includes Mass of the Angels, Requiem Mass, Pange Lingua, Veni Creator & Salve Regina (simple tone) CD R170.00 THE HOLY EUCHARIST: Meditations and songs Marilla Ness Includes One Bread One Body, Sweet Sacrament Divine, Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Make my heart your dwelling place, Reign in me CD R150.00 CHRISTMAS IS COMING Sung by the Neil Jenkins Chorale 26 carols including How far is it to Bethlehem? Now the holly bears a berry, I saw three ships, Little donkey, Joseph dearest, Joseph mine, Silent night, Away in a manger, Unto us is born a son, On Christmas night CD R110.00 *Insured postage is extra *Bi-monthly email booklists available on request: custserv.cbs@mweb.co.za Street Address: The Grimley, 14 Tuin Plein, Cape Town

The Southern Cross, November 10 to November 16, 2010

FEATURE

The Southern Cross, November 10 to November 16, 2010

Life in a country club: No leaving Haiti camps Ten months after the devastating Haiti earthquake, there are still no resettlement plans for those living in emergency camps, which have taken on a semi-permanent feel. BARBARA J FRASER reports.

ITH squash courts, a swimming pool and the country’s only golf course—nine holes on a steep hillside—the Petionville Club shares one of Port-au-Prince’s most exclusive neighbourhoods with business moguls and ambassadors. After the January 12 earthquake, the club became home to some 50 000 people whose houses in suburbs downhill were damaged or destroyed by the magnitude seven earthquake that killed as many as 300 000 people and left 1,5 million homeless. The Petionville camp looks like a small city, with broad, winding paths descending past row after row of white or blue-and-orange tents. Outside the tents, men chat in clusters and women wash babies or braid their children’s hair. Small groups of blue-helmeted United Nations peacekeepers stroll among the tents in response to news reports of increased crime or to avert violence as the November 28 elections approach. Outside a tent on the main path, Louisiane Meme sits beside a makeshift stand displaying bread rolls and peanut butter. Business is slow. “People don’t have any money,” she said. As months pass with no clear plan for resettling displaced Haitians, the approximately 1 300 tent camps scattered around Portau-Prince and surrounding communities have taken on a semi-permanent feel, with vendors selling food and toiletries, barber shops and beauty salons, and kiosks offering household supplies and cellphone recharging services.

The camps mirror life in lessdamaged suburbs, where street vendors clog sidewalks, hawking everything from charcoal to blue jeans. Most Haitians are employed in the informal economy, and the earthquake victims have transplanted that to the camps. Even more crowded than the shantytowns where many of their residents used to live, the camps have raised fears of rampant contagion if the cholera outbreak that started in mid-October north of the capital spreads to Port-au-Prince. Most of the camps are relatively small, set up close to the inhabitants’ damaged homes. The Petionville camp and Champs de Mars, in a park across the street from the ruined presidential palace, are home to more than 50 000 people. Both have some measure of fame. Petionville—where Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the US bishops’ overseas relief and development agency, operates a cash-forwork programme—is a relief organisation headed by Hollywood actor Sean Penn. Champs de Mars has received more government attention, possibly because of its location. “There hasn’t been a strategic, all-inclusive approach to the disaster,” CRS country director Scott Campbell said. “It has been somewhat based on political reasons. You can’t approach a disaster of this complexity and magnitude camp by camp. It has to be an overall strategy, and that’s what’s lacking.”

NDER the relentless Caribbean sun, a tent crammed with six or eight people becomes unbearably stifling. The camps are also vulnerable to wind—several people died in a freak windstorm in late September—and rain. During tropical downpours tarpaulins leak and the ground under the tents becomes soggy. Petionville camp managers moved people out of flood-prone areas, and CRS pays camp residents, who work on a rotating schedule, to dig drainage ditches and shore up retaining walls with sandbags.

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A woman cleans a drainage ditch in the Petionville Club tent camp occupied by Haitian earthquake survivors in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Camp residents, who work on a rotating schedule, dig ditches and shore up retaining walls with sandbags. PHOTO: PAUL JEFFREY, CNS In some smaller camps, tents are becoming interspersed with wooden shacks. The longer a comprehensive resettlement plan is delayed, the more likely the camps are to become tomorrow’s shantytowns. The camps themselves are a mixed blessing. While people needed immediate refuge after the earthquake, Mr Campbell said, “having people in camps was always the last option”. Although most residents say

they would rather be in their own homes, the aid agencies managing the camps have installed water taps, showers and latrines—amenities lacking in the shantytowns where many camp dwellers lived before the earthquake. The food assistance, work programmes and free health care offered in larger camps run by aid agencies are also attractive. As a result, while some people move out of the camps, others move in, said Fabienn Agenna, who

manages the CRS work programme in the Petionville camp. She said it is impossible to tell how many have arrived; camp staff members only notice that formerly empty areas of the camp suddenly sprout tents again. One complaint she hears from camp residents is that aid agencies have stopped providing food assistance. “People want food distribution, but what they really want is the opportunity to work.” Mr Campbell said that means rebuilding community life in the people’s original neighbourhoods, so they can be assured of both a home and a livelihood. “People do not want to be in the camps,” he said. “They will put a foothold in there because of the access to clean water, sufficient water and health care.” There is a “delicate balance between magnetising people into Port-au-Prince and into camps, because that is where the services are, and getting them back home, which is where services need to be [to] draw them back to those places”, Mr Campbell said. “All the businesses that sprang up in the camp can just as easily spring up in the communities, so let’s accelerate the process.” In a tree-shaded clearing amid the tents, surrounded by clotheslines hung with paintings and silkscreened T-shirts, Yves Georges Claude Fils painstakingly paints a wooden plank. With a cellphone and a Bible in his lap, he forms the words: “God will guard you from all evil.” The board, which he hopes to sell, is part of a roulettestyle game popular in Haiti. His wife, Marie-Michelle Similien, sits beside a tree, painting a silhouette on a colourful background, while three other painters work at canvases propped against chairs or their knees. They call themselves the “Art Club”, and they have an eye on visitors to the camp, hoping for a sale. “I hope to leave,” painter Rodson Derus said. “I hope we can move people out of here. I would like to have a job. I would like for the country to wake up.”—CNS

COMMUNITY

The Southern Cross, Noverber 10 to November 16, 2010

Members of the building committee at St Benedict church in Wedela, in the diocese of Klerksdorp, held a fundraising day to raise money for their church. SUBMITTED BY THOMAS MARETLANE

Confirmation candidates of St Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s church in Tabankulu in the diocese of Kokstad. With them are Bishop William Slattery and parish priest Fr Melese Tumato.

IN FOCUS Edited by Nadine Christians

The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) at Our Lady of Sorrows parish in Wentworth, Durban, conducted a workshop attended by society members and religious including spiritual director Fr Peter Foley and assistant parish priest Fr Andrew Knott. SVP national president June Rehman was also present.

Send photographs, with senderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name and address on the back, and a SASE to: The Southern Cross, Community Pics, Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000 or email them to: pics@scross.co.za

Friends and religious came together at Holy Redeemer monastery in Bergvliet, Cape Town, to bid farewell to four Redemptorist nuns who leave for the United States after being stationed in Merrivale, Pietermaritzburg, for 18 years. Also at the farewell was Archbishop emeritus Lawrence Henry of Cape Town (back middle). SUBMITTED BY ASHLEY RAMAGES

SUBMITTED BY GERMAINE LANDSBERG

Maud Milne from St John Bosco parish in Robertsham, Johannesburg, celebrated her 100th birthday with assistant parish priest Fr Roy Elavungal and members of the parish. Ms Milne has been a member of the parish since its inception in 1957. SUBMITTED BY PIERRE DE VILLIERS

Sr Anthony Maher MSA (front) celebrated her golden jubilee of profession with her sister Kathleen de Villiers and her brother Bernard Maher.

Little Shaun Davids was baptised at Christ the King church in Worcester in the Oudsthoorn diocese. Pictured are Joachim Henke, Jutta Henke, baby Shaun, Esmeralda Davids, Fr Douglas Sumaili and (in front) Jasmin Davids.

P UT C HRIST B ACK I NTO C HRISTMAS A Christian Christmas Card Campaign initiated by

The Catholic Order of the Knights of Da Gama Standard sized cards sold in packs of 8 cards each containing 8 original designs. Available from your parish repository or: Dennis Gregory: gregoryd@absamail.co.za 083-275-8451 or KDG Centre - Edenvale: (011) 452-3220 knightsofdagama@cybertrade.co.za

The Southern Cross, November 10 to November 16, 2010

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:  Cape Town Cathedral parish Film Festival. Nov 11: Sowing in Tears (19:00); Called to Care (20:45). Nov 12: Tshimangadzo (19:00); The Angel of Biscay (20:45), Nov 13: The Angel of Biscay (19:00); Sowing in Tears (20:45). At Nazareth House, Vredehoek. www.CatholicStudio.com  Holy Redeemer, Bergvliet, Padre Pio Prayer group, November 21 15:30.  Adoration Chapel, Corpus Christi Church, Wynberg: Mon-Thurs 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

Thoughts for the Week on the Family FAMILY CALENDAR 2010 FAMILY THEME: “Families Play the Game.” NOVEMBER – GOOD LOSER, BAD LOSER Introduction: It is in families from very early days, playing catch or hide-and-seek that children learn how to be good losers rather than bad losers. Parents may have to work hard with some children that sulk or throw tantrums, while others don’t want to try for fear of losing. Loss in life is inevitable and games and sport are some of the best ways to learn the skills to cope with the big and little losses of life. How do you practice the skills of being a good loser? 14th 33rd Sunday of the Year. The Triumph of God. Jesus tells his followers “Your endurance will win you your lives.” The focus of today’s readings is more on the successful outcome than the endurance and the terrible events that are predicted. There have been many natural disasters this year and it must have been very hard for people to look beyond the immediate desperate situation. Some people may have lost faith in a God who cares for them, others may have had their faith strengthened. Talk about this and pray for an increase in trust in God’s ultimate triumph.

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

Sun November 14, 33rd Sunday of the Year: Mal 3:19-20; Ps 98:5-9; 2 Thes 3:7-12; Lk 21:5-19 Mon November 15, St Albert the Great: Rv 1:1-4, 2:1-5; Ps 1:1-4,6; Lk 18:35-43 Tue November 16, St Margaret of Scotland, St Gertrude: Rv 3:1-6, 14-22; Ps 15:2-5; Lk 19:1-10 Wed November 17, St Elizabeth of Hungary, St Dionysius of Alexandria: Rv 4:1-11; Ps 150:1-6; Lk 19:11-28 Thur November 18, Dedication of basilicas of Ss Peter & Paul: Rv 5:-1-10; Ps 149:1-6,9; Lk 19:41-44 Fri November 19, feria: Rv 10:8-11; Ps 119:14,24,72,103,111,131; Lk 19:45-48 Sat November 20, feria: Rv 11:4-12; Ps 144:1-2,9-10; Lk 20:27-40 Sun November 21, Christ the King: 2 Sm 5:1-3; Ps 122:1-2; 4-5; Col 1:12-20; Lk 23:35-43

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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

IN MEMORIAM VON RUBEN—In memory of my beloved husband Mick, who died on November 10, 2001. Daily remembered and sadly missed by Maire. May he rest in peace.

PERSONAL ABORTION WARNING: ‘The Pill’ can abort, undetected, soon after conception (a medical fact). See website: www.human life.org/abortion_does_ the_pill.php CRUCIFIXES for Africa made in three complete sizes. Phone/Fax for details 046 604 0401.

PRAYERS MY beloved Mother Mary, many thanks for yet again coming to my aid. You have never failed me and I love and honour you. Manfred ST MARTHA, I resort to thee and to thy petition and faith, I offer up to thee this light which I shall burn every Tuesday for nine Tuesdays. Comfort me in all my difficulties through the great favour thou didst enjoy when Our Saviour lodged in thy house. I beseech thee to have definite pity in regard to the favour I ask (mention favour). Intercede for my family that we may always be provided for in all our necessities. I ask thee St Martha to overcome the dragon which thou did cast at thy feet. One Our Father and three Hail Marys and a lighted candle every Tuesday and the above prayer made known with the intentions of spreading devotion to St Martha. This miraculous Saint grants everything before the Tuesdays are ended No matter how difficult. Virginia

THANKS

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UPHOLSTERER

GRATEFUL thanks to Ss Martin and Jude for prayers answered. MMR

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Deputy Principal 2011/2012 Sacred heart primary school, founded in 2000, is an independent Catholic Englishmedium primary school situated in the rural area of Taung, St. Pauls Mission, NorthWest province. The school is well established now with proud academic record but still requires further improvement.

The School Board invites applications for the above post. The successful applicant must be able to subscribe to and promote the Catholic Ethos of the school. The following criteria will also be considered; • Strong management, organisational and leadership skills preferably in a Catholic educational environment. • A committed Professional with a dynamic, visionary approach to chal lenges of present-day education in South Africa. • Be fully acquainted with current trends and developments in Education. • The ability to contribute to the development and implementationof strategic planning. • Suitable teaching Qualifications with experience in a primary school. Salary package is negotiable. Please apply in writing to: The manager, Sacred Heart Primary School, P.O Box 5826, Taung, 8584 Email: Saheta@lantic.net. Giving details of Qualifications, experience and names of two contactable referees.Closing date: 01 January 2011 The school reserves the right not to proceed with the filling of the post. An application will not in itself entitle the applicant to an interview or appointment and failure to meet the requirements of the advertised post will result in applicants automatically disqualifying themselves from consideration. Only short listed candidates will be contacted.

CHAIN AND PLASTIC ROSARIES at lowest prices; and postage is free! Bulk orders mostly from parishes are welcome. Please contact Ephraim Chimutu at

CAPE TOWN, Cape Peninsula: Beautiful homes to buy or rent. MaggiMae 082 892 4502. Colliers International False Bay Tel:021 782 9263, maggimaev@colliers.co.za

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION AZARS B&B: Olde worlde charm in Kalk Bay’s quaint fishing village. Luxury double en-suite/private lounge/entrance. Dstv/tea/coffee. Serviced three times a week. Minutes from metrorail. Enjoy breakfast at different restaurants every day. Holy Mass Saturdays/Sundays within walking distance (800m). Tel/Fax 021 788 2031, 082 573 1251. grizell@iafrica.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 self-catering, two bed room family apartment (sleeps 4) in Strand fontein, 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: 021 782 3647, alisona@xsinet.co.za GORDON’S BAY: Beautiful en-suite rooms available at reasonable rates. Magnificent views, breakfast on request. Tel: 082 774 7140. E-mail: bzhive@telkom sa.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 selfcatering accommodation, parking in secure premises. Short walks to shops, transport etc. Contact Jock 021 685 7370, fax 021 686 2342 or 082 308 0080 or kolbe.house@telkom sa.net LONDON: Single £25, twin £40 per night. housepro tea@hotmail.com 021 851 5200. 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 mjsali da@mweb.co.za MONTAGU: Self-catering family accommodation. Views, braai, 3 beds, sleeps 5-7. Central and secure. Phone 074 190 5634. gailellis@telkom sa.net 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 joe 3626 or email mariahideout@gmail.com for more information. SOUTH COAST: 3 bedroom house, Marine Drive, Uvongo Tel: Donald 031 465 5651, 073 989 1074. STELLENBOSCH: Five simple private suites (2 beds, fridge, micro-wave). Countryside vineyard / forest / mountain walks; beach 20 minute drive. Affordable. Christian Brothers Tel: 021 880 0242/cbc_stel@mweb.co .za UMHLANGA ROCKS: Fully equipped self-catering 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house, sleeps 6, sea view, 200 metres from beach, DStv. Tel: Holiday Division, 031 561 5838, holidays@lighthouse.co.za

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November 10 to November 16, 2010

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SOUTHERN AFRICA’S NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY SINCE 1920

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Christ the King—Year C (November 21) Readings: 2 Samuel 5:1-3, Psalm 122:1-2, 4-5, Colossians 1:12-20, Luke 23:35-43

EXT Sunday the Church’s year comes to its end with the feast of Christ the King. Now it is perfectly accurate to call Jesus our “King”, but whenever you speak of God or of his Christ, you have to realise that you are at the edge of language, and nothing can mean quite what you expect it to mean. In the first reading, we hear the tribes of Israel coming to David at Hebron (this was before he had conquered Jerusalem), and claiming him as their king, on the grounds that “we are your flesh and blood”. The situation is that Saul is dead, and we have known for a while that David was going to be king, but also that we have had several hints to the effect that having a human king is in part to be seen as a betrayal of the leadership of God. So they emphasise the leadership that David gave “making Israel go out and come in”; and they quote what God has said to David, that “You are to shepherd my people, Israel, and you are to be a prince over Israel”. And, without apparently giving David much choice in the matter, “they made an agree-

What it means to be King Fr Nicholas King SJ

Scriptural Reflections ment with David at Hebron, before the Lord—and they anointed David as king over Israel”. That is all that our reading contains; but the alert reader of the history of Israel will know that kingship is a very ambivalent concept, and that David will in certain respects not live up to his duty before God, just as Saul had previously failed in his mission. The psalm picks up two elements from the first reading: the tribes “of the Lord”, as they are significantly described, just to remind us who is in charge, and the “thrones of the house of David”. But we shall miss what the psalmist is saying unless we notice that it is really all about what God is doing. It starts “in God’s house”, and continues “our feet are standing within the gates of Jerusalem”,

where it is “the custom of Israel to give thanks to the Lord’s name”. There is very little emphasis here on the King; the focus is all on the People of Israel, and, most especially, on the God who made them a people. The second reading is a lovely hymn to Christ, whom we really can call a King “according to the power of his glory”, and mentioning that Christ’s followers have been “transferred into the Kingdom of the Son of his love”, before going on to mention what Christ has done for them, and, above all, what he is like, “the likeness of the unseen God, the first-born of all creation”. There follows a long meditation, which you must read for yourself, on how Christ is No 1 in every respect, and what he has done for us. And notice the last phrase about this king: “having made peace through the blood of his cross.” This was not an easy kingship. And it is on the cross that we find our King in the gospel reading for next Sunday. He has the people “looking” (but neutrally, not in any hostile way, it seems); then the “rulers were mocking, and the soldiers making fun of

The axe of the apostles M

Y monthly journey into the wonders of the Internet took me to the United States where a group of primary school children were asked to give their interpretations of the Bible. They were asked questions about the Old and New Testaments, and the following statements have not been retouched, edited or corrected. 1. In the first book of the bible, Guinessis, God got tired of creating the world so he took the Sabbath off. 2. Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. Noah’s wife was Joan of Ark. Noah built an Ark and the animals cameon in pears. 3. Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt during the day, but a ball of fire during the night. 4. The Jews were a proud people and throughout history they had trouble with unsympathetic genitals. 5. Sampson was a strongman who let himself be led astray by a Zezebel like Delilah. 6. Samson slayed the philistines with the axe of the apostles. 7. Moses led the jews to the red sea where they made unleavened bread which is bread without any ingredients. 8. The Egyptians were all drowned in the dessert. Afterwards, Moses went up to mount cyanide to get the ten commandments. 9. The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat the apple. 10. The seventh commandment is thou shalt not admit adultery. 11. Moses died before he ever reached Canada then Joshua led the Hebrews in

CONRAD

Chris Moerdyk

The Last Word the battle of Geritol. 12. The greatest miricle in the bible is when joshua told his son to stand still and he obeyed him. 13. David was a hebrew king who was skilled at playing the liar. He fought the finkelsteins, a race of people who lived in biblical times. 14. Solomon, one of David’s sons, had 300 wives and 700 porcupines. 15. When Mary heard she was the mother of Jesus, she sang the magna carta. 16. When the three wise guys from the east side arrived they found Jesus in the manager. 17. Jesus was born because Mary had an immaculate contraption. 18. St John the blacksmith dumped water on his head. 19. Jesus enunciated the golden rule, which says to do unto others before they do one to you. He also explained a man doth not live by sweat alone. 20. It was a miricle when Jesus rose from the dead and managed to get the tombstone off the entrance. 21. The people who followed the Lord were called the 12 decibels. 22. The epistels were the wives of the

I THINK ITS TIME THE PARISH COUNCIL DID SOMETHING ABOUT THE CONFETTI!!

apostles. 23. One of the oppossums was St Matthew who was also a taximan. 24. St Paul cavorted to Christianity, he preached holy acrimony which is another name for marraige. 25. Christians have only one spouse. This is called monotony. One of the best websites I have come across recently is www.quotegarden.com, with literally thousands of excellent quotations on every subject imaginable. Here are a few on the subject of children. “We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.”—Stacia Tauscher “You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.”—Franklin P Jones “A characteristic of the normal child is he doesn’t act that way very often.”— Author Unknown “We’ve had bad luck with our kids— they’ve all grown up.”—Christopher Morley “A child can ask questions that a wise man cannot answer.”—Author unknown “Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it.”—Harold Hulbert “Children are one third of our population and all of our future.”—Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health, 1981 “Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.”— Rabindranath Tagore “A three-year-old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a R2 000 set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm.”—Bill Vaughan “In the United States today, there is a pervasive tendency to treat children as adults, and adults as children. The options of children are thus steadily expanded, while those of adults are progressively constricted. The result is unruly children and childish adults.”—Thomas Szasz “Children are unpredictable. You never know what inconsistency they’re going to catch you in next.”—Franklin P Jones “Boy, n.: a noise with dirt on it.”—Not Your Average Dictionary “Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children.”—George Bernard Shaw And I would like to end with a favourite that my father used to tell us whenever a new grandchild was born: “Be careful of your kids, they always repeat word for word what you shouldn’t have said.”

him, offering him vinegar”, and addressing him as “King”; meanwhile there is an official document above his head, telling the truth, if only they knew it: “This one is the King of the Judeans.” So all is mockery, and that continues when one of his co-crucified insults him and jeers: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself, and us as well!” Then, however, comes an event that is quite unexpected. The other criminal leaps to Jesus’ defence, formally declaring him innocent, and that “he has done nothing out of the way”. Then, against all the odds, this criminal treats Jesus precisely as King, in the lovely words: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” As we reel with the unexpectedness of this, we hear Jesus’ response, in unmistakably regal tones: “Amen I’m telling you, today you are going to be with me in Paradise.” Five times in that reading the words king or kingdom or Christ are used; they mean something real and important, but also profoundly different. What will it mean to you, this week, to call Jesus your king?

Southern Crossword #418

ACROSS 3. Brief ways to monks' hair styles (5,4) 8. Trio that makes a disturbance (4) 9. Prayers for God's favour (9) 10. Title of some of the Mysteries (6) 11. Drive forward, having limp elbow (5) 14. Modes of church architecture (5) 15. Start the card game (4) 16. Go inside (5) 18. Bake it for parish tea party (4) 20. Small willow for which I rose (5) 21. Outside, in addition (5) 24. Fundamental truth (6) 25. Lawyer who petitions? (9) 26. Laura hides an atmosphere (4) 27. Ruins deed about lower surface (9)

DOWN 1. Bigot’s bias (9) 2. Blessed fume? Good heavens! (4,5) 4. Underworld (4) 5. About a Mass in India (5) 6. The clock did it (6) 7. Garment of Roman citizen (4) 9. It holds the corporal on the altar (5) 11. Within (5) 12. Biblical book to suit Clive (9) 13. He wears the cloth (9) 17. Cheerful man with pirates' flag (5) 19. Cause strong feeling (6) 22. Liars on the tracks (5) 23. A word in no uncertain sense (4) 24. Invalid empty space (4)

SOLUTIONS TO #417. ACROSS: 4 Acolyte, 8 Prayer, 9 Angelus, 10 Caesar, 11 Enable, 12 Abortion, 18 Obsolete, 20 Tunnel, 21 Wheels, 22 Repasts, 23 Ardent, 24 Quakery. DOWN: 1 Special, 2 Pageboy, 3 Depart, 5 Convents, 6 Leeway, 7 Tousle, 13 Idolator, 14 Revered, 15 Density, 16 Bureau, 17 Unmask, 19 Others.

CHURCH CHUCKLE

‘

I must believe in apostolic sucession; there is no other way of explaining the descent of the bishop of Exeter other than from Judas Iscariot.” —Sydney Smith

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