The Southern Cross - 120229 by The Southern Cross

www.scross.co.za

February 29 to March 6, 2012

Seven new saints in October

Page 5

A fishy Friday memory

Page 7

R5,50 (incl VAT RSA)

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 4765

Falling in love with the Bible

Page 9

Pope to Africa: Family is the key to Christian future BY CAROL GLATZ

HE family is the Church’s best ally for raising a new generation resistant to materialism and committed to living out the Gospel, Pope Benedict told bishops from Africa and Europe. “Europe and Africa need generous young people who know how to take responsibility for their future,” he said. All institutions, like the family, school and Church, “must be well aware that these young people hold the future and that it is important to do everything possible so that their journey is not marked by uncertainty and darkness”, he said. The pope made his remarks during an audience with 80 bishops, priests and other participants attending a joint conference organised by the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) and the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences. The conference was dedicated to finding ways in which European and African Catholics can cooperate in evangelisation. During the conference, Cardinal Josip Bozanic of Zagreb, Croatia, said that even though economic and social conditions in the two continents are vastly different, the Gospel is universal. Wherever it finds itself, the Church has a message of faith that “understands humankind, whether in Europe or Africa, as created in the image and likeness of God and who deep down has basic needs that only God can fully satisfy”, he said. “Social and spiritual concerns are both present; one is not separated from the other, but rather, they are dimensions of the one same integral development of the human person and society,” the cardinal said. Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg told the Catholic News Agency that the conference “has already helped because it is starting to clarify why Africae Munus [the pope’s 2011 exhortation to the Church in Africa] was issued, what is important about that document, and why Africa should treat it very, very seriously”.

He said one of the key challenges laid down by the pope is that “theology shouldn’t just be some speculative science”, but that bishops should “try and translate some of our theology into some pastoral teaching, some pastoral care, and so on”. In his speech, Pope Benedict spoke of current challenges faced by the bishops which he described as demanding. He mentioned religious indifference “which leads many people to live as if God does not exist, or to settle for a vague religiosity, unable to confront the question of truth and coherence”. Today, “especially in Europe, but also in parts of Africa, secularism is often hostile to the Christian faith”. The pope said a huge obstacle in proclaiming the Gospel is hedonism, “which has contributed to making the crisis of values in people’s daily life spread to the family and how people make sense of one’s life”. The increasing problems of pornography and prostitution are symptoms of this “serious social malaise”. The Church must also pay close attention to the current culture and work diligently in helping “the light of the Gospel insert itself in the cultural milieu” so as to enlighten it and prevent “false cultures” that dehumanise people from taking hold. The current mentality of materialism can have a negative effect on vocations, but the family is also a pivotal player in the formation of the young, the pope said. The family, “which houses customs, traditions and rituals imbued in faith, is the most suitable soil for the flowering of vocations”, he said. “Today’s consumer mentality can have negative repercussions on the rise and on the care of vocations; hence the need to pay particular attention to the promotion of vocations” to the consecrated life. As the Church, family and other institutions work together in raising the next generations, the pope asked the bishops to pay special attention to young people’s “human and spiritual growth, encouraging them also to do volunteer work, which can have educational value. —CNS

Pope Benedict waves as he leaves at the end of a special audience for 22 new cardinals and their families in Paul VI hall at the Vatican. The College of Cardinals now has 213 members, 125 of whom are under the age of 80 and therefore eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. (Photo: Alessandro Bianchi, Reuters/CNS)

Because parents give life to their children they are also obliged to see that they are educated,” she said. “Parents therefore enter into meaningful partnerships with others to provide this education, and they deserve to be consulted about, and to contribute to, their children’s education.” Catholics are called to serve the common good and improve the lives of society. “These two matters, Catholic parents’ responsibility to see that their children are educated, and their obligation as citizens to take part in civic life, means that Catholic parents in South Africa whose children attend state schools have a right and duty to call for change in how their children are educated.”

Ms Baker said one of the ways parents can begin to make a difference is to vote in the upcoming school governing body elections. “They can also stand for election on governing bodies and use their passion for what is good for the children, and their skills, to hold school personnel and the government to account,” she said. Every parent or guardian of a child at school is entitled to stand for election and to vote, Ms Baker said. Even if parents do not serve on the governing body, they can become involved in the schools in a variety of ways, by “helping to raise funds through events, assisting when asked, working in the school vegetable garden if

Parents told to get involved in their children’s education BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

ARENTS have been a silent partner in education for too long in South Africa, according to a local Catholic education expert. South Africa’s education is currently in crisis, but by working together with the other stakeholders in education, “parents can bring about meaningful change by demanding accountability at all levels of the school system,” said Anne Baker, deputy director of the Catholic Institute of Education (CIE). “The Catholic Church has always believed that parents are the first and most important educators of their children.

one exists, but most importantly by being a positive support to the school,” Ms Baker said. If education is to improve in the country, it is vital that parents get involved, she emphasised. “The most important activity for parents is to demand what is right for their children: teachers in school and teaching, resources to support the teaching and learning, sound maintenance, safe facilities and scholar transport.” Ms Baker said the CIE, which is the education arm of the bishops of Southern Africa, is involved in advocating and challenging, “but the ordinary voice of parents, making their needs known in a peaceful challenging manner, has immense power”.

The Southern Cross, February 29 to March 6, 2012

Bishop Barry Wood celebrates golden jubilee STAFF REPORTER

he is vicar-general and auxiliary bishop of Durban.

Diamond jubilee for Sacred Heart Sister BY SR JANE ODEY

ACRED Heart Sister Mary Martin Sullophan has celebrated the diamond jubilee of her religious profession in Aliwal North, Eastern Cape. Born in 1928 in Durban, she is the last survivor of 11 children. Baptised in St Theresa’s church in Durban, she joined the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Aliwal North in 1952. After her first vows, Sr Mary Martin trained as a teacher at the

Top job for SA layman in Redemptorist mission BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

ISHOP Barry Wood (pictured) has celebrated the golden jubilee of his religious profession with the Oblate Provincial Community at Sabon House. Bishop Wood and Frs Rodney Boyd, Mario Ceruti and Brian Duffey made their first oblation (vows) at Mazenod novitiate in Germiston on February 17, 1962. Bishop Wood has served the parishes of Seven Oaks, Greytown, Port Shepstone, St Joan of Arc Pietermaritzburg and Woodlands in Durban. He has also been his congregations’s novice master, rector and superior of St Joseph’s of Cedara and Oblate provincial. At present

LOCAL

Holy Cross Teachers’ College in Parow, Cape Town. On the completion of her training, she taught at the then St Joseph’s School in Aliwal North for over 20 years. One of her students Fr Peter Whitehead of East London was present at the celebration along with Bishop Michael Wüstenberg of Aliwal North. She was also a novice mistress for about 40 years. Sr Mary Martin is now retired and lives at the Sacred Heart Generalate in Aliwal North.

ALCOLM Salida, a parishioner of Ss Simon and Jude in Simon’s Town, Cape Town, has been appointed to serve on the commission of the Redemptorist procurator for Africa and Madagascar. In his new capacity, Mr Salida will be assisting the procurator, Fr Gerry O’ Connor CSsR, on the finance commission of the Redemptorist Conference for Africa and Madagascar to source funding for various missionary and social development projects. “I will also be involved in assessing funding applications, and hope to get more involved as time goes on,” Mr Salida said. Mr Salida, who carries 19 years of corporate finance experience, will also be travelling across the continent to train the financial bursars from the 13 African countries where the Redemptorists are based. Mr Salida joined the Redemptorists while completing his financial degree, but after a brief stay he found his calling as a family man and was able to serve the community in an alternative way. He was involved in the founding of Redemptorist Pastoral Publications, which today publishes the Sunday bulletin Catholic Link, and has served on the finance secretariat for the Redemptorist province

Malcolm Salida has been appointed to serve on the commission of Redeptorist procurator for Africa. in South Africa for many years. His new international appointment, which is a voluntary position, means Mr Salida is the only lay person on the commission. “I remain a lay person devoted to the Redemptorists. My new appointment, now ratified in Rome by our Fr General, Michael Brehl CSsR, serves only to reconfirm my devotion to the congregation as a whole and furthers the significance of my initial calling— but now as a lay person,” Mr Salida said. He added that the Redemptorists were actively finding ways

of involving lay people in the missionary work of their founder, St Alphonsus de Liguori. The Redemptorists serve more than 2,2 million people in 13 countries on the continent. Through the establishment of the conference for Africa and Madagascar they plan to bring the Good News to these communities with specific focus and support to the poorest and the most abandoned through their missionary work. Mr Salida, who is also a board member of the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company, which publishes The Southern Cross, will be involved in fundraising for the congregation’s priority goals which include integral evangelisation of the poor, a focus on justice and peace as well as organisational restructuring for missions. “I can now continue my journey and initial calling in a much deeper, broader and practical way to the Redemptorist way of life, through the support of my wife and children.” Mr Salida added that the new appointment has been “a most humbling experience as I will now officially be traveling to Redemptorist communities within Africa, London, Ireland and Rome in fulfillment of this role”. n For more information on the Redemptorists in Africa and Madagascar please visit www.africa redemptorists.com

Have any local news? Send your local news to news@scross.co.za or call 021 465 5007 IRISH SOUTH AFRICAN ASSOCIATION

St Patrick's Eve Dinner & Dance

St Benedict School is a Catholic, Independent, Co-Educational School, catering for leaners of all faiths from Grades R-12

Tuesday 17 April, 2012 Mrs Debbie Clayton

Principal on request

R275 per person

16th March 2012 Lagoon Beach Hotel, Milnerton, Cape Town, Dress: Smart with a splash of green, 19.00 for 19.30 With our honourable guests of the evening, His Excellency, Irish Ambassador to South Africa, Mr Brendan McMahon & his wife, Irene. Why not reserve a table for 10 for you and your friends? It will be an unforgettable evening.

Includes: • 3-course gourmet dinner • table wines and mineral water • entertainment including Irish Bands, interactive Irish Dancing and Pipers.

RSVP to members@ireland.co.za by Monday, March 5th 2012. Please Email your Proof of Payment by Fri Mar 9th 2012 to members@ireland.co.za and use “St. Pat and your surname” as reference.

Tel: 021 713 0154

LOCAL

The Southern Cross, February 29 to March 6, 2012

Academic Mass reinforces the importance of education STAFF REPORTER

Grade 2 pupils of St Dominic’s Priory School in Port Elizabeth enjoy their pancakes at break time on Shrove Tuesday. Parents made more than 1 2 300 pancakes for the school’s pupils.

DUCATION from a Christian perspective seeks to bring people to human maturity, said Bishop Dabula Mpako of Queenstown at the Annual Academic Mass at Holy Trinity church in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. The Mass, at which Bishop Mpako preached, marks the beginning of the academic year for tertiary students in Johannesburg. Fr Michael van Heerden, president of South Africa’s Catholic as did university, St Augustine College, concelebrated with the bishop, university chaplains and other priests. It was attended by representatives from the Universities of

Johannesburg and the Witwatersrand. This year students from Fordham University—the Jesuit University in New York City—who are visiting South Africa and working with the University of Pretoria also attended. The McDonogh School of Business at Georgetown University, a Jesuit University in Washington, was represented by Professor Becky Heino. In his homily Bishop Mpako said that true Christian education fosters human maturity, and that mature people recognise their social responsibility and seek to free others from any form of slavery. He said that Jesus was our

model and offers us the grand vision of what it means to be mature human beings. Bishop Mpako encouraged students to take their studies seriously and not to get caught in some destructive dynamics which he said are too often present among students: entitlement and selfishness. He encouraged students to use what they have learnt to build a just society bridging the ever growing gap between “haves” and “have nots” in South Africa. Bishop Mpako also asked educators to take their task seriously, recognising that they are moulding the future of South Africa. “Be willing to share your knowledge and expertise generously,” he said.

Deacons to live faithful lives BY MAURICIO LANGA

ISHOP Emeritus Hubert Bucher has warned members of the clergy about the negative impact of some members living a double-life style in the Church. The former bishop of Bethlehem, Free State, was speaking in Merrivale, outside Pietermaritzburg, at the ordination to the diaconate of three of the Congregation of the Missionaries of Mariannhill. The newly ordained deacons are Mthokozisi Khumalo, Christopher Mashilipa and Stuart Vukayi.

Bishop Bucher said that some people are ordained deacons or priests only to pursue their own aims. He said some clergy live a double life of having committed themselves to celibacy but then breaking that promise. Bishop Bucher told the newly ordained deacons to remain committed to service and live up to their vocation—and not to live a double-life style. He added that ordained as deacons and later on as priests, they should act against a culture of corruption that impedes them in serv-

ing the People of God. “One often hears on the news of people who are supposed to be delivering services to the community but they fail to do so because they have eaten up the money which they should have used for the common good of the people,” the bishop said. Deacon Mthokozisi Khumalo, on behalf of his fellow ordinands, said: “We strive to commit ourselves to the service of the Church, especially the preaching of the Gospel, serving at the altar as well as serving those on the margins of the society.”

(From left to right) Deacon Stuart Vukayi, Bishop Emeritus Hubert Bucher, Deacon Christopher Mashilipa, Fr Bheki Shabalala (administrator of the Mariannhill region) and Deacon Mthokozisi Khumalo. (Photo: Mauricio Langa)

The Southern Cross, February 29 to March 6, 2012

INTERNATIONAL

Nuncio: Pope feels Irish wounds over abuse BY MICHAEL KELLY

OPE Benedict is acutely aware that recent years have been tough for Irish Catholics as a result of the clerical sex abuse scandals, according to the new apostolic nuncio to Ireland. Speaking during a Mass to mark his formal welcome as Pope Benedict’s representative in Dublin, Archbishop Charles Brown said the pontiff understands “that these recent years have been difficult for Catholic believers in Ireland”. The American archbishop said the pope was “scandalised and dismayed as he learned about the tragedy of abuse perpetrated by

some members of the clergy and of religious congregations. He felt deeply the wounds of those who had been harmed and who so often had not been listened to.” Archbishop Brown, a former official in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said: “I can tell you from my personal experience that he [Pope Benedict] has always had—and he continues to have—a great love for the people of Ireland and a high regard for the Catholic Church in Ireland, with its history of missionary richness and tenacious faith.” Referring to the pontiff’s previous role as head of the doctrinal congregation, Archbishop Brown insisted: “[F]rom the beginning, Pope Benedict was resolute and

determined to put into place changes which would give the Church the ability to deal more effectively with those who abuse trust, as well as to provide the necessary assistance to those who had been victimised. “Pope Benedict has been relentless and consistent on this front, and I assure you that he will continue to be,” he said. A series of recent independent inquiries uncovered decades of abuse and cover-ups of sexual abuse within the Church and in Church-run institutions. One judicial report accused the Vatican of being “entirely unhelpful” to Irish bishops trying to deal with abuse. Last July, Irish Prime Minister

Enda Kenny delivered a speech accusing the Vatican of adopting a “calculated, withering position” on clerical sex abuse. The Vatican then recalled and reassigned Archbishop Brown’s predecessor, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza. In opening remarks at the new nuncio’s welcome Mass, Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said Irish Catholics welcomed “the help of Pope Benedict in leading our wounded Church toward repentance and healing”. “We desire to work together to build a different, more humble Church, but also a renewed Church, confident of the contribution of the teaching of Jesus Christ for the Ireland of tomorrow,” he said.—CNS

Archbishop Charles Brown, the new apostolic nuncio to Ireland, presents his credentials to Irish President Michael Higgins. (Photo: John McElroy, CNS)

British Catholics urged to open homes during London Olympics BY SIMON CALDWELL

ATHOLICS in British cities hosting events for the 2012 Olympic Games are being urged to show hospitality to athletes who cannot afford to stay in hotels. They are being encouraged to register with the Athlete Family Homestay Programme and open their homes for eight days or more to Olympic and Paralympic competitors and their families from poor nations. James Parker, the Catholic Church’s executive coordinator for the 2012 London Olympic Games, said that the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales saw the initiative as an act of solidarity. “It is estimated that approximately a third of all official Olympic and Paralympic athletes and coaches will be from a Catholic background,” Mr Parker said. “With this in mind, the

A Spiritual Pilgrimage to Poland 15 – 29 June 2012 with Fr. Stanislaw Jagodzinski'

Experience the deep spirituality of the people and live out your Catholic faith as we journey with Fr. Stan to some of the most beautiful Shrines, Cathedrals, Basilicas, religious and historical sites in Poland. we will be staying with: • the Salesians at the Missionary Centre in Warsaw — celebrating the 25 Anniversary of Fr. Stan’s Priesthood at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart; experience the highlights of Warsaw / Krakow with Fr. Stan & English-speaking guide. • the sisters - Pastoral House at the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy in Krakow Lagiewniki. Where St. Faustina lived, prayed and worked and received the Chaplet of Divine Mercy from our Lord! Celebrate Holy Mass in the convent's old chapel, be blessed with the relics of St. Faustina; Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with the sisters etc…

• celebrate Holy Mass - Jasna Gora, Sanctuary of the Black Madonna in Czestochowa! • half day trip to Wadowice (birth place and house of Blessed John Paul II) incl and Kalwaria incl visit to Bernadine Monastery.. • The 14th-century Wawel Cathedral - inside Wawel Castle in Krakow - spiritual centre of the Polish state. The Cathedral of Pope John Paul II before he left for the Vatican…… visit legendary Wieliczka Salt Mine. • Lichen - Golgotha – Way of The Cross……

This and so much more!

PRICE: R19,950

based on 22 pilgrims……………….

Excl of: Visas/travel insurance/ airport taxes as on 10 Oct 2011 R4,731

P.O. Box 1471, Pretoria, 0001; Tel +27 12 342 0179; Fax 086 676 9715 or +27 12 430 3840; email: michelle@micasatours.co.za or craig@micasatours.co.za All quotes are subject to Terms and Conditions which may be viewed upon requested. All quotes are subject to availability and may change without prior notice before full payment has been made.

LENTEN LECTURES

Catholic community, alongside other Christians and those of other faiths and no faiths, wishes to offer a tangible way of ‘welcoming the stranger’ to our shores by offering free board and lodging for limited periods during the games,” he said. The homestay programme is being organised by More Than Gold, the churches’ umbrella charity that serves the games. Mr Parker said that the charity, of which the Catholic Church is a member, is focusing in particular on athletes’ family members and friends “who come from the developing world who could never afford to stay in the UK”. “We believe that they, as much as anyone, have the right to see first-hand their loved ones display the fruit of what has often been years of ongoing commitment,” he said. “Anyone linked to the 2012 games’ athletes and officials qualifies

to apply, irrespective of their financial situation, so we want the wider Olympic family to know that Britain welcomes them with open arms.” Mr Parker said the presence of relatives “can dramatically affect an athlete’s performance on the day” and “the whole world wants to encourage the best performance from each competitor”. Catholics who sign up to the programme will be expected to collect and welcome up to two guests from a hospitality centre, then provide them with beds and breakfast for eight days or more during the July 27 to August 12 Olympics or the August 29 to September 9 Paralympics. According to the More Than Gold website, at previous Olympic Games Christians have provided more than half of all the homes needed to host athletes’ family members.— CNS

PO Box 11095, Mariannhill 3624

Mondays 19h30, Mar 5, 12, 19, 26 The Eucharist: Source and Summit of Our Christian Life. Led by Mgr Paul Nadal

MARCH 9 - MARCH 11

Trusting in God by Fr Pierre Lavoipierre

MARCH 16 - MARCH 18

The Four Last Things: Christian thinking about Death, Judgement, Hell, Heaven. Led by Fr Urs Fischer

HOLY WEEK MARCH 31 - APRIL 8

1. Preached Retreat by Fr Christopher Neville OFM 2. St Faustina & Bl John Paul II: Divine Mercy Week by Fr Urs Fischer

APRIL 13 - APRIL 15

The Eucharist: Source and Summit of Our Christian Life

Repeat of Lenten Lectures by Mgr Paul Nadal

APRIL 20 - 22

Questions and Answers: About your journey to God Led by Fr Urs Fischer

NOVEMBER 9 - NOVEMBER 11

Search for Life by Fr Pierre Lavoipierre

NOVEMBER 23 - 25

Mary, the Mother, has the message by Deacon Tony de Freitas

DECEMBER 7 - DECEMBER 16

8-Day directed retreats by Fr Urs Fischer and Br Crispin Graham

DECEMBER 24 - JANUARY 1, 2013

A SPIRITUAL CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY:

Praying constantly, bring your faith to life by Fr Urs Fischer

Personally guided retreats may be arranged at any time throughout the year to suit individual need. Reception: Fr Urs Fischer Fax

For Bookings:

Cellphones: 083 9633848 083 5441504 082 7307180 Email: monretreat@saol.com

031 700 2155 031 700 2890 031 700 2738

Fr Urs Fischer Bro Crispin Mrs N Qupa

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, February 29 to March 6, 2012

Pope to canonise seven new saints in October BY CINDY WOODEN & STAFF REPORTER

L Bl Kateri Tekakwitha is one of seven new saints to be canonised in October. (Photo: Nancy Wiechec, CNS)

IKE Popes Paul VI and John Paul II often did, Pope Benedict will mark World Mission Sunday in October by creating new saints. This year, Mission Sunday falls on October 21. The seven to be canonised include a French Jesuit missionary who was martyred in Madagascar, the Church’s first Native American saint, and a Bavarian laywoman. l Jesuit Father Jacques Berthieu was born in Polminhac, France,

and was martyred on June 8, 1896, in Ambiatibe, Madagascar. He could have fled the massacre to which he fell victim, but chose to remain with his flock. As he was clubbed to death, his pagan attackers tore off his cassock and insulted the priest’s religion. l Kateri Tekakwitha, daughter of a Christian Algonquin mother and a Mohawk father in New York state, was baptised by a Jesuit missionary in 1676 when she was 20. She died in Canada four years later. l Marianne Cope of Molokai led a group of sisters from New

US Church gears up for presidential election BY DENNIS SADOWSKI

N this election year, the US bishops’ Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development has undertaken an intensive effort to bring their document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” to as many Catholics as possible. The bishops want people in the pews to better understand their political responsibility, not just at the polls in November, but also as they consider any number of social issues locally or nationally on any given day. The department’s staff has established a website (www.faith fulcitizenship.org) with numerous resources, prayer guides, teaching tools and school activities in English and Spanish. The document, updated and released every four years, about a year before a presidential election, as a teaching document on the role of faith and conscience in political life. The document was discussed during the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington. Opening the gathering, John Carr, executive director of the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, told the 450 attendees the document is rooted in the Church’s social and moral teaching and is meant to help Catholics discern

their response to important political issues. “What ‘Faithful Citizenship’ does is give us different questions to ask. Are we better off? Are the unborn protected? Are the poor left to die? Is religious freedom protected? It’s questions of life and death and war and peace. It’s not just ‘the economy, stupid’, even in this moment of economic distress. It’s about who moves ahead and who gets left behind,” he said. “What ‘Faithful Citizenship’ does is ask us to look at politics from the bottom up,” he said. “How do policies, how do these leaders, how do these choices affect the people with no voice: unborn children, immigrants who have no hope, the poorest people on earth who have no place at the Senate Finance Committee and those who are left behind in this economy?” Mr Carr challenged Catholic Republican and Democrat leaders to embrace the full realm of Catholic teaching on the issues confronting the country if they truly identified with the Church. He also cautioned the delegates to be aware of attempts by individuals across the political spectrum to use the document to support their own views or to disavow it altogether for giving Catholics too much leeway in forming their conscience. In California, dioceses

already have begun raising awareness about the November election by joining a statewide campaign to place initiatives on the ballot that would end the death penalty and require parental or guardian notification when a minor seeks an abortion. Linda Batton, director of social ministries in the diocese of San José, California, said: “We have to see ourselves as bridge builders. I think our role in the works we do in ministry is to be carriers of hope in the middle of a devastating situation with the economy, people losing their homes, people being so overburdened with their own problems that it’s hard for them to see beyond their needs.” The bishops’ document already is forming the basis of a stronger advocacy push by the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP), said Sheila Gilbert, the organisation’s national president in the United States. “We have an absolute commitment to ending poverty,” she said. The SVP is looking to tap the stories of the poor people that local parish councils serve to help mainstream Catholics understand “there are policies, there are procedures, and there are laws that are really holding people in poverty”, she said.—CNS

Vatican: Arms treaty to protect the poor BY BRIDGET KELLY

HE unregulated sale and transfer of weapons and weapons’ technology harm the poor and threaten peace and security around the world, Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations, told a committee preparing for the UN Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty to be held in July. According to the UN, “the global trade in conventional weapons—from warships and battle tanks to fighter jets and machine guns—remains poorly regulated. No set of internationally agreed standards exist to ensure that arms are only transferred for appropriate use.” Archbishop Chullikatt said the Vatican believes the treaty’s

aim should not only be regulating the sale of conventional weapons, “but should be, above all, the disarming of the international illicit market”. If adopted, the treaty also would contribute to “the promotion of a true culture of peace through responsible cooperation between states, in partnership with the arms industry and in solidarity with civil society”. Responsible action and a “strong, effective and credible legal instrument that is capable of regulating and improving transparency in the trade of conventional arms and munitions” can help improve the situation and promote peace, he said. Archbishop Chullikatt said the Vatican would like to see

five points reflected in the treaty’s final text: l The treaty should include small arms and light weapons, which are easy to access on the black market and harm hundreds of thousands of people each year. l It should spell out the threats to human rights, humanitarian law and development posed by illegal weapons sales. l The treaty should promote and reinforce international cooperation and assistance. l It should include provisions for assisting victims of the illegal weapons trade. l The treaty should be flexible so it can be updated over time to cover new weapontechnologies as they are developed.—CNS

Thousands expected for youth festival

RGANISERS of Genfest 2012 are expecting 12 500 youths to participate in this years festival from August 31 to September 2 in Budapest, Hungary, followed by a six-day workshop in Rome. The gathering will feature

discussions, talks, prayer, reflection and music. It is sponsored by Youth for a United World, the youth branch of the Focolare movement. Members of Youth for a United World include Catholics, other Christians, members of other religious

groups and those with no religious affiliation. The upcoming festival and workshop will have as its theme “Let’s Bridge” and will be open to participants ages 18-30. The registration deadline is March 15. More information is available at www.genfest.org.—CNS

York to the Hawaiian Islands in 1883 to establish a system of nursing care for leprosy patients. l Anna Schäffer was a lay German woman born in 1882 in Bavaria who wanted to be a missionary, but could not because of a succession of physical accidents and diseases. She accepted her infirmity as a way of sanctification. She reported having had apparitions and stigmata. Her grave has been a pilgrimage site since her death in 1925. l Pedro Calungsod, a lay catechist born in Cebu, Philippines, and martyred by pagans on April

2, 1672, in Guam. His companion in martyrdom, the Jesuit priest Bl Diego Luis de San Vitores, is still awaiting canonisation. l Fr Giovanni Battista Piamarta was an Italian priest and founder of the Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth for men and the Humble Servants of the Lord for women. He died in 1913. l Carmen Salles y Barangueras founded the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. She worked with disadvantaged girls and prostitutes and saw that early education was essential for helping young women. She died in 1911.—CNS

LEADER PAGE

The Southern Cross, February 29 to March 6, 2012

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Editor: Günther Simmermacher

The living stones

ORE than at any other time in the liturgical year, except perhaps Christmas, on our Lenten journey we turn our minds to the Holy Land. When we follow the Stations of the Cross in our parish churches (or, with the advent of modern technology, on our cellphones), we do so in place of actually following the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem. Indeed, the practice of following the Stations of the Cross in Catholic churches was introduced in the 17th century for the benefit of the great majority of faithful who would never travel to the Holy Land. The Church encourages Catholics to make pilgrimages to the Holy Land, because these journeys, perhaps more than any other, produce great spiritual growth and a profound deepening of our relationship with the word of God. On a secondary level, Church leaders also urge Catholics to make pilgrimages to the Holy Land as a concrete sign of solidarity with the region’s fast diminishing indigenous Christian minority, virtually all of whom are Palestinians. Young Christian Palestinians in particular are leaving the region, especially the occupied West Bank, in large numbers. The reasons for that go deeper than the pursuit of greater economic opportunity. The treatment of Palestinians by the state of Israel, with the systematic restriction on free movement and other forms of daily humiliations, propels the exodus of young Arab Christians. Although relations between Christian and Muslim Palestinians are traditionally very good, increasing Islamic fundamentalism, especially in Gaza, is another cause for concern. Where Bethlehem once had a great Christian majority, Muslims now predominate in the city of Christ’s birth. And why should young Christians stay in a city that has been encircled by Israel’s “security barrier” (which in some places is twice as high as the Berlin wall) and where employment prospects are limited when a better life is possible elsewhere? It would be a tragedy if the living and unbroken presence of Christians in the Holy Land would come to and end. Only

160000 Christians live in Israel and the West Bank now—that is just 1,4% of the combined population—and of those, 20% are immigrants or missionaries. A century ago, Christians constituted 20% of the Holy Land’s population. The international congress of Franciscan custodians that took place in Jerusalem this year put it like this: “In the Holy Land one meets the living stones, the Christian communities, with their human, social and religious problems…We wish to continue to show the beauty and the strength of the Christian tradition of this Land.” Many Christians in the Holy Land, the “living stones”, say they feel forgotten, even by their fellow Christians—especially when the conflict between Israel and Palestinians is portrayed in religious terms, between Jews and Muslims. Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem, the leader of the Holy Land’s Palestinian Catholics, often says that the region’s Christians are feeling “left alone and isolated”, and yearn for signs of solidarity from the Christian family worldwide. Projects such as the International Day of Intercession for Peace in the Holy Land, an initiative started by international Catholic youth associations (which this year took place on January 29), serve as a concrete expression of solidarity, and should be richly encouraged. For pilgrims to the Holy Land, there is an opportunity to include in an itinerary not only the customary series of shrines and ruins—important though these are—but also to seek interaction with local Christians. Church leaders such as Archbishop Vincent Nichol of Westminster, England, and Fr PeterJohn Pearson, vicar-general of the archdiocese of Cape Town, have strongly advocated such interaction. This could take the form of personal contact as well as communal participation in prayer and liturgy. The obligation to help keep alive these living stones rests with Christians all over the world. Those who can afford it can help by going on Holy Land pilgrimages (preferably those that employ Palestinian Christian guides and ground operators). And all the faithful can help by prayer and advocacy for justice.

Vatican II’s enlightened ecumenism

LL Catholics who grew to adulthood pre-Vatican II will have had the grounding in our faith described in Fr Ron Rolheiser’s article “Why faith is thicker than blood” (February 8) to “distrust all religious things not Roman Catholic”. 40 years ago, had a Catholic priest espoused “faith is thicker than denominational or religious

Islam’s tenets

EGARDING Peter Onesta’s letter “Not much tolerance” (February 8) which responded to my letter “Not mad nor stupid” (January 18), I am only an innocent at heart longing for peace and tranquillity, in a world where people can respect each other and their values and not deliberately mix what is unlawful with what is clean. I would love to see a world where people are free to practise their faith without fear of churches breaking down and people being hurt, a world where Muslims can freely wear the head scarf without being dominated by the West. I have no doubt that Islam, my religion, has been victimised for decades and to this day because it goes against all evil: gambling, alcohol, prostitution and legalising abortion and killing. Thus this becomes a real threat to the West. There is corruption everywhere, in all countries and among all nations, but surely it is caused by the hands of man. We cannot hold the Christians in Pakistan responsible for what is happening in Turkey or Iran. “Do not take life which Allah has made sacred, except in a just course; if anyone is killed unjustly it is the same as killing all humanity and saving a person is the same as saving all humanity” (Qu’ran 5:32). The Holy Qu’ran teaches man to seek justice but do not transgress limits—hurting innocent people. Shedding of blood should be the last resort. Mr Onesta, I can understand and relate to where you come from with your anger and pain, but can the same be said by the majority of readers? When they read your response, isn’t all they see one angry man? Surely it is our duty to express what Islam truly stands for and nothing less, so that man can follow (if God so wills) and not by depriving them from their practice. Islam is totally against hurting any of God’s creatures. Go ahead and educate Muslims, bring to them what they are deprived of: “truth” of what is happening around the

KRUGER PARK VIVA SAFARIS (Member of SATSA)

SCHEDULED DAILY SAFARIS TO KRUGER PARK Fly-in and overland tours. See www.vivasafaris.com

Viva Safaris is engaged with 4 projects aimed at the upliftment of the Acornhoek community, including the COMBONI MISSIONARIES’ OUTSTATION

www.volunteersafaris.co.za Reservations:

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.

affiliation”, he would have been severely reprimanded by the hierarchy and excommunicated if he refused to recant. It would have been unthinkable that The Southern Cross would have published such “heresy”. Bravo Fr Rolheiser for your splendid succinct presentation of the teaching of Jesus, “Who is mother and brother and sister to

me?”, and the answer by Jesus to his question that “his true mother, true brother, true sister” are those who do the will of God. Bravo The Southern Cross for publishing Fr Rolheiser’s words of wisdom, which are further testimony to the enlightenment brought to our faith by Vatican II. Raymond James, Umhlanga Rocks

world and you would be amazed at the outcome. If their hearts still don’t humble, then it is not for you and I, but to leave it in the hands of Almighty God. Ma as salaama fi ama nillah (Go well in the protection of Allah/God). Razia Amod, Cape Town

Hatred Act. An atheist who was a former member of Bideford Town Council in Devon, England, contends that the saying of prayers before council meetings is unlawful under the European Convention on Human Rights. The Christian and in particular the Catholic faith is being destroyed in what can only be described as a crusade against religous freedom and belief. Catholics prefer to hide their light under a bushel for fear of incurring the wrath of militant secularists, but now is the time to speak up and act against the insidious attacks on the Christian way of life. Leo Vertenten, Bloemfontein

Faith under attack

ELIGOUS freedon enshrined in the constitution of most countries in the western world is being eroded on a horrific scale by governments and certain sectors of the population bent on curbing religous freedom, by protest street marches and pressurised intimitation against the Christian community. In Ireland a bishop is facing a “hate crime” complaint merely because he preached the Gospel. The complaint submitted to the director of Public Prosecutions in Ireland by John Colgan, an avowed humanist and former election candidate of the Fine Gael party, charged that Bishop Philip Boyce of Raphoe inflamed “hatred of dissidents, outsiders, secularists” during a homily he delivered recently. In the homily, the bishop said that the Catholic Church is under attack from “a secular and godless culture”. Bishop Boyce also said that “the distinguishing mark of Christian believers is the fact they have a future”. He was charged on grounds that these remarks “exemplify the chronic antipathy towards secularists and humanists, which has manifested itself in the ostracising of otherwise perfectly good Irish citizens”. The bishop was charged with the complaint that his homily violated the terms of the Incitement to Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. The letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate. Letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the Church accurately.

Our Lenten journey

S we go through our Lenten journey, it is our tradition to fast from something for the love of Christ during the 40 days. Individuals may differ in the types of fast they choose, but as we fast we must contemplate the fact that if it doesn’t mean anything to us, it won't mean anything to God. When we decide to make our Lenten sacrifice, God has seen it and it means something to him. We should not be fasting because everybody else is doing it and we just don’t want to be singled out. In our busy lives there is never a convenient time to fast, there are always upcoming events and it becomes a rollercoaster of temptations; sometimes we might even talk ourselves out of begining with our fast. But Jesus asks little of us, just “to have faith as a grain of a mustard seed”. If we really believe and our sacrifice means something to us, then God will get us through our fast. As we begin our Christian journey, we must establish a deeper and more intimate relationship with God, and let us not entertain king stomach, for we might find ourselves in Esau’s shoe (Hebrews 12:15-17). Gcinile Luvuno, Johannesburg

Is God calling you to the Religious Life in the Franciscan Family?

St Francis

We Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception strengthen our relationship with God by prayer in order to serve Him and His people. We work with all age-groups and where the Church needs us. Father Xico with partially completed church building

082 450 9930 Trevor 082 444 7654 Piero 082 506 9641 Anthony

If you wish to know more about us, contact:

The Vocations Directress at PO Box 2912, Middelburg, 1050. Tel (013) 243 3410, 072 213 4671

PERSPECTIVES Emmanuel Ngara

The distortion of faith

N last month’s column we discussed the struggle between Christianity and two ideologies: communism and capitalism. This month, concluding the series on issues relating to Church history, we examine the state of Christianity in our time, referring in particular to Europe, America and Africa. A Southern Cross report (January 4) cited a study which shows that the population of Christians in the world increased from 600 million in 1910 to 2,18 billion in 2010 of whom about 50% (1,1 billion) are Catholics. On the face of it this is a phenomenal growth which should cause Christians to rejoice at the number of people turning to the Lord. However, the same study shows that the population of the world rose from 1,8 billion in 1910 to 6,9 billion in 2010. Consequently the proportion of Christians has actually fallen slightly from 35% in 1910 to 32% in 2010. To have a clearer picture of the success of Christianity in our time we should see these figures in relation to Jesus’s command to his followers to go and “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:16-20). Much has indeed been achieved, but the harvest is still large and the labourers few. What is concerning is that there are some disturbing developments today, so much so that Pope Benedict has expressed the fear that faith is in danger of “extinguishing”. A major indication of this loss of faith is the rapid development of secularism starting with the second half of the 20th century. Secularism can be defined in simple terms as the banishing of religion from public life, and the fact of people turning away from God and consequently stopping going to church. Just before 2000, it was reported that 54% of the population of Britain practi-

cally never go to church. Today only about 6% of Britons attend church regularly. This trend is also true of countries like France and Sweden. In his book Christianity (2008), Michael Keene reported that “less than 10% of Europe’s population now attend church regularly, and there are clear signs that people have not only rejected the religious teachings of the Church, but are also refusing to accept its guidance in matters of personal and social morality”(p 86). The situation in North America is quite different. While secularism is also growing there, Americans are still very religious people. Keene estimates that the percentage of Americans who attend church regularly is about 45%, with the biggest denominations being the Catholic, Baptist and Methodist churches, in that order. But apart from the growing secularism, America has other problems. The first is what one writer has described as “fast-food Christianity”. This is a reference to the “Faith Movement” which preaches a very attractive form of Christianity which, among other things, teaches that you become rich by becoming a Christian.

Churches in secularising Europe are mostly empty now. In Africa, materialism and secularism pose a threat to mainline Christianity.

If it’s Friday, it must be fish

N the 1930s, when I was growing up in Ireland, Fridays were meatless days for Catholics. I often wondered why Friday should be a meatless day. Our father thought it was a form of spiritual discipline in memory of Christ’s crucifixion on a Friday. Our mother remembered the miracle when Jesus fed several thousand people with a few loaves and fishes. She would smile wryly and say: “I wish I could do that with my ravenous family.” At that time the world was in the grip of the Great Depression, with massive unemployment and a consequent shortage of money. In Ireland fish was plentiful and cheap, so this nutritional food was a boon for many. Normally the fish for our Friday meal was purchased from a larger-than-life character who dealt in fish and poultry. He was called Jiblets (from the word “giblets”), or Jib for short. Jib’s pony-drawn cart was liberally spattered with an unlikely pattern of fish scales and chicken feathers. He toured the town on Friday mornings, crying out in stentorian tones: “Hern alloy!” This could be translated as “Herrings alive”. Local housewives would assemble round the cart with basins and trays. The banter was always of a teasing, light-hearted nature. “Jib, ye miserable ould beggar, couldn’t ye throw in an extra couple of wee ones for good luck?” “Listen ma’am,” Jib would respond with mock seriousness, “just like yourself, I’ve got a family to feed, plus this pony of mine who eats like a Clydesdale stallion. D’ye want us all to die of malnutrition?” “And who is this Mal Nutrition?” one of the ladies would quip. Everyone, including

Jib enjoyed the repartee. Still, at a penny or less for a plump herring, Jib could never be accused of daylight robbery. Our Ma was a versatile cook. She could conjure up an appetising meal out of next to nothing. Ginger the family cat, purring like a dynamo, was very partial to fish. When Ma honed her special knife on the flagstones of the scullery floor, causing sparks to fly, Ginger would suddenly appear from nowhere. He always enjoyed the performance. On the operating table two dozen “hern” lay, their glassy eyes staring at us reproachfully. With easy expertise Ma removed heads, tails and innards. The split herrings, floured and seasoned, were then cooked in a large frying pan. In hundreds of local kitchens the atmosphere would be thick with the Friday smell of frying fish. At lunchtime, in the centre of our dining-table, surrounded by an array of sauces, was a large dish of steaming champ, a mixture of mashed potatoes, cream, butter and spring onions. The fried herrings on our plates were deliciously succulent. We learned how to remove the backbones with surgical precision. There was no need to remove the skins because we ate the lot. On rare occasions mackerel or whiting and, sometimes, crab or lobster would be served as a special treat. This was indeed food for the gods. On a Friday, while the butchers had a quiet day, the fish-and-chip shops did a roaring trade. A sixpenny “supper” wrapped in soggy newspaper was reckoned to be a “good feed at a good price”. The fish, coated in a savoury batter, formed a great partnership with crispy potato chips. People never seemed to worry about the un-hygienic packaging. Health risks from cholesterol and dubious fats were

Tony Wyllie & Co. Catholic Funeral Home

Personal and Dignified 24-hour service 469 Voortrekker Rd, Maitland Tel: 021 593 8820 48 Main Rd, Muizenberg Tel: 021 788 3728 Member of the NFDA

Christian Leadership

The second is a conservatism among the religious and political Right which causes them to ignore issues of justice and peace. The third is that many of the youth in America have a distorted view of Christianity. One researcher gives the following statistics: • 63% don’t believe Jesus is the Son of the one true God; • 58% believe all faiths teach equally valid truths; and • 51% don’t believe Jesus rose from the dead. Many religious leaders are proud of the rapid growth of Christianity in general and of Catholicism in particular on the African continent. It was recently estimated that about 50% of all Africans are Christians and that by 2010 the number of African Catholics would rise to 120 million. Against this growth we should note the following: First, a significant percentage of African Christians (over 30 million) belong to African Independent Churches whose theology is only loosely Christian. Second, fast-food Christianity is beginning to make a big impact on urban Africans, leading them away from orthodox mainline churches. Third, because of globalisation and the power of electronic media, young Africans are now exposed to the influences that have had a negative effect on Christianity elsewhere in the global village. All these developments challenge committed Christians to think seriously about how to build a church that can withstand the effects of secularism and materialism.

Brian McGrady

Catholic Memory

unknown. Yet many of the most avid consumers in town lived to be a hundred or more. In the summer holidays there was nothing better than an early morning bicycle ride to the small fishing village a few miles away. With a glorious sun rising over the Irish Sea the trawlers would be returning from their night’s fishing. They docked quickly and soon baskets of silvery fish were lined up on the quayside. Dealers would haggle vociferously with the trawler captains over the prices. When agreement was reached, the herrings were loaded on to waiting lorries, vans, carts and barrows which sped away to deliver their un-refrigerated cargoes to the local markets. The fishermen were always obliging and would give us youngsters a few small specimens of marine life lying around the decks. Then, as the seagulls screamed overhead, we would pedal home happy with our “catch”. George Bernard Shaw, the famous writer, once wrote: “If herrings were as scarce as caviar they would be the most precious food in the world.” Shaw was born in Dublin, where Molly Malone in the famous song once wheeled her wheel-barrow through streets broad and narrow crying: “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, O.” I wonder if Molly ever had a few fresh Dublin Bay herrings staring in wide-eyed wonderment from the containers of shellfish in her famous hand-cart! n Brian McGrady is a parishioner in Johannesburg.

ORFORD

on DStv audio channel 170

also streamed on radioveritas.ndstream.net Listen on iPhone or Blackberry: http://listenlivec2p1.ndstream.net:8030

CONSTRUCTION

ESTABLISHED 1982

Professional Supervision

Project Management Specialists in:

New Houses • Renovations • Alterations • Additions • Painting • Plumbing

• Property Management and Care For Advice call Julian Orford B.Sc. (Civ.Eng) Tel: (021) 794 5552 Fax: (021) 794 7088 Cell: 082 493 0563 E-mail: orford@mweb.co.za www.orfordconstruction.co.za

The Southern Cross, February 29 to March 6, 2012

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

Is baptism by immersion Catholic? A friend who watched a televised Mass on German television noticed that the sacrament of baptism was celebrated by total immersion. Is this a general practice? I have not come across this system and know of no Catholic churches with a pool of some sort to accommodate immersion. Paul Schwieger

APTISM by immersion means ducking the candidate either wholly or partially under water. In the New Testament, John the Baptist did so, although his was not Christian baptism. It is clear to us from Mark 2:10 that, when John applied this rite to Jesus, he did so by immersing him pretty deeply into the Jordan River: “No sooner had he come up out of the water than he saw the heavens torn apart.” In the Church’s early days, converts were generally baptised like this, but as the Christian faith grew and spread, it became difficult to find rivers or lakes for conferring the sacrament of baptism, so it was also done by pouring or sprinkling water on the candidates’ heads. This is the general liturgical practice today. Since the time of Vatican II, which recommended a review of all liturgical rites, there is now the option of baptising by immersion when this is feasible, and it seems there are a good few dioceses around the world where this is done, not only in Germany. As you indicate, a special pool has to be built for the purpose. The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults says: “Either immersion or the pouring of water should be chosen for the rite, whichever will serve in individual cases and in various traditions and circumstances” (213). Usually, an adult kneels in a pool of water about 60cm deep and the priest or deacon pushes the head into the water three times, saying the baptismal formula. There are other ways of doing this, depending on circumstances, and when immersing Infants, they must be supported carefully and gently. For St Paul, being ducked into water is like going into the tomb with Christ, and coming up again is like rising with Christ to a new life (Rom 6:4). The symbolism of this ducking can be powerful within the solemn ceremony, and that is why it is now permitted. “It is the original and full sign” of our new life (Catechism, 628).

n 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.

MICASA TOURS

The Southern Cross, February 29 to March 6, 2012

COMMUNITY St Anthony's parish in Pietermaritzburg held a retreat for those in the various ministries and all parishioners led by parish priest Fr Noel McHenry SPS. The theme of the retreat was "Celebrating and living the Eucharist in St Anthony's parish". Seen with Fr McHenry is part of the large group that attended (from left) Michael Kholopa, Dorothea Smith, Celia Naidoo, Lynette Noel, Leo Camp, Jay Stevens, Fr McHenry and Michaela Singh. (Photo: Richard Moodley)

Learners at Marist Brothers Linmeyer in Johannesburg celebrate Valentine’s Day in red and white clothing. (Submitted by Tracy Edwards) Students from St Dominic’s Priory School in Port Elizabeth won the SANBS Peer Promotions Floating trophy for outstanding support and service to the South African National Blood Service, as the blood top school drive in the Eastern Cape. (Back from left) Daniel Rowe, Robert McLennan, Lebohang Ncholu, (front) Chelsea Barnard, Bianca Chengan, Rebecca Hayter and Makuzolwe Makobo. (Submitted by Laura Gillies)

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

In every classroom of Holy Cross Primary School in Aliwal North, Eastern Cape, a Lenten corner reminds educators and learners of this liturgical season and they are all encouraged to reflect on the meaning of Lent. (Submitted by Sr Beatrix)

HOPE&JOY

The Southern Cross, February 29 to March 6, 2012

Learning to love the Bible For most Catholics, engaging with Scripture used to be limited to the weekly Mass readings, but by bringing Scripture close to the people, Vatican II intended to make access to God’s word part of the faithful’s daily lives.

ODAY, every day around the country, Catholics are engaging scripture in their communities, homes, parishes and education centres—and it is supposed to be fun! “The fact that the Church venerates the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord underlines the importance of Catholics engaging with Scripture,” says Margaret Mollett, former rector of Catholic Bible College. Ms Mollett, who also holds a doctorate in Biblical Studies from the University of South Africa, referred to 2 Timothy 3:16 to explain: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for very good work.” Bible study is not a preserve of tertiary institutions, but is becoming more accessible to the average person. The Catholic Bible College, for example, offers a popular correspondence course, says Christian Brother Mike Chalmers, who has long been engaged in promoting the study of Scripture in the Southern African Church. “Whether we work in schools or with adults, our aim is to give all a good experience of Scripture. Scripture is fun.” The Catholic Bible Foundation offers programmes that will give people effective methods which “will enable them to enter into a deeper understanding of the Word”, says Br Chalmers. The bishops of Southern Africa are encouraging the engagement with Scripture through Small Chris-

Claire Mathieson

A Church of Hope and Joy

tian Communities (SCC), and in specific adult catechetical programmes such as Ecclesia in Cape Town, Renew Africa in Port Elizabeth and Gospel sharing in Durban. Evelyn Siyoko of St Mark’s parish in Bloemfontein attended her first SCC cell group in 2007. She admits she was initially drawn to the group by the company she would enjoy each week. But soon there was more to it than just socialising: reading the Scripture and talking about it turned into living it. “There was a great sense of humour, love, care, openness, respect and dedication to live up to the word of God,” she recalls. Ms Siyoko attends an Oblate parish and believes she has grown thanks to her engagement with the Scriptures. “I know more about God and I have lived like an Oblate—by catering for our communities,” she says. Ms Siyoko’s cell group today has 35 young people interacting weekly. blate Father Raymond Mwangala, dean of studies at St Joseph’s Theological Institute in Cedara, KwaZulu-Natal, believes that today’s Catholics should welcome Scripture interaction. “It must be acknowledged that some of the prevailing negative attitudes towards Scripture among Catholics have their origins in bygone eras when lay Catholics were forbidden to read the Bible in private and when the Church condemned vernacular translations of the Bible.” The Mass and other liturgical ceremonies and rituals became more important than Bible-reading and study. “But the Bible, the written record of God's communication with humanity, should be at the heart of the Mass and all Christian devotions,” Fr Mwangala says. “The Bible is the written record of God’s communication with human beings. In the Bible we encounter God reveal-

ing the divine self and human beings responding to this revelation.” The Bible, he says, is the source of Christian life and spirituality and as such should be embraced in every opportunity. Ms Mollett says it was thanks to Vatican II that the transformation happened. “Responding to the goahead given by Pius XII’s encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu in 1943, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, declared in 1965: ‘Easy access to Sacred Scripture should be provided for all the Christian faithful’, and to ensure the accessibility of the Word of God at all times the Church would see to it that suitable and correct translations are made into different languages, especially from the original texts of the sacred books,” the academic explains. She says organisations, dioceses, bishops’ conferences, Bible centres, colleges, schools, institutes, associations; missionary and religious orders “are all, according to their individual capacities, agents in this—not only by encouraging study of the Scriptures, but in literally putting the Bible into the hands of Catholics”. Ms Mollett says all Catholics should be given the opportunity to engage in the Bible. Fr Mwangala agrees, citing St Jerome, the great biblical scholar who in the 4th century translated the Bible into Latin: “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” “Together, the written record of God’s self revelation [Scripture] and Christian tradition forms the one source of Christian life and faith,” says Fr Mwangala. owever, while Fr Mwangala believes every Christian should be familiar with Scripture, “not everyone is expected to engage in academic or formal biblical studies”. He says that the aim of Bible study is never simply to acquire intellectual knowledge but rather to come to know the God revealed in the Scriptures—something which can be achieved in many different forms of interaction. Oblate Brother Lehlohonolo Molete works in youth ministry in Bloemfontein. “We encourage all

our young people to participate and engage in cell groups to the best of their capabilities.” Br Molete says he has witnessed emotional encounters in these Small Christian Communities (SCC). He says the groups become an opportunity to vent whatever one is experiencing without fear of being judged or marginalised and an opportunity to draw closer to God. “The atmosphere transcends prayer and scriptural sharing,” he says. “In a cell group, young people start with a prayer, then share the Word of God, then they reiterate the words that touched them in the Scripture in they own words. This is followed by their understanding of the gospel.” He says the young Catholics then discuss how they will live the Scripture in their lives. For those who want to start engaging further in the Word, Ms Mollett suggests first following the Sunday and daily readings in the lectionary. Remember that the lectionary does not include all Scripture, but “by joining a Bible-sharing group, a workshop or enrolling in a study programme you will find all the smaller parts of the landscape gradually falling into place. When so inclined, move to a higher level, and in so doing encourage others who are also wanting to engage more with Scripture,” she recommends. From academic courses available countrywide to intimate small group sessions, the way in which

Catholics are encouraged to engage in the Bible is vast—whichever direction you choose is up to you, but do indeed choose to engage. “We only have to read the psalms to see how joy is present in the many expressions of thanksgiving and acknowledgment of God’s love, protection, mercy, forgiveness, bounty—even his stern decrees, as these are for one’s own good,” says Ms Mollett adding that there is plenty to gain from a deeper relationship with Scripture. In his apostolic exhortation on the Bible, Verbum Domini (2010), Pope Benedict wrote that the joy reflected in the Scriptures also becomes our own joy. “By proclaiming God’s word in the power of the Holy Spirit, we also wish to share the source of true joy, not a superficial and fleeting joy, but the joy born of the awareness that the Lord Jesus alone has words of everlasting life,” the pope wrote. For Fr Mwangala, Scripture is indeed the source of great joy primarily because “God speaks to men and women in and through Scripture; what great joy, that our God speaks to us in human signs and symbols!” The study of Scripture is also a source of joy for those who give themselves to it in faith, he says. “In studying Scripture we come more and more to realise that God continues to communicate with human beings—that even in our day God is very close.”

MONK?

YES! If you are seeking God …And you desire to live a life of prayer and personal transformation …And you are able to live the common life… Perhaps you have the vocation to do so as a Benedictine Monk

For more information contact:

The Abbot Inkamana Abbey P/Bag X9333 Vryheid 3100

The Prior Benedictine Abbey Subiaco PO Box 2189 Pietersburg 0700

vocationslcm@zol.co.zw

FOCUS

The Southern Cross, February 29 to March 6, 2012

Christians fear ethnic cleansing in Kashmir

After an Islamic court ordered the expulsion of a Catholic priest and a Protestant pastor and his family from the Indian side of Kashmir, the tiny Christian community lives in fear of suffering the ethnic cleansing experienced by Hindus there two decades ago, as ANTO AKKARA reports.

HE Sharia court in Muslim majority Kashmir has no constitutional or legal authority. But the recent verdict of the same court ordering the expulsion of five Christians, including Dutch Mill Hill Missionary Father Jim Borst, from the troubled Indian side of Kashmir has sent alarm bells ringing among Christians in India. “The situation is getting worse,” said Bishop Peter Celestine Elampassery of Jammu-Srinagar diocese during the national assembly of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) in Bangalore, attended by 170 bishops in India in February. “It is humiliating and certainly threatening for us,” Bishop Elempassery said about the Sharia court verdict and the subsequent baiting of Christians in the local Kashmiri media. The court order followed an incident on January 28 when the motorbike belonging to the vicar of Holy Family church in Srinagar, Fr Mathew Koonanickal, was set on fire by unidentified miscreants—not under cloak of darkness, but at noon on a busy Saturday.

Srinagar is the capital of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, nestled in the snow-capped Himalayas. Fr Borst has been based in Kashmir since 1963. Now he and two Protestant pastors and their wives must leave, having been accused of “luring the [Kashmir] valley Muslims to Christianity”. The verdict of the Islamic court focused more on Pastor Chander Mani Khanna of the Protestant All Saints church at Srinagar. He was pronounced guilty of conversion. The pastor of the Church of North India had been arrested in November by state police on the dubious charge of “fomenting communal trouble” after Muslim groups pressed conversion charges against him. Though the civil court released him on bail, the Sharia court went ahead with its own trial. Reading out the verdict of the Sharia court, the deputy grand mufti of Jammu and Kashmir, Nasir-ul-Islam, said: “Khanna and his associates have been found guilty of spreading communal disaffection and were involved in immoral activities. They are ordered to be expelled from the state.” A well-known retreat preacher, Fr Borst has been running the Good Shepherd’s school at Pulwama. The school was partially burnt during widespread protests against the reported desecration of Qu’ran in the United States during the 9/11 anniversary in 2010. Apart from ordering the expulsion of the five Christians, the Sharia court also directed the state government of Jammu and Kashmir to take over the management of the Christian missionary schools.

Catholic leaders, Christians groups and Kashmiri Christians all have expressed alarm over the Sharia court pronouncement and the subsequent Christian-bashing in the local media. The Kashmir valley has fewer than 400 Christians, against 4 million Muslims. The Times of India, India’s largest circulated English daily, noted in a headline: “Kashmir zealots push Christians into valley of fear”. The report said that even Juan Marcos Troia, an Argentinian football coach who trains local youth and develops the sport in Kashmir, is now facing the heat of the Christian-phobia. State football association officials have questioned him about the funding for his clubs. While a whisper campaign is on against the “Christian coach” by Islamic fundamentalists. His house has been vandalised, his two dogs killed. The coach has even received death threats. “This is not a good development. In the 1970s, they targeted Sikhs and from 1980, they went after the Hindus. It looks like that now they want to target us,” said Bishop Elampassery on visit to Srinagar.

n the entire Kashmir Valley, there are only a dozen or so symbols of Christianity, including half a dozen churches, half a dozen Christian schools, and a couple of hospitals. “What is going on there right now is the plan to scare away the remaining Christians from Kashmir. They want to make it an exclusive Muslim area,” asserted Predhuman K Joseph Dhar, a Kashmiri Catholic with a Hindu background. Mr Dhar, an educationist and

Muslim policemen wearing helmets and caps enjoy a free bus ride with nuns and nursing students of St Joseph’s hospital from a remote village during relief work after the 2005 October earthquake in Kashmir. Now an Islamic court has ordered the expulsion of a priest and a Protestant pastor, and newspapers are agitating against the region’s tiny minority. (Photo: Anto Akkara) scholar who has translated the Bible into Kashmiri, recalled that he fled Kashmir with his family in January 1990 after mosques across Kashmir valley simultaneously ordered over loudspeakers that Hindus leave the Muslim majority region. More than 400 000 Hindus in Kashmir fled the region to Hindu majority Jammu and other parts of India. Though he had been a Catholic since 1984 when his entire family of six had embraced the Christian faith, Mr Dhar too fled Kashmir as they were also of Hindu origin. “Right now there are fewer than one hundred Christians of Kashmiri origin in the valley. Others are migrant Christians,” Mr Dhar pointed out. “Still, concocted reports are appearing in the Kashmir media targeting us,” said Mr Dhar, himself a journalist.

ne of these is the story of the January 22 arrest of four “recent converts” while they were going to collect “financial emoluments” from the church. “This is absolutely a concocted story and explains the hidden agenda behind the ongoing antiChristians propaganda,” Mr Dhar said. The Times of India reported that an article titled “Apostasy unveiled” appeared in Kashmir’s leading English daily a day after the Sharia court verdict. It presented a lurid account of the purported conversion of a Muslim youth, enticed with money, liquor and a young girl. “We [Christians] are not bound by the pronouncements of the Sharia court,” said John Dayal, a Catholic and general-secretary of the All India Christian Council. “Even the conversion charge against the pastor is baseless,” said Mr Dayal who visited Kashmir as part of an ecumenical factfinding team. He met Pastor

Khanna in the wake of the conversion controversy. Mr Dayal described the Sharia court’s demand of government control of the Christian schools in the Kashmir valley as “irrational”, saying that the overwhelming majority of the students and even teachers in those schools are Muslims. However, Mr Dayal said, the ongoing propaganda against Christians “does not reflect the will of the Muslim majority”. It is the outcome of competing Islamic groups trying to cash in on anything that would enhance their Islamic nationalist campaign “in a turbulent situation”, the outspoken Christian activist said. The Muslim-majority Indian side of Kashmir has waged a bloody campaign for secession from the Indian union and a merger with Muslim-majority Pakistan, which controls part of Kashmir. The campaign has claimed more than 30 000 lives since 1990. A “white paper” on the Kashmir situation by the Mumbaibased Catholic Secular Forum (CSF) pointed out that in the antiHindu campaign of 1989-92, “men were murdered, women were raped, property was destroyed and threats were issued”. There are fears that Christians might be targeted in a similar campaign. “The situation in Kashmir is serious. We are shocked by the silence of the state and central governments on this,” said CSF general-secretary Joseph Dias. “Christians in the Kashmir Valley face persecution from a hostile neighbour, local Islamic communalists, fundamentalist courts, extremists/terrorists—[and a] state government which has decided it cannot act,” the Catholic group said. In the meantime, it called on the federal government “to look at the situation more seriously”.

BLIND READERS OF

For more information contact: The Vocations Directors:

Fatima Convent P O Box 7 GLEN COWIE, 1061 Cell: 076 923 8319 Tel: 013 298 1006

P.O Box 17204 WITBANK, 1035 Tel: 013 656 3708 Cell: 082 838 5428 lekgala.m@gmail.com

A group of readers is preparing audio tapes of excerpts from The Southern Cross, including editorials, selected articles, and regular features, as well current affairs in the Church. Anyone wanting to receive tapes as part of this service, available for an annual subscription fee of only R50, is invited to contact Ms Veronica Vieyra at “Clareinch”, Union Ave., Pinelands, 7405 or phone 021-532 0661.

The Post Office will deliver and return tapes without charge.

Should you know of any interested blind person, please inform them of this service.

The Southern Cross, February 29 to March 6, 2012

CLASSIFIEDS

Sr John Barry OP

ISTER John Barry died on January 30 at Sunward Park Hospital in Boksburg after a short illness. Sr John was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1920. In 1947 she entered the Newcastle Dominican Sister’s novitiate at Rosary priory in England where she continued her musical studies. She made her final profession in 1952 before leaving for South Africa. Her first assignment was at Holy Rosary Convent in Dundee, where she taught music. Sr John had a deep love of the liturgy and inspired others to share in it. She was a woman of great faith. Her teaching ability was evident and led to the furthering

of her academic studies. She became a committed and capable teacher in each of her congregation’s schools in Dundee, Benoni, Newcastle and Boksburg. In her later life she joined the Pietermaritzburg community and assisted in the liturgical training of younger sisters, as well as doing catechical work in the parish. Sr John retired to Marian House in Boksburg, but remained active and involved in the liturgy until her last days of active life in the community. Her brother, sister-in-law and her five nieces and a nephew came from Ireland to attend her Requiem Mass on February 3,

Liturgical Calendar Year B Sunday, March 4, Second Sunday of Lent Genesis 22: 1-2, 9-13, 15-18, Psalms 116: 10, 15-19, Romans 8: 31-34, Mark 9, 2-10 Monday, March 5, feria Daniel 9: 4-10, Psalms 79: 8-9,11,13, Luke 6: 36-38 Tuesday, March 6, feria Isaiah 1, 10: 16-20, Psalm 50: 8-9, 16-17, 21,23, Matthew 23: 1-12 Wednesday, March 7, feria Jeremiah 18: 18-20,, Psalms 31: 5-6, 14-16, Matthew 20: 17-28 Thursday, March 8, feria Jeremiah 17: 5-10, Psalms 1: 1-4, 6, Luke 16: 19-31 Friday, March 9, feria Genesis 37: 3-4, 12-13, 17-28, Psalms 105: 16-21, Matthew 21: 33-43, 45-46 Saturday, March 10, feria Micah 7: 14-15, 18-20, Psalms 103: 1-4, 9-12, Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32 Sunday, March 11, Third Sunday of Lent Exodus 20: 1-17, Psalms 19: 8-11, 1 Corinthians 1: 22-25, John 2: 13-25

PILGRIMAGE OF HEALING TO THE MEDUGORJE FESTIVAL NEW FOR 2012

24 JULY TO 7 AUGUST Includes 10 nights in Medugorje at the Festival. Not to be missed! Organised by Mrs Leonie Smith. Accompanied by a spiritual director. Cost from R19220

Tel: (031) 266 7702 Fax: (031) 266 8982 Email: judyeichhorst@telkomsa.net

J.M.J

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 (R1,15 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

which was celebrated by Fr Martin Roden OP and Fr Raphael Ntlou OP. Sr John was buried in St Dominic’s cemetery Boksburg. Rest in peace. Sisters at Marian House, Boksburg

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO #486. ACROSS: 5 Undo, 7 High altars, 8 Mull, 10 Top brass, 11 Dorcas, 12 Tirade, 14 Stasis, 16 Stains, 17 Borrowed, 19 Lust, 21 Sanctified, 22 Exit. DOWN: 1 Sham, 2 Chalices, 3 Cloths, 4 Carpet, 5 User, 6 Dissidents, 9 Unorthodox, 13 Real life, 15 Sewing, 16 Sedate, 18 Rest, 20 Tide.

Community Calendar

To place your event, call Lara Moses at 021 465 5007 or e-mail l.moses@scross.co.za, (publication subject to space)

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: Day of Prayer held at Springfield Convent starting at 10:00 ending 15:30 last Saturday of every month—all welcome. For more information contact Jane Hulley 021 790 1668 or 082 783 0331. Sr Rosemarie of the Holy Cross Sisters is looking for musical instruments (new or used) for the elderly and adult patients of the psychiatric ward to help make a “holy noise to the Lord”. Contact Sr Rosemarie at the Holy Cross Convent, Modderdam Road or call 021 934 6006. You can

HOT POT PAINT AND HARDWARE (PTY) LTD

46, 12th Street, Springs, 1559 Tel: (011) 362 3071, (011) 362 4682/3, (011) 812 1655/6/7

leave your gift at reception at Nazareth House, Upper Mill Street, Cape Town. DURBAN: St Anthony’s, Durban Central: Tuesday 09:00 Mass with novena to St Anthony. First Friday 17:30 Mass. Mercy novena prayers. Tel: 031 309 3496. JOHANNESBURG: 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. PRETORIA: First Saturday: Devotion to Divine Mercy. St Martin de Porres, Sunnyside, 16:30. Tel Shirley-Anne 012 3614545.

Pray that AFRICA may draw closer to the HEART OF CHRIST 2 Chron 7:14 Matthew 7:7-12

BRANCHES: Springs

(011) 362 3071

Vereeniging

(016) 427 5525

Alberton

(011) 907 8676

Benoni

(011) 422 2331

Heidelberg

(016) 349 5886

Boksburg

(011) 892 5186

Randburg

(011) 678 2436

PH 021 447 4727

DEATH

to my assistance. Help me now in my urgent need and grant my petitions. In return I promise to make your name known and publish this prayer. Amen. RCP.

IN MEMORIAM

GRATEFUL thanks to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Mother Mary and Ss Joseph, Anthony, Jude and Martin de Porres for prayers answered. RCP. THANKS to Sacred heart, St Jude and St Gerard for prayers answered. A Boy.

CHAPMAN—Sr Catherine (Xavier) Chapman died suddenly and peacefully in England on February 19, aged 82. Remembered by the Sisters of Notre Dame. LOVATT—Terence (Ted). Lovingly remembered by wife Eileen, children Graham and Patricia and grandchildren.

PERSONAL

ABORTION is murder— Speak out on this issue. ABORTION WARNING: ‘The Pill’ can abort, undetected, soon after conception (a medical fact). See website: www.humanlife.or g/abortion_does_the_pill.p hp LOOK AT santuario-fa tima.pt. Show your friends. RETIRED PRIEST available for house-sitting and care-giving companion Durban or can travel. Phone Charles 072 424 6454. YOU CAN have no culture of life until you have a culture of Christ. See www. abort73.com/end_abortion CRUCIFIXES FOR AFRICA: Made in four complete sizes. Phone/Fax: 046 604 0401 for details and brochure.

STOCKISTS OF: Paint, Hardware, Geysers, Rollup garage doors, Sink tops, Bosch Power Tools.

ALL AT THE VERY BEST PRICES! Looking to open franchises in ALL areas.

THANKS

THANKS for favours received. J.S.

PHOTOGRAPHY

ACCURATE IMAGES. Professional—weddings/ events. Gauteng. Chris 084 663 2424

PRAYERS

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

Lephalale (Ellisras) Mike or Annette (014) 763 3147

If interested please contact Nero or Gerald on 083 4606650

TO COMMEMORATE YOUR SPECIAL OCCASION, PRINT YOUR LOGO & EVENT ON T-SHIRTS!! CONTACT ALLEDENE CUPIDO AT PRISON CARE AND SUPPORT NETWORK MONDAY TO FRIDAY BETWEEN 09.00 - 13.00. We offer reasonable rates. Please fax or email the office for a quotation. Contact numbers: 021 4174 (Telephone & Fax 021 697 531 0550 021 1348 086 697 628 4499 Email: prisoncare@mweb.co.za

fast on request. Tel: 082 774 7140. bzhive@ telkomsa.net KNYSNA: Self-catering accommodation for 2 in Old Belvidere with wonderful Lagoon views. 044 387 1052. KZN SOUTH COAST: Honeywood: Luxury chalets & The Cellar boutique restaurant. 7 x 4sleeper luxury chalets. Quiet urban forest retreat opposite Sea Park Catholic Church. Ideal for retreats & holidays www.honeywoodsa.co.za honeywood@honey woodsa.co.za Tel 039 695 1036 Fax 086 585 0746. LONDON: Protea House: Underground 3min, Piccadilly 20min. Close to River Thames. Self-catering. Single per night R300, twin R480. Phone Peter 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 mjsalida@mweb.co.za STRAND: Beachfront flat to let. Stunning views, fully equipped. Garage, one bedroom, sleeps 3. R450 p/night for 2 people - low season. Phone Brenda 082 822 0607

RETREATS

THANKS for favours received. Patric.

ACCOMMODATION OFFERED

CAPE TOWN, Cape Peninsula: Beautiful homes to buy or rent. Maggi-Mae 082 892 4502, AIDA Cape Lifestyle Homes, 021 782 9263 maggimae@aida capelifestyle.co.za

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

CAPE TOWN: Fully equipped self-catering, 2 bedroom apartment with parking, in Strandfontein @R400 or R480 (low/high season) (4 persons per night ) Info: Paul 021 393 2503, 083 553 9856, vivilla@telkomsa.net BETTY'S BAY: (Western Cape) Holiday home sleeps six, three bathrooms, close to beach, R800/night. 021 794 4293 marialouise@mweb.co.za FISH HOEK: Self-catering accommodation, sleeps 4. Secure parking. Tel: 021 785 1247. GORDON’S BAY: Beautiful en-suite rooms available at reasonable rates. Magnificent views, break-

To advertise in this space call Elizabeth Hutton 021 465 5007 or e-mail advertising@ scross.co.za

PLETTENBERG BAY: Sat Chit Anand Interfaith Spiritual Retreat Centre. Make space in your life for Spirit. Enjoy a peaceful holiday with optional meditation, mass, theology classes, yoga. Interfaith chapel, library, and healing centre. Self-catering cottages. Priests stay free. See www.satchitanand.co.za for more info phone 044 533 0453 or email satchi tanand@global.co.za

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

www.scross.co.za

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

Advisory Editor: Michael Shackleton Editorial staff: Claire Mathieson

(c.mathieson@scross.co.za)

Claire Allen

(c.allen@scross.co.za)

Lara Moses

(l.moses@scross.co.za)

Thandi Bosman

(t.bosman@scross.co.za)

Manager: Pamela Davids (admin@scross.co.za)

Advertising: Elizabeth Hutton (advertising@scross.co.za)

Subscriptions: Avril Hanslo

(subscriptions@scross.co.za)

Dispatch: Joan King

(dispatch@scross.co.za)

Accounts: Desirée Chanquin (accounts@scross.co.za)

Published independently by the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company Ltd, Cape Town

Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect those of the editor, staff or directors of The Southern Cross. The Southern Cross is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa. Printed by Paarl Post, 8 Jan van Riebeeck Drive, Paarl. Published by the proprietors, The C a t h o l i c Newspaper & Publishing Co Ltd, at the company’s registered office, 10 Tuin Plein, Cape Town, 8001.

NOAH OLD AGE HOMES

We can use your old clothing, bric-a-brac, furniture and books for our shop which is opening soon. Help us to create an avenue to generate much needed funds for our work with the elderly. Contact Ian Veary on 021 447 6334 www.noah.org.za

Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000 • 10 Tuin Plein, Cape Town, 8001 Tel: (021) 465 5007 • Fax: (021) 465 3850

Editorial: editor@scross.co.za

Advertising: advertising@scross.co.za

Website: www.scross.co.za

3rd Sunday in Lent: March 11 Readings: Exodus 20:1-17, Psalm 19:8-11, 1 Corinthians 1:22-25, John 2:13-25

UR Lenten journey should be a matter of keeping our eyes on God, and asking, “Who is God, and what does God want of us?” That is the (double) question that next Sunday’s readings ask. The first reading is the first account of the “Ten Words” or “Ten Commandments”, which we tend to regard, a bit uneasily, as “all that Thou Shalt Not stuff”; but, if you look carefully, you will see that it starts with God’s autobiography; for the opening line is “I am the Lord your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt, and from the house of slaves”. Once we have grasped that, everything else follows: nothing else could possibly count as a god (meaning that which you put at the centre of your life); and there is no point in making “graven images” to worship. It is very strongly put, “I the Lord your God am a jealous God”; translate that, and you see the logic of it, that once you have realised the truth about God, that there is one and only one, then it is simply silly to think that anything else might be a real God. Once you have worked that out, then

•

Business manager: admin@scross.co.za

•

Subscriptions: subscriptions@scross.co.za

Digital edition: www.digital.scross.co.za

•

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thescross

What does God want from us? Nicholas King SJ

Sunday Reflections

obviously you will keep the Sabbath Day; and, equally obviously, you will treat your fellow-humans as made in God’s likeness, and utterly deserving of respect. So you will not kill, commit adultery, or steal or do any of those other things that, all too often, look like a way out of our various difficulties. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The p sal m for next Sunday is, as it stands, a hymn to God’s Law, which is “perfect, and revives the soul”. So you can’t go round with a long face, saying how ghastly it is that we have all these rules and regulations from the Almighty. They are, like this time of Lent, a great gift to us, a signpost on the way. The poet-singer goes ecstatic over them: “More desirable than gold, even highcalibre gold, and sweeter than honey.” And

we should listen to that. In the second reading , Paul, trying to stop his Corinthians from quarrelling, wants them to focus on the things that really matter, namely God, and what God wants, and his beloved Jesus. As Paul tells them: “We preach Christ, the crucified one.” That sounds absurd, he admits, but “to those who are called, whatever race or religion they belong to, Christ, the power of God”. Then he admits that we don’t really understand all this, with a very daring image: “God’s stupidity is wiser than human beings; God’s weakness is stronger than human beings”. Try reflecting on that, as you keep your eyes on God and on Jesus, this week. Then look at the gospel, and learn. There is a shiver at the beginning: “The Passover of the Judeans was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” We shiver because we know that it is when he goes up to Jerusalem on a later visit to the feast that he is going to die that appalling death to which our present season of Lent is now taking us. We should also shiver, because we know

Can non-Christians be saved? A S Christians we are asked to carry a very real tension in terms of how we understand the salvation of nonChristians because we have two seemingly conflicting teachings within our scriptures and our tradition. On the one hand, Jesus reveals a God who is forever just and fair and who unequivocally wills the salvation of everyone. On the other hand, Jesus tells us that he, and he alone, is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one goes to God except through him. And through 2 000 years of history, Christians have always taken those words to mean essentially what they say. So where does that leave us? How do we take seriously both the universal salvific will of God and the belief that everyone needs to be saved through Christ? There are no easy answers, though radical conservatives and radical liberals are both tempted to think so. We are asked to carry that tension without being able to fully resolve it. So here, as a suggestion, are ten principles to help us carry the tension: 1. Given our theology of God we may not believe that God favours some people to the detriment of others. 2. Given our theology of God we must believe that the whole of humankind has never lacked Divine Providence. 3. Given our theology of God we should be hesitant in judging others and should allow, both for others and for ourselves, the possibility of “invincible ignorance”. 4. Given our theology of God we may

Conrad

083 640 5848

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

not believe that God has somehow deemed as illegitimate and unworthy of salvation the sincere hearts and sincere prayers of billions of people because their hearts and prayers were not explicitly Christian. 5. Given our theology of God we may not believe that, at any given time in history, the vast majority of humanity is being excluded from salvation because they have no explicit link to Jesus or the Christian churches. 6. Given our theology of God we may not believe that a purely external, historical connection to Christianity is more important to our intimacy with God and the salvation of our souls than are gratitude, warmth, humility, willingness to reconcile, and openness of heart. 7. Given our theology of God it is wise to believe that compassion of heart and the gifts of the Holy Spirit within a person trump all externals in terms of our connection to God. 8. Given our theology of God and our Christian tradition, we are asked to believe these truths, namely: • That the full mystery of Christ is larger than what can be perceived within historical Christianity. There is, as the old catechisms affirmed, not just a “visible

Christ” but also an “invisible Christ”. • That all good things have God as their author and that therefore everything that is good, including what is good inside other religions, comes from God. The same holds true for what all that is good, true, and beautiful within secular culture. • That God is revealed in multiple ways within nature, within human reason, within human conscience, and within our lives. • That Christ is a structure within physical creation and that physical creation itself was made through Christ and bears his imprint in its structure and design. • That non-Christians can be saints. • That the visible Christian Community is tangible grace and tangible salvation: It offers salvation, here and now, in the flesh, albeit imperfectly. It is the final state already present so that, at least ideally, within it one can find explicitly the aid, the support, the affirmation, the challenge, the revelation, the wisdom, and the celebration needed to come to the fullness of life. • That the visible Christian community tells a person of his/her birthright and helps him/her to appropriate more fully that birthright, that is, as daughter or son of God and as brother or sister with all the sincere. • That the visible Christian community is a privileged instrument of mediation and salvation. It has been asked by Jesus to preach salvation, explicitly, to all the earth. It has a special place and responsibility (as did Mary, Jesus’ mother) in bringing to completeness God’s universal salvific will. Through it “all the nations of the earth will be blessed”. 9. Given our theology of God, our Scriptures, and Christian tradition, we have two ultimate options apposite to how we might understand the salvation of non-Christians: A theologically agnostic one (Don’t speculate on this, leave it to God) or a nuanced Christian one which posits various distinctions within baptism (“baptism by desire”, “baptism by blood”) or within different ways of being inside the mystery of Christ (Anonymous Christianity, the mystery of Christ as being larger than historical Christianity, a visible and an invisible Christ). 10. Given our theology of God it is perhaps healthiest to critically step back into the beauty and richness of mystery and believe, in the words of the Anglican scholar Rev Kenneth Cragg, that: “It takes a whole world to understand a whole Christ.”

from the Synoptic gospels that the prophetic gesture in the Temple that this story reveals is going to lead to his death. He pulls no punches, of course: “Making a whip out of ropes he expelled them all from the Temple; those selling cattle and sheep and doves and the money-changers sitting there, and turned over their tables,” and yells at them about “my Father’s house”. This produces two different kinds of reaction: his disciples quote Scripture, while his opponents demand “a sign”. In response to them, Jesus utters the remark that was to be quoted back to him at his trial “Undo this Temple—and in three days I am going to raise it up”. It is a deeply subversive remark, even though we (like his disciples, much later on) read it as referring to the Resurrection. Much later on, the evangelist comments, the disciples remember it, and “they believed in Scripture, and in the word that Jesus had spoken”. So Jesus’ word takes on biblical status. We thoughtfully continue to watch Jesus, and see in him the God who sent him on this Lenten journey.

Southern Crossword #486

ACROSS 5. Loosen what’s done (4) 7. Sunday Masses are celebrated here (4,6) 8. Think about warm wine (4) 10. People in charge of the band? (3,5) 11. Peter raised her up (Ac 9) (6) 12. I rated angry outburst (6) 14. State of inactivity (6) 16. Dirty marks on church window panes? (6) 17. Taken and used what’s for returning (8) 19. It’s a capital sin (4) 21. It’s fancied to have been consecrated (10) 22. Way out (4)

DOWN 1. Bogus person (4) 2. Sacred goblets (8) 3. Woven fabrics (5) 4. Woven fabric that could be red (6) 5. Ruse about employer (4) 6. Sid sends it about those in opposition (10) 9. Not traditional (10) 13. Not the ideal existence (4,4) 15. Kind of class for those who’ve got the needle (6) 16. Seated around and staid (6) 18. Relax with the remnant (4) 20. It waits for no man (4) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

N atheist, a priest and a rabbi are having lunch when the discussion turns to the point when a person’s life begins. The atheist says: “No question about it, life begins when the child is born.” The priest shakes his head and says: “No, no, no. Life begins at conception.” The rabbi also shakes his head and says: “You’re both wrong. Life begins when the children have left home and the dog is dead.” Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.