The Southern Cross - 120418 by The Southern Cross

www.scross.co.za

April 18 to April 24, 2012

Parish of the Month from Pretoria

Page 10

Priest’s Titanic photos re-published

Page 4

R5,50 (incl VAT RSA)

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 4771

Catholic life and the rosary

Page 9

SA Catholic to represent Africa at South Pole BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

A Models pose with the various handbags wearing Rajo Laurel’s new sportswear line at the launch in Manila, Philippines. The high-fashion purses are produced by poor women living on the fringes of one of the largest dumpsites in the Philippines who, inspired by a Jesuit, started their own company called Rags 2 Riches. (Photo: Simone Orendain, CNS)

From rubbish dump to the catwalk BY SIMONE ORENDAIN

FASHION show in Manila’s business district was in full swing, with models walking the runway slinging brightly coloured purses of different styles from Philippine fashion powerhouse Rajo Laurel’s latest collection. The high-fashion purses have come a long way from their humble beginnings: they are made from floor mats that in turn were made of old rags discarded in one of the largest rubbish dumps in the Philippines. The evolution of the rags to riches started five years ago with a vision held by a Jesuit seminarian who was assigned to a parish at the Payatas dumpsite, north-east of Manila; about 60 000 people live around the dump’s fringe. Fr Xavier Alpasa said he saw exploitation flourishing as he ministered in this deeply impoverished community. Women were buying dumpsite scraps

that scavengers picked and sewing them into rugs to be sold commercially at a huge profit. Fr Alpasa took on the role of middleman for the women. He and several friends who wanted to help then tapped designer Laurel for ideas on how to make the rugs more marketable. Laurel took the rugs and created accessory concepts out of the big squares. Folding the material, he saw wine-bottle holders, wallets and purses. He said he no longer saw rags. So the for-profit fashion company Rags 2 Riches (www.rags2riches.ph) was born with a goal of doing good while also increasing its bottom line. Today the weavers fill orders for Rags 2 Riches, making quality rugs and high-end accessories out of garment factory leftovers, organic materials and indigenous fabrics. They sell at specialty boutiques in five-star hotels and high-end malls, so each piece is made to very high standards.—CNS

’60s recording nun gets a tribute CD BY MARK PATTISON

LENTY of well-known recording artists have been the subject of tribute albums recorded by all-star casts of performers doing cover versions of their songs. The tribute subjects have ranged from Bruce Springsteen to the Eagles to Sonny Bono to Woody Guthrie. Now a new tribute subject has been unveiled: the Medical Mission Sisters. The sisters’ first album, Joy Is Like the Rain, was released in 1966. It was certified gold for sales of 500 000 copies in the United States—unheard-of at the time for Catholic religious music, and possibly the only gold record for the genre until the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo do Silos’ 1994 CD Chant went triple platinum for sales of 3 million. The sisters were prolific, recording 15 albums in the studio—more than Madonna or The Eagles—before their songwriter, Sr Miriam Therese Winter, switched her writing to theological topics. Dan Paulos, head of the St Bernadette Institute of Sacred Art in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has an ambitious tribute plan. Of the estimated 250-300 songs the Medical

Mission Sisters recorded, he plans on rerecording 100 of them, including 12 songs Sr Miriam Therese wrote but never recorded. The first CD, Loving You, contains 21 songs, including three of the new tunes. Sr Miriam Therese even returned to the recording studio. “The first recording was 46 years ago, and four of the originals [sisters] went back and recorded more songs,” Mr Paulos said. Singing on Loving You are soul legend Melba Moore, the Limeliters and Elisabeth von Trapp, granddaughter of Maria von Trapp, whose story was told in The Sound of Music. Also performing is ’70s folk singer Janis Ian, who is Jewish. On the next CD release, Mr Paulos said, there will be “a Muslim woman singing a Christian song, which thrills us to no end” As with many such tribute projects, there’s a charity angle. “Every cent actually does go to the Medical Mission Sisters. It’s our way of saying we can’t do a lot, but at least we can give of our time and talent,” Mr Paulos said. “I’ve got it set up with iTunes and Amazon.com. It goes directly into their [the order’s] account, so we don’t have to go into the whole money thing.”—CNS

SOUTH AFRICAN Catholic will be representing Africa as she embarks on an expedition to the South Pole to mobilise international interest in water issues by creating conversations to inspire action. “We want the world to recognise that there is a problem and that if we do not start changing our behaviour now then it may become too late,” said Kim Smith, a parishioner of Ss John and Paul in Belhar, Cape Town. She will leave for the human rights expedition, called Your Expedition, in November this year. Ms Smith will join renowned polar explorers and educators Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft who will lead the team of six women, from six continents, covering approximately 1200km over 80 days to the South Pole. “The idea is to spend ten days focusing on each continent’s water issues and the respective women will communicate with the world during this time. I will be communicating Africa’s problems,” said Ms Smith. She hopes that “people will realise that clean water is not an unlimited resource”. Ms Smith, a recent convert to the faith, said her involvement in the project came through her involvement in volunteering for non-profit community organisations in Khayelitsha, a township in Cape Town. During this time, Ms Smith received a scholarship at the University of the Western Cape to do her masters in development studies. It was there that she learned about the expedition through Norwegian funders, who encouraged her to apply. “I sent the application and forgot about it until a few weeks later when I received a book in the post from the expedition leaders, Ann and Liv. I went to Norway to meet them, skied for the first time and never looked back. Ask Liv and Ann why they choose me and they’ll say that this project is about everyday people who have the passion and willingness to want to change the status quo. We want to inspire ordinary people, especially women, to do a similar thing.” Ms Smith said water is a difficult topic to raise awareness about because it is very difficult to understand that there is a problem when you are not directly affected by it. “The access to clean water is a basic human right. If we all have the right to life then we have the right to water because water is life. Water is embedded in every aspect of life. It is an economic and political issue and so it does affect all of us directly and/or indirectly whether we like it or not. It is what connects us all and therefore the usage and conservation thereof becomes our issue,” she said. Ms Smith said while she is anxious about the trip, she is also very excited. “I have an idea of what to expect in terms of the routine and protocol, but I have never experienced such cold temperatures and long hours of physical activity yet. I guess I will only know what it is like when I get there but in the meantime I will train and find ways of assimilating the actual conditions so

Kim Smith, who will join a South Pole expedition in November. that I am well prepared.” Ms Smith said she is currently preparing both physically and mentally for the expedition. It is more of a mental challenge than it is physical “I am cycling, hiking, running and hitting the gym regularly to strengthen my back, legs and arms. Closer to the time I will pull tyres on the beach and up hills.” But the biggest challenge will be the cold. To prepare, “I will sit in a cold room and do some exercises in there to practise my motor ability. In such cold temperatures your bodily functions decrease so I want to practise to move in the cold. “I also need to gain at least 15 kg before I leave for insulation from the cold and I’ll lose so much weight it's best to start off with much more. We will be pulling our sleds for up to eight hours a day so a strong body is vital and, even more so, a strong mind to get me through those long, gruelling hours in solitude.” Ms Smith said the expedition hopes to raise water as an international issue. “We need to start thinking about future generations and as Christians we need to realise that valuing and respecting the planet is just as necessary as being kind towards each other.” She said water consumption, accessibility, quality and scarcity are becoming issues that world leaders are considering as one of the greatest challenges of our time. She said the Catholic community can support her by becoming aware of these issues and taking action. “We also need your moral support by keeping our team in your prayers for a safe and successful expedition,” she added. “My goal is to make this experience relevant and meaningful in our context.” Ms Smith welcomes suggestions and can be contacted on k-smith1@live.com n For more information and to follow the expedition visit www.yourexpedition.com or www.facebook.com/yourexpedition

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2012

LOCAL

Nappy stroll to support Durban home BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

ESIDENTS of Durban are invited to take part in the first ever Nappy Stroll—a fundraising and nappy collection effort that aims to raise funds and collect supplies for eSimphiwe Baby House and Children’s Shelter in the archdiocese. The event was brainchild of Julie Munstermann, a Durbanborn resident of Amsterdam whose new year’s resolution was to organise one fundraising event each year. “I chose eSimphiwe as I liked what I saw, and because I have a five-month old at the moment— the little ones are especially rele-

vant in my life right now,” said Ms Munstermann. eSimphiwe Baby House and Children’s Shelter was established to assist abandoned, abused and Aids orphaned or affected babies and children, with or without disabilities, up to the age of 14. The Christian home, supported by Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Westville, works towards giving their babies a chance of adoption or forever placement within a loving family of their own. “Our overall objective is the care of abandoned, abused and orphaned children finding forever homes and to equip the community with the knowledge of how to care for our children in South

Africa,” said the home’s Jessica Sinclair. Since its inception in 2003, the home has cared for and placed more than 370 children. Today the home’s work has spread across the archdiocese of Durban with outstations in Richmond, Westville and Camperdown. The home is also involved in training child and youth care workers and believes in working closely with communities. “eSimphiwe works alongside individuals and local health care workers to identify high needs areas and individual cases affected or infected by Aids and/or poverty. eSimphiwe Home Trust assists with food, medical supplies,

obtaining identification documents and gives moral support to poor and sick families, child headed homes as well as having a passion for schools and crèches with orphans and very poor and under privileged children,” said Ms Sinclair. Nappies are a constant need at eSimphiwe where more than 4 400 are used each month. “We want to be able to consistently provide clean nappies for each and every one of these children. If you wish to support us in this way, your donations would be so appreciated to help meet this need,” said Ms Sinclair. This year’s Nappy Stroll will be the first of its kind but it is hoped

that it will become a yearly event. The Nappy Stroll takes place along the Ballito promenade on April 28 at 11am. Families and interested parties are asked to donate a pack of nappies on the day of the 2km walk. For those that cannot attend on the day it will still be possible to donate. n For more information contact nappystroll@yahoo.com or visit the Nappy Stroll Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/HwTcmg Donations can also be deposited in the home’s bank account: Esimphiwe Home Trust, account number 1648 084 508, Nedbank Cascades, branch number 164826. Name and phone number to be included in the reference.

Nardini pioneer celebrates her 80th BY SYDNEY DUVAL

ISTER Agathana Trinkl, a surviving member of the Franciscan Nardini pioneers who arrived in South Africa 57 years ago to work in education and health care, celebrated her 80th birthday at a gathering of the Nardini community at Vryheid convent. Two special guests were there to celebrate with Sr Trinkl: Nardini mother-general Sr Hiltrud Baumer, who was on a pastoral visit from Mallersdorf, Germany, and Sr Sola Schaumann, now 92, who landed at Durban with the first batch of pioneers in January 1955. The birthday party was a surprise celebration at the end of a meeting called to review and amend the regional guidelines concerning the Nardini constitu-

tion. Both Sr Trinkl and Sr Schaumann continue to be active members of the Nardini community at Nkandla. Sr Trinkl ran the Vryheid kitchen for 45 years until she was transferred to Nkandla in 2000 where her expertise with needle and thread and in making special greeting cards is appreciated at home and abroad. The Trinkl family from Aichach, outside Munich, has deep connections with the Franciscan Nardinis. Sr Trinkl and her twin sister, Sr Fridolfa, were among the second group of pioneers who arrived in KwaZulu-Natal in November 1955. Sr Fridolfa worked first as a nurse at Nkandla Hospital which the Benedictine Sisters had handed over to the Nardinis in 1958. Because of her nursing skills she became principal of the nurses’

training college until 1973 when she became ill and returned home to Germany where she died in 2008. Sr Trinkl’s brother Stefan Trinkl, a primary school principal at the village of Wilprechtszell for 17 years, became deeply interested in the work of the Nardinis at Nkandla, especially in their Sizanani Outreach Programme which serves vulnerable children as part of its comprehensive health, welfare and humanitarian service. He set up a trust to collect funds to support Sizanani. Mr Trinkl died in 2008, a few months after Sr Fridolfa, but in accordance with his special wishes the trust continues to this day to support Sizanani in an exceptional spirit of Christian compassion and in solidarity with the Nardini motto: “Caritas Christi urget nos.”

Benedictine House Cedara, KZN

Features & Facilities:

• Pristine evergreen and breathtaking forestry view consist of 1,7 sq hectares of small holding • Office space with toilet & shower • Entrance hall with plenty parking space • 3 Ensuites rooms (it includes spacious office, a bedroom, shower and toilet) • 6 Rooms includes shower and toilet • 19 Rooms with shared communal toilets and showers • Built in cupboards in most rooms • Complex is fully furnished • 3 Public toilets • Spacious-well equipped kitchen and pantry • Large Refectory for meals with 2 separate pantries • Chapel or Conference room • 2 TV rooms • 1 Meeting or lounge room • 4 Concealed and enclosed garages This beautifully positioned residential complex in the Midlands area (gps location: -29.515382, 30.272064) off the N3 is located 25kms from the urban hub of Pietermaritzburg and situated between the towns of Hilton and Howick taking the Cedara R102 Hitlon road on the 96 off ramp road. It’s opposite the environmental Cedara Agricultural College and within 1km from the famous religious study centre of St. Joseph’s Theological Institute. It is also within proximity of many different religious communities studying at Cedara.

Target Market

We intend to oﬀer long term rental to Non-governmental Organizations such as: Churches, Charity organizations, Developmental and Aid/AIDS Organizations, etc. It can be used ideally as a Study House, Conference facility, Retreat centre, Senior Citizen home, Children’s home, Care or Rehab centre.

Other info

Monthly Rental: R15,000 per month, Availability: Immediately, Contact person: Fr. John Paul OSB, Contact number: 071 068 4979, Email address: cellarer@inkamana.org

Franciscan Nardini pioneers serving in South Africa since 1955 are Sr Sola Schaumann (left) and Sr Agathana Trinkl, who recently celebrated her 80th birthday. (Photo: Sydney Duval)

PILGRIMAGES 2012

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l Medjugorje

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Sacred Heart Private Primary School

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL POST

Sacred heart primary school, founded in 2000, is an independent catholic English-medium primary school situated in the rural area of Taung, St.Pauls Mission, Northwest province. The school is well established with proud academic record but still requires further improvement. The School Board invites applications for the above post. The successful applicant must be able to subscribe to and promote the Catholic Ethos of the school.

The following criteria will also be considered; • Strong management, organisational and leadership skills preferably in a Catholic educational environment. • A committed Professional with a dynamic, visionary approach to challenges of present-day education in South Africa. • Be fully acquainted with current trends and developments in Education in South Africa. • The ability to contribute to the development and implementation of strategic planning. • Suitable teaching Qualiﬁcations with experience in a primary school. Salary package is negotiable. Please apply in writing to: The manager, Sacred heart primary school, P.O Box 5826, Taung 8584, Cell: 0848409142, Email: Saheta@lantic.net, Giving details of Qualiﬁcations, experience and names of two contactable referees. Closing date: 20 May, 2012

The school reserves the right not to proceed with the ﬁlling of the post. An application will not in itself entitle the applicant to an interview or appointment and failure to meet the requirements of the advertised post will result in applicants automatically disqualifying themselves from consideration. Only short listed candidates will be contacted.

LOCAL

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2012

Dutch Homeplan build homes in Zululand A BY STAFF REPORTER

St Apollinaris Hospital’s ARV treatment programme is now supported by President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) through the SACBC Aids Office.

ARV monitoring system for Umzinkulu diocese BY SR ALISON MUNRO

HE ARV treatment programme at St Apollinaris Hospital, formerly a mission hospital in Creighton, Umzinkulu diocese, and now under the Department of Health in KwaZuluNatal, is now supported by President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) through the SACBC Aids Office. The SACBC Aids office and its

partner Catholic Relief Services are collaborating with the Department of Health to transfer all ARV patient data captured in the PEPFAR programme from the hospital and outlying clinics into the department's new Tier.net monitoring system. A huge challenge in the country’s ARV programme is managing patient data since there is no national monitoring system yet in place.

The new group of students who started their eight-week Youth Employment Skills (YES) programme at the Salesian Institute in Cape Town. About 75 students began their journey which involves a three week life skills course followed by five weeks of hard skills in bricklaying, tiling, computer literacy and office management and computer maintenance. Photographed with the young people is Br Clarence Watts, director of projects at Salesian Institute (front second from right). The young people are holding a map of the salesian world and “they are ready to conquer the world”.

GROUP of 18 Dutch volunteers visited remote villages of Hlabisa in the vicariate of Ingwavuma during March and April, staying with local families and assisting in the building of houses for orphan-headed households, which they are sponsoring. Based in the Dutch city of Breda, Homeplan is an association of professional people, mostly in the construction and engineering sectors, who sponsor houses for the poorest of the poor in developing countries. A partnership between Homeplan and the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference Aids Office was formed in 2010. During the initial pilot project, caregivers identified households with orphans most in need. Local builders were used to construct two-room houses. Ten were built around Ndumo, and another ten around Kosi Bay—both in Ingwavuma. “The pilot was so successful that the programme has been expanded—in the current phase, 30 houses have been earmarked for Hlabisa, 20 for Ndumo and 20 for Swaziland,” said the Aids Office’s Johan Viljoen. Homeplan arranges a “building trip” several times each year— sponsors of houses visit the communities where houses are being built, live with local people, share in their daily life and assist in building houses. Mr Viljoen said the group of 18 men and women, between 40 and 60 years old, arrived at the end of March. During the welcoming Mass, Bishop José Luís Ponce de León pointed out that the choice of dates was significant—it happened to be the feast of the Annunciation—“and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us”. The motto of the vicariate is also “the Word was made flesh”. And this was exactly what the Dutch were doing—incarnating

Dutch volunteers from Homeplan travelled to Ingwavuma to build houses for orphan-headed families in the area. the Kingdom of God’s values of compassion, solidarity and service. Mr Viljoen said the volunteers were taken to their hosts where they immediately started work on building houses for the orphans. “The reality of the poverty and destitution they encountered was harrowing. One couple built a house for a blind, 99 year old grandmother, who was living in a hovel built of sticks with her six grandchildren. Another couple built a house for nine orphans who were living together in a three by three metre shack,” said Mr Viljoen. The participants ate with their host families—all caregivers— washed in the open air, and slept in the huts prepared for them. Mr Viljoen said the hosts and volunteers built not only houses but also strong bonds and positive relationships. “The organisers limited the number of days that participants were to stay with their host families, because they thought the

Dutch would find the living conditions difficult to deal with. They need not have worried. The visitors and their hosts bonded so well, that they all wanted to stay an extra night!” On the final day, the Dutch visitors, their host families, the orphans they were building for and the builders they were building with all attended Mass —some 200 people in total. After that there was a braai, with singing and traditional Zulu dances. Mr Viljoen said the Dutch visitors ended their visit with a trip to a nearby game reserve. “That evening, the Dutch debriefed. The feeling of the group was unanimous. Nothing could possibly have prepared them for the extreme poverty, deprivation and tragedy faced daily by their new friends. Simultaneously, they were astounded by the dignity, positivity and unfailing humour of the Zulu people. The hospitality and sense of community were overwhelming.”

Have any local news?

Send your local news to news@scross.co.za or call 021 465 5007

Ursulines of the Blessed Virgin Mary We are the Ursulines of the Blessed Virgin Mary, called to serve Christ through education of girls, women and servants, pastoral and social work. Do you feel God’s call? Join us.

11-25 May 2013 Contact Vocation directress: Ursuline Sisters PO Box 36 Ngqeleni 5140 Cell: 072 958 2111 OR Box 212 Libode 5160 Tel: 047 555 0018

Join The Southern Cross and the Archbishop of Pretoria on a special pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Meet with local Christians – the Living Stones – before travelling to Rome to see the Pope and to Assisi to see original relics of St Francis and St Claire. HOLY LAND: Jerusalem (with Via Dolorosa). Bethlehem. Nazareth. Cana (with an opportunity to renew marriage vows). Mount of Beatitudes. Capernaum. Boatride on The Sea of Galilee. Mount Tabor. Jordan River. Ein Kerem. Dead Sea, and much more. Guided by a professor from Bethlehem’s University! ITALY: Rome with PAPAL AUDIENCE, the four major basilicas (incl. Mass in St Peter’s), catacombs, ancient sites. Assisi and the beautiful Rieti Valley, where St Francis lived and invented the Christmas crib. CAIRO: Pyramids. Sphinx. Nile Dinner cruise.

Price: R29 300 (incl. airport taxes, subject to currency fluctuations)

FOR FULL ITINERARY OR TO BOOK: Gail at 076 352 3809 or 021 465 5007 or fax 021 465 3850 or e-mail pilgrimage@scross.co.za

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The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2012

INTERNATIONAL

Bishop will have to stand trial for not reporting priest’s child porn

US BISHOP will have to stand trial on misdemeanour charges of failing to report suspected child sexual abuse. A Missouri judge declined to dismiss the charges against Bishop Robert Finn and his diocese of Kansas City-St Joseph.

The ruling by Judge John Torrence paves the way for Bishop Finn and the diocese to stand trial, set for September. Both the bishop and the diocese have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Justice Torrence denied motions by attorneys for the bishop, who had argued during a hearing that

the charges should be dismissed because they were unconstitutionally vague and that Bishop Finn was not the diocese’s designated official responsible for reporting sexual abuse to authorities. “The court finds that the evidence in this case is sufficient to allow a jury to conclude that Bish-

op Finn was a designated reporter as defined by Missouri law,” Justice Torrence wrote. He also ruled “that persons of ordinary intelligence have no difficulty understanding the meaning of ‘immediately report’.” When contacted, the diocese and its lawyers did not comment

on the ruling. In October, Bishop Finn and the diocese entered pleas of not guilty to misdemeanour charges of failure to report child abuse brought by the prosecutor in the case of Fr Shawn Ratigan, who was arrested in May 2011 on charges of possessing child pornography.—CNS

Jesuit’s Titanic photos Vatican probe ‘disturbs’ Irish priests’ association republished in book BY MICHAEL KELLY

BY SARAH MACDONALD

OMMEMORATIONS of the sinking of the Titanic 100 years ago have put the spotlight on a young Irish priest whose photographs are some of the only surviving images of life onboard the liner on its first and last voyage. Jesuit Father Frank Browne (1880-1960) became a prominent documentary photographer and a much-decorated chaplain in the British army in World War I. A collection of his photographs, Father Browne’s Titanic Album, has been reprinted to mark the centenary of the demise of the massive liner, which was constructed in Belfast, Ireland, and was believed to be unsinkable. More than 1 500 people died when it sank on April 15, 1912. The new edition of the book is edited by Fr Edward O’Donnell SJ, and the foreword is written by Robert Ballard, who first located the ship’s wreckage in September 1985, the same month as a chance finding of 42 000 of Father Browne’s photographs in the basement of the Jesuits’ headquarters in Dublin. Fr Browne lived an eventful life. As a novice he met Pope Pius X in 1909 when he accompanied his uncle, Bishop Robert Browne of Cloyne, to a private audience at the Vatican. He was also a university classmate of Irish writer James Joyce, who featured the young seminarian as “Mr Browne the Jesuit” in his masterpiece Finnegans Wake. In 1912, the Jesuit novice was still three years from ordination. Because of a gift from his uncle, he was able to experience the Titanic’s luxurious accommodation in the initial stages of its maiden voyage, from Southampton, England, to Cherbourg, France, and on to Queenstown, Ireland.

Fr Frank Browne SJ took rare photos of life on the Titanic, which have been republished in a book (right). Then still a Jesuit novice, he was disappointed when his superior ordered him off the ship on its fateful maiden voyage. While onboard, the self-taught photographer managed to obtain pictures of the first-class accommodation and dining rooms. He also captured the gymnasium, the library and passengers enjoying a stroll on the promenade, as well as many passengers in third class, recording some of those who would later perish in the freezing waters of the Atlantic. He took the last image of the Titanic’s captain, Edward Smith. Fr Browne’s images of the ship’s accommodation and passengers have been pored over by maritime historians, engineers and filmmakers seeking answers to a tragedy that still grips the public’s imagination. Hollywood film director James Cameron used his photographs to re-create sets for his blockbuster movie. The Jesuit’s image of 6-year-old Robert Douglas Spedden playing with his spinning top on the promenade, watched by his father Fred-

eric, is one of the most famous of the collection. Cameron re-created the image in the film. The young Jesuit photographed the Titanic leaving port for the last time as it left Queenstown, in County Cork, for New York. He could have been onboard: An American couple he befriended on the ship offered to fund the final leg of the journey to New York. From the Titanic, he sent a telegram to his provincial in Dublin to request permission. However, a frosty telegram awaited him in Queenstown: “Get off that ship.” When news of the Titanic’s disastrous fate reached Fr Browne, he folded the telegram and put it into his wallet and kept it there for the rest of his life. He later said it was the only time holy obedience had saved a life.—CNS n Father Browne’s Titanic Album, edited by E E O’Donnell is published by Messenger Publications in Dublin (www.messenger.ie).

HE Irish Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) said it is “disturbed” that the group’s founder, Redemptorist Father Tony Flannery, is under investigation by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In a statement, the priests’ association—which represents about 20% of Ireland’s 4 000 priests— described the “intervention” as unfair, unwarranted and unwise”. “We believe that such an approach, in its individual focus on Fr Flannery and inevitably, by implication, on the members of the association, is an extremely illadvised intervention in the present pastoral context in Ireland,” the statement said. It insists that “the issues surfaced by the ACP since its foundation less than two years ago...are not an attack on or a rejection of the fundamental teachings of the Church. Rather, they are an important reflection by an association of over 800 Irish priests—who have given long service to the Catholic Church in Ireland—on issues surfacing in parishes all over the country”.

The Irish Catholic newspaper reported this month that Fr Flannery has been asked by the Vatican to stop writing articles in the order’s monthly magazine. In the past he has called for reconsideration of the Church’s teachings on a variety of issues, including the ordination of women, the ban on artificial birth control and mandatory priestly celibacy. The investigation of Fr Flannery comes just weeks after the summary report of the Vatican’s apostolic visitation to Ireland criticised what it described as “a certain tendency, not dominant but nevertheless fairly widespread among priests, religious, and laity, to hold theological opinions at variance with the teachings of the magisterium”. Reality, the monthly magazine of the Irish Redemptorist community, has also come in for Vatican scrutiny. While Fr Gerry Moloney, the magazine’s editor, refused to comment, it is understood that he has been informed by his superiors that the magazine should no longer contain articles that question the Church’s teaching.—CNS

Alert security saved lives in blast BY PETER AJAYI DADA

N archbishop has credited Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency for preventing a catastrophe at a Christian church on Easter when a suicide bomber was turned away and ended up detonating a car bomb on a busy street in the northern city of Kaduna, killing at least 39 people. Archbishop Mathew Ndagoso of

Kaduna said that while the blast claimed dozens of lives, the death toll would have been much higher had the bomber been able to enter the grounds of the Evangelical Church of West Africa, where Easter services were being held. Two churches sustained serious damage from the blast but reported no injuries. Nearby hotels and homes had their windows blown out and roofs torn off by the force of the explosion.—CNS

RELAUNCH Prior to the special Hope&Joy sms SERIES, readers of The Southern Cross might have subscribed to the REDEMPTORIST sms SERVICE

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY To reactivate or initiate the subscription to the Redemptorists’ THOUGHT FOR THE DAY, sms the word CATHOLIC to 31222 to receive an inspirational DAILY message for only R7 per week. To opt out, sms STOP CATHOLIC to 31222. customer care +27 21 702 3333

Who are the Norbertines? To misquote William Shakespeare: “A rose by any other name smells just as sweet”

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

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2012

Can business lead to holiness? Vatican tells how BY CAROL GLATZ

N an effort to help businesses stay strong and healthy, and avoid the occupational hazards of greed, overwork and exploitation, the Vatican’s Justice and Peace council has released a handbook for business educators and entrepreneurs. “Vocation of the Business Leader: A Reflection” is a 30-page primer from the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace that spells out the risks of unethical economic strategies and the principles needed for running a sound, moral business. It seeks to heal the so-called “divided life” of Catholic employers, who may practise their Christian values at home and Church, but not in the company they manage or run. “Dividing the demands of one’s faith from one’s work in business is a fundamental error which contributes to much of the damage done by businesses in our world

today, including overwork to the detriment of family or spiritual life, an unhealthy attachment to power to the detriment of one’s own good, and the abuse of economic power in order to make even greater economic gains,” the booklet says. The ethical principles of the Church’s social teaching are presented not as hindrances to the smooth functioning of a market economy but as tools for its repair. “Without guiding principles and virtuous leadership, businesses can be places in which expediency overcomes justice, power corrupts wisdom, technical instruments are detached from human dignity, and self-interest marginalises the common good,” it says. The reflection was unveiled in Lyon, France, where about 2 000 people gathered for a world congress of Christian business leaders. The council’s president, Cardinal Peter Turkson, presented the guidebook, saying the Church wanted to help business people excel in their

field and their faith. Far from portraying business as a bogeyman, the text acknowledges that “businesses produce many of the important conditions which contribute to the common good of the larger society” and support the well-being of individuals. But when the common good and human dignity are neglected in an exclusive pursuit of profits and dividends, an otherwise noble vocation has been hijacked.

he handbook offers a renewed vision of what successful businesses are meant to be and do. The booklet provides “business leaders—and future ones attending business schools—with both principles and tools for discovering the good and deliberately pursuing it”, helping them “grow in the virtue of charity as befits their vocation and their degree of influence” in society, said Cardinal Turkson. Kishore Jayabalan, director of Acton Institute’s Rome office, and a former official at the Justice and

Pope Benedict set for Lebanon trip BY DOREEN ABI RAAD

OPE Benedict will visit Lebanon from September 14-16, Maronite Catholic Patriarch Bechara Rai has announced. Patriarch Rai said that the pope will meet with the country’s religious and civil officials, including President Michel Sleiman, a Maronite Catholic. During an open-air Mass in Beirut on September 16, the pope will present the apostolic exhortation on the October 2010 special Synod of Bishops, which met under the theme: “Communion and Witness”. In a statement, Mr Sleiman said the pope’s visit would affirm the depth of the “historical relations that tie Lebanon with the [Vatican] and will form an occasion to focus on Lebanon’s position, message and role as a witness of freedom and coexistence.” It marks the pope’s second visit to the Middle East; in May 2009 he made a Holy Land pilgrimage, visiting Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories. The announcement comes amid increased concern over the plight of Christians across the Middle East, emigrating in

Pope Benedict prays in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem during his pilgrimage in 2009. He will return to the Middle East in September with a visit to Lebanon. (Photo: L'Osservatore Romano) increasing numbers. Of Lebanon’s population of nearly 4 million, approximately 33% are Christian, considered a high estimate. Half a century ago, Christians represented about half the population. In Iraq, a Christian exodus since the US-led invasion in 2003 has reduced the Iraqi Christian population by two-thirds. In an interview with Vatican

Radio, Archbishop Paul Sayah, vicar-general of the Maronite patriarchate, said the pope’s visit would “inject a new dynamism”, not only in the Lebanese society and Christians, but in the whole region. Noting that the Christian presence in Lebanon has a “significant impact” on the country, Archbishop Sayah said the visit would “incite the Lebanese once again to play the role they are expected to play in this part of the world”. The archbishop said the apostolic exhortation would offer “a special message not only to Lebanon but also, and especially, to the countries of the region” where the outcome of the “socalled ‘Arab Spring’” is still “not yet clear”. The pope’s message, he said, will be especially important for the “tragic situation” in Syria, “which I am sure the Holy Father will address in one way or another.” The Arab world “badly needs a word of encouragement, a word of hope,” he said, emphasising that Christians in the region need directives on how to approach the “new reality” of the difficulties they face amid a revolution in their homeland.—CNS

Two cardinals die within a few days BY CINDY WOODEN & WALLICE DE LA VEGA

SYRIAN cardinal and Puerto Rico’s only cardinal have died within days of one another. Syrian-born Cardinal Ignace Moussa Daoud died on April 7 in a Rome hospital. The 81-yearold cardinal was the retired prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches and the former patriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church. After a Latin-rite funeral Mass in St Peter’s basilica, Cardinal Daoud’s body was flown to Beirut for a Syriac-rite burial with the other patriarchs of Antioch. Cardinal Daoud was born Basile Moussa Daoud in Meskene, Syria, on September 18, 1930, and had served as archbishop of Homs. Ordained to the priesthood in 1954, he earned a degree in canon law from Rome’s Pontifical Lateran University. He was elected bishop of Cairo in 1977 and archbishop of Homs in 1994. The synod of the Syriac Catholic Church, one of the Eastern churches in communion

Cardinals Alporte (left) and Daoud, who died this month with Rome, elected him patriarch of Antioch in 1998 and, following Syriac tradition, he took the name Ignace in honour of St Ignatius of Antioch. He resigned as patriarch in 2001 after Pope John Paul II named him prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, which oversees the Vatican’s care for the 22 Eastern Catholic churches that originated in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and North Africa and that continue to maintain distinctive liturgical and legal systems. He retired as prefect in 2007.

ardinal Luis Aponte Martinez, the second Puerto Rican to be ordained a bishop and the only Puerto Rican cardinal, died on April 10 after a long

illness. He was 89. The head of the San Juan archdiocese for nearly 30 years, he retired in 1999. Cardinal Aponte participated in the two 1978 conclaves that elected Popes John Paul I and John Paul II, but he was already over 80 and ineligible to vote by the time Pope Benedict XVI was chosen. Puerto Rico’s Governor Luis Fortuno declared five days of official mourning for the cardinal, who died on the 62nd anniversary of his priestly ordination. Born on August 4, 1922 in Lajas, Puerto Rico, the eighth of 18 children, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1950. Pope John XXIII named him as auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Ponce in 1960. When he was ordained a bishop later that year, he was the second native Puerto Rican to be made a bishop, and the first since 1814. Promoted to archbishop of San Juan in1964, Pope Paul VI named him a cardinal in 1973. As a bishop, he attended the first, third and fourth sessions of the Second Vatican Council.— CNS

Peace council, praised the council’s decision not to dictate policy, but to take a more pastoral approach. “It’s trying to encourage and inspire business people” and prompt them to “think about how to incorporate their faith more into what they do”, and it shows that “it is possible to be a good Christian and a good businessman; they’re saying there’s no fundamental incompatibility,” Mr Jayabalan said. The primer was the brainchild of three business educators: Robert Kennedy and Michael Naughton of the University of St Thomas in St Paul, Minnesota, and André Habisch of the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Germany. What was needed, the three professors concluded, was a simple, concise primer that compiled key principles and aimed specifically at helping business schools form ethical leaders and at guiding business practices worldwide—from small shop owners to corporate executives. The initial idea was to craft

something short that would avoid the lofty language typical of Vatican documents, and which would be as practical as possible. While the pastoral reflection is a “welcome approach,” the booklet lacks concrete examples or anecdotes showing how business people can readily apply the teaching and “live out their vocation in a world full of temptations and difficulties”, Mr Jayabalan said. A precise question-and-answer format would have been more engaging, he said. The Justice and Peace council says it is pointing the way and letting individuals craft the changes needed, one business at a time. In his talk Cardinal Turkson told Christian business leaders the old paradigm of profit at all costs was over: “You are our hope. You are our hope for a more human economy” that sees it’s more profitable “to foster the development of each man and of the whole man.” n Download the booklet at http://bit.ly/H8S2Zj

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LEADER PAGE

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2012

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Editor: Günther Simmermacher

SA’s adult democracy

HEN we observe Freedom Day on April 27, our democracy turns 18. Like the children born in that auspicious year 1994—they are known as “Born Frees”—our democracy is becoming an adult. At its birth, democratic South Africa was admired around the world and great hopes were invested in it. Many of these hopes have been met. South Africa produced a model for reconciliation, a strong Bill of Rights, a superb Constitution and several institutions designed to protect the citizen of the land. Our civil society is vibrant and strong, and our politicians are mostly committed to democracy. All of this has served to largely inoculate our democracy against the inevitable corruption of politics. As our democratic state grew older, it frequently exhibited the petulance of youth, but it kept its bedroom relatively clean— though there is some dirt under the carpet, and a big hole in the floor created by the iniquitous arms deal (alas, the state has made little effort to fix it). As our democracy moves into adulthood we may still expect signs of juvenile misjudgments. One of these is the government’s Protection of State Information Bill, which is intended to protect not only state security, but could also be abused to cover up corruption and incompetence. A crucial measure of a democracy’s health is the extent of the state’s transparency and accountability. The so-called Secrecy Bill fundamentally undercuts these principles. Likewise, hints by President Jacob Zuma that the ANC would consider what it sees as reforms to the judiciary, should alarm us to be vigilant, even if judicial reform, instituted properly and for the right reasons, can be necessary and beneficial. South Africa’s democracy, and the ability of the state to serve the people, is also weakened by the ceaseless factional struggles within the ruling African National Congress. More energy is being spent by politicians and leaders in the civil service on protecting turf and jockeying for position than on the function of governing. Moreover, once positions in the political landscape have been

determined, the expectations of reward for being on the winning side and the prospect of isolation for backing the wrong side have a paralysing effect on government. This is complicated by the ruling African National Congress’ paranoid lack of confidence in people outside the dominant faction (never mind outside the tripartite alliance), which means that too often unsuitable political appointees are deployed to important positions, especially in the judiciary, law enforcement and intelligence. South Africa is increasingly at risk of becoming a mediocracy. Corruption is a visible disease on the body of our democracy. For all his resolute talk about battling corrupt practices in government, President Zuma has done very little to put his promises into action. Indeed, the effective demotion of Willie Hofmeyr, the former Head of the Special Investigating Unit, will have given the practitioners of corruption, fraud and cronyism much succour. While the stability of South Africa’s economy is commendable, it has come at the cost of robbing the poor of hope. It is a sign of frailty in our democracy that the aspirations of the masses have been articulated most notably by a high-living populist demagogue. Our young democracy is not aided by the absence of an opposition party with the capacity to challenge the ANC’s hegemony at the polls. Of all provinces, only the Western Cape has seen changes of government. Our democracy will be immeasurably strengthened when elections become true contests. An electoral defeat might even strengthen the ANC, as a time in opposition would allow the party to clear out all the rot within—and it is a tribute to the party that South Africans expect that it would hand over power peacefully in the event of an election defeat. As our democracy enters its adult years, South Africans must celebrate the sound freedoms which it guarantees, and commend those who have sustained it. At the same time, South Africans must remain vigilant for signs of democracy’s decay, and act against that when necessary.

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.

A non-believer’s point of view

ATTENDED the Easter Sunday Mass, looking forward to being imbued with the inspiring message of the resurrection, but the sermon was so dreary that I took the opportunity of reading your publication of April 4 from cover to cover instead. Three articles were particularly thought-provoking: “Is Easter still credible?” by Fr Raymond Mwangala OMI, “Vatican II must be better understood” by Beth Griffin and “How the Church embraced Judaism” by Fr Anthony Egan SJ. In response I offer brief comments from the perspective of a non-believer. I actually admire and envy individuals who are still able to believe the story of the resurrection as an historical fact rather than an allegory, as some theologians apparently argue. The believers are thereby able to derive hope and strength from their belief in eternal life after death. No such comfort for the

Parents take heed, please

HAT really irritates me is when one tries one’s best, we always have some parents who don’t teach their children to sit still during Mass. They carry on as if they are at the circus and really annoy other parishioners. I really don’t have patience with parents who allow their children to be disrespectful and disruptive during Mass. Teenagers should be taught to focus on the crucifix and ask Mother Mary to teach them to be quiet and respectful, not to turn around and pose as if they are doing photo shoots in church. I have seen SMS and cellphones being answered and replied to, and even calls taken during Mass as if it is a social party to catch up with news. What a disgrace; where has respect gone? We have enough frustration during the week and we are entitled to have our fair share of peace and quietness to focus on the Mass. Please parents, raise your children to be respectful during Mass! Maybe we should pray and ask the Holy Spirit to bring tranquility during Mass and touch our children with inner peace and love for the Mass, and love for Jesus, Mary and Joseph. What is an hour to sacrifice for Christ? Stephanie Callea, Johannesburg

non-believers. Ever since the day that I came to the unshakeable conclusion that humans had created God, I realised that such a belief system was no longer within my grasp. Life without belief in a loving God who guides and protects us in this life and assures us of eternal life hereafter is not for sissies. It requires self-reliance, a personal set of moral values and a commitment to do good in order to provide some meaning to one’s otherwise meaningless existence. With reference to the aims and achievements of Vatican II and “How the Church embraced Judaism”’, all I can say is that the peasant diplomat, who became Pope John XXIII was a visionary way ahead of his time, to the extent that what he aimed to achieve with Vatican II is still being frustrated to this day by the “conservatives”, too afraid to engage with the realities of the 21st century and beyond.

Rekindled hope for Easter!

REFER to Fr Raymond M Mwangala’s inspirational column “Is Easter still credible?” (April 4). Thank you Fr Mwangala, you have rekindled the glowing embers of Christian hope in my heart. Con E Pietersen, Pretoria

Conscious of God’s Presence

DO not agree with the Fr Ron Rolheiser in “How to recognise God’s voice” (March 28). The last sentence reads “The voice of God, it would seem, is forever found in paradox.” The voice of God is not simply absurd or contradictory, it is actually well founded, I would have written! In How to Recognise God’s Voice: Vatican II Church in the Modern World, A Flannery OP wrote about the dignity of moral conscience: “Deep within his conscience man discovers a law Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. The letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate. Letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the Church accurately.

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Finally, my only “points of contact with the risen Christ” are a continuous process of selfrenewal—to be the best that one can be; and aiming to make a difference for the better in whatever one does. I have absolutely no fear of death because I “know” that there is nothing thereafter, except the legacy that one leaves behind, which will soon be forgotten in most cases, except perhaps for the ignominious destroyers, the great innovators and other “historical” figures, whose “legacy” may last a little longer. Any responses from your readers will be most welcome, to continue the debate on any of the above issues; but please do not feel sorry for the likes of me. After all, we can always take comfort from the views of the Prof Alan Schreck quoted in your article on Vatican II, that “nonbelievers are not excluded from salvation by the grace of Christ, even if they do not know him”. Mario Compagnoni, Bedfordview which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, tells him inwardly at the right moment: do this, shun that. For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. His dignity lies in observing this law, and by it he will be judged. His conscience is man's most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths.” In accepting this knowledge, the power and unfolding love of God becomes present in you and me. God made us with his own elements, the freedom of mind, conscience and heart so that he could live in his own creation. That power that created in time and space this incredible universe within us and outside us has been referred to us the unfolding “God is love”. The Bible says faith comes through hearing. Proverbs 4:2021: says “My son, to my word be attentive, to my sayings incline your ear. Let them not slip out of your sight, keep them within your heart.” Without being conscious of what we read, God could not speak to us. God can only speak to us if we are conscious of his presence within us. The power is within you! Fr Ludwig Brunner, Queenstown

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PERSPECTIVES

Breakthrough: Saved by faith

ANY centuries ago, a pope who was trying to build St Peter’s basilica in Rome started selling indulgences—literally “time off” in purgatory—to raise money. Soon this idea had warped into the view that Christians could be saved by works. A zealous German Augustinian friar named Luther condemned this: a person could only be saved by faith in God’s grace—and western Christendom fragmented in what we now call the Reformation. A few decades ago, in a Church that seems far, far away from the one we now know, a young Catholic priest wrote a doctorate about the greatest Protestant theologian of modern times. Published in 1959 as Justification, Hans Küng’s conclusion was that Karl Barth’s classical Reformed notion of justification by faith was thoroughly in line with mainstream Catholic thought. On reading it, Barth agreed with him. In the meantime the German-American theologian Paul Tillich was also promoting a toenadering between Lutherans and Catholics, emphasising the need for both a Protestant principle and a Catholic principle in theology. He too shared Barth and Fr Küng’s view that a common understanding of justification—that a person is made righteous before God—was possible. Like them, he drew on ancient common traditions (Augustine, Aquinas et al) as well as Luther to emphasise that God’s grace redeemed us, not our own efforts, but that out of this came a sense of gratitude that made our cooperation with God in salvation through works necessary. Three years after Justification’s publication, Fr Küng was one of the advisors to the bishops gathered at the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). Where previously his thought had led to an investigation by the Holy Office,

he was now an important contributor to the theological renewal that inspired the bishops to revisit many things the Church had taken for granted. Centuries of theological bickering (sometimes backed up by religiously inspired warfare and persecution) now seemed pointless in a secularist age which religious people could no longer afford to maintain. In a spirit of renewal and return to Christian sources, the bishops of Vatican II overthrew much of the past hostility: Protestants were no longer “heretics” but “separated brethren”, and the desire for greater unity of Christians was expressed in a commitment to dialogue between Catholics and other Christian Churches. In the wake of the Council, and to the delight of the Protestant and Orthodox observers whom John XXIII had invited, commissions were set up to resolve doctrinal differences. Building on the spiritual glasnost of the time, the Catholic-Lutheran dialogue continued in the decades that followed. Many of that earlier generation dropped out and were replaced by new scholars and bishops on both sides. Some like Barth and Tillich died in the late 1960s. Fr Küng was marginalised by the Vati-

Clergy attend a service marking the tenth anniversary of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification in 2009.

Sound trumpets, bang drums

HIS month’s column is about music and noise and celebration this time, as you will see. I don’t believe it is normally appropriate to blow one’s own trumpet or bang one’s own drum, but there are times when banging one’s own drum is also taking the trouble to let others know something that might be useful for them. After all, banging a drum is a means of communication. MARFAM has been about communication since 1995, specifically about issues dealing with family life and very often in a specifically organised way. I suppose I have been lucky to have been in a position to set up structures that help to make family enrichment possible. After my husband Chris died, naturally much changed in my life, including involvement in couple programmes Catholic Engaged Encounter and Retrouvaille, a programme for hurting marriages. One change was having more time, with the children grown up and doing their own thing. When I was offered the opportunity to set up the Family Life Desk at the SACBC, it was a challenge but also a joy. The challenge is how to address the enormous need for family relationship building as well as family spirituality. The joy has been setting up parish family ministry programmes, and especially reaching out personally to widowed people and grandparents, who don’t get on the radar too often. The annual family calendars that has been produced for the Family Life Desk since 2004 have been fun and lots of hard work. The beauty is that through the themes each year and each month all dif-

ferent aspects of family life can be highlighted, as I normally do in this monthly column. The Southern Cross column is possibly the best known of my activities as I get most comments about it. Now that Radio Veritas is on medium wave, 576AM, maybe more listeners will tune in to “Family Matters”, the weekly programme that I have hosted for a number of years. However, my biggest joy is writing creatively about the family as the little church of the home and its various elements. MARFAM has produced a magazine since its very first days. Originally it was MARFAM Ties (do readers still remember that?); the Marriage and Family Living. When sales started to slacken we did an evaluation. I was told that the word “marriage” in the title put some people off, because most Catholic families in Southern African are not based on marriage. That’s sad, frightening and challenging, because MARFAM’s mission is exactly to promote healthy families, stable families that are firmly rooted and know and understand the Catholic teaching on the spirituality of marriage and of family life. So I press on but take cognisance of what is going on around us. The newly revamped magazine also has a new name, Family Matters, and it is aimed at the more discerning reader. Then there are the booklets, “Day by Day with God and Family”, which were another outcome of our evaluation. These booklets have proved very popular, but they are not enough to provide information and formation to deepen valuable knowledge for individuals, families and Church personnel.

Anthony Egan SJ

A Church of Hope and Joy

can after he published a rigorous critique of papal infallibility in 1969—though he remained (and remains) a priest in good standing, he was declared “no longer a Catholic theologian” in 1979. He created a centre for ecumenical theology in Tübingen, Germany, and a centre for interreligious peace—for which the current pope, Benedict XVI, has high regard, one might add. Fast forward to 1999: after decades of discussion the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation signed a Joint Declaration on a common understanding of justification by faith. Although both sides recognised that a few minor differences of interpretation remained, the declaration argued that Catholics and Lutherans were in fundamental agreement: we are saved by the freely given grace of God in Christ. Aware of this grace we can only respond in gratitude by good works. With this declaration one of the central points of dispute, perhaps the central dispute, of the Reformation that had kept Christians apart was swept away. This could not have happened without the Council’s commitment to ecumenism and the serious return to Christian sources that it had entailed, fed by the works of theological scholars, Catholic and Protestant alike. There is a postscript. A few years later at a conference of world religions, a Lutheran bishop (a signatory in 1999) gave Fr Küng a pen with which the bishop had signed the Joint Declaration. “You deserve this” he said to Fr Küng, whose work is not mentioned in the text. He felt, as many do, that without Fr Küng’s book, and the insights he’d brought to Vatican II, the Joint Declaration might not have been possible.

Toni Rowland

Family Friendly

The first issue of Family Matters (the magazine) is now available and how I wish it was “on the shelves”! Sales are mainly through parishes and individual subscribers. The focus of the debut issue is on a particular topic, one that was chosen at a Family Leaders Conference in August 2011 and it’s also the main focus of May, the month for Families and Life: “Parenting is For Life”. Articles in the magazine, by a number of writers, cover the area in some depth. Family Matters has for more than ten years been MARFAM’s free e-newsletter. This also develops current family themes; the one for April is “God and Family”. Family does matter in the Church and in society too and it is up to us, families ourselves, to take ourselves seriously. Read what you can, apply what is possible, change what is necessary, but remember that being “Family Friendly” is making our home a home for God, a place that needs bells and whistles, a sense of joy and fulfilment, a place where Easter joy can overcome the pain and ugliness that sometimes threatens to overwhelm us. In the Eastern churches this proclamation is a greeting: “The Lord is Risen. Alleluia”, to which the response is, “He is Risen indeed. Alleluia, alleluia! ” It’s something we ordinary mortals should celebrate with the angels and saints, in our families, with all the trumpets, drums and fanfare we can muster. Visit www.marfam.org.za/blog for more information, and maybe an excuse to blow a trumpet or two.

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2012

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

Birth control and the conscience Fr Sean Wales CSsR (Hope&Joy article, February 15) states that “the family that goes the contraceptive route is mistaken in the eyes of the Church but they are acting in good conscience, in good faith, and do not sin”. This statement encourages Catholics to ignore Humanae vitae, and also to utilise, inter alia, abortificient birth control. Does it have the backing of the Church? Damien McLeish

HE distinction between the physical deed and the perpetrator’s moral guilt in doing it must be taken into account when dealing with the individual’s conscience. Priests can clarify this when penitents reveal the state of their conscience in the confessional. Outside of that, we can examine your question only in theory. Well informed Catholics know that the Church prohibits arificial contraception and abortion. They will therefore follow this teaching in practice. There may come a time when they are confronted by a serious dilemma of conscience: we cannot afford another pregnancy because, perhaps, we are stony broke or one’s health won’t bear it. In order to make it sinful to use the contraceptive/abortifacient Pill, the couple must give full consent of the will. This may be a complication when they are so desperate and even confused, that they give half-hearted consent. In such a case, without full consent, they cannot be said to sin gravely. And, if they are ignorant of the moral evil entailed, there is no sin at all, despite the objective nature of the act. Conscience is a matter not so much of what one does, but of what one is convinced is the right or wrong moral decision to do it. The action may be an evil act for which one is physically responsible, but whether one is morally responsible for it before God and in one’s own conscience is something that outsiders cannot presume to judge. The Church teaches what Paul VI defended in Humanae vitae, namely, that any act that renders procreation impossible is intrinsically evil. It condemns procured abortions in the same way. Informed Catholics know this. Fr Wales’ quote which you refer to might have required further explanation, but he is upholding the Church’s emphasis on following one’s conscience and not being forced to act contrary to it. Even if we suspect someone of acting in bad conscience, it is nobody’s concern but that individual’s, who must answer for it only before Christ.

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.

Visit the archive of the Open Door column at www.scross.co.za/category/perspectives/shackleton

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COMMUNITY

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2012

Our Lady of the Cedars parish in Woodmead, Johannesburg, celebrated the confirmation of 27 candidates. A Mass was concelebrated by Archbishop Buti Thlagale with Maronite Fathers Badaoui Habib, Maurice Chidiac and Charbel Habchi. (Submitted by Michelle Nassif) Alfonso Pereira was formally appointed principal of Star of the Sea Convent School in St James, Cape Town, with a Mass attended by the whole school, parents and parishioners. Mr Pereira was given the school's vision and mission statement by the school's founding order the Dominican sisters, and the head prefects for 2012. Photographed with Mr Pereira are head boy Daniel Allman and head girl Andrea Pirie.

Peter and Dolley Jackson from St Francesco parish in Charlo, Port Elizabeth, celebrated, their 60th wedding anniversary at John Nance Hall, Gelvandale. (Submitted by Noleen Jackson)

Bertie Swart and Hannah Mitchell have been elected the head prefects for 2012 of Veritas College in Johannesburg.They both are members of Our Lady of Mercy parish, Springs.

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Fr Emil Blaser OP baptised his great-nephew Fabio Emilio Farella at Nazareth House in Vredehoek, Cape Town. (Submitted by Paolo Farella)

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Principals of the 23 Catholic schools in the Port Elizabeth diocese held their 4th annual Principals’ Conference. All 23 schools were represented, as well as members of the school governing bodies. Raymond Perrier, director of the Jesuit Institute, was the keynote speaker who addressed principals on Hope&Joy and what it means for schools. The day was concluded with a Mass celebrated by Fr Selwyn Francis, chaplain for the Sundays River Schools. (Submitted by Maureen Mesimela) The Catholic Women’s League of Sea Point and Camps Bay parishes in Cape Town gave homeless and refugee children Easter eggs and sweets. The children are from the Women In Need Playhouse in Salt RJiver run by Catholic Welfare and Development. (Submitted by Clara Madzinga)

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

FAITH

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2012

Beauty of the Rosary The rosary is central to Catholic prayer life. Dominican Brother DAMAZIO NGOMA explains the benefits of praying the rosary, its mysteries and why the rosary must not be a source of division among Christians.

EVERAL religious congregations worldwide have taken their names after the rosary, many incorporating the rosary as part of their official religious habits. Every day millions of people wear the rosary as part of their ordinary daily routine code of dress, in different colours, sizes, blessed and unblessed. Pope Paul VI in his encyclical Marialis Cultus (1974) defined the rosary as a gospel prayer. He understood the rosary as an orderly and gradual unfolding of the Gospel message based on the lifestory of Jesus Christ. In this sense the rosary reflects the very way in which the Word of God mercifully enters into human affairs and brings about our salvation. This is very biblical in the sense that we see the unveiling of the whole mystery of the Incarnation. The rosary is holy in that it is a medium through which God unveils the mysteries of his existence in our lives. Whenever we recite the rosary, we are simply living out the mysteries of God’s existence. We are actually witnessing to the Incarnation, life, death, resurrection, ascension and glorification of our Lord Jesus Christ who is God. This is our Christian belief emanating from our baptism. The rosary is one of the paraliturgies and falls under the realm

of sacramentals. Through it, Christians receive graces and meet God on a personal basis. The Church promulgated the rosary at the Council of Trent for Christians to be able to live-out the Christian mysteries on a day to day basis. It is therefore one of the sacramentals that unite Christians with God at a personal level. Through the rosary, our Mother Mary intercedes for us. She therefore plays a vital role in our Christian life so that we can enter into the gracious band of the chosen people of God and attain salvation. The terminology of the “mysteries of the rosary” implies a hidden reality, a truth that cannot be discovered except through revelation. It exceeds human comprehension. In the case of the rosary, we are actually looking at how the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus into heaven became phenomenological tools that lead us to attain salvation. The mysteries on the life and death of Jesus Christ are expressed and lived according to the liturgical celebrations which are compiled in accordance to the life of Christ. The mysteries are beyond human understanding hence they require a mature faith in order to be fully meaningful to someone. When we recite the rosary, do we really know what we are actually doing? Is it an empty Catholic practice or there is something serious about it? This is a question which we still need to re-consider. The rosary comprises the following mysteries:

The Joyful Mysteries

In these mysteries, the word joyful already indicates something good. Here, the joy comes due to the event of the Incarnation: God

becoming man and enters into human history. The good news is that salvation is accessible to humanity through Jesus Christ who came as a saviour of the world. Through the joyful mysteries, we are actually entering into the ultimate causes and the deepest meaning of Christian joy, as Bl John Paul II put it. As Christians we have enough reasons to be joyful for the so many graces we have received.

Mysteries of Light

Christ is the light of the world (Jn 8:12). He comes to us in several ways in order to give us light in our Christian life. This light is directly emanating from the day to day public life of Jesus. As a human, Jesus encountered several experiences and his response and guidance to life issues become the Christians’ basic criteria. He is the yardstick by which we gauge our actions. Therefore he is our light. Today, the people of God are being challenged by so many contemporary issues that sometimes put them in a situation of dilemma, leaving them uncertain and sometimes they might even question God’s providence and love. These are the moments when we need Jesus as our light to give us guidance and direction.

Sorrowful Mysteries

We all experience

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sorrow. We bury people we love, or get divorced, or struggle with physical or mental illness, or live in a situation of poverty, or live a life of despair. We see hatred, crime, abortion. Most of us, especially here in Africa, have grown up in dehumanising situations which bring us sorrow. It is in this context that the sorrowful mysteries assist us to focus on the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross. This is the only physical expression of God’s love for us all. When we suffer unjustly, God suffers with us and accompanies us, hence our suffering leads us to be in union with our God the Father.

The Glorious Mysteries

In the glorious mysteries we reflect on the superlative events in the life of Jesus Christ. Christ who rose from the dead! In our lives there are moments when life seem to stop being meaningful and we start despairing. Then, all of a sudden, something happens and life becomes something worth living again. The glorious mysteries remind us of such shifts in life. There are moments when things seem not to work. This is the right moment to turn to the glorious mysteries. There are religious tools to change our lives. How wonderful it is to regain confidence in life.

Valuie of the rosary

The Church encourages the faithful to pay attention to the rosary. Obviously, there are plenty of graces we obtain from it. The most important of all the benefits is the knowledge of God, Jesus Christ, the Church and, above all, the attainment of one’s salvation. There are also plenty of individual benefits that can be achieved. Most people of other Christian

faiths have no problems with the rosary. They too acknowledge the power that comes with the devotion to the rosary. On the other hand, the rosary has also been a cause for division in the Christian family. How is this possible? The issue is that most other denominations do not acknowledge the mediatorship of Mary, mother of Jesus, in the whole economy of human salvation. The Jesuit scholar Fr John A Hardon believes that Mary is becoming increasingly honoured in Christian churches of every tradition, but divisions occur when Catholics imprudently push their devotion to the rosary beyond the limit of sound Church doctrine and tradition. “Let the faithful remember that true devotion consists neither in sterile or transitory affection nor in a certain vain credulity, but proceeds from the true faith by which we are led to know the excellence of the Mother of God and we are moved to a filial love towards our Mother and to the imitation of her virtues,” Fr Hardon wrote in The Catholic Catechism (1977). Our devotion to the rosary must not alienate our Christian brothers and sisters. Rather it ought to be a tool for our unity as Christians. We must embrace the devotion to the rosary with humility. The final point is that when we recite the rosary, the ontological nature of our prayers should be meditative in character. Let us give space to God and his son Jesus to talk to us. This is a special moment given to us so that God may find room and come to us. Let God come and talk to us through the rosary. n The second and final part follows next week

CHURCH

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2012

St Joseph the Worker, Pretoria West

was en route to do further studies at a pontifical university in Rome. Then in the thick of winter the archdiocese sent us Fr Sebothoma. Imagine the adjustments that the parishioners had to go through.” Parishioners have welcomed Fr Sebothoma and his way of ministry into their community. “I must commend him for the way in which he is trying to introduce our children and adult parishioners to the importance of being able to talk to God from the heart and not rely so much on the book, but to engage in direct dialogue with our Heavenly Father,” said Philda Maloy, a member of the Charismatic Renewal. Mrs Maloy added that she saw her sister and late mother leave the Catholic Church because “they were not getting fulfilled there and found the born-again services more encouraging and inspiring, for the needs of the heart. Although I will always be a Catholic I have adopted most of the Charismatic ways of praying and I find it helps me a great deal because it has taught me to have a personal relationship with God.”

A rainbow parish Once a chaplaincy for German immigrants and now a “multicultural parish”, St Joseph the Worker in Pretoria West is the Parish of the Month writes THANDI BOSMAN.

‘T

HE parish of St Joseph the Worker started as a chaplaincy for the Germans who came during and after the Second World War. When their numbers were going down they handed the parish to the archdiocese, said Jennifer Jacobs, the parish secretary. This diverse parish welcomes parishioners from all over Africa. Parish priest Fr Mathibela Sebothoma said it “is a model for a rainbow nation”. St Joseph has parishioners from Nigeria, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Lesotho, Angola and Mozambique as well as South Africans of all races. But, Fr Sebothoma said, “first of all we are Catholic Christians”. “St Joseph the Worker community is a welcoming multicultural parish called to an active relationship with God and others through sacramental life, prayer and service.

We dedicate our time, talent and treasure to share the Good News of Jesus through lifelong Christian formation,” said Fr Sebothoma. “We have invited the students from St John Vianney Seminary [in Waterkloof, Pretoria] to do pastoral ministry. In this way we are also responsible for their formation and preparation towards priesthood”. It is one of the smallest parishes in the archdiocese of Pretoria. “We are not a rich parish, but through God’s grace we manage to survive,” said Fr Sebothoma, who has been at the parish for just a few months. Among the parish’s organisations and committees are the choir, Charismatic Renewal, the Men’s Group and catechism. Alfred Mothiba is a member of the Men’s Group, and is proud of the work the group is doing in the parish, especially in the area of maintenance. “We take pride in our parish. The members sacrifice their time and resources to clean the church grounds,” he said. Last year saw the parish through a challenging time in which they had to adjust to new faces. “In one year we had three different parish priests,” said Tinashe Chavhunduka, a parishioner and an immigrant from Zimbabwe. “Congolese priest Fr Arsène Muhau was in the parish for twelve years, then it was Fr Edward Rakgokong who

nother parishioner, Esther Etsane, head of the catechesis and a professional nurse, described Fr Sebothoma as a “gift we have in our parish”. “He insists that catechists must be creative and not just reproduce what is in the book. Catechists must pray, plan and do research and pray again in order to touch the lives of those on the journey of faith. He is also encouraging more parishioners to involve themselves in committees and ministries. In this way he will succeed in building such a diverse and multicultural community,” she said. “[Fr Sebothoma] has been consulting parishioners to find out their needs and wants. He emphasises that Catholics must know how to pray from the heart

Above: The main Southern Cross seller, Gregory Mogale, with catechists Mpho Mathebula and Kedibone Koolatotse. Left: Archbishop William Slattery greets Justin Jacobs, the young man who reminds people to buy The Southern Coss every Sunday. and not only traditional memorised prayers. One improvement since he has arrived is that people are no longer reading the prayers of the faithful but pray from the heart in front of other parishioners,” said Mr Chavhunduka. The Southern Cross is read by the parishioners of St Joseph the Worker and plays an important role in bringing Catholic news and views to the community. Two people have taken on the vital role of selling and promoting The Southern Cross in the parish: Gregory Mogale sells the newspaper and Justin Jacobs encourages people to buy it. “In our parish we appreciate the importance of our only national Catholic newspaper. The Southern Cross reports and comments on current issues from a Catholic perspective which helps us to be grounded and relevant,” Fr Sebothoma said. Choir member Fundy Cwele explained why she thinks reading

The Southern Cross is important: “At St Joseph the Worker we believe it is important to read The Southern Cross because it is, firstly, a Catholic newspaper, therefore we have to support the Church’s products and initiatives. Secondly, it keeps the Catholic community updated and informed about what is happening around them by publishing the Church’s current affairs. And lastly, but most important, it also revives our spirituality with the word of God in it,” Ms Cwele said. Fr Sebothoma said that the parish supports Radio Veritas as well. Fr Sebothoma, who studied journalism in the United States, presents two shows a week. His English-language show is called “Catholic Culture” and his Setswana show is “Loeto la Tumelo” (Journey of Faith). “We would like every Catholic home in our parish to enjoy the benefits of our newspaper and radio,” said Fr Sebothoma.

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ST. KIZITO CHILDREN’S PROGRAMME

St. Kizito Children’s Programme (SKCP) is a community-based response to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children. SKCP was established through the Good Hope Development Fund in 2004 in response to the Church’s call to reach out to those in need. Operating as a movement within the Archdiocese of Cape Town, SKCP empowers volunteers from the target communities to respond to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) living in their areas. The SKCP volunteers belong to Parish Groups that are established at Parishes in target communities. Through the St. Kizito Movement, the physical, intellectual, emotional and psycho-social needs of OVCs are met in an holistic way. Parish Groups provide children and families with a variety of essential services, while the SKCP office provides the groups with comprehensive training and on-going support. In order to continue its work, SKCP requires on-going support from generous donors. Funds are needed to cover costs such as volunteer training and support, emergency relief, school uniforms and children’s excursions. Grants and donations of any size are always appreciated. SKCP is also grateful to receive donations of toys, clothes and blankets that can be distributed to needy children and families. If you would like to find out more about St. Kizito Children’s Programme, or if you would like to make a donation, please contact Shirley Dunn on (021) 782 2792. Email info@stkizito.org.za. Donations can also be deposited into our bank account: Bank: ABSA; Branch: Claremont, 632005; Account Name: Good Hope Development Fund; Account Number: 4059820320

Father Xico with partially completed church building

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The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2012

CLASSIFIEDS

Fr Leopold Meier OSB

ATHER Leopold Meier OSB died suddenly while saying his midday prayers on April 3 at Inkamana abbey in Eshowe diocese. He was 76. Born on February 2, 1936 in Landshut, Bavaria, he was given the name Joseph at his baptism. His parents, Georg and Cecilia Meier, provided a deeply Catholic environment for their six children, four of whom entered religious communities. The eldest and the youngest son joined the Marist Brothers, Joseph entered the Benedictine Abbey of Schweiklberg and Hildegard and his younger sister became a Franciscan Nardini Sister in Mallersdorf. Joseph was invested as a novice at Schweiklberg Abbey in September 1956, professed his simple vows in September 1957, his solemn vows three years later and was ordained to the priesthood on July 8, 1962. His desire to be sent to the missions was fulfilled on January 26, 1964 when he received the mission cross for South Africa. In March of the same year he arrived in Zululand. Fr Leopold spent the first twelve months at different stations to learn Zulu and to familiarise himself with the pastoral situation in the diocese of Eshowe. This was followed by a four-year stint as assistant priest at Inkamana and Latin teacher at

Inkamana High School. For two years he was also rector of the Inkamana minor seminary which was later closed down. After leaving Inkamana in January 1969, he helped out at different mission stations until he became parish priest of the Cathedral parish in Eshowe in January 1970. Two years later Bishop Bilgeri put him in charge of St Paul’s parish in Kwambonambi, which was in need of a young priest to take care of the growing number of outstations. Bishop Mansuet Biyase, who succeeded Bishop Bilgeri in 1975, appointed Fr Leopold secretary of his diocese. Thorough and reliable, he was well suited for this important post in which he served the diocese for 20 years. During this time he transferred his vow of stability from Schweiklberg abbey to Inkamana. It was a clear sign of his total commitment to the young Church and the young monastery in Zululand. However, he remained ready to serve the Benedictine congregation wherever his service was requested. It might not have been easy for Fr Leopold to return to Germany when the abbot of Schweiklberg asked him to become cellarer of that monastery, but seeing the need, he followed that call. In 2000 he was allowed to

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 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 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: Rosary at Marie Stopes clinic, Peter Place, Sandton. First Saturday of every month, 10:30-12:00. Also Gandhi Square, Main Rd. Third Saturday of every month, 10:30-12:00. Tel: Joan 011 782-4331

PRETORIA: First Saturday: Devotion to Divine Mercy. St Martin de Porres, Sunnyside, 16:30. Tel Shirley-Anne 012 361 4545.

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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.

DEATH

return to Africa, spending at first half a year as cellarer in the Conventual priory of Tigoni, Kenya, and then coming back to Zululand. After taking care of St Thomas More parish in Vryheid for a while, he was entrusted with the post of cellarer at Inkamana abbey. In January 2010, shortly before his 74th birthday, he asked to be relieved of this office and accepted a call by Bishop Thaddaeus Kumalo to look after the tiny parish at Mthunzini. He retired at Inkamana at the end of 2010. Fr Leopold was a person with many talents, freely expressing his opinion on critical issues concerning Benedictine life and the Church at large in Zululand. A Requiem Mass was held at Inkamana on Holy Thursday, April 5, followed by the funeral in the abbey cemetery. Abbot Godfrey Sieber OSB

FABER—Sr Canisia. Holy Cross Sister Canisia, aged 79, passed away at Holy Cross Convent Fatima House Retirement Home in Aliwal North on April 5, 2012. Lovingly remembered by her family in Germany, her sister, Sr Maria Erika in Argentina, and the Holy Cross Sisters. May she rest in peace. HAWES—Patricia Cecelia, mother to Gerhard, Elizabeth, Anne, Timothy, Imelda, Clare and Mary, grandmother and great -grandmother passed away peacefully on April 4, 2012. Grateful thanks to the Sisters at Villa Assumpta for their love and care.

IN MEMORIAM

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO #493. ACROSS: 2 Watertight, 8 Chaplaincies, 10 Elder, 11 Insists, 12 Shekel, 13 Guinea, 16 Rotunda, 18 Regal, 19 Scholarly men, 20 Eastertide. DOWN: 1 Successors, 3 At large, 4 Elixir, 5 Ticks, 6 Guessing game, 7 Candlesticks, 9 Asian lands, 14 Unriled, 15 Vacant, 17 Noose.

Liturgical Calendar Year B Sunday, April 22, Third Sunday of Easter Acts 3:13-15, 17-19, Psalm 4:2, 4, 7-9, 1 John 2:1-5, Luke 24:35-48 Monday, April 23, feria Acts 6:8-15, Psalm 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30, John 6:22-29 Tuesday, April 24, feria Acts 7: 51, 8: 1, Psalm 31: 3-4, 6-8, 17, 21, John 6: 30-35 Wednesday, April 25, St Mark 1 Peter 5:5-14, Psalm 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17, Mark 16:15-20 Thursday, April 26, feria Acts 8:26-40, Psalm 66:8-9, 16-17, 20, John 6:44-51 Friday, April 27, feria Acts 9:1-20, Psalm 117:1-2, John 6:52-59 Saturday, April 28, feria Acts 9:31-42, Psalm 116:12-17, John 6:60-69 Sunday, April 29, Fourth Sunday of Easter Acts 4:8-12, Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28-29, 1 John 3:1-2, John 10:11-18

DOWLING—“Chummy” Charles Humphrey. In memory of a loving husband, father and grandfather who passed away four years ago—with so much to remember, how can we forget. Love always, your wife, Bridget, children and grandchildren. FRANCES—Alice. In loving memory of Alice Frances who departed this world on Easter Sunday morning to join her husband Jimmy Frances who left her in 1955. She celebrated her 99th birthday on March 13, 2012. She will always be remembered by her three sons Rodney and wife Yvonne. Colin and wife Val, Dudley and wife Monique. Her grandchildren Sean, Marq, Gavin, Dominique, Lyall, Keegan and Veronique and their extended families and the great-grandchildren. LINDSELL—Mary. Died April 18, 1997, 15 years ago, at the age of 94. She will always be remembered in our prayers. John and family.

PERSONAL

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PRAYERS

O MOST beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendour of Heaven, blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me where you are, Mother of God. Queen of heaven and earth I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. There is none who can withstand your power, O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands. Say this prayer for 3 consecutive days and then publish. H. E.

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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 BALLITO: Up-market penthouse on beach, self-catering, for Easter. 084 790 6562. 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, breakfast 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: Hon-

eywood: Luxury chalets & The Cellar boutique restaurant. 7 x 4-sleeper 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 SEDGEFIELD: Beautiful self-catering garden flat sleeps four, two bedrooms, open-plan lounge, kitchen, fully equipped. 5min walk to lagoon. Contact 082 900 6282. STRAND: Beachfront flat to let. Stunning views, fully equipped. Garage, one bedroom, sleeps 3-4. R450 p/night for 2 people-low season. Phone Brenda 082 822 0607

RETREATS

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

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4th Sunday of Easter: April 29 Readings: Acts 4:8-12, Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 2123, 26, 28-29, 1 John 3:1-2, John 10:11-18

HERE is immense joy in this Easter season, and I hope that you are currently experiencing it; it is not, however, a superficial joy, but a deep acceptance of God’s power over death which recognises the reality of that death. In the first reading, Peter has been summoned to appear before the Sanhedrin, and interrogated about this Easter message that he has been proclaiming. Significantly, Luke describes him as “filled with the Holy Spirit”; and that Spirit is the unseen power who guides the whole story of the Acts of the Apostles. Peter shows no sign of being abashed by his eminent audience, gives them their full title, and asks if “we are being investigated today because of a good deed done to a sick man, by which this person was saved”. He is impressively upbeat about the significance of what has happened (the lame beggar in the Temple who was cured), and confidently proclaims, “Let it be known to you all, and to the entire people of Israel, that it is in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified” (we notice with some concern that Peter has no hesitation at all in blaming the religious authorities for Jesus’ death). Then he tells them what is going on: “God

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A marvel in our eyes Nicholas King SJ

Sunday Reflections

raised [Jesus] from the dead”, and, finally, gets back to the end of his rather lengthy sentence, “it is in Jesus that this person stands in your presence in good health”. Then, to drive the message home, he quotes from Psalm 118, and reads it as referring to Jesus: “This one is the stone, despised by you the builders, which turned into the cornerstone.” Then comes another, more awesome, claim: “There is no salvation in any other person but him: for there is no other name given to human beings in whom we must be saved”. We listen in astonishment to Peter’s confidence. The psalm is well aware of God’s power over death: “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love is forever,” the poet sings, before going on to the line already quoted in the first reading, about “the stone which the

builders rejected became the cornerstone”, and, always, the emphasis on what God has done: “This is from the Lord, a marvel in our eyes,” and also a sense that God is sending someone: “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord; we bless you from the House of the Lord.” It is, moreover, a very personal relationship that is in question here: “You are my God, and I shall thank you, my God and I extol you.” Then, finally, in case we had any doubt, he repeats the line with which he started. The second reading also shows a very strong sense of what God is up to, not just in terms of God’s power over death, though that is included: “See how great is the love that the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God—and so we are.” That has implications for how we shall be received: “This is the reason why the world does not know us—it did not know him.” And in the end, it turns out God’s power will be such as to transform us into the divine likeness: “Now we are children of God, and it has not yet appeared what we are going to be. We know that when it does appear, we shall be like him, since we shall see God as he is.” God’s power is to enable us to become who

How to beat the bitter times I

N her novel A Good House (2000), Bonnie Burnard tells the story of a relatively happy family. But even happy families have unhappy moments where bitterness chills an otherwise warm house. She describes one such incident: A young couple, solid and trusting in their relationship, are having a rather intimate talk one afternoon when the woman’s instincts tell her that her husband is hiding something from her; not necessarily at the level of infidelity, but something that he, for whatever reason, will not share with her. Instantly a door begins to close inside of her, her warmth and trust harden, and she feels the need to protect herself, assert some independence from her husband, and let him know that there are aspects of her life that he doesn’t necessarily know about either. Their intimacy, so warm and trusting just minutes before, dissolves for a while into a certain coolness and distance. What’s happened here? What’s happened is what happens to all of us, spontaneously and daily, in virtually all of our relationships, particularly with those with whom we are most intimate. Such is our emotional metaphysics, the way our hearts try to protect themselves: We tend spontaneously to replicate the energy we feel around us and feed it back in the same way as we feel it. Quite simply, whenever we feel warmth, mellowness, vulnerability, transparency, generosity, trust, and big-heartedness in a relationship, we tend to respond in kind—with warm, mellow, vul-

Conrad

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

nerable, transparent, generous, trusting hearts. But the reverse is also true: When we feel coldness, bitterness, self-protection, jealousy, dishonesty, pettiness, or distrust, we tend to become cool, hard, self-protective, assertive, small-hearted, and distrustful. It’s not easy not to do this. More than anything else, our hearts crave the warmth and trust of intimacy, but, precisely because these make us vulnerable, our hearts also tend to close doors rather quickly at the first signs of betrayal, distrust, or dishonesty. Fear, especially, tends to do this to us. Most of our fears and anxieties arise out of a lack of confidence, from a poor selfimage. Then, because we are insecure, we try to assert ourselves, to prove that we are loveable, attractive, talented, and worthwhile. When we are afraid, we can’t risk vulnerability, instead we try to do things to show that we aren’t weak or needy. But to do this, we have to harden ourselves precisely against the type of vulnerability that invites others into our lives. Jealousy, especially of a person we love but whose love we can’t have, also creates that same hardness in us. That’s why we can be caught up in that strange anomaly

‘News about the Church is so worrying, Granny has to have medication when she reads The Southern Cross.”

where we are cold, distant, and perhaps even hostile, to a person whose love we badly want. Our coldness and feigned indifference towards that person is simply the heart’s attempt to protect itself, to cope with an intimacy it can’t have and the loss of self-esteem that comes with that. The heart has its reasons, even for turning cold. Given the truth of this, what makes for a truly big heart is the strength to resist these emotional metaphysics and remain mellow, warm, trusting, and present to others in the face of bitterness, coldness, distrust, jealousy, and withdrawal. More than anything else, this is what defines a great lover. This is perhaps the greatest moral challenge Jesus left us: We all do pretty well in love when the persons we are loving are warm and gracious—but can we be gracious and mellow in the face of bitterness, jealousy, hatred, withdrawal? That’s the litmus test of love. It’s also one of the deeper invitations towards maturity. Everywhere in our world—in our most intimate relationships, in our families, in our workplaces, in our churches, and in society as a whole—we forever find ourselves in situations where we meet suspicion, jealousy, coldness, distrust, bitterness, and withdrawal. Our world is often a hard, rather than an intimate place. The challenge is to offer a heart that creates a space for warmth, transparency, mellowness, vulnerability, and trust inside of hard places. The challenge is to offer our hearts as a space within which people can be honest, where nobody has to assert herself, where no games of pretence need be played, and where intimacy isn’t held hostage to the momentary fears, jealousies, hurts, and emotional acting out that forever assail us. And the more bitter and the more emotionally trying the situation, the more this is needed. When times are bitter, angry, cold, full of disrespect, and fraught with jealousy, when it seems everyone is withdrawing into his or her own world, when almost everything seems a lie, and when we are feeling most hurt, taken for granted, slighted, and marginalised, what’s called for is not less, but more, attention to the quality of graciousness and warmth within our response. Bitter times call for precisely a deeper response of warmth, mellowness, transparency, truth, and compassion. What’s needed most in a bitter time is a mellow heart.

we have in us to be. The gospel is the lovely message of Jesus as the “ideal Shepherd”; and this is explained as the one who “lays down his life on behalf of his sheep”, and distinguished from “the one who does it for money”, who is described as “not a shepherd at all; the sheep are not his own—he sees the wolf coming and runs away, so the wolf plunders and scatters”. The “one who does it for money” is further described: “He does not care about the sheep.” Then we get back to the theme of the “ideal Shepherd”, fortified by the contrast with “the one who does it for money”: Jesus says “I am the Good/Ideal Shepherd, and I know my sheep and mine know me”. In other words, there is an intimacy in the relationship between Jesus and his people, just as between God and the people of God. The intimacy, it turns out, reflects that between Jesus and the Father: “Just as the Father knows me, so I know the Father, and I lay down my life for my sheep.” It does not stop there, however, for this Shepherd is restless for “other sheep...who are not of this fold. I have to lead them, and they will hear my voice, and become one sheepfold, one shepherd”. But the heart of the matter is the willingness of the Shepherd to lay down his life, confident that the Father is in charge. That is the authority that we are celebrating this Eastertide.

Southern Crossword #493

ACROSS

2. Well-sealed well (10) 8. A ship I cancel for students’ pastors (12) 10. Longer-living churchman (5) 11. Takes no refusal (7) 12. Coin of Israel (6) 13. Fowl costing old gold coin (6) 16. Round church shape (7) 18. Kingly (5) 19. They are very learned (9,3) 20. Season after Lent (10)

DOWN

1. They come after the present pope (10) 3. Escaped criminal may be (2,5) 4. Alchemists claimed it prolonged life (6) 5. Marks correct from the watch (5) 6. Pastime for those who conjecture (8,4) 7. Bearers of light (12) 9. Eastern territories where missionaries went (5,5) 14. Ruled in and remained unflustered (7) 15. Chair of Peter is, during interregnum (6) 17. Executioner has a ring in the nose (5)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

TEENAGE boy had just passed his drivers’ test and asked his father when they could discuss his use of the family car. The father said he’d make a deal with his son: “You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible a little, and get your hair cut. Then we’ll talk about the car.” The boy thought about that for a moment and decided to settle for the offer. After six weeks the father said: “Son, you’ve brought your grades up and I’ve observed that you have been studying the Bible, but you haven’t had your hair cut.” The son replied: “I’ve noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair, and there’s even strong evidence that Jesus had long hair.” The father countered: “And did you also notice they all walked everywhere they went?” Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.