The Southern Cross - 120606 by The Southern Cross

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June 6 to June 12, 2012

Freedom and liberty: What’s the difference

Page 23

16-Page Focus on Catholic Education

R5,50 (incl VAT RSA)

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 4778

Interview with SA-born TV star nun

Page 26

Justice & Peace visit forced school action BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

HE work of the newly established Land Desk of Justice and Peace (J&P) has already produced a positive result when one community was assisted following the National People’s Summit on Land Rights, which the desk sponsored. The J&P Department of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference brought together roleplayers to address the issues of land and service delivery in rural South Africa. “This formed part of J&P’s commitment, as Church, to strengthen social movements and to foster unity amongst them to enable people struggling for basic rights to speak for themselves,” said Land Desk coordinator Philani Mkhize. The event took place at eNkwalini, some 30km north-west of Eshowe in KwaZuluNatal. There were 73 participants from various movements, particularly Rural Network and Landless People’s Movement. Mr Mkhize said the highlight of the meeting was a visit to a neighbouring farm to witness the conditions under which the community is living. “They experience great tenure insecurity, their houses having been bulldozed twice in the past in an attempt to evict them,” he said. What particularly shocked the delegates was the conditions of the schooling of the community’s children, Mr Mkhize recalled. “The school is located in the farm workers’ hostel with children of different grades cramming into one room facing different directions. For others, their classroom is an outside structure with only a roof above and no walls. The children are also exposed to adult hostel life, which sometimes is not appropriate.” Despite efforts to build their own school on the farm, the owner would not permit the new structure. The school’s principal said her efforts to get help had been “fruitless”. While on site, one of the delegates got in touch with a local radio station, calling on the authorities to rescue the children. Three days later, parliamentarian Nomalungelo Gina, in whose constituency the school is, visited the school and undertook to take the matter up with the Department of Education and other relevant authorities. “It seems that she kept her word, because, soon thereafter, the local municipality called the community leaders to assure them that the school matter was receiving attention from them,” said Mr Mkhize. New desks have since been delivered to the school. “Although this was not what people asked for, it is a sign that the issue of

Pupils from St Mary’s Primary School in Cape Town show their exuberance in the playground of the Dominican-owned and state-funded school. See pages 7-22 for our annual Catholic Education supplement. (Photo: Claire Mathieson)

the school is receiving some attention,” Mr Mkhize said. Mrs Gina also took the issue up with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform about the tenure insecurity experienced by the community on the farm. As a result, the department in the province is scheduled to visit the area “to see things for themselves and listen to community’s concerns”, Mr Mkhize said. One of the follow-up activities from this summit has been an explicit request for training of the leadership of movements, which, it is hoped will take place in the near future. He said the experience and impact of this summit affirm the value and the commitment that J&P made to assist the social movements to share their experiences and thus motivate one another. Mr Mkhize said the department will continue working with the movements offering support and solidarity where necessary.

New Doctors of the Church in October

OPE Benedict has announced that he will proclaim St John of Avila, a 16thcentury Spanish priest, and St Hildegard of Bingen, a 12th-century German abbess, as Doctors of the Universal Church on October 7 in Rome. The Doctors of the Church, saints honoured for particularly important contributions to theology and spirituality, come from both the Eastern and Western Church traditions. The first Doctors of the Church were named in 1298. The current list of 33 doctors include early Church Fathers such as Ss Jerome, John Chrysostom and Augustine, as well as major

theologians such as Ss Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure and John of the Cross. The last saint named a Doctor of the Church was St Thérèse of Lisieux, who was honoured by Pope John Paul II in 1997. St Hildegard will become the fourth woman Doctor of the Church, joining Ss Thérèse, Catherine of Siena and Teresa of Avila. Pope Benedict announced his intention to name St John of Avila a Doctor of the Church last August while in Madrid for World Youth Day. Last month he ordered that St Hildegard, who was never formally canonised, be added to the Catholic Church’s list of saints.

Digital Southern Cross ranks fifth in SA audit STAFF REPORTER

ATEST figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) show that The Southern Cross is among the market leaders in digital subscriptions among South African weeklies. Of all weekly newspapers audited by the ABC, 14 included digital sales in their circulation. Among these, The Southern Cross ranked in fifth place, behind the Saturday Dispatch, Weekend Post, Saturday Star, and Rapport. According to the ABC figures, which covered the months January to March, The Southern Cross had more digital subscribers than newspapers such as the Sunday Times, Sunday Independent, and the Saturday editions of Pretoria News, Weekend Argus, Beeld and Die Burger. Ranked by percentage of total circulation, The Southern Cross comes third (with 0,82%) behind the Saturday Dispatch (1,14%) and the Weekend Post (0,96%). Günther Simmermacher, editor of The Southern Cross, said he was pleased with the ABC figures. “We have attracted a significant subscriber base for our digital edition in a relatively short space of time and with little promotion. The fact that we are presently outperforming titles with a much larger circulation suggests that our readers are open to using new technologies when reading their favourite newspaper,” he said.

“It puts The Southern Cross and South Africa’s Catholic community at the cutting edge of new publishing technology.” Mr Simmermacher said that the response to the digital Southern Cross has been very positive. “Readers like that it looks exactly like the print edition—but with crisper colours which is something that newsprint cannot achieve. The digital edition also looks fantastic on tablets, which are becoming increasingly widespread in South Africa. It’s one way to connect with younger Catholics in particular,” the editor said. Part of the digital Southern Cross subscription is free access to past issues going back to early 2010. According to Mr Simmermacher, the digital team is looking to expand these archives. The Southern Cross is presently investigating ways of making expatriate South Africans aware of The Southern Cross’ digital edition. “We believe that many South African Catholics who have gone to live in Australia, New Zealand, Canada or Britain would love to have a connection with the Church back home. Now we need to find a way of telling them that they can have that connection through our digital edition,” Mr Simmermacher said. n An annual subscription to the digital edition of The Southern Cross costs R291,50. Visit www.scross.co.za/subscribe or e-mail Avril at subscriptions@scross.co.za

LOCAL

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

Volunteers wanted at Bosco Youth Centre

Sisters doing good for South African girls BY THANDI BOSMAN

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

HE John Bosco Youth Centre in Johannesburg is calling on young, active Catholics to serve one year of their lives and become volunteers for the “sake of the Gospel”. Nhlanhla Lucky Mdlalose, coordinator of the centre’s Lovematters programme, said the act of volunteering would be an opportunity to grow in one’s faith, to gain experience in working with people from different backgrounds and to gain skills in first aid, communication and presentation skills as well as learn more about Catholic teachings through courses like Theology of the Body and more. For those unsure of what to do next year, Mr Mdlalose said, volunteering is a great option that will serve the youth well when they do find their life’s path. Volunteers should have finished matric, be between the ages of 19 and 29, be committed to the Catholic faith, and should “not be afraid of hard work”, said Mr Mdlalose. He said the centre has volunteers joining from all around the

The John Bosco Youth Centre in Johannesburg is recruiting young people to become volenteers at the centre. world. “The response has been really positive”. Volunteers will be trained to run first Communion and confirmation retreats, will lead leadership workshops, team-building events and the five-day Lovematters programme currently on offer for teenagers from different schools and parishes. Mr Mdlalose said while the vol-

COME ON AND CELEBRATE WE, THE CAPUCHIN BROTHERS SFO, ALONG WITH THE PADRE PIO PRAYER GROUP, CORDIALLY INVITE ALL TO THE THANKSGIVING MASS IN CELEBRATION OF THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF PADRE PIO’S CANONISATION, BY BLESSED JOHN PAUL II ON 16TH JUNE 2002.

PLACE: ST. MARY OF THE ANGELS, ATHLONE DATE: 17 JUNE, SUNDAY AT 3.00 PM HOLY MASS. MAIN CELEBRANT: REV. FR. SEAN CAHILL. MAY PADRE PIO INTERCEED FOR OUR INTENTIONS.

unteers will work long hours, they will also learn more about the Salesian ethos, learn to interact with others from different cultures and backgrounds and learn to “lead by an example in practising their faith”. n For further details and for application forms to become a volunteer, contact Br Mojela 073 372 1790 or email boscoypt@iafrica.com

PUBLIC LECTURE

By FR GERARD McCABE CSsR Lecturer in Philosophy at St Augustine College, Johannesburg

THE QUEST FOR GOD: MAKING SENSE OF FAITH Thursday 21 June at 7.30 pm

CK Storey Hall, Methodist Church, Main Road, Rosebank, Cape Town

Parking and Entrance via Chapel Road Entrance is Free. Donations Welcome

HE Good Shepherd Sisters have recommitted themselves and their four South African communities to the work that Sr Mary Euphrasia Pelletier started 183 years ago in France with the motto “one person is of more value than a whole world”. St Pelletier’s faith and life to the Church was influenced by the Ursuline Sisters and her parent’s deep faith and life of charity to people affected by the French Revolution. In 1829, Sr Mary Euphrasia opened a convent in Angers, about 300km south-west of Paris, after a request was sent from the bishop of Angers for a convent in the city. “This foundation was called the Good Shepherd Convent. Sr Mary Euphrasia founded a contemplative community within the same convent. These Contemplative Sisters spend their lives in prayer for the mission of reconciliation of the Church,” said Good Shepherd Sister Zelna Oosthuizen, the congregation’s provincial, based in Johannesburg. After Sr Mary Euphrasia opened the convent, it soon received many requests from women to be accepted as candidates. The need for the new mission grew and with that so did the request for new convents. “Unable to respond to all of these requests from the resources of a single convent, Sr Mary Euphrasia was inspired to request from Rome the founding of the generalate. This would link the convents together and support each other,” Sr Oosthuizen said. Rome approved the request in January 1835. “The communities founded from the convent in Angers were part of this new congregation commonly known as Good Shepherd Congregation.” Sr Mary Euphrasia died on April 24, 1868. By then she had founded 110 convents. She was canonised on May 2, 1940 by Pope Pius XII. In May 1904, 36 years after Sr Mary Euphrasia died, five Good Shepherd Sisters came to South

Africa. They settled in Johannesburg in a rented house in Yeoville before moving into a wood and corrugated iron convent in Orchards in September. The Good Shepherd Sisters served the local Catholic community and the chapel became the centre for the present Maryvale parish in Johannesburg. The home provided general, commercial and vocational training for about 180 women and girls. Soon after the Good Shepherd Sisters arrived in Johannesburg, homes were opened in Cape Town in 1919, in Durban in 1938 and in Port Elizabeth in 1970. Boarding schools and training homes were opened in Cape Town and in the south of Johannesburg in the 1950s. In Pretoria North a home for unmarried mothers was opened in 1959. Consecrated women helped the Good Shepherd Sisters in the upkeep and running of the homes. In 1968 the congregation started a girl’s town at Hartbeespoort Dam, now known as Good Shepherd Retreat Centre in the North West Province. Today, the Good Shepherd Sisters work with lay partners in 74 countries. The congregation strives “to be in the presence of Jesus, the Good Shepherd by their services especially directed to girls and women who are hurt by life experiences and are crying out for recognition, healing, dignity and to grow toward their full potential as persons”, Sr Oosthuizen said. Sr Oosthuizen said that the Good Shepherd Sisters’ ministries include care for “the youth in crisis, single mothers, displaced people, the homeless, abused women and children, families in need of counselling, parish outreach, those in prison, women and children, especially those who are trafficked, forced to migrate and oppressed by abject poverty, persons with HIV and Aids and many other emerging needs of the society”. In doing so, she said, the Sisters are responding to the needs in their communities and are committed to making a difference.

HOLY FAMILY COLLEGE Parktown

PRINCIPAL

Holy Family College is an independent Catholic School situated in Parktown, Johannesburg. The school was founded by the Holy Family Sisters in 1905. The school offers quality education in a caring environment for all learners from Grade R to Grade 12. The school is governed by a competent Board of Governors who have ensured that it is on a sound financial footing.

The Board of Governors invites suitable applicants to apply for the position of PRINCIPAL commencing duties on 1 January 2013 or earlier if possible.

The ideal candidate should preferably be a practising Catholic with both the willingness and the capacity to sustain and develop the Catholic ethos, have a warm, outgoing personality, sound leadership skills with the ability to motivate staff and pupils and have a genuine passion for education.

In addition he/she will have: • a recognised four-year teaching qualification which includes an academic degree • excellent interpersonal relationship skills • experience of working in an independent school • at least 7 years teaching experience • held a managerial position in a school for at least 4 years • progressive educational insights, reflecting a broad knowledge of modern and international trends in education • an ability to deal effectively with the challenges and changes facing independent schools and education in South Africa • registration with SACE

All applications must be accompanied by a detailed Curriculum Vitae and certified copies of all qualifications and ID document, as well as the contact details of three contactable referees. Applications should be e-mailed to: holyfamilycollege@staffroom.co.za Telephone enquiries to Alison: 0117914676

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: 18 June 2012

The Board of Governors of Holy Family College, Parktown reserves the right to make no appointment. Submission of an application will not in itself entitle the applicant to an interview or appointment. Failure to comply with these instructions will disqualify applications from being processed.

LOCAL

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

Papal award for retired advocate STAFF REPORTER

RETIRED advocate from St Mary’s parish in Pietermaritzburg has been awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice papal medal for his outstanding work in his community through his legal profession and his 56 years with the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP). Tim McNally was awarded the medal at a special Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban. Addressing the congregation, Mr McNally said that what inspired him to work for SVP was the vision of working for Jesus. He said he could not imagine meeting Jesus at the gates of heaven and being asked why he did not give food to the hungry, water to the thirsty and clothes to the poor, when this is what Jesus expects from us. The retired attorney-general of

what was then Natal still serves as treasurer for the society in the region and holds the position of legal advisor to the national board. Mr McNally’s integrity and independence was honoured previously when he was presented with the Paul Harris Fellowship Award by Rotary international. St Mary’s parishioner Barbara Mitchell said Mr McNally and his work with SVP involved many hours of each week calling on poor and needy families in the parish. She said Mr McNally will always endeavour to assist anyone needing his input. “His kind-hearted advice and compassion for the less fortunate is a part of his personality and one witnesses a composure and dignity in dealing with all people. From lending a pair of his own good shoes to a man needing shoes for a funeral to taking a poor family to have their dog seen to at the SPCA—nothing is too much trou-

ble,” Ms Mitchell said. Mr McNally has also served on the Pietermaritzburg Community Chest committee and also served as chairman of the National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders (NICRO), an organisation which serves to address the effects of crime, where families of the convicted persons are also assisted. “Organisations such as Child Welfare and Hospice and many others benefit from his dedication and efforts in serving the people of Pietermaritzburg,” said Ms Mitchell. “Advocate Tim McNally richly deserves the recognition and blessing of the papal award to acknowledge his selfless and ongoing dedication to the poor, associated with St Mary’s and others. Pietermaritzburg is very fortunate to have a man of his calibre, actively involved in serving St Mary’s and the community in his quiet and

Tim McNally (centre) receives the papal Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal from Cardinal Wilfrid Napier for his outstanding service. With them is parish priest Fr Allan Moss OMI. unobtrusive manner. As a staunch Catholic and volunteer...he is a

true example of selfless dedication to the needs of others,” she said.

Home-care training for Catholics Mass for survivors of heart and stroke disease STAFF REPORTER

ATHOLICS from KeimoesUpington, Polokwane and Rustenburg participated in a three-days home-based care refresher training course at Koinonia in Johannesburg. The participants were given an opportunity to express their expectations for the workshop, and these expectations were given special emphasis, said Sr Alison Munro OP, director of the Aids Office of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. These expectations included updated information on HIV and Aids, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, antiretroviral treatment, tuber-

culosis, pain management, opportunistic infections, wound dressing and first aid. Participants also sought skills in communicating with patients about the importance of disclosure and the care of the dying in encouraging adherence to treatment, and in supporting difficult clients, Sr Munro said. “Participants were informally assessed on what courses they had attended in relation to the work that they do, together with the experience they had in their organisations. They also completed a self-assessment tool to assess their own general knowledge before and after the training,” she said.

Most of the participants had been trained in various homebased courses, and a few of them had completed HIV/Aids courses as well as ancillary nursing. “All of them expressed a lot of passion and dedication for their work and were eager to learn. They were awarded certificates on the last day of the training,” Sr Munro said. Kabelo Huma and Nondumiso Jwara organised and supervised the home-care training course. Mary Nhlapho and Nonhlanhla Duba of Hospice Palliative Institute facilitated the training. Loreshnee Yirefu of Catholic Relief Services was present as an observer during the event.

Although only one third of its 1 455 learners are Catholic, Little Flower Combined School in Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal, raised R3 775,50 for the Bishops’ Lenten Appeal. Grade 1B raised the largest amount. The class is seen with teacher Ms Wood and Sr Maria Corda CPS.

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BY THANDI BOSMAN

UR Lady of the Assumption church in Umbilo, Durban, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa held a special service of spiritual healing and hope for all heart and stroke patients. Parish priest Fr Mduduzi Mchunu OMI said that he and the parish pastoral council were approached by Yvonne Luvuno from the Heart and Stroke Foundation to “host an ecumenical healing service”. “The purpose of the service was to come together as the Christian body to pray but also to give hope to our brethren who are suffering and those who are survivors of heart and stroke diseases,” Fr

Mchunu said. Fr Mchunu said that there were a “fair number” of parishioners who attended the service along with parishioners from other parishes. “The presence of a number of young people was a beautiful sight”. The church choir and the Salvation Army band “led us in wonderful sounds of music and meditation”, said the parish priest. He added that a special collection was taken for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. “The Catholic parishioners can show their support by praying for and visiting the patients at home or in hospital” and by continuing their support to the Heart and Stroke Foundation to help patients and families, Fr Mchunu said.

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

INTERNATIONAL

Vatican on recognition of Marian apparitions BY CAROL GLATZ

O help bishops determine the credibility of alleged Marian apparitions, the Vatican has translated and published procedural rules from 1978 that had previously been available only in Latin. The “Norms regarding the manner of proceedings in the discernment of presumed apparitions or revelations” were approved by Pope Paul VI in 1978 and distributed to the world’s bishops, but never officially published or translated into modern languages. However, over the past three decades, unauthorised translations have appeared around the world, according to Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The doctrinal office “believes it is now opportune to publish these ‘Norms’, providing translations in the principal languages” so as to “aid the pastors of the Catholic Church in their difficult task of discerning presumed apparitions, revelations, messages or, more generally, extraordinary phenomena of presumed supernatural ori-

gin”, the cardinal wrote in a note dated December 2011. His note and the newly translated norms were published recently on the congregation’s website. More than 1 500 visions of Mary have been reported around the world, but in the past century only nine cases have received Church approval as worthy of belief. Determining the veracity of an apparition falls to the local bishop, and the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation established the norms to guide the process. Granting approval is never brief, with some cases taking hundreds of years. Visionaries and witnesses must be questioned and the fruits of the apparitions, such as conversions, miracles and healings, must be examined. According to the norms, the local bishop should set up a commission of experts, including theologians, canonists, psychologists and doctors, to help him determine the facts, the mental, moral and spiritual wholesomeness and seriousness of the visionary, and whether the message and testimo-

A statue of Mary outside St James church in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS) ny are free from theological and doctrinal error. A bishop can come to one of three conclusions: He can determine the apparition to be true and worthy of belief; he can say it is not true, which leaves open the

possibility for an appeal; or he can say that at the moment he doesn’t know and needs more help. In the last scenario, the investigation is brought to the country’s bishops’ conference. If that body cannot come to a conclusion, the matter is turned over to the pope, who delegates the doctrinal congregation to step in and give advice or appoint others to investigate. The alleged apparitions at Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina are an example of a situation in which the country’s bishops requested the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to intervene. In that case, the congregation established an international commission in 2010 to investigate the claims of six young people who said Mary had appeared to them daily beginning in 1981. Pope Benedict has reaffirmed that the Church never requires the faithful to believe in apparitions, not even those recognised by the Church. In his note, Cardinal Levada quoted the pope saying: “The criterion for judging the truth of a

private revelation is its orientation to Christ himself,” in that it doesn’t lead people away from Jesus, but urges them towards closer communion with Christ and the Gospel. The cardinal also quoted from the writings of St John of the Cross, who emphasised that God said everything he had to say in Jesus Christ—in his one and only son and Word. “Any person questioning God or desiring some vision or revelation would be guilty not only of foolish behaviour but also of offending him, by not fixing his eyes entirely on Christ and by living with the desire for some other novelty,” the saint wrote. Church approval of a private revelation, in essence, is just the Church’s way of saying the message is not contrary to the faith or morality, it is licit to make the message public “and the faithful are authorised to give to it their prudent adhesion,” the pope said in his 2010 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Verbum Domini (“The Word of the Lord”).—CNS

Pope’s valet arrested over VatiLeaks; Vatican pledges transparency BY CAROL GLATZ & CINDY WOODEN

HE Vatican has said it is committed to restoring a sense of trust and transparency as it seeks the truth behind leaks of letters written by Vatican officials to each other and Pope Benedict, who has decried the leaks. Meanwhile, Paolo Gabriele—the pope’s private assistant accused of having a cache of illicitly obtained Vatican documents—was arrested and questioned by Vatican judges. Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi SJ confirmed that a number of individuals had been questioned by Vatican police. Fr Lombardi said that the Vatican “is committed to seeking to restore as soon as possible a climate of transparency, truth and trust”. Mr Gabriele, the dark-haired assistant often pictured sitting in the front seat of the popemobile next to the driver, was arrested after private Vatican documents were found in his home, which is on Vatican territory. His arrest was part of a Vatican investigation into a series of docu-

ment leaks, popularly referred to as “VatiLeaks” in the media. The leaks began in January with the publication of letters written by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò when he was secretary-general of the Governor’s Office of Vatican City State. The archbishop, who now is nuncio to the United States, warned of corruption, abuse of power, a lack of transparency in awarding Vatican contracts and opposition to financial reforms. Fr Lombardi said that the leaks’ scandal and the recent dismissal of the president of the Vatican Bank were “distinct and separate” cases. Bank president Ettore Gotti Tedeschi was fired on May 24 by the bank’s board of supervisors, who censured him for neglecting his duties amid worsening management problems. In April, Pope Benedict appointed a committee of three retired cardinals to investigate the document leaks; the cardinals turned to the Vatican gendarmes for assistance. Dozens of private letters to Pope Benedict and other confidential Vatican correspondence and reports

were leaked to Italian journalist, Gianluigi Nuzzi who published the documents in a book, Sua Santità (“Your Holiness”), which was released in May. While some of the leaked letters are gossipy, others include allegations of serious financial misconduct. Pope Benedict has voiced regret for the turmoil surrounding the publication of the leaks, but thanked the vast majority of people who work at the Vatican for their dedication and fidelity. Speaking at his general audience on May 30, the pope said much of the media coverage of the leak of private letters and Mr Gabriele’s arrest has been exaggerated and “completely gratuitous, and has gone far beyond the facts, offering an image of the Holy See that does not correspond to reality”. He said that while the scandal has saddened him, “it has never weakened my firm certainty that, despite human weakness, difficulties and trials, the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit and will never be without the Lord’s help to support it in its journey.—CNS

Paolo Gabriele, private assistant to Pope Benedict, is seen in the front seat of the popemobile as the pontiff arrives to lead a general audience in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican in May. Mr Gabriele was arrested after Vatican police found private Vatican documents in his home, which is on Vatican property. Next to the pope is his private secretary, Mgr Georg Gänswein. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS)

St Joseph’s Theological Institute, Cedara

Post-Graduate Study in Theology Honours MTh (coursework and research) PhD

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

• • • • • • • • • •

Areas of Study

Gender Studies Healing Inculturation Mariology Missiology Moral Theology Pastoral Theology Scripture Spirituality Systematic Theology

Application deadline for the Honours and MTh degrees: 31 August 2012

For more information contact:

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

Sue Rakoczy IHM Coordinator of Post-Graduate Programmes St Joseph’s Theological Institute Private Bag 6004 Hilton 3245 srakoczy@sjti.ac.za

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

20 years after Rio, future still unsustainable BY BARBARA J FRASER

WENTY years ago, a 12year-old girl stood before government officials from most of the world’s countries and pleaded for her future. Worried about pollution and overuse of natural resources on her finite planet, she begged: “If you don’t know how to fix it, please don’t break it.” The occasion was the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, which ended with the world’s countries committing—at least on paper—to make environmental concerns a priority and eliminate unsustainable forms of production and consumption. Above all, delegates agreed that development must not jeopardise the welfare of future generations.” Reminding the adults in the room that their children and grandchildren deserved a decent life, too, the girl asked: “Are we even on your list of priorities?” Canadian Severn Cullis-Suzuki—who pleaded on behalf of her generation then and who now has a toddler and an infant of her own—will return to Rio in late June, when delegates gather again to try to map a sustainable course for the world’s 7 billion people. The theme is one often raised by Pope Benedict. During a Sunday blessing last November, he urged delegates to an international climate conference to consider “the needs of the poorest and future generations”. A few days later, he told young Italian members of a Franciscan environmental group, “There is no good future for humanity or for the earth unless we educate everyone toward a style of life that is more responsi-

Severn Cullis-Suzuki, who as a 12-year-old pleaded on behalf of her generation during the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, will return to Rio in late June, when delegates gather again to try to map a sustainable course for the world’s 7 billion people. (Photo: Mark Garten, UN/CNS) ble toward the created world.” Many observers, however, are dubious that delegates in Rio will map a route toward that lifestyle. So far, negotiators have failed to agree on the summit document, which was supposed to be 90% complete before the summit begins.

ndustrialised and developing countries have taken different stands on one of the summit’s key themes, the “green economy,” as well as a proposal to set “sustainable development goals” modelled on the Millennium Development Goals, which defined targets in areas such as health, education, maternal and child welfare and poverty reduction, with 2015 as the deadline. “All people tend to find it easier to borrow than to pay back, but environmental debt, like all debt, tends to catch up with us,”

Robert Engelman, director of the non-profit Worldwatch Institute in Washington, said at the presentation of the organisation’s annual State of the World report. Mr Engelman said the world needs “creative thinking about how to restructure economies, governance and our own lives”. “We need a new global solidarity for sustainability...that can produce win-win outcomes for everyone,” Worldwatch researcher Michael Renner said. “The winners will ultimately lose if the losers can’t win.” In the market-driven world, development has become synonymous with economic growth, but Mr Renner and others said that unlimited economic growth will strain the planet’s resources beyond their capacity. A key to sustainable development is “transforming a consumer culture,” said State of the World researcher Erik Assadourian. “We are trapped in a system that stimulates consumption.” Suggestions for curbing consumption range from redistribution of tax burdens to retraining workers for a “green” economy. Such ideas, however, are likely to meet with opposition from both industrialised countries, which fear erosion of their standard of living, and developing countries, which exploit their natural resources to generate revenue to reduce poverty, provide services and build infrastructure. Despite the scepticism over the Rio summit, Ms Cullis-Suzuki finds hope at the grass roots. “Real change lies in the communities,” she told the audience at the Worldwatch presentation. “Because we love our children, we must and we will find a way to become sustainable.”—CNS

Egypt’s Christians backed old Mubarak loyalist in election BY MICHAEL GUNN

GYPTIAN Christians voting in their nation’s historic presidential election in late May were throwing much of their support behind candidates who aimed to check the power of the Islamist parties. Although no official statistics on the Christian vote were reported, many of Egypt’s Christians said they supported candidates who served under ousted President Hosni Mubarak and said the ideals of the 2011 revolution might have been too ambitious. “For me as a Christian I have only a few choices—the other side is Islamic, I can’t choose them,” said a man identified only as Rami, 45, a worshipper at the Catholic basilica in Cairo’s Heliopolis district. Christians like Rami said they supported former Prime Minister

Ahmed Shafiq or former foreign minister Amr Moussa, who also served as secretary-general of the Arab League for ten years. Mr Shafiq will face the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Mursi in a June 16-17 run-off election. Fr Sherif Nashef, assistant pastor at the Melkite Catholic Church of St Cyril, also described a community forced into pragmatism at the ballot box. “When people see a man like Shafiq in power they will feel comfortable. They feel their country is in safe hands,” he said, summing up the grudging support for figures associated with the Mubarak regime, which suppressed political Islamism in an often-brutal manner. “Shafiq may be supported by the army if he is in power; they will keep us safe,” said a woman

identified only as Ines, a 39-year old accountant attending the Maronite Catholic Church in Heliopolis. “In the beginning we were with the revolution, but after all that has happened, we are against. Under Shafiq, at least we will be back as we were. That’s enough,” she said. Similar sentiments were apparent in less well-off Christian areas such as Manshiyet Nasser, a hillside slum in eastern Cairo that is home to at least 30 000 mainly Coptic Orthodox. There voters polled by local media said Mr Shafiq’s secularist, strongman credentials made him the obvious choice. Many Christians have been rattled by a year of military rule marked by a series of seemingly sectarian clashes—both in distant villages and Cairo—and several church burnings.—CNS

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The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Business world can teach us

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Are our Catholic schools still Catholic?

HERE is an increasingly louder refrain which bemoans that Catholic schools are no longer Catholic. Usually the criticism presumes to refer to what once were parochial Catholic schools in metropolitan conurbations, rather than the many rural schools founded and run by Church agencies as a missionary endeavour as well as to meet an urgent need in the face of perennial government failures. The trouble with generalisations, such as the idea that Catholic schools are no longer Catholic, is that they tend to generalise. There is no question that Catholic schools may dispense with the external signs of the faith. Obviously a school ceases to be Catholic when it lacks the crucifix, statues of Mary or the saints and Mass on days of obligation. Catholic schools have a mandate to instruct their Catholic learners in the faith (though this may amount to little if parents do not assume the primary responsibility for their children’s catechesis). But the Catholic ethos manifests itself in more than just external expression. It is true that the student body in many, perhaps most, of our Catholic schools no longer comprises a Catholic majority. That observation usually comes with the attendant criticism that the institutions’ Catholic culture is thereby diluted. The reasons for that demographic shift merit inquest. Do the demographics at these schools suggest that Catholic parents have lost confidence in the Catholic school system, or have the parents themselves become indifferent to the Catholic faith? Have some Catholic schools become inaccessible because of unaffordable fees or location? Do admission criteria or management in a particular school somehow militate against a Catholic majority? It is also true that a large proportion of teachers at Catholic schools are not Catholics. In an age when the vocations to the religious life, from which Catholic schools used to draw their teaching staff, have sharply

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

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.

declined, it is inevitable that schools need to employ teachers regardless of their religious faith. The requirements of academic pursuit might not offer any alternatives. It is reasonable to ask whether Catholic schools in fact try to employ, when possible, Catholic teachers (in as far as such an employment policy is consistent with South African labour law), and whether some schools have employed educators who are unsuitable to teach in a faith environment. It does not follow, however, that non-Catholic teachers are invariably unqualified, by virtue of their background, to maintain a Catholic ethos. Experts in South Africa’s Catholic education system will concur that some Catholic schools have lost their way in maintaining their Catholic ethos. They will also agree that the effects of increasing secularisation in society presents Catholic schools with on-going challenges in preserving their unique culture. None of that, however, suggests that the Catholic education system in South Africa has lost its Catholic compass. On the contrary, survey the advertisements in this week’s education supplement and read the various articles—not all of them uncritical— to get a sense of Catholic education today as an arena in which love is a common motivation, besides academic development. When we want to interrogate whether our Catholic schools are still Catholic, we ought to ask not how many Catholics teach or learn there, nor how many children can recite the Creed. Above all, we should ask whether we can locate Jesus and his Gospel at these schools, not only in proclamation but also in deeds. Bishop Kevin Dowling, the liaison bishop for Catholic education, in this issue sets out the characteristics by which we ought to measure our school: “An environment which invites and challenges the young person to grow to the fullness of their potential as a committed human being who is inspired by the Gospel values which are at the heart of the education process in such a school.”

WOULD like to thank Fr Ron Rolheiser on his insightful article “Recipe for New Evangelisation”, May 23. It is very easy to say that evangelisation is needed, but accomplishing it, especially in the context of those who have had some contact with Christianity, is problematic. Effective evangelisation demands the spiritual power that comes from a lot of prayer, faith in God and the ability to relate and communicate well. We can learn it best from those individuals and groups that have been successful in this area, even if they are not Catholic. Evangelisation is however but one aspect of a successful Church; sometimes by gaining members all we are doing is replacing those who have left. I think that as a Church we need to learn some lessons from the secular world both on how to attract and retain “clients”.

A deacon’s job

HAVE just read Fr Ron Rolheiser’s excellent reflection on the “Recipe for New Evangelisation” (May 23). Phrases that jumped out at me included: “To get people to fall in love with the faith”; “people go where they are fed”; and “to let the beauty of the Gospel speak to the beauty inside of people”. These principles are the functions of deacons and the ministry of care in parishes—by visiting the sick, the housebound, the bereaved, the poor and the lonely. In doing this, deacons and ministers of care are evangelising those who are suffering, either physically or emotionally, enhancing their love of their faith, the beauty of the Gospel and their own inner beauty, as seen through the eyes of God. Deacon Peter Venter, Durban

Conscience is king

DO not agree with Fr Nicholas King SJ in “Triumph over disaster” (May 2). Both Peter and Cornelius had a vision that brings them together; when the meeting takes place, Cornelius’ instinct is to worship Peter, but that is not what he is supposed to be doing. Peter has to stand him up, and say “I am also [just] a human being.” According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, “instinct” is an innate, usually fixed pattern of behaviour in most animals in response to certain stimuli. My answer: It is not the

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The first point that I think we need to realise is that in common with secular organisations we must be ceaselessly campaigning for new members because whether we like it or not any organisation (including the Church) is continuously losing members, often to competitive groups; and in today’s world the number of competing Christian denominations and alternative ideologies is legion. However, we need to realise that in the Catholic Church we have a very deep and pure spirituality and theology that some people will appreciate and want to adopt if it is presented to them in an attractive and convincing manner. Businesses have to ensure they hire the people with the talents and capacity to perform their tasks. After that they must skill them, train them and constantly scrutinise the quality of the work of employees and managers to ensure

instinct of Cornelius, but his conscience which, as Vatican II put it, “is man’s most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths”. This is the “triumph over disaster”—that God’s presence resides in the unconscious presence of God in Peter and Cornelius. Fr Ludwig Brunner, Queenstown

No pronouncement

ENIS Barrett (May 2) is so naughty to remind us of Pope Honorius (625-638) who, he claims, sided with the heretics of his time. That is why these days opponents of papal infallibility like to refer to this pope. In the controversy about the Monothelite heresy, Pope Honorius opted not to pronounce a decision. He thought it best to leave the matter unsettled for the greater peace of the Church. It seems wiser by hindsight now; we say that he was wrong, but nobody has ever claimed that the pope is infallible in not defining a doctrine. JH Goossens, Dundee

Vatican reprimand

OSEMARY Gravenor’s letter about women religious (May 23) is misleading because she omits the reason for the Vatican’s action against the US Leadership Conference of Women Religious. She thus abuses the prayer that she quotes. She must know that the Vatican’s reprimand of these religious is because of their silence on Church teaching on the grave issues of abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality. On which road are these dissidents travelling? Will they be numbered among the “Many” or the “Few”? (Mt 7) Franko Sokolic, Cape Town

WAC clarification

N recent months there has started up in South Africa an organisation that aims to recall the Church to the Second Vatican Council’s programme for renewing the Church so as to make it better able to serve humanity in our contemporary world. It is called We Are All Church (South Africa) and is affiliated to the international body IMWAC (International Movement We Are Church). Misunderstandings concerning the nature of the Roman Catholic Church and its teaching and practice abound, both within the Church and outside it, and part of our work is to dispel these. There is one mistaken perception of this kind that is so fundamental that I would be grateful if

they are competent and productive. We must ask whether we are placing people in clerical and lay ministry who have a real calling and capacity for caring for souls. Further we must question whether we are giving them the training and encouragement they need to act as pastors and spiritual leaders. Finally we must query if the work of those in ordained and lay leadership positions is properly supervised and evaluated. The Church and the domain of government and business exist in the same world and what produces lasting success in the secular domain usually does the same in the Church. Excellent service and real care for people work wonders in the secular world and they do great things for the Church. Choosing the right people for the tasks they are given as well as managing, training and skilling them is central to business success and just as vital in running a credible Church. Frank Bompas, Johannesburg

you would publish this letter in order to correct it. In its most authoritative document Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, the Second Vatican Council solemnly proclaimed that the only absolutely necessary condition for salvation (union with God in heaven) was trying to live a good life according to your own conscience. It begins its list of those who can be saved with members of the Roman Catholic Church. But it also declares: “He is not saved however who, though he is part of the body of the Church, does not persevere in charity.” It then goes on to include members of other Christian bodies of all sorts together with, in the famous paragraph 16, Jews, Muslims and members of other religions and, finally, even atheists. In the typical florid language of Vatican documents it proclaims: “Nor does divine providence deny the help necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God, but who strive to live a good life thanks to his grace.” It would be good for Catholics to always keep this in mind. It would make them less anxious about preserving the traditional doctrines and practices of their own Church and more open to other religions and to those with no religion at all, able to feel solidarity with everyone in our common need for God. It would also help them to be properly critical of Christian bodies that teach that all non-Christians (and some Christians too) cannot be saved. Augustine Shutte, Cape Town

Why go there?

REFER to your photograph (April 25) of Marist schoolboys who were conducted on a tour of Soweto and having regard to their learning of the township’s “historic significance” and the “highlights” visited. I enquire whether political indoctrination is now part of the much vaunted “ethos” surrounding Catholic schools. Will the boys’ next outing be to the Voortrekker Monument and Wall of Remembrance? WE Muller, Centurion 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.

Catholic Education Focus Special supplement to The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012 Edited by Claire Mathieson

INSIDE Vatican II and education Hope&Joy focus on Catholic education Seminarians and their schools Are Catholic schools Catholic? What makes a great teacher? Choosing the right school Religious in Catholic schools

l l l l l l l

Cut the corporal punishment Action against bullying Education crisis in Zimbabwe Rural KZN and California schools hook up Guiding our learners Focus on SA’s Catholic university Sport and the Catholic faith

Future should be brighter for ‘born frees’ Children who were born in the year of South Africa’s first fully democratic election will write their matric this year, but one Catholic researcher believes they have not been served well, as CLAIRE MATHIESON reports.

third are in matric in 2012, Mr Pasensie said. The born frees that have made it to matric would have been subjected, at some point in their school career, to absent educators due to teacher strikes, a lack of resources or no libraries—unless of course their parents could afford the tuition of a private school. But, Mr Pasensie said, not all the blame should be put on the government. “Parents take very little interest HIS year, the so-called “born in the schooling of their children frees”—those who were born as is evident in their involvement in South Africa’s Year Zero, in school governing bodies. Dur1994—will matriculate. A Catholic ing the recent election of school researcher believes the future governing bodies at the more that should have been looking brighter 26 000 public schools—one of the biggest elections in South Africa— than it is for these young adults. “Unlike their parents, the ‘born many have lamented the poor turnout,” he said. frees’ inherited a “This low turnout South Africa where was not only reflected they can go where they want, sit where ‘Many argue in rural schools but many urban schools as they want, study well. A well functioning that the where they want, and governing body, togethbe who they want—a er with well trained and education doctor, an engineer, a committed staff militate chartered accounsystem failed against the potential tant,” said Kenny adverse effects of a poor Pasensie, a researcher the born-frees functioning education for the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison – government system.” In January the Office (CPLO), a body Department of Basic of the Southern failed them.’ Education (DoBE) introAfrican Catholic Bishduced its new curricuops’ Conference. lum changes called “However, 18 years CAPS, which stands for later, many argue that the education system failed them—govern- Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements. It’s the latest in ment failed them.” According to Statistics South attempts to move the education Africa, about 600 000 children system in a positive direction, but were born in 1994, but it is safe to “it’s too early to tell whether the assume, that due to the high new changes will make a signifidropout rate, only about one cant impact”, Mr Pasensie said.

“There is a genuine hope that the current new curriculum changes will be the last because any more fiddling with the system will be absolutely disastrous,” he added. CAPS will ensure that each subject in each grade will have a single, comprehensive and concise document—something that teachers were hankering after for a very

Campaign to keep children safe in Catholic schools BY ANNE BAKER

HERE must be no question that children should feel and be safe at schools. The lack of safety at schools has been widely publicised in the media. Cases of bullying, physical violence from other children and teachers as well as sexual abuse occur in schools. This poses the question: how can schools keep children safe? School personnel have a legal responsibility to ensure that children are safe— and in a Catholic school the moral obligation to care and keep children of all ages safe is an imperative. The Catholic Schools Proprietors Association (CaSPA), which comprises the bishops and congregations who own Catholic schools, is very concerned about the safety of every child in Catholic schools. There is also a heightened awareness within the Church of children’s safety because of the abuse of children by Church personnel. The Catholic Institute of Education (CIE), working on behalf of CaSPA, has developed Child Safeguarding Policies for both Catholic Public Schools on Private Property (that is, state-funded Catholic schools) and Independent Catholic Schools. The stated aim of the policy is to ensure that every child at a Catholic school is safe, and is aware of her or his right to be safe from harm, and that processes and procedures are in place to see that this happens.

As part of the CaSPA theme for Catholic schools for 2012, “Care for the Child, our Treasure, our Future, our Responsibility”, several tools to assist the proper implementation of the policy have been developed, and workshops to acquaint schools and parents with the policy will be held in all Catholic schools. Additional resources will be made available for schools to support child safety at school. These resources will include alternatives to corporal punishment and how to deal with bullying and cyber-bullying. The policy booklets, tools to assist schools and the poster are available on the CIE website (www.cie.org.za). As other materials are developed they will also be available on the website.

long time. So far, the system has been introduced into Foundation Phase and Grade 10 and will be further implemented to the other grades next year. The changes include, among others, the introduction of English as a first additional language in the Grade; reducing the number of subject in Grades 4-6 from eight to six; introducing annual

national assessments for Grades 3, 6 and 9; and introducing some of the Grade 12 content in Grade 11 to alleviate the workload of matriculants. “My hope is that a year or two from now we are not resigned to use the French writer Jean-Batiste Alphonse Karr’s epigram, ‘Plus c’est la même chose’—‘the more things change, the more they stay the same’—to describe the new curriculum changes,” said Mr Pasensie. He predicted that as a result of the turbulent public school system, the private versus public school debate will rage on for many parents who can afford it. “However, there is also another reality—the majority of South Africans cannot afford to send their children to private schools and the only option they have is to send their children to public schools and hope for the best,” he said. And therefore, the education issue needs to be solved, said Mr Pasensie—and that can happen only if government and parents both take a keen interest and stick to the plans put in place for South Africa’s children.

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

Education: What the Church expects

tance of Education”, issued on October 25, 1965), is one of the Vatican II outlined the purpose shorter documents of the Council—and still provides inspiraof Catholic education and the tional guidance today. way it is best achieved—a The document comments briefly on each aspect of educaprocess that puts parents at tion of interest to the Church. A the forefront. MARK few central principles stand out. POTTERTON explains One key principle is that all people have “an inalienable right to an education that is in keeping with their ultimate goal, their ability, their sex, and the culture HERE has been a lot said and tradition of their country, about Catholic education and also in harmony with their lately, as well as in the past. fraternal association with other Everyone has a view and, in a peoples in the fostering of true way, everyone is an education unity and peace on earth”. expert by virtue of having attendThe purposes of such an educaed school or having had children tion include the at school. This interest development of the does indicate the intense students’ physical, ‘Catholic concern that most South moral and intellectuAfricans have for educaal endowments, schools play leading tion. to mature Catholic schools form responsibility, an important a tiny part of the educaincluding a “positive tion system in South and prudent” sexual role in society Africa. The recently pubeducation; instruclished department of tion in the knowland in the basic education statistics edge and skills necnote that there are evangelising essary to discourse 25 851 ordinary schools with others and proin South Africa with just mission of the mote the common over 12 million pupils. good; and the motiThese statistics dwarf the Church.’ vation to appraise 346 Catholic schools moral values with a with their 173 300 right conscience and pupils. The question some might to embrace them with personal ask is exactly what difference adherence, together with a deeper such a small school grouping knowledge and love of God. could make? Another key principle in The Second Vatican Council Gravissimum Educationis is the declaration on education, Gravis- right, of all Christians, to a truly simum Educationis (“The Impor- Christian education which

Gravissimum Educationis (“The Importance of Education”) is the Second Vatican Council’s declaration for education. It states among other things that Christians have a right to a truly Christian education. includes that the baptised become ever more aware of the gift of faith they have received; that they develop ever more perfectly into “the mature measure of the fullness of Christ”; and that they learn to bear witness to the hope that is in them and to assist in the Christian formation of the world, contributing to the good of society through natural powers redeemed by Christ.

arents have given children their life and are obligated to educate their children. They must therefore be recognised as the primary and principal educators.

Vatican II points out that the parental role is so important that “only with difficulty can it be supplied where it is lacking”, as the family is the “first school of the social virtues that every society needs”, and the Christian family is not only the first experience of wholesome human society but also of the Church. The Council reminds parents “of the duty that is theirs to arrange and even demand that their children be able to…advance in their Christian formation to a degree that is abreast of their development in secular subjects”. Parents have “the duty of

entrusting their children to Catholic schools wherever and whenever possible and of supporting these schools to the best of their ability”. Catholic schools are seen as Church-based institutions, they are “the privileged environment in which Christian education is carried out”. They also have a missionary orientation through which they make a significant contribution “to the evangelising mission of the Church throughout the world, including those areas in which no other form of pastoral work is possible”. One of the most important messages in the declaration is that the Church and her schools depend upon teachers “almost entirely” to accomplish her goals. Teachers are called to be witnesses “by their life as much as by their instruction bearing witness to Christ, the unique Teacher”, and “the work of these teachers, this sacred synod declares, is in the real sense of the word an apostolate most suited to and necessary for our times and at once a true service offered to society”. This is an important message for us in South Africa—we can’t reconstruct our education system without teachers. In celebrating the 50th anniversary this year of the inauguration of Second Vatican Council, we are reminded that Catholic schools play an important role in society and are a vitally important part of the evangelising mission of the Church.

HOPE&JOY

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

Producing great South Africans S

OME people criticise Catholic schools for allegedly diluting the very thing that defines them. But while Catholic schools may no longer be the parochial institutions they once were—due to the lack of resources and religious teachers—they can represent something different now. Today’s Catholic schools produce many great South Africans. Veteran educator Marjorie Wallace of Marist Brothers Linmeyer in Johannesburg says being a Catholic school means more than just ensuring learners leave with a matric certificate. “It is universal embracing, it is sympathetic to the needs of everyone and it is interested in all that the community is doing. In short to be a Catholic school is to have a heart, and our heart is based on the teachings and way of Jesus given to us by the Marist Brothers.” She says parents can feel confident in the knowledge that they have secured the best possible future for their children when choosing a Catholic school because these seek to nurture the child. “Catholic Schools seek to be an extension of the home and its moral compass, but respecting at all times that parents are the primary educators of their children. We seek to nurture children in a loving and caring atmosphere, encouraging a good work ethic and first-rate sportsmanship in a creative stimulating, learning environment.” Kananelo Buthelezi, who presents the variety youth programme “Youthwise” on Radio Veritas, was schooled in the Catholic education system her entire school career, attending Dominican Covent Belgravia, Sacred Heart and Holy Rosary in Johannesburg. “What I found to be a common thread with all three schools is what I refer to as the ‘all-rounder approach’,” she says. “Learners are encouraged to do

Claire Mathieson

A Church of Hope and Joy

their best in all they do: sports, academics and cultural activities. Learners do exceptionally well academically, and this is evident with the high matric pass rate among Catholic schools. One might think that the exceptional academic marks are at the expense of all the other areas such as cultural activities and sports; however this is not the case. Catholic schools encourage learners to be the best in all they do, regardless of how big or small the task is,” Ms Buthelezi says. She believes one of the most valuable aspects of her schooling was the sense of community, of belongingness, of caring. Being in a Catholic school “makes one feel like they are part of a big diverse family”. And much like a family, you are made aware of the responsibilities you have towards others. “This has contributed a lot to not only being aware of your needs, but also of being aware of other people and respecting them,” the radio presenter says. Sr Victoria Sibisi is the national director of Education for Life, a development programme that addresses social issues many of the country’s youth face. She believes Catholic schools provide lessons in life and faith particularly where parents have taken an active role in the school. However, she believes the lack of religious teachers today is contributing to the dilution of faith in Catholic schools. Generally, “the teachers are doing their job as educators and nothing else”, Sr Sibisi says, adding that the environment is no longer conducive for passing on the faith.

Students of Linmeyer Marist College in Johannesburg light candles on a Lenten shrine in their classroom. This is one example of how Catholic schools retain their Catholic character. Sr Sibisi says while schools will struggle to implement the faith as they did in the past, Catholic youth can still be educated at home or in the Church on Sunday. She believes it takes a community to enrich a child’s faith. But Ms Buthelezi believes Catholic schools produce great South Africans, even if they aren’t all Catholic. “I would definitely recommend youth to attend Catholic schools, if there are means and resources available. I believe a human being is made up of three components that all need to be nurtured: body, mind and soul. From my experience I found that Catholic schools have managed to strike the balance between all three components.”

icardo de Freitas is a Grade 12 learner at St Dominic’s High School in Welkom. He says he was sent to the Catholic school because his family is Catholic and “they wanted me to fully understand my faith; but more than that my parents also felt assured that I would be exposed to good moral teachings through whatever I was to learn”. His school is made up predominantly of non-Catholics. “I do believe that there is a difference in how schools operate today due to them having less Brothers and Sisters running them, as it was in the past. However, I believe that the [Catholic] ethos and traditions are still taught in the schools.” Learners at St Dominic’s still

I’m an innovator, a creator, a thinker my mind doesn’t belong in a box, I’m an activist, a believer, a giver, I consider the “impossible”. I’m a helper, a supporter, collaborator, my senses inspire me. Don’t tell me not to be creative. Don’t tell me not to imagine. Creative is what I am. Thinking is what I do. Give me a school where they teach me beyond textbook pages and classroom walls, Give me a school where they celebrate the individual me. I’m not just a student, a learner, or even a pupil, I’m so much more. Give me a school that gives me more.

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pray the Angelus every day at noon, a tradition started by the Dominican Sisters, the school’s founders. Since today’s Catholic schools cater to more than just the Catholic community, the schools are focused on creating good citizens of the country. “I think that Catholic schools create caring South Africans, who would want to improve South Africa in whatever way they can,” said Mr de Freitas. Ms Wallace, whose learner body is 50% Catholic, says Catholic schools are attractive to prospective learners because as soon as they enter the environment they feel cared for. “Our values set the tone for our school and are our foundation, permeating through every aspect of school life. There is a happy buzz of busy learners and dedicated teachers who see them not as strangers but as future friends or pupils.” Ms Buthelezi says this was also part of her education. “The learners who attended came from different backgrounds, different races, different countries and different religious denominations. We were taught about diversity, embracing diversity and we lived and practiced those values daily,” she says. Mr de Freitas says even his nonCatholic counterparts attend Catholic schools because they are steeped in tradition, positive values and a strong ethos which result in an overall positive education— something which is attractive regardless of your faith. “Catholic schools often perform well in academics, sporting and cul-

tural activities, while still focusing on their outreach programmes and being a good Christian every day,” he says. The same is true in Linmeyer where the school is directed by its vision of providing an education for integrity and success. “We endeavour to deliver a dynamic and holistic programme relevant to the needs of our learners by providing love and care and encouraging hard work, by working together as a family and by living out the gospel values within a Catholic tradition,” says Ms Wallace. And helping to shape learners for a positive future is something present in all Catholic schools. “A Catholic school provides all the necessary tools to ensure each learner enjoys an excellent future but the reality is that it depends on how each individual child uses it. With a top class education, excellent teachers and facilities, a nurturing environment, young minds can grow and develop and learners can experience success in order to become the best they can be. The young person is indeed ready to face the world and become a contributing citizen,” Ms Wallace said. Often the learner takes more than just a good education from the school. Mr de Freitas feels he has been well prepared by his Catholic education. “My school has given me a clear understanding of the Catholic ethos, that has allowed me to let God come into my life and be with me in whatever I do.” He says while many of his fellow leaners will not embrace Catholicism as he has, a Catholic education will definitely “change how one perceives life”. Sr Sibisi believes there is enough opportunity for education and faith enrichment in the country but young people get lost or fail because they don’t find people who will help direct them. She says it is a difficult job to get faith to our youth, but for those who are guided and groomed by good teachers will have “constant faith”. Ms Buthelezi feels that attending a Catholic school is a lifetime investment, as you “will grow with the values instilled in you—the values of love, respect, standing your ground, awareness, understanding, being true to yourself, kindness, sharing, and tolerance”.

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

Future priests on Catholic schools Where did our priests go to school? CLAIRE MATHIESON went to find out which schools the country’s future priests attended.

MONG seminarians interviewed at St Francis Xavier’s Orientation Seminary in Cape Town, only a third attended a Catholic primary school. A third of those attended both Catholic primary and high schools. So, the majority of priests of the future did not gain their faith basis at Catholic schools. And still, every one of them recommends that Catholic children attend Catholic schools. “It just makes sense,” they said. Shaun Addinall from Durbanville in Cape Town attended a Catholic primary school. “The Holy Cross Sisters who taught me had a different kind of teaching. They were clearly called to be teachers. They were strict, but they helped us embrace our faith,” he said. Mr Addinall attended a secular secondary school. While he doesn’t regret his secondary schooling, he said he would advise Catholic parents to send their children to a Catholic school, even if only for one part of their schooling. “It’s worth it—especially at a young age when values can be established.” Congolese-born Scalabrinian Charles Kasambi also attended a Catholic primary school. “There are certain values taught

in Catholic schools that are not as relevant in secular schools,” he said. Mr Kasambi said he learnt about respect and about the importance of prayers and Mass, which were prominent features in his primary schooling. “The way in which we learnt to respect and approach the Blessed Sacraments taught us how to approach and respect other things in life,” Mr Kasambi said, adding that the Catholic background of his schooling helped him to approach life with morals. Boniface Chabalala from Limpopo attended both a Catholic primary and high school. The school’s learners were from various religious backgrounds, as were the teachers. Mr Chabalala said his primary school was “more Catholic” with a greater number of teachers and pupils subscribing to the faith. But , he said, while on the one hand there was a decrease in Catholic formation for the learners in high school, he learnt about life outside the Catholic Church. He called his Catholic education, which he shared with mostly non-Catholics, “very positive”.

he parents of two of the seminarians never considered Catholic education as the future priests were not Catholic at the time. Another seminarian, Mzobotshi Aphelele was brought up a Methodist, but it was through his non-Catholic education that he came to find the faith. “I met a Catholic in our secular school. Through our friendship, I was drawn to the faith and led to become a Catholic.” He became religious through

his non-religious education. Mr Kasambi said one’s schooling does not necessarily determine the depth of faith—that, he said, begins with the family. “The role of the family is important in education and it is up to the family to keep the Catholic faith alive.” He said giving priority to Catholic education could aid in keeping the faith in the family, but regardless of where the child is educated, faith formation is firstly the parent’s responsibility. Jimmy Mutevera from Dundee diocese said catechism classes are an acceptable alternative in place of a Catholic education, but the most significant faith formation comes from families. However, Mr Addinall felt that parents today do not have the time to ensure their children are receiving a solid Catholic understanding. By leaving most of the work to the Catholic school, a parent can rest assured that their work is not getting in the way of their child’s faith formation. Calvinist-raised Bobby Booyse from Pretoria said the school one chooses is only half the equation. His secular school included Bible study, a quality education and it taught him a good work ethic and good morals. “The responsibility, at the end of the day, falls on to the parents. A Catholic school can help, but it’s up to the family to teach the faith and to live the faith.”

euben Mabe from Johannesburg said he would have liked to attend a Catholic school as he believes morals are better imparted through that schooling system. “Catholic schools teach better morals, but it’s not something that

A class of St Francis Xavier’s Seminary in Cape Town with their teacher, Fr Chris Chatteris SJ. The country’s future priests come from a wide variety of backgrounds and attended both Catholic and secular schools. everyone can afford,” he said, pointing out that many urban Catholic schools are private and expensive. Catholic schools are not always accessible to every family—either due to location or due to finances. Jason Lottering was brought up in a non-practising Catholic family and attended a secular school. He would advise parents send their children to a Catholic schools. “Regardless of the religious formation, from what I have seen, the pass rate from Catholic schools is higher, therefore the quality of education must be better,” he said. Bohlale Molio from Bethlehem diocese said Catholic schools seem to have a better history behind

them. This gives learners a degree of stability, while those in secular schools are subjected to regular curriculum changes on the national level. Most of the seminarians interviewed did not attend Catholic schools, but each thought the potential Catholic schools had with regard to faith formation of its learners, was worth the effort to send children to the schools. They agreed that Catholic schools are beneficial, but only as long as the Catholic parents play a role in the child’s faith formation—without family involvement, one cannot blame the child’s school for deficiencies in faith development.

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

Are Catholic schools still Catholic? Catholic schools may achieve great academic results, but they must live out a Catholic ethos, according to Bishop Kevin Dowling. CLAIRE MATHIESON reports.

OR Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg, “there can be little doubt that where a true Catholic education is actually implemented, the children and young people can not only excel academically but, even more importantly, they can grow into active, thinking, and engaged citizens in the realities of the country”. Bishop Kevin Dowling is the liaison bishop for education for the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. He is also the chairman of both the Catholic Institute of Education (CIE) Executive and the CIE Board and attends meetings during the course of the year. He also oversees the ten Catholic schools in his own diocese. “I have personally experienced what Catholic education has to offer in terms of holistic formation

and education based on a set of values inspired by the Gospel, the person of Jesus, and Catholic social teaching principles,” the bishop told The Southern Cross. What distinguishes a Catholic education process from others is “the emphasis on holistic formation of the person of the child in a safe and caring environment, an environment which invites and challenges the young person to grow to the fullness of their potential as a committed human being who is inspired by the Gospel values which are at the heart of the education process in such a school”. Bishop Dowling said that a true Catholic education is all about fostering positive development in a school community where the focus is on living and experiencing growth through interpersonal and interactive relationships. “A key aspect of such growth is exposure and involvement in the reality of the poorest and excluded members of the society, especially in situations where the education process limps through lack of resources and lack of adequately trained and motivated educators,” he said. “In that sense, excellence should always be the hallmark of a Catholic education, but understood in this

kind of holistic framework.” A good Catholic school is not defined by pass rates alone but also on the outcome of the learners as good citizens. And this still exists today. “It is so important that Catholic education plays a vital role in the transformation of the entire education system and education enterprise in the country. If education is to respond to the needs of children and young people, and enable them to strive to achieve their potential, then all of us in the education system—including Catholic schools— must play an active part no matter what the cost in terms of personal involvement and sacrifice,” he said.

n South Africa, the CIE implements and addresses the ongoing needs of education in the Catholic school sector. The CIE regularly reports to the plenary sessions of the bishops’ conference and raises important issues for the bishops to consider. The CIE also offers practical guidelines and programmes which the bishops support and endorse after discussion. Both the bishops and the CIE have been aware of the concern of many that Catholic schools are today only Catholic in name and not nature.

“In the present environment, Catholic schools face considerable challenges, not the least of which are financial constraints which inhibit the realisation of some of the ideals we have in Catholic education. There is a disparity in personnel and financial resources across the Catholic school sector, in spite of efforts which are being made to twin schools and to share resources,” the bishop said. Bishop Dowling said it is possible for a Catholic school to achieve the highest possible academic standards and at the same time to be lacking in the most important values and practices which should characterise what we mean by a “Catholic school”. “The question then has to be faced: is this a Catholic school in terms of living out the Catholic vision and practice so well articulated in all our documentation on education as a Church? A great deal depends on the leadership provided by the principal and school management team.” The bishop said these questions are being asked regularly and the CIE is working towards ensuring the Catholic ethos remains present in Catholic schools. The bishop was eager to correct the false perception that most of

South Africa’s Catholic schools are private, suburban schools. “Many of our rural and township schools strive against immense odds to deliver a quality and holistic education in the spirit of the vision of Catholic education. They are to be commended for their spirit of sacrifice and dedication,” he said. “We can continue to offer a significant contribution to the quality of education in the most vulnerable areas of the country.” Bishop Dowling said attending a Catholic school would be the ideal for all Catholic learners. But, depending on where a Catholic parent lives and their financial situation, sometimes the possibilities may be rather limited. “I understand the various motivations which will be present when a Catholic parent makes a decision about where they will place their child in a school.” But, he added, he would always encourage parents to seriously consider sending their child to a Catholic school if that is possible. “The challenge, therefore, is for all our Catholic schools to offer to Catholic parents what they are looking for—and to offer them even more, through enabling them to experience what a truly Catholic school can contribute to a child’s holistic formation and education, and so to enhance their dreams for the future of their child.” Bishop Dowling said it is clear that the only way education as a whole will change in the country is through “self-sacrifice, devotion to one’s calling as an educator, and walking far more than the extra mile in the quest to provide our children with the best education and holistic formation that is possible for us to achieve”. The Catholic education community must serve as “an example and inspiration in the journey towards this ideal”.

Contact the Admissions Office Tel: + 27 11 706-7404 Visit our website www.brescia.co.za, or email admissions@brescia.co.za

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

What makes a great teacher? What are the qualities of a great teacher? VINCENT BOSMAN, who trains educators, explains the difference between a good and a great teacher.

ESEARCHERS are in agreement that the one thing that matters more than anything else in the school is the teacher, the one person in the system whose job has changed the least in the past century. Like parents, nobody can avoid teachers. You might not have seen a doctor or psychologist in your life, but we all have to pass through the hands of teachers at some point in time. Teachers leave their fingerprints all over us, and the future of an entire people. Through teachers we experience the best of times and the worst of times—these extremes we never forget. We may remember those who imbued us with a deeper understanding or an enduring passion for their subjects, for life. They opened the doors of our minds and altered the course of our lives. Wherein lies the greatness of a teacher? The answer to this perennial question is still as elusive today as it was a hundred years ago. Suggestions range from trait theories to skills and knowledge based on approaches, and there is also the question of whether teachers are born or made. Our current response to improve educators seems to be to increase the arsenal of the teacher with all sorts of multi-media gimmicks like inter-active white boards, data view projects and iPads. These aids are important to improve teaching and learning, but it cannot replace the teacher. Education of young minds—of all minds for that matter—is essentially an interactive human process, a reciprocal teaching and learning conversation: it is a relationship. The question about the great teacher is therefore, at its core, what makes it possible for him or her to engage in this relationship in a way that brings about the greatness in the learners, that ignites learning and sends learners into the world inspired and confident? One place to find the answer to what contributes to a great teacher is to explore teacher training curricula at universities and other teacher training institutions. There are three critical areas that merge in the training of teachers namely: their subject knowledge, teaching techniques and knowledge about learners and schools. All this is good and well, but it

is my contention that these are the basis that all good teachers must master to become good teachers. Our quest is to find the great teacher. Another place to look for what makes a teacher great is in the lived experiences of their learners. When one speaks to learners, a very different trinity of ideas emerges, namely faith, hope and love. These ideas are not at the foreground in teacher training programmes, and they seem to have eluded the ethos of both these training centres and schools as well. Teacher preparation/training is an act of faith. At teacher training institutions we prepare young people to teach in a world that we will never see, touch or be a part of. We prepare them for a world which is constantly changing and advancing, a world that leaves us behind as we grapple with the present in an effort to prepare young teachers for the future. Teaching is therefore an act of faith—faith in what you are doing and teaching, faith in your learners/students faith in their capacity to meet the challenges of the future and faith in a future that is possible and meaningful. Learners recognise this act of faith through their comments about great teachers. One learner remarked: “My English teacher believed in me when everybody at home said that I would become a nobody. He is the only person who made me feel worth anything. Today I am a journalist”. Another learner responded to the question of what makes a great teacher as follows: “I said to my teacher that I could not do accountancy, and she told me that the only reason she taught me was because she knew I could. I wondered about this. She is a teacher and should know. Today I am an accountant and I work for a big company”.

Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria with teachers honoured for long service. The Catholic Schools Board of the archdioceses of Johannesburg and Pretoria presented certificates of recognition and appreciation to 43 veteran teachers with 25 years or more service in Catholic schools. creating hope where there is despair and show learners that good can come from evil circumstance if we hold fast to an active and vibrant hope. Finally there is love, or passion. The great teacher has a passion for his subject, for teaching and for his learners or students. Learners know if you do not believe in what you doing, if you do not love teaching. But they also recognise a teacher in command of their subject, and those that have a passion for it. Learners quickly pick up if you teach in a way that is meaningful, creates meaning for them, and let them become meaningful in your act of teaching.

It is this passion for teaching that makes great teachers go the extra mile, that raises their preparation and enrichment they bring to the classroom way above that of the good teacher. They create a whole new world for learners to explore and grow in. They give time and commitment unselfishly. To great teachers, teaching is an evident act of love. They give themselves completely to their learners and create an environment that is safe, accepting and nurturing. They show learners respect and restore their dignity. They give the learners back their voices and teach them to love themselves so that they can love others.

This is an extremely difficult challenge in a world that mirrors inequality, rejection and prejudice. One learner reflects on her great teacher: “She understands me. I was a very difficult and rude learner. I was shocked when she showed me respect. I did not know what to do. When she visited my house, I was scared, ashamed and cried. I did not know why she cared because I did not. I think she loved me—she loved all of us.” The great teacher says, “Give me a fulcrum long enough and I will move the world.” Love is that fulcrum that does not merely help youngsters to break out of vicious circle of misery, but enables them to break into a virtuous circle of possibility. This circle is signified by faith, hope and love. To know more about great teachers and to prepare teachers to be great, I suggest we listen to those who have been touched by them, who have the fingerprints of the “gods” all over them. To all other teachers, be mindful of how you engage with your learners, you leave your fingerprints on them, fingerprints of growth or destruction. They cast their dreams at your feet, so tread softly lest to destroy it. You can become a great teacher if you pursue the acts of faith, hope and love in your own act of teaching. n Vincent Bosman is an education lecturer at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Wellington. He is a member of St Augustine Parish, Paarl.

great teacher is a person of great faith. This is a faith that is willing to risk, to take a leap, to give themselves a vocation, and learners true dedication and service. Teacher training/teaching is also an act of hope, one that is intricately linked to faith. This hope is a deep yearning and desire for the dreams and aspirations of learners to realise. This hope exudes confidence in the human spirit, the resilience of our youth and a future that is better than the present. It is especially true in South Africa today. We need hope when we read of child abuse, rape of babies, abject poverty, broken families and the suffering of the innocent all around us. We need hope to sustain us and help us to avoid despair and discouragement that will lead us to destruction. The great teacher is a beacon of hope

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The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

Which school should I send my children to? The Church encourages Catholic parents to enrol their children in Catholic schools, but for many that is not always the most viable option. CLAIRE MATHIESON spoke to two sets of parents about how to make this important decision.

HOOSING a school for one’s children is one of the most difficult choices a parent will make. One has to consider the school’s reputation, the school’s facilities, extra-mural activities, class size, location and the all important tuition cost. The conundrum is extended for Catholic parents when the issue of faith is added to the list of considerations. Faced with a choice between secular schools and Catholic schools, questions of access becomes a consideration. For Natacha and Oliver Latouf of St John Fisher parish in Lynwood, Pretoria, sending their daughter to a Catholic school was of high importance. “The school sets a good standard. With high pass rates and a

great curriculum, it seemed like a to send their child to a Catholic good option. And when we com- school, but the cost of that is not pared the Catholic school with just financial when the instituothers, you could see the differ- tion is relatively far away. ence in the way the teachers Mrs Latouf agreed that the cost interact with their children,” Mrs is distance, but in her case, the Latouf said, explaining the deci- school was not too far away. sion to send her “The Catholic daughter to a Catholic school environment school. The cost of was important to us. The couple’s We were brought up friends, Carlos and Catholic and we want distance Natalie Camara of to ensure our child Maria Regina & Santa gets a similar upbringand time, Maria Dos Portugueses ing. She attends cateparish, also in the chism at school and over and archdiocese of Pretoshe is exposed to ria, are currently Catholic traditions,” above the weighing up the pros said Mrs Latouf. financial and cons of sending their child to a he Camaras live expense, Catholic school. even further from “When looking at the school the Latouf’s was too schools, it’s not only child attends. Mr the pass rate we’re Camara voiced condear. interested in. We want cerns about sending to know how many their children to a went to university. school multiple subMany matriculants can’t get jobs urbs away. “We want our chilafter school,” said Mr Camara. dren to be close enough to us in Although their child is not yet case of emergencies, and we also of school-going age, the Camaras want to give them the best possisaid they have to consider the ble education.” whole picture—not just current Relying on school buses, or circumstances but what educa- dealing with traffic on a daily tion the child might receive in 12 b a s i s i s n o t c o n d u c i v e t o a years time. healthy lifestyle the Camaras felt. Mr and Mrs Camara are keen The cost of distance and time,

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The decision where to send our children to school is one of the most important we will make as parents. Many Catholic parents find that sending their children to a Catholic school is not a viable option. over and above the financial expense, was too dear. In addition, some parents feel that sending a child outside of their own community would result in decreased after-school interaction on account of the impracticality of distance and the time it would take to travel between home and the school’s location. “We’ve looked at other Christian schools,” said Mrs Camara. With local private Christian schools in their immediate vicinity, the opportunity for involvement both in the community and in the school would be easily available. “But would these schools understand and respect the values we are teaching our children. Are they open to Catholics?”

Many Catholic parents must weigh up these questions. Mrs Camara said as parents, they are committed to giving their child the best education they can afford in a good environment. If circumstances exclude the option of a Catholic school, she acknowledges that as parents, they will have to take on a greater role in passing on the Catholic faith in conjunction with catechism classes at their parish. “No matter where our child goes, we plan to teach our child these Catholic values,” Mrs Camara said, adding that a child could attend any school and “still live out those values”. n Contact Catholic Institute of Education on 011 433 1888 for Catholic schools in your area.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

Religious in schools Once Catholic schools were run by members of religious congregations. But as their general numbers decreased, so did their presence in schools, as THANDI BOSMAN reports.

ATHOLIC schools are run on strong Catholic principles and Catholic philosophy, but many in South Africa no longer have religious Brothers and Sisters teaching in the schools. Those who are still teaching at Catholic schools take on the challenge through their vocation and mission. “Religion is central to the life of a Catholic school and it is never compromised. Both Catholics and nonCatholics benefit from a Catholic atmosphere, and it deepens the faith” of Christian learners, said Sr Bridget Cronin HC, principal of Holy Cross Convent Primary School in Aliwal North. The Holy Cross Sister, who has been teaching for 38 years, said that there are only a few religious still teaching at Holy Cross. “We have five Sisters involved in our school: the principal, the bursar, one doing foundation phase computer, two involved in playground duty, and one doing art and other jobs,” Sr Cronin said. St Dominic’s Priory High School in Port Elizabeth “has been remarkably consistent in maintaining its identity” as a Catholic school, said Fr Phillip Vietri CO. Fr Vietri has been teaching subjects such as history, life orientation and religion for 20 years. The school’s strong Catholic identity is supported by two priests and a religious Brother as well as a Dominican Sister who assists with the school administration. At the Dominican school, Fr Vietri said, the Catholic faith is nurtured by the Fathers and Brother who are all part of the Oratory of St Philip Neri. Br Michael Theron CO teaches mathematics and religious education at St Dominic’s Priory. He said that in the past two years the number of religious at St Dominic’s has doubled, from two to four. Still, “in relation to the rest of the staff, even four is a small number” of religious in a Catholic school, Br Theron said. But even a few religious at a Catholic school can make a difference. Sr Cronin said that the presence of the Sisters benefits Holy Cross school, especially the quality of Catholic education. There are also obvious economic considerations. “In our school we have fewer Sis-

ters and this does affect us as we have to employ more lay staff, and this involves more salaries.” More than that, she added, “we have to make sure that the Catholic ethos is upheld”. Holy Cross also has to adapt to all the changes in the education system, but Sr Cronin said that this never compromises the Catholic education at the school.

s the only independent Catholic school in Port Elizabeth, St Dominic’s has been “strengthened and consolidated over the years”. Fr Vietri said: “Many Protestant parents send their children here for the Christian ethos”. With a strong Catholic ethos and influence that the priests and religious Brothers bring to St Dominic’s Priory, Fr Vietri said, “teachers who come here tend to accept and cooperate with the school and its Catholic identity”. To uphold a strong Catholic ethos, schools need to do more than “teach children [to] be good boy scouts”, but also leave them with the experience of Jesus, Br Theron said. At St Dominic’s “we feel that there is no point in just teaching ‘Catholic ethos’ without a firm proclamation of the person and message of Jesus Christ himself. Without this proclamation, the socalled ‘ethos’ would be a void and meaningless concept”, said Br Theron. Sr Cronin said that priests and religious have “dedicated their lives fully to Christ” and therefore their presence provides a good influence in the school environment. “They can teach the Catholic faith and it may bring religious vocations,” the nun said. St Conrad’s College in Klerksdorp, caters for boys and girls from pre-primary until high school. No religious are teaching at the school, but two Brothers of Charity work there. Rina Grant, St Conrad’s training phase head and religious education coordinator, said that Brs Luc Massenhove and Paul Chishinte, who live at the school, are “involved in the maintenance of the school and often assist with various lessons, especially religious education”. Brs Massenhove and Chishinte also assist at the school’s sister institution on the property, the Triest Training Centre, which accommodates and trains mentally and physically challenged adults. Mrs Grant said that the Brothers’ presence alone “serves as a living example of true vocation and commitment” to the learners. “Their daily lives require patience, perseverance, faith and many more virtues. These are visible to the learner body and the learners

LA SALLE COLLEGE

are afforded the opportunity to experience first-hand the challenges and joys of the religious,” Mrs Grant said. They would not experience this at non-Catholic schools.

arents should consider Catholic schools because these provide a spiritual formation. “It enforces their religion and teaches tolerance and acceptance of all other forms of beliefs and therefore enhances their Christian growth,” Mrs Grant said. Sr Cronin added that by sending their children to Catholic schools, parents can deepen their own faith as they “follow their children’s progress in the faith”. The Holy Cross nun said that she had experienced parents going back to Church “by example of their children”. Those in the consecrated life can share and offer their experience, and support the needs of learners “in a way that married people with families cannot,” Fr Vietri said. “We are sacramentally present to the children, and closeness to the Church’s ministers is an essential element of the modern Church. We are trained and educated to teach religion and to know the faith, and daily contact can solve so many problems and questions in the lives of people struggling to live out their faith in the Church,” Fr Vietri said. Learners “see in us the continuity, rather than the compartmentalisation, of their faith”.

When Tradition and Religion suits your child’s needs

Catholic education is about commitment to values, high standards and personal guidance in an ordered, yet stimulating environment. It focuses on the need of the learner both now and for the future—providing real opportunities for young people in the real world. La Salle College Discovery is a Lasallian Catholic school founded on the three-hundred year tradition of the De La Salle Brothers, in 1996. Catering for girls and boys from Grade R to Matric, the College has always welcomed learners from all levels of society. Against a backdrop of Catholic values, La Salle College aims to bring out the best in each learner. La Salle College has a tradition of pursuing excellence, innovation and social justice within a context of care for the individual learner. La Salle offers: • Small classes ensuring personalised attention and individual monitoring of academic progress. • Pastoral care encourages self–discipline and teaches study skills. • Professional staff means all round excellence in education and a real concern for the total development of the individual learner. • First class academic facilities. For more details, please contact the secretary. Tel: 011 472 3524 Fax: 011 472 5725 Slabbert Street P O Box 6183 Discovery 1709 Ansfrere 1711 secretary@laslalle.co.za www.lasalle.co.za

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

(Above) Learners give a gift to Holy Cross Sister Immaculata at Holy Cross Convent School, Aliwal North. (Below) Br Paul Chishinte with Grade 2 learner Helena Jason at St Conrad’s College, Klerksdorp. Br Chishinte assists “in classes and educating the learners about the Church”.

As the numbers of religious in Catholic schools diminish, the responsibility of maintaining their Catholic ethos rests with teachers who might not be Catholic. “In former times the Sisters did all the religious education at Holy Cross, and we knew the Catholic doctrine that we taught. Now we

have one Catholic teacher in our school, so we have to monitor more closely,” Sr Cronin said “We are very lucky to have Sisters in our school and so our Catholic ethos is central to the life of the school” and its survival can be ensured.

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

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Stories of ruler-wielding teachers and other agents of corporal punishment in South African schools are well-known. In some schools, the rod still holds sway even today. MARK POTTERTON explains why this is an entirely bad thing.

F you did a simple national poll among the over-40 generation of today, my prediction is that more than 60% of the sample would recount incidents of being on the receiving end of corporal punishment at one point or another in their childhood, either at home or at school. You often hear stories about how today’s generation is too spoilt and lacks a sense of responsibility and direction because parents or teachers no longer employ that essential pillar of parenting: the stick. Even though corporal punishment still happens so frequently, few people bother to question its validity or effectiveness. It is unfortunate that corporal punishment is still such a common experience in the lives of many children and young people in many countries. The situation persists despite the overwhelming evidence that documents its contribution to a range of negative developmental outcomes. There is no scientific evidence that exists to justify its use as an educational or disciplinary tool. The Catholic Institution of Education (CIE) is concerned that corporal punishment continues to be extensively used in South African schools. A recent study showed that 70% of primary school children are beaten by teachers. The CIE believes there is no room for the stick—short or long, natural or synthetic—in the classroom. We believe that using the stick tends to promote an atmosphere of fear rather than building a relationship of respect between teacher and learner; or even between parent and child, for that matter. J E Durrant, author of Corporal Punishment: Prevalence, Predictors and Implications for Child Behaviour and development, says that there is a strong correlation between corporal punishment and levels of student violence. The CIE has extensive evidence that corporal punishment is still widely used in South African schools. Researchers argue that tradition and cultural beliefs are likely to be the primary contributing factors to the high preva-

lence of this practice. There are unfortunate misconceptions that continue to perpetuate the use of corporal punishment in many societies, including the belief that corporal punishment is effective, prevents children from getting into trouble, teaches right from wrong, instils respect, and is conceptually and dynamically different from physical abuse.

owever, none of these misconceptions is supported by the research literature. Durrant argues that even in controlled laboratory studies, in which parents were systematically trained and carefully monitored, corporal punishment was shown to be unreliable in inducing immediate compliance. In naturalistic, longitudinal and observational studies, corporal punishment has consistently been found to predict negative outcomes. Corporal punishment is therefore not effective but rather potentially harmful and can instil aggression and antisocial behaviour. Rather than teaching right from wrong, it appears to interfere with moral development, and in terms of instilling respect, it tends to erode parent-child relationships. More importantly, it is a common precipitant of severe violence. The good news is that there is evidence that individual and cultural belief systems that perpetuate the use of corporal punishment can be changed in a relatively short period of time. The experience of Sweden demonstrates that a combination of legislative reform and public education can have a powerful impact on cultural attitudes, as well as individual behaviour. UNESCO further argues that in order to reduce the prevalence of corporal punishment of children and youth worldwide, a three-pronged initiative will be necessary:

It is through education and clear standards that the practice of corporal punishment can be eliminated from the lives of South African children.

n terms of broader human rights legislation, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the CIE does not condone corporal punishment in schools. In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a convention specifically for them as people under 18 years old often need special care and protection that adults do not. These leaders also wanted to make sure that the world recognises that children have human rights too. Both South Africa and the Vatican are signatories to the Convention. The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights: civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. By agreeing to undertake the obligations of the Convention (by ratifying or acceding to it), national governments have committed themselves to protecting and ensuring children’s rights and they have agreed to hold themselves accountable for this commitment before the international community. State parties to the Convention are obliged to develop and undertake all actions and policies in the light of the best interests of the child. Fortunately, South Africa has acted on the Convention and South African legislation makes corporal punishment illegal. The CIE has over the years implemented several measures to ensure that corporal punishment exists only in our history books. We continue to lobby schools, society, state institutions and relevant NGOs to rid the country of corporal punishment in its entirety. n Mark Potterton is the director of the Catholic Institute for Education in Johannesburg.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

Beating the bully culture More and more school students report that they have personally experienced bullying or victimisation from peers. Statistics suggest the increase is ten fold what it was ten years ago, as CLAIRE MATHIESON reports.

ROM name-calling and teasing to threats, rumour spreading and damaging property, bullying is a reality in every school in the country. “Nearly everyone is bullied at some time of their lives by brothers and sisters, or by neighbours, or by children at school or even by adults,” said Catholic Education Institute (CIE) director, Mark Potterton. “Bullying can really happen at any time, but it tends to happen in classrooms that are very full or on buses that are crammed. Children might feel hot and irritable on a very hot day or miserable because they can’t go out and play on a wet day.” Mr Potterton, author of the book Beat Bullying: A Practical Guide for Schools, said bullies perceive themselves in a positive light and many have high status in the classroom and have many friends. “Bullying involves more than just the bully and the victim. Bullying also involves bystanders. These can be categorised as ‘bystanders’, ‘assistants to bullies’, ‘reinforcers’ or ‘defenders of victims’,” Mr Potterton explained. “Bystanders that come to the aid of victims are rare,

and many bystanders believe victims bring problems upon themselves,” he said. “Most incidents of bullying take place in front of other learners or bystanders, because bullies need an audience. The learners watching can encourage the bullying behaviour just by being there.” Mr Potterton said schools should discourage learners from just watching or being bystanders. Many academic studies have shown that both primary and high school learners are bullied, and that bullying is a worldwide problem which can adversely impact on school climates and have negative lifelong consequences for learners. “There has been an extraordinary rise in interest in the subject of bullying in the last decade of the 20th century, and many researchers have tried to better understand this problem,” said Mr Potterton. “Children who are bullied feel scared, vulnerable and very alone,” he said, adding that victims may feel rejected by peers and feel isolated, anxious and lonely. “The chronic victim can avoid attending school.” Mr Potterton said bullying has three elements: A desire to hurt, a situation where the hurtful behaviour will favour the perpetrator and show an imbalance of power, and from the victim’s side a belief that the action is unjustified, typically repeated and experienced by the target as oppressive. “Bullies are cunning and often do things so that they are not noticed,” he said. Mr Potterton reminded learners that they have the right to be happy and safe at school. “You have a responsibility to show care

and concern for others in your school. You can do something about bullying.” And schools need to encourage learners to stand up to bullying as a group, or even on their own as long as it is safe to do so, and make it clear that bullying is not acceptable, he said. “No one should be ridiculed, taunted or hurt. All incidents of bullying should be reported to adults,” Mr Potterton said, adding that schools should teach learners how to react in different situations through role plays, modelling and coaching.

ost bullying takes the form of name-calling. Being hit or threatened are the next most frequent form of bullying. Boys are more likely to be physically hurt and threatened than girls, whereas girls are more likely to experience indirect forms of bullying such as being ostracised or having rumours spread about them. Mr Potterton said schools need to ensure that learners are safe at school. “Make sure that all areas of the school are properly supervised, create an atmosphere at school where learners feel free to talk about problems that they might have and finally, you need to do something about bullying at your school.” Parents should also get involved. “You need to watch your child and make sure that he or she is happy at school, talk to your child about his or her experiences at school and get to know your child’s teacher and principal.” Mr Potterton said if at any point in time a parent is concerned about their child’s safety at school, they should immediately make contact

Bullies, as this posed photo illustrates, can be found in almost every schoolground—and the problem is getting worse. (Photo: Claire Mathieson) with the school. “Bullying experiences increase the vulnerability of children and do not necessarily make them more resilient,” said the CIE director. “There are more temporary than long-term victims of bullying. Personality traits like shyness do make students vulnerable, but transitional factors like school change or changes in physical development can also make students vulnerable.” He said parents should be watchful of personality changes and take into account physical changes. “Relational bullying, which includes attempts to damage the reputation of the victim, is higher among girls than boys in midchildhood or early adolescence. Relational victimisation tends to be equally prevalent for both genders in adolescence,” said Mr Potterton on things to look out for. Young people themselves can also do something and parents should make their children aware of

resources that are available to them. From toll-free calls to Childline (0800 055 555) to the Internet, there is a wealth of information on bullying. “The Internet allows young people to explore subjects that schools sometimes ignore or refuse to address. The Internet offers a place to ask personal questions without being embarrassed or ridiculed,” said Mr Potterton. Victims should remember that they are not the only one to have faced the problem. Mr Potterton said many help lines do not even need to know your name. “If you are concerned, just dial the number and share your problem.” Help is available he said. There are many websites that offer advice for victims of bullying, such as: • www.lizettestoffberg.blogspot.com • www.suite101.com/course.cfm/ 19244/lessons • www.ceosyd.catholic.edu.au/News/ Pages/Bullying.aspx

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

Loreto Convent School in Skinner Street Pretoria (Girls & boys: Grade RR to Grade 3; and girls only Grades 4 - 12) will, in 2012, celebrate 134 years of commitment to both Education and the passing on of sound Gospel Values to all its learners. The Catholic Ethos is nurtured and cherished in our school, as we continue to uphold the vision of Mary Ward, the Foundress of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

APPLICATIONS FOR ALL GRADES FOR THE YEAR 2013 ARE NOW OPEN. Please contact the School Secretary at 012 326 6342 ext 15 or 012 326 6352 for further information. Website address: www.loretoskinner.co.za; Email: kathy@lorskin.co.za

St. Catherine’s School Germiston As a Catholic school we endorse a Christian-based ethos and value system in which learners are expected to show respect for God, self, others and the school. Our assemblies have a Christian theme and Mass is celebrated regularly. In addition, Religious Education is part of the school’s academic programme. The learners are encouraged to participate in outreach programmes to the needy and less privileged members of the community.

Open Evening 10 July 2012, 16h00 – 19h00. Come and see the school. Applications for 2013 now open. We Offer: • Grade 000 – 12, Boys & Girls • Small Classes (18 – 25) • IEB Examinations • High Moral Standards • Excellent Academic Standards • Sport and Cultural Activities • Warm Family Atmosphere • Caring Teachers • Competitive Fees • All Round Development of Your Child

P.O. Box 5013, Delmenville, 1403, 31 Piercy Avenue, Parkhill Gardens, Germiston Tel: (011) 827-4102, Fax: (011) 827-4117, E-mail:secretary@stcatherines.org.za Web Address: www.stcatherines.org.za

Mr. Pereira

Education in Zimbabwe: Places of hope at a cost Zimbabwe’s political and socio-economic instability has damaged an education system that once was the pride of Africa, as CLAIRE MATHIESON reports.

ATHER Joe Arimoso SJ believes Catholic schools still represent a place of hope in troubled Zimbabwe, where the state of education has been profoundly affected by political, economic and social factors—even as these schools have not been unaffected. “Many parents still believe in the way we educate, so if we respond to that expectation, we can become a place of hope,” said the priest, who works with Jesuit schools. Most of these parents went to Catholic schools themselves so they still have confidence that Catholic schools still offer that same quality education they had 20 or 30 years ago, he said. “Unfortunately this belief is true for only, perhaps, 5% of the total 193 schools in Zimbabwe,” Fr Arimoso said. He said the Jesuit schools represented only one side of the country’s education situation. “As Catholics, good education is not just achieving good academic results. It’s bigger than that.” But even the top Catholic schools have fallen victim to the socio-economic problems that hit Zimbabwe. Once the future of Zimbabwe looked bright. Post-independence extremely positive moves were made in education. A strategy for Education Expansion in the 1980s was adopted, resulting in significant achievements in the country’s Human Factor Development. The nation’s Education for All (EFA) goal resulted in many schools built by government, local authorities and faith-based organisations. EFA addressed historical issues that had denied access to basic education to the majority of children of primary school going age (6-13). In addition to the building of new schools (both primary and secondary), EFA made deep-seated reforms, such as the free primary education policy for all children of primary school going age. Fr Arimoso said that by 1995, some 2,4 million children were enrolled in primary schools— double the number in 1980. Enrolments at the University of Zimbabwe rose to 8 000 in 1995, from a figure of 1 481 in 1980— a direct result of the beneficiaries of the EFA strategy. “There was extensive investment in teacher training, as well as in curriculum development. Zimbabwe appreciably met the original EFA target by 1990, and was able to report among the highest literacy rates in Africa well into this decade,” the Jesuit said. Fr Arimoso said the first ten years of the country’s independence saw a drastic improvement in both education and health. However, income per capita stagnated. “Large government spending on the public sector overshadowed private investment, shrinking economic investment and growth and fuelling inflation. It was at this point that socio-economic and political reforms became necessary as an attempt to control runaway inflation, avert the shortage of

Students walk to school in Harare. Zimbabwe’s once successful school system has collapsed under the weight of political and economic strife. (Photo: Philimon Bulawayo, Reuters/CNS)

basic commodities and facilitate for investment and economic growth.” Many reasons, including the sporadic rainfall and the unstable macro-economic environment and general lack of political good will characterised by a dwindling currency, high inflation, high interest rates and a dismal performance in all sectors of the industry, (mainly the agriculture industry), resulted in the depressive global performance of the Zimbabwean Dollar and the economy generally. By 2000 economic challenges facing Zimbabwe were visibly affecting the ordinary Zimbabwean household. “This meant an end to free education and a tiered costrecovery and cost-sharing education provision system in Zimbabwe’s public schools, and led to a parent-decided fee structure for the private sector. These fee structures were mostly decided by populous votes at parents meetings, often oblivious of the economic demands of the institution for effective education delivery,” said Fr Arimoso.

he government continued to control school fees and levies so they could remain low despite the rising inflation. Inevitably this resulted in the sustained decline in the provision of basic education, from the previously internationally acclaimed and acceptable standards to an education system that was severely underfunded, underresourced, and functioning way under its capacity. While there was an almost 100% enrolment for children of school going age (6–18) in 2005, out-of-school children began to surface by mid 2007. These included internally displaced persons, Aids orphans, and drop-outs due to unavailability and unaffordability of school fees. 2008 saw the total collapse of the economy with inflation hitting a world record of over 100 000% on the Zimbabwe Dollar. Teachers were lost, mainly to South Africa, after their salaries were reduced to an amount below the poverty line—“an equivalent of less than US$5 a month,” Fr Arimoso said. Fr Arimoso said infrastructure also deteriorated from both age and lack of maintenance while educational essentials—such as the Curriculum Development Unit, Educational Research and Educational Policy Research and Development—ceased to function due to lack of funding and staffing.

Today, Catholic schools educate nearly 100 000 learners. Fr Arimoso said there are some Jesuit schools in Zimbabwe that have not been prone to the issues affecting most other schools in the country. “These schools have sufficient income and style of governance to provide a satisfactory quality of education,” the priest said. However, he added, “one might like to see a deepening of consciousness in some areas and to provide contexts in which these schools share expertise and insight with the less privileged schools”. But the rest of the Jesuit schools across the country cater for pupils or students who are in danger of being marginalised in society by reason of their socioeconomic background, and many of whom are in various states of vulnerability. “These schools can command only a low income to devote to the necessary infrastructure and consumables that would support reasonable quality education. The net result is that the pupils of these schools are in the greatest need of quality education and least likely to have this need met,” Fr Arimoso said. Of the 10 000 pupils accommodated in Jesuit educational institutions, roughly 86% are in schools where there is cause for concern about the socio-economic status of the students and the ability of the schools to meet the pupils’ needs. Fr Arimoso said one of the problems facing the Catholic education system in Zimbabwe is that quality education comes at a cost. “Catholic schools need to find a way of offering good education for reasonable fees. At the moment it is getting too expensive for many poor parents to educate their children. This year an average Catholic school is charging between R3 500 and R4 000 per year. It’s a small group in society which will have access to that kind of education.” The top Jesuit schools in the country charge up to R41 000 per annum. Fr Arimoso said a third of school fees go towards subsidising teachers’ salaries as the government wage is so poor. The Jesuits in Zimbabwe run a range of schools, from some of the most prominent and richest schools in the country to very poor schools in rural areas. “The biggest challenge, I suppose, for all Catholic schools is to give quality education to poor communities who are not able to pay high fees,” Fr Arimoso said.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

From California to KZN Schools in the vicariate of Ingwavuma, a rural region in northern KwaZulu-Natal, face challenges far removed from those of the private schools in the United States. However, these two apparently polar opposite educational facilities are coming together under the guidance and enthusiasm of Bishop José Luis Ponce de León. CLAIRE MATHIESON reports.

HE vicariate of Ingwavuma was entrusted to the US province of the Order of the Servants of Mary in 1948. “Last February they celebrated their provincial chapter and, even though I am not a Servite, I was invited to attend and report on our journey in the vicariate,” Argentine-born Bishop José Luis Ponce de León said. “During the meeting we visited the Servite High School in Anaheim, in California’s Orange County, near Los Angeles. I was very interested in visiting the school as from the time of my arrival in Ingwavuma I had heard about it many times, both from the Servites working in the vicariate and from people working at Star of the Sea High School,” he said. A relationship between the famous Servite school and the little known vicariate was re-established and today the bishop has high hopes for it to thrive. Bishop Ponce de León is quick

to point out that while the diocese may be lacking in some areas, there are schools that shine above the average South African school. Star of the Sea High School, located in KwaNgwanase, has a tradition of being among the best schools in northern KwaZulu-Natal, with an excellent pass rate. “We have struggled with personnel as, being so good, they are transferred to other schools. Though it has been a problem for us we know the school has provided excellent teachers to other schools in the area,” explained the bishop. In 2010, three sisters who studied at the school started a fund to help other students. The fund was called “Cecilia Daliwe Memorial Fund” in memory of their mother who sacrificed much to give them a good education. “The women are now professionals and want to give back to the community by offering the same opportunities they had, supporting students at Star who need help to go for further studies.” Despite the positive strides the school continuously makes, Bishop Ponce de León said the school is still regularly the target of crime and ill discipline from some learners. He said despite being a great education example in the area, there is room for improvement— and in that area the school can learn from foreign counterparts, such as Servite High School in California. “From the beginning Servite has emphasised developing faith-filled leaders prepared for success in college and life. Servite teaches young men to seek excellence in academics, athletics, the arts and

Catholic spirituality. Servite men become leaders in business, medicine, law, non-profit organisations, military and civic service, and in the Church,” Bishop Ponce de León said.

n 2005, Servite High launched a “formation programme” which weaves academics, athletics, activities and spirituality together in a seamless experience that gives graduates a firm foundation for success. “Servite men are continuously evaluated in terms of their academics, leadership and teamwork, and character and spiritual development. Servite High has one of the most challenging academic programmes in Southern California and often leads Orange County private schools in the number of National Merit scholars,” the bishop said. Of Servite High’s graduates, 99% go on to college. The bishop is interested in following the formation programme and deepening it in the vicariate school as the themes of the programme are intended to guide the formation of the learners in any context, both inside and outside of the classroom. The programme includes learning about faith; the mastery of self which helps learners recognise the gifts that make us who we are reveal the unique vocation we have been given by God as well as centralising Christ in one’s life. “The other element is what they call the Servite Priory Leadership Programme which is a comprehensive, hands-on leadership experience intended to give students the opportunity to learn and practice leadership through peer account-

Learners from schools in the vicariate of Ingwavuma in rural KwaZulu-Natal have an ongoing relationship with Servite High School in California. ability and increased responsibility in all components of the student experience,“ said Bishop Ponce de León. The entire student body is divided into eight priories (a Servite word for a community) of 110-120 students each, freshmen through seniors. Formalising a similar programme in the vicariate would be of great value, he said. Addressing Servite High learners and teachers, Bishop Ponce de León said: “We have many young people in South Africa, and Star of the Sea has produced very fine people. Our area has been badly hit by HIV, but our youth do not give up and believe they will be able to build a better future for themselves and for their brothers and sisters. “I’d love to build a bridge that would allow them to tell you their stories, their hopes and joys, struggles and challenges. But I would like you to share with them your

own hopes and joys, struggles and challenges because we sometimes believe that here everything is easy and you face no challenges or problems.” The bishop said it would be a decision not only made by the school’s president and principal but one that needed to include the learners. “The idea was welcomed and they plan to come to South Africa in 2013,” the bishop told The Southern Cross. For now, Bishop Ponce de León said, the two schools can bridge the distance through technology such as Skype and Facebook. “We might be geographically far away but we share the same Servite charism and, even more, the same faith!” The bishop said the hardships and positive attitudes of the vicariate’s schools could serve as inspiration for the American school.

13 Pitt St, Plumstead, Cape Town Telephone: (02) 761 0865

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

Guiding learners to the future As learners finish Grade 9, they must make subject choices which will influence their later career path, and in their senior years, they need to prepare for their post-school lives. THANDI BOSMAN spoke to two guidance counsellors about how their Catholic schools provide this guidance.

OR many school leavers, the transition from high school to university or college can be socially and emotionally challenging. They not only have to adjust to a new environment and bigger classes, but also to a heavier workload, new faces and lectures. Schools have to help prepare learners for tertiary education or help them find study or work opportunities after school through guidance counselling and preparation. At Springfield Convent School in Wynberg, Cape Town, preparation for tertiary education is done through “providing information, guidance and motivation to students”. School counsellor Morag Scordilis said that this preparation begins with the school itself: “I believe firmly that preparation for post-matric studies starts with the approach the school takes and instils with regard to work ethic, student awareness and learning or study methods”. With the school’s guidance and

help, the learners themselves should take responsibility for their future after school, Mrs Scordilis said. “It is also vitally important, especially once [learners] reach the senior grades, that they assume some degree of responsibility for their future study and work options, rather than the adults and institution taking on the sole responsibility for their future studies. We encourage [learners] to be aware, thoughtful and interested in a variety of possible study and work options,” Mrs Scordilis said. Springfield also counsels in the junior classes (Grades 8-9) where learners are given the “opportunity to find out about their personal ‘learning style’” as well as “how best to work to their strength[s]”. Mrs Scordilis said that junior learners also have access to counselling and advice on learning techniques, study skills and subject choices. Learners make their final subject choices at the end of Grade 9. “There is discussion with teaching staff and deputy principals regarding this initial step as it impacts significantly on future career and study options,” said Mrs Scordilis. To help learners with career and subject choices, learners are given the opportunity to attend a “careers fair” which is held every year. “The fair has a very large number of contributors from a wide and varied range of study and career options. Apart from educational institutions, individual speakers from various backgrounds and career fields address the [learners]. Study options and careers cover a range of fields including the fields of health and beauty, actuarial science, medicine, engi-

Catholic schools provide guidance for learners in both Grade 9 subject choice and the senior grades that will influence their career paths. neering, fitness, social work, occupational and physiotherapy, drama, and design studies,” Mrs Scordilis said. Mrs Scordilis added that learners are encouraged to attend every year “so that they can access new information as their interests develop and change and so that they are aware of up to date information and options”. Mrs Scordilis said that the school was “delighted to have another local school” join them in their career fair and to benefit from the information provided on the day by contributors to the fair.

t the all-girls’ St Ursula’s School in Krugersdorp, guidance and counselling for tertiary education takes place during life orientation classes from Grade 8. “The Life Orientation curriculum has specific tasks from Grades 8-12 on careers and career choice.

It also includes information on tertiary education options, bursaries and so on,” said Jennifer Lombard, the life orientation teacher at St Ursula’s. Tertiary institutions visit the Grade 12 and 11 learners to do presentations. The school also uses the online career guidance programme PACE Career Centre, a career guidance programme that helps learners with university or college choices, what they can study as well as how to fund tertiary education. Ms Lombard said that she assists the learners with applying for tertiary education and finding bursaries. The career programme also explains bursaries and student loans, which “forms an integral part”. To prepare senior learners for tertiary education, Springfield Convent’s Mrs Scordilis said: “The Lifeskills team provides a variety of

talks, demonstrations, discussions and visits where students are able to obtain information on topics ranging from specific learning institutions to motivational talks on coping with stress. Learners can benefit from both individual and small group counselling sessions at Springfield. During these session learners can “discuss study and career options as well as seek information and assistance on learning and study skills”, Mrs Scordilis said. “We have run a number of study skills groups at different grade levels and more recently we were privileged to offer a limited service of careers and psychometric assessment. Generally girls wishing to avail themselves of this service are referred to outside specialists for assistance,” Mrs Scordilis said. Ms Lombard said that the learners have a “good understanding” of what to expect at tertiary education, such as the increased workload and lectures. It is not only in the life orientation class where learners learn and prepare emotionally for tertiary education; “the school focuses on developing emotional intelligence in learners”, Ms Lombard said. “The aim of the school is to develop the learner completely. All the educators focus on this. Our religious education and life orientation programmes are specifically focused on developing well rounded confident young adults,” Ms Lombard said. Mrs Scordilis agreed: “If learners are encouraged to develop a sensible and responsible approach to learning and studies, this will always benefit them in further education and studies.”

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

Why SA’s Catholic university is a tertiary option In the community of South African universities, St Augustine College, the Catholic university in Johannesburg, is quite unique. Dr MICHAEL VAN HEERDEN explains St Augustine College’s philosophy.

ARDINAL John Henry Newman wrote in his book The Idea of a University that the true task of any university was to create a culture of education. A culture is that which gives form to the behaviour, interaction and values of any group, and a good culture would be one that forms a group in such a way that their true potential as human beings can emerge. But, how does one create this educational culture on a tertiary level? In universities around the globe there seem to be two distinct approaches: what might be called “massification” and “classicalism”. “Massification” considers that, as educators, one has only to impart specialised knowledge to a group of students. In this large group, the students struggle on their own to assimilate and understand how what has been imparted creates the culture of learning. This conveyer-belt image of education seems to have slipped into our thinking and practice some time during the industrial revolution. The classical approach traces its origins back to the ancient world. The Greek philosophers saw education as a type of anamnesis— an awakening of a dormant potential, already given in our human nature and present in all cultures even if it is sometimes obscured by other cultural imperatives. Plato said that for this awakening to occur three things were imperative. Firstly, on both the side of the student and educator, there must be a genuine love and search for the truth. Secondly, a living dialogue is needed between educator and student which leads to the

BLIND READERS OF A group of readers is preparing audio tapes of excerpts from The Southern Cross, including editorials, selected articles, and regular features, as well current affairs in the Church. Anyone wanting to receive tapes as part of this service, available for an annual subscription fee of only R50, is invited to

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third element of synousia—a community of fellowship between student and educator and between the educators themselves. Taken together, these three elements characterise the distinctive contribution, I believe, that St Augustine College, South Africa’s Catholic university, should give to the culture of tertiary education within South Africa. Cardinal Désiré Joseph Mercier, a friend of Cardinal Newman, defined truth as that which enables people to think themselves, and think themselves evermore clearly. St Augustine, many centuries before, had spoken of the gaudium de veritate, the joy of searching for, discovering and communicating truth in every field of knowledge. No one will dispute that the human person is a complex creature, one who has many attributes held together by something intangible—something the philosopher Immanuel Kant called a transcendental unity of apperception, or, in older parlance, a soul.

but they inescapably require the correspondingly necessary search for meaning in order to guarantee that the new discoveries be used for the authentic good of individuals and of human society as a here is a tendency today to whole. “If it is the responsibility of restrict higher education only every university to to the study of what search for such is tangible or scienmeaning, a Catholic tific. university is called in This approach to ‘Lecturers must a particular way to education splits the human person and, respond to this need: have a real because it ignores Its Christian inspirathe core of unity of tion enables it to respect and the person, can only include the moral, lead to an incomspiritual and religious understanding plete understanding dimension in its of what it is to be research, and to evalfor the life truly human. uate the attainments People are, then, of science and techexperiences of left at sea in their nology in the perquest for meaning spective of the totalithe students.’ and for direction. ty of the human perThey are unable to son.” bring together all the A lot these days has been writaspects of their lives, all their vari- ten on the pedagogy that should ous attributes and activities, into a characterise a tertiary institute of meaningful whole. education. Given that students in Pope John Paul II’s 1990 apos- South Africa come from a variety tolic constitution Ex Corde Ecclesi- of cultural and economic realities, ae has become the magna charta of many are alienated by the struca Catholic University. In para- ture and culture of learning at the graph 7, the Holy Father wrote: academic institution. “Scientific and technological Some inclusive strategies to discoveries create an enormous address this problem give atteneconomic and industrial growth, tion to specific remedial defects

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and/or learning strategies. While these strategies are important, where they fall short is in the fact that they do not address the lived realities of the students—one may say their culture and personal histories and perspectives. To do this, lecturers must have a real respect and understanding for the life experiences of the students, so as to consciously mediate the learning of the student who is in front of them. There are two ongoing moments in the dialectic. First, the educator must establish the trust and openness of the learner and the willingness on the learner’s part to disclose their perspectives. It is the business of the educator, by sympathetic comparison and criticism, to elicit these contributions and to make the best that can be made of them. But how is the best use made of the learner’s perspectives? This is the second moment of dialectic.

n his dialogue Cratylus, Plato likens the second moment to the skill of weaving—one could say weaving a living discourse. As the weaver has to separate the strands with the rod in order to weave the coloured thread through, so too must the educator separate the valuable from the limited in the learner’s perspectives.

In any culture there are enabling elements and disenabling elements. Building on the valuable or the enabling element within the student’s own cultural perspective, the educator weaves his knowledge and experience through by careful steps of explanation and discussion which bring the learner to a more exact understanding of the reality being examined. The oldest meaning of the noun “university” is that of a community of scholars creating a centre of excellence to uplift the common good. In South Africa, with its challenges of limited resources—especially in the areas of funding, of training and expertise—cooperation between the disciplines is essential. In an age of specialisation there is a temptation to work alone. However, when there is a genuine community of enquirers, then knowledge can be generated that serves the whole human person. This is precisely why a private Catholic university does not see itself in competition with the large state universities. Rather, we see ourselves as complementing these institutions and belonging to the broader community of enquiry that exists between all who are engaged by the service of educating. While respecting that the methods proper to each discipline must be preserved and enhanced, we see our distinctive contribution as a Catholic university in helping to facilitate the process where, as Pope John Paul wrote in Ex Corde Ecclesiae, “various disciplines are brought into dialogue for their mutual enrichment” (15). This mutual enrichment, then, becomes the foundation upon which a “higher synthesis of knowledge” can be reached—one in which, in the words of the pope, “alone lies the possibility of satisfying that search for the truth which is profoundly inscribed on the heart of the human person” (16). n Fr Michael van Heerden is the president of Saint Augustine College. Visit www.staugustine.ac.za

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

Life lessons through sport Sport is not just an opportunity for children to get rid of some energy, and it’s not just an exercise in healthy living. Catholic sporting programmes, help facilitate outreach, interaction and personal and social development, as CLAIRE MATHIESON found. Participants in a Catholic soccer day in Johannesburg and (below) the hockey team of St Dominic’s Priory in Port Elizabeth in action.

WICE a year, Catholic schools from across the archdiocese of Cape Town gather for their annual inter-schools sporting events. The athletics event, which is opened by the archbishop of Cape Town, sees in excess of 800 learners participate and an average of 2 500 spectators. The participants come from both poor and wealthier communities and this represents an opportunity for the learners to interact and learn more about each other—a “valuable lesson,” said Stephen Meehan, a member of the Catholic Schools Coordinating Council which organises the events. “It’s an opportunity for upliftment and for young people to network with each other. From advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds, everyone gets involved,” he said. Similarly, in Port Elizabeth, 16 out of the 23 schools in the diocese participate in the recently founded annual sports festival. The event brings together teams of U-13 and U-14 hockey and football players. Charmelle Redcliffe of the diocese’s Catholic School Board said the festival has proven to be

incredibly successful as it brings together children from different backgrounds. “It’s important for principals and students to interact amongst each other,” she said, adding that despite their diverse backgrounds the learners quickly find more similarities than differences. Mr Meehan, who is also the deputy principal of Springfield Convent Junior School, said his school has taken seriously the government’s call to get learners active. “It’s important to promote healthy living. These sporting events are an extension of the school’s life skills,” the teacher said. The sporting festivals have no winners as the focus is on fun and participation for the primary school learners. The need for social interaction was also answered through sport in Johannesburg. The St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) at St Patrick’s parish in La Rochelle decided to host a six-aside football day shortly before the World Cup in 2010. “We hardly ever meet with our fellow Catholics from other parishes on a personal and social level,” said Nick Tenner, one of the organisers. “Our main aim was to involve as many parishes and schools as possible in the Southern Deanery of the archdiocese to interact and meet our fellow Catholics and also to raise funds for SVP.” While he admits that the fundraising aspect of the day was hard work, in terms of “involving and interacting with other parishes it was loads of fun with

many dividends”. Mr Tenner said the 2011 event was encouraged by the participants who had enjoyed the inaugural event so much. Despite rain and low temperature and attempts to cancel the event, the teams “begged” not to cancel. “Eventually the weather cleared and the event was even more successful than the first year. We were a bit more organised and it is amazing to see the enduring spirit of us human beings.” The 2012 event has seen more non-Catholic teams enter and has become ecumenical in nature. Mr Tenner, who says he has never excelled at sport, believes sport is “very important in developing people physically, mentally and even spiritually. It keeps you fit, it keeps you thinking and it is a team effort that unites people.” “In life we are guided by the Ten Commandments. Similarly in sport, there are a few rules and regulations, if we stick to them, the fun is maximised, if you break them there are consequences.” These life lessons, he said, are valuable for our society, and easily taught in sport. Pope Benedict in November 2010 said that “sport, practiced with passion and ethical sense, in addition to exercising a healthy competitive spirit, becomes a school to learn and deepen human and Christian values”. He added: “Through sporting activity, the person understands better that his body cannot be considered an object, but that, through corporeity, expresses itself and enters into relationship with others.”

PERSPECTIVES

Education is the key to reconcilation Fr Raymond Mwangala OMI S INCE 1994, both basic and higher education in South Africa have undergone several processes of restructuring; rightly so. Education is a key to social reconciliation and development. After the tragic experience of the past, South Africa needed to reorganise the education sector to bring it in line with the new democratic dispensation. Almost two decades later, the results of the restructuring are less than satisfactory. The state of education in South Africa is a cause of grave concern. Urgent action needs to be taken by all stakeholders: government, private sector, churches and NGOs, local communities, parents, learners, educators and so on to prevent what could turn out to be a major national catastrophe. The education system as designed and implemented by the apartheid government, beginning with the Bantu Education Act of 1953, was intended more at manipulating the consciousness of the different racial groups to serve the benefits of the regime and a powerful minority. Blacks were subjected to an inferior Bantu Education as a means of keeping them second-class citizens, while whites were given the best facilities and trained at levels which were meant to make them feel and seem superior. What this system of Bantu Education and “Christian National Education” achieved can hardly be called education. It created men and women filled with preconceived and dangerous ideas; men and women who were largely incapable of independent thinking. Education was used as a tool of the oppressive regime. With the advent of democracy the education system had to be transformed in a radical way so that it could become a tool for personal and national development. The government of Nelson Mandela and subsequent administrations have been faced with the daunting challenge of reviewing the nature and purpose of education in South Africa and of choosing a specific path among various competing systems of education. One of the major challenges faced by post-1994 governments has been that of broadening access to education for previously disadvantaged groups. Thousands, if not millions, of young people of school-going age had previously been denied access to education facilities such as schools. This meant that they were unable to benefit from an environment which would stimulate intellectual growth and development. Government has responded by building schools in rural areas and by providing greater access to other facil-

ities by adopting policies that favour the previously disadvantaged. All things being equal, government is to be applauded in this area. However, more still needs to be done. Access to education facilities is only one element in a complex reality. Teacher-learner interaction is another important element in the education process that needs careful attention. There is no doubt that many teachers are not adequately prepared for the tasks that they have to perform, nor are they adequately compensated for the work they do. The nearly annual strikes by teachers is an indicator of the dissatisfaction with conditions of service in the education sector. More schools and better prepared teachers are still not enough to transform the sector; what is taught and how it is taught is the other crucial element of the process.

ducation should not be just about teaching learners the most elaborate scientific theories and procedures or about filling their minds with facts that are only remotely related to their life and experience. It should balance this with character formation and life-skills. There are many sad cases of highly qualified individuals who are maladapted in society. The education system seems to have failed them. As the Kenyan religious philosopher John Mbiti noted more than 40 years ago: “Sometimes schools spend more

Do you have real freedom?

RECENTLY worked with a group of volunteers who look after the spiritual and emotional needs of prison inmates. Their task is to visit the inmates, to be with them and to listen to them with a non-judgmental ear. They also assist the inmates to face their situations and to come to terms with their lives. The inmates struggle with difficult emotions, such as anger and resentment. The spiritual workers assist the inmates with how to deal with these emotions which imprison them in another way, in order for them to be free within themselves. The experience of that inner freedom is so empowering to the inmates that they soon realise that although they are behind bars, they are free. We often do not realise what freedom means. That is because we confuse freedom with liberty. An easy way to distinguish between the two: liberty is a condition of the environment and freedom is a condition of the person. When we are not at liberty, it means that there are normally some rules or regulations that prevent us from doing certain things. For example, young people might say, “I want my freedom”, when their parents have put a curfew to them. What the young person really means is, “I want to be at liberty to come home when I want to.” Our freedom, on the other hand, lies in the way we understand, accept and respond to these situations where our lib-

erties have been taken away. When we understand the difference between liberty and freedom, and we realise that freedom is the human ability that we have to choose our responses to situations, then we can become very powerful in our actions. This means that no matter what happens and no matter what people do to us, they cannot make us respond to a situation in a particular way. They may take away all our liberties, but they cannot get into our minds and make us respond to a situation in a certain way. Many saints and other great people have over the years shown to the world

Nelson Mandela was not at liberty, but he was free, Judith Turner writes.

Point of Education

time teaching young people about dissecting frogs and about colonial history than they do on teaching them how to establish happy homes and family lives. Unless the structure and system of education is changed, we are heading for tragic social, moral and family chaos whose harvest is not far away.” At present, it is still unclear what the priorities in the education sector are. Access to basic and higher education is important, but weaker students and others from previously disadvantaged communities need support to enable them to adapt to and benefit from the discipline of academic teaching and learning. With more than five years of experience in teaching at an institution with students from various backgrounds, I have become more aware how the background of learners influences their learning. Those from backgrounds which exposed them to the disciplines of formal education find it relatively easy to learn new and complex theories while others find it hard, if not impossible. Every educator knows the frustration of trying to remedy years of poor training while at the same time teaching new things. In attempting to assist learners from previously disadvantaged communities, however, care must be taken to avoid turning them in second-class learners as this would perpetuate an inferiority complex. Quality of education must be balanced with extra assistance offered to weaker learners. This requires that extra resources be made available. Rev Mbiti offers an important insight when he observes that, increasingly the responsibility for education has been passed on from parents and the community to teachers and schools where it has become more of book learning as an end in itself than an education which prepares the young for mature life and future careers. The sole purpose of education should not be to produce more qualified people, who are less educated. Both are required and important. To deal with the challenges from the past in a meaningful way we must urgently give the education sector the attention and resources required. n Fr Raymond M Mwangala OMI is the academic dean of St Joseph’s Theological Institute in Cedara, KwaZulu-Natal.

Judith Turner

On Faith and Life

how they have lived their freedom. In our own country we have the example of Nelson Mandela who was jailed for 27 years. His liberties were taken away. He had to stay behind the prison walls. He was not at liberty to go anywhere, or to eat, sleep or work at hours of his choice, he could not just see his family when he wanted to or relax in the ways he wanted to with the people he wanted to—all of those liberties were taken away. But he was a free man all the time because his mind was free. He did not come out of jail a bitter, broken man who wanted revenge. He came out of jail a leader who was able to guide us to our first democratic elections. He chose how he was going to respond to the situation he found himself in. This was his freedom, which no one could take away from him. Very often we are imprisoned and enslaved by our anger, our bitterness, our resentment. At those times we are not truly free. Whether we are in prison or outside of prison, these emotions make it difficult for us to live our God given freedom if we become slaves to them. We have to seek ways to free ourselves internally, because, as St Paul reminds us in his letter to the Galatians: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (5:1).

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

Michael de Vos

Point of Reflection

Why we should read Catholic books

N our parish library in Rondebosch, Cape Town, there are about 20 000 religious books from philosophy to spirituality, from the study of the scriptures to the lives of saints. Yet the most common comment we get from Catholics is: “Why should we read this stuff?” It is a disturbing comment, and maybe not just limited to spiritual books. “Why should we read this stuff?” Well, that depends on what one wants. Since what was written by the great thinkers is often available only in books, the mind-expanding benefits are enormous. Imagine the wealth of information that could be accumulated by reading in the 29-34 hours the average adult spends in front of the TV every week. Reading is also an obvious low-cost or even free stress-reliever. Reading can be a tranquil oasis where one can escape the stresses of life. And why should Catholics read books on our religion? It is all about getting to where we want to be. If we are to really benefit from our faith, we must know the Catholic beliefs thoroughly, and in greater detail than the minimal outlines we gleaned from catechism classes. We can understand the Catholic faith easily in its simplest form, but knowing all that it contains in its incredible richness and beauty can be discovered only by reading about it. Reading also teaches us how to think and not to just blindly accept what others say about our faith. For those intimidated by “high brow” writing on religion, there are many books that are very readable presentations of the fullness of the Catholic faith. There are books, both solid and orthodox, that clearly explain the basic teachings of the Church, especially by showing the scriptural and logical basis for those teachings. By reading we discover what others, by their perception and investigation of the faith, find that is deep, precise and illuminating. We discover things about ourselves in the personalities and habits of the great Christians who have gone before us. We can learn from the experiences of others sometimes more easily than we can from our own experiences. We can relate to our own situation in the lives of others. We are encouraged in our own faith journey, knowing how human the saints really were. There are many contentious issues in the Church today that relate to morality. Catholicism is under attack on an international scale, as is morality. Can we defend these attacks? Are we well enough informed? Are we sufficiently knowledgable to withstand the contemporary attacks on conscience, natural law, and other foundations of morality? But more than all this, we need to read because we discover, in the grandest way possible, why we are what we are; how well we know Christ; what our relationship with him is. And most of all, how truly and deeply we love him.

CATHOLIC LITURGICAL ARTS

We are having a sale of a variety of Liturgical items. Elegant vestments, chalices, ciboriums, monstrances, candlesticks, censers and priests shirts, beautiful banners for all seasons and more. Sale ends 15th July 2012 Contact Theresa Tel/Fax 011 782 3135 E-mail: catholicliturgicalarts@gmail.com

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COMMUNITY

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

A graduation ceremony was held at St Augustine College in Johannesburg. At the graduation the first group of undergraduate students who commenced their studies in 2009 were capped and sent out into the world. Photographed is part of the academic procession and includes (from right) Professor Marilise Smurthwaite, Archbishop Jabulani Nxumalo (grand chancellor of the university), Dr Michael van Heerden (president of St Augustine), Professor Celia Khourie, Professor Rodney Moss, Dr Nicholas Rowe and Professor Rex van Vuuren (academic dean). (Submitted by Denise Gordon-Brown)

Paul and Angela Botha where married on March 15 by Fr Jan Kavelaars before Fr Kavelaars left South Africa for Belgium where he died on May 23. The ceremony took place at the St Norbert’s priory in Kommetjie, Cape Town.

Archbishop Stephen Brislin blessed Don Bosco Educare Centre in Delft, Cape Town, which is run by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA). The project is sponsored by Irish organisation Streetwise. Among the guests were Sr Julienne Munyemba (third back from right), provincial of the FMA in Southern Africa, and Sr Maura Hickey (right of Sr Julienne), animator of the FMA Community in Belhar. (Submitted by Clarence Watts)

Oblates of St Francis de Sales Sisters Francois Dorothy, Johanna Bernadette, Susan Elizabeth, Maria Cornelia and Anne Elize from Koelenhof in the Western Cape attended Mass at Holy Family of Nazareth parish in Manenberg, Cape Town. The sisters spoke on vocations in general, the call to religious life and priesthood and their own personal experiences. Their presentation also included a skit on hearing and obeying God’s call for your life and the role of the family in fostering vocations. The sisters were available for questions and further information over coffee in the church hall after Mass. (Submitted by Theodore Motto)

Dr Sylvester David OMI (centre) received his doctorate in philosophy at a graduation ceremony at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He’s photographed with Prof Stuart Bate OMI (left) and Dr Paul Decock OMI. (Submitted by Bishop Barry Wood OMI)

ST GERARD’S HOLY TOURS

PILGRIMAGE TO PORTUGAL, SPAIN & FRANCE JULY 2013 Ten nights’ accommodation in 3-star centrally-located hotels as follows:- (Transport through Portugal, Spain and France via private bus)- 2 nights Fatima (Portugal); 1 night in Central Spain; 3 nights in Lourdes; 1 night Avignon (Palace of the Popes); 1 night Ars (John Vianney); Nevers (St Bernadette); 2 nights in Paris - Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, St Vincent de Paul and St Margaret Mary visits. Spiritual Leader Father Job MSFS

Booking via: Deacon John Sheraton - 0217055131 or 083 27779999 Liz Lotters: 021 706-5217 or 082 319-7249 e-mail: stgholytours@gmail.com

Kriste Lesedi La Ditjhaba parish in Bloemfontein took the Stations of the Cross on the streets of Bloemfontein. It was led by parish priest Fr Alois Ganserer (in front). The congregation participated in numbers as it was their first time performing the Stations outside the parish. (Submitted by Quintar Mokitimi)

Spreading the Good News We invite young men to apply We Dominicans are priests and brothers, living a Religious life together in communities, dedicated to contemplative prayer and the study of God’s message, with the aim of communicating it to the world, so that all people may benefit.

Contact: The Vocations Promoter PO Box 100150, Scottsville, 3209 or email us at vocations@zaop.org Check our website www.zaop.org

The Catholic Women’s League of St Patrick’s parish in East London hosted a farewell breakfast for Fr Dania Vales at the East London Golf Club. Fr Vales left St Patrick’s parish and will continue his priestly ministry in Sydenham, Port Elizabeth, the church in which he was ordained nearly 40 years ago. He is photographed with all the ladies who attended the breakfast. (Submitted by Ann Kent)

IN FOCUS

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

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

http://www.catholicpages.com/morality/fatal.asp

Contraception: Gateway To The Culture of Death!

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

PERSONALITY

Interview with SA-born TV star Sister Born in Cape Town, Sr Wendy Beckett has become world famous for her books and television programmes on art. In a two-part interview, she tells ALICIA VON STAMWITZ about her vocation, faith and work.

ISTER Wendy Beckett, an acclaimed author and art historian best known for her BBC television documentaries, was born in Cape Town in 1930. Her intelligence and charm have made her an international celebrity, but few know her spiritual story. That’s the way she wanted it—until now. “I’ve come out of the closet,” she said recently. “I’m unashamedly Catholic. And that’s what I’m talking about now.” Since 1970, Sr Wendy has lived in seclusion in a simple trailer on the wooded grounds of a Carmelite cloister in Quidenham, Norfolk, England. She spends the majority of each day in prayer, beginning at 1am “when the world is silent and the owls pray with me”. Shortly before 8am, she walks or rides her electric scooter to the community chapel for daily Eucharist. Although she is not technically part of the Carmelite Order—she is a consecrated virgin living under the protection of the community— the Carmelites look after her by providing one meal a day and helping with correspondence and other practical matters.

Can you tell us about your decision to begin speaking about your faith more openly? When I started doing the television programmes, I wanted to show people who knew nothing about God that if they responded to beauty, they were responding to God. But I didn’t want to use words that would make them feel that this was only for religious. I didn’t use Christian paintings, and I didn’t use religious language so as not to alienate atheists who would’ve said, ‘Oh, this is not for me’. I thought that if people haven’t got the joy of knowing our blessed Lord, maybe they can get somewhere into his brightness by looking at art. Now I feel I no longer have to speak anonymously. I don’t have to hide in the closet and speak as though I am just a disembodied voice. I’m speaking now as a Catholic nun explicitly about the things that are my world, my real life.

I’m talking only about religious art and religious topics, and I’m speaking primarily to Catholics and to Christians who accept the sacraments. What were the key moments in your spiritual journey? There weren’t any internal key moments, I think. Except perhaps when I was a very small child. I must’ve been about four when I became aware of the constant presence of God, and of what God wasn’t. He was all love and care, and I knew that I had nothing ever to fear because God was there. So you could call that a key moment. I woke up to the fact that we’re not our own; we’re living in God’s world. Perhaps another key moment that is happiness, to do what God was when I was seven and I made wants. my first Holy Communion. I had got it into my head—or perhaps Have you ever felt uncertain or Sister had told us—that Jesus wondered, “Am I doing what would speak to us. I was all agog to God wants?” hear Jesus speak. I can remember as No. I’ve always had a doubt that though it were yesterday, coming I’m not doing what God wants back from the altar rail intent to very well, but I think God reveals hear Jesus speak. And after a little his will through what happens in bit it dawned upon me: when there every stage of our lives. If I had was only silence, that’s how he known in advance that the demands of the television speaks! He speaks in silence! And that’s also been something would’ve meant there’d be weeks that has held me in God’s light all away, I would’ve been very relucmy life: the knowledge that we tant to do it. But I didn’t realise it: I thought don’t need anything except just to open ourselves, and to let him it was going to be a very simple day or two thing. I’ve no doubt that speak in silence. But apart from that I was then that has been God’s will too, and it’s all been blessed. just waiting until I’d It [the TV work] is finished school so tedious and very that I could be a nun. much what I would You entered the ‘One of the not choose, but it School Sisters of became obvious that Notre Dame? Sisters here is this is what I was Yes, when I was 16. It meant to do because just beautiful. is a very fine order, people were getting and they taught me She looks holy, such help from it. how to be a nun. I I’ve just finished was a teaching nun whereas I just another programme for 23 years, in Cape for the BBC called look like an old Town and JohannesNovena. burg. frump.’ Hadn’t you tried to And then I began retire ten years ago? to realise, I needed Yes! Well, I thought I more time for prayer wasn’t strong than the teaching order provided. I needed hours of enough to go on, but it seems that just being alone on my knees, if they look after me and I can use hours that the sacrifice of the a wheelchair, I can stagger teaching order doesn’t provide. So I through. If there’s an apostolic had to wait until the order said need, I can’t say I don’t want to that they saw what I meant, and help. It would be so selfish. I don’t think I would feel at that they would sponsor me going peace in solitude if I said, “I don’t to lead a contemplative life. I’ve been here [at Quidenham] want to do these films or write 42 years now. I never dreamt any- these books”. I think the sacrifice is thing could be as blissful. I’ve had called for, it’s a necessity. Every life all my longings fulfilled. Just to be has to have sacrifice, and that’s a nun was enough, really. And if mine. God had said, I want you to go on I think one benefit is that people struggling as a teacher, then I who otherwise would never cross would have accepted that, if that’s paths with a nun feel at ease what he wanted; because after all with you and listen to you.

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Sr Wendy Beckett with an admirer during a book signing in London last July, and (left) a cover of one of the art expert nun’s books. (Photo: Jo-Anne Rowney, courtesy of St Paul’s Bookshop) That is true. There’s nothing frightening about me. Even my teeth have been a blessing, you see. I mean, one of the Sisters here, the former prioress, is just beautiful…she has those beautiful bones, and she’s slender. She looks holy, whereas I just look like an old frump. It’s fine! Of course your fans don’t really know you. Do you pay attention to how you’re described in the press? Or maybe I should ask how a good friend would describe the real Wendy? I try not to pay attention to what the press says, really, as it is often very humiliating. I don’t watch my programmes, you know. Don’t want to watch them. And I’m very bad at talking about myself. I remember when I was a novice, the novice mistress said, “Now, I want you to think about what is your best quality and what is your worst quality.” I was absolutely stymied. When I try to look at myself, I just see our Blessed Lord. I can’t get past that to isolate me. As for an outsider view, Pope John Paul II apparently said that he liked very much what I did because it showed people how happy one is as a Catholic. That in itself is good, you see, if a relatively plain, dull elderly woman can be filled with such happiness. I think I’d like people to say, “She tries her best to show the beauty of the Lord.” It never occurred to me, you see, that people would notice me. I remember my shock after I’d made my first series and somebody said to me, “You’re so delightful. And the art is good too.” And I thought, Gracious heavens!— you know? Am I getting in the way? But there’s no other way to do it. To be true to the art, I can’t think of myself or be very self-conscious. I just have got to forget about myself and think about what I’m trying to say. Your commentary on art has been called learned, funny, and occasionally “shockingly” earthy. I know. I got a shock when I realised that people were shocked! As Catholics, we revere the body because God made it. We’ve none of this prudishness that I’ve discovered is rampant in the world, that certain topics are a “no-no” just because they have to do with the human body. That’s not our Blessed Lord. He speaks very frankly in the scriptures. The real shock is that so many people regard God as cold and judgmental, and they don’t see that God is father in the purest sense. This lack of awareness is not their fault, you know. St Paul says, “How will they know unless somebody tells them?” Could you tell us about your own experience of God and your practice of prayer? Well, you know, I am on record as saying I spend seven hours a day in prayer, but in actual fact I consider my whole time prayer, because I think prayer is a direction. We don’t

stop praying when we get out of our prayer position. So I can’t think of anything I wouldn’t consider a prayer activity. But strictly speaking—you know, I don’t like making these categories, I don’t think they apply, really—but strictly speaking, when I pray I am sitting, silently, looking at nothing, but aware of the icons who are praying with me. I don’t go through anything specifically, I don’t have any specific image, but, as I say, when I get up to make a cup a coffee, I don’t consider that my prayer has stopped for making coffee. No, it is another form of prayer. First it was an intense silence, and now it’s a freer silence, but it’s equally a way of opening myself to God. You mention praying with icons. Is any saint particularly close or present to you when you pray? I feel when you pray the whole Church prays with you, which of course includes the whole Church in heaven. But the saint that’s been most encouraging to me is St Thérèse of Lisieux who, I think, is the absolute paradigm of what sanctity means. A simple life just given to God with nothing special about it. I’ve always read and loved Thérèse. What other spiritual reading or writers do you recommend? Well, I’ve always been against spiritual reading. Not all spiritual reading—I’m a great believer in commentaries on the scripture and inspiring lives of the saints—but I think books on prayer are very dangerous, because people can read them and think that’s praying, or that it makes them more spiritual, whereas prayer needs nothing. So, I say, don’t read books on prayer. Don’t try to protect yourself against God by thinking you need to know how to do it, or being afraid that you don’t know how to do it. Anyone can do it. God does it. Simply be there and let God do it. Prayer is God’s business, not our business. All he wants is to give himself to us. We just have to be there to receive him. What would be your hope for anyone reading this interview— the feeling he or she would come away with? That God’s there for you. That there’s nothing to prevent you: just let God love you. You don’t need any special virtues, he will draw you into those virtues. You’ve got to have your direction absolutely set on God, and it takes a long time for God to be your sole direction. But you can begin by having ten minutes in which you just stay still and let God shine on you. Then it will lengthen, and then it will grow, so perhaps after fifty years you will be able to spend your whole day letting God shine on you. And you shouldn’t want to do too much all at once, you see, because we’re weak. But God will give you what you want. If you want him, he will give himself to you.

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2012

CLASSIFIEDS

Fr Jan Kavelaars O.Praem

ATHER Jan Olav Kavelaars, former prior of St Norbertine’s in Kommetjie, Cape Town, and a priest who dedicated 50 years of faithful service to the Church of South Africa, died at the house of his profession in Grimbergen, Belgium, on May 23 at the age of 77. He had returned to Europe in April after his illness had been diagnosed as terminal. Fr Jan, much loved by his parishioners in the extended parishes of St Norbert’s, in Kommetjie, St Andrews in Ocean View and Masiphumelele, came to South Africa soon after he was ordained on August 6, 1962. Johannes Petrus Kavelaars was born in Zevenbergse Koek, Holland, on March 11, 1935. He received the white habit of St Norbert on September 17, 1956 at the abbey of Grimbergen, in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, where he was given the name Olav. He pronounced his

vows two years later and joined the Norbertine community. Fr Jan was told on the day of his priestly ordination that he would be serving in South Africa where the abbey had started a mission in 1951. He left for Cape Town on November 13, 1963, “filled with faith and enthusiasm”, said Fr Ashley Orgill, parish priest of St Norbert’s. Initially he served at Montagu, Oudtshoorn diocese, and then for ten years as chaplain for Dutch-speaking immigrants in the Western Cape. He was known for his enthusiasm and cheerfulness and made many friends. He was appointed pastor of the coloured parish of Worcester in 1977. Fr Jan moved to the new priory in Kommetjie in 1986 where St Andrew’s parish in Ocean View was entrusted to his care. After the death of the founder of the mission, Fr Waltman Smeets, he was appointed prior and pas-

Liturgical Calendar Year B

Weekdays Year 2

Sunday, June 10, The Body and Blood of Christ Exodus 24: 3-8, Psalm116: 12-13, 15-18, Hebrews 9: 11-15, Mark 14: 12-16, 22-26 Monday, June 11, St Barnabas Acts 11: 21-26, 13: 1-3, Psalm 98: 1-6, Matthew 10: 7-13 Tuesday, June 12, feria 1 Kings 17: 7-16, Psalm 4: 2-5, 7-8, Matthew 5: 13-16 Wednesday, June 13, St Anthony of Padua 1 Kings 18: 20-39, Psalm16: 1-2, 4-5, 8. 11, Matthew 5: 17-19 Thursday, June 14, feria 1 Kings 18: 41-46, Psalm 65: 10-13, Matthew 5: 20-26 Friday, June 15, Sacred Heart of Jesus Hosea 11: 1.3-4, 8-9, Psalm: Isaiah 12: 2-6, Ephesians 3:8-12, 14-19, John 19: 31-37 Saturday, June 16, Immaculate Heart of Mary Isaiah 61: 9-11, Psalm: 1 Samuel 2: 1, 4-8, Luke 2: 41-51 Sunday, June 17, Eleventh Sunday Ezekiel 17: 22-24, Psalm 92: 2-3, 13-16, 1 Corinthians 5: 6-10, Mark 4: 26-34

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PERSONAL

tor of Kommetjie. Another church erected during Fr Kavelaars’ time as prior was built in the informal settlement of Masiphumelele in the closing years of the 20th century. It opened in 2000. He was a frequent visitor to hospitals and retirement villages. Winnie Graham

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: Fundraiser Car Boot Sale and Morning Market at St Brendan's Corvette Rd cnr Longboat Rd Sunvalley, last Saturday of every month 7am-1pm R25 per lane Maggi-Mae 021 782 9263 or 082 892 4502 mvidas@mweb.co.za Day of Prayer held at Springfield Convent starting at 10:00 ending 15:30 last Saturday of every month— all welcome. For more information contact Jane Hulley 021 790 1668 or 082 783 0331. DURBAN: The Eucharist: Source and Summit of Our Christian Life by Mgr Paul Nadal, June 30 from 9:0016:00 at St Peter’s, 360 Mahatma Ghandi Road, Point. Call or fax 031 337 5676 or email stpeterspoint@telkomsa.net 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 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: first Friday of the month at 09:20 followed by Holy Mass at 10:30. Holy Hour: first Saturday of each month at 15:00. At Our Lady of the Angels, Little Eden, Edenvale. Tel: 011 609 7246. PRETORIA: First Saturday: Devotion to Divine Mercy. St Martin de Porres, Sunnyside, 16:30. Tel Shirley-Anne 012 361 4545. NELSPRUIT: Adoration of the blessed sacrement at St Peter’s parish. Every Tuesday from 8am to 4:45pm followed by Rosary/ Divine Mercy prayers, then a Mass/Communion service at 5:30pm.

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your name known and publish this prayer. Amen. In thanksgiving for prayers answered. Publication promised. Noreen.

THANKS

GRATEFUL thanks to the

PRAYERS

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

Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Mother Mary and Ss Joseph, Anthony, Jude and Martin de Porres for prayers answered. STW.

ACCOMMODATION

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1052. KZN SOUTH COAST: Honeywood: 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. 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

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Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO #501. ACROSS: 1 Code, 3 Complain, 9 Minaret, 10 Rarer, 11 The Samaritan, 13 Scribe, 15 Cottas, 17 Public figure, 20 Helen, 21 Touring, 22 Dispense, 23 Sees.DOWN: 1 Comatose, 2 Dunce, 4 Outlaw, 5 Parsimonious, 6 Abreast, 7 Nard, 8 Trial balance, 12 Asperges, 14 Roubles, 16 Scotus, 18 Udine, 19 Shed

Word of the Week

Sacrilege: Profanation of or irreverence toward persons, places, and things which are sacred. Application: Dedicated to God; sacrilege against the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, is a particularly grave offence against the first commandment

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11th Sunday: June 17 Readings: Ezekiel 17:22-24, Psalm 92: 2-3, 13-16, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, Mark 4:26-34

God is in charge of all things

Nicholas King SJ

EXT Sunday we lurch back, after the rich excitements of Lent and Easter, and what has followed since then, into the somewhat calmer waters of “ordinary time”; and the readings for next Sunday suggest that we should sail these waters under a pennant on which is inscribed “God is in charge”. The first reading is from Ezekiel, presenting the prophet’s condemnation of King Zedekiah for not obeying the terms of his oath of loyalty to the King of Babylon. It starts with prophetic solemnity, “Thus says the Lord, the Lord”, and we learn with alarm what God is going to do: “I am going to take from the crest of the cedar”, which sounds like punishment, but then goes into a more optimistic mode: “I shall plant it on a high mountain, on a mountain height of Israel I shall plant it.” Then comes a reassuring vision of what is going to happen to Israel: “All the trees of the plain shall know that I, the Lord, make the high tree low, and the low tree high.” And we listen, nervously, as the reading concludes: “I the Lord have spoken; I shall act.” God is in charge, even when human

Sunday Reflections

beings with their empty politicking, get things wrong. The p salm for next Sunday is in no doubt at all that God is in charge: “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to play music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning, and your integrity in the night-time.” It picks up the reference in the first reading to the “cedar” (though the Hebrew word here is different), which is a symbol of God’s attentive care. There is a lovely agricultural image, “planted in the House of the Lord, in the courts of our God they shall flourish”. God is indeed in charge. In the second reading , Paul is continu-

ing a battle with his opponents in Corinth, who have been rather slighting of his social and other skills; in response, Paul simply indicates that he is “courageous”; he does not mind physical absence, provided he can be “present to the Lord”; his only concern, whatever happens is “to be pleasing to Him” (God is in charge), since “all of us must appear before Christ’s tribunal”. There is no getting away from it: since Paul’s encounter with Jesus, all that matters is giving his whole life to God in Christ; and that will not be a bad policy for us, in “ordinary time”. The g o sp e l for next Sunday is from Mark’s “parable” chapter. It started with Jesus’ story of the Sower, and now we have moved on to two more parables about agriculture; this is appropriate enough, of course for his Galilean peasant audience, but the stories are really pointing to what Jesus’ entire life of kingdom-building is about, namely his powerful sense that God is in charge. The first story is that which every farmer

knows, the astonishing miracle of the growth of a crop, “first the shoot, then the ear, then the full wheat in the ear”. And at the end of it all the farmer “sends in the sickle, because the harvest is standing ready”. The second parable also refers to the astonishing phenomenon of the growth of the plant, in this case that of the “grain of mustard”, which you can still see today in parts of the Holy Land, which is “tinier than all plants of those on the earth”, but then “goes up and becomes bigger than all other plants, and makes big branches, so that the birds of the air can makes their tents under its shade”. The parable ends with a comment from the evangelist that may serve to remind us that we are not in charge: “In many parables of this sort he used to speak the message to them, in so far as they could hear it; but other than in parables he would not speak to them; he spoke privately to his private disciples and reveal everything.” God, you see, is very much in charge.

How we can find true joy T

HERE’S a much-quoted line from Leonard Cohen in his 1992 song “Anthem” that suggests that the place where we are broken is also the place where our redemption starts: “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” That’s true, a major wound is often the place where wisdom flows into our lives and a weakness that habitually overpowers us can keep us aware of our need for grace. But that’s half of the equation. A fault, while keeping us humble, can also keep us in mediocrity and joylessness. John of the Cross offers us this image by way of an explanation: “If one small crack in a pitcher goes unrepaired, the damage will be enough to cause all the liquid to leak out […] Accordingly, one imperfection leads to another, and these to still more. You will scarcely ever find a person negligent in the conquering of one appetite who will not have many others flowing from the identical weakness and imperfection caused by this one appetite. “Such persons, consequently, are ever faltering along the road. We have witnessed many persons, whom God was favouring with much progress in detachment and freedom, fall from happiness and stability in their spiritual exercises and end up losing everything merely because they began to indulge in some slight attachment to conversation and friendship under the appearance of good. For by this attachment they gradually emptied themselves of holy soli-

Conrad

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

tude and the spirit and joy of God. “All this happened because they did not put a stop to their initial satisfaction and sensitive pleasure, and preserve themselves for God in solitude” (Ascent to Mount Carmel, Book I, Chapter 11). Although this passage was written more specifically for contemplative monks and nuns—and a warning against “attachment to conversation and friendship” will sound strange and unhealthy to us—there’s part of us that understands exactly what he is saying. Our addictions, our infidelities, and our various falls from grace invariably start at that exact spot to which he points his finger, namely, in a certain initial satisfaction and pleasure, a certain flirting and playing with fire, which, while not sinful in itself, eventually leads us into an emotional and moral quagmire that robs us of peace and happiness and, most damaging of all, forces us to hide things, to lie, and to be less than healthily transparent. And even when the fault is not big, it still serves to block us from deeper growth and deeper happiness. John has an axiom that says it doesn’t matter in the end whether a

bird is attached to the ground by a heavy chain or a light string—it can’t fly in either case. Hence, he cautions us strongly against being comfortable with any of our faults or addictions by rationalising that this or that fault is not so serious and that we are fundamentally good persons, despite our weakness. Whether we are held by a heavy chain or a thin thread, we still can’t fly. If we grow comfortable with an addiction or fault inside us, we will find ourselves impoverished too in another way: it will rob us of real happiness. French philosopher Leon Bloy suggests that ultimately there is only one, true, human sadness, that of not being a saint! That may sound like over-pious moralising, but, just as with the quote from John of the Cross cited above, there’s a part of us that understands exactly what Bloy is saying. Our addictions, our infidelities, and our less-than-healthy indulgences might well bring us some pleasure (though, soon enough, that pleasure turns into a compulsion), but these never bring us joy. They bring sadness. Joy is not the same as pleasure and, indeed, we speak of sad pleasures. There can be a lot of pleasure in our lives even as our hearts are sad and our consciences are heavy. True joy is something beyond pleasure and can co-exist with renunciation and pain. It is dependent rather on honesty, transparency, and gratitude, the real hallmarks of sanctity. When we are honest in examining our experience we know this truth. If any of us ask ourselves, “When have I been most truly happy in my life?”, the honest answer invariably will be: I have been happiest and most at peace at those times when I have been faithful, honest, fully transparent, when all the goods were on the table, and I had nothing to hide, even if I was less than perfect. Nobody is perfect, but we must never grow comfortable with our faults and rationalise them because they are not grievous or because we can keep them hidden. If one small crack in a pitcher goes unrepaired, the damage will be enough to cause all the liquid to leak out. The net result will not be that we become bad persons. No. We will remain as we are, good and solid in our mediocrity. But greatness will escape us and we will carry with us always the adult sadness of not being a saint.

Southern Crossword #501

ACROSS 1. Collection of Church laws (4) 3. Say that you’re dissatisfied (8) 9. Call to prayer from here (7) 10. Less frequently grilled? (5) 11. He’s good in the parable (3,9) 13. Old writer (6) 15. Clerical vestments at cost (6) 17. Not a private number for noted person (6,6) 20. She’s a famous Trojan (5) 21. Gun riot about tripping (7) 22. Pharmacist and pope can do it (8) 23. Views the dioceses (4)

DOWN 1. Comes to a state of stupor (8) 2. He has no thinking cap (5) 4. Bandit (6) 5. Reluctant to spend money for impious arson (12) 6. Side by side (7) 7. Aromatic embalming oil (4) 8. Accountant’s statement in court of law? (5,7) 12. Rite of sprinkling holy water (8) 14. Mostly troubles found in Russia (7) 16. Scouts around medieval theologian (6) 18. Due in Italy (5) 19. Outhouse (4) Solutions on page 27

CHURCH CHUCKLE

atan visits Cape Town and meets Gatiep. “Do you know who I am?” asks Satan. “Nay”, says Gatiep, “Gee my a hint.” Satan says: “I am the Prince of Darkness.” “Oh boy!”, says Gatiep. “Djy’s die CEO van ESKOM!” Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.