The Southern Cross - 120620 by The Southern Cross

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June 20 to June 26, 2012

50th Eucharistic Congress in pictures

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SA Church aids Iraq’s reconciliation BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

N order to learn from South Africa’s road to reconciliation, a delegation of Iraqi parliamentarians travelled to South Africa to investigate the post-apartheid social rebuilding process. The visit included a meeting with the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO), along with two bishops, where the discussion ranged from the local Church’s experience with reconciliation, to the importance of religion and civil society, when dealing with a troubled past. South Africa was the third and final country visited by the delegation, following Bosnia-Herzegovina and Columbia. CPLO director Fr Peter-John Pearson said these very different countries were chosen because each represented a different stage of reconciliation. “Iraq has similar horrific stories in its history to South Africa. From the Suddam Hussein era to the US withdrawing to internal politics, human rights abuses and the lack of freedoms, Iraq has a history that needs to be dealt with before they will be able to move forward,” Fr Pearson said. Members of the Church delegation included representativies of the CPLO, Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town, second vice-president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), and Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg, liaison bishop for the CPLO and co-president of Pax Christi, the largest Catholic peace-building organisation in the world. “Our representatives brought with them a wealth of experience with both foreign relations and dealing with South Africa’s own reconciliation efforts,” said Fr Pearson. Bishop Dowling spoke of his experience of appearing before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission when he represented the SACBC.

A delegation of Iraqi members of parliament and senior staff of the prime minister’s office with Iraq’s ambassador to South Africa, Dr Hisham Al-Alawi (fourth from right), and his staff met with Archbishop Stephen Brislin (sixth from left), Bishop Kevin Dowling (fourth from left) and Fr Peter-John Pearson, director of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (far left). (Photo: Stephen Docherty) There were three main areas of discussion during the meeting. “The importance of the recovery of truth was the first critical concept discussed,” said Fr Pearson. “This is the bringing of closure to issues and to diffuse outstanding problems. These are vital to progress and to nation building. It is important to address the gaps in social memory.” Fr Pearson said the delegation also acknowledged that reconciliation is a “long

term process”. “With every milestone we still see some distance along the road ahead,” Fr Pearson told The Southern Cross. He said repairing a country is a multifaceted task and issues will be dealt with over a long period of time. The lack of economic reconciliation was an example of an issue yet to be effectively tackled in South Africa. “Yes, it’s important to learn to get on with each other. But in a way it’s superficial.

It’s important, but it’s not the only issue, it’s the first of many,” Fr Pearson said. The third theme discussed brought to the attention of the Iraqi delegation was the importance of engaging civil society from the very beginning. “It’s important that civil society helps frame the concepts of reconciliation. The definition should emerge from conversations,” Fr Pearson said. It is here, he added, that the role of religion is highlighted. “It is a useful vehicle for understanding because it offers a huge amount of wisdom around such issues.” He said since the CPLO represented the country’s bishops’ conference at the meeting and because of the presence of two well respected bishops, the message was well received by the Iraqi delegation. The South African delegation urged their Iraqi counterparts to use civil society as much as possible in reforming their country’s future. “By keeping those voices engaged in the process, it’s possible to work it out,” Fr Pearson said. There is a danger of government defining the concept of reconciliation, but if it’s around religion, “there is hope, solidarity and other themes associated with religion”. Iraq has made positive strides in the improving its education system and social services, but there are still questions on how to bring all its people together—each affected by one of the many issues in the country’s complex history. “There is a multitude of issues that the country has faced and as such, much like South Africa, it will be a work in progress,” Fr Pearson said. While in the country, the Iraqi delegation, coordinated by the Iraqi ambassador to South Africa, also met with government officials and post-apartheid role players.

The bad news Durban Mass before old school is demolished for a change BY PADDY KEARNEY

FTER keeping the cover price of The Southern Cross stable for almost two years, it has become necessary to increase it by 50c to R6,00 as of next week. This is the first cover price increase since early September 2010—and only the fourth since February 2004. In real terms, The Southern Cross now costs less than it did eight years ago. “The new price represents an increase of only 9% over the past 21 months. That’s almost half the rate of inflation,” said Pamela Davids, business manager of The Southern Cross. Unlike other newspapers, The Southern Cross is able to hold off more frequent price increases because it is not profit-driven, Ms Davids said. “We receive no subsidies and rely on sales and advertising revenue for our daily survival. But with much disciplined budgeting we have succeeded in holding off a price increase for longer than any other newspaper in South Africa,” Ms Davids said. “One issue of The Southern Cross still costs less than a chocolate bar, a can of cool drink or a litre of petrol—and it’s actually good for you,” she pointed out. The subscription price for the Digital Southern Cross will increase to R312 a year as of July 1, an increase of only R20,50. The price for postal subscriptions will remain unchanged for now, Ms Davids said.

AST students of St Augustine’s Primary School, formerly housed in what is now the parish centre at Emmanuel cathedral, Durban, will have an opportunity to say farewell to their old school, before it is demolished to make way for the new Denis Hurley Centre. On August 16 Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving in the hall of the old school for all the past pupils. His concelebrants will be past pupils Fr Albert Danker OMI, who will preach the homily, Fr Joe Money OMI and Fr Stephen Tully, administrator of the cathedral. The lessons and intercessory prayers will be led by three past pupils of the school: Holy Family Sisters Joy Money and Myrtle Beaunoir and Oakford Dominican Sister Felicity Isaacs. The choir of the new St Augustine’s Primary, now located close to Greyville Racecourse, will lead the singing. After the Mass there will be an opportunity for past pupils to speak about their memories of attending school in the parish centre and to hear about the new Denis Hurley Centre, while enjoying a bring-and-share lunch. The present centre will be demolished once the plans for the new building have been approved by the eThekwini municipality. The new centre’s opening is scheduled for 2014. n For further information phone 031 201-3832

Above: The current parish centre, which formerly housed St Augustine’s Primary School, will make way soon for the new Denis Hurley Centre. On August 16 a Mass will be celebrated for former pupils of the school, giving them the opportunity to say goodbye to the building

Right: Architects Ruben Reddy and Gonzalo Prieto admire the model of the new Denis Hurley Centre alongside Emmanuel cathedral and the cathedral presbytery in Durban. The model was showcased at a recent exhibition at Durban’s International Convention Centre.

LOCAL

The Southern Cross, June 20 to June 26, 2012

Dr Ramphele to deliver memorial lecture STAFF REPORTER

T The Mothers Prayer Group is a group of mothers that meet once a week to pray for our children. The group was started in Britain and is now in more than 80 countries around the world. Photographed are women from the Mothers Prayer Group at Christ the King parish in Durban, (from left) Nola Adams, Dawn Peters, Anastia Beaunior, Leonie Smith.

Mothers offer their prayers worldwide BY THANDI BOSMAN

HE Mothers Prayer Group at Christ the King parish in Wentworth, Durban, welcomes all women in their parish to join them in prayer for the wellbeing of the Church and their children. The Mothers Prayer Group started in Britain and has spread to more than 80 countries. It is open to all denominations for mothers to pray for their children and community. The prayer group started at Wentworth parish in 2007, with mothers “praying for their children’s intentions before Mass”, said Romany Roberts, a member of the Mothers Prayer Group. “There is no sharing as this group is too large. Sharing takes place in the smaller Mothers Prayers Group”, she said, adding that the bigger group “has since grown from strength to strength”. Mrs Roberts said that before every prayer group begins, confidentiality is stressed to all the mothers present. She also said that meetings are carried out by means of a mother’s prayer book. “A brief prayer service is held and mothers are given the opportunity to write their prayer intentions on a slip of paper which is put into a basket placed in front of the altar. The mothers are given an opportunity to unburden themselves of problems and anxieties by means of prayer. All small groups must follow the booklet; we are

J.M.J

united with Mothers Prayer Groups throughout the world,” she explained. The Mothers Prayer Group has helped a number of organisations and causes. The group helped Mater Vitae Home by hosting a baby shower for expectant teenage mothers; they made 200 gift parcels which were handed out at a Christmas lunch for the poor. Other projects the Mothers Prayer Group did was support breast cancer awareness in the community, highlight Aids in the community and promote the 16 Days of Activism For No Violence and Abuse against Women and Children by decorating an angel which was place inside the church. On Women’s Day last August the Mothers Prayers Group hosted a day of prayer. “It was emotional, healing through sharing with other mothers, lunch was prepared and served by The Men’s Movement of Christ the King Parish,” Mrs Roberts said. The Mothers Prayer Group “offers mothers an opportunity to pray and share together” about the problems they are facing, Mrs Roberts said. “All mothers feel the need to pray for their children, especially those who find themselves facing difficult circumstances. There is healing just by being open and knowing other mothers is praying for your child or children,” she said, adding that the prayer group was not only for mothers but for any woman who feels the need to pray for a child.

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HE ninth Bishop Hans Brenninkmeijer Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Dr Mamphela Ramphele in Johannesburg on July 24. Hosted annually by the Catholic Institute of Education, the lecture commemorates the late Bishop Johannes Brenninkeijer, a Dominican who headed Kroonstad diocese from 1977 to 2003. Dr Ramphele will speak on the theme “Educating for Citizenship”. When she was appointed vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town in 1996 she became the first black woman to hold such a position at a South African university. In the 1970s she was a lead-

ing activist in the Black Consciousness Movement and close associate of the movement’s de facto leader Steve Biko. For her political activism, she was banished to Tzaneen from 1977-84. She is the founder of Citizens Movement for Social Change (CMfSC), which focuses on promoting engaged citizenship, and is the author of several books and important publications on socio-economic issues in South Africa. She has received numerous prestigious national and international awards, including several honorary doctorates acknowledging her scholarship, service to the community, and leading role in raising development issues and spearheading projects for disadvantaged persons in South Africa and else-

where in the world. Dr Ramphele qualified as a medical doctor at the University of Natal in 1972. She holds a PhD in social anthropology from UCT, a B-Com degree in administration from the University of South Africa and post graduate diplomas in tropical health, hygiene and public health from the University of Witwatersrand. Dr Ramphele is the chairperson of the Technology Innovation and Goldfields. The Bishop Hans Brenninkmeijer Memorial Lecture will be delivered at St Benedict’s College, Bedfordview on July 24 at 14:00. n To reserve a seat at the lecture, contact Hilda Mushava at telephone 011 433 1888, or fax 011 680 9628 or hilda@cie.org.za

Catholics comrades ran for Hurley centre BY THANDI BOSMAN

OME Catholic runners who took part in the 89km Comrades Marathon from Pietermaritzburg to Durban this year ran to raise funds for the planned Denis Hurley Centre in Durban. The project, called Denis Hurley Centre Comrades 2012, was themed from Hebrews 12:1: “Run then with determination the race that is set before you”. Project organiser Mark Wardell said the aim of the project was “to raise funds for the building of the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban which will be used to support mainly the health and welfare of the people of Durban irrespective of who they are”. The idea came from Thomas Daniels of Sacred Heart parish in Woodlands, Durban, who ran his 17th Comrades this year, after hearing Paddy Kearney, coordinator of the Denis Hurley Centre, during a visit to his church. Mr Wardell said that each Comrades runner in the project was asked to look for sponsorship for running the marathon and the funds would go to the development of the Denis Hurley Centre. Mr Wardell said that they

Thomas Daniels at the 15km-to-go mark with Mark Wardell at the Comrades Marathon. He ran as part of the Denis Hurley Centre Comrades. did not receive as much support as they would have liked because the project idea started only in March and by then most of the runners had already selected their community project. In the event, between 20 to 30 runners contributed towards the project. “We did however sow the seed for next year, and our first planning meeting for next year’s up-run, will be held in the next month,” he said. The total amount of money collected from the project is not yet known, but Mr Wardell said

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that Mr Daniels “brought in more than R11 000 on his own”. A runner from Soweto brought in R780 and promised that next year “Durban supporters will be hard pressed to beat the sponsorship expected from Soweto”, Mr Wardell added. “We are very enthusiastic for next years run and hope that all Catholics will not only support the runners, but also take time to see what the Denis Hurley Centre plans for the people and offer their personal support to the project,” said Mr Wardell.

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LOCAL

The Southern Cross, June 20 to June 26, 2012

Knights raise funds for US govt looks at local struggling Naz House Catholic Aids efforts STAFF REPORTER

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

UE to a shortfall in sponsorship, Nazareth House in Cape Town is facing massive financial difficulty with only enough funding for the home to operate for two months. In response, one group has challenged others to fundraise for the city landmark to ensure it does not close in its 129th year of existence. Peter Sangiorgio , a volunteer at the home, shared the alarming news with the Knights of da Gama (KdG) Council 26, of which he is an active member. Mr Sangiorgio proposed that the council should make an effort to raise the funds. “Nazareth House provides such an important service to the community. There is no discrimination in whom they help and if desperate cases arrive on their doorstep—they always help!” he said. His council had been involved in the home for many years in the past. Nazareth Sister Superior Veronica Murphy said the home was “desperate” and the KdG had answered the call to assist the home which is home to 80 elderly, 50 abandoned and handicapped children and seven terminally-ill children who were sent from the Red Cross Children’s Hospital to die in comfort. One of the council’s members, Mark Turnbull, was able to secure funding from Grand Slots. “While this donation will go a long way, we challenge other councils and good Catholics to equal or better the amount we have donated,” he said. The home is one of the few non-profit organisations in the Western Cape that offers a 24-

Members of the Knights da Gama Council 26 hand over a cheque to Srs Michael O’Callaghan (second from right) and Veronica Murphy (front right) of Nazareth House. The council has challenged others to match or better their donation of R10 000 to the home, which has enough funding only to stay open for two months. (Photo: Claire Mathieson) hour place of safety for deserted children, as well as medical care for terminally-ill children. Nazareth House’s Beverly Florence said poverty-stricken communities often abandon or neglect children and the elderly with special needs and the home is able to cater for them. “Their conditions demand expert care, which low-income families cannot afford emotionally or financially. Nazareth House Cape Town provides medical and relational care regardless of religious affiliation to the most vulnerable individuals from the Cape Flats,” she said. Sr Murphy said the home currently requires R1 million a month to care for their patients. She said while the home does receive government subsidies for some of their patients, the

amount falls far short of the actual cost of caring for those with special needs. The home relies on donations from caring individuals and companies, she said. A very surprised and grateful Sr Michael O’Callaghan PSN received the cheque for R10 000 from Council 26. “The Lord has sent you!” she said. Sr Murphy said the donation was vital if the home was to keep open. “This year we celebrate 130 years. We want to keep open and continue helping the needy.” “We need to be kept in your prayers,” Sr Murphy said. “We believe the little will always meet the great.” n For more information visit www.nazhouse.org.za or call 021 461 1635.

The Priests sing for Durban hospice BY THANDI BOSMAN

CONCERT in aid of Blessed Gérand’s Care Centre and Hospice in Mandeni, KwaZulu-Natal will take place on July 1 at Our Lady of Assumption Church hall in Umbilo, Durban. The Catholic organisation is the largest hospice in South Africa. The son et lumière (sound and light) concert will feature The Priests, a famous Irish singing

trio, as well as performances by a yet to be confirmed guest star, chorus and orchestra who will all present “popular Christian music”, said the concert organiser, Victor Claudius. This is his sixth concert in support of the hospice. The singing Catholic priests, who come from Northern Ireland, are Fr Eugene O’Hagan, Fr Martin O’Hagan and Fr David Delargy. They have released platiunum-selling albums and

hold the Guiness World Record fot “fastest selling UK debut for a classical act”. Fr Delargy had said: “Singing is very much what we do. We are singing sacred music, continuing what we have always done, bringing it to a wider audience”. The concert will start at 14:30. Tickets cost R40 per person. Light refreshments will be served. n For more information contact Victor Claudius at 031 205 5984.

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HE Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of the US government, visited Nazareth House in Johannesburg to get an understanding of how their antiretroviral treatment (ART) programme operates. They were particularly interested in how drugs are procured for this and other SACBC Aids Office PEPFAR-funded sites, how supplies are ordered and monitored, the costs involved, and the overall supply chain management. PEPFAR is the President's Emergency Plan For Aids Relief, launched by US President George W Bush to provide antiretroviral treatment in regions affected by the Aids pandemic. “The US Congress is expected to reauthorise PEPFAR funding for another five-year funding period,” said Sr Alison Munro OP, director of the Aids Office. “But Aids programmes in South

Africa and elsewhere will be differently supported, with funding going to technical assistance to programmes supporting the Department of Health’s roll-out of services rather than to service delivery programmes in the nongovernment sector,” she added. Since 2004, the Aids Office has initiated more than 40 000 people on ART. “Some patients have been transferred into Department of Health clinics, and the SACBC Aids Office no longer supports patients in areas where Department of Health treatment services are available,” Sr Munro said. At some Aids Office PEPFAR-funded sites, the health department is now providing ARV drugs. The Aids Office is in the final year of its PEPFAR funding, and is working with provincial, district and municipal health authorities on future drug and service provision, and on transfer of patients to Department of Health clinics.

On June 17 Fr Ted Molyneaux of St Peter’s parish in Swartkops, Port Elizabeth diocese, celebrates his Golden Jubilee In Listowel, Ireland. Before he departed, the parish celebrated Fr Molyneaux’s anniversary with a Mass followed by a breakfast at which he was presented with a gift for his 29 years of service to the community. At the same time, 13 adults were received into the Church. The following day, Fr Molyneaux celebrated Mass and then had lunch, prepared by parishioners, with 50 priests and deacons, including his cousin, Mgr Brendan Deenihan. (Photo by Adele Meusel)

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The Southern Cross, June 20 to June 26, 2012

INTERNATIONAL New website aims at youth

SSPX head: ‘We don’t have to accept all Vatican II teachings’ BY CINDY WOODEN

HE leader of the traditionalist Society of St Pius X (SSPX) has said that talks with the Vatican demonstrate that “Rome no longer makes total acceptance” of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council a condition for his group’s full reconciliation with the Church. Accepting the Council’s teaching is no longer “a prerequisite for the canonical solution” of the status of the society, said Bishop Bernard Fellay, SSPX superior-general. In an interview published on the society’s news site, Bishop Fellay said it was the Vatican that approached the society, and not the society that went to the Vatican, asking to begin the talks. “So the attitude of the official Church is what changed; we did not,” he said. “We were not the ones who asked for an agreement; the pope is the one who wants to recognise us.” In 2009, Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications that had been incurred by Bishop Fellay and other SSPX bishops when they were ordained without papal permission 11 years earlier. Also in 2009, the pope established a Vatican committee to hold doctrinal talks with society representatives. In September 2011, the Vatican gave Bishop Fellay a “doctrinal preamble” outlining “some doctrinal principles and criteria for the interpretation of Catholic doctrine necessary to guarantee fidelity” to the formal teaching of the Church. Neither the Vatican nor the SSPX

has made the text public, but the Vatican said it leaves room for “legitimate discussion” about “individual expressions or formulations present in the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the successive magisterium” of the Church. Bishop Fellay submitted his first response to the document in March, but the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the approval of Pope Benedict, defined it as “insufficient”. The bishop gave the Vatican his second response in April; it is still under study at the Vatican. In the interview on the SSPX website, Bishop Fellay said: “We are still not in agreement doctrinally, and yet the pope wants to recognise us. Why? The answer is right in front of us: there are terribly important problems in the Church today.” The reconciliation talks, he said, are a sign that the Catholic Church has begun to recognise it needs to recover traditions and traditional teaching eclipsed by the Second Vatican Council. If the SSPX were to reconcile fully with the Church, Bishop Fellay said, its members would continue to denounce “doctrinal difficulties” in the Church, but would do so while also providing “tangible signs of the vitality of tradition” in its growing membership and vocation rate. Bishop Fellay said he did not have a timetable for the conclusion of the talks. “There are even some who say that the pope will deal with this matter at [the papal summer villa in] Castel Gandolfo in July.”—CNS

BY COLLEEN ROWAN

Members of a pro-life parish youth group join hundreds for the “Stand Up For Religious Freedom Rally” in Chicago. Rallies held across the United States took aim at a government mandate that will require most employers to cover contraception and sterilisation procedures in their health plans. The US bishops have repeatedly criticised the mandate. (Photo: Karen Callaway, Catholic New World)

Pope: Marriage requires fidelity, equality and respect BY CINDY WOODEN

TRENGTHENING Catholic teaching about the sanctity of marriage must include emphasising the essential roles of fidelity, equality and mutual respect in the relationship of a married couple, according to Pope Benedict. The family, based on the marriage of one man and one woman, is “the basic unit of society and the first place where faith and culture are appropriated”, the pope told the bishops from Papua New Guinea at the end of their ad limina visits to the Vatican. For Catholics, the pope said,

marriage also is “a covenant which has been raised by Christ to the supernatural level of a sacrament, through which a husband and wife participate in the love of God as they become one flesh, pledging to love and respect each other while remaining open to God’s gift of children”. Pope Benedict said that while the role of the family has been recognised throughout history, “particular attention needs to be given at the present time to the religious, social and moral goods of fidelity, equality and mutual respect that must exist between husband and wife”.—CNS

OUNG Catholics have a new website available to them featuring US Catholic speakers, musicians and comedians who have teamed up to help them grow in their faith. The website Any Given Sunday (www.anygivensundayproject.com), which offers reflections for the young Church, features 45 Catholic youth ministry personalities who each writes a reflection for the weekly Mass readings. Each week, the site offers a reflection from one of the participating personalities. The site was created by Bob Perron, executive director of the diocese of Wheeling-Charleston’s youth ministry, with the intent of reaching out to Catholic youths but also to reach the young Church wherever it may be. “We want to make young disciples, we want to help young people grow in their faith,” Mr Perron told The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the diocese. “We wanted to give young people, 13 to 18 years old, something that would help prepare them for Mass and to maybe make it a little more interesting to them. “Each week, kids can go on their phone or on their computer and go to Any Given Sunday where there is a short video message for the week from me or a youth board member and then the reflection,” he said. The site contains background screens for youth, parish resources, information pieces on the site, links to Mass readings and much more. The site also provides a mobile version; and visitors to the site may subscribe to weekly e-mail reminders about the reflections.— CNS

Famine threat alert in West Africa BY MARIA PIA NEGRO

ILLIONS of people in West Africa’s Sahel region face severe food shortages that could be catastrophic if international aid falls short in the coming weeks, according to representatives of Catholic and other humanitarian organisations. “The crisis is already here. People are already starving in some parts of the region,” said Bill Worms, Sahel communications officer for Caritas Internationalis in Rome. UN agencies estimate that 18 million people, including 3 million children, are at risk of hunger in parts of Chad, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania, Cameroon and northern Nigeria. Organisations like Caritas Internationalis, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Develop-

ment (CAFOD) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) are working to solve problems of hunger and malnutrition. Even with the humanitarian response, there still is not enough money to address the overwhelming need, said Bill Rastetter, CRS country representative for Niger. As the food crisis in the region grows, food prices skyrocket in urban centres, making it almost impossible to get enough food in the Sahel, the area bordering the Sahara Desert. CAFOD, the aid agency of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, reported that families started selling their livestock, jewellery or farming equipment in order to afford food months ago, which makes them vulnerable to future crisis. Things could worsen in July

and August, when most of the food stocks that have been at their lowest levels would be all but gone. As people wait for the September harvest, Mr Rastetter said, even the aid from the international community could be exhausted, if more is not sent. Caritas Internationalis has launched appeals to help Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. These countries have not yet recovered from the crisis in 2010 and last year’s failed harvest, Mr Worms said. He stressed the need to act quickly. Late responses to food crises in 2005 and 2010 resulted in unnecessary deaths in the region. “We hope that the international community acts now instead of waiting as it has been the case for the last times,” he said.—CNS

Communion a big point in ecumenism BY SARAH MACDONALD

HE Vatican’s top ecumenist has expressed regret at the mistaken impression that Protestants are honest in ecumenical dialogue and Catholics are not. Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, suggested that the impression stems from the willingness of many Protestant churches to welcome all to the Lord’s Supper. The cardinal said there were some Reformed churches in Western Europe where baptism is not a condition for participation in the Eucharist. “I think that is a very dangerous development because bap-

tism and ritual recognition of baptism [are] the basis of all ecumenical endeavours,” he added. Cardinal Koch made his comments following his address on “The Relation Between the Eucharist and Ecclesial Communion: An Ecumenical View” at the International Theology Symposium in Maynooth, Ireland. In his address, Cardinal Koch described the relationship between the Eucharist and the Church as very important from the ecumenical perspective. “When we speak about the Eucharist, the ecumenical dimension is always present,” he said. Speaking afterwards to reporters, he said the view of the relationship between the eccle-

sial and eucharistic communion is very different in the other churches. “It is very important to clarify the position of the Catholic Church and the position of the other churches and deepen the discussion on this for the future,” he said. The cardinal told delegates that it is important to understand why Catholics seek the restoration of ecclesial communion in the first instance and not “so-called inter-Communion”. Quoting Cardinal Karl Lehmann of Mainz, Germany, he said the shared supper belongs “at the end and not at the beginning of ecumenical endeavours”.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, June 20 to June 26, 2012

Vatican rejigs radio broadcasts BY CINDY WOODEN

V People adore the Eucharist during the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin. (Photos: Paul Haring, CNS)

ATICAN RADIO will end its short- and medium-wave broadcasts to Europe and North and South America on July 1, and a month later the Vatican press office will close the Vatican Information Service, a multilingual daily summary of papal speeches and appointments. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office and of Vatican Radio, said the changes were responses to developments in technology and would save the Vatican money. The changes at Vatican Radio, he said, should save the Vatican “hundreds of thousands” of euros just in electricity bills each year. But the radio station is not reducing the number of programmes or the 40 languages in which the

programmes are produced. The decision to stop the shortand medium-wave broadcasts reflect the fact that Europe, North and South America are well covered by local radio stations that rebroadcast Vatican Radio programmes and a large portion of their populations have access to radio programmes via the internet. Short- and medium-wave broadcasts to Africa, parts of the Middle East and Asia will continue, he said, because fewer people have access to the Internet there and most of the stations rebroadcasting Vatican Radio programmes are located only in big cities. “Over the course of the 20th century, the international shortand medium-wave transmissions of Vatican Radio were a service of inestimable value in the history of

the Church—especially in Europe—supporting those populations oppressed by war and totalitarianism,” Fr Lombardi said. The Jesuit said ending the broadcasts to Europe, North and South America would cut in half the hours of transmission from the Vatican’s antenna field at Santa Maria di Galeria outside Rome. The Vatican Information Service (VIS), which provides summaries of Vatican news in daily English, French or Spanish emails to 60 000 subscribers, will be replaced by a multilingual summary of the Vatican press office’s daily news bulletin, he said. VIS will end operations on July 31 and the new multilingual bulletin will debut in September. Its staff of seven will be redeployed.—CNS

UK Church fears EU order to marry homosexuals

P Left: Chirere Keresenzia from Harare at the International Eucharistic Congress. She was wearing a dress specially made for the congress.

Right: Youths take part in a parade representing all the parishes of Ireland The theme of the 50th Eucharistic Congress on a banner during the congress. It says: “The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with one another.”

ROPOSALS by the British government to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples will make the Catholic Church permanently and indefinitely vulnerable to the risk of legal action. Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark, speaking on behalf of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, warned the government that its assurances that churches would not be compelled to conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies were meaningless. The law could be amended at any time, he said, and it might not withstand a challenge in the European Court of Human Rights on the grounds that it contravened equality directives if gay people were not allowed to marry in churches in the

same way as heterosexuals. “The government’s proposed safeguards for the institution of marriage as understood and conducted on religious premises are not proof against subsequent changes to legislation and are at early risk of challenge,” said Archbishop Smith. “By creating new legislation, the government would move the whole framework of marriage in such a way that issues which could not come before a court today could be contested at any point in the future,” he said in a formal response to the government’s public consultation. “No assurances the government could offer about religious freedom for religious bodies would be able to negate the permanent risk they had

created,” Archbishop Smith added. He said there will be a “permanent risk that any exemptions provided for religious bodies may be withdrawn at any point in the future, if they have not already been overturned as unlawfully discriminatory by domestic or European courts. “As no parliament can bind its successors, the Catholic Church and other religious bodies would be at risk indefinitely,” he said. Archbishop Smith also criticised the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government for totally ignoring the role of marriage in the procreation and education of children, pointing out that the proposals failed to mention children even once.—CNS

Christians expelled from Syrian town

HE Christian population of Christians have openly expressed families have decided to stay in Qusayr, a town near Homs in their loyalty to the state and for their home town, but no one Syria, has fled following an this reason the opposition army knows what fate they will suffer. ultimatum from the military chief wants to drive them away. Fides sources insist that Islamic of the armed opposition, Abdel Now Christian families from Salafist extremist groups that are in Salam Harba, the Vatican’s mission- Qusayr have joined the exodus of the ranks of the armed opposition ary news agency Fides reported. refugees in the valleys and the sur- consider Christians “infidels”, they Out of the ten thousand Chris- rounding countryside. Some have confiscate their belongings, comtians who lived in the town, only a taken refuge with relatives and mit summary executions and are thousand remained at the start of friends in Damascus. A very few ready to start a “sectarian war”. the conflict. These have now been forced to flee after receiving threats. Some mosques in the city announced from the minarets that Christians had six days to leave Qusayr. The reasons for the expulsion remain unclear. According to some, it has been issued to protect ChrisINDEPENDENT SCHOOL FOR BOYS AND GIRLS tians from further persecution. Others argue that YOUR CHILD CAN:

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The Southern Cross, June 20 to June 26, 2012

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Justice in labour

ATELY a perceptive cartoon has made the rounds on the social networks. It lampoons a history of attempts by business to limit labour rights by making dire warnings about the supposed consequences of improving working conditions. In the cartoon, a businessman in 1842 warns that “if workers can legally strike, no business will be able to survive.” In 1887 another businessman warns of economic doom if a fair wage is paid, in 1912 the target is the abolition of sweat shops. The corporate tycoon in 1915 protests against unionisation and his counterpart in 1924 warns that banning child labour “would destroy the economy”. In 1938 the warnings concerned the 40-hour week, in 1964 equal pay across gender and racial lines, and in 1970 health and safety regulations, and finally in 2012 labour protection laws. The cartoon refers to an American timeline, but the issues and the corporate scare-mongering are universal throughout the capitalist world. In July Pope Benedict asks us, in his general intention, to pray “that everyone may have work in safe and secure conditions”. In one brief phrase, the pope sets out the Church’s definition of ethical labour conditions: that employment is a right, that workers must be protected from arbitrary dismissal and exploitation, and that the workplace should not compromise the wellbeing of employees. This month Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations agencies based in Geneva, restated the Church’s position on labour rights: workers, he said, must have healthy and safe working conditions, wage protection and decent working hours. Their employment opportunities must not be diminished by outsourcing and sub-contracting labour to other countries. He warned that unemployment—especially youth unemployment, which is increasingly becoming a global problem— reverses development. The consequences are poverty, crime, substance abuse, social instability, increased welfare costs and loss of tax revenues. These effects are acutely felt in South Africa, where the high rate of unemployment is chronic. More than 75% of South

Africa’s unemployed fall into the youth bracket. Moreover, an estimated 60% of employed South Africans earn below R1500 per month. By contrast, the CEO of cellphone company MTN— whose services the R1 500-earner might well pay for—reportedly earned R30 million last year. In a country where the great majority of South Africans live on or below the breadline, there can be no justification for one man to be given a salary and benefits amounting to R30 million a year, regardless of how hard he works or how talented he is. Such ethics as those that allow for the ever-increasing gap between highest and lowest earners—a reality throughout the world—are incompatible with Catholic teachings. Where business is geared towards the maximisation of profits to serve the shareholders’ interests, upper management’s salaries and benefits, and the arbitrary moods of an all-powerful beast they call “the market”, the Church engages itself for those on whose toil and sweat the wealth of others is built. Pope Benedict made the Church’s position clear in his 2009 encyclical Caritas in Veritae: “The dignity of the individual and the demands of justice require, particularly today, that economic choices do not cause disparities in wealth to increase in an excessive and morally unacceptable manner, and that we continue to prioritise the goal of access to steady employment for everyone”. The Church does not propose a plan to fix the economic and labour crisis, but it is right to state the elements of a just and ethical solution. It must incorporate social protections, since, as Archbishop Tomasi put it, all people have a right “to social security and to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of themselves and their family”. The reflexive response by many may be to call this kind of thinking utopian, but to do so is to declare defeat to injustice and greed. For the Church, such a capitulation constitutes a denial of Christ’s mission to the poor and oppressed. It is the function of Catholics, in dialogue with the world, to find ways in which social justice, development and growth can co-exist.

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.

An alternate economy

ATHER Bonaventure Hinwood (May 30) asks for suggestions for ending poverty and hunger, but only good economics can do this. In April 2012 there was a seminar on Alternative Economics Models at UCD Dublin. The guest speaker was David Erdal who has written a best-selling book, Beyond the Corporation, which discusses the idea that when employees own the business, productivity improves. It is a book for our times, offering inspiration and vision in the wake of financial meltdown. It is essential reading at a time when the orthodox corporate economy has been badly shaken. Erdal provides lots of

Uncover the truth of Zim

CERTAIN amount of publicity on the radio was given to the fact that Zimbabweans coming to South Africa may be tried for crimes against humanity. Excuse the cynicism but considering the shocking record of Robert Mugabes’ Fifth Brigade and many others of his ruthless tortures and killers, no action has yet been taken to bring him and them to justice, and never will. I suggest that people read Breaking the Silence which is “A Report On The Disturbances In Matabeleland And The Midlands, 1980 to 1988”. This was compiled by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe, and the Legal Resources Foundation. Should people find this report in legal language too heavy going I suggest they read The Land Of Lost Dreams, a novel which gives a wider and more human picture of the destruction of Rhodesia/Zimbabwe and the resultant hardships. This book would need to be ordered through the local book shops. The publishers are Melrose Books. Ronald Auret, Thornville, KZN

Fair coverage

WELCOME your balanced editorial “Reframing the message” (May 23), dealing in part with the Church’s attitude to gay Catholics and to same-sex marriage. Now I wonder if you would continue to deal with (both in editorials and in news stories) other controversial topics, such as the crackdown on nuns in the

stories of success models not will o’ the wisp theories, including the Mondragon Co-op in Spain’s Basque country—“a convincing example of what can be done if Catholic Social teaching is taken seriously” (The Month, May 1977). It was a cause of fascination in the 1970s, before the globalisation juggernaut came along which mesmerised people’s critical faculties with its promises of instant gratification. Mondragon was set up over 50 years ago by a young Basque priest, Fr Arizmendi, in a region devastated by war. The Guardian newspaper called it an “unparalleled social and economic experiment which has transformed the region. It provides United States (see Rosemary Gravenor’s letter in the same issue) and on the Vatican’s move to take over the direction of Caritas, the Catholic international development agency. In his “Letter from Rome” in The Tablet of April 28, 2012, Robert Mickens noted: “Many socalled ‘Vatican II Catholics’ are becoming increasingly disheartened with what they perceive to be a crackdown on reform-minded theologians, priests, and now religious sisters.” Many of my friends and I, are becoming increasingly disheartened and The Southern Cross would be performing a service in providing fair coverage of such topics. I am not suggesting that the paper be all “gloom and doom”, but in these troubled times it would be refreshing to read more pieces like your recent forthright editorial. David Brokensha, Fish Hoek

Our desert experience

N the desert the Israelites experienced a variety of physical hardships and they were exposed to diseases. It led them to doubt and experience a separation of God’s presence in their lives (Ex 17:7). I am certain that we can relate to this in our personal way. When we are faced with obstacles or find ourselves in a “desert”, we might well doubt God’s presence in our midst. So it is necessary that every Christian knows that there is desolation and consolation in our lives. Take, for example, the sacrifice of Isaac that Abraham was called to make. It was not a test

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one of the most exciting examples in the contemporary world of what can be done when the classic conflict of capitalist society, between capital and labour, has been superseded.” Erdal states that Europe’s secondlargest coach manufacturer and fifth largest manufacturer of electrical appliances belong to Mondragon. The workers are keen and happy, and so no one has ever been sacked and there has been only one strike when a co-op grew too large and personal relationships had broken down. As the economist EF Schumacher put it: “Small is beautiful!” I believe that co-ops like Mondragon can play a significant role in what Pope John Paul II called “the indispensable transformation of the structures of economic life”. Finbarr Flanagan OFM, Pretoria but rather an example of God’s trust in Abraham. When we reflect on our desert experience, we must know that God is not testing us, but that he is working to purify us, for he knows our worth more than we do. Gcinile Luvuno, Johannesburg

Conscience as a moral mentor

ERTAIN theologians have recently emphasised the supremacy of conscience in making moral decisions, even if this means ignoring important Catholic precepts like Humanae Vitae. However, the following caveats show that the conscience can sometimes be most dubious moral mentor: 1. An uneducated conscience can have tragic consequences as regards potential abortifacient drugs, like “the pill”. 2. Long periods of errant behaviour can so deaden the conscience as to make it an unreliable moral compass. At the funeral of late South African cricket captain, Hansie Cronje, former South African cricketer and lay preacher Peter Pollock stated that “the most free cell in the body is the cancer cell, it doesn’t obey the rules”. Damian McLeish, Johannesburg Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. The letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate. Letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the Church accurately.

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PERSPECTIVES

All kinds of Christian love

NE of the distinguishing features of the early Christians which I discussed last month was the fact that they loved one another. The apostles taught them to love one another not only in some kind of religious and pietistic fashion. Christians had to have a code of conduct and a set of values which guided them in how they related to one another and to the broader society. This is captured in the two great apostles’ teaching, and I wish to refer especially to Peter’s First Letter and to Paul’s letters to the Ephesians and Colossians and to Philemon. The two apostles saw a well ordered and disciplined Christian community with everyone knowing their obligations to the family, to the Christian community and to the state. The apostles’ teaching in this regard covered what we could refer to today as family and labour relations, and obligations to national leaders like the state president. At the family level, children had to obey their parents, and in return fathers had to be very careful not to exasperate or embitter their children, but had the obligation to teach and train them in the ways of the Lord. With regard to married spouses, wives had to submit themselves to their husbands, taking holy women from the Scriptures like Sarah, Abraham’s wife, as role models. The relationship between husband and wife was analogous to that between Christ and the Church with husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the Church. But there was more: the relationship between husband and wife was one of complete unity as the husband was expected to regard the wife as part of his own body, literally reinforcing the teaching of Genesis 2:24 and Ephesians 5:31: “For this reason a man will leave his

father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” There are aspects of the teaching of Peter and Paul which Christians of our time will not readily accept because of today’s idea of freedom and gender relationships. An example of this is the assumed unequal relationship between husband and wife implied in the immediately preceding paragraph. Another example has to do with slavery. Most progressive people of our time cannot accept the idea of a person being the possession of another, but in Paul and Peter’s time slavery was a fact of life, and the apostles had to find a way of reconciling the teachings of Jesus with the problematic of the slave and slave master relationship. The apostles taught that slaves had to work for their masters honestly and diligently as if they were working for the Lord. In return, slave owners had to treat

Statue of St Paul outside the basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. (Photo: Günther Simmermacher)

Emmanuel Ngara

Christian Leadership

their slaves well, conscious of the fact that both slaves and slave owners had one master—God. It was with this idea of the equality of all people before God that Paul was able to send Philemon’s runaway slave, Onesimus, back to him, pleading with Philemon to accept that as slave master he now had the obligation to treat Onesimus “no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother” (Philemon 16). Onesimus had run away from Philemon after stealing his master’s money in Colosse. Paul had converted Onesimus to Christianity in Rome, and he was now returning to his master as a brother in Christ. We can reasonably argue that if Paul and Peter were writing in our time, they would be writing about how house owners and domestic workers should treat one another. An important theme in Peter and Paul’s idea of social relations is our obligation to rulers and other secular authorities. Both wanted us to respect and pray for our rulers. According to Peter, Christians are free people, freed from that which shackles secular society. However, that should not mean freedom to do anything evil. Rather, we should submit ourselves to every rightful authority “whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors”. Christians should be exemplary in behaviour both in relation to one another and in relation to secular society: “Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honour the king.” (1 Peter 2:17). With this kind of code of conduct, Christians could truly live as lights whose behaviour demonstrates that they are a holy and chosen nation.

What we can do to get back to morals

HE moral breakdown in schools is one of the thorny issues in our society today. Speaking with some high school teachers, I get an impression that our children are getting out of hand. What action can we to take to change the situation? There is a Kikuyu proverb that “a tree is shaped while it’s still young”. If we want responsible and disciplined children, communal responsibility is needed. Teachers and parents alone can’t help solve the problem. We need the whole society to cooperate. While walking down the streets of Pietermaritzburg recently I heard two adults swear at one another. I felt like closing my ears because of the words that came from their mouths. A week later, I heard the same words repeated elsewhere by some youngsters. Every time I read the newspaper or tune into our local radio station, all I see and hear is crime—rape, murder, robbery. Our society is dreadfully sick. I had a chat with Marcel Moorhead, a parent of two and a teacher at Linpark High School in Pietermaritzburg. From him I learnt that families can help a lot in shaping our young people. If we have good families, we have a good society. According to Mr Moorhead, strong parental influences in families make a great impact on children. It is in functioning families that our children learn

love, values, discipline, integrity, morality and all the good virtues. Broken homes can create negative outcomes because the single parent is so busy trying to make a living for the children that she—it usually is the mother— doesn’t have enough time to thoroughly instruct her children in values. Survival— bread on the table—takes obvious precedence. That does not mean a single parent cannot succeed in instilling good values in children, but the odds are stacked against them. Children need a figure to identify with. They imitate what they see in their seniors. When I was young, I used to speak and walk like some of my teachers, who were nuns. I admired them because of their edifying character. It is important to have good role models. Children learn by example, behaviour, attitudes, values—and good virtues have to be modelled not only by parents but by all parent-figures. That is why everybody in a community needs to aspire to be a good person. Fr Callistus Kathali, a rector of St Joseph’s Theological Institute in Cedara, KwaZulu-Natal, and a lecturer in moral theology says that there should be no dichotomy between the Church and society. He notes that the children who come to Mass to hear his homily are the same ones who act contrary to the Gospel

Anthony Gathimbiri

Point of Debate

when they leave the church. He put it like this: “It is putting a fake hat on when you are in church and another one when you go out of the church”. The parish priest should know what is happening in homes. Home visits are badly needed so that the pastor can know what is happening in the families where the children come from. Fr Kathali says that it’s not enough to pray with the family during such visits; it is also necessary to speak with them about their daily life. This will help the priests preach sermons that will touch the congregation. Collaboration between church leaders, teachers, and parents is necessary. I have seen it at Woodlands schools, where the pastors from different denominations come together and deal with social issues communally. They work hand-in-hand with schools. Churches need to create structures to help the faithful deal with social problems. Seminars could be held and themes related to behaviour could be raised. It is one thing to do in promoting a moral regeneration.

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The Southern Cross, June 20 to June 26, 2012

Chris Chatteris SJ

Pray with the Pope

The rights of work General Intention: That everyone may have work in safe and secure conditions. E tend to think that we have made great strides since the Industrial Revolution when small boys were forced up soot-filled chimneys to sweep them. But then we read of children today being forced to break stones or young girls being trafficked for prostitution. We comfort ourselves by that thought that sweat-shops and other dangerous work places exist only in other countries. Then one suddenly notices poor safety in the most ordinary of settings. Just recently I saw a worker in the butchery of our local supermarket cutting meat with an unprotected band saw. I marvelled at his skill and rapid dexterity, but I was horrified by the thought that it would only take a moment’s distraction for him to lose a finger or thumb or an entire hand. The easy step is to legislate and regulate; the more difficult one is enforcement. Cut-throat global competition makes it tempting to cut costs by compromising safety and security. A more fundamental problem is the very nature of modern manufacturing processes, which involve working with high-powered, dangerous machinery—chainsaws for example—or with toxic materials, such as so called “e-waste”. According to some reports workers are paid slave wages to recover the valuable metals in our old computers using crude heating processes. The poisonous fumes breathed in or absorbed through the skin wreak havoc with their health. The deeper issue here is whether certain work should even be done in light of the inherent dangers. Should we make fireworks? Should we manipulate matter in ways that produce poisons? Should we produce power which pollutes? The Holy Father’s intention provokes thought on the nature of work itself.

The ideal volunteer Missionary Intention: Christian volunteers in mission territories may witness to the love of Christ. Y personal experience of missionary volunteers has been very mixed. Two that I had, although very young, were excellent natural teachers, hard-working and related well to their students. Others, despite being older, turned out to be much less effective—passengers rather than crew. What the person receiving them fears most is that volunteers will be a liability. One volunteer completely ignored a rule I laid down and ended up having a vehicle hijacked; he was lucky not to have been killed. That incident put me off school leaver volunteers. I had no desire to be effectively in loco parentis and therefore to be held responsible should something serious happen to these youngsters. I was interested to read that a recent trend has been for volunteers to be older people, some of whom are even retired. For volunteers to bear witness authentically to the love of Christ requires that their main motivation should be precisely that. Naturally they will have other motivations, such as seeing the world or learning a language, but as long as these are clearly secondary, then the volunteers likely will be satisfactory. But volunteers who see their time essentially as a “gap year” are unlikely to set the world on fire. They are more likely to be self-absorbed nuisances. Preparation, formation and the maturity that should come after adolescence, are needful. On the other hand, it is necessary that volunteers are supported by someone who can mentor and advise them about the local context and its demands. Other sensitivities need to be considered. One is whether the volunteer is effectively taking away the job of a local person who might need it desperately. Motivation, maturity and useful skills are what we seek in missionary volunteers, and we pray for these qualities in this intention.

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The Southern Cross, June 20 to June 26, 2012

COMMUNITY

The Catholic Chinese Welfare Association held its 47th annual Debutantes and Squires Ball in Johannesburg. Shannon Tenner was crowned Miss Debutante 2012 and Anthony Lee (third from left) was crowned Squire of the ball. They are photographed with their partners, CCWA committee members, Fr Ron Houreld OMI (right) and guest Fr Michael van Heerden (fifth from left). (Submitted by Lily Loo)

The youth of Christ the King parish in Wentworth, Durban, celebrated with a praise and worship evening reflecting the multicultural society in which they live.

Ten Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood seen here with Bishop Pius Dlungwane, celebrated their jubilee in Mariannhill, KwaZulu-Natal: (from left) Sr Paula Maine (provincial superior), Sr Christophori Kneringer (60), Sr Celine Ploner (60), Sr Dorothé Funken (50), Sr Ulrike Diekmann (25), Fr Simon Rodenburg CMM, Sr Bernard Mahlawe (50), Sr Ludmilla Kaineder (50), Sr Clarita Ngcobo (25) and Sr M Bernadette Ncube. Not pictured are Sr Josefila Hartberger (75), Sr Harlind Flügel (70) and Sr Frances Götte (70). (Submitted by Sr Marie-Therese Bossmann)

St Mary’s parish in Kimberley has started LIFETEEN for the teenagers of the parish. Growing from about 30 children the first week to between 70 and 80 children weekly, the programme is a great success. Grade 7–11 attend a Mass every Friday night followed by the LIFETEEN games and lessons.

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

Fr Robert Kamangu on the Day of Recollection with youth from St Mary’s and Moya Oyingcwele parishes in Mdantsane, East London. (Submitted by Mervyn Gatcke)

A Pentecost celebration was held in the archdiocese of Johannesburg. Archbishop Buti Tlhagale addresses the multitude of people gathered for Mass. (Submitted by Lebo WA Majahe)

HOPE&JOY

The Southern Cross, June 20 to June 26, 2012

The men of God’s people T

HE people of the Church come in different sizes, genders, ages and take on many different roles—each important and each contributing to the service the Church provides: bringing us closer to God. But a particular role in this is played by special kinds of men. These men leading our country’s parishes are our priests and deacons. Each is supported by active believers, by religious sisters and brothers, healthcare workers and teachers who take the work of the Church out into the communities of our country. Each of us has a role to play, and for our priests and deacons, that vocation is to help bring the people closer to God through the Word, the sacraments, the liturgy, pastoral care, spiritual guidance and by reaching out to the community they serve through various ministries. Deacon Raymond Dunlee of Ocean View in Cape Town says deacons contribute to the work of the priest not only in supportive actions and direct assistance but also in perspective. “Because a deacon comes from the congregation, he is able to bring a new angle to the running of the Church,” says Deacon Dunlee. He says sometimes parishioners feel they are not able to approach the priest as he is “above them”. “But a deacon is on the same level as parishioners. A priest and a deacon that bring these different views together can become a strong combination for leading the Church.” Oratorian Father David Dettmer is the vocations coordinator in the diocese of Oudtshoorn. “A priest’s role is to make Christ present in the world and to make the sacraments a part of our lives, but, he says, there is so much the parochial priest needs to do. “The function of the priest has become so vast. He really does need help.” In many rural churches in the Southern African region, the role of the deacon has become ever more important as there are simply not enough priests to attend to all those in need. Deacons fulfil an essential role in “taking care of parishes in light of the shortage of priests”, says Deacon Simon Mokoena who serves Sebokeng parish in the archdiocese of Johannesburg.

Claire Mathieson

A Church of Hope and Joy

A deacon and a priest are not the same. While the deacon can help, he can’t consecrate, forgive sins, ordain, confirm, or anoint the sick. But the deacon can preach, teach, take Communion to others, assist at Mass, baptise, marry couples, lead prayer and officiate at funeral services— enough to take care of the parish until a priest is available. The deacon walks alongside the priest as an ordained minister of the Church yet sits at the right side of the priest as a sign of service. Unlike a Latin-rite priest, a deacon may be married.

his very act of custodianship was made possible by Vatican II. Prior to the council, only seminarians were ordained as deacons during their last year of theological training, shortly before being ordained to the priesthood. It’s a custom that prevails today. Pope Paul VI restored the ancient practice of ordaining to the permanent diaconate men who were not candidates for priestly ordination, when he promulgated his apostolic letter Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem (“The Sacred Order of the Diaconate) in 1967. This meant married men could serve the Church in a higher vocation. Fr Jordan Ngondo, chaplain at Leeuwkop prison in Johannesburg, says his nine months of being a deacon, prior to his ordination to the priesthood, were a valuable time of getting involved in the life of the Church and to learn about what goes on in the parish. He welcomes the permanent diacionate, but warns of the danger of competition. A deacon can bring many benefits to the parish, he says, but he must remain in his role and not adopt a superiority complex as we are all parts of the building blocks that make up the Church. “When a piece doesn’t fit well, it just doesn’t work,” Fr Ngondo says. For Deacon Dunlee becoming a deacon was an opportunity to take his involvement in the

A deacon and an altar boy prepare for Mass.The role of deacons changed after Vatican II with the restoration of the permanent diaconate. Church to the next level. “God called and told me it was time to move on from the committees I was working with.” He says the call changed him. “I’m far more humble now, I have a greater appreciation for the Word, and I find dealing with people who are sick and need care very rewarding.” Deacon Dunlee says working closely with the parish’s families has changed his outlook on what is important in life. Similarly, Deacon Mokoena says the diaconate has been “very uplifting and beneficial to my life-long ambition of working closer to God”. Deacon Emmanuel Mohlala of London mission in the Limpopo diocese of Tzaneen says that becoming a deacon is a calling. “It might start with you just wanting to help the priest, but you will hear a deeper call from God if you are meant to do it.” Deacon Mohlala says being a deacon is not just about doing mundane tasks. “It means getting involved with the community through charity, working with the sick, the poor and orphans.” He says the role is so enriching that often retired deacons continue their work in the parishes. “It just makes me so happy,” he says. Fr Dettmer says the deacon is

The

able to take on the functions that priests have no time for. “They can get involved and help their communities and untie the hands of priests.” He adds that this act of getting involved represents an opportunity for these men to grow spiritually. “It’s an opportunity to truly participate and it is a great blessing.”

he men who lead the Church—priests or deacons— can serve as an inspiration to others to answer the call to vocation. Fr Dettmer says it was a French Oblate priest from his home town in Colenso, KwaZulu-Natal, that drew him to the Church. “He was 70-odd but he never ran out of strength. He was always caring, always inspirational, and always loving. He was a truly great man.” Fr Ngondo says it was the love of his parish priest that inspired him to follow the call to the priestly vocation. “He was a father figure—someone we could relate to, someone who loved us and someone who was always available.” One event stood out especially. “I was an altar server and I had shown interest in becoming a priest. The priest was sick one day and there was no Mass. The following Sunday he called on

young people to become priests as we had witnessed the need first-hand. I felt it was a challenge and an invitation.” Fr Ngondo says the inspirational priest played a big role in his life and helped shape him to be the man he is today. Even as a deacon, Deacon Sebokeng says, he is constantly inspired to do his work through the prayers and the encouragement from those at church. Likewise, he says he also makes an effort to encourage other young men to take up a vocation so that there will always be a Church. Fr Ngondo says the priest is vital to a community because he is always there. He is not married to a family, instead his family and devotion are the members of the Church. “He is not just there for the administering of sacraments. He is a representative of Christ.” These men of the Church are able to inspire each other, to support each other and in doing so are able to inspire and support the people—which is the aim of Christianity: to bring the people closer to God. Like deacons and priests, each of us has a role in the Church, and when these roles are played with love and faith, hope and joy will be the result.

Souther n Cross

HOLY STONES, LIVING STONES PILGRIMAGE TO

HOLY LAND • ROME • ASSISI • CAIRO 27 September - 11 October 2013 with

BISHOP JOE SANDRI MCCJ

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

Estimated price: R 29 300 (incl. airport taxes, subject to currency fluctuations)

FOR FULL ITINERARY OR TO BOOK: Gail at 076 352 3809 or Fax 021 465 3850 or e-mail info@fowlertours.co.za www.scross.co.za/pilgrimage-2013 or www.fowlertours.co.za

ART

The Southern Cross, June 20 to June 26, 2012

Centre of all things As last month’s controversy over the painting “The Spear” showed, art can sharply divide opinions. HELEN NTABENI reflects on another painting which in its time drew both protest and admiration.

HE excessive media exposure of Brett Murray’s “The Spear” and the misdirected debate it generated last month, in word and in paint-throwing deed, recalls the controversial and equally violent history of a far greater painting by the Catholic surrealist artist Salvador Dali. “Christ of St John of the Cross: Nuclear mysticism”, painted in 1951, hangs in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow. Bought in 1952 for the then enormous sum of £8 200, it was met with an outcry from both thrifty politicians and art critics who, heady with modernism, saw Dali’s Renaissance-like style to be of little artistic merit. The painting is now much loved by Scots, voted the nation’s favourite painting in 2005. It is valued in the tens of millions. But things were not smooth in the beginning. Its sin was that it stirs strong emotions. The viewer has an aerial view of Christ, suspended on a cross in mid-air. Christ in turn is gazing down upon Dali’s home town, Port Lliagat, with fishermen and their boats. It invokes John 12:32: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” To the faithful this conveys our ascent from earth to the heavens through faith in Christ. Conversely, when I stand before this painting I experience the dizzying exhilaration of plummeting down to earth by means of the Cross. The “nuclear mysticism” of the title is described as the philosophical interpretation of quantum mechanics. The painting was Dali’s vehicle of exploration of how science proved the existence of God. Dali cited the genesis of “Christ

of St John of the Cross” as coming from a “cosmic dream” he had about the nucleus of an atom. The nucleus took on a metaphysical air, causing him to relate to it as though it were the “very unity of the universe”, a role fulfilled in his mind by Christ. A Carmelite friar named Fr Bruno had led Dali to the image of a suspended Christ painted by the fellow Carmelite, the mystic St John of the Cross, in the 16th century. This immediately inspired Dali to compose his unifying Christ within the geometry of a circular and triangle form, derived from Lucca Paccioli’s “Laws of Divine Proporzione”. The centreing in the image signifies God’s Salvation, at the centre of the universe, not where the action took place upon Calvary, so making the image transcend its earthly confines to convey the fundamental importance of the Crucifixion to all of creation, before and since. The figure of Christ is bare and blemish free. He does not wear a crown of thorns, his hands are not nailed nor does he show any signs of the violence inflicted upon his body from his arrest up to his death on the cross. Dali stressed that he wanted his Christ to be beautiful, using Hollywood stunt actor Russ Saunders as his model, strapping him to a cross with binding and using a series of ropes and pulleys to induce the gravity defying angle.

orn to a devoutly Catholic mother and a stridently atheist father who forbade his son a Catholic education, Dali initially shunned his faith. An early work— titled “Sometimes I spit with pleasure on the portrait of my mother (The Sacred Heart)”—ridiculed both his mother’s faith and the devotion to the Blessed Mother of Christ. However, after World War II he was drawn back to Catholicism. In 1949 Dali had an audience with Pope Pius XII who gave his “The Madonna of Port Lligat” a papal blessing. His wife portrays the Madonna in a reverent way, no spitting in evidence. Very soon thereafter he publicly

declared himself “a Catholic who lacked complete faith”. He once said: “I believe in God but I have no faith. Mathematics and science tell me that God must exist but I don’t believe it.” Dali died on January 23, 1989 at the age of 84, having received the last rites of the Church. I often wonder if those who are lucky enough to have the gift of faith understand those who, despite their good intentions, do not have such a gift. And also what does it mean, or what is the purpose of lacking in faith in a good person? I take comfort in the fact that when the archangel announced the birth of Christ he said he brings joy to people of good will, not only to the faithful.

he most powerful aspect of Dali’s painting, what makes it iconic, in fact, is that Christ is shown in a transcendent, metaphysical sense, already shaken free of the confines of all human physical deformity. Christ instead radiates the divine inner peace, grace and love in God’s eternal heart on that most violent and darkest of days. I have always been drawn to the calmness and the support for others Christ exhibited by his life, which has struck me to represent his certainty that the pain of life, of the Crucifixion, is a temporal inconvenience, to that which he knew to be coming thereafter, which is much greater and overwhelming, rendering the immediate pain irrelevant (in human terms, similar to the fading in the mind of labour pains when one knows the baby is almost here). In the early 1960s, a visitor to the Kelvingrove Gallery set about slashing the canvas of Dali’s painting on account of it being a work of blasphemy. The painting was painstakingly repaired. The gallery has even uploaded the video of this on to YouTube, and now only a faint scar persists, noticed only by those who know where to look. The painting was further shot at with a pellet gun in 1980. A Glasgow-based Baptist minister, Jim Gordon, has said that to his mind the now scarred work echoed “one of the great theologi-

The exquisite “Christ of St John of the Cross: Nuclear mysticism”, painted by Salvadore Dali in 1951 hangs in Kelvingrove art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland. The painting has attracted great praise and great criticism in its time.

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The art critic Jonathan Jones in 2009 described Dali’s painting as, “for better or worse, probably the most enduring figure of the Crucifixion of the 20th century”. Something about it haunts us, like the eye of God in the nucleus of creation. I sometimes think this is what it meant by Christ being the Alpha-Omega-point of creation.

cal mysteries, of created beauty, damaged and restored, having the power to subdue our worst and renew our best”. Its scars now are testimony of its driven life, perhaps in which manner the risen Christ chose to come back with the scars of his crucifixion to convince us of God’s invincible love for us.

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Serving the nation with the word of God

The Southern Cross, June 20 to June 26, 2012

Sr Elsbeth Kleine-Vorholt HC

ISTER Elsbeth (Hedwig) Kleine-Vorholt HC was born on April 8, 1931 into a Catholic family of five daughters and two sons in a small village in the diocese of Münster, Germany. The children grew up during the time of the Nazi regime where the Christian way of life was put to the test. At an early age Sr Hedwig developed a strong sense of right and wrong, and formed sound convictions that carried her through life. She qualified as a nurse at the age of 27 and had some years of nursing experience. She had a strong desire to evangelise and used her nursing profession as her instrument. In 1958 she entered the Holy Cross Sisters in Boppard as a candidate; two years later she arrived at Holy Cross Convent in Aliwal North, South Africa, and made her first profession in January 1962. She nursed at Fatima Home in Aliwal North, Sr Konrad’s Hospital in Taung, and Holy Cross Maternity Home in Pretoria. In 1978 she was transferred back to

Boppard, Germany. Sr Helen Bothe recalled: “I lived in Boppard with Sr Elsbeth. I admired her work, her religious spirit and total commitment. At the end of a long working day, no matter how tired and exhausted she was, often during icy and wet weather, she would still go for daily Mass in the parish church”. After 13 years in Boppard she was transferred back to South Africa in 1992. For nearly 20 years, until 2011, she nursed at Holy Cross Home for frail and elderly priests, sisters, brothers and lay people. She never spoke about retirement. She said goodbye to her beloved nursing only when she herself was diagnosed with a terminal illness five months before her death. During this time she celebrated her golden jubilee as a Holy Cross Sister and talked about having nursed for nearly 60 years. Sr Hedwig had a special gift for nursing men. She was sort of “man to man” with them and had special sympathy for their needs and characteristics. She sometimes exercised “tough

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)

CAPE TOWN: Helpers of God’s Precious Infants meet every last Saturday of the month except in December, starting with Mass at 9:30 am at the Salesians Institue Community Chapel in Somerset Road, Cape Town. Mass will be followed by a vigil and procession to Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Bree Street. For further information contact Colette Thomas on 083 412 4836 or 021 593 9875 or Br Daniel Manuel on 083 544 3375 JOHANNESBURG: Rosary at Marie Stopes clinic, Peter Place, Sandton. First Saturday of every

month, 10:30-12:00. Also Gandhi Square, Main Rd. Third Saturday of every month, 10:30-12:00. Tel: Joan 011 782-4331 PRETORIA: First Saturday: Devotion to Divine Mercy. St Martin de Porres, Sunnyside, 16:30. Tel Shirley-Anne 012 361 4545. 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.

Kolping Guest House & Conference facility

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

REMEMBERING OUR DEAD

“It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins” (II Macc XII,46) Holy Mass will be celebrated on the first Sunday of each month in the All Souls’ chapel, Maitland, Cape Town at 2:30pm for all souls in purgatory and for all those buried in the Woltemade cemetery.

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

love” and didn't hesitate to speak her mind. Her “matter of fact manner” could at times be interpreted as a lack of sympathy. She could challenge but when she realised that she had caused hurt feelings she apologised. She herself sometimes suffered from being misunderstood. She had a sense of humour and enjoyed a good laugh. With some of her friends she would share something of her spiritual life. When Sr Elsbeth received the news of her terminal illness the depth of her faith and trust in the Lord became clearly evident. With her hand on the plough she responded with complete and down to earth acceptance of the Lord’s will. She put down her tools and prepared for the last stretch of her journey, a shining proof of a lifetime lived in faith and of total and exemplary dedication. She never looked back. She was completely and utterly focused on the Lord until she died on January 29, 2012. Sr Hedwig walked the talk. Deeds speak louder than words. Sr Maureen Rooney HC

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO #503. ACROSS: 1 Jesuit, 4 Marcus, 9 Religious vows, 10 Awakens, 11 Reeve, 12 Piece, 14 Canon, 18 Inner, 19 Drachma, 21 Mass migration, 22 Result, 23 Seated. DOWN: 1 Jordan, 2 Salvationists, 3 Ingle, 5 Assyria, 6 Close to Christ, 7 System, 8 Noisy, 13 Caramel, 15 Dimmer, 16 Adage, 17 Warned, 20 Aware.

Liturgical Calendar Year B Weekdays Year 2

Sunday, June 24, The Birth of St John the Baptist Isaiah 49:1-6, Psalm 139:1-3, 13-15, Acts 13:22-26, Luke 1:57-66, 80 Monday, June 25, feria 2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15, 18, Psalm 60:3-5, 12-13, Matthew 7:1-5 Tuesday, June 26, feria 2 Kings 19:9-11, 14-21, 31-36, Psalm 48:2-4, 10-11, Matthew 7:6, 12-14 Wednesday, June 27, feria 2 Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-3, Psalm 119:33-37, 40, Matthew 7:15-20 Thursday, June 28, St Irenaeus 2 Kings 24:8-17, Psalm 79:1-5, 8-9, Matthew 7:21-29 Friday, June 29, Ss Peter and Paul Acts 12:1-11, Psalm 34:2-9, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18, Matthew 16:13-19 Saturday, June 30, feria Lamentations 2:2, 10-14, 18-19, Psalm 74:1-7, 20-21, Matthew 8:5-17 Sunday, July 1, 13th Sunday of the Year Wisdom 1: 13-15, 2: 23-24, Psalms 30: 2, 4-6, 11-13, 2 Corinthians 8: 7, 9, 13-15, Mark 5: 21-43

CLASSIFIEDS

Births • First Communion • Confirmation • Engagement/Marriage • Wedding anniversary • Ordination jubilee • Congratulations • Deaths • In memoriam • Thanks • Prayers • Accommodation • Holiday Accommodation • Personal • Services • Employment • Property • Others Please include payment (R1,15 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

IN MEMORIAM

CARLISLE—Frederick William. In loving memory of our beloved father, grandfather and greatgrandfather who passed away on June 19, 1998 at the age of 91. You taught us so much about quality of life based on living to please God. Your example, kindness and holiness will always be our inspiration. Much loved, never forgotten, forever in our prayers and thoughts. From your loving children Francis, Philipps, John and Athalie and all grandchildren. CASEY—Kevin. Two years have passed and we miss you in so many ways. Your intercessory prayers are working and for that we are grateful. With much love from your family. LAWRENCE—Beaver. Our beloved husband, father and grandfather left us June 29, 2003 (9 years) on his final journey home to receive his eternal rewards. We have missed your physical presence around us, but your spirit continues to live in our thoughts and in our hearts. Our memories of you are indelible and cannot and will not be erased. Until we again, rest in peace. From Elaine, Gary and Elli, Derek and Janice, Wendy and Wolly, Vivian and Andrew, Leslie and Johan and all the grandchildren. LEO—Damascene Damian. In loving memory, passed away June 26, 2000. (Kuilsriver). Rest in peace. Always remembered by your mother, brother, sisters, family and friends.

PERSONAL

ABORTION is murder Silence on this issue is not golden, it’s yellow! ABORTION WARNING: ‘The Pill’ can abort, swiftly and undetected. It clinically makes the womb inhospitable to, and reject those early ‘accidental’ conceptions (new lives) which sometimes occur while

MIR TRAVEL NEW FOR 2013 13 TO 25 APRIL EAST LONDON DEANERY PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND AND EGYPT Visiting Mt Sinai, St Catherine’s Monastery, Bethany, Plains of Armageddon, Jerusalem, Bethlehem Nazareth, Mt Tabor, Sea of Galilee, Mt Beatitudes, Tiberias and many more Christian sites where Jesus walked, preached and taught.

Organised and led by Rev Fr Christopher Slaters Cost from R22020 Tel: (031) 266 7702 Fax: (031) 266 8982 Email: judyeichhorst@telkomsa.net

Day of Reflection on the Eucharist by Mgr Paul Nadal

June 30 from 9.00 – 16.00 St Peter’s Church, 360 Mahatma Ghandi Road, Point. Tel/Fax: 031 337 5676 stpeterspoint@telkomsa.net

MEDUGORJE TOUR 12 TO 21 SEPT 2012

CONTACT MICHELE 082 417 2725 OR MAIL

20026055@

worldonline.co.za FAX 086 521 3905

Community Notice

Turffontein Catholic Church Holy Family parish is building a New Wall of Rembrance and would like to relocate the existing Memorial Plaques to the new wall and garden. Families of these deceased parishioners are asked to contact the Parish on 011 434 0206 asap. Fr Duncan Tsoke, Priest in Charge, 078 479 2781

using it. (Medical facts stated in its pamphlet) CRUCIFIXES FOR AFRICA: Made in four complete sizes. Phone/Fax: 046 604 0401 for details and brochure. FOR INFORMATION about St Padre Pio. Post gift and request to P O Box 5122, Secunday, 2302. RSA. YOU CAN have no culture of life until you have a culture of Christ. See www.abort73.com/end_abo rtion

THANKS

GRATEFUL, thanks to dear St Anthony for many favours received. PVE.

ACCOMMODATION

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

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

LONDON: Protea House: Single per night R300, twin R480. Self-catering, busses and underground nearby. Phone Peter 0044 208 7484834. BALLITO: Up-market penthouse on beach, self-catering. 084 790 6562. FISH HOEK: Self-catering accommodation, sleeps 4. Secure parking. Tel: 021 785 1247. GORDON’S BAY: Beautiful en-suite rooms available at reasonable rates. Magnificent views, breakfast on request. Tel: 082 774 7140. bzhive@telkomsa.net KNYSNA: Self-catering accommodation for 2 in Old Belvidere with wonderful Lagoon views. 044 387 1052. KZN SOUTH COAST: 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

NOAH OLD AGE HOMES

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

To advertise in this space call Elizabeth Hutton 021 465 5007 or e-mail advertising@ scross.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. STELLENBOSCH: Five simple private suites (2 beds, fridge, micro-wave). Countryside vineyard/forest/mountain walks; beach 20 minute drive. Affordable. Christian Brothers Tel 021 880 0242, cbcstel@gmail.com STRAND: Beachfront flat to let. Stunning views, fully equipped. Garage, one bedroom, sleeps 3-4. R450 p/night for 2 people-low season. Phone Brenda 082 822 0607

RETREATS

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

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

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13th Sunday: July 1 Readings: Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24, Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13, 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15, Mark 5:21-43

UR God is a god of life; Jesus’ preaching of the kingdom was all about life for human beings, and that is what we find in the readings for next Sunday. The first reading, from the Book of Wisdom, is aimed at boosting the morale of those Jews in the brilliant and technologically superior civilisation of Egypt, and dealing with the accusation, often laid against both Judaism and Christianity, that our religion is a religion of death; and against this, our author makes the obvious point that “God did not make death; nor does he delight in the destruction of the living—he created everything in order that it should exist, and the origins of this world are aimed at salvation”. He indignantly denies that there are “lethal potions” built into the process, or any “Kingdom of Hades on earth”. We are made, he argues, “for incorruptibility”, and that it was “because of the Devil’s spite that death came into the world”. The author of the psalm for next Sunday does not need to be told of this: “I shall exalt you, Lord, for you raised me up,” he sings, “you did not let my enemies rejoice over me; the Lord has raised you up from

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Jesus brings life to us

Nicholas King SJ

Sunday Reflections

Sheol”. And that is quite sufficient for him to start a song: “Sing to the Lord, you his saints, give thanks to God’s holy name.” And, in particular: “You changed my mourning into dancing, took off my sackcloth and put on clothes of rejoicing.” The singer cannot restrain his joy in God: “Lord my God—I shall thank you forever,” he concludes. In the second reading, we continue our brief stroll through Second Corinthians; at this point, St Paul is trying to persuade the Corinthians, who were clearly a wealthy church, but had, as they say, “deep pockets”. So he has to convince them that “life” lies in the direction of generosity towards the very needy church in Jerusalem: “You are abundant in everything: faith and rhetoric, and knowledge and all kinds of

enthusiasm, and in the love among you that comes from us—and I want you to abound in unconditional generosity [the word here is often translated as ‘grace’].” Then, as always, Paul goes back to his beloved Jesus to make his point: “You know the unconditional generosity of our Lord Jesus Christ; he was wealthy and became destitute on your account, so that you should become wealthy by means of his destitution.” Life, he wants to persuade them, will come from treating the Jerusalem church as equals, so that Corinth does not lose if Jerusalem gains. That is the heart of the mystery of life that we are invited to contemplate this week. The gospel for next Sunday, in a manner that is typical of Mark, wraps two stories around each other; and they are both stories about how Jesus brings life as a necessary and effortless part of his proclamation of the Kingdom. The two stories are those of the twelve-year-old daughter of Jairus and the woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for 12 years. Both of them are in different ways deprived of life, and both stories start with a negative frisson. Read them both in the coming week, but

Moving beyond bad habits W

E all have our faults, weaknesses, places where we short-circuit morally, dark spots, secret and not-so-secret addictions. When we’re honest, we know how universally true St Paul’s words are when he writes: “The good thing I want to do, I never do; the evil thing that I do not want to do—that is what I do.” None of us are whole, saints through and through. There’s always something we are struggling with: anger, bitterness, vengefulness, selfishness, laziness, or lack of self-control (major or minor) with sex, food, drink, or entertainment. And for most of us, experience has taught us that the bad habits we have are very difficult to break. Indeed, many times we cannot even find the heart to want to break them, so deep have they become engrained in us. We bring the same things to our confessor year after year, just as we break the same New Year’s resolutions year after year. And each year we tell our doctor that this year will finally be the year that we lose weight, exercise more, and stick to a healthier diet. Somehow it never works because our habits, as Aristotle said, become our second nature—and nature is not easily changed. So how do we change? How do we move beyond deeply engrained bad habits? John of the Cross, the Spanish mystic, suggests two paths that can be helpful. Both take seriously our human weakness and the unyielding strength of a bad habit inside us.

Classic Conrad

WHOSE

BRIGHT

IDEA WAS IT TO

CHANGE

FROM THE ORIGINAL

GREEK ALL THOSE YEARS AGO?

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

His first advice is this: It is very hard to root out a bad habit by trying to attack it directly. When we do this we often end up unhealthily focused on the habit itself, discouraged by its intransigence, and in danger of worsening its effect in our lives. The better strategy is to “cauterise” our bad habits (his words) by focusing on what is good in our lives and growing our virtues to the point where they “burn out” our bad habits. That’s more than a pious metaphor; it’s a strategy for health. It works this way: Imagine, for example, that you are struggling with pettiness and anger whenever you feel slighted. Every sincere resolution in the world has not been able to stop you from giving in to that inclination and your confessor or spiritual director, instead of having you focus on breaking that habit, has you focus instead on further developing one of your moral strengths; for example, your generosity. The more you grow in generosity, the more too will your heart grow in size and goodness until you reach a point in your life where there simply won’t be room in your life for pettiness and childish sulking. Your generosity will eventually cau-

terise your pettiness. The same strategy can be helpful for every one of our faults and addictions. John’s second counsel is this: Try to set the instinct that lies behind your bad habit into a higher love. What’s meant by that? We begin to set an instinct behind a bad habit into a higher love by asking ourselves the question: Why? Why, ultimately, am I drawn this way? Why, ultimately, am I feeling this vengefulness, this pettiness, this anger, this lust, this laziness, or this need to eat or drink excessively? In what, ultimately, is this propensity rooted? The answer might surprise us. Invariably the deepest root undergirding the propensity for a bad habit is love. The instinct is almost always rooted in love. Just analyse your daydreams. There we are mostly noble, good, generous, bighearted, whole—and loving, even when in our actual lives we are sometimes petty, bitter, selfish, self-indulgent, and nursing various addictions. We have these bad attitudes and habits not because we aren’t motivated by love but because, at this particular place, our love is disordered, wounded, bitter, undisciplined, or self-centred. But it’s still love, the best of all energies, the very fire of the image and likeness of God within us. And so we move to uproot a bad habit in our lives by, first of all, recognising and honouring the energy that lies beneath it and inflames it. Then we need to reset this energy into a higher framework of love, a wider, less selfish, more respectful, more-ordered perspective. And that’s a very different thing from denigration or repression of that instinct. When we denigrate or repress an instinct this only increases its power in us and, most often, allows it to wreak even a worse havoc in our lives. Moreover, when we denigrate or repress an instinct that’s undergirding a bad habit we are in fact acting against our own health and we will then struggle, perhaps only unconsciously but without exception, to even find the heart to eradicate that bad habit. Energy must be honoured, even as we struggle to discipline it and set into a healthier framework. So how do we finally break our bad habits? We do so by honouring the energies that enflame them and by reordering those energies into a higher love.

Donations and volunteers and prayers always welcome

notice their beginnings. First, our introduction to the anxious father is as a “ruler of the synagogue”, and we just know that it means trouble—but it doesn’t; this is a desperate parent who “falls at his feet and begs him many times over”—he wants her to be “saved”. That is what the woman also wants; but the shock here is that she is out in the crowd at all: she has “been in a haemorrhage for twelve years”, which means that she is ritually impure, and not allowed to touch anyone, because anyone that she touches (including Jesus!) also becomes impure. Mark allows us to eavesdrop on her thoughts: “If I can just touch him, I’ll be saved” (that word again). Immediately she is “cured”—not quite the same thing, and it is only once she has spoken face-to-face with Jesus (who knows that a woman has touched him), that she is told “your faith has saved you”. Then Jesus resumes his interrupted journey, and puts an end to the screeching of the professional mourners who have gathered over the little girl’s dead body, then, without turning a hair, lifts the child up and orders her to be fed. This is indeed a gospel of life, and that is what you are to live and to preach in the coming week.

Southern Crossword #503

ACROSS 1. A society member (6) 4. Roman Mark (6) 9. Nuns’ solemn promises (9,4) 10. Stirs in the morning (7) 11. Thread the rope for old magistrate (5) 12. Musical part of the whole (5) 14. Churchman with a report (5) 18. Kind of elite circle (5) 19. It was current in ancient Greece (7) 21. Movement of many people to attend Eucharist? (4,9) 22. Outcome for lustre (6) 23. Posture of shepherds in the carol (6)

DOWN 1. River crossed by Joshua (6) 2. Redeemers in a Christian army? (13) 3. Some shingle for the hearth (5) 5. Says air changes for biblical land (7) 6. Near to Jesus (5,2,6) 7. Solar network (6) 8. As unpleasant sound is (5) 13. Carmel with a toffee (7) 15. Slower to understand the gathering dusk (6) 16. Proverb of the Christian era (5) 17. Cautioned Andrew (6) 20. Alert (5) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

HE archbishop visited a parish in his archdiocese. Only two people turned up to hear him preach at Mass. Confused by the very poor turn-out, the archbishop demanded to know from the priest: “Father, did you give notice of my visit?” “No, Your Grace,” replied the priest, “but word seems to have got round anyway.” Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.