The Southern Cross - 121219 by The Southern Cross

December 19 to December 25, 2012

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SPECIAL 32-PAGE CHRISTMAS EDITION Behind bars: Christmas in prison

Page 3

Jesus and the birth in Bethlehem

Page 2

A history of Nativity scenes

Page 5

Christmas joy for nuns and their new dog

Page 29

ROUND-UP: This was the year 2012 Pages 14-16

Pow! Boom! Superheroes in Nativity Play Page 4

Great ‘nuns’ in Hollywood movies

Page 23

Mary, Joseph and the Child Jesus in a Nativity painted by Benedictine nuns in Madrid. (Art Resource/Album)

Who were the authors among popes?

Page 19

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

CHRISTMAS

Jesus, born in a cave in about 4 BC Debate continues about when Jesus was born and whether Bethlehem was the actual birthplace. Still, some sense can be made of the Gospel accounts of Matthew and Luke as GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER explains in this edited excerpt, drawing from two separate chapters of The Holy Land Trek.

HE Annunciation, which activates the Inarnation of the Word, is where the story of Jesus’ earthly life begins. Then, on a date unknown to us, Mary gave birth to the baby boy whom she and her husband Joseph named Yeshua, as they were instructed to do by angels (the name Jesus is the Latinised version of Yeshua). The year of that birth certainly was not 1 AD. The Gospel frames the Nativity story around the latter years of the reign of King Herod, who is believed to have died in March or April 4 BC, so the date of Jesus’ birth probably is no later than that. There is also much debate about whether the birth took place in Bethlehem; the Gospel accounts do not entirely accord with the historical record. Quirinus’ census in Luke, for example, could not have taken place before 6 AD, the year the Syrian governor took office. It is true that Quirinus did order a census, but by then Jesus had already been born. Some scholars believe that Matthew located the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem as a theological device. Luke also locates the birth in Bethlehem, but by a different route, and without the theological pretexts ascribed to Matthew. It is possible that both knew of a tradition that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and therefore shaped their versions of the Nativity

story around that. The Bethlehem birth is repeated in second-century writings, such as the influential Protoevangelium of James and the apologia of St Justin Martyr (100165). Origen of Alexandria, having visited Bethlehem himself between 231 and 246, mentioned that Christians were reverencing in the city. Either way, the idea of fullybooked inns and undignified stables—the latter tradition being the product of the European understanding— might not correspond with the truth. Jesus was likely born in a cave, as St Justin Martyr wrote. The cave would have been deliberately selected for warmth, tranquillity and safety. It might have been part of a domestic residence, perhaps a house built above or in front of a cave, divided into living quarters for humans and at the back an area for animals and storage (such structures exist in Bethlehem and elsewhere even today). When Luke says that Mary laid the newborn Christ in a manger because there were no vacant lodgings, then this might mean that the part of the cave inhabited by the humans was full, but that the hosts let Mary give birth in the section used to keep the animals. Perhaps they did so because that part was the warmest and quietest. This would explain the manger, a feeding trough carved in stone, which Mary used as a crib for the swaddled baby. The location of Jesus’ birth was venerated by the earliest Christians. The reputed spot of the manger is marked with a 14-point silver star in the crypt of the basilica of the Nativity, one of the world’s oldest active churches.

Maureen Fernandes & Family

Wishing all our friends, family, priests, religious and fellow parishioners at St Patrick’s in Mowbray, Ctn, a peaceful and blessed Christmas and a New Year full of good health, joy and prosperity.

In the second century the Romans built pagan structures over the sites associated with Christ’s birth in Bethlehem and his death and Resurrection in Jerusalem (whether they did so out of expedience or as a means of suppressing Christian veneration is a matter of ongoing debate). We ought to thank them for that, because they conveniently signposted these places for later generations of Christians. So when Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, came to Bethlehem, she had the pagan groves dedicated to Adonis torn down and replaced them with a church (some argue that, conversely, the Christians randomly appropriated the site from paganism).

onstruction for the first church of the Nativity began in 327. It was dedicated to Mary on May 31, 339. That church was burnt down by the Samaritans in 529; but mosaics from the floor of the original church have been preserved and can still be viewed. The present structure, much larger than its predecessor, was built in 565 on the order of Emperor Justinian. It might have gone the sorry way of most churches during the Persian sack of 614, had the invaders’ general, Shahrbaraz, not spotted mosaics of the Magi in Persian dress on the church’s walls. Touched by what he understood to be a show of respect for his people, Shahrbaraz spared the church. Today, pilgrims usually have to queue for a while to enter the grotto of the Nativity, and sometimes that can involve some pushing and shoving by other groups. Once one gets to the silver star, planted on a marble slab that covers the manger, there isn’t much time for prayer and reflection as pilgrims are rushed

May the love of Our Lord embrace you this Christmas and throughout 2013!

Top: A nun prays in front of the star marking the site where according to tradition Jesus was born in the church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. (Photo: Debbie Hill/CNS) Bottom left: A pilgrim enters the church of the Nativity; the entrance was lowered to thwart horse-bound attacks. Centre: A statue of St Jerome outside St Catherine’s church. Right: Mosaic from the first church of the Nativity, which was built in 339 and destroyed in 529. (Photos: Günther Simmermacher) along, especially if Mass is celebrated at the back of the small crypt. The grotto’s décor has a rather gaudy appearance to those of more temperate tastes. It seems to have underwhelmed throughout the ages. St Jerome (c347-420), who translated the Bible into Latin while cooped up in a nearby cave, complained: “If I could only

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see that manger in which the Lord lay! Now, as if to honour the Christ, we have removed the poor one and placed there a silver one; however, for me the one which was removed is more precious.” n The final excerpt will run next week. To order The Holy Land Trek at R150 (plus R15 p&p) visit www.holy landtrek.com or contact books @scross.co.za.

The Sisters of Notre Dame in South Africa and Zimbabwe ask God’s Blessing at this special season for their colleagues, families and friends and present and former students

THE LORETO SISTERS

wish all our friends, past pupils, school communities and co-workers every blessing this Christmas and a Happy and prosperous New Year — with love and gratitude

CHRISTMAS

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

Christmas held behind bars CLAIRE MATHIESON offers an insight into how the nation’s prisoners spend Christmas Day.

HRISTMAS is a time for family, a time to enjoy a day off and to generally be merry. But for some, Christmas is the hardest time of year and “when the loneliness of prison can be felt most intensely”. “Our Christian tradition of Christmas is a time of belonging. It’s a family feast and a time when we are reminded we belong to something. For those in prison, it is the complete opposite,” said Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria. “Truly, Christmas time is the most difficult time of the year for the vast majority of the inmates,” said Fr Babychan Arackathara MSFS, Cape Town’s prison chaplain. “Already in November the inmates are counting down the days and worrying about anyone visiting them or bringing something for them. They worry about the money they need to buy essentials for the Christmas period and the year ahead,” he said. For those behind bars, the day many of us look forward to each year is a reminder of all that they cannot do—be with family, eat special meals, exchange gifts, go to Mass, or even be free to choose

what to do on the public holiday. Fr Arackathara said inmates whose homes are far away and those from foreign countries find this time of year extremely difficult. “They feel very low and tend to be tearful, and some even cry a lot in their cells. Not being able to be with their family during the Christmas season kicks in quite a bit of guilt as well.” Archbishop Slattery said God is very close to prisoners over Christmas. “It can be a very spiritual time as God is always on the side of the lonely and poor. Our wonderful volunteers should encourage prisoners to pray and to be hopeful.” The archbishop said that while prisoners may feel like they don’t belong at this time of year, it is precisely now that they belong to God. “Prisoners are not forgotten by God.” The Catholic Church in South Africa provides services to inmates in more than 200 correctional facilities. Accordingly there is a great need for this ministry to be supported. Annually, a week of prayer for prisoners and victims of crime takes place when the whole Church will be asked to keep in mind prison volunteers’ work. Fr Arackathara said Christmas is extremely important for inmates as they await the visits of their loved ones. “Many who do not get a visit during the year may get a visit on Christmas Day,” he told

Archbishop William Slattery, with prisoners, believes it is important not to forget those in prison. The Southern Cross. The country’s prisons generally do not make concessions on Christmas Day. “[Inmates] are allowed only two adults for the visit, and children, if applicable. The visiting hours are the same as any other visiting day.” The length of the visit depends on which classification the prisoners have. Some groups get up to one hour while others get 30 minutes. However, there are those who try to make Christmas a happy occasion even for those behind bars. “In many prisons on Christmas Day, community members visit prisons to hold church ser-

THE PRINCIPAL, STAFF AND LEARNERS OF LORETO CONVENT SCHOOL, Skinner Street, Pretoria, wish all parents, friends and colleagues a very blessed, happy and holy Christmas and a peaceful, joyous New Year. Our prayer is that everyone will experience the happiness and joy the coming of the Christchild brings to the world and that all lives will be filled with gladness.

vices, and share Christmas gifts with inmates.” The chaplain said there were examples of prisons where great attempts to make Christmas special are made. Fr Arackathara said Pollsmoor female prison brings all inmates into the dining room, where the tables are decorated. They get grilled chicken, salad and even dessert on this day, he said. For Fr Arackathara, more time spent with inmates’ families should be allowed. “Perhaps from one hour to two or three hours. They could also allow at least four adults from the family on this day

The Irish South African Association Comhluadar Eireannach An Afraic Theas

The Committee of the ISSA wishes all our members and friends a very happy and peaceful Christmas & New Year We thank you for supporting our many events during 2012 & we look forward to meeting again at 2013 events. 576 AM

JO’BURG & BEYOND

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so that they can take their meal to the inmates, share gifts and spend time together with their families. The inmates should not be locked up like other days, they should extend the time.” Prison is one ministry that goes out of its way to ensure the 25th of December is more bearable. The project gives out about 750 Christmas gifts to prison inmates from various prisons in the Western Cape. Gifts include a toothbrush, a notebook, a pen, two stamped Christmas cards, body lotion, roll on, a packet of chips and a small cool drink. The ministry also organises a special Christmas Mass, which takes place during Advent, and is presided over by Archbishop Stephen Brislin. At the end of the service the choir is invited to sing Christmas carols. “I hope churches think of prisoners and their families at this time, about donating Christmas gifts for the deprived children of the prison inmates, and Christmas gifts for the inmates,” Fr Arackathara said. Archbishop Slattery said that because some prisoners may feel abandoned at this time of year, it was particularly important to remind them that they “are not forgotten”—an important part of their healing. n Through the Associates’ Campaign, The Southern Cross is distributed free to the country’s prisons.

MICASA TOURS To all our friends and guests, we at MICASA TOURS wish you all a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. Thank you for your support in 2011 and we hope to see you all soon again. Please have a look at our new updated website www.micasatours.co.za Tel: 012 342 0179/ Fax 086 676 9715 Email: info@micasatours.co.za

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

CHRISTMAS

A Nativity play of superheroes St John Bosco parish offers an alternative take on the classic Nativity play, writes CLAIRE MATHIESON.

ATIVITY plays, we know them well: The boys, as shepherds, are all decked out in odd bits of material, ropes as belts and homemade headgear; the girls, as angels, are virtuous in their wire and tinsel halos and white frocks. Mary and Joseph and the Archangel Gabriel have been practising their lines for weeks, the Three Wise Men have just learnt exactly what frankincense and myrrh actually are, bales of hay adorn the stage, and the occasional plush toy sheep can be spotted. If you’re lucky, there might be a two-month-old in the manger, taking on the challenging role of the baby Jesus (as your correspondent once had the honour of doing.) From the carols to the timeless biblical lines, we are completely familiar with the Nativity scene. But at St John Bosco parish in Westridge, Cape Town, senior confirmation and parish drama teacher Lucinda Permall thought that was a problem. “Kids get bored,” she told The Southern Cross. Every year the St John Bosco parish tries to do the Nativity play a little differently, but this year has been quite alternative. “I noticed our children are obsessed with superheroes. They wear the T-shirts, watch the

This year, St John Bosco parish in Westridge, Cape Town, decided to change the characters of the traditional Nativity play to help the children understand the true meaning of the birth of Christ—that Jesus saves. movies, play with toys, and hang the posters in their bedrooms. They love all the superhero characters,” said Ms Permall. The catechist said while generally these fictional characters are positive influences, “it’s as if our children worship superheroes—but there is only one superhero in our lives, and that’s God”. Inspired by the superhero theme, Ms Permall got to work on a script that would include Spiderman, Superman, and Batman, Wonder Woman and Cat Woman—characters the children were all familiar with. “I wanted to show the children that we had a real superhero in our

lives, one who really does save the innocent and make the world a better place.”

hen the concept was suggested, the children’s enthusiasm was evident, said Ms Permall, who also works for the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office. “They all wanted to get involved. They loved the idea,” she said. Some 85 children took part in the play. From superheroes to smartphone-carrying shepherds, the play has been put into a modern concept—but the message remains true to the original script: Jesus saves. “The play takes place in a world

where Hulk, Batman and their friends do a good job of saving people. But then they hear news that a new superhero is coming to earth,” said Ms Permall. The play follows the fictional characters as they try to find out more about the new superhero and when he might arrive. On the way, they meet shepherds and angels. “Many of the traditional words have been used in the play and carols have also been integrated throughout.” The superheroes learn that their skills are not wasted with the arrival of the new superhero, named Jesus. “The heroes are told they can still help others, but Jesus is there to save the world from sin. They learn that with every good deed they do, they can spread the message of Christ.” Starring as an angel, Aiden Vigeland said the play, which is titled A Super Christmas, was inspiring. “It taught me a lot. The play is very exciting and fun; it’s different from the other Christmas themes.” But it’s not just a message for the children to take home, the catechist said. “It’s also a message for the parents. Their children have DVDs,

ornaments, toys, T-shirts, games, and follow their superheroes on television. “But how many of those same children have bibles? How many have their own rosary? Do our children know Jesus is actually the ultimate superhero?” Ms Permall said she hopes parents will teach their children not to worship the likes of Spiderman and Wonder Woman, but instead to worship the Lord. “Teaching our children can’t only happen at Sunday school. It has to start at home.” When the superhero actors were asked about their feelings of the play, each spoke immediately of their love for Jesus. Jody Solomons as Batman and Kyle Smith as Superman said they would do anything for Jesus and Caitlyn Hartenberg (Catwoman) and Nico Castle (Spiderman) said it was this love that made the play so “fun and exciting”. It would seem the alternative Nativity play has had its desired effect. Lessons have been learnt, children inspired, and aunts, uncles and grandparents still get to see their favourite young relatives sing, act and take part in the unofficial rite of passage. For Ms Permall, A Super Christmas is just one way to help the children at St John Bosco take hold of the message of Jesus Christ. “Superheroes save and do good. But there is only one true superhero, and that is who the children should be most enthusiastic about,” she said.

CHRISTMAS

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

Cribs: A brief history of the Nativity scene The Nativity scene that forms such an important part of our celebration of the Christmas season was invented by St Francis of Assisi. GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER takes a look at the history of the crèche.

HRISTMAS decorations are incomplete without a Nativity scene, depicting Mary and Joseph in the stable with the baby Jesus in a manger surrounded by assorted animals, and with the optional extras of the Magi, shepherds, singing angels and other culturally appropriate innovations. Even Pope Benedict’s recent assertions, made in his book Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, that there were no animals at the Nativity and that the angels did not sing, will not change the portrayal of the Saviour’s natal setting, as the pope acknowledged. We have St Francis of Assisi to thank for the Nativity scenes we love so much today. After he left Assisi, Francis di Bernardone lived for several years in the Rieti Valley in Italy’s Lazio region, where he wrote the definitive Rule for his young order, as well as his “Canticle of All Creatures”. In and around a village called Grecio he built several houses and churches. In 1223 he turned his mind to the celebration of Christmas, picking up on an idea he had while visiting North Africa for years earlier.

ven in the early 13th century, the accent at Christmas was on partying and exchanging of gifts. Francis’ vision was to put Christ back into Christmas, in the words of the modern motto. He was also concerned about whether the faithful understood the Nativity narrative, calculating that it must have been very difficult for people of little education to form a picture of the birth of the Saviour when their only access to catechesis was the Mass, celebrated in a language, Latin, which they neither spoke nor understood. In the Middle Ages much catechesis was done through graphic illustrations. Stained glass church windows, paintings, sculptures, carvings on church doors and so on often told a story which illiterate people could understand; they were the popular “books” of the time. Bringing alive the extraordinary scene of Jesus’ birth, Francis predicted, would inspire devotion among those who viewed it.

An innovative thinker, Francis took it a step further. He decided to tell the Nativity story, familiar to him through paintings (of the kind we might regard as primitive, since they preceded even the trailblazing artist Giotto), by setting up a tableau vivant, a living picture, of the Nativity. He obtained the approval of Pope Honorius III, who was enthusiastic and granted indulgences to all who would be involved in creating the scene. Next Francis, who was suffering ill health, roped in his close friend, the knight John Velita, to organise all that was needed, including straw, animals and even an infant. So Velita and Francis created the first crèche, with actual human beings and animals in a cave in the woods near Grecio. (The Southern Cross pilgrims will visit the site during their journeys in May and September.) On Christmas Eve, burning torches illuminated the woods through which echoed the voices of a chorus of friars and townfolk singing pious hymns. An altar had been erected above the manger on which Midnight Mass was celebrated, with Francis serving as deacon and preaching a stirring sermon. St Bonaventure (1221-74), the Franciscan minister-general and cardinal, reported that St Francis “stood before the manger, full of devotion and piety, bathed in tears and radiant with joy”. After the Mass, Bonaventure wrote, Francis lifted the most beautiful baby from the manger. The straw on which the infant had slept later “miraculously cured all diseases of cattle, and many other pestilences”. Incidentally, around the same time St Francis also wrote what is considered the very first Christmas carol, “Psalmus in Nativitate”, a hymn that could be sung outside the liturgy—for example at Nativity scenes. The idea caught on quickly and spread throughout Europe.

he Grecio celebration caused something of a sensation. Within a century, every church in Italy had a crèche, albeit with figurines and statues gradually replacing human beings and livestock. Human nature being as it is, churches and wealthy sponsors of cribs began competing with one another to create the most attractive and elaborate Nativity scene. By the 16th century, whole villages began to make their living from the crib industry. The rest of Catholic Europe noted the emerging tradition and imported it, most enthusiastically in Germany. Of course, local tradi-

A Nativity scene is displayed in Aregua, Paraguay. (Photo: Jorge Adorno, Reuters/CNS)

tions gave the Nativity scenes parochial flavour, though not at the cost of piety. Southern German cribs would be carved in wood; in south-eastern France they were created in the santon method with small painted terracotta figurines. The santon cribs were a response to necessity. The conventional large-scale Nativity scenes were banned after the French Revolution; the delicate figurines circumvented the prohibition while maintaining the tradition of the crib. By the 19th century, not only churches and public places, but virtually every Catholic family in Europe displayed a crèche, as did many Protestant homes (when the Puritans banned Christmas in the 17th century, they also prohibited the manger-shaped mince pies that were placed into crèches).

Musicians play after the unveiling of the Vatican’s Nativity scene on Christmas Eve last year in St Peter's Square. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS)

he 19th century was a time when many of our present Christmas traditions were formed. The Christmas tree, for example, spread from Germany to the Anglophone world, thanks largely to Queen Victoria’s German husband Albert. Likewise, the crib became an essential part of the compendium of western Christmas traditions, especially after German immigrants introduced it in the United States. Today Nativity scenes are displayed in shopping malls alongside Santa Claus and his reindeer, sometimes purely for purposes of seasonal decoration or in response to the urging of local Christians. The Vatican has displayed its Nativity scene since 1982. In fact, it has two: a larger-than-life exhibit in St Peter’s Square and a smaller one in the Paul VI audience hall. Much thought goes into the Vatican crèche. In 2007, for example, the central crib scene was flanked by a carpentry workshop—a reference to St Joseph’s profession—and by an inn, next to which a road referred to the flight into Egypt on which the Holy Family would soon embark.

St Francis invents the Nativity scene. Recreation at St Mary of the Angels church in Assisi, Italy. (Photo: Günther Simmermacher) The previous year’s Nativity depicted the Holy Family under a tent nestled in rock. It also included such non-scriptural characters as a flautist and a bagpipe player. The mayor of Titaoca, the northern Italian town where the crib was made, said: “In our town, the family that does not have two Nativity scenes has three.” Some cribs have caused scandal. In 2004, Madame Tussaud’s in London attracted much public protest, including a caustic note from the

Every good wish and blessing to our parishioners during the Christmas season and throughout 2013. St Joseph’s parish, Goodwood, Cape Town

Vatican, when their Nativity scene featured footballer David Beckham as Joseph and his wife Victoria as Mary, with Tony Blair, George W Bush and the duke of Edinburgh as the Magi, actors Hugh Grant and Samuel L Jackson as well as comedian Graham Norton as shepherds, and singer Kylie Minogue as the angel. This is certainly not what St Francis had in mind when he set up that first Nativity scene 791 years ago.

TONY WYLLIE Funeral Home & Staff

wish everyone a Blessed Christmas and a prosperous New Year

Maitland & Muizenberg, Cape Town

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

CHRISTMAS

Welcoming the light of Christ BR SIMEON BANDA FMS reports on the value of Christmas and what it symbolises in his home village in Malawi.

COLLEAGUE of mine from Malaysia enquired how my people understand Christmas, and I said we remember it as the birthday of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Mary. But staying in Mozambique for more than six years has taught me that I come from a culture in Malawi where birthday anniversaries do not have as much weight as they do in the PortugueseMozambican culture. If you ask my aunt Helena (kneeling in a white blouse and blue wrap skirt in the photo) what a birthday means to her, you will be surprised to hear that she has never paid attention to them. She does not even know when she was born and nobody ever sent her a Happy Birthday card. Historically we know that the birthday of Christ, celebrated on December 25, was fixed later. Among the Christian festivals, Christmas is the most recent in origin and the name is a contraction of the term “Christ Mass” which came into use in the Middle Ages. In the early part of the fourth century, Christians in Rome began to celebrate the birth of Christ. The practice spread widely and rapidly. So most parts of the Christian

Members of the Makwiniro community will be celebrating Christmas and the light it brings. world began to observe the new festivity by the end of the century. The exact date of the birth of Christ is not known, just like Aunt Helena’s date of birth. In the family we shall have to fix a day of convenience and begin celebrating her birthday. She is around 80 now. December 25 was fixed for a

practical and theological reason. In the Roman empire, festivals were held in conjunction with the winter solstice. In Rome, the feast of the Unconquerable Sun celebrated the beginning of the return of the sun. When Christianity became the state religion of the Roman empire after the reign of Constantine, the

Church suppressed the festival of the sun, making it the festival of the Son, the Light of the World. With this understanding we may say that the Makwiniro small Christian community in Kasungu, Malawi, has the right to observe the birthday of our founder. Therefore any celebration that mentions Christ, they need to par-

ticipate in fully and actively. The moment of Christ’s birth needs to lighten all pagan practices that still remain in the culture. You may ask me which practices need to be Christianised among my people. Wife inheritance, for a start, has no place among Christians. Mask dances with all the immoral aspects connected to them may compromise Christian morality. The belief attached to witchcraft and visiting witchdoctors is contrary to Christ as a healer. Also, exploitation of widows goes against the Church’s social teaching, as does corruption. Celebrating Christmas becomes more than just eating rice and pageantry dressing. It becomes a light against the world of darkness. Christ is going to demand a lot from us, and are we ready to pay the price of our Christianity and deny Satan’s temptations? Can a person claim that he or she celebrated Christmas by singing carols well then later abusing his neighbour? These days goats sleep in the houses in Kasungu due to fear of thieves. As we wish one another Happy Christmas this year, let us remember our duties towards God and neighbour. Let us be the Nelson Mandelas of our times. Happy Christmas and a prosperous new year in 2013. n Br Simeon Banda is a Malawian Marist Brother stationed in Mozambique.

Wishing all our Catholic school communities and all in the Catholic education network a peaceful holiday ...

and a blessed Christmas Give your child the gift of a Catholic education Visit our website: www.cso.za.org

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December 19 to December 25, 2012

The editor and staff of The Southern Cross wish all our readers, advertisers, associates, friends and supporters a blessed and joyful Christmas, and a happy, peaceful 2013.

Pope’s new charity rules ‘don’t forbid state funding’ By FRANCIS X ROCCA

EW rules issued by Pope Benedict for the governance of Catholic charities will not prevent such charities from accepting government funding, so long as the funding does not entail conditions that conflict with Church teaching, said the second-highest official of the Vatican office in charge of applying the new legislation. Mgr Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso, secretary of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, referred to the pope’s apostolic letter on the “service of charity”, issued motu proprio (on the pope’s “own initiative”) and released by the Vatican earlier this month. The document, which has the status of canon law, emphasises that Catholic charitable activity must not become “just another form of organised social assistance”, and directs bishops to ensure that charitable agencies under their authority conform to Church teaching. One section of the letter forbids Catholic charities to “receive financial support from groups or institutions that pursue ends contrary to the Church’s teaching”. Commenting on this, Mgr Dal Toso said that the rule would not necessarily prevent such agencies from taking money from national or local governments that fund, promote or permit practices condemned by the Church, such as abortion or contraception.

Nevertheless, he added, “if there is a programme that goes against the Church’s teaching, for example programmes promoting abortion, then we cannot accept funds for such a programme or even accept funds with certain conditions that are contrary to the Church’s doctrine.” The secretary said that the new papal document instructs bishops to ensure that Catholic charities “exercise proper discernment in their relationship with financial entities”, such as private foundations, whose “institutional ends”—their primary goals or core mission as defined in their statutes—“do not conform to the Church’s teaching”. In those cases, he said, “such financing is not acceptable”. The document also states that staff members of Catholic charities must “share, or at least respect, the Catholic identity of their agencies”, and that they should exemplify “Christian life” and “witness to a formation of heart which testifies to a faith working through charity”. That requirement, Mgr Dal Toso said, does not mean that non-Catholics may not work for Catholic charities, but it means that such employees “should be aware of the fact that [they] are working in a Catholic organisation”. He said that the “theological and pastoral formation” that the motu proprio mandates for the staff of Catholic charities should ensure knowledge not only of relevant Church teachings, but also of the dis-

No room at the inn: Grade R pupils of Leratong Pre-Primary in Bethlehem, Free State, presented their annual Nativity play at the packed Khotsong church in Bohlokong. (Photo: Rosemary Orpen) tinctive approach and “anthropology” that the Church brings to its charitable mission. The pope’s apostolic letter is primarily concerned with laying out the responsibility of each bishop to oversee charitable agencies in his diocese, in order to reinforce such agencies’ Catholic identity, Mgr Dal Toso said. “Catholic charity is an ecclesial activity, not merely a social activity, and that means the role of the bishop is important,” he said, noting that Pope Benedict

expressed this idea in his 2005 encyclical Deus Caritas Est, and finally gave it legal force in the motu proprio. The responsibility for agencies that do not fall under the jurisdiction of a single bishop is determined by canon law cited in the papal document, he said. National bishops’ conferences oversee charitable agencies established under their authority, and the Vatican oversees international agencies established with its approval.—CNS

No Christmas joy for sweatshop workers A COMMENTARy By TONy MAGLIANO

ECAUSE most retail companies put profit above all else, exploited sweatshop workers constantly experience misery—and sometimes even tragedy. On November 24 more than 112 Bangladeshi workers were burned to death, trapped in a locked sweatshop, sewing garments for the likes of Disney, Wal-Mart, Sears, Sean Combs/ENYCE and Target. Feeling pressure from the retailers to sew clothing at a frantic pace and get it shipped out in time for the Christmas shopping rush, management at the Tazreen garment factory outside Dhaka had been forcing employees for the last three months to work 12-hour shifts, six and seven days a

week, for less than R2,20 an hour. Charles Kernaghan, executive director of the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights, told me that the factory was a death trap. “The warehouse stacked with clothing was on the ground floor—the very worst place it could be,” he said. “Retailers like Wal-Mart knew the Tazreen factory was a dangerous sweatshop. The factory had a permit for just a 3storey building, but instead constructed a 9-storey factory. There were no exterior fire escapes or fireproof stairwells. All the windows were locked shut. There were just three stairways, all of which led down to the ground floor warehouse,” said Mr Kernaghan. “The minute the fire broke out, the

Tangney

Special Interest Tours To our Archbishops, Bishops, Monsignore, Priests and Pilgrims

Be assured of our prayers May the Lord bless and keep you now, and throughout 2013

workers were trapped, as the warehouse was engulfed in flames. On top of this, the supervisors and managers tried to prevent the workers from fleeing by closing the collapsible gates and padlocking them.” Please show your outrage by signing the online petition. Log on to www.globallabourrights.org and click “Latest Alerts” then “Time for Outrage”, and finally click “Please write the CEOs of Wal-Mart and the other labels and tell them: “Never Again!” Catholic social teaching insists that all workers deserve just wages, medical and disability insurance, safe and decent working conditions, pensions, adequate leisure time, and the right to form unions. When these labour and human rights are denied, Catholics have a moral responsibility to actively engage in solidarity with

oppressed workers. In his 1981 encyclical Laborem Exercens (“On Human Work”), Pope John Paul II wrote “There is a need for ever new movements of solidarity of the workers and with the workers. This solidarity must be present whenever it is called for by the social degrading of the subject of work, by exploitation of the workers, and by the growing areas of poverty and even hunger. The Church is firmly committed to this cause, for she considers it her mission, her service, a proof of her fidelity to Christ, so that she can truly be the ‘Church of the poor.’ ” In recognition that Jesus was born into poverty, it would be Christ-like for us to give time to and treasure oppressed workers this Christmas.

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Associates Campaign wish all its supporters a blessed Christmas and a peaceful 2013

LOCAL

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

Little Eden relishes Christmas spirit By CLAIRE MATHIESON

T Archbishop Buti Tlhagale and Litau Litau at the year of Faith Tree (Rhus lancea) at St Francis of Assisi parish in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng.

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HE residents of Little Eden, the home for the intellectually challenged in Johannesburg, performed their annual Christmas concerts at the Domitilla and Danny Hyams Home, Edenvale, and the Elvira Rota Village, Bapsfontein. The home’s publicist Hanneli Esterhuysen said for months leading up to the two concerts the residents had been busy preparing—from creating the décor, choosing a theme and having the residents learn the Christmas carols and other songs featured in the concert. “This is a mammoth task with intensive input and assistance from the staff and caregivers, as part of the ongoing therapy programme. “Many of the residents are not able to sing or dance, but they can be dressed up as angels or drummer boys or baby Jesus. In this way, they can participate by just being themselves and it creates within each child a sense of self-worth and belonging.” Ms Esterhuysen said the Christmas message was shared in a simple way but one which was meaningful to their friends, families and benefactors. “The wonderful participation of our community made these events extra special for our children, as it gave them an opportunity to interact with the public and it always makes them feel special to have a whole room full of visitors applaud them!” The average age of the home’s residents is 20 years, but

Little Eden residents enjoyed their Christmas concert and gift giving. the average intellectual age is that of a one-year-old. Some function at newborn level and have to be fed, carried, changed and bathed. Others are able to manage tasks like feeding themselves and dressing. Ms Esterhuysen said Christmas is an important time of the year for the children who were incredibly excited to see Father Christmas and his helpers. “Some could hardly wait to receive their brightly wrapped gifts! After the gifts were deliv-

ered by Santa Claus to each child, the children settled down to enjoy a special meal courtesy of Emperor’s Palace,” she said. “The obvious joy that our children experience over the Christmas season with the gifts and celebrations, warms our hearts and those of our donors. However, the biggest gift they can ever receive is knowing that we believe in them.” n To make a Christmas donation to the home visit www.little eden.org.za/give.asp or call 011 609 7246

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LOCAL

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

Pro-life Catholic fights abortion ads STAFF REPORTER

FTER being fined in September for posting prolife stickers over illegal abortion advertisements, Catholic pro-life activist Peter Throp is defending his actions in court where judgment has been reserved until January 2013. Mr Throp of Cape Town was issued with a fine of R2 500 after he was seen placing stickers over illegal abortion advertisements, which he opted not to pay but rather to defend his actions in court. The fine was issued as Mr Throp was seen to be damaging municipal

property in Bellville. During the December hearing at the Parow municipal courts, traffic officer L Jaxa conceded that Mr Throp had placed his stickers on top of illegal abortion advertisements and had not disfigured or damaged any structures. However, the officer also said that Mr Throp had not obtained permission to place his stickers. Advocate Darryl Cooke, who appeared for Mr Throp at the hearing, applied for the case to be dismissed since the pro-life activist was charged with disfiguring or damaging structures and it was

clear that this had not happened. Advocate Cooke argued that Mr Throp’s campaign was motivated by a desire “to save the lives of women who are at risk should they respond to the advertisements placed by backyard abortionists”. Gateway News, an online Christian portal, reported that Mr Throp is well known in pro-life circles. He regularly removes illegal abortion stickers from Cape Town streets. However, backyard abortionists simply replace these adverts at night, the site said. Mr Throp felt morally obliged to cover the abor-

tions advertisements with a sticker that carries a pro-life message and addresses of websites where help is available. Mr Throp told the court that he was acting according to the dictates of his conscience and that city leaders and law enforcement had failed the public by allowing illegal abortion posters to be displayed in full public view, particularly on transit routes used by school pupils. Mr Throp said women are being demeaned and society is dehumanised. “Essentially, evil can only prosper in society when we

allow it to prosper. When good people do nothing, evil will proliferate,” he said. “Law enforcement officers targeting me is not helpful as it is just another attempt to silence a voice of truth in our nation’s hour of darkness. Evil crime will only be overcome with good—love and care for your neighbour,” Mr Throp told the court, adding that he was not the problem, but rather the numerous illegal abortions were. Magistrate Phakama Madina reserved judgment until January 28 in order to consider evidence.

Student body promotes faith on campus Mass for STAFF REPORTER

winemakers

HE Association of Catholic Tertiary Students (Acts) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and other tertiary institutes in Pietermaritzburg will focus next year on the importance of catechesis amongst its members. Comboni Brother Lwanga Cornelio Gilingere and Sacred Heart Brother Henoc Fundi, catechists in charge of Acts, said it was an active youth movement in the diocese. Its members are from many different countries. The group, they say, is constantly growing. The catechists said Acts offers the students various tertiary programmes, one of which is the adult conversion course RCIA. Five such students received the sacrament of confirmation at the Emaphatelweni chapel in Scottville in November. Ayanda Magobane, Kwanele Nkobese and Nqobeko Dlamini from South Africa as well as Marcelin Chingango from Zimbabwe received the sacrament. Allele Nxele received baptism. There were also a group of students for confirmation from the Durban Westville campus who were accompanied by the priest in charge, Fr Peter Lafferty, their families and friends. “We consider the celebration a

Members of Acts in KwaZulu-Natal receive confirmation from Bishop Barry Wood, auxiliary of Durban. unique one in the history of UKZN ACTS because of the presence of Bishop Barry Wood and the family and friends who came from far and made that day possible,” Br Gilingere and Br Fundi said. The religious said the day would not have been successful without chaplain Fr Brian Bricker

OP and his two assistants for all their efforts in preparations of that special event, which was “animated joyously” by the choir. The brothers said it was important to not neglect catecheses.“Our youth today lack basic information about their faith, not because they are not interested, but because

Holy land • rome journeyS of a lifetime! • assisi • Cairo

they lack leaders who can be there for them to instruct them. It is in this regard that the Church should be more instrumental in proclaiming her faith.” The brothers said that Acts was a suitable foundation and would continue to help launch youth into the heart of the Church.

AINT Vincent, the patron saint of winemakers, will be celebrated on his feast day at the 19th annual Winemakers and Distillers’ Mass on Tuesday, January 22. The Mass will begin at 11am at St Nicholas Catholic church in Paul Kruger Street, Stellenbosch, with the homily by parish priest Fr Wim Lindeque. The collection will go to the Stellenbosch Hospice. “Hopefully participants will be as generous as in the past and help to set a new record of more than R20 000,” said organiser Dave Hughes. “Most winemakers/distillers bring a bottle or two to the church to go into the offertory basket at the entrance,” he said. “These donations will go up to the altar with the offertory procession. The bottles are shared with the clergy after the Mass.” After Mass the congregation will adjourn to La Pineta for lunch, where they are free to bring their own wine as no corkage will be charged. n To book, contact Dave Hughes by phone (021) 865 2175, fax (021) 865 2740, or e-mail hugh esd@iafrica.com.

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The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

End-of-life protocol ‘in line with Church teachings’ By SIMON CALDWELL

N internationally respected Catholic bioethical institute has expressed support for a controversial end-of-life protocol that critics say is operating as a “euthanasia pathway”. David Jones, director of the Oxford-based Anscombe Bioethics Centre, said the principles that underpinned the Liverpool Care Pathway “are fully in accordance with Catholic moral theology and with a Catholic understanding of a good death”. The pathway, a framework for treatment of patients during the final hours of life, can involve heavy sedation and the withdrawal of life-prolonging treatment, which under British law may include food and fluids. In recent months, it has been severely criticised by bereaved families and some doctors, who claim that it is being used to hasten the deaths of terminally ill and elderly patients who are not imminently dying. At present, the abuses are the focus of a government inquiry. But Dr Jones, who since 2009

has served on the National LCP Reference Group, working with palliative care professionals who have designed the protocol, said it was not the pathway that was flawed but the way it was sometimes implemented. In a statement, he said Catholic teaching supported even the withdrawal of clinically assisted hydration in some cases. “The LCP is an approach to improving standards of end-of-life care and is not, either in intention or in practice, where it is followed adequately, a form of euthanasia,” said Dr Jones in a statement posted on the Anscombe Centre website. “Indeed, the LCP can and does help support the kind of good death for which Catholics pray,” he said. “The principles behind the Liverpool Care Pathway are compatible with a Catholic understanding of morality and of the meaning of life and death,” he added. He accepted, however, that some pressures might subvert the proper implementation of the pathway. He said they include “the sub-

jective character of judgments about how soon someone is going to die”, the “influence of managerial pressures to reduce bed occupancy” and the “reluctance to face the difficulties of continuing care of certain difficult patients”. “Catholic doctors, nurses, relatives and patients should continue to take care that the Liverpool Care Pathway...is used correctly,” he said. Dr Tony Cole, a Catholic pediatrician and chairman of the Medical Ethics Alliance, a group opposed to the pathway, said he felt the statement was “not informed by practical experience” of the pathway. “A group of Catholic doctors and nurses have reported their experience of the LCP, as it is practised, to the bishops and, in some cases, have risked their careers to do so,” he said. “Their concerns are being confirmed by hundreds of complaints from relatives. “The bishops should take account of the experience of such health professionals and also of their own chaplains,” he added.— CNS

Actors dressed as Joseph and Mary and the three Wise Men, part of a live Nativity scene, stroll past the US Capitol in Washington after demonstrating outside the nearby Supreme Court. Members of the Christian Defense Coalition gathered with live actors and animals to demonstrate that displays such as Nativity scenes are protected by the US constitution. The event was a reaction to other courts’ involvement in the banning of Nativity scenes in some parts of the United States. (Photo: Jason Reed, Reuters/CNS)

Late jazz legend Brubeck became a Catholic after writing Mass By MARK PATTISON

HE late Dave Brubeck, the influential and prolific pianist whose composition “Take Five” became a standard in the annals of jazz, was a convert to Catholicism who once wrote a Mass. He died of heart failure on December 5, a day before his 92nd birthday. Brubeck played his “cool” brand of West Coast jazz before Blessed John Paul II and eight presidents. He became a Catholic in 1980 after completing a commission from the US Catholic weekly Our Sunday Visitor—a Mass titled “To Hope.” Brubeck recalled in a TV biographical profile: “I didn’t convert to Catholicism, because I

wasn’t anything to convert from. I just joined the Catholic Church.” He formed the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1951 and kept the combo going, with different musicians, till 1967. It was during this period that he co-founded Fantasy Records, had his first huge hit with “Take Five” (credited to his saxophonist, Paul Desmond), and toured regularly despite recording up to four albums a year. Later versions of the group after it re-formed included his four sons and even his grandsons. Brubeck originally turned down the commission for “To Hope” since he wasn’t a Catholic then, but Ed Murray, then the editor of Our Sunday Visitor, “just wouldn’t take no for an answer”, Brubeck

Dave Brubeck pictured in a 1996 photo. (Photo: Bob Roller, CNS) recalled in a 1996 interview. “When I’d say I didn’t know anything about the Mass, he’d say, ‘Exactly what I want, it’s a fresh view. Somebody who will come in

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and just look at this with fresh eyes.’” As for “On This Rock”, which he composed for the 1987 visit of Pope John Paul II to San Francisco, he was also reluctant. “I wouldn’t accept that. They called me late in the evening and they needed an answer right away, the next day,” he recalled. “So I said no, and then I asked for the text. And the text was, ‘Upon this rock I will build my church and the jaws of hell cannot prevail against it’. So I’m thinking, ‘Now they want nine minutes on this one sentence. How am I going to do that?’ “I went to bed and in the middle of the night I thought the only way to do this is how Bach would

have done it—with a chorale and fugue. We can use the words over and over. I was dreaming the subject of the fugue,” Brubeck continued. “And when I woke up I said, ‘Jeez, I’ve got it. This is the way I can do it, is with a chorale and fugue.’ I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever written.” Brubeck, a veteran of World War II, was active at his craft until his death. His last album release was a live recording, The Last Time Out, in 2011. Besides his four sons, he is survived by his wife, Iola, herself a lyricist; a daughter, Catherine; and 10 grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren. Another son died a few years ago.—CNS

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The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

We can learn from others about evangelisation By CINDy WOODEN

HE Catholic Church has great resources and experience in helping the baptised learn about and live their faith, but it also can learn something from other Christians about the initial step of bringing people to faith in Jesus, according to the preacher of the papal household. “Our situation is becoming more and more similar to that of the Apostles,” who preached God’s love and salvation in Christ to people who had never heard of Jesus, said Capuchin Father

Raniero Cantalamessa (pictured). As preacher of the papal household, Fr Cantalamessa led a series of weekly Advent reflections for Pope Benedict and top Vatican officials. “The strength of several nonCatholic churches is their emphasis on the initial moment of coming to faith,” telling people about Jesus and helping them recognise him as Lord and Saviour, Fr Cantalamessa said. But faith is stunted if everything in a Christian’s life “continues to revolve around that initial moment”. The Catholic Church, he said, has done a better job at recognising

that professing faith in Jesus is “just the beginning, not the end, of the Christian life”. Especially during the Year of Faith, the preacher said, the Catechism of the Catholic Church is a valuable tool for helping people learn more about the faith they were baptised into and about the kind of life they are called to live as a result. The purpose of the catechism, he said, is “to give shape to the faith, to give it content and to

show its ethical and practical demands.” Still, he said, it is not enough to be informed about Jesus and about the teaching of the Church. St John the Evangelist writes of “knowing and believing” in God’s love and in Christ as saviour, Fr Cantalamessa told the pope and Vatican officials. “‘Knowing’ in this case, as in general throughout the whole of Scripture, does not mean what it

means for us today: having an idea or concept about something,” he said. Rather, “it means experiencing it, entering into relationship with the thing or the person. The Virgin’s statement, ‘I do not know man’, certainly didn’t mean ‘I don’t know what a man is’.” The Holy Spirit makes it possible for people to have that experience of God’s love and offer of salvation, he said, but they also need to hear the Gospel preached and to be supported by the sacraments, the teaching of the Church and the witness of holy men and women.— CNS

Pope promotes his right-hand man Cardinal glad as ‘Catholic’ By CINDy WOODEN

OPE Benedict has named his personal secretary, Mgr Georg Gänswein, an archbishop and the new prefect of the papal household. The 56-year-old German archbishop-designate began working with the then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1996 in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. When the cardinal was elected Pope Benedict in 2005, Mgr Gänswein, who was his personal secretary, moved with him into the papal apartments. As the new prefect of the papal household, a position that involves organising papal audiences, he succeeds Cardinal James Harvey, who joined the College of Cardinals in late November and was named archpriest of the basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls.

Archbishop-designate Gänswein with Pope Benedict. (Photo: CNS) Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi SJ said that Archbishopdesignate Gänswein would continue, for the time being, also serving as the pope’s personal secretary. Born on July 30, 1956, in Waldshut, in the German state of BadenWürttemberg, he was ordained to

Wishing all our Benefactors, friends, staff and the editor of The Southern Cross a very happy Christmas. “In gentleness and peace he comes, may he fill your hearts with joy in this holy season”

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the priesthood in 1984 for the archdiocese of Freiburg im Breisgau. After earning a degree in canon law from the Catholic theology institute at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, he worked in the Freiburg archdiocesan tribunal before joining the staff of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments at the Vatican in 1995. He transferred to the doctrinal congregation a year later. As Pope Benedict’s personal secretary, he has accompanied the pope at personal and private audiences at the Vatican and around the world. He is also frequently asked to contribute to books about Pope Benedict, including children’s books such as the 2007 Joseph and Chico: A Cat Recounts the Life of Pope Benedict XVI.—CNS

hate site goes down

GERMAN cardinal expressed delight after a right-wing website which styled itself Catholic went off-line, apparently after public pressure. Cardinal Karl Lehmann of Mainz, a former president of the German bishops’ conference, wrote in his archdiocesan newspaper, Glaube und Leben, that the site kreuz.net had undermined the Catholic Church’s public image with its racist and homophobic content. The secretive website—it is registered in the Bahamas and its owners operate anonymously— had caused a scandal after engaging in what critics called “a polemic” against homosexual comedian Dirk Bach after the pop-

ular actor committed suicide in October, the Munich-based Süddeutsche Zeitung reported. Kreuz.net also downplayed the extent of the Holocaust, which is illegal in Germany, and regularly attacked Muslims. It also described Protestants in a term that punned on a pejorative German word for homosexuals. A few years ago, kreuz.net suggested that Blessed John Paul II was “the anti-Christ”. German prosecutors are investigating the website, and a publishing house that specialises in gay literature has put up a reward of 15 000 euros (R168 000) for the identification of the owners of the website. It is unclear whether kreuz.net has closed down permanently.

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

LEADER PAGE 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.

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Guest editorial by Fr Seàn Wales CSsR

Contemplate Christmas with new eyes And is it true? And is it true, This most tremendous tale of all, Seen in a stained-glass window’s hue, A Baby in an ox’s stall? The Maker of the stars and sea Become a Child on earth for me?

N a poem titled Christmas John Betjeman described London in the days running up to Christmas: The paper decorations, the shops strung with silver bells, people rushing to buy last-minute presents. Then he breaks in on this scene with his radical question: and is it true? “This most tremendous tale of all”: we are celebrating Christmas 2012 in the Year of Faith and this must surely reveal the inner meaning of a feast the real nature of which is often concealed by external trappings. What faith reveals is that Christmas is a Paschal feast. Many early Christian writers expressed this vividly: “He became human that we might become divine” (St Athanasius), the Word became incarnate “so that becoming as we are, he might make us as he is” (St Gregory of Nyssa). Christmas is an integral part of the mystery of faith, part of the self-emptying of the Word, to live among us and through his life, death and resurrection draw us into the very life of God. We love to give and receive gifts at Christmas. Indeed we can be so focused on what to get someone for Christmas or on what we might find “in our stocking” that we can forget that the key to understanding and celebrating Christmas is the very idea of Gift. Christmas is the gift of divinity to our human race. Put that way, we can see that it is utterly gratuitous. St Alphonsus liked to say that the paradise of God is the human heart. God so loves us that God gives himself away to us in his Son, the Word made flesh. God simply loves being with us. God even loves receiving our humble gift in return. If our Christmas is to echo the first Christmas, if a Year of Faith Christmas is to have any special significance, there has to

be something utterly gratuitous about our celebration: we mirror the first Christmas if there is some outreach to the poor, the homeless, the imprisoned. Let’s try giving to someone from whom we can expect no return, maybe not even a “thank you”. We often ask children what they would like for Christmas. Perhaps we can ask ourselves what we need for a happy Christmas. How many cards make up a happy Christmas? How many packets of biscuits or handkerchiefs? Or what Betjeman calls “the sweet and silly Christmas things/Bath salts and inexpensive scent/And hideous tie so kindly meant”. Deep down we know that Christmas happiness does not depend on expensive gifts or exotic locations. What we most need is a taste of silence, a prayerful pondering of the Gift of gifts, a treasuring in the heart of how God wants our love. There has to be time to sit still, to wonder, to be amazed again, to be thrilled by God. This contemplative dimension of Christmas shifts our focus to those for whom Christmas is not yet good news: to the lonely, those without faith or friendship, to our contemporary shepherds/farm workers, to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death. We know we have had a happy Christmas when our reception of the Gift of God has turned us into a gift to others. The New Testament pattern is at work during Christmas: since God has loved us so much, we too should love one another (1 John 4:11). Our Christmas “translation” of this becomes: since God has given us so much, we too should give to one another! Genuine Christmas contemplation never isolates us from the abandoned poor. A contemplative approach to Christmas puts everything and everyone in proper perspective for us. Immersed in the revelation of love, then we came to see that nothing: “Can with this single Truth compare/That God was man in Palestine/And lives today in Bread and Wine.”

Quiet time for Eucharist N response to Michael Joseph related music. So many times I have had to Itime Ellis’ Eucharist query about quiet (November 28), let me offer a play quietly while the choir goes little insight into the lives of the choir, choir mistress and organist. Having been involved either in choirs or as an organist for about 45 years in the Church I would very much like to have “quiet time” during Holy Communion, with soft background music, from a communion hymn or other

Advertising win

BOUT eighteen months ago, we started advertising the Lourdes House retirement home regularly in The Southern Cross. Lourdes House is situated in Rivonia, Johannesburg, and has been running for just on 40 years. Originally it was known as Jabula House but the name was changed to Lourdes House in 2005 when a group of parishioners from Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic church in Rivonia set up a non-profit company to purchase the home to prevent it from being closed down. The ensuing years proved challenging in keeping the operation runnning because of high interest rates, and insufficient tenants. Key to the success of the operation was to have all rooms occupied as far as possible, at all times. This has always been a challenge, as advertising costs can be prohibitive in local newspapers. Then last year we started advertising in The Southern Cross, and we have seen a change in our fortunes! There is always a steady stream of people phoning in to enquire about our facilities. In the past year our occupancy has been much higher than ever before. There is no doubt that many of the enquiries have arisen from our advertising in The Southern Cross, and many of the current occupants came to us as a result of the advert. What has really surprised us is that we have had enquiries from all around South Africa, with tenants coming to live at the home from Cape Town and Durban. Today we see a bright future for the home, and have just completed the building of a chapel for use by the residents. Cherryl Brooke, Johannesburg

Divine longing

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to Communion, then play the hymn while it gets sung, then rush to the altar to receive the Eucharist, and rush back to play the final hymn. Even if the Eucharist is brought to the organist, the time is still very short and there is very little time to say more than a “Welcome in France that are some 30 000 years old. Thus whatever is beautiful about Rome’s St John Lateran or any other basilica fills a need for transcending our mundane daily lives. It also shows our longing for the divine. However, the real feast day of any basilica should rather be dedicated to all the people of God who allow God to remove their hearts of stone and replace them with hearts of flesh. It would go a long way to evoking a spirit of evangelisation. The feast day of the Dedication of St John Lateran Basilica on November 9 had as its Gospel reading St John’s version of Jesus’ anger at the desecration of his father’s temple. Whether or not God is pleased with the actual basilica is not my concern because I know that God’s primary concern is all humanity. The confirmation of this for all believers is the fact of the Incarnation. The reading shows me that it is not about the structure per se, it is about struggling to rid our hearts of the “marketplace values”, resisting greed, selfish indulgence of any sort, as well as impurity. We have the Holy Name of Jesus as a whip to help drive out whatever keeps us from God. Rosemary Gravenor, Durban

Jesus’ humanity

CANNOT agree entirely with “Open Door” in the way Michael Shackleton responded regarding Jesus’ divinity (November 28). To be sure, Jesus was aware of his divinity at an early stage as his response as a 12-year-old to his parents’ worry at finally finding him with the doctors in the temOpinions 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.

Lord and please bless my family”. The organist could play quietly while the priest hands out the chalice and host, go to Communion at the beginning and return to play quietly as one is able to play quietly while praying. I would very much like to see “quiet time” introduced during reception of the Eucharist time. I try to attend Mass during the week for “quiet time” with the Lord as I feel I pray so little when playing the organ. Ayleen Radley, Port Elizabeth ple shows. But what makes Christ Jesus so great a hero to me, truly the second Adam who remained true to the will of the Father in spite of suffering rejection, weariness, homelessness, misunderstanding, mockery, a mock trial, and an agonising death on the Cross before which he endured the greatest suffering of all—the anguish of Godforsakeness, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46) Please, Mr Shackleton, when rightly defending his divinity, do not diminish the glorious humanity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, son of God and Son of Mary, who became human that, as St Athanasius says “we might become God”. Aideen Gonlag, St Michaels-on-Sea, KZN

Tradition lost

O often we Catholics are as blind as bats. We cannot, or will not, see the obvious. We know of the terrible crime rate, of the school violence, and rape, of the spread of drug use even among the very young. We have heard of the young children abducted, raped, and murdered. We know of neglected children who wander the streets without supervision. We know of street children begging or selling their bodies in order to live. We know of our women’s rights to go out to work. We do not know of our children’s rights to motherly protection and guidance. We know of single mothers, single by right. We hear of our rights to do what we like with our own bodies. We do not know of our duties that go with our rights. We know of the consequences of this freedom. We grieve at the suffering of our children and grandchildren, and resist the temptation to say, “We told you so!” The old morality was sound, the old natural system whereby men were the breadwinners while women were the strength of the family, at home to love and care for the family and, with the man, to raise and guide the children. R Auret, Thornville, KZN

St Dominics House of Prayer at the Bluff We, the Oakford Dominican Sisters, wish all readers God’s Blessing & Peace this Christmas and for 2013

supporters a Happy and Holy Christmas. We thank you for your support in 2012 and wish you God’s blessings in 2013.

PO Box 4599, Edenvale, 1610 [t] 011 663-4700 [f] 011 452-7625 info@radioveritas.co.za Nedbank Cresta (191305) 1913296067 @RadioVeritasSA

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We thank you for your support throughout the years, and invite you to come for a time of rest and revitalising your relationship with Christ in the year of faith. our brochure for 2013 can be sent to you by request. stdominic@eastcoast.co.za

PERSPECTIVES Chris Chatteris SJ

Pray with the Pope

The Year of Faith General Intention: That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.

BVIOUSLY faith can always be strengthened, no matter how firm, but I presume we’re having a Year of Faith because faith is perceived as weak these days. Pope Benedict, who took that name because St Benedict is the patron of Europe, is clearly concerned about the loss of faith in the European and the Western and Westernising world. According to Gregory Paul and Phil Zuckermann writing on The Third Culture secularist website, “the number of non-religionists throughout the 20th century has skyrocketed from 3,2 million in 1900, to 697 million in 1970, and on to 918 million in 2000”. They argue that although the great faiths continue to grow, this is mostly to do with birth rates and not new adherence, whereas non-believers are growing by gaining “converts”. Democracy and choice, they suggest, are what enable and encourage people to abandon belief in God. In these “advanced” modern societies, however, there is a curious paradox of a deep, residual thirst for faith and yet a falling away from the traditional, community-based sources of it. “Believing but not belonging” is the rather postmodern, individualistic slogan describing the phenomenon. Recent research suggests that the economic crisis is pulling some groups back into the pews— Irish Catholics and American Evangelicals, for example. There’s nothing like hard times to remind us that “no man is an island”, despite the ideology of “there’s-no-such-thing-as-society” we do need each other after all. The poor are aware of the human need for God better than the wealthy. South Africa is a developing country, with much poverty, but also the most westernised country in Africa. We are not immune from the underlying attitudes favouring unbelief. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there is a slide towards a materialistic, dog-eat-dog and pull-up-the ladder attitude, and that the traditional belief in and practice of ubuntu is being undermined. It seems we have our work cut out. “Lord, increase our faith!”

Eastern Christians Missionary Intention: That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

What it means to be a real friend S AINT Thomas Aquinas wrote: “There is nothing on this earth to be prized more than true friendship.” And I deeply echo his words. True friendship is beautiful, sweet and fulfilling. Friendship is a relationship between two or more people who care about each other. But such a dry definition doesn’t do the concept of friendship justice. Consider these examples: A friend is the first person you want to call immediately when you hear good news or bad news. A friend is someone you can spend time with in person or on the phone for hours—and there will always be something to talk about. A friend remembers that you don’t like long queues, or that your favourite sandwich is ham and cheese. When a true friend accompanies you to the most boring of places it can become fun. A friend is also someone with whom you can spend time without saying anything, yet come back fulfilled. A friend allows you to let you be you. A friend prays for you. In other words, friendship is wonderful, and much ink has been spilled in citing the virtues of having friends. That’s not to say friendship is easy, though. It demands time and effort, and it requires that sometimes we put someone other than ourselves first. But in exchange for that work, a friend can provide an immense amount of support and comfort in good times and in bad. When your spirit is disturbed by circumstances and you share this with your friend, even though the circumstances are still the same, somehow your spirit is renewed. Friendship, as the anonymous quote has it, “is when people know all about you but like you anyway”. But friendship does not always have

to go with warm and fuzzy feelings; it can require real frank and open talk, but always for the good of the friend. Why are friendships sometimes not easy? Because, at times, we put ourselves first, for example when we insist that “we’ll do things my way”. We bring ourselves—our insecurities, our jealousies, our expectations, our own ways of doing—into the friendship. And when these expectations are not met or when our insecurity and jealousy get the better of us, things can go pear-shaped. This is when we say things like “You’re such a cruel person”, or “You invited him, but not me”, or “So I’m always the bad guy”, or “You just know me when you need something from me”. Yes, we do disappoint one another, and when we are disappointed we hurt each other, quite easily. At school or university we never really learn how to handle friendships. It seems to just happen naturally and we figure it out as we go along—not always successfully.

Missionary Sisters of the Assumption Wish you all a very happy Christmas and a blessed new year

Judith Turner

On Faith and Life

ut Jesus calls us his friends and all we need to know from being a true friend lies within his way of being friend. He does not dominate us, or treat us like slaves, or label and judge us, or envy or doubt us. He loves us unconditionally and accepts us as we are. He wants to be with us intimately and make us the best we can be. He lets us be free. When we fall, he is beside us to help us up again. Christ is in the centre of all our friendships. All our friendships and relationships must be based in him. Our friendships come from him—our relationship with one another comes from our relationship with him. When Christ is at the centre of our friendships, it is not us who make the friendship work, but him through us. If we think it is us and we depend only on ourselves for the success of the friendship, never acknowledging nor even speaking about Christ and his love for us, then we will reap the negative rewards of such a friendship in very painful ways. Friendships and relationships do break up, for whatever reason, and sometimes we can redeem the friendship and sometimes we can’t. But because we share our friendships in Christ, we are always connected to our friends, and we can enjoy a deeper friendship with them, beyond separation and even beyond death. The only necessary thing for us to do is to pray for our friends.

We wish all our residents, supporters and readers of The Southern Cross a blessed and holy Christmas and a happy, peaceful 2013! 2-22 Road No 3 Victory Park 2195

Tel: 011 888 1692/4 Fax: 011 888 1282 Tel: 011 782 5217 Fax 011 782 8489

NE of my colleagues tells a story about a conversation between two Jesuits, one born in Iraq and the other in the United States. The American, assuming the Iraqi or his family were recent converts to Christianity, asked the Iraqi Jesuit, rather patronisingly: “How long have your people been Christians?” The Iraqi Jesuit immediately shot back with the rather devastating put-down: “My people were Christians when your people were still running around naked, painted blue and worshipping trees!” The story illustrates the dilemma of persecuted Middle Eastern Christians— they have deep historical and cultural roots, so do they stay in their lands or do they move to the West? The late Pope Shenuda of the Egyptian Coptic Church expressed the depths of their identification with the country and culture when he said of the Coptic Christians: “We do not live in Egypt; Egypt lives in us.” There is a deep sense of noblesse oblige, in these ancient communities. The French proverb expresses the idea that privilege comes with responsibilities and the privilege of belonging to the Christian communities that first witnessed to the Gospel in these ancient lands involves the responsibility of continuing to bear witness even when it might mean martyrdom. So we pray that many will continue to be faithful to that witness, especially in Syria where the civil war has made the position of Christians extremely precarious. At the same time we understand and pray for those who feel that for the sake of the security of the families, they must move away.

END HOUSE The Management of End House, Gordon’s Bay, Cape (Guest House for priests, brothers and religious) wishes everyone a Joyous Christmas and a Blessed New Year. Thank you for your support Bookings open for 2013

Telephone (021) 856 3592 or 082 262 7155 for reservations

DE LA SALLE HOLY CROSS COLLEGE PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT www.delasalleschool.co.za

Wishes all those associated with the College a Blessed and Happy Christmas and Best Wishes for the New Year.

COMMUNITY

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

Sixteen young adults were confirmed at Regina Pacis church in Ladysmith, Dundee diocese. They are seen here with Bishop Graham Rose (centre back), Fr JohnAllen Green and catechists Theresa Ribeiro and Gerti Hoff. Chatting at the launch of the abridged biography of Archbishop Denis Hurley, Truth To Power, at Cape Town’s Anglican St George’s cathedral are (from left) Southern Cross editor Günther Simmermacher, author Paddy Kearney, social activist Di Oliver and Fr Hugh O’Connor. At the launch, hosted jointly by the Anglican cathedral and We Are All Church SA, Mr Kearney was interviewed by the Rev Michael Weeder, the Anglican dean of Cape Town. Truth To Power is available at R225 from www.ukznpress.co.za. (Photo: Sydney Duval)

Wishing all our pilgrims, both past and present and future, PEACE, JOY, GOOD HEALTH AND HAPPINESS AT CHRISTMAS AND IN THE NEW YEAR Tel: (031) 266 7702

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Email: judyeichhorst@telkomsa.net

Fr Cecil Dowling CSsR officiated at the wedding of his sister in Wendover, Utah. (From right) Fr Dowling, Kersten Dowling, Santiago Flores, Ava Flores (née Dowling), Val Rensburg and Marcelino Rensburg.

Send your pictures to pics@scross.co.za

A blessed and peaceful Christmas season to all our family, friends and failthful clients.

From: Management & Staff, CB Industrial & Fastener Suppliers, Port Elizabeth

youth were confirmed by Archbishop Stephen Brislin at St Agnes parish in Woodstock, Cape Town. (From left) Liam Smith, Stella Menola, Romano Da Silva, Liam Brown, Archbishop Brislin, Micaela Campbell, Richard Clarke, Austin Hennings and Simone Romano.

FELIZ NAVIDAD

St Patrick’s Missionary Society

*Kindly note that our offices will be closed for the holiday season from 26 Dec to 7th Jan 2013 inclusive

St Joseph’s Home for Chronically Ill Children

NPO:002/908

Be a Priest An ambassador of Christ for God’s People

Coolock House Blessings and peace this Christmas time to all our friends and benefactors

Contact Fr Terry Nash on 011 918 5243 or 072 668 2705

St Patrick’s Missionary Society P O Box 1394814 Northmead 1511

We invite you to have a look at our website coolockhouse-sa.co.za

Ursulines Ursulines of of the theBlessed Blessed Virgin Virgin Mary Mary

We wish you a Blessed Christmas

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

The Board, Management, Pallottine Sisters, Staff and the children would like to extend their gratitude to all who have donated to the home throughout the year. Without your generous donations and support St Joseph’s Home would not be able to deliver much needed services to chronically ill children from impoverished communities.

Wishing the Catholic Community a blessed Christmas and a Healthy New Year. www.stjosephshome.org.za 021-934 0352 www.facebook.com/stjosephshome

Contact Vocation directress: Ursuline Sisters PO Box 36 Ngqeleni 5140 Cell: 072 958 2111 OR Box 212 Libode 5160 Contact vocation directress: ursuline Sisters mount nicholas Tel: 047 555 0018

Po Box 212 libode, 5160, e Cape tel 047 555 0018 Cell: 072 437 4244 or 078 354 2440

FOCUS

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

Economic equality is better for all Massive inequality is bad for those at the bottom of the scale and for those at the top too, writes CHRIS CHATTERIS SJ.

OU have to give President Zuma some credit for his brass neck. He must have known that his recent appeal to executives to freeze their salaries would be met with irony, if he was lucky, and sarcasm if he wasn’t. Those whose salaries are being targeted may take comfort in the cynicism of journalists. But it’s too easy to shoot the messenger when he’s so exposed by the Nkandla affair. It’s more difficult to ask whether the message has any merit in itself. And to give him his due, he and the cabinet have frozen their own salaries for the next year. The recent Economist article “Cry, the Beloved Country”, which portrays South Africa as sliding downhill while much of the rest of the continent is clawing its way up, is another sign of the times we might heed. We may not like being told we’re a “sad” country from such a lordly, foreign voice, but again, it might be worth asking whether this influential journal’s message contains any truth. This is what the Economist says about the wage gap that is exercising the President’s mind: “Inequality has grown since apartheid, and the gap between rich and poor is now among the world’s largest.” Well, we all knew that, including the president. The difference now is that Marikana has happened, there is general unrest in the mining industry which is spreading to other industries, the rand has

declined and economic growth fallen. There’s a global context which also cannot be lost on our leader. From the so-called Arab Spring to the so-called Occupy movement to the street battles in the capitals of southern Europe, a common factor is unemployment, especially among the young. Another is that this is happening in a world in which some people are stratospherically rich. Historians have observed that it’s not just the poverty of the poor that causes anger; what really enrages is the insouciant excess of some of the super-wealthy. Added to all this is the slowing down of the world’s economy, including even China’s. While the pie is growing, politicians can hold out hope to the poor of a better life. British journalist George Monbiot states the problem elegantly: “Governments love growth because it excuses them from dealing with inequality...Growth is a political sedative, snuffing out protest, permitting governments to avoid confrontation with the rich, preventing the construction of a just and sustainable economy.” But when growth stops, the only way governments can address inequality is by broaching the politically perilous question of redistribution, which the President effectively has. The challenge for the one who would moralise in favour of a “just and sustainable society” is to find good reasons to urge a change among the “congregation”. So here goes.

President Jacob Zuma’s call on executives to freeze their salaries has merit, writes Fr Chris Chatteris SJ. (Photo: Siphiwe Sibeko, Reuters/CNS) like to do something about lack of social cohesion, even if only selfinterestedly to save his political bacon. The good news is that greater equality doesn’t just make us more secure but is positively good for us, even for our health. Obviously not in the totalitarian sense. Equality enforced by the Pol Pots of our world involves the paradox of Orwell’s unequal pigs. Researchers of the benefits of greater equality point out, howev-

er, that if levels of inequality are such that those at the bottom are hungry and can only look up an infinitely long ladder in despair of ever climbing it, you will have the kinds of problems that we are currently experiencing. If, on the other hand, those at the bottom have their basic needs met and can reasonably believe that they or their children can do better, then society is likely to be less troubled. Richard Wilkinson and Kate

Pickett, two British health researchers, believe that this common sense notion is borne out by the statistics. They compared equal and unequal societies and found that, for almost every social issue, equality makes things better and inequality makes them worse. Teenage pregnancy rates, longevity, disease, imprisonment rates, violence, even obesity; all of these are higher in unequal societies than in more equal ones. And the fascinating thing is that even those on the higher income end in unequal societies also suffer from these ills. Or, to look at it from the more positive perspective, those at the upper end of more equal societies, such as Japan and the Nordic nations, have happier, longer and healthier lives than those on the top in more unequal ones, like the US and Britain. This is why their book, The Spirit Level, is subtitled “Why Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better”. Their research has sparked an absorbing debate on the merits of greater equality. It’s a crucial conversation for our time, and, I would suggest, for our beloved country. Whatever his motives, it’s good that the President has initiated it. Signs of the times can come from unexpected quarters.

he most obvious motive for equalising our society is selfinterest, since social instability is bad for everyone. This the president understands and he would

NAZARETH HOUSE PO BOX 12116, MILL STREET, 010 - 021 461-1635 www.nazhouse.org.za

“The golden chain of friendship is a strong and blessed tie. Binding kindred hearts together, as the years go by” - Helen Steiner Rice

On behalf of the sisters, staff, children and the elderly, we express our sincere thanks to our special friends, the known and the unknown, for their continuous and never failing support during 2012

May God's Blessings be with you all at Christmas and in the coming!

KRUGER PARK VIVA SAFARIS (Member of SATSA)

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

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Father Xico with partially completed church building

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

Bread Tags for Wheelchairs

Karen Adriaanse

I would like to thank everybody, far and wide who have contributed and committed themselves, to collecting bread tags for wheelchairs. This year has been a great year and many less fortunate, were assisted with a wheelchair as your contribution made it possible. This was not only for the elderly, recently we had a twelve year old girl who received a wheelchair, she has had amputation of both legs and her prostethic legs kept on breaking. There is another 12yr old girl who is paralysed and is on the waiting list for her wheelchair, this is just an encouragement to keep on collecting these bread tags.

May you have a blessed Christmas and a double portion of blessing in the New year.

Karen Adriaanse (The Bread Tag lady), 97 Avro Avenue, Kensington, 7405, 083 215 8105

This was 2012

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

YEAR-END REVIEW

The highlights and lowlights of the year

It was the year in which Pope Benedict opened the Year of Faith, the world’s bishops discussed the New Evangelisation and the Church celebrated the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II. The “VatiLeaks” scandal grabbed the headlines, and in South Africa Radio Veritas finally went on air on medium wave while social conflict culminated in the Marikana killings. GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER looks back at 2012. DECEMBER 2011

The 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference concludes in Durban. Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga leads a 20-member delegation of Caritas to what is called the COP17 meeting. Cardinal John Foley, previous prefect of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Social Communications and then Grand Master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, dies on December 11 at 76 after a battle with leukaemia. Bishop Michael Coleman of Port Elizabeth dies on December 17 at 72 from cancer. He had retired as head of the diocese in August 2011. Eugene Donnelly, former managing editor of Th e So uth e rn Cro ss, which he served for 42 years, dies on December 18 at 81. A Dutch inquiry finds that “several tens of thousands of minors” were sexually abused by Church personnel between 1945 and 2010. The We Are Church group in South Africa changes its name to We Are All Church and issues a mission statement that declares itself independent from the international movement. An ecumenical body called Kairos Southern Africa asks the African National Congress to keep its three-day centenary celebrations in Mangaung in January modest. According to reports, the cost of the event to taxpayers would be about R400 million. At least 39 people are killed in Christmas Day bomb attacks on churches in Nigeria, ascribed to the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram, including 35 at St Theresa Catholic church in Madalla. The German aid agency Misereor announces a donation of R4,5 million towards the construction of the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban.

JANUARY 2012

The Vatican announces that 26 missionaries were killed in 2011— one more than the previous year. Meanwhile, it is reported that 2,5 million people saw Pope Benedict at papal events in 2011. Three men between the ages of 19 and 24 are arrested for the November 22 murder of Fr Senzo Mbokazi in Melmoth, Eshowe diocese. The matric pass rate in Catholic

schools for 2011 was 88,3%—lower than the previous year but significantly higher than the national pass rate of 70,2%. The 26 Catholic schools that write the IEB examinations achieved a 99,9% pass rate, also higher than the national rate. St John Vianney Seminary in Pretoria begins a new academic year under the guidance of newly installed rector Fr Molewe Simon Machingoane. The local edition of the Youth Catechism, or YouCat, is produced by Mariannhill Mission Press. Christians around South Africa protest against the proposed introduction of pornographic channels on subscription-only station Top TV. The bishops of the Democratic Republic of Congo call for the results of the country’s December elections, won by incumbent Laurent Kabila, to be scrapped because of voting irregularities. A group of Catholic leaders and theologians call on Catholic Republican primary candidates Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich to “stop perpetuating ugly racial stereotypes”, especially when referring to President Barack Obama.

FEBRUARY

The bishops of Southern Africa condemn the education crisis in the Eastern Cape. The Vatican downplays corruption allegations made on Italian television, based on a leaked letter by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, written when he was secretary-general of the commission governing Vatican City. At a Mass marking the 15th anniversary of the legalisation of abortion in South Africa, Fr PeterJohn Pearson, director of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO), calls for “burning anger about this holocaust”, referring to the estimated million abortions since 1997. On behalf of the SACBC’s Professional Conduct Committee, Fr Desmond Nair of Durban presents a paper at a four-day international symposium in the Vatican on the local response to the abuse of minors by clergy. The Congregation of Mariannhill Missionaries in KwaZuluNatal is placed under administration, with the congregation’s vicar-

general Fr Bheki Shabalala CMM appointed administrator. Syriac Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan warns that deposing Syria’s dictator Bashar al-Assad might lead to the persecution of Christians. In a joint operation between the CPLO and the Jesuit Institute, daily Lenten reflections are e-mailed to parliamentarians and other interested people. A high-profile US federal lawsuit accusing Pope Benedict of covering up the sexual abuse of minors is withdrawn. The Hope&Joy network launches a smartphone app offering a replica of the Stations of the Cross. Some 80 bishops, clergy and other participants take part in a joint conference in the Vatican by the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar and the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences to explore cooperation between the churches of the two continents. Franciscan Sisters Priscilla Katase and Winifred Mosololi of Assisi Farm near Bloemfontein are presented with the Emerging Farmers Award during the Master Dairy Association of South Africa awards. Pope Benedict creates 22 new cardinals, including former nuncio to Southern Africa, Cardinal Manuel Monteiro de Castro.

MARCH

Mgr Georg Ratzinger, brother of Pope Benedict, publishes a book of memories of life with his sibling, titled My Brother, the Pope. Benedictine Sister Dolores Hart, dressed in her black habit, is in the audience at the Academy Awards as a documentary on the movie star-turned-nun is nominated for an Oscar. Terrorist attacks on Christians in Africa, the Middle East and Asia have tripled in a seven-year period, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Holy See’s permanent observer to United Nations offices in Geneva, tells the UN Human Rights Council Italian Archbishop Mario Cassari is appointed apostolic nuncio to Southern Africa. He previously served in the Pretoria nunciature as secretary from 1985-89. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York says that White House officials have failed to consider the US

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A poster of Pope Benedict on a street in Havana before the papal visit to Cuba from March 26-28. On the same trip, the pope also visited Mexico. (Photo: Enrique de la Osa, Reuters) bishops’ concerns that a federal mandate governing employer coverage of contraception and sterilisation under the health care law violated religious freedom principles. Ten people are killed in a bomb attack during Mass on a Catholic church in Jos, Nigeria. Belgian Trappist monks’ Westvleteren 12 beer, with an alcohol content of 10,2%, is rated the world’s best beer by Californiabased Ratebeer. Pope Benedict visits Cuba, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, and Mexico. A TV commercial for Red Bull which joked about Jesus walking on water is pulled following protests from Christians and Muslims. Sr Hermenegild Makoro CPS takes over as secretary-general of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conferece (SACBC), with Fr Grant Emmanuel, formerly of Durban, as associate secretarygeneral. Catholics protest after 5FM disc jockey Gareth Cliff calls Pope Benedict “a sleazy old man”.

APRIL

Radio Veritas begins its broadcasts on the 576 medium wave frequency in the Gauteng area on Easter Sunday. The Redemptorists celebrate the centenary of their arrival in South Africa. Fr Edwin Gariguez from the Philippines is named one of six winners of the Goldman Environmental Prize, which carries a $150 000 award, for his long work in preventing a nickel mining operation from starting up in the island of Mindoro. President Jacob Zuma places a wreath on Archbishop Denis Hurley’s tomb in Durban’s Emmanuel cathedral and describes the late archbishop as a “hero”. Pope Benedict describes sex tourism and the trafficking of human beings for harvesting organs “evils that must be dealt with urgently since they trample on the rights of millions of men and women, especially among the poor, minors and handicapped”. National youth chaplain Fr Sammy Mabusela CSS is the victim of an attempted hijacking in Brits, Gauteng. Norbertine Father Pierre-Adrien Toulorge, who was guillotined during the French Revolution in 1793, is beatified in Coutances.

MAY

Fr Andrew Cox of Constantia, Cape Town is assaulted, stabbed, tied up and locked up overnight in a robbery. Pope Benedict formalises the recognition of German 12th century mystic Hildegard of Bingen as a saint. The world’s oldest bishop, Vietnamese Bishop Antoine Nguyen Van Thien, dies on May 13 in France at the age of 106. French Bishop Gery Leuliet is now the oldest at 102. Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, spokesman of the SACBC, says the “furore” over the painting “The Spear” by Brett Murray “has exposed a number of fault lines in our South African civic dis-

course” and voices concern at the use of the language of race. Italian television journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi publishes a book, Sua Santita (“Your Holiness”) based on a large collection of leaked documents, setting off the so-called VatiLeaks scandal. Soon after, the papal valet Paolo Gabriele is arrested on suspicion of having leaked papal documents to Mr Nuzzi. Free and fair elections in Zimbabwe will be impossible until political reform has been accomplished, Fr Oskar Wermter SJ of Harare warns. Figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) show that The Southern Cross ranks fifth among 14 audited weekly newspapers in sales of digital editions, ahead of Sunday Independent, and the Saturday editions of Pretoria News, Weekend Argus, Beeld and Die Burger.

JUNE

The 7th World Meeting of Families takes place in Milan. The 50th International Eucharistic Congress is held in Dublin. The Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith warns that US Sr Margaret Farley’s 2006 book, Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics, contains “erroneous propositions” on homosexual acts, same-sex marriage, masturbation and remarriage after divorce. In a short time the book moves from 142 982th place among all titles sold by amazon.com to number 15 on the list of Amazon best-sellers. A delegation of Iraqi parliamentarians meet with the CPLO during their visit South Africa to explore the post-apartheid social rebuilding process. The Vatican announces that Vatican Radio will end its shortand medium-wave broadcasts to Europe and North and South America as of July 1 and close its multilingual Vatican Information Service, saying the services are now available via the Internet. The new lectionary becomes available in Southern Africa. A summit on corruption brings together religious leaders, NGOs, and a representative of the Public Protector’s Office. The Catholic Church is represented by Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town. A bomb attack during Mass on the cathedral of Zaria, Nigeria, kills ten people. Bishop Peter Holiday of Kroonstad administers a blessing to President Zuma at the president’s request. The first-ever conference on spiritual direction in an African context is held in Johannesburg, hosted by St Augustine College and the Jesuit Institute. Black Consciousness activist and former priest John Sello Sebidi dies in Pretoria at 73. Bishop Mogale Paul Nkumishe dies at 74 on June 29, just half a year after retiring as bishop of Polokwane. He was previously bishop of Witbank.

JULY

The relics of St John Bosco, founder of the Salesian order, begin a two-week tour of South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho.

YEAR-END REVIEW Pope Benedict names German Archbishop Gerhard Müller prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. UNESCO declares the church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank, a world heritage site. Catholic officials are concerned that the United Nations agency might not keep its promise of noninterference. The archdiocese of Pretoria stages its Eucharistic Congress. The Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem alters a controversial caption which offers a less critical assessment of Pope Pius XII’s actions during World War II. Tanzanian Fr Laurenti Magesa tours South Africa as this year’s presenter of the Jesuit Institute’s Winter Theology. Franciscan Father Stan Brennan, founder of Boksburg’s St Francis Care Centre and Aids treatment pioneer, dies on July 6 at 83, just weeks after receiving a rare award from the Japanese government. Pretoria Catholic Frank van Velzen serves as assistant coordinator for the Catholic chaplaincy during the Olympic Games in London. Mgr William Lynn, 61, former secretary of clergy in the US diocese of Philadelphia, is sentenced to three to six years in prison after being found guilty on a charge of child endangerment. He is the first US priest to be convicted for failing to manage an abusive priest. The Scalabrini Centre in Cape Town wins an appeal against a Home Affairs decision to close the local Refugee Reception Office.

AUGUST

The bishops elect their new three top officials: Archbishop Brislin as president, Archbishop Jabulani Nxumalo of Bloemfontein as first vice-president, and Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Mthatha as second vice-president. They will assume their offices in January 2013. Zambia’s government deports Rwandan Fr Viateur Banyangandora, apparently over comments the priest made about a dispute between the state and cotton growers. The National Planning Commission presents its strategic plan for South Africa’s future, the National Development Plan, to President Zuma. CPLO research director Mike Pothier calls on the government to show the political will to implement the plan. Mitt Romney, Republican candidate for the US presidency, chooses Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate. It is the first time ever that both candidates for the vice-presidency—Mr Ryan and Democrat Joe Biden—are Catholics. A final thanksgiving Mass is celebrated before the demolition of Durban’s old St Augustine’s School, which will make way for the Denis Hurley Centre. The US archdiocese of Atlanta, Georgia, inherits 50% of the trademark and literary rights to Margaret Mitchell’s famous novel Gone With The Wind. Bishop Louis Ncamiso Ndlovu of Manzini, Swaziland, dies suddenly on August 27 at the age of 67.

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

Marcello Di Finizio, 49, spends a day on the dome of St Peter’s basilica in the Vatican to protest against Italy’s and Europe’s economic policies. Nigerian Archbishop John Olurunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja is presented with the Pax Christi International Peace Award by Bishop Kevin Dowling. Archbishop Henry Karlen, the Swiss-born former bishop of Umtata and Bulawayo, dies on October 28 at 90.

NOVEMBER

Women protest outside the Lonmin platinum mine on August 17, the day after police opened fire on striking miners outside the facility in Marikana, North-West Province. Thirty-four people died and 78 were injured in the shootings. (Photo: Siphiwe Sibeko, Reuters) Speaking out after the Marikana shootings, Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg says that “people are not simply killed. They are murdered.” The residence of Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart in Aleppo, Syria, is ransacked by rebels. The iconic Regina Mundi parish in Moroka, Soweto, turns 50. Cardinal Carlo Martini, one of the great Church leaders, dies on August 31 at 85 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

SEPTEMBER

The archdiocese of Johannesburg officially opens its newly-built chancery. Catholics in Durban march in protest against abortion, following a similar procession in Cape Town in August. Pope Benedict becomes the first pilgrim to sign up for World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro. The Pan African Congress of Catholic Laity, the first since 1982 and only third overall, takes place in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Yellow wristbands marking the Year of Faith are launched by Fr Desmond Royappen of Durban. Sr Bernard Ncube, a former Company of St Angela nun, social activist and politician, dies on September 7 at the age of 77. Pope Benedict visits Lebanon to launch the apostolic exhortation based on the Synod of Bishops on the Middle East in 2010. Bishop Michael Paschal Rowland, the first bishop of the diocese of Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal, from 1983 to 2005, dies on September 23 at 83. The president of the Swiss bishops’ conference, Bishop Markus Büchel, calls for local bishops to have a greater say over Church reforms, including the admission of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to the Eucharist. The German bishops’ conference issues a decree that excludes Catholics who opt out of paying Church tax from receiving the sacraments. Subscription channel DStv officially refuses requests to include Catholic TV channel EWTN in its South African package. It is forced

to reinstate EWTN in its Nigerian bouquet after protests. Three people are killed in a suicide bomb attack on a Catholic church in the northern Nigerian province of Bauchi.

OCTOBER

Pope Benedict leads the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council and launches the Year of Faith. The world’s bishops meet in the Vatican for the Synod of Bishops for the New Evangelisation. Paolo Gabriele is found guilty of aggravated theft in leaking papal documents. In November the Vatican court also convicts computer technician Claudio Sciarpelletti. Seven new saints are canonised: Ss Kateri Tekakwitha, Jacques Berthieu SJ, Mother Marianne Cope, Pedro Calungsod, Fr Giovanni Battista Piamarta, Sr Carmen Salles Barangueras and Anna Schäffer. Pope Benedict proclaims St Hildegard of Bingen and 16th-century Spanish priest St John of Avila as Doctors of the Universal Church. St John Vianney Seminary includes the prison ministry apostolates in its curriculum. Margherita Blaser, mother of Radio Veritas station director Fr Emil Blaser OP, turns 108.

After an eventful year of difficult negotiations between the Vatican and the schismatic Society of St Pius X, the pontifical commission “Ecclesia Dei” acknowledges a stalemate but says that talks will continue. US President Barack Obama is re-elected; polls show that he won 50-51% of the Catholic vote against Mitt Romney’s 47-48%. Pope Benedict establishes the Pontifical Academy of Latinity. Mgr Anthony Seba of Cape Town turns 100. The Anglican Church’s new archbishop of Canterbury will be Bishop Justin Welby of Durham. The Vatican laicises US-based priest Roy Bourgeois, 74, over his participation in an illicit ordination of a woman priest. In the run-up to the ANC’s elective conference in Mangaung in December, Bishop Barry Wood, liaison bishop for Justice & Peace, calls on the party’s members to vote for candidates that will have a positive impact on their communities, especially the vulnerable. Pope Benedict publishes the third and final book in his Jesus of Nazareth series. As the Church of England votes against allowing women to become bishops, Ellinah Wamukoya of Swaziland becomes the first female Anglican bishop in Africa. Archbishop Brislin signs the decree that authorises the establishment of a Neocatechumenal seminary in Cape Town. Pope Benedict creates six cardinals—none from Europe—including Archbishop Onaiyekan. The Hope&Joy network winds down, having accomplished its objectives of helping local Catholics prepare for the 50th anniversary of Vatican II and the Year of Faith.

In Memoriam

Cardinal John Foley, 76, American ex-Vatican official, on December 11, 2011 Bishop Michael Coleman, 72, retired of Port Elizabeth, on December 17 Fr Noel Peters OMI, 73, of Durban, on January 28, 2012 Bishop Everardus Baaij, 91, retired of Aliwal North, on January 31 Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, 88, former archbishop of Philadelphia, on January 31 Cardinal José Sanchez, 91, Filpino ex-prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, on March 9 Fr Joe Smith OMI, 93, of Johannesburg, on March 21 Fr Ian Laurenson OFM, 77, of Dundee, on April 1 Fr Leopold Meier OSB, 76, of Eshowe, on April 3 Cardinal Ignace Moussa Daoud, 81, Syrian ex-prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, on April 7 Cardinal Luis Aponte Martínez, 89, of Puerto Rico, on April 10 Fr Jan Kavelaars O.Praem, 77, of Cape Town, on May 23 Cardinal Rodolfo Quezada Toruño, 80, of Guatemala City, on June 4 Bishop Mogale Paul Nkumishe, 74, retired of Polokwane, on June 29 Fr Stan Brennan OFM, 83, of Boksburg, on July 6 Cardinal Eugenio de Araujo Sales, 91, retired of Rio de Janeiro, on July 9 Fr Vincent Kupiso SAC, 79, of Pietermaritzburg, on August 13 Fr George Purves OMI, 81, of Durban, on August 14 Fr Ignatius Heer CMM, 79, of Mariannhill, on August 14 Cardinal Paul Shan Kuo-hsi, 88, retired of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on August 22 Bishop Louis Ncamiso Ndlovu, 67, of Manzini, Swaziland, on August 27 Cardinal Carlo Martini, 85, retired of Milan, on August 31 Cardinal Fortunato Baldelli, 77, former Vatican official and diplomat, on August 20. Fr Simon Nyirenda SVD, 40, of the Lumko Institute, on September 2 Bishop Michael Paschal Rowland OFM, 83, retired of Dundee, on September 23 Fr Bonginkosi Mkhize, 49, of Pretoria, on October 1 Bishop Henry Karlen CMM, 90, retired of Bulawayo and Mthatha, on October 28 Fr Alois Plankensteiner MCCJ, 80, formerly of Witbank and Pretoria, on November 1

Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path. (Ps 119:105) The Rector and the Board of Governors of Catholic Bible College regret to announce the closing of the College in its present form on 31 December 2012. We wish to thank all past students, staff, friends and funders of the College for your continued support over the past 13 years. The Biblical apostolate of the College will continue under the auspices of St Augustine College.

As the year draws to a close, we wish all our benefactors and friends God’s richest blessings over the Advent and Christmas Seasons. May 2013 be a year of Faith, Hope and Love for us and our country - Bernadette Chellew

Catholics gather around the glass casket containing an effigy and relics of St John Bosco, founder of the Salesian order, in Robertsham, Johannesburg, in July. The relics came to Southern Africa as part of a world tour. (Photo: Mark Kisogloo)

Postal Address: PO Box 1954, ROSETTENVILLE 2130 ♦ Street Address: 13 Fifth Street, LA ROCHELLE 2190 E-mail: rector@catholicbiblecollege.co.za ♦ Website: www.catholicbiblecollege.co.za College Phone: 011 435 7997 ♦ Fax: 011 436 1317 ♦ Student Phone: 011 436 2903 Registered as a Nonprofit Organization with Department of Social Development Certificate No. 031-041-NPO

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

YEAR-END REVIEW

Snapshots of 2012

People holding candles form a cross during a vigil in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican on October 11 to mark the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS)

Seminarian John-Paul Mathebula carries a crucifix during the Eucharistic Congress of the archdiocese of Pretoria in July.

A church steeple is seen in the foreground as the Costa Concordia cruise ship lies on its side after it ran aground off the west coast Italian island of Giglio. The huge vessel keeled over on January 13 with more than 4 000 on board, killing 32 and injuring dozens. (Photo: Max Rossi, Reuters)

Syrian refugees walk after collecting water at the Al Zaatri refugee camp in the Jordanian city of Mafraq on July 31. (Photo: Muhammad Hamed, Reuters)

Dancers carry a globe as they perform during Pope Benedict’s meeting with young people in the square outside the Maronite patriarch’s residence in Bkerke, Lebanon, on September 15. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS)

The moon shines over St Peter’s basilica in the early morning of February 11 after snowfall at the Vatican. This was the second snowfall in a week in a city where snow is as rare as a papal conclave. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS) A “supermoon” creates a dramatic backdrop for the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro on May 6. The supermoon phenomenon occurs when the moon is slightly closer to the earth in its orbit than usual. (Photo: Ricardo Moraes, Reuters)

A Palestinian man reacts during a rally in the West Bank city of Ramallah on November 29. The UN General Assembly approved a resolution to grant Palestine observer status, implicitly recognising a Palestinian state. The Vatican welcomed the decision and emphasised its support for a two-state solution. (Photo: Marko Djurica, Reuters/CNS)

ST PATRICK’S COLLEGE, KIMBERLEY

HEAD OF COLLEGE: Mr BR Phillips TYPE OF SCHOOL: Day and Boarding School Grade 7 to 12, Co-Educational, grade PR/00 to Matric, Nursery School (2½ to 4 years) EXAMINATION SYSTEM: Independent Examinations Board (IEB) Number of Pupils: 520, Teacher Pupil Ratio: 1:20, Number of Boarders: 30, Religion: Catholic, (All faiths are welcome)

170 Du Toitspan Road, Belgravia, Kimberley 8301 PO Box 10281, Beaconsfield 8315, South Africa Tel: 053 831 1558 Fax: 053 831 1669 stpatskby@mwebbiz.co.za www.stpatricks.co.za

Springfield Convent School wishes the Bishops, Parish Priests, Staff, Parents, Girls and Past Pupils a blessed Christmas filled with peace, love and joy

FOCUS

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

Papal penmen: Pope Benedict's literary predecessors Pope Benedict has become a prolific author even while steering the barge of St Peter. FRANCIS X ROCCA looks at some other popes who were among the authors.

HE publication of Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, which completes Pope Benedict’s popular threevolume series on the life and teachings of Christ, is the latest reminder of the author’s prolific output, now amounting to more than 60 books. One of the most prominent theologians of his generation, Pope Benedict has produced studies in a wide range of specialised fields, including Mariology, Christology, ecclesiology, ecumenism and eschatology. He has written collections of prayers, meditations and even an autobiography, all displaying his characteristic combination of rigorous scholarship and a lucid style accessible to the educated general reader. And then there are his official papal documents, including an encyclical on the virtue of faith expected to appear in early 2013. Pope Benedict’s literary accomplishments clearly distinguish him from the ranks of Church leaders past and present. Yet he is not the only distinguished writer ever to have occupied the papal throne. Among the works of St Gregory I (590604), known as “Gregory the Great”, is The Dialogues, which historian Eamon Duffy has called “one of the most influential books of the Middle Ages”. A collection of biographies of 6th-century Italian saints, it gives most attention to St Benedict of Nursia, the founder of Western monasticism. The chapter titles clearly convey St Gregory's emphasis on miracles, as well as his storyteller’s knack for grabbing the reader's attention: “How Benedict, by the sign of the Holy Cross, broke a drinking glass in pieces”; “How a loaf was poisoned, and carried far off by a crow”; and “How the man of God knew that one of his monks had received certain handkerchiefs”. A former monk himself, who unhappily gave up contemplative life when he was elected pope, St Gregory wrote a set of guidebooks, Pastoral Care, on the proper selection of priests, the virtues necessary for pastoral life and the need for variety in preaching to different audiences. “For the things that profit some often hurt others,” St Gregory writes, “the medicine which abates one disease aggravates another; and the food which invigorates the life of the strong kills little children.” A different writer for a different age was Pope Pius II (1458-64), formerly Aeneas Silvio Piccolomini, a famous Renaissance humanist scholar and writer. A libertine in his youth, with several illegitimate children, he renounced his dissolute ways at the age of 40 and became a priest. But his notorious novel Tale of Two Lovers remained as a legacy of his former life. Scandalous in another sense is Pope Pius’ 13-volume autobiography, The Commentaries, written after he became pope, which recount the intrigue and ambition of the Renaissance papal court in fascinating first-hand detail. Not least among the current pope’s literary forerunners was the man who immediately preceded him.

As Karol Wojtyla, Bl John Paul II was not only an academic philosopher but a poet and playwright. He was especially active as a creative writer in his 20s and 30s, as a priest in post-war communist Poland, when he wrote under pen names to avoid confusion with his scholarly and religious works. Bl John Paul's play Our God’s Brother is based on the true story of a Polish painter, St Adam Chmielewski, who founded a mendicant religious order (and whom the pope canonised in 1989). Another play, The Jeweller’s Shop, the story of three marriages, presents matrimony as not merely a sentimental relationship but an image of Trinitarian love. The future pope’s poetry draws directly on his youthful experiences, including his work in a limestone quarry, and though not explicitly religious in its references, reflects a deeply Christian inspiration. “His muscles grew into the flesh of the crowd, energy their pulse. As long as they held a hammer, as long as his feet felt the ground,” he writes in The Quarry. “But the man has taken with him the world's inner structure, where the greater the anger, the higher the explosion of love.”—CNS

As priest and later bishop of Krakow in the 1960s, Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, was a prolific writer. (CNS file photo)

St Augustine est. 1999 South Africa’s only Catholic univer versi sity Doctoral Degrees A Doctor of Philosophy degree is offered in Theology and Philosophy.

Masters Degrees The Master of Philosophy degrees are in Applied Ethics, Culture and Education, Philosophy, Religious Education, Pastoral Theology and Theology.

Honours Degrees These degrees are in Religious and Values Education, Theology and Peace Studies.

Undergraduate Degrees We offer degrees in Commerce, Humanities and Theology: BCom PPE – This is a BCom specialising in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and enables students to enter into a very wide range of corporate jobs. BTh – Subjects include Pastoral Theology, Biblical Studies and Systematic Theology. BA – The major subjects are Psychology, History, Philosophy, Politics and English Literature.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

We would like to wish all our Parishioners at the Most Holy Redeemer and Sacred Heart Parish, Rustenburg, a Blessed Christmas and a Prosperous New Year rtbcatholic@telkomsa.net

Undergraduate applications open until 20 J anuary 2013.

BIG enough to make a difference and small enough to care.

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

BOOK REVIEWS

Who killed Gandhi? GANDHI AND THE UNSPEAKABLE: His Final Experiment With Truth, by James W Douglass. Orbis Books (New York). 2012. 168pp. ISBN: 9781570759635 Reviewed by Paddy Kearney CCORDING to James W Douglass, Americans have no problem in accepting that their government has been involved in political assassinations around the world for many years. But they have a strange reluctance to believe that assassination is a weapon that the US government could also turn on its own citizens. Douglass has been chipping away at this denialism through extensive research and writings on four well-known assassinations in the US: John F Kennedy and his brother Bobby, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Douglass, a Catholic social and peace activist, has no doubt that each of these assassinations was planned and organised by agents of the “military-industrial complex and its intelligence agencies”. In this slim volume, Douglass turns his attention to an earlier assassination on another continent, worlds away from the US. He argues that the shooting of Mahatma Gandhi was carried out with at least the collusion of the Indian government, if not its direct and active involvement. What makes Gandhi’s assassination all the more remarkable (or perhaps one should say “Unspeakable”) is that it took place in 1948 just six months after India had celebrated its independence from Britain—an achievement generally accredited to Gandhi, regarded as the father of the nation. Gandhi and the Unspeakable sets

out the evidence for Douglass’s claim that the Mahatma was killed “by forces determined to destroy both him and his vision of a non-violent, democratic India”. The new government seemed to have quickly replaced their founding father’s principles of non-violence with those of a national security state. Gandhi knew Nathuram Godse, the man who shot him and who had previously failed in an attempt to kill him by means of a bomb. True to his profoundly non-violent philosophy, Gandhi had invited Godse to spend a week with him so that he would learn the power of non-violence. Gandhi also knew VD Sawarkar, the Hindu religious leader who promoted the idea of assassination as a strategy to achieve change; Sawarkar was in the background, scheming the demise of his great intellectual rival. The two men’s views of India and its future could not have been more different: violence vs nonviolence; terrorism vs satyagraha (“soul force”), assassination vs martyrdom. Though India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, professed to be a great friend and admirer of Gandhi and was clearly distressed by his assassination, he had not taken obvious steps to protect Gandhi after the earlier attempt on his life. Standard government security procedures should have been put into operation, with those responsible for the failed

attempt arrested. Instead they were left totally free to make another attempt. The negligence and inaction of the police made them just as guilty as the murderers themselves. But Douglass always speaks of “assassins” in the plural to stress that Godse was simply the instrument of a much wider movement to get rid of Gandhi who was seen as a threat to the Indian nation. Sawarkar and his supporters feared that Gandhi’s idea of non-violence would weaken the Indian people and lead to their destruction. The only solution was to remove Gandhi from the scene: that would be the end of his crazy notions. But Nehru was also to blame. He had already betrayed Gandhi in an even more insidious way, by his secret efforts to research and develop India’s capacity to make the atomic bomb. How could he profess to admire Gandhi so greatly and yet be involved in promoting nuclear warfare? It is this disjuncture between words and actions that Douglass labels “the Unspeakable”. He derives the term from Thomas Merton who defines “the Unspeakable” in these terms: “It is the void that contradicts everything that is spoken even before the words are said; the void that gets into the language of public and official declarations at the very moment when they are pronounced, and makes them ring dead with the hollowness of the abyss.”

FATHER RALPH DE HAHN

PRAYERFULLY WISHES ALL CLERGY, RELIGIOUS AND FRIENDS A HOLY & BEAUTIFUL FEAST

May this awesome Incarnation ﬁll your heart with fascination; kneel before the Lord who came to heal the broken, blind and lame. May the wonder of His birth start love-ﬁres thro' the earth that your Christmas day may be an everlasting memory.

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The story of Catholic cycling star who defied the Nazis ROAD TO VALOR: A True Story of World War II Italy, the Nazis and the Cyclist Who Inspired a Nation, by Aili and Andres McConnon. Crown (New York), 2012). 352 pp. ISBN: 9780307590640 Reviewed by Graham Yearley ATHOLICISM plays a central role in Road to Valor, the story of Gino Bartali, the great Italian cyclist. Bartali won the Tour de France in 1938 (the last time it was run until after the war) and again, ten years later, in 1948. While others have now won the gruelling, multi-part Tour de France more than once, no one has done it so many years apart. Bartali was a fervent Catholic and, through his international fame at a young age, was acquainted with many in the highest circles of the Catholic hierarchy. It was through his friendship with Cardinal Elia Dalla Costa of Florence that Bartali was led into the Italian resistance. Bartali would carry forged identification papers in his bicycle seat between cities in the Nazi-occupied sector of Italy. In Italy as it was in Germany, travelling without the proper papers was dangerous for anyone, but for Jews, who had lost their status as citizens in Italy, being

caught without papers meant deportation and death. Through most of the war, Bartali kept a low profile as he was not eager to serve in the Fascist armies of Mussolini or, later, under the Germans. But occasionally while he was in the resistance, he would distract station workers and police as trains pulled into stations (the moment of greatest danger for those travelling illegally) by revealing himself as the international cycling star, creating a furore with adoring fans and allowing trains to pass unchecked. The authors of Road to Valor are the brother and sister team of Aili and Andres McConnon. Aili is a journalist; her brother is a filmmaker and historical researcher for several books. While they deserve credit for bringing to light the story of Bartali’s wartime activities which remained secret for decades, one could wish they wrote more graceful English. Despite some clunkers—a cyclist resists Bartali’s attempts to throw him off his lead in a race with “unyielding fluidity that refused to be baited”—the story of Gino Bartali is a fascinating one. He was a competitive man who sought fame tirelessly as a cyclist, but remained completely silent on his work that saved hundreds of lives.—CNS

Mafia boss’ daughter writes about her life THE GODFATHER’S DAUGHTER: An Unlikely Story of Love, Healing, and Redemption, by Rita Gigante with Natasha Stoynoff. Hay House. 2012. 256pp. ISBN: 978-1401938802 Reviewed by Günther Simmermacher ITA Gigante was five years old when she inadvertently witnessed the brutal assault of some hapless hood at the hands of her father, the New York mafia boss Vicente “The Chin” Gigante. She suppressed the memory of that scene for more than four decades, growing up with her father’s “profession” being kept a secret from her. Vicente Gigante died on December 19, 2005, and now his youngest daughter has written her memoirs, as the daughter of a godfather. It is a story worth telling: the life of a mafia boss is self-evidently extraordinary— for years Gigante methodically feigned mental illness to evade justice. But he is also recognisably human. He loves his Italian mother, he is a distant yet affectionate father, he has obsessive–compulsive disorder, practises his Catholic faith devoutly, and so on. We learn that Gigante lived austerely: for him the life of organised crime was about power, not money. Rita Gigante also focuses on her mother, moved out with the kids to New Jersey, out of harm’s way—and out of sight of Vicente’s mistress, with whom he also has a family. The story is infused with Catholic culture. The mob boss keeps all manner of Catholic paraphernalia on his bedside table, rosaries with beads the size of cherries are prayed, medical cures are attributed to the intervention of the Blessed Virgin, patronal

feasts are celebrated, Vicente’s brother is a priest and so on. Even the author is named after a saint. Rita Gigante is not entirely positive about the Catholic Church; the final break comes when she realises that she is homosexual, a reality which she believes places her outside Catholicism—but not removed from God’s love. Her struggles with faith, sexuality, depression and living in the shadow of organised crime provide the book with a solid frame. She relates movingly about traumatic experiences and her broken relationship with her father, and about their reconciliation. The godfather eventually dies in jail, and Rita’s memoirs take a bizarre turn. By then she had become a “healer”, combining Christian theology with New Age philosophy. Suddenly the spirit of the freshly deceased Vicente appeared to a series of psychics and eventually to Rita, eloquently communicating his wish to collaborate with his daughter in her healing ministry and voicing repentance for his lifestyle. To readers not inclined towards matters of supernatural visitations, that section of the narrative might seem preposterous; and the posthumous conversion absurd. The Godfather’s Daughter is predicated on an enticing concept, but it is not entirely satisfying. Paradoxically, given that this is a memoir, there is just a little too much of Rita when the main attraction—the reason people will buy this book—is Vicente. The book’s co-writer, Natasha Stoynoff, does well to maintain Rita’s voice, but might have excised the swearing which at times is just unnecessarily gratuitous.

BOOK REVIEWS

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

This itinerary of the Holy Land is a treat THE HOLY LAND TREK: A Pilgrims’ Guide, by Günther Simmermacher. Southern Cross Books (Cape Town). 2012. 220pp. ISBN: 978-0992181703 Reviewed by Paddy Kearney F you have made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, or are planning to—even if you are only dreaming about such a trip because you don’t have the funds—The Holy Land Trek is a wonderful treat. The author, Günther Simmermacher, well known as the editor of The Southern Cross since 2001, has been on a number of Holy Land pilgrimages. Regular readers of The Southern Cross will have seen his interesting articles about these visits, but it is only now, with the publication of The Holy Land Trek, that we become fully aware of what a fund of historical, geographical, architectural and archaeological knowledge he has built up over the years, and how well he marshalls a mass of material, presenting it simply and vividly—with the characteristic Simmermacher humour and irony. Archbishop Stephen Brislin states in the foreword: “This book invites you to embark on a journey of faith, to ‘come and see’ where the historical Jesus lived and stayed, taught and healed, loved and suffered. It is an invita-

tion to reflect on—and in some way experience—the great drama of salvation history.” It was that “search for the historical Jesus, the concrete roots of the Church” that first motivated what has now become a passion for Simmermacher. Of course, the cynical modern pilgrim or reader will want to know whether all the places which purport to be where Jesus was born, where he was baptised, fed the five thousand, died and was buried, really can be trusted as such. Not for us the medieval piety which asked no questions about these issues. Simmermacher regularly reminds us that what really matters is not whether each of these holy places is at the precise spot, but that they give powerful reminders of the events of Jesus’ life and ministry and inspire reflection and prayer.

he Holy Land Trek provides the reader with a carefully planned, comprehensive tour of all the main shrines to be visited, starting in Jesus’ home town of Nazareth and ending in Jerusalem with the Via Dolorosa, the church of the Holy Sepulchre and the sites of post-resurrection appearances. The author has arranged the text in just the way he would

photos, and more, are available in colour on the website set up specifically for the book at www.holylandtrek.com).

lead a group of pilgrims, eager for snippets of background information, the occasional reference specially for South Africans, jokes and fascinating stories, tips about good places to celebrate Mass, as well as how to find the best shopping bargains. Most important, Simmermacher has a fine sense of building up to the climax of Jesus death, resurrection and ascension. A large number of photos enlivens the text, though you’ll have to buy the e-book version to see these in full colour (all the

o-one can make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land without some awareness of the huge political tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, the former deeply insecure about their future in the midst of what seems an overwhelmingly hostile neighbourhood, traumatised by suicide bombers, and ever aware of the tragedy of the Shoah; the latter deeply frustrated by lives constantly hemmed in and controlled by the Israeli government in ways that not even apartheid South Africa dreamed of. Simmermacher makes repeated references to this seemingly intractable conflict, and especially to the harsh restrictions that Palestinians face in their daily lives. This is a conflict that seems to only get worse. In the midst of such a conflict—surely the main obstacle to world peace—Christians sometimes give a poor example of how to resolve even petty disputes. It is well known that the most sacred of holy places, the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, is a battle ground between Armenians and Orthodox, Copts and Ethiopians.

Ways to defend the Catholic faith with civility HOW TO DEFEND THE FAITH WITHOUT RAISING YOUR VOICE: Civil Responses to Catholic Hot-Button Issues, by Austen Ivereigh. Our Sunday Visitor (Huntington, Indiana). 2012. 160 pp. ISBN: 9781612785387 Reviewed by Daniel Mulhall USTEN Ivereigh’s How to Defend the Faith Without Raising Your Voice is a book that will be of interest to book

clubs and Catholic discussion groups. Ivereigh is an English journalist and author on Catholic issues. He formerly served as a deputy editor of the British Catholic magazine The Tablet. He is the founder of Catholic Voices, a group that prepares people to speak to the media on Catholic issues. The book is a product of that group. Ivereigh’s premise is simple:

Catholics are continually being asked by friends and colleagues to speak on behalf of the Church; this book provides us with the language and information we need to present the Church’s teaching to the best of our abilities. The book, he writes, is “the result of a group of Catholics getting together to prepare themselves” to address important issues. It reflects the method they

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have developed to present answers “quickly, compellingly, and sound(ing) like a human being”. The book offers clear, wellthought-out presentations on topics of the Church and politics, homosexuality, contraception, religious freedom, assisted suicide, sexual abuse by clergy and several others, all from a thoroughly Catholic point of view.— CNS

These petty but violent squabbles between Christian groups have gone on for so long that they can even affect trifling aspects of the positioning of furniture or equipment. Simmermacher goes into some detail about a ladder which can be seen in a window on the facade of the church of the Holy Sepulchre. With Teutonic tenacity he researched how long this ladder has been in this extraordinary position and discovered that it has been there for at least three centuries, waiting for someone to put it away in the storeroom! No one has the slightest idea why it was put on the window ledge of the church in the first place and no one would now dare move it because of the rumpus that would cause with one or other Christian group. Jewish and Muslim observers must say to themselves: “See how these Christians hate one another!” This is just one example of many stories that make The Holy Land Trek a must-read. This book is a wonderful companion for the Year of Faith.

n The Holy Land Trek can be ordered at R150 (plus R15 p&p) or R120 for the eBook version at www.holylandtrek.com or e-mail books@scross.co.za or call 021 465-5007.

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

PERSONALITY

CATHOLIC HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATION

We wish all CATHCA member organisations and friends God’s blessings, peace and joy for the celebration of Christ’s birth this Christmas. May the year ahead be health-filled and be a time of Hope and Joy. Thank you for partnering with us as we strive to bring quality healthcare to all especially the poor and marginalised people in our communities.

The Board of Management and Staff of CATHCA

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ASSUMPTION CONVENT SCHOOL

Comedian Kevin James wants to ‘glorify God in every way’ By MARK PATTISON

E doesn’t exactly advertise it, but TV’s “King of Queens” is a Catholic family man. Kevin James, who played Doug Heffernan for nine seasons on the sitcom The King of Queens and has since branched out into movies, has no problem talking about his values and how they affect his career. “I am involved in my faith, it becomes more and more—you know, it becomes a difficult, difficult position. You have a platform and you don’t want to do anything that doesn’t glorify God in every way,” James said. “I can’t play a priest in every film, either. You definitely want to have a positive message. I want to be able to sit and watch my movies with my children,” added James, who is married with two daughters and one son. Having control over and writing the material, according to him, is a key to “be inspiring and [to] move people in a positive way.” In his upcoming film comedy Here Comes the Boom, James, 47, plays a high school science teacher who once loved his work but has “lost his mojo”, as he put it, but gets it back when budget cuts threaten the job of the music teacher (Henry Winkler), who never lost his love of teaching. James’ character even goes so far as to train to be a mixed martial arts fighter—which James did in real life to prepare for the movie—in the belief that even a loser’s payday in such a bout will reap the bucks necessary to save the music programme. Here Comes The Boom, which also features Salma Hayek, is scheduled to open in South Africa on December 21. It’s not that James admits to some road-to-Damascus moment that made his faith all the more relevant to him.

Kevin James is pictured in a scene from the movie Here Comes the Boom. The Catholic actor, who played Doug Heffernan for nine seasons on the sitcom The King of Queens and has since branched out into movies, says he has no hesitation about discussing his faith and values and how they affect his career. (Photo: Sony) “I was born and raised Catholic and absolutely love my faith and learn more and more about it all the time,” he said. “It’s nice to have that going into whatever you do, whatever part of life you take upon yourself.” It might have been, though, that James had his own lost-hismojo moment. “I’ve been very guilty, a lot, of not knowing my faith too much and just praying when I needed it when something bad happened in my life and not being thankful when things turned good,” he said. “The more I realised how important it is, the more I want to learn about it and do the right thing. All good is from him [God], and so I want to honour him. It’s honestly about learning more and instilling that in my kids and my friends, and those around me.” Even before he hit it big on the small screen with The King of Queens, James was known as a standup comic who worked

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clean—but not necessarily as a byproduct of his faith. “It was easier to get on television and it was more universal” than using coarse language, he said. “I saw people who were kind of filthy in the clubs and they were very, very funny [in] what they were doing. But you weren’t going to be able to get on [Jay Leno’s] The Tonight Show. I was selfish—I didn’t want to have to change my material.” James has been in the public eye for 14 years, first with The King of Queens and a series of mostly hit film comedies including Hitch, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Zookeeper and Grown-Ups and its sequel. What if it all comes to an end? “There’s always that possibility,” James replied, “It’s his will, not mine. If it doesn’t happen, I’ve definitely had a great run. I’ll continue to do it, or find my path to something else. He’s given me the platform to do it. It’s great, yeah, I love it.”—CNS

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CINEMA

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

Nuns on film Nuns, both real-life and fictional, have received the cinematic treatment. KURT JENSEN remembers some notable nuns in Hollywood movies.

ITH the Vatican’s doctrinal assessment of the US Leadership Conference of Women Religious and its calls for reform of the organisation—and the ongoing debate surrounding the assessment—nuns have been in the news this year. They also continue to be, as they have been for decades, an intermittent presence in popular culture. Just a few months ago, women religious made their most recent appearance on movie screens, though it was hardly one of their more favorable portrayals. Co-directors Bobby and Peter Farrelly’s The Three Stooges featured women religious prominently, and identified them as members of a real-life religious order, the Sisters of Mercy. (The Farrelly brothers, it seems, have two aunts in that community.) All the more unfortunate, then, that these characters were portrayed in a cruel, vulgar and sometimes violent light. Happily, ‘twas not ever thus: A reverential atmosphere permeated 1943’s screen version of author Franz Werfel’s The Song of Bernadette. Director Henry King’s film featured Jennifer Jones, in her screen debut, as Bernadette Soubirous, the youthful French visionary of Lourdes, who afterwards became a Sister of Charity and Christian Instruction of Nevers. Jones won best actress at the Academy Awards for her portrayal of the future saint. The Song of Bernadette was also successful at the box office. So successful, in fact, that it paved the way for numerous other faiththemed pictures over the next two decades. The most recent Oscar nomination for an actress playing a nun went to Meryl Streep for her turn as Sr Aloysius Beauvier in Doubt (2008). Dramatist John Patrick Shanley directed this movie version of his sublime Pulitzer Prize-winning play about suspected sexual abuse in a 1960s parochial school. Nonetheless, his work can arguably be much better appreciated as a stage piece.

The stage version is also superior in the case of 1985’s Agnes of God, a murder mystery set in a convent. The Catholic News Service review called the screen adaptation—with Jane Fonda as a psychiatrist and Meg Tilly as the titular novice she’s brought in to assess—”pretentious and shallow”. The last Oscar actually garnered for a nun role went to Susan Sarandon for Dead Man Walking (1995). Sarandon portrayed the real-life Sr Helen Prejean, a Sister of St Joseph of Medaille who is an outspoken opponent of the death penalty. The film, based on her memoir of the same title and directed by Tim Robbins, dwelt little on religious life and instead focused on the powerful dialogues between Sarandon’s Sr Prejean and convicted killer Matthew Poncelet, played by Sean Penn.

orld War II notwithstanding, a far more lighthearted mood prevailed in 1945’s The Bells of St Mary’s. In this follow-up to the previous year’s Going My Way, we find Bing Crosby reprising his Oscar-winning role of Fr Charles “Chuck” O’Malley, this time opposite Ingrid Bergman as overworked school principal Sr Mary Benedict. Directed by Leo McCarey from an original script he co-wrote with Dudley Nichols, the film secured Academy Award nominations for both its leads as well as for McCarey. It also became the first sequel to be nominated for best picture. A far greater degree of immortality, however, was bestowed on the film by director Frank Capra, like McCarey a Catholic, when he put its title on the marquee of a cinema in fictional Bedford Falls. There it can be glimpsed as James Stewart’s George Bailey rushes home at the exultant finish to It’s A Wonderful Life (1946). Another bit of Hollywood lore: Just before beginning rehearsals for Maxwell Anderson’s 1946 play Joan of Lorraine and just as filming began for Joan of Arc (1948), the movie based on that play, Bergman performed in half-hour radio condensations of Bells of St Mary’s. So the imaginary Sr Benedict may have informed two portrayals of the historical St Joan. A very sweet, sadly underrated and deeply spiritual film, 1949’s Come to the Stable, was based on a Clare Boothe Luce short story about two French nuns from the fictitious Order of Holy Endeavour.

The Sisters of Mercy

wish you a Peaceful and Happy Christmas and a Blessed New Year

Srs Margaret (Loretta Young, a devout Catholic) and Scholastica (Celeste Holm, who died earlier this year) arrive in a fictional version of Bethlehem, Connecticut, to build a hospital. The power of prayer is mixed with a high-stakes tennis match and considerable finagling over a piece of property. Young and Holm both received Oscar nominations, together with a third cast member, Elsa Lanchester. Stable director Henry Koster was a dab hand at religiously themed pictures, including The Robe (1953), A Man Called Peter (1955) and The Singing Nun (1966). Directed and co-written (with John Lee Mahin) by John Huston, and set during World War II, 1957’s Heaven Knows, Mr Allison told the story of two victims of shipwreck: Marine Corporal Allison (Robert Mitchum) and Irishborn Sr Angela (Deborah Kerr). Based on the novel by Charles Shaw, the film shares similarities with Huston’s The African Queen (1951), but boasts more compelling dialogue.

Meryl Streep in Doubt (left) and Ingrid Bergman in The Bells of St Mary’s.

Jennifer Jones sees Mary in The Song of Bernadette (left); Audrey Hepburn as a conflicted religious in the Congo in A Nun’s Story.

eleased in 1959, director Fred Zinnemann’s The Nun’s Story was based on real events. Audrey Hepburn starred as Gabrielle van der Mal, a Belgian who in 1930 enters a convent and becomes known as Sr Luke. Sent to the Congo, she performs brilliantly as an assistant to an atheist physician (Peter Finch) treating tropical diseases. But she struggles with her vows because attracting funds for her work means she has to publicise herself. Lilies of the Field (1963) finds a group of East German nuns freshly arrived in New Mexico and eking out a meagre existence on farmland willed to their order. Believing he has been sent by God, they enlist itinerant handyman Homer Smith (Sidney Poitier, who won the Oscar for best actor) to build them a chapel. Smith, a Baptist, and Mother Maria (Lilia Skala, Oscar-nominated as best supporting actress) sling Bible quotations at each other as Mother Maria stubbornly insists that Smith won’t be paid for his work. Directed by Ralph Nelson from William E Barrett’s novel, the film popularised the call-and-response song “Amen” which has been the bane of summer church camps ever since. By no means a great piece of

Susan Sarandon as anti-capital punishment activist Sr Helen Prejean in Dead Man Walking; Celeste Holm and Loretta young in Come To The Stable.

Lilia Skala as a mother superior spars with Sydney Poitier in Lilies of the Field; Deborah Kerr as a shipwrecked nun in Heaven Knows, Mr Allison. cinema, The Trouble With Angels (1966) is nevertheless a good example of what movies involving Catholic nuns were like before the darker themes of works such as Doubt emerged. So take it as a time capsule. Ida Lupino directed this episodic comedy, based on the novel by Jane Trahey, about the misadventures of students Mary Clancy (Hayley Mills) and Rachel Devery (June Harding) at the St Francis

Academy for Girls, presided over by Rosalind Russell as Mother Superior. Bubble bath powder in the nuns’ sugar bowls? Woo-hoo! This still being the mid-1960s, however, maturity and respect for religious devotion settles in on the girls over time. By contrast with The Three Stooges, moreover, no nuns were harmed in the making of this motion picture.—CNS

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The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

PERSONALITY

Ironman priest: With a prayer across the finish line By PAULA DOyLE

ALIFORNIAN priest Father Thomas Baker recalls finishing a gruelling triathlon in Hawaii. Parts of the 3,9km swim, 180km bike race and a 42km marathon were tough, he said. That’s when, he said later, he “used the rosary, my mantras and the faces of all those praying for me to help me move forward”. The 53-year-old priest from Lancaster, north of Los Angeles, conquered a windy course in Kona, Hawaii, during the Ironman World Championship in October and crossed the finish line with a time of 13:33:36. Fellow 82-year-old competitor, Sr Madonna Buder, a member of the Sisters for Christian Community from Spokane—and 20-year veteran of the Ironman World Championships—thinks Fr Baker is the first Catholic priest to cross the finish line in Kona. Since Ironman officials do not track that type of data they were not able to confirm it. Sr Buder qualified for Kona this year by completing in Ironman Canada in August, becoming the oldest woman to take part in an Ironman. The strong winds slowed her biking in Kona, however, and she was not able to make the bike cut-off time before the marathon segment of the competition began. Fr Baker didn’t envision being an Ironman contestant when he started competing in triathlons when he was 26 and a seminarian at St John’s Seminary in Camarillo. In high school, he played American football, basketball and baseball. He started running, swimming and biking to exercise a knee he injured playing American football with his fellow seminarians.

Fr Thomas Baker, a parish priest from California, has completed 13 Ironman triathlons. He says the training for the gruelling competition is a good stress release from the demands of being a pastor. (Photo: Courtesy Father Baker, CNS) Although he successfully completed three short-distance triathlons before being ordained in 1989, he didn’t compete in the sport again until ten years later when he became a pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe parish in East Los Angeles and decided to enter a longer distance Olympic triathlon. In an interview with The Tidings, newspaper of the Los Angeles archdiocese, he said he found that training for triathlons was a good

stress release from the demands of being a pastor. The Hawaii Ironman was his 13th Ironman competition. Previously, triathletes had to finish in the top three in their age groups in a major event in order to qualify for Hawaii or get chosen in a lottery for one of 200 slots that people sign up to win. Every year for a decade, Fr Baker was one of thousands of hopefuls trying the Ironman lottery, only to

be disappointed. This year, Ironman officials changed the lottery, allocating 100 regular slots and 100 “legacy” category slots for those who have completed 12 Ironman triathlons and fulfilled other requirements. Fr Baker’s record put him in the legacy special drawing, and his name was selected in mid-April. He trained whenever he could, weekly swimming 8-11km, biking 240-400km and running 50-65km.

He kept up this pace until the third week of September when he gradually tapered down approximately 25% each week, allowing his body to recover enough for the Ironman. He said the local Knights of Columbus—the US version of the Knights of Da Gama—have been “big-time” supporters of his triathlon endeavours, giving him a Trek carbon fibre triathlon bike, helping him with transportation costs to events and providing jerseys for him imprinted with the Knights’ logo. Parishioners also have been inspired by Fr Baker’s example to start physical fitness programmes of their own. Parish clergy and clerical staff have stepped up their exercise efforts and one parishioner has even signed up for an Ironman competition in Arizona which was held in November. “To me, there’s so much connection between the body and the spirit—so many similarities about discipline and fortitude that I use in homilies and reflections,” the priest said. “In recent sermons, I talked a lot about training and wanting to give up when you’re doing a long training day but just pushing through, and that’s discipline, that’s fortitude and you can use the analogy in the spiritual life, and it’s very helpful,” he said. “If you can do it in your physical life, then when things get difficult in your social life, your emotional life, your spiritual life, you will have the fortitude to be able to withstand it. That’s really what I’ve learned by this journey the most.”—CNS

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

Sr Marie de Lourdes Olivier OP

AKFORD Dominican Sister Marie de Lourdes Olivier died on November 5, at the age of 86. Born Mavis Michele Elaine Olivier in Mount Edgecombe, KwaZulu-Natal, on August 29,1926, she entered the congregation at Oakford priory in 1947, making her first profession on November 22 the following year. Sr Marie was a very talented person and had the opportunity to study widely. She obtained, among others, a BA at the University of Durban, her Master of Theology at Regina Mundi University in Rome, a Speech and Drama degree at Lyon, France, and studied Spirituality in Pittsburgh, Duchesne University, van Kaam Institute, USA. All these gifts she used freely and joyfully in the congregation and Church. She occupied various positions of congregational leadership in South Africa and Eng-

land. She was immensely gifted intellectually and spiritually and had been a trusted counsellor to many people so it was easy to miss her vulnerability. In the Durban archdiocese she was responsible for the training and formation of lay leaders in the Church. She was involved in working with the youth and the young religious in formation. She loved to work with people and gave generous-

Liturgical Calendar Year C Weekdays Cycle Year 1

Sunday, December 23 Micah 5:1-4, Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19, Hebrews 10:510, Luke 1:39-45 Monday, December 24 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16, Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29, Luke 1:67-79. Evening vigil: Isaiah 9:1-6, Psalm 96:1-3, 1113, Titus 2:11-14, Luke 2:1-14 Tuesday, December 25, The Nativity of the Lord Dawn: Isaiah 62:11-12, Psalm 97:1, 6, 11-12, Titus 3:47, Luke 2:15-20. Day: Isaiah 52:7-10, Psalm 98:1-6, Hebrews 1:1-6, John 1:1-18 or 1:1-5, 9-14 Wednesday, December 26, St Stephen Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59, Psalm 31:3-4, 6, 8, 17, Matthew 10:17-22 Thursday, December 27, St John 1 John 1:1-4, Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12, John 20:1-8 Friday, December 28, The Holy Innocents 1 John 1:5, 2:2, Psalm 124:2-5, 7-8, Matthew 2:13-18 Saturday, December 29, St Thomas a Becket 1 John 2:3-11, Psalm 96:1-6, Luke 2:22-35 Sunday, December 30, The Holy Family Sirach 3:2-7, 12-14, Psalm 128:1-5, Colossians 3:12-21 or 3:12-17, Luke 2:22-40 or 2:22, 39-40

ly and graciously of her time and talents whenever she was asked. She represented the Frenchspeaking groups of ACI (Action Independente Catholique) who met in Mauritius and Madagascar. In 2005 she moved to the retirement home at Villa Siena in Pietermaritzburg where she had some good years until her mind became unclear and she went further and further into her own twilight world. She began to realise it slowly, and had to detach herself from many things: Preparing the liturgy, being sacristan and using the computer. Hardest of all was losing words and this limited her communication. She accepted it all humbly, letting herself be led—this former leader in the congregation—being as little trouble as possible to her carers. It was painful and also humbling to watch.

Southern CrossWord solutions

SOLUTIONS TO 529. ACROSS: 4 Deep bow, 8 In mind, 9 Repents, 10 Unload, 11 Italic, 12 Latinist, 18 Festival, 20 Debate, 21 Unfair, 22 Feeling, 23 Let off, 24 Gentile. DOWN: 1 Piously, 2 Emulate, 3 In vain, 5 Emeritus, 6 Prewar, 7 Obtain, 13 Infernal, 14 Aviator, 15 Clarify, 16 Serene, 17 Ballot, 19 Tunnel.

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CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

LAWRENCE—ELAINE, GARy AND ELLI, DEREK AND JANICE, WENDy AND WOLLy, VIVIAN AND ANDREW, LESLIE AND JOHAN AND THE GRANDCHILDREN, WISH ALL RELATIVES AND FRIENDS A HOLy CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPy AND PROSPEROUS NEW yEAR. GOD BLESS. LENDERS—Brian, Jean and Laura wish all relatives, friends, priests and religious and Mary Immaculate Queen Enthronees all the joy and love this Blessed Christmastide. May the Christ Child and the Holy Family surround you and your loved ones with serene peace and happiness. RENE AND ELAYNE DU TOIT wish all their family, friends and Mary Immaculate Queen family a Blessed Christmas and may the peace of the Christ Child fill you all with love and happiness and may 2013 be a Blessed year for you all. WISHING my family, my in-law families, all forgotten ones, my friends, Order of St Francis de Sales, Namaqualand, Parishioners of Holy Family, Our Lady of Fatima Parishioners Bellville, my Prayer Group, Bellville Rosary Group and the staff of The Southern Cross a Happy Christmas and best wishes for the New year 2013. Mary da Silva, Bellville.

IN MEMORIAM

ACCOM—Linnet Mavis. In

loving memory of our sister who passed away on December 24, 2007. Rest in peace, Brian, Jean and Laura. ACCOM—Ruby Mavis. In loving memory of our beloved mother on this eleventh anniversary of her passing on Christmas Day, 2001. May you join the heavenly choirs of angels and share in the rich inheritance promised by our glorious Lord. May Our Blessed Lady shield you under her mantle and may the Holy Family surround you with eternal joy and peace. Brian, Jean and Laura. MAYE—In memory of my darling family: My husband Steve, our sons Patrick and Kieran and our grandson Joshua. So very very close. We will never ever forget you. Maureen, Simon, Siobhan, Chris and all their families. TROW—Colin. 5/11/1927 –23/12/2011. In loving memory of my beloved husband. Rest in peace. Greatly missed by Thelma and family.

PERSONAL

ABORTION WARNING: ‘The Pill’ can abort, swiftly and undetected. It clinically makes the womb inhospitable, and rejects those early ‘accidental’ conceptions (new lives) which sometimes occur while using it. (Medical facts stated in its pamphlet) HOUSE-SITTER/AUPAIR: Based at Benoni Parish, will travel/with references. Ph Therèse 076 206 0627. NOTHING is politically right if it is morally wrong. Abortion is evil. Value life!

PRAYERS

“SEARCH ME, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”

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Website: www.scross.co.za Feast of the Holy Family: December 30 Readings: 1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28, Psalm 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10, 1 John 3:1-2, 21-24, Luke 2:41-52

T is a wise gesture on the part of the Church to invite us to celebrate the feast of the Holy Family on the Sunday after Christmas; for this can be a very stressful time in families, and all our families can seem a bit dysfunctional during these days of compulsory fun, a source of pain as well as joy. The readings teach us something about how God can be at work, even in families that are not working all that well. The first reading tells us the story of Hannah, who was so sad at not having had a baby, and was in consequence praying so loudly in the temple at Shiloh, that the prophet Eli had rebuked her for drinking too much. When she explains the situation to Eli, he is remarkably understanding, and expresses the wishes that her prayers may be answered. Naturally the Lord does what is asked of him, and then Hannah has to fulfil the promise that she has made, that if she is given a boy: “I will give him to the Lord for as long as he lives.” So when the child is born, the first year she refuses to go up to Shiloh with her husband, but she promises that she will do it “when he is weaned”. With classical biblical understatement the story leaves us simply to imagine the pain that she is enduring as she goes up

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God is at work in our families Nicholas King SJ

Sunday Reflections

and hands the boy Samuel over to God. God is at work in the young man’s life, however, for once he has been taught (by the Lord) how to pray, he becomes the prophet chosen by God to mastermind the transition of Israel into monarchy. But let us listen out for the sadness of that mother who has left her child at the temple. The psalm sings of the beauties of the temple, not the one that Samuel knew at Bethel, but the one built by David’s son Solomon, in Jerusalem. “How lovely are your dwellings, Lord of hosts; my soul is longing for the courts of the Lord”. Then we hear about those who, like the boy Samuel, live in the temple, “happy are those who dwell in your house...happy those in whose hearts are the pilgrimage roads”. In other words, the answer to any dysfunctionality in our families is simply to keep our eyes on God, simply to carry on journeying

towards God. That is perhaps the message of the second reading for the feast of the Holy Family, and the glimpse of how families are to work: “Look at what love the Father has given us, because we are called God’s children”, the writer exclaims. He makes a distinction between us, and “the world”, of whom he says: “It does not know us, because it did not know him.” If there is something wrong in a family, then just try to see where God is at work, and join in his happy thought that “if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God: Whatever we ask we get from him, because we keep his commandments” (and if you find yourself saying “Oh yeah?”, while thinking of certain other members of your family, then just look in the mirror tomorrow morning). Our job, he says, is to “believe the name of his son Jesus Christ, and love each other”. For “those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them”. There is our task in this post-Christmas period. The gospel for next Sunday reveals some of the stress implicit in family life, the story of the disappearance of the adolescent Jesus (and those of you who are parents will be able to imagine the anxiety his absence will

A Christmas that lasts forever S EVERAL years ago, just before Christmas, a young mother shared with me how, for her, one of the great joys of motherhood was that she got to see Christmas again through the eyes of her three young children. “It brings back the simple joys I no longer have as an adult, but that I once had as a child,” she said. “It’s so beautiful to see and experience Christmas through the eyes, the anticipation, the excitement, and the innocence of my own children. It’s like being a child again myself.” She found the joy of Christmas again, vicariously, through the happiness of her children. Most of us are not so lucky. As we get older, lose our naïveté, fill with the angers of mid-life and old age, experience failure, and need more realistically to face death, we become daily more hardened and cynical. When this happens, and it happens to us all as adults, it’s not so easy to experience the simple joy of Christmas. Too much inside of us, and around us, protests. It’s not easy to be an adult and still have the capacity for simple joy. So what do we do about Christmas? This feast is, after all, about simple joy, about child-likeness, about a baby, despite our sophisticated, adult attempts to somehow connect it and its message to the rawer, more adult, questions of life—injustice, war, wounds, unhappiness, anger, alienation,

Conrad

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Final Reflection

divorce, brokenness, death. Christmas is not Good Friday. That’s another feast, a day with a different meaning. On Good Friday all of us wounded, unhappy adults get our chance to luxuriate somewhat in the brokenness of it all. But that’s not what Christmas is about and we should not try to turn Christmas into Good Friday. Christmas is not about death, it’s about birth, and birth needs to be celebrated in a manner quite other than death. Our children know this. We need, at Christmas, to look into their eyes to see what we should be doing. At Christmas trust the child more than the theologian (especially the theologian on a crusade to deconstruct the simplicity of Christmas and turn this feast into a statement of anger and unrest). Listen to that particular theologian on another day. I suggest that he or she get the podium during Lent. But keep him or her silent at Christmas. Let the children speak then. Better yet, let them scream and shriek with joy as they open gifts and plunge headlong into the Christmas

pudding. That is the theological statement that more adequately expresses the meaning of Christmas. And we, the adults, need to let the joy of our own children be a prophetic statement. Their naive, unbridled joy can be the voice that, as Sirach says, turns the hearts of parents towards their children, not to mention towards what’s still best inside of them. If we want to let the feast of Christmas prophetically unsettle us, I suggest we might best do that by first looking at the joy of the very young and then looking into a mirror to see how unchildlike and unhappy we have become. One of our adult slogans about Christmas says: “May the peace of Christ disturb you!” However, at Christmas time, where Christ should disturb us most is precisely in our itch to disturb everybody else. Christmas offers us the rare permission to be happy. We should take it. Fr Karl Rahner (and I do appreciate the irony of quoting a theologian at this point!) once put it this way: In Christmas, God says to the world: “I am there. I am with you. I am your life. I am the gloom of your daily routine. Why will you not bear it? I weep your tears—pour out yours to me, my child. I am your joy. Do not be afraid to be happy, for ever since I wept, joy is the standard of living that is really more suitable than the anxiety and grief of those who think they have no hope. “This reality—the incomprehensible wonder of my Almighty Love—I have sheltered safely in the cold stable of your world. I am there. I no longer go away from this world, even if you do not see me now. I am there. It is Christmas. Light the candles. They have more right to exist than all the darkness. It is Christmas. Christmas that lasts forever.” We should not be afraid to be happy, to light the candles. They have more right to exist than the darkness. What our children feel at Christmas, however dark and inchoate that knowledge may be in them, is one of the deepest truths of all, God has given us permission to be happy. But now the choice is ours. As WH Auden says: “It lies within our power of choosing to conceive the child who chooses us.” It’s good to have been given permission to be happy.

have created). It starts (as Christmas does) with a nice warm feeling: The family going up annually to Jerusalem for Passover, the greatest feast of the Jewish year, and at the age of 12 Jesus going with them. You may feel, though, that the parents were a little careless leaving him behind in Jerusalem, since they have been told that he is really rather an important child. All children are important, of course, but he was unusually so. Then, after three days of anxious searching, Jesus’ mother reproachfully asks him how he could submit her and his father to such agony. Jesus implicitly denies that Joseph is his father, by retorting, “Didn’t you realise that I had to be on my Father’s mission?” As with many parents, “they did not understand the sentence that he had spoken to them”, but they shrug their shoulders, and this family, once more brought together by God, goes back home to Nazareth, and Jesus, rather to our relief, “was subject to them”. The story does not end there, however, for Luke tells us that: “Mary was keeping all these things in her heart.” That is something for us to do, as we contemplate the mystery of Christmas, and the mystery of our families.

Southern Crossword #529

ACROSS

4. Profound act of liturgical reverence (4,3) 8. How you keep your memories (2,4) 9. Shows remorse (7) 10. Relieve your burden (6) 11. Printer’s type of inclination (6) 12. He can translate the Tridentine Rite (8) 18. Day of religious celebration (8) 20. Bede at the discussion (6) 21. Not just dark hair? (6) 22. Touching emotion (7) 23. Exonerate to explode the firecracker (3,3) 24. This one’s not Jewish (7)

DOWN

1. Devoutly (7) 2. Bird, not the early one, to imitate (7) 3. Without success (2,4) 5. Sure time for title of honour (8) 6. Period before the conflict (3-3) 7. Boat in to acquire (6) 13. Like hell! (8) 14. He sounds like Pontius in flight (7) 15. Make it clear (7) 16. Untroubled from lesser energy (6) 17. Secret vote in papal conclave (6) 19. Kind of vision in underground passage (6) Solutions on page 25

CHURCH CHUCKLE

WO young brothers were spending the night at their grandparents’ house just before Christmas. When it was time to go to bed, they both knelt down to say their prayers. Suddenly, the younger one began praying very loudly: “Dear Lord, please ask Santa to bring me a PlayStation, a mountain-bike and a cellphone.” The older brother leaned over and said: “Why are you shouting your prayers? God isn’t deaf.” “I know,” the younger brother replied, “but Grandma is!” Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.

CHRISTMAS

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

What will you turn out to be? What does the birth of Jesus mean to us today? FR GRANT EMMANUEL, associate secretary general of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, reflects on that question, especially in light of the Year of Faith.

HAT will this Child turn out to be? (Lk 1:66). Yes, a line taken from scripture in which the joy and amazement of many is captured, as they appreciate the birth of John the Baptist. There must have been a wonderful buzz around the village—expectations must have been high and John the Baptist did not disappoint. Now, not long after the birth of John, and not too far away either, a miracle child was born. The angels rejoiced, shepherds stood in awe, wise men came from afar, holy men and women praised God. There was another wonderful buzz around the city. Expectations were even higher: “What will this child turn out to be?” And Jesus did not disappoint. Jesus did not disappoint his father or humanity because he turned out to be what God intended him to be: the Saviour of the World. Jesus surrendered his life to the will of the Father and in doing so he has fulfilled the hopes and expectations of many throughout the ages. Today there are many expectations placed upon people, be it parents upon their children, or children upon their parents, friends have certain expectations, people expect certain things of their priests, and spouses expect a great deal from each other. And we all expect a whole lot from the government. Sadly though, many of us are left disappointed. Why is it that the hopes and expectations that we have are often not fulfilled?

Could it be because we are so focussed on people fulfilling the hopes and expectations that we have placed on them, rather than helping them to fulfil the hopes and expectations that God has of them? Think of the many people who are enslaved by the expectations of others—and, yes, you may even be thinking of yourself! Are we so preoccupied with fulfilling the expectations that other have placed on us that we simply have no energy left to pursue what it is that God expects of us? What are some of the expectations that you have of others? Are they realistic and life-giving? Are they God-centred? For the most part the expectations we place on others are self-centred and worldly. Is this why Jesus came? If we behave in this way are we truly imitating our Saviour?

ook around you, even at those in your own home: Where is the freedom of the Children of God? In our homes, our schools, our workplaces, in our churches, among our priests and leaders—where is the freedom of the children of God? “He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free—to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.” (Lk 4:18) This Christmas, nestled in the Year of Faith and supported by the call for a New Evangelisation, let us ask an old question, in a new way and with great faith: “What will this child turn out to be?” Let us ask this question of ourselves and indeed of very person: “What will we turn out to be?” Will we turn out to be children of God, possessing the freedom and spirit of Jesus whose birth we celebrate? Will a sense of joy and amazement fill our very souls as we allow others the freedom they need, in order that the hopes and expectations that God has of

In this oil painting from 1645 by Rembrandt van Rijn, Mary peers at the infant Christ lying in a cradle as angels hover above. The early biblical scenes of the Dutch master are said to reflect his own situation as a young family man. In his reflection on Christmas, Fr Grant Emmanuel asks what we expect of Christ, of others and of ourselves. them may be fulfilled in their lives? Imagine such a world, imagine how different our marriages and family’s would be if such a life were truly embraced? This is the life that Jesus came to bring...it is for this that

he was born. And we who celebrate his birth are expected by God to follow the example of Jesus. What will this Christmas turn out to be for the Children of God?

CHRISTMAS

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

Austrian Cardinal Christoph SchĂśnborn blesses traditional SternsĂ¤nger dressed as the Wise Men, in Vienna. The singers collect money for Catholic charity projects between Christmas and the feast of the Epiphany. (Photo: HeinzPeter Bader, Reuters/CNS)

Israeli Arab pupils from a Christian school watch actors re-enact the Nativity story at Nazareth Village, a project founded by a local Arab doctor to recreate life as it was in Nazareth in Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; time. (Photo: Baz Ratner, Reuters/CNS)

Festive lights are seen as pilgrims and visitors mill around central Bethlehem on Christmas Eve last year. (Photo: Reuters/CNS) Children observe a Nativity scene outside the cathedral in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (Photo: Andrew Biraj, Reuters/CNS)

Children dance in the rain on St Peter's Square at the Vatican on last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s Christmas Eve. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS) A life-size outdoor Nativity in Chicagoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Daley Plaza this year. Volunteers from area parishesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the â&#x20AC;&#x153;God Squadâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;set up the Nativity scene each year around the start of Advent. (Photo: Karen Callaway, Catholic New World)

A bonfire burns while children observe a live Nativity scene organised by students from the Catholic Franciscan Student Centre in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. (Photo: Danilo Krstanovic, Reuters/CNS)

Jazz musician Kermit Ruffins plays â&#x20AC;&#x153;Let It Snowâ&#x20AC;? as it snows in front of St Louis cathedral in New Orleans. (Photo: Peter Finney Jr, Clarion Herald)

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CHRISTMAS

Christmas arrives early for nuns and their dog

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

The children thank youyou The childrenand andstaff staff thank for in 2012. foryour yoursupport support in 2012

We wish wish you Christmas and a and a We youa blessed a blessed Christmas happy, healthy and peaceful New Year. happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.

By CLAIRE MATHIESON

E keep animals for different reasons. For some, an animal is a source of emotional sustenance, for others it is part of the workforce, an aid or a vital tool in getting a job done. Animals can help keep us secure, help exercise us and, more often than not, act as companions, and sometimes, become a part of the family. When I met Holy Cross Sisters Alfreda Reil and Maria Plach, I was learning about their pioneering work in Cape Town’s first township. The first sisters came to Langa, set up a school and started the foundation for the Catholic Church in the township, initially travelling from Athlone daily as the laws of the time did not allow them to live in “blacks-only” area. Sr Alfreda arrived in 1958 and worked with family welfare problems. She set up a learning centre for the handicapped and established a senior citizens club, which recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. Sr Maria arrived in the late 1960s and took over St Anthony’s nursery school. For the past four decades, she has grown the school into not only an education centre but also a place where teaching skills are passed on. The sisters were finally able to move to the Langa convent in 1994. “We were told we would need a dog when we moved to Langa,” said Sr Maria. Like Church property around the country, the convent has been the target of many robberies in the past and having a big dog would provide the sisters with some security. When I met the sisters, a Labrador cross Ridgeback named Tierra did just that. “He barks, but he does not bite,” said Sr Maria. She told me of the dog’s habits, his quirks and his affection towards the sisters. It was clear that the feeling was mutual as Tierra’s owners were equally fond of him. I would visit the sisters again in November. When I arrived, instead of being greeted by a friendly, furry face, I was informed that Tierra had passed away. It was terribly sad news. For many, losing an animal leaves a void, not easily replaced. This was literally true for the Holy Cross Sisters.

r Alfreda told me in looking for a new dog they had some basic requirements. They did not have the time or the energy to tend to a puppy. “It must bark, but it must not bite. It must be big, but friendly,” the sisters said. The choice seemed obvious: adopt an adult dog. South Africa is filled with animal shelter and welfare organisations that rescue dogs. Sr Alfreda was adamant they were not looking for a pet. The dog would serve as an alarm, alerting the sisters to anything out of the ordinary. But it would also be treated to large, enclosed grounds, sleep indoors, be fed a scientific diet, receive a treat every night before bed and, of course, have two loving Holy Cross sisters to look after. This was conveyed to adoption agencies, but as the sisters lived in an area from which dogs are rescued, rescue organisations were reluctant to give them a chance. “They simply heard we were from Langa and didn’t want to give us a dog,” said Sr Maria. Surprised at their poor luck, I

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Kinta gets an early Christmas present of a new home and Holy Cross Sisters Maria Plach and Alfreda Reil receive a new companion. (Photo: Claire Mathieson) picked up the phone, hit social networks and e-mailed animal rescue centres to see what I could find. What I found was an abundance of organisations that do wonderful work in rescuing dogs, but did not believe an improvement in life could be found in a township suburb. At a loss, and with little time to spare (the sisters did miss the security of having a large dog), it was time to look at other options; someone who was emigrating or downsizing, who was forced to give up their dog. Private dog owners were also tricky. Many heard “Langa” and thought the worst. The trend continued until I found Elane. Elane was downsizing and would be unable to take her dog with her. Upon making contact, Elane was excited but had some reservations. A home inspection would take place—something the sisters had expected and welcomed. It was all systems go. The sisters would meet the dog the next day and it would be an opportunity to ensure all parties involved were happy—the dog, the owner and the future owners. Five-year-old Golden Labrador Kinta then arrived happily, greeting the sisters with a wagging tail and an inquisitive nose that would take her into every room in the convent upon arrival, something which amused the sisters. The gentle natured dog eased into her surroundings quickly, showing immediate affection to the nuns. As Sr Alfreda was spending time with Kinta, she found a spot on the dog’s neck. Thinking it was a tick, the sisters rushed the dog to the vet. They were told it was a small growth and could be removed, so they made an appointment for Kinta to have the operation. In addition, after being informed the dog was overweight, they put her on a diet.

ithin hours, Kinta had gone from being nearly homeless to being re-homed with a loving family who were already attending to her every need. But Kinta had to prove her-

Kinta settles into her new life. self. She had to uphold her part of the deal. She had to bark. The former owner called the first morning to check on Kinta and ensure all was well. Sr Alfreda shared her concern that the dog had yet to woof—a most necessary function. It was established that the dog probably just needed to settle in. “The moment I put the phone down, she started barking,” said Sr Alfreda. She immediately called Elane back to tell her the good news. And so it was that Christmas arrived early for Kinta, Elane and the Holy Cross Sisters. “She follows me everywhere,” said Sr Alfreda of the “lovely dog” now sharing the convent. In the evenings, Sr Maria walks Kinta and plays fetch with the dog who is “very skilled and very impressive” with the ball. While Kinta was raised an Afrikaans dog, the sisters have learnt to communicate and the dog now obeys easily. “And she barks,” said Sr Alfreda excitedly. The sisters prayed for a new dog and were blessed with a dog that does just that: Kinta joins the Holy Cross sisters in their daily prayers. She follows them to their prayer area, sits quietly and observes the rosary. Admittedly, said Sr Maria, sometimes the dog loses concentration, falls asleep and often snores! But this is not a problem, it is just another quirk of their new family member—the one that keeps the sisters company but also keeps them safe.

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The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

CHRISTMAS

A small Christmas miracle lives on today When you are a child, the small things matter, as BARRY COX recalls in his memory of one particular Christmas.

REMEMBER a special Christmas a long time ago. It was one that I remember above all others not just because of the memories it held for me, but because everything that happened was true. It was in the late 1960s and I lived in the Cape Town suburb of Kensington. It was Christmas Eve and my family, like many other families, was preparing for the big occasion. There was a festive atmosphere at home and I could hardly contain my excitement. My mom was in the kitchen making all sorts of nice things and tasty treats. On the menu would be roast beef and Muscovy duck. My dad was in the driveway furiously trying to get the Opel station wagon to start, but to no avail. It had refused to start that morning and so my older brother had to run up to the local market for some last-minute essentials. I was standing at the kitchen table watching my mom prepare the Christmas trifle. She had a sponge cake in her hand and on the table stood a bottle of sherry. It was getting a little late now and I was starting to get worried. “When is dad going to buy the Christmas tree, Mom?” I asked with concern. The car still would not start and in previous years the tree was up and decorated by now.

A series of happy coincidences or a small Christmas miracle at work? (Photo: Mike Crupi) “As soon as Daddy gets the car started, love,” my mom replied, as she sprinkled some nuts over the trifle. It looked delicious. It was getting dark and it looked like a rainy Christmas ahead. By now I was getting really worried about the Christmas tree. Mom suggested I have a nap as we would be going to midnight Mass later. “Maybe we’ll have a tree when I wake up,” I thought, but I was not at all convinced because I could hear my dad outside still struggling with the car. Eventually he came back inside, looking irritated and perplexed. He could not figure out

the problem and had given up; although he was sure it was a faulty voltage regulator. “It looks like we won’t make it to church,” he said, almost to himself. “And we won’t have a tree this year, my boy.” My dad looked at me. There was disappointment in his eyes and my heart sank. I had never felt so panicked in all my life, after all, what is Christmas without a tree, the lights, the trimmings, and the presents beneath? I ran to my room thinking it was all so cruel. Much later mom came into the room to wake me up. I had dozed off.

“Do we have a tree, mom?” I asked expectantly, while rubbing my eyes. “No,” she replied, “but I suggest you undress and get into bed.” I had just woken up; I did not feel like going back to bed right then. I walked out to the lounge. It looked striking; there were decorations all around and I sensed that this was an attempt to appease me, but it did not work. One glance at the delicious monster in the corner said it all. Even though Jingle Bells was playing on the radio, I felt sad. There was still no Christmas tree. My dad handed my brother and me a packet of balloons, saying we should stand on the stoep and inflate them. Outside the night was warm and windless but it had started drizzling. It would be at least another hour before midnight—and with it, for the first time in my life, a treeless Christmas. I stood blowing up balloons, my little lungs trying desperately to supply the air. I paused for a bit, exhausted, and decided to say a little prayer. “Dear Lord,” I said, with a little tear in my eyes, “please give me a tree, I promise to be a good boy.” At that same moment a flatbed truck went rushing by and turned the corner down 5th Avenue. “Look!” shouted my brother, “something fell off that truck, let’s go see!” I hurried through the gate after him, forgetting all about the balloons or the lightly falling rain. We ran to the corner and saw what it was. It was a tree. Under the street lamp I could see it was a real,

fresh pine tree. We scooped up the wet tree and ran home as fast as we could for fear the truck might return. But it never did. My dad asked no questions; he took the tree into the yard and shook off as much water as he could. The delicious monster was hurriedly escorted to another corner. My excitement was palpable; my mom had to calm me down as I explained how we had found the tree. She said I should get to bed but I eagerly wanted to help with the trimmings. On Christmas morning I went into the lounge and saw the beautifully decorated tree, complete with flashing lights. I was astounded. I gathered up my present: a slide projector which dad had bought for me. Outside I heard the car idling; it had started after a few attempts, much to my dad’s astonishment. Later during the morning Christmas Mass at St John’s in Maitland, Cape Town, amidst the carols, I said a silent prayer as only a young boy could. It rained that Christmas, steadily throughout the afternoon—but I felt good. It was to be a most wonderful Christmas. Sadly, dad, mom and my brother have now passed on—but the vivid memories of Christmas with them live on endearingly. The tree might well have been intended for another family (though the truck never returned), but to this happy little boy it was a gift from above. Today my own children—all now adults—still want a real, traditional Christmas tree, and of course I oblige. In a sense I suppose, that is why I still believe.

CHRISTMAS

The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012

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The Holy Family rests beneath a sycamore tree in Matariya, Egypt, in this 1805 painting by the German artist Philip Otto Runge.

The Travellers A SHORT STORy By FRANCES GREATHEAD

HE spring from which we fetch our water is about ten minutes’ walk from the village. It is a lovely spot, shaded by palm trees, and there is usually a breeze even on the hottest

day. I love to watch the cool water as it trickles out of the rock into the deep pool. I go there every day, sometimes there are other women to talk to and sometimes I sit quietly and watch the travellers on the road below. Occasionally I see long lines of camels plodding slowly on their way to Jerusalem. I was there early today and after I had filled my water jar I sat and looked at the road. A small family party turned off to come up to the spring. They had two donkeys, the man was leading the one on which the woman sat. The other donkey carried their household possessions; a small boy was leading it. I looked at him, he was about seven or eight, the age my Samuel would be if he was still alive. Then came the remembrance of the horror of that terrible day. Five years ago but always fresh in my mind. The picture is there whenever I shut my eyes—the sounds are in my head, marching feet, shouted orders. My son was two years old and could walk and run. He was such a happy child, he ran to the door to see the soldiers and I heard one say: “Here’s one. He’ll do for a start.” He picked up my Samuel who was not frightened, he thought it was a game, but the soldier bent his head back and with his dagger he slit the throat of my son. A strong spurt of blood hit the soldier in the face and he threw my Samuel onto the ground and walked away. As I knelt beside the warm body of my little son I heard a terrible sound of a woman wailing. It was me. My husband came out of his workshop, still holding a half mended shoe, and he stood frozen to the spot. He has never spoken since, he seems to hear what I say but all his words have left him. Five years of silence.

even children were killed in our village that day, six boys and one girl. They said the girl was a mistake, poor comfort to her parents. My husband still works, he makes the best sandals this side of Jerusalem, but our life is over. Sometimes I talk to him about Samuel, I just want to speak his name. He listens to me and looks sad, sometimes he even cries, but he never speaks. It is hard to live like this, I know it is wrong to long to be dead, but that is how I feel. It is a sad village, we mothers never speak of the horror and we just carry on looking after those who are left to us. Since that day there have been some babies born, but there are no children playing in the streets of our village. Herod is dead now—let us hope such a thing will never happen again. I watched as the family turned off the road and came up the path to the spring. The man tenderly helped the woman to dismount and then led her into the shade to rest. Their clothes were covered with dust, they had been on the road a long time. The boy was beautiful—he led the two donkeys to the trough where animals can drink. I spoke to the woman: “You have come far?” I asked “From Egypt,” she replied. “But now we are home” “You were lucky to be away,” I said. “If you had been here your son would not be alive.” “I know,” she answered, “we are very blessed.” They filled their waterskins and rested a while and then they started walking again. The boy was leading the pack donkey but before he left he came over to me, he put his hand on my shoulder “Don’t be sad,” he said. “Samuel is quite safe, tell your husband.” Then he turned and followed his parents. A feeling of utmost peace such as I have never known seemed to flood my whole being. It is hard to describe but the world seemed to be a better place. I watched the little family till I could see them no more, and then I went back to the village, home to my husband to tell him what had happened. He spoke for the first time in five years. He asked: “How did he know his name was Samuel?”

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The Southern Cross, December 19 to December 25, 2012