The Southern Cross - 130116 by The Southern Cross

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January 16 to January 22, 2013

Disillusionment must not destroy faith

Page 9

R6,00 (incl VAt RSA)

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

Keeping those New Year’s resolutions

Page 7

No 4808

The life and legacy of Dorothy Day

Page 10

Matric: Catholic schools shine again By MAtHieBeLA SeBOtHOMA

Mmadikgetho Komane of Glen Cowie Girls High School, a Catholic school in Limpopo, was South Africa’s best-performing pupil in the Class of 2012 writing the National Senior Certificate examinations.

WO Catholic learners in Limpopo have changed the negative image of the province’s education system after 2012 saw many learners in the province studying without textbooks. Education minister Angie Motshekga announced that Mmadikgetho Komane was the top learner in state-funded schools in South Africa. Ms Komane was a learner at Glen Cowie High School, formerly known as Guardian Angels College. She obtained 100% in maths, physical science and accounting. She passed the other four subjects with distinctions. She will study actuarial science at Wits University in Johannesburg. Among others, she was visited by Limpopo premier Cassel Mathale and Mathole Motshekga, African National Congress chief whip in the national assembly. Number two in the province was a student at another Catholic school: Kamogelo Mamashela of Pax High School. Mr Mamashela got 100% in maths, science and geography. He attributed his success to Sunday Mass, obedience to parents and teachers, and dedication to studies. “I am not a partying type,” said the high-achiever who has been accepted as a medical student at the University of Cape Town. Catholic schools in South Africa have seen some outstanding results in the 2012 matric examinations with a number of schools making significant improvements in their overall results. While the Catholic Institute of Education was stillocessing the resukts of Catholic schools across the country, it was apparent that the results in most Catholic schools again exceeded the national average. “As with the past few years, our Catholic schools for the most part score significantly higher than the national average, in spite of significant challenges and situations particularly in the poorer resourced areas of our country,” said Bishop Kevin Dowling, liaision bishop for education (see next week’s issue for a full interview with Bishop Dowling). This is the 15th consecutive year that Veritas College in Springs has achieved a 100%

Chanei Parumaul was the top-performing matriculant at St Henry’s Marist College in Durban. She passed with an aggregate of 88%, earning six distinctions over 90% and placed in the top 1% in two subjects. Ms Parumaul is seen here with her parents, Parlin and Narvi Parumaul, and college principal Rene van Zyl. pass rate. Among the school’s 45 matric candidates they earned 50 distinctions; and every matric student achieved a degree or diploma pass. Veritas’s top achiever is Keona Moodley who obtained nine distinctions. She has applied to study medicine. Jonty de Freitas achieved five distinctions, despite his mother passing away only days before he wrote his first examination.

acred Heart College in in Observatory, Johannesburg, also achieved a 100% pass rate, with all matriculants qualified to follow tertiary studies. The school was particularly happy with its aberage of 70% in English—“2% above the average of all independent schools writing

IEB [examinations], despite the fact that English is not the home language of nearly half of our students.” Sacred Heart’s top student was Michael Van Niekerk, with ten distinctions. Out of 51 learners at Christian Brothers College (CBC) in Pretoria, 42 passed with university entrance while eight passed with tertiary entrance qualification. The school did exceptionally well in maths and science with a total of 10 distinctions Headmaster Peter Ross said the school is happy about the results. “They are in keeping with what we expected of the group as a whole,” he said. “The success is due to an ongoing approach of hard work on both the part of the pupils and the staff.” He encourages parents to consider

Catholic education for their children. “Catholic education is much more than matric results. We create a safe atmosphere where pupils can be their best,” he said. St Henry’s Marist College in Durban maintained its long record of achieving a 100% pass rate, with 98% of the Marist college’s matriculants gaining admittance to university study. Marist Brothers College in Linmeyer, Johannesburg, also had a 100% pass with 81 university entrances. The school had a total of 129 distinctions. Their top learner got nine distinctions. Principal Gary Michael Norton attributes the success “to a good work ethic developed by the school, dedicated and committed educators and consistent efforts by the learners”. He said the “ethos of a Catholic school helps to develop a conscientious, diligent young adult who will hopefully contribute positively to society. The culture of a Catholic school is to work hard, be committed to all one does and to strive to do one’s best.” Fr Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, former deputy minister of education, praised Catholic schools for their discipline and focus. “The Church has always prioritised quality education” he said. “The success of Catholic education should inspire many schools in our country that hard work is rewarded.” A recent tertiary graduate, Sibongile Mogale of Pretoria West parish, who has earned a bachelor of technology degree and is now working for the National Prosecution Authority, has a tip for those starting their university studies: “Start early with studying and befriend your books.”

Nigerian pres wants religious leaders to help solve crises

IGERIAN President Goodluck Jonathan has urged religious leaders to mould the characters of their followers to help stop the current crises facing the country. He also noted that Christianity and Islam—the country’s two major religions— did not preach violence, and those who kill should not be considered religious. “We all know that no religion preaches or encourages violence and hate. Both the two major religions preach love and peaceful co-existence,” the president said at a Mass to celebrate Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan’s recent elevation to cardinal and the 30th anniversary of his episcopal ordination. During the Mass, Cardinal Onaiyekan condemned killing in the name of religion and warned that Nigeria was fast attracting the negative image of a nation of religious violence. He urged Nigerians to understand the inclusiveness of God’s grace to all people, saying that “any God that promotes the killing of innocent people should not be worthy of our worship”. Mr Jonathan called on Nigerians to avoid

People attend a memorial service in Madalla, Nigeria, for victims of a suicide bomb attack on the outskirts of Nigeria's capital, Abuja. (Photo: Afolabi Sotunde, Reuters/CNS) violence and embrace dialogue as a means of settling disputes. “The Church, the government and the political actors have the same responsibilities, and we believe that the Church is at the centre of society building,” he said. “Some of the challenges we face today are because of the characters our people have. If the Church moulds the people, especially starting from the children, Nigeria will be a

better place,” Mr Jonathan said. He said Pope Benedict’s elevation of Cardinal Onaiyekan helped promote interreligious harmony in Nigeria and reconciliation among all religious groups in Nigeria. He described the Abuja cardinal as a humble man with a great vision and learning who had fully dedicated himself to the service of God. “I see in his appointment a recognition for those who work and toil for peace like him and for reconciliation among men,” Mr Jonathan said. Nigeria’s population of 160 million people is roughly divided between Christians and Muslims. The international watchdog Human Rights Watch reports more than 2 800 people have died in fighting in the largely Muslim North since the Islamic sect Boko Haram launched an uprising against the government in 2009. Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics said that in 2012, despite the country’s oil revenues, almost 100 million Nigerians lived in poverty, living on less than $1 per day. In 2012, Transparency International ranked Nigeria’s public sector the 35th most corrupt out of 176 countries.—CNS

Fr Nel Matlala CSS appreciates a gift from a parishioner at his tenth anniversary of priesthood celebrations in his home parish of St Peter Claver in Mamelodi, Pretoria. He is the first Stigmatine priest to work in the diocese of Rustenburg. One of his communities is Marikana where police shot striking miners at Lonmin last August. (Photo: Mathiebela Sebothoma)

LOCAL

the Southern Cross, January 16 to January 22, 2013

Monsignor’s big walk M

ONSIGNOR Paul Nadal, a close friend of Archbishop Denis Hurley and his last vicar-general, is to walk the Camino to Santiago de Compostela to raise funds for the Denis Hurley Centre at Emmanuel cathedral in Durban. Mgr Nadal has long been known as an avid fitness enthusiast, having run the Comrades Marathon a number of time and taken part in

the Argus cycle race. He will commence his 300km walk with priest friends on May 20 and end on June 5, travelling north through Portugal, visiting the Marian shrine of Fatima en route. He will return to South Africa in time to celebrate his 81st birthday at a gala fundraising dinner for the Denis Hurley Centre on June 14, most probably in the Durban City Hall. The aim is to have 300 guests, 30 tables of ten, each guest paying

R300 as a sponsorship for Mgr Nadal’s walk. Already Professor Tim Dunne of the University of Cape Town has sent in the first sponsorship for Mgr Nadal’s camino, a deposit of R3 000, R10 for each kilometre Mgr Nadal will be walking. Others who would like to sponsor his walk, even if they may not be able to attend the dinner on June 14, are invited to deposit their sponsorships in the Denis Hurley Centre

bank account: First National Bank (FNB), account number 6220 4262 002, Denis Hurley Centre Fund, branch code 221426. Please indicate your name and phone number clearly, as well as an indication that it is for “NADAL CAMINO”, so that we can record and acknowledge your contribution. n For further details, contact: denishurleycentre@gmail.com. Phone: 031 2013 832/072 8064 417

Mgr Paul Nadal

Associates Mass

HE annual Mass for all Associates of The Southern Cross will be held on Thursday, January 24 at St Patrick’s church in Mowbray at 18:00. All are welcome. The Mass, on the feast day of St Francis de Sales, patron saint of Catholic media, is one of two held every year as The Southern Cross’ pledge to its Associates. The other Mass coincides with the feast of All Souls Day. Contact Pamela Davids at admin@scross.co.za or 021 465 5007.

Correction

I Fr Vusi Magagula of St Joseph Mukasa parish in the diocese of Witbank congratulates parishioners who passed matric in 2012. the congregation donated R2 000 to the group to have a celebratory party. Fr Magagula is also the secretary of the South African Council of Priests. (Photo: Mathibela Sebothoma)

Thanks to the on-going support of our Associates we:

HESE are the names of the Associates of The Southern Cross, who have contributed to our Associate’s Campaign in 2012. The Chairman of the Board and Editor of The Southern Cross thank the Associates and contributors for their generous support. By becoming Associates or contributing otherwise, they have helped put The Southern Cross on a safer financial footing. They have also assisted us in our apostolic outreach. Thanks to our Associates, every seminarian in South Africa now has access to the weekly Catholic newspaper. The newspaper is also sent to prisons for inmates who wish to follow a Christian way of life, and to the Catholic university chaplaincies. These needs are ongoing. Existing Associates will be invited to renew their support for The Southern Cross as their annual associateship expires. Readers who have not yet done so may become Associates at any time. Cardinal McCann Associates are those who contributed R1 500 or more to the Campaign; Maximilian Kolbe Associates between R500 and R1 500; St Francis de Sales Associates between R100 and R499. An annual Mass is celebrated for the intentions of our Associates on January 24, feast day of St Francis de Sales, patron of journalists, and on All Soul’s Day for the deceased Associates and deceased family members of

N our December 26 edition we wrongly identified the rector of St Joseph’s Theological Institute as Fr Raphel Gasimba. Fr Gasimba is the rector of the Missionaries of Africa Formation house in Merrivale. The president of St Joseph’s Theological Institute is Fr Sylvester David OMI.

CARDINAL McCANN ASSOCIATES Nigel Bands, Newton Park,Port Elizabeth Christopher Bradley, Somerset West Guy Bradley, Somerset West Louis P Chappel, Springs Desmond Cox, Rondebosch Fr Ralph de Hahn, Cape Town Michael Denoon, Durbanville Yolande Dreyer, Parklands Peter & Dorothy Fewell, Simon's Town Prof Brian Figaji, Durbanville Fr Alois Ganserer, Bloemfontein Robin Goetsch, Highveld Park Knights of da Gama, Meyersdal,Alberton Adrian & Marie Laros, Somerset West Marist Brothers and community, Rondebosch Christopher Moerdyk, Glencairn Sheila J Mullany, Vredehoek Cheryl Nolan, Meredale Gavin O'Connor, Durbanville Frank Parau, Helikenpark Parish of the Resurrection, Bryanston Wendy Pickstone, Franschhoek Dr Mulimisi Ramavhuya, Musina Marlys Reid, Alrode Eileen Reynolds, Mowbray Bishop Michael Rowland OFM (R.I.P.) Henk Schoots, Edgemead Paul Schwieger, Swakopmund, Namibia St Michael’s Parish, Rondebosch Ss Simon & Jude Parish, Simonstown Sybil Stuurman, Jeffrey's Bay Lorna Wicks, Kokstad

ST MAXIMILIAN KOLBE ASSOCIATES Peter Attenborough, Fish Hoek; Brian Bailey, Elsies River; Lesley Bashkier, Monte Vista; Prof Joy B Brain, Kloof; David Brokensha, Fish Hoek; Catholic Chinese Welfare Association, Jeppestown; Jacky Collignon, River Crescent;

Patrick Cosgrove, Simonstown; Merrilyn de Gersigny, Durban; A T Downs, Primrose; Stephen Flesch, Grassy Park; Bernard Flynn, Hutten Heights; Maria Frade, Randfontein; Mervyn Gatcke, East London; Francis Greathead, Vredehoek; Holy Rosary Church, O’Kiep; Barry Jordan, Rondebosch; Evelyn Lebona, Ladybrand; Mel Palmer, Rondebosch; Dr George Pillay, Bellville South; Phutiane Rapatsa, Worcester; Christopher Rasefako, Gaborone, Botswana; Joy Roberts, Bantry Bay; Henk Rubidge, Sea Point; Prof Mitchell Shackleton, Vredehoek; Janvan der Mey, Amsterdamhoek, PE; Lynne Wachter, Sandringham; Hans K Wagner, Sterling, East London; Ashley Williams, Malabar, PE; Joan Williamson, Constantia; Mark Yazbek, East London

ST FRANCIS DE SALES ASSOCIATES Monica Alson, Elsies River; Michael Clarke, Knysna; Dr Francis Diab, Tyger Valley; Elizabeth Firmstone,Scottville, PMB; Dr Elizabeth Fisher, Durban; Jack Garbutt, Durban North; Laurence Gorman, Scottburgh; Berna Hartley, Rustenburg; P Innes, Benoni; Donald Jali, Lady Frere; Dennis Jenksinson, Gonubie; Vincent Mangan, Port Elizabeth; Brian O'Reilly, Uitenhage; Lawrence Osborne, Springbok; Bernadette Patterson, Red Hill, Durban; Salesians of Don Bosco, Southdale; Bernard Sauls, Oudtshoorn; Sisters of Mercy, Parklands; Joan Swanson, Durbanville; Diane Towers, Greytown; Brian Uren, Hillcrest; Monica van Niekerk, Pinetown; Peter D Yazbek, Bloemfontein

DONATIONS AAnonymous Donation, Bryanston; Paul de Chalain, Umhlanga Rocks; Pensioner Donation; St Mary's Parish Faith Sharing Group, Pietermaritzburg; George & Pat Topp, Le Domaine; Jennifer Tory, Umbilo

• have initiated new projects to strengthen the Catholic Social Communications Apostolate in South Africa, especially with a view of reaching younger Catholics. • ensured that every seminarian in the country has access to The Southern Cross • provide many prisons with the Catholic newspaper to help inmates turn around their lives towards God. • supply free copies every week to six bases of the South African National Defence Force to give our soldiers spiritual support.

Our Associates also help keep The Southern Cross alive!

The newspaper receives no subsidies and is entirely self-suﬃcient. This does mean, however, that one bad year too many could put The Southern Cross in danger of following the many titles worldwide that have already closed down.

Your contribution makes a diﬀerence! Please become an Associate

The Southern Cross, Associates Campaign, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000 l Account details: Standard Bank, Thibault Square Branch (Code 020909), The Southern Cross, Acc No: 276876016 (please fax or e-mail deposit slip or conﬁrmation) l Fax Number: 021 465-3850, Email: admin@scross.co.za

LOCAL

Poetry proceeds to help build churches By CLAiRe MAtHieSON

HE archdiocese of Cape Town has dedicated the Year of Faith to building up three impoverished churches. In an effort to help support the initiative and to help inspire the laity on the beauty of the Catholic faith, Fr Ralph de Hahn has written a book of poetry, On Poetic Wings. The retired Cape Town priest said the year marks various important occasions including the 55th anniversary of his ordination and the Year of Faith. But most important to Fr de Hahn was Cape Town Archbishop Stephen Brislin’s call to help build up selected churches in the archdiocese. The communities of Old Crossroads, Kleinvlei and Wallacedene have been selected for renovation and improvements—much needed in the financially disadvantaged areas of the archdiocese. “I’ve had the privilege of serving in every group of the archdiocese, every cultural and financial group in Cape Town,” said Fr de Hahn. “I’ve been keen for many years on seeing these churches receive help.” When the archbishop’s call for help was made, Fr de Hahn put together a collection of poetry for publication. All the profits will go towards the building projects. “I believe there should not be a ‘poor’ parish in the archdiocese. Every church that has money should share with those that don’t. There should be no such thing as ‘luxury’ churches,” he said. Both the project and the poetry he has dedicated to the

the Southern Cross, January 16 to January 22, 2013

Help cut road death toll

ACH year from 2005, the Road Safety Action Campaign (RSAC) has offered to cut South Africa’s road carnage by 80% by obtaining a court order obliging the traffic authorities to provide the four foundations of road safety. Only the funds have been lacking, and since 2005 more than 100 000 people have died on our roads and more than 300 000 have been critically injured. The foundations of road safety are: l To stop the media and government spokesmen from telling South Africa that road carnage is accidental. This mindset is a major factor in our

road carnage. l To reduce the national roads speed limit by 8% to 110kph and suburban limits to 50, 40 or 30kph. l To name and shame speedsters as well as drunk drivers in the media througout South Africa. l To train and mobilise the additional 100 000 traffic police esssential for the 10 million vehicles and drivers on our roads. All the RSAC needs to cut South Africa’s road carnage by 80% is a company or individual to pay for a court order or provide the legal team. n The RSAC may be contacted on 082 0989 552.

FRANCISCAN NARDINI SISTERS

On the occasion of the 55th anniversary of his ordination, to mark the year of Faith, and in response to Cape town Archbishop Stephen Brislin’s call to assist with the building up of impoverished parishes, Fr Ralph de Hahn has written a book of poetry called On Poetic Wings to help raise funds. He is seen here with Archbishop emeritus Lawrence Henry on his golden jubilee. (Photo: Dawn Stronach) cause are close to his heart. “I completed my training at Propeganda Fide in Rome, so I have a missionary view to mypriesthood. I always try to help missions.” The priest, who has been writing poetry and short stories since the age of 15, was a missionary preacher to the United States, travelling to the country 20 times to help bring money back to the archdiocese. Now in his retirement, his mission has not changed, just the way that he is doing it, he told The Southern Cross. On Poetic Wings is aimed at the laity looking at seeing the beauty of the Catholic faith, presented in a different way: poetry. “Most of the poetry is

simple. While there are some deep pieces, I believe simplicity glorifies the faith.” Fr de Hahn was the diocesan head of catechetics for 15 years and understands the importance of delivering a clear message to help enhance a person’s faith. “This is also a good book for young people interested in art and poetry. I hope it will inspire.” The priest hopes his poetry will make a difference to Cape Town’s communities and to those that read his poetry. n All proceeds of the book will go towards Archbishop Brislin’s building project. The book costs R50 and is available from the Catholic Bookshop at 021 465 5904.

I shall always strive for the one goal: For JESUS CHRIST to be my centre. Blessed Paul Joseph Nardini

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E-mail: nardini@trustnet.co.za

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Dr Vincent Maphai, director of corporate governance for SAB Miller, places a lighted candle on the tomb of Archbishop Denis Hurley in emmanuel cathedral. the archbishop’s motto was “Ubi spiritus, ibi libertas”, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”. On the left is Fr Stephen tully, administrator of emmanuel cathedral. (Photo: Sabelo Mthembu)

Donor visits Emmanuel cathedral

R VINCENT Maphai, director of corporate governance for SAB Miller, visited Emmanuel cathedral in Durban and briefly addressed the congregation at the end of the 10:30 Mass. Dr Maphai explained that he had met Archbishop Denis Hurley when his first job after

matriculating was at the SACBC office in Pretoria. He said that he greatly admired the humble servant leadership that the archbishop displayed, so different to the 21-gun salute, “blue lights” type of leadership we see now. Another quality that had struck him was the archbishop’s

huge love for the poor and marginalised. Dr Maphai has arranged an initial donation of R250 000 for projects that will be based in the Denis Hurley Centre. As a mark of his respect for the archbishop Dr Maphai placed a lighted candle on his tomb.

Corner: Cussonia Ave & Pretoria Street, Pretoria Tel 012 804 1801 Fax 012 804 8781 Email admissions@cbcpretoria.co.za

the Southern Cross, January 16 to January 22, 2013

INTERNATIONAL

Pope: All must be Good Samaritans By CAROL GLAtZ

N his message for the 2013 World Day of the Sick, Pope Benedict has called on everyone to be a Good Samaritan and concretely help those in need. Thanking those who care for the sick and elderly, the pope underlined the Church’s fundamental role in “lovingly and generously accepting every human being, especially those who are weak and sick”. The World Day of the Sick is celebrated annually on February 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Pope Benedict expressed his affection for all those “undergoing a time of trial due to illness and suffering”, and he prayed that they remember they are not alone, marginalised, forgotten or useless.

“You have been called by Christ and are his living and transparent image,” he said, quoting from a message delivered by the fathers of the Second Vatican Council in 1965 titled “To the Poor, the Sick and the Suffering”. The gospel parable of the Good Samaritan is just one of many accounts that show how Jesus expected his disciples to behave towards others, especially those in need, the pope said. Through prayer, people can draw strength from God’s infinite love in order to “live day by day with concrete concern, like that of the Good Samaritan, for those suffering in body and spirit who ask for our help, whether or not we know them and however poor they may be.” Those who are sick and suffering

also are called to help others, finding meaning and healing in accepting one’s own suffering by looking to Christ, “who suffered with infinite love”, he said. The Year of Faith is an occasion for the Church to intensify its charitable services “so that each one of us can be a Good Samaritan for others, for those close to us”. The history of the Church offers today’s men and women many models of encouragement, the pope said, including Bl Mother Teresa of Kolkata and the Blessed Virgin Mary, who “does not lose hope in God’s victory over evil, pain and death”, the pope said. Mary’s trust in God’s power, together with Christ’s resurrection, offer “hope to the suffering” and renew “the certainty of the Lord’s closeness and consolation”.—CNS

Sacred Heart Sister Suzan Kuku comforts a patient at St Daniel Comboni Catholic Hospital in Wau, South Sudan. in his message for the 2013 World Day of the Sick, Pope Benedict calls on everyone to be a good Samaritan and concretely help those in need. (Photo: Paul Jeffrey, CNS)

Vatican slams SSPX leader over anti-Jewish slur By CAROL GLAtZ

HE Catholic Church remains committed to deepening its relations with Jews and finds it “absolutely unacceptable” to consider the Jewish people as enemies of the Church, according to Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi SJ. In an audio recording posted on YouTube, the head of the traditionalist Society of St Pius X (SSPX) called the Jewish people “enemies of the Church”, saying Jewish leaders’ support of the Second Vatican Council “shows that Vatican II is their thing, not the Church’s”. Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the SSPX, said those most opposed to the Church granting canonical recognition to the traditionalist society have been “the enemies of the Church: the Jews, the Masons, the modernists”. The remarks were made during a nearly two-hour talk on December 28 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy in New Hamburg, Canada. While the society’s Swiss headquarters did not respond to a request for comment, the society’s US district published a press release on its website.

“The word ‘enemies’ used here by Bishop Fellay is of course a religious concept and refers to any group or religious sect which opposes the mission of the Catholic Church and her efforts to fulfill it: the salvation of souls,” the statement said. “By referring to the Jews, Bishop Fellay’s comment was aimed at the leaders of Jewish organisations, and not the Jewish people,” the statement said, adding that any accusations of the society being antiSemitic were false and an example of “hate speech made in an attempt to silence its message”. Fr Lombardi said that the Second Vatican Council document Nostra Aetate, as well as many papal speeches and Vatican initiatives, reflected the Church’s continued, firm support “of dialogue and deepening relations” with the Jewish people. Nostra Aetate described Christians and Jews as having a common heritage and a profound spiritual bond, and denounced any form of contempt of the Jews. Pope Benedict’s visits to the Western Wall in Jerusalem and synagogues in Cologne, New York and Rome also represent “very significant gestures of the Church’s good relations and dialogue with

Jews”, the spokesman said. In his talk, Bishop Fellay spoke about the society’s three years of discussions with the Vatican over the society’s future and explained how he interpreted behind-thescenes communications about the talks. Apparently speaking without a text, the bishop said he has been receiving mixed messages from the Vatican for years over if and how the group might be brought back into full communion with the Church. He claimed that top Vatican officials told him not to be discouraged by official statements from the Vatican, because they did not reflect Pope Benedict’s true feelings.

ope Benedict launched a series of doctrinal discussions with the SSPX in 2009, lifting excommunications imposed on its four bishops, who were ordained in 1988 without papal approval, and expressing his hopes they would return to full communion with the Church. One of the bishops was Richard Williamson, who has denied the extent of the Holocaust. He was expelled from the SSPX in 2012 for

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“refusing to show due respect and obedience to his lawful superiors”. In 2011, the Vatican gave SSPX leaders a “doctrinal preamble” to sign that outlines principles and criteria necessary to guarantee fidelity to the Church and its teaching; the Vatican said the SSPX leaders would have to sign it to move toward full reconciliation. But Bishop Fellay said he repeatedly told the Vatican that the contents of the preamble—particularly acceptance of the modern Mass and the council as expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church—were unacceptable. He said the only reason he continued discussions with Vatican officials was because others “very close to the pope” had assured him that the pope was not in agreement with hard-line official pronouncements from the Vatican. According to Bishop Fellay, retired Colombian Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, then-president of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, the office responsible for relations with traditionalist Catholics, had told him in March 2009 that the society would be formally recognised. When the bishop asked how that could be possible when recog-

nition hinged on accepting the teachings of Vatican II, he said the cardinal replied that such a requirement was only “political” and “administrative” and that, “by the way, that is not what the pope thinks”. Bishop Fellay said he continued to get similar messages from other Vatican officials, even as the formal talks continued. The unofficial assurances were what kept him engaged in talks, he said, since the Vatican’s official demands, which carried the pope’s approval, “would mean the end of our relation with Rome”. Bishop Fellay said Pope Benedict wrote to him, emphasising that full recognition required the society accept the magisterium as the judge of what is tradition, accept the council as an integral part of tradition and accept that the modern Mass is valid and licit. Bishop Fellay said: “Even in the council there are some things we accept”, as well as reject, however, the group wishes to be free to say, “there are errors in the council” and that “the new Mass is evil”. The group will not accept reconciliation if it means no longer being able to make such pronouncements, he said.—CNS

2,3 million attended papal events in Rome in 2012

ORE than 2,3 million pilgrims and visitors joined Pope Benedict for an audience, liturgy or prayer at the Vatican or Castel Gandolfo in 2012, the Vatican has said. The Prefecture of the Papal Household, the Vatican office that coordinates the audiences and distributes the free tickets to papal audiences and liturgies, said its figures were calculations based on the number of tickets requested and estimates of crowd size. The total of 2 351 200 people at papal events included those attending the pope’s 43 weekly general audiences at the Vatican or at the papal summer

villa in Castel Gandolfo; special audiences for particular groups; Masses and other liturgies; and a rough estimate of the size of the crowds in St Peter’s Square or the courtyard of the papal villa for the pope’s recitation of the Angelus or Regina Coeli prayer on Sundays and major feast days. The 2012 total was down by

about 200 000 from the number of visitors reported in 2011. In a statistical table distributed by the Vatican press office, the prefecture estimated that between Pope Benedict’s election in April 2005 and the end of 2012, more than 20,5 million visitors and pilgrims had joined the pope for an event at the Vatican or in Castel Gandolfo. The figures released by the prefecture—headed until recently by Cardinal James Harvey, who has been succeeded by the pope’s personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein—do not include numbers from papal events in the city of Rome, in Italian dioceses or on the pope’s foreign trips.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

Pope has now seen bishops from all countries – almost By CiNDy WOODeN

HE Vatican has announced that after more than seven years in office, Pope Benedict has hosted the formal visits of bishops from every country in the world and would begin the cycle all over again by meeting the heads of Italy’s 227 dioceses in 2013. The only problem is the Vatican overlooked the bishops of the Netherlands who made their last visits ad limina apostolorum (“to the threshold of the apostles”) with Pope John Paul II in 2004. Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary of the Congregation for Bishops, which coordinates the visits, said his office was informed by the Prefecture of the Papal Household, which schedules audiences with the pope, that when the last group of French bishops met Pope Benedict in November “the cycle was complete”. “But now it seems that with the Netherlands, something happened,” the archbishop told Catholic News Service. A spokesman for the Dutch bishops said that the heads of the seven dioceses of the Netherlands expect to make their visits either late this year or early in 2014. Also missing from the list of Pope Benedict ad limina visits are the bishops of communist-controlled mainland China, but that is because government restrictions prevent them from making the visits. However, the bishops of Hong Kong and Macau had their meetings with Pope Benedict in 2008. The Code of Canon Law calls for the heads of every diocese in the world to make their ad limina visits every five years, but there are now almost 2 900 dioceses in the world and the 85-year-old pope also has other obligations as well. Archbishop Baldisseri said that “the firm principle is that the pope must meet the bishops of the whole world regularly”. The five-year rhythm set by canon law provides concrete guidance but is not always possible to follow because of the number of bishops in the world, the pope’s schedule and the schedules of the bishops. The order in which bishops’ conferences make the visits is not strictly set, which means that although the French

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with Fr Sean Wales CSsR (Redemptorist speaker and author)

5 - 19 October 2013

See all the great sites of the Holy land, meet and pray with local Contact Gail at Christians! then fly to Rome, with 076 352 3809 or papal audience, and visit Assisi, the 021 551 3923 place of St Francis. PluS: Cairo with the Pyramids, Sphinx, Nile Cruise info@fowlertours.co.za

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Southern Africa’s bishops are addressed by Pope Benedict during their ad limina visit to the Vatican in June 2005. According to canon law, bishops should make their ad limina visits every five years, but the local bishops, like those from other parts of the world, will not have the opportunity until 2014 at the earliest. bishops were making their first ad limina visits with Pope Benedict late in 2012, the bishops of Papua New Guinea already had made two: one in June 2005 and the second in June 2012.

rchbishop Baldisseri told L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, that the importance of visiting and consulting with the pope, the successor of St Peter, goes back to St Paul’s description in the Letter to the Galatians of returning to Jerusalem for consultations with St Peter. However, the archbishop said, it wasn’t until 743 that Pope Zachary made it a universal rule. The rule was reconfirmed by Pope Sixtus V in 1585. “The bishops are invited periodically to come to Rome to see Peter, make a pilgrimage to the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul—founders of the Church of Rome—and to express and reinforce the unity and collegiality of the Church,” he said. The visits are not just “a simple juridical-administrative exercise”, he said, but

“an experience of pastoral communion, participating in the concerns and hopes” of the Church on the local and universal levels. The relationship between the bishops and the pope, he said, “cannot simply be sporadic or spontaneous, but must be regular and ordered because we are dealing with the life of the Church in its universal and particular dimensions”. The Italian bishops made their first and only ad limina visits with Pope Benedict from November 2006 to April 2007, which means their second visits are coming six or seven years later. Bishops from Southern Africa, Mexico, Austria, Poland and other countries that had ad limina visits in 2005, the first year of Pope Benedict’s pontificate, will have to wait until 2014 or beyond. The special Year of Faith calendars of Pope Benedict and of local bishops, together with the size of the Italian bishops’ conference, “will not permit the visits of other episcopal conferences” this year, Archbishop Baldisseri said.—CNS

US marks 40 years of legal abortion By CAROL ZiMMeRMANN

ORTY years after the US Supreme Court legalised abortions, the pro-life movement hasn’t stepped back in its resolve to see the decision reversed. Each year near January 22, the day of the Roe vs Wade and Doe vs Bolton decisions on abortion, tens of thousands of protesters march in Washington and San Francisco and also take part in local events across the country hoping to change abortion laws. This year will be no exception. The annual March for Life in Washington will take place on January 25 to accommodate participants because the anniversary date is the day after public ceremonies for the presidential inauguration, which would have made it difficult to secure enough hotel rooms for the thousands expected to descend on the nation’s capital. Jeanne Monahan, the new president of the March for Life Education & Defense Fund, which organises and runs the rally and march each year in Washington, said that hotels reserved for march participants filled a month earlier than usual, suggesting that this year’s event will draw record crowds. She said she expects a bigger turnout this year because of the “huge pro-life loss

the Southern Cross, January 16 to January 22, 2013

young people walk with a banner at the start of the annual March for Life in Washington last year. (Photo: Bob Roller, CNS) during the election” and the “sombre reality” of the 40-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decisions. Ms Monahan likened the march to a sombre but energetic event, focussed on the fact that “at least 55 million abortions have been performed” in the past 40 years but fuelled by the overwhelming number of young people in attendance. Across the US, the ninth annual Walk for Life West Coast will take place on Jan-

uary 26. Eva Muntean, a walk co-founder and organiser, said the event—which drew 40 000 participants last year—was inspired by Washington’s annual march. Ms Monahan, 40, who was named to her post in November, knows she has big shoes to fill replacing Nellie Gray, the Texas native and World War II veteran who started the annual March for Life in 1974 to protest legalised abortion. Ms Gray died in August at 86. In a 2003 interview with Catholic News Service, Ms Gray said the first march in 1974 was “put together in less than three months”. She said the word went out, somehow, and 20 000 people came in buses to march around the US Capitol When the marchers were packing up to leave, she said, many felt that they had not been heard and that political leaders did not seem ready to change abortion laws. “So we decided to do one more march.” Ms Monahan would like to carry on Gray’s dedication and persistent resolve. She said she hopes the non-profit group that “runs the largest pro-life event in the world” will begin to “make an impact on culture every day of the year” not just on the anniversary of the Supreme Court decisions.—CNS

www.ohagan.co.za

Canon Law Society of Southern Africa

The Chancery, 3 Saratoga A ve, Johannesburg Private Bag X10, Doornfontein 2028 Tel.: +27 11 402 6400 tribunal@catholicjhb.org.za Fax: +27 86 689 26633

We invite all interested people to join the Canon Law Society of Southern Africa and ask all members to send us their names and contact details with a view to our 2013 Canon Law Conference as our records have been lost and we would like to reconstruct our database of membership. Contact: Marieke Vrugtman (secretary) see contact details above or 082 399 1419

Do you feel called to the Franciscan way of life?

100-year-old friar dies in monastery fire

HUNDRED-YEAR-OLD Franciscan friar died following a fire in a monastery in Füssen in the German state of Bavaria. Fr Askanius Vetter, who was oirdained to the priesthood in 1937, was Germany’s oldest Franciscan. Five other friars as well as a firefighter

and policeman were treated for smoke inhalation. Besides structural damage, the fire also damaged or destroyed several artworks. The damage is expected to exceeed R1 million. It is speculated that the fire was caused by a faulty bedside lamp in Fr Askanius’ room.

The monastery was built in 1628 and was taken over by ther Franciscans in 1836. Since 1979 it has been owned by the diocese of Augsburg. The resident friars provide pastoral care for visitors to Füssen, which is a spa town, and collaborate in the local parish ministry.

Contact: Brother Evenie Turner O.F.M. 082 599 7718, PO Box 914-1192, Wingate Park, 0153, 082 409-1457/ 012 345-1172

Email: evenieturner63@gmail.com

LEADER PAGE

the Southern Cross, January 16 to January 22, 2013

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

The Soho Mass effect

HE Catechism is clear about what the Church teaches about sexuality: sexual activity is permissible exclusively within marriage between man and woman. Other types of sexual pursuits, such as non-conjugal relations, are proscribed. The homosexual act and masturbation are, according to the Catechism, “intrinsically disordered” and not consistent with the teaching of the Church (2352, 2357). At the same time, the Catechism counsels that homosexuals may not be discriminated against: “They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided” (2358). The Body of Christ may not engage in homophobia, and our fidelity to the Catechism cannot be conditional on the fidelity to it by others. There is also no profit in speculating about the sexual conduct of fellow Catholics who are homosexual. We cannot presume to know what happens behind the closed doors of homosexual Catholics, nor those of others, married or unmarried. In questions of sinfulness, few of us are ever qualified to throw the first stone. In that light, the decision by the archdiocese of Westminster, England, to discontinue fortnightly Masses as part of a pastoral care programme for homosexuals, reportedly under pressure from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, runs the risk of being understood as lacking in compassion and sensitivity. It doubtless was a difficult decision for Archbishop Vincent Nichols. While he has been outspoken in his opposition to gay marriage, he has also been supportive of the pastoral care initiative for homosexuals in his archdiocese. In February 2012 he explicitly “reaffirmed the intention and purpose” of the programme, including the so-called Soho Masses. The programme, which Archbishop Nichols in a statement on his decision described as being “motivated by an awareness of the difficulties and isolation [homosexuals] can experience and by the imperative of Christ’s love for all”, will continue, without special liturgical celebrations, at a Jesuit church in London. The archbishop’s statement on

the matter underpinned his decision with fair reasoning concerning the universality of the Catholic Mass. This, however, will not satisfy those who suspect that the decision was predicated not on points of liturgical life, but on prejudice against homosexuals. In the public mind, the decision may very well undermine the Church’s assertion that its opposition to gay marriage is not driven by a rejection of homosexuals. Indeed, it is difficult to see how the decision will not fundamentally weaken the Church in its efforts to present its position on same-sex unions to a British society in which even a Conservative prime minister sponsors the legislation of gay marriage. The Church places a certain priority on the issue of homosexuality—sometimes clumsily so— because the drive to redefine marriage in Western countries seems inexorable. But in expressing its position on matters relating to homosexuality, the Church must always exercise great care that its words and actions do not give the appearance of being in conflict with the Catechism’s direction to accept homosexuals “with respect, compassion, and sensitivity”. The robustly critical public reaction to Archbishop Nichols’ decision suggests that there is a perception of the Catholic Church as a homophobic institution. In the age of soundbites and Twitter, when perception and image tend to claim primacy over nuance, it is an image the Church can ill afford as it seeks to communicate its teachings, to the public and to the faithful. Homosexuals remain among the world’s most vulnerable and stigmatised groups. Instead of taking actions and making statements which might be perceived to be marginalising homosexuals, the Church should be seen to be in solidarity with them on matters of unjust discrimination. Alas, the Church’s outrage on issues of injustice, such as hate crimes against homosexuals or the intolerable anti-gay Bill in Uganda, has been largely muted. The Church would be credited with much greater integrity on concerns such as gay marriage if it was seen to also stand in solidarity with homosexuals on issues of prejudice and bigotry, as the Catechism mandates.

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.

Retaining young Catholics N your edition of December 26, bears many resemblances to busiIChurch the editor commented that the ness and political organisations. When any organisation, politithroughout the world is facing stiff competition from other Christian denominations in retaining youth. I am very glad you made this point and I hope that a message goes out to the Church at all levels that we are going to have to do a lot better if we want to be a successful channel of God’s grace. When the Catholic Church is not an effective instrument to bring man to himself, God will certainly use other churches. Though one doesn’t normally speak of religion as a business, it

Refugees insight

LAIRE Mathieson’s report “SA Church: Pray for Sudanese refugees” (December 26) struck a chord with me as my son had bought me for Christmas the book Running For My Life, the true story of athlete Lopes Lomong, who as a sixyear-old was captured in a Sudanese village church during Mass. I could not put the book down. It gave me a totally new perspective on refugees; I had always believed that they were just adults running away for a better life. The book also gave me an understanding of what happens in the camps— and made me realise how fortunate we are in South Africa, despite all the bad things we experience daily. The same edition of The Southern Cross included an article about the Scalabrinians’ reflections on 2012. I am a parishioner at St Patrick’s in La Rochelle, Johannesburg. We have Scalabrinian priests in our parish, and what a blessing they are to our community. I am humbled by the compassion, love and care they have for all. Thank you Frs Gerardo Garcia and Ivaldo Bettin; we are truly blessed. Marianna Marques, Johannesburg

Catechism classes

AGREE with Terrence Watson (December 26) that there is a greater need of catechism in the Church. However, we need to remember that catechism needs to begin in the home. For the Church to properly sacramentalise our children, we need to ensure that the parents are evangelised first. As a catechist I have one hour a week to teach my class, which is quite challenging as the everyday secular world leaves little room for Christ. There are small things parents can do to help children improve their knowledge of faith, starting with little basics like saying

cal, business or religious, renders good service to its clients, they will continue to support it and it will attract new clients. When an organisation does not look after its members or clients, they will drift away. In the area of religion there is actually cut-throat competition for membership between the different Christian denominations, and those churches that energetically evangelise and provide good pastoral care are doing well. If we want to maintain our status as the leading Christian Church, we need to ensure we are meeting the the rosary or other prayers with their children. This will surely lead to further discussion of faith. I always encourage my children to bring any questions they have, no matter how outrageous these may seem, as I would rather have them find the answers in the environment of the Light of Christ. Parents should also speak to their children’s catechists regularly to bring any concerns of topics lacking understanding. I believe the archdiocese of Cape Town, with its Centre for Pastoral Development, has made great strides with initiatives to encourage people to learn more about their faith. Cape Town will be having its third season of Ecclesia later this year, and Mgr Andrew Borello will be starting another three-year theology programme for those who want to learn more about their faith at a very affordable price (approximately R400 for the year, which can be paid off). Please pray for the catechists and all who are responsible for teaching the faith. André Gildenhuys, Cape Town

Quiet time

REFER to the letters from Michael Ellis (November 28) and Ayleen Radley (December 19) on quiet during communion. I agree with having a “quiet time” during communion. I don’t sing at all during this time, though I’m sure my voice is not missed. if everyone who feels the same Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. the letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate. Letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the Church accurately.

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spiritual needs of people and are proclaiming a dynamic and relevant faith and maintaining structures that support a powerful spirituality and strong Christian communities. In the same edition Terrence Watson called for a renewal of catechetics and commented that people leave the Church because they do not understand its teaching. Because we are celebrating this year as the Year of Faith, we should be making an all-out effort to provide sound Catholic teaching, not only to those entering the Church but to all baptised Catholics. Effective programmes need to be instituted and run in every diocese and parish to build up commitment to Christ and Catholic spirituality and doctrine. Frank Bompas, Johannesburg stopped singing, we could all have “quiet time”. Our organist rushes to be among the first to receive the Eucharist so that he can get back to his “job” for the singers. Pam Castleman, Cape Town

Jesus’ birthplace

REFER to the excerpt from Günther Simmermacher’s book The Holy Land Trek, “Jesus, born in a cave in about 4 BC” in your Christmas edition (December 19). To my mind there is no doubt that Bethlehem was the birthplace of Christ. Much of what was written in the Gospels was inspired by the Holy Spirit, but information was also available from eyewitnesses and from participants in the events. Mary, mother of Jesus, was the obvious impeccable source for information required by the Gospel writers about the birth of Jesus. Unless we believe that she forgot where she gave birth to her son, which is unlikely, given the magnitude and divinity of the event, which she understood perfectly. The disciples had many opportunities after the Resurrection to gain this information from her. Furthermore, when you consider that the conversation between Mary and the Archangel Gabriel, at the Annunciation, was not witnessed by anyone else, and yet we accept it and repeat the words in the Hail Mary, we must accept then that this conversation was passed on to the disciples by Mary, presumably after Jesus’ ascension, indicating that Mary did brief the disciples. Joseph might have been another source of information, as would Jesus himself. The Bethlehem story could easily have been validated by discussions with all three. If the Gospel accounts do not entirely accord with the historical record, then perhaps we should reexamine the history. André Du Chenne, Johannesburg

PERSPECTIVES

Keeping those New Year’s resolutions

HIS is the first of a monthly column in which I intend to explore—no more and no less— some of the fascinating dilemmas that we face when faith meets society. I might start by pointing out that my observations come in part from the perspective of an outsider. I am a British person living in South Africa. I am a lay man working full-time for the Church and I am often surrounded by priests and religious. I am a brown-skinned person in a culture that is defined by those whose skins are white or those whose skins are black. But I hope that it is also clear that, if an outsider by nationality, status or colour, I am an outsider with a deep love for this country and for its complexities. Something that always strikes me is how South Africans combine the religious and the secular in an effortless way. We are a very religious nation—the vast majority of people identify themselves as belonging to a particular religious group (even if sadly the 2011 census did not ask that question). But we are also a secular state where the constitution is framed in the language of human rights with no particular mention of God in general or any one god in particular. For me one of the most striking examples of this paradox was when President Jacob Zuma suggested that we mark the end of the wonderful World Cup with a “National Prayer of Thanksgiving”. In that call he captured brilliantly a national sense that we should thank God for the success of the event but that we each could do so in our own way. By contrast I could not imagine anything more unlikely than the British prime minister—political leader of a state which has an established church

NEW COLUMN

and where part of his job is to appoint bishops—suggesting that the UK give thanks for the awesome Olympics. The secular and the religious pervade our lives in ways that we do not always notice. Take, for example, New Year’s resolutions. Now, you might feel that it is a bit late in January to be talking about these, but, in fact, this is just the right time to be reminded of them since halfway through January is usually the point at which people are beginning to let those resolutions slip. The very idea of New Year is a secular-religious mix. We number the years in a religious way—this is notionally the 2013th since the birth of our Lord—but the start of the Christian year has usually been marked not as January 1 but as the beginning of Advent or the Annunciation on March 25. In the same way, our New Year’s resolutions are secular in tone but have a religious underpinning. We probably made them in the heady, possibly drunken excitement of the turn of the year surrounded by friends and family

Raymond Perrier

Faith and Society

willing us on to bring about some change in our lives in 2013. So we set off with a firm commitment to eat more vegetables, to drink less alcohol, to give up smoking, to take up cycling, to spend more time with the children, to spend more time alone. Even the above-named president used a New Year speech to make promises for renewed changes in the country. Meanwhile, behind these personal (or political) commitments lie two deeper religious feelings. The first is that we fall short of our own ideal. The Anglican Book of Common Prayer captures this so beautifully: “I have done that which I ought not to have done and I have left undone that which I ought to have done.” But the second equally important sentiment is that we can do something to come closer to our better selves. These are of course the central Christian—and especially Catholic—concepts of repentance and conversion. We are not what we could be, but we can be what we were made to be. If a few weeks after the enthusiasm of those resolutions, they are now feeling less attainable, let me offer you two words of hope. First, in just a few weeks’ time, earlier than usual, it is the start of Lent so we can always turn those unmet New Year’s resolutions into Lenten commitments. And, secondly, in any case the Catholic tradition is one of continual conversion. Each morning is the start of a New Year—each day we have the chance to start again, with God’s grace.

This year is the time to raise your game

‘Y

OU must give up your old way of life; you must put aside your old self, which get corrupted by following illusory desires”, says St Paul to the Ephesians (4:22-24). Step up your game! Raise your game! This is how I would like to interpret St Paul’s words today. And this is an invitation and an opportunity for each one of us in 2013: to raise our game, to make an effort to improve the way we do something. Why be happy with your old self? Year in and year out, doing what you’ve always been doing; being who you always were. Why not venture into new possibilities with yourself? Possibilities created by you and by God. Allow yourself to be new again. Get enthusiastic again—enthusiasm means “with God”. Synonyms for enthusiasm are eagerness, interest, fervour, passion, gusto, zeal, zest and keenness. This is how we can step up our game, by bringing enthusiasm back into our lives, into our hearts, minds and bodies. St Paul reminds us to look at the self. He places an emphasis on self. But we have been conditioned to look at others first, to focus on others and probably to put others’ needs before our own. And so we neglect the self. We do not feel comfortable looking at the self and spending time with the self. It makes us feel guilty and self-absorbed. Change your paradigm here and step up your game. Over the years, there have been many, who like cunning foxes, including your own self-talk, have made

you believe that you should not focus on yourself. “It’s always all about you!” I’m sure you have heard this accusation before. Put those cunning foxes right where they belong: in their foxholes. And focus on yourself. Become enthusiastic about yourself. Raise your game and become a better self—not an unhealthy narcissistic self, but a healthy God-created self. Feed your mind—it takes on the nature of its diet. Provide it with a balanced and well-nourished sustenance and allow intellectual stimulus. Keep your mind always learning. There is so much to question, so much to discover, so much to learn. Feed your mind from the bread of life. Read the sacred writings of the sages. Read spiritual books slowly and contemplate what they reveal to you. Become enthusiastic about learning. For some, life could be overwhelming as a child, so you learned to disconnect yourself from your emotions. This became a way of life; you needed to protect yourself to survive. Now it is time to melt away the ice that formed around your emotions. Step up your game, and get in touch with your emotions, name them and express them. Release the tension of non-expression. Some do not like to talk about feelings and emotions and see it as weak. Feelings are important. Pay attention to your feelings. They tell you what is going on inside you, even when you outwardly choose to deny it. Only when you are in touch with your emotions will you be able to respond to

BLIND READERS OF

A group of readers is preparing audio tapes of excerpts from The Southern Cross, including editorials, selected articles, and regular features, as well current affairs in the Church. Anyone wanting to receive tapes as part of this service, available for an annual subscription fee of only R50, is invited to contact mr len Pothier, 8 The Spinney Retirement village, main Rd, Hout Bay, 7806 or phone 021-790 1317.

The Post Office will deliver and return tapes without charge. Should you know of any interested blind person, please inform them of this service.

Judith Turner

On Faith and Life

them appropriately. What is your profession, your calling, your purpose in life? Are you only going through the motions of your vocation or are you living it day by day with enthusiasm? Challenge yourself, go deeper and discover what God has in store for you. Raise your game and take your calling to another level. Take care of your body; you only have one. You share your body with God who is working daily through you, reaching out to yourself and others. Rest your body well. Take note of harmful substances that may enter the body. Eat healthily and work out regularly. This way you keep your body ready for God’s work to be done. Receive the strength and support you desperately need from others. Treat yourself to the presence of others in your life. Be open to the gifts they bring. There are those who can feed you intellectually, nurture you emotionally, embrace you physically and commune with you spiritually. Let them be there for you. Whatever your plans for 2013 are, remember: “You must give up your old way of life; you must put aside your old self, which gets corrupted by following illusory desires”. In other words, you must step up your game.

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the Southern Cross, January 16 to January 22, 2013

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

Why did we need the new Mass translations? Why was it necessary for the English version of the Mass to be given to us in a new translation? Did the authorities not understand that ordinary Catholics now have to replace their familiar missals with new ones that are practically unaffordable, particularly for pensioners? Will the local dioceses subsidise the poorer members of the flock to enable them to buy the new missals? Various readers

HESE questions form a summary of three basic queries brought by readers to the Open Door over the last couple of months. Firstly, Vatican liturgists were not happy with the original English translation made by the International Commission for English in the Liturgy in 1973. This is the one in use until the reform of 2010. They criticised it as being an inexact translation of the original Latin text. It is said that it was Pope John Paul II who encouraged the change to a revised translation. In March 2001, the Congregation for Divine Worship issued an instruction Liturgiam Authenticam (Authentic Liturgy) that made it clear that it wanted the original Latin text of the Roman Rite to be translated accurately into the vernacular language without paraphrases or glosses. The English text was seen as diverging from the sense and meaning of the original. When the new translation became current throughout the English-speaking world, it received a very mixed reception and even now it has not found favour among those who resent its too literal and “wooden” language. Yet it has been broadly accepted and is now in general use. Secondly, Vatican liturgists probably gave no thought to the cost to the individual parishioner of buying a new set of missals which is indeed not cheap. Their attitude seemingly was that, since the liturgical prayers are in the home language which all can understand, why need a book? This overlooks the views of those who prefer to have a missal in order to anticipate the liturgy of the day and prepare for it spiritually. Thirdly, I have not heard of any diocese offering to subsidise the purchase of missals for the needy, though the Southern African Bishops’ Conference produced very affordable abbreviated material at the time the new translations took effect. However, enterprising bishops and priests may be prompted to do a little research to see who would earnestly want the new missal but cannot pay for it. Perhaps some parish society or other benefactor could collect or make donations for the purpose. There are always ways and means to help those in real need.

n Send your queries to Open Door, Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000; or e-mail: opendoor@scross.co.za; or fax (021) 465 3850. Anonymity can be preserved by arrangement, but questions must be signed, and may be edited for clarity. Only published questions will be answered.

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COMMUNITY

the Southern Cross, January 16 to January 22, 2013

Fr Andre Stephan MSC is pictured with youth from St Joseph’s parish of Sibasa in the diocese of tzaneen.

Children of the Holy trinity church in Midrand, Pretoria archdiocese, received their first Holy Communion from Fr Jimmy Mitchell MSC.

Send your photos to pics@scross.co.za

Scouts and cub scouts had a Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Retreat, Cape town.

CATHOliC WElFARE AND DEvElOPmENT

DiRECTOR

Catholic Welfare and Development is the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s outreach to communities and individuals struggling with poverty and a lack of resources. The agency aims to empower those with whom it works to recover their sense of dignity and become self-reliant and self-determining.

Position

Catholic Welfare and Development has a vacancy for a suitably skilled and qualified person for the position of Director. The Director will provide overall leadership for Catholic Welfare and Development. S/he will be responsible for coordination of programmes, planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation. S/he will need to look after a significant and diverse staff and volunteer community and engage in relationship-building with key stakeholders, including relevant government departments. S/he will report to CWD’s Board of Management.

Archbishop Stephen Brislin visited the Capuchin Poor Clare convent in Swellendam for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. the Poor Clare sisters dressed up in traditional Mexican clothes in honour of the patroness of the Americas.

Qualiﬁcations

University degree in Social Sciences, Finance or related field. Knowledge of and experience in • Organisational operation and management • Financial management • Catholic values, especially the social teaching of the Church • the NGO sector • at least two official languages, one of which will need to be English South African citizenship or permanent residency a prerequisite. Position available from 1st march 2013 Salary appropriate to qualifications and experience

if you feel that you meet these criteria please submit your letter of application and Cv to Archdiocese of Cape Town, 12 Bouquet Street, Cape Town. Closing date of applications is 1st February 2013 and only suitably qualiﬁed and experienced applicants will be considered for this position.

Frs thabo Sefoli, thabo Mabaso and Nkosana Nhlapo were ordained at St Francis of Assisi in Vanderbijlpark. the tlhatlha family are pictured with Archbishop William Slattery. (From left) Mpho, Noko, Archbishop Slattery, Magdeline and Alinah.

YEAR OF FAITH

the Southern Cross, January 16 to January 22, 2013

Disillusioned with the Church? in heaven” (Mt 5:44-45). “The Lord has forgiven you, now you must do the same” (Col 3:19). “Always be joyful in the Lord, I repeat, be joyful ... never worry about anything, but tell God all your desires in every kind of prayer ... shot through with gratitude, and the peace of God which is above our understanding will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus” (Ph 4:3-7). Jesus said: “Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you ... Do not let your heart be troubled or afraid” (Jn 14:27) Jesus said: “If you make my word your home, you will indeed be my disciples, you will come to know the truth and the truth will set you free” (Jn 8:31)

Sometimes Catholics may become disillusioned with their Church, or even abandon it as a result. Fr BONAVENTURE HINWOOD OFM explains why we must retain our faith in the Church even when we feel let down by it.

OMETIMES I meet people who have either given up the practice of the faith or have left the Church because they say that the Catholic Church is too hidebound with rules or that they are tired of negative attitudes on the part of Church leaders. This may indeed be their unhappy experience at the hands of a few priests or other Church officials, but it is not the Catholic faith. The Catholic Church seeks to fulfil her function as Jesus’ vehicle for spreading his Good News, his Gospel. This is the saving message of a positive life lived in the enabling enjoyment of the God who is the love community of the Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The core act of the Church, through its members who form Christ’s body, is the Mass. The Mass is Eucharist, “thanksgiving”, as we declare in the preface to the beginning of every Eucharistic prayer, and in which different reasons are given for why we should give thanks to God. And we must remember that several of the psalms tell us that thanksgiving is the fundamental act of worship. Even more in every Mass, Jesus in the fullness and perfection of his sacrifice, which he brings to its fullness in the presence of his Father in the state of glory (Heb 9-10), makes himself in total, loving, self-giving to the Father, is present on the altar under the forms of bread and wine, so that you and I may join in the complete self-giving in love, and thus exercise the royal priesthood which we have in union with him (1 Pet 2:4-5). We are also open in the Mass to

We may keep our faith in God but there are times when a Catholic’s trust in the Church can be shaken because of the actions of people in it. in his article, Fr Bonaventure Hinwood explains why we must not let disillusionment diminish our Catholic faith. receive God’s self-revelation and his truth in his word, broken open for us in the scripture readings and homily; and the whole being of his Son as he is given to us in communion.

hese are objective positive realities, which no negativity or narrow-mindedness on the part of one or more of God’s agents can cancel out. It is to enjoy these benefits that a person responds to God’s call and becomes or remains an active member of the Catholic Church. In addition to the elements of the Mass already mentioned, the other Mass texts, the other sacraments and devotions, as well as official teaching documents and the

writings of Catholic theologians, all emphasise the Good News. “This is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that every one who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (Jn 3:15-16). This is the revelation of God’s love for us, that God sent his only Son into the world that we might have life through him ... if God loved us so much, we should love each other” (1 Jn 4:911). “You must see what great love the Father has lavished upon us by letting us be called God’s children— which is what we are” (1 Jn 3:1). “You must set no bounds to your love, just as your heavenly Father sets no bounds to his” (Mt 5:48). St Luke tells us in the parable of

NEW FOR 2013

the prodigal son that “while he was still a long way off, the father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him” (15:30). “If you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours (Mt 6:15). “When you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your failings too” (Mk 11:25). “Lord how often must I forgive my brother who wrongs me? ... Jesus answered, ‘not seven times I tell you, but seventy times seven’” (Mt 18:21-22). “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you , so that you may be children of your Father

s is clear from things already quoted, much of Jesus’ Good News was in the form of instructions spelling out different dimensions of his great exhortation to love. So we find him saying: “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:9-12). To safeguard his teaching and ensure the correct practice of his commandments, Jesus gave authority first to the local community to deal with it (Mt 18:15-17). For matters of greater importance he gave authority to the apostles (Mt 18:18), and to issues affecting the whole Church he established St Peter and his successors as the competent authority (Mt 16:17-20). In the same way the Church’s rules and negative instructions, which necessarily exist, are intended to protect and encourage the practice of the way of life that Jesus bequeathed to us and to safeguard God’s truth which he shared with us. Unfortunately, like all good things put into human hands, these can be exaggerated and abused, and so become hurtful. As a Catholic I would ask pardon for any fellow member of Christ’s body from anyone who has been hurt in this way.

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the Southern Cross, January 16 to January 22, 2013

COMMUNITY

Dorothy Day: A beloved Catholic anarchist World War II. The war was overwhelmingly supported by the Catholic bishops, the American public and even members of the Catholic Worker Movement, many of whom enlisted to fight in the conflict, said Deacon Tom Cornell, co-founder of the Catholic Peace Fellowship and a decades-long associate of Day. “The bishops were very embarrassed,” he said. “Dorothy was a grand dame, as far as they were concerned, during the 1930s because she offered an alternative to Marxist, atheistic, class war labour organisations.” It looked as though The Catholic Worker would not survive World War II and Day was essentially frozen out of important Catholic circles, Deacon Cornell said.

Catholics in the United States are excited at the prospect of social activist Dorothy Day one day becoming a saint— against her wishes. CHAZ MUTH looks at the life of this remarkable Catholic convert.

OROTHY Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement and candidate for sainthood, experienced a great deal of turbulence in early life. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1897, she was baptised an Episcopalian (Anglican) in a family that rarely attended church. As a young girl her family moved to San Francisco, then later to Chicago, and Day attended the University of Illinois in Urbana. However, she left college to work in New York as a journalist for a socialist newspaper. While in New York, she got involved in the causes of her day, such as women’s suffrage and peace, and was part of a circle of top literary and artistic figures of the era, including playwright Eugene O’Neill. Day also had a string of love affairs, attempted suicide and aborted her first child. Her life shifted dramatically while living in Staten Island in New York, when she entered into a common-law marriage with a biologist named Forster Battingham, and in 1926, while pregnant with her daughter, Tamar, Day embraced Catholicism. Day had Tamar baptised Catholic, and she too was baptised, which contributed to the end of her common-law marriage. As she sought to fuse her life and her faith, Day wrote for such

Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement and Servant of God. Catholic publications as America and Commonweal. In 1932, she met Peter Maurin, a French immigrant and former Christian Brother. His philosophy on social ills and the need to take personal responsibility in serving the less fortunate melded with Day’s desire to work for social change. Together they started The Catholic Worker newspaper and later, several houses of hospitality and farm communities.

ay was a self-proclaimed anarchist, a crusader of Catholic social teaching in aiding poor and mentally ill people, and a labour union supporter. She was highly regarded in the 1930s by the Church hierarchy and laity. “It was an idea that maybe its

time had come, for Catholics, in the midst of the Great Depression, to be speaking of the social issues of the day,” said Robert Ellsberg, a friend of the would-be saint and editor of Day’s published diaries and letters. He is a former managing editor of The Catholic Worker. “There were many bishops and seminaries that ordered huge bulk orders of The Catholic Worker,” he added. “There were a lot of priests at that time who were very sympathetic to that kind of labour emphasis.” Day’s strict pacifism during the Spanish Civil War caused a defection among some of her Catholic colleagues who considered the rebel group led by General Francisco Franco to be acting in defence of Christian values, he said. She lost even more support when she took a similar stance during

Granddaughter follows in Day’s path

owever, the Catholic Worker Movement experienced a renewal of sorts in the 1950s when its members were among the first to join the civil rights movement for racial equality, and though Day continued her anti-war protests throughout the 1960s and 1970s, her reputation was largely restored, Mr Ellsberg said. She prayed and fasted for peace at the Second Vatican Council, and was shot at while working for integration. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, present archbishop of New York, has called Day’s sainthood cause an opportune moment in the life of the US Church. Cardinal Dolan, who is also the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, has called Day’s journey “Augustinian”, saying that “she was the first to admit it: sexual immorality, there was a religious search, there was a pregnancy out of wedlock, and an abortion. Like Saul on the way to Damascus, she was

to her lay vow of poverty and anti-war crusades. By CHAZ MutH “Dorothy was really guided by the hand of God, so I HEN Martha Hennessy walks into The Catholic don’t think she ever really considered that forsaking a Worker newspaper office in the East Village, the more comfortable life was a matter of sacrifice,” Ms Henresemblance to her late nessy said. “Tamar, on the other hand, had grandmother, Dorothy Day, is obvithis lifestyle thrust on to her from the time ous. she was a young child, and so, in that sense, “Well, we are family,” Ms Henher sacrifice was different.” nessy, 57, said when the physical likeTamar Teresa Day Hennessy was very ness was pointed out to her. Her manyoung when her parents separated. She spent ner is dry, serious, but she also manmuch of her childhood living in Catholic ages a short knowing smile. Worker houses of hospitality, often left in The physical similarities to the the care of others while her mother was travAmerican Catholic icon and coelling for the cause. founder of the Catholic Worker MoveIn a 2003 interview, Tamar Hennessy told ment are more than skin deep, howevthe National Catholic Reporter that Day was a er. loving and devoted mother, but she could be Like her grandmother, Ms Hentough. “She wanted everybody to be like nessy is a passionate anti-war crusader, saints,” Ms Hennessy said. “I mean, who can deeply invested in Catholic social measure up to that?” teaching on poverty, engaged in her Tamar Hennessy would get married as a faith and firm in her resolve, even teenager and raise nine children in Vermont. when her views differ from the hierarMs Hennessy said as a teenager she spent chy of her Church. Martha Hennessy, grandtime working at both Maryhouse and St Interviewed in the office where Day Joseph’s House, another Catholic Worker daughter of Catholic social worked—located in Maryhouse, a hospitality house in New York. activist Dorothy Day, reads Catholic Worker hospitality home— Like her mother, Ms Hennessy “fell away” the December 2012 issue of Ms Hennessy reflected on the lives, from Catholicism as an adult. She married, The Catholic Worker at Maryachievements and sacrifices of her became an occupational therapist, and raised house in the east Village grandmother and on Day’s only child, three children, but was always politically neighbourhood of New york. Tamar. Ms Hennessy took a deep active and a fervent pacifist. Following her (Photo: Gregory A Shemitz, breath, looked around the room and mother’s death in 2008, Ms Hennessy spent said she feels the presence of both CNS) some time in Hawaii and had a religious women. awaking of her own. Day’s life journey is well document“My landlady simply started taking me to ed, from her bohemian days in New York working as a church with her,” she said. “I thought that was lovely to journalist for a socialist newspaper and her religious awak- share that with her. Things just started happening from ening and co-founding of the Catholic Worker Movement, there.” Ms Hennessy then re-engaged with the Catholic Worker Movement and now divides her time between the home she shares with her husband in Springfield, Vermont, and Maryhouse. She also travels around the world in her role as a peace activist, going to places such as Cuba, Iraq and Afghanistan. Her religious awaking, she said, has given her an inner peace. “The listening to the voice of God above our own clamouring has been a gift of grace,” Ms Hennessy said. “That somehow my heart and my mind were able to open up, and to act upon 1 Kitchener Street, Cambridge, East London – www.catholic-pe.co.za/dioretreat#piu this love of God.”—CNS

St. Pius Pastoral Centre East London

Tel/Fax: 043 721-3077 Cell 082 853-8869 stpiuscecil@telkomsa.net

radically changed” and has become “a saint for our time”. The endorsement by the US bishops of Day’s sainthood cause—first undertaken years ago by one of Cardinal Dolan’s predecessors in New York, Cardinal John O’Connor—has been met with scepticism by some members of the Catholic Worker Movement and with joy by others. Martha Hennessy, one of Day’s nine grandchildren, is concerned the Church will place too much emphasis on her grandmother’s abortion. “I mean, there was one comment holding her up as a post-abortion saint. What does that mean?” Ms Hennessy wondered. “Dorothy certainly referred to her experience as one of the worst decisions she made in her life.” But Day considered the abortion issue to be only a fraction of defining oneself as a champion for the sanctity of life, Ms Hennessy said, and the other pieces of the puzzle included fighting the death penalty, euthanasia and being an anti-war activist. Day’s exposure has increased since her death. She has been the focus of a number of biographies. Other books featuring her prayers and writings have been published. In the 1990s, a film biography, Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story, starring Moira Kelly and Martin Sheen, made its way to cinemas. In 2007 Los Angeles-based photographer Claudia Larson released her documentary Dorothy Day: Don’t Call Me A Saint. Ms Larson is organising a Dorothy Day exhibit in May at Marquette University in Milwaukee, home of Day’s archives, to coincide with the 80th anniversary of The Catholic Worker Movement.—CNS

Timeline of Dorothy Day’s life and legacy 1897: Born in New York on November 8. 1906: Witnesses her mother helping homeless people following the San Francisco earthquake, leaving a lasting impression. 1907: Interest in religion grows when her brothers are enrolled in the choir of a Chicago Episcopal church. 1915: Leaves the University of Illinois and moves to New York, where she becomes a journalist for a socialist newspaper, champions social justice causes of the day and becomes drinking pals with a group of literary artists. She would later call this period of her life her time of drifting, which resulted in a string of love affairs and an abortion. 1926: Becomes pregnant with her only child, daughter Tamar; the father is Day’s common-law husband, Forster Battingham. The joy of her pregnancy stirs feelings of redemption and she embraces Catholicism; she and Tamar are baptised, contributing to the end of her common-law marriage. Day embarks on a writing career, contributing to a number of Catholic publications. 1933: Introduced to French immigrant Peter Maurin. Together they launch The Catholic Worker newspaper to promote Catholic social teaching, begin a movement with the same name that establishes houses of hospitality where works of mercy are carried out. Day takes a vow of poverty, believing it is the only way she can truly understand the plight of poor people. Catholic Worker farms also are established and become rural havens for poor families, retreats for slum children and environments where students explore a green revolution. Late 1930s: Criticisms of Day arise when she takes a pacifist position during the Spanish Civil War. Hostilities toward Day intensify in the1940s when she takes a similar stance during World War II. 1949: Maurin dies on May 15. 1950s: Day protests against the stockpiling of nuclear weapons, a cause she would champion the rest of her life. 1952: Her autobiography The Long Loneliness is published. 1960s: Led by Day, The Catholic Worker is engaged in the civil rights movement. 1965: Travels to Rome to fast and pray during the last session of the Second Vatican Council as a penitential offering for its success. She is later heartened when the council publishes The Church in the Modern World, which condemns indiscriminate warfare and supports conscientious objection. 1973: Joins Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers in California’s San Joaquin Valley to protest against the Teamsters Union discrimination against migrant workers. It marks her last imprisonment. 1980: Day dies in New York on November 29. 2000: Cardinal John O’Connor of New York initiates the sainthood cause for Day. The Dorothy Day Guild is established to propagate her life and works. The Vatican approves the cause and gives her the title “servant of God”.—CNS

the Southern Cross, January 16 to January 22, 2013

CLASSIFIEDS

Fr Ludwig Stahuber

ATHER Ludwig Stahuber of Witbank diocese died in the afternoon of December 28 at the age of 76. Born in 1936 in Höhnrain, Germany, he came to South Africa as a “mission helper”. In the early 1960s he worked for a few years in the archdiocese of Pretoria. He subsequently began his theological studies for the priesthood as a late vocation. Fr Stahuber was ordained a priest for the diocese of Witbank by Bishop Anton Reiterer MCCJ on June 29, 1973. He served different parishes in the diocese: Glen Cowie, Schoonoord and Steelpoort. For a few years he was also in charge of some communities of Mashabela parish. He remained in Steelpoort for many years. While there on March 11, 2003—his birthday—he had a stroke. Fr Stahuber was paralysed and unable to walk and speak. He was admitted to Cosmos Hospital in Witbank, but there was no improvement. After some weeks he was transferred to

St Joseph’s Home for the Aged in Middelburg where he remained until his death. The diocese is very grateful to the staff of St Joseph’s Home who took good care of him for nine years. Fr Stahuber was a priest of many activities. He was a very good handyman, interested in astronomy, mechanics, printing, making different religious articles, drilling boreholes, building churches and more.

Community Calendar

To place your event, call Claire Allen at 021 465 5007 or e-mail c.allen@scross.co.za (publication subject to space)

CAPE TOWN: Mimosa Shrine, Bellville (Place of pilgrimage for the Year of Faith): Rosary, 7.30pm, Holy hour and Benediction every 2nd Saturday, from January 2013, 9.00-10.00 am. Confession available during Holy hour. tel: 076 323 8043 Padre Pio: Holy hour 3.30 pm every 3rd Sunday of the month at Holy Redeemer parish in Bergvliet. Helpers of God’s Precious Infants meet the last Saturday of the month except in December, starting with Mass at 9:30 am

at the Salesian institue Community Chapel in Somerset Road, Cape town. Mass is followed by a vigil and procession to Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Bree Street. For information contact Colette thomas on 083 412 4836 or 021 593 9875 or Br Daniel Manuel on 083 544 3375 NELSPRUIT: Adoration of the blessed sacrament at St Peter’s parish. every tuesday from 8am to 4:45pm followed by Rosary Divine Mercy prayers, then a Mass/Communion service at 5:30pm.

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 533. ACROSS: 3 Candidate, 8 Imam, 9 Chevalier, 10 Simple, 11 Educe, 14 Pasha, 15 Tuba, 16 Royal, 18 Pure, 20 Exist, 21 Yacht, 24 Feline, 25 Grenadier, 26 Zeus, 27 Chorister. DOWN: 1 First pope, 2 Palmistry, 4 Ache, 5 Dived, 6 Delict, 7 Trek, 9 Clear, 11 Egypt, 12 Euripides, 13 Pantheist, 17 Leper, 19 Earner, 22 Hades, 23 Arch, 24 Fete.

He spent lots of time and money in printing prayer books, hymnals and catechisms into Sepedi. He was very active in pastoral ministry, a true missionary, always on the way to visit various communities. The Bible saying “zeal for your house consumes me”, could be seen as Fr Stahuber’s motto in the efforts he made by all means to spread and defend the Catholic Church as the only true Church. He worked with lay people and promoted different Catholic sodalities and associations. He had a great devotion to Our Lady. His strong views on the practice of the Catholic faith at times put him at odds with Church authorities, but he was a very forgiving, generous, kind and welcoming person. The almost nine years he spent suffering and paralysed at St Joseph’s Home purified him and prepared him to enter into God’s eternal life. May he rest in peace. Bishop Joe Sandri MCCJ

Liturgical Calendar Year C Weekdays Cycle Year 1

Sunday, January 20, 2nd Sunday Isaiah 62:1-5, Psalm 96:1-3, 7-10, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, John 2:1-11 Monday, January 21, St Agnes Hebrews 5:1-10, Psalm 110:1-4, Mark 2:18-22 Tuesday, January 22 Hebrews 6:10-20, Psalm 111:1-2, 4-5, 9-10, Mark 2:23-28 Wednesday, January 23 Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17, Psalm 110:1-4, Mark 3:1-6 Thursday, January 24, St Francis de Sales Hebrews 7:25, 8:6, Psalm 40:7-10, 17, Mark 3:712 Friday, January 25, Conversion of St Paul Acts 22:3-16 or 9:1-22, Psalm 117:1-2, Mark 16:15-18 Saturday, January 26, Ss Timothy and Titus 2 Timothy 1:1-8 or Titus 1:1-5, Psalm 96:1-3, 7-8, 10, Mark 3:20-21 Sunday, January 27, 3rd Sunday Nehemiah 8:2-4, 5-6, 8-10, Psalm 19:8-10, 15, 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 or 12:12-14, 27, Luke 1:14; 4:14-21

Word of the Week

IN HOC SIGNO CRUCIS VINCES: “In this sign you will conquer.” This is the Latin translation of the Greek words, Touto Nika, seen by Constantine in his vision, along with the Chi-Rho. CHI-RO: The Chi-Rho (pronounced “KEE-roe”) is a Christian symbol consisting of the intersection of the capital Greek letters Chi (X) and Rho (P), which are the first two letters of “Christ” in Greek (ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ). The Chi-Rho can represent either Christ or Christianity and is also known as a Christogram.

Births • First Communion • Confirmation • engagement/Marriage • Wedding anniversary • Ordination jubilee • Congratulations • Deaths • in memoriam • thanks • Prayers • Accommodation • Holiday Accommodation • Personal • Services • employment • Property • Others Please include payment (R1,25 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

DEATH

MURDOCH—Michael left us on 20/12/2012. His wife ilona, five children, fourteen grandchildren, one great-grand child and two nephews. eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, may your perpetual light shine upon him. until we meet again. NUNAN—Patricia Mary (Née Cooper) passed away peacefully on December 20. Sadly missed and lovingly remembered for her love and consideration for others and her loyalty to the Church by her husband Allen, her children Kevin, Louise, Pamela, Graeme, David and grandchildren Bernice, Wayne, Justin, Bryce, Jaryd, Jade, Demi, Julia, Brent. May her dear Soul Rest in Peace.

IN MEMORIAM

HARKER—Reynold died 4/1/2009. RiP. those we love don’t go away; they walk beside us everyday. Prayerfully remembered by your ever loving Mom, sister, and brother-in-law, Sharlene and Dominic, nieces Lauren and Megan (Australia) Aunty Suzanne, relatives and friends. VAN DRIEL—James 10/01/1937–9/01/2009. Memories of you comfort us, we love and miss you. RiP. Loving wife eunice and family.

and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke you, special patron in time of need. to you i have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg you to come to my assistance. Help me now in my urgent need and grant my petitions. in return i promise to make your name known and publish this prayer. Amen. Rt O MOST beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendour of Heaven, blessed Mother of the Son of God, immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me where you are, Mother of God. Queen of heaven and earth i humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. there is none who can withstand your power, O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Holy Mary, i place this cause in your hands. Say this prayer for 3 consecutive days and then publish. MF. FOR YOU created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. i praise you because i am fearfully and wonderfully made;

PERSONAL

ABORTION is murder— Silence on this issue is not golden, it’s yellow! Avoid ‘Pro-abortion’ politicians. MATURE CARER required to join team of carers for elderly disabled lady. Southern Suburbs, Cape town. experience essential. Must be flexible regarding hours. tel. 021 761 2523 or 082 420 3957. NOTHING is politically right if it is morally wrong. Abortion is evil. Value life!

PRAYERS

HOLY ST JUDE, apostle and martyr, great in virtue

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to be. Psalm 139

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

LONDON, Protea House: Single per night R300, twin R480. Self-catering, busses and underground nearby. Phone Peter 021 851 5200. BALLITO: up-market penthouse on beach, selfcatering. 084 790 6562. FISH HOEK: Self-catering accommodation, sleeps 4. Secure parking. tel: 021 785 1247. KNYSNA: Self-catering accommodation for 2 in Old Belvidere with wonderful lagoon views. 044 387 1052. MARIANELLA: Guest House, Simon’s town: “Come experience the peace and beauty of God with us.” Fully equipped with amazing sea views. Secure parking, ideal for rest and relaxation. Special rates for pensioners and clergy. tel: Malcolm Salida 082 784 5675 or mjsalida@mweb.co.za SEDGEFIELD: Beautiful self-catering garden holiday flat, sleeps four, two bedrooms, open-plan lounge, kitchen, fully equipped. 5min walk to lagoon. Out of season specials. Contact Les or Bernadette 044 343 3242, 082 900 6282. STRAND: Beachfront flat to let. Stunning views, fully equipped. Garage, one bedroom, sleeps 3-4. R450 p/night for 2 people-low season. Phone Brenda 082 822 0607.

UPHOLSTERER

your works are wonderful, i know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when i was made in the secret place, when i was woven together in the depths of the earth. your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came

To advertise in this space call Elizabeth Hutton 021 465 5007 CASA SERENA The retirement home with the Italian flair. 7A Marais Road, Bedfordview. Provides full board and lodging, medical services and transport. Senior citizens wishing to retire in this beautiful Home, please phone 011 284 2917 www.casaserena.co.za

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

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3rd Sunday: January 27 Readings: Nehemiah 8:2-6, 8-10, Psalm 19:8-10, 15, 1 Corinthians 12:12-30, Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

New beginnings in God

Nicholas King SJ

E are still very much at the beginning of our new year, and the readings for next Sunday give us some clues about how to live out our new beginnings. The first reading is the splendid story of Ezra, a century after the return from captivity, reading the Law to the people, who were lost and disillusioned. Now we shall get it badly wrong if we think of the Law as a burdensome imposition. As we shall see, if we pay careful attention to these readings, it was in fact God’s gift to them. It is all set up very carefully indeed: everyone in Jerusalem is there, “men and women and those able to understand and pay attention”, and it is on a precise date, “the first day of the seventh month”, and in a particular place “the Square in front of the Water Gate”, at a particular time, “from first light until midday”, and on a particularly conspicuous site, “on a wooden tower”. And as he read, “translations” of or “explanations” were given by the Levites, with a remarkable effect, “all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the Law”. But they have to be told that this is the wrong response, they are not to weep, but to “go and eat rich food and sweet drinks...for the joy of the Lord is your strength”. That must be our watchword as we start our new year. The psalm for next Sunday is positively

Sunday Reflections

ecstatic about the Law: “YHWH’s Law is perfect; it revives the soul; YHWH’s command is trustworthy, and gives wisdom to the simple.” And look at its other attributes: “Rejoices the heart...gives light to the eyes...stands firm for ever...righteous altogether.” Then the psalmist becomes aware that his own words do not have such divinely-given guarantees, and concludes with a prayer that we might make our own, “may the words of my mouth be for your good pleasure, and the thoughts of my heart before you, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer”. See how it always comes back to God, and that must be our motto for the months that lie ahead. And that essential focus was something that Paul’s squabbling Corinthians had not been able to manage. So to get them focused, he tells the ancient story of the body: “It is one and has many limbs”, and links it to the story of Christ, who is to be their (and our) focus: “We are all baptised into one body, [whoever we are], and have all been given one Spirit to drink.”

Then he makes the comical suggestion that a “foot” or an “ear” might declare UDI from the body, because of not being “hand” or “eye”, or, worse still, the eye declaring that the hand is unnecessary, or the head proclaiming its independence of the feet. We are intended to laugh at this, while also ruefully acknowledging our own apartheid tendencies. Not only that, but just in case we are inclined to look down on other parts of the body, Paul invites us to recognise that it is the “less honourable” parts of the body (what comedians call the “naughty bits”) that are given more excessive honour, precisely to avoid “division in the body”, and instead feel the pain when one part of the body is suffering, and feel the joy when one part is “glorified”. For, he concludes, “you are the body of Christ”, so none of us, whatever our task or rank, is superior to the other. We shall do well to remember that, this year. Next Sunday’s gospel is a bit of a mixture, for the compilers of the lectionary have put together two “beginnings”, which is perhaps appropriate for beginning the year. The first is the “beginning” of Luke’s gospel, which we shall be following until the end of November, and the second is the “beginning” of Jesus’ ministry. The gospel, it seems, is to be not only a writing down “accurately and in order” (so it is history), but also an account of “the things that have been ful-

Prayer trumps following blindly Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI I N virtually all of his novels, Milan Kundera manifests a strong impatience with every kind of ideology, hype, or fad that makes for group-think or crowd-hysteria. The Czech author of books such as The Unbearable Lightness Of Being (1984) is suspicious of slogans, demonstrations and marches of all kinds, no matter the cause. He calls all these “the great march” and, to his mind, they invariably lead to violence, all of them. Kundera likes artists because they tend to steer clear of causes, wanting to paint or write rather than march. There are causes worth fighting for and there are injustices and wounds in our world that demand our involvement beyond our wanting rather to paint or write. Still Kundera’s severe judgment on marches and demonstrations of all kinds, “the great march”, is fair warning. Why? Because in our more reflective moments we know how hard it is not to get caught up in ideology, hype, fad, group-think, and crowd-hysteria in a way that leaves us mindless. It’s hard to know what we really think and believe, as opposed to what the cultural circles we move within prescribe for us. It’s hard not to be caught up in the fashion of the moment. But it’s even harder for us to ground ourselves in something deeper; to root ourselves in a perspective outside what Thomas Hardy once called “the maddening crowd”. How can we ground ourselves

Conrad

Final Reflection

in a depth that immunises us from ideology, fad, hype, fashion, and the subtle group-hysterias that plague every culture? In Luke’s gospel, the disciples sense that Jesus is drawing his wisdom, calm, strength, and power from somewhere beyond himself, that he is grounding himself in something beyond both the enticements and threats of the present moment. Their hunch is that he is finding this depth in prayer. They too want to connect to this depth and power and they have come to realise that prayer is the route, the only route, to take them there. And so they ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. What did he teach them? How do we pray in such a way so as to ground ourselves in something truly beyond our own individual and collective narcissism? Metaphorically, this is described for us in the passage in Scripture which records the martyrdom of St Stephen. This is the scene: A crowd of very sincere, though misguided, persons, driven by religious fervour but caught up in some group-hysteria, gather to stone Stephen to death. Here’s how Scripture describes it: “They were infuriated when they heard this and

ground their teeth at him. But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. ‘Look! I can see the heaven thrown open,’ he said, ‘and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.’ All the members of the council shouted out and stopped their ears with their hands; then they made a concerted rush at him, thrust him out of the city and stoned him” (Acts 7:54-58). Stephen’s death was real, but the description of his dying is replete with metaphors that tell us what it means to pray and what it means to not pray. What does it mean not to pray? The crowd, notwithstanding their religious fervour and sincerity, do not pray. The description here says it all: Their gaze is on Stephen, at whom they are looking with misunderstanding and hatred. Moreover, his message of love is at that moment an inconvenient truth so they are stopping their ears so as not to hear. And they are in the grip of group-hysteria. They are not seeing the heavens laid open, but rather a very earthly person whom they hate; and they are not in the flow of the Holy Spirit but in the grip of hysteria. That is why their gaze never rises above their bitter glare at Stephen. They are solely in the moment, in the now, seeing only what is below the heavens, and that is non-prayer. No matter how sincere we are religiously, what has just been described is not prayer. Indeed, sometimes even our sincere prayer together is nothing more than the deepening of our group narcissism and a deeper enslavement to the maddening crowd. Our eyes are still on each other and not on God. Stephen, on the other hand, is praying. He is described as having his eyes turned upward (a metaphor, not a pictorial description) and he is gazing into heaven and seeing the heavens laid open. His gaze is beyond the crowd, beyond the moment, beyond human divisions, beyond hatred, beyond even the fear of his own death. He is gazing into something beyond the crowd and the present moment. This, and only this, is prayer. I share Kundera’s fear about “the great march” and how easily and blindly I, and almost everyone else, can fall into step. His hunch is that art can help ground us outside the maddening crowd. I would add that prayer is even more helpful.

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filled in our days” (so it is also theology). And it is addressed to the aptly-named “Theophilus”, whose name means “lover of God” or “beloved of God”, that is to say to all of us who hear the gospel proclaimed, Sunday by Sunday. Then comes the second “beginning”, what you might call Jesus’ “mission-statement” in the gospel of Luke. It is a very striking moment: “Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit” (and the Spirit discreetly dominates the whole of Luke’s two-volume project), and has a successful synagogue ministry, until he gets to Nazareth “where he had been brought up”. He gets up to read, and is given a text from Isaiah, the wonderful proclamation of the power of God’s Spirit: “he has anointed me to give good news to the poor, he has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, and sight to the blind, and to send the crushed ones out in liberty, to proclaim the Lord’s acceptable year”. Luke now makes us watch as Jesus “folded up the scroll, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down [to teach]”. And, like those in the synagogue, so also of us can it be said that “the eyes of all were gazing intently at him”, as they wait for the sermon. Then it comes, the shortest sermon in history, “Today, this text has been fulfilled in your hearing”. And what of you, this year? Your task is to go out in the joy of the Lord, and proclaim, by the way that you live, that, like God, you are on the side of the poor and the imprisoned, and the unseeing, and the oppressed. Then it will indeed be a happy new year for you.

Southern Crossword #533

ACROSS 3. Someone suitable for ordination (9) 8. Islamic leader (4) 9. I cheer Val, the French knight (9) 10. Not difficult for Simon (6) 11. Draw out the potential from the deuce (5) 14. Turkish official found in spa, shaven (5) 15. But comes back with a brassband instrument (4) 16. Once in... David's city (carol) (5) 18. Happy the... of heart (Mt 5) (4) 20. Have reality (5) 21. Cathy exchanges the vessel (5) 24. Like Felix the cat (6) 25. Dire anger about soldier (9) 26. The Grecian Jupiter (4) 27. A singer in the choir (9)

DOWN 1. St Peter's assignment (5,4) 2. Fortune-telling on hand (9) 4. Yearn for pain? (4) 5. Plunged in (5) 6. Violation of law (6) 7. Long journey in South Africa (4) 9. How a good conscience will be (5) 11. A new king came to power here (Ex 1) (5) 12. Old Greek playwright (9) 13. He believes God is the cosmos (9) 17. One of the ten (Lk 17) (5) 19. One expected to contribute cash to parish (6) 22. The Grecian underworld (5) 23. Kind of bishop on foot? (4) 24. Change feet for parish bazaar (4) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE O

NE morning a man came into the church on crutches. He stopped in front of the holy water, put some on both legs, and then threw away his crutches. An altar boy witnessed the scene and then ran into the rectory to tell the priest what he’d just seen. “Son, you’ve just witnessed a miracle!” the priest said. “Tell me where is this man now?” “Flat on his back over by the holy water,” the boy informed him. Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to the Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape town, 8000.