The Southern Cross - 130410 by The Southern Cross

The

S outher n C ross

April 10 to April 16, 2013

Pope Francis: Turin Shroud an icon of love

Page 5

www.scross.co.za

R6,00 (incl VAT RSA)

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 4819

Perrier column: Is our faith just cultural?

Fr Rolheiser on the lucky number seven

Page 7

Page 12

Radio Veritas: AM switch a success BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

A man rides his bicycle past a large image of Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The words on the image read “The city celebrates Pope Francis with pride and joy”. Before his papal election last month, Pope Francis was the city’s Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio. (Photo: Marcos Brindicci, Reuters/CNS)

Pope Francis: Stop moaning and see Christ BY CINdY WOOdEN

OMPLAINING frequently and stewing over disappointments can easily become an obsession that blocks one’s view of Jesus’ presence in difficult situations, Pope Francis has said. Celebrating morning Mass with staff members from the Domus Romana Sacerdotalis, a nearby residence and guesthouse for clergy, Pope Francis preached about the story from St Luke about the two disciples on the road to Emmaus after the death of Jesus. “They were afraid...And the more they complained, the more they were closed in on

themselves: They did not have a horizon before them, only a wall,” the pope said. The disciples had had such high hopes that Jesus would redeem Israel, but they thought their hopes were destroyed, he said. “I think that many times when difficult things happen, including when we are visited by the cross, we run the risk of closing ourselves off in complaints.” When all people can think of is how wrong things are going, Pope Francis said, the Lord is close, “but we don’t recognise him. He walks with us, but we don’t recognise him.” Like the disciples joined by the risen Lord on the road to Emmaus, people can hear beau-

tiful things, but deep down, they continue to be afraid, the pope said. “Complaining seems safer. It’s something certain. This is my truth: failure,” he said. But the Gospel story shows how very patient Jesus is with the disciples, first listening to them and then explaining things step by step, until they see him. “Jesus does this with us, too,” the pope said. “Even in the darkest moments, he is always with us, walking with us.” Complaining and griping is harmful “because it dashes hope. Don’t get into this game of a life of complaints,” he said.—CNS

Berlin archdiocese tried to sell church on eBay BY JONATHAN LuxMOORE

HE archdiocese of Berlin, Germany, is continuing to try to sell unused churches and even listed a church on eBay. “Virtually every diocese in Germany has sold churches over the past decade, so this is nothing special,” said Stefan Förner, spokesman for the Berlin archdiocese. “The parish in question was helped by professionals, who advertised it online so it appeared on eBay, but this doesn’t mean it’s being auctioned off cheaply,” he added. After it did not sell on eBay, efforts continued to find a buyer for St Bernhard church in Brandenburg-Havel, one of numerous churches recently put on the market in the face of falling Mass attendance. Mr Förner said that 22 Catholic churches had been sold or given to other Christian denominations by the Berlin archdiocese, com-

pared to 90 in the diocese of Essen in western Germany. However, he added that some Berlin churches had already been converted into residential buildings and were subject to restrictions barring commercial use. “While no one wants to sell off churches, parishes sometimes have to when there aren’t enough people using them regularly. But the diocese has to agree, as well as approving their buyer, price and planned use,” he added. He said St Bernhard church, one of four in the Brandenburg parish, attracted just a dozen Catholics for its one Sunday Mass. “We simply can’t afford such churches anymore—and it’s legitimate to seek the best method to sell them,” he said. “Though most people aren’t interested in churches, they react indignantly whenever we announce we’re selling them. But we can expect this process to

continue for some time yet.” The Berlin archdiocese includes parts of the eastern states of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, although 80% of its more than 390 000 registered Catholics live in the German capital. In a December 2 pastoral letter, Cardinal Rainer Woelki announced plans to merge the 105 local parishes into larger “pastoral areas” and pool their resources. In a special “property page”, the archdiocese website said St Bernhard’s church and parish hall, built in the mid-1930s, were offered for 130 000 euros (about 1,53 million) with 952m2 of land. The website is currently advertising St Maria Goretti chapel in a “quiet suburban location” in Loitz for 20 000 euros (R237 000).— CNS

S Radio Veritas celebrated its first year on 576AM, station director Fr Emil Blaser OP reflected on “a life-giving and fruitful year”. But, he said, “it has been hugely tiring too; radio is a hungry animal that just doesn’t stop,” said the founder of South Africa’s only Catholic radio station. It was a 12-year-long process to getting to the medium wave frequency. The station was previously broadcast only via streaming audio on the Internet and through DStv audio channel 170. It continues to broadcast through these mediums but since being granted a licence, listeners in Johannesburg and surrounds have been able to Fr Emil Blaser OP tune in on their radio sets since broadcasts began on 576AM last April. “We don’t currently know how many listeners we have, but there has been a definite increase. We receive messages from Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, messages from Anglicans, Methodists and even Muslims, and many e-mails, tweets and text messages from Catholics here in South Africa, exclaiming the joy they receive from Radio Veritas,” said Fr Blaser. “We’re excited to celebrate this landmark and we’re looking forward to continuing to grow.” It’s been a busy first year for the Catholic radio station which now broadcasts every day throughout the year. “People have really appreciated the extended coverage,” said Fr Blaser. “We were also able to bring the news of the pope’s resignation and cover his last few days at the Vatican as they were happening. We were able to carry broadcasts live from Rome.” The station also carried live broadcasts of the election of Pope Francis as well as his inauguration. “We’ve also become increasingly more conscious of other platforms of communication. We are on Facebook and Twitter and our SMS line is a popular way for our listeners to communicate with us.” Since being established as a community radio station, as per their broadcasting licence, Radio Veritas has become increasingly involved in their community. Last year, Radio Veritas helped raised R300 000 for St Francis Care Centre in Boksburg and this year the station is involved in helping raise funds for pilgrims going to World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro in July. “We want to move more and more into the community,” said Fr Blaser. “We want to work together with local organisations on the ground, and keep Catholics around Africa connected through our news and on air production.” One of the big goals of the past year was to develop a news centre at the Radio Veritas Studios. A newsroom has since been set up with senior journalist Bruno Carvalho at the helm of the department. The station plans to train up to six journalists to help “keep our listeners in touch with the rest of Africa. We want to become a source of Catholic news in South Africa”. In the year ahead, Fr Blaser said the station would focus on fundraising. “It’s an expensive game” to broadcast, “with each month costing us R500 000”. To pay for this, Radio Veritas is running Continued on page 3

The Southern Cross, April 10 to April 15, 2013

LOCAL

ACTS stands against rape BY LINdA FEkISI

HE Association of Catholic Tertiary Students (ACTS) called on all its 37 branches across the country to march against gender and domestic violence, especially rape. The idea of having the “No means No” march came from national ACTS chaplain Fr Sammy Mabusela, in response to the rise in rape statistics in the country. ACTS national gender officer Gladys Shelaloke said it was vital for the association to join the nation in the fight against rape. She was outraged “about a twoyear-old toddler being raped by an exrape convict, and about mutilation killings of women and children,” she said. The marches took on various identities across the country. Different campuses used unique ways to show repulsion and antipathy towards the act of rape.

One branch, University of Venda, marched to a police station with a signed memorandum by participants. Two branches in the Free State, Central University of Technology and the University of the Free State, marched to the city centre with a guest speaker from the South African Police Service. North West University in Mafikeng used creativity by placing posters on moving taxis to send the message across. Other branches, like the University of Cape Town, joined the fight in participating in programmes hosted by their institutions. Ms Shelaloke said the branches responded positively to the initiative. “Most branches liked the idea. I also sent messages out to other Catholic youth groups. Some branches, who could not host the march on the date due to various reasons, are still preparing for their marches,” she added.

Game makes catechism fun BY STEPH JORdAN

NEW boardgame, named “I-AMTHE-WAY”, has been released with the aim that that children—and adults—may learn more about the Catholic faith. The game was designed by Busi Nkosi, a catechist at Ss Cosmas & Damian parish in Cosmos City, Johannesburg. She “thoroughly enjoyed imparting the foundation of the catechism of the Catholic Church to children of all ages in a fun, interactive and engaging way”. Ms Nkosi said that one day, on her way to work, she had a “light bulb moment”: to develop the game which covers the facts, with pictures and questions, of the seven sacraments, prayers, the liturgical calendar, the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ, and the Blessed Trinity. She hopes that all who play the

game will become familiar with the meaning behind the name of the game while journeying along with Jesus as they play. The name, I-AMTHE-WAY, refers to John 16:4—“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life—no one comes to the Father except through me.” Ms Nkosi also said that the game aligns itself with the vision of the archdiocese of Johannesburg, which states that “catechism is an ongoing journey of faith, to be in communion with Jesus Christ”. The funds raised from the sale of the boardgame will contribute towards the fundraising initiatives of Ss Cosmas & Damian parish for World Youth Day 2013. n To buy the I-AM-THE-WAY game, contact Busi Nkosi at 082 264 3540 or mabusana1@yahoo.com.

CATHOLIC BIBLE FOUNDATION OF SA

Trainee/Assistant and Professional Assistant

Applications are invited from suitably qualiﬁed and experienced individuals for the positions of Trainee and Professional Assistant.

The successful candidate will have the following key qualities: • Be a practising Catholic • Have a deep love for the Scriptures • Have done at least one year of intensive Scripture Study • Have an appreciation of the new methods of presentation in the Biblical Pastoral apostolate • Teaching experience will be an advantage • Be a skilled and dynamic presenter • Possess managerial experience (Professional Assistant) • Have experience in ﬁnancial controls (Professional Assistant) • Ability to fund raise (Professional Assistant) Practical Requirements: • A driver’s licence – must be able and willing to travel all over the country • Computer skills • Good oral and written English communication skills • Knowledge of an indigenous language is an advantage • Essential to the post is the availability to work in the evenings and over the weekends • Be able to commence duties on 1 July 2013 Applicants should submit: • Curriculum Vitae (please limit to two pages) • A letter of recommendation from your Parish Priest • Names, addresses and contact telephone numbers of three referees

Applications should be mailed to: Catholic Bible Foundation of SA, P.O. Box 1233 Rosettenville, 2130 Or E-mail: jhb@catholicbible.org.za Closing date for applications: 24 April 2013

Only shortlisted candidates will receive notiﬁcation of the interview date.

ACTS members take the anti-rape message to the public during a march.

Church groups gather for rare Joint Witness meeting STAFF REPORTER

HE Joint Witness meeting between the South African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) and the Leadership Conference of Consecrated Life (LCCL) took place at Willow Park Hotel in Johannesburg. 18 bishops and 63 religious were present. It had been 15 years since the last meeting so this was well overdue. There was an expressed desire by all for more collaboration in tackling the many challenges facing the Church. Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town officiated at the Mass. There were two guest speakers. Fr Martin Badenhorst OP gave a historical background to religious life in Africa and South Africa in particular. He spoke of Deuteronomy 15:4, “there must be no poor among you” as a key phrase for religious. “It has inspired religious communities the world over to reach out and serve the poor. The numerous schools and hospitals are a testimony to that,” he said. “While the achievements of

the past have been remarkable, the one big flaw was a lack of inculturation. A sense of Western superiority and suspicion of the worth of local people was destructive of African culture,” Fr Badenhorst said. “But set against this was the phenomenal work of women religious in Africa. As they suffered the prejudices of gender bias, they were more inclined to sympathise with others whose culture was misunderstood and whose worth was being questioned.” The second speaker, Sr Michael Ndudli, spoke of the challenges facing the Church now and in the future. She stressed that what is asked of leaders today is religious authenticity, presence and availability, more than institutional orthodoxy or administrative efficiency. A leader must be a “person of faith, able to respond to people at a human level”. She described the challenges to both bishops and religious, with special emphasis on education. The bishops presented their priorities in an article entitled

“Community in Service to Reconciliation, Justice and Peace”. These priorities came from the apostolic exhortation Africae Munus, and included themes such as ethical leadership, responsible citizenship, education, health, healing and reconciliation, marriage and family life. The bishops recognised the need to deepen faith and Catholic identity so as to promote a sense of ownership of the faith. In a discussion on how best to implement the challenges facing the Church, it was felt by all that this was what “joint witness” should be about, and where both groups can best serve the Church of today. Two clear convictions emerged, namely, the need for more of these meetings, and that priority must be given to the poor. The papal nuncio, Archbishop Roberto Cassaro, concluded the session with Mass in which he spoke of the value of faith, as the springboard from which we can face the future with confidence and hope in the Lord.

We Are All ChurCh invites you to a round table discussion on

“The ChrISTIAN OF The FuTure”

What will the future Christian look like? how will a modern Christian reconcile living the Gospel with calls to tradition and increasing secularisation?

Discussants: Felicity harrison

(Please leave your contact details in case of donations)

and Mpush Ntabeni-Catholics, Di Oliver-Anglican, and Deon Snyman-uniting reformed Church

ThurSDAY 25 APrIl AT 7.30 PM Ck Storey Hall, Methodist Church, Main Road, Rosebank, Cape Town Parking and Entrance via Chapel Road Entrance is Free. donations Welcome.

The Southern Cross, April 10 to April 15, 2013

LOCAL

576AM IN JO’burG & beYOND

Joburg ready to jam BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

NCE again Johannesburg is set to rock with this year’s JAM—Jesus and Me—music festival. The event, now in its fifth year, has primarily been a place for Catholic youth to get together and worship while making new friends and appreciating their Catholic faith, said Nhlanhla Lucky Mdlalose of Radio Veritas. The radio station will be the main fundraising beneficiary of the youth event. “Over the years JAM has many Christian bands coming together, including Finding Noah, CIRCUS from Benoni, St John’s Northriding Music Ministry, Cross Over, FLAME from Rivonia, Pocket Kings 3:15, Totus Tuus, A4J and

SALT. This year sees the addition of Catholic worship band Jaywalking and accomplished solo acoustic artist Byron John,” said Mr Mdlalose, adding that Mr John is well known to the local Catholic music scene as a member of Pocket Kings 3:15 in previous years. Mr Mdlalose said last year’s event, which was themed “Butter For Your Soul”, was “easily the festival’s most successful since its inception in 2008”. The event included Radio Veritas Youthwise presenter Kani Buthelezi hosting the event and national youth chaplain Fr Sammy Mabusela CSS addressing the youth gathered. “Encouraged by this success, event coordinators and bands have been spurred on to do what

they can to take this year to even greater heights!” said Mr Mdlalose. “We hope it to be ‘fruitful’.” Fruitful is also the theme of the 2013 event. Each year the event has been held in aid of a Catholic charity or cause in some form. JAM2012 was run for World Youth day pilgrims’ fundraising efforts for their pilgrimages later this year. Items sold at the event will also contribute to the youth pilgrimage. This year’s main beneficiary, Radio Veritas, is the country’s only Catholic radio station. The event takes place at De La Salle junior school hall in Linden on April 20 from 4pm. Tickets are R50 and food, cooldrinks and merchandise will be on sale. For more information contact jam2013.fruitful@gmail.com.

Radio Veritas one year on Continued from page 1 an ongoing funding appeal, named “Project 2 000”, which aims to raise 2 000 donors committed to paying R100 a month. Almost a third of the target has already been met (see www.radioveritas.co.za). The station is also headlining a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Jordan in May, which will be led by Fr Blaser. For R200, listeners can enter a competition to win a free trip plus spending money. The expense of running the station has certainly borne fruit, Fr Blaser said. “A show produced by Niall Collie has been nominated for an MTN Radio Award—a wonderful achievement for just our first year on air!” Fr Blaser said the nomination was an indication of the quality of the station’s production. He said Radio Veritas will soon be focusing on producing documentaries and series. There will continue to be an increase in local content, he said. The station has also increasingly been able to broadcast local talks and presentations at nearby conference centres. “We hope to get a vehicle so that we can record live from all over. It’s a big project, but means that we’ll be able to move out of our studios and into the community.” Fr Blaser said while the station is one year older, the hope remains the same: “We want to be the station of choice for Catholics in South Africa, one which we as Catholics can be rightly proud.” “We want to bring radio closer to the people so that we can bring people closer to our message of hope.”

also on DStv audio channel 170 & streamed on www.radioveritas.co.za

Let gÜNTHER SimmERmACHER guide you through the great holy sites of the Holy Land and Jordan on a virtual itinerary. Read about the history of the places where Jesus and his disciples worked and walked, about their biblical and historical signiﬁcance — and meet some interesting people along the way in the new book.

THE HOLY LAND TREK With 88 photos

and a foreword by Archbishop Stephen Brislin

ORDER NOW

at R150 (plus R 15 p&p in SA) from books@scross.co.za or www.holylandtrek.com or call 021 465-5007 Also available as eBook!

Buy The Holy Land Trek AND Owen

SPECIAL Williams’ Every Given Sunday for only OFFER R215 and gET DElivERy FREE (SA only) visit

www.holylandtrek.com

for excerpts, a large photo gallery, articles about the Holy land, to order and more.

Also join Facebook.com/HolylandTrek

Parishioners of St Clare’s parish in Elsies River, Cape Town, followed the Stations of the Cross in a live tableau, taking the cross to the streets. This year being the Year of Faith, the parish’s young people decided to re-enact each station at the homes of Catholics, depicting the scenes in a very prayerful but realistic way. The Stations of the Cross was lead by Fr Job kaleekaparampil MFSS, and deacons Josef Aralandu and Arthur Classen. (Photo: Wayne Carolissen)

Young poet among the best BY MAuRICIO LANgA

LEARNER at St Francis College in Mariannhill has done the school proud after her first poem was published in the Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Anthology. Sandisile Tshabalala, 17, the author of a poem titled “Raping Nation”, said that when she was in primary school, a Grade 3 learner was raped by an employee at the school. She said she was motivated to write the poem in response to the plight of women in our society. Sandisile said she had not expected her poem would be chosen for publication. “I was extremely thrilled with the news,” she said. She said the publication of her poem encouraged her to write more. She is currently writing short stories about teen love. St Francis principal Jabulani Nzama commended the efforts of

Sandisile Tshabalala the learner. “It is a very interesting poem, and will encourage other learners to think constructively,” he said. Read Sandisile’s poem below: How could the silent be so loud? Why is this darkness not bright enough? Why are cries not heard? In shards our words lie at our feet We are living in a raping nation. Date rape, mate rape, child rape And there is no escape From this violent rape

The African women cry And the little children die. Why are the cries not heard? HIV is seeping and creeping everywhere Please bother yourself and care. There is no comprehension Of these demonstrations We need some explanations Young girls losing their virginities Children growing up not knowing their daddies They are worried about their morals, values and principles But really don’t care about the women’s future The African men don’t know their responsibilities And the women have lost their integrity. Now who must we blame? The women with short skirts Or the men who don’t have selfcontrol? We are living in a raping nation Why are our cries not heard?

The Southern Cross, April 10 to April 16, 2013

INTERNATIONAL

Vatican: Ways we view autism must change BY CAROL gLATz

HILE the medical world makes technological advancements, it must not forget the power of love and affection in helping those with autism and their families, according to Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry. “Faced with the problems and difficulties that these children and their parents encounter, the Church proposes, with humility, an approach of service to one’s suffering brethren, accompanying them with compassion and tenderness,” he said. Parishes, Catholic associations, lay movements and people of good will can all work together in providing such forms of service, he said. The archbishop’s comments coincided with World Autism Awareness Day. The stereotypes associated with

those diagnosed with autism require “profound revision”, he said. Sometimes just the word— autism—“still generates fear today” even in cultures that have begun to accept many kinds of disabilities, the archbishop said in his message. Social stigmas already isolate people who are ill or disabled, making them feel irrelevant or alien to the rest of the community, he said. The solitude and loneliness evident in the larger culture are also becoming “ever more present in modern health care”, he said. Health care in developed countries, while “perfect in its technical aspects”, he said, is “increasingly deprived of and not attentive to the affective dimension, which instead should be the defining aspect of every therapeutic action or approach”. Heath care workers need to avoid making a patient “feel like a number” and instead concretely convey through their actions, atti-

tudes and words an affection and closeness to the patient and his or her family while never losing sight of the whole person and his or her dignity, the archbishop said. “No procedure, no matter how perfect it may be, can be effective if it is deprived of the ‘salt’ of love,” he said. Bringing joy and peace to patients and their families, as well as effective care, “is the best outcome that will enrich all of us”, Archbishop Zimowski said. Society and the local Church need to look at ways they can welcome autistic children and help these young people contribute to social, educational, catechetical and liturgical activities in a way that corresponds to each individual’s unique capabilities, he added.—CNS

St Peter’s confessions: even non-Catholics come BY CINdY WOOdEN

EOPLE come to seek not only forgiveness, but also advice and counsel in the basilica of St Peter in the Vatican. Fourteen Conventual Franciscans from ten countries have the fulltime ministry of hearing confessions in more than a dozen languages; they are assisted by other priests on

major holy days and when large pilgrimages arrive. Conventual Franciscan Father Rocco Rizzo, rector of the College of Confessors at St Peter’s, told the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano that between 150 and 200 people go to confession in the basilica each day. “There are some days, like Saturday and Sunday, when the number is higher.”

“Faithful from every social category and of every age group coming from every corner of the globe approach our confessionals,” he said. “Sometimes, the faithful of other religions come—Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, even atheists and agnostics—often they just want to talk about the themes of life, death, the afterlife, peace.”—CNS

READ SA’S CATHOLIC WEEKLY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD! read The Southern Cross on-line or on your tablet, exactly as it appears in print. Only r312 a year!

Receive the print edition in the post every week in SA for only R416 a year

www.scross.co.za/subscribe or e-mail subscriptions@scross.co.za

Pre-school to Grade 12

INDEPENDENT SCHOOL FOR BOYS AND GIRLS YOUR CHILD CAN:

* be educated in an English-medium Christian school * receive affordable private education * mix with boys and girls in small classes * never need to change schools * enjoy school life in an atmosphere of love, care and mutual respect

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

Swiss guards and a Vatican policeman stand guard as people enter and exit the domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse at the Vatican. Pope Francis has decided not to move into the papal apartments but to live in a suite in the guesthouse which was used during the conclave to accommodate the cardinals. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS)

Robbers kill priest in India BY ANTO AkkARA

ATHOLICS in southern India faced double tragedies: the murder of the rector of a regional major seminary and the suicide of a young nun. Fr K J Thomas, rector of St Peter’s seminary in Bangalore, was found murdered on April 1. In Coimbatore two days earlier, Sr Angeline Nirmala Reena drank poison and told fellow nuns about it during breakfast before she collapsed and died in a hospital in southern Tamil Nadu state. Police said the family of the 26year-old nun had complained that she had been harassed in the convent. Fr Thomas apparently died

when his head was smashed by intruders. Police investigators said that three people had previously trespassed on to the seminary premises on March 26 to rob some antique furniture, and the watchman managed to thwart the robbery. However, the culprits beat him up before escaping. Police suspect the slain rector might have fallen victim to thieves when they entered the compound under the cover of heavy rain. Condemning the murder as a “most heinous crime,” Archbishop Bernard Moras of Bangalore described Fr Thomas as “a very pious, soft-spoken and harmless priest”.— CNS

Mali bishop: The war is not yet over

CATHOLIC bishop in Mali has warned his country still faces “grave danger” after new clashes between French troops and Islamist insurgents. “Sadly, our country is still effectively at war, and when we say war, we also say death and desolation,” said Bishop Jean-Gabriel Diarra of San. “Even if the sound of cannons has eased a little, the nation is still in danger, menaced by acts of terrorism, social conflict and civil war,” he said, urging “prayer and contemplation”. The bishop said people were still dying, facing bereavement and being displaced in the landlocked country, where several Catholic churches and rectories were reported desecrated and

Siblings walk across the former altar of the badly damaged Catholic church in gao, Mali. (Photo:Joe Penney, Reuters/CNS) robbed in rebel-held areas. He added that a “state of mobilisation” declared in February by acting President Dioncounda Traore had failed to stop the conflict and said special efforts were needed by priests, catechists and

religious to “make the word of God heard”. Bishop Diarra called for “efforts of personal and community conversion,” as well as for Catholics to prepare for planned presidential and parliamentary elections on July 7. “These elections don’t seem to have excited many people, other than those with posts to canvass for,” the bishop said. “So I urge you to acquaint yourselves with the stakes and potential candidates. If the climate is favourable, we will be in the middle of our agricultural labours. But if we’re well prepared, it will be easier to participate in this civic action.”—CNS

Why the pope doesn’t sing BY CAROL gLATz

FTER a musically proficient and polyglot Pope Benedict XVI, it came as a surprise to many that Pope Francis doesn’t sing or chant at Mass or speak foreign languages in public. From his first Mass as pope, the pope has not chanted or sung during the usual moments of the liturgy, such as before the eucharistic prayer. His ditching any musical pitch was even more evident during the “Regina Coeli” on April 1, when he spoke, rather than intoned, the Marian prayer. And as bishop of Rome, he has been sticking with Italian in his public speeches and remarks. Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi SJ has joked that there was a saying about Jesuits, that “a Jesuit ‘nec rubricat, nec cantat’, meaning Jesuits are famed for not being enthusiastic about liturgical song or experts in detailed liturgical rubrics”. Fr Lombardi said Pope Francis, a fellow Jesuit, may share some of

those traits. Fr Lombardi said he believes the pope’s lack of singing is due to “a certain hoarseness” or huskiness in his voice. He reads aloud very well and effectively, he said, “but it is not the voice of Pope John Paul II, it’s not the resonant voice of an actor”. It turns out the pope himself gave the explanation a few years ago—hidden away in one line in a book that was recently republished under a new title after his election. Currently unavailable in English, the book, Pope Francis: Conversations with Jorge Bergoglio by Sergio Rubin and Francesca Ambrogetti, was originally published in 2010 under the title El Jesuita (“The Jesuit”). In the book, which is a series of interviews with the then-cardinal archbishop of Buenos Aires, the future pope is asked what languages he speaks. In reply, the future pope downplayed his perfect fluency in Italian and said he

used to speak French “rather well” and “got by” with German, but said the lack of practice hurt his current proficiency. “The one language that always caused me big problems was English,” he said, especially its pronunciation, “because I am very tone-deaf.” He continued that he understands the Italian dialect of his father and maternal grandparents who came from the Piedmont region. Elsewhere in the book, the future pope said he understands a little dialect from the Genoa region, but that almost all of it is “off-colour”. One of his uncles on his mother’s side was “a shameless old man who taught us obscene folk songs in Genovese dialect. That’s why none of the words of the little Genovese I know is repeatable,” he said.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, April 10 to April 16, 2013

Looking out for No 2: Who will be Vatican secretary of state? BY FRANCIS x ROCCA

F the several widely acknowledged priorities in the run-up to the conclave that chose Pope Francis, including the challenge of secularism and the growth of the Church in the global South, none was more prominent than a need to reform the Roman curia, the Church’s central administration in the Vatican. The College of Cardinals extensively discussed corruption and mismanagement sensationally documented in the 2012 “VatiLeaks” of confidential correspondence, which were also the subject of a detailed report that Pope Benedict XVI designated exclusively for the eyes of his successor. The new pope has already given signs of his intention to reform. According to his personal notes for his pre-conclave speech to fellow cardinals—subsequently published with his permission—then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio denounced the “selfreferentiality” of a Church “living within herself, of herself, for herself”. Although his main target seems to have been a “theological narcissism” that saps evangelical zeal, the future pope’s words were also an implicit rebuke to the inward-looking mindset of a pre-modern royal court, which still characterises the Vatican in the 21st century. Since his election, Pope Francis’ many gestures of humility and accessibility not only underscore his avowed desire that the Church be close to the poorest and least powerful; they also set an example for higher-ranking officials. His decision to live in the Vatican guesthouse rather than in the Apostolic Palace also says a lot about his approach to management. Like a CEO escaping the baronial isolation of his corner office, this pope will not be a prisoner of any gatekeepers and will be free to hear a wide range of his collaborators’ voices. As he moves beyond words and gestures to the stage of substantive actions, no decision that Pope Francis makes will be of greater conse-

The

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, whistleblower of Vatican corruption. (Photo: Bob Roller, CNS) quence for reform of the Church’s bureaucracy than his choice of a secretary of state, the Vatican’s highest official—virtually his prime minister—who oversees both the internal affairs of the Holy See and its relations with 180 other states. Having filled that role for most of the previous pontificate, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone has drawn most of the blame from outside critics for dysfunction within the curia. Whether or not the criticism is entirely fair, the cardinal is bound to step down soon, if only because he is already three years past the standard retirement age of 75.

ope Francis, who has shown himself ready to defy precedent and conventional wisdom at least in matters of protocol, could, in principle, replace Cardinal Bertone with just about anyone. Nevertheless, since the new pope is from Latin America and has never studied or worked in Rome, he is likely to choose someone who shares the Italian nationality of the vast majority of the Vatican’s staff and who has some experience working inside its bureaucracy. Yet choosing an insider presents obvious problems for reform, if nothing else because a Vatican CV would clash symbolically with any process of renewal. Hence the difficulty with two otherwise well-qualified and oftmentioned possibilities: Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, president of the commission governing Vatican City State; and Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, who

served under Cardinal Bertone for four years as the “substitute” in charge of the Church’s internal affairs. One name mentioned as a possible secretary of state even before Pope Benedict’s resignation was that of Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, a man widely admired for his personal integrity. But his collapse in St Peter’s Square during Palm Sunday Mass on March 24, and his subsequent hospitalisation for reported heart problems, hardly argue for his appointment to the stressful job of administrative reformer. Hence the appeal of a choice that would have been almost unthinkable just weeks ago: someone with highlevel experience in both the Vatican administration and its diplomatic corps, and who has shown himself ready to make enemies in the cause of reform. That would be Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, formerly the secondhighest official in Vatican City State, who wrote to Pope Benedict in early 2011, warning of “corruption and abuse of power long rooted in the various departments” of Vatican City and criticising the inexperience of advisers who he said had led the Vatican to lose millions of dollars in bad investments. Pope Benedict named the archbishop nuncio to the United States in October 2011, and he remains in that position today. When Archbishop Viganò’s charges were published in early 2012, two cardinals took the unusual step of publicly rebuking him for his “erroneous evaluations” and “fears unsupported by proof”—reactions of a kind that ordinarily do not favour one’s rise in the hierarchy. But under a pope who has shown himself more than willing to disturb the status quo, the archbishop’s notoriety may turn out to be his biggest recommendation.—CNS

Pope Francis visits the excavated necropolis below St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. The necropolis is where St Peter’s tomb has been venerated since early Christian times and where the first church dedicated to him was built. The tomb is two levels below the main altar of the modern basilica. (Photo: L’Osservatore Romano/Reuters/CNS)

Pope: Shroud icon of god’s love BY CINdY WOOdEN

AZING upon the image of a crucified man on the Shroud of Turin, Catholics contemplate Jesus and are called on to remember his great love for them and for all who suffer, Pope Francis said. In a video message broadcast on Italian state television, he asked: “How is it that the faithful, like you, pause before this icon of a man scourged and crucified? It is because the Man of the Shroud invites us to contemplate Jesus of Nazareth.” The face on the shroud, he said, “has eyes that are closed; it is the face of one who is dead, and yet mysteriously he is watching us, and in silence he speaks to us”. The pope’s message was part of a special one-day exhibition of the shroud as part of the Year of Faith. According to tradition, the Shroud of Turin is the linen burial shroud of Jesus. The shroud has a full-length photonegative image of a man, front and back, bearing signs of wounds that correspond to the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ torture. Housed at Turin’s cathedral, the shroud usually is kept from public view in a specially designed, hightech case. “This image, impressed upon the cloth, speaks to our heart and

The Shroud of Turin, believed by many to be the burial cloth of Christ. moves us to climb the hill of Calvary, to look upon the wood of the cross, and to immerse ourselves in the eloquent silence of love,” Pope Francis said in his message. “This disfigured face resembles all those faces of men and women marred by a life which does not respect their dignity, by war and violence which afflict the weakest,” the pope said. “And yet, at the same time, the face in the shroud conveys a great peace; this tortured body expresses a sovereign majesty.” Pope Francis said the “restrained but powerful energy” of the image calls people to have faith and never lose hope because “the power of the love of God, the power of the Risen One overcomes all things”.—CNS

Souther n Cross on Pilgrimage 2014

HOLY LAND • ROME • PADRE PIO HOLY LAND YOUTH PILGRIMAGE 4 – 16 May 2014 with

5 - 14 July 2014

ARCHBISHOP STEPHEN BRISLIN

with

and Holy Land Trek author Günther Simmermacher Join The Southern Cross and the Archbishop of Cape Town (right) on a special pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Meet with local Christians before travelling to Italy to see the Pope in Rome and to pray at the places of Padre Pio.

hOlY lAND: Jerusalem (with Via dolorosa, church of the Holy Sepulchre, Mary’s tomb). Bethlehem. Nazareth. Cana (with an opportunity to renew marriage vows). Mount of Beatitudes. Capernaum. Boatride on the Sea of galilee. Mount Tabor. Jordan River Baptismal Site. Ein kerem. dead Sea. And much more.

ITAlY: Rome with PAPAl AuDIeNCe, the four major basilicas (including Mass in St Peter’s), catacombs, ancient sites. Monte Cassino. San giovanni Rotondo (where Padre Pio spent almost all of his life). Lanciano (site of the first Eucharistic Miracle recognised by the Catholic Church).

ISTANbul: as a bonus, enjoy a day of sightseeing in the capital of Turkey, the ancient Constantinople. Both pilgrimages will be accompanied by licensed local guides on luxury tour buses and accommodated in 3-star hotels or better.

FR SAMMY MABUSELA CSS

A special pilgrimage designed specifically for young Catholics from 16-36, with Fr Sammy Mabusela, national youth chaplain, as spiritual director. The programme includes all the important holy sites, outdoor Masses, hikes in the footsteps of Jesus, encounters with local Christians and peace activists of other faiths, and much more. A time of faith, friends and fun

hOlY lAND: Jerusalem (with Via dolorosa, church of the Holy Sepulchre, Mary’s tomb). Bethlehem. Nazareth (with visit to a recreation of 1st century life). Cana. Mount of Beatitudes. Capernaum. Boatride on the Sea of galilee. Mount Tabor. Jordan River Baptismal Site. Ein kerem. dead Sea. And much more.

CAIrO: as a bonus, enjoy a visit to Cairo with the pyramids, sphinx and a Nile Cruise.

FOR FULL ILLUSTRATED ITINERARY OR TO BOOK: Phone Gail at 076 352 3809 or 021 551 3923 or

e-mail info@fowlertours.co.za

www.fowlertours.co.za

The Southern Cross, April 10 to April 15, 2013

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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.

Keep Falklands out of papacy HE whole Catholic world must as pope he was an Argentinian naLet the sneezing begin Trejoice in the election of Pope tional. However, I submit that after Francis to lead the 1,2 billion souls his election he automatically beEditor: Günther Simmermacher

ITHIN the space of just a few weeks, Pope Francis has changed the way the papacy presents itself to the world, perhaps irrevocably so. The signs were there from the moment Jorge Mario Bergoglio was presented to the world as Pope Francis, having declined to wear the traditional red velvet mozzetta (though the widely reported “the carnival is over” quote has been debunked as apocryphal). Since then, the pope has impressed many by insisting on simplicity over the grandiose, for example by choosing to live in the Vatican guesthouse instead of the papal apartment. Pope Francis has brought the papacy closer to the people. He has done so by going among them, greeting them, hugging them, celebrating Mass with them, washing and kissing their feet. One photo, captured by Catholic News Service’s photographer Paul Haring during a general audience in St Peter’s Square, showed a young pilgrim kissing Pope Francis’ hand as one might kiss the hand of a loved relative—and not his papal ring. Where popes used to be virtually untouchable, almost supernatural, Pope Francis is of the people and with them. Like Jesus, he invites even the unworthy to touch the hem of his garment. More than that still, the pope himself wants to touch the garment of the people, all of them, even the unworthy! And in doing so, he is profoundly touching their hearts. Not even the extrovert, gregarious John Paul II went among the people quite as Pope Francis does. Can the papacy ever retreat to the refuge of distance after that? Some Catholics have already questioned the wisdom of Pope Francis’ apparently deliberate demystification of the papacy. The pope has even been accused of being ostentatious in his humility—absurdly so, since we know that as Cardinal Bergoglio he lived as humbly as he does as the pope. His humility is not an affectation, nor does it serve as a repudiation of his predecessors, as some critics might fear. Pope Benedict insisted that the only valid reading of the

Second Vatican Council was the hermeneutic (or interpretation) of continuity, one that sees the council as being in harmony, not rupture, with the Church’s past. Those who question the style of Pope Francis may well have concerns that it could represent some form of rupture. Perhaps Pope Francis’ pontificate will be marked by a hermeneutic of radical continuity, one that acknowledges the Church as it was before the Council of Trent and before the monarch popes—a return to the basics. Pope Francis has already translated into concrete action the papacy’s preferential option for the poor and the Church’s call for the emulation of Christ. Here is a pope who can humble himself to wash and kiss the feet of prisoners and Muslim women, gestures that are more Christ-like than any exercise of ecclesial or temporal power. This does not mean, however, that Pope Francis will seek to return the Church altogether to its early days, before mandatory clerical celibacy was codified in the Latin rite, when women seemed to occupy some forms of diaconal positions, and when local bishops had much greater autonomy than they have now (though early indications are that the pope favours greater episcopal collegiality). While progressive Catholics may rejoice at the style of Pope Francis’ papacy and look forward to the overdue reform of the Roman curia, there is not much to suggest that he will be an agent of radical change on matters of doctrine or discipline. Conservative Catholics may be reassured that, at root, Pope Francis is a doctrinal conservative himself. Time will reveal how pragmatic and open to dialogue Pope Francis will be on divisive matters. We can confidently predict that this pope will surprise—and sometimes perhaps disappoint—many. Half a century ago Pope John XXIII opened the Church’s window to the world, letting in a breeze of fresh air. Pope Francis is now shaking up the dust. Some people are already having an allergic reaction. Let the sneezing begin.

in his spiritual care. The Holy Spirit has given us a leader well equipped to tackle the multitude of socio-political and religious issues facing the Church and hopefully find acceptable solutions. However worthy the adulation Pope Francis has received, I wish to raise one controversial statement that he made at a Sunday Angelus. I concede that before his election

comes a citizen of the Vatican state, recognised by the United Nations. His intemperate remarks supporting the Argentine position on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands cannot go unchallenged. The further request by Argentina’s President Cristina Kirchner to publicly arrange a meeting with the British prime minister has certainly raised an issue that is def-

Church is collegial Women priests

ROFESSOR Brian Gaybba’s cri de coeur “Cut power of the Roman curia” (March 27) refers. His perceived foes stumble over each other in rather a jumble: the curia of the Church, uncollegial attitudes, other nemeses, women’s ordination, and the no longer so fresh unsubtle inference that Pope Benedict—perhaps Pope John Paul II as well—were but unfortunate hiccups in the definitive, last articulation of all things Church that is Pope John XXIII, about to be retrieved (with a great sigh of relief) by our new Holy Father, Francis. This seems to be dogma, praxis, discipline and ecclesiology all mixed up. Surely, Prof Gaybba, it would be fruitful to join the nascent papacy of Pope Francis to the one life of the one Church that stretches from Caesarea Philippi’s “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church” up to the very present moment? The collegiality of the bishops was rearticulated by Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium in the oldest understanding we have. It plainly constitutes unity built out of particular communities (local Churches) joined always to their head (our Roman “bridge-builder”—pontiff). Synods were never intended to have power that equated or usurped the powerful autonomy-joined-to-head that every bishop has. Perhaps one could rephrase Prof Gaybba’s appeal: “If Pope Francis can continue to live out the collegiality of bishops rearticulated by Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict, then the Church will flourish in her journey towards the New Jerusalem!” Let all members of the Church set aside the spirit of disobedience that stirs rebellion in our hearts. May the Holy Spirit of unity continue to guide us into all truth, in the unity of charity with which the Roman pontiff (aided by his curia) presides over the whole community of believers Fr Simon Donnelly, Johannesburg

Spreading the Good News

HY does Professor Brian Gaybba persist in addressing the settled issue of women’s ordination (March 2)? Throughout the centuries, the priests of the Old Testament were always male. Women were only found in the secret arts of pagan rites, witchcraft, mesmerism and superstition, and never in the rites of worship of the true God. The division referred to by Prof Gaybba, in this matter, is really one of disobedience to Our Lord’s teaching as enunciated by his servant, Pope John-Paul II, who was authorised by him to do so, that the Church does not have authority to ordain priestesses. Our new Holy Father, Pope Francis, even if he wanted to, will not be able to change this. Prof Gaybba’s statement that women are treated as “underlings” by the Church is ludicrous. The glory of women in the Church is not equalled in any other institution. In their God-ordered role, women are the heart of the Church and their indispensable role is wonderfully portrayed by Almighty God’s greatest creation, a woman, the Ark of the Covenant, who bore within herself, not the law given to Moses, but the Lawgiver himself! Do we follow Prof Gaybba’s path of disobedience, with its spiritual consequences, or Pope John-Paul II’s instruction? The choice is ours. Franko Sokolic, Cape Town

Mass is supreme

HE excellent letter from Chris Busschau (March 6) on the Eucharist should be required reading for all our Catholic young people who are leaving, or have left, the practice of their faith, for so-called “greener pastures” in the many (mostly) anti-Catholic fundamentalist “churches”. The Mass is the supreme spiritual support for Catholic Christians—indeed the summit and source of our faith. In the past, the faith was often conveyed to us as a sort of philosophy, a forbidding system of do’s and dont’s with its emphasis

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

on hellfire, with Jesus Christ somewhere in the middle of a system in which subsists the fullness of Christ’s revelation to mankind. But I believe the distortion has been hugely problematic, and one of the reasons why we parents of “the older school” have passed on to our children a somewhat inadequate version of the “pearl of great price”. Until the heart of our faith, Jesus Christ, has been sufficiently and correctly appropriated to our young people they will not be able to appreciate the profound depth and significance of the Mass, as articulated by Mr Busschau. I don’t believe that explaining the history, culture and background of the Mass to our young people is going to be much help in getting them to love and understand it. What they need to understand is that the Mass is the “making present in time” the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus and its effects in the lives of all people down the ages. To participate in a covenant, we must partake of (eat) the sacrifice made present in the Mass by the Holy Spirit through the priest. Any Catholic who knows and understands this would never dream of missing Mass or leaving the Church. John Lee, Johannesburg

Chuckle blues

S a regular reader I always look first at the “Church Chuckle”, which almost always brings a smile to my face. However, I take the strongest exception to the way in which Easter Sunday and Good Friday were treated in the Easter Sunday edition. These days represent part of the greatest celebration in the Catholic calendar (and in most Christian churches). To trivialise Good Friday by having Mary Magdalen say to Peter that Jesus was “a bit miffed about Friday” is, in my opinion, little short of sacrilegious. Everyone to whom I have shown this shares my sentiments. I trust that “chuckles” of this sort will not be repeated in The Southern Cross in the future. Ciaran M MacCarron, Boksburg

JOuRNEyS OF A liFETimE!

Attorneys • Notaries • Conveyancers

Holy land • Rome • Assisi • Cairo with Fr

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

initely outside the pope’s domain. From a British perspective the Falklands are not a problem, with 98% of its citizens wishing to stay under British control. The territory has been under British control since 1830, long before Argentina became a recognised country. The pope must maintain a neutral stance on world issues except those relating to human rights and the dignity of people everywhere. He will certainly have his hands pretty full in his efforts to re-evangelise Europe which today is almost totally secular. Ron Pitchford, Middleburg

SEAN WAlES CSsR

(Redemptorist speaker and author)

5 - 19 October 2013

OR FOR D

www.ohagan.co.za

CONSTruCTION

ESTABLISHEd 1982

Professional Supervision

Project Management Specialists in:

New Houses • Renovations • Alterations • Additions • Painting • Plumbing

• Property Management and Care For Advice call Julian Orford B.Sc. (Civ.Eng) Tel: (021) 794 5552 Fax: (021) 794 7088 Cell: 082 493 0563 E-mail: julian@orfordconstruction.co.za www.orfordconstruction.co.za

See all the great sites of the Holy land, meet local Christians! See Rome, with PAPAl AuDiENCE, and visit Assisi, the place of St Francis. PluS: Cairo with the Pyramids, Sphinx, Nile Cruise

FEW PlACES lEFT!

Attend a papal audience with Pope Francis!

With RADiO vERiTAS to

The Holy land • Jordan • Cairo with Fr Emil BlASER OP 17 - 28 October 2013

See all the great sites of the Holy land and Jordan, and visit Cairo with the Pyramids and Sphinx in the company of

RADiO vERiTAS 576 Am

Contact Gail at 076 352 3809 or 021 551 3923 info@fowlertours.co.za • fowlertours.co.za

The Southern Cross, April 10 to April 16, 2013

PERSPECTIVES

Is our faith just cultural? Raymond Perrier ‘O F course,” said the smoothtongued psychologist from the capital, “it’s not really religion, it’s culture.” Thus, the deeply-felt practices of millions are dismissed by those who cannot understand how the absurdity of medieval religion has survived into a modern age. I heard this comment while watching Holy Week processions in Seville in Spain. The experience is astonishing. Tens of thousands of local people, many dressed in the pointy hats we now associate, unfortunately, with the Klu Klux Klan, walking often barefoot for many hours and following elaborate chariots with scenes from the Passion. The chariots themselves, weighing many tonnes, are carried on the backs of invisible men—the donkeys that carry the Saviour or the Simons of Cyrene who shares his cross. But I have heard the same comment made in South Africa: of the delightful Fatima procession in Malvern, Johannesburg, or the solemn all-night vigils in Zululand, or the anonymous multitudes who arrive in our churches on Good Friday for their once-a-year visit. “Just culture, not religion.” The implication is that this should not be taken seriously; that these people do not really believe; that they are not thinking about what they do; that they are not sincere. Of course, I have no idea if they are or are not sincere, or what motivates the countless young people dressed in the ancient robes of medieval penitents on the streets of Seville. How can we know? Queen Elizabeth I of England, when

challenged to judge if her subjects were real Protestants or hidden Catholics, focused on their behaviour not their motivations, choosing “not to look into men’s hearts”. Similarly, St Ignatius of Loyola proposed a very good rule to apply: if in doubt, assume the best interpretation.

ut I want to go further than that. It is not enough to reluctantly assume that those who are culturally devout are also religiously committed. I want to question the underlying premise. My fear is that this distinction is a hangover of the Reformation and the Enlightenment, embellished with some contemporary Freudian psychology. “Religion”, it is presumed, is a private thing all about beliefs and attitudes and (the cardinal virtue of the modern age) sincerity. “Culture” (with a sneering glance down the nose) is un-thinking, in-

Holy Week penitents in a square in Seville, Spain. (Photo: Raymond Perrier)

Keeping your goal in mind

REMEMBER years ago in my confirmation class we were asked to do a task as one of the class activities set by the confirmation teacher. Our task was to make a collage, and we were given one hour to complete it. We did the exercise in the church hall which was set up with tables filled with all the material we needed to complete our collage. Each table was manned by someone to assist us. We had to start by collecting a sheet of card and then starting in one corner of the huge hall, we had to go around from table to table choosing and taking what we needed to complete our collage. I cannot remember what the collage had to be about, but I do remember that the catechist had placed at some of the tables people who distracted us. So we would stop at a table and while we were busy deciding what we needed from the table, the person manning the table would start talking to us. It would be about something very interesting, but irrelevant to our task. There was a buzz of discussion in the hall. It sounded as though people were busy and really enjoying making their collages. Before we knew it, the hour was over. The result: only one person, my sister, managed to complete the collage. Every-

one else had come halfway or less. Many had most of the things they needed, but had not started putting the collage together. Others were still scrambling for scissors and glue in an attempt to complete their collage. As we were debriefed about the exercise, we realised that there was more than enough time and material to complete our collages. We also realised that none of us, except my sister, were focused on our goal—to complete our collage. Have a goal in mind. And begin everything you do with that goal in mind. In this way you will have purpose in your personal and work lives. Purpose tells us where we are going. But how do we decide what that purpose is? We do not decide that purpose by ourselves, with our limited capacities of knowledge and intellect. We come to know that purpose by being deeply spiritual, by being in touch with our deepest selves and then making our choices about what is important, about what really matters. Answer the following questions for yourself, or ask a spiritual guide to help you answer these questions about yourself. Who am I? What is important in my life? What do I believe? What principles and values do I want to base my life on?

Explore the Kruger Park with

VIVA SAFARIS See the richness of South Africa’s wildlife close-up with VIVA SAFArIS. Look for the big Five in the company of our trained rangers, take a guided bushwalk you will never forget, and after dinner around a fire relax in our chalets – or in a treehouse. We offer a wide spectrum of affordable programmes for backpackers and bush connoisseur alike. For young people, we offer VOluNTeer SAFArIS (see www.volunteersafaris.co.za)

www.vivasafaris.com for options, photos and videos

reSerVATIONS: 082 450 9930 (Trevor) 082 444 7654 (Piero) 082 506 9641 (Anthony) or e-mail vivasaf@icon.co.za

Faith and Society

herited and not truly reflective of who people genuinely are. Built into this paradigm is the equally false distinction between the individual (who could choose to be religious, though often chooses not to) and the community (which has no choice about its culture). To see how poorly this distinction serves Christianity, let’s try applying it to other religions. Is the Jewish person religious when he refuses pork but cultural when he eats smoked fish? Is the Muslim who keeps Ramadan even if he drinks the occasional whisky inconsistent in his religion or in his culture? My Indian neighbour commented on how much the Seville processions were like the Melas of Hinduism—but she would have been baffled if I had asked if that was a religious or a cultural similarity. Within the Christian world we as Catholics have much to lose from a false separation of religion and culture. But in predominately secular or Protestant environments we are tempted to follow that line. When I was in Britain I discovered that while only 5% of teenagers went to church on a Sunday, 30% of them gave up something for Lent. Do we moan about their loss of religion or instead applaud this enduring example of culture and religion being intertwined? Faced with the potential richness of Continued on page 11

Judith Turner

On Faith and Life

How we answer these questions is important, because they affects every other decision we make. Our answers to these questions are the foundation for every other decision we make. Once we have answered them and know where we are going, then we will make decisions that help us to achieve our goals. We will be focused. We will have direction. No matter what happens, we will look at it in terms of where we want to go and need to go. In the collage exercise we were given— as my sister knew, in some way—the answers to these important questions. She knew that she was chosen and tasked to make a collage. What was important to her was to complete that collage as she had been tasked to do. And she believed that when you have been tasked with something important, you have to focus and say no to anything that will hinder you from completing that task. Know who you are. Know what is important. Have a goal for yourself. Have a vision, because, as Proverbs 29:18 teaches: “Where there is no vision, the people perish”.

Michael Shackleton

Open door

Do poor homilies lose Church members? I took a business associate with me to Sunday Mass in Johannesburg. His comment afterwards certainly made me think: “The service was beautiful but the weakest point was that man’s sermon. He quoted the Bible, made comments and seemed to do nothing but repeat what he had already said. He had no awareness of how negatively the parishioners were receiving his product. This is why your church is losing so many.” Your comments? Devout parishioner T would be unfair to judge all homilies on your associate’s experience at one Mass in one church on one particular Sunday. You do not say whether you agree with him or not, and you might have declared your own opinion, because as a Catholic you would have a deeper understanding of the scriptural readings and their context than one who is unfamiliar with the sacred liturgy. The purpose of the homily is to help the hearers appreciate the deeper, spiritual significance for themselves of the sacred readings they have just heard. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal says the homily should be an exposition of some aspect of the readings from sacred scripture or of another text from the Ordinary or Proper of the Mass of the day, and should take into account both the mystery being celebrated and the particular needs of the listeners (65). We must accept, however, that the preacher cannot always grab the attention of one and all at the same time. The audience consists of people of all ages, levels of education and attention spans. The important thing about talking to a congregation is to engage them as much as possible in a conversational way. There should be lots of eye contact as the preacher begins to sense whether his words are being fittingly appreciated or not. Reading directly from a script is often a sure way to lose the congregation’s attention. It has been suggested the preacher should rather work from an outline instead. We all know the frustration of hearing the preacher repeat himself, especially when explaining a piece of scripture. Even the best preachers tend to do it and it is something only they can control with a little effort. A homily longer than ten minutes is almost certain to test the congregation’s endurance level, because the preacher’s message is nowadays measured against the countless short messages in the social media that pour into people’s lives every day.

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.

do you feel called to the Franciscan way of life?

MONK?

YES! If you are seeking God …And you desire to live a life of prayer and personal transformation …And you are able to live the common life… Perhaps you have the vocation to do so as a Benedictine Monk

For more information contact:

The Abbot Inkamana Abbey P/Bag X9333 Vryheid 3100

The Prior Benedictine Abbey Subiaco PO Box 2189 Pietersburg 0700

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

The Southern Cross, April 10 to April 16, 2013

COMMUNITY

Holy Rosary School in Johannesburg won both the A and B Inter-Catholic swimming galas.The A team competed against nine schools at Ellis Park, coming first with 220 points. The school also won the Inter-Catholic B, held at St Benedict’s, competing against five schools. Pictured are swimming team captain Tayla Saunders and her team holding the trophy.

The ladies group of St Anthony’s in Sedgefield, Oudtshoorn diocese, baked pancakes and organised an English village-style pancake-race on Shrove Tuesday. Pictured are (from left) Jane de Jager, Helen Spengler and Fay Jones. (Photo by dave Jones)

Marist Brothers Linmeyer grade 4’s went to see Sing It at the Roodepoort Theatre in Johannesburg. The production also included a bullying theme.

Our Lady of Fatima parish in Bellville, Cape Town, presented their annual family day with jumping castles, water slides, a craft market, food stalls, entertainment and games. The event was held to raise funds for the archdiocese of Cape Town’s Year of Faith building project, aiming to build two new churches in the communities of kraaifontein and Crossroads. The event was hosted and organised by the knights of St Christopher Motor Cycle Ministers. Pictured are (from left) parish priest Fr Bogdan Buksa, gerard gilbert (auction winner of an autographed Stormers jersey) with MC denzil.

Holy Cross Sister Yolanda Mandes celebrated her golden jubilee at a Mass concelebrated by Archbishop Lawrence Henry, retired of Cape Town, Bishop Edward Adams, retired of Oudtshoorn, Fr Job kaleekaparampil MSFS and Fr Emmanuel Siljeur at St Clare’s in Elsies River, Cape Town. Pictured are (from left) Fr Job kaleekaparampil MSFS, Sr Loretta Oliphant (provincial leader), Bishop Adams, Sr Yolanda Mandes, Archbishop Henry and Fr Emmanuel Siljeur.

Paddy Hodge, a parishioner and ex-parish secretary of the good Shepherd Church in Bothasig, Cape Town, where she has served faithfully for many years recently turned 90. Pictured are (from left) Lyn galante, Paddy Hodge, Michele McCarthy, Rhoda Brooker. (Inset) Paddy Hodge and Rhona Brooker, who have been friends for over 30 years. Ms Hodge is currently residing at Huis Nuweland in Claremont.

St Gerard's Holy Tours

PILGRIMAGE TO PORTUGAL (FATIMA), SPAIN & FRANCE (LOURDES) - AUGUST 2014

12 nights’ accommodation in 3-star centrally-located hotels as follows:(Transport through Portugal, Spain and France via private bus)3 nights Fatima (Portugal); 1 night in Central Spain; 4 nights in Lourdes; 1 night Avignon (Palace of the Popes); Nevers (St Bernadette); 2 nights in Paris - Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, St Vincent de Paul and Church of Miraculous Medal. Spiritual Leader: Father Cletus Mtshali Assisted by: Dcn John Sheraton

Bookings via: Deacon John Sheraton - 0217055131 or 083 277 7999 Veronica Perumal: 031 462 2946 or 083 400 1022 Email: stgholytours@gmail.com

All Saints parish in Ennerdale, Johannesburg, held a get together to bid farewell to Fr Sean Murphy, who served the parish for eight years, and welcome Fr Pawel Michalowski, as the new parish priest. Pictured is a member of the parish council paying tribute to Fr Murphy (centre) with Fr Pawel Michalowski (far right).

The Southern Cross, April 10 to April 15 2013

LITURGY

The power of music and the gift of voice The liturgical transformation, which signalled to the faithful that they were being included as a vital component of the Mass, also brought the renewal of liturgical music. It became more integrative of tunes, rhythm, harmony and the styles of other Christian churches. What do the Scriptures teach us about the role of music during the Mass? What lessons can we draw from others, such as the Africans S I offer my perspective on who were shipped as slaves to the the role of liturgical music southern States of America, about during Holy Mass, I will be the role of music as a conduit that grounding my thoughts on what I connects worshippers to God? Both in the Old and New Testabelieve the scriptures to be dictating. I will also be bringing in exam- ments, we are commanded to worship through music, for ples of the power of example in Ephesians “Negro spirituals” that 5:18-20. Examples of Music must brought hope and opthe role of music for the timism to Africans be an edification of the body who were shipped to and soul are also prothe United States duroffering to vided in 1 Corinthians ing the slave trade. 14:26 and Ephesians Let me preface this God, with 4:12. discussion with a brief Music, therefore, is a background based on reverence vehicle by which spirimy experiences with tual gifts are expressed. liturgical music, so and Music also serves to readers of this article communicate with God know where I’m comadmiration. (Psalms 95:2, 71:23, ing from. 105:2). It is used to exI grew up in a fairly press joy and thankfulconservative Catholic Church. It was during the time ness to the Creator. Liturgical music should be Godwhen the Holy Mass was celebrated in Latin and English by the major- centred. If the focus of music is ity of priests, who came from differ- truly God, any effort to sing for perent parts of Europe and North sonal glory steals from God’s own America. Therefore the languages glory. Music must be excellent (Mt that were used by the Church were foreign to many of us who lived in 22:37; 33:1) and so must reflect the rural villages, creating a gap be- best of the deliverer. It must be of tween priests and their congrega- the Spirit (Eph 5:18-19). Music must flow from a heart controlled by tions. The style of worship, which was God. It must be intelligible characterised at the time by priests (1 Cor 14:7–10, 19). The musical not facing the congregation, exac- piece must be understandable to the worshipper. erbated this gap. In the context of the Church, African young men hired by the Church to serve as interpreters pro- music must not be used for the purvided some relief, and the fact that pose of entertainment or self-aghymns were sung in African lan- grandisement. Nor must it be used guages also mitigated the situation. as a marketing scheme to keep false Even as a young girl with no ex- converts comfortable, or attract unperience to provide me with a frame believers. Rather, music must be an offerof reference, I could sense that the Holy Mass lacked the intimacy, vi- ing to God, a thankfulness to God brancy and jubilation that mainly for everything. Therefore it must be comes from the homily and liturgi- used with reverence and admiracal music grounded in African/in- tion. digenous worldviews. hat role did church music or Although after Holy Mass I often Negro spirituals play in the felt connected to God through Catholic rituals, I frequently at- lives of slaves? Although slaves lost tended the Methodist church to ful- their land, families and, above all, fil my thirst for African music that their freedom, they did not lose was marked by harmony accompa- their cultural heritage expressed in nied by the clapping of hands, church music, dance and speech. They brought aspects of their stamping of feet, dancing, humculture with them to America. They ming and chanting. The transformation from old and told stories, danced, sang and kept conservative ways of celebrating alive African rhythms and harMass and the advent of African mony. Many Negro spirituals were bishops and priests have brought in praise of the Lord, or to ask the about a rebirth of the Catholic Lord for guidance and assistance on Church in Africa. To me, this has their journey to freedom. When Christianity was imposed created a sense of gravitas and rootedness in Catholic teachings and upon the slaves, these rhythms rituals which have dispelled any would find their way into hymns. yearning for music, or anything This meeting of African and Western musical cultures has had a else, from other churches. major effect on the development of he Second Vatican Council the music industry in North and (1962-65) has been in many South America and in Britain. It gave rise to black church music ways instrumental in renewing the self-understanding of the Catholic or Negro spirituals. This form of Church’s inner life, her inclusive- music later evolved into gospel ness of the spiritual and cultural music, blues, jazz, rock ’n roll and needs of members whose origins are soul. All these genres of music have from Africa, Asia, Latin America and their strong roots in Africa. What the scriptures dictated and so on, and her relationship with what Negro spirituals taught about other religious traditions locally music as a medium to connect with and globally. A lot of changes still need to be God were as true then as they are implemented by the Catholic today, for human beings are blessed Church, so she can realise not only with many signs and symbols that the spiritual needs of her clergy and they use in communicating with the congregation as a whole, but each other and with God. Music is adopt a holistic view that fulfills all one of those signs. Liturgical music is music set other cultural and personal needs of apart for the worship of God. Ours a human being.

Do we sing our hymns at Mass with true gusto or only out of a sense of duty? NOMALuNgELO gOdukA argues that liturgical music must be congregation-driven and excellent so as to give proper praise.

is then to use the power of music and the gift of voice to glorify God. By so doing we are offering our human talent to the glorification of God, who in turn blesses us. However, we need to be cognisant that liturgical music should not be individual-driven, but be congregation-driven. It should also be Gospel-centered and be based on the word of Christ. Liturgical music is the communal act of the assembly. Therefore, the whole church community needs to burst out in song praising the Holy One of Israel, who is in their midst. I always feel blessed when our choir leads the congregation in hymns that are well known, such as “Njengoko Ndinjalo Nkosi” (No 18 in the Xhosa hymn book), “Siyaqubuda kuwe Thixo” (124) and “Mariya Mandla Am” (144), and also “Nearer My God to Thee” (No 896 in the English hymn book) and “Fill My Heart Unto the Fullest” (172). These and many other wellknown hymns bring the congregation to life and the praise of God becomes a true communal act.

Above: Mass at All Saints cathedral in Mthatha, Eastern Cape.

Below: Members of the St Augustine gospel Choir sing during Mass at the “mother church of black Catholics” in Washington in the uS. Prof Nomalungelo goduka in her article explains how “Negro spirituals”, which had their roots in Africa, directly influenced the modern musical genres of jazz, blues, soul and rock ’n roll.

n Professor Nomalungelo Goduka is currently the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Ulwazi Lwemveli research chair at Walter Sisulu University in Mthatha. She belongs to All Saints cathedral parish in Mthatha.

Tony Wyllie & Co. Catholic Funeral Home

Personal and digniﬁed 24-hour service 469 Voortrekker Rd, Maitland Tel: 021 593 8820

MICASA TOURS Pilgrimage Of healing

unforgettable journey to Fatima, Santiago Compostella and lourdes. Celebrating the 96th Anniversary Of The Apparition of Fatima. 9 May to 18 May 2014 r18 995.00 per person excluding Taxes. T&C’s apply

Tel: 012 342 0179 / Fax: 086 676 9715 email: info@micasatours.co.za Website: www.micasatours.co.za

48 Main Rd, Muizenberg Tel: 021 788 3728 Member of the NFDA

lumko

Pastoral Institute of the Southern African Catholic bishops’ Conference

Courses at lumko for 2013

Pastoral Training for Funeral Orientation Programme leaders (For New Candidates) for New missionaries: 17-19 June 25-28 April 2013 This programme introduces On-going Pastoral Training of the context and realities of the Catholic Church in the Funeral leaders (For those SACBC region. (Course fee already exercising the MinR4700.00) istry of Funeral Leaders) 16-19 may 2013 lumko international Catechetical Course: The Dynamics & Practice of 7-26 October 2013 Christian leadership, This course is designed for management and good priests, deacons, catechists governance and community leaders in 25-28 July 2013 the catechetical ministry. (Course fee for SACBC region Basic Bible Seminar R6400.00) 5-8 September Formation/Training in leading Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest 22-25 August 2013 Course Fees for each of the above courses is R870.00

021 531 0550 086 628 4499

lumko international Pastoral ministry Course: 28 October- 23 November. Training of trainers: International participants, clergy, religious, catechists, lay leaders. (Course fee for SACBC region R8240.00)

To apply or for more information contact: The Director, Lumko Institute PO Box 5058, Delmenville, 1403, South Africa; lumko@global.co.za Mobile Phones (+27)82 964 0118 & (+27)72 359 5611 Fax: (+27)11 865 3589

The Southern Cross, April 10 to April 16, 2013

FOCUS

‘We prayed the rosary as we ran’ Once the Abyei region in Sudan was peaceful; now it is a theatre of conflict in which the Catholic Church is one of the few organisations willing to help, as PAUL JEFFREY reports.

HEN Bruna Maloal was a child, Abyei in Sudan was a peaceful place, and every year her tribe, the Dinka Ngok, welcomed the Misseriya nomads who came to the region with their vast herds of cattle. “They came with their cows for the water and grass, and we would eat together. They harvested the gum from the trees, and we would buy some of their goods. And when the rains came, they would go home,” the 63-year old Catholic catechist recalled. But then things changed. With a separatist movement pushing the South of the country toward eventual independence, Abyei was caught literally in the middle. The nomads who once came to Abyei in peace were transformed into an armed militia by the northern government in Khartoum. “Omar changed things. Maybe he discovered something here he wanted. But the whole problem began with Omar,” said Mrs Maloal, referring to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who has been charged by the International Criminal Court with genocide and crimes against humanity for his government’s actions in Sudan’s western region of Darfur. Backed by the Sudanese army, Misseriya militias attacked Abyei in 2008. Mrs Maloal hid in the bush for four days, then came back to the smouldering ruins of her house. The nearby church compound had been

sacked and everything of value carried away. Yet the violence in 2008 was but a prelude to 2011, when the Sudanese government tried to provoke the soon-to-become-independent government in Juba, South Sudan, to respond militarily to an attack on Abyei. Such a response would have given the North an excuse to launch a full-scale war that would have derailed the South’s independence. Juba didn’t take the bait. The people of Abyei, now one of the regions in dispute along the Sudan-South Sudan border—paid a heavy price. “The Misseriya came on motorcycles, one driving with two on the back with guns, shooting people. I saw them with my own eyes. They chased us away, yelling in Arabic. I left everything behind except the clothes on my back. I didn’t even have time to get my shoes,” Mrs Maloal said. “We hid in the bush near the edge of town to see if the situation got calm. It didn’t. They told us to leave. So we ran. For eight days we ran, with the shooting and bombing behind us. It was raining, and at night we huddled under the trees with nothing to cover ourselves. Some stopped in Agok, but they were bombing there so I kept moving farther south. When we arrived at Turalei, the United Nations people gave us food and blankets,” she said. More than 100 000 residents of Abyei were displaced by the assault. Most of them sought shelter in Agok. Heavy rains caused the tanks and heavy artillery of the northern forces to get bogged down in mud before they could advance on Agok, preventing what could have been an even greater humanitarian crisis.

rs Maloal spent the next year living under a plastic tarp. When the Misseriya pulled back from Abyei in mid-2012, she was one of the first to return. Mrs Maloal set

Bruna Maloal, right, a 63-year old Catholic catechist, leads a group of women in prayer in Abyei, a town at the centre of the contested Abyei region along the border between Sudan and South Sudan. Her home was looted and burned in 2011 when soldiers and militias from Sudan swept through the area, chasing out Mrs Maloal and tens of thousands of others. She and a handful of other residents returned to the town last year after northern combatants withdrew. (Photo: Paul Jeffrey, CNS) to work cleaning up the church compound, which was once again in ruins, and she picked through the rubble of what had been her own mud-walled hut. She regularly gathered other Catholics to pray. “We prayed the rosary as we ran from here. We prayed for the bullets to miss. God ran with us, and were it not for the power of God, we couldn’t have come back,” Mrs Maloal said. “The Church is always with the people. The people here have survived because the Church supports them. As a catechist, I gather them, pray with them, and preach the word of God to them.” Mrs Maloal said her five children and their families remain living south of Abyei, where they have access to food from the UN World Food Program. In Abyei town, there is little help from the outside. Mrs Maloal harvests wild greens that she uses to supplement what’s left of two bags of sorghum she received last August

from UN peacekeepers. The UN troops, who are from Ethiopia, have also provided water to returned residents. The Misseriya sabotaged the town’s wells before leaving, so UN tank trucks regularly make the rounds to fill roadside barrels with water. In several outlying villages, the Abyei Catholic parish, with support from Caritas South Sudan and several international partners, has played a lead role in drilling new wells for the returnees, at the same time rehabilitating community clinics.

he Church is an exception here, as few international non-governmental organisations are willing to get involved in the contested territory’s rehabilitation. In part, they’re not sure the militias will not attack again and wipe out their investment. Yet many also operate in Darfur and other regions of Sudan, and they

don’t want to anger the Khartoum government, which has kicked several aid groups out of the country. Some NGOs have had their Khartoum offices visited by government officials, who warned that they were watching closely any involvement in Abyei. Because of the lack of international support for a return, only about 20 000 of those displaced in 2011 have returned to their communities, according to the United Nations, yet those numbers are inexact. Church leaders say many families have returned for a brief period, then gone back to the relative safety of Agok. Before making a decisive commitment to return home, they’re waiting to see what the political future holds. The African Union has proposed a referendum for next October on Abyei’s future. A similar referendum planned for 2011 did not take place, as the two governments could not agree on who was eligible to vote. This year’s proposal may well precipitate new violence from those who fear they would lose at the polls. On the ground, while the Ethiopian peacekeepers have all but eliminated open clashes, incidents of livestock theft by the Misseriya are reportedly increasing. Many worry that this is a sign of increased violence to come in the months ahead. Fr Karlo Kaw, one of two priests serving the Abyei parish, said the problem is that the UN troops are afraid. “The Ethiopian troops won’t go out at night. But that’s when the men with guns arrive to steal the goats and cattle, and in the morning, when the UN troops wake up, the animals are long gone,” Fr Kaw said. “You cannot follow someone with a gun unless you are willing to die yourself. And these Arabs, they will shoot even the UN troops. They don’t care, they are very crazy.”— CNS

Church massacre survivor reflects on events Fr Rodolfo Capalozza might well have died in a mass murder during Argentina’s “dirty war”. Instead he lived to tell his story, as TOM TRACY reports.

N the evening of July 4, 1976, Rodolfo Capalozza, then a seminarian in Argentina for the Pallottine religious community in Buenos Aires, made a fateful decision to watch a movie and then visit his parents. In the morning, Fr Capalozza would learn that two other seminarians and three priests from his community were repeatedly shot after midnight at the church rectory of

San Patricio in the Argentine capital’s Belgrano district. It was assumed, and is still asserted by survivors and many others in Argentina, that elements of the military-backed dictatorship of the 1970s orchestrated the killings as reprisal after a popular revolutionary group fatally bombed a local police station during Argentina’s “dirty war”. Tens of thousands were abducted, died or went missing during the decade-long struggle in Argentina. Then-Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future Pope Francis and Jesuit superior at the time, was spiritual adviser to one of the Pallottine priests, Fr Alfredo Kelly. Later as Buenos Aires’ archbishop, he celebrated a 2001 Mass commemorating the murdered Pallottines and their commitment to Gospel values. The other victims included Frs Alfredo Leaden and Pedro Duffau and seminarians Salvador Barbeito and Emilio Barletti. Officially, the crime was never solved and an Argentine judge at the time closed the matter judicially while several books and documentary films have explored the events. The priests at San Patricio, whose community’s fight on behalf of the poor and social justice-oriented preaching were well known in Buenos Aires, were targeted for being “lefties” and “communists”, even though it was understood they played no part in the police station bombing or in aiding or supporting armed guerrillas known as the

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

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

PO Box 212 libode, 5160, E Cape Tel 047 555 0018 Cell: 072 437 4244 or 078 354 2440

“Montoneros”, according to Fr Capalozza. “A week before the [massacre], we had a community meeting where we commented about the current affairs in the country: the kidnappings, disappearances and torture, and the question we asked ourselves was whether we should continue to proclaim the Gospel of life while denouncing everything that went against life in those dangerous times we were living in,” said the priest, now pastor of St Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Buenos Aires and secretary of the Argentine bishops’ Commission on Consecrated Life. “The answer we gave was that we had to be faithful to Jesus Christ and the Gospel before the powerful of the world, so I am convinced that they died because of their fidelity to Christ.” Because of their idealism, many Argentine youngsters in those years were easily “co-opted” by guerrilla movements “but violence is not justifiable and even less if you consider that the guerrilla activity continued during the democratic government to follow”, Fr Capalozza said. “Many of the people who participated in the Montonero groups were from the Catholic action groups so some people identified the social commitment of the Church with the Montoneros, but that is not true,” he said. Catholics who wanted to abide by the documents of the Latin American episcopate never accepted the Montoneros within their ranks, the priest said. “To the contrary the guerilla groups were never popular in Argentina.”

n relation to the Pallottine case and in general, the priest noted that the vast majority of Argentines ultimately condemned the military coup even though at the time a large part of the civilian population ini-

tially supported the coup. Most of the Argentine people “did not desire the atrocities that were committed later on” and “wished for justice and reconciliation to be done”, Fr Capalozza said. Fr Capalozza has said he feels compelled to tell the world about the San Patricio events because to “fail to seek the truth is to betray the Gospels” and also because of the important impact those martyred had on the local community at that time. The local Church in Argentina has been supportive of the sainthood cause for the five. “There is a commission of laypeople that is still working, gathering testimonies and proofs for all five,” Fr Capalozza said. “The general chapter of the Pallottines on two occasions publicly stated that they died of the service of truth and justice and in two occasions they have formally asked that the process of beatification and canonisation be expedited.” In his homily during a 2001 Mass of commemoration, the future Pope Francis said that just as Christ was persecuted, so his disciples are persecuted, and just as Christ was labelled, so are his disciples. “He said, ‘I am standing on martyr’s ground’, and he spoke about his acquaintance with Alfredo Kelley, the pastor,” Fr Capalozza recalled. He said that the Church has a new pope with a deep identity as a pastor and a very capable intellect. Bl John Paul II’s papacy “was very much marked by his experience of Eastern Europe, of the war and Poland, while the papacy of Benedict XVI was marked by his experience as a theologian and scholar”, Fr Capalozza said. “And Pope Francis’ experiences in Buenos Aires likewise shaped his life,” he said, “and now he is the bishop of Rome, the mother of all the churches.”—CNS

The Southern Cross, April 10 to April 16, 2013

Is our faith just cultural? Continued from page 7 our heritage, I would suggest we have four tasks as a community. 1. To nurture and enrich the religious/cultural practices that we do have and make sure that we invest time and energy in them so they do not ossify. Why don’t we spend most of the 40 days of Lent preparing our Triduum liturgies as a parish community? 2. To deepen and share our understanding of them (especially with our young people). This is not to distinguish between culture and religion but rather to reinforce the link. I am constantly saddened by

the number of priests who assume that the Triduum services “speak for themselves” and thus leave people either baffled or untouched—not genuflecting as you leave the church on Good Friday is hugely important; but the practice has evaporated because people do not understand it. 3. To appropriate new cultural forms that can further enrich and be enriched by our faith—the World Youth Days or Taizé services are an excellent example of this but where are the new South African initiatives? 4. Not to be afraid to challenge and change practices since culture

is not fixed but alive. The archbishop of Seville washed the feet of 12 (male) seminarians; Pope Francis washed the feet of boys and girls, Christian and Muslim, all of them juvenile offenders. Which for you was the better sign of the ability of our religion to insert itself in the culture and challenge it from within? To repeat those wonderful words of Bl John XXIII: “let’s open up the windows of our churches so that we can see out and so others can see in”—and not worry if a few flies come in at the same time!

Harriet Deliwe Gabashe

ARRIET Gabashe, who has died aged 85, was born at uMzimkhuluand and married Livingstone Gebashe at Centocow mission in January 1949. She had 11 children. A trained primary school teacher, she taught at Catholic schools and later at public schools. She retired while working at Nqulwana primary school in Mahlabatini. She was a loyal and active member of St Anne’s Sodality, which she joined in 1958, and played a significant role in the introduction, facilitation and moti-

vation of the sodality at Uganda Martyrs outstation at Nqulwana. After retirement, she became active in local circles—in the local clinic and pensions committees. She participated in an economic empowerment project which involved, among other things, the manufacture of candles. She led a life of prayer and praying the rosary was her daily joy. Her requiem Mass was concelebrated by Frs Vincent Zungu and Benjamin Sithathu at Uganda Martyrs outstation at Nqulwana.

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): April 13: 9.00-10.00am Holy hour and Benediction, confessions available April 25: Feast of St Mark, 7.00pm Rosary, 7.30pm Holy Mass. Tel: 076 323 8043 May 11: 9.00-10.00am Holy hour and benediction, confession available. May 16: 7.30pm Rosary. May 30: Vigil of the Feast of the Visitation - 7.00pm Rosary, 7.30pm Holy Mass Padre Pio: Holy hour 3:30 pm every 3rd Sunday of the month at Holy Redeemer parish in Bergvliet. helpers of God’s Pre-

cious Infants meet the last Saturday of the month except in december, starting with Mass at 9:30 am at the Sacred Heart church 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.

ClASSIFIeDS

Births • First Communion • Confirmation • Engagement/Marriage • Wedding anniversary • Ordination jubilee • Congratulations • deaths • In memoriam • Thanks • Prayers • Accommodation • Holiday Accommodation • Personal • Services • Employment • Property • Others Please include payment (R1,25 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

DeATh

WAllACe—Jessie. 25/12/1946—28/3/2013. died peacefully at Nazareth House durban after a long illness patiently borne. greatly loved and sadly missed by her family and friends. In lieu of flowers, suggest donations to Nazareth House durban.

PerSONAl

She is survived by 9 children, 33 grandchildren and 25 greatgrandchildren. Submitted by Pius Sipho Gebashe

liturgical Calendar Year C Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday, April 14 Acts 5:27-32, 40-41, Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19 Monday, April 15 Acts 6:8-15, Psalm 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30, John 6:22-29 Tuesday, April 16 Acts 7:51, 8:1, Psalm 31:3-4, 6-8, 17, 21, John 6:3035 Wednesday, April 17 Acts 8:1-8, Psalm 66:1-7, John 6:35-40 Thursday, April 18 Acts 8:26-40, Psalm 66:8-9, 16-17, 20, John 6:44-51 Friday, April 19 Acts 9:1-20, Psalm 117:1-2, John 6:52-59 Saturday, April 20 Acts 9:31-42, Psalm 116:12-17, John 6:60-69 Sunday, April 21 Acts 13:14, 43-52, Psalm 100:1-2, 3, 5, Revelation 7:9, 14-17, John 10:27-30

Word of the Week

Southern CrossWord solutions

FOCOLARE: A lay movement started in Trent, Italy, by Chiara Lubich in 1943, now claiming more than a million followers. Its aim is world unity through the living witness of Christian love and holiness in the family and small communities.

SOLUTIONS TO 545. ACROSS: 5 Back, 7 Alexandria, 8 Shur, 10 Anathema, 11 Quails, 12 Shrine, 14 Beaten, 16 Retain, 17 Afflicts, 19 Argo, 21 Scandalous, 22 Ides. DOWN: 1 Mars, 2 Exorcist, 3 In-laws, 4 Trials, 5 Bach, 6 Commanding, 9 House of God, 13 Ritually, 15 Nectar, 16 Reside, 18 Loss, 20 Oust.

CURSILLO: Conducted by priests and laypersons, it consists of a three-day weekend focused on prayer, study, and Christian action, and follow-up programme known as the post-cursillo.

AbOrTION is murder— Silence on this issue is not golden, it’s yellow! Avoid ‘Pro-abortion’ politicians. hOuSe-SITTer/ PeT-lOVer: Based at Benoni Parish, will travel/with references. Phone Therèse 076 206 0627. NOThING is politically right if it is morally wrong. Abortion is evil. Value life! rebINDING of Altar Missals and other books. Visit www.langeberg -bookbinding.com or phone 084 530 5234.

PrAYerS

hOlY ST JuDe, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke you, special patron in time of need. To you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg you to come to my assistance. Help me now in my urgent need and grant my petitions. In return I promise to make your name known and publish this prayer. Amen. RCP YOu, O eternal Trinity, are a deep sea into which, the more I enter, the more I find. And the more I find, the more I seek. O abyss, O eternal godhead, O sea profound, what more could you give me than yourself? Prayer of Awe—St Catherine of Siena. hOlY SPIrIT, you who make me see everything and who shows me the way to reach my ideal. You have given me the divine gift to forgive and forget all that is done to me, and you are in all the instincts of my life with me. I want to thank you for everything and confirm once more that I never want to be separated from you, no matter how great the material desire may be. I want to be with you and my loved ones in your perpetual glory.

Amen. Say this prayer for three consecutive days and without continuing to ask; no matter how difficult it may be and you promise to publish this dialogue as soon as your favour has been granted. d.S. 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. 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; 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 be. Psalm 139 ST MIChAel the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the malice and snares of the devil. May god rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of god, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the

ruin of souls. Amen.

hOlIDAY ACCOMMODATION

lONDON, Protea House: Single per/night R300, twin R480. Self-catering, busses and underground nearby. Phone Peter 0044 208 748 4834. bAllITO: up-market penthouse on beach, selfcatering, 084 790 6562 CAPe TOWN: Fully equipped self-catering, 2 bedroom apartment with parking, in Strandfontein R400 or R480 (low/high season) (4 persons per night) Paul 021 393 2503, 083 553 9856, vivilla@ telkomsa.net 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 MelVIlle—South Coast: 2 bedroom beachfront flat, sleeps four, R700.00 per night. Contact 083 3093160. 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. One bedroom, sleeps 3. Seasonal rates. From R525 p/night for 2 people—low season. garage. Ph Brenda 082 822 0607.

UPHOLSTERER

ON TAPE

A group of readers is preparing audio tapes of excerpts from The Southern Cross for interested people who are blind, sight-impaired, unable to hold a newspaper or illiterate. Anyone wanting to receive tapes as part of this service, available for an annual subscription fee of only R50, may 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 or otherwise reading-impaired person, please inform them of this service.

NEW FOR 2013 27 SEPT to 5 OCT

CHRIST THE KING BUTTERWORTH 3 COUNTRIES PILGRIMAGE

Visiting Istanbul (Old Constantinople),Jordan and the Holy Land. A spiritual and fascinating journey to include the baptismal site of Jesus, Mt Nebo where Moses viewed the Promised Land and places where Jesus walked and preached.

Organised and led by Rev Fr Sonwabiso Zilindile Cost from R25900 Tel: (031) 266 7702 Fax: (031) 266 8982 Email: judyeichhorst@telkomsa.net

More than 50 years of experience guarantees you satisfaction.

Tel: 021 447 4727

after hours 021 393 4344 The Southern Cross is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa. Printed by Paarl Coldset (Pty) Ltd, 10 Freedom Way, Milnerton. Published by the proprietors, The Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Co Ltd, at the company’s registered office, 10 Tuin Plein, Cape Town, 8001.

The Southern Cross is published independently by the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company ltd. Address: PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000. Tel: (021) 465 5007 Fax: (021) 465 3850 www.scross.co.za editor: günther Simmermacher (editor@scross.co.za), business Manager: Pamela davids (admin@scross.co.za), Advisory editor: Michael Shackleton, News editor: Claire Mathieson (c.mathieson@scross.co.za), editorial: Claire Allen (c.allen@scross.co.za), Mary Leveson (m.leveson@scross.co.za) Advertising: Elizabeth Hutton (advertising@scross.co.za), Subscriptions: Avril Hanslo (subscriptions@scross.co.za), Dispatch: Joan king (dispatch@scross.co.za), Accounts: desirée Chanquin (accounts@scross.co.za). Directors: C Moerdyk (Chairman), Archbishop S Brislin, C Brooke, P davids*, S duval, E Jackson, B Jordan, M Lack (uk), Sr H Makoro CPS, M Salida, g Simmermacher*, z Tom

Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect those of the editor, staff or directors of The Southern Cross.

NOAH OLD AGE HOMES

Pregnant?

help is as near as your telephone

Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000 • 10 Tuin Plein, Cape Town, 8001 Tel: (021) 465 5007 • Fax: (021) 465 3850

079 742 8861 031 201 5471 072 148 8324

www.birthright.co.za Donations and volunteers and prayers always welcome

editorial: editor@scross.co.za

Advertising: advertising@scross.co.za

Website: www.scross.co.za

4th Sunday of Easter: April 21—Vocations Sunday Readings: Acts 13:14, 43-52, Psalm 100:23, 5, Revelation 7:9, 14-17, John 10:27-30

EXT Sunday is the day when each year we pray with special intensity for vocations to the priesthood and the religious life; but of course we all have vocations, and if we are to be happy our task is to find out what that is for us. In the readings for next Sunday we learn something about what form the call of God might take, and how it is not always just as comfortable as we might desire. In the first reading we have the aftermath of Paul’s first synagogue address, after he had discovered his vocation, on the road to Damascus. The compilers of our lectionary miss out the actual speech in the synagogue, and merely provide the uncomfortable effects of Paul’s response to his calling from God. His opponents are (as religious people too often are) “filled with zeal and spoke in contradiction”, but Paul and Barnabas simply take that as evidence that their vocation is to convert not their fellow-Jews, but the gentiles. The opposition then use the womenfolk and the upper classes of the city (Antioch in Pisidia, since you ask) to have them flung out of the city. And the effect? The two evangelists simply move on to Iconium, “and the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit”. Our vo-

•

business manager: admin@scross.co.za

•

Subscriptions: subscriptions@scross.co.za

Digital edition: www.digital.scross.co.za

•

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thescross

What is our vocation from God? Nicholas King SJ

Sunday Reflections

cation may not always be comfortable, but we should always expect to find some joy there. The psalm knows all about joy, and invites us to “sing to the Lord, all the earth, serve the Lord with joy, go into his presence with exultation”. And, as with all our talk of vocation, the key thing is to recognise that it is God who is in charge: “Know that the Lord—he is God; he made us, and we are his people, and the flock of his pasturing.” We can only contemplate the idea of vocation if, at some level, we really know that God is God. That is something of which the author of the Book of Revelation is in no doubt. Our second reading has a vision of “a large crowd, whom no one could count, from every nation, and all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the Throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white garments, and with palms in their hands”. This mysterious host turns out to be “those who come from the Great Affliction and have

washed their garments, and whitened them in the blood of the Lamb”. So they are martyrs; they have found their calling, that is to say, in living out their discipleship to the bitter end, and now they receive the fulfilment of their vocation: “They are before God’s Throne, and they worship God night and day in his shrine; and The One Seated on the Throne will put a tent over them; they shall no longer be hungry or thirsty, nor shall the sun fall upon them...for the Lamb who is in the midst of the Throne will shepherd them, and guide them by the fountains of the waters of life, and [a beautiful touch, this] will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Once again, then, there is no pretence that the vocation will be anything but hardship— and yet, if we really understand what God is doing, and if we see it through to the end, it is the only way to go. The gospel for this Vocations Sunday takes us right to the heart of the matter. It comes from the lovely meditation in chapter 10 of John’s gospel on Jesus as the Real Shepherd. It depicts a situation of lethal tension, in the Temple of all places, between Jesus and his opponents, who are demanding to know if Jesus is the Messiah or not. For Jesus, that request is simply evidence that they are not “my sheep”. And the differ-

The lucky number seven F

ROM the Bible to casinos, seven is often considered to be a magical, perfect, and lucky number. Jesus told us to forgive those who hurt us 70 times seven times. Clearly he meant that to mean infinity. Genesis speaks of the seven days of creation, Scripture speaks of seven archangels, and the Book of Revelation speaks of the Seven Seals of Revelation. The Bible is saturated with the number seven. It would take several pages just to list the references. What is true for the Christian Bible is paralleled elsewhere. There are seven lucky gods of good fortune in Japanese mythology, and the Buddhists believe that Buddha walked seven steps at his birth. In Judaism, there are seven days of mourning, the weekly Torah is divided into seven special sections, there are seven blessings recited at a Jewish wedding, the Jewish bride and groom are feted for seven days, and there are seven primary emotions attributed to God. In the Islamic tradition, there are seven heavens and seven earths, seven fires in hell, seven doors to heaven, and seven doors to hell. And then there are these facts connected to the number seven. There are seven continents in the world, seven colours to the rainbow, seven days in a week, seven basic musical notes, seven stars in the Big Dipper, and seven celestial bodies visible to the naked eye. Seven is the calling code for telephones in Russia. In North America, major-league baseball, basketball and ice hockey all decide their final championships through a sevengame series, and seven is the jersey number chosen by many elite athletes, including

Conrad

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

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

baseball legend Mickey Mantle and football star Cristiano Ronaldo. Casinos too like the number seven. Lining up a row of sevens is the route to many a jackpot. Jesus, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, nature, the measurement of our weeks, Russian telephone codes, major league sports, top athletes, and casinos—now that’s an audience! It’s no accident that there are lots of lists of “sevens”. For example, we have all kinds of theological and church-lists of seven: Christian theology speaks of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. It speaks of Seven Deadly Sins—pride, envy, wrath, sloth (acedia), greed, gluttony and lust—and the corresponding Seven Heavenly Virtues: humility, kindness, patience, diligence, charity, temperance and chastity. It also speaks of the Seven Last Words of Jesus: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”; “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise”; “Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit”; “Woman, this is your son...This is your mother”; “My God, my God, why have you

forsaken me?”; “I thirst”; “It is finished”. Mohandas Gandhi spoke of Seven Social Sins: politics without principle, wealth without work, commerce without morality, pleasure without conscience, education without character, science without humanity, and worship without sacrifice. To this, Catholics have added Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching: the life and dignity of the human person; the call to family, community, and participation; rights and responsibilities; the option for the poor and vulnerable; the dignity of work and the rights of workers; solidarity; and care for God’s creation. Catholics have seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, reconciliation, healing of the sick, holy orders, and matrimony. Seven Corporal Works of Mercy: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. And Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy: instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, admonish sinners, bear wrongs patiently, forgive offences willingly, comfort the afflicted, and pray for the living and the dead. Moreover, Catholics venerate the Seven Sorrows of Mary: the prophecy of Simeon, the flight into Egypt, the loss of the child Jesus in the temple, meeting Jesus on the way of Calvary, Jesus dying on the cross, receiving the body of Jesus in her arms, placing the body of Jesus into the tomb. And, not least, we have the famous Seven Wonders of the World, though now there are arguments as to what precisely constitutes that list. Some argue for the original list, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, others propose the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, some speak of the Seven Wonders of the Contemporary World, and still others affirm that the real wonders of this world are constructed by nature and they list instead the Seven Natural Wonders of this World (Table Mountain is on the New7Wonders of Nature list). So what’s the true list? What, in fact, constitutes the Seven Wonders of the World? Recently this story appeared on the Internet: a teacher asked her students to name the Seven Wonders of the World. A number of students, with the help no doubt of electronic gadgets, quickly produced the various lists. One young girl, however, without any electronic research, produced her own list. The Seven Wonders of the World, she submitted, are: seeing, feeling, tasting, smelling, touching, breathing, and loving. That list, I believe, trumps all other lists and includes all the sacraments.

ence is that “my sheep hear my voice” (they discern, that is to say, what their vocation is, because they pay attention to that voice that leads them home). And, in a lovely expression, he goes on: “I know them, and they follow me.” And that has its effect: “I give them life eternal, and they will not be destroyed, ever, and no one is going to plunder them out of my hand.” At this point, things turn nasty, for Jesus continues (and this message is at the heart of John’s gospel), “The Father and I are one.” This is overly strong medicine for his opponents, although Jesus is doing no more than enunciate what he has discerned his calling to be, and now they are actually bent on stoning him to death for the blasphemy of making this claim. So where do you stand, this week, with regard to your vocation, or the vocation of people in your family or place of work? Are you happy to find, are you happy that others should find, what it is that God is calling them to do? If you are not happy with this, because you or they may not achieve fame and fortune, it is just possible that you are refusing for yourself or others the road that leads to happiness, for that is what our vocation from God is inviting us to discover.

Southern Crossword #545

ACROSS 5. Kind of bone that shows your character? (4) 7. City that Apollos came from (Ac 18) (10) 8. The angel met Hagar on the road to here (Gn 16) (4) 10. Hate a man become accursed (8) 11. Birds that covered the camp (Ex 16) (6) 12. Hallowed place of respect (6) 14. Vanquished (6) 16. The Apostles were given power to...sin (6) 17. Causes pain (8) 19. Jason’s ship seen among the cargoes (4) 21. Undo a class! It’s shocking! (10) 22. March date for Caesar (4)

DOWN 1. Spoils for the god of war (4) 2. He disposes of the spirits (8) 3. They’re related by marriage (2-4) 4. Endurance tests for the accused (6) 5. Limb ached to find the composer (4) 6. Ordering to have a majestic bearing (10) 9. David fed his followers in here (Lk 6) (5,2,3) 13. Truly ail, and ceremonially (8) 15. Divine drink (6) 16. Desire about where to live (6) 18. Forfeiture lacking profit (4) 20. Eject from famous temple (4)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

NUN, a priest, and a lawyer arrive at the gates of heaven and St Peter greets them: “Welcome to Heaven. We have simplified the process of admission, and all you need to do to get into Heaven is pass a simple test. Are you ready?” The nun has prepared for this moment for 73 years. “Okay,” St Peter instructs her, “spell ‘God’.” “G-O-D.” “Very good, Sister, enter your eternal reward.” Then it’s the priest’s turn. “Spell ‘love’.” “L-O-V-E.” “Excellent, Padre, enter your eternal reward.” By now the lawyer is grinning broadly in happy anticipation. “Okay,” says St Peter, “spell ‘prorhipidoglossomorpha’.” Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.