130807 by The Southern Cross

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August 7 to August 13, 2013

Fire disaster school bounces back from tragedy

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Fr Rolheiser: Understanding suicide

Time travellers meet Jesus’ followers

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e g a p r u o F WY D p u d roun

No 4835

How Pope Francis builds a rapport with the world BY FRANCiS X RoCCA

An estimated 3 million people pilgrims crowd Copacabana beach as Pope Francis celebrates the closing Mass of World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro. Next WYD will be held in Krakow, Poland, in 2016. Read more about WYD 2013 in our pull-out wrap-around. (Photo: Paulo Whitaker, Reuters/CNS)

F Bl John Paul II had an actor’s mastery of the dramatic gesture and Pope Benedict XVI engaged the faithful most effectively through his learned and lucid writing, Pope Francis showed the world on his first international trip that his forte as a communicator is the simple, seemingly artless action that resonates powerfully in context. During his visit to Brazil, Pope Francis said little that he had not already said more than once during his still-young pontificate. He repeated forceful calls for social justice, a more humble and empathetic Church leadership and a more active and engaged laity. But given the historic nature of the occasion—the first Latin American pope returning to his native continent—he must have known that everything he said and did here would take on special significance, and he made extensive use of the setting. The display began even before he left Rome, when the pope was photographed carrying his own briefcase onto the plane, sending a characteristic message of humility: the menial work of carrying the bag was a task he reserved for himself. Pope Francis’ entrance into the city of Rio in a modest compact van instead of the usual large sedan—an image that instantly turned the Fiat Idea into a worldfamous model—was an exhortation to simplicity for clergy and laypeople alike, consistent with his previous complaints about spending on luxuries in a world where children starve. It was during that ride that Pope Francis used his already famous gift for spontaneity to salvage what could have been a dispiriting mishap. The swarming of his car by pedestrians and the driver’s decision to enter rush-hour traffic, where the papal motorcade promptly got stuck, briefly seemed to augur only more chaos. Instead, the incident became a chance for the pope to display his almost magical rapport with crowds, when he was seen opening his window and greeting the very people that members of his security detail were frantically pushing away. Images of Pope Francis’ visit to a Rio favela—his walk down the streets of shanties, and the tears in his eyes behind the altar of the slum’s little chapel—will surely leave more lasting impressions

The car carrying Pope Francis is mobbed by people as it gets stuck in Rio’s rushhour traffic than anything he said there. Similarly, his speech to what the Vatican called the “ruling class of Brazil”—a gentle call to dialogue and “social humility” in a country shaken by massive antigovernment protests—was clear and thoughtful, yet less eloquent than his embrace of a recovered drug abuser and former favela resident on the stage before the dignitaries. Pope Francis said nothing during the trip about moves to liberalise Brazil’s abortion laws because, as he told reporters on his plane back to Rome, “young people understand perfectly what the Church’s point of view is”. But he symbolically espoused the defence of unborn human life during the culminating Mass of World Youth Day, when he welcomed a married couple and their baby born with only part of her brain; they had chosen not to abort even though current Brazilian law would have permitted them to do so. The surprise in-flight press conference was the pope’s final symbolic act of the trip, remarkable above all for the sheer fact that he did it and for the way that he carried it out. Known during his days as a cardinal for refusing interviews, he proved with a no-holds-barred exchange that, though he may usually be too busy for journalists, he certainly is not afraid of them. Having already charmed them on the flight from Rome by greeting each one personally, he then spent 80 minutes gamely answering their questions, following seven days of activity that had left all the reporters exhausted. In that way, the 76-year old pope also showed that, in the game of dealing with the press, he is well prepared to stay ahead.—CNS

HOLY LAND YOUTH PILGRIMAGE 5 - 14 July 2014 Led by Fr SAMMY MABUSELA (SA national youth chaplain) Accompanied by Claire Mathieson of The Southern Cross

A TIME OF FAITH, FELLOWSHIP, FRIENDSHIP AND FUN!

For itinerary or to book phone Gail at 076 352 3809 or 021 551 3923 info@fowlertours.co.za www.fowlertours.co.za

The Southern Cross, August 7 to August 13, 2013

WORLD YOUTH DAY

South Africans moved by faith in Rio BY CLAiRE MATHiESoN

OPE Francis left World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janerio with a tweet: “What an unforgettable week in Rio! Thank you, everyone. Pray for me.” His sentiments were shared by many South African youth who travelled to the South American country as social networks were abuzz over the week-long festivities. Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world participated in the 14th World Youth Day, joined in faith and prayer. Timothy Harris of Cape Town travelled to Sydney in 2008, Madrid in 2011 and Rio in 2013—experiences that changed his life. “If it wasn’t for my Sydney experience I’d never have been on the road to consider that I was being called to resign from my secure and lucrative role as an art director in June 2010.” Mr Harris said it was in Madrid that he had the vision to harness South African talent at St Michael’s in Rondebosch, Cape Town, where he served as a youth leader, and Rio has been inspiration for the establishment of a Catholic leadership academy which is designed to “reveal, empower, equip and support laity on the road to lead young people closer to Christ”. For Mr Harris, the WYD experiences have been pillars of his journey in life. “In this time I have noticed a tangible up-swell of enthusiasm from youth for things of an eternal nature. Contrary to common belief, young people are asking big questions and seeking truth, now,” he said. The highlight for Mr Harris was the all-night vigil and final Mass held on Copacabana beach, host to an estimated three million pilgrims. “Everything ran smoothly. The Brazilians did an impressive job of coordinating the whole week.” Bishop José Luis Ponce de León of Ingwavuma had been placed in a hotel in Rio with a number of other bishops. “I guess it makes it easier for the organisers to take us to different events and bring us back, but we would like to be closer to the youth, so we try to find every possible moment to share with them,” he said. The bishop wore multiple hats on his journey to WYD: He represented

his diocese in South Africa, the diocese of Manzini in Swaziland in his capacity as apostolic administrator, as well as being a native to the South American continent. “Each time [the youth] identified a bishop they wanted to know who we were and where we come from. In my case it was funny because when they asked me where I was coming from I would reply in Spanish: “South Africa” and they would look somehow confused, knowing Spanish is not spoken in South Africa,” he explained. Bishop Ponce de León met the group of bishops from Argentina, most of whom he had never met. “It was thanks to them that I joined the group of bishops who met Pope Francis on the Thursday. It was a great gift to share these days with them and I hope to welcome some of them one day in Southern Africa.” The bishop said WYD was not just hugely beneficial to the youth but also the clergy. “Being bishops together in one place gives us also the possibility to know each other better. The spirit is very joyful and friendly.”

(Top left) Pilgrims from St Michael’s parish in Rondebosch, Cape Town, display the South African flag. (Top right) Bishop José Luis Ponce de León of ingwavuma with a group of pilgrims from Swaziland at World Youth Day. (Bottom right) Denzel Swarts is pictured with a group of international WYD volunteers.(Bottom left) Pilgrims from the archdiocese of Pretoria are pictured with youth chaplain Fr Sammy Mabusela CSS at oR Tambo international airport.

or Alexis Pillay, another WYD veteran, one of the more striking differences between Madrid 2011 and Rio 2013 was that during Mission Week in São Paulo and WYD in Rio de Janeiro youth were hosted by families and not in public spaces as had been the case in Spain. “This offered a tangible sign of hospitality by the Brazilian people. The families not only opened up their homes to us but also their hearts, revealing an active faith animated by love of Christ and devotion to his Blessed Mother,” Mr Pillay told The Southern Cross. Mr Pillay said Mission Week proved to be exceptionally meaningful because “our experiences there were enlivened by a superb team of volunteers, made up mostly of members from the Chatunai Movement—a Catholic youth movement that emerged in 1987, in response to the vocation of 12 young people, their founder being Maria Luisa Bloise. These volunteers did not shy away from making us feel safe, embraced and inspired.” “The major highlights for me were the catecheses and seeing the pope as he was

passing through where we were towards the altar,” said Katlego Ramoshaba of St Anne’s parish in Atteridgeville, Pretoria. “There’s just something special and even divine when so many young people are gathered in one place for one reason, Christ. One can even feel it around you when you are standing there, it’s an emotional outer-body moment, realising how truly great and awesome God is,” he said. Mr Ramoshaba called the event “life changing” and believes young South African Catholics should attend at least one WYD. “Even with the obstacles we went through, the Lord taught us a lot through these, like patience, perseverance, and appreciation of what you take for granted in normal day-to-day life. It helps you realise how truly one INDEPENDENT SCHOOL FOR BOYS AND GIRLS we all are under Christ, how we are brothers and YOUR CHILD CAN: sisters and go through many similar challenges * be educated in an English-medium in life regardless of where

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we come from in the world,” he said. “WYD is an encounter with our Lord like no other, it is impossible not to come back a different person, more in tune with your faith and with God, ready to live out his will in your life,” Mr Ramoshaba said. For the second time, Denzel Swarts of St Timothy’s in Tafelsig, Cape Town, was a volunteer at WYD. This year he was joined by Shànee Adams and Candice Brink of St Matthew’s in Bonteheuwel and Erin Jemma Byrne from Johannesburg. The four South Africans were part of the 60 000-strong team of volunteers. “When you volunteer it’s really about giving of yourself wholeheartedly; placing your needs aside to be of service to others. This time around my expectation was to really deepen my spirituality, so that I can be a young missionary and ambassador for Christ,” Mr Swarts told The Southern Cross. The volunteers faced challenges, least of all being housed two hours outside of Rio, surrounded by only Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking

ON TAPE Join South Africa’s national Catholic weekly and Catholic radio station on a pilgrimage to the ceremony of the

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volunteers. “You realise immediately that God has plans with you when the book of Matthew 10 feels like it becomes a reality in this modernday society. This was an indication that Christ was with me on this journey, that I was the chosen one,” he said. Mr Swarts hopes he will be able to attend WYD 2016 in Krakow, Poland, “especially because the founder of World Youth Day, Blessed John Paul II, is Polish”. The pilgrims described the pilgrimage sites as moving, including Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado, Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião, and Iglesia Nossa Senhora da Glória do Outeiro. “These quiet spots offered a good counterbalance to the freneticism of the main events at Copacabana beach with the pope,” said Mr Pillay. And for Bishop Ponce de León, Pope Francis has already created a miracle. “He has made Brazilians love an Argentinian.”

Dates: TBA

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A group of readers is preparing audio tapes of excerpts from The Southern Cross for 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.

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August 7 to August 13, 2013

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No 4835

Slattery: Support security personnel BY STAFF REPoRTER

HE archbishop of Pretoria has called on the public to holds its “protectors” in the law enforcement in high esteem and to “cooperate with them in eradicating drugs and crime”. Archbishop William Slattery was speaking at a special gathering of security cluster workers at Christ the King cathedral in Johannesburg. Personnel from the army, the police and correctional services met with the archbishop, to discuss challenges the security cluster faces. “People involved in the security forces—be they army, police or correctional services—are actualising the care God has for his people. Our security personnel are the difference between chaos and civilisation,” Archbishop Slattery said. The archbishop said that the Church wants to assure the country’s police of the support of Christian people for their work of upholding law and order. “Security work has become very difficult today due to many breakdowns in our society,” Archbishop Slattery told the gathering. “Unemployment and poverty, drugs and violence, corruption and lack of public appreciation make the maintenance of order a very difficult challenge today.” The archbishop said the gathering was necessary as many security personnel felt “abandoned, trapped and unappreciated. They are the ones who have to intervene in terrible situations of death and destruction”. He acknowledged that there is some corruption in the security services, saying that “a minority [who] have failed in their task gives a bad impression of a whole body of men and women who are decent, committed and responsible”. During the gathering Archbishop Slattery

Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria with representatives at a special gathering of security cluster workers at Christ the King cathedral in Johannesburg. spoke of God as shepherd and of Jesus the Good Shepherd. “Using the concept of shepherd in the scripture, God has shown us that he wants our people defended and protected.” Archbishop Slattery has worked closely with the members from the security cluster. At the Union Buildings in January this year, the archbishop recalled being “deeply moved to see the wives and little children of police officials who had died in the line of duty”. “Society and the Church must come to appreciate the great sacrifices that others make for our peace of mind and body,” Archbishop Slattery told The Southern Cross. “Prison gates cannot exclude Christ. Jesus enters all situations of misery, fear and death. It is through our security personnel that God stretches his protecting hand over our people today,” he said.

Radio Veritas draws winner for pilgrimage to the Holy Land STAFF REPoRTER

NTRODUCED by a long drumroll live on air, Fr Emil Blaser OP drew the winner of Radio Veritas’ Holy Land pilgrimage fundraising competition, worth almost R30 000. The winner of the draw, supervised by auditors Ernst & Young, was Daphne Matloa. Fr Blaser interviewed the delighted winner minutes after drawing her ticket. The parishioner of Pimville in Soweto will now join the group of Radio Veritas pilgrims on their journey to the Holy Land and Jordan in from October 17-27. Mrs Matloa told Fr Blaser that she had hoped to book for the pilgrimage when she first heard about it in April. However, by the time she got around to making inquiries, the pilgrimage had been fully booked. She then bought a total of six tickets, at R200 each, in the hope of securing a place on the pilgrimage. The prize covered all expenses, including flights, accommodation, insurance and three meals a day, plus R5 000 spending money. Mrs Matloa told Fr Blaser that she wished to donate the R5 000 back to Radio Veritas. Fr Blaser greeted the gesture by cueing Händel’s “Hallelujah Chorus”. It will not be Mrs Matloa’s first pilgrimage with Fr Blaser; previously she travelled with him to Rome. She has not been in the Holy Land before and is now looking forward to visit and pray at the great sites in Galileee and Bethlehem. Meanwhile, The Southern Cross and Radio Veritas will co-headline a pilgrimage to the canonisation of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II. Arrangements had been put into place even without the date being confirmed.

Fr Emil Blaser oP draws the winning ticket live on air for the Radio Veritas pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Jordan in october. “We hope it is going to be a big group of local Catholics travelling together for this great event, with many South African flags waving in St Peter’s Square that day,” said Fr Blaser. The pilgrimage will include the canonisation ceremony, papal audience, visits to religious and historical sites in Rome, including the Sistine Chapel, as well as visits to Castel Gandolfo and, in honour of Pope Francis, to Assisi and other sites associated with the saint whose name the pope adopted. n For further information or to book, contact Gail at info@fowlertours.co.za or 076 352-3809.

Liam Smithers of our Lady of Lourdes parish in Westville, Durban, is greeted by Pope Francis after Liam gave a welcome speech on behalf of the youth of Africa at World Youth Day at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. Liam received a blessing from the Holy Father and a small gift. interviewed on Radio Veritas by Fr Emil Blaser oP, Liam said he was overjoyed with his experience. When Fr Blaser asked him whether he was “over the moon”, Liam answered: “i am much higher than that, Father.”

Pope is the ‘most influential world leader on Twitter’ BY CARoL GLATz

OPE Francis is the most influential world leader on Twitter, with the highest number of retweets worldwide. He also is the second most-followed leader of the world, running behind—albeit by a long stretch—US President Barack Obama. The rankings were released in a recent study titled “Twiplomacy”, which refers to the use of Twitter by world leaders. The study compiled a wide range of data from the Twitter accounts of 505 heads of state, foreign ministers and governments from 153 countries during the month of July. It was conducted by the communications firm Burson-Marsteller and published on twiplomacy.com. More than three-quarters of all world leaders have a presence on Twitter, the report said. President Obama—@BarackObama—is the most followed head of state, with more than 33,5 million followers, and has the fourthmost popular account overall, right behind Lady Gaga. But the second most-followed world leader is Pope Francis, with 7,2 million followers spread across his nine different language-based @Pontifex accounts. Not far behind in third place is @WhiteHouse and its Spanish-language account, @LaCasaBlanca, with 4 million followers combined. But despite Mr Obama’s strong following on Twitter, Pope Francis is the most influential world leader with the highest number of retweets, the report said. While Mr Obama’s Twitpic of him hugging his wife Michelle marking his re-election win last November was the most popular tweet of all time with 806 066 retweets, a typical @BarackObama tweet gets on average about 2 300 retweets. Pope Francis, on the other hand, gets more than 11 100 retweets for every Spanish tweet and 8 200 retweets for each English tweet. While @Pontifex follows no one but its other @Pontifex language accounts, the pope is followed by 40 of the world’s leaders, including the Israeli government, prime minister and minister of foreign affairs and the president of Lebanon. According to the report, many of the pope’s followers are leaders or top foreign

ministers from former Soviet states, including Kazakhstan, but not the Russian federation. Leaders from Africa and Latin America also follow him. The pope is also followed by Czech Prince Karel Schwarzenberg, who is one of very few VIP European papal followers. The most popular @Pontifex tweet was Pope Francis’ first tweet four days after his March 13 election. It said: “Dear friends, I thank you from my heart and I ask you to continue to pray for me. Pope Francis.” It was retweeted more than 37 100 times and favourited by more than 22 500 accounts. General audience days on Wednesdays and the Angelus prayer on Sundays are the most active days of the week for the @Pontifex accounts, though they are now sending out on average 0,71 tweets a day. The vast majority of tweets are sent at noon and 13:00 Rome time. A word cloud shows the words used most often in the pope’s tweets are “God”, “Jesus”, “lives”, love”, and “let”.—CNS

The Southern Cross, August 7 to August 13, 2013

LOCAL

Parents are not just ‘taxi drivers’ and ‘big wallets’ BY STAFF REPoRTER

Eritrean and Ethiopian Catholics from the Pretoria area gathered to celebrate a baptism and to plan for regular meetings.

Ethiopian and Eritrean communities celebrate BY STAFF REPoRTER

N Ethiopian-Eritrean Catholic community spiritual workshop held at Holy Rosary Ivory Park in Tembisa, Pretoria archdiocese brought together not only community members to work together in faith, but also to celebrate the baptism of Wolde Kidane Megiso. The programme started with the Tembisa group chairman, Tessama Haile, welcoming the community with a prayer and hopeful and encouraging words. Catechist Damake Lamango gave a biblical reflection about confession and the mercy of Christ. The group was blessed and encouraged by Fr Herman van Dijck, Holy Rosary parish priest. The participants came together from Pretoria and Johannesburg as well as the dioceses of Rustenburg and Polokwane. More than 80 people attended the event with “warmth and great rejoicing,” said national coordinator Hailu Tumebo Adalo. The spiritual workshop was led by guest speaker Fr Aberham Haile, a Comboni missionary priest from Ethiopia and Mr Adalo, who spoke about the tradition of trusting each

other and God to “continue in peace, sharing, faith, loving collaborations, unity and social life with South African Catholic Christians”. Mr Adalo said it was a blessing to be able to share one’s faith in one’s home language, Amharic. The group shared Mass with the Holy Rosary parish in Zulu and Amharic, which interested many locals. The group has planned to meet weekly around Gauteng and the North West Province: at a pastoral centre in Rustenburg, Phokeng, on the first Sunday of the month; at a Pretoria chancery chapel on the second Sunday of the month; St Francis, Yeoville, Johannesburg, on the third Sunday of the month; and every fourth Sunday at Holy Rosary, Ivory Park, Midrand, for Mass and Bible study. At the end of the programme, the group’s chairman, Kidane Woldeyesus, along with parish counsellors, gave thanks for the cooperation and support of all those involved in the growing Eritrean-Ethiopian community. n For more information on the community, contact Hailu Adalo on 072 357 7185 or hailuadalo@yahoo.com

UDITH Ancer, a renowned clinical psychologist, consultant, writer and speaker, was the guest speaker at an information evening for the Grade 7 classes and their parents at Holy Rosary School in Edenvale, Johannesburg. Her talk was described by the school’s Deidre Alcock as “humorous, entertaining and informative”. It was followed by some of Holy Rosary’s girls speaking of their high school experience and how they got involved in certain aspects of the school in an attempt to create their own identity and to explore what Ms Ancer calls the “isle of impulsivity”. Ms Ancer encouraged parents to pass on their wisdom and experience to their teens, and to not only be seen as the “taxi driver”, “homework helper” or “big wallet”. Drawing from personal anecdotes and research, Ms Ancer advised parents to talk openly and honestly to their teens and reminded them that everyone was a

BY STAFF REPoRTER

EMOLITION of the parish centre at Emmanuel cathedral, Durban, has begun, with “mixed feelings by parishioners and neighbours in that part of Durban,” said project coordinator Paddy Kearney of the building which will make way for the Denis Hurley Centre, adding that the parish centre has been “something of a landmark building there for the past 109 years”. For the first 50 years of its existence, from 1904-1956, it was the venue for St Augustine’s Primary School and thousands of past pupils have fond memories of their school

21 SEP To 4 oCT

THE ACTS PILGRIMAGE

We are 5mins from Howick Falls, 10min from Midmar Dam, 20 mins from Pietermaritzburg. Contact Veronica 083 784 7455, Email redacres@omi.org.za Regrettable due to stolen telephone cables, we do not have a landline anymore.

teenager once—whether they were rebellious, compliant, sullen or cheerful. Ms Ancer reassured parents that their teens were just going through

a developmental phase, and that it should not be taken personally when they choose to spend time with their peers rather than their families.

Old parish centre demolished

NEW FOR 2013

We accommodate small Conferences, Retreats and workshops

Guest speaker Judith Ancer (second from left) with Holy Rosary Primary School principal isilda de oliveira, (left) and high school principal Jucinta Lucas and headgirl Tamsyn Spurway (right).

Now visiting Rome, the Vatican City (Papal Audience), Assisi and where Jesus walked in the Holy Land, Israel. Including a visit to the Giza Pyramids Egypt.

Organised and led by Rev Fr Allan Moss OMI Cost from R32 000 Tel: (031) 266 7702 Fax: (031) 266 8982 Email: judyeichhorst@telkomsa.net

days there, Mr Kearney told The Southern Cross. “For its second 50 years, the building has served the cathedral parish well for a huge variety of meetings, workshops and conferences, and for all sorts of social events such as concerts, plays and dances.” The building was also the venue for religious education classes every Sunday, and night schools during the apartheid era when these were officially illegal. The original plan was to refurbish the parish centre to house the community outreach centre. “We briefed architects to come up with a plan for restoration and adaptation of the

building. However, this proved far more expensive than a new building that would be purpose-built and would have four floors instead of the existing three.” The archdiocese of Durban opted for the new building on the same site. “Though there is sadness, we recognise that it was dilapidated and unable to provide facilities needed for the Denis Hurley Centre. We therefore look forward with great excitement to the new building that will be erected on this site over the next thirteen months and thank all those donors who are helping us realise this dream,” Mr Kearney said.

LOCAL

The Southern Cross, August 7 to August 13, 2013

St Augustine holds School shows resilience graduation event after severe fire damage S H AINT Augustine College celebrated at its graduation ceremony as seven young people were awarded their Bachelor of Commerce degrees, seven earned a Bachelor of Arts and ten graduated with a Bachelor of Theology. In addition, nine students received their MPhil degrees and three received their DPhil. In welcoming the gathering, Rev Dr Michael van Heerden, president of South Africa’s Catholic university, outlined the significance of the number 12 in biblical times. He then mentioned some of the achievements of the past year. One of the yardsticks of a successful university is the research output and publications of its staff. Here St Augustine scores three times higher proportionally than the national average of other universities. Dr van Heerden mentioned the research agreements which St Augustine’s had entered into with the Catholic University of Zimbabwe and the University of Johannesburg. The Bonum Commune is St Augustine’s highest recognition of commitment and service. It is given to persons, who in the estimation of the board of directors and college management, have made a significant contribution to the upliftment of society. In the citation for bestowing the Bonum award to Dr Brendan Ryan and Gavan Ryan, Dr van Heerden gave brief details of their academic and business achievements. He also spoke of their philanthropy towards St Augustine and many other direct

BY STAFF REPoRTER

Nontando Hadebe, a lecturer at St Augustine, was awarded her DPhil degree at the ceremony. She read the opening prayer on the evening. interventions in the communities in which they live. In his reply Mr Ryan gave a stimulating address to the graduating students and said that they needed to take out into the world the qualities of confidence, caring and conscience. These, added to the quality education which they had received at St Augustine, would enable them to make a difference in the world.

OLY Family College suffered a severe loss when the school hall burnt down on in May. The principal and the rest of the school community managed to deal with the loss, but it required a lot of sacrifice and improvisations and, yes, resilience,” said Fr Mokesh Morar, the school’s chaplain. Since the devastating fire at Holy Family College in Parktown, Johannesburg, which destroyed the school hall and damaged a number of classrooms, the community, learners and educators have rallied together to help rebuild the historic school. “Again learners and educators showed that spirit of bouncing back from an event that could have disrupted their education and work. They could have just given up and closed the school down because it would have been too difficult to make the necessary adjustments. However, they decided to deal with it and their academic work continued as normally as possible,” Fr Morar said. It was no surprise that during the celebration of Mandela Day that the school would emulate the former president’s example and work through the challenges. Even the foundation phase learners of Holy Family embarked on a cleaning project around the school and a section of Oxford Road. “This a lesson from life, not to throw in the towel without trying

Foundation phase learners from Holy Family College in Parktown, Johannesburg outside their school hall, which was severely damaged by fire earlier this year. to deal with it in a positive and constructive way,” Fr Morar told The Southern Cross. Learners at the foundation phase, Rose Cottage, reflected with the educators soon after the fire and agreed that they needed to accept what had happened and that they needed to move on. “They drew pictures of the fire and talked about their feelings. This helped them to bounce back and take another small step on the road to rebuilding their lives.”

Fr Morar said as part of the exercise they cleaned the environment around the school, with the burnout shell of the school hall in the background. “A stark reminder that life can be hard at times, but the human spirit can overcome such hardships.” Fr Morar said cleaning in and around the school and even the pavement on Oxford Road was in line with the school motto: “What shall I give back”.

The Southern Cross, August 7 to August 13, 2013

INTERNATIONAL

Irish Catholics pledge to fight abortion law BY MiCHAEL KELLY

A crucifix is seen as a policeman surveys the wreckage of a bus that crashed near the town of Avellino in southern italy. At least 38 people died when the bus filled with pilgrims returning from a Catholic shrine tour plunged off an elevated highway. (Photo: Ciro De Luca, Reuters/CNS)

Bus disaster after Padre Pio pilgrimage BY CARoL GLATz

T least 38 pilgrims were killed on their way home from the Padre Pio shrine in southern Italy when their bus plunged off an elevated highway. Another 19 people were reported seriously injured, including passengers of nearby vehicles. Only 11 people were pulled alive from the wreckage, Vatican Radio and other news outlets reported. Pope Francis expressed his condolences and said his prayers were with everyone affected by the tragedy. He prayed those injured would recover soon and those in mourning would find some comfort through God. The accident occurred along a major highway in Irpinia, a mountainous region in Campania, in southern Italy. A number of the victims were children. The tour bus of about 50 pilgrims was heading back to Naples after a three-day pilgrimage to Catholic shrines, including Pietral-

cina, birthplace of Padre Pio. The bus driver lost control, skidded along concrete barriers until it broke through a guardrail and plunged 30m off the highway. While the cause of the accident was still unknown, officials said a piece of the bus’ gearbox was found less than a mile from the crash site, suggesting the vehicle was damaged in some way. Police on the scene also hypothesised that the driver had veered too sharply in an effort to avoid crashing into cars in front of the bus. However, one surviving passenger said a tyre on the left side of the bus had blown, causing the vehicle to swerve out of control. The funerals for the victims were held on July 30 in the town of Pozzuoli. Bishop Gennaro Pascarella of Pozzuoli blessed the deceased when he visited the elementary school gym of Monteforte Irpino, where their remains were waiting to be taken home.—CNS

Our Lady of Fatima Dominican Convent School, Durban North

RISH pro-life campaigners have vowed to work to repeal a new law that permits abortion in limited circumstances. President Michael Higgins signed the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill on July 30 after tense parliamentary debates during which several legislators resigned. A day earlier, the president exercised his constitutional prerogative by calling a meeting of the Council of State to advise on whether he should sign the law or refer it to the country’s Supreme Court to test the constitutionality of the bill. However, a spokesman for the president confirmed that he signed the law just a day before he was legally obliged to either sign it or send it to the Supreme Court. The Pro-Life Campaign said the passage of the abortion bill into law “is a very sad day for our country”. The law will permit abortions when there is a substantial risk to the life of the mother, including when a woman says the continuation of the pregnancy leads to suicidal thoughts. It would also provide for jail terms of up to 14 years for those performing abortions in circumstances other than permitted by the new law. Caroline Simons, legal adviser to the Pro-Life Campaign, dismissed claims by Prime Minister Enda Kenny that the law is about saving women’s lives. “The new law is life-ending, not life-saving,” Ms Simons said. She insisted that “the government brought forward this law in the full knowledge that abortion is not a treatment for suicidal feelings and ignored all the peer-reviewed evidence

showing that abortion has adverse mental health consequences for women”. Ms Simons said pro-lifers would work for “the repeal of this unjust law. We will give very careful consideration in the coming weeks on the best way to bring this about.” While the law will now be enacted, the president’s decision not to refer the proposals to the Supreme Court makes it possible for citizens to challenge the legislation before the courts. If the president had referred the law and it was found to be constitutional, no further legal challenges would have been possible. Abortion has been illegal in Ireland under legislation enacted in 1861. A 1983 constitutional amendment created an equal right to life be-

tween the mother and unborn baby. However, a 1992 Supreme Court judgment—known as the X case— found that there is a constitutional right to abortion where there is a substantial risk to the life of the mother, including the risk of suicide, up to birth. Successive governments have not acted on the issue. However, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2010 that Ireland must clarify when women can access abortion under the 1992 ruling. Church leaders and pro-life campaigners had urged the government to hold a constitutional referendum to overturn the 1992 Supreme Court decision. However, Mr Kenny decided to bring forward the current law instead.—CNS

Media-savvy cardinal dies at age of 99 BY CARoL GLATz

EDIA-SAVVY Italian Cardinal Ersilio Tonini, the retired archbishop of Ravenna-Cervia whose informal nickname was “God’s communicator,” died on July 28 at the age of 99. He frequently commented on social issues in the Italian media and never treated any topic, even hot-button issues, as off-limits. After he retired in 1990, he began a career as a self-proclaimed “nomad bishop”, who was “on a journey to understand our times,” take the pulse of the people, give witness to his faith

High School Teaching Post: January 2014 Mathematics / Mathematical Literacy Grades 8 – 12

our Lady of Fatima DCS is looking for an experienced educator with appropriate teaching qualifications. it is essential that the successful candidate fits the following profile and is registered with SACE: ♦ Senior school trained educator (preferably a B.A./B.Sc. Graduate & a PGCE) with recent experience teaching Mathematics/ Mathematical Literacy, Grades 8–12. ♦ Extensive knowledge of the GET and FET curricula. ♦ Recent experience in an iEB school will be an advantage. ♦ An appreciation of the School’s traditions and Catholic ethos. ♦ Sound interpersonal skills and an ability to communicate effectively with learners, staff and parents. Duties will include: ♦ Attendance at related workshops and parent interviews. ♦ A full and active role in the co-curricular life of the school.

Our Lady of Fatima DCS reserves the right not to make an appointment. An application in itself does not entitle the applicant to an interview. Failure to meet the advertised minimum requirements for the post will result in applicants automatically disqualifying themselves from consideration.

A sign with a crucifix and rosary are seen during a pro-life demonstration in outside the irish parliament in Dublin. President Michael Higgins signed the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill into law on July 30. (Photo: Cathal McNaughton, Reuters/CNS)

Applicants are required to fill in a covering information form which is available from Mrs Bennison. She can post it to you on request (Tel. 031-563-5390) or you can email her at fatimacs@fatima.co.za for an electronic version of this form. Detailed CV to be submitted together with the information form to: The Principal, Our Lady of Fatima D.C. School, 155 Kenneth Kaunda Road (Northway), Durban North, 4051.CLOSING DATE: Friday, 23 August 2013.

and air his beliefs. While he said he once “feared” the press, he later saw the mass media as “a blessing because it reaches people” and helps them “become informed and judge”. He criticised passivity in the press, saying: “The press should undertake the role of the cynics” of ancient Greece. “Mock, if necessary. Lead those who have power in their hands to modesty and wisdom.” Cardinal Tonini was born in 1914, ordained a priest in 1937 and named bishop of Macerata-Tolentino in 1969. He became archbishop of RavennaCervia in 1975 and a cardinal in 1994 at the age of 80.—CNS

MICASA TOURS

Pilgrimage to Poland & Medugorje led by Fr Victor Phalana 4-18 May 2014 Pilgrimage of Healing Fatima, ed Santiago ook8-18 B y l l Compostela Lourdes May 2014 Fu Pilgrimage to Poland led by Fr Stanislaw Jagodzinski 3-17 June 2014 Pilgrimage to Israel led by Fr Jerome Nyathi 29 June-9 July 2014 Pilgrimage to Israel & Medugorje led by Fr Sammy Mabusela 31 Aug-13 Sep 2014 Pilgrimage of Thanksgiving to Italy & Medugorje led by Fr Maselwane 7-20 Sep 2014 Pilgrimage to Medugorje led by Fr Donovan Wheatley 21 Sep-9 oct 2014 Pilgrimage to Fatima, Santiago Compostela and Lourdes, Paris & Nevers 28 Sep-11 oct 2014 Pilgrimage of Healing to Lourdes for Disabled pilgrims and families led by Fr Emil Blaser 11-19 oct 2014 Contact: Tel: 012 342 0179/072637 0508 (Michelle) E-Mail: info@micasatours.co.za

St Joseph’s Theological Institute Post-Graduate Study in Theology Honours MTh (coursework and research) PhD

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

Application deadline for the Honours and MTh degrees: 31 October 2013 For more information contact Sue Rakoczy IHM Coordinator of Post-Graduate Programmes St Joseph’s Theological Institute Private Bag 6004 Hilton 3245 srakoczy@sjti.ac.za

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, August 7 to August 13, 2013

UK Church on gay marriage T

Pauline Sister Maria Grace Dateno displays a copy of Danger at Sea, one of the books from her series “Gospel Time Trekkers”. in the books, three siblings are transported to the time of Jesus and encounter people who have met him. They return home from their adventures and connect what they have learned with Sunday Mass and the homilies of their priest. The series is published by Pauline Books & Media, with the first having come out in the US on August 1. Sr Dateno has high hopes: “i want children to know that what they have learned about Jesus isn’t just stories. The people who lived when Jesus walked the earth were real people and their lives were forever changed. i hope that my books will awaken a desire to know and love Jesus more deeply in the hearts of my readers.” (Photo: Nancy Phelan Wiechec, CNS)

HE legalisation of gay marriage cannot change Christian teaching on sexual morality, and the Catholic Church cannot accept marriages of same-sex couples, the bishops of England and Wales have said in a document distributed in parishes. Catholics must “accept their calling” to be “out of step with popular culture” and “to live faithfully by the teaching we have received”, said the document, titled “The Narrow Gate”. The bishops suggest how Catholics should behave following passage of the Marriage (Same-Sex) Couples Act, which became law on July 17 and opened the door for same-sex marriages to occur as early as next year. The document was written and signed by Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. It presents Catholics with a mandate on how they should respond to a law

which, the archbishop said, creates a sense that they are “strangers in their own land”. Upholding Church teaching that all sexual activity outside of the legitimate marriage of one man and one woman is sinful, the document stressed that marriage is a lifelong, faithful commitment “ordained by nature and by God for the creation of the family and future generations”. “It is clear that the Catholic Church cannot accept the validity in Church law of same-sex marriages,” the document said. The law represents “the deconstruction of marriage as it has been understood for millennia” and “completes the privatisation of marriage, so that its central content is whatever the couple wish to construct”, the document said. “Marriage is no longer a truly public institution, at the basis of society. In passing this act, with widespread support among sections of our population, our society has

taken a significant step away from its Judeo-Christian foundations,” the document said. “We try to present and live by Catholic teaching as given by God for the ultimate good for each person. This may indeed lead us to feel, in these matters, out of step with popular culture. But that is our calling and not a matter for discouragement. Rather, with the confidence of faith, we stay resolute, encouraging one another and all who recognise the values we wish to uphold,” the document explained. “Our place as followers of the Lord is not fashioned for our comfort. But nor is our discomfort something about which we should complain,” the document added. “From the outset until today, the Lord’s call to follow him has meant standing apart, quite clearly in some times and places. However, that apartness is neither separation from nor disdain for our society.”— CNS

New Catholic church is going up in United Arab Emirates BY ANToNio GoNSALVES

ATHOLICS in the town of Mussafah in the United Arab Emirates have begun construction on a new church dedicated to St Paul. Bishop Paul Hinder, the apostolic vicar of Southern Arabia, blessed the church’s foundation stone back in late June in the presence of the local Catholic community, including priests and religious missionaries. “God dwells in each person... and

with faith and love [is] gathering us together in this new church,” Bishop Hinder said art the time. He said he hoped the love of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit would enable the “speedy” completion of the church, expected to be finished in two years. Mussafah is an industrial town south-west of the capital city Abu Dhabi. There are about 3 500 Catholic families and about 15 000 Catholic labourers around Abu Dhabi. Many

are guest workers from Africa, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines, but some are local Arabs, according to George Puthussery, press officer for the Abu Dhabi-based vicariate of Southern Arabia. In 2011, the local government of Abu Dhabi granted a land area of 0,5ha for the construction of the parish church. St Paul’s church will be the second parish in the Abu Dhabi area. For almost 50 years, St Joseph’s cathedral has been the only church for

Catholics near the city. People travel 40km from Mussafah to attend religious services at St Joseph’s cathedral. Mr Puthussery said the new church will make it “easy” for working residents of the area to attend Mass. The vicariate of Southern Arabia covers the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen, where the population s primarily Muslim. Eighteen Masses are celebrated in the vicariate each Sunday in various languages.

There are 46 priests serving about seven million Catholics in the vicariate. Another new church recently opened in the United Arab Emirates. In June, Cardinal Fernando Filoni, head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, consecrated St Anthony of Padua church in the north-eastern town of Jazirat Al Hamra on the Persian Gulf. The Holy See and the United Arab Emirates established full diplomatic

St Augustine College of South Africa is a private higher education institution offering a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and certificates. It is registered with the Department of Education as a private higher education institute under the Higher Education Act 1997. Certificate No2000/HE08/002. The College is looking to fill the following academic position at their Victory Park Campus.

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The successful candidate will be responsible for the co-ordination and teaching in the School of Theology at both post-graduate and or undergraduate level in the ﬁelds of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics/Moral Theology. He/she will also be responsible for development and teaching of modules in both these disciplines and possibly other related subjects currently taught in the School of Theology, supervise students’ research, initiate, coordinate and conduct academic research and research projects, as well as participate in other aspects of the work of the School of Theology.

To be considered for appointment in this position, candidates must be in possession of a Doctoral Degree in Theology. Previous experience in lecturing at tertiary level especially in a multi-cultural setting will serve as a strong recommendation. Skills in verbal communication and inter-personal relationships, publication and research experience, and the ability to work as part of team would be expected.

Persons interested in being considered for an appointment to this position are invited to provide the College with an expression of interest and a C.V. indicating qualiﬁcations, experience and relevant skills, along with details of possible referees.

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Please send your submission to: Human Resource Oﬃce, St Augustine College of SA. P.O. Box 44782, Linden 2104. Fax (011) 380 9232. Email hro@staugustine.ac.za. For further information consult the College Website at www.staugustine.ac.za

The Southern Cross, August 7 to August 13, 2013

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Alcohol abuse and society

OR many consumers of alcohol, enjoying an occasional drink or even a rare overindulgence is a pleasurable experience. Scientists have even ascribed health-enhancing properties to moderate alcohol consumption, such as a glass of red wine over dinner. Yet, alcohol is not a benign constituent in the lifestyle of many others, nor in society. Relatives of those who abuse alcohol by excessive consumption will know the destructive effect of this not only on the individuals themselves, but on the entire family. In many cases, alcohol abuse results in a breakdown of family dynamics. In extreme but not rare cases, this is accompanied by physical or psychological domestic abuse. There can be financial pain, too. In some families, an inordinate portion of a limited household budget is spent on drink, potentially at the expense of necessary payments. Alcohol abuse also impacts on society in general. Many incidents of public violence are due to the inebriation by one or more of the parties involved. The law even makes allowance for diminished responsibility due to drunkenness, an inequity that can curtail the dispensation of justice. Alcohol abuse might even be responsible for the commission of some crime, especially physical and sexual assaults. Only in recent years has the deplorable habit of driving under the influence of alcohol assumed an anti-social reputation. Alas, this notoriety will not deter all drivers from putting at risk their lives and those of others. Excessive alcohol consumption also produces well-known health risks, especially of the liver and heart. Sometimes even the innocent are harmed. Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, which in some parts of South Africa has assumed crisis proportions, retards the development of children born to mothers who drank excessively during pregnancy. In light of all this, why should alcohol be viewed with such benign indulgence in society, even

among those who do not aspire to escape their daily existence by planning to get drunk over the weekend? Regulations that mandate warning labels on all alcoholic beverages must be warmly welcomed as an opening shot in the fight against the destructive consequences of alcohol abuse. These labels might lack in effectiveness, and even if they did, that would not enough, however. One may hope that the Ministry of Health will continue to intensify the government’s engagement in addressing alcohol abuse with as much vigour as it exhibited in its campaign against smoking. While the government initiatives against alcohol abuse should not include such extreme measures as banning the sale of alcohol in establishments of hospitality, as it did with tobacco, it might well consider the notion of banning alcohol advertisements. Even the notion of further punitive taxes on alcohol may well be considered, taking as an example the (mostly anecdotal) evidence that the price of cigarettes, rather than health warnings on their packets, persuades increasing numbers of smokers to kick their addiction. More than that, the government must identify means by which society will be persuaded of the destructive consequences of excessive alcohol consumption. As individuals and as the Church, we too can play a part in conscientising society. It is also necessary that the state and society begin to understand the disease of alcoholism better. Alcoholics must be supported in their struggle. They must not be written off as morally defective, but as victims of a condition not of their choosing (other than their choice to fight the disease). There is nothing objectionable about drinking responsibly. However, it should become our collective purpose to establish irresponsible behaviour in alcohol consumption as an act so anti-social that few should want to engage in it.

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.

Pope Francis transcends barriers ARDINAL Walter Kasper’s com- surprising because it is simply but C ments in relation to Pope Fran- most profoundly Christ-like. This is cis that “the classic European why Pope Francis seamlessly tranconservative–progressive debate” is a worn-out framework that has run its course is the key to understanding the pope’s magnetic appeal to people (July 24). The pope’s words and actions demonstrate how truly in touch he is with the human challenge of daily life. This “connection” is not

Catholics awake

AM concerned at the way our Church does good works without making its Gospel basis clear. We give out Easter eggs with no message on them. Should not each egg bear the message, “Christ is risen”? We hand out food parcels and children’s pencil bags with no scripture verses on them. Every gift or work done in Christ’s name should bear his name or a Scripture verse. All meetings or conferences should begin with public prayer. Of even greater concern is the question of Christian holy days. This year many schools participated in rugby and other fixtures over the Easter weekend. Surely it is time for priests, ministers of religion and Christian parents to stand up to school principals and insist that these events do not take place over Easter and on Ascension Thursday? Why are we Christians such wimps? Why do we allow Christianity to be marginalised? We must be very public and very vocal (but not rude) in the defence of our faith and traditions. I recently attended a Winter School lecture and was saddened that one of the domestic scenarios given to groups stated, “You and your partner”. Are we here to promote Christian marriage or to validate cohabitation? Catholics, wake up and stand up for the Gospel. Use every opportunity to spread the name of Jesus. M Hicks, Port Elizabeth

Salvation for all

EFERRING to Fr Bonaventure Hinwood’s letter (July 17), to me it is irrelevant whether Pope Francis is saying anything new or not about salvation. The whole exciting papacy bespeaks his wish to do something new and lifegiving for all people. That particular dogma has undergone so many “re-definitions” that an awakened Christian has to wonder why it came to be dogma to

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scends barriers and distinctions among people. To date, I guess, the best expression of this was Pope Francis’ visiting a Roman prison for his Holy Thursday evening Mass when he washed the feet of men and women, Christian and non-Christian alike. begin with. Truth is truth is truth. Rosemary Gravenor, Durban

Happy Jesus

OME time ago you had a photo of a smiling Jesus, after people said they had no pictures of a happy Jesus, only a morose one. I’m sure your readers will enjoy this lovely drawing of a laughing Jesus. Cyril Shield, Cape Town

Like Christ, there will be times when some people will “stop going with Pope Francis” when he says “some hard things”. That will happen, though only after people have listened to and considered his words. The openness which Pope Francis creates in our minds and hearts is certainly a welcome breath of the Holy Spirit. In such an atmosphere our faith can be renewed and we can grow more generously in our love of God and one another. Fr Kevin Reynolds, Pretoria

Can we judge?

AN any human being judge others, especially when it comes to certain religious matters? Is judgment not up to God alone? If all humans are made in the image of God, does this not mean that we are loved equally by God and that he has no favourites? Would God love homosexuals, murderers, divorcees and adulterers less than people who go to church and are law-abiding citizens? I have a son who is gay, a gift from God. Do I as a mom disown him, love him less than my other children or give him back to God? No—as he will always be my child, a gift from God entrusted to me. To all parents who have gay children, I urge you to pray for them continuously, as some of us made in God’s image are so quick to judge and can really make the world a cruel place for homosexuals. I also read Matthew 19:10-12 and find some peace in the fact that a poem by Mother Teresa ends with “You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and people anyway.” P Ackerman, Cape Town

Education amiss

O Feed the hungry

HE Catholic Order of the Knights of da Gama, St Patrick Council No 23 in East London, has over many years had a campaign called “Feed the Hungry”. We collect at two outlets, Ashmel Spar in Berea and Spargs Super Spar in Beacon Bay, on a monthly basis and last year we decided to monitor what we collected and put an estimated value to it. Between the two stores we collected an estimated 5 970 tins of food and 169 packets of soft goods. We were conservative in costing the tins at R8 each and the packets of soft goods at R100. The packets of soft goods are plastic shopping packets containing goods like tea, sugar, biscuits etc. The total cost of goods collected was thus: 5 970 tins @ R8 = R47 760 and 169 packets of soft goods @ R100 = R16 900, totalling R64 660. For those who forget to buy a tin and still want to donate, we have a cash box and the takings for the year in cash was R8 674. The food collected is passed on to the St Vincent de Paul Society for distribution to the needy. Some of the cash collected was used this year for the purchase of two bales of jackets for distribution with the “Jersey Week” campaign. Charles Hutchinson, Knights of da Gama treasurer, East London opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. The letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate. Letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the Church accurately. Letters can be sent to PO Box 2372, Cape Town 8000 or editor@scross.co.za or faxed to 021 465-3850

FTEN the word “education” is overplayed in both government and Church circles, and in many cases it means one thing only. I have said this before and I repeat: education is offered in the home, while learning is offered by schools, colleges and universities. Indeed, good teachers are able to impart much useful knowledge to the learner, but no number of professional teachers can replace the mother and father of that child in the home environment. Education is in the family and home where the child’s personality is meant to grow; schooling offers food for the mind and intellect— and, indeed, there a number of private schools do a great job for soul, mind and body. However, the place of the home is non-negotiable! We speak of the “Catholic ethos” in many of our schools. What exactly do we mean by this when it appears that most of our teachers profess some other faith, if any? I believe in the healthy bond between the school and the Church, a relationship of witness and caring. I say this because that is how I experienced this bond as catechetical director for the archdiocese of Cape Town for over 16 years. I then felt it my duty to act for the Church and visit every school, every classroom, every teacher at least once in the year, and offer guidance and encouragement to every teacher and every pupil, from infant classes to matric. I felt it was time well spent and the response was most favourable and fruitful. Here we had a glowing, caring relationship between the family, the school, the child and the Church (whatever parish). It was fruitful indeed for in those years there was a steady flow of religious vocations. It is still true: the young are more impressed by witness than by teachers. Fr Ralph de Hahn, Cape Town

PERSPECTIVES

Farewell to marriage priest

WAS sad to receive word that Fr Chuck Gallagher SJ had died on July 21 at the age of 85, because he had as a person and with his work in Marriage Encounter and beyond made such a great impression on my late husband Chris and me. Soon after our Marriage Encounter experience in 1979 we came across the many programmes and books he had written or co-authored with others. Sex is Holy, Evenings for Couples, Evenings for Parents, and more of the same were products of Marriage Encounter and its vision and outreach for a renewal of the Church through a renewal of the sacraments of matrimony and holy orders at the time. Evenings for the Engaged is still being used in parts of South Africa 30 years later. “We the Parish” was a small programme of parish renewal that I believe had an influence on how MARFAM started and the parish family ministry developed. We met Fr Chuck in New York in 1993 and shared a common dream and some of his resources. Although he was by then no longer in Marriage Encounter, he had started the Pastoral and Matrimonial Renewal Centre which produced many booklets and programmes. His gift to the Church was his deep insight into the spirituality of marriage and the holiness of sex and sexuality that was at the heart of some of the marriage renewal programmes that were developing soon after the Second Vatican Council. Many will remember his message: “Pray for passion in your marriage!” It must be one of the great disappointments in the Church that this particular direction in the marriage ministry’s work of marriage renewal was never fully adopted and promoted. Was it because it was largely a lay initiative, or, like so many things in the Church, was there some conflict at institutional levels? Was the theology and spir-

ituality too deep and too challenging for many couples themselves?

he August family life theme does not focus on women, but on “Gender Matters”, recognising, as Fr Chuck did, that women’s empowerment or promotion of men’s and fatherhood programmes should not be done in isolation. A recent experience brought that element of complementarity or collaboration that he stressed to the fore for me again. On a visit to Bethulie, a small town in the eastern Free State, our group was shown the concentration camp memorial which commemorates the death of many women and young children towards the end of the Boer War in the early 1900s.

Fr Chuck Gallagher SJ

Pillars of human dignity T HE Catholic Church identifies three pillars of the dignity of the human person in a truly human society: the common good, subsidiarity and solidarity. These also form the principles of the social teaching which the Church uses as yardstick in interpreting and evaluating relations between persons at all levels of society. What contribution do these principles bring to society? Let us begin with the principle of the common good. The fact that a human person lives in relation with others, therefore the good of one person is in some way related to the common good, which is “the sum total of social conditions which allow people…to reach their fulfilment more fully and more easily” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1905-6). Thus, society will attain its goals when by its actions it arrives to be at the service of the human being—that is, the good of all people and of the whole person (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church 165). This principle obliges the government of any country to ensure that the national wealth benefits all citizens. No wonder that the universal destination of material goods is the first direct implication of the principle of the common good, which is based on the understanding that “God gave the earth to the whole human race for the sustenance of all its members, without excluding or favouring anyone” (CSDC, 171). So it is the universal right of every person to have access to the goods of the earth in order to live well in dignity. However, the universal destination of goods does not mean that everything belongs to all in the sense of communism or socialism. Rather, it develops moral awareness in people that

goods of the earth are ultimately meant for all and not just for the privileged few. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in Libertatis Conscientia (1987) clarifies by saying that the “progress of some will no longer be an obstacle to the development of others, nor a pretext for their enslavement”. The universal destination of goods is not opposed to private property. In fact, the Church acknowledges that “private property is an essential element of an authentically social and democratic economic policy” (CSDC 176) as it allows any individual to own goods. Nevertheless, the right to private property is subordinated to the right to common use (CSDC 177). Private ownership therefore has implications of social responsibility. Morally, owners of goods cannot leave them idle, they must use them or entrust them to those in need or capable of using them (CSDC 178).

onnected to the principle of the common good is that of subsidiarity which defends the right of every person or group to contribute to the well-being of all. The Church observes: “Just as it is gravely wrong to take from individuals what they can accomplish by their own initiative and industry and give it to the community, so also it is injustice and at the same time a grave evil and disturbance of right order to assign to a greater and high association what lesser and subordinate organisations can do” (CSDC 186). This principle protects “little people” from being absorbed by much stronger ones. Every person has something original to offer, and consequently they must be helped to fulfil their duties.

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The Boers, who were fighting for what they considered the survival of their people, were reduced to committing acts of harassment towards the vastly superior British army. In retaliation the British employed a scorched earth policy, destroyed farms and deposited women and children in concentration camps. It is said that at times the men would have surrendered but were encouraged by their women to continue the struggle. Similarly in 1955 there was the famous women’s march to Pretoria, but the women marched not for themselves alone but for the sake of the people, the families. Family life and marital love are at the heart of society and of the Church. But contextualising the message in a programme where couples intimately encounter not only one another but God too works a miraculous kind of magic. How many couples across the world will have reflected at one time or another on the inspiring words taken from Fr Gallagher in his famous prayer “Our Father’s Call to a Couple”? “Your being in love is my way to invite you to love. Your closeness, your oneness is the human experience nearest to how I live and love. I desire for you to spend yourselves on each other without reserve, the way My Son spent Himself on you. “You in your unique union, in your everyday life together are a sacred sign of his caring, healing and life-giving presence. Whatever you do in loving union brings Jesus in His Body alive to all whom you touch. I call you to love each other in his name.” May this call continue for years to come. Rest well, Fr Chuck, and as you loved to say: “Enjoy!”

Evans K Chama M.Afr

Catholic Social Teachings

The typical implication of subsidiarity is participation. Every citizen is given an enabling ground to contribute to the community by means available to them; it is the cooperation of all people for the good of all. Such participation somehow touches also the need to change political leaders so that positions in government do not become a prerogative of just a few privileged people (CSDC 189). The third principle is solidarity, which is rooted in the intrinsic social nature of the human person who lives in relation with others. Solidarity seeks to eliminate the “structures of sin” that dominate relationships between individuals and peoples. In his 1987 encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, John Paul II says that solidarity “is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good…because we are all responsible for all.” It is a commitment to the good of one’s neighbour, and therefore it is an aspect of social justice. A Catholic, called to live and apply this spirituality of the social teaching, has the duty to allow his relations with other people to be inspired by these principles of human social relationships, conscious that the goods of the earth are meant for all. The rule of the jungle—the notion of “survival of the fittest”—just does not have a place in a truly human society. We share common humanity and therefore we should be sensitive to the needs of others and be ready to share the common heritage.

The Southern Cross, August 7 to August 13, 2013

Walter Middleton

Point of Perspective

How God is calling us to action now

HEN creating the world, God abundantly provided everything needed to sustain life. God also gave humans dominion over the environment and entrusted us with the responsibility to weed, prune and inhabit the earth (Gen 1:28–30 and 2:15). Today, as a result of human sin—after the fall when judgment was given to humanity in the form of toiling in the fields and battling with weeds (Gen 3:17–19)—the production, distribution and consumption of food are no longer based on equality, socially and environmentally sustainable agriculture, and economics which prioritise the welfare of all people. Jeremiah says: “And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination” (2:7). Today, close to one billion people go to bed hungry every day, and over 15 million children die each year from hunger. But that is not God’s design for this world. God wants to see every human being, especially children, have the opportunity to live in all its fullness. What do we Christians have to offer? How can we live out our vision and mission for the poor, the hungry, the marginalised and the oppressed. As Christians we are called to: 1. Care for the poor/hungry as commended in Deuteronomy: “Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, open your hand to the poor and needy neighbour in your land” (15:11). Jesus commends those who give food to the hungry, declaring that “just as you did it to one of the least of these members of my family, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). However, we do this with care, ensuring that we do not create dependency but instead work towards families and communities sustaining their own well-being. 2. Care for the environment as part of the mandate in Genesis: “God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and care for it” (2:15). One of our core value as Christians is to be stewards of God’s creation, care for the earth and act in ways that will restore and protect the environment, and ensure that whatever we do is ecologically sound. 3. Promote justice: “Is not this the fact that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice…to let the oppressed go free…is it not to share your bread with the hungry?” (Isaiah 58:6-7). While providing food in times of want is commendable and necessary, the first and foremost vocation is that we loose the bonds of injustice and let the oppressed go free. This vocation requires that we reflect on, critique and act against unjust systems and structures that lead to hunger, poverty and exploitation. 4. Seek transformational development: “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Mt 4:4). This passage makes it clear that well-being is more than food alone. As Christians, we ought to adopt a broader holistic approach to development that addresses the needs of the entire person and community. This includes, as this passage alludes to, the person’s spiritual health, contributing to the overall wellbeing of families, especially children so that they can experience the love of God and their neighbours. As Christians, we should seek to sow a seed of joy and hope for those who are suffering. We need to strive to be good soil so as to make God’s kingdom on earth fertile and fruitful. We need to be good stewards of God’s abundant resources that he has given us. God intends the fullness of life for the human community to be a present goal, not the endpoint of history, which calls us to action as God’s stewards.

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The Southern Cross, August 7 to August 13, 2013

COMMUNITY

Daniel May received his first Communion at immaculate Conception parish in Parow, Cape Town. At his request Precious Blood Sister Vincentia Mngwe (right) made her final profession. She money that was to be used for a party is with provincial councillor Sr Johanna Resing (centre) and Sr Jane Frances was instead used to buy blankets for a Hlongwane, directress of temporary professed sisters. children’s hospital.

Ten candidates were confirmed at San Francesco church in Charlo, Port Elizabeth. (Back from left) Fr Matthew Gormley oFM Cap, parish priest Fr Ashok Brahmane oFM Cap, Mgr Brendan Deenihan, Lauren ownhouse, Simone Dolley and Tevan Fortuin, (front) Brody van Goeverden, Michala Vermaak, Kristen Sharpley, Eden olivier, Dillon Dorothy, Matthew Nazer and Welmay Miggels.

The Prayer of Parents to St Joseph for the Children

Catherine Mugglestone and Kayleigh McDonald of St Catherine’s Convent in Florida, Johannesburg, achieved high scores on the international Benchmark Test (iBT). Catherine (left) received a certificate of high distinction for mathematics, placing her in the top 1% internationally, and Kayleigh received a certificate of distinction for mathematics, placing her in the top 10%. More than 70 countries participate in international assessments which benchmark student performance against a broad cohort of students in both mathematics and English.

St James’ parish in Kalk Bay, Cape Town, went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, led by Fr Mark Pothier, assisted by Maria “Poppy” Pilcher.

O Glorious St Joseph,

to you God committed the care of His only begotten Son amid the many dangers of this world.

We come to you and ask you to take under your special protection the children God has given us born and unborn.

Through holy baptism they become children of God and members of His Holy Church.

isabel Snook was baptised at immaculate Conception parish in Pinetown, Kwazulu-Natal, by Fr Mark Pothier. (From left) Fr Pothier, godmother Caitlin Read, father Paul Snook, isabel Snook, mother Jacqueline Snook and godmother Caroline Prankerd.

We consecrate them to you today, that through this consecration they may become your foster children.

Guard them, guide their steps in life, form their hearts after the hearts of Jesus and Mary.

St Joseph, who felt the tribulation and worry of a parent when the

Child Jesus was lost, protect our dear children for time and eternity.

May you be their father and counsellor. Let them, like Jesus, grow in age as well as in wisdom and grace before God and men. Preserve them from the corruption of this world and give us the grace one day to be united with them in heaven forever.

Amen.

St Anne’s parish in Steenberg, Cape Town, welcomed its new parish priest, Fr Paul Raile Dotaomai MSFS (left). Fr Dotaomai is pictured with Fr Babychan Arackathara, who is also a Missionary of St Francis de Sales.

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The Southern Cross, August 7 to August 13, 2013

FOCUS

Throwing light on pope’s letter

The new encyclical Lumen Fidei might have its roots in Pope Benedict XVI, but it must be seen as belonging completely to Pope Francis, whose teachings it fully reflects, argues SiPHiWE FELiX MKHizE.

N the edition of July 17, Fr Anthony Egan SJ discussed the new encyclical Lumen Fidei (The Light of Faith). Unlike Fr Egan, I do not see Lumen Fidei as a “joint project” written by two popes. There is only one pope—Francis—and he is the author of this papal letter to the Church. It is no secret—in fact, Pope Francis chose to emphasise it—that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI began drafting this encyclical before his resignation. But when he stepped down, the pope emeritus handed the project over to his successor. Pope Francis was free to do whatever he wanted with the manuscript: to discard it, to amend it, to complete it. With that transfer it became his encyclical. An encyclical is a teaching document, carrying the authority of the Roman pontiff. Benedict relinquished that authority when he resigned: the teaching behind this encyclical is that of Francis. Yes, Pope Benedict wrote the first draft—or at least much of it—and a discerning reader can detect the traces of his prose style. The encyclical does cover some arguments that were central to the teaching of Pope Benedict’s pontificate, such as the importance of joining faith and reason and the danger of eliminating God from public discussion. The document also bears the

scholarly tone of the pope emeritus, including allusions to Nietzsche, Dante, Dostoevsky, Wittgenstein, and T S Eliot, along with the citations from early Church fathers and the plethora of scriptural references. At the same time, the encyclical also covers themes that Pope Francis has been emphasising, including the impossibility of achieving justification through one’s own merits and the need to put faith into action through help for the poor. It is quite common for a pontiff to have someone prepare an early draft of an encyclical, but the final product remains the pope’s. It is not unprecedented: Pope Benedict’s first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, picked up some themes from a draft begun by his own predecessor, John Paul II.

ntroducing Lumen Fidei at a Vatican press conference, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the president of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelisation, commented on the question of authorship: “It must be said without hesitation that Lumen Fidei resumes some intuition and themes typical of Benedict XVI, [but] it is fully Pope Francis’ text.” Pope Francis himself, clearly intent on underlining that his teachings are in full accord with those of Pope Benedict, observed in his introduction that the text is “in continuity with all that the Church’s magisterium has pronounced on this theological virtue”. However, the encyclical continues, in modern thought, that “faith came to be associated with darkness”, and philosophers sought for truth divorced from faith. That quest proved illusory, the pope writes: “Slowly but surely, however, it would become evident that the light of autonomous rea-

An employee of the Vatican press office holds up a copy of Pope Francis’ first encyclical, Lumen Fidei. in his article, Siphiwe Felix Mkhize argues that the papal letter fully reflects the mind of Pope Francis, whose image is seen on the wall in the photo. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS) son is not to illumine the future; ultimately the future remains shadowy and fraught with fear of the unknown.” The encyclical strongly insists on the need to regain a proper understanding of the natural partnership between faith and reason. “Today more than ever, we need to be reminded of this bond between faith and truth, given the crisis of truth in our age.” The faith of the Judeo-Christian tradition traces back to God’s revelation to Abraham, Lumen Fidei notes. That revelation was a dramatic departure from the beliefs of others at the time: “God is not the god of a particular place, or a deity linked to specific sacred time, but the God of a person, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, capable

of interacting with man and establishing a covenant with him.” This personal God called the people of Israel into a covenant, but the Chosen People did not always respond: “The history of Israel also shows us the temptation of unbelief to which the people yielded more than once. Here the opposite of faith is shown to be idolatry.”

he temptation towards idolatry continues among believers to this day, the pope says, adding that idolatry is “a pretext for setting ourselves at the centre of reality and worshipping the work of our own hands”. The God of Abraham seeks the love of his people. Modern man tends to think of love as an emotion, the pope observes. But a deep love is something far more than an

emotional reaction; it is based on recognition of truth. “Only to the extent that love is grounded in truth can it endure over time, can it transcend the passing moment and be sufficiently solid to sustain a shared journey. If love is not tied to truth, it falls prey to fickle emotions and cannot stand the test of time,” the pope says. Those who show love for others are taking the first steps towards faith: “Anyone who sets off on the path of doing good to others is already drawing near to God, is already sustained by his help, for it is characteristic of the divine light to brighten our eyes whenever we walk towards the fullness of love.” Still, Lumen Fidei cautions that no one should seek faith alone. In fact the pope writes bluntly: “It is impossible to believe on our own.” In the New Covenant, Jesus offers the Church as the guarantor of faith. Moreover the faith is transmitted and strengthened through the sacramental life of the Church, especially in baptism. Sharing in the faith, all members of the Church, at all times, “possess a unity which enriches us because it is given to us and makes us one”. At the introductory press conference for the encyclical, Archbishop Gerhard Müller, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, took note of the encyclical’s message that faith is necessary to the welfare of society. He said that the pope “wishes to reinstate in a new way the truth that faith in Jesus Christ is good for humanity—truly a good for everyone; a common good”. n Dr Siphiwe Felix Mkhize belongs to Hillcrest parish in the archdiocese of Durban. He is the author of a soon to be published book on the permanent diaconate.

The Southern Cross, August 7 to August 13, 2013

Sr Natalie Kuhn

ING Dominican Sister Natalie Kuhn died on June 27 after a six-month illness. Born in King William’s Town on June 14, 1931, Sr Kuhn was the third child and only daughter of Joseph and Mathilda Kuhn. She made her first vows in the Dominican congregation on Nelson Mandela’s birthday in 1950. Like him, she was willing to give her all for her dream of a just South Africa. Sr Kuhn gave a wonderful, if at times unconventional example as to what it is to be a Dominican Sister—a gospel woman of prayer, of faith and of action. She was a visionary, a prophet, friend, teacher, mother, companion, preacher, netball coach, dreamer, challenger and encourager. Sr Kuhn’s first assignment after completing college at Graaff Reinet was as a teacher and boarders’ mother in King William’s Town. In the mid-1960s she learnt French so she could attend a catechetical course in Brussels. This broadened her theological understanding and praxis which she generously shared with many others beyond her own

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 562. ACROSS: 1 Jacob’s, 4 Adages, 9 Sanctuary lamp, 10. Inroads, 11 Addle, 12 Adam’s, 14 Idiom, 18 Locks, 19 Neighed, 21 Trial and error, 22 Danish, 23 Stayer. DOWN: 1 Justin, 2 Contradiction, 3 Botha, 5 Dry land, 6 Grandmotherly, 7 Supper, 8 Pause, 13 Muscles, 15 Slated, 16 Inane, 17 Adorer, 20 Inert.

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: Padre Pio: Holy hour 15:30 pm every 3rd Sunday of the Mimosa Shrine, Bellville month at Holy Redeemer (Place of pilgrimage for the Year of Faith) Tel: 076 323 parish in Bergvliet. 8043. August 10: Feast of Helpers of God’s Precious St Lawrence, 9:00amInfants meet the last Satur10:00am Holy hour and day of the month except in Benediction. Confession December, starting with available. August 15: The Mass at 9:30 am at the SaAssumption of our Lady cred Heart church in Somer7:00pm Rosary, 7:30pm set Road, Cape Town. Mass Holy Mass. September 12: is followed by a vigil and Most Holy Name of Mary, procession to Marie Stopes 7.00pm Rosary, 7.30pm abortion clinic in Bree Mass. September 14: ExalStreet. For information contation of the Holy Cross, tact Colette Thomas on 083 9.00-10.00am Holy hour 412 4836 or 021 593 9875 and Benediction, confession or Br Daniel Manuel on 083 available. September 26: 544 3375. 7.30pm Rosary.

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parish, profoundly affecting the quality of catechesis in the diocese of Johannesburg. Sr Kuhn’s enterprising spirit and her courage in pursuing what she believed to be for the best for the learners in her care, gave all who knew her the inspiration to do the same—a new science block, a new house to provide classroom space, or additional teachers needed in her schools became a reality. She used every opportunity she received through the Dominican congregation to full advantage and shared her expertise generously with anyone who wished to receive it. When Sr Kuhn retired from being the principal at Dominican Convent in Belgravia, Johannesburg, she founded and ran the Wings of Hope School for children in the early learning phase. Sr Kuhn was a practical woman. To quote her friend, Paul Horn, she reached out to others so that they too could live their lives with dignity. She knew that poverty limited people greatly, so she provided opportunities for others to learn how to do things that would enhance the quality of their lives. Nothing was too big or too small for Sr Kuhn: applying for birth certificates, doing a health care course to obtain work in that sphere, having a home, learning computer skills; whatever was needed, Sr Kuhn would find a way. Sr Ann Wigley OP

Word of the Week NIHIL OBSTAT: “Nothings stands in the way”. When a book on faith, morals, theology, liturgy, books on prayer, editions of Sacred Scripture, etc is submitted to the censor in the author’s diocese, who if nothing objectionable or contrary to Catholic teaching is found will issue a Nihil Obstat.

Liturgical Calendar Year C Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday, August 11, 19th Sunday Wisdom 18:6-9, Psalm 33:1, 12, 18-22, Hebrews 11:12, 8-19 or 11:1-2, 8-12, Luke 12:32-48 or 12:35-40 Monday, August 12 Deuteronomy 10:12-22, Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20, Matthew 17:22-27 Tuesday, August 13 Deuteronomy 31:1-8, Deuteronomy 32:3-4, 7-9, 12, Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 Wednesday, August 14, St Maximilian Kolbe 1 John 3:13-18, Psalm 116:10-13, 16-17, John 15:12-17 Thursday, August 15, Assumption of the BVM Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10, Psalm 45:10-12, 16, 1 Corinthians 15:20-27, Luke 1:39-56 Friday, August 16 Joshua 24:1-13, Psalm 136:1-3, 16-18, 21-22, 24, Matthew 19:3-12 Saturday, August 17, Memorial of the BVM Joshua 24:14-29, Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 11, Matthew 19:13-15 Sunday, August 18, 20th Sunday Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10, Psalm 40:2-4, 18, Hebrews 12:1-4, Luke 12:49-53

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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.

WEDDING

THE staff and board of The Southern Cross wish Claire Mathieson and Ross van der Pas the Lord’s richest blessings on their wedding on August 10.

PERSONAL

ABORTION WARNING: The pill can abort (chemical abortion) Catholics must be told, for their eternal welfare and the survival of their unborn infants. NEEDED please: gift of large outdoor Statue of our Lady (+-1m high) for grotto for Barcelona Catholics, Etwatwa, Benoni of our Lady of all Consolation. Please contact: Sr Margaret 011 421 3056 or 072 985 1000, knobel.mar garet9@gmail.com NOTHING is politically right if it is morally wrong. Abortion is evil. Value life! TOWARDS Vatican 3? Google: Sineglossa.blogspot.com TAXATION SERVICES— Tax & Vat Returns prepared and e-filed by SARS Registered Tax Practitioner (45 years SARS experience now on your side) Contact Mike 082 929 9874 / 033 396 5471, mikewhite1@ telkomsa.net

PRAYERS

O HOLY St Jude! Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor for 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 whom God has given such great power, to come to my assistance; help me now in my urgent need and grant my earnest petition. i will never forget thy graces and favours you obtain for me and i will do my

utmost to spread devotion to you, including having this prayer printed in this publication. Amen. St. Jude, pray for us and all who honour thee and invoke thy aid. David. 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. John.

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. HOLY Spirit you make me see everything and show me the way to reach my ideals. You give me the divine gift to forgive and forget. in all instances of my life you are with me, protecting me and opening for me a way where there is no way. i thank you for everything, and confirm once more that i never

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want to be separated from you, no matter how great the material desires. i want to be with you and my loved ones in your perpetual glory. Amen. Say this prayer for 3 consecutive days. Publication promised. Thank you. John. YOu, 0 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. 0 abyss, 0 eternal Godhead, 0 sea profound, what more could you give me than yourself? Prayer of Awe— St Catherine of Siena.

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20th Sunday: August 18 Readings: Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10, Psalm 40:24, 18, Hebrews 12:1-4, Luke 12:49-53

T is not a comfortable business, listening to what the Lord is asking of us, and then doing it. That seems to be the message that next Sunday’s readings are offering. In the first reading, Jeremiah has been placed in the pit that his opponents, irked by his unceasing prophecies of woe and doom, think he deserves. This is not just to shut him up; their plan is to kill him. King Zedekiah, who was reigning at the time, was not in a very strong position, and could only go along with their vindictive demands. However, since the Lord is in charge, human vengeance is never the end of the story, and someone called Ebed-Melech (the name means “King’s Servant”, and given that he is an Ethiopian, it may be that he is a foreign official in the palace) does what the King ought to have done, and rescues Jeremiah from his plight, on the grounds that they ought not to be treating a prophet in this unceremonious way. The King gives in to him too (he does not have a very impressive track-record when it comes to resisting the wishes of his subordinates), and Jeremiah is rescued (in a somewhat haphazard manner, but he is at least out of the pit), and placed under house-arrest, where he

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Look to Jesus always Nicholas King SJ

Sunday Reflections

is to stay until the fall of Jerusalem, offering his prophecy only to the King. It is not an easy life. The psalm for next Sunday could have been written for Jeremiah, and, as so often with the psalms, it is immensely confident in tone (more confident, perhaps than Jeremiah might have been), but aware that it has been a closerun thing: “I waited—how I waited!—for the Lord; he bent down to me and heard my cry, and he dragged me out of the pit of destruction.” In contrast, but perhaps a bit like Jeremiah under his house-arrest, “he placed my feet on a rock...and he gave a new song on my lips, praise to our God”. Then he remembers when times were bad: “I was wretched and poor, the Lord thought of me; you are my helper and my rescuer—my God, do not delay”. Just at the

end of the psalm, there, his plight threatens to overwhelm him, but we should notice that this poet is incapable of losing faith in his God. The second reading for next Sunday offers a way of coping with the discomfort that you are likely to feel if you follow the Lord’s way; internal evidence suggests that the people to whom this letter (or is it really a sermon?) are enduring, or are likely to endure, some kind of persecution, and the solution he offers is to look away from themselves (and how often do you and I manage this when trouble comes?). So where are we to look? First, at the “cloud of witnesses” the Old Testament saints who have been mentioned in the previous chapter; and the effect of that is that we find ourselves “casting aside every burden, and the stickiness of sin” and then “running the race that lies ahead of us”. More than that, however, we have to keep our eyes on Jesus (something that we should always be doing). And what happened to Jesus? “Instead of the joy that lay ahead of him, he endured the cross, and despised the shame— and sat down on the right hand of God’s throne”. Unlike us (but like Jeremiah and the psalmist) “he endured the contradictions of

Struggling to understand suicide S

ADLY, today, there are many deaths by suicide. Very few people have not been deeply affected by the suicide of a loved one. In the United States alone, there are more than 33 000 suicides a year. That averages out to 90 such deaths per day, about three to four every hour. And yet suicide remains widely misunderstood and generally leaves those who are left behind with a particularly devastating kind of grief. Among all deaths, suicide perhaps weighs heaviest on those left behind. Why? Suicide hits us so hard because it is surrounded with the ultimate taboo. In the popular mind, suicide is generally seen, consciously or unconsciously, as the ultimate act of despair, the ultimate “bad thing” a person can do. This shouldn’t surprise us since suicide does go against the deepest instinct inside us: our will to live. Thus, even when it’s treated with understanding and compassion, it still leaves those left behind with a certain amount of shame and a lot of second-guessing. Also, more often than not, it ruins the memory of the person who died. His photographs slowly disappear from our walls and the manner of his death is spoken about with an all-too-hushed discretion. None of this should be surprising: Suicide is the ultimate taboo. So what’s to be said about suicide? How can we move towards understanding it more empathically? Understanding suicide more compassionately won’t take away its sting; nothing will, except time. But our own long-term healing and the redemption of the memory

Conrad

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

of the one died can be helped by keeping a number of things in mind: • Suicide, in most cases, is a disease, not something freely willed. The person who dies in this way, dies against his or her will, akin to those who jumped to their deaths from the Twin Towers after terrorist planes had set those buildings on fire on 9/11. They were jumping to certain death, but only because they were already burning to death where they were standing. Death by suicide is analogous to death by cancer, stroke or heart attack; except, in the case of suicide, it’s a question of emotional-cancer, emotional-stroke, or an emotional-heart attack. Moreover, still to be more fully explored, is the potential role that biochemistry plays in suicide. Since some suicidal depressions are treatable by drugs, clearly then some suicides are caused by biochemical deficiencies, as are many other diseases that kill us. • The person who dies in this way, almost invariably, is a very sensitive human being. Suicide is rarely done in arrogance, as an act of contempt. There are, of course, examples of persons, like Hitler, who are too

proud to endure normal human contingency and kill themselves out of arrogance, but that’s a very different kind of suicide, not the kind that most of us have seen in a loved one. Generally our own experience with the loved ones that we’ve lost to suicide was that these persons were anything but arrogant. More accurately described, they were too bruised to touch and were wounded in some deep way that we couldn’t comprehend or help heal. Indeed, often when sufficient time has passed after their deaths, in retrospect, we get some sense of their wound, one which we never clearly perceived while they were alive. Their suicide then no longer seems as surprising. • Finally, we need not worry unduly about the eternal salvation of those who die in this way. God’s understanding and compassion infinitely surpass our own. Our lost loved ones are in safer hands than ours. If we, limited as we are, can already reach through this tragedy with some understanding and love, we can rest secure in the fact that, given the width and depth of God’s love, the one who dies through suicide meets, on the other side, a compassion that’s deeper than our own and a judgment that intuits the deepest motives of their heart. Moreover, God’s love, as we are assured of in our scriptures and as is manifest in Jesus’ resurrection, is not as helpless as our own in dealing with this. We, in dealing with our loved ones, sometimes find ourselves helpless, without a strategy and without energy, standing outside an oak-like door, shut out because of someone’s fear, wound, sickness, or loneliness. Most persons who die by suicide are precisely locked inside this kind of private room by some cancerous wound through which we cannot reach and through which they themselves cannot reach. Our best efforts leave us still unable to penetrate that private hell. But, as we see in the resurrection appearances of Jesus, God’s love and compassion are not rendered helpless by locked doors. God’s love doesn’t stand outside, helplessly knocking. Rather, it goes right through the locked doors, stands inside the huddle of fear and loneliness, and breathes out peace. So too for our loved ones who die by suicide. We find ourselves helpless, but God can, and does, go through those locked doors and, once there, breathes out peace inside a tortured, huddled heart.

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sinners against himself”. And so the people to whom Hebrews is addressed are encouraged to keep going. If that puts a bit of a chill upon you, the gospel is not going to make you feel much better. Jesus is in coat-trailing mode: “I have come to put fire upon the earth,” he says. As he continues, there is an air of apocalyptic menace about it all: “I have a baptism with which to be baptised, and how tormented I am until it is accomplished.” Then, just to make sure that we did not have any silly ideas, we are asked: “Do you think that I have come to provide peace on the land? No, I’m telling you, but division.” This is followed by some graphic details of the division: “Three against two and two against three in a household, a father against a son, and a son against a father, a mother against a daughter, and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-inlaw, and daughter-in-law against mother-inlaw.” Those last two tensions are not, I suppose particularly rare; but the point is clear: Jesus’ Gospel, and the word of God indeed, do not wave a magic wand over us and take away all divisions. Divisions are a part of being human; and preaching God’s word does not make us immune to them. These are challenging words to take us into next week.

Southern Crossword #562

ACROSS 1. Rachel was his wife (Gn 46) (6) 4. Proverbs of Anno Domini and many long years (6) 9. It glows at the Real Presence (9,4) 10. Driveways that encroach? (7) 11. Confuse in the saddles (5) 12. His apple is not Eve’s (5) 14. Turn of phrase (5) 18. Samson’s secure tresses (5) 19. Refused like a horse (7) 21. Court case with mistake is process of elimination (5,3,5) 22. Pastry from Copenhagen (6) 23. Horse that keeps running for one who remains (6)

DOWN 1. Martyr saint who sounds fair at home (6) 2. It denies the truth in what you say (13) 3. Familiar name among South African politicians (5) 5. Noah yearned to find it (3,4) 6. Way in which St Ann loved Jesus (13) 7. Meal you might sing for (6) 8. Interval (5) 13. Presumably, Samson’s were bulging (7) 15. Criticised the way the roof was covered (6) 16. Stupid Tina needs hiding (5) 17. Worshipper (6) 20. Static interchangeable (5) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

AINT Peter was sitting at the pearly gates when two guys wearing dark hoodies and sagging pants arrived. St Peter looked out through the gates and said: “Wait here. I’ll be right back.” St Peter went over to God’s chambers and told him who was waiting for entrance. God said to Peter: “How many times do I have to tell you? You can’t be judgmental here. This is heaven. All are loved. All are brothers. Go back and let them in!” St Peter went back to the gates, looked around and let out a heavy sigh. He returned to God’s chambers and said: “Well, they’re gone.” “The guys wearing hoodies?” asked God. “No. The pearly gates.” Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, Po Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.

WORLD YOUTH DAY

The Southern Cross, August 7 to August 13, 2013

Biggest since 1995

Change in mood

The mayor’s office of Rio di Janeiro estimated that 3,2 million people attended the final WYD Mass at Copacabana beach, making it the biggest such event since 1995, when an estimated 4 to 5 million attended Mass with Pope John Paul II in Manila in the Philippines, which remains the most attended.

The traditional Friday mood change of World Youth Day took place as the pope and more than 1 million young people returned to Copacabana beach to meditate on the Stations of the Cross. In his reflection, Pope Francis told the young people that in every encounter with Christ’s cross, they can draw strength from him and they can leave the heaviest part of their burden with him.

Change of plan After three days of rain, WYD planners had to change the location of the overnight prayer vigil and closing Mass to Copacabana beach from Campus Fidei in Guaratibato, 30km outside the city, which had become a giant mud pit.

Special offertory A child born with anencephaly, lacking part of her skull and brain, was presented to Pope Francis during the offertory at Mass the closing Mass. The pope had met the newborn girl’s parents as he was leaving Rio’s cathedral, where had his Mass with consecrated persons.

For grandparents Addressing tens of thousands of people gathered in the square outside the residence of Rio’s archbishop, Pope Francis highlighted the importance of grandparents “for family life [and] for passing on the human and religious heritage which is so essential for each and every society”.

The World Youth Day cross is set in place during the opening ceremony as young people endured rain and wind on Copacabana beach. (Photo: Ricardo Moraes, Reuters/CNS)

WYD pilgrims from Mozambique in Rio. (Photo: Walter Sanchez Silva, CNA)

WYD vocations fair More than 100 international religious communities and congregations took part in the WYD vocations fair. These include 44 female religious orders, 23 male religious orders, 16 movements and 20 new communities.

Mary as a model

Awake to solidarity Speaking amid cheers at a football ground in the Rio shanty town of Varginha, Pope Francis urged people who are more economically privileged to “never tire” of working for solidarity and social justice. The pope also visited the slum’s St Jerome Emiliani parish.

‘Be revolutionaries’ More than 10 000 volunteers, who had been waiting hours in the hot sun to see Pope Francis, cheered wildly when he called upon them to become “revolutionaries, to go against the current”.

Mary as a model Visiting the basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, the world’s largest Marian shrine, Pope Francis challenged parents, priests and other adult Catholics to give the young people things that

No big sacrifice Crispim Estevao, 24, from Maputo, Mozambique, agreed to work for free for an entire year. In exchange his employer paid his airfare to Rio de Janeiro. “It is worth it,” he said. “I would do even more to come see Pope Francis. I am here to say that nothing is impossible if you really put your heart into it. If I was able to come, anyone who is willing to make a little sacrifice can.”

Twelve World Youth Day pilgrims stand with Pope Francis for grace before lunch at the archbishop’s residence. (Photo: L’osservatore Romano/CNS) the world, with all its wealth, cannot: faith and values.

Security craziness Returning from Brazil, where his car was mobbed in rush-hour traffic, Pope Francis also acknowledged that the close contact with the pilgrims had made his security people nervous. “Security lies in trusting people. It’s true that there’s always the danger that a crazy person will try to do something, but there’s also the Lord,” he said. Sealing off a bishop behind bullet proof glass “is also craziness”, but he said he prefers the craziness of trust.

Pilgrims sleep on Copacabana beach before sunrise. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims camped out overnight for the World Youth Day vigil and closing Mass, against the advice of organisers. (Photo: Tyler orsburn, CNS)

Pope on protests The street protests involving hundreds of thousands of mostly young people in cities across Brazil, and in other countries, are a sign of the youths’ desire for a more just world, but Christians must ensure the protests are peaceful and that efforts to improve society are guided by Christian values, Pope Francis told the WYD vigil.

Pope to drug addicts Pope Francis told a group of recovering drug addicts in a workingclass suburb of Rio that they were

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Lunch with pope Pope Francis had lunch with 12 young people—six men and six women—chosen by lot to represent all World Youth Day pilgrims. Two were from Brazil and two each came from the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. The menu was rice with pumpkin, beef stuffed with provolone cheese, asparagus and passion fruit mousse for dessert.

HOLY LAND CAMINO

Sleeping bag call A group of World Youth Day volunteers called on pilgrims to donate their sleeping bags to the homeless. Volunteer, Inés San Martín, said this would be “a concrete response to start putting into practice...what Pope Francis has been preaching these days”.

See you in Krakow After Pope Francis announced Krakow, Poland, as the site of the next WYD, in 2016, young pilgrims from Poland shouted joyfully, waving red and white Polish flags.

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the ”flesh of Christ”, saying those struggling with drug dependency deserve the “closeness, affection and love” of all society.

At the Angelus following the closing Mass, Pope Francis held Mary up as the model for the life of Christians, because of her desire to bring Jesus her son to the world. “She did not keep that gift to herself,” Pope Francis said. “She set off, she left her home and went in haste to help her kinswoman Elizabeth, who was in need of assistance.”

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South African and Canadian pilgrims and their luggage after arriving in Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day. (Photo from Tim Harris)

The 13th station—Jesus’ body taken from the cross—is portrayed during the Way of the Cross service in Rio. in his reflection during the service, the pope told young people that in every encounter with Christ’s cross, they can draw strength from him and they can leave the heaviest part of their burden with him. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS)

A Polish pilgrim wears a Brazilian hat as Pope Francis celebrates the closing Mass of WYD on Copacabana beach. Pope Francis announced that WYD 2016 would be held in Krakow, Poland, the city where Pope John Paul ii served as archbishop. it will be the second WYD to be held in Poland, after Czestochowa in 1991. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS)

Argentinian pilgrim Sergio Sequeira, 19, waves to a crowd of 15 000 people during the closing Mass of WYD’s missionary week in Nilopolis, Brazil. The prelude to the WYD main events gave pilgrims from outside Brazil a chance to take part in local spiritual, mission and cultural activities. (Photo: Tyler orsburn,CNS)

Pope Francis watches as youths perform a dramatisation during the WYD vigil on Copacabana beach. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS)

Young people pray during the Eucharist adoration led by Pope Francis on Copacabana beach. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS) Pilgrims from Ecuador hold hands on Copacabana beach as young people gathered for the WYD opening Mass. (Photo: Tyler orsburn,CNS)

The moon is seen behind the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. (Photo: Ricardo Moraes, Reuters/CNS)

Pope Francis gives a thumbs up as he greets the crowd at the WYD welcoming ceremony on Copacabana beach. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS)

A rock band performs during WYD. (Photo: Michelle Bauman, CNA)

WYD pilgrims use their mobile phones to take photos as Pope Francis makes his way down Atlantic Avenue in Rio de Janeiro. Even digital cameras were in a minority as pilgrims took snapshots, many of them instantly shared on social networks. (Photo: Tyler orsburn,CNS)

A boy waves a flag in rainy weather as Pope Francis arrives at the basilica of the National Shrine of our Lady of Aparecida. The pope entrusted WYD to Mary’s maternal protection. (Photo: Stefano Rellandini, Reuters/CNS)

A priest reads the Bible while he waits for the arrival of Pope Francis on Copacabana beach. (Photo: Ricardo Moraes, Reuters/CNS)

Pope Francis speaks to a young man as he hears confessions. (Photo: L’osservatore Romano)

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