The
S outher n C ross www.scross.co.za
September 25 to October 1, 2013
Books about Pope Francis reviewed
Nun celebrates her 100th birthday
No 4841
CORRUPTION: Are you also to blame?
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R6,00 (incl VAT RSA)
Reg No. 1920/002058/06
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Setback not the end for SA’s Catholic uni BY CLAIRE MATHIESON
T The sun colours the sky over the dome of St Peter’s basilica during sunset at the Vatican. Next week The Southern Cross pilgrims, led by Bishop Joe Sandri of Witbank with Pamela Davids of The Southern Cross, will visit the Vatican and Rome during their journey to Italy, which also includes Assisi. The Italian leg of the pilgrimage is preceded by a week in the Holy Land, starting on September 29. A Southern Cross pilgrimage with the same programme was led by Archbishop Slattery of Pretoria in May. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS)
SA priest set for Vatican job BY CLAIRE MATHIESON
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JOHANNESBURG priest has been appointed to serve the Secretariat of State in the Vatican where he will serve as an interpreter. “I honestly don’t quite know how they know about me,” Fr Simon Donnelly told The Southern Cross about the appointment, which was announced to the priests of the archdiocese on the fourth anniversary of his ordination. It is likely that Fr Donnelly was selected for his knowledge of both European and African languages. The priest holds a doctorate in linguistics and speaks Latin, Italian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, German, English and Greek. He also speaks Sotho and Zulu, Afrikaans and Xhosa. While these languages are not directly needed for the Secretary of State post, Fr Donnelly’s principal task will be translating into English anything that “pertains to the person of the Roman Pontiff. When Pope Francis speaks or writes anything, it appears simultaneously in a number of languages, including, of course, English.” The diocesan priest, who currently serves the parish of Our Lady of Mercy in Emdeni, Soweto, studied for seven years in Rome where most classes were taught in Italian.
“I lived for five of those years in the Pontifical French Seminary, where the languages of the house were French and Italian,” he said. The Cape Townborn priest is the son of the late Eugene Donnelly, who for many years served as The Southern Cross’ managing editor. Fr Donnelly said he has mixed feelings about the appointment. Fr Simon Donnelly “I’m excited, humbled, curious and slightly overwhelmed,” he said, adding that he is very sorry to be leaving his Soweto parish at the end of October. His parishioners shared the priest’s sentiments. “The reaction was a mixture of pride and sadness. I have been at Our Lady of Mercy for not yet quite eight months. I was expecting to be there at least six years. It is a terrible wrench for a priest to leave his people, even after such a short time,” said Fr Donnelly. “In eight months, many people find a place in a priest's heart: sodality members, Continued on page 11
HE withdrawal of funding by two major donors was “the straw that broke the camel’s back”, leading to the downsizing of St Augustine College, South Africa’s only Catholic university, according to the college’s project manager. News this month that St Augustine College’s campus would be sold and undergraduate classes not be offered next year due to severe financial constraints was met with shock by students, staff and supporters. But senior management is at pains to state that this was not the end of the university. “St Augustine will definitely continue to exist,” Denise Gordon-Brown, the university’s project manager, told The Southern Cross. The university opened its doors in 1999 to the first intake of postgraduate students and for the next ten years offered only postgraduate degrees. In 2009 the first undergraduate degrees in BCom (PPE) and BTh commenced, followed a year later by the BA degree. But the college’s growth was not an indication of financial strength, Mrs GordonBrown said, adding that the institution has since inception run on a tight budget. “The cash flow problems became obvious about a year ago, but it was considered that with the promised contributions from donors, the college would be able to continue its operation. However, within recent weeks two large donors gave notice that they would not be continuing their support. This was the final straw which has broken the camel’s back,” Mrs Gordon-Brown said. As a private institution, St Augustine receives no government support. The only way forward was considered to be the sale of the Victory Park campus in Johannesburg. “This course of action has been recommended by the South African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) as one way to realise cash from a very valuable asset,” Mrs Gordon-Brown said.
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here were other contributing factors to the financial demise of the college. “The student numbers from the very beginning were disappointing. This can be attributed to a number of things, among which was that [the university] has a very low profile in the public conscousness,” Mrs Gordon-Brown said.
In order to have raised this profile a significant amount of money would have had to be spent on marketing, for which there was no budget.” Mrs Gordon-Brown said this was possibly one of the shortcomings of the original business plan. Furthermore, in order to be competitive with local state universities, fees were kept at the same level as the state universities, creating a shortfall in income. “Donors were another essential feature of the financial success of the college from its inception,” said the project manager, adding that donors have been “extremely generous” to the college. However, often such funding was issued for capital projects in particular, such as building alterations or library collections. Mrs Gordon-Brown said being affiliated to one particular religion meant many large corporations were not willing to support any particular religious institution. “This means ultimately that the same few donors are approached regularly.”
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he SACBC has agreed to help the college, as far as possible, to meet its commitments to existing staff and students. Fr Michael van Heerden, who will step down as president of the university in November, said the university’s board will propose a revised structure, including a model for financial sustainability, for the college before the end of 2013. “The board deeply regrets the disruption and distress that will be caused by this relocation and restructure,” he said in a communiqué announcing the changes. Changes at the university are already underway; others will take much longer such as the sale of the campus. Accordingly, the university will continue to offer undergraduate courses until the end of 2013 and third-year students will be able to graduate at the next ceremony. Supplementary examinations to complete the required modules will be provided to give every possibility of graduation. Undergraduate studies will not be offered in 2014. “The management of the college is in consultation with other local universities to assist in the smooth transition of St Augustine students to their new chosen university, Mrs Gordon-Brown explained. A “transfer application day” will be held Continued on page 2
CANONISATION PILGRIMAGE Join The Southern Cross and Radio Veritas on a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi to witness the canonisation of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII in the Vatican
Led by Fr Emil Blaser OP • Dates: TBA
Canonisation Ceremony | Papal Audience | St Peter’s | Sistine Chapel | Catacombs | Ancient Rome | Baroque Rome | Major Basilicas | Castel Gandolfo | Assisi | Porciuncula | Hermitage of the Carceri | Greccio (where St Francis invented the Nativity Scene) | Fonte Colombo |and much more.
For itinerary or to book phone Gail at 076 352 3809 or 021 551 3923 info@fowlertours.co.za www.fowlertours.co.za