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May 4 to May 10, 2016

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With the Eucharist into space

Page 4

The funny side of being a priest

Page 7

R8,00 (incl VaT RSa)

Jerusalem: Birthplace of our Church

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OUR LADY OF FATIMA POSTER IN THIS ISSUE

as the Church prepares for the 100th anniversary of Our lady’s first apparition in Fatima next May, we are publishing this week a beautiful poster of the statue of Our lady of Fatima, with the crown that holds the bullet that wounded St John Paul ii during the 1981 assassination attempt. alongside the image is the text of a prayerful litany to Our lady.

Back issues of this edition can be ordered from Michelle Perry at subscriptions@scross.co.za or 021 465-5007.

Bishop: Beware of get-rich schemes

By Mandla ZiBi

T

HE Justice and Peace Department of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference has expressed concern about a ponzi-like scheme likened to “playing Russian roulette with your money”.

“People must be vigilant about any scheme that promises outrageous returns. Any financial arrangement that depends on donations in order to pay out to others is not sustainable,” said Bishop Abel Gabuza, head of J&P. The Hawks have opened an investigation into the scheme following an inquiry by the National Consumer Commission.

The scheme in question is called MMM, named for its Russian founders, Sergei Mavrodi, his brother Vyacheslav Mavrodi, and Olga Melnikova— the three Ms standing for their surnames.

Bishop Gabuza called on people to educate themselves about MMM as he had personally seen how investors in previous schemes had lost their whole life savings.

“Many of our people are so desperate. They don’t even stop and think about the consequences of losing their hard-earned money.

They go in with blind eyes,” he said.

According to Time magazine, in 2011 Mavrodi did admit that he was running a pyramid scheme: “This is a pyramid, It is a naked scheme, nothing more ... People interact with each other and give each other money. For no reason!”

MMM was founded in Russia in 1989, originally importing computers and office equipment. The company was accused of tax evasion in 1992, and that is when it moved over to financial operations, creating its first scheme in 1994.

MMM claimed 1000% returns and started

an aggressive TV advertising campaign. At its peak, the company took in 100 billion rubles.

But that attracted the attention of the taxman; just one of their subsidiaries owed 50 billion rubles, and the main company owed about 100 billion rubles.

The company declared bankruptcy in 1997 as the scheme collapsed, resulting in at least 50 suicides by people who lost their fortunes.

It was one of the world’s largest ponzi schemes and led to stricter regulations on Russia’s stock markets.

In 2007 Sergei Mavrodi was found guilty of defrauding 10 000 investors out of 110 million rubles.

South Africa’s version of MMM, which is run by a Nigerian, encourages its members to donate money to others by rewarding them with the Mavros—a bitcoin-linked virtual currency.

MMM’s claims of a 30% per month investment return through a “social financial network” falls foul of the Consumer Protection Act, which says that only a maximum of 27% can be offered annually.

MMM Global, the company’s bitcoin version, has now shut down after revelations that it couldn’t pay its monthly 100% returns.

Financial experts have warned that MMM South Africa is about to collapse.

“MMM cannot sustain paying out more than is invested. And as long as affiliate investment is the only source of revenue entering the scheme, any scheme will ultimately collapse,” said Behind MLM, a website that investigates multi-level marketing schemes.

“They’ll continue to pay ROIs (return on investments) until withdrawals exceed the rate of new investment, and then run out of Continued on page 2

a group of Grade 10-12 learners from Brescia House School in Johannesburg visited their sister school in the US, the Ursuline academy in north Carolina. The girls were given a very spirited reception to the Ursuline academy by their host sisters as they entered the school, followed by a ceremony presented by their school choir and the school body. The girls from South africa assisted at a Sunday Breakfast Mission in central Wilmington which provides a meal for the hungry and homeless.

Beloved social activist now on sainthood path A CANONICAL inquiry into the life of Dorothy Day (pictured right), co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, will begin soon and extend to the end of the year, according to the archdiocese of New York, which is sponsoring her sainthood cause and is where Day oversaw Catholic Worker houses.

The Dorothy Day Guild, established in 2005 to promote her life and works, said on its website that the names of 256 people had been submitted as potential eyewitnesses to Ms Day’s life. Of those, 52 have been chosen for interviews.

From the interviews, the archdiocese will gather the evidence and present it to the Vatican’s Congregation for Saints’ Causes and to Pope Francis. If, after examining the information, the Vatican congregation and the pope recognise Day’s heroic virtues, she will be declared “venerable,” the next step in the canonization process. She now has the title “servant of God”.

Dorothy Day was born in Brooklyn in 1897, and baptised an Episcopalian (Anglican).

While working as a journalist in New York, she got involved in the causes of her day, such as women’s suffrage and peace, and was part

of a secular circle of top literary and artistic figures of the era.

She went through a string of love affairs, a failed marriage, a suicide attempt and an abortion. But with the birth of her daughter Tamar in 1926, Day embraced Catholicism.

As she sought to fuse her life and her faith, she wrote for such Catholic publications as America and Commonweal. In 1932, she met Peter Maurin, a French immigrant and former Christian Brother. Together they started the Catholic Worker newspaper—and later, several houses of hospitality and farm communities in the United States and elsewhere.

While working for integration, Day was shot at. She prayed and fasted for peace at the Second Vatican Council. She died on November 29, 1980 in one of the Catholic Worker houses she had established in New York City.—CNS

2

The Southern Cross, May 4 to May 10, 2016

LOCAL

Nigerian flair at engagement

By MaRy annE MURRay

N ger an trad t on The event ncorporated the crack ng o a ca e ne aden ko a nut Crack ng the hard nut s part and parce o soc a events n N ger a rom unera s to wed d ngs and engagements Ms Ob was dressed n amboyant N ger an co ours w th a turquo se headdress As she entered the ha and throughout the ceremony Ms Ob had banknotes thrown at her ace and shou ders Des gnated r ends swept these up or her n paper bags Fr van Heerden suggested the Church m ght cons der th s as an a ter nat ve to the du o d co ect on The engagement r ng was pre sented n a beaut u owered box w th short speeches rom var ous guests and Mr Agbe e As guests en oyed the p ent u N ger an ood a D p ayed N ger an mus c w th tr butes to the coup e Now the par sh s ook ng orward to a trad t ona N ger an wedd ng

A

F om e F Hugh lagan ac a o F Emmanue Rakak S da ene F Mosebe s Mokoena F a ex K sasa B shop Edwa d R s F John dovan a chb shop Jabu an nxuma o F Ch s Townsend ac a o B shop abe Gabuza F Joseph Pa ck Wa ungama F Je em ah Gama and F M chae Rase o a he B oem on e n mee ng on he Chu ch P o oco on dea ng w h sexua abuse n Sou he n a ca

Bloemfontein trains clergy on child abuse protocols

By Mandla Z B

I

N a rst or the Church n South A r ca a who e metro po tan prov nce came together to tra n c ergy n the Church Pro toco on dea ng w th a egat ons o sexua abuse n the Church Ca ed by Archb shop abu an Nxuma o o B oem onte n the meet ng saw c ergy and re g ous rom the archd ocese gather n the c ty to re ne the processes put n p ace to dea w th abuse a ega t ons The metropo tan reg on o B oem onte n compr ses the d o ceses o K mber ey Kroonstad Beth ehem and Ke moes Up ng ton “The meet ng part cu ar y o cused on the Protoco or the n vest gat on o comp a nts aga nst c er cs and re g ous n regard to the sexua abuse o m nors and th s was the rst t me that the b shops o the prov nce the b sh ops de egate contact persons and nvest gators had met ” sa d Fr Chr s Townsend o Pretor a who ac tated the event Fr Townsend sa d a though

tra n ng n the Protoco has been ongo ng t had been con ned to nd v dua d oceses “Th s was very s gn cant as t a owed a who e metropo tan prov nce to be tra ned together and to orm the essent a re at onsh ps that a ow the protoco process to unct on Th s s pred cated on trust ” he sa d The Church Protoco n South A r ca has been n p ace s nce 1999 A team tasked w th nvest gat ng a a egat ons o sexua abuse o ch dren was set up The team wh ch nc udes ndepend ent pro ess ona s speaks w th the comp a nant the respondent and a w tnesses concerned t s com posed o a contact person a de e gate o the archd ocese a awyer a canon awyer a psycho og st a med ca person a med a person and a manager o procedure a report o an abuse rst comes to the Church rather than to po ce the Church must a ways adv se the comp a nants to take th s ev dence to the po ce or to a soc a worker the nd ngs o the Protoco

team con rm that an o ence has been comm tted t presents t to the b shop who must then make a udgment the b shop udges that the Church person s gu ty o such an o ence he must then re er th s to the Congregat on or the Doctr ne o the Fa th n Rome Express ng h s sat s act on about the B oem onte n meet ng Fr Townsend sa d “The tra n ng was exce ent— t gave a new scope o pract ca exper ence that w both eed back nto the SACBC Pro ess ona Conduct Comm ttee and be pract ca n the de ence o the r ghts o a mem bers o the Church “ hope that th s w be one o many workshops that bu d a cu ture o sa ety care protect on and accountab ty or the who e Church n Southern A r ca ” he sa d Accord ng to Fr Townsend on the rst day part c pants watched scenes rom the Oscar w nn ng m Spo gh by way o try ng to get to gr ps w th the hurt and damage caused by sexua abuse and v o at on on young peop e

CAPE par sh e t as t was trans ported to West A r ca when a par sh oner ce ebrated her en gagement n true N ger an sty e Mercy Ob a member o the cho r at the church o Our Lady o Perpet ua He p n Durbanv e ce ebrated her engagement to Co ns Agbe e n the par sh s centre n the presence o many par sh oners Be ore par sh pr est Fr M chae van Heerden adm n stered a b ess ng to the coup e he was ntroduced by the N ger an master o ceremon es n a sty e s m ar to that o a South A r can pra se s nger n true N ger an ash on a though the nv tat on stated that the event wou d start at 14 30 proceed ngs began much ater—though the bar opened punctua y Ms Ob herse arr ved our hours nto the ceremony—accord ng to the programme that was n keep ng w th

F om e Pa sh one s anya and Tanya lo z engaged coup e Co ns agbe e and Me cy Ob Ms Ob s end ama a Ezeh and F M chae van Hee den o Ou lady o Pe pe ua He p pa sh n du banv e Cape Town

Beware of get-rich schemes Con nued om page 1 money One on y needs to ook at the co apse o MMM Ch na or ev dence o what s to come ” the webs te sa d MMM South A r ca den es that t s a ponz scheme and nstead c a ms that t s more ak n to a stokve And so do ts supporters “There s noth ng ega about t th s s ke a stokve … you ve got spare money to nvest you can get 30% o that money at the end o 31 days ” sa d an nvestor who d d not want to be dent ed The South A r can vers on o MMM has been grow ng over the years as nvestors seek ways to escape debt and poverty MMM has become an emot ve top c or those who buy nto t nc ud ng a wr ter and ormer EFF eader And e Mngx tama who has pub c y expressed h s tentat ve support

Mr Mngx tama argued that any th ng that the bank ng estab shment d d not ke must be a good th ng Maya F sher French a top nance ourna st has a so pred cted the a o MMM “W th an nvest gat on under way by the po ce no doubt to be o owed by the Rece ver o Rev enue t appears ke y that MMM w co apse sooner rather than ater ” she sa d “Based on the n ormat on pro v ded on the webs te MMM o ows a c ass c pyram d structure ” she sa d “The part c pants der ve the r ncome or returns pr mar y rom the recru t ment o new members n other words the returns are not based on nvestments or the se ng o any product but on money pa d by new peop e o n ng The ph osophy s that you o er ass stance by pay ng a o n ng ee ”

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T The he sspiritual piritual heroism heroism of of Mother Mother Teresa Teresa

C Can an there there be be p peace eace in in the the H Holy oly Land?

Land?

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P Page age 9

Church gets taxis in antislaverry y drive

or

BY MANDLA ZIBI

A

PRIEST blessed taxis, drivers and owners in Hartebeespoort, North West, in aid of the fight against human trafficking in South Africa.

The ceremony was organised by the Counter Trafficking in Persons (CTIP), a department of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference as part of its “Taxis Against Human Trafficking” initiative.

It coincided with a three-day conference on human trafficking in the area hosted by CTIP with the Leadership of Consecrated Life.

“Because it is one the biggest movers of people around the country and the whole Southern African region, the taxi industry is a very important link in the fight against human trafficking,” said Sr Melanie O’Connor of CTIP. i i d t it “Th t i

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S outher n C ross

IT’S WORTH IT!

The Southern Cross, May 4 to May 10, 2016

LOCAL

3

Year of Mercy mission goes trilingual STaFF REPORTER

T

HE Year of Mercy mission team took the Greater Knysna parish in Oudtshoorn diocese by merciful storm in late April.

Frs Larry Kaufmann CSsR, Sean Collins CSsR, and Ludwe Jayiya of Port Elizabeth diocese took the four communities which make up the parish on a reflective meditation on being merciful like the Father, the theme of the Jubilee of Mercy.

“Being a cluster parish consisting of four very diverse communities posed a number of challenges for the parish pastoral council in putting the mission together as we wanted the whole parish to experience the grace

Parishioners of St anthony’s Sedgefield with Fr larry Kaufmann CSsR, at their closing tea in the clergy garden, after their year of Mercy mission. Missions were held simultaneously in the four communities making up Greater Knysna in English, afrikaans and Xhosa.

of the mission and the spiritual depth of the preachers,” said parish priest Fr Brian Williams.

“Finally we settled for a preached mission happening in the four communities simultaneously in Afrikaans, English and Xhosa. The preaching focused on the mercy of the Father through Jesus Christ, healing, forgiveness and the Eucharist,” he said.

“The missioners invited the parish to use the mission as a runup preparation for the celebration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which will also serve as the closing of the mission and the Easter season with a combined liturgy on Pentecost Sunday,” Fr Williams said.

Answering God’s call in your own way Gender justice starts with the individual

By Mandla ZiBi

Girls and young women attended a vocations workshop in aliwal north run by nuns of the Congregation of Mother of divine love.

F

IVE sisters of the Congregation of Mother of Divine Love (CMDA) ran a vocations workshop for 20 girls and young women aged between 13 and 21 at Mount Carmel Youth Training and Conference Centre in Aliwal North.

Coordinated by Fr Mlulami Matiwane of the diocese, the workshop saw Ss Peter, Agatha, Agnes, Lucia and Nomfundo from Queenstown and Bloemfontein explain what it means to be called by God and how to deal with it.

“The aim was to provide the girls with an education on vocations— not the vocation of a particular profession but that of God,” said Nontu Ntaka of the training centre. “This includes a consecrated or religious life of course, but it goes beyond that to other professions that have little to do with the Church.”

She said that God calls everyone, “not necessarily to the nunnery or

priesthood but in many other very different ways to fulfil various tasks”, adding: “The main benefit in the end is to us as individuals and to those around us.”

The sisters explained the different vocations to the girls and provided them with the skills to

discern the real call and how to respond to it.

The girls also got an education on prayer life, the sacraments, vows, community life, the history of the congregation, spirituality and life skills. Other activities included a talent show and a healing service.

By Mandla ZiBi

A

NOTED international scholar has challenged “misguided patriarchal interpretations of Scripture” and argued that the Gospel is also about the liberation of humankind from the sin of male chauvinism.

Speaking at a public lecture at St Augustine College in Johannesburg, Professor Jan Jans of Tillburg University in the Netherlands made an urgent call to Church and society alike to resist what he called “hegemonic masculinities”.

“These appear where masculinity and femininity are defined according to gender stereotypes that are attached to people in a simplistic manner.

“These unexamined, often unconscious stereotypes lead to gen-

journeYS of a lifetiMe!

LA SALLE COLLEGE DISCOVERY

MEDJUGORJE

La Salle College is a Catholic Independent Day School for girls and boys from Grade R to Grade 12 and committed to the ideas of a Gospel inspired education in the traditions of the De La Salle Congregations.

Rome • Assisi • Loreto 4 - 13 September 2016 (incl. Papal Audience) Led by Fr John Selemela www.fowlertours.co.za/medjugorje The small church of St Peter the Fisherman in the small fishing town laingville on the West Coast received a big gift. received a big gift in the form of a mosaic artwork from local artist lucille louw, who portrays Bible stories in the form of mosaics, giving them for free to many churches.The mosaic is taking pride of place in the church’s foyer.

Rediscover the beauty and inspiration of the Cape at the spaces of the CHRISTIAN BROTHERS CENTRE, STELLENBOSCH for conferences, retreats, & workshops In-house Sabbatical, reflective, and spiritual programmes.

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Spaces for rest and rejuvenation •single or shared accommodation for 20 – 40 adults in en suite rooms • two dormitories with bunk-beds for 24 + 28 young people, with supervisors’ rooms • self-catering facilities – or outsourced catering can be arranged Spaces for planning and visioning a better world •various conference and workshops rooms for groups of about 12 - 40 people Spaces for prayer, reflection, and connection with the earth •Chapel, meditation room, and various outdoor reflection spaces •spacious grounds in beautiful countryside setting, beside forests and mountain Simple and affordable, Youth-friendly & family-friendly Mid-week specials available Christian Brothers Centre – nurturing new life www.cbcentre.co.za cbcstel@gmail.com 021 880 0242

Contact Gail at 076 352 3809 or 021 551 3923

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Candle

Lord, May this candle be a light for you to enlighten me in my difficulties and decisions.

May it be a fire for you to burn out of me all pride, selfishness and impurity.

May it be a flame for you to bring warmth into my heart towards my family, my neighbours and all those who meet me.

Through the prayers of Mary Virgin and Mother I place in your care those I come to pray for (especially…………..)

I cannot stay long with you in this church; In leaving this candle I wish to give to you something of myself

Help me to continue my prayer into everything I do this day. enlarge- print- frame it - distribute

Amen

der injustice, particularly the abuse of power by men over women.”

Prof Jans said.

“The liberation of humankind from the structural sin of hegemonic masculinity is part of the central thrust of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said In addition, Prof Jans said, the struggle for gender liberation must be seen as the natural outcome of the task of the Church as set out by the Second Vatican Council in the document Optatum Totius: “… bearing fruit in charity for the life of the world” (16).

Prof Jans called on men and women to act as partners in meeting the challenge of hegemonic masculinities.

“More particularly, the drive towards gender justice starts with every individual, every day.”

Slabbert Street, Discovery, Florida, 1710, principal@lasalle.co.za

APPLICATIONS ARE INVITED FOR THE POST OF

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL (HIGH SCHOOL) TERM 4 2016

The incumbent will be expected to have: • the requisite academic and professional qualifications and SACE registration.

• a strong personal commitment to the objectives and ethos of Catholic education • experience of leadership and management preferably in a Catholic educational environment • a successful teaching record and involvement in extramural activities • a high level of interpersonal and communicative skills • a good understanding of current educational structure practice • South African Citizenship and police clearance.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the following:

• monitoring academics and examinations

• participation in extracurricular activities to lead by example

• staff management, development, appraisal • policy implementation

• relevant teaching

• deputising for the Principal when necessary

• any other duties/responsibilities that may be assigned from time to time.

Applications should be addressed to the Principal and should include certified copies of all relevant certificates as well as a motivation and names of two contactable references, one of which should be from a Minister of Religion. Applications should reach the College on or before the 31 May 2016, delivered by hand to the College or emailed to principal@lasalle.co.za

The College reserves the right not to proceed with filling the post. An application will not in itself entitle the applicant to an interview or appointment and failure to meet the requirements of the post will result in the applicants automatically disqualifying themselves for consideration.

Faxed applications are not acceptable. Candidates not contacted by 3 June 2016 should consider their application unsuccessful.

4

The Southern Cross, May 4 to May 10, 2016

INTERNATIONAL

Astronauts take Eucharist in space For Catholic astronauts, flying to space doesn’t mean giving up the faith. They pray daily and are even able to take Communion writes dEnniS SadOWSKi

O

N the International Space Station (ISS) there’s a place, while filled with robotic equipment, where astronauts like to hang out. Called the Cupola, the small module has seven large bay windows that give crew members a panoramic view of Earth.

On his first—and thus far only—mission into space in September 2013, astronaut Mike Hopkins was eager to find the Cupola.

What he saw he found amazing.

“When you see the Earth from that vantage point and see all the natural beauty that exists, it’s hard not to sit there and realise there has to be a higher power that has made this,” said Mr Hopkins, who is Catholic.

It was in the Cupola that Mr Hopkins found himself praying and at times taking Communion.

Under a special arrangement with the archdiocese of GalvestonHouston and with the help of Fr James Kuczynski, of Friendswood, Texas, Mr Hopkins’ parish, the rookie astronaut carried a pyx with six consecrated hosts broken into four pieces. It was enough so that he could take Communion once a week for the 24 weeks he was aboard the ISS. “It was extremely, extremely important to me,” said Mr Hopkins, now 47, who grew up on a farm outside Richland, Missouri, in a United Methodist family but became Catholic just before going into space.

He said he wanted to become Catholic not just because his wife and two teenage sons are Catholic but because “I felt something was missing in my life.”

Mr Hopkins completed two spacewalks to change out a pump module with fellow spacefarer Rick Mastracchio. Before exiting the ISS, he took Communion as well.

“Those events can be stressful,”

The

above: astronauts Michael Good and Mike Massimino work on the Hubble Space Telescope.

Right: (Clockwise from top left): Mark Vande Hei trains for his six-month assignment to the international Space Station (iSS).(Top left) Mike Hopkins works aboard the iSS. Mike Hopkins works with a pair of free-flying satellites in the iSS. Retired Catholic astronaut Mike Massimino. (all photos: naSa/CnS) he said. “Knowing Jesus was with me when I stepped out the door into the vacuum of space was important to me.”

S

uch practices of faith, especially among Catholics in the astronaut corps, are hardly unusual. In 1994, astronauts Sid Gutierrez, Thomas Jones and Kevin Chilton, an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, celebrated a Communion service on the shuttle flight deck 200km above the Pacific Ocean.

And long before the trio carried out their service, Frank Borman, aboard Apollo 8 orbiting the moon on Christmas Eve in 1968, read from the Book of Genesis in perhaps one of the most memorable broadcasts in US space history. Seven months later, Buzz Aldrin, an elder in his Presbyterian church in Houston, celebrated a communion service for himself after landing on the moon using a kit provided by his church.

Devout Muslim astronauts follow National Fatwa Council guidelines developed in 2007 that define permissible modifications to traditional rituals such as kneel-

Southern Cross

Pilgrimage to the Canonisation of

Mother Teresa of Kolkata

ing during prayer, facing Mecca when praying, and washing.

Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, who died during re-entry aboard the shuttle Columbia in 2003 when it broke up over Texas and Louisiana 16 minutes prior to landing, carried a microfiche Tanakh given to him by Israel’s president and had copied the traditional Jewish blessing Shabbat Kiddush into his diary so he could recite it, according to media reports.

On long-term missions to the ISS, schedules give astronauts blocks of private time daily, allowing them to pray, read the Bible or other inspirational works, write in a journal or reflect on God. Mike Hopkins used some of his time to keep up with the Sunday readings and his priest’s weekly homily, both of which he received via e-mail from the support person for his family assigned by NASA who was a member of his parish.

“My crewmates knew I had the Eucharist with me,” Mr Hopkins said. “In fact, I coordinated with my Russian commander. He knew everything going on. They were all aware of that, but I never tried to make a large deal about it and publicise it and they didn’t either.

They respected my faith and my desire to follow that faith even when I was in orbit.”

A

stronaut Mike Good, a member of St Paul the Apostle parish in Nassau Bay, Texas, near NASA’s Johnson Space Centre, and a veteran of two space flights, spent about 12 days on each of his missions aboard the space shuttle.

Taking Communion into space, he said, was not as imperative.

“But if I was going to do a sixmonth expedition on the ISS, I would talk to my priest and figure out what we were going to do,” Mr Good said.

From another perspective, Mr Good, 53, and retired astronaut

Mike Massimino, 54, told CNS that the opportunity to fly in space offered time to reflect on creation as they gazed upon the spaceship called Earth.

“One thought I had is that God must love us to give us such a beautiful home,” Mr Massimino said. “It’s given me a view of the planet of how special it is and how loved we are to have such a great place and how we should appreciate it.”

Mr Good, Mr Massimino’s spacewalk partner on a 2009 shuttle mission servicing the Hubble Space Telescope, said he felt blessed to see the planet from high above.

“Looking back at the Earth, I can’t really describe how beautiful it is from 500km up,” Mr Good said. “Looking down, you can tell it’s a planet. The sky is black.

There’s just a thin blue ribbon, what we see as blue sky on Earth.

You realise how small it is and how fragile the planet is.

“It just makes it so obvious that God created this beautiful place.

The word awe just comes to mind. ...And looking out into space, it’s just a clear view. The stars don’t twinkle. It’s like a high definition 3-D TV. You look out into space and feel very small.”

Both men acknowledged that flying into space is dangerous and they prepared before their missions by participating in the sacrament of reconciliation. “You try to be in as good a state as you can because it’s a dangerous event you’re going to partake in,” said Mr Massimino, who also flew on a shuttle mission to Hubble in 2002.

Mr Good, a graduate of the Catholic University of Notre Dame, expects that when the moment of launch comes, there’s a feeling of connection with God or a higher power among just about everyone heading to space.

“Heading out to the launch pad is like being in a foxhole,” Mr

Good said. “There’s not a lot of atheists in a foxhole. I don’t think there’s many atheists sitting atop the launch pad.”

NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, allow astronauts to take a little more than 1,3 kg of personal items into space. Some of the Catholics who have flown have taken crucifixes, prayer cards, icons and other religious objects with them.

Among the things Mr Massimino took on his first flight was a Vatican City flag, which he later gave to St John Paul II. On his second flight, he took a prayer card depicting Pope Benedict XVI, which he gave to the pontiff.

Messrs Hopkins, Good and Massimino took mementos, including religious items, from their schools, parishes and friends into space.

One Catholic astronaut, Mark Vande Hei, 49, is preparing for his first mission to the ISS next March. He said he has talked a bit with his Catholic colleagues about what to expect.

The next 11 months will be particularly busy as he trains in Japan, around the US and at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. For now, his spiritual preparation remains the same with daily prayer and regular Mass attendance at St Paul the Apostle church in Nassau Bay. “I pray the rosary while walking the dog,” he added.

To keep astronauts’ spirits high, NASA arranges for occasional calls with celebrities on flights and asks each astronaut with whom they might like to talk. Mr Vande Hei, said he suggested Pope Francis.

His request may not be outside the realm of possibility. Pope Benedict communicated with the crew aboard the ISS in May 2011 in a 20-minute conversation.— CNS

Rome & Assisi

Pope: Refugees not a problem, but a gift 2 - 11 September 2016

Spiritual Director:

Fr Emil Blaser OP

Contact Gail at info@fowlertours.co.za or 076 352-3809 or 021 551-3923 www.fowlertours.co.za/motherteresa

By JUnnO aROCHO ESTEVES

R

EFUGEES, often perceived by society as an added cost or a problem, are a gift and a reflection of the face of God, Pope Francis said.

People who escape oppression, war, pollution or “the unjust distribution of the planet’s resources are a brother and sister with whom to share bread, home and life,” he said in a video message to the Centro Astalli, the Jesuit Refugee Service centre in Rome.

“You are witnesses of how our clement and merciful God can transform the evil and injustice you have

suffered into a good for all,” he said.

The pope’s message to refugees and volunteers marked the 35th anniversary of the centre’s founding by Fr Pedro Arrupe, superior of the Jesuits from 1965 to 1983.

Pope Francis said the centre’s work in assisting refugees is a courageous form of following Jesus’ words, “For I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.”

Every refugee “who knocks on our doors bears the face of God, the flesh of Christ”, he said. “Your experience of pain and of hope reminds us that we are all foreigners and pilgrims on this earth, welcomed by someone with generosity and with-

out reward.”

The pope asked forgiveness from the refugees for society’s indifference toward their plight out of fear “for the change of life and mentality that your presence requires”.

However, he added, the presence of refugees can serve as a bridge to unite distant lands as well as different cultures and religions, allowing people to “rediscover our common humanity”.

In welcoming refugees, the pope said, the Centro Astalli has continued Fr Arrupe’s “prophetic vision”, and he thanked them for showing that in walking together, “the path becomes less frightening”.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

New magazine to help women find meaning

By JUliE aSHER

W

OMEN’S fashion and lifestyle magazines abound on the Internet and in print, but there’s still a void in what those offer to women, according to the editor of a new online magazine launched by the global Catholic network Aleteia.org.

For Her (forher.aleteia.org) was created specifically for women raised with strong values and a “strong sense of beliefs”, women who want to embrace their feminine style and nature, editor-in-chief Cynthia Dermody said.

That “does not mean high collars, and long skirts—we’re on the runways in Paris, up on trends that are modern and beautiful and stylish, but it’s all kind of a style that represents a strong feminine elegance, style as a way of self-expression, rather than as a style to get attention”, she said.

T

he magazine has sections on relationships, family, fashion and beauty, lifestyles, spirituality and wellbeing. Subcategories cover faith, vocations, education, travel, children and more.

In perusing the site, a visitor could find these recent headlines: “5 popular artists whose faith inspires their creativity”, “The faithful astronaut”, “13 baby names to honour Mary”, “Aysha’s journey: one refugee’s quest for a safe place”, “Jennifer Garner on life’s miracles: past, present and future”, “Saying ‘yes’ to a leap of faith”, “Protecting kids’ innocence in a digital age”, and “Chivalry & the millennial guy”.

“We come at [women’s issues] from a different place, from what is truly important in life,” said Ms Dermody. “It’s not all about what makes

us happy in the moment, but what sustains us for the long term, and that takes reflection, taking pause and reflecting on what those things are.”

A main section called “So Her!” is “really the DNA of our site, where you will find the articles and people that best exemplify who we are and who we target”, she said. “For instance, Angelina Jolie speaking with refugees. Erin Hempen helping to build schools for orphans in Africa.

Model Madeline Stuart, the first professional model with Down’s syndrome.

“We have articles on manners and how to live with each other for the best possible life. Portraits of inspiring women. Great articles that speak to us and our mission of living a life of beauty and meaning,” she said.

“We feel the content will appeal to Catholic women, but we also feel this content is universal in so many ways...family values, looking for the meaning in life...these aren’t just values exclusive to Catholic women, so yes, we want to appeal to Catholics but want all women to take notice and find the beauty and interest” in For Her. Delving into the hot-button social issues of the day or covering topics like how to spice up one’s marriage are not going to be a focus of the magazine, she noted. Topics many women’s magazines cover today are “really very shallow”, she said.

For Her wants to show “where people live and the artifacts of their life”, have their hobbies “show through”, highlight memories made during travel and treasures passed down, and feature paintings by family members. “It gives it a different warmth than you typically see,” Ms Dermody said.—CNS

For Her online women’s magazine hopes to bridge the gap between faith and beauty. (inset) Cynthia dermody, editor-in-chief.

‘Protector’ Church a refuge in xenophobic attacks in Zambia

By BROnWEn daCHS

Z

AMBIANS are shocked and ashamed of the recent xenophobic violence in the capital, Lusaka, in which mostly Rwandans’ homes and shops were ransacked, a Church official said.

“We are totally at a loss trying to explain the reasons behind this violence,” said Fr Cleophas Lungu, general secretary of the Zambia Episcopal Conference.

As a “home, protector and voice” of the marginalised, the Catholic Church was the first place people turned when fleeing the attacks, Fr Lungu said, noting that about 300 refugees from Rwanda and other African countries were taking shelter at St Ignatius church in Lusaka.

The violence started in a densely populated low-income area in Lusaka after residents accused a Rwandan shop owner of being behind suspected ritual killings.

Homes of mainly Rwandans were destroyed and their shops looted.

By the following day, the attacks had spread throughout the city’s

poor residential areas and involved other nationalities.

This violence “is un-Zambian”, Fr Lungu said, noting that “as a nation, we are not associated with xenophobic tendencies”.

Zambians “are proud of our reputation of providing hospitality to refugees,” he said, noting that it is hosting more than 50 000 people who have fled wars in countries such as Angola, Mozambique, Rwanda, Burundi and Congo.

Many Rwandans “have been here for more than 20 years, after fleeing the genocide in that country in 1994”, Fr Lungu said.

The attacks could be a result of “scapegoating for our own problems of poverty and unemployment”, he said. “Huge numbers of young people are unemployed” in Zambia and high and rising costs of commodities “cause great hardship”.

“Particularly in this Year of Mercy, we are called to welcome strangers and to feed the hungry,” the priest said.—CNS

The Southern Cross, May 4 to May 10, 2016

a woman cries during a candlelight vigil in los angeles after the death of musician Prince.

The 57-year-old iconic musician was found dead at his home outside Minneapolis. Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, tweeted a quote from one of Prince’s songs, “Sometimes it Snows in april”, in homage of the singer, who was also praised for his artistry in the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano. The cardinal’s tweet said: “Sometimes, sometimes i wish that life was never ending, all good things they say, never last.”

(Photo:lucy nicholson, Reuters/CnS)

5

Are these the world’s happiest nuns?

By diEGO lóPEZ MaRina

W

ATCH them sing, and you might be convinced of it: these quite possibly are the world's happiest nuns.

The Eucharistic Communicators of the Heavenly Father are a community of nuns from Colombia who have a great passion for music and an intense desire to announce God through the gifts he has given them.

Sr María Victoria de Jesús said the mission of their apostolate “is to evangelise through as many means of communication as possible”, and added that the charism of the sisters “is to communicate the love of God the Father”.

They have released a Spanish-language album titled Yo le Canto (“I Sing”), as well as numerous music videos online.

They are currently producing new songs for a 2017 release, and have been featured regularly on Catholic radio stations in Colombia, Peru and Los Angeles.

The Eucharistic Communicators of the Heavenly Father were formed in 2004 by Mother Gabriela del Amor Crucificado and Fr Antonio Lootens, from two communities of hermits. They are based in the archdiocese of Cali, in south-western Colombia, and the community includes 65 religious women dedicated to evangelisation through social media.

Sr Maria of Nazareth, who founded the musical group within the community, recalled “the words of Paul VI that the Church would be culpable if it did not use the powerful medium of television, and that John Paul II said there should be a group of consecrated persons dedicated to communications media—and thus

The Eucharistic Communicators of the Heavenly Father order in Colombia our community was born”.

Sr María Victoria de Jesús explained that their music ministry “began three years ago, when we produced our first CD with the help of some lay persons”.

“In the past year we began producing music videos so as to reach many more people. We work in all that is artistic and audiovisual: radio, film, music, television, and social media,” she said.

While the community was principally founded to work in communications media in 2004, “the musical power emerged spontaneously with the sisters who were given musical talents”.

Sr Maria of Nazareth commented that “before bringing a message, it is necessary to have a witness of life, to be faithful to the Lord, and to his call. Really, our vows of poverty, obedience and chastity help us to give of ourselves. The first medium of communication is our life and it is this that the world needs—living gospels.

Then the rest follows.”

do you feel called to the Franciscan way of life?

The texts, production, direction and recording are done by the sisters themselves, who are prepared within their community to be able to perform these tasks.

“Visually we develop it all; we are trained to make a good audiovisual product. We develop it as a producer because we want the content to be high quality, to be the best for the Lord,” she said.

“Our goal is to support all the dioceses so that there is strength in the Church, and not just in Cali. To have a presence wherever there are persons who do not believe, do not know God, to look for the lost sheep and to strengthen those who are in the fold,” noted Sr Maria of Nazareth.

“When people listen to us they say they feel great peace, the love of God the Father, and some even cry.

The sisters by their life of prayer touch hearts ... which need a voice of encouragement, to feel loved by God. We seek to give people hope,” she said.—CNA

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6

The Southern Cross, May 4 to May 10, 2016

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Reverence at Mass

A

PERSISTENT complaint over the past few decades has concerned the perceived decay of appropriate reverence at Mass.

Those of traditionalist stripe tend to blame the Second Vatican Council and its liturgical reforms for this. And it may well be true that the Latin and scent of abundantly distributed incense in the old Mass fostered a certain type of external reverence.

But how people act at Mass has been influenced also by dynamics that are unrelated to the post-Vatican II liturgy.

One of these may relate to a more casual, selective attitude to the Catholic faith in general due to a combination of societal pressures, and to deficiencies in catechesis and formation. While most Catholics treasure the real presence of Our Lord in the appearances of bread and wine at Communion, for many other Catholics the Eucharist is a matter of mere routine.

What exactly amounts to irreverence is mostly subjective— but not always.

The use of cellphones during Mass, for example, may be tolerable when done for urgent professional business, but texting for private purposes is objectively lacking in respect, to both the liturgy and other congregants.

A common complaint revolves around the way people dress for Mass. While most pilgrim churches around the world—such as those in the Holy Land, Rome, Lourdes or Fatima— apply strict dress codes that govern entry, there usually are no such formalised regulations in parish churches.

The prescribed dress code in pilgrim churches certainly serves as a good guide: no shorts that sit above the knee for men and women (or, in some churches, no shorts at all), no short dresses or skirts for women, no bare shoulders or backs for women. Flipflops are discouraged as well.

It is safe to say that one takes no risks of causing offence to other congregants at the parish Mass if one is guided by this sartorial code.

And while the notion that women who dress “immodestly” cause male congregants to have impure thoughts is chauvinistic, church probably is not the right place in which to wear hotpants.

At the same time, we must beware of judging the reverence

of others by their dress. For one thing, fashions change.

Not too long ago it was a norm that one would wear “Sunday best” to church. Today, very few people in South Africa would think of wearing a suit on Sunday (or, increasingly, on any day). Jeans, once frowned upon, are now standard wear. And fashions will keep evolving.

There is also the question of climate and local culture. In a country with hot summers, for example, it may be seen as permissible for a man to wear shorts at Mass, if this is a culturally acceptable norm.

Clothes tend to reveal little about a person’s character. A threadbare suit may be a poor man’s best, while an elegant designer suit may be another man’s fifth-best. We simply cannot measure the reverence or character of congregants by their clothes.

There are other areas where we could misjudge people at Mass. Sometimes we might see congregants doing things which seem irreverent—drinking water or eating, for instance. While this may indeed be neglectful behaviour, it could also be prompted by necessity, such as a medical condition (ideally, this should be first cleared with the parish priest).

Much as perceived irreverence might scandalise us, we mostly have little idea about the interior disposition of those whom we feel tempted to pass judgment on. The man who never genuflects or the woman wearing hotpants may well have no appreciation for the Mass—or it might be that the man has a knee injury and the young woman maintains a more exemplary Christian life than we do, her choice of dress notwithstanding.

Conversely, some congregants might exhibit all the external signs of pious reverence, but are insincere in doing so.

How are we to judge? And who are we to judge others?

Of course, we should not tolerate flagrant transgressions, and we, as church communities, ought to aspire to certain standards.

But first we must find a broad consensus on what these standards are, and how they are then to be applied and encouraged.

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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.

Weak homilies can’t be tolerated

I

COULD not agree more with Sr Susan Rakoczy’s Point of Debate article, “A moratorium on homilies?” (April 13). If there is ever a reason needed to no longer attend Sunday Mass it is to avoid tolerating the nonsense that passes as homilies in some churches.

So often, the homilies I have

Homilists simply echo readings

I

WOULD like to congratulate Sr Susan Rakoczy IHM on her excellent and thought-provoking column, “A moratorium on homilies?”

Because of the poor quality of most homilies, I have often wished that priests would get some ideas for their homilies from the Internet, which surely would be better than simply summarising the readings of the day, thus insulting the intelligence of their congregation.

This is something quite new at Sunday Masses, but it is now so common that my husband and I decided the priests had to be following instructions from the hierarchy, or from Rome!

I echo Sr Susan’s call for a “moratorium on homilies” and some training given to so many struggling priests.

Eileen Lowry, Johannesburg

Get real: homilies not key to Mass

D

EAR me, dear me! Sr Susan Rakoczy must have been in a very bad mood when she wrote her article in The Southern Cross. What on earth had the poor priest, who said the Palm Sunday Mass that she attended, done to justify her wrath?

Her suggestion that there should be workshops to help priests prepare and deliver homilies is sensible, but I assumed, rightly or wrongly, that this took place already in dioceses.

Her suggestion that there should a one-year moratorium on homilies cannot be taken seriously, and if it was made tongue in cheek, I’m afraid that it passed me by if that was her intention.

Why should those of us who are privileged to have priests who produce thought-provoking homilies week after week be denied the joy of listening to these homilies?

However, the main point that I want to make is why are so many people becoming obsessed with the standards of preaching during Mass? Do they really believe that the homily is the central part of the Mass? Yes, it is a bonus to listen to a good sermon but surely the Transubstantiation is the focal point of the Mass.

been subjected to have very little, if anything, to do with the particular Sunday readings. At best, they are simply a retelling of the Bible story.

Besides that, if the priest cannot make a valid point within, at most, ten minutes, then no homily at all would be better. Carrying on and on for 15-20 minutes is no way to

Her concluding paragraph suggests that people “leave the Church in disgust” because of the homily they hear, says more to me about the depth of the roots of their faith than about the homilist.

Paddy Ross, Cape Town

Does the Bible condemn gays?

I

RESPOND to the anonymous priest’s article “Does the Bible condemn gays and lesbians?” (January 13).

Firstly, the title is a misnomer.

The Bible condemns no person, but rather is unequivocal in declaring whether a person’s behaviour is worthy of “condemnation”.

I have no doubt that many who have same sex attractions feel this way from a young age and the author rightly states there are “many debates going about the biological, psychological and sociological causes of same-sex attraction, it is clear that this is not a matter of choice”.

But as Michael Cook of Mercator Net observes: “If homosexuality is genetic, it should have disappeared according to evolutionary theory, as homosexuals do not produce offspring…” Just a thought.

Perhaps we should also look at the “erotic attractions from childhood”, as mentioned by the author.

Joseph Prever says in the article “Catholic, gay, chaste and feeling fine”, in the same issue, that “eros is different from friendship and…physical acts have spiritual meanings”.

He hits the nail on the head. Our oversexed culture has forgotten the notion of friendship! It seems that all relationships should lead to sex for them to have any meaning.

My take is that, objectively speaking, there is nothing wrong with being attracted to the same sex—in fact I remember having had a “crush” on a matric girl when I was 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

attract the congregation.

If the bishop is not prepared to declare a one-year moratorium as suggested by Sr Rakoczy, then at least he could instruct priests (whom he identifies as bad homilists) to read, slowly and clearly, one of the many short and meaningful homilies prepared by experts that must be available on the Internet.

John Faller, Johannesburg in Grade 8. Did it go any further? No. What young people are not told is that a developmental phenomenon during puberty can occur and that is to have an attraction towards someone of the same sex. It’s not abnormal, but should it be acted out on in a sexual manner?

Like any heterosexual attraction, outside of marriage, the answer is No. Chastity is a virtue long lost in its teaching to our young people.

As St John Paul II said: “The virtue of chastity must be rehabilitated.”

This should then help all human persons to “order” erotic attractions, not necessarily to move from same-sex to heterosexual, but rather what to do with those attractions.

Mgr Charles Pope, a priest from Washington DC, reminds us: “There can be no sexual intercourse for any who are not in a valid heterosexual marriage. We cannot give approval for it; we do not have the power to do this, no matter how insistent, forceful, or even punitive the demands that we do so become.

This will not change because it cannot change.”

Of course the Church has always maintained that she does not detest those of same sex-attraction, but as Church, she owes them the same truth that has always been proclaimed as coming from God, and out of respect she must hold them to the same standards of chastity by which all must live.

MA teBrake, Johannesburg

Rolheiser thanks

J

UST to say how much we enjoy The Southern Cross every week Thank you and thank the team.

Would you know if Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI has written a book?

Has he a collection of his Sunday writings, does he intend to have them printed?

I would so love to have a collection. He answers all the questions I would love to share with the grandchildren as they grow, questions I have long wanted answered.

Please thank him.

Hilary Thorne, Howick, KZN n Fr Rolheiser has published several books, among them The Holy Longing (1999), The Restless Heart (2004) and Forgotten Among the Lilies (2007), all published by Doubleday.

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The Southern Cross, May 4 to May 10, 2016

PERSPECTIVES

The funny side of being a priest M Y life as a priest is often very humorous, ranging from delicious irony to pure slapstick and everything in between.

The nature of the labour in this responsibility in the vineyard just lends itself to being in the right place at the right time.

For all the wrong reasons!

Some of the funnier events have to be cautiously retold to protect the reputations of those who might recognise themselves in this column.

I can see why the Latin-rite moved away from the baptism-by-immersion of infants.

When you take a wriggly five-month-old and then try to drown her, her natural instinct for survival kicks in and she becomes like a bar of soap in a bath…

If parents demand immersion baptism now, I insist that they will hold their precious one, and then I quickly cite child safety guidelines.

Of course, naked children and water also pose other threats, especially if a boy is involved. Sometimes the action of baptism is reciprocal...

Children also have very few filters—especially when the church is suddenly quiet. It’s usually at this point that a child speaks, loudly and not always from their mouths. As their parents disappear under benches in sheer embarrassment, try being the priest who is watching your faces. Ek kannie meer nie!

It’s this same honesty that got me when hearing second confessions at a boys’ school.

The young men, coming in to bare their souls, had been very effectively coached by their grade school teacher. I was subjected to an infinite variety of “I disobeyed my parents-kicked the dog-pulled my sisters hair and stole Chappies”, to the point that I was immensely grateful to be behind a screen so that these very earnest young boys couldn’t see the tears streaming down my cheeks. Their inventiveness knew no

bounds. Whoever thought you could steal your sister and punch Chappies.

Teenage angst, especially new teenage angst, is great for comedy. Teaching a module in life orientation on the birds and the bees allowed me to ask the eager teens if any of them had younger brothers or sisters.

Naturally, when the realisation dawned that their parents had to do something to “get” that newer sibling was a moment of delight as they had to process that very disturbing reality that their parents were, well, normal.

M

usic is another a place of humour. Increasingly as we celebrate more funerals during the week, the scarce skills of church musicians and choirs become a challenge. We often resort to MP3s or CDs. But “You Light Up My Life” really is not an appropriate song for a cremation.

Weddings are great for those unintended moments of humour.

Celebrating a Sunday wedding, at lunchtime, on the Highveld in December represents its own challenge.

My bride, in her princess dress, had just

How stories enrich us T HE evangelist Mark wrote of Jesus: “And he did not speak to them without a parable” (4:34). A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the gospels.

I recently acquired a copy of Fr Ralph De Hahn’s book collection of short stories, Let Me Tell You A Story. What a lovely and easy book to read!

In 149 pages Fr de Hahn tells 42 stories, so each story is only about three pages long—and each story is gripping from beginning to end. Regular readers of The Southern Cross may know Fr de Hahn’s storytelling from the many Christmas editions in which these appeared.

Just as the parables told by Jesus, these stories have moral and spiritual lessons such as “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, “The least becomes the most important” and “The real value of most people is hidden. Many heroes go unnoticed.”

We all love stories. Adults love stories as much as children do (if not in books, then in film or TV shows). Why are stories so attractive and powerful as a means of communication?

I did some research to find out more about the power of storytelling and I discovered the following.

Stories are authentic human experiences. There are several psychological reasons why stories are so powerful. l Stories have always been a primal form of communication. They are timeless links to ancient traditions, legends, myths and symbols. They connect us to a larger self and universal truths. l Stories are about collaboration and

connection.

They transcend generations, they engage us through emotions, and they connect us to others.

Through stories (or parables) we share passions and sadness, hardships and joys. We share meaning and purpose. Stories are the common ground that allows people to communicate, overcoming defences and differences.

Stories allow us to understand ourselves better and to find our commonality with others. l Stories are how we think. They are how we make meaning of life. Call them scripts, mental, metaphors, or narratives.

Stories are how we explain how things work, how we make decisions, how we justify our decisions, how we persuade others, how we understand our place in the world, create our identities, and define and teach social values. l Stories are how we are wired. Stories take place in the imagination. To the human brain, imagined experiences are processed the same as real experiences.

Stories create genuine emotions and the sense of being somewhere. Stories help us to change our behaviours.

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Fr Chris Townsend

Pastor’s notebook

exchanged vows with her much taller groom. As I turned to get the Asperges bucket to bless the rings, she fainted. Properly. Straight down into her tulle layers.

The dress embraced her and engulfed her.

I was left with a groom and a pile of meringue.

Of course, the newly-minted husband thought that she had died. No fear… Two older, shorter women took right over, whipping out sniffing salts (who knew those even existed!) and reaching up to slap him, too, for good measure.

As a priest there is the irony of being seated either with the photographer and band (yes, I suppose I am a service provider) or next to the great-granny who speaks no English and has one of those handbags. They hold them like they’re aiming consoles on a machine gun… God forbid you get in their sights.

Grooms cry the most at weddings. Yes, really. The moment the doors open and your bride is silhouetted, even those who have never shed an adult tear before do so now.

And some don’t stop. One wedding was paused while the very composed bride reached into her dress to whip out a handkerchief and thrust it rather forcefully to her sobbing groom.

There is also a certain irony in the “I know it’s your day off, Father, but…” brigade. Genuine emergencies aside, demanding a baptism certificate for a First Communion happening tomorrow is, well, laughable. As is asking me: “What time is midnight Mass, Father?”

Well, how about 2:15?

Judith Turner

Faith and life

l Stories are the pathway to triggering our imagination. By engaging our imagination, we become participants in the story. We can step out of our own shoes, see differently, and increase our empathy for others.

And that is why Jesus, the greatest storyteller, spoke to the people in parables.

Parables teach us about the human condition and the many ways in which human beings have encountered God. They teach us how we might best respond to God in our own lives.

There is a line in one of the stories in Fr de Hahn’s book, which I think I will never forget. A life lesson: “Kindness is the key that fits the lock of any heart.” The line touched me and it challenges me to a response.

Let Me Tell You A Story is a book of short, simple and inspirational stories which is not just for individual reading but can also be used by groups in the church, such as women’s groups, youth groups, men’s groups, and so on.

The stories will not just enrich your own lives but also the lives of those to whom you will tell the stories again. And by buying one of Fr de Hahn’s books from the chancery, you will support him in his great work for the church-building fund of the archdiocese of Cape Town. n Let Me Tell You A Story is available at R100 (plus p&p) from the Cape Town (Coral Fisher at 021 462-2417 or apc@adct.org.za) or the Catholic Bookshop (021 465-5904) or from Fr de Hahn at rdehahn@cybersmart.co.za

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7

Tony Magliano

Point of Reflection

You are the light of the world: Shine!

Y

OU, dear reader, are the light of the world.

Don’t take my word for it; that’s gospel truth from Jesus himself (Mt 5:14). And it’s a tall order, indeed.

On the other hand in John’s gospel, Jesus says: “I am the light of the world.” Now, at first glance that makes far more sense. After all, Jesus—God in the flesh—obviously is “the light of the world”.

But then, Jesus assuredly adds: “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12).

And so the light that you and I are to be to the world—which sounds like a daunting task—is the light of Christ and not our own.

So we don’t need to fret over how we are to somehow enlighten the world; our task is to faithfully follow Jesus, and in the process his light shines as a beacon through us.

Arguably the greatest Catholic theologian of the 19th century, Bl John Henry Newman, said it so beautifully: “Dear Jesus, Shine through me, and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel your presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me, but only Jesus... Let me thus praise you the way you love best, by shining on those around me.”

To deeply enjoy Jesus’ loving, joyful, peaceful presence and to radiate that transforming presence out into the world requires us to be very open—to surrender to the will of the risen Lord.

It is the classic spiritual ongoing journey into the loving heart of Jesus. It is to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. This narrow path requires from us a deepening trust in the risen Lord, and a life filled with prayer and good works.

A very wise Christian principle, often attributed to St Ignatius of Loyola, urges us to “pray as if everything depends on God, work as if everything depends on you”.

But in today’s world, sincerely trying to make the absolute best difference, often requires us to go that extra mile to get at the rootcauses of injustice.

Because only by seriously asking the life and death questions before us, and then answering them by systematically addressing the rootcauses of humanity’s ills, can we fully be the light of Christ and transform the world.

Make no mistake about it; disciples of Christ Jesus are called to transform the world!

In their 1971 document titled “Justice in the World”, the international Catholic Synod of Bishops prophetically declared: “Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel, or, in other words, of the Church’s mission for the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation.”

And so let us ask, and honestly seek the answers to these questions: Why are so many people poor, vulnerable and powerless? Why is the sacredness of unborn and born human life often treated with such total disrespect? Why is our earth-home so polluted and dangerously warming? Why are so many families dysfunctional? Why are countless people hungry in a world of plenty? Why are the multitudes morally numb to the ongoing massmurder of war? And why are millions of people so accepting of all this darkness?

It seems like our culture is drugged. The famous peace activist Fr Daniel Berrigan SJ issues this warning: Beware! Beware! Or the culture will swallow you whole. It’s easy to be swallowed whole and drowned by our culture. It is a kind of narcotic.

We need to place our culture into detoxification. We need the true and lasting euphoria of the Gospel! We need to walk in the footsteps of Jesus; thus walking in solidarity with peoples of all nations, co-creating with God a morally just and peaceful world for all people, everywhere!

By inviting the risen Christ ever more deeply into our lives, we can indeed be “the light of the world”, radiating his transforming love upon our often misled culture and hurting planet. n Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist. Read his columns at www.scross.co.za/category/perspectives/tonymagliano

NOW AVAILABLE

BLESSED BENEDICT DASWA MEDALS Sr Stella Cordis Iheadiri DMMM +27 83 371 1376 (Bloemfontein)

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Our Lady of Fatima

The

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for our dear country.

Our Lady of Fatima, sanctify our clergy.

Our Lady of Fatima, make our Catholics more fervent.

Our Lady of Fatima, guide and inspire those who govern us.

Our Lady of Fatima, cure the sick who confide in you.

Our Lady of Fatima, console the sorrowful who trust in you.

Our Lady of Fatima, help those who invoke your aid.

Our Lady of Fatima, deliver us from all dangers.

Our Lady of Fatima, help us to resist temptation.

Our Lady of Fatima, obtain for us all that we lovingly ask of you.

Our Lady of Fatima, help those who are dear to us.

Our Lady of Fatima, bring back to the right road our erring brothers.

Our Lady of Fatima, give us back our ancient fervour.

Our Lady of Fatima, obtain for us pardon of our manifold sins and offences.

Our Lady of Fatima, bring all men to the feet of your Divine Child.

Our Lady of Fatima, obtain peace for the world.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

The Southern Cross, May 4 to May 10, 2016

WORLD

9

Abducted girls still missing: what now?

Two years after Boko Haram’s abduction of 276 girls in Nigeria, lOREdana VUOTO asks if anything has changed.

T

WO years ago, radical Islamists with the militant group Boko Haram stormed a school in Chibok, Nigeria, kidnapping 276 teen girls.

The event initially sparked global outrage, but the press coverage and social media campaigns eventually died down. Two years later, 219 of the girls are still missing.

And experts say that finding the girls, at this point, will require a much broader international effort, aimed at regional stability and combating military corruption.

The Nigerian government has drawn criticism for its failure to rescue the kidnapped girls. While 57 have escaped capture, the majority of the girls—most of whom were between 16 to 18 at the time of their kidnapping—remain missing.

“The Nigerian government has failed to address the situation,” said Ewelina Ochab, legal counsel for ADF International.

“In order to try to free the kidnapped schoolgirls and prevent similar crimes in the future, the international community has to be involved in stabilising the region,” he said. “One country alone cannot solve the problem. It needs a joint global effort.”

In addition to the work of Nigeria, Mr Ochab said that international bodies such as the UN Security Council will also need to be involved in the effort if it is to succeed.

“And although the International Criminal Court can go after the terrorist leaders on an international level and make sure that the perpetrators are tried and convicted for their crimes, it will take troops on the ground to fight Boko Haram and liberate their captives,” he said.

B

oko Haram, a militant Islamist group whose name means “Western education is sinful”, claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

Based in north-eastern Nigeria

Campaigners protest in abuja, nigeria, last august. Two years after terror group Boko Haram abducted 276 teenage girls from their school dormitory in Chibok, 219 are still missing. (Photo: afolabi Sotunde, Reuters/CnS) and also active in Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon, Boko Haram launched an uprising in 2009 hoping to impose strict sharia law on Nigeria. It has been responsible for numerous attacks and thousands of deaths, targeting security forces, politicians, Christian minorities, and moderate Muslims in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north. Last March, the group pledged allegiance to ISIS. Shortly after the kidnapping, Boko Haram released a video of the girls and demanded a prisoner exchange for the release of 16 of its detainees held by the government.

Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, appeared in the video, claiming that the girls had converted to Islam. He also threatened to force them into marriage and slavery.

Last July, another video was released by Boko Haram with the same request. However, all negotiations with the Nigerian government have failed.

As the situation in Nigeria re-

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mains dangerous, Mr Ochab warned that Boko Haram is still “as powerful as ever”.

“Thousands of Christians have been killed over the last few years,” he said. “More than a million people have fled the shocking violence and have become refugees in their own country. As a result, 13000 churches have been closed or destroyed altogether.”

ADF International is filing a report with the International Criminal Court, urging it to start prosecuting members of Boko Haram who have been persecuting Christians in Nigeria. The International Criminal Court has been investigating the situation since 2010.

“Open Doors estimated that 11 500 Christians were killed in the region between 2006 and 2014,” the report states. “It was assessed that over half a million Christians in Northern Nigeria were displaced because of targeting by the respective Islamic extremist groups.”

But Katrina Lantos Swett, presi-

NEW FOR 2016 5 to 13 nov

dent of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (or USCIRF), noted that Boko Haram is not only targeting Christians.

“At USCIRF, we are careful to point out that moderate Muslims and Muslims who favour education, like so many Christians, are also being attacked,” she said. “Muslims and Christians who support tolerance and coexistence within Nigeria have equally been subject to the brutality of Boko Haram.”

I

n 2012, the Pew Research Center reported that 49,3% of Nigeria’s population was Christian, 48,8% was Muslim, and 1,9% followed other indigenous religions or were unaffiliated.

Ms Swett said that Nigeria’s unique demographics make it a good candidate for fostering tolerance.

“The government has to start supporting policies that robustly protect religious freedom for all its citizens. Nigeria is one of the few countries where you have almost

equal numbers of Muslims and Christians,” she explained.

“In most places in the world, one group or another dominates and the other is in clear minority status. That is not the a case in Nigeria,” Ms Swett said. “If Nigeria could get its act together, it could be a real example for the rest of the world in how a country can build a society of tolerance and mutual respect.”

She added that Nigeria cannot effectively respond to the threat of Boko Haram “as long as it continues to be plagued by endemic corruption”.

“When the Nigerian military engages in brutality against targeted segments of the population, it loses the moral high ground,” she said.

“The government must rein in abuses by the military and enforce a robust rule of law so that this climate of impunity is addressed. This is an important step to push back against the voices of extremism.”

According to a report by Amnesty International in June 2015, the Nigerian military has committed many human rights violations, including executing more than 1 200 people and arbitrarily arresting at least 20 000 people. Hundreds of civilians are also believed to be missing because of military action.

“We need to support the government of Nigeria in terms of resources and guidance in their efforts to take on Boko Haram,” Ms Swett said.

“But we also have to use all diplomatic levers at our disposal and lean on the government when it abuses its power.”

In mid-April CNN released a video showing 15 of the girls still alive. The girls wore black robes and identified themselves. “We are well,” one of the victims said. The video was reportedly filmed last December.

“As a mother of four daughters, it is heartbreaking to see so many women and girls become victims of this evil terrorist organisation,” Ms Swett reflected.

“We cannot consider our work done on behalf of human rights until in every part of the world, in every culture, religion and faith, women’s rights are protected and they are respected and treated as equal members of every community,” she said.—CNA

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10

The Southern Cross, May 4 to May 10, 2016

PILGRIMAGE

Jerusalem: The birthplace of our Church The story of God becoming man culminates in Jerusalem. In the eighth part of his series on the recent Pilgrimage of the Peacemakers, GünTHER SiMMERMaCHER visits the Holy City.

O

N top of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, a little mosque marks the place of Jesus’ Ascension. It wasn’t always a mosque.

Once the tiny building was part of a large Crusader basilica. After the fall of the Crusader kingdom in the 12th century the church was destroyed, except the central chapel which was retained and turned into a mosque, since Muslims regard Jesus as a prophet and share our belief in his ascension.

But remarkably, it was never used for the purposes of Muslim worship. Seeing how Christians still came in great numbers to venerate the site, the Muslims instead built another mosque next door.

This is the kind of magnanimity which counters the idea that religious intolerance is an intrinsic essence of Islam. As it is with Christianity, both characteristics—generous acceptance as well as religious chauvinism—can be observed in the practice of Islam.

That contradiction in the religion of Mohammed can be traced right to the beginning of its presence in Jerusalem.

When the Muslims conquered the Holy Land in 637 AD—just five years after Mohammed’s death— Jerusalem’s besieged Christian rulers negotiated a surrender rather than see great bloodshed and pillage. But Patriarch Sophronius insisted that he’d surrender only to the caliph, Umar ibn Al-Khattab (or Omar).

The caliph was a warrior but also known as a just and astute man. He acceded to the patriarch’s demand and duly came to Jerusalem to accept the surrender.

Things must have gone very smoothly because Sophronius invited Omar to pray with him in the church of the Holy Sepulchre, the place of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. But Omar wisely declined because he wanted to avoid setting a precedent that might put at risk the church’s status as a Christian site.

Instead he prayed in the church’s courtyard. Today a mosque, built in 1193 and named after Omar, marks that spot.

Omar still claimed part of the basilica for Islamic worship, but also decreed that Muslims had no business in the rest of it.

But such tolerance was not always evident among the caliphs. In 1009 the malevolent teenage caliph Al-Hakim bi Amr Allah had the church of the Holy Sepulchre almost completely razed as part of his wave of religious persecution.

That event shook the Christian world for the entire century and served as one motivation for the call in the 1090s to reconquer the

(From left) Pilgrims look at plaques of the Magnificat at the church of the Visitation in Ein Kerem. • The Pilgrimage of the Peacemakers group in the Cenacle, or Upper Room. note the islamic stained glass window. • St anne church in Jerusalem, traditional birthplace of Our lady, a Crusader structure that was turned into a Muslim madrassa in 1192 and reverted to being a Catholic church in the 19th century. (all photos: Günther Simmermacher) Holy Land, the Crusades.

The Crusaders did indeed vanquish the Islamic rulers in 1099, and Christians would rule the Holy Land for the next 88 years, until their defeat by al-Saladin in 1187.

T

he Crusaders built many churches throughout the Holy Land, usually on sites where previous churches had stood. After the Muslim reconquest, Saladin set out to erase much of the Christian character of Jerusalem. Thousands of Christians were enslaved.

The al-Aqsa mosque, used by the Crusaders as the headquarters for the Templar Knights, and the Dome of the Rock, used by the Christians as a church, were restored as Muslim places of worship.

Saladin also appropriated churches. In the case of the destroyed site of the Ascension, as we see above, he was generous. But he also turned St Anne’s church, reputedly the birthplace of the Blessed Virgin, into a madrassa (or theological school). A sign in Arabic from 1192 above the entrance mentions Saladin by name.

The church became Catholic again in the 19th century and is a fixture on any good pilgrimage itinerary.

St Anne’s church is famous for its acoustics, and five members of the

Pilgrimage of the Peacemakers group tested the sound with an African hymn. All groups that come there sing. As we were exploring the church, a large group of Vietnamese pilgrims sang with such gusto that they almost lifted the roof of this nine-centuries-old church.

In 1552, the sultan Suleiman the Magnificent took over the Crusader chapel that marks the Upper Room of the Last Supper and the first Pentecost on Mount Zion, known as the Cenacle, and turned it into a mosque. For almost 400 years Christians were not allowed there.

The Cenacle is part of a complex that is holy to Christians, Muslims and Jews. The interest for the latter is the “Tomb of David”, which sports a big velvet-draped sarcophagus. But there is no David inside it.

The misconception was created by the Crusaders who mistakenly identified this southwestern hill as the biblical Mount Zion, and therefore extrapolated that King David was buried there. So they built a tomb in his honour.

The Bible says that King David was buried in the City of David (1 Kings 2:10), which we now know to be on the south-eastern slope of Temple Mount (that is, outside what we know as the Old City). In David’s time, present-day Mount Zion was uninhabited land.

The last Supper is recreated in olive wood and displayed at nissan Brothers’ store in Bethlehem. The set up is consustent with 1st-century culture, except that Jesus probably would have sat second from the end on the left wing of the table.

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But that won’t stop militant ultra-Orthodox Jews from demanding that Christians should be denied access to the Upper Room (or from frequently vandalising the nearby Dormition Abbey, where our Lady drew her last breath).

The misidentification of the tomb of David was also to blame for Suleiman taking over the Cenacle.

Suleiman is the Islamic rendering of Solomon, son of King David. By appropriating the supposed tomb of David and the church of the “Son of David” (namely Jesus), the sultan presented himself—and the Islamic faith—as Solomon, the heir to both the Jewish and Christian traditions.

The Cenacle officially is still a mosque, albeit unused and under Israeli control.

U

nlike David’s Tomb, the Cenacle actually might mark the accurate location of what it represents, the Last Supper and the first Pentecost, though the evidence for that is not conclusive.

Archaeologists have found beneath the complex what appears to be a first-century synagogue. On its plaster there are two inscriptions.

One says, “Oh Jesus, that I may live...”, the other is a Greek acronym which may stand for “Conquer, Saviour, Mercy”. Of course, the early Christians were Jews, and their places of gathering and worship were synagogues.

A clue to indicate that this is indeed a Judeo-Christian synagogue resides in its orientation: not towards Temple Mount, as would be required in Judaism, but towards Golgotha, today the site of the church of the Holy Sepulchre.

This could be the “small church of God [that] marked the site of the Hypero-on” (meaning Upper Room) mentioned by Epiphanius of Salamis as having stood there in 130, and which Cyril of Jerusalem referred to in a sermon in 348 as “the Upper Church of the Apostles”.

And if this is indeed the place, then it is here that the Eucharist was instituted and the Church was born. What a thought!

Incidentally, our image of the Last Supper has been shaped by famous artworks, such as Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic painting in Milan. But we can be certain that Jesus and the Twelve did not sit in a line along one side of a dinner table, with a Tuscan landscape behind them.

They would have been reclining on cushions at a low u-shaped table called a triclinium. If normal seating arrangements were observed, then Jesus, as the host, sat on the table’s left wing, second from the end.

Next to him were the guests of honour. Since diners rested on their left elbow and ate with the right hand, we can surmise that John was to Jesus’ right, since he rested his head on Jesus’ chest (Jn 13:3).

To Jesus’ left, the place reserved for the most honoured guest, might have been Judas.

The gospel account would suggest as much: Jesus gave Judas the bread dipped in the dish (Jn 13:26), an action that was traditionally administered to the guest of honour.

And Matthew reports Jesus as saying that “someone who has dipped his hand into the dish with me will betray me (26:23), so Judas must

have been in close proximity to Jesus.

T

he glory of the being in the Holy Land is to be in the places where all that is fundamental to our faith originated, and to gain a better understanding of it.

There are so many episodes in the gospels which we can geographically pinpoint, sometimes with absolute accuracy. We can touch the actual spot where Our Lord was born and where he was crucified, and pray in the place where he rose from the dead. We can stand in awe at the location where Jesus instituted the Eucharist and made his first post-Resurrection appearance to the disciples, and where the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples on the first Pentecost.

We can see the places where Jesus most likely taught the Lord’s Prayer, where he conversed with the woman at the well, where he healed and where he preached.

The Holy Land is often called the “Fifth Gospel” because through its sacred sites, history and landscape it illuminates the story of the gospel. A good guide—preferably Christian and local—will offer further enlightenment by explaining the cultural and scriptural context in which the gospels are set.

A pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a transforming experience. On a practical level, the pilgrim’s understanding of the gospel narrative is deepened by being able to contextualise the scene. But more profound, and more difficult to articulate, is the transfiguration of the pilgrim’s inner spiritual life.

Our pilgrimage took place during the northern winter, which even in the Holy Land can be quite cold in some areas. As it turned out we were blessed with lovely springlike weather throughout, despite forecasts for rain.

Last year, when I was with a group in Venice, I appealed to St Scholastica, patroness for rain, for her intervention to stop the rain that had been forecast for the whole day. With perfect timing, the clouds opened just as we emerged from Mass and sightseeing in San Marco basilica, giving us a day of glorious sunshine.

I returned to St Scholastica during the Peacemakers pilgrimage— and the weather turned out to be wonderful.

Our final destination in the Holy Land, before moving on to Egypt, was the church of the Visitation, on top of a hill in Ein Kerem, west of Jerusalem. It marks the site of Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth.

The courtyard wall features tile plaques of the Magnificat in many languages; of course we recited the great prayer.

The church, built by the master Angelo Barluzzi, has two levels. The upper church is decorated with splendid frescoes depicting various scenes from the gospel. Our prayers had been said and the Holy Land leg of the programme had been completed. And only then did it begin to rain. n Next week: Christianity in Egypt.

Catch up with previous articles on pilgrimages by Günther Simmermacher at www.scross.co.za/category/features/ pilgrimage

The Southern Cross, May 4 to May 10, 2016

CLASSIFIEDS Fr Christopher Mandlakhe Gwacela

F

ATHER Christopher Mandlakhe Gwacela died on April 9 in St Mary’s Hospital i Mariannhill. He was 47 years old.

Fr Gwacela was born on February 17 1969 at St Wendelin’s mission in Mariannhill.

His parents, Adolph Gwacela and the late Phyllis Madladla Gwacela, were active, practising Catholics.

The family was deeply involved in catechesis and music in the local church, and Fr Gwacela was a musician and composer in his own right, with choirs in the diocese enriched by his psalms, Mass parts and the much-loved song “Baba Wethu”.

He grew up as an altar server, member of the Ikhwezi sodality and member of the choir. After his primary education he went to St Francis College for secondary education and found his vocation as a priest.

Fr Gwacela received his semi-

nary orientation from St Paul’s Seminary in Hammanskraal and the rest of his seminary training at St Augustine in Roma, Lesotho.

After his seminary formation he was appointed deacon-incharge at St Bernard’s mission in Enhlazuka.

PRAYER to Our Lady of Lourdes O HOLY VIRGIN, in the midst of your days of glory, do not forget the sorrows of this earth.

Cast a merciful glance upon those who are suffering, struggling against difficulties, with their lips constant pressed against life’s bitter cup.

Have pity on those who love each other and are separated.

Have pity on our rebellious hearts.

Have pity on our weak faith.

Have pity on those we love.

Have pity on those who weep, on those who pray, on those who fear.

Grant hope and peace to all.

AMEN

In 1994 he was appointed assistant parish priest at Reichenau mission and in 1996 priest-incharge at St Catherine’s mission in Bulwer where he worked until 2000, when he became priest-incharge at St Joachim mission in Emsinsini.

Fr Gwacela gladly accepted responsibilities in the diocese and, among other things, served as a member of the diocesan liturgical committee, spiritual adviser of music at Ukhahlamba deanery and of the Sacred Heart Children’s Home, and a member of the committee updating diocesan directives.

In 2008 the bishop sent him to Rome for further studies in liturgy, and on his return he was sent to St John Vianney Seminary for formation and liturgy.

Because of ill health, he returned to the diocese until his untimely death in April.

Community Calendar To place your event, call Mary Leveson at 021 465 5007 or e-mail m.leveson@scross.co.za (publication subject to space)

CAPE TOWN: Helpers of God’s Precious Infants. Mass on last Saturday of every month at 9:30 at Sacred Heart church in Somerset Road, Cape Town. Followed by vigil at Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Bree Street. Contact Colette Thomas on 083 412 4836 or 021 593 9875 or Br daniel SCP on 078 739 2988.

DURBAN: Holy Mass and Novena to St Anthony at St anthony’s parish every Tuesday at 9am. Holy Mass

and Divine Mercy Devotion at 17:30pm on first Friday of every month.

Sunday Mass at 9am.

031 309 3496.

9018 or 031 209 2536.

Overport rosary group. at Emakhosini Hotel, 73 East Street every Wednesday at 6.30 pm.

NELSPRUIT: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at St Peter’s parish every Tuesday from 8:00 to 16:45, followed by Rosary, Divine Mercy prayers, then a Mass/Communion service at 17:30pm.

Liturgical Calendar Year C – Weekdays Cycle Year 2

Our bishops’ anniversaries This week we congratulate: May 3: Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Umtata on the 8th anniversary of his episcopal ordination.

Word of the Week Declaration of nullity: A canonical judicial sentence declaring that the matrimonial covenant was invalid from the beginning due to some point of law or other factor.

Cassock: A non-liturgical, full-length, closefitting robe for use by priests and other clerics under liturgical vestments; usually black for priests, purple for bishops and other prelates, red for cardinals, and white for the pope.

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 705. ACROSS: 4 Passage, 8 Evoked, 9 Anybody, 10 Beggar, 11 Solely, 12 Reverent, 18 Occident, 20 Tether, 21 Slapup, 22 Session, 23 Unison, 24 Florist. DOWN: 1 Members, 2 Forgive, 3 Repair, 5 Agnostic, 6 Sibyls, 7 Gadfly, 13 Enormous, 14 Despise, 15 Stipend, 16 Reveal, 17 Chaser, 19 Idling.

Sunday May 8, Ascension of Our Lord Acts 1:1-11, Psalms 47:2-3, 6-9, Hebrews 9:24-28; 10:19-23, Luke 24:46-53 Monday May 9 Acts 19:1-8, Psalms 68:2-7, John 16:29-33 Tuesday May 10 Acts 20:17-27, Psalms 68:10-11, 20-21, John 17:1-11 Wednesday May 11 Acts 20:28-38, Psalms 68:29-30, 33-36, John 17:11-19 Thursday May 12, Ss Nereus, Achilleus and Pancras Acts 22:30; 23:6-11, Psalms 16:1-2, 5, 7-11, John 17:20-26 Friday May 13, Our Lady of Fatima Acts 25:13-21, Acts 25:13-21, John 21:15-19 Saturday May 14, St Matthias Acts 1:15-17, 20-26, Psalms 113:1-8, John 15:9-17 Sunday May 15, Pentecost Sunday Acts 2:1-11, Psalms 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34, Romans 8, 8-17, John 14, 15-16, 23-26

CLASSIFIEDS

11

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 (R1,60 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

IN MEMORIAM

LINDSELL—Patricia. died May 5, 2012. My dear wife and our mother will always be remembered in our prayers. Rest in Peace.

John and family.

PERSONAL

ABORTION WARNING: The pill can abort (chemical abortion) Catholics must be told, for their eternal welfare and the survival of their unborn infants. See www.epm.org/static/up loads/downloads/bcpill.pdf ABORTION WARNING: The truth will convict a silent Church. See www.valuelifeabortion isevil.co.za VISIT PIOUS KINTU’S official website http://ave maria832.simplesite.com This website has been set up to give glory to the Most Holy Trinity through the healing power of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

View amazing pictures of Pious Kintu's work in Congo and various african countries since 2007. also read about african Stigmatist Reverend Sister Josephine Sul and Padre Pio among others.

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

LONDON: Protea House.

Single ₤30(R540), twin ₤45(R810) per/night. Selfcatering, busses and underground nearby. Phone Peter 0044 208 7484834.

BALLITO: Up-market penthouse on beach, self-catering, 084 790 6562.

CAPE TOWN: Strandfontein. Fully equipped self-catering two bedroom apartment, with parking, sleeps four. R600 per/night. Paul 083 553 9856, vivilla@telkom sa.net

MARIANELLA Guest House, Simon’s Town: “Come experience the peace and beauty of God with us.” Fully equipped with amazing sea views.

Secure parking, ideal for rest and relaxation. Special rates for pensioners and clergy. Malcolm Salida 082 784 5675, mjsalida@ gmail.com

PRAYERS

FATHER, you have given all peoples one common origin. it is your will that they be gathered together as one family in yourself.

Fill the hearts of mankind with the fire of your love and with the desire to ensure justice for all. By sharing the good things you give us, may we secure an equality for all our brothers and sisters throughout the world. May there be an end to division, strife and war.

May there be a dawning of a truly human society built on love and peace. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our lord. amen LORD, inspire those men and women who bear the titles “husband” and “wife”.

Help them to look to you, to themselves, to one another to rediscover the fullness and mystery they once felt in their union. let them be honest enough to

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ask: “Where have we been together and where are we going?” let them be brave enough to question: “How have we failed?” let each be foolhardy enough to say: “For me, we come first.” Help them, together, to reexamine their commitment in the light of your love, willingly, openly, compassionately. .

O VIRGIN Mother, in the depths of your heart you pondered the life of the Son you brought into the world. Give us your vision of Jesus and ask the Father to open our hearts, that we may always see His presence in our lives, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, bring us into the joy and peace of the kingdom, where Jesus is lord forever and ever. amen THANKS be to thee, my lord Jesus Christ, For all the benefits thou hast won for me, For all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me. O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother, May i know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly, For ever and ever.

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the

Pentecost Sunday: May 15 Readings: Acts 2:1-11, Psalm 104:1, 24, 2931, 34, Romans 8:8-17, John 14:15-16, 2326

N

EXT Sunday our Easter season comes to its end with Pentecost, the coming of the Spirit on the infant Church.

And what does this Spirit do? That is the question that our readings set themselves to answer.

In the first reading, we watch in amazement as the Spirit does its work; there is a sound (“like the rushing of a mighty wind”) and “tongues as it were of fire”; and the group is “all together” (perhaps that is an important point). Then the group is “all filled with the Holy Spirit and all began to speak in languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance”.

The languages mean that the gospel goes all over the known world, “from every nation under heaven”: starting with Parthia and Media in the East, then coming nearer to Jerusalem with Elam and “those who dwell between the Rivers (Tigris and Euphrates)”; then it is the area round Jerusalem (“Judea”) and further West to Cappadocia, and onwards to Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia (modern Turkey, except that Pamphylia means “all the tribes”).

Then the message crosses the Mediter-

S outher n C ross

ranean to “Egypt and the bits of Libya by Cyrene” and a generalised account of “Roman sojourners”, which could mean anything, and back to the beginning: “Jews and proselytes” (which carries no geographical implication), then out into the Mediterranean once again, with Crete (the biggest island near the coast of Israel) and “Arabs”, back in the East where we started.

And what, in all this, has the Spirit done?

It has allowed these uneducated Galileans to enable the entire world to “hear them speaking, in our own languages about the great things of God”. That is quite something.

In the psalm, a great hymn in praise of God’s creation, we learn something else that the Spirit does (though you may need to know that the Hebrew word for “Spirit”, like those in Latin and Greek, also means “breath”).

For the poet imagines God at work giving life, and exclaims, “When you take away their Spirit (or “breath”), they die…when you send forth your Spirit (or “breath”) they are created. And you make new the face of the

earth”. This is a very rich doctrine, that of the Spirit.

In the second reading, Paul is meditating on why the Romans have reason to be confident of what God has done in Christ; and he does it by a characteristic contrast between “flesh” and “spirit”, which he distinguishes as follows: “those who are in the ‘flesh’ cannot please God”, whereas “you people are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you”.

There are three other features that he mentions. The first is connected with Resurrection: “the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead”; and the second is connected with the freedom that Christ came to bring: “for you did not receive the Spirit of slavery, to fall back into fear”. Finally, there is a connection with being “sons [and daughters] of God”, as Paul quotes Jesus in Gethsemane, “you received the Spirit of adoption-as-sons by which we cry out “Abba, Father”.”

So the Spirit is what makes us God’s children and heirs, “and fellow-heirs with Christ”. This is a remarkably lofty doctrine,

Silence a profound journey T

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which touches our lives very nearly indeed.

In the Gospel, finally, the function of the Spirit is connected with the ability to love Jesus and keep his commands.

Then we meet one of the most original contributions of the Fourth Gospel, that which we call “the Paraclete”, which functions as a companion to the disciples in the world, and an elaborate dance connecting believers with Father and Son: “If someone loves me, they will keep my word and my Father will love them and we shall come to them and make a dwelling with them.”

Finally, we return once more to the Spirit: “The Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, which the Father will send in my name, that one will teach you everything and remind you of all the things that I said to you.”

This Spirit has a very rich doctrine attached to it, one that touches us very closely indeed; we are invited to reflect on it this week, and to pray for the coming of the Spirit on the Church.

Southern Crossword #705

Final Reflection

ere’s how Vandekerckhove describes one aspect of the journey: “Inner noise can be quite exhausting. That’s probably why so many flee to the seduction of exterior background noises. They prefer to have the noise just wash over them.

“But if you want to grow spiritually, you have to stay inside the room of your spiritual raging and persevere.

“You have to continue to sit silently and honestly in God’s presence until the raging quiets down and your heart gradually becomes cleansed and quieted.

“Silence forces us to take stock of our actual manner of being human. And then we hit a wall, a dead point.

“No matter what we do, no matter what we try, something in us continues to feel lost and estranged, despite the myriad ways of society to meet our human needs.

“Silence confronts us with an unbearable bottomlessness, and there appears no

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Sunday Reflections

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

restlessness doesn’t easily turn into solitude, and the temptation to turn to the outside world for consolation doesn’t easily give way to the idea of quiet.

But there’s a peace and a meaning that can only be found inside the desert of our own chaotic and raging insides.

The deep wells of consolation lie at the end of an inner journey through heat, thirst and dead-ends that must be pushed through with dogged fidelity.

And, as for any epic journey, the task is not for the faint of heart.

Conrad

HE Belgian spiritual writer Bieke Vandekerckhove comes by her wisdom honestly.

She didn’t learn what she shares from a book or even primarily from the good example of others.

She learned what she shares through the crucible of a unique suffering, being hit at the tender age of 19 with a terminal disease that promised not just an early death but also a complete breakdown and humiliation of her body en route to that death.

Her attempt to cope with that situation drove her in many directions—initially to anger and hopelessness but eventually to monasteries, to the wisdom of monasticism, and, under its direction, into the deep well of silence, that desert that lurks so threateningly inside each of us.

Away from all the noises of the world, in the silence of her own soul, inside the chaos of her raging, restless insides she found the wisdom and strength not just to cope with her illness but to also find a deeper meaning and joy in her life.

There are, as the author John Updike poetically puts it, secrets that are hidden from health—though, as Vandekerckhove makes evident, they can be uncovered in silence.

However, uncovering the secrets that silence has to teach us is not easy. Silence, until properly befriended, is scary and the process of befriending it is the soul’s equivalent of crossing a hot desert.

Our insides don’t easily become calm,

Nicholas King SJ

The Spirit is among us

way out.

“We have no choice but to align ourselves with the religious depth in us.”

Sadly, for most of us, we will learn this only by bitter conscription when we have to actually face our own death.

In the abandonment of dying, stripped of all options and outlets we will, despite struggle and bitterness, have to, in the words of Fr Karl Rahner, “allow ourselves to sink into the incomprehensibility of God”.

Moreover, before this surrender is made, our lives will always remain somewhat unstable and confusing and there will always be dark, inner parts of the soul that scare us.

But a journey into silence can take us beyond our dark fears and shine healing light into our darkest corners.

However, as Vandekerckhove and other spiritual writers point out, that peace is usually found only after we have reached an impasse, a “dead point” where the only thing we can do is “to pierce the negative”.

In her book The Taste of Silence, Vandekerckhove recounts how an idealistic friend of hers shared his dream of going off by himself into some desert to explore spirituality.

Her prompt reaction was not much to his liking: “A person is ready to go to any kind of desert. He’s willing to sit anywhere, as long as it’s not his own desert.”

How true. We forever hanker after idealised deserts and avoid our own.

This spiritual journey, the pilgrimage, the Camino, we most need to make doesn’t require an airline ticket, though an experienced guide is recommended.

The most spiritually rewarding trip is an inner pilgrimage, into the desert of our own silence.

As human beings we are constitutively social. This means, as the Bible so bluntly puts it, that it is not good for the human person to be alone. We are meant to be in community with others.

Heaven will be a communal experience; but, on the road there, there’s a certain deep inner work that can only be done alone, in silence, away from the noise of the world.

aCroSS

4. Way of access to a line of scripture (7) 8. Called out and awakened (6) 9. No one in particular (7) 10. The likes of Lazarus (6) 11. Like a single fish (6) 12. Showing deep respect (8) 18. Go west, almost by accident (8) 20. Together go away and tie up (6) 21. Pulp as first-class meal (4-2) 22. Sitting at an ecumenical council (7) 23. Choir may sing in such a way (6) 24. List for provider of flowers (7)

DoWn

1. Limbs of the Church? (7) 2. Pardon (7) 3. Mend the couple again (6) 5. Costing a person who doesn’t know (8) 6. Prophetesses get penultimate letter in bliss (6) 7. Irritating insect (6) 13. Huge (8) 14. Look on with contempt (7) 15. Will a priest spend it? (7) 16. Make known (6) 17. A drink for the hunter (6) 19. Running engine is not working (6) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

A

PRIEST just had all his remaining teeth pulled and new dentures were being made.

The first Sunday, his homily lasted ten minutes.

The second Sunday, his homily lasted 20 minutes.

But, on the third Sunday, his homily was one hour and 25 minutes.

When asked about this by some of the congregation, he responded this way.

“The first Sunday, my gums were so sore it hurt to talk. The second Sunday, my dentures were hurting a lot. The third Sunday, I accidentally grabbed my mother’s dentures…and I couldn’t stop talking!”

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