161026

The

S outher n C ross

October 26 to November 1, 2016

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 5004

www.scross.co.za

R8,00 (incl VAT RSA)

Why people love Lesotho’s new cardinal

Chaos as student declares ‘hate’ in church

A season of First Communions

Page 3

Page 2

Page 7

S African head of worldwide order on his election

BY MANdLA ZiBi

T

HE first-ever South African to head the worldwide Order of the Mariannhill Missionaries has said that he sees his election as the “prophetic sign” of a world for which Christ prayed that “all may be one”.

Fr Thulani Mbuyisa CMM, 43, was elected as the new superior-general of the congregation during its 16th general chapter in Rome this month.

He is also the first black man to head the order, which was founded in the early 20th century in Mariannhill, near Durban, by Abbot Francis Pfanner.

“I am the first African to be elected superior-general for our congregation, but I am the superior-general for all my confreres, young and old and of all nationalities,” Fr Mbuyisa told The Southern Cross.

“One of our urgent tasks and callings at this time is to transform our international communities into radical intercultural communities. In this we will become a prophetic sign to the world in which we live,” he said.

“I believe that [part of] our special calling as Mariannhillers is to contribute to the Church’s mission of making present in our world the reign of God that has no boundaries, that knows no tribe, race, gender, or any other human divide. This we can achieve because we believe that we have a common mission, the mission of Christ who prayed that ‘all may be one’,” he said, quoting John 17:21.

Fr Mbuyisa, who was born in eXobho (Ixopo), KwaZulu-Natal, said he was “personally surprised” by being elected to head the congregation which spans all continents except Asia and the Australian mainland, but he has no qualms about taking up the challenge.

“I have received it as a call to serve. The Church teaches us that we have to be open to the will of God in our lives, even if we have our own personal preferences. I have responded and entrusted myself to God, who has called me in this special moment in the life of the Church and in our world, through the voice of my confreres.

“Even though I did not expect it, I have accepted and placed my faith in his hands,” he said.

Part of his role in fulfilling the mandate,

H

vision and mission of the congregation, Fr Mbuyisa said, is to evaluate which ministries to take up, which ones to keep, and which ones to give up.

He and his team will also look at issues around vocation and formation; current world challenges such as migration, refugees Fr Thulani Mbuyisa, and other marginwho now heads the alised groups; poverty, Order of Mariannhill justice and peace; and Missionaries worldthe increasing nonwide belief or acknowledgement of God. “Perhaps what could be of great significance during my tenure is the need to be a bridge-builder between the older and younger generations at this moment of growth and diminishment not only in our congregation but in consecrated life in general,” he said.

“To this end, one of the roles I see myself playing is harnessing the energy of the areas where we are growing, especially in Africa, with the wisdom and rich heritage of the diminishing areas of Europe and North America,” Fr Mbuyisa said.

“It is as though my confreres are asking me to be their driver to that destiny which they have discerned under the influence of the Holy Spirit and by reading the signs of the times. [They] are co-drivers rather than mere passengers and are on board with a clear road map.

“Ours is to articulate anew and for our time the vision of Abbot Pfanner that has been shaped and reshaped by my predecessors during their tenure.”

As a former superior-general before him, Mariannhill-based Fr Yves La Fontaine, also conveyed his congratulations and assured him of his prayers.

Fr La Fontaine said he sees the election as a reflection of an inevitable demographic change in the history of the congregation.

“Compared to the past, the black membership of the order has increased tremendously, Continued on page 2

The Southern Cross’ Year of Mercy pilgrims, led by Fr Larry Kaufmann CSsR (far right) on a boat on the Sea of Galilee. Front right is their guide, Gabriel Makhlouf. Among the highlights for the group were the renewals of wedding vows at Cana and baptismal vows at the Jordan river. The group also visited churches and the pyramids in Egypt. The Southern Cross will return to the Holy Land in August/September next year with Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria (see page 3).

Big flak for Vatican Big Mac

BY ELiSE HARRiS

T

HE decision to open a McDonald’s restaurant inside a Vatican property just around the corner from St Peter’s Square has been met with harsh criticism from cardinals who live in the building.

But the man in charge of rolling out the project says the plan is moving forward despite disagreement.

Dubbed by some as “McVatican”, the new restaurant will be located in a Vatican property on the intersection of Rome’s Via del Mascherino and Via Borgo Pio. After having received numerous requests from companies to move into the empty space, the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), which oversees the Vatican's assets, decided to rent it to McDonald’s for 30 000 euros (R458 000) a month.

In an interview with Italian newspaper La Reppublica, Italian Cardinal Elio Sgreccia, president emeritus of the Pontifical Academy for Life, called the deal “a controversial, perverse decision to say the least”.

The presence of the fast-food chain so close to the Vatican “is not at all respectful of the architectural and urban traditions of one of the most characteristic squares overlooking the colonnade of St Peter visited every day by

thousands of pilgrims and tourists”, he said.

Cardinal Sgreccia called the deal “a business decision that, moreover, ignores the culinary traditions of the Roman restaurant”.

Saying the “mega sandwiches” on the McDonald’s menu are unhealthy, he argued that the “questionable” activity shouldn’t even be a consideration for Vatican property.

However, despite the aggravation of cardinals living inside the building, Cardinal Domenico Calcagno, president of APSA, has been unsympathetic, and said he doesn’t see what the problem is.

Cardinal Calcagno told La Reppublica that everything was done “in respect of the law and that there will be nothing done which will go against the current rules, tradition and interests of the Holy See”.

“Above all there is respect for the law.

Then the rest comes,” he said, explaining that APSA is “not prepared to make any step backwards because everything is in order”.

“We can’t all be in agreement on everything,” he said, explaining that as president of APSA, “I do not see anything negative in this initiative. The technical departments of APSA have felt the offer of the American company executives fair and just. I do not see any scandal.”—CNA

What if your oasis of Catholic news dries up?

ow are we going to get the same reliable information provided in the Catholic press when there are no more Catholic newspapers?

For Catholics throughout the world, this has become a reality as many titles, some long-established, have folded.

The readers of these newspapers know what they are missing: a weekly Catholic companion that informs, edifies, and builds faith.

Catholic newspapers deliver content about the Catholic Church that the faith-

ful can trust in a world where the Internet provides a diet of facts, distortion and pure lies.

The Internet jumbles the good with so much confusing and misleading material. How can you be sure whether the pope actually said what he is being quoted as saying on Facebook?

The Church and the faithful need the Catholic press or risk being drowned out by the noise of the world. In South Africa, The Southern Cross is an oasis from that noise.

But after almost 100 years of surviving exclusively on self-generated revenue—The Southern Cross is fully independent and not subsidised—we are going through tough times.

The economic crisis, spiralling costs, a changing newspaper landscape and, above all, the strikes and incompetence of the SA Post office have left The Southern Cross vulnerable with depleted reserves.

This is where our Associates Campaign can help ensure the survival of

South Africa’s only Catholic weekly.

By contributing to the Associates Campaign, you will help us replenish our reserves and at the same time support our outreach programmes to people who are in need of good Catholic reading, including those in jail.

To see The Southern Cross survive and thrive, please support our Associates Campaign with an annual contribution.

To do so is easy: choose one of the categories of Associates you would like to join—Cardinal McCann Associate

(R1 500 and above), St Maximilian Kolbe Associate (R500-1 499), St Francis de Sales Associate (R100-499), or Dorothy Day (any amount by debit order).

Make your contribution into the account: The Southern Cross, Standard Bank, Thibault Square Branch (Code 020909), Acc No: 276876016.

Please e-mail or fax payment details and your name and contact details to admin@scross.co.za or 021 465-3850. or visit www.scross.co.za/associ ates-campaign for details.

2

The Southern Cross, October 26 to November 1, 2016

LOCAL

Student declares hate in church

BY STUART GRAHAM

F

ATHER Graham Pugin SJ, who earlier this month was shot in the face with a rubber bullet when he tried to protect students from the police, stood arms apart in a plea for peace at the Holy Trinity church in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, as a student leader grabbed a microphone on the altar and disrupted a meeting.

The student, Vuyani Pambo, was furious that Wits University vicechancellor Adam Habib was sitting in the front row of the church.

“In this safe and sacred space that we have cherished so carefully over these past weeks—this safe and sacred space that I have been prepared to defend with my life—I appeal to you today to recognise and to honour this sacred space,” Fr Pugin said.

But his words fell on deaf ears as Mr Pambo stormed into the church, tore the microphone away from a speaker and declared his hatred for Dr Habib.

“You are a horrible man, I hate you,” Mr Pambo said before Dr Habib agreed to leave the church.

Fr Pugin tried in vain to calm students at the event that was meant to broker peace between Wits management and students who have been protesting for the abolishment of university fees.

This meeting in the church, initi-

Father Graham Pugin appeals for calm at a meeting at Holy Trinity church in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, intended to broker peace between Wits University management and students. (Photo: Stuart Graham) ated by the Academic Staff Association of Witwatersrand University, was part of an ongoing attempt to find a peaceful solution to the crisis at the university.

Mr Pambo, a member of the Economic Freedom Fighters, urged the students to leave the church but not to physically harm Dr Habib.

“Let us show South Africa that we are not criminals,” he said, and then led the students on a march through Braamfontein.

The students later entered the university for a meeting at Solomon Mahlangu House under the watch of

dozens of riot police.

At least six Nyala riot trucks were parked on the steps of Senate House as the students met.

Students and the police have been battling each other at Wits and in Braamfontein for the past month.

Many of the students have fled to Holy Trinity to take shelter.

In a statement, the Society of Jesus in South Africa condemned the disruption of the attempted dialogue and the chaos at the church.

“Holy Trinity has consistently attempted to create a space of neutrality and sanctuary in accordance

with the long-standing tradition of the Catholic Church.

“This safe and neutral space has been violated by those who declared God’s house to be exclusively theirs,” said the statement, signed by regional-superior Fr David Rowan.

“Since genuine attempts to dialogue and find a resolution to the crisis seem to have ended,” the church will no longer be available as a venue for meetings, the Jesuits said.

“Trinity serves as a place of prayer and worship for thousands of people, not just the university community, and must continue to do so.

We appeal, once again, to everyone to treat God’s house with respect.”

The meeting was attended by former minister Jay Naidoo, who pleaded for peace and appealed for South Africans to show courage in speaking out against those who had betrayed the country.

“I am concerned about the state of our nation,” Mr Naidoo said after paying tribute to Fr Pugin’s courage at establishing a safe space at Wits.

“Too many of us, as citizens and leaders, have been silent for too long. Our country is not working for the majority of people. It is not working for many of us,” the former trade union leader and government minister said.

“It is, however, working for an elite in our country.”

Mariannhill order’s first SA head Continued from page 1 while a lot of the so-called Europeans have been passing away,” Fr La Fontaine told The Southern Cross.

“We give thanks and praise to God for this wonderful gift and are grateful to our brother for accepting to serve the congregation and the Church in this capacity,” said a statement from the congregation following Fr Mbuyisa’s election.

Abbot Pfanner was a Trappist monk who founded the Mariannhill monastery near Pinetown, Durban, in what is now the diocese of Mariannhill, in 1882.

By apostolic decree the monastery was separated from the Trappist Order in 1909, thus paving the way for the new Missionaries of Mariannhill.

Countries in which the Mariannhill Missionaries operate now include South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Italy, USA, Canada, Colombia and Papua New Guinea.

A way to be buried amid history STAFF REPORTER

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Sean Lovett (second from right), the Cape Town-born head of Vatican Radio’s English Service, led two workshops on social communications in Swaziland and in Benoni. He is seen here in Swaziland with (from left) Radio Veritas associate station director Fr Brian Mhlanga OP, Bishop Jose Luis Ponce de Leon of Manzini, and Radio Veritas station director Fr Emil Blaser OP. (Photo courtesy Radio Veritas)

Congolese priest urges SA Church to help DRC

BY MANdLA ZiBi

A

JOHANNESBURG-based Congolese priest has asked the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference to intervene in the political crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, following violent clashes between the government of President Joseph Kabila and those opposed to his rule.

The latest reports from the DRC said that the government had extended President Kabila’s tenure by another 18 months after the postponement of national polls previously scheduled for November this year.

Scores of Congolese died in the capital Kinshasa last month during two days of protests prompted by allegations that Mr Kabila wants to hang on to power despite the twoterm limit imposed by the DRC constitution.

In a letter to the bishops, Fr JeanMarie Kuzituka Did’Ho, who is the chancellor of the archdiocese of Johannesburg, urged them to intervene in the DRC by “sending a delegation to meet with their Congolese counterparts”, pointing out that the Rwandan and US bishops had already done so.

“If we as the Church do not raise up our voice and speak today, South Africa, being the big brother country to the rest of the continent, will bear the cost of an influx of refugees from DRC once the current political situation becomes worse,” said Fr Did’Ho Whenever brutal loss of life, arbitrary arrest and other human rights abuses occur, the priest maintained: “The Church must consider herself persecuted, troubled and attacked because the Church values human life and cannot tolerate that a person created in the image of God be treated without dignity.”

Evoking the prophet Jeremiah to show similarities between the prophetic tradition and the role of the Church today, Fr Did’Ho encouraged the bishops to take a firm stand in support of democracy in the DRC. “Those in power are afraid to hear and see the people rise for their individual and common rights. The common good will never be attained if people are excluded in the governance of the state.

“To those who now oppress the people, I say, it is time to convert.

And to those who suffer injustices and abuses, I say, have faith. The justice of God shall prevail,” said Fr Did’Ho.

S we celebrate All Souls’ Day, Emmanuel cathedral in Durban is inviting families to become part of its history: a Wall of Remembrance has been inaugurated so that the ashes of loved ones can be interred in this long-established sacred space.

The graveyard around the cathedral is one of the oldest in the city and goes back almost 200 years. The first European settlers came to Port Natal in 1824; the earliest burial in the Catholic graveyard was of a Holy Family Sister in 1837.

“Walking through the small historic graveyard evokes images of the earliest members of this Catholic community. The surnames are French, English, Irish and Italian, and the tombstones have the grandeur and solemnity of a by-gone era,” said cathedral manager Eileen Abrahams.

The cathedral graveyard was at one stage linked to the much larger Brook Street cemetery that richly symbolises the religious diversity of Durban, with sections for Catholics and Protestants next door to each other; a Jewish graveyard alongside the Muslim burial ground that surrounds the Badsha Peer Shrine, and even the site where early Hindu cremations took place.

Emmanuel cathedral in durban has a peaceful Wall of Remembrance, the latest addition to the cathedral graveyard, for safe and easy access of parishioners to their departed loved ones.

“Tragically, a hideous flyover in the 1970s cut a swathe through the peacefully resting graves. The larger cemetery is now all but cut off; many parts lie derelict and forgotten,” Ms Abrahams said.

“But the cathedral and its graveyard remain lovingly cared for; the outside wall of the cathedral was recently cleaned of graffiti by local businessman Vivian Reddy,” she said.

The latest addition to the graveyard is the Wall of Remembrance. For R1 800 one can reserve a space for a loved one, including the cost of the black granite plaque.

“Most cemeteries have become dangerous to visit. Often, if you do not pay a maintenance fee, the gravestone is removed and the plot recycled,” said Ms Abrahams.

“A niche in the Wall of Remembrance means that your loved one will be interred forever in a place which is full of history and character and easy to access at any time,” she added.

A Mass will be offered this year, as every year, for all souls interred in the cathedral graveyard on November 2. n For more details contact Eileen on 031 306 3595 or officemanager@ emmanuelcathedral.org.za

Mater Domini Launches the Circle of Friends “100 Club” Planned Giving initiative.

Mater Domini is well known for its good work across the Cape Peninsula, providing vital services to women in Crisis Pregnancy.

Join the 'The Mater Domini Circle of Friends 100 Club'. – donate at least R100 per month Please join hands with us and help us to make a strong start to this initiative!

For more details on how you can be a part of The Circle of Friends “100 Club” visit our website: www.materdomini.net and fill in the form under the 100 Club tab in the menu. or contact us at: E-mail: communications@materdomini.net Tel: 021 6716008 - Cell: 079 8916749

The Southern Cross, October 26 to November 1, 2016

LOCAL

Why the people love Lesotho’s new cardinal L

BY BRONWEN dACHS

The parishes of durbanville in Cape Town (above), and Sydenham in durban (below) were among several that took part in the Public Square Rosary Crusade, in which communities are called to pray the rosary in groups in public spaces. (Photo above: Moyra O’Conner)

African theology launch

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LEADING local theologian will address the South African launch of a book on African theology.

Dr Nontando Hadebe of St Augustine College, South Africa’s Catholic university in Johannesburg, will speak on the book The Church We Want: African Catholic Theologians Look to Vatican III. She was one of several African theologians who contributed a chapter to the book, which was first launched on September 7 at Arrupe College,

the Jesuit school of philosophy and humanities in Harare, Zimbabwe, that trains young men from all over Africa for the priesthood and religious life.

Dr Hadebe also spoke at that launch, sharing the stage with eminent African theologians Prof Fr Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator SJ and Prof Ezra Chitando of the University of Zimbabwe.

The book will be launched on November 12 at Rosebank parish in Johannesburg.

Photographer Alexis Santana Callea of Holy Family parish in Johannesburg made a Year of Mercy pilgrimage to Rome and took this selfie at the general audience in St Peter’s Square as Pope Francis was about to pass by.

Year of Mercy Mass had flavour of young Africa

O

CTOBER’S monthly Mass for the Holy Year of Mercy for the southern deaneries of Johannesburg was again celebrated at Our Lady Of Lebanon in Mulbarton.

The parish that was invited to celebrate Mass this time was Our Lady Of Lourdes from City Deep.

Being a predominantly Frenchspeaking community, Mass was celebrated in both English and French by their parish priest, Fr Blaise Mambu.

City Deep parish also has a young choir, making this month’s Mass especially memorable.

The format this month was a little different from previous occasions: the celebration began at 18:00 with the opening of the holy doors first.

Parishioners were asked to leave the church and wait outside, the doors were closed and Fr Mambu proceeded to bless all with holy water and open the doors followed by adoration, Benediction and reciting of the rosary.

Mass began at 19:30. Priests from surrounding parishes were present to administer the sacrament of reconciliation throughout the celebrations.

Fr John Thompson SDB from the parish of Don Bosco, Robertsham, Fr Raymond Mcquarrie from the parish

ESOTHO’S Cardinal-designate Sebastian Koto Khoarai is a much-loved pastoral man known for working very hard, say those who know the 87-year-old retired bishop of Mohale’s Hoek.

“Everyone in the country will tell you what a hard worker he is,” said Sr Julia Mafike, a member of Handmaids of Christ the Priest.

Cardinal-designate Khoarai, who will be the Lesotho’s first cardinal, “looks after children with disabilities, visits and helps people who are sick, and travels wherever he is needed to celebrate Mass”, she said.

He is humble and a person of prayer, said Sr Mafike, who manages the diocesan centre in Mohale’s Hoek, where Cardinaldesignate Khoarai lives in retirement.

A member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, he was the first bishop of the diocese of Mohale’s Hoek after it was created in 1977. He served as president of Lesotho’s bishops’ conference from 1982-87.

“No one in the country expected” that one of their own would be named a cardinal, Sr Mafike said.

Booi Mohapi, who heads the Lesotho bishops’ Justice & Peace Commission, said that Cardinaldesignate Khoarai “served the most impoverished region of the coun-

Cardinal-designate Sebastian Koto Khoarai of Mohale’s Hoek, Lesotho (standing), blesses Bishop Joseph Sephamola of Qacha’s Nek in 2013. Cardinaldesignate Khoarai will be one of 17 new cardinals appointed by Pope Francis at a Vatican consistory on November 19. (Photo: CCJP) try” as bishop of Mohale’s Hoek.

He is a “very caring man”, Mr Mohapi said, noting that he had heard only the previous week “that he was giving money from his own pocket to help poor families in the diocese”.

“As bishop, right up until he turned 80, he took good care of priests and other clergy and religious in his diocese”, Mr Mohapi said.

Archbishop Gerard Tlali Lerotholi of Maseru said the “whole country is excited, and we’re all wondering what having a

of St Thomas, Lenasia, and Fr Charles Uloko from the parish of St Anthony’s, Coronationville, were among those present.

The final Holy Year of Mercy Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Lebanon on November 10 at 18:00 (see Page 11).

Mosotho cardinal will mean to us in Lesotho”.

Despite being retired, Cardinaldesignate Khoarai helps with the running of a children’s home for about 20 orphans, among the many projects he is involved in, Archbishop Lerotholi said.

He still has a lot of energy and “never does anything in small measures”, the archbishop said.

“He is a pastoral leader; always with people," Archbishop Lerotholi said, noting that he is ‘exemplary in promoting Caritas' work”.

Born on September 11, 1927, Cardinal-elect Khoarai was ordained as an Oblate priest on December 21, 1956. In 1977 Pope Paul VI appointed him bishop of Mohale’s Hoek; he retired in 2014.

Cardinal-elect Khoarai was one of 17 new cardinals named by Pope Francis this month, and one of three over the age of 80, and therefore ineligible to vote in a conclave.

He will be only the fourth cardinal from the Anglophone Southern African region, following South African Cardinals Owen McCann and Wilfrid Napier. Mozambique has had four cardinals (two still living), and Angola three (one still living).—CNS n Our photo for Cardinal-elect Khoarai on page 5 of last week’s issue was in fact one of the late Bishop Paul Khoarai of Leribe. We apologise for the confusion.

S outher o u t h e r n C ross ros ss s Pilgrimage Assssisi

Papal audience

Jerusalem

HOLY Y LA AN ND • RO OM ME • AS SSISI

L e d by A r c h b i s h o p W i l l i a m S l a t t e r y O F M Pilgrimage Highlights

A parishioner from City deep parish says the rosary before a Year of Mercy Mass held at Our Lady of Lebanon in Mulbarton, Johannesburg.

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Holy Land: Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Jordan River, Cana (with renewal of wedding vows) and much more...

Rome: Papal Audience, St Peter’s Basilica, Major Basilicas, Ancient and Baroque Rome, and much more...

Assisi: The places associated with the lives of St Francis and St Clare, including their tombs, and much more...

Greccio: A special excursion to the place where St Francis and companions stayed. It is here where St Francis invented the Nativity Scene.

Aug 26 - Sept 7, 2017 St Peter er ’s

Sea of Galilee

For more information or to book,, please contact Gail info@fowlertours.co.za or 076 352-3809

www.fowlertours.co.za/slattery

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The Southern Cross, October 26 to November 1, 2016

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/thescross 2017 FAMILY YEAR PLANNER FAMILIES WALK THE TALK, Act justly, Love Mercy and Walk Humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8) with monthly family themes for reflection and discussion

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Jesuit superior: Reconcile humanity with God

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PILGRIMAGE TO THE PROMISED LAND 2017 21-29 OCT 2017

A wonderful spiritual and informative journey to where Christianity began, Israel. Walk in the footsteps of Jesus and Mary. Christian sites to include Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Galilee to name but a few. Well known bible stories will become clear.

Short stop in Old Constantinople (Istanbul) en route.

Organised and led by Rev Fr Stephen Tully.

Cost from R21850 Tel: (031) 266 7702 Fax: (031) 266 8982 Email: judyeichhorst@telkomsa.net

VIVA SAFARIS

ESUITS are called to face the challenges of today’s world and contribute towards “reconciliation among human beings and, at the same time, reconciliation with God and creation”, newlyelected Jesuit superior-general Father Arturo Sosa Abascal said.

“This is a great call to reconciliation.

The kingdom of God cannot be present, cannot exist among us if we do not understand each other, if we do not recognise each other as people, if we do not try to have a situation in which the world can live in peace,” said Fr Sosa.

Fr Sosa also said Christians should heed Pope Francis’ message on caring for the environment and reconciling with creation because “we are so wounded that we even put the planet Earth at risk”.

A member of the Jesuits’ Venezuelan province, Fr Sosa was elected after four days of prayer, silence and quiet one-onone conversations among the 212 voting delegates gathered in Rome for the 36th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus.

Regarding his election, Fr Sosa told journalists that while he was surprised, he was also “serene” and “grateful to the Lord”.

“I feel ready to respond with joy to the Spirit who, through the congregation, has called me unexpectedly to be the next superior general,” he said.

Jesuit Father Arturo Sosa Abascal, the new superior general of the Society of Jesus, speaks at a press conference in Rome. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) During Mass Fr Sosa reflected on seeking to do not only the improbable but the impossible because nothing is impossible to God. When asked to explain, Fr Sosa said that to seek the impossible is “a Christian mission” and “a way of expressing one’s faith”.

For example, if someone were to analyse the current situation in the world, he said, “the world would seem to be getting worse and he or she can become pessimistic”.

Countries like Fr Sosa’s native

Venezuela, which is facing the worst economic crisis in its history, have adopted economic and political models “that cannot sustain the needs of the people”, he said.

In Venezuela, he added, not only should the government of President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition work together, but the Church also must continue to give “its important contribution to the common good”.

While other problems such as war, violence, drug and human trafficking may seem insurmountable, he said, Jesuits are called to make known to the world that the “impossible is possible” not only through spiritual formation but also through their service as educators.

The superior-general, who has known his fellow-jesuit Pope Francis since 1983, stressed that at the heart of the Jesuits’ mission is their link to the papacy and their willingness to obey the pope in choosing the priorities of their mission.

“If you are in any location, your temptation is to see that the most important thing is to work there. But there is somebody in the Church that has that overview, and can say: ‘No, that is very important, but I need you in another part of the world’,” Fr Sosa said.

“The idea is to be an organisation—the Society of Jesus—that can help the Church when, where and in doing what the Church needs,” he said.—CNS

Charity ‘more than making donations’

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Volunteers in the kitchen at the Joy of Heaven, a free restaurant for the poor and needy in a suburb of Beirut. (Photo: Johnny Antoun/CNS)

No bills, no tips at ‘mercy restaurant’ BY dOREEN ABi RAAd

E

VERY afternoon, Asma Khalil and her three children—refugees from Syria—walk a half-hour from their one-room dwelling through the tangled streets and alleyways of Bourj Hammoud, a crowded suburb of Beirut, to reach their destination: the Joy of Heaven.

There, they receive much-needed nourishment and hospitality at a restaurant for the poor and needy, where the only payment required is a “thank you”.

It is just one of many initiatives of the Lebanese charity by the same name.

From a compact open kitchen in a 5m2 space, with “terrace” dining street-side and a tiny dining room upstairs for wintertime, the Joy of Heaven serves about 200 people a day.

Its location offers a distinctive ambiance, typical of the Bourj Hammoud neighborhood: a constant chorus of hooting and screeching brakes of mopeds from streets snarled with traffic, and a maze of electrical wires overhead.

Patrons typically arrive even before lunch is served, pitching in to help Joy of Heaven volunteers set up tables. In no time, all the seats are filled.

“Even though I don’t know what the future will be for us, I know this is a place where we can always get a good meal,” Ms Khalil said. The Muslim woman and her family, all refugees, have been in Lebanon for nearly four years.

Such outreach to the needy exemplifies the mission of the Joy of Heaven (Bonheur Du Ciel) charity, founded in 2002 by Fr Majdi al-Allawi, who was born a Shiite Muslim and converted to Chris-

tianity when he was a teenager.

Between washing dishes and greeting guests at the Joy of Heaven restaurant, the 47-year-old Maronite Catholic priest said: “Especially in this Year of Mercy, whatever we do, it is not us who is doing it. It is Jesus.” Citing Pope Francis’ direction against indifference, Fr Majdi emphasised: “You cannot just say to a hungry person, ‘I will pray for you.’ How you would like people to treat you, treat them the same way.”

As with all the charity’s projects, the Joy of Heaven serves everyone, regardless of religion or nationality.

“Fr Majdi taught us that each person who comes in, this is the face of God,” Sola Haber, 38, a Maronite Catholic volunteer from Beirut, explained as she began cooking before the lunch crowd arrived. “Our goal is to give happiness to the people, not only to serve them food.”

Ms Haber attributes her experience at the Joy of Heaven for helping her to heal from the grief that consumed her when her daughter died three years ago at the age of 15.

“When I started volunteering at the Joy of Heaven, I changed dramatically, and I believe at least 70% of my healing came from this organisation," Ms Haber said.

“Fr Majdi was a great support for me.

Just seeing him dedicating himself to help the poor was a big morale booster.

So I learned to give so I can heal. Being with less fortunate people, seeing the appreciation in their eyes and the smile on their faces was, in itself, a healing process for me,” she said.—CNS

W

HILE donation campaigns and charitable contributions for the needy are important, true Christian charity involves a more personal touch, Pope Francis said.

Coming face to face with the poor may pose a challenge and tempt people to turn the other way and give in to “the habit of fleeing from needy people and not approach them or disguise a bit the reality of the needy”, the pope said during his general audience in St Peter’s Square.

“Poverty in the abstract does not challenge us. It may make us think, it may make us complain, but when you see poverty in the flesh of a man, a woman or a child; this challenges us!” he said.

In a new series of talks on works of mercy, the pope reflected on the first corporal work of mercy—feeding the hungry—which he said was important in confronting real “situations of urgent need”.

Although images of extreme poverty can move people to initiate important works of charity and generous donations, it “does not directly involve us”.

When a poor person “knocks on the door of our house, it is very different because we are no longer facing an image but are personally involved”, he explained.

“In these instances, what is my reaction?

Do I turn away? Do I move on? Or do I stop to talk and take an interest? If you do this, there will always be someone who says, ‘This one is crazy, talking to a poor person’,” the pope said.

Recalling St James’ affirmation that “faith without works is dead”, Pope Francis said that Christians cannot “delegate” feeding the hungry to others and helping the needy through words and deeds.

Jesus’ command to his disciples to feed the crowd prior to the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, he added, is also “an important lesson for us”.

“It tells us that the little that we have, if we entrust it to Jesus’ hands and share it with faith, can turn into overabundant wealth,” the pope said.

Citing Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Caritas in Veritate, the pope said that feeding the hungry is “an ethical imperative for the universal Church” and a calling for all Christians to defend the universal right to food and water, especially for the poor and the needy.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, October 26 to November 1, 2016

5

New saints ‘fought the good fight of faith’

BY JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES

T

HE seven new saints of the Church were holy not because of their own efforts but because of “the Lord who triumphs in them and with them”, Pope Francis said.

“They remained firm in faith, with a generous and steadfast heart.

Through their example and their intercession, may God also enable us to be men and women of prayer,” the pope told the estimated 80 000 people present at the canonisation Mass in St Peter’s Square.

Seven large tapestries bearing the portraits of the new saints decorated the facade the basilica, some representing specific aspects of their lives that exemplified their holiness.

Argentine “gaucho priest”, St Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, was portrayed sitting on a donkey, his humble means of transportation when travelling thousands of miles to minister to the poor and the sick.

St Jose Sanchez del Rio, a 14-yearold Mexican boy martyred for refusing to renounce his faith during the Cristero War of the 1920s, was depicted holding a palm branch and rosary while a trail of blood and a single bullet were at his feet.

St Salomone Leclerq, who was killed after refusing to renounce his faith at the height of the French Revolution, was shown with his eyes fixed toward heaven as an angel carried a palm, symbolising his martyrdom for the faith.

The French Carmelite writer and mystic, St Elizabeth of the Holy Trinity, was shown seated in prayer, and St Manuel Gonzalez Garcia, a Spanish bishop who spent his life devoted to Eucharistic adoration, smiled radiantly.

Brightly coloured tapestries also featured the images of two new Ital-

Workers make final preparations in this interior view of the restored Memorial of Moses on the top of Mount Nebo site owned by the Franciscans in Jordan. The memorial has reopened its doors to the public amid festivities after nearly a decade of restoration. (Photo: Greg Tarczynski/CNS)

Pilgrims hold a banner of new St Ludovico Pavoni before the canonisation Mass for seven new saints celebrated by Pope Francis in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) ian saints: St Ludovico Pavoni, the founder of the Sons of Mary Immaculate, who dedicated his life to the vocational and spiritual education of the poor and hearing impaired, and St Alfonso Maria Fusco, founder of the Congregation of the Baptistine Sisters of the Nazarene and of the Little House of Providence, a home for abandoned children.

The celebration began with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, requesting Pope Francis to enrol the six men and one woman “among the saints, that they may be invoked as such by all the Christian faithful”.

Following the singing of the Litany of the Saints, the pope “declared and defined” their sainthood which was met with applause from the crowd, many waving banners and flags in approval.

In his homily, the pope reflected on the day’s first reading which recalled Moses raising his arms in prayer while the Israelites fought Amalek’s army. When Moses’ arms would fall from weariness, the tide would turn against Israel.

Like Moses who grew weary, yet was sustained by Aaron and Hur, Christians must remember they are not alone in the Church, the pope said. “We are members of the body of Christ, the Church, whose arms are raised day and night to heaven, thanks to the presence of the risen Christ and his Holy Spirit,” he said.

In the final blessing, Pope Francis prayed that “the example and intercession of these luminous witnesses sustain the commitment of each one in your respective areas of work and service for the good of the Church and the civil community”.—CNS

Terrorists free kidnapped girls I SLAMIST militant group Boko Haram has released 21 schoolgirls kidnapped from the Nigerian town of Chibok in 2014 in a deal with the national government.

Their release was confirmed as “the outcome of negotiations between the administration and Islamist militants” by Garba Shehu, spokesman for Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari.

The BBC had been told by a security official that several captive militants were released in exchange for the girls, but the Nigeran government has since denied this.

The girls were among 276

teenage girls, now mostly ages 16 to 18, kidnapped in April 2014 from their school in Chibok, located in Nigeria’s Borno state. Their abduction sparked global outrage and a

social media hashtag “#BringBackOurGirls”.

Since 2014, 58 of the girls have escaped, but the majority have remained missing.

Bishop Felix Femi Ajakaye of Ekiti said Nigerians should thank God for the girls’ release and echoed calls for the government to help rehabilitate them.

“Nigerians must come together to fight evil and savagery in our country,” he said. The bishop urged the government to arrange for counsellors and psychologists so the young women could be fully integrated into society.—CNA

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Moses memorial reopens on Mount Nebo, Jordan BY dALE GAVLAK

T

HE Memorial of Moses on Mount Nebo has reopened its doors to the public amid festivities, after nearly a decade of restoration.

Believed by ancient tradition to be the site where Moses saw the Promised Land and died, a church and monastery are perched atop this 1km rugged mountain facing the northern end of the Dead Sea. It has drawn Christian pilgrims throughout the centuries and is considered one of the most important pilgrimage, tourist, and archaeological sites in Jordan and the Holy Land.

Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, the special envoy of Pope Francis and prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, said he was thrilled to officiate at a place of great spiritual significance to Jews, Muslims and Christians alike.

“The spiritual treasures that this place holds today are returned to Jordan and to humanity,” Cardinal Sandri told a gathering of some 500 dignitaries, including Jordanian tourism minister Lina Annab, Bedouin leaders, foreign diplomats and top Catholic officials in the Middle East.

Excavations led by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, which acquired the area in 1932, have uncovered significant remains of an early basilica—built in 597 on a fouth-century church foundation—and Byzantine mosaic pavements. However, a simple structure sheltering these important finds was crumbling and needed to be replaced to protect the treasures it housed.

Conveying Pope Francis’ words to the gathering, Cardinal Sandri commended Jordan for protecting precious religious and historic antiquities at a time when they have

been ruthlessly destroyed in neighbouring Syria and Iraq. He also praised the Arab kingdom for providing safety to refugees from war-ravaged lands.

The custos of the Holy Land, Franciscan Father Francesco Patton, called the reopening of the sanctuary, “a gift for the present”.

“We are receiving back not simply a space, rather an invitation and a way of life,” he said.

He drew parallels between God’s close friendship with Moses and the spiritual encounter of modern-day pilgrims.

“The same Christian presence and the ancient monuments here have arisen from the desire to perpetuate and relive this experience, one that is offered to different cultures and different religions,” Fr Patton said.

St John Paul II visited Mt Nebo in March 2000 before starting his spiritual pilgrimage to the Holy Land with prayers in the basilica. Pope Benedict XVI gave a speech there in 2009.

Mount Nebo is also an active Franciscan monastery and the headquarters of the Franciscan Archaeological Institute. It’s a popular setting for Christmas and Easter Masses. A new organ now graces the Memorial of Moses.

“Together, this is meant to be a place of prayer first and a place to visit because of the artistic mosaics that have been preserved inside,” Fr Eugenio Alliata, professor of archaeology at the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum in Jerusalem, said.

He said the site is still yielding archaeological finds. While the mosaics were being restored, he said, “a tomb possibly never used, lined with beautiful alabaster stones, was discovered in the middle of the basilica”.—CNS

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6

The Southern Cross,October 26 to November 1, 2016

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Voting the right way

W

HEN American voters go to the polls on Tuesday, November 8, to elect their new president, their choice will have a profound effect not only on the future of their country but also on that of the rest of the world.

The margins can be small, but the effect can be significant. In 2000, George W Bush secured the presidency by a margin of 537 votes in Florida, which that year turned out to be the decisive state.

Three years later President Bush led the indefensible invasion of Iraq, setting off a chain reaction which created the tumult that is currently tearing the Middle East apart and has complicated international diplomacy beyond that region.

This in turn set in motion the refugee crisis which has fed into the rise of nationalistic movements in many Western countries and might even cause the breakup of the European Union.

Had those votes in Florida gone candidate Al Gore’s way, an invasion of Iraq would have been unlikely, and the history of the past 14 years might have progressed on a different path.

Such is the burden of responsibility the US voter bears to the rest of the world on November 8.

But most of them will not concern themselves with the consequences of their vote for people far away. Understandably, their primary concerns reside closer to home, on issues such as the economy, employment, education, corruption, health care, immigration and so on.

For a large proportion, ideology—including a candidate’s position on life and social issues—and party loyalty will be the determining factor in the polling booth. Many others will use their vote to reward a candidate for ostensibly speaking for them, or punish them for their personality defects.

As it is in elections and plebiscites around the world, many voters will not have studied the candidates’ respective policy platforms nor have contemplated the consequences of their decision. Such people will cast their vote in some state of ignorance.

The Catholic Church encourages voters to be informed when they enter polling stations—that is as true for Americans next Tuesday as it is for South Africans when they return to the polls in 2019.

The Church urges voters to be aware of the policy platforms of candidates and parties standing for election, and to choose those that have the capacity to effect the greater good.

In their evaluations, Catholic voters are asked to do so through the lens of Catholic teachings.

Doing so can be a frustrating task, for no party and no candidate will comply with all the teachings of the Church.

For example, while Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is a strong proponent for social justice and her decisions are influenced by her devout Methodist faith, she is also emphatically pro-choice and has, of late, endorsed same-sex marriage.

Republican candidate Donald Trump proposes vague pro-life policies (his solution to “punish” women who have abortions does not suggest that he has a firm grasp of the issues involved). But in his campaign Mr Trump has exhibited counter-Christian traits such as racism, xenophobia and misogyny, as well as a singular lack of the essential Christian characteristics of charity or mercy.

A Catholic’s vote must be underpinned by the teachings of the Church. In doing so, they may vote for a candidate whose platform includes policies that are in conflict with Church teachings, if this serves a greater good, but they may not vote for a candidate because of those policies—only in spite of them.

So on Tuesday, Catholic voters will have the choice mainly between two flawed candidates.

On the one side there is Mrs Clinton, an intensely political animal who has a relationship with the truth that is governed by expediency, who favours access to abortion, and who has an uncomfortably close relationship with Wall Street.

On the other side is Mr Trump, a bully with an aggressive contempt for the truth whose campaign is predicated on policies, personality traits and objectionable behaviour that are inimical to many Catholic teachings and Christian philosophy.

Whichever way they choose, voters—in the US on Tuesday and everywhere in the world where people participate in the democratic process—must give serious thought about how their vote will serve the greater good.

The danger of porn to teenagers WRITE in response to your feature found their children dabbling in I5).article on the porn crisis (October these vile images that the other parThis article should have had ent has left on an electronic device. front-page priority!

Why are we, as Church, so quiet on this issue? As a counsellor and as a result of my work with Theology of the Body, I see many individuals and couples who have come to realise through Pope John Paul II’s teaching on authentic love that porn is one of the contributing causes of their brokenness and unhappiness.

What was promised to satisfy a God-given yearning and desire has become a toxin set to destroy the very longing people have: to love, be loved and to be united in love to another person.

It’s not an exaggeration when the article quotes that children as young as eight years old are being exposed to this poison.

I have seen parents who have

Tough road to evangelisation

O

UR parishes are generally places where newcomers are seldom welcomed or even noticed, and where those who belong to the same sodalities, or are proclaimers of the Word, are “buddies” because of sharing similar worldly pursuits such as playing bingo, watching cricket on TV or “playing” the horses.

However, this is not a genuine community at all in the Christian sense.

Genuine Christian community is what draws parishioners together because of a common, luminous thread—recognising, knowing and being drawn to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour in others, through the Holy Spirit. It seems to be rather a rare thing in our parishes today.

Important should be the emphasis on evangelisation and the explicit proclamation of the Gospel.

(See Pope Paul VI’s Evangelii Nuntiandi of 1975—the late Archbishop Denis Hurley’s favourite Vatican document, as well as mine.)

The new movements, especially those issuing from Charismatic Renewal, have been in the forefront of the proclamation of the Gospel by lay Catholics. There is a need for an “initial” or “primary” proclamation aimed at producing a basic conversion to Christ and candidates for catechesis.

There is an urgent need to mobilise effectively the laity in the area of evangelisation. A personal witness of Christ is, par excellence, the role of the laity in our Church.

People are more likely to pay attention to a compelling personal witness than to preaching.

It is ironic that in Latin America,

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Urban mission in the spotlight

BY MANDLA ZIBI

or

H

OLY Trinity church in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, became the focus of the Catholic Church’s “urban mission stations” when violence between protesting students and police spilled over its precincts, with the parish priest shot in the face by police.

Just as Catholics were celebrating Mission Month, Holy Trinity’s role as a safe and sacred space, and as a bridge-building agent in the political turmoil, made international headlines with photos of a bleeding Jesuit Father Graham Pugin being led away for treatment after being struck in his mouth and chest by rubber bullets.

“Holy Trinity is an urban mission station because we are in the midst of the inner city and the university. Our mission is to reach out to people in that context, offer the Good News to men and women on the streets, to professionals who work in the area, and to university staff and students,” Fr Pugin told The Southern Cross.

Holy Trinity church is adjacent to the Wits University campus, and also provides chaplaincy to the nearby University of Johannesburg.

In the chaos that followed stalled negotiations on the resumption of classes—with police and student confrontation flaring up again at Wits—many students fled to the church for refuge. As students gathered in the church yard, police riot vehicles drove past and fired rubber bullets at them.

Fr Pugin stood impassively at the entrance to the church grounds, blocking the police from entering it.

After several attempts to enter the church compound, police fire struck Fr Pugin in the chest and face.

“I was praying to God that their aim was good and that they were shooting past me,” said the priest, who had been imprisoned during the apartheid era for refusing to serve in the SA Defence Force.

This month’s events have served to highlight the presence of the Catholic Church and its work in cities as mission stations in a post-apartheid, and rapidly urbanising South Africa, with its many social problems such as homelessness, disease, violence and marginalisation.

“In the heart of the city we are the physical presence of the Gospel—not just the building, but also in the way that we witness by being there and also by reaching out to meet needs in that context,” said Fr Pugin.

“Many people come for help—material help but also spiritual help. Quite a few people come for spiritual direction,” he said.

Holy Trinity “is also an important place of meeting in the area”, he said.

Fr Graham Pugin SJ stands in the way of a Nyala armoured police vehicle before he was shot with rubber bullets outside Holy Trinity church in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, where students were sheltering during unrest on Wits campus. (Photo: Edward Molopi) We have Masses, like any parish, and a normal parish schedule of meetings and events. The parish hosts many events and lectures of a faith formation nature. We collaborate with the Jesuit Institute and host events they offer too.”

E

very morning the church provides soup for between 80 to 200 homeless people, and a hot meal in the evening. The dedicated Society of St Vincent de Paul group also organises clothing, blankets, shoes, soap and showers for the homeless. All this is interspersed with regular weekly Bible-sharing meetings.

There is also a free lunch for hungry students daily from Monday to Friday.

The church also hosts a fortnightly clinic run by Wits University medical students to provide patients with primary health care

check-ups, examinations and diagnostics.

The clinic was also used as a makeshift trauma unit for those injured during the student protests.

“The staff are all a bit traumatised. It's been a tough few weeks with all that's happened on the campus. But, they have also all been wonderful, and when we were in the midst of the protest crisis, they worked as a great team. They are all committed to ensuring that Trinity is a safe and sacred space where people can meet, listen and dialogue.

That’s important for us, building bridges,” said Fr Pugin.

The commander of the police operation at Wits visited Fr Pugin, apologising to him and asking for forgiveness.

“I told them I forgive them; that’s my Christian faith,” the priest told the Jesuit magazine America. “But I also made sure that

they knew that the way their operations were conducted was unacceptable. There was no need to shoot traumatised students who were seeking a place of safety.”

The police have promised an independent investigation into the shooting.

The mission of the Church and Holy Trinity is clear, Fr Pugin told The Southern Cross: “Our role is to preach the Good News, and we have an opportunity to be a voice of non-violence and forgiveness.”

He said he remained hopeful that a resolution between the protesters, the university and government would be reached, but “we are concerned by the sense of distrust between all the role players. The high security presence and clashes between police and students have also heightened tensions, making negotiations, at this stage, much more difficult.”

Parents, watch what you watch—our children are more techno-savvy than you realise.

They learn from their friends how to search your Google history and what to look for. What starts out as a game or a challenge becomes a secret nightmare in the lives of these kids as they approach adulthood.

Parents, you do have every right to check what your children are watching on their tablets, cellphones and computers.

That is a condition I set when buying my teen a techno-gadget: I can check it out whenever I want to. It works. Protect the young to reduce the risk of sexual addiction!

Priests, what do you do if you have your own issues with porn, as the article mentions? Who are you evangelical Protestants are the one’s doing the lion’s share of evangelising. In the last ten years, the evangelical Protestants have doubled in the “Third World” from 150 to 300 million.

Their workforce is 99% lay, and a large portion of these evangelists are former Catholics!

In “Catholic” Brazil, there are 30 000 fulltime Protestant ministers and only 13 000 Catholic priests.

The Protestant growth and success in Latin America is due to its success in mobilising its entire membership in constant propagation of its beliefs.

The task before us Catholics is formidable, especially since many of us have to be evangelised first, before seeing the need to bring the Gospel to the world.

John Lee, Johannesburg

Communion for Catholics only

J

OHN Driver’s letter of September 21, “Communion for all believers”, refers.

To begin with, there are fundamental truths to remember.

Our Lord founded the Catholic Church. The Church is of divine institution, born on the Cross, given a task to go and preach to all nations at the ascension, its apostolic 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

referred to for your own healing and rehab? Porn can become an addiction and as well as spiritual healing, rehabilitation therapy must be considered.

More importantly, to whom can you refer those who come to you confessing this sin? Ensure the online solutions are reputable, like those mentioned in your article.

Yes, there is much work to be done in South Africa. I agree that priests should start to address the porn crisis with their parishioners in order for them to feel comfortable enough to seek healing, as Fr Kilcawley suggests in the article.

This approach was taken when HIV/Aids reared its head in the early ’90s: the Church started to talk about sex.

Let’s move on…there’s lots to talk about and “beautiful things happening, we just need to know about them”.

Marie-Anne TeBrake, Johannesburg and missionary life beginning at Pentecost.

The Catholic Church is the mystical body of Christ. He is the head, the members of the Church being the body. (Mystici Corporis of Pius XII, from 1943.)

Outside of the Catholic Church there is no salvation. (Papal Bull, Unam Sanctam of Pope Boniface VIII, from 1302.)

Mr Driver mentions a priest of Actonville who invited all to Holy Communion. Were all in a state of grace?

What about the sacrament of confession, instituted by Our Lord himself on the evening of his resurrection?

Catholics in the state of mortal sin have to go to confession before receiving Holy Communion. If they do not then they receive Communion sacrilegiously.

How can one give Holy Communion to non-Catholics who don’t have or believe in the sacrament of penance and more than likely do not believe in the real presence?

The same priest at a later stage questioned if Our Lord would celebrate Mass only with Catholics. It is a hypothetical question obviously, because Our Lord does not need to say Mass, “(…) for this he did once, in offering himself” (Hebrews 7:27).

I like to think though, that Our Lord would invite all to Mass, and would, in his homily, explain what the Mass is, explain the Catholic faith and encourage all nonCatholics to convert to the truth which is found in the Church that he founded.

Through and with and in the Catholic Church and her doctrine we partake and live a life that is sublimely simple and simply sublime.

Fr Anthony Esposito, Society of St Pius X

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PERSPECTIVES Chris Chatteris SJ

Pray with the Pope

Let them in!

General Intention: That the countries which take in a great number of displaced persons and refugees may find support for their efforts which show solidarity.

OUTH Africa actually does what the pope is asking for. We have taken in considerable numbers of refugees and displaced persons from war-torn and economically ravaged neighbouring countries, sometimes grudgingly, but many have been able to stay.

Of course, unlike what we have seen on TV from Europe and the Middle East, refugees and migrants are relatively invisible here. The government has tried to avoid holding refugees in camps (except during periods of xenophobia). Nor do we have the kind of chaotic and tragic scenes, played out on television, that have occurred on the Greek and Italian coasts.

Here in South Africa, illegal immigration normally takes place across our land borders, which are out of sight of most South Africans.

However, the crossing can be as dangerous as for those crossing the Mediterranean or the Aegean.

Crocodiles lurk in the Limpopo and bandits, who do not hesitate to rape and even murder their victims, lie in wait along the roads. The plight of unaccompanied children is particularly tragic.

But we cannot fail to notice and meet refugees and migrants in the centres of our towns and cities where they struggle to support themselves by doing menial jobs such as car-guarding. Many would like to return home one day, but even if political situations change, for example in Zimbabwe, one can well imagine them wanting to wait and see before rushing homewards.

The most helpful international cooperation and solidarity South Africa could use at the moment is real political and economic change in the regions from which refugees and displaced persons come.

Unfortunately, it is not that evident that the South African government is pushing very hard for that change. But if we turn a blind eye to corrupt and authoritarian governments on our borders, we will always have refugees and displaced persons who wish to cross them.

S

The Southern Cross, October 26 to November 1, 2016

7

Season of First Communions Raymond Perrier W E are in the middle of First Holy Communion season. Although there is no fixed liturgical feast for this, many parishes across South Africa choose a Sunday in October or November as the date when children receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time.

This is a defining moment in the life of a young Catholic. And it can be a defining moment for a parish community. There can be a real sense of excitement and joy to see the next generation of Catholics walk solemnly and slightly nervously into a packed church. One of the miracles of this day is that the children often bring with them relatives and family friends who are not regular churchgoers but who want to share in the celebration.

There are extra flowers, processions with candles, hymns and readings delivered by the youngsters themselves—and, of course, the dressing up. A suit and tie for many young boys is something special; but, for the girls, a pretty white mini-wedding dress can be an absolute thrill.

Unfortunately, the dressing up has become controversial; parents sometimes try to outdo each other in how elaborate their child’s outfit is, often those who can least afford the extra expense.

So sensibly some parishes have put a brake on this by limiting what children can wear or by providing a uniform outfit for everyone—a white altar server’s robe for example—so that all children, rich and poor, can appear equal before the community on that day. This kind of solution works since it can still make a special day even more special.

My mother is a great seamstress and, since she made Communion dresses for half the parish, I was not going to be excluded. So I remember vividly—even though it was 43 years ago!—my own First Holy Communion day dressed in a specially tailored white suit, at least outwardly appearing like a little angel.

But I am pleased to say that I was also conscious of quite what an important step

this was in my own life.

The Eucharist is the culmination of our prayer as Catholics—the constant and visible reminder of Christ’s continued presence among us—so it is not surprising that the day when someone can receive it for the first time is so significant.

But though it comes at the end of an intense year-long course, the day of First Communion should not be seen as a completion of a process but rather a high-point of an ongoing journey.

T

he Catechism taught us the phrase that a sacrament is the “outward visible sign of an inward invisible grace”.

Though the signs happen at a moment in time, we should not imagine that graces from God come just as specific instants.

They can be ongoing and enveloping, more like a mist than a passing shower or a thunderstorm.

Thus, the act of First Communion, for the child and for the community, is a visible moment to celebrate what has led to that point (the nurturing of the child in the life of the Church) and also of what will proceed from that point (the renewed and more mature involvement of the child in the life of the Church). If those are missing,

First Communion should not be seen as a completion of a process but rather a highpoint of an ongoing journey, Raymond Perrier writes.

Faith and Society

no amount of dressing up can take their place.

We are conscious of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist—that is why we treat the host with such reverence and genuflect towards the tabernacle. This concrete and visible reminder of Christ’s presence can be helpful to us because, often, the other ways in which Christ is present are less immediately visible.

Since the Church is Christ’s body (as St Paul tells us), we should be able to see Christ present there. But sometimes we are so busy bickering with each other or competing for the priest’s attention that we fail to see Christ in the presence of those with whom we share our pews. Or sometimes we are so busy looking forwards to Christ in the host that we fail to look to the side and notice Christ in the frail old lady or the lonely teen or the stressed young mother who needs our help—or just a friendly smile.

It is wonderful that the sign of peace— the one moment when we have to acknowledge the presence of Christ in those around us—happens at the most solemn part of the liturgy. I am shocked when some priests regard this as optional rather than intrinsic or, worse still, see it as something for the people of God but not a gesture that they need to make.

We are also called to see Christ in the poor—not just the attractive, cheery, grateful ones but the mean-spirited, belligerent, ungrateful, difficult ones.

Each morning as I walk from my car to my office at the Denis Hurley Centre, I walk right past the open door of Emmanuel cathedral and, even if I do not go in, I pause to bow toward the tabernacle—a moment to remember Christ’s presence in the Eucharist so that I will remember his presence in the people I will meet through the day.

I am delighted that so many families in Continued on page 11

A Mass in music on a desert road Toni Rowland V

Priests and the laity Missionary Intention: That within parishes, priests and lay people may collaborate in service to the community without giving in to the temptation of discouragement.

OW often one hears the complaint that the new parish priest has dismantled all the carefully and laboriously established lay structures that have been built up in a parish.

Zealous and talented laypeople who were happily and effectively involved in the service to the community find themselves summarily defenestrated because “Father doesn’t like working with the laity”. In other words, Father likes to be in complete control.

Not surprisingly, the result is huge discouragement, and sometimes a disillusioned drifting away from the Church among those removed.

Another common problem is that of lay parish workers who resist the need to infuse the community and its structures with the new blood of younger leadership. Incumbency is the problem here and it too can cause great discouragement among those who would like to make a contribution but find themselves effectively blocked by people who simply cannot let go.

The Second Vatican Council envisaged a Church in which the talents of the laity could be used for service in the Lord’s vineyard. It envisaged a Church of the laity working with the clergy for the sake of mission. It envisaged the Good News being proclaimed by laypeople in all the dimensions of their lives, including their parish life.

This vision demands a high level of openness and freedom from those—clergy and lay—who hold the power of office in the Church.

It demands a view of power and position as resources for service. It seeks an attitude of interior freedom which will enable us to share it and, if necessary, lay it down for others to take up.

H

ERY few people stay home day after day. Almost everyone, young and old, is out and about every day of their lives—but it follows much the same path, day after day.

Walk, hop in the car or taxi or train or bus. Go to work, school, shopping, gym, the occasional outing; maybe a long trip from time to time. Mostly we are accompanied by noise, noise that we choose to fill our ears and heads.

For how many of us is travelling a joy, even just some of the time?

Half a century ago, we’d go on holiday when there were no highways and we marked off each place on the map between Johannesburg and Durban, and timed our journey. Then kids came along and the “Are we there yet?” litany started.

“Are we there yet?” is a preoccupation for most of us. So often the focus is on the destination rather than the journey.

For the People of God in biblical times, the biggest journey was the Exodus, God in his mercy leading them out of captivity to the Promised Land.

It wasn’t all smooth going either; they had to fight many battles to take and maintain possession.

Then there was the journey of captivity into Babylon, which was seen as punishment for having abandoned God’s ways.

Another biblical journey, that of the Holy Family from Bethlehem into exile in Egypt as they fled for their lives, was described by Lucy Rubin in the latest issue of Family Matters magazine. Have we thought of their anxiety as, according to tradition, they were pursued by Herod’s soldiers and saved only by a miracle?

Family Friendly

Travelling can be a noisy business—but what if that noise is a Mass set to music, heard on a deserted country road?

God’s mercy was one of my reflections recently as I made a journey, travelling alone by car from Johannesburg to Cape Town—the long way round, via Upington and Kakamas, where I was made welcome by the sisters and listened to some of their stories.

T

he section of the journey from Kakamas to Springbok, before going on to Cape Town, was for me the most meaningful. I travelled through miles and miles of that desert country—even though unfortunately too late for the show of wildflowers that completely change the desert in early spring.

In the desert, being a music-lover, I played the music of “The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace” by Karl Jenkins. I was so happy to be participating again in a performance of that piece in Cape Town.

As I listened to it, I thought about war and peace, and how it is that conflict and violence just never seem to end.

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The place where the journey of mankind from the Creation began, the Middle East, is still, and appears permanently, wracked by war, with hundreds of thousands killed and displaced.

Closer to home, the university students’ protests are a form of war as are strikes and the conflicts that tear families apart.

I realised that God is greater than all of these. The message of the words of Jenkins’ powerful work accompanied by most evocative music spoke to me of mercy in the Kyrie Eleison, Agnus Dei, and of anger, bloody men and flaming torches of war.

It ends on a note of hope with the call, “Better is peace than always war. Ring out the thousand years of war. Ring in the thousand years of peace.” And then finally the gentlest of reflections on the peace still to come: “God shall wipe away all tears and there shall be no more death.”

You can listen to “The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace” on YouTube (www. bit.ly/2eg3O0J).

The October family theme, “The Mission of Mercy is for Everyone”, came to life for me on this strange kind of retreat, but I felt blessed to have been able to make that journey and have the time and opportunity to reflect. It was food for my soul, as food is needed by everyone on their own and communal journeys.

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8

The Southern Cross, October 26 to November 1, 2016

COMMUNITY

Holy Rosary School’s Grade 11 girls were Confirmed at St Thérèse’s parish in Edenvale, Johannesburg. (Back from left) Bernadean Farinha, Matilda de Freitas, Kyla Pullen, Lianna Bertolini, Robyn Knowles, Samantha Whelan, Caitlyn Medcalf, Helena da Costa, Patricia Zongololo, (middle) Gabriella Martin, Callista Serraô, Jordan Hammond, Caitlin de la Roche, (front) Gemma Whiffler, Calista Gallwey and HOd of religion Sharon Meyer.

St Benedict School in Pinetown, durban, commemorated Our Lady’s birthday with a special assembly in the chapel garden. Each child made a tissue flower which was used to make a rosary on the grass of the chapel garden.

Katie-Meg Weinerlein of Assumption Convent School in Johannesburg had her story “One step is all it takes” published in the annual anthology English Alive 2016. English Alive is an annual anthology of writing from high schools and secondary colleges in southern Africa.

The Legion of Mary sodality in the diocese of Oudtshoorn had their first annual retreat at St Theresa’s parish in Knysna. This was the first time all praesidiums met for an official function of the Legion of Mary.

The annual convention for Franciscans was held at La Verna Retreat Centre in Vanderbijl Park, Johannesburg. Forty members of the First and Third Franciscan Orders met to discuss the theme Merciful like the Father, a phrase taken from the Jubilee prayer of Pope Francis. Presentations were given by Archbishop Slattery of Pretoria (The Eucharist), Rogers Sihlobo (Scripture), Hyacinth Ennis, pictured (Penance and Reconciliation), Solomon Mphela (the Spirituality of Ss Francis and Clare), and Anselm Prior (Laudato Si’).

Fr Joseph Phiri with a cultural group after Holy Mass on Heritage day at Colston in the Kimberley diocese.

Our Lady of Good Help in Verulam, KZN’s parish priest Fr Jude Fernando TOR and parishioner and civil engineer deon Govinden survey the almost completed catechetical and parish centre. The new building’s opening ceremony on November 12 will be officiated by Bishop Barry Wood of durban, with all parishes welcome to attend.

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The archdiocese of durban held a retreat at Mariannhill for deacons and aspirants, led by spiritual director Fr Neil Frank OMi.

US ELECTION

The Southern Cross, October 26 to November 1, 2016

9

Will Catholics go Trump or Clinton?

On Tuesday, US voters go to the polls to elect their new president. dENNiS SAdOWSKi surveys what role the “Catholic vote” plays.

professor of political science at New York’s Jesuit Fordham University, echoed Mr Gray, saying the diversity among Catholics means they vote the way they want, no matter what the Catholic Church teaches.

“They go their own way. They pick and choose what they want and what they want to follow,” she said. So there’s no need to expect that Catholics by themselves will sway the eventual outcome of this year’s presidential election, with its strange twists as candidates trade extraordinarily nasty barbs and accuse major party leadership of a lack of transparency in the delegate selection process.

Factors such as anger and distrust among voters are fuelling the rise of self-proclaimed “outsiders” whose message has appealed to those who have felt betrayed by the institutions of government, Church and social services that they once trusted to work on their behalf.

Stephen Schneck, director of the Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies at the Catholic University of America, said perhaps no other group has felt more betrayed than white working-class communities in places such as Pennsylvania, Appalachia, the Ozarks and the Deep South.

Addressing a symposium at the university in April, Dr Schneck described the high levels of drug abuse and alcoholism, marriage failures, declining life expectancy and rising crime rates that plague such communities.

“There are many angles from which to consider the correlation between decaying social capital and what’s happening to the quality of life for these populations, but one way to see it is as a crisis of trust,” Dr Schneck observed.

“It’s a breakdown of trust with even basic institutions of social life.

Their distrust of government is something we all hear about, but it goes far beyond that,” he said.

In an interview with Catholic News Service, Dr Schneck said working-class whites in the US feel “like they’ve lived up to their end of the bargain, but the other institutions have not”, so they are turning to candidates who seem to offer them a better life.

I

S there such a thing as a Catholic vote in the United States? Well, yes. Kind of.

Voting patterns show Catholics vote much like the rest of America, with minor swings one way or the other, depending on the candidate and the state.

Nevertheless, the Catholic vote still is important. But in any way it’s examined, analysts say the Catholic vote—about 22% of the electorate— is not as monolithic as it once was.

That is, except for Latinos, who now comprise about 35% of US Catholics. More than 65% of that group regularly vote for Democrats, and about 20% vote Republican, leaving few to be swayed by the candidates’ political positions.

“Even though people use the shorthand of ‘the Catholic Vote’, ‘the Vote of Catholics’ is probably the better way to describe it, because there is that diversity now,” said Mark Gray, senior research associate at the Washington-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.

Dr Gray suggested that the elections of 1960 and 1964 were the last where Catholics could be considered a uniform voting bloc. In 1960, they were moved to support Democrat John F Kennedy, the country’s first and only Catholic president, and that wave carried into the election four years later, when Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon Johnson, was elected.

But since then, Dr Gray said, Catholics “have not been really in one camp or the other”, and they hold values similar to the rest of the voting populace—an indication that Church teaching holds little sway in the election at the polls.

Catholics “look for teachings of the Church that are consistent with the party affiliation that they have”, Dr Gray said.

Monika McDermott, associate

democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican presidential nominee donald Trump greet each other at the start of their first televised debate. US voters will elect their new president on November 8.

(Photo: Joe Raedle/Reuters/CNS) Matthew Green, assistant professor of political scientist at he Catholic University of America, said that this could explain the appeal of candidates who have positioned themselves as outside the political mainstream.

Prof Green said the high turnout in the Republican primaries among people feeling forgotten helped Donald Trump hold off challengers.

“If you distrust the institution, but there is a candidate who says ‘I’m going to fix things’, then that might motivate you to vote.”

B

ut even with the large turnout among working-class white voters during the primaries, Latinos may hold a key to the general election.

If they show up at the polls in places such as Florida, Nevada and Colorado, they will influence who becomes the next occupant of the White House, said Luis Fraga, co-director of the Institute for Latino Studies and professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

Because of the fast growth of Hispanics who are US citizens, the Latino vote will increasingly influence election outcomes in the fu-

How to vote like a Catholic I

BY SAM LUCERO

N 2002, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a “Doctrinal note on some questions regarding the participation of Catholics in political life”, signed by the congregation’s prefect, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who in 2005 became Pope Benedict XVI. That letter introduced a term that is often referenced by Catholic groups during election years: non-negotiable ethical principles.

The note states: “Democracy must be based on the true and solid foundation of non-negotiable ethical principles, which are the underpinning of life in society.” The note went on to list a number of “non-negotiable” principles.

“In the face of fundamental and inalienable ethical demands, Christians must recognise that what is at stake is the essence of the moral law, which concerns the integral good of the human person,” the note stated. “This is the case with laws concerning abortion and euthanasia... Such laws must defend the basic right to life from conception to natural death.”

The note mentioned other non-negotiable principles: the family, traditional marriage; education of children; protection of minors; freedom from modern slavery; religious freedom; the economy; and peace.

As the US approaches the November presidential elections, the focus is again on “non-negotiable” principles. However, this list is long—not limited to five issues—and no candidate or political party meets this standard.

Abortion is obviously part of the first principle of protecting life, but human life also requires protection outside of the womb.

Perhaps this is why Pope Francis takes issue with the non-negotiable approach to addressing Church moral teachings.

I

n a March 2014 interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Pope Francis said he never understood the expression of non-negotiable values. “Values are values and that is it. I can’t say that, of the fingers of a hand, there is one less useful than the rest. Whereby I do not understand in what sense there may be negotiable values.”

Later that month, Argentine Archbishop Victor Fernandez, in an interview with Vatican Insider, explained why Pope Francis objected to non-negotiable principles.

“The pope stands firm in his opposition to abortion because if he does not defend the innocence of human life, we aren’t left with many other arguments with which to defend human rights,” said Archbishop Fernandez. “Of course, this is not negotiable, but it doesn’t mean that certain moral principles are the

source of all other truths of the Christian faith.”

Our faith does tell us to vote with an informed conscience.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. ‘He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters’” (1782).

Catholics, in good conscience, may not come to the same conclusion about one candidate’s qualifications. As the US bishops stated in their 2007 document in Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: “Catholics may choose different ways to respond to compelling social problems, but we cannot differ on our moral obligation to help build a more just and peaceful world through morally acceptable means.”

No Church leader or any other person can take away a God-given right to an informed conscience, one that is formed through prayer, discernment and study. Voting with an informed conscience; now that is non-negotiable. n This is an edited version of an article that appeared The Compass, the newspaper of the diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Sam Lucero is its news and information manager.

ture, he said.

In June, the Public Religion Research Institute released results of a survey that revealed that “white [non-Hispanic] Catholic and Latino Catholics are in different universes" when it comes to issues that are important to them in the presidential election.

One of the most important ones for Latino Catholics is immigration, an issue that Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has used to attack Mr Trump.

In a recent poll among Hispanic Catholic registered voters, Mrs Clinton has 69% support to Mr Trump’s 15%.

How prominent a role have life issues—abortion but also capital punishment and assisted suicide -really played in the 2016 presidential elections?

“It's about personality, mostly," said Massimo Faggioli, a professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University.

He called the presidential campaign “morally confusing. The voice of the values voters, especially on abortion, is not as important as it used to be.”

John Gehring, Catholic pro-

gramme director at Faith in Public Life, an advocacy group in Washington, said: “Trump is struggling with Catholic voters for a reason: Anti-immigrant nativism, crude sexism and making an idol of wealth are not Gospel values. Pope Francis reminds us that building a culture of life isn't about a single issue and that everything is connected. Catholics also want to hear about creating an economy of inclusion, dignity for refugees and addressing the way climate change disproportionately hurts the poor.

These are central life issues.”

However, Gail Buckley, president of Catholic Scripture Study International, said that she does not trust Mrs Clinton and “would never support a candidate who promotes abortion and same-sex marriage and threatens my religious liberty”.

She will vote for Mr Trump. “I think his comments [on treating women] are utterly disgusting, but I have no other choice than to vote for him,” she said.

Whichever way Catholics vote, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has again disseminated its document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship”, first issued in 2007 and updated for every presidential election.

The document is accompanied by study and discussion guides, bulletin inserts, and materials for use by bishops.

The latest iteration of the document, draws on papal teaching since 2007, particularly the latter part of Pope Benedict XVI’s tenure and that of Pope Francis. It also considers recent developments in US domestic and foreign policy related to samesex marriage, the use of drones in warfare and care for the environment, among other issues.

“There’s no doubt that this is something that’s very important to bring to the attention of Catholics, and formation of conscience, as the document says, is a lifelong undertaking, and our need to bring our faith to the public square is also not about one election,” said Susan Sullivan, director of education and outreach in the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development of the US bishops’ conference.—CNS

10

The Southern Cross, October 26 to November 1, 2016

ALL SOULS

A priest who ‘finished the race’ On the feast of All Souls, we remember our loved ones, friends and also priests and religious who have made a difference in our lives. COLEEN CONSTABLE recalls one such priest who died just a few weeks ago.

T

HE recent death of Norbertine Father Nazaire Vantomme, a much-loved parish priest who served the People of God in the diocese of Oudtshoorn for 35 years, brought sadness to the close-knit parish communities of Worcester.

Less than a month after his death on October 3, the community will have cause to pray for him, and for his intercession, on the feasts of All Souls and All Saints.

Fr Vantomme was the parish priest of St Maria Goretti in Worcester and Immaculate Heart of Mary in Zwelethemba, and of St Joseph’s in De Doorns.

Clergy, religious and parishioners from Oudtshoorn diocese gathered at his Requiem Mass at St Maria Goretti to mourn the loss of a beloved priest and celebrate a life well lived to the glory of God. Different emotions challenged the close-knit communities as they come to terms with his death: disbelief, pain, regret and joy. He was a priest and a friend: he was “family” to many of his parishioners.

The priest’s death caused some to say: “It is unbelievable, it is so strange.” For others tears flowed from the moment they first heard about his passing.

Some responded to offer immediate prayers for the repose of his soul.

Others felt the sharp pain that accompanies the loss of a family member.

Some felt regret: “I thought of him for the past two weeks and wanted to call, but never got to do it.”

And others recognised the joy that his death brought: Fr Vantomme is with Jesus, the High Priest

All Souls day painting by Jakub Schikaneder, 1888. Coleen Constable pays tribute to a priest who touched many lives during his 35-year service to the Oudtshoorn diocese.

Norbertine Father Nazaire Vantomme, who died in early October.

whom he served wholeheartedly and now he can pray for us.

Fr Karel Stautemas, the superior of the Norbertine religious community in the Abbey of Grimbergen in Belgium, where Fr Vantomme entered the order, delivered a eulogy. It marked the pride that the Norbertine community cherished as they reflected upon Fr Vantomme’s mission.

He made a profession as a Norbertine in 1973 and was ordained a priest in August 1978. Five months later, on January 27, 1979, he came to South Africa as a missionary priest.

It was an assignment he boldly and courageously heard as a young man, leaving behind family and country to serve God. It was a call he bravely accepted, although at the time he could only speak “Vlaams” (Flemish).

Fr Vantomme developed his language skills in South Africa and became “more South African than Belgian”.

Fr Stautemas said the death of Fr Vantomme marked the end of an era for the Norbertine religious community. His priesthood was exemplary: a priesthood of love.

In an emotional tribute Fr Ashley Orgill, a fellow Norbertine priest, emphasised Fr Vantomme’s outstanding character.

other problem, but as a person. He was a ‘person’s person’. He lived what Pope Francis told us to do: he was helping people to look at their problems differently. Always begin with the goodness of God.” The bishop noted that Pope Francis has said: “I know with dogmatic certainty that God is present in each person’s life.”

Fr Vantomme shared that certainty, as Bishop de Gouveia reminded us.

“Fr Vantomme believed that God is present in each person. It did not matter who you were, whether the courts sent you to prison when you were a youth. Fr Vantomme had a passion for teaching people catechism and helped people to see.

Young people were able to open themselves to him. They felt safe with him and he treated them with dignity. Pope Francis says, ‘God is present in the love of all people. See Christ in every person’. Fr Vantomme did it. He was what we are all called to do,” the bishop said.

In reviewing the life of Fr Vantomme, “we celebrate his faithfulness and his dedication. He left his family, his people to go to a country far away to spread the Gospel, to help us see within ourselves the image of God”, Bishop de Gouveia said.

“People described him as ‘humble’. He was humble as he allowed God to work through him. He brought the ‘consolation of the Risen Christ’ to people. He knew God is gazing on us, especially the young people he loved so much. Death is swallowed by the victory that God gives us through Jesus Christ,” said Bishop de Gouveia.

The principal of the local Catholic primary school, Hubert Titus—who is a member of another denomination—fondly recalled how he first met Fr Vantomme, dressed in what was to become his trademark gear: black trousers, grey shirt and white collar.

Fr Vantomme taught catechism at the school. He became a ‘‘father figure”, a great listener, an empathetic person, “someone you can trust to

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“Pride, arrogance and selfishness did not exist in him. He was a humble man who would give himself completely to others, at whatever cost.

“He would kneel with his people and pray their devotions. He was ‘meek, humble of heart’—the type of person we all want to be, the example we would like to follow, to show us what it is to be a priest.

“He built in the hearts of his people respect and love for the priesthood. He did not build buildings or write books. He never wanted more than what he had. He was happy with what he had: a big heart—there was room for everybody.

“He did not care about worldly things: he had a few possessions. He was always an example of what it is to be a priest.”

Fr Orgill concluded: “Our joy is that he ‘finished the race’ and is happy in the arms of Jesus. We ask him to speak for us before the throne of God. Jesus said, ‘Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart.’ We have learned from Fr Vantomme.”

F

ATHER Vantomme is hailed as a model priest of our time: a true servant of the people of God and a “humble servant of the Lord”. He served the People of God with much love. He set an example of what humility and poverty in the priesthood mean; what a serving, caring and loving priesthood entails: a priesthood that tells us God is with us.

It is this beautiful reality of what exactly the priesthood represents in a modern world and how it is lived out that now sets the benchmark for priests in the Oudtshoorn diocese and elsewhere.

In a befitting tribute, Bishop Frank de Gouveia of Oudtshoorn said: “Fr Vantomme served God well. If someone came to him with an issue he would always ask, ‘What is the good news?’ He saw it not as an-

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OUR GIFT TO YOU!

talk to over a cup of tea”.

He had a good sense of humour and knew when to laugh. And he was a “priest of prayer”: Fr Vantomme taught Mr Titus and his wife “silent prayer” after the death of their child.

Many might have wanted to pay tribute to Fr Vantomme, but of course that is not always possible. So much can be said of him as many people encountered Jesus through him.

He became my spiritual director in 2004, a time when I became deeply inspired by the devotion to the Divine Mercy. Later he became spiritual director of the Divine Mercy Apostolate in the western deanery of the diocese of Oudtshoorn. He journeyed with us as the apostolate grew from a prayer group to a Divine Mercy Prison Apostolate, supporting our mission as much as he could.

He prayed with us, sat through three hours of Adoration of the Eucharist with us every week and ran retreats for the group.

On Divine Mercy Sunday in 2007, the feast day was celebrated with Fr Vantomme presiding over Mass in the Worcester Rehabilitation Centre: it was the first time that the feast of Divine Mercy was ever celebrated in a South African prison.

On that day Catholic inmates had the opportunity to receive the sacrament of reconciliation before attending Mass.

Fr Vantomme made time for our active apostolate in the same way that he set time aside for the sodalities and other lay ministries in all his parishes. He was available 24/7 to every person who needed him: that is how much he loved the people of God—that is how much he loved Jesus Christ.

He was a spiritual director who understood human failures and the weakness of human beings. He taught us there is always a second chance. We saw how he loved and respected people.

He taught us patience: to accept others just as they are. We saw his strong faith in God and his love for the Church and her teachings.

Many converts to Catholicism in his former parishes credit him for the manner in how he introduced them to the Catholic faith.

He lived out mercy through his words, deeds and actions everywhere. He taught us that ministry work is not easy, but you never give up. He reminded us how he received his calling at a young age, while working in a bakery in his home country, but could not escape. He taught us that he responded without looking back.

In bidding their final goodbyes through an expression of affection, the women from different sodalities and lay ministries formed a guard of honour, singing and dancing around his coffin minutes before the hearse left the church for the final rest place. It was the African way of letting go.

Fr Nazaire Vantomme is now with Jesus, the High Priest. Fr Nazaire, intercede for us.

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LOVING FATHER bless us, the people of AFRICA, and help us to live in justice, love and peace Mary, Mother of Africa, pray for us

CLASSIFIEDS

Sr Martin Russell OP

N

EWCASTLE Dominican Sister Martin Russell OP died on October 6 in Marian House, Boksburg. She was 98.

She was the twin sister of the late Sister Teresa Russell, who died in March 2013, and the older sibling of Holy Rosary Sister Mary Brendan of Edenvale, Johannesburg.

Sr Martin was born in Johannesburg in April 1918. She attended St Catherine’s School in Germiston and after completing her tertiary education worked for some years in a bank.

On Easter Sunday 1941 the 23-year-old twins—who were born Norah and Nancy Russell— entered the Dominican novitiate in Newcastle, Natal.

Sr Martin wrote in her twilight years: “We now look back, 72 years on, at our happy lives in the convent. We studied and taught in our many schools from

the Northern Transvaal (Pietersburg) down to the South Coast (Durban). Now we are enjoying our retirement, making and sending greeting cards to all our acquaintances—our apostolate of the pen!”

Sr Martin’s commitment as a teacher, assisting pupils and adults with their studies, was

well known, even in her retirement years.

The twins were blessed with an abundance of energy and a great zest for life. They appreciated and took a keen interest in nature, even in the phases of the moon, with Sr Martin asking her carer to take her to the window to see the spectacle.

In spite of her busy life, her community participation and devotion to her prayer life was paramount.

The Requiem Mass for Sr Martin was celebrated in Marian House by the congregation’s chaplain Fr Albert Nolan OP, assisted by Frs Hyacinth Ennis OFM, Michael Murphy SPS, and Brian Connolly OMI. Family members as well as close friends, Sisters of Mercy, Salesians and Christian Brothers came to pay their last respects.

Sr Patricia Dunne OP

Season of First Communions Continued from page 7 Durban have decided that they do not need to buy their children yet another rosary for First Communion and that instead a pledge in their name to feed the hungry has been chosen as a better gift for the occasion—it is in giving that we receive.

We must be careful that we do not treat Communion as being like Popeye’s spinach, a superfood that will give us extra strength in the fight.

But symbolically it does play a role a bit like that. The effect on me in receiving Communion should be to remind me that the graces that I have received are so great (and so undeserved) that I must now share them with those

around me, especially those in need.

Remember that the very name “Mass” is stressing the very last words of the service—we receive Christ so that we can be “sent out” to share Christ.

I have a wonderful memory of this from when I worked in a L’Arche community many years ago, a place where adults with learning disabilities share their home and their lives with ablebodied people who can help them.

The spiritual life of L’Arche members is taken very seriously and so a Mass in the house was very special to all the people present. A regular bottle of wine was opened so that the priest

could consecrate part of it during the Mass.

But then after Mass, one of the disabled members in great procession carried the rest of the bottle of wine to the dinner table where we all shared it over our meal.

It was a wonderful symbol of the way in which the community that was created by the act of Communion at Mass could flow over into our community as a household, all of us different members of the same body which is Christ.

As St Augustine put it so succinctly: “Receive what you are— the Body of Christ; become what you receive—the Body of Christ.”

A Prayer for the feast of All Souls Lord God, you are the glory of believers and the life of the just.

Your son redeemed us by dying and rising to life again.

Since our departed brothers and sisters believed in the mystery of our resurrection, let them share the joys and blessings of the life to come.

Our bishops’ anniversaries This week we congratulate: November 2: Bishop Valentine Seane of Gaborone on his 50th birthday

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 730. ACROSS: 4 Spartan, 8 Tarsus, 9 Failure, 10 Amends, 11 Incite, 12 Holiness, 18 Ice-cream, 20 School, 21 Relate, 22 Reunion, 23 Gallio, 24 Stature. DOWN: 1 Attaché, 2 Briefly, 3 Sudden, 5 Pharisee, 6 Relics, 7 Aerate, 13 Evildoer, 14 Default, 15 Emperor, 16 Accept, 17 Hornet, 19 Caesar.

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)

JOHANNESBURG: Our Lady of Lebanon church, Mulbarton, will hold a closing celebration of the Year of Mercy Pilgrimage on Thursday, November 10 at 18:00.

Programme: Adoration, Rosary, divine Mercy Testimony, Outdoor Eu-

charistic Procession, Holy Mass, Bring & Share. The church is at 10 Blougom Crescent, Liefde en Vrede, Mulbarton, Johannesburg. Contact 010 045, or parish secretaries Michelle or dallas on 011 432 5331 and 011 432 5312.

The Southern Cross, October 26 to November 1, 2016

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11

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PRAYERS

THANkSGIvING NOvENA to St Jude. O Holy St Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke your special patronage in time of need, to you i have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg to who God has given such great power to come to my assistance.

Help me in my present and urgent petition. in return i promise to make your name known and cause you to be invoked. St. Jude pray for us and all who invoke aid. Amen.

O MOST Holy Virgin Mary, who chose to appear on the Sierra de Aire, in the Cova de iria, to three young shepherds to reveal the treasures of grace held in the recitation of the Rosary, impress upon our souls a fervent love for this devo-

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

tion. By meditating on the mysteries of our redemption, may we learn how to use the teachings which lie therein and obtain the graces we ask in this prayer. For the Glory of God and the redeeming of our souls. Amen. Novena from 5 to 13 each month.

For prayers/hymns write to jjvcamara@gmail.com

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R2 100, per week. Phone Alisonat 084 577 1356 or delton at 083 414 6534. kZN SOUTH COAST: Pumula. Self-catering garden flat. Sleeps 4-5. R500 per night. All linen and necessities provided, plus TV & lock-up garage. Beautifully tranquil sea view from raised sundeck; abundant birdlife. Call Jenny at 039 684 6475 or 082 964 2110. kZN SOUTH COAST: Pumula. House to rent.

Sleeps 8/9. R1 000 per night. indoor pool, double garage, large garden, abundant birdlife, good sea view. All linen and necessities provided incl dSTV. Maid available. Call Jenny at 039 684 6475 or 082 964 2110.

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.

PERSONAL

ABORTION WARNING: The truth will convict a silent Church. See www.valuelifeabortion isevil.co.za

Traditional Latin Mass

Liturgical Calendar

Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel 36 Central Avenue, Pinelands, Cape Town

Year C – Weekdays Cycle Year 2 Sunday October 30 Wisdom 11:22--12:2, Psalms 145:1-2, 8-11, 1314, 2 Thessalonians 1:11--2:2, Luke 19:1-10 Monday October 31 Philippians 2:1-4, Psalms 131, Luke 14:12-14 Tuesday November 1 Phillipians 2: 5-11, Psalms 22: 26-32, Luke 14: 15-24 Wednesday November 2, All Souls Job 19: 23-27, Psalms 23, Romans 5: 5-11, Matthew 5: 1-12 Thursday November 3, St Martin de Porres Philippians 3:3-8, Psalms 105:2-7, Luke 15:1-10 Friday November 4, St Martin de Porres St Charles Borromeo (November 3 Philippians 3:17--4:1, Psalms 122:1-5, Luke 16:1-8 Saturday November 5 Phillipians 4: 10-29, Psalmns 112: 1-2.56.8-9, Luke 16: 9-15 Sunday November 6, All Saints Revelation 7:2-4, 914, Psalms 24:1-6, 1 John 3:1-3, Matthew St Charles Borromeo 5:1-12 (November 4)

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The Southern Cross is published independently by the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company Ltd. Address: PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000. Tel: (021) 465 5007 Fax: (021) 465 3850 www.scross.co.za

Editor: Günther Simmermacher (editor@scross.co.za), Business Manager: Pamela davids (admin@scross.co.za), Advisory Editor: Michael Shackleton, News Editor: Mandla Zibi (m.zibi@scross.co.za), Editorial: Claire Allen (c.allen@scross.co.za), Mary Leveson (m.leveson@scross.co.za), Advertising: Yolanda Timm (advertising@scross.co.za), Subscriptions: Michelle Perry (subscriptions@scross.co.za), Accounts: desirée Chanquin (accounts@scross.co.za) Directors: R Shields (Chair), J O’Leary (Vice-chair), Archbishop S Brislin, S duval, E Jackson, B Jordan, Sr H Makoro CPS, J Mathurine, R Riedlinger, G Stubbs, Z Tom Editorial Advisory Board: Fr Chris Chatteris SJ, Kelsay Correa, dr Nontando Hadebe, Prof derrick Kourie, Claire Mathieson, Fr Lawrence Mduduzi Ndlovu, Palesa Ngwenya, Sr dr Connie O’Brien i.Sch, Kevin Roussel, Fr Paul Tatu CSS

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

the

All Saints: November 6 Readings: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14, Psalm 24:1-6, 1 John 3:1-3, Matthew 5:1-12

O

N Sunday we celebrate the transferred solemnity of All Saints, the feast of all those who have gone before us, known and unknown, and who are now with God and interceding for us. The clue in the day’s readings is that they offer us a vision.

The book of Revelation, from which our first reading is taken, is itself a vision, placed in a liturgical setting; and of course all good liturgy is meant to give us a glimpse of what is going on in the world, and the strength to cope with it.

The basic message of Revelation is that “God is in charge”. The four angels who are to execute God’s punishment on the world are warned to hold back “until we seal the servants of our God upon their foreheads”.

Then we are invited to hear how many these are: “144 000, sealed from all the tribes of Israel”. This, of course, is simply meant to denote “a very large number” (so you can forget your worries about what happens when you get to 143 999 inhabitants of heaven); and indeed the next group is “one that no one could count”, from every part of the world, “standing before the Throne and

S outher n C ross

before the Lamb”.

They are dressed as martyrs, “with white garments and palms in their hands”; and they are singing a liturgical refrain: “Salvation to our God, The One Who Sits on the Throne, and to The Lamb”.

The martyrs, all those anonymous ones who are put to death all through history and all over the world, are the ones who sing that song, who are utterly intimate with God, and are identified by the Elder as “those who come from the Great Tribulation and washed their garments and made them white with the blood of the Lamb”. This is a vision to keep us going this week.

The psalm for next Sunday also offers a vision: “To the Lord belongs the sea and what fills it, the world and those who dwell in it.”

But it does not just stop with the God of all creation, for there is concern also for the human beings who are invited in: “Who shall go up on the Lord’s mountain? And who shall stand in God’s holy Place?”

T

Conrad

Karl Rahner (“In the torment of the insufficiency of everything attainable, we learn that here in this life there is no finished symphony”).

Reading these thinkers helped me put my youthful romanticism under a high symbolic hedge.

Alongside these spiritual writers, I was much influenced by a number of novelists who helped instil in me the notion that life is meant to be lived with such an inner intensity and high romanticism so as to preclude any simple satisfaction in life’s normal, everyday pleasures and domestic joys.

For me, Nikos Kazantzakis’ characters—the author of books like Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ— radiated a passion that made them virtually godlike and irresistibly enviable, even as they struggled not to self-destruct.

Iris Murdoch described loves that were so obsessive, and yet so attractive, as to make everything outside of them unreal; and Doris Lessing and Albert Camus seduced me with images of an inner disquiet that made ordinary life seem flat and not worthwhile.

T

he idea grew in me that it was far nobler to die in unrequited longing than to live in anything else. Better dead in intensity than alive in domestic normalcy.

Restlessness was to be encouraged.

And much in our culture, especially in the arts and the entertainment industry, foster that temptation—namely, to selfdefine as restless and to identify this disquiet with depth and with the angst of the artist.

Once we define ourselves in this way, as complex, incurable romantics, we have an excuse for being difficult and we also have an excuse for betrayal and infidelity.

Sunday Reflections

Then comes a list of what is expected of “those who shall receive blessing from the Lord”. And the real vision comes in the next line: “This is the generation of those who seek and look for Your face O [God of] Jacob.”

The vision of the second reading is the glimpse that love is the only thing that matters: “What great love the Father has given us, that we might be called children of God.” Better than that: “It has not yet appeared what we shall be…we shall be like [God], for we shall see God as God is.” That is what happens to saints.

Best of all, perhaps, is the extraordinary vision of Sunday’s Gospel, the famous opening words of the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus settles himself into a teaching position “when he sat down” and gives his students a vision that, if we take it seriously, will turn upside down our vision of how the world goes.

It is a vision that makes sense of all those we have known whom we should now re-

To calm the restless spirit HIRTY-FOUR years ago, when I wrote my first column, I would never have said this: Restlessness is not something to be cultivated, no matter how romantic that might seem.

Don’t get Jesus confused with Hamlet, peace with disquiet, depth with dissatisfaction, or genuine happiness with the existential anxiety of the artist. Restlessness inside us doesn’t need to be encouraged; it wreaks enough havoc all on its own.

But I’m a late convert to this view.

From earliest childhood through mid-life, I courted a romance with restlessness, with stoicism, with being the lonely outsider, with being the one at the party who found it all too superficial to be real.

Maybe that contributed to my choosing the seminary and the priesthood; certainly it helps explain why I titled my column “In Exile”. For most of my life, I have equated restlessness with depth, as something to be cultivated.

This came naturally to me, and all along the way I’ve found powerful mentors to help me carry my solitude in that way.

During my high school years, I was intrigued with Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. I virtually memorised it. Hamlet represented depth, intensity and romance; he wasn’t a beer-drinker. For me, he was the lonely prophet, radiating depth beyond superficiality.

In my seminary years I graduated to Plato (“We are fired into life with a madness that comes from the gods and has us believe that we can achieve a great embrace, make ourselves immortal, and contemplate the divine”); to Augustine (“You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you”); to John of the Cross (“We go through life fired by love’s urgent longings”); to Fr

Nicholas King SJ

Rejoice and be glad

gard as saints. What you might do as you read is bring to mind the dead whom you regard as saints, and see whether these “beatitudes” or “congratulations” work for them.

Are those people, when you think of them, such as could be described as “poor in spirit…mourning…meek…hungry and thirsty for justice…merciful…pure in heart… peacemakers…persecuted for the sake of righteousness…and reviled”? Do you see the extraordinary sanity that underlies the apparent wildness of these lines?

As the world sees things, such people are precisely those who are at the bottom of the heap. But that is not how God sees it; God’s favourites are not at all what you and I should expect. So today we should, as Jesus puts: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in the heavens.”

There is the vision, and it is one that should keep us going this week; and for the rest of our lives.

Southern Crossword #730

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

For now, in the words of the song “Witchy Woman” by the American rock group Eagles, we are “restless spirits on an endless flight”. Understandably, then, we fly above the ordinary rules for life and happiness, and our complexity is justification enough for whatever ways we act out.

As the late singer Amy Winehouse famously self-defined: “I told you I was troubled, and you know that I’m no good.” Why should anyone be mystified by our refusal of normal life and ordinary happiness?

There’s something inside us, particularly when we are young, that tempts us towards that kind of self-definition. And, for that time in our lives, when we’re young, I believe it’s healthy.

The young are supposed to be overly idealistic, incurably romantic, and distrustful of any lazy fall into settling for second-best.

As Doris Lessing puts it, there’s only one real sin in life and that’s calling second-best by anything other than what it is, second-best! My wish is that all young people would read Plato, St Augustine, St John of the Cross, Fr Karl Rahner, Nikos Kazantzakis, Iris Murdoch, Doris Lessing, Jane Austen, and Albert Camus.

But, except for authors such as Plato, Augustine, John of the Cross and Rahner—who integrate that insatiable restlessness and existential angst into a bigger, meaningful narrative—we should be weary of defining ourselves as restless and cultivating that.

High romanticism will only serve us well if we eventually set it within a selfunderstanding that doesn’t make restlessness an end in itself. Just feeling noble won’t bring much peace into our lives and, as we age and mature, peace does become the prize.

Romeo, Juliet, Hamlet, Zorba the Greek, Doctor Zhivago, and the other such mega-romantic figures on our screens and in our novels can ignite our romantic imaginations, but they aren’t in the end images for the type of intimacy that makes for a permanent meeting of hearts inside the body of Christ.

ACROSS

4. As austere as ancient Greek with no luxuries (7) 8. Saul came from here (Ac 9) (6) 9. Lack of success (7) 10. Make them in compensation (6) 11. Stir up trouble for someone in view, we hear (6) 12. His title for the pope (8) 18. It may keep the children cool (3-5) 20. Learn here of large group of fish (6) 21. Tell about the deceased (6) 22. Social gathering about marriage? (7) 23. Proconsul of Achaia (Ac 18) (6) 24. The height of your reputation? (7)

DOWN

1. The case of the Vatican diplomat (7) 2. Concisely (7) 3. Unexpected (6) 5. Share pie with the selfrighteous man (8) 6. They have survived a long time in the sanctuary (6) 7. Put air into (6) 13. one who does you no good (8) 14. A fluted failure to do your obligation (7) 15. Moth named after the monarch? (7) 16. Lord, ... the gifts we offer (Hymn) (6) 17. Insect upsets throne (6) 19. He was famous as 15 down (6)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

W

ITH the number of funerals increasing in his parish, the priest came up with a modern solution. To personalise each funeral programme, he used the “find and replace” command on his computer to replace the name of the deceased from the previous funeral with the name of the person whose funeral Mass he was going to celebrate the next day.

The next morning, all was going well—until the Apostle’s Creed. “Jesus Christ,” the congregation read from the programme, “born of the Virgin Edna...”

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