170531 by The Southern Cross

The

S outher n C ross www.scross.co.za

May 31 to June 6, 2017

The faith of Charismatic Catholics

Page 9

As Christians we should never walk alone

Page 10

Reg no. 1920/002058/06 no 5034

R8,00 (incl VAT RSA)

Why priesthood needs a radical new vision

Page 7

No: Enough is enough BY ERIn CARELSE

HE recent unfolding agony of violence against women and children has resulted in a nation numbed with shock, said Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town. “Our society has been shaped by enduring violence, which has compromised healthy family life, as well as the very fabric of our communities,” he said. “Each crime against a woman and child causes our society to unravel that much more. The social and human cost is immense.” Crime has dominated the headlines in the past month, and violence against women and children is on the rise, police warned: • A 22-year-old pregnant woman was kidnapped and gang raped on her way home from work in the Johannesburg inner city. • Lerato Tambo Moloi was stoned to death after she had been sexually assaulted. The LBGTI community believe this is an incident of so-called “corrective” rape where a woman is targeted because she is a lesbian. • Two young women from Kwazulu-Natal, Popi Gumede, 24, and Bongeka Phungula, 28, who were living together in Zola, were murdered and may also have been raped. • Three-year-old Courtney Pieters was raped twice and murdered by a supposed family friend. • Karabo Mokoena, 22, was murdered and her body burnt by her ex-boyfriend. “The brutality of these crimes and the fact that so many have been perpetrated by individuals known to the victims raises questions that demand answers,” said Archbishop Brislin, who is also president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. “Victims sometimes blame themselves for what has happened but there is nothing that can justify such blatant cruelty,” he said. “More funding should be made for parenting programmes and support. We need interventions to combat the normalisation of violence at home, at school, at church and in our communities,” the archbishop said. Also, domestic violence was common, and there was a pervasive culture of alcohol and drug abuse, as well as participation in gangs, which exacerbated violence, he said. Relying on prosecution and imprisonment will not result in the change we need, the archbishop said—we have to go back to the beginning and look at the way we socialise our children.

Special Pilgrimage to Portugal and Spain

The Jesuit Institute noted that it was deeply concerned by the gender-based violence. “We need to create a counter-culture in which the dignity of each person, created in the image and likeness of God, is seen and honoured,” the institute stated. “We need both to challenge the status quo and work to address the multiple root causes of gender-based violence.” It said we must critically examine the often-patriarchal Church language we use and the ways in which women are often treated in Church contexts. There are multiple social factors, the institute noted, and South Africa’s history was one in which the dignity of men and women was systematically undermined—many women came to expect the abuse inflicted on them, and some men who felt disempowered sought an interior sense of power by abusing those more vulnerable than themselves.

olice minister Fikile Mbalula, in response to the highly publicised murder of Ms Mokoena, said: “Love cannot be bought. If a man is abusing you, stay away. Stay away from them because you will get a better one in the future.” On social media platforms this last month, the hashtag #menaretrash took centre stage, with young women and girls sharing their stories of abuse. Ranjeni Munusamy, editor of the Daily Maverick, said: “The recent spate of violence against women and children is not unusual. It’s not an anomaly, and that’s the tragedy.” In reference to #menaretrash, she said: “Some people have taken offence to it, but the conversation that’s being brought to light is necessary as a way of facing the fact that everyone is a part of the problem.” Fr Lawrence Mduduzi Ndlovu also spoke to The Southern Cross about the hashtag, saying #menaretrash is really not about all men being trash, but comes out of frustration with the way women have been treated in society. He said the biggest concern with the abuse of women and children is that most of us have witnessed it. “Our levels of tolerance and indifference are so high that the perpetrators of these crimes know nothing will be done to them.” Fr Ndlovu said he believes the real work is in getting communities and individuals to wake up from their indifference and empathise again.

The

The Southern Cross pilgrimage group at the sanctuary of Fatima in Portugal with Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town (standing left), Southern Cross editor Günther Simmermacher (kneeling far left) and Carmelite Father Varghese Kannanaikkal of Port Elizabeth (standing right). At a Mass before the photo was taken, the archbishop blessed and commended all at The Southern Cross and its readers and supporters to Our Lady, and then consecrated The Southern Cross to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The pilgrimage also visited such places as Lisbon, Coimbra and Santarém in Portugal, and Avila, Alba de Tormes and Madrid in Spain. (Photo: Gail Fowler)

Southern Cross consecrated to Immaculate Heart of Mary STAFF REPORTER

ELEBRATING Mass at the Marian sanctuary at Fatima, Portugal, Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town consecrated The Southern Cross to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Archbishop Brislin was leading The Southern Cross’ pilgrimage to Fatima and other sites in Portugal and Spain to mark the centenary of the apparition of Our Lady to three peasant children at the northern Portuguese site. At the Mass in the chapel of the Angel of Peace in the Fatima sanctuary, only metres from where Mary appeared to the children five times between May and October 1917, the archbishop blessed and commended all at The Southern Cross and its readers and supporters to Our Lady. At the apparitions, Mary encouraged the devotion to her Immaculate Heart. The pilgrimage visited Lisbon, where the group had Mass in the city’s cathedral, which is dedicated to Our Lady, and ended with a Mass in Madrid in a parish church dedicated

S outher n C ross &

to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. In between, the group visited and had Mass in Santarém and Coimbra in Portugal, and in Alba de Tormes in the convent that holds the tomb of St Teresa of Avila, and in Avila in the convent where St Teresa reformed the Carmelite order. “The programme was very well-designed to keep the focus on Our Lady and on Fatima,” said Southern Cross editor Günther Simmermacher, who accompanied the tour. He noted that the inclusion of Coimbra marked the city where Sr Lucia dos Santos, one of the Fatima visionaries, lived as of 1948 and where she died on 2005 at 97. “Sr Lucia was a Carmelite, so it made sense to then go to places associated with St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross.” The Southern Cross, in association with Radio Veritas, is presenting a second Fatima pilgrimage, with the same programme, in October. It will be led by Fr Brian Mhlanga of Radio Veritas. n For more information go to www.fowler tours.co.za/fatima

Radio Veritas

100 YEARS FATIMA Led by Fr Brian Mhlanga OP 1 - 10 Oct. 2017 Fatima • Lisbon • Coimbra • Avila • Madrid and more Contact Gail at info@fowlertours.co.za or 076 352-3809 or 021 551-3923

Interactive itinerary at

www.fowlertours.co.za/fatima

The Southern Cross, May 31to June 6, 2017

LOCAL

Nardini nuns sing out their 60 years in SA T HE Franciscan Nardini Sisters of the Holy Family have released a music album to celebrate 60 years of their presence in South Africa. The 10-track album is in English, Sesotho isiXhosa and isiZulu. All the music released by the Sisters comes from their life in community, of which singing is an integral part. “The CD is in gratitude and thanksgiving for all the blessings received over those 60 years,” said regional superior Sr Ellen Lindner. The album was produced by Durban singer Zamokuhle Cele and Fr Dumisani Ngcobo CMM, and supported by the Mariannhill diocese. The first three tracks, Ngobusukubokugcibela (“Last Supper”), YihlanikeZingelosi (“Angels of God Sing

with Us”) and Konyana (“Lamb of God”), celebrate the Eucharist which is the lifeblood of the Nardini family. The fourth track, Ngena Moya, invokes the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the world. The fifth song Jesu Nkosi yami acknowledges Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Ucwebile (“Holy Holy Holy”) is an upbeat dancing song. The anthem “I Sing A Song” is a call for all to follow the example of St Francis of Assisi by offering their lives to God and neighbour. Ngokubhabhadiswa reminds us that baptism makes us full members of the Church. “Alleluia” challenges us to live joyfully as Christ is risen, while the last track, Ntate, is a new version of the Kyrie. Bl Paul Joseph Nardini, the con-

gregation’s founder, commissioned it “to bring the Gospel to the poor through works of charity”. The sisters have convents in Vryheid, Nkandla, Richard’s Bay, Maria Ratschitz and Kokstad in the dioceses of Eshowe, Dundee and Kokstad. Their services comprise pastoral work, nursing and caring for the sick and needy, the education of children, care for orphans and vulnerable children, and promotion of

economic sustainability. For example, in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, they have built a much-needed hospital. The congregation received its first batch of South African candidates in 1983. “Interestingly, up to now, 37 German sisters have arrived for missionary service in South Africa while 37 candidates have joined our community in South Africa,” Sr Lindner noted. The mother house of the congregation is in south-western Germany, where the Sisters are known as the Mallersdorfer Schwestern. This year the Sisters are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Nardini Convent School in Vryheid, northern KwaZulu-Natal. “Its aim is to give a sound academic and Christian foundation to

children of all races within the Catholic ethos. It caters for children from pre-school age to Grade 7,” Sr Lindner said. “National tests from Grade 3 and Grade 6 show we are one of the bestperforming schools,” she added. Former pupils have entered many fields, including medicine, education, accountancy and farming. The Sisters invite all to attend the 60th anniversary of the Nardini Convent School on September 23-24. For more information, visit www.nardiniconventschoolvryheid.co. za or facebook.com/Nardini-conventSchool-156268684547239/ n The music CD is available from all the Nardini convents, and from Fr Mathibela Sebothoma in Pretoria. Contact mathibela.sebothoma@ gmail.com or SMS 072 649 1799.

Papal Apostolic nuncio to South Africa Archbishop Peter Wells and his secretary visited Holy Cross Primary School in Aliwal north, Eastern Cape, for Friday assembly. Archbishop Wells (centre back) is seen with school principal Sr Bridget Cronin and pupils. (Photo supplied by Sr Cronin) Staff and learners of Christian Brothers’ College in Mount Edmund, Pretoria, took to the street outside the school, and held a silent protest against racism and xenophobia. The campaign was the initiative of the Edmund Rice Society and part of a national campaign of the Edmund Rice justice desk that advocates for human rights.

Become a Southern Cross Associate!

The Associates Campaign is an integral support to The Southern Cross ensuring that it continues its apostolic outreach, developing the means of transmitting our Catholic values in the new forms of media and safeguarding its future in these uncertain economic times.

By BECOMiNg Or rEMAiNiNg AN ASSOCiATE yOu will:

• Safeguard the future of The Southern Cross. The Associates Campaign is a bedrock in which the existence of The Southern Cross is rooted. • Enable us to develop our presence on the constantly evolving technological platforms to meet young Catholics where they are. This is a substantial but absolutely essential undertaking which our income from sales and advertising simply cannot cover. • Support our apostolate to prisoners to help them convert to a life with Christ. As St Paul admonishes us: “Keep in mind those A who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them…since you too are in the one body” (Heb 13:3). Our outreach currently serves 24 prisons as well as six army bases; it is funded entirely by the Associates Campaign. • Ensure that all our seminarians may have access to The Southern Cross so that they remain in touch with the events and thinking of the local and worldwide Church. • Help us give young journalists a foundation in religious reporting at a time when the secular press covers our Church only in relation to bad news.

□ Cardinal Owen McCann Associate - annual contribution is R1500 or □

□ □ □

more. Cardinal Owen McCann Associates will receive a free postal or digital subscription to The Southern Cross St Maximilian Kolbe Associate - annual contribution of between R500 and R1499. St Francis de Sales Associate - annual contribution of R100 or more. Dorothy Day Associate - any amount, by monthly debit order Once-oﬀ payment

M PA I G

 Select

Title: ....... name: .....................................................................

Address: ..................................................................................

...................................................Code: ....................................

Tel/Cell: ....................................................................................

Email: .......................................................................................

Banking details: Standard Bank, Thibault Square Branch (Code 020909), The Southern Cross, Acc No: 276876016 (please fax or e-mail deposit slip or conﬁrmation) l Fax Number: 021 465-3850, Email: admin@scross.co.za Tick if you don’t wish your name published in our annual list of Associates

□

The Southern Cross, May 31 to June 6, 2017

LOCAL

Academy starts full-time youth leadership courses

HE Catholic Leadership Academy (CLA), a spiritual, academic and pastoral leadership academy, based in Cape Town, is introducing a full-time, three-month youth leadership course open to applicants from around the world. Tim Harris and Adrian van Stolk, co-founders of the CLA, have been running part-time courses since 2014. They are passionate about Catholicism, revere scripture and Catholic tradition, and hold firmly to the tenets of the Catholic Church. They work in close collaboration with archdiocesan youth structures and enjoy the blessing of Archbishop Stephen Brislin. Combined, Mr Harris and Mr Van Stolk have over 10 years’ experience working with youth. Mr Harris started off by volunteering at St Michael’s parish in Rondebosch, where he found his purpose, and left his career in advertising to take on the role of youth ministry co-ordinator.

Mr Van Stolk has been involved with youth for many years too, and also founded a parish-based movement for young adults, centred on Christ, that aims to provide a platform for young people to express and experience their Catholic faith and, through it, draw closer to God. The new full-time programme is designed for modern Catholic laity who have discerned a call to lead, specifically in youth ministry. “We provide practical tools, not just theory, and ongoing support to all graduates, and teach a simple yet innovative youth movement model that works in any context or environment, for any life stage,” Mr Harris said. “It will equip leaders to develop a fruitful and sustainable contextspecific youth evangelisation platform with their local parish or diocese.” The programme will be based at St Michael’s and all students will be hosted by families from the parish.

They will live and work alongside their host families as members of the household and, in this way, all their basic needs will be taken care of, allowing them time to focus on their personal journey of leadership development. They will participate in the life of St Michael’s parish, engaging with the challenge that is modern Catholic life, Mr Harris said. “We want to develop leaders, and this course will offer real-life leadership challenges, such as engaging with Catholic leadership experts, deepening your relationship with Christ, a greater knowledge of the Church and scripture, and a chance to build networks and lifelong friends, all while exploring the best of beautiful Cape Town,” he said. The CLA will train Catholic youth leaders to lead young people, who will then return to their home communities to establish a team, and a youth movement, that can provide the platform for other young people to experience and ex-

Tim Harris (kneeling right) and Adrian van Stolk (centre back) with young men and women on a leadership course. press their faith and thereby draw closer to God. Course dates are September 10 to December 10 this year, March 11 to June 10, 2018, and August 12 to November 11, 2018.

If you’re a born leader, or you have a calling to lead, applications are now open. n For further details e-mail info@ catholicleadershipacademy.com or call 084 686 3696.

Parish backs refugees and migrants BY ERIn CARELSE

St Boniface parish in Knysna is moving ahead with its parishbased pastoral care programme for migrants and refugees and is planning monthly meetings.

After reading about Via Lucis, The Stations of the Resurrection, members of St Joseph’s parish in Cedara, KwaZulu-natal, contacted the Salesians for their Via Lucis booklet. The group (pictured) have now held the first two stations of Via Lucis, led by parish priest Fr Allan Moss.

Maris Stella takes Earth Day pledge

ARIS Stella School in Berea, Durban, has taken an Earth Day pledge, and observed World Environment Day on June 5. The school stated that it was inspired by Pope Francis’ Laudato si’ encyclical, in which he wrote: “This Earth belongs to each of us, no matter the diversity of our creed, race or community; we are one family called Humanity, who all share this common home and its resources and we are each called to be responsible for its wellbeing.” “Taking an Earth Day Pledge involves each one of us promising to change our ways in order to benefit our planet,” Karin Bodley, religion co-ordinator at Maris Stella, a Holy Family school, said. “Maris Stella has challenged each family to sit down and discuss ways in which they could alter their behaviour to alleviate the pressures on the resources and beauty of the planet.” Students wrote their Earth Day pledge on a green strip of fabric, and tied it to the school fence. “This visual display sends an important message to the greater community, the family of Durban, in which we encourage each person to think of a way that they too can lessen their impact on the planet,” said Ms Bodley. “It is Maris Stella’s sincere wish that this message has a ripple effect beyond our city, and that it has the power to influence the family of South Africa and perhaps even the family of the world.” The school was also inspired by Choosing Life, compiled by the Holy Family Sisters of Bordeaux. The Sisters wrote: “Choosing life today calls us to be attentive to the voice of the poor, to a new reverence for our earth, to a realisation that all forms of life in the universe exist in total interdependence and as an intimately inter-related whole. “Alert to all that destroys or threatens the life of our planet, we give ourselves so that all creation, brought together in Christ, may find fullness of life.”

T Boniface parish in Knysna, under Fr Brian Williams, has started an initiative to develop a parish-based pastoral care programme for refugees and migrants. The first meeting was held in June last year, to coincide with World Refugee Day. Bishop Francisco Fortunato de Gouveia of the Oudtshoorn diocese was in attendance as well as staff from the Scalabrini Centre for Refugees and Migrants. The aim of the meeting was to address xenophobia, and offer expert advice on visa applications. Some refugees recounted stories of violence and lack of support from the police, and all spoke of the challenges of government bureaucracy trying to organise visas. They also had some support from their community, they said, most often from elderly members of their

churches and neighbourhoods. The most recent meeting was held this month, led by Fr Williams and chaired by Samuel Mahachi, himself a migrant, and a parishioner at St Boniface. “The aim is to find ways to offer pastoral care to vulnerable members of the extended Knysna community, from various African countries, who are seeking political asylum or economic help,” said Fr Williams.

tony Wyllie & co. catholic Funeral Home Personal and Digniﬁed 24-hour service

469 Voortrekker Rd, Maitland, Tel: 021 593 8820

48 Main Rd, Muizenberg, Tel: 021 788 3728 carol@wylliefunerals.co.za andrew@wylliefunerals.co.za Member of the NFDA

GET YOUR CATHOLIC NEWSPAPER EVERY WEEK the Southern cross mailed to you in the post or

ANYWHeRe IN tHe WORlD

on your computer or tablet in digital format

OUR GIFt tO YOU!

Subscribe now to the digital or print edition, for yourself or for someone you love, and we will send you a beautiful

Olive-Wood Jerusalem Rosary made by Christians in the land of Christ in Jerusalem.

*Offer valid while stocks last. For new subscriptions only.

Go to www.scross.co.za/subscribe Or e-mail subscriptions@scross.co.za or telephone 021-465-5007

Digital subscription R385 a year Postal subscription R450 a year (SA rate)

Knysna community Catholics, under the leadership of Fr Williams and Mr Mahachi, hope to arrange monthly meetings. Future gatherings are open to all refugees and migrants irrespective of where they are from or which religion. All South Africans are invited to show hospitality to foreigners as part of the gospel invitation. n To find out more, contact St Boniface’s parish office on 044 382 1391.

Pilgrimage to Poland Divine Mercy

led by Fr Pierre-Thaddee Mbayi Bakadibamba (Bloemfontein) St. John’s Cathedral, museum of St. Maximiliam Kolbe, Krakow, Wadowice, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Blessed Sister Faustina Convent 10 – 20 September 2017 R29 995.00 incl. Airport taxes

100th Anniversary in Fatima led by Fr. Teboho Matseke Fatima, Santiago de Compostela, Lourdes, Paris 11 – 24 September 2017 R37 995.00 incl. Airport taxes

Pilgrimage to The Holy land

led by Fr Thabo Motshegwa Bethlehem, Nazareth, St. Anne, Pater Nostre, St. Peter in Gallicantu, Capernaum, Mount Tabor 13 – 22 September 2017 R20 495.00 incl. Airport taxes Tel: 012 342 0179/Fax: 086 676 9715 info@micasatours.co.za

The Southern Cross, May 31 to June 6, 2017

INTERNATIONAL

Archbishop Juan Jose Omella of Barcelona, Spain

Pope Francis accepts a gift as he greets participants in the general chapter of the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master during an audience at the Vatican. (Photo: L'Osservatore Romano/CnS)

Pope: Please sisters, only joy! W

OMEN who are consecrated to God live “the prophecy of joy”, and this authentic joy is their most credible witness, Pope Francis told leaders of the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master. “The world today is in need of this: That joy that arises from the encounter with Christ in a life of personal and community prayer, in daily listening to the Word, in the encounter with brothers and sisters, in a happy fraternal life in the community, including fragility, and in the embrace of the flesh of Christ in the poor. Prophets of a joy that is born of feeling loved and therefore forgiven,” he said. “Joy is a beautiful reality in the life of many consecrated persons, but it is also a great challenge for all of us,” he said, adding “authentic joy, not self-referential or complacent, is the most credible witness of a full life.” The pope addressed an audience of sisters gathered in Rome in recent weeks for the 9th General Chapter of the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master. The general chapter has elected its new superior general and other leaders. He emphasised his point about joy, saying, “this joy that fills your hearts and manifests itself on your faces will lead you to go out to the peripheries, participating in the joy of the Church, that is evangelisation”. “But to do this there must be a true joy, not counterfeit joy. Do not falsify joy. Evangelisation, when you are convinced that Jesus is the Good News, is joy and gladness for all. This joy drives away the cancer of resignation, fruit of the lethargy that withers the soul,” he added. He voiced hope that the sisters’ lives bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit, the master of diversity and unity. He encouraged them “to tirelessly weave unity in legitimate differences, taking into account also

the fact that you are present in different countries and cultures”. Pope Francis advocated a cultivation of care and reciprocal acceptance; practising fraternal correction and respect for weaker sisters, and “banishing from the community all divisions, envy, gossip; saying this with frankness and charity”. The Sister Disciples of the Divine Master were founded in Italy 1924 by Bl Fr.Giacomo Alberione and Mother Scholastica. The Pope noted the sisters’ mission of “bringing to the men and women of our time the Gospel,” particularly through liturgical service and caring for priests. He encouraged them to cultivate dialogue and communion with other charisms and “to combat any form of self-centeredness”. “It is ugly when a consecrated man or woman is self-centered, always looking at him or herself in the mirror. It is ugly,” he said. He encouraged the general chapter to listen to the sisters of the congregation and to contemporary men and women. “Never tire of exercising continually the art of listening and sharing,” he said. “In this time of great challenges, which demand of consecrated people creative fidelity, impassioned research, listening and sharing are more important than ever before, if we want our life to be fully meaningful for ourselves and for the people we meet.” Pope Francis said this practice requires “a climate of discernment, to recognise what belongs to the Spirit and what is contrary to Him”. “With this trust and this strength I repeat to you: do not join the prophets of misfortune, who do great damage to the Church and to consecrated life; do not give in to the temptation of torpor—like the Apostles in Gethsemane—and desperation,” he said. “Awaken the world, illuminate the future!—CNA

Bishop Gregorio Rosa Chavez of San Salvador

Bishop Anders Arborelius of Stockholm

Archbishop Jean Zerbo of Bamako, Mali

Bishop Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun of Laos

New cardinals fit pope’s ‘faith formula’ P

OPE Francis, who described himself as coming from “the ends of the earth”, continues to go to the far reaches of the globe to seek those who will advise him and possibly elect the next pope. Announcing that he was adding five churchmen to the College of Cardinals, Pope Francis said their geographic mix—two Europeans, an African, an Asian and a Central American—reflect the catholicity of the Church. After the June 28 consistory, 62 countries will have at least one cardinal elector—a cardinal under the age of 80 and, therefore, eligible both to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope, but also available for membership on various Vatican congregations, councils and dicasteries. Obviously, Pope Francis is continuing the big push begun under Bl Paul VI to internationalise the college of cardinals. The cardinal electors that chose Pope John Paul II in 1978 came from 49 countries. The group that elected now-retired Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 came from 51 nations (52 if England and Scotland are counted separately). And the cardinals who gathered in the Sistine Chapel to elect Pope Francis hailed from 47 countries. But for Pope Francis it is not just about numbers, and he is not looking for some “balanced” geographical mix. If it is about catholicity, as he said, then it is about the way the faith is

lived, expressed and grows in different cultures and how those experiences become riches for the Church as a whole. Here Pope Francis’ understanding of inculturation and his favorite geometrical shape—the polyhedron— come into play. A polyhedron is an irregular shape with many sides; the sides do not have to be the same size and they do not have to be spaced the same distance from the centre. As Pope Francis wrote in The Joy of the Gospel, the 2013 exhortation that laid out his vision for his pontificate, in a polyhedron each part “preserves its distinctiveness” but contributes to the whole. For Christians, he said, seeing the global Church as a polyhedron “evokes the totality or integrity of the Gospel, which the Church passes down to us and sends us forth to proclaim”. Every facet or side of the three-dimensional object represents “the genius” of each people who has received “in its own way the entire Gospel and embodies it in expressions of prayer, fraternity, justice, struggle and celebration”. The five churchmen who will become cardinals on June 28 are: Bishop Gregorio Rosa Chavez of San Salvador, 74; Archbishop Jean Zerbo of Bamako, Mali, 73; Archbishop Juan Jose Omella of Barcelona, Spain, 71; Bishop Anders Arborelius of Stockholm, 67; and Bishop Louis-

Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun of Pakse, Laos, 73. The short biographies the Vatican released give glimpses of the gifts Pope Francis wants them to share with the rest of the Church. • Cardinal-designate Rosa Chavez, who worked closely with Bl Oscar Romero before he was assassinated in 1980, is the president of Caritas El Salvador and president of Caritas Latin America and Caribbean. • Cardinal-designate Zerbo played an active role in the Mali peace process, trying to end years of civil strife that began in 2012. • Cardinal-designate Mangkhanekhoun is known for training catechists and making pastoral visits to remote mountain villages. • Cardinal-designate Arborelius is a convert to Catholicism and the first native-born Swede to serve as a Catholic bishop in Sweden since the Protestant Reformation. • Cardinal-designate Omella has been a longtime member and twoterm president of the Spanish bishops’ social concerns commission. In Pope Francis’ vision, appreciating the polyhedron that is the universal Church means not only going out to the “peripheries” with the Gospel, but listening to stories of faith there and giving witness of that experience to Christians living in places often mistakenly considered central, if not the centre of the Christian world.—CNS

Papal celebration of Corpus Christi moves to Sunday BY CAROL GLATZ

OPE Francis will celebrate the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ and the Corpus Christi procession on a Sunday, June 18, and not on the traditional Thursday feast day, which is June 15 this year. Throughout Italy and in most other countries, the feast was transferred to the following Sunday years ago. The pope celebrating on the Sunday “can strengthen the participation of the faithful in this solemn, public act of adora-

tion of the Blessed Sacrament”, said Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the papal vicar of Rome. Announcing the change in a letter, the cardinal said he hoped changing the date of the celebration to a non-work day would allow more people to participate in the traditional procession through Rome from the basilica of St. John Lateran to the basilica of St Mary Major. The date of the papal celebration was announced by the Vatican along with a list of Pope Francis’ other public liturgical cel-

ebrations for June. Pope Francis will celebrate Mass in St Peter’s Square on Pentecost June 4 and he will mark the feast of Ss Peter and Paul with Mass June 29 in St Peter’s basilica and the blessing of palliums to be given to new metropolitan archbishops. The pallium is a band made from lamb's wool, which is worn over the shoulders and symbolises both an archbishop’s role as the shepherd of the archdiocese and his communion with the pope.— CNS

ST. KIZITO CHILDREN’S PROGRAMME St. Kizito Children’s Programme (SKCP) is a community-based response to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children, established through the Good Hope Development Fund in 2004 in response to the Church’s call to reach out to those in need. Operating as a movement within the Archdiocese of Cape Town, SKCP empowers volunteers from the target communities to respond to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) living in their areas. The SKCP volunteers belong to Parish Groups that are established at Parishes in target communities. Through the St. Kizito Movement, the physical, intellectual, emotional and psycho-social needs of OVCs are met in an holistic way. Parish Groups provide children and families with a variety of essential services, while the SKCP office provides the groups with comprehensive training and on-going support. In order to continue its work, SKCP requires on-going support from generous donors. Funds are needed to cover costs such as volunteer training and support, emergency relief, school uniforms and children’s excursions. Grants and donations of any size are always appreciated. We are also grateful to receive donations of toys, clothes and blankets that can be distributed to needy children and families.

If you would like to find out more about St. Kizito Children’s Programme, or if you would like to make a donation, please contact Wayne Golding on 021 782 2880 or 082 301 9385 Email info@stkizito.org.za. Donations can also be deposited into our bank account: ABSA Branch: Claremont, 632005; Account name: St Kizito Children’s Programme ; Account number: 4059820320 This advertisement has been kindly sponsored

www.facebook.com/thescross

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, May 31 to June 6, 2017

Pope, Donald Trump speak of hope, peace BY CInDY WOODEn

OPE Francis and US President Donald Trump spent 30 minutes speaking privately in the library of the Apostolic Palace and as the president left, he told the pope: “I won’t forget what you said.” The atmosphere at the beginning was formal and a bit stiff. However, the mood lightened when Pope Francis met the First Lady, Melania Trump, and asked if she fed her husband “potica”, a traditional cake in Slovenia, her homeland. There were smiles all around. Pope Francis gave Mr Trump a split medallion held together by an olive tree, which his interpreter told Mr Trump is “a symbol of peace”. Speaking in Spanish, the pope told Mr Trump: “I am giving you this because I hope you may be this olive tree to make peace.” The president responded: “We can use peace.” Pope Francis also gave the president a copy of his message for World Peace Day 2017 and told him: “I signed it personally for you.” In addition, he gave Mr Trump copies of three of his documents: The Joy of the Gospel, Amoris Laetitia, on the family; and Laudato Si’, on the environment. Knowing that Pope Francis frequently has quoted the Rev Martin Luther King Jr, Trump presented Pope Francis with a large gift box containing five of the slain civil rights leader’s books, including a signed copy of The Strength to Love. “I think you will enjoy them,” Mr Trump told the pope. “I hope you do.” After meeting the pope, Mr Trump went downstairs to meet Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican foreign minister. He was accompanied by

Pope Francis greets US President Donald Trump during a private audience at the Vatican. (Photo: Paul Haring/CnS) Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, and HR McMaster, his national security adviser. The meeting lasted 50 minutes. Mr Tillerson later told reporters that climate change did not come up in the meeting with the pope, but that US officials had “a good exchange on the climate change issue” with Cardinal Parolin. “The cardinal was expressing their view that they think it’s an important issue,” Mr Tillerson said. “I think they were encouraging continued participation in the Paris accord. But we had a good exchange on the difficulty of balancing addressing climate change, responses to climate change, and ensuring that you still have a thriving economy and you can still offer people jobs so they can feed their families.” Asked how Mr Trump responded to Cardinal Parolin’s encouragement to stick with the Paris climate agreement, Mr Tillerson said: “The president indicated we’re still thinking about that, that he hasn’t made a final decision. The Vatican described the president’s meetings with both the pope and with top Vatican diplomats as

consisting of “cordial discussions”, with both sides appreciating “the good existing bilateral relations between the Holy See and the US, as well as the joint commitment in favour of life, and freedom of worship and conscience”. “It is hoped that there may be serene collaboration between the state and the Catholic Church in the US, engaged in service to the people in the fields of health care, education and assistance to immigrants,” the Vatican said. The discussions also included “an exchange of views” on international affairs and on “the promotion of peace in the world through political negotiation and interreligious dialogue, with particular reference to the situation in the Middle East and the protection of Christian communities”. Although the president and Pope Francis are known to have serious differences on issues such as immigration, economic policy and climate change, the pope said before the meeting that he would look first for common ground with the US leader. “There are always doors that are not closed,” the pope said.—CNS

Pope Francis greets a resident as he arrives to give an Easter blessing to a home in a public housing complex in Ostia, a Rome suburb on the Mediterranean Sea. Continuing his Mercy Friday visits, the pope blessed a dozen homes in Ostia. (Photo: L’Osservatore Romano/CnS)

Pope goes door to door for poor BY CInDY WOODEn

IKE parish priests throughout Italy do during the Easter season, Pope Francis spent an afternoon going door to door and blessing homes. Continuing the Mercy Friday visits he began during the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis chose a public housing complex in Ostia, a Rome suburb on the Mediterranean Sea. The Vatican press office said Fr Plinio Poncina, pastor of Stella Maris parish, put up signs announcing a priest would be visiting the neighbourhood to bless houses. The signs, which indicate a date and give a time frame, are a common site in Italy in the weeks before and after Easter. “It was a great surprise today when, instead of the pastor, the one ringing the door bells was Pope Francis,” the press office said. “With great simplicity, he inter-

Ban on religious icons in cars sparks Catholic outcry I

N the most recent clash between the government and the Catholic Church in the Philippines, authorities have banned hanging rosaries and religious icons in vehicles, citing safety concerns. According to reports from AFP, the ban is part of a new law that is aimed at eliminating distractions for drivers, including talking or texting on cell phones, applying makeup, eating or drinking. The ban, announced last week, sparked an outcry in the majorityCatholic country, where roughly 80% of the population identifies as Catholic. “This is an overreaction, insensitive, and lacks common sense,” Fr Jerome Secillano, executive secretary for public affairs at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, told the AFP. He said that most drivers feel safer with religious icons in their vehicles, because they give them a sense of divine intervention and protection. In a statement, Fr Secillano said he believed the ban on religious icons was an over-extension of a law initially meant to cut down on drivers distracted by their cellphones. “I agree with banning the use of phones while driving but they are absolutely missing the point by prohibiting the display of small religious images in cars,” he said. The Land Transportation Franchis-

acted with the families, he blessed a dozen apartments” and left rosaries for the residents. “Joking, he apologised for disturbing people, however, he reassured them that he had respected the hour of silence for a nap after lunch in accordance with the sign posted at the entrance to the building,” the press office said. The pope’s Friday visits to hospitals and hospices, homes for children, rehab centres and other places of care were planned for the Year of Mercy as tangible ways for the pope to practise the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Although the Year of Mercy ended in November last year, the pope restarted making Mercy Friday visits in March, when he visited a home and educational centre for the blind and visually impaired.—CNS

TRE FONTANE GUESTHOUSE

The Sisters of the Precious Blood are once again running the Tre Fontane Guesthouse in Mariannhill, near Pinetown, Durban. we would like to invite Conﬁrmation groups and any other groups to utilise our facilities. Please see www.trefontane.co.za for more details or email us at guesthouse@trefontane.co.za or telephone 031 700-2059

ST ANTHONYS CHILD and YOUTH CARE CENTRE Keeping Children safe within families

It’s now illegal to hang a rosary on your rearview mirror in the Philippines. (Photo: Jen Gallardo/CnA) ing and Regulatory Board, which issued the ban, has said that religious icons may still be attached to the dashboard or rearview mirror if they do not swing around or block a driver’s line of vision. Piston, an association of jeepney drivers and owners, a common form of public transportation in the Philippines, said there was no evidence that rosaries and religious icons caused accidents. “Do not meddle with the drivers’

faith in God,” said its president, George San Mateo. The ban is just the latest clash of government authorities with the Catholic Church in the country. The Catholic Church has been one of the most outspoken opponents of President Rodrigo Duterte’s violent and unrelenting war on drugs, as well as his policies on the death penalty and reproductive health that go against the social teaching of the Church.—CNA

admin@stanthonyshome.org www.stanthonyshome.org

The Southern Cross, May 31 to June 6, 2017

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Pope’s Medjugorje snub unwarranted

Editor: Günther Simmermacher Guest editorial: Michael Shackleton

We say no to abuse of South Africa’s women

OUTH African newspapers are carrying disturbing headlines and horrifying reports of how over the years large numbers of South African men have been brutalising their women. Statistics are provided but these make little impact in comparison with the heartrending stories from the victims themselves. These are women of all backgrounds and cultures, teenagers, girlfriends, wives and mothers. The spotlight is particularly on this scourge now because of an unusually high number of reported cases of women being humiliated, abused, raped or murdered by their men. The minister of police, Fikile Mbalula, in reaction, has told journalists that he wants to ensure that no abused woman will be turned away from a police station in future. He wants them to be attended to with sensitivity and efficiency. Women are finding it increasingly hard to live a dignified life at this time. Our society has become fragmented. The conventions and courtesies that once saw to it that women were treated with respect have been widely ditched. Because the elderly are frequently regarded as unproductive, too many are shunned or excluded from families and society. They live alone because no one cares. Many of our female citizens are disenchanted and frustrated. They have come to distrust men, even members of their own families. Has our society become blind to the fierce attacks on our own women? One might presume so, because there is so much distrust everywhere, generating pitiless apathy. This is not normal. Womanhood and manhood are complementary, essential to the divine plan of creation and salvation. Woman and man possess the same dignity, created equally “in the image of God”. In earlier times, when knights were reputedly paragons of virtue in their observance of manly courage, fearlessness, selfdiscipline and upholders of right conduct, their respect for women was a legendary part of

The Editor reserves the right to shorten or edit published letters. Letters below 300 words receive preference. Pseudonyms are acceptable only under special circumstances and at the Editor’s discretion. Name and address of the writer must be supplied. No anonymous letter will be considered.

their code of honour. It is said that much of this had its source in devotion to Mary, virgin and Mother of God. As a spinoff from this, the gentlemanly convention of standing when a lady entered a room or standing back to let her pass first, became a common practice in much of daily life. In a homily he preached on texts from Genesis and the Gospel of Mark, in the chapel of his residence in Rome earlier this year, Pope Francis told his listeners that it is women who teach us to caress, to love tenderly and who make the world something beautiful. He said: “If exploiting people is a crime harmful to humanity, then exploiting a woman is all the more so, because it is destroying the harmony that God wanted to give the world.” Discussing the creation of man and woman, in his own gentle and warm manner, Pope Francis remarked that with the creation of man it seems that everything is finished and God rests. But something is missing. God recognises that man is lonely and it is not good that he should be alone. God brings every beast of the field and bird of the air to him to see what he would call them, but these are not enough to provide true companionship. There is no helper fit for him. Pope Francis makes the point that with the creation of such a helper, woman, the man finds something different. She brings richness and harmony to his life. The exploitation of women, in Pope Francis’ understanding, is the same as the destruction of the harmony God wills for the world. South Africans, especially Catholics, must take heart from these words. Mary, virgin and mother, the epitome of womanhood, gave birth to the man Jesus Christ, the Son of God. A new harmony has been divinely established in Christ. In our preaching, teaching and good example, we can help one another to show respect for all, and particularly respect and protection for all women, the bringers of tenderness and harmony on earth.

T was with dismay that we read the pope’s comments on the apparition and messages of Our Lady of Medjugorje (May 24), and to not even visit this small village on his trip to Croatia in 2015 seems an unreasonable snub. Only peace and spiritual enrichment have come from Our Lady’s messages there.

Zuma disgrace

WAS shocked to hear that President Jacob Zuma addressed the congregation of St Catherine’s parish in KwaBhidla, KwaZuluNatal (May 24). I think a formal complaint should be made to that parish, not to allow the platform of the Church to be used for the purpose of promoting political agendas—especially with a person who is associated with such scandalous acts as Mr Zuma’s corruption. Patricia Lehle, Johannesburg

indeed a big deal

F you have one ounce of spirituality in you, I don’t think you could let the new column by Nthabiseng Maphisa (April 26) go unanswered. She asks, What’s the big fuss about virginity anyway? The same stupid question was raised about sexuality at a conference Fr Ron Rolheiser attended. As Fr Rolheiser mentioned in a column: What harm has it not done? History is filled with broken families, turmoil, bitterness, murder and suicides within which sex is the canker. Ms Maphisa talks about missing out on love. The world’s idea of love is jumping into bed with someone. If a man loves a woman, he will respect her, he will not destroy her by taking away her virginity. You seldom get a married couple whose first time of knowing each other was on their wedding night, who are now divorced. God in his wisdom has given us the Ten Commandments. You live by them, and the earth is yours. Look at the countless nuns and priests who live lives of chastity, poverty and obedience all the days of their lives. An earlier, January issue of The Southern Cross featured a nun aged 104. She made one comment: “Always serve God.” They are the jewels of the Church—like the disa that grows against the mountain’s wet slopes, like the cactus that defies sun and sand, they spread their perfumed fragrance everywhere. The Southern Cross is our last bastion of truth and hope in South Africa today. We don’t need fantasy. PV Hendricks, Cape Town

PO Box 11095, Mariannhill 3624

individual, directed or private retreats can be arranged for periods of 2-8 days throughout the year. Diocesan, Parish and Church meetings and workshops should be booked well in advance reception: 031 700 2155 Fr urs Fischer 031 700 2890 Fax 031 700 2738 Email: monretreat@saol.com

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

Death penalty and the Church

Sexual mores are I

MONASTERY RETREAT HOUSE

For Bookings:

Considering that Medjugorje is right in the middle of a potential war zone—25km from Mostar where 170 Bosnian orphans were held hostage in the 1990s, 300km from Sarajevo, the city in which the assassination of Duke Franz Ferdinand sparked World War I, and 50km from Srebrenica, where 8 000 Muslim men and boys were massa-

Cellphones: 083 963 3848 083 544 1504 082 730 7180

Fr Urs Fischer Bro Crispin Mrs N Qupa

N a letter on capital punishment (January 18), Fr Hyacinth Ennis noted that there have been calls to reopen the debate on the death penalty for “certain” heinous crimes, and the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference has called for the abolishment of the death penalty. The current situation in South Africa is one where people are being raped, murdered and tortured daily. I would like to ask the bishops and Fr Ennis how they would react if their wives and daughters were raped, tortured and murdered? Are they aware that the victim merely becomes another statistic yet the family and relations of the victim are shattered, devastated, destroyed and ruined? The victim’s family have absolutely no rights. As a further example, in the Western Cape we are inundated with children being killed for being in the firing line of the various gangs, not to mention the normal child rapes and murders. Farm owners, mostly elderly, are being targeted and have been for a long time. In this respect the Freedom Front Plus has at last been able to have this problem discussed in parliament. At this stage all the rights activists come out of the woodwork to protect the criminal as he is a “human” being. Did I say human? If criminals are apprehended, they are often acquitted because of lack of evidence or a technicality, or witnesses are too scared to give evidence as their lives are in danger. If convicted, after a short time in prison, they receive parole for “good” behaviour, or claims by socalled “experts” that they have been “rehabilitated” and are ready to be useful citizens, only to have them continue their criminal acts. Recently the Institute of Race Relations said it understands the call for capital punishment but had concern about mistakes, resulting in an innocent person’s death. I understand the institute’s concern but hasten to add that the courts decide, and they must be certain the person concerned is guilty beyond any reasonable doubt. Fr Ennis states that the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1997 declared that “the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity are very rare, if not practically nonexistent”. I have read this vague statement but have yet to be informed as to when the Church is in favour of capital punishment. Eduardus Lensen, Cape Town n The Catechism of the Catholic Church starts: “Legitimate public authority has the right and duty to inflict punishment proportionate to the gravity of the offence. Punishment has the primary aim of redressing the disorder introduced by the offence. When it is willingly accepted by the guilty party, it assumes the value of expiation. Punishment then, in addition to de-

cred in 1995—it would seem that Our Lady chose the right place to bring her messages of peace. Even sceptics from The Guardian newspaper in London went there on pilgrimage two years ago. One said the peace was so palpable that you could hardly talk. Do we need the sun to fall from the sky as in Fatima to recognise the presence of God? Lucy Ruben, Pretoria fending public order and protecting people’s safety, has a medicinal purpose: as far as possible, it must contribute to the correction of the guilty party. “Assuming that the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor. If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity to the dignity of the human person. “Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offence incapable of doing harm—without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself—the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity ‘are very rare, if not practically nonexistent’ (2266-7).” The final line quotes Pope John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life). In it, John Paul II wrote that the death penalty would be admissible “when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society”, and added that “today, however, as a result of steady improvements in the organisation of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically nonexistent”.–Editor

We are blessed in many of our popes

HERE is no doubt we are blessed with the pope for our times, and I am sure the cardinals who chose Pope Francis knew him well. Looking back to when I started reading The Southern Cross, Pope Pius XII was in office; instinctively I knew he was someone special. During the war years we were well aware of the lives he saved. Then the changes Pope John XXIII introduced—how long it has taken us to bring them to fruition. My feeling is that, generally, people aren’t comfortable with changes. I was more than ready, maybe because my father was not a Catholic. However, his background was Wesleyan and he was a true Christian. Looking again at Pope John XXIII, by chance I came across the book of speeches he made as the Church’s representative on diplomatic occasions: sheer brilliance. Pope Paul VI, likewise, “gave everything” in trying to effect the many changes his predecessor had introduced. And as for Pope St John Paul II, I have no words to describe my admiration of him. And our dear Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI—I will never forget the reception he received on his visit to Britain. Also, I was living in East London when the late Archbishop Denis Hurley was invited there to answer the questions of a few prominent local businessmen. The hall was packed and he got an instant standing ovation. The few that found him “an embarrassment” didn’t have the courage to stand up and ask one question. He was “a giant” in our time. Fay Jackson, Benoni

The Southern Cross, May 31 to June 6, 2017

PERSPECTIVES

Why we need a synod on priesthood Fr Chris T Townsend HE Vatican is preparing for the Synod of Bishops on Youth, Faith and Vocational Discernment. Unusually, the lineamenta—as the prepatory discussion documents are called—are now available online so that anyone can comment. This is a significant step forward as the comments received are now not limited to the laborious process of filtering and redacting through the local diocese and the bishops’ conferences. One hopes that the synod office receiving the submissions of the electronic interaction with the youth—for this is how young people prefer to work—will recognise the value of this process. The challenge of listening should be extended to listening now to the calls for the topic for the synod after that. I think that the Holy Father, who has proved himself a capable listener, should hear the crisis of vision of the ministerial priesthood. His recent comments on the possibility of ordaining as priests viri probati—proven married men who would administer the sacraments in areas where these are difficult to obtain—is a huge step forward to recognising a discussion that has been taking place for the last 20 years. To a great extent, that discussion has been led by our own Bishop Fritz Lobinger, retired of Aliwal North. At the centre of it is the fact that the Church cannot exist without the Eucharist. The current situation of burnout, exhaustion and a lack of vision among priests has forced many of us into a maintenance situation. There are not enough of us on the ground. The demands are unrelenting and some, if not many, priests are just not up to the task. Often we have no idea what the task really is. The idea of a crisis of vision means that we cannot look at the priesthood in isolation, yet we also cannot allow the crisis to be caught up in all the other crises that form part of the management burden of the bishops. The Church is structured around priests being available. And the development of our South African Church means that priests spend more time not available for the core work: pastoring. I am worried that one of the major areas

where this vision crisis is experienced as a practical problem is in communities that receive the Eucharist only occasionally. Often referred to as “outstations”, these often small and isolated communities might get to have Mass only once a month, or even less frequently. Priests have to travel vast distances, often for no more than a handful of people. And that handful is diminishing. While every bishop wants to keep every community served, the reality is that this is no longer possible or logical. No bishop would ever wish to instruct his priests to neglect the rural and often already neglected—but the shortage of priests and the burden on the few demands a rethink.

have heard bishops complain that priests work only on weekends—for Masses, weddings, funerals and so on—and then spend the rest of the week watching TV. Facing the reality of dormitory suburbs, isolated communities and being left in communities of children, the ill and the aged, and considering the hopelessly inadequate formation and training framework which we just can’t think beyond in our seminary system, its no wonder that DStv seems more appealing. We need to have an open and frank discussion, among priests as priests, about the reality of how we work and what we are expected to do and be. I suggest that we need to be honest about the expectations we face and can’t meet, the work we cannot possibly do and get to, and how we need to remodel the priesthood and consequently the training for it.

“We need a radical vision of what we actually want parishes and local communities to be,” Fr Chris Townsend argues.

I realise that I sit in an extremely privileged position. I’m 17 years into this journey. Except for two brief, wonderful stints in rural areas, I have always worked in urban ministry. I have a large, well-functioning parish, an assistant priest, a permanent deacon, and (parish) money in the bank. I have staff, food, a decent car, paid insurance. And I have the luxury of being able to complain about the crazies and the amount of work that managing this enterprise is. But many of my brothers can’t. They are left with vast distances to travel, crumbling infrastructure with no hope of foreign or local funding to restore, diminishing communities, and a dearth of any viable lay leadership because trained persons tend to migrate to the cities. The finances they are working with are at best murky and often not enough to support a person honestly. There is no real possibility of medical care other than the care offered in state institutions. It’s a struggle. It’s into this mess that we need to speak honestly to each other and to episcopal oversight, to highlight that the stresses and pressures of the priesthood today are enormous. The loneliness is immense and the stress is huge. There is no way that this will be cured by more missionaries or married clergy. This is not cured by DStv or alcohol or the struggle with celibacy. To address this requires a new vision—a radical vision of what we actually want parishes and local communities to be. Such a process could help us all to vision a local Church that is no longer holding everything together in desperation, but a Church that has a vision of herself that matches our reality. We never underestimate the effects of grace and the power of the Holy Spirit—but we also need to face our local situation with the grace of honest discernment.

Judith Turner

Learning from geese S T Paul writes to the Galatians: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” A few evenings ago I was driving home from work and I witnessed a most beautiful sight—geese flying in formation. I always marvel at this sight because nature is so beautiful and I always wonder whether the geese know that they are forming a ‘V’ while flying. Witnessing this beautiful sight reminded me of a work retreat I once attended where I heard about the Story of the Geese. The story focuses on lessons we can learn from how geese work together when they fly and how important team work is in order for them to successfully reach their destination. I particularly remember the lesson about carrying each other’s burdens, or loving and supporting each other, even when it is difficult to do so. The principles of these five lessons can have a profound and powerful effect on any part of our personal or business endeavours. When we use these five principles in our personal and business life it will help us to foster and encourage a level of passion and energy in ourselves, as well as those who are our friends, associates or team members. I share with you the five lessons: Lesson 1: The importance of

Pastor’s notebook

Faith and Life

achieving goals As each goose flaps its wings it creates an uplift for the birds that follow. By flying in a ‘V’ formation the whole flock adds 71% extra to the flying range. Therefore, when we have a sense of community and focus, we create trust and can help each other to achieve our goals. Lesson 2: The importance of team work When a goose falls out of formation it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back to take advantage of the lifting power of the birds in front. Therefore, if we had as much sense as geese we would stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others. Lesson 3: The importance of sharing

When a goose tires of flying up front it drops back into formation and another goose flies to the point position. Therefore, it pays to take turns doing the hard tasks. We should respect and protect each other’s unique arrangement of skills, capabilities, talents and resources. Lesson 4: The importance of empathy and understanding When a goose gets sick, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to the ground to help and protect it. If we have as much sense as geese we will stand by each other in difficult times, as well as when we are strong. Lesson 5: The importance of encouragement Geese flying in formation “honk” to encourage those up front to keep up with their speed. Therefore, we need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups and teams where there is encouragement, production is much greater. Let us be reminded by these lessons from geese of how we can support, love each other and carry each other’s burdens, even when it is difficult to do so.

In tribute to Fr Xolile Kondlo (1978-2016) register today to be an Organ Donor.

It’s easy at www.odf.org.za

Toll Free 0800 22 66 11

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

Is holding hands in the liturgy OK? Is it a Church rule that we are not supposed to hold hands during the Our Father at Mass? Catechist

OLDING hands during the sacred liturgy is quite foreign to the Roman Rite. Nowhere in the rubrics has it ever been indicated that either the ministers or the faithful should join hands. Joining hands is practised in some Protestant and Charismatic services, in small prayer groups and at grace before meals. When we Catholics celebrate any liturgical rite, most particularly the Mass, we act in conformity with what the rest of the Church does. We are not a small prayer group or, in some way, a parish differentiated from the universal faithful. Our gestures and bodily postures are guided by the General Instruction of the Roman Missal which tells us when to stand, kneel, bow, how to receive Communion, and so on. It is nice to know that Catholics in all parts of the world do what we do, and so provide a sign of our unity. Some argue that there is nothing wrong in holding hands at the Our Father, as it emphasises our togetherness as children of God. Others argue that holding hands in any way may be awkward for people with arthritis or other sensitivities. Others ask why hold hands during the Our Father only; why not throughout the Mass which is itself an act of worship of the Father? The result of such indecision can make some individuals unhappy at Mass, the very place where they should find, as Vatican II proposed, “a noble simplicity...short, clear and unencumbered by useless repetition and within the people’s powers of comprehension and normally not require much explanation” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 34). The Sacred Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship was asked in 1975 whether the practice of holding hands by the faithful during the Our Father was in order. It discouraged it saying: “It is a liturgical gesture introduced spontaneously but on a personal initiative; it is not in the rubrics” (226). So, it seems that priests or others who support the holding of hands in this case do so only on a personal initiative which is unapproved in general terms. When the celebrant recites the Our Father, he raises his hands in the prescribed way. If there are many priests concelebrating they also adopt this prayerful posture. They do not join hands which, if it was meant to be a meaningful liturgical gesture, they would surely do. To sum up: we are not supposed to hold hands at the Our Father but in some parishes it is done, which is a deviation from the norm. It is up to the parish priest and people to motivate how they justify doing it.

n Send your queries to Open Door, Box 2372, Cape Town,

8000; or e-mail: opendoor@scross.co.za; or fax (021) 465 3850. Anonymity can be preserved by arrangement, but questions must be signed, and may be edited for clarity. Only published questions will be answered.

VIVA SAFARIS KRUGER PARK with

Send your overseas friends and family on an unforgettable safari with ViVA SAFAriS

www.vivasafaris.com Bookings: vivasaf@icon.co.za or 071 842 5547

The Southern Cross, May 31 to June 6, 2017

A Grade 11 pilgrim cross, exemplifying youth unity, has been journeying to and from all Catholic high schools in Johannesburg. The cross is embellished with each school’s emblem. Above, Holy Rosary School receives the cross from St Benedict’s College. The pilgrimage culminated in all the Catholic schools’ Grade 11s meeting at Johannesburg’s Christ the King cathedral. Seen here with the St Benedict’s boys are HRS Grade 11s (from left) Micaela da Silva, Jessica Gurr, Daniella Ribeiro, Jadelyn Davies, and Carli Dunmow. (See related photo and caption at right.)

Auxiliary Bishop of Johannesburg Duncan Tsoke is shown with confirmation candidates of Holy Family parish in Turffontein, Johannesburg. The confirmations took place on Mother’s Day.

COMMUNITY

St David’s Marist Inanda received the Grade 11 pilgrim cross journeying across Johannesburg from Sacred Heart College during a chapel service.

Mass was said on Holy Thursday by Archbishop Stephen Brislin at Our Lady Help of Christians parish in Lansdowne, Cape Town. The archbishop also blessed the congregation.

The congregations of St Brendan’s parish in Sun Valley, Cape Town, and St John’s of Fish Hoek undertook an anniversary of Fatima 4km walk from one parish to the other. Mass was celebrated at St John’s.

St Dominic’s parish in Boksburg, Gauteng, celebrated the 100th anniversary of Fatima with recitations of the rosary, a sung Mass, and a procession of the Fatima statue, with 20 children carrying a rosary 21m long on their shoulders. When the congregants re-entered the church, they waved white handkerchiefs as the statue was replaced in its original position beside the main altar.

On Mother’s Day all the women of St Anthony’s parish in Sedgefield, on the Garden Route, were given a rose. Fr Augustine Mbekwa is pictured with a group after Mass.

PRICE CHECK

The congregation of Blessed Sacrament parish in Malvern East, Johannesburg, undertook a 4km Fatima pilgrimage to the Schoenstatt shrine in Bedfordview, Ekurhuleni, where Mass was celebrated.

For the price of one issue of The Southern Cross you get a slice of pizza – with a bite taken out The

S outhern C ross www.scross.co.za

May 24 to May 30, 2017

What next for Medjugorje?

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

Page 5 & 6

No 5033

R8,00 (incl VAT RSA)

Expert: Why we must read the Bible anew

Nthabi Maphisa: Do rom-coms teach us love?

Page 9

Page 7

Amandla awethu:

Zuma gaan kerk toe BY ERIN CARELSE

Children dressed as Fatima visionaries Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco lead a procession in honour of Our Lady of Fatima from Johannesburg’s Christ the King cathedral to mark the 100th anniversary of the apparitions at Fatima. Dioceses and parishes around Southern Africa took to the streets for the celebrations. (Photo: Alexis Callea)

WYD 2019 logo: What it means

LOGO depicting symbols for Mary, Panama and the Panama Canal was selected as the winning design to promote World Youth Day 2019. The design by Amber Calvo, 20, a Panamanian architecture student, was chosen from 103 entries submitted for the event that will take place from January 2227, 2019. The artwork includes a silhouette of Mary at the moment she says, “Thy will be done” to God. The Panama Canal flows through Mary, symbolising the pilgrim’s path through Mary to Jesus.

Special Pilgrimage to Portugal and Spain

In red is an image of the Pilgrim Cross. The Isthmus of Panama is represented across the top of the design in the shape of a stylized “M”. The image refers to the Panamanian theme, “Bridge of the World, Heart of the Universe”. It also suggests the name of Mary and her motherly heart leading the pilgrim to Jesus, her son. Within the image of Panama and above Mary’s head are five small white dots that represent her crown as well as the fact that pilgrims will travel to the event from five continents outside of North America.—CNS

T he

HURCH space should not be used to engage in partisan politics and political endorsements, the head of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO) said. Fr Peter-John Pearson, director of the CPLO, responded to questions from The Southern Cross after President Jacob Zuma used the setting of a Catholic church in Mariannhill diocese to endorse Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as his successor as president of the African National Congress. He said it is not known whether the church was aware that President Zuma would be making the announcement, but emphasised the principle that worship spaces should not be exploited for narrow party political purposes. He said that the Church should not be identified with political parties and that the events in one parish must not be seen as representative of the whole Catholic Church, which stands above party politics. The Church generally discourages parishes and Church organisations from endorsing a candidate or political party, donating money or other resources to a candidate or political party, or exclusively offering the parish’s or Church organisation’s facilities to a candidate or political party. Parishes are free to invite guests of honour, including politicians, to their Masses and functions, provided that these occasions are not used by such guests to campaign for political office. However, there is no provision for formal sanction should the activities of a parish not accord with these principles, unless such provisions are made by the local bishop. Bishop Pius Mlungisi Dlungwane of Mariannhill was unavailable for comment. Mr Zuma spoke at St Catherine’s church in Dr Dlamini-Zuma’s birthplace in Bulwer where they both attended Mass before joining a service at the Abundant Life Church in Durban. It was the first time he publicly endorsed

S outhern C ross &

Brescia House School in Johannesburg celebrated Catholic Schools Week by, among other things, handing out over 700 chelsea buns to passers-by on their way to work. Taiwanese priest Fr Paul Pang (centre) visited Johannesburg and celebrated Mass for the Catholic Chinese community with Fr Ron Houreld (right) and Deacon Victor Ho. (Photo supplied by Lily Loo)

President Jacob Zuma, who launched his endorsement for Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as ANC president in a Catholic church.

Dr Dlamini-Zuma, his ex-wife and a Catholic, to succeed him as ANC president. The ruling party is scheduled to elect its new leadership in December. Dr Dlamini-Zuma is expected to go head to head against Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa for the party’s presidency. The new ANC leader will likely become South Africa’s next president when national elections are held in 2019. They were joined by KwaZulu-Natal ANC chairman and economic development MEC Sihle Zikalala at the Bulwer service. Mr Zuma praised the parish for its welcome to Dr Dlamini-Zuma‚ saying it was a huge lesson for him as it “showed that they knew her contribution”. At the Abundant Life Church service Mr Zuma criticised divisions within the ANC-led alliance but then said that “I’m not here for that. I’m here for prayer”. The president, who has been accused of corruption, said he once told priests who were critical of him that they should pray for those who had done wrong, The Sowetan reported. “What I know is that the one who died for us said: ‘Forgive them Lord because they do not know what they are doing’. So the priests should be saying I should be forgiven as I have sinned. But I am not told what’s wrong that I have done‚” said Mr Zuma.

Radio Veritas

100 YEARS FATIMA Led by Fr Brian Mhlanga OP 1 - 10 Oct. 2017 Fatima • Lisbon • Coimbra • Avila • Madrid and more Contact Gail at info@fowlertours.co.za or 076 352-3809 or 021 551-3923

Interactive itinerary at

The statue of Our Lady of Fatima in St Mary’s cathedral in Cape Town was adorned with an arrangment of white roses to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Fatima. (Photo: Michelle Perry)

www.fowlertours.co.za/fatima

Feed your soul with The

S outher n C ross

IT’S WORTH IT!

Send your photos to

pics@scross. co.za

The Southern Cross, May 31 to June 6, 2017

FAITH

Charismatic Catholics: Walking in the Spirit This year the Catholic Charismatic Movement worldwide reaches its 50th birthday, which will be celebrated in St Peter’s Square with Pope Francis on the feast of Pentecost. ERIn CARELSE looks at the movement’s history and speaks to two South African followers.

HIS year marks the 50th anniversary of Catholic Charismatic Renewal, an often misunderstood movement that enjoys great popularity in South Africa. To celebrate, Pope Francis, in a show of openness, has invited Catholic Charismatics and members of Pentecostal and Evangelical churches, from all over the world, to converge in Rome to join him in celebration of Pentecost and the 50th anniversary of the birth of the Catholic Charismatic Movement. The Catholic renewal of this experience of “Baptism in the Spirit” began in February 1967 when a group of students on retreat at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, began praying for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Many of them reported profound spiritual experiences which they shared with others. They felt a renewed commitment to prayer and a personal relationship to Jesus, a yearning for more knowledge in their Catholic faith and to the Gospel call, to bring the message of Jesus to others, and the use of the gifts and charisms of the Holy Spirit to bring this about. This caught on quickly, leading to the establishment of a national service committee in the US and the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services in Italy. This renewal of “baptism in the Spirit” has “set on fire” for the Lord some 150 million Catholic charismatics worldwide.

Still misunderstood Even after 50 years, the movement is still misunderstood. For one thing, it is an integral part of the Catholic Church, and Catholic Charismatics subscribe to the teachings of the Church just as all the faithful do. Catholic Charismatic Renewal is not a single, unified worldwide movement, nor does it have a single founder. It’s a diverse collection of individuals and groups who share the same fundamental experience and the same goals. The common thread for the movement is the “baptism of the Holy Spirit”. For many people, this is a powerful and life-transforming outpouring of the Holy Spirit that takes place in the context of a specifically designed Life in the Spirit seminar—though many have been “baptised in the Spirit” outside of the seminar. Many Catholics who have expe-

Catholic Charismatics: Stephen Selbourne (left) and John Lee.

Charismatic Catholics at worship. The movement was founded in the US 50 years ago and has spread around the world, including South Africa. (Photo: Finbarr O’Reilly) rienced this “baptism in the Spirit” become more involved in their local parishes, community outreaches, teen ministry and missionary work. Like Pope Paul VI before him, St John Paul II was an admirer of the movement. Addressing international leaders in 1979, he said: “I am convinced that this movement is a very important component of the entire renewal of the Church.” He told the group that since the age of 11 he had said a daily prayer to the Holy Spirit. “This was my own spiritual initiation, so I can understand all these charisms. They are all part of the richness of the Lord. I am convinced that this movement is a sign of his action.” The jubilee celebrations for Charismatic Renewal will take place from May 31 to June 4—Pentecost Sunday, the commemoration of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Various celebrations, prayer meetings and workshops will take place in several locations in Rome leading up to the Pentecost Eucharistic celebration in St Peter's Square. South Africa will be represented there: 15 delegates from Cape Town alone will be attending.

matic way of life”. But the movement’s mission is broader: “To go to the lapsed, the lonely, the least and the lost, to evangelise the good news of love and freedom bought and paid for by Jesus our Saviour”, he said. Mr Selbourne would like to see Catholics giving Charismatic Renewal “an opportunity to be a living presence in their parish—and experience spiritual growth as never before”. His hope for this year’s jubilee is for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. “We are grateful to all priests

Embrace the movement Stephen Selbourne, an evangelist in Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Cape Town, hopes that the celebration will lead Catholics to the movement. “What an amazing occasion that would be to see the Church on fire on the Day of Pentecost gathering, together in the ‘Upper Room’,” the parishioner of St Matthew’s in Bonteheuwel said. “Catholics should be encouraged to embrace this movement— not only to tolerate it, but to celebrate it,” he said. Though this year is the 50th birthday of Catholic Charismatic Renewal, Mr Selbourne noted that it “started on the day of Pentecost on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, at the birth of the Church”. Speaking for his region, Mr Selbourne said Catholic Charismatic Renewal is “expecting a phenomenal growth as it moves from parish to parish, introducing the Charis-

www.catholic-pe.co.za/stpius

Our bedrooms accommodate up to 58 - Plus 20 for dormitories - Small, medium & large conference facilities Dining rooms with full kitchen facilities - Full catering or self-catering - Very competitive rates - Situated in the suburb of Cambridge - Multidenominational Chapel.

and bishops for knowing that we are called and chosen by God to move and operate in the power and the anointing of the Holy Spirit within the Catholic Church,” said Mr Selbourne.

Letter from a cardinal John Lee of Johannesburg, a frequent contributor to The Southern Cross’ letters page, has a long-running relationship with Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and even corresponded with a cardinal who championed the movement. In 1975 he attended charismatic congress in Rome where he met the late Cardinal Leo Suenens of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium. Cardinal Suenens was one of the leadings bishops at the Second Vatican Council. “I began to correspond with the

cardinal afterwards and treasure his letters, especially the first one where he began with: ‘Your letter came to me as a smile from the Lord’,” Mr Lee recalled. Since then he has befriended Ralph Martin, Fr Francis McNutt OP and other leaders of Catholic Charismatic Renewal who are still seen on EWTN, the US Catholic broadcaster. “I would encourage fellow Catholics not to be ‘afraid’ of the Charismatic movement, but to take to heart what Pope Paul VI wrote of it: ‘A chance for the Church and the World’,” Mr Lee said. Since he became involved in the movement, “my faith and my love for the Church, warts and all, has blossomed in a way I never dreamed possible,” Mr Lee said, adding: “We are experiencing a New Pentecost, with its joys and sorrows.” n For more information, call Susan at 072 202 0470 or Theresa at 072 289 8265 (Cape Town) or 011 024 4128 (Johannesburg).

Calvary

Assisi

St Peter’s Basilica

S outher n C ross Pilgrimage

HOLY LAND • ROME ASSISI • CAIRO

Led by Archbishop William Slattery OFM Pilgrimage Highlights Holy Land: Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Jordan River, Cana (with renewal of wedding vows) and much more... Rome: St Peter’s Basilica, Major Basilicas, Ancient and Baroque Rome, Catacombs, 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. Cairo: Pyramids, Sphinx, Hanging Church and more...

25 Aug - 8 Sept 2017 St Peter’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

The Southern Cross, May 31 to June 6, 2017

PENTECOST

As Christians, we should never walk alone For the feast of Pentecost, KELVIN BANDA OP takes to the football stadium to reflect on a lesson from fans’ favourite song.

OOTBALL can bring people together in acts of solidarity and togetherness. This spirit is most persuasively illustrated in the world-renowned football anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (YNWA), most famously sung at Liverpool’s Anfield stadium. This same spirit can successfully be connected to our Christian way of life, through which we can move together as followers of Christ and reaching out to one another. As human beings, usually we need to be a people of relationships. Interactions are intrinsically part and parcel of us and our life. Our inner strength comes from unity and togetherness—whenever we support and accept each other; the art of talking together; just being there for the other. This is true for our intimate relationships, and for our larger circles such as family, friends, community and society. YNWA can be described as empowerment. By that I don’t mean living in a world of superficial correctness, but taking an active standpoint against systems that oppress, dehumanise and silence. YNWA seems to be true in times of difficulties when we endure so much that we wonder how we will re-emerge. We might even question: where is God to help? Why me? In our contemporary world, the late theologian Paul Lehman described the heart of Christianity as

Fans at Liverpool’s Anfield stadium, where the song “You’ll never Walk Alone” is sung by a massed chorus of fans before every game. “the humanisation of life”. For Christians, the zeal of YNWA can be used to fight against all powers that dehumanise our lives and ultimately unite ourselves. In Christian terms, YNWA would mean being accompanied by someone, God in people, in us and through one another journeying together through life, so that when one feels like giving up, the other will be there to uplift. Even if sometimes it is difficult to do so, the football anthem challenges us to do likewise. The sending of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost is a sure way to realise the song. YNWA as the Spirit of God penetrates every human heart, soul and mind. It guides us to realise that we are all children of God, connected to one another like a ray of light—different colours of

rays of light, yet so connected, coming from one source. This is who we are in God’s sight, despite our different demographics, we belong to the one source, radiating the presence of God. In 2 Corinthians 13:13, the communion of God's children is the communion of the Holy Spirit. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit is a special blessing as it mirrors the intimate bond between the triune God and us. It further mirrors the communion between us and the rest of creation.

he fellowship and communion of the Holy Spirit mirrors something of the relationship we have with ourselves which brings us close to each other—to experience

ourselves as being part of communal love. Therefore, in Christian life, the spirit of YNWA should be that of inclusion—social trust, social solidarity and social coexistence, ubuntu and social compassion. Throughout the world, both in civil and Church communities, we should be thirsty for this inclusion with one other. With this passion of inclusion, the anxiety of guilt and marginalisation can be eliminated as some people live with the fear of being rejected; they fear that they are not good enough. As a people belonging to one source—God—we need to sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, consoling one another, a confession of faith to love, a protest against exclusion and a protest for inclusion and acceptance of all. Lastly, in a world where so many people are being excluded and living in fear of exclusion and rejection, as Christians we need to cry out to God that all people would take part in building this inclusiveness: a community of the Holy Spirit, of grace, forgiveness and unconditional acceptance; a community building on the love of God; a community where one can experience that there are fellow human beings who care for one another, whom one can rely on, to the extent that one will allow oneself to be reprimanded; fellow human beings with whom one can experience unity in closeness, people with whom one seeks peace, with whom you experience the love of God and peace, people whom you really experience as friends. The gift of the Holy Spirit who unites us should let us break into song: “Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart—and you’ll never walk alone.”

Story of an anthem

HE world’s most famous football song is an old showtune from the 1940s. “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, sung by a massed chorus of scarfholding Liverpool fans (and those of some other clubs, most notably of Glasgow Celtic) since the 1960s, was written in 1945 by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein for the stage musical Carousel. The song appears in the second act when Nettie Fowler sings it to her cousin Julie Jordan after the latter’s husband commits suicide after a failed robbery attempt. To give Julie hope, Nettie sings: “When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high, and don’t be afraid of the dark. At the end of the storm, there’s a golden sky, and the sweet, silver song of a lark...” The song is reprised, this time sung by Julie, at the end of the show. “You’ll Never Walk Alone” became a football terrace anthem on Liverpool’s Spioen Kop (named after the Boer War) when local band Gerry and The Pacemakers had a hit with it in 1963. At a tribute concert in 1990 at London’s Wembley Stadium for the recently released Nelson Mandela, the audience spontaneously broke out into a mass rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. Mr Mandela turned to Adelaide Tambo, wife of ANC president Oliver Tambo, and asked what the song was. She replied: “A football song”.

Let Spirit dwell within you Christians should celebrate the feast of Pentecost—the descent of the Holy Spirit—every day, argues FR RALPH DE HAHn.

tHe 100tH ANNIVeRSARY OF OUR lADY OF FAtIMA 2017 11 TO 28TH OCTOBER

tHe ANNUAl MARIAN PIlGRIMAGe

Visiting Fatima for the Anniversary celebrations, lisbon, Paris, the Vatican city, Rome, Assisi and Medjugorje. 1 SeAtS leFt led by Fr R Nkululeko Meyiwa OMI Organised by Victor and Jacinta David.

Cost from R45900 Tel: (031) 266 7702 Fax: (031) 266 8982 Email: judyeichhorst@telkomsa.net

Reg. number 012-905 nPO

ScReeN PRINtING

commemorate your special occasion, PRINt your logo and event on t-SHIRtS! Contact Alledene Cupido for a quotation at PRISON cARe AND SUPPORt NetWORK Monday to Friday between 09:00-13:00. 021 697-4174 (Tel/Fax) or 086 628 4499 e-mail: prisoncare@mweb.co.za We OFFeR ReASONABle RAteS!

HE celebration of Pentecost, 50 days after Easter, must never be seen as one-day festival. That would be a disaster. Together with the Incarnation and the glorious Resurrection of Christ, this is undoubtedly one of the most dazzling episodes in the Bible. The Church, which came alive that day, must always be the living Body of Christ with that same Pentecostal spirit, without which she will simply be an empty shell. St Paul reminds us that a man cannot belong to Christ unless he possesses the spirit of Christ (Rom 8:9). Furthermore, he contends that while the spirit of nature alone brings only death, the spirit of wisdom brings life and peace. When we refer to the Holy Spirit we are already confronting a power far beyond our thoughts or imagination: inexhaustible, overpowering, infinite, beyond space or time. And that power is made available to all baptised Christians through the redeeming power of Jesus Christ. Love is the essence of the Christian life, and the Holy Spirit is the power which flows unceasingly between the heavenly Father and his Son. That incredible power is within all believers; it is the charity poured by the Holy Spirit into our souls. It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to give. It is this love-power which brings all virtue to perfection, gives light and understanding, inspires goodness, and a peace which the world cannot give. It is so obvious that only God’s Holy Spirit living in us is able to transform us into his likeness. However, we have to desire his presence, we need to seek holiness, union with God and surrender to

The descent of the Holy Spirit on the first Christian Pentecost in the Upper Room in Jerusalem is depicted in a mosaic. his will. Without this cooperation with his Spirit there will be no flowering in the spirit life, no growth in virtue, no increase of grace, no intimate union with Jesus—and what of the many gifts of the Spirit available to us? The Holy Spirit is the love of God, and therefore he is the gift of God.

he Holy Spirit longs to be the soul’s delightful guest; he wants to make his dwelling within us, and sanctify us (1 Peter 1:2; Rom 15:16; 2 Cor 3:18). And that holiness is possible because of the presence of God himself whose very being is love. The Father desires that Jesus be born and remain within us, and that we should be his witnesses, his light in this dark world to radiate his beauty and peace. The Spirit sanctifies. Love sanctifies, because sanctification is the work of love. The first gift of love is love itself. Holiness is impossible without the direction and intimate guidance of God’s

Spirit. We grow in knowledge and understanding only when we are under the direct influence of God’s divine wisdom—again, the Holy Spirit. Paul speaks of a new relationship: “For whoever are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Rom 8:14). We can cry, “Abba! Father!”, for the Spirit himself gives testimony to our spirit that we are truly sons and daughters of God, participating in the divine nature (Gal.4:6). It is a special relationship with three divine persons. It now becomes possible to heed the command of our Lord: “To love one another as I have loved…” To love as he loved, because his Spirit lives and loves in me and through me. It would be most surprising if any of us could truly comprehend the impact of that first Christian Pentecost in the Upper Room in Jerusalem; that amazing power and transformation! Yet, we must never allow its significance to fade, for we are called by the Lord to live the Pentecostal spirit every day of our lives.

CLASSIFIEDS

Sr Alice Doyle MSA

ISTER Alice was born in Hilltown, Northern Ireland, on April 11, 1923, and was baptised Alice Catherine the following day. In March 1942 she entered the Missionary Sisters of the Assumption in Ballynahinch, Northern Ireland, and was given the name Sr Juliana (though she later went back to her baptismal name). Since World War II made travelling to South Africa impossible at that stage, Sr Juliana spent her novitiate years in Ballynahinch, making her first vows on September 6, 1944. She came to South Africa after the war and made her final profession here in 1947. Very talented in household duties, Sr Alice served the congregation in this way in many of our communities: Grahamstown, Schauderville and Sydenham in Port Elizabeth; Maryvale, Malvern and Pretoria North in Gauteng; Mthatha, Somerset East and Port Alfred. She dearly loved her home country, especially County Down, and could wax quite lyrical speaking of it. Because of her home background of mountains and proximity to the sea, she had a special fondness in this country

for Port Alfred and Somerset East. Sr Alice spent several retirement years in Port Alfred until coming to frail care in Buckingham Road, Port Elizabeth, where she celebrated the platinum jubilee of her profession in 2014. Sr Alice had a heart of gold; she was generous, and had a unique astuteness. She endeared herself to people, liked a story and a joke, and she could light up a room with a smile. She was renowned throughout the congregation for her apple tarts and on hearing of her death, someone remarked that Sr Alice would be making apple pie for the angels in heaven! An avid reader, whichever community she was living in, she enrolled in the local public

library and frequented book exchange shops. As a result, she made many friendships which she maintained over the years. In her latter years, with complete loss of hearing and diminishing vision, her greatest delight was welcoming our sisters from various communities and receiving letters from family and friends overseas. Sr Alice was blessed in her long association with Monsignor John Clarke from her home town. She appreciated his enduring friendship and it was a great grace that without realising how close to death she was, he visited her on January 10, 2017, in time to administer the last sacraments to her just a few hours before she died very peacefully at home. Her Requiem Mass was celebrated in St Bernadette’s church, Walmer, where Mgr Clarke was the main celebrant, with Mgr Brendan Deenihan and several priests of the diocese and the oratory of St Philip Neri. Canon Liam Stevenson of Banbridge, Northern Ireland, who was on holiday in the Eastern Province at the time, also concelebrated the Mass. Sr Alice was finally laid to rest in the Forest Hill cemetery. Sr Ann Genevieve MSA

Irish president gives pope ‘climate bell’ BY JUnnO AROCHO ESTEVES

Pope Francis exchanges gifts with Irish President Michael Higgins during a private audience at the Vatican. (Photo: Maurizio Brambatti, Reuters/CnS)

RISH President Michael Higgins presented Pope Francis with a special gift that symbolises the call to protect creation. Following a private 15-minute meeting at the Apostolic Palace, Mr Higgins presented the pope with a gold and white “climate bell”, designed by Irish artist and sculptor Vivienne Roche. A representative for the president’s office said ecology and the global threat of climate change are important issues for both leaders, the Irish Times reported. “The president and Pope Francis spoke of their shared conviction that new connections between ethics, the economy and ecology must be at the core,” the representative said. “They also agreed that there can be no resolution without an engaged alternative to what the pope has referred to as ‘the globalisation of indifference’.” The Vatican stated that the

two leaders discussed several themes of mutual interest, such as the protection of the rights of humanity and its dignity, the issue of refugees, and safeguarding the environment. “Special attention was paid to the young and families. The importance of ethical criteria in facing globalisation, especially at the economic level, was then highlighted,” the Vatican said. Mr Higgins also met Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary

of state, and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, secretary for relations with states. He then met Irish clergy and lay staff working at the Vatican at a reception held at the Irish College in Rome, where he praised the pope. Pope Francis has been “a compelling voice tirelessly awakening us to the web of interdependencies that weaves humanity together,” the president said.—CNS

Via Lucis: Stations of the Resurrection

Station 13: Waiting with Mary in the Upper Room (Acts 1:12-14). Mural in Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion, Jerusalem.

Station 14: the risen lord sends the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:2-4). Window in St Peter’s basilica in the Vatican.

This concludes our series of images to illustrate the Via Lucis, or Stations of the Resurrection. Obtain the text of the readings, prayers and responses from the Salesians at sdbprov@iafrica.com

The Southern Cross, May 31 to June 6, 2017

clASSIFIeDS

Births • First Communion • Confirmation • Engagement/Marriage • Wedding anniversary • Ordination jubilee • Congratulations • Deaths • In memoriam • Thanks • Prayers • Accommodation • Holiday Accommodation • Personal • Services • Employment • Property • Others Please include payment (R1,70 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

PRAYeR

HOlY SPIRIt, you make me see everything and show me the way to reach my ideals. You give me the divine gift to forgive and forget. In all instances of my life you are with me, protecting me and opening for me a way where there is no way. I thank you for everything, and confirm once more that I never want to be separated from you, no matter how great the material desires. I want to be with you and my loved ones in your perpetual glory. Amen. Say this prayer for 3 consecutive days. Publication promised. Peter Mc. PAReNtS FOR cHIlDReN—O Jesus, lover of children, bestow your most precious graces on those whom you have confided to our care. Increase in them faith, hope and charity. May your love lead them to solid piety, inspiring them with dread for sin, love of work and an ardent desire of worthily approaching your holy table. Preserve in them innocence and purity of heart; and if they should offend you, grant them the grace of a prompt and sincere repentance. Watch over them day and night; protect them in all their ways. Grant that they may acquire the knowledge they need to embrace the state of life to which you have called them. Grant us a sincere love, constant vigilance and generous devotedness towards them. Grant us all consolation on earth and eternal reward in heaven.

FAtHeR in heaven, everliving source of all that is good, keep me faithful in serving you. Help me to drink of Christ's truth, and fill my heart with his love so that I may serve you in faith and love and reach eternal life. In the sacrament of the Eucharist you give me the joy of sharing your life. Keep me in your presence. Let me never be separated from you and help me to do your will.

souls a fervent love for this devotion. 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

tHANKS

tHANKS to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Mary & St Joseph, St Jude, St Anthony & Mother Teresa for answering my prayers. Cecilia G.

PeRSONAl

ABORtION WARNING: The truth will convict a silent Church. See www.valuelife abortionisevil.co.za ABORtION WARNING: The Pill can abort. All Catholic users (married or cohabiting) must be told, to save their souls and their unborn infants. See www. epm.org/static/uploads/ downloads/bcpill.pdf

HOlIDAY AccOMMODAtION

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

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 761. ACROSS: 5 Iota, 7 Mortal sins, 8 Sect, 10 Wandered, 11 Hunter, 12 Thrift, 14 Lesson, 16 Ordain, 17 Divorced, 19 Lien, 21 Centennial, 22 Plea. DOWN: 1 Amos, 2 Statutes, 3 Flower, 4 Signet, 5 Isle, 6 Tree of life, 9 Ecumenical, 13 Redolent, 15 Nicene, 16 Old men, 18 Orca, 20 Nile.

MARIANellA Guest House, Simon’s Town: “Come experience the peace and beauty of God with us.” Fully equipped with amazing sea views. Secure parking, ideal for rest and relaxation. Special rates for pensioners and clergy. Phone Malcolm Salida on 082 784 5675 or e-mail mjsalida@gmail.com

Traditional Latin Mass

Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel 36 Central Avenue, Pinelands, Cape Town Call 071 291 4501 for details. Email: sspx.capetown@gmail.com The

Liturgical Calendar Year A – Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday June 4, Pentecost Acts 2:1-11, Psalms 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34, 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13, John 20:19-23 Monday June 5, St Boniface Tobit 1:3; 2:1-8, Psalms 112:1-6, Mark 12:1-12 Tuesday June 6, St Norbert Tobit 2:9-14, Psalms 112: 1-2, 7-9, Mark 12:13-17 Wednesday June 7 Tobit 3:1-11, 16-17, Psalms 25:2-9, Mark 12:18-27 Thursday June 8 Tobit 6:10-11; 7:1, 9-17; 8:4-9, Psalms 128:1-5, Mark 12:28-34 Friday June 9, St Ephrem St Boniface Tobit 11:5-17, Psalms 146:12, 6-10, Mark 12:35-37 Saturday June 10 Tobit 12:1, 5-15, 20, Responsorial psalms Tobit 13:1-4,6-8, Mark 12:38-44 Sunday June 11, Trinity Sunday Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9, Responsorial psalms Daniel 3:29-31,33-34 or 3:52-56, 2 Corinthians 13:11-13, John 3:16-18

Southern Cross

Published independently by the Catholic newspaper and Publishing Co since 1920

Editor: Günther Simmermacher Business Manager: Pamela Davids Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000

10 Tuin Plein, Cape Town, 8001 tel: (021) 465 5007 Fax: (021) 465 3850

editorial: editor@scross.co.za News editor: news@scross.co.za Business manager: admin@scross.co.za Advertising: advertising@scross.co.za Subs/Orders: subscriptions@scross.co.za Website: www.scross.co.za Digital edition: www.digital.scross.co.za Facebook: www.facebook.com/thescross

Subscriptions:

Digital: R385 p.a. (anywhere in the world) Print by mail: R450 p.a. (SA. International rates on enquiry)

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

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

editor: Günther Simmermacher (editor@scross.co.za), Business Manager: Pamela Davids (admin@scross.co.za), Advisory editor: Michael Shackleton, local News: Erin Carelse (e.carelse@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), 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, John O’Leary, 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

Trinity Sunday: June 11 Readings: Exodus 34:4-6 8-9, Daniel 3:5255, 2 Corinthians 13:11-13, John 3:16-18

EXT Sunday we shall be celebrating the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, a day on which the preacher’s heart tends to sink, wondering, “How on earth am I to speak of the threeness-and-oneness of God?” That may, however, be the wrong question; a better question might simply be, “Who is this God whom we worship?” Put it like that, and Sunday’s readings offer us an answer: this is a God who is utterly loving, and can cope with our human infidelities. Think of the circumstances of the first reading. It comes immediately after the Israelites have done the foolish business of creating the Golden Calf, and pretending (absurdly) that this was the “god” that had brought them out of Egypt. In his fury, Moses had (among other things) broken the tablets on which God had written the Ten Commandments, and now the tablets must be replaced; but first we have to hear the sacred name of God. Now the really important thing is how God is described: “the Lord, the Lord, a God who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger

S outher n C ross

and abounding in faithful love and truth”. That is the name of our God; and this God can cope even with our idolatrous foolishness. That is the God that is three-and-one. The responsorial psalm for today is the song that the three young men sang in the fire; you will remember that they were thrown into this furnace (made specially seven times hotter) because they refused to worship a golden statue that Nebuchadnezzar had made. Of course, the fire has no effect on them, and they sing the song of the utter greatness of God over against all of his creation, “to be praised and exalted for ever; and blessed is the holy name of your glory…blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom…blessed who look upon the depths, sitting upon the cherubim”. This is a God who can tenderly love not only sinners like the Israelites building their calf, but the faithful Jews in exile who refuse to worship anything that is not God. The doctrine of the Trinity, of the Father who generates us, of the Son who takes flesh

But is ceasing to believe in something the same thing as losing one’s faith? Not necessarily. It can be one thing to no longer believe in something, but it can be something quite different to lose one’s faith. To cease believing in a set of faith propositions doesn’t necessarily equate with losing one’s faith. Indeed, the loss of one’s belief system is often the condition for a purified faith.

Conrad

ow is belief different from faith? In normal, everyday parlance, to say that we believe something to be true means that we are able to square that truth with our imagination, that is, we are able to somehow circumscribe it imaginatively so that it makes sense to us. Conversely, if we cannot picture how something might make sense, then it is a short step to say that it isn’t true. Our beliefs are predicated on what we can square with our imagination and our thinking. But many of the objects of our faith are, in essence and by definition, unimaginable, ineffable, and beyond conceptualisation. Hence in the area of faith, to say that I can’t believe this or that is generally more an indication of the limitation of our imagination and our rational powers than it is indicative of the loss of faith. I believe that we are much more agnostic about our beliefs than we are agnostic

Retirement Home, Rivonia, Johannesburg Tel:011 803 1451 www.lourdeshouse.org

Frail/assisted care in shared or single rooms. Independent care in single/double rooms with en-suite bathrooms. Rates include meals, laundry and 24-hour nursing. Day Care and short stay facilities also available.

Sunday Reflections

and is raised from the dead, and the Spirit who whispers in our hearts, is what makes it possible for us to have any interaction, of any kind, with the God who made the countless galaxies. It is a doctrine whose function is not to confuse us but to set us free in relationship to God. You can glimpse something of this in the second reading, which is the last few lines of 2 Corinthians, and therefore Paul’s final words to his quarrelsome community. See what he tells them to do, and how that fits his understanding of God: “Rejoice, mend your ways, be comforted, think the same thoughts, and live at peace”; and then the lovely ending which echoes the threeness of God: “The grace (or free gift) of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God (and they were very bad at loving, these Corinthians), and the solidarity (or communion or fellowship) of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.” It is not clear whether the Corinthians paid any attention; but what we are invited to observe is that the nature of God is such as

When does faith disappear? HEN Friedrich Nietzsche declared that “God is dead” he added a question: What kind of a sponge does it take to wipe away a whole horizon? I often ask that question because just in my own lifetime there has been an unprecedented decline in the number of people who go to church regularly and, more recently, an equally unprecedented spike in the number of people who claim to have lost their faith completely and are now classified under a religious category called “None”. This latter group (persons who when asked about their religious affiliation on a census form answer with the word “none”) has essentially doubled in the last 20 years and today in Canada and the US make up over 30% of the population. The numbers are much the same for Western Europe and other secularised parts of the world. But have these individuals really lost their faith? When they use the word “none” to refer to their religious beliefs, they generally explain that with phrases to this effect: I just no longer believe! It doesn’t make sense to me anymore! I’ve lost faith in religion and the Church! I can’t pretend any longer! I’ve lost my faith in those beliefs! I’m not sure whether or not I believe in God! What’s common among all these phrases is the concept of “believing” or “belief”: “I just don’t believe it anymore!”

Nicholas King SJ

The Trinity sets us free

to be able to cope with our and (their) sinful infidelities. This message, that the Trinity is a God who utterly loves his people as the deepest part of his nature, is also there in the Gospel for the feast. It is one of the more famous passages of John’s gospel, and it begins with the love of God: “God so loved the world” (and here we have to remember that the “world” in John’s gospel normally represents those forces that are set against God) that he gave his only son.” Here we cannot but recall that this meant death; and then we see what is really going on: “so that everyone who believes in him might not die, but have eternal life”. For our three-inone God is not a God of condemnation: “not… in order to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him”. This is a God whose depths we need to contemplate and rejoice.

Southern Crossword #761

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

about God, and this isn’t a loss of faith. Faith is deeper than belief, and it is not always something we can picture imaginatively inside our minds. Take, for instance, a number of articles in the Apostles’ Creed: it is impossible to imagine them as true in terms of picturing them as real. They are real, but our images of them are only icons. That is true too of many articles within our Christian creed and many of our written doctrines of faith. As expressed, they are merely images and words that point us towards something which we cannot imagine because it is beyond imagination. For example: the first thing, always, that needs to be said about God is that God is ineffable, that is, God is beyond all conceptualisation, beyond all imaginings, beyond being pictured, and beyond being captured in any adequate way by language. This is also true for our understanding of Christ as the Second Person in the Trinity. Jesus was God’s son, but how can that be imagined or pictured? It can’t be. How can God, who is one, be three? This isn’t mathematics; it’s mystery, something that cannot be imaginatively circumscribed. Yet, we believe it, and millions and millions of people for 2 000 years have risked their lives and their souls on its truth without being able to picture it imaginatively. Faith is a knowing of something which, because of its magnitude and infinity, cannot be adequately pictured in terms of an imaginative construct. Our words about it express our beliefs and those words point to the reality, but they are not the reality. To reject a specific piece of art does not mean we reject beauty. So when someone says, I can no longer believe this, he is in effect rejecting a set of propositions, a set of particular icons and a theory of art (a theology), rather than actually rejecting belief in God, and he is rejecting it precisely because he cannot imaginatively picture something which in fact cannot be pictured. It has been said that atheist is just another name for someone who cannot get metaphor. Perhaps that’s too simple, but it does suggest that rejecting a set of theological propositions is not the same thing as losing one’s faith.

ACrOSS

5. Patio table holding very little (4) 7. Gravely wicked acts about torn missal (6,4) 8. Christian faction (4) 10. The lost sheep may have done so (8) 11. Pursuit of Nimrod (Gn 10) 12. Frugality (6) 14. A time of learning (6) 16. Give orders in Church (6) 17. Did cover for the separated ones (8) 19. Right out of line (4) 21. It has to do with the century (10) 22. Earnest request from the people again (4)

Solutions on page 11

DOwN

1. Prophet after Joel in the Bible (4) 2. Movingly test us at the written laws (8) 3. Blossom (6) 4. Ring with the seal (6) 5. I shall shortly hear it’s surrounded by water (4) 6. Was it immortal in the Garden? (Gn 3) (4,2,4) 9. Clue came in about Christian unity (10) 13. Reminiscent of older ten (8) 15. It’s the creed (6) 16. They shall dream dreams (Joel 2) (3,3) 18. Killer whale (4) 20. River flowing from 19 across (4)

CHURCH CHUCKLE

MAN had urgent open-heart bypass surgery. He awakened from the operation to find himself in the care of nuns at a Catholic hospital. As he was recovering, a nun asked him questions regarding how he was going to pay for his treatment. She asked if he had health insurance. He replied, in a raspy voice: “No health insurance.” The nun asked if he had money in the bank. He replied: “No money in the bank.” The nun asked: “Do you have a relative who could help you?” He said: “I only have a spinster sister, who is a nun.” The nun became agitated and announced loudly: “Nuns are not spinsters! Nuns are married to God.” The patient replied: “Send the bill to my brother-in-law.”

Sacred Heart Cathedral, Polokwane

PILGRIMAGE TO ITALY ROME • ASSISI • SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO with Cassino, Lanciano, Rieti Valley and more — PLUS A DAY IN PARIS!

LED BY FR CLEMENS SELEMELA 3 – 15 September 2017

BOOK NOW!

contact Gail at 076 352 3809 or 021 551 3923

info@fowlertours.co.za www.fowlertours.co.za/italy-2017

For all your Sand and Stone requirements in Piet retief, Southern Mpumalanga

Tel: 017 826 0054/5 Cell: 082 904 7840 Email: sales@eskaycrushers.co.za