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June 14 to June 20, 2017
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Reg No. 1920/002058/06 No 5036
New SA embassy in Vatican an ‘important’ move BY ERIN CARELSE
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Centenarian Douglas Griffin with Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, Deacon Mark Wardell and members of the Knights of Da Gama in Durban.
Centenarian on turning 100: It just came naturally BY DAWN HAYNES
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OUGLAS Griffin, a long-serving member of the Knights of Da Gama in Durban, has celebrated his 100th birthday. Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban joined the celebration and conferred a special blessing on Mr Griffin who shared his special day with a number of fellow brothers from the Knights of Da Gama as well as his wife Madeleine and daughters Delia and Marilyn and their families. Mr Griffin also received a letter from Queen Elizabeth II of England, wishing him a happy 100th birthday. Mr Griffin was described by his family as “a man of God, a man of integrity, a strong
leader, a great father, a caring husband and a special grandfather and great grandfather”. Mr Griffin was born on in 1917 in Farnborough, England. He served with the Palestine Police in World War 2, and then went to Uganda, serving with the colonial police there. In 1962 he moved to South Africa and travelled extensively with his family, from Cape Town to Nairobi. He eventually settled near Durban. A ballroom dancer, and lover of animals and the environment, Mr Griffin still keeps himself busy and alert, even with the latest technology. When asked the recipe for his long life, he simply replied: “It just came naturally!”
OR the first time, South Africa has a residential embassy at the Vatican. The apostolic nuncio to Southern Africa, Archbishop Peter Wells, described this as an event of “great importance”. George Johannes, South Africa’s ambassador to the Holy See, presented his credentials to Pope Francis at the Vatican this month. This will be the first time a permanent residential ambassador has been appointed to the Holy See. Archbishop Wells, who represents the Holy See in Southern Africa from Pretoria, emphasised the importance of South Africa having its first resident ambassador to the Holy See . “It’s of great importance especially to South Africa, and will ensure a continued positive relation with the Holy See,” he told The Southern Cross. Fr Peter-John Pearson, director of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office, said that the move to establish a “stand alone” embassy to the Holy See is a promising sign that for South Africa engagement with the Holy See is too important to be treated as an appendage. “Like for so many countries, the engagement with the Holy See—and proximity to some of the key voices that are tackling social issues, forging international understanding and so on—makes this an important step,” Fr Pearson said. He said that this is especially important “if South Africa wishes to be part of the exploration of these social issues with others, if it wishes to share in the spaces which the Holy See opens in the international arena, and if it wishes to share more closely in the inspiration and influence that Pope Francis embodies, from a values-based perspective”. Fr Pearson noted that the upgrading of South Africa’s diplomatic relations with the Vatican comes at a time when the Department of International Relations and Cooperation “contemplates closing and merging other missions”. “The department has taken the bold step of opening this full-time mission to the Holy See—it is a confirmation that they see the inestimable value of this relationship” with the
S outher n C ross Pilgrimage
George Johannes presents his credentials as South Africa’s ambassador to the Holy See to Pope Francis. He is South Africa’s first residential ambassador to the Vatican. Previously the country’s diplomatic relations with the Holy See were handled from Switzerland. (Photo: Vatican Radio) Holy See. Dr Johannes, a 71-year-old Catholic, had previously served for five years as ambassador to the Vatican while representing South Africa in Switzerland. He was first appointed as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Holy See in 2009, with residence in the Swiss capital Berne, from where he also covered Liechtenstein. “This appointment, and the appointment of the first residential embassy, means a lot to South Africa because it was not only a Church appointment, but a political appointment as well,” Dr Johannes told The Southern Cross from Rome. “We now have contact with a leader of an institution with more than 1,2 billion people. The Holy See also has many NGOs that we will have access to, and we can focus their attention on South Africa,” he said. Dr Johannes named several priorities, including peace and stability in our country, the plight of homeless people and street children, safety of women and youth, bringing about a globalised ecological response.
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The Southern Cross, June 14 to June 20, 2017
LOCAL
Big bank to aid on job training in SA BY ERIN CARELSE
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HE Salesians’ Don Bosco Educational Centre in Ennerdale, Johannesburg, was the venue for the launch in South Africa of a global youth training programme. The programme comes at a time when unemployment in the country is at its highest in 14 years. A quarter of people cannot find a job, 71% of those unemployed are young people aged 15-34, and 30% of those of 15-24 are not in education or training. The New Skills for Youth (NSFY)
programme is a worldwide $75 million, five-year initiative by US investment bankers JP Morgan aimed at offering young people the education needed to be career-ready for well-paying jobs. South Africa is one of the first countries to start innovation-sites for the NSFY initiative, where simulated workplace-based learning will be offered. At the launch, Hang Ho, JP Morgan’s head of philanthropy for Europe, the Middle-East and Africa, said possessing the right skills is fundamental to young people’s
ability to compete for quality jobs and create stable economic futures. “Working with [our partners in] South Africa, we are identifying the best-in-class programmes to increase the number of young people to succeed in transitioning into employment,” Mr Ho said. The launch provided an opportunity for government, business, skills centres and civil society groups to discuss the challenges of and potential solutions for youth unemployment. Supported by JP Morgan, in collaboration with JET Education
Services, the Catholic Institute of Education, and the MSC Artisan Academy, new training programmes in renewable energy, merchandising and computing will be piloted in priority settlements in Gauteng’s Reiger Park, Ennerdale and Orange Farm, and in Free State and Eastern Cape. Professor Peliwe Lolwana, a leading researcher in the educational field, called on participants to consider innovative approaches to training for unemployed youth to work in the informal sector. According to Prof Lolwana,
most South Africans would rather be unemployed than have a job in the informal sector, and this leads to conflict when entrepreneurial foreigners take up this space. To provide greater context, she compared the “informality” in India, which is at 84%, while in South Africa this is only 33%. Marc Hussey, senior country officer and global corporate bank head for JP Morgan in Sub-Saharan Africa, closed the event by highlighting the implications of lack of workforce training on South Africa’s long-term development.
East London youth get together
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Africa Day was celebrated during Mass at St Mary’s cathedral in Cape Town, with produce from African countries and African nations’ flags decorating the altar. Fr Bernard Makore said Mass, assisted by Deacon Stephen Armstrong. (Photo: Michelle Perry)
HE East London deanery of Port Elizabeth diocese hosted its second inter-parish youth Mass at Christ the King church in Mdantsane. The theme for the year is “Youth getting to know youth”, and to this end the deanery will host various activities to ensure different youth groups get to know each other in a fun, loving and Christian-based environment. Four deanery youth Masses are scheduled to be held this year in East London to ensure the city’s Catholic youth get to know each other. The Mass at Mdantsane included families and youth members from parishes all over the city. It was organised by the youth of Christ the King and St Mary’s parishes in Mdantsane, and officiated by Fr Dejo. An East London deanery Youth Crucifix was handed over by the youth of St Martin de Porres and St
The East London deanery held its second youth Mass this year at Christ the King parish in Mdantsane. Francis Xavier parishes to the youth group of Christ the King. The Youth Crucifix will be handed to the next parish hosting the deanery youth Mass, and so will make its way around East London. A youth prayer, composed by the city’s youth chaplain Deacon Wayne
Lawrence, was also publicly said for the first time at the Mass. Hymns, led by the youth, were sung in isiXhosa, Afrikaans and English. They were also responsible for all aspects of the service, including the liturgy of the Word and prayers of the faithful.
YOU TOO CAN TAKE ACTION Kroonstad Bishop Peter Holiday congratulates the Bishop Brenninkmeijer Trust Fund team at the fund’s 10th anniversary celebrations.
SACBC Justice and Peace Commission thanks the Lord for the Justice and Peace activists in Klerksdorp diocese who held demonstrations outside the court to demand justice for 15-year-old Nombuyiselo Nombewu who was raped, killed and her body burnt.
You too can take action!
Through our baptism, we are all made priests, kings and prophets.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE RECENTLY TO DEMAND JUSTICE AND LIVE OUT YOUR PROPHETIC CALLING?
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if people say they have faith but do not have works? Can that faith save them?” (James 2:14) A Message from SACBC Justice and Peace Commission. Visit us at www.sacbcjusticeandpeace.org
Kroonstad fund for priests celebrates 10th anniversary
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TRUST for the education of priests named after a late bishop celebrated its 10th anniversary in Kroonstad. Representatives from parishes and sodalities of the diocese in Free State gathered in the parish of Mofumahadiwa Rosari in Thabong to present their part of the contribution to the Bishop Brenninkmeijer Trust Fund. The fund was named after Bishop Johannes Brenninkmeijer, a Dutch Dominican who headed the diocese of Kroonstad from 1977 to 2003. “This is the tenth year since the inauguration of collecting for the fund. The day was marked with joyous singing and dancing,” said Fr Thabo David Chomane. “The day of bringing together collections for the trust fund, known as Motjekelo, is an occasion where all contribute towards the training and education of future priests, both for the diocese and for the Dominican Order,” Fr Chomane explained. Bishop Peter Holiday, head of
Kroonstad diocese since 2011, expressed his gratitude: “It brings joy always to witness your faith which is clearly seen in your works,” he told the gathering. “Your generous contribution clearly indicates the love you have for your Church.” According to Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town, who served as bishop of Kroonstad from 2007 to 2010 and grew up in the diocese, the aim of the trust fund is to establish an endowment from which grants can be made on an annual basis, usually a 50/50 split between the order and the diocese. The fund is the brainchild of Dominican Fr Kees Keijsper, who approached Archbishop Brislin, then administrator of the diocese. “It has indeed been a gracious ten years of Motjekelo contributions,” Fr Chomane said. “The diocese and the order don’t have much money to secure the training of future priests, and it is with initiatives like this that at least a burden is lifted.”
The Southern Cross, June 14 to June 20, 2017
LOCAL
Study: news media consistently portray immigrants negatively STAFF REPoRTER
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N a new report, the Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa (SIHMA) found that media discourses in South Africa link immigrants with a variety of irregular and criminal behaviour. A critical finding is the strong negative associations of immigrants with “illegality”, “undesirability”, and even “crime”. “The idea of the immigrant as ‘illegal’ has been constructed over the course of the years due to legal, social and political practices, and a media discourse that weaves a simplistic narrative of ‘no-good’ immigrants among ‘susceptible’ local residents,” said Professor Nixon Kariithi, coauthor of the study. “Clearly, the South African news media discursively associates both the ‘immigrant’ and ‘foreigner’ with illegality and offer a call to action on these individuals as a way to ostensibly reduce South Africa’s exposure to illegal/criminal activity,” he said. The institute, which joins a network of six established research centres on migration in Manila, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Paris, Rome and New York, is an initiative of the Catholic congregation of Mission-
aries of St Charles, or Scalabrinians, which is devoted to the care of migrants, refugees and seafarers. “In South Africa, as well as in Europe, the US and Australia, the policy discourse around ‘migration management’ reinforces global hierarchies which distinguish among the migrant population between those who are acceptable/employable and bring a financial gain for the receiving countries, and those undesirable who can be deported and returned to their countries of origin,” noted SIHMA director Sergio Carciotto. The study focused on articles published from January 2011 to December 2015 on the issue of migration. The content represents coverage from 25 daily and weekly newspapers, including all major South African print titles. A total of over 5 000 articles were analysed using the RASIM rubric—Refugee, Asylum-seeker, Immigrant, Migrant—as the key searchwords. One of the most contested issues in the immigration and asylum debates that appeared through the data analysis is smallbusiness ownership by foreign nationals. The study confirms what was observed anecdotally, that news media persistently
link small-scale trading with the national immigration debate and demonstrate strong negative associations of the foreign-owned shops to “drug-dealing” and “illicit” goods. The report found that media routinely ignore or generally gloss over questions such as business legitimacy and property rights when it came to foreigners. As established in related studies elsewhere, this research supports the thesis of a relationship between media and public attitudes on immigrants. Regardless of the veracity of their information and sources, news media appear to actively construct notions of immigration and immigrants and in the process shape and define public understanding. “As this study amply demonstrates, the South African media is no exception,” SIHMA said in a statement. Ongoing research on media effects points to significant media culpability in eventually shaping public opinion, the institute noted. “This study confirms the existence in South African media of perception patterns consistent with those found in Britain and the US.” n For more information see www.sihma. org.za
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J&P: ‘Eskom board must resign now’ BY ERIN CARELSE
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HE chairman of the bishops’ Justice & Peace Commission has called on the Eskom board “to do the right thing and resign” following the blocked reappointment of former CEO Brian Molefe. “The various allegations against Eskom and the recent saga around reinstatement of Brian Molefe indicate that the board is failing in its commitment to the principles of good governance,” said Bishop Abel Gabuza of Kimberley. Bishop Gabuza has asked parliament to consider an inquiry into the Eskom board’s fitness to hold office. “If the board does not resign, we call upon parliament to consider an inquiry into the board’s fitness to hold office and discharge its fiduciary duties.” He added that the new report on state capture by a group of academics, the State Capacity Research Project, proves all state-owned entities need to be reviewed. “In state-owned enterprises, which are a key driver to the development agenda of our nation, we need to put a stop to plunder for the benefit of a few elite,” the bishop said, adding: “The poor deserve better.” J&P has commended the governing ANC for taking a strong position in condemning what is happening at Eskom. “This shows that, when it wants to, the ANC is capable of demanding accountability from its members who are deployed into government and state owned enterprises,” J&P said. “We call upon the ANC to show similar zeal when it is accountability matters relating to the president.”
30 young people’s stories in 30 days in Youth Month
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OR the past three years, Salesian Life Choices, a Cape Townbased social enterprise investing in youth, has celebrated South Africa’s National Youth Month with a “30 Stories in 30 Days” campaign—and this year promises to be bigger and better. Life Choices has conducted cross-industry market research where people were asked about topics that came to mind when hearing the word “youth”. Over 90% of respondents mentioned topics with negative connotations such as teenage pregnancy, drugs, alcohol or unemployment. They found on a yearly basis that the youth of today were compared in a negative way to the youth of the 1976 Soweto uprising. “30 Stories in 30 Days” aims to change this perception by high-
lighting the struggles youth are facing today and, more importantly, how they are overcoming them, despite these challenges. The campaign intends to give youth a voice, and South Africans are invited to take action and stand in solidarity with youth. Throughout this month, the campaign is sharing a different story about an extraordinary young person. Their stories represents the theme “Victim to Victor”, featuring young people who have overcome abuse, loss, violence and neglect but have stayed on-course to fulfil their potential. Many of them are making a difference in their communities and helping others to also achieve success. These stories showcase why Sale-
sian Life Choices believes in the potential of youth and works with them every day. The campaign consists of three elements: #YChallenge; 30 Stories in 30 Days; and the launch of a Cape Town youth book. The #YChallenge is a social media campaign developed by students to show the reality of youth in South Africa. They emphasise youth potential and invite fellow youth to do the same. The campaign challenges people to take a picture or video of themselves in the shape of a Y (symbolising solidarity with youth) and to tell the world “Why they believe in youth?” They then post on social media, using #YChallenge and challenge their friends to do the same. n See www.lifechoices.co.za
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GOD BLESS AFRICA
Guard our people, guide our leaders and give us peace. Luke 11:1-13
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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
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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 Salesians’ Life Choices, a Cape Town-based initiative, is again celebrating National Youth Month with a “30 Stories in 30 Days” campaign.
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The Southern Cross, June 14 to June 20, 2017
INTERNATIONAL
Catacombs come alive below mown hayfield BY CARoL GLATz
U Clergy process into the cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kiev for the funeral of Ukrainian Cardinal Lubomyr Husar who has died at 84. (Photo: Valentyn ogirenko, Reuters/CNS)
Late cardinal hailed for holiness and humour BY CINDY WooDEN
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FTER the death at 84 on May 31 of Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, Ukrainian people “in one moment...became orphans”, said his successor as archbishop of Kiev-Halych and head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church at a funeral Mass. Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, who was only 40 years old in 2011 when he succeeded Cardinal Husar, described his predecessor as a “great man, great pastor, great Ukrainian”. Cardinal Husar was known for his “velvety baritone” when chanting the Divine Liturgy or making one of his regular appearances on television or radio programmes. He also was an avid blogger and published his last piece on May 1, a blog about politicians who show their loyalty to a church only to gain votes. Like many Ukrainian Catholics around the world, he knew what it meant to be a refugee, to spend time in a displaced persons’ camp, to immigrate and to start all over again. But the experience also helped him become fluent in five languages, “and he could joke in all of them,” said Ukrainian Bishop Borys
Gudziak of Paris. And in a post-Soviet Ukraine, where leadership often meant “a compulsive passion” for money and power, “he lived in exemplary simplicity”, Bishop Gudziak said. In a condolence message, Pope Francis recalled the cardinal’s “tenacious fidelity to Christ despite the deprivations and persecutions” suffered by the Ukrainian Catholic Church, which was forced into the underground by the communists. Born on February 26, 1933, Lubomyr Husar fled Ukraine with his parents in 1944 ahead of the advancing Soviet army. He spent the early post-World War II years among Ukrainian refugees in a displaced persons’ camp near Salzburg, Austria. In 1949, he immigrated with his family to the United States, eventually becoming a US citizen. He was ordained a priest there in 1958. He was appointed a bishop in 1977 while the church in Ukraine was still illegal and operating from exile in Rome. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, he returned to his native country and served as spiritual director of the newly re-established Holy Spirit Seminary in Lviv. Pope John Paul II made him a cardinal in 2001.—CNS
NDER a mown hayfield, whose dried-out stalks crunch underfoot, lies the four-level labyrinth of the early Christian catacombs of St Domitilla in Rome. Some 15km of tunnels, carved out of soft volcanic tuff rock, snake and fork out in a dizzying number of different directions. Luckily, capsule bulbs of lights strung sparsely overhead work like Hänsel and Gretel’s trail of breadcrumbs leading to the sought-after destination: two newly restored burial chambers not yet open to the public. The sprawling catacomb complex has about 70 burial chambers, or cubicula, but only ten have been restored, said Barbara Mazzei, who oversaw the restoration of the chambers’ frescoes. They were unveiled by the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, which oversees the upkeep and preservation of more than 100 early Christian catacombs scattered all over Italy. The catacombs of St Domitilla are believed to be the world’s oldest existing Christian cemetery and are among the largest in Italy with a total of some 150 000 burial spots. The majority are small niches carved into the tunnel walls for poorer Christians; the niches were sealed with a slab of marble or walled up with brick. The round and sumptuously decorated cubic-
Frescoes of the Good Shepherd and the four seasons in a newly restored burial chambers in the catacombs of St Domitilla in Rome, believed to be the world's oldest Christian cemetery. (Photo: Carol Glatz/CNS) ula rooms were built by wealthier families and trade cooperatives, whose members pooled their money for a more dignified resting place. The newest restoration work was done on the chambers for the city’s bakers, who ran a lucrative statesupported industry of ferrying grain into Rome and making and distributing bread, which was considered something every Roman had a right to, with a daily ration.
P
agan symbolism, such as depictions of the four seasons or a peacock representing the afterlife, together with biblical scenes are integrated without contradiction, Ms Mazzei said. The unifying motif is salvation and the deliverance from death as
is underlined by the varied depictions of Noah in his ark welcoming back the dove, Abraham’s aborted sacrifice of Isaac, Jonah and the whale, and the multiplication of the fishes and loaves, she said. Despite the seven years of meticulous work to reveal the frescoes’ original splendour, restorers intentionally left the graffiti and autographs penned by visitors from the 1600s and 1700s. The most prolific selfie-signature seen throughout the complex was “Bosio,” left by Antonio Bosio, a Maltese-born lawyer and scholar who discovered this and many more abandoned catacombs in Rome. His intense exploratory spirit and stunning discoveries earned him the name, “the Christopher Columbus of the catacombs”, Ms Mazzei said. Mr Bosio also struck a new path for modern archaeology in which the focus switched from discovering pieces for collectors to understanding what those objects could have meant and disclosed about the past. He also inadvertently revealed an abundant source of bones to feed the “martyr-mania” raging at the time, she said. He mistakenly believed the dead were all early Christian martyrs, when instead, they were simply devoted faithful who sought to be buried close to the site’s original two martyrs: Ss Nereus and Achilleus.—CNS
World’s oldest nun dies
S Sr Bellotti on her 110th birthday earlier this year.
ISTER Candida Bellotti, thought to be the oldest nun in the world, has died at the age of 110. Sr Bellotti had celebrated her 110th birthday in February, featuring on the front-page of The Southern Cross, and received a special birthday greeting from Pope Francis. The Italian nun was 30 years older than Pope Francis. Her life spanned ten pontiffs: Pius X, Benedict XV, Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis.
Sr Bellotti was born in 1907 in the province of Verona in Italy. She belonged to the Congregation of San Camillus de Lellis, which observed the 150th anniversary of the death of its founder, Blessed Maria Domenica Brun Barbantini, in May. “Love, love and love still more, with joy,” is the advice she gave everyone, especially the new generations. She had a special invitation for young people: “Have confidence in the future, and strive to the utmost to accomplish your desires.”—CNA
Pope: Don’t be harsh on young priests BY CARoL GLATz
Y
OUNG people often are judged too easily, even though with their limitations they are still a much-needed and valuable part of the world, Pope Francis said. Do not forget how God often chose the smallest, because proclaiming the Gospel “is not based on the greatness of human
strength, but rather on the willingness to let oneself be guided by the gift of the Spirit,” he told members, consultants and others who took part in the Congregation for Clergy’s plenary assembly. Pope Francis said he wanted to tell the world’s young priests: “You have been chosen; you are dear to the Lord!” And, he said, God always watches over his children and will guide their steps.
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Young priests are not just replacements “to fill empty posts,” the pope said. “Never fill these posts with people who have not been called by the Lord. Don’t take them from just anywhere.” Always examine the “authenticity” of each individual’s vocation, he said, making sure a young man isn’t just “seeking refuge”. “Receiving priests solely because we need them...this is an encum-
brance for the Church,” he said.
T
he pope also appealed to bishops to never let their priests feel cut off from them. When a bishop learns a priest wants to talk or meet, but the bishop’s schedule is overbooked, he should call that day or, at most, early the next day to talk and see how urgent the matter is. “The important thing is that this priest feels he has a father...who is near,” he said. “You cannot govern a diocese without closeness, you cannot help a priest grow and be holy without the paternal closeness of the bishop.” Keeping fresh the enthusiasm, joy and proper kind of fear in young priests is critical for ensuring they do not become paralysed by problems and worry, Pope Francis said, and for helping prevent their falling into the temptation of “rigidity”, giving up or getting lost. “One has to admit that often young people are judged a bit too superficially and they are labelled too easily as a ‘wishy-washy’ generation, lacking passion and ideals,” the pope noted. “Certainly, there are young people who are fragile, disoriented or infected by the culture of consumerism and individualism. But this must not keep us from recognising that youth are able to firmly take a chance in life and generously throw their hat into the ring,” he said.
Pope Francis said that young priests have a great opportunity to reach out to their lay peers as someone who really knows how to share, listen and guide. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) Young priests have a great opportunity to reach out to their lay peers—“not as just another friend”, he said, but as someone who really knows how to share, listen and guide. “Young people do not need an expert in the sacred or a hero who, from on high and the outside, answers their questions,” the pope said. “Rather, they are attracted to those who know how to sincerely be interested in their lives, being by their side with respect and listening to them with love. It’s about having a heart overflowing with passion and compassion, especially towards young people.”—CNS
INTERNATIONAL
The Southern Cross, June 14 to June 20, 2017
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Pope: Holy Spirit gives us different gifts BY CINDY WooDEN
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HE Holy Spirit continues to give Christians different gifts and to call them to share those gifts with each other in a community marked by forgiveness and “unity in diversity,” Pope Francis told tens of thousands of Catholic charismatics from around the world, with dozens of Pentecostal and Evangelical leaders present “In a way both creative and unexpected,” the Holy Spirit “generates diversity, for in every age he causes new and varied charisms to blossom. Then he brings about unity: he joins together, gathers and restores harmony,” the pope said. Pope Francis celebrated a Pentecost Mass in St Peter’s Square to conclude a five-day celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. In his homily at the Mass, the pope said Christians can block the unity in diversity desired by the Holy Spirit by focusing on their differences rather than on what they share. “This happens when we want to separate, when we take sides and
form parties, when we adopt rigid and airtight positions, when we become locked into our own ideas and ways of doing things, perhaps even thinking that we are better than others,” he said. “When this happens, we choose the part over the whole, belonging to this or that group before belonging to the Church” and taking pride in being “Christians of the ‘right’ or the ‘left’ before being on the side of Jesus,” the pope warned. The other temptation, he said, is to seek unity without tolerating diversity. “Here, unity becomes uniformity, where everyone has to do everything together and in the same way, always thinking alike.” When the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples at Pentecost, he said, the first gift the Spirit brought was forgiveness for their sins and the grace to forgive others. “Here we see the beginning of the Church, the glue that holds us together, the cement that binds the bricks of the house: forgiveness,” he said. Pope Francis began his Pentecost celebrations at an ecumenical vigil with some 50 000 Catholic charis-
People sing as Pope Francis leads a vigil marking the 50th anniversary of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal at the Circus Maximus in Rome. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) matics and Pentecostals from more than 125 countries gathered for praise and worship at the site of the ancient Roman Circus Maximus. Although less exuberantly, the pope, too, sang with his hands cupped open or with his hands raised.
He stood between Michelle Moran, president of the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services, and Patti Mansfield, who was present when the Catholic Charismatic Renewal was born. In February 1967 Mansfield was one of the students at Duquesne
University in Pennsylvania who experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit during a retreat. The charismatic renewal is “a current of grace,” Pope Francis told the crowd at the Circus Maximus. “It was born ecumenical because it is the Holy Spirit who creates unity,” the pope said. The Holy Spirit drew Catholics and Pentecostals together to profess that Jesus is Lord and “to proclaim together the Father’s love for all his children”. Being baptised in the Spirit and knowing how to praise God, he said, “are not enough” if Christians don’t also help those in need. Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher of the papal household, offered a reflection also focusing on the ecumenical vocation of the charismatic renewal. “A renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit will not be possible without a collective movement of repentance on the part of all Christians,” he said. Tens of thousands of people gathered for hours of song and prayer before the pope arrived.— CNS
Priest sets up ministry at rock festival BY MARY REzAC
W
HAT’S a good way to reach a lot of young people all at once? Plant yourself at an entrance of a popular music festival with a sign, some free stuff, and a smile. That’s what Fr David Jenuwine did at BottleRock Napa in California, a three-day music festival with roughly 30 000 in attendance to hear popular acts such as Foo Fighters, Maroon 5, Tom Petty, Macklemore, Mavis Staples, and Ben Harper. Fr Jenuwine’s sign read simply: “Catholic priest. Blessings, Prayers, Confessions, Answers.” The priest of a parish in Napa, California’s wine region, said that he had been trying to brainstorm creative ways to reach out to young adults when he heard about the music festival. He said he was in-
spired after hearing a talk on evangelisation a few weeks ago by EWTN personality Fr Mitch Pacwa SJ. “My youth minister said well, BottleRock is this weekend, but it’s chaos,” he said. “And I went, alright, let’s do it!” Fr Jenuwine placed himself on one side of the festival, while his street evangelisation team camped out on the other side. They prayed for 20 minutes before the Blessed Sacrament before hitting the streets, “begging for the graces we need and to get ourselves in the zone”, Fr Jenuwine said. Besides prayers and answers, they offered rosaries, prayer cards and miraculous medals. The items went fast. “That first night we gave away every rosary, every prayer card, every miraculous medal we had— but sure enough we found more, so
we went out again on Sunday,” Fr Jenuwine said. They stayed at the festival for about five hours on Saturday, and another couple of hours on Sunday. The responses varied widely, the priest said. “I pretty much just made eye contact with people and said ‘Hi, how’re you doing?’” he recalled. “And some people were like, ‘Is he really a priest?’” Others greeted him warmly: “Hi Father! Nice to see you out here.” Some were more sceptical. When one of the team handed out a rosary, the recipient asked: “Does it come with a lecture?” “There was one guy who said, ‘What are you bringing this here for?’” Father Jenuwine recalled. “And I said, ‘We’re here to tell you God loves you.’ And he said, ‘I already know that.’ So I said, ‘Well good! You’re one of the few’.”
Others tried to avoid him by pulling out their phones and pretending to be busy. “But even in that, if they were purposely ignoring us, then we made an impression, because they knew we were out there,” he said. There were also some people who got blessings on Saturday come back for another on Sunday. “There were some people getting out of their [taxi] and they said, ‘Hey he’s still here! Father, can we get a blessing?’, the priest said. “I even heard a couple of confessions,” he said, though the confessees were people he already knew. And although he advertised “answers” on his sign, there was one thing people asked that Father didn’t know: “Where is the parking lot?” It’s an evangelisation experience that he and his evangelisation team
October 2019 to be special mission month BY CARoL GLATz
P
OPE Francis called for an “extraordinary month of prayer and reflection” to reinvigorate and renew the missionary spirit and action of the Catholic Church in October 2019. The pope said the special concentration on mission during the month of October 2019 would help “renew the love and passion” of proclaiming the Gospel to everyone. The announcement came in the text of a speech the pope wrote to welcome a proposal from the pontifical mission societies and the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, which were holding their’ annual meeting in Rome. October 2019 was chosen for the month of prayer because it will be the 100th anniversary of Pope Benedict XV’s 1919 apostolic letter Maximum Illud, on
the propagation of the faith throughout the world. “In this very important document... on mission, [Benedict XV] recalls how necessary a life of holiness is for the effectiveness of the apostolate,” Pope Francis wrote. Now the Church and the world need men and women known for their “zeal and holiness” to proclaim the Gospel and show mercy to everyone, he added. The pope reiterated that idea in his message for this year’s World Mission Sunday, on October 22. “The world vitally needs the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” the pope said in the message, which was released this month. “Through the Church, Christ continues his mission as the Good Samaritan, caring for the bleeding wounds of humanity, and as the Good Shepherd, constantly seeking out those who wander
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along winding paths that lead nowhere,” the pope wrote in the message. The Church’s mission “is not to spread a religious ideology, much less to propose a lofty ethical teaching,” he wrote. Rather it is sharing the transformative power and joy of Christ and his word, which helps people become free of selfishness, “narrowness, conflict, racism and tribalism”, Pope Francis noted. “The Church’s mission impels us to undertake a constant pilgrimage across the various deserts of life, through the different experiences of hunger and thirst for truth and justice,” and inspires the faithful to be in “constant exodus” toward the peripheries and in “constant exile” towards the kingdom of heaven, the pope wrote.—CNS n The English text of the pope’s message can be found at: http://bit.ly/2qSMgcx
Fr David Jenuwine with his rock festival sign. (Photo: Dominic Figueroa) are looking to do again. “I think we made a little splash,” Fr Jenuwine said. “In a sense, this kind of started something for us.” The biggest takeaway, he said, was “how easy it was”. “I think too often we get tied up in planning, planning, planning. But when the Spirit moves, go with him! No excuses.”—CNA
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The Southern Cross, June 14 to June 20, 2017
LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Editor: Günther Simmermacher Guest editorial: Michael Shackleton
Revere gift of Eucharist
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HE earliest disciples of the risen Christ met for prayers and the breaking of bread (Acts 2:42), which we know was a Eucharistic celebration in obedience to Christ’s instruction at the Last Supper. Catholics believe that the breaking of bread in the Eucharist among the first Christians was in fact a sacramental celebration of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, identical with what we do every day in the Mass. It signifies and strengthens not only our unity with one another but also our sharing in the sacrifice which brought about this unity. This belief, because it is a belief grounded firmly in the plain words of Christ, has had to withstand many objections and expressions of disbelief. Catholics share with fellow Christians that Jesus Christ is really present in his Church and that the Eucharist symbolises our communion with him. Jesus is active in our preaching, sanctifying, healing and forgiving. For Catholics, the Eucharist is the embodiment of that presence. It is Jesus himself. When we eat and drink the sacramental elements we perform together a true act of total and intimate communion with divinity. The feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ, is a solemn occasion in the calendar. It commemorates that night when Jesus took bread and wine and gave it to his disciples as his body given up for them and his blood poured out for them. It is traditionally celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. Now, so that more of the faithful can celebrate it on a non-working day, it has been transferred to the following Sunday, June 18. The wonderful gift of the very presence of the Son of God in the Eucharistic liturgy as well as in the Real Presence is such a breath-taking mystery that too many of us take it for granted or, worse, find it too much to comprehend. Processions of the Blessed Sacrament, Adoration and Benediction, commonly experienced on this day, can refocus our attention on the mystery which has been preserved by the Church with unshakable faith and devotion. The Reformers rejected the Mass as a sacrifice because to do so would imply that Christ’s death on the cross was insufficient for our redemption. Some denied the Real
Presence altogether or believed that after the liturgy of the Lord’s Supper was finished, the bread and wine, while symbolising Christ among them, had no sacramental meaning. The Catholic faith remains steadfast in its defence of the Eucharist as the Body and Blood of Christ sacrificed for us and still in our midst. In his column in the May 31 edition, Fr Christ Townsend noted that so many communities in areas known as outstations receive the Eucharist only occasionally. Priests have to travel to them over vast distances, often for no more than a handful of people. And that handful, he emphasised, is diminishing. There is a canonised phrase in traditional theology: Sacramenta sunt propter hominess (The sacraments are for the people). It implies that the faithful must not be denied access to the spiritual support they need in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist and Reconciliation. It is unfortunate that so many of our people who want those sacraments do not get them often enough, and those who have them at hand do not frequent them often enough. Fr Townsend points out that many priests suffer burnout, exhaustion and lack of vision because of the demands on their time. Some, because of the development of our South African Church, spend more time not available for the core work of pastoring. He encouraged the Church to hurry up and consider ordaining viri probati, proven married local men who as community priests would administer the sacraments in areas where these are difficult to obtain. The feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord is a big one that must not be allowed to blend into mundane piety. It celebrates the greatest of the sacraments, the true presence of Christ among us. It should be given a boost and the Blessed Sacrament should be adored and reverenced in a fitting manner wherever the feast is held. Eucharist means thanksgiving. We must thank God for this gift with deep faith. We must also pray, since there is no Eucharist without a priest, that Church authorities will seriously mull over the adage that the sacraments are for the people. The people need the priest as much as they need the Eucharist.
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.
Holding hands bridges our divides
R
ESPONDING to Michael Shackleton’s Open Door column (May 31), the day that South African Catholic congregations started holding hands when praying the Our Father at Holy Mass was a miracle of love and reconciliation. A miracle which is needed in many other broken and divided countries in the world, which is split by class, politics, age, race,
Private morality vs public morality
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REFER to the interview with Rev Dr Walter Brueggemann, “Why we must learn to read the Bible anew” (May 24). This is an interview with a Protestant theologian who explains that in studying the Bible we detect two trends of morality: one of private morality and one of public morality. Private morality relates to sexuality, abortion, gays and all that stuff. Public morality relates to poverty, the environment, immigrants and justice. Dr Brueggemann admonishes us to opt for public morality instead of private morality. Should we? It is well-known that up until recently the Catholic Church stressed private morality, but since the papacy of Pope Francis the accent is on public morality, much to the displeasure of several cardinals and many Catholics. The Protestant Churches, on the other hand, favour public morality. But it was not like that in the beginning. Martin Luther emphasised private morality, for example, by calling birth control a form of sodomy. John Calvin called it the murder of future persons. These two prominent Reformers also maintained a strong stance against abortion. We see the same distinction of morality in the different political parties. The Republicans in the US prefer private morality. President Donald Trump cancelled expenditures for abortion and closed the transgender toilet in the White House. He withdrew from the Paris agreement on climate change— proof that he did not give in under pressure to the moral blackmail of the climate change lobby. Mr Trump wants a total overhaul of the public morality policy of his predecessor, President Barack Obama. The Democrats are pro-choice (euphemism for pro-abortion), pro-environment, pro-Islam and supportive of same sex-marriage and gender issues.
PRICE CHECK
ethnicity and so on. Is the Church only an institution with “rubrics and rites” or is it a home for the children of God? Please let’s hold hands during the Our Father. When we hold hands, there is no me, only us. We express our love and need for unity in God’s presence while using the words of his Son. Whether in a group, a chapel or 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
In Germany we see that Chancellor Angela Merkel also favours public morality. She is pro-immigrants and rebuked Pope Benedict XVI for his critical stand on Islam in his Regensburg lecture. She never disapproved of abortion. No wonder she gets along well with Mr Obama and has a strained relationship with Mr Trump. In May this year, we saw Mrs Merkel and Mr Obama celebrate their public morality during the German Evangelical Conference in Berlin, together with thousands of their German Protestant adherents. Absent from this conference were Mr Obama’s supporters and fundraisers, the billionaire philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates, Warren Buffet, George Soros and Michael Bloomberg, who hope to relieve with their billions the poverty of the world by supporting abortion and same-sex marriage worldwide. That is the Protestant sort of public “morality”. Let us pray that Cardinal Robert Sarah will be the next pope. He will remind us that poverty does not stand in the way of happiness, that happiness is a clear conscience, that we get a clear conscience by confessing our sins. So what shall we choose, private or public morality? Both, but without perpetrating the transgressions that are irreconcilable with natural law, which happens to be the same law as God’s law. That means no masturbation, no contraception, no premarital sex, no pornography, no abortion, no in vitro fertilisation, no divorce, no polygamy, no euthanasia and no transgender agenda. In short, no sins of the flesh. Because that is the stuff of which hell is made. JH Goossens, Pretoria
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No more political propaganda
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REFER to Patrick Dacey’s letter about not dismissing the Democratic Alliance (May 10). Can we please read about Church matters and relevant issues, not about DA politics? Or as a Pan Africanist, may I suggest we include real politics, not one-sided anti-Zuma nonsense? There simply is way too much information out there that gets no exposure. Let’s not be front-runners for propaganda or fake news. Leonie Arries, George
Celibacy: priests make free choice
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AM replying to Romany Rubin’s letter (April 19) regarding the celibacy of priests. A priest has ten years or more to decide on his ordination. He is capable of making his own decision. He can choose any profession he likes, and every institution has contracts to sign. Our free will is ours to sign or not. Leave seminarians to make their own decisions. Let God be the judge. Also, ordination does not come with a halo, or wings. Just love your priests, as God loves you. Sheila Curror, Emalahleni, Mpumalanga
Who are the real victims here?
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AM replying to John Lee’s letter on “victim-souls” (May 24). It seems to me that Mr Lee is filled with sympathy for those guilty of abuse and violence towards helpless victims, that they should have their history proclaimed to the world, are worthy of pity by those of us who hear of them through the media. I am shattered that he calls these people “victims”. Surely the real victims are those who are broken, full of pain, or even killed, who should merit our prayers and sympathy? What a strange reading of occurrences. Carmen Smith, Somerset West
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a large cathedral, holding hands while praying sends a message: We are God’s family, united we ask, praise and thank him—together! So often in scripture Jesus stretches out his hands to the lonely, the sick and the marginalised. What better time than during Holy Mass to follow his example? I feel that holding hands is an extention and confirmation of the sign of peace handshake or hug which follows the Our Father. Mel Walton, George
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Archbishop Khumalo honoured BY ERIN CARELSE
F
ORMER archbishop of the diocese of Pretoria, Archbishop Emeritus Paul Mandla Khumalo CMM, has been honoured for his contribution to changing the lives of children from farms and rural villages around Ixopo in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands. The event was organised by former Mariathal School learners from the 1950s, before the school was a high school, and former learners from 1992, when matric was added. Mariathal Combined School is a rural and no-fee school in Ixopo, founded by the Congregation of the Missionaries of Mariannhill in the late 1940s. Mariannhill itself was founded by the Trappists under Abbot Francis Pfanner in 1882 as a monastery, and the order later became the Congregation of the Missionaries of Mariannhill, with some members settling on a mission station near Ixopo. Mariathal was built on land owned by the Church, and has since been taken over by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education. In the 1950s the school offered junior certificate with a boarding facility for children from surrounding farms and villages. In those years, it was mainly run by the Sisters of the Precious Blood, a congregation of nuns founded by Abbot Pfanner. The school was a primary school until 1987, when Archbishop Khumalo took over as parish priest of the mission station. When thanking former learners for recognising his contribution to the school, he mentioned he was moved by the little children from neighbouring villages who travelled many kilometres to get to school, and the idea of a boarding establishment was born. There was no high school nearby, so Mariathal started adding higher grades over the years from 1987, with matric added in 1992. The first matriculants wrote their final exams in the church, because the mission did not have a hall. The acting school principal at the time called on all to urgently assist the school with fundraising, because the building had not only
The papal nuncio to South Africa, Archbishop Peter Wells, paid a pastoral visit to the Aliwal diocese. Archbishop Wells went to different institutions within the diocese and spent time with the youth, who displayed their music and singing talents to him. The nuncio issued a letter, calling upon them to play an active role in the Church. “The Holy Spirit is active in your lives,” he wrote.
Nuns offer wedding gowns Archbishop Emeritus Paul Mandla Khumalo CMM with Mariathal Combined School students at the event honouring him for his work for the school. become dilapidated, but inadequate as well. Mariathal Combined School attained an 80.67% pass rate in the national senior certificate exams in 2016 despite all the odds, including lack of basic resources. The event honouring Archbishop Khumalo began with the planting of an Acacia sieberiana tree in the schoolyard as a symbol of union between the school and its past and present learners. The mayor of Ubuhlebezwe municipality, Councillor ZDN Nxumalo, current and former educators, and senior officials of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education were present. The archbishop also received gifts, handed over by Professor Paulus Zulu, a former learner at Mariathal. Among the gifts was a large school photo, as well as a photo of the matric class of 1992. A school alumni organisation was launched, where former learners will work with the school on issues of education, as well as building funding.
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TALIAN brides are finding wedding dresses at an unusual spot hidden in the Umbrian hills, where they are able to pick out their special gown—all for the cost of a simple donation. Sr Maria Laura at the Augustinian monastery of St Rita in Cascia, Italy, began running the thrifty wedding dress service out of a surplus of donated wedding dresses. Since about 1950, brides have been making pilgrimages to St Rita’s to ask for her special intercession in marriage, and would leave their wedding dresses at the monastery in gratitude. Over the years, it has collected hundreds of dresses. Sr Maria Laura entered monastic life at 28, having previously been a seamstress and designer in Tuscany. She uses her skills to alter the dresses to fit each bride. The sewing sister only sees
S o u t h e r n C r o s s Pilgrimage
brides-to-be by appointment, Sr Maria Laura dresses a bride at St Rita’s monastery in Casica, Italy. who often bring family members and bridesmaids for their opinions. But, Sr Maria Laura noted, she has special intuition about each of the dresses. “I know which one she will take; you can tell from
their faces,” she said. “If you have a dream and we can make it come true, we’ll do our best.” Currently, they have about three women a week visit to pick out wedding dresses, while up to 10 dresses a month are donated. The monastery is a special spot for brides, as St Rita is the patron saint of difficult marriages. When Rita was 12, her parents forced her into a marriage with a husband who abused her for years. After her husband died, Rita entered a monastery at 36. As Italy continues in its recession, St Rita’s considers its service a charity for brides trying to keep costs down. One bride explained that a second-hand gown was her only option: “If I can’t find it here, I simply can’t afford to buy one.” Another bride said she “felt at home here from the very first minute”.—CNA
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The Southern Cross, June 14 to June 20, 2017
PERSPECTIVES
What’s the trouble with today’s youth? T Raymond Perrier HE celebration this weekend of Youth Day, and remembering the extraordinary sacrifices and bravery of the Soweto youth of June 16, 1976, is these days often accompanied by a lament for modern-day youth: “The trouble with young people today et cetera....” We more mature folk are tempted to speculate on whether our young people— with their selfies, and their branded clothes, and their “earbuds”, and their sense of entitlement—would have taken to the barricades and put themselves at risk the way their predecessors did. Of course, we cannot know. And the characterisation above of today’s young people can only ever be true of some young people some of the time. But it seems to me that young people today face an altogether more complex world than in the past, and that navigating it is sometimes much harder than responding to the obvious injustices of 41 years ago. So when they do achieve what their elders and betters have told them to do— they have studied hard, and completed matric, and gone to further studies, and got a qualification—and they still end up unemployed, whom do they protest against? Where will they be marching? So while I’m not suggesting that our young people today are all angels or helpless victims of a global economy, I do want to reflect on the many examples of heroism and courage that I see in the youth of today. One example that stands was in the world of the arts. In fact, by coincidence it was a production of Sarafina, that iconic musical about 1976, and it was being performed in the heart of Soweto. There is nothing extraordinary about that—for good reason the musical is performed up and down the country by young people from rich and poor communities. What was unusual about this production was that the musical theatre students from TUT in Pretoria had chosen to adopt colour-blind casting , giving roles to actors on merit regardless of the colour of their skin. And so, between their two casts, they ended up with a black Sarafina and a white Sarafina. Inevitably, this was met with tuttutting from traditionalists. But the young actors’ reply was that for their generation the issue of oppression in public schools— poor standards, lack of resources, uncommitted teachers—was one which affected white learners no less than black ones, and
so they needed to stand together in their musical protest. In fact, for me the arts are a recurrent way of affirming the vitality, the creativity and the hard work of our young people. A non-political but equally powerful message came through from young performers who shared the stage recently with the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra. This annual showcase highlighted singers, violinists, pianists, trumpeters and others performing hard classical pieces to a standard that many professionals would have been proud of. The diversity of the line-up showed that in modern-day South Africa music can be colour blind too.
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‘m constantly impressed by the dozens of young people who come to feed the poor at the Denis Hurley Centre (DHC): many of them—black, white and brown—come from privileged middle-class families. Though they come initially with their schools, a good number then return to volunteer of their own accord, or organise fundraising initiatives to support the centre in other ways. We at the DHC are looking forward to many young people joining us on Friday, July 14 with our challenge Dare2Share, when they will come and spend an evening (or even the whole night) on the streets of Durban with the homeless (see Facebook for more details). In the age of the “Me Generation”, it takes courage to stand out from the crowd and show that you do care and you are willing to take some risks for the poor.
“Just because young people like taking selfies doesn’t mean they are not committed to more serious pursuits.” Here two of the organisers of this year’s Mini World Youth Day in Durban, Philiswa Shongwe and Shaun Singh, are taking a selfie with Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, who at 76 is still young at heart. (Photo: Val Adamson)
Faith and Society
More personal examples also come to mind: a 26-year-old journalist I know who refused an invitation to go out and have fun on a Sunday evening because she was more focused on getting her newspaper piece just right; a 28-year-old man from a rural village who has trained and worked hard to become one of Durban’s bright new stars in jewellery design; a 25-year-old who despite setbacks pulls himself up again and keeps persevering at his chosen profession of advertising. I am sure that each one of us can think of young people we know who are showing heroism in their own way: in the face of a society that expects them to fail, and an economy that will rather exploit them than support them. As a Catholic community, we have a chance to celebrate our young people in six months’ time. A Mini World Youth Day will be held in Durban from December 610. This will unite Catholics aged 18 to 35 from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland to celebrate their Christianity, community and unity while experiencing the chosen theme of “young people, faith and vocations”. This builds on the momentum of the global World Youth Days which were started by Pope John Paul II in 1983 and have taken place all round the world— every continent except Africa!—every three or four years. Our national Durban event, like the global ones, is not just an opportunity for young Catholics to meet each other but also a chance for them to take on leadership roles in organising and running the event. We sometimes call them the “Church of Tomorrow”. But they are the Church of Today as well, and we must keep giving young people a chance to try (and sometimes fail) as they explore their own faith journeys and find their role within our parishes and the wider Church. That takes heroism and courage from them—and from us oldies as well! n For more info on the Mini Youth Day, Durban, please contact Barbara Koorbanally at the archdiocese of Durban on 031 303-1417 or the Conference Company on 031 303-9852
Getting teenagers to walk the talk Toni Rowland W HILE the overall family theme for the year is “Families Walk the Talk” and for May it was “Parents Walk the Talk”, for June it’s the other parts of the Micah slogan, which is Marfam’s 2017 sub-theme: “Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.” “Youth need love and justice” somehow puts youth on the receiving end, entitled to receiving both love and justice from their parents or parenting figures. I have come to realise that there are a number of parenting resources available that aim to promote parenting skills. If those skills are properly implemented, then the youth will receive love and justice and not neglect, abuse or poor discipline, or be overly indulged and spoilt. The current spate of violence against children and women, as well as substance abuse, does often affect the youth— though small children and older women and men also suffer. I have been able to do some homework on the subject of parent-child relationships before and since attending a parenting conference last month (which was reported on in The Southern Cross). Its theme dealt with strengthening families through strengthening parenting skills. It is clear to me, however, that working with parents alone or with youth alone—as youth programmes may tend to do—might not address the issue of positive and effective family communication well enough. We are dealing with a two-way street where both sides have a role to play. In fact, both sides know only too well that it is not an easy matter to communicate across the generation gap with different and changing expectations, values and experiences. Already in 1975, Dr Thomas Gordon in developing Parenting Effectiveness Train-
Family Friendly
“Positive and meaningful family communication is an important key. If that key is not in the door, then another key or another entry point should be found.” ing (PET) identified that the lives and times of families have changed. How an older generation was “parented” has changed dramatically, away from a much more authoritarian approach of parental control to greater tolerance and acceptance and better listening skills. We can hardly imagine that the idea of “children should be seen and not heard” was once acceptable. That slogan has cleverly been adapted by some wise person to “children should be seen and not hurt”.
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he change in approach must be seen as positive but also as having created some of the difficulties in today’s parentchild relationships. We haven’t all adopted the approach, not only of a win-win model, but of a no-lose model. This is where communication is key: a child is motivated to develop thinking skills and contribute as best it can to resolving conflict situations. Such a proposed model can work in a regular parent-child situation. But who are the people “parenting” our children (an issue explored more fully in the latest Fam-
ily Matters magazine). There may be other biological relatives, or friends, or teachers and mentors. These may also lead to experiences of love and justice, but not necessarily so. More concerning is that the youth are extremely mobile, out and about, or at home in another world of social media. They may look for the love and justice they need from outside sources, but are highly vulnerable and open to abuse by predators out to harm them, even trying to buy their love. Violence from their own peers in the form of bullying is common too. Young people are often much more savvy than their elders knowing where the dangers lie, but also more keen to take risks. There is no doubt that youth are in need of love and justice. There is no doubt that those are best found in their immediate environment which should be secure and safe. Whatever the case, the onus is on parents to develop enough empathy to be available when they are needed. The onus too is on the youth to be co-accountable and not to sabotage their own futures by undermining the help that is available. Positive and meaningful family communication is an important key. If that key is not in the door, then another key or another entry point should be found. Marfam’s Family Faith Focus daily reflections can be used as a tool to open the door and to begin to build family communication (see www.marfam.org.za).
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Michael Shackleton
open Door
What exactly is a ‘mortal sin’? I confessed my sins to a priest and somehow I used the term “mortal sin” at the conclusion. To my surprise, the priest commented that he hadn’t heard me confess any mortal sins. Now I am confused. I learnt in catechism that breaking one of the Ten Commandments was a mortal sin and I could not have Communion unless I confessed it. Either I misunderstood the priest or Catholic doctrine has undergone some changes over the last 50 years, or I completely misunderstood my catechism teacher. I would appreciate some guidance. Tony
Y
OU have heard of the legal term “malice aforethought”. It generally refers to cases of murder. It means that the killer deliberately planned to kill someone. Another word used for this is “premeditated”. Someone who does this malicious act can be found guilty of murder in a court of law. In moral theology they are said to have committed a mortal sin. The act fulfils the three conditions for mortal sin: grave matter, full knowledge and deliberate consent (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1857). Catholic doctrine has regularly maintained that there is no mortal sin unless these three conditions are present. A mortal sin consists in an act of grave matter, which is an offence against the Commandments, such as murder, adultery and blasphemy. If you kill someone by accident in a car crash or in attempting to defend your property, there may be grave matter there but it is not clear that there is full knowledge and full consent. Maybe this is what the priest was trying to tell you in the confessional. We cannot always swear that our sins were done with full awareness and evil intent. Confusion, ignorance, emotional states: things like these can influence our mind and will. What may be objectively wrong is not always subjectively wrong, because our conscience may not be certain that we are culpable. In any case, we should shift the focus from sinfulness to the words of Christ who said: “If you love me you will keep my commandments” (Jn 14;15). We must concentrate on the bond of love between ourselves and our loving Father who “so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (Jn 3:16). Mortal sin is called mortal because it kills that precious bond of love. Those whose conscience reproaches them that they have with malice aforethought dealt a mortal blow to their soul, are required to repent and confess their sin humbly and receive Christ’s and the Church’s warm welcome back. Venial sins are less grievous as they do not mortally wound the soul, but they must be repented too in order for us to abide in the powerful love that binds us together with Christ and his Church.
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.
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8
The Southern Cross, June 14 to June 20, 2017
PILGRIMAGE
The group arrives at the Fatima sanctuary, led by local guide Fatima Neves (left). Pilgrim Jan D'oliveira of Pretoria reads at the final Mass in Madrid’s church of our Lady of Perpetual Succour.
The Southern Cross Fatima pilgrims are seen with a statue of St Teresa of Avila outside the church that marks the place of the great saint’s birth in 1515.
Southern Cross pilgrims and driver Antonio at the candlelight rosary at the Apparition chapel in Fatima sanctuary, before the procession—which, to the excitement of the group, was led by “their” Archbishop Brislin. The illuminated rosary in front of the Paul VI Pastoral Centre at the back was installed only a few weeks earlier.
Pilgrimage to Portugal & Spain in pics I
N May, a group of Southern Cross pilgrims, led by Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town, travelled to Fatima to celebrate the centenary of the apparition to three shepherd children there. They also visited Lisbon, Coimbra and Santarém in Portugal. In Spain, they visited Avila and Alba de Tormes to see the places of St Teresa’s birth, activity and death, and ended the journey in Madrid. The Fatima connection to St Teresa of Avila came 30 years after the apparitions, when Lucia, the oldest of the visionaries, became a nun of the Discalced Carmelites formed by St Teresa. The Southern Cross will repeat the same pilgrimage in association with Radio Veritas in October (see www.fowlertours.co.za/ fatima for details and to book). The photos on this page provide just some of the memorable scenes from this prayerful and holy pilgrimage, about which there will be more in The Southern Cross over the coming weeks. All photos except the group picture are by Günther Simmermacher.
Abel and Jacinta Thupae of Rustenburg meet the 97year-old niece of Sr Lucia dos Santos in Aljustrel, the home village of the visionary children. Mrs Thupae, who is named after the youngest of the three visionaries, is wearing a Fatima cloth that once belonged to her mother.
Pilgrims do the stations of the cross near Aljustrel and Valinhos, the site of the August 1917 apparition.
Pilgrims pray at the tomb of St Teresa of Avila in Alba de Tormes, near Salamanca, Spain. St Teresa died on a visit to the Carmelite convent of the Annunciation there in 1582. The group had Mass in the convent church, celebrated by Fr Davis Mekkattukkalam, who is a Carmelite priest.
THE HOLY LAND TREK
A statue of our Lady of Fatima is seen as Archbishop Stephen Brislin and Fr Davis Mekkattukkalam CMI of Port Elizabeth celebrate Mass in the church of São Nicolau in the Portuguese town of Santarém, which is famous for a 13thcentury Eucharistic miracle. Fr Mekkattukkalam was regrettably misidentified in the caption to our front-page photo of the group in the May 31 issue, for which The Southern Cross apologises to him and the priest incorrectly named.
Local guide Maria José explains the Carmelite convent of St Teresa in Coimbra, Portugal, where Sr Lucia dos Santos, the eldest of the three Fatima visionaries, lived for the last 57 years of her life before her death there at 97 in 2005.
An itinerary of the great holy sites of the Holy Land and Jordan by Günther Simmermacher.
‘Simmermacher has captured the essence of the pilgrim’s Holy Land.’ – Pat McCarthy, NZ Catholic
‘Simmermacher marshalls a mass of material, presenting it simply and vividly.’ – Paddy Kearney, The Southern Cross ‘Turning the pages of the book is a journey in itself.’ – Sydney Duval, Archdiocesan News, Cape Town
R150 (plus R25 p&p in SA) from books@scross.co.za or scross.co.za/holylandtrek or call 021 465-5007
Pilgrims in the crypt of Lisbon’s church of St Anthony, which marks the place where the saint usually known as Anthony of Padua was born. In Portugal the saint, who died in Padua, is known as St Anthony of Lisbon. The prie-dieu in the crypt was used by St John Paul II during his visit to the church in 1982.
Pilgrims Millie Naidoo of East London, Elise Petersen of Cape Town (back), Jacinta Thupae of Rustenburg and odette Naidoo of East London with the Spanish town of Avila, with its famous medieval fortification walls, behind them.
The Southern Cross, June 14 to June 20, 2017
FAITH
9
Why Jesus is the perfect model for manhood The open, welcoming and vulnerable Jesus should serve as the perfect model for manhood, argues CoLLEEN CoNSTABLE.
T
HE idea of men’s ministries resonates with women as much as it does with men— but for different reasons. Women are excited about the idea because they support the spiritual, personal and professional development of men. A woman’s closest inner circle of men consists of her father, brothers, male friends or husband, and Jesus. A woman’s encounter with these special men in her life influences her expectations of men. Most women know that their relationship with Jesus teaches them about the model of a “perfect man”: masculinity at its best. Most women’s dream is that all men should learn from Jesus. The New Testament illustrates that the ultimate model of masculinity is found in Jesus. From Jesus the Nazarene we learn about principles, values and behaviour, life-changing perspectives and practices. Jesus’ attitude and actions are evidence of the perfect role model of male identity and masculinity. His leadership style and how he used his authority points towards an integration of positive feminine and masculine characteristics. His interaction with women and vulnerable and marginalised persons illustrates how he changed the ancient interpretation and expecta-
tions of masculinity. Jesus broke down patriarchy and traditional masculinity: he exposed his followers to an alternative masculinity. Jesus embodies love and mercy, justice and peace. He had emotional intelligence and an assertiveness that does not dominate, discriminate or harm others. Jesus transformed gender norms, maleness and masculinity—he was not ashamed of vulnerability. He left us a legacy: he shaped an alternative masculinity. He destroyed traditional masculinity when Pilate presented him to the crowd, saying: “Ecce Homo!” (“Behold the man”). Jesus appeared, eyes downcast, wearing a crown of thorns and a purple cloak: bloodied, wounded, beaten and disfigured—holding a reed. A symbol of greatness: obedience to the will of the Father, true humility and vulnerability, combined with taking the lowest position. Jesus teaches men what redemptive suffering and love means. Jesus illustrates that to love also means to give up privilege—to embrace sacrifice for the sake of another, even if it means to give up your life for your friends.
M
odern men face 21st century challenges such as radical social change that includes emancipation and empowerment of women. It offers an opportunity to carry their “modern day crosses”, without shortening or abandoning them. It is an opportunity to give up “entitlement” and “privilege” for the sake of another. The 21st-cen-
sic The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis offers inspirational spiritual and psychological insight towards “a mature spiritual life and even a path to holiness”. This famous resource provides appropriate methods that can produce life-changing moments. It is one form of literature that could be beneficial for spiritual development in men’s ministries.
W
Ecce Homo: The face of the suffering Jesus on an olive wood carving in Bethlehem, West Bank. In her article, Colleen Constable argues that Jesus “destroyed traditional masculinity when Pilate presented him to the crowd, saying: ‘Behold the man!’” (Photo courtesy Nissan Bros.) tury men are now called to surrender to Jesus completely: to imitate him. Jesus said: “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Lk 9:23). And he said: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29). The 15th-century spiritual clas-
e all know that through Jesus, God has called humanity to holiness—to follow the example and the attitude of Christ. The choice to accept or reject this call is ours. It is assumed that men’s ministries have embraced the call towards “holiness”. The latter requires a change in mindset and attitude. It calls us to transform the society around us through our own actions and lifestyle. Holiness brings healing and peace of mind. Holiness shapes our relationships. In his 1999 encyclical Novo Millennio Ineunte, Pope John Paul II asked the question: “What might the word ‘holiness’ means in the context of a pastoral plan?” And he answered his rhetorical question: “The paths to holiness are personal and call for a genuine ‘training in holiness’, adapted to people's needs… This training in holiness calls for a Christian life distinguished above all in the art of prayer.” John Paul II said: “This reciprocity is the very substance and soul of the Christian life, and the condition of all true pastoral life. Wrought in us by the Holy Spirit, this reciprocity opens us, through Christ and in Christ, to contem-
plation of the Father’s face.” The spiritual programme of men’s ministries should draw them into a deeper and significant relationship with Jesus Christ: a life-changing encounter with their brother and their King. They should become “slaves of Christ” who consecrate themselves to him through Mary, Mother of God. Men, who learn from the Mother how to follow Christ, will encounter the “Cross of Humility”, the “cornerstone of all virtues”. Men’s ministries should have “conversations with women”. Pope Francis has recommended that “to solve their relationship problems, man and woman should talk more. Listen more, know more and love each other more. They must trust each other with respect and cooperate with friendship.” The masculinity of Jesus found within his appearance “Ecce Homo” is the epitome of total abandonment for the sake of love and the Will of God. Through imitating Jesus, men can be healed from the harmful effects of hegemonic masculinity and patriarchy. The example set by Jesus should be the method of measurement for progress in men’s ministries. Jesus is the ultimate source of masculinity: the best role model of male identity and masculinity. Jesus is the epitome of masculinity. Following his example creates better men. n Colleen Constable is founding CEO of the South African Institute for Violence Prevention. She is a former CEO of the National Council Against Gender-based Violence, and served in the police services at senior management level.
S outher n C ross & Radio Veritas 100 Years Fatima Pilgrimage The
1 - 10 October 2017
A spiritual journey to
Portugal & Spain Fatima • Lisbon Led by Fr Brian Mhlanga OP For info or to book contact Gail at info@fowlertours.co.za or 076 352-3809 or 021 551-3923
fowlertours.co.za/fatima
Avila • Madrid with special visit to the tomb of St Teresa of Avila and the Eucharistic Miracle of Santarem
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The Southern Cross, June 14 to June 20, 2017
REFLECTION
Why we need great fatherhood June 18 is Father’s Day. To mark the event, SR JoAN RoCCASALVo CSJ looks at fatherhood, in the movies, in literature, in scripture, and in society.
F
ROM ancient times, men have reflected on the role of fathers and their family relationships. In the 1972 crime film The Godfather, Don Vito Corleone (Marlin Brando) counsels his eldest son Santino (James Caan): “A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.” Studies show that fathers who put family first are usually good husbands and fathers (though “good” might not be the right word to describe the mafia don). Fathers come in all different shapes, sizes, and personalities, a fact best seen in father-roles on the screen and television.
Dads on film In Father of the Bride, made in 1950 (and remade in 1991), the versatile Spencer Tracey plays a comically neurotic father. Weeks before his daughter’s wedding, he’s subject to apoplectic fits as costs for the event continue to rise. In Life with Father (1947), a thrifty banker is a stickler for rules in a family with four boys. His dislike of surprises makes for fun when, time and again, his wife Vinnie outwits him with her confounding “woman’s logic”. Yes, we have super-Dads like Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) who, in the film To Kill a Mockingbird, exceeds our expectations of fatherhood. A widower and defence lawyer with two young and impressionable children, Atticus is devoted to them not only as father but also as a patient teacher.
In the current television police drama Blue Bloods, Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck), is the commissioner of the New York Police Department. Not only is he the beloved father of a solidly Catholic family, but he has also earned the respect, admiration, and affection of his officers.
State of fatherhood In many parts of the world, life without fathers is now established as a major social concern. In most TV sitcoms, if a father is present, he is portrayed as a bumbling, aloof and unnecessary member of the family. But in real life, fatherhood is necessary. The high cost of absentee fathers is reflected in school dropouts, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, nefarious behaviour against teachers, and crime and violence in the streets. Father-absence contributes to social problems, emotional dereliction, male aggression, and low academic achievement. On top of that, many children have fathers who are physically present but emotionally absent. These numbers have increased with the growing number of premarital births and a continuing high divorce rate. Divorce is no longer the main reason that children do not grow up with both of their parents. In recent years, divorce has declined, but single parenthood has increased. As yet, we do not have firm numbers on those fathers who are addicted to drugs, alcohol, gambling, or pornography. While super-Dads exceed our expectations, derelict fathers debase their exalted vocation. Discussions about women having it all and all at once are a fallacy. Most women cannot conceive children, give birth to them, and raise and support them without the presence of a loving father in the home. It must be said, however, that single mothers try doing it all the time.
The biblical Father-God In his book The God of Jesus Christ, German Cardinal Walter Kasper writes that “the relation of father-child is not only an inalienable aspect of being human, but it also cannot be replaced by other relations; father is a primal word in the history of humanity and religion. It cannot be replaced by another concept and cannot be translated into another concept”. The same holds true of the mother-child relationship. Father and mother are primary words incapable of being reduced or replaced. God, the mystery beyond all mysteries, transcends gender and human language. Nonetheless, the Divine I-AM-The ONE Who IS is revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures as Adonai (Lord), Melech (King), Avinu (Our Father). These are figurative and not literal ways of speaking about the source and creator of the cosmos. In the Christian Scriptures, Jesus addresses his Abba, the intimate form of his very dear Father, connoting their close relationship. When did Jesus pray to his Father? He prayed before making a decision, after apostolic work, before the Lord’s Prayer, in Gethsemane, and on the cross (Lk 6; 12; 5:15-16; 11:1; Lk 2:41; 23:34, 46). In John’s gospel alone, the Father is mentioned about 110 times. What did the Father mean to Jesus? The gospel’s entire chapter 17 expresses their mutual love in which men and women are invited to share. If the word Father is purged from the gospels and liturgical language, then the trinitarian dogma collapses: God the Father is dead, Jesus Christ is his Only Son, Christianity collapses. The biblical belief in the Fatherhood of men and women has been revealed to us. Jesus taught his disciples to pray “The Lord’s Prayer” beginning with the verse: “Our Father, who art in heaven.” As we pray, so we believe; as we believe so we pray. Without the Fatherhood of God, how do we begin our prayers? “In the name of the...”, “Glory be to the... and to the Son (whose Son?) and to the Holy Spirit”? Cardinal Kasper notes: “The Father must be the addressee of praise, thanksgiving, and petition.” The Eucharistic sacrifice is addressed to the Father, and Christians are baptised in the name of the Father...
Telemachus’ tears
The cast of the TV police drama Blue Bloods around the Sunday dinner table, headed by Tom Selleck as police commissioner Frank Reagan.
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St Joseph and the boy Jesus, depicted on a relief in Nazareth, the town in which the Holy Family lived. Canadian political scientist Walter Newell observes that too many boys today are like Telemachus who long for a father who will nurture and guide them through a hard world. Many boys are from broken homes and are forced at a very early age to be their mother’s protector from oppressive men. At the same time, they struggle to bring themselves up in a way that would make their absent fathers proud of them. Every year Prof Newell tells his students the story of Telemachus and his father. As the narrative advances, the classroom grows silent because his students realise that they are Telemachus. Part of the dialogue is given below: “Sir,” said Telemachus, “as regards your question, so long as my father was here it was well with us and with the house, but the gods, in their displeasure, have willed it otherwise and have hidden him away more closely than mortal man was ever yet hidden...” “And Ulysses said, ‘I am no god; why should you take me for one? I am your father on whose account you grieve and suffer so much at the hands of lawless men.’” As Telemachus spoke, Ulysses kissed his son, and a tear fell from his cheek onto the ground, for he had restrained all tears till now. But Telemachus could not yet believe that it was his father, and said: “You are not my father. You are some god who is flattering me with vain hopes that I may grieve the more hereafter. No mortal man could of himself contrive to do as you have been doing and make yourself old and young at a moment’s notice, unless a god were with him. A second ago, you were old and all in rags, and now you are like some god come down from heaven.” [Ulysses has cleaned himself up and changed his clothes to make himself look presentable.] Ulysses answered: “Telemachus, you ought not to be so immeasurably astonished at my being really here. There is no other Ulysses who
will come hereafter. Such as I am, it is I, your father, who after long wandering and much hardship have got home in the 20th year to my own country. I will tell you the truth, my son.” As Ulysses spoke, he sat down, and Telemachus threw his arms about his father and wept. (William J Bennett: The Book of Man).
The best earthly father Mention of St Joseph in the New Testament is limited to very few passages, one of which regards the loss of Jesus in the Temple. After chaos, confusion, and turmoil, after a frantic search for him all over, Mary and Joseph returned to Jerusalem to look for their son. “Three days, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. “When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him: ‘Why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety’” (Lk 3: 41ff). As the exemplar of fathers, St Joseph holds a special place of honour in the Catholic Church as well as in other faith-traditions. In addition to his feasts on March 19 and May 1, this illustrious descendent in the patriarchal line of David, this model of artisans, this protector of family life richly deserves to be honoured with all fathers on their day. He shouldered a two-fold responsibility: loving and protecting Mary, his beloved spouse, and guiding into adulthood the Son of the Most High, the Incarnate Word of God. But let us never forget that Jesus took his legitimacy as well as the secondary characteristics of his gender from Joseph who taught him how to be human in the real world. Even God’s Son had to be taught something that only an earthly father could teach. In his male identity, Jesus was truly the son of an artisan. He was Joseph’s son.–CNA
The Southern Cross, June 14 to June 20, 2017
CLASSIFIEDS
Victor Anton Raynal
V
ICTOR Anton Raynal, a committed Catholic, who lived in Johannesburg for most of his life, died on March 12. Born in 1925, he lost his father when he was eight, and was sent to boarding school at Marist Brothers in Johannesburg. After high school, he started a five-year apprenticeship with the Johannesburg City Council (JCC), which awarded Mr Raynal a scholarship to do a degree in electrical engineering at Wits, where he graduated in 1950. He then had a professional training attachment with Ferranti in Oldham, England. While Mr Raynal was there, he married Jean Stuttard. Two years after she was tragically killed in a car accident, he married Margaret Bailey, also from Oldham. When he completed his professional attachment, he turned down lucrative job offers to return to South Africa. Continuing his career in the JCC in 1955, he held various positions before being appointed assistant city electrical engineer (distribution) in 1970. This responsibility involved providing reticulation for a high population-density area of about 500km2, which included Soweto. At that time it was the largest periurban conurbation in Africa, housing an estimated one million inhabitants, whose source of en-
ergy came from burning fossil fuels, the effluent from which blew over into the then whitesonly Johannesburg. However, Mr Raynal saw the electrification of Soweto not only as a solution to air pollution but also as a means of providing access to opportunities for the inhabitants. He developed ultra-high street lighting to provide vandal-proof illumination for vast areas. Mr Raynal recalled the delight of residents who were not only able to get home more safely, but able to sit out on the pavements to read the newspaper, and that children could do their homework. He achieved many academic
Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 763. ACROSS: 4 Gregory, 8 Virgin, 9 Sprouts, 10 Romish, 11 Ingots, 12 Teetotal, 18 Ensemble, 20 Apollo, 21 Throbs, 22 Muezzin, 22 Drivel, 24 Density. DOWN: 1 Overate, 2 Trumpet, 3 Fiasco, 5 Reptiles, 6 George, 7 Rotate, 13 Theorist, 14 Absolve, 15 Beastly, 16 Spouse, 17 Blazes, 19 Exhort.
Word of the Week
Contrition: Extreme sorrow for having sinned with a deep repentance concerning that sin. Extreme unction: A sacrament given to a person who is ill or in danger of dying. It is intended to strengthen a person’s soul and help their love be pure so they may enter into heaven. It is done through prayer and the anointing of oil. This is also known as Anointing of the Sick or the Sacrament of the Sick.
and professional qualifications. Mr Raynal became a member of the Council of the South African and UK Royal Institutes of Electrical Engineers, and was appointed to the National Coordinating Commission setting standards for new residential townships. He was awarded fellowship of the SA Institute of EE and of the UK IEE. Mr Raynal’s career progression in the JCC was thwarted due to not having political connections with the Broederbond. Due to this frustration, he took early retirement at the age of 55. He then worked for Croswell Engineers until he went into semi-retirement in 1989 in the Cape, but continued working on part-time projects until recently. He leaves his widow Margaret; also a daughter and a son. Two sons predeceased him; a civil engineer died of the late psychological effects of service in the SA Army, and the youngest, a lawyer, died of a rare cancer. Mr Raynal was a keen sportsman and chess player. He has left many grateful recipients of this tutoring, among them his eight grandchildren. Although throughout his life he had personal tragedies, in prematurely losing a parent, a spouse and then two sons, Mr Raynal retained a deep faith in the goodness of God through his Catholic faith.
Our bishops’ anniversaries This week we congratulate: June 11: Bishop Francisco de Gouveia of Oudtshoorn on his 66th birthday Your prayer to cut out and collect
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.
PERSONAL
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every activity and every facet of my life, so that everything will be shaped and formed by the burning flame of your Love. I ask this for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
examine their commitment in the light of Your love, willingly, openly, compassionately.
PRAYERS
LORD GOD, this candle that I light here today reminds me of the light that you enkindled in me at my Baptism. Renew the flame of your Love in me. Let it burn away all my egotism, my jealousy, my pride and my failure to love. Let me have a warm and generous heart. Lord, I am not able to remain here in this church very much longer: I have to go. So, please accept this candle in my place. Let it be like a part of me that I give to you. Here, before the image of Blessed Mary, Mother of God, and imploring her powerful intercession, I ask you, as I offer you this humble candle, to allow my prayer to penetrate
O VIRGIN Mother, In the depths of your heart you pondered the life of the Son you brought into the world. Give us your vision of Jesus and ask the Father to open our hearts, that we may always see His presence in our lives, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, bring us into the joy and peace of the kingdom, where Jesus is Lord forever and ever. Amen
LORD, inspire those men and women who bear the titles “husband” and “wife”. Help them to look to You, to themselves, to one another to rediscover the fullness and mystery they once felt in their union. Let them be honest enough to ask: “Where have we been together and where are we going?” Let them be brave enough to question: “How have we failed?” Let each be foolhardy enough to say: “For me, we come first.” Help them, together, to re-
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Traditional Latin Mass
A Prayer for Fathers
Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel 36 Central Avenue, Pinelands, Cape Town
Heavenly Father, you entrusted your Son Jesus, the child of Mary, to the care of Joseph, an earthly father. Bless all fathers as they care for their families. Give them strength and wisdom, tenderness and patience; support them in the work they have to do, protecting those who look to them, as we look to you for love and salvation, through Jesus Christ our rock and defender. Amen.
Liturgical Calendar Year A – Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday June 18, The Body and Blood of Christ Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16, Psalms 147:12-15, 1920, 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, John 6:51-58 Monday June 19, St Romuald 2 Corinthians 6:1-10, Psalms 98:1-4, Matthew 5:3842 Tuesday June 20 2 Corinthians 8:1-9, Psalms 146:1-2, 5-9, Matthew 5:43-48 Wednesday June 21, St Aloysius Gonzaga 2 Corinthians 9:6-11, Psalms 112:1-4, 9, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 Thursday June 22, St Paulinus of Nola, Ss John Fisher & Thomas More 2 Corinthians 11:1-11, Psalms 111:1-4, 7-8, Matthew 6:7-15 Friday June 23, Sacred Heart of Jesus Deuteronomy 7:6-11, Psalms 103:1-4, 6-8, 10, 1 John 4:7-16, Matthew 11:25-30 Saturday June 24, Birth of St John the Baptist Isaiah 49:1-6, Psalms 139:1-3, 13-15, Acts 13:22-26, Luke 1:57-66, 80 Sunday June 25, 12th Sunday of the Year Jeremiah 20:10-13, Psalms 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35, Romans 5:12-15, Matthew 10:26-33
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12th Sunday: June 25 Readings: Jeremiah 20:10-13, Psalm 69:810, 14, 17, 33-35, Romans 5:12-15, Matthew 10:26-33
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EXT Sunday, after all the excitement of Lent and Easter and the feasting that came after, we revert to Ordinary Time; yet it need not be too much of a letdown, for there is plenty of extraordinary material to keep us alert. And the common factor in today’s readings is that we can expect to endure persecution, it seems. In the first reading, Jeremiah is in one of his stormier moods; it comes from the great complaint that begins (though this is not part of our reading): “You seduced me, Lord, and I let myself be seduced!” But there are signs of confidence, as he says, “the Lord is with me, like a strong warrior; those who persecute me will stumble”; and he ends joyfully enough: “Sing to the Lord praise the Lord, for he has delivered the life of the poor from the hand of those who do evil.” So things are perhaps not as bad as he thought. In the psalm, the poet is, unusually enough, feeling pretty fed up: “Because for your sake I bore insult, and shame covers my face.” Then, in a line that the New Testament authors would remember when Jesus per-
S outher n C ross
‘You are not to be afraid’ formed his prophetic gesture in the Temple: “Zeal for your house has eaten me up.” So he turns to prayer: “And I pray to you, Lord, for the time of your favour; my God, in the greatness of your steadfast love answer me…answer me Lord, for your love is good.” And he has a good idea of who it is who benefits from God’s love: “See, you oppressed ones, and listen, you who seek for God. For the Lord hears the poor.” Then (for the psalmist is never finally cast down) comes an invitation to praise: “Let the heavens and the earth give praise, the seas and all who move in them.” You cannot keep him down for long. In the second reading, we resume our long-interrupted reading of Romans. At this point, Paul is trying to explain what it is that God has done for us in Christ, so that the Roman Christians (and we) should not lose confidence. Here he is trying to express the significance of Jesus in terms of undoing what Adam had done: “Just as through one man [Adam], Sin entered the world, and through Sin, Death, and so Death went through to
everybody, because all sinned.” We hardly understand, but Paul does not allow us much time to reflect as he presses on: “For up to the Law, Sin was in the world, but Sin was not reckoned, because there was no Law.” (Don’t ask.) The important point is the plight of humanity: “Death reigned from Adam to Moses, and over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the transgression of Adam who is the model of the one to come.” Once again, we struggle to grasp what he is saying, but prick up our ears as he explains how much more effective is God’s response to our “transgression” than the original evil: “How much greater is the grace of God and the free gift by the donation of the one man, Jesus Christ, which overflowed to the many.” The point is that there is nothing that we can do to thwart God’s loving purpose. When we come to the Gospel, Jesus is sending the disciples (us, that is) out on mission, and warning us of persecution to come (as we notice in the case of Jeremiah). And the response is: “You are not to be afraid of them—for nothing is hidden that
Wear the seamless garment J
Therefore, those of us who are concerned about abortion need to accept that the problem of abortion cannot be effectively addressed without at the same time addressing issues of poverty, access to healthcare, sexual morality, and even capital punishment. The interconnection here is not wholly mystical. It’s real. Abortion is driven more by poverty and lack of adequate support than by any liberal ideology. Hence, the struggle against abortion must also focus on the issues of poverty and support for pregnant women. Also, to morally accept killing in one area (capital punishment) helps sanction its acceptance in another area (abortion). Sexual morality must also be addressed since abortion is the inevitable byproduct of a society within which two people who are not married to each other have sex with each other. It’s all of one piece, and any opposition to abortion that fails to adequately recognise the wider perspective that more fully defines the term “pro-life” leaves many sincere people unable to support anti-abortion groups.
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onversely, those of us who are concerned with the issues of poverty, health-care, capital punishment, ecology, war, racism, sexism and LGBT rights need to accept that these issues cannot be effectively addressed without also addressing the issue of abortion. Again, the interconnection isn’t just mystical, it’s empirical: failure to be sensitive to who is weak and vulnerable in one
Conrad
OHN of the Cross teaches that within spirituality and morality there are no exempt areas. Simply put, you cannot be a saint or a highly moral person if you allow yourself a moral exemption or two. Thus, I may not allow myself to split off one moral flaw or sinful habit and see it as unimportant in the light of my positive qualities and the overall good that I do. For St John of the Cross, you cannot be a saint and have a moral blindspot, even if it’s a minor one. A bird tethered to a rock, he says, cannot fly irrespective of whether the cord holding it is a cable or a string. The same is true for our efforts to protect life and foster justice in our world. The protection of life and the promotion of justice are all of one piece. We cannot be an authentic prophet and have a few moral blind spots. A huge consequence flows from this, namely, we cannot treat issues like abortion, nuclear war, lack of ecological sensitivity, the plight of refugees, racism, sexism, poverty and inequality, poor access to healthcare, unequal access to education, sexual irresponsibility, and discrimination against the LGBT community in isolation from each other, as if these were wholly discrete issues. Whether we admit it or not, these areas are all inextricably interconnected. To quote the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin: “The success of any one of the issues concerning life requires a concern for the broader attitude in society about the respect for human life.” That’s a strong challenge for all of us, on all sides of the ideological spectrum.
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Sunday Reflections
shall not be revealed.” Not even Death is to terrorise us: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather, you should fear the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” Then comes an image straight from the mouth of Jesus, the observant Palestinian peasant: “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And yet not one of them falls onto the earth without your Father.” Next he offers a wonderful image for God’s concern for us: “As for you, all the hairs of your head are counted. So you are not to be afraid—you are worth more than any number of sparrows.” Our task is to acknowledge Christ: “Anyone who confesses me before human beings, I shall confess that person before my Father, the One in heaven.” That is our extraordinary task, in this ordinary week; and there is plenty to keep us going here.
Southern Crossword #763
Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI
Final Reflection
area deeply compromises one’s moral standing on other issues that deal with the weak and the vulnerable. We must advocate for and strive to protect everyone who falls victim within our present way of living—and that includes the unborn. It’s all of one piece! There can be no exempt areas; thus opposition to the protection of the unborn is not just antithetical to what’s central within a social justice agenda but, perhaps more than anything else, it leaves liberal ideology and its political allies compromised in a way that allows many sincere people to withhold their support. Clearly, of course, nobody is asked to give equal energy to every justice issue in the world. Accepting that none of these issues can be effectively dealt with in isolation shouldn’t stop us from passionately working on one issue or another. But knowing that these issues are all of one piece does demand that we always recognise that, however important our particular issue, we may not see it in simple black and white, without nuance, as an issue that can be dealt with within one ideological, political or religious silo. We must always be sensitive to the whole, to the big picture, to the intricate interconnections among all these social issues. And, not least, we must be humble before and sensitive to our own moral inconsistencies. We will, this side of eternity, always have them and we must forgive ourselves for them and not let perfection—the fact we can’t be fully consistent—be the enemy of the good—the fact that we can do some good work that is effective. But acknowledging both our own inconsistencies and the complexities of the issues should make us more open to listening to the views of others and make us less doctrinaire and fundamentalist in our own attitudes. All the issues that deal with justice and peace are of one piece, one whole, one moral corpus, one seamless garment; and, like the soldiers casting dice for Jesus’ clothing, we should hesitate to tear this garment into different pieces.
ACROSS
4. Egg Rory on to see the pope (7) 8. Olive oil for the maiden (6) 9. The Belgian shoots (7) 10. Derogatory term for RC (6) 11. Stacks of gold from St Gino (6) 12. Golfer takes it and the lot on the wagon (8) 18. Lens emblem partly shows group of musicians (8) 20. Greek god (6) 21. Hearty broths produce healthy results (6) 22. He calls the faithful to prayer (7) 23. Right devil speaking nonsense (6) 24. Deny it’s strewn inside for compactness (7)
DOWN
1. Indulged too much (7) 2. An angel blasted it (Rv 8) (7) 3. Embarrassing mess caused in Mafia scouting (6) 5. Cold-blooded creatures (8) 6. Saint who slew the monster (6) 7. How you move in the correct circle (6) 13. This tore up the impractical person (8) 14. Sailor will work it out and set free (7) 15. Ably set but very unpleasant (7) 16. One who is married (6) 17. Where to go for the fires of hell (6) 19. Strongly urge (6)
Solutions on page 11
CHURCH CHUCKLE
P
ADDY, a keen golfer, had been pestering his parish priest to find out if there was a golf course in heaven. When asking him the question for the tenth time, Paddy received the following reply from the exasperated cleric. “Pat,” he said, “I have made some enquiries and have some good news and some bad news for you. “The good news is that there is a magnificent 36hole golf course in heaven,” Father announced. “The bad news is that you’re teeing off at 8am tomorrow morning!”
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