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From ashes to beauty: A story of God

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Drop bucket toilets, Church demands

BY ERIN CARELSE

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South African athlete Terry Pellow-Jarman (left) with “Iron Nun” Sr Madonna Buder and daughter Catherine Pellow-Jarman in Canada after competing in a duathlon event. Sr Buder, 87, has completed more than 340 triathlons and would love to visit South Africa.

‘Iron Nun’ would love run in SA STAFF REPORTER

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HE legendary “Iron Nun” was amazed at learning that she had featured in Southern Africa’s regional Catholic newspaper and expressed her hope to visit South Africa.

Sr Madonna Buder at 87 takes part in Iron Man events, and has completed more than 340 triathlons. She last featured in The Southern Cross in August 2016 in a report on her starring role in a sportswear advertising campaign.

Terry Pellow-Jarman, a parishioner of Paarl in the Western Cape, and her daughter Catherine met Sr Buder at the ITU Multisport World Championships in Penticton, Canada.

Mrs Pellow Jarman represented South Africa in the duathlon—10km run, 40km cycle and 5km run.

“We were lucky enough to meet Sr Madonna after she finished and have a chat to her,” Mrs Pellow-Jarman said. “She is an incredibly unassuming, humble woman. She

was quite amazed when I told her that I had read about her in The Southern Cross in South Africa. She expressed her wish to visit South Africa, and was very interested to know about the Iron Man events in the country.”

Sr Buder started her extreme sports career at the age of 48, at the suggestion of a priest.

She completed her first triathlon at age 52 and first Ironman event at 55.

She became the overall Ironman world record holder for the oldest person to complete the event in 2012, at the age of 82.

After taking part in the duathlon in Canada, she told a local newspaper, the Penticton Western News: “I thought I was the last one to finish, some friends assured me I wasn’t—but I’m not convinced.”

Sr Buder gives inspirational talks to groups, has written a book called The Grace to Race, makes TV appearances to talk about age and health—and even saved her neighbour from a house fire.

HE human rights of the vulnerable and the excluded in our society are being violated by unhygienic sanitation problems such as the bucket toilet system, according to the Justice & Peace Commission (J&P) of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

Bucket toilets, a basic form of a dry toilet– which are either portable, situated inside a dwelling, or an outhouse—lack waste disposal plumbing.

Twenty-three years into democracy, multitudes of people continue to be subjected to the use of bucket toilets, one of the most dehumanising forms of sanitation in the world, and a legacy of apartheid.

At a national gathering of J&P activists this year, concerns were raised about sanitation problems in informal settlements, especially in the dioceses of Bloemfontein, Kroonstad and Port Elizabeth.

The activists then went home and identified the informal settlements which still have the highest levels of bucket toilets. In some cases, they identified informal settlements which have been struggling with this problem for more than ten years.

J&P presented this to the Human Rights Commission (HRC), with a view to investigating rights violations and instituting remedial action to restore dignity to those without decent sanitation.

The HRC is currently investigating municipalities in the Free State province which, according to Statistics South Africa, have the highest levels of bucket toilets. The same is being done in Nelson Mandela Bay municipality in Port Elizabeth.

Legal action on behalf of some of the communities is also being explored.

Once the report and remedial action from the HRC have been received, J&P will then work with its activists to monitor and ensure the speedy implementation of the corrective action.

J&P director Fr Stan Muyebe OP said there

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Feast day at shrine of OUR LADY OF KNOCK, 17-28 PAPAL MASS in Dublin*, August 2018 and much more...

J&P director Fr Stan Muyebe OP is a need for a radical commitment to end the bucket toilet system in the Free State.

This should include setting up a strategic plan, with measurable timelines that are subjected to accountability “Government has made commitment to eradicate the bucket toilets, yet their deadlines keep shifting, which has been happening for the past 15 years,” he told The Southern Cross.

“We sometimes forget that the bucket toilet matter is an affront to human dignity of our brothers and sisters, most of whom live in informal settlements. We need to restore their dignity as created in the image of God.” Catholic lawyers have been instrumental in helping to make various interventions on behalf of the poor, and J&P are grateful for their generosity and sacrifice, Fr Muyebe said. However, he added, more lawyers are needed.

“We are calling upon our Catholic lawyers to see their profession and their pro bono obligations as an opportunity to work with us so that we strengthen the role of the Church in defending the rights of the voiceless and the vulnerable in our country. They can encounter and serve God using their legal skills,” Fr Muyebe said.

CATHOLIC IRELAND A pilgrimage with Bishop Victor Phalana

For information contact Gail at 076 352-3809 or info@fowlertours.co.za * subject to confirmation

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The Southern Cross, September 27 to October 3, 2017

LOCAL

Theology of the Body talks draw 1 000 S

South Africans in several major cities in the country came in numbers to hear visiting US speaker Christopher West on Pope John Paul 11’s Theology of the Body.

OME 1 000 people in various venues in South Africa came to hear US speaker and author Christopher West, an expert on the Theology of the Body.

Mr West used Jesus’ words from John 1:39 as a backdrop to Pope John Paul II’s message of not only looking at creation but seeing what he created.

Addressing nature, sexuality, marriage, celibacy, and other subjects, Mr West encouraged audiences to delve deeper into what it means to be part of Creation, what it means to be human, asking how do we find happiness in this world, and the big question: What does it mean to love?

He asked his audiences whether we look at people as objects, or do we actually see them? Do we see Christ in the other as created in the image of God? How do we live out

this call to love in and through our bodies as male and female? Where are we headed and how do we experience redemption of our brokenness and pain?

“Bringing in his unique, humorous method of teaching and talking, Christopher also shared his own life experiences which gave flesh to much of what Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body is addressing,” said Marie-Anne Te Brake of the Foundation for the Person and the Family.

“Infusing most of his talks with live music by accompanying musician Mike Mangioni provided stirring variation to the talks,” she said.

Mr West gave talks to clergy, seminarians and religious in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town, in which he shared John Paul II’s vision of how celibacy for the

Open Day at St Augustine

Getting ready to take on marriage

BY ERIN CARELSE

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HE Church requires engaged couples to prepare for marriage, usually through Catholic Engaged Encounter (CEE) workshops.

The high rate of separation and annulments, the increasing number of single mothers in our society, and the increase in conflicts between couples have seen a decline in young people committing themselves to the sacrament of matrimony.

CEE, an international programme, aims to equip couples with the knowledge and understanding needed to take on marriage.

Though developed around the Catholic faith, couples from other denominations are welcome.

Bridgette and Kabelo Senne, national coordinators of CEE, together with Fr Paul Tatu CSS, communications officer at the South African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), visited Klerksdorp diocese to conduct a Catholic Engaged Encounter workshop.

Live-in weekend workshops are designed for couples preparing for marriage to talk honestly and deeply about their future within a Catholic

-Christian context “The weekends are about bringing couples closer together to concentrate on each other and their future marriage, free from the tensions, pressures, and interruptions of daily life and the preparations for the wedding,” Mrs Senne said.

“Through presentations based on the lived experience of the team, the engaged couples are exposed to several relevant issues and encouraged to reflect and then discuss these privately from the perspective of their own unique relationship,” she explained.

“This couple-sharing is the most important part of the weekend,” Mrs Senne said.

Moeketsi Khoete, who attended the workshop, said she found it to be rewarding, adding that she learned a lot.

“This workshop was such a great experience for me. Communication was something I had taken for granted in my relationship with my partner, and thanks to the team who offered guidance and advice, I now know better,” Ms Khoete said.

“I really enjoyed the presentations and discus-

Kingdom, contrary to being a rejection of sexuality, is a redirection of eros towards the “marriage of the lamb”.

Bearing his own life story of confusion and sexual brokenness, the 90-minute talk to couples— many singles through divorce or death of spouse also attended—illustrated how marriage is not a vocation to be taken lightly.

“Earthly marriage as a tiny glimmer of the foreshadowing of the marriage of Christ—the Groom— to his bride—the Church—gave many couples a deeper understanding of the sacramentality of marriage, and how Christ is made present through the union of the two,” Ms Te Brake said. n To facilitate follow-up sessions, programmes have been organised by Theology of the Body SA. See www. tobsa.co.za for more information.

T Catholic engaged couples with team members during a CEE workshop in Klerksdorp diocese. sions on money, sex, friendships, children, family, and religion, and would recommend this workshop to all couples in preparation for marriage.”

The bishops have endorsed CEE as one of the effective and relevant programmes to accompany engaged couples, and the best way of implementing Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on marriage and family life, Amoris Laetitia.

O help prospective students and guests gain more information, South Africa’s Catholic university St Augustine College is hosting an Open Day on October 7.

The event, organised by undergraduate students, aims to be both informative and entertaining.

Academics will be available to meet those interested and discuss the range of humanities programmes at the college.

There will also be music, sports and games, lucky draws, a pop quiz, a raffle draw, and food on offer.

The Open Day will be at the college’s Johannesburg campus at 53 Ley Road in Victory Park. It will be open to the public on October 7 from 11:00 to 14:00.

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LOCAL

The Southern Cross, September 27 to October 3, 2017

3

Durban artists’ group draws inspiration from Trappists

BY ERIN CARELSE

C

AN art reignite a sense of wonder? That was a question posed last month by Fr Chris Chatteris SJ in his “Praying with the Pope” column.

A group of 16 artists from Durban have been experiencing their own sense of wonder at creation by trailing the 19th-century Trappist monks of KwaZulu-Natal.

The monks, under the leadership of Fr Franz Pfanner, founded Mariannhill monastery near Pinetown in 1882, and within a few years established a network of missions across the landscape of southern KwaZulu-Natal.

After Abbot Pfanner left the Trappists, they became the Congregation of Mariannhill Missionaries.

The artists, who have visited many of the 23 missions and outstations built by the Trappists and Mariannhill Missionaries between 1882 and 1908, have drawn inspiration from the environment, local communities, archival records, church architecture, and artifacts.

“This has led to a deep appreciation of the work and the cultural contribution made by the Trappist monks in this province, especially in the areas of education, architecture, building skills, farming, printing, photography, arts, and crafts,” said Maggie Strachan, who spearheaded the project.

The artists involved hope that their paintings, drawings and mixed-media works will highlight a little-known part of our cultural heritage, inspire a sense of awe, and

encourage visitors to experience this extraordinary history for themselves while enjoying the breathtaking landscapes.

The artists are inviting the public to share their experience by visiting an exhibition of their work in St Anne’s Hall at Mariannhill monastery from November 5-12.

In his August column, Fr Chatteris wrote: “The arts give expression to the beauty of the faith and proclaim the Gospel message of the grandeur of God’s creation and that artists of our time, through their ingenuity, may help everyone discover the beauty of creation.”

This exhibition is an expression of that. n For additional information contact Margie Ramsay at ramsay@telkomsa. net or call 083 689 2357.

“Maristella: Portrait of an Unknown Woman” by Maggie Strachan is one of the works to be on display at an exhibition at Mariannhill monastery by Durban artists who have taken inspiration from the 19th century Trappist monks’ missions and outstations in southern KwaZulu-Natal.

Caring for prisoners to turn lives around

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RIME and violence affect everybody worldwide; South Africa being no exception.

The desperate plight of a poor, dysfunctional family life and a lack of love often lead to negative behaviour. Often this results in serious crime and in turn imprisonment.

Although society might feel justice is being served through the prison system, there is an enormous impact on prisoners’ families, especially children, who are left broken and destitute.

In the Cape Town archdiocese, the Prison Care & Support Network (PCSN) strives to create hope among the imprisoned, ex-offenders and their families, and to restore a sense of humanity in our communities.

The PCSN seeks to respond to the spiritual, emotional and material needs of those affected.

Although the work of chaplains, priests and volunteers is challenging, it is done with tremendous love and selflessness. This is evident by their commitment through the years that many have served.

Members of the Prison Care & Support Network team work with prisoners in the Cape Town area.

One of the PCSN’s most successful programmes is Restorative Justice, run in various prisons.

The Restorative Justice team works closely with willing offenders to encourage them to under-

stand the consequences of their actions on the victim, the victim’s family, as well as their own family, leading all stakeholders to a restoration in relationships.

The team ensures that the digni-

Pilgrimage to Fatima, lourdes and Paris led by Fr. Karabo Baloyi and Fr. Donald Mabitsela

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Pilgrimage of grace

led by Fr Cyprian Sibonelo Mbabjwa Parishioner Martin John is a regular seller of The Southern Cross at St Joseph’s church in Mount Edgecombe, Durban. We love receiving your photos of parishioners selling The Southern Cross—and so do our readers! Please keep them coming. Send photos to pics@scross. co.za

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ties of the victim, offender and families are respected without any form of discrimination or intimidation.

In addition to the spiritual and emotional support to those imprisoned, the PCSN also seeks to prepare them for reintegration into society after release.

However, once released, many ex-offenders find that their sentences are still not complete, for the public’s judgmental perception of them is often the toughest trauma to bear.

The PCSN, with the help of donors, tries to bring relief by providing food, nutritional parcels, school support and other help.

Although not nearly enough, the help is much appreciated, especially in families where there are children who suffer due to malnutrition and lack of basic educational needs.

With a spiralling crime rate and an increase in poverty across all social lines, the task is huge and the need great. n To help, as a volunteer or with material or monetary donations, contact the PCSN office on 021 531 1348 or at prisoncarenetwork@gmail.com

Little Eden invite for final jubilee event

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ITTLE Eden Society extends an open invitation to celebrate the final event of its golden jubilee year, a service of thanksgiving.

This will take place on Sunday, October 29, at the Domitilla and Danny Hyams Home in Edenvale, starting at 9:00 with Mass celebrated by Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg.

Little Eden Society is a home to 300 children and adults with profound intellectual disabilities.

The majority of the residents were previously abandoned, and some come from poor families who are not able to support them financially.

After the thanksgiving service, the next event at the home will be the annual Christmas concerts in November. n RSVP Gugu on 011 609 7246 or info@littleeden.org.za by October 16.

For more on the home, see www. littleeden.org.za or phone Nichollette Muthige on 011 609 7246.

The 12th Bishop Hans Brenninkmeijer Memorial lecture Date: Tuesday, 3 October 2017 at 15:30 Venue: Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Johannesburg rSVP: Hilda Chinyowa hilda@cie.org.za or 011 433 1888 by 30 September

Flourish or Flounder. What is the future of Catholic education in South Africa?

Delivered by Dr Mark Potterton

The 2017 Bishop Brenninkmeijer Memorial Lecture will explore the heritage and contribution of Catholic schools and also highlight challenges facing them. The lecture will conclude with what authentic collaboration and sharing might mean in the future.

Mark Potterton is currently the Principal of Holy Family College, Parktown. He has taught in schools, a teachers’ training college and in universities. He is the author of a number of books on education and has been involved in quality assurance debates in the country

4

The Southern Cross, September 27 to October 3, 2017

INTERNATIONAL

Youth to Vatican: Don’t be shy to talk about sex

BY CINDY WOODEN

S

EVERAL young people attending a Vatican-sponsored seminar on the upcoming Synod of Bishops urged the Vatican and the bishops themselves to be open to listening to youths talk and ask questions about love, sex and sexuality.

A “big gap” exists between the concerns young people want to talk about and the issues most bishops are comfortable discussing, said Therese Hargot, who describes herself as a philosopher and counsellor.

Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, said he wanted to hear from young adults and experts about the challenges young people are facing in the Church and society.

Twenty people under the age of 35, along with 70 theologians, priests and academics were meeting as part of the preparatory process for the 2018 Synod of Bishops on “young people, faith and vocational discernment”.

But Ms Hargot told the gathering: “It’s surprising we are looking at politics, economics, etc, but not

concern to the seminar.

During the discussion about young people and politics, she told the gathering: “For my generation it is extremely important” to learn how to be effective and to be heard.

“When political leaders don’t live up to their expectations, the young are willing to take extreme action, including suicide. It is a growing problem in Ukraine, which still is fighting a war in its eastern territories.”

Cardinal Baldisseri opened the seminar explaining that the gathering was one attempt to “frame or photograph the situation of young people, identifying the basic traits that are common for youths today while also paying attention to the plurality” determined by geographical and cultural differences.

As part of that, his office has posted a questionnaire at youth.synod2018.va and is inviting young people 16-29 to respond.

More than 110 000 people have already responded.

The response rate, he said, “demonstrates the great desire of young people to have their say”.— CNS

at sexuality and affectivity, which are very important topics for young people”.

Ashleigh Green, an Australian delegate to the seminar, said that going around Australia in preparation for the synod she found that “a lot of young people feel like they cannot talk about issues that matter to them” in most Church settings.

“It’s important to open up and talk” about sex, sexuality and sexual orientation, she said. “And it’s central to vocation,” which is part of the synod’s focus.

Severine Deneulin, an associate professor in international development at England’s University of Bath, said she was finding “it hard to figure out” what the Vatican wanted from the seminar.

“In academia, I am accepted for who I am and for my talents. In the Church, I would not be. If we are worried about leadership in the Church, why do we ignore half the Church? “Why aren’t we talking about this?”

Natalia Shalata, a young woman from Ukraine who runs a programme to support orphans and street children, brought a different

Philippine priest freed from ISIS

A

SENIOR Philippine priest taken hostage by ISIS-inspired militants in the southern city of Marawi has been freed after almost four months of captivity.

Fr Teresito Soganub, vicar-general of the prelature of Marawi, said that he was doing as well as could be expected following his ordeal, reported ucanews.com.

“I am physically strong and sound,” Fr Soganub said at Camp Aguinaldo, the national military headquarters.

He asked Filipinos to pray for other remaining hostages before mil-

Fr Teresito Soganub after his release in Manila, Philippines. (Photo: Rolex Dela Pena, EPA/CNS) itary doctors whisked him off for a medical checkup.

A local Maute terror group linked to ISIS captured Fr Soganub and other Church workers at Marawi cathedral on May 23, the first day of fighting in the Islamic city.

As well as taking around 30 people from the cathedral offices, they also tore down and desecrated icons and other sacred images and tried to set fire to the building.

Fr Soganub appeared in a video a week after his capture, appealing to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to withdraw troops and cease airstrikes against rebels.

www.catholic-pe.co.za/stpius

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September 20 to September 26, 2017

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English in the Mass not likely to change soon

or

STAFF REPORTER & CINDY WOODEN

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DOCUMENT released by Pope Francis that gives bishops’ conf erences greater power in introducing liturgical texts will have no immediate impact on the current English missal but will facilitate the approval of translations into South Africa’s other languages, according to the bishop responsible for liturgy in Southern Africa.

In his motu proprio “Magnum principium” (“The Great Principle”) , Pope Francis made changes to the Code of Canon Law regarding translations of the Mass and other liturgical texts, and highlighted respect for the responsibility of bishops’ conferences.

The Vatican no longer will “review” translations submitted by bishops’ conferences, but will “recognise” them. And rather than being called to “prepare and publish” the translations, the bishops are to “approve and publish” them.

“I don’t think the motu proprio is immediately applicable to the English [liturgical translations] but rather to our local vernacular languages,” said Bishop Edward Risi, chair of the Department for Christian Formation, Liturgy, and Culture at the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC). “‘Magnum principium’ does not simplify the work of translating liturgical texts into local languages. Many hours are spent by dedicated people who debate, argue and struggle to find the correct way of transmitting the correct understanding of the liturgical texts,” Bishop Risi told The Southern Cross.

“The motu proprio simplifies the process of recognising these texts by giving much greater recognition to the role of bishops’ conferences in this particular stage of preparing translations into local vernacular languages.

“In the SACBC we have adopted the practice of approving the texts prepared in vernacular for a period of five years before applying nitio. to the Holy See for the necessary recoggn But the motu proprio now gives us the right to approve these texts and ask for confirmation from the Holy See. In this sense the process

A page from the current English missal. Pope Francis’ decision to allow bishops’ conferences to approve liturgical texts will likely not lead to an immediate review of the English texts. of confirmation gives greater acknowledgement of the work of local conferences in terms of preparing translations,” he said.

Bishop Risi said that he believes Englishspeaking bishops’ conferences will retain the unified approach of the past.

“It is of interest to note that the late Archbishop Denis Hurley was one of those who insisted that there should be only one translation of the liturgy in English, and it is one of the founding principles of ICEL,” the International Commission on English in the Liturgy.

“I don’t foresee a change of policy regarding English translations,” the bishop said.

He noted that the English liturgical texts “are ver y important in the process of other translations because of the great dependence on the English text in the translations into vernacular”.

In “Magnum principium” Pope Francis did not overturn previous norms and documents on the principles that should inspire the various translations, but said they were “general guidelines” which should continue to be followed to ensure “integrity and accurate faithfulness, especially in translating some texts of major importance in each liturgical book”.

However, the pope seemed to indicate a Continued on paggee 3

Catholic Ireland A pilgrimage with Bishop Victor Phalana Feast day at shrine of Our Lady of Knock, PAPAL MASS in Dublin*, and much more * subject to confirmation

Holy Land pilgrims led by Fr S’milo Mngadi of Vosloorus, Johannesburg diocese, at a 6m-high statue of Nelson Mandela in the Palestinian city of Ramallah. It was donated to the Palestine administrative capital by the City of Johannesburg in April 2016. Ramallah, which means “Heights of God”, once was a mainly Christian city, and the followers of Christ still have a prominent presence in the population of 27 000. The pilgrims were not told that they would visit the statue, and were overjoyed at the surprise of seeing their country’s icon in Palestine. Later that day the pilgrims had Mass in Taybeh, the last 100% Christian village in the Holy Land.

(Photo courtesy Fowler Tours)

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IT’S WORTH IT!

Fr James Martin SJ, whose book Building a Bridge has come under attack

by Catholic fringe groups. (Photo: Crux)

Bishop defends priest after seminary snub

BY RhINA GUIDOS

A

US bishop vigorously defended Jesuit Father James Martin when a prominent seminary cancelled an invitation it had extended to the well-known author, who was to speak about Jesus at an October event, after fringe groups unhappy with the priest’s recent book about the Church and ministries to the gay community mounted a series of attacks.

The seminary said the cancellation came after it “experienced increasing negative feedback from various social media sites regarding its invitation to Fr Martin”. It did not name the groups associated with the attacks.

“This campaign of distortion must be challenged and exposed for what it is—not primarily for Fr Martin’s sake but because this cancer of vilification is seeping into the institutional life of the Church,” said Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego in a vigorous defence published by America magazine.

“The concerted attack on Fr Martin’s work has been driven by three impulses: homophobia, a distortion

of fundamental Catholic moral theology, and a veiled attack on Pope Francis and his campaign against judgmentalism in the Church,” wrote Bishop McElroy.

In a Facebook post, the priest wrote about the incident and said the attacks included “a storm of phone calls, emails and messages to the theological college, which included, I was told, people screaming at the receptionists who answered the phone. In the end, they felt that the expected protests and negative publicity would distract from Alumni Day”.

Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion and Sensitivity, the book that has driven the controversy, grabbed the No 1 spot on Amazon’s Roman Catholicism category.

John Garvey, president of The Catholic University of America, where the seminary is housed, issued a statement saying it was “problematic” that groups within the Catholic Church demonstrate an “inability to make distinctions and to exercise charity”.—CNS

Pope expands scope of JP II institute on marriage, family

BY CAROL GLATZ

T

O better prepare priests and pastoral workers to help meet the challenges families face today, Pope Francis is strengthening the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family and changing its name to the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for the Sciences of Marriage and Family.

The new institution is to expand and deepen the types of courses offered as well as take “an analytical and diversified approach” that allows students to study all aspects and concerns of today’s families while remaining “faithful to the teaching of Christ”, the pope wrote.

The re-foundation of the institute was issued motu proprio on the pope’s own accord, in an apostolic letter, Summa Familiae Cura (“Great Care for the Family”).

The original institute for studies on marriage and the family was established by John Paul II in 1982, after the 1980 Synod of Bishops on the Family called for the creation of centres devoted to the study of the Church’s teaching on marriage and the family.

While the central institute is based in Rome, there are branches around the world, including in the US, Australia, Mexico and India.

Given the newer gatherings of

the Synod of Bishops on the family, those held in 2014 and 2015, and their call for a more pastoral and missionary approach to modern family life, Pope Francis wrote there is a need for greater reflection and academic formation in a “pastoral perspective and attention to the wounds of humanity” while keeping the original inspiration for the old institute alive.

By amplifying the institute’s scope in making it a “theological” institute that is also dedicated to human “sciences”, the pope said, the institute’s work will study—in a “deeper and more rigorous way—the truth of revelation and the wisdom of the tradition of faith”, he said.—CNS

St Peter’s, martyrs’ bones found?

D

URING routine restoration of a nearly 1 000year-old church, a worker discovered bone fragments in clay pots—which may belong to St Peter, three other popes, and four early Church martyrs.

“There were two clay pots which were inscribed with the names of early popes: Peter, Felix, Callixtus and Cornelius,” the worker told Italian television channel Rai Uno. The existence of the bone fragments has been known for centuries, but they had never been found. Inside the church of Santa Maria in Cappella, a stone inscription recorded the remains, indicating that the relics where kept alongside a piece of fabric taken from the dress of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Due to structural problems, the church has been closed for 35 years. As part of routine maintenance,

the worker discovered the bones under a marble slab behind the altar.

The worker then notified Deacon Massimiliano Floridi, who handed the remains over to the Vatican. Church officials have not yet commented on the bones’ authenticity.

“We’re waiting for a detailed study to be undertaken. A DNA comparison between these bones and those kept by the Vatican would shed light on the issue,” the deacon said.

Santa Maria Church in Cappella, in the district of Trastevere near the Tiber , was consecrated in 1090.

Some have theorised that the relics were moved to the church for protection under the rule of Pope Urban II. During a schism, the legitimacy of Pope Urban II was challenged by Clement III, who was an anti-pope backed by Emperor Henry IV.—CNA

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, September 27 to October 3, 2017

Priest recounts harrowing tale of his capture, liberation

BY JUNNO AROChO ESTEVES

S

ALESIAN Father Tom Uzhunnalil was sitting in a room in an unknown location—one of several he had been relocated to during his 18-month imprisonment—when he received some unexpected news.

“Those who kept me came to where I slept and said: ‘I bring you good news. We are sending you home. If you need to go to the bathroom, go. Take a shower, but quickly!’”, Fr Uzhunnalil told reporters at the Salesian headquarters in Rome.

The Salesian priest from India was kidnapped on March 4, 2016, from a home for the aged and disabled run by the Missionaries of Charity in Aden, Yemen. On that day, four Missionaries of Charity and 12 others were murdered in the attack by uniformed gunmen.

Seeing a group of Missionaries of Charity sisters seated at the news conference in Rome, Fr Uzhunnalil expressed his condolences. However, the memory of the four sisters’ martyrdom still proved too difficult to bear.

Silence filled the room as the Salesian priest covered his eyes, tears streaming down his face while doing his utmost to hold back emotions that he thought he could contain.

“I thank God Almighty for this day, for keeping me safe, healthy, clear-minded; my emotions were in control until now,” he said after regaining his composure.

Knowing very little Arabic, Fr Uzhunnalil said he spoke to the militants with the few words he knew: “Ana hindiin” (“I am Indian”). To this day, the Indian priest still wonders why he was the only one spared in the slaughter.

“Why they did not kill me, why they didn’t tie my hands, I don’t know,” he said. “Perhaps they

Fr Tom Uzhunnalil becomes emotional during a news conference in . Romehe spoke about his kidnapping in Yemen. (Photo: Alessia Giuliani, CPP/CNS) wanted some ransom or whatever it is. They made me sit there while they killed the others, the sisters.”

After leaving him in the boot of the car, the militants ransacked the chapel, taking the tabernacle, wrapping it with the altar linen and placing it near the kidnapped priest.

With his hands unbound, Fr Uzhunnalil carefully moved the linen and found “four or five small hosts,” which he kept to celebrate the Eucharist the first few days of his capture.

After his short supply ran out, he said, he continued reciting the Mass prayers.

“I was able to say my Eucharist all from memory, although bread and wine wasn’t available. But I prayed to God to give me those items spiritually,” Fr Uzhunnalil said.

He spent most of his days praying and singing hymns in his cell.

On the day Fr Uzhunnalil was given the news of his liberation, he

Indian bishop to PM: Stop hatred against us

BY ANTO AKKARA

T

HE secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi “to intervene to stop hatred” in the eastern state of Jharkhand.

Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas charged in a letter to Mr Modi that “spiralling hatred” was being perpetuated by Raghubar Das, chief minister of Jharkhand and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is known for pursuing a Hindu nationalist legislative agenda. Mr Modi also is a member of BJP. Bishop Mascarenhas wrote that he was prompted to act because of “a frightening, disquieting and scary photo” a Catholic youth sent him showing the burning of an effigy of Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, archbishop of Ranchi and the head of the Catholic Church in Jharkhand.

“Perhaps those leading this ideological hatred targeting the Christian community do not know what they are doing, where they are leading the people to: on the road of hatred and division,” the letter said.

Bishop Mascarenhas repeated his concerns in an interview with CNS. “We have a chief minister who is openly sowing seeds of hatred and destroying the social harmony. This is not acceptable,” Bishop Mascarenhas said. “We trust the prime minister to stop this.”

Street protests led by Hindu nationalist groups against Cardinal Toppo, India’s first cardinal from an indigenous community, follow his recent criticism of legislation passed by the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, which the BJP controls.

travelled for hours blindfolded and waited in the car only to be told his release had fallen through.

Not understanding the Church’s teaching on the Holy Trinity and the “unity of God in three persons”, Fr Uzhunnalil recalled, one of his captors said, “You might have prayed to the third God, now you must pray to the second God so tomorrow can go well.”

The next day he was taken on the same long ride, his head once again covered. He was then moved to another vehicle where a person pulled up his picture on a cellphone and asked the priest, “Is this you?”

After confirming his identity, the driver drove for more than a day through the desert and told him: “Now you are free, now you are safe.”

While he knows few details about arrangements for his release, Fr Uzhunnalil expressed his gratitude to those who helped secure his liberation, including Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said of Oman, the government authorities of India, and the Vatican, including Pope Francis whom he met the day after his release.

Even his captors, Fr Uzhunnalil said, knew of the pope’s efforts and inadvertently gave him a reason to hope.

“One of the captors told me, ‘The pope has said you will be freed soon but nothing is happening still.’ From that, I knew that the whole world was there, the whole Church was there, the world was worried for me.

So, I am grateful,” he said.—CNS

5

Thousands of runners completed the first-ever multireligious half-marathon in Rome sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Culture. The Via Pacis race passed places of worship of the different religious faiths present in Rome.

Pope Francis greeted particpants in the race during his Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican which was near the end of the 21km course. “I hope that this cultural and athletic initiative fosters dialogue, coexistence and peace,” he said. (Photo:Stefano Rellandini, Reuters/CNS)

Pope to Japan’s bishops: Never forget early martyrs

M

ANY challenges in Japan make the Church’s evangelising call to be the “salt and light” of hope and meaning even more urgent than ever, Pope Francis told the country’s bishops.

In fact, the nation’s long history of courageous martyrs represents “the true evangelising power of your Church”, he said, and they are a great treasure that should always be remembered, cherished and built upon.

The pope’s remarks came in a letter, addressed to all bishops in Japan, that was to be delivered by Cardinal

Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, who was visiting Japan.

Some of the many worrying problems the country faces include high divorce rates, suicide, religious indifference and an “obsession for work and earnings”, the pope said.

A highly developed nation can produce material wealth, but also material, spiritual and moral poverty and exclusion, he wrote.

That is why it is urgent the Church in Japan constantly “be salt and light” in the world, he said.— CNS

INVITATION TO THE MIMOSA SHRINE

You are cordially invited to a special day of celebration in honour of the 100th anniversary of the apparition of our Lady at Fatima

This celebration will be held at the Mimosa Shrine, 2 Saasveld Road , Bellville, Cape Town on Saturday 14th October, 2017,commencing at 14h00.

An anti-Christian advert quoting the Mahatma Gandhi.

Bishop Mascarenhas cited full page newspaper advertisements placed by Mr Das that carried a “spurious quote” along with a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi to vilify the Christian community, accusing missionaries of converting poor and indigenous people.

Quoting Mr Modi’s Independence Day address in which he said “in the name of faith, violence cannot be allowed”, Bishop Mascarenhas reminded the prime minister that Mr Das and his advisers “in the past few months have not shown affiliation to the ideology you are proclaiming”.

“History shows us that hatred which begins as a tiny spark can engulf people in an unstoppable fire.

As you know the burning of effigies can very well turn into physical violence,” the letter cautioned.—CNS

We will welcome our Lady of Fatima to the Mimosa Shrine. Thereafter, we will carry the statue of our Lady, in procession, through the garden, to the Glorious Cross, reciting the Rosary and singing hymns of praise.

Holy Mass will follow, including the Blessing of the Sick and Benediction.

Tea and refreshments will be served.

Further details may be obtained from Sr. Marian Keysers, mariankeysers@gmail.com.

You may also phone on 021 762 3197 or contact Rina at the Shrine on 021 919 1511.

6

The Southern Cross, September 27 to October 3, 2017

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Purgatory exists here and now I

Editor: Günther Simmermacher Editorial co-written by Sr Judith Coyle IHM

Translating liturgy

P

OPE Francis’ new document on the liturgy, Magnum Principium, might make a rather minimal change in canon law, but it has historical significance and ramifications.

In brief it says that the Vatican will no longer “authorise” local liturgical translations, but rather “review” and “confirm” them.

With this small change, the pope restores the intent of the Second Vatican Council in its document Sacrosanctum Concilium, to delegate to national bishops’ conferences—the “competent territorial ecclesiastical authority”—the task of producing translations of the liturgical books in use in their dioceses (36).

Pope Francis reverses a responsibility which was usurped in 2001 when that work was taken out of the hands of the local conferences and delegated to a committee within the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Vox Clara.

Before that, the late Archbishop Denis Hurley, as head of the International Committee on English Liturgy (ICEL), gave years of leadership to the production of a new translation of the English sacramentary with its Mass texts.

This translation, completed in 1998 and approved by 11 bishops’ conferences of the English-speaking countries involved, was shelved by Vox Clara, on the basis of the 2001 Vatican instruction Liturgiam Authenticam.

This instruction insisted that liturgical translation should be exact translations from the Latin (a process called “formal equivalence”) as opposed to the dynamic equivalence principle promoted after Vatican II, which allowed for greater flexibility to have the text make most sense in the vernacular.

This is how we arrived at tongue-breakers such as “consubstantial” from the previous “one in being with the Father”.

The formal equivalence approach also created absurd situations such as that of the bishops of Japan, over one single word. The Vox Clara committee rejected the phrase proposed by the Japanese bishops to render the Latin word “spiritus”, insisting on an exact translation—which in Japanese could also denote “bad spirits”. In the event, the Vatican relented after Pope Francis’ election.

It is fair to say that arguments in favour of both approaches have points of merit. It is also fair to say that the 2010 translations are unloved by many who have an in-

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.

terest in liturgical translations.

This is not a battle between “liberals” and “conservatives”, and we must beware of falling into the old “liturgy wars”. The recently late German Cardinal Joachim Meisner, a noted conservative, argued vehemently that bishops of the respective language regions have the final responsibility in liturgical translations.

It will be interesting to see what impact Pope Francis’ Magnum Principium will have. Given the widespread dissatisfaction with the present English translation, will new translations be forthcoming? Who would carry them out?

Will the 1998 translation, which represents the work of almost 20 years by numerous international experts, be revived? If so, it would be a fitting tribute to Archbishop Hurley.

Or would there be some attempt to “marry” that translation with the one we now have, at least relative to people’s responses? And under whose “watch”?

Indications are, however, that bishops’ conferences have little appetite at present to revisit the English translations, also with a view to the cost of such an undertaking. Many people might also baulk at the idea of having to spend good money on a new missal again.

Southern Africa’s bishops have other priorities. The provision of many translations in a multi-lingual country is no easy undertaking, and the pope’s new ruling will certainly simplify that task in its final stages.

So attention to an English translation may seem of low priority. However, English remains the lingua franca of common celebrations, and the local Church may find benefit in reviewing the reception of the 2010 liturgical translations and what alternatives present themselves—especially should other English-speaking bishops’ conferences, those with no multitude of other languages to deal with, initiate their re-evaluation. The SACBC would then have to be part of that process.

Pope Francis has acknowledged “widespread difficulties between the local conferences and the Vatican in regard to liturgical translations”. In the manner of his pontificate, he calls for “vigilant and creative collaboration full of reciprocal trust between the episcopal conferences” and the Congregation for Divine Worship.

May his request be heeded.

N answer to Brian Gouveia’s letter questioning the existence of purgatory (August 9), a number of respondents gave correct views.

It happened to be the 22nd Sunday of Year A when the scriptural readings prompted me to raise another perspective on this doctrine.

When does the state of purgation begin; is it only in the afterlife?

Jesus tells us to deny ourselves,

Tough questions: organ transplants

I

WOULD like to share some thoughts with readers about organ transplants, looking at the Catechism of the Church and at some articles in The Southern Cross.

The Catechism regarding the human body under The profession of faith, Man, II, 364-365, states: “The human body shares in the dignity of the image of God: it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit.”

Surely, if our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, we should not cause harm to them?

The Catechism continues: “Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity. Through his very bodily condition he...brings the elements of the material world...to their highest perfection and can raise his voice in praise freely given to the Creator... man may not despise his bodily life.

Rather he is obliged to...hold it in honour since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day.

“The unity of soul and body is so profound that...in man...are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature.”

See also The profession of faith, Article II, 990: “The resurrection of the flesh means not only that the immortal soul will live on after death but that even our mortal body will come to life again.”

How will a body that has had organs removed come to life again?

St Paul in the first epistle to the Corinthians (Chapter 6: 12-19) states: “the body is ...meant for the Lord and the Lord for the body...Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ...so glorify God in your body.”

How can we claim to do this if we remove parts from the body, throw them away, and then replace them with parts from another body?

Again in the Catechism, Dying in Christ Jesus, II: “Death is the end of earthly life...remembering our mortality helps us realise that we have only a limited time in which to bring our lives to fulfilment.”

In doing transplants, is man not

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trying to tell God that he will decide when his life is fulfilled and not accept God’s decision?

Then we can look at articles in The Southern Cross.

In “Get buried in a pod” (February 8, 2017), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith says: “By burying...the Church confirms her faith in the resurrection of the body ...to show the great dignity of the human body...which forms part of identity.”

In the same article, professor Fr Paul O’Callaghan states that because the bodies of Christians have received the Eucharist, they have been carriers of God. A corpse should be seen not only as something loved by people “but also from the religious point of view as something that is sacred”.

In the Vatican’s guidelines on bioethics (February 15, 2017), it is stated that research in transplanting animal tissue into humans is licit as long as it does not affect “the identity and integrity” of the person.

I have to ask how can transplanting something from an animal, soulless according to the Church, into the temple of the soul not affect the integrity of that temple?

I really feel the Church should not be promoting organ transplants but rather encourage people to accept God’s call when it comes and return to him.

Peter Hoar, Waterfall, KZN

Read letter again

I

T would behove every member of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference to read Mervyn Pollitt’s letter (September 18) carefully, particularly paragraphs 6-11.

They might also do well to read reflectively both Jeremiah 14:18 and Matthew 23

As a resident of one of the many retirement homes run by Methodists, I concur entirely with Mr Pollitt’s comments regarding the Methodist Christian practice of “love and fellowship”.

Kit McLoughlin, Johannesburg

Church and its apartheid stance

I

N his column “The Catholic heritage in SA” (September 13), Mphutumi Ntabeni wrote: “Established in 1951, the SACBC took its time to forcefully pronounce against racism, condemning apartheid as ‘intrinsically evil’ only in the late 1950s.”

That is a reference to the “Statement on Apartheid” issued in July 1957, which cites a previous statement “On Race Relations” published in June 1952. In that earlier text the SACBC did pronounce forcefully against racism, although the word “apartheid” does not appear in it.

After an exposition of Church teaching on the equality of all men and its application to the economic, social and political situation, the bishops announced four principles “that must govern any Christian solution to the racial problem”.

The first was: “Discrimination based exclusively on grounds of colour is an offence against the right of non-Europeans to their natural dignity as human persons.”

The second was that “discriminatory legislation…social conventions and inefficient administration, seriously impair the exercise of these fundamental rights”.

The third was that “full participation in the political, economic and cultural life of the country” was an issue of justice.

The fourth was that “non-Europeans” should prepare themselves for the duties connected with the rights they hope to enjoy.

We might take issue now with the terminology, and even with the principle of “gradual evolution” in these and other early statements by the SACBC, but their fundamental assertion of Gospel values from 1952 onwards cannot be denied.

Martin Keenan, Paarl

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take up our crosses and imitate him.

Once we set out on the road of conversion, our earthly pilgrimage, the purgative state begins. All the New Testament writers urge us to think on the things above, we unfortunately are still attached to the things below.

St John of the Cross, St Teresa of Avila and others have expounded that the spiritual life must begin

with a purgative state before we can progress to the illuminative and unitive states.

Our purgatorial journey on earth is entirely voluntary and is sustained by the sacramental system of the Church.

Therefore, I believe, it is possible to avoid purgatory in the afterlife but for those who neglect their earthly purgatory, an enforced purgation awaits.

Jan Kalinowski, Assagay, KZN

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PERSPECTIVES

Why we must seek church unity Sarah-Leah R Pimentel ECENTLY, when I visited my parents in Johannesburg, my mom showed me a pamphlet that someone had given her outside church one Sunday. It was a Rosary pamphlet calling on Catholics to pray for the world.

Mom drew my attention to the introduction and I was shocked. It condemned Pope Francis’ late 2016 visit to Sweden where he attended a Lutheran ceremony to commemorate the 500 years of the Protestant Reformation, in an effort to promote unity between Catholics and Lutherans.

Pope Francis’ visit to Sweden, the pamphlet claimed, was an affront to Catholics because the Lutherans chose the path of heresy by breaking away from the Church, and it was inappropriate for the pope to attend the commemoration.

His attendance, the pamphlet said, would confuse Catholics, somehow suggesting that the Catholic Church sympathises with the Lutheran decision to break away from it.

The Reformation deeply divided Christianity. We still live with the scars of that division today, but we need to place the events that led to the rise of Protestantism into their historical context.

The Church at the time regularly interfered in political decision-making and maintained practices that run counter to the teachings of Christ and the Church.

Martin Luther, a German professor of theology from the Augustinian order deeply steeped in Catholic teaching, saw these and many other things he felt needed to be corrected. His conscience, formed by prayer, studying, and fasting, urged him to speak out. He posted a list of 95 theses which called for reform on the doors of the church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517.

It was revolutionary and the 16th century Church—unaccustomed to being challenged so directly—rejected both Luther and his concerns, and eventually excommunicated him in 1521.

in motion many more fractures among the Christian people. It goes against one of the deepest desires of the Church, expressed in the Creed—a mission statement we share with our Lutheran and Anglican brethren—that we believe in one, holy, catholic (meaning universal) and apostolic Church.

Human imperfection prevented dialogue between Luther and the Church in search of a solution to the problems of the time; a lack of maturity prevented the need for deep introspection by the Church. For our failings, we ask God for his infinite mercy.

But we also give thanks that the Church, in her wisdom, has also made some significant and important reforms, including some which Luther called for 500 years ago.

We have abolished practices that run counter to Christ’s message; we recognise that only God’s mercy brings forgiveness to a truly contrite heart and repentance cannot be bought. We enjoy the scriptures and the Mass in our own languages, giving us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the rich texts and liturgies of our Church.

There are some elements of Martin Luther’s preamble that the Church will not adopt. We continue to exist in the authority and—in special circumstances—infallibility of the pope in matters of faith, and it is from him that we take our direction.

Similarly, we cannot reject the role that Catholic Tradition has played over the last 2 000 years in bringing the Church to greater maturity and an ever-growing un-

T

he following Luther had gained gave birth to the Lutheran Church and Protestantism. Thus began several hundred years of often bloody conflict between Catholics and Protestants.

I have met Lutherans who still have a deep distrust of the Catholic Church and, likewise, have heard Catholics repeat outrageous falsehoods about Luther as if they were the truth.

We acknowledge these events with great sadness, because these differences set

Pope Francis and Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II talk during an ecumenical prayer service in Cairo in April. Successive popes have urged that the Christian Church must seek a path to unity through dialogue. (Photo: Paul haring/CNS)

The Mustard Seeds

derstanding of God’s message of love.

Martin Luther was not perfect. Neither are any of us, including the most revered of Catholic saints. But our desire for Christian unity should never wane. Our differences should not be a cause for animosity; these only perpetuate distrust, misconception and run counter to our common desire—and Christ’s—for one, united, universal Church. Instead, we are called to seek the path of unity.

T

he Second Vatican Council called for greater efforts in reaching out to our Christian brothers and sisters of other denominations. Over the last few decades, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity has undertaken many initiatives to promote dialogue and unity.

Pope John Paul II wrote an encyclical about the call to Christian unity in his 1995 encyclical Ut Unum Sint (That they may be one).

Pope Benedict XVI, calling for theological dialogue, encouraged “every initiative that might seem appropriate to promote contacts and understanding with representatives of the diverse churches and ecclesial communities”.

We can see Pope Francis doing the same by making himself and his prayers present in a moment of deep significance to our Lutheran brethren. He also travelled to Egypt to strengthen ties with the Coptic Orthodox Church, and met with the Russian Orthodox patriarch in Switzerland to promote a rapprochement between the two churches.

In all of these initiatives, we see our Holy Father living out what we recite each Sunday in the Creed. We should support him and pray for him.

This is also why pamphlets like the one my mom received have no place in the Church. They only serve to confuse believers and harm the wonderful ecumenical work being done by the Vatican and many dioceses worldwide.

People who author those texts need to ask themselves whether they are acting in communion with the Church they claim to represent or whether they are merely pushing the agenda of a particular group.

Continued on page 11

Facts and faith to fight corruption Emmanuel Ngara I N his letter to the Romans, St Paul says: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (12:2).

As I explained in the previous column, the Christian faith makes demands upon us. It demands that we go beyond the standards of this world in our conduct. It demands that we set the standard of good conduct in our societies.

In this column we explore some practical ways in which we can fight against corruption as individuals and as a community of believers in order to show society that the Christian standard in issues of ethics, morality and conduct is higher than what we normally see in our daily lives.

As individuals, we are required to raise the bar in how we conduct ourselves in our private life relative to the way other people conduct themselves. We should therefore consciously make an effort to avoid being involved in corrupt practices by refusing to accept bribes and resisting the temptation to bribe other people in exchange for services rendered.

In today’s life, it is not always easy to avoid being involved in corruption because quite often we are expected to bribe people who are supposed to give us their service free of charge or people who are employed by companies or organisations we have paid to provide the service.

What we should know is that the more people refuse to give bribes, the more will we develop a culture of resisting and preventing corrupt practices in our society.

T

rue, as individuals we may not be able to make a noticeable impact. What may be necessary is that Christians who take this matter seriously and are aware of the harm that corruption is causing in our

Christian Leadership

The Southern Cross, September 27 to October 3, 2017

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

Does the New Testament end?

The Old Testament begins with Genesis and ends with Malachi. The New Testament begins with the Gospel of Matthew and ends with Revelation. Does this mean that the New Testament has ended or are we still living the continuation of the New Testament?

A Pino

L

ET’S start with Abram, a pagan man living in Mesopotamia around 2 000 years before Christ. Along with his family and people, he would have lived under the influence of the many gods who controlled the ups and downs of life and who even fought among themselves Suddenly, the one and true God drew near to him and told him: “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation” (Genesis 12:1).

This was an extraordinary thing for Abram. A new god takes a personal interest in him, his family and his descendants, and promises him abundant blessings. What a change from the ferocious deities of his homeland.

With faith in this God, Abram and his company trekked to the land of Canaan.

The story takes a fearful turn when God puts Abram to the unthinkable test of sacrificing his only son Isaac (Genesis 22). The poor man had such intense trust that God would keep his promise to father a great nation, that he went ahead with getting ready to sacrifice his only son.

When the angel stopped the attempted slaying, God was delighted. Abram’s commitment had been validated dramatically, and God repeated that he would keep his promises.

All of this is important. Your question cannot be responded to without your grasping that the Old and New Testaments contain stories and texts that repeatedly reflect Abram’s utter faith in God’s existence and his confidence that God will care for him and his descendants. He is renamed Abraham, and we call him “our father in faith”.

Faith in the God of Abraham is what dominates every page of the books of the Bible. The broad sweep of the events and adventures of Abraham’s descendants, the deliverance from Egypt, the kings, prophets, poetry and other writings all foreshadow the birth of the ultimate deliverance of humanity in Jesus Christ its redeemer.

So, although the texts of the revealed word of God stop with the last words of Revelation, faith in Jesus Christ continues, nourished by the texts and also by the teachings of the Church.

The New Testament is now a lived experience among all who have faith in Jesus. Like Abraham, we believe that he is truly God, we trust that he will keep all his promises, and we commit ourselves fully to loving and serving him in this life in preparation for doing so forever in the next.

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.

about the evils of corruption.

And some activities in that regard have already been implemented—we can learn from their experiences.

W

A poster promoting the anti-corruption campaign by the SACBC’s Justice & Peace Commission in 2013. Emmanuel Ngara argues that anti-corruption campaigns should be developed in local churches. societies, may consider coming together to resist corruption in an organised way. We can work together encouraging each other and strengthening each other as people who are determined to live the Christian life to the full, who, for the sake of their countries, are determined to fight the scourge of corruption.

If we come together we can even organise activities aimed at educating the public

e can, for instance, organise marches through the streets of our towns and cities under a theme such as “Christians Against Corruption” with speeches being given at the end of each march to educate the public about the evils of corruption.

In addition, conferences and workshops could be organised at which specialists and researchers are invited to read papers on the harm that corrupt practices are doing to our countries, and what could be done to try and reverse the trend.

For what is proposed here to be effectively implemented, a number of other developments need to take place.

First, there is a need for a core group of committed Christians to come together and commit themselves to the ideals of what may be called “a corruption-free see society”. This may entail developing a code of conduct for the group, among other things.

Second, there would need to be people who are commissioned to carry out research projects on the impact of corruption on the development of nations.

This combination of followers of Christ who have committed themselves to lead exemplary Christian lives, and specialists in areas that facilitate development, is likely to produce good results.

7

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8

The Southern Cross, September 27 to October 3, 2017

COMMUNITY St John Bosco church in Robertsham, Johannesburg, celebrated the First holy Communion of 21 children in the parish.

(Supplied by KM Luk)

The Men in Christ group, a multi-parish group in the Johannesburg area, is seen celebrating in the studio at Radio Veritas after recording their new “Men in Christ Show” which airs on Radio Veritas on Wednesdays at 19:00 on medium wave 576AM (in Gauteng), on DStv audio channel 870, or streamed on www.radioveritas.co.za. The show, developed by men, hosted by men, and for men, is nevertheless for all to listen to and call in to share opinions.

Fr Tom Segami OMI baptised nine new infants during Sunday Mass at St Peter Claver parish in Pimville, Soweto. (Photo: Sello Mokoka)

Send your photos to

pics@scross.co.za

Delegates interact during a break at the AGM of the KwaZulu-Natal region of the Association of Catholic Tertiary Students. (Photo: Bishop Stanislaw Dziuba)

Prison Care and Support Network Caring for Inmates, Ex-inmates and their Families UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH PBO 930033684 23 Morningside Street, Pinelands 7405 * Tel: 021 5310550/021 5311348 * E-fax: 086 6284499 * Email: prisoncare@mweb.co.za * Website: www.pcsn.org.za * Facebook page: Prison Care and Support Network

Higher education is one of the most power deterrents to crime and re-incarceration. Education transforms a ƉĞƌƐŽŶ͛Ɛ ƐĞŶƐĞ ŽĨ ƐĞůĨ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ǁĂLJƐ ƚŚĂƚ Ă ƉĞƌƐŽŶ ƌĞůĂƚĞƐ to his or her family, community, and the world. In this sense, higher education transforms the lives of students and their children and promotes lasting transitions out of prison.

Study after study has demonstrated that education, particularly higher education, is one of the most effective ways to break cycles of poverty, incarceration and re-incarceration because higher education creates inroads of advanced education in communities that suffer from a chronic lack of access.

First holy Communion candidates of Our Lady help of Christians parish in Lansdowne, Cape Town, are seen with their catechists and parish clergy, Frs Eoin Farrelly SDB (left), Bart Walsh SDB (back) and Bongi Nhleko SDB (right).

St Boniface church in Knysna, Oudtshoorn diocese, celebrated the 30th anniversary of its rosary group. The group was started by the late Jill Watkins-Baker with five or six members and now has 27. The rosary group members are seen after Mass celebrated by Fr Christian from Step-A-Side in George.

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela

Prison Care and Support Network (PCSN) provides learning opportunities for offenders and parolees, allowing them to use their sentences constructively and focus on a positive future. The aid include financial support to 21 beneficiaries during 2016, together with emotional support and monitoring during incarceration and after release.

Fields of study include Higher Diploma in Adult Basic Education & Training; Diploma in Marketing Management; Diploma in Public Relations; SMME; Diploma in Public Relations; Bachelor of Accounting Science; Diploma in Electrical Engineering, etc.

The organization receive hundreds of applications to study annually, however are not able to assist the majority due to funding constraints.

Join hands with Prison Care and Support Network today by assisting a number of offenders with rehabilitation through tertiary education to obtain their qualification.

How? By donating a new or pre-owned laptop to aid offenders with their studies for research and to enable them to submit online assignments.

Kindly call Alledene Cupido, Programme Co-ordinator, Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 16:00 at 021 531 0550/1348 or via e-fax: 086 628 4499 or email: prisoncare@mweb.co.za All donations will be highly appreciated.

Deacons, aspirant permanent deacons and their wives of Durban archdiocese gathered for a spiritual retreat in Pietermaritzburg. They are seen with spiritual director Fr Peter Lafferty. (Supplied by Deacon Peter Landsberg)

The Southern Cross, September 27 to October 3, 2017

LIFE

9

From ashes to beauty: A story of God By normal odds, Mirreille Twayigira should not be alive today. Having survived the Rwandan genocide, war in the Congo, and life as a refugee, she calls her story one of hope. MARY REZAC heard that story.

S

HE begged and scrounged for food in the forest; she drank water from a stream with dead bodies in it; she wrapped grass on her feet in order to walk long distances in the hot sun in order to survive, facing malnourishment and even starvation—all before the age of six.

Today Mirreille Twayigira is a licensed medical doctor hoping not just to save lives but also to inspire young women worldwide—particularly those in her same situation—by showing them there’s hope, and that life is more than the tragedies they face.

Earlier this year she addressed a Voices of Faith women’s gathering in the Vatican.

While some might label her life “a tragic story” due to the suffering and loss she faced as a young child, Dr Twayigira said others might choose to call it “a story of courage and perseverance”.

“I choose to call it a story of hope, a story of God...from ashes to beauty, [like] a beautiful stained glass window.”

When Rwanda’s genocide— Hutus killing Tutsis—began in April 1994 she was just three years old.

Although she doesn’t remember much about the war itself when it started, she remembers the day she got the news that her father had been killed.

“I remember being told that my father had been killed, his body being brought home wrapped in this blue tent,” she said, noting that she was too young to fully understand what was happening on the day of his burial.

Before the war, “we were a big, happy family. Our house was next to our grandparent’s house, so my sister and I used to spend our days with uncles and aunts...so it was a beautiful and happy childhood,” she said.

After her father’s death, however, this changed dramatically.

“My family knew that it was no longer safe for us, so they had to pack and leave,” she said.

At first, they fled to another district of Rwanda, thinking they would be safe there.

After just a short time her younger sister, who was just one year old, got sick and, because her family didn’t have access to medicine or proper nourishment due to the war, she died After her sister’s death the family fled through Burundi to a refugee camp in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“In the camp I was a very happy kid,” she said, “but this all ended when I encountered more loss.”

While in the camp, her mother fell ill. “One night she was gone,”

Dr Twayigira said. Still, “life had to go on”, so she and her grandparents continued to move.

An unimaginable life Just two years later, in 1996, they had to leave because of war in the DRC. It’s then that “I began to experience a life that is unimaginable”, Dr Twayigira said.

She recalled how she and her grandparents fled the camp with bullets flying over their heads, and took refuge in the forest.

“We only survived by begging for food,” she said. Her grandparents begged from locals in nearby villages, and at times were given mouldy bread to eat. When begging wasn’t enough, “we even had to eat roots from the forest”.

“I remember sometimes we had to drink water from rivers with dead bodies floating in it,” she said, noting that their situation had become one of the “survival of the fittest”.

They had long distances to walk going from village to village and in search of another camp, many times walking on rough terrain.

When the weather was too hot for their bare feet, they bunched up grass and tied it to their feet in order to be able to walk.

“We escaped death from so many things: from hunger, bullets, drowning, wild animals—you name it. No child should go through what I went through,” she said.

Eventually the family made their way to another refugee camp, “but life would not be better there”, she said. While there were some soldiers protecting them, they would take young boys and train them to fight, and would take girls either as companions for the night or, at times, as wives.

Most of the boys leave refugee camps “with some sort of trauma,” Dr Twayigira said, noting that when it came to the girls, some got pregnant, and others were made to be servants.

“The only reason I survived this is because I was very little,” she said. Due to the ongoing war, she and her grandparents travelled to nearby Angola.

When they arrived, “my grandma was very tired, and as for me, I was very malnourished”, Dr Twayigira said.

“You can imagine a big tummy and thin brown hair, and swollen cheeks and feet,” she said, describing herself as a young girl.

Her grandmother died shortly before they reached the refugee camp in Angola, and that had they not arrived when they did, “I was also almost gone”.

Her grandfather eventually decided to travel to a different refugee camp in Zambia, because he heard they had a better school.

Grandfather’s love

As a child Dr Mirreille Twayigira survived the Rwandan genocide and Congolese war, surviving hunger, bullets, drowning, wild animals while trying to escape to safety. Today she is a medical doctor who calls her story one of hope and God. (Photo: Lucia Ballester/CNA) Zambia, the pair decided to make yet one more move, this time heading to a camp in Malawi that had better living conditions and even better schools. They arrived in September 2000.

Mireille immediately enrolled in school once she arrived, making several new friends and, for the first time since they had left, was happy to have adequate food and shelter.

She was eventually selected to join a Jesuit-run school, with all fees paid for by the Jesuit Refugee Service.

Just a few days after she finished school in 2007, her grandfather died.

“I cried uncontrollably, badly, but life had to go on, and although I was in so much pain with the loss of my loved ones, it did not stop me from working hard,” she said, “because I knew that my future, it was not certain, I did not know what my future had, but I knew that my hard work would pay off.”

In 2009 she finished among the Top six students in Malawi’s national final exam.

She then moved to China on a scholarship. She has since graduated and is currently working as a medical intern in Malawi.

While there were many times she wanted to give up along the way, Dr Twayigira said she persisted because at a certain point she realised that “God spared my life” not to keep it for herself but because

Despite such a long journey and so much loss, her grandfather moved again for no other reason “than to give his granddaughter a better education”, Dr Twayigira said.

She recalled that her grandfather “really believed in me so much. He never once said, ‘She’s just a girl, let me not waste my time on her’”.

After spending a few years in

“there are people that I was meant to serve”.

“Before I went to China, I used to think I was just this girl with a tragic past...but when I got to China I realised that I’ve got a story to tell; a story of God and his love, a story that can change somebody’s life.”

As a doctor, she said she feels she can give even more. But in addition to her medical duties, she also looks for opportunities to speak in schools to try and “raise hope among the youth, especially refugee youth”.

Sharing from experience Dr Twayigira said that in the future, she hopes to work more directly with refugees, “because I believe I have a lot to share, having gone through what they’ve gone through”.

“Now this is my story...but unfortunately for many, theirs is just in the tragedy part,” she said, explaining that many refugee children don’t even have access to adequate housing let alone higher education.

Even those who do get a good education don’t necessarily have the same opportunities, Dr Twayigira said, so “their hopes are just crushed”.

In order to change the situation, she said war itself has to end: “Why not end all this violence, and I’m not talking about people from other countries coming in to invade our

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

own countries, I mean why wait for an outsider to come to stop hurting, and killing?” Dr Twayigira asked.

“Is the money or power at the expense of their blood really worth it? I don’t think so,” she said, adding that the only way to really resolve conflict is with “forgiveness, mercy and love”.

People in situations similar to hers need to know “that they are loved by God and people around them. They need to know that they matter, that there is hope for them, that they have a purpose in life,” Dr Twayigira said, noting that this stems not only from having the basic needs met, but above all from education.

She stressed the importance of education, saying it’s “really the key to everything, because if not educated, many girls don’t even know their value”.

However, with a good education women learn that “okay, I’m not worthless and someone can’t just come and step on my foot. I am somebody,” she said, adding that a proper education helps women to step into decision making positions where they can change things.

“I believe that once a girl is educated, that means you’re actually educating the whole family. Because as a woman, you raise your children, they’re with you all the time, you know that whatever they get is what you teach them,” she said.—CNA

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10

The Southern Cross, September 27 to October 3, 2017

FATIMA 100

The lives of Fatima’s three children At the heart of the story of Fatima are the three children to whom Our Lady appeared.

MIChAEL OGUNU gives a sketch of their lives.

A

S we near the end of the centenary celebrations of the apparitions at Fatima, it is good to look at the three children who were the recipients of the message of the Mother of God: Lucia dos Santos, 10, her cousin Francisco Marto, 9, and his sister Jacinta Marto, 7.

The three children were born and raised in the village of Aljustrel, which belonged to the greater Fatima district. The village is about 2km from the Fatima Shrine.

In 1917, the area was isolated, and connections to the outside world were limited. Most of the people who lived there were poor. The land wasn’t fertile. Children had to work on the farms.

Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco had the task of herding sheep.

Francisco Marto

F

rancisco Marto was born on June 11, 1908, to Manuel and Olimpia de Jesus Marto.

He was the elder brother of Jacinta and the first cousin of Lucia. He turned nine years old on the day after the June apparitions.

During the appearances of the Angel of Peace and of the Blessed Virgin, he saw everything, but, unlike the girls, he couldn’t hear the words which were spoken.

When, in the course of the first apparition, Lucia asked if Francisco would go to heaven, Our Lady replied: “Yes, he will go there, but he will have to recite the Rosary many times.”

Knowing that he would soon be called to paradise, Francisco showed little interest in attending classes.

Often, when arriving near the school, he would tell Lucia and Jacinta: “You go on. I am going to church to keep company with the hidden Jesus” (an expression which refers to the Blessed Sacrament).

Many contemporary witnesses affirm having received gifts of grace, after having asked Francisco to pray for them.

Francisco often said: “The Virgin Mary and God himself are infinitely

sad. It is up to us to console them.”

In October 1918, Francisco fell gravely ill. To his family members who assured him that he would survive his sickness, he responded firmly: “It is useless. Our Lady wants me with her in heaven!”

In the course of his illness, he continued to offer constant sacrifices to console Jesus offended by so many sins. “Only a little time remains to me before going to heaven,” he told Lucia one day.

“There above, I am going to console Our Lord and Our Lady a great deal; Jacinta is going to pray a great deal for sinners, for the Holy Father and for you. You are going to stay here because Our Lady wishes it. Listen, do everything she tells you.”

As his illness worsened, Francisco no longer had the strength to recite the Rosary. “Mamma, I can no longer say the Rosary”, he called out one day, “it is like my head is among the clouds...”

Even as his bodily strength declined, his mind remained fixed on the Eternal. Calling to his father, he begged to receive Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament (he had not yet received his first Holy Communion at this time).

Preparing himself for confession, he asked Lucia and Jacinta to recount for him the sins which he had committed. Hearing of some mild pranks he had committed, Francisco began crying, saying: “I have confessed these sins, but I will confess them again. Perhaps it is because of these that Jesus is so sad. You both ask also that Jesus will pardon all my sins.”

His first, and also his last, Holy Communion followed in the tiny room in which he lay dying. No longer strong enough to pray, he asked Lucia and Jacinta to recite the Rosary loudly so he could follow with his heart.

Towards 10pm on April 4, 1919, after asking that all his offences be pardoned, he died calmly, without any sign of suffering, his face shining with an angelic light.

Describing the death of her young cousin in her memoirs, Sr Lucia wrote: “He flew away to heaven in the arms of our heavenly Mother.”

Jacinta Marto

J

acinta Marto was born on March 11, 1910. At the time of the apparitions she was seven years old.

She was the youngest of the seers.

During the apparitions she saw and heard everything, but spoke neither to the Angel nor to the Mother of God. Intelligent and very sensitive, she remained profoundly impressed when she heard the Blessed Virgin declare that Jesus was much offended by sin. After seeing the vision of hell, she decided to offer herself completely for the salvation of souls.

The night of the first appearance of Our Lady on May 13, 1917, it was Jacinta who, despite the promises she had made to Lucia, revealed the secret of the apparition to her mother: “Mamma, today I have seen the Madonna in the Cova da Iria. Oh, what a beautiful Lady!”

Later, Jacinta had two powerful visions of the pope suffering for persecution of the Church and also for the wars and destructions which convulsed the world at the time.

“Poor Holy Father”, said Jacinta, “there is a great need to pray for him”. From that time on, the pope was always present in the prayers and sacrifices of all the seers, but especially Jacinta.

To free souls from the fires of hell, Jacinta freely undertook sacrifices. In the fierce heat of the summer, she gave up drinking water. As a sacrifice to God’s glory, she offered her afternoon snacks to children even poorer than she. To save souls, she took upon herself the pain of wearing a rough piece of knotted rope next to her bare skin.

She endured the exhausting interrogations and insults of disbelievers without even the smallest lament. “If only I could show hell to sinners!” she said, “how happy I would be if all could go to paradise.”

A year after the apparitions at the Cova da Iria, the illness which would carry her to death began.

First came bronchial pneumonia, then an abscess on the lung, both of which made her suffer intensely. Yet from her hospital bed, she declared cheerfully that her sickness was just a new opportunity to suffer for the conversion of sinners.

After two months in hospital, she returned home. Soon after an open and ulcerous sore was discovered on her chest. Soon thereafter she was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Over the course of the next year, she suffered grievously for Our Lady.

“Will Jesus be content with the offering of my sufferings?” she

The children of Fatima: (from left) Jacinta, Lucia and Francisco. asked Lucia.

In February of 1920, she was rushed to another hospital, this time in Lisbon. Wasting away to a virtual skeleton and dying without the presence of her beloved parents or Lucia, she consoled herself with the thought that this, too, was yet another chance to offer up her suffering for sinners.

The last days of Jacinta’s life were spent in intimate union with the Mother of God. Because the Lady told her before she entered the hospital that she was going to die, Jacinta objected to surgical treatment.

A successful operation was performed, however, and yet Jacinta grew worse. Violent pains racked her little body.

Then as if by magic, four days before she died, the pains disappeared.

Jacinta explained that Our Lady had again visited her, promising that in a short time she would come for her and relieve her of all pain.

From that day until the moment of her death, she showed no more signs of suffering.

Finally, on the night of February 20, 1920, the promise of the “Lady more brilliant than the sun” was accomplished: “I have come to take you with me to paradise.”

Lucia dos Santos A sculpture of the three visionaries on their way to Fatima • Sheep pen at the house of Lucia in Aljustrel • The Angel of Peace appears to the children the year before Our Lady’s appearance at Fatima.

The bed in the Marto home in Aljustrel in which Francisco died in 1919 • The tomb of Jacinta and Lucia in Fatima’s basilica • Images of Jacinta and Francisco on the facade of the basilica for their canonisation in May.

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L

ucia dos Santos was born on March 22, 1907, to Antonio and Maria Rosa dos Santos. She was the youngest of seven brothers and sisters and the oldest of the three little shepherds.

From infancy, she was recognised as being especially precocious and was a particular favourite of young and old alike.

Buoyed by an open, cheerful temperament and lively intelligence, she organised games, prayers, dances, and other initiatives among the children of the village.

Her sufferings began immediately after the first apparition of the Virgin. She became the principal target of criticism by her family and their friends to the point that she was greatly reluctant to return again to the Cova da Iria for the appointment with Our Lady on July 13.

The parish priest of Fatima actually insinuated that she could be a “little instrument of the devil”. It was only at the insistence of the other seers that she overcame her fears and journeyed to the Cova, as the Blessed Virgin had requested.

Our Lady told her that she would soon carry Francisco and Jacinta to heaven and informed her that she was to remain alone on earth, to spread the devotion of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

But the Virgin comforted her,

“My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way which will lead you to God.” It was Lucia who spoke with the Lady, who presented requests of favours on the part of many people, and who requested a miracle so that all would believe the apparitions.

When Francisco and Jacinta fell ill, Lucia assisted them lovingly until the end. Her favourite prayer was: “Lord, make a saint out of me, preserve my heart always pure for you alone!”

In 1921, on the decision of the bishop of Leiria—the diocese into which Fatima fell—Lucia was sent away from her village of Aljustrel and taken immediately to the Dorothean Sisters of Villar in Oporto.

It was believed that her presence at Fatima could obstruct the impartiality of the investigations then being undertaken to determine the validity of the apparitions.

In addition, the 14-year-old Lucia had been the subject of almost continuous harassment and interrogation by friends and enemies alike of the apparitions.

In 1928, Lucia became a sister of St Dorothy and, later in 1946, after a brief visit to Fatima, she entered the convent of the Carmelite Sisters of Coimbra—where she lived until her death—going by the name of Sr Maria Lucia of the Immaculate Heart.

The Mother of God, who had asked her to remain in the world to propagate devotion to her Immaculate Heart, came several more times to visit Lucia, including on December 10, 1925, when at Pontevedra she gave the young postulant the promise of the Five First Saturdays.

Lucia died on February 13, 2005, at the age of 97. The Church has started the process of her beatification which is the stage next to canonisation.

P

ope Francis canonised Ss Francisco and Jacinta at Fatima on May 13 this year, witnessed by over 500 000 pilgrims from all parts of the world.

All of us—children, youths and adults—should take Ss Francisco and Jacinta as well as Sr Lucia as our examples. They were taught by Mary to adore Jesus and this became their strength in suffering.

As observed by Pope Francis during his homily at the canonisation Mass in Fatima: “God’s presence became constant in their lives, as is evident from their insistent prayers for sinners and their desire to remain ever near ‘the hidden Jesus in the tabernacle’.”

Next week: The miracle of the Sun.

The Southern Cross, September 27 to October 3, 2017

CLASSIFIEDS

Sr Cora Maria Rodrigues HC

H

OLY Cross Sister Cora Maria Rodrigues died on August 14 in her 78th year of life and her 54th year of religious profession.

Sr Cora Maria grew up in the Holy Cross Orphanage in Parow, Cape Town, trained as a teacher and specialised in art.

She entered the Holy Cross Sisters and taught in Parow at St Augustine’s Primary School, until the Group Areas Act imposed control over interracial property and a new school had to be built in Parow Valley where she taught the kindergarten classes.

She used her skills for concerts in the school and the Holy

Cross Orphanage, where noteworthy operas were performed.

In the 1980s she worked collaboratively with the erstwhile provincial leader and the late Archbishop Lawrence Henry on the West Coast, alongside communities of sisters, as a pastoral worker, training and encouraging them along the way.

Sr Cora Maria was well known for her artistic talent which she generously shared within the Holy Cross province, and at the request of priests or religious in the Cape Town archdiocese.

Her love for our Blessed Lady culminated in her gentle passing on the eve of the Assumption.

Sr Marion Hendricks

N

she paid special attention to the sick right up to the time when she could no longer look after them as she would like to.

Sr Conrad was a trained teacher but she is best remembered for the years she was “boarders’ mother” in her order’s many schools. Some of the girls who were cared for by Sr Conrad kept in contact with her right up until weeks before her death.

Sr Conrad’s last years were very challenging because of ill health and failing mental capacity. The morning of her death found her less restless and very much at peace. We are sure Our Lady, to whom she had great devotion, heard her prayer: “Mother of those in their last agony, be with us at the hour of death.”

God took Sr Conrad very peacefully as she was surrounded

Liturgical Calendar Year A – Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday October 1, 26th Sunday of the Year Ezekiel 18:25-28, Psalms 25:4-9, Philippians 2:111, Matthew 21:28-32 Monday October 2, Guardian Angels Exodus 23:20-23, Psalms 91:1-6, 10-11, Matthew 18:1-5, 10 Tuesday October 3 Zechariah 8:20-23, Psalms 87, Luke 9:51-56 Wednesday October 4, St Francis of Assisi Nehemiah 2:1-8, Psalms 137:1-6, Luke 9:57-62 Thursday October 5 Nehemiah 8:1-12, Psalms 19:8-11, Luke 10:1-12 Friday October 6, St Bruno Baruch 1:15-22, Psalms 79:1-5, 8-9, Luke 10:13-16 Saturday October 7, Our Lady of the Rosary Acts 1:12-14, Responsorial psalms Luke 1:46-55, Luke 1:26-38 Sunday October 8, 27th Sunday of the Year Isaiah 5:1-7, Psalms 80:9, 12-16, 19-20, Philippians 4:6-9, Matthew 21:33-43

MOtHeR OF PeRPetUAl SUccOUR, Mary of Mount Carmel and St Jude.

Grateful thanks for prayers answered. Karen.

by her sisters and carers.

She is survived by her elderly sisters in Ireland, Canada and the US, her brother Michael, and many nieces and nephews.

Sr Conrad was buried in Marian House cemetery.

Sr Audrey OP

Why we must seek Church unity Continued from page 7 Priests and the leadership team of the parish are also called to review the material available to parishioners to ensure that it upholds our Catholic teachings.

The Church’s teachings are Christ’s teachings, expressed in this heartfelt prayer: “I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them. And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.

“Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are. I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me” (Jn 17:9-11, 20).

PAReNtS FOR cHIlDReN: O Jesus, lover of children, bestow your most precious graces on those whom you have confided to our care.

Increase in them faith, hope and charity. May your love lead them to solid piety, inspiring them with dread for sin, love of work and an ardent desire of worthily approaching your holy table.

Preserve in them innocence and purity of heart; and if they should offend you, grant them the grace of a prompt and sincere repentance.

From your tabernacle watch over them day and night;

protect them in all their ways. Grant that they may acquire the knowledge that they need to embrace the state of life to which you have called them. Grant us a sincere love, constant vigilance and generous devotedness towards them. Grant us all consolation on earth and eternal reward in heaven. tHANkS be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, For all the benefits thou hast won for me, For all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me.

O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother, May I know thee more clearly, Love thee more dearly, And follow thee more nearly, For ever and ever.

PeRSONAl

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View God’s marvellous work of healing and deliverance in various African countries since 2007. More than 20 video clips have been uploaded onto YouTube (simply go to Google and type Pious Kintu YouTube). Also you will read about African stigmatic Sr Josephine Sul of DR Congo and Padre

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 778. ACROSS: 1 Pyre, 3 Scabbard, 9 Ravenna, 10 Wicca, 11 Confessional, 13 Preach, 15 Grocer, 17 Presbyterian, 20 Alibi, 21 No death, 22 Strongly, 23 Asks. DOWN: 1 Pericope, 2 Raven, 4 Clause, 5 Bow your heads, 6 Archaic, 7 Dual, 8 Intercession, 12 Branches, 14 Earlier, 16 Hymnal, 18 Imams, 19 Mass.

Perpetual Adoration chapel at Good Shepherd parish, 1 Goede hoop St,

Bothasig, welcomes all visitors. Open 24 hours a day. Phone 021 558 1412.

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

Pio, among others. Share it with all your friends. Contacts via e-mail avemaria 832@gmail.com and ave maria832@yahoo.com. Via cellphone (roaming within Africa) +243 99 0358275 +243 81 6090071.

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cAPe tOWN: Looking for reasonably priced accommodation over the December/January holiday period?

Come to Kolbe house, set in beautiful, spacious gardens in Rondebosch, nestled just under Devil’s Peak.

Self-catering, clean and peaceful.Safe parking.

Close to all shops and public transport. Contact Pat on 021 685 7370, 073 263 2105 or kolbe.house@ telkomsa.net cAPe tOWN: Strandfontein. Fully equipped selfcatering two bedroom apartment with parking, sleeps four. R660 per/night.

Paul 061 446 9665, vivilla@telkomsa.net MARIANellA Guest house, Simon’s Town: “Come experience the peace and beauty of God with us.” Fully equipped with amazing sea views. Secure parking, ideal for rest and relaxation. Special rates for pensioners and clergy. Malcolm Salida 082 784 5675, mjsalida@gmail.com MONtAGU: Self-catering cottage in central area.

Sleeps 3 in lovely garden setting. Braai patio and secure parking. Pets and children welcome. Phone 082 975 8049.

Traditional Latin Mass

Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel 36 Central Avenue, Pinelands, Cape Town Call 071 291 4501 for details.

Email: sspx.capetown@gmail.com The

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St Bruno

MAttHee—Merlyn. Our beloved Mother who passed on October 5, 2010. Still sadly missed by her children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.

PeIlOW—Mary Teresa Agnes (née houghton).

Daughter of the late Bill and Agnes, passed away on October 2, 2016. Deeply loved and always remembered by her husband Ben, daughters Catherine and Elizabeth, son-in-law Michael, grandchildren James and Maria, sisters and brothers-in-law Margaret & Walter, Bridget & Derick, Barbara and families.

May her Dear Soul Rest In Peace.

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IN MeMORIAM

Sr Conrad Freeman OP EWCASTLE Dominican Sister Conrad (Annie) Freeman from Marian House in Boksburg died on September 5 at the age of 92.

She had just celebrated 70 years of profession in July.

Sr Conrad was born in Ireland on October 30, 1925, one of eight children.

She entered the Newcastle Dominican Sisters in 1945 and made her first vows in England in 1947. Shortly after that, she and 11 of her companions, together with another ten young sisters, set sail for South Africa. At that time, there was no thought of ever returning to her homeland Ireland.

Sr Conrad was a contemplative and had a great love of the scriptures. She was very kind, thoughtful and caring.

Another notable trait was that

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the

27th Sunday: October 8 Readings: Isaiah 5:1-7, Psalm 80:9, 12-16 19-20, Philippians 4:6-9, Matthew 21:33-43

T

HE first reading and the Gospel for next Sunday both offer a parable presenting Israel as a “vineyard” that is not producing the goods; and the psalm picks up the same idea. The second reading presents what “producing the goods” might look like.

Isaiah does a neat trick in the first reading; he starts off in the metre of a love poem: “Let me sing a song of my beloved, a song of my beloved and his vineyard.”

Then he tells the story of the friend’s hard work: “He dug and cleared it of stones and planted the best vines and then he built a tower in the middle of it and he also carved out a wine press.”

So far so good—but then the grapes are sour; and the prophet gives the verdict (and uneasily we realise that this is perhaps not a love song after all), turning to the “inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah” and asking: “What more was there to do?”

Now we see what the story is really about: God is bitterly disappointed in the vineyard, which at the end of the reading turns out to be the “house of Israel and men of Judah”, which is going to be punished by destruction of its hedge and walls, by neglect and over-

S outher n C ross

growth and by a refusal of rain; and he finishes with some Hebrew puns that do not go well into English, but make it clear that it has not yielded its appropriate fruits.

The psalm meditates on the idea of a “vine” which God “brought out of Egypt”, which spread from the Nile to the Mediterranean; but God is rebuked for “breaking down its walls, and all who pass by plunder it”.

So the poet begs: “God of hosts, change your mind again, look down from heaven and see: visit this vine.” And he recognises that the people may be responsible for their plight: “Give us back our life, we who call upon your name.”

Then comes the final plea: “Lord God of hosts, turn back, light up your face, and we shall be saved.” We notice the absolute sense of dependence on God, of creatures talking to their Creator. That could be a model for us.

The second reading has Paul telling his Philippians: “Don’t worry” (and they, of course, may have muttered “All very well for you”); but the advice he gives is healthy if we are prepared to produce the right kind of fruit: “In all kinds of thanksgiving, and grateful in-

tercession, make your needs known to God.” What follows then is the very attractive “peace that surpasses all understanding”; and what we are to look out for is the healthy things: “whatever is true, holy, righteous, pure, lovable, good-to-talk-about, all virtue and everything that is praiseworthy”. Do that, and we shall indeed be a fertile vine: “And the God of peace will be with you.”

After all that, in the Gospel, we are well aware that Jesus is making a very sharp point when he tells his parable about the vine, to the religious establishment who were not only questioning his authority but also determined on his death.

“There was a certain man who planted a vineyard, and built a wall round it and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and gave it to farmers and went away.” We (and Jesus’ opponents) know full well that this is a deliberate echo of our first reading, though it ends rather differently, in three stages.

In the first, he sends some slaves to the farmers to collect his produce (a perfectly normal action; but he is sending them to the Israel that is out to get Jesus), and to our

Being rich is OK, but...

A

“Now when he met St Peter at the gates of heaven he could say, ‘Help me!’ rather than tell St Peter how he might better organise things.”

This story can help us understand Jesus’ teaching that the rich find it difficult to enter the kingdom of heaven while little children enter it quite naturally.

We tend to misunderstand both why the rich find it hard to enter the kingdom and why little children enter it more easily.

W

hy do little children enter the kingdom quite naturally? In answering this we tend to idealise the innocence of little children, which can indeed be striking. But that’s not what Jesus is holding up as an ideal here, an ideal of innocence which for us adults is impossible in any case.

It’s not the innocence of children that Jesus praises; rather it’s the fact that children have no illusion of self-sufficiency.

Children have no choice but to know their dependence. They’re not self-sufficient and know that they cannot provide for themselves. If someone doesn’t feed them they go hungry. They need to say, and to say it often: “Help me!”

It’s generally the opposite for adults, especially if we’re strong, talented and blessed with sufficient wealth. We easily nurse the illusion of self-sufficiency. In our strength we more naturally forget that we need others, that we’re not self-reliant.

The lesson here isn’t that riches are

Conrad

NUMBER of years ago I attended a funeral. The man to whom we were saying goodbye had enjoyed a full and rich life. He’d reached the age of 90 and was respected for having been both successful and honest.

But he’d always been a strong man, a natural leader, a man who took charge of things. He’d had a good marriage, raised a large family, been successful in business, and held leadership roles in various civic and Church organisations.

He was a man who commanded respect although he was sometimes feared for his strength.

His son, a priest, was presiding at his funeral. He began his homily this way: “Scripture tells us that 70 is the sum of a man’s years, 80 for those who are strong.

Now, our dad lived for 90 years. Why the extra ten years?

“Well, it’s no mystery really. It took God an extra ten years to mellow him out!

He was too strong and cantankerous to die at 80! But during the last ten years of his life he suffered a series of massive diminishments. His wife died, he never got over that. He had a stroke, he never got over that. He had to be moved into an assisted living complex, he never got over that.

“All these diminishments did their work. By the time he died, he could take your hand and say: ‘Help me.’

“He couldn’t say that from the time he could tie his own shoelaces until those last years. He was finally ready for heaven.

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Sunday Reflections

astonishment: “The farmers flogged one, killed another, stoned another.”

Stage Two: more of the same “and they dealt with them in the same way”.

Stage Three: “Last of all he sent his son to them”; and we even hear what he is thinking: “They will respect my son.” Oh no they won’t, of course: “They took him and threw him outside the vineyard and killed him.”

(And within a few days Jesus will be killed outside the city where all this is taking place.)

Jesus forces his opponents to admit what will happen next: “The Lord of the Vineyard…will evilly destroy the evil people and give the vineyard to other farmers.”

Then Jesus quotes the psalm about “the stone that the builders rejected, this one turned into the cornerstone”. It is clear what we are to understand, even before he concludes: “The Kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation that performs its fruits.”

There is a warning for us here.

Southern Crossword #778

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

bad. Riches, be that money, talent, intelligence, health, good looks, leadership skills or flat-out strength, are gifts from God. They’re good. It’s not riches that block us from entering the kingdom.

Rather it’s the danger that, having them, we will more easily also have the illusion that we’re self-sufficient. We aren’t.

As Thomas Aquinas points out by the very way he defines God (as Esse Subsistens—Self-sufficient Being), only God does not need anyone or anything else. The rest of us do, and little children more easily grasp this than do adults, especially strong and gifted adults.

Moreover, the illusion of self-sufficiency often spawns another danger: Riches and the comfort they bring, as we see in the parable of the rich man who has a beggar at his door, can make us blind to the plight and hunger of the poor.

That’s one of the dangers in not being hungry ourselves. In our comfort, we tend not to see the poor.

And so it’s not riches themselves that are bad. The moral danger in being rich is rather the illusion of self-sufficiency that seems to forever accompany riches. Little children don’t suffer this illusion, but the strong do. That’s the danger in being rich, money-wise or otherwise.

How do we minimise that danger? By being generous with our riches. Luke’s gospel, while being the gospel that’s hardest on the rich is also the gospel that makes most clear that riches aren’t bad in themselves.

God is rich. But God is prodigiously generous with that richness. God’s generosity, as we learn from the parables of Jesus, is so excessive that it’s scandalous.

It upsets our measured sense of fairness.

Riches are good, but only if they’re shared. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus praises the generous rich but warns the hoarding rich. Generosity is Godlike, hoarding is antithetical to heaven.

And so from the time we learn to tie our own shoelaces until the various diminishments of life begin to strip away the illusion of self-sufficiency, riches of all kinds constitute a danger. We must never unlearn the words: “Help me!”

ACrOSS

1. Some unhappy reading for cremation (4) 3. Where sword is back in place (8) 9. Anne variously seen back in Italy (7) 10. Cult of modern witchcraft (5) 11. Place of sacramental forgiveness (12) 13. The homilist will do it (6) 15. Merchant who sounds coarser than others (6) 17. Priest nearby is not Catholic (12) 20. I bail out elsewhere (5) 21. It means everlasting life (2,5) 22. How Samson believed in God? (8) 23. Prays simply (4) Solutions on page 11

DOwN

1. Pope Eric turns to Bible extract (8) 2. First bird to leave the Ark (Gn 6) (5) 4. Fifty in cause may be in the contract (6) 5. Show you are praying and ask for mercy on us (3,4,5) 6. Old fashioned (7) 7. Laud the two going back (4) 8. By this Our Lady prays for us (12) 12. I am the vine, you are the ... (Jn 15) (8) 14. Rare lie will upset you sooner (7) 16. It holds the Christian songs (6) 18. Leading Muslims (5) 19. Large number of people for the service (4)

CHURCH CHUCKLE

A

MAN was painting the ceiling of a choir loft when a woman came in. There was nobody else in the church, and he was sure she thought she was alone.

Now, since painting isn’t that taxing mentally, he decided to have some fun.

“This is Jesus!” he called down to her. She didn’t look up.

“This is Jesus!” he called out louder. Nothing.

He got frustrated, and belted out, “This is Jesus!”

The woman finally spoke: “Be quiet! I’m talking to your mother.”

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