180801

The

S outher n C ross

August 1 to August 7, 2018

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Must we still fast before Eucharist?

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When may non-Catholics receive Communion?

STAFF REPORTER

W

HILE some German bishops have decided that non-Catholic spouses of Catholics may receive Communion in individual cases according to pastoral needs, inter-Communion in Southern Africa is governed by the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s “Directory on Ecumenism”, which was approved by the Holy See and released in 2003.

“The position is that the sacraments and most especially the Eucharist are signs as well as sources of unity and therefore are properly open as a matter of course only to those who are in full ecclesial communion with each other,” said Bishop Victor Phalana, the chairman of the SACBC’s Department of Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue.

“For us full ecclesial communion entails sharing the beliefs, same doctrine, the seven sacraments, the authority of the pope and the magisterium, and so on.”

Bishop Phalana said that there are certain conditions when a baptised Christian of another denomination may receive Holy Communion from a Catholic minister—but Catholics are generally not permitted to receive Communion from Protestant churches.

The SACBC’s Directory on Ecumenism makes provision for the administration of the Eucharist to non-Catholics under the following conditions: l For a non-Catholic in danger of death or in cases of grave and pressing need (the norms for judging when such a need exists should be determined by the bishop of the local diocese; l When a grave or pressing need justifies such sharing , the following conditions must be met: The person admitted to such sharing must seek it of his or her own initiative;

must be unable to receive the sacrament from a minister of his or her own church; must manifest a Catholic faith in the sacrament (acknowledging that it is the Body and Blood of Christ), and have the proper dispositions for the fruitful reception of it; and must be from a church whose baptism the Catholic Church recognises. l As regards the sacraments of the sick and of penance, in the absence of the appropriate minister of their own Church, the mere request for such sacraments can be taken as evidence of pressing spiritual need and the sacrament may be administered. l As regards the Eucharist, a spiritual need can arise for a Christian from another church or ecclesial community when attending a Eucharistic celebration for a special feast or event or when accompanying his or her Catholic marriage partner at Sunday Mass. ”We must also promote Spiritual Communion as one way they might respond to this spiritual need,” Bishop Phalana said.

“When a person, Catholic or nonCatholic, has an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and in lovingly embracing him in a Spiritual Communion, they can, with contrite and humble hearts, ask the Lord to come to them spiritually in the same way he would if they were able to receive the sacrament.”

The Church in Southern Africa encourages those who will not be receiving Communion to come forward at the same time as others and, when they approach the priest, to cross their arms over their chest as a sign that they wish to receive a blessing. l Catholics can also receive sacraments from other churches, when there is a grave need. The Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism says that Catholics can receive sacraments of the Eucharist, penance Continued on page 3

A crew member of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms holds the hand of a woman who was rescued in the central Mediterranean Sea. With the rising death toll of migrants and refugees attempting the treacherous voyage across the Mediterranean Sea, Pope Francis has urged world leaders to act to prevent further tragedies. According to the International Organisation for Migration, around 1 500 migrants have died in the Mediterranean this year alone. The pope expressed his pain “in the midst of such tragedies” and offered his prayers “for the missing and their families”. (Photo: Juan Medina, Reuters)

Bishops slam taxi murders STAFF REPORTER

T

HE bishops of Southern Africa have condemned taxi industry-related killings and called on government to act.

In a statement, the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) noted that on just one Saturday in late July, 17 people involved in the taxi industry were ambushed on the R74 in KwaZulu-Natal, killing 12, and a taxi owner was killed in Alexandra, Johannesburg.

“It is clear that there is a serious problem in the taxi industry which needs urgent attention by the government,” said the statement, which was signed by SACBC spokesman Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria.

Noting that millions of South Africans depend on taxis every day for transport, the SACBC said: “Taxi violence continues to endanger the lives of many innocent people.

Many taxi drivers live in serious insecurity.

“Is the government which we now have capable of dealing with this grave issue which is so close to the ordinary lives of our people?” the bishops asked.

“Law enforcement agencies, which should reach even the remotest parts of our land, seem totally unable to make any impact on this crime within the taxi industry.”

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The bishops expressed their strong concern about “the easy availability of sophisticated illegal firearms”.

“Suppliers of such weapons must bear grave responsibility for murders which result from this criminal activity,” the SACBC said.

“The Catholic Church is concerned about the use of illegal firearms within the taxi industry which are the cause of the loss of innocent lives. We therefore appeal to competitors in the transport sector to engage in peaceful dialogue and ethical business practice,” the statement said.

The bishops pointed out that the violence tarnishes the image of South Africa.

The parliamentary Police Portfolio Committee has warned that taxi violence has reached “crisis levels” and also called for the removal of illegal firearms.

“These firearms must be removed from our streets to deal effectively with crime,” committee chair Francois Beukman said in a statement.

The safety strategy of the taxi industry must also take into account the context in which “a large number of people who depend on this service as well as the impact these crimes have on innocent families”, Mr Beukman said.

2

The Southern Cross, August 1 to August 7, 2018

LOCAL

Bishop tells Presbyterians what he’s learnt from them

BY ERIN CARELSE

A

DDRESSING South Africa’s Uniting Presbyterians at their general assembly in Benoni, Gauteng, a Catholic bishop said he has indeed learnt from Presbyterianism.

Bishop Victor Phalana, chair of the Department of Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue in the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, spoke to the assembly of the pope’s commitment to ecumenism.

“I am happy to be here and I come to you inspired by Pope Francis, who says that ecumenical action is supported and motivated by faith in the Resurrection of Jesus,” the bishop of Klerksdorp said.

The pope, Bishop Phalana said, “is convinced that just as the stone was rolled away from the tomb, all the obstacles which still stand in the way of full Communion between us can be cleared away”.

Pope Francis, the bishop said, does not pursue a “master plan” for the unity of the Church, because he knows that “unity will not come about as a miracle. Rather, unity comes about through journeying”.

“As a Catholic bishop, I hold different views on some of [the Presby-

Bishop Victor Phalana, head of ecumenical affairs in the bishops’ conference, addressed the Uniting Presbyterian general assembly. terian] principles and beliefs,” he said, but added that he respects the positions of the Presbyterian Church, and “I allow their positions to challenge me”.

Bishop Phalana said that among

the lessons he takes from Presbyterians are: • The Bible as the inspired word of God is a hallmark of many Protestant religions. Presbyterians believe that the Bible is inspired by God to reveal his presence to all people, but the authors of the Bible did so under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and in their own words and with the influence of their times and cultures.

• On the issue of female clergy, many denominations believe that women should not hold positions as clergy based on the Bible and tradition. Presbyterians embrace the contributions of women both as Elders (lay persons) and as Ministers of the Word (clergy).

• Some Churches hand down doctrine and simply expect their members to accept it. Being a Presbyterian puts more emphasis on personal freedom and responsibility. Presbyterians believe the Holy Spirit heightens truth, and thus admit different understandings of the Confession of Faith.

• They also believe that a Church never reaches a “reformed” state. It is always in a position of reformation and needs to be open to the power of the Holy Spirit for change.

Catholic businesswomen to get together

BY ERIN CARELSE

mation and gender diversity.

In January 2017, Dr Mokgokong was appointed honorary consulgeneral of Iceland to Pretoria, succeeding Cyril Ramaphosa.

The power breakfast will take place on August 14 at 8:30 in the Kerzner Building at the University of Johannesburg in Auckland Park.

After Dr Mokgokong’s address, there will be a panel discussion with other Catholic women in business.

This will be moderated by broadcaster Ursula Chikane. Scheduled panelists are Lindiwe SangweniSiddo, Connie Motshumi, Lindi Mamashela and Mahadi Buthelezi. n To book or for more information contact info@catholicbf.co.za

T

HE Catholic Business Forum is hosting a “power business breakfast” with a special focus on women under the theme “Ethics, Excellence, and Empowerment”.

The guest speaker for the August 14 event in Johannesburg will be Dr Anna Mokgokong, executive chair of Community Investment Holdings.

A medical doctor by training and profession, she has established numerous businesses, and has five directorships of JSE-listed companies.

The 1999 Businesswoman of the Year describes herself as having a passion for business and as a boardroom activist in terms of transfor-

Dr Anna Mokgogong will be the guest speaker at a Catholic Business Forum power breakfast to be held in Johannesburg.

Four Precious Blood Sisters celebrated 240 years in religious life at Mariannhill convent. Sitting in the wheelchair is Sr Lucas Maria Lenzen (50 years). The other three Sisters are (from right) Sr Cassiana Theiss (65 years), Sr Margaret von Ohr (65) and Sr Maria Regina Bachmann (60). Among the jubilarians is Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, with priests and Sisters of the CPS council. (Submitted by Sr Ulrica Zonda CPS)

When may non-Catholics receive Communion?

Continued from page 1 and anointing only, “from a minister in whose church those sacraments are valid or from one who is known to be validly ordained according to the Catholic teaching on ordination”, according to the Directory on Ecumenism.

Apart from the SACBC, bishops from Europe, North America and Australia have issued guidelines for allowing interdenominational couples to go to Communion together on special occasions.

Most list those occasions as family funerals and the baptism, first Communion, confirmation, ordination or wedding of their children.

Some bishops also include the couple’s wedding and wedding anniversaries, as well as Christmas, Easter and Pentecost.

When the SACBC in 1998 issued guidelines that went beyond listing special occasions when the

non-Catholic spouse could receive Communion, they were asked by the Vatican to make revisions.

The final version was published in 2003 and notably eliminated a paragraph that had been in a revised version published in 2000.

The passage removed spoke of the “unique situation” of interdenominational couples and how their sacramental marriage bond “seeks to be expressed and deepened by the unity of the couple at the Eucharistic table”.

The deleted paragraph left open the possibility that the nonCatholic spouse could experience “serious spiritual need” each time he or she goes to Mass with the family; still, it said, the parish priest must refer the couple to the local bishop before the couple could regularly receive the Eucharist together. n See next week for Bishop Phalana’s fuller reflection on inter-Communion.

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The Southern Cross, August 1 to August 7, 2018

LOCAL

3

Pro-life protest receives support and abuse STAFF REPORTER

C

ATHOLICS who protested against an abortion conference at a Grahamstown intersection say they received both support and abuse from the public.

A five-strong team from Family Action South Africa travelled from Ladismith in the Western Cape to Grahamstown to hold a public Rosary rally and peaceful protest against last month’s international “Abortion & Reproductive Justice: The Unfinished Revolution III” conference at Rhodes University.

“The goal was threefold,” said Bernard Tuffin of Family Action South Africa. “To make a public act of reparation to Almighty God for this stain on our land; to pray for the frustration of the conference’s goals; and for increased resistance from sectors where the abortion lobby is meeting opposition/inertia/rejection.”

The group also sought to “pray for the mercy of God upon our country, make the public aware of the seriousness of the conference, and give fra-

ternal support to others in the trenches”, such as fellow Catholic Peter Throp of Value Life who had come from Cape Town to join them.

The protesters held placards with slogans such as “Hoot for the Unborn”, “Women Need Love, Not Abortion”, “Real Doctors Don’t Kill Babies”, “Abortion Stops a Beating Heart”, and “Abortion offends God”. These were accompanied by a 3m-wide Rosary banner inviting the public to join their prayer effort.

“The rally lasted for an hour and a half, during which time there were over 200 hoots, during mild traffic flow. It is not often one enjoys hooters—but this was music to our ears,” said Mr Tuffin.

“In South Africa we do not have a culture of such protest action, so it was interesting to gauge the level of support for life, which the media narrative would have us believe to be irrelevant,” he said.

Mr Tuffin recalled some encounters with members of the public.

“A Zimbabwean lady came by and asked if she could take a picture with us. She mentioned she and her

Members of Family Action South Africa hold placards during a pro-life protest in Grahamstown where an international conference backing abortion was held. husband were attending the conference, but that she personally was against abortion and her husband, a gynaecologist, was not actually in the business of abortion,” he said.

“It was a good lesson to us not to

write off participants per se as sometimes such people could actually be on our side. It was evident to us that we were also seen and heard by other conference participants.”

Mr Tuffin said he had experienced

more support than opposition.

Of the latter, he said: “Several people drove past and made rude finger signs. One woman walked by and having read our ‘Abortion Offends God’ sign, said, ‘You offend me.’”

The protest featured on SABC TV, and the protesters were interviewed on SABC’s Morning Live.

“The joy of publicly manifesting one’s rejection of the ‘culture of death’ and putting action to words was great,” Mr Tuffin said. “We were not many but we were there—standing up for the unborn.”

He noted that among the stated aims of the conference was to “destigmatise” easy and unrestricted access to abortion, but said he was encouraged that in South Africa and across Africa, “there exist considerable obstacles to ‘easy access’, from governments, institutions, communities, nurses or doctors”.

Mr Tuffin said he hopes “this conference may goad us into a more spirited defence of the plight of the unborn”, adding, “We need much courage, determination and prayer.”

Retreat rediscovers Eucharist and warns against prosperity gospels

BY FR DENIS EkWERIkE MDP

A

PRIEST has warned against “Church tourism”, people whereby people go from one prayer centre to another seeking miracles.

Members of Catholic Charismatic Renewal at Sacred Heart cathedral parish in Bloemfontein focused on the theme “Growth in our Christian Life” during a retreat at the Regina Pacis Centre near Ladybrand.

Catholics from Bethlehem diocese, and from Lesotho, also took part.

Retreat moderator Fr Thaddeus Mbayi noted that the Eucharist has been the strength of the Church for almost 2 000 years, with many bishops, priests and faithful prepared to shed their blood as martyrs for it.

Affirming the Eucharist as the summit of Christian life, Fr Mbayi decried a loss of meaning in the Mass among many.

“I feel very worried when I see some people come to the Eucharist

Sacred Heart cathedral parish in Bloemfontein held a retreat at Regina Pacis Centre near Ladybrand. as though for a concert. You don’t know what happens at Mass; if you knew, you’d die of love.”

He called on participants to shun what he called “Church tourism”,

jumping from one prayer centre to another looking for miracles, and noted that many doing so actually increased their troubles.

“It is worrisome that people go

to places where they are asked to swallow snakes and eat grass to achieve healing,” Fr Mbayi said.

“Do not go around placing prayer requests when you, yourself, are not ready to pray.”

He urged people to come to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. “In the Eucharist Jesus visits us to console us; in the Eucharist Jesus heals us.

All you need do is talk it over with him, just the way you feel about things,” Fr Mbayi said.

Bloemfontein participant Geraldine Mutambala said retreats were one of the important traditions Christ left his disciples, adding that it was the only way “we are able to recharge, refill, and then go back to face life with a fresh perspective”.

She called on Christians to be wary of prosperity gospels that neglect the poor, and justice in society.

“We need to go back to the Gospel, remind ourselves of what Jesus actually said. As Catholics, we have a rich heritage in the saints who

have concretised the Gospel message in practical terms,” she stated.

Another participant, Clementina Klein, noted that the retreat emphasised a deeper focus on the word of God. She encouraged other parishes to make retreats a crucial part of their programmes.

Malefu Khamane, also a participant, said she was worried that many Catholics are not clear about the place of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

She blamed it on some priests who have failed in guiding their flocks along the right path.

“Some priests say they do not want to upset their parishioners; they want to be thought of as nice people,” Ms Khamane said.

“They do not want to lose this from their congregations, and would rather turn a blind eye than teach the whole truth.”

Ms Khamane added that many are scared of surrendering to the Holy Spirit for “fear of loss of control over their lives and actions”.

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The Southern Cross, August 1 to August 7, 2018

INTERNATIONAL

Growth of African Church a ‘sign of hope’

BY SISTER GRACE CANDIRU

T A detailed view of the Shroud of Turin is seen in the cathedral of St John the Baptist in Turin, Italy. A leading expert on the cloth, believed to be the burial shroud of Jesus, dismissed a new study claiming that blood patterns on the shroud are not consistent with those left by a crucified person. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS)

Shroud of Turin expert dismisses new study

BY JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES

A

LEADING expert on the cloth believed to be the burial shroud of Jesus dismissed a new study claiming that blood patterns on the shroud are not consistent with those left by a crucified person.

In an interview with Vatican News, Emanuela Marinelli, an expert on the Shroud of Turin, said “there was nothing scientific” about the experiments conducted by Matteo Borrini, an Italian forensic scientist, and Luigi Garlaschelli, an Italian chemist.

“Does it seem like a scientific criterion to take a mannequin—like the ones used to display clothes in a shop window—and a sponge soaked in fake blood attached to a piece of wood that is pressed on the right side of a dummy to see where the streams of blood fall?”

Mr Marinelli asked.

“If this is considered science, I guess I’ll just have to take my degree in natural sciences and throw it away,” she said.

The study, which was conducted in 2014 and published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, claimed the blood patterns on the hands are “only consistent with a standing subject with arms at a 45 degree angle” while the blood stains emanating from the right side of the chest—believed to be from the lance that pierced Christ—“are totally unrealistic”.

The 4m by 1,2m shroud has a fulllength photonegative image of a man, front and back, bearing signs of wounds that correspond to the gospel accounts of the torture Jesus endured in his passion and death.

Mr Garlaschelli posted a video of the scientific experiment on YouTube in 2015 using a live person to study the blood patterns in various positions as well as pressing a sponge against a plas-

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Ms Marinelli, however, said the experiments conducted by Borrini and Garlaschelli lacked the accuracy of past studies involving cadavers of men who died of haemopericardium, the pooling of blood in the heart, which is believed to be what ultimately caused Jesus’ death on the cross.

Those accurate studies, she told Vatican News, “yielded different results from those of Borrini and Garlaschelli”.

The Church has never officially ruled on the shroud’s authenticity, saying judgments about its age and origin belonged to scientific investigation. Scientists have debated its authenticity for decades, and studies have led to conflicting results.

A 1988 carbon-testing dated the cloth to the 12th century, leading many to conclude that the shroud is a medieval forgery. However, scientists have challenged that claim by noting that the methodology of the testing was erroneous and that the sample used in the carbon-dating process was a piece used to mend the cloth in the Middle Ages.

Citing a 2009 Reuters interview with Garlaschelli, in which he admitted that another experiment meant to disprove the shroud’s authenticity was funded by an Italian association of atheists and agnostics, Ms Marinelli told Vatican News that studies that question the veracity of the Shroud of Turin are often funded by ideological groups with clear agendas.

“It is undeniable that there are groups hiding behind some of these (studies) that want people to believe that the shroud is a false historical” artifact, Ms Marinelli said. “There is a certain sense of annoyance towards a true shroud by those who not only want to deny Christ, but also his resurrection.”—CNS

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HE presence in the United States of about 3 000 priests and religious from countries in Africa is a great contribution to the US, said Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey.

That fact “makes me a bit nervous because I hope we are not stealing their personnel,” Cardinal Tobin, who chairs the US bishops’ subcommittee on the Church in Africa, said during the meeting of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa, known by the acronym AMECEA. AMECEA, which includes the bishops’ conferences of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, Djibouti and Somalia, held its plenary assembly in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. The theme of the meeting was “Vibrant Diversity, Equal Dignity, Peaceful Unity in God in the AMECEA Region”.

Cardinal Tobin, who represented the US bishops at the meeting, said that in the study sessions, he was impressed at the bishops’ honesty about their local situations and at their concern for young people, despite the difficulties in translating that concern into action.

He hopes the October 3-28 Synod of Bishops will give greater direction to the Church in the world, he said. The synod

The Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa AMECA held its19th plenary session in Addis Ababa. (Photo: ameca.org) will meet at the Vatican to discuss “young people, faith and vocational discernment”.

“The incredible growth of the African Church is a sign of hope for Americans,” the cardinal said.

The US Catholic Church annually commits $2,5 million-$3 million to support the work of the Church in Africa, he said.

“Generosity is really a gift that not only goes to the people you are helping...I think the relationship of solidarity with Africa is a good vaccination” against becoming totally insular, he said, noting that it shows “we are related to the Catholic Church in Africa and in the world”.

The growth of the African Church and its perseverance in very difficult situations show its vibrancy, Cardinal Tobin said,

adding that he never misses an opportunity to talk about “the vibrancy of the Church in Africa with my people”.

The subcommittee on the Church in Africa was set up as a way of reaching out to the Church in Africa “with great respect”, he said. The committee’s intention “was to help this growing and energetic Church to prepare its pastoral agents—to build the capacity of their personnel and, at the same time, strengthen the national conferences of bishops” in Africa.

“Such solidarity is very important...because there are growing voices in the US that are pushing us toward nationalism” and “would have us ignore the rest of the world”, he said, noting that this is not a Christian message.— CNS

Dublin archdiocese seeks 4 000 Eucharistic ministers for papal Mass

BY ELISE HARRIS

W

ITH less than a month to go until Pope Francis visits Dublin for the World Meeting of Families, organisers are moving forward with spiritual preparations as well as the practical, and have called for some 4 000 Eucharistic ministers to serve at the event’s closing Mass.

According to the archdiocese of Dublin, around 500 000 people are expected for the closing Mass in Phoenix Park, which will be celebrated by Pope Francis, who will arrive in Dublin the previous day to close the week-long event.

To ensure all attendees have access to Communion at Mass, the archdiocese sent an appeal for some 4 000 Eucharistic ministers —priests, religious, consecrated or laity—who have already been trained and assist with the distribution of Communion in their home parishes.

According to the archdiocese, the ministers who sign up to volunteer at the Mass must be

“trained and functioning ministers of Holy Communion”, and must also be “steady on their feet”.

Though plastic tarp will be laid out in several areas, most of the distribution for Communion will take place on bumpy, grassy areas of the park, making it important that the ministers are able to cope with the terrain.

Even though ministers will have already been trained and approved by their parishes, they will also need to be vetted representatives of the World Meeting of Families.

The archdiocese said it could not guarantee that ministers would be able to distribute in the section where their families are, but voiced hope that this would not stop people from “generously stepping up to help with this important task”, and promised to do its best to keep parish groups together.

So far the archdiocese has prepared some 4 500 ciboria—the gold dishes used to hold the con-

secrated hosts in the distribution of Communion at Mass.

In addition, the archdiocese said it had already received more than 500 000 hosts for the Mass, thanks to the Redemptoristine Sisters of St Alphonsus monastery in Dublin, and the Cistercian Sisters from Glencairn, County Waterford.

Pilgrims up front will receive Communion from the main sanctuary area, and teams of nine will be assigned to each of the corrals set up in the park, which will hold roughly 1 400 people apiece.

Quoting from the gospel of Matthew, which recounts how the disciples “took up what was left over of the broken pieces” after Jesus multiplied the loaves of bread and fish, the archdiocese said it plans to donate any extra hosts to hospitals and nursing homes, “so that those who weren’t able to be present and who followed the Mass on television can receive from this tremendous event”.—CNA

“Here I am Lord” cell: +27 72 769 7396, or +27 83 471 6081 e-mail: vocation.office@dehonafrica.net www.scj.org.za

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, August 1 to August 7, 2018

5

Dark to light: Holy Stairs set for a resurrection F

BY CAROL GLATZ

The internationally acclaimed Irish dance troupe Riverdance will be among those performing for Pope Francis during his August 25-26 trip to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families in Dublin. (Photo: Jack-Hartin, Riverdance/CNS)

Riverdance to perform for pope at WMF

BY MICHAEL kELLY

T

HE internationally acclaimed Irish dance troupe Riverdance will be among those performing for Pope Francis at the August World Meeting of Families in Dublin, organisers said.

The group—which has been seen by some 25 million people worldwide—will be one of the main acts at a Festival of Families on August 25 before an expected 80 000 people at Croke Park stadium in Dublin.

Brenda Drumm, spokeswoman for the World Meeting of Families, said she expects people from 116 countries to participate in the event, at which the pope will preside. Pope Francis also will hear testimony from families from India, Iraq, Ireland and Burkina Faso on topics as diverse as the effects of technology on family life and the value of families forgiving one another.

The Festival of Families will be a two-hour spectacle of music, dance and worship and is choreographed as a celebration of family life. It is billed as one of the highlights of the meeting.

As well as prominent performers like Daniel O’Donnell and Nathan Carter, the cast for the Festival of Families will include an orchestra of more than 50 musicians; more than 700 Irish Sean Nos and contemporary dancers, including 500 from Irish dance schools across the country; a 1 000-member choir; 100 community groups; and 300 flag bearers.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, president of the World Meeting of Families, said that expec-

tations about Pope Francis’ visit vary.

“There is enthusiasm: Within days of opening registration, the bookings for all the major events of Pope Francis’ visit were sold out.

Very large numbers will come from abroad, and this event will be a way to highlight modern Ireland to the world.

“One of the great attractions of Pope Francis is how he shows us that he can live in a world where faith seems marginal and yet manage to touch hearts,” the archbishop said. “He finds ways in which he can win hearts for what the teaching of Jesus involves, not through imposing and judging, but through winning and attracting.”

However, Archbishop Martin cautioned against thinking that the papal visit would set a definitive plan for the renewal of the Church in Ireland after decades of scandal and decline.

“Pope Francis will not work miracles,” he said. “In a visit of little more than 36 hours, it will not be possible for him to design a new road map for the Irish Church.

“At most he can offer the Irish Church the instruments on which that new road map can be drawn.

We all have to understand, however, that while you can still draw maps on paper, maps today are different.

They are interactive and constantly being updated.

“Pope Francis will challenge the Irish Church to be authentically the Church in a changed culture,” he said.—CNS

Chaplain fired after Pride parade prayers

BY SIMON CALDWELL

A

PRIEST who offered a rosary and benediction service in reparation for a gay Pride parade in Scotland has been fired as a university chaplain.

Glasgow Caledonian University announced that Fr Mark Morris would not be returning to his post for the new term in September.

The priest became a focus of controversy after local media learned that he offered prayers of reparation at Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in Glasgow after the Glasgow Pride parade.

Pamela Gillies, university principal professor, told the BBC that Fr Morris had been removed as chaplain “following due consultation”.

“The university will work with the archdiocese of Glasgow to ensure the continued provision of chaplaincy support for staff and students...when the new term starts,” she said.

“The university is strongly inclusive and committed to support-

ing equality and diversity on campus,” she added.

The university’s Catholic society said in a statement posted on Facebook that the dismissal of the priest was “frankly abhorrent”.

“The Catholic community at GCU would like to express our full support and solidarity with Fr Mark Morris at this time,” said the statement.

It said the Church would not be expected to “align herself with a movement like Pride, which promotes sexual promiscuity and celebrates extramarital actions which are considered gravely sinful”.

“In no way does this mean that homosexual persons are not welcome here at the chaplaincy, nor does it mean that they have fallen short of the love of God,” it continued. “Anyone who knows Fr Morris will know he is a gentle giant and is very careful to be truthful but also charitable. He is well-loved by the students and spends a lot of time with the homeless, providing them with meals and a listening ear.”—CNS

OR centuries, the faithful have climbed up the 28 steps of the Holy Stairs at the Vatican in prayer on their knees.

But the popular devotion has been put on hold for an entire year, and the tall placard depicting the staircase is all the public can see, as a team of Vatican restorers complete the final phase of a 20-year effort to repair the sanctuary of the Holy Stairs and clean its 1700m2 of frescoes.

According to tradition, the Holy Stairs are the ones Jesus climbed when Pontius Pilate brought him before the crowd and handed him over to be crucified. It’s said that Constantine’s mother, St Helen, brought the stairs to Rome from Jerusalem in 326 AD. In 1589, Pope Sixtus V had the sanctuary specially built and decorated for the stairs and the Sancta Sanctorum above, which houses some of the oldest relics of Rome’s early Christian martyrs and a silver and jewel-covered Byzantine image of Christ.

The 16th-century pope wanted the sanctuary not only to preserve the important relics, but also to express the essentials of the faith through an abundance of vivid, colourful images describing key events in the Old and New Testaments, said Mary Angela Schroth, a Rome art gallery curator who has been involved in the restoration project.

“Since the faithful often did not

A Vatican restorer maps the restoration of a fresco of the crucified Jesus above the Holy Stairs at the Holy Stairs sanctuary in Rome. The final phase of a 20-year effort to restore 16th century artwork at the sanctuary is underway. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) read or write, the stories came to life” through images, she said. And so, “every square inch” of the sanctuary—its two chapels, five staircases, vaulted ceilings and broad, high walls—was covered in frescoes and decorative art.

“This was meant to amaze and attract the public,” she said.

But the illustrative gems slowly vanished over the centuries as dirt, grime, water damage and primitive or aggressive restoration techniques discoloured or covered up what lay beneath. Add poor lighting to the mix and the dingy, gloomy space no longer did what it was designed to do: be a completely immersive physical, spiritual experience with visual

cues accompanying the faithful on their journey toward the Sancta Sanctorum, said Paolo Violini, the Vatican Museums’ top expert in fresco restoration.

With the central staircase restoration planned to be completed by the end of the year and the front atrium at the end of 2019, it will have taken 11 modern-day restorers nearly two decades to resurrect what 40 artists created in less than two years in the 16th century. But the careful craft of restoration has paid off, allowing today’s visitors the privilege of seeing, after 400 years, the original decorative beauty Pope Sixtus’ painters had conceived, Mr Violini said.— CNS

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The Catholic Healthcare Association of Southern Africa (CATHCA) is the associate body for health of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference. CATHCA supports the Catholic healthcare network in Botswana, South Africa and Swaziland to deliver effective healthcare, particularly in under-served rural communities.It is based in Johannesburg.

The Director is the chief executive officer of CATHCA. S/he reports to the Board of Management and is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership and for ensuring the organisation’s consistent achievement of its mission and financial objectives.

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- A good understanding of the social teachings of the Catholic Church and its values, and commitment to adhere to and apply these in CATHCA’s work - Proven experience in working with international funders - Strong track record in fund-raising, both locally and internationally - Proven leadership abilities – at least four years in a leadership position - A good understanding of the health situation in Southern Africa and experience in working with government and other key health stakeholders - Experience in working in a non-profit environment or with non-profit organisations - Demonstrable experience in staff recruitment and management - Experience in managing large budgets and proven financial management oversight - Passion for supporting those who receive poor health services or who are neglected or discriminated against

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Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

6

The Southern Cross, August 1 to August 7, 2018

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

How we should mark Women’s Day

A

DVERTS in the media at this time of the year will implore men to buy the women in their lives flowers or perfume or chocolates for Women’s Day, which is celebrated on August 9.

While it is indeed commendable for men to show appreciation for women—preferably also on the other 364 days in the year—the commercialisation of Women’s Day as a glorified Mothers’ Day is an unwelcome subversion of the meaning of this public holiday.

The August 9 holiday is intended to advocate for the empowerment and emancipation of women—and no empowerment or emancipation has ever resulted from breakfast in bed.

The holiday has its roots in the great women’s march on Pretoria’s Union Buildings in 1956, when 20 000 women demonstrated against the pass laws.

The march’s theme was expressed in the freedom song “Wathint’ Abafazi Wathint’ Imbokodo”—“You strike a woman, you strike a rock”.

The demonstration was organised by the Federation of South African Women, whose leadership included women of Catholic background such as Albertina Sisulu and Sophia Williams-de Bruyn. The federation was founded to advocate and agitate for the liberation of women from patriarchal domination, including that prevailing at the time within anti-apartheid structures.

Already in the 1950s, women were standing up against their oppression, by apartheid and by patriarchy.

In 2018, we can note progress in the empowerment of women.

At the highest levels, for example, women make up almost half of all parliamentarians—before 1994, that figure was 2,4%.

Various legislations have been passed to reduce the discrimination women have faced, though much still needs to be done, including the consistent enforcement of those laws.

While women have increased their share in management positions, the vast majority of CEOs of South African corporations are still men. And it is still a scandalous fact that women do not always earn the same salary as men for performing the same work.

But whereas middle-class women have attained some meas-

ure of empowerment and emancipation, though by no means complete, the situation for the great majority of women remains difficult.

Inequality in access to education persists; sexual abuse and exploitation, and domestic violence, are acute; and social structures that make women dependent on men remain in force.

For all the progress that has been made in addressing it, gender injustice still afflicts our country.

Indeed, these gains have created a reaction from those who insist on the primacy of the patriarchal system, to the point where some absurdly rationalise domestic violence by reference to the perceived disempowerment of men that supposedly accompanies the empowerment of women.

August 9 is also a timely reminder for the Church to review how far it has come in giving women concrete positions of authority and influence, recording its successes, failings and challenges.

The idea that Women’s Day is best celebrated by gender-specific gifts trivialises the struggles which women still face in South Africa, and undercuts the point of the holiday.

South Africa cannot claim to respect its women when they are routinely subjected to domestic violence, when rape remains endemic, when women and girls are at risk of sexual exploitation, when women are molested for their sense of fashion, when some are violated and even murdered because of their sexual orientation.

Women cannot be said to be enjoying freedom when they suffer disproportionately from poverty-related diseases and malnutrition, compounded by often inadequate health care.

Women cannot be said to be empowered when their right to access to education is not universally put into action, and when their employment opportunities are restricted.

Women in public service cannot be said to be empowered when often they are held to higher standards than their male counterparts.

For Women’s Day, let’s not give women a bouquet of roses and a bunch of empty platitudes.

Give her a job, a fair salary, equal access to opportunities and health care, and primacy over her own sexuality.

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.

Uphill struggle to showcase Church in media Y OUR lead letter (July 18) asks: “Where is Church’s public profile?” We need to interrogate the issues of the Church’s public profile and local Catholic media further.

While it is true that a national media strategy is of paramount importance and should be prioritised and seriously invested in, which is presently not the case, there are a number of other issues which need attention.

First, many Catholic media outlets are struggling because Catholics don’t support them. This is not only financial support but also offering them content and engaging in Catholic media on issues important for the Church and society.

Despite faster and more efficient communications, local Church structures across the board are notoriously bad at informing Catholic media of newsworthy material.

It is an uphill and never-ending struggle for those working in Catholic media to secure content to showcase the Church. This is on all levels, not just the hierarchy.

Second, I believe many Catholics in South Africa simply don’t read anything about the Church and, at worst, are not interested. They will support many other publications but not Catholic ones.

H

AVING read with interest a few of your readers’ comments on the position of women in a male-dominated, patriarchal Church, it is to be noted that Pope Francis has written an instruction, Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago, on the Ordo virginum.

Not only does it include specifics about the vocation to consecrated virginity, but it also underscores the image of women in general in the Church and in the world.

This vocation is open only to women, and should make women feel great.

Our Lady sang without arrogance: but with wondrous pride, “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.”

It is hoped that at least something about this document (a topic that has been written about by many other popes) could feature in at least one little homily in all parishes in the country.

According to Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago, there are 5000 consecrated virgins in the world.

How many are there in South Africa? This is not a rhetorical question. I honestly would like to know.

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Church media has not always taken cognisance of this and so does not always reflect this diversity. We have to be honest here.

Sixth, the lack of engagement means that, often, it is hard to know what Catholics want. A few voices tend to dominate, and Catholic media is then associated with those crusades alone.

On the other hand, it’s easy to complain about the poor quality or the lack of content but positive and thoughtful contributions are not easily acquired.

Seventh, the media landscape has changed completely digital media. This impacts not only on secular but also on Catholic media houses. We have to think in different paradigms, which we are not used to thinking in. And too often, we resist this: we do things “the way it has always been done”.

Eighth, if, as Church, we are serious about our message in South Africa today, we would prioritise media work, invest generously in its development, and take shared responsibility across the Church.

But are we convinced by our own message? Do we feel that we really have something to say?

Fr Russell Pollitt SJ, Spotlight.Africa

Pope’s voice on Mary’s attitude an Forgiveness is key virginity vocation inspiration for us but often difficult

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That said, we also live in a context where, largely, we do not have, or encourage, a culture of reading.

Third, bemoaning that the Church does not get exposure in the secular media is not entirely true. Recently the Sunday Times did a full-page interview with apostolic nuncio Archbishop Peter Wells, the week after he hosted a reception at the nunciature in Pretoria to celebrate the Vatican’s national day.

A few weeks later, this year’s Winter Living Theology lecturer, Fr Bryan Massingale, wrote a guest column for the Sunday Times. He was also interviewed on two major radio stations, SAfm and 702. Very few Catholics seem to have noticed this.

Fourth, many parishes do not encourage parishioners to support Catholic media. The launch of Spotlight.Africa in December 2017 affirms this. Spotlight.Africa is a free online publication.

Some clergy act as “gatekeepers” and will not promote Catholic media. Some clergy are suspicious of the media and perpetuate negative and often false perceptions about it. It is easier to negate or even condemn that of which we are fearful, rather than engage with it.

Fifth, we live in a diverse and multicultural society and Church.

I

AGREE with Peter Hoar’s letter “Church problem regarding Mary” (July 18)—if one thinks literally.

Our faith is based on mystery and belief. The act of consecration requires belief, and the Holy Trinity is a profound mystery.

Constant discussion, and wide religious reading, help us to understand our faith and clarify that Mary is indeed the Mother of God. Without Mary’s “Yes” at the Annunciation, there would be no salvation for us.

And the wedding at Cana, where Jesus does not refuse his mother’s request, shows he would not deny her anything (hence our praying to her for her intercession).

These are but two examples of why many Catholics honour Mary through prayer.

Her attitude and her life are example that lead us closer to God. Lynn Peterson, Cape Town Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. letters can be sent to PO Box 2372, cape town 8000 or editor@scross.co.za or faxed to 021 465-3850

‘N

OT forgiving is letting your enemies live rent-free inside your head”, was a phrase I found very irritating the first time I heard it.

But I now know it to be true: to forgive is a must. Its importance to the Christian life is enshrined in its conditional mention in the Our Father: “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.”

And yet it can be so difficult to forgive. Often reconciliation is neither likely nor desirable if the other party is toxic or abusive, and so it’s a solo journey, but with God as our guide, and prayer to light the way.

Perhaps, firstly, it’s good to acknowledge we are hurt, whatever happened was wicked, and it does matter. Examining the motives of others after the event won’t get you very far, nor will letting anger fuel your search for justice or revenge.

Ultimately, the key is to have pity for those who hurt you. And it is only then that you can truly forgive and pray for them and for their good (rather than conjuring up a fiendish James Bond-style death for them).

Perhaps you will see them in heaven.

Stephen A Clark, Manila, Philippines

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The Southern Cross, August 1 to August 7, 2018

PERSPECTIVES

Women with mission, led by Mary Sarah-Leah R Pimentel ECENTLY I read that men are more likely to apply for jobs even when they meet only 60% of the requirements, while women are unlikely to apply unless they meet all of the criteria.

We don’t apply for jobs that we qualify for simply because we think we’re not good enough.

Women are less likely to be in positions of leadership in professional circles. In 2016, less than 5% of women held CEO positions in America’s top 500 companies.

Let’s not even talk about female leadership in the Church, where 57 % of women play important pastoral roles, but rarely hold positions of leadership, according to a 2016 study by the Pew Research Center.

So where does the problem lie—with society, or with women?

On the one hand, the many obstacles that women continue to face in terms of gender equality are real. Some parts of the world have made enormous progress in the last century to open doors for women to participate in every sector of society. However, women still consistently earn less than men for the same job.

Women in leadership are often viewed with distrust far more than their male colleagues. Women are sometimes not considered for promotion when they have to balance professional and family duties, especially when women still often bear the greater child care burden.

Add to this the psychological and emotional hurdles of overcoming blatant sexism and discrimination along the way.

On the other hand, I sometimes think that we are our own worst enemy. We doubt ourselves and our abilities. We lose confidence in ourselves. We are afraid to speak out.

L

ast week, I was at a training course and a young woman was explaining a problem that she had identified inside her organisation and suggested a solution.

Another participant asked her who she had spoken to about the problem.

With a surprised look, the young woman answered: “No one.”

“If you can see the problem, and you have just articulated a workable solution, why haven’t you expressed this to your manager?” the other participant asked her.

“I’m afraid he’ll see me as a troublemaker,” she responded, even though she then went on to explain that she had no reason to believe that her manager didn’t respect or value her input.

This exchange exemplifies how we often put ourselves down. We are afraid of what people will think if we speak out. We doubt our own insights. And so we do nothing. We become invisible. And are overlooked.

In contrast, Catholics have a great love for Mother Mary and for us—she is not invisible. We honour and respect her as the Mother of God and Mother of the Church.

Over the last 2 000 years we have filled libraries with books about her, and I wonder whether there would be space in the Vatican to house every depiction that has ever been painted of our Blessed Mother.

We see Mary as a strong and powerful woman. We speak about her maternal qualities in caring for Jesus and later as the woman who accompanied and mentored the Apostles. We admire her steadfastness, standing under the foot of the Cross, when just about everyone else had deserted Jesus.

We see her as a cooperator of Christ, an intercessor for her children, as a woman of noble character who becomes a model of the exemplary Christian life.

Yet, she lived a traditional life 2 000 years ago in a patriarchal society where women either belonged to their fathers or their husbands, and in the event of the death of both, would have to be taken care of by a male child. This is why the last thing Jesus did from the cross was to entrust the care of his mother to the disciple John.

In every legal sense, Mary was nothing without the patronage of a man.

S

o how did a woman who was completely disenfranchised become the most important woman in the history of Christianity?

Maybe the story of the annunciation (Lk 1:26:38) can offer us some clues. When the angel first came to Mary, saying, “Rejoice, you who enjoy God’s favour”, we are told that she is “disturbed” by his greeting.

Her response was one of humility, recognising that she was one very small part of God’s entire creation and yet he had chosen her for some great task. This is different to an attitude of worthlessness, which cripples us from even contemplating the great mission of our own lives.

The angel tells Mary that she will conceive a child and give birth to a son who will be a king.

If I were Mary, a village girl from a forgotten part of Galilee, my response might

The Annunciation is depicted in tiles in Assisi, Italy. Mary’s ‘Yes’’ to God can serve to empower women, writes SarahLeah Pimentel.

A nation’s hope betrayed H OPE; the faith or yearning that something depended upon will fulfil itself—this has been the fate of many ordinary citizens of every other country regarding their government. Nigeria is no different.

Nigeria gained its independence in 1960 from the British colonialists, after a rough struggle for freedom and the people’s desire to be in charge of their land.

Our forefathers, the founders of our sovereignty and freedom as Nigeria, fought the “good fight”, nursing a hope “that Nigeria will someday be great and shine so bright that she shall stand out before Africa and the whole world as a stallion nation”.

These dreams were what the founders had at heart, and the entire population echoed these dreams. All hands were found on deck to push on to making Nigeria a wonderful land.

Almost six decades later, experience and the present situation reveal Nigeria as a hope betrayed.

More than ever before, we are now experiencing fear and trepidation. Massive gratuitous killings, abductions and other evil acts are all at a high with an alarming increase. There is no respect for human dignity.

And the government and the security agencies are always assuring the people that they are “on top of the situation”.

They always come up with what look like excuses; they promise to “bring to book” the culprits in these unabated massacres,

A Nigerian soldier walks near a building and vehicle destroyed by Boko Haram terrorists in Gwoza in 2015. In his column, Arinze Joseph Ani says that Nigeria, like many nations, need prayer. (Photo: EPA/CNS) kidnappings, armed robberies and so on.

Enough of the rhetoric!

Every human life is sacred and needs to be protected. All are to uphold the sanctity of human life and be true witnesses and promoters of human life.

A

rchbishop Felix Femi Ajakaye of Ekiti quotes Alexander the Great: “I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.”

This, he said, “is food for thought for the federal government, state governments and the security agencies. I urge them to wake up from their slumber and be tactical and practical in their approach to the insecurity

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

The Mustard Seeds

Must we still fast before Eucharist?

have been quite cynical: “Yeah, right, first of all, I’m not married, so how am I going to bear a child? Secondly, you tell me my son will be a king, since when do the marginalised ever get to aspire that high? It is impossible because the obstacles are insurmountable.”

Yet, Mary, despite being troubled, asked rationally: “How will this happen because I’m a virgin?” She does not reject the possibility, but simply wants to know what would need to happen to make it a reality.

The angel’s response is more than we can even wrap our minds around: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow.”

Yeah. Okay. That sounds crazy and I’m not sure that I would even stick around long enough to find out what all that meant.

Not Mary. Aware of the dangers of being pregnant out of wedlock, she accepts the mission and gives her famous Fiat: “Let it happen to me as you have said.”

And with that Yes, with supreme confidence in God’s promise, the history of humanity was irrevocably changed and the culminating part of our salvation was set into motion.

Some Catholics do not know that there is such a thing as a Eucharistic fast, or know but ignore it. Is the fast still required? If not, why have we not been informed officially?

Joe Doe

T

HE Eucharistic fast is still in force. The Code of Canon Law puts it crisply: “Whoever is to receive the blessed Eucharist is to abstain for at least one hour before holy Communion from all food and drink with the sole exception of water and medicine” (919.1).

This is the letter of the law. It springs from the spirit of the law which goes back long before any legal brains regulated the conditions for a worthy reception of the sacrament.

Receiving the Eucharist worthily means that you fully appreciate the privilege that is yours to let our Lord Jesus Christ “enter under your roof”.

From early times the faithful have known that they must repent of serious sin before they receive the Eucharist, and they fast to show their sincere desire to be embraced by God’s intimate love and grace.

In the fourth century St Augustine of Hippo mentioned that the practice of fasting from food and drink before receiving holy Communion was the custom of the universal Church.

He explained that this was done out of reverence because the bread of angels “should take precedence over all other food entering the mouth”.

Fasting from midnight was the norm into the 20th century, and it was strictly upheld. Since no food was permitted before Communion, priests sometimes had to explain to scrupulous Catholics who accidentally swallowed toothpaste that this did not break the fast, as toothpaste is not food.

In 1953 Pius XII permitted the Saturday evening vigil Mass for fulfilling the Sunday obligation. The immediate effect was, naturally, that a period of total fasting from midnight until, say, 18:00 the same day was seen as too onerous. So he retained the midnight discipline for morning Mass and introduced a three-hour fast before evening Mass.

In 1964, to encourage more frequent Communion, Paul VI brought in the one-hour fast, as expressed in canon 919.1.

Not everyone has been pleased with this reduced one hour’s fast. Critics say that 60 minutes of abstinence cannot be called a fast at all. Consequently, some Catholics voluntarily adhere to the three-hour period of restraint, or even longer.

What is important here is the spirit of the law.

The faithful who firmly believe they receive the real Body and Blood of Christ in holy Communion will accept the fast as a means of showing their appreciative awe and reverence.

The bishop tells the new priest at his ordination to “understand what you do and imitate what you celebrate”. It may be useful to repeat these words to ourselves as we line up for holy Communion.

W

hat can we take away from all this?

We recognise that the struggle for gender equality still has a long way to go.

We also accept that even if the conditions are not as we would like them to be, we are not invisible.

We should continue to campaign for improved working conditions, enabling legislation, increased awareness to the problems of women in our society, and a change of cultural tropes.

But we do this with the same sense of humility and confidence as Mary. Like Mary, we recognise that we cannot conquer this mammoth task by going it alone spiritually. We can uplift ourselves only if we truly believe that we are the beloved daughters of a loving Father who wants the best for us.

Once we recognise our worth as the daughters of the King, it becomes easier to accept that we have value, that we are worthy and can make a meaningful contribution to our spheres of influence.

This knowledge is a call to prayerfully discover the beautiful and fulfilling plan that God has for each one of us to be fully women and to be agents of change in our families, in the workplace, in the Church, and in society.

“Let it happen to me as you have said.”

Arinze Joseph Ani

Letter from Nigeria

bedeviling our beloved country, Nigeria”.

The archbishop said that “these terrorist attacks on citizens and foreigners in Nigeria must be addressed concretely for the benefit of all and for the unity of Nigeria”.

He warned that, 19 years into the civilian government, “the unity of Nigeria is at the edge. There are war songs, accompanied with war drums, across the country.

Unless we, both individually and collectively, engage in genuine stock-taking and begin to address our legion of problems, gradually without deception by both the leaders and the led, our country may be heading towards a calamitous fall”.

To avoid the fall of Nigeria, we are to work and pray. We are to walk our prayers and our positive talks. For our Nigeria not to fall, we are to remain optimistic and keep hope alive and active. To be optimistic is “to expect the best in all things”.

Nothing should separate us from God’s love (Rom 8:31-39).

This attitude should be adhered to not only by Nigerians but by all the peoples of the various nations of the world. We all need to be closer to the Lord, now more than ever.

As godly citizens and patriots of our various nations, we owe our countries this one great task of prayer for them, daily. For without God, we can do nothing (Jn 15:5).

7

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

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

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8

The Southern Cross, August 1 to August 7, 2018

COMMUNITY

Pupils at Assumption Convent School in Germiston, Johannesburg, participated in the Johannesburg Districts Eskom Science Expo 2018 and brought home three silver and three bronze medals. Seen is the team (from left) Meghan Vetten, Catarina Regal, Hannah Abrosie, kelsey kearns, Nadia Sousa, Alessia Alegretti, Brittany Pearson, Angelia Antonie, and Nicole da Silva.

Catechumens of Blessed Liberat parish in Newlands West, Durban, are seen with Fr Sekabata Solomon Mphela OFM.

Comboni missionary Ricardo de Sousa was ordained a deacon at Orange Farm, in the Vaal deanery south-east of Johannesburg, in a celebration presided over by Auxiliary Bishop Duncan Tsoke. (Submitted by Fr Joseph Rebelo)

Fr Justin Stirton of Our Lady of Fatima parish in Durban North celebrated the 21st anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood with members of the Catholic Women’s League. (Submitted by Anna Accolla)

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pics@scross.co.za

Twenty young people were confirmed at St John Bosco parish in Robertsham, Johannesburg,

by Archbishop Buti Tlhagale and parish priest Fr John Thompson SDB. (Submitted by kM Luk)

St kevin’s parish in Windvogel, Port Elizabeth, held an outreach fun day for children in the area and in nearby Salt Lake, Hillside and Helenvale.

(Submitted by Jolindon Petersen)

Forty children celebrated their First Communion at St Ninian’s parish in kuils River, Cape Town, with parish priest Fr Raphael Thomas. Their catechists were Magdalene and Leslie Selbourne. (Submitted by Cemelia Walbrugh)

Every year on the feast day of its patron, St Anthony’s church in Sedgefield, near knysna, organises a dinner for parishioners and friends. The women who cooked and served the three-course dinner are (from left) Helen Spengler, Joan de Jager, Bobbi Morgan-Smith, Fay Jones, Heather Milward and Joan O’Donnell.

Contact us: Tel 041 373-0039 / Mobile 074 376-5833 / Email retreat@catholic-pe.co.za

The Southern Cross, August 1 to August 7, 2018

FAITH

9

Why ‘Rosary Priest’ still counts today He was world-famous as the ‘Rosary Priest’ and was among the first to use technology to evangelise. LIZZY JOSLYN reviews the times of Fr Patrick Peyton.

N

EARLY three decades after his death, Fr Patrick Peyton still receives fanmail.

People from all over the world submit letters and electronic notes—intercessory prayer requests and stories of prayers answered in the name of Fr Peyton—to the desk of Fr David Marcham.

Fr Marcham, who is now vicepostulator for the cause of Venerable Patrick Peyton and director of the Father Peyton Guild, first discovered the many prayer requests and gratefully triumphant notes during a chance visit to Holy Cross Ministries in Easton, Massachusetts.

The prayerful notes inspired him to join the effort in spreading Fr Peyton’s message by advancing his cause for sainthood.

“Fr Peyton has the ability through his message and through his intercession to work on the level of our individual families, but also to work worldwide,” he said.

Fr Patrick Peyton (1909-1992) was a dynamic advocate for family prayer and a trailblazer in radio broadcast and televised evangelisation.

Like many Irish families, he grew

up praying the Rosary. His devotion to Mary deepened when he was healed of advanced tuberculosis with no explanation, shortly after his ordination. He credited the intercession of the Blessed Mother for his recovery, and became committed to spreading the importance of prayer through Mary.

In doing so, he caught the attention of Hollywood.

After World War II ended, Fr Peyton began a radio show to pray in thanksgiving for peace.

His show reached wide audiences with his passionate calls for family prayer, and it featured prominent public figures, from US President Harry Truman to New York’s Archbishop Francis Spellman.

A strong proponent of the Rosary and a firm believer in its power, Fr Peyton had each guest pray the Rosary for the world to hear.

Bring in the stars However, executives of the radio station wanted to explore the idea of bringing in Hollywood stars. Fr Peyton ambitiously called the Catholic singer-actor Bing Crosby, who had just seen big success with his Oscar-winning role as a priest in 1944’s Going My Way. “After Fr Peyton explained what he was doing, [Crosby] said, ‘Of course I’ll be on the programme!’” said Fr Willy Raymond, the current Holy Cross Family Ministries president and previous director of Family Theater Productions, both of which Fr Peyton began.

Irish-born Fr Patrick Peyton, the “Rosary Priest”, who was one of the first clerics to use the potential of modern technology to evangelise.

“With [Crosby’s] name on it, it really got the nation’s attention,” Fr Raymond added.

Family Theater Productions continues Fr Peyton’s legacy in the film industry, providing a community for Hollywood Catholics and producing spiritual content.

One of its most recent efforts, The Dating Project, was released in the US in April, and a programme called “Catholic Central” provides

short, informative films geared towards young people.

Along with promoting prayer in his shows, Fr Peyton held “Rosary Rallies” around the world—from Peru to the Philippines to Papua New Guinea, and in 1955 in South Africa—earning him the title that he still bears to this day: “The Rosary Priest”.

Last December, Pope Francis recognised the heroic virtues of Fr Peyton, declaring him “Venerable”.

The information on the priest’s life is currently under review for further advancement toward canonisation.

An event celebrating the declaration of Fr Peyton as Venerable drew a crowd of around 700 people to Holy Cross Family Ministries in Massachusetts in June.

Included in the celebration were three key parts of Fr Peyton’s faithbased daily routine: a Eucharistic procession, a celebration of the Mass, and the praying of the Rosary.

“Every day, no matter how busy he was, Fr Peyton prayed the Rosary many times during the day… he always made a holy hour with Eucharistic adoration as a part of his day,” said Fr Marcham. “And he also, every day, celebrated the holy sacrifice of the Mass.”

Every family has a story Fr Marcham was inspired by the turnout at the June event. He said many attendees found it “spiritually uplifting to hear that Fr Peyton’s cause is progressing…they also found it was spiritually uplifting to be part of it”.

When Fr Peyton came to SA

BY GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER

A

n article by Andrew Murray, the urbane managing editor of The Southern Cross, examined the power “behind the magnetic appeal” of Fr Peyton.

“It is not the oratory,” Mr Murray found. “He speaks quietly into the microphone in his west of Ireland accent, his

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W

HEN Fr Patrick Peyton toured South Africa from March to June 1955, he drew around 187 000 people to his various events.

And on his 70-day, 20 000km-long tour, the “Rosary Priest” didn’t just visit the usual urban centres, but also places off the beaten track such as De Aar, Upington, Glen Cowie, Aliwal, Lydenburg, Nelspruit, Ladysmith, Vryheid and Maria Ratschitz, as well as Roma in Lesotho.

The US priest—he was born in 1909 at Attymass in Ireland, about 40km from the shrine of Our Lady of Knock—drew huge multiracial crowds for his rallies in most places. 28 000 for the Rosary rally at Johannesburg’s Rand Stadium; 25 000 in Durban’s Albert Stadium; 20 000 at St Joseph’s College in Cape Town (on the hottest day of the year, as The Southern Cross noted); 10 000 in Port Elizabeth, 9 000 in Pretoria; 7 000 at Pietermaritzburg (where a storm cut short Fr Peyton’s address); 5000 at Kokstad; 5 000 at Mariannhill; 4 000 at Newcastle; 3 000 in Pietersburg (now Polokwane); 2 500 at Empangeni; 2 000 at Eshowe, more in East London.

But he also spoke to smaller groups, such as the 500 who turned out at Maria Ratschitz mission in KwaZulu-Natal, where a temporary Lourdes grotto was erected for the occasion.

At the height of the apartheid regime’s fear of the Roomse gevaar, Fr Peyton was welcomed by officials such as mayors, assorted senators and other dignitaries of the state.

And, of course, all the bishops of South Africa were galvanised by Fr Peyton’s tour—especially at a time when the Catholic school system was under threat from the Bantu Education Act. With that in mind, Archbishop Denis Hurley of Durban noted in his Lenten letter that “it seems a special arrangement of Divine Providence” that Fr Peyton’s Family Rosary Crusade should be preached in South Africa “at a time when we so grievously need the help of God and the prayers of his Blessed Mother”.

A huge fundraising campaign later that year exceeded all targets and safeguarded the Catholic schools.

The sweeping commonality that “every one of us comes from a family”—along with the late priest’s zeal for holiness—is what still draws people to Fr Peyton, said Fr Marcham.

Many, he said, speak of the “realisation of how something is going on in every person’s family—even the ones that look like they’re perfect from the outside”.

“Fr Peyton offers a way for us to have God’s grace help us to reconcile, to heal, to move through challenges.”

Like the families of the postWorld War II era, modern families face difficulties, said Fr Marcham.

“We basically have schedules and structures of life today that have family members going in all different directions,” he said, adding that many modern families struggle with high divorce rates, addictions, misuse or overuse of technology, and a demanding corporate culture.

“Making sure that God is welcome in the home is absolutely essential to give meaning and purpose to people’s lives,” Fr Raymond noted.

When a family is rooted in prayer, he said, children “grow up knowing and trusting that God is real, that he’s present, that he loves them, and he’s going to be with them through thick and thin”.

Both priests recalled Fr Peyton’s popular saying, “The family that prays together stays together”.

“We need the biggest promoter of this message we could get, and he’s the one,” Fr Marcham said.— CNA

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Fr Patrick Peyton blesses the rosaries of children at Holy Cross mission in Alexandra, Johannesburg, during his long tour of South Africa in 1955. huge frame stooping forward slightly, and in cold print his words may seem trite— even sentimental.”

However, Mr Murray wrote, “when Fr Peyton says ‘O God, You are real. You exist’—platitudes in print—the tremendous implications of the truth which have become stale to most of us because of the laziness of our minds and poverty of our imagination are suddenly brought home to his listeners with an almost unbearable poignancy.”

If it was not the oratory that moved many in the crowds to tears, then “it could be sanctity—or something very close to it”, Mr Murray wrote.

“It seems as if God is speaking through a man who has seen him, who has been at once dazzled and illuminated interiorly.”

F

ather Peyton’s schedule was punishing, even for a man of just 46. Apart from his rallies, he visited countless Catholic institutions (schools, convents, children’s homes, and so on), interacted and prayed with clergy, and attended official functions

thrown for him by bishops and mayors.

Some of these pastoral visits attracted huge crowds in their own right. At Oakford Priory in Verulam, near Durban, a thousand schoolchildren of all races came together to pray with Fr Peyton.

On a hospital visit in Cape Town somebody stole his rosary. The culprit, it turned out, was a blind, deaf and dumb girl named Tina. Fr Peyton’s own miraculous recovery from advanced tuberculosis—he told the story of that many times on his trip—gave him an extra empathy for patients. His “stolen” rosary was in good hands.

As he boarded his flight to Nairobi at Johannesburg’s airport, Fr Peyton thanked “everyone in South Africa for all that they have done to ensure the success of the Family Rosary Crusade”, and paid tribute to “our good Catholic people for the response that they gave to this appeal for the Daily Family Rosary in every home”.

Fr Peyton reserved a special word of gratitude for The Southern Cross, “which has done so much to give publicity to the Crusade”.

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10

The Southern Cross, August 1 to August 7, 2018

REFLECTION

What the Transfiguration means On August 6, the Church celebrates the feast of the Transfiguration, the event when Jesus was transfigured, his face shining as the sun and his garments becoming white as the light before the prophets Elijah and Moses appear. FR RALPH DE HAHN reflects on its significance.

T

HE Transfiguration of the Lord, the feast of which we celebrate on August 6, speaks of intrigue and mystery.

There is so much in sacred Scripture which prefigures this extraordinary event. It is the inauguration of the Messianic age; the true feast of Tabernacles has arrived.

Luke says that “Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and went up the mountain to pray” (9:28). It is a prayer event with a clear message. Matthew and Mark also relate the event.

All three evangelists mention this to take place six—or maybe eight—days “after that”. What is this “after that” to which are they referring? It would appear they are all recalling the confession of Peter, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God”, at Caesarea Philippi (Mt 16).

There is evidently some strong relationship in these two events: Peter’s acclamation of faith, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is ratified in the Transfiguration.

Again we have the mountain symbolism: God speaks from the heights with authority and power; it speaks of some closeness to God himself, and sometimes from a

The

cloud. The Scriptures speak often of mountain encounters with God and man.

On the mountains We have Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah, Moses on Mount Sinai and Mount Horeb (and he died on a mountain!), Elijah on Mount Carmel, and so on in the Old Testament.

In the Gospel we have Mounts Tabor and Hermon, the Mount of Olives (with the site of Jesus’ arrest in Gethsemane at the foot of it) and Mount Zion, on which the Lord instituted the Eucharist. And, of course, there’s Calvary.

There are two interesting mountain events from Exodus which, I feel, may offer a key to interpreting the Transfiguration, which tradition places on Mount Tabor in Galilee.

Moses took Aaron, Nadab and Abihu with him up the mountain, but Moses alone approached Yahweh, and finally sealed the covenant with God’s people as “a cloud covered the mountain and the glory of Yahweh settled on Mount Sinai” (Ex 24:16).

A more dramatic occurrence on Mount Sinai is “when Moses did not know that his skin was radiant, because he had been speaking to Yahweh” and so placed a veil over his face (Ex 34:29). Moses’ request is fascinating: “Show me your glory, I beg you.” Yahweh replies: “You cannot see my face and live…my face is not to be seen” (Ex 33:18).

In the Sinai, the light of revelation came from the outside; however in the Mount Tabor revelation, the light of Jesus came from the inside, as related by the three evangelists. “His face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light” (Matthew). Dazzingly white, whiter than any earthly bleach (Mark). His face was changed, his clothing became brilliant as lightning (Luke).

The disciples were obviously in

The Transfiguration is depicted in a mural in the Franciscan church on Mount Tabor in Galilee, where tradition places the miracle. shock and fearful. This particular mountain revelation took place at the end of the feast of Tabernacles.

The truly great events in Jesus’ life were very much connected to the Jewish festival calendar. This great event took place at the end of the feast of Tabernacles (or of huts, or tents) which prompted Peter, in total confusion, to utter: “Master, let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

A short reflection brings to mind the prologue of John: “…and the Word became flesh and he pitched his tent among us” (1:14). At once we are linked up to the Incarnation; the babe of Bethlehem is here glorified.

Cloud of God The vision lasted only a few seconds, but Moses, the great lawgiver, and Elijah, the greatest of the Jewish prophets, accompanied Jesus and were clearly speaking to him.

Again we have the cloud and the voice, “This is my son, my beloved, listen to him”, as occurred at the Jordan at Jesus’ baptism (Mk 1:9; Lk 3:21).

We find the Cloud of God’s presence so often: “Yahweh went before them by day in the form of a pillar of cloud” (Ex 13:21); “In the wilderness, there was the glory of Yahweh appearing in the form of a cloud” (Ex 16: 10). See also Leviticus16:2, Ezekiel 1:28, 1 Kings

8:12, and Psalm 97:2.

Both Moses and Elijah were privileged to receive God’s revelation, and here on this mountain they are conversing, in person, with the One who is God’s revelation. But speaking of what? “They were speaking of his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem” (Lk 9:31).

This spectacular vision is centred on the cross, but with a glittering hope. This passion will lead to a glorious triumph in Christ.

The three disciples get a short glimpse of his glory: “It is not some cleverly invented myth we speak of...we had seen his majesty for ourselves...he was honoured and glorified by the Father…we heard this, spoken from heaven, when we were with him on the mountain” (2 Peter 1:16-18).

All the previous mountain revelations now reach the peak. The messianic age has arrived.

We remember that on Sinai the people received God’s teaching word; here Jesus is revealed as the perfect Torah, the very Word of God made flesh.

It is interesting indeed to hear Jesus say: “Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not see death until they see the Kingdom of God come with power” (Mk 9:1). He is not speaking about the end of the world but rather the great happening on Mount Tabor.

He promised that the disciples would personally witness the coming of the Kingdom in Christ, for the true feast of Tabernacles had come.

The three witnesses experience the anticipation of the passion as the way to glory. However, coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them to “tell no one about this vision until the Son of Man has risen from the dead”. n Fr Ralph de Hahn is a priest of the archdiocese of Cape Town.

Where is the real place S outher n C ross of the Transfiguration?

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RADITION holds that the Transfiguration of Jesus took place on Mount Tabor, the 586 metre-high bluff which overlooks the Jezreel (or Esdraelon) plains.

Some scholars argue that the Transfiguration took place not on Mount Tabor, but on Mount Hermon, near Caesarea Philippi in the far north, where the Gospels locate Jesus a few days before the Transfiguration episode.

But Mount Hermon at 1 800m is high and for much of the year snow-covered, and therefore not easily accessible.

Early Christian documents are quite clear about the location of the Transfiguration: on Mount Tabor.

On the other hand, some archaeologists suggest that in Jesus’ time the top of Mount Tabor was settled by people, a proposition that might swing things back to Mount Hermon.

Early Church historians also could not make up their minds. The early 4th-century historian bishop Eusebius of Caesarea entertained both notions, while the anonymous Bordeaux Pilgrim on his journey in 333 AD seems to have been told that the Transfiguration took place on the Mount of Olives.

Cyril of Jerusalem, the great Doctor of the Church, settled the issue in 348 AD when he decided on Mount Tabor.

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he Piacenza Pilgrim of 570 reported seeing three basilicas on Mount Tabor. Presumably he meant the three large chapels dedicated to Christ, Moses and Elijah respectively, which still form part of the modern Catholic church.

The Moses chapel is covered by the north tower (to the left of the entrance), and Elijah’s chapel, with its original Byzantine mosaic floor, by the south tower. Obviously they represent the three tents which Peter proposed to erect.

The splendid church on Mount Tabor is built in the Roman-Syrian style architecture

The church of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor in Galilee. of the Byzantine age, but it is, in Holy Land terms, young, even as it incorporates remnants from the Byzantine and Crusader structures.

One such remnant is the apse to which one descends 14 steps to have Mass; it is part of the crypt of the old Byzantine church.

The altar is from the Crusader period, and its vaulted ceiling is decorated with a series of mosaics with the recurring theme of three angels who preside over Christ’s birth, the Lamb of God, the Eucharist, and the Resurrection.

The church was inaugurated in 1924. Like many great churches in the Holy Land, it was designed by the Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi (1884-1960). n This is an excerpt from Günther Simmermacher’s book The Holy Land Trek, which is now in its second edition.

The Southern Cross, August 1 to August 7, 2018

CLASSIFIEDS

Fr Didacus McGrath OFM Cap

C

APUCHIN Franciscan Father Didacus McGrath died peacefully on July 18 at Nazareth House in Cape Town, having received Communion the Sunday before, his final meal for the journey to eternal life.

Born Ronald James Daniel McGrath in Cork, Ireland, in 1929, he answered the call to the priesthood through joining the Capuchin Order and credited his decision to the support of his parents and the fervent prayers of his mother.

Taking the religious name of Didacus, he received the Capuchin habit in 1947, and made his final profession in 1951 on the feast day of St Francis. He was ordained a priest in 1956.

Just a few months later, the young Fr Didacus, 27, left Ireland for South Africa, and was appointed to Immaculate Conception parish in Parow, Cape Town.

This was during the apartheid years and he witnessed first-hand the tragedy of the time as well as the tremendous work done by the Holy Cross Sisters, with whom the friars worked closely.

After some years as parish priest in Parow, Fr Didacus served in various parishes on the Cape Flats, including Athlone, Belgravia, Bridgetown, Langa and Welcome Estate. His seven

years in Langa left a particularly lasting impression on him.

His ministry at St Theresa’s in Welcome Estate would be the longest and last place he could call home.

Many people continue to testify fondly to Fr Didacus’ ministry of visits to the homes of parishioners, often made on foot.

Even in his old age, you could be certain that if Fr Didacus could remember your face, he would also know your name and street address. If you were fortunate enough to be baptised by him, you can be sure there is a black address book with your name in it.

Fr Didacus, while a very mod-

Southern CrossWord solutions

This week we congratulate: August 6: Bishop Pius Mlungusi Dlungwane of Mariannhill on the 18th anniversary of his episcopal ordination August 6: Bishop Dabula Anthony Mpako of Queenstown on the 7th anniversary of his episcopal ordination

SOLUTIONS TO 822. ACROSS: 5 Cowl, 7 Misfortune, 8 Mimi, 10 Finalist, 11 Spoils, 12 Euclid, 14 Belloc, 16 Skimps, 17 Retainer, 19 Pure, 21 Blind faith, 22 Asks. DOWN: 1 Imam, 2 Official, 3 Crafts, 4 Nuance, 5 Cell, 6 Worshipper, 9 Implements, 13 Caiaphas, 15 Candid, 16 Stride, 18 Albs, 20 Echo.

Liturgical Calendar Year B – Weekdays Cycle Year 2 Sunday August 5, 18th Sunday of the Year Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15, Psalm 78:3-4, 23-25, 54, Ephesians 4:17, 20-24, John 6:24-35 Monday August 6, Transfiguration of the Lord Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 or 2 Peter 1:16-19, Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 9, Mark 9:2-10 Tuesday August 7, Ss Sixtus II & Companions, St Cajetan Jeremiah 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22, Psalm 102:16-21, 29, 22-23, Matthew 14:22-36 Wednesday August 8, St Dominic Jeremiah 31:1-7, Responsorial psalm Jeremiah 31:10-13, Matthew 15:21-28 Thursday August 9, St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

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est man, was admired for his deep theological insight, coupled with a prayerful disposition. He studied Afrikaans at Stellenbosch University and could speak Xhosa fluently, and in later years took to studying psychology.

Fr Didacus also enjoyed listening to classical music; was tech-savvy, embracing opportunities to learn from new technologies; and kept abreast of current affairs by reading newspapers and magazines in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa.

His sharp wit was always accompanied by a twinkle in his eye.

Aside from parochial duties, Fr Didacus also cared for his brother Capuchins in many respects and took leadership of the Capuchins in South Africa, serving as a religious superior from 1971 to 1976, and again from 1989 to 1991.

On May 10, 2016, at the age of 86, Fr Didacus celebrated the 60th anniversary of his ordination at St Theresa’s.

Shortly thereafter, his health declined and he retired to Nazareth House.

On May 10, he celebrated the 62nd anniversary of his priesthood, and though weak and fragile, still had a healthy appetite, enjoying a generous serving of cake.

Our bishops’ anniversaries

YOUr clASSiFieDS

iN MeMOriAM

PAGe—Noel. Passed away on August 1, 2011. Today you are in our memory, leaving us to receive your welldeserved reward. Nothing can fade the past, till we meet again. Your whole family, your loving and eternal wife, Lise.

PrAYerS

urgent need and grant my petitions. In return I promise to make your name known and publish this prayer.

Amen. Leon and karen.

MOSt HOlY lOrD, I see your works here on earth. I stand amazed at the beauty and magnificent scenes before me. Thank you for my joy that is not claimed by life’s sadness and disappointments. I thank you for keeping me in your wings of love. You are so very precious to me and I will forever be yours in faith and hope.

Blessed be your name in all of the earth, I pray. Amen.

PerSONAl

HOlY St JUDe, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke you, special patron in time of need. To you I have recourse from the depths of my heart and humbly beg you to come to my assistance. Please help me now in my urgent need and grant my petition. In return I promise to make your name known in distribution of this prayer that never fails. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be forever blessed and glorified. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us and grant my request (name your request). Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be. Dermot PE. HOlY St JUDe, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke you, special patron in time of need. To you I have recourse from the depths of my heart and humbly beg you to come to my assistance. Help me now in my

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JOHANNeSBUrG: St Anthony’s church in Coronationville is calling for donations of tinned fish, peanut butter, jam, butter and juice for their soup kitchen. Contact Faried and Nadine Benn on 073 906 6037 or 083 658 2573. cAPe tOWN: Retreat day/quiet prayer last Saturday of each month except December, at Springfield Convent in Wynberg, Cape Town. Hosted by CLC, 10.00-15.30. Contact Jill on 083 282 6763 or Jane on 082 783 0331.

Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Good Shepherd parish, 1 Goede Hoop St, Bothasig, welcomes all visitors. Open 24 hours a day. Phone 021 558 1412.

Helpers of God’s Precious Infants. Mass on last Satur-

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day of every month at 9:30 at Sacred Heart church in Somerset Road, Cape Town.

Followed by vigil at abortion clinic. Contact Colette Thomas on 083 412 4836 or 021 593 9875 or Br Daniel SCP on 078 739 2988.

DUrBAN: Holy Mass and Novena to St Anthony at St Anthony’s parish every Tuesday at 9:00. Holy Mass and Divine Mercy Devotion at 17:30 on first Friday of every month. Sunday Mass at 9:00. Phone 031309 3496 or 031 209 2536.

St Anthony’s rosary group.

Every Wednesday at 18:00 at St Anthony’s church opposite Greyville racecourse. All are welcome and lifts are available. Contact keith Chetty on 083 372 9018.

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.

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Friday August 10, St Lawrence Saturday August 11, St Clare

T he

1 Kings 19:4-8, Psalm 34:2-9, Ephesians 4:30—5:2, John 6:41-51

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Fr Townsend gives parishes a medical check

Habakkuk 1:12—2,4, Psalm 9:8-13, Matthew 17:14-20 Sunday August 12, 19th Sunday of the Year

Southern C ross

July 25 to July 31, 2018

Page 7

Page 9

P et rol pr ice sp ik e hur ts p oo r mos t

BY CHRISTEN TORRES

W

ITH a fifth successive petrol price rise expected to be imposed in August—the Automobile Association has predicted an increase of 19c per litre for petrol, 13c for diesel and 22c for illuminating paraffin—a Catholic analyst has called on government to reconsider the amount in taxes it levies on fuel and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. ‘’Fuel is one of the basic input costs of almost all sectors of the economy: if it costs more, so will all the goods and services in the economy; and poor people can least afford such increased costs,’’ said Mike Pothier, programme manager of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office.

This price spike is specifically significant for the poorest, with low-income households often making use of paraffin to fuel their lights, heating and cooking. The increase will also affect them in regard to public transport.

Taxi services will likely raise the price of fares to compensate for the increased petrol price.

The first petrol price increase was imposed in April 2018, after former finance minister Malusi Gigaba announced the first increase in VAT in 24 years.

The VAT increase, coupled with the government’s increase in the general fuel levy, led to the first real petrol price spike of the year.

The last increase, in July, saw the price of petrol jump by 26c a litre, following a whopping 82c increase in June.

On April 3, a litre of 95 petrol cost R13,27—the current price is R15,43 (coastal rates).

After the fourth price increase at the start of July, South Africans began forming online communities to protest against the negative effects of the price increase.

While petrol prices are governed by international oil prices and the strength of the rand to the US dollar, government could pro-

As South Africa faces a fifth successive hike in the petrol price, analysts warn that the effects of higher fuel costs hurt the poor most. vide some relief, though not without sacrifice, said Mr Pothier.

“One area where government could do something to ease the pain would be to reconsider the amount of tax it levies on petrol.

At present, R5,30 of each litre goes to government in taxes, and that figure has increased drastically in recent years,” he said.

“The problem is that if government reduces the tax on petrol it has to find the money somewhere else—VAT, income tax— or it has to find ways of reducing the amount it spends: that is difficult, and cannot be achieved overnight,” Mr Pothier noted.

With a view to the longer-term, he suggested that “the biggest change should be to encourage the use of electric vehicles, especially for public transport. We should be working urgently towards electric buses and taxis—they travel relatively short distances and can be recharged overnight, when electricity demand is low’’, Mr Pothier explained.

“Government should follow the lead of some European countries which provide subsidised charging points. Conversion to electric-powered vehicles would also have major benefits for air quality and health in our cities,” he said.

‘Why one night I drove home naked’

Page 10

Students at Assumption Convent School in Germiston, Johannesburg, took part in a competition to design fully recyclable outfits.

The Miss

Eco 2018 winner was Melissa de Jesus (right), with second going to Nokutenda Madziwa and Xaviera Ajimuda, and third place to Jenna Mortimer and Morgan Rothmann.

Pope’s wedding surprise P OPE Francis surprised wedding guests when he unexpectedly celebrated a marriage being held at a small chapel in the Vatican Gardens.

The wedding between Luca Schäfer, a member of the Swiss Guard, and Letícia Vera, a former employee of the Vatican Museums, took place in the church of St Stephen of the Abyssinians, just outside St Peter’s basilica.

Sources told the Portuguese Catholic news agency ACI Digital that only the bridal couple knew that Pope Francis was going to preside over the wedding. The pope’s arrival surprised the guests—and the priests who concelebrated the wedding.

According to Vatican Media, the pope preached about three verbs that can help couples to experience the fullness of marriage: “to begin”, “to stop”, and “to resume the journey”.

This was not the first time that Pope Francis celebrated a wedding at the Vatican. In

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Transfiguration of the Lord

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Pope Francis presides over the nuptials of Luca Schäfer and Letícia Vera.

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19th Sunday: August 12 Readings: 1 Kings 19:4-8, Psalm 34:2-9, Ephesians 4:30-5:2, John 6:41-51

S outher n C ross

S

OMETIMES we find ourselves believing (Hopefully? Gloomily? It could run either way) in a God who lives at a distance and does not get involved in our world. As next Sunday’s readings indicate, this is not the God of the Old Testament or of the New. The Old Testament God, in the first reading, is the one who is dealing with Elijah in the desert. The man of God is thoroughly fed up, a day’s journey into the desert, on the run from Jezebel, who is aiming to kill him; and he tells God: “Take my life—because I’m no better than my ancestors.”

Like many people in that situation, he takes refuge in sleep; but God does not permit such an evasion of his responsibilities: “Behold! An angel touched him and said to him ‘Up you get and eat!’ And he looked and behold! At his head a hearth-cake and a jug of water. Then he ate and drank, and went back to sleep.”

But, once again, God is insistent with this craven servant of his, and “the angel of the Lord came back a second time and told him to get up and eat”.

This time he gets the message, and “in the power of the food he walked forty days and forty nights as far as the mountain of God—Horeb”. And for the remarkable events that took place there, God is very much get-

ting involved in the life not only of Elijah, but also in Syrian politics (you will have to read soon the rest of chapter 19).

The author of our psalm is well aware that God gets thoroughly involved, singing enthusiastically: “I shall bless the Lord at all times, always his praise on my lips” and “In the Lord my soul shall glory…magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name for ever.”

This is not a remote sort of God, indifferent to human beings, but one who actually answers prayers: “I sought for the Lord and he answered me, from all my fears he delivered me…the Lord heard, from all my anguish he saved me.”

And God is very close: “This poor one called, and the Lord heard, from all my distress he saved me; the angel of the Lord makes his camp around those who fear him, and delivers them.”

The confidence in a God who deals with the real world is unmistakeable: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; happy is the one who takes refuge in God.” The second reading, continuing Ephesians, clearly has no idea of a God that is utterly remote: “Do not grieve God’s Spirit”, it starts, and

R

I do, and given the quirks of my personality, I find myself perennially overwhelmed by my inadequacy in the area of staying close to family and friends, including very dear friends. The task isn’t easy.

Sunday Reflections

there is something revolutionary in the idea that such a thing might even be possible.

Not only that, but the author tells his audience that “you have been sealed by the Spirit for the day of redemption”. Then he draws a telling contrast between phenomena that might “grieve God’s Spirit” (bitterness, anger, rage, shouting, blasphemy) and those that might do the opposite, when people are “kindly, merciful, graciously generous”, and comments that this is what “God graciously gave you in Christ”.

This is not a distant God, but one who can be “imitated” by “beloved children”; and it matters to God that we “walk in love, just as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as an offering and sacrifice to God, for a fragrant odour” (that last phrase refers, of course, to a sacrifice that would be appealing to God, rather than to any deodorant).

In the Gospel, likewise, neither God nor Jesus is remote; he tells his opponents that “I am the Bread which came down from heaven”; but they look a bit closer to home: “Isn’t this Jesus, Joseph’s son, whose father and mother we know? How come he is now saying ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

To the friends I’ve known ECENTLY, reading the US Catholic magazine Commonweal, I was struck by this line by Jerry Ryan, a Little Brother of Jesus: “I have lost contact with so many people who meant a lot to me at different stages of my life, people I loved dearly and really cared for and who had given me so much and made me what I am.”

That’s so true for me and, I suspect, for most of us. People enter our lives, friendships develop, and then some of those friends disappear from our lives.

Sometimes we move away, sometimes they move away, sometimes things change and we drift apart, or sometimes the affective bonds that held us together disintegrate and they, and we, move on. To the degree that we’re sensitive, there’s always some pain and guilt in this.

It’s not an unhealthy thing to feel the loneliness of that loss, nor is it unhealthy to feel that somehow we’ve failed and been less than attentive.

Indeed, sometimes we have been less than faithful, but mostly the blame for that (to the extent that some applies) lies inside our inculpable inadequacy. Only God is adequate. Only God has a heart big enough to be attentive to everyone personally and intimately at the same time. Only God never moves away or grows tired. And only God has the strength to forever be faithful.We cannot not be inadequate.

I struggle mightily with that inadequacy. Being a missionary, given the work

Nicholas King SJ

God puts out his hand to us

Jesus’ answer is very much in terms of a God who is close to us: “No one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me attract them”; and then we learn that Jesus is interested even in our death: “And I shall raise them up on the Last Day.” There is an unceasing interaction between God and people in the world: “Everyone who hears from the Father and learns comes to me.” But of course God is beyond what we can imagine, and so it is important to mention Jesus’ role: “The one who is from the Father and who learns, comes to me.” Only Jesus has seen the Father, it turns out, but that encounter is now made available to us, and so “the one who believes, has eternal life”.

Then his hearers are reminded of the story of our first reading: “Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert—and they died.” Finally comes the massive self-revelation of God and Jesus: “I am the Living Bread which came down from Heaven…the bread that I am going to give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

We can hardly begin to grasp how intimate is the relationship on offer from God’s side.

Southern Crossword #822

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

F

irst, I come from a very large family which through the generations has expanded into a virtual tribe. It could be a fulltime job just staying in touch with family.

Next, I’ve been ministering for more than 40 years and during that time have lived inside various Oblate houses with almost 200 different people. Community is family and, again, it would be a fulltime task just staying in touch with them all.

Then, during my years of doing graduate work, I had the privileged opportunity to develop long-lasting friendships with a number of classmates from different parts of the world.

Finally, during all those years of ministry, I’ve met hundreds of students in classrooms and thousands of people doing workshops and retreats. Most of those encounters were temporary and casual, but through the years a good number of meaningful friendships developed there as well.

And while all this was happening, I’ve lived and worked in four different countries and made friends in each of those places.

Then today there’s the further struggle to stay in touch with all the contacts one necessarily has to deal with on social media.

How does one keep meaningful contact

Conrad

with everyone? How does one not betray friends by simple neglect?

Even as I’m deeply thankful to have so rich a treasury of family and friends, not infrequently I’m overwhelmed with the task of staying in meaningful contact with them, and at those times I feel some guilt about forever being out of touch with so many people I was once close to.

Sometimes friends whom I have been out of touch with remind me, and not always delicately, of my neglect of our friendship. But as the years go by and the problem grows larger rather than smaller, I am making more peace with my inadequacy and guilt—if not always with some of my neglected friends.

What helps is to remind myself constantly of what a great grace it is to have so large a family and to have such a large number of friends. There are few things for which to be more grateful.

Next, I do try to stay in meaningful touch with them to the extent that time, energy and distance allow.

Most importantly, though, given my inadequacy, I try to meet my family and friends at a place where time, energy and distance are eclipsed by an immediate, intimate presence. There’s one place where we’re not inadequate, where we can be at more places than one at the same time and where we can love countless people individually and intimately—namely, inside the Body of Christ.

Scripture tells us that, as believers, we form together a body that is a true living organism, with all parts affecting all other parts. Inside that body we’re present to each other, not fully consciously of course, but deeply, truly, actually.

And to the extent that we’re living our lives faithfully and sharing honest friendship and fellowship with those immediately around us, we’re not only healthy enzymes helping bring health to the body, we’re also present to each other, affectively, in a way that touches us at the deepest level of our souls. There is a place where we are not neglecting each other.

And so, to all my friends: we’re still together!

ACrOSS

5. Monk’s hood (4) 7. Bad luck as fire mounts (10) 8. Singer who repeats the same note? (4) 10. Lifts Ian up to be among the last contestants (8) 11. Spares the rod and ... the child (6) 12. Ancient Greek mathematician (6) 14. English Catholic writer from old boy cell (6) 16. Kiss politician who stints (6) 17. Fee paid to the holder? (8) 18. Unadulterated (4) 21. There’s no sight of such absolute trust (5,5) 22. Requests information (4)

DOwN

1. Fatima may embrace the Muslim (4) 2. Having approval of Church or State (8) 3. Arts that go with little boats (6) 4. Ace nun makes subtle difference (6) 5. Kind of phone in monk’s room (4) 6. One at Sunday Mass (10) 9. Simple men Tsar has among his tools (10) 13. Annas was his father-in-law (Jn 18) (8) 15. Frank is able and got it done (6) 16. Walk on the Camino boldly (6) 18. White vestments (4) 20. Backchat from the Greek nymph? (4)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

T

WO brothers were getting up to a lot of mischief so their mother sent them to the no-nonsense priest for some good old-fashioned discipline.

First the priest sees the older boy. “Where’s God?” he asks. The boy doesn’t reply.

The priest asks louder: “Where’s God?” The boy still doesn’t reply.

Now the priest shouts: “Where’s God?” The boy rushes out of the priest’s office, runs home, pulls his little brother under the bed and says: “Oh, man, we’re in trouble now. God’s gone missing and they think we’re responsible.”

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