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Bishop: Let the heart propel us to action

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Plans for SA Taizé meeting gather pace BY ERIN CARELSE

Frs Lindelwa Dlamini of St Michael's mission in Mariannhill, Owen Jimu from Malawi and Tiago Vilanculo from Mozambique were ordained at Mariannhill monastery church by Bishop Mandla Siegfried Jwara CMM of Ingwavuma. He also ordained Gino Bembele CMM and John Omalla CMM to the transitory diaconate. Fr Dlamini will now be serving at Elandskop parish in Durban archdiocese; Fr Jimu at Emaus mission in Umzimkulu diocese, and Fr Vilanculo at Elukwatini parish in Witbank diocese. The two deacons, both Mariannhill Missionaries, are doing their final year of theology at St Joseph’s Theological Institute in Cedara. They will also assist at Elandskop. “God has shown us such goodness by calling these young men to our congregation and to the Church,” Fr Bheki Shabalala, provincial superior of the Mariannhill Missionarises, told The Southern Cross. “We hope that these young men will follow in the footsteps of our founder, Abbot Francis Pfanner—who died 110 years ago—and his contemporaries in reaching to the ends of the world in preaching the Good News.”

HE deadline to register for the international Taizé Meeting taking place in Cape Town in September is approaching fast, and preparations are gathering pace. The Taizé Pilgrimage of Trust is expected to draw 4 000-5 000 participants from September 25-29. The big task for the preparation team of the Taizé Brothers in Cape Town is to mobilise young people across the country to register, with the deadline for registration on July 21. Local young adults aged 18 to 35 will be joined by others from Africa and abroad—but the Brothers have found that motivating young adults to commit for these days of prayer and encounter has proven to be a more difficult task than finding families to host pilgrims from outside Cape Town. “As elsewhere in the world, a growing share of Cape Town youth tend to move away from Church practice after confirmation,” Br Luc Bourgoin noted. “The recited prayer, the rites, the sermons, seem to restrain an aspiration to individual fulfilment. “The practice of sport, of music, studies, entertainment, media, become the fields where young adults invest more and more of their time and where they soon start looking for the meaning of their existence,” he said. However, the Taizé Brothers believe that the originality of the September Pilgrimage of Trust, with its popular, international and ecumenical dimensions, will stimulate the interest of some. “Many are aware of the challenges young people are facing: access to education, to employment, commitment to family life, adherence to the faith, and so on. Meeting and sharing, in the field, with people who have gone through challenges and who serve others in different ways can inspire the young participants,” Br Luc said.

After Mass at St Clement’s church in Lotus River, Cape Town, the Taizé collected offers of accommodation for participants in the Pilgrimage of Trust in September. More than 400 participants have registered from around 20 African countries. In Nairobi, Kenya, a group of young people meets each month for a moment of prayer and sharing. They support each other in their efforts to save money for their flight. In Madagascar, students organised food sales to make ends meet. A hundred young Europeans are also preparing to attend. South African visa fees have been waived for those to whom they apply. Many of the pilgrims will come ahead of the days of the meeting to attend an immersion programme in a community not far from Cape Town. Some 80 local churches of various denominations have committed to offer hospitality to participants. In each host parish, a team collects accommodation offers from families, who have responded generously. “We shall continue to journey with the host churches until September and we have good hope that all participants will be accommodated in a family,” Br Luc said. To continue trying to reach young people and invite them, several preparation teams Continued on page 3

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Bishop: Only the heart propels us to action O NLY when we have a heart “can we change the misery of the world, because the heart propels us to action”, said the president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Addressing SACBC staff at a Mass, Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Mthatha said that “we become God’s children not by knowledge but by believing”, noting that while we do not have “a feast of the sacred mind of Jesus”, we do have a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. When knowledge is the measure for valuing people, we may have an exaggerated sense of awe for those who are knowledgeable, and disregard others, the bishop said.

“God chose to have a heart to identify the young and the old, the poor and the rich, the intelligent and the simple, so that he can be present and accessible to all,” he said. “So having a heart is the basis of respect for each and every person regardless of his or her status,” Bishop Sipuka stressed. Operating from the heart thus forms the basis for good relationships with others, while operating only from the mind easily leads to bad relationships because people are not valued as human and made in the image of God, he said. This is why Pope Francis is calling the Church and the world to have a heart, “because only when

we have a heart can we change the misery of the world, because the heart propels us to action”, the bishop said. “Having a heart without the truth leads to sentimentalism, where we exist only to make people feel happy,” Bishop Sipuka added. “On the other hand, having truth without a heart leads to cruelty and callousness where we do not care about the pain of other people.” The SACBC president called on staff of the institution to build “heart-to-heart relationships”. And, he added, “Where there are neglects and negligence, let us correct each other in a human way and with a heart.”

Bishop Sithembele Sipuka (front fourth from left) with the staff of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. He is flanked by SACBC secretary-general Sr Hermenegild Makoro CPS and associate secretarygeneral Fr Patrick Rakeketsi CSS.

Prison chaplain leaves SA for US: ‘Not enough words to thank you’ BY ERIN CARELSE

A St Mary’s cathedral in Cape Town welcomed the archdiocese’s new auxiliary bishop-elect. Pictured with altar servers are (from left) Fr Luigi Benigni, Deacon Stephen Armstrong, and Bishop-elect Fr Sylvester David. (Photo: Michelle Perry)

Soweto schools prepare for 100th STAFF REPORTER

HE centenary celebrations of Soweto’s Immaculata Secondary School and Lourdes Primary School will be launched at an opening Mass at the iconic Regina Mundi church in Moroka. The Mass on August 24 at 10:00 will be led by Jesuit Father Rampe Hlobo. It will be followed by speeches from alumni, former staff members, and Catholic religious. The event will be broadcast live by various community radio stations. Fundraising activities are planned for 2020, including a March Centenary Golf Day followed by a banquet.

In the 100 years since its founding by the Holy Cross Sisters, Immaculata has produced many students who have become distinguished professionals in various fields. Originally located in Alexandra township, the school was moved to Diepkloof in Soweto in 1970 in terms of the Group Areas Act. Immaculata is a co-ed school with between 600 and 700 learners. Its matric pass rate is regularly at or above 95%. Founded in 1919, Lourdes Primary used to be known as Holy Cross School. Like Immaculata it was based in Alexandra township and was moved to Diepkloof. After the Holy Cross Sis-

ters were withdrawn from Soweto in the wake of the 1976 uprising, the schools have been owned by Johannesburg archdiocese. “It is very important to remember the history of establishments like Immaculata Secondary School and Lourdes Primary School,” said principal Dr Matilda Dube. “The school has a long history of academia which is why we are calling on all past and current students and staff to get in contact and enjoy the celebrations,” said Advocate Kholwani Msomi, an alumnus. n For more information, contact Mahadi Buthelezi on 083 992-0387.

FTER serving Cape Town archdiocese since 2002, as a parish priest and as a prison chaplain, Indian-born Fr Mathai Babychan Arackathara MSFS has left South Africa. “It has been a great blessing to serve the people of Keetmanshoop, Namibia, Keimoes-Upington and Cape Town for the last 21 years,” he told The Southern Cross. His order, the Missionaries of St Francis de Sales, have sent Fr Arackathara to San Antonio archdiocese in Texas to work and undertake parttime studies. Ironically, the new auxiliary bishop of Cape Town, Bishop-elect Sylvester David, has just arrived in Cape Town from San Antonio. Fr Arackathara will be remembered for his prison chaplaincy. Earlier this year he published a book, Light Through the Bars: Understanding and Rethinking South Africa’s Prisons, on prison conditions and the situation of ex-offenders. The priest worked closely with the Prison Care and Support Network of Cape Town archdiocese. Staff, volunteers, ex-offenders and friends gathered to bid a very warm farewell to their chaplain. “When I wondered at times why I continue to do this

Fr Babychan Arackathara exits Holy Trinity church in Matroosfontein, Cape Town, after his farewell Mass there. work, you would always bring perspective and the importance of our cause and mission. You taught me attention to detail. I will miss most the Holy Mass you would offer in our office,” said the organisation’s Alledene Cupido, on behalf of staff. “We will always remember the calming presence you brought to our board meetings when we were faced with tough decisions, reminding us always of the importance of bringing our faith to others,” said Nathanael Siljeur on behalf of the board. “Through your display of love for one’s neighbour, you

have made me cross boundaries. Your humility, kindness and genuine nature have impacted many lives. Let your light shine, man of God, by the grace of God,” said Kingston (surname withheld) on behalf of offenders and exoffenders. “As a child of an ex-offender, there are not enough words to say thank you, Fr Babychan,” said Crystal (surname withheld) on behalf of families of offenders. “You have been to us the true image of Our Lord Jesus in your humility, kindness, and generosity. Thank you for giving us hope.” In Light Through the Bars, Fr Arackathara shares stories of offenders and ex-offenders in a bid to have their humanity seen and reminds readers that many are guilty of no crime other than poverty, noting that “innocence doesn’t pay bail”. Fr Arackathara, a former director of Prison Care and Support Network, currently represents Southern Africa at the International Commission of Catholic Prison Pastoral Care—an NGO recognised by the United Nations and a global Catholic chaplains’ movement—which promotes Mandela Rules and human rights inside prisons. He has also trained and empowered prison chaplains and restorative justice facilitators across Africa.

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The Southern Cross, July 10 to July 16, 2019

Moms and daughters join to heal painful memories BY ERIN CARELSE

Jesuits Ricardo da Silva (left) and Lodewicus Barnard were ordained to the transitory diaconate by Bishop Duncan Tsoke, auxiliary of Johannesburg, at Holy Trinity church in Braamfontein.

Mass celebrated to bless parish’s stained glass windows

AINT Patrick’s church in La Rochelle, Johannesburg, celebrated the blessing of its new stained glass windows and the unveiling of its plaque of sponsors. Bishop Duncan Tsoke, auxiliary of Johannesburg, led the celebration of the Mass. The Mass was concelebrated by

Frs Jorge Guerra, Pablo Velasquez, John Baptist Panpogee, Scalabrini superior Fr Mauro Lazzarato and regional councillor Fr Francesco Buttazzo, as well as former St Patrick’s parish priests Frs Garcia and Ivaldo Bettin, and visiting Scalabrini priests from Cape Town and Mozambique.

WORKSHOP on healing memories produced tangible results, according to participants. They spoke after attending a Durban archdiocese Justice & Peace (J&P) “Healing of Memories” weekend workshop for some 15 mothers and daughters at Mariannhill’s TreFontane retreat house. “The main purpose of the workshop is to break barriers between mothers and daughters and help them find closure of their past painful experiences,” Durban J&P coordinator Kalie Senyane said. “The programme has helped build relationships between parents and their children, and has paved a way for a better understanding of each other,” he said. The Healing of Memories workshop was started in 2017 when J&P saw a need to get involved in helping mothers and daughters, and fathers and sons, to address antagonism between them, bring about healing from painful experiences, and promote reconciliation. Fikile Zangwa attended the workshop with her mother. She said it helped her to open up. “After more than a year of struggling to accept the terrible experience of losing my partner, the workshop allowed me to go through the first stage of healing,” she said. “I would like to attend a workshop of the same nature with my children so that, together with them, they can go through the

Mothers and daughters who attended a Durban J&P Healing of Memories workshop at TreFontane Guest House in Mariannhill. process of healing as well.” Lee Abbolt from Christ the King parish in Wentworth said the workshop helped her open up and share her experiences with participants who had been total strangers to her. “I am going to encourage other women in the parish to attend the workshop and recommend that every woman attend the workshop at least once,” she said. Since the inception of the programme, about 590 people have passed through the training. Eighteen parishes in the archdiocese have already conducted workshops, and dialogues are also being held between parents and children. “The dialogues address social issues such as peace-building, racial abuse, the rape culture, gender-based violence and forced marriages for underage children,” J&P coordinator Mr Senyane said. They also seek to find how best men can play a part in

alleviating social problems. He said J&P has received many testimonies from people who have benefited from the programmes, and noted that while it was initially not easy to organise the workshops and dialogues, now people are coming forward to register for them. He added that if others outside Durban archdiocese are interested, J&P can help in organising facilitators who can come to them to give workshops and facilitate dialogues. Durban usually hosts such workshops for mother and daughters, and fathers and sons, four times a year. The aim is to reach new participants who can go back to their different parishes to train others in promoting healthy relationships between parents and children and in bringing healing from painful experiences of the past. n For more information contact Kalie Senyane on 082 072-4427.

Taizé reaches out to young people in Cape Town

The new stained glass windows in St Patrick’s church in La Rochelle, Johannesburg

Contact Vocation Coordinator on 072 989 2286 nardvocprom1855@gmail.com Facebook: Franciscan Nardini Sisters of the Holy Family

Continued from page 1 are phoning those who have been confirmed in the last ten years. Parents are also requested to spread the word. On social media Taizé is also advertising for volunteers at the central venue—St Joseph’s College in Rondebosch—for tasks,such as distributing meals, ushering participants, acting as security marshals, providing welcome briefings, offering choir help,

and providing workshops facilitation and medical assistance. Other opportunities include promoting young adults, and presenting another image of neighbourhoods. The Brothers want to show that in Manenberg, for example, there is more than just drugs and gangs. “There are also people who live, who build and love their community,” Br Luc noted. “Things are often laborious, yet

the miracle of a benevolent welcome within a bruised humanity is renewed at each meeting. “To celebrate, Sunday after Sunday, the faith, which makes us live in-depth, reminds us of our common foundation. It fuels gratitude and renews our energy,” he said. n For details contact the Taizé Brothers at CapeTown@taize.fr or visit www. taize.fr/en_article25024.html or facebook.com/TaizeCapeTown2019

The Southern Cross, July 10 to July 16, 2019

INTERNATIONAL

Defend confession seal to the death, priests told BY CINDY WOODEN

N the light of “a worrying negative prejudice” against the Catholic Church, Pope Francis ordered the publication of a document affirming the absolute secrecy of everything said in confession and calling on priests to defend it at all costs, even at the cost of their lives. The need for the absolute secrecy of confession “comes directly from revealed divine law and has its roots in the very nature of the sacrament to the point that no exception whatsoever can be admitted in the ecclesial sphere and even less in the civil one”, a new document said. The “note of the Apostolic Penitentiary on the importance of the internal forum and the inviolability of the sacramental seal” was approved by Pope Francis and published by the Vatican. Some recent challenges to the secrecy of confession have come from states reacting to the Church’s clerical sexual-abuse crisis, the note acknowledged. The document did not mention any specific proposed legislation, such as those in Australia and California. “The priest, in fact, comes to

Pope Francis ordered the publication of a document affirming the absolute secrecy of everything said in confession. (Photo: Andrew Medichini/Reuters/CNS) know of the sins of the penitent non ut homo sed ut Deus—not as a man, but as God—to the point that he simply ‘does not know’ what was said in the confessional because he did not listen as a man, but precisely in the name of God,” the Vatican document said.

“A confessor’s defence of the sacramental seal, if necessary, even to the point of shedding blood,” the note said, “is not only an obligatory act of allegiance to the penitent but is much more: it is a necessary witness—a martyrdom— to the unique and universal saving power of Christ and his Church.” The new Vatican document also placed the question of secrecy in the larger context of a “cultural and moral ‘involution’” that seems incapable of “recognising and respecting” essential elements of human existence and life in the Church. “In such a context,” the note said, “there seems to be confirmation of a certain worrying negative prejudice against the Catholic Church”, both because of “the tensions that can be seen within the hierarchy and resulting from the recent scandals of abuse horribly perpetrated by some members of the clergy”. The Catholic Church “always has safeguarded the sacramental seal with all its moral and juridical strength”, the note said. “It is indispensable for the sanctity of the sacrament and for the freedom of conscience of the penitent.”—CNS

Unity prevails over division in Church, retired pope tells journalist BY JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES

‘T

he unity of the Church is always at risk” and has been throughout its history, but “its unity always has been stronger than its internal struggles and wars”, said retired Pope Benedict XVI. In a conversation with Italian journalist Massimo Franco, Pope Benedict said that for centuries, the Church has been assailed by “wars, internal conflicts, centrifugal forces and threats of schism”. “But in the end, the awareness

that the Church is and must remain united has always prevailed,” the retired pope said. Quotes from the brief conversation were published by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, which also ran several photos of the retired pontiff sitting on a bench outside his residence, the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican gardens. The 92-year-old retired pope also met with Italian newspaper cartoonist Emilio Giannelli, who showed him some of his drawings. According to Giannelli, Pope

Benedict “smiled and even laughed” at a drawing that showed him with a cartoonishly large nose. Another drawing was of the retired pope with former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti. Commenting on the political cartoon—which depicted the pope telling Monti he would “pray in German” for the failing Italian economy—Pope Benedict told Giannelli: “Italy is very much loved for its vacations; it’s less appreciated for its politics.”—CNS

The bodies of Salvadoran migrant Oscar Martinez Ramirez and his daughter, who drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande into the US from Mexico. (Photo: STR/AFP/CNA)

‘Woman of faith’ left behind after drownings BY DAVID RAMOS

HE wife and mother of the migrants who drowned trying to cross into the United States in late June has found strength in faith and prayer amid her grief, a Mexican bishop has said. Óscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez, 25, and his 23-month-old daughter Valeria drowned as they tried to cross the Rio Grande from Matamoros. Graphic images of their bodies floating on the riverbank circulated across the world after they were discovered. The Salvadoran emigrants intended to apply for asylum in the US, but the international bridge from Matamoros was closed, so they chose to swim across the river, the New York Times reported. According to the Times, the family had left their home for economic reasons, and not to escape gang violence. Óscar’s widow Tania Vanessa Ávalos, 21, is now at one of the migrant houses run by the diocese of Matamoros. Bishop Eugenio Lira Rugarcia of Matamoros told ACI Prensa that he was “edified by her witness”. “She’s a woman of faith who indeed bears witness that that faith is making it possible for her to face this with Christian hope,” he said. “She told me about the very

painful, difficult moments she has gone through. But how, thanks be to God, she has sought in prayer consolation, light, and strength and I tell you that for me, talking to her has been a great witness, a witness of faith,” Bishop Rugarcia said. Matamoros in Tamaulipas state is among the major transit areas for migrants seeking to enter the US. Tamaulipas is one of Mexico's most violent states, but Bishop Rugarcia emphasised that nevertheless, the faithful of Matamoros diocese have not stopped showing their solidarity with the migrants. The prelate thanked the “good example and witness of good people who even in the most difficult moments of violence in this area risked their lives, held out a hand to the migrants and continue to do so.” Bishop Rugarcia said that the deaths of Óscar and Valeria “need to lead us all to reflect: we’re talking about human lives, about people, not numbers. About people with their story, with their dreams, their hopes”. “Something very important is to discover in the phenomenon of migration names and faces…because if not, we can sometimes just dwell on statistics, on cold numbers. And in reality, it’s about people, each person with their own identity, their needs,” the bishop said.—CNA

What the pope will do in Africa

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URING his September 4-10 visit to Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius—his sixth foreign trip of 2019—Pope Francis will have meetings with government officials, Masses, and visits to local hospital. In Mozambique, the pope will celebrate Mass on September 6 in Zimpeto Stadium, outside Maputo, after visiting a hospital in the same area. The day before he will lead an interreligious meeting with young people at the Maxaquene Pavilion. As in Mozambique, he will have a meeting with bishops, priests, religious, seminarians and catechists, as well as with political and civil society leaders. In Madagascar, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass at the Soamandrakizay diocesan field in Antananarivo on September 8. The day before, he will preach at the recitation of midday prayer in the Discalced Carmelite

The Marie Raine de la Paix Marian shrine in Mauritius, where Pope Francis will celebrate Mass on September 9 monastery, visit the tomb of Bl Victoire Rasoamanarivo, and lead a vigil with young people In Mauritius, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass on September 9 at the monument to Mary, Queen of Peace, in Port Louis. He will also make a private visit to the shrine of Bl Jacques-Desire Laval, the apostle of Mauritius.

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The Southern Cross, July 10 to July 16, 2019

Pope to canonise Bl John Henry Newman BY JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES

OPE Francis will declare Bl John Henry Newman, the 19th-century British cardinal, a saint on October 13. The British theologian will be canonised during a Mass at the Vatican, along with a Swiss laywoman, an Indian nun, an Italian nun, and a nun known as the “Mother Teresa of Brazil”. The date for the canonisation Mass was announced during an “ordinary public consistory”, a meeting of the pope, cardinals and promoters of sainthood causes that formally ends the sainthood process. Born in London in 1801, John Henry Newman was ordained an Anglican priest in 1825. He later founded the Oxford Movement, which emphasised the Catholic roots of Anglicanism. After a series of clashes with Anglican bishops made him a virtual outcast from the Church of England, he joined the Catholic Church at the age of 44 and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1846. Pope Leo XIII made him a cardinal in 1879 while respecting his wishes not to be ordained a bishop.

Bl John Henry Newman is to be canonised by Pope Francis on October 13 in Rome. (Photo: Catholic Church of England and Wales) A theologian and poet, he died in 1890 and his sainthood cause was opened in 1958. Pope Benedict XVI beatified him in Birmingham, England, in 2010. The others who will be declared saints are: • Bl Dulce Lopes Pontes, who was a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. Born in 1914, she was known to Brazilian Catholics as Sr Dulce, the

mother of the poor. She founded the first Catholic workers’ organisation in the state of Bahia, started a health clinic for poor workers and opened a school for working families. She created a hospital, an orphanage and care centres for the elderly and disabled. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by then-President José Sarney in 1988. Pope John Paul II, who called her work “an example for humanity”, met her in 1980 during his first trip to Brazil and, returning in 1991, he visited her in the hospital. She died in 1992 at the age of 77, with tens of thousands attending her funeral and even more gathering for her beatification in 2011. • Bl Marguerite Bays, a laywoman from Switzerland was known for her spirituality in the face of great physical suffering and for bearing the stigmata of Christ. She died in 1879. • Bl Josephine Vannini, cofounder of the Daughters of St Camillus, who served the sick and elderly. She died in 1911. • Bl Mariam Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan, the Indian founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family, who died in 1926.—CNS

Pope Francis celebrates Mass marking the feast of Ss Peter and Paul in St Peter’s basilica at the Vatican . After the Mass the pope presented palliums to new archbishops from around the world, including Archbishop Dabula Mpako of Pretoria. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS)

Bishops raise money for starving rural Zambians BY MWANSA PINTU

AMBIA’S bishops have launched a campaign to raise R130 million for food to be distributed in remote parts of the country hit by drought and floods. Many households “have nothing to eat and are surviving on wild fruits or are getting by without any food”, Bishop Evans Chinyemba of Mongu told a media briefing in the capital, Lusaka. “This will certainly compromise the nutrition and health status of most people, especially children,

and if nothing is urgently done, we may begin to experience deaths from hunger,” he said. Government statistics show nearly 419 000 households affected by the lack of rain in Zambia and, in the places visited by Church representatives, “79% of the crops were affected by drought, 13% by floods, while 4% were affected by both drought and floods”, he said. People are “suffering from hunger and lack of clean water” and some households do not have enough food to see them through

the rest of the year, said Bishop Chinyemba, who is the bishops’ director for Caritas Zambia and whose diocese is one of the worstaffected areas. Zambia’s “Southern, Western and some parts of Eastern, Central and Lusaka provinces experienced total crop failure”, the bishop said. “Households in these areas did not harvest anything that would help them to sustain their livelihoods up to the next agricultural season” and are already experiencing serious hunger, he said.

There are reports from Gwembe district in southern Zambia “that people are sharing water with animals”, Bishop Chinyemba said. The Church gathered information from affected households through interviews, observation and other means, he said. There is no evidence that the government is offering enough food aid to affected areas, the bishop said, noting that in places where food is being distributed, the amount “is so little that households are failing to meet their food

requirements”. The bishops’ conference, through Caritas Zambia and other Church relief agencies, aims to alleviate the situation through targeting 42 000 households “in dire need of help”, he said. Bishop Chinyemba appealed to the government to speed up help by declaring the hunger situation in parts of the country a disaster; he urged politicians not to take advantage of people’s desperation for food.—CNS

Seafarer chaplains given special powers BY CINDY WOODEN

OPE Francis gave priests who minister to seafarers special permission to grant absolution for sins that usually would require the intervention of a bishop or the Vatican itself. “I want to say something about peace in one’s heart,” the pope said during a meeting with chaplains and volunteers of the Apostleship of the Sea working at European ports. “Many seafarers come or will come to priest chaplains with problems on their conscience that make them suffer a lot because they have never had a chance to deal with them,” he

said, departing from his prepared text. “In these situations, far from home, from their countries, in these situations that we have described, perhaps a dialogue with the chaplain will open a horizon of hope,” the pope said. “Be merciful. Be merciful,” Pope Francis told the chaplains. “To help you with this mercy,” he said, “I concede to all seafarer chaplains the same permissions that I gave to the ‘Missionaries of Mercy’ so that you can help many hearts find interior peace.” The “Missionaries of Mercy” were priests chosen by the Vatican for the 2015-16 Year of Mercy to preach about God’s mercy and,

especially, to encourage Catholics to rediscover the grace of the sacrament of reconciliation. In a permission later extended to all priests, Pope Francis granted them the power to absolve penitents who regretted having an abortion or playing a role in someone’s decision to have an abortion. He also authorised them to lift some penalties imposed by canon law. Through the chaplains and volunteers of the Apostleship of the Sea, the Catholic Church gives support and solace to a group of workers facing constant danger and frequent exploitation.—CNS

Pope: German Church needs spiritual, not just structural, renewal

O quick “fixes” or organisational change will renew the Catholic Church in Germany, Pope Francis said; what is needed is a spiritual renewal and Gospel transparency. In a letter to “the pilgrim people of God in Germany”, the pope said efforts to eliminate tension solely by “being in order and in harmony” would ultimately “numb and domesticate the heart of our people and diminish and even silence the vital and evangelical strength the Spirit wants to give us”. “You would have a good ec-

clesial body that is well organised and even ‘modernised’ but without soul and evangelical newness; we would live a ‘gaseous’ Christianity without evangelical bite,” he wrote. Last September, the bishops’ conference released a study that revealed an estimated 3 700 cases of sexual abuse reported in the German Church from 1946-2014. The statistics prompted outrage from the general public, and the German bishops held several meetings to discuss reforms; some of the suggestions included reviewing the

Church’s discipline on priestly celibacy, reviewing Church law, promoting more women in Church administration, and reviewing Catholic teaching on sexual morality. German Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, president of the bishops’ conference, said that the Church “needs a synodal advancement”, and he pledged to create “formats for open debates” and to “bind ourselves to proceedings that facilitate a responsible participation of women and men from our dioceses”.—CNS

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The Southern Cross, July 10 to July 16, 2019

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

A test of humanity

IGHTY years ago, a German ship’s captain defied the Nazi regime in 1939 by sailing an ocean liner around the world to find safe haven for 900 Jewish refugees. Captain Gustav Schröder went to Cuba, the United States and Canada. They all refused to take in these refugees from the Holocaust. Eventually some European nations agreed to give them refuge. The brave captain escaped arrest by the Nazis whom he had defied. He never commanded a ship again but was assigned desk duties. In late June, another German ship captain, Carola Rackete, commanded a ship filled with migrants who had been rescued and were now seeking a safe haven. After being denied permission to dock in Italy, she broke through a blockade which had been put up specifically to keep the migrants out, and docked at the port of the island of Lampedusa, the nearest safe harbour, as prescribed by maritime law. According to the 31-year-old captain from the German sea rescue organisation Sea-Watch, several of the 40 migrants in her care were suicidal after two weeks of the ship being denied permission to dock. For her troubles, she was arrested by Italian authorities— within sight of the spot where Pope Francis in 2013 threw a wreath into the sea in commemoration of all the migrants who had drowned trying to reach Lampedusa. It does not look good for a Western democracy when in two stories of captains carrying refugees, the Nazi regime turns out to be the “better” guys. Regardless of whether Captain Rackete violated the law by breaking through a blockade which should not have been there in the first place—disobedience of unjust laws to save lives is a Christian principle—her arrest should serve to galvanise those who still see migrants as human beings, and not as disposable lives. Just days before Captain Rackete’s arrest, a photo made the news of a Salvadoran father and daughter who drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande from Mexico to the US. The heartbreaking photo gave a human face to those who are leaving their homes in search for

a better life. Was the death of Oscar Alberto Martínez and his 23-month-old daughter Angie Valeria—people with names—worth any policy? And will we collectively forget the image of their lifeless bodies as quickly as we erased that of little Aylan Kurdi from our minds? Reports of the US detention camps of migrants, in which children are separated from their parents and the inhumane conditions in which they—adults and children—are being held, serve as a further demonstrations of the contempt for human beings shown by elected officials. And all this must resonate in South Africa as well, a country where xenophobia remains a burning issue, often literally. For Christians, here and everywhere, there is no hiding behind political partisanship and rationalisations. If we are not outraged by the merciless way in which human beings are being treated, we fail Christ. “We ought to accept people as they are because they are people. We are moved by their plight and seek to be hospitable...That is what we would wish them to do for us were we to find ourselves in a similar situation,” Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg has said. “We show kindness and mercy because these virtues are the hallmark of being truly human and of being truly Christian.” What humanity is there in blocking ports, in running wretched detention camps, in criminalising the help and rescue of people, in burning the homes and shops of foreigners? Irrespective of politics or opinions about migrants, there is a baseline for human decency: When somebody is drowning, you save them. When somebody is starving, you feed them. When somebody is running for their life, you offer shelter. At that moment it does not matter whether that person is a migrant or a refugee, a South African or a Somali, a Christian or a Muslim or a Jew. At that moment, the person is a human being about to die. At that moment, you do all you can to rescue that person—as Captains Schröder and Rackete did. That is the basic minimum for human decency. And those who fail that test, in deed or thought, must be held answerable.

Who was Joe? Bishop Sandri was our Wiseman

T Bishop Joe Sandri of Witbank’s funeral, the homilist posed the question: “Who was Joe?” Bishop José Luis Ponce de León of Manzini, Swaziland, with his question, went deeper and deeper to bring to the fore all that any artist would to flesh out the portrait of Bishop Sandri (pictured). When artists create, they bring into existence what is already conceived in their minds. They look at a log of wood or boulder and see in it the statue of a great figure like Prometheus or the Statue of Liberty; they look at a piece of canvas and see in it a great painting, such as “The Last Judgement” by Michelangelo or Rembrandt’s “The Return of the Prodigal Son”. And Bishop Ponce de León, with his every word, just as the fine strokes of a painter’s brush or the chipping of a sculptor’s chisel bring out the final product, brought to life memories of the late Bishop Sandri. While the Roman saying “Of the dead, say nothing but good” has been wholly embraced by all cultures, recalling the testimony of Bishop Ponce de León and those of many different people who attended Bishop Sandri’s funeral, I be-

Debate merits of book: don’t trash

ORE than once, JH Goossens and others have, on the letters page in this publication and in other media, condemned the book Building a Bridge by Fr James Martin SJ. While the merits of this book can be debated on a number of levels, to keep on insisting that it dissents from Church teaching is dishonest. Fr Martin uses, as the basis for the book, what the Catechism of the Catholic Church urges in number 2358, that the LGBT community is treated with “respect, compassion and sensitivity”. Some Catholic media claim that Building a Bridge is “unorthodox” or “dissents”, which has led to outright and unjust condemnation of it. Do not read reviews, read the book itself if you are concerned. You will notice that it attempts to offer a pastoral guide or perspective. Criticise the book, but do not be disingenuous and spread false information. Fr Russell Pollitt SJ, Johannesburg

Euthanasia ruling mere slap on wrist

HE recent plea bargaining and sentencing of Prof Sean Davison,

Bishop Sandri on the Sea of Galilee during the Southern Cross pilgrimage he led in September 2013. (Photo: Pamela Davids) lieve the Roman admonition concerning the dead needed no application.

ishop Ponce de León reminded us of Bishop Sandri’s determination to restore dignity to the people of God, especially refugees and immigrants. This was demonstrated by his statement to Italian authorities: “You complain about refugees—unless you need them to work for you or use them as prostitutes!” There was also Bishop Sandri’s availability to the college of bishops, priests, religious, and laity; his immediate responses to e-mails from the SACBC secretary-general; 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

after his arrest for assisting Anrich Burger to die, can at best be described as a slap on the wrist for a disordered individual intent on acting as a “hired” killer for those who have lost all hope to live. While the Cape High Court sentenced him to eight years behind bars, this was wholly suspended on condition that he is not convicted of similar crimes over this period. Prof Davison, of the University of the Western Cape, was first convicted in New Zealand in 2010 for helping his mother end her life. After his sentencing and release in New Zealand he said: “I’ve no regrets about what I did to assist my mother to her death, because I did nothing wrong…Although, I’d rather change the law, so nobody else has to go through what I have…I am not bitter. But I think it’s very sad that the law finds me a criminal for an act of compassion.” He is playing God through his crusade to legalise the killing of persons in depression and despair. The Cape High Court decision points to the early release of a crim-

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his attention to details that might have been overlooked in meetings; his proverbial joy and good sense of humour; his engagement with local politicians and his fight against corruption, as attested by eMalahleni mayor Lina Malatji; and his mastery of the local languages that enabled him to speak to the heart of the people. Bishop Ponce de León presented Bishop Sandri as a good shepherd and pastor, a teacher and leader, a Comboni missionary charged with founder St Daniel Comboni’s vision of evangelising Africa with Africans. Indeed, Bishop Sandri was a Wiseman pointing his finger to the sky for us and giving us a map that would lead us to treasure. His Lent came early, and his Passion was long. He died on the feast of the Ascension, a solemnity that reminds us that death is not annihilation but transformation of life. Now that he is gone, we are free either to look where he was pointing us to; or, like fools, look at his finger; or frame the map and thus never find the treasure; or gather courage and embark on the arduous journey of finding it. The choice is ours. Fr Robert Kinena Ndungu MCCJ, Pretoria

inal who is bent on carrying on his lethal mission! Prof Davison has no intent of being “supervised” for “correction” and thus cannot be trusted in an institution of learning where young minds are formed for the good of society. Henry R Sylvester, Cape Town

Challenge SA Church on SC!

OUR editorial (May 1) makes me wonder whether any Catholics, at all, appreciate the privilege and pleasure of reading the quality Southern Cross. The fact that this appeal for help to keep the paper afloat has appeared consistently over the past year or so, with no response from many, is an indictment of the whole South African Church—that nobody cares. So, I suggest to the editor that there be an increase in price to R15, even perhaps R20 a copy, and check the responses, from whom they come. We’ll soon find out what the evangelical value of The Southern Cross really is, especially as its 100th anniversary will soon be upon us. I look forward with excitement to readers’ reactions! Antonio Tonin, East London

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The Southern Cross, July 10 to July 16, 2019

PERSPECTIVES

Did I receive a miracle? A T Mass a couple of weeks ago I had an annoyingly sore throat from post-nasal drip. (I promise, the story will get better after this thoroughly uninspiring opening line). When I returned to my seat after receiving Communion, I noticed that I could swallow with ease. All discomfort had spontaneously vanished. I hadn’t even prayed for relief; it came as a surprise. The sinus troubles were still evident, but the soreness didn’t return. Now, I’m not claiming a miracle. The Church has strict rules about such things and runs scrupulous inquests into claims, which is necessary to avoid the embarrassment of approving miracles that turn out weren’t (though standards might have slipped in some cases). For example, thousands of cures have been reported from Lourdes, all of them more surprising and dramatic than my healing of a sore throat. But the Vatican has accepted as miraculous only a tiny fraction of these reports—67 out of nearly 7 000. In the Vatican’s definition, a healing from illness may be considered a medical miracle if it is spontaneous, permanent and inexplicable, defying rational or scientific explanation. But even then, the Church leaves it up to us to believe or doubt that an approved miracle has its origin in supernatural force—that is, divine intervention. After the long process which has found that a spontaneous, permanent and inexplicable event has no rational or scientific explanation, the most the Church will say is that a reported miracle

is “worthy of belief”. Other times, the Church might hedge its bets further by saying that there is “nothing contrary to the faith” in a reported miracle, or indeed, apparition. As Catholics, we are required to believe in only two miracles: the incarnation of the Lord, and the Resurrection in the tomb.

lmost all of us Catholics have the experience of miracles, at least small ones, in our lives. Sometimes we specifically pray for them. Some of our prayers are of great magnitude, such as asking for a cure from a serious illness; sometimes they are small, like asking St Anthony’s intercession to find misplaced car keys. And when those prayers are answered, who is to say they were not miracles? To us, they were. The healing of my sore throat certainly was spontaneous, and neither I nor Dr

After receiving Holy Communion a couple of weeks ago, Günther Simmermacher had a quite unusual experience.

July is for grandparents W ORKING with family themes month by month has been quite useful for me to reflect more deeply on the domestic church, or the little church of the home, on how God is present in different types of family realities. June was youth month and the “Thoughts for the Day” that I slave over every month used quotations from Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation after the Youth Synod, titled Christus Vivit. Christus Vivit is very inspirational, aimed at the youth who expressed how often they feel that they don’t really belong. July’s daily thoughts pick up the theme of “Grandparents Matter”, which is used each year because of the feast day of Ss Joachim and Ann, the grandparents of Jesus. When we look at God, religion and the Church with family eyes, our thinking and spirituality becomes more contextual. This was very obvious for me personally during the past few weeks. Forty years ago, my late husband Chris and I experienced our first Marriage Encounter weekend. It was an amazing and challenging life-changing experience which led to a new way of being and seeing the Church. At first in our ministry, we focused on marriage and worked especially in marriage preparation while becoming steeped in the theology and spirituality of marriage. However, gradually we came to be more conscious that there is more than marriage when we look at the family as the domestic church. This was around 1994, at the time of the First African Synod with its image of Church as Family of God. We recognised

This month is dedicated to grandparents because of the July 26 feast day of Ss Joachim and Ann, Jesus’ grandparents. a spirituality of parenthood, of motherhood and fatherhood and, as I have discovered in the past 20 years since Chris’ death (which I also commemorated in the last weeks), there is a particular spirituality of widowhood too. That could also apply to divorced people, though somewhat differently.

n the last century there have been great changes in thinking of who and what the Church is. The focus had been strongly clerical, on hierarchy and clergy; but with Vatican II the laity and their role began to feature more. Women, especially women religious, have been working hard to be recognised and play a more significant role. Marriage featured in the apostolic constitution Gaudium et Spes in an important section, and marriage movements also began to appear in the universal Church. I shall be arriving at the ripe old age of 75 this month, and all these years have exposed me to many types of family situ-

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Günther Simmermacher

Point of Faith

Google could arrive at a rational or scientific explanation. To me, it’s a miracle, worked through the Body of Christ. There is no need, though, to trouble the Vatican with an investigation into my spontaneously healed throat or our miraculously recovered car keys. I do have an experience involving St Anthony, however, which is inexplicable, even years after the event. It involved a misplaced passport and an ID book that had been missing for a couple of years. They were found together, but I can see no way how they might have ended up in the same place. Had I put the passport in that place, I’d have found the long-missing ID book. I’ve given up on trying to conjure a rational explanation. I might also like the Vatican to investigate St Scholastica’s role in stopping the rain in Venice during the “Saints of Italy” pilgrimage in September 2015, after I had specifically asked her for it. The bright sunshine that followed the torrential rain went against the weather forecasts and all meteorological wisdom. Most Catholics have stories like that. They may be miracles, or maybe not—you might have looked under the sofa without St Anthony’s help, and climate change is doing strange things to all meteorological wisdom. But whatever they are, such events are a sign of God’s grace, a manifestation of the divine in our lived experience. And for that we don’t need official approval.

Toni Rowland

Family Friendly

ations: personally, in my extended family, and through my many years of working in family ministry. I suppose there are not many more family realities I could face, but do I feel that I have “arrived”, in my life and my work of promoting the family focus? Not yet. It does still bother me that laity, women, youth, fathers, and so on appear to be seen in isolation. For me the Church is not about clergy and laity, or men and women, but all of these people are living in a context which begins the day they are born—or even pre-born—in intimate relationships, family relationships of one kind or another. From a religious perspective, they mirror the Trinity, the perfect community of love. Pope Francis does make reference to this in his document of the family, In Amoris Laetitia, but I believe this aspect of our Catholic theology is sadly underdeveloped. Over the past few weeks I have been thinking up “Thoughts for the Day” for and about grandparents for July. The SeeJudge-Act method is used, linked with the readings of the day. I decided to use the Old Testament Genesis and Exodus accounts, of the patriarchs and Moses. A little life situation is used and a quote from Pope Francis added. For example, the “Thoughts for the Day” on July 15 reads: “When will I be able to retire in peace?” the old lady thought. “I’ve been working for 40 years and now I still have Continued on page 11

Fr Pierre Goldie

Christ in the World

Why Church and politics must mix

ONCE preached that as God had incarnated himself into our world, so he wants to be incarnated into all aspects of our lives, including politics. There was a sharp silence, as if people were expecting me to tell them whom to vote for! It is inconceivable that Christ does not care about our political situations. Politicians have a major influence on people’s lives. They can even declare war. They can and have enacted unjust laws. God delivered the people of Israel from many situations of oppression, notably the escape from Egypt, the Exodus story. He used Cyrus as his instrument to liberate them from exile in Babylon. We can indeed speculate as to how he influenced specific South African politicians in the past. In the post-synodal document on Africa’s Commitment in 2011, Pope Benedict XVI described the delicate task of the Church’s involvement in reconciliation, justice and peace, as follows: “The task we have set ourselves is not an easy one, situated somewhere between immediate engagement in politics—which lies outside the Church’s direct competence—and the potential for withdrawal or evasion present in theological and spiritual speculation which would serve as an escape from concrete historical responsibility.” We cannot be neutral and escape from concrete reality. A frequent argument for non-interference by the Church in politics is that Jesus Christ never said anything against the blatantly unjust Roman rule. Some of Paul’s New Testament letters seem to be accommodating towards the unjust rulers and to the issue of slavery. Still today, we hear people say that politics and religion do not mix—again evidence of the isolation of religion, as if it exists in an independent realm of its own. The theologian Joe Holland, in a 2006 book on The Pastoral Circle Revisited, refers to two major poles of Catholic social tradition. One is inherited from Moses as the liberator of slaves from Egypt, a prophetic challenger of the establishment, and Jesus as one who continued the mission of Moses. The second is the Davidic tradition, a socially legitimising force, not open to “systemic prophetic critique” with roots in pro-Roman Pauline theology, with its seeming legitimisation of the original Roman Empire (Paul’s letters), and then the Holy Roman Empire, followed by the legitimating of the “mercantile-capitalist European empires of the 16th conquest of the Americas, as well as of the industrial-capitalist European empires of the 19th century conquest of Africa and Asia”. Just how ethical were these enterprises? How ethical is “conquest”?

iberation theology returned theological reflection to the symbol of Exodus, of the prophetic critique of structural captivity of the oppressed. It received a negative response from the Vatican and was seen as close to the ideology of Marxism, the latter proffering a truly incarnational philosophy, arguing that people want their “pie” now, not to wait for the “pie in the sky” (in heaven). The comment that to care for the poor is to make one a saint, but to ask why they are poor is to be a communist, is attributed to the late Brazilian Archbishop Hélder Câmara. It seems to reflect to a degree the wary attitude of the official Church to liberation theology. It is interesting to note that Pope John Paul II used Marxian critique in his encyclical Laborem Exercens, on the world of work. This does not mean embracing the entire ideology of Marxism, but the acknowledgement of its validity as a critique of capitalism. There is ample literature on the separation between State and Church, but I do support the role the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference has fulfilled in their See (observe what the Government is doing), Judge (in the light of Scripture and Tradition), and Act (making a critical pronouncement). This is the prophetic function of “Reading the Signs of the Times”, and of inserting a message into the world. The Church cannot stay neutral, as comfortable as it may be. Politics and religion must mix, as all political actions, if examined closely, have theological implications, for better or for worse. Values—beliefs that justify certain behaviour or actions—underlie all aspects of society, political and economic as well. Whose values are they and what is their underlying justification? Ultimately, how Christian are they?

The Southern Cross, July 10 to July 16, 2019

COMMUNITY Bishop Stanley Dziuba of Umzimkulu ordained Mehluleli Dzanibe (left) and Siyabonga Nombika (right) to the diaconate at Mahobe’s Sacred Heart parish in Umzimkulu diocese. (Submitted by Zithobile Zondi)

St John Bosco church in Robertsham, Johannesburg, received 14 new Catholics into the Church. Clerics and teachers pictured with the candidates and their sponsors are (back from left) concelebrating priest Fr Sean McEwen SDB, RCIA assistant Deacon Victor Ho, parish priest Fr Pawel Michalowski SDB, concelebrating priest Fr Robert Gore SDB, asistant and concelebrating priest Fr Tim Wrenn SDB, and RCIA leader and administrator Sr Patricia Fin FMA, with (front fourth from left) RCIA assistant and administrator Iris Seabrook. (Photo: Roy Newton-Barker)

Members of the Catholic Women’s League at Our Lady of Fatima parish in Durban North visited the pre-ward, C-section and maternity ward at King Dinizulu Hospital with hampers for the new moms. (Submitted by Anna Accolla)

Kolping Family Strandfontein in Cape Toiwn had a Mass in which all ministry functions were conducted by members, with 16 new members being inaugurated into the organisation by national praeses Fr Kizito Gugah. (Submitted by Ilze Sidney) The Don Bosco Centre brought the Love Matters programme to youth in Pretoria and Tembisa. Activities included team-building games, obstacle courses and hiking, and sessions about human sexuality, digital cocaine and substance abuse. Youth were encouraged to commit to the truelove-waits pledge. (Submitted by Nhlanhla Mdlalose)

PRICE CHECK

St Mary’s cathedral in Cape Town celebrated the First Communion of young parishioners. Pictured (from left) are Lisa, Lebohang, Noel, Tanki, Fr Rohan Smuts, Rutendo, Nichole, Deacon Stephen Armstrong, Courage, and Tyrese. (Photo: Michelle Perry) Marist Brothers Linmeyer in Oakdene, Johannesburg, celebrated Youth Day by hosting 145 children and teenagers from Christ Way for a fun-filled, carnival day. Grade 10 student Camryn Göhre is pictured with one of the children at the carnival.

For the price of one issue of The Southern Cross you get half a cup of coffee (tip excluded) The

Southern Cross

July 3 to July 9, 2019

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No 5143

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Taking mission into the public square

How John Bradburne saved a family

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Ex-priest: Why must I live in the shadows?

Page 7

Mpako: Time will reveal plan for Pretoria BY ERIN CARELSE

T Archbishop Dabula Mpako celebrates his first Mass as ordinary of the archdiocese of Pretoria in the cathedral of the Sacred Heart. The former bishop of Queenstown was installed to succeed Archbishop William Slattery at Zawelpoort. (Photo: Mathiebela Sebothoma)

WYD 2022 theme follows Mary BY COURTNEY GROGAN

HE theme of World Youth Day 2022 in Lisbon will be: “Mary arose and went with haste.” Pope Francis told the delegates of an International Youth Forum that he wants young people to reflect on this verse taken from St Luke’s biblical account of the Blessed Virgin’s visitation to her cousin Elizabeth after the Annunciation, as well as two other Bible verses. “In the two coming years, I would ask you to meditate on these two verses: ‘Young man, I say to you, arise!’ and ‘Stand up. I appoint you as a witness of what you have seen,’” the pope said. The Portugese capital set to host World Youth Day 2022 is just 125km by road from Fatima, one of the most-visited Marian pilgrimage sites in the world. In Fatima, the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in 1917. “We were called to bring the light of Christ into the darkness of the world. You, dear young people, are called to be light in the dark night experienced by so many of

The vigil at World Youth Day in Panama City in January. The next WYD will be in 2022 in Lisbon. (Photo: Günther Simmermacher) your friends who do not yet know the joy of new life in Jesus,” Pope Francis said. He urged the youth that the more one brings Christ to others, the more one will feel his presence in their lives. “You need one another, if you are to make a difference in a world increasingly tempted to divisiveness. Only if we journey together, will we be truly strong.”—CNA

HE new archbishop of Pretoria has said that his vision for the archdiocese’s future will be formed by his engagement with priests and laity. Archbishop Dabula Mpako, the former bishop of Queenstown who was installed as head of Pretoria archdiocese at the church of the Beatitudes in Zwavelpoort, said that he is aware that there is an expectation of him to announce his vision, but he will have to engage with the people so that together they can reflect on what is happening. A vision will have to emerge from there. The archdiocese of Pretoria is now entering “a new phase in its life and in its evolution as a community of faith”, Archbishop Mpako said. “This is an era in which we are invited to renew and personally appropriate again our vision of who we are called to be as a Church and of what we are called upon to do in carrying out our mission in the present time,” he said. “As a Church, we are today's house of God which is intended to be a house of prayer for all the people. So let us, therefore, commit ourselves as the local Church to be the envisaged house of God.” Archbishop Mpako called on all the faithful to aspire to be a local Church where everyone feels included, valued, and at home, and to ensure that no-one feels like a foreigner or outcast. “Let us all have a strong sense of belonging to and of ownership of our archdiocese. Let us keep in mind the words repeated often by Pope Francis, that ‘the Church is not a museum of saints, but a hospital for sinners’,” he said. The archbishop noted that such a sense of belonging and ownership should naturally bring the faithful to experience themselves as one body—the Body of Christ. Such an understanding calls for the development of certain attitudes and dispositions as Catholics.

“Firstly, these have to do with how we relate to one another within the Church. St Paul says to be completely humble, and gentle. Let us strive to make our local Church such a community,” Archbishop Mpako said. Secondly, he said, “we are to take personal responsibility for the building up of our Church”, willingly and generously building up the temple of God. The archbishop urged the people of his archdiocese to outgrow the approach of seeing the Church only as some kind of spiritual supermarket where they shop for spiritual goods to meet their spiritual needs, or as some kind of charitable organisation where they have their material needs met. “This is evident on Sundays when people come to church just to fulfil an obligation, not even waiting for the final blessing” at the end of Mass. “Let our approach not be, ‘what we can get from the Church’, but rather one of ‘what we can contribute as a living member’,” Archbishop Mpako said. He reminded the congregation of what their mission as a Church is supposed to be in relation to the world. “Our calling is not just to be a welcoming Church where everyone feels at home and valued, nor is our calling just to build up the Church community through the use of the different gifts you have been given. Rather our mission is to be, to the world, a sacrament of God’s saving and life-giving presence.” Archbishop Mpako, who will turn 60 on September 6, succeeded Archbishop William Slattery OFM, who had served as the archdiocese’s head since 2010. He is the fifth ordinary of Pretoria since it was erected as a vicariate in 1948 (and archdiocese as of 1951), succeeding Archbishops John Garner (1948-75), George Daniel (19752008), Paul Mandla Khumalo CMM (2008-09) and Slattery. The Pretoria archdiocese serves about 240 000 Catholics in 67 parishes. See also page 2

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The Southern Cross, July 10 to July 16, 2019

FAITH

The Creed is bulwark of our faith In his final of three articles on the Nicene Creed, MICHAEL MAYER looks at how the laity fit into the Church.

Laity and Catholic spirit

We could easily fall into a trap of exaggerating the role of the laity. In the Church today there are numerous groups with strong and particular views on what they believe the Church should be, should be saying, or should be doing. Generally we all believe we N our earlier articles we started are defending the cause of God, off looking at “the dignity and doing these things for Christ. role of the baptised”–but to As Newman noted and cautioned what end? We also covered obedi- in 1851: “In all times the laity have ence—again to what end? I hope been the measure of the Catholic this week’s article will answer spirit; they saved the Irish Church those questions. three centuries ago and they beBl John Henry Newman— trayed the Church in England.” whom we have regularly encounWe should always honour our tered in these articles—made a primary responsibility: to further startling set of observations on the unity in the Church and not divirole of the laity at the time of the sion—“that they may be one, even Arian controversies of the 4th cen- as we are one” (Jn 17:11). tury AD. Sojourning back to Athanasius His reflections came together in can serve to enlighten us on unity a groundbreaking article, pub- and humility, placing Jesus first lished in The Rambler in July 1859, and not ourselves. titled “On Consulting the Faithful As we saw last week, Emperor in Matters of Doctrine”. Constantius II, who favoured AriNewman found that where the anism, influenced the councils of majority of bishops had failed, the Ariminum (Western Church) and majority of the laity had not. He Seleucia (Eastern Church) of 359. found that it was the laity’s support These councils, with the emperor’s of Athanasius and other defenders support, universally suppressed of the Nicene Creed that had se- the Nicene Creed, and introduced cured the faith and enthe Arian creed across sured that Arianism was the known world. eventually defeated. Under Constantius II, If the laity “It was the Christian the Arians banished the people, who, under Prov- isn’t involved pro-Nicene bishops and idence, were the ecclesipriests. Banishment astical strength” of St in the Church often also included severe physical suffering: Athanasius, the great deand makes chains, torture, and even fender of the orthodox belief, that Jesus is diitself heard, death for the clergy. After Constantius II, vine,” Newman said. then the Emperor Julian came into “The Nicene dogma was maintained [during bishops miss power (361-363). Julian, a pagan, cared neither for the 4th century] by the consensus fidelium—the a valuable Arianism nor for the proNicene Church. Julian ‘consensus of the faithvoice wanted to return the ful’,” he wrote. Roman Empire to paganThe role of the laity ism. was identified by St He decreed that the orthodox Athanasius in the 4th century, rediscovered by Newman in the 19th clergy banished by the Arians be alcentury (appraising the writings of lowed to return, in the hope that the early Church, in particular the ensuing conflict between AriAthanasius), and established and ex- ans and orthodox would tear the panded on at the Second Vatican Church apart and weaken her. Athanasius had been “excomCouncil in the 20th century (see particularly the Dogmatic Constitu- municated” and exiled by Arian tion on the Church, Lumen Gentium, influence in 353, but he too was and the Decree on the Apostolate of also allowed to return to his see as the Laity, Apostolicam Actuositatem). bishop in Alexandria, Egypt. During this rather short interval There is still much work needed in investigating the role the laity of peace for Athanasius (he would has played in the Church over the soon be exiled again), a council centuries—locally, regionally, and was held at Alexandria in 362 by the returning orthodox bishops. universally.

The faithful at Mass in Johannesburg’s Christ the King cathedral. The teaching of the “consensus of the faithful” has guided the Church throughout its history. (Photo: Sheldon Reddiar)

Compromise for peace Besides doctrinal matters, agreement was also reached on how to manage Arian bishops. Instead of following the norm of vengeance, of deposing bishops and priests—which many proNicene bishops wanted to do— Athanasius persuaded the council for the inclusion and correction of the errors of repenting Arian bishops (except Arian bishops who persisted in the heresy; those were to be deposed but allowed into lay communion after penance). Arianised clergy needed to agree to and sign a confession of the Nicene Creed. Athanasius’ recommendation led to unity and healing in the local Church. Wherever this was followed, the Church furthered peace and grew in unity and strength. In the far eastern empire (Antioch and surrounds) where this approach was not taken, there followed decades of separation, schisms, conflicts, confusion and suffering. The doctrinal and unifying efforts of the important Alexandrian council of 362 prepared the way for the Ecumenical Council of Constantinople (381) which reaffirmed and reestablished the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed has been a

bulwark of the Church, a sure and firm foundation of belief which even the Reformation could not disrupt. It is the benchmark of our belief in the Trinity and defines us as Christians.

Type of laity Newman shared his desire for the role of the Catholic laity in 1851: “I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but men who know their religion, who enter into it…who know their creed so well that they can give an account of it, who know so much of [Church] history that they can defend it.” This article is meant to show the value of the role of the laity, but certainly not meant to undermine the role of the bishops. The bishops need to hear the voices of the laity to better guide the Church. If lay Catholics fail to be involved in the Church, and to make themselves heard or to present their understanding, then the bishops miss a valuable and significant voice. This would diminish the great work of the Church, especially the local Church. We, the lay faithful, would do well to read the writings of Vatican II, papal encyclicals, and the communications from the bishops’ conferences to remain abreast of

current Church teaching and understanding of the role of the Christian in today’s world. Our lay efforts, however, must always be in faithful obedience to Holy Mother Church. Obedience is demanded of the clergy—the laity are no less obligated. The Church is the Body of Christ, “a community with diverse members with a common mind of faith”, according to the Austrian theologian Fr Hermann Geissler, “which cannot stray into error”. The Second Vatican Council promulgated the doctrine of the consensus fidelium as Catholic teaching in Lumen Gentium (12): “The whole body of the faithful who have anointing that comes from the Holy One (cf 1 Jn 2:20,27) cannot err in matters of belief. “This characteristic is shown in the supernatural appreciation of the faith of the whole people… ‘from the bishops to the last of the faithful’… they manifest a universal consent in matters of faith and morals,” according to Lumen Gentium (my emphasis). “Aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth, the People of God, guided by the sacred teaching authority (magisterium), and obeying it, receives not the mere word of men, but truly the word of God (cf. 1 Thes 2:13) “The People unfailingly adheres to this faith, penetrates it more deeply with right judgment, and applies it more fully in daily life,” Lumen Gentium says. Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit will be with us until the end of time. The Nicene Creed is the action of the Holy Spirit in the Church, an expression of the intimacy of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in and through the Church. We do well to pray it as a cry from the heart in unity with the Holy Spirit. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20). And in the Gospel of John, “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (20:21-22).

Newman: The laity I want In a series of lectures on “The Present Position of Catholics in England” in Birmingham in 1851, Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-90), who will be canonised on October 13, outlined what kind of laity he was looking for:

HAT I desiderate [desire] in Catholics is the gift of bringing out what their religion is. I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but men who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold and what they do not, who know their creed so well that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it. I want an intelligent, well-instructed laity. I wish you to enlarge your knowledge, to cultivate your reason, to get an insight into the relation of truth to truth, to learn to view things as they are, to understand how faith and reason stand to each other, what are the bases and principles of Catholicism and where lies the main inconsistencies and absurdities of the Protestant theory. I have no apprehension you will be the worse Catholics for familiarity with these subjects, provided you cherish a vivid sense of God

Bl John Henry Newman above and keep in mind that you have souls to be judged and saved. In all times the laity have been the measure of the Catholic spirit; they saved the Irish Church three centuries ago and they betrayed the Church in England. You ought to be able to bring out what you feel and what you mean, as well as to feel and mean it; to expose to the comprehension of others the fictions and fallacies of your opponents; to explain the charges brought against the Church, to the satisfaction, not, indeed, of bigots, but of men of sense, of whatever cast of opinion.

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The Southern Cross, July 10 to July 16, 2019

CHURCH

The day the tomb of St Paul burnt Just under 200 years ago this week, Rome’s basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls was engulfed by fire. With a glance at NotreDame cathedral in Paris, HANNAH BROCKHAUS looks at how that great church with the tomb of St Paul was rebuilt.

HE partial destruction of Notre Dame basilica in Paris in a fire earlier this year elicited mourning from Catholics and non-Catholics alike. But it is not the first time an iconic basilica has endured flames—and been rebuilt for worshippers and pilgrims. Nearly two centuries ago, during a hot July night, one of the greatest churches in Rome was consumed by fire for over five hours. When the flames finally subsided, almost the entirety of the basilica had been destroyed. Before the night of July 15, 1823, St Paul Outside the Walls was the only papal basilica which could still boast its original 4thcentury structure. The site of St Paul’s tomb, it had been a major place of pilgrimage for centuries and was filled with valuable gothic and baroque artwork. The blaze, an accident, was started by a workman making repairs to gutters on the roof. Though Rome had a fire department, it took them two hours to arrive. The roof, most of the walls, and the interior columns of the basilica had all collapsed, but the transept—or the part of the church

The basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in ruins after the fire of July 15, 1823, in a copper etching by architect Luigi Rossini; and the basilica today. After its destruction, the basilica was re-opened in 1840, and reconsecrated in 1854. (Colour photos: Günther Simmermacher) forming a “cross” shape—held. This helped to preserve a small part of the art: some of the 5thcentury mosaics on the triumphal arch, some of the 13th-century mosaics on the apse, and the 13thcentury gothic baldachin, or canopy, over the high altar. The fire was followed not long after by the death of Pope Pius VII and the election of Pope Leo XII, who launched an appeal for donations to rebuild the basilica as closely to its former glory as possible, and reusing whatever art and materials had been saved. “A church will rise again to Paul, the companion of the merits and glory of Peter,” Leo XII wrote in 1825. “If it no longer has those columns and other ornaments of inestimable value that one day it had, the church will be built with the magnificence that the offerings will allow.”

The basilica was rebuilt identical to what it had been before. The project was finished 30 years after the fire, though construction to the surrounding area continued over the subsequent decades. This is the basilica, with only some minor changes, which pilgrims and tourists to the Eternal City visit today, and to which all the bishops of the world make a pilgrimage every five years on their ad limina visits.

History of the basilica St Paul arrived in Rome in 61 AD. Condemned to death by the Emperor Nero, he was beheaded between 65 and 67. His body was laid to rest in a burial area along the Via Ostiense outside the city walls, about 3km from the place of his martyrdom. A memorial was soon erected on his tomb, which quickly became a place of prayer and venera-

St Paul outside the Walls in flames on July 15, 1823 (Image: Archivio di San Paolo Basilica)

Advent Pilgrimage to

ITALY 1-11 December 2019

ROME • ASSISI •

tion for the persecuted Christians Rebuilding the basilica of the first centuries. Part of reconstruction after the In 313 AD, Emperor Constan- fire in 1823 included the addition tine signed the Edict of Milan, of the distinct courtyard and porwhich allowed Christianity to be tico at the entrance. The quadrifreely practised in Rome. This cen- portico, a large statue of St Paul, tury in Rome saw the erection of and the mosaics on the facade many churches, including the were done from the 1890s to major papal basilicas, though they 1920s. have all been either completely reIn Ad plurimus, Leo XII’s letter built or undergone massive asking for help for the basilica’s rerestoration and reconstruction construction, the pope pointed to over the centuries. the donations from faithful Constantine also ordered the around the world which had supbuilding of a small church above ported the construction in the the tomb of St Paul. This modest 16th and 17th cenbasilica was conseturies of the current St crated by Pope Peter’s basilica. Sylvester I in 324. “Thus, for the same Catholics around About 70 years later, reasons, we have conit was expanded to betthe world fidence that all those ter accommodate the who are faithful to number of pilgrims it answered the Christ and to this Holy was receiving. This pope’s funding See will be shown to church, which was the be pious and liberal largest papal basilica appeal. Tsar while, in the name of until the rebuilding of Paul, we ask them for St Peter’s inside the Nicholas I and help in our needs,” he Vatican, is the St Paul wrote. King Fouad I Outside the Walls It is right to expect known today. of Egypt monetary assistance Over the centuries, from devout people, many popes added contributed he continued, “all the chapels and artworks to the grand basilica. through gifts more so since it seems to have reached us, One notable feature from God himself, this is the medallionthought, this desire to shaped portraits of the popes from St Peter to Francis, as a frieze cir- keep alive the glory of the Apostle cling the nave and transept. This [Paul] among us, since, in the feature was added under Pope Leo midst of the horror of the collapsed vault on the ruins of the the Great in the 5th century. Pope John VIII constructed a great marble columns reduced to fortification wall around the basil- ashes, the whole tomb of the ica and the connected Benedictine Apostle has been preserved”. Catholics around the world anabbey in the 9th century. Additions over the centuries in- swered the pope’s appeal and cluded the Gothic baldachin over other prominent people conthe papal altar and St Paul’s tomb, tributed to the effort through a monumental candelabrum to gifts, including Russian Tsar hold the paschal candle, the large Nicholas I, who donated blocks of mosaic of Christ and the four au- malachite and lapis lazuli for althors of the Gospels in the apse, tars, and King Fouad I of Egypt, and mosaics on the triumphal arch. who gave alabaster columns and Benedictine monks have had a windows. The rebuilt basilica opened presence near the tomb of St Paul since the 8th century. Still an ac- again in 1840 and was reconsetive monastery, the monks oversee crated by Pope Pius IX, in the presthe ecumenical activities of the ence of 50 cardinals, on December 10, 1854.—CNA basilica and hear confessions.

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The exterior of the basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, with the apostle whose tomb the church holds presiding in the front.

The Southern Cross, July 10 to July 16, 2019

Sr Margaret von Ohr CPS

RECIOUS Blood Sister Margaret von Ohr died on June 24 at the convent in Mariannhill at the age of 89. She was born on January 13, 1930, to Caspar and Helene von Ohr in Heede/Ems, northern Germany, as the second of six children. Her father was a farmer and innkeeper, and thus Sr Margaret learnt from a very early age to be co-responsible for the family. She later wrote: “I remember how early in my life I became aware of my desire to share my faith as a missionary Sister.” So she joined the Mission School in Neuenbeken in Westphalia, and entered the novitiate in 1952. Sr Margaret made her first profession in 1953. The following year she was sent to Mariannhill, where she celebrated her final vows in 1957. After completing her teacher training in 1956, she taught in Pinetown Convent School (now St Benedict) till she became superior of Mariannhill convent in 1974. Six years later Sr Margaret became principal of Little Flower School in Ixopo, where she enjoyed sharing her faith. From 1986 she served again as superior of Mariannhill Convent. Her dream to help people on

the rural mission stations finally came true when in 1992 she was sent to Reichenau mission. It was a great joy for her to assist in the building and updating of the primary schools and Malkholweni Secondary School there. In 1994 Sr Margaret helped in Mariathal mission in a similar way. It was at Mariathal that Fr Simon gave her the name Khona Manje—“Everything had to be done at once”. In 2002 she was transferred to St Michael’s mission where she helped mothers earn a living through the weaving project there.

Together with a mission helper and the youth, she helped to develop a garden project, the produce of which was shared with the poor. Sr Margaret wrote about St Michael’s: “What I liked most to remember is accompanying Fr Josef Steger going up and down the hills to bring Holy Communion to the sick and elderly.” To all mission stations in which she served she invited mission helpers who enjoyed their experience and kept contact with her. In August 2005 she was transferred to the Sacred Heart Home in Ixopo, where she continued marketing the weaving of the St Michael’s weavers and teaching novices. After hip surgery Sr Margaret could not walk well. Yet, she was very active, praying for and advocating vocations, keeping in contact with her family and benefactors, and helping the poor. On May 30, she fell. She could no longer be helped in Hillcrest Hospital and was transferred to the infirmary of Mariannhill convent on June 11, where she died on June 24. Sr Margaret was a prayerful, active and energetic person all her life. She wrote: “I am nearly 90 years old, and, with God’s help, will continue helping the poor till he calls me.”

Our bishops’ anniversaries

Southern CrossWord solutions

This week we congratulate: July 17: Bishop Emeritus Frank de Gouveia of Oudtshoorn on the 9th anniversary of his episcopal ordination July 19: Bishop Emeritus Michael Wüstenberg of Aliwal on his 65th birthday

SOLUTIONS TO 871. ACROSS: 1 Yoga, 3 Scapular, 9 Unaware, 10 Owned, 11 Hot gospeller, 13 Uphill, 15 Mantra, 17 Forward march, 20 Abide, 21 Unsaved, 22 Register, 23 Wrap. DOWN: : 1 Youthful, 2 Grant, 4 Creeps, 5 People at Mass, 6 Lenient, 7 Rude, 8 Canon lawyers, 12 Washed up, 14 Hooting, 16 Triune, 18 River, 19 Pair.

Liturgical Calendar Year C – Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday July 14, 15th Sunday of the Year Deuteronomy 30:10-14, Psalm 69:14, 17, 3031, 33-34, 36-37, Colossians 1:15-20, Luke 10:25-37 Monday July 15, St Bonaventure Exodus 2:1-15, Psalm 124, Matthew 10:34-11,1 Tuesday July 16, Our Lady of Mt Carmel Exodus 2:1-15, Psalm 69: 3, 14, 30-31, 33-34, Matthew 11:20-24 or memorial Zechariah 2: 10-13 (14-17), Responsorial psalm Luke 1:46-55, Matthew 12:46-50 Our Lady of Wednesday July 17 Mt Carmel Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12, Psalms 103:1-4, 6-7, Matthew 11:25-27 Thursday July 18 Exodus 3:13-20, Psalm 105:1, 5, 8-9, 24-27, Matthew 11:28-30 Friday July 19 Exodus 11:10--12:14, Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18, Matthew 12:1-8 Saturday July 20, St Apollinaris Exodus 12:37-42, Psalm 136:1, 23-24, 10-15, Matthew 12:14-21 Sunday July 21, 16th Sunday of the Year Genesis 18:1-10, Psalm 15:2-5, Colossians 1:24-28, Luke 10:38-42

July the month to hail grandparents Continued from page 7 to work to look after my daughter’s children. She chooses to leave them with me and goes off to work, drinks after work, parties at weekends. Is that fair? I do feel exploited but do I really have a choice?” Scripture: “The Egyptians were in dread of the sons of Israel. So they made the people serve with rigour and made their lives bitter with hard service. They set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens” (Exodus 1:8-22). Pope Francis: “Jesus was born into a modest family that soon had to flee to a foreign land. He knows the anxieties and tensions experienced by families and weaves them into his parables” (Amoris Laetitia, 21). This might be a new way of seeing and being Church that is closely related to our daily lives. Hopefully, as family members read and share—ideally with one another—it could bring them closer to God and to one another. That is my dream and I believe God’s too. n Visit www.marfam.org.za to learn more about these daily thoughts.

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NeW PARiSH NOticeS MOSt WeLcOMe: If any parish notices listed are no longer valid, call us on 021 465-5007 or e-mail us at m.leveson@scross.co.za so that we can remove them. Also, we’d welcome new notices from parishes across Southern Africa to run free in the classifieds. cAPe tOWN: A Holy Hour Prayer for Priests is held on the second Saturday of every month at the Villa Maria shrine from 16:00 to 17:00. The shrine is at 1 Kloof Nek Road in Tamboerskloof. The group prays for priests in the archdiocese, and elsewhere by request. 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

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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 Saturday 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.

PRAYeRS

MAY ALL i DO today begin with you, O Lord. Plant dreams and hopes within my soul, revive my tired spirit: be with me today. May all I do today continue with your help, O Lord. Be at my side and walk with me: be my support today. May all I do today reach far and wide, O Lord. My thoughts, my work, my life: make them blessings for your kingdom; let them go beyond today. O God, today is new unlike any other day, for God makes each day different. Today God's everyday grace falls on my soul like abundant seed, though I may hardly see it. Today is one of those days Jesus promised to be

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with me, a companion on my journey, and my life today, if I trust him, has consequences unseen. My life has a purpose. I have a mission. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. God has not created me for naught. Therefore I will trust him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. God does nothing in vain. He knows what he is about. John Henry Newman

tHANkS be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, For all the benefits thou hast won for me, For all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me. O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother, May I know thee more clearly, Love thee more dearly, And follow thee more nearly, For ever and ever. O HOLY ViRGiN, in the midst of your days of glory, do not forget the sorrows of this earth. Cast a merciful glance upon those who are suffering, struggling against difficulties, with their lips constant pressed against life’s bitter cup. Have pity on those who love each other and are separated. Have pity on our rebellious hearts. Have pity on our weak faith. Have pity on those we love. Have pity on those who weep, on those who pray, on those who fear. Grant hope and peace to all. Amen.

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16th Sunday: July 21 Readings: Genesis 18:1-10, Psalm 15:2-5, Colossians 1:14-28, Luke 10:38-42

OSPITALITY is an important gift; it brings the chance to see things quite differently, viewing the visitor not as another nuisance taking us from our work but as the very presence of God. This is, it seems, what the readings for next Sunday are saying to us. The first reading is an extraordinary story, beautifully told, of God appearing to Abraham (“by the oak of Mamre”), in the form of “three men”; after the mention of God, we are told what Abraham is up to: “sitting at the entrance to the tent, in the heat of the day”. As soon as he sees them, and with little regard for his more-than-90 years, he is into rapid action, with rather more running than is quite normal in the Bible. It is possible that we are to understand that he recognises the presence of God, for he calls them “Adonai”, and indicates what a privilege it is to be able to offer them hospitality. And he pulls out the full treatment: water, rest under the tree, and some food. Then the urgency continues, as Sarah his wife is jolted into action, to make bread, while Abraham slaughters a calf, and produces “curds and milk”, and “He stood over them under the tree—and they ate.”

S outher n C ross

All visitors represent God However, the story does not end there; for we recall that to their great sadness Abraham and Sarah were childless, and now comes a prophecy aimed at Sarah (and overheard by her, to her incredulous amusement), that “I shall return to you at this time, and look! A son for Sarah your wife”. The narrator adds that “Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, and she was behind him”. For what happens next, you can read for yourself in the following verses, which you will not hear next Sunday. The point is that our God is always standing at our door, and ready to lavish unimaginable benefits upon us, when we are least expecting it. This week, it might be good to be very attentive to that presence. In the psalm, there is another tent; but this one is God’s tent, and the question is “Who will sojourn there? Who will live on your holy mountain?” Then comes a list of those to whom God offers this hospitality: “the one who walks in perfection, and does justice, and speaks truth in their heart”. As with the hospitality of the first reading,

Conrad

lives of the martyrs, and after that a parade of saints through medieval and modern times down to our own age. We’ve always been told the stories of the saints. Many of us, I suspect, are familiar with Alban Butler’s classic four-volume series Lives of the Saints. These famous mini-biographies were published 200 years ago and employed the literary genre of the time apposite to writing up the lives of saints. That genre, hagiography, on principle distorted somewhat the literal reality so as to highlight essence and this often left the reader with the impression that the saints being described were devoid of normal human weakness and limitation. Our age no longer understands this and so a new kind of hagiography is needed, one that brings out essence without sacrificing the literal facts. Ellsberg is that new kind of hagiographer and we need such hagiography today.

hen I was young, the lives of the saints were one of the major ways within which spirituality was taught. We each had a patron saint, every city had a patron saint, every parish had a patron saint, we all read the lives of the saints and were inspired to higher ideals by the likes of saints such as Tarcisius, stoned to death for protecting the Blessed Sacrament; Marie Goretti, willing to die rather than sacrifice her personal integrity; St George, who by the power of faith could slay dragons; and St Christopher, whose providential eye could you keep you safe while travelling.

Sunday Reflections

there is a kind of congruence between human beings (when they are living as they should) and God: “there is no slander on their tongue, does no harm to another…accepts no bribe against the innocent”. The underlying thread here is that of recognising in the human beings who come our way the image and likeness of God. Once you see that, then hospitality is clearly an encounter with the Almighty. Something of this sort is clearly going on in Sunday’s second reading, as Paul claims to “rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf; and I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s tribulations, in my flesh on behalf of his body, the Church”. Like Abraham in the first reading, Paul sees himself as “a servant in accordance with God’s arrangement, given to me for you, to fill up God’s word”. We notice the profound link between what God is doing and what is going on in human beings, “in order that we may present every human being as perfect in Christ”. This is a God wholly involved in our human existence. The Gospel offers two contrasting pictures of hospitality. The first is that of “a certain

The benefits of our saints ACH year, I write a column sharing with readers the title and a brief synopsis of the ten books that touched me most that year. Occasionally, however, I judge a book to be exceptional enough to merit its own column. Robert Ellsberg’s new book, A Living Gospel: Reading God’s Story in Holy Lives, is such a book. Ellsberg is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Orbis Books, and in that role has shepherded into print some of the more challenging spiritual writings of our generation. Among others things, he has edited the selected writings, diaries, and letters of Dorothy Day (whom he had the privilege of being in community with during the last five years of her life). But beyond publishing the thoughts of others, Ellsberg has himself, quietly, produced a huge treasury of writings on the lives of the saints. He has three major books on the lives of the saints (All Saints; The Saints’ Guide to Happiness; and Blessed Among Women) and, each day, writes an account of the life of a saint for the booklet Give Us This Day. Ellsberg is what’s technically termed a hagiographer, namely, someone who writes up the lives of various saints so that they may serve as inspirations for the rest of us. Anyone familiar with the history of Christian spirituality knows how important this has been. The Gospels themselves are, in a manner of speaking, hagiography—the life of Jesus written up for our inspiration and imitation. Then, in the early Church, we have the

Nicholas King SJ

woman, Martha by name, who gave him hospitality”. The second is that of her sister Mary. Martha, we learn, is “torn apart by much service” (and instinctively we contrast her with Abraham in the first reading, who found fulfilment in service); eventually she explodes and “stood over Jesus and said, ‘Lord—don’t you care that my sister has abandoned me to serve alone? Tell her to help me.’” This is unmistakably aggressive, and in no sense a model of hospitality; but Jesus is quite unfazed, and replies, gently, “Martha, Martha” (the repetition of her name robbing his response of any severity), “you are concerned and troubled about many things—but you only need one: Mary has chosen the good portion—and it is not going to be taken from her.” That takes us back to the second example of hospitality: “Mary was sitting at the Lord’s feet and listening to his word.” Oddly enough, that is a much more fruitful way of being hospitable. What kind of hospitality are you going to offer God this week?

Southern Crossword #871

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

Of course, looking back, one can see now where those who wrote up these stories often took liberties with historical fact to highlight essence. Indeed, both St George and St Christopher are now relegated more to the realm of fable than fact. No matter, their stories, like those of the other saints we read, lifted our eyes a little higher, put a bit more courage in our hearts, gave us real-life examples of Christian discipleship, and helped fix our eyes on what’s more noble. Today we have a different version of the lives of the saints. The rich, famous, and successful have effectively replaced the saints of old. Butler’s Lives of the Saints has been replaced by People magazine, biographies, television programmes, and websites that picture and detail for us the lives of the rich and the famous. And these lives, notwithstanding the goodness you often see there, don’t exactly focus our eyes and hearts in the same direction as do the lives of Tarcisius, Marie Goretti, St George or St Christopher. In a culture which deifies celebrity, we need some different celebrities to envy. Ellsberg is pointing them out. In this book, among other things, he chronicles the lives of four contemporary “saints”: Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, and Charles de Foucauld (none of whom are yet canonised or might ever be; only De Foucauld has been beatified). But, their lives, Ellsberg believes, can help us define what following Jesus might mean inside the complexities of our own generation. And this is true too for the Church as a whole. Commenting on the life of Bl Charles de Foucauld, Ellsberg writes: “In an age when Christianity is no longer synonymous with the outreach of Western civilisation and colonial power, the witness of Foucauld—poor, unarmed, stripped of everything, relying on no greater authority than the power of love—may well represent the future of the Church, a Church rooted in the memory of its origins and of its poor founder.” The saints have something for everyone!

Southern C ross Pilgrimage

Led by Archbishop William Slattery www.fowlertours.co.za/passion

1. Hindu practice by Goya (4) 3. Monastic cloak (8) 9. Warn United Arab Emirates. They don’t know (7) 10. Possessed but not by the devil (5) 11. Bible puncher with a temperature (3,9) 13. Not on the level, like Jesus’ climb to Calvary (6) 15. Repeated word in contemplation (6) 17. Command the procession to commence (7,5) 20. … With Me (hymn) (5) 21. Like money spent by a lost soul (7) 22. Parish book of records (8) 23. Warp in the loose garment (4) Solutions on page 11

DOWN

1. Young (8) 2. A donation from the vagrants (5) 4. Feelings of fright from the snake as it moves (6) 5. They’re the ones sharing in the Eucharist (6,2,4) 6. Nine let become tolerant (7) 7. Impolite and abrupt awakening? (4) 8. Do they practise in the bishop’s court? (5,7) 12. Did the dishes (6,2) 14. Like a motorist aping the owl (7) 16. Theologically three in one (6) 18. Non-blossoming ﬂower is a geographical feature (5) 19. This couple sounds fruity (4)

CHURCH CHUCKLE

HE new parish priest has just moved into his office. Suddenly there is a knock on the door. The priest thinks: “Well, I might as well start impressing the people here.” He picks up the phone and shouts: “Come in!” As the sacristan enters, the priest speaks into his phone: “No, Your Eminence, no need to apologise, and let’s have dinner soon.” Then he hangs up and barks at the sacristan: “What do you want from me?” Answers the sacristan: “Father, I’ve just come to connect your phone.”

21 Aug - 2 Sept. 2020

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