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The women who followed Jesus
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Top anti-abuse expert to speak in South Africa BY ERIN CARELSE
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NE of the Vatican’s point men in combating abuse in the Church will address the bishops of Southern Africa and various archdioceses in August. Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, president of the Centre for Child Protection at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, will address the bishops at their August plenary in Mariannhill. The theme of his address is “Impact of Abuse and Pastoral Care of Survivors, Danger of Revictimisation”. “Having Fr Zollner address the bishops is very important, and is also the biggest highlight at the plenary this year,” said Fr Patrick Rakeketsi CSS, associate secretary-general of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC). After the plenary, Fr Zollner will also be travelling across the region’s metropolitan sees—Durban, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, and Pretoria—to give talks and visit local dioceses to ensure they respond adequately to reports of abuse as they may arise. Recognised for his tireless work for the prevention of sexual abuse in the Church, Fr Zollner gives worldwide workshops and guides committees to advocate for policies that can protect children, and trains future leaders who will fight abuse. SACBC secretary-general Sr Hermenegild Makoro CPS, who is also a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors with Fr Zollner, said that the bishops would gain a lot from the German priest’s experience in this field. “Fr Zollner is such a dynamic person and the passion that he has for the work of safeguarding is amazing. With that passion he will be able to encourage the bishops to be open and ready to listen,“ she told The Southern Cross.
Fr Hans Zollner SJ, a well-known expert on the protection of minors in the Church, is speaking in South Africa in August. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) Sr Makoro said she hopes that many people will attend Fr Zollner’s talks in the different metropolitan areas he will be visiting, and is looking forward to meeting up with him again. “Fr Zollner will try to give the bishops a framework from which they can decide on how they will respond pastorally to [abuse] survivors in the Southern African region,” said Fr Russell Pollitt SJ, director of the Jesuit Institute in Johannesburg. However, he added, “I would caution anyone who thinks that Fr Zollner has a silver bullet—the solution to dealing with sexual abuse in the Church. Rather, he will offer valuable perspectives from his professional background and extensive experience.” Fr Zollner founded the Centre for Child Protection, which is now working in 50 countries, to train specialists capable of promoting a culture of prevention in the Church. He continues to travel the globe to raise awareness among Church leaders. He was also a lead organiser of the Vatican’s four-day summit of bishops on abuse which Pope Francis convened in February. The priest noted that many bishops in attendance needed to be convinced that sexual abuse was even a problem.
The foundation stone for a new retreat centre in Benoni was ceremoniously placed by Fr Arvin Tauro OCD as fellow Carmelite Fathers Boniface D’Souza of Kempton Park, Johannesburg, and Mari Joseph of Goodwood, Cape Town, look on. The Carmelite Fathers are building the retreat centre at 33 Celia Nestadt Road in Benoni. The property borders the Lumko Centre. The Carmelite centre, which is hoped to be completed by December, will be open for clergy, religious and laity for contemplative and directed retreats.
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2
The Southern Cross, July 31 to August 6, 2019
LOCAL
Vatican cardinal urges ‘moral power’ BY SR PHATSIMO RAMOKGWEBANA SC
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LEADING cardinal from the Vatican conducted a spiritual revival conference in the diocese of Gaborone, Botswana. Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson, the Ghanaian prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, facilitated a two-day national conference of Catholic Charismatic Renewal at St Joseph’s College. The theme of the conference was “Worship God in spirit and in truth”, with the strapline “Arise Botswana and worship God.” Cardinal Turkson also met with Bishop Frank Nabuasah—a fellow Ghanian who will be installed as bishop of Gaborone on August 25— as well as with priests, religious and politicians. In his keynote speech, the cardinal said the aim of the conference was to rediscover faith in the Lord, maintain our relationship with him through prayer, and especially to worship in the spirit and in truth. “To worship the Lord in the
spirit and in truth: this is what Jesus requires for somebody like you and I,” he said. Meeting with priests, Cardinal Turkson spoke about the vocation to the priesthood. Reflecting on the story of Moses and the burning bush, he said: “A priest as a leader should be curious, and this curiosity should lead him to a personal encounter with the Lord.” Speaking to women religious, the cardinal emphasised nurturing one’s vocation through various phases. “In your own vocation there should be a thirst for growth,” he said. This, Cardinal Turkson noted, can be done only through an intimate relationship with God. Constant discernment is also necessary for one’s vocation, he said. The cardinal encouraged women religious not to allow experiences of failure determine their way of life. “These are just there to help you grow; kneeling by the tabernacle and pouring to the Lord your ultimate desire for him should be your source of strength and consolation in all your troubles.”
Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson (third from left), prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and Bishop Frank Nabuasah (third from right) met with the minister at the Office of the President on the cardinal’s visit to Botswana. Cardinal Turkson also took part in a prayer walk from Christ the King cathedral to the government enclave to pray for peace and for the leaders of Botswana, with this year’s general elections in mind.
Although the country is known for its prevailing tranquillity, these are uncertain days, Bishop Nabuasah said as he called on the faithful to pray “that God’s power of the Holy Spirit may touch our leaders and
unite them so that our country may continue to move forward”. In a meeting, Minister of Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration Nonofo Molefhi told Cardinal Turkson about the great impact the Catholic Church has in Botswana, especially in the areas of social development and upliftment of the lives of the poor. In a discussion with political leaders, the cardinal outlined the principle of Catholic Social Teaching. The Church’s promotion of the common good, “to which every aspect of social life must be related if it is to attain its fullest meaning, stems from the dignity, unity and equality of all people”, he said. “The human person cannot find fulfilment in himself, that is, apart from the fact that he exists with others and for others,” said Cardinal Turkson. He urged those who exercise political authority to see to it that the energies of all citizens are directed towards the common good; and to do so by making use of moral power sustained in freedom.
Diamonds for two St Ursula’s Sisters
Srs Catharine Pearson (left) and Mara HoweWatson of St Ursula’s School in Krugersdorp, Gauteng, both celebrated their diamond jubilees of 60 years as religious Sisters.
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AINT Ursula’s School in Krugersdorp, Gauteng, celebrated the diamond jubilees (60 years) of Srs Mara Howe-Watson and Catharine Pearson. Sr Mara joined the Ursuline Order when she was 19 years old, and Sr Catherine when she was 17. At the celebration, Holy Rosary parish priest Fr Terry
Barnard referred to both of the Sisters as “diamonds”. As diamonds are formed under great pressure, and stand the test of time, so have the Sisters, he said. Fr Barnard added that there are three basic values to live according to, that made the jubilee Sisters’ journey successful: celibacy, to give ourselves to
God; poverty, the dependence upon God and others; and obedience, to listen and respond to God. “Srs Mara and Catherine,” said the school’s principal Tony Botha, “St Ursula’s is proud and humbled by having you on our campus. You are role models we the staff and pupils can look up to for guidance.”
SA editor: Church media strategy critical BY ERIN CARELSE
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N institution that lacks a media strategy will fail to be an effective agent of change, according to the editor of a Catholic magazine. “Media plays an integral part of development,” said Ipeleng Tlhankana, the founder, owner, and editor of Reality Catholic Lifestyle magazine. “Any organisation, institution or entity with no effective tools and strategies of communication will not emerge as an effective change agent.” Ms Tlhankana, who attended an international Vatican conference for Catholic
publishers in Rome last month, said that different forms of media are growing fast “because growth and development are dependent on information, education and knowledge”. But the differentiation of communication also calls on media practitioners “to respond to the industrial transformation and adapt to industrial challenges” in order to be “effective and responsive”, she said. “As media evolves, so do the different modes of operation which need to be tested, especially if the Church wants to continue to attract the youth to participate in vari-
ous platforms of ministry,” Ms Tlhankana said. “The approach should be to determine what our various parishioners need, rather than what we can offer.” She noted that the challenges participants at the Vatican conference voiced included lack of resources from the local bishops’ conferences; a decrease in Catholics buying and reading literature; traditional media becoming mundane and not responsive to current media progressive approaches; and the platforms promoting Catholics media “still operating in silos and not integrated and aligned to each other”.
Bishop Duncan Tsoke, auxillary of Johannesburg, blessed a new chapel at OR Tambo International Airport in the presence of religious leaders of different denominations. The new interdenominational chapel, at basement level in Terminal A at the entrance to the parking, is open 24 hours a day and is manned during certain hours by volunteer clerics. Catholics have celebration of Mass in the chapel every Sunday at 13:00.For more details contact Fr Arvin Tauro on 061 692-4270 or at carmelretreathouse.sa@gmail.com
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The Southern Cross, July 31 to August 6, 2019
LOCAL
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Govt upgrades Catholic home for ill children BY ERIN CARELSE
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FTER submitting a successful bid for an additional 60 beds in November of last year, St Joseph’s Home for Chronically Ill Children (SJH) in Cape Town has changed from the status of a facility to a hospital for intermediate paediatric children care. “The service agreement signed with Western Cape Government Health endorses the quality of our work and points to the growing need for our services among poor, vulnerable children in our province and beyond,” said Alrika Hefers, SJH
resource development manager. What started out as a pioneering home and shelter established by the Pallottine Missionary Sisters in 1935 has now grown into a first-class 175-bed facility for children from poor communities who still need nursing and rehabilitation after their acute hospital discharge. Clinical and support staff have also increased to 129, and another ward was added to cope with the increased number of patients. An in-house project was developed to upskill clinical and technical staff to meet the new challenges, and work towards a model in paediatric
intermediate care. Increased operational costs have forced SJH to redesign its funding strategy to include more project funding: “Adopt a Bed” to cover the shortfall per bed; two campaigns to attract more donors; and a special fundraising event scheduled for November 9 and 10 at Stellenberg Open Gardens. This will add to awareness of the work St Joseph’s does and open up more opportunities for schools and business to become partners. One of the donor campaigns is the relaunch of the “Happy Nappy Drive”, designed to present oppor-
tunities up until September, to give in kind, or to donate cash. Every 24 hours more than 1 000 disposable nappies are used at SJH and its annual nappy bill is over R220 000. Based in Montana, St Joseph’s is a registered non-profit organisation. It is Cape Town’s only paediatric hospital of its kind and has over the past 83 years nursed and rehabilitated more than 20 000 children from poverty-stricken communities who had life-threatening limiting conditions. Children are referred from state hospitals to continue their care at
the home. St Joseph’s is at present developing a draft blueprint which may benefit paediatric intermediate care throughout South Africa, Ms Hefers said. The 24-hour facility provides a holistic model in therapeutic, rehabilitative and palliative care, and may be the only such facility in the country which provides a free, comprehensive, intermediate paediatric health facility for children and teens from poor and vulnerable families. n For more information contact Alrika Hefers on alrika@stjosephshome. org.za
Church bodies host Witbank workshop on Catholic response to migrants BY ERIN CARELSE
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WORKSHOP in Witbank diocese outlined the Catholic response to migration and migrants. The Migrants and Refugees Office of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference joined up with the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO), the Society of Jesus, the Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa, and Lawyers for Human Rights to present a three-day workshop for pastoral-care agents and volunteers from Witbank dio-
Over 30 pastoral-care agents and volunteers attended a three-day workshop in Witbank on the Catholic response to migration and migrants.
cese and surrounding areas. Over 30 pastoral agents, volunteers and religious from Witbank diocese, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Eswatini and Ressano Garcia in Mozambique attended the workshop at Marian House in Hazyview, Mpumalanga. In his homily at the opening Mass at St Joseph’s mission, SACBC associate-secretary General Fr Patrick Rakeketsi CSS reiterated Pope Francis’ plea of welcoming the stranger. He noted that Jesus and the Holy Family also were migrants. At the workshop, Sylvester
Namale of Witbank diocese looked at international migration in South Africa, and the SACBC’s Sr Melanie O’Connor spoke about human trafficking and smuggling. Participants also had an opportunity to meet Hazyview police station commander Colonel Sabelo Mlangeni. Fr Peter-John Pearson of the CPLO and Jesuit Father Rampe Hlobo looked at migration in the Bible and the teachings of the Church on migration, followed by a video of some of the work by Scalabrini Sisters in Ressano Garcia.
Gym manager steps in to aid Little Eden homes BY DALUxOLO MOLOANTOA
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N this age of communication via hashtags, two of these came in handy for a runner whose mission is to create awareness and raise much-needed funds for the Little Eden Society, the home for intellectually-challenged children and adults in Edenvale, Johannesburg. The two hashtags, #I’llRunForThoseWhoCan’t and #67MinuteRun helped Sipho Marima, 28, put his activities in the public eye in aid of the home on Mandela Day. Mr Marima, branch general manager of EdenGlen Virgin Active gym, first crossed paths with the home when his gym was invited by Little Eden for its annual fête in April. After the fête he felt this was not the end of the road between him and the home. After running the Comrades Marathon in June, Mr Marima returned to Little Eden with an idea to help in its awareness campaign and fundraising drives through running. “The running community is big and so loving; runners are supportive towards one another and others, and that’s when I decided to help the home through running and involved other runners,” he explained. Running started off as a therapeutic process for him after Mr Marima went through an unfortunate experience in his family, and it just never stopped from there. “When I am running, I am happy. You meet great people through running and it’s amazing how united runners are,” he said. For Mandela Day, his colleagues at the gym rolled up their sleeves and helped him to prepare for the day. They ran a mock-run with him to mark the route for the run, and even handled the logistics to donate lost property from the gym to the home. “After the run we spent some time doing arts and craft with the residents,” Mr Marima said. Some of his staff also “expressed how they would like to come back to visit again and get to know the residents better”, Mr Marima said. “For me, that’s the whole purpose; to create awareness and get more involved in the home.” Little Eden receives 45% of its monthly income from the government. Funds are needed
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on a constant basis to keep its 300 residents fully cared for through daily care, food, clothing, nappies and other necessities. Mr Marima aims to raise R10 000 by the end of September for the home in two events. On August 17 he will participate in his first triathlon, and on September 15 he will run in the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, also for the first time. He has also initiated a Back-a-Buddy campaign to help him reach his target. “My initiative is not huge, however, the money raised can go a long way for the home,” Mr Marima said. “The number of nappies raised can make a huge difference in the lives of the residents. It is
not a one-time thing. I will continue doing my best to help the home. “Creating awareness for Little Eden also helps because when people realise that we all have an extra home that needs us, then they will also come through to be of assistance.” Mr Marima’s efforts have not gone unheeded, especially by the home’s management. “Sipho has a natural ability to inspire others through his commitment, and through his running. His campaign is really remarkable,” said Little Eden chief executive officer Xelda Rohrbeck. n To support SiphoMarima, go to www.backa buddy.co.za/champion/project/ill-run-for-thosewho-cant
Gym manager Sipho Marima has put his heart into raising awareness of Little Eden Society’s needs with running campaigns.
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The Southern Cross, July 31 to August 6, 2019
INTERNATIONAL
Africa needs courageous Catholics to tackle challenges BY BRONWEN DACHS
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HE Church in Africa needs courageous Catholics who will become involved in the continent’s challenges, said participants at the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SEACAM). About 300 delegates gathered in Kampala, Uganda’s capital, for the 18th plenary meeting of SECAM. The theme of the meeting was “Church-Family of God in Africa, Celebrate Your Jubilee! Proclaim Jesus Christ Your Saviour”. “Contemporary Africa is confronted with negative tendencies and ideologies directed against Christianity,” said Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi of Lubango, Angola, noting that the continent needs brave people “ready to openly affirm and defend their Christian faith and doctrine”. Evangelisation “demands that we proclaim Jesus Christ to others not only with words but, above all, with the witness of life and exemplary conduct”, Archbishop Mbilingi, SECAM’s president, said in his opening address. Uganda is where the symposium was created in July 1969 and also where a group of Catholic and Anglican converts “were cruelly martyred at a time when many Africans firmly adhered to traditional religious beliefs”, he said. Without the “blood of the Ugandan Martyrs,” who were killed between 1885-87, “and other martyrs and holy Africans, Christianity would not have sur-
Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Mthatha, second vice-president of SECAM, and Bishop Mathieu Madega Lebouakehan of Mouila, Gabon, first vicepresident, process into St Mary’s Cathedral in Kampala, Uganda, for the opening Mass of the week-long meeting that marked the 50th anniversary of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar. (Photo: SECAM) vived in Africa”, Archbishop Mbilingi said. He urged SECAM members to “speak with one voice” and to defend the pastoral solidarity and “spirit of collaboration and communion throughout the continent”. Participants should focus on the
Kampala Document, a pastoral document that will be formulated at the meeting to guide the Church in Africa on pastoral priorities, Archbishop Mbilingi said.
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rchbishop Luigi Bianco, the pope’s representative to Uganda, read a message from Car-
dinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, at the opening Mass at St Mary’s cathedral. “Joining you in thanking almighty God for the many graces received by SECAM and for the fraternal communion that has characterised its work over these 50 years, His Holiness prays that its members may be strengthened in missionary discipleship,” it said. Archbishop Protase Rugambwa, secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, told participants the anniversary should be a time for “reflecting on and embracing spiritual and pastoral renewal”. In his sermon, Archbishop Charles Palmer-Buckle of Accra, Ghana, said that “from barely 50 bishops, archbishops and cardinals” at SECAM’s beginning, “Africa can now boast over 500 bishops and archbishops and as many as 25 cardinals”. From “about 40 million Catholics on the continent 50 years ago, we have every reason to celebrate a current population of over 178 million”, the archbishop and SECAM treasurer said. The Church in Africa “is the fastest-growing in the world and also the most vibrant in her liturgical celebrations”, he said. Many of Africa’s clergy and religious are now serving in countries “that once sent us missionaries”, Archbishop Palmer-Buckle said. Also, the African Church is “contributing greatly to the integral human development of our peoples” through health care and education, he said.
Celebrating SECAM’s anniversary “requires returning to our African roots of humanity— ubuntu,” said Sr Teresa Okure of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, in a presentation at the meeting. The challenges to “God’s Church-family” in Africa “stem from the nature of our vast continent with its different religions, language and socio-cultural groupings”, said Sr Okure, the professor of New Testament and gender hermeneutics at the Catholic Institute of West Africa in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. “In coming to grips with our identity as the Church-family of God, we become aware not only of the challenges but also of the wealth of graces God has given us,” she said. “The unfortunate truth is that most Catholics...do not believe the call to holiness is for them,” Sr Okure said. “They see themselves as the laity, second-class citizens who must depend on the clergy and, to a certain extent, the religious, to be holy for them,” she said, adding, “We need to come to grips with the stunting effect of this false belief.” “Let us reject the syndrome that thinks little of self and of things African despite the immense wealth and resources—human, spiritual and material—with which God has endowed this continent in incalculable abundance,” Sr Okure said. “May we find ways of getting all involved,” she said.—CNS
German Church loses 200 000 members C
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ONTINUING a years-long trend, the Catholic Church in Germany saw a significant drop in membership this past year, losing more than 200 000 members in 2018. According to the German Bishops’ Conference, the Catholic Church in the country declined by 216 078 members last year. Protestant churches saw a similar drop, with 220 000 members leaving during that time period. Fr Hans Langendörfer SJ, secretary of the German Bishops’ Conference, said the numbers show a need for the Church in Germany to be “more self-critical and constructive”. “The current statistics are worrying. There is nothing to gloss over about the numbers, they confirm a trend that has shaped the Church in recent years,” he said in a statement. Adding that a loss of trust and credibility has caused great damage, the priest went on to say that Church leaders must examine the question of how to make the Catholic Church a welcoming environment, where people can find hope and feel at home. Priestly ordinations have also plummeted. In 2005, a total of 122 diocesan priests were ordained in the country. Ten years later, just 58 men were ordained priests. Some 53% of the country’s population remains either Catholic or Protestant, according to the Deutsche Welle radio station. Both Churches currently have more than 20 million members. However, the University of Freiburg predicted that membership in both Churches will be cut in half by 2060, dropping from a combined total of 45 million currently to below 23 million in the next 40 years. German law collects an automatic income tax of up to 9% on Church members, which it distributes to
Enactment of the Passion of Christ on Good Friday in Germany. (Photo: Vatican News) Church organisations, among them the Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church of Germany, a federation of Protestant groups, mostly Lutheran, which constitutes the largest Protestant group in Germany. Taxpayers have the option of opting out of the tax payment by notifying state authorities that they have left the religious group in which they are enrolled. In 2017, the Church tax generated $13,5 billion for religious groups in the country. The predicted decline in membership would lead to major budget shortfalls for the Catholic Church in Germany. Last month, Pope Francis sent a 28-page letter to Catholics in Germany calling for a focus on evangelisation in the face of the “erosion” and “decline of the faith” in the country. The pope also reiterated concerns he raised with the German bishops during their ad limina visit in Rome in November 2015 in which he had already noted a grave lack of participation in the sacraments among Catholics in Germany. He challenged bishops to “pastoral conversion” and warned against “excessive centralisation”.—CNA
INTERNATIONAL
The Southern Cross, July 31 to August 6, 2019
5
Restore churches for Christians’ return BY MARK PATTISON
R Workers inspect an ossuary at the Teutonic Cemetery at the Vatican. (Photo: Vatican Media)
Vatican to study ‘thousands of bones’ found in crypt BY CAROL GLATZ
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URING a search for the remains of a young Italian woman missing for more than 30 years, workers discovered an enormous number of bones inside two ossuaries in a building next to a Vatican cemetery. Further studies on the remains will be carried out, but it was not yet possible to predict how long it would take to conduct a “detailed morphological analysis of the remains found in the ossuaries”, said Alessandro Gisotti, outgoing interim director of the Vatican press office. A Vatican City State court had ordered the opening of the tombs at the request of the family of Emanuela Orlandi, a Vatican citizen who disappeared in Rome on June 22, 1983, at age 15.
Workers spent six hours inspecting two small underground cavities under an opening in the floor of the Pontifical Teutonic College. A genetics expert told reporters that the workers found what appeared to be “thousands of bones” belonging to perhaps dozens of individuals, both adults and minors. The expert, Giorgio Portera, said, “I can’t say if it’s 1 000 or 2 000, but there are really very many” bones and bone fragments, leading him to assume they might represent “the remains of a few dozen people”. For decades, Ms Orlandi’s case has been the object of conspiracy theorists who linked her disappearance to Freemasons, organised crime, the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II, and other unsubstantiated theories.—CNS
ESTORING churches in violence-plagued sections of the Middle East will help foster the return of Christians who fled the strife, as well as introduce greater stability to the region, experts have said. “Billions of dollars will be needed to reconstruct and rehabilitate the holy places in Syria,” said Archimandrite Alexi Chehadeh, a member of the ecumenical relations department of the Greek Orthodox Church, told a conference in Washington. Despite that price tag, “it might be more difficult to rebuild the human”, Archimandrite Chehadeh suggested, noting that “50% of the Christian community has left Syria in the past eight years”. He said of his Christian counterparts in the region: “We have to cooperate with each other, not only in Syria but in the entire Middle East. We have to cooperate with each other, not compete against each other,” adding, “It is easy to love one another, but to practise—that is the problem.” Archimandrite Chehadeh and others spoke at a forum, “Christian Holy Sites and Holy Spaces in the Middle East”. Fr Salar Kajo, a priest of the Chaldean diocese of Alqosh, Iraq, in the Ninevah Plains, said some reconstruction work has begun with US
‘El Chapo’ life sentence is just
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HE bishop of one of Mexico’s most violent areas has said that the sentencing of druglord Joaquín Guzmán Loera to life in prison plus 30 years is proper and prudent. Guzmán, known as “El Chapo”, is a fomer head of the Sinaloa cartel. He was sentenced by a judge in New York, after having been found guilty of ten charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering. “I believe there is justice by God and human justice,” Bishop Salvador Rangel Mendoza of Chilpancingo-Chilapa said.
Joaquín Guzmán Loera, known as ‘El Chapo’. (Photo: Day Donaldson) “I believe he was properly judged. I have more confidence in American laws than Mexican, and I believe that they judged it to be prudent to give him life in prison plus 30 years,” Bishop Rangel stated.
Guzmán's sentence “is the fruit of the criminal acts he committed, and in particular I believe this should help many other criminals to see that sooner or later they will have to face justice and that we all have to answer for the evil deeds we have done”, the bishop said. “I believe it’s a just sentence given to that man and especially as it’s an example for everyone else.” Guzmán had been captured by Mexican authorities in 2014, but escaped from a maximum security prison in July 2015. He was recaptured in Junary 2016, and extradited to the US in 2017.—CNA
The restored memorial of Moses on the top of Mount Nebo in Jordan. Speakers at a conference on holy sites argued that restoring churches in violence-plagued sections of the Middle East would help foster the return of Christians. (Photo: Greg Tarczynski/CNS) government help. He pointed to the synagogue of the Old Testament prophet Nahum. “This place suffered many things during the regime of Saddam Hussein,” he added. “This was neglected and many parts of this building are destroyed and closed.” “The first place people visited after the liberation from ISIS was the monasteries and churches,” he added. “I want to tell you why: It was not just their house or their work that they left for three or four years because of ISIS. It was their holy
places, their identity.” However, “we will not speak about the writings on the walls against Christians”, Fr Kajo said. “The Christians were very shocked at what they saw after the liberation.” But the restorations, he added, are “signs of hope. We will return because of these places”. “How Christians in Iraq feel about their sacred places,” said Lord David Alton, a member of the British House of Lords, is the same as how Westerners felt about Paris’ cathedral of Notre Dame when fire ravaged the edifice this spring. Mr Alton said that, according to UNESCO, 22 of the 38 endangered world cultural heritage sites are in the Middle East. He added that the now-vanquished ISIS bid to lay waste to churches and other holy sites in areas over which they had control was not only to destroy the past but “their attempt to define the future as well”. Nermein Riad of Coptic Orphans in Egypt recalled that, when the Muslim Brotherhood “came after the Christians with a vengeance” in 2013, when asking a Coptic priest, “What can we do for you?” Mr Riad remembered the reply did not have to do with identity cards, the segregation of Christian children in schools or the schools’ curriculum. His reply instead: “Protect the churches.”—CNS
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Pope Francis petitions Assad
P
OPE Francis, with concern for the humanitarian crisis in bombarded Idlib, has called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to safeguard the weak and defenceless civil population in his country. “The Holy Father asks the president to do everything possible to stop this humanitarian
catastrophe, to safeguard the defenceless population, especially the weakest, in compliance with international humanitarian law,” Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told Vatican News. The pope’s appeal was made in a letter delivered to Mr Assad by Cardinal Peter Turkson, prefect of the Dicastery for the Pro-
motion of Integral Human Development, during a meeting with the Syrain president in Damascus. According to a statement by press office director Matteo Bruni, Pope Francis’ letter makes particular reference to the situation of the civil population in Idlib.—CNA
Catechism cardinal dies BY CAROL GLATZ
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PANISH Cardinal José Estepa Llaurens, a former military bishop of Spain, died on July 21 in Madrid. He was 93. Cardinal Llaurens was one of the six bishops who worked with thenCardinal Joseph Ratzinger in editing the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He also was in charge of overseeing the Spanish edition of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Born in Andujar, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1954. In 1972, Pope Paul VI named him an auxiliary bishop of Madrid and in 1983, Pope John Paul II named him an archbishop and head of the military ordinariate for Spain. Pope Benedict XVI elevated him
Spanish Cardinal José Llaurens. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) to the college of cardinals in 2010; he was one of four cardinals over the age of 80 the pope named in that consistory because they were “distinguished for their generosity and dedication in service of the Church”.—CNS
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The Southern Cross, July 31 to August 6, 2019
LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Editor: Günther Simmermacher
To feed the multitudes
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N the Gospels we observe Jesus’ response when, on two occasions, he was faced with crowds of people he knew to be hungry. Something needed to be done, and Jesus performed the miracles of the feeding of the multitudes. It doesn’t matter much whether he literally multiplied the meagre offerings or persuaded those who had food to share it communally, as some Scripture scholars say. What’s important is that Jesus saw a need and responded to it. Jesus had the means to provide abundant food for all. Today, the world has the means to feed its hungry, but fails to do so because of selfish greed, excessive waste, lack of compassion, the absence of political will, the effects of climate change and environmental degradation, and infrastructural inadequacies. All of these can be addressed or mitigated. The miracles of the feeding of the multitudes are perhaps those Gospel passages which are most relevant to social justice today. Indeed, the scandal of poverty and hunger is a running theme throughout the Bible. Poverty and the poor are mentioned hundreds of times in Scripture, more than any other social condition. The Church’s priority in its social engagement therefore resides with the destitute, of whom today there are almost a billion globally—or almost every seventh person in the world. Hunger is a point of crisis also in South Africa, where poverty is prevalent. It should sober us to know that not far from where we are reading these words, there very likely are people going hungry, right now. The Church reminds us consistently that the fight against world hunger is integral to the right to life philosophy on which Christians place such a premium. In a letter to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation a decade ago, Pope Benedict XVI issued a stark warning: “Give food to those who are dying of hunger, because if you do not, you will have killed them.” He pointed out that “hunger and malnutrition are unacceptable in a world which has, in fact, levels of production, resources and knowledge sufficient to put an end to such tragedies and their consequences”.
While such comments are directed at international policymakers, they also petition us as individuals. In fulfilling Jesus’ mandate, the Church’s and therefore every Catholic’s, solidarity must reside with the poor. This presents Catholics of comfortable means with challenges in how they relate to those in need. In Southern Africa, a region with high levels of deplorable poverty, those who can must subsidise the poor through taxes and levies. While one may take issue with the mechanics of programmes intended to alleviate poverty, the followers of Christ must accept the sacrifices they are called to make for the greater good. At the same time, Christians must hold the government accountable when it fails the poor by the self-aggrandisement of politicians, gratuitous expenditure on military equipment, corruption or plain incompetence. A thorough modification of priorities is needed. We must not be deceived by the lie that world hunger cannot be solved, even if the deadline of the Sustainable Development Goals to end hunger and malnutrition by 2030 seems unlikely to be met. The problem resides not in the shortage of food: current global food production is enough to feed 10 billion people—that’s 2,4 billion more than there are in the world. Depending on which model of solving global hunger one applies, estimates of the costs of feeding everybody in the world range between $7 billion to $265 billion per year. That is small change in terms of what the world spent on armaments in 2018 alone: $1,8 trillion. In February this year, Pope Francis told the International Fund for Agricultural Development: “We need the help of the international community, civil society and all those who have the resources. Responsibilities cannot be evaded, passed from one to another, but must be assumed in order to offer concrete and real solutions.” The Gospels tell us that Jesus performed miracles to feed the hungry. It does not require a miracle to feed the world’s hungry today. All that is needed is the political will to do so. The responsibilities must indeed no longer be evaded.
Pope faces enemies of change as Christ did
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HE Church today is facing a similar crisis which existed in Judaism at the beginning of the common era. This is the time when Jesus strode the dusty pathways of Judaea, Galilee and Samaria, preaching his message of peace and reconciliation. Although the Gospels appear to be biographies of Jesus, they are actually stories in cryptic form highlighting an issue for our Church today. In our era, Pope Francis is definitely using his broom to clean up the Vatican’s “old ways”. Similar to Jesus, he has made enemies who would probably like to see the end of his papacy as soon as possible. The Gospels record Jesus as having a running battle with certain elements of the religious priesthood, for instance, calling them “vipers”. Pope Francis is more diplomatic,
Apollo’s Aldrin and smuggled host
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N his article “Faith and the moon” (July 17), Dennis Sadowski remembers the moon landing 50 years ago. He does not mention how astronaut Buzz Aldrin smuggled a wafer, wine and chalice aboard the Apollo 11 spacecraft. After the landing, Aldrin read John 15:5: “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, for you can do nothing without me.” Then he drank the wine and consumed the host. The first drink and food on the moon were communion elements. On his flight back Aldrin read Psalm 8:3-4: “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou has ordained; What is man that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?” It is questionable if on future space travels astronauts will be allowed to quote the Bible. Already after Apollo 8, an atheist complained to NASA about Bible quotations. In the past 50 years, the world has become more Christianophobic. It should be mentioned that Aldrin was not a Catholic. If he were, he would have been the first space-age Christophorus. The one who navigated the Ivory Tower of the Apollo rocket as a federal space Ark to transport the Son of God in the Gate of Heaven. The Golden House of the gold-wrapped landing module, shining as the Morning Star, would have served Jesus as an appropriate abode. As the Virgin carried the Saviour safely to his descent on planet Earth, so Aldrin would have carried
Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood
Jesus invites us!
Tapestry by Margaret Mkhize
If you want to follow his invitation contact:
the Vocation Directress Mariannhill convent P.O. Box 10487 Ashwood, 3605 or the Vocation Directress Glen Avent convent P.O. Box 261, Mthatha, 5099
The Editor reserves the right to shorten or edit published letters. Letters below 300 words receive preference. Pseudonyms are acceptable only under special circumstances and at the Editor’s discretion. Name and address of the writer must be supplied. No anonymous letter will be considered.
answering the “Dubia Four” cardinals in the following way during a sermon shortly after the cardinals had delivered their concerns to him: “From the times of the prophets until now, the sin to resist the Holy Spirit had always been there...” The Biblical “wise men from the east came to Jerusalem” launches the author’s motive for the “Good News” story. The “wise men” are undoubtedly Jewish Babylonian expats bringing a message of hope to a country (Judaea) that was simmering on the brink of civil war. This message went unheeded as civil war broke out during the Jewish-Roman war of AD 66-73, which witnessed differing Jewish factions at odds with each other, resulting in many casualties. The message of reconciliation brought from Babylon by the wise 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
safely the Lord to his descent on Sister Moon. But it would not be. Aldrin was not a Catholic, and the communion elements were not transubstantiated. JH Goossens, Pretoria
Sunday prayer against abortion
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HAVE written to our cardinal and all our bishops requesting that a bidding prayer against abortion on demand in South Africa be said by all our parishes on one Sunday every month from now on. The following is a suitable such prayer, which I intend to have published in the Southern Cross classifieds section every week: “That almighty God guide our nation to cease the murders of our unborn infants.” Damian McLeish, Johannesburg
Excellent and exciting reading
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EADER Tom Kent (May 29) called for real substance in The Southern Cross and not for content which is “of little interest to many readers” which, he alleged, shows up in print in such a fine national newspaper. He listed the items which, he
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men was based on the life of the Persian king Cyrus the Great, who 500 years previously had freed Jewish citizens who had been taken into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BC. Cyrus, who scripted the first human rights charter, was known to the Greeks, whom he conquered, as “lawgiver” and to Jewish citizens as “the anointed of the Lord”. Cyrus followed the religion of Zoroastrianism whose maxim was: “Good thoughts, good words, good deeds.” The similarities between events in Judaea in the first century and Rome today are very real. Surely the words “crucify him, crucify him” were a thought pattern which has been publicly adopted by various prominent Catholic clergy who are seemingly unhappy with the papacy of Pope Francis. Patrick Dacey, Johannesburg
suggested, are irrelevant to the ordinary reader; he furthermore made suggestions as to what Catholics would find informative, inspiring and fruitful. (For example, the many beautiful pilgrimage writings by Günther Simmermacher. Well done, sir!) I was wondering, with many others, if there is genuine and helpful substance in Mr Kent’s honest criticism, and if the editor and his staff are listening. Around the time Mr Kent’s letter appeared, there were two excellent articles by Sydney Duval, a veteran journalist, on the history of the social development agency Catholic Welfare & Development, whose collapse has been shocking. The information offered us in those articles was staggering, enlightening, informative and inspiring. Mr Duval spoke of a “requiem for a great organisation” and followed that with an article breathing a prayerful hope that this magnificent ministry to the very poor would “rise from the ashes”. This was excellent and exciting reading. The evidence remains; the fruits of much labour and zealous labourers give testimony to a living faith found in the Catholic Church. One can recall the many contributions to The Southern Cross by Mr Duval over the years, and they have always been to show the Catholic Church as fully alive and evangelical, and ever the faithful teacher. Maybe that is what Mr Kent is suggesting when he calls for only useful abbreviated letters to the editor, articles not “way over our heads”, and lessons on how to grow in knowledge and love of our Catholic faith. Fr Ralph de Hahn, Cape Town
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The Southern Cross, July 31 to August 6, 2019
PERSPECTIVES
A ‘hangover’ after my ordination Fr Runaine F Radine OR the past year or so, there have been moments of great joy in the lives of us 15 young men, who completed their formation at St John Vianney Seminary in May 2018. News about diaconate and, later, priestly ordinations, sparked a range of mixed emotions and shared excitement. I am still on something of a “spiritual hangover” following my own ordination to the priesthood three months ago. Often I think back to that magnificent day and catch myself smiling with contentment as well as a degree of disbelief, overwhelmed as I am by its mystery. I count my priesthood as one of the greatest blessings and most fragile gifts of my life, not only for myself, but for my family, friends and the community of St James parish in Schauderville, Port Elizabeth. Priestly ordination is a community celebration. The candidate, as is the local custom, is presented to the Church by and with the support of his family. As I sat at the foot of the sanctuary through-
out the readings at the Mass of Ordination, waiting to be called by the deacon, this was particularly evident—my family, especially my mother and grandmother, sat right behind me, supportively. What is more, the community came out to support a young man—not unlike one gathered around a family sending off a bride to be married to some groom from another village and vice versa.
F
or me, the people gathered for the ceremony represented different phases in my life’s journey up to this point: childhood, schooling, youth, young adulthood and seminary—the strangers with whom I became friends and enjoyed deep bonds of affection and respect over the years; a family that I got to choose. Afterwards, either directly to me or through social media platforms, many of them shared their own experience of being a part of the ceremony; they related how it had been a blessing to witness such a moving ritual, rich in symbolism. Many of us from the Class of 2018
Fr Runaine Radine with family, clergy and community after his Thanksgiving Mass following his ordination to the priesthood in Schauderville, Port Elizabeth.
Paths of Vocation
have been blessed to be able to attend the ordinations of our classmates. Most of those who attended my own ordination are priests themselves now. We have reminisced about these experiences of travelling to different dioceses around the country for the various ordinations, in places we never imagined we would ever see in our beautiful South Africa. At the seminary, over seven or eight years, we grew together in formation, and now we got to know where we all came from. We even got to know the silly childhood stories that marked our growing up in families and communities which, despite our embarrassed protestations, continue to be told with glee and amusement. We finally got to meet the families of our brothers, who felt like our own loved ones by extension. And even though the rite of ordination is the same everywhere, we have learnt of the unique ways in which individual communities mark the occasion as a whole. A sense of brotherhood was awakened in the newly-ordained transitional deacons and priests. We felt welcomed by older priests wherever we went and it was a lovely reunion with those whom we knew at the seminary who were ordained in the preceding years. It made the laying on of hands and the exchange of peace during the ordination a sign of true solidarity. And now, as our own ordination season comes to a close, another one begins, as the St John Vianney Seminary class of 2019 is called by the Lord from the community and for the community. n Fr Runaine Radine is a priest of the diocese of Port Elizabeth.
This is my story of real conversion Sarah-Leah I Pimentel N last month’s column, I wrote that conversion is more than a single moment. Conversion often comprises many small events and encounters throughout our lives that lead us deeper into the heart of God. Yet, in every Christian life, there are particular moments that stand out as significant conversion experiences. These moments are often associated with an encounter or a place. This is why it is so important for the Church to create spaces that encourage and facilitate encounters between the human soul and God, and among the community of human hearts thirsting to know and love God more. Let me tell you a story that I share with my RCIA group each year. I was born and raised a Catholic. My parents went to great effort to ensure I received religious instruction in the home. I was sent to a Catholic school. Mass on a Sunday was non-negotiable and I grew up watching my father serving our local parish community. As I grew, I also became involved in the life of my parish as part of the youth. The dinner table was often animated by conversation on a range of religious topics, from prayer, to the workings of the Vatican and the role of Christianity in the world. Despite that, after finishing high school and immersing myself in university life, the faith I had grown up with began to wane. I felt that the teachings of the Church, its liturgy, and community activities began to lose some of their novelty. By the time I had reached the last year of my studies, I confided in a religious Sister that I didn’t think I believed any more. She urged me to keep going through the motions, even though I didn’t feel anything. It seemed strange advice, but I had a high regard for her and so I decided to give it a try. In the midst of all this, the then-Ignatian Institute invited me to do a prayer
The Mustard Seeds
Holy Trinity church in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, the place where SarahLeah Pimentel had a profound moment of conversion. (Photo: Russell Pollitt SJ) guide course. I said yes, because I didn’t really feel like explaining why I didn’t actually want to do it! As Divine Providence would have it, being on time for the weekly sessions meant taking a bus that would get me to the venue—the hall adjoining Holy Trinity Church in Braamfontein in Johannesburg—an hour early. And everything would still be locked up. The only open (and safe) place to wait was inside the church. But I didn’t really believe anymore. So mostly, I caught up on studying while I waited.
O
ne morning, as I sat there, I questioned God out loud in an empty church, asking if he really was there. Of course, nothing happened. A week later, as I sat there—expecting nothing in particular—I felt a tremendous peace and love. In that moment, I knew without a doubt that God exists and loves me. I have never felt anything like that again, nor have ever experienced such a degree of certainty in anything as at that moment. That was the day I truly believed. My
Catholic faith was no longer the one passed down to me, but one that I took on as my own. That day was the day I converted. The years have come and gone. I’ve moved on to other cities, jobs, parishes, ministries. And for the most part, I’ve forgotten about this inner-city church with its open doors. Doors which opened to students fleeing a security crackdown on campus. Doors which open to provide food and human warmth to homeless people. Doors which open to welcome the marginalised. Last month, I had the opportunity to attend the ordination to the diaconate of a friend at Holy Trinity. Being in this church for the first time in many years, I was filled again with the gratitude of that moment when I truly believed. Looking back, I now realise that the moment of graced encounter I experienced in the silence of an empty church was tied to so many other things. Lifelong friendships were forged in the shadow of that church. The discovery of the Holy Spirit-filled mission to help in bringing others to the heart of God began here too. All of this was possible only because a church in the heart of South Africa’s most dangerous city keeps its doors open. In a time of bolted church doors, this inner-city church is a true oasis for souls who can come in at any time of the day. Its open doors opened my own heart. May many more find solace and consolation there. And what about all the other churches in cities, slums, and villages throughout South Africa? Are they open doors for an intimate encounter with the God of life, who can convert even the hardest of heart?
7
Michael Shackleton
Open Door
How do saints hear our prayers? As God is omniscient, I can understand that he would be able to “hear” prayers whether they are vocalised or not. However, does the same apply to Our Lady and the saints? Can they know prayers which are not expressed vocally? Michelle Everts
C
HRIST assured us: “When you pray, go to your private room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you” (Mt 6:6). It is the “Father” who heeds our prayers and who knows even our most secret thoughts and desires. We must remind ourselves why God is our Father who lovingly hears our prayers. It is not because we are his creatures depending on him for earthly life. It is because God has adopted us as his special children destined for eternal life. As adopted children of God, we are siblings of Jesus Christ, and it is only through Jesus, this divine brother of ours, that his Father becomes our Father as well (Eph 1:5). Every single prayer we pray goes through Christ as the only mediator between ourselves and our Father: “There is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, the human being Jesus Christ who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim 2:5). The saints who now live in the presence of God remain the brothers and sisters of this holy human and divine being, Jesus.
T
hey, of course, are not divine. They cannot “hear” our prayers as God can. Their awareness of our prayers for their help has to be provided by God alone. This is the role Jesus takes here. He brings divine grace to us and as mediator, he brings human longings to God our common Father. We loosely speak of the saints granting our prayers. They cannot do so. God alone hears and answers our prayers, or not, according to his will. Within the mystery of life among the redeemed in heavenly glory, the saints in union with Christ, are made aware of our requests for help and they in turn pray for us. The Church shows its firm belief in the intercession of the saints when it requires that none of her faithful may be enrolled among her canonised saints unless there is irrefutable proof that God has worked a miracle in a particular case through the intercession of a certain potential saint. Jesus Christ is forever our one and only way to God. We on earth pray in his name, and the saints in heavenly glory do exactly the same. They can “hear” us and know our most secret thoughts and desires because they are enwrapped in total communion with Christ and one another.
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The Southern Cross, July 31 to August 6, 2019
COMMUNITY
Brescia House School in Bryanston, Johannesburg, won the Catholic Schools hockey trophy for the third year in a row in a penalty shootout against Edenvale’s Holy Rosary School. The winning Brescia team and support members are pictured.
The church of the Resurrection in Dawn Park, Boksburg, participated in a Renew Africa workshop, facilitated by Radio Veritas presenter Duncan Hyams. Pictured is parish evangelisation coordinator William Khumalo.
Forty children from the parishes of the Resurrection in Table View and Ascension in Melkbosstrand, Cape Town archdiocese, received their First Communion. Table View parish priest Fr Carlo Adams MSFS (seated centre left) and Fr Mark Pothier are pictured with the youngsters and altar servers. (Submitted by Melanie Pisanello)
Among the activities for Catholic Schools Week at De La Salle Holy Cross College in Victory Park, Johannesburg, was sandwichmaking for the St Vincent de Paul Society.
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Catholics on army in the townships BY ERIN CARELSE Archbishop Dabula Mpako of Pretoria (left) and his predecessor Archbishop William Slattery OFM cut a cake from the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, welcoming the new head of the archdiocese and bidding farewell to the latter after the archdiocesan celebration of the installation of Archbishop Mpako at CBC Mount Edmund in Silverton. Archbishop Mpako was installed as archbishop of Pretoria last month at Zwavelpoort’s church of the Beatitudes. See also page 2 for a picture of the four archbishops residing in Pretoria. (Photo: Mathibela Sebothoma)
Hymns now on the radio BY MARK PATTISON
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ATHOLICS hear hymns in church and on Catholic stations, but rarely on commercial airwaves. Now they can augment their weekly diet of hymnody through a new free audio streaming service called Great Catholic Music. The service, which can be accessed through the “Great Catholic Music” app, plays a mix of pre-and post-Vatican II hymns and liturgical music 24/7. “The response so far has been absolutely amazing,” said programme director Michael Roberts. “Part of this [project] is to inspire. It’s not just music, we want to inspire people,” Mr Roberts said, adding the service also takes breaks for psalms, Scripture readings and prayers. “We have some quotes of St John Paul II, and Archbishop Fulton Sheen and Mother Teresa,” he said, adding that a priest does a daily reflection of the Mass readings for the day. The website promises: “From the meditative chants of cloistered Benedictine monks to the traditional hymns of Sunday Mass like “How Great Thou Art”, to the contemporary
The banner for Great Catholic Music, a service which streams a variety of faith-filled music via an app. Catholic songs of Matt Maher and Audrey Assad, we have the music to bring you peace, lift your spirits and transform your soul.” Compiling playlists can be tricky. Mr Roberts said he has received requests for both more chant and less chant. He fielded a complaint from one listener on Good Friday that the music was “too dirge-y”. Mr Roberts declared that Christmas music would not be heard on Great Catholic Music until Christmas Eve, but would continue to play until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the end of the Christmas season.—CNS The Great Catholic Music app can be downloaded free through Google Play or the Apple App Store
C
ATHOLIC leaders in Cape Town townships are hopeful that the deployment of the army in their communities will achieve the objective of curbing gang warfare but urge that a longterm approach is still needed. South African National Defence Force (SANDF) units were deployed in “Operation Prosper” to ten Cape Flats areas to support the police in checking the rampant gang violence which has claimed many lives in the past months. President Cyril Ramaphosa gave the goahead for the SANDF deployment, which police minister Bheki Cele announced in his budget earlier this month. Reportedly, if Operation Prosper shows success in curbing gangsterism in Cape Town, the model may be introduced to hotspots in Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth According to unofficial estimates, more than 1 900 people were murdered in the Western Cape in the six months before the army deployments. The ten Cape Town precincts identified for support by the SANDF are Manenberg, Nyanga, Bishop Lavis, Elsies River, Mitchells Plain, Mfuleni, Khayelitsha, Delft, Kraaifontein and Philippi. Fr Nkululeko Meyiwa from Our Lady Queen of Africa parish in Philippi hopes that the army’s deployment will help. His community saw a sharp rise of 36,6% in the murder rate from 2017 to 2018. “I believe the idea is to close down [gangsterism] section by section…and clean it up,” the priest said. “I'm hoping it will help because local policing is not helping.” Fr Rampe Hlobo SJ, former parish priest of St Mary’s in Nyanga said: “There is a need for the army's deployment as crime in the
area is out of control,” the Jesuit priest said. “The police are failing to protect the people and to maintain law and order.” He noted that law enforcement resources in Cape Town are not equally and fairly distributed. “Bringing in the army may help in mitigating the situation, but only to a limited extent. What we need is law enforcement agencies on the ground in these areas because people are living in fear,” Fr Hlobo said. Army deployment, he said, can be only a temporary fix. “It doesn’t solve the problem. It is not a permanent solution.” Fr Hlobo emphasised that other crimes besides gangsterism also need attention. Fr Peter-John Pearson, director at The Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office, warned against turning the issue of gangsterism and the SANDF deployment into a party-political partisan issue. “This is too big and destructive an issue to be made into a political point-scoring battle. People’s lives have been lost, communities have been destabilised,” Fr Pearson said, adding that “we must guard against the temptation” to make political capital of the situation. “The problem is multi-faceted and therefore calls for an integrated response. If it's just a matter of sending firepower in, then you're probably going to have very limited success, especially in the long-term,” he told The Southern Cross. “We have to take a long-term view on this; [gangsterism] is not something that has just come up now. This goes back decades and decades and is a result of spatial separation, overcrowding, poverty, and frustration—and those things need to be dealt with as well,” he said. Fr Pearson said a solution must be found Continued on page 3
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Caitlyn Venter (above) of St Dominic’s Priory School in Miramar, Port Elizabeth, came eighth in the country in the National English Olympiad. As part of her prize, she attended the National Schools Festival in Makanda (Grahamstown) and also won a cash prize and a free tuition scholarship for her first year of study at Rhodes University.
Our Lady of Fatima parish in Durban North inaugurated four new Catholic Women’s League members. Pictured (from left) are Maryse Wardel, Andile Mqwebu, president Janice Mossop, Ruth Florence, Rosemary Coward, and Carol Price, who received her 10-year service badge. (Submitted by Anna Accolla)
St Maria Goretti church in Worcester, Oudtshoorn diocese, celebrated its 60th anniversary. The Norbetines arrived in the early 1950s and the church was opened in 1959. Parish priest Fr Francis Malaka, at the celebration, mentioned that he is the last Norbertine priest, as he will be transferring to another parish later this year. (Submitted by Levinia Pienaar)
OUR LADY OF FATIMA SENIOR SCHOOL HISTORY EDUCATOR – JAN 2020: Exp, qualified, SACEregistered teacher, pref with recent exp in IEB. Appreciation of school’s Catholic ethos. Detailed CV and supporting documents to be submitted to: fatimacs@fatima.co.za 155 Northway, Durban North 4051 by 22/7/2011 Tel: 031 563-5390 Application won’t entitle applicant to interview/appointment. Closing date: 7 August 2019.
Youngsters at All Saints church in Ennerdale, Johannesburg, celebrated their First Communion on the feast of Corpus Christi. (Photo: Mashadi Makhondo)
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The Southern Cross, July 31 to August 6, 2019
FAITH
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The women who followed Jesus We hear a lot about the male disciples of Jesus, but less about the females in the group around the Lord. PAUL DE MARCO looks at some women disciples.
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felt it necessary to intervene during his trial, sending her husband a note reading: “Have nothing to do with that just man” (Mt 27:19) There’s long been a tradition that she converted to Christianity and the Eastern Orthodox Church counts her as one of its saints.
Exile in France
ODAY most of us take for granted that there should be equality between men and women, but historically-speaking this is a recent phenomenon. It took female trailblazers like the suffragettes Millicent Fawcett, Emmeline Pankhurst and Emily Davison to fight for the rights of women and to galvanise public opinion. It was Emily Davison who ran in Jesus with Martha and Mary, depicted in the church of St Lazarus in front of King George V’s horse at Bethany, Palestine, which is on the reputed site of their home. (Photos: the Epsom Derby on June 4, 1913, Günther Simmermacher) and subsequently died of her injuries four days later. Mary Magdalene’s involvement tradition, one woman approached Women in Britain over the age of thirty were finally allowed to vote in the custom goes back to a sup- Jesus with a cloth. Several such posed miracle that happened in- cloths which are claimed to be the in November 1918. Other notable women who were volving an egg in front of the authentic one feature the imprint of Emperor Tiberius, who died in the Jesus’ face. prepared to risk their lives Tradition has attributed the year 37 AD. and break the protocols The tradition goes that name Veronica to her, but this is a of their day were the According to Mary Magdalene used her fusion of the Latin word “verus” and nurses of the Crimean War of 1853 to 1856, legend, in 42 influence to gain an invi- the Greek “icon”, meaning “true tation to a banquet that likeness”. such as Florence NightinThe stigmatist nun Anne Cathergale and Mary Seacole, AD a group of was being held by ine Emmerich (1774-1824) said that Tiberius. the Jamaican-born nurse. disciples was When she was intro- in one of her visions it was revealed Nightingale trained 38 to the emperor, she to her that the actual name of the female volunteers and put adrift in duced apparently held out an woman was Seraphia. along with 15 Catholic Although not a Daughter of a boat and egg and then boldly said, nuns, left England for the “Christ is risen!” Tiberius Jerusalem, it’s fascinating that ClauSelimiye barracks in Isthen landed laughed and replied that dia Procula, the wife of Pontius Pitanbul. the chance of Christ hav- late, was also affected by Jesus and Here Nightingale and in France ing risen from the dead Seacole cared for the was as likely as the egg in wounded and the dying under atrocious conditions, and her hand turning red. And just as Florence successfully raised public he uttered the last word, the egg awareness of the plight of these for- turned a deep red colour. Salome, the mother of James The gotten soldiers. In South Africa during the years and John, was another follower of of apartheid, there were women Jesus, and like Mary, mother of such as Albertina Sisulu, Lilian James the Younger, she would lose Ngoyi, Sophia Williams-De Bruyn one of her sons to martyrdom: and Helen Joseph who on August 9, James was killed by the Pharisees in 1956 led the famous Women’s 62 AD. Salome’s other son John, the March against the pass laws. Marching on the Union Build- only apostle present at the crucifixings in Pretoria, they declared to ion, miraculously survived an atPrime Minister JG Strydom: “When tempt by the Emperor Domitian to you strike the women, you strike a kill him, and he was then sent into exile on the island of Patmos rock!” Women such as these were out- around 95 AD. standing and would have been so in Women of Bethany any generation. And if we rewind Two other women who supthe clock of history to the time of Jesus, we find another group of ported Jesus were Martha and Mary of Bethany, and it was their brave women. They have been overlooked by brother Lazarus whom Jesus raised authors writing on the history of from the dead shortly before his the early Church and yet they left Passion. It was this Mary who anointed their lives to support Jesus throughout his ministry, often travelling Jesus with pure spikenard perfume costing the equivalent of 300 days with him and the apostles. By taking responsibility for their wages. Jesus often stayed in their home needs, these women freed up valuable time for Jesus and a large num- in Bethany which was (and still is) ber of disciples to preach to the just 3km from Jerusalem, on the ever-growing crowds and to heal other side of the Mount of Olives. It’s interesting that the ascension of the sick. In a patriarchal Jewish society, Jesus took place at or near Bethany. A lesser-known female disciple they had to rise above prejudice and bigotry every day in order to carry was Joanna. She was the wife of Chuza, who held a senior role in out this vital role. the palace of King Herod Antipas. Apostle to the Apostles It was Antipas who beheaded One of the women was Mary John the Baptist, and there’s a traMagdalene, whom Luke mentions dition in the Eastern Orthodox in his Gospel, writing that Jesus had Church that Joanna retrieved the driven seven demons out of her. head of John and that she gave it an This may refer to her being cured of honourable burial. a complex illness as opposed to her Another follower of Jesus was the being possessed. woman who had bled for 12 years St Augustine gave Mary Magda- and who was healed on touching lene the title “Apostle to the Apos- the hem of his cloak (Mt 9:20–22, tles” because she was the first to see Mk 5:25–34, Lk 8:43–48). the risen Jesus, and it was Mary who She would never forget what announced this to the apostles hid- Jesus did for her. According to the ing in Jerusalem. apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, Another woman in that brave she shouted out in his defence durgroup was Mary, mother of James ing his trial before Pilate. the Younger. Like Mary Magdalene, Veronica’s real name? she was present at the death and burial of Jesus, and at the open While the apostles, except for tomb. John, were in hiding, the DaughThe old custom of painting eggs ters of Jerusalem bravely followed on Easter Sunday is linked to Mary Jesus as he carried his cross along Magdalene, with the eggs represent- the Via Dolorosa. At one point he ing life and the risen Christ emerg- even stopped and spoke with them. ing from the tomb. According to a non-scriptural
There’s a tradition that in 42 AD, the Jews threw a group of Christians into a boat without a sail, oars or rudder, and left them to the mercy of the sea. That group consisted of Mary Magdalene, Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary, as well as Salome and Mary the mother of James the Younger. Maximin and Sidonius, who were two of the 72 chosen by Jesus, were also abandoned to the waves. The boat, according to the tradition, eventually beached near Massilia (present-day Marseilles) and the small group soon began preaching that Christ had risen from the dead. Maximinus became the bishop of Aix-en-Provence and is believed to have built the first church on the site of the current Aix cathedral. Mary Magdalene, the legend says, evangelised with Maximinus, but later withdrew to live an ascetic life in a cave at La Sainte-Baume. She devoted herself to prayer, fasting and penance for 30 years and was rewarded with ecstatic visions and so she’s regarded as being the first mystic of the Church. Another tradition holds that Martha, Mary and Lazarus were all forced to flee Judea shortly after the
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Singer Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdalene in last year’s TV production of Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. (Photo: Virginia Sherwood/NBC) resurrection. A persecution broke out against the followers of Jesus in 34 AD, after Stephen had been dragged before the Sanhedrin and was then stoned to death. This violence dispersed many Christians to surrounding countries. The Eastern Orthodox tradition is that they settled in Cyprus and that Lazarus became the first bishop of Kition. The site is now occupied by the town of Larnaca. Whatever the legends say, it does seem likely that the Daughters of Jerusalem did become evangelists themselves—once again breaking with the social norms of their day! n Paul De Marco is the author of The Female Disciples (2017).
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The Southern Cross, July 31 to August 6, 2019
BOOK REVIEWS
How truly getting Christ can transform us THE UNIVERSAL CHRIST, by Fr Richard Rohr OFM. Convergent Books, New York. 2019. 260 pp. Reviewed by David Gibson MATURE Christian, Franciscan Father Richard Rohr writes in his new book, “sees Christ in everything and everyone else”. But to achieve such maturity, it is vital that Christians know who Christ is. It is time, the author suggests, to come to terms with what the full title “Jesus Christ” implies. “Is Christ simply Jesus’ last name? Or is it a revealing title that deserves our full attention?” That basic question at the heart of The Universal Christ might lead some prospective readers to fear that this is a dense theological tome. It is not. I found it much more an inviting work of spirituality aiming to guide Christians towards greater faith maturity than a doctrinal treatise. “God loves you” and constantly gives you “back to yourself in a larger shape”, the author states. After all, Christian faith affirms the possibility for individuals and communities to become transformed. It is possible to mature, to change in ways that enable us “to see with God’s eyes [to] enjoy all things in proper and full perspective”, Fr Rohr indicates. The Franciscan priest founded the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Some of his other books include The Divine Dance and Falling Upward. He grounds his work, it is explained, in contemplative practices
animals and then humans.” Advancing step by step, God finally will be “just a short leap away”, Fr Rohr explains. He observes helpfully when discussing transformation that “all of us travellers, each in our own way, have to eventually learn about letting go of something smaller so something bigger can happen”. Perhaps “you decide not to push yourself to the front of the line, and something much better happens in the back of the line”, he writes. Fr Rohr’s book offers a few cautionary words for reflection, particularly involving images of an angry God. How punitive might I become towards others if a punitive divine hand typically assumes the front-and-centre position in my image of God?
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that encompass “radical compassion, particularly for the socially marginalised”. The transformation he envisions for Christians might involve a rewiring for “love, trust and patience”. It might entail a recalibration or change of course in life. But challenges are sure to be encountered in negotiating the pathways to Christian transformation, and they are what make this book’s spirituality dimension stand out for me. Consider the author’s recommendation that people work up to loving God by starting at the bottom of the ladder, so to speak. “Don’t start by trying to love God or even people; love rocks and elements first, move to trees, then
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hristians are meant “to stand in radical solidarity with everyone and everything else”, Fr Rohr makes clear. Perhaps anticipating criticism for holding that God is present in everything, the author clarifies that he is not a pantheist. Rather, he says, “I am really a panentheist (God lies within all things, but also transcends them), exactly like both Jesus and Paul”. Fr Rohr has said his book “isn’t changing a single doctrine of the Church”. His book’s subject is “the evolving, universe-spanning Christ mystery in which all of us take part”. Humanity today needs “a Jesus we can practically imitate and who sets the bar for what it means to be fully human. And a Christ who is big enough to hold all creation to-
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Cardinal Wilfrid Napier OFM
Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus 28th May – 11th June 2020
Cardinal Wilfrid Napier OFM, spiritual director, invites you to “WALK IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS” Visit the Mount of the Beatitudes, Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee, Cana, Nazareth, Mt Tabor, Masada, Jericho, Jaffa, Jerusalem and many other significant places where Jesus walked and talked with His people in the Holy Land.
gether in one harmonious unity.” One of his great concerns is that the connections among all people risk being eclipsed if faith in Jesus Christ shortchanges his reality as Christ. Fr Rohr believes “there has never been a single soul who was not possessed by the Christ, even in the ages when Jesus was not”. But history shows “that worship of Jesus without worship of Christ invariably becomes a time- and culture-bound religion, often ethnic or even implicitly racist, which excludes much of humanity from God’s embrace”, Fr Rohr asserts. He may be right. I suspect, at the same time, that the human ten-
dency to exclude “the other” or to refuse to welcome the stranger will find ways of rising to the surface, no matter the prevailing theology. But this tendency’s persistence is perhaps the topic for another full book. For Fr Rohr, “the Christian life is simply a matter of becoming who we already are”. However, “we have to awaken”. He hopes this will be an awakening to the meaning and the connections of everyone, and even of everything. “In Jesus Christ,” he explains, “God’s own broad, deep and all-inclusive worldview is made available to us.”—CNS
The life of a model of Catholic Social Teaching ANNE HOPE: The Struggle for Freedom, Stephanie Kilroe. Darton, Longman & Todd. 2019. 155pp. Reviewed by Fr Larry Kaufmann CSsR HAT a joy it is to learn more about the Catholic activist Anne Hope whose books Training for Transformation, co-authored with Sally Timmel, have been constant companions to me in giving retreats to groups, running workshops and even in the ethics training programmes I have led over several years. Based on the interactive educational philosophy of the late Brazilian educator and philosopher Paolo Freire, Hope and Timmel’s four volumes are classics today. What Stephanie Kilroe has done, in a refreshing writing style, has been to take us behind the scenes, introducing us to the person Anne Hope, who died at 85 on December 26, 2015. A woman of courage, commitment to the poor and deep faith, Anne Hope is nevertheless as human as any of us. With profound sensitivity yet honesty, Kilroe explores Hope’s rich inner life, with its ambiguities and pains, its joys and achievements, thanks to access to Hope’s personal diaries and prayer journals. I read this book in the midst of a series of family bereavements which called on my pastoral ministry. Being in the company of Hope through Kilroe’s narratives about her was pure encouragement and inspiration. A lifelong member of The Grail, Anne Hope was born in South Africa, loved South Africa, and gave her all to its liberation from apartheid oppression. Her final project was to set up the Training for Transformation Centre in Kleinmond near Hermanus, Western Cape, where Anne’s requiem was celebrated
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and where her ashes are buried. Yet Anne was a universal woman. With her expertise in adult literacy, leadership training and empowerment of the disadvantaged, she traversed every continent. For Catholics, Hope shines as a model of someone who implemented Catholic Social Teaching; indeed, whose beautiful life was an incarnation of its prophetic mission in the world. But Kilroe’s book is not only for Catholics. It should be read by all South Africans. We need hope (pun happily intended). We need to continue the legacy of Hope; to continue the training for transformation which she spearheaded through her and Sally Timmel’s eminently practical methodology. Getting to know, through Kilroe’s fine writing, the extraordinary woman that Anne Hope was makes that task all the more stimulating. n Anne Hope: The Struggle for Freedom is available online through Readers Warehouse and at the Catholic Bookshop, Cape Town, at R180. Available at other bookshops through Jacana Media at R225.
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The Southern Cross, July 31 to August 6, 2019
YOUR cLASSIFIeDS
Mary Redding
M
ARY Redding, one of the founding members of Assumption parish in Umkomaas, Mariannhill diocese, died on June 12 after succumbing to an illness which she endured gracefully and without complaint. She had been a parishioner of Assumption for 60 years, having been involved in many aspects of parish life such as catechist, sacristan, floral artist, parish secretary, and especially as the church organist. It wasn’t a job for Mary, but her love for God that inspired her to carry out her many ministries over the years. She loved her music, and it was this love that drew her to became involved as the organist for the adult and children’s choirs at Assumption parish. She encouraged and supported anyone who demonstrated an interest in any form of music. Her supportive spirit led to the formation of a young adult’s choir, with their guitars leading more modern songs dur-
ing Mass. This young adult’s choir became legendary and were often invited to play and sing at various parishes. Mary’s ministry as the church’s organist included the majority of her 60 years of service to Assumption parish. A faithful servant of the Lord, she played the organ every weekend at both Saturday evening and Sunday morning Masses, as well as at the many weddings and funerals over the years. She had a deep faith and it was this faith that kept her strong all these years especially during some very trying times in her life. Both Mary and her husband, the late Strath Redding, had a welcoming nature, and together with the late Mgr Umberto Ceselin they helped make Assumption parish what it is today—a true “rainbow nation” within its small confines. Mary had a generous and gentle heart and would assist anyone who asked in any way she could.
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She regarded the Umkomaas community as her family. She loved them all unconditionally and never said an unkind word to or about anyone. Strath and Mary received the Bene Merenti award in 1984 and an Apostolic Blessing in 2002 from Pope John Paul II for their faithful service to Assumption parish. Mary is survived by three of their five children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Lord
May everything we do
Begin with your inspiration, Continue with your help, And reach perfection Under your guidance
Doxology: The final element of many Christian prayers, which gives praise and glory to the three persons of the Trinity–God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Magisterium: The teaching office of the universal Church, articulated by a pope. Papal statements which teach on a matter of faith and morals are called magisterial pronouncements and are binding on Catholics. Most statements and documents of popes are not magisterial. Pastoral letter: A letter sent from a bishop to the parishes of his diocese, often read out to people at Mass.
Liturgical Calendar Year C – Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday August 4, 18th Sunday of the Year Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23, Psalm 90:3-6, 12-14, 17, Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11, Luke 12:13-21 Monday August 5, Dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major Numbers 11:4-15, Psalm 81:12-17, Matthew 14:13-21 or Revelations 21:1-5, (Psalm) Judith 13:19-19, Luke 11:27-28 Tuesday August 6, Transfiguration of The Lord Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 or 2 Peter 1:16-19, Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 9, Luke 9:28-36
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PARIS—Mary Louisa. Passed away on August 3, 2004, in loving memory. Your love for the faith is a constant reminder to us. Lovingly remembered and always in our thoughts. Fondly missed by your daughter Gloria, son-in-law Ruben, and grandchildren Randall, Grant, Nadine and Robert. PILLAY—Susanna Maria. Affectionately known as Rita, she peacefully passed on at home on July 12, 2019 (aged 91 years). She is fondly remembered by her husband George; children Jerome, Vernon, Bernadette and George; and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. May God grant her soul eternal rest.
PRAYeRS
Word of the Week
Your prayer to cut out and collect
St Dominic Wednesday August 7, Ss Sixtus II & Co, St Cajetan Numbers 13:1-2, 25--14:1, 26-29, 34-35, Psalm 106:6-7, 13-14, 21-23, Matthew 15:21-28
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Thursday August 8, St Dominic Numbers 20:1-13, Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9, Matthew 16:1323 Friday August 9, St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross Deuteronomy 4:32-40, Psalm 77:12-16, 21, Matthew 16:24-28 Saturday August 10, St Lawrence 2 Corinthians 9:6-10, Psalm 112:1-2, 5-9, John 12:24-26 Sunday August 11, 19th Sunday of the Year Wisdom 18:6-9, Psalm 33:1, 12, 18-20, 22, Hebrews 11:12, 8-19, Luke 12:32-48
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PAReNtS FOR cHILDReN: O Jesus, lover of children, bestow your most precious graces on those whom you have confided to our care. Increase in them faith, hope and charity. May your love lead them to solid piety, inspiring them with dread for sin, love of work and an ardent desire of worthily ap-
proaching your holy table. Preserve in them innocence and purity of heart; and if they should offend you, grant them the grace of a prompt and sincere repentance. From your tabernacle watch over them day and night; protect them in all their ways. Grant that they may acquire the knowledge that they need to embrace the state of life to which you have called them. Grant us a sincere love, constant vigilance and generous devotedness towards them. Grant us all consolation on earth and eternal reward in heaven. O MOSt BeAUtIFUL FLOWeR OF MOUNt cARMeL: Fruitful vine, splendour of heaven, blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me where you are, Mother of God. Queen of heaven and earth I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. There is none who can withstand your power. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands. Leon and Karen.
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SOLUTIONS TO 874. ACROSS: 4 Scholar, 8 Amazon, 9 Crucify, 10 Melody, 11 Israel, 12 Rhetoric, 18 Pressure, 20 Please, 21 Gallic, 22 Nudists, 23 Frieze, 24 The Lord. DOWN: 1 Bad Mark, 2 Rallies, 3 Voodoo, 5 Curlicue, 6 Occurs, 7 Alfred, 13 Repenter, 14 Builder, 15 Benches, 16 Plough, 17 Daniel, 19 Stairs.
Our bishops’ anniversaries August 3: Bishop Zolile Peter Mpambani of Kokstad on the 6th anniversary of his episcopal ordination August 6: Bishop Pius Mlungisi Dlungwane of Mariannhill on the 19th anniversary of his episcopal ordination August 6: Archbishop Dabula Mpako of Pretoria on the 8th anniversary of his episcopal ordination as bishop of Queenstown
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the
19th Sunday: August 11 Readings: Wisdom 18:6-9, Psalm 33: 1, 12, 18-20, 22, Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19, Luke12:32-48
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E have to stay alert; and that principally means keeping a discerning eye open for the work of God in our world. That is the message of the readings for next Sunday. The first reading, written for Jews feeling “out of things” in secular Egypt, reminds them of that night, several centuries earlier, when the people was liberated by God from the same Egypt; they knew what was going on: “It was made known to our ancestors in advance,” and so, “your people received salvation for the just, and the destruction of their enemies”. The two sides saw it differently, so that the people of God were on the alert, while their Egyptian persecutors got punished, and “you glorified us whom you had summoned”. The point is that the children of Israel kept faith: “They were sacrificing in secret…and unanimously keeping the Law and sharing in the same good things and the same dangers, having sung the songs in praise of their ancestors.” The psalmist is always ready to see God at work in the world; and very much so in the psalm for next Sunday: “Rejoice in the Lord, you just—for praise fits the upright.” Then he congratulates “the people whose God is the Lord” (that is you and I; and we
S outhern Cross
Be alert to God’s work should therefore be looking out for his presence in our lives). Because God is, as the poet is well aware, entirely attentive to us: “Look! The Lord’s eye is on those who fear him, who hope in his steadfast love”; and it has powerful consequences: “to deliver their souls from Death, and to give them life in times of famine”. Then he models how attentive we should be: “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield,” and reminds the Lord that we are indeed paying attention: “May your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, as we have hoped in you.” This great poet is singing our song. The second reading starts us on the great 11th chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews, which is all about faith; and faith, of course, is a particular way of paying attention to God, “the solidity of what is hoped for, the proof of things that are not seen”. We are given the supreme example of Abraham, who “obeyed and went out to a place he was to receive as an inheritance—and he went out, not knowing where he was going!” From here it goes deeper: “He went as a stranger to the Promised Land as an alien land, living in tents along with Isaac and
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Classic Conrad
In that moment, in their words, “they met Jesus Christ” and “were born again”, even though from their very childhood they had always known about Jesus Christ and been Christians. Most Catholics and mainstream Protestants do not identify “knowing Jesus Christ” with one such personal affective experience. But then they’re left wondering what Jesus meant exactly when he challenges us “to be born again, from above”.
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priest whom I know shares a story regarding his understanding of this. His mother, widowed sometime before his ordination, lived in the same parish where he had been assigned to minister. It was a mixed blessing. It was nice to see her every day in church. But she, widowed and alone, began to lean pretty heavily upon him in terms of wanting his time and he, the dutiful son, now had to spend all his free time with his mother, taking her for meals, taking her for drives, and being her one vital contact with the world outside the narrow confines of the seniors’ home in which she lived. During their time together she reminisced a lot and not infrequently complained about being alone and lonely. But one day, on a drive with her, after a period of silence, she said something that surprised him and caught his deeper attention: “I’ve given up on fear!” she said, “I’m no longer afraid of anything. I’ve spent my whole life living in fear. But now, I’ve given
Sunday Reflections
Jacob, fellow-heirs of the same Promise. You see—he was looking forward to a city with foundations, whose architect and craftsman was God.” Now Sarah is brought into the story, who “thought that the One who made the Promise was reliable”. And their attentiveness is commended: “They did not receive the Promise—but they glimpsed it from afar…recognising that they were foreigners and strangers in the Land.” And then he mentions the terrible story of Abraham being prepared to offer Isaac in sacrifice, “reckoning that God had the power even to raise people from the dead—and so he won him back, figuratively speaking”. The point here is that of paying attention to the God who is behind everything. That is what you and I (“little flock”) are invited to do: “Don’t be afraid, because your Father has seen fit to give you the Kingdom.” If we pay attention to this God, then there is no problem about the otherwise very challenging command to “sell your possessions and give alms”. Our task is a particular form of attentiveness: “You are to be like people waiting for their Lord when he comes back from the wed-
What does ‘born-again’ mean? HAT does it mean to “be born again, to “be born from above”? If you’re an Evangelical, you’ve probably already answered that for yourself. However, if you’re a Catholic or a mainstream Protestant, then the phrase probably isn’t a normal part of your spiritual vocabulary and, indeed, might connote for you a biblical fundamentalism which confuses you. What does it mean to “be born again”? The expression appears in John’s Gospel in a conversation Jesus has with a man named Nicodemus. Jesus tells him that he “must be born again from above”. Nicodemus takes this literally and protests that it’s impossible for a grown man to reenter his mother’s womb so as to be born a second time. Jesus then recasts the phrase metaphorically, telling Nicodemus that one’s second birth, unlike the first, is not from the flesh but “from water and the Spirit”. Well, that doesn’t clarify things much for Nicodemus, nor for us. What does it mean to be born again from above? Perhaps there are as many answers to that as there are people in the world. Spiritual birth, unlike physical birth, doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone. I have Evangelical friends who say that for them this refers to a particularly powerful affective moment within their lives when, like Mary Magdalene in the Garden with Jesus on Easter Sunday, they had a deep personal encounter with Jesus that indelibly affirmed his intimate love for them.
Nicholas King SJ
ding, so that when he comes and knocks, they will open to him without delay.” Are you and I going to be awake at that vital moment? “Congratulations to those slaves whom the Lord will find awake when he comes.” And the Lord’s coming is unpredictable: “You see—if the master of the household knew at what time the thief was coming, he would not allow his house to be burgled.” We may note in passing that it is rather daring of him to compare God to a burglar! And he continues: “Who then is the faithful or prudent steward, whom the Lord will appoint over his household to distribute food at the appropriate time?” This is followed by certain warnings about corporal punishment, to keep us on our toes, and to make sure that we are paying attention, and a reminder of how much we have been given: “Everyone who has been given a great deal, much will be asked of that person, and the person to whom much has been offered, more will be asked of them.” What is the Lord asking of you, this week, in the form of profound attention?
Southern Crossword #874
Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI
Final Reflection
up on it because I’ve nothing to lose! I’ve already lost everything, my husband, my youthful body, my health, my place in the world, and much of my pride and dignity. Now I’m free! I’m no longer afraid!” Her son, who had only been half-listening to her for a long time, now began to listen. He began to spend longer hours with her, recognising that she had something important to teach him. A couple of years later, she died. But by then, she had been able to impart to her son some things that helped him understand his life more deeply. “My mother gave me birth twice; once from below, and once from above,” he says. He now understands something that Nicodemus couldn’t quite grasp. We all, no doubt, have our own stories. And what do the biblical scholars teach about this? The synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke), scholars say, tell us that we can enter the kingdom of God only if we become like little children. This means that we must, in our very way of living, acknowledge our dependence upon God and others. We are not self-sufficient and that means truly recognising and living out our human dependence upon the gratuitous providence of God. To do that is to be born from above. John’s Gospel adds something to this. Raymond E Brown, commenting on John’s Gospel, puts it this way: To be born again from above means we must, at some point in our lives, come to understand that our life comes from beyond this world, from a place and source beyond out mother’s womb, and that deeper life and deeper meaning lie there. And so we must have two births: one that gives us biological life (births us into this world) and another that gives us eschatological life (births us into the world of faith, soul, love, and spirit). And sometimes, as was the case with my friend, it can be your own birthmother who does the major midwifing in that second birth. Nicodemus couldn’t quite get past his instinctual empiricism. In the end, he didn’t get it. Do we?
S outhern C ross Pilgrimage
Led by Archbishop William Slattery www.fowlertours.co.za/passion
4. Academic who is still a pupil? (7) 8. Woman warrior in the big river? (6) 9. The throng called on Pilate to do it Jesus (7) 10. Tune in the hymn (6) 11. Land of the Hebrews (6) 12. Persuasive speaking thrice or thereabouts (8) 18. The force the persuasive speaker puts on you (8) 20. Say it politely to satisfy (6) 21. Characteristic of the French Church (6) 22. They are barely seen in camp (7) 23. Church wall decoration sounds icy (6) 24. Shepherd of the psalmist (3,4)
Solutions on page 11
DOWN
1. Teacher awards it to the nasty evangelist (3,4) 2. Mass meetings for right confederates (7) 3. Religious cult of the Caribbean (6) 5. Cleric with two u-turns shows calligrapher’s twist (8) 6. Comes to pass (6) 7. The man who flared (6) 13. One who is sorry for sin (8) 14. Constructor who turned buried fifty (7) 15. On which judges sit in church? (7) 16. Put your hand to this and don’t look back! (Lk 9) (6) 17. Roughly nailed the prophet (6) 19. The flight up and down (6)
CHURCH CHUCKLE
T
HE wife of the organist had a reputation for entertaining guests with a piano concerto which she performed with as much enthusiasm as ineptitude. At a dinner party at the organist’s house, the priest noticed the usual musical interlude was missing. The priest approached the lady of the house and asked gently: “So, you don’t play music as much as you used to?” “Oh, you know,” she replied, “since I’ve become a mother, I simply lack the time!” “Yes,” said the priest with relief, “children are indeed a blessing!”
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