200219

The

S outher n C ross

February 19 to February 25, 2020

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 5175

www.scross.co.za

What you must know about Ash Wednesday

R12 (incl VAT RSA)

Lent: The detox for your soul

Page 9

Centenary Jubilee Year

Having faith with depression

Page 7

Page 7

Slattery probes SA’s secondbiggest diocese

BY ERIN CARELSE

T A baby watches as its mother receives ashes on Ash Wednesday, which this year falls on February 26. Ash Wednesday marks the start of the penitential season of Lent, a time of reflection, prayer, fasting and charity before Easter. (Photo: Rick Musacchio/CNS)

Dancing priest’s song for Ireland

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Pilgrimage 2020

S outher n C ross

SINGING and dancing priest hopes to represent Ireland in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, one of Europe’s premier annual television events.

Fr Ray Kelly, 66, said if his song “Hallelujah Day” is chosen for the Eurovision, it could win the contest, though he conceded to The Irish Catholic newspaper that “I’d be biased though”.

If Fr Kelly (pictured) were to go all the way to win in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on May 16, it would be Ireland’s eighth winner, extending the record which the country holds.

But it would also be Ireland’s first win in 24 years, since Eimear Quinn won with “The Voice” in 1996.

But Meath-based Fr Kelly is also realistic.

He would be “shocked and amazed” to be chosen.

“I have had a great interest in the show, I’ve watched it from my early teens...going back to Johnny Logan in 1980 [winner with “What’s Another Year”] and even before; I was in school when Dana won it”, in 1970 with “All Kinds Of Everything”, Fr Kelly told The Irish Catholic.

The priest described “Hallelujah Day” as a “gospel song with a country-western flavour to it”.

While he was waiting to learn whether he

will sing for Ireland in Rotterdam—the decision is expected to be announced by early March—he was competing in the popular show Dancing with the Stars, staying in the competition by popular vote despite receiving low scores from the judges.

Fr Kelly—who obtained his bishop’s’ permission to take part in the show—acknowledged that he was receiving popular support not for his hoofing skills, “but maybe for my entertainment or my popularity in other ways”.

The priest became famous overnight in 2014 when a video of him singing Leonard Cohen’s song “Hallelujah”, with adapted lyrics, at a wedding became a YouTube sensation, garnering 73 million hits.

Fr Kelly will release his debut album in April.

But the priest of the St Patrick’s Society for the Foreign Missions stressed that the singing and dancing is secondary to him: “My first love, first of all, is my priesthood, and that’s number one in my life.”

HE retired archbishop of Pretoria will conduct an apostolic visitation of South Africa’s second-most populous Catholic diocese.

According to a notice from the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the request for an apostolic visitation of Mariannhill diocese was made by its ordinary, Bishop Pius Mlungisi Dlungwane, “to assist him in enriching the life and pastoral activity of the local Church”.

The Holy See has appointed Archbishop William Slattery OFM, retired of Pretoria, as the apostolic visitor, a role that will see him spending time in the diocese this month and March.

The visitation began with a Mass held at St Joseph’s cathedral in Mariannhill on February 12.

“The apostolic visitation allows someone like myself to sit down with the bishop and his consultors and to reflect on the structures of the diocese and what they feel is going well and what needs to be improved,” Archbishop Slattery told The Southern Cross.

This will include meetings and consultation with the clergy, religious and laity of the diocese.

“Things we would look at are the strengths of Mariannhill, which is a pioneering diocese in South Africa, and after Johannesburg—in terms of Catholic population—is the secondbiggest diocese in the country,” the archbishop said.

“It has a lot of vocations and seminarians,” he added.

“I’ll also be talking to the bishop and we’ll be looking at the structure of the diocese, especially in light of the recently-launched Pastoral Plan, what kind of ongoing formation the clergy are engaged in, what kind of formation there is for the adults, as well as how catechetical programmes are being presented, the family situation and youth, and looking to see if these are adequately done,” Archbishop Slattery said.

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He said that he entered the visitation with no preconceptions about “the actual factual situation”, adding that “the task of his visitation is to find that out”.

“If there are problems within the diocese, we would reflect together about them in an objective way. In solving anything that happens in life we need to know what the problem is, if there is one,” Archbishop Slattery said.

T

he archbishop said he would meet with the diocesan pastoral council and parish pastoral councils, “and see how they feel they are being served, [look at] their relationship with their clergy and the relation of the clergy among themselves”.

An example of such pastoral problems may be a priest in a parish who “doesn’t relate at all to the local parishioners, and they are not getting any joy complaining, and they feel they are not being adequately served then”, Archbishop Slattery said.

“This will then be an opportunity for them to speak to someone on the outside, and then I could make sure that this issue is brought before the diocese, “ he said.

The Vatican defines an apostolic visitation as”an exceptional initiative of the Holy See which involves sending a visitor or visitors to evaluate an ecclesiastical institute such as a seminary, diocese, or religious institute.

“Apostolic visitations are intended to assist the institute in question to improve the way in which it carries out its function in the life of the Church.”

Often such visitations are prompted by obstacles in maintaining faith and discipline, and/or the need to correct abuses.

Mariannhill diocese was erected as an apostolic vicariate in 1921 and was elevated to the rank of a diocese on January 11, 1951.

The diocese serves a population of 329,575 Catholics, according to 2017 statistics.

It has been headed by Bishop Dlungwane since 2006, after six years in which he served as auxiliary bishop there.

Pray in Medjugorje and visit Rome, with papal audience, Assisi, the town of St Francis, Loreto with Mary’s House.

Plus a tour of historic Split in Croatia.

Three countries in one tour!

The Southern Cross, February 19 to February 25, 2020

LOCAL

Charity a lifeline for stranded seamen SS82741NH

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ATHOLIC seafarers’ charity Apostleship of the Sea (Stella Maris) in Cape Town has been providing support to six crew members of a fishing vessel that has been detained in port since December.

The Yong Qing Fa No 666 arrived in Cape Town on November 30 but was barred from entering the port and had to drop anchor while it waited for the green light to dock. It had also run out of fuel.

The ship was allowed to enter the port on December 13.

Nicholas Barends, the Stella Maris national director based in Cape Town, discovered that the six seafarers—four from Myanmar and two Taiwanese—had very little food and drinking water on board as the ship had run out of supplies while sailing from Senegal to Mauritius. “I provided the crew with warm clothing as they were shivering. Stella Maris also arranged for emergency food supplies to be brought to them, as well as medicines and free WiFi,� Mr Barends said. “The smiles on the men’s faces when they received these items spoke volumes.�

One seafarer who is a diabetic had run out of medication. Stella Maris had a doctor draw up a prescription and ensure he got the tablets he needed, Mr Barends said.

Stella Maris has also been in

The Apostleship of the Sea is providing critical support to seamen of a ship detained in port in Cape Town since December. contact with the Taiwanese consulate, which brought food gift bags to the crew during the recent Chinese New Year celebration. “Communicating with the Myanmar seafarers has been quite challenging as the Burmese language is not widely spoken, but we have been using the Internet and a contact in Myanmar to help out with translations,�

Mr Barends said. “It is sad that the crew have found themselves in this situation, but they are grateful for Stella Maris’ assistance and we will continue to support them until they are safely repatriated.

It is all part of Stella Maris’ ministry to those on the margins,�

he added.

The port chaplains and volunteers of Apostleship of the Sea care for seafarers and fishermen in South Africa’s largest ports, providing practical and pastoral care to all, regardless of nationality, belief or race.

Stella Maris, which has 227 port chaplains in 334 ports in 59 countries worldwide, celebrates its centenary this year. The charity will hold its 25th world congress from September 29 to October 4 in Glasgow, Scotland, where it was founded. n For more information contact Nicholas Barends at nicholas. barends@stellamarismail.org or visit apostleshipofthesea.org.za

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ADIO Veritas is staging a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in September—and is offering a virtual pilgrimage in the months leading up to that journey.

Every Wednesday morning at 7:30, Radio Veritas presenter Khanya Litabe and Southern Cross editor GĂźnther Simmermacher discuss one particular place in the itinerary the actual pilgrimage will follow in a series entitled “The Fifth Gospelâ€?.

Mr Simmermacher is the author of The Holy Land Trek and has been to the land of Christ many times. “GĂźnther describes the sites we’ll visit in September: what they are, why they are important, their history, whether they

are the authentic places and so on,� said Mr Litabe, who is also Radio Veritas’ station manager.

Each of the short episodes includes a pop or gospel song chosen by Mr Simmermacher that relates to a site being discussed.

The Radio Veritas pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Istanbul from September 6-15 will be led

by Bishop Duncan Tsoke, auxiliary of Johannesburg.

Mr Litabe is scheduled to accompany the pilgrimage, and will broadcast from the Holy Land on Radio Veritas. “The Wednesday morning programmes are in part intended to promote the pilgrimage, but also to give those who’ve never been to the Holy Land a chance to have some experience of it,�

Mr Litabe said.

The series of programmes follows the sites in the chronological order of the itinerary of the September pilgrimage. They are going to run weekly until around July.

The next episode, on February 26, will give an overview of the Sea of Galilee, followed by three episodes on various sites around the famous lake before the journey continues at Jacob’s Well.

The programmes are going up as podcasts on radioveritas.co.za/ index.php/podcast-list n Tune in to Radio Veritas on 576AM (in Gauteng), on DStv channel 870, or streamed on radioveritas.co.za. For more information on the pilgrimage led by Bishop Tsoke, go to www.fowlertours.co.za/veritas

Burglars hit hard

BY ERIN CARELSE

S

TAFF of St Augustine College, South Africa’s Catholic university, were shocked to arrive at work to see that burglars had robbed their Johannesburg, premises. “Much of our information technology equipment was stolen,� said Prof Garth Abrahams, president of St Augustine. The criminals stole 22 computers, three servers, three projectors, and the entire alarm system, and caused damage.

It got worse: the tabernacle in the chapel was stolen and, at the time, contained a ciborium with the Blessed Sacrament.

Facilities manager Jean-Marie Uwimana repaired what he was able to, while IT consultant Penny Ludwig ensured the institution was quickly up and running again.

Meanwhile, a priest at St Mary’s Catholic church in Retreat, Cape Town, said he has little hope of recovering items that were stolen in a Saturday night burglary during loadshedding.

Fr Cecil Dowling CSsR discovered that the church had been broken into on the Sunday morning before Mass: the criminals threw a brick through a window, and once inside, took four empty chalices and two brass bells.

The case has been reported to the Steenberg police station. If anyone has any information, contact the parish on 021 712-1841.

Three archbishops united to honour a fourth one: (from left) Archbishop Emeritus William Slattery of Pretoria, Cardinal Wilfrid Cardinal Napier of Durban, and Abel Gabuza, coadjutor and future archbishop of Durban, stand in Emmanuel cathedral to honour the late Archbishop Denis Hurley on the 16th anniversary of his death in 2004. Earlier in the day, they gathered with dozens of supporters for the AGM of the Denis Hurley Centre.

The Southern Cross, February 19 to February 25, 2020

LOCAL

3

PE parishes’ J&P group works with taverns

BY ERIN CARELSE

J

USTICE & Peace activists from Port Elizabeth diocese have been tackling issues of alcohol abuse and related violence in their communities.

The team of 18 members from St James and St Joseph’s parishes has in the past year been advocating for a ban on sales of alcohol to minors and pregnant women, and the enforcement of the city’s bylaws on taverns and shebeens.

Michael Pillay, a member of the team, first Joined J&P in 2006. He said ongoing coaching and support has helped the action succeed.

“The Justice & Peace Commission of the bishops’ conference has helped us with the technical knowledge of doing this work; we have been trained by experts in the field,” explained Mr Pillay.

Members of the Justice & Peace team from St James and St Joseph’s parishes in Port Elizabeth who have been tackling alcohol problems in the diocese.

At a local level, he said the group had received moral support from the diocesan leadership, led by Fr Ludwe Jayiya and Deacon Roland Dace.

“At a programmatic level, we

would not have achieved the results we have so far if we didn’t have the buy-in from the 22 tavern owners who are actively involved in the project,” Mr Pillay said.

“We have always seen tavern owners as critical gatekeepers.

When we engage them, we don’t engage them as difficult people but as key stakeholders who have the answers in the fight against alcohol abuse in the communities.”

The South African Police Services and the Liquor Board have also been assisting the team in monitoring the compliance of the tavern owners when it comes to selling of alcohol to minors and pregnant women, opening and closing times, and the fight against illegal shebeens.

“Our collaboration with them is critical in our work,” Mr Pillay said.

Between August and December 2019, more than 300 people struggling with alcohol abuse were successfully referred for further assistance to places like Alcoholics Anonymous and the Family And

Marriage Society of South Africa.

“Most of the individuals resort to alcohol abuse due to stress-related issues like job losses, tensions between themselves and their partners, and so on,” Mr Pillay noted.

“The dialogues we are having are in initial healing platforms, where we encourage people to face their situations and find the necessary help. It is our position that alcohol abuse will never be an answer to problems,” he said.

This year, the team’s focus will be the fight against illegal shebeens.

“While taverns which are regularised by the municipality are cooperating regarding opening and closing times, illegal shebeens are capitalising on this and selling alcohol at any given time or to anyone, including minors and women who are pregnant,” Mr Pillay said.

G’town’s ‘Spiritfest’ Sister’s 70 years of religious life calls for new ideas

BY SAMANTHA CAROLuS

A

FTER a successful “Spiritfest” at last year’s National Arts Festival 2019 in Grahamstown/Makhanda, organisers are inviting the public to share their suggestions for this year’s festival from June 25 to July 5 that aims to bring Christian people together in celebration of their faith.

Last year, the Ecumenical Street Parade and celebration brought visibility as a group of Christian members showed public appreciation for their faith.

“We hope this will attract an even bigger crowd this year, with many more joining their shared faith and voices of prayer in the event,” said Gunda Spingies, a Spiritfest coordinator.

Spiritfest’s Winter School in 2019 featured several well-received talks, among them one by Fr Anthony Egan SJ of the Jesuit Institute in Johannesburg on Christian kinship.

A daily meditation group, led by

BY SR MARIE ANDRE MITCHELL SND

Paul Faller of the World Community for Christian Meditation, was very successful, Ms Spingies said, and Spiritfest has been encouraged to repeat it.

Other well-received events included the organ recitals by Christopher Cockburn and Stephen Holder.

Also, the Makhanda Kwantu Choir presented a combined concert with the Quava Vocal Group from Johannesburg, with the Quava choir winning a Standard Bank Ovation Award for its concert.

“Spiritfest hopes to grow more successful year by year—not in increasing door takings, or even in numbers of attendees, but in trying to make a difference in the lives of those we touch,” Ms Spingies said.

For suggestions and ideas, or recommendations of a suitable artist, e-mail gunda.spingies@gmail.com or s.k.carolus@gmail.com. n For more about Spiritfest see w w w. g r a h a m s t o w n c a t h e d r a l . org/spiritfest

Johannesburg-born Sr Ann of St Rita Doyle celebrated her 70th jubilee in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, at a thanksgiving Mass.

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THANKSGIVING Mass was held in Zimbabwe to mark the 70th anniversary of Johannesburg-born Sr Ann of St Rita Doyle entering the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur congregation in Ashdown Park, Sussex, England.

The Mass was celebrated at St Bernadette’s parish in Waterfalls, Bulawayo, by Archbishop Alex Thomas with nine priests.

Two of the priests had been Sr Ann’s pupils at St Bernard’s High School, Pumula, where she taught for 42 years from 1969.

About 200 people attended the event, many of them Sr Ann’s past pupils. She taught two generations English and religious education.

Sr Ann was born in Johannesburg in 1930, and attended Notre Dame Convent school in Kroonstad.

In 1950 she joined the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.

After completing her training as a teacher at Mount Pleasant Training College in Liverpool, Sr Ann returned to South Africa in 1954, together with another young Notre

Dame de Namur Sister, Sr Wendy Beckett, who many years later would become a celebrated TV personality and author on art in Britain.

Sr Ann will be remembered by many South Africans as she taught at Constantia in Cape Town, Kroonstad in the Free State, and Venterspost West in what was then the Transvaal, before moving to Bulawayo in 1968.

She finally retired from St

Bernard’s in 2010, moving to her congregation’s novitiate house, where she has transformed the garden. Sr Ann knits in her spare time, and corresponds with past pupils and former colleagues worldwide.

Archbishop Thomas thanked Sr Ann for her contribution to the archdiocese of Bulawayo for over 50 years, saying she is an example of fidelity to the young nuns, novices and postulants present.

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The Southern Cross, February 19 to February 25, 2020

INTERNATIONAL

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Dorothy Day biopic raises sainthood query

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Brothers of Charity

BY MARK PATTISON

OROTHY Day, whose life was a series of seeming contradictions, might be bemused at this one: The DVD version of a documentary about her life reached, a month before the film was even going to be screened on US television on March 6, the top spot on the Amazon documentary sales chart.

Of course, to make it to the top spot, people have to buy Revolution of the Heart: The Dorothy Day Story, which means they have the disposable income to buy it. That would seem to go against Day’s own embrace of voluntary poverty as the cofounder of the US Catholic Worker Movement, which dominated her life for nearly a halfcentury.

Martin Doblmeier, who made the film, is fully aware of the many contradictions in Day’s life and legacy, having spent two years assembling the documentary.

“She’s a very traditional Catholic. She’s not a religious leftist…but is comfortable with that. But she has to be called a political and social radical.

That’s a dangerous combina-

Dorothy Day pictured in Revolution of the Heart: The Dorothy Day Story, a film by Martin Doblmeier. (Photo: Journey Films) tion,” Mr Doblmeier said.

Dorothy Day herself uttered her own famous quote: “Don’t call me a saint. I don’t want to be dismissed that easily.” Yet, 40 years after her death at 83 in 1980, there is a Dorothy Day Guild in New York advocating for her canonisation—another contradiction.

Mr Doblmeier said there are arguments against making her a saint, which include her abortion and her two suicide attempts. But “the vault of Catholic stories is filled with stories of those who were lost but then were found”, he noted,

pointing to St Augustine and St Francis of Assisi as examples.

Others say “she received too much resistance from the Church at the time she was alive. She often found herself in tension with the Catholic Church, and they don’t want the Church to claim her”, Mr Doblmeier said.

Others oppose sainthood because, to them, it would represent “some sort of domestication of Dorothy Day, as if the idea is that you have her on a refrigerator magnet”.

His own take? “I think she should be canonised.”

For his documentary, Mr Doblmeier scored a coup by getting Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon to bring Day’s words to life on the screen, most of them from Day’s autobiography, The Long Loneliness.

“We did it in a recording studio in New York City, and she was most agreeable,” he recalled.

The DVD includes extras, like the effort behind Day’s canonisation cause, more interviews and a visit to a Catholic Worker home in Washington.

When Day died, there were 30 such Catholic Worker homes.

Now, they number close to 250.—CNS

Human Rights Watch: Deportees killed after return to El Salvador

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T least 138 Salvadorans have been murdered after being sent back to their violent Central American country from the United States, according to a report from Human Rights Watch.

The report also documented “more than 70 others, who were beaten, sexually assaulted, extorted or assaulted” by perpetrators ranging from gangsters to intimate partners to police and security personnel.

None of the findings surprised Catholic officials in the country, long a source of migrants because of civil war and later gang-driven violence and poverty. Church workers say deportees return to the same dangerous situations that forced them to flee in the first place.

“We know this is very real, and I knew of cases,” said Rick Jones, adviser on migration for Catholic Relief Services in El Salvador.

“It is sending a lot of people

Migrants from Central America trying to reach the uS react as police approach them near Frontera Hidalgo, Mexico.

(Photo: Andres Martinez Casares, Reuters) back into harm’s way,” he said of deportations to El Salvador. “We still have a homicide rate of 32 for every 100 000. So people are still at risk.”

The report comes as migration to the US via Mexico becomes more difficult and the Trump administration applies pressure on countries to keep migrants from reaching the US border.

US officials are forcing asylum-seekers to await the out-

comes of their claims in dangerous Mexican border cities. Some Hondurans and Salvadorans are now being returned to Guatemala, a country Catholic officials say cannot protect or provide for its own citizens and has little infrastructure for processing asylum claims.

From 2014-18, just 18,2% of asylum claims by Salvadorans were recognised by US courts, according to Human Rights Watch. An estimated 1,2 million Salvadorans—of a population of 6,45 million—live in the United States.

Gangs originally founded in the US made their way to El Salvador with deportees and grew powerful to the point they now control neighbourhoods and run extortion rackets.

Mr Jones says the gangs have nationwide networks able to track down people not paying, making it almost impossible to relocate internally, and forcing some to instead flee the country.—CNS

Calls for JP II to be co-patron saint

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RCHBISHOP Stanislaw Gadecki, head of the Polish Episcopal Conference, is calling for St John Paul II to be declared a Doctor of the Church and a co-patron saint of Europe.

The late pope and recent saint should be recognised as a co-patron saint of Europe for his efforts to bring down the Iron Curtain and reunite Western Europe with Central and Eastern Europe, Archbishop Gadecki said in a letter to the bishops of the world, asking for their support in the effort, according to Poland In. “Fifty years of Soviet domination in East-Central Europe painted an image in many people’s minds of Europe consisting only of Germany, France, the UK, Italy and the Scandinavian

countries. One might say that John Paul II ‘brought back’ half of Europe from ‘nonexistence’, he brought back grand and wonderful heritage of cultural and Christian roots,” wrote the archbishop.

“The Polish pope knew that the current cultural crisis is an epochal call to a wise return to the common historical heritage that Christianity is. In this regard, the saint pope became a protector of European values that constitute an irremovable foundations of modernday civilisation,” Archbishop Gadecki said.

“Twenty-seven years of Pope John Paul II’s pontificate was a breakthrough for the Church and the world both in terms of his teachings and social influence,” the archbishop wrote.

He added that in 2019, he asked Pope Francis to declare John Paul II a Doctor of the Church and co-patron of Europe on behalf of the leaders of the Church in Poland.

There are currently 36 Doctors of the Church, who are saints recognised for their universal importance to the Church due to their key teachings and great sanctity.

Europe currently has seven co-patron saints. St Benedict of Nursia was declared “Patron Saint of all Europe” by Pope Paul VI in 1964. During his pontificate, Pope John Paul II declared Ss Cyril and Methodius, Bridget of Sweden, Catherine of Siena, Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) and Jadwiga of Poland as co-patrons of Europe.—CNA

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, February 19 to February 25, 2020

5

Patriarchs discuss plight Pope’s first 2020 trip to Malta of Christians with pope P OPE Francis will celebrate Pentecost in Malta, the Mediterranean island-nation where St Paul was shipwrecked and where thousands of migrants and refugees continue to seek welcome and shelter.

The Vatican announced that the pope would visit the islands of Malta and Gozo on May 31, Pentecost. It is the first papal trip confirmed for 2020.

A schedule for the trip was not released immediately, but the Vatican said the theme of the visit would be taken from the Acts of the Apostles’ description of how the Maltese people treated St Paul and the 275 others aboard the storm-tossed boat: “They

BY HANNAH BROCKHAuS

S

ix Catholic patriarchs from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Iraq met with Pope Francis at the Vatican to discuss the difficulties faced by Christians in the region and their mass emigration.

The pope met Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon; Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch; Coptic Patriarch Ibrahim Isaac Sedrak of Alexandria; Melkite Patriarch Youssef Absi of Antioch; Armenian Patriarch Gregoire Pierre XX Ghabroyan of Cilicia; and Syriac Patriarch Ignatius Youssef III Younan of Antioch.

Patriarch Younan said that the patriarchs requested the meeting with Pope Francis because of the “dramatic situation of the Middle East in general, whether in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon” and because of the “migratory flux” of the Christian minorities from their homelands.

It is a “a threat to our survival”, he said, explaining that they are struggling to provide proper spiritual assistance to their faithful in other parts of the world, especially Western Europe.

Patriarch Younan said the patriarchs thanked the pope for what he is already doing, and said they would like the Vatican “to keep defending the cause of all persecuted Christians, all persecuted minorities in the Middle East, where the political situation is not promising for

Pope Francis meets with Patriarchs of Eastern Catholic Churches based in the Middle East. (Photo: Vatican Media). minorities and they don’t have the means to defend themselves and provide safety for their communities”.

The Syriac Catholic patriarch also criticised US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed “Peace-to-Prosperity” planwhich outlines a path to statehood for Palestine as part of a “two-state solution”.

“For us, it brings more threats than solutions,” Patriarch Younan said, adding that he believes the demands of Palestinians have not been considered.

“But it’s a plan, at least we can say it will re-expose this question and hopefully there will be sincere efforts to bring those two people together to have discussions for the future,” he said.

Patriarch Younan made an

appeal for people “to help Christians stay in their homeland. For that, we need more deeds than words”.

Catholics and the Holy See should work to influence elected officials to see Middle Eastern people not as numbers, but as people, who “deserve to live in dignity and in freedom”, he said.

Patriarch Younan will be among the participants in a meeting of Mediterranean bishops in Bari, Italy.

Organised by the Italian bishops,the meeting titled “Mediterranean, frontier of peace,” will also be attended by Pope Francis on the final day, February 23.

Patriarch Younan said the meeting will include a discussion of the Christian presence in the Middle East and ecumenical dialogue.—CNA

400 new shrines for Mary

T

O commemorate the anniversary of a statue of the Virgin Mary being discovered in Argentina, 400 small grottos are being constructed in one region of the country.

Four hundred years ago, an indigenous Argentine discovered a statue of Our Lady in a rock niche on the side of a remote slope. The image bears the brown skin tone of the native population, and has led to widespread popular devotion, under the title Our Lady of the Valley, the patroness of the province of Catamarca, where the discovery occurred.

Marking the 400th anniver-

showed us unusual kindness.”

The official logo for the trip shows hands reaching up to the cross, “a sign a Christian’s welcome of his neighbour and assistance of those in difficulty, abandoned to their destiny”, a Vatican press release said.

Since 2015 Malta has been a major destination for migrants and refugees fleeing violence in the Middle East or extreme poverty in Africa.

Like its European neighbors, Malta's politicians and the local population have been sharply divided over the number of newcomers the country can and should welcome.— CNS

Our Lady of the Valley, a statue of Our Lady found 400 years ago in Argentina. sary of the finding of the statue, the bishops of Argentina declared December 8, 2019 to De-

cember 8, 2020 a National Marian Year. The year 2020 also marks the 500th anniversary of the first Mass offered on Argentine soil.

Parishioners at Our Lady of the Rosary parish in the town of Hualfín in Catamarca suggested the idea of building 400 grottos as part of the celebration. The idea was approved by Bishop Luis Urbane of Catamarca and the parish councils in the area.

Each parish is responsible for building 13 of the small grottos.

The first grotto has already been completed and was blessed in the hamlet of Laguna Blanca.—CNA

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Telecoms have duty to fight human trafficking

BY CAROL GLATZ

P

OPE Francis reminded telecommunication firms and service providers of their responsibility to help fight human trafficking.

Everyone must work together to fight human trafficking, a “plague” that takes advantage of the most vulnerable, the pope said. “Everyone’s commitment is needed—institutions, associations and educational groups.”

Criminal organisations are increasingly using the latest “forms of communication in order to lure victims through deceit”, he said.

That is why prevention requires, on the one hand, educating people how to navigate online safely and, on the other hand, being vigilant and reminding “providers of such telecommunication services of their responsibility”, he said.—CNS

6

The Southern Cross, February 19 to February 25, 2020

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

To beat the devil

A

FTER his cousin John baptised him in the River Jordan, Jesus withdrew to a mountain in the desert to spend forty days and nights in battle with temptation.

The temptations Jesus faced during that period are personified in the form of the devil.

There is something old-fashioned about the idea of the devil. Certainly, there is dubious value in the image of a hideous figure with horns, tail and hooves presiding over a furnace with his pitchfork. If this is the devil which believers reject, they are quite entitled to do so.

Pope Francis, however, warns repeatedly that the devil is real, and not just a symbol.

In his 2018 apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate, the pope stated the case: “We should not think of the devil as a myth, a representation, a symbol, a figure of speech or an idea. This mistake would leave us to let down our guard, to grow careless and end up more vulnerable.”

The devil, he said, takes advantage of that vulnerability, and “poisons us with the venom of hatred, desolation, envy and vice”.

The pope acknowledges that the devil does not manifest himself in the forms of medieval myths. Nor, it may be added, does God, who is traditionally conceptualised as an old, bearded white man.

We must not be deceived to see the work of the devil only in war and oppression, or in acts of depraved evil. The devil is present in daily temptation, sin, corruption, envy, hatred, injustice, lust for power, and so on. And so the devil is around us all the time, looking for ways to touch and dominate us.

On that mountain in the desert, the devil challenged Jesus. But the Son of God did not enter into a dialogue with the devil. He responded to the three challenges only with the Word of God, as the pope reminded us in a discourse on the temptations on the mount last March.

Pope Francis described the temptations as “three paths that the world always proposes with the promise of great success”: greed for possession, human

glory, and using God for “graces that in reality serve and will serve to satisfy our pride”.

These, he said, “are the three paths that will lead us to ruin”.

While all three temptations give the illusion of happiness and success, they are completely foreign to God’s way of acting and serve to separate us from God. “If we become careless, the false promises of evil will easily seduce us,” the pope warned.

In the fight against the devil, Pope Francis said in Gaudete et Exsultate, cultivating what is good, progressing in the spiritual life, and growing in love are the best ways to counter evil.

However, those who choose to remain neutral and “renounce the ideal of giving themselves generously to the Lord, will never hold out”.

Lent, the season when we are called to purify ourselves, is a time when we must strive to banish the devil, whose poisoned gifts are so attractively presented. It is a time when we are called in a particular way to seek the presence of God, to bridge all that is separating us from God. We do so by switching off the noise of the world to be with God in prayer and by opening ourselves to give and receive the love and justice that God calls us to.

Of course, the promises of the devil are attractive: power, wealth, glory, sex, revenge on those who wrong us... These are the traps by which the devil ensnares us.

The good news is that we are always empowered to rebuke the devil, and the Church provides us with the tools for doing so: prayer, Scripture, the Eucharist, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, participation in the sacraments, fasting, the intercession of Mary, and so on.

Pope Francis reminds us of the remedies: “An interior life, faith in God and the certainty of his love, the certainty that God loves us, that he is a father and with this certainty we will overcome every temptation.”

This Lent the Church calls us again to purify ourselves; to choose, like Jesus in the desert, God above the promises of the devil.

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.

Pastoral Plan: ‘revolution of tenderness’ needed EADERS involved in transforma- trust, diversity, power, authority, his apostolic exhortation Evangelii L tion often say that they are con- control, class distinctions, and so Gaudium is quite emphatic that uncerned about how followers will on, based on the current modus less these hurdles and stumbling react to the change mooted, how they can get the next level of leaders to support the change and work together, and how they will be able to lead their people.

There is also concern about the changes required in the values that accompany the transformation.

These behavioural shifts are necessary to create a sense of identity and also a culture of commitment and performance.

While the efforts of transformation may be noble, leaders who fail to plan for the human side of transformational change often wonder why their best-laid plans and intentions go askew.

The launch of the new Pastoral Plan is no different as the Church will not change unless and until people do.

The real challenge is that “change is often misunderstood because transitions are overlooked”.

While we may all belong to one Catholic community, we still need to deal with very real issues of mis-

Bible remains key on homosexuality

J

UNE Boyer (January 29) rightly mentions that books, magazines and the Internet give us a lot of confusing information about homosexuality. Even the Vatican does not take our doubts away.

Therefore it is better to rely on the Bible, which is the word of God. Jesus once said that his words will never pass away. Despite modernist theories, God’s word is not timebound and cannot become outdated.

What was an abomination 2 000 years ago is still an abomination now, irrespective of modern interpretations.

If somebody affected with samesex attraction does not nip that inclination in the bud, he/she will end up with an unsuppressable addiction to it.

Fortunately, with God’s help, addictions can be overcome, because God will not tempt us beyond what we can bear.

However, people confirmed in their addiction by dubious counsellors will never overcome it. It will overpower them in the end, with sometimes lethal consequences.

JH Goossens, Pretoria

Gay gene backers devoid of facts

J

UNE Boyer’s presentation of homosexuality (January 29) provides no concrete or specific

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hile the Pastoral Plan calls for implementation through the bishops, archdioceses and parishes, it makes use of the existing channels to deliver a fundamental transference in the Church’s purpose, role and influence.

According to the SACBC, the Pastoral Plan is a self-reflective document asking the Church’s leadership and the laity to “go inside of ourselves so we can reach out to others”.

The problem is that you cannot expect a different cake using the same ingredients. Pope Francis in Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. The letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate.

Letters can be sent to Po Box 2372, Cape Town 8000 or editor@scross.co.za or faxed to 021 465-3850

evidence of genetic components that affirm the supposed “natural” tendencies of persons that contradict their biological makeup.

The studies cited that attempt to point to some kind of biological or “natural variation”of the genes do not provide substantive or explicit evidence to support this novel claim.

These so-called findings are peppered with indefinite, enigmatic language such as “many of them [genes] play a role…there are many, many genes that influence a person’s likelihood of having same-sex partners…”

Can we now defend criminals by fingering “biological factors” or a “faulty gene” for murderous choices of crime?

It is a stretch to use such “findings” as scientific factual evidence when the resultant propositions are laced with speculation, inconclusive and obfuscatory unscientific verbiage!

Medical science can certainly tell us how the human body functions and changes, among other matters, but it cannot conclusively “describe” our human faculties such as love, hate, remorse and empathy

blocks are addressed, transformation will be stalled.

The Church needs to decide on whether to execute the transformation programme by taking on the role of a chameleon or a butterfly.

One changes its colour depending on the surroundings to blend in, while the other goes through a metamorphosis, namely, letting go of the past to take hold of the new.

If the Church is committed to the long-term, sustainable achievement of the Pastoral Plan, it is imperative to promote this plan as a “revolution of tenderness”.

Bold leadership is required in creating room for transformational activism with merciful and compassionate support.

While not easy, it will go a long way in inspiring and getting others to embrace and commit themselves to delivering the vision and objectives of the Pastoral Plan in line with the global Church.

Dennis Jackson, Johannesburg

for strangers.

Why is it that in the lineage of the historical family we do not find the “gay gene” manifested with regularity in more than one of the family offspring and continuing through consecutive family generations?

The objective choices we make have little to do with our genetic makeup, but more to do with our formation, environmental conditioning within the family and society through what we do and or don’t do, see, hear, learn, interpret, experience and think, and situational activities we willingly or unwillingly partake in or refrain from.

Since science affirms that eyes are made to see, mouths to eat and speak, and ears to hear, does it not follow that those who mutilate their bodies or undergo “corrective” surgery to satisfy disordered desires and inclinations, or misuse their bodies in ways other than what they were created for, are making questionable choices that are at variance with science and their humanity?

Henry Sylvester, Cape Town

J&P apathy roots

T

HE apathy in the Justice & Peace ministry is the fault of the clergy.

Let me give you an example: the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association is now off the radar because the Irish clergy who used to promote it are no longer with us.

May their souls rest in peace.

Sam Solomon, Johannesburg

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operandi within the Church.

Our diverse roles (clergy and laity), backgrounds, upbringing and perspectives all contribute to the current status.

These so-called nuances, if not addressed, will keep the transformational change in the booklet it was published. Our human nature is a long way away from the vision of “Evangelising Community Serving God, Humanity & All Creation”.

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PERSPECTIVES

The Southern Cross, February 19 to February 25, 2020

7

Keeping my faith with anxiety Felicity I Harrison HAVE spent most of my adult life trying to keep my depression “under control”. In the last year I have increasingly added anxiety to the mix as well.

I’m on medication for both—which has been an enormous blessing. I don’t feel as if I’m fighting my body and my mind. But I have to be vigilant. Every day.

At first I thought that depression was a sign of a lack of faith: that if I had faith and hope, I would no longer be depressed. I also thought that I could reason my way out of it. I was wrong.

It took me years to come to terms with it that depression wasn’t a sign that I was weak or stupid. It was only when I learnt to breathe and accept that depression is not something I can overcome but something that I can manage, that things changed for me.

And then came the anxiety. For me it manifests in both physical and psychological ways: I have sweating, nausea, shallow breathing and a heightened heart rate. I feel horrible.

This is accompanied by racing thoughts about some aspect of something coming which is insurmountable and horrible, from which there is no escape.

And it has left me feeling hopeless, as if I am at the whim of my body and mind. No amount of prayer and positive thinking helps. I can’t think my way out of this. It isn’t a matter of willpower. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.

Most days I soldier on and by mid-

morning the symptoms have subsided, I’ve faced what I feared, and nothing is ever as bad as I imagined.

The loss of my job and subsequent unemployment only exacerbated the problem. In a weird way, the experience of having depression helped me with my anxiety. But it was still a struggle.

T

he thing I have learnt is to try to attach my struggle to the suffering of our Lord. It is comforting for me to know that he struggled with anxiety too.

The isolation I felt could be debilitating and to know that he understands is a huge consolation.

I know of someone who prayed for her depression to be cured and it worked. I am happy for her. But that has not been my experience. I need medication and

Felicity Harrison writes that she has learnt to attach her struggles with depression and anxiety to the suffering of our Lord.

Lent: A detox of the soul P URIFICATION, ritual cleansing and sacrifice are not words that we often hear used by Catholics these days.

But, even if the words are not used, they are important concepts in our religious tradition and they come into their own during the period of Lent.

Large parts of the Hebrew Scripture (our Old Testament) contain detailed rules about acts of purification. And the feast of the Presentation—which we were all reminded of a few weeks ago since it was celebrated on a Sunday—showed us that the Holy Family, as good Jews, were completely part of this tradition.

Remember the older name for the date is the feast of the Purification when both the newborn Jesus and his mother have to present themselves at the Temple to be purified.

The sacrifice is clearly prescribed (two turtle doves or a pair of young pigeons) and we know that the offering of animals was a common part of Temple worship.

Even if we are removed from animal sacrifices, the idea of presenting ourselves before God to be purified is not so foreign.

After all, infant baptism continues the tradition of a newborn being presented before the community and before God, and he or she is then purified through the rite of exorcism.

And it was not that long ago that women who had given birth had to be “churched” before they re-entered the praying community.

The term purification is not one we tend to use. But we do have modernsounding terms that echo a similar idea: the obsession with dieting continues, people talk casually about being on a rehab or detox, and one of the latest fads is decluttering.

What these have in common with ritual purification is a recognition that something is not quite right in our lives and that we need to put in some effort to be “right with ourselves” and (for religious people) “right with God”.

There is still sacrifice involved. If you

Our Lenten purification has a lot in common with modern trends like detoxing or decluttering, writes Raymond Perrier. had a Dry-January, you will know that keeping off alcohol took some effort; if you are banting, then every piece of warm ciabatta is a reminder of the sacrifices you are making; if you have decluttered your wardrobe you know how hard it was to give up that precious pair of shoes, even if you have not worn them for five years.

I

give these slightly superficial examples because they also make the point that sometimes our act of purification has an ulterior motive: I will put in the sacrifice but I hope to end up with fewer hangovers, or a better body for the beach, or space in my closet for yet more shoes!

There is a bit of a tradition of such ulterior motives in some old-school Catholic practices: we can be tempted by a transactional relationship with God. After all, if saying a decade of the rosary means that God will bless me, then doesn’t saying ten decades of the rosary mean that God will bless me ten times more?

We can’t earn our way to salvation but sometimes we behave as if we can. And the Jewish people fell into the same trap.

That is why the prophet Micah warned them—and warns us—about how we add up our sacrifices.

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Point of Reflection

therapy and hard work to manage my diseases.

I no longer see anxiety and depression as weaknesses but rather as ways to make me more compassionate and understanding of others in their struggles.

I see them as a way to keep my ego in check and to help me see my limitations.

I see them as a tool to help me to ask others for help.

Some days, some weeks are harder than others. But I try to see them as a blessing. And in doing so they have less of a stranglehold on me.

I never have a day that I am free from them. But I am also no longer afraid of them nor a slave to them.

And I have faith that every day I will have sufficient grace to deal with what comes my way.

I have to fight the inclination to think that I am alone. I have learned that there are a lot of people in my corner.

I have also experienced the power of prayer and solidarity. The solidarity with others as well as our Lord.

In this struggle I know he knows what it is to be anxious. He sweated blood.

So I breathe. And carry on. n Felicity Harrison writes from Cape Town.

Raymond Perrier

Faith and Society

“With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? “Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?

“No, this is what the LORD requires of you: to act justly, to love with mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:6-7a, 8b).

So, as we plan our Lenten practices, let Micah remind us that it does not matter how many thousands of rams we sacrifice—or how many hundreds of chocolate bars.

We will be judged instead on how we live our lives: do we act justly, do we love with mercy, do we walk humbly with our God? Those are certainly words that we would associate with the late Archbishop Hurley and I hope that they also form the ethos of how we work at the Denis Hurley Centre to continue his legacy.

In our case, our offering is not of thousands of rams: instead it is the 100 000 meals that we serve to the homeless each year; or the 30 000 poor patients whom we see in our clinic each year.

And the sacrifices are the sacrifices of the staff who always go beyond the call of duty; the volunteers who give up their time (R600 000 worth of volunteering hours in our kitchen since we opened five years ago); and the people who donate goods and money to support our work.

But again, none of this counts in the eyes of God if it is not done in a way that shows our commitment to act justly, to love with mercy, and to walk humbly.

I think it is fair to say that there is some ritual cleansing that takes place in the giving of time or money. For all of us, much of our time is not spent in ways Continued on page 11

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Pray with the Pope

Pray for heroic Catholics in China Intention: We pray that the Church in China may persevere in its faithfulness to the Gospel and grow in unity.

HE coronavirus has reminded us that we are all involved with China. We half-consciously use Chinese products all the time and the growing Chinese influence on the world economy is probably the economic story of our era.

After reading a fascinating book entitled The Silk Roads by the historian Peter Frankopan and its sequel, The New Silk Roads, I came to the conclusion that modern China has a plan—and we are all part of it.

We should all therefore pay close attention to China and try to understand what is happening in that inscrutable “Middle Kingdom”.

There are some ten million Catholics in China, which is a way for us fellow Catholics to find a perspective on this ancient and venerable culture.

It is a Church which has held on tenaciously to the faith through long periods of persecution. These members of the Body of Christ are survivors and the children of survivors.

Today it is no longer illegal to be a Catholic or a Christian in China, but there is still an extremely high level of control exercised by the Party upon the Chinese Catholic Church. The so-called Patriotic Church has to consult the Party when it comes to the appointment of bishops.

As recently as 2018, the Party in some areas forced churches to cover up crosses and, in some cases, demolished churches. The issue seems to be one of the power of large, visible symbols.

However, many Chinese Catholics play down the differences between the “Patriotic Church” and the “Underground Church”, emphasising their unity in Christ.

One priest, speaking in a recent documentary, said that he didn’t think the Lord would ask Chinese Catholics at their judgment whether they were of the Patriotic or Underground Church, but how they had loved as Christians.

No doubt some Underground Church members would disagree. Some have been very critical of the current Vatican policy of cooperation with Beijing.

T

I

n the same documentary (it’s on YouTube: www.bit.ly/2UtaH1T), a missionary priest expressed the opinion that this division was not the biggest problem facing Chinese Catholics—rather, urbanisation is.

Along with millions of their compatriots, Chinese Catholics have migrated from their villages to the big cities in search of work and a better life. The change from living in a village where perhaps almost everyone is a Catholic to a vast secular city in which some people have never even heard of Christianity, can cause a high dropout rate in the practice of the faith.

It’s not a uniquely Chinese problem of course, but because Catholics are a small minority in a huge secular sea, making this transition without losing one’s faith is probably harder in China than it is in many other places.

For the local Church leadership this migration poses a real challenge of going out to bring back the lost and preaching the Gospel to people in a very different environment to their home villages.

However, the story of the survival of the faith in China is a cause for hope. During the periods when the missionaries were excluded from the country, zealous Chinese laypeople managed to cling tenaciously to their faith, baptising their children and teaching them the basics of their belief in Jesus Christ.

We pray that they will be able to cling to and even propagate their faith as they pass through this momentous time of transition of China from an agrarian society to an industrial superpower. 天主敎 “Religion of the Lord of Heaven” n Please note that The Apostleship of Prayer will no longer be printing leaflets. In this digital age, one can simply go to www.clicktopray.org and download the app to receive some brief, daily directions for your prayer, based on the pope’s monthly intentions.

8

The Southern Cross, February 19 to February 25, 2020

COMMUNITY On the feast of the Presentation of the Lord at Mahobe parish in umzimkulu diocese, the children’s societies of Child Jesus and Soldiers of Christ received new members, and presented the Sisters of the Congregation of the Little Servants of Mary Immaculate with gifts. (Submitted

by Zithobile Zondi)

St Clare’s parish in Elsies River, Cape Town, celebrated the confirmation of young members with Auxiliary Bishop Sylvester David, parish priest Fr Job Kaleekaparampil MSFS, the deacon and acolyte, and catechists.

(Submitted by Matthew Esau)

On the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, the new catechism classrooms at St Augustine’s parish in Silverton, Pretoria, were blessed and opened by Comboni Father Robert Kinena Ndung’u, assisted by Deacon Callum Scott and Tumi Pare and other altar servers.

St Joseph’s Marist College in Rondebosch, Cape Town, held a matric induction Mass.

Grade 8 students at Marist Brothers Linmeyer in Johannesburg ended their orientation with a ceremony at which they were walked into the school by matric students. Fr Tim Wrenn SDB then blessed the Grade 8s.

Kathleen Kilian celebrated her 100th birthday with her two caregivers, family and friends. Mrs Kilian was born in Wynberg, Cape Town, and at the age of 19 married Reginald Kilian and had two daughters. She spent most of her life in England but returned to Cape Town in the 1990s. She settled in Table View were she still lives with her daughter Maureen.

(Photo: Melanie Pisanello)

St Francis parish in Mahlabathini, Eshowe, celebrated the First Communion of young children. They are seen with parish priest Fr Sifiso Ntshangase.

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The Southern Cross, February 19 to February 25, 2020

FAITH

9

You call that fasting? The season of amazing grace In Lent we are called to fast—but do we fast well?

FR RALPH DE HAHN reflects on the pitfalls and the graces of fasting.

in humility and prayer is a most effective tool for Christian growth.

The prophet Isaiah is deeply grieved when he condemns the outward display of fasting among the Pharisees and the people of Israel.

He demands not mere exterior actions and rituals but also a radical change of heart, seeking a closer ANY of the great spiritual union with the Father Creator.

Isaiah is ruthless as he cries: writers tell us that when our acts of worship do not “Look, you quarrel and squabble produce tangible results, we have when you fast...fasting like yours failed to grasp the significance and will never make your voice heard practice of fasting—not only from on high, hanging your heads like a delicious foods but, more so, from reed, lying down on sackcloth and our deep-seated, selfish mannerisms ashes!”

Then he gets to the essentials: “Is and pet pleasures.

They emphasise it is a spiritual that what you call fasting? Rather break unjust fetters, let cleansing of the heart, for “the heart is more devithe oppressed go free, ous than any other thing, share your bread with the perverse too; who can We may find hungry, shelter the homepierce its secrets?” as the poor, clothe the man the light of less prophet Jeremiah asked who is naked.”

(17:9).

Then, the prophet says, God’s grace It is to be a spiritual “will your light shine in blinding at the darkness…and your cleansing, not boastful but prayerful, and should integrity will go before prove a humbling experi- first, but soon you” (Isa 58). ence as was the case with We also have that it will heal King David whom God beautiful spirit of purificachose as “a man after my tion offered by Ezekiel: “I own heart” (1 Sam 13:14; shall cleanse you of all Acts 13:22). your defilement and your false Later David would declare: “See I idols, and shall give you a new humble myself with fasting” (Ps heart.

35:13).

“I shall remove your heart of The disciple James writes that stone…and give you a heart of flesh God wants us for himself alone: and put a new spirit in you” (Ez “Humble yourselves before the Lord 36:25–30). and he will lift you up”(4:10).

All this speaks eloquently of spirThe apostle Paul, after being itual fasting. struck from his horse and blinded, Lost meaning of Lent fasted for three days, waiting on Our materialistic society has God to reveal his will (Acts 9:6-9).

It is a spiritual truth that fasting somewhat lost the deeper meaning

M

of Lent and the choice to fast. It definitely tries to avoid all spiritual realities.

We are liturgically correct with our purple coverings and lovely penitential hymns—but then we continue to judge our true worth as defined only by what we possess and not by what we are or by what we do.

Power like this gives an illusory sense of being a somebody because one possesses something. We know that injustice feeds on such ideas.

Lent offers a marvellous opportunity to pause over 40 days and take a look inside; it is a season of amazing grace to those who are well disposed, one prepared to confess one’s sinfulness and who stands in need of a saviour.

And the practice of fasting does help us realise just how much we need a saviour!

It is a time to disengage heart and mind from a multiplicity of secondary things and to seek the true God and Father, thus bypassing all our fantasies and disfiguring images of God. We seek because we have been found; and still seek that we may find!

The beautiful work of Rembrandt of the father rushing forth to embrace his prodigal son presents the Father image we need to embrace.

For the Father is ever waiting with open arms.

Go back to the Source The Lenten fast is an excellent opportunity for fruitful self-examination. Going forward does demand going back to our Source, and Jesus is the only way to the Father.

Our external acts of self-denial—

Rembrandt van Rijn’s “The Return of the Prodigal Son” from the 1660s in the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia. For Fr Ralph de Hahn, this is the image we should embrace during Lent. like giving up smoking, alcohol, sugar and so on—may give some satisfaction, but the prophets and also Jesus himself ask us to gaze inside for a change of heart.

That means the desire for a cleansing; a transformation, aided only by grace; an honest assessment of our behaviour in loving, in forgiving others, in humility, in our speech, our habit of swearing, using God’s name, self-righteousness, stubbornness, our rash judgments, our uncontrollable anger, our reverence in adoration and prayer, and

so many irritating failures. That is the true call for fasting.

Easy? No way. We must give God the opportunity to work in us, and through us.

So we have Lent. Approaching this challenge in faith, and utterly dependent on his grace and the power of the Spirit, we may find the light blinding.

It may hurt at first, but soon it will heal—and will speak to us.

“Then will your light shine like the dawn and your wounds be quickly healed over” (Isa 58).

A few things to know about Ash Wednesday

BY MARK PATTISON

A

SH Wednesday is on February 26 this year. Here are some things to know about Ash Wednesday and the kickoff to Lent.

In the Table of Liturgical Days, which ranks the different liturgical celebrations and seasons, Ash Wednesday is in second place of ranking—along with Christmas, Epiphany, Ascension, Pentecost, the four Sundays of Advent, Lent and Easter, and a few others.

But Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation. It is, however, a day of prayer, abstinence, fasting and repentance.

Top ranked in the table are the

Paschal Triduum—the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil—along with Easter Sunday.

Good Friday isn’t a holy day of obligation either, but Catholics are encouraged to attend church for a liturgy commemorating Christ’s crucifixion and death.

Ash Wednesday begins the liturgical season of Lent.

We usually speak of the 40 days of Lent, but the span between February 26 and Easter Sunday, which this year is on April 12, is 46 days.

So what is going on here?

Well, we should speak of “40 days of fast”. The Sundays of Lent

are part of the time of Lent, but they are not prescribed days of fast and abstinence.

There are six Sundays in Lent, including Passion Sunday.

A few other things to know: l The ashes used for Ash Wednesday are made from the

burned and blessed palms of the previous year’s Palm Sunday. l You might not have noticed, but the use of the word “Alleluia” is forbidden during Lent.

What is known as the “Alleluia verse” preceding the Gospel becomes known during Lent as “the verse before the Gospel”, with a variety of possible phrases to be used—none of which include an alleluia.

It was banned from Lenten Masses as early as the fifth or sixth century. l Ash Wednesday also is a day of abstinence and fasting; Good Friday is another. Abstinence means re-

fraining from eating meat; fish is OK. Fasting means reducing one’s intake of food, like eating two small meals that together would not equal one full meal.

“In the second century, Christians prepared for the feast of Easter with a two-day fast. This was extended to all of Holy Week in the third century,” according to Fr Randy Stice, associate director of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Divine Worship.

“In 325 the Council of Nicaea spoke of a 40-day period of preparation for Easter as something already obvious and familiar to all.”—CNS

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The Southern Cross, February 19 to February 25, 2020

LENT

7 great apps to guide you through Lent As Lent comes into view, many Catholics may take a break from technology.

ERIN CARELSE suggests embracing a digital Lent with some helpful apps.

T

HE season of Lent is seen as a time of sacrifice and preparation, when many Catholics consider giving up something of value to them.

Some consider disengaging from their smartphone, but what if instead we use it to help bring us closer to God (don’t worry, you can still give up Facebook!).

Technology is everywhere, and when used correctly, it can enhance our daily lives.

Apps, in particular, are increasingly becoming a part of our daily routines. They can also be good for our faith in terms of helping to set reminders of when to pray, making it easy and convenient to delve deeper into readings, and encouraging, motivating and holding us accountable in our daily spiritual practices.

Here is a list of seven great apps, available on both IOS and Android, to help you on your Lenten journey.

To find them, just use their name in the search function of your phone’s “app store”.

Most of these apps are very helpful not only in Lent but also throughout the year.

1. Hallow Hallow is an audio-guided Catholic meditation and prayer app that aims to help people combine the peace and stillness of meditation with the spiritual growth of prayer.

It offers a variety of prayer techniques, a choice in audio guides, sessions organised by theme, and options for session length.

The app features 200 sessions of prayer in various categories of Christian prayer such as vocal prayer, mental prayer, Lectio Divina, contemplative prayer, the Examen, spiritual writing/journalling, Taizé and chant.

“Pray lists” offer themed content such as meditations on humility, which involve praying through the litany of humility.

There are also meditations based on the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, and a “Daily Prayer” section which is based on the readings of the day.

on themes surrounding scripture, feast days and many subjects dealing with the human experience, Church teaching and spiritual growth.

The first recording offers an introduction to this great saint’s life and works and the source of the text of these recordings.

6. Pray As you Go Pray As You Go invites users to spend about 11 minutes per day in a systematic method of prayer, which one follows in audio which combines music, scripture and some questions for reflections.

A new prayer session is produced every day of the working week and one session for the weekend. The aim is to help you to become aware of God’s presence in your life and to listen and reflect on his word.

You are also able to set the time you’d like the reminder notification to pray.

2. Laudate Promoting itself as the #1 free Catholic app, Laudate is one of the most packed Catholic apps out there while still maintaining its easy navigation.

Features include Liturgy of Hours, the New American Bible, interactive Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy, numerous prayers and chaplets, links to Catholic media, a confession guide, and daily readings and saints.

The app is available in multiple languages.

3. 3D Catholic Do you want to walk the Lenten road with others? 3D Catholic offers that option.

This simple app is designed to promote three traditional Catholic practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving: practices traditionally connected to the season of Lent.

You can join other Catholics in praying the Angelus every day at noon, abstaining from meat on Fri-

days throughout the year, and performing at least one corporal work of mercy weekly.

You can view the real-time map to see where others are practising the three devotions.

Users can upload prayers to the prayer intention stream and take other users’ petitions into prayer.

4. EXODUS 90 This 90-day spiritual exercise for men is an intense “make-my-dailyroutine-uncomfortable” initiative. It emphasises traditional forms of mortification such as various forms of abstinence, physical discomfort, prayer and meditation to get you to break bad habits and form new ones.

It is based on three pillars: prayer, asceticism, and fraternity.

Users will build up a habit of

daily prayer by committing to praying for a holy hour each day and will read through the book of Exodus part by part.

The scripture will be accompanied by a daily reflection that will help comprehend the scripture for that day, understand where you are within the spiritual journey, and lead you into that day’s time of prayer.

5. Cardinal Newman Audio Library With this app, you can listen to audio recordings of almost 200 talks

by St John Henry Newman, one of the 19th century’s greatest English prose writers, and one of the great Catholic theologians of his time.

Through the voices of others but in his own words, Newman speaks

7. Prayers for Lent and Advent This app presents a series of prayers, one for each day of the Lenten period to help you grow in your relationship with God. It also allows you to share the daily prayer easily with family and friends.

And, as the name suggests, you can return to the app in November for the season of Advent!

If you are considering holding on to your phones this Lent, think of these apps as tools that provide some help in you succeeding on your journey.

These apps could well have a long-term impact spiritually in your daily life by helping, encouraging, motivating and inspiring you.

The Southern Cross, February 19 to February 25, 2020

YoUR CLASSIFIEDS

Pope addresses Focolare on founder’s centenary

BY HANNAH BROCKHAuS

P

OPE Francis emphasised unity in a message sent to bishops connected to the Focolare Movement, which is celebrating 100 years since the birth of its founder.

“The charism of unity is one of these graces for our time, which is experiencing a momentous change, and calls for a simple and radical spiritual and pastoral reform which brings the Church back to the ever-new and current source of the Gospel of Jesus,” the pope said.

He referenced John 17:21, in which Christ prays, “so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me”.

“Through the charism of unity, fully attuned to the magisterium of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, the Holy Spirit concretely teaches how to live the grace of unity” according to Christ’s prayer, Pope Francis said.

His message was read aloud at the opening of a conference of seven cardinals and 137 Catholic bishops from 50 countries connected to the Focolare Movement. The meeting, titled “a

The Focolare Movement is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of its founder, Chiara Lubich (above). (Photo: CSC-Audiovisivi-Archivio) charism at the service of the Church and humanity”, is taking place in Loppiano, Italy.

The Focolare Movement, which began in northern Italy in 1943, is a Catholic organisation focused on the principles of unity and fraternity.

In 2020, the movement is celebrating the centenary of the birth of its founder, laywoman Chiara Lubich, whose cause for beatification was opened by the

Vatican in 2015.

Ms Lubich was born in 1920 in Trento and died in 2008 in Rocca di Papa.

Her funeral was celebrated at St Paul’s Outside the Walls in Rome and was attended by nearly 40 000 people.

In his message, Pope Francis also spoke about the Holy Spirit’s invitation to choose Christ Crucified as the “compass of our ministry” and to become “one with everyone, starting from the least, from the excluded, from the discarded, to bring them light, joy, peace”.

“The Spirit opens the dialogue of charity and truth with every man and woman, of all cultures, religious traditions, ideal convictions, to build the new civilisation of love in encounter,” the pope continued. “The Spirit puts us at the school of Mary, where we learn that what is worthy and remains is love.”

Focolare president Maria Voce sent a video message to the bishops’ meeting.

Ms Voce said they want to promote “a lifestyle of fellowship and communion with Jesus among Catholic bishops from all over the world...Such a lifestyle contributes to making collegiality ever-more effective and affective.”—CNA

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ABoRTIon WARnInG: The truth will convict a silent Church. See www. valuelifeabortionisevil.co.za

PRAYERS

PoWERFUL noVEnA: St Jude never fails us. Holy St Jude, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ and faithful intercessor for all who invoke your special patron in time of need. To you do I have recourse from the depths of my heart and humbly beg you to come to my assistance. Please help me now in my urgent need and grant my petition. In return I promise to make your name known in distribution of this prayer that never

fails. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be forever blessed and glorified. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us and grant my request (name your request). Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be. Say this for nine consecutive days and your request will be answered. Jen Swanepoel. o IMMACULATE VIRGIn MARY, Mother of Mercy, you are the refuge of sinners, the health of the sick, and the comfort of the afflicted. You know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings.

By your appearance at the grotto of Lourdes you made it a privileged sanctuary where your favours are given to people streaming to it from the whole world.

Over the years, countless sufferers have obtained the cure for their

selves.

And if we hold back, the Lord knows: the Jewish family that could afford the two turtle doves but instead cheated with the pair of pigeons (the offering of the poor) were not making a “right offering” before the Lord.

So as you prepare for Lent, can I suggest a couple of things to consider: What is it that I am offering to the Lord, and, if I can afford

98 Years Ago: February 18, 1922

New pope became cardinal last year The election of Cardinal Achilles Ratti of Milan to succeed Pope Benedict XV will not be a surprise to Vatican observers. The new pope was born in 1857 in northern Italy and ordained in 1879. He was brought to the Vatican by Pope Pius X in 1911 after Pius X’s death. Pope Benedict appointed Mgr Ratti apostolic delegate to Poland during the time of the country’s independence. He became a cardinal in 1921.

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Gracious God, today begins a period of inner reflection and examination. The days stretch before me and invite me inward to that silent, holy space that holds your Spirit.

This special time beckons me to see my life through Christ’s eyes and the truth and reality of your love incarnate.

two turtle doves, do I really think I will get away with a pair of pigeons?

How am I offering my sacrifice to the Lord: am I doing it in a way that shows justice and mercy and humility?

And to the extent that my life has been lacking in justice and mercy and humility since last Lent, the more this period gives me an opportunity to put myself right with God.

FROM OUR VAULTS

infirmities—whether of soul, mind, or body. Therefore I come to you with limitless confidence to implore your motherly intercession. Obtain, O loving Mother, the granting of my requests.

Through gratitude for your favours, I will endeavour to imitate your virtues that I may one day share in your glory. Amen.

A Prayer for Ash Wednesday

Lent: A time to detox the soul Continued from page 7 that reflect justice or mercy or humility; that much of our money is not spent in ways that follow the precepts of Micah.

By giving some of my money or some of my time, I can purify what the Lord has given me by giving it back to the Lord.

When the offertory is brought up in church on a Sunday, it is not just our gifts that are being offered but our whole

11

Give me the grace to enter the space of these days with anticipation of our meeting.

And, when I open my soul to your presence, let your loving kindness flow over me and seep into the pockets of my heart.

I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen!

Southern CrossWord Our bishops’ anniversaries solutions This week we congratulate: SOLUTIONS TO 903. ACROSS: 1 Holy, 3 Epistles, 7 Methods, 9 Water, 10 Sundowner, 12 Dreary, 14 Stones, 16 Abhorrent, 19 Stoup, 20 Estonia, 21 Acrobats, 22 Chat.

DOWN: 1 Homicide, 2 Lotus, 4 Pastor, 5 Lateran, 6 Sure, 8 Ownership, 9 Want to eat, 11 Aspirant, 13 Enamour, 15 Priest, 17 Tenth, 18 Asia.

February 24: Bishop Michal Wüstenberg, retired of Aliwal, on the 12th anniversary of his episcopal ordination February 27: Bishop Fritz Lobinger, retired of Aliwal, on the 32nd anniversary of his episcopal ordination February 28: Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban, on the 39th anniversary of his ordination as bishop of Kokstad

E Cape priest dies in horse accident Fr J Rafferty of lzele, near King William’s Town, died after he was thrown off his horse on his way home. The Irish priest had been in South Africa for only a few months, but had made many friends during that time. He is survived by his widowed mother.

Wireless broadcast calls Catholics home A broadcast on wireless radio in New York City produced tangible results when one listener contacted the local parish for instruction in the Catholic faith and a lapsed Catholic sought to be reconciled with his Church.

What new Pope Pius XI faces In his editorial, Mgr John Colgan writes that newly-elected Pope Pius XI “takes possession of the throne of Peter at a time which finds the world still looking for that peace which over-confident statesmen promised as a result of the world conflict which began in 1914”.

Liturgical Calendar Year A – Weekdays Cycle Year 2 Sunday February 23, 7th Sunday of the Year Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18, Psalm 103:1-4, 8, 10, 12-13, 1 Corinthians 3:16-23, Matthew 5:38-48 Monday February 24 James 3:13-18, Psalm 19:8-10, 15, Mark9:14-29 Tuesday February 25 James4:1-10, Psalm 55:7-11, 23, Mark 9:30-37 Wednesday February 26, Ash Wednesday Joel 2:12-18, Psalm 51:3-6, 12-14, 17,

2 Corinthians 5:20--6:2, Matthew 6:16, 16-18 Thursday February 27 Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 1:1-4, 6, Luke 9:22-25 Friday February 28 Isaiah 58:1-9, Psalm 51:3-6, 18-19, Matthew 9:14-15 Saturday February 29 Isaiah 58:9-14, Psalm 86:1-6, Luke 5:27-32 Sunday March 1, 1st Sunday of Lent Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7, Psalm 51:3-6, 1213, 17, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4:1-11

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the

First Sunday of Lent—Year A: March 1 Readings: Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7, Psalm 51:36, 12-14, 17, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4: 1-11

S outher n C ross

N

EXT week we start the “sad brightness” of our Lenten journey to Easter. The key thing is that Lent is not a solitary journey, but something we accomplish together, each growing closer to Christ. This first Sunday of Lent deals with the tension between God’s generous and beautiful creation, and the mess that we make of it by our bad decisions. There is also, however, the deeper point, that God is not defeated by any mess of ours.

The first reading is the beautifully-told story of, first, the creation of humanity, and then our failure to do what God had asked.

First, we watch as God “fashions humanity (adam) from the soil (adamah)” and breathes life into us, which turns us into living beings.

Not only that, but we are given somewhere to live: “The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the East”, with beautiful trees.

Then we meet “the serpent”, who raises a question about whether God was right to have banned eating of any of the trees.

The woman points out that the prescription concerns only one tree “in the middle of the garden”, eating which is said to lead to death. The serpent reinterprets this as “God” trying to defend his position of divine supe-

riority (“You will be like gods”).

Now the woman reappraises the tree, and sees how attractive it is: “desirable to gain wisdom”. So she eats it, and gives some to her husband. Suddenly “they realised that they were naked” (the word for “naked” is the same as the word for “cunning” at the beginning of this part of the story), and “sewed fig-leaves together and made for themselves loincloths”.

The reader just knows that this is a thoroughly bad decision, and wonders how they are to be got out of the mess. Or is God after all going to put them to death?

Happily, as it turns out, God is in charge, and that is the message of the psalm for next Sunday; the psalmist frequently admits to having got things wrong, but is certain that God can cope: “Have mercy upon me, God, in accordance with your steadfast love.” God, you see, is greater than our sinfulness: “Wash away my guilt, purify me from my sin.”

But the poet recognises he must admit what he has done; then he uses the word for “create” from the Book of Genesis: “Create a new heart for me, O God”, and recognises God’s authority: “Do not send me away from your face, and do not take your holy spirit from me.”

T

Kierkegaard, who was sometimes publicly ridiculed during his lifetime, including newspaper cartoons that made sport of his “spindly legs”, offers this counsel: In the face of something like this, it’s not a question of denying it, covering it up, or trying various distractions and tonics to deaden it or keep its sharpness at bay.

Rather we must make ourselves genuinely aware of it, “by bringing it to complete clarity”.

By doing this, we hallow it. We bring it out of the realm of shame and give it a certain dignity. How is this done?

I

magine this as a paradigmatic example: A young woman is walking alone along a deserted road and is forcibly picked up by a group of drunken men who rape and kill her and leave her body in a ditch.

Her shocked and horrified family and community do as Kierkegaard counsels.

They don’t try to deny what happened, cover it up, or try various distractions and tonics to deaden their pain. Instead, they bring it to “complete clarity”. How? They pick up her body, wash it, clothe her in her best clothing, and then have a three-day wake that culminates in a huge funeral attended by hundreds of persons.

And their ritual honouring of her doesn’t stop there. After the funeral they gather in a park near where she lived and after testimony that honours who she was, they rename the park after her.

Conrad

Sunday Reflections

And once God exercises that authority, all will be well: “Lord—open my lips; and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.”

In the second reading, Paul tells the Romans that there is a mess in our creation, because of our bad decisions: “Through a single human being, Sin came into the universe, and because of Sin, Death.”

God can cope, however, and God’s generosity is greater than our transgression: “The free gift…overflowed to many people.”

He argues that “if through the transgression of one person Death reigned…how much more will those who received the overflow of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign through the one person Jesus Christ”.

We can hardly understand what he is saying here, but the triumphant tone speaks for itself; and the triumph is not ours, but God’s.

The Gospel for next Sunday is the story of Jesus’ temptation, to which he is “brought up by the Spirit” for forty days of fasting.

As Matthew tells the story, there are three invitations to Jesus to get things wrong; and the first two start with the question of his identity: “If you are the Son of God…” First there is the invitation to do conjuring

Transforming humiliation HIRTY years ago, the Quaker scholar and psychologist John Yungblut suggested ways we might frame the humiliations and diminishments that beset us through circumstance, age, and accidents so that—despite the humiliation they bring—we can place them under a certain canopy so as to take away their shame and restore to us some lost dignity.

He wrote about it in a short pamphlet entitled On Hallowing Our Diminishments.

We all suffer diminishments. Certain things are dealt to us by genetics, history, circumstance, the society we live in, or by the ravages of ageing or accidents that, seen from almost every angle, are not only bitterly unfair but can also seemingly strip us of our dignity and leave us humiliated.

For example, how does one deal with a bodily defect that society deems unsightly?

How does one deal with being discriminated against? How does one deal with an accident that leaves one partially or wholly paralysed? How does one deal with the debilitations that come with old age?

How does one deal with a loved one who was violated or killed simply because of the colour of his or her skin? How does one deal with the suicide of a loved one?

How do we set these things under some canopy of dignity and meaning so that what is an awful unfairness is not a permanent source of indignity and shame? How does someone hallow his or her diminishments?

The Danish philosopher Søren

Nicholas King SJ

God copes with our mess

tricks: “Tell these stones to turn into loaves of bread.” Effortlessly, Jesus resists the seduction, quoting Deuteronomy: “Human beings are not to live just by bread, but by every word that proceeds through God’s mouth.”

Second there is a temptation to the spectacular gesture, “Throw yourself down”, with a suitable quotation from the psalms, which again Jesus resists (“You are not to put the Lord your God to the test”).

Finally there is the invitation to take the easy way out: “I’ll give you all this” [the kingdoms of the world and their glory], says the Devil, “if you’ll just fall down and worship me.” But Jesus is not to be diverted from his path: “The Lord your God you shall worship—him alone are you to adore.”

We have, you and I, known all these temptations: easy access to food, to success and to power; and our world is the better for the times when we have resisted.

But because Jesus did not take that option, but always resisted the easy seduction, the mess is not as bad as it might have been.

Southern Crossword #903

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

What they do, of course, does not bring her back to life, does not erase in any way the horrible unfairness of her death, does not bring her killers to justice, and it does not fundamentally change the societal conditions that helped cause her violent death.

But it does, in an important way, restore to her some of the dignity that was so horribly ripped away from her.

Both she and her death are hallowed.

Her name and her life now will forever speak of something beyond the unfairness and tragedy of her death.

We see examples of this on the macro level in the way the world has handled the deaths of people like Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy, Malcolm X, Jamal Khashoggi, and others who were killed by hatred. We have found ways to hallow them so that their lives and their persons are now remembered in ways that eclipse the manner of their deaths.

And we see this too in how some communities handle the deaths of loved ones who have been senselessly shot by gang members or by police, where their manner of death belies everything that’s good.

The same is true for how some families handle the diminishments of their loved ones who die by drug overdose, suicide, or dementia. The indignity of their death is eclipsed by proper clarity around the very diminishment that brought about their death. Their memory is redeemed.

In short, that’s the function of any proper wake and any proper funeral. In bringing to clarity the very indignity that befalls someone restore her dignity.

This is true not only for those who die unfairly or in ways that leave those they left behind grasping for ways to give them back some dignity. It’s also true for every kind of humiliation and indignity we, ourselves, suffer in life—from the wounds of our childhood which can forever haunt us, to the many humiliations of adulthood.

We cannot change what has happened to us, but we can hallow it by “bringing it to clarity”so that the indignity is eclipsed.

Southern C ross Pilgrimage

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1 and 9. You may get splashed with it in church (4,5) 3. New Testament writings (8) 7. Orderly procedures by Wesleyans? (7) 9. See 1 across 10. A drink after Evensong (9) 12. A Derry way to become gloomy (6) 14. Missiles to martyr St Stephen (6) 16. Bare thorn is repugnant (9) 19. The basin for 1 ac (5) 20. A note is scrambled from Eastern Europe (7) 21. Gymnasts who may entertain (8) 22. Informal talk (4)

DOWN

1. Cain’s crime (8) 2. Water lily of forgetfulness (5) 4. A shepherd who should be good (6) 5. Rome’s basilica of St John (7) 6. Certain to have tonsure without heaviness (4) 8. Possession that is not diabolical (9) 9. Desire to break the Lenten fast (4,2,3) 11. One ambitious to be a novice? (8) 13. Be filled with love like Roman with EU (7) 15. The high man during Jesus’ trial (6) 17. The last rosary bead (5) 18. Continent (4)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

T

HERE was a church with a bell nobody could ring despite a tradition of coming to church before Mass and giving it a try.

One day, a man arrived, went up to the tower and ran face-first into the bell. Incredibly, the bell tolled loud and clear.

As the man lay unconscious in the tower, the sacristan asked the priest whether he knew the man.

“No, I don’t know him,” the priest replied, “but his face rings a bell.”

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